CONTENTS

December 15-22 2011 – vol 206 no 11

“Kimi is a cool guy, and he has grown up. He knows what people expect and I think he takes it a bit more seriously than when he was at McLaren” GROUP LOTUS CEO DANY BAHAR IS CONFIDENT RAIKKONEN CAN DELIVER

F1 REVIEW

Up-to-the-minute news and reports from F1, WRC and more. Subscribe for must-read opinion, stats and images

COVER IMAGES: HONE, COATES/LAT, THOMPSON/ GETTY

COVER STORY

178 The number of races since two Frenchmen appeared on the grid in the same grand prix, courtesy of Jean Alesi and Olivier Panis in Japan 2001. That run will end if

Romain Grosjean and Charles

Pic both start the 2012

Australian GP…

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NEWS

30 F1 season overview Mark Hughes gives his verdict... 38 Top-10 drivers of 2011 ...and ranks the best racers 43 Team Principals’ top 10 44 David Coulthard’s view DC on the best and worst bits

48 Adrian Newey interview Red Bull design ace spills beans 54 Pat Fry interview Can Brit transform Maranello? 58 Massa under pressure Felipe’s last chance at Ferrari 62 Hamilton’s horrors

60-page F1 season review starts on p30

Riding Lewis’s rollercoaster 68 Schuey: I’m not giving up Veteran champ is still hungry 72 What happened at Renault? Charting team’s 2011 decline 76 Team by team analysis 97 The year in numbers

REGULARS

7 From the editor 8 Snapshot 17 Mark Hughes column 46 Subscribe for a free gift 128 Final drive Letters and Latest Gear

130 On track/on screen The best action in the next week 133 From the archive Bruce McLaren wins US GP, 1959 134 Race of my life Gold Peter Gethin, Italian GP 1971

H AW K I N S

,F E R R A R O/ L AT,G A R Y

:T E E

P IC S

10 Grosjean: Kimi is a target Frenchman looks ahead to taking on Lotus team-mate Raikkonen 13 Senna eyes US move Bruno targets NASCAR if he lucks out of an F1 ride in 2012 14 Sky reveals more F1 details Broadcaster confirms programme plan for 2012 coverage 20 Super GT and DTM tie-up

Grosjean is ready for Raikkonen, p10

Japanese and German series ready for common regs in 2014 22 Hendrick: Johnson unique Team chief Hendrick sure his man Jimmie’s five-title run will never be repeated 27 Al-Attiyah lands Citroen gig Qatari ace secures third works DS3 drive for 2012 WRC 29 Tweets, polls, top-fives

FEATURES

103 Christmas Quiz Win a pair of three-day tickets to the 2012 British Grand Prix at Silverstone in our annual teaser

SPORTS EXTRA

123 AMOC reshuffle to revive Aston Martin club racing Latest plan to allow series for British-built racers to thrive 124 Dempsey quits FFord Formula Ford UK stalwarts Cliff

Dempsey Racing quits series for FRenault BARC assault 126 National Focus Part two of the best of 2011: top-10 rivalries of the year and top-10 club machinery

Aston series get shake-up

December 15-22 2011 autosport.com 5