Williams Confirm Merc Deal

Williams have today confirmed that they will be following the same route as Force India in terms of 2014 engine supplier, as the British team announce they will team up with Mercedes. Despite this, Williams will continue to make their own transmission units, which is anticipated to be a cost cutting measure and one which they currently employ.
After just two years with Renault, Williams have consequently parted company with the French suppliers. Mercedes have been billed as the strongest of all the engine suppliers, however, Williams will have to be cautious when applying their own transmission units to an engine which components and characteristics may be unknown to the team.

Pirelli Delay Amended Compound

Crisis has befallen tyre manufacturers Pirelli, over the past few weeks. After an 82 pit-stop race in Barcelona, they had been strongly criticized for their high degradation compound. Consequently, Pirelli announced that they would be restructuring all dry weather compounds, to make the tyres more durable. While the initial plan was to have the tyres ready for the Canadian Grand Prix, Pirelli have altered the forecast, stating that the new compounds will only be available in practice as they look to further amend them ahead of the British Grand Prix.

Grosjean's Monaco Issues Dismissed

Following a truly shambolic weekend in Monaco, Eric Boullier has dismissed speculation that Romain Grosjean is beginning to devolve into the reckless driver he was just 12 months ago. His hideous misjudgment which ended Daniel Ricciardo's race yesterday is yet another addition to the long list of incidents which have previously earned Grosjean the unsavory title of "Mr.Nutcase".
His clumsy accident in yesterday's race was dubbed a "misjudgment" by the unfortunate Ricciardo, yet Grosjean's mistakes happen all too frequently. In a season which has been confirmed as his second and last chance, he is yet to repay Lotus for the faith they have shown in him. His ten-place grid penalty for causing the nasty collision will significantly hamper his Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

Monaco Grand Prix: Race Analysis

After claiming his third successive pole position, Nico Rosberg finally converted pole into victory around he streets of Monaco. It was a highly eventful race, with several major talking points, one of which is sure to rumble on. The secret tyre test instigated by Pirelli has supposedly benefited Mercedes, contravening the sporting regulations. Consequently, Red Bull are leading the appeal against Mercedes' positive result on the streets of Monte-Carlo.
Tyre testing aside, Nico Rosberg dominated the weekend from start to finish. The German never relinquished his lead in the race, throughout all 78 laps, following on from his timesheet topping times in FP1, FP2, FP3 and his stunning pole lap in qualifying. Vettel and Red Bull were hotly tipped for success on Sunday, yet Vettel never really challenged Rosberg, who was able to control the pace.

Monaco Grand Prix: Saturday Analysis

A truly breathtaking Qualifying session brought about the expected conclusion. Nico Rosberg took his third consecutive pole position from his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. The pair are optimistic of a good result tomorrow, however, they are far from expectant, as rivals prepare for what could be a one stop race. Mercedes will hope their long run evaluation work on Thursday will pay dividend tomorrow. Alonso has work to do from a troublesome P6 on the grid.

Monaco Grand Prix: Thursday Analysis

As Formula One made its poignant arrival to the streets of Monte-Carlo, Nico Rosberg once again underlined Mercedes spectacular single lap performance by topping both the FP1 and FP2 sessions. Lewis Hamilton reiterated the strengths of the W04, maintaining within close proximity of his teammate throughout the day. What remains a mystery however, is Red Bull. While the team are famous for sandbagging in the early stages of a weekend, both Vettel and Webber visibly struggled throughout today, which raises question marks regarding the overall speed of the RB9.

Spanish Grand Prix: Race Analysis

Never before has there been a more belated Race Analysis! For that, I apologize  As I announced in a previous article, revision for exams has to come first and on this occasion, a late analysis of the Spanish Grand Prix is the resultant bi-product. It may seem like a long time ago, but Fernando Alonso took his second win of the season on Sunday, delighting his home fans in Barcelona. Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen reduced Sebastian Vettel's lead in the championship, with an impressive second place. However, tyres were the major talking point as a ludicrous 82 pit-stops were made over the duration of the race.

Spanish Grand Prix: Saturday Analysis

While Mercedes are known as the Silver Arrows, they are fast becoming a stealth squad, after Nico Rosberg stole another unexpected Pole Position in Barcelona, with teammate Lewis Hamilton locking out the front row. Following a highly underwhelming Friday, Mercedes justified their lack of short runs in yesterday's sessions. Undoubtedly  they are strong on Saturday's, however, their long run performance suggests that success tomorrow may be unlikely.

Spanish Grand Prix: Friday Analysis

After a lengthy breather, the teams returned to track action this morning, as Formula One returned to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix. An unpredictable FP1 session was typified by an early rain shower, as Ferrari finished 1-2 as the circuit began to dry out. Fortunately, the classic Barcelona sunshine returned during FP2, and it was Sebastian Vettel who topped the timesheet. With what seems to be a Vettel, Alonso battle on the cards, we now eagerly anticipate what could be an enthralling Saturday afternoon.

Grosjean Targets Quali Improvements

Following an impressive double podium in Bahrain, Lotus head into the European season with a chance to topple Red Bull in both championships. However, Romain Grosjean has suggested that the team need to improve their performances in Qualifying if they are to mount a sustained challenge. For a team which notoriously struggle for one lap performance, this may be easier said than done.

Concorde Complications For Marussia

Marussia Sporting Director, Graeme Lowdon, has remained tight-lipped regarding the team's failure to sign the Concorde Agreement, despite the issue possibly costing the team millions. For a low budget team such as Marussia, they are beginning to enter dangerous territory, as Bernie Ecclestone continues to push them towards a deal.

Mercedes Initiate Kubica Rescue

Following a life threatening accident in 2011, Robert Kubica has experienced a pain staking process on his road to recovery. While a return to Formula One has seemed unlikely, Mercedes have announced their desire to facilitate Kubica's return to the sport in the future. Toto Wolff suggests that the team would love to "help" the Polish star, whose past successes include his victory in the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

Horner Unfazed By Unpopularity

Following a highly controversial start to 2013, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has stated that he is unfazed by his diminishing popularity, acknowledging that F1 is "not a popularity contest". Christian, alongside driver, Sebastian Vettel, have suffered abject media coverage over the past weeks, yet Horner maintains that success breeds contempt.