The second car of 2012 was launched at the McLaren Technology Centre, with Jenson Button and new boy Sergio Pérez removing the covers on the new car. They seemed to get on perfectly well, joking around with each other as the launch progressed.

Mark Webber completes his second day behind the wheel of the new RB9 during pre-season testing in Jerez. Webber finished the first day in second place behind Jenson Button, and was fourth in the timesheets on Wednesday, after completing a mammoth 101 laps.

The sun sets on Mercedes' third day in Jerez, and upon a test day where they finally got some significant mileage completed. After only 11 laps for Nico Rosberg on the first day, after which they curtailed running due to a faulty wiring loom, Lewis Hamilton took over for day two. He only had the chance to complete 15 laps before the brakes failed and he spun off into the barriers.

Plenty of focus during the Spanish Grand Prix was on the tyres, but for Force India it was for all the wrong reasons. Paul di Resta found himself with a delamination issue during practice, one which Pirelli later attributed to debris.

Lewis Hamilton joined the BBC for a unique day out with the Red Arrows, with the Brit leaping in the back of one of the planes for a display, before driving down the runway beneath one of the jets.

With Mark Webber announcing his retirement at the end of the year, the speculation on who will replace him is gradually ramping up. And just in time to put their names in the frame, the Toro Rosso driver pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne put in a great performance at Silverstone.

As defending champion and current leader in this year's title fight, there is a lot of expectation on Sebastian Vettel's shoulders. Unfortunately for the German, he headed into this race weekend with the statistic of never having won his home race, as well as the usual fact that he hasn't won in July, either.

Lewis Hamilton scored his fourth pole position in a row at Spa-Francorchamps, and lines up on the grid ahead of two Red Bulls. The Brit admits that if it hadn't been a mixed up session weather-wise, he may not have been the fastest car out there.

There was a brief worrying moment for Sebastian Vettel during practice, when the Red Bull driver found his car developing a right rear puncture that brought his running to an early halt. Vettel crawled back to the pit lane and the team patched up the car.

Despite Williams' recent negative turn of form, Valtteri Bottas remains positive about each session he participates in. After Friday practice, the Finn was firmly down in 18th place, but eyeing up some of the machinery on his teammate's car.