March 12, 200817 yr Author :cry: We won't win owt till the end of the season, but i hope we can get back on form. i miss seeing a yellow and blue car on the podium (yes, the new paint job sucks eggs) i also hope flav comes to his senses and gets heikki back instead of piquet Jnr Alonso + Heikki = Champs '09 :wub:
March 13, 200817 yr I would've thought Heikki would stay at McLaren and Alonso and Massa will probably swap places...
March 13, 200817 yr Author Massa? :puke: i think he'll stay at Ferrari Personally i don't think Alonso is moving to Ferrari, especially the way he's talking in interviews about being a force in 2009
March 13, 200817 yr Much as I want to see a Kimi / Ferrari double I think Hamilton will win the title and McLaren the WCC My reason being the ECU systems that control all the cars this season are manufactured by, wait for it, MC LAREN so who is going to be the team that is most familiar with the ECU's ? yep McLaren It is utterly ridculous that a team convicted of cheating was given the contract by the FIA to supply ECU systems to all F1 teams, of course McLaren will have a few trade secrets they will keep for themselves given they manufacture all these devices McLaren and Lewis double :(
March 13, 200817 yr On the subject of Alonso to Ferrari it simply won't happen Massa is managed by Nicolas Todt the son of Ferrari managing director Jean Todt Also Alonso would be like a fish out of water at Ferrari, he is one of those drivers that needs a family atmosphere and an arm around him and if he thinks McLaren is a cold harsh environment he ain't seen nothing yet Renault is Alonso's perfect place as it has the atmosphere he likes
March 13, 200817 yr Author Much as I want to see a Kimi / Ferrari double I think Hamilton will win the title and McLaren the WCC My reason being the ECU systems that control all the cars this season are manufactured by, wait for it, MC LAREN so who is going to be the team that is most familiar with the ECU's ? yep McLaren It is utterly ridculous that a team convicted of cheating was given the contract by the FIA to supply ECU systems to all F1 teams, of course McLaren will have a few trade secrets they will keep for themselves given they manufacture all these devices McLaren and Lewis double :( :huh: f***, the FIA really are thick
March 13, 200817 yr Author On the subject of Alonso to Ferrari it simply won't happen Massa is managed by Nicolas Todt the son of Ferrari managing director Jean Todt Also Alonso would be like a fish out of water at Ferrari, he is one of those drivers that needs a family atmosphere and an arm around him and if he thinks McLaren is a cold harsh environment he ain't seen nothing yet Renault is Alonso's perfect place as it has the atmosphere he likes Agreed, he also likes being the #1 driver, something which mclaren didn't give him and ferrari wouldn't with kimi still there
March 13, 200817 yr On the subject of Alonso to Ferrari it simply won't happen Massa is managed by Nicolas Todt the son of Ferrari managing director Jean Todt Also Alonso would be like a fish out of water at Ferrari, he is one of those drivers that needs a family atmosphere and an arm around him and if he thinks McLaren is a cold harsh environment he ain't seen nothing yet Renault is Alonso's perfect place as it has the atmosphere he likes But he also has a huge head and thinks he's the best driver around and should be winning world championships. I can't see him doing that at Ranault for atleast 3 years...
March 14, 200817 yr Author Australian GP free practice session one times 1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m26.461s 2. HAMILTON McLaren 1m26.948s 3. MASSA Ferrari 1m26.958s 4. KOVALAINEN McLaren 1m27.114s 5. WEBBER Red Bull 1m28.263s 6. ALONSO Renault 1m28.360s 7. KUBICA BMW 1m28.579s 8. GLOCK Toyota 1m28.913s 9. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m28.957s 10. TRULLI Toyota 1m29.014s 11. BUTTON Honda 1m29.124s 12. FISICHELLA Force India 1m29.230s 13. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m29.301s 14. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso 1m29.363s 15. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m29.533s 16. HEIDFELD BMW 1m29.561s 17. SUTIL Force India 1m30.155s 18. PIQUET Renault 1m30.357s 19. SATO Super Aguri 1m31.048s 20. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m31.771s 21. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m35.053s 22. ROSBERG Williams no time Australian GP free practice session 2 times 1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m26.559s 2. WEBBER Red Bull 1m27.473s 3. MASSA Ferrari 1m27.640s 4. KOVALAINEN McLaren 1m27.683s 5. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m28.037s 6. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m28.208s 7. TRULLI Toyota 1m28.292s 8. ROSBERG Williams 1m28.352s 9. FISICHELLA Force India 1m28.469s 10. GLOCK Toyota 1m28.582s 11. BUTTON Honda 1m28.632s 12. HEIDFELD BMW 1m28.731s 13. ALONSO Renault 1m28.779s 14. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m28.849s 15. KUBICA BMW 1m28.860s 16. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m29.077s 17. SUTIL Force India 1m29.161s 18. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m29.193s 19. PIQUET Renault 1m29.518s 20. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso 1m29.605s 21. SATO Super Aguri 1m30.663s 22. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m31.527s
March 14, 200817 yr TV Schedule Live qualifying Saturday 15 March 0215-0420 ITV1 Qualifying re-run Saturday 15 March 1320-1505 ITV1 Live race Sunday 16 March 0330-0630 ITV1 Race re-runs Sunday 16 March 1245-1430 ITV4 Sunday 16 March 1500-1800 ITV1 Highlights Monday 17 March 0015-0115 ITV1 Monday 17 March 1800-1900 ITV4 Hmm I think I'll attempt to watch the race live but I'll wait until the afternoon for the qualifying :P
March 15, 200817 yr Australian Grand Prix Albert Park, Melbourne, 14-16 March Qualifying report Lewis Hamilton won pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix but Kimi Raikkonen must start from near the back of the grid in Melbourne. McLaren's Hamilton was fastest in the second and third runs, while Raikkonen was forced out before the second session after his Ferrari pulled up. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica almost stole pole but a slight oversteer in his last lap saw him finish second fastest. Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was third quickest. Hamilton's pole is his seventh from just 18 starts and the 23-year-old was delighted with the result, and with the position of team-mate Kovalainen. "Being in pole is a great feeling, but there's always improvements you can make," he said. "But to start the season, it couldn't be a better position for both of us. "It's going to be a very tough race and we just have to do the best we can in managing our tyres and hope for the best." Raikkonen, winner in Melbourne from pole position on his Ferrari debut last year, was eliminated when his car coasted to a halt with a fuel pressure problem and he had to be pushed back to the garage. The Finn sat in his car at the start of the second session, but climbed out of the cockpit after being told the assistance from his crew meant he was not allowed to continue. Raikkonen will start the race from 16th place on the grid and admitted: "It's definitely not the best way to start the season. "Clearly I'm disappointed. Now we must try to do our best to pick up some points tomorrow." Better news for Ferrari was the performance of Felipe Massa, with the Brazilian clinching a place on the second row. But there was disappointment for two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, back at Renault after a season at McLaren, who failed to reach the third stage of qualifying and will start in 12th place. And Australia's Mark Webber spun his Red Bull into the gravel during the second run, bringing out the red flag. He will start at 15th. Britain's David Coulthard grabbed an impressive eighth for Red Bull but compatriot Jenson Button missed out on a place in the third qualifying session and will line up his Honda in 13th place. Toyota's Timo Glock will start from 19th place after being penalised 10 grid placings after two qualifying offences. He qualified ninth but was moved back five spots because Toyota changed his gearbox in between morning practice and qualifying. And he suffered another five-place penalty for impeding Webber. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final qualifying times for the Australian Grand Prix 1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes, 1 minute, 26.714 seconds. 2. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW-Sauber, 1:26.869. 3. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:27.079. 4. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 1:27.178. 5. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW-Sauber, 1:27. 236. 6. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 1:28. 527. 7. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 1:28.687. 8. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, 1:29.041. 9. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 1:29.593. 10. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso, did not start. Eliminated after second session 11. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 1:26.173. 12. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 1:26.188. 13. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 1:26.259. 14. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, 1:26.413. 15. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, did not finish. 16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, did not start. Eliminated after first session 17. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India, 1:27.207. 18. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso, 1:27.446. 19. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India, 1;27.859. 20. Takuma Sato, Japan, Super Aguri, 1:28.208. 21. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault, 1:28.330. 22. Anthony Davidson, Britian, Super Aguri, 1:29.059.
March 15, 200817 yr This really bodes well for the season. BMW right up there with the top 2, Ferrari not as quick as McLaren and I really hope that this is a true reflection of Renault's pace! I would laugh so hard if that big headed idiot is now racing Torro Rosso and Honda! :D
March 15, 200817 yr If I wasn't such a long term fanatic I wouldn't bother watching the race tomorrow :manson: Hamilton will just sail off into the distance with his lapdog in tow lets just hope Kubica puts Hammy in the wall :D (unhurt of course) So pissed off about Kimi :angry: I wonder if the ECU's control fuel pressure
March 15, 200817 yr Author urgh :manson: why did we let heikki go? especially to replace him with that re**** even a f***ing super aguri beat piquet. where the hell did honda find that speed from? they must have been f***ing light
March 15, 200817 yr Ah! Lewis pole, Alonso doing $h!t and Jenson looking faster can it get any better? :P
March 16, 200817 yr :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: Nothing more I can say http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44495000/jpg/_44495593_hamiltonafp220.jpg Having just watched what I "videod" (copied the ITV coverage to DVD) from this morning (why get up at 04:00 Hrs in the morning when you can video it and make sure you don't turn on the radio before watching the race), all I can say is Raikkonen's overtaking manoeuvre on Kovalainen was hilarious. Such a pity Barrichello got DSQ'd.
March 16, 200817 yr Australian Grand Prix Race http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44495000/jpg/_44495538_hamiltonpacred203.jpg Report: Hamilton wins Australian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton steered clear of the chaos at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix to get his title campaign off to the best possible start. The Englishman dominated from the start in his McLaren to beat Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber and Nico Rosberg's Williams. World champion Kimi Raikkonen threw away a chance to challenge Hamilton with a mistake while trying to pass the second McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen would have been second but for bad luck with the safety car. It came out for the third time in a dramatic afternoon at exactly the wrong time for the Finn following a high-speed crash involving Timo Glock's Toyota on lap 44. Kovalainen had to pit for fuel and tyres while the safety car was out, and dropped to the back of the pack. He recovered to finish fifth, losing out in an exciting battle with Fernando Alonso's Renault in the last two laps. Kovalainen passed the double world champion spectacularly towards the end of the penultimate lap, only to lose the place as they crossed the line for the start of the last lap when the McLaren stuttered on the pit straight. Kovalainen revealed later that he had accidentally hit the pit lane speed limiter button while removing an oil-smeared tear-off from his visor. Heidfeld and Rosberg both drove unobtrusively excellent races to take the final two podium positions. Heidfeld held a watching brief in the early laps and stayed out of trouble to benefit from Kovalainen's late problem. Rosberg's third place was the best result of his career in his third full season. Rubens Barrichello finished sixth for a more-competitive-than-expected Honda, but was excluded for leaving the pits when the lights were red following a dramatic final pit stop in which he was waved away with the fuel hose still attached. Kazuki Nakajima's Williams was the final finisher in seventh. The Japanese was handed a 10-place grid penalty for next weekend's Malaysian race for his role in tangles with Red Bull's Mark Webber at the start and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica nine laps from the end. Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais was classified seventh on his debut following Barrichello's exclusion, despite retiring with engine failure while running fourth ahead of Alonso and Kovalainen with three laps to go. And Raikkonen took the final point in eighth place despite retiring with engine failure five laps from the end. The race was littered with incident, but Hamilton steered clear of it all on the way to a largely untroubled fifth victory of his career. The 23-year-old made a perfect start, stayed calm during the first deployment of the safety car following a series of incidents on the first lap, and built an advantage over Robert Kubica's second-placed BMW Sauber in the early laps. He appeared to be cruising to a comfortable win until the second safety car came out to raise concern over Raikkonen's progress. From 16th on the grid, the Finn leaped up to eighth on the first lap, but was then held up behind Rubens Barrichello's Honda for 19 laps. Once he had past the Brazilian, Raikkonen became a major factor for a while in what appeared to be the fastest car in the race. His Ferrari had been fuelled heavily at the start, so he moved up the field as those in front of him made their first pit stops. Raikkonen was up to third, behind the two McLarens, when the safety car was deployed following a collision between the Ferrari of Felipe Massa and David Coulthard's Red Bull on lap 26. The safety car put him right behind the McLarens on the track, and a serious contender for victory. It stayed out for four laps while Coulthard's damaged car was moved from a dangerous position. Raikkonen, light on fuel, was much faster than Kovalainen as the race resumed, but he braked too late as he tried to pass the McLaren into turn three and speared off into the gravel. He rejoined the track, and made his single stop for fuel at the end of the lap, putting him to the back of the field. That was the end of any potential threat to Hamilton. "This win perhaps feels better than any because I feel I've improved in many areas," Hamilton said. "I wouldn't say it's the perfect win... but I think in terms of managing my tyres, controlling my pace and confidence and being comfortable in the car, it's the best race I've had so far. "I had to keep cool and look after the tyres but I just paced myself and didn't overdo it. "I had plenty of time and used that to my advantage. The car was phenomenal, a dream to drive compared to the car we had last year. "The teams look at all angles and analyse exactly what could go on in the race and plan for the worst. We have a great strategic team and putting me into [the pits] early [for each of his stops] was great." The race was run in searing temperatures of 38C, but Hamilton said he had had no problems with the heat. "I feel fantastic," he said. "I never thought it would have been physically as much of a breeze as it was out there. It's great preparation for Malaysia [next weekend]. Bring it on." It was a disastrous event for world champions Ferrari, with neither car scoring points. Massa retired shortly after his collision with Coulthard with an engine failure. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Provisional results from Australian Grand Prix: 1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 58 laps one hour 34 minutes 50.616 seconds 2. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber +5.478 secs 3. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota +8.163 4. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault +17.181 5. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes +18.014 DQ Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda +52.453 6. Kazuki Nakajima* (Jpn) Williams-Toyota 1 lap behind 7R Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 55 laps completed 8R Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 53 laps R Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 47 laps R Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 43 laps R Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 32 laps R Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz) Renault 30 laps R Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 29 laps R David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 25 laps R Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 19 laps R Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 8 laps R Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 0 laps R Jenson Button (GB) Honda 0 lap R Anthony Davidson (GB) Super Aguri-Honda 0 lap R Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 0 laps R Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 0 laps * Nakajima handed 10-place grid penalty for next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix Key: R = retired; DQ = disqualified. Fastest lap: Kovalainen one minute 27.418 seconds, lap 43.
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