Source: http://en.espnf1.com/monaco/motorsport/story/159355.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday tweaks could be the difference - Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull is just a few small changes away from having the pace to genuinely challenge Mercedes around the streets of Monaco
WRC: Peugeot not interested in WRC return
Peugeot Sport director Bruno Famin has ruled out a return to the World Rally Championship any time soon, saying World Rallycross offers better value.
Friday, May 30, 2014
US F1 loses sponsor
The beleaguered US F1 outfit has taken another hit after one of its sponsors, Locstein, confirmed it had withdrawn its support
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/9485.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Who said what after Thursday practice
ESPN brings you a round up of all the reaction to the opening two practice sessions in Monaco
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/monaco/motorsport/story/159441.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Ferrari vow to be “a good step faster” in Canada | 2014 Canadian Grand Prix
Ferrari say they will make a significant step forwards with their car at the next race in Canada. 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/VQXuFVAjJwk/
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Team order rule needs a re-think
 Jean Todt arives for Wednesday's hearing |
“Whether you are for or against team orders, if the FIA could not back up its own rules and nail a competitor in a blatant case such as this the rule really does need reviewing. Perhaps Ferrari’s thinly-veiled threat to take the matter to the civil courts if they were punished too harshly scared the governing body, who as much as admitted the flimsiness of its rule."Paul Weaver, reporting for the Guardian in Monza, was in favour of the ruling which keeps alive Ferrari’s slim chances in an enthralling championship.
“The World Motor Sport Council was right not to ruin a compelling Formula One season by taking away the 25 points Alonso collected in Germany. That would have put him out of the five-man title race. But the council was widely expected to increase the fine and possibly deduct points from the team, as opposed to the individual. In the end, it could be argued that common sense prevailed. But the decision will dismay those who were upset by the way Ferrari handled the situation as much as anything else.”The Daily Mail's Jonathan McEvoy expressed outrage at the FIA tearing up its own rule book by allowing Ferrari to escape unpunished.
"Although the race stewards fined them £65,000 for giving team orders in July, the FIA World Motor Sport Council, to whom the matter was referred, decided not to impose any further punishment. It leaves the sport's rulers open to derision. It was, after all, their rule they undermined. In a statement, the WMSC said the regulation banning team orders 'should be reviewed'."
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/team_order_rule_needs_a_rethin_1.php
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
Monday, May 26, 2014
Lopez looks to quit US F1
The manager of the only driver currently under contract with US F1, Jose Maria Lopez, is working to extricate his client from the team
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/teamus/motorsport/story/10002.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
F3: Kirchhofer wins shortened race two
Marvin Kirchhofer won the second race of the British Formula 3 Championship weekend at Silverstone, which was red-flagged with five minutes remaining with just three cars left on track
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Adrian Newey rejects Ferrari overtures
Adrian Newey has rejected overtures to move to Ferrari, telling journalists in Monaco that he remained "committed to Red Bull for the foreseeable future".
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/159201.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Luca hails Alonso as world's best
In the wake of Mercedes heaping praise on Fernando Alonso, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has called his driver the "best in the world"...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9321751/Luca-hails-Alonso-as-world-s-best
Friday tweaks could be the difference - Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull is just a few small changes away from having the pace to genuinely challenge Mercedes around the streets of Monaco
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/monaco/motorsport/story/159355.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Friday, May 23, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Life in the pit lane
 The Mercedes pit crew prepare for Michael Schumacher in Singapore |
These are not select millionaires but up to 16 ordinary, yet gifted, guys; team mechanics who have worked their way up the system and often migrate from team to team, are paid real-world wages of between £30,000 and £50,000 a year, are drilled to perfection – and whose split-second synchronisation brings their teams huge rewards.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/life_in_the_pit_lane.php
Gap to Mercedes is still 'too much' - Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo says the gap to Mercedes is "too big" at the moment after qualifying one second off Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/spain/motorsport/story/157527.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
2014 Monaco Grand Prix TV Times | 2014 Monaco Grand Prix
It's a bumper race weekend with the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 plus GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5. Here are the television times for all of this weekend's action. 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/kxkzI3fceWA/
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Time running out for Alonso
As Sebastian Vettel headed down the pit lane after winning the Indian Grand Prix, team-mate Mark Webber's Red Bull behind gave him a couple of little nudges as they headed to their correct parking places.
"I switched off the car," Vettel said. "I was told to park the car under the podium and I couldn't remember where it was from last year and Mark gave me a little bit of a push."
He added that he thought it was his "only mistake" of the day, which sounds about right.
The victory was his fourth in a row, a new achievement for the German despite his domination on the way to the world championship last year, and he has now led every racing lap since Lewis Hamilton's McLaren retired from the lead of the Singapore Grand Prix four races ago.
It also moves Vettel to one win short of the tally of Sir Jackie Stewart. At this rate, Vettel will not only pass the Scot's number of victories before the end of the year but join him as a three-time world champion as well.
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Vettel is still only 13 points ahead of his only remaining realistic rival, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, which is less than a driver earns for a third place, but it is the scale of Red Bull's current superiority that has led many to suspect the battle is already effectively over.
Vettel was fastest in every practice session in India and took yet another pole position. After the German's crushing wins in Japan and Korea, the only surprise at the Buddh International Circuit was that Red Bull's margin over the rest of the field was smaller than expected in qualifying.
In the race, though, Vettel was completely untouchable.
In the first 20 laps, he was not that much faster than team-mate Mark Webber in second place, and the Australian was being pretty much matched by Alonso.
But then Vettel cut loose, suddenly lapping 0.5 seconds faster than before. Team boss Christian Horner admitted that, not sure about tyre wear, Vettel had simply been measuring his pace in the opening third of the race.
Ferrari and McLaren both appeared to be in better shape after the single pit stops, more comfortable on the 'hard' tyre than the 'soft', but even then it was clear Vettel was in total control.
For the dispassionate observer wanting to see close racing, Red Bull's current form may be depressing, but it is hard not to admire what they have achieved this season.
For the first time in two years, they started the championship without a dominant car, and although they had strong race pace they were struggling to qualify at the front - the position from which they used to crush their opposition in 2011.
But they have worked away diligently at a series of upgrades aimed at allowing them to run the car as they did last year, and the breakthrough came in Singapore.
Further modifications came on stream in Japan and Korea and now Red Bull have a car that on pure pace is out of reach of their rivals.
It is the qualifying pace that is the key - start at the front and you can run in clear air, dictate the pace of the race, and are not affected by the turbulence of other cars. In this position, Vettel is close to unbeatable.
The start of the season, when there were seven different winners in seven races, seems a very long time ago.
Red Bull are a brilliant team, managed without compromise by Christian Horner and led by a genius designer in Adrian Newey, working in perfect harmony with a great driver. In many ways, it is similar to the way Lotus boss Colin Chapman and Jim Clark dominated the mid-1960s.
How they have done it, BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson has expanded on in his column. For now, the problem for their rivals is what to do about it.
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.
Alonso was as impressive in India as he has been all season, aggressive and inch perfect in the opening laps as he fought past both McLaren drivers, and relentless in his pursuit of Webber for second place.
The fact that the Spaniard passed the Australian was down to a degree of luck, it has to be said. Webber's Kers power-boost system was working only intermittently, and crucially he got held up behind some backmarkers, allowing Alonso to close to within one second - which meant he was within the margin that allows use of the DRS overtaking aid.
Once there, it took only two laps for Alonso to pass Webber, who without Kers, was defenceless on the long straight against a Ferrari with better straight-line speed anyway, and also employing Kers and DRS.
Nevertheless, to even keep the Red Bulls honest was quite an achievement by Alonso - no-one else was even close.
If there is such a thing as a driver 'deserving' the world title more than another, most people in F1 would say Alonso has been the stand-out competitor of the year.
As Lewis Hamilton put it in India: "Fernando unfortunately doesn't have as quick a car as Sebastian; it's nothing to do with his driving skills, that's for sure."
F1, though, is not purely a drivers' championship - he has to have a car, and at the moment Alonso is fighting an unequal battle with inferior equipment.
And in any case, Alonso himself would undoubtedly say that the driver who ends the season with the most points is the deserving champion.
Red Bull are now virtually certain to clinch a third consecutive constructors' title - indeed they seem likely to do so in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
For all Vettel's recent domination, though, in purely mathematical terms the drivers' championship remains wide open.
Thirteen points sounds a decent amount but the margin between Vettel and Alonso is, in F1's old scoring system abandoned only at the end of 2009, the equivalent of less than four points.
One retirement by Vettel, or a marginal improvement in the performance of Ferrari in the final three races, could tip the balance back in Alonso's favour. Time, though, is running out.
Alonso said on Sunday that the team did have improvements due in the next three races, and there was a hint in some of the other things he said over the weekend that the team expect them to amount to something more substantial than Ferrari have introduced for a while.
McLaren sporting director Sam Michael said on Sunday evening: "The performance can swing from one track to the other by a couple of tenths, and that's all there is in it at the moment - 0.2-0.3secs in terms of qualifying.
"And if you can have that performance, from the front row you have a better chance. So even if no-one upgraded their cars there would still be a reasonable chance that people could have a go at them.
"If Ferrari have a competitive car, then obviously Alonso can still do it."
In the context of the overpowering brilliance of Red Bull, though, that is a big if.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/time_running_out_for_alonso_in.html
Monday, May 19, 2014
Spain analysis - Hamilton scales new heights
The build-up to Barcelona had been about whether new updates would allow the field to catch up to Mercedes, but the Silver Arrows' authority in Sunday's race was beyond question.
It therefore came down to Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg, and after a thrilling conclusion it was again the Briton who gained the ascendancy, moving into the championship lead for the first time in the process
It therefore came down to Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg, and after a thrilling conclusion it was again the Briton who gained the ascendancy, moving into the championship lead for the first time in the process
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2014/5/15824.html
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Senna was Ferrari-bound - Montezemolo
Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo has revealed that Ayrton Senna would have moved to Maranello had he not died at Imola in 1994...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9290232/Senna-was-Ferrari-bound-Montezemolo
Caterham pull out of Barcelona test due to damage
Caterham have withdrawn from the second and final day of testing at Barcelona because of damage to the chassis of their CT05.
Kamui Kobayashi crashed heavily in the closing stages of the first day, losing the rear of his car at high-speed through Turn 3 and hitting the barrier
Kamui Kobayashi crashed heavily in the closing stages of the first day, losing the rear of his car at high-speed through Turn 3 and hitting the barrier
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/5/15829.html
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Haas 'will talk' with Domenicali
Stefano Domenicali may not be away from the F1 paddock for too long with reports claiming Gene Haas will be talking to him...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9291096/Haas-will-talk-with-Domenicali
Friday, May 16, 2014
Vettel optimistic despite missing session
Sebastian Vettel insists he is still confident of a good result in Spain despite recording just four laps on Friday after an early electrical issue ruled him out of FP2
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/spain/motorsport/story/157173.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Rosberg admits poor starts a growing concern
Nico Rosberg admits his starts are proving a "weakness" that he must rapidly address as he seeks to counter Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton's run of four straight Grands Prix victories.
A poor getaway in Barcelona meant Rosberg was unable to challenge Hamilton for the lead on the first lap despite a 730-metre run from the start line to Turn 1, the longest of the season
A poor getaway in Barcelona meant Rosberg was unable to challenge Hamilton for the lead on the first lap despite a 730-metre run from the start line to Turn 1, the longest of the season
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/5/15825.html
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Gerard Lopez Q&A: Lotus are coming back
It's been a tough few months for Lotus, losing star driver Kimi Raikkonen and team principal Eric Boullier, and then finding themselves massively on the back foot in winter testing, their race-winning form of 2013 notable by its absence. We spoke exclusively to chairman and team principal Eric Lopez
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2014/5/15823.html
McLaren drivers out of title race
 Is it now a three-way battle for the title? |
“Focus and concentration will be of paramount importance and there is none stronger in this regard than Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.”The Guardian’s Oliver Owen thinks that it is Mark Webber’s title to lose now, and that this may be the Australian’s last realistic chance of winning the title.
“He has driven beautifully. Monaco and Silverstone spring to mind. He has been an uncompromising racer, not giving Vettel or Lewis Hamilton an inch in Turkey and Singapore respectively. Most importantly, he has largely avoided the bouts of brain fade that can wreck a season – his on-track hooning in Melbourne when racing Hamilton being the only exception. But there is a feeling that for Webber it is now or never, that a chance of a tilt at the title may never come again. He is certainly driving as if that is the case and that has been his strength.”According to The Mirror’s Byron Young, both McLaren drivers are now out of the title hunt after their fourth and fifth place finishes in Suzuka.
“McLaren's title hopes died yesterday in a weekend from Hell at Suzuka. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth in a Japanese Grand Prix they had to win to have the remotest chance of keeping their title bid alive."The Sun’s Michael Spearman was of the same opinion, saying “Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button's title hopes were in tatters after a shocker in Japan.”
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/mclaren_drivers_out_of_title_r_1.php
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
2014 Spanish Grand Prix tyre strategies and pit stops | 2014 Spanish Grand Prix
The pit lane at the Circuit de Catalunya was much less busy than it was 12 months ago. There were 48 pit stops during today's race, down from 77 last year. 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/YZdgvfoRtEc/
Monday, May 12, 2014
FIA: The entry list will be published soon
The FIA has finally broken its silence over concerns surrounding the 2010 championship, with a spokesman saying that the entry list will be published "soon"
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10054.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
F1: Final Spanish GP starting grid
Grid penalties for Sebastian Vettel and Jean-Eric Vergne mean slight changes to the Spanish Grand Prix starting order after qualifying
Sunday, May 11, 2014
New chassis for Vettel in Spain
Sebastian Vettel has been given a new chassis for the Spanish Grand Prix, though Red Bull insists it was a scheduled change rather than one enforced by his poor start to the season
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/156797.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Vettel forced to miss FP2 with electrical issue
Sebastian Vettel was forced to sit out second practice in Barcelona due to an electrical problem.
The issue manifested itself just four laps into FP1, meaning Vettel had to pull his RB10 to a halt on circuit
The issue manifested itself just four laps into FP1, meaning Vettel had to pull his RB10 to a halt on circuit
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/5/15795.html
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Sat: Ferrari, McLaren, FIndia, STR
There were top ten times in Saturday's qualifying in Spain for Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Jenson Button...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9305348/Sat-Ferrari-McLaren-FIndia-STR
Friday, May 9, 2014
Alonso: Give Mattiacci time
Fernando Alonso has played it safe, refusing to pass judgement on Ferrari's decision to sign a non-racing man as team boss...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9269237/Alonso-Give-Mattiacci-time
Thursday, May 8, 2014
FR3.5: Tunjo gets Pons FR3.5 drive
Oscar Tunjo will take over from Oliver Webb in the Pons Formula Renault 3.5 team from the Spa round later this month
MOTOGP: Pedrosa has surgery for arm pump
Dani Pedrosa underwent surgery on Tuesday after beginning to develop compartment syndrome - or arm pump - during recent MotoGP races
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Ready Stefan GP hits out at US F1
Stefan GP will reveal its 2010 car next week in the hope that the FIA will allow it to take the place of any no-shows in this year's championship
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/9736.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Lopez looks to quit US F1
The manager of the only driver currently under contract with US F1, Jose Maria Lopez, is working to extricate his client from the team
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/teamus/motorsport/story/10002.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Ricciardo tops wet final session
Daniel Ricciardo topped a dull wet final practice session in China as both Mercedes drivers failed to record a time in a bid to preserve tyres for qualifying
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/china/motorsport/story/154749.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Latest cars likely to show a step forward in Spain | 2014 F1 season
On the face of it, the new generation of F1 cars were further off the 2013 pace than ever before at the last grand prix in China. But expect them to be closer in Spain. 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/eDYJogcNO_s/
Monday, May 5, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Time running out for Alonso
As Sebastian Vettel headed down the pit lane after winning the Indian Grand Prix, team-mate Mark Webber's Red Bull behind gave him a couple of little nudges as they headed to their correct parking places.
"I switched off the car," Vettel said. "I was told to park the car under the podium and I couldn't remember where it was from last year and Mark gave me a little bit of a push."
He added that he thought it was his "only mistake" of the day, which sounds about right.
The victory was his fourth in a row, a new achievement for the German despite his domination on the way to the world championship last year, and he has now led every racing lap since Lewis Hamilton's McLaren retired from the lead of the Singapore Grand Prix four races ago.
It also moves Vettel to one win short of the tally of Sir Jackie Stewart. At this rate, Vettel will not only pass the Scot's number of victories before the end of the year but join him as a three-time world champion as well.
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Vettel is still only 13 points ahead of his only remaining realistic rival, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, which is less than a driver earns for a third place, but it is the scale of Red Bull's current superiority that has led many to suspect the battle is already effectively over.
Vettel was fastest in every practice session in India and took yet another pole position. After the German's crushing wins in Japan and Korea, the only surprise at the Buddh International Circuit was that Red Bull's margin over the rest of the field was smaller than expected in qualifying.
In the race, though, Vettel was completely untouchable.
In the first 20 laps, he was not that much faster than team-mate Mark Webber in second place, and the Australian was being pretty much matched by Alonso.
But then Vettel cut loose, suddenly lapping 0.5 seconds faster than before. Team boss Christian Horner admitted that, not sure about tyre wear, Vettel had simply been measuring his pace in the opening third of the race.
Ferrari and McLaren both appeared to be in better shape after the single pit stops, more comfortable on the 'hard' tyre than the 'soft', but even then it was clear Vettel was in total control.
For the dispassionate observer wanting to see close racing, Red Bull's current form may be depressing, but it is hard not to admire what they have achieved this season.
For the first time in two years, they started the championship without a dominant car, and although they had strong race pace they were struggling to qualify at the front - the position from which they used to crush their opposition in 2011.
But they have worked away diligently at a series of upgrades aimed at allowing them to run the car as they did last year, and the breakthrough came in Singapore.
Further modifications came on stream in Japan and Korea and now Red Bull have a car that on pure pace is out of reach of their rivals.
It is the qualifying pace that is the key - start at the front and you can run in clear air, dictate the pace of the race, and are not affected by the turbulence of other cars. In this position, Vettel is close to unbeatable.
The start of the season, when there were seven different winners in seven races, seems a very long time ago.
Red Bull are a brilliant team, managed without compromise by Christian Horner and led by a genius designer in Adrian Newey, working in perfect harmony with a great driver. In many ways, it is similar to the way Lotus boss Colin Chapman and Jim Clark dominated the mid-1960s.
How they have done it, BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson has expanded on in his column. For now, the problem for their rivals is what to do about it.
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.
Alonso was as impressive in India as he has been all season, aggressive and inch perfect in the opening laps as he fought past both McLaren drivers, and relentless in his pursuit of Webber for second place.
The fact that the Spaniard passed the Australian was down to a degree of luck, it has to be said. Webber's Kers power-boost system was working only intermittently, and crucially he got held up behind some backmarkers, allowing Alonso to close to within one second - which meant he was within the margin that allows use of the DRS overtaking aid.
Once there, it took only two laps for Alonso to pass Webber, who without Kers, was defenceless on the long straight against a Ferrari with better straight-line speed anyway, and also employing Kers and DRS.
Nevertheless, to even keep the Red Bulls honest was quite an achievement by Alonso - no-one else was even close.
If there is such a thing as a driver 'deserving' the world title more than another, most people in F1 would say Alonso has been the stand-out competitor of the year.
As Lewis Hamilton put it in India: "Fernando unfortunately doesn't have as quick a car as Sebastian; it's nothing to do with his driving skills, that's for sure."
F1, though, is not purely a drivers' championship - he has to have a car, and at the moment Alonso is fighting an unequal battle with inferior equipment.
And in any case, Alonso himself would undoubtedly say that the driver who ends the season with the most points is the deserving champion.
Red Bull are now virtually certain to clinch a third consecutive constructors' title - indeed they seem likely to do so in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
For all Vettel's recent domination, though, in purely mathematical terms the drivers' championship remains wide open.
Thirteen points sounds a decent amount but the margin between Vettel and Alonso is, in F1's old scoring system abandoned only at the end of 2009, the equivalent of less than four points.
One retirement by Vettel, or a marginal improvement in the performance of Ferrari in the final three races, could tip the balance back in Alonso's favour. Time, though, is running out.
Alonso said on Sunday that the team did have improvements due in the next three races, and there was a hint in some of the other things he said over the weekend that the team expect them to amount to something more substantial than Ferrari have introduced for a while.
McLaren sporting director Sam Michael said on Sunday evening: "The performance can swing from one track to the other by a couple of tenths, and that's all there is in it at the moment - 0.2-0.3secs in terms of qualifying.
"And if you can have that performance, from the front row you have a better chance. So even if no-one upgraded their cars there would still be a reasonable chance that people could have a go at them.
"If Ferrari have a competitive car, then obviously Alonso can still do it."
In the context of the overpowering brilliance of Red Bull, though, that is a big if.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/time_running_out_for_alonso_in.html
Time running out for Campos, Stefan and US F1
Stefan GP has made one final plea to be accepted into the world championship, after it emerged that merger talks with US F1 had fallen through
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/9871.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Saturday, May 3, 2014
F1: Smedley: Williams hasn't shot its bolt
Rob Smedley has hit back at suggestions the Williams Formula 1 team has wasted its best opportunity to score big points in the early races of the 2014 season
Friday, May 2, 2014
WRC: WRC revives radical shootout plan
The potential for a single-stage shootout to decide overall positions on World Rally Championship rounds is under discussion again, with a decision expected in September
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