Latest F1 News

2 DRS Zones For Monza
The FIA re set to announce that the Italian Grand Prix at Monza will have two DRS zones. Monza, famous for its long straights, is almost perfect for DRS, and with this probable announcement, expect to see plenty of overtaking in Italy. The FIA chose to have DRS zones at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, but it was not a resounding success, for some reason or another.

Giedo van der Garde - A Future F1 Star?
Current news coming through is that Giedo van der Garde is in line to join Formula One. The Dutch racer, currently racing in GP2, is being linked with a possible race seat at Virgin, Renault and Williams. He is currently second in the GP2 Driver's Championship, behind Romain Grosjean, this year but has not won a race this season. I think it is more likely that we see him as a test driver before he jumps into a race seat, but who knows?

Button & A New McLaren Contract
British driver Jenson Button is apparently closing in on a new McLaren contract. Officially, Jenson is yet to confirm that he is racing for the British team next year, but it would have been very unlikely to see him leave. The only real decision left is the length of the contract. Both parties seem keen on a contract extending past 2012, and with no obvious stumbling blocks, expect a decision as soon as possible.

New Rankings Review

Vettel - End-Of-Year Champion
Sebastian Vettel is closing in on being ranked number one driver at the end of the year. Sebastian held the title at the end of 2010, and is already so close to repeating the feat. Mathematically, only Seb, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton & Fernado Alonso can be number one; but realistically, unless Vettel has a torrid end to the season, it is his for the taking.

Buemi vs Kobayashi vs Alguersuari
Will Vettel pulling away at the top, your attention should now be put on the midfield. Specifically, the current battle for 14th. At the moment, Sebastian Buemi, Kamui Kobayashi, & Jaime Alguersuari are only sepatayed by 38 points. That margin could be easily won and lost in a race weekend. Extra motivation, if needed, is that with Renault's relative poor pace, they could start catching first Vitaly Petrov & then, job-seeking, Nick Heidfeld.

A Senna Charge
If Bruno Senna can keep his seat with Renault, then don't be too surprised to see the young Brazilian climb the field. A great qualifying at Spa showed his potential, and with him definitely featuring at Monza, he should gain some more points. If he stays for the rest of the season, then it will not be long before he starts to creep up the F1 Ranks ladder.

Rankings - 28th August

The new rankings after the Belgium GP

Rank - Driver - Points - Pre. Rank
1 - Sebastian Vettel - 3471.5 - 1
2 - Mark Webber - 2503 - 2
3 - Lewis Hamilton - 2211 - 3
4 - Fernando Alonso - 2068.5 - 4
5 - Jenson Button - 1702.5 - 5
6 - Felipe Massa - 1102.5 - 6
7 - Nico Rosberg - 904 - 7
8 - Rubens Barrichello - 777.5 - 8
9 - Robert Kubica - 619.5 - 9
10 - Adrian Sutil - 585 - 10
11 - Michael Schumacher - 532 - 11
12 - Nick Heidfeld - 477.5 - 12
13 - Vitaly Petrov 463 - 13
14 - Sebastian Buemi - 439.5 - 14
15 - Kamui Kobayashi - 422 - 15
16 - Jaime Alguersuari - 401.5 - 16
17 - Jarno Trulli - 352.5 - 18
18 - Heikki Kovalainen - 342.5 - 17
19 - Kimi Raikkonen - 342.5 - 19
20 - Timo Glock - 274 - 20
21 - Nico Hulkenberg - 257 - 21
22 - Vitantonio Liuzzi - 216 - 22
23 - Paul DiResta - 196 - 23
24 - Giancarlo Fisichella 150.5 - 24
25 - Sergio Perez - 106 - 27
26 - Kazuki Nakajima - 102 - 26
27 - Pedro De La Rosa - 101 - 25
28 - Pastor Maldonado - 98 - 28
29 - Jerome D'Ambrosio - 70 - 31
30 - Bruno Senna - 65 - 32
31 - Sebastian Bourdais - 57.5 - 30
32 - Nelson Piquet Jnr - 54 - 29
33 - Lucas Di Grassi - 48 - 33
34 - Karun Chandhok - 35 - 34
35 - Sakon Yamamoto - 33 - 34
36 - Romain Grosjean - 25 - 36
37 - Narain Karthikeyan - 22 - 38
38 - David Coulthard - 20 - 37
39 - Daniel Ricciado - 14 - 39
40 - Luca Badoer - 9 - 40
41 - Christian Klien - 2 - 41

2011 Belgium Grand Prix - Race

Sebastian Vettel won a fantastic Belgium Grand Prix, defeating Mark Webber & Jenson Button to his first win since the European GP.

Before the race started, several teams complained to the FIA, asking for a change of tyres due. The tyres used in Q3 had blistered, with teams believing that they would have compromised starts. The FIA put their foot down, saying the blistering was down to excess camber used by the teams, leaving the teams with no choice but to keep their poor tyres on their cars.

When the race got underway, there was a collision at the first corner. Bruno Senna got in the way of Jaime Alguersuari, he then clipped the back of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, sending him wide. At the front, Nico Rosberg had got a brilliant start, and was in first going into Les Combes. He lead Vettel, Massa, Hamilton & Alonso, with Webber slipping down the grid to 8th. Alonso soon took Hamilton, and set about catching his teammate. Meanwhile, Webber pitted for new tyres, and Button came in for a new front wing. By lap 5, Sebastian Vettel needed new tyres and pitted. This gave Rosberg the lead, but not for long. Alonso had steamed past Massa, and with DRS and KERS he eased past Nico for the lead. On new tyres, Vettel was the fastest man, but was stuck in traffic. Alonso soon followed suit for new tyres, and on his way out, met Mark Webber, and just about got out of his way going up Eau Rouge. It did not cost the Spaniard as he soon re-took Mark with his DRS.

Lewis Hamilton had come in for tyres as well. On his exit he found himself behind Kamui Kobayashi. He closed the gap with DRS and KERS, and as he came around Les Combes he seemed to have the lead. But as both started to turn for the corner, they collided, with Lewis going off into the barrier, and out of the race. The safety car was deployed while Lewis' McLaren was removed, and Kamui came into the pits for a new front wing. At the very front, Vettel came in for a new set of tyres during the safety car period, and rejoining behind Alonso and Webber. After the shake up of pitstops and retirements, Michael Scumacher had managed to jump to 9th, and Jenson Button had moved up to 11th.

When the safety car left the track, Sebastian Vettel soon got past his team mate Mark Webber, and made Alonso his next target. It wasn't long before the gap had been shortened, and wasn't long until the German was into the lead. It was then Vettel, Alonso, & Webber. The men on the move at that time were Schumacher & Button. It wasn't long before Button was fighting Michael for seventh, and not long after that when Jenson had seventh and set about Sutil. Button, at this point, was carving up the field. He eased past Sutil, then Massa and then Rosberg. Button then set about catching the leading three.

At the front, Vettel had made a comfortable gap to Alonso, of about 7 seconds. Behind the Ferrari driver, Mark Webber was starting to catch him. It was starting to become a three way battle for second. However, tyres were going to have the main say in this battle. All four drivers pitted, and Webber gained time on Alonso. The Australian gained on the Spaniard lap by lap, and soon took Fernando to get his Red Bull into second, creating a 1-2 for the Austrian team. Alonso next worry was Button. Closing the gap was easy, almost as easy as the overtake. With a great tow up Eau Rouge, Button caught Alonso, then pulling out of the slipstream he used DRS and KERS to take the final podium spot. Behind these two, the 2 Mercedes drivers were having a similar battle. Michael was faster than Nico, but could not find a way to get past his fellow countryman. However, in a very similar move to the Button-Alonso manoeuvre, Michael found a way past to take 5th.

In then end, Vettel had a 5 second gap as he took the victory, with Webber taking second and Button third. It is Red Bull's first 1-2 since Turkey, their first win in four races, and gives Vettel an even larger gap at the top of the Driver's World Championship.

Race Result
Pos - Driver - Team - Rank
1 - Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull - 1
2 - Mark Webber - Red Bull - 2
3 - Jenson Button - McLaren - 5
4 - Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 4
5 - Michael Schumacher - Mercedes - 11
6 - Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 7
7 - Adrian Sutil - Force India - 10
8 - Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 6
9 - Vitaly Petrov - Renault - 13
10 - Pastor Maldonado - Williams - 28
11 - Paul Di Resta - Force India - 23
12 - Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber - 15
13 - Bruno Senna - Renault - 32
14 - Jarno Trulli - Lotus - 18
15 - Heikki Kovalainen - Lotus - 17
16 - Rubens Barrichello - Williams - 8
17 - Jerome D'Ambrosio - Virgin - 31
18 - Timo Glock - Virgin - 20
19 - Vitantonio Liuzzi - HRT - 22
R - Sergio Perez - Sauber - 27
R - Daniel Ricciardo -HRT - 39
R - Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - 3
R - Sebastian Buemi - Toro Rosso - 14
R - Jaime Alguersuari - Toro Rosso - 16

2011 Belgium Grand Prix - Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel continued his dominance of F1 after the mid-season break with a great pole position, beating Hamilton and Webber.

Q1 started with doubts about the weather. In all free practices, rain was the word on everyone's lips, with the track drenched. All the cars out first went out on the intermediate tyres. There was no rain, but the track was very damp. On his 20th anniversary, Michael Schumacher lost grip within in first minutes of Q1, and crashed his car into the barriers. With the track continuously drying, lap times were tumbling, and drivers were always climbing and falling the grid. With the chequered flag out, it was the two Lotus', Vrigins and HRTs joining Michael out. But Heikki Kovalainen pulled out a great lap time to make it through to Q2, pushing out Paul Di Resta.

Q2 started with rain, but as soon as the cars went out, the rain started to decrease. As drivers tried to miss the rain, Adrian Sutil had a moment at the top of Eau Rouge. He goes over the wet kerb, and with limited grip, spins his Force India, and hits the barrier. With debris on the track, the Red Flag came out. This was damaging for Alonso, who was on his out-lap, and sat in the bottom 7. When the green flag came out, it was deja vu, with all the drivers out, the top 17 was always changing. Every driver at some time was in the drop-zone. In the end, the biggest scalp was Jenson Button, dropping out with Buemi, Kobayashi, Barrichello, Sutil & Maldonado. To get through to Q3, Lewis had traffic around the last corner, and touched Maldonado on the exit. Getting through to Q3, he relaxed, when Pastor Maldonado pulled up beside Lewis Hamilton and seemed to swipe across his nose. Whether on purpose or not , it was very suspicious, and will surely go to the stewards.

Q3 started with a dry line, and drivers going out on the soft tyres. Hamilton made it out with damage to the right hand side to his car. Again, times were always dropping. Webber was on provisional pole for most of the session, but his last lap was poor, first he was beaten by Hamilton, but he was followed by a faster Vettel. They beat brilliant drivers from Massa, Rosberg and Alguersuari. Alonso had a very poor Q3, and will start 8th tomorrow ahead of Perez and Petrov.

Grid For Tomorrow's Race
Pos - Driver - Team - Rank
1 - Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull - 1
2 - Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - 3
3 - Mark Webber - Red Bull - 2
4 - Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 6
5 - Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 7
6 - Jaime Algursuari - Toro Rosso - 16
7 - Bruno Senna - Renault - 32
8 - Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 4
9 - Sergio Perez - Sauber - 27
10 - Vitaly Petrov - Renault - 13
11 - Sebastian Buemi - Toro Rosso - 14
12 - Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber - 15
13 - Jenson Button - McLaren - 5
14 - Rubens Barrichello - Williams - 8
15 - Adrian Sutil - Force India - 10
16 - Pastor Maldonado - Williams - 28
17 - Heikki Kovalainen - Lotus - 17
18 - Paul Di Resta - Force India - 23
19 - Jarno Trulli - Lotus - 18
20 - Timo Glock - Virgin - 20
*21 - Jerome D'Ambrosio - Virgin - 31
*22 - Vitantonio Liuzzi - HRT - 22
*23 - Daniel Ricciardo - HRT - 39
24 - Michael Schumacher - Mercedes - 11

*Jerome D'Ambrosio, Vitantonio Liuzzi & Daniel Ricciardo failed to set a time within the 107% rule.

Mid Season Report - Red Bull

Red Bull Racing

Sebastian Vettel - Mark Webber

1 --- Current Rank --- 2
3396.5 --- Current Points --- 2464.5
0 --- Rankings Change --- 0
+738.5 --- Points Change --- +235.5
1st --- Highest Race Finish --- 2nd
3 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

5 --- Total --- 0

What can you say about Red Bull? They have, without a doubt, been the number one team this year. And in that team, Sebastian Vettel has by far been their number one driver. 6 wins in the first 8 races, 8 pole positions so far this year, and an 85 point lead over Mark Webber. In the rankings, Vettel is running away as well. He nearly has a 1000 point lead over Mark, and who can stop him? Currently, he seems to be slipping. But is a fourth place really a slip? It is going to take a couple, if not several, DNFs for the young German. As for Mark Webber, he is going to have to driver for his life in all the remaining races. After signing on for next year, Mark can now concentrate on finishing 2011.

Md Season Report - McLaren

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton - Jenson Button

3 --- Current Rank --- 5
2257 --- Current Points --- 1681
0 --- Rankings Change --- 0
+121 --- Points Change --- +23.5
1st --- Highest Race Finish --- 1st
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

3 --- Total --- 0

McLaren, through the majority of this season, have been the second best team on the grid. Both driver's have achieved a race win. A stat not shared with another team. And in the last 5 races, 3 of them have been won by a McLaren. It may be that the mid season break has come at the wrong time for the McLaren team, only time will tell. What is obvious is that they have closed some of the gap to Red Bull. It will be very important that McLaren land back on their feet in Belgium, or they could start to see both titles slip away for another year.

Mid Season Report - Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Fernando Alonso - Felipe Massa

4 --- Current Rank --- 6
2086 --- Current Points --- 1148.5
0 --- Rankings Change --- 0
+124.5 --- Points Change --- -90
1st --- Highest Race Finish --- 5th
1 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

5 --- Total --- 0

At a look at those stats above, it really is miserable reading for Felipe Massa. Like 2010, Fernando Alonso has easily been the number one driver at Ferrari. He got their only wins last year; so far, he is the only Ferrari driver to even appear on the podium. This has been the worst thing that could happen to the Spaniard. Like last year, he is Ferrari's one driver, who has a realistic chance of the World Driver's Championship, so they can put all their resources behind him. In the rival teams, the two drivers are still competing to be Number One. But, whatever that means, Ferrari still have to create a fast enough car to beat the Red Bulls and McLarens. On average, they have been the third fastest car on the grid, and they need to catch up fast if they have any hope of a title at the end of the year.

Latest F1 News

A New Toro Rosso Driver?
Another week, and another Toro Rosso rumour. After doubts over Jaime Alguersauri, and the possibility of Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso must be sick of the rumour mill. The gossip at the moment is around Jean-Eric Vergne. This youngster is another Red Bull protege, and he could be given the chance at the end of the season. Now this could just be during a Friday Practice session, but it could put more pressure on Jaime and Sebastian Buemi.

Grosjean For Barrichello?
As the season nears it's close, rumours start coming thick and fast. With Williams' poor form in 2011, could Rubens Barrichello be about to say goodbye? Or do Williams need the money of another pay driver?If either are true, it looks like Romain Grosjean could be the man to take his place. If anything did happen, it would be an unpopular choice as Rubens is a fans favourite.

Mid Season Report - Mercedes

Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team

Michael Schumacher - Nico Rosberg

11 --- Current Rank --- 7
508 --- Current Points --- 892.5
+4 --- Rankings Change --- +2
+70 --- Points Change --- -45.5
4th --- Highest Race Finish --- 5th
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

3 --- Total --- 2

After all the hype pre-season of possible race wins, Mercedes have not lived up to their expectations. Currently they are still waiting for their first podium of the season. Their form has been their major problem. They seem unable to have continued success, and often follow a great race week-end by having a poor race week-end. Between the drivers, both seem to be very close. Nico Rosberg seems to have the qualifying pace; however, when it comes to a race situation, he has not been successful of improving his position. On the other hand, Michael has had some very poor Saturdays, leaving him down the field. This has given him work to do on the Sundays; but, he has seemed capable of climbing through the field. Their largest problem though is just raw pace. They are, though, still the fourth best team, and very rarely do you see them competing with The Big Three.

Mid Season Report - Renault

Lotus Renault GP

Nick Heidfeld - Vitaly Petrov

12--- Current Rank --- 13
494 --- Current Points --- 456
+2 --- Rankings Change --- +7
+43 --- Points Change --- +146
3rd --- Highest Race Finish --- 3rd
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 1

2 --- Total --- 3

Renault have had a fairly topsy-turvy season so far. The team got off to such a fantastic start to the season. Vitaly Petrov took third in Melbourne, and then Nick Heidfeld got a third place at Malaysia. After that, they seem to have gone downhill, with a fifth place being the best finish by either driver. Rumours currently circulating the paddock is Renault are struggling with money. It could explain their decision to replace Nick Heidfeld with Bruno Senna (a pay-driver). But even without money issues, the team and their two experienced drivers have to be disappointed with their 2011 so far. Hopefully, they can start to compete more with Mercedes, and then try for another podium.

Latest F1 News

Heidfeld Out, Senna In
Starting from this weekends Belgium GP, Bruno Senna will take the place of Nick Heidfeld in the Renault team. It is understood that Senna will compete in all of the remaining races. It had been rumoured that Heidfeld was on the way out, and with money being a problem for Renault, another pay-driver could help balance the books. Many will be saddened by this decision, and hope that we do see more of Quick Nick. But also, many fans fealt that Bruno did deserve a second chance in F1, after a season in the underperforming HRT team.

No DRS For Eau Rouge
The FIA have announced that drivers cannot use the Drag Reduction System through the Eau Rougr corners in Spa. In a similar stance to the Monaco Tunnel, the DRS system will be allowed in all other parts of the track, bar the famous 180mph bends. It is no real suprise, as accidents have occured there without any beneficial add-one to the car.

Mid Season Report - Sauber

Sauber F1 Team

Kamui Kobayashi - Sergio Perez

15--- Current Rank --- 27
416 --- Current Points --- 106
+6 --- Rankings Change --- +10
+131 --- Points Change --- +106
5th --- Highest Race Finish --- 7th
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 2

4--- Total --- 2

Sauber are one of the surprises of 2011. They have constantly been the best of the midfield teams, and they have often beaten Renualt and Mercedes. Their qualifying pace has not been up to scratch, but race pace, and race strategy are two of the best in the sport. To go with a great leader, they have two talented, young drivers. Kamui Kobayashi is one of the best drivers on the grid in 2011. He went on a run of 6 races in a row with a top 10 finish. At the driver's circuit - Monaco - he came a career best fifth, and their were phases at the long Canadian GP where he was in second. In the seat next to him, Sergio Perez has not been totally outshone. The new Mexican has got many plaudits through the year. With both driver's signed up for 2012, Sauber look to have a winning combination, the only question left is - How long can they keep them?

Mid Season Report - Force India

Force India F1 Team

Adrian Sutil - Paul Di Resta

10--- Current Rank --- 23
562.5 --- Current Points --- 176
+2 --- Rankings Change --- +14
+50.5 --- Points Change --- +176
6th --- Highest Race Finish --- 7th
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

3--- Total --- 2

Force India have been fairly quiet so far this season. After mid-season hype saying that they would be pushing to be the 6th best team on the grid, the haven't lived upto expectations. They do seem to have a good signing in Paul Di Resta though. He is the best rookie of 2011 so far, and has been capable at battling with the bigger drivers, with a seventh place at Hungary. However, bar that 7th, he has two 10th places, and they are his only top 10 finishes. However, Adrian Sutil has not done much better. He has finished higher, getting sixth in Germany, but he, like his team, has not lived upto expectations. Currently they are in the middle of the midfield teams, and it looks like it may stay that way for the rest of 2011.

Mid Season Report - Toro Rosso

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Sebastian Buemi - Jaime Alguersuari

14--- Current Rank --- 16
448.5 --- Current Points --- 404
+3 --- Rankings Change --- +3
+99.5 --- Points Change --- +74
8th --- Highest Race Finish --- 8th
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

3 --- Total --- 0

After a sluggish start to the season, Toro Rosso have started to come to life. After famous historical moments to live up to, pressure is always high for the small team. Recently, Toro Rosso and their two drivers have started to improve to show they can live up to some of their expectations. With both drivers being under pressure at some point of the season, both Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari managed to ignore the rumour mill, and get on with racing. Both have got an 8th place finish twice in the first half of the season, and both have gained places in the rankings. They have also improved their points tally, and if they have continued success, they will start to draw the attention of the larger teams, like Red Bull. The stats above say Sebastian Buemi has outshone his Spanish team mate, but in the last five races, the lowest he has finished is 12th, and in the other four races, he has finished in the top 10.

Mid Season Report - Williams

AT&T Williams

Rubens Barrichello --- Pastor Maldonado

8 --- Current Rank --- 28
816 --- Current Points --- 76
0 --- Rankings Change --- +9
-178 --- Points Change --- +76
9th --- Highest Race Finish --- 14th
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 2

3 --- Total --- 3

To the disappointment of most F1 fans, Williams have found themselves at the bottom of the F1 pile. Currently they are the slowest of the midfield teams, and their gap to Lotus is slowly shrinking. With ninth being their best position so far, 2011 is looking like a year to forget. However, their could be light at the end of the tunnel. In their drivers they have the most experienced driver ever in F1. Rubens is an F1 legend, and I am sure if he had it his way, he will be racing for another 40 years. Next to him they have a rookie who is steadily growing in confidence. After a impressive drive at Monaco, a proper driver's circuit, Pastor has begun to draw in a few fans in the F1 circus, and with two Climber Of The Month awards, he is obviously a driver on the up. Looking further into their future, 2012 could be a return to some sort of success, as the re-link up with Renault, to hopefully bring success to one of F1's most loved teams.

Mid Season Report - Lotus

Team Lotus

Heikki Kovalainen --- Jarno Trulli

17 --- Current Rank --- 18
397.5 --- Current Points --- 364
-6 --- Rankings Change --- -5
-150.5 --- Points Change --- -133.5
14th --- Highest Race Finish --- 13th
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

2 --- Total --- 3

Team Lotus are still considered to be the best of the "new teams". Throughout 2011, they have outpaced Virgin & HRT, and compared to 2010, they have closed the gap, slightly, to the midfield teams. Both experienced drivers have really helped the team to gain them valuable seconds. With Trulli getting as high as 13th already, it will not be long before Team Lotus are up their in the top 10. Which driver it will be is any one's guess. Both have dropped ranking points due to their previous success. However, that should not put them off. Lotus don't have the raw pace, yet, to gain a 10th place or better without luck on their side. But their time will come, and then Lotus should gain their strength to pursue higher positions.

Mid Season Report - HRT

Hispania Racing Team

DRIVERS - Vitantonio Liuzzi --- Narain Karthikeyan --- Daniel Ricciardo

CURRENT RANK : 22 --- 38 --- 39
CURRENT POINTS : 220 --- 22 --- 14
RANKINGS CHANGE : 0 --- -1 --- +2
POINTS CHANGE : -36 --- +22 --- +14
HIGHEST RACE FINISH : 13th --- 17th --- 18th
DOM/COM AWARDS : 0 --- 0 --- 0

TOTAL : 3 --- 1 --- 1

After poor race pace in 2010, many people were hoping to see HRT improve, and no longer be at the back of the grid. They are certainly on an upward curve, with 2011 being a lot better than 2010. They have the ability to compete with Virgin, and are closing the gap on Lotus, and the midfield teams. Within the team, it is obvious that Vitantonio Liuzzi has taken the Number One spot. In the first part of the season, he was easily faster than Narain Karthikeyan. But with the Indian under perfoming, Daniel Ricciardo was drafted in to finish the season. He seems to be a more difficult nut to crack. The Australian beat Tonio in Hungary, and the youngster will be looking to make a name for himself as he looks to get experience under his belt.

Mid Season Report - Virgin

Marussia Virgin Racing

Timo Glock --- Jerome D'Ambrosio

20 --- Current Rank --- 31
308.5 --- Current Points --- 62
-4 --- Rankings Change --- +6
-82 --- Points Change --- +62
15th --- Highest Race Finish --- 14th
0 --- DOM/COM Awards --- 0

2 --- Total --- 3

Even though it is Timo Glock who has the experience, it looks like Jerome D'Ambrosio could be making the young German sweat a bit. Jerome has done better, rankings wise, in 2011 compared to Timo. But, even more surprisingly, the Belgian has finished higher. Both are still hoping to be the first to get Virgin's first Official Points, and looking at the stats above, it could be either one.

Climber Of The Month - Pastor Maldonado

After a very consistent July, Pastor Maldonado takes the Climber Of The Month award. Still looking for his first Official Points, Pastor is very eager to get among the top 10. However, he has been gaining good solid Ranking Points to slowly push his way up the ladder. In Britain, Germany & Hungary he finished 14th, 14th & 16th respectively. In July, the Williams Driver broke into the Top 30, and sits now in 28th, and he is getting prepared to push up, and should make the Top 25 by the end of the season.

Pos - Driver - +/- Pos.
1 - Pastor Maldonado -+5
2 - Sergio Perez - +4
3 - Paul DiResta - +3
3 - Jaime Alguersuari - +3
5 - Vitaly Petrov - +2
5 - Daniel Ricciardo - +2

Driver Of The Month - Fernando Alonso

After a month where the title battle may have twisted, it was time that another Driver Of The Month was chosen. Fernando Alonso takes over from Sebastian Vettel, and he hopes to copy 2010 in the giant push for the World Driver's Championships in the last half of the season. He certainly had a great July, collecting his first win of 2011, and keeping up form to finish on the podium in the other two races, something that was not copied by another driver. The Spaniard has now been on the podium for 5 out of the last 6 races, and with a strong team behind him, who could doubt Fernando's chance of a third Driver's Title, and a pop at the Number One rankings which he has not held since his Renault days!

Pos - Driver - + Ranks
1 - Fernando Alonso - +115.5
2 - Lewis Hamilton - +88.5
3 - Mark Webber - +73.5
4 - Felipe Massa - +65.5
5 - Sergio Perez - +60