At the time there was a wild conspiracy theory that went along similar lines, the fact that Piquet had his accident just after Alonso had taken on fresh tyres and fuel seeming to be quite a coincidence. At the time, Piquet stated that he had just been pushing too hard and that he clipped the barriers a little too hard. However, the allegation that it was a deliberate act comes after the young Brazilian was unceremoniously fired from the team in August.

Piquet Jr. has not kept quiet since he was let go, and has himself made accusations towards the team and most notably, Flavio Briatore. In a long statement on his website at the time, Piquet claimed he received little encouragement from the team boss and his own manager, and that he often found himself on the receiving end of threats moments before qualifying sessions and races.

However little had come of this, until now it seems as there is supposedly fresh evidence to back up the allegations made by the Brazilian TV station. It is unclear whether or not Piquet himself is involved in anyway, but the only evidence that a TV station could possibly think it has is possibly a recorded interview with the man himself. The TV station would not be privvy to telemetry or radio communications, so unless they have caught wind of such a thing but not seen/heard it themselves, or in fact Piquet or a team member has spoken to the station, it seems a very strange allegation to make.

The FIA have been relatively vague in a statement made to the press this evening, just saying that “an investigation is underway regarding alleged events at a previous world championship race”. However, Singapore hit the headlines on a few news sites moments earlier breaking the story about Globo, so one can only deduce (at the moment) the two are indeed related.

Needless to say, if any wrongdoing by the Enstone team is discovered, Renault would be in a whole heap of trouble and could possibly face a ban of several races. Of course, it could just be a storm in a teacup, which in all honesty, is exactly what it sounds like at the moment. Unfortunately, I’ve said that before only to find the world of Formula One wrapped up in controversy for months down the line. Like you, I await further details and the inevitable statement from Piquet Snr.

Original article by BlogF1.

FIA To Investigate Fernando Alonso’s 2008 Singapore Win

The year started off with some difficulty – in fact, I wasn’t sure the blog would be able withstand the pressure I would be putting it under. On 24th December 2007, I slipped and broke my left wrist, which although meant I got out of cooking the Christmas dinner, it also meant that typing would be tricky at best. I was very concerned about the maintenance of the site and how an inevitable decrease in posts would affect the numbers of visitors and level of interaction.

My fears were quickly allayed though. Up until January 2008, the most I had ever written in one month for the site was 45 posts. The first month of this year though saw me churn out 57 – I won’t deny it, it wasn’t easy, but for some reason I felt there was reason to write, and I just got on with it.

Maybe writing so much was my rebellious nature coming through, determined to not let my injury get the better of myself or the site, or maybe it just distracted me from my discomfort? Who knows, but 57 didn’t remain the new record for too long. The season build-up went well and with a change of cast came some extra flexibility. In March the site saw 73 articles published which garnered a then-record level of responses.

The start of the season was wonderful and with my wrist healed and the physiotherapy process in full-swing, BlogF1 grew once again, just as it manages to each and every year. Comments were up, new readers were joining in all the time and the motor racing wasn’t bad either! I managed to get a new design up in April which garnered many wonderful comments of praise and constructive criticism, and generally speaking, everything was charging along nicely.

The second break of 2008 took the wind out my sails though, and it came at a point when the Formula One season was just getting it’s second dosage of momentum for the final half. Not feeling able or wanting to post left me disconsolate, and the site suffered as a direct result. Getting back on the blogging wagon is very difficult when you exclude yourself even for a week. Retuning my senses into reading humdrum press releases and looking for little nuances in the language, assessing how one issue affects another and just sitting down and typing all became a worry I didn’t want.

However, once again, my fears were allayed. The site did suffer from the lack of activity, but the most important of readers and commenters remained loyal. Slowly but surely I found my groove again and after missing most of the German Grand Prix (the results posts were later added for convenience reasons) and not really paying attention too much at the Hungarian Grand Prix, BlogF1 returned for Valencia. In hindsight, I should have moped around for an extra two weeks, but Valencia it was – you can’t rewrite history.

By September BlogF1 was back in full swing and the enjoyment factor had returned. The controversial races that the ninth month saw added many new visitors to the site, all wanting to voice their opinion and traffic, interaction and buzz had been restored. This remained through to the end of the year, when after the Brazilian Grand Prix, a nice bottle of Chianti was opened and the site toasted.

Since then nothing has stopped. You may have noticed that posts are still being published and I’m still trying some new things (although the Season Reviews proved unsuccessful to me). Behind the scenes, BlogF1 is having it’s make-up reapplied and some new ideas have been bouncing around my mind. With regards to the make-over, I will just say that 99% of what you see right now is remaining. The homepage is receiving a little restructuring work, but to be honest I think that is it. I’m also working out a way for you guys to vote on the Caption Contests, with the possibility of a prize for the winner, and a Daily Debate idea has been spiraling around for a while now, but that needs some fleshing out before I can discuss further.

So with lots happening before the build-up to Australia begins in February, I thought I would take one last look back through the 624 articles I have written this year (so far) and pick out the ones that I enjoyed the most. The ones I enjoyed writing, and the ones that I enjoyed the feedback from. This is my pick, and it is for you…

• Why Is The Grass Always Greener: A post written as a sort of challenge to myself. Taking a question and applying it to Formula One, Why Is The Grass Always Greener talks about Jenson Button and his BAR/Williams saga..
• Five Seconds Flat: The Anatomy Of A Pitstop: Sometimes it’s nice to get creative, and this is what I attempted while discussing a pitstop. It was one of the longest posts of the year, weighing in at about 3000 words.
• How Many Races Has Barrichello Driven?: A look at the confusion surrounding the amount of races Rubens Barrichello has driven.
• What One Rule In Formula One Would You Change?: I particularly enjoyed this piece because many readers of the site came out of their shells and commented for the first time.
• Ladies, Get Ready To Say Hello To The Grid Boys: A fun post, although I’m not sure if anything ever came of it in the end.
• Formula One Chassis Designations: There’s little more enjoyable than learning something as you type. I remember the research needed for this post was quite exhaustive because nobody, it seemed, knew why Honda called their car RAxxx. I got there in the end though.
• Are There Enough Food Fights In Formula One?: That was a serious question as well, and a really great post to write. I like discussing the slightly offbeat, perhaps comical side of the sport. It’s good to laugh every now and then.
• Big News For British Fans: F1 Returns To The BBC: A very good day in the UK for fans of Formula One.
• Eddie Jordan: Still Causing Mayhem In Formula One: I loved this story, and was sorely tempted to bunk off work and drive up to Silverstone to check it out for myself. Eddie Jordan has a very special way of dealing with things, and as he ages, his ‘pranks’ just get better.
• BlogF1 In The Sunday Times: Look mum, I’m in the paper! The circumstances in which I found out were also quite comical.
• Seven Months Early, But Still Managing To Be Late: The hotly anticipated version six of BlogF1. I loved writing this post and I loved the feedback in the comments. It was a memorable day for me.
• How Can I Watch Formula One Online?: One of the most read posts of the year – I guess you all wanted to know! I’ll be re-writing this before the 2009 season gets underway.
• Smoking & Drinking In F1: Do Mumms Always Know Best?: Many different thoughts aired in the comments to this post about smoking advertising bans and the way alcohol advertising is still allowed in Formula One.
• What Does A Formula One Driver Eat?: A look at Robert Kubica’s weight loss and what the drivers eat to help them achieve their goals of driving fast and maintaining strength.
• Could Danica Patrick Be Formula One’s Next Female Racer?: Any excuse to post a picture of Danica on the homepage, but the question was serious enough, as were the answers.
• Villeneuve Was Lucky, But Heidfeld Should Be Worried: When the FIA had a moan about rally driver Sebastien Loeb looking scruffy, I couldn’t help myself and took a look at some of Formula One’s more recent drivers-who-forget-to-shave.
• Who Is Lorenzo Bandini & What Is His Trophy?: A look at Lorenzo Bandini and the legacy he left in the shape of his annually-awarded trophy.
• One Clocked Bugatti, One Mangled Porsche A Very Lucky Ferrari: The day Anthony Hamilton made the papers after crashing a Porsche Carrera.
• The Value Of A Decent Racing Circuit Is Lost On Ecclestone: A look at the way Ecclestone appeared to be getting rid of some of the greatest circuits on the calendar and replacing them with, erm, not so good ones.
• Why Drivers Take Their Hands Off The Wheel In An Accident: Following an accident Giancarlo Fisichella suffered while testing, I took a few moments to explain something odd that happens in the event of a crash.
• Chicken Soup & A Neck Brace For Felipe Massa: Felipe Massa injures himself. In a lift. While sneezing. No joke.
• Why Hamilton Should Do The Triathlon With Button: A look at Hamilton’s management, and the chickening out of a man challenge at the British Grand Prix.
• An Update & Explanation: I did not enjoy writing this one, but the responses bowled me over and helped BlogF1 get back on track. A lot of love was shared that day in the comments.
• How Do You Watch Formula One?: Asking readers how they watch the sport – internet, TV, radio etc…
• Putting All The Red Eggs In One Basket: An assessment of Ferrari’s usual strategy of backing one driver to the championship.
• Gone Fishing At McLaren: A wonderful article about a young lad doing his bit to raise money for charity. This piece will always be remembered for that comment – to date the best to have ever been left on BlogF1.
• (Anti) Social Formula One Media: Part I: A two-part series looking at how the media in Formula One can be quite anti-social.
• Williams: 500 Races Young: Aside from the many other milestones Williams reached this year, 500 races was one that stood out in my mind.
• Three First-Timers On A First-Timers Podium: Part I: A three-part series that was sparked by a question in the comments. I loved researching for this post and many of the comments were in praise of this.
• The Secret Diary Of A Formula One Blogger: Part I: It wasn’t a huge success, but over the course of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend I allowed you a small insight into my world as I kept a diary of what I was up to. I really enjoyed it.
• Are The Stewards Ruining Formula One?: A look at the stewarding process and their recent decisions which have caused controversy.
• A Taste Of Their Own Medicine: The French Grand Prix organisers do unto the FIA what the FIA did unto the Canadian Grand Prix organisers.
• Another Year, Another Qualifying Format: Once again, the powers-that-be are meddling with something that isn’t broken, much.

And just one last word from me before I wrap up this review of 2008…

…BlogF1 is nothing without each and every single one of you – your comments, emails and conversations. The site has grown and will hopefully continue to do so into the new year and new season.

Thank you.

Original article by BlogF1.

BlogF1 2008: Two Breaks And Still Standing

It all started so well with Nico Rosberg taking a podium in Melbourne with an encouraging third place. From seventh on the grid the Williams FW30 looked pretty nimble without traction control and in the maturing hands of Rosberg, pundits up and down the pitlane took note of the new car’s performance. The following weekend though, the team had perhaps shown the truer pace, with Rosberg barely getting into Q2 and team mate Kazuki Nakajima failing to get out of Q1, qualifying in sixteenth before having a ten grid-slot penalty applied, sending the rookie to the very back.

Bahrain went better though, and Nico managed eighth on the grid and race, while Kazuki continued to lap a few tenths back. Despite claiming one point from the race and one fourteenth place, the reliability of the FW30 had been flawless, with six finishes from the six individual performances. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last and at Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix, Rosberg chalked up the team’s first non-finish of the campaign. The consolation prize though was a confidence-boosting seventh for Nakajima.

In Turkey, the roles were reversed and Nakajima suffered a non-finish while Rosberg collected a point for the team. And in Monaco, once again the fortunes of the team mates swapped as Rosberg had a fairly sizeable impact with the barrier during a saturated grand prix. To his credit though, Nakjaima raced well in the tricky conditions and the Japanese driver brought his car home in seventh, repeating his efforts from Spain the month previous.

So the start of the season for Williams was very up and down. The car, it seemed, had pace and could finish in the lower end of the points fairly regularly. Nico Rosberg was driving quite well and Kazuki Nakajima was surprisingly mature at times when it really mattered. Everything looked good for a decent year of racing from the privateer squad – morale was high in the Grove camp.

Williams had scored 15 points from the first six races, visited the podium once and got one car through to Q3 on three times. It wasn’t to last though, and soon it became clear that the difference between the well funded Toyota team and their customer became all too clear. In 2007, Williams embarrassed their engine supplier by finishing ahead of them in the championship, 33 points to a measly 13. By the end of the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix, Williams had 15 to Toyota’s 10. It was about to unravel itself though…

In Canada, Rosberg put in his best qualifying effort of all season, landing fifth place on the grid for the race. His race started well and Rosberg was looking pretty mighty. With desperately unfortunate luck though, the German pilot followed Lewis Hamilton into the pile-up that ensued at the end of the pitlane during a safety car period. The incident ended Hamilton’s and innocent victim Kimi Raikkonen’s race, but Rosberg was able to keep his car running, although with a damaged front wing. An extra stop the following lap to have the damaged part replaced, Rosberg was no longer in any kind contention for points, and team mate Nakajima suffered a similar fate after clouting the back of a Honda.

The French Grand Prix was a disaster, the British event better. In fact, the British Grand Prix went so well for the team it was their second best result of the year, their third overall. And eighth and ninth place finish signalled a slight improvement, but the weather almost certainly played a small part in this result.

Rosberg managed a point around the Valencia port, and despite showing great speed in the tricky conditions experienced at Monaco and Silverstone, the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix were raced with little result. Rosberg equalled his best qualifying effort of the campaign in Italy, but could only claim fourteenth by the time the chequered flag fell.

In Singapore, Rosberg demonstrated his maturity and for the final time this season the German driver stepped onto the podium. This time Rosberg was celebrating second, and Nakajima with an eighth place finish. Not only was it a good result on the Sunday, but for the first time this year, both drivers had managed to get into the third qualifying phase.

After that great result though, Williams just blended into the background, Rosberg taking 11th, 15th and 12th in the final trio of races, Nakajima fairing no better with 15th, 12th, 17th. By the end of the final race, Williams had collected just 10 points since the Monaco race.

A total haul of 26 points for the team puts them down on their 2007 tally (33), but the improved competitiveness of the field meant it was harder for all the teams to score massive points. Ferrari won the constructors title again, but they were 32 points down on their ‘07 total.

Rosberg’s two podiums were great, and to see Nakajima develop as the season progressed was fantastic to witness. On the whole, both drivers did well this year, and at times you could see the frustration of having a car simply not capable of challenging those ahead of them. Part of the problem for the FW30 was the fact that Williams have concentrated their efforts on 2009 very early, thus slowing development of the ‘08 car.

Having both drivers continue to next season though will be good for Frank and Patrick’s squad, and they really are ahead on developing many vital parts for next season, then hopefully they will be able to maintain development throughout the season and enjoy podium visits on a more regular basis.

Williams 2008 Championship Results	Nico Rosberg (Grid) Race	Kazuki Nakajima (Grid) Race
Australian Grand Prix Albert Park	(7) 3	(14) 6
Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang	(16) 14	(22) 17
Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir	(8) 8	(16) 14
Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Catalunya	(15) RET	(12) 7
Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul Park	(11) 8	(16) RET
Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo	(6) RET	(14) 7
Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	(5) 10	(12) RET
French Grand Prix Magny Cours	(20) 16	(15) 15
British Grand Prix Silverstone	(18) 9	(15) 8
German Grand Prix Hockenheim	(13) 10	(16) 14
Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring	(14) 14	(16) 13
European Grand Prix Valencia	(9) 8	(11) 15
Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps	(15) 12	(19) 14
Italian Grand Prix Monza	(5) 14	(18) 12
Singapore Grand Prix Singapore	(8) 2	(10) 8
Japanese Grand Prix Fuji Speedway	(15) 11	(14) 15
Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai	(14) 15	(17) 12
Brazilian Grand Prix Interlagos	(18) 12	(16) 17
Driver’s Championship Position	(17pts) 13th	(9pts) 15th
Constructor’s Championship Position	(26pts) 8th

Recommended Reading

• F12008: Williams Preview
• Williams Have Two Causes For Celebration
• Williams Celebrate Being 500 Races Young
• Kazuki Nakajima Stays At Williams For 2009

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: An Up & Down Season For Williams

The season started off poorly with a disqualification in the first round for Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver on the grid falling foul of the pitlane closure rule during safety car periods. Having completed the resulting stop-go penalty for this infringement, Barrichello then ran a red light at the end of the pitlane, the Brazilian claiming he simply didn’t see the light.

Despite this though, the Hondas qualified well in Australia, certainly better than their testing pace indicated. Unfortunately though, the pace would gradually decline as the year progressed and what started out as a ~12th place grid slot regularity, it soon became ~16th by the season close. And the race pace didn’t get much better either.

The Spanish Grand Prix saw the team score their first points of the year with Jenson Button claiming sixth place for the squad. Unfortunately, Rubens Barrichello collided with Giancarlo Fisichella during the race and was forced to retire with a damaged car. However, the Brazilian would also score points not to long after Button, Monaco and Canada proving good races for the the former race winner.

Tricky conditions at Monaco allowed Barrichello to calmly drive his Honda into sixth place from fifteenth on the grid, and the Canadian Grand Prix showed the world that if it all came together, the car was capable of getting into the third phase of qualifying, Barrichello doing just that and starting the race in ninth. Rubens would go on to improve his position and finish the race in seventh.

The team’s high point of the year would come in Britain with Barrichello scoring a well-deserved podium as other drivers around him were falling off the road in atrocious conditions. A good strategy from the team and a mature drive from Rubens resulted in third place, standing alongside Lewis Hamilton and Nick Heidfeld on the podium. Race winner Hamilton lapped everybody up to Barrichello and the pace-levelling rain allowed Rubens to show he hadn’t lost his competitive edge.

The latter half of the season saw any competitive advantage with the Honda get overtaken by just about everybody else. Jenson Button’s retirement rate improved, the Briton managing to finish all remaining nine races. However, Barrichello’s luck ran out and the Brazilian racked up a further three non-finishes; a collision with David Coulthard in Germany, a failed gearbox in Belgium and electrical problems halted his race in Singapore.

Jenson Button managed a ninth place in Singapore, and Barrichello claimed eleventh in China. But aside from these peaks, the second half of 2008 was full of gloom as the cars only managed to stay ahead of the Force Indias.

However, the team openly admitted that they were working very hard towards 2009 and when former-Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was brought onboard as team principal in the ‘07-’08 break, talk of using 2008 as a transition year was suggested. However, despite all this there appear to be very few definite good signs for the future, other than the team developing KERS from an early stage and focusing on the 2009 campaign before most others.

Ever since the stunning 2004 season when the squad were still racing under the BAR name, the performance of the team has declined. From second place in 2004, BAR/Honda slipped to 6th in 2005, improved to 4th in 2006, but then slipped again in 2007 to 8th (and scoring 80 points less than the year previous) before resting in 9th this year, although the team did score more than double the points they did in 2007, mostly thanks to Barrichello’s podium.

Jenson Button has re-signed to the team for 2009, although the jury is still out on Rubens Barrichello. The only real factor playing against the lead points scorer from this season is the man’s age – Barrichello celebrated his 36th birthday this year, although he managed to outscore his younger and still much-praised team mate 11 points to 3.

Honda will test and evaluate Bruno Senna later this month, the 2008 GP2 runner-up being the nephew of late Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. The team also courted Fernando Alonso during the this year’s campaign, but it would seem the Spaniard is only really interested in Ferrari and his current home Renault.

Honda 2008 Championship Results	Jenson Button (Grid) Race	Rubens Barrichello (Grid) Race
Australian Grand Prix Albert Park	(13) RET	(11) DSQ
Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang	(11) 10	(14) 13
Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir	(9) RET	(12) 11
Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Catalunya	(13) 6	(11) RET
Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul Park	(13) 11	(12) 14
Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo	(12) 11	(15) 6
Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	(18) 11	(9) 7
French Grand Prix Magny Cours	(16) RET	(17) 14
British Grand Prix Silverstone	(17) RET	(16) 3
German Grand Prix Hockenheim	(?) 17	(?) RET
Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring	(12) 12	(17) 16
European Grand Prix Valencia	(16) 13	(19) 16
Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps	(17) 15	(16) RET
Italian Grand Prix Monza	(19) 15	(16) 17
Singapore Grand Prix Singapore	(12) 9	(18) RET
Japanese Grand Prix Fuji Speedway	(18) 14	(17) 13
Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai	(18) 16	(13) 11
Brazilian Grand Prix Interlagos	(17) 13	(15) 15
Driver’s Championship Position	(3pts) 18th	(11pts) 14th
Constructor’s Championship Position	(14pts) 9th

Recommended Reading

• F12008: Honda Preview
• Is Suzuki Upset With The Wrong Man?
• Rubens Barrichello’s 257 Livery
• Honda Develop Pitlane Lights
• Honda To Evaluate Bruno Senna

Image Copyright © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: Honda Endure A Season To Forget

The mood before the season start in Australia was one of buoyancy and optimism, but the team were well aware of their uphill struggle to rejuvenate the failed Spyker project and despite the anticipation, team owner Vijay Mallya did his best to quell expectation and potential results. The testing of Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella was certainly welcomed publicity though, only topped by the statement issued by the former Toyota, Williams and Jordan driver that the test was only in kindness to Toyota’s former sponsor when Schumacher failed to get the drive.

Instead, it was Renault refugee Fisichella who claimed the second seat alongside Adrian Sutil and although the Italian had been outclassed by Fernando Alonso and then Heikki Kovalainen in preceding seasons, the experience of the former Jordan race winner was surely enough to boost confidence in the team. However, testing was very trying for the squad and expectation for 2008 was kept to a minimum.

The start of the year was nothing spectacular and Force India started to rack up a few retirements; some from mechanical failure, some from silly driver errors. On occasion, both Fisichella and Sutil found themselves caught up in other driver’s accidents, but it should be noted they also created some all on their own. With the reasonably powerful Ferrari engine though, Force India were hopeful and the goal set by the team to get out of Q1 quickly became a potential reality. Race pace may have been lacking, but qualifying wasn’t going too badly.

From the offset the squad appeared to have good pace in qualifying and Fisichella in particular enjoyed a spate of 16th place grid slots. However, the elusive extra tenth or two proved hard to find and the goal wasn’t realised until Italy. In difficult circumstances which saw Sebastian Vettel take his and Scuderia Toro Rosso’s maiden pole, Giancarlo thumped his VJM01 into a fine twelfth place. Unfortunately, Fisichella couldn’t convert the grid slot into a race result as an incident with Coulthard damaged his front wing. Moments later Fisichella found himself in the barriers, the wing damaged enough to cause the end of his race.

Fisichella’s battle with some of the sport’s leading drivers in Italy wasn’t the only time the Force Indias punched above their weight this year though, and team mate Adrian Sutil also put in some sterling drives in the sister car. Monaco will perhaps be forever etched in the German’s mind as the day he went from hero to zero through little fault of his own.

Quickly becoming a bit of a master around the principality, Sutil revelled in the tricky wet conditions at Monaco and found himself in fourth as the race drew to a close. Unfortunately, an error from the chasing Kimi Raikkonen resulted in the Ferrari slamming in to the back of the similarly powered Force India. Sutil retired and was seen disconsolate in the garage.

For Force India, I believe 2008 was a good year. They may have failed to score any points, but the team and the fans knew it was an uphill struggle. Force India have experienced difficulties and made some errors. But the squad’s vision of the future, combined with funding from Mallya’s companies and a possible alliance with McLaren could see the back-row minnows move forward. The Indian-flavoured team have passion, certainly more than Midland or Spyker had in year’s previous, and with this they can at least hope to move off the bottom of the tables. Sutil has reminded us again this year that he is no slouch and given the right mix of conditions, set up and luck, he can put his car in places it probably shouldn’t be.

Fisichella on the other hand has been slightly embarrassed again; his team mate proving to be a good match for the experienced race winner. Being out-qualified eight times by a pilot with 177 less race starts under his belt is not something Giancarlo should shrug off lightly. However, Fisichella’s strength lies with bonding the team together, providing quality feedback and using his wealth of knowledge to aspire the squad into believing they can do it. With a good car, these two drivers could score some regular points.

Undoubtedly, we’ll be watching the possible collaboration with McLaren closely, especially if the rules regarding customer cars are relaxed. Although it won’t come to much if Mercedes are unable to deliver the engines to the team’s headquarters because of a playful Eddie Jordan.

Force India 2008 Championship Results	Giancarlo Fisichella (Grid) Race	Adrian Sutil (Grid) Race
Australian Grand Prix Albert Park	(17) Retired	(19) Retired
Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang	(17) 12	(20) Retired
Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir	(18) 12	(20) 19
Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Catalunya	(19) 10	(20) Retired
Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul Park	(19) Retired	(20) 16
Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo	(20) Retired	(19) Retired
Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	(17) Retired	(16) Retired
French Grand Prix Magny Cours	(18) 18	(19) 19
British Grand Prix Silverstone	(20) Retired	(19) Retired
German Grand Prix Hockenheim	(20) 16	(19) 15
Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring	(18) 15	(20) Retired
European Grand Prix Valencia	(18) 14	(20) Retired
Belgian Grand Prix Spa Francorchamps	(20) 17	(18) 13
Italian Grand Prix Monza	(12) Retired	(20) 19
Singapore Grand Prix Singapore	(20) 14	(19) Retired
Japanese Grand Prix Fuji Speedway	(20) Retired	(19) Retired
Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai	(20) 17	(19) Retired
Brazilian Grand Prix Interlagos	(19) 18	(20) 16
Driver’s Championship Position	(0pts) 19th	(0pts) 20th
Constructor’s Championship Position	(0pts) 10th

Recommended Reading

• F12008: Force India Preview
• Force India Show Great Determination
• Adrian Sutil’s Stock Rises?
• Force India Get Into Q2
• Force India & McLaren Alliance On Hold

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: Force India Weren’t The Force They Thought They Would Be

The young Leafield-based team had been punching above its weight in 2007 and with continued support from Honda, it was hoped that the momentum could be carried forward into 2008. Alas, it wasn’t to be and the launch of the new car was postponed. The team then failed to attend the final test sessions of the off-season and it was announced that financial difficulties had meant the team didn’t have many spare parts.

Aguri Suzuki managed to get his team to Australia though and both Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson were on the grid in Melbourne. The drivers had been told to take it easy though and to not take unnecessary risks – each damaged part cost the team money they simply didn’t have. Both drivers failed to finish in Australia, and behind the scenes Suzuki was desperately trying to put a deal together that would save the squad.

Unfortunately for Super Aguri, no matter what they tried, they simply couldn’t get agreement on an investment package, but still the drivers ploughed on, attending the flyaway races and continuing to keep out of trouble on the track. In Malaysia, Sato managed to finish ahead of Adrian Sutil’s Force India, but in Bahrain order was restored as the Aguri pair qualified and finished in the final two places.

By the time the fourth round of the championship came around things were looking very desperate at Leafield. Honda were pulling their support, the Magma deal had fallen through and it seemed every thing and one was against the plucky team from competing. Suzuki had hoped a new deal from the Weigl group might be his answer, but Honda refused, saying that they believed the company didn’t have the necessary funds to support the team.

The team raced in Barcelona, and although the writing was on the wall, the team did not know at the the time that this would be their final race. The result – Super Aguri’s last – was a DNF for Davidson, and a thirteenth (and last) for Sato.

The cars were sent to the Istanbul circuit for the following race, the Turkish Grand Prix, but upon arrival they were refused entry to the grounds because of what was about to happen back in the UK.

On May 6th 2008, Aguri Suzuki announced to the media the withdrawal of his team from the Formula One World Championship. Over the following days and weeks, the company went into administration and the equipment at Leafield was eventually auctioned off. People around the world felt for the team – their competitive spirit and plucky determination attracted many fans – but unfortunately the cheers from the crowds do little to the bank balances.

The 2008 season started with 11 teams and 22 drivers, but ended with only 10 teams and 20 drivers. Super Aguri amassed four points in their short 39-race history and touched the hearts of thousands. But Formula One is a formidable machine that doesn’t stop, and the plight of Aguri’s squad was soon forgotten about in the paddock.

Recommended Reading

• F12008 Super Aguri Preview
• Honda Not Keen On Bailing Out Super Aguri
• Super Aguri Deal Collapses
• Super Aguri Withdraw From Formula One

Original article by BlogF1.

F12008: Super Aguri Fade Into The Background

Brazil 2008: Tyre/Race Strategies

Prime Tyre: Medium
Option Tyre: Hard
Wets: Intermediates

Due to the start of the race being wet, the drivers were able to run on one tyre for the entire race – the rule about running both compounds is negated in these circumstances.

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Pitstop & Tyre Strategies

Most drivers started on intermediate tyres, rain suddenly falling on the track just moments before the start. In fact, the start was delayed by ten minutes to allow the shower to pass. From the start, Massa had the legs on everyone else, but Hamilton just kept himself in fifth – exactly what he needed to do. The drama wasn’t over though, as the race through up a final twist, just to keep us all on the very edge of our seats.

Despite the weather turning only slightly just eight laps from the end, most drivers pitted for intermediate tyres, including race leader Felipe Massa and championship leader Lewis Hamilton. However, on a slightly awkward track, Hamilton found himself short on pace and Sebastian Vettel in the Scuderia Toro Rosso gained quickly on the McLaren. Two laps from the chequered flag, Vettel made his move as Hamilton ran wide. You could hear the hearts of James Allen and Martin Brundle in the commentary box sink.

However, one lap later and at almost the place on the circuit, Timo Glock, who was in fourth, slowed himself. Vettel passed the Toyota as did the chasing Hamilton. Felipe Massa crossed the line as the winner, and as world champion he believed. The Ferrari team celebrated for a moment, then realised what was happening on the track. As Hamilton drove up the hill to the chequered flag in fifth, he became the youngest world champion, the ninth British champion and the first for McLaren in nine years.

Felipe Massa toured back into the pitlane, parked his car and shed a tear for what was so close, yet so far. Hamilton parked up, eventually got his steering wheel back on and was escorted back to the weighing area. With utter joy and jubilation, Lewis Hamilton has become Formula One’s newest world champion. With a sense of bitter sweetness to it, Felipe Massa has taken his eleventh race victory, the second on home soil, but will leave Brazil the runner-up in the title hunt.

With Kimi Raikkonen finishing in third, Ferrari have comfortably taken the constructors title, but undoubtedly, all eyes or on the young McLaren driver and his achievement at becoming the 2008 Formula One World Champion.

Original article by BlogF1.

Lewis Hamilton Is The 2008 Formula One World Champion

Coulthard has competed in 246 races, making 245 starts in 14 years, has managed 12 pole positions, 13 wins and 535 points, making him the highest points scorers among the British competitors. Coulthard said that had been able to finish the race, he would have performed some donuts, despite the risk of being fined by the FIA. Alas, the Scot’s race came to an early end. We should however see and hear David next season as he is supposedly going to be involved in the BBC broadcasting team.

If I had qualified a bit higher up the grid away from the maybe it would have helped. But no, I took a cautious approach into Turn One, left plenty of room for the car on the inside and then unfortunately Rosberg hit me in Turn Two and spun me around. Then Nakajima and I finished off our crashing love affair, and he took off my front corner.

I felt good in the warm-up laps going to the grid, I had no problem driving in the wet. I wanted to get to the chequered flag and I was going to do some doughnuts for the crowd. But it didn’t work out.

I still can’t complain, I’ve had a good career and thank you to everyone who supported me over the years. David Coulthard.

Farewell Coulthard, hope to see you next year.

Original article by BlogF1.

David Coulthard Retires From Formula One

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Race Live Blog

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix Grid Inclusive of penalties given – none so far.
1		Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m12.368s
			Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m12.737s		2
3		Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m12.825s
			Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m12.830s		4
5		Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1m12.917s
			Fernando Alonso Renault 1m12.967s		6
7		Sebastian Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m13.082s
			Nick Heidfeld BMW 1m13.297s		8
9		Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m14.105s
			Timo Glock Toyota 1m14.230s		10
11		Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault 1m12.137s
			Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m12.289s		12
13		Robert Kubica BMW 1m12.300s
			David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1m12.717s		14
15		Rubens Barrichello Honda 1m13.139
			Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1m12.800s		16
17		Jenson Button Honda 1m12.810s
			Nico Rosberg Williams 1m13.002s		18
19		Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m13.426s
			Adrian Sutil Force India 1m13.508s		20

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: The Grid

Q1

We all knew this qualifying session would be tense, but both title contenders seemed relaxed as ever ahead of Saturday’s running. Nelson Piquet Jr went out first and looked reasonably promising after some strong laptimes posted in the earlier practice sessions. However, all eyes soon diverted to Felipe Massa as he ventured out on the Interlagos tarmac to start his final qualifying procedure of the season. The first runs from the Ferrari drivers didn’t look too good though, with both pilots understeering around quite a bit. Instead it was the McLarens that looked hot as the Mercedes drivers outpaced the Scuderia.

The times were close after the first run though…

Brazil 2008: Q1 (First Run Results)

The understeering Ferraris prompted ITV commentator to exclaim, “Raikkonen is understeering like a cross-channel ferry”, much to the amusement of co-commentator James Allen and those of us in the live blog.

The BMWs left it typically late as usual to leave the garage, and it was clear from the offset that Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were struggling. Although the squad have achieved an awful lot this year, it seems as though the development of the F1.08 faltered in the latter stages of the season. Scuderia Toro Rosso though looked pretty sharp as they have done throughout 2008, and Sebastian Vettel popped in a fifth quickest time at about mid-distance in Q1.

Fernando Alonso was looking quite menacing in the much improved Renault R28, the Spaniard having gone fastest in Free Practices Two and Three. Alonso’s final effort in the first part of qualifying left him in fourth, just 0.001s shy of Lewis Hamilton. Nelson Piquet in the sister Renault also popped in a fine lap just prior to Alonso’s, placing the Brazilian in third at the time.

Honda were running well and by the time the chequered flag fell for Q1, local hero Rubens Barrichello had made it through with a 1m12.548s. Jenson Button was left stranded on the track though after his Honda RA108 stopped just prior to the pitlane entrance. The Briton was dropped out of qualifying and will start seventeenth.

The final Q1 runs upped the ante and Felipe Massa dug deep for a superb lap, going fastest and adding to the pressure already mounting on Hamilton’s shoulders. Failing to make the grade though were both Force Indias, the already mentioned Honda of Jenson Button and surprisingly both Williams.

Q2

The second stage of qualifying saw the times close right up as Lewis Hamilton attempted to fix his middle-sector issues and the Ferraris dialled out their understeery behaviour. The first set of runs looked something like this…

Brazil 2008: Q2 (First Run Results)

Timo Glock then set a stunning time of 1m11.909s, placing him third at the time and displacing Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari. Robert Kubica continued to struggle and could only manage a 1m12.300s, just 0.081s faster than his Q1 time. Team mate Nick Heidfeld was running better in the sister car and was able to get through to the final shootout, but both cars don’t look particularly special on the circuit this weekend.

The final quick lap went to Heikki Kovalainen who was topping the speed traps in his MP4-23. The Finn managed a very fast 1m11.768 and pipped Lewis Hamilton by a tenth. Dropping out of Q2 after fifteen minutes of running were both Red Bulls, Nelson Piquet Jr, Robert Kubica and Rubens Barrichello.

Q3

The final ten minutes saw action from all ten drivers, even though Sebastien Bourdais left it until the last moment to set a time, heading out with just 120 seconds left on the clock. Initially, it appeared as though Massa was stuggling a little with his tyres and resorted to lapping very slowly on his outlaps to preserve the rubber as best he could. Sebastian Vettel made a good early impression, but ultimately finished in seventh, his team mate Sebastien Bourdais ending up in ninth.

The early pace had Massa as fastest and this didn’t change during the final ten minutes. A final lap time of 1m12.368s meant he was on pole by a comfortable 0.4s, but the driver in second caused quite a stir. At first it was Kimi Raikkonen who looked to be locking out the front row for the Scuderia, but at the last moment Toyota’s Jarno Trulli pulled a lap out of the bag that upset the apple cart. Trulli, a master at qualifying if not racing, managed to split the Italian cars and go second, his first front row result for quite a while.

The McLaren’s simply couldn’t respond and Lewis Hamilton will start in fourth with Heikki Kovalainen in just behind in fifth. Fernando Alonso disappointed slightly with only sixth, the Spaniard having a great run up until qualifying. However, the third row doesn’t mean he is out of contention, and as the double world champion has stated many times in the past few week, he will gladly help Massa in his hunt for the title.

A full run down of the results and lap times can be read here.

So, as Felipe Massa’s engineer Rob Smedley stated, all Felipe has to do is win the race tomorrow and leave the rest in the laps of the gods. The first corner of the first lap is going to be electrifying, particularly with Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton on the same row, and with the potential Trulli-train causing consternation for those behind, I think everyone is going to be desperately trying to find a way pass the Toyota.

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Felipe Massa Takes Pole, Lewis Hamilton Takes Fourth

Brazil 2008: Qualifying Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Qualifying Result

The Briton suffered from locking wheels, mainly in the middle sector, and although a change to the softer compound improved this issue, the rain fell at the wrong time and Hamilton couldn’t capitalise on this change. Jarno Trulli on the other hand was on-form, going third fastest in the Toyota and beating Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari by 0.165s. Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel also improved from his morning’s run getting into sixth, although Sebastien Bourdais could only achieve seventeenth in the sister car and going off the circuit on a number of occasions.

Williams look quite good at Interlagos, with Nico Rosberg climbing as high as eighth and team mate Kazuki Nakajima finishing in tenth. Mark Webber hauled his Red Bull into fifth and retiring David Coulthard completed 38 laps to get into eleventh. Honda’s morning pace slipped in the afternoon, with Rubens Barrichello ending his day in sixteenth and Jenson Button only managing a lowly eighteenth.

Brazil 2008 Friday Free Practice Two		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m12.296s	43 Laps
2.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m12.353s	41 Laps
3.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m12.435s	44 Laps
4.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m12.600s	32 Laps
5.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m12.650s	45 Laps
6.	Sebastian Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m12.687s	47 Laps
7.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m12.703s	44 Laps
8.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m12.761s	42 Laps
9.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m12.827s	33 Laps
10.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m12.886s	42 Laps
11.	David Coulthard Red Bull Racing	1m12.896s	38 Laps
12.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m12.971s	48 Laps
13.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m13.038s	49 Laps
14.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m13.041s	39 Laps
15.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m13.213s	37 Laps
16.	Rubens Barrichello Honda	1m13.221s	37 Laps
17.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m13.273s	41 Laps
18.	Jenson Button Honda	1m13.341s	49 Laps
19.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m13.428s	32 Laps
20.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m13.691s	33 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Friday Afternoon Practice

Both Ferraris ran well and Kimi Raikkonen broke for lunch in a satisfying third, outlapping BMW’s Robert Kubica and McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen. There were no real surprises from the morning session, although both the Scuderia Toro Rossos look a little off-colour, Sebastien Bourdais only getting as high as thirteenth and team mate Sebastian Vettel finishing in seventeenth.

Renault were showing good pace with both cars on Friday, Fernando Alonso completing 25 laps to get into sixth and Nelson Piquet Jr. completing a massive 39 laps to claim eighth. Both Hondas found themselves reaching the dizzy heights of the midfield as well, with Rubens Barrichello lapping less than 0.03s slower than Bourdais and ending up in fourteenth. Jenson Button was just behind in fifteenth and 0.9s down on his team mate.

Brazil 2008: Friday Free Practice One

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Friday Morning Practice

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Qualifying Live Blog

Surprisingly, the reigning world champion is out of the hunt and Kimi Raikkonen waved goodbye to any title defence in Fuji last weekend. Instead, it has been left to his team mate Felipe Massa to take control and put himself in a position whereby he can still take the coveted trophy. However, one man stands in his way, and Lewis Hamilton must be ultra-confident after his dominant performance at the China Grand Prix. The championship table currently looks like this:

So Hamilton is 7 points clear of Massa. This means that Massa ideally needs to win at home in Brazil in a fortnight, and hope that Hamilton finishes no higher than sixth. Should the points be tied (by Massa winning and Hamilton finishing sixth) then the positions each driver finished in during the season are back-counted. Currently, both contenders are on five wins each, but a sixth win and equal points would mean Massa crowned as champion.

If the leading Ferrari pilot fails to win in Brazil, then he needs to finish in second and he will also need Hamilton to be no higher than eighth. This would earn Massa eight points and place him equal with the McLaren driver, but ahead on second places earned.

In reality, the only way I can see Hamilton failing to score is either a silly move at the start, similar to what happened in Japan this year and also in Brazil last season. Either that or poor weather conditions could upset any strategy and push the favour towards Ferrari. Both teams have made mistakes this year with tyre choices and pitstop calls, and Ferrari have spectacularly messed up a few actual pitstops themselves. But in reality, either team could mess it up under unusual circumstances.

Further down the tables there is a good battle for third, although Robert Kubica looks relatively safe as long as he can get a points finish to counter any strong result Kimi Raikkonen pulls out of the bag. And Raikkonen will only get a strong result if Massa retires or is too far behind. Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen are just 2 points apart in sixth and seventh. Alonso is on a charge at the moment, having been reinvigorated after his two wins. However, McLaren will desperately want Kovalainen near the front to help control the race should anything happen to Hamilton.

Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli are equal on 30 points each. Vettel has the upper hand having won a race this year, but Toyota and STR are fairly equal on pace at the moment, battling each other for Q3 and during the opening laps of races. Eighth place in the championship will be well-fought by these two drivers.

Timo Glock, Mark Webber and Nelson Piquet Jr rest on 21, 19 and 17 points respectively, so neither can sit back and relax before the season is over. Similarly, Kazuki Nakajima and David Coulthard are both able to collect a couple of points, and being separated by just 1 point in fifteenth and sixteenth, there could be a change in position at the bottom of the table as well.

The constructors is less close, with Ferrari 11 points ahead of McLaren. Although the maximum possible earnings from a race is 18, to recover 11 in one event is very difficult. BMW are just 10 points behind McLaren, but again, reclaiming the lost ground doesn’t look hopeful. Renault can neither catch nor be caught, so thanks to Alonso’s wins and Piquet’s slight improvement, the Enstone-based squad are confirmed in fourth. Toyota are in a similar position in fifth, but the battle between STR and Red Bull Racing is looking dangerously embarrassing. STR are ahead of the parent team, and Christian Horner’s squad need to find 6 points if they are overhaul the juniors. And let’s be honest, it’s unlikely.

The final battle is also unlikely to see any change, but it certainly isn’t impossible. Williams rest on 26 points, just 3 behind Red Bull. Should the Milton Keynes team have a disastrous weekend, and should Nico Rosberg find himself near the podium again, Red Bull could get demoted even further, adding to the disappointment of their 2008 season.

So there you have it. The drivers title is closer than the constructors, but there is room for manoeuvring. And that leaves me with just a couple of questions…

And will any other positions change in the overall standings, drivers or constructors? The comments are open and the voting forms available. Let’s hear what you have to say…

Original article by BlogF1.

The Big Question: Felipe Massa vs. Lewis Hamilton

The Race

The start of the race was full of tension after the previous grand prix at Fuji last weekend. But despite all the theories of drivers running each other off the road, the main contenders all threaded through the first sequence corners in an orderly fashion. Only two incidents of note from the first lap are really worth mentioning; Heikki Kovalainen and Fernando Alonso, and Sebastien Bourdais and Jarno Trulli.

Kovalainen managed to edge ahead of Alonso around the outside of the first corner, but the Spaniard kept himself close and reclaimed his position as the pair made their way around the opening lap. Bourdais and Trulli weren’t so polite about their tussle though and the result of a coming together saw Trulli’s Toyota spin around. Bourdais was able to continue but Trulli came into the pits for a inspection. The team sent the Italian on his way, but with a badly damaged sidepod, the one-time winner came back into the pits at the end of lap two and parked the car in the garage.

Mark Webber made the most of his start, and starting from sixteenth after an engine change penalty, the Australian was touring around in twelfth by the second lap. Of course, Webber was very light, having actually qualified in sixth, and it was his Red Bull that would enter the pits first for a routine stop on lap 13. And during this first stint of the race Lewis Hamilton just kept on edging out a gap to Kimi Raikkonen. The Ferraris couldn’t respond and Felipe Massa was even losing time to his team mate ahead.

After the first round of stops Hamilton put the hammer down and increased the margin to Raikkonen to 7s, but it wasn’t all plain-sailing for McLaren as Kovalainen suffered another part failure. On the grid it was clear the Finn’s brakes were smoking a lot, so much so that ITV commentators first thought it was an engine problem. Heikki then proceeded to fall backwards at an astonishing rate and after his second pitstop, the front-right tyre gave way, causing the McLaren pilot to gently coax the car back to the pits. The team replaced the tyres and sent Heikki back out, but with seven laps to go, Kovalainen pulled into the garage and retired his car.

After the race, Ron Dennis offered this explanation for Heikki’s poor showing in Shanghai:

Heikki’s first stint was compromised by the fitting of a set of mismatched tyres, which caused his car to understeer. After his first stop, a punctured tyre then forced an unscheduled pitstop before an air pressure problem with his engine caused us to retire him in order to avoid risking an engine failure. Ron Dennis.

The only other retirement of the race was Adrian Sutil, experiencing electronic problems with the gear box which ultimately led to the Force India driver not being able to select any gears. It is understood that Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne is looking into whether or not a tram may have been nearby at the time.

Aside from gesturing at Giancarlo Fisichella for holding him up while being lapped, Kimi Raikkonen actually drove a good race from start to finish and tailed Lewis Hamilton all the way to the point where he relinquished the lead to Felipe Massa. The real issue for the Scuderia isn’t their drivers this time, but instead it is the car – it just couldn’t keep up. But as mentioned, in order to maximise the chances of Ferrari taking at least one of the titles, Kimi Raikkonen had to allow his team mate to eat up the eight second lead and pass for second place. The final pitstop proved to be the most subtle place to lose time, and eventually Raikkonen was able to mis-judge his braking into one of the corners and press the pedal a little too early, allowing Massa to glide past.

Of course, the teams are forbidden to control races in this manner, but if Kimi Raikkonen decides to relinquish a position to another driver, he has every right to do so. And although Kimi was probably far from happy for doing it, the 2007 champion has given his team mate another chance to win the title at his home race in Brazil. Which I do hope, will be a far more exciting grand prix than the Chinese event. There were very few overtaking moves and very few mistakes, which all-in-all led to a pretty dull race.

The Championships

However, the championships are looking very interesting for the final shoot-out at Interlagos in a fortnight. Robert Kubica is finally mathematically unable to steal the crown, but to get this far is a testament to BMW and the young Polish driver. So the drivers’ title is now between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton is ahead by seven points so Massa will ideally be looking for a DNF from the Briton in Brazil. Of course, if Massa wins and Hamilton finishes in eighth, seventh or even sixth, the Ferrari driver will be champion. In cases of equal points, the positions are counted back, and Massa will have accrued more ten-point results this year than his nearest rival if he does win at Interlagos.

Robert Kubica is still in third on the drivers’ standings, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen by six points. While it is possible for the Finn to overhaul this deficit, Kubica is looking pretty good to keep his position. And today Fernando Alonso overhauled Heikki Kovalainen for sixth in the championship. The difference is only two points though, so there is a lot still to play for. Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli are tied on thirty each and both Toyota and Scuderia Toro Rosso are about equally measured at the moment. The two teams spend a lot of time either battling each other to get into Q3 or at the start of the races, having qualified so closely together.

The constructors title is less close, with Ferrari now eleven points clear of McLaren. Unless something disastrous happens to the Scuderia in Brazil, they should be safe to win the championship again. BMW are almost confirmed with third, ten points behind McLaren and twenty ahead of Renault. Mathematically they could pass the Woking team, but it is highly unlikely. Toyota are definitely confirmed in fifth, neither able to catch Renault nor be caught by STR, and Red Bull Racing trail their junior squad by five points, Williams being a further three behind.

So in reality, it is Lewis Hamilton’s title to lose. But allow me to remind you of 2007, where the majority of us said that Raikkonen was way too far behind to win it. Massa can still win, and if Hamilton gets impetuous again, as he did in Japan, then it is possible for Ferrari to take both titles. Needless to say, the Brazilian Grand Prix is set up to be a great championship decider.

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2008: Lewis Hamilton Wins To Take Title To Wire

Shanghai 2008 Pitstop & Tyre Strategies			Prime: Soft	Option: Hard
Driver/Team	Stint 1 (Starting Tyre)	Stint 2 (Lap)	Stint 3 (Lap)	Stint 4 (Lap)
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton	Hard	Hard (16)	Soft (37)
Heikki Kovalainen	Hard	Hard (19)	Soft (36)
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen	Soft	Hard (16)	Soft (37)
Felipe Massa	Soft	Soft (15)	Hard (36)
BMW
Nick Heidfeld	Hard	Hard (18)	Soft (38)
Robert Kubica	Hard	No Change (31)	Soft (39)
Renault
Fernando Alonso	Hard	Hard (15)	Soft (35)
Nelson Piquet Jr.	Hard	Hard (25)	Soft (37)
Toyota
Jarno Trulli	Hard
Timo Glock	Hard	Soft (33)
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Sebastian Vettel	Hard	Hard (19)	Soft (40)
Sebastien Bourdais	Hard	Soft (24)	Soft (38)
Red Bull Racing
David Coulthard	Soft	Hard (31)
Mark Webber	Hard	Soft (13)	Soft (32)
Williams
Nico Rosberg	Soft	Soft (16)	Hard (38)
Kazuki Nakajima	Soft	Hard (32)
Honda
Rubens Barrichello	Hard	Hard (20)	Soft (39)
Jenson Button	Hard	Hard (24)	Soft (45)
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella	Hard	Soft (31)
Adrian Sutil	Soft

Please note, this data is from my own observation and may not be 100% accurate.

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2008: Pitstop & Tyre Strategies

Shanghai 2008: Race Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2008: Race Result

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2008: Race Live Blog

The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix Grid

Inclusive of penalties given – two so far.

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2008: The Grid

Q1

It was a McLaren one-two in the first stage of qualifying, Hamilton leading his team mate Kovalainen at the top of the timing sheet. The Ferraris appeared to be off-colour, with both Massa and Raikkonen 0.4s off the pace of the McLaren. There were no particularly big dramas in Q1, although David Coulthard felt that Nick Heidfeld had baulked him before entering the pitlane. As a result, Coulthard had some strong words to say about his BMW rival and the Scot failed to get into Q2.

Other drivers to miss the cut were both recently retained Force India drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil. Fisichella will start at the back with his team mate alongside in nineteenth. Jenson Button also continued his disappointing year with eighteenth, although his team mate Rubens Barrichello managed to haul himself into Q2. Kazuki Nakajima couldn’t improve his time on his final run and stayed in seventeenth while Coulthard languishes in sixteenth.

Q2

Part two of qualifying was much the same, with Lewis Hamilton going fastest and once again 0.4s ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. However, the Ferrari of Felipe Massa was looking a little stronger and the Brazilian managed to close the margin to just 0.2s. Fernando Alonso was once again in the mix and Kovalainen ran well, indicating a possible front-row lockout by the McLaren team.

Those failing to get any further in qualifying were the second Williams of Nico Rosberg, Rubens Barrichello (who will start fourteenth) and Timo Glock in the Toyota. Perhaps surprisingly Robert Kubica did not get any further either, the Polish driver struggling and only getting as far as twelfth. Nelson Piquet Jr did relatively well to get into eleventh, although compared to his team mate the rookie Renault driver is still off the pace. In Q2, Piquet Jr was over 0.3s shy of Fernando Alonso.

Q3

As with Japan, not all the drivers went out early and Lewis Hamilton didn’t leave his garage until a minute had passed. However, with only ten minutes to complete all the runs, it wasn’t long before the track saw some action. Impressively, both Scuderia Toro Rossos represented Red Bull in the most important stage of qualifying again, and Mark Webber was also in the top ten. From the start it was clear that Ferrari had hidden some of their pace, or had made some changes and found their groove. Either way, both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen suddenly looked much stronger and more challenging to McLaren.

Conversely, Heikki Kovalainen seemed to slip down in pace and the Finnish driver eventually ended his day in fifth. With both Ferraris ahead of him, there isn’t much Kovalainen can do to assist his team mate in the fight for the title. Mark Webber qualified sixth, which is actually pretty good for the Red Bull car. However, Webber’s engine expired dramatically during Free Practice Three and the team were forced to replace it. Therefore, Webber will receive a ten grid slot penalty and will start tomorrow’s race in sixteenth, just behind his team mate.

Nick Heidfeld did an okay job for BMW and got himself in seventh, although despite the team saying they will push for the titles, the evidence thus far doesn’t look too promising. Sebastian Vettel lines up in eighth, ahead of Jarno Trulli and team mate Sebastien Bourdais. When the final laps were sung out, it was the Ferraris who looked unbeatable until Hamilton set a quite stunning middle sector and clinched pole by 0.3s.

The drivers championship could be won and lost tomorrow, but with both Ferrari and McLaren looking as strong as each other, it is likely to go on until the final race of the year in Brazil. Lewis Hamilton will be desperate to win and give himself a margin over Felipe Massa, but if the Briton performs like he did in Japan, it could all be over by lap two. Needless to say, the Chinese Grand Prix is going to be interesting and despite a slow start to the weekend for BlogF1, we’ll be there bright and early on Sunday morning.

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2008: Hamilton Takes Pole In Penultimate Race

Turkey 2008: Qualifying Results

*Mark Webber had his Renault engine replaced after FP3, and will therefore be demoted 10 places on the grid.

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2008: Qualifying Result

The opening lap was full of incidents up and down the grid, the most contentious of which involved the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. As the lights went out Raikkonen got a good start and pulled ahead of Hamilton. Heikki Kovalainen also made a good start from third and held his line along the inside of the long run down to the first corner. As Hamilton attempted to make up ground and regain the lost position, he out-braked himself and locked the front-right wheel. As the McLaren went straight on at the corner Raikkonen was forced out wide to avoid contact and Kimi took to the run-off area and lost countless places.

As this was happening at the front, David Coulthard and Kazuki Nakajima had a coming together, and although Nakajima was able to continue, Coulthard’s Red Bull clouted a barrier and the Scot vacated the car. And by the time the front-runners had sorted themselves out from all the drama, BMW’s Robert Kubica found himself in the lead of the race.

The third big incident of the race-start involved Lewis Hamilton once again and championship rival Felipe Massa. Hamilton made a move on Massa and as the Ferrari pilot attempted to comeback at the McLaren, Massa ended up taking to the grass. As Felipe rejoined the track he clouted Hamilton, forcing the McLaren into a spin. To say it was a disastrous start for the Briton is an understatement. His over-exuberance had gifted Massa with an opportunity, but he blew it himself by being a little too bold as well.

Timo Glock retired his Toyota and was quickly joined by Adrian Sutil in the Force India. In the race, Raikkonen began to make up some places and passed the remaining Toyota of Jarno Trulli with relative ease. And on lap twelve, the stewards announced their investigations in Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. Five laps later and the stewards returned a verdict of guilty of pushing a car off the track for Hamilton, handing him a drive-thru penalty, and a similar punishment for Massa for his avoidable accident with Lewis.

To make matters, just as the penalty information was being fed through to the teams and viewers, Heikki Kovalainen pulled off the track, smoke coming from the car. The Finn’s hydraulics apparently packed up, putting a premature end to the gearbox and then the engine. As Kovalainen walked back to the pitlane, Lewis Hamilton toured through to serve his penalty, Massa completed his a couple of laps later. Essentially, their races were ruined.

At the front, the lead changed a fair bit as the drivers each came in for their first pitstops. Alonso stopped on lap 18, handing the lead briefly to Jarno Trulli. On lap 22, Trulli pitted, allowing Bourdais to take the top-spot for a couple of laps before pitting himself. Amazingly, when Bourdais pitted he handed the lead to second Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. By lap 28, Piquet pitted himself though and the lead was handed back to Alonso.

At the halfway point, Massa and Hamilton were fighting their way through the slower cars, but as it was for position, the blue flags couldn’t help them. Although the title-contenders were back in twelfth and thirteenth, they each knew there was a point or two up for grabs. At the front, Alonso opened a margin over BMW driver Kubica, the Spaniard well-aware that his rival would be running longer in the middle stint and therefore potentially able to pass him in the pitstops.

Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg and Rubens Barrichello were locked in a heated battle, the Williams driver trying desperately trying to find a way by the Honda. Rosberg eventually passed Barrichello at the time when many were stopping for the second and final time. Once again, the lead changed hands but it looked as though Alonso had done enough to retain the premiere position. Another fastest lap helped Fernando’s cause and when the Spaniard rejoined the track after his final change of tyres, his net lead looked healthy.

Kubica pitted four laps later and it was clear that his worry was no longer the lead, but the challenging Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen who was setting a good pace behind. A fastest lap from Raikkonen put him in good stead with the BMW and after the Finn’s final stop he exited just behind Kubica. The pair were set up for a showdown finish.

Despite the race coming to a close though, it wasn’t the end of the dramas as Felipe Massa collided with Sebastien Bourdais as the French pilot exited the pitlane. Going into the first corner on the inside, Bourdais had no where to go when Massa came charging along. Massa turned into the corner, made contact with the Scuderia Toro Rosso and spun. Fortunately, both drivers were able to continue, although the incident would come under another investigation by the stewards. The result of which was Bourdais being given a 25s penalty.

Fernando Alonso extended his lead a little and Kimi Raikkonen attempted to force Kubica into an error. The Ferrari almost made it by the BMW on a couple of occasions, but the Polish driver defended his line well. The result of this battle allowed Nelson Piquet Jr to close up behind and soon the Renault was looking to have a go at Raikkonen. It didn’t happen and Piquet finished behind the Ferrari, but the battles showed good racing from all three.

In the closing stages Felipe Massa set a barn-storming fastest lap and managed to pass Nick Heidfeld for ninth place and on the penultimate lap, managed to squeeze by Mark Webber for eighth and one important championship point. Piquet finished in fourth place, ahead of Jarno Trulli and Sebastien Bourdais. The Champ Car champion finished ahead of his team mate Sebastian Vettel, and Scuderia Toro Rosso collected another healthy bundle of points, only to have some of them removed following Bourdais’s penalty. Lewis Hamilton finished in twelfth in the end, taking home nothing and letting Massa close the gap in the championship by a couple of points.

Ferrari regain the lead of the constructors’ title and BMW close in on McLaren. Any further mistakes from the Woking-based squad could see the Swiss-German team overhaul them, and Renault now look relatively comfortable in fourth place, 16 points ahead of Toyota. Kimi Raikkonen is now officially out of championship hunt, but Robert Kubica is hanging in, just 12 points behind Hamilton. Alonso has closed in on Heikki Kovalainen and Nick Heidfeld, the three drivers on 48, 51 and 56 points respectively.

With just two races left, McLaren cannot afford to make any more mistakes and Felipe Massa needs to go into China and Brazil with the intent to win. However, despite being told to play it careful, Hamilton is still set on winning the final to events himself, and having admitted to his error at the start, stated that he intends to collect maximum points for the remainder of the season.

But today, all eyes were once again on Alonso as he took his second victory of the season in a car that started the Australian Grand Prix in March well off the pace. Although the double champion is yet to officially make up his mind for 2009, it is likely Fernando will stay with Renault and push the team to give him a decent car next year.

Image Copyright © Charles Coates/LAT.

Original article by BlogF1.

Fuji 2008: Two Wins On The Trot For Fernando Alonso

The incident in question happened as Bourdais exited the pitlane after his final stop on lap 50. Bourdais came out as Massa was hurtling down the long straight, and the STR driver took the natural inside line into the first corner. From the angle of the video, it looked as though Massa just turned in and caught Bourdais’s car, sending the Brazilian driver into a spin.

To be honest, I fail to see where Bourdais could have gone to avoid the incident, but clearly the stewards feel differently. Once again, a result has been changed after a race, which annoys me a lot, particuarly when it looked as though it was a simple racing incident.

For me it’s very clear. Yes, I exit the pits, yes I’m supposed to be careful and I was. I stayed inside and I didn’t push him out, I didn’t overshoot the corner. I did everything I could not to run into him and he just squeezed and turned and behaved like I didn’t exist, like I wasn’t there. What am I supposed to do?

I’ve been in this position many, many times and I never had any incidents. It’s just a little bit of respect, you give each other room and then everything goes right, but if you don’t for sure it’s going to be an incident. Sebastien Bourdais.

The stewards in Japan seemed very much to want to penalise drivers for any infraction, as they have done for the majority of the season. It seems as though racing is no longer allowed in Formula One if you want to avoid penalty.

Original article by BlogF1.

Sebastien Bourdais Handed 25s Penalty

Fuji 2008: Race Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Fuji 2008: Race Result

The incident that got Hamilton into trouble happened at the start of the race when Kimi Raikkonen managed to get ahead off the line. As the pair headed into Turn One, Hamilton attempted to re-pass the Ferrari, but ended up locking his tyres and forced Raikkonen out wide and onto the run-off area. Raikkonen lost a lot of places as he collected his car back together around the outside of the corner, and Hamilton was given a drive-thru penalty as punishment.

Were the penalties fair? Have your say in the comments below.

Original article by BlogF1.

Fuji 2008: Felipe Massa & Lewis Hamilton Receive Penalties

Original article by BlogF1.

Fuji 2008: Race Live Blog

The 2008 Japanese Grand Prix Grid

Inclusive of penalties given – none so far.

Original article by BlogF1.

Fuji 2008: The Grid