Of course the car wasn’t to blame…

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Anthony Hamilton, Lewis Hamilton, Nicole Scherzinger

Lewis Hamilton has blamed problems in his personal life – and not the quality of the McLaren car – during the 2010 season as a contributing factor to him not winning a second Drivers’ Championship title this year.

In a bid to recapture the Drivers’ Championship in 2011, Hamilton has pledged to banish “outside intrusions”.

The insight came in a series of radio interviews the Briton provided, where he rated the last season just a six out of ten, despite taking three victories and keeping his championship hopes alive into the final round at Abu Dhabi.

2010 F1 Driver-by-Driver Rankings (Part 2)

RichardsF1    Season Review    

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So just who was the best driver on the grid in 2010?

We continue the Richard’s F1 Driver-By-Driver Rankings series today with Part 2, covering positions 18 to 10 on our countdown.

Our rankings are based on driver form guides, statistics, reviewing of qualifying and race broadcasts, and just a little bit of gut feel. So who floated around the middle of the pack, or perhaps partly failed to live up to the hype? Find out here…

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Happy birthday, Conny Andersson!

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1    

Former Grand Prix driver Conny Andersson is turning 71 today!

At age 29, Swedish-born Andersson was quite a later starter in motorsport, and he found himself stuck on the treadmill of the Formula 3 scene for seven years in the mid-1970s, narrowly missing out to Riccardo Patrese on winning the 1976 European title.

Top Gear Christmas Special (S16E00) Review

RichardsF1    Season 16     James May, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond

Perhaps better known as the ‘Middle East’ special, the opening episode of the sixteenth season of Top Gear – broadcast on Boxing Day – sees our hosts take a trip to the Middle East to re-enact the trip made by the Three Wise Men to pay homage to the Baby Jesus.

All they know is that they must make the journey to Bethlehem using nothing other than a two-seater drop-top car, which Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May respectively pick as a Madza MX5, a Fiat Barchetta and a BMW Z3.

The initial reading of the scenario meant this could only result in plenty of laughs, and no no means does this episode fail to deliver.

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2010 F1 Driver-by-Driver Rankings (Part 1)

RichardsF1    Season Review    

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So just who was the best driver on the grid in 2010?

The inaugural (and annual) Richard’s F1 Driver-by-Driver Rankings are upon us, and what a perfect way to round out the year with a highly opinionated piece such as this, designed to get the fans talking.

All 27 drivers will be ranked in a series of three articles, so have a read and let us know your thoughts.

Our rankings are based on driver form guides, statistics, reviewing of qualifying and race broadcasts, and just a little bit of gut feel. So who exceeded the capabilities of their machinery? And who’s languishing at the bottom of the pile by disappointing us the most? Let’s find out…

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Filippi … F1?

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Luca Filippi

GP2 driver Luca Filippi is aiming for a promotion to Formula 1 in 2011, even if the role  is in a test driver capacity.

The 25-year-old Italian has been something of a fixture in the GP2 championship series since 2006 (picking up two wins), and achieved a best result of second place in the GP2 Asia championship in 2009.

Our Sébastien Buemi interview is on the way!

RichardsF1    Sebastien Buemi     Sebastien Buemi

Our EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Toro Rosso pilot Sébastien Buemi is just having the finishing touches applied, and we’ll hopefully be publishing it in the next day or so!

Make sure you continue checking the site for the latest instalment in our line of interviews with current and former stars of the grid.

Meanwhile, make sure you check out some of our other fantastic interviews by clicking here, or on the links on the ‘Exclusive Interviews’ sidebar.

Pirelli wraps up last test of 2010

RichardsF1    Formula 1, Testing     Pedro de la Rosa, Pirelli, Romain Grosjean, Tyres

Pirelli has wrapped up its final test session of 2010 in preparation for its return to Formula 1, concluding an extended five-day outing at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit where over 3,000km of running was performed.

The company concentrated on refining its 2011 tyre compounds with Romain Grosjean and Pedro de la Rosa (pictured with Pirelli engineers) at the wheel, but the session was interrupted when a sandstorm hit the circuit, forcing an extension to proceedings.

A birthday for Jean-Christophe Boullion!

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Jean-Christophe Boullion, Sauber

Former Sauber driver Jean-Christophe Boullion is turning 41 years old today!

This quiet Frenchman contested 11 Grands Prix for the Sauber team in 1995, drafted in at the expense of out-of-form Karl Wendlinger, but he failed to catch much attention and was back in the wilderness before the year was out.

F1 Racing January 2011 on sale tomorrow!

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Ayrton Senna, Mag Rev-Up, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel, Sir Frank Williams

The January 2011 issue of F1 Racing goes on sale in Australia tomorrow, and there’s plenty of content to keep you interested during the off-season!

Here’s just a taste of what’s inside this month’s issue:

• Ayrton Senna, The Untold Story: Former Williams team manager Ian Harrison opens up for the first time about that black weekend at Imola sixteen years ago.
• Robert Kubica feature: Is he rallying’s next great hope? Well not for the next few years, one would hope…

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Spa boss: D’Ambrosio ‘is not a star’

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Jerome d'Ambrosio, Virgin Racing

With the announcement that Jérôme d’Ambrosio is set to join the 2011 Formula 1 grid with Virgin Racing, the 24-year-old becomes Belgium’s first full-time Grand Prix representative since Bertrand Gachot made his swansong appearance with the hapless Pacific outfit in 1995.

So will his participation see a flood of extra Belgian patrons for the Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps? It’s unlikely, says the event’s promoter…

Happy birthday, Bill Brack!

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1    

Former Grand Prix driver William (Bill) Brack turns 75 today!

Toronto-born Brack started car racing in the early 1960s, when he debuted his company car Mini at an ice-racing competition at Ontario! Brack would later go on to buy the Mini owned by none other than former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown!

Now Mansell supports Group Lotus

RichardsF1    Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Lotus, Nigel Mansell, Team Lotus, Tony Fernandes

Former World Champion Nigel Mansell is the latest Formula 1 figure to enter into the Lotus naming rights debate, and has lent his support to Group Lotus’ partnership with the Renault F1 team.

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WTCC weight limits confirmed for 2011

RichardsF1    News, WTCC     FIA, Rules

The rulemakers have announced the applicable weight restrictions for cars eligible to compete in the 2011 FIA World Touring Car Championship season, which will see two drivetrain configurations and three different engine configurations competing head-to-head.

Between front- and rear-wheel-drive powertrains, there is also the new-for-2011 1.6-litre turbo engine, or the older-spec 2.0-litre turbodiesel, or the 2.0-litre normally-aspirated engine.

43 years ago…

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Christian Fittipaldi, Emerson Fittipaldi

Today might be more notable for the birth of someone else (subject to your religious persuasion), but it was also a special day in the Fittipaldi household some 67 years ago, when ex-F1 driver Wilson Fittipaldi was welcomed into the world!

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