Any Formula 1 racing fans out there?

[ZO6]

Wild race today!

How about that rush to the pit stop when the SC was out? Kubica being released into Sutil, Rosberg having his tire fly off - yikes! Glad to see no one was seriously hurt during all of that.

A number of retirements today that I didn't want to see happen, but it seems that Hamilton paid the biggest price.

The Red Bulls sure were fast this weekend, so I was pleased to see Alonso finish 2nd, and Massa not terribly far behind in 4th.

Along with some other fines to Renault and Mercedes, it seems Schumacher will be receiving a 10-place gride penalty in Spa for his stunt practically running Barrichello into the wall. Again, glad to see no harm come of this, but really Schumi? Barrichello had you, don't be such a dangerous driver!

The 3 week break until Spa will surely be worth the wait. The rest of this season could be mighty intense.

[KimT]

Indeed.

Schumi overdid it - not a great comeback for him.

A shame to see Renault release Kubica too soon - what a blunder

Petrov showed good pace and skill today

Vettel really didn't impress me much (again!).

What a rookie's mistake to stay too far behind the driver in front of him during the SC period

He handed the 1st place to Webber and 2nd to Alonso - what a dork!

Odd to see the McLarens so out of shape - perhaps their focus is on the 2011 racer already?

[KimT]

From PlanetF1.com on Schumi.

"He is prepared to do anything to win, to prevent anyone else from beating him. That is borne out by his actions."

No prizes for guessing those words refer to Michael Schumacher, and you would be forgiven for thinking they were uttered in the wake of his reckless manoeuvre on Rubens Barrichello in last Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Instead, they are from a television interview given 20 years ago by Damon Hill when he was asked what fuelled the man, what drove him to his acts of desperation.

They underline that over course of two decades little has changed, certainly not on the race track, not when the visor descends and the five red lights disappear to signal the start of a race.

There will be those who will testify, family and close friends, that Schumacher is a devoted loving husband and father, someone far removed from what we see during the course of a grand prix weekend.

Time has at least mellowed Schumacher to some degree because on occasion this season since making his comeback, he has punctuated his press conferences with the odd jovial remark.

Sure, the old traits have never fully disappeared as the 41-year- old, when irked, can be prone to a short, sarcastic response.

Levity, though, was never part of Schumacher's make-up throughout the course of a race weekend when he was previously with Ferrari, winning all those races and titles, racking up those records.

So in terms of character we have seen a different, lighter side to Schumacher.

But more than anything, when he announced his return after three years away, every single one of us was hoping we would see a more honourable man, where it mattered most, on the race track.

It is with great regret we have learned that not to be the case, not after what we witnessed on Sunday when Barrichello came within an inch of being shunted into a concrete wall, potentially coming within an inch of his life.

And this was not a race victory that was on the line here, this is 10th place we are talking about, a scrap for a solitary point.

"That was horrible," screamed Barrichello over the radio, no doubt his life having just flashed before his eyes after seeing the pit wall mercifully come to an end at exactly the right moment.

Schumacher should have been more gracious, opened the door a little wider, after all it was Barrichello who magnanimously stood aside when it was required during their six years at Ferrari, helping the German achieve a record 91 race wins and seven world titles.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with being a hardened competitor because in the world of motor racing there is no room for a driver who does not know how to push to the limit.

But Schumacher has, and clearly always will be, someone who exceeds those limits, someone for whom the fine line between being competitive and wanting to win at all costs is often blurred.

We saw it in Adelaide in 1994 when Schumacher turned into Hill after making a mistake at the previous corner, depriving the Briton of becoming World Champion, and instead capturing his first title.

Fast forward three years later to Jerez when Schumacher attempted to prevent Jacques Villeneuve from completing a pass, instead only to end up in the gravel himself.

Villeneuve went on to take the title and Schumacher was stripped of all his Championship points for that year.

Then there was Monaco 2006 when Schumacher deliberately parked his Ferrari at La Rascasse, preventing title rival Fernando Alonso from claiming pole position.

Now we have Hungary 2010 to add to Schumacher's litany of on-track misdemeanours, underlining the belief he is a flawed genius.

As David Coulthard remarked after the incident: "It is the problem with Michael Schumacher. For all his greatness he never knows when to give it up.

"I'm wondering if that's exactly what he's thinking in terms of his comeback."

You are not alone DC. We all are now wondering whether Schumacher should again call it a day, appreciating he is far from the driver he once was, before he damages his legacy any further.

Many great sportsmen have known when to call it a day, listening to their head and not their heart, realising the futility of trying to recapture former glories.

It would be wise for Schumacher to start listening to his head, to recognise he made a mistake, that he was wrong to return.

Otherwise there will be this gnawing fear his next malefaction may yet go beyond that inch we saw on Sunday and end in tragedy.

I too had expected Schumi to be a little more honourable on track, instead we've gotten this grumpy old man back.

I know it's part of the game, but I'm kinda getting sick at him just being an big behind and cheating whenever he can (or thinks he can) get away with it. (La Racasse, the switch, Damon Hill crash and so on).

Shape up or ship out please!

[ZO6]

Wow, is tomorrow going to be a great race or what!?

Nice to see some of the teams more competitive than before the break, hopefully what we saw during qualifying is an indication that the race might be a bit closer for the first time in a while. It's great to see Kubica take P3, he is long overdue for a good qualifying result. Mostly everyone had a decent qualifying, though it's a shame that Alonso could not translate his strong practice sessions into better than 10th - maybe he'll be able to keep the car on the track better during the race and post some better laps.

[KimT]

What a race!

A shame that Vettel hit Button and forcing him to retire.

Alonso out, Button out and Vettel waaay down in the back really threw the scores up in the air once more.

Hamilton and Webber are now fighting to win the WC.

Great to see the f-duct on the Renault kick some behind - The Button/Vettel incident gave Kubica his podium.

Petrov put the pedal to the metal and fought his way up through the ranks from zero to hero in my opinion.

He started at the back and finished in the points - that's driving and doing a helluva job of it.

Good race, loads of action and now I can't wait for Italy.

[KimT]

Wohooo!

20 races next season.

No new teams - just the 12 slots.

2011 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar:

13/03 Bahrain

27/03 Australia

10/04 Malaysia

17/04 China

08/05 Turkey

22/05 Spain

29/05 Monaco

12/06 Canada

26/06 Europe

10/07 Great Britain

24/07 Germany

31/07 Hungary

28/08 Belgium

11/09 Italy

25/09 Singapore

09/10 Japan

16/10 Korea

30/10 India*

13/11 Abu Dhabi

27/11 Brazil

[KimT]

From Autosport.com

Kimi Raikkonen is making a fresh bid to return to Formula 1 next year after approaching the Renault team for a drive in 2011, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

Although it had looked likely that Raikkonen would remain in the World Rally Championship next year after his switch of discipline for this season, AUTOSPORT has learned that Raikkonen has renewed his interest in getting back to grand prix racing.

Sources have revealed that in the wake of Renault's impressive form at the Belgian Grand Prix, Raikkonen approached the French car manufacturer with the intent of putting a deal together.

It is not clear, however, whether Raikkonen spoke to Renault himself or if it was done through his management team.

Raikkonen has always insisted that he would only come back to F1 if he was in a competitive car - and that is something that Renault now appears to be able to offer him.

But despite Raikkonen's credentials, Renault is in no rush to advance talks with him - and it is still holding on for current driver Vitaly Petrov to prove he can deliver what the team is demanding of him.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier confirmed that Raikkonen had approached the team - and is in contention for a seat alongside Robert Kubica in 2011.

"It is true that the summer has passed and we have had more and more requests - and the guy you mentioned [Raikkonen] is on the radar now," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.

"He is on the radar because he contacted us."

Boullier has long said that the team will keep Petrov next year if the Russian can improve his consistency throughout a whole race weekend - and not make silly errors like his spin in qualifying in Spa and blocking Timo Glock in qualifying at Monza.

When asked what Petrov had to do to convince Renault that he is a better option than Raikkonen, Boullier said: "He is not very far away to be honest.

"It is still very complicated for him to have a complete weekend and be faultless, and that is where he needs to work and focus on, and develop clearly his commitment and dedication."

One of the attractions of Petrov is the commercial possibilities he opens up in Russia, and Boullier said Renault would have to change its approach if it decided to take the Raikkonen route.

"It would be a different strategy for the team," he said. "And that is not a question of personality or having a world championship title - it will cost me more if he is world champion than if he is not. It is not a question of this - it is a different strategy.

"You work differently if you have a rookie - and in supporting him - than if you have two experienced drivers. So it is different.

"We need to think about it. But the priority is Vitaly, and to see how he will develop. If we are convinced then we will keep him definitely. This is the first option.

But there are several other options, and one of them is Kimi."

Boullier said he expected a decision on Renault's 2011 driver line-up to be made before the end of the season.

[Munkay]

Wow! very intense opening Koren GP! 45 minute rain delay, crashes galore, and both red bulls with DNF's! Webber is really kicking himself. Just gos to show you; you need a little luck in racing. Hamilton still has a good chance of clenching the title away from Alonso and the Red Bulls, but it won't be easy. Alonso seems to get better each GP, and if the RB's can stay reliable, they might have it in the bag. Next two races are going to be sweet!

[ZO6]

Japan and Korea were intense! I expected Korea to be pretty unpredictable with it being a new track and all, but that sure was a wild race. I really hope Alonso can finish the next two races on the podium and take the drivers championship. It looks as though Red Bull will manage to take the constructors trophy so long as they're able to get Vettel and Webber across the line.

I'm really looking forward to Brazil. I love the track, and with the points being this close still anything can happen.

On a somewhat related note...

I don't game much anymore, but I picked up a copy of the F1 2010 video game and have been having a blast with it. Great sense of speed and as expected the cars are a hoot to drive.

[Randal]

I wish they still held the Detroit Grand Prix... I guess I should stop holding out for a return, as it's been 22 years. =(

[Munkay]

Alright peeps. Last race of the season, lets hear your predations!!

[ZO6]

While I don't see Alonso winning the race (Vettel has got it so long as the car doesn't give up on him), I do see him finishing in the top three and taking the drivers championship. I'm sure Hamilton will give one heck of a fight, but I can't help but feel that he'll push too hard and end up crashing out somehow. I don't see Webber getting on the podium, I think he is out of luck for the season.

However, one of the biggest thrills in watching F1 is the unpredictability of it all. I hope Alonso takes the drivers championship, but really anything can happen. It will surely be one heck of a race!

[Plastic Nurak]

Gosh, it seems Alonso is goin' to be a 'silver' one .

[Skalldyr]

Gosh, it seems Alonso is goin' to be a 'silver' one .

HEHE,

Like Vettel said: "I LOVE YOU!" Go vettel Go

[RoryoCox]

It was a great race today and I think Vettel deserved to win the race and title. I can't wait to next season to see the action and controversy.

[Space Odysseyer]

I started supporting Sebastian after Monza 2008 and now I'm very happy for him!

[KimT]

Red Bull deserved both championships, but let's not forget that Renault finally got it together and kept Alonso and Webber in the back of the pack

I wonder if Petrov's race might result in Raikonnen not being part of Renault next season?

And what about Hulkenberg? He's out of Williams and currently without a seat.

Let the Off-Season begin

I wouldnø't have minded it, had Alonso been champion.

he's one of the best there is - it's just that darn team order that handed him 7 points that would have ruined the whole thing - perhaps team orders are out next year?