Toro Rosso present the STR7 in Jerez pit lane
Toro Rosso followed in the footsteps of Sauber and unveiled the car with which they will contest the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship at Jerez on Monday afternoon. The Ferrari-engined STR7 will make its on-track debut on Tuesday morning, when this week's opening pre-season test gets underway at the Spanish track. The Italian team's 2012-spec line-up, Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Frenchman Jules-Eric Vergne, were in attendance at the pit-lane launch. Toro Rosso hope the new car - and new signings - will help them establish a firmer foothold in the midfield, after they finished eighth in the 2011 standings.

Defence of the realm - the Red Bull RB8 revealed
The car with which reigning world champions Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull will defend their titles was revealed to the world on Monday. The Adrian Newey-designed RB8 is the eighth Formula One car produced by the team. Its predecessor, the RB7, dominated the 2011 season, winning 12 Grands Prix in the hands of Vettel and team mate Mark Webber, and powering the team to their second championship double

Revolution meets evolution: Sauber take wraps off the C31
Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez unveiled the new Sauber in Jerez on Monday. The Ferrari-engined C31 will take to the Spanish track later in the day for some promotional filming, ahead of the start of the first multi-team test of the winter on Tuesday. “We're aiming to start the new season as strongly as we did in 2011, but then also to maintain this level of performance throughout the year,” explained Peter Sauber

The Lotus E20 breaks cover
Lotus have officially unveiled the new car with which returning 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and team mate Romain Grosjean will contest the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship. The UK-based team hope the E20 - the 20th F1 chassis built at their Enstone factory - will allow them to improve on the fifth place they achieved as Renault last season

Van der Garde signs as Caterham reserve
Caterham have confirmed that Dutchman Giedo van der Garde will be the team's official reserve driver in 2012. Van der Garde will participate in the upcoming pre-season tests and will take part in a number of Friday practice sessions at Grands Prix this year. “I'm very happy to become a part of the Caterham F1 Team family and I'm very excited about the next step in my career

Technical director Key leaves Sauber
Just three days before the launch of their 2012 car, Sauber have announced that technical director James Key is to leave the company. His role will instead be covered by the Swiss team's department heads for aerodynamics, design, performance and operations. Englishman Key joined Sauber from Force India midway through 2010, taking over from Sauber stalwart Willy Rampf

Ferrari confident aggressive approach will yield results
After spending the last few seasons playing catch-up to Red Bull and McLaren, Ferrari were under pressure to pull something special out of the bag for 2012. And after revolutionising the way they approach the design of their cars, the Italian team are certain the newly-launched F2012 is capable of returning them to their championship-winning heydays. The Scuderia endured a miserable 2011, winning just one race and finishing the year 275 points behind eventual champions Red Bull and 122 behind long-time rivals McLaren. After much reflection, Ferrari decided their recent disappointments had been largely caused by their too-conventional design approach and have opted to be much more aggressive this year.

Force India take wraps off the VJM05
Sharing the media spotlight with Ferrari, Force India unveiled their 2012 car in the pit lane at Silverstone on Friday morning. The team, who are based just down the road from the UK track, hope the VJM05 will prove quick enough to push them firmly into the midfield following their excellent progress in 2011, which saw them take sixth in the constructors' standings. “We have set our sights on challenging for fifth place,” explained team principal Dr Vijay Mallya. “To do so we will need to begin the new campaign by delivering the kind of form we showed in the second half of 2011. I believe this is a realistic goal and that we have the talent and determination to realise these ambitions.”

Tuesday's testing to mark true start of 2012 season
Tuesday sees the commencement of 2012's pre-season testing, with a four-day session at Jerez, where nine of the 12 Formula One teams will have their new cars running in anger for the first time. It will be followed by a further three similar tests in Spain ahead the Australian Grand Prix on March 18. The 2012 machines in action this week will be the Red Bull RB8, McLaren MP4-27

All systems go - launch season gets serious
Caterham were first out of the blocks with their CT01, but February sees the 2012 launch season begin in earnest, with all teams bar Marussia and HRT expected to debut their new cars before the month is out. Monday February 6 is the busiest day, with Sauber, Red Bull and Toro Rosso

Has brilliant Barrichello bowed out for good?
Brazilian loyalties were torn asunder earlier this week. After the news that Bruno Senna had secured a drive with Williams there was celebration but also commiseration within the South American country. Senna's opportunity at the British team means that compatriot Rubens Barrichello - a great friend of Bruno's late uncle Ayrton - is left without a Formula One seat for the first time in two decades...

Overall overhaul - race suit evolution
The protective, fire-resistant garments worn by racing drivers today have come a long way since the simple cotton overalls of the '50s. Now they're light, flameproof and breathable. But only thanks to decades of ceaseless development A racing driver's work clothes of 60 years ago couldn't have been more basic. They usually consisted of: lightweight cotton trousers and a T-shirt, and thin skinned leather/suede shoes

The 2011 Season Review - Part Two
McLaren struggled horribly in pre-season testing, trying to get their blown floor working, but reversion to a previous iteration worked miracles for the opening race and they were competitive for much of the season. Hamilton won beautifully in China, then came victory for Button in Canada, the race of the year which had it all

The 2011 Season Review - Vettel finds another gear
Without doubt, 2011 was the year of Sebastian Vettel. With the pressure to achieve a first title removed, he went about winning his second with a new level of confidence - one to which his rivals had no answer. But domination did not mean dull. New Pirelli tyres, the return of KERS and the introduction of DRS made for overtaking-filled races with intense rivalries up and down the grid. We look back on a most memorable F1 season

Tyre trivia - Pirelli's debut season in numbers
You don't need to be a number-crunching statistics fan to appreciate how successful Pirelli's debut season as Formula One racing's official tyre supplier has been. The impact the Italian manufacturer has had on the sport has been pretty clear throughout this year's 19 Grand Prix weekends. But sometimes a healthy dose of facts and figures can press a point home

Brazil analysis - Webber goes out on a high
2011 has been Red Bull's year, but the spoils for the most part have been claimed by Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber, lacking both form and fortune, has been pushed firmly into the shadows by his younger team mate. All that changed on Sunday in Brazil, however, when Vettel - hamstrung by a failing gearbox - was forced to settle for second, thereby helping Webber to his first win of the year

Christian Horner Q&A: The trophies are staying at Red Bull
Formed from the one-time Jaguar team barely seven short years ago, Red Bull have been making waves ever since. After successfully defending their 2010 drivers' and constructors' titles in 2011, the Milton-Keynes based team want to make it third time lucky this season too. Team principal Christian Horner reflects on past successes and the year ahead

Mark Webber Q&A: The bar has been set very high
The 2011 season was picture-perfect for Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel, but not for Mark Webber. Although he won at the final round in Brazil last November, Webber never seemed to be completely at home in the RB7. 2012 is therefore a fresh start for the Australian and, after a winter away from the sport, he can't wait to be back behind the wheel…

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: Let's do it again!
After winning his first title in 2010, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel stepped it up a gear last year, dominating the season to make it two drivers' crowns on the trot. Not surprising then that this year he is out to make it a hat trick, behind the wheel of the newly-launched RB8. Vettel looks eagerly ahead to 2012

Technical Q&A: Red Bull's Adrian Newey on the RB8
He's the engineering maestro that every team wants on their books, but for 2012 Adrian Newey's labours have once again been dedicated to the design of the brand-new Red Bull, the RB8. Following its online launch, Newey discusses the pressures of the past two years of championship-winning success, the regulatory challenges - and restrictions - he faced this year, and his feelings ahead of the car's on-track debut on Tuesday…

Romain Grosjean Q&A: No rookie but still much to learn
Back in 2009 Romain Grosjean made his Formula One debut as Fernando Alonso's Renault team mate over seven Grands Prix, after being drafted in to replace Nelson Piquet. Two years later, he's returning to the frontline at the same team (now Lotus) and ready to drive alongside another world champion - 2007 titleholder Kimi Raikkonen. The Frenchman discusses his hopes for the season ahead

Technical Q&A - Lotus's James Allison on the E20
Following the launch of his team's 2012 car, the E20, Lotus technical director James Allison looks to the season ahead... Q: How different is 2012 likely to be from 2011? James Allison: If you casually flicked through the regulations you'd be forgiven for thinking that there aren't many differences from last year, however nestling in there are some fairly profound changes

Kimi Raikkonen Q&A: I've missed F1
2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen makes his Formula One race return with Lotus this March, when he will grace the grid for the first time since his Abu Dhabi outing with Ferrari at the end of 2009. Following the launch of his new team's 2012 car, the E20, the Finn discusses his comeback and the year ahead

Q&A with HRT's Narain Karthikeyan
This time last year Narain Karthikeyan was looking ahead to a full season of Formula One competition with HRT. In the end he made eight Grand Prix starts. Now, after weeks of uncertainty, he is again relishing the prospect of racing for the Spanish team, having been confirmed as 2012 team mate to Pedro de la Rosa on Friday