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...
Showing posts with label Formula One. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Formula One. Show all posts
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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
Drivers Standings Update After Round 5 (Turkey)
Drivers Standings After Round 5:
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 35
Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 28
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 28
Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) 24
Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 20
Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes) 14
Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) 10
Fernando Alonso (Renault) 9
Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 9
Nico Rosberg (Williams) 8
Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 5
Jenson Button (Honda) 3
Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) 2
David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing) 0
Timo Glock (Toyota) 0
Gianluca Fisichella (Force India) 0
Rubens Barrichello (Honda) 0
Nelsinho Piquet (Renault) 0
Adrian Sutil (Force India) 0
Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 0
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 35
Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 28
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 28
Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) 24
Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 20
Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes) 14
Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) 10
Fernando Alonso (Renault) 9
Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 9
Nico Rosberg (Williams) 8
Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 5
Jenson Button (Honda) 3
Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) 2
David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing) 0
Timo Glock (Toyota) 0
Gianluca Fisichella (Force India) 0
Rubens Barrichello (Honda) 0
Nelsinho Piquet (Renault) 0
Adrian Sutil (Force India) 0
Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 0
This Weeks Testing At The Paul Ricard Circuit
In this modern age of motor sport there truly is no rest for the stars of the show. Today all remaining ten Formula One teams (Super Aguri having dropped out) are descending on the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France in order to begin testing for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Although the last round of the championship in Turkey finished a mere seventy-two hours ago, the relentless pace at which the technology of this sport develops and the desperation all the teams have to gain any advantage over the rest of the paddock saw the teams begin testing this morning.
It is likely that the next few days of testing will be a somewhat star-studded affair, with several of the bigger teams, Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes included, keen to keep their race drivers at the wheel rather than deploy their test drivers. This move has been taken largely to keep the drivers at their peak in the run-up to Monaco, arguably the most testing circuit the drivers face all season.
Lewis Hamilton is expected to test for McLaren for the next two or three days whilst the Paul Ricard circuit is configured to simulate the tight street conditions of Monaco. Towards the end of the week it is likely that test driver Pedro de La Rosa will resume his usual testing duties when the track is re-arranged to resemble the high-speed, hard braking layout of Canada’s Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal on Friday.
Reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen is expected to spearhead Ferrari’s testing programme, Nelson Piquet Junior likewise for Renault, whilst both Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld are expected to get plenty of time behind the wheel over the course of the week.
However, despite all the big names on show it is likely to be Toro Ross which attract the most attention. The sister team of Red Bull Racing have been putting the finishing touches to their new STR3 car for the last few weeks and ready to debut it in Monaco. The team had intended to unveil the new car in Istanbul, but instead opted to give the STR2 model a final swansong in Turkey. This week will see the drivers’ first laps in the new cars, no doubt the team will be hoping for a turn around in their fortunes in eleven days time in Monte Carlo when the STR3 makes its competitive debut.
Although the last round of the championship in Turkey finished a mere seventy-two hours ago, the relentless pace at which the technology of this sport develops and the desperation all the teams have to gain any advantage over the rest of the paddock saw the teams begin testing this morning.
It is likely that the next few days of testing will be a somewhat star-studded affair, with several of the bigger teams, Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes included, keen to keep their race drivers at the wheel rather than deploy their test drivers. This move has been taken largely to keep the drivers at their peak in the run-up to Monaco, arguably the most testing circuit the drivers face all season.
Lewis Hamilton is expected to test for McLaren for the next two or three days whilst the Paul Ricard circuit is configured to simulate the tight street conditions of Monaco. Towards the end of the week it is likely that test driver Pedro de La Rosa will resume his usual testing duties when the track is re-arranged to resemble the high-speed, hard braking layout of Canada’s Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal on Friday.
Reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen is expected to spearhead Ferrari’s testing programme, Nelson Piquet Junior likewise for Renault, whilst both Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld are expected to get plenty of time behind the wheel over the course of the week.
However, despite all the big names on show it is likely to be Toro Ross which attract the most attention. The sister team of Red Bull Racing have been putting the finishing touches to their new STR3 car for the last few weeks and ready to debut it in Monaco. The team had intended to unveil the new car in Istanbul, but instead opted to give the STR2 model a final swansong in Turkey. This week will see the drivers’ first laps in the new cars, no doubt the team will be hoping for a turn around in their fortunes in eleven days time in Monte Carlo when the STR3 makes its competitive debut.
Turkish GP Race Report
Lewis Hamilton drove what he described as his “best ever race” to finish second behind Ferrari’s Felipe Massa at the Istanbul Park circuit on Sunday, despite fears over the safety of his tyres forcing him into a difficult three-stop strategy.
For Hamilton this second place was crucial as it saw the young Briton finish ahead of reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen, and kick-started his title challenge which had faltered up until now with his last three finishes prior to this race yielding just ten points. Throughout the race Hamilton remained unfazed despite having to contend with both long spells of pressure from the Finnish Ferrari driver and a far from ideal race strategy, his McLaren-Mercedes splitting the two Ferrari’s in the final standings.
The unusual strategy deployed by the McLaren team was forced upon them by concerns over the safety of the Bridgestone tyres used by the team. At the Turkish Grand Prix last season one of Hamilton’s tyres had failed and a similar structural fault had been discovered on the driver’s car during Saturday practice. Team boss Ron Dennis was not prepared to see the same thing happen again and so ordered the three-stop strategy as a precaution. The teams problems were compounded when Heikki Kovalainen was clipped by Raikkonen at the first corner, his car suffering a left-rear puncture. Kovalainen was forced to pit and from then on was never in contention for points, despite a brave fight back through the field which saw the Finn finish in twelfth place.
Despite Hamilton’s heroics, it was Massa who was left to celebrate his third victory from pole position in as many years at this circuit which he has come to master during his time with Ferrari. The Brazilian didn’t put a foot wrong over the 58 laps of the race to score the first hat-trick of race wins since Michael Schumacher’s dominance of Indianapolis from 2003-2006.
It was clear from the outset that Massa would take all ten points as he got a clean start in his Ferrari, driving unchallenged into the first corner. It was a very different story behind him however, as Hamilton managed to get himself up from third on the grid to second by the exit of turn one, Kovalainen going in the opposite direction and Raikkonen falling from fourth to sixth place. At the back of the grid, Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella recorded a very different hat-trick all of his own, his collision with the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima his third first-lap retirement in the last three races at this circuit.
In the early stages of the race Hamilton, with probably the lightest fuel tank in the field, was able to match and occasionally exceed the lap times of Massa as the Briton pushed his car to the limit knowing full well that he would have to give 100% to be in with any chance of a top six finish. Unsurprisingly it was Hamilton who pitted first on lap sixteen, Massa following suit three laps later. At this stage it was hard to tell exactly what strategy the McLaren team were running, as in the build up to the race they had kept their cards very close to their chest.
Fortunately for Hamilton, Raikkonen was not driving to his usual astronomically high standards and had been struggling to keep pace with the front two in the run-up to the first set of pit stops. He had not been helped by the minor damage sustained to his front wing after the early clash with Kovalainen, but his scruffy entry into the pit lane for his first stop suggested that the Ferrari man wasn’t quite his usual focussed self.
It was Massa who emerged from the first set of stops with the advantage, pulling out of the pits just 0.5s ahead of Hamilton. However it was the McLaren driver who seemed to be driving the perfect line around the track, continuing to take time out of the Brazilian until he took the lead on lap 24 with a breathtaking piece of overtaking. Hamilton’s lead did not last long, his second stop on lap 32 dropping him down into third place and finally confirming the three-stop strategy that most in the paddock had been expecting. When Massa and Raikkonen pitted on laps 40 and 43 respectively Hamilton gained a temporary lead of the race once again and drove to the very limit of his abilities to ensure he could emerge from his third stop on lap 45 ahead of Raikkonen.
The McLaren mechanics did a brilliantly fast job of refuelling Hamilton’s car for the remaining thirteen laps of the race, getting their man out just in front of Raikkonen. This was a race for McLaren that was very much dictated by the precision and skill of their mechanics and Hamilton would almost certainly not have made it to the second step of the podium had they been just fractions of seconds slower. In the post-race press conference Hamilton claimed it had been the best performance of his career, I would not only agree with this but would also suggest it was the best all-round team performance seen in a Formula One race for some time. Hamilton’s race for the title is back on, and he will go to Monte Carlo in a fortnights time with high hopes.
For Hamilton this second place was crucial as it saw the young Briton finish ahead of reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen, and kick-started his title challenge which had faltered up until now with his last three finishes prior to this race yielding just ten points. Throughout the race Hamilton remained unfazed despite having to contend with both long spells of pressure from the Finnish Ferrari driver and a far from ideal race strategy, his McLaren-Mercedes splitting the two Ferrari’s in the final standings.
The unusual strategy deployed by the McLaren team was forced upon them by concerns over the safety of the Bridgestone tyres used by the team. At the Turkish Grand Prix last season one of Hamilton’s tyres had failed and a similar structural fault had been discovered on the driver’s car during Saturday practice. Team boss Ron Dennis was not prepared to see the same thing happen again and so ordered the three-stop strategy as a precaution. The teams problems were compounded when Heikki Kovalainen was clipped by Raikkonen at the first corner, his car suffering a left-rear puncture. Kovalainen was forced to pit and from then on was never in contention for points, despite a brave fight back through the field which saw the Finn finish in twelfth place.
Despite Hamilton’s heroics, it was Massa who was left to celebrate his third victory from pole position in as many years at this circuit which he has come to master during his time with Ferrari. The Brazilian didn’t put a foot wrong over the 58 laps of the race to score the first hat-trick of race wins since Michael Schumacher’s dominance of Indianapolis from 2003-2006.
It was clear from the outset that Massa would take all ten points as he got a clean start in his Ferrari, driving unchallenged into the first corner. It was a very different story behind him however, as Hamilton managed to get himself up from third on the grid to second by the exit of turn one, Kovalainen going in the opposite direction and Raikkonen falling from fourth to sixth place. At the back of the grid, Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella recorded a very different hat-trick all of his own, his collision with the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima his third first-lap retirement in the last three races at this circuit.
In the early stages of the race Hamilton, with probably the lightest fuel tank in the field, was able to match and occasionally exceed the lap times of Massa as the Briton pushed his car to the limit knowing full well that he would have to give 100% to be in with any chance of a top six finish. Unsurprisingly it was Hamilton who pitted first on lap sixteen, Massa following suit three laps later. At this stage it was hard to tell exactly what strategy the McLaren team were running, as in the build up to the race they had kept their cards very close to their chest.
Fortunately for Hamilton, Raikkonen was not driving to his usual astronomically high standards and had been struggling to keep pace with the front two in the run-up to the first set of pit stops. He had not been helped by the minor damage sustained to his front wing after the early clash with Kovalainen, but his scruffy entry into the pit lane for his first stop suggested that the Ferrari man wasn’t quite his usual focussed self.
It was Massa who emerged from the first set of stops with the advantage, pulling out of the pits just 0.5s ahead of Hamilton. However it was the McLaren driver who seemed to be driving the perfect line around the track, continuing to take time out of the Brazilian until he took the lead on lap 24 with a breathtaking piece of overtaking. Hamilton’s lead did not last long, his second stop on lap 32 dropping him down into third place and finally confirming the three-stop strategy that most in the paddock had been expecting. When Massa and Raikkonen pitted on laps 40 and 43 respectively Hamilton gained a temporary lead of the race once again and drove to the very limit of his abilities to ensure he could emerge from his third stop on lap 45 ahead of Raikkonen.
The McLaren mechanics did a brilliantly fast job of refuelling Hamilton’s car for the remaining thirteen laps of the race, getting their man out just in front of Raikkonen. This was a race for McLaren that was very much dictated by the precision and skill of their mechanics and Hamilton would almost certainly not have made it to the second step of the podium had they been just fractions of seconds slower. In the post-race press conference Hamilton claimed it had been the best performance of his career, I would not only agree with this but would also suggest it was the best all-round team performance seen in a Formula One race for some time. Hamilton’s race for the title is back on, and he will go to Monte Carlo in a fortnights time with high hopes.
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