BlogF1

The second practice session from yesterday afternoon saw the tables turn slightly as Fernando Alonso went to the top of the class in the Renault R28. Title contender Felipe Massa had been dominant for most of the 90 minutes, but in the closing stages Alonso managed a lap time 0.05s faster, demoting the Brazilian to second. Once again the circuit was frequented with light rain showers which disrupted play a little, but that was little excuse for Lewis Hamilton who ended the day in the midfield, only going ninth fastest. Continue Reading

Yesterday morning (local time) saw the first running of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix as the cars headed out on to the bumpy Interlagos circuit for the first of two Friday practice sessions. The final result after 90 minutes was both championship contenders at the top of the tables, Felipe Massa ahead of Lewis Hamilton by 0.2s. The track was mostly dry, although in places it did become quite slippery due to light drizzle falling over the autodrome. Continue Reading

Qualifying for the final race of the year is due to get underway later today, and with so much riding on the Brazilian Grand Prix, this should be a great championship showdown. As always, the live blog will be in full swing, commentating and discussing both qualifying and the race itself. You can join in through the box below, or head over the CoverIt Live and sign up for a free account. Qualifying is due to commence at 4pm GMT. Continue Reading

With one week to go before the title showdown commences in Brazil, I was wondering where Formula One fans will be watching the grand prix from. Given that the race is on at about 5pm UK time, many Brits may be out and about on a Sunday afternoon and may not be in their usual place for spot of motor sport action. Maybe your local pub will be showing the event live, or maybe you’ll be at home watching in front of the television? Or will you be in South America watching the race live from an Interlagos grandstand? Continue Reading

The forty-fifth photograph to feature in BlogF1’s caption contest. You know the drill, think of something funny and witty to say and leave it as a comment below. Here’s a picture of Giancarlo Fisichella checking out the back of his Jordan after retiring from the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix. A year later he would go on to score is maiden victory at the circuit, but in ‘02 he had no such luck. Continue Reading

Pitpass are reporting this Wednesday morning that the future of South America’s Jacarepagua circuit is in doubt as the city of Rio de Janeiro plans to launch a bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. Built in 1978 on reclaimed marshland very close to the sea, Jacarepagua has hosted rounds of the Formula One world championship as well as Champ Car and MotoGP events. Ten Grands Prix have been held on the bumpy track, Alain Prost winning five, Nelson Piquet (whom the track was later renamed after) and Carlos Reutemann share two wins each and Nigel Mansell won the final meeting in 1989. It is said that the track will be demolished to make way for the Olympics should the city be successful with their bid. Continue Reading

The International Court of Appeal has rejected McLaren’s appeal over the cool-fuel saga that has embroiled the Brazilian Grand Prix and final championship results. The court met in London yesterday and today and heard from McLaren, whose argument was said to be more to do with the clarification of the rules rather than the actual championship itself. The saga centred around two teams - BMW and Williams - who were reported to have fuel on-board their cars that was outside the acceptable temperature range. Three of the four cars involved finished higher in the points order than Lewis Hamilton at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but initially no action was taken against the two teams. According to the FIA, the temperature readings could be proven to be accurate, thus it would have been incorrect to penalise the drivers. Had these drivers been penalised, Hamilton could have been promoted up the finishing order, and thus won the drivers title. Continue Reading

In typical Formula One fashion, the title is not yet over. Despite winning the Brazilian Grand Prix a few hours ago, Kimi Raikkonen may not have won the title yet. The reason behind this lack of confirmation falls to the fuel temperature of both BMWs and both Williams, three of which cars finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the final positions in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Continue Reading

Kimi Raikkonen has become the 2007 Formula One World Champion. In a hectic race where each of the top three could have won it, it was Raikkonen who led his team mate over the finish line to win his first Brazilian race and his first world champion. After so many close attempts, Kimi is a worthy champion, and after his convincing display today around Autodromo Carlos Pace, McLaren will be kicking themselves for letting it slip away. From the first lap, it looked as though Ferrari would dominate, but what happened over the course of the Grand Prix wasn’t what was expected. Continue Reading

Felipe Massa has stolen the front row away from Lewis Hamilton with an immensely fast lap around the Autodromo Carlos Pace, concluding the final qualifying session of the 2007 season. With a supreme 1m11.931s, Massa is clearly running a little light and will likely pit first tomorrow. Lewis Hamilton did a fine job to finish his day in second, his final tour of Interlagos today showing the world just what a determined driver he is. Fernando Alonso appeared to suffer from tyre issues during the final stint, one set coming off his McLaren looking particularly worn. Alonso could only muster a fourth, failing to get past Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn will start tomorrow’s race looking directly at the rear of his team mates wing. Continue Reading