Fantasy Racers Valencia 2009 Update	Points Scored Team/Driver	Race Result Position	Overall Position Championship
BlogF1 Racing	501	1656th	887th
Giancarlo Fisichella	66
Jenson Button	107
Lewis Hamilton	177
Nico Rosberg	127
Sebastian Vettel	24
Budget Remaining	0
Team Finitalia	450	2450th	4291st
Giancarlo Fisichella	66
Heikki Kovalainen	137
Jarno Trulli	65
Kimi Raikkonen	147
Budget Remaining	35
Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate	413	3045th	2401st
Giancarlo Fisichella	66
Jenson Button	107
Kazuki Nakajima	56
Mark Webber	87
Robert Kubica	97
Budget Remaining	0
Blogger’s Dog Racing	515	1480th	1984th
Giancarlo Fisichella	66
Heikki Kovalainen	137
Jaime Alguersuari	61
Kazuki Nakajima	56
Nick Heidfeld	67
Nico Rosberg	127
Budget Remaining	1
Inner Pickle Racing	566	910th	1177th
Jenson Button	107
Lewis Hamilton	177
Nick Heidfeld	67
Nico Rosberg	127
Timo Glock	84
Budget Remaining	4

There really is little more to be said. Other than BF1R is in 131st in the Sidepodcast League.

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.

Valencia 2009: Fantasy Racers Update

Valencia 2009 Pitstop Strategies	Stint 1 (Start Tyre)	Stint 2 (Lap)	Stint 3 (Lap)	Stint 4 (Lap)
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen	Super Soft	Super Soft (19)	Soft (40)
Luca Badoer	Super Soft	Super Soft (29)	Soft (44)
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton	Super Soft	Super Soft (16)	Soft (37)
Heikki Kovalainen	Super Soft	Super Soft (17)	Soft (38)
BMW
Robert Kubica	Super Soft	Soft (16)	Super Soft (40)
Nick Heidfeld	Super Soft	Super Soft (23)	Soft (43)
Renault
Fernando Alonso	Soft	Soft (17)	Super Soft (42)
Romain Grosjean	Soft	Soft (1)	Super Soft (29)	Super Soft (43)
Toyota
Jarno Trulli	Soft	Super Soft (35)
Timo Glock	Soft	Soft (1)	Super Soft (33)	Super Soft? (49)*
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Jaime Alguersuari	Soft	Super Soft (23)	Super Soft (34)
Sebastien Buemi	Super Soft	Super Soft (1)	Super Soft (25)	DNF (44)
Red Bull Racing
Mark Webber	Soft	Soft (20)	Super Soft (43)
Sebastian Vettel	Soft	Soft (16)	Soft (17)	DNF (24)
Williams
Nico Rosberg	Soft	Soft (20)	Super Soft (43)
Kazuki Nakajima	Soft	Super Soft (31)	Super Soft (40)	No Tyres (57)
Force India
Adrian Sutil	Soft	Super Soft (23)	Super Soft (38)
Giancarlo Fisichella	Soft	Super Soft (32)
Brawn
Jenson Button	Soft	Soft (19)	Super Soft (42)
Rubens Barrichello	Soft	Soft (20)	Super Soft(40)

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Pitstop & Tyre Strategies

It was a bitter-sweet victory for the Brawn team though, as Jenson Button suffered a terrible weekend and went backwards from the opening lap, getting squeezed through the first corners and then being forced to relinquish his position to Mark Webber after the Briton missed the chicane and maintained a challenge from the Australian. Towards the end of the race, Button came back strong, but it simply wasn’t enough and the championship leader could only add two points to his tally.

Thankfully for Button but most disappointingly for Red Bull Racing, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel failed to score points, emphasised by the second engine failure for Vettel in two days. The Austrian squad now sit more than 25 points behind Brawn in the overall standings and their bid to take the title is slipping away very quickly. Added to this is the fact that Vettel now has only two new engines available for the final six races, two of which are hard on the power units; Spa Francorchamps and Monza.

McLaren also had a bitter-sweet weekend, relishing the highs from locking out the front row of the grid in qualifying to missing out on victory after leading for much of the race with Lewis Hamilton and falling backwards from second to fourth with Heikki Kovalianen. On an aggressive strategy which saw both drivers pit early in comparison to their rivals, it seemed as though the Brawn of Rubens Barrichello was just a little bit more competitive.

Lewis Hamilton missed out on victory after his second stop which didn’t go as planned. According to Hamilton and also to Martin Whitmarsh after the race, the team were attempting to gain an extra lap of fuel in the middle stint, and as Hamilton approached the pit entrance on his scheduled stop, the team informed him to continue for another lap. Unfortunately, Lewis was already committed to the pitlane, which came as an unexpected move for the mechanics holding the tyres. This lost Hamilton a few seconds at a time when Rubens Barrichello was setting the streets alight with very fast pace. As Hamilton exited the pitlane, the Briton was 6s behind the Brazilian and the race was over for the McLaren driver.

Ferrari had an interesting weekend and are clearly missing their star driver, Felipe Massa recovering at home after his accident in Hungary. Kimi Raikkonen grabbed a third place and well-deserved podium after a great performance, but on the other side of the garage, things didn’t go quite so well. Luca Badoer was under an enormous amount of pressure, even if it wasn’t implied by the team. To compete after a break of ten years in a car he hasn’t driven, Badoer was always going to struggle. However, it wasn’t expected that Luca would be quite as far from the pace as he was.

The Italian driver put the Ferrari in last position for the first time on merit for the Scuderia, and from there in the race, little improved. Badoer had a great start and made up six places through the opening corners, but from there he went backwards, one spin after another. His pitstop was almost a moment of comedy as well, as he thundered down the garages ahead of rookie Romain Grosjean. Luca clearly left his garage ahead of Romain, and although it was close, it wasn’t in the realm of being investigated by the stewards.

However, as Luca left the garages behind him and began to near the delimiter line, he moved right and seemingly allowed Grosjean to pass, which the Frenchman duly did. Furthermore, as Badoer rounded the pit exit, he moved the white line designating pit exit and race track and collected a drive-thru penalty.

Stefano Dominicali insists his long-term test driver will be in the car for the Belgian Grand Prix next weekend, but questions are being asked up and down the paddock, as well as across the Internet and paper publications as to why the team are allowing this.

Elsewhere in the race, Nico Rosberg put in another sterling effort and has collected another four points and still holds his head higher than Lewis Hamilton in the overall standings. Again, speculation is rife as to where the German pilot will be next year, but for 2009, Rosberg is still pushing hard and being Mr. Consistent.

On the other side of the Williams garage, Kazuki Nakajima once again proved his unlucky nature, the Japanese driver suffering a rear-left puncture. With a long lap at Valencia, it took a long while for Kazuki to return to the pitlane, and by the time he rejoined the track, he was plum last, where he remained until the final lap when Nakajima pitted. The reason for the final pitstop is yet unknown.

Robert Kubica picked up a point which to be honest is quite strange for the BMW team this year. Despite starting out the season with a competitive car, the Hinwil squad have moved backwards in terms of pace, but today Kubica drove well to collect a rather anonymous one point. That now means the Polish pilot is on par with Sebastien Buemi in the driver’s championship, a fact that says it all about his and the team’s performance this season.

Also having fairly anonymous races were the Renault pair, Fernando Alonso performing in front of his home crowd and although generally keeping himself to himself, the Spaniard did claim three points to add to his tally. Team mate Romain Grosjean did well to finish his debut grand prix, and aside from a small moment, drove well from start to finish. Grosjean’s final position was fifteenth.

The final mention has to go to Force India, who today proved that they have improved and are now comfortably ahead of Scuderia Toro Rosso in pace. During Free Practice on Friday and Saturday morning, Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella placed themselves within the top ten and although qualifying didn’t go quite as well as hoped, both drivers continued their progress in the race. Not only did both pilots get to the chequered flag, but Sutil finished in tenth and Fisichella finished in twelfth.

So now the Formula One circus heads to Belgium and the formidable Spa Francorchamps circuit, set in the Ardennes forest. The weather will surely play its usual part and with more chances of cooler temperatures, it could be the time for Red Bull to make a comeback and take some points away from Brawn. McLaren will surely be strong as well, meaning that although there are only six events to go this year, the championship is still wide open.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Barrichello Takes First Victory In Five Years

Valencia 2009 Race Results		Laps Completed	Time Race Length	Points Earned
1.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	57		10pts
2.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	57		8pts
3.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	57		6pts
4.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	57		5pts
5.	Nico Rosberg Williams	57		4pts
6.	Fernando Alonso Renault	57		3pts
7.	Jenson Button Brawn	57		2pts
8.	Robert Kubica BMW	57		1pt
9.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	57
10.	Adrian Sutil Force India	57
11.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	57
12.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	57
13.	Jarno Trulli Toyota
14.	Timo Glock Toyota	57
15.	Romain Grosjean Renault	57
16.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	57
17.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	56	+1 Lap
18.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	55	+2 Laps
19.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	44		Brake Failure
20.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	24		Engine Failure

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Race Result

• Horner still insists Vettel and Webber are racing each other, although they are separated a little at Valencia.
• Horner also thinks there will be a pace (safety) car today. Interestingly, there wasn’t last year.
• Rosberg is very polite and responded to Brundle’s “you okay” with “Yeah, I’m fine. How are you?” Which threw Brundle for a moment.
• Hamilton says he isn’t overly concerned with who wins today as long as it is a McLaren driver. Probably a little untrue – he will want to win – but as he isn’t in the hunt for the title, he is doing a little bit of team work. Lewis even talked up Heikki’s performance, suggesting he wants the Finn to remain with the team. Of course, Hamilton will want him as a team mate next year, just as Alonso wants a team mate who isn’t overly challenging.
• Brawn concerned about the tyres – he needs his drivers to control them well today as it is so hot in Valencia this afternoon.
• Brawn also said that following another car closely will upset the balance and therefore the tyres, and Brawn went on to say they will pick up pace prior to the stops to make the passes there. Kinda says a lot about the failings of the new rules and the Overtaking Working Group and the Valencia circuit.
• I always get suspicious when I see team personnel chatting to FIA personnel, in this case it was Horner and Whiting. Of course, the teams are in constant contact with race control, but I still get suspicious.
• I wonder if Badoer will race better than he qualified? I’m thinking he will pick up only a couple of places, mainly down to retirements behind him. I also think Raikkonen will lap his team mate.
• Super-soft tyres are quicker than soft, although not yet sure who is starting on what as the tyre warmers are still on.
• Track temperature – 43 degrees Celsius – hot.
• Live timing saying the track temperature is back up to 47 degrees Celsius – very hot. Hottest since Bahrain (Malaysia is usually the hottest, but it was raining/monsooning this year).
• Super soft for McLarens. Soft for Vettel, Alonso and Trulli.
• Safety car came out 4 times for support race earlier.
• Looks like Brawn, Rosberg and Grosjean also on soft.
• L1. McLarens lead.
• L1: BUT down.
• L1: TRU passes GRO.
• L1: FIS on soft.
• L1: BUT passes ALO, but ALO repasses as BUT runs wide.
• L1: GRO pits. Soft tyres.
• L1: GLO pits. Soft tyres.
• L1: BUE pits for new nose and wing. Super soft tyres.
• L2: McLarens lead by 2.5s.
• L2: GLO clipped BUE on L1 and ripped the STR wing off.
• L2: BAD spun. He had made up places, but now back to the back.
• L3: WEB’s on soft tyres.
• L4: WEB reckons BUT should be behind him due to cutting chicane.
• L4: It was touch and go, but ultimately I think they should just get on with it and race.
• L4: HEI passes SUT. Just. Also SUT on soft tyres.
• L4: WEB passes BUT unsighted. Not sure if he yielded or actually passed.
• L5: BUT and BAR are on soft tyres.
• L7: HAM 4.6s ahead of KOV.
• L7: BAR 6.5s behind HAM.
• L7: HAM, KOV, BAR, RAI, VET, ROS, ALO, WEB.
• L8: KUB started on super soft.
• L9: GRO spun. Recovered.
• L9: BUT did yield to WEB after he cut the chicane.
• L10: VET chasing RAI – he’s in the Ferrari’s dirty air.
• L12: BAR is hanging on to KOV ahead and has more fuel. He should pass the McLaren in the pitstops to improve to P2.
• L12: Talk at Valencia is that KOV is running deliberately slow to hold off BAR from HAM. However, KOV has picked pace up.
• L14: HAM improves pace ahead of first stop.
• L14: BAR told to get ready to push once KOV pits.
• L16: HAM pits – super soft. VET pits – soft. KUB pits.
• L17: VET had problem with fuel. No fuel pumped. He left but no fuel went in. Vet has to stop again
• L17: KOV pits – super soft.
• L17: ALO pits.
• L17: VET pits – soft. Lots of fuel. Stays on 2 stops.
• L18: BUT right up with WEB.
• L18: BAR fastest lap.
• L19: RAI pits. Super soft.
• L19: VET and BUT pits. Soft.
• L20: BAR pits. Stays soft.
• L20: ROS and WEB pit – soft.
• L20: BAR gets ahead of KOV.
• L21: BUT came out behind a very heavy FIS. Merc vs. Merc.
• L22: HAM, BAR, KOV, HEI (no stop), SUT (no stop), RAI, ROS, ALO
• L23: SUT pits – super soft.
• L23: HEI pits.
• L23: ALG pits.
• L23: SUT passes HEI in pits.
• L23: HAM told to lift and coast because the rear brakes are very hot.
• L24: VET engine failure. Again. VET retires. Stops by service road. That was a brand new engine on Friday.
• L25: BUE pits.
• L26: BAR’s rear brakes are also hot. KOV behind BAR is catching, slightly.
• L27: BAR 4s behind HAM.
• L28: BAR has lost 1s to HAM in past 2 laps.
• L29: BAR recovers lap time. McLaren are worried that BAR might be able to jump HAM in pits.
• L29: BAD pits. Super soft.
• L29: GRO pits. Super soft
• L29: GRO just passed BAD in pit exit. BAD left pits ahead, but moved over to let GRO pass. Then BAD clipped the white line on pit exit. Might have actually broken it. No issue yet though.
• L31: NAK pits.
• L32: FIS pits.
• L32: BUT finally released from FIS.
• L32: BAD has drive-thru penalty for crossing white line on pit exit. BAD is developing a really close relationship with the FIA this weekend.
• L33: BAR has 8 aps to close the gap to HAM to 2s. It is currently still 4s.
• L33: GLO pits. Super soft.
• L33: BAD serves drive-thru.
• L34: ALG pits.
• L34: BUT told that Mix 2 is always available if he wants to have a go at WEB ahead of him.
• L35: TRU pits.
• L35: WEB gets message that Brawn have told BUT to pass him. Comical moment.
• L36: BAD spun. Brundle thinks he maybe getting tired.
• L36: BAR lowers fastest lap.
• L37: HAM responds in S1.
• L37: HAM pits. Tyres were not ready. Soft tyres, but huge delay.
• L38: BAR smashes his own fastest lap.
• L38: KOV pits. Soft tyres.
• L38: SUT pits.
• L39: BAR lowers FL again.
• L40: NAK left rear puncture.
• L40: NAK pits. Super soft.
• L40: BAR pits. Super soft.
• L40: BAR exits ahead of HAM. BAR leads.
• L40: RAI pits.
• L40: KUB pits.
• L41: BAR is on super-soft. HAM is on soft. 16 laps to go.
• L42: BUT pits. Super soft.
• L42: ALO pits. Super soft.
• L43: GRO pits.
• L43: WEB pits. Super soft.
• L43: ROS pits. Super soft.
• L43: HEI pits.
• L43: BUT and KUB pass WEB.
• L44: BUE suffering front-left brake failure.
• L44: BAD pits.
• L44: WEB lost out to BUT due to traffic on his in-lap. BUT’s out-lap was very good.
• L45: RAI 5s ahead of KOV in P3.
• L46: RAI 1.5km/h quicker than BAD at the apex check.
• L47: BUT fastest lap. Chasing ALO.
• L49: BAR hasn’t won since China 2004, 5 years ago. BlogF1 has never covered a race victory for the Brazilian.
• L50: BAR 5.9s ahead of HAM.
• L50: HAM is catching, but it doesn’t look to be enough.
• L52: Gap down to 5.6s.
• L52: NAK suffers a puncture and crawls around the long lap to return to pits. But he’s only 10s shy of BAD, who’s in a Ferrari.
• L53: ROS consistently catching KOV.
• L55: HAM 5s shy of BAR. 3 laps left.
• L56: P15 – GRO. P16 – ALG. P17 – BAD
• L56: GLO fastest lap. 38.683s
• L57: BAR wins his first race for Brawn, his career tenth and his first in 5 years.
• L57: 1-10: BAR, HAM, RAI, KOV, ROS, ALO, BUT, KUB, WEB, SUT.
• L57: NAK pits.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Live Race Notes

Lewis Hamilton was indeed lighter than Heikki Kovalainen, which is a standard McLaren tactic. However, what is perhaps slightly surprising is that there wasn’t a lot of difference in it. Kovalainen has just one extra lap of fuel on board, indicating that until the Finn messed up his final run in Q3, he was actually setting very competitive times. Both McLaren pilots are on a similar strategy and will stop around the lap 16 mark.

Brawn too are opting for a same strategy for both drivers, with Jenson Button taking the lighter of the two. Unfortunately for the Briton, team mate Rubens Barrichello out-qualified him on a heavy fuel load, suggesting Button was not as keyed-in to Valencia on Saturday than the Brazilian. Both will stay out longer than the McLarens, which means that if they can keep up with the silver cars for the opening stint, they look good for a decent result. If the KERS-enabled MP4-24s power away though, it will be over relatively quickly.

Red Bull Racing have split their strategies slightly, with Sebastian Vettel stopping around the same time as the McLarens, and Mark Webber stopping around the same time as the Brawns. It is interesting to compare the cars of Vettel and Hamilton, as each had similar fuel loads, but the RB5 was 0.3s slower, proving just how much the McLaren team have improved their car.

The lightest drivers on the grid are Hamilton and Vettel, and Robert Kubica has opted for a fairly aggressive strategy as well, aiming for lap 18 for his first stop. The heaviest cars out there on race morning will be Jarno Trulli, who can theoretically go until lap 37 before stopping, and Kazuki Nakajima who can last until lap 35. Toyota aren’t afraid of running ridiculously long into stints, and while sometimes it works, it doesn’t always prove successful. Although as Trulli qualified in P18, I guess there’s no harm in trying something a little radical.

Valencia 2009 Post-Qualifying Car Weights		Car Weight Kilograms	Fuel Weight Kilograms	First Stop Estimated Lap
1.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	653	42.7	16
2.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	655	44.7	17
3.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	662.5	52.2	20
4.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	654	43.7	16
5.	Jenson Button Brawn	661.5	51.2	19
6.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	661.5	51.2	19
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	665	54.7	21
8.	Fernando Alonso Renault	656.5	49.5	19
9.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	664.5	54.2	20
10.	Robert Kubica BMW	657.5	47.2	18
11.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	677	66.7	25
12.	Adrian Sutil Force India	672.5	62.2	23
13.	Timo Glock Toyota	694.7	84.4	32
14.	Romain Grosjean Renault	677.7	67.4	25
15.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	688.5	78.2	29
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	692.5	82.2	31
17.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	702	91.7	35
18.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	707.3	97	37
19.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	678.5	68.2	26
20.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	690.5	80.2	30

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights

Valencia 2009: The Grid Inclusive of penalties given.
1		Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m39.498s
			Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1m39.532s		2
3		Rubens Barrichello Brawn 1m39.563s
			Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m39.789s		4
5		Jenson Button Brawn 1m39.821s
			Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m40.144s		6
7		Nico Rosberg Williams 1m40.185s
			Fernando Alonso Renault 1m40.236s		8
9		Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m40.239s
			Robert Kubica BMW 1m40.512s		10
11		Nick Heidfeld BMW 1m38.826s
			Adrian Sutil Force India 1m38.846s		12
13		Timo Glock Toyota 1m38.991s
			Romain Grosjean Renault 1m39.040s		14
15		Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m39.514s
			Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m39.531s		16
17		Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1m39.795s
			Jarno Trulli Toyota 1m39.807s		18
19		Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m39.925s
			Luca Badoer Ferrari 1m41.413s		20

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: The Grid

Valencia 2009 Qualifying Results		Q1 20 minutes	Q2 15 minutes	Q3 10 minutes
1.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m38.649s	1m38.182s	1m39.498s
2.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m38.816s	1m38.230s	1m39.532s
3.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m39.019s	1m38.076s	1m39.563s
4.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m39.295s	1m38.273s	1m39.789s
5.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m38.531s	1m38.601s	1m39.821s
6.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m38.843s	1m38.782s	1m40.144s
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m39.039s	1m38.346s	1m40.185s
8.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m39.155s	1m38.717s	1m40.236s
9.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m38.983s	1m38.625s	1m40.239s
10.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m38.806s	1m38.747s	1m40.512s
11.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m39.032s	1m38.826s
12.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m39.145s	1m38.846s
13.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m39.459s	1m38.991s
14.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m39.322s	1m39.040s
15.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m38.912s	1m39.514s
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m39.531s
17.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m39.795s
18.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m39.807s
19.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m39.925s
20.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	1m41.413s

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Qualifying Result

Q1

• Have BMW always had a shark fin engine cover?
• The answer is no, it is a new part.
• Will Alonso take a corporate pole, or does he actually have decent pace anyway. Remember, he did well in Germany, taken the pole position and ran his race well until the wheel came off.
• Force India might be able to get through to Q3 as well with one of their drivers; they look pacey having been in the top ten in Friday practice and SUT headed Saturday morning practice.
• Also, we might see Massa’s lap record from last year broken. SUT set a 39.143s this morning, and the record is 38.989s.
• BAD (softer compound) and BUE on track. Smedley implies that BAD’s pace is as bad as it looks. Hehe, bad BAD.
• BAD: 42.957s.
• SUT: 41.222s.
• ALG: 41.444s
• NAK: 40.339s
• BUE: 40.203s
• KOV: 39.997s
• GRO ran wide after looking front brakes.
• RAI: 39.718s
• HAM: Spun after braking on the kerb. Recovered.
• KOV: 39.562s
• BUT yet to set lap.
• VET P2, WEB P6.
• ROS: 39.416s
• FIS: P2, 39.531s
• BUT: P8
• HAM: 39.198s
• BAR: 39.019s
• BUT: P12
• KOV: P2, HAM: P3
• SUT: P5, FIS: P6
• HAM: 38.649s (that’s a new record)
• ALO: P8
• GRO: P4
• WEB, ALG, GLO, TRU, BAD in dropzone at moment.
• BAD is 0.9s slower that TRU.
• NAK off track. Engine cut out. Qualifying over.
• WEB: Back-end of car not happy. 39.408s, P5
• BUT: 39.088s, P4
• BUE: P3
• RAI: P3
• KUB: P2
• KOV: P3
• BUT: 38.531, P1
• BAD, ALG, TRU, NAK, FIS out.
• All 3 Italian drivers out in Q1.

Q2

• RAI first out in Q2.
• RAI: 38.823s
• BAR: 38.645s
• BUT: 38.601s
• KOV: 38.579s
• VET: P3
• ROS: 38.541s
• BAR: 38.231s
• HAM: 38.182s
• WEB: 38.625s – P6
• GRO: P14
• HAM: Complaining of rear tyres overheating by S2 on the lap.
• ALO: 38.853s – P11
• GRO: 39.040s – P12
• WEB ruined lap. Backed off to save tyres for second run.
• RAI: 38.782s – P8
• HAM does not go again.
• SUT: P14
• BAR: 38.581s – No improvement.
• VET: P3
• ALO and GRO still in dropzone.
• BAR: 38/076s – P1
• ALO: 38.717s – P8
• GRO – out
• BUE, GRO, GLO, SUT, HEI out.

Q3

• The BBC reckon this is the first time a Ferrari has ever qualified last. Absolute last. Plum last. Awaiting confirmation, and if it doesn’t come I will look into it later this evening. But if correct, that is astonishing.
• KUB, KOV, RAI and ROS on track. KOV waited at end of pitlane, possibly for green light. KUB overtook and exited pitlane first.
• HAM and ALO are out.
• VET leaves garage.
• KOV looks to be heavy on fuel, as usual.
• HAM: 39.498s
• HAM ran to deep into T1 after setting quick lap.
• BUT: Locked up a bit. 39.905s – P2
• RAI: P3
• ALO: P4
• HAM remained on track for another run. But now he’s out of sequence and will only just get another run in.
• HAM pitted for new tyres. Released with 2:07 on the clock for a final run.
• BAR: 39.563s
• KUB: 40.719s
• WEB: P4
• KOV: P2
• ROS: P5
• VET: P4
• RAI: P8
• ALO: P7
• KOV: Purple S1.
• BUT: P5
• KOV: Purple S2
• KOV: P2. Blew it in last 2 corners.
• RAI: P6
• HAM: Aborts lap. Already on pole.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Live Qualifying Notes

It was Alonso’s third attempt at posting a leading time that caused the biggest upset of the day though, as although the Spaniard had returned his Renault to the top, Fernando was still going for it. Heading into the final corner, Alonso dived up the inside of Nick Heidfeld and the pair collided, the BMW being pitched up into the air.

Both drivers limped back to the pitlane and after the R29 had received a new nose and front wing assembly, it was back out on the track. The final lap of Alonso lowered the target to the sub 100s for the first time this weekend, and the time remained until the clocked ticked down to zero. Not content with his already enthralling display, Alonso threw in a spin for good measure as well, but only after improving his fastest time further in the first two sectors.

Once again, Brawn appear to have found good pace and just as they were in the pre-lunch session, both pilots were near the top of the table, this time with Jenson Button ahead in P2. Williams also ran well in the second stint, Nico Rosberg managing P4 and team mate Kazuki Nakajima P5. Adrian Sutil again pleased by placing his Force India well inside the top ten and in P6, this time backed up by team mate Giancarlo Fisichella in P8.

The Red Bulls didn’t look quite so sharp in the afternoon run with Sebastian Vettel only getting himself in P9 and Mark Webber trailing in P14. McLaren too slipped backwards, with Heikki Kovalainen finishing his Friday in P10 and Lewis Hamilton in P20. The Briton only completed 3 laps before clipping a barrier and damaging his car. The team decided to call it an early day and started a pre-qualifying rebuild.

Romain Grosjean impressed with a P13 lap time that was 1.4s shy of Alonso’s leading pace. Luca Badoer also improved, setting a time worthy of P18 and 1.3s off his team mate’s benchmark pace. Jaime Alguersuari completed his day’s work 0.072s behind the trailing Ferrari and only ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Valencia 2009 Friday Free Practice Two		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m39.404s	33 Laps
2.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m40.178s	33 Laps
3.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m40.209s	34 Laps
4.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m40.385s	39 Laps
5.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m40.503s	35 Laps
6.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m40.596s	23 Laps
7.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m40.643s	34 Laps
8.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m40.681s	31 Laps
9.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m40.723s	33 Laps
10.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m40.738s	31 Laps
11.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m40.739s	39 Laps
12.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m40.770s	32 Laps
13.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m40.787s	35 Laps
14.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m40.956s	37 Laps
15.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m40.985s	30 Laps
16.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m41.156s	34 Laps
17.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m41.350s	29 Laps
18.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	1m42.017s	37 Laps
19.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m42.089s	34 Laps
20.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m43.214s	3 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Friday Practice Two

The European Grand Prix will see one new driver debut and another returning to the cockpit on a race weekend after ten years away from the limelight. Renault have chosen to replace Nelson Piquet Jr with French pilot Romain Grosjean. The returnee is Luca Badoer, the Italian substituting Felipe Massa in the Ferrari while the Brazilian recuperates away from the race track. Grosjean completed his first session in a Formula One car in P17, 1s shy of Fernando Alonso’s pace. Luca Badoer fared less well and finished the morning’s running in P20, some 2.5s shy of Kimi Raikkonen’s benchmark.

Both Scuderia Toro Rosso pilots did well before breaking for lunch, with Sebastien Buemi managing to haul his STR4 into P11 and Spanish rookie Jaime Alguersuari not too far behind in P13. Conversely, the Toyotas didn’t do so well, with Jarno Trulli back in P18 and team mate Timo Glock just a tenth slower in P19.

Valencia 2009 Friday Free Practice One		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m42.460s	19 Laps
2.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m42.636s	16 Laps
3.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m42.654s	18 Laps
4.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m43.074s	19 Laps
5.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m43.088s	17 Laps
6.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m43.209s	13 Laps
7.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m43.225s	25 Laps
8.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m43.243s	19 Laps
9.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m43.345s	18 Laps
10.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m43.384s	23 Laps
11.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m43.389s	30 Laps
12.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m43.419s	20 Laps
13.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m43.637s	30 Laps
14.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m43.746s	22 Laps
15.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m44.040s	23 Laps
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m44.126s	17 Laps
17.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m44.356s	23 Laps
18.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m44.638s	26 Laps
19.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m44.732s	28 Laps
20.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	1m45.840s	25 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Friday Practice One

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

The start caused a little confusion with the pole-sitter side being changed. It seems as though the circuit officials and drivers couldn’t decide on which side of the track the pole position should be, the racing line pretty much going down the middle of the track. With dust covering just about everywhere except the racing line, the grid was shifted around prior to the cars taking to the grid.

As the lights went out Massa pulled away from his grid slot well and entered the first corner in the lead. Behind the Ferrari though was Lewis Hamilton, and the McLaren driver came under threat from the fast starting BMW of Robert Kubica. Hamilton managed to maintain his position but it looked pretty dicey at times. Nearly all cars managed to avoid incident on the first lap; the only coming together was between Fernando Alonso and Kazuki Nakajima.

The Spanish driver was ahead of the Williams, but as Alonso lifted to avoid contacting the car ahead of him, Nakajima was caught off-guard and slammed into the back of the Renault. Kazuki lost his front wing and Fernando his rear. Both drivers pitted and Fernando was wheeled into his garage. The mechanics attempted to fix the R28, but a lap later Alonso had vacated the car.

The first stint saw little overtaking or incident; Kovalainen passed Raikkonen at the start and the only other eyebrow rasing moment centred around David Coulthard making a lunge-tastic™ (credit: Keith Collantine, F1Fanatic) move on the Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella. Coulthard came from quite far back as he attempted to pass the Italian on the inside. The pair made contact and Coulthard was sent onto the run-off area pointing the wrong way.

Robert Kubica also had a fairly eventful first stint, being forced to slow slightly due to debris collecting on his bargeboard. What looked like a plastic bag had got caught up with the aerodynamic parts that cover the area in front of the sidepod and effected the handling of Kubica’s BMW. It isn’t clear if the debris detached itself of its own accord or if it was removed during the Pole’s first stop, but soon enough Kubica was back up to race pace.

The first round of pitstops saw smiles from McLaren as Felipe Massa came in on lap 15, ahead of second-placed driver Lewis Hamilton. McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh took the opportunity to smile, knowing that his driver was heavier with fuel during qualifying and now in a good position to get ahead of Ferrari. When Hamilton came in for his stop, he was stationary for less time than his rival, but the Briton couldn’t get pass Massa and fed back in behind the Ferrari.

The middle stint of the race highlighted the problem Formula One has with the cars. Almost no overtaking happened during the European Grand Prix and the field was spread out around the long 5.44km track. Although the port circuit in Valencia looks magnificent and has some interesting corners, certainly one or two that could be used for passing moves, today proved that the cars simply cannot get close enough to make a pass stick.

It was in the second part of the race that Massa really got the hammer down and posted lap records that were 0.7s faster than the McLaren of Hamilton. Further back, the gaps between the drivers were yo-yoing but ultimately, remaining about the same over the course of the stint. Kimi Raikkonen was tucked up behind Heikki Kovalainen and although the world champion looked faster, Kimi simply could not dispense the McLaren.

Further down the field and Sebastian Vettel was having a great race, and Force India looked okay with Giancarlo Fisichella keeping pace with the woeful Hondas and staying ahead of the recovering Nakajima and despondent Coulthard. Timo Glock ran a one-stop strategy which worked out well for the German; qualified thirteenth, finished in seventh. Nico Rosberg too was having an enjoyable afternoon, and although he lost the bridge on his front wing, managed to bring home the FW30 in eighth, collecting a much-needed point for Williams. After last year when both Rosberg and Alex Wurz finished well in races with damaged cars, perhaps losing all the winglets next year will be an advantage for Team Willy.

The second round of stops is where Ferrari looked to fall apart though. Both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were involved in incidents, and Massa’s pitstop calamity could change the result of the race. The controversy came as Massa left his pitbox after his second stop, driving into the path of Force India driver Adrian Sutil. It seems that Ferrari and Force India have a close relationship; the former supplying engines to the latter and Kimi Raikkonen using Sutil as a brake in Monaco earlier in the year.

The incident, which hampered both drivers, has resulted in a steward’s investigation, the result of which will not be known until later today. Instead of making a judgement during the race, it seems as though the stewards will want to review more evidence, speak to the teams and drivers and then make a decision. While it is good to get all the facts before deciding, it does mean that the result could change – not so good for the fans.

Kimi’s incident came a few laps later when he entered the pitlane for new tyres and a glug of fuel. It would appear that the Finnish world champion left his box earlier than expected and the refueller was still attached to the car. As the employee was pulled down to the floor they took a hefty knock from Raikkonen’s rear-right wheel. Although little has since been said about possible injuries, it seems as though the refueller is okay and is undergoing precautionary checks at the hospital.

These pitlane blunders will almost certainly call into question the system Ferrari are using. Instead of having a lollipop man release the car when all is ready, the Maranello-squad now use a lighting system that is positioned on a gantry above the drivers head. As each part of the pit stop is completed, the system is made aware and once the fuel nozzle comes out, the red light changes to amber, and then to green when the car can be safely released back into the pitlane. The replays clearly show Raikkonen leaving the box before the green light came on, but also of note is that the amber light was shown while the fuel nozzle was still attached to the car.

I’m not going to say I’m an expert on this system, because clearly I am not, but the fact that there are two questions, one relating to the driver and one relating to the system itself, proves that maybe Ferrari should have practiced with it some more.

Raikkonen’s incident proved moot in terms of results anyway, as his Ferrari V8 expired at the end of his out-lap. In a large plume of smoke Raikkonen pulled his F2008 over the side of the track and made his way back to the pitlane on foot. Ferrari appear to have some demons in their engines at the moment, Felipe Massa suffering a failure during the Hungarian Grand Prix three weeks ago.

All in all, Valencia gave us a relatively boring race. All but three competitors finished but we saw little overtaking, little excitement, but a fair amount of drama. Massa’s dominant win, should he keep it, puts him just six points behind Lewis Hamilton in the championship, and more importantly perhaps for the team, Felipe is now seven points ahead of his team mate. More of a worry to Raikkonen though is Robert Kubica, who sits on 55 points, just two behind the Finn.

The constructors campaign is also looking healthy, with Ferrari still leading on 121 points, but McLaren not far behind on 113 and BMW with 96. With six races still to run this year’s championships are going to go on and on, possibly down to the wire in Brazil. Obviously, this is good for the sport and good for the fans.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: Massa Wins Under Cloud Of Controversy

Valencia 2008: Race Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: Race Result

Copyright © xpb.com/Motorsport.com.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: Live Blog

The stewards spoke to both drivers after the incident and despite pleas from Heidfeld, citing his moment with Sebastien Bourdais in Hungary three weeks ago as a similar altercation that led to the French driver receiving a five grid-slot penalty. However, the stewards feel no action should be taken on Glock and the matter has been dropped.

The Stewards after hearing the explanation of both the competitors representatives and the drivers decided that the incident requires no further action. Steward’s Statement.

I didn’t get to watch qualifying so I cannot comment as I usually do and offer opinion. However, if you did see the incident, feel free to say if the stewards are right, or if Heidfeld has been hard-done by.

Original article by BlogF1.

Glock Gets Heidfeld’s Finger, But Escapes Penalty

Q1

The first twenty-minute session saw some of the most interesting times as Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli both ran well at the top of the timing of sheet. Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa also looked fast from the word go and Raikkonen was clearly not entirely happy with his car. Although the Finn was able to start the lap well on most occasions, by the time he came back around to cross the timing beacon, he was down in the overall standings.

As expected, both Force Indias were knocked out in the first part of qualifying, despite having praised the progress they have made with the aerodynamics and seamless-shift gear box. Adrian Sutil ended up in twentieth, Giancarlo Fisichella in eighteenth. Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button were also both knocked out, the Brazilian splitting the Force Indias in nineteenth and Button going marginally better in sixteenth. David Coulthard was the final driver to bow out early.

Q2

The middle part of qualifying started out busy. During the final few minutes of Q1 and for part of the five minute break and smattering of rain had fallen over the port circuit and many drivers went out early to get a lap in. Fortunately for the drivers, the rain resisted and it didn’t have too much of an affect on the times. And after the big names had set their initial times, it was once again the time for Vettel and Trulli to show their pace and the pair went up to the top of the timing sheets.

In the final few minutes Nick Heidfeld hauled himself out of the drop-zone and went into a slightly surprising third. However, Vettel was still at the top and Felipe Massa was in second. Nick Heidfeld’s impressive run though pushed local hero Fernando Alonso down to eleventh (before going further down to twelfth), and despite the cries of desperation from the fans lining the track, Alonso was out.

Q3

The surprise of Q3 was seeing both Scuderia Toro Rossos in the top ten. Sebastian Vettel has been here before, but Sebastien Bourdais joined his team mate this time and although he was expected to get no higher than tenth, the fact that the team have slaughtered Red Bull, well, it’s a strong statement, isn’t it. And with Trulli performing well for Toyota again and Nico Rosberg finding a sweet spot in his FW30, the qualifying finale was set up well.

Initially Lewis Hamilton went fastest but Felipe Massa was hot on his heels. Robert Kubica managed a good last-gasp lap and got himself out of trouble and into third. The final run saw Massa comfortably fastest and half-a-second up on his team mate. Vettel did well to get into sixth, just behind Heikki Kovalainen and Nico Rosberg just squeezed ahead of Bourdais in nineth.

It looks as though Massa could be about to another one of those commanding races, and although the Brazilian does have his moments sometimes, one cannot question his abilities at the moment. Lewis Hamilton will want to claw back some momentum though and he will be desperate to get past the Ferrari as soon as he can. Behind the leading duo Kimi Raikkonen will need to demote Kubica as soon as he can, but as we’ve seen in recent races, it isn’t always as easy as that.

BlogF1 will be taking part in the Live Blog tomorrow so please do come along and contribute to the lively chat as the European Grand Prix unfolds before us. I will put up the usual Live Blog post later this evening.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: Massa Captures Valencia’s Maiden Pole

Valencia 2008: Qualifying Results

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: Qualifying Result

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: First Photos

Felipe Massa pushed the McLaren duo down to fifth and sixth while the Force Indias showed improvements with their seamless shift gear box. Giancarlo Fisichella went tenth while team mate Adrian Sutil managed seventeenth. And although Honda were looking fine with Button near the top, Rubens Barrichello ended Friday at the very bottom of the timing sheets. The circuit did improve further with laptimes improving by about a second, but rain this evening in Valencia could undo all the hard work by washing away the rubber that has been laid down.

Tomorrow’s qualifying reports will be late as I am away for the afternoon, but Saturday’s running should prove to be very exciting and I will post all the details in the late evening.

Valencia 2008: Friday Free Practice Two

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: Friday Afternoon Practice

Vettel’s lap was compounded by his team mate, Sebastien Bourdais, who finished in fourth before breaking for lunch. Felipe Massa had to settle for second while Kimi Raikkonen was back in seventh. McLaren are looking good at the moment with both drivers doing well throughout the 90 minute session. In the end Lewis Hamilton was third and Kovalainen ended his morning in fifth.

Part of the reason for the slightly tumultuous times was the circuit; during the running this morning the track surface was particularly dusty. This meant that as the cars ran around, the surface started to clean and the times started to tumble. In fact, the lap times improved by nine seconds and are expected to improve even further after lunch.

Valencia 2008: Friday Free Practice One

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2008: Friday Morning Practice

Moog have been around since the early-fifties, and although simulators aren’t what they are especially known for, the company has a strong background in building aircraft, spacecraft, military weapon and missile controls. In their long history, Moog have worked on the B-2 Bomber, the Voyager space probes as well as four other spacecraft and their simulator work has been used to create a ride at Universal Studios.

With the Formula One circus about to descend on Valencia in Spain for the first time at the street circuit, much talk has been made about how the drivers are preparing for the challenge. For McLaren, their simulator will have been used extensively, I would imagine, as would others owned by the more well-funded teams. However, despite all the hype surrounding new technology and new tracks, Ferrari-driver Kimi Raikkonen didn’t seem too bothered about his team’s latest investment.

To be honest, that’s something I don’t like. I’ve always been able to get to know a new race track very fast. Kimi Raikkonen.

The reigning world champion is confident he can master Valencia, and his quote reminds me of when Albert Park first arrived in Formula One back in 1996. At the time the closest a driver really got to a simulator was the Sony Playstation, but I believe it was Damon Hill who said that most drivers can easily learn a new circuit within 9 or 10 laps. So while the simulator may not prove too valuable for the drivers, it will help the squads run through mock races to better understand their pit strategies.

Original article by BlogF1.

Ferrari & Moog Join Forces

It was a Red Bull sandwich at the end of the day with Massa and Badoer surrounding Mark Webber who finished his day in second. Webber’s competitive time was compounded by team mate David Coulthard who ended up third just 0.4s shy of the Australian. Also taking part today despite the weather was Renault, running both 2008 drivers with Fernando Alonso winding up fifth after 28 laps. Nelson Piquet Jr only completed an installation in the R28 and therefore didn’t set a lap time.

Williams fielded three drivers today, both racers and albeit briefly, test driver Nico Hulkenberg. Nico Rosberg took advantage of the poor weather to practice pit stops, completing 20 during the day and also setting the sixth fastest lap. Kazuki Nakajima also went out in the new FW30 but only managed tenth fastest. Although Kazuki also practiced pitstops ahead of the new season start in March. Nico Hulkenberg shook down a newly constructed chassis as thus only completed one lap.

The biggest moment of the day fell on Timo Glock’s shoulders as the German brushed the barriers at the first corner and spun off. The red flag was shown but his Toyota was largely undamaged. Timo exclaimed that the morning’s running was disappointing as it was essentially useless, but the afternoon running proved more productive with Glock running heavy wet and standard wet tyres.

McLaren once again chose no to run, deeming the weather too poor for to gain anything from and instead deciding to save their mileage.

BMW were testing at Valencia as well, proving to be a wiser move than those at Barcelona. Although the circuit was wet in the morning it did dry out during the day, unlike Circuit de Catalunya which remained damp throughout the afternoon. The number of laps speak for themselves in comparison as Nick Heidfeld completed 136 laps and Robert Kubica 121. Kubica outpaced Heidfeld by 0.7s but of course the times are relatively meaningless as there was no control or comparison. BMW will continue tomorrow.

Original article by BlogF1.

Barcelona Test Day Two: Massa Returns Ferrari To The Top

BMW showed some improvement over their slightly off form with Robert Kubica posting the sixth fastest time, although Nick Heidfeld could only manage ninth in the F107. Both Scuderia Toro Rosso’s did well again, Sebastian Vettel going eighth behind Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Sebastien Bourdais popped his modified STR2 into twelfth.

Mark Webber drove the new Red Bull today but only got as high as thirteenth, remaining behind the Toro Rosso’s, after the RBR4’s monocoque was damaged from a knock with a kerb. The Australian couldn’t continue in a damaged car and only completed fifteen laps. A bit further down the pitlane Giancarlo Fisichella was busy in the Force India garage. The Italian toured the circuit 98 times on his way to tenth, outpacing the Renault of Nelson Piquet Jr and both Hondas.

Valencia Times Day Four

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia Test Day Four: Raikkonen Pips Kovalainen

Last season the team ran with vertical wings on the front of the F1.07 for a short while, but the FIA quickly banned them saying that they could inhibit vision for the driver. Now though, while the nose does have vertical wings sprouting out the sides of the nose, they are angled better, mimicking the horns on either side of the top air intake. Whether it works or not is almost irrelevant when the makes car look awful.

Photographs Of The Remodelled F1.08

Original article by BlogF1.

BMW Give F108 A Nose Job

It is going to be tough season for the Japanese team as they will need to play catch up with the others ahead of them, but this winter has seen some big changes at Brackley, most notably the placing of Ross Brawn in the team boss role. But the car needs to be a dramatic improvement if they are to be able to compete with Renault and BMW for the remainder of the points.

We will have our ups and downs and over a long season; that is inevitable. But I don’t see any reason why we cannot get back to where we were at the end of 2006. We obviously don’t know where other people are, but I don’t think it is unreasonable to presume that during the course of 2008 we will be able to get back to where we were in 2006 – which is going to races with full confidence that we can score points. Nick Fry.

The RA108 will run for the rest of the week at Valencia and will be officially launched in it’s 2008 livery on January 31st at the team’s HQ in Brackley.

Photographs Of The RA108

Original article by BlogF1.

Honda RA108: Roll Out At Valencia

Renault sent Fernando Alonso drive the new R28 car into sixth and Williams had a productive day with Kazuki Nakajima going seventh in the FW29, lapping 0.6s slower than the new car. Toyota were present with both race drivers and two TF108 chassis. Jarno Trulli managed to get into twelfth and Timo Glock in fourteenth.

I am pretty happy with what we have achieved but we know there is still room for improvement so we will continue to work hard. We did quite a lot of laps today which was the plan and it was good to see the new car continues to be reliable. Jarno Trulli.

Sebastian Vettel ran the car that will start the 2008 season, although it isn’t a new car rather than an updated STR2. Vettel finished in eighth and team mate Sebastien Bourdais ended his day in tenth. Red Bull were represented by David Coulthard in the new RBR4 and BMW sent Nick Heidfeld in the new F108 and Marko Asmer in the F107. Force India turned up with Vitantonio Liuzzi and Alex Wurz debuted in the white Honda, running the old car while he gets used to the team.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia Test Day Two: Ferrari Dominate

The new Renault doesn’t look too different to last years, although like most others now sports a bridge front wing arcing over the tip of the nose. Alonso prefers a simple car that he can drive easily, a method he used to good effect last season with the McLaren MP4-22.

The 2008 challenger will be launched at the end of the month on 31st January, but will continue to run at Valencia this week as the team test and further develop various components.

More information and photos to follow.

Original article by BlogF1.

Renault R28: First Sight With Alonso Driving

Nico Hulkenberg, the teams new test driver, cruised out on to the cold Spanish tarmac and completed one installation lap in the new FW30 before the circuit was closed by the clerk. The fog had descended and visibility was dangerously low. It is expected to clear for this afternoon when Williams will run again, but for now, Sir Frank’s shiny new motor rest silently on its jacks.

The team are also running the second of the commemorative liveries today, celebrating some landmark moments that should be achieved this year, most notably the teams thirtieth season in the sport. The liveries are very retro in look, heralding the days when Williams were leading the field with the all powerful Fords and Renaults bolted to the back of the wonderful sculptured chassis. This particular fashion is meant as a hank you to all the Williams staff and supporters, with a message to that effect emblazoned on the rear wing end panels.

I for one sincerely hope Williams chose the dark blue over the white and keep with this beautiful colour scheme. And aside from that wish, there is very little else to say about this launch. The others so far have taken up two or three posts, but the Grove team barely manage a handful of paragraphs from me. More information on the FW30 will become known soon, and its performance will be analysed against the others this week as they complete the test at Valencia.

Original article by BlogF1.

Williams FW30: Launch & Photos

Well, Bernie Ecclestone is a wise businessman. Although he’s no spring-chicken at the grand age of 76, he is still quick to realise the potential of an emerging market to which he can push Formula One in. The diminutive Brit has been in talks recently with Francisco Camps, the President of the local government which controls Valencia, and according to Pitpass, an announcement will be made on Wednesday regarding a new Grand Prix in the city for 2008.

Valencia has seen a lot of redevelopment in recent years, and the America’s Cup yacht regatta is due to descend on the shores of the city later this year. The port area in Valencia has welcomed $2.7 billion of investment, and now, it seems, they want Formula One. The circuit would be based on closed roads, much like Monaco, and and would help to feed the popularity of motor racing in the country. Whether or not Spain would now be holding two races remains unclear, and it should be pointed out that this news is entirely speculative. However, should it be true, Spain could alternate between to the circuits, just as Germany are currently doing with the Nurburg and Hockenheim rings. Having said that, Formula One does have a history of allowing a country to host two rounds of the championship, Italy and Germany being two in recent memory, albeit disguised as San Marino and European Grands Prix respectively. Recent trends do suggest that Ecclestone is keen to introduce more new venues for the championship, and with the Barcelona circuit being a relatively uneventful race, it is more likely that the circuit will be dropped or forced to alternate.

Obviously more will be known on Wednesday when the announcement is expected (or not).

This news item has since been made official at a press conference where Bernie Ecclestone and Francisco Camps were present. The Grand Prix is dependent on Camps retaining his seat in the upcoming elections, and the race will not be shared with Catalunya. This means Spain will host two rounds of the championship next year and Valencia will be titled the European Grand Prix.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia Grand Prix Set To Go?