Formula One, My One

The tight and challenging Nurburgring circuit will host the German Grand Prix next weekend. As the 'home' race for Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld, Timo Glock and Adrian Sutil, BMW, Mercedes and the Toyota team, the event has special significance for many on the grid. Here the drivers and senior team personnel explain why they can't wait to head for the mountains to tackle the legendary track

In what record-breaking time did Usain Bolt complete the 100m run at last year's Olympics? Who won the 2007 GP2 championship and how many points did he score? How many colleges are there at the famous Oxford University? And what is Japan's best-selling pop song? These are just some of the questions we thought Kazuki Nakajima would take in his stride after he agreed to be the latest participant in our personal trivia test, 'Ask the Expert'...

There may not be a Grand Prix this weekend, but don't be fooled - the majority of Formula One teams will still be in action at the UK's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Brawn, McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, Toyota and Red Bull are all scheduled to attend the annual three-day celebration of motorsport, which gets under way on Friday.

McLaren have confirmed that the team will be heading to Russia later this month to take part in the Moscow City Racing event. The annual motorsport festival, which is expected to attract thousands of Muscovites, will be held on July 19. Heikki Kovalainen will be in action in the British team's championship-winning MP4-23 for the spectacle, which will take place on a 4.5-kilometre street circuit right in the heart of the Russian city, with St Basil's Cathedral, Red Square and the Kremlin all providing stunning backdrops.

Red Bull have announced that Spanish teenager Jaime Alguersuari will serve as their reserve driver from next weekend's German Grand Prix. Alguersuari, who became the youngest-ever British Formula Three champion last year, replaces fellow Red Bull junior driver Brendon Hartley, who has held the post since May's Spanish race. “With the ban on in-season testing, Red Bull views the appointment of a third driver as part of its young driver training programme, allowing a driver to follow all activities of the F1 teams over a race weekend,” explained the team in a statement. “Having benefited from this experience over the first half of the year, Hartley will now concentrate on his own racing programme in the European F3 series.”

Bridgestone have confirmed which dry-weather tyres will be available to the teams at the next five races. Although super-soft and medium rubber will be used at next weekend's German Grand Prix, the Japanese company plan to disregard their allocation rationale for the 2009 season, and bring adjacent compounds to the Hungarian, European, Belgian and Italian events. So for the upcoming race at Hungaroring and August's European Grand Prix in Valencia, super soft and soft compounds will need to be used, while at the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix teams will be allocated soft and medium rubber tyres.

BMW Sauber's fall from grace this season has been well documented. Having finished 'best of the rest' behind Ferrari and McLaren in 2008, the German-Swiss team were hoping to take another step forward in '09 and fight for the title. However, they have been sorely disappointed and with few signs of imminent improvement currently languish near the foot of the table with eight points. Here's the story of their campaign so far

With just over four months to go before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix makes its maiden appearance on the Formula One calendar, anticipation is building. And to pique interest in the Yas Marina circuit all the more, race organisers have unveiled an online 'Virtual Driver Experience', which gives fans the chance to enjoy a sneak preview of the new track. “There is so much interest in the Yas Marina Circuit and the race here in Abu Dhabi that the Virtual Driver Experience is a great opportunity for motor sports fans to get as close to the action as possible before race day,” explained Richard Cregan, CEO of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management.

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is no stranger to the pressures of Formula One racing, but the Ferrari driver is set to sample a different motorsport challenge next month, after agreeing to make his World Rally Championship debut at July's Neste Oil Rally Finland. Although Raikkonen has already contested three rallies this year, including the arduous Arctic Lapland event in January, the Jyvaskyla race will be his first competitive outing on gravel.

BMW Sauber's fall from grace this season has been well documented. Having finished 'best of the rest' behind Ferrari and McLaren in 2008, the German-Swiss team were hoping to take another step forward in '09 and fight for the title. However, they have been sorely disappointed and with few signs of imminent improvement currently languish near the foot of the table with eight points. Here's the story of their campaign so far

Responsible for everything from feeding a hungry Formula One team, to pit-stop precision, to dealing with the FIA, Toyota's team manger Jens Marquardt has his work cut out over the course of a Grand Prix weekend. After replacing long-term predecessor Richard Cregan at the start of the season, however, Marquardt is taking the demands of his new position in his stride. Here he describes just what he does at the Japanese team

How many grand slam tournaments has tennis player Roger Federer won? How many German drivers have competed in Formula One racing since 1950? Who invented the modern piano? And how many times did Sean Connery play 007? These are just some of the questions we thought Force India's Adrian Sutil would take in his stride after he agreed to be the latest participant in our personal trivia test, 'Ask the Expert'...

It's a tale worthy of a Hollywood film script. Despite starting the year not knowing if they would even be around at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Brawn GP have been far and away 2009's strongest team, outshining 2008's trio of title contenders, Ferrari, McLaren and BMW Sauber. Backmarkers made good, the former Honda team have taken six wins from eight races and lead the constructors' championship with a sizeable advantage. Here's the story of their season so far

Winning teams from the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge enjoyed a taste of the high life at last week's British Grand Prix. The 'once in a lifetime' experience of the Silverstone event was organised as a prize for the young members of the six squads, which clinched victory at the UK's F1 in Schools national finals earlier in the year. Team Tigerzz from Ridgewood School in Doncaster joined Toyota on Wednesday in their motor home for a VIP lunch, before touring the Japanese squad's garage. St Bede's Babes from Peterlee's St Bede's School, joined up with Italian outfit Toro Rosso for a separate tour. On Friday the Comets from Carlisle's Caldew Lea Primary School watched both practice sessions as guests of Renault.

Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn announced on Thursday he is to become a patron of the SKIDZ Motor Projects charity, which provides opportunities for disadvantaged young people in the UK to gain vocational motor trade skills and access to courses in motor engineering. Currently based in rented premises, the charity aims to raise almost £1million to purchase a property for the Wycombe Motor Project. A new location would see the organisation able to offer an improved service to the area's youngsters and better facilities.

After a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday, Formula One racing's governing body, the FIA, issued the following statement: All currently competing teams have committed to the FIA Formula One World Championship.There will be no alternative series or championship and the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009...

Who wrote the song 'Over the Hills and Far Away'? When did team principal Martin Whitmarsh join McLaren? How many motorcycle world championships has Valentino Rossi won? And when did Finland's national ice hockey team, Leijonat, win a gold medal? These are just some of the questions we thought McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen would take in his stride after he agreed to be the latest participant in our personal trivia test, 'Ask the Expert'...

After finishing Saturday's qualifying in fourth, Toyota's Jarno Trulli found his seventh-place finish at Silverstone on Sunday disappointing. The Italian reveals how his British Grand Prix unfolded and looks ahead to July's German event

As if the return of the only Formula One night race wasn't exciting enough, Singapore Grand Prix organisers have also released news of a celebrity-packed off-track music line-up for this September's event. The exclusive free concerts will entertain fans throughout the weekend at the Marina Bay circuit. Headlined by renowned international artistes the Backstreet Boys and Chaka Khan, Singapore's impressive programme will also include stage performances from Senegalese legend Youssou N'Dour, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Mavis Staples and Filipino pop sensation Rivermaya. Los Angeles culture-mashers Ozomatli are also set to energise audiences.

Williams may still be a way off returning to their championship-winning heydays, but the team have shown significant improvement in 2009 and are currently fifth in the constructors' championship. Technical director Sam Michael is certainly pleased with progress. Here he reviews the British outfit's performance to date, looks back at last weekend's Silverstone race and reveals why he won't be going on holiday ahead of next month's German Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton's 16th place in Sunday's British Grand Prix was a stark contrast to his victory at Silverstone in 2008. But as development of the McLaren MP4-24 continues, the reigning champion insists there is light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, he's looking forward to driving Ayrton Senna's MP4-4 at the forthcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, as he explained to his official site

Their third album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, was released on June 5 and entered the UK album chart at number one, giving Kasabian their second number-one album. And to give themselves a treat after those months of hard work in the studio, the British rock band showed up in the Silverstone paddock - causing a media frenzy...

Those bookmakers who last week paid out on Jenson Button and Brawn winning the championship are probably wishing they hadn't, after Red Bull's rout at Silverstone breathed new life into the 2009 title chase. Brawn, struggling with tyre temperatures, had no answer to Vettel and Webber, who won as they pleased. Technical improvements to the RB5 clearly delivered. The real question, however, is whether Brawn's poor form was simply a one-off, or whether they are now genuinely playing catch-up?

1st Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h22m49.328s; 2nd Mark Webber (Red Bull), 1h23m04.516s; 3rd Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP), 1h23m30.503s. Q: Sebastian, your first dry grand prix victory. Fantastic start. In the first stint you are pulling away at a second a lap from everyone else. You were told to calm down by your team in the middle stint but was it really as easy as it looked today? Sebastian Vettel: You know, it is never easy. It is a long, long race and I think particularly at this fantastic circuit everyone of us is enjoying it a lot...

Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen on the collision that ended both their races; Brawn GP's Jenson Button on failing to make it on to the podium for the first time this season; and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on taking his second 2009 victory. All 20 drivers and senior team personnel report back on Sunday's race action

What seemed to be a foregone conclusion after qualifying became one almost the moment Sebastian Vettel launched his Red Bull RB5 into the lead of the British Grand Prix. In a crushingly dominant drive, which underlined the major step forward that the Milton Keynes team have made on high-speed circuits, Vettel pulled away from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn by as much as a second a lap in a series of quick tours, and never looked remotely challenged...

Plans to make what is scheduled to be the last British Grand Prix at Silverstone a remarkable and memorable event centred as much on off-track action as on, and as ever there was a huge amount going on. Grammy award-winner Duffy took time out of her European tour will play a private gig at The Formula One Party in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. The party was held at London's Victoria & Albert Museum prior to the race to raise funds for the hospital's new Heart and Lung Centre...