It has been noted that during the Saturday free practice sessions in Hungary and Valencia, both Renault drivers started out lapping the circuits very slowly. It is believed the team were simulating a safety car period before telling the pilots to open the throttle and set a series of faster laps. However, Fernando Alonso believes that under a more controlled environment like a test session, the Enstone team would be better able to judge if this cooler-period is helping their Bridgestones or not.

When Autosport asked Alonso if he felt the mini-test during the practice sessions was of benefit and if any conclusions could be drawn, the Spaniard wasn’t entirely sure.

In Hungary the results were better than normal and we were quite happy with the performance of the tyres. But everyone was happy with the performance of the tyres on Sunday because in Hungary the grip was going up and Sunday was okay for everybody.

I think we need a test, maybe this week in Monza, to really compare the tyres because in the race weekends the conditions change so much from Friday to Sunday you never know if it is worth what we do or not. Fernando Alonso.

Other teams aren’t convinced of Renault’s idea yet, but it is fair to say that Renault themselves aren’t exactly brimming with confidence over the current findings either. Ross Brawn said that Honda will run their race tyres through a “gentle duty cycle” prior to Sunday afternoon so that they are more resiliant during the race. I too am not convinced that Renault’s theory holds up, because most drivers do not like safety car periods due to the fact that the pressures change in the cooling rubber boots and dramatically affect the car’s handling. Having said that, I have heard many an expert basically describe tyre control as a “black art” in the past.

I will keep an eye on this week’s test at Monza and I catch anything relating to this, I will certainly share.

Not only was Rosberg impressive in the Williams (although fuel-loads were unknown), Sebastian Vettel ran well in his Scuderia Toro Rosso and completed 99 laps to go fourth on the timing sheets. Nick Heidfeld was driving for BMW and received a wake-up call from his bosses in Munich and Hinwil. It is thought, although not confirmed, that BMW have retained Robert Kubica, but are waiting to see if Heidfeld has fully overcome his mid-season wobble before venturing into the negotiating room with him.

Only one test driver was out on the track today - Vitantonio Liuzzi for Force India. The Italian completed 99 laps and went eighth fastest out of ten runners. Liuzzi’s fastest tour of the track was 0.8s shy of Felipe Massa’s pace-setting time, although once again, relative fuel levels and other factors may have skewed the car’s real pace. Despite this though, the ten drivers were all relatively close to one another, hopefully meaning that the final push of the season will be an even closer fight. first to tenth today was separated by only 1.1s.

Lewis Hamilton was not driving today having admitted that he was suffering from flu and neck spasms during the European Grand Prix in Spain. The McLaren driver has been told to rest but he should be in the car later in the week. McLaren’s managing director Martin Whitmarsh said that Lewis Hamilton should be ready to test at Monza and will therefore be ready for the upcoming back-to-back races in Belgium and Italy.

Monza Test: Day One Times

The main concern is burning out the staff, and Dennis has said that he will accommodate this by hiring more personnel and will rotate them. Dennis stated that his employees will not be expected to attend every race of the year. However, as mentioned in my previous article, this adds a burden of cost to the teams. This in itself goes against the FIA’s bid to reduce costs in the future and make Formula One more accessible for lesser-funded operations.

This break is absolutely essential for all the people who travel. They don’t get the right amount of time with their families and this gives them an opportunity to have at least one week where they are not at the office or workshop. Ron Dennis.

The proposed 2009 season starts at the end of March and goes right through to mid-Novemeber, with the maximum time between two races being the standard two weeks. This prompted the team bosses to discuss the issue in the Valencia paddock last weekend and they have decided to try and reshuffle the schedule to allow a break somewhere in the middle of the year. The teams know very well about the logistics of ferrying staff and equipment around the world and thus are in the best position to decide how to the plan the season.

We seem to have a long break at the beginning of the season and no summer break. There should be more discussion to optimise the race schedule in terms of the burden to the teams. John Howett.

Initially the teams suggested bringing the Australian Grand Prix forward to an earlier weekend in March, but Bernie Ecclestone rubbished that idea because he wants the race after the clocks change, thus bringing it closer to the daytime for his beloved European viewers. Another idea would be to move all the flyaways to later in the year. Perhaps start the season in Europe (or Bahrain/Abu Dhabi) in early-March, then fly away to Asia and Australia in early-April. At the moment though, the teams are apparently trying to squeeze in a break around Germany/Hungary/Turkey time. If the proposed-calendar changes, BlogF1 will of course post an update and alter the calendar page.

We are going to test him [Buemi] at Jerez. It is an evaluation for next year. The ideal situation would be a young driver and an experienced one. We are putting everyone on the list who is free, but there is no clear opinion at this stage. We will take our time. Gerhard Berger.

Buemi isn’t the only driver being suggested for the Scuderia Toro Rosso seat, and their may even be two to fill. Sebastian Vettel has already signed a contract for parent team Red Bull Racing, and unless Sebastien Bourdais improves his form in the next few races (which he has already started to do given his Valencia result), he too may be shown the door. On the cards are Bruno Senna (the rumour refuses to die), Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson. Davidson is desperate to get back into a Formula One car and deserves a chance to race in my opinion, and Sato would help Red Bull crack the Japanese market with their energy drink, as well having someone who is experienced.

I mention this now because Felipe Massa has just overhauled team mate Kimi Raikkonen in the 2008 championship hunt, and at somepoint in the not too distant future, the Maranello team will need to consider their strategy for the final few races of the year. During the live blog yesterday, Sebastian (1:39) asked why it appears that Ferrari are giving Massa the better option for pitstops and fuel-loads, to which a few commenters offered opinions. The most likely is that Massa has been the faster of the two in recent events, and thus it is only fair that the Brazilian be offered the choice strategy.

But when I suggested that maybe Ferrari are already backing Felipe for the title, some felt I was being too hasty. I should point out that I only suggested it as a theory, after all, I know as much as the next person. The reason for suggesting that Ferrari may have already made a decision though stems from Kimi Raikkonen’s apparent reluctance to officially confirm his future involvement in the sport. Of course, he doesn’t have to confirm anything - the contract is in place - but the rumours refuse to disappear.

Raikkonen has a contract for next season, and I’m sure Ferrari would want the Finn to continue with them. However, Kimi has showed signs of not really wanting to be a Formula One driver of late, and while this in itself may be unnecessary speculation, you can’t help but wonder with Kimi - the man is quite the enigma at times. So if it is true that Raikkonen is yet to make up his mind, maybe Ferrari are now looking beyond this year and into a future that may see another driver take up the helm alongside Felipe Massa. If that is the case, it would be better for Ferrari to have an active world champion on the books than a retired one. For nothing else, the marketing would be easier to push.

Couple this with a recent rumour surrounding Philip Morris ending their relationship with Ferrari prematurely, and you can understand why the Scuderia are going to need every trick available to them. Philip Morris essential own the Ferrari car, and any space they have left over after their sponsor’s logos have been placed is negotiated via Philip Morris themselves, not the team. If Marlboro left, Ferrari would once again have to take over the negotiations for the sponsorship. A key ingredient to this rumour is the recent employment of two key people in this field; Steve Wright from McLaren (Johnnie Walker) and Rhys Edwards from Renault (ING).

While the two issues of tactics and marketing are separate, they do come together at times and although the difference between an active and inactive world champion is small, it can make a difference to who is attracted to the brand for sponsorship.

In all honesty, I doubt Ferrari have already decided who they will back. In fact, it may be that they don’t back any one driver, given how this title race is panning out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kimi came back strong in the final few races and the title went down to the wire in Brazil, with Massa, Raikkonen and Hamilton all still in with a shout of winning. But if Massa did well in Spa and Singapore, I also wouldn’t be surprised if Kimi is asked to stand aside for his team mate, something that they may break the camel’s back.

The start caused a little confusion with the pole-sitter side being changed. It seems as though the circuit officials and drivers couldn’t decide on which side of the track the pole position should be, the racing line pretty much going down the middle of the track. With dust covering just about everywhere except the racing line, the grid was shifted around prior to the cars taking to the grid.

As the lights went out Massa pulled away from his grid slot well and entered the first corner in the lead. Behind the Ferrari though was Lewis Hamilton, and the McLaren driver came under threat from the fast starting BMW of Robert Kubica. Hamilton managed to maintain his position but it looked pretty dicey at times. Nearly all cars managed to avoid incident on the first lap; the only coming together was between Fernando Alonso and Kazuki Nakajima.

The Spanish driver was ahead of the Williams, but as Alonso lifted to avoid contacting the car ahead of him, Nakajima was caught off-guard and slammed into the back of the Renault. Kazuki lost his front wing and Fernando his rear. Both drivers pitted and Fernando was wheeled into his garage. The mechanics attempted to fix the R28, but a lap later Alonso had vacated the car.

The first stint saw little overtaking or incident; Kovalainen passed Raikkonen at the start and the only other eyebrow rasing moment centred around David Coulthard making a lunge-tastic™ (credit: Keith Collantine, F1Fanatic) move on the Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella. Coulthard came from quite far back as he attempted to pass the Italian on the inside. The pair made contact and Coulthard was sent onto the run-off area pointing the wrong way.

Robert Kubica also had a fairly eventful first stint, being forced to slow slightly due to debris collecting on his bargeboard. What looked like a plastic bag had got caught up with the aerodynamic parts that cover the area in front of the sidepod and effected the handling of Kubica’s BMW. It isn’t clear if the debris detached itself of its own accord or if it was removed during the Pole’s first stop, but soon enough Kubica was back up to race pace.

The first round of pitstops saw smiles from McLaren as Felipe Massa came in on lap 15, ahead of second-placed driver Lewis Hamilton. McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh took the opportunity to smile, knowing that his driver was heavier with fuel during qualifying and now in a good position to get ahead of Ferrari. When Hamilton came in for his stop, he was stationary for less time than his rival, but the Briton couldn’t get pass Massa and fed back in behind the Ferrari.

The middle stint of the race highlighted the problem Formula One has with the cars. Almost no overtaking happened during the European Grand Prix and the field was spread out around the long 5.44km track. Although the port circuit in Valencia looks magnificent and has some interesting corners, certainly one or two that could be used for passing moves, today proved that the cars simply cannot get close enough to make a pass stick.

It was in the second part of the race that Massa really got the hammer down and posted lap records that were 0.7s faster than the McLaren of Hamilton. Further back, the gaps between the drivers were yo-yoing but ultimately, remaining about the same over the course of the stint. Kimi Raikkonen was tucked up behind Heikki Kovalainen and although the world champion looked faster, Kimi simply could not dispense the McLaren.

Further down the field and Sebastian Vettel was having a great race, and Force India looked okay with Giancarlo Fisichella keeping pace with the woeful Hondas and staying ahead of the recovering Nakajima and despondent Coulthard. Timo Glock ran a one-stop strategy which worked out well for the German; qualified thirteenth, finished in seventh. Nico Rosberg too was having an enjoyable afternoon, and although he lost the bridge on his front wing, managed to bring home the FW30 in eighth, collecting a much-needed point for Williams. After last year when both Rosberg and Alex Wurz finished well in races with damaged cars, perhaps losing all the winglets next year will be an advantage for Team Willy.

The second round of stops is where Ferrari looked to fall apart though. Both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were involved in incidents, and Massa’s pitstop calamity could change the result of the race. The controversy came as Massa left his pitbox after his second stop, driving into the path of Force India driver Adrian Sutil. It seems that Ferrari and Force India have a close relationship; the former supplying engines to the latter and Kimi Raikkonen using Sutil as a brake in Monaco earlier in the year.

The incident, which hampered both drivers, has resulted in a steward’s investigation, the result of which will not be known until later today. Instead of making a judgement during the race, it seems as though the stewards will want to review more evidence, speak to the teams and drivers and then make a decision. While it is good to get all the facts before deciding, it does mean that the result could change - not so good for the fans.

Kimi’s incident came a few laps later when he entered the pitlane for new tyres and a glug of fuel. It would appear that the Finnish world champion left his box earlier than expected and the refueller was still attached to the car. As the employee was pulled down to the floor they took a hefty knock from Raikkonen’s rear-right wheel. Although little has since been said about possible injuries, it seems as though the refueller is okay and is undergoing precautionary checks at the hospital.

These pitlane blunders will almost certainly call into question the system Ferrari are using. Instead of having a lollipop man release the car when all is ready, the Maranello-squad now use a lighting system that is positioned on a gantry above the drivers head. As each part of the pit stop is completed, the system is made aware and once the fuel nozzle comes out, the red light changes to amber, and then to green when the car can be safely released back into the pitlane. The replays clearly show Raikkonen leaving the box before the green light came on, but also of note is that the amber light was shown while the fuel nozzle was still attached to the car.

I’m not going to say I’m an expert on this system, because clearly I am not, but the fact that there are two questions, one relating to the driver and one relating to the system itself, proves that maybe Ferrari should have practiced with it some more.

Raikkonen’s incident proved moot in terms of results anyway, as his Ferrari V8 expired at the end of his out-lap. In a large plume of smoke Raikkonen pulled his F2008 over the side of the track and made his way back to the pitlane on foot. Ferrari appear to have some demons in their engines at the moment, Felipe Massa suffering a failure during the Hungarian Grand Prix three weeks ago.

All in all, Valencia gave us a relatively boring race. All but three competitors finished but we saw little overtaking, little excitement, but a fair amount of drama. Massa’s dominant win, should he keep it, puts him just six points behind Lewis Hamilton in the championship, and more importantly perhaps for the team, Felipe is now seven points ahead of his team mate. More of a worry to Raikkonen though is Robert Kubica, who sits on 55 points, just two behind the Finn.

The constructors campaign is also looking healthy, with Ferrari still leading on 121 points, but McLaren not far behind on 113 and BMW with 96. With six races still to run this year’s championships are going to go on and on, possibly down to the wire in Brazil. Obviously, this is good for the sport and good for the fans.

Felipe Massa was released from his pit box into the path of Force India driver Adrian Sutil. Massa was forced to back out of the throttle and concede to Sutil hampering both drivers in the progress and almost making contact. The FIA have stated that the incident will be investigated after the race, meaning that if Massa is penalised, he could lose his win. All this despite the Ferrari driver walking on to the podium and collecting the winners trophy.

Kimi Raikkonen’s stop was also eventful, the Finn making contact with the refueller and knocking the hose-holder with his rear wheel. Ferrari are using a light system for their pitstops, essentially replacing the lollipop with a series of lights on a gantry above the drivers head. When each of the wheel changers have completed their job and the fuel hose has been removed from the car, the light changes from amber to green, indicating to the driver that he can leave.

Looking at replays, the light looked amber to me, so it appears that Raikkonen left his stop early. The reigning champion managed to drag the refueller down and he/she took a hard knock from the Ferrari’s rear-right wheel. The Ferrari employee was stretchered off to the medical centre, but it appears there are no serious injuries.

The semi-automatic system was described by Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, and it was said that it isn’t automatic as ITV suggested, but controlled by a human, implying that one person is in charge of allowing the light to change. However, no matter how clever you can develop systems like these, there is still the reliance on the driver to follow instructions and obey the system. Initially speaking, it looks as though Raikkonen made an error of judgement. The Finn refused to talk to Louise Goodman after he retired on his outlap with a blown engine.

Should Felipe Massa be penalised I will post an update.

Update: Ferrari have been fined €10,000 and have received a slap on the wrists. Felipe Massa keeps his race win though - the result is unchanged.

Valencia 2008: Race Results

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