Felipe Massa

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Felipe Massa headed into 2012 knowing it was an important year for him, and that he was not expected to keep his seat at the team that has been his home since 2005.

So the last thing he needed was a difficult car. Yet in the F2012 that is what Ferrari delivered and Massa had a terrible time at the start of the season.

Team: Felipe Massa Team-mate: Fernando Alonso Previous teams: Sauber Nationality: Brazilian Born: 25/04/1981, Sao Paulo Grand Prix debut: Australia 2002 But some head-scratching after the Spanish race led his engineering team to the conclusion that they had gone the wrong way in their approach to setting up the car and a re-think has led to more encouraging recent performances.

Even if that form continues, it remains to be seen whether it is enough for a stay of execution at Ferrari.

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Sebastian Vettel profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Sebastian Vettel has had to get used to a very different Formula 1 than the one with which he was familiar for the last two years, and it appears to have taken some time.

Early in the season, there was the odd hint of frustration as Vettel re-adjusted his mindset to the fact that he no longer had the fastest car on the grid.

But despite an up-and-down start to 2012, in which he did not take his first win until the fourth race of the season, Vettel's many qualities have remained on show and he has been a consistent presence at the top of the championship.

Team: Red Bull Team-mate: Mark Webber Previous teams: BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso Nationality: German Born: 3/07/1987, Heppenheim Grand Prix debut: US 2007 World Championships: 2010, 2011 Vettel has struggled when the car has not been to his liking, and he has not enjoyed the same dominance over team-mate Mark Webber as he did in 2011.

But any poor qualifying result - China and Monaco, for example - has tended to be followed by a strong race performance.

And he and Red Bull have generally done well in maximising their opportunities.

Pole position in Bahrain was followed by a win which, for all its superficial resemblance to his many in 2011, was hard-fought and required coolness and steadfastness in defence from Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus.

Vettel remains electric over one lap in a car with which he is happy, but his race form has if anything been more impressive this year.

He remains a force to be reckoned with and can be expected to be a serious contender for the rest of the season.

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VIDEO: Maldonado's mad moments

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Nico Hulkenberg profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Nico Hulkenberg waited patiently on the sidelines in 2011 as Force India's reserve driver and his reward was a race drive in 2012.

Team: Force India Team-mate: Paul di Resta Previous teams: Williams Nationality: German Born: 19/08/87, Emmerich am Rhein Similar in height, and in their down-to-earth characters, the battle between Hulkenberg and team-mate Paul di Resta, two promising rising stars in equal cars, was always expected to be one of the highlights of 2012 for discerning observers.

So far, Di Resta has had slightly the upper hand, out-qualifying and out-scoring the German.

In reality, though, the two have been close on performance, and it will be fascinating to watch Hulkenberg's progress as he builds some momentum through the season and shakes off the cobwebs of not racing for a year.

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Timo Glock profile

Not so very long ago, Timo Glock was driving for the big-budget Toyota team and taking podium finishes alongside the Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari drivers.

That ended with the Japanese giant's withdrawal at the end of 2009, and the German grasped the only career lifeline available to him at the time - with the new Virgin team.

Team: Virgin Team-mate: Charles Pic Nationality: German Born: 18/03/82, Lindenfels Grand prix debut: Canada 2004 Two seasons of bitter struggle later, it is to Glock's credit that not only has he rarely let his frustrations show, but his reputation within F1 remains solid.

There were times in 2011 when Glock seemed a little below his best - pre-season, not many would have predicted that the admittedly capable Belgian pay-driver Jerome d'Ambrosio would out-qualify him five times.

But a wholesale technical reshuffle through 2011, overseen by the vastly experienced former Renault engineering director Pat Symonds, has raised hopes of a stronger future for Virgin.

In Glock, they have a driver who can be relied upon to do justice to the car.

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VIDEO: Classic F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix 1997

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Watch highlights from the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix as Damon Hill suffers last-lap heartache as a throttle linkage failure costs him victory at the Hungaroring.

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AUDIO: Ron Dennis on Hamilton future

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McLaren expect long Hamilton deal

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer McLaren are confident they can secure a long-term deal with Lewis Hamilton when they come to negotiate a new contract this summer.

Hamilton, whose contract runs out this year, has had a frustrating season and has indicated his loyalty to a team who brought him into F1 only goes so far.

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“ There has been more speculation, more concern, more interest in this situation in the media than perhaps within the team or within Lewis's mind”

Martin Whitmarsh McLaren boss The contractual situation of other top drivers means he might push for a one-year deal to keep his options open.

But team boss Martin Whitmarsh is "expecting" to seal a longer contract.

McLaren typically prefer driver contracts that last for three years, with the first two years fixed and the third under option - as is the case with the contract Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button signed in 2011. Hamilton's current contract was for five years.

McLaren started this year with the fastest car but a series of operational problems have blunted Hamilton's championship challenge, and the team have struggled for pace in the last two races.

The 2008 world champion heads into this weekend's German Grand Prix - with the Hungarian race following a week later - in fourth place in the championship, 37 points off the leader, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

His options for the future reduced dramatically last week when Mark Webber signed a new deal with Red Bull for 2013. That leaves only Mercedes, the least competitive of the top teams, as a viable alternative to McLaren for Hamilton.

For 2014, however, at least one seat at world champions Red Bull might be available.

Webber is only on a one-year deal, however, while there is also the possibility that his team-mate Sebastian Vettel might go to Ferrari for 2014.

Alonso is believed to have vetoed having Hamilton as his team-mate at Ferrari.

Whitmarsh said: "We're going to the next two races trying to win, as we go to every race.

Made his Formula 1 debut for the team at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix Won his first F1 Grand Prix later that year in Canada Secured victory in his home Grand Prix at Silverstone on 6 July 2008. Became the youngest world champion in F1 history at the age of 23 in 2008, taking the title by a single point on the last lap of the last race in Brazil In total, Hamilton has 18 race wins and 46 podiums "We've known Lewis for a long time. We have been concentrating on a season. There has been more speculation, more concern, more interest in this situation in the media than perhaps within the team or within Lewis's mind.

"We appear nowadays to be often asked questions about it, but I don't think it occupies as much time in our mind as it does in column inches."

McLaren are introducing some aerodynamic upgrades to the car for the German race in the hope of battling for victory against Red Bull and Ferrari.

Whitmarsh said: "The sidepods from the front to the rear are quite different, so you'll notice those and [there are] other bits and pieces that the sharper eye will see."

He blamed the team's unexpectedly poor performance at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago on the team failing to get their tyres into the right operating window. Hamilton and Button finished eighth and 10th at Silverstone.

"For everyone, not just McLaren, trying to understand and exploit the tyres correctly is proving quite a substantial challenge," Whitmarsh said.

He said the team's race was "quite difficult" after a poor qualifying session in the wet, which he blamed on not having enough temperature in the 'intermediate' tyres they were using.

And in the race he said two sets of the same 'hard' tyre that had been prepared in the same way behaved differently on Hamilton's car.

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Daniel Ricciardo profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Daniel Ricciardo has had an up-and-down start to his first full season in Formula 1.

Team: Toro Rosso Team-mate: Jean-Eric Vergne Nationality: Australian Born:01/07/89, Perth Grand prix debut: British Grand Prix 2011 Drafted in alongside fellow Red Bull protégé Jean-Eric Vergne for the latest in a series of shoot-outs to which the company subjects its young drivers, the results so far are inconclusive.

He has generally had the better of Vergne in qualifying, and his performances include a stunning sixth place on the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

But his race performances have, with one or two exceptions, been less convincing - and that brilliant result in Bahrain was thrown away with a messy first lap.

The team's highly experienced technical director Giorgio Ascanelli described Ricciardo's performance in Bahrain in qualifying as a breakthrough that had allowed him to access a higher level of performance, likening it to a similar moment Sebastian Vettel achieved in Valencia in 2008.

But, Ascanelli says, the difference was that Vettel, once he had made it, never looked back, whereas Ricciardo has not yet found a way to repeat it.

If he does, Ricciardo could have a bright future.

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VIDEO: Classic F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix 1986

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Watch highlights from the 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix as Nelson Piquet wins the first ever race at the Hungaroring ahead of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell.

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Bruno Senna profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Bruno Senna finally got his chance to show what he can do in Formula 1 this season courtesy of Williams, and it's fair to say it has been a tough start.

Team: Williams Team-mate: Pastor Maldonado Nationality: Brazilian Born: 15/10/83, Sao Paolo There have been flashes of promise - including an excellent drive to sixth place in the wet in Malaysia - but on balance he has been comfortably out-performed by team-mate Pastor Maldonado.

Inevitably, that has led to rumours that the Brazilian will be ditched in favour of the team's highly rated test driver Valtteri Bottas.

That seems unlikely to happen this year, especially in light of the substantial sponsorship package Senna brings to Williams.

But if he does not improve as the season goes on, his position will begin to look vulnerable.

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Sergio Perez profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Sergio Perez came within a whisker of scoring his maiden grand prix victory in Malaysia, only for a mistake while chasing Fernando Alonso's Ferrari to consign him to second place.

Team: Sauber Team-mate: Kamui Kobayashi Nationality: Mexican Born: 26/01/90, Guadalajara Grand prix debut: Australia 2011 Despite the obvious disappointment of losing a victory that seemed to be on a plate, it was an impressive drive that merely underlined the potential the Mexican has appeared to have since he made his debut in Formula 1 last year.

Perez arrived at Sauber bankrolled by Mexican businessman Carlos Slim, reputedly the world's richest man, but he soon proved he was more than a pay driver.

An eye-catching drive to a seventh-place finish in his maiden grand prix, getting to the end on just two sets of tyres, set the tone, and he continued in similarly impressive vein.

He lost some momentum with a nasty crash in qualifying at Monaco, which knocked him unconscious and forced him to miss the next race in Canada, too.

But he recovered to finish the season strongly and the good form has continued into 2012.

As a member of the Ferrari young driver programme, he is widely spoken of as a potential future driver for the legendary Italian team.

But it seems if that is true, Perez will have to wait - president Luca di Montezemolo has made it clear he wants someone more experienced as Fernando Alonso's team-mate.

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Vettel deserved penalty in home race

Sebastian Vettel was involved in two controversial incidents during the German Grand Prix - and in both of them he was in the wrong.

The first was when Lewis Hamilton unlapped himself on the Red Bull, provoking Vettel to wave his hand at Hamilton during the race and call him "stupid" afterwards.

Hamilton was absolutely right to do what he did.

It is true he had nothing to do with the battle for the race win, in which Vettel was trying to challenge Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

But if a racing driver is trying to make up some ground he has lost, get past the leaders in that way and get himself back into the race again, maybe score some points, why shouldn't he?

Hamilton's decision was right. He was very unlucky to get a puncture at the beginning of the race and he was entitled to try to recover. You never know what is going to unfold in a grand prix and a driver has to do the best he can.

Gary Anderson BBC F1 technical analyst

"The rules are clear and it was a deserved penalty"

Hamilton was in a McLaren, he was faster than Vettel at the time, he had fresher tyres, and he did not put Vettel at risk in any way.

It was a completely legal move. Obviously, it was not the best thing for Vettel, who was trying to stay close to Alonso, but it did not change anything in the outcome of the race.

I think Vettel was a bit anxious in Germany. It was his home grand prix, he wanted to win and he didn't quite have the pace to challenge Alonso, who was defending very well.

Vettel appeared to be in too much of a hurry to win. He was pushing a lot, making some mistakes and the manoeuvre he did on Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button was another example.

Button had "undercut" Vettel and taken second place by making his final pit stop a lap earlier, and it was as if Vettel did not want to believe Button could finish in front of him.

Vettel closed in on Button and overtook him around the outside of the hairpin on the penultimate lap - but he went completely off the track on the exit of the corner to do it.

There are track limits and Vettel did not respect them. The move was not legal and the penalty, which demoted him to fifth place, was fair.

But it shows how much he wanted to force the situation - and doing so cost him some points.

German GP 2012: Alonso wins at Hockenheim

Normally, Vettel's style is to be calm and smooth, but in Germany he looked impatient.

He has to understand that it is about getting points for the championship.

Look at the way Alonso reacted when Ferrari misunderstood the tyres and got their strategy a bit wrong in Canada and at Silverstone. He didn't crash or make mistakes - he took a fifth place and a second.

You need to know when it is your time and when it is not - and Alonso's understanding of that is why he is leading the championship.

He is consistent and he knows how to deal with pressure and how important it is to score regularly, especially now F1 is so tight.

Alonso's race was a complete contrast to Vettel's. He was under a lot of pressure, but he knew exactly where he needed to attack and how to defend and he drove fantastically to deal with that.

And Ferrari did a brilliant job on strategy - they were always able to react to the intentions of the other drivers to try to "undercut" them at the pit stops.

It was very close, but the driver and the team did a super job. It was a great win and well deserved.

Formula 1 is never easy to understand completely accurately because it is so complicated and events in Germany, in the wake of what happened in the races before that, are a perfect example.

In Valencia two races ago, Vettel was completely dominant until retiring with an alternator failure - he was 1.5 seconds-per-lap faster than anyone else. It was like 2011 all over again.

It was enormously impressive and I thought Red Bull had found the key solution to gaining back a lot of rear downforce - which the teams have lost this year as a result of the ban on exhaust-blown diffusers, last year's dominant technology.

You looked at Valencia and thought Red Bull were going to dominate in the next race at Silverstone as well. Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber did win there, but the advantage from Valencia had disappeared.

At Hockenheim last weekend, it was more or less the same as at Silverstone. The pace of the Red Bull and Ferrari was very similar.

Then, on Sunday morning, there was a big mess surrounding Red Bull's engine mapping. Governing body the FIA said it was in contravention of the rules and then the stewards cleared Red Bull, but also said they did "not accept all the arguments of the team".

I don't know what Red Bull are doing, but the FIA looked at it in Hockenheim and said it was legal.

Fine - Red Bull have been more intelligent than the other teams because they have done something within the rules that no-one else has and, by the look of it, it is benefiting them.

But the speed advantage they had in Valencia has disappeared and this is confusing because in F1 you just don't gain 1.5secs from one race to another, and you don't lose it either.

I have no idea why that happened and we will probably never know, but it is something to bear in mind.

Jaime Alguersuari was a Toro Rosso F1 driver from 2009-11. He is BBC Radio 5 live's analyst and a Pirelli F1 test driver. He was talking to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson

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Mark Webber profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Mark Webber has wasted no time in putting behind him memories of a frustrating 2011 in team-mate Sebastian Vettel's shadow.

The rule changes that banned exhaust-blown diffusers over the winter have returned Formula 1 cars to a more conventional footing and Webber is back where he was in 2010.

Team: Red Bull Team-mate: Sebastian Vettel Previous teams: Minardi, Jaguar and Williams Nationality: Australian Born: 27/08/1976, Queanbeyan Grand Prix debut: Australia 2002 That means, on balance, every bit as convincing as his team-mate in both qualifying and race, and a serious title contender.

Vettel may have won Red Bull's first race this season but it did not take long for Webber to follow it up. And although one has generally had an advantage over the other on a given weekend, there has been nothing to choose between them on balance over the season so far.

Webber will be 36 this August but he has made it clear already this season that retirement is a long way from his mind.

When he's driving like he has been in 2012, you can see why. He remains one of the toughest and best drivers on the grid.

Mark Webber wins Monaco 2012

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Maldonado fastest at Hockenheim

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer at Hockenheim Williams driver Pastor Maldonado was fastest in a wet second practice session at the German Grand Prix.

The Venezuelan, winner of the Spanish GP in May , was 0.088 seconds quicker than Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel third.

In the drier, but still rain-hit, first session, Jenson Button headed McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.498secs.

Inside F1 - German Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher crashed his Mercedes coming into the Stadium section in the closing minutes of the second session.

The German legend lost the rear of the car coming through the fast fourth-gear right-hander called the Mobil 1 Kurve and spun across the track into the wall.

"Basically I was not fully concentrated. I was on the radio and I was doing some other changes to the car, and touched the white line. That's it," said seven-time champion Schumacher.

"Cosmetically it looks [like] almost all four corners touched on the barriers, so that's not the nicest way, but the impact wasn't too big."

But he said he was confident of a good weekend.

"It's OK. Any time we've been out, we've been top end."

“Basically I was not fully concentrated. I was on the radio and I was doing some other changes to the car, and touched the white line. That's it”

Michael Schumacher BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson said: "Last two minutes of the session and probably £200,000 worth of damage, so that will be an expensive night for Mercedes."

In the course of two sessions in tricky conditions, only two other drivers terminally lost their cars.

Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo, in the second session, and Williams reserve driver Valtteri Bottas in the first beached their cars in the gravel after losing control during braking for the Sachs Kurve, the hairpin in the Stadium section.

Hamilton was two seconds off the pace of Button when the track was at its quickest and Anderson said McLaren would have to look at why that was.

Hamilton was also slower than Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the world championship leader, when running in the wetter conditions towards the end of the session.

The teams were trying out upgrades aimed at improving performance, with greatest attention focused on McLaren and Lotus.

McLaren have introduced redesigned sidepods, aimed at improving airflow over the car and closing the gap in performance that has opened up between them and championship pace-setters Red Bull and Ferrari.

2011 - Lewis Hamilton 2010 - Fernando Alonso 2009 - Mark Webber 2008 - Lewis Hamilton Lotus were trying out their own version of the 'double DRS' straight-line speed boosting device pioneered by Mercedes at the start of the season.

Unlike the Mercedes system, the Lotus device does not work by ducting air from the rear wing to stall the front wing.

Instead, there are air intakes around the roll-over bar behind the driver's head and a new central pylon in the middle of the rear wing.

It appears air is taken in through the first, through the car and up the second, stalling the rear wing further and giving an extra boost in straight-line speed.

It is not yet known whether the device is linked to the DRS moveable rear wing system or - as seems more likely - operates when the car is going beyond a certain speed.

The system is being trialled this weekend and the team have not yet decided whether it will be raced.

If it is, it will only be on Kimi Raikkonen's car as it is too much work to fit it on team-mate Romain Grosjean's in time.

As far as McLaren were concerned, Button had said on Thursday that McLaren were optimistic they would be a step forward.

"Here we come with mechanical upgrades, aero upgrades, so hopefully they will work well. I have to believe they will, they're very straightforward, so we should put them on and go faster. It's a pretty good chunk.

4 - Michael Schumacher 3 - Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet 2 - Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso "You'd have to say Ferrari and Red Bull are the two who have stepped forward compared to everyone else and I think that's just big updates.

"Ferrari have been consistently fast since Barcelona [in May], where they had a big update and their results have shown that.

"We haven't had a big enough update to be in the mix. Here should be that update and I hope it takes us back to the front."

McLaren sporting director Sam Michael said: "Today is all about testing them and so far it's looking pretty good. We have new sidepods and a few other things under the skin.

"Basically the undercut hugs closer to the car so you're not pushing the air so far out before it gets to the Coke-bottle area. It's just a much nicer solution."

Anderson said: "McLaren are pretty confident in their updates - they have decided to just believe in the wind tunnel."

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg will drop five places on the grid as a result of a penalty for changing his gearbox. Romain Grosjean of Lotus has the same penalty after changing his after the British Grand Prix.

Friday, 20 July: Second practice 12:55-14:35; BBC Radio 5 live sports extra & BBC Sport websiteSaturday, 21 July: Third practice 09:55-11:05 BST; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. Qualifying 13:00; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live. Highlights 17:00 BBC Two and BBC HDSunday, 22 July: Race 13:00 BST; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live. Race highlights 17:30 BBC Two and BBC HD. Race highlights repeat 23:40 BBC One and BBC HD

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Maria de Villota leaves hospital

Marussia have confirmed that test driver Maria de Villota has left hospital and returned to Spain.

The 32-year-old hit a support truck at Duxford airfield earlier this month while testing and had two operations in hospital, losing her right eye.

Born in Madrid on 13 January 1980 A former World Touring Car Championship and Superleague Formula driver, she is the daughter of ex-Formula 1 racer Emilio de Villota Her first taste of F1 came at Paul Ricard in 2011, when she tested a Renault R29 Since 2001, she has competed in various Spanish motor races In 2010 she finished fourth at the Nurburgring in Superleague Formula She holds a degree in sports science from the European University of Madrid De Villota has spent the last 17 days in hospital, but has now been allowed to return home.

"Maria has left Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and returned directly to Spain," said Marussia in a statement.

"Over the course of the past two weeks, Maria has made significant progress.

"More comfortable and familiar surroundings, plus the support of her wider family and friends, will undoubtedly provide a more conducive environment in which Maria can commence the next phase of her recovery.

"The Marussia F1 Team - the staff, race drivers Timo Glock and Charles Pic, and all those associated with the Team - wish Maria well with the next stage of her recovery."

De Villota had just completed a straight-line aerodynamic test and was returning to mechanics when her car accelerated abruptly and slammed into a team truck at helmet level.

Marussia said on Monday that an internal investigation had found that the car was not to blame.

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VIDEO: McLaren pleased with practice pace

27 July 2012 Last updated at 16:55 GMT

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Formula 1's Big Picture

24 July 2012 Last updated at 11:34 GMT

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VIDEO: McLaren duo eye Hungary challenge

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Pastor Maldonado profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Inconsistency has been a charge levelled at Pastor Maldonado for much of his career, and this year has been no different.

Team: Williams Team-mate: TBA Nationality: Venezuelan Born:09/03/85, Maracay Grand prix debut: Australia 2011 In Australia, a sixth place in the opening race of the season was thrown away when he crashed chasing Fernando Alonso on the last lap.

He took a beautifully controlled and mature maiden victory in Spain - beating Alonso along the way - but then tossed away the chance of another strong result in Monaco with some inexplicable mistakes.

And just when he needed a steady weekend to get himself back on track, he had another poor race in Canada - and then was to blame for the incident that took Lewis Hamilton out in the closing stages of Valencia.

Maldonado won his seat at Williams last year because he was bankrolled by the Venezuelan government, by way of the state oil company.

But he has since proved that he has a bundle of natural talent, which more than merits a place on the grid. What he needs to do now is find a way to maximise it every weekend.

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Explaining the Red Bull row

By Gary Anderson BBC F1 technical analyst Red Bull arrived at the Hungarian Grand Prix at the centre of a storm over controversial engine settings they were running in Germany last weekend.

In the few days between the races, a new rule has been issued to stop Red Bull and engine supplier Renault doing what they were.

But what was that, and what effect will the new rule have on their performance?

It is to do with the torque curve of the engine - how it delivers the power through the rear wheels - and what effect changing that can have on the driveability of the car and its aerodynamic performance.

What Red Bull and Renault were doing was smoothing out the torque curve to ensure the best possible driveability.

Each team's airbox and exhaust configuration affects the engine's performance and creates peaks and troughs in the torque curve.

So the engine manufacturer will do as much work as possible to optimise the car in whatever specification a team is using to make the car as responsive for the driver as possible.

Changing the torque curve can also have an effect on the aerodynamics of the car because it affects the relationship between the power delivery of the engine and the throttle.

Most top teams have an exhaust set-up that blows gases on to aerodynamic parts at the rear of the car to increase downforce.

If a team or driver doesn't want all the torque, they have to use less throttle.

But if a team can set up the car to have more throttle opening for a given torque output, that will flow more air through the exhaust pipes, which works on the rear brake ducts and outboard edge of the diffuser to create more downforce.

What they are trying to do is protect the rear tyres from spinning and at the same time create as much downforce as possible from the rear of the car.

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“In qualifying, it would probably be very small differences, but it will be more difficult for Red Bull to look after the rear tyres in the race”

Gary Anderson BBC F1 technical analyst So in the example of Red Bull in Germany, if you have less torque output for a given throttle opening, you are reducing wheelspin, which increases tyre life, but getting more downforce because the throttle will be further open for less torque delivery.

To use an extreme example, say the car would normally go through a corner at 50% throttle because the driver wants 50% torque. What you might want is to be driving the corner with the throttle, say, 90% open but still the same torque output from the engine.

That way there is a lot more air going through the engine for the same torque delivery. And then when you open the throttle the remaining 10%, that takes you from 50% torque to 100%.

The numbers involved in the Red Bull-Renault case are not as extreme as that - I understand the variation was more like 10% between the throttle opening and the torque output - but would still have an effect.

The reason the FIA was upset about this was that they had always interpreted the relevant regulation to mean that at 100% throttle the engine had to provide 100% of the torque of which it was ultimately capable.

So the FIA saw the Red Bull's engine settings in Germany and saw that it was producing less torque than it had in previous races, and they felt this was illegal.

But Red Bull and Renault interpreted the rule to mean the engine could not deliver less torque than it was programmed to deliver on that day. That was another way it could be read, so they got away with it.

The new regulation imposed from this race onwards says teams have to provide a "reference" map from one of the first four races of the year, and that the torque of the engine at any race from then on cannot vary by more than 2% from that reference.

There is still some argument going on, with some of the engine manufacturers saying 2% is not enough of a margin for the changes they would like to do to account for the differences in ambient temperature and atmospheric conditions at various circuits.

But while that 2% number might change a little, the rule will be staying for the rest of the season.

There is no doubt this change will affect Red Bull more than any other team, because they were changing their torque settings more than anyone else.

However, it is impossible to quantify either how much they benefited from doing this, or how much they will lose as a result of it being banned.

Over one lap in qualifying, it would probably be very small differences, but it will be more difficult for them to look after the rear tyres in the race.

It's also true to say Red Bull did not look very good in first practice in Hungary, on a track which should suit their car.

It's too early to draw any conclusions from that.

But what you can say is that they were doing a lot of mechanical changes to their set-up, more than I have seen them do for a considerable amount of time, and the car did not look that good out on the track.

It will be fascinating to watch their progress through the weekend in Hungary.

Gary Anderson, the former technical director of the Jordan, Stewart and Jaguar teams, is the BBC F1 technical analyst. He was talking to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson

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McLaren concerned about wet pace

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer at Hockenheim McLaren's Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have admitted they are struggling to be competitive in wet conditions at the German Grand Prix.

The team were uncompetitive in wet qualifying at Silverstone two weeks ago and the drivers said they were having problems in practice on Friday.

"Trying to get these wet tyres working is one of our big issues," said Button.

Hamilton added: "In the wet, we need to do a bit of an improvement on the wet tyres trying to get them switching on."

German GP: Practice two highlights

Button and Hamilton were eighth and 19th fastest in the second, wetter of two practice sessions at Hockenheim on Friday.

Button led Hamilton to a one-two in the dried first session, both men setting their fastest laps at different parts of the session, but when the track was dry.

The McLaren drivers said they were struggling to get the required operating temperature into both the 'extreme' wet-weather tyres and the 'intermediates', which are used in drier conditions.

Button said: "There's a lot of work needed to prove we can be quick in the wet because I think it could be wet tomorrow."

Hamilton added: "It feels like you're on ice when you're out there. Maybe the Ferraris and Mercedes are seeming to switch their inters on a bit better, so we have a bit of work to do there."

McLaren have brought a major aerodynamic upgrade to this race - with new sidepods, brake ducts and diffuser.

Pole position in qualifying has been converted to a win in half of the German Grands Prix in the last decade

Button said the team were "happy that it's working" but Hamilton admitted they would not know how effective it had been until they got some extensive running in the dry.

"The car definitely should have made a slight step forward but we don't know how much - we might not know until tomorrow or the race if it's wet on Saturday," Hamilton said.

"I couldn't tell you how big a step it was but I'm quite confident it is a good step."

Sporting director Sam Michael said the team were confident of a strong weekend.

"We come here expecting to fight for pole position and win the grand prix," he said. "And I think we would have taken that approach even without these updates."

Saturday, 21 July: Third practice 09:55-11:05 BST; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. Qualifying 13:00; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live. Highlights 17:00 BBC Two and BBC HDSunday, 22 July: Race 13:00 BST; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live. Race highlights 17:30 BBC Two and BBC HD. Race highlights repeat 23:40 BBC One and BBC HD

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VIDEO: Classic F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix 2006

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Watch highlights from the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix as Jenson Button claims his maiden F1 win during an eventful rain-soaked race at the Hungaroring.

Available to UK users only.

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Michael Schumacher profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Michael Schumacher has had a pretty dismal time since he returned to Formula 1 at the start of 2010 after three years in retirement - but at least in 2012 he can finally point the finger somewhere other than at himself.

The German legend has looked more convincing this season than at any time since his comeback - and the biggest improvement has been in qualifying.

By the second half of last season, he and team-mate Nico Rosberg were reasonably evenly matched in races, but the older man just could not extract the ultimate from the car over one lap.

But this year it seems finally to have clicked, and the two are pretty level pegging on Saturday afternoons and have continued to show comparable pace in races.

Team: Mercedes Team-mate: Nico Rosberg Previous teams: Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari Nationality: German Born: 03/01/1969, Hürth-Hermülheim Grand Prix debut: Belgium 1991 World Championships: 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 The one exception was China, when Mercedes were in dominant form and Schumacher was half a second off Rosberg in both qualifying and the race.

He might have made up for that in Monaco, when he qualified on pole, but for a five-place grid penalty that had been imposed on him for running into the back of Bruno Senna in the previous race in Spain. The third time within a year he had misjudged a situation and smacked into the back of a rival, it has to be said.

What has really derailed his season, though, has been lamentable reliability on behalf of his team. Schumacher had finished only three races before the British Grand Prix.

Schumacher's contract expires this season and one suspects that the man himself will probably fancy at least another.

Whether Mercedes feel they want to continue with a Schumacher who is better than he has been, but still neither as good as he used to be or the very best of the current crop, remains to be seen.

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Kamui Kobayashi profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Kamui Kobayashi suffered what might be termed 'difficult second season syndrome' last year, but he has recovered strongly in 2012.

Team: Sauber Team-mate: Sergio Perez Nationality: Japanese Born:13/09/86, Hyogo Grand prix debut: Brazil 2009 If his headline results are not quite as eye-catching as those of team-mate Sergio Perez, Kobayashi has still put the Sauber to good use in taking impressive sixth and fifth places in Australia and Spain, and some strong if unfulfilled performances elsewhere.

The swashbuckling overtaking style that first caught the eye during his first two races in 2009 and then his first full season in 2010 has also continued to impress from time to time.

But the question remains about both Sauber drivers - are they getting the best out of what in 2012 is clearly a very competitive car?

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VIDEO: Murray Walker on Fernando Alonso

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VIDEO: Coulthard returns to Formula Ford

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Top teams ending F1 unpredictability

This weekend's German Grand Prix is the halfway point in the Formula 1 season and we have learnt a lot since the year got under way in Melbourne in March.

The season started off being really unpredictable, but I always thought that the top teams would start to stretch away a bit and that a pattern would emerge, and that is what we are seeing now.

It is still very tight, especially in the midfield, and the battle is exceptionally close, but the last three races in Canada, Valencia and Britain have been much more regular than earlier in the season.

The top teams are making huge developments to their cars, especially Red Bull and Ferrari. The margins in the championship are starting to open up a little bit and it is becoming clearer who is going to be at the front.

The unpredictability of the first few races was a lot to do with the teams getting on top of this year's Pirelli tyres, which are quite different from last year.

The tyres are still a bit of a question mark for everyone but they're not the main factor any more.

Teams understand the tyres much better now, even if some are still struggling to set their cars up to get the maximum potential out of them.

Red Bull's progress in recent races has not come from the tyres; it has come from aerodynamic developments. Their cars look amazing at the moment, especially on traction, braking and in slow corners.

Highlights - British Grand Prix

The development they brought to Valencia two races ago, modifying their rear bodywork to make better use of the exhaust gases for aerodynamic effect, has really made a difference.

Red Bull are notorious for their breakneck pace of development, and they appear to be opening a little bit of a gap over Ferrari and, especially, McLaren.

Having said that, it's too early to say the season will all be about Red Bull from now on.

The nine races so far this season have been won by seven different drivers and there can still be an eighth winner.

I expect something more from Lotus and also for McLaren to improve after two disappointing races in Valencia and Silverstone.

Red Bull were very competitive in Silverstone, where Mark Webber won after chasing down Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. But I don't think that is the type of track where Red Bull are at their best.

They look to have much more advantage compared to their rivals on slow- and medium-speed corners. For that reason, I think Hockenheim this weekend will suit them really well.

Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

"There is no Formula 1 driver more rooted in the concept of fair but hard competition than Webber - as his battles for equal treatment at Red Bull, which boiled over at Silverstone in the previous two races, attest."

It is a great track. There are long straights, clear places to overtake and heavy demands on traction and braking.

There are only a couple of fast corners - Turn One and the corner into the Stadium - and the rest is low-speed or medium-speed.

It's a little bit like Valencia but with fewer corners and more open in terms of space around the track. It should provide a really good race and the Red Bulls and Lotuses will be good there, but the lap times will be quite tight.

One of the distinctive features of Hockenheim is the famous 'Stadium' section - a very fitting name because it really is like going into a football ground.

There are huge concrete grandstands, packed with 100,000 fans, many of them blowing klaxons, cheering and waving banners in support of the German drivers.

There are five Germans in the F1 field with Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Michael Schumacher, Nico Hulkenberg and Timo Glock, so that means a lot of noise.

It is quite spectacular to drive into there, and that area also provides a great view for the fans - they can see most of the last six corners from the grandstands there.

As you may know, music is the big love of my life after motor racing. I produce my own dance music, as well as doing some DJing - and I did a gig in Ibiza at the weekend.

It's always good to play there. There are a lot of tourists there, especially a lot of Brits, so it makes a really international environment, which is the essence of Ibiza these days.

If you're playing when the sun goes down it makes a really nice atmosphere.

I made the most of the good weather by going on a four-hour bike ride as part of my physical training programme. It's a beautiful environment to ride in, with lovely views and mountains.

Jaime Alguersuari was a Toro Rosso F1 driver from 2009-11. He is currently BBC Radio 5 live's analyst and a Pirelli F1 test driver. He was talking to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson

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VIDEO: Button fastest in German practice one

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Fernando Alonso

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Ferrari started the season with their worst car in nearly 20 years - and yet they are better placed after the first eight races than they have been since 2008.

There is one main reason for this - Fernando Alonso has driven stupendously, underlining why so many of his rivals consider him to be the best driver on the grid.

Alonso has not put a foot wrong, while at the wheel of a car that, at the start of the season at least, was very difficult to drive, and has not let a single point go begging.

Team: Ferrari Team-mate: Felipe Massa Previous teams: Minardi, Renault, McLaren Nationality: Spanish Born: 29/07/1981, Oviedo Grand Prix debut: Australia 2001 World Championships: 2005, 2006 The same cannot quite be said of the team - there is the suggestion that even better results could have been obtained at a few races had the strategy brains on the pit wall been a little more alive.

All the while, the car - and the results Alonso has been delivering with it - have been getting better and better.

If Ferrari can maintain that upward trend in performance, Alonso will be very difficult to beat this season.

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Jenson Button

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Jenson Button got 2012 off to a flying start, with a win and a second place in the first three races, and at that point many were tipping him as the title favourite.

But then the wheels came off his campaign and Button scored just six points over the following five races up to Valencia.

There was a retirement in Bahrain as a result of car failure, but other than that the 2009 world champion has been utterly perplexed as to where his pace has gone, and so have his team.

It all seems a long way from 2011 when Button was the more impressive of the McLaren drivers - if not the out-and-out fastest.

Team: McLaren Team-mate: Lewis Hamilton Previous teams: Williams, Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda, Brawn Nationality: English Born: 19/01/1980, Frome Grand Prix debut: Australia 2000 World titles: 1 (2009) Chief suspect for the source of Button's problems are the tyres - or, more specifically, the way he uses them. It seems he is simply not getting them into the correct operating window often enough.

Why it is happening to him more than Hamilton, and finding a solution to it, has flummoxed McLaren so far.

Whatever it is, a solution needs to be found quickly or Button's title hopes will be over before Formula 1's summer break.

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VIDEO: Hungarian GP: Practice one highlights

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Jean-Eric Vergne profile

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

Before this season, inside Red Bull, there were those would tell you last year that of all the aspiring young drivers in their programme, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne was the one with the most potential.

Team: Toro Rosso Team-mate: Daniel Ricciardo Nationality: French Born:25/05/90, Pontoise So his grand prix debut with Toro Rosso was awaited with some interest this season.

It got off to a good start in Australia, with the intense Frenchman out-qualifying his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo before losing out to the Australian - and on a point - in a madcap last-lap scramble involving a number of other cars.

Ironically, since then, Vergne's qualifying performances have generally been poor, while in races he has often looked extremely impressive.

There was a strong eighth place in Malaysia in the wet, and that was set to be followed by an even more eye-catching seventh in Monaco before his team gambled on a late shower of rain that never materialised.

Meanwhile, his qualifying has been suffering from over-driving - trying too hard, basically. If he can calm himself down and discover the secret of Saturday afternoons, Vergne could be one to watch.

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De Villota leaves Spain hospital

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer Maria de Villota has been released from hospital after it was established she had suffered no neurological damage from her testing crash.

The Spaniard, 32, lost her right eye when her Marussia hit a lorry's tail gate during a test on 3 July.

A statement on De Villota's website said she had suffered "no neurological deficit and does not need any surgery".

Doctors from La Paz University Hospital in Madrid will continue to monitor her injuries.

"As communicated previously, the patient has lost her right eye, as a consequence of the serious trauma suffered, and she will be closely followed by the Ophthalmology service," read the statement.

She will need further plastic surgery to correct the "serious injuries to her face."

De Villota spent 17 days in Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge before returning to Spain.

It is as yet uncertain whether she will return to racing.

Governing body the FIA will not grant racing licences for any international-level series for at least five years after a driver loses an eye. This is because it takes at least that time for the brain to adapt to monocular vision. Experts assess applicants on a case-by-case basis.

For national-level racing, requirements differ from country-to-country. Even if a national sporting authority has no specific guideline, applicants with only one eye tend to be dealt with also on a case-by-case basis.

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Hamilton keen to avoid setbacks

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer Lewis Hamilton has admitted he cannot afford many more bad results if he is to retain any hopes of winning this year's world championship.

The McLaren driver is 64 points off the lead, held by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, with 10 races remaining.

Hamilton said retiring from Sunday's German race was "as big a dent as you can take".

He added: "You can only take so many dents, especially when the guy leading has finished every race in the points."

McLaren had two poor races in Valencia and Silverstone, with Hamilton retiring and finishing eighth, after his victory in Canada last month.

But Hamilton is hopeful McLaren will be competitive at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix following an upgrade that proved effective in Germany and that view was backed up by team-mate Jenson Button, who was second to Alonso at Hockenheim.

"There are still some areas where we are weak compared to the Ferrari and Red Bull," Button said. "I got to look at their cars quite a lot at Hockenheim but there are some areas where we are stronger also.

"We've got to the position where they're a little quicker here, and we're a bit quicker there. It's a much better position to be in."

Australian - 3rd Malaysian - 3rd Chinese - 3rd Bahrain - 8th Spanish - 8th Monaco - 5th Canadian - 1st European - 19th British - 8th German - Ret Alonso is the only man to win three races this season, in which he has displayed a combination of consistency and skill unmatched by any rival, despite driving a car that has never been the out-and-out fastest in dry qualifying.

But the Spaniard insists that it is far too early to start thinking about winning a third title.

He said: "We are in a good position in terms of the points we achieved in the first half of the season, in the first 10 races, but we are only half [way through the season].

"There remain another 10 important races with the same possibilities for everybody.

"The distance between the top five, top six is not a distance or a gap that is impossible to recover. You just need one good race or two good races and you are up there.

"So, we need to keep the concentration, try to keep maximising what we have in our hands every weekend - sometimes we know that can be a podium, sometimes maybe it's a fifth position, sometimes a seventh.

"But we cannot afford to make any mistakes or anything that we will regret."

Alonso, who won back-to-back championships in 2005-06, said that if he did win what would be his third world title, it would mean an enormous amount.

"When we finished Brazil in 2006 it was a dream for me to [even think to] win three World Championships in my career," he said.

"If it's this year, in two years time or in six years time, I don't know but the third one will be very important for me.

"To have the same as Ayrton [Senna] had - three world championships - he was my idol or my reference when I was in go-karts. And some big names, [Niki] Lauda etc, so three is a pretty good number which I always dream of, and hopefully [will] arrive sooner rather than later."

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Germany quotes & stats round-up

Sauber's Sergio Perez believes he had the pace to challenge for a third career podium at the German Grand Prix.

The Mexican qualified 12th but a penalty for impeding meant he lined up 17th on the grid.

An early problem with his car also did not help matters, but Perez shrugged off the issue to storm into the points and finish sixth.

1 Fernando Alonso 2 Jenson Button 3 Kimi Raikkonen 4 Kumi Kobayashi 5 Sebastian Vettel* 6 Sergio Perez 7 Michael Schumacher 8 Mark Webber 9 Nico Hulkenberg 10 Nico Rosberg

*Vettel penalised for passing Jenson Button off the track

"I think with the pace we showed, we could have fought for a podium," said Perez.

He continued: "I had a problem in my first stint, I had to stop early because of a problem with the left of the car. I felt a puncture but the team didn't know. We need to analyse what happened.

"But it was a great result for the whole team after such a bad day on Saturday."

Perez's team-mate Kamui Kobayashi finished fifth to cap a fine grand prix for Sauber, but was promoted to fourth after Sebastian Vettel was penalised 20 seconds for an illegal pass on Jenson Button.

"We struggled in qualifying, but I am glad to get points," said the Japanese driver.

"We were confident for a dry race and that we would have the pace for those conditions. I think I had a great race. I really enjoyed it."

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher gave himself a great chance of a podium finish at his home race by qualifying third, but was unable to keep up the pace with the front-runners as he dropped down the field.

7 - Michael Schumacher 6 - Ayrton Senna 5 - Gerhard Berger, Alain Prost 4 - Fernando Alonso, Nigel Mansell, David Coulthard, Jacques Laffite "There are nicer ways to finish a home race than falling back from third to seventh place," said Schumacher.

"I squeezed everything I could out of the car but, unfortunately, that's everything we could manage."

He added, cryptically: "We take the result and see what happens in future. I think we might see some interesting happenings in the future that does not concern just one car but several cars. It will be interesting."

Nico Rosberg started 21st on the grid but picked up a point for Mercedes by crossing the line in 10th place.

"It feels OK to have scored one point after such a bad qualifying and starting right at the back," he said.

21 - Ferrari 9 - Williams 8 - McLaren "We had a good strategy and I had great fun out there at times overtaking so many people to move up to 10th place."

Kimi Raikkonen was promoted to third after Vettel's punishment, but did not have the chance to celebrate on the podium as the stewards conducted their investigation.

Nevertheless, the Lotus driver felt any chance of challenging for a higher finish was prevented by a relatively disappointing qualifying session in the wet.

"Maybe if we had found a bit more pace in the wet on Saturday we could have started higher and pushed the leaders, but it is what it is," said Raikkonen.

"For sure we were hoping for a bit better here, but the car worked well all through the race and we still brought home some good points for the team, so there are some positives to take to the next race."

Force India enjoyed their best qualifying performance of the season as Nico Hulkenberg secured fourth place on the grid, with Paul di Resta lining up ninth.

They were both unable to build on that during the race, though, as Hulkenberg took ninth while Di Resta finished 11th.

"We always knew it was going to be tough to hang on to fourth place because we did not look especially strong in the dry conditions on Saturday morning," said Hulkenberg.

The circuit was reduced by around 2km in 2002 to give the circuit its current length of 4574m Number of corners: 13 (9 right-hand & 4 left-hand) The long sweeping left-hander named Parabolika sees the drivers reach speeds of almost 200 mph before braking for a sharp hairpin (Spitzkehre) "So it's good to come away with some points, but I was certainly hoping for a bit more from my home race."

Di Resta shared his team-mate's opinion, adding: "It was a bit mixed for me. I really struggled, certainly at the beginning. I was strong at the beginning and end of stints but not in the middle for some reason.

"We will go away from here certainly having to do a bit of work and aim to do better. Hopefully in Hungary we will be able to get on top of things a bit better."

German GP 2012: Alonso wins at Hockenheim

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McLaren target German GP victory

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer at Hockenheim McLaren believe they can win the German Grand Prix despite a disappointing qualifying performance.

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will start sixth and seventh but the race is predicted to be dry, in which they have been fast.

Asked if he could finish on the podium, Button said: "We should aim for that. I think we should aim even higher."

Hamilton said: "Fortunately, we have a big DRS [overtaking zone] so hopefully we'll be doing lots of overtaking."

German GP: McLaren strong if it is dry - Jenson Button

McLaren sporting director Sam Michael believes the team have "very competitive" pace in the dry. "All the data says we should have a very strong race car if it's dry," he said.

Asked if they could win, Michael said: "Yes, that's the aim."

McLaren's strong dry pace follows the introduction of a major upgrade package for this race, which includes new sidepods, brake ducts and diffuser.

Button said: "I think we should be happy with the progress we have made with the new package.

"For [tyre] degradation and outright pace we're strong but as soon as it started raining we knew we were going to struggle. I'm actually quite impressed we're this far up the grid.

"The car is quicker in the dry and the race is supposed to be dry. I think we're in for a very good race."

Both drivers struggled to get their tyres into the right operating temperature in the wet conditions - a problem that has afflicted them all season to a greater or lesser extent depending on the track and whether they are running 'extreme' wet or 'intermediate' tyres.

"We struggled with the wets here and been not bad on inters, and in Silverstone it was the other way around," Michael said.

0.44 - Lewis Hamilton has been almost half a second quicker (on average) than Jenson Button across the nine qualifying sessions so far

"There's clearly something we are not on top of when we get into the operating windows we see on wet tyres."

Button out-qualified Hamilton for the first time this season after coming into the pits for a fresh set of tyres for a final two fast laps in qualifying.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who took pole position, did the same, but Michael said the decision not to do the same with Hamilton - who was fastest heading into the final three minutes of the session - was not decisive.

"The way the session was run, with Jenson stopping for another set and Lewis continuing, showed you could have done either [and it not made a huge difference for McLaren]," Michael said.

"Alonso and Kimi [Raikkonen] went four to five seconds quicker and Jenson went 1.4 seconds quicker, so he didn't get the same gain as other teams did."

Sunday, 22 July: Race 13:00 BST; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live. Race highlights 17:30 BBC Two and BBC HD. Race highlights repeat 23:40 BBC One and BBC HD

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Wolff expands his Williams role

Austrian businessman Toto Wolff has increased his involvement with Williams by becoming an executive director.

Wolff, a former Formula Ford driver who won the Dubai 24-hour race in 2006, will assist team principal Sir Frank Williams in his new role.

He has been involved with the Oxfordshire-based team as a shareholder and non-executive director since 2009.

"I am really looking forward to being able to take my responsibilities to a new level," said Wolff, 40.

Wolff's Scottish wife Susie was signed up by Williams as a development driver in April.

The Williams team, whose last Formula 1 champion was Jacques Villeneuve in 1997, gained their first Grand Prix victory in eight years earlier this season when Pastor Maldonado won in Spain.

Maldonado is 11th in this season's drivers' championship, with team-mate Bruno Senna 16th. The team are seven in the constructors' championship.

Team principal Williams said: "Toto's new role is about Williams looking forward and managing the successful running of the company."

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Hamilton tops practice in Hungary

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer McLaren's Lewis Hamilton set the pace in Hungarian Grand Prix practice from Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen.

He headed both sessions. Team-mate Jenson Button was second in the first and eighth in the second, which was disrupted by a rain shower.

Hamilton ended the day 0.185 seconds quicker than Raikkonen, with Williams's Bruno Senna a surprise third.

The Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were fourth and fifth, and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel eighth.

"It's been a real positive day for me, I'm very happy," said Hamilton.

"We're on the right path but we've still got work to do and we know the Red Bull looks very quick, so does the Lotus and obviously the Ferrari as well.

"So we are by no means feeling comfortable. We're going to keep pushing."

Red Bull, who have dominated in the dry at the Hungaroring in the last two seasons, were surprisingly off the pace in the first session, although they looked more competitive in the second.

Vettel was 0.829 secs behind Hamilton in the second session, while team-mate Mark Webber was 14th fastest in the afternoon, although neither ran the faster 'soft' tyres before it rained.

Webber was 13th in the morning, when Vettel was 15th.

Speculation will centre on whether this apparent comparative lack of pace is related to a rule change focused on Red Bull and the engine settings they were running at the German Grand Prix last weekend.

The second session was interrupted by a rain shower about halfway through, but most of the leading runners managed to get out to do their lower-fuel runs on the 'soft' tyre before it hit.

"Some drivers did not get the best out of the 'soft' tyres, such as Button," said BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson. "Hamilton, Raikkonen and Senna all benefited from the cloud cover before the rain started.

"The Renault engine-setting situation will affect the mapping for the wet as well as the dry, but I'm sure Red Bull will be a factor [in the race]."

Force India's Paul di Resta was seventh fastest, with Lotus's Romain Grosjean ninth, ahead of the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.

Schumacher went out on wet tyres after the rain but locked his brakes and crashed into the tyre barriers at the downhill Turn 12.

It was the second time in a week that the veteran German had crashed in a wet second practice session.

"I just locked up and run out of road," The Mercedes driver said. "By hitting the tyres, I lost the front wing, but other than that, nothing is damaged on the car, I believe.

"It was the kind of incident that happens when suddenly a shower hits the dry track. The car felt OK until then."

The rain meant that the teams did not have a chance to do their usual race-simulation runs on the softer tyre.

In the first session, there was another impressive performance from Williams reserve driver Valtteri Bottas, standing in for race driver Bruno Senna in this sesson as normal.

He finished the session ninth fastest, behind Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Bottas was 0.148 secs quicker than team-mate Pastor Maldonado - and 15 minutes before the end of the session he had been seventh quickest, nearly half a second ahead of the Venezuelan.

In the first session, Hamilton was 0.101 secs quicker than Button, with Alonso third and a further 0.475 secs behind.

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Button thrilled with McLaren pace

Jenson Button says he now has the car to challenge for victories after marking a return to the podium for only the third time this season at the German Grand Prix.

The Briton finished third but was promoted to second after Sebastian Vettel was penalised for an illegal overtake on the McLaren driver.

"We're right up there with Ferrari and Red Bull in terms of speed," he said.

Australia 1 Malaysia 14 China 2 Bahrain 18 Spain 9 Monaco 16 Canada 16 Europe 8 Britain 10 Germany 2 "If we can sort out qualifying we have a really good chance of winning races."

Since finishing second in China, Button's form dipped and the former world champion had only picked up seven points from six races before arriving at Hockenheim.

McLaren brought a number of upgrades to Germany and Button is feeling confident they will reap the benefits of those in the coming races.

"Our upgrade package is working well. In the last couple of races, as I've said, I've been very happy with the car - the balance of the car anyway - and my feeling with it," he added.

"The results haven't been there because the pace hasn't been there with the car.

"This race gives me a lot of confidence and I'm very happy with being up on the podium."

Next on the Formula 1 calendar is the Hungarian Grand Prix, a race that holds good memories for Button.

The 30-year-old claimed his first ever F1 victory at the Hungaroring and also won there last year.

Vettel controversially overtakes Button

"I'm already looking forward to Hungary," he said.

"It's a special place for me, and I feel really encouraged that we can have another great race next weekend."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh praised Button's performance, saying it proves that he still has the "hunger" shown in his 2009 championship-winning season.

"Look where Jenson was at the end of the first stint. Vettel and Alonso were some way down the road and we had to hunt them down," he said.

"Anyone who doubted Jenson's hunger can put that now to the back of their minds."

There was some disappointment for McLaren, however, as Lewis Hamilton retired on his 100th grand prix appearance with gearbox damage after running well down the field following an early puncture.

"Lewis will know he had a quick car," said Whitmarsh.

"He will be frustrated for the next 24 hours but he will recover knowing he has a good record in Hungary and he has a fast car."

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Alonso takes pole at Hockenheim

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer at Hockenheim Ferrari's Fernando Alonso took pole position in a thrilling wet qualifying session at the German Grand Prix.

Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were second and third fastest, although the Australian will be demoted five places after a penalty.

McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh and eighth but will start a place higher.

Inside F1 - German Grand Prix qualifying

Mercedes' Michael Schumacher was fourth at his home race ahead of Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, also a German.

Williams's Pastor Maldonado was sixth, with Force India's Paul di Resta and Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen in ninth and 10th places and the first drivers not to benefit from Webber's penalty for a gearbox change.

Alonso and Ferrari were in imperious form in the wet conditions - the world championship leader did two laps fast enough for pole position and he ended up 0.405 seconds faster than Vettel.

Before the start of the final session, Alonso had said he felt the conditions were too wet for the cars to run.

He said: "It is good to check the circuit conditions and going into Turn 6 it was not easy for anybody.

"There was a lot of aquaplaning and we are doing 180mph there."

He said he felt he might have owed his pole to a decision to come in and fit fresh tyres for two flying laps at the end of the session.

"We made a good strategy call doing a pit stop in Q3 and having very fresh tyres for the last few minutes and that helped us a lot improve the lap time."

106 - The number of points separating Fernando Alonso from his teammate Felipe Massa. Hamilton leads Button by 42 and Mark Webber is just 16 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel said: "The lap was not completely clean. I think we had the pace to put the car on pole. I think the lap time was possible.

"We have to look at what Fernando said. Maybe that was a better way to do it. We are in the first row which should be good, starting the inside as well so we see what we can do."

At one point in the top 10 shoot-out Vettel was held up behind Webber and he complained on the team radio: "What is Mark doing holding me up?"

Afterwards, he said: "I lost the lap running into him but he had difficulty in these conditions and he probably didn't see me."

Webber said: "It was a very intense, tricky session for the drivers and engineers. It was a challenge for us. Sometimes to be in seventh gear wasn't possible, to use the Kers [power boost] wasn't possible. When you have wheelspin at 180mph it certainly gets your attention.

"But I was happy with my lap, I'm happy to be up here and from eighth we can still have a very good race."

Button complained that McLaren were still having problems getting their wet tyres up to operating temperature, an issue that has afflicted the team all season.

"The thing that really shows it's a weakness we need to improve on is that the pole position guy is three or four seconds ahead so he's obviously getting them [the tyres] working and we're not," he said.

Unlike Alonso, Raikkonen and Button, Hamilton did not come in for a fresh set of wet tyres for a couple of laps at the end of the session.

He had been fastest until three minutes from the end, when he started to slip down the field.

"I'm a bit disappointed with the end result of course," said Hamilton. "But we were looking good in Q1 in the dry and then in Q2 [in the wet] and it was looking OK and then at the end I don't understand how everyone went quite a bit quicker.

"We were a little bit unfortunate. Me and Jenson were the first two out and so we did our last laps first and the track just kept getting better and better.

"I had one lap at the end but I went straight off; it was like driving on ice for us.

"The great thing is we have big DRS down the back straight so hopefully we'll be doing a lot of overtaking [in the race]."

2011 - Mark Webber 2010 - Sebastian Vettel 2009 - Mark Webber 2008 - Lewis Hamilton 2006 - Kimi Raikkonen Rain hit before the start of second qualifying, leading to a mad scramble for all the drivers to get out and set a time before the conditions deteriorated.

The big losers among the top teams were Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Lotus's Romain Grosjean and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg.

All failed to get into the top 10 shoot-out, which was particularly bad news for Grosjean and Rosberg.

They qualified 15th and 17th but will both drop five further places as a result of penalties for changing their gearboxes.

Sergio Perez also drops five places after stewards ruled that he had impeded other cars in qualifying.

The Sauber driver had qualified 12th, but was found guilty of blocking both Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso in Q2.

Saturday, 21 July: Third practice 09:55-11:05 BST; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. Qualifying 13:00; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live. Highlights 17:00 BBC Two and BBC HDSunday, 22 July: Race 13:00 BST; BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live. Race highlights 17:30 BBC Two and BBC HD. Race highlights repeat 23:40 BBC One and BBC HD

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Vettel penalised for Button pass

Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel has been penalised for passing McLaren's Jenson Button while off-track during the German Grand Prix.

Red Bull's Vettel was given a 20-second penalty, which drops him from second to fifth place.

The race stewards decided Vettel had "left the track and gained an advantage when he rejoined".

The incident happened when they were battling for second on the penultimate lap of the race.

“The only intention was not to crash and to give him enough room”

Sebastian Vettel The penalty promotes Kimi Raikkonen to third and Kamui Kobayashi to fourth in a race which was won by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

After the race Button said: "Sebastian [Vettel]'s pass was a pretty straightforward matter: the rules state that you can't go off the track to gain an advantage.

"The thing is, there would have been more opportunities for him before the end of the race as my rear tyres were damaged. That's because I had to push hard to try and catch Fernando [Alonso], which meant I had nothing left for the end of the race.

"We pretty much ran out of rubber two laps before the end."

Vettel defended his actions but accepted the penalty: "I wasn't sure where he was, I couldn't see him in that moment, so decided to give enough space and went off line on the slippery paint and I was able to stay ahead and get past him.

"The only intention was not to crash and to give him enough room. I have respect for him and I didn't want to squeeze him.

"It was good to be on the podium at the home race, but I have to respect the steward's decision."

After the race, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: "The rules are clear, the driver has to leave enough room for the other. There wasn't enough room for both. It was really a racing incident. I think it would be harsh to penalise him."

But following the decision, Horner added: "It was disappointing to receive the penalty after the race but we accept this."

Vettel penalty harsh - Horner

Button passed Vettel during the second round of stops after McLaren performed what they claim  to be the fastest stationary pit stop in history at 2.31 seconds.

The McLaren driver then gave chase to leader Alonso but began struggling with his tyres in the closing stages, which allowed Vettel to close the gap.

The Red Bull driver attempted a pass around the outside of the Turn 6 hairpin, but Button defended his position while giving Vettel space.

Vettel took to the run-off placing all four wheels off track, before sweeping back onto the circuit and completing the move. Drivers are not allowed to gain position while going off the track.

Button immediately radioed his team saying: "Did Sebastian just pass me off the circuit?"

As they waited for the podium ceremony, Button said to Vettel: "They are going to investigate your overtake by the way." Vettel responded: "I didn't know where you were."

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Vettel defiant after rule change

Sebastian Vettel says Red Bull will not be significantly affected by a rule change banning a controversial engine setting used by them at the last race.

A new rule has been issued ahead of Sunday's Hungarian GP to prevent Red Bull running specific settings aimed at improving cornering performance.

Vettel said: "It's not as if the car doesn't work any more. I'm quite confident nothing will change.

"There is probably more fuss outside the car than the difference is inside."

Pressed on whether the changes would make no difference at all, he said: "I wouldn't say that. What we had in the car in Hockenheim we decided to race because we believed it was quickest.

Race wins: Three (Webber two, Vettel one) Podiums: Five (Vettel three, Webber two) Points accumulated: 230 "It is a little bit different for here. It is hard to give you, I don't know, 0.2secs, 0.05secs, nothing. We can't measure [the difference] either."

Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber added: "[The difference will be] very, very small, I would say. The guys haven't really even spoken to me much about it. It seems pretty tame on our side, so we'll just get on with it."

The rule change restricts the amount teams can change the torque - or pushing force - of the engine from race to race.

Governing body the FIA was concerned that Renault were doing this to enhance the driveability - and therefore performance - of the engine in a fashion that attempted to go some way towards traction control.

And rival teams felt that the maps also enhanced the degree to which exhausts could be used for aerodynamic effect, which has been severely restricted this year.

But Renault said the engine "is in no way being used as a driver aid or traction control" and added that the effect of exhausts on aerodynamics this year was "incidental".

The controversy over engine settings was one of three in which Vettel found himself embroiled at the German Grand Prix.

The others were calling McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton's actions "stupid" for unlapping himself on Vettel during the race and interfering with the lead battle, and then being demoted from second to fifth for overtaking Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button by going off the track.

After the race in Germany, Vettel had said of Hamilton: "That was not nice of him. I don't see the point why he's trying to race us.

"If he wants to go fast he can drop back, find a gap and go fast there. But it's a bit stupid to disturb the leaders. He was a lap down so I don't see the point anyways. I think that potentially lost us the position to Jenson."

German GP 2012: Alonso wins at Hockenheim

But after arriving in Hungary, Vettel denied calling Hamilton stupid and blamed the media, saying journalists had misheard him.

"If I say after the race that I thought it was unnecessary and then it gets quoted that I said he is stupid, it's quite disappointing because sometimes I have a mouth, I say a couple of words, you have ears, and in that process it seems mistakes sometimes happen," Vettel said.

"If you look at the rules, it's clear you are allowed to do it [unlap yourself]. I said it was unnecessary.

"I was hunting Fernando, it was a couple of laps to the stop, it didn't help me, it probably helped Jenson, but that's racing.

"I'm not complaining. I said it was unnecessary from a racing point of view to distract the leaders no matter who it was, and that's it."

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Hamilton predicts McLaren revival

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer McLaren's Lewis Hamilton believes he can bounce back from a disappointing race in Germany by challenging for victory in Hungary this weekend.

Hamilton retired at Hockenheim with a gearbox problem caused by an early puncture.

But he was was buoyed by McLaren's pace following the fitting of new parts.

"There's good reason to feel confident; our upgrade package seems to have delivered the pace we anticipated," Hamilton said.

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“Things haven't always gone our way in the first half, but I certainly feel like we're experiencing something of a turning point for the whole team”

Lewis Hamilton McLaren Driver Hamilton said McLaren would be stronger in the second half of the season.

He currently lies fifth in the championship - 62 points off the lead, held by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso - after a first 10 races marked by usually strong pace but also operational errors and occasional lack of competitiveness, especially in the wet.

Hamilton said: "Things haven't always gone our way in the first half, but I certainly feel like we're experiencing something of a turning point for the whole team.

"We've really stepped up and delivered the pace we needed, our strategy has been spot-on and our pit stops, despite a troubled start at the beginning of the year, are now consistently the fastest in the pit lane."

Hamilton's team-mate Jenson Button was second at the German Grand Prix, which was won by Alonso, and the team say they can erode the Spaniard's advantage.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh said: "I firmly believe we have the drivers, car and team to win both titles - and I think the difficulties we encountered during the first 10 races of 2012 have strengthened our resilience and hardened our resolve to fight back to the front.

"At Hockenheim last weekend, we had a car capable of taking on and beating our main rivals - the aim now is to ensure both Jenson and Lewis both score points in every race and to take as many points away from our rivals as possible.

"On paper, it may look a difficult task, but we are singularly determined to close down the gaps between ourselves and the championship leaders."

Alonso wins at Hockenheim

McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said the team were "under no illusions about how hard we need to work".

And he said the title would be a three-way fight between Alonso, McLaren and the Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, who are second and third in the championship table.

"While it is undeniable Fernando has driven really well this season," Neale said, "if you look at the points conversion rate of Red Bull, they are very strong and we have to get in among that mix.

"I don't think Fernando has a clear advantage over Red Bull at this stage."

Neale admitted that the team's uncompetitiveness in the wet was "a source of concern for us" and said he would prefer a dry weekend in Hungary.

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Red Bull not happy with slow pace

Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber admitted they were not happy with their cars in Friday practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

But both men denied it had anything to do with a rule change restricting ways in which Red Bull improve cornering performance with engine settings.

Vettel, who was eighth fastest, said: "There is room for improvement."

He said the effect of the restriction on engine mapping changes was "much less than people expect".

But he admitted that the team would have preferred to use the engine programme they had at the previous race in Germany last weekend, but which has now been ruled inadmissible.

"If we had the choice," he said, "of course we would go back to what we had in Hockenheim - it's difficult as well for us to measure [how much difference it makes]."

He added: "There is a lot of talk but if you knew what was going on in the background then you wouldn't be too interested in all the talking or stuff that gets printed the last couple of days.

"Fortunately tomorrow there is a new paper and the day after tomorrow again and especially on Monday.

"We focus on the race here and then try to make some good news for the Monday's paper."

Webber, who was 14th, said: "We've got work to do. We seem to be going OK in some places, but losing time in others - so we'll go through it tonight. I need to work on the balance. There's no change from the engine mapping amend."

Vettel was 0.829 seconds off the fastest time of the day, set by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, while Webber was 1.819 secs off the pace.

But neither man used the faster 'soft' tyres before a heavy rain shower in the middle of the second session brought useful running to an end.

However, McLaren driver Jenson Button, who was sixth fastest in the second session and second behind Hamilton in the first, said he thought Red Bull were competitive.

"They're definitely quick - Sebastian did a 22.8 or whatever it was on prime [harder] tyres," Button said.

Hamilton added: "We know the Red Bull looks very quick, so does the Lotus and obviously the Ferrari as well.

"I feel good in the car but I have no doubts that Fernando [Alonso of Ferrari] will all of a sudden find half a second in qualifying.

"I have no doubts the Red Bulls will all of a sudden find a big chunk of time. But all in all we're not in a bad position."

Alonso, the world championship leader, was fifth fastest, 0.587 secs slower than Hamilton.

Ferrari technical director Pat Fry said: "From the little one can see of the others, it only goes to show what we said before the weekend: there are some cars that are faster than us and if we want to have even the slightest chance of beating them, we must do everything perfectly."

In the second session, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen was second fastest.

The Finn said: "We have been pretty happy with the car, like in the last race, but it's only Friday."

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Title race wide open says Alonso

By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer at Hockenheim Ferrari's Fernando Alonso believes his growing world championship lead "means nothing" and that the title race is still wide open.

The Spaniard won in Germany to move 34 points clear of Red Bull's Mark Webber at the season's halfway point.

"We are very happy with the positions we got in the first half of the season but it means nothing because there are still 10 races to go," Alonso said.

"We saw again today that we are still not the quickest [car]."

Alonso fought a race-long fight with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Jenson Button in Hockenheim.

Vettel crossed the line second, with Button third, but the German was demoted to fifth place for passing the Englishman by going off the track on the penultimate lap.

Alonso not resting on laurels

Alonso's lead was less than a second for most of the race, in which he drove astutely to ensure his rivals were never quite close enough to try to pass.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said: "It's true [we don't have the fastest car]. If we did, it would be easier to win.

"We need to improve the car. We need to make sure our car is good in all the different conditions - wet, dry, different kind of tyres and so on. It is such a tight championship you need to make sure you can develop the car race by race."

Alonso is 44 points ahead of Vettel, with Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen fourth, 56 behind.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: "Fernando has finished all the races in the points - he has a 34-point lead, but that isn't insurmountable with 25 points for a win.

"It's important we get both of our guys beating him. He's been driving incredibly well, he's hit a purple patch of form. But we'll be looking to put as much pressure on as we can in the second half of the year.

"The [Ferrari] car has come on in leaps and bounds, but there is an awful lot of racing to be done between now and the chequered flag in Brazil [at the final race of the season]."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton has slipped to fifth in the championship, 62 points behind Alonso, after retiring from the German Grand Prix with a gearbox problem caused by an early puncture.

Button is seventh, 86 points behind, but Horner said even he could not be ruled out.

1) Fernando Alonso - 154

2) Mark Webber - 120

3) Sebastian Vettel - 110

4) Kimi Raikkonen - 98

5) Lewis Hamilton - 92

6) Nico Rosberg - 76

7) Jenson Button - 68

8) Romain Grosjean - 61

"I don't think you can write off anybody in this championship," Horner said.

"People were saying Jenson's had a bad run; he drove a great race today.

"I think it would be unwise to write off any of the top six guys at the moment.

"It only takes a couple of DNFs for Fernando or any of the front guys and the picture can change quickly if you hit a bit of form."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "We're at the halfway point and we have a lot of racing ahead of us, and they can both do it.

"This season is going to be right to the very end. I believe we will be sat on the edge of our seats in the last few laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix and I hope I am in deep agony on those laps because it means we are in contention to win.

"Fernando is doing a great job and so are Ferrari. They are difficult to beat but it's doable. We are a motor racing team, we are fighters and we have to concentrate on, race by race, trying to maximise points and see if we can erode that situation.

"It's going to be a great, great season. It already has been a great season.

"Coming out of [the first race in] Melbourne you'd have said we were on a roll and they [Ferrari] were in trouble.

"You've got congratulate them. We're on the pace now, we just have to keep pushing, keep the faith, keep focused, don't make mistakes and I think both our drivers are capable of winning races and they are both still capable of winning the world championship."

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