The Formula 1 - 2008 Season Thread

[Hitboxx]

does super aguri make any difference in F1? :p

the fight is always between the big guys - Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, BMW, Williams.

F1 should be of only Manufacturers. these "customer" teams suck, look at red bull, two teams of same owner.:|
How do you think the BIG guys became the big guys? ;)

Take the smaller teams out of Formula 1 and the sport is as good as dead.

[desiibond]

How good F1 will be if FIA invests in these small teams and make them competitive (atleast to be in mid-field).

eg: Spyker was on back of the grid team last year but now, after Mallya's investment, they are now showing good pace and in few races, they will be competing with Toyota's and Red Bull's.

[Hitboxx]

Yes, FIA is doing such things, IIRC, something of this sort was undertaken around 2004 when Michael and Ferrari were dominant and outsiders considered the sport as a bore. No idea what happened after that, I remember only that they changed the rules completely.

And when big money is involved, there is politics naturally, which is such a shame really, in this pure art of racing.

[Hitboxx]

Ferrari's on top in Friday practice in Istanbul.

With successive wins in 2006 and 2007, Ferrari arrive at Istanbul Park with an enviable track record at the Turkish circuit. And there were signs that their run of good fortune may well continue on Friday, with Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen topping the times in the morning and afternoon practice sessions respectively.

That said, with McLaren pushing the red cars hard and Red Bull coming on strong, there's still everything to play for ahead of qualifying on Saturday, with no guarantees that Ferrari are going to have it all their own way…Read more at SOURCE (http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/5/7757.html)

And this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix marks the historic 257th race start of Rubens Barrichello, (the highest ever) that's an awesome feat. His helmet and car will be sporting a livery displaying 257.

Just to put that into perspective, imagine 16 races per year, that accounts to 16 years in F1, 16 years of constant sponsoring, constant fitness, constant growth and still going strong. Who would have thought this after his horrendous crash in qualifying at Imola in May 1994, the same weekend the late great Senna lost his life? Simply amazing. A round of beer for Rubino please!!..:D

[abh1shek]

FORZA FERRARI!!!!!!! :p

[sachin_kothari]

Fisichella runs red light, drops three grid places

Stewards at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul have given Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race for exiting the pits under a red light.

The infraction is understood to have occurred at the very start of Friday’s opening practice session, in which the Italian was among the first to take to the track for an initial installation lap.

The stewards’ decision means three places will be added to whatever position Fisichella achieves in Saturday’s qualifying session.

[Hitboxx]

Felipe, Heikki, Lewis, Kimi., ..1, 2, 3, 4.

Felipe's 3rd consecutive pole in Turkey.

[Dipen01]

Kimi was awesome in Q2 but dunno what happened to him in Q3, Although it might be slight mistake on his part. I don't think he is very slow. On the other hand Massa is absolutely flying even though i suspect he is lightest of top 4 but still he was phenomenal.

[sachin_kothari]

hamilton leads from massa

hamilton on 3 stop strategy?

massa wins
hamilton second followed by kimi

Turkish Grand Prix Results
01 Felipe Massa
02 Lewis Hamilton
03 Kimi Räikkönen
04 Robert Kubica
05 Nick Heidfeld
06 Fernando Alonso
07 Mark Webber
08 Nico Rosberg

DRIVER STANDINGS
01 Kimi Raikkonen 35
02 Felipe Massa 28
03 Lewis Hamilton 28
04 Robert Kubica 24
05 Nick Heidfeld 20
06 Heikki Kovalainen 14
07 Mark Webber 10
08 Fernando Alonso 9
09 Jarno Trulli 9
10 Nico Rosberg 8

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
01 Ferrari 63
02 BMW Sauber 44
03 McLaren-Mercedes 42
04 Williams-Toyota 13
05 Red Bull-Renault 10
06 Toyota 9
07 Renault 9
08 Honda 3
09 STR-Ferrari 2
10 Force India-Ferrari 0

[Dipen01]

Just one sentence - Kimi was not motivated enough in today's race..

[Hitboxx]

Then how did he get the FLAP (fastest lap)? He was on an old engine while the others were on a fresh engine., remember the one engine two races rule :P , watch for him in Monaco in two weeks time.

[desiibond]

^^ Monaco is not a happy hunting ground for Ferrari. Last year, Ferrari was lapped by Alonso on his way to victory.

[Dipen01]

Then how did he get the FLAP (fastest lap)? He was on an old engine while the others were on a fresh engine., remember the one engine two races rule :P , watch for him in Monaco in two weeks time.

FLAP isnt that important.. he squandered his start.. Was below average in first stint and after second stint he didnt look competitive... Well what he says (Front Wing Damage) is correct and it affected his balance/speed then i cant say anything but if not then he just didnt give his best..

[Hitboxx]

^^ Monaco is not a happy hunting ground for Ferrari. Last year, Ferrari was lapped by Alonso on his way to victory.
Yes I understand that but things change and we all like a change, so just watch for Kimi ;)

Edit: And IIRC, it is Michael in a Ferrari who has the most number of victories in Monte Carlo, so don't rule anything out.

[desiibond]

hope so.

Kimi is superb calculator. He takes calculated risk. yes. he didn't push hard yesterday. He had to save his engine as it already had a full race weekend and moreover, the past race was hot spanishGP which is always extremely hard on engine.

remember how kimi killed everyone else during second half of 2006-2007 season. Expect the same this time. Once he gets going (flying to be precise), noone can even touch him.

Due to the longer wheelbase, F2008 is certainly gonna struggle to match McLaren in Monaco or in tight track where there are too many tight corners. Monaco is such a tight and tiny track that it's near impossible to overtake. This is the race where everything happens inside the pit.

Schumi might have won max number of races in Monaco but things have changed

Look at the 2006/2007 season. Ferrari were extremely competitive till Monaco. They won 3 of four races and they just couldn't match McLaren here. McLaren actually lapped19 cars last year in monaco. The only driver not lapped was Massa and he too was 70sec away from these two.

I am a Ferrari fan but I am not confident that Ferrari could pull it this time. The last time Ferrari won at Monaco is in 2001.

[s18000rpm]

F1 aims for 110m Euro budget cap




Formula One is aiming to establish a 110 million Euro budget cap by the 2011 season, this week's Autosport magazine reveals.

A budget cap is set to be introduced in the sport from the start of 2009, and FIA consultant Tony Purnell has written to all Formula One teams with the figures the governing body would like to be set as a starting point for future discussions.

The figures proposed are 175 million Euro for 2009, 140 million by 2010, and 110 million a year later.

The cap would not cover expenditure on engines, KERS systems, marketing costs or driver and team principal salaries.

The figures, however, have received mixed reactions from some team bosses.

"Next year's figures are workable, but Honda is a little concerned about the glide-path, which needs more discussion," Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry told Autosport.

"By pushing the number too low, we may not only attract marginal operations but also alienate those at the top who want to develop high technology."

Renault boss Flavio Briatore said his team were already spending less than the suggested cap


"I already pay 40 per cent less than the cap. If I want to keep to the limit then I need to spend more. It's nonsense.. (LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL :D )

"Formula One is part of the environment and the economical situation and the sponsors, the manufacturers - we are part of the economical world. Maybe not today or tomorrow but surely in the future it will affect us. F1 needs to be competitive, F1 is a better show and less investment and costs less."

Toyota's team president John Howett admitted he was worried the introduction of a budget cap could backfire due to the "controlled environment".

"It's a very broad discussion, you can achieve anything. The one issue is how low the FIA wants it to go over time and the impact on people's livelihoods. That's the biggest concern I have," he said.

"I think in the end it can be enforced. The real issue is whether business becomes more healthy when you have a controlled environment: normally competition is better for business.

"So my worry to some extent that it will have a negative effect. If you put businesses into a non-competitive environment and say from a point of view of business, I'm not personally convinced it's the right thing to do."

McLaren boss Ron Dennis, meanwhile, said he was not sure the FIA would be able to control the amount of money spent by a team.

"I don't see a budget cap as a regulatory process more the application of common sense," Denni said.

"I don't think it's a question of enforceability but if there's a general ability to control costs when you've got the complicity of companies that have their R&D facilities in other countries where these programmes are in very difficult to understand languages and documents.

"I just have concerns you can monitor costs if you're policing them in Germany or China or Japan. How can you do that? We embrace anything that reduces the costs of F1 as long as it can be practically evaluated."

FIA president Max Mosley revealed earlier this year that a special 'finance commission' would be created to ensure the teams comply with the rules.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67410another bs from max mosley :|
----------------------------------------
Renault launch Youtube channel



The Renault Formula One team have launched their official channel on video-sharing website Youtube.

The French squad said they are aiming to give "privileged access to fans of the sport and supporters of the team" as well as capturing a new audience.

Content on their channel already includes the team launch, reports on the drivers and interviews with team members, among other things.

Renault's Youtube channel can be found at: http://fr.youtube.com/INGRenaultf1Team

[s18000rpm]

FIA looks at ECU safety car solution
The idea is for the standard ECU to be used to provide a display to the drivers informing them of how quickly they can return to the pits once the safety car has been deployed.

Although the introduction of such a system is not easy, it is understood that the initial suggestion from the FIA's software experts is that it is possible to make it work.

However, the solution would need to be fully tested prior to its use at a grand prix - which is why it is likely any plans to introduce it will have to wait until the French Grand Prix in July at the earliest.

That timetable for introduction means that the current rules will remain in place for the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix - two races where there is a high likelihood of safety cars and therefore more controversy about the current rules.

Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) director Mark Webber has said he thinks everyone in the sport is keen for a change.

"It's under discussion but it's still a few races away at least," he said. "As we've said before, everybody would like it tidied up - drivers, team management and the FIA."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67425

[s18000rpm]

Nick Heidfeld Shows Us What NOT To Do While Demonstrating The BMW Sauber F1 Car

BMW thought it would be a good idea to bring out the new Sauber F1 car for a bit of fun at the BMW plant in Munich. Why not halt ze making of ze Bimmers for a few minutes and give the 5,000 or so workers a little entertainment? Well, we can think of a reason. BMW's driver Nick Heidfeld zooms down the strasse and does a donut for the crowd yesterday without incident. Apparently pleased with himself, he guns that big engine and heads down the street for an encore. This is where things start to fall apart. Literally. Overcome with the joy of a well executed donut, Heidfeld loses track of where the barrier is. Oops. At least he missed the medical car. Thankfully, someone made a video of it because the official F1 press release was typically mum about the incident. We tell ya, Bernie's yet to find a problem he can't ignore.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dd3_1209119794

:)):)):))

Noob-field

[rollcage]

^ :) nice find man but it was not that bad ;)

[Hitboxx]

Haha nice Nick, the most underrated driver in F1 today.

[Hitboxx]

Qualifying podium for Monaco
---------------------------

1) Felipe Massa
2) Kimi Raikkonen
3) Lewis Hamilton

Now what did I say about things changing? :D It was almost Kimi, though honestly I think Felipe is light on fuel, he had the same consistent time for all Qs. I expect him to push like mad in tomorrow's race to make up the gap. Nonetheless a Ferrari 1-2 is good enough for me ;)

[desiibond]

and it's gonna end Ferrari 1-2 tomorrow. I am praying to god for rain. That will charge up the race and the race will become totally unpredictable.

Lewis will definitely make lot of mistakes coz he is gonna feel the pressure a lot.

[Hitboxx]

LOL haha yeah, if it rains, it's going to be a topsy-turvy affair, very interesting.

Hey, btw, is the race on ESPN or Star Sports, coz today Q was on ESPN!

[desiibond]

Race will be telecasted in ESPN.

[s18000rpm]

are yaar, you should have informed when the quali. was goin on.
i missed the quali :(


anyways

1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:15.190
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:15.717
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.582
4. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.295
5. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:15.977
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:15.935
7. Alonso Renault (B) 1:16.646
8. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:16.306
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:16.074
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:16.086

19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.225
20. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.823
Charu Sharma, Dravid & co will be LMAO'ing right now :))

[Hitboxx]

Er., lol ok, next time I will announce 24 hours before :)

[Dipen01]

are yaar, you should have informed when the quali. was goin on.
i missed the quali :(


anyways

1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:15.190
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:15.717
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.582
4. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.295
5. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:15.977
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:15.935
7. Alonso Renault (B) 1:16.646
8. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:16.306
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:16.074
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:16.086

19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.225
20. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.823
Charu Sharma, Dravid & co will be LMAO'ing right now :))

I missed it too :P

Infact i fell asleep after Q1 lol... Dint sleep last night so was sleepy whole day and in the end couldnt control :(

Anyways they will telecast it again at 4.30 tomorrow so dont worry ;)

[s18000rpm]

DC gets five-place grid penalty

David Coulthard is to be moved back five places on the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix as the result of a gearbox change required after his qualifying crash.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67715

=======================

Drivers 'nervous' ahead of wet Monaco
Mark Webber has admitted that a number of Formula One drivers are 'nervous' about racing in the wet in the Monaco Grand Prix.

With frequent showers during Sunday morning soaking the track, it is looking increasingly likely that F1's blue-ribband event on the streets of Monte Carlo will be run in the wet.

And with the tight confines of the track increasing the difficulties caused by the lack of driver aids like traction control and engine braking, Webber himself is worried about the race turning into a crash fest.
...http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67714

==============================

M.Schumacher to head up FIA safety fund

Michael Schumacher has been elected as the head of the FIA's Motor Sport Safety Development Fund, created as a result of the $100 million (USD) fine that McLaren paid for spying last year.

The Fund will distribute a number of grants around the world to help young drivers, improve safety skills for officials and help the development of motor sport venues in emerging motor racing nations.

Schumacher will be joined on the Fund board by FIA president Max Mosley, Nick Craw, the president of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, Ferrari board member Jean Todt and Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug.

...http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67713

====================

hoping for a wet race:))

[pillainp]

Highly suspect timing for Raikonen's drive throught penalty.

I mean, Hamiltom shoots himself in the foot by hitting the barrier and wrecking his right rear tyre, and immediately after that, no sooner is back on track with a new tyre, than the message pops up that Raikonen has been awarded a drive-through penalty.

It seems someone is being heavily favoured this race.

I wonder who it could be.....

[s18000rpm]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

what a race.

poor kimi:p
so sorry for Sutil mamu, he was crying.

superb drive by kubica & massa

LOOOL


cant b'live ferrari made such a noobie mistake at start (kimi's go thru penalty)

[desiibond]

^^ Don't think too much into it. :)

This will be last time that I cheered for Kimi. Reason??

Look at what he did to Force India's hopes and Adrian Sutil's perfect 4th place. When there is no opportunity for overtaking, he tried too much and sent Sutil out of the race by banging into the rear of his car. Really, today he drove like a noob.

I just can't control my anger over him. So does my friends. We "WERE" Kimi fan's but now, we are gonna cheer for Massa and boo Kimi. I will be the first one to boo kimi when he comes to Delhi. Grrrrrrrrr.

[s18000rpm]

hmmm

but thats racing dude.
you take risks to get a win or atleast points.

ferrari's are much much more quicker than force india (obviously), so kimi took the chance, but unfortunately lost his car under braking (happened wit DC, same place)... crashed unto sutil's back. simple.

kimi has lost a lot of ground at monaco, could have been a 1-2 ferrari again, but look at Nick, he lost completely when alonso hit him.


if you're a true fan of motorsport (F1), you wont be talkin like this.



http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/2104/f1monacony0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/2104/f1monacony0.b00ef8383c.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=234&i=f1monacony0.jpg)

[Hitboxx]

Ah please, in an already wet Monaco where drivers had agreed to be nervous pre-race, there are bound to be casualties and errors. Don't read too much, it's a racing accident, I got angry too but it's ok though certainly felt bad for Adrian. More times will come, this is just but once race.

And also I missed the first 50 laps, damn weather in my place, I overslept :|

[karmanya]

Anyone know where I can get a vid of today's race? I was studying when it was coming, and damn it sounds like i missed an important one.

[Dipen01]

Yeah even i was damn pissed at Kimi when he banged into Sutil..

But after cool-off period i realised, that he was just doing his job.. He took a chance and lost the control... What could he do..

Besides he never looked(looks) comfortable in rain.. He had to drive through Pits five times.. :o

2 - Pitsops and 2 - Accidents and 1 - Drive Through.. It was terrible race for him..

Everybody made mistakes but the Lewis was very lucky due to safety car which brought him right on 4th even after this first unscheduled Pitstop.. I guess Kubica didnt make any.. Massa did make one which let Kubica through...

Sutil drove pretty well.. And i was very confident that even with slow pace he could have held off Kimi for 10 more minutes.. Overtaking at Monaco as it is, isnt very easy and Kimi was having a bad day..

[desiibond]

^^ yep. but I am still very very furious over kimi. He doesn't deserve the tag's "Flying Finn" and "Iceman". Monaco is THE REAL test for drivers and for second straigh year, he failed to come out good. Last year, he crashed his own party and this year, he crashed his own and Force India's. How can F1's highest paid driver and reigining world champion drive like this.

BTW, Sutil was holding Kimi since his scheduled pit stop. There is no way Kimi would've overtook Sutil. It was well locked 4th place for sutil. At the start of the final countdown Kimi was right on the Sutil's read and before the accident, while coming out of the tunnel, Sutil had opened up a gap and he was clearly having the pace and mechanical grip.

[Dipen01]

Mistakes hapeen.. Even the best commit mistakes ;)

Well Monaco is nothing like test or anything.. Some drivers are comfortable with certain tracks and arent with other.. As simple as that.. Eitherways its the Rain that was the culprit for Kimi.. He has never been comfortable in rain.. I remember watching his candid interview back in 05 and he bluntly said that he just doesnt like driving in wets.. So may be he was hesistant from the start and didnt get the best out the car..

[s18000rpm]

Raikkonen apologises to Sutil
World champion Kimi Raikkonen said he felt sorry for Adrian Sutil after forcing the German out of the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Force India driver was set for a fourth place finish after one of the best drives of his career when Raikkonen, running fifth, lost control of his car and hit the German's car from behind with just a few laps of the race left.

The damage left Sutil out of the race and in tears, while Raikkonen drove back to the pits to finish outside the points.

"Basically I just think my brakes were a bit too cold and I locked the rear," Raikkonen told reporters. "I nearly lost the car but unfortunately I hit him - and it is sad for them because they are not very often in the position to finish in the points.

"So, I feel a bit sorry for him - but I could not do anything. I tried to slow down but there was nowhere to go and nowhere to slow down - and I lost fifth place."

He added: "I said I am sorry for him and his team because probably they are not going to be often in the position to score a fourth position. :x:p Plus it was in Monaco. So it was harder for him than for me, but it was a racing incident and I could not go anywhere. There wasn't much space and I could not slow down.

"It was just a racing incident. I just locked the rear brakes on the bump and you cannot really slow the car after that. There was nowhere to go, and not enough space to try and avoid him."

The accident completed a weekend to forget for Raikkonen, who was unable to match the pace of Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa and also lost the championship lead to Lewis Hamilton.

"It was not one of the best races, but that is racing – sometimes it goes right and sometimes it goes wrong," the Finn added.

"I made some mistakes and the team made some mistakes, and we paid the price. But we will go to the next race and hope to do better."

[desiibond]

^^ Saying sorry after crashing others party doesn't make any any sense. If Alonso crashes on Kimi in the same way, will you take it just as a racing incident and hail alonso for saying sorry?? Ferrari will then bark like anything, shouting and appealing for penalty. I still feel that it was noob drive by Kimi. A real driver should be comfortable with any track and with any climate. Now, I feel that Lewis, though not having that much of experience looked more determined than any one in Ferrari. In the end, Ferrari handed over the championship lead to Lewis. Great going!!!!

For the first time in my life, I am totally totally furious over Kimi and Ferrari. Pathetic strategy, pathetic driving and pathetic planning.

PS: Unable to digest yesterday's incidents.

[s18000rpm]

when it comes to strategy, no one can match McLaren.

kimi has started race from last place & won it when he was in McLaren.

c'mon man, kimi is the biggest loser of that race, as he lost 5th place & thus champ. lead
mistakes happen.

btw if it wasent a force india, would you have cared bout it.?

why arent you talkin of BMW here, alonso ruined nick's race:|

[desiibond]

when it comes to strategy, no one can match McLaren.

kimi has started race from last place & won it when he was in McLaren.

c'mon man, kimi is the biggest loser of that race, as he lost 5th place & thus champ. lead
mistakes happen.

btw if it wasent a force india, would you have cared bout it.?

why arent you talkin of BMW here, alonso ruined nick's race:|

Yes. The worry is the way that he drove around the track. with 5 runs into the pits, two crashes. After looking at Adrian Sutil's drive, I will still blame Kimi whatever team Adrian is in. Again, last year, I was totally upset over Lewis when due to his mistake Webber and Vettel crashed out. I hate those who ruin other's race by their errors.

Nick will have lot many chances and he might even land in podium in next race. That's not the case with Force India. This was their chance to score 4th and god knows when they will get this chance again.

[Dipen01]

Its race and you race against other drivers so your mistakes will definitely affect them so will thiers.. Sutil has ruined Vettel's race twice and i dunno.. According to me he was the biggest loser of all 22 drivers right from Race - 1.. Every time crashed into first corner and probably ruined someones race... So why dont you blame him..

Just because a driver from superior team crashed into him.. You wanna empathize.. What if he crashed into Hamilton, then i am damn sure you wont iterate the same feelings towards Hamilton...

Well i understand your sentiments that he being a driver of Force India so little bit of patriotism comes into picture but senseless and Illogical grousing over same issue is just childish.

E.g -
Same thing happens to me.. These days I am playing 'GRID Demo' and in a particular race..4 out of 5 times my race is ruined by other bloody cars.. Sometimes while taking turn.. They crash into me.. Other times they brake too hard/too early and i end up losing my momentum .. And i end up cursing them.. Well yeah its a game...

So What..

Well If one is to be so concerned and bothered by others mistakes then one should rather drive alone in thier own lane..

[desiibond]

Just because a driver from superior team crashed into him.. You wanna empathize.. What if he crashed into Hamilton, then i am damn sure you wont iterate the same feelings towards Hamilton...


Yep. That's the reason why I am angry. Sutil crashing into someone else shows he is still learning and Kimi crashing into someone doing a dream run is ....


Same thing happens to me.. These days I am playing 'GRID Demo' and in a particular race..4 out of 5 times my race is ruined by other bloody cars.. Sometimes while taking turn.. They crash into me.. Other times they brake too hard/too early and i end up losing my momentum .. And i end up cursing them.. Well yeah its a game...


why are you comparing casual PC gaming in your house on your PC with pinnacle of motorsport.

[Dipen01]

Damn.. You still dont get it do you..

Nevermind.. I am in no mood to start something out of nothing..

I rest my case..

P.S :- Ofcourse i feel sad for Sutil too..

[karmanya]

Look, getting rear-ended is the fault of the crasher.. not the crashee.
I doubt anyone expected sutil to be in that position in the race, so it hurts even more.
No-one notices a pig wallowing in the dirt, but have a speck of dirt on your white shirt and everyone gives you nasty looks.(wierd allegory, but yeah). Hence people are a lot angrier that it was Kimi who did the actual crashing. If it were the other way round, it wouldn't be that bad.

[goobimama]

Hard luck Adrian Sutil (http://www.mysportsindia.com/2008/05/f1-force-india-hard-luck-adrian-sutil/)
Well, the qualifiers at Monaco didn’t throw anything new at us as far as Force India is concerned, Fisichella & Sutil qualified 19th & 20th respectively or was it the other way around with Sutil 19th? Can’t remember for sure. But raceday sure had something special for Adrian Sutil, the German after 66 laps in the Monaco race was running at 4th with some 7 minutes left in the race, the Force India pit garage was pretty gay, Sutil was driving contentedly for a finish and probably planning how he’ll throw his fist in the air and the celebrations back in the team garage. And well, it just was not to be, the car behind him; the finish Sutil oh so wanted was ruined by the Finnish driver behind him. The Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen lost control at the exit of the tunnel and crashed with Sutil’s Force India car. There was news that Raikkonen did go and apologize to Sutil for spoiling his race but that did not console the German Force India driver.

[Dipen01]

Kimi could quit end of 2009 season

Kimi Raikkonen has admitted that rumours that he could quit F1 at the end of his current Ferrari deal are not rumours - it is true.


The reigning F1 World Champion has long been rumoured to want out of F1, oftening stating in the past that he was not looking to break either Michael Schumacher's records or become the longest serving driver in F1.


This led to reports that Raikkonen could in fact quit at the end of his current Ferrari contract, which expires at the end of next season.


Asked about this during Thursday's press conference in Montreal, Raikkonen did little to stop the tifosi from worries that the Scuderia could soon lose their star driver.


"There has been rumours like that many years," Raikkonen said with regards to rumours he could retire at the end of next season. "I always say I have a contract until the end of next year.


"I haven't made any decision if I'm going to keep going or not. That is the last contract I have and we will see what happens this year and next year."


As for what could persuade Raikkonen to sign another contract, the 28-year-old says he'll only stick around if he's still enjoying the racing.


"I wouldn't stop if I felt I would miss it afterwards. For sure I would find something else to do and maybe that I would enjoy more," he said.


"I don't know what is going to happen after next year, I haven't made my mind up. Who knows maybe I make my decision this year.


"I think I will race as long as I enjoy it, it is the right thing for me. It could be in four years' time. It is too early to say."


However, the Ferrari driver admits that there are also things in F1 that could persuade him not to re-sign.


"I like the racing and the other stuff is not always the best thing," he said. "Everyone in F1 is here because they love racing and driving, but when there are too many things that you don't enjoy or too many things you don't want it is time to go away.


"It can be anything. When you find something you don't want to do or don't enjoy... If there are things like that or don't work out anymore. There can be many things apart from racing, then probably it is the best time to go away."

PlanetF1


Atleast 1 week to Controversy/Rumours ke bina pass karo :o

[s18000rpm]

Massa tops damp first practice - Canada
The Ferrari driver's lap time of 1:17.553 was good enough to fend off several last-ditch attempts from rivals as the timesheet resembled a fruit machine in the final moments of the 90 minutes.

In the end, it was BMW's Robert Kubica who got closest to the Brazilian's time, eclipsing Heikki Kovalainen and Nick Heidfeld, both of whom had in turn usurped Kimi Raikkonen from second place moments before.

But it was a question of being out on track at the right time as Jenson Button discovered when he dropped from fourth to last in just eight minutes.

The track was declared wet at the start of the session and predictably, only the Force India drivers ventured out initially. Giancarlo Fisichella having the measure of team-mate Adrian Sutil when the track was at its most treacherous....

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68008



---------------------------------------

today

THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
Qualifying Sat 22:30-23:30

if you cant watch (like me), login & see the live timing:)) http://www.formula1.com/services/live_timing/live_timing.html

[s18000rpm]

q1 result
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8555/f1q1lq6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8555/f1q1lq6.6ae4e09f97.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=516&i=f1q1lq6.jpg)

Q2 result

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/8206/f1q2sy9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/8206/f1q2sy9.948791fc1d.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=387&i=f1q2sy9.jpg)

[sachin_kothari]

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2008 (Qualifying)
P1 Lewis Hamilton
P2 Robert Kubica
P3 Kimi Raikonen

[s18000rpm]

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3865/f1qcpt8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3865/f1qcpt8.528b952358.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=100&i=f1qcpt8.jpg)

:| at ferrari

[Dipen01]

Cant help it re...

Sector 3 was terrible for them.. The gap of half second just in Q3 sucks.. Dunno what happened to Massa but he overpowered Kimi in Q1 and Q2.. I reckon Hamilton is avg on fuel as always.. and Kubica is lighter of Top 3.. Kimi and Ham must have similar fuel loads..

I think this S3 is going to hamper them tomorrow also and as track is breaking down , and graining factor.. We might just have an interesting race..

[s18000rpm]

Raikkonen very critical of track problems




Kimi Raikkonen says the Canadian Grand Prix could become a nightmare if the track surface keeps breaking up like during qualifying.

Drivers complained about the lack of grip at Turn 10, where the surface began to break up, leaving debris which made the cars lost grip.

Although the marshals tried to sweep the debris off the racing line before the final qualifying segment, Raikkonen said the issue cost him a chance of fighting for pole.

The Ferrari driver finished in third place, nearly a second behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, and the Finn slammed the track as a "joke".

"The car has been good all weekend but this morning was even very good and going into qualifying is quite a joke with the circuit," said Raikkonen. "The circuit breaks down and it is like you missed the corner because there is so much sand.

"I lost so much time in Turn 10 I couldn't turn around and went straight on. We had the car to fight for qualifying (pole).

"We will see how it is in the race but it will be a nightmare. We have a lot of laps and it broke up after two laps so it will be interesting."

He added: "I have a very good car all weekend, then suddenly because the weather heat up a little bit and the circuit didn't last very long. The problem is black patches, they redo it every year and every year they break down."http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68076

so thats the reason kimi was slow:D

Trulli slams 'disastrous' track conditions




Toyota duo Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock have joined the group of drivers concerned about the track conditions in Canada.

The track surface kept breaking up during qualifying, despite repairs done before this morning's practice, meaning drivers struggled for grip.

Trulli said the conditions were disastrous, and the Italian admitted it is a huge concern for tomorrow's race.

"Qualifying was exceptionally difficult today because the track conditions were a disaster," said Trulli after qualifying in 14th."The surface was breaking up and getting worse with every lap. I don't know what was going on but I did my best lap at the beginning and then I couldn't repeat it any more.

"I spun on my quickest lap at the start of Q2, otherwise maybe I could have been in the top ten. But after that the track just got worse. Today was all about getting a clear, lucky lap. I don't know how the race will go but the track surface is a huge concern."

Glock, who just missed on a top ten grid position, admitted he was fearing "major problems" tomorrow.

"That was just a really difficult session," he added. "It was very hard to find a good balance and I was far from happy. The main problem was as each session went on, the track just started to fall away. That made the second and third runs very difficult and everyone was making mistakes.

"In the end I just got the lap together for P11 and we were unlucky not to reach the top ten. It would have been good to make it back into Q3 but it just didn't work out.

"Now we will have to see what happens in the race. It is usually possible to overtake here but if there are similar track conditions it could cause major problems."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68079

[Dipen01]

lol i seriosly hope that US GP 2005 isnt in the making today :p

[drgrudge]

Leaving the track issues aside, did you notice the speed classification? Mclaren and BMW were faster than Ferrari. Massa who was classified 8th was the fastest Ferrari.

I like the track of the Canadian GP. Waiting to see a thrilling race. Hamilton was amazing and I guess he'll pull away in the drivers championship points.

[Dipen01]

Hamilton is crashing onto wall of champions today :D

anyways.. BMW are not faster than ferrari.. They are lighter ;) Everytime Kubica snatches a near Pole..He has been Ultralite.. Checkout He is slower than Ferrari's in Q1 and Q2... Hamilton is purely faster with equal fuel loads..

And as to Massa.. Its his mistake that costed the time and not the cars.. Also in S1 and S2 Kimi is at par at Hamilton.. Infact faster in S2.. Its the hairpin thats killing Ferrari...

Nevermind.. Massa will be having tough time for Podium from 6th.. Kimi still has a shot if he manages to pass Kubica on 1st turn.. Kubica tends to be nervous during starts.. He hasnt had many good starts from starting grid ;)

Although even Kimi hasnt had any good starts this year.. Lets see, I am hopeful that this will be good race..

[drgrudge]

Hamilton was slower in S1 and S2. Kimi managed -0.0xx in S1 and -0.25x in S2 wrt Lewis and still was slower. The straight lines in S3 is doing the trick for Mclaren.

[Hitboxx]

OMFG, Lewis Hamilton what a fscking moron!!!

Where are you eyes man? pathetic..

He should be penalized for that.

[Charan]

kimi hit by lewis :lol: that too in pitlane :lol:

[Hitboxx]

Awesome move Felipe, two birds in one stone :D

Now hunt down David and podium is yours.

A superb drive by Robert results in a BMW 1,2 and he leads the championship now.

1)Robert 2) Nick 3)David

[prateek_san]

well great race by BMW's... hamilton destroyed the race by his silly mistake for his team and for Ferrari....

Great comeback by massa too ...

s18000rpm will be a happy man :)

[Dipen01]

Robert totally deserved it.. Even thought he hadn't won the race if not for Hamilton (You bloody Ham) kicking Kimi's butt...

Anyways.. Its nice to see a slightely different race for a fun.. Bechara DC got on Podium lol...

Sad for kimi.. I He would have surely won the race if not for Ham..

Congrats.. BMW.. It will be interesting if 3 way battle continue till the end..

Btw whats the problem with Heiki..??

Its like he is using a weaker car... I mean he isnt that bad a driver to drive at the back of the pack...

[s18000rpm]

wow.

i missed the race:x


Ham kissed kimi's arse??? :D

wow, i thought robert will hae to wait for victory.

seems like robert is the "last years' hamilton" :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8S9FeJU7hA
Lewis Hamilton Crashes Into Kimi Räikkönen:))

Hamilton apologises to Raikkonen

An angry Raikkonen spoke to Hamilton after the crash, pointing at the light.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68130
pehle baap, ab beta? (making mistakes)

[mehulved]

OMFG, Lewis Hamilton what a fscking moron!!!

Where are you eyes man? pathetic..

He should be penalized for that.
Yeah both Kimi and Lewis should be thrown out of this year's Championship Race for such stupid stunts.

[s18000rpm]

^what did kimi do?

[goobimama]

^^ Don't remember he was the one who crashed into Force India's Sutil the last time?

@Mehul: If only you were a moderator in the real world eh! :D (insert speed racer muttley laugh)

[s18000rpm]

1. Kubica 42
2. Hamilton 38
3. Massa 38
4. Raikkonen 35

1. Ferrari 73
2. BMW Sauber 70
3. McLaren-Mercedes 53

[mehulved]

^what did kimi do?
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/5/7840.html

[s18000rpm]

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/5/7840.html
how can you compare kimi's shunt to ham's shunt?

DC lost his car at the same place where kimi did, but kimi controlled the car from spinning out. unfortunately hitting sutil:))

thats pushing-losing (car)-getting back on:D

what ham did was, unacceptable, not keeping his eyes on the lights:x, when there's sooooo many "new" rules put bout Pit Lights (during SC period)

btw, sutil caused this ham-kimi shunt, indirectly:p

nico just cruised into ham's back, lool,.

watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8S9FeJU7hA , at 22 secnd, see the lights changing. :?

Hamilton, Rosberg hit with grid penalty

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will lose ten places on the grid at the French Grand Prix following their pitlane incident in Canada.

Hamilton crashed into the back of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at the end of the pitlane on lap 20, when the Finn braked to stop in front of the red light. The Briton said he saw the light too late and could not avoid hitting the Ferrari.

Both men retired in the accident.

Rosberg could not stop in time either and hit Hamilton from behind, although the Williams driver was able to continue in the race.

Both Hamilton and Rosberg will be hit with a 10-place grid penalty in France in two weeks' time.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68140

Raikkonen 'unhappy' about Hamilton's error




Kimi Raikkonen said he was unhappy about Lewis Hamilton's mistake during the Canadian Grand Prix, especially as it happened in the pitlane.

The McLaren driver crashed into the back of the Ferrari after failing to see the red light at the end of the pitlane in time to stop.

The accident damaged the cars and both men had to retire.

Raikkonen accepted that everybody can make mistakes, but he was annoyed that it happened in the pitlane.

"There's not much I can say. My race was ruined by Hamilton's mistake," said Raikkonen, who had crashed into the back on Adrian Sutil in Monaco two weeks ago.

"Obviously, anyone can make mistakes, as I did two weeks ago in Monaco, but it's one thing to make a mistake at two hundred per hour but another to hit a car stopped at a red light. I am not angry because that doesn't achieve anything and does not change my result.

"I am unhappy, because I had a great chance of winning. Once the graining had gone from the tyres, the car was going very well.

"I have failed to score in these last two races and now it's time to start winning again. There is still a long way to go in the championship and it is still very close and we have everything we need to regain the ground we have lost."

Felipe Massa completed a disappointing day for Ferrari, finishing in fifth position after having to pit three times due to a problem with the refueling rig during his first stop.

The Brazilian admitted, however, that he was pleased to score some points which allowed him to join Hamilton in second place in the standings.

"It's hard to express my feelings after a race like this," he said. "On the one hand, I am disappointed because, without my refueling problem, I could have been fighting for a place on the podium.

"On the other hand, I am happy to have brought home four points at the end of a very difficult race run on a track surface that was in really poor condition.

"Once I found myself at the back, I tried to climb back up again, but in the end, when I was behind Glock, I could not get past him and also I didn't want to run the risk of ending up off the track after all the trouble I'd been to to get that far.

"I would like to congratulate Kubica and BMW: they worked really well and deserved this success. They are very strong, but I think we are working in the right direction, as could be seen from our performance level every day here."http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68148

[chicha]

what is this i read in the paper the first ever race in the night. when is it?
TOI says its in singapur. but the schedule is not given.

[desiibond]

Lewis and Rosberg handed a 10 gridplace penalty for French GP. Yee haaa. stupid n00b. He said he couldn't see the lights in time? What about two cars stopped metres ahead of him. Truly stupid jesture by him and also by Rosberg. This is F1 dude. There is no chance for mistake or lazyness.

Thanks to the Lewis mistake, the race turned into a thriller and boy, what a drive by Massa. Deserves a pat on the back.

Championship opened up too with Kubica leading the drivers championship (not for long anyways) and Massa, Lewis in joint second, Kimi in fourth. Ferrai extend their lead over McLaren and BMW just 3 points away from Ferrari.

What a season this is turning into. Feels like I am back in late 90's and early 2000's where championship wins happen with slightest margin.

[lywyre]

Its the stupid rule that led to the crash, not just Lewis. Why close the pitlane exit when the entry is open? And also, when a driver just gets into the lane again from his pitstop he would not be expecting two cars side by side which is more than enough to loose his sight of the Red signal. And it was Lewis also who lost the race who was also equally potent to win the race.

[mehulved]

And it was Lewis also who lost the race who was also equally potent to win the race.
Due to his own mistake, but not so for raikonnen.

[desiibond]

Its the stupid rule that led to the crash, not just Lewis. Why close the pitlane exit when the entry is open? And also, when a driver just gets into the lane again from his pitstop he would not be expecting two cars side by side which is more than enough to loose his sight of the Red signal. And it was Lewis also who lost the race who was also equally potent to win the race.

Dude. it's F1, not a cheap street racing. Team will be fully aware when the pit lane is open and when it isn't. If he wasn't informed that the pit lane exit is still closed, it's a mistake by him and his team. If he was aware that pit lane exit is closed and still went on max pit lane speed, it was totally his mistake.

All in all, it's pure error done purely due to lack on experience and also we all know how well he succumbs to pressure. Watching two cars move ahead of him certainly made him nervous.

[Dipen01]

Its the stupid rule that led to the crash, not just Lewis. Why close the pitlane exit when the entry is open? And also, when a driver just gets into the lane again from his pitstop he would not be expecting two cars side by side which is more than enough to loose his sight of the Red signal. And it was Lewis also who lost the race who was also equally potent to win the race.

Na Kimi already had the track position ahead of Hamilton ;) So ideally Lewis wasnt gonna win it..It was Kimi's race to lose..

Well all we can say is it was a honest mistake.. But one cannot overrule that it wasnt a MISTAKE..

Anyways.. I was just about to fall asleep while watching it live and then after this bang boom.. I was sitting again :P Basically it got interesting..

[Hitboxx]

OMG, you wanted to sleep?:p On live telecast? I would lose a foot and a toe to watch it :D

I agree it was Kimi's race, especially since his pace leading upto the pitstop when he caught Robert back, and Lewis got desperate after seeing him upfront. I do wonder what happened to Niko though, maybe following Lewis too close and just followed whatever he did. Nevertheless, things like these in pitlane and that too under a safety car period shouldn't happen and it's only the inexperience of Lewis to blame.

I kinda liked how Kimi told Lewis after the incident though, like saying, "Where are you eyes dude.. you need to use them..!"

[lywyre]

Ha. Lewis was the Race leader before the pits. And what? he was a fraction behind at the exit.

More Ferrari Favourism by FIA [Max Mosley]: http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/28268-Formula-One-Once-Again-Ferrari-Wins-Others-Lose

[s18000rpm]

^thats bs by some brit-ham-mclaren fanboy

kimi's acc. was pure racing incident. he didnt lose the car intentionally, c'mon he lost the champ. lead to ham. :|

ham's incident was 100% driver+team error.

monaco race, sutil was not given 25secnd penalty (for overtakin under yellow flag, tho he had no option), so is FIA favouring Mallaya?



Q & A with Kimi Raikkonen

...
Q: What did you think of what Hamilton did?

Raikkonen: "I'm maybe not the best person to say because in the last race I made a mistake. But this is two completely different stories, you can lose control at 300kph on a circuit and hit someone, or go along on the pitlane speed limiter and don't watch in front of you. That's a bit silly."
...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68160

[lywyre]

Yes, it was driver error. You Ferrari fans talk as if Hamilton ruined it on purpose. And I don't know how that could be a team error. Please explain.

[s18000rpm]

team should have told ham. that the pit lane light = red, as SC was comin . ;)
ferrari & bmw informed their resp. drivers about it.

ham's mistake was not completely his, his team should take the blame for it too. coz the drivers whie comin out, they adjust so much of things on steering wheel.... & ham. had huge pressure, as the two guys who came behind him were in front of him while goin out

[Dipen01]

Yes, it was driver error. You Ferrari fans talk as if Hamilton ruined it on purpose. And I don't know how that could be a team error. Please explain.

Are bhai that was a honest mistake agreed na..

But that doesnt mean you will get away with it.. Even Hamilton wanted to earn some points for his championship so that was not intentional at all..

But it was a stupidity on part of his Engineer who didn't warn/inform him about that. So all in all If ham wants to blame himself or him team... Mclaren Camp is at blame...

Ab khush ..lol..

[channabasanna]

Yeah both Kimi and Lewis should be thrown out of this year's Championship Race for such stupid stunts.

Why should Kimi should be thrown out, for no reasons, do u think stopping under red light in pits and following the F1 rules and regulations is stupid.

[desiibond]

Closing pitlane during safety car period was a stupid rule.

McLaren not informing Lewis about red light was even more stupid.

Lewis not checking red light was most stupid.

[channabasanna]

Closing pitlane during safety car period was a stupid rule.

McLaren not informing Lewis about red light was even more stupid.

Lewis not checking red light was most stupid.

desibond i agree with you.... 100%.

[Hitboxx]

Why should Kimi should be thrown out, for no reasons, do u think stopping under red light in pits and following the F1 rules and regulations is stupid.
LoL, don't read Mehul seriously, he's a die hard fan of F1, so he likes to say things like these. :D

[desiibond]

Lewis now says:

"We are in a race. How can you see a red light at the end of the pit lane?"

A writer for The Daily Mail wrote: "Shame on you, Lewis, not for an exhibition of driving which would have cost you your no-claims bonus on the streets outside your Geneva home, but for a lack of contrition."

Even Sir Jackie Stewart, one of Hamilton's staunchest supporters, is questioning his level of maturity in the wake of the Montreal howler.

"When he looks back in four or five years he will question himself about what sort of person and driver he was in 2007 and 2008," the Scot said.


lol. Rules are rules. You have to make sure that you are following them.

[Dipen01]

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/223/woodeneye2rf5.jpg

[desiibond]

^^LOL

[mehulved]

LoL, don't read Mehul seriously, he's a die hard fan of F1, so he likes to say things like these. :D
And a bigger fan of ferrari.

[s18000rpm]

Raikkonen: Hamilton penalty was deserved
Kimi Raikkonen believes Lewis Hamilton got the penalty he deserved following their crash at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The British McLaren driver will lose ten places on the grid in France after crashing into the back of his Ferrari rival's car at the end of the pitlane in Montreal.

Although Hamilton said the penalty was harsh, Raikkonen in fact reckons the Briton deserved it.

"I still can't believe it, that someone can hit you while you are standing at the red light next to another car," said Raikkonen. "I can't imagine how Hamilton could not see the red lights and the two cars standing in front of him.

"I think that Hamilton deserved the penalty. He loses ten positions on the grid for the next race in France, which will make it more difficult for him at Magny-Cours."

He added: "Anyway we lost the possibility to have a good result in Canada. At the moment when the safety car came on the track, my car was running very fast: we could have won, or, in the worst case, come second.

"I was ready to fight and overtake Kubica, once the lights were green. But I didn't have the time, as Hamilton crashed into my back and the race was over. I'm not angry. Just disappointed, surprised and frustrated at the same time. He knew that the lights were red.

"Accidents happen, but it's difficult not to see two cars stopped."

The Finn has not scored a point in the last two races and has dropped from first to fourth in the standings.

But Raikkonen is adamant that Ferari are strong and that he will return to winning ways soon.

"I came back from Montreal with a really good impression of the F2008 and I'm sure that we can win again very soon," he said. "Because now we go to circuits where we are usually very strong.

"You know that I don't like to look behind: I'm concentrated on the French GP, where I want to repeat last year's result, when we brought home a wonderful one-two win."
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68210

--------------------------------------------------------

Hamilton says he can still win in France
Briton Lewis Hamilton believes he can still win the French Grand Prix despite the penalty he was given in Canada.

The McLaren driver will lose ten grid positions at the Magny-Cours race after crashing into the back of Kimi Raikkonen when he failed to see the red light at the end of the pitlane in time.

Although that means Hamilton will start from at least 11th place in France, he is still confident he can finish on top.

"I feel quite confident that we can still win there. That's my job," Hamilton was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"I've got to have that belief in myself and the team. I still feel we can finish in the top three but it's going to be a real challenge."

Hamilton also dismissed suggestions that the Montreal incident was a career low.

"It was nowhere near one of my lowest points. I don't even particularly feel it was a low point. It was one of those things you just have to come to terms with and move on. In the race I was on top of my game," he said.

The Briton lost the championship lead to BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in Canada and is now four points behind the Pole.

He added: "I believe it is going to be very difficult to win but I don't plan on it going to the last race. We will push as hard as we can to do the job, it doesn't matter if it is early or the last race. So long as we get it done."http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68208

[s18000rpm]

Massa wary of McLaren, BMW threat





Felipe Massa has downplayed talk that Ferrari are hot favourites to win the French Grand Prix, as he reckons McLaren and BMW Sauber will be a big threat.

The Italian squad have dominated the race at Magny-Cours, with seven victories in the last ten races.

Rivals McLaren have only won once, in 2000, at the French circuit.

Last year, Ferrari scored a one-two victory and arrive in France having shown strong form in the previous races.

But Massa reckons McLaren and BMW cannot be ruled out, although the Brazilian is optimistic his team will be very competitive.

"In recent years, people would say that Canada and Monaco suited McLaren better than Ferrari, while it was the other way round in France and Britain, but I don't think that is really the case this year, as apart from any other factors, we have to consider the BMW team in this equation," said Massa.

"This year in Monaco, Ferrari had the whole front row of the grid, even though I think we had more fuel than McLaren and in Canada our race pace was very good too. In other races we have all been very close. But I hope we will be very competitive this weekend.

"I like Magny-Cours: I came second here last year, having started from pole, but then I lost a bit of time in traffic and I also came third in 2006. It's a good track for me. Let's hope we can repeat last year's one-two finish, but maybe in a different order."http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68399

[s18000rpm]

Massa quickest in practice 1 - France
Felipe Massa was fastest for Ferrari by a comfortable seven tenths of a second in an uneventful opening practice session for the French Grand Prix.

The McLarens were second and third quickest, with Lewis Hamilton fractionally quicker than teammate Heikki Kovalainen, while Kimi Raikkonen completed the top four in the second Ferrari.

It took almost half an hour before the session got underway in earnest, with Williams' Nico Rosberg finally becoming the first man to set a flying lap after 26 minutes.

Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) then briefly had a turn on top, before the leading contenders all emerged as practice neared the halfway point.

Kovalainen and Massa both led the way for a few minutes, but it was Hamilton who ended up at the head of the timing screens with a 1:16.002, and he remained fastest until Massa re-emerged just after the hour mark.

The Brazilian produced three laps beneath Hamilton's benchmark, eventually ending up on a 1:15.450, while Hamilton went wide at the Adelaide hairpin on his equivalent run and failed to improve.

Massa then shaved a further tenth off his time when he rejoined for a final run, lapping in 1:15.306 to cement his dominant position.

Hamilton remained second, while Kovalainen was fortunate to avoid an accident on his last lap when he ran wide into the Estoril gravel trap at high-speed and came close to hitting the concrete wall as he wrestled the car back under control.

Raikkonen was 0.767 seconds slower than Massa in fourth, ahead of championship leader Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), who was one second off the pace in fifth place.

Fernando Alonso took sixth place, but stopped on the approach to the 180 corner in the final minutes after suffering what appeared to be a substantial engine failure. The Renault came to a halt in the run-off area with white smoke bellowing from its rear end.

Jarno Trulli escaped a quick spin at the Adelaide hairpin to take seventh for Toyota, with Vettel, Nick Heidfeld (BMW) and Timo Glock (Toyota) completing the top ten.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68428

Qualifying Sat 17:30-18:30

The Race Sun 17:30-19:30

[Hitboxx]

Yay!! Kimi on pole :D

[Dipen01]

A decent drive from Trulli too..

I wonder why is there a huge gap in performance between Lewis and Heiki , similarly Kubica and Heidfield... and not this particular race since very beginning..

[Hitboxx]

Preference? I pity Nick though, he's been here so long and driven for many teams, but the poor guy hasn't gotten the recognition and a car he deserves. Highly underated :|

[s18000rpm]

13th place for lewis, he has to race against sutil & nick:p
lewis has no records of finishin in pts. after starting below 10th.

kimi in 2005, started frm 13th & finished 2nd :o
can lewis do that?

btw did you see the new nike ad.
WOW!

[Hitboxx]

Ever seen a spanish "bull" fight?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSWJw353PME :p

Awesome :D

[s18000rpm]

Kovalainen penalised for impeding
Heikki Kovalainen has been handed a five-place grid penalty at the French Grand Prix for blocking Mark Webber, the FIA has confirmed.

The McLaren driver had qualified sixth fastest but will now move down the order because the stewards felt he had impeded Webber, who was on a fast lap.

A statement issued by the FIA said "the driver of car 23 was driving very slowly during an out lap and thereby hindered the driver of car 10 who was on his fast lap."

Kovalainen's penalty is a double blow to McLaren, who have seen their other driver Lewis Hamilton slip down to 13th on the grid because of the 10-place penalty he was handed after crashing in the pitlane in Canada.

Hamilton's penalty means that Kovalainen will start from 10th place on the grid.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68521

[Dipen01]

Preference? I pity Nick though, he's been here so long and driven for many teams, but the poor guy hasn't gotten the recognition and a car he deserves. Highly underated :|

Are no re , why would there be anything like Preference.. I mean if Nick were compete with Kubica then it preference comes into play but he has looked a lot weaker than Kubica in every race..

Same with Heiki and Lewis, now today Mclaren had to get thier solo car out front, still they couldnt do it..

Also why would someone give underrated cars to thier drivers.. Strategy wise preference can be given but i dont think overall u can discriminate..

[s18000rpm]

McLaren frustrated by Kovalainen penalty

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has expressed his frustration at the five-place penalty handed to Heikki Kovalainen for blocking Mark Webber in qualifying.

Kovalainen will drop from fifth to 10th on the grid after the stewards felt that he had held up Webber, who was on a quick lap, in Q1.

But Dennis says that the team and driver were simply caught out by bad circumstances - as Kovalainen got caught up close on track to Kazuki Nakajima.

"With Heikki, obviously we get phenomenally frustrated when we try to do everything right," said Dennis. "He had I think Nakajima behind him, they were both trying to stay out of everybody's way, and Nakajima overtook him into the final two corners.

"I think really the pace that they went into that last sector prior to starting their own laps was so slow that it caught everybody out, and really he had nowhere to go."

Dennis said McLaren changed Kovalainen's strategy for Q3 when it became apparent that he would be penalised - so as not to be stuck too far down the field with a light fuel load.

"It's not the way we wanted it to be, but in the end, once it had happened we changed strategy to try to minimise the damage tomorrow, and that clearly put Heikki down the grid," he explained.

"So he did a great job I think, and retrospectively tomorrow when you look at the stops and everything, fuel-corrected he did a great job.

"Overall the performance of the drivers and the cars is not reflected in the grid positions, but tomorrow is the race and there is a long way to go in this season."

Kovalainen himself was keen not to talk about what happened, clearly disappointed by the turn of events.

"I honestly don't want to get into that," he said when asked about the penalty. "I tried to stay out of the other drivers' way when I was on my warming-up lap, and the stewards decided to give me a five-place penalty. I don't want to talk about it any more."http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68522

[Hitboxx]

Bad luck Kimi, lucky Felipe, awesome drive by Jarno

[s18000rpm]

race summary - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68549

[s18000rpm]

FIA to discuss team entry fees hike http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68602

The FIA is to discuss a dramatic rise of almost 150 percent in the entry fees for teams competing in Formula One next year, to help pay for services and equipment, in its World Council Meeting in Paris tomorrow.

Less than a week after drivers went public in venting their frustrations at the escalation in the cost of their mandatory superlicence, the FIA is to consider raising the cost of a team's entry in F1 from this year's 300,000 euros to 740,000 euros.

The move comes because the FIA wants the teams to pay for improved safety and logistical facilities provided at races, as it is no longer willing to bankroll their provision itself. The plans have been revealed in an agenda for tomorrow's meeting in Paris that has been seen by autosport.com.

The services that the FIA wants teams to pay for from the start of next year are:

1) A marshalling and positioning system (known as F1MS) that provides race control with real time information about a car's location on the track and enables light signals to be sent to cars. The total cost for this is 1,026,000 euros.

2) The increased use of light panels around the track to supplement flag signals - which not only provide better visibility for drivers but also give race control a more accurate record of what signals are shown when. The total cost for this is 1,232,000 euros.

3) The Surveillance Data Record (SDR), which is fitted to cars to monitor car parameters and also gather data in the event of a crash. This has been used for the past six years and, although the teams have previously paid the supplier directly, this will now be sourced directly through the FIA. The cost of this is 130,900 euros.

4) A new Pit Lane and Garage Network to provide a totally secure messaging service to replace the need for paper copies of documents from race control or the stewards. All FIA communication with teams would be done via this network and, with teams having to acknowledge receipt, it would prevent the kind of situation that happened in Japan last year when Ferrari claimed they failed to receive an email detailing the use of wet tyres. The network would also distribute the F1MS information, weather data and car data from the SDR and Standard ECU. The cost of this is 70,400 euros for each team.

5) Weather forecast. The provision of weather information to the teams costs the FIA 485,000 Euros per year.

6) Pit wall intercom system. The intercom system that has been used by teams for the past six years to speak directly to race control has cost 780,000 euros. The cost of this will be split between the teams, with the FIA also making an equal contribution.

Based on ten teams competing, the raft of safety and logistical measures will cost each outfit 428,700 euros per year.

That is why the FIA wants to raise the entry fee from this year's 300,000 euros up to 740,000 euros, which also takes into account an index link rise of 3.7 percent.

Although such an increase in fees may at first appear draconian, it comes on the back of FIA president Max Mosley making it clear that he wants the sport's commercial rights holders to increase the amount of money they pay the teams from track and television rights. The FIA is set to indicate on Wednesday that it will only sign a new Concorde Agreement if there is a dramatic rise in the income that the teams receive from Ecclestone.
...

[sachin_kothari]

FIA announces provisional 2009 Formula One calendar

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has released a provisional calendar for the 2009 world championship. The addition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix makes for a 19-round season - one more round than in 2008.

The Australian Grand Prix will kick off proceedings on March 29, followed by Malaysia and Bahrain, before the championship heads to Europe. In a change to the traditional calendar the British Grand Prix will take place before the French race.

In another shift, the Turkish event will revert back to its more traditional August date, following this season’s earlier May slot. The championship will draw to a close in mid November with the inaugural Abu Dhabi race.

2009 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar (provisional)
29 March Australia
5 April Malaysia
19 April Bahrain
10 May Spain
24 May Monaco
7 June Canada
21 June Great Britain
28 June France
12 July Germany
26 July Hungary
9 August Turkey
23 August Europe (Valencia)
6 September Italy
13 September Belgium
27 September Singapore
11 October Japan
18 October China
1 November Brazil
15 November Abu Dhabi19 races for next year:p

Source (http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/6/7994.html)

[Hitboxx]

And hopefully it will be a complete 20 with the induction of India from 2010 :)

[mehulved]

WTH is wrong with them. They come to asia from europe, then go to americas for the 2nd last race then return back for the last one?

[Hitboxx]

Maybe some other sporting event in one of the countries clashes with it at that time.

[Dipen01]

And hopefully it will be a complete 20 with the induction of India from 2010 :)

I doubt it.. The Plans arent even discussed yet.. 2008 is halfway gone.. I dont think 2yrs is enough to raise a full fledged circuit.. be it a street one .. Anyways first lets hope that Force India does well..

[s18000rpm]

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

28 September 2008
interactive track - http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/singapore_801/circuit_diagram.html

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/2424/f1singaporebn5.th.jpg (http://img366.imageshack.us/my.php?image=f1singaporebn5.jpg)

[s18000rpm]

Silverstone loses British GP to Donington
The British Grand Prix will leave Silverstone and move to Donington Park from 2010, the FIA announced on Friday.

After months of speculation about whether or not Silverstone would retain the race, Donington Park has moved to complete a deal to secure the future of the event.

FIA President Max Mosley said: "After many years of patient but fruitless negotiation with the BRDC, we are delighted that Bernie has nevertheless been able to ensure that the British Grand Prix will keep its place on the Formula One World Championship calendar.

"We understand that the development programme planned for Donington will achieve the very high standards we and FOM expect from a modern F1 circuit. Finally, British Formula One fans will get the Grand Prix venue they deserve."

Bernie Ecclestone, FOM President, added: "Finally the uncertainty is over. A contract has been signed with Donington Park and the future of the British Grand Prix is now secure.

"We wanted a world class venue for Formula One in Britain, something that the teams and British F1 fans could be proud of. The major development plans for Donington will give us exactly that. A venue that will put British motor sport back on the map.

"I am sorry that we could not have helped Silverstone to raise the money to carry out the circuit improvements and run Formula One. I believe that the government should have supported them which would have cost probably less than .002% of the government's commitment for the Olympic Games."
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68828

[Hitboxx]

The interactive thing is not working for me :( . Is it supposed to do something? Coz of I get like this when I click on the Start/End point.

http://www.imgx.org/pthumbs/small/9396/f1a.jpg (http://www.imgx.org/pfiles/9396/f1a.jpg) http://www.imgx.org/pthumbs/small/9397/f1b.jpg (http://www.imgx.org/pfiles/9397/f1b.jpg)



I have got all plugins installed for FF3, happens both in Linux and Windows.

[s18000rpm]

yup
start/finish button doesnt do anything:p

but others work (sectors & grandstand)

[Hitboxx]

Woah!! What an outstanding lap by Mark Webber, amazing!

Heikki -1, Mark - 2, Kimi -3

Watch out now, half way through season and Heikki will be a big headache to Lewis, and expect to see more of his faces on the camera :D

[nish_higher]

What a dramatic race today.
1.lewis hamilton w00t!!
2.nick heidfeld
3.r.barrichello
awesom stuff by lewis :D

[Hitboxx]

Hehe yeah, very dramatic :D

Very nice drive Lewis, and Rubens, what a super 3rd place, his kiddo's prayers were answered.

Ferrari botched up Kimi's podium possibility with that stupid tyre decision, they should have given him fresh wets. I'm sure he and Lewis would be fighting.

And Felipe lol, probably setting up the record for the most spins in a race :p

Also, expect rain in the next German Grand Prix as well, just like last year.

[s18000rpm]

Drivers:
1. Hamilton 48
2. Raikkonen 48
3. Massa 48
4. Kubica 46
5. Heidfeld 36
6. Kovalainen 24
7. Trulli 20
8. Webber 18
9. Alonso 13
10. Barrichello 11
11. Rosberg 8
12. Nakajima 8
13. Coulthard 6
14. Vettel 5
15. Glock 5
16. Button 3
17. Piquet 2
18. Bourdais 2

Constructors:

1. Ferrari 96
2. BMW Sauber 82
3. McLaren-Mercedes 72
4. Toyota 25
5. Red Bull-Renault 24
6. Williams-Toyota 16
7. Renault 15
8. Honda 14
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7

wow

3 guys at same pts. :o
:))

only the indian team yet to score pts.:|

[rollcage]

I didn't like the race .. it was pathetic...


tennis was way better option on Sunday, awesome final.

[Hitboxx]

Forgot to say one more thing, if I remember correctly, Fernando did the entire 2nd stint on slicks, he didn't change the tyres :shock:, this when people around him were spinning and offtracking on wets. Respect for Fernando ^_^

[nish_higher]

Forgot to say one more thing, if I remember correctly, Fernando did the entire 2nd stint on slicks, he didn't change the tyres :shock:, this when people around him were spinning and offtracking on wets. Respect for Fernando ^_^

yea..i was about to write this here :p
that was a very good run by him.exactly opposite to Massa's :D

[desiibond]

Forgot to say one more thing, if I remember correctly, Fernando did the entire 2nd stint on slicks, he didn't change the tyres :shock:, this when people around him were spinning and offtracking on wets. Respect for Fernando ^_^

LOL. Slicks? There are no slick tyres in Formula1.

Dry Weather:

1) Hard
2) Soft
3) Supersoft

Wet Weather:

1) Intermediate tyres
2) Full Wet tyres
3) Extreme Wet tyres

He didn't change his tyres (intermediates) during the first pit stop. As a result, he too struggled for pace like Kimi. Finally, he came in for second stop on lap 27 and put on Full Wet tyres and finished the race.

btw, do you really think that he can even pass one corner on dry weather tyres with the amount of rain falling and water standing on the track?

[VD17]

lol.. yeah..
and i remember Steve Slater going "Felipe's doing more spin cycles than my washing machine right now!"

[s18000rpm]

LOL. Slicks?

btw, do you really think that he can even pass one corner on dry weather tyres with the amount of rain falling and water standing on the track?
:))


c'mon hitboxx, you play f1 game, even in the game, its impossble to race with dry's in wet condition.

i miss schumi, the true rain master

[Charan]

i miss schumi, the true rain master
First thing that came in my mind when seeing masa and kimi struggling on the silverstone track .. man these guys are nothing in front of Schumi :lol: .. he "was" the master..

[s18000rpm]

www.formula1.com/services/play_video.html

select britain video.

listen to that song :D

that f1 revving = my new ringtone:))

[s18000rpm]

Vettel confirmed at Red Bull Racing


Sebastian Vettel will join Mark Webber at Red Bull Racing next year, the Milton Keynes-based team confirmed at Hockenheim on Thursday

...more - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69187

Christian Horner : Timing not right for Alonso deal
Christian Horner says the timing was not right for Red Bull Racing to try and hire Fernando Alonso for next season.

The Milton Keynes-based team confirmed Sebastian Vettel will replace David Coulthard at the team in 2009, ending speculation about a possible move by Alonso from Renault.

Horner said the two-time champion was never an option for the team because of the current situation of the team and the driver.

"That was never an option," Horner told reporters in Germany. "Sebastian has been a member of the Red Bull young driver programme for many years now and he had demonstrated obvious potential.

"So after David announced his retirement it was an easy and natural decision to replace him with Sebastian.

"Fernando is a fantastic driver, I have got huge respect for him. I think he is one of the best three in the world, but the timing wasn't right for Red Bull Racing and him.

"It's early in the year to have both drivers confirmed but we decided to have stability in the team, to give clarity to the engineering staff. Now is the best time to make a commitment to what we knew was a 99% certainty anyway, and focus on the future."

Horner revealed, however, that Red Bull would have only considered Alonso had they not hired Vettel.

He added: "For us the only other driver we would have considered other than Sebastian was Fernando, but as I said, the timing wasn't right for either party in terms of what they were looking for out of a potential relationship."
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69194

[wtech]

hope their arent many montoya fans :D

http://f1chronicles.com/2008/07/14/juan-pablo-montoya-stupid-video-files-p/

[s18000rpm]

Qualifying Sat 17:30-18:30

The Race Sun 17:30-19:30


Hamilton also dominates second practice
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69219

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/5069/screenshot001fg2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/5069/screenshot001fg2.83992cebb7.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=166&i=screenshot001fg2.jpg)

[karmanya]

God damned fiitjee phase test- ill miss hockenhiem.

[Hitboxx]

I'm also in the bucket :( With the current setup of powercuts here, I'm scheduled to miss the important first hour of the race, from 5:30 to 6:30 and can only see the concluding 1/2 hour or so. I'm praying they sort out the issue before tomorrow!

[s18000rpm]

Hamilton beats Massa to German GP pole:x:x:x
Lewis Hamilton beat Felipe Massa to pole position for the German Grand Prix after a thrilling battle between the pair throughout qualifying.

The duo had topped a segment apiece in Q1 and Q2, before Massa put his Ferrari on provisional pole with his first flying lap of Q3, beating Hamilton by 0.4 seconds at that stage.

Massa then dug deeper and improved to 1:15.859 with his second lap, putting himself half a second clear of the field and looking assured of pole.

But Hamilton made an even greater gain, going over one second quicker than his previous run to beat Massa by nearly 0.2 seconds.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69270
:|
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/5633/screenshot001qe3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/5633/screenshot001qe3.5e31ba72e9.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=379&i=screenshot001qe3.jpg)
WTF!!!!
kimi behind alonso:|:|:|

[mehulved]

Why is the thread unstickied?

[s18000rpm]

Alonso is really the CHAMPION.

hamilton never deserved it (in 2007)

even with a crap car, he beats a top team's car.


btw, indian gp y 2010 , confirms mallaya.

a track will be built near delhi.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69244

what i dont get is, why delhi???

chennai & mumbai(pune) seems better option, as their are many car factories

--------------------
Kovalainen fined for refuelling breach

Heikki Kovalainen was fined 5,000 euros for a breach of the refuelling regulations during the second part of qualifying for the German Grand Prix.

The McLaren Mercedes driver was penalised by the stewards for a breach of Article 29.2 of the sporting regulations.

A statement read: "Car 23 was refuelled during Q2 using equipment that was not an FIA approved race refuelling system, and therefore the engine should have been stopped during the refuelling process."

Kovalainen's third-placed grid position has not been affected by the penalty.

crap:x, 5 place penatly on grid wud have been better:))

[Hitboxx]

Guys, like I said I will miss the 1st hour here now, please post any incidents if happens withing this hour.

[desiibond]

Guys, like I said I will miss the 1st hour here now, please post any incidents if happens withing this hour.

1) Lewis running away 0.5sec a lap over Massa.
2) Kimi stuck behing Trulli and losing 2sec's a lap to Lewis.


Max Kimi can get to is 3rd or 4th. And if by any chance, Trulli stays longer, it's race over for Kimi. He will be stuck behing Trulli forever.

Vettel is driving his heart out in there.

Lewis has 10sec lead at the end of 16th lap.

[s18000rpm]

what a crap:x

kimi struggling at 6th after 18 laps

lewis leads by 11seconds to 2nd place massa

[desiibond]

Irony is Lewis takes early pit stop on lap 16 and still comes ahead of Kimi. That slow Kimi is due to that stupid Toyota.

[Hitboxx]

Hehe thank you for that, power is still on, so still watching it :)

Lewis on 3 stops?! :O

[s18000rpm]

omg!
lewis still ahead of kimi after 1st pitstop :|:|:|

[desiibond]

Trulli and Alonso into the pit's. Kimi now has clear track ahead of him :)

[s18000rpm]

sob govt.
making only chennai come under cas crap:x

http://www.formula1.com/services/live_timing/live_timing.html to the rescue:))

live timing commentary says kimi at p4, but tie chart showing p9
wth!!!!!!!!

where the heck is kimi???

[Hitboxx]

WtH!! It seems all are running 3 stops :confused:

maybe except Mark Webber.

[s18000rpm]

edit------------------

kimi at p7:|

-=====
wth, why kov. pit again?
or is live timing commentary is fed bya drunk?:|

[desiibond]

Kimi's at P5 now.

Lewis, Massa, Heikki, Kubica, Kimi, Trulli, Vettel, Glock, Alonso.

[Hitboxx]

heavy accident for timo glock, surely safety car!!

[s18000rpm]

zomg

very big acc. i guess

LOOOOOOOOOOL

almost all in pits

[desiibond]

Glock's car has tyre hub failure in start/finish straight. Hits the sidewall at 250kmph.

No injury. Just holding his back, pain caused due to the hit.

Ferrari **** up Kimi's strategy again. They bring Massa and Kimi at the same time when most of the cars came in. Result: He comes out at 14th. He was running 5th before pitstop.

[s18000rpm]

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3622/screenshot001lt7.th.jpg (http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot001lt7.jpg)
:D

:o
wth, kimi & kov a lap down????????

[desiibond]

Massa now has a real chance to win this race because he is in 4th place with Lewis, Heidfeld and Piquet still to pit. All the cars behind Safety car.

Podium is out of reach for Kimi. Massa on the other hand has awesome chance.

Kimi has moved up to 9th place now

Heikki in 6th place.

Lewis is now increasingl lead by 1sec every lap.

[s18000rpm]

piquet on one stop strategy. (live timing says:D)

massa dont screw this up:x

[desiibond]

PS: Live timing on F1 site is totally erraneous

[s18000rpm]

whoa, kimi now on attack mode i guesses:D

[desiibond]

yes. He is doing some aggressive racing. I think he needs Alonso down his ass for him to go flat out :)

[s18000rpm]

kimi at p8 now

[desiibond]

But, damn, he is once again behing Trulli.

[s18000rpm]

p7 :o

wow:D

[desiibond]

Yee haaa. Full throttle for Kimi, gets past Trullis.

Gap between Lewis and Massa looks threatning for Ferrari. 12.5 secs in 5 laps. 5 more laps and Lewis will be comforable ahead of Ferrari to take pit stop.

What the heck is the problem with Massa. He couldn't even reach Piquet. Do the same for few more laps and once again he will be the n00b of F1.

Lewis in Pit now

Lewis drops to 5th place.

[s18000rpm]

:D:D:D

lewis behind his team mate & ferrari



Gap between Lewis and Massa looks threatning for Ferrari. 12.5 secs in 5 laps. 5 more laps and Lewis will be comforable ahead of Ferrari to take pit stop.

What the heck is the problem with Massa. He couldn't even reach Piquet. Do the same for few more laps and once again he will be the n00b of F1.


maybe massa saving the tyres;)

massa-lewis gap = under 4 secs.:o

[desiibond]

Heikki alows Lewis to go through. Now, Lewis is just 2.5secs behind Massa.

worst thing is Lewis is 1sec a lap faster than Massa.

[s18000rpm]

piquet leads
nick at p4 after pits:o

wth kimi, still behind robert. damn the other cars are so slow:)), made it look like kimi "drove":p

[desiibond]

Definitely Massa is going to lose position to Lewis. And then it will just be matter of time for Lewis to take atleast P2.

[s18000rpm]

massa slower than piquet, lewis faster than everyone:|:|:|:|

[desiibond]

My prediction: Lewis wins the race and Massa may come 2nd or 3rd based on whether Piquet pits or not.

[Hitboxx]

Felipe Massa is a waste driver in Ferrari!

[s18000rpm]

massa screwed it up:|
well done

noob cud'nt overtake a noob:|

[desiibond]

Really man, this is worst driving by Massa. He has clear advantage to win the race and he ****ed up real bad. Couldn't even overtake Piquet. Huh.

Schumi, we want you back in Ferrari.

[s18000rpm]

LOOOOL

look what alonso told on nooz.
Alonso: Renault need points from Piquet (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69328)
now look at the race:p

[desiibond]

Lewis takes the race lead. Heidfeld trying to take position from Massa.

Kimi takes the 6th place from Kubica.

[s18000rpm]

:O
nick on massa's noob arse
lool

wow
kimi at p6

:O
nick on massa's noob arse
lool

wow
kimi at p6
lewis at top

nothings worse than getting beaten by a underpowerd slow renault.
last year, massascrewed up at nurburgring just like this, to alonso:p, screwing up dueto pressure

[desiibond]

Steve Slater says : After beate by Lewis like that, Massa will not have the stomach to challenge Lewis again. So, the Championship fight will be between Kimi and Lewis.

My Prediction: Lewis easily gets drivers championship with 1 or 2 races to go and Ferrai and McLaren fight for Constructor's crown till the end of final races.

Look at Kimi in the first part of the race. He was too conservative. Had he did aggressive driving in the first stint, he would've been on 1st position

[s18000rpm]

what a huge diffrence between ham & kov. :o
ham was behind kov. jus around 10 laps ago & now leads the race & kov. still at same place

[nish_higher]

Wow
1.lewis
2.piquet
3.massa

great renault strategy and a great run by lewis once again :D

[Hitboxx]

Ferrari should fscking kick Massa out of the team!

[desiibond]

Ferrari will be the n00b of this race. They couldn't make their cars competitive on track, couldn't make their drivers go flat out in the first stint.

[s18000rpm]

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9137/screenshot001mc2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9137/screenshot001mc2.6ebf9e3174.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=410&i=screenshot001mc2.jpg)

lewis=58
massa=54
kimi=51:( :x

[nish_higher]

Ferrari should fscking kick Massa out of the team!

yea and imo alonso/kubica should be part of ferrari

[desiibond]

Hats off to Lewis for the amazing drive. I have a feeling that he could well be the successor to Schumi. Perfect driving in both dry and wet conditions, going flat out when needed, being defensive at the best, doing aggressive overtaking without fearing of going off the track.

yea and imo alonso/kubica should be part of ferrari

If Alonso comes into Ferrari, Ferrari will win Constructors championships for atleast a decade. He brings so much balance to the car and makes the car so much competitive (though has bad mouth) :)

[nish_higher]

:lol: right
i can count on kubica as well.both are hardworking drivers and push to the limits.and no doubt about lewis being schumi ver 2.0 someday if he continues driving like this.

[Hitboxx]

Hats off to Lewis for the amazing drive. I have a feeling that he could well be the successor to Schumi. Perfect driving in both dry and wet conditions, going flat out when needed, being defensive at the best, doing aggressive overtaking without fearing of going off the track.
Honestly I believe Fernando is the successor to Michael ;)

Ferrari is technically a sharp car while Mclaren is a much more flowing car and Fernando can put the Ferrari where he wants to, just like Michael did. Just imagining him do fastest laps on fastest laps gives me goosebumps :D

[desiibond]

Honestly I believe Fernando is the successor to Michael ;)

Ferrari is technically a sharp car while Mclaren is a much more flowing car and Fernando can put the Ferrari where he wants to, just like Michael did. Just imagining him do fastest laps on fastest laps gives me goosebumps :D

yeah but it's his bad mouth that is keeping him away from ferrar

[nish_higher]

and that last year ferrari breach .if i remember correctly alonso knew abt it

[s18000rpm]

Fisichella handed 25-second penaltyGiancarlo Fisichella has been handed a 25-second penalty at the German Grand Prix after unlapping himself when he was not allowed to.
...
The penalty moves Fisichella from 14th to 17th position.:lol:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69349

================
Massa: I didn't have the car to fight
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69337

[desiibond]

Massa didn't have the fight?? LOL

He didn't have the courage to fight. He tamely surrendered to Lewis. It was clear that there isn't much difference between Ferrari and McLaren. It's just that Lewis drove his heart out

[s18000rpm]

^nah, i guess ferrari is weaker at this track.

F1 Germany 2008 - Glock crashes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlshfBMIiU
omg

that must have hurt his back real bad.

a rear end first crash:o


===================\

Raikkonen admits McLaren now quicker
Kimi Raikkonen conceded that Ferrari have now fallen behind McLaren after a difficult German Grand Prix for the Italian squad.

While McLaren's Lewis Hamilton recovered from a less-than-ideal strategy to charge through from fourth and claim a memorable victory, Ferrari duo Felipe Massa and Raikkonen could only finish third and sixth.

When asked if the Hockenheim results meant that McLaren were now the quicker team, Raikkonen replied: "It looks like it."

"Definitely this weekend they were very strong," he added. "Also in the last race they were very good. Hopefully we will find the solution for our problems and we will be back where we should be."

The reigning champion said he had never been able to get his Ferrari to his liking at Hockenheim.

"It's not exactly what we were hoping for," said Raikkonen. "It was pretty difficult all the way through. Then in the end the car was a bit better but it was very difficult for the whole weekend. We need to look and find an improvement.

"I don't know whether