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Last year, Lewis Hamilton came under a little fire for the way he started grands prix. His method of moving across the circuit to defend his position and better enable himself to creep by other drivers into the first corner was compared greatly to Michael Schumacher’s. The multiple world champion was often criticised for his starting technique, and since the Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has come under similar fire from his fellow drivers. Continue Reading

Fernando Alonso has won his second race in succession, taking victory at the Fuji Speedway this afternoon and underlying the supreme effort the team have done to improve the R28. There was a little bit of luck on Alonso’s side but the fact that the Spaniard qualified fourth, held onto the fastest lap for half the race and went on to win shows that his influence on the squad is paying off once again. Continue Reading

Following his tangle with Felipe Massa during the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Bourdais has been given a 25s penalty. This added time demotes the Frenchman from sixth to tenth, therefore promoting team mate Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld up the finishing order. The extra point will help Massa in his bid to claim the driver’s title, and the lost points will hurt both Bourdais and his team. Continue Reading

Fernando Alonso has made it two wins in a row by taking victory at Fuji Speedway. In an interesting race the championship contenders both received penalties for separate incidents, and this enabled Robert Kubica to collect a fine haul of eight points for himself and BMW. Both Scuderia Toro Rossos finished in the points, with Sebastien Bourdais ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Nelson Piquet Jr. took fourth for Renault and Felipe Massa eventually came back to finish in eighth. Continue Reading

Both title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa have received penalties during the Japanese Grand Prix following incidents at the start of the race. Hamilton had made a move on Massa up the inside at Turn Ten, but Massa couldn’t slow down in time and took to the grass. When the Brazilian returned to track he made contact with the McLaren and Hamilton spun through 180 degrees. For this, Massa received a drive-thru penalty. Continue Reading

Part two of my Japanese diary and this early-morning I’m staying awake for the race having changed my plans yesterday following an extended nap which lasted for a few hours longer than it should have done. But that is what Formula One fans do when there are flyaway races; we mess up our routines just to catch the action live. I’m looking forward to the race later but I’m completely uninspired by the Fuji circuit, especially in comparison to Suzuka. But despite this, points will be won and lost today, and that needs reporting on BlogF1. Continue Reading

With Lewis Hamilton on pole and championship rival Felipe Massa in fifth, the Japanese Grand Prix is set to be an interesting race if anything else. Between the two title contenders are their team mates, Kimi Raikkonen on the front row and Heikki Kovalainen directly behind Hamilton in third. Fernando Alonso could be the proverbial cat among the pigeons, in fourth and especially so given his new found confidence in the R28. So join myself and many other like-minded fans for the live blog. You can follow and contribute below, or head over to CoverIt Live and sign up for a free account. Continue Reading

Lewis Hamilton took his sixth pole of 2008 and will lead the pack off the grid for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix. This is Kimi Raikkonen’s first front row grid position since the French Grand Prix back in June. This is only the third time Kazuki Nakajima has out-qualified Nico Rosberg this year, the other times being Britain and Spain. It is the second time Scuderia Toro Rosso have got both drivers into the top-ten, and Nick Heidfeld has equalled his worse qualifying position of the season, sixteenth having been previously claimed by the BMW driver in Hungary. Continue Reading

Lewis Hamilton has taken pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, fending off strong advances from Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen. The Scuderia didn’t have a great qualifying session and it was thanks to Raikkonen’s sudden improvement that the team aren’t completely out of contention. Massa qualified down in fifth while Heikki Kovalainen claimed third after a great final run. Fernando Alonso will start the race in fourth and Robert Kubica managed sixth in his BMW. Continue Reading

It only seems like only yesterday that Fernando Alonso was winning Formula One’s very first night race and Singapore’s very first race ever. But in fact two weeks have passed and now we are about to witness the battle for pole position at Japan’s Fuji Speedway. It is really going to be a battle between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari and McLaren. But in the mix are Renault, Kimi Raikkonen, BMW and any other stray who thinks himself lucky around the Tilke-modified circuit. So join myself and a whole host of other bloggers and fans in discussing the the qualifying sessions of the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix. Continue Reading