Hamilton Wins As Vettel Retires on First Lap

From the BBC Website:

Hamilton was gifted the lead when Red Bull's world champion retired on the opening lap because of a puncture going through the second corner.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso pushed hard and tried to take the lead at the final pit stop but Hamilton was too strong.

McLaren's Jenson Button took third from Red Bull's Mark Webber while Paul di Resta was ninth for Force India.

Hamilton said on arrival in Abu Dhabi that winning the final two races here and in Brazil would help turn around a difficult season in which he has struggled on and off the track.

"He just turned it on here and looked like the old Lewis again," said BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle.

Hamilton has been in confident mood and full of enthusiasm for the Yas Marina circuit, where he lost out on victory at its inaugural 2009 race when he was forced to retire."There is nothing missing in his armoury but sometimes he seems emotionally like he's not in the race. But there were no tantrums. He just got in it and got on."

There was some irony, then, that Vettel, who won the two previous races here in the desert, retired to gift Hamilton the lead.

The double world champion spun at the second corner when his right rear wheel suddenly punctured and his Red Bull slid onto the grass.

He damaged the car further on his way back to the pits and looked furious when it dawned on him he was out of the race.

It was Vettel's first retirement since last year's Korean Grand Prix - more than a year ago - and ended his run as the only driver to finish every race so far in 2011."He had damage to the floor and the exhaust and part of the wishbone," explained BBC pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz. "He couldn't carry on."

"I don't know what happened," Vettel said. "We lost pressure all of a sudden out of the exit of Turn One. I don't why. There is nothing that I did differently to any of the other laps.

"We need to find out why, maybe I cut the kerb at a funny angle. It is tough, but I used the opportunity to learn a bit on the pit wall."

Vettel had snatched pole from Hamilton by just 0.141 seconds but the Englishman has been strong here all weekend and ran a controlled race to capture his third win of the season to match Button.

Hamilton dedicated the win to his mother Carmen, who was there to greet him with a hug when he got out of the car.

Alonso, who appeared to have made up with his former foe bycomplimenting him in the build-up to the race, pushed Hamilton hard in the final phase of the race.

When Hamilton pitted for the harder tyres with 16 laps to go, Alonso stayed out to try and build up his lead but came in four laps later.

"I feel fantastic," Hamilton said. "It was one of my best races. To hold off one of the best drivers in the world is very tough to do.The Spaniard had not done enough and Hamilton resumed his lead to win by nearly nine seconds.

"I'm just happy. This is great. It's early days but this is definitely the start of something. We've got another great race ahead of us in Brazil. I've just got to keep my mind on the game."

Alonso added: "It was a fantastic race for me as well. We fight most of the race three-five seconds distance to Lewis.

"We were close but we had some traffic in the pit entry behind a HRT and in the last stint they had a little bit more pace so it would have been difficult to win the race even if we had got into the lead. I'm happy with second."

Button finished third but had to battle Webber and Ferrari's Felipe Massa for position after losing his Kers power boost system for half the race.

Webber had been running in third for much of the race but the Australian was switched to a three-stop strategy and ran until the final lap before making his obligatory stop for the harder 'medium' tyres, which put him back behind Button for the final podium place.

"Well obviously on the second stop, we fitted the option tyre again to cut the race into something different. It was worth a bit of a punt.

"The two DRS (overtaking zones) were tricky. The first one was easy but the second wasn't so easy. The DRS was a bit of a gimme today.

"We had pretty good pace and I was close to Jenson Button at the end of the first stint. Then we had a bad first pit stop. We lost a lot of time. It put us on the back foot. We lost track position. That's where we lost the podium."

Massa gained one place to finish fifth ahead of Nico Rosberg, who bravely re-passed Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher after losing out to him at the start.

Adrian Sutil, who is under pressure for his seat at Force India, beat his team-mate Paul di Resta, who crossed the line in ninth after an unconventional one-stop strategy.

Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi took the final points with 10th and veteran Rubens Barrichello fought hard in his Williams to take 12th after starting at the back of the grid.

Vettel Breaks Mansell's Pole record!!!

The German's feat saw him equal Nigel Mansell's all-time record of 14 pole positions in a season, set in 1992.

McLaren's Jenson Button starts on the second row, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Scot Paul di Resta chose not to set a time in qualifying and will line up 10th for Force India.

McLaren had dominated every practice session at the Yas Marina circuit but, as he has done so many times this season, Vettel found some vital extra pace when it counted.

When asked if he had dug deep to claim his 29th career pole, Vettel answered: "Oh yes.

"Lewis looked very strong all weekend so it was good that we were able to be that little bit quicker than him.

"I wasn't happy with the car (on Friday). This place is tricky in many ways. It's not easy to get it right all the time.

"I think it'll be a long race. Lewis and Jenson will be very quick in the race. I'm confident, and ready."

Vettel adopted his usual tactic of being the last man to emerge from the pits in the final minutes of qualifying.

He pushed his Red Bull round the visually stunning Yas Marina circuit, brilliantly lit up by floodlights as darkness finally fell on the twilight session, and beat Hamilton's benchmark by 0.141 seconds.

"At the end that was as far as I could get out my lap," said Hamilton, who is the only man other than Vettel to claim pole this season and actually did a lap in the second qualifying session that would have put him on pole had he repeated it.

"It wasn't a great last lap, the car was understeering a little bit. The one I did in Q2 was better but it's been a good couple of days.

"I'm happy to be on the front row and to not have any penalties is a blessing for me."

Button was just 0.009secs adrift of Hamilton's time but said he had struggled for balance all weekend.

"We know the pace is in the car and it was finding the right balance," Button said. "I've not felt 100% comfortable all weekend.

"Q3 was very strange as there was less grip, the circuit was cooler and the car was acting differently."

Ferrari, Mercedes and Force India, who have upped their game as they aim to secure sixth place in the constructors' championship, shared the next three rows.

Alonso's prediction that he would start on the third row came true as he finished half a second off Vettel's time fifth. His Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa was sixth, but more than 0.6secs slower.

Nico Rosberg qualified in seventh ahead of team-mate Michael Schumacher for Mercedes, while the two Force Indias of Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta slotted in in ninth and 10th.

It was a straightforward Saturday for the rest of the field even though the second phase of qualifying was halted when a bollard was knocked over at Turn Nine.

Rubens Barrichello was the unluckiest driver out there as his Williams's reliability problems got worse.

An engine change and a subsequent oil leak hampered his practice on Saturday and stopped him going out in qualifying.

The Brazilian, who said it was "a must" for him to stay in F1 for a 20th season in 2012, was unable to set a timed lap and dropped out in the first stage of qualifying.

"It's been a hard weekend and I can't remember doing so few laps over a weekend," said Barrichello. "I will just try to enjoy myself as much as I can on Sunday."

Abu Dhabi 3rd Practice results

Pos  Driver              Team/Car              Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m38.976s            17
 2.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m39.403s  + 0.427s  18
 3.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m39.427s  + 0.451s  18
 4.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m39.429s  + 0.453s  16
 5.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m39.661s  + 0.685s  16
 6.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m40.135s  + 1.159s  19
 7.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m40.183s  + 1.207s  18
 8.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1m40.429s  + 1.453s  21
 9.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m40.511s  + 1.535s  19
10.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m40.938s  + 1.962s  18
11.  Bruno Senna         Renault               1m41.509s  + 2.533s  21
12.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m41.527s  + 2.551s  21
13.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m41.566s  + 2.590s  20
14.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault               1m41.594s  + 2.618s  18
15.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m41.622s  + 2.646s  18
16.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m41.855s  + 2.879s  18
17.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Cosworth     1m42.025s  + 3.049s  19
18.  Heikki Kovalainen   Lotus-Renault         1m43.409s  + 4.433s  22
19.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth     1m43.861s  + 4.885s  5
20.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       1m45.262s  + 6.286s  23
21.  Tonio Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth          1m45.302s  + 6.326s  20
22.  Jerome D'Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth       1m45.509s  + 6.533s  22
23.  Daniel Ricciardo    HRT-Cosworth          1m45.732s  + 6.756s  20
24.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Renault                              1

All timing unofficial

No Off Throttle blowing allowed in 2012

Formula 1 teams will be unable to use any form of off-throttle blowing of exhausts next season after a fresh bid to allow the practice was blocked by Ferrari, Sauber and HRT ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

A move to ban blown diffusers in 2012 through the mandatory use of periscope exhausts had not been enough to quell fears that some outfits could still try and make use of hot gases to help boost the aerodynamic performance of their cars - perhaps by blowing air over suspension components or wings.

Those suspicions resulted in the FIA issuing a technical directive last month informing teams that there will be severe limitations on engine mapping next year to minimise the possibilities of off-throttle blowing.

The timing of that decision left several teams unhappy, because they had already begun designing their 2012 cars assuming that blowing could still be implemented – a practice that uses up fuel so would require a larger fuel tank.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said in India: "The clarification is a bit late and a few people wasted a bit of time, money and effort, but that is the same for all of us. We will look forward now."

Outside of that move, teams were pushing for the 2012 regulations to allow off-throttle blowing – with sources suggesting that unanimous approval was reached among them for this prior to their submission to the Formula 1 Commission last week for ratification.

However, the rules were rejected by the F1 Commission – with Ferrari, Sauber and HRT all deciding to vote against the regulations as they stood and forcing them back to think tank the Technical Working Group for amendment.

The TWG met in Abu Dhabi to discuss the exhaust regulations again and, although agreeing on most of the elements, a clause that would have allowed off-throttle blowing was again rejected by Ferrari, Sauber and HRT, so has been ditched for now.

Sources have revealed that the rule would have allowed any blowing of exhausts that interferes with the aerodynamic of the cars to be deemed as 'incidental' so therefore not illegal.

It is understood, however, that the TWG has agreed to re-look at the blowing rules for 2013.

With the practice effectively outlawed, the situation means that any team that uses off-throttle blowing next season will be in breach of Article 3.15 of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations – which states any part of the car that uses 'driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited.'

With the FIA having clarified its position on this matter, it means there is the possibility of a team protesting any rival that runs off-throttle blowing next year – as HRT pondered doing this year when the issue first came up.

The exhaust blowing saga has upset several teams, because they have already committed to elements of their 2012 design based around the idea that they would off-throttle blowing – so now their fuel tanks could be too big.

Renault boss Eric Boullier said at the Indian GP: "You have to take a decision now on car concepts and it is already too late.

"Some teams like ours have already started producing concepts of the car, so the concept has been finalised weeks ago. We need to stop changing the regulations all the time."

1st practice Abu Dhabi

Pos  Driver                Team                    Time              Laps
 1.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1m40.263s           21
 2.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault        1m40.389s  + 0.126  26
 3.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes        1m40.403s  + 0.140  27
 4.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault        1m40.755s  + 0.492  27
 5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                 1m40.801s  + 0.538  25
 6.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                 1m41.260s  + 0.997  17
 7.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1m41.340s  + 1.077  23
 8.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                1m42.130s  + 1.867  26
 9.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes    1m42.151s  + 1.888  28
10.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m42.377s  + 2.114  26
11.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1m42.633s  + 2.370  26
12.  Romain Grosjean       Renault                 1m42.685s  + 2.422  29
13.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                 1m43.118s  + 2.855  13
14.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth       1m43.255s  + 2.992  29
15.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes                1m43.389s  + 3.126  24
16.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari          1m44.412s  + 4.149  28
17.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari          1m44.484s  + 4.221  18
18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault           1m44.565s  + 4.302  27
19.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault           1m44.898s  + 4.635  25
20.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth            1m46.385s  + 6.122  28
21.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth            1m46.532s  + 6.269  27
22.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth         1m48.024s  + 7.761  20
23.  Robert Wickens        Virgin-Cosworth         1m48.551s  + 8.288  23
24.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth                            3

All Timing Unofficial

Schumacher wants more time on future

Michael Schumacher wants more time before deciding if he wants to extend his Formula 1 career with Mercedes GP, despite team-mate Nico Rosberg sorting out a fresh deal with the outfit.

Rosberg announced on Thursday that he has signed a new contract at Mercedes GP that will keep him at the team at least until the end of 2013 - with options for beyond that.

The new Rosberg deal has prompted talk that Schumacher too is pondering extending his deal into 2013 – with some reports in the German media even claiming that the deal was done.

Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, however, Schumacher said that it was not guaranteed he would sort out a fresh deal – and that he wanted to wait before working out both his own and the team's future prospects.

When asked if, on the back of Rosberg's announcement, he too was talking to Mercedes GP about a new deal, Schumacher said: "According to some journalists, yes. The reality no, because I told you already several times that this is not the time to talk about it.

"I need a little bit more time to see about myself and how we are heading, and some input to see if that is what I want or not."

Schumacher suggested that one of the reasons why he wanted to hold back on committing his future was that he needed to fully grasp the rate of improvement Mercedes GP made next year – and whether foundations were being laid for success in the future.

Small F1 Teams Vital!

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says any push towards three-car entries would be 'wrong' for Formula 1, and that it is more important to ensure the sport is cost-effective for smaller teams.

Last weekend Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo renewed his push for F1 teams to be allowed to run third cars - insisting fans would prefer to see top squads fielding additional entries rather than the current backmarker teams.

But in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in conference call, Whitmarsh disagreed - declaring that the smaller squads gave F1 a diversity that is vital to its appeal, even though he acknowledged that McLaren would potentially be interested in running three cars.

"The statistic that I live by is the one that since McLaren entered Formula 1, being moderately successful in winning over a quarter of the races and on the podium for more than half of them, during that time 100-odd teams have disappeared from the sport," he said.

"I think that really just demonstrates the volatility of the sport.

"We have, in the last few years, evolved from really being a subset of the automotive sector back to a more pure Formula 1 set of businesses.

"I think we shouldn't underestimate how hard it is for the smaller teams. It's fine for perhaps some of the bigger teams who feel quite confident about their future, but the fact is we need 10 or 12 teams in the sport to race against.

"Personally I think that going to generate grid size with three-car teams, I understand why some people are attracted to that. If it was necessary, it has some interest for McLaren.

"But for Formula 1, it's the wrong solution. Formula 1 requires the diversity of entry, and I think we therefore have to work hard to ensure that to achieve all of that there are sustainable business models for all the teams that are in Formula 1."

Di Montezemolo had said that Ferrari would stand firm in its beliefs over third cars, and the need for changes to testing and aerodynamic regulations.

"We will support our views as we see fit, in the best way possible, but let's be clear, for those who agree, that is fine, but otherwise they will just have to accept it is our position," he said.

"If Formula 1 still wants Ferrari it must change and go back to being at the cutting edge of research, while always keeping an eye on costs. We are not in Formula 1 as sponsors, we are constructors."

But Whitmarsh played down the chances of di Montezemolo's stance opening up a new rift between F1 teams.

"I think Luca is an extremely charismatic figure within Ferrari, within Italy and within motorsport, and in fairness to him I know how off-the-cuff comments can be construed and amplified," said Whitmarsh.

"I think he is passionate about Formula 1, I think he's very proud of Ferrari's history and heritage, and he will inevitably push with great passion his personally-held opinions and views.

"I think on a day to day basis Formula 1 is much better when the teams and governing body work together to develop regulations.

"I think we've demonstrated over three years slightly calmer environments without paying too much attention to external rhetoric, and we've made some good decisions.

"I think the show that we generate has improved, there is much more overtaking, we've had some great races the last two years, and I think we should be very proud of that and I think that's been achieved by the teams working together with the FIA to develop sporting and technical regulations to achieve those aims."

Ferrari In Dramatic Pull-Out Threat

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has warned rivals and rulemakers that his team could quit Formula 1 if they do not like the shape of the sport's future rules.

Di Montezemolo has long called for changes to technical rules to reduce the reliance on aerodynamics, a greater testing allowance, and the chance for top teams to run third cars.

But now he has warned that Ferrari are willing to walk away from the sport if their demands are not met.

"Formula 1 is still our life, but without Ferrari there is no Formula 1, just as without Formula 1 Ferrari would be different," said di Montezemolo.

"We can be very patient but there are precise conditions for us to continue with our work. 

"We race not just for the publicity it brings us but above all to carry out advanced research aimed at all aspects of our road cars: engine, chassis, mechanical components, electronics, materials and aerodynamics, to such an extent that the technology transfer from track to road has grown exponentially over the past twenty years.

"What is not so good is that 90 per cent of performance is now based exclusively on aerodynamics and another negative is that ours is the only sport where no testing is allowed.

"We are building cars, not helicopters, rockets or planes. 

"Sure, we must not go back to the excesses of a few years ago, but neither should we be in a position where we can't provide opportunities for the youngsters we are bringing on in the Ferrari Driver Academy.

"Finally, there's the issue of the third car, which mark my words, we support not so much for our own interests but more for those of the sport in general."

He reiterated his long-held belief that fans would rather see top teams like Ferraris running extra cars than the current backmarker squads.

"We believe the interest of the fans, media and sponsors could increase if there is a bigger number of competitive cars on track rather than cars that are two or three seconds off the pace, being lapped after just a few laps," said di Montezemolo.

"It would be nice one day in the future to see one of our cars running in American colours, or Chinese, or maybe those of Abu Dhabi."

Di Montezemolo vowed that there would be no compromise in Ferrari's position.

"We will support our views as we see fit, in the best way possible, but let's be clear, for those who agree, that is fine, but otherwise they will just have to accept it is our position," he declared.

"If Formula 1 still wants Ferrari it must change and go back to being at the cutting edge of research, while always keeping an eye on costs.

"We are not in Formula 1 as sponsors, we are constructors."

Formula 1 Commission meets to discuss name changes etc

Formula 1 chiefs will decide on the name changes for the Team Lotus, Renault and Virgin Racing teams in Geneva today at a lengthy meeting that will also rule on the 2012 calendar and the shape of future technical collaboration between teams.

With the get-together of the Formula One Commission having originally been called to decide on the name change situation, the agenda has grown in recent weeks to encompass a number of issues that teams and stakeholders are interested in.

The key vote will be on allowing the three name changes for 2012 - with Team Lotus wanting to become Caterham, Renault switching to Lotus and Virgin Racing becoming Marussia.

For the changes to go ahead, they will need the support of 18 members of the 26-strong F1 Commission - which includes team principals, Bernie Ecclestone, FIA president Jean Todt, plus representatives of sponsors, engine manufacturers, circuit promoters and the tyre supplier.

One of the main discussion points at the meeting, however, is the future of technical collaboration between teams - such as that enjoyed between McLaren and the Force India and Virgin Racing teams.

Their collaboration has led to fears that they could be stretching the limits of the Concorde Agreement, which demands that each team designs and manufactures its own car.

Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn explained: "There is a very clear definition of what a constructor is, and to compete in F1 you have to be a constructor according to the schedule in the Concorde Agreement.

"You must own the IP and own the design of the car. Fundamentally you must design all of it apart from the engine and transmission, which is free.

"Everything else must be done with the team, so you cannot sell a wing design or a suspension design to another team. It is all very clear in the Concorde Agreement and I think the teams do comply with that – but obviously there are a few grey areas to any agreement."

The discussion about technical collaboration will also likely include talks about the possibility of third cars in F1 – a subject that divides opinion in the paddock.

Brawn believes it good that the matter be put into the open, but thinks such a move would be detrimental to the sport.

"I think it is sensible to explore solutions for the future, but I am not convinced that is the best solution because that starts to bring in a lot of other factors," he said.

"It sounds simple – make a third car and sell it to another team, but if that team can run a season with a very competitive car for a lot less cost than a manufacturer, you are going to start losing manufacturers because it doesn't make sense for teams to make their own car. And we don't want that.

"In F1 it is important we have the constructors and different manufacturers involved. It has been one of the most distinctive things about F1 for many years. I think we need to explore these ideas, but I would be very cautious about the concept of selling cars.

"If the most competitive car is sold to a number of teams and they flood the grid with that car then it is damaging for the rest of the teams. We need to be very, very careful about the solutions we find in the future."

The F1 Commission will also discuss the status of the 2012 Bahrain and Korean Grands Prix, plus debate the idea of allowing extra sets of tyres to be allocated in Q3.

There will also be votes on ratifying technical regulation changes put forward by the Technical Working Group, plus discussion about improving the promotion of F1 events in the future.

Sam Michael to join Mclaren for final races

The Australian left Williams at the end of September after a lengthy spell as its technical director, having agreed a deal to join McLaren as its sporting director.

At the time it was unclear how long Michael would have to spend on 'gardening leave', while he served out the terms of his old contract.

His original deal meant he could have been forced to sit out until March next year, which would have left him with very little preparation time ahead of the 2012 season.

However, following discussions between Williams and McLaren, sources have confirmed that Michael was allowed to begin work officially at his new team from November 1, having been out of action for just one month.

He began duties at the factory on Tuesday and will now travel to the Abu Dhabi and Brazilian Grands Prix with the Woking-based outfit.

Technical Analysis India

2012 has well and truly started for Mercedes after the team briefly tested this innovative solution at Suzuka, prompting much discussion over its possible merits in India. Inspired by F-ducts, which were used extensively last season but were outlawed this year, Mercedes have switched the theory from the rear to the front of the car. The little oval hole, which is common in all the nose cones, features a splitter in the middle, thought to direct the airflow through the side pillars of the wing (blue arrows). Mercedes used a similar layout last year with its F-duct, which had little pipes going through the diffuser and the wing endplates. No opening was visible on the flaps, like in the rear wing last year, so the only possible opening was in underside of the main plane section (red arrows). In order for this system to be legal, unlike last year's F-ducts the driver must have no direct control over it, so it must instead be regulated by an amplifier inside the nose cone, coming into effect and stalling the wing to cut drag only under certain airflow conditions. Speculation continues over the exact workings of this Mercedes solution, but the important thing is that it again highlights the ability of F1 engineers to find loopholes in the rules and to produce innovative solutions.

In India both Ferrari drivers have been using the team's new, Red Bull-influenced front wing (upper drawing), which Fernando Alonso first sampled in Korea. Compared to the previous version (lower drawing), all components are different. There is now a single endplate, a slotted main plane with a different profile near the endplates, just one large flap and also different upper flaps. Ferrari brought three of the new front wings to New Delhi, so after Felipe Massa's qualifying accident the team have two left.

McLaren have brought a new front wing to India. Drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton completed back-to-back comparisons on Friday and Hamilton eventually used the new version (see lower drawing) during qualifying and the race. Button, meanwhile, used the old version (see upper drawing). The new front wing has a straight main profile (2) and no longer features the indentation which divided the airflow under the car (1). There are also different upper flap mountings, although both solutions are reminiscent of ones used in 2010 before the team introduced the stepped main profile.

Renault have returned to their standard rear bodywork (inset) for the Indian race. Compared to the narrower configuration, which features a more pronounced 'cola bottle' shape (see how the yellow highlighted area shows the wider area of floor it exposes), the cooling benefits of this wider bodywork outweigh the loss of aerodynamic performance it brings.

"He let no room" Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton felt Felipe Massa left him no space in their collision in the Indian Grand Prix, and admitted that the Brazilian was not currently speaking to him.

Massa was given a drive-through penalty for their clash, which occurred as Hamilton tried to overtake the Ferrari for fifth place at Turn 5. While Hamilton recovered to seventh after getting a new front wing, Massa retired after breaking his suspension on a kerb.

"There's not really much to say," said Hamilton. "It's a disappointing day. My team worked hard all weekend as they always do. I don't really know what else to say.

"We had the one minute silence before the start of the race and me and Felipe were standing next to each other. He hasn't spoken to me in a long, long time so I put my arm around him and just said 'good luck for the race'.

"But in the race I tried to overtake and I tried to come out of it because it didn't look like he was going to give me any space, and we collided. I'm really, really sorry for my team."

Vettel Storms to Indian GP win

Sebastian Vettel strolled to his 11th victory of the season at the Buddh International Circuit to become the winner of Formula 1's first ever Indian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver's latest triumph was one of his most straightforward of his ultra-successful year. As his front row partner and team-mate Mark Webber was attacked by Jenson Button's McLaren and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari at the start, Vettel was free to pull clear.

He sat on a four to five second lead for most of the distance, as he led every lap and completed a perfect performance with the fastest lap of the race as well.

Button got through to second on the first lap, as Alonso twitched under braking and ran wide, letting Webber keep third. The Australian mounted some vigorous attacks on Button over the opening laps, before the McLaren managed to escape and head off for an ultimately uncontested second.

Webber then lost third to Alonso at the final stops, when being the first of the frontrunners to change to the hard Pirellis cost him.

Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa's turbulent season continued with yet another collision between them. The Ferrari had got ahead of the McLaren on the first lap and was a safe distance ahead until an error just before half-distance left Massa vulnerable to attacks from Hamilton.

They eventually collided as Hamilton went down the inside at Turn 5 - with the stewards deciding Massa was at fault for leaving insufficient room and giving the Brazilian a drive-through penalty. Massa later retired when he smashed his suspension on a kerb, just as he had in qualifying, while Hamilton recovered from ninth to seventh after pitting for a new front wing.

He finished behind the two Mercedes, which were led by Michael Schumacher, who had moved onto Nico Rosberg's tail with a fast start then jumped him for fifth with a late final pitstop.

Toro Rosso looked set to get both cars in the points until Sebastien Buemi stopped with smoke pouring from his machine. Jaime Alguersuari went on to take eighth, ahead of Adrian Sutil in the leading Force India, and Sergio Perez, as the Sauber man proved the most successful of those who ran ultra-short opening stints on hard tyres then switched to softs for the duration.

Perez narrowly beat Renault's Vitaly Petrov, who followed the same strategy. Bruno Senna challenged for points in the second Renault but was hampered by KERS issues and finished 12th, followed by Paul di Resta (Force India) and Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus - which showed strong race pace to run as high as 10th.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           1h30:35.002
 2.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +     8.433
 3.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +    24.301
 4.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    25.529
 5.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +  1:05.421
 6.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +  1:06.851
 7.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +  1:24.183
 8.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
 9.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +     1 lap
10.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +     1 lap
11.  Petrov        Renault                    +     1 lap
12.  Senna         Renault                    +     1 lap
13.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +     1 lap
14.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Renault              +    2 laps
15.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +    2 laps
16.  D'Ambrosio    Virgin-Cosworth            +    2 laps
17.  Karthikeyan   HRT-Cosworth               +    3 laps
18.  Ricciardo     HRT-Cosworth               +    3 laps
19.  Trulli        Lotus-Renault              +    4 laps

Massa calls for changes to circuit kerbs

Felipe Massa believes the design of the kerbs at the Buddh circuit's Turn 9 should be altered for future years after his crash in qualifying.

The Brazilian smashed his Ferrari's right front suspension when he went over the low main kerb and hit the raised kerb beyond it on the inside of the turn. He then slid into the barriers at the next corner.

"It's a high-speed corner where you have very low kerbs, and then you have this high sausage kerb," said Massa.

"I think when you have high speed like that, the car has a lot of downforce, a lot of power to the ground, and when you hit something concrete like that, you can have a failure in the suspension and that's what happened to me."

He warned that there could be repeats of his incident in tomorrow's race, as he does not think his error was a large one.

"I didn't take the kerb too strongly, I took a little bit of kerb and then my suspension didn't survive," said Massa. "So it can be a problem for the race."

The Ferrari driver advocates a larger single kerb rather than the current two-tier design.

"I think in a high speed corner like that it's better to do real kerbs, a bit higher," Massa said. "That's the only thing I think should be changed for the future.

"I think it's important to discuss it. We cannot change anything for tomorrow, but I think for next year they can do a better job for those kind of kerbs."

Massa ended up sixth on the grid after the crash, and is sure it cost him a better starting position.

"I am disappointed because I think we had a big chance to start with both cars in the top four," he said. "It was not possible because of this crash.

"I'm sure I would have improved on this lap and the position was supposed to be much better than what it is now, and I lost one set of soft tyres as well when I crashed."

Vettel, Pole Position again!

Red Bull's double world champion Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Vettel beat Lewis Hamilton's McLaren to pole by 0.296 seconds but Hamilton will line up fifth after a penalty in Friday practice.

Mark Webber was third for Red Bull at the new circuit near Delhi ahead of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari.

Jenson Button will line up fourth, but faces an anxious time while he waits to discover if he receives a penalty.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa crashed immediately in front of Button and it remains to be seen whether the stewards will punish him for not slowing down past the scene of an accident or be lenient because he had almost no time to react.

"I saw the tyre marks and the smoke but I was already in the yellow flag zone," he said. "I backed off [afterwards]. We'll see what happens."

Hamilton's hopes of starting on pole for the second race in a row ended on Friday when he was handed a three-place grid penalty for a separate incident involving flags.

McLaren's 2008 champion had set his fastest lap when yellow flags were out to warn the drivers that marshals were on track at the last corner to retrieve Pastor Maldonado's stranded Williams.

Despite his penalty, Hamilton was pleased with his performance: "It's been a good day for me. I'm surprised we could split the Red Bulls.

"The penalty was a silly mistake for myself but overtaking should be easier and I'm still optimistic regardless of where I start."

Massa tops 2nd practice Indian GP

Felipe Massa put Ferrari on top as the Formula 1 teams continued to get to grips with India's Buddh International circuit in the second free practice session ahead of this weekend's inaugural grand prix in the nation.

While the Ferrari's new front wing continued to prompt distinctive showers of sparks as it vibrated again the track surface, the revised car showed promising pace, with Massa lapping the dusty track in 1m25.706s 18 minutes before the end of the session to claim the top spot.

His team-mate Fernando Alonso also showed well in third, 0.224 seconds off Massa's pace.

They were split by champion Sebastian Vettel, whose Red Bull had been quickest for the majority of the afternoon, until Massa's fast time saw the German pipped by 0.088s.

Morning pacesetter Lewis Hamilton, who will go into qualifying for a three-place grid penalty for disregarding yellow flags earlier today, was fourth quickest in the best of the McLarens, with his team-mate Jenson Button sixth behind Mark Webber's Red Bull.

Force India took 'best of the rest' honours in front of its effective home crowd thanks to Adrian Sutil's seventh place, two positions ahead of team-mate Paul di Resta, as they sandwiched Bruno Senna's Renault. Sebastien Buemi completed the top 10 for Toro Rosso.

The Mercedes were further back than usual in 19th (Nico Rosberg) and 21st (Michael Schumacher) - the seven-time champion having missed some of the session while an issue was resolved on his car.

There were plenty of small incidents as the drivers explored the track's limits, particularly at Turn 6, and one red flag after Jerome D'Ambrosio went off at Turn 11 and ended up backed his Virgin into the barriers, causing significant damage. He was unhurt and the session quickly resumed.

Petrov also had a spin in his Renault, while Pastor Maldonado dumped his Williams in the Turn 9 gravel early on but was retrieved in time to rejoin the session and complete 24 laps.

Pos  Driver                Team                   Time              Laps
 1.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                1m25.706s          33
 2.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault       1m25.794s  + 0.088  34
 3.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                1m25.930s  + 0.224  34
 4.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes       1m26.454s  + 0.748  26
 5.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault       1m26.500s  + 0.794  30
 6.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes       1m26.714s  + 1.008  28
 7.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes   1m27.316s  + 1.610  34
 8.  Bruno Senna           Renault                1m27.498s  + 1.792  36
 9.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes   1m27.853s  + 2.147  35
10.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m27.868s  + 2.162  35
11.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                1m27.890s  + 2.184  37
12.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari         1m28.050s  + 2.344  34
13.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari         1m28.289s  + 2.583  36
14.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m28.552s  + 2.846  31
15.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth      1m28.691s  + 2.985  29
16.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth      1m28.708s  + 3.002  24
17.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault          1m29.332s  + 3.626  39
18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault          1m30.241s  + 4.535  41
19.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes               1m31.098s  + 5.392  38
20.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth        1m31.469s  + 5.763  32
21.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes               1m31.804s  + 6.098  28
22.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth        1m32.593s  + 6.887  12
23.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth           1m32.768s  + 7.062  33
24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth           1m32.824s  + 7.118  33

Hamilton Leads in India FP1

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton edged out Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel to go fastest as India made its Formula 1 debut.

Hamilton went half a second faster on his last lap at the Buddh International Circuit outside the capital, Delhi.

McLaren's Jenson Button lost time on his final run behind HRT's Indian racer Narain Karthikeyan and was fourth behind Mark Webber's Red Bull.

The dusty track lacked grip but Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari was the only driver to crash out.

Hamilton set his leading time of one minute 26.836 seconds when double yellow flags, used to slow the drivers down, were being waved at the end of the session.

But BBC 5 live analyst Anthony Davidson said afterwards that he felt Hamilton had not done anything wrong and should not face further action from the stewards.

The undulating, high-speed circuit, designed by F1's favoured architect Hermann Tilke, sits in the midst of farmland and the drivers battled with dust and lack of grip on the 'green' track.F1 entered the unknown as the sport made its debut in India at the Buddh International Circuit built 25 miles outside the capital city of Delhi.

Vettel had a rough ride across the grass - some of which BBC 5 live David Croft commentator said was in fact earth that had been sprayed with green paint - as he tested the limits of his Red Bull.

Felipe Massa's Ferrari and Sauber's Sergio Perez also sent plumes of dust billowing into the air when they both cut the corner at the same spot as Vettel.

But only Jaime Alguersuari crashed out when he slid his Toro Rosso into the barriers late on.

"He lost it at the exit of Turn Nine," explained BBC 5 live analyst Anthony Davidson. "He caught the slide and then it flicked back on him the other way.

"You feel gutted when you have an accident like that as it's such a silly error."

The Spaniard, who completed only four laps, glumly watched replays of his retirement from the session as he sat underneath a giant video screen waiting to be collected.There was also bad luck for Fernando Alonso, who was told to stop his Ferrari after telling his team it had lost power.

The engine on Pastor Maldonado's Williams also gave up in the closing stages of the session.

McLaren spent the first half an hour of practice analysing the front wing that had hampered Hamilton as he battled to second place last time out in Korea.

Small pieces of rubber 'marbles' had slotted into the wing during the race, hindering both his pursuit of Vettel's Red Bull and his defence from Webber behind him.

Button also said he had a big stone embedded in his front wing, which cost him downforce as he chased down Webber's Red Bull.

But the McLarens had a straightforward first run around the Buddh circuit, with Hamilton setting the pace although Button complained on the pit-to-car radio that his final run had been hindered by Kathikeyan, saying: "The HRT almost stopped in the yellow flag zone."

It was a positive start for Force India at the race they regard as their spiritual home grand prix with Adrian Sutil eighth and Paul di Resta 11th.Michael Schumacher is the most famous F1 driver in India and the seven-time world champion pleased the scattered crowd by setting the fifth fastest time for Mercedes ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg.