Over recent months Adrian Sutil and Force India have become a package to be reckoned with, a points contender at every race. After shining in all three practice sessions in Valencia, this weekend looked set to be no different.

After being beaten fair and square by McLaren and Ferrari in Canada, Red Bull were in fighting form on Saturday in Valencia with Sebastian Vettel taking pole position from team mate Mark Webber. With McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton in third, and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa making up the top five, we’re set for an exciting European Grand Prix on Sunday.

Sebastian Vettel pushed Robert Kubica off the top slot on the final lap of a gripping final practice session in Valencia this morning, as the leading runners slogged it out and those with ‘blown’ diffuser aerodynamics leapt ahead of the McLaren duo that had ruled the roost in Turkey and Canada. Vettel banged round in 1m 38.052s for Red Bull, pushing aside Kubica’s 1m 38.154s for Renault right at the end

Many teams were keen to get out and try significant modifications to their aerodynamic packages in Valencia on Friday. The programmes were relatively uncomplicated on the medium compound Bridgestone prime tyres on the dusty track. That changed when they attempted to go quicker on the super soft compound option tyre, which grained laterally and transversely in the morning.

Ferrari are very optimistic that they will turn a corner this weekend and fight for victory, now that their F10 is fitted with the ‘blown’ diffuser that is one of the keys to Red Bull’s aerodynamic advantage. The system basically uses the positioning of the exhaust system to direct hot air over the double diffuser, increasing the level of downforce

Fancy slipping into the cockpit of your very own Formula One car? Fancy treating your child to best work experience they could want – a week working for the Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team? Or would you prefer to have a limited edition Gold & Tantalum Hublot Aerobang watch on your wrist?

In Formula One racing, there’s no rest for the technical department. If they’re not making race-specific changes to a car for a particular Grand Prix, they’re carrying out large-scale upgrades after being inspired by rivals or looking ahead to next year’s design.

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council has agreed a number of significant changes to the Formula One regulations.

Ferrari announced on Tuesday that Pat Fry will join their technical department.

Upgrades, updates, developments – call them what you want, they mean performance in Formula One racing and the development race off the track is just as fierce as the battle on the track. Already this season, the development push has seen over a second of performance added to Renault’s R30 since the first race of the year in Bahrain.