vettel: I could not have done this alone

Sebastian Vettel claimed a leading second World title in Suzuka on Sunday but insists the "hardest thing is winning after winning last year."

Vettel has been by far the best driver on the grid this season, claiming 12 pole positions and nine race victories. Added to that, he also had an added five podium finishes to his name.

But while his race to the World title may have looked easy on paper, Vettel reckons winning the second is harder than claiming the first.

"The hardest thing is winning after winning last year," he said. "We won the Championship, it was so close and we were so eager, even knowing how to do it doesn't let you to forget all these steps.

"I could not have done this all alone. It is as confusing as the first one I must say. It is hard to hit upon the right words."

The German, who finished Sunday's Japanese GP in third place after being beaten by Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in the pits, was quite emotional in the post-race press conference.

"It's hard where to start. It's such a long year and a unbelievable year and the good thing is it's not over yet," he said.

"Today's race we weren't as quick on the soft tyres and we misplaced two positions. It was difficult to get past Alonso and I don't think he's letting me throughout this way twice after Monza.

"To win the Championship here is unbelievable.

"There are so many things you want to say but it's hard to keep in mind all of them. I'm so thankful to everyone in the team, pushing hard to construct those two cars. It's great to attain the goal we set ourselves this year already now.

"One person that actually stands out this year is the person I spend most of my time with my trainer Tommi Parmakoski. He was the one not allowing me at any stage this year to start to think about things that were not in my power.

"It's great to know that it is so rigid but to know that we can come so strong out of it. This year we've always been this one step ahead. It's down to people like Tommi and persons who keep us on the right track."

Sunday's title means Vettel has gone downward in the record books as F1's youngest double World Champ and youngest back-to-back title holder.

Sebastian Vettel deserves title say Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has paid honor to his rival Sebastian Vettel, saying the Red Bull driver deserves to win the world title this season.

Vettel can be crowned this Sunday if he wins and Alonso is lower than third with McLaren's Jenson Button and Red Bull's Mark Webber lower than second.

Alonso said: "He's been the best driver, (with) the best team. They justify to be where they are."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton added Vettel had been "exceptional this year".

Vettel said he was going to treat the Singapore weekend like any other race.

"So far we haven't won anything," the German said. "(There is) still some way to go, we have to race and do our best.

"It is a long way to the chequered flag. Certain things have to happen, and it reminds me a little bit of the condition we had in Abu Dhabi last year when people came up and gave me another choice every five minutes.

"The target is to optimise our performance. The target has been to protect our title, there is no reason why the target should change."

And Vettel starved of he felt under any extra pressure this weekend because of the championship being so close.

McLaren says team and drivers 'will remain taking risks'

A series of mistakes have proved costly for the team in 2011 with Jenson Button yielding that the title has now gone.

When asked by BBC Sport whether McLaren would continue to take risks, the team's managing director Jonathan Neale said: "Yes, very much so.

"We're dissatisfied with not endearing but [Formula 1] is not a game of being risk-adverse."

Button and McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton are 117 and 126 points correspondingly behind Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standings with 150 remaining.

The two drivers have each won two races this period but also racked up two retirements apiece with the team, at times, failing to capitalise when they had the quickest car at convinced points in the season.

Button saw his race end early when the team did not completely safe his right front wheel in the pits at the British Grand Prix, while, at Spa, the 2009 world champion had to battle from 13th on the grid to third after a "miscommunication" with his team in qualifying.

In Hungary, Hamilton lost the lead when he made the wrong tyre choice and stopped out in Belgium when he tried to pass the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi.

And in Canada, the two drivers banged wheels during the race. Button went on to win but Hamilton was required to retire.

Red Bull will not modify philosophy despite winless run

Sebastian Vettel, who has an 83-point championship lead, and team-mate Mark Webber together called for a re-think.

But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told BBC Sport: "We work as a team and the drivers don't need to tell the team we need to react.

"Ferrari and McLaren are going through a spirited phase but we're still right there. We're pushing flat out."

Vettel stormed to conquest in six out of the first eight races but his progress has been slowed as Ferrari and McLaren have enhanced their pace in the races to close the gap on Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso won in Britain for Ferrari, with McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button taking a conquest apiece in Germany and Hungary.

While it appears that Red Bull's period of dominance is over, Horner does not believe that the tide has turned against the champion team.

"We don't look at it like that," said Horner. "We need to keep doing the best job we can and keep getting developments to the car.

"If you look at all the races this year, I don't think there is any race that we've run away and immensely dominated. 

Alonso: A 'moral obligation' to fight

This year's Championship has not been a first-class one for Ferrari who were slow out of the blocks. The Scuderia had to wait until round nine of the season, the British GP, to record their first race victory and to date it has been their only one.

With just 215 points to their tally, the Italian stable trails leaders Red Bull Racing by 168 points in the Constructors' Championship while Alonso, Ferrari's best-placed driver in the race for the World title, is 89 points behind Sebastian Vettel.

But despite the huge deficits and the momentous task ahead, Alonso is adamant they will not give up on their season.

"We must try and win as numerous races as possible," he said during a visit to the Dolomites for Ferrari's Wrooom Summer 2011.

"We are sensible and the Championship situation is what it is, but we have seen so often that there can be sudden reversals.

"And after all, we are Ferrari and we have a ethical obligation, especially for the millions of fans spread around the world, to always think of the utmost goal.

"We can't ever say we will undertake eight races without having the Championship in the back of our mind: we will always have an eye on the title, at least until there is no longer the least chance.

"Of course we must start winning and we have to expect that Vettel makes a few mistakes or has some problems."

Alonso: A great month for Ferrari

After a trying start to the Championship, which resulted in wholesale changes within the Scuderia, Ferrari and Alonso have come superior in recent races.

The Spaniard has bagged five podium finishes in six races and achieved his fourth consecutive top-three result in Hungary on Sunday afternoon.

Starting the race from fifth on the grid, Alonso made the most of the changing conditions to work his way up into third place, adding a further 15 points towards his title campaign.

"I think we are positive we can do a good second part of the Championship," he said. "The car has improved a lot, we are fighting for podiums, pole positions.

"July was a fantastic month. I am the driver who scored the most points in July, in three different conditions, at three dissimilar tracks. The team did a step onward and McLaren also did a good step forward so competition is quite fun.

"Unfortunately it was not very hot in July. We love high temperatures so expectantly August and September will be better for us."

As for Sunday's grand prix, the double World Champ will most likely wonder about what could have been had he not been bogged down at the start, losing places to both Mercedes GP drivers before coming up behind Mark Webber.

"I think in these type of conditions the race is very, very long - you need to be always paying attention with so many pitstops and so many weather conditions," he said.

"The start did not go as predicted, both Mercedes GP cars overtook us at the start, so I had to overtake Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher then with pit stops I was stuck at the back Webber.

"After that I was able to push with free air, and was quite quick, but for the first 20 laps we were after Mercedes and Mark."

British Grand Prix: Winners and Losers

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1st

And it could have all gone so dreadfully wrong... had the gravel on the outside of Brook lands not been so driveable (for a few seconds it looked like he might have bogged down) in qualifying on Saturday, Fernando Alonso could have been opening the race from P17. As it was he was able to show that the Ferrari 150 Italia is more like a Paris-Dakar machine and bounced his way to safety. And then claim P3.

He also took advantage of the latest F1 politics that have imperfect off-throttle gases. If indeed it was Ferrari and Sauber-Ferrari that have refused to go back to the Valencia engines arrangements, which was proposed by the FIA on Sunday morning, then that it is the copper-bottomed answer to the question: Who has been just about for a re-interpretation of the rules?

Ferrari were already making progress in their bid to nullify Red Bull's advantage and so it's a pity that Alonso's win will now be delayed in that debate. Because Alonso looked very strong regardless of Red Bull's race mistakes and failings. While he sailed past Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel could only follow. He may not have made a racing pass of Vettel and been handed the lead by Red Bull's rear jacking problems, but he looked able of grabbing it for himself if necessary.

He was also rational enough not to get fazed by Lewis Hamilton overtaking him. Fernando plays the long game so much enhanced than Lewis. I, for one, am more than happy not to hear the Austrian national anthem for a change on Sunday afternoon.

We've heard the Italian one second for so many years that it's like a familiar theme tune to Sunday afternoons and it's reassuring to have it back. Not for the rest of the season, mind.

Overtaking Move of the Race

Lap 15: Lewis Hamilton, McLaren on Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

For those of you who have stood on the external of Copse and watched F1 cars go through at 185mph, the overtaking moves that Lewis Hamilton pulled off on Alonso and Michael Schumacher did on Petrov were simply dramatic. On television they looked good, but not as stunning as they would have done in the grandstands.

Hamilton had the same tyres on as Alonso and the same tyre wear, no DRS but totally blitzed the Ferrari - going off the racing line on the turn-in to Copse and taking a wettish line through the turn, but still keeping control and observance in front.

Michael Schumacher did pretty much the same on his nemesis Vitaly Petrov (this race he was also busy seeking out a change-of-nemesis in Kobayashi) though that was only for P15 and I'm not sure if there was a tyre mismatch, Michael having stopped previous and been out of phase with most people. Both were the moves of inspired drivers.

Winners

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2nd

The great news as far as Sebastian Vettel is worried is that he now knows that Mark Webber will be acting as his domestique in future races. He also knows that in spite of the worst the FIA could throw at his blown floor he can pretty much keep pace with Ferrari. Even if the ban is upheld, Red Bull will find ways of getting back some of their misplaced time. Also, this was a race where Ferrari didn't have to go onto the reviled Pirelli hard tyre which they don't perform well on, and which will figure in future races. A third second place in 2011 isn't precisely slumming it.

What Seb detractors will probably seize upon is his inability to get past a wily Hamilton. That more than anything else ruined his race. He surely lost more seconds behind the Mclaren than he lost in the pits.

Mark Webber, Red Bull, 3rd

Hands up those who required to be in the Red Bull debrief...? Right, so that's all of you. Mark Webber had a good race and a poor start - the fourth pole place that he's failed to convert into a win. What was magnificent was that he didn't give up and pressured his team-mate correct till the end.

Webber to bring Vettel back to earth

Vettel has conquered all before him this season, winning six of the eight races thus far, a performance that has seen him open an 87-point gap on Webber and McLaren's Jenson Button.

Webber admits that the place he finds himself in is a strange one.

"It is astonishing to be a little bit disappointed sitting second in the Drivers' Championship," he told the Daily Mail.

"It almost certainly hasn't gone completely as I would have liked but it is a fine line isn't it?

"Seb is obviously on a phenomenal run, which has made it solid for all the rest of us. There is only one guy that is really wrapped with his period up to now and that is Seb."

Despite Vettel's superior showing, Webber is still confident of clipping the German's wings, starting at this weekend's British GP where Webber triumphed last time out.

"He (Vettel) can be caught," insisted the resolute Australian.

"But he can also go on a roll again after he is caught. For somebody to outscore him by 80 points will be a phenomenal effort. So you have got to keep boxing and hang in there. Someone has got to get on a roll with some victories themselves."

Webber's future at Red Bull has been the subject of much discussion, with the 34-year-old's contract failing at the end of the season and a host of drivers connected to his position.

However, he isn't too worried that he doesn't yet have a deal in place for next year.

"Red Bull have been great and they are very keen to keep me, no query about it," said Webber.

"We are talking but there is no real importance from both sides. Timing is critical in anything in life. At the moment I am still getting some great results and I'm very, very close to getting some extraordinary results again," he added.

Webber urged to stay up good work

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hopes Mark Webber's presentation at Valencia is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.

Webber is second behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' Championship, but he has struggled to give the reigning World Champion a run for his money this year. Vettel has won six out of eight grands prix and has ongoing ahead of Webber in seven of those races.

Webber, though, put up a much enhanced display at the European Grand Prix and he rated his third-place finish as "probably the best of the season".

Horner agrees with Webber's sentiments and is pleased that he is starting to bridge the gap to his team-mate.

"It was Mark's best race of the season in terms of his performance on those tyres," Horner is quoted by Reuters as saying. "It's the closest he has been to Sebastian all season. He drove well this weekend. Nobody is taking whatever thing for granted."

Horner is also hopeful that the Australian will continue to improve as he's finally coming to grips with the new Pirelli tyres.

"I hope he keeps building up the impetus from this weekend," he said.

"He's made no covert of the fact he's struggled more on these tyres than Sebastian. I think he's understanding them better now.

"If you look at the time dissimilarity between the guys during the race he was never more than four or five seconds away for 90 percent of the race, which is the best we've seen all year.

"He'll take a lot of self-assurance out of the weekend."

Lewis Hamilton: I'll get my season back on track in Valencia

Lewis Hamilton says he wants to get his season back on track and 'consolidate' in Valencia next weekend, after two concerned grand prix.

The McLaren star's title bid has gone off the rails in recent weeks, starting with a disordered Monaco event that saw him twice penalised for colliding with rivals, and then making contentious comments about the race officials, for which he later apologised.

He hoped to make compensation with a great result in Canada, only to punt Mark Webber into a spin at the first bend, run wide while dicing with Michael Schumacher, and then retire with crash damage after a tangle with his team-mate Jenson Button - who went on to pull off a brilliant last-gasp victory.

Hamilton is therefore aiming for a calmer weekend in Spain to resolve things down again.

"For me, Valencia will be a weekend of consolidation after two disappointing results in Monaco and Canada," he said.

"Those two races were chiefly frustrating for me because we showed we had the pace to win both of them, yet I only came away with eight points."

He said the Spanish street track used for the European Grand Prix was one of his favourite venues, so would be the perfect place to mount a resurgence.

"I've always gone well at Valencia, finishing second there in every race, and I really enjoy offensive the track," said Hamilton.

"It's a hard circuit with no let-up, but that won't deter me as I'm really keen to get back on track and get back in the points.

"This race will be our third street circuit in a row, so expectantly it'll give me the chance to reverse the bad luck I've encountered in the previous two."

Hamilton added that he was now certain McLaren had the pace to beat Red Bull in a straight fight, after he hounded Sebastian Vettel to the flag in Spain, and given that Button came close to charming in Monaco and then pulled off his epic Montreal triumph.

"We've debatably had the fastest race car in the last three races, and that's really encouraging because I know that, when it's put to best use, I should be able to finish at the front," said Lewis.

Enthused Button wins Canadian GP marathon

Jenson Button rushed a sensational victory from Sebastian Vettel on the final lap of a Canadian Grand Prix that took four hours to whole and featured a red flag and four safety car periods.

Pole-sitter Vettel led almost the entire distance through both segments of an strange race that was bifurcated by a rain delay lasting almost two hours. But when the final safety car period set up a 10-lap sprint to the finish on an almost-dry but still treacherous track, Button reeled in Vettel at a prodigious rate and harassed him into an uncharacteristic slip-up halfway round the last lap.

It capped a excellently tenacious, never-say-die drive from the McLaren driver, who overcame all manner of setbacks that necessitated six pit visits, including a drive-through penalty and collisions with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the final causing a punctured tyre.

Vettel improved from his last-lap miscue to finish a contented second, the top step of the podium eluding him for only the second time this season.

Mark Webber spent the whole race in recovery mode after get in touch with with Hamilton on the opening lap left him mired deep in the midfield, but the Australian gradually worked his way back up to an eventual third place.

He only just kept a charging Michael Schumacher at bay as the seven-time world champion put in the most persuasive performance of his Formula 1 comeback, holding second place at the final restart before falling victim to DRS-assisted passes.

The stirring finish was a fitting reward for the typically stoic and passionate Montreal fans, who endured the lengthy safety car and red flag periods, not to talk about teeming rain for much of the day.

Although it wasn’t raining a lot at the scheduled start time of 1pm and there was no substantial standing water, the officials left nothing to chance and deployed the safety car to give the drivers an opportunity to measure the conditions.

Mark Webber doubts rescheduled Bahrain GP will happen

The Australian, 34, said: "Even though a decision has been made, I'll be highly astounded if the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead this year."

Bahrain was due to be the season-opener on 13 March but was called off due to unrest and pro-democracy protests.

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, agreed generally on Friday to restore the race to the calendar on 30 October.

Webber, writing on his official website, added: "In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its choice in the hope of being able to rearrange it in 2011.

"It would have sent a very clear message about F1's place on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues."

The government has cracked down hard on resistance activists during 11 weeks of martial law and military trials of mostly Shi'ite dissidents are continuing.

The FIA's choice to reschedule the race - with India moving to a December date - was a move strongly criticised by human rights campaigners and also opposed by teams.

"It's obvious that the parties involved have struggled to reach a choice but sadly I feel that they still haven't made the right one," said Webber.

Bahrain set to learn Grand Prix decision

The Gulf kingdom was planned to host the opening race of the 2011 season but it was called off amid civil unrest.

Bahrain Grand Prix organisers have asked Formula 1's governing body to rearrange rather than cancel its race.

However, driver Mark Webber has voiced opposition, writing on Twitter: "When people in a country are being hurt, the issues are better than sport."

Red Bulls' Webber, third in the driver standings, continued: "Let's hope the right choice is made."

Former world champion Damon Hill has also said that the race should not go ahead, although the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club stated that he was not talking in an official capacity.

"This crisis is an chance for Formula 1 to show it cares about all people and their human rights," said Hill.

"True peace has nothing to do with creating calm through the use of aggressive repression.

"Bahrain has restored order but the methods have been questioned by many dependable journalists and human rights organisations.

"If Formula agrees to race in Bahrain it will forever have the disfigurement of association with repressive methods to achieve order.

"True peace can only be achieved peacefully. The right thing to do, in my view, is to not race in Bahrain until these doubts have been detached."

Hamilton: Don’t anticipate much from DRS in Monaco

Lewis Hamilton believes that the choice to allow DRS in the Monaco Grand Prix won't lead to a huge increase in overtaking.

On the whole, the system has led to a obvious increase in passing manoeuvres during the season so far, although the location of the DRS zone in Spain at the weekend meant drivers found it more hard to use their blown rear wing to make a move for position.

There had been talk that DRS could be barred for the Monaco weekend given the nature of the circuit, but the FIA has established that the rear wing can be utilised in a zone on the start-finish straight during the race.

However, Hamilton said he didn't think there would be many DRS-assisted moves for place in the principality given the position and length of the DRS zone.

“I think the DRS zone at Monaco is only around 300 metres, so it's pretty short, and not really long enough to allow us to really get enough of a launch on the car ahead,” he said. “I think the aerodynamics will only really start functioning properly once we've reached the braking zone for Ste Devote, so I don't think we'll see too many DRS-assisted overtaking moves next weekend.”

Hamilton did add however that the new Pirelli tyres were probable to spice up the action on the streets of the principality.

“I think the tyres will probably give us the greatest scope for thrill and the best chance of passing,” the McLaren man said. “While I don't think the Super-Soft and Soft compounds will be as critical around Monaco as they were at a place like Turkey, I still think the drop-off we encounter as the tyres go off should create opportunities for overtaking.

Webber ponders F1 future before Turkey

Mark Webber has not lined out finding a new Formula One team if Red Bull don't offer him a new agreement at the end of 2011.

The 34-year-old was widely predictable to retire if no new deal was forthcoming from Red Bull but told Italian newspaper La Stampa on the eve of this weekend's race in Turkey he still has amazing to offer.

"I have my flaws, but I'm strong-minded," Webber said.

"Last year I fought for the title, and I want to go for it yet again When this season ends my agreement with Red Bull will expire.

"If the team doesn't want me anymore, I will have to react to a good question: to hang up the helmet, or to change teams? Let's see what happens."

The Australian will be hoping for a alike drive in Istanbul to his last outing in the Red Bull car when he came from 18th on the grid to finish third in China.

The Turkish grand prix was the scene for Webber's much publicised collision with coworker Sebastian Vettel last year.

Webber was foremost the race when the pair came together as Vettel tried to pass, allowing McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton to grasp a win while teammate Jenson Button came second.

Webber was able to direct his stricken car to a third-place finish but the incident forced Vettel to leave and began the rumour mill about a split in the Red Bull garage between the two drivers' camps which rumbled all year.

Despite that incident, Webber said he was looking onward to returning to Istanbul Park.

Whitmarsh: Lewis will remain at McLaren

With McLaren stressed at the start of this year's Championship, rumours emerged claiming that Hamilton is allowing for looking elsewhere for a race-seat.

The 26-year-old didn't help the rumours with his contradictory statements.

While in one breath he affirmed that "loyalty has its limits" in the next he insisted that he is "committed to them. I want to try and help them as well as becoming one of the most winning drivers myself."

Whitmarsh, though, believes it's only a matter of time before Hamilton commits his long-term prospect to the Woking team.

But, having said that, he's in no rush to start contract talks.

"Lewis has a long career ahead of him and I think he's intelligent sufficient to realise that the environment he has here is good for him and plays to his strengths," said the McLaren team boss told the Daily Mail.

Race - Hamilton takes sensational Shanghai win

Lewis Hamilton scored a tremendous victory for McLaren in a Chinese race of excellent drives, catching and passing Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on the 52nd of the 56 laps as the reigning world champion's risk on a two-stop strategy - and a 25-lap run on Pirelli's hard rubber - just failed to pay off.

Behind them, Mark Webber troop a brilliant race from 18th to third in the second Red Bull, only seven seconds behind Hamilton, after transmittable and dispatching Mercedes' Michael Schumacher and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, then doing the same to Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes and McLaren's Jenson Button in the final stages.

It was an unusual race, that began with Button and Hamilton leading from Vettel, before Vettel repassed them as the first pit stops were made. He jumped Hamilton just previous to his stop on Lap 13, but admitted he was somewhat confused when leader Button initially drove into the Red Bull pit before anxiously being waved through to McLaren next door!

Rosberg had stopped on Lap 12 and then had a curse in the lead for Mercedes from Lap 17 until he stopped again on Lap 25. That put Vettel back in the lead awaiting he stopped for the second and last time on Lap 31, whereupon Massa had a spell in front. The Brazilian was right back on form, contentedly outpacing team mate Fernando Alonso this day.

Practice One - Webber sets strong Sepang standard

Mark Webber sent shivers down the spines of rivals here in Sepang this morning as he lapped his Red Bull RB7 1.665s faster than anyone else. Lewis Hamilton got neighboring in his McLaren, but his 1m 39.316s best was light years behind Webber’s 1m 37.651s.

A late improvement put Michael Schumacher third for Mercedes on 1m 39.791s, then came a group of runners in the 1m 40s. This comprised Nico Hulkenberg, once again taking Paul di Resta’s Force India seat for the opening session, with 1m 40.377s, then Pastor Maldonado who was up there all morning for Williams on 1m 40.443s, late-improving Felipe Massa on 1m 40.453s for Ferrari, Nick Heidfeld on 1m 40.525s for Renault, Rubens Barrichello in the second Williams in 1m 40.581s, Fernando Alonso who had one off-track instant in the second Ferrari on 1m 40.601s, Nico Rosberg in the second Mercedes on 1m 40.646s, Adrian Sutil in 1m 40.734s in the other Force India, the well-matched Toro Rossos of Daniel Ricciardo and Jaime Alguersuari on 1m 40.748s and 1m 40.770s apiece, Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber on 1m 40.872s and Jenson Button’s McLaren in 1m 40.927s. That’s P4 down to P15 - 12 cars - estranged by just six-tenths of a second.

Jarno Trulli gave Lotus a major fillip with 16th fastest 1m 41.620s, which put him ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who was clearly not looking for lap times in his Red Bull on 1m 41.627s. Sergio Perez was 18th in the second Sauber on 1m 41.642s, then Timo Glock took his Virgin round in 1m 42.154s for 19th with team mate Jerome D’Ambrosio close on 1m 42.540s. Davide Valsecchi made his official F1 debut in Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus, which he lapped in 1m 44.054s for 21st.

Renault were in the wars. After Heidfeld had set the early pace with that 1m 40.525s, his R31’s right front wheel detained due to a suspected brake problem and he limped the entire lap back to the pits from which he did not emerge again. Later, Vitaly Petrov’s attempt to better 1m 47.932s was aggravated when his car was pitched off the road in Turn Nine by what at first appeared to be the breakdown of its front left Pirelli; the Russian, however, suggested that there had perhaps been a brake disc problem which devastated the wheel and precipitated the tyre bang. Heidfeld ended the session seventh, with Petrov 24th.

Barcelona day one - Webber sets the normal for Red Bull

Red Bull’s Mark Webber topped the timesheets as the last pre-season test began at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday. Webber’s best time, a 1m 22.544s, was approximately four tenths of a second earlier than the quickest lap from McLaren's Jenson Button in second.

The weather made life difficult for the eight teams in action, with lower-than-expected temperatures and a windy wind hampering their programmes at the Spanish circuit. Most, though, enjoyed productive days, with Webber managing to whole almost 100 laps in the RB7.

Renault’s Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld broken the day in third and fifth respectively, with Sauber’s Sergio Perez separating the duo in fourth. Force India were in sixth place with Paul di Resta at the helm of the VJM04. The team’s tester Nico Hulkenberg was in act before lunch and ruined the day in ninth.

Seventh slit went to GP2 driver Davide Valsecchi in the Lotus. Valsecchi’s AirAsia team friend Luiz Razia also enjoyed a drive in the T128 and finished in 10th. Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi was eighth, even as Virgin’s Jerome D’Ambrosio was the day’s final runner in 11th.

Testing continues at Barcelona on Wednesday, when Mercedes, Williams, Ferrari and HRT are predictable to join proceedings.

Unofficial Tuesday test times from Barcelona:

1. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.544, 97 laps

2. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:22.910, 74

3. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:22.937, 27

4. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:24.117, 90

5. Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 1:24.735, 20

6. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:25.039, 38

7. Davide Valsecchi, Lotus, 1:25.406, 50

8. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:26.004, 48

9. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:26.030, 31

10. Luiz Razia, Lotus, 1:26.723, 29

11. Jerome D’Ambrosio, Virgin, 1:32.060, 57

Doctor happy with Kubica's progress

Robert Kubica is opening to get sensitivity back in his hurt hand, and is in good spirits considering the ordeal he has been through, according to one of the surgeons treating the Pole.

Hand specialist Dr Igor Rossello said he was happy with how Kubica, who has left rigorous care and started to begin the rehabilitation process, is progressing.

"He's no longer in pain and his psychological condition is pretty good," said Dr Rossello.

"He's clearly keen to start the rehabilitation work as soon as possible."

"He is doing pretty well and his situation is positive considering what he has been through."

Dr Rossello explained that the rehabilitation procedure was still at a very early stage.

"He can move his fingers somewhat and has a little bit of compassion already in his hand," he said.

"What is very significant is that there is no sign of infectivity, which is the main concern.

"He is now in his own large room so that he is as contented as possible.

"He has already started some mild hand exercises with the slight flexing of his fingers."

Kubica suffered a incomplete amputation of his right hand plus fractures to his right leg and arm in a awful rally crash in Italy earlier this month.

He may have to miss the entire 2011 season, and has been replaced at Renault by Nick Heidfeld for the period of recovery.