New Regulations For Cameramen

Following Paul Allen's horrendous ordeal during the German Grand Prix, Bernie Ecclestone has introduced new regulations which state that television crew personnel must now stand on the pit wall during races, from the Hungarian Grand Prix on-wards. They will join the photographers who also take this vantage point, as the FIA and FOM look to increase pitlane safety.
Paul Allen was a victim of a freak incident during Sunday's German Grand Prix. Mark Webber was released from his box before the left rear tyre had been properly attached. Consequently, the tyre was launched down the pitlane and avoided by Lotus and Mercedes mechanics before it struck Allen on the back.

German Grand Prix: Race Analysis

Sebastian Vettel victories are often categorized as the boring affairs, where the German claims a comfortable lights to flag win. However, his 30th career victory was a hard fought tussle as Sebastian faced relentless pressure from the fast charging Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean throughout the race. Nevertheless, an exuberant Sebastian has finally broken his record of never having won on home soil. In addition, he has now also broken his duct of having never won a Grand Prix in the month of July. A fantastic day for Germany and a near perfect day for a resurgent Lotus team.
The German managed to lead into turn one, fending off a fast charging Mark Webber who attempted to aggressively take the lead following a sublime start. Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen battled their way into contention. Grosjean managed to close Vettel's lead before a safety car for Jules Bianchi's stricken Marussia brought Kimi Raikkonen into contention.

German Grand Prix: Saturday Analysis

For the second week in succession, Lewis Hamilton has smashed the lap record on his way to Pole Position. The Brit continued Mercedes' dominance in Qualifying, while initial examinations suggested a Red Bull Saturday resurgence. Both Vettel and Webber will look to heap pressure on Lewis early in tomorrow's race as the pair line up in P2 and P3. Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg was the victim of a strategic blunder by Mercedes, as the German dropped out of Qualifying at the Q2 stage. The option to start on primes is the silver lining.

German Grand Prix: Friday Analysis

Friday practice was overshadowed by the initial threats of a driver boycott if tyre failures recurred this weekend. Fortunately, Pirelli have emerged from Friday unscathed with FP1 and FP2 free of dramas. Sebastian Vettel ended the day fastest, yet it was Mark Webber who appeared to have the best race pace of anyone during the long runs. While fuel loads are unknown, Webber appears to have maintained his impressive form at the Nurburgring circuit; The track where he enjoyed the first win of his career in 2009. Meanwhile, Mercedes seem to have lost the significant advantage they had during recent short runs. The ingredients for captivating Qualifying session are all accounted for.

German Grand Prix: Weekend Preview

So soon after the controversy which gripped the British crowd at Silverstone, Formula One arrives in Germany, with all eyes firmly on Pirelli. The tyre manufactures have been under fire since the delaminations during the British Grand Prix and are now concluding preparations to the new Kevlar-belted tyres which make an appearance this weekend. Hopefully these more expensive construction tyres will provide exciting, but above all safe racing. Perhaps we can stop talking about tyres and focus on the ever improving battle between Mercedes and Red Bull, as the resurgent Silver Arrows look to impress on home soil.

Pirelli have frantically prepared the Kevlar-belted tyres which will feature this weekend.
(c) Sky Sports

Rosberg Ready To Continue Merc Resurgence

Undoubtedly, everyone at Brackley will have been encouraged by the team's race performances in recent times. They appear to have reduced the offset gap between their dominant qualifying pace and their previously underwhelming race pace. It has taken several races, yet the W04 is now capable of challenging the Red Bull's on both Saturday and Sunday.
In today's press conference, Nico Rosberg insisted that it is "too early" to begin considering the German as a true championship contender, despite the undeniable pace of the W04 in its current guise. With a 50 point deficit to current championship leader Sebastian Vettel, this is an unsurprising analysis. However, with consistent results outperforming that of his fellow countryman, Rosberg could well be in the running during the final stages of the year. "Short-term I just want to annoy Sebastian and Red Bull race-to-race by being ahead of them," he said. "That's the most important thing, to be ahead of them and other teams and try to win more races. That's what we're focused on at the moment."
In response to being suggested as a title contender, Nico claimed; "It's too early to say that. We're really focusing on getting our momentum, keeping it going and concentrating on one race to the next to get the most out of them - just as we have done in the last couple of races. Then we will see in a few races time."
He concluded; "It's a really nice time in my career. It's new; I've never had a car as quick as this one is now and never been able to go out in qualifying knowing I can fight for a position right at the front. And now the car is getting better and better so the chances are higher on Sunday that I can keep my qualifying position. It's very motivating."
To boost the Mercedes charge, the team have brought an intriguing new front wing this weekend, which features many redesigned elements. It features a fully detached top flap, as well as an additional tier, (fifth element). Moreover, the wing has smaller IR sensors which are attached to the cascade wiglet. This should be more efficient at channeling air into the turning vein and suspension elements, creating more front downforce. Many of these features have been adopted from Ferrari's front wing which first appeared at Silverstone. Other developments for Mercedes this weekend include modified brake ducts, new rear suspension elements and an improved floor. They are certainly looking to maintain momentum in the development race, especially now that they have the talents of Paddy Lowe in their arsenal.

The new Mercedes front wing, featuring a fifth tier and a fully detached top flap
(c) Sky Sports

Alonso Hopes For A Vast Improvement

In contrast to 2012, Ferrari have been a reasonably consistent team in this campaign. However, Fernando Alonso has failed to match the efforts of Red Bull and Vettel. Despite this, Fernando maintains a strong position in the title race, as Sebastian Vettel's closest challenger, yet a dismal British Grand Prix meant that he was unable to capitalize fully on the Red Bull tribulations.
"We need to answer what is our real performance," Alonso acknowledged. "We have been very good this year apart from the Silverstone weekend where we were not competitive, not good enough to fight with the top guys. So I am curious to see if it was only one race or whether we lost performance somewhere,"
Mercedes have arrived on home soil as the team to beat and Fernando has recognised that to challenge Sebastian's current control of the championship, he will need to beat the Silver Arrows - which is a tricky task in itself. Alonso noted, "They are very strong. They have proven that they are extremely quick. Before it was qualifying, now they are also very quick in the race. I have no doubts that they will fight until the end. Nico and Hamilton will be tough contenders."

Drivers Content With Pirelli Changes

With safety being a major concern for the drivers as they departed Silverstone, Pirelli realized that action had to be taken quickly. Most of the drivers have stated their satisfaction with Pirelli's immediate response to their fears, after initial threats of a German GP driver boycott were quickly quelled in the wake of the British Grand Prix. However, many remain unclear on how the Kevlar-belted tyres will affect the pecking order, with teams such as Lotus and Force India thriving on the high degradation tyres. 

Kevlar Tyres For German Grand Prix

Following yesterday's announcement that the forthcoming Young Drivers Test at Silverstone would become a Pirelli tyre test in which the race drivers would take part, Pirelli are expected to announce that they will revert back to the Kevlar-belt tyres as oppose to the current steel versions which wreaked havoc during the British Grand Prix. The official statement is expected to be made later today, with the new tyres being used at next weekend's German Grand Prix.
The sudden decision from Pirelli has been made on account of two reasons. Firstly, both Lotus and Force India stated after Sunday's race that they would no longer object to a mid-season change of tyres on safety grounds. Secondly, Pirelli and the FIA have been forced by the teams to act on driver's concerns following the threats of a German Grand Prix boycott.