Posted on September 29th, 2008 by Oliver White
During the Singapore Grand Prix, a number of teams made a mess of their pitstops and we saw a few mechanics fall to the ground as the cars sped away before they should have done. Most notable among the incidents was Felipe Massa, who was given the green light even though the fuel-rigger hadn’t released the hose from the car. In spectacular fashion, Massa kept his foot planted and ripped the hose from the rig, dragging it behind him and pulling the refueller to the floor in the process. Continue Reading
Posted on September 28th, 2008 by Oliver White
It wasn’t all that long ago that Ferrari had a two disastrous pitstops, one for each driver. And it appears that the Scuderia have made another mistake, giving Felipe Massa the green light to go while the fuel hose was still attached. As Massa dropped the clutch team members were thrown around and the hose was ripped from the machine and dragged down the pitlane, dangling from the Ferrari. Continue Reading
Posted on September 27th, 2008 by Oliver White
The grid has been decided for the very first Singapore Grand Prix, and Felipe Massa is on the top spot, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica. BMW team mate Nick Heidfeld has received a three-grid place penalty following an altercation with Rubens Barrichello, where the Honda driver was impeded and then struggled to abort the lap and enter the pitlane. Formula One’s first night race is looking to be a great race. Continue Reading
Posted on September 27th, 2008 by Oliver White
In Formula One’s maiden venture into night racing, it was Ferrari’s Felipe Massa who took the pole position at around 11pm local time in Singapore. The Brazilian did well to fend off the McLarens and once again, Kimi Raikkonen was some distance off the pole pace. However, Raikkonen does appear to have improved a little, and Robert Kubica climbed his way into fourth. Heikki Kovalainen couldn’t better his fifth place, although he ran well in the first two sessions. Continue Reading
Posted on September 27th, 2008 by Oliver White
Felipe Massa has charged to Formula One’s first ever night-time pole position at Singapore. The Ferrari pilot edged out Lewis Hamilton in the final session to take the top spot, and comfortably beat his team mate Kimi Raikkonen by 0.8s. After Moncao and Valencia, Massa is looking to be a street-circuit specialist. Heikki Kovalainen ran well in Q1 and Q2, but by the time the critical session came around, the Finn could only manage fifth. Fernando Alonso stopped at the start of Q2 with a fuel supply issue and Giancarlo Fisichella similarly didn’t set a lap time in Q1. Continue Reading
Posted on September 12th, 2008 by Oliver White
World champion Kimi Raikkonen has extended his contract with Ferrari until the end of 2010, meaning that unless something extraordinary happens, Fernando Alonso will not be able to drive for the Scuderia for another two years at least. Felipe Massa signed a long-term contract last year that also sees himself with Ferrari until the closing of 2010. Therefore, Ferrari’s driver line-up will remain unchanged, despite all the rumours that have persisted during 2008. Continue Reading
Posted on September 7th, 2008 by Oliver White
After the news that Lewis Hamilton has been handed a 25 second penalty for his battle with Kimi Raikkonen in the final stages of the Belgian Grand Prix, this obviously effects the final outcome of the race. The added 25 seconds puts Hamilton back to third, and promotes Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld up the order to first and second respectively. In terms of championships, Massa is now closer to Hamilton in the title fight (just 2 points separates them), and Raikkonen isn’t as far behind as he previously was. Continue Reading
Posted on September 7th, 2008 by Oliver White
Kimi Raikkonen hasn’t performed well in recent races, and following the last post about the Scuderia and their tactics for the remainder of the year, it seems there are many possible reasons for the Finn’s slump. However, after today’s Belgian Grand Prix, Raikkonen is looking less and less like a Formula One world champion. The question is should Ferrari still maintain their faith in Kimi, or should they now focus on Felipe for the final five races? Continue Reading
Posted on September 5th, 2008 by Oliver White
Both Ferraris have topped the timing sheets at Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps circuit, set in the Ardennes Forest. It was Felipe Massa who got the upper-hand and led his team mate Kimi Raikkonen for most of the session. Sliding in to third and fourth were both McLarens, Lewis Hamilton edging out Heikki Kovalainen, but lapping some 0.6s off Massa’s pace. Of the top four, it was Hamilton who made the most noticeable error, taking to the gravel at Les Combes as well as losing time at La Source on what was meant to be an improved lap. Continue Reading
Posted on August 27th, 2008 by Oliver White
On the first day of testing at Monza this season, Felipe Massa has topped the tables and continued his impressive pace from last weekend’s European Grand Prix. With the Italian circuit due to host the fourteenth round of the championship in mid-September, most teams were working on their aerodynamic packages to give them a better understanding of the set up required. Heikki Kovalainen and Nico Rosberg followed the Ferrari pilot close behind in second and third. Continue Reading