August 28th, 2008 at 08:48pm
Under Racing
European Grand Prix winner Felipe Massa continued where he’d left off in Valencia on Wednesday, as he topped the timesheets in this week’s first day of testing at Monza. Massa took his Ferrari around the Italian circuit in 1m 23.428s to edge McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen into second.
Massa covered 101 laps over the course of the day, carrying out three long runs in the afternoon. The Brazilian was charged with finding the best set-up for the F2008 and will continue to test on Thursday. Kovalainen was only slightly less productive completing 78 laps, in the McLaren, as he carried out an evaluation of the British team’s Monza-specific low downforce aero package.
The third fastest driver of the day was Williams’ Nico Rosberg, who covered 60 laps in the FW30. Rosberg concentrated on set-up and finished less a tenth down on the two leaders and over two-tenths ahead of Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso. Alongside preparations for the Italian Grand Prix, which will be held at the circuit next month, Vettel also tested new front suspension and aero components.
Honda’s Rubens Barrichello, meanwhile, took up fifth slot. Barrichello completed 85 laps in the RA108, focusing on tyre and set-up evaluations. Over two-tenths adrift of the Brazilian was Red Bull’s Mark Webber, who finished the day sixth. Webber assessed the team’s low-downforce aero package and completed 96 trouble-free laps. The Australian will continue to test on Thursday.
Seventh quickest runner was Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber. With a programme focusing on preparations for the forthcoming Belgian and Italian races, Heidfeld carried out set-up, gearbox ratio and brake balance tests, covering 77 laps in the F1.08. Less than two-tenths down on the German was Force India tester Vitantonio Liuzzi in eighth.
“Today we tried to get a good set-up and I think we can be happy with how it went today,” said Liuzzi. “This morning the grip levels were very low and it was quite difficult with the tyres we had, and especially as I had not been in the car for some time for a real test. We did make some good progress though, almost 100 laps with no problems and we are not too far from the others in the times either.”
In comparison, fellow Italian Jarno Trulli endured a more trying time for Toyota, with mechanical issues delaying his start to the day. Once the TF108’s difficulties were solved, however, Trulli managed to complete 92 laps and finished the day ninth.
“It was not the ideal start this morning due to a short delay but when we started running everything went well,” explained Toyota test team manager, Gerd Pfeiffer. “We had to make some mechanical alterations which we have to analyse back in Cologne. In the afternoon we caught up with our programme with the emphasis on suspension data collection and other test items. We were not aiming to set fast lap times but we are in a good position to make further progress with Jarno tomorrow.”
Completing the day’s line-up was Renault’s Nelson Piquet in tenth. Piquet completed 117 laps as he evaluated the team’s Monza aero package and carried out tyre testing. Team mate Fernando Alonso will take over the car on Thursday.
“A solid day’s work with good reliability,” explained Christian Silk, Renault’s chief test engineer. “We did plenty of laps to give Nelson as much running as possible with the car in low downforce trim. It’s always quite a challenge here to set the car up as it is such a unique circuit, but we’ve collected lots of data from the first day’s running, which will give us a good base to work on from here.”
Testing continues at Monza on Thursday.
Unofficial Wednesday times from Monza:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:23.428
2. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:23.439
3. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:23.461
4. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:23.691
5. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:23.827
6. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:24.005
7. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:24.075
8. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:24.239
9. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:24.510
10. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 1:24.540
By admin
August 28th, 2008 at 05:16pm
Under Racing
With his last race victory dating back to April’s Spanish Grand Prix, it is no surprise that reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen has been criticised recently for his dwindling results. Raikkonen, however, has dismissed speculation that his motivation is fading and believes his championship hopes are still very much alive.
After retiring from last weekend’s European Grand Prix, Raikkonen saw team mate Felipe Massa overtake him in the standings to go second behind leader Lewis Hamilton. He now trails Massa by seven points and Hamilton by 13. But last season the Finn made up an even greater deficit to clinch the championship at the final race, and he believes there is still plenty of time to salvage his title defence.
“Life would be much easier if you could always win,” the 28 year-old told Ferrari’s official website. “But sometimes it doesn’t seem to go your way. It’s useless to cry over spilled milk: what happened, happened and now we have to look ahead. It’s not over yet. I’ll keep fighting to get the results I want to achieve. One third of the season is still left and it’s enough to fight back. If someone has doubts as far as my motivation is concerned - go ahead. I want to win more than ever!”
As well as enduring a four-month wait for a win, Raikkonen has also come under fire for his poor results in qualifying. He took his last pole position at June’s French Grand Prix and has since qualified no higher than the third, at July’s Silverstone race.
“There has been a lot of talk about my problems in qualifying,” he explained. “But the truth is that in a couple of races - at Hungary and Germany - I made some mistakes and I had to start from the sixth position. At Valencia I missed the third position by a whisker.”
Raikkonen, who will test at Monza later this week, is already working hard preparing for forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, an event he is looking forward to with relish. “I love the track,” he added. “I’d like to race there all the year round. It’s the best of all the tracks and I hope that I’ll have a car that works the way I want. I’ll give it all to win again.”
Spa-Francorchamps would seem a likely venue for Raikkonen to rediscover his form - he hasn’t lost at the famous circuit since 2002.
By admin
August 27th, 2008 at 03:38pm
Under Racing
Last season McLaren found themselves battling on two fronts. But with the courtroom dramas long since decided, this season the British team have been free to focus solely on their racing. And with Lewis Hamilton currently leading the drivers’ standings, so far things are looking up. For team principal Ron Dennis, the temptation to stay and fight on has proved far too attractive and any talk of retirement has been firmly put on hold…
Q: Ron, after the hiccups of 2007, this season must feel like a stroll in the park…
Ron Dennis: Last year, McLaren won eight Grands Prix, and the combined total of the world championship points scored in the world drivers’ championship by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso exceeded the combined total scored by any other team’s two drivers. That statistic is something that people who like to describe 2007 as a bad year for McLaren would do well to remember. Having said that, of course, 2007 was a year of downs as well as ups, but that’s all in the past now. McLaren, Ferrari and the FIA have all drawn a line under the events of 2007, and relations between those three entities have never been more cordial than they are today. This year is also shaping up to be a good year for us, with five victories so far. But we never underestimate our opposition, and we’re looking forward to an exciting, sporting and close-fought battle for championship honours as we move into the final third of the season.
Q: Was there ever a moment over the past 12 months when you simply wanted to walk away, sensing that there must be more to life than dealing with daily aggravations?
RD: I’ve already said on the record that at the beginning of 2007 I’d privately decided to step aside at the end of that year, moving to the role of Chairman of the McLaren Group, leaving the role of Chief Executive Officer of the McLaren Group to Martin Whitmarsh, currently Chief Operating Officer of the McLaren Group. But, as the great economist John Maynard Keynes once famously said, ‘When the situation changes, I change my mind.’ Well, the situation did change, so I did change my mind. Now, I remain unflinchingly committed to the McLaren Group and the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, and remain passionately engaged in leading the McLaren Group into exciting new areas of business, exemplified by, but not confined to, the groundbreaking projects currently being evaluated by McLaren Automotive. Having said that, the McLaren Group’s senior management team is a fabulously impressive one, and I have complete faith in their ability to take the McLaren Group, working with all our shareholders, on to pastures even more exciting over the next generation. As I so often say, I regard myself as merely in charge of one of the chapters in the McLaren book, not the book itself.
Q: Last year Fernando questioned the McLaren drivers’ pecking order, blaming the team for failing to concentrate all its efforts on him, saying that Lewis was at that time too young and inexperienced to realize his chances for the title. Have you learned something from last year’s situation?
RD: Fernando said a lot of things last year, and so did many other people, and most of it was said in the heat of battle. That’s inevitable. That’s racing. You never stop learning in this sport, and that applies to everyone - including me. As for Lewis, he drove brilliantly last year and he’s driving brilliantly this year.
Q: Isn’t the sublime pretence of ‘equal opportunity’ for your drivers obsolete when compared with the policies of a rival team, which could perhaps be regarded as practising something approaching team orders?
RD: Our policy regarding equal opportunities and team orders is well known. We always aim to hire the two best drivers available, and we always then aim to give them equal opportunities to optimize their chances to win Grands Prix and world championships. Sometimes that policy has been criticised by those who believe that a policy of running a number-one driver supported by a number-two driver, with or without team orders, is a better strategy. Well, we don’t accept that. We exist to win - and all our employees, including all our drivers, buy in to that.
Q: To ask the same question in a different way, was the decision to extend Heikki Kovalainen’s contract inspired by the thinking that he is the perfect back-up for Lewis Hamilton?
RD: No. Heikki is doing a fabulous job this year - as his recent victory at the Hungaroring showed only too clearly. His qualifying pace has been extremely strong all year, and his race pace is improving all the time. He’s a pleasure to have in our team, and he and Lewis have a very good relationship with each other. I’d describe them as competitive and co-operative in equal measure, which is exactly what every team wants from its driver line-up. That being the case, it was never in any doubt that we’d take up the option on Heikki’s services, and we’re delighted to have been able to knock the silly-season speculation on the head by announcing our 2009 driver line-up so early. To repeat, then: Heikki is doing a very good job for us this year, and he’ll continue to do a very good job for us next year.
Q: We have a similar situation in the championship standings as last year: Lewis leading Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. Is Lewis now ready to go for the title?
RD: Of course.
Q: Lewis became famous overnight - he’s got a pop star girlfriend, all kinds of people are whispering in his ear about business opportunities and so on - how are you helping him deal with all those distractions?
RD: Lewis is a thoroughly well brought-up individual, who is both grounded and intelligent. His father, Anthony, is also his manager, and both of them have been part of the McLaren ‘family’ for a very long time. As such, although Lewis’s global appeal is growing all the time, and understandably so, he remains as polite and as unassuming now as he’s always been. As regards business opportunities for him, the McLaren Group numbers a workforce of 1300 expert and experienced individuals, specialising in all sorts of disparate yet discrete disciplines; as a result, I feel confident that no other team has the infrastructure to offer its drivers the level of support that McLaren Mercedes does, across a wide variety of areas. Those areas encompass the sporting, fitness, marketing, and communications dimensions and, of course, the commercial dimension - and many other dimensions besides.
Q: Onto a different subject now - Formula One racing will see regulation changes next season. The one that seems to be causing the most controversy, if you can call it that, is KERS. As it doesn’t seem to be a financial issue - what is the issue? And what’s McLaren’s stance on it?
RD: Any area of technical development and/or innovation inevitably has an impact on every team’s finances - and KERS is no different. Having said that, we support any initiative that will genuinely enhance Formula One’s environmental credentials. We at McLaren take our environmental policy extremely seriously - just as we’ve always supported the excellent work done by the FIA in this area. Since 1995, for the avoidance of doubt, the FIA has been engaging in a tree-planting programme in Mexico, supervised by the appropriate forestry commissions, and that programme has taken into account not only the fuel used by Formula One cars themselves, but also the fuel used by the planes, trains and automobiles that take Formula One cars, drivers and other personnel to all four corners of the globe. Just as important, Formula One is uniquely well-placed to help make production cars leaner, cleaner and greener in the future. How so? Because, riding on the back of environment-focused initiatives such as KERS, the Formula One engine manufacturers will have not only a) the opportunity, but also b) the budget and c) the technical inventiveness with which to develop green technologies that will find their way into the engines of production cars in years to come.
Q: This year we’re seeing quite an open playing field, with drivers on the podiums and in the points whom we haven’t seen before. Next year’s regulation changes could undo all that, as the advantage may once again lie with the big teams. Isn’t that counter-productive, especially as history has also shown that changes rarely save money?
RD: I’ve often said that the way to encourage close and competitive racing is to maintain regulatory stability - for exactly the reason indicated in your question. Technical development costs money, and the bigger teams will always be better placed to fund those technical developments. In turn, as a result, it logically follows that the performance gap between the bigger teams and the smaller teams tends to widen in periods of regulatory instability - and the consequence of that is inevitably racing that is less close and/or competitive than spectators, viewers and sponsors would ideally like it to be. Having said that, we and our partners at Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines are working closely with the FIA, in co-operation with our competitors, within the context of FOTA (Formula One Teams Association), to ensure that the regulation changes will trigger as seamless a transition as possible.
Q: Finally, isn’t it about time that McLaren grabs the title again?
RD: As I’ve already said, we exist to win. Does that answer your question?
By admin
August 27th, 2008 at 03:32pm
Under Racing
McLaren may not have left the inaugural European Grand Prix with the victory they wanted, but the British team were well-satisfied with their haul of 13 points. Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren’s Formula One CEO, reveals how the weekend unfolded and looks ahead to the rest of the season…
Q: After several weeks’ simulation and preparation, did the European Grand Prix weekend play out largely as you had expected?
Martin Whitmarsh: It’s fair to say we predicted more drama from a track lined with concrete walls and had factored the appearance of at least one safety car period into our pre-race calculations. The reality is that the race had its moments of controversy but never quite delivered the level of incident we’d been anticipated beforehand. I don’t know whether that’s down to us misinterpreting the level of risk involved in racing around this track or whether it was just a testament to the good driving standards of modern Formula One drivers. Nonetheless, we came away from Valencia having made gains in both championships, which was very encouraging.
Q: How close did Lewis Hamilton come to not taking part in the race?
MW: At 8am on Saturday, I received a phone call from the team’s doctor, Aki Hintsa, telling me that Lewis was in some difficulties - he’d woken up with a severe migraine and with his neck in spasm. Aki treated Lewis but, when he arrived at the circuit on Saturday morning, he could barely move his neck at all, so things looked very severe. As a precaution, we readied Pedro (de la Rosa) to take over - but, despite delaying his start to Saturday practice, Lewis was able to continue with his full race programme. His physical problems are unlikely to disturb his fitness programme and we expect him to make a full recovery for both the Monza test and next week’s Belgian GP.
Q: Was the race pace of the MP4-23 largely what you had been anticipating?
MW: Lewis felt a lot better on Sunday but was still slightly sore and tender. We are delighted he was able to sustain the performance of a full race in hot conditions. We did not have the package to beat Felipe Massa but we feel we did a first-rate job and secured a very useful haul of world championship points. Lewis extended his lead in the drivers’ championship and, in the constructors’, we extended our lead over BMW Sauber and closed down the gap to Ferrari.
Q: Heikki Kovalainen’s victory in Hungary and fourth place in Valencia suggest he’s become a more complete driver - would you agree?
MW: Most definitely. The reality is that Heikki’s particularly strong when he’s got the car in front in his sights. When he homes in on another competitor then his natural competitive instincts really come alive. Heikki’s much more adept at switching effortlessly between engine-saving, brake-saving and tyre-saving modes and knows exactly when to push - so the situation he encountered at the start of the year when he was dealing with slightly more tyre degradation is no longer a concern.
Q: How do you see the remainder of the championship playing out?
MW: I think Ferrari were pleased the sun came out on Sunday as I’m sure they feel when the track temperature really heats up that’s when their car really comes to them. We’re now entering extremely interesting territory where we won’t be entirely certain what sort of temperatures we’ll be encountering at some of the future races: Monza is likely to be hot and Singapore will probably be cooler, but the races at Spa, Fuji, Shanghai and Brazil could just as easily be sweltering as torrential. Regardless, we will continue to make changes to our car right through until Brazil.
By admin
August 27th, 2008 at 03:27pm
Under Racing
Ferrari believe that the engine failure, which ended Kimi Raikkonen’s European Grand Prix on Lap 46, was caused by a broken con rod. A similar issue is understood to have resulted in the retirement of team mate Felipe Massa from the previous round in Hungary.
“Initial analysis of the engine fitted to Kimi Raikkonen’s car confirmed the breakage of a con rod,” said the Italian team in a statement. “Currently underway are further checks to try and understand what provoked the failure, even if it is easy to surmise that it could be a similar problem to the one that sidelined Felipe, three laps from the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix.”
Ferrari also admitted that they had concerns about the Finn’s V8 before the Valencia race, but risked using it to avoid Raikkonen being penalized for an unscheduled engine change.
“The engineers were aware of a potential risk in general terms with the 056 engine fitted to Kimi’s car, which was on its second race, given that the con rods were part of the same batch used on Felipe’s engine. Changing the engine on Kimi’s car would have seen the Finn start from far down the grid.”
Raikkonen’s retirement means that the world champion has now gone eight races without a victory and currently trails standings leader Lewis Hamilton by 13 points. Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, however, is backing the Finn to bounce back.
“Of course, it’s easy when things are going well,” said Domenicali on Ferrari’s official website. “Everyone close to you puts their arms on your shoulders to say you are number one, number one, number one, But then suddenly when you have a difficult situation, then they say, ha ha, this is already finished.
“That’s not the case with Kimi. He’s the world champion, we are a team, and of course we will support everyone in the team, and above all, of course Kimi, because we trust him 100 per cent. It’s in the difficult moments that the team has to stay together. We don’t have any doubt at all about Kimi’s performance and I’m pretty sure he will come back between here and the end in Brazil.”
By admin
August 26th, 2008 at 11:19pm
Under Racing
Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel may have only started 20 Grands Prix so far in his Formula One career, but he has already developed something of a routine when it comes to his race weekend.
We caught up with Vettel in Valencia, following this weekend’s European Grand Prix, to get a few tips on the calendar’s top nightlife, his favourite places to stay, who he likes to socialise with during an event and how he winds down after a race…
Q: We were in Valencia this weekend, what did you think of the city?
Sebastian Vettel: First, it was a great qualifying and a great race. In fact I know the Valencia race track very well - from my time with Formula BMW - and I also remember completing a license course there too. The street circuit though was obviously new to me and also to everybody else - so nobody had any advantage. I must say it was fantastic to drive here! Maybe this view has been intensified a bit by my good result, but I think my performance over the whole weekend showed that I enjoyed it. And from my previous stays, I had already discovered the charm of the city so I like the idea of having Valencia on the F1 schedule.
Q: You don’t take to the track until Friday morning, but when do you like to fly in?
SV: Usually, if it is not an overseas race, I arrive on the Wednesday night or Thursday morning. But for this particular race I arrived on Wednesday morning to check out the track. I walked the circuit for two laps and did two laps on the scooter, as we had no simulator to get any experience. Obviously my ‘investigation laps’ did the trick.
Q: Do you make an effort to discover your surroundings at a race, or do you stick to the airport-hotel-track-airport itinerary?
SV: Being able to be a tourist during a race weekend is difficult, as time is very limited. Sometimes I find that a bit ridiculous, as we are frequently in fantastic locations and exciting cities like Budapest, Barcelona or Shanghai and you don’t really know where you are. But when you are at the track from morning to evening, the best you can do is go to a nice restaurant in the evening. But more often you just head back to your hotel and simply go to bed because you are tired.
Q: What’s your exercise regime over a race weekend? Does it vary according to the race location, demands of the circuit etc?
SV: The regime is more or less always the same. As Friday and Saturday are crammed with race action, the only real exercise time is on Sunday morning, when I do some light training to wake up.
Q: What’s your preferred accommodation at races - city hotel, hotel near the circuit, your own motorhome near the paddock?
SV: I do have my own motorhome but I use it mainly for testing, while on race weekends I like to stay in nice hotels. The best is to be as close as possible to the race track and as close as possible to the city.
Q: Anything you have to have provided in your hotel room or any luxuries you always bring with you from home?
SV: Apart from personal belongings like toothbrush, clothes, underwear, computer and iPod, I don’t need much over a race weekend as my team gear is always travelling with the team.
Q: Do you enjoy entertaining friends and family during a race weekend?
SV: When it is convenient, it is nice to have friends and family around. For the European events, my parents are often at the races.
Q: Do you get the chance to go out and socialize on Friday and Saturday night?
SV: Again when it is possible. At Hockenheim, as it is very close to where I grew up, I had many friends at the track and in the evening we played football and had a really good time.
Q: Are there any drivers you particularly like hanging out with?
SV: Actually, the time that you spend with other drivers is very limited and the bottom line is that, like in real life, there are some that you like and others that you like less. There are two or three I get along quite well with: Timo (Glock), as he comes from a similar area in Germany, Kimi (Raikkonen) and Heikki (Kovalainen).
Q: Your favorite race for nightlife?
SV: Japan and Hungary. But I am so new to this business you should ask me again in a couple of years and then I will probably be able to make a better judgment.
Q: What’s the best night out you’ve had at a Grand Prix? And have you ever overslept the next morning?
SV: It was Japan last year - the race was not so great, but the night after was quite funny.
Q: What do you have for breakfast on a race Sunday?
SV: Usually I have a lot for breakfast - all kind of cereals, muesli, bread, yoghurt, and lots of fruits.
Q: How much do you drink over a race weekend? And what?
SV: I drink mainly water but also special drinks with minerals and carbohydrates. My guess is about five to six litres.
Q: How do you spend the morning on race Sunday?
SV: Well, I get up and do some light exercising, then I have breakfast - as described above - then I go to the circuit. And once there the Sunday routine takes over, which includes media work, the drivers’ parade, some lunch, so that I have something in my stomach, and then it’s time to get dressed for the race.
Q: How do you like to get to the circuit on Sunday morning? Do you drive yourself?
SV: Mostly I drive myself, but sometimes my physio or other team members drive.
Q: How do you like to spend the hour or so before the race? Any superstitions or pre-race rituals you always go through to bring you luck?
SV: No rituals. The only important thing is that I have to have ten to fifteen minutes for myself to focus, relax and calm down, whilst listening to some music that I like. Basically I spend the time going through different things - our strategy, our target, the car and the circuit.
Q: Do you have a lucky charm?
SV: Not one - many! I have a little metal pig that is always in the pocket of my race overall. And I have a one cent coin that I found on the street on race Sunday last year in Indianapolis - at my first F1 race. Since then it has travelled with me.
Q: What do you do to stay calm as you’re sat on the grid awaiting the formation lap?
SV: The thing that calms me down most is the walk to the toilet.
Q: How do you wind down after the race?
SV: That really depends on the result. If it’s good, then you are extremely happy. If not, then not! We have a meeting straight after the race to review everything while it is still fresh in our minds. Then I usually have a light meal with my engineers and mechanics.
Q: If things don’t go your way and you retire early, do you prefer to get away as soon as possible, or hang out and watch the rest of the race?
SV: I have to wait until the meeting so I have to stay. But it’s true if it was a lousy race, I would love to go home immediately.
By admin
August 26th, 2008 at 11:14pm
Under Racing
Toyota’s Jarno Trulli left Valencia in an upbeat frame of mind. Not only did he enjoy a positive qualifying session on Saturday, but Trulli also finished Sunday’s European Grand Prix in fifth to clinch four points for the Japanese team. Here the Italian reviews his race weekend in Spain and looks ahead to his favourite circuit on the calendar, Spa-Francorchamps, which will host the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix in under two weeks’ time…
Q: Did you have an enjoyable summer break?
Jarno Trulli: It was good and it was nice to be able to spend some time with the family. The F1 calendar might not be as packed as NASCAR but it is still pretty busy because our season is more compact and you have the testing programme to concentrate on between races. With the August testing ban we took the opportunity to go across to the US. I didn’t go to any races but we did actually spend a day with Juan Pablo Montoya and his family in Miami. It was nice to spend some time together away from the race track. Instead of being in the paddock it was great to be on the beach with our wives!
Q: What were your impressions of Valencia?
JT: I think they did a good job and it is a great new venue for Formula One. It is always nice when you have a race in the middle of a city. The atmosphere was nice and this year’s race was extra special because it was the first one.
Q: What about the circuit itself?
JT: It was not what you would call a typical street circuit with slow average speeds. The race-winning average was 193km/h and there was more run-off than normal at a street track. I was expecting that there would be some incidents in the race but in fact we got through without any safety car appearances, which was unexpected.
Q: Were you happy with fifth place in the race?
JT: Yes, it was a strong performance by the whole team. The weekend didn’t start well for me on the Friday because I wasn’t happy with the car balance. You always have to be extra careful on a street circuit, especially a new one, because there is a lot of dust and a lack of grip on the first day. I learn circuits quickly so that was no problem, but the track does come to you even more when the tyre rubber goes down. You notice that a lot in Monaco and I was expecting the same. I changed quite a bit for Saturday morning, but didn’t have the opportunity to evaluate the car in final practice.
Q: What was the problem?
JT: There was an issue with the gearbox oil pump. We replaced it twice and then it broke down again so we changed some of the ancillaries as well. It basically meant that I missed out on Saturday morning free practice and went into qualifying blind.
Q: So how surprised were you to be fastest of all in Q1 and less than 0.1 seconds from the fastest Q2 time?
JT: It was a nice surprise because I didn’t know what to expect. If I’m honest, I found the car much easier on lighter fuel than with a heavier load, especially after missing third practice. Because I’d changed the set-up completely and not tried it at all on Saturday morning, in qualifying I was just driving with what I had. I managed to get it right in Q1 and repeated the lap in Q2. I did a decent lap at the start of Q3 and then on my final run I was three tenths up in the first sector but made a mistake and aborted the lap. The potential was maybe fifth but in the circumstances I couldn’t be too unhappy.
Q: Did the race go to plan?
JT: I made quite a good start so I was fighting for points straight away. I was behind Sebastian Vettel and although I felt I could go a bit quicker, there was no way to pass. I didn’t lose too much ground though and I went two laps longer than him in the first stint so got past in the pit stops. I was able to maintain a strong pace without pushing too hard and was taking care of the tyres and the brakes, so everything was good. Then I managed to get ahead of Kimi Raikkonen at his second pit stop because he was delayed. That was unexpected and I thought we would have a big fight for the position until I saw him retiring. Fifth position was a good result considering where we started and it was particularly good to get both cars in the points.
Q: Toyota is now more firmly established in fourth place in the constructors’ championship. Are you optimistic about the rest of the season?
JT: I am definitely optimistic because the team is pushing very hard. Our recent results show how much stronger we are getting and it is nice to race with a competitive car every weekend. Toyota is doing a very good job this year and looking stronger and more competitive at every circuit. We are still pushing ahead with the development work so I’m confident that we can maintain the form in the coming races and keep the points coming. I will do two test days at Monza which, in terms of set-up is a bit of a one-off race with very low downforce. After that we go to Spa, which is my favourite circuit. It’s always a good feeling to be heading there!
By admin
August 25th, 2008 at 05:10pm
Under Racing
As in Hungary, Felipe Massa controlled the European Grand Prix from the front. But this time he stayed there to win - despite that controversial pit stop - as Ferrari’s technical gremlins chose to pick on team mate Kimi Raikkonen instead.
The world champions had the pace, but not the reliability. Their second engine failure in as many races left McLaren victorious in the numbers game. Lewis Hamilton extended his advantage atop the drivers’ standings, while Ferrari’s constructors’ lead diminished into single figures.
Further down the grid, Toyota proved their Hungaroring form was no fluke with another excellent performance, while Toro Rosso’s superb showing throughout the weekend put their supposedly ‘senior’ sister squad, Red Bull Racing, firmly in the shade. We take a team-by-team look at the European Grand Prix…
Ferrari
Felipe Massa, 1m 38.708s, P1
Kimi Raikkonen, 1m 39.424s, retired lap 46, engine
Massa and Ferrari owned this one right from the start, and once it became clear that Hamilton and McLaren were on a similar fuel strategy it also became clear that a victory for the latter was going to be unlikely. The win gave Massa the same number of outright successes this year as Hamilton (four), but there are still serious concerns over reliability within the Scuderia after Raikkonen’s engine blew asunder like Massa’s had in Hungary, shortly after the Finn botched his second pit stop and ran over refueller Pietro Timpini.
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton, 1m 38.884s, P2
Heikki Kovalainen, 1m 39.112s, P4
Hamilton revealed that a serious neck spasm on Saturday had almost kept him out of the race, but once he had won the drag race over Kubica to the first corner he settled down to chase Massa. The MP4-23 didn’t quite have the pace of the F2008 towards the end, but eight points in the circumstances were a healthy haul. Kovalainen struggled in his first two stints on the Bridgestone prime tyres, and only found his car coming alive on the super-softs late in the race, by which time it was too late to challenge Kubica for third.
BMW Sauber
Robert Kubica, 1m 39.330s, P3
Nick Heidfeld, 1m 39.526s, P9
Once worries had receded about inability to steer because a plastic bag had become lodged beneath the front of his F1.08, Kubica was able to maintain a strong third place throughout the race, and to take his first podium finish since Canada. Heidfeld, however, struggled with low grip and described his race as one of the worst of his career en route to ninth.
Toyota
Jarno Trulli, 1m 39.657s, P5
Timo Glock, 1m 39.535s, P7
Toyota are the consistently most improved team in recent weeks, and a great run from Trulli to fifth and Glock to seventh, despite feeling unwell, endorsed the strength of the TF108. Six points now place them 10 ahead of Renault in the fight for fourth place overall.
Toro Rosso
Sebastian Vettel, 1m 39.485s, P6
Sebastien Bourdais, 1m 39.639s, P10
A great race for Toros Rosso saw Vettel take an excellent sixth place, which might have been fifth until Trulli and Toyota slipped ahead during the opening pit stops. Bourdais could have been a points contender too but for an early clash with Heidfeld which obliged him to run 17 laps to his first stop with a damaged front wing.
Williams
Nico Rosberg, 1m 39.577s, P8
Kazuki Nakajima, 1m 39.803s, P15
Rosberg was happy and relieved to win a point for eighth after a competitive showing, but Nakajima’s first-lap clash under braking with Alonso won’t have done him any favours.
Red Bull
Mark Webber, 1m 40.264s, P12
David Coulthard, 1m 40.978s, P17
Red Bull never got on the pace this weekend, and fingers were pointed at their Renault engines since the near identical Toro Rossos were flying with their Ferrari V8s. Coulthard’s case wasn’t helped when he got taken off on the first lap, and later spun trying to make up ground. He raced throughout with a damaged bargeboard.
Renault
Fernando Alonso, no time, retired lap one, hit by Nakajima
Nelson Piquet, 1m 39.544s, P11
Renault will want to forget this one in a hurry. Alonso got taken out on the opening lap courtesy of Nakajima removing his rear wing, while Piquet also damaged his front wing in the early race traffic and couldn’t better 11th place by the finish on a day when arch rivals Toyota bagged another six points.
Honda
Jenson Button, 1m 40.763s, P13
Rubens Barrichello, 1m 40.593s, P16
A horrible race for Honda, as Button and Barrichello both ran one-stop strategies. The former found overheating rear brakes having a deleterious effect on his option tyres in the second stint, while the latter also struggled with braking problems after starting from the pit lane with revised gearing.
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella, 1m 40.353s, P14
Adrian Sutil, 1m 40.661s, retired lap 42, accident
One-stopping Fisichella challenged Button for much of the race on his way to 14th, running the team’s new seamless-shift transmission for the first time in a race. Sutil started from the pit lane on a two-stop strategy after unscheduled suspension set-up changes, had a spat in the pit lane with Massa on the 37th lap, then became the only Formula One driver to hit the wall all weekend when he lost it under braking in Turn Two five laps later.
By admin
August 24th, 2008 at 10:40pm
Under Racing
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa on his controversial win in Valencia; Force India’s Adrian Sutil on narrowly avoiding the Brazilian in the pit lane before ending his race in the barriers; and Renault’s Fernando Alonso on exiting his second home race of the season on the first lap. All 20 drivers report back on Sunday’s action…
Felipe Massa, Ferrari (1st):
“It’s fantastic having won this race, especially after the disappointment of Budapest. The team did an amazing job in preparing for this Grand Prix and the benefits of that could be seen right from the very first day. Yesterday, I got pole and today the win, with the race fastest lap as the icing on the cake. You cannot ask for more especially at my one hundredth grand prix with every single one of them powered by a Ferrari engine. I got a good start and I pushed to the maximum right from the early laps. In the second part of the race, the car was exceptional, but also in the final stint, when I had the softer tyres, I could do the lap times easily. This is an important moment in my career and I must continue to work in this way. I am sorry for what happened to Kimi: we have to look very carefully at our reliability. I am confident the team knows which countermeasures to take to react to this issue, as it has always done in the past.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (2nd):
“I can’t complain with second place today. This was a strong weekend for us despite my having a few problems health-wise, but we pulled through. The track was pretty difficult to overtake on, but I maintained the gap - our lap times showed that our overall pace was good, which was encouraging. Heikki (Kovalainen) and I scored 13 points today, which is very positive for the team, so I’d describe it as a satisfactory weekend for us.”
Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (3rd):
“I started pretty well but in corner one I went over the kerb and Lewis was closing. In the second corner I was going to overtake Lewis, but I saw Felipe braking quite early. It would have been too much of a risk, as I could end up overshooting the braking point and crashing into him. Over the next few laps I was consistently a bit slower than Lewis. Suddenly I saw a white plastic bag flying across the track, but could not avoid it and it went under the car. I couldn’t steer for two corners, which was extremely dangerous. Fortunately most of the bag soon flew away, but my confidence was very low over the next sector, and I lost around three seconds. In the end I finished third. Eventually I think my good qualifying result yesterday was crucial for today’s result.”
Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren (4th):
“My start was good, and I was consequently able to overtake Kimi (Raikkonen) before the first corner. However, I’m not really happy with how the race went for me after that, because I had grip problems with the prime tyres in the first and second stints - whereas with the option tyres in the last stint I had much better grip and traction. As a result I could close the gap to Robert Kubica a little. At least I scored five points, but a podium would have been much nicer. Having said that, it’s good that the team scored a lot of points with Lewis’s second place and my fourth place.”
Jarno Trulli, Toyota (5th):
“That was a good result and a great performance by the team. The weekend started badly for me but it has finished really well today so I’m happy. I could drive a strong race without attacking much. I pushed very hard when I needed to while paying attention to taking care of my tyres and my brakes throughout. This shows how good we are getting and how nice it is to race with a competitive car every weekend. Toyota is doing a very good job this year and looking strong and more competitive at every circuit. The team is still pushing with the development work so I’m confident that we can maintain the form in the coming races and keep the points coming.”
Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso (6th):
“Incredible! A perfect day. It was fun but tough and hot out there. It’s a nice race track. My start was not so good on the dirty side and going into Turn One I was right on the limit and very close to Kimi (Raikkonen) and could defend my position against Jarno for the first stint, but he had a bit more fuel on board and stayed out an extra lap and he overtook me in the pits. But we can be very very happy with this result. We made no mistakes, no mistakes all weekend and maximised our performance. The whole team can be very proud of what it has achieved and hopefully, for the next races we can be in the top ten again.”
Timo Glock, Toyota (7th):
“That was one of my hardest races ever because I have had a bad cold for the last two days. But I had a good car and the right strategy and I think P7 was the best result we could have achieved today so I’m really happy. I made up some places at the start and then just tried to do my race. It was tough in the middle of the race and in the last 10 laps I pushed as hard as I could to stay concentrated. Considering our qualifying and my condition, I am happy. It’s a great result for the team to get both cars into the points for the constructors’ championship.”
Nico Rosberg, Williams (8th):
“I’m pretty happy with that. It’s good to be going home with a point today as it’s been a long time since it happened. The race went quite well for me and I was giving it my all, driving what felt like qualifying laps one after the other. The result is also good for the team as it shows we are getting back on track. Once again, I would like to say that Valencia has done a great job here and the race was good fun.”
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (9th):
“This was one of the worst races ever for me. To finish ninth in a car which is obviously good enough for third is a disaster. After qualifying I was pretty confident because we realised we could go well. But in the race I had big problems with the harder tyres during the first two stints, and it was only better at the end with the softer compound. I lost one position after the start and later in the race I couldn’t gain any. The pace wasn’t there.”
Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso (10th):
“That was a very nice race, apart from the fact that I touched with Heidfeld which broke my wing, which was a real shame, as I had to do 17 laps like that, losing around 20 seconds to the group I was in. The next two stints were good quality and I had a good pace. But I am happy with the result and I think we had the right strategy. It’s my best result since Australia and especially from the second stint onwards I felt much more comfortable and confident with the car and felt I could push as the track rubbered in. As for the next races, I continue to tackle them one at a time and hope that next time out in Spa I can make it into the points.”
Nelson Piquet, Renault (11th):
“The first lap was rough as I was in the middle of the pack and lost several positions. After that I tried to fight back, but my front wing was damaged and it was difficult to overtake. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get into the top ten, but I hope we can have a better race in Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix in a couple of weeks time.”
Mark Webber, Red Bull (12th):
“We just weren’t quick enough. We were hoping for a few safety cars to come out during the race, so ran a one stop strategy, but it didn’t happen. It was a difficult race pace wise and we’ve got a lot of analysis to do.”
Jenson Button, Honda (13th):
“I had a good start to the race and gained three places to 13th but that was the highlight of my race really. We made things difficult for ourselves by qualifying so far back on the grid after we had expected to perform a lot better. I was heavily fuelled compared to most others and running long on a one-stop strategy, but I was stuck behind Heidfeld when he had already pitted which cost me some time as I didn’t have the pace to overtake him. We ran the option tyre for the second stint, which was initially fine but then the rears went away quite badly due to the rear brakes overheating.”
Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India (14th):
“It was a difficult race with the very hot conditions, but overall I think it was a good performance. The strategy wasn’t bad, but we did expect a safety car after seeing the other support races, but there weren’t any incidents so it didn’t come. Our pace was good, it wasn’t far off the others, and we made a step forward with the gearbox. We now have to keep focussed and keep moving forward.”
Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (15th):
“I had a bad start and we have to find the reason for that. On lap one, going into turns four and five, I was just behind Alonso, but there was a bit of a battle going on in front and I couldn’t avoid him going into the corner. After that, I just tried to be consistent. My pace was ok, but I was behind Barrichello and it was really difficult to overtake. Eventually I made it past him and my pace improved, but it was too late.”
Rubens Barrichello, Honda (16th):
“After qualifying, we took the opportunity to start from the pit lane and work on the car to try and resolve the issues that we had yesterday. We changed the brakes completely so the car was very different to drive but it did improve a little bit during the race. We need to get to the bottom of the brake problems that we have had all weekend as these cost me a lot of time and positions. It was a poor weekend overall.”
David Coulthard, Red Bull (17th):
“I was hit from behind on the first lap. I came back and passed a couple of cars, but when I tried to pass one of the Force India’s, I aborted the manoeuvre and made contact with them, so sorry to them for that. That damaged my barge board and the side of the car, so after that the balance and downforce were very poor.”
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (DNF):
“Not much to say after a day like this. It was definitely not the weekend I was hoping for but I do not believe that, despite this negative result, I am now out of the running for the title. There are still six races to go and sixty points up for grabs. We have seen that the situation change really quickly, even if I realize things are now more complicated. Today, I lost a place at the start and I was stuck in traffic for all of the first stint. Then, when I had a clear track ahead of me, I was able to push and was doing good lap times. At the second pit stop, I made a mistake and left before I should have done. Fortunately, Pietro (Timpini) is not too badly hurt. I wish him all the best and hope he gets better soon. In any case, it would not have changed anything as then the engine broke. Now we must concentrate on preparing for the next rounds and on improving our qualifying performance.”
Adrian Sutil, Force India (DNF):
“The first stint was okay as I was closing the gap to the rest of the field and then I could pass a few cars in the hairpin. It was a shame that I couldn’t pass Giancarlo quickly enough to take full advantage of the two stop strategy and lost a little time. Once I passed him it was getting better but it was still difficult to pass more cars. Then under braking I lost the rear and tried to avoid a crash, but the barrier was too close and that was it.”
Fernando Alonso, Renault (DNF):
“After qualifying yesterday, I knew that me weekend was going to be difficult. At the start I was touched by Nakajima and I lost my rear wing. My mechanics did everything to try and allow me to continue, but my race was already compromised. I am extremely disappointed because I was hoping to have a special race in my second home Grand Prix and for the supporters who came here this weekend to support me. I now want to concentrate on the rest to the season and the next race in Spa.”
By admin
August 24th, 2008 at 10:34pm
Under Racing
Felipe Massa may have taken victory in the European Grand Prix, but it was a tough afternoon in Valencia for Ferrari, with Massa being investigated for a controversial pit stop and team mate Kimi Raikkonen failing to finish following a separate pit-lane incident in which a mechanic was injured.
Massa controlled the race throughout, but almost collided with Force India’s Adrian Sutil as he exited his second pit stop on lap 37. Stewards decided the Brazilian had been released in an unsafe fashion and subsequently handed him a reprimand and a €10,000 fine.
Raikkonen’s afternoon went awry shortly afterwards. On his second stop the Finn tried to leave his pit before the refuelling hose had been removed. He quickly stopped again, but only after hose man Pietro Timpini had taken a painful-looking tumble, which saw him subsequently stretchered to the medical centre for checks. Fortunately Timpini suffered only a minor fracture to his left foot.
Things then went from bad to worse for Raikkonen on lap 46 when he pulled off the track with an engine failure and afterwards he admitted he had been to blame for the bungled pit stop.
“I made a mistake and left before I should have done,” he said. “Fortunately, Pietro is not too badly hurt. I wish him all the best and hope he gets better soon. In any case, it would not have changed anything as then the engine broke. Now we must concentrate on preparing for the next rounds and on improving our qualifying performance.”
Reflecting on the team’s mixed fortunes, sporting director Luca Baldisserri commented: “We have a great potential, from both the team and the car, capable of putting us in front of everyone else, but if not all elements are operating at their optimum, then we are throwing away precious points that could cost us dear. We must work to remedy these problems and that’s what we will do starting in the days that follow.”
Ferrari still lead the constructors’ championship on 121 points, but by a slightly reduced margin from McLaren, who have 113.
By admin
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