The Korean GP Gets The Green Light! Great News For Red Bull!

 (Photo Credit: planetf1.com)

  After months of rumors and speculation as to the fate of the Korean Grand Prix, the FIA has finally given the Yeongam circuit final approval. With this news comes confirmation that the track's inaugural event, the Korean GP, will indeed take place. This fulfills the nineteen race calendar set by the FIA and provides the teams with one more race to contend with before the season is done. While this season has had its ups and downs, it hasn't had nearly as many as the Yeongam circuit and the Korean GP. This news certainly brings a welcome sigh of relief for anyone involved, and certainly for F1 fans who were anxiously awaiting the results of the inspections.
  With the final approval, the Red Bulls are certainly looking at yet another promising race weekend. The Yeongam track is filled with tight turns that suit the RB6 chassis' perfectly. As to which Red Bull performs better, that will have to wait. I'm hoping for a strong showing by Mark Webber. But given Sebastian Vettel's hot streak, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if he gets another pole-to-finish. The Red Bulls are going to need to give the Korean GP everything they have before Brazil, where the track has fewer turns than any of the previous two races. Here's to yet another great weekend Red Bulls!

The Red Bulls Have Done it Again!

(Image credit: bradenton.com)

  I am absolutely delighted with the results of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Qualifying was unbelievably tense for the top five drivers in the points standing, and the race held none of the tension back. The beginning of the race saw Renault's Vitaly Petrov, Williams' Nico Hulkenberg, Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi all drop out due to collisions and within lap one Robert Kubica also dropped out due to his right-rear wheel coming clean off. Unfortunate for the Renault F1 team, but the rest of the race was not disappointing in any way shape or form. The biggest driver of the day by far was Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi, who pulled off quite a spectacle for his home crowd, jumping up 7 spots before finishing in 7th place. But moving further up the list of drivers, it was the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber that stole the show in P1 and P2 respectively. From the start of the race to the last lap, the 23 year old German absolutely dominated the race going back and forth with team mate Webber and Ferrari's Alonso to see who could get the fastest lap time.
  All in all it was an absolutely amazing race that constantly kept me, and I'm sure many other fans, eagerly on the look out for the next major development in the race. With RBR Renault taking two podiums, the driver standings are looking much, much more exciting for Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Mark Webber securely retains his lead in the standings with a 14 point lead over Fernando Alonso, and fellow team mate Sebastian Vettel. On that note, Sebastial Vettel has made an unbelievable resurgence into the top 3 of the driver standings. Hard to believe that 3 races ago he was barely hanging on in 5th place, and not he is tied for second with 2 time World Champion Fernando Alonso. If there is one driver to look out for in the coming years, it is him.
If you watched the Japanese GP, I hope you enjoyed. If not, I hope you enjoyed the post. Cheers!

Is The Iceman Making a Comback?

(Photo Credit: Topspeed.com)

Lets hope so!

  Motorsport.com and Yahoo Motorsport UK are reporting that Kimi "Iceman" Raikkonen is in talks with Renault for a possible seat in the 2011 Formula 1 season.Raikkonen's manager has confirmed that they are in talks with Renault over a possible F1 start next season, and that they "want to explore all the possible options for next year."Renault has only confirmed Robert Kubica for next season, which puts Vitaly Petrov's seat in jeopardy of a possible Raikkonen fill. While it would be a shame, and I would hate to see Petrov go so early, the possible return of The Iceman is very, VERY exciting for Formula 1.
  Kimi Raikkonen left his seat with Scuderia Ferrari last year, and took the dive into the FIA World Rally Championship for the 2010 racing season. While his season has been marred by lackluster success (especially after his disappointing exit from Really Japan last week.), he has still been a competitive racer in WRC.
  Whatever comes of the Raikkonen-Renault talks, lets hope Kimi has a better 2011 season in whichever event he ends up on.

Edit: first photo I had up was not of Raikonnen. Apologies for the mix up.

And The Ferrari's Are Back!

(Photo courtesy of resources1.news.com.au)

  With the disaster of Spa behind him, Ferrari's golden child Fernando Alonso took the gold today at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Italy and wasted no time to celebrate saying "It compares to the feeling I had when I won the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona in 2006 - both are very special moments." He later added that the team needs "to find consistency in the last five races." With both Ferrari drivers taking podium at Monza the spirit of a Ferrari Championship is still alive, and if they hope to take the Championship they are going to need to keep their competitiveness up. But with defending World Champions McLaren Mercedes still actively seeking the title, and the rise of RBR Renault in the Driver Standings, Team Ferrari is going to have a very difficult battle on their hands. Especially given the massive margin between Alonso and second place holder Lewis Hamilton, the battle only gets harder.
  As is always the case in F1, nothing ever stays the same for too long. The real excitement coming up in Singapore is going to be whether McLaren Mercedes can get both drivers past the finish line, whether RBR Renault can maintain their standing at number one with Mark Webber, and whether Ferrari's Alonso can dethrone Hamilton and Webber from their respective places in the standings.

What comes of the Singapore GP, we shall see in two weeks!


(Very nice explanation of the Monza track by the infamous Sebastian Vettel of RBR Renault: YouTube

Monza on My Mind

With just a few more days until the Italian GP, (Practice Sessions One and Two begin tomorrow at 10 am GMT/UTC + 01) the remainder of the FIA Formula One season is really heating up nice. With McLaren Mercedes and RBR Renault both in the top four of the driver standings, the last six races will be truly decisive for both teams.

In related Formula 1 news, the FIA has not only revealed the 2011 race calendar, but has also formally declared that there will be no new teams for the 2011 and the 2012 season. The much hyped 13th team will not be included, thus leaving the F1 at 12 teams for the next two years. Sad news for Jacques Villeneuve who was hoping to make a return to Formula 1 in the 2011 season unless an already registered team decides to sign him. Best of luck to him.

Here's to Monza on Sunday! *cheers*