The Formula 1 Blog

McLaren struggled horribly in pre-season testing, trying to get their blown floor working, but reversion to a previous iteration worked miracles for the opening race and they were competitive for much of the season. Hamilton won beautifully in China, then came victory for Button in Canada, the race of the year which had it all

Without doubt, 2011 was the year of Sebastian Vettel. With the pressure to achieve a first title removed, he went about winning his second with a new level of confidence – one to which his rivals had no answer.

But domination did not mean dull. New Pirelli tyres, the return of KERS and the introduction of DRS made for overtaking-filled races with intense rivalries up and down the grid. We look back on a most memorable F1 season

You don’t need to be a number-crunching statistics fan to appreciate how successful Pirelli’s debut season as Formula One racing’s official tyre supplier has been. The impact the Italian manufacturer has had on the sport has been pretty clear throughout this year’s 19 Grand Prix weekends. But sometimes a healthy dose of facts and figures can press a point home

2011 has been Red Bull’s year, but the spoils for the most part have been claimed by Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber, lacking both form and fortune, has been pushed firmly into the shadows by his younger team mate.

All that changed on Sunday in Brazil, however, when Vettel – hamstrung by a failing gearbox – was forced to settle for second, thereby helping Webber to his first win of the year

It may be the final race of a long season, with the paddock yearning for a spell of rest and relaxation, but if anywhere can reinvigorate the F1 community it’s Brazil. With a challenging track layout and the infectious enthusiasm of the fans, Interlagos is a great location for the 2011 finale.

Ahead of the on-track action, local hero Felipe Massa took time out to visit the Hospital das Clinicas di San Paolo, a cutting-edge children’s facility which specialises in treating rare diseases and tumours. As well as meeting up with the hospital’s doctors and nurses, Massa chatted to several patients during his visit.

Red Bull stamped their authority on qualifying at Interlagos on Saturday, leaving some rivals to cling to possible rain on Sunday as their main hope of a route to victory. Trouble is, given the huge amounts of downforce the RB7 generates, even in damp conditions on a full-dry set-up, front-row men Vettel and Webber could still prove very hard to beat. We take a team-by-team look at form

It’s 1993. Bill Clinton has been inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States. Jurassic Park is the top-grossing film in cinemas. Apartheid is being gradually dismantled in South Africa. The very first internet search engines are being devised. And in Formula One, Williams are dominating with their innovative FW15, whilst young Brazilian hopeful Rubens Barrichello finds his feet at Jordan.

Now fast forward to 2011. Barack Obama is the first black President of the United States. The last of eight Harry Potter films is the top-grossing film. Google processes over a billion internet search requests a day. And in F1, Red Bull are dominating with their innovative RB7 whilst Brazilian stalwart Rubens Barrichello struggles to get the best from his Williams.

It was a normal Friday by F1 standards, as teams focused on tyre evaluation, and short- and long-run work, with the difference that Pirelli gave each driver two sets of developmental 2012 hard tyres to try as well. McLaren led the way, but with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes breathing down their necks

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel will be going for another little bit of history in Interlagos this weekend. He currently shares with Nigel Mansell, who achieved the feat in the 16-race 1992 season, the all-time record of 14 pole positions in a single season and is intent on going one better after matching the Englishman in Abu Dhabi.

The double champion said at Interlagos on Thursday that he is pleased his tyre failure in Abu Dhabi was not the result of driver error, but that the precise cause of it is still unknown.

Back in 2009 Red Bull’s Mark Webber dominated the Brazilian Grand Prix and would dearly love to close out a winless 2011 season with a repeat victory, as he bids to overhaul McLaren’s Jenson Button and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso for second overall.

“Brazil is one of the best races of the year,” the Australian says. “It’s a track which reminds me of Brands Hatch and the Formula Ford racing there because it’s a like a bowl in terms of the atmosphere. The Brazilian people love their motorsport and are extremely passionate about it, obviously off the back of Piquet, Senna, Fittipaldi and Rubens Barrichello – they’ve had some really great drivers.