The Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix has been run and won in controversial circumstances with Sebastian Vettel disobeying team orders by passing team mate Mark Webber with just over 10 laps to go, leading home a Red Bull Racing 1-2. After passing the chequered flag, team boss Christian Horner commended Vettel on the win, then promptly suggested that he must of really wanted the win, and that he has some explaining to do. The situation was chillingly reminiscent of Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi for Ferrari at Imola in 1982, with Vettel playing the part of Pironi, and Webber the part of Villeneuve. In that case Gilles vowed never to speak to Pironi again, but sadly Gilles was killed just two weeks later during qualifying at Zolder, trying to beat Pironi who had just pipped him by a tenth of a second. Sebastian Vettel has since admitted his mistake, apologised to the entire team, and promised it will never happen again. Time will tell.
    Opinion on the matter has been wide ranging and divided. Some have suggested that in order to win the championship, you need to be ruthless, hungry and take no prisoners, as you are racing 21 other drivers who all want the same thing. Everyone for themselves with 100% focus purely on yourself and the task at hand. Plus with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso out on lap 2, the extra points could prove invaluable in the long run. Therefore, Vettel's actions were justified. Others feel disciplinary action should be undertaken, reiterating  who Vettel's employers are. Some people, including former McLaren driver and 5 time GP winner John Watson, have gone one step further by calling for a one race ban for Vettel.
    But are there a couple of points people may have missed? After the second round of pitstops, Webber emerged on the option tyre still in the lead with Vettel close behind, prompting Vettel to complain over the radio for a couple of laps that Webber was slow and to get him out of the way. Whether it was a case of Webber taking a couple of laps to bring the tyres up to temperature or those messages getting back to him, he then banged in a couple of fastest laps. So the argument that Webber was holding up Vettel is moot. The call to hold station obviously went out quite early, as Red Bull already had control of the race.
    The next point is that winter testing is just that; in Winter. Plus the Australian GP was run in unseasonal cold conditions. Therefore, despite Malaysia not exhibiting its usual oppressive heat and humidity, it was still the hottest conditions the new 2013 F1 cars and Pirelli tyres had run in. Logically, they had to be nursed home. The teams through car to pit telemetry have much more access to data pertaining to car condition, various temperatures and the like than the driver. The team was especially worried about tyre degradation. An extra pitstop because their drivers were pushing would've compromised Red Bull's command of the race, thus squandering valuable points.
    The final point is that Formula One is a team sport. No driver is bigger than the team. These teams employ anything from 350 to 700 people, all striving to unlock the necessary tenths to propel them to championship glory. Whilst the constructor's championship means little to the average punter, it is of the utmost importance to the F1 teams. Where they finish in the pecking order down to tenth place determines how much of the Formula One Management's TV revenue they are awarded. Sure the teams generate income through sponsorship and personal backing that drivers may bring, but the constructor's championship is their lifeblood, as evidenced by Marussia's disappointment in losing 10th place to Caterham in the closing stages of 2012's season ending Brazilian GP. Besides, do you think every member of an F1 team feels any less joy when winning the constructors than a driver does in winning the driver's championship? You bet they don't!
    So where does this leave Mark Webber? Whilst Red Bull Racing state that they give their drivers equal treatment, the perception from the outside to a lot of people is that there is a clear favoured driver, and it's not Webber. Has his position in the team become untenable? Or will Mark Webber's trademark determination come to the fore? He does after all perform at his best when he feels he's been backed into a corner. More to the point, can Vettel and Webber ever really trust each other anymore as team mates? Let formulafrontrow.com know what you think. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply click on comment.
    On a lighter note, it was pretty funny to see Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pull in to his old team's pitbox, only to be hastily waved on by the McLaren mechanics. Now his dog Roscoe has a paddock pass, we wonder if he could act as a pointer from the Mercedes prat perch to Lewis' pitbox so it doesn't happen again?
    Roll on China. Cheers.....

    As the dust settles on what was another enthralling Australian Formula One Grand Prix, it was Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen that tasted the spoils of victory. With the rapidly degrading 2013 Pirelli tyre dictating that the bulk of the F1 field adopt a three-stop strategy, Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen were able to prevail by stealth with a two-stop strategy. Crushing the opposition by 12.4 seconds, which in Formula One terms is a country mile, Lotus can be well satisfied with their weekend's work in testing weather conditions. Congratulations to the former Toleman/Benetton/Renault now Lotus team. Don't be fooled either by the relaxed, unconcerned demeanour of Kimi Raikkonen. Underneath is a fiercely determined, intelligent quick racer who wants nothing more than to add to his 2007 title. The Lotus and Kimi package must now be surely considered serious contenders for the championship. 
    But what of the two Australians? Red Bull's Mark Webber was unlucky not to capitalise on a front row grid position, as his car's Electronic Control Unit failed to send any telemetry back to his team during the formation lap. Therefore he and his team had no idea as to what the engine, tyre or brake temperatures were, effectively meaning he started blind, thus compromising his start. On top of that, it also translated to his Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) shutting down. The team were able to reboot the ECU, but by this time Webber and Red Bull were already on the back foot. However he raced hard and showed his trademark grit by finishing sixth. ECU suppliers McLaren have since apologised for the glitch.
    Scuderia Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo didn't have the best of starts either and had trouble bringing his tyres up to temperature in the cool conditions. But by lap 10 he was flying, passing cars and fighting for championship points. First race of the season gremlins unfortunately won out in the end, as he later retired with a broken exhaust. Both Aussies will be back bigger and stronger in Malaysia this weekend. 
    With the Australian GP's contract up for renewal after 2015, there are questions being asked regarding the event's viability. The Victorian government currently subsidises the event by an estimated $35m, plus the expenses incurred in erecting and dismantling the Albert Park precinct, which reportedly comes in around $20m. The question is can this expenditure be sustained and whether the return is worth the outlay? At formulafrontrow.com we are constantly banging on about brand exposure and we feel that the benefits resulting from staging such an event is immeasurable. Apart from World Cup Soccer and the summer Olympics, Formula One is the most watched sport on TV in the world. The two aforementioned events are only every four years, whereas F1 is on average every two weeks from March through to the end of November every year. Staging the GP showcases Melbourne and Australia to a global audience exceeding 350 million viewers. This entices people to attend the event in future, or consider coming Down Under just for a holiday when F1 is not in town. What about the direct injection to the Victorian economy and indirectly the Vic. government? Local, interstate and international punters that descend on Melbourne for GP week spend money in bars, restaurants, cafes, take-away food, accommodation, transport and shopping. This boosts local business and permeates through to the Vic. government through state taxes. The money spent is surely incalculable and invaluable for that matter. Let's hope for a successful renegotiation of the GP contract. The Australian Grand Prix Corporation do an amazing job staging the event with a bumper support programme supporting F1 guaranteeing non-stop track action, top shelf off track action such as Nitro Circus, and promoting all Australia has to offer the world. Well done. Can't wait for next year.
    This weekend F1 heads to the oppressive heat and humidity that is Sepang, Malaysia. Will Kimi Raikkonen make it back to back victories for Lotus? Let us know what you think. Drop us a line at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Beware the Prancing Horse at Sepang. Ferrari have jumped out of the box a lot stronger than last year. Fernando Alonso is coming off a strong second in Melbourne and has a good record in Sepang, and team mate Felipe Massa seems to have found the old spring in his step. Watch out....
    

    The 2013 Formula One season has arrived and once again Melbourne, Australia has the distinguished honour of hosting the season's opening event. As usual, F1 winter testing seemed to reveal a different leader of the timesheets each day. No one knows what programme each team is running, and at what stage they are with their development of their new cars. With no real definitive form guide, speculation will undoubtedly crescendo. There's always a certain feeling concocting anticipation, nervousness and thrilling excitement leading into the first event. Mucho fantastico!
    Melbourne itself is a vibrant, exciting city, as evidenced by constantly being voted one of the most liveable cities in the world. Possessing a rich sporting heritage and a hip art and music culture, Melbourne is also renown for it's superb food. A stroll around any number of quiet CBD laneways could reveal colourful street art or a cosy restaurant, or head down to Acland St in St Kilda for an amazing array of cafes to choose from. If shopping's your thing, check out Chapel St or the Bourke St Mall. If you prefer live music, you certainly can't go past the Prince Of Wales Hotel or The Esplanade Hotel, both in St Kilda. Melbourne's parklands are simply sensational. Domain Botanical Gardens, Carlton Gardens, St Kilda Botanical Gardens, are all worth your exploration. A leisurely walk along the Yarra River around Southbank will expose cafes, bars, boutiques, restaurants and shopping malls, not to mention great photo opportunities. A modern city complemented with old and new architecture, spectacular sculptures and fountains, ever present trams, all add up to Melbourne possessing a unique vibe. No trip to Melbourne is complete however, without a visit to the southern hemisphere's highest observation deck on top of the Eureka Tower. Stunning 360 degree views that takes on a whole new dimension at night plus unrivalled views of the Albert Park precinct.
    Which leads us to the circuit. This year the Albert Park street circuit is celebrating 60 years since motorsport converged on the picturesque lakeside circuit. Many people have asked us where the best vantage points are? Turn 1 always offers action a-plenty, but if you'd like to see an F1 car brake from 310km down to an 80km hairpin in the space of 110m, head down to Turn 3. Impressive stuff. The fast left-right chicane at Turns 11+12 offers punters a chance to see an F1 car at it's best as they blast through at 230km on entry and 260km on exit. Jaw dropping stuff. Two of our favourite vantage points are the fast right hand sweepers at Turn 14 and Turn 5. They smash both these corners at around 220km using all the road, whilst the ever-present wall is unwilling to provide any run off at Turn 5. Mesmerising stuff. Being a street circuit the fans are always close to the action.
    As for this year's Formula One championship, we'll make no predictions, except to say, that the cream always rises to the top. 
    As for the Australian Grand Prix, who knows, especially since Pirelli's 2013 spec tyres are another aggressive step forward from 2012. This year they're providing the medium and super-soft compounds, effectively making last year's option tyre, this year's prime tyre. Strategy will certainly be difficult to foresee. Remember though in trying, unpredictable conditions where tyre management is crucial, the most experienced driver on the grid has won three of the last four Aussie GP's; Jenson Button. Intriguing stuff.
    Let us know what you're doing for the Australian Grand Prix. Tell us your prediction for the great race. Leave formulafrontrow.com a comment or drop us a line at: [email protected]. It'll be an awesome event. See you in Melbourne....

    Enthusiastic Sydney fans were eager to witness the new for 2013 V8 Supercar Car Of The Future, and subsequently descended in large numbers for last weekend's Official Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park. A record number for an official pre-season test translated to 17-odd thousand punters attending the free event. 
    The day included a lunchtime fan grid walk with drivers ever present to chat with fans and gladly posing for photos. Fans were then treated to a couple of practise restarts behind the Safety Car. Remember in 2013, restarts are double file. Will the leading driver choose the inside line to cover the run into Turn 1 bearing in mind that it may not always be the racing line where there's more rubber down and therefore grip? The cars will be much closer together definitely raising excitement levels. The last 15 minutes of the day resembled the frantic dying stages of a qualifying session with teams trying to gain a psychological advantage over their rivals going into next weekend's season opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. A great day was had by all.
    But are the big crowd numbers enough to persuade V8 Supercars to include Sydney Motorsport Park as a regular venue on the championship calendar? In the past we've spoken about the importance of brand promotion through TV and online exposure to generate both corporate and fan interest. 
    However it all starts with crowd numbers through the gates doesn't it? Venues and promoters need to know that an event is first of all fiscally viable. Big crowd numbers then entice TV to broadcast the event. This then seduces more fans watching at home to attend next year as it looks like an event you can't miss. Business interest therefore increases as companies see a great avenue to promote their own brands through both team and trackside sponsorship. The cycle continues. Alternatively, if the venue looks half empty on TV, the event seems less appealing to both fans and business, and consequently, interest wanes.
    So do you think that crowd numbers have such a large influence on venues staging events? More importantly, will you be attending the next V8 Supercar event when they return to Sydney Motorsport Park? It is a great facility with the circuit upgrades transforming the circuit. Would love to see the V8's plunging into the new section though. 
    Let us know what you think. Leave a comment or send us an email at: [email protected]. In our next post formulafrontrow.com will be previewing the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. See you soon. Cheers....
    
    

    It's our first anniversary since starting formulafrontrow.com and we'd like to thank all our loyal friends and "surfers" for frequenting this site.
    By now you are no doubt aware that we love our motorsport. Our agenda simply revolves around sharing our exposures with the world with a view to encourage people to attend their own events of choice. We love nothing better than pointing our Nikons at such an exciting, fast moving sport with undertones of danger. The adrenaline rush of an F1 race start, being almost blown off your feet by a Top Fuel Dragstar, witnessing a V8 supercar crash over the kerbs or the deafening roar of a Moto X start. It's a sensory overload that we highly recommend.
    As the 2013 season commences Down Under and since we're celebrating our first birthday, we thought it would be appropriate to inform you of what events we plan on attending and what categories will be featured in future posts. Unfortunately other commitments meant we couldn't stay for the race itself, but this post contains plenty of shots from the Saturday of the Bathurst 12 Hour featuring GT for you to enjoy. Sydney Motorsport Park hosts the official V8 Supercar Test Day next weekend and The Nationals twice in March and July featuring Radical Australia Cup, Formula 3 and a 6 Hour GT endurance race. We'll also catch Formula 3 headlining the Bathurst Motor Festival this Easter and V8 Supercars at the Sydney 500 in December. Sydney Dragway gets a look in with the Nitro Champs in May and the Australian Nationals in November. Two wheel fans need not be worried as Moto X will also be covered. Next month is of course the big one; The Australian Formula One Grand Prix from Albert Park, Melbourne. Lots to look forward to.
    Birthdays are also a time of reflection. Therefore, we would welcome your feedback on formulafrontrow.com and what motorsport categories you'd like to see featured or more of, and what improvements could be made. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment. 
    Have you got you ticket sorted for the Aust. F1 GP yet? Better hurry....
    

    Formula One is a sport which rarely looks back. Sure championship success is celebrated and team past glory anniversaries acknowledged, but in the spirit of competition and gaining a jump on the opposition, the F1 teams are obliged to think of the future and how best to maximise their respective packages.
    Part of that package includes the driver. With the 2013 F1 season merely weeks away, we started to look forward as well, and found ourselves pondering what might be in store for Australia's Daniel Ricciardo at the end of this forthcoming season. Having just finished his first full season as a F1 pilot in 2012 with Red Bull sister team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, he's secured another season with the team. But is this his make or break year with Toro Rosso and Red Bull, or even F1 for that matter?
    Daniel Ricciardo is of no doubt an extremely talented driver. In 2008 he won the  Formula Renault 2.0 Western European Cup and also finished 2nd in the Formula Renault 2.0 European Cup. In 2009 he won the British F3 Championship, and was the first Australian to win that prestigious title since David Brabham in 1989. Funny enough, the same year Ricciardo was born. 2nd in 2010 in Formula Renault 3.5 saw him graduate from F1 tester to full time driver. Impressive pedigree. 
    But Toro Rosso, in return for showing faith in their drivers by rewarding them with a second year, expect them to dramatically improve with the view of moving up to F1's major players, Red Bull Racing. Sebastian Vettel springs to mind. Alternatively, they are notoriously nonchalant in discarding drivers if they don't make the grade, citing business is business. Sebastian Bourdais, Tonio Liuzzi, Jaime Alguersuari, Scott Speed all spring to mind. 
    So is the pressure on Daniel Ricciardo to perform in 2013? Will he be able to meet the expectations of the Red Bull hierarchy, especially talent advisor Dr Helmut Marko? His word alone could promote Ricciardo to a potential Red Bull Racing seat left vacant by a possibly retiring fellow Aussie Mark Webber, or demote him to the F1 fringes. Will Daniel Ricciardo measure up and fulfil his F1 ambitions? Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: [email protected], or simply leave a comment. 
    Cheers. 
    

    At the recent 2012 Sydney 500, V8 Supercars had a display showcasing the new Car Of The Future (COTF) entrusted to contest the V8 Supercar championship from 2013 onwards. Whilst the Erebus Motorsport/ Stone Brothers Racing Mercedes-Benz AMG E-Class was kept closely under wraps, Kelly Racing were displaying their new Nissan Altima COTF, Triple Eight Racing their Holden COTF, and Ford Performance Racing their Ford COTF. These purpose built racing cars are designed with numerous standardised components including chassis, brakes, driver position, engine position and fuel cell position. This all translates to vastly improving safety, part compatibility and simplicity of part manufacturing, therefore reducing costs across the board.
    Rest assured to fans fearing that progress means the end of tradition. After witnessing these cars up close and on circuit with a few demonstration laps at the Sydney 500, their apprehension can be relieved. They look and sound like a V8 Supercar. Drivers are already suggesting that their improved, softer handling will be conducive to closer racing, as they feel that the front end is willing to find an apex, rather than being forcefully monstered towards a corner. They are a snazzy piece of kit.
    This season also sees the introduction of six events with a 60/60 race format, whereas a 120km race is broken into a 60km race, followed by a 15min. break, and then a rolling start for the remaining 60km. This means that teams will not have to adopt fuel conservation modes to reach the chequered flag, rendering drivers free to race as hard as they can. Not only that, V8 Supercars have mirrored Nascar and Indy by decreeing that all restarts be double file. Double file restarts will inevitably raise both drivers and fans' heart rates, as once the Safety Car pulls into the pitlane, half the field will be trying to get the power down offline on the tyre marbles. Exciting times ahead. Ford vs Holden battle will still simmer away with a few Mercedes and Nissan wildcards mixed in for spice. Let us know what you think. Leave formulafrontrow.com a comment or send us an email at: [email protected].  
    The official V8 Supercar test day at Sydney Motorsport Park is lurking closer than you think. Let the new era roll on....
                               Best wishes for 2013. Cheers.

    The 2012 Sydney 500 has been run and won and what a fantastic event it was. V8 Supercars, Dunlop Series, Porsche Carrera Cup, V8 Utes and Australian GT Championship all add up to tin-top heaven for motorsport fans which fittingly arrived en-mass. Jamie Whincup was officially crowned 2012 V8 Supercar champion and team mate Craig Lowndes won the 250km Saturday race in stifling conditions. With ambient temperatures nudging 40 degrees, goodness knows how oppressive is was in the cockpit for the drivers. Ford Performance Racing's Will Davison reversed his recent bad luck with an inspired win in the other 250km Sunday race.
    With this season done and dusted, attention now turns to 2013. Despite initial drafts placing it mid-season, it seems that sanity has prevailed, with the Sydney 500 to remain as the 2013 season finale. We like the idea of a challenging, narrow street circuit where the drivers are fighting the circuit as much as each other, winding up the season. It's the sort of venue where you can lose more time than you can gain if you push too hard.
    However, Sydney Motorsport Park misses out on an event after staging this year's Sydney 360. With only 65- odd thousand through the gates over the two days, could this be because the 2012 event wasn't that well patronised? Would more fans at this year's event have had a greater influence on the 2013 calendar? Being staged late August when the football codes are reaching the business ends of their respective seasons could also have had an effect on crowd numbers and especially TV ratings. Was there simply too much choice for Sydney sports fans? The consolation for Sydney fans is that Sydney Motorsport Park is hosting the official V8 Supercar test day in February. After a few teaser laps at the Sydney 500, we'll finally get to see the new Car Of The Future Holdens, Fords, Nissans and Mercedes' up close. Let's hope the Sydney fans turn up in large numbers. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment. 
    formulafrontrow.com would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and we'll see you in 2013 where another bumper motorsport season beckons. Charge those Nikon batteries....

    The 2012 Formula One season has wound up and what a stonking season it was. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel in winning the driver's crown becoming the sport's youngest triple world champion. He also joins Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher in the exclusive club of winning three consecutive titles. Kudos also to Red Bull Racing for also winning three consecutive constructor's championships. A marvellous achievement for such a young F1 team, which remember morphed out of the Jaguar ashes in 2005.
    The unpredictable nature of this season made foreseeing a winner event to event nigh on impossible. Strategy was always hard to anticipate. Was this down to the Pirelli tyres and their widely acknowledged narrow operating temperatures? Friday practice sessions from Round 1 at Albert Park to Round 20 at Interlagos saw all teams putting down as many laps as possible in a bid to comprehend their rubber and how it reacted to differing fuel loads, circuit configurations and temperatures. The F1 governing FIA asked Pirelli to come up with even more aggressive compounds for 2012 compared to 2011, and on many occasions we saw various cars' tyres insist on their drivers pitting as grip dramatically decreased in the space of a couple of laps.
    We as fans love the fact that Formula One is rarely processional these days. With KERS and DRS spicing up the racing, were Pirelli the overriding factor in contributing uncertainty to this year's fantastic F1 season which celebrated eight different winners? Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Roll on 2013.
    

    Who ever said the Abu Dhabi GP is dull? What an edge of the chair race it was, with Kimi Raikkonen nonchalantly winning for Lotus.
    However there was one image that stuck in our mind. That is Nico Rosberg unavoidably vaulting his Mercedes over the abruptly stricken HRT of Narain Karthikeyan. Fortunately neither driver was hurt and replays show what an excellent job the high cockpit side bodywork did in protecting Karthikeyan. Not that long ago it was a similar scenario at Spa with Lotus' Romain Grosjean and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. A simple yet effective increase to driver protection introduced only a few years ago. Helmet design and construction standards have also increased dramatically since Ferrari's Felipe Massa's near career ending accident at Hungary in 2009. But the work is never done is it? Currently the FIA in conjunction with the F1 Technical Working Group are testing forward roll hoops, canopies and windshields to protect the driver from a frontal impact taking into account the resulting deflected flying debris. Improving driver, marshal and spectator safety is a task with constantly moving goalposts. Let us know what you think. Email us at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    This weekend's penultimate 2012 F1 GP at the newly constructed Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas should be epic. An undulating, purpose built F1 circuit. Bring it on.
    Final thought. At the start of the year formulafrontrow.com was talking about how exciting it is to have an unprecedented six world champions on the 2012 F1 grid. Well, five have now won at least one race, the other is retiring. Ouch!