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Or at least, how their car handles the tyres. McLaren appear to be not doing very well in the tyre and wheel department at the moment. In fact, the last couple of seasons have seen quite a few retirements from the Woking-based squad due to tyre-related issues, and while they can’t all be put down the design of the car, one cannot help but wonder if the MP4-22 and MP4-23 isn’t so kind to its boots at its rivals are. Continue Reading

Much has been made recently of some drivers absence from the GPDA, most notably three of the top; Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa (who stood down recently) and Lewis Hamilton. Adrian Sutil is also yet to commit, but has escaped the wrath of Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli so far. However, because some felt that lower-paid drivers were funding the organisation which, in essence, helps out with the improvement of safety at races, many drivers were upset with higher paid drivers not contributing. Which is perhaps why Hamilton had stated earlier in the weekend that he has made a donation to the GPDA, reported to be way in excess of the normal £2,000 admission fee. Continue Reading

Below is the video footage of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton from the Bahrain Grand Prix. The footage shows the incident on lap two where Lewis collides with the rear of Alonso’s Renault. Many people, including Mark Blundell, have said that it looks as though Fernando backed off. However, Alonso has denied blame saying that the McLaren was simply faster than his Renault. Take a look and have your say in the comments. Continue Reading

Following Lewis Hamilton’s shunt in the second Friday Free Practice session this afternoon, the Briton was meant to be taken to the Sakhir circuit’s medical centre. The data recorder on-board the McLaren MP4-23 recorded G-forces above what is considered safe and thus it is a requirement in these situations to undergo a checkup. However, Hamilton was unaware of this necessity, as was the marshal who returned Hamilton back to the pitlane on the back of a motorbike. Lewis eventually made it to the medical centre and has since been given the all-clear. Continue Reading

Both Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen have been penalised on the Malaysian grid following the baulking of Nick Heidfeld at the end of qualifying. Both drivers remained on the racing line while the slowed considerably after completing their fast laps. Heidfeld, who was just starting his quick lap, was forced to weave in and out of other cars, compromising his line and ruining his lap time (videos here). The penalty for both drivers is five grid slots, demoting Hamilton to ninth and Kovalainen to eighth. Continue Reading

Just as one race ends another begins, this time at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The first session was dominated by Brazil’s Felipe Massa, who managed to end up a second clear of Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen. The pair will be looking to improve from last weekend’s dismal Australian Grand Prix which saw both drivers retire after a slew of mistakes. Heikki Kovalainen ran well in the first session and slotted into third, although he dropped to seventh after lunch. Lewis Hamilton in the sister MP4-23 ran well in practice one and finished fifth, improving to first in the second session. Buoyed from his win in Australia, the Briton will be looking to repeat his success at Sepang on Sunday. Continue Reading

The 2008 Australian Grand Prix couldn’t have been much better in terms of on-track action and excitement. The drama didn’t end at the chequered flag either, as Rubens Barrichello was under investigation for leaving the pitlane when he shouldn’t have. Also being punished after race is Kazuki Nakajima, reprimanded for his incident with third-place finisher Nico Rosberg. Here are a few more thoughts on the season opener in Australia. Continue Reading

Continuing BlogF1’s guest post series, today I have a new Formula One blogger writing for you. Duncan recently started vee8 as a dedicated Formula One site, although he has been writing for years at his personal site, doctorvee. Being a regular commenter at BlogF1, I’ve come to realise that Duncan has a shrewd eye for detail and I’ve always admired his F1-related posts in the past. For today, we have the McLaren duo to discuss; how will Hamilton fair against his equally experienced team mate Heikki Kovalainen? Enjoy… Continue Reading

Some eagle-eyed readers may have noticeed that McLaren’s preview post, this very entry you’re reading, is out of sync with the previous. The previews were published in the reverse order of their constructor’s finishing place in 2007, which would mean McLaren should have been dealt with a long time ago. But as the Woking squad looked good, up until the Belgian Grand Prix at any rate, to finish in either first or second, I’ve chosen to post their entry as the penultimate in the series. And as the McLaren MP4-23 looks good to challenge for the 2008 title, it only seems right that they should be surrounded by the other top teams. So here, perhaps slightly late, is how I think McLaren’s title campaign is going to go this year. Continue Reading

Patrick Head, co-owner of the Williams Formula One team, has explained to the media just how close his team came to signing Lewis Hamilton in 2004. It has always been suggested that Lewis was intrinsically close to Ron Dennis and the McLaren team from an early age, but it turns out that father and manager Anthony Hamilton had a falling out with McLaren three years ago and instigated a meeting with Frank Williams and Patrick Head. It appears that BMW were the spoiler at the party, refusing to fund Lewis’s racing obligations before promoting him to the F1 team, all this despite Frank’s glowing assessment of the youngsters talent. Continue Reading