1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) +3 secs
3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) +4.8
4. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) +19.2
5. Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Toro Rosso) +24.6
6. Rubens Barrichello (Honda) +28.4
7. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) +30.1
8. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes) +33.1
9. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) +33.7
10. Fernando Alonso (Renault) +1 Lap
11. Jenson Button (Honda) +1 Lap
12. Timo Glock (Toyota) +1 Lap
13. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) +1 Lap
14. Nick Heidfeld (Renault) +4 Laps
R. Adrian Sutil (Force India) +9 Laps
R. Nico Rosberg (Williams) +17 Laps
R. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault) +29 Laps
R. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) +40 Laps
R. David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing) +69 Laps
R. Sebastien Bourdais (Scuderia Toro Rosso) +69 Laps
Race report to follow shortly.
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Final Qualifying Standings From Monaco
1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1m15.787s
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes)
5. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
6. Nico Rosberg (Williams)
7. Fernando Alonso (Renualt)
8. Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
9. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
10. David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing)
11. Timo Glock (Toyota)
12. Jenson Button (Honda)
13. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
14. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams)
15. Rubens Barrichello (Honda)
16. Sebastien Bourdais (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
17. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault)
18. Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
19. Adrian Sutil (Force India)
20. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India)
Massa snatches a surprise pole at a circuit which he professes to dislike as Ferrari lock out the front row to put themselves in an incredibly strong position for the race. McLaren hold both positions on the second row of the grid, although Hamilton will be dissapointed with 3rd after being fastest in practice. Elsewhere, Nico Rosberg will be delighted with the speed he extracted from his Williams to qualify an impressive sixth, but BMW's Nick Heidfeld will be unhappy with coming in in 13th place after his good early season qualifying form. The Force India's line up on the back row of the grid, Fisichella unfortunately will be starting his 200th Grand Prix from last place. The race looks set to be dominated by the Ferraris, but at Monaco you just never know...
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes)
5. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
6. Nico Rosberg (Williams)
7. Fernando Alonso (Renualt)
8. Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
9. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
10. David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing)
11. Timo Glock (Toyota)
12. Jenson Button (Honda)
13. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
14. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams)
15. Rubens Barrichello (Honda)
16. Sebastien Bourdais (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
17. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault)
18. Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
19. Adrian Sutil (Force India)
20. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India)
Massa snatches a surprise pole at a circuit which he professes to dislike as Ferrari lock out the front row to put themselves in an incredibly strong position for the race. McLaren hold both positions on the second row of the grid, although Hamilton will be dissapointed with 3rd after being fastest in practice. Elsewhere, Nico Rosberg will be delighted with the speed he extracted from his Williams to qualify an impressive sixth, but BMW's Nick Heidfeld will be unhappy with coming in in 13th place after his good early season qualifying form. The Force India's line up on the back row of the grid, Fisichella unfortunately will be starting his 200th Grand Prix from last place. The race looks set to be dominated by the Ferraris, but at Monaco you just never know...
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Top 8 Predictions for Monaco
1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
Lewis drove imperiously at Monaco last year and was only denied the win through being constrained by team orders. I fully expect him to put the ghosts of last season behind him and win in style.
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Although this is not Kimi’s best circuit, the Finn is in fantastic driving form and will push Hamilton all the way for the ten points.
3. Fernando Alonso (Renault)
With Monaco being the slowest track on the F1 circuit the Renault’s lack of speed will not be so apparent in comparison to the Ferraris and McLarens, this will mean Alonso’s supreme driving skills can come to the fore. I expect this to be a strong weekend for the Spaniard.
4. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Felipe had a great race two weeks ago in Istanbul, but there are better drivers than him in street race situations and the Brazilian might struggle to keep pace with his team mate.
5. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
Heidfeld’s delicate driving style is well-suited to Monaco and he finished sixth here last year. I expect him to improve on that result this time around.
6. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes)
Kovalainen hasn’t had the best of starts to the season, not managing to find the extra speed that Hamilton seems to summon from the car. Still, it is a good car and Heikki will compete for points this weekend.
7. Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
Jarno has won at Monaco before and although he is driving a relatively weak Toyota car, he is a master of this circuit and will no doubt pick up some points for his team in the principality.
8. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
The Pole has had a brilliant start to the season and could even be in position to have an outside shot at the title. However, the heavy-handed style which he has had so much success with is not best suited to Monaco and he may struggle to find his feet.
Lewis drove imperiously at Monaco last year and was only denied the win through being constrained by team orders. I fully expect him to put the ghosts of last season behind him and win in style.
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Although this is not Kimi’s best circuit, the Finn is in fantastic driving form and will push Hamilton all the way for the ten points.
3. Fernando Alonso (Renault)
With Monaco being the slowest track on the F1 circuit the Renault’s lack of speed will not be so apparent in comparison to the Ferraris and McLarens, this will mean Alonso’s supreme driving skills can come to the fore. I expect this to be a strong weekend for the Spaniard.
4. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Felipe had a great race two weeks ago in Istanbul, but there are better drivers than him in street race situations and the Brazilian might struggle to keep pace with his team mate.
5. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
Heidfeld’s delicate driving style is well-suited to Monaco and he finished sixth here last year. I expect him to improve on that result this time around.
6. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes)
Kovalainen hasn’t had the best of starts to the season, not managing to find the extra speed that Hamilton seems to summon from the car. Still, it is a good car and Heikki will compete for points this weekend.
7. Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
Jarno has won at Monaco before and although he is driving a relatively weak Toyota car, he is a master of this circuit and will no doubt pick up some points for his team in the principality.
8. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
The Pole has had a brilliant start to the season and could even be in position to have an outside shot at the title. However, the heavy-handed style which he has had so much success with is not best suited to Monaco and he may struggle to find his feet.
Fisichella Joins 200 Club
Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella will become the ninth driver in history to reach the 200 race landmark when he lines up on the grid in Monaco on Sunday. The popular Italian will be wearing a special set of overalls emblazoned with a '200' logo to mark the occassion.
Fisichella began his Formula One career in 1996 with Minardi where he was promoted from test driver to the race seat for one season before moving to Jordan in 1997. Giancarlo starred for Jordan, his best results being a third in Canada and an impressive second at a soaking wet Spa.
His impressive driving saw him signed by Benetton the very next season and he stayed with the team until 2001 scoring fairly regular podium finishes over the four seasons he was with the Italian outfit.
Fisichella returned to Jordan in 2002, but was largely frustrated by the team's lack of progress. However, Jordan did provide Fisichella with one of his finest moments as a driver as he managed an unlikely victory in Brazil at a wet Interlagos circuit.
The win was not enough to keep the Italian at Jordan and he was signed by Sauber the following year for the 2004 season. Whilst he was with the Swiss team he was paired with Felipe Massa and often outscored the young Brazilian. But Fisi wanted more than just low point-scoring finishes and signed for a highly competitive Renault team in 2005 where he joined up with Fernando Alonso.
Things could not have started better for Giancarlo at Renault, he won his first race for the team at Australia in 2005. However, over the course of the season he found himself continually outpaced by Alonso as his title challenge fell away after several retirements due to technical faults.
In 2006 the car was more reliable and Fisichella memorably won in Malaysia, but again could not match Alonso who won the Championship for a second time, Giancarlo down in fourth in the final standings.
When Alonso left Renault for McLaren Fisichella found himself as number one driver in the team and would have been forgiven for thinking he had a chance at the title in 2007. But the car did not perform like it had the previous two seasons and Giancarlo could only finish eighth in the championship, a best result of fourth place at Monaco.
Frustrated at Renault, Fisichella signed for Force India last summer and has already shown his talent, getting good speed out of an average car. He will be looking to build on his recent good performances and hope that his 13th season in Formula One will not be an unlucky one.
Fisichella began his Formula One career in 1996 with Minardi where he was promoted from test driver to the race seat for one season before moving to Jordan in 1997. Giancarlo starred for Jordan, his best results being a third in Canada and an impressive second at a soaking wet Spa.
His impressive driving saw him signed by Benetton the very next season and he stayed with the team until 2001 scoring fairly regular podium finishes over the four seasons he was with the Italian outfit.
Fisichella returned to Jordan in 2002, but was largely frustrated by the team's lack of progress. However, Jordan did provide Fisichella with one of his finest moments as a driver as he managed an unlikely victory in Brazil at a wet Interlagos circuit.
The win was not enough to keep the Italian at Jordan and he was signed by Sauber the following year for the 2004 season. Whilst he was with the Swiss team he was paired with Felipe Massa and often outscored the young Brazilian. But Fisi wanted more than just low point-scoring finishes and signed for a highly competitive Renault team in 2005 where he joined up with Fernando Alonso.
Things could not have started better for Giancarlo at Renault, he won his first race for the team at Australia in 2005. However, over the course of the season he found himself continually outpaced by Alonso as his title challenge fell away after several retirements due to technical faults.
In 2006 the car was more reliable and Fisichella memorably won in Malaysia, but again could not match Alonso who won the Championship for a second time, Giancarlo down in fourth in the final standings.
When Alonso left Renault for McLaren Fisichella found himself as number one driver in the team and would have been forgiven for thinking he had a chance at the title in 2007. But the car did not perform like it had the previous two seasons and Giancarlo could only finish eighth in the championship, a best result of fourth place at Monaco.
Frustrated at Renault, Fisichella signed for Force India last summer and has already shown his talent, getting good speed out of an average car. He will be looking to build on his recent good performances and hope that his 13th season in Formula One will not be an unlucky one.
Friday, 16 May 2008
Day Three At Paul Ricard
It was all change at the Paul Ricard circuit today on the third day of testing. The rain which had been predicted arrived, the circuit was reconfigured to simulate the Gilles Villenuve circuit in Montreal and Jarno Trulli was the suprise fastest during Friday's session.
The heavy rain arrived at 10am and it was Trulli who set the pace with a lap time of 1m31.360s, closely followed by an impressive Nelsinho Piquet who set a time of 1m31.634s. Inevitably the weather put a limit on the amount of laps the drivers could complete, most drivers being frustrated by the lack of testing they could complete. Of the three drivers leading the championship, only Felipe Massa completed any laps in the wet.
Top 5 times from day 3:
1. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1m31.360s
2. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault) 1m31.634
3. Pedro de La Rosa* (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m32.143s
4. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 1m32.480s
5. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1m33.246s
*Denotes team test driver
The heavy rain arrived at 10am and it was Trulli who set the pace with a lap time of 1m31.360s, closely followed by an impressive Nelsinho Piquet who set a time of 1m31.634s. Inevitably the weather put a limit on the amount of laps the drivers could complete, most drivers being frustrated by the lack of testing they could complete. Of the three drivers leading the championship, only Felipe Massa completed any laps in the wet.
Top 5 times from day 3:
1. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1m31.360s
2. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault) 1m31.634
3. Pedro de La Rosa* (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m32.143s
4. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 1m32.480s
5. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1m33.246s
*Denotes team test driver
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Day Two At Paul Ricard
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was the star of the show during Thursday's testing for all ten teams at the Paul Ricard circuit.
Raikkonen, who was a distant second fastest to Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday, today finished well ahead of McLaren completing 102 laps with a best time of 1m05.381s. The Finnish driver was said to be very pleased with the results Ferrari's new downforce package was producing.
Lewis Hamilton was rested for Thursday's session and was replaced in the McLaren test car by team mate Heikki Kovalainen whose best time was a tenth of a second slower than that of his compatriot Raikkonen.
BMW's Robert Kubica came in with the third fastest time for the second consecutive day, with David Coulthard a strong fourth and Jenson Button fifth for Honda. Toro Rosso's new car, the STR3 impressd again, Sebastian Bourdais completing the sixth fastest time over the course of the day.
Friday will see the Paul Ricard circuit reconfigured to simulate conditions similar to those the drivers will face in Montreal in around a months time.
Raikkonen, who was a distant second fastest to Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday, today finished well ahead of McLaren completing 102 laps with a best time of 1m05.381s. The Finnish driver was said to be very pleased with the results Ferrari's new downforce package was producing.
Lewis Hamilton was rested for Thursday's session and was replaced in the McLaren test car by team mate Heikki Kovalainen whose best time was a tenth of a second slower than that of his compatriot Raikkonen.
BMW's Robert Kubica came in with the third fastest time for the second consecutive day, with David Coulthard a strong fourth and Jenson Button fifth for Honda. Toro Rosso's new car, the STR3 impressd again, Sebastian Bourdais completing the sixth fastest time over the course of the day.
Friday will see the Paul Ricard circuit reconfigured to simulate conditions similar to those the drivers will face in Montreal in around a months time.
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Update From First Days Testing At Paul Ricard Citcuit
Lewis Hamilton went fastest on the first day of testing at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France with a time of 1m05.600s.
With the track configured to represent the tight, narrow style of Monte Carlo, Hamilton impressed with a time half a second faster than Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn trialling a new aerodynamics package for the Italian outfit.
With the track configured to represent the tight, narrow style of Monte Carlo, Hamilton impressed with a time half a second faster than Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn trialling a new aerodynamics package for the Italian outfit.
Other drivers that impressed during Wednesdays session included Robert Kubica, third fastest after completing an incredible 124 laps. Nico Rosberg completed more laps than anybody else with 154, the Williams man also testing new aero components. Toro Rosso will be pleased with their new STR3 car's first public test session, Vettel setting the fifth fastest time overall. The car is due to make its race debut in Monaco next Sunday.
Top 5 times from Wednesday testing at Paul Ricard:
1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m05.600s
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1m06.098s
3. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) 1m06.177s
4. Mark Webber (Williams) 1m06.348s
5. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 1m06.372s
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