2010 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Results

The 2010 Formula One World Championship made a great showing for the current season with lots of drama, action and tire burning.  Records fall, new heroes and celebrities born, and teams racked with controversies and run-ins. 

For a review of the season's races, click on the links of each grand prix race.     

Race 1          2010 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX

                                Sakhir, Bahrain                        12 - 14 March

Race 2          2010 FORMULA 1 QANTAS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 

                                Melbourne, Australia              26 - 28 March

Race 3          2010 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX 

                               Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia        02 - 04 April

Race 4         2010 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX 
                               Shanghai, China                       16 - 18 April

Race 5         2010 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 
                                    TELEFÓNICA  
                               Catalunya, Spain                     07 - 09 May

Race 6         2010 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 
                               Monte Carlo, Monaco             13 - 16 May

Race 7         2010 FORMULA 1 TURKISH GRAND PRIX 
                               Istanbul, Turkey                    28 - 30 May

Race 8         2010 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2010 
                               Montreal, Canada                    11 - 13 June

Race 9         2010 FORMULA 1 TELEFÓNICA GRAND PRIX OF 
                                     EUROPE 
                               Valencia, Spain                        25 - 27 June

Race 10      2010 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX 
                              Silverstone, United Kingdom  09 - 11 July

Race 11       2010 FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON 
                                   DEUTSCHLAND
                               Hockenheim, Germany           23 - 25 July

Race 12       2010 FORMULA 1 ENI MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ 2010 
                               Budapest, Turkey                   30 July - 01 August

Race 13       2010 FORMULA 1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 
                               Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium    27 - 29 August

Race 14       2010 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 
                               Monza, Italy                                 10 - 12 September

Race 15       2010 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 
                               Singapore                                      24 - 26 September

Race 16       2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 
                               Suzuka, Japan                              08 - 10 October

Race 17       2010 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX
                               Yeongam, South Korea               22 - 24 October

Race 18       2010 FORMULA 1 GRANDE PRÊMIO PETROBRAS DO 
                                      BRASIL 
                               Sao Paulo, Brazil                          05 - 07 November

Race 19      2010 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI 
                                      GRAND PRIX 
                              Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi    12 - 14 November


For more exciting highlights of the 2010 Formula 1 results, visit Motorspeed Portal.

2010 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix Highlights

The Prancing Horses of Ferrari dominated the field with a 1-2 finish to start its F1 campaign at the 22010 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir, Bahrain last March 14, 2010.  Fernando Alonso top the race  with a race time of 1:39:20:396 over compatriot Felipe Massa. McLaren Mercedes' Lewis finished at third place.

Felipe Massa returned from a head injury sustained in the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.  Three new teams made their debut in this opening race of the season which includes Malaysian-owned Lotus, Virgin Racing Team and Hispania. 

F1: Brazilian F1 Grand Prix Will Determine F1 champ

The Formula 1 Grande Premio Petrobas Do Brasil is scheduled on November 5 - 7, 2010 at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace Circuit, Sao Paulo, Brazil. F1 teams' practice sessions will start on November 5 (Fri).  The qualification race is on November 6 (Sat) in the afternoon.  Race day is scheduled on November 7 (Sun).   Here is a video preview of the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace Race Circuit.

The F1 circuit is 4.309 km long and will run into 71 laps for a total race distance of 305.909 km.  The circuit is divided into three sectors with 15 turns and long straights.  Juan Pablo Montoya has set the race circuit record in 2004 with the time of 1.11.473 hours onboard Ferrari.  Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing last year won the Brazil F1 Grand Prix starting second from the grid. 

This F1 race in Sao Paulo will be exciting to watch since five drivers are in pursuit of their driver's championship crown.  It will be everbody's game in the season's second to the last race.  Fernando Alonso of Ferrari is the current F1 driver leader with 231 points after winning the inaugural Korean F1 International Grand Prix.  Webber of RBR-Renault is in second place with 220 points after crashing in last weekend's Korean F1 race.  McLaren Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is running in third place with 210 points.  RBR-Renault's Sebastian Vettel is in fourth place with 206 points after experiencing the same fate of his RBR teammate Webber.  Australian Jenson Button is in fifth place with 189 points onboard McLaren Mercedes.

F1: Alonso Leads Driver's Championship After Rain-Drench Korean Grand Prix





Fernando Alonso of Ferrari emerges victorious in the inaugural Korean Grand Prix at Yeongam circuit amidst a rain-delayed, bizarre and chaotic F1 race of the season.  The story of the race belongs to Red Bull Racing team as both Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel succumbed to a crash on Lap 12 and an engine failure in Lap 46, respectively.  along the Korean circuit as well as their championship leads. With both RBR out of action, Alonso was lucky enough to hold the lead of the race and grabs the driver's championship with two remaining races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

Alonso wins Korea F1 Grand Prix amid the rains, crashes, and safety cars.

Alonso is way ahead of Webber with 231 points, Webber at second place with 220 points, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton with 210 points at third place.  RBR's Vettel is at fifth place with 206 points after his RB6 engine blew along the long straight way after coming out of Turn 2.  Before the race, the young German driver is in second place tied with Alonso.

Ferrari made good with its promise to win in the new Korean circuit with also a podium finish for its other driver, Felipe Massa.  Massa joined his Ferrari teammate at the podium with a third place finish.   McLaren's Lewis Hamilton arrived in second position of this dramatic, chaotic rain-delayed race.   

With torrential rain pouring on the circuit before the start of the race, a 10 minute delay was announced to wait for the rain to stop.  However, race director Charlie Whiting decided to start the race behind the safety car since the track condition did not improve and visibility was poor because of the downpour.  The F1 cars completed three laps around the circuit behind the safety car when Whiting decided to call the red flag as most drivers over their team radios expressed concerns of the track conditions.

The race started behind the safety car and stopped by red flag because of the track conditions.

The race was stopped for 48 minutes amid the bustling activities of heavy vacuum cleaner tracks and stewards on the race circuit.  The weather condition improved and the cars again started behind the safety car.   The real game started after 37 minutes behind the safety car.    The wet circuit claimed six cars due to crashes and another two for engine failures. 

RBR's Mark Webber lost his car and championship lead in a crash on Lap 12.

In my own analysis, the top 4 drivers will have a chance to grab the Driver's Championship in the next two races.   The race schedules for Brazil and Abu Dhabi will be marked in the next few weeks for busy activities of testing and setting up of race cars of the different F1 racing teams.  Alonso, Webber, Hamilton, and Vettel will go back to the drawing boards again to evaluate their previous performances on these circuits.

This is another exciting season for F1 fanatics as every driver is a cinch to finish the F1 season in a dramatic fashion and cop the F1 diadem.  It is now or never for these drivers comes November.

Images are courtesy of AP and Reuters

Video copyright is owned by Formula One Management (FOM)

F1: Korean Grand Prix Under Rain; Safety Car Leads The Race

The inaugural season of the Korean Grand Prix at Yeongam is under torrent rain at the start of the race.  Race control and stewards decided to use the safety car at the start of the race with the yellow flag and markers flashing around the racetrack.  The organizer decided to have the red flag at Lap 4 to wait for the rain to stop and water in the track to dry up.

Sebastian Vettel still have the pole position followed by his RBR teammate Mark Webber.  Fernando Alonso of Ferrari is running third in the grid.  Heavy vacuum cleaner trucks were utilized to dry out water rain form the track. The race will resume at 16:05 ET.

Stay tuned for more updates of the Korean International Grand Prix.

F1: A Preview Of The New Korean Grand Prix Circuit

The new Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province has been cleared by FIA for its first taste of Formula1 racing scheduled on October 22 - 24, 2010. The circuit has been regarded by FIA as "Grade A" circuit complying all the requirements for an F1 race track.

The Korean race track is divided into three sectors with 18 corners and several long straights. It is 5.621 kms in distance and F1 will run the race in 55 laps with a total distance of 309.155 kms.  Take a tour of the new Korea International Circuit.

Red Bull's Mark Webber is leading the Driver's Championship with 220 points after completing 16 races for the season.  Tied for second place is teammate Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with 206 points.  Red Bull F1 racing leads the pack in the Constructor's Championship with total aggregate score of 426 points.  Far behind RBR is McLaren Mercedes with 381 points.  It will be a no-holds barred  race in Korea for the F1's 17th race of the season.

F1: Formula 1 Infamous Controversies and Disputes

Formula 1 has a rich history of run-ins involving its drivers, teams and even the structural designs of their race cars.  Head to head battles between F1 drivers are common frills in the Grand Prix.  Even to the point that teammates are also battling each other for the championship podium.  F1 teams have their own internal squabbles involving their drivers and management.  Here are some infamous controversies in the Formula 1 racing in the past and current seasons.

Ferrari Team Order

Ferrari made another headline in the German F1 GP in July 2010 with its controversial team order on its drivers.  Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished 1-2 in the podium in Hockenheim after both Ferrari leading most of the race.  Controversy sets in after Felipe Massa, who was leading the race, gave way to Alonso in the latter lap for the podium finish.  Alonso is still in contention for the season’s driver championship and with his win at Hockenheim improved his position for a championship finish. 

The Italian team was fined with US $100,000 for the breach of the regulations.  The Hockenheim stewards cited an infringement by Ferrari of Article 39.1 of the 2010 Sporting Regulations which states that "Team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited" and Article 151 c) of the International Sporting Code "Any of the following offences (…) shall be deemed to be a breach of these rules (...) any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally".

The Scuderia Ferrari team might be facing a disciplinary action from FIA World Motor Sport Council for this team action during the race.  It might cost their chance of finishing in the top three of both driver and constructor’s championship once disciplinary actions will be meted out.  The disciplinary hearing of the FIA World Council will be on September 8, 2010 in Paris France to be headed by the FIA Deputy President for Sport.

F1 Spygate Scandal

In 2007, McLaren were booted out from the constructors’ championship in 2007 because of a controversy involving its team and championship rival Ferrari.  Team McLaren was also fined with a record $100 M after important documents proved the controversy.

The hullabaloo involves Ferrari’s Nigel Stepney providing McLaren’s senior engineer Mike Coughlan with technical information on Ferrari’s race cars.  Both F1 personnel were suspended by their team and causing an internal spat within McLaren.

Documents collected revealed that there were emails between McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, test drivers Mike Coughlan and Pedro Dela Rosa showing signs of incriminatory behavior to their team.  There could have been prior team instructions from management wherein these drivers behave indifferently.  Team principal driver Lewis Hamilton and Alonso have already established a grudging rivalry between themselves sans the intervention of their team officials.  With the turmoil going on between the McLarens, the Prancing Horse of Ferrari came from behind the Silver Arrows in the last GP race to steal the driver’s title from the battling McLarens by only a single point.  The Spygate Scandal of F1 has divided the McLaren F1 team into shambles with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikonnen winning the title by a single point over the warring Alonso and Hamilton.  This controversy in the 2007 GP season has broken the potential winning driver combo of both Hamilton and Alonso for McLaren.

Flexi-wing Disputes

Before the GP season starts, McLaren protested that Red Bull Racing and Ferrari F1 teams have installed performance-enhancing front wings deemed to be illegally attached structures in F1 cars.    These flexi-wings, as McLaren alleged, do not conform to FIA regulations on structural enhancement of team’s race cars.  These wings provide more downward thrust to the chassis of the car providing more traction and maneuverability in corners and chicanes of the race circuits.

The Double Diffusers Row

Brawn Mercedes constructor’s championship was the talk of the FIA F1 Grand Prix season in 2009.   In the first grand prix race at Australia, F1 teams of Brawn, Toyota and Williams came out with their double decker diffusers during the qualifying race.  These new, enhanced structural designs have made great impressions and results leaving other teams in awe.  These F1 teams blew their competition to pieces in the qualifying records.  FIA made enquiries on the protests on the technical issues surrounding the double diffusers on some F1 teams after the Malaysian Grand Prix.  It finally came out a decision that these enhancements are legal and did not violate any rulings on the F1 race car structural designs.   Other teams accepted the decision of the ruling board on their protests and made their own diffuser designs.      

Most of the teams had made great strides on their own custom-made diffusers in the GP races.  However, Jenson Button and Brawn F1 had already secured six of the seven GP races of the 2009 season.  Button and his team had amassed championship points leaving their competition behind and claiming both championships.

Images courtesy of Getty Images

Formula 1: Webber, Red Bull for a 2010 F1 Championship Finish

Mark Webber and his Red Bull F1 team could be in for an Formula 1 championship in the current FIA F1 World Championship.  Webber leads the drivers’ championship with 161 points over McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton 157 points after coming off a phenomenal race in the Hungaroring Circuit in Budapest last weekend. 

Red Bull Racing-Renault is the frontrunner in the Constructor’s Championship with 312 points after 12 GP races for the season.  Second-running McLaren Mercedes has 304 points with Ferrari in a distant third place with 238 points.

Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel is at third place with 151 points to his name.  It seems that the Red Bull teammates and their management have already settled their internal spat resulting to this impressive wins over their Formula 1 adversaries.

Renault F1 managing director Flavio Briatore issued a statement over La Gazzetta dello Sport that his Australian prodigy Webber will go all the way to the F1 driver’s championship following his remarkable race finish. He believed that his ward has already matured into one of the finest F1 drivers of his time and used this intelligence to outmaneuver everyone in Budapest.  

Webber was very patient to queue up behind his race-leading RBR teammate Vettel after the safety car appeared on Lap 14.  The Australian completed another 29 laps without changing his ‘Option’ tires to outpace and register fastest laps over his RBR teammate and the second-running Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.  When he changed tires, he was way ahead of the pack and claimed his fourth podium finish for the current F1 season.

Red Bull Racing-Renault has done a remarkable job in maintaining their racing cars’ consistency and performance for a season-leading finish over the McLarens and Ferraris.  Many racing critics questioned the RB6 performance most specifically its innovative front wing if it can maintain the same level of performance it produce at the Hungaroring Circuit to the seven remaining circuits of the season. 

The Australian Webber told Red Bull’s official website, “We’ve shown this year that the car is performing on all tracks so we hope we don’t have any weak circuits,” he told Red Bull’s official website. “Singapore should be good, Suzuka, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. We’re a little bit worried about how the long straights might go at some of the other venues, at Monza maybe. But the car is very, very strong at most tracks so we’re ready to take on anyone at any venue.”

He was very optimistic as well as his team on their chances of claiming both the driver and constructor’s championship at the end of the F1 championship season.  Next stop is the Belgium Formula 1 Grand Prix on its Spa-Francorchamps race circuit on August 27-29, 2010.

German Blitzkrieg in Hockenheim Grand Prix

German F1 drivers are on blitzkrieg in the upcoming Hockenheim Grand Prix on July 25. There are six Formula One drivers coming from Germany and five of them can register championship on their home turf.

Leading the field is Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel who sees the Hockenheim race a very special event for him to prove his point as the man to beat in F1. Germany's illustrious F1 son Michael Schumacher is coming back home after his retirement to race and redeem his stature as one of F1's legend.

Vettel is in the middle of a Red Bull team squabble involving his teammate Mark Webber and their management. The tiff started when the two Red Bulls collided with each other during the middle race of the Turkish Grand Prix that cost both drivers their individual championship and constructors' championship points. The young German was pretty beaten up by Silverstone and that made its toll on him. His teammate Webber lashed out at the team's controversial front wing switch which also affected him as the favored driver by the management.

The young Vettel is now in fourth position in the driver's championship standings trailing Webber and the two McLarens – Hamilton and Button. He is more pressured to perform better at this German course supported by his thousands of fans on weekend. All he has to do is focus on the race, stay with the team's race strategy and compete with Webber squarely. If he will win the race ahead of his teammate without controversies, then the brewing war within the team will be resolved.

Schumacher is racing again in his home turf that gave him most of his F1 career wins. He won his last German GP trophy in this 6.823-kilometer German racetrack in 2004 onboard Ferrari. However, many of his critics are questioning his ability to notch another win with his new team. Schumi has yet to win a podium finish for his new Mercedes GP team.

The German legend has the vast experience to win the race but it will never be a quick or easy process for him to get to his racing form after three years of retirement. He made a strong race in an intra-team battle with Nico Rosberg in Spain and Monaco but slumped again. Mercedes GP car has one of F1's powerful engines ideal for long stretch and slow corners. However, reliability issues of their race cars have contributed to the team's lackluster performance in the season. The German GP might be the answer to his critics or regret that he came out from retirement. It remains to be seen on Sunday's race result.

Other German drivers expected to score championship points in this race include Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Adrian Sutil (Force India), Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) and Timo Glock (Virgin). It will be an exciting home GP for German fans where these homegrown talents will achieve great things for their country. German fans as well as Hockenheim organizers are hoping for a head to head race finish between Vettel and Schumacher or for an all-German finish at the podium.

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Hockenheim F1 Grand Prix Circuit Revisited

The Hockenheim F1 Grand Prix Circuitwill stage another exhilarating and heart-pounding race on July 25. Six German F1 drivers will jostle with other drivers in this 6.823 km racetrack of permanent, clockwise road course for the German GP 2010.

Hockenheim is considered as one of the fastest circuits with two distinct sections which require drivers' focus and gut of steel to manage the twists and turns of the racetrack. One of the sections is the sector starting from Turn 13 to Turn 17 going to the stadium complex in front of the grandstands and the pit area. Maneuvering and overtaking are made in this section that give lots of heart-thumping and adrenaline-charged moments for the 100,000 live spectators. This very fast and breathtaking circuit was added with new chicanes that require also from team engineers to outfit their race cars with better setups.

Hockenheim race circuit is divided in three sectors compose of long straights, turns and a tight hairpin. The first sector has two long straights and four right corner turns. This part of the circuit is good to build up speed and perform maneuvers in the turns. In Turn 1 at Nordkurve, car speed is place at 211 km/h at fourth gear. Turns 2 and 3 set average speeds at a slow 93 km/h shifting to second gear.

Hockenheim's Sector 2 forms the best zone on the track with a very long straight good for powerful engines. In the Parabolika section, the longest straight of the circuit, drivers can hit a top speed of 326 km/h at their top gear. At the end of this long straight, the tightest corner in the racetrack awaits the drivers. Speed hits a lowly 59 km/h shifting to first gear to build up speed again. Turn 7, 8, 9 and 10 offer the best turns good for overtaking and maneuverings.

Sector 3 comprises the fastest corners going into the finish line. Starting with Mobil 1 Kurve, race cars hit 205 km/h at gear 4. Turn 16 and 17 are double right hand corners where major wheel to wheel battles set their center stage before going into the finish line.

The German Grand Prix will have 67 laps totaling at 306.458 km distance. The lap record is 1:13.780 and set by Kimi Raikkonnen in 2004 onboard a McLaren. The Hockenheim circuit is the major racetrack of Mercedes as well as by German F1 racers. The race on July 25 will involve a record six German drivers from different team with Michael Schumacher leading the pack. Sit tight and watch the race with the exciting twist and turns of Hockenheim.

Racing the Odds at Grand Prix Du Canada: F1 Teams Perspective

Formula One racing among teams has been more competitive this season as compared to the past seasons. New F1 teams joined the bandwagon of open-wheel auto racing with their own line-up of drivers and technical staff. Old teams revamped their driver's lineup with welcome addition of champion drivers in their fold. In the last Turkish Grand Prix, a new leader for the constructors' championship has emerged dislodging a team that holds the championship leadership for the past six races.

In the next Grand Prix race at Canada, expect that every team will battle it out for podium finish. Drivers are talking about Circuit-Gilles Villenueve – a demanding and tricky 4.361 km long circuit that needs to be completed in 70 laps for a total distance of 305.27 kms.

The current F1 teams racing in the 2010 season have different previews of Grand Prix Du Canada on June 13, 2010.

Mercedes McLaren

McLaren was able to snatch the most important win for its team in the last Turkish Grand Prix. The black-and-silver cars finished the race in 1-2 positions due to a late collision between the two Red Bulls in Lap 40. The Red Bull cars of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel lead the race from grid position until the disastrous collision. Vettel retired from the race and Webber finished in third place.

The McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were able to snatch the Constructor's Championship from Red Bull with 172 points over the Bull's 171 aggregate points. Button declares that mistakes will not be tolerated in Canada. Hamilton will be back again in the circuit that gave him his first grand prix win in his career.

Team McLaren will rely on the reliability of their MP4-25 cars perfectly configured for the circuit's fast and slow bends. The ability of the cars to be smoothly controlled in the corners will help the McLaren drivers avoid hitting the wall barriers most especially the Wall of Champions. The McLaren team is very confident that their drivers and cars will race perfectly to the circuit of Canada and maintain their lead over their closest rivals.

Red Bull Racing

Red Bull wants to redeem the team's disastrous finish in the Turkish Grand Prix with both cars involves in a collision and losing the Constructors' Championship to McLaren. Internal squabble between their drivers Webber and Vettel made the losing result a bitter pill to swallow. Webber was quoted to have express resentment on a possible favoritism by top team official on Vettel despite the German driver was responsible hitting him.

The Red Bull management told media that both drivers and team officials have already settled the issue among themselves. The team is relying on the performance of their RB6 in this challenging circuit. The RB6 is extremely superb in its performance in the past GP races of the season. Expect that the Red Bulls will push out their rivals to reclaim their lead of the season.

Mercedes GP

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is all about top speed with the Mercedes GP cars receiving its upgrades that will power the team to a significant result in the Canadian GP. This was team driver Michael Schumacher's opinion on the upcoming race in the track that made him won nine GP races in his career. Nico Rosberg also believes that their powerful Mercedes-Benz engine will be an important factor since the track needs more speed on the long straight and slow corners.

Team manager Ross Brawn considers their car's engineering will have better speed performance, satisfactory braking stability and robust engine performance to produce an excellent race finish in the Canadian GP. The team is currently in fourth place of the Constructor's Championship standing.

Grand Prix Du Canada will be the benchmark for all F1 teams for their drivers' performance, car and engine reliability, and team's engineering efficiency in achieving the victory in Montreal.

Button Up with Jenson’s Prodigious Formula One Success

Formula One has its own fairytale hero in the person of McLaren's Jenson Button. Most F1 fanatics believe that their hero drivers exude a fiery, steadfast and charismatic personality to rule the challenging world of F1 racing. The British driver's critics believe the opposite on Button's character as a world driver champion.

The young Button has silenced his critics with his outstanding performances even if it came late in his racing career. Still, the Briton has endured the challenges and criticisms of his professional career as a driver.

The McLaren driver has an exceptional karting record winning almost all race events he joined in his young age. The kid raced and won the British Formula Ford diadem. He was also victorious in the Ford Festival in his maiden season in 1998 and placed third in a local Formula 3 Series race. Button got his first taste of F1 under Alan Prost in 1999 as a test driver. In 2000, Frank Williams of Williams F1 gave Button the most coveted opportunity to race in Formula One.

The flashy Briton was hyped to bring greatness to Formula One with Williams in 2000 with his kind of personality on-and-off the race track. In his debut race at age 20, he could have scored his first-ever career point in F1 had his car's engine not failed. He was very impressive with his performances all season; however, Team Williams was committed to field their top-gun tandem of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher in the following F1 season.

Button moved to Benetton the following year to pair with Giancarlo Fisichella. It was not a good year for Jenson having a hard time on the wheels of a Benetton. Critics were at him again with overhyped personality of winning the race for his team. In short, he was just an underachieving F1 driver. He was again dropped by his Benetton team at the end of the season in favor of Spaniard Fernando Alonso at the end of the season on 2002.

BAR-Honda big boss David Richards gave Button a chance to join the team alongside veteran Jacques Villeneuve, who was displeased with the decision to drive with the flamboyant driver. Jenson was victorious in the intra-team race sans Villenueve who retired at the sidelines with BAR taking a great leap in performance in 2004. This the year that Button vindicated his place in Formula One as he single-handedly raced for the team and keeping it for a championship run for the season.

BAR was less competitive and unreliable in 2005 that made Button frustrated with the results. He stayed with Honda until its unexpected exit at the end of 2008. Button was lagging behind at the back of the field with his unreliable car. He was still in his competitive form but unable to convert this to championship points. This was the lowest point of his career but still hang on to race against the titans of F1.

Former Ferrari team manager Ross Brawn established Brawn GP in 2009. Button was given a new lease of life wherein the team's car promised a new dawning for Honda racing in F1. The British driver started the season with a blistering run winning six of the first seven races to establish him a formidable driver to reckon with. However, a mid-season poor showing challenge him on his first attempt for a world driver's title. Button made steady performances in the latter part of the 2009 season with superb driving to capture his first-ever world championship title.

In the current season of 2010, McLaren signed him with young former world champion Lewis Hamilton to form a formidable tandem in Formula One racing. Both are young and enigmatic in their relationship but committed to give McLaren Mercedes another title.

In the Turkish Grand Prix, Hamilton and Button finished the race in first and second place, respectively. Fans were treated to a heart-stopping and breathtaking wheel-to-wheel race between the teammates in many instances at Turkey GP. A show of grit and competition on both young Formula One drivers. But still, Button has proved his critics wrong with his outstanding performances in his career leaving all doubts in a blur.

Lewis Hamilton: The Black Trailblazer of Formula One

The name Lewis seems to be synonymous to the word Speed. McLaren Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton is named after the great American Olympian sprinter Carl Lewis by his parents. Speed appears to be part of his personality.

The young Hamilton was a karting prodigy in his hometown and destined to make it big in auto racing. He was very determined to be a race driver when at the age of 10, he introduced himself to McLaren principal Ron Dennis to tell him that he will be racing for McLaren Mercedes in the future.

In the coming years, he was making a name for himself in karting and breaking records in the sport. The McLaren big boss signed the young driver to a stint in GP2 racing. He was a champion in his inaugural season with GP2.

In 2007, Lewis Hamilton was signed up as principal driver for McLaren F1 team alongside with former world champion Fernando Alonso. He set the pace in F1 racing in its 2007 season. A number of records were registered by the British driver in his rookie year as an F1 driver. The young Brit was having an impressive run for the driver's championship with a 17-point lead over Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen with two races remaining in the season.

A single point between him and Raikkonen cost him the driver's championship in his maiden season. His defeat was attributed to seventh place finish in Brazil and a retirement in the Chinese GP. It was a heartbreaking lost for the young British driver who has been successful in most of his races in the past.

The following season, Hamilton made up for his defeat with an error-free race driving the whole GP season of 2008. He snatched the driver's championship trophy from Ferrari's Felipe Massa via a single-point, come-from-behind win at a rain-soaked Interlagos race and installing himself as the youngest ever F1 world champion. This accentuates his superb and exceptional driving skills in F1 with this victory.

The 2009 GP season was unsympathetic to the young F1 champion with lots of problems and hitches encountered throughout the season. McLaren was not able to manufacture a reliable F1 car for this season. It encountered lots of mechanical and engine problems that dropped both McLaren drivers from the championship race. Hamilton was also involved in the 'Liegate' scandal where Hamilton deceived race stewards in the Australian GP. The young Briton was distraught with the turn of events that he contemplated in quitting Formula One. However, he went to win two race wins and ended the season as the fastest driver on the grid.

The young McLaren driver has learned the important, high-profile lessons of 2009 and made him more matured and calm in his races. He silenced his critics with his ability to cope with the pressure of F1, race bumper-to-bumper to established F1 champions, race in any weather with consistency and come out of the back of the grid to snatch the lead in the race.

McLaren Mercedes is now back in contention with a reliable F1 car and a new driver in last season's champion Jenson Button. The young black driver won his first race of the 2010 season at the Turkish GP over two Red Bulls. The win catapulted him to second place in the driver's championship after seven GP races and an arm's length only of frontrunner Red Bull Mark Webber. Team McLaren has benefitted much on the win of their two British drivers and catapulted the team to lead the constructor's championship.

Lewis Hamilton, the first youngest black world champion driver, live up to his namesake as one of the greatest sprinter of all time while he breaks the speed limit in recording F1 records.

Korean Grand Prix: F1 Race or Pit Stop?

The maiden race of the Korean Grand Prix might get abandon prior to its schedule on October 22-24, 2010. Political tiff off between South and North Korea is seen as the major factor on the cancellation of the first ever Formula One race in Yeongam. With this recent development in the growing tension between the two Koreas, construction of the Korea International Circuit has slowed down and might not be finished before the inaugural Korean Formula One race.

The race circuit was constructed in the South Jeolla region of Korea. It is 400 kilometers away from Seoul, the South Korean capital. It is located in a rural area with plans of developing the site into a high-tech business park, leisure and residential facilities, and other business for F1. The racing teams will have custom-built pits and paddock buildings for their teams' equipment and supports staff. The circuit can hold a seating capacity of 130,000 spectators.

Yeongam's race track is 5.4 km long designed with 18 bend and corners – a combination of both high-speed corners and sharp hairpins ideal for overtaking maneuvers. Race cars can reach a maximum speed of 320 kph and features Asia's longest straight. The race track will run on a counterclockwise direction that will have 55 laps of adrenaline-rush F1 racing. The race will total 305.2 kms once completed.

F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has set aside speculations that the construction of the new Yeongam circuit might not be completed on time.

"If there is war, we won't be there obviously," Ecclestone told reporters in Turkey. According to reliable sources of Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, construction of the 5.62 kilometer long circuit may have been slowed down by the political situation between North and South Korea.

Progress on the construction of the new Korean circuit is estimated to be at 79% completed. FOTA, an F1 association associated to handling F1 equipment, has confirmed that it is not ready to commission some of its equipment to Korea ahead of the scheduled race if there is no assurance of a race.

In the event that Korea GP will be cancelled, F1 teams will have a month-long break from racing between the Japanese and Brazilian GPs.

Another basis for the rumored cancellation which came up in news wires were most F1 teams have not yet reserved airline tickets and hotel rooms for their support staff. The Brazilian and Abu Dhabi GPs have already received advanced reservations way ahead of the Koran GP.

"This is a clear sign of how serious they are worried about the possibility of cancellation," a well-known Portuguese journalist Lusi Vasconcelos in his news column.

Yung Cho-chung, CEO and president of F1 race organizer KAVO, has dispelled rumors that some F1 personnel and media people will have to stay on cruise ship for the accommodation due to the lack of hotels in the locale. He assured everyone that there are enough hotels and around 16,000 rooms were reserved to accommodate F1 fans, visitors and personnel on the scheduled Korean Gran Prix. He jokingly said to Autosport, "Koreans are happy to stay on cruise ships but don't have the idea whether Western guests are happy with the accommodation."

Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone went to Yeongam to personally supervise the inspection of the circuit's facilities and construction progress. He was happy to know that the construction of the circuit is right on schedule. Yeongam Circuit track designer Herman Tilke denied a reported comment he made that he has some doubts the circuit would be built on schedule.

Yung Cho-chung was very optimistic about the negative comments and fears of others on the cancellation of inaugural Korea GP race on October. He believes that the negative media mileage surrounding the F1 race has helped spark interest around the world. This, according to him, will encourage visiting South Korea and watching its first F1 race.

He also expressed his thoughts that Turkey and Abu Dhabi have the same experience underwent prior to their maiden F1 race. But still the races were very successful and created additional tourists and visitors to their future F1 races.

Sebastian Vettel: Revolutionizing the History of Formula One

Formula One racing knows no boundaries. Nationality, race, team affiliation, and even age cannot stop one from holding the wheel of an F1 car. Yes, age doesn't matter in Formula One. This famous adage has been affirmed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in his young career in Formula One.

Who is Vettel?

The German-born Vettel was dubbed by the German press as "Baby Schumi" because of his outstanding achievements and inspiring performances in Formula One racing at his young age. He has reached several mileages in the history of F1 as one of the youngest driver to achieve several records. The young Vettel is the youngest F1 driver to score points in a Grand Prix race. He is also the youngest to lead a race. Winning a race for the youngest driver is such a colossal feat. And being the youngest world championship runner-up driver in the history of the sports is one-in-a-million probability to happen in the fastest form of auto racing.

Sebastian Vettel was born on July 3, 1987 in Heppenheim, West Germany. In 1995, he started racing karts and winning numerous titles such as the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2001. He advanced to open-wheel cars in 2003 and became victorious in the 2004 German Formula BMW Championship winning 18 of 20 races.

The young German was top rookie awardee in 2005 as he drove for ASL Mucke Motorsport in Formula Three Euroseries. He collected 64 points in the final standings and placed fifth overall. Lewis Hamilton is a contemporary in Formula Three and dominated Vettel and other racers. With strong performances, he was rewarded by BMW Sauber F1 team as a test driver.

In 2007, Vettel was leading the World Series by Renault when he was called to become Sauber's permanent test driver. He became a replacement for Robert Kubica after crashing in Canada and hospitalized for injuries sustained in the accident.

Vettel made a momentous achievement by finishing eighth place in the US Grand Prix. He was the youngest driver to gain a world championship point at a young age of 19 years and 349 days. After this personal success, F1 big boss Bernie Ecclestone describes him as "the most talented young driver in Formula One" and destined for great things. In September 30, 2007 at the Japanese Grand Prix, he became the youngest driver to take the lead in a Formula One race.

On Sunday September 30, 2007, during the Japanese Grand Prix Vettel became the youngest driver to lead a Formula One race.

In a rainy weather at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest F1 driver to win a Grand Prix race at the age of 21 years and 74 days while donning the colors of Toro Rosso F1 team. Prior to the race, he was at the pole position and also the youngest F1 driver to hold pole position of the race. With the impressive win, he got numerous compliments and rave reviews that made his transfer to Red Bull in season 2009.

The cheerful Vettel won four Grand Prix races for the season in 2009. He finished second place behind Brawn GP's champion driver Jenson Button. After the winning performances in season 2009, Vettel is a mark man by most F1 teams for his superb driving and impressive victories. He has shown the talent, skills and the heart to win his Grand Prix races.

In the current 2010 F1 season, Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull Racing team has dominated the field in the first six races with imposing wins for pole positions and championship points. In the Malaysian Grand Prix, he took his first win of the season ahead of his teammate Mark Webber.

However at the Turkish Grand Prix, both Red Bull cars were leading the race until Lap 40 when both cars involved in a crash with Vettel trying to overtake teammate Webber and collided with the other RB6 car. Vettel retired from the race with a badly damage car and losing his lead of the driver's championship with co-driver Webber. The incident of involving both Red Bull drivers created an unpleasant squabble within the organization. However management has denied that there is an internal squabble within Red Bull. The season is still a long way to race to the finish.

Sebastien Vettel might be young for his age in Formula One but made great strides in recording extraordinary feats in his career. Baby Schumi might rewrite the history of F1 at his young age.

Rossi to join the Prancing Horses of Formula One?

MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi is rumored to be joining Ferrari in Formula One. Rossi known as "The Doctor" in MotoGP has been testing Ferrari F1 cars since 2006.

However, no commitments have been reached between The Doctor and Ferrari F1 management in his participation with Formula One.

The Italian MotoGP world champion has tried driving a Ferrari F2008 provided by Corse Clienti. It uses GP2 tires and emblazoned with a distinctive number 46 on the nose of the car. He made his test drive at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. Results of the test drives were very impressive for a novice open wheel driver like the F1 car. He did 68 laps at Circuit de Catalunya to set his best time of 1'25.200.

Test drives were again made at Valencia on January 31-February 2006. On Rossi's first test, he miscalculated a bend spinning him out on the damp track into the gravel trap to end the drive. On his second day, he recorded the ninth fastest time among fifteen drivers. He was approximately one second behind F1 great Michael Schumacher, who himself registered the third fastest time on the track.

The Doctor has lapped faster than seasoned F1 drivers the likes of Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber and former driver David Coulthard and former Toyota F1's Jarno Trulli. On his final day of testing, the Italian MotoGP champion was a little more than a second behind Schumacher's best record time on the circuit.

Schumacher acknowledged Rossi for his great talent in racing for both motorcycles and open wheel cars. The German believed that Rossi can perfectly transfer from motoGP to Formula One and still competitive.

Rossi has been actively joining some World Rally Cross (WRC) event stages and got impressive wins. In 2005, he was able to race against his rally hero WRC Colin McRae at Monza. He bested McRae in his Subaru Impreza.

In Rally New Zealand in 2006, Rossi was able to finish the event in 11th place out of 39 cars. In the same year, he bested 2005 rally champion Rinaldo Capello on a Ford Focus car at the Annual Monza Rally by 24 seconds. At the 2007 Monza Rally, he was again victorious on a Ford Focus WRC car.

Outgoing Fiat Group Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has repeatedly announced that he wants to have Rossi in one of their Prancing Horse F1 car in the Formula One season.

"We want a third car (in F1 next year) and I would do everything to have Valentino in one of the red car. When he wins this year's MotoGP, enough is enough, he must also win in Formula 1." di Montezemolo said excitedly.

Third cars are at present disallowed to race in F1. However, Ferrari reiterated that it will propose for a rule change in adding a third F1 car on the tracks. This will be a dream come true for both Moto GP and F1 fanatics in seeing Rossi in one of the Ferrari.

With a Ferrari team compose of Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Valentino Rossi, this makes a formidable winning combination of world champions in racing. However, Valentino has something in his mind that might lead to an F1 participation in the future.

"To have a strong team like Yamaha's (in MotoGP), Ferrari should hire Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel alongside Fernando Alonso," Rossi told the La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I would like to explore the possibility of a third car for myself." A statement that made everyone in the racing world perplex on the multi-titled Italian champion career plans in the future.

Rossi is a multiple MotoGP World Champion and motorcycle racer with nine Grand Prix World Championships tucked under his name. He is currently racing for Yamaha in the Moto GP. The Italian champion might be joining Formula One bringing his vast experiences and achievements in both motorcycle and automobile racing.

Do you think The Doctor might get in?