Birthdays for Chris Irwin and Nico Rosberg

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Nico Rosberg

Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg (26 today) and former Grand Prix driver Chris Irwin (69 today) are celebrating their respective birthdays!

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Alonso, Hamilton concede title hopes are over

RichardsF1    F1 2011, Formula 1     Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel

Eight races into the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship, and two of Sebastian Vettel’s main championship rivals have all but given up hope of taking the championship fight to runaway title leader Sebastian Vettel.

After winning the European Grand Prix yesterday, the Red Bull driver has extended his championship lead to an astounding 77 points over joint-second placed Jenson Button and Mark Webber.

Fourth in the title fight – albeit it 89 points adrift – is Lewis Hamilton, who told reporters after finishing a distant fourth on the streets of Valencia that he had no hopes of challenging for a second championship crown.

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RichardsF1.com Tipping Competition Leaderboard

RichardsF1    F1 2011, Formula 1, Tipping Competition    

Well, it wasn’t what you’d call an enthralling European Grand Prix, but a mixed bag of results has made the RichardsF1.com Tipping Competition all the more interesting.

A five-point bonus is given to anyone who gets a perfect round, and prizes are still on offer for the first tipster to collect a clean sweep of results!

Six tipsters came oh-so-close to achieving this feat, each missing out on the bonus points’ haul by one selection!

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2011 Formula 1 Championship Standings

RichardsF1    Championship Standings, F1 2011, Formula 1    

Current championship standings of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship season after the completion of the European Grand Prix (Round 8).

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European GP: Vettel takes sixth win of the year

RichardsF1    F1 2011, Formula 1, Results    

That error in Montreal just two weeks ago is seemingly a dot in Sebastian Vettel’s rearview mirrors, after the Red Bull Racing driver resumed his almost total domination of the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship season by comfortably winning the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

The defending world champion was never really threatened after leading away from pole position, setting up his race with an early sprint to build a three-season lead in the early laps. He then maintained and steadily built that advantage for the remainder of the race, winning from Fernando Alonso by over 10 seconds. Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber finished third.

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Pikes Peak, Nürburgring and, um…

RichardsF1    Features     Circuit News, Hermann Tilke

Aside from this weekend’s European Grand Prix, two other major motorsport events are taking place this weekend: the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

These two events could not occur at more spectacular venues. The tortuous Nürburgring Nordschleife is well-known by all who have an understanding of the history of Formula 1, but perhaps fewer will be aware of the existence of Pikes Peak, which is among the most famous rally hill climb events in the world.

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2011 IndyCars Championship Standings

RichardsF1    Championship Standings, IndyCar    

Current championship standings of the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship season after the completion of Iowa Corn Indy 250 (Round 8).

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IndyCars: Andretti name returns to winning

RichardsF1    IndyCar, Race Reviews, Results    

For the first time in 79 races, Marco Andretti finally shook off suggestions he couldn’t win again, driving a commanding race to take victory in the Iowa Corn 250 today. Our IndyCar correspondent Matt Lennon takes a look at a fascinating Iowa Corn Indy 250…

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It’s Philippe Streiff’s birthday today!

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Philippe Streiff

Former Grand Prix driver Philippe Streiff is turning 56 years old today.

Streiff started in 53 Grands Prix between 1984 and 1988 (finishing once on the podium) before a pre-race testing accident at Rio de Janeiro behind the wheel of an AGS in 1989 saw him confined to a wheelchair.

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Trulli denies F1 quit rumours

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Jarno Trulli, Team Lotus

Jarno Trulli has rejected suggestions that this year will be his last in Formula 1.

An interview published in La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested that the Italian was unhappy with how his second season with Team Lotus was panning out, where he was also quoted that he “could have a look around” at other options outside Formula 1.

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Priaulx on the mend after tumour scare

RichardsF1    News, WTCC     Andy Priaulx

Triple World Touring Car Champion Any Priaulx has undergone a successful operation to remove a lump on his thyroid gland, with the Guernseyman reporting that all has gone well.

Priaulx, who now competes with BMW in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup series after six years in the World Touring Car Championship, discovered the lump during a routine check-up in the lead up to this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, in which he finished on the podium in the GT class.

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European GP: Post-Qualifying Press Conference

RichardsF1    F1 2011, Formula 1     Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Press Conferences, Sebastian Vettel

Q. Sebastian, you said all along this week that the new regulations on engine mapping wouldn’t affect Red Bull and as you are on pole I assume you are correct.

Sebastian VETTEL: I didn’t say that. There was obviously a lot of talk beforehand going into this grand prix and there will be a lot of talk before the next grand prix. But everyone will lose out something. People expect us to lose more than others but that’s where I disagree.

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European GP: Yet another Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying

RichardsF1    F1 2011, Formula 1, Results    

Sebastian Vettel has romped to yet another pole position of the season, taking his seventh pole position in the eight rounds to-date this year with another commanding  display at Valencia for this weekend’s European Grand Prix.

The German’s 22nd pole position moves him to tenth on the all-time list, just two more behind former triple World Champions Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet. It is also Vettel’s thirteenth consecutive front-row start, and the team’s ninth consecutive pole position.

Vettel will start tomorrow’s race alongside team-mate Mark Webber – who posted a late lap in Q3 to move up to second place on the grid – while Lewis Hamilton was able to deny Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso of third place on the grid.

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WTCC: Change in line-up at Wiechers Sport

RichardsF1    News, WTCC    

The Wiechers-Sport BMW team has announced it has parted ways with underperforming Swiss rookie Urs Sonderegger with immediate effect, while confirming that former WTCC Independents’ champion Stefano D’Aste will reunite with the team for next weekend’s round at Porto.

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IndyCars: Sato clinches maiden IndyCar pole

RichardsF1    IndyCar, Results    

Takuma Sato has secured the first pole position of his IndyCar career, after lapping the Iowa Speedway quickest in qualifying for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 round. The result marked the first ever pole position for the Japanese driver in the history of the IndyCar championship series.

Sato’s Group Lotus-backed KV Racing outfit has looked solid on short-course ovals, and it proved true to form again with his team-mate Tony Kanaan qualifying third-fastest after holding provisional pole earlier in the session.

In a weekend of upset results, Danica Patrick qualified on the front row alongside Sato, marking the Andretti team – and Patrick’s – best result all season.

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