Hulkenberg joins Di Resta in Force India's 2012 line-up

Force India have announced that Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will race for the team in 2012. Di Resta made his F1 debut with the Silverstone-based squad this season, whilst ex-Williams racer Hulkenberg steps up from his position as third driver to replace the outgoing Adrian Sutil.

 

“I am delighted to present our line-up for the 2012 season,” said Force India team principal and managing director Dr Vijay Mallya. “In Paul and Nico we have two extremely talented drivers with tremendous potential. I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pit lane during his rookie season.

“His speed, maturity and race craft confirmed that we were right to believe in him and we look forward to working with him again next year. As for Nico, we identified him as a rising star at the end of 2010 and chose to evaluate him during the course of this season. Despite having only limited time in the car, he convinced us that he deserved a race seat for 2012.”

Di Resta enjoyed a remarkable maiden campaign in the sport in 2011. As well as regularly outpacing then team mate Sutil, the young Scot finished the year as the top rookie driver after scoring 27 points on his way to 13th in the standings. A highlight was his sixth-place grid slot for his home race at Silverstone.

“I’m really looking forward to my second season of Formula One and continuing to grow and develop with Sahara Force India,” said the 25 year-old. “I’ve said all along that I love being part of this team: they are ambitious, hungry for success and we work well together.

“I’m really excited about 2012 and there is a real sense of belief that we can continue to push the top teams and take another step forward. I’d also like to thank the team for all their hard work this year and for all the support they’ve given me. I’ll take some time out over the next few weeks to recharge my batteries and hopefully come back even stronger in 2012.”

Hulkenberg spent the 2011 season on the bench as the team’s third driver, although he did enjoy practice session runs at 14 of the year’s 19 Grands Prix. A year earlier the German enjoyed a stellar debut season at Williams, scoring 22 points and a pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but was forced to make way for Pastor Maldonado at the British team for 2011.

“I’m obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year,” explained the 24 year-old. “It wasn’t easy to watch from the side lines this season, but I did my best to help the team and show what I was capable of.

“I’m extremely motivated for 2012 and would like to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me this chance. I’m keen to get down to work over the winter to develop our new car and help the team build on this year’s achievements. The first test in Jerez can’t come soon enough.”

Force India’s announcement means that Sutil will leave for pastures new after six years with the team. Sutil’s tenure saw the team change name (and management personnel) from Midland to Spyker and finally to Force India in 2008. In total the 28 year-old scored 95 world championship points for the outfit, enjoying a career-best finish of fourth at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix.

Mallya paid tribute to the departing German, saying: “Our new line-up means we say ‘goodbye’ to Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since we entered the sport. He has been an integral part of our success over the past four seasons and we wish him well for the future.”

There are two slots left on the 2012 grid that Sutil could in theory fill, with seats at Williams and HRT still vacant.

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Official mobile F1 2012 Timing App now available

If you are already suffering withdrawal symptoms from the amazing action that was the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship, there is now the perfect solution: Soft Pauer’s official F1 2012 Timing and Track Positioning App is now available for iPhone, iPad and Android - and it promises to be the perfect Christmas treat for all Formula One enthusiasts.

 

For the special pre-season price of £17.99*, the App offers users over 130 hours of racing action, with a whole host of features to enhance the F1 viewing experience. Award winning** and Best of iTunes in 2011***, the official F1 Timing and Track Positioning App is designed to bring the detail and precision of the sport to life. Whether you are watching the race at home and want that extra level of information and detail, or are out and about and don’t want to miss the action, this ‘Championship Pass’ to the 2012 season is your perfect F1 partner.

With exclusive live timing screens, classifications and race schedule information, the official F1 Timing and Track Positioning App also offers a host of other tools to enhance your F1 experience:

- Detailed, fully interactive 3D map means you can see what’s happening on the circuit as it happens, zooming in to focus on any given driver or track position at any given time.
- Live Pause during sessions allows you to quickly replay the action as soon as it happens.
- All the action is brought direct from the track to your handheld as it unfolds, with real time track positions and data streamed directly from the track to your device, all within two seconds.
- Access timing information on pit-stops as soon as they have happened and use the live maps to track the gaps between drivers as they re-join the race track.
- Follow live text commentary****.
- Full replay of every session so you can review the action again and again.

All these features are complemented by a huge database of information on all the drivers, teams, races, circuits and season that can be accessed at any time. The App also runs on GPRS so it can be viewed anywhere.

With just under three months until the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship gets underway, now is the perfect time to give the ‘petrol-head’ in your life the perfect F1 stocking filler this Christmas…

For further information visit www.softpauer.com/f1site/

BlackBerry device support coming in the New Year.

* Price for UK App Store. Different regions may vary. Price valid until January 1, 2012.
** The F1 Live Timing App won the SportBusiness Ultimate Sports App Award 2010 for providing the ultimate value-added experience throughout a race weekend.
*** iTunes Rewind 2011 iPad UK and other regions Sports category.
**** Text commentary on the App provided in English, French and German.

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Pirro: "I want to make a statment in MotoGP"

In an exclusive interview with motogp.com, the Italian rider expressed his thoughts about the new CRT adventure he will take on in 2012 with the San Carlo Honda Gresini team.

Michele Pirro shared his expectations and goals ahead of his upcoming season aboard the Gresini team’s CRT. "It's definitely an important milestone," began the 25 year-old. "I’ll be joining the best riders in the world in the highest category of racing on board a great team.”
 

Pirro recently extended his partnership with the Italian team, about which he said: “I am happy I’m staying with them, they are like family and after everything that happened at the end of the season, I really wanted to stay. My first place at Valencia gave Fausto (Gresini) and the team the strength to take the next step they needed to continue. After what happened in Sepang, the motivation to continue racing was at risk, but that victory helped us want to try to build something positive.”

After a competitive season in the Moto2 Championship, the Italian is ready to make the lead into the premier class where he will confront the challenge of the new CRT category, which will commence in 2012. “People are saying that it is the future,” said Pirro. "Of course in the beginning it will be criticized, just like the Moto2 class was. But after the first year, it should be possible to develop the performance of the CRT bikes even further.”

Following his win at the final round in Valencia, most expected that he would run a second term in the 600cc Moto2 class. But the two-time 1000cc Italian Superstock champion surprised everyone by opting instead for the jump to MotoGP. "I admit I waited until the last second to decide whether to continue with Moto2, especially after learning about the circuits and the category in general. With a few improvements to the bike, most likely we could have had a successful season. But I spoke with Fausto several times and he has always had the utmost confidence in me and encouraged me, and has never stopped believing in my abilities, so I'm really happy and proud to represent the Gresini team in MotoGP.”

“Staying in Moto2 surely would have allowed me to develop further in the class as a rider, and taking on this new opportunity will be a lot of hard work. But I'm happy, we will work hard to do our best to have a good season, although, given the newness of the class it’s difficult to predict too much. I am prepared and excited to invest in this new project."

The San Carlo Honda Gresini Team will run a prototype Italian FTR chassis with a Honda CBR 1000 engine, which he went on to describe: "The bike is promising, FTR has always made good chassis and of course the Honda engine and will strong. Although Aprilia and BMW are further ahead in development, I will still try to focus and prepare myself to start from where we are to move the project forward. Hopefully we can adapt the chassis to the tires, but for my part I will have to learn everything about the bike, from the electronics to the best suitable riding position. But most important will be the first test, which is expected to be in February.”

Pirro isn’t new to 1000cc bikes, having won the Italian 1000cc Superstock Championship in 2007 and 2008, riding a Yamaha YZF-R1 for the Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni team. The next season he won the Italian Supersport Championship, and in 2010 rode as a replacement for the injured Vladimir Ivanov of the Gresini Racing Moto2 team, with which he remained for the next season as a regular rider.

The Italian’s career path saw him jump to the highest category in just a few years’ time. “For every rider, the ultimate goal is to race in MotoGP, but I’ll admit that this step in my plans was expected to happen in a couple of years. The important thing now is to work well with the team and have fun at the same time, because when everything goes your way and you can ride without problems, the results gradually come. In a few years I’ve done what many of my colleagues take much longer to achieve, but I believe I've earned each step along the way to the higher categories."

"I don’t want to just 'participate' in the MotoGP class, I’d also like make a statement. Even if the level is high, and I’m racing with the best riders in the world, I want to try to be competitive with them. I realize that in the beginning this won’t be easy, it will be difficult to achieve much because of the different technical circumstances, but hopefully the first year with CRT is an investment for the future, to grow and be competitive in the coming seasons.”

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GP Commission approve new rules changes

The Grand Prix Commission approved various rules changes with effect from the 2012 season.

The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Ignacio Verneda (FIM Executive Director, Sport), Herve Poncharal (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA) in the presence of Javier Alonso (Dorna), Mike Trimby (IRTA) and Paul Butler (Secretary of the meeting), in a meeting held on 14 December in Madrid, decided the following:

Sporting Regulations

A revised wording of the testing regulation was approved. This incorporated the various decisions made earlier in 2011 concerning this matter.

Additionally it was decided that contracted riders in the MotoGP class may also test machines using the allocation of 240 tyres available to each manufacturer's team. Previously such testing was restricted to test riders only. In the interest of fair competition it was also agreed that other MotoGP class riders could exclusively test their team machines with a limit of 120 tyres per rider.

It was agreed that riders who did not qualify for the race based on their time in the qualifying practice can qualify if they achieve a time at least equal to 107% of the fastest rider in the warm up. This is an addition to the previous regulation which only considered free practice sessions.

Under the regulation concerning MotoGP class riders starting the race from pit lane due to an engine durability sanction, it was agreed that in future they will start ten seconds after the green light is shown at the pit lane exit.

Riders in all classes may now use a starter engine on the grid. For all classes tyre warmers may now remain in place until the display of the one minute board. Generators must still be removed at the three minute board.

Technical Regulations

With effect from 2012, for all classes, it will be compulsory to display a red rear light in rain conditions.

The minimum weight limits for 1000cc machines in the MotoGP class will be increased from the current 153 kilos.
- Effective from 2012: 157 kilos
- Effective from 2013: 160 kilos

The permitted wheel sizes for the Moto3 class were confirmed as:
Front 2.50" x 17" only
Rear 3.50" x 17" only

Several detail changes to regulations, submitted by the Technical Director were all approved.

A list of MotoGP class entries for 2012 was considered by the Commission. The list contained nine entries plus one reserve entry using CRT machinery of various types. Participation of all CRT entries was approved by the Commission on the understanding that the granting of CRT Status was subject to review by the Grand Prix Commission at any time.

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Successful operation for Bautista

The Spanish rider underwent an operation on Wednesday to remove the pins from his left leg put in place after a crash at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar earlier this year. 

Álvaro Bautista was operated on Wednesday afternoon at the USP San José de Madrid by Dr. Angel Villamor, who removed the pins from his left femur and clean the affected area.
The 27 year-old MotoGP rider was injured during practice at the opening round of the season, the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, and had to undergo emergency in Doha, although this operation caused him trouble all season.
Bautista thanked the hospital for the care provided him and hoped to return home this Thursday, saying: "Thanks to the all the staff at the USP San José hospital and Dr. Angel Villamor’s terrific team, who have always treated me well. Now I’ll rest and tomorrow morning I’ll get discharged to rest at home,” he said.
A few days ago, Bautista participated in the Riders for Health “Experience Africa”, which led him around various parts of Zambia on a bike in a week long journey. Bautista's impressions after the venture are included in this link.

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FIA Thursday press conference - Korea

Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA

Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Jenson Button (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Mark Webber (Red Bull).

Q: Gentlemen, you have just been doing the recreation of the 1986 photograph of the World Championship contenders. There were four of them then. There are five of you now going into the third last round of the championship. What are your feelings about the championship going into this race, particularly on an unknown circuit?

 

Jenson Button: For me it has been a very interesting season. Arriving at a new team and working with a new team-mate and finding my feet pretty early on I felt. I have enjoyed the season. For all of us it has been quite up and down. We have all had some pretty poor events and some good events. It has made the championship very exciting. It is good to still be involved in the championship hunt with three races to go. Obviously it’s most difficult for me as I am 31 points behind. But there is always a possibility. We are still very hopeful and I am looking forward to the next three races. I am sure it is going to be pretty mixed up as we go through these next three races. If you look at the last two races the Ferraris and Red Bulls sort of had the legs on us a little bit but these next three hopefully we will be a bit closer. That will make an exciting fight for the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton: I think Jenson answered it all really. It is good to be here. It is a new circuit which is quite exciting for all us drivers. Quite dusty out there, but as Jenson said this weekend hopefully we will have a little bit more of a fighting chance against the Red Bulls and Ferraris and hopefully we will be a little bit more fortunate as well.
Sebastian Vettel: I think it has been looking worse this year for me, so I think we are in a good position. The car is really good. The last couple of races were very strong. As the others said this race is a bit unknown yet. I think all of us could be very strong potentially here, so we need to see how it goes. Sector one doesn’t look like our home ground, but I think sector two and sector three should give us a possibility to catch up. We will see. Interesting venue this one, so looking forward.
Mark Webber: It was good to do the photo with all the guys. As you say going back all those years with some of our heroes obviously in those photos. It has been a very interesting season up to this point, lots of different winners, and we are all in a position now. It is not by accident we are in these positions. We have all had the season’s we have had up until this point. We have three races to go and they all offer the same points as the first three races of the year and the ones in the middle, so nothing has really changed too much. Just got to go out there and do your best. It is a clean slate here for everybody. It looks like a good little venue to have a race on, so I am looking forward to getting in the car tomorrow and getting on with it.
Fernando Alonso: Well, I think not much to add. Similar comments, up and down in the season. But for me personally a great 2010 championship, driving for a new team, great integration with Ferrari from day one. Felt very comfortable. It has probably been the best year of my career so far with great experience, very happy. Now the last three races try to do our best to arrive in a position to fight for the championship in Abu Dhabi. We came back. We made some good steps forward in the last five, six Grands Prix, so the last three races should be exciting with some better circuits, some worse circuits for all of us and hopefully making the most every weekend.

Q: A question to you all about Korea. I know Jenson and Lewis raced in Korea before in Formula Three. Jenson on the podium in 1999 and Lewis on pole position in 2003. Your feelings first of all about the circuit, maybe about the country?
JB: I enjoyed my experience here in Korea. In 1999 that was. I finished second in the race. It was partly a street circuit and it was a good experience. I think it was good to see so much interest in the event. I think it was one of their biggest motorsport events here. It was a great experience and they seemed very passionate about their motorsport and it is good to see a lot of interest. Hopefully it will be the same here. It is an interesting layout. I think they have done a good job with the layout of the circuit. I think in the first sector there are overtaking opportunities which is good to see and then you have some very fast flowing corners out the back. I think the layout is nice. It looks very slippery at the moment but that is inevitable considering it is quite a new asphalt.
LH: I don’t really remember too much about it. I remember I was taken out by a driver in the race. That was about it. Otherwise it was a good trip and a good experience and it is great coming back. This was my first time to Seoul and I had a good day there. I think they deserve a pat on their backs for getting this place ready and it looks like they can put on quite a good show, so looking forward to it.
SV: My first time here, so haven’t seen much yet. But walking the circuit this morning it looks very interesting and lots of grandstands, so hopefully we will have lots of people coming this weekend. The circuit itself, I think the main things have been covered. We will see how grippy it will be, but given the fact there was a lot of concern and we were even talking about not racing here, lately they did a very good job. I think most of the things are finished, so should be alright for us to go out.
MW: First time for me too to Korea. They have tried incredibly hard to get everything ready against a bit of a deadline. I think we are all ready to go. It looks like it will be ready, properly ready in a few years time if you know what I mean, in terms of around here and in terms of the city and some rural surroundings if you like. It’s a bit remote but that’s fine. I hope the people in the future can embrace the sport and have a good look at what Formula One is about as clearly at the moment it is new to them and a new experience but the enthusiasm looks good which is the most important thing.
FA: Me too, first time here. I think they did a very good job as well with getting everything ready. I think it is 99 per cent ready, so it will be a good show this weekend. It is always nice also from a driver’s point of view coming to a new circuit. It is a new challenge for us and always with a new country it is very welcome in the championship, so looking forward to the race here and hopefully a good show.
SV: The only thing that they could probably finish in the future is the hotel situation for a lot of team members and I think you journalists. I think for the drivers, we are fine, but I have heard some stories and maybe they can work on that.

Q: Again, to you all. What have you been doing since Japan? Did you stay out here or did you go back? Where have you been training?
JB: I headed back. We spent the day together Lewis and myself at a charity event, last Thursday, then I had a day in the simulator on Friday. We did some work for a partner of ours on Saturday and then headed out to Japan where I have been since in Hiroshima.
LH: I had a couple of days back home which was great. Did some training there and then, flew out here. Got here Wednesday morning and had appearances all day yesterday and drove up this morning.
SV: I stayed out after Japan, on the Asian side, to stay with the time rhythm and got a little bit of sun. Did some training and arrived here yesterday night.
MW: We left pretty quickly after the race in Suzuka which got me in trouble a bit apparently. Went to Australia as quick as possible and had a good time at home in Australia. It was all fine.

Q: Lots of appearances down there? Lots of media work?
MW: Absolutely zero.

Q: How did you manage that?
MW: They are not too bothered. No, they are okay. It was fine. They are excited but it was very well managed so it was all fine.
JB: Did you have any shrimps on the barbecue?
MW: Loads of shrimps on the barbie. I think there was a saint, the Italians will know, that we had Mary MacKillop made a saint. That is big news in Australia, but obviously not big news everywhere else, so that’s what the main news was. I had to watch that for seven days.
FA: I stayed in Asia, south of Japan, a little island. Did some training, playing golf, nothing exciting.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP): For Jenson and Lewis. Would you say that this is your very last opportunity for the title? If you miss this one, mathematically speaking it is still possible, but it will be harder.
JB: Every time we go to a race it seems this is the critical race. It is obviously a lot more difficult for us to win the World Championship this year but we have seen in past seasons that anything is possible. We have all had failures this year. We have all had issues, so it is definitely still possible even after this event if it is mathematically possible.
LH: The same.

Q: (Frederic Ferret - L’Equipe): The Red Bulls seem quickest in qualifying, so for the two Red Bull drivers can you explain why it is so fast and do you think you will have the pole on Saturday? For the three others, do you think you can beat them and do you have a special thing to beat them on Saturday?
MW: Well, obviously Seb has had a good run in qualifying. He has had a few pole positions and I have had some poles as well. As you say the car is pretty quick on Saturday afternoon. We have adjustable front ride height suspension which has been running since the start of the year and that works well and then we put the car back up for Sunday. Lots of things have been good for us and we try to do the same job on Saturday.
SV: As Mark said we have this big lever for the ride height. I think that is the secret for Saturday.

Q: (MC) The other three, do you feel you can beat the Red Bulls, either to pole position or the race itself?
LH: I think it’s possible, anything’s possible, and I think you can tell that us, as a team, and the Ferraris as well, are pushing very hard because I don’t think the gap is that big, so it’s not impossible. We’ve outqualified them… what was it, one race maybe? So they’ve had more than a few pole positions but no, I think we can close the gap, hopefully.
JB: Yeah, they have had the advantage this season in qualifying. If you look at the last few races we have got closer. That’s an area where we struggled a little bit at the start of the year but over the last few races we’ve been a lot closer, which is good. I know everyone’s bringing new packages to the circuit but I’ve got to say a big thanks to the guys for bringing the parts that we have here which should hopefully make a difference but we have to wait and see if that is correct.
FA: I prefer to beat them on Sunday.

Q: (MC) Can I continue a bit on that: Mark, it has been said that you are a bit worried about the first sector, even to the extent that if the two of you are on the front row, that the advantage of your rivals could mean that you’re not in the lead by the end of the first sector.
MW: Yeah, that could happen, but there’s another 300kms to go after that. Look, it was the same at Spa. We knew that we were going to be quite vulnerable up the hill there. Obviously we didn’t even get into the lead at the start, initially, there. So there are some tracks where the first sector is different than other circuits but you can only do what you can on the day so, yeah, if, if you’re not leading at the end of the first lap, for sure you can still make an interesting race from there. That’s what you always look to do: put your best foot forward. Yeah, we’re ready for most things, so we shall see how we go.

Q: (Jaime Rodriguez - El Mundo) Mark and Sebastian, the last team that tried to win the championship with two drivers was McLaren in 2007 and this story didn’t finish very well. What do you fear now?
MW: Well, for sure the Spanish probably want this. No one in this room knows what’s going to happen in the next three races, nobody. We can talk here for hours about what we’re going to do, what’s going to happen, this and that, upside down, inside out. No one knows, so we’re going to go out there, do our stuff, clearly Seb and I have had a good season. We’re both in with a chance of doing quite well in the championship and also the team is doing well in the Constructors’, because of both of us obviously are getting quite a few points. If there’s a point, in the future, where we have to race each other again then we will do what we always do and that’s obviously try to get the best result out of whatever situation we have. Irrespective if I’m racing Fernando or JB or Lewis or Seb is that I know that I need to finish races, all of us know that, so that’s always in the front of your mind, but you’re not going to give positions up either, so it’s always a balancing act. That’s what it comes down to: the racing. All the other stuff isn’t important.
SV: Yeah, not much to add. What happened in 2007 happened for a reason. Kimi (Räikkönen) had quite a bad chance of winning the championship with two races to go, at the time 17 points behind. Of course he showed it’s possible but he also did his maximum and he won those races but it also required the others not to finish in the points or not to finish high up, so I don’t think you can really compare… I think it will be different this year.

Q: (Marc Surer - Sky TV Germany) I have a question for Alonso: Fernando you have had some engine problems at the beginning of the season. Do you still have enough engines to finish the season?
FA: I think we are OK. Obviously the first problems with the engine in race two and race three gave us a more difficult situation, no doubts, but I think from there on we planned the year, the championship in a different way and so far the situation has been under control, so we should have no concerns for the remaining races and everything is OK for us.

Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Mark, you know that if you win one race and score podiums at the others you will have your destiny in your own hands. Do you sometimes calculate that or never take that into consideration?
MW: It’s ridiculous to start calculating things because a lot of things can happen. As you say: I win the next two races, it’s all over anyway in terms of doing well. But this is another event, another race here and (I must) keep doing what I’m doing. As I say, the gap has been edging away, the right way in the last few races. I need to try to do that. Then just keep doing our best, that’s the most important thing. I’m doing my best and then hopefully the result will take care of itself.

Q: (Bianca Leppert - Auto, Motor und Sport) For everbody, do you think that on Friday and Saturday morning it will be a race itself to find the right set-up or are all the three top teams on one level?
MW: It’s a new venue, clearly, so we obviously have good simulation tools to understand what we expect to a certain point, but the big unknown is obviously what sort of grip level the track will give to us in the cockpit and how the tyres will work. We’ll have a look at that tomorrow and then use a lot of that, obviously, for Friday going into Saturday. Everybody’s in the same boat, I think we’re all imagining that the track won’t be incredible in terms of grip but it might be a surprise if we have some grip to play with, so let’s see how tomorrow goes. I think for everyone it’s the same boat, it’s not that difficult with what we face.

Q: (Jonathan Legard - BBC Sport) Question to all of you: how much have you achieved what you expected to this season? Fernando, you said it was your best season to date; does that also include winning the championships with Renault as well?
FA: Well, it’s not finished, so we will see how the year ends, but in terms of happiness, in terms of motivation, driving, the team itself etc., it’s the best one. Obviously it will be nice to become champion this year but even if we cannot do it, I will anyway have great, great memories of 2010.
MW: Well, I think all of us to sit at the first qualifying session at Bahrain and say that with three races to go you’re going to be leading the championship is virtually… that is obviously the highest position you can be in with three races to go, so it’s a high bar to set yourself expectation-wise and also for the team, because we know what level of competition we have. We totally respect our rivals and they’re great operations, so that’s why you need to keep your goals in check but on the same side be optimistic and positive and well-driven within yourself that you can achieve great things and clearly Fernando has achieved more things in the past but for me this year has been an incredible season, a real highlight with many special victories for me and a lot of races which I have really, really enjoyed. Also the team chemistry - obviously we’ve had a few little bobbles here and there – but with adversity people learn a lot about themselves as well. So there has been some good stuff from our team and also from myself in terms of learning about the sport and it’s been good. Clearly it’s been my best season to date, so I’m happy with it so far.
SV: Well, I think after last season the expectation was to fight for the championship and with three races to go I think all of us are in a position to do so, some better, some worse, but that’s racing in the end. Sometimes you’re lucky, sometimes you’re probably not. You spoke about Fernando’s engine problems earlier in the season. I think it’s normal to have ups and downs, sometimes you have more, sometimes less, but as I said, the expectation was probably to be in a position to fight for the championship and I think we are in a very strong and very good position. I think so far we have fulfilled our expectations and there’s still a bit to go.
LH: I never have any expectations. I’m happy where I am, we’re still in the fight for the championship, so it’s not a bad position to be in.
JB: For me it’s been a fun year. Last season was obviously very special for me. I’d been in the same team for seven years, so to move teams was a challenge and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed this year, working with McLaren, working with Lewis. I’ve really enjoyed the situation I’ve found myself in. I still know there’s more to come. There are only three races left and with the partnership and the team, for me, I’m very happy. There is still more to come. I’m enjoying my life right now and I’ve enjoyed this season very much. I’ve had some really fun races, a couple of victories. I’d like to have won more races, but there are still three more to go, so we will give it a go.

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Korea preview - a critical voyage of discovery

The inaugural Korean Grand Prix - the race which some thought would never happen - is set to play a key role in the outcome of an increasingly tense world championship battle. Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel prepare to go head-to-head with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. And just to spice things up even more, all of them need to aim for victory.

 

Webber needs a win to provide himself with a cushion going into the final pair of races, in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Vettel and Alonso need a win to close down Webber’s 14-point lead, as the Australian has 220 points to their 206 apiece. Hamilton and Button, on 192 and 189 points apiece, have to score big if they are to retain mathematical chances of the title.

And as if that isn’t enough, Felipe Massa aims to get in on the action to take points away from his Ferrari team mate’s rivals, and Robert Kubica and Renault are burning to make up for the wheel-tightening gaffe that ruined the Pole’s promising run in Suzuka.

"There is nothing that we fear in the remaining three races," says Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. "We were competitive in Abu Dhabi and Brazil last year. But we don't take anything for granted. Korea is new for everybody and there will be areas where we will be weak. It has one of the season's longest straights, followed by a very, very twisty section. Sector one is not going to be great for us, but hopefully sectors two and three will be more our territory.

"So I think you will find that over a lap it will balance out the lap time between the strengths that some of the other teams have and the weaknesses we have."

Meanwhile, Alonso says that he will be giving it everything in the Ferrari. "In Korea we will have to attack because now we must close the gap to Webber. To lose any more ground would make the situation more complicated. The Korean Grand Prix could therefore start to be decisive for some - and for me it will be important also to be able to count on my team-mate. I know that he will be really hoping to make up for two negative results and he has all the capacities required to return to the podium.

"What's more, it will be very useful to work together to discover all the secrets of the new track so we can prepare our cars in the best way. In a moment like this every detail matters to achieve our goals."

Hamilton and McLaren believe the track, with its kilometre-long straight which runs between Turns 2 and 3, will suit their MP4-25. “I’m looking forward to the weekend,” the 2008 champion says. “I think we can have a positive race. While recent results haven’t necessarily shown it, we’ve had a strong car - now I’m hoping to get the chance to prove it on track.”

Team mate Button adds: “It’s always exciting visiting a new circuit for the first time. The Korean track certainly looks very interesting - a real mix of different characteristics - and there appear to be a couple of very likely opportunities for overtaking, particularly at the end of the three main straights, but possibly also off-line in the twisty final sector. The track looks quite high-speed, and the walls are close, so I think it’ll be an interesting challenge.

“We’ve made some improvements to the parts we tested in Suzuka, and it’s looking likely that we’ll run them on Friday. As with all our upgrades, we are pushing the envelope, so I’m optimistic that the tests will be positive and that we’ll be able to race the new components.”

Hamilton, who said his McLaren felt brilliant in the brief fast run he did before crashing on the Friday morning in Suzuka, looks forward to having the new rear wing that he couldn’t run there, and says of the track: “I’ve driven the Korean International Circuit on the simulator, and my first impressions were extremely positive. On paper, the track should suit our car quite well - the first sector is all about good end-of-straight speeds and strong performance under heavy braking, both key characteristics of our car.

“And the middle sector is fast and flowing; it’s the kind of place where you want a car with a good balance and good downforce. I think it’ll reward commitment - it actually feels like quite a nice driver’s track. The end of the lap is slower and tighter, but it’s still all about rhythm and flow - so, as long as the track surface is nice and grippy, I think we’re set for an enjoyable first race in Korea.”

Bridgestone will bring their hard and soft compound rubber, and a lot of the focus over the weekend will be on how they perform on a track whose top surface was only laid in the past two weeks. Will the oils coming to the surface make it slippery? How will it withstand the passage of 24 750-horsepower cars so soon after being laid? How long will it take to rubber in?

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone’s director of motorsport tyre development, says: “This Grand Prix presents everyone in Formula One with an interesting challenge as the circuit has only recently been completed. This means that we cannot look at any data from races there so we have to rely on simulation data. From this information, the maximum and average speeds will be 310 km/h and 205 km/h respectively. This places the track between Catalunya and Istanbul and close to Sepang in terms of speed, which is an important factor determining the allocation of the hard and soft tyres.

“Korea should be a good test of all of our technology and I expect all the team engineers to be working very hard indeed over the weekend trying to understand the best car set-ups and tyre strategies for the race. As it will be the first motor racing event at the facility we expect a lot of track surface evolution over the weekend. It will also be interesting to see how the teams and individual drivers adapt to this track, particularly those in the hunt for the championship battle.”

The weekend’s weather looks likely to be reasonably settled, with ambient temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius and sunny conditions predicted for Thursday through to Sunday. The race will run over 55 laps of the 5.621 kilometre (3.490 mile) circuit, or 309.155 kilometres (192.100 miles). It starts at 15.00 hours local time, which is nine hours ahead of GMT.

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