F1
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Rain forces Sunday qualifying
The final stages of qualifying for today’s season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix were postponed to the morning of the race after heavy rain made conditions impossible yesterday. A chaotic opening segment of qualifying in Melbourne was...
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Vettel dominates day one
World champion Sebastian Vettel put his rivals firmly in their place by dominating both practice sessions on the opening day of the Formula One season at the Australian Grand Prix yesterday. The German, embarking on his quest for a fourth successive...
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Red Bull will set pace at Albert Park – Alonso
Red Bull kept their cards close to their chest in winter testing and it would be a surprise if the Formula One champions were not setting the pace at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, according to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. “I’m not sure...
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Button hits back at Hamilton’s jibes
Jenson Button has hit out at former team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s description of McLaren as a team where he felt suffocated yesterday, admitting the drivers work hard but describing the freedom they enjoy as “phenomenal”. Button has remained at the...
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Vodafone to end McLaren sponsorship
British mobile operator Vodafone will end its seven-year title sponsorship of Formula One team McLaren at the end of the 2013 season, the team confirmed yesterday. Vodafone said the sponsorship, which started in 2007 and was worth up to $75 million...
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It’s a dog’s life in F1
A dog’s life in Formula One, if your owner is Lewis Hamilton, means a VIP pass to the races and being pampered by the sport’s supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Hamilton, the 2008 champion who moved from McLaren to Mercedes at the end of last year, has...
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Hamilton hopes for podium finish
Lewis Hamilton has revealed he would happily accept third place if it were offered to him for this Sunday’s season-opening grand prix in Australia. The doom, gloom and negativity that surrounded Mercedes earlier this year has been replaced by a more...
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Testing problems no worry for Raikkonen
Kimi Raikkonen shrugged off Lotus’s pre-season testing problems yesterday and said his new car felt better than last year’s going into Formula One’s Australian season-opener. The Finn, the 2007 world champion with Ferrari and third overall last year...
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Vettel has fab four in sight
No driver in the history of Formula One has won four championships before the age of 30 but being first has become something of a habit for Sebastian Vettel. The 25-year-old Red Bull driver became the youngest triple champion last year and the...
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‘Uncompromising’ design contains risk for McLaren
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is hoping the “uncompromising design” of this year’s car will not produce more headaches following a tough pre-season. Jenson Button and new team-mate Sergio Perez both endured up-and-down days during testing...
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Domenicali upbeat ahead of new season
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is already convinced the Prancing Horse will remain alive and kicking to the end of the new Formula One campaign even before a wheel has turned in anger. A year ago Ferrari headed to Melbourne for the...
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McLaren team committed to Mercedes engine – Whitmarsh
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has confirmed his marque’s commitment to being powered by Mercedes engines for at least the next three years. Over the past few months, McLaren have been linked to a return to Honda, who supplied the...
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Ferrari’s Alonso says the best is yet to come
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso warned his Formula One rivals this week that he was in better shape than ever. The Spaniard, a double world champion with Renault, told reporters at a media event for sponsors Santander at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya...
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Williams have high hopes for Finnish rookie Bottas
Finnish rookie Valtteri Bottas could be one of Formula One’s special talents who Williams hope will help lift them back into the top five overall, team founder Frank Williams said. “Valtteri could be super... brilliant car control, quite a small...
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Webber rejects idea of Red Bull rampage
Mark Webber has dismissed suggestions Red Bull will romp to victory come the opening race of the season in Australia in just over a fortnight’s time. For the first time this week, in pre-season testing, a Red Bull car topped the timesheet as the...
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McLaren play down Lowe exit
McLaren have dismissed suggestions they could have done more to prevent the departure of technical director Paddy Lowe. For the second time in five months McLaren have fallen prey to the might of Mercedes’ ambition with Lowe set to follow Lewis...
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Lotus assure Grosjean he has a long-term future
Lotus are expecting a new-look Romain Grosjean this season after assuring the crash-prone French Formula One driver that he has a long-term future with them. Grosjean earned a one-race ban last season after a Belgian Grand Prix collision that put...
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Ferrari doubt fast start
Ferrari are unlikely to have the fastest car when the Formula One season starts in Australia next month but they hope to be close enough for Spaniard Fernando Alonso to make the difference, according to team principal Stefano Domenicali. “The...
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Lauda says Brawn is staying at Mercedes
Ross Brawn’s position as Mercedes team principal is not in discussion despite Paddy Lowe’s departure from McLaren at the end of the year, Mercedes GP non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said last night. McLaren announced earlier that Tim Goss had...
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Hamilton plays down team’s F1 title chances
Lewis Hamilton has played down his Mercedes team’s chances of challenging for the Formula One title after rivals Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso talked them up. Speaking to reporters after a wet and cold final day of the second pre-season test...
