Only three current F1 drivers can win grands prix without sitting in the best car.
That is the claim of McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa, who hailed Lewis Hamilton’s return from poor form to win the Abu Dhabi grand prix on Sunday.

“I had the feeling he always had a few tenths in his pocket, and his pace on the hard tyres was very strong,” the veteran Spaniard is quoted by EFE news agency.

“For me, Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso are the only drivers who can win grands prix without having the best car on the grid,” added de la Rosa.

A happy Hamilton said after winning on Sunday that beating his old nemesis Fernando Alonso made the victory feel even more special.

“I think it was one of my best races. I said that to myself as I slowed down, just being able to hold off one of the best drivers in the world throughout the race is something that is very, very tough to do,” said the Briton.

Alonso’s second place, meanwhile, means the Ferrari driver has now collected a trophy from every circuit he has ever raced on in formula one.

“I have them from all the circuits that I have raced on in formula one … so now I have completed all the circuits,” he smiled. “So, (I’m) happy.”

Lewis Hamilton’s latest troubles are attracting more attention than his teammmate’s sensational win in Canada.
“Lewis HamilDUMM” (dumm/stupid) read the headline in the German newspaper Bild, after more collisions and controversy in Montreal.

“In many respects it is a shame because Button’s sensational victory in a frankly unforgettable grand prix should really take the headlines,” wrote David Coulthard in his latest Telegraph column.

El Mundo newspaper after Canada described Button as the “gentleman de los circuitos”, while McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh said the last-lap win was among the greatest in F1 history.

But typically with the media and its commentators, negativity is the better selling point, with greats including Niki Lauda, Sir Stirling Moss and Emerson Fittipaldi all criticising Hamilton after Canada.

Agreed former McLaren driver John Watson to Talksport radio: “I don’t think he’s in a good place in himself at the minute.”

And lead BBC commentator Martin Brundle added: “He’s collecting car damage when he needs to be finishing races. He has to come at his racing in a different way — it’s not working.”

Button has also commented on his famous teammate’s troubles, but he rebuked Lauda who has called for the FIA to ban Hamilton in order to save lives.

“I don’t agree with that,” the Montreal winner is quoted by the Mirror. “I think his driving style is aggressive and he always goes for gaps.”

And a report in The National said Button added: “Lewis is in the headlines a lot, and a lot of it is because he is bloody good.”

But Button also revealed that he spends no social time with his teammate, and Lauda agrees that part of Hamilton’s problem is his attitude.

“He must calm down and spend less time trying to be a celebrity and a rock star,” the Austrian great wrote in a column for The Sun.

“When times are tough as they are now and he is making mistakes he needs to refocus and concentrate solely on driving,” added Lauda.

Coulthard agrees: “He does seem a bit distracted at present, certainly in contrast to his main rivals.”

But the Scot rubbished Lauda’s claim that he is a threat to the other drivers’ safety, and a spokesman for Hamilton insisted: “While we respect Niki’s views, he is plain wrong in this instance.

“Lewis was cleared by the stewards of causing any accidents on Sunday and has never come close to injuring or purposefully taking out another driver.”

Despite the wet racetrack due to yesterday’s rain, the morning session allowed to collect and prove the single-seaters’ new modifications.

The pilots scheduled for the morning rolled out: Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Nico Hulkenberg, Viantonio Liuzzi, Sebastian Buemi, Michael Schumacher, Timo Glock and Kobayashi.

During the morning two red flags were seen, the second being more significant, because a front wing belonging to Timo Glock’s car roamed in the racetrack and the German pilot passed over it destroying it.

Sebástien Buemi’s Toro Rosso was a surprise making the best time; the pilot from Switzerland lowered his own times.  Alonso remained up to an hour in the boxes doing changes to the F10.  Everything is ready for the evening. The teams expect better racetrack conditions.

Second day’s morning times

1. Sebastian Buemi (Toro Rosso) 1:20.026 (58 laps)
2. Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:20.618 (29)
3. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:21.565 (28)
4. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:21.907 (60)
5. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:21.928 (79)
6. Robert Kubica (Renault) 1:22.129 (43)
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) 1:22.886 (37)
8. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:23.164 (60)
9. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 1:23.190 (41)
10. Timo Glock (Virgin) 1:29.964 (11)

The afternoon session began with comments in the paddock regarding the possibility of seeing Fernando Alonso testing the Ferrari F10.  With a warmer weather and more grip on the tracks the single-seaters started to leave the boxes heading to the Valencian Ricardo Tormo Circuit’s racetrack in Cheste.

With a lost Austrian –we say ‘lost” because we didn’t see him through all the morning (strange thing)-, Lewis Hamilton started by lowering his morning times, 1:12.256, but still far from Felipe Massa’s chronometer and his F10.  That’s how the afternoon started.

At 3:30 the pilot from Austria was seen around the box, and rumors spread with regards to his possible participation in today’s tests.

Massa carried out many tyre tests –we assumed he was testing their performance-, explaining why the Brazilian entered the box continuously.  The same as Ferrari, the rest of the ‘scuderias’ tested their performance, thus the morning times were not improved.

The Renault improved only a bit.  The Polish, Robert Kubica, wearing a completely black helmet, continued to average very high times ( 1:14 ).  The R30 seems to have very little performance evolution compared to its predecessor, last year’s R29.

Today was a hard working day for Nico Rosberg who commanding his Mercedes GP made all kinds of tests.  Yesterday, his single-seater was very fast, but today it was slower marking 1:14. high times and running 25 lap periods to try the tyres out.

The Ferrari engine Sabuer of Kobayashi, after completing a period of 30 laps started to lower its times, becoming one of the fastest of the afternoon ( 1:12.667 ).  The Sauber is giving a good impression in these first tests.

The first impressions of Barichello on his Williams FW32’s Cosworth engine, indicate less speed (point) than the rest.  Specifically, around 8-12km/h (Mercedes and Ferrari).

In a bit more than an hour the session will end.   We’re walking towards the paddock to pick up some feelings.

Today, the Valencian circuit has had around 7.000 spectators, according to the organization.  A good number of people has gotten together to see the tests, so if climate conditions permit it, a higher number is expected for tomorrow with the attendance of Fernando Alonso in the racetrack.

Best times of the day.

1º Massa (1:11.722)

2º Kobayashi (1:12.056)

3º Hamilton (1:12.056)

4º Rosberg (1:12. 899)

5º Barrichello (1:13.377)

Finally, the FIA accepted the proposals made by FOTA and approved the changes to the Formula One World Championship scoring system.

According to FIA’s press release, and subsequent to the meeting that the Formula One Commission held on Monday, the winner of the Grand Prix will be awarded with 25 points, while the second and third places will receive 18 and 15 points, respectively.

The remaining points for the GPs will be allocated up to the tenth pilot that classifies, the following way: 12-10-8-6-4-2-1.  This is a modification to the model proposed by the organization last December with 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1.  Now, the FIA pretends to encourage the ‘run to win’ mentality.

Additionally, but for 2011, the FIA announces changes to the regulation regarding the diffusers.  The height of the main diffuser was reduced from  175mm to 125 mm, while the “magic” double diffusers –key element at the beginning of 2009, in the Brawn GP title-, will be finally excluded..

In addition to the change to the scoring system, each single-seater will only have 11 sets of dry weather tires available, instead of 14, and to encourage the teams to run through the practice sessions, ” a set must be returned before the start of Friday’s second practice session, and two sets before the start of the third practice session.  FOTA’s last proposal has also been accepted: cars having participated in Q3 must start the race on the same set of tyres with which their grid time was set.

Things being like this, all these proposals have to be submitted before the World Motor Sport Council that has to finally give its approval, even though its just a step because this is already a fact.