[funkdoctorspock]

Crap!!!

Massa won

Ferrari dominated the French GP, although I though Kimi should have been black flagged for the broken exhaust.

Some excellent passing and a decent race to say the least!

[Mark]

Massa romps to French win

Brazilian takes Championship lead after third victory of season

Ferrari's Felipe Massa has won the French Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Toyota's Jarno Trulli.


McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen finished fourth ahead of BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica and Red Bull's Mark Webber.

Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. finished seventh ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Meanwhile, after starting 13th on the grid, Lewis Hamilton finished in 10th place, the McLaren driver's attempt to come through the field hampered by a drive through penalty.

However, Hamilton was not the only driver whose afternoon at Magny-Cours was compromised: although Massa took the chequered flag some 18.7 seconds ahead of Raikkonen, the defending World Champion had led comfortably until suffering a fractured exhaust pipe midway through the race.

Nevertheless, he still finished second and claimed eight valuable Championship points - the 18-second gap he in turn had over Trulli demonstrating Ferrari's advantage over their rivals.

That much was evident from the lights, with polesitter Raikkonen leading Massa off the line, Trulli assuming third place and Kubica - for a few corners at least - getting ahead of Alonso.

Having both straightlined the quick Imola chicane to pass Sebasatian Vettel's Toro Rosso and also clipped the back of team-mate Kovalainen, Hamilton was up to 10th at the end of lap one.

He then passed the heavily-fuelled sister McLaren into the Adelaide Hairpin on lap five with lap seven seeing Hamilton duelling with former GP2 adversary Piquet over eighth place.


Penalty


However, his progress was frustrated by the Renault, with lap 13 seeing his earlier raciness - specifically the move on Vettel - catching up with him in the form of a drive through penalty.

Hamilton pitted immediately and rejoined where he started - almost 46 seconds behind race leader Raikkonen.

Alonso became the first of the frontrunners to stop on lap 16, rejoining in 12th. The Spaniard then fell back a place three laps later when Hamilton passed him - McLaren touching Renault in the process.

But Hamilton was soon moving backwards once more, his opening fuel stop coming one lap later and seeing him drop back to 18th place and, briefly, one lap behind.

Holding a 4.3-second lead, Raikkonen stopped on lap 22 and retook first place when Massa - who shook his fist at Hamilton when trying to pass the McLaren at the Imola chicane - made his first stop two laps later.

Trulli reclaimed third place when Red Bull's David Coulthard stopped on lap 27 with Vettel and Nick Heidfeld respectively up to fourth and sixth places prior to their first stops on lap 30.

Raikkonen now led Massa by 6.6 seconds, the latter having pulled some 26 seconds clear of Trulli who, in turn, led Kubica, Alonso, Webber, Kovalainen and Piquet.

However, the halfway stage of the race suddenly saw Massa halve the gap to his team-mate - Raikkonen lapping one second per lap slower - with the gap coming down to 1.7 seconds by lap 37.

With Raikkonen's engine down on power because of a broken exhaust, Massa took the lead at the Adelaide Hairpin on lap 39. The question now was whether, with 30 laps to run, the World Champion could bring the car home in the points.

His cause was helped by the 25-odd second lead he held over Trulli. Meanwhile, from fifth place, Alonso also became the first driver to make his second stop on lap 43.

Once more, he dropped back to 12th and, once more, he found himself fending off Hamilton, who made his second pass of the afternoon at the Adelaide Hairpin on lap 48.

He then climbed to 10th after Vettel and Heidfeld again pitted in tandem on lap 50, with third-placed Trulli making his second stop on lap 52.


Handicap


Despite his handicap, Raikkonen had stabilised and was lapping on a par with the lead Toyota - rejoining comfortably ahead of Trulli after his own second stop on lap 53.

Race leader Massa made his second stop with 16 laps remaining - Hamilton by now down in 12th and lapped by the Ferrari having made his own final stop.

But Kovalainen was, at last, having a strong afternoon, the Finn climbing to fourth place ahead of Kubica after both had pitted.

Massa was now leading Raikkonen by 14.6 seconds, the second Ferrari in turn over 18 seconds ahead of Trulli. With light rain briefly falling, Kovalainen and Kubica then closed right up to the Toyota.

The gap between the three was now visible but, the shower having passed, Trulli soon regained his pace and, despite Kovalainen's close attentions over the closing laps - the McLaren running wide trying to pass at the Imola chicane on lap 70 - the Italian stood his ground for Toyota's first podium of the season.

Meanwhile, Piquet scored his first points of the season, the Brazilian running eighth prior to passing Alonso in the closing stages - Renault's team leader running wide attempting to lap a Force India.

Jenson Button was the afternoon's only retirement, the Honda driver calling it a day on lap 20 after an earlier collision caused damage to his front wing.

The result means that Massa now leads a four-way title race by two points from Kubica with Raikkonen three points further back. Hamilton now trails by 10 points.

Review Here!

FRENCH GRAND PRIX images - Sunday in Magny-Cours | MORE HERE!


French Grand Prix atmosphere | MORE HERE!

After 8 races the Drivers and Teams Standings are:


DRIVERS:







TEAMS:

[Dirtycheat]

Originally Posted by Dirtycheat

Ferrari 1,2 for me unless a ferrari finds itself in the pits at the same time as Hamilton (who is clearly getting driving lessons of his dad).


Massa to win for me

Originally Posted by Funky

Ferrari looked impressive. Massa will crash out and Kimi will win.

Massa is now top of the championship, which is where he belongs.


Funky, admit it. He is a good driver. If he was a crap driver in a good car he wouldnt be above kimi. The sooner you admit it, the less embarrassed you will be at the end of the championship.

[Mark]

as far i'm a Ferarri fan i don't prefer any of them more, for me a win of any of them is most welcomed.

So i'm gonna be equaly happy to see on of them win again the championship.

Funky, me and DC got you cornerd from all sides. You don't have a way out atm.

Blundell: Hamilton has lost focus

Lewis Hamilton needs to forget his issues with the media and concentrate on racing, according to former driver Mark Blundell.

Originally Posted by eurosport.yahoo.com

Driver-turned-television pundit Blundell reckons that Hamilton needs to refocus ahead of next weekend's British Grand Prix, or face an uphill challenge in the world championship.

Speaking in the wake of Hamilton's second race without points, in the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, Blundell suggested that the McLaren man needed to take back control of his season and not let outside factors detract from the job in hand.

Hamilton yesterday hit back at sections of the media for misrepresenting his life away from Formula One - amid claims of him dating a string of beauties and enjoying the high-life that the sport has afforded him - but Blundell insists that the Briton should not let interest in his private affairs get the better of him.

"He has let the media side of things get to him," the former Ligier, McLaren, Brabham and Tyrrell driver wrote in an article for the Daily Telegraph. "The key word for Lewis right now is control - controlling the environment inside the cockpit and his feelings and emotions outside it.

"The moment has come for Lewis to press the reset button. The thing [he] does best is driving a racing car. Everything needs to follow from that. At the moment, he seems a little derailed. He needs to get back on track."

After winning in Monaco, Hamilton has seen the lead of the world championship slip away on the back of two non-scores, both resulting from a uncharacteristic error in the pit-lane at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Clashing with title rival Kimi Raikkonen, after not spotting the red stop light controlling their re-entry to the track, not only eliminated both men in Montreal, but also handed Hamilton a ten-place penalty for France, which he compounded with a second error at Magny-Cours on Sunday.

The field now heads for Hamilton's home race, at Silverstone next weekend, where there will be even greater calls on his time away from the track.

"Hamilton's preparation for the British Grand Prix has to be focused on the only area that matters, the track," Blundell continued, "Get that right and everything else takes care of itself.

"Going into his home grand prix on the back of run-ins with the media is not setting the scene for Silverstone in the right way. He needs to go there with a clear head.

"We are approaching the halfway point of the season. It's now about letting his driving and results do the talking for him. Yes, there will always be commercial and media commitments, but that is all part of the game. What he shouldn't be doing is getting emotionally involved. That just takes away from performance."

Blundell also suggested that Hamilton could have scored points in France had he kept his head while in the midst of a charge from 13th on the grid.

With passing difficult at the Magny-Cours circuit, the Briton was having to maximise any opportunity, but ran out of road while attempting to overcome Sebastian Vettel, and cut the chicane.

The McLaren team was initially unaware of the incident, but Blundell claims that Hamilton's own initiative should have told him that it would have been better to hand the place back to the German instead of risking the ensuing penalty.

"If Lewis had backed off and let Vettel go by again that would have been fine," he claimed. "People say the team should have been on the radio telling him to do that, but he is the one driving the car. He can make his own decision about whether the move was justified.

"Maybe the pass on Vettel was the result of over-aggression, [but] this kind of thing is starting to cost him. You can't afford to make mistakes. It is just too competitive out there and dropping points now will really hurt at the end of the year."

Article Here!



Really ? He didn't lost focus he lost Alonso the guy who keep him into the back all the way last season by putting his car up to a perfect set up each race.

So give me a break. The kid has talent, but not yet enough experince to win a championship.

Raikkonen may use ‘free’ engine change at Silverstone

Originally Posted by f1.com

Kimi Raikkonen and his Ferrari engine may have survived to finish Sunday's French Grand Prix, completing a Ferrari one-two behind Felipe Massa, but it could result in an unscheduled engine change, according to team principal Stefano Domenicali.

Raikkonen suffered an exhaust failure around half distance in the 70 lap race which caused fluctuating performance thereafter. Raikkonen was lucky to finish behind Massa, even though he matched his team mate's pace for a while before the engine worsened at the end.

This year, however, Ferrari are lucky in that each driver is allowed one unscheduled engine change without penalty. "I would say it is quite likely that we will have to replace the engine," said Domenicali after the race. "For sure, after such a heavy race from the middle to the end, it's very likely that we have to change it so we need to play the joker that allows us to do it."

However, the team won't know for sure until later in the week. "We will do the analysis later on and tomorrow but there's no rush to do anything more than eventually change it when we go to Silverstone."

Domenicali admitted that it will be hard to find what had caused the issue. "Unfortunately it was not possible to understand the problem and also the other difficulty is that for almost half of the race all the breaking parts were falling apart so it will also be difficult to collect all the pieces in our hands because they're somewhere around the track."

Domenicali then explained what had caused the varying performance. "If you lose the exhaust there's no more performance and then you start to have different parameters on the engine, the temperatures go up, the water pressure comes down. Everything is mixed up, of course. In a way, it was very, very good and very important to finish the race with eight points in that condition."

Domenicali explained that the team felt that they had limited time at the second pit stop in which they could do anything to help the problem. "It had already fallen off. There was the cable of the lamda and we decided not to cut that because we would maybe lose more seconds, and we had Trulli pushing behind so we took that into consideration. I have to say that in terms of strategy, in terms of teamwork everything was done correctly."

How much longer would it have lasted? "The maximum the engine lasts is for two races so maybe I think it's a bit ambitious to have another race in that condition but honestly, I don't know, difficult to say. I don't want to tell lies; I don't know."

Ferrari were able to work on engine settings to compensate. "We were trying to do what we could in order to protect the engine under those conditions and after all the things that were possible to do, just wait until the chequered flag. You could see that there were a lot of switches being moved around."

Domenicali saw the engine's survival as a plus point. "For sure we were very worried, no doubt. It was a long race to finish, maybe we lost a lot of years and a lot of hair but that's part of the game. So I'm extremely happy it lasted. In that condition you never know. It may stop any lap, it's too difficult, it's critical."

Domenicali also paid tribute to Massa, the new world championship leader. "I think that we always said that we were very, very happy extremely happy with our two drivers. It's better not to assume any kind of thinking before the end of the season because if you think that after the first two Grands Prix Felipe had zero points; I recall what was the discussion about him.

"I think that strong drivers in a strong team have to look ahead without being influenced by the negative thinking around. I think he's strong now, and as I said, I think it's the first time for him to be leading the drivers' championship so it's a great award for him but it doesn't change anything on our side. Teamwork is our main target and we said at the beginning that there's no changes in our decisions or strategies."

Article Here!




It came without any warning, but as far that it's a "free" replacing engine rule, it's ok.

[Mark]

2008 - British Grand Prix Preview








Race Track Diagram:





Location: Silverstone, Great Britain

Race Date: 06 Jul 2008

Number of Laps: 60

Circuit Length: 5.141 km

Race Distance: 308.355 km

Lap Record: 1:18.739 - M Schumacher (2004)


Last Year Table:

f1.com text preview:

Ferrari and McLaren go head-to-head at Silverstone this weekend in a race that may well prove crucial in the world championship campaign of local hero Lewis Hamilton. The fast Northamptonshire track has recently favoured Ferrari, but McLaren have been happy all season with their MP4-23’s behaviour in high-speed corners and, following last week’s test of new aerodynamic parts - notably a new front wing - specifically for this race, Hamilton was even happier after lapping in 1m 19.1s. That’s eight-tenths of a second faster than his 2007 pole position time, despite the ban on traction control and automated engine braking.



"The test was really encouraging," Hamilton said as he prepares to try and reduce his 10-point deficit to series leader Felipe Massa. “The changes we've made in the last few tests have really improved the car. I haven't back-to-backed the new parts so I don't have a benchmark, but the car feels strong around here and I can't wait to be racing in front of my home crowd again."

Ten thousand spectators attended the test, and Hamilton said he could already feel then the lift he will get from his fans this weekend: "Driving into Silverstone felt really cool - I couldn't believe how many fans were at the track so early in the morning; they're pretty special, the most dedicated F1 supporters in the world.

"At lunchtime I couldn't believe the amount of people that were waiting outside my garage - it was insane! And while I couldn't say hi to all of them, their support always gives me a special lift at this place."



Ferrari, meanwhile, are very strong and were very quick in the test courtesy of Massa. Team mate Kimi Raikkonen, who will use up his ‘complimentary’ engine change at Silverstone following his exhaust problems in France, says that he expects the F2008 to be quick this weekend: “I hope it will be. McLaren are always strong here, and I'm expecting that this weekend. I think it's going to be quite close between us and I don't see the other teams being close enough for the win, but with them (McLaren) it is going to be a tight fight.”

Regarding their title battle, he adds: “It helps for sure if you are consistent. If you are not fast enough then you still need to try and win the races, and get there. If you can score points in every race, then you are always going to be in a strong position.”



BMW Sauber hope to bounce back after their disappointing showing in France.

"Silverstone has a great history and is a very nice track,” said former points leader Robert Kubica. “It is very important to have good downforce here, especially in the high-speed first sector. Later on in the lap the track has some low-speed corners. From a driver's perspective, the circuit is a good mix that makes a lot of different demands. Wind conditions are always a big factor, and they can have quite an effect on the car in the first sector. Furthermore, British weather is always unpredictable, but I have been to races in Silverstone three or four times and never had rain. So let's wait and see."



Honda have engine, chassis and aerodynamic modifications for the RA108s that local hero Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will run. Force India will also be presenting a new look with a heavy revamp of the VJM01 which features new sidepods, barge boards, diffuser, front wing, engine cover, inerter damper and suspension modifications.



Bridgestone have brought along their medium and hard tyre compounds this weekend. As far as set-up goes, although Silverstone is very quick, it requires around 80 percent of maximum available downforce. Drivers need a lot of confidence to tackle the swift Copse and the series of very fast sweepers that follow through Becketts and Maggots and then Stowe. But then come the slower Club, the Abbey chicane and the final complex, and it is in the latter that the lack of traction control made itself most felt in the recent tests.


The greatest challenge, however, lies in that first section. “It is almost like being on the straight, except that you feel the G forces on one side of your neck and then on the other,” Kubica says of the change of direction at Maggots and Becketts.

Paddock Pics

A celebration - 60 years of Silverstone





Weekend weather update - rain probable for British Grand Prix

Welcome to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the ninth round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship and, effectively, the midpoint.

Yet again there is a strong possibility that rain could affect the outcome of the weekend. Showers are forecast on all four days, with the ambient temperature high dropping from 20 degrees Celsius on Thursday and Friday to 17 on Saturday, before rising to 18 on raceday. Whether the precipitation actually reaches Silverstone, of course, is another matter.


The race will run over 60 laps of the 5.141 kilometres (3.194 mile) circuit, or 308.355 kilometres (191.604 miles), and starts at 1300 hours local time, 1200 GMT.

[Mark]

Melbourne to host GP until 2015

Melbourne will continue to host a Formula One Grand Prix until at least 2015 after agreeing to start the race at 5pm local time to make it more television friendly for northern hemisphere audiences.

Originally Posted by eurosport.yahoo.com

Victorian Premier John Brumby announced the extension of Melbourne's contract after meeting with Formula One management in London.

"The Grand Prix has been an outstanding event for Victoria over a long period of time and has helped put Melbourne on a global stage," Brumby said.

"Retaining the event is important to Victoria's ongoing growth and prosperity."

Brumby said no artificial lighting would be used for the term of the contract despite the race not starting until 5pm.

"Next year's later start time will mean even greater TV audiences in the United Kingdom, Asia and European markets," Brumby said.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone had threatened to take the Australian race to Sydney or scrap it completely if Melbourne did not change the starting time.

"I have wanted changes to the local race time so that we can increase the television audience in Europe and Asia," he said in a statement.

"I'm satisfied that the decision to move to later start time for 2009 races is a win for television audiences in Europe and Asia, a win for Melbourne and a win for Formula One as a whole."

Last year's race attracted more than 300,000 spectators to the inner-city Lake Albert street circuit, one of the best attended races on the calendar.

Article Here!

Silverstone loses GP to Donington

Donington Park will replace Silverstone as the British Grand Prix's host circuit from 2010.

Originally Posted by eurosport.yahoo.com

"Following discussions with Formula One Management, the FIA can confirm that the British Grand Prix will be retained on the Formula One World Championship calendar," said an FIA statement.

"From 2010 the new home of the British Grand Prix will be Donington Park."

Both the FIA and Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone have repeatedly criticised facilities at Silverstone, with transport links at the Northamptonshire circuit coming in for particular scorn.

It had been feared that Britain could be removed from the world championship calendar altogether.

The British Racing Drivers Club voted last year to spend £20 million improvements to Silverstone, but Ecclestone had hinted the British Grand Prix could be moved.

While Donington boasts excellent facilities and hosts the British Motorcycle Grand Prix, it is considered my many too short and too narrow for Formula One cars.

It hosted the European GP in 1993, a rain-affected race won by Ayrton Senna for McLaren, with Williams's Damon Hill second.

Article Here!

[funkdoctorspock]

Silverstone has been warned for years that if they didn't improve there facilities, they would lose the GP.

Maybe they thought Bernie was bluffing.

In any event, they lose out now.

What's the track configuration for the new Brit GP?

----

On another note... Lewis Hamilton will be winning this weekends race. I just wanted to make that clear for all the Massa fans out there. Or should I say the lone Massa fan.

[Dirtycheat]

Hamilton is a great driver but he is now a celebrity more than anything else. If he focuses he can win but i pray that this will be another ferrari day.

Massa needs to do well in qualifying so that he can be front row. If he gets that then the stage is set

Originally Posted by mark

Really ? He didn't lost focus he lost Alonso the guy who keep him into the back all the way last season by putting his car up to a perfect set up each race.

So give me a break. The kid has talent, but not yet enough experince to win a championship.

i disagree. Hamilton is just cashing in on being a decent, british sportsman (and there arent many of those), but in british style he lost last year despite being good enough. This year he is worse than last year, but luckily for him Alonso is in a renault clio so there is no chance of him catching up.

He really has focused more on being a celebrity and an icon than on improving. For instance, hamilton was dating miss world one day, dumped her and the week after it was nicole sherzinger or whatever she is called. Then he goes to pretty much all the big movie premiers, decided to go on a boat race with hugo boss (and crashed) then you see him at a neslson mandella party.

I am jealous of all that, ofcourse, but if he wants to fullfill his potential he needs to focus on what it his he really wants. Money, adverts, hoes, sponsorship or does he want success (which can probably give him all of those things anyway).

[Mark]

Dominant win for Hamilton

Brit back at top of standings after stunning performance at soggy Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton is back at the top of the World Championship standings after mastering wet conditions and scoring a comprehensive victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.


Amazingly, the McLaren Mercedes driver took the chequered flag over a minute clear of the second placed driver, BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, with Honda's Rubens Barrichello taking the final podium position.

World Champion Kimi Raikkonen came home lapped in fourth place, ahead of McLaren's Heikki K