Protesters blocked several roads and police fired teargas at a school in Bahrain on Sunday, activists said, as the Gulf state staged a Formula One race promoted by the government as pure sport but seen by the opposition as a public relations stunt.
Sebastian Vettel led a Ferrari one-two at the top of the timesheets in final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, ending the stranglehold of previously dominant champions Mercedes. Vettel lapped the Sakhir Circuit in a best time of one minute 31.683 seconds, 0.040 faster than team mate Kimi Raikkonen on the supersoft tyres. It was the first time this season that any driver from outside the Mercedes pairing of Nico Rosberg and triple world champion Lewis Hamilton had ended practice on top. Hamilton was quickest in all three sessions in Australia two weeks ago while championship frontrunner Rosberg led his team mate in Bahrain practices one and two on Friday. Rosberg was third fastest in practice three, his time of 1:32.104 slower than Friday when he did 1:31.001, with Hamilton fourth.
Sunday will be the first time that Austria has hosted a season-opener and the race will also be the latest start date to a championship.
Sebastian Vettel's 'stab-in-the-back' Malaysian Grand Prix win revived an age-old debate about team orders in Formula One but trust, or the lack of it, could be more of a headache for champions Red Bull in the weeks ahead.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix for Lotus on Sunday, beating Ferrari's Fernando Alonso into second place at Albert Park.
Sebastian Vettel's rivals, perhaps more in hope than expectation, are looking to this weekend's Australian Grand Prix to usher in a season where the German and his Red Bull team have their three-year monopoly of Formula One titles broken.
No driver in the history of Formula One has won four championships before the age of 30 but being first has become something of a habit for Sebastian Vettel.
Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus was fined 400 euros for speeding in the pit lane during the first practice session of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida.
Alonso's last race victory came in 2013, and he hasn't been on the podium since 2014. For arguably one of the best drivers F1 has ever seen, this is the very definition of a legacy unfulfilled, says Chetan Narula.
Formula One's pre-season mind games kicked off on Tuesday with Fernando Alonso having a dig at Red Bull after one of Sebastian Vettel's main mentors accused the Ferrari driver of playing politics last year.
A glaring error by Ferrari denied Charles Leclerc the chance to shine at home, with the 21-year-old failing to make it through the first phase and qualifying only 16th after going fastest in final practice.
Team by team analysis of Sunday's Chinese Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai (listed in championship order).
The Formula One season winds up in Abu Dhabi on Sunday with both titles won, Lewis Hamilton aiming to close the year on a winning note and big money still at stake for those further down the paddock pecking order.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has insisted that his team must consult him on who would replace recently-retired world champion Nico Rosberg next season before also warning them against signing big names like Fernando Alonso.
It was a forgettable Malaysian Grand Prix race for Sahara Force India as Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta failed to complete the race due to wheel nut problems, in Sepang on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton led every lap from pole position to chequered flag, banging in a fastest lap for good measure to emphasise his supremacy
Team by team analysis of Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix (listed in championship order).
The pole was a record-extending 88th of Hamilton's career and fifth of the season.
After pipping Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel with a lap of one minute 23.599 seconds in the first practice, the Briton shaved almost a second in FP2, his quickest lap clocked at 1:22.60.
Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix on pole position in his farewell to McLaren, with teammate Jenson Button alongside.
Fans of Formula One got a taste of real-time virtual reality of the race, without the usual 30-second delay, after the 'world's first' live 360-degree technology was put to test at the Singapore Grand Prix, according to Tata Communications and Formula 1.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday's Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix on pole position with Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber also on the front row.
Max Verstappen lapped with a best time of one minute 27.422 seconds.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won an accident-strewn and thrilling Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix for Lotus on Sunday.
'I'm so grateful for everyone who helped me be here, to raise the bar and lift the cup'
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso won the European Grand Prix on Sunday to become the first repeat winner of the Formula One season after eight races.
Hamilton already has plenty of records, including 87 pole positions and 33 successive scoring finishes, and his 83 wins put him on course to surpass Schumacher's record tally of 91 next year.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso lost his lead in the Formula One championship but still found positives to take away from a Korean Grand Prix dominated by Red Bull rival Sebastian Vettel on Sunday.
The Renault Formula One team will be renamed Alpine F1 from 2021, competing in French colours to showcase the carmaker's sportscar brand, new company CEO Luca de Meo announced on Sunday.
'As soon as I leave the races I'm able to switch off. I've got, obviously other things that I'm doing, and in between, trying to fit in the training, for example, in the last week, has not been easy'
Fernando Alonso failed to win a third Formula One championship on Sunday but the Ferrari driver still rated his season as the best of his career.
Lewis Hamilton took pole position, his third of the season, at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday after dominating the two days of practice.
Lewis Hamilton managed to make the most of the adverse conditions to take pole position for Sunday's race.
Fernando Alonso led from pole position to chequered flag to win the German Grand Prix for Ferrari on Sunday while Germany's World champion Sebastian Vettel was stripped of second place for an overtaking infringement.
Ferrari will be looking for answers in Formula One testing this week after champions Mercedes were more dominant than ever in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso emphasised the positives on Sunday after Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel dashed the Spaniard's hopes of seizing back the lead in the Formula One championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton has had more success in Shanghai than any other Formula One driver, which makes Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix the ideal location for the triple world champion to end Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg's winning streak. While Rosberg has started the season with a perfect 50 points from two races, and a run of five successive victories dating back to last November, Hamilton is ready to turn the tables. The Briton has won four times in Shanghai and is on for three in a row after last season becoming the only driver to win the race in successive years. "It's not been a smooth start to the season for me, so to be in the championship position I'm in right now is actually pretty positive," said Hamilton, who lies second in the standings after a second and a third place. "Now we go to China for the next battle. It's a track that's been good to me over the years... so hopefully this race can be the turning point." Hamilton has not won since he took his third world championship in Austin, Texas, last October but the 31-year-old has started both races this season on pole position.
Pop sensation Psy brought 'Gangnam Style' to the South Korean Grand Prix on Sunday by first showing Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel how to dance to the catchy hit and then waving the chequered flag as he won the race.
The Spaniard knows he will lose the championship lead at the southern Yeongam circuit for the first time since seizing it in Valencia in June if his Red Bull rival Sebastian Vettel chalks up a third win in a row.
Sahara Force India's Nico Hulkenberg qualified 10th but will start Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix from the 15th position on the grid after being handed a five-place penaltly due to an unscheduled gearbox change.
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