-Formula 1 - Season 2012 -

[genius83]

Button eyes wins at Spa and MonzaJenson Button is confident wins at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza are possible over the next two weeks after he showed a significant improvement in form ahead of the summer break.

Spa 'one of the most demanding circuits' for Pirelli
Pirelli's Paul Hembery says Spa Francorchamps is "one of the most demanding circuits" for the tyre manufacturer.

Grosjean targets stronger second half of season
Romain Grosjean says he wants to have a stronger second half of the season than first and is targeting victories in the remaining nine races.

Whitmarsh focused on title challenge
Martin Whitmarsh says McLaren is still using Lewis Hamilton's victory in Hungary as motivation that it can challenge for both championships.

[genius83]

Murray Walker set for Race Retro debut
Legendary motorsports commentator Murray Walker will be heading to Stoneleigh in February, for his first appearance at the international historic motorsport show.

Financial worries still loom for F1 teams
The ongoing downturn in the economy is affecting pretty much every everyone, and the longer it goes on the more of a strain it places on companies involved in all walks of sport - and F1 2012 in particular.

'No regrets' about F1 return, says Schumacher
Former multiple F1 world champion Michael Schumacher has insisted that he has no regrets about returning to the series after his three-year premature retirement from competition.

Alonso 'hero' of the season so far, says Brundle
F1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle has selected Ferrari's Fernando Alonso as his hero of the 2012 season so far, thanks to his ability to keep winning races against the odds.

Kubica in four-day WRC Ford Fiesta test?
Reports emerging over the weekend suggest that former F1 driver Robert Kubica has been involved in "secret" tests with the Ford WRC factory team.

[genius83]

Ferrari testing 2014 engine on dyno
Ferrari's head of engine and electronics Luca Marmorini has revealed that the team is already testing a prototype V6 engine on the dyno in Maranello.

Alonso the best current driver - Schumacher
Michael Schumacher has singled out Fernando Alonso as the strongest driver on the 2012 grid.

'No excuses' for Caterham - Fernandes
Tony Fernandes says Caterham now has "no excuses" for not joining the midfield following its move to new headquarters in Leafield.

Raikkonen non-committal over Lotus future
Kimi Raikkonen is refusing to commit himself to driving for Lotus in 2013 before the end of the current season.

[genius83]

Here is this weekend's Timing Schedule for Belgian GP:

[U]<font color='#808080'><font face='courier new'>Belgian GP</font></font>
<font color='#ff8c00'>Friday</font>
<font color='#3366ff'>Practice Session 1</font>[/U]<font color='#3366ff'>    13:00 To 14:30
[U]Practice Session 2[/U]    17:00 To 18:30</font>
[U]<font color='#ff8c00'>Saturday</font>
<font color='#3366ff'>Practice Session 3</font>[/U]<font color='#3366ff'>    14:00 To 15:00
[U]Qualifying Session[/U]    17:00 To 18:00</font>
[U]<font color='#ff8c00'>Sunday</font>
<font color='#3366ff'>Race</font>[/U]<font color='#3366ff'>                  17:00 To 19:00</font>

[Imaan1]

James Allen commentates over an on-board lap of the new US Grand Prix circuit in Austin, Texas.
[YOUTUBEOn Board Lap of New US Grand Prix circuit, Austin, Texas - Internet 640x360-30p.mp4 - YouTube][/YOUTUBE]

[genius83]

Webber confident of being back at the front at Spa
Mark Webber is hoping to bounce back from a couple of disappointing results at last two races to challenge for victory at the Belgian Grand Prix.

McLaren preparing for long fight
McLaren is preparing to fight for the title until the end of the season this year and is not taking its recent competitiveness for granted.

New Jersey race will be 'like a three-day Super Bowl'
Organisers of the Grand Prix of America are hoping to put on a show akin to the NFL's Super Bowl when next year's race takes place in New Jersey.

Marussia to run Williams KERS in 2013
Marussia will run KERS on its car for the first time next year after securing a deal to run a development of the Williams unit.

Petrov's manager laments lack of Russian backing
Vitlay Petrov's manager says her driver must secure more funding from Russia if he is to stay in Formula One.

Minor changes as Caterham heads to Spa
Caterham technical director Mark Smith confirms tweaks to the CT-01 will continue for the remainder of the 2012 F1 season.

[NakedTruth]

Only a day left baby!.

[genius83]

'I have as good a chance as any' - Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton believes he has "as good a chance as anyone at the moment" to win the championship.

Vettel unfazed by championship deficit
Sebastian Vettel is unfazed by the deficit to Fernando Alonso in the championship standings, saying he is motivated by the 2010 season.

Alonso dismisses favourite tag
Fernando Alonso insists that he is not the favourite to win the drivers' championship despite holding a 40 point lead in the standings.

No Spa secret - Raikkonen
Kimi Raikkonen says there is no secret to his impressive record at Spa-Francorchamps.

Hamilton's future will be decided in 'short order' - Whitmarsh
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says contract talks with Lewis Hamilton's are progressing and that the driver's future will be decided in "short order".

Button not ready to help Hamilton
Jenson Button will only start to think about helping team-mate Lewis Hamilton win the title this year if it becomes mathematically impossible for him to be champion.

Schumacher won't make decision on future until October
Michael Schumacher will not announce his plans for his future until October, despite celebrating his 300th grand prix in Belgium this weekend.

'No reason to leave Sauber' - Perez
Sergio Perez has said he would be happy to remain at Sauber next year as the deadline for his decision looms in the next few weeks.

Massa keen to prove himselfFelipe Massa is out to prove himself in the remaining nine races of the season and is wary that he will be judged on his results at the end of the year.

Pre-judging competitiveness 'difficult' - Grosjean
Romain Grosjean admits that Lotus could be strong with its new DRS system at Spa but that this season has shown there are no guarantees to competitiveness.

Maldonado hoping to stay at Williams in 2013
Pastor Maldonado's first choice for a drive next year would be to remain at Williams, but he says he is not guaranteed a place in 2013.

Ferrari 'clearly slowest' of the front-runners
Fernando Alonso claims that Ferrari are 'clearly the slowest' of the front-running F1 teams - although his rivals don't agree.

Marko: Vettel needs to qualify better
Helmut Marko says Sebastian Vettel has to qualify better to try and win a third F1 title.

Neale: We've turned development race around
Jonathan Neal says McLaren has worked hard to bounce back into F1 title contention.

No double DRS for McLaren at Spa
Martin Whitmarsh reveals that McLaren has no plans to introduce double DRS at Spa.

Zanardi throws new name into Massa debate
Former F1 pilot Alex Zanardi offers a new, and unexpected, twist on who should replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari for 2013 and beyond.

Lauda: Alonso's rivals need to step up now
Niki Lauda has said that the forthcoming Belgian and Italian GPs will be crucial for anyone hoping to overhaul Fernando Alonso's F1 points lead.

Senna looking to continue Williams momentum
Having scored points for the sixth time this season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Bruno Senna is looking to pick up where he left off at this weekend's Belgian race.

Marussia 'closer' after de Villota crash
Marussia 'closer' as a result of Maria de Villota's accident back in June.

Schumacher ready for air time?
Michael Schumacher reveals he is considering taking a pilot's licence that would allow him to fulfill his latest adrenaline rush.

[genius83]

[genius83]

[genius83]

Kobayashi tops wet FP1
Kamui Kobayashi set the fastest time of a very wet first free practice session at Spa-Francorchamps.

<font face='courier new'>[U]<font color='#808080'>Belgian GP</font>
<font color='#ff8c00'>Practice Session 1
</font>[/U]</font><font color='#4b0082'>Pos  Driver              Car                   Time         Gap    Laps</font>
 1.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        2m11.389s            20
 2.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      2m11.941s  + 0.552s  14
 3.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    2m12.004s  + 0.615s  12
 4.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    2m12.824s  + 1.435s  15
 5.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      2m13.191s  + 1.802s  13
 6.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        2m13.861s  + 2.472s  16
 7.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              2m14.210s  + 2.821s  14
 8.  Valtteri Bottas     Williams-Renault      2m14.660s  + 3.271s  16
 9.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      2m14.860s  + 3.471s  12
10.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              2m15.402s  + 4.013s  13
11.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  2m15.812s  + 4.423s  11
12.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     2m16.409s  + 5.020s  16
13.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  2m16.786s  + 5.397s  10
14.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      2m16.788s  + 5.399s  16
15.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      2m16.827s  + 5.438s   5
16.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      2m16.861s  + 5.472s   8
17.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     2m17.519s  + 6.130s  14
18.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      2m18.199s  + 6.810s  10
19.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          2m19.546s  + 8.157s  12
20.  Dani Clos           HRT-Cosworth          2m19.689s  + 8.300s  12
21.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault         2m38.701s  + 27.312s  9
22.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               2m40.749s  + 29.360s  4
23.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         2m46.580s  + 35.191s  9
24.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari                                     2

Kimi's experience gives him the edge - Grosjean
Romain Grosjean says that Kimi Raikkonen's experience has been giving him the advantage in races so far this season.

Di Resta wants management future resolved
Paul di Resta says he wants to get his management future resolved in the next month while a court case with Anthony Hamilton proceeds.

Raikkonen not desperate for second title
Kimi Raikkonen admits he is not desperate to win a second world championship, saying that winning one was always his target.

Rain wipes out second practice at Spa
Charles Pic popped up at the top of the timesheets, but it meant little in another soaking wet session at the Belgian Grand Prix.

<font face='courier new'>[U]<font color='#808080'>Belgian GP</font>
<font color='#ff8c00'>Practice Session 2
</font>[/U]</font><font color='#4b0082'>Pos  Driver              Car                   Time         Gap    Laps</font>
 1.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     2m49.354s             4
 2.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    2m49.750s  + 0.396s   3
 3.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               2m50.497s  + 1.143s   3
 4.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  2m51.333s  + 1.979s   3
 5.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      2m51.660s  + 2.306s   4
 6.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     2m52.076s  + 2.722s   4
 7.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        2m53.232s  + 3.878s   4
 8.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    2m58.232s  + 8.878s   3
 9.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  2m59.125s  + 9.771s   5
10.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        3m12.901s  + 23.547s  4
11.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes                                    3
12.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes                                    4
13.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault                            1
14.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes                            2
15.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault                            3
16.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes                            2
17.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari                                     2
18.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault                            3

JYS backs Webber championship bid
Three-time F1 world champion Jackie Stewart believes that Mark Webber has the experience to launch a title bid over the remainder of 2012.

Pic linked to Sauber and Force India for 2013
Charles Pic's managers will be talking to teams including Force India and Sauber about a seat for the Frenchman in 2013, according to rumours circulating at Spa.

Maldonado seeking return to winning ways
It seems a long time since Pastor Maldonado was celebrating his maiden F1 win with Williams in Barcelona, so he's hoping Spa will put him back into the points again.

Petrov loses support of Russian government
Vitaly Petrov's hopes of remaining in F1 have taken a hit amid claims that he will no longer receive backing from government-owned companies in Russia.

Past successes encourage Vergne in Spa F1 debut
It might be Jean-Eric Vergne's first time at Spa in an F1 car, but that doesn't mean he's a stranger to success at the historic circuit.

Sahara court order to further hurt Force India?
Force India co-owner Sahara is at the centre of a financial storm in its homeland, adding to concerns raised in a recent report into F1 finances.

Drivers sceptical on electric cars
Drivers at the Thursday press conference seemed less than thrilled about the prospect of racing fully electrical cars in the future, despite the recent announcement of Formula E.

[genius83]

Lotus opts not to run DDRS at Spa
Lotus has decided not to run its double DRS at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend after wet weather prevented the team testing the system on Friday.

Lotus not desperate to run DDRS - RaikkonenKimi Raikkonen insists Lotus is not desperate to run its new upgrades at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend and played down the lack of running in Friday practice.

'Proper driving was not possible' - Schumacher
Michael Schumacher said wet weather conditions at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday meant "proper driving" was not possible during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Webber hit by grid penalty for gearbox change
Mark Webber will take a five-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix after a gearbox change.

Hamilton anticipating 'challenging' final practice
Lewis Hamilton is preparing himself for a challenging final practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix after Friday practice at Spa-Francorchamps was soaking wet.

Alonso 'punched above his weight' - HornerChristian Horner thinks Fernando Alonso has "punched above his weight on occasion" in the first half of the season and is confident Red Bull can close the championship gap.

Track conditions would cause red flag - Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg said that the conditions at Spa on Friday were so bad that the standing water would have caused a race to be red flagged.

McLaren able to complete useful work despite rain
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is confident his team managed to learn something from Friday practice despite very limited running.

Red Bull drivers lament lack of running
Sebastian Vettel does not think the drivers would have been able to race in the conditions they were confronted with during Friday practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Di Resta positive despite disjointed season
Paul di Resta says he doesn't let a lack of Friday running affect him, but admits it has made it difficult to maximise a grand prix weekend.

Bottas happy to get wet experience
Valtteri Bottas said that he was pleased to get experience in a Formula One car in the wet despite the limited running he is able to do.

[genius83]

[genius83]

[genius83]

[genius83]

[genius83]

[m_waqas]

awesome pictures steve. thanks a lot. feeling excited for the race.

[NakedTruth]

Webber's penalty is such a bonus for us.

I hate rain!. :@ Pathetic practices!.

[genius83]

Alonso heads Raikkonen in busy FP3
Fernando Alonso set the fastest time in an action-packed final practice session ahead of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, edging out Kimi Raikkonen by 0.141s.

<font face='courier new'>[U]<font color='#808080'>Belgian GP</font>
<font color='#ff8c00'>Practice Session 3</font>
[/U]</font><font color='#800080'>Pos  Driver              Car                   Time         Gap    Laps</font>
 1.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m48.542s            18
 2.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m48.683s  + 0.141s  21
 3.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m48.850s  + 0.308s  23
 4.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m48.863s  + 0.321s  20
 5.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m49.091s  + 0.549s  18
 6.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m49.092s  + 0.550s  16
 7.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m49.164s  + 0.622s  21
 8.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault         1m49.266s  + 0.724s  23
 9.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m49.292s  + 0.750s  23
10.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m49.382s  + 0.840s  22
11.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m49.561s  + 1.019s  23
12.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m49.615s  + 1.073s  19
13.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m49.621s  + 1.079s  26
14.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m49.674s  + 1.132s  23
15.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.710s  + 1.168s  21
16.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.776s  + 1.234s  22
17.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault      1m50.027s  + 1.485s  20
18.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m52.339s  + 3.797s  21
19.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.566s  + 4.024s  20
20.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.630s  + 4.088s  18
21.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m52.809s  + 4.267s  22
22.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          1m53.383s  + 4.841s  22
23.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m53.562s  + 5.020s  23
24.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m58.113s  + 9.571s   5

Rosberg gets gearbox penalty
Nico Rosberg will take a five-place grid penalty following qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix due to a gearbox change.

De la Rosa predicts tough weekend for HRT
Pedro de la Rosa admits that HRT is in for a tougher weekend than normal at Spa because of a number of factors not helping the team.

Button storms to Belgian pole
Jenson Button took pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix by 0.3s in an unpredictable qualifying session at Spa.

<font face='courier new'>[U]<font color='#808080'>Belgian GP</font>
<font color='#ff8c00'>Qualifying Session</font>
[/U]</font><font color='#800080'>Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap</font>
 1.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m47.573s
 2.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m47.871s  + 0.298s
 3.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m47.893s  + 0.320s
 4.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m48.205s  + 0.632s
 5.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m48.219s  + 0.646s
 6.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m48.313s  + 0.740s
 7.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m48.392s  + 0.819s***
 8.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m48.394s  + 0.821s
 9.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault         1m48.538s  + 0.965s
10.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m48.890s  + 1.317s
<font color='#800080'>Q2 cut-off time: 1m48.993s                                Gap *</font>
11.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m49.722s  + 0.472s
12.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m49.362s  + 0.112s
13.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m49.742s  + 0.492s
14.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m49.588s  + 0.338s
15.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.763s  + 0.513s
16.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.572s  + 0.322s
17.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault      1m49.958s  + 0.708s
<font color='#800080'>Q1 cut-off time: 1m50.126s                                Gap **</font>
18.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m50.181s  + 1.188s***
19.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m51.739s  + 2.746s
20.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m51.967s  + 2.974s
21.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.336s  + 3.343s
22.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          1m53.030s  + 4.037s
23.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m53.493s  + 4.500s
24.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m54.989s  + 5.996s
<font color='#008000'>107 per cent time: 1m56.622s  </font><font color='#800080'>
* Gap to fastest in Q2   ** Gap to fastest in Q3  *** Will take five-place penalty</font>

Champion fails to make Q3
Sebastian Vettel fails to make Q3 at Spa.

Horner rates Alonso, not counting Button out yet
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has said that it's too early to count Jenson Button out as a threat for the 2012 F1 championship, but that Fernando Alonso is clearly the main threat.

'Silly season' rumours intensify over driver moves
Speculation about which drivers might be going to which teams in 2013 have intensified at Spa, with the futures of Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa proving pivotal.

Brawn: We lack consistency
Ross Brawn rues a lack of consistency from Mercedes in F1 2012.

Ferrari look for an edge through engine strategy
Ferrari are focused on how to deploy their supply of 2012 F1 engines for the rest of the season, with back-to-back high-power outings at Spa and Monza looming.