FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Alonso: Hulkenberg's one of the best

Fernando Alonso reckons Nico Hulkenberg deserves a "competitive" ride as he is "one of the best drivers" in F1.

Having lost the opportunity to partner Alonso at Ferrari next season, Hulkenberg has since been in the hunt for a new team for 2014.

The German has been linked to Lotus although that deal has yet to be signed as the team is waiting on financial backing.

Should that fail to materialise, Hulkenberg could once again find himself stuck in Formula One's midfield with either Force India or Sauber.

Alonso, though, believes he deserves a "competitive" car.

"For me Nico is one of the best drivers on the grid," the double World Champion said.

"I said that three years ago, and now everyone seems to have discovered him.

"He is doing a great job, [which] I think is no surprise - he was doing an amazing job [in 2010 with Williams].

"Getting pole position here [in Brazil], in difficult conditions, was a sign of his talent.

"Hopefully we see him in a competitive car in the future."

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Mark Webber Bows Out Of Formula 1:

This Sunday in Brazil, Mark Webber bows out of F1, after a 12 year career featuring 215 Grands Prix starts and nine wins. He’d dearly love to make it ten, with a third victory at Interlagos, but F1 is an unsentimental business and his team mate Sebastian Vettel is in no mood to give him presents.

Memories will be fresh for both men of the start of last year’s race, where Webber took an aggressive stance in the opening corners towards Vettel, who was fighting for the world championship. In the ensuing sort-out Vettel and Bruno Senna tangled, sending Vettel to the back of the field.

Webber cast himself as “not bad for a number two driver” after his famous win at Silverstone in 2010.

This was at the height of Webber’s competitiveness and therefore of the tension between the two drivers, after they had collided in Turkey. Red Bull’s decision to give Vettel Webber’s front wing in Silverstone without telling him, was one of the worst decisions made by an F1 team in terms of the negative impression it created to the public, which still endures to this day. Vettel was – and always has been – good enough to compete without that kind of advantage and it colours the fans’ view of him and the team still.

In reality, Webber was in his prime in 2010 and since then, as he has aged, it’s been a difficult job to hold onto Vettel, who has developed significantly, especially with the exhaust blown diffuser cars, which require a certain technique to maximise the performance. Just latterly, Webber has been performing very well, taking pole in two of the last four races, but his race performances have been slightly further away from Vettel than his qualifying.

Nevertheless he is leaving on a high and would love to walk out of the Interlagos paddock on Sunday night with a winners’ trophy.

The Red Bull should be the form car there so qualifying will be important and from there we’ll see if Webber can raise his game to deny Vettel a nine race winning streak.

Webber’s great strengths are his speed, particularly in high speed corners and his aerodynamic sensitivity. He’s always qualified well and raced well particularly when there is a challenge, like coming through the field on a multi-stop strategy. His feel for grip on a track was highlighted in the days of single lap qualifying, where he excelled; nailing the time on the one and only lap available.

Newey has paid tribute to his aerodynamic sensitivity and it’s one of the main reasons he is still at Red Bull, where Helmut Marko would have loved to get rid of him years ago. His feel for the aero balance of a car perfectly complimented Vettel’s feel for tyres and control systems on the car and between them they have tuned the Red Bull cars in to every track. You never hear either of them say the set up was wrong, for example. Without Webber, the less experienced Vettel of the last few years might not have had such a good car on race day.

“I think it has been one of the strongest pairings in Formula 1,” Vettel said in Interlagos on Thursday.

“We obviously didn’t have the best relationship on a personal level but in terms of working professionally together for the team it has been very strong. Both of us have tried very hard to improve the car and surely the fact that he will not be around next year will be a loss for the team, a loss for myself, because it has always been a huge challenge.

“I have learned a lot from him and I can stand up straight and say that there were many, many times, many places where I have benefitted from him.”

The Pirelli years haven’t been too kind to Webber, his advantage in the high speed corners is there for qualifying (as we saw in Austin) but in the race it hurts the tyres, so he has to rein it in. He has also struggled to feel the car on worn soft tyres towards the end of stints, where he loses time. But, as he says, it’s the same for everyone. It’s just a shame that it takes away a lot of what being a “racer” is all about. Just ask Lewis Hamilton.

That doesn’t mean that one should gloss over his weaknesses; he is an emotional character and sometimes that comes to the surface, which has harmed his competitiveness in some races. Despite his huge experience he is also still quite nervous at the start of races and his start performance stats are among the worst of the top drivers. This has cost him many points over the years, as he dropped places off the line after qualifying strongly.

The highlight has to be the way Webber ran Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton close for the 2010 championship.

Going into the final round at Abu Dhabi that year Alonso had 246 points, Webber 238, Vettel 231 and Hamilton 222. Webber didn’t get the most from himself or the car in qualifying and the race and ended up 14 points behind Vettel, who clinched his first world title.

Webber has been handing out T Shirts to be worn this weekend in Brazil with #mademymark on it and it’s a fitting send off for a popular driver. There is no-one coming through who is like him, no-one who will speak his mind like that. It’s a loss to the sport.

“Not bad for a number two driver” – is his own self penned epitaph and the one people will remember. It’s tough, but truthful (like him).

But he was so much more than that in F1 – as a driver and as a man.

* Although he’s not taking part himself, the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge will take place at the end of this month, billed as the “toughest in the event’s history”. The running, kayaking and cycling challenge in the wilds of Tasmania has been a pet project of Webber’s for ten years and raises money for charity.

The stars in the event, which starts on November 27, include Olympic gold medallists Emma Snowsill and Kenny Wallace, triathlete Courtney Atkinson, seven-time surf champ Layne Beachley – and Mad Max stuntman and former ironman Guy Andrews.

Webber’s protege, GP2 racer Mitch Evans, will take part in the event, “He’s given me a bit of advice,” said Evans. “He thinks I will be fine, as we train together most of the time he has a good idea of where I’m at. I have high expectations in terms of it being seriously tough mentally and physically. I can’t wait to test myself.”

The Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge supports Whitelion and the Save the Tassie Devil appeal

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Brazilian GP Qualifying: Vettel the rain master takes pole by hefty margin

Sebastian Vettel does not always get the credit he deserves for his prowess in adverse conditions, those in need of reminding were treated to Red Bull’s quadruple Formula 1 World Champion powering to his ninth pole position of the season in the worst conditions in memory – and as is now his custom he simply pulverised the opposition.

Vettel’s time of 1:26.479 was over half a second up on his closest rival, set with Pirelli’s temperamental Intermediate tyres in the dying moments of a dramatic qualifying session which was delayed for nearly an hour due to too much rain, and a track surface far too wet to drive on.

This happened to coincide with Segio Perez shunting his McLaren after getting onto the slippery kerbs on the outside exiting Descida do Lago, losing control and slamming the barriers on the inside of the track.

The Mexican emerged unscathed and later said, ”I think the crash looked bigger than it was. The hit was not that big. I saw the damage to the front wing and suspension. [The weather] was getting worse and I was trying my best to find the lap time. The car was not performing at all. I tried to risk everything I could and it ended badly.”

Back to Q3, and when finally the remaining ten were unleashed, Vettel opted for the Full Wet tyres – popped a lap then informed his crew that Intermediates were what was needed. With these bolted on he was untouchable around the Autodromo Carlos Pace.

He said afterwards, ”[The gap to second was a] big surprise, I was so happy after Q3. It was a long time for us to get out, a lot of rain after Q2 so we had to wait. If there’s too much water on the track, the risk of aquaplaning is too high. We got out and I was surprised how much of the water had gone. I went straight to the Intermediates and got a good lap straight away. I tried again and was close. I’m happy with both my laps. It’s great in these conditions to get it all right. Very happy.”

Most of the ‘smart’ money might have been on Nico Rosberg to ****** pole position, as on day one the Mercedes driver was unbeatable, but when it mattered he had to settle for second but will be confident that he has a car to match the Red Bull should the wet conditions prevail for the race.

The German was upbeat, ”It was a good day. Everything went to plan and the whole team did a good job. We had a perfect strategy in the end on Inters. It’s a great place to start tomorrow, at the front of the grid.”

Another expert in adverse conditions is Fernando Alonso, and once again he rose to the occasion by wrestling the Ferrari to the third best time, while his teammate Felipe Massa – competing in his final weekend as a Ferrari driver – could only manage the ninth best time.

Alonso summed up his wet afternoon, ”Usually we are better in the wet, so we have been waiting for a wet race, but unfortunately it came in the last race of the season. It makes a change to be so far up the grid. Obviously it was not possible to beat Seb who is too far ahead. I lost seven or eight tenths in Turn Four and I think second could have been possible, but I’m not sad with third. We have an opportunity starting so far up the front.”

In an almost poetic end to his Formula 1 career, Mark Webber will start his final grand prix alongside his mate Alonso. The Red Bull driver at one stage looked good for second but his final run let him down.

Half a second down on his Mercedes teammate was Lewis Hamilton who ended fifth fastest and will head up the third row of the grid for the race.

It was a disappointing day for Lotus because at one stage Romain Grosjean appeared to have the edge in Q3, as he ducked into the pits a lap earlier than all his rivals to bolt on a set of Intermediates. Immediately he was fastest of all, but on his final run he made a mistake and sixth was his reward.

Earlier, Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement, Heikki Kovalainen failed to make it beyond Q2 despite ending Q1 at the sharp end of the timing screens.

The Toro Rosso duo will start the final race of their partnership from the fourth row of the grid, with Daniel Ricciardo starting seventh and Jean Eric Vergne beside him in eighth.

Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten for Sauber, the German looking strong in Q1 and Q2 but lacked the fire power in the final stanza of qualifying.

Despite his crash Perez was still faster than McLaren teammate Jenson Button, the pair starting form 14th and 15th respectively. Ironically Perez, who has been sacked from the team, has beaten Button 10-9 in the qualifying stakes this year.

On a sobering note for McLaren, who won this very race 12 months ago with Button, they look to be heading for one of their worst seasons ever as it is not since 1980 that a McLaren driver has not been on a podium during the course of a year.

Weather forecasters are predicting that Sao Paulo will dry up overnight, which will add some spice to proceedings as the lack of dry running will make setup and strategy decisions a huge gamble. On the other hand if it rains things could turn into a lottery.

Whatever the case Interlagos is likely to throw up an eventful race – something of a Formula 1 tradition in Brazil – remember last year…

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Ferrari and Hulkenberg play down talk of 2015 deal

Ferrari has played down reports that Nico Hulkenberg has inked a deal to join the Maranello team in 2015.

Although now fighting simply to stay on the grid next year, the highly rated German came tantalisingly close to signing a Ferrari contract for 2014, until the fabled Italian marque agreed a deal with Kimi Raikkonen instead.

“I was disappointed,” Hulkenberg admits to Germany’s Die Welt newspaper. “Who in our job doesn’t dream of driving for Ferrari?

“The opportunity was very real, but the negotiations came suddenly to a halt and I got over it relatively quickly,” he said in Brazil.

According to the latest paddock report, however, Hulkenberg may still be in the frame, amid claims that a ‘pre-contract’ – or letter of intent – already exists in the event that Fernando Alonso switches to Honda-powered McLaren in 2015.

But Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali told Auto Bild: “Nico is a great talent, but there are no agreements between him and us.”

Hulkenberg, 26, also played down any suggestion that his Ferrari dream is still alive.

“At the moment I don’t see Ferrari as a realistic chance for me,” he said. ”The door is shut, but I don’t know if that’s for ever – it’s in the stars.”

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Whitmarsh: Perez was dropped for Magnussen because a rival team boss reneged on a deal

Sergio Perez would still be at McLaren next season if one unnamed Formula 1 principal had not reneged on a deal to give Kevin Magnussen a drive for 2014, according to team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

McLaren announced this month that 21-year-old Danish rookie Magnussen, son of their former racer Jan, would be replacing the young Mexican next year alongside Britain’s 2009 World Champion Jenson Button.

However Whitmarsh told the official formula1.com website that the first choice had been to keep Perez and find Magnussen a place elsewhere on the grid where he could learn the ropes for a year or two.

“I hoped and tried to find [Magnussen] a cockpit,” he said ahead of the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. “I even did a deal and shook hands with a team principal up and down this paddock – an absolute deal – but he stepped back.

“Even after 25 years [in the sport] I find that difficult to deal with – I know I shouldn’t [be], but I am still hopelessly naive. I still think that if you look somebody in the eye and shake hands then that’s a done deal,” added the Briton. ”When it turns out like in the Magnussen case, then I’m shocked – and I tell myself ‘learn, don’t be naive’.”

Whitmarsh declined to name the principal, although he said he wanted to.

McLaren, who are fifth overall and enduring their worst season since 1980, were known to have been talking to rivals Force India, Lotus and tail-enders Marussia about taking on the Dane.

Whitmarsh said the end result was that McLaren decided the 23-year-old Perez would have to go, even though the Mexican had done a ‘decent job’ and deserved to stay in Formula 1.

The team felt thatMagnussen, who had impressed in the simulator and testing as well as winning the Formula Renault 3.5 series title, was an extraordinary talent they simply could not overlook.

Whitmarsh said that he had told Perez that there was no threat to his job from drivers already in F1, such as Brazilian Felipe Massa or Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg, but only from youngsters within the McLaren set-up.

“If Kevin didn’t exist, probably Checo (Perez) would still be driving for McLaren next season,” said Whitmarsh. “But Kevin exists. My first choice for Kevin was to put him in another team and do a year or two and then bring him back. That was my first choice – and if that was not possible apart from some very small teams, he joined us.”

Whitmarsh said Formula 1 risked a “vacuum of young talents” if men such as Magnussen were not brought in, just as Lewis Hamilton was in 2007, because “the problem with the sport at the moment is that money is doing most of the talking with most of the teams”.

Sauber, Force India, Lotus, Caterham and Marussia have all yet to confirm their 2014 lineups but the majority will require drivers to bring funding with them.

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Marko says Kvyat has big balls and is the right man for Toro Rosso

Russian teenager Daniil Kvyat has impressed his bosses with his first two outings in Free Practice for Toro Rosso, first in Austin and now in Sao Paulo.

Kvyat has been signed as the Red Bull-bound Daniel Ricciardo’s 2014 replacement at the energy drink company’s second Formula 1 team, Toro Rosso.

He has been given an early start in 2013, with two Friday Free Practice appearances in Austin and now in Brazil.

On Friday at a wet Interlagos, the confident 19-year-old was not only faster than Ricciardo and his 2014 teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, but ranked eighth fastest overall in the morning session.

“He has big balls,” Helmut Marko, the outspoken Austrian Red Bull chief, said after Kvyat set the time on the wet Brazilian circuit.

“I think we have the right man,” he told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was also impressed.

“You could see he’s not afraid of the car in any way,” he said on British television BBC. “He’s throwing it around and has … plenty of car control. It was certainly an impressive performance.”

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Domenicali: I have such a respect for Ross Brawn as a professional and a friend, let’s wait and see

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn is being linked with a sensational return to Ferrari.

Brawn, who was technical director at Maranello during the ultra-successful Michael Schumacher era, was spotted meeting with Stefano Domenicali in Ferrari’s hospitality area at Interlagos on Friday.

Briton Brawn, 58, has been considering his future at Mercedes, with the Brackley based team expected to eventually replace him with Paddy Lowe.

“Ross will step back at some point,” Lowe admitted in Austin a week ago. “At the moment we’re waiting for Ross’s call on that.”

So the big new report is that Brawn could return to Ferrari, to lead the fabled Italian team that despite having Fernando Alonso at the wheel has failed to win the title in recent years.

Asked on Friday if he is prepared to step into an overseeing role so that someone else might be team boss, Domenicali told Britain’s Sky broadcaster: “Of course.

“If I see that is the best solution I will do it even tomorrow, 100 per cent.

“Also I have bosses on top of me that may take that decision. At the end of the day the most important thing is that Ferrari has to become the standard for Formula 1 once again,” the Italian added.

Asked specifically if he would be happy to work hand-in-hand with Brawn once again, Domenicali said: “I cannot answer that question because whatever answer I give, there will be a lot of titles on the newspapers.

“I have such a respect for Ross, as a friend first of all, and as a professional that, really, let’s wait and see.”

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Kovalainen believes he is a better driver now than in McLaren days

F1 returnee Heikki Kovalainen believes he is a better driver today than when he won his one and only Grand Prix for McLaren, back in 2008.

The Finn, who was dropped as Caterham’s race driver at the end of last season, has returned to action with Lotus in Austin and Brazil after countryman Kimi Raikkonen headed for early surgery.

Kovalainen told Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper that the two outings late in 2013 have boosted his confidence, as he seeks a full-time return for 2014.

“Driving this [Lotus] car, a good car, I am now convinced that, with Caterham, I have developed as a driver in many areas compared to when I was at McLaren,” he said.

Kovalainen’s new race engineer Mark Slade, who has been working with Raikkonen full-time this year, agrees.

“Heikki is now more relaxed,” said Slade, who worked with Kovalainen at McLaren. “He’s been very good at adapting to the new car.”

Kovalainen thinks that he has done his quest to return to race action in 2014 no harm with his Lotus outings.

“I am on the right end of the timesheets, everyone can see that,” the 32-year-old said.

“Now with a good car, I realise I am better than I was at McLaren,” he is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“I want to remain a Formula 1 driver in all circumstances, even if it’s only as a test driver.”

Kovalainen has been strongly linked with a return for Caterham in 2014, but the latest reports suggest that rookie Marcus Ericsson could in fact line up alongside Giedo van der Garde.

Team boss Cyril Abiteboul confirmed in Brazil, however, that Caterham is still interested in Kovalainen.

“First of all I need to make sure that Lotus is not going to keep him,” he smiled.

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Alonso would have won title with a Lotus claims Villeneuve

Outspoken 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that Fernando Alonso would have won this year’s Formula 1 World title had he been at the wheel of the 2013 Lotus E21.

The French Canadian told the Spanish sports daily AS that the Ferrari driver’s performance this season was not quite as impressive as in 2012.

“[Alonso] is always at a high level,” Villeneuve said at Interlagos, “but what we saw from Alonso in 2012 I have not seen this year.

That was second to none – the best I’ve seen.

“This year, with the statements [made by Alonso] about Ferrari and everything, there was too much negative energy,” he added.

Next year, Alonso will be paired at Ferrari with a new teammate.

“[How will he fare] with [Kimi] Raikkonen?” Villeneuve said. “The Lotus is a great car this year. All I’ll say is that Alonso would have won this year’s title in that Lotus.”

Alonso joined Ferrari in 2010 but, although he has come close, he is yet to add to his tally of two World titles, won at Renault seven years ago.

The Spaniard has had an often tense relationship with Ferrari this year, but despite flirtations with Red Bull and McLaren, he is staying put for 2014.

“You have no other choice than to be patient,” Alonso told the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper, at Interlagos.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating. For days and days. But I have to use this anger in a good way, to work harder and to win again,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, while Alonso’s comments about Sebastian Vettel might often sound uncomplimentary, the 32-year-old insists the Red Bull driver deserves his success.

“With the same car, Webber was not able to win any titles,” Alonso said. “It’s clear that Sebastian deserves it.”

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Pirelli considers buying new F1 test car to develop 2014 tyres

Pirelli is considering buying a new Formula 1 test car from one of the teams as they seek to develop a suitable tyre for the 2014 season.

Already frustrated by the lack of testing opportunities, and the teams’ collective reluctance to help, Formula 1′s official supplier became further dismayed in Brazil when wet weather affected its plans to try the 2014 tyres in Friday Free Practice.

“We wouldn’t have brought [the 2014 tyre] here if we didn’t want to run it,” motor sport boss Paul Hembery said.

It was a further frustration on top of a frustrating situation overall for Pirelli.

The Italian marque now wants to test the tyres in dry Bahrain in December, but the teams cannot agree about who should accompany Pirelli to the island Kingdom.

Auto Motor und Sport said that McLaren is offering to provide a car and send personnel at its own expense.

“It would give our new driver Kevin Magnussen some more experience,” admitted team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

But some teams, like Mercedes and Ferrari, reportedly believe that another Pirelli-shod test for McLaren would not be fair.

“I think we all want to help Pirelli provide the best tyre they can,” said Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn, “but it would be unfortunate if one team had the benefit of running a tyre to the exclusion of all the others.”

Hembery said: “If the teams are not able to sort out the problem, we will buy a car – just as we did previously with Toyota and Renault.”

If Pirelli buys a car now, it would have to buy a 2011 model, according to the testing rules. But if it waits until January 1, it can buy a 2012 model.

But Hembery said that Pirelli might actually go for a 2013 single seater.

“This is a grey area,” Hembery said. “Actually, we can’t be prohibited [from running a 2013 car] because we are not a competitor.

“We would use the data only for ourselves, and each team could send an observer if they want to,” he added.

Hembery’s frustration, meanwhile, is obvious.

“It’s like having to develop tyres wearing a blindfold,” he is quoted by Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“No [tyre] manufacturer…not Bridgestone or Michelin, would agree to return to Formula 1 under these conditions,” the Briton added.

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Hamilton: There's more work to do

Lewis Hamilton concedes his P5 in qualifying for the Brazilian GP was expected as he is "struggling."

The Mercedes driver has found himself unable to match his team-mate Nico Rosberg in this weekend's practice sessions as he battled to set-up his W04 for the wet.

And it was more of the same in Saturday's qualifying at the Interlagos circuit.

While Rosberg posted a 1:27.102 to qualify second, Hamilton could only manage a 1:27.677 which put him half a second behind his team-mate and down in fifth place.

"That's kind of where I thought I would be, considering," he told Autosport.

"I did my best out there but I'm struggling. There's not really much more I can say."

Hamilton reckons his chances in the rain have been undone by the lack of wet running in his first season as a Mercedes driver.

"When I was at McLaren, I knew the car.

"I was there for a long, long time and it suited me easier than the one I'm driving right now.

"I've just got to do some more work."

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McLaren made the 'wrong call'

Jenson Button says it will be "horrible" Brazilian GP for the drivers should the rain continue on Sunday.

The McLaren driver had a difficult time in the rain on Saturday where he qualified down in 15th place with a 1:28.308.

In a session that was dependent on being out on the track at the optimum time, both Button and his team-mate Sergio Perez failed to do just that.

"We struggled because there was so much water and we haven't run when the conditions were this bad," said the Brit.

"We've been trying to save tyres all weekend for qualifying but we made the wrong call."

Looking ahead to Sunday's grand prix at the Interlagos circuit, Button is hoping that the rain lets up and that fans won't be subjected to a Safety Car start if it doesn't.

"If it's wet like this tomorrow it's a horrible race because you can't see anything.

"Hopefully it won't be all under the Safety Car."

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Hulkenberg happy with tenth

Nico Hulkenberg had no complaints with his tenth place in qualifying, revealing that Sauber are battling with the balance of their car.

The German driver has been in fine form in the run-in to the season finale and on Saturday secured his sixth successive visit to Q3.

However, contending an ill-handling Sauber C32 in the rain, Hulkenberg could only manage a 1:29.582 which put him tenth on the grid.

"Reaching Q3 today was a success," said the 26-year-old.

"It's been wet the whole weekend, and we've not been as competitive as I would have liked as we had problems with the balance of the car.

"It was difficult to nail every corner as the track was extremely slippery.

"At the beginning of the season we were better on wet tyres and not so competitive on slicks, but now it seems to be the opposite.

"I think it will be an exciting race tomorrow and let's wait and see what the weather will be like."

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Brazilian Grand Prix: Vettel and Red Bull end the year in style

Sebastian Vettel has achieved what no other driver in the history of Formula 1 has, by winning his ninth consecutive Formula 1 race when he took top honours in the Brazilian Grand Prix, 19th and final round of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship, in a race which he again dominated despite a slip up at the start.

The rain which drenched Sao Paulo on the first two days of the weekend, stayed away for the race but the skies, laden with rain bearing clouds, were an ever present worry for the teams.

Yet, it was another flawless performance by a driver and team combination who are at the absolute top of their game and etching their achievements into the sport’s history books.

However this time Vettel was almost let down by his normally flawless Red Bull crew, when he came in for his final stop they appeared to be searching for his tyres – a delay which cost him about three seconds. When he entered the pits he had a dozen seconds in hand on teammate Mark Webber who had worked his way into second place. When they emerged the gap was down to about six seconds.

For Vettel it has been a remarkable journey, despite wrapping up the title six races ago in Korea, he continued his relentless pursuit of victories as if rubbing salt in to the wounds of his rivals, with relish.

The German said afterwards, ”I am actually quite sad the season is coming to an end. The car has been phenomenal and has been getting better [with] every race. It was very difficult at the end today with the rain but I am extremely proud and a big thanks to the team and a big thanks to Renault as well. Thanks to Mark – we didn’t have the best of relationships but we have also have always had a lot of respect for each other and we have been a very successful pairing for the team.”

Webber’s final race as a Formula 1 driver mirrored the last four years of his career: playing second fiddle to his younger teammate, suffering the major share of any bad luck dished to the blues – this time a couple of tardy pit stops, the last of which had him queue up behind the number one car…

Nevertheless the Australian can leave with his head held high. He and Vettel are undisputedly the most successful driver pairing in the history of the sport. It was a touching and historic moment, after crossing the line in second place, as he drove the Red Bull to parc ferme for the final time, taking off his helmet on the slow down lap, the wind to blowing into his face – conjuring up memories of the eighties when this was common practice by the likes of Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi – simply unforgettable.

Team principal Christian Horner summed up the sentiment over the radio to Webber, ”Fantastic race, it’s been brilliant working with you. You can be proud of what you’ve done, we certainly are.”

Formula 1′s elder statesman, the straight talking, no bullsh*t bloke retired in style and to add the cherry on the cake he set the fastest lap of all in his final appearance at a grand prix. He made his mark.

“It was a good finish to my career. I want to thank Seb, Fernando, Lewis all the guys who have been in window the last few years. I want to thank everyone in Australia and I want to thank everyone who has helped me – they know who they are,” said Webber.

And added, ”In this sport it’s not always easy to have the personal touch. I just thought it would be nice to get [the helmet] off and see the marshals and the fans and hear a lot of noises I am not used to hearing. The difficult part today was getting in the car, I was overcome with emotion, I did it but it was the strongest emotion I had had all day. I enjoyed the last lap and I made it last as long as I possibly could.”

It was also fitting that sharing the podium with him, after a gutsy drive to take third, was his mate Fernando Alonso. The Ferrari driver was best of the rest, although there was a point when it seemed as if he may be able to take the fight to the World Champions, but it was not to be despite the rare pitstop fumble by the energy drinks outfit.

Alonso said of his afternoon’s graft, ”It was a difficult race for everyone. The rain did not come and we would have been more competitive in the wet. It seemed like it was going to rain at any time but it didn’t and it was a shame for us…but to finish on the podium means we finish the season on a high. Next year we look forwards.”

Drive of the day would probably go to Jenson Button, last year’s winner at the same venue, who salvaged some pride for his team with fourth place which was their best finish of a well below par season. The 2009 World Champion started from 12th on the grid and delivered the kind of performance, in tricky conditions, which has become his trademark.

Nico Rosberg qualified on the front row and along with his Mercedes team would have expected to be capable of fighting at least for a podium position. It all got off to a rather dandy start for the Silver Arrows as Rosberg blitzed the start and took the lead, looking good until the exit of Junção and the drive up the hill towards the start straight.

That’s when the penny dropped; Rosberg was not able to get the power down, a problem that afflicts the W04 in cooler conditions.

Thus Vettel got good drive out of Junção, and even without DRS, cruised past. For Rosberg and teammate Lewis Hamilton it was a frustrating afternoon, with 5th and 9th their reward.

Hamilton was in the wars, banging wheels with Valterri Bottas at Descida do Lago causing the Williams driver to go off the track with a broken left rear wheel, while the Mercedes escaped with a burst tyre and limped around for a a new set of boots before being given a drive through penalty for causing the collision.

Nevertheless the pair did enough to clinch second place in the Construtor’s Championship for Mercedes compared to fifth place which they achieved 12 months earlier.

Sergio Perez arguably drove his best race of the season, in his final race as a McLaren driver. After crashing out of qualifying and taking a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change, he toiled hard and impressived by carving his way from 19th on the grid to sixth place.

Next up was local hero Felipe Massa racing for the final time in Formula 1 for Ferrari. He managed a great start and like his teammate Alonso, looked very strong early in the race. Uncannily he was in the throes of an entertaining ding-dong with his nemesis Hamilton, when the race stewards adjudged he had overstepped the boundaries of the pit entry and slapped him with a drive through. Seventh was his final finish as in red.

Nico Hulkenberg survived several wheel to wheel battles to take eighth, ahead of Hamilton in ninth with Daniel Ricciardo claiming the final point in his final race as a Toro Rosso driver. Red Bull beckons for the young Australian.

It was heartache for Lotus as Romain Grosjean, desperately seeking his first win stopped with a blown engine on lap two, while, Kimi Raikkonen’s stand-in, Heikki Kovalainen botched the start big time and thereafter never really recovered. He finished 14th in car that has been within sight of a podium for most of the year. A miserable end to a once promising season, which may well precede a miserable winter for the cash-strapped outfit.

Final word to the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2103 World Champion Sebastian Vettel on equalling Alberto Ascari’s record of nine straight Formula 1 victories ”I think it’s not fair [to compare]. It’s a different time at his time, cars broke down a lot more, teams weren’t as consistent. I think it’s a different type of record. For all of us in the whole team, we just love turning up to work and giving it all we have. It’s a great spirit we have in the team. It’s sad in a way that this year comes to an end, but that’s how it is. I’m sure everyone is looking forward to the break to recover.”

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Honda beginning to poach Mercedes staff claims Wolff

Honda, to return to Formula 1 in 2015 as an engine supplier to McLaren, has begun to poach staff from rival manufacturers currently involved in the sport.

That is the claim of Mercedes’ motor sport chief Toto Wolff, who said that the Japanese marque’s quest for talented and experienced Formula 1 staff is “quite civilised” at the moment.

Wolff told Germany’s Auto Bild that Honda’s moves to poach Mercedes engineers is “quite normal”.

“We’re operating in a competitive environment, and I think everyone is looking for the best engineers,” he said.

“So it is not unexpected,” Wolff insisted. “We know what contracts are running out, and if we want to keep them, we will work on new ones in good time.”

Wolff refused to criticise the behaviour of McLaren’s 2015 engine supplier, who have been absent from the grid since the disastrous final two seasons as a full works Honda team in 2007 and 2008.

“At the moment we have the feeling that it is quite civilised,” said the Austrian, referring to Honda’s efforts to poach engineers.

“We do not have the impression that our engineers are excessively concerned. However, this could happen. They (Honda) need to put their programme together bit by bit.

“I could imagine at some stage their efforts to court staff becoming more aggressive,” added Wolff.

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Hulkenberg has reportedly signed Force India deal for 2014

Reports from Brazil have it that Nico Hulkenberg has signed a one-year deal to return to Force India for next season, according to the authoritative Auto Motor und Sport.

Correspondent Michael Schmidt said that the 26-year-old German’s deal includes ‘options’ beyond 2014, but the news would tie in with reports Hulkenberg is first in line for a Ferrari drive should Fernando Alonso jump ship for 2015.

“The deal should be announced in the next few days, and maybe right after the Brazilian Grand Prix,” said Schmidt.

It is expected that Hulkenberg’s teammate next year will be Force India incumbent Adrian Sutil. The German has been hinting for weeks that he is staying put at the Silverstone based team.

“I know it already but I will not say it,” the smiling Sutil told the German broadcaster RTL at Interlagos.

“I have had a contract for months, and it is signed. I don’t want to confirm it officially, because the team has a rule that you cannot publicly discuss contractual situations. But I will definitely be back next year,” the 30-year-old revealed.

Complicating the issue for Force India, however, is the presence on the market of the powerful sponsored drivers Pastor Maldonado and Sergio Perez.

Force India deputy Team Principal Bob Fernley told the BBC, ”We’ve got two good drivers. There has … to be compelling reasons to change them, and at the moment [those reasons] are not there. That decision is for [Team Principal] Vijay [Mallya], and it’s not one we have to take yet.”

“There are some issues with Lotus, I think they’re the key in the driver market. Once that is sorted, I think that will tumble down and we’re probably the next in line,” explained Fernley.

Lotus is the most competitive team with a driver vacancy for 2014, but that team is grappling with the ‘will-it-or-won’t-it’ arrival of crucial investment from the Quantum group.

So, along with Force India, Sauber is next in the queue for the pick of the remaining drivers on the 2014 market, and reports say that the Swiss team is in serious talks with both Maldonado and McLaren refugee Perez.

Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn told RTL in Interlagos that the driver decision will be made soon, ”Maybe in the coming week.”

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Barrichello says he nearly replaced Raikkonen for final two races

Rubens Barrichello has revealed that he very nearly made a return to Formula 1 to replace injured Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus.

The 41 year old Brazilian veteran, whose last grand prix was in Sao Paulo for Williams in 2011, told reporters at Interlagos, “I really thought the Lotus deal was clear, that it was going to happen.”

Instead Lotus chose to go with Heikki Kovalainen for the last two races of the season, snubbing their nominated reserve Davide Valsecchi in the process.

“If I had gone to Austin to get back [into F1], maybe my neck would suffer a little bit, but I’m better physically than I used to be, but it’s fine, they choose a different direction and I wish them all the best,” mused Barrichello who started 322 grands prix for Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Williams during his 19 years competing at the pinnacle of motorsport.

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Maldonado believes he would be F1 World Champion in a Red Bull

Pastor Maldonado, who is taking part in his last race as a Williams driver, believes that in a Red Bull RB9 he would be Formula 1 World Champion.

Maldonado is supposedly carrying €40 million in Venezuelan government backing from PDVSA, but thinks he is worth signing up for his talent alone.

“I think I would be Champion at Red Bull,” the departing Williams driver is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace.

Maldonado is also quoted by the EFE news agency: “Of the available drivers on the market, I’m the only one who has won a race.

“The only thing I know,” Marca sports newspaper quoted Maldonado, “is that I will be in Formula 1 next year, 100 per cent.

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Massa: It will not be easy for Raikkonen to be the teammate of Alonso

Felipe Massa has predicted that the relationaship between Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next year will be an awkward one.

Between 2007 and 2009, before Spaniard Alonso arrived at the Italian team, Brazilian Massa shared the pit garage with Raikkonen and since then has been teammate to Alonso.

The Finn is returning to Ferrari to be Alonso’s teammate in 2014, but Massa warned Alonso not to expect an easy relationship with the aloof and unusual Raikkonen.

“Out of Schumacher, Raikkonen and Alonso, it was easier with Schumacher and Alonso,” Massa, who will switch to Williams after Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, told Italia 1 television.

“With Kimi I could work well, but there was no relationship or friendship – he lived in his own world and didn’t want to know anything about anyone,” he added.

“With Michael and Fernando I had a human relationship, but with Kimi, no. And if he didn’t have [a relationship] with me, then he will not have it with anyone.”

Massa also had a warning for Raikkonen: ”He needs to be prepared to live with Alonso, because it is not easy to be the teammate of Fernando Alonso. He is a very strong driver, sometimes perfect, and so Kimi will have to be giving his very best every time.”

Meanwhile, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reports that neither his current team, Lotus, or his 2014 employer, Ferrari, know the current whereabouts of Raikkonen.

The 34-year-old Finn, who after Mark Webber’s departure will be the oldest driver on the grid, had back surgery last week.

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Massa angered over penalty

Felipe Massa has hit out at the Brazilian race stewards for a "pretty unacceptable" penalty that cost him in his Ferrari swansong.

Massa was slapped with a drive-through penalty during Sunday's race at the Interlagos circuit after the stewards ruled that he crossed the pit entry line.

The Ferrari driver reacted angrily, shouting "unbelievable" over the radio before eventually pulling into the pits to take the penalty.

"I think it's pretty unacceptable to be honest. Why a drive-through for this? I'm sure I was not the only car to pass that line. I was the only one who got the drive-through for that," he toldSky Sports F1

"I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't overtake any cars on the outside of the track. But it's like that.

"They believe they have all the power, they believe they know everything they're doing and normally they are doing a lot of things which are not right, which are not correct."

Despite the penalty, Massa still managed to score points in his final race as the Brazilian brought his car home in seventh place.

"I feel very emotional for what I have achieved and what we have achieved together, I have made a lot of friends and I want to thank them all.

"It will be really tough to say goodbye but I am ready to do it and I am ready to celebrate."

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Merc 'savour' second place

Mercedes have described their second-place finish in the Constructors' Championship as a "huge achievement".

The Brackley squad picked up 12 points at the Brazilian GP - Nico Rosberg was fifth and team-mate Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in ninth place - to beat Ferrari to second place by six points.

Finishing P2 in the standings means they will get extra prize money and, although they concede they were well beaten by Champions Red Bull, Mercedes were delighted with their achievement.

"What an incredible race to end an incredible season. P2 is a huge achievement for all of us at Brackley and Brixworth," they tweeted.

"We don't forget that this is only P2 and Red Bull beat us comprehensively. But we will savour this one. So much hard work has gone into it. From everybody here at the track, a huge thank you to all the guys back at the factories. Massive effort this year."

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Hamilton confused by penalty

Lewis Hamilton reckons he must have done something wrong in Brazil to incur a drive-through but has no idea what exactly.

Racing with Valtteri Bottas, the Mercedes driver collided with the Williams man down the back straight towards Descida de Lago.

The impact resulted in a blow rear left and a retirement for Bottas while Hamilton also suffered as his rear right was punctured.

However, the Brit's woes were not over as the stewards deemed him responsible, slapping him with a drive-through penalty.

Hamilton recovered to finish ninth.

"It was drive-through, I don't really know what happened," he told the BBC. "I need to see it again.

"I just don't know what happened, I went to the right and we touched, I obviously did something wrong.

"A podium was achievable which is why it was so disappointing. I am just glad it's over."

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Alonso: It's a shame it didn't rain

Fernando Alonso was happy to finish the 2013 season on a high, but he believes he would've done much better had there been rain at Interlagos.

The two-time World Champion put in his best qualifying display in a while on Saturday to start third on the grid, but he didn't get off to the best of starts and slipped down the grid.

However, he fought back brilliantly and finished third behind the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

The Spaniard, though, is confident he would've been able to challenge for the first two places if the forecasted rain fell during the Brazilian GP on Sunday.

"It was a difficult race for everyone. The rain did not come and we would have been more competitive in the wet," he said.

"It seemed like it was going to rain at any time but it didn't and it was a shame for us. But to finish on the podium means we finish the season on a high. Next year we look forwards."

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That is part of racing - Grosjean

Romain Grosjean was pragmatic about his engine failure in Brazil, which brought his 2013 season to a premature conclusion.

Racing inside the top ten at the Interlagos circuit, the Lotus driver suffered a spectacular engine blow-out at Subida dos Boxes on Lap 4.

With plumes of smoke pouring out of the back of his car, Grosjean could do nothing but park it.

"The engine blew, I don't know exactly what happened," he said.

"There was a lot of smoke and I lost power so I decided to stop 70 laps too early.

"This is racing."

The Lotus driver has yet to officially be confirmed by the team for next season despite team boss Eric Boullier stating several times that it is just a formality.

For Grosjean, though, it's a "hopefully" until such a time as the announcement comes.

"I don't know [if I will still be here next season] but hopefully," he told the BBC.

"We can be proud of what we have done this season, being part of the team, but we will see what the future holds."

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Webber leaves Formula 1 respected and proud after amazing journey

Mark Webber drove out of Formula 1 with the wind in his hair, a smile on his face and Red Bull overalls soaked in champagne after one final podium celebration at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Australian finished runner-up, equalling his best result of a year dominated by race winner and quadruple World Champion team mate Sebastian Vettel, at Interlagos in his 215th and last grand prix.

The voice of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, himself only three years older than his 37-year-old driver, came over the radio as Webber crossed the line for his final competitive lap.

“One more lap Mark, enjoy it,” he said, and the chisel-jawed veteran made sure he savoured every moment – for once concentrating on driving slowly rather than qucikly.

After taking the chequered flag, Webber removed his helmet halfway through his slowing down lap to show his face to the crowd and marshals and allow himself to hear the applause and feel the breeze.

“In this sport it’s not always [that] you have the personal touch,” he said afterwards. “We have helmets on all the time so they don’t always see a driver in a Formula 1 car without a helmet.

“It was nice to get it off, see the marshals, see the fans, it was a really nice thing for me just to experience. I heard a lot of noises I don’t normally hear with the helmet on.”

Webber, famously straight-talking ever since his astonishing debut in 2002 when he finished fifth for tiny Minardi in his home race, has always been one for the direct, no-nonsense approach both inside and outside the sport and Sunday was no exception.

The winner of nine grands prix in 12 seasons, including two Monaco Grand Prix victories but none this year, said the hardest part of the day had been just steeling himself to get into the car at the start.

Welcomed to the garage before the race to the sounds of ‘Waltzing Matilda’, with the Australian flag hung over his car and ‘Thank You Mark’ written on his pit board, the last farewell was always going to be emotional even if Webber was a long way from reaching for the tissues.

“I was quite overcome with some emotion, to be honest,” he said. “Just that moment of helmets on, stepping in the car…I did it but it was actually the strongest emotion I’ve probably had all day.”

On the podium he joined Vettel, who graciously that insisted his team mate be interviewed first, and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, one of his best friends in the paddock.

“To finish on the podium with those two guys, they have been the best of this generation and I’ve raced them a lot…meant a lot to me in showing [that] I could still drive well at the end of my career,” said Webber.

“I’m over the worst of it today in terms of the roller-coaster of emotions, I’m happy to leave here tonight. And yeah, that’s it.”

Before the race the Australian left no doubt that he was more than ready for his next challenge racing Le Mans sportscars with Porsche and was leaving at the right time.

Mark Webber finished fifth in his F1 debut at the 2002 Australian GP – here he celebrates with Minardi boss Paul Stoddard

The man who might have won the Championship in 2010, and who leaves with 42 podium positions and 13 poles, recognised that what he might have lacked in outright speed he had made up for with sheer hard work and determination.

“Maybe I did not have the most absolute natural flair and talent but I knew that if I grafted and worked hard I’d soon get awesome results,” he said in a Red Bull review of his career.

“I also smashed a lot of guys who had more talent than me because they didn’t work as hard as me,” added the former Williams and Jaguar racer.

“I learned that about myself. How important it was to graft and just get my head down. I’ve been doing that for most of my career.

“The results I’ve had in F1 have been great but it’s about the journey as well and I’ve had an amazing journey.”