Hungary 2009 Race Results		Laps Completed	Time Race Length	Points Earned
1.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	61		10pts
2.	Timo Glock Toyota			8pts
3.	Fernando Alonso Renault			6pts
4.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing			5pts
5.	Jenson Button Brawn			4pts
6.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn			3pts
7.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren			2pts
8.	Robert Kubica BMW			1pt
9.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams
10.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
11.	Nico Rosberg Williams
12.	Jarno Trulli Toyota
13.	Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari
14.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India
15.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso
16.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso
17.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing
18.	Adrian Sutil Force India
19.	Nick Heidfeld BMW
20.	Romain Grosjean Renault

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2009: Race Result

Hungary 2009: The Grid Inclusive of penalties given.
1		Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m47.891s
			Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m48.204s		2
3		Nico Rosberg Williams 1m48.348s
			Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m48.722s		4
5		Fernando Alonso Renault 1m49.054s
			Timo Glock Toyota 1m49.180s		6
7		Nick Heidfeld BMW 1m49.307s
			Robert Kubica BMW 1m49.514s		8
9		Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1m49.778s
			Rubens Barrichello Brawn 1m48.828s*		10
11		Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1m47.013s
			Jenson Button Brawn 1m47.141s		12
13		Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m47.177s
			Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m47.369s		14
15		Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m47.413s
			Adrian Sutil Force India 1m48.231s		16
17		Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m48.340s
			Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari 1m48.350s		18
19		Romain Grosjean Renault 1m48.544s
			Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India 1m48.792s		20

*Includes a 5-grid slot penalty received for an unscheduled gearbox change. Rubens Barrichello originally qualified in P5.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2009: The Grid

More information on the Marina Bay Street Circuit can be found on BlogF1’s sister site, Google Circuits, including a map of the track and results from last year’s race.

Build-Up

• *Rubens Barrichello has changed his gear box. Following a near-stall in Belgium, there were concerns about the box but amazingly it survived Monza. However, the Brawn team have just changed it and therefore Barrichello will now take a 5-place grid penalty no matter where he qualifies in an hour’s time.
• Jenson Button has been complaining about the balance of his car, so perhaps Brawn aren’t looking as great as I initially thought.
• Concerns over Romain Grosjean have been allayed. The French pilot was ill earlier in the week and Renault were preparing an alternative pilot. Thankfully, Grosjean is driving this weekend, although he has had to learn the track and hasn’t been setting the track alight in free practice.

Q1

• FIS out early.
• ALG out early
• SUT out early.
• Ferrari saying FIS struggling with braking and may not get out of Q1.
• GRO ran off track on his outlap. Managed to recover and doesn’t appear to have damaged the car.
• GRO says on the radio he has no brakes.
• FIS sets opening lap: 51.028.
• ALG immediately beats FIS: 50.169
• RAI: 49.905
• BUE: 49.078
• BUT: 48.632
• WEB: 49.123
• BAR: 47.939
• KOV: 48.473
• VET: 48.168
• ROS: 47.636
• HAM: 47.241
• VET improves: 47.541
• BUT: 47.559
• KOV flying in S2.
• KOV: 47.542
• ALG improves but still in dropzone.
• LIU, GRO, ALG, HEI, TRU in dropzone currently.
• HAM improves his own fastest time: 46.977.
• GRO P12, but still may not be enough.
• RAI and FIS, P14 and P15.
• RAI on super soft tyres already.
• RAI up in S1.
• RAI down in S2 by 0.2s.
• RAI: 47.293, P2.
• HEI: 47.347, P3.
• KUB: 47.615, P8.
• SUT improves.
• ALO improves.
• TRU improves.
• BAR: Was P15. Now P6 with 47.397.
• SUT: Was in the dropzone in P16. Still in P16.
• LIU, GRO, FIS, ALG, SUT out.

Q2

• VET out early.
• BUT, BAR and RAI also on track.
• BUT says inside unloaded wheel-spin on acceleration.
• VET: 51.995
• BUT: 47.412
• BUE: 48.233
• BAR: 47.126
• WEB: 47.030
• ROS: 46.197
• KOV: 46.842
• HAM: 46.657
• GLO: 46.707
• VET: 46.642
• ALO waiting and will only do one run.
• ALO: On track now.
• ALO could squeeze in another run actually.
• HEI: 46.832
• Brundle has decided to call that corner “Piquet’s Corner”.
• ALO: P5 with 46.767
• RAI: Made errors and managed a 47.954. May have backed off despite having enough time for another run.
• BUT: Didn’t improve. P11.
• BAR: Backed off as well, but has another run. He ran wide at T10.
• KUB: 46.813. P6.
• VET: 46.362. P2.
• BAR: 46.787. P6 and in.
• WEB: 46.328. P2.
• TRU, BUE, RAI, BUT, NAK out.
• BAR apparently has floor damage from when he ran wide over the kerbs on his penultimate lap.

Q3

• ROS and VET out early.
• All out with the exception of HAM.
• All out on track now.
• ROS: 48.348
• VET: 48.204
• BAR: 48.828
• WEB: 48.722
• KOV: 49.778
• HAM: 47.891
• HAM timing it to be the last to set a time.
• BAR: Hit the wall. Damaged front-left tyre.
• Red Flag.
• Qualifying is over.
• HAM on pole.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2009: Qualifying Live Notes

Singapore 2009 Qualifying Results		Q1 20 minutes	Q2 15 minutes	Q3 10 minutes
1.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m46.977s	1m46.657s	1m47.891s
2.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m47.541s	1m46.362s	1m48.204s
3.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m47.390s	1m46.197s	1m48.348s
4.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m47.646s	1m46.328s	1m48.722s
5.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn*	1m47.397s	1m46.787s	1m48.828s
6.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m47.757s	1m46.767s	1m49.054s
7.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m47.770s	1m46.707s	1m49.180s
8.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m47.347s	1m46.832s	1m49.307s
9.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m47.615s	1m46.813s	1m49.514s
10.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m47.542s	1m46.842s	1m49.778s
11.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m47.637s	1m47.013s
12.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m47.180s	1m47.141s
13.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m47.293s	1m47.177s
14.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m47.677s	1m47.369s
15.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m47.690	1m47.413s
16.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m48.231s
17.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m48.340s
18.	Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari	1m48.350s
19.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m48.544s
20.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India	1m48.792s

*Rubens Barrichello had his gearbox changed just prior to qualifying, and therefore will receive a 5-grid slot penalty.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2009: Qualifying Result

Mark Webber had been running ahead of his team mate for the first half of the session but unfortunately spun his RB5 in the final corner and clouted the barrier. The Red Bull sustained damage and the session was stopped briefly while the car was recovered. This forced Webber to sit out of the second half of the running while Red Bull mechanics frantically set about rebuilding the machine.

Ferrari appear to be struggling a little and although both pilots improved between the two practice session today, Kimi Raikkonen slipped from ninth to fourteenth. this means Giancarlo Fisichella is closer to his team mate, but the Italian could only improve from seventeenth to sixteenth.

McLaren also seem a little up-and-down, but the overall package the team has this weekend will probably be solid, if not spectacular in comparison to the Brawn and Red Bull. BMW look to have found some improvement although this is likely because the tighter and twistier nature of the Marina Bay circuit favours the F1.09 as opposed to the open and fast-flowing Monza and spa Francorchamps.

Singapore 2009 Friday Free Practice One		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m48.650s	31 Laps
2.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m48.924s	27 Laps
3.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m48.952s	30 Laps
4.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m49.098s	31 Laps
5.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m49.311s	34 Laps
6.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m49.317s	14 Laps
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m49.333s	33 Laps
8.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m49.342s	30 Laps
9.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m49.358s	28 Laps
10.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m49.609s	24 Laps
11.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m49.616s	30 Laps
12.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m49.710s	31 Laps
13.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m49.795s	29 Laps
14.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m49.941s	29 Laps
15.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m50.023s	29 Laps
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari	1m50.253s	31 Laps
17.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m50.527s	29 Laps
18.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India	1m50.605s	28 Laps
19.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m50.972s	17 Laps
20.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m51.423s	31 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2009: Friday Practice Two

Of course, the media in Singapore and around the world are focusing their attention on the performance of Fernando Alonso and his team, but as their is a race going on this weekend, BlogF1 will be turning its attention to the fact the Formula One is essentially about a few drivers thrashing finely tuned motors around a track, this time around on the artificially lit streets of Singapore.

Singapore 2009 Friday Free Practice One		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m50.179s	19 Laps
2.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m50.356s	22 Laps
3.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m50.416s	21 Laps
4.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m50.567s	16 Laps
5.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m50.614s	16 Laps
6.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m50.699s	21 Laps
7.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m50.715s	17 Laps
8.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m50.815s	15 Laps
9.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m50.865s	19 Laps
10.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m51.089s	25 Laps
11.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m51.427s	23 Laps
12.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m51.544s	14 Laps
13.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m51.643s	28 Laps
14.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m51.656s	15 Laps
15.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m52.083s	20 Laps
16.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m52.135s	20 Laps
17.	Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari	1m52.390s	24 Laps
18.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India	1m52.905s	23 Laps
19.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m53.232s	25 Laps
20.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m53.458s	9 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2009: Friday Practice One

At the time there was a wild conspiracy theory that went along similar lines, the fact that Piquet had his accident just after Alonso had taken on fresh tyres and fuel seeming to be quite a coincidence. At the time, Piquet stated that he had just been pushing too hard and that he clipped the barriers a little too hard. However, the allegation that it was a deliberate act comes after the young Brazilian was unceremoniously fired from the team in August.

Piquet Jr. has not kept quiet since he was let go, and has himself made accusations towards the team and most notably, Flavio Briatore. In a long statement on his website at the time, Piquet claimed he received little encouragement from the team boss and his own manager, and that he often found himself on the receiving end of threats moments before qualifying sessions and races.

However little had come of this, until now it seems as there is supposedly fresh evidence to back up the allegations made by the Brazilian TV station. It is unclear whether or not Piquet himself is involved in anyway, but the only evidence that a TV station could possibly think it has is possibly a recorded interview with the man himself. The TV station would not be privvy to telemetry or radio communications, so unless they have caught wind of such a thing but not seen/heard it themselves, or in fact Piquet or a team member has spoken to the station, it seems a very strange allegation to make.

The FIA have been relatively vague in a statement made to the press this evening, just saying that “an investigation is underway regarding alleged events at a previous world championship race”. However, Singapore hit the headlines on a few news sites moments earlier breaking the story about Globo, so one can only deduce (at the moment) the two are indeed related.

Needless to say, if any wrongdoing by the Enstone team is discovered, Renault would be in a whole heap of trouble and could possibly face a ban of several races. Of course, it could just be a storm in a teacup, which in all honesty, is exactly what it sounds like at the moment. Unfortunately, I’ve said that before only to find the world of Formula One wrapped up in controversy for months down the line. Like you, I await further details and the inevitable statement from Piquet Snr.

Original article by BlogF1.

FIA To Investigate Fernando Alonso’s 2008 Singapore Win

The Australian Grand Prix was pushed back to a 5pm local-time start. The reasons behind pushing the start time of the race back is to accommodate Bernie Ecclestone and his wishes to make races available at a more convenient time for his key television market, Europe.

However, with the sun lower in the sky, it meant that often the drivers were thundering forwards with little vision as they were blinded by the light. And when they were travelling in the opposite direction, the mirrors became useless for the same reason. Although some might argue that with the vibrations and the fact that some teams place their mirrors far out on the sidepods, the mirrors are pretty useless anyway.

However, glorious sunshine isn’t the only problem. As the circus travels to Malaysia for this weekend’s grand prix, Rosberg has pointed out that should it rain over Sepang, the conditions could be even worse. Last year we saw how dark it was in Brazil when the drivers finally took the chequered flag. For the first time in my memory, the lights had to be turned on for the podium celebration. However, the Brazilian Grand Prix was held at a more regular time. Sepang is due to commence at 5pm and the area is prone to flash monsoons, as we have witnessed in previous races.

With cloud covering the circuit and rain pouring down, combined with decreasing levels of light, Rosberg could be correct with his concerns.

If the monsoon comes down, the race is going to have to be stopped because we can’t race and drive with that amount of water.

I think twilight racing is not the way to go. In Melbourne it was obvious that it just increases the danger so much.

The visibility is so difficult, you can’t even see the edges of the track in some corners. I was driving into the sun and that’s not what racing is about. So I really hope they reconsider that.

Even moving it forward by one hour or something will help us massively. It was just the last part of the race that was the really problematic time. Nico Rosberg.

The Singapore event, which is held at night for the very same reason – to gain as many viewers in Europe as possible – was less of a problem for the drivers. They all used clear visors and the light remained constant throughout the race, as it was being provided by artificial means. However, with the changeable conditions seen during the evening, the drivers are worried.

But do the drivers have a valid concern, or should they just get on with it and stop complaining?

Original article by BlogF1.

Drivers Critical Of Twilight Racing

Force India team owner Vijay Mallya, although not directly involved, had stated that he believes the new track will be ready by 2010, and that this is not the issue. Perhaps Bernie needs some more time to axe some more traditional races from the calendar before squeezing in the new ones, or maybe flying to India upsets the three-week holiday Ron Dennis had planned… who knows!? But the rumour was confirmed earlier today and India will host their first grand prix in 2011 and not 2010 as previously mooted.

From my information, even though I am not building the track, the track will be ready for 2010. But as you know the F1 schedule is decided by Bernie and I guess everyone has to accept what Bernie decides.

The land has been acquired and there is the usual process of preparing the ground for building, but my information is that it will be ready for 2010. Vijay Mallya.

Ecclestone also confirmed that despite his best efforts to change half the championship into an after-dark affair, Singapore would remain as the only night race on the 2009 calendar.

Every GP from that side of the world [Asia, Oceania] could in theory be moved to a night slot. But in 2009 it will just be Singapore. As for Europe I see no reason to stage a race after sunset. Bernie Ecclestone.

Erm, I can think of a few reasons Bernie, not least of which is that if Formula One becomes a night racing series, it won’t take to long before the novelty wears off. Besides, I prefer to wake up earlier than stay up late. And at Bernie’s age, I’m surprised he isn’t the same!

Original article by BlogF1.

Indian Grand Prix Postponed Until 2011

The team now believe that the cause of the gearbox problem may have been due to static electricity produced by a tram traveling under that particular part of the circuit at the time of the problem. Webber was in fifth gear, but the moog valve (that controls the gear selection) had been triggered into selecting seventh. Webber pulled into the pits, despite having a great race until that point, and vacated his car.

At Turn 13 the gearbox selected two gears at once. The moog valve controlling the gearshift had been triggered into changing to seventh while he was still in fifth. Yet after interrogating the software we can see that it at no time was allowing for this. We can see a momentary electrical surge at the precise moment, which seems to have triggered the moog valve.

It was exactly what [Scuderia Toro Rosso] suffered from with Bourdais in Friday practice, at exactly the same place. A tram line runs beneath the track at that corner and it seems as if static from a passing tram at the very moment Mark was in the corner passed through the ground. Christian Horner.

The thing is, Mr. Horner, is that there are another 16 (non-Red Bull) drivers on track racing around all weekend, and presumably the trams were running throughout this period. So why weren’t other squads affected as well? Why was there not a spate of electrical surges with others teams, causing their ‘boxes to jump around the cogs without reason? It would appear that while this was Webber’s first race-ending mechanical failure of the year, the Red Bull gearbox is still a little delicate in some circumstances.

Original article by BlogF1.

Static Electricity From Trams: Possibly The Oddest Excuse For A Race Retirement, Ever

At the time, Ferrari spokesperson Luca Colajanni stated that the team member was not seriously hurt but was being taken to the circuit’s medical centre as a precaution. It turns out that the mechanic escaped injury aside from a few bruises.

David Coulthard’s refueller wasn’t quite so lucky as Red Bull’s incident has led to their team member with ligament damage to his ankle. Thankfully, Coulthard’s experience probably helped as the Scot jumped on the brakes almost immediately after realising something wasn’t right.

The technician who was knocked over during David’s final pit stop has damaged his ankle ligaments and burned his thumb, but fortunately other than that he’s okay. Christian Horner.

Interestingly, former Benetton and Williams driver Alex Wurz was asked on the eve of the race to step into the role of Medical Car Driver, the regular driver having been taken ill. Wurz was apparently recommended by the Safety Car driver Bernd Maylander as the two know each other quite well.

Currently with Honda as a test driver, Wurz took on the role and even saw some action as he followed Maylander out onto the track to assess Nelson Piquet’s accident. Fortunately, Piquet was fine and was already making his way back to the pitlane by the time the medical team had arrived at the scene.

Image Copyright © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Pit Lane Tumbles & Wurz’s Temporary Role

Singapore Skyline.

Adrian Sutil – Force India.

Giancarlo Fisichella – Force India.

Nick Heidfeld – BMW.

David Coulthard & Sebastien Bourdais – Red Bull Racing & Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Mark Webber – Red Bull Racing.

Mark Webber – Red Bull Racing.

Mark Webber – Red Bull Racing.

Jenson Button – Honda.

Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari.

Ferrari.

Kazuki Nakajima – Williams.

Nico Rosberg – Williams.

Nico Rosberg – Williams.

Nico Rosberg – Williams.

Nelson Piquet Jr – Renault.

Fernando Alonso – Renault.

Fernando Alonso – Renault.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: A Weekend In Pictures

Toyota went to the stewards upon completion of the race to lodge their protest, but shortly later after the stewards had examined the video evidence and interviewed both drivers, they have decided not to take any action. Therefore, Sebastian Vettel will keep his fifth-place finish, and the points gap between the two teams will remain at 15.

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota Lodge Protest Against STR, Stewards Throw It Out

The Start

The start of the race went as standard, with little hustling through the field. A couple of drivers were forced to cut corners as they tried to squeeze through three-abreast, but geenrally speaking, there were no major incidents. Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen came close though as the McLaren driver attempted to edge past the BMW. Jarno Trulli made a great start from eleventh on the grid and Timo Glock in the sister Toyota was enjoying a great battle with Kovalainen further around the first lap.

Unfortunately, Trulli’s great start put him the familiar position of train-driver, and the Italian was hampering the charges of those behind on different strategies. More and more the following drivers were getting frustrated until Nico Rosberg eventually made his way past the Toyota. From then on, others lined themselves up for moves; Kazuki Nakajima locking up massively over the bumps as he made his pass stick.

Starting fifteenth, Fernando Alonso had his work cut out, but after the first lap he was up to tenth, and after a quick pitstop on lap twelve, changed strategy to a two-stopper and began to make progress once again. Red Bull also took this opportunity to pit their cars as well, and the timing couldn’t have better. The reason being that the safety car was sent out on lap fifteen, closely followed by the medical car as a precaution.

Both safety and medical cars were sent out because Nelson Piquet Jr. had what appeared to be a sizable shunt at T17. Thankfully, replays showed the accident to be less severe and Piquet climbed out of the strickened Renault and dived for safety on the other side of the track. The Brazilian lost the back-end of the car on the exit of the corner and spun around, clouting the inside barrier and ending his race in a mess of debris.

Unfortunately for Rosberg, the safety car deployment came at a poor time for his strategy and the Williams driver was forced to pit for fuel, despite the pitlane being closed. It wasn’t long after that Nico was given the expected stop/go penalty, highlighting once again just how poorly thought-out the rule is. Also feeling the heat at this time was Robert Kubica, who suffered a similar fate and was also penalised.

Rubens Barrichello retired his Honda, coasting along the track before coming to a halt and throwing his gloves into the water; I think he was aiming at the crowd, as he often does, but Barrichello’s aim appeared to have been a little off. According to Rubens’s post-race quotes, “the engine just died”.

On lap seventeen, the pitlane was opened, although the safety car was still touring the track while the marshals cleared the Renault from a particularly tricky spot. Felipe Massa dived in immediately for fuel, but what happened next was nothing short of a complete disaster. Continuing with their lighting system to indicate to the driver when to go, and despite having troubles with it (or the operator) in Valencia, Massa waited patiently for his tank to be filled. With the fuel hose still attached to the Ferrari, Massa was shown the green light before it very quickly went red again.

It was too late. Massa had dropped the clutch and squeezed the throttle. The mechanics were pulled to the ground and Felipe drove straight into the fast area of the pitlane in front of Adrian Sutil – what is it about these two teams meeting like this over and over again? Realising something was amiss – Massa was dragging the fuel hose behind him – the Brazilian pulled over at the end of the pitlane and Ferrari personnel sprinted down to free the offending article. Massa rejoined the race in pretty much plum-last. Oh how the mighty had fallen.

Sitting behind Massa in the pitlane and seeing the drama unfold in front of his eyes was Kimi Raikkonen, who because of the pitlane closure was forced to stop on the same lap and queue behind his team mate. Also pitting on lap seventeen was Lewis Hamilton. After all the drama in the pitlane, Nico Rosberg emerged as the race leader, followed by Jarno Trulli and… Giancarlo Fisichella!

While the stewards were assessing the issues of Rosberg and Kubica pitting while the pitlane was closed, they also announced an investigation into Felipe Massa, and sure enough, the Ferrari pilot was delivered a further blow; a stop/go penalty for unsafe release into the path of another driver. On lap 27, Kubica served his penalty, Rosberg similarly on lap 29. The positions at the front were bizarre to say the least, with David Coulthard in the mix for Red Bull along with strong runs from the Toyotas.

The Halfway Mark

At half-distance, Lewis Hamilton was somewhere around P4, Felipe Massa around, erm, last, and Kimi Raikkonen was gradually recovering from his pitstop delay not too far ahead of his team mate. Fernando Alonso took over the lead from Jarno Trulli when the Italian pitted and the Spaniard remained there for the rest of the race. Lewis Hamilton was in fourth, but stiuck behind David Coulthard, not making his move until lap 42 when the Scot was busy watching cars coming out of the pitlane.

Fernando Alonso made his final stop at this time as well, as did Hamilton and Coulthard the following lap. The Red Bull driver almost left the box with his fuel hose still attached, but reactions caught up with the Scot and Coulthard was able to brake in time. Timo Glock continued his impressive run in the TF108 and Rosberg found himself in second after the final pitstops shook themselves out.

On lap 50, Felipe Massa almost crashed his Ferrari going under the bridge. Thankfully for him, the F2008 just spun through 180° and Massa was able to recover and continue, but directly behind, Adrian Sutil slid his Force India into the same spot as Massa was just a few moments prior. As Massa drove away from the barrier, he inadvertently allowed water to leak from the tyre structure, but this wasn’t to blame for Sutil’s crash – the German was already out of control before he reached the corner. The safety car was deployed for the second time to allow the marshals time to clear the Force India out of the way.

Jarno Trulli retired his Toyota on lap 50, stalking to the back of the garage to get some rehydrating fluids. Moments later the safety car peeled into the pitlane and Fernando Alonso once again set about building up a lead again. Lewis Hamilton, now in third and behind Rosberg, made a few attempts to distract and pass the Williams, but Nico was experienced enough to keep his cool.

Just as the McLaren driver was settling for third, knowing that Massa wouldn’t score any points, Ferrari’s weekend went from disastrous to simply embarrassing. Kimi Raikkonen caught a kerb slightly awkwardly and his Ferrari was pitched into the armco. It was pretty much game over for the Scuderia. The front-runners settled into a casual pace for the remaining few laps and Fernando Alonso took the win at the 1:57:16.304 mark, less than three minutes under the two hour race limit.

Timo Glock took a fine fourth for Toyota, and Sebastian Vettel collected more points from his fifth-place finish. Nick Heidfeld proved his racing credentials once again by coming through to sixth at the chequered flag and David Coulthard picked up two points for seventh. Kazuki Nakajima claimed the final point, finishing the race two places ahead of his grid position.

The Results

This result, or non-result for Ferrari, has meant that McLaren now lead the constructors title by the slimmest of margins, and Lewis Hamilton has finally extended his championship lead to seven points. Even if Felipe Massa wins the final three events, Hamilton just has to come home in second to take the title by a point. However, Formula One isn’t that simple and I suspect we are in for more drama before the season is over.

Renault’s win moves them ahead of Toyota in the constructors fight, and Williams edge closer to Scuderia Toro Rosso after Vettel’s win in Italy. Amazingly, Robert Kubica is still in the driver’s championship, sitting 20 points behind Massa, and 7 points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn is also still mathematically able to take the championship, 27 points from a maximum of 30, with the hope that all others retire – it really isn’t going to happen though. Unfortunately for the fans, I suspect the title will end up being a race between Hamilton and Massa. But having said that, it should be a great battle.

As always, the race was action-packed and I’ve probably missed lots of things. Feel free to add to the report in the comments below.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Fernando Alonso Wins As Others Fall Apart

Singapore 2008: Race Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Race Result

It would appear that no one was seriously hurt, but Massa’s race was obviously hindered, and the ensuing investigation led to a penalty for unsafe release. It seems that Ferrari’s lighting system, although technically brilliant, isn’t working as well as it should. A human error from the pitlane meant the green light was posted too early and Felipe went from first to last. To add to the unsafe release, Adrian Sutil was impeded as he charged down the pitlane behind Felipe. Massa pulled over at the end of the pitlane and the mechanics ran down to clear the hose from the car.

Should Ferrari be forced to return to the old lollipop system?

Thanks to F1Fanatic for finding the video.

Original article by BlogF1.

Another Pitlane Disaster For Ferrari

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Race Live Blog

The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix Grid

Inclusive of penalties given – one so far.

*Nick Heidfeld was demoted three places after it was deemed that the BMW driver impeded Rubens Barrichello during qualifying.

Image Copyright © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: The Grid

It wasn’t all one-sided though, as Barrichello has to cough up €10,000 to the FIA for not using the pitlane entrance deceleration zone correctly. The Honda driver was hampered by Heidfeld and decided to come into the pits at the last moment, not moving his car offline prior to slowing down to the mandatory speed.

The last part of the circuit was so tight and I watched the mirrors but you don’t see cars coming. When I saw him [Rubens] I tried to do the best I could to get out of the way. After the white line I tried to be as quick into the pitlane without moving completely right and going into his way. It was the best I could do. But apparently not enough. Nick Heidfeld.

These penalties put Rubens out of pocket and Nick back in ninth, promoting Sebastian Vettel, Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg up one place each.

Original article by BlogF1.

Nick Heidfeld Hit With Grid Penalty

Q1

The first session saw drama in the Force India garage as Giancarlo Fisichella’s car was still up on its jacks as the mechanics toiled away under the skin mending the damage from an earlier incident. Luckily for the Italian, Fisichella got out on track, but was out after three corners, nudging the barrier, again. So pending any further issues, Fisichella start at the back of the grid. Team mate Adrian Sutil didn’t do all that well either, qualifying in nineteenth and 1.4s down on eighteenth placed Rubens Barrichello. Also seeing the chequered flag too early was Sebastien Bourdais, who when compared to his race-winning team mate Sebastian Vettel, isn’t looking too sharp at the moment.

Nelson Piquet Jr. was the other driver to have been knocked out early, but Renault would see even more bad luck in Q2. The first session went well for most and all the concerns over shadows, lighting and glare were quickly forgotten about as the organisers did a good job at eliminating almost all. One problem that does need further investigation is the pitlane entrance though, as Rubens Barrichello had trouble getting in while following another car.

Q2

As mentioned, Renault’s Piquet problems would be compounded when Fernando Alonso stopped on track just moments into the second session. Alonso had been running very well all weekend and looked very good for a top-five position, in his own words, “perhaps second”. It turns out that the R28 suffered some kind of fuel supply issue, which meant the engine died and the Spaniard coasted off the track, jumped out of the car and held his head in his hands with bitter disappointment.

McLaren also started to show signs of pressure in Q2, with a minor problem with Kovalainen’s rear-right tyre in the pitlane. Although the Finn was hindered for a couple of seconds, the smoking brakes became a concern as the temperatures rocketed with a lack of fresh air being fed into the cooling ducts.

Lewis Hamilton also had a few moments, running wide and jiggling the MP4-23 around a fair amount. Hamilton’s final attempt left him in provisional eighth, and with an improving Timo Glock and Kazuki Nakajima, he was left in tenth. Luckily for Lewis, and it really was luck, nobody else improved.

Jarno Trulli continued his disastrous weekend and was knocked out in eleventh, the Toyota driver being joined by both Red Bulls, Jenson Button’s Honda and of course, the disconsolate Fernando Alonso.

Q3

The all important session started in earnest with only Heikki Kovalainen delaying his exit until a minute or so into the ten-minute running. Both Williams got themselves in the third stage of qualifying, this being a first for young Japanese driver Nakajima. Typically for Q3, nothing really happened until about three minutes were left on the clock and then the drivers got the hammer down and started lapping at the maximum.

It was clear from the start that the pole would be between Hamilton and Massa, and after a last-gasp improvement by the Brazilian, Hamilton couldn’t respond. Nick Heidfeld got himself into sixth, just a tenth down on Kovalainen, and Sebastian Vettel kept true to his engineer’s word and qualified in seventh for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg finished in eighth and ninth respectively.

This is the third street circuit pole position for Felipe Massa, the Ferrari driver having conquered qualifying at Monaco and Valencia previously. And with Massa’s pace from the front of the grid already known, he must be very confident ahead of tomorrow’s race.

However, Hamilton will be desperate to extend his championship lead, the gap having closed up to just one point following the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. Kimi Raikkonen is also looking a little improved and reasonably relaxed in third, and with both BMWs generally running better in the race than in qualifying, we should be in for a great race.

Let’s just hope Singapore provides better racing than it’s similarly-aged street circuit sister, Valencia.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Felipe Massa Takes His Third Street Pole Of 2008

A full report will up shortly.

Singapore 2008: Qualifying Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Qualifying Result

Hamilton’s practice one time wasn’t beaten, and the general order of running remained, with Jenson Button doing well again, Nico Rosberg keeping himself nearer the top than the bottom and Mark Webber managed to get some running in his Red Bull after his earlier incident.

However, the Red Bull teams still weren’t appearing to improve, and Jarno Trulli stayed close to the bottom of the tables but did improve by a fraction. Interestingly, Giancarlo Fisichella was lapping well in the Force India, but a gear box issue sidelined the Italian towards the end of the session.

Turkey 2008: Friday Free Practice One/Two

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Friday Afternoon Practice

Lewis Hamilton went fastest in the morning session, but both Ferraris were very close behind and Felipe Massa was within a tenth of the McLaren drivers’ time. Mark Webber could only complete four laps before breaking the front of this car at the tunnel, and Jarno Trulli decided, after spinning on the start/finish straight, to drive the wrong way up the track for a few metres so he could get into the pitlane. For this, the Italian was severly reprimanded and fined, although Trulli believes he chose the safetst option at the time.

Rubens Barrichello also claimed a special connection with the barriers, although his Honda was too badly damaged. Nico Rosberg and Nelson Piquet Jr. appeared to run well, Rosberg finishing in sixth and Piquet in nineth. Jenson Button in tenth was also a nice surprise although the Red Bull four didn’t do so well, with Sebastian Vettel in eleventh, team mate Sebastien Bourdais in fourteenth, David Coulthard in fifteenth and Webber sulking somewhere in the motorhome.

Singapore 2008: Friday Free Practice One

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Friday Morning Practice

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Qualifying Live Blog

Stepney No Longer Unemployed

Yes, Nigel Stepney has found employment with Gigawave Ltd, a company that designs and builds the cameras mounted on racing cars, including the Formula One machines. Stepney had recently stated that he didn’t want to return to Formula One with a team, and I doubt the FIA would allow him to do that anyway. He was invited to discuss with the FIA why he shouldn’t be banned from international motorsport for “a lengthy time”, but it now seems that Nigel has accepted his fate.

The position will cover all areas of Gigawave Ltd’s involvement in motorsport, including the continual development of its on-board camera systems that are used in major worldwide race series. Gigawave Ltd feels that an engineer of Nigel’s calibre and experience can only benefit the business’s future technological development. Gigawave Statement.

Let’s hope Stepney has learned his lessons from the ordeals he created and encountered in 2007.

Mosley Gets Tough On Spying

Max Mosley, the president of Formula One’s governing body the FIA, has suggested that should teams be caught spying in the future, they would face exclusion. Last year McLaren were thrown out of the constructors championship and fined $100m when it was realised they had been in possession of Ferrari data. The saga that embroiled the 2007 season just kept getting worse and worse and eventually led to McLaren publicly apologising for the scandal.

However, it took time for the FIA to get to the bottom of the issues and even though $100m sounds like a lot of money, it really isn’t too much for a leading team. It is even thought that because of the way FOM is organised, the British team didn’t have to pay the full amount. But exclusion from the title race is very costly, after all, it is why these businesses exist in the first place.

You can never stop what someone has got in his head, but we can stop the transfer of information in written or electronic form.

Next time, whoever it was, I don’t think they would stay in the championship. In the case of McLaren everybody said ‘oh, a hundred million dollars’, but the alternative would have been to exclude them – and that would have been more expensive! Max Mosley.

Interestingly, Max then goes on to say in his interview with Formula1.com that he feels the FIA handled the scandal well.

I would say that we did it the right way at each stage. When we had the first hearing on the 26th of July we were all very suspicious. We did not really believe that the only person involved was Mike Coughlan, but we had to find clear evidence and there was not sufficient evidence to convict them.

Then when we had the second hearing there was enough evidence, and although we were greatly attacked in the English press I think that any objective person would say that there was quite enough.

Then when we conducted the detailed inquiry and looked at all the emails and everything then the evidence became absolutely clear and overwhelming. But the people who didn’t want to believe it still don’t believe it. Max Mosley.

I don’t understand how Max can say the FIA got it right at each stage when they clearly should have launched a thorough investigation immediately, checking emails and phone records as part of phase one. At least this way it wouldn’t have been dragged on for months and months and may have limited the damage some more.

The punishment was odd as well, with McLaren being thrown out of the constructors, but the drivers, one of which was involved in the saga, were allowed to continue. Max suggests that this won’t happen in the future, but as usual there is an air of vagueness resting over his words. Something that is typical of Formula One is lack of foresight regarding the rules and penalties for breaking the rules. The FIA made a mountain of errors during the 2007 season and these issues were not, in my mind, resolved to a satisfactory standard. But them, I’m just a fan!

Sepang Attempts To Cut Their Electricity Bill

The Sepang circuit, situated in Malaysia and home of the Malaysian Grand Prix, has asked if their 2009 race be held at night. The idea of night-racing will come to fruition this year with the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix being held under floodlights. If successful, the late-night approach could be replicated across the other races that run in Asia and Australia.

Our target is to have the race at night next year and the same consultants (as Singapore) are doing the lighting system. Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir, Sepang Chairman.

One of the best things that will come from running the cars at night will be the fact that Europeans – Formula One’s biggest fan base – won’t have to wake up at some silly hour of the morning to watch the race live. Instead, the event will shown at a more comfortable afternoon/evening time thus potentially gaining more viewers.

At last years Malaysian Grand Prix, Bernie Ecclestone was quite critical of the Sepang circuit, saying that it hadn’t been looked after well and was getting a little tired. Perhaps running a race at night time will prevent further condemnation of the track. After, what you can’t see can’t hurt you!

Original article by BlogF1.

News Round-up: Stepney, Mosley & Malaysia

This news follows yesterdays announcement that Valencia will also stage a round of the 2008 World Championship, and Abu Dhabi will host a Grand Prix in 2009. While nothing has been said about the calendar for next year, it is already looking quite crowded. Not that a crowded calendar is a bad thing, as more races means a longer and potentially more exciting season.

I am very pleased to welcome Singapore to the Formula One family and we look forward to this exotic addition to the championship. This will be the first fully lit street race in Formula One. As a night race we anticipate it will quickly establish itself as one of the most dramatic and atmospheric races on our calendar. I know the Formula One drivers, teams and fans are all looking forward to coming to Singapore next year. Bernie Ecclestone.

The circuit will be placed in the Marina Bay area of the city, and strong lighting will be used to simulate day time conditions. The race will help the lagging viewer numbers at the fly away races. The season openers in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain get fewer viewers because of the time they are broadcast to European nations – the main audience for Formula One. With the night race though, the live viewing should be at a more comfortable afternoon slot.

We envision it [the Grand Prix] to be a national festival, and one that presents many opportunities for participation for everyone, both visitors and Singaporeans alike. Mr S Iswaran – Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

Safety will be a paramount factor, as it is with all motorsports, and many drivers have already come forward to voice their concerns over the risks involved with night races. However, racing regularly occurs in dusk conditions, with 24 hour races remaining popular with fans at Le Mans and in America.

Quite where this leaves next years calendar is anyone’s guess. Spain is confirmed as holding two races now, Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain have all got new contracts, and Turkey and China will surely hold Grands Prix. France was struck off earlier in the year, and Bernie Ecclestone has been mounting pressure on Silverstone owners, the BRDC to improve the facilities or face losing the race. San Marino will be hoping for a comeback after the facilities at Imola have been improved, and Spa will likely be retained. Monaco has an almost guarantee to hold a race, and Germany have signed a contract which sees them alternate the German event between their two big circuits.

America has only signed a deal for one more year, if my memory serves me correct, but Bernie will want to keep his foot in with the US as the market there is potentially huge for his bank balance. That leaves Britain, Canada, Hungary and Italy all possibly without a race. Of course, it is perfectly sensible to suggest that the season will be made longer, which will be welcomed by fans for sure. I cannot believe for a moment that Italy would lose a race, but Bernie has said very little about Hungary. In fact they are so quiet about their event that I don’t even know how long their contract is for.

I’m sure more details will follow in time, and the 2007 schedule was released very early last year, so hopefully the wait will not be too long.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore To Host Night Race In 2008