Sakhir, Bahrain: Nico Rosberg looks to be the driver to beat in qualifying after posting the fastest time in final practice on Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix where security remains tight amid expectations of further anti-government protests. Rosberg, who won the Chinese Grand Prix last week for his first Formula One victory, clocked 1 minute, 33.254 seconds in his Mercedes around the 5.4-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit. That was 0.147...
02:55 PM, Apr 21, 2012
Sakhir: Bahrain's Crown Prince says the country's Formula One race should go ahead on Sunday, insisting it serves as a force of good for the divided nation. Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said on Friday that Bahrain has "real issues" but that calling off the Bahrain Grand Prix would only "empower extremists," and the event benefits the country economically and socially. "I genuinely believe this race is a...
12:04 PM, Apr 21, 2012
Manama: Bahrain was under tight security on Saturday after violent clashes between police and anti-government protesters overshadowed this weekend's Formula One Grand Prix race meeting in the Gulf state. The protesters, mostly from the majority Shi'ite Muslim community, blame the Sunni ruling elite for shutting them out of opportunities, jobs and housing, and are keenly aware of the attention the motor race has focused on Bahrain, which in 2004 became...
10:15 AM, Apr 21, 2012
Bahrain: The Formula One team Force India skipped the second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday due to safety concerns. Deputy team principal Robert Fernley said the decision was made following the first practice and a day after two Force India members left the Gulf nation in the wake of a team vehicle being briefly delayed because of a firebomb. The announcement also came amid reports that anti-government...
05:40 PM, Apr 20, 2012
Manama: Security forces fired stun grenades on Wednesday at anti-government protesters who swarmed into a cultural exhibition for Bahrain's Formula One race, setting off street battles and sending visitors fleeing for cover. It was a blow to the Gulf nation's efforts to project stability, returning to the Grand Prix circuit a year after the race was canceled because of unrest. The demonstration was the most direct attempt by protesters to...
11:32 PM, Apr 18, 2012
Shanghai: Formula One teams and drivers may be reluctant racers in Bahrain this weekend but they need not worry about their safety, according to circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani. Speaking to Reuters before the first members of the travelling circus arrived in the troubled Gulf kingdom on Monday, Al Zayani said the decision to go ahead with the controversial grand prix was not putting anyone at risk. "We wouldn't take...
10:28 PM, Apr 17, 2012
Shanghai: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has cast doubt on New Jersey hosting a grand prix in June 2013 despite a 10-year agreement announced last year. "Maybe the New York race will be 2013," he told the BBC on Tuesday. "It's a when - 2013 or 2014." The east-coast race is likely to be coupled with Canada on successive weekends and would give the United States two rounds of the...
07:09 PM, Apr 17, 2012
Shanghai: Of the many Formula One victories that Ross Brawn has celebrated over an extraordinary career spanning several decades, Nico Rosberg's first with Mercedes in China offered a particular satisfaction. The burly, bespectacled Briton, who followed Michael Schumacher from Benetton to Ferrari as technical director and then won a title with his own Brawn team in 2009 before it became Mercedes, was barely a toddler when Mercedes last won a...
06:50 PM, Apr 17, 2012
Shanghai: Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso says his team is not "stupid" enough to think they can fix their problems overnight. Ferrari are struggling and failed to build on Fernando Alonso's surprise win at the Malaysian Grand Prix last month, with the Spaniard placing ninth at the Chinese GP on Sunday and teammate Felipe Massa finishing down in 13th. "There's no point denying we are disappointed," team principal Stefano Domenicali said....
11:42 PM, Apr 16, 2012
Shanghai: After dominating Formula One last season, Red Bull find themselves in an unfamiliar position this year: off the podium. After Nico Rosberg opened up a significant lead before winning the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, Red Bull teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel battled the two McLaren cars for second and third place. In the end, however, they couldn't hold on and missed out on the podium for the...
08:08 PM, Apr 15, 2012
Shanghai: Sahara Force India missed out on points for the first time this season with Paul di Resta finishing 12th and Nico Hulkenberg ending 15th at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. It was difficult for both the drivers since their position on the grid was not that good. Paul had started 15th, just ahead of teammate Nico on the grid, and to their credit, at least improved on those...
05:31 PM, Apr 15, 2012
Shanghai: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday for his first career Formula One victory, gambling on a two-stop strategy and managing to hold off the rest of the field on worn tyres. Rosberg, who also captured his first pole on Saturday, finished 20.6 seconds ahead of McLaren driver Jenson Button. "It's an unbelievable feeling," the 26-year-old German said. "It's been a long time coming for...
02:27 PM, Apr 15, 2012
Shanghai: Sahara Force India drivers Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will start in the eighth row on the grid in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix after finishing 15th and 16th in the qualifying in Shanghai on Saturday. Di Resta clocked 1:36.317 to finish 15th in the second qualifying session (Q2), a place ahead of his teammate Hulkenberg (1:36.745). Di Resta rued that a gain of fraction of a second would...
04:49 PM, Apr 14, 2012
Shanghai: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg claimed the first Formula One pole position of his career on Saturday, topping qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. The German swept to the top slot by a massive margin, with a best lap of one minute 35.121 seconds compared to Lewis Hamilton's 1:35.626. McLaren's Hamilton qualified second, but will have to start Sunday's race from seventh due to a five-place grid penalty for changing...
12:55 PM, Apr 14, 2012
Shanghai: Sahara Force India had a good outing during the practice sessions for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix on Friday as both their drivers recorded a top-10 timing, with Paul di Resta lapping the eighth-fastest time while Nico Hulkenberg was the ninth-quickest in Shanghai. Di Resta clocked 1:36.966s in the FP2 for his fastest lap, while Nico managed a 1:37.191s timing. Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher set the fastest time of...
05:28 PM, Apr 13, 2012
Paris: Force India driver Paul di Resta is content with the way the season has begun for the team. "It was important that we picked up some good points on such an unpredictable day in Malaysia. We've seen how close all the teams are this year and getting points isn't easy, so it feels good to start as we mean to continue," the Scotsman remarked en route to Shanghai for...
09:15 PM, Apr 10, 2012
London: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone admitted Tuesday that he was unable to force teams to participate in this month's Bahrain Grand Prix following a fresh outbreak of violence in the Gulf state. Formula One teams are reportedly reluctant to race in Bahrain this season amid ongoing concerns over security in the country. Last year's event was postponed following violent anti-government protests before eventually being removed from the schedule altogether....
08:27 PM, Apr 10, 2012
London: Formula One's governing body kept a close eye on the situation in Bahrain on Friday as calls for this month's Grand Prix to be postponed gathered pace due to continuing violence. On a day when protestors clashed with police while more than 5,000 people demonstrated in the north of the capital Manama to demand the release of a jailed activist on hunger strike, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) made...
07:52 PM, Apr 09, 2012
London: Mercedes missed the mark in the first two races of the Formula One season but they know what went wrong and should do better in China this week, according to team principal Ross Brawn. Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and fellow-German Nico Rosberg scored just one point between them in Australia and Malaysia despite the Mercedes showing good pace in qualifying. Schumacher started third on the grid in Malaysia...
07:44 PM, Apr 09, 2012
