I think that Vettle will win again, but I think Mark will be on his game a bit more this year. I don't think the other teams will pose too much of a threat for another year or so.

i just want to get in early and declare my hate for new STR driver Jean Eric Vergne. I have no doubt that he will give further evidence of his being a massive cock over the next 12 months.

also - Ford should have stayed with that black livery they ran for the French (?) rally this year. it looked much better than their current blue/green.

Rarr!

That was fantastic. Team Kiwi!

i give it 4 races before hamilton is back with that pussycat dolls bird again.

i reckon he will announce that he and ian thorpe are dating.

Well it's official, the worst kept secret of Hulkenberg and Di Resta is confirmed for Force India. Interesting to see if Sutil ends up at Williams..

Nico Hulkenberg & Paul di Resta confirmed at Force India. Poor Sutil. Like a Toro Rosso driver he'd shown glimpses of speed, but at this level the occassional good performance just ain't good enough. Unless your name's Massa. Am I right? Hey?

Arr! Too slow. My teams going to drop me just before Christmas, I know it.

This thread needs something to attract the laydeez. You know what to do, tinyman!

Sutil's run was a little too late I reckon... poor start to the season + he has had 5 years to prove himself, so I'm not necessarily sorry for him... Alguersuari on the other hand was a bit stiff, started to get his act together after Valencia and started to show something even though his poor qualy record vs Buemi.. Would have stayed if the Ricciardo deal to Caterham stuck.. But Algiersuari is only 21, so he can easily go do a season in GP2 and win the championship and come back to F1 like Glock and Grosjean.

Seeing that contracts mean nothing now (with the Petrov situation) Massa is very lucky to keep his seat..Probably Ferrari still feel a bit sorry for him with his accident couple of seasons back

Button's cute, yeah?

Ricciardo in a Torro Rosso is great news.

Button's cute, yeah?

I wouldn't say ''cute''. I would say absolutely, unequivocally, smoking fucking hot!

I must admit I watch the GP mainly to see how cute Jenson Button is on the podium, spraying the champagne.

Vettel's not that bad either.

http://twitpic.com/5i0swz

Look at that jawbone.

This is one of three teams to run the Honda/ HPD/ Wirth Research LMP1 in 2012.

Last year right out of the block HPD manage to beat Audi and Peugeot factory teams at the 12hr of Sebring, coming second to one privateer Peugeot. Then they said the team couldn't get the finances to take the challenge to Le Mans. A very sad turn of events. One race, and then shelved.

This year HPD are in Le Mans for sure. But with the way the rules are, they still need a bit of luck to challenge up front.

Lada World Touring Car!

Bruno Senna to drive for Williams Renault

Man that HPD is nice. Who's at Lotus then?

the Senna news is interesting. it's going to be a little eerie to see the Senna name alongside Williams-Renault next season.

Here he is nearly killing Barrichello in 2010

Fuck Schumacher.

He should be made to watch this ad infinitum. The greatest of them all - who knew a thing or two about being a hard arse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oLSYSJO5Ik

..THIS is driving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ySvMKZXXJFo

1200 horses behind him.

I wouldnt give the guy too much credit for being nice, he used to be a monster on the track, just ask some of his old team mates. Id say he is trying to earn some karma points or some such.

See - newcomer to F1 fandom = not knowing who's a prick on-track.

although seeing him play up to the cameras is amusing after years and years of most peoples standard non-reaction stony faces when they see themselves on the monitor.

But my honeybunch looks soooo hott with a stony face.

Rah!

Hybrid Power!

webber to ferrari?

I've heard that rumour but unless he is in dire need of money why would do this? The guy is in his last few years of F1 so it makes no sense as to why he would go from the best team to a mid runner. Unless he feels that Ferrari are really about to turn a corner.

Webber to Ferrari in 2013? It makes no sense. No one in Toro Rosso is ready to step up yet. Not till 2014 at the earliest.* Red Bull wants Mark there as a safe bet. A slight form slump means little and in the grand scheme of things, a Newey designed seat is still the most desired seat in the world. Rumours started by Ferrari fans desperately looking for a Massa replacement. Perez is ready, c'mon Ferrari, plonk him in for 2013. Shuffle some new talent up. Who's this Jules Bianchi we keep hearing about?

At this stage, if I was running Ferrari I'd look at who else I got signed and giving them a run on Friday Practice and comparing pace with Massa. Spanish GP/ NOW! Bianchi? Marc Gene? Fisichella? For some reason we're still paying all you guys as test drivers right?

( * I know, in the same post, I'm calling for shuffling new talent up.)

Hamilton looks to be on another planet to everyone else this weekend. guess we'll see if that holds up tomorrow.

pretty chuffed to see Maldonado up the pointy end. all they've been lacking all this time is a decent engine. must be gutting for Sam Michael - i'm sure he was saying that for a couple of years when he was there.

My money is on lotus this weekend. I feel like Hamilton is just trying to show his dominance early on but will once again run out of tyres during the race.

Hamilton sent to the back of the grid for running out of fuel. Maldo on pole. Alonso will be first at Turn 1.

This is amazing news! I was wondering what that rules on this was. I love this season so much!

Well I did not see that coming.

amazing. i didn't think there'd be any way he'd get ahead of Alonso. and then once he did, i was just waiting for the wheels to fall off. 17 laps to go, and it was just a matter of how soon Alonso would sneak by and zoom off in to the distance. such a measured, professional drive. and seeing a Williams Renault back on the top step of the podium is magic.

the sad realisation i had last night was that Mark Webber is never going to be world champion. i think he's fantastic, but he can't hold his tyres, and he is rubbish off the line now. and sadly, those are two of the most important elements of the current formula. it doesn't matter how well he battles through from mid-field, you can't win the title from there.

So Frank Williams is surely now considered the unluckiest guy in earth right?

They guy is half way through a speech in regards to Williams winning their first race in 8 years and his garage explodes. People in hospital, possibly a car lost and a fuck tonne of damage done.

What does the guy gotta do to catch a break?

If I was Frank, I'd be thinking ''you can burn down my Grove factory if it means I win Monaco.''

The thing I haven't heard from is, they can probably afford to let everything burn, except the engine and gearbox they need for subsequent rounds. Don't need any grid penalties heaped on top of misfortune. Would the FIA be kind enough to give special dispensation for new engines/ gearboxes because ''our pits burnt down''?

Brilliant race, by the way. Those Lotuses are always fast and up there. I hope they break through for a win at Monaco. For another different winner in as many rounds. Come on Grosjean!

Don't you forget, it was I who predicted Williams to continue its downward trajectory and be beaten by Caterham this year!

Hhmm, that little fan machine feeding cool air into the radiators seem to be impervious to fire! Maybe inside is a block of dry ice and a fan that's still cool to the touch. Go you little cooling fan that could!

The thing I haven't heard from is, they can probably afford to let everything burn,

the team has won only 1 grand prix in the last 8 years and take pay drivers. they probably scrounge for every dollar they can get.

Bring on Monaco!!

The Audi marketing department's second movie on their dominant Le Mans racing effort. Free download this time. You'll have to torrent the first one a few years back.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/movie/truth-in-24-ii-every-second/id527826964