GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Jaime Alguersuari wins Felipe Massa's annual all-star kart race

Jaime Alguersuari wins Felipe Massa's annual all-star kart race

Sunday, December 4th 2011, 16:22 GMT

Toro Rosso Formula 1 racer Jaime Alguersuari claimed victory in Felipe Massa's annual International Challenge of Go-Kart Champions in Florianopolis, though only after Ferrari protege Jules Bianchi was disqualified.

Bianchi had won both Saturday night's wet race and today's dry heat on the road, but was excluded from the latter event for a weight rules violation.

That handed the heat and outright win to Alguersuari, who had been second behind Bianchi - just ahead of Massa - in race one.

Lucas di Grassi and Rubens Barrichello completed the race two podium.

The star-studded entry also featured fellow F1 men Jerome D'Ambrosio, Tonio Liuzzi, Adrian Sutil and Pastor Maldonado, plus ex-grand prix racers Nelson Piquet Jr, Antonio Pizzonia, Luciano Burti, Ricardo Zonta, Enrique Bernoldi, Christian Fittipaldi and Gianni Morbidelli, and IndyCar's Tony Kanaan, Vitor Meira and Ana Beatriz.

Credit: AUTOSPORT.COM (www.autosport.com)

GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | David Coulthard says Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 stronger than ever before

David Coulthard says Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 stronger than ever before

By Dieter Rencken and Matt Beer

Sunday, December 4th 2011, 15:05 GMT

David Coulthard believes his former McLaren team-mate Kimi Raikkonen will be better than ever when he returns to Formula 1 with the Lotus Renault team in 2012.

Renault - which becomes Lotus next year - announced this week that it had secured the services of 2007 world champion Raikkonen, who has spent the last two seasons focusing on the World Rally Championship.

Coulthard drove alongside Raikkonen at McLaren from 2002 to '04, and reckons the maturity and perspective the Finn has gained since his initial F1 stint will be hugely beneficial.

"I think he's more worldly now," Coulthard told reporters at the Race of Champions.

"He's had some changes in his private life and he's in a better place to have a perspective on what a great opportunity this is. Remember he came in straight from Formula Renault to Sauber, and when you go straight from being a kid in a lower formula to being immersed in Formula 1 and you're earning all this money and have all these various distractions, I think you can't really see the wood for the trees.

"So he's taken a step back, and I've no doubt he will communicate with the media better than he did the first time around and he'll give it his all. Good on him."

Now a BBC F1 commentator and DTM racer, Coulthard is sure that Raikkonen has plenty of motivation for coming back to F1.

"Kimi stopped too early in his career, there's no question about that," said Coulthard. "He's gone off and had some fun in rallying.

"I did an event with him earlier this year at the Red Bull Ring and he was just jumping on everything - whether it was motocross bikes or the different cars that were there, he just has a great feeling for pushing the limits. So I've got no doubt at all that he will be on the pace."

Jenson Button also backed Raikkonen's decision to return, though he admitted that news of his Renault deal had come as a surprise.

"It was a shock to me that he's going to be racing for the team he is," said Button. "I was really surprised when they announced Kimi. I thought he had a chance at Williams.

"I think it's really good for the sport. As a driver, he's very, very competitive. If he really wants to race, he's going to be quick.

"From what I've heard from the engineers at McLaren, he knows what he's doing in terms of engineering and setting up the car.

"It's good to have him back and the races will be more fun and obviously the evenings after the races will be more fun..."

Credit: AUTOSPORT.COM (www.autosport.com)

GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Jenson Button: 'Lewis Hamilton didn't fade, I improved' in McLaren team battle

Jenson Button: 'Lewis Hamilton didn't fade, I improved' in McLaren team battle

By Dieter Rencken and Matt Beer

Sunday, December 4th 2011, 14:47 GMT

Jenson Button believes the change in the competitive balance at McLaren this season was more due to him improving than Lewis Hamilton's form declining.

Hamilton found himself beaten in the standings by a team-mate for the first time this season, as Button took the runner-up spot in the Formula 1 world championship behind dominant champion Sebastian Vettel, and Hamilton was 43 points further back in fifth. In their first year as McLaren team-mates in 2010, Hamilton had beaten Button by 26 points as they took fourth and fifth.

Although Hamilton's performances received a lot of criticism this year, Button thinks his team-mate did little wrong - but that his own form took big strides forward as he settled into the team.

"For me personally I felt more and more comfortable and confident in the team with finding the right direction for the car," Button told reporters at the Race of Champions.

"I feel that I was driving better, and I obviously can't speak for Lewis.

"He had some pretty tough races but he also had some great races. In Abu Dhabi he was untouchable. He's still got the speed."

McLaren signed Button to a new multi-year deal this autumn, and though the 2009 champion said he had never been over-keen on long contracts, he felt honoured that the team was so eager to keep hold of him, and that it was positive for his and the team's future.

"It's something that McLaren wanted," Button said. "I'm not blowing smoke up my arse, but a team wants continuity.

"For me, I wouldn't mind taking it year on year and every year renewing the contract. I think it's a nice position to be in, and it's exciting that way.

"But it's also good to have a long-term contract in terms of knowing that the team is going to support you and help you build as a driver and you need to work together to build a car around you.

"There are two guys in a team, and obviously this team has always been Lewis's team, understandably, he's a world champion, he's achieved so much for McLaren and everyone loves that, but this year I feel I had more involvement in the car than the previous car, and that's really important to me. We've both had a lot of involvement in the car and we've really moved it forward.

"You need continuity, the team thinking that you might leave at the end of the year - it doesn't work. This is working well for me and I'm happy to be in this position."

Credit: AUTOSPORT.COM (www.autosport.com)