In 2008, Bernie Ecclestone sensationally announced that Donington Park had signed a deal which would see the Leicestershire circuit host the British Grand Prix from 2010. However, funding issues and disputes got in the way and after Ecclestone had extended deadlines various times, the deal was called off. Silverstone then set about negotiating with Ecclestone to reclaim the event, which was finally announced this morning.

The title of Silverstone as home of motorsport has come true. It is a place for all motorsport. Everyone in the BRDC loves motorsport and we are looking forward to the MotoGP as well as the British Grand Prix.

It is not easy to enter into a contract of this magnitude and you have to take on a lot of responsibility, but the BRDC wanted this relationship to continue.

Everyone was well aware that the British GP is not just a sporting event, but it is dynamo of the industry in this country. Losing it would have been damaging and perhaps there would have been no coming back. Damon Hill.

The news means that Formula One will continue to have a British event and will undoubtedly come as good news to British fans. The majority of teams on the grid are based in Britain and the nation has long been involved with the sport, and currently enjoying great success with both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Although the deal is for 17 years, taking on what had been offered to Donington Park, there is a clause in the contract to break the deal after 10 years, although Silverstone’s managing director Richard Phillips said this is not what he wants to happen. Phillips and Hill also spoke more of the planned schedule of works due to be carried out, starting after Christmas.

Even this year with the new circuit we are trying to get better access for public, changing granstands for better viewing and running our own campsites to be better than the current ones.

We want to increase the entertainment factor. Richard Phillips.

Interestingly, Bernie Ecclestone has changed his tone considerably. Previously, Ecclestone had been quite anti-Silverstone, stating that even if the Donington deal fell through, Formula One would not return to the old airbase. However, this morning Bernie had nothing but good things to say, stating he is pleased Britain will continue to feature in the world championship.

I am pleased that we have reached an agreement with Silverstone for the retention of the British Grand Prix. This will ensure that Great Britain will remain on the Formula 1 calendar for many years to come, which is something I have personally always wanted to see happen.

The team at Silverstone already knows how to organise a good event, so now everyone can look forward to next summer at Silverstone. Bernie Ecclestone.

With Woking-based McLaren fielding both British champions on the 2010 grid, the race should draw huge crowds, although the new facilities and circuit will not be ready until 2011. The circuit will also host a round of the MotoGP championship.

Original article by BlogF1.

British Grand Prix To Remain At Silverstone

Fantasy Racers Silverstone 2009 Update	Points Scored Team/Driver	Race Result Position	Overall Position Championship
BlogF1 Racing	715	601st	980th
Adrian Sutil	63
Jenson Button	120
Nico Rosberg	130
Rubens Barrichello	150
Sebastian Vettel	250
Budget Remaining	2
Team Finitalia	362	4306th	4521st
Giancarlo Fisichella	80
Heikki Kovalainen	37
Jarno Trulli	110
Kimi Raikkonen	100
Budget Remaining	35
Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate	495	3048th	2640th
Adrian Sutil	63
Jenson Button	120
Mark Webber	160
Rubens Barrichello	150
Budget Remaining	2
Blogger’s Dog Racing	538	2453rd	2397th
Adrian Sutil	63
Giancarlo Fisichella	80
Nick Heidfeld	65
Nico Rosberg	130
Robert Kubica	67
Sebastien Bourdais	39
Timo Glock	90
Budget Remaining	4
Inner Pickle Racing	560	2209th	1541st
Jenson Button	120
Nick Heidfeld	65
Nico Rosberg	130
Rubens Barrichello	150
Timo Glock	90
Budget Remaining	5

As we can see though, Team Finitalia continue their abysmal assault on the title with only Kimi Raikkonen and Jarno Trulli earning any decent points. PETN didn’t do too badly and collected almost 500 points, themselves capitalising on Mark Webber’s strong finish today. The team of numpties, Blogger’s Dog Racing also did okay for once, adding 538 points to their total, with Nico Rosberg, Giancarlo Fisichella and Timo Glock scoring well.

Overall, BF1R rests in 980th which is up 84 places since the Turkish Grand Prix, and 143rd in the Sidepodcast League, an improvement of 8 places.

Fantasy Racers is a fantasy Formula One competition. It is free to sign up but if you wish to have more than team you will need to make a donation to the site. You can also join private leagues, and currently BlogF1’s set of squads race in the Sidepodcast League.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Fantasy Racers Update

Silverstone 2009 Pitstop Strategies	Stint 1 (Start Tyre)	Stint 2 (Lap)	Stint 3 (Lap)	Stint 4 (Lap)
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton	Soft	Soft (20)	Hard (44)
Heikki Kovalainen	Soft	Hard (32)	Hard (33)	DNF (37)
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen	Soft	Soft (15)	Hard (42)
Felipe Massa	Soft	Soft (21)	Hard (45)
BMW
Nick Heidfeld	Soft	Hard (21)	Soft (46)
Robert Kubica	Hard	Soft (28)	Soft (47)
Renault
Fernando Alonso	Hard	Hard (18)	Soft (38)
Nelson Piquet Jr.	Hard	Soft (29)
Toyota
Jarno Trulli	Soft	Soft (18)	Hard (46)
Timo Glock	Soft	Soft (19)	Hard (48)
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi	Hard	Soft (21)	Soft (42)
Sebastien Bourdais	Soft	Soft (26)	Hard (33)	DNF (38)
Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel	Soft	Soft (20)	Hard (44)
Mark Webber	Soft	Soft (20)	Hard (46)
Williams
Nico Rosberg	Hard	Hard (18)	Soft (43)
Kazuki Nakajima	Hard	Hard (14)	Soft (41)
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella	Soft	Soft (21)	Hard (?)
Adrian Sutil	Hard	Soft (?)
Brawn
Jenson Button	Soft	Hard (18)	Soft (49)
Rubens Barrichello	Soft	Hard (19)	Soft (46)

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Pitstop & Tyre Strategies

Sebastian Vettel’s win has been heralded by many paddock insiders as a turning point in this year’s championship, with many suggesting that Red Bull will now have the ability to start hauling in Brawn who have led all season. It is perhaps far too early to make such a claim, and Red Bull need to put in some more performances similar to today’s. But there is little question that the RB5 is a good car and worked very well on a day when Brawn suffered.

The start of the race proved interesting, as Sebastian Vettel got away from the line well. Although Barrichello did challenge the young German, it simply wasn’t enough and Vettel headed through Copse in the lead. Jenson Button also had a good start, leaping away from his grid slot only to be boxed in by those around him. As the Briton attempted to find some space on the tarmac, he eventually lost position.

Also romping away as the lights went out were the Ferraris. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa made up places and both went very wide around Copse, using all of the track and some more to ensure they made the most of the afternoon. The KERS, still being used by the Maranello team, was used to good effect on the run down to the first corner.

Early on in the race, Jarno Trulli and Nico Rosberg enjoyed a little tussle, the pair fighting for points and honour; Toyota supply engines to the Williams team. Further back, Lewis Hamilton lost out to Fernando Alonso as he went for a pass but found himself trundling over the grass. Alonso cruised by as did Robert Kubica.

Nick Heidfeld had a good start, going from P15 to P11 on the opening lap. However, all was not well with the BMW pilot as the team ordered Heidfeld to pit for a new nose. The German driver refused however, and stayed out on the track.

Soon enough, a slow starting Fernando Alonso found himself behind the BMW and by L8 the Spaniard was getting frustrated at not being able to pass. The BMW was under-steering in the Becketts complex, which allowed Alonso to get on the gearbox of the Swiss-German car. However, Heidfeld had better traction out of the corners and was able to defend to the Renault.

By L10, Vettel had pulled out a 10s lead over Barrichello, who was clearly holding Mark Webber up. However, the Australian couldn’t pass and essentially, Webber’s race was ruined. Although Vettel was too far ahead to be caught, Webber did manage to leap frog Barrichello, but it wouldn’t happen until the pitstops. The Red Bull team managed to turn Webber around quickly and as he exited the pits on L20, he found himself ahead of the Brazilian.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso continued their battle, albeit for P14 towards the back of the pack. Hamilton had a couple of interesting moves, one on Alonso into copse, and another on Heidfeld who was caught out exiting the pits and going into the Becketts complex. It wasn’t all good for the Briton though, as a spin at Club hampered his progressed.

At the mid-point of the race, Heikki Kovalainen allowed his team mate to pass, which gave Sebastien Bourdais the opportunity to close in on the McLaren. Unfortunately for both, it ended in tears as the Scuderia Toro Rosso slammed into the back of the Finnish driver. Bourdais lost his front wing, Heikki suffered a rear-left puncture. Both drivers struggled back to the pitlane, and although they tried to contine, they would retire a couple of laps later. Naturally, Bourdais blamed Kovalainen and Kovalainen blamed Bourdais.

The only other significant battle was between Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and in the final few laps, Jenson Button. The trio were pounding around in P4, P5 and P6 respectively, and feeling the car was better, Button was hungry for more points. Although the Brawn driver closed in on the Williams, there was no way through and the positions remained as they completed the final lap.

It wasn’t a classic British Grand Prix, and in fact it was a little dull. However, it was an interesting race because we could see just how good the Red Bull RB5 is, and without being hampered by his team mate, Vettel was able to cruise to the win, his first in the dry. Sebastian’s win moves him to within 25 points of Button in the drivers championship and just 2 behind Rubens Barrichello. In the constructors, Brawn still maintain a very healthy lead over Red Bull, the pair separated by a mammoth 30.5 points.

A three week break is now upon us before the circus heads to the Nurburgring for the German Grand Prix. Undoubtedly, Button will be looking to return the favour to Vettel and spoil his home party. Although Brawn do have a huge collection of points, the championship isn’t over yet.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Red Bull Triumph As Brawn Struggle

• L1: Good start from Ferrari.
• L1: TRU and ROS battling.
• L1: BUT in P9
• L1: Good start from HEI – P11
• L2: FIS passes KUB and ALO.
• L2: VET lead up to 2.5s
• L3: KUB passes HAM after trying to ALO and getting on the grass.
• L4: HEI told to pit for new nose. HEI insists he wants to stay out.
• L4: ALO pressuring HEI. Clearly HEI does need to pit.
• L5: Last year’s championship leaders HAM and KUB are battling for P14 this time around.
• L6: VET lead up to 6.1s.
• L7: TRU and BUT in P7 and P8
• L7: BAR soft tyres are not heating up properly. It will be even harder on the hard compound later on.
• L8: BUT told MAS going to L24
• L8: ALO still can’t pass HEI. He’s getting frustrated.
• L9: HAM told KUB is going longer and HAM has to pass.
• L10: VET pulling out a second a lap
• L14: KOV in P19
• L14: NAK pits. From hard to hard tyres. Front right slow to go on.
• L15: RAI pits. Soft tyres.
• L16: RAI has leapfrogged NAK on pits.
• L18: TRU ROS BUT pit. BUT goes soft to hard, TRU stays soft
• L18: ALO pits
• L19: BAR pits. Soft to hard tyre
• L19: GLO pits. Soft tyres
• L20: WEB pits. Soft to soft
• L20: WEB out ahead of BAR. Just.
• L20: HAM pits.
• L20: VET pits. Soft to soft.
• L21: HEI pits.
• L21: HAM passes HEI as HEI exits pitlane. Very close into Becketts.
• L21: MAS pits. Soft to soft
• L21: BUE pits.
• L23: BUT says car understeering at high speed.
• L26: VET lead up to 21s. WEB is lapping faster though in P2.
• L26: BOU pits.
• L28: KUB pits.
• L29: PIQ pits.
• L30: HAM passes ALO in to Copse.
• L31: ALO has repassed HAM.
• L32: ROS catching BAR quickly.
• L33: KOV pits. Soft to hard.
• L33: KOV exits pitlane ahead of HAM. HAM passes.
• L33: BOU slams the back of KOV. Damagaed front wing. KOV has left-rear puncture.
• L33: It looked as though KOV moved over cheekily. DC reckons BOU was being a bit stupid though and out-braked himself.
• L33: Both KOV and BOU pit. Both on hard tyres.
• L37: KOV retires.
• L38: ALO and BOU pit.
• L38: BOU retires.
• L41: NAK pits.
• L42: BUE pits
• L42: RAI pits. Soft to hard tyres.
• L43: ROS pits. Hard to soft.
• L43: HAM spins off track at Club.
• L44: VET pits. Soft to hard.
• L44: HAM pits. Soft to hard.
• L45: MAS pits. Soft to hard.
• L45: FIS pits.
• L45: MAS leapfrogs ROS in pits.
• L46: TRU pits.
• L46: WEB pits. Stays hard.
• L46: Bar pits. Hard to soft
• L46: HEI pits.
• L47: KUB pits.
• L48: GLO pits. Soft to hard.
• L48: BAR exited pits comfortably ahead of MAS.
• L49: BUT pits. Hard to soft tyres.
• BUE says KOV moved three times in their incident.
• L49: BUT exits pits in P6
• L53: BUT catching ROS
• L53: GLO chasing RAI
• L55: BUT closing in at 1.5s per lap on ROS
• L58: BUT in ROS turbulent air now.
• L60: VET wins.
• L60: WEB completes 1-2 for Red Bull.
• L60: BUT finishes in P6.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Live Race Notes

Silverstone 2009 Race Results		Laps Completed	Time Race Length	Points Earned
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	60		10pts
2.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	60		8pts
3.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	60		6pts
4.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	60		5pts
5.	Nico Rosberg Williams	60		4pts
6.	Jenson Button Brawn	60		3pts
7.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	60		2pts
8.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	60		1pt
9.	Timo Glock Toyota	60
10.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	60
11.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	60
12.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	59
13.	Robert Kubica BMW	59
14.	Fernando Alonso Renault	59
15.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	59
16.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	59
17.	Adrian Sutil Force India	59
18.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	59
19.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	38		Damage
20.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	37		Damage

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Race Result

Silverstone 2009 Post-Qualifying Car Weights		Car Weight Kilograms	Fuel Weight Kilograms	First Stop Estimated Lap
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	666.5	56.1	23
2.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	657.5	47.6	19
3.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	659.5	49.6	20
4.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	658	48.1	20
5.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	652.5	42.6	17
6.	Jenson Button Brawn	657.5	47.6	18/19
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	661.5	51.6	21
8.	Timo Glock Toyota	660	50.1	19/20
9.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	654	44.1	18
10.	Fernando Alonso Renault	654	44.1	18
11.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	675	65.1	27
12.	Robert Kubica BMW	689.5	79.6	33
13.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	695.5	85.6	35
14.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	682.5	72.6	30
15.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	665.5	55.6	23
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	668	58.1	24
17.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	687.5	77.6	32
18.	Adrian Sutil Force India	692	82.1	34
19.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	666	56.1	23
20.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	672.5	62.6	26

From the table we can see that both Brawns are on the same strategy, supposedly pitting on the same lap, although it is likely that one of them would be brought in earlier than anticipated. Button is likely to be on the most flexible of strategies because the team will want to know how to play his race out after the opening lap. Therefore it is Button who may be brought in first. Interestingly though, to highlight Button’s troubles with the car, both he and Barrichello had the same fuel level on board, yet Rubens went 0.4s faster.

We can also see that Sebastian Vettel took pole comfortably from the Brawn pilot, but Vettel was in fact heavier than his team mate Mark Webber. Therefore, Webber’s performance in Q3 earlier has to be questioned. The Australian looked good all day, but then in the final 10 minutes appeared to be struggling, before finally getting distracted by a very slow Kimi Raikkonen who was sitting on the racing line.

Kazuki Nakajima is considerably lighter than those around him, including his team mate who he managed to out-qualify today. Also of note are Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando, who are on the same fuel load in P9 and P10 respectively. Considering their lap times in qualifying were only 0.03s apart, one can presume that at Silverstone, the pace of the two cars is fairly even. So either Ferrari are having a bad weekend or Renault have improved.

Outside of the top-ten, where the car weights are declared by the teams rather than weighed in Parc Ferme, we can see that Heikki Kovalainen is once again the heaviest on the grid. And again it has to be asked why McLaren feel it necessary to fill Heikki up so much; has it actually worked yet in the past year and a half?

Nick Heidfeld and Lewis Hamilton are relatively light and will be looking to make places up at the start. And for the last mention, look out for Giancarlo Fisichella. the force India driver is on a strategy that implies he his competitive, and given that the car has looked good until qualifying went horribly wrong, I think the Italian could make a few places up. Adrian Sutil could also come into play for a top-ten finish later on, the German being heavier than his team mate and playing the long-game.

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The qualifying report can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Silverstone 2009: Sebastian Vettel Romps To British Pole
• The grid can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: The Grid

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights

Following on from the last race’s grid post shoutout… this grid post goes to Tom McLoughlin and Andy Murphy from Edelman PR Agency, who keep trying to get me into Formula One events only for it to either go wrong at their end or at mine. Keep trying guys – I’m sure it will all come good at some point.

Silverstone 2009: The Grid Inclusive of penalties given.
1		Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m19.509s
			Rubens Barrichello Brawn 1m19.856s		2
3		Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m19.868s
			Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m20.091s		4
5		Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1m20.216s
			Jenson Button Brawn 1m20.289s		6
7		Nico Rosberg Williams 1m20.361s
			Timo Glock Toyota 1m20.490s		8
9		Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m20.715s
			Fernando Alonso Renault 1m20.741s		10
11		Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m18.927s
			Robert Kubica BMW 1m19.308s		12
13		Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1m19.353s
			Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault 1m19.392s		14
15		Nick Heidfeld BMW 1m19.448s
			Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m19.802s		16
17		Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m19.898s
			Adrian Sutil Force India 1m19.909s		18
19		Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m19.917s
			Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m20.236s		20

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The qualifying report can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Silverstone 2009: Sebastian Vettel Romps To British Pole
• The car weights and fuel levels can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: The Grid

Can Button recover and win on home soil, repeating Lewis Hamilton’s triumph from last year? Or will Mark Webber finaly beat his demons and take his maiden victory? Which for Webber, incidentally, is like a second home race as the Australian lives in the UK. Or will Sebastian Vettel make it two wins this season and start to quell the rumours that he cannot win in the dry or overtake other drivers?

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The qualifying report can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Silverstone 2009: Sebastian Vettel Romps To British Pole
• The grid can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: The Grid
• The car weights and fuel levels can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Who Is Your Favourite For The British Victory?

The surprise of the session, aside from Red Bull’s improvement, was Jenson Button, who only just squeezed into the final shootout and from there could only manage P6. Button stated that his car isn’t handling as well as it has done previously, and the temperature of the track is hampering the tyres on the BGP 001.

Another surprise of qualifying were the Williams, with Nico Rosberg finishing his afternoon in P7, two places behind his lesser experienced team mate Kazuki Nakajima. The Japanese pilot has been competitive all weekend and set the fastest time in the first session, albeit perhaps due to an early stoppage caused by Adrian Sutil impacting the tyre barrier at Abbey. Nakajima finally ended his afternoon in P5 and the pair look handy for the race.

Mark Webber has also been setting some great laps this weekend and looked good for pole position just prior to the start of the final stint. Webber’s first proper run was well down the pace of those around him and although he improved on his second quick lap, the Australian looked less comfortable in the final 10 minute session. On his final run Webber came across a cruising Kimi Raikkonen as most drivers had set their final lap moments previously. Although Raikkonen didn’t block the Red Bull pilot, Webber said it was a distraction as Raikkonen remained on the racing line.

Kimi was, I don’t know, drinking some vodka or dreaming or something, I don’t know what hell he was doing but he should have been on the right and he was on the racing line, dreaming. That wrecked my rhythm really into Stowe, I was very tight into there.

Kimi couldn’t have done a better job of distracting me. He was right on the racing line, on the most important lap of qualifying and it ruined my rhythm. Mark Webber.

The Force India duo had also been impressing so far this weekend, and the improvements that have been made to the VJM02 are certainly taking the car in the right direction. Unfortunately, a brake problem with Sutil’s car resulted in the German skating over the gravel and grass and slamming into the tyre barrier with some force. Sutil was perfectly okay, but it did ruin his and many other driver’s laps.

Once again the BMWs appear to be struggling, with Robert Kubica managing P12 and Nick Heidfeld finding little solace in P15. The Renaults are split, with Fernando Alonso setting his final lap of the day in Q3, although the Spaniard will start the race in P10. Nelson Piquet Jr will leave grid slot number 14 tomorrow afternoon.

With all the political wranglings that are consuming the sport at the sport at the moment, it is a pleasure to watch the drivers on the track, battling it out for Saturday supremacy on one of the calendar’s more challenging circuits. Undoubtedly there is more news to digest and report before tomorrow’s British Grand Prix, principally the fact that Silverstone may return next year. But for now, we need to look forward to an exciting battle on Sunday.

Will Button be able to improve his position and fulfill his dream of winning at home, or will the Red Bull drivers scupper his plans and edge ever-so-slightly closer in the title races? Or will Rubens Barrichello save the day for Brawn and win on a track he so clearly loves?

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The grid can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: The Grid
• The report on Adrian Sutil’s accident can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Sutil Stops Qualifying After Heavy Shunt
• The car weights and fuel levels can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Sebastian Vettel Romps To British Pole

Adrian Sutil’s Force India wiggled as he entered the fast and sweeping corner that makes up the Abbey chicane. Sutil corrected the wiggle on the VJM02 but then it seemed to bottom slightly on the rear left – although that could have been the camber of the track – and ran wide over the grass. There was no locking of any brakes, indicating that Sutil either didn’t brake, or more likely that he suffered some kind of brake failure. Sutil skated over the gravel and impacted the barrier quite hard, but thankfully it wasn’t head-on and instead a side impact.

The G-meter light came on for Sutil’s accident – an device that measures the G-force and lights when the impact is substantial enough. This means Sutil has to pay the medical centre a visit, but so far he seems perfectly fine.

I had a brake problem and then had no brakes going into the complex. I pushed on the pedal but there wasn’t anything. I tried to avoid a big accident but it was impossible so I crashed really hard.

I’m completely okay, I was just taken to the medical centre for some checks as it was a big crash. Adrian Sutil.

Fortunately Adrian is okay, and we take any potential car problem that could cause an accident like that very seriously. We will fully understand what happened and ensure that it is addressed. Dominic Harlow, Chief Race Engineer.

Sutil had been driving superbly well all weekend, and managed to haul his Mercedes-powered Force India to P3 in the afternoon free practice session. The improvements made to the car are clearly helping, and Sutil looked to be in the zone until this accident. Unfortunately, both Force Indias are now out of qualifying, along with the two Scuderia Toro Rossos and Lewis Hamilton.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Sutil Stops Qualifying After Heavy Shunt

Silverstone 2009 Qualifying Results		Q1 20 minutes	Q2 15 minutes	Q3 10 minutes
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m18.685s	1m18.119s	1m19.509s
2.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m19.325s	1m18.335s	1m19.856s
3.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m18.674s	1m18.209s	1m19.868s
4.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m18.886s	1m18.240s	1m20.091s
5.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m18.530s	1m18.575s	1m20.216s
6.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m18.957s	1m18.663s	1m20.289s
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m19.228s	1m18.591s	1m20.361s
8.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m19.198s	1m18.791s	1m20.490s
9.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m19.010s	1m18.566s	1m20.715s
10.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m19.167s	1m18.761s	1m20.741s
11.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m19.148s	1m18.927s
12.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m19.730s	1m19.308s
13.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m19.732s	1m19.353s
14.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m19.555s	1m19.392s
15.	Nick Hedifeld BMW	1m19.559s	1m19.448s
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m19.802s
17.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m19.898s
18.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m19.909s
19.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m19.917s
20.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m20.236s

• The qualifying report can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Silverstone 2009: Sebastian Vettel Romps To British Pole
• The grid can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: The Grid
• The car weights and fuel levels can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Qualifying Result

The wind picked up after lunch and was causing havoc with the balance of the cars. Many drivers had moments, particularly under braking to Stowe when the drivers attempt to control the car decelerating from the fast Hangar Straight into the moderately fast right-hander. There were also a few spits of rain during the lunch break, but this did little to upset the cars.

Like in the morning session, Red Bull Racing looked strong and were again comfortably the fastest, Vettel posting a lap 0.1s up on his team mate Mark Webber, who was a leisurely 0.7s clear of the Force India in P3.

Adrian Sutil drove well (until he collided with Fisichella’s car in the pitlane at the end of the afternoon) and posted his quick lap early on. The improvements made to the VJM-02 car are clearly working well, but it remains to be seen if the local team can carry this pace through Saturday and into Sunday. Of course, thoughts cannot help but turn to maiden points for Vijay Mallya’s team, particularly as the team’s factory is just over the road from the circuit.

Not performing as well as expected are Ferrari. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen languish in P17 and P18 respectively. Also slipping a little were Toyota and Brawn. Rubens Barrichello managed to semi-respectable P6, but Silverstone favourite Jenson Button ended his day in P14.

Robert Kubica had a swiftly executed engine change after low oil pressure readings were noted and Nelson Piquet improved himself considerably after the break, going from P18 and 1m21.525s to P10 and 1m20.608s. Kazuki Nakajima also enjoyed the afternoon more, finishing in P4 and improving his time by 1.5s.

Silverstone 2009 Friday Free Practice Two		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m19.456s	39 Laps
2.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m19.597s	35 Laps
3.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m20.141s	41 Laps
4.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m20.209s	36 Laps
5.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m20.237s	36 Laps
6.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m20.244s	26 Laps
7.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m20.417s	35 Laps
8.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m20.458s	40 Laps
9.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m20.468s	42 Laps
10.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m20.608s	37 Laps
11.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m20.622s	23 Laps
12.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m20.733s	37 Laps
13.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m20.762s	37 Laps
14.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m20.767s	28 Laps
15.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m20.932s	35 Laps
16.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m20.945s	36 Laps
17.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m21.005s	37 Laps
18.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m21.132s	38 Laps
19.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m21.413s	40 Laps
20.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m21.668s	37 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Friday Practice Two

With a cool track temperature this morning, drivers struggled to get heat into their tyres, some taking as many as five laps before feeling comfortable on the rubber. This lead to a number of incidents of drivers spinning and/or almost losing the car under braking. Nelson Piquet Jr predictably spun in his Renault and Jarno Trulli visited the scenery at Becketts at the end of the session. Team mate Timo Glock found himself pointing the wrong way at Club as well, but like Piquet, he was also able to keep going.

Mark Webber lead for much of the session but a late charge from Sebastian Vettel moved him up the timing sheet. Also doing well were Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, who found themselves in P10 and P11 respectively.

Doing less well than usual for a free practice session were the Williams duo of Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima. All season the pair have impressed on Friday, but at Silverstone Rosberg could only manage P9 while Nakajima struggled down in P17.

Silverstone 2009 Friday Free Practice One		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m19.400s	20 Laps
2.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m19.682s	19 Laps
3.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m20.227s	20 Laps
4.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m20.242s	29 Laps
5.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m20.458s	26 Laps
6.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m20.471s	23 Laps
7.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m20.585	32 Laps
8.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m20.650s	26 Laps
9.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m20.815s	32 Laps
10.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m20.838s	25 Laps
11.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m20.913s	22 Laps
12.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m21.029s	22 Laps
13.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m21.103s	24 Laps
14.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m21.179s	27 Laps
15.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m21.384s	23 Laps
16.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m21.386s	32 Laps
17.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m21.489s	26 Laps
18.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m21.525s	30 Laps
19.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m21.590s	37 Laps
20.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m21.801s	16 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Friday Practice One

It was reported back in April that Donington Ventures Leisure Limited owed Tom Wheatcroft £2.47m in rent, and after repeated requests for payment, none was forthcoming. The threat of having DVLL’s contract revoked was serious as it would have almost certainly ended the British Grand Prix, with Bernie Ecclestone clearly stating that he has absolutely no desire to return to Silverstone.

However, circuit owner Tom Wheatcroft was pleased that progress had been made between the two companies and added support to DVLL’s wish to host the British round of the 2010 championship.

We are pleased that significant progress has been made in recent weeks and I am delighted that we have now reached an amicable agreement.

We have always shared and supported the vision of ensuring that Formula 1 returns to Donington Park and are hopeful that, with the settlement achieved, that vision will be turned into reality. Tom Wheatcroft.

Donington Ventures Leisure Limited now face another uphill task of ensuring the renovation works at Donington are completed on time, which includes new buildings and a change in layout to the Leicestershire track. If works are not completed by next year, Ecclestone has stated that the race could be postponed until 2011, but the Briton has asserted that Silverstone’s last event will be the 2009 race.

Original article by BlogF1.

Donington Park Dispute Resolved?

Wheatcroft & Sons, the family owned company that owns Donington Park, lease the track to Donington Ventures Leisure Limited, who run motor sporting events as well as music festivals on the land. However, DVLL owe £2.47m in rent to WSL, and this is why legal proceedings have commenced. If DVLL have their contract revoked, then the British Grand Prix is in serious trouble.

Bernie Ecclestone has insisted that Silverstone will not hold the British Grand Prix again, despite the circuit investing a lot of money in redevelopments of the old airfield. Such is Ecclestone’s disgruntlement towards Silverstone’s owners, the BRDC, that Ecclestone would rather drop the race from the calendar or postpone it until Donington can get its act together.

If the work at Donington is not finished in time, we would be happy to skip a year. I don’t want to lose the British Grand Prix, that’s the last thing we want to do, but we aren’t going to Silverstone for sure. Bernie Ecclestone, speaking to The Times.

One has to question why Ecclestone has allowed this to happen, and the bad press this saga is generating for Formula One in the UK. While Bernie may not get along with the BRDC, surely the billionaire businessman can see how this is reflecting on the sport in the UK, a nation that contributes an awful lot to the global motor sporting industry.

Original article by BlogF1.

British Grand Prix Could Be Postponed Until 2011

Currently, the circuit is owned by the Wheatcroft family and Donington Ventures Leisure Limited lease the track for motor sporting activities as well as music festivals and other outdoor events. The Wheatcroft’s, who own and operate the company Wheatcroft & Sons Ltd, have commenced legal proceedings against Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd because of arrears in rent, reportedly amounting to £2.47m. If DVLL cannot afford the rent, WSL may evict the resident company whom the contract for the 2010 British Grand Prix is with.

Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd owe us nearly £2.5m in rent dating back to September 2008. Despite receiving numerous reassurances over a number of months they have consistently failed to meet their financial obligations under the terms of the lease.

We have held off taking legal action for as long as possible but have been left with no choice but to commence proceedings to recover the outstanding rent and forfeit the lease. Kevin Wheatcroft.

At the 2008 British Grand Prix, held at Northamptonshire’s Silverstone circuit, Bernie Ecclestone allowed the FIA to announce the change in venue from 2010 onwards, the Donington Park track having been awarded a ten year deal to host motor racing event. At the time, Ecclestone made it clear that Formula One would not return to Silverstone, owned by the BRDC, an organisation Bernie doesn’t get on too well with. If Donington failed to complete their redevelopment works on time, there would be no British Grand Prix. Ecclestone reiterated this while visiting the Bahrain Grand Prix.

If Donington can’t put on the British Grand Prix then that’s it. We will be leaving Britain. There is no question of us going back to Silverstone. They have had enough chances and have not delivered what they promised. Bernie Ecclestone.

It is at this point that the British Government were asked to step in and help, the campaign being voiced by Formula One commercial rights owner Bernie Ecclestone. Having completed deals all over the world for the sport, Bernie has seen what can be done with government funding, the race in Bahrain this weekend being a great example of top-notch facilities all funded by the country itself. Abu Dhabi, which looks to be an absolutely stunning arena for motor sport and business, is also funded by the government, and Ecclestone believes the United Kingdom should follow suit.

It’s a disgrace that the British government don’t step in to help. They are throwing billions at the London Olympics. They could do what is needed to save the race by putting in a fraction of it – 0.002 per cent. Bernie Ecclestone.

Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula One World Champion and now president of Silverstone’s owning organisation the BRDC, has tried to keep the door open to Ecclestone and Formula One, and has apparently maintained communication with the Macronym title=”Formula One Management”>FOM director. Hill would obviously want the race to return to Silverstone, and speaking live on the BBC during today’s qualifying session, Eddie Jordan believes Ecclestone’s firm stance on the issue of not returning is actually his way of saying it will happen.

Confused yet? Well, Jordan believes that Bernie’s negotiation tactic is hard and almost reverse of he publicly says. But on the face of it at the moment, the fate of the British Grand Prix doesn’t look healthy. The House of Lords debated the issue yesterday and Labour deputy chief whip Lord Davies stated that their would be no direct financial hand-outs. Lord Davies emphasised that the government would do what it could, but there would not be any financial aid.

We do not want a state-sponsored motor industry, but the government can give necessary assistance and support in judicious ways, particularly by emphasising how important the industry is to the development of our society and economy.

The government will continue to give the support that we have done in the past. We see our role as facilitating and encouraging the Motor Sports Association and the owners of Donington to be proactive about attracting money from various funding arrangements to guarantee the finances they need.

However, should anything go wrong on that front, it is important that Silverstone is available to resume its position, because the essential thing is that we must not lose a British Grand Prix. Lord Davies.

Lord Davies may want to run that last sentence by Ecclestone before believing his own words.

It would be a tremendous shame for Britain to lose the British Grand Prix, and drivers up and down the Bahrain pitlane today have expressed a desire for the event to remain. Even non-British drivers like Rubens Barrichello who essentially cut his teeth in lower formulae around many of the UK’s racing tracks spoke of a desire for the race to remain.

It is also a great shame that the country is willing to pour so much many into hosting the Olympic Games, but is unwilling to spend (by comparison) a little amount on ensuring the UK remains on the Formula One calendar.

Perhaps using tax payers money on sporting events is incorrect, to which you would have to include the Olympic Games, but surely in a crisis, the government should be there to prop up the affected industry/business/event and offer a helping hand.

Of course, life and politics doesn’t work like that and the UK will applaud the efforts of the government at funding the organisations that will bring the Olympic Games to London in 2012, over budget and probably behind schedule. The British Grand Prix, by then, could be but a distant memory. Just as long as Team Great Britain can host the Games then all is okay with this county’s involvement in international sporting events.

Original article by BlogF1.

2010 British Grand Prix Facing Fresh Threats

If anyone else has been to a grand prix or event where you’ve been able to capture a Formula One driver or personality that you think might be funny/strange enough for a caption, feel free to email them to ollie [at] blogf1.co.uk. If you do submit a photo, be sure to give a name whom copyright should belong to and any information behind the picture (who/what/where…).

A big thanks to Sidepodcast for submitting this great photo.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #87

Original article by BlogF1.

1964 British Grand Prix: Clark Wins

Original article by BlogF1.

1958 British Grand Prix: Collins Wins

This sorry state of affairs comes at a time when Britain should be embracing motor sport, not making fans worry about the future of the British Grand Prix, seeing two British-based teams withdraw in less than a year and potentially seeing two British drivers having to sit out due to these withdrawals. Incidentally, Super Aguri refugee Anthony Davidson was hopeful for a Honda role before they too pulled the plug.

Even if Jenson Button managed to make it to the Melbourne grid in March, only seeing two Britons in Formula One is fairly rare, an instance of which has only happened twice in the last 58 seasons (‘04 and ‘06). At times in the ’50s and also in 1981, the field came close to only fielding two Brits, but somebody always managed to qualify for a race to make it three-plus.

The problem with motor sport in the UK is funding, support and encouragement. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that motor sport is expensive, and with the government unwilling to put its hands its pockets for the sport, the situation is unlikely to see any real stability for a long time. Combined with Bernie Ecclestone charging extortionate fees to hosting circuits and refusing to listen to those who want revenue shared out fairly, it isn’t any surprise that Formula One could be dwindling in the UK.

Of course, the sport has plenty of British fans, and passionate they are too. The sport is on the increase in terms of viewers, but the very foundations it rests on are in trouble. Silverstone was continually slated by Ecclestone until the billionaire finally signed a deal with Donington Park (and the suspicions still rumble on about this).

Also, some former British drivers seem to be frowned upon with some regularity. Sir Jackie Stewart has been called a “certified halfwit” by the FIA president, Martin Brundle was almost sued for suggesting a McLaren “witch-hunt”, Damon Hill had the carpet pulled from under him as the British Grand Prix was moved without much warning…

Despite all this though, the 2009 reigning world champion will be a Briton, and Lewis Hamilton will proudly line himself up on the Australian grid in March with a number 1 emblazoned on the front of his McLaren. However, how far McLaren get into the campaign before the dubious penalties rear their ugly head is anyone’s guess. Hopefully, with a more transparent policy from the FIA, this can be avoided.

It would be great to say that Formula One has a bright future in the UK; circuits, drivers, teams… At the current time though, it appears to be a little overcast. The British Grand Prix is in some doubt, Prodrive are apparently unable to enter Formula One and be competitive and financially secure. As for upcoming drivers, the 2008 GP2 season fielded a couple of British hopefuls, but it will be some time before they can progress into the pinnacle series. Some may have even missed the chance entirely.

So what do you think of motor sport in the UK? The fans are certainly there, no question, but in terms of hosting events and fielding teams and drivers, is it dying out? Or do you think the turbulent times will pass to leave the British contingent stronger? The comments are open, so please have your say.

Image © Reuters/Stephen Hird.

Original article by BlogF1.

Will 2009 Be The First Time Only One Briton Competes?

Original article by BlogF1.

The Search For David Coulthard

A spokeperson for DVLL stated that Gill’s leaving will not affect the ongoing plans to invest £100m into the circuit, adding a new section of track and building new pit and paddock facilities. However, with the funds already in doubt combined with question marks over the planning approval, it could be that 2010 sees Formula One fail to visit the UK for a grand prix.

On top of this news, Pitpass have since reported that Lee Gill is not the only person to leave the organisation today, as the company’s financial controller, Peter Edwards, has also left, along with public relations company Sidhu & Simon Communications. Needless to say, things aren’t looking too rosey in the post-2009 British Grand Prix camp. Bernie Ecclestone has made it quite clear that should Donington fail to be ready in time, there will be no race essentially because no other circuit is suitable, Silverstone apparently inclusive.

Update: As Sidepodcast has just brought to my attention in the comments, Donington have released their plans for the 2010 layout and facilities at the circuit. As a very rough idea (it is late where I am), here’s how the track may look if all goes to plan. Roll your cursor over the image to see the overlay of the proposed layout.

• Download Proposed Donington 2010 to Google Earth

Original article by BlogF1.

Donington Park Already In Trouble?

The European Grand Prix came off as a mixed affair. The track was great, and many have suggested it will only get better as the years pass. It is hoped that with more yachts in the harbour, more glamour in the paddock and pro-overtaking rule changes will all combine to make Valencia the talking point of racing seasons to come. Conversely, although Dennis didn’t actually commit to saying this, it is clear from his choice of language that Ron is ashamed that the UK government are not offering monetary support to the British Grand Prix. He took his opportunity with the world’s media listening to loosely compare the commitment of the two nations to motor sport.

I have to say something a little controversial which I’ll probably regret. When I go back into England and I go through Heathrow airport, I’m ashamed to be English.

Valencia is an area that is not the gateway to their country, and yet the local government showed vision to stage the America’s Cup, to commit all the resources they did to turn it into a world-class venue.

To see what they’ve done demonstrates what you can do if you are committed as a government, local or national. Valencia is a testament to how you should do it. I applaud the efforts of Valencia. They’ve gone the right way about it, they’ve committed to putting in the infrastructure, to getting the resources right. Ron Dennis.

Silverstone will host their last race in 2009, after which the venue will change to Donington Park. This announcement came as a surprise to many on the eve of the 2008 grand prix, and many people fear that Donington will not be able to get permission or funding to develop the circuit in time for 2010. The really cynical among the Formula One fraternity believe Bernie Ecclestone has done this on purpose. The theory goes that Bernie switched the race to a circuit he knew would be unlikely to fulfil its obligations, at which point the race can be dropped and Bernie can replace it with another more profitable venue.

Regardless of theories and speculation, the point of Dennis’s words (as far as I can make out) are that he is ashamed that Formula One isn’t considered a sport worthy of UK government funding, and the fact that Valencia, which is only Spain’s third largest city, hosted an event the local people, attendees and organisers can be proud of. Although the racing wasn’t as exciting as other circuits, the atmosphere was said to be top-notch, as were the facilities.

Ron’s words are bound to come back and bite him at some point, but as the McLaren boss said himself, if people to not talk openly about these issues, then nothing can be expected to change. Unfortunately for Ron, just speaking out, I fear, will not be enough. What needs to happen are talks between Formula One employers and the government. The sport needs to be sold to the government, and whining will not help in the long-run. To add more cynacism though, with the 2012 Olympic Games coming to the UK, I don’t see how the government will want to ad to their own monetary pressures when already the planned-budget for the games has been laughed off as ridiculously small.

Well done to Ron for speaking up. And well done to Ron for sharing his thoughts on the Spanish circuit. But will this little moan make any difference? I doubt it.

Original article by BlogF1.

Ron Dennis In Praise Of Valencia

Now I don’t think Heikki could have matched Hamilton’s pace yesterday even if his tyres were in great condition – let’s face it, Hamilton put in quite a performance in front of his home crowds. And it should also be noted that Lewis is usually the driver who gets called up about tyre preservation, or indeed the lack thereof. However, Kovalainen’s problems were, according to the Finn himself, of his own doing.

I just struggled with my rear tyres all the way through the race, to be honest. They were going away and I was damaging them excessively. The car control became difficult and I had to slow down. This was the reason I couldn’t keep up.

It looks like in the low grip conditions I put more load on the tyres. We saw that a little bit in Canada, where I had more tyre wear compared to Lewis again. In the rain when the grip is lower I put a little more load on the rear tyres. It’s probably something I need to look.

Perhaps we can look a bit at the set-up. But I think I can improve that area myself as well. Heikki Kovalainen.

Heikki said he was disappointed about his result but also said that he has taken many positives out of the weekend and is looking forward to Hockenheim in a fortnight. However, his honesty at Silverstone is impressive, or at least it is to me. Often when a driver makes a mistake, they will try to pass the blame, to save face, to get out of jail. However, privately they know the real reason, and in Formula One, so will the engineers – telemetry is a very telling thing.

Heikki could have spouted out some PR-friendly/no-one-is-to-blame answer and scurried away. But instead he chose to be honest and hold his hand up. Much like when David Coulthard returned from the gravel trap yesterday; the Scot knew it was his fault and decided to be honest and move on. Coulthard is ten years Heikki’s senior and 211 races further up the road though; he’s been there and done that already.

So why have I bothered to mention this? After all, it is a seemingly small and insignificant thing to write about. But I like to talk about some of the incidents that bring the sport back down to a human level, that show humility and emotion. Formula One is often robotic and business-like. In fact, Formula One is mostly a business, and the drivers are very often criticised for being little more than machines. But to hear a driver say he needs to improve in a few areas, but not in an apologetic getting out of trouble with the boss way, in a sincere and self-concious way, it’s nice. It raises Heikki’s reputation in my mind. Yes, he messed up, but at least he can hold his hand up and say so.

Original article by BlogF1.

Humble Heikki Blames Himself For British Grand Prix Blunder

Well they certainly did for Felipe Massa. Let’s start by taking a look at the Brazilian’s weekend as it is a little easier to understand what happened, even if the whys are still unknown.

Felipe Massa

On Friday Felipe had a sizeable off in his Ferrari. It was the morning session and Massa had just set the fastest lap – little did he know that it would remain the fastest lap of the 90 minute session. After just eight tours of the track Massa skated across the gravel and impacted the barrier. The reason for the off was because Fernando Alonso’s Renault V8 had blown moments before and left a trail of oil on the track. A few drivers had a wobble as they entered the Stowe corner, braking from around 190mph. Massa couldn’t control his wobble though and the impact was said to have been around the 25G mark. Serious enough.

Massa’s car was returned to the pits but it couldn’t be mended in time for the start of the second practice session, and spare cars are forbidden this year. Massa eventually got out on track in the afternoon but could only manage eighth fastest after 18 laps – half of what many other drivers were doing.

Saturday didn’t go quite as badly and the Brazilian driver was going well in qualifying. The impact, it seems, hadn’t bothered him. However, in the third and final qualifying session – the part that decides the top ten grid positions – Massa suffered some kind of problem in the pits and one of his runs was delayed. Although UK ITV didn’t pick up on it, the team were struggling to get a wheel on the F2008 and this hampered Felipe’s running.

The teams very carefully orchestrate their qualifying runs in order to maximise the free space their driver has ahead of them. Sending a car out directly behind another is pointless because the car in front will hold up the driver behind, even if he is slightly quicker, the disturbed air is not good. This very likely happened to Felipe at some point during that final run or he was just delayed and couldn’t complete enough runs. Either way, he only qualified in ninth.

The race was even worse though. Massa couldn’t keep his Ferrari on the island and spun so many times I lost count. Initially I, along with ITV commentator Martin Brundle, presumed there was a problem with the car. Perhaps the engine mapping was wrong and that was causing the car to spin at the very slightest touch of the throttle. However, after the race Massa was bemused as to why his race fell apart and no satisfactory answer has been given yet that I can find.

Felipe was struggling right from the start because of a lack of grip and his race was immediately compromised, and then it is very difficult to drive in these conditions in the middle of the pack. Luca Baldisserri.

I’m sorry to say this Luca, but while you are correct – it couldn’t have been easy – other drivers managed to spin less than Felipe. Drivers like Kazuki Nakajima who has only driven in ten races, for example. Sure he spun a lot, but I’m certain Felipe made more mistakes.

So it seems that Felipe’s mistakes were all of his own doing and that his car was running normally, albeit on a very wet track. Needless to say, it isn’t what you expect from a championship winning team and a driver with the experience of Massa.

Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi’s weekend started better than Massa’s with 47 laps completed in the morning practices. Although he didn’t finish as high as Massa in the tables, it was generally thought that Raikkonen was running a conservative strategy and wasn’t too bothered about final places and more concerned with track time.

During qualifying Kimi improved as the sessions went by and the Finn almost took the pole. On the final set of runs Kimi set the benchmark and Lewis Hamilton couldn’t match or better it. Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen demoted the reigning world champion down to third, but both their laps were absolute stunners that although perhaps expected, came from deep within. Raikkonen’s lap was good, solid and certainly not the end of the world for the world champion.

And then we come to Kimi’s race. To be honest, it was gut-wrenching. We could see he had the car underneath him. It wasn’t the best, perhaps not even the fastest out there, but it was winnable. Kimi’s Ferrari could have taken the victory today, but it didn’t.

From the start Kimi looked fired up and he made a good getaway from the line. Unfortunately, Heikki had decided to defend and let’s be honest, if it came down to letting Kimi or his team mate through, he’s gonna defend to the Ferrari! Raikkonen was squeezed over to the left and had to get out of the throttle, which in turn enabled Hamilton to slip by and pressure Kovalainen.

But all was not lost and after the lead changed, Kimi set about pressuring his fellow Finn, and then the leading Briton. After the pit stops though, it was all over for Raikkonen. The McLaren’s had pitted and taken new intermediate (wet weather) tyres. Ferrari decided not to replace Raikkonen’s boots though and just topped him up with fuel. Ferrari were hoping the rain would ease and a dry line would emerge on the track. In this case the Bridgestone intermediates behave almost like a slick and Kimi would have had the advantage.

Alas, it rained even harder. Kimi was on almost treadless tyres, and Lewis Hamilton was on deeply grooved and very grippy tyres. And then it rained even harder. In fact it rained so hard that in all honesty, the drivers on intermediates should have pitted for full wets (extreme wet weather tyres). Rubens Barrichello was blitzing the field on his full wets.

I am disappointed, but I am equally aware that things could have been much worse. We had the possibility to win the race but we made a mistake at the first pit stop, keeping the same set of tyres, because we expected the track conditions to improve. It was a joint decision: we are a team and we win or lose together. Kimi Raikkonen.

Kimi went backwards and there was nothing he could do about it with the tyres he was on. The determination of Raikkonen is astounding though and the fact that he was able to come back at the end and finish fourth is admirable. But in hindsight, it should have been so much more. It so easily could have been a win. And how different the championship table would look if he had taken the victory.

A Sunday to forget as quickly as possible in terms of the result, although we must remember certain elements of this weekend, as there were mistakes made that we cannot afford to repeat. We could have won this race with Kimi but we made a key mistake at the first pit stop, choosing to stay on the same set of tyres. Stefano Domenicali.

Original article by BlogF1.

How Ferrari’s British Grand Prix Fell Apart

The last time a Briton won at Silverstone was in 2000, that year the race went to David Coulthard. Hamilton has now become the eleventh (twelfth if you rightly include Tony Brooks) British winner of the British Grand Prix and it was the McLaren driver’s seventh victory in Formula One; the team’s 159th.

It is definitely and by far the best victory I’ve ever had. It was one of the toughest races I have ever done. I was thinking out there if I win it it will be the best race I have ever done, not just because of the home crowd.

On the last laps I could see the crowd starting standing up, and I was praying, praying ‘just finish’. You can imagine the emotions going on inside and I wanted to get it around. Lewis Hamilton.

Nick Heidfeld has been suffering in qualifying lately and the German driver has been complaining of temperature problems with his Bridgestone tyres. However, yesterday Heidfeld put his BMW in fifth and today he brought it home in second, consoling the team after team mate Robert Kubica retired.

It was a good race. I am happy with second place because today it was the best I could achieve. Qualifying went well and in the race we did everything right. Obviously it was crucial to make the right tyre decisions.

At the first stop we were wondering if we should stay with the used set of inters, but luckily we then decided on new tyres. We were expecting a small shower, but when I drove down Hanger Straight and saw a black wall in front of me I thought I should expect more than that.

The most difficult moments in the race were when cars were overtaking me who had been lapped, but were just on better tyres for the conditions at that time. There was so much water and I couldn’t see where it was lying. Once before Abbey I almost spun, but just managed to keep the car on the track. Nick Heidfeld.

Rubens Barrichello gave Honda something to shout about as the most experienced driver in Formula One finished in third after starting the race in sixteenth. Barrichello drove a mature and outstanding race and for me, is the driver of the day. While Lewis won, he had the car underneath him to do just that, Rubens has a dog under him – his qualifying position proving that. But the Brazilian drove superbly in the difficult conditions and fully-deserves his podium.

I never lost the belief I have in me with the speed and everything. It was obviously a lucky day and it seemed to happen to me. I love the wet weather conditions but it was a perfect race.

We had a minor problem on the pitstop. I thought I had the fuel already but they didn’t let me go. But that was a minor problem because it was the right decision for us to take extreme wet tyres.

I was passing people from inside to outside, it was just magic. So I thought that was a good decision because I went off at Club and nearly hit the wall. It was Club and Abbey that were the most difficult ones. I said I am coming in and coming in for the extremes.

I have this great feeling, it is like I am young. I am smiling to the problems and I am working more. I love the sport, I love the speed and I cannot live without it. Rubens Barrichello.

Ross Brawn, Honda’s team principal, paid tribute to Barrichello’s drive as well, praising his driver and remembering the times they spent at Ferrari together.

Rubens had a great race. He really pushed when he had to, and the middle of the race was fantastic. It was a bit like old days. The team did a great job as well. Some great calls during the race and we had the right tyres at the right time.

We had a problem with the fuel rig which really probably cost us second place, so that’s frustrating, but we shouldn’t be too greedy. Ross Brawn.

David Coulthard, competing in his final British Grand Prix, lasted all of about two minutes. The Red Bull made contact with the Scuderia Toro Rosso and both slid off onto the the grass. It wasn’t Coulthard’s finest moment from his 15 year career, but the Scot put his hand up, accepted blame and apologised.

I’m extremely disappointed and sorry for the team. I’ve taken out two Red Bull cars so that’s obviously the worst case scenario. You have to take your opportunities when they come in a race like this and I thought I saw a gap. Unfortunately it turned out it was a bad decision.

The visibility was incredibly bad as you can imagine. I was very close to Sebastian after Abbey, as he had a wobble coming out of there. There was a clear gap down the inside, but unfortunately it was closing as I made the move.

I’m sorry for him that we made contact and went into the gravel, I’m sorry for Red Bull too, as it was two cars out in one hit. I’m extremely disappointed for this to happen at my last British Grand Prix. David Coulthard.

Coulthard’s team mate, Mark Webber, had a better weekend, the Australian qualifying on the front row. However, his race was almost over sooner than David’s after Webber spun on the opening lap, undoing all his hard work from Saturday. Even though Webber would go on to drive a very well-managed race and reclaim many of the lost positions, it so easily could have been much, much better.

Unfortunately I dropped it on the entrance to Becketts on the first la. I was quite close to Kimi [Raikkonen] and just got on the white line. I lost the car on the exit and had to let the field go past, so it was clear to spin back round.

After that it was about making the right call for the right conditions. It was a difficult day to go car racing and it just didn’t go our way today. The guys did a good job all week and it’s a shame we couldn’t convert our good qualifying performance. Mark Webber.

Fernando Alonso was upbeat after the race, despite losing out for being on the worn tyres rather than getting a new set at the pit stop. The decision cost the Spaniard a lot of time and he may have even lost a podium because of it. However, the conditions at Silverstone were difficult and Alonso was just happy to have added a few points towards his campaign.

Like every time it rains, anything can happen and that was the case. There were times when you had the right tyre and others when you had the wrong one and you had to keep the others at bay and try to stay on track because you knew it would be a good result.

It’s not bad. It’s a good feeling. Sixth position is three points that are good for the drivers’ and the constructors’ championships. We missed a chance because Barrichello finished on the podium and maybe we could have been there, but it’s okay. Fernando Alonso.

On the final lap Kazuki Nakajima lost seventh place to Jarno Trulli, but despite this and all his spins, the Japanese driver still managed to collect one point for Williams after a weekend the team will want to very quickly move on from.

It was good to score a point again, but it was a shame to lose seventh place to Jarno on the last lap. His tyres were in a better condition than mine, though, and he was just a bit quicker than me in the final laps when the track was drying out.

It was enjoyable out there today, although a little hard to control the car in the opening and closing stages. The team made a really good decision to put me on the extreme wets at just the right time and so I was able to manage the car well in such wet conditions. Kazuki Nakajima.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2008: Post-Race Quotes

The Start

Rain had fallen on Silverstone all morning and the race started with a damp track and all drivers on wet tyres (commonly called intermediates). From the line Heikki Kovalainen had a good start and led the field into Copse, but further behind Lewis Hamilton had a superb start and troubled his Finnish team mate around the first lap. As the duo exited the first corner, Hamilton was very quick on the throttle (as he was in Malaysia and France) and almost clipped the back of Kovalainen. The Finn had a wiggle as he applied his throttle and showed bravery as he defended his position down to the Becketts corners.

Behind the leading pair all sorts of cars were spinning around in circles and skating over the grass and gravel. Mark Webber found himself looking in the wrong direction on the exit of the Becketts Complex and had to wait until the field had passed before he could spin his Red Bull around. Kazuki Nakajima had an off and Felipe Massa pirouetted his Ferrari in similar fashion.

David Coulthard’s final British Grand Prix didn’t last long either, with a synchronised slide off the track with Sebastian Vettel at the Priory corner. Both drivers retired on the spot, their cars beached in the gravel. And it wasn’t long into the first stint before Massa was spinning again, this time down at the final Woodcote corner. From looking at the camera views, he appeared to have some issue with applying even the smallest amount of throttle.

By lap three though, it was all over for Kovalainen as Hamilton made his move going into Stowe. Lewis managed to pass his team mate and wandered off into the distance. Meanwhile Mark Webber started to make his comeback through the field following his earlier spin and was soon pressuring the top ten again.

The Middle

Heikki’s troubles were worsened after a spin going into Abbey allowed Kimi Raikkonen through into second and Webber continued to make up places in the poor conditions, giving those around him some driving lessons in the process. Unfortunately Adrian Sutil didn’t get one and the cameras just about picked up the German bouncing sideways over the gravel, across the track and finally in the gravel again. Sutil simply lost the back of his Force India as he braked in Abbey and he became a passenger as it slid over the water.

At the front the lead was yo-yo-ing back and forth and on some laps Hamilton looked comfortable while on others, Raikkonen looked immensely quicker. Mark Webber was the first of the scheduled pitters though, followed by Kovalainen and then Alonso. The following lap both Hamilton and Raikkonen pitted together, the Briton getting out ahead of the Finn. Interestingly though, McLaren put fresh intermedite tyres on Hamilton’s car, but Ferrari left Raikkonen on the same set.

Straight away Lewis Hamilton pumped in some fast laps, all this despite his tyres being colder than Raikkonen’s. The gap was improved and Hamilton took more control over the race. As the rain fell heavier Hamilton was able to judge the grip levels better and the Briton looked relatively comfortable at the front.

Nelson Piquet, who was enjoying a great run at Silverstone, passed his experienced team mate Fernando Alonso and once again, looked to be much improved over his form from earlier in the season. Unfortunately for Raikkonen, his gamble of remaining on the same tyres didn’t pay off and along with Alonso who did the same, ended up losing a lot of time over the cars ahead. It was at this point that Nick Heidfeld came into his own and made some superb passes. And as Heikki eased his way back past the troubled Raikkonen, Heidfeld seized the opportunity and passed both of them.

Honda, who started well down the field, were also looking very handy, the team having switched both drivers to full wet tyres at their stops and Rubens Barrichello making full use of them. While the rest of the pack gambled on intermediates, Barrichello was passing cars left, right and centre. Jenson Button was lapping quickly as well, but the slippery track eventually got the better of him and an off at Club saw Button retire. Robert Kubica also suffered a similar fate at Abbey and retired. Honda were very much in contention though on the full wets, and Rubens soon found himself in second.

However, despite Rubens driving maticulously well, the team had to pit the Brazilian again; there was a problem with the fuel rig and little gas went into the Honda. But Barrichello’s experience paid off and after a few blindly quick laps he had enough of a gap to pit and rejoin in third, losing only one place to Nick Heidfeld.

Felipe Massa really struggled with his Ferrari all day and suffered spin after spin. Nelson Piquet also ended his afternoon early and after a mature drive, he unravelled it with an off and beached his Renault in the gravel. Kazuki Nakajima, another rookie in the field, also had a fair few trips into the scenery, but the Williams pilot was able to rejoin the track after each excursion and the Japanese driver would eventually finish in the points in eighth position.

The End

The final few laps were all about the battle behind the leaders, with Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen all running in close proximity. Kovalainen spent most the last few tours attacking Alonso, but the experienced double world champion defended well until Heikki grabbed the bull by its horns and made a pass stick. Raikkonen had already made his move was in a good fourth place.

Nico Rosberg had a good race by all accounts and considering that he started from the pit lane with a suspension problem that dogged him all weekend. The German driver was in a point-paying position until the final stint when the Ferrari, McLaren and Renault sorted their acts out. Team mate Kazuki Nakajima also had a good run but a few offs and lack of experience allowed the trio of faster cars past. The Williams drivers finished in eighth and ninth.

Felipe Massa finished last of the remaining runners and will want to very quickly forget about this weekend. Raikkonen too will want to forget about his British Grand Prix. Although he managed to collect a few points, Kimi’s Ferrari was good for a podium had he or the team not decided to stay on the same set of tyres.

Rubens Barrichello celebrated his podium-placing and dedicated the race to his son, who after hearing his father had qualified poorly, prayed for rain. Heidfeld also raced well and is hopeful his qualifying woes are now behind him. Again, experience paid dividends with Kubica sliding off the road one too many times. The Toyotas too ran well with Jarno Trulli collecting two more points. Glock had a series of offs and even had Rosberg contact him in the final stage, the Williams driver having to pit for a new nose. Timo went off a few times as well, but a twelfth place finish from twelfth on the grid is not bad considering his experience and the difficult conditions.

Of course, Hamilton was ecstatic to win in front of his home fans and brings himself right back into the championship hunt. Nick Heidfeld saved the day for BMW and Ferrari leave Silverstone wondering why they made the choice to stay on the same tyres. Red Bull will head to Germany for the next race knowing that they have made substantial progress on the RB4, and Webber in particular should be delighted with his pole from yesterday. But an early mistake from the Australian meant he couldn’t capitalise on his front row grid slot. Despite all this though, Webber drove a fine race and provided fans with much entertainment.

This may (or may not) be the penultimate race at Silverstone, but it sure has given the championship a good shake with the top three drivers all the sharing the same amount of points. The second half of 2008 is sure going to be very interesting.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2008: Lewis Hamilton Wins The British Grand Prix

A full report wil be posted once I’ve eaten some lunch…

Silverstone 2008: Race Result

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2008: Race Result

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2008: Race Live Blog