The Jaguar owned twitter account @Sportbrake has released photos to pretty much anyone who requests them.Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Jaguar XF Sportbrake spy photos released.... By Jaguar
The Jaguar owned twitter account @Sportbrake has released photos to pretty much anyone who requests them.
Vettel set for titles aplenty
 |
?Here, after all, is a young man, already dubbed ?Baby Schumi? by Germany?s tabloid press, winning the first of what will presumably be multiple world championships, and all at the tender age of 23. Plenty of time yet to match Schumacher's incredible haul of seven world titles. And yet, their phenomenal ability to drive racing cars apart, there is little similarity between the two men. ?There are still lingering doubts over his racing ability but with such blistering qualifying pace he is nearly always leading from the front anyway. Vettel is set for multiple world championships. Just don?t call him Baby Schumi.?The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says it was difficult to begrudge Vettel his moment of glory after he won the first of what will be many world titles. He also looks back at some of the season?s highlights.
?An amazing Formula One season produced its final twist here on Sunday when Sebastian Vettel, who had never led the title race, won his first world championship. It is difficult to begrudge him his glory, for he had more poles (10) than any other driver and shared the most wins (five) with Fernando Alonso. There will be red faces as well as red cars and overalls at Ferrari, though, for deciding to bring their man in when they did, only to see him re-emerge into heavy traffic. ?Among the highlights, and every race felt like a highlight after the bore-start in Bahrain, there was that wonderful beginning to his McLaren career by Jenson Button, who won two of his first four races, even though he couldn't keep up the pace, especially in qualifying. ?Hamilton once again drove his heart out, and outperformed a car that looked a little too ordinary at times. He was superb in Montreal. Then there was Webber, the Anglophile Aussie who was the favourite among most neutrals to win the title. There was that spectacular crash when he ran into the back of Heikki Kovalainen and the most famous of his four wins, at Silverstone, when he said to his team at the end of the race: 'Not bad for a No2 driver.' ?But in the end there was only one German who mattered. It was the remarkable Vettel. This will be the first of a clutch of championships for him.?The Independent?s David Tremayne focuses on the plight of the other title contenders, writing it is easier to feel more sorry for one than the other.
?It was impossible not to feel for both Webber and Alonso. Yet while a frustrated Alonso gestured at Petrov after the race, the Australian, predictably, refused to complain about his pitstop timing. ?A world championship seemed an inevitable part of Sebastian Vettel's future, but it came a little sooner than most expected, after his recent tribulations. You wouldn't bet against several more, and if that record-breaking streak continues, perhaps even Schumacher's achievements will be overshadowed.?And the Mirror?s Byron Young elaborates further on the petulant behaviour of Fernando Alonso on his slowing down lap after his title dreams ended behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov.
?Fernando Alonso was hurled into more controversy last night for a wild gesture at the former Lada racer who cost him the title. But the Spaniard brushed off accusations he gave Russian Vitaly Petrov the finger for ruining his title hopes by blocking him for 40 laps as they duelled over sixth place. "The Ferrari ace was caught on television cruising alongside the Renault driver on the slowing down lap and gesticulating from the cockpit. Petrov was unrepentant: "What was I supposed to do? Just get out of his way, pull to the side? I don't think that is how we race. It was important for the team for me to get points."
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/vettel_set_for_titles_aplenty_1.php
Honda Small Sports EV Concept (EV-STER) unveiled
Power is provided by a 10kWh lithium-ion battery that will keep it going for around 160km and propels the concept from 0-60kph in 5 seconds.Pic becomes Marussia?s third man
Marussia Virgin confirmed tonight the expected news that GP2 racer Charles Pic will join the team in 2012. The Frenchman will be Timo Glock?s third rookie team mate in three years, after Lucas Di Grassi and Jerome D?Ambrosio. Pic finished … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/11/28/pic-becomes-marussias-third-man/
Renault R31 launch pictures (31st of January)
Lotus Renault GP unveiled their much-discussed 2011 challenger, the R31, in the pit lane of Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit on 31st Jan'11.
Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov revealed the R31, with reserves Romain Grosjean, Bruno Senna, Jan Charouz and Fairuz Fauzy.
Technical specifications
| Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, with engine incorporated as a fully-stressed member |
| Suspension (front) | Carbon fibre double wishbone, operating inboard torsion bar and damper units via a pushrod system |
| Suspension (rear) | As front except via a pullrod system |
| Engine | Renault RS27-2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90� V8, limited to 18,000 RPM with KERS naturally aspirated mid-mounted |
| Transmission | Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with reverse gear "Quickshift" system |
| Weight | 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver) |
| Fuel | Total |
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero |
| OZ Wheels (front and rear): 13" |
Links
Renault R31 ? Launch Details and Analysis (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"What was formerly the Renault F1 Team and now Lotus Renault GP (I?ll use the term LRGP for this article) have unveiled their new car the R31. It seems some critical details are not fitted to the car for its unveiling, indeed the car was shown only briefly to the press before it was covered back up and returned to the garage. Despite the mystery surrounding the cars exhaust exit location, its clear this is a very new design for the team. In creating this the team were given a mandate to take risks, which probably explains the very different front and rear end treatments."Renault R31 Front Exit Exhausts (FEE) ? Explained (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"Renault have found a new solution to the blown diffuser concept. In fact they?ve turned it on its head. With an exhaust that exits at the front of the sidepods.Last years teams reintroduced the blown diffuser concept, either by blowing exhaust gasses over the top of the diffuser, or by creating an opening into the diffuser to blow inside the diffuser. Both solutions created more downforce. With the latter solution now banned, it seemed the less effective over-blown solutions are all that?s left to race."
Renault R31 launch pictures
Photos � Renault/LAT
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Mercedes: Two-stop strategy leaves Rosberg vulnerable | 2011 Brazilian GP team review
Nico Rosberg lost sixth to Adrian Sutil running a two-stop strategy.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/fU4FZsC6-mY/
Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg
Team orders in spotlight again
 Will Christian Horner regret not utilising team orders in Brazil? |
?The extra seven points Alonso collected when Ferrari ordered Felipe Massa to move over for him in Germany earlier in the season are now looking even more crucial. ?And the �65,000 fine they picked up for ruthlessly breaking the rules will seem loose change if Alonso clinches the title in his first year with the Maranello team. ?Red Bull could have switched the result yesterday given their crushing dominance and still celebrated their first constructors' championship just five years after coming into the sport. ?That would also have given Webber an extra seven points, leaving him just one behind Alonso.?The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says that if Fernando Alonso does take the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari owes a debt of gratitude to Red Bull for their decision not to employ team orders in Brazil.
?If Alonso does take the title next week it would not be inappropriate were he and Ferrari to send a few gallons of champagne to Red Bull's headquarters in Milton Keynes. ?While Red Bull should be heartily applauded for the championship they did win today their apparent acceptance that Ferrari might carry off the more glamorous prize continues to baffle Formula One and its globetrotting supporters. ?Their refusal to make life easy for Webber, who has led for much of the season and is still seven points ahead of Vettel, means that whatever happens in the desert next week Alonso, the only driver who was capable of taking the championship in the race today, only has to secure second place to guarantee his third world title.?The Independent?s David Tremayne is also of the opinion that Red Bull may regret not using team orders in Brazil.
?Had Red Bull elected to adopt team orders and let Webber win ? something that the governing body allows when championships are at stake ? Webber would have left Brazil with 245 points ? just one point off the lead. For some that was confirmation of his suggestion that Vettel is the team's favoured driver ? which generated an angry call from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz in Austria and was much denied by team principal, Christian Horner. ?And it sets up a situation where, if the result is repeated next weekend, as is likely, Vettel and Webber will tie on 256, five behind Alonso.?The Mirror?s Byron Young has put Lewis Hamilton?s fading title chances down to an inferior McLaren machine and he admits the 2008 World Champion now needs a miracle.
?Sebastian Vettel's victory sends the world title fight to a four-way showdown for the first time in the sport's history. ?Hamilton goes there as part of that story with a 24-point deficit to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, but with just 25 on offer in the final round in six days' time it would take more than a miracle. ?Driving an outclassed McLaren he slugged it out against superior machinery and stiff odds to finish fourth.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/team_orders_in_spotlight_again_1.php
Send me your questions about F1 2011
Hello all,
I am filming the final 2011 entries for this video blog after next weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix and that means I need your help.
I will be answering a selection of your questions as well as reviewing the season.
So if you have any questions about F1 2011 - whether it be about Red Bull's domination, Sebastian Vettel's superb season, McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Mercedes and their ambition, or anything else to do with F1 - please do post them below.
We will pick a selection of the best and I will answer them here after the end of the season.
Thanks,
Murray
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2011/11/send_me_your_questions_about_f_3.html
Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi
Why are the FIA bringing out their toolkits?
By Matt Carver
It's been two months since Sebastian Vettel was crowned as the Formula 1 world champion of 2010, after what was arguably the most enthralling and closely-fought championship in recent history. But bizarrely, the sports governing body, the FIA, have decided that it needs 'spicing up' with a whole raft of new technical regulations.
Even without these supposed enhancements, the setup for the 2011 season looks stronger than ever. The live TV broadcasts will now be in High Definition, there will be five former world champions on the gird, the teams are closely matched, and worldwide viewing figures are very strong. So this begs the obvious question: If it's not broken, why are the FIA bringing out their toolkits?
The answer can be found in a simple, four-syllable word that sparks a lot of debate: Overtaking.
The Return of KERS
For 2011, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will again be available to all the teams, after its banishment for 2010 following an uninspiring implementation in the previous season. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a KERS unit is essentially just a large battery which harnesses a reserve of energy from heavy braking. This energy can then be fed though the drive train at the press of a button for an 80bhp boost for several seconds per lap.
It was originally intended as a 'push-to-pass' button to aid overtaking, but the unit itself was heavy and had a strong destabilizing effect. The cars that were fitted with KERS were more unstable and thus slower for the majority of a lap, but had the extra muscle on the long straights. So it quickly became more of an overtaking deterrent than an aid, and there is no reason to believe that it will be any different next season.
The Controversial Moveable Wings
The big concern for next season is the introduction of moveable wings, which will allow a chasing car to greatly reduce its aerodynamic drag, allowing for greater top speed, but only when closely following a competitor. This is hugely controversial, for the simple reason that it hands an artificial advantage to the chasing car, effectively handicapping the leading car for having superior track position. The problem here is that it appears to violate a fundamental rule of fair racing. Surely you can't artificially penalize a driver for having track position just to make it more entertaining. This is no different from telling Usain Bolt that whoever wins the silver medal is now allowed to use performance enhancing drungs, but only until he starts winning, then he will be back on the protein 'shakes so that it doesn't get boring.
The Nightmare Scenario
Let's take Spa for example, the much-loved host venue for the Belgian Grand Prix. There is always plenty of overtaking at Spa, mainly due to the layout of the first few turns. The tricky first hairpin leads uphill through the staggeringly fast Eau Rouge bend, onto a lengthy straight, leading down to a tight right hander. It's hard to see how any driver could sufficiently defend their position through this section against a competitor who has artificially increased top speed. This could lead to the nightmare scenario; A driver with a narrow lead may decide to deliberately concede position before starting the final lap, as the advantage of the movable wing could be more beneficial than having track position. This would be a farce in every sense of the word, and could damage the sport's competitive integrity.
There can be no doubt that on some occasions, overtaking in F1 can become almost impossible. In Hungary last year, Vettel was forced to spend more than twenty laps simply staring at the back of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, despite being significantly faster. Alonso's championship hopes eventually faded as he spent the last 40 minutes of the season finale waiting in vain for Vitaly Petrov to plough his Renault into the Abu Dhabi tyre wall. But on other occasions, the wheel-to-wheel action was spectacular. In Turkey, The two Mclarens where bumping wheels for the lead at turn one, just a few minutes after the Red Bulls were bashing each other into the scenery. Robert Kubica provided plenty of excitement whilst scything through half the field in Singapore, and the Japanese fans at Suzuka were amply entertained by Kamui Kobayashi flinging his BMW Sauber past anyone and everyone at the hairpin.
Surely this should lead us to one inevitable conclusion. It is the layout of certain circuits that appears to be curtailing the action. Only time will tell if alterations to the cars themselves will have the desired effect.
This original article "Formula 1's Risky New Regulations" is written by Matt Carver who is a Contributing Writer at Suite101.
Ferrari: Alonso slips back on medium tyres | 2011 Brazilian GP team review
Alonso captured third place from Jenson Button but had to surrender the position later on.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/ih4rEBACEC4/
Mercedes: Two-stop strategy leaves Rosberg vulnerable | 2011 Brazilian GP team review
Nico Rosberg lost sixth to Adrian Sutil running a two-stop strategy.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/fU4FZsC6-mY/
Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia
Monday, November 28, 2011
Button Steps Up Pre Season Training With Lance Armstrong
Jenson Button teamed up with record breaking cyclist Lance Armstrong, as he continues to prepare for another Formula One season. The McLaren driver excitedly tweeted that he would be riding with Armstrong, the 7 time Tour de France winner, in Hawaii. Armstrong responded via Twitter “I hope he doesn’t ride as srong as he drives [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/button-steps-up-pre-season-training-with-lance-armstrong/
McLaren ? This year has been far from vintage
Martin Whitmarsh has called upon McLaren to improve in the 2012 Formula 1 season. The team have had thier moments this season, but a slow start meant that they were always behind Championship winners Red Bull. Speaking ahead of the final race of the season this weekend, team boss Whitmarsh said: “We had a slow [...]
Bernie Ecclestone on Austin Q&A: ?They never had the money??
The future of the US GP in Austin should become clearer this week, as Bernie Ecclestone has set a deadline of Wednesday for COTA to conclude its deal to run the race. Such an eventuality seems unlikely given that COTA … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/11/28/bernie-ecclestone-on-austin-qa-they-never-had-the-money/
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen
Webber wins but Vettel is still the man to beat
If Mark Webber did not sound as if he was jumping for joy after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix - his first win of 2012 in the final race of what has been a tough season for the Australian - it should be no surprise.
There is no artifice about Webber and he knows as well as anyone that, statistically, this has been a disappointing year for him. One win in a race in which his team-mate had one arm tied behind his back does not on its own signify that his fortunes will change next season.
Nor, though, does the manner of victory necessarily mean that they won't.
Eleven wins and a new all-time record 15 pole positions for Sebastian Vettel as against one win and three poles for Webber are numbers that do not make comfortable reading for the older man.
But it should be remembered that the two men were evenly matched in 2010 as they both battled for the title with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
Webber is determined to recapture that form and there have been signs in the second half of the season that he is heading in the right direction.
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Undoubtedly he struggled in the first half of this year. He was hit hard by reliability problems - if there was a problem with Red Bull's troublesome Kers power-boost system at the start of the year, it seemed Webber's car would have it - but also he took much longer than Vettel to adapt to the different demands of the new Pirelli tyres.
By the time he had, Vettel was long gone in the championship. It has, though, been much closer between the two in the second half of the season.
Vettel has still had the upper hand - and his electrifying qualifying pace and consistency has put him in a position to control many of the races.
But Webber has been getting on top of one of his biggest problems this year - higher tyre wear than Vettel, sometimes influenced by problems outside his control - and on race pace the two have been pretty evenly matched, even if it has not always been obvious because of their different positions in the race.
Webber could have won in Korea had not a mystifying pit-wall decision prevented him from passing Hamilton and exploiting a strategy that should have beaten Vettel, too.
In the end, the much-needed win came in Brazil in a race in which Vettel's gearbox problem prevented him having a straight fight with his team-mate.
But as Webber pointed out, these things happen and you take wins however they come. Not only has he himself been on the receiving end of that sort of fortune many a time, it was probably also about time Vettel had some bad luck.
"Even if the win didn't come today there were some positive signs for me in recent races," he said.
"There has been some good pace from me considering some of the things that have been going on. Today was a good grand prix.
"It's not a bad thing to finish the year like this, one of the most important things is I started to feel the car a bit better, to get a bit more of an understanding."
"It's great Mark has won a race," team principal Christian Horner said.
"It would have been very, very tough for him to have not won a race if Seb had won 11.
"Hopefully this win will give him a big confidence boost. He's third in the championship. Hopefully he'll go into the winter, have a bit of time off, recharge his batteries and I'm sure he'll come back stronger in 2012.
"Let's not take anything away from Sebastian, though. He has been operating at such a high level this year. That's what's compounded the issue for Mark. He's been up against a team-mate in the most phenomenal form and operating at the most phenomenally high level."
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
Webber is under no illusions that Vettel will be formidably tough to beat again next season.
The German's drive on Sunday was yet another from the top drawer in a season that has been full of them.
He drove the first few laps as he has in so many races this year - building a 2.2-second lead in two laps. But after that Webber managed to keep him within three seconds or so - striking distance, in other words - until Red Bull came on the radio at the end of the first stint to warn Vettel of a gearbox problem.
This is not the first time this has happened to him and at first you wondered how he and the team he might react.
Back in Canada in 2010, Vettel also had a gearbox problem while running in fourth place ahead of Webber, who was ordered not to attack him as the team feared what might happen if he did.
But there was to be no repeat of that, as Vettel's engineer Guillaume Rocquelin came repeatedly on to the radio to warn him of the worsening problem. Eventually he had to accept that this was a race he was not going to win, and he let Webber past.
From then on, it was a case of managing the problem, which he did magnificently.
"Despite running a gear taller in each corner and trying to reduce the amount of shifts as much as possible, his pace was still very strong," Horner said. "There must be zero oil left in that gearbox because it went off the scale - a very mature and measured drive."
Inevitably, there were conspiracy theorists who suggested Red Bull were making the whole thing up to provide a convenient excuse to provide Webber with a win he needed and which also lifted him into third in the championship ahead of Alonso by one point. These can be dismissed, however.
For Vettel to still finish second in those conditions was impressive. One doubts, though, whether his performance merits the comparison Vettel himself made with Ayrton Senna's victory here in 1991, when the great Brazilian battled a failing gearbox in the rain to hold off the faster Williams of Riccardo Patrese despite driving the last two laps with only sixth gear.
Red Bull's advantage in Brazil was bigger than it has been in recent races, which is a worrying sign for their rivals.
Jenson Button drove a brilliant season this year to take second in the championship, the first time Hamilton has been beaten by a team-mate, and put in another strong performance on Sunday.
Alonso, too, has been mighty, battling the odds in an uncompetitive car. And Hamilton himself will surely find some equilibrium over the winter and come back stronger in 2012.
All of them, though, can do nothing if Red Bull produce a car next year with the sort of advantage seen from this year's RB7.
"What makes retaining the title so special," Horner said on Sunday, "is the calibre of opponents we are up against is so high.
"We are a stronger team in all areas than in 2010. I'm convinced with continuity we can still improve. We don't know what the other teams are doing. We will keep our heads down and hopefully turn up with a competitive car in Melbourne next year."
The gauntlet has been thrown down and it is up to McLaren and Ferrari to pick it up.
This blog is about the Brazilian Grand Prix and 2011 F1 season. If you wish to read about - and comment on - the BBC's plans for 2012, please do so here
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/11/webber_wins_but_vettel_is_stil.html
Massa makes 100 Ferrari starts but no podium | 2011 Brazilian GP stats and facts
Felipe Massa is the first Ferrari driver in 30 years to spend a season outside the top three.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/tDTmMQZvzVw/
Pic confirmed by Virgin
Marussia Virgin Racing has announced that Charles Pic will race for the team in 2012 alongside Germany?s Timo Glock. Charles has spent the last two seasons competing in the Formula One feeder championship, GP2 Series, and in 2011 he ended the year in fourth place with two wins, three pole positions and five podium finishes. [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/11/27/pic-confirmed-by-virgin/
Button Steps Up Pre Season Training With Lance Armstrong
Jenson Button teamed up with record breaking cyclist Lance Armstrong, as he continues to prepare for another Formula One season. The McLaren driver excitedly tweeted that he would be riding with Armstrong, the 7 time Tour de France winner, in Hawaii. Armstrong responded via Twitter “I hope he doesn’t ride as srong as he drives [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/button-steps-up-pre-season-training-with-lance-armstrong/
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Webber on ?one of the great heroes? of Formula 1
Mark Webber has been speaking about Rubens�Barrichello as one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history. The Veteran faces an uncertain future ahead of the final race of 2011 in Brazil this time out, with nobody sure whether it will be his last race in Formula 1. In his BBC Column, Webber said: “Unfortunately, [...]
Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert
Tune it! Safe! Abt Audi R8 GTR unveiled
Built to promote responsible tuning, the supercar has police livery, a carbon fiber body kit and 5.2-liter V10 engine.Stats, speed and success spur on Vettel
It is an open secret in Formula 1 that Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest double world champion in history this year, is motivated at least partly by statistics.
The Red Bull driver himself, though, has been a little shy about admitting it so far - but on Wednesday he went as far as he ever has towards acknowledging that, yes, he would not mind having a crack at the all-time records.
Until Vettel's remarkable run of success, particularly this year, Michael Schumacher's landmarks of seven titles, 91 wins and 68 pole positions looked unbeatable.
But Vettel, at the age of 24, already has 20 victories and 27 poles, as well as those two titles. Suddenly, Schumacher's records don't look quite so impregnable after all.
Vettel on his 2011: "Seasons like this don't happen too often... we want to enjoy it." Photo: Getty
"I like statistics," Vettel said, "as in I care about the sport, I know the sport, I know ex-F1 drivers, the big names, and know a little bit the numbers according to the drivers.
"The only thing I like from time to time is to see if my name is somewhere there. I don't really set myself a target of wins and poles, I am not racing for statistics, so I know some numbers, but not all. I love Formula 1, I always did as a small kid and that hasn't changed."
A little later, the mask seemed to slip a little further when someone asked him who was the youngest three-time world champion.
"I don't know," Vettel replied. "Michael is the youngest seven-time world champion."
So that's the ambition?
"That is a long, long way to go," Vettel said. "Obviously we have had two phenomenal seasons and sometimes then you get over-excited and start to talk about those things.
"But really we know how much it takes to win a race, and a whole championship. That really puts things in perspective. It's a long, long way. I don't think you can set the target to say I want to win seven world titles. What Michael achieved in many ways was outstanding."
Vettel was talking at Red Bull Racing's Milton Keynes headquarters, where a news conference on Wednesday morning preceded a private team party in the afternoon.
Vettel - and Red Bull - have every reason to celebrate, after putting together one of the most extraordinary seasons in F1 history.
With 16 races down and three still to go, Vettel has won 10 races, taken 13 pole positions, finished on the podium in every race but one (when he was fourth) and tied up the title in Japan 10 days ago with four races to spare.
But he admitted that it took the most mundane of things for the fact that he was a double world champion to finally sink in properly.
He arrived home in Switzerland on Monday from the Korean Grand Prix to find that his heating had broken. "It was quite cold, so I put the fire on," he said, laughing. "I won't go into details."
Regardless, he said, "I really enjoyed the moment of opening the door, going into the house, knowing what we have achieved. It's those small things that really make you realise what has happened.
"I really like it when nothing is happening, to enjoy the peace, to enjoy time. I didn't do anything special on Monday - just surfing the internet, sleeping, just enjoy the peace and no stress. That's when things really start to sink in.
"It's a nice feeling, because you know all the hours you have spent in the gym, on the race track, it paid off."
Vettel was in a sunny mood on Wednesday - as he so often is. But there was no mistaking the underlying steeliness that is part of what makes him such a formidable competitor.
Anyone who thought his ambition might have been dulled by such towering success so young will need to recalibrate their expectations.
Can you be as dominant next season, he was asked.
"We try," he said. "You never want to come back and do worse than you have done. We set the benchmark very high, and it has been a special season for both sides.
"I had a very good run and the team had a phenomenal run, reliability was great - we've had no technical failures so far. We'll see. We are working hard and we are extremely motivated."
Sebastian Vettel "drove perfectly" all season, according to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Photo: Getty
None of their rivals at McLaren and Ferrari are under any illusions that Vettel and Red Bull will be anything other than formidably tough to beat next year.
After a 2010 season in which, as Vettel has admitted himself, a series of mistakes made winning his first world title much more difficult than it should have been, he and the team have moved on to another level.
He did make mistakes this year. One thinks of the half-spin on the last lap in Canada that handed victory to a charging Jenson Button. Or another spin when trying to stay in touch with the leaders in Germany, his least competitive race of the season. Or his couple of crashes in Friday practice sessions.
But none of them badly affected him, and overall he "drove perfectly", as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest double champion, described it.
Vettel looked at the new form F1 took on this season with deliberately high-wear Pirelli tyres and the DRS overtaking aid, realised what was needed to succeed in races, and ruthlessly used the best car on the grid to crush his rivals.
Race after race, he took pole, used the car's inherent pace advantage to build the lead he needed to protect himself at the first pit stops while taking only what he needed to out of the tyres, and held the cushion for the rest of the race.
This strategy formed the bedrock of his season, and generally worked even on the few occasions when the Red Bull was not the fastest car in the race.
His driving was matched by a team that, operationally as well as in terms of the performance of its car, was in a league of its own.
"After every race, I get a print out of the race results, the championship standings and everything and the first thing I do is rip the championship standings off, because the only thing that matters is what we did on that day," Vettel said.
"If you get beaten, you have to accept it. You shouldn't like it, because then you would be in the wrong sport, but there are other very smart people and other very good drivers, and you never get beaten for no reason.
"This year some of the racing has been close, but if there was a chance to open a gap and benefit from it for the rest of the race we were always in a very strong position and many times used that to go for that.
"But I don't think it's fair to say we had a massive advantage all year long. Seasons like this don't happen too often and that's why we want to enjoy it.
"I am extremely proud and to see my name alongside some of the great names is really special. As much as the first world title, the second one people can't take away from you. Many things in life come and go but this will stay forever."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/stats_speed_and_success_spur_o.html
Red Bull RB7 launch pictures (1st of February)
Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel presented their 2011 car, the RB7 to the media at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain on 1 February 2011.
Chief technical officer Adrian Newey explained some of the changes from the championship winning RB6 and the new RB7:
?Preparing for the new season has been an interesting challenge for all of us,? he says. ?There have been a number of changes to the regulations and while they are not as comprehensive as the changes for 2009, the major differences ? such a the re-introduction of the KERS system and the arrival of a moveable rear wing to aid overtaking ? have meant that RB7 is quite different to last year?s car.
?However, what we have done is taken the philosophy of continuing evolution. We have evolved RB6, which itself was an evolution of 2009?s RB5, and this is, if you like, the third generation of a successful lineage.?
Technical specifications
| Chassis | carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque, designed and built in-house, carrying engine as fully stressed member |
| Suspension (front) | Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbones with springs and anti-roll bar, push rod-actuated multimatic dampers |
| Suspension (rear) | as front, except pull rod-actuated rear dampers |
| Engine | Renault RS27-2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90� V8, limited to 18,000 RPM naturally aspirated mid-mounted |
| Transmission | Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear Hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation |
| Weight | 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver) |
| Fuel | Total |
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero |
| OZ Wheels (front and rear): 13" |
Link
Red Bull RB7 ? Open Fronted Exhaust Blown Diffuser (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"Despite rule changes Newey has found the loophole that allows exhausts to blow inside the diffuser for more downforce. Although the rules were revised for 2011 to try to prevent double diffuser and openings to allow the exhaust to blow inside the diffuser. The rules did permit openings in the outer 5cm of the diffuser, an area where teams have recently split the floor and created raised lip, coincidentally a practice first exploited by Newey on the RB5."Red Bull RB7 launch pictures
Photos � Red Bull Racing/Getty Images
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