Fernando Alonso

Formula One drivers lead tributes to dead marshal

Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has led other drivers in paying tribute to a Canadian Grand Prix marshal who died after being run over by a mobile crane during Sunday's race in Montreal. "The work of marshals is not always seen, but it is vital to our sport and without their commitment, time and dedication, there would be no motorsport," Red Bull's race winner said on his website www.sebastianvettel.de on...

Alonso not giving up despite losing ground to Vettel

Montreal: Fernando Alonso knows better than anyone there is no such thing as a safe lead in Formula One, either in races or the championship. Last year, the Spaniard led the championship by 40 points with nine races to go. He had scored points in 23 consecutive races, a mark only Michael Schumacher had bettered, and seemed a sure thing to win his third title. Then the wheels fell off...

Hamilton finds a third way in Canada

Montreal: Lewis Hamilton achieved a Formula One career first by steering his Mercedes to third place in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, even if the podium was a bitter-sweet one for the Briton. In his five previous visits to Montreal with McLaren, the 2008 champion had won three times and crashed twice. On Sunday, Hamilton found a third way - taking the chequered flag behind Red Bull's race winner Sebastian Vettel...

Marshal death clouds Vettel's Canada win

Montreal: Red Bull's triple world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday but his victory was overshadowed by the death of a marshal, the first fatality in Formula One in over a decade. The worker was killed after being run over by a mobile crane that was removing the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez from the side of the track after he crashed in the closing stages. Vettel,...

Fernando Alonso fastest in second Canada practice

Montreal: Fernando Alonso, desperate to get his Formula One championship bid back on track, signalled his intentions to start with this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix by setting the fastest lap in practice on Friday. The Spaniard posted the day's fastest overall time when he lapped the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in one minute 14.818 seconds during the 90-minute afternoon session. Briton Lewis Hamilton, a three-time winner at the Montreal street circuit,...

Alonso sure Vettel's luck will change for the worse

Montreal: Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel's luck is sure to run out some time this season and Ferrari need to make the most of any misfortune he suffers, Fernando Alonso said on Thursday. The Spaniard will start Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, the seventh round of the 19 race championship, 29 points behind Red Bull's triple world champion who has yet to win in North America. Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve...

Vettel tightens grip on F1 title heading to Canada

Monaco: The Red Bull team failed to win the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time since 2009, though it felt like a victory for Sebastian Vettel as the three-time defending champion strengthened his overall lead heading into next month's Canadian GP. After the Spanish GP two weeks ago, Kimi Raikkonen trimmed Vettel's lead to four points with a second-place finish behind Fernando Alonso, who had clawed back to within...

Nico Rosberg fastest again in crash-marred 3rd practice

Monaco: German driver Nico Rosberg posted the fastest time in the crash-marred third practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday. The Mercedes driver is aiming for a third straight pole position and will be confident heading into the afternoon's qualifying. Monaco's razor-thin, sinewy street circuit again proved hard to handle and Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was fortunate to walk away unharmed after a heavy crash. Lotus driver Romain...

Fernando Alonso suggests Red Bull sound like sore losers

Monaco: Red Bull sound like sore losers for complaining about the Formula One tyres, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso suggested on Wednesday. The Spaniard, winner in China in April and Barcelona this month, told reporters at the Monaco Grand Prix that it was up to the champions to explain their comments but offered a theory of his own anyway. "We know that Barcelona was a good race for us and not so...

F1 tyre changes to be less dramatic than feared

London: Changes to the Formula One tyres due to be introduced next month will be less dramatic than some have feared or hoped for, supplier Pirelli said on Monday. Motorsport director Paul Hembery told Reuters that the Italian company would find a solution that all teams could agree on without the outcome having a major impact on the championship. He said the aim was "to make the changes that you...

Ferrari, Lotus the F1 winners on return to Europe

London: The first European race of the Formula One season provided a boost for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, with Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen also smiling, but left plenty of other former champions feeling the pain. While Red Bull retained their lead in both championships, they struggled with similar tyre problems to others in Barcelona on Sunday with triple champion Sebastian Vettel finishing off the podium with his lead over Raikkonen...

Hamilton suffers as Mercedes drop from the top

Barcelona: Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were right to be cautious after their Saturday Spanish Grand Prix high turned into another Sunday slump for Mercedes. "It's got to go down as one of the worst races I've had for a long, long time," said 2008 Formula One world champion Hamilton after starting on the front row of the grid and struggling to 12th place and out of the points with...