New Look F1 Website

I have redesigned my F1 website

Please take a look and let me know what you think

www.f1memorabilia.net

Read Full Post »

Official: McLaren Signs Button For 3 Years

McLaren has announced the signing of the reigning World Champion Jenson Button to a multi-year deal.

He will be partnered by 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who will be embarking on his fourth consecutive season as a McLaren Mercedes driver.

This unique partnership will mark:

The first time in Formula 1 history that a team has started the new season with a line-up featuring the most recent two successive World Champions

The first pairing of two British World Champions since Graham Hill [1962, 1968] partnered Jim Clark [1963, 1965] at Lotus in 1968

Jenson Button:

“It’s always a difficult decision to leave a team when you’ve been there for so long. But life is all about challenges – and, most important of all, it’s about challenging yourself. So, although I won the World Championship with Brawn GP last year, and I’ll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges.

“So that’s why I’ve decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. You can’t help but be affected by this team’s phenomenal history. McLaren is one of the greats of world sport, and its achievements and list of past champions read like a Who’s Who of Formula 1 – Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and of course my new team-mate Lewis Hamilton. I’ve followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it.

“When I visited the McLaren Technology Centre earlier this month, it wasn’t simply the technical resources and the incredible standards of excellence that impressed me. No, I was equally struck by the ambition, the motivation and the winning spirit that flow through everybody there. And then there’s the team’s epic history: put it this way, the trophy cabinets seem to stretch for miles.

“From a personal point of view, it’s also a great pleasure to be joining a fellow British World Champion. Lewis has achieved an incredible level of success in a very short period of time, and he’s a wonderfully gifted driver who has earned the respect of every Formula 1 driver. I’m sure there’s plenty that we can learn from each other, and I’m really looking forward to using our combined knowledge to push the team forward.

“Also, I think it’s fantastic that we’ll be forming an all-British line-up. I know that we both fly the flag with pride, and I sincerely hope we can make the whole of the United Kingdom, as well as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes fans across the world, proud. Nothing means more to me than to be able to represent my country, and I’m looking forward to both of us painting Formula 1’s circuits red, white and blue for many years to come.

“While I’m fully aware that there’s a tremendous amount of hard work ahead, I’m absolutely certain that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be able to deliver where it matters: on track. I’m already looking forward to starting work with the engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre as we begin our preparations for the 2010 season – and the defence of my world championship. This is a team that always goes racing to win, and I’m looking forward to being part of that.

“Last but very far from least, I want to say that the 2009 season will always have a special place in my memory, and I’m absolutely sure that everybody at Brawn GP who worked so hard to achieve our World Championship successes feels exactly the same way about it. Equally, I want to thank the guys at Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, without whom we’d never have been as competitive as we were. I’m so pleased that I’ll still be using their engines in 2010 and beyond.

“So I wish all my old Brawn GP mates well in their new Mercedes Grand Prix adventure, just as I hope they’ll wish me well in my new Vodafone McLaren Mercedes adventure.”

Lewis Hamilton:

“It’s fantastic news that Jenson has decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – and I’m looking forward to working with him and our engineers to make sure we kick off the 2010 season with a car that’s competitive enough to win the World Championship – but I want to send my best wishes for the future to my 2008-09 team-mate and now good friend Heikki Kovalainen, who is one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met.

“I already know Jenson, and we get on very well together. We both really want our team to succeed. Although we’ll be pushing each other hard, I’m sure we’ll very quickly establish a great working relationship. He’s an exceptional driver: very controlled and very smooth, and he has a real depth of knowledge and experience. I think we’ll complement each other very well, and our collaboration will make the team stronger as a result. Also, I’m delighted to be racing alongside a fellow British World Champion, and I believe we can pull together to make Vodafone McLaren Mercedes the best team on the grid.

“I’m sure Jenson has already started to appreciate our team’s unique culture and the special family atmosphere that makes it such an incredible place to live and work. We really are like one big family – and I’m sure Jenson will feel the warmth of that welcome from day one.

“Obviously, as a British driver, I’m also thrilled that we’ll be flying the flag for the United Kingdom, and I think today’s announcement is fantastic news for all British sports fans. I hope they’ll be giving us their full support when the season kicks off next March. I’m already looking forward to Silverstone – it’ll be massive!

“Looking ahead, I think the results from the second half of 2009 speak for themselves, and I’m convinced we can carry that momentum through the winter and into the new season. I’ve been closely following the development of our 2010 challenger, the MP4-25, and I think it’s going to be a state-of-the-art car that will enable both of us to consistently fight for victories.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes:

“Everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Jenson to our team. It has always been our policy to employ the two very best possible drivers – and, in Jenson and Lewis, we feel we not only have the fastest pairing on the 2010 grid, but also the two most complete, professional and dedicated drivers in Formula 1.

“Moreover, I’m confident that we’ll be able to successfully balance and harness Jenson’s and Lewis’s complementary skill-sets. Our engineers are already looking forward to working with Jenson, and I’m convinced that such a strong and dynamic driver line-up will make us an even more complete and competitive operation. Now we have to provide Jenson and Lewis with race-winning machinery.

“I want to make clear that Jenson’s decision to join us was in no way motivated by money. We’ll be paying him no more than he could be getting elsewhere, and that fact is a reflection of not only Jenson’s belief in Vodafone McLaren Mercedes but also his desire and ambition to build on the phenomenal results he achieved during the 2009 season.

“I also want to thank Heikki for his selfless contribution over the past two years. As well as being very quick, Heikki was and remains a great character whom we’ll all miss considerably. It goes without saying that we wish him all the best for next season, and would be very pleased if he were to secure a good drive for 2010.

“We’re ambitious, we’re motivated and we’re hungrier than ever. We make no secret of our ambition for next year: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes wants to win both World Championships – and, with Jenson and Lewis, we believe we’re better equipped than any other team in the pitlane to do exactly that.”

Read Full Post »

Bruno Senna Linked To BMW Sauber

BMW Sauber is in ‘intensive talks’ with GP2 driver Bruno Senna about a Formula One role for the Brazilian in 2009, according to reports.
The German magazine Sport Bild claims that Senna, the 24-year-old nephew of the late triple world champion, could become a test or even a full race driver for the Hinwil-based squad next year.
Senna, second overall in the 2008 GP2 standings, won a race at the prestigious Monaco venue last month.
His quest to go all the way to Formula One is backed by his uncle’s friend and former McLaren team-mate Gerhard Berger, who today co-owns the Toro Rosso team.
“I will help Bruno, and his family who looks out for his career, to do it. His development is obvious, and there is no doubt he has talent,” the Austrian said.
Sport Bild claims that Berger discussed Senna at Magny Cours with BMW Sauber boss Mario Theissen, his former colleague as joint BMW Motorsport Director. 
An insider confirmed: “Senna is determined to get a test and then BMW will decide.”
The magazine also said Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Williams may be interested in Senna.
Bruno Senna, meanwhile, is personally backed by Santander, the Spanish bank that also sponsors McLaren.
For now, he is staying focused on his current task.
“I must continue to push and win races and podiums. Then I can dream a little bit more,” Senna said.

Source: GMM

Read Full Post »

Formula 2 To Launch In 2009

The FIA have announced plans to launch a new feeder series for Formula One, expected to appear on the calendar from 2009. At a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris today, the FIA revealed plans for a “Formula Two”, “an inexpensive platform to develop emerging driver talent for Formula One”.
The designation “Formula Two” was last used in 1984, before the series was renamed Formula 3000, before itself being relaunched as GP2 in 2005. While GP2 is currently the primary feeder series for Formula One, with such names as Hamilton, Kovalainen, Piquet and Rosberg all having graduated in the past three years, Formula Two would undoubtedly emerge as a competitor to GP2.
In its press release, the FIA said that it was inviting tenders for the new series, for a 2009 launch. The FIA hopes for a budget of €200,000 per car per season to be sufficient, a figure which is lower than the budget needed for GP2, although no specifications about the series have been announced.
Such is the success of GP2 to produce high-quality drivers and hone their skills, that many observers will wonder about the necessity to launch a new series. With the power struggle currently ongoing between the FIA and Commercial rights holders of Formula One, who incidentally also own GP2, it’s likely that the news of the new series will begin a new chapter in the battle for supremacy in F1.

Read Full Post »

Provisional F1 2009 Calendar

Below is the Provisional 2009 Schedule :

29 March, Australia
5 April, Malaysia
19 April, Bahrain
10 May, Spain
24 May, Monaco
7 June, Canada
21 June, Great Britain
28 June, France
12 July, Germany
26 July, Hungary
9 August, Turkey
23 August, Europe (Valencia)
6 September, Italy
13 September, Belgium
27 September, Singapore
11 October, Japan
18 October, China
1 November, Brazil
15 November, Abu Dhabi

Read Full Post »

French Grand Prix – Raikkonen Takes Pole

Kimi Raikkonen has snatched pole position from team mate Massa

Raikkonen helped Ferrari claim their 200th pole position

Hamilton managed 3rd spot, but due to his 10 place grid penalty, will now start from 13th

Kovalainen finished 5th, but was given a 5 place grid penalty for blocking Mark Webber

Below is the revised grid for tomorrows French Grand Prix following Kovalainen’s penalty

  1. Kimi Raikkonen   Ferrari
  2. Felipe Massa   Ferrari
  3. Fernando Alonso   Renault
  4. Jarno Trulli   Toyota
  5. Robert Kubica   BMW Sauber
  6. Mark Webber  RedBull – Renault
  7. David Coulthard   RedBull – Renault
  8. Timo Glock   Toyota
  9. Nelson Piquet   Renault
 10. Heikki Kovalainen   McLaren
 11. Nick Heidfeld    BMW Sauber
 12. Sebastian Vettel   Toro Rosso – Ferrari
 13. Lewis Hamilton   McLaren
 14. Sebastien Bourdais   Toro Rosso – Ferrari
 15. Kazuki Nakajima   Williams – Toyota
 16. Jenson Button  Honda
 17. Rubens Barrichello   Honda
 18. Giancarlo Fisichella  Force India – Ferrari
 19. Adrian Sutil   Force India – Ferrari
 20. Nico Rosberg   Williams – Toyota

Read Full Post »

French Grand Prix – Alonso Fastest In Final Practice

Alonso has finished a surprise fastest in the final practice session.

Considering he had a blown engine at the end of the 1st practice, he has recovered very well.

 

1.  ALONSO        Renault       1m15.778s
2.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m15.854s
3.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m15.999s
4.  HAMILTON      McLaren       1m16.232s
5.  VETTEL        Toro Rosso    1m16.298s
6.  KUBICA        BMW           1m16.317s
7.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m16.340s
8.  HEIDFELD      BMW           1m16.458s
9.  ALONSO        Renault       1m16.543s
10. COULTHARD     Red Bull      1m16.572s
11. ROSBERG       Williams      1m16.682s
12. TRULLI        Toyota        1m16.743s
13. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    1m16.758s
14. NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m17.002s
15. GLOCK         Toyota        1m17.092s
16. WEBBER        Red Bull      1m17.106s
17. BUTTON        Honda         1m17.244s
18. FISICHELLA    Force India   1m17.394s
19. BARRICHELLO   Honda         1m17.591s
20. SUTIL         Force India   1m17.868s

Read Full Post »

French Grand Prix – Massa Fastest – Friday Practice 1

Massa has gone fastest in the 1st practice session for this weekends French Grand Prix

1.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m15.306s
2.  HAMILTON      McLaren       1m16.002s
3.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m16.055s
4.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m16.073s
5.  KUBICA        BMW           1m16.377s
6.  ALONSO        Renault       1m16.400s
7.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m16.758s
8.  VETTEL        Toro Rosso    1m16.838s
9.  HEIDFELD      BMW           1m16.870s
10. GLOCK         Toyota        1m16.886s
11. PIQUET        Renault       1m17.063s
12. COULTHARD     Red Bull      1m17.234s
13. WEBBER        Red Bull      1m17.269s
14. ROSBERG       Williams      1m17.394s
15. BARRICHELLO   Honda         1m17.491s
16. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    1m17.683s
17. NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m17.696s
18. BUTTON        Honda         1m17.928s
19. FISICHELLA    Force India   1m18.072s
20. SUTIL         Force India   1m18.673s

Read Full Post »

F1 Drivers May Strike At The British Grand Prix

The F1 drivers have confirmed they are unhappy about increases to the cost of obtaining their mandatory FIA superlicenses in 2008.
Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) director Fernando Alonso did not deny that boycott action at next month’s British Grand Prix over the issue is possible.
Championship leader and GPDA member Robert Kubica said the cost of a F1 license increased by at least a factor of eight compared to last year.
“It’s quite a lot of money, especially if you are scoring points like Lewis did last year and it’s your first year in Formula One,” he said.
“But another point is that experienced drivers who don’t have a quick car are not scoring points, so they don’t care because they don’t have to pay.
“So I think it will be difficult to get all drivers to have the same idea but we are trying to convince the FIA to reduce the cost.”
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, despite neither being GPDA members, told a news conference on Thursday that they also support the GPDA.
“For sure I support them,” reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen agreed. 
“Of course it’s better if it’s not so expensive and it’s the same for everybody, but I don’t think there’s any reason to go on strike and not race. I don’t think that’s the right way to go but it would be nice if we could reduce it,” he said.
It is not clear what form a Silverstone strike might take – boycotting the drivers’ parade, an official session, or the race itself.
With individual drivers bound contractually to teams, Raikkonen admitted that a completely unified front among the 20 Grand Prix stars is unlikely.
“It’s never going to happen that all the drivers will strike. Hopefully there is some nice solution that can be found at some point,” he said.

Read Full Post »

Donnington In Talks To Host The British Grand Prix

Bernie Ecclestone is applying more pressure to the Silverstone circuit by revealing that he is in talks with Donington Park to host future F1 races in Britain.
Ecclestone has long criticised Silverstone and has been trying to persuade the owners of the circuit, the BRDC, to upgrade the track’s facilities. In recent months, he has threatened to axe the British Grand Prix completely if his demands over the state of the circuit are not met.
However British newspaper The Times has revealed that Ecclestone is looking to safeguard the future of the British Grand Prix by talking to Donington Park management as he believes they have a better chance of coming up with the £11 million annual fee and the large investments required to run the race than Silverstone does.
“We are discussing the possibility of reaching an agreement with Donington to host the British Grand Prix,” Ecclestone explained. “We are trying to save the British Grand Prix and we want it to be staged at a venue which befits an even of it’s stature. I have been in negotiations for a long time and whether or not we are going to do a deal with Donington or Silverstone, I don’t know.
“Donington have said they are going to build everything we want. Have they got the money? Only time will tell. But I think there is more chance of Donington having the money than the BRDC.”
If Donington wishes to take over from Silverstone to host the British Grand Prix, track organisers will have a mammoth task on their hands. The track potentially needs lengthening, and a new pit, paddock area and media complex would have to be built, along with additional grandstands. The total bill for kitting the circuit out to a high enough standard to host an F1 race is likely to cost in the order of tens of millions of pounds.

Read Full Post »

10 Place Grid Penalty For Hamilton

Stewards at the Canadian Grand Prix have ruled that Lewis Hamilton caused an avoidable crash when he hit Raikkonen from behind.

Nico Rosberg has also been penalised
Both drivers will be demoted 10 places down the Magny Cours grid in two weeks.
“It was a serious mistake from Hamilton and I think the penalty imposed by the FIA is in line with it, even if it does not restore what was a lost opportunity for us,” Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali said.
“It’s just unfortunate when stuff like this happens, but I have no argument with the Stewards,” Hamilton said.
Team boss Ron Dennis, however, came closer to disagreeing with the penalty, playing down the incident as ‘just one of those things’. 
“The plain fact is that Lewis didn’t realise that the cars in front of him were coming to a halt until too late,” he said.
“It’s difficult for a driver to decide whether to focus on the lights or on the cars ahead in situations like that. Having said that, we accept the stewards’ decision,” Dennis added.

Read Full Post »

Canadian Grand Prix – 1st F1 Win For Kubica

Robert Kubica has claimed his first ever F1 win with a fantastic drive for BMW Sauber

It was also the first ever win for the BMW Sauber team, so its a double celebration today

Lewis Hamilton & Kimi Raikkonen both scored no points after Hamilton went straight into the back of Raikkonen after exiting the pitlane during a safety car incident. Raikkonen and Kubica were both exiting the pitlane, and stopped at the exit because the red light was flashing, but Hamilton didn’t stop and ended up in the back of raikkonen, taking them both out of the race. Raikkonen then jumped out of his car, and showed hamilton the red light still flashing. Hamilton said he has since apologised to Raikkonen for the incident.

Nick Heidfeld, took second place and David Coulthard was third for Red Bull, it’s been a while since he was last on the podium.
Timo Glock took fourth place, the best result of his first full F1 season, and Felipe Massa was an eventful fifth.
Barrichello, who now has the most ever starts in F1 History, was leading the race at one point for a few laps, then had to pit for fuel. But he still mamaged to bring the Honda home in 7th place.
Kubica is now top of the Drivers’ World championship, four points clear of Hamilton, and BMW Sauber is now top the Constructor’s title race.

Race Result : 

1.  KUBICA       BMW                 
2.  HEIDFELD     BMW           +16.4s
3.  COULTHARD    Red Bull      +23.3s
4.  GLOCK        Toyota        +42.6s
5.  MASSA        Ferrari       +43.9s
6.  TRULLI       Toyota        +47.7s
7.  BARRICHELLO  Honda         +53.5s
8.  VETTEL       Toro Rosso    +54.1s
9.  KOVALAINEN   McLaren       +54.4s
10. ROSBERG      Williams      +57.7s
11. BUTTON       Honda         +67.5s
12. WEBBER       Red Bull      +71.2s
13. BOURDAIS     Toro Rosso    +1 lap
R.  FISICHELLA   Force India   +19 laps
R.  NAKAJIMA     Williams      +24 laps
R . ALONSO       Renault       +26 laps
R.  PIQUET       Renault       +31 laps
R.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari       +51 laps
R.  HAMILTON     McLaren       +51 laps
R.  SUTIL        Force India   +57 laps

Read Full Post »

Monaco Grand Prix – Hamilton Wins After Eventful Race

Lewis Hamilton has won the Monaco grand prix.

Hamilton finished just 3 seconds ahead of Robert Kubica with Felipe Massa 3rd
This was Hamilton’s second win of the season and the sixth of his career.
Mark Webber was fourth. Kimi Raikkonen had a race of accidents and incidents and finished ninth, failing to score a point. This left Hamilton on top of the title race again for the first time since the season opening race in Australia. He has 38 points now with Raikkonen on 35 second and Massa third on 34. Hamilton made a great start and found a way past Raikkonen going into the first corner.
The rain caused big problems at the start of the race which involved Hamilton himself smashing into the barriers on lap six at Tabac. His rear right tyre was left hanging as he returned to the pits.
David Coulthard had climbed from 15th to the top ten by now but the rain played havoc with the race for several minutes as Alonso, followed by Coulthard and Sebastian Bourdais crashed off into the barriers at Massenet. Then Raikkonen was given a ‘drive-through’ penalty because Ferrari had failed to fit his car’s tyres properly more than three minutes before the start of the race.
After he had performed his punishment, the running order at the top was Massa followed by Kubica and then Hamilton who had pitted and recovered.
As the track dried out, Hamilton had to decide what tyres to change to, and chose dry ones, and came out with a 30 second lead over 2nd placed Kubica
With 17 laps remaining, Nico Rosberg caused the second Safety Car intervention when he lost control in the swimming pool complex and wrecked his car in a massive accident.
When racing resumed, Hamilton raced clear but on lap 68 Raikkonen made a big mistake and lost control of his car as he came out of the tunnel and ran into the back of Sutil, who was running in an excellent 4th place
Both drivers had to pit for repairs, but Sutil was forced to retire while Raikkonen rejoined in 9th place.

So we now move on to Canada in 2 weeks time, with Hamilton once again leading the world championship by 3 points.

Monaco GP Result – 76 laps

1.  HAMILTON     McLaren       
2.  KUBICA       BMW           +3.0s
3.  MASSA        Ferrari       +4.8s
4.  WEBBER       Red Bull      +19.2s
5.  VETTEL       Toro Rosso    +24.6s
6.  BARRICHELLO  Honda         +28.4s
7.  NAKAJIMA     Williams      +30.1s
8.  KOVALAINEN   McLaren       +33.1s
9.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari       +33.7s
10. ALONSO       Renault       +1 lap
11. BUTTON       Honda         +1 lap
12. GLOCK        Toyota        +1 lap
13. TRULLI       Toyota        +1 lap
14. HEIDFELD     BMW           +4 laps
R.  SUTIL        Force India   +9 laps
R . ROSBERG      Williams      +17 laps
R.  PIQUET       Renault       +29 laps
R.  FISICHELLA   Force India   +40 laps
R.  COULTHARD    Red Bull      +69 laps
R.  BOURDAIS     Toro Rosso    +69 laps

 

Read Full Post »

Monaco Grand Prix – Massa Takes A Suprise Pole

Felipe Massa secured pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix when he outpaced his Ferrari teammate and defending champion Kimi Raikkonen in the final seconds.

Raikkonen ended up second ahead of Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, who was fourth.

They will share the second row of the grid after failing to build on their speed earlier in the weekend.

It was Massa’s 12th career pole position and Ferrari’s first pole in Monaco since 2000. Poland’s Robert Kubica was fifth for BMW ahead of German Nico Rosberg in a Williams. Twice champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso in a Renault was seventh and Italian Jarno Trulli eighth for Toyota.

That left the two Red Bulls of Australian Mark Webber and David Coulthard in ninth and 10th places. Coulthard had a huge accident but escaped unhurt at the end of the second mini-session.

German Adrian Sutil in a Force India was 19th and his teammate Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was 20th, an outcome that meant they fill the back row of the grid.

Monaco Grid

 

1.  MASSA          Ferrari
2.  RAIKKONEN      Ferrari

3.  HAMILTON       McLaren

4.  KOVALAINEN     McLaren

5.  KUBICA         BMW

6.  ROSBERG        Williams

7.  ALONSO         Renault

8.  TRULLI         Toyota

9.  WEBBER         Red Bull

10. COULTHARD      Red Bull

11. GLOCK          Toyota

12. BUTTON         Honda

13. HEIDFELD       BMW

14. NAKAJIMA       Williams

15. BARRICHELLO    Honda

16. BOURDAIS       Toro Rosso

17. PIQUET         Renault

18. SUTIL          Force India

19. FISICHELLA     Force India

20. VETTEL         Toro Rosso*

 

* Penalised For Changing Gearbox

 

 

Read Full Post »

Turkish Grand Prix – Massa Wins For The 3rd Time

Felipe Massa has won his 3rd consecutive win.

Massa was hunted down by Lewis Hamilton who finished 2nd. Raikkone was also closing in on Hamilton in the final stages, and managed to finish 3rd.

Alonso managed to get ahead of Webber at the start to finish 6th, another good show for the Renault team. The 2 BMW Saubers had a quiet afternoon, with Kubica finishing 4th ahead of team mate Heidfeld in 5th.

Turkish GP Result – 58 Laps

1.  MASSA        Ferrari       
2.  HAMILTON     McLaren       +3.7s
3.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari       +4.2s
4.  KUBICA       BMW           +21.6s
5.  HEIDFELD     BMW           +38.7s
6.  ALONSO       Renault       +53.7s
7.  WEBBER       Red Bull      +64.2s
8.  ROSBERG      Williams      +71.4s
9.  COULTHARD    Red Bull      +75.2s
10. TRULLI       Toyota        +76.3s
11. BUTTON       Honda         +1 lap
12. KOVALAINEN   McLaren       +1 lap
13. GLOCK        Toyota        +1 lap
14. BARRICHELLO  Honda         +1 lap
15. PIQUET       Renault       +1 lap
16. SUTIL        Force India   +1 lap
17. VETTEL       Toro Rosso    +1 lap
R.  BOURDAIS     Toro Rosso    +34 laps
R.  NAKAJIMA     Williams      +57 laps
R.  FISICHELLA   Force India   +58 laps

Read Full Post »

Turkish Grand Prix – Massa Takes Pole

Massa has claimed his 3rd consecutive pole position for the Turkish Grand Prix

Kovalainen was back to his best by securing 2nd place, ahead of team mate Hamilton who managed 3rd. Hamilton was the only front runner on theharder compound tyre. He said he felt in more control of the car using the harder compound.

Raikkonen lines up behind Hamilton in 4th

Fisichella starts last after incurring a 3 grid place penalty for passing a red light in practice.

Starting Grid : 

1.  MASSA         Ferrari     

2.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren        

3.  HAMILTON      McLaren        

4.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari    

5.  KUBICA        BMW

6.  WEBBER        Red Bull

7.  ALONSO        Renault

8.  TRULLI        Toyota

9.  HEIDFELD      BMW

10. COULTHARD     Red Bull       

11. ROSBERG       Williams     

12. BARRICHELLO   Honda        

13. BUTTON        Honda        

14. VETTEL        Toro Rosso    

15. GLOCK         Toyota       

16. NAKAJIMA      Williams      
17. PIQUET        Renault      
18. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    
19. SUTIL         Force India

20. FISICHELLA    Force India*

 

 

*three-place grid penalty for passing red light at pit lane exit in practice

 

Read Full Post »

Turkish Grand Prix – Raikkonen Fastest In 2nd Practice

Kimi Raikkonen has finished fastest of the day in 2nd practice this afternoon
The team had to change his gearbox during 1st practice
Mark Webber had a crash into a barrier at turn 6, he broke the front suspension
Alonso couldn’t match his morning time, and ended up 9th, neither could Button who ended up 11th
Hamilton ended up 2nd after a better run in the afternoon, while Massa dropped to 3rd after being fastest in the morning session.

Turkish GP Free Practice Session 2 Times :

 

1.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari      1m27.543s
2.  HAMILTON     McLaren      1m27.579s
3.  MASSA        Ferrari      1m27.682s
4.  COULTHARD    Red Bull     1m27.763s
5.  KOVALAINEN   McLaren      1m27.954s
6.  KUBICA       BMW          1m28.431s
7.  TRULLI       Toyota       1m28.619s
8.  NAKAJIMA     Williams     1m28.664s
9.  ALONSO       Renault      1m28.681s
10. HEIDFELD     BMW          1m28.817s
11. BUTTON       Honda        1m28.826s
12. GLOCK        Toyota       1m28.849s
13. ROSBERG      Williams     1m28.907s
14. FISICHELLA   Force India  1m29.008s
15. BARRICHELLO  Honda        1m29.024s
16. PIQUET       Renault      1m29.212s
17. VETTEL       Toro Rosso   1m29.462s
18. BOURDAIS     Toro Rosso   1m29.630s
19. WEBBER       Red Bull     1m29.633s
20. SUTIL        Force India  1m30.832s

Read Full Post »

Turkish Grand Prix – Massa Fastest In 1st Practice

Massa has finished fastest in the 1st practice session

Raikkonen had gearbox problems, so ended up last.
Kovalainen was impressive after his crash 2 weeks ago by claiming 2nd place, ahead of team mate Hamilton who was 3rd. Alonso is showing his car has improved by going 4th fastest, ahead of a quick Jenson Button in 5th

Turkish GP Free Practice Session 1 Times :

 

1.  MASSA         Ferrari     1m27.323s

2.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren     1m27.456s

3.  HAMILTON      McLaren     1m27.752s

4.  ALONSO        Renault     1m28.284s

5.  BUTTON        Honda       1m28.919s

6.  NAKAJIMA      Williams    1m29.002s

7.  HEIDFELD      BMW         1m29.024s

8.  BARRICHELLO   Honda       1m29.068s

9.  PIQUET        Renault     1m29.082s

10. GLOCK         Toyota      1m29.103s

11. TRULLI        Toyota      1m29.329s

12. KUBICA        BMW         1m29.330s

13. ROSBERG       Williams    1m29.367s

14. SUTIL         Force India 1m29.756s

15. FISICHELLA    Force India 1m29.811s

16. WEBBER        Red Bull    1m30.088s

17. COULTHARD     Red Bull    1m30.340s

18. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso  1m30.388s

19. VETTEL        Toro Rosso  1m30.426s

20. RAIKKONEN     Ferrari     1m30.732s

Read Full Post »

Lewis Hamilton Makes His Stage Debut

Lewis Hamilton has made his stage debut in a historical stage show called Troya. He met a local dance troop where he was hoisted into the sky on wires over a huge Trojan Horse.
The dancers were there to perform the Troy (Troya), portraying the legendary Trojan War. The show depicts 3,000 years of Anatolian history, beginning with the famous legend.

It was part of a promotional event before Sunday’s Turkish Grand prix

Read Full Post »

Qualifying Change For Turkey

It has been confirmed on Friday that the qualifying procedures will now change after the Super Aguri team’s withdrawal from the championship. Race stewards said that with only 20 cars now on the grid, 5 rather than 6 drivers would be excluded after each of the first two parts of Saturday qualifying.
This will still leave 10 cars fighting for pole position in the final 10-minute phase.

Read Full Post »

Kovalainen Cleared To Race In Turkey

Heikki Kovalainen has been given the all clear to take part in the Turkish Grand Prix.
Kovalainen was knocked unconscious after a wheel rim failure on his car sent him into the tyre wall during the Spanish Grand Prix.
Kovalainen had to have a fitness test this morning in Turkey to see if he was fit to race on Sunday.
“I am obviously very pleased with the decision by the FIA Medical Team,” Kovalainen said.
“I arrived here today feeling confident that I would pass the FIA test as I feel 100% and if I had not felt 100 percent I would have told the team already and stayed at home.”
“My preparation for this weekend has gone well and we have done a lot of fitness training. Obviously a big thumbs up for all the FIA safety standards and the guys in Spain who worked hard to get me out of the car safely.” “I think the accident probably looked worse than it was for me. I had a little headache but was back in training almost immediately. I now look forward to the rest of the weekend and the rest of the season.”

Read Full Post »

Super Aguri – Has Now Quit F1

The Super Aguri F1 Team has now confirmed its withdrawal from the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Aguri Suzuki issued the following statement :

“In order to realize my dream to become an owner of a Formula One Team, I applied for a grid position in the FIA Formula One World Championship in November 2005. Since then, I have participated in the championship for two years and four months as the Super Aguri F1 Team, but regretfully I must inform you that the team will be ceasing its racing activities as of today.”
“The team has competed against the many car manufacturer backed teams and has succeeded in obtaining the first points after only the 22nd race finishing in ninth place overall in the 2007 Constructors’ Championship.”
“However, the breach of contract by the promised partner SS United Oil & Gas Company resulted in the loss of financial backing and immediately put the team into financial difficulties. 
 Also, the change in direction of the environment surrounding the team, in terms of the use of customer chassis, has affected our ability to find partners.”
“Meanwhile, with the help of Honda, we have somehow managed to keep the team going, but we find it difficult to establish a way to continue the activities in the future within the environment surrounding F1 and as a result, I have concluded to withdraw from the Championship.”
“I would like to express my deepest thanks to Honda, Bridgestone, the sponsors, all the people who have given us advise during various situations over the past couple of years all the Team Staff who have kept their motivations high and always done their best, Anthony Davidson who has always pushed to the limit despite the very difficult conditions, Takuma Sato who has been with us from the very start and has always fought hard and led the team and lastly our fans from all over the world who have loyally supported the Super Aguri F1 Team.”

Read Full Post »

Super Aguri – Trucks & Staff Locked Out In Turkey

A Super Aguri source has confirmed that the team’s equipment trucks and motor home have been locked out of Turkey circuit
Officials at the circuit which is owned by Bernie Ecclestone have denied Super Aguri access when they arrived to prepare for this Sunday’s race.
The trucks are currently parked outside the circuit
Super Aguri team members were told by circuit officials that they had been instructed by Ecclestone’s company to deny access to the paddock. 
When Super Aguri management contacted Eccelstone they were then told that Nick Fry had instructed Ecclestone that Super Aguri would not be getting the go ahead to compete in Turkey.
It is understood that Aguri Suzuki who is currently in Japan, is now pushing hard to have the original planned Tuesday meeting fast-forwarded to Monday.
He is hoping the proposed buyout deal with Weigl will be given the go ahead
If not it looks like Super Aguri will be excluded from this weekends race

Read Full Post »

Robert Kubica – Ferrari Enquiring About Him

Rumours in the F1 paddocks are that Ferrari and Renault are looking into the services of Robert Kubica.
Kubica has been a big star in the 2008 season so far for BMW Sauber, already securing a pole position, and currently third in the drivers’ championship classification.
The German newspaper Bild claims that officials both for Renault and Ferrari have made enquiries as to how long Kubica is under contract to BMW. 
It is understood that he is committed to BMW Sauber only until 2009, then an option to extend the deal can only be made by mutual consent.

Read Full Post »

Kimi Raikkonen To Retire?

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali has said that rumours about Kimi Raikkonen retiring from formula one with a second consecutive world title are complete rubbish
Raikkonens contract runs out at the end of 2009, and he is undecided about whether he will sign a new one.
His now 9-point lead in the drivers championship has even sparked some rumours that he might try to break his Ferrari contract and walk away from the cockpit as early as after November’s Brazilian grand prix.
“I have heard this rumour and there is not a grain of truth to it,” he angrily told the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell.
“Kimi is motivated from head to toe and I know that he is not thinking of retiring,” he added.

Read Full Post »

Jean Todt To Replace Max Mosley ?

It is widely rumoured in the F1 paddock that former Ferrari frontman Jean Todt is being groomed to replace Max Mosley.

A vote of confidence in the FIA Senate in Paris on 3 June will determine whether Mosley must resign over the recent sex scandal, or be allowed to remain in his role until the expiry of his fourth term in October 2009, something he has repeatedly insisted he firmly intends to do.
It would also explain Williams unwillingness to sign a statement calling for Mosley’s resignation in Barcelona last weekend. All of the eleven teams met in the Toyota motorhome in the Circuit de Catalunya’s paddock on the orders of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Red Bull’s refusal to put its name to the agreement was perhaps no great surprise, with owner Dietrich Mateschitz being a close friend of Mosley’s, the similar resistance of Williams, said to have infuriated Ecclestone, is a little harder to understand. It has been suggested, however, that neither Sir Frank Williams nor Patrick Head would sign the statement as both are sternly opposed to Todt becoming the Englishman’s successor.

Mosley and Todt are expected to attend the Monaco Grand Prix next month. It will be Mosley’s first public appearance in F1 since the News of the World’s front page news on his private life just over four weeks ago.
Mosley has also engaged the services of an expert investigative company in an effort to uncover the source of the surveillance that led to what the News of the World called his ‘sick Nazi orgy with 5 hookers’ coming to the tabloid newspaper’s attention. In July he is set to take on the News of the World in the courts, seeking ‘unlimited damages’ for breach of privacy and he has always vigorously denied any ‘Nazi connotations’ to the matter.
It is believed the covert investigation into his private life, however, was actually conducted at significant expense over a long period of time by a third party, with German publication Auto Motor und Sport suggesting the aforementioned source could even emanate from within the grand prix paddock. Mosley is also said to have commissioned the British private detective outfit Quest to carry out surveillance on the prostitute who blew the whistle on his activities.

Read Full Post »

Kovalainen – Hospital Stay Overnight After Concussion

 

Heikki Kovalainen has spent a night in a Barcelona hospital after being knocked unconscious in a heavy crash at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Team boss Ron Dennis, who blamed the accident on a wheel rim failure, told reporters that the 26-year-old was concussed but had suffered no external injuries and brain scans showed no trauma.
He said there was a good chance of Kovalainen being available for the next race, in Turkey on May 11.

“There’s no damage or bruising or bleeding so we are quite optimistic about the next race,” said Dennis.
“I have spoken to our doctor at the hospital and they are quite optimistic at this very early stage that he will be able to race.”

Kovalainen, who was leading after both Ferraris and team mate Lewis Hamilton had pitted, went straight into the tyre wall at high speed on the 22nd of 66 laps with the car getting stuck deep under the barrier.
The team had no radio contact after the impact, while Kovalainen was slumped unconscious in the cockpit with track marshalls trying to pull the car out.

Eventually he was pulled free from the car and gave a thumbs-up sign, as he was taken away on a stretcher in a neck brace while the safety car was deployed.
He was taken to the circuit medical centre, where officials said he was conscious and stable, before being flown by helicopter to hospital in Barcelona.

Television footage showed the McLaren’s front left tyre suddenly deflated moments before the car left the track at high speed

“As far as we can tell, because we’ve now got the parts, is that a wheel failed. It’s a very unusual occurrence,” said Dennis.
“It was a brand new wheel effectively so we will have to analyse the components. But it’s 99.9 percent certain the wheel failed.”
Dennis said the team had satisfied themselves from looking at the data during the ensuing safety car period that it was safe for Hamilton to continue in the race.

The British driver said it had never crossed his mind that he might have to stop but he had been concerned about his team mate’s condition.

“I came past and I saw there was a car in the wall and it just looked red so I didn’t know if it was one of us or the Ferraris,” said Hamilton.
“I did actually see a glimpse of the footage on the (big screen) TV and it looked very reminiscent of my incident last year at the Nuerburgring. So I was a bit terrified really for whoever it was because I saw the impact was quite heavy.
“The team told me it was Heikki, they didn’t know how he was immediately but Ron came onto the radio half way through and said that he was okay but slightly concussed. I’m sure he’ll bounce back.

Read Full Post »

Spanish Grand Prix – Raikkonen Wins

Sorry for the lack of updates for the Spanish Grand Prix, as i was in Barcelona for this race.

Well what an eventful race this one was

Kimi Raikkonen extended his Formula One lead to nine points with a dominant win from pole position in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
Felipe Massa sealed Ferrari’s second successive one-two finish, and third win in a row.
Lewis Hamilton took third place to revive his title challenge after a disappointing last race in Bahrain.
“When we qualified fifth we knew it would be very difficult to beat the Ferraris,” said Hamilton. “The key was to get a good start and make up as many places as possible.
“We had two bad races and to come back on the podium is fantastic.”

Raikkonen’s 17th grand prix win left the Finn with 29 points, nine clear of closest rival Hamilton, and catapulted Ferrari back in front of BMW Sauber in the constructors’ standings.
“If we wanted, we could have gone a bit faster but there was no point in pushing more than we need to,” said Raikkonen, who still set the fastest lap.

Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who started on the front row for Renault, retired on lap 35 with a blown engine but he had already fallen down the field after being the first driver to refuel.

While Raikkonen had an uneventful afternoon in the sunshine, his fellow countryman Heikki Kovalainen was flown to hospital with concussion after his McLaren plunged across the gravel and into a tyre wall.
Kovalainen had been leading at the time after both Ferraris and Hamilton had made their first pitstops.
“He banged his head in the accident and has concussion. As a precaution he is going to hospital to have more checks,” McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh told reporters outside the circuit’s medical centre.

The safety car was deployed following Kovalainen’s crash, having already been brought out after Sebastian Vettel’s Toro Rosso and Force India’s Adrian Sutil collided on the first lap.
Poland’s Kubica finished fourth, moving him up to third in the championship with 19 points, ahead of Massa on 18, with Australian Mark Webber fifth in a Red Bull.

Britain’s Jenson Button finished sixth for Honda’s first points of the year while Japan’s Kazuki Nakajima was seventh for Williams and Italian Jarno Trulli eighth for Toyota.

Pos	Driver	Team	Times
1.	K. Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:38:19.051
2.	F. Massa	Ferrari	+ 3.228
3.	L. Hamilton	McLaren	+ 4.187
4.	R. Kubica	BMW Sauber	+ 5.694
5.	M. Webber	Red Bull Racing	+ 35.938
6.	J. Button	Honda	+ 53.010
7.	K. Nakajima	Williams	+ 58.244
8.	J. Trulli	Toyota	+ 59.435
9.	N. Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+ 1:03.073
10.	G. Fisichella	Force India	+ 1 Lap
11.	T. Glock	Toyota	+ 1 Lap
12.	D. Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+ 1 Lap
13.	T. Sato	Super Aguri F1	+ 1 Lap
Non Finishers
14.	N. Rosberg	Williams
15.	F. Alonso	Renault
16.	R. Barrichello	Honda
17.	H. Kovalainen	McLaren
18.	A. Davidson	Super Aguri F1
19.	S. Bourdais	Toro Rosso
20.	N. Piquet Jr.	Renault
21.	A. Sutil	Force India
22.	S. Vettel	Toro Rosso

 

Read Full Post »

Bahrain Grand Prix – Massa Wins

Felipe Massa has silenced the critics by winning the bahrain Grand prix

He had been under a lot of pressure from the media for 2 non finishes this season, many people have said he could be on his way out of Ferrari, but today he has proved he can be as good as Raikkonen.

After a first lap accident with Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton could only manage 13th, he had to come in for a new nose cone after hitting Alonso in the rear. Rumours are that Alonso was brake testing Hamilton.

Pos	Driver	Team
1.	F. Massa	Ferrari
2.	K. Räikkönen	Ferrari
3.	R. Kubica	BMW Sauber
4.	N. Heidfeld	BMW Sauber
5.	H. Kovalainen	McLaren
6.	J. Trulli	Toyota
7.	M. Webber	Red Bull Racing
8.	N. Rosberg	Williams
9.	T. Glock	Toyota
10.	F. Alonso	Renault
11.	R. Barrichello	Honda
12.	G. Fisichella	Force India
13.	L. Hamilton	McLaren
14.	K. Nakajima	Williams
15.	S. Bourdais	Toro Rosso
16.	A. Davidson	Super Aguri F1
17.	T. Sato	Super Aguri F1
18.	D. Coulthard	Red Bull Racing
19.	A. Sutil	Force India
Non Finishers
20.	N. Piquet Jr.	Renault
21.	J. Button	Honda
22.	S. Vettel	Toro Rosso

Read Full Post »

Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying – Kubica Takes Pole

Robert Kubica has claimed his 1st ever F1 pole.

He has also claimed BMW Sauber’s 1st ever pole position

Massa had been fastest right up to the last few seconds, Hamilton managed 3rd after his big crash yesterday.

Jenson Button can be proud of his Honda team, after managing a fantastic 9th position, ahead of former world champion Alonso who was 10th.

Pole Position Shootout :

1.  KUBICA        BMW           1m33.096s
2.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m33.123s
3.  HAMILTON      McLaren       1m33.292s
4.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m33.418s
5.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m33.488s
6.  HEIDFELD      BMW           1m33.737s
7.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m33.994s
8.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m34.015s
9.  BUTTON        Honda         1m35.057s
10. ALONSO        Renault       1m35.115s

Qualifying 2 :

1.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m31.188s
2.  KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m31.718s
3.  KUBICA        BMW           1m31.745s
4.  HEIDFELD      BMW           1m31.909s
5.  HAMILTON      McLaren       1m31.922s
6.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m31.933s
7.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m32.159s
8.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m32.185s
9.  ALONSO        Renault       1m32.345s
10. BUTTON        Honda         1m32.362s

Knocked Out:
11. WEBBER        Red Bull      1m32.371s
12. BARRICHELLO   Honda         1m32.508s
13. GLOCK         Toyota        1m32.528s
14. PIQUET        Renault       1m32.790s
15. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    1m32.915s
16. NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m32.943s

Qualifying 1 :

1.  MASSA         Ferrari       1m31.937s
2.  TRULLI        Toyota        1m32.227s
3.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari       1m32.652s
4.  HAMILTON      McLaren       1m32.750s
5.  BUTTON        Honda         1m32.793s
6.  GLOCK         Toyota        1m32.800s
7.  KUBICA        BMW           1m32.893s
8.  ROSBERG       Williams      1m32.903s
9.  BARRICHELLO   Honda         1m32.944s
10. ALONSO        Renault       1m32.947s
11. PIQUET        Renault       1m32.975s
12. KOVALAINEN    McLaren       1m33.057s
13. HEIDFELD      BMW           1m33.137s
14. WEBBER        Red Bull      1m33.194s
15. NAKAJIMA      Williams      1m33.386s
16. BOURDAIS      Toro Rosso    1m33.415s

Knocked Out:
17. COULTHARD     Red Bull      1m33.433s
18. FISICHELLA    Force India   1m33.501s
19. VETTEL        Toro Rosso    1m33.562s
20. SUTIL         Force India   1m33.845s
21. DAVIDSON      Super Aguri   1m34.140s
22. SATO          Super Aguri   1m35.725s

Read Full Post »