Vettel: self-saboteur or just inexperienced?

Sebastian Vettel will be doing a lot of head scratching following his performance at the Belgian Grandprix; a race in which he had several pitstops - 2 of which could have been avoided.

His troubles really began when he got caught up behind Jenson Button (McLaren) and found the weather conditions too tricky to handle. This caused him to collide with Button and damage his frontwing on the 17th lap of the 44-lap race. Luckily for him, he was able to get into the pits and fix the damage.
And then came the news that he had a drive-through penalty for the incident with Button. This prompted him to "push on" and try to cover as much distance as possible to build a buffer since he would lose time serving his penalty. Hence his aggressive overtake move on Liuzzi's Force India which resulted in a left-rear puncture which he had to nurse over the 7km race distance before he could get back into the pits.

He went on to finish the race in 15th place and scored no points at Spa, and must now begin to wonder if his goal of winning a Championship will be delayed for another year. Often regarded as a quick and capable driver, and nicknamed 'baby Schumi', he is definitely worthy of being a World Champion. But with the amount of errors he has made this season (don't forget the incident with his team-mate at the Turkish GP), it raises some questions about his ability and his car. Perhaps the RedBull RB6 is too powerful and quick for the young driver or his overtaking skills need further development in their simulator. Or will he continue to sabotage his and his team-mates chances of taking the title in 2010?

Hamilton is fined, but avoids conviction

Several month after the incident, a magistrate in Melbourne gave the F1 ace a fine of $500 for the 'hooning' or burn-out incident prior to the Australian Grand Prix at the start of the season.

Hamilton was not in attendance but his representative ensured that a conviction was not recorded as this would have prevented him from entering certain countries and disrupt his professional and personal life.

The McLaren driver will no doubt be looking to put this event, and his mechanical failure at the Hungarian GP, behind him as he and the other F1 teams return (after a four-week hiatus) to race again at Spa-Francorchamps.