"So to avoid any confusion, here is the order: Hakkinen leads and is yet to stop. Coulthard leads and is yet to stop..." - Murray Walker
From the editor
Hello, Reader! Welcome to our first monthly Formula 1 WP Newsletter. This is to give you the best source of information, right in your user talk page. We hope that you find this newsletter useful, and please leave me a message on this newsletter in my talk page. All that is left to say is, I hope that you enjoy the read!
Enjoy! --LB22 (talk) 21:13, 16 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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"The running gag of the Grand Prix series is that whereas Murray, safe in the commentary box, sounds like a blindfolded man riding a unicycle on the rim of the pit of doom, the men actually facing the danger are all so taciturn that you might as well try interviewing the cars themselves." - Clive James
The 2008 Formula One season is almost underway in the relaxed atmosphere of Melbourne. There we will see what rivalries are in store, with everyone hoping that the championship will be just as close as last year. The controversies of 2007 are long gone, ready to be replaced by the sweet smell of good old sportsmanship. Chubbennaitor (talk)
I am incredibly pleased that we have some backers of our new letter. So it is decided that we will go on and publish one for you every month. Don't forget to give us your ideas. I just thought that I should point out that this is our official first edition, as the last one was a pilot. However, we will keep with Issue II onwards! I would also like to thank Diniz and Chubbennaitor for helping me live out my newsletter idea.
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The 2008 Formula One season is underway. With the relaxing atmosphere of the first round at Melbourne (where Lewis Hamilton won with Nick Heidfeld second and a superb Nico Rosberg in third after a very eventful race with only seven drivers finishing) behind us, the focus then shifted to Malaysia. A superior Kimi Räikkönen got back on track with a great win; Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen finished in distant second and third places followed by a tremendous Jarno Trulli and unlucky Lewis Hamilton in fourth and fifth places respectively. Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, David Coulthard and Jenson Button all showed their teams' strong improvements and performances in seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth respectively. The two Grands Prix have shown all the rivalries we will be seeing during the season and how dependent the results are on the removal of traction control and engine braking. Bahrain is here and I bet everyone out there is hoping for a very good and close-finishing race there. Chubbennaitor and -- Diniz (talk) 00:41, 29 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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"We're watching Ralf Schumacher... son, of course of double world champion Michael Schumacher..... er, the brother of Michael Schumacher.…." Murray Walker
The first flyaway stages of the 2008 season have come to a close with Bahrain, where Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella drove storming races to 1st, 11th, 6th and 12th respectively. Robert Kubica also looked impressive (especially during qualifying), and looks for BMW Sauber to be in championship contention. The unfortunate Lewis Hamilton finished in 13th, losing the championship lead to Kimi Räikkönen. Jenson Button (who retired) had a race to forget after a qualifying session to remember. Then most of the cars got updated and the teams tested their first 2009-spec cars in tests at the Circuit de Catalunya. In a probable look into the future of Formula One design, Renault used RBR's idea of a 'shark fin' on the airbox and the teams looking into the 2009 regulations, including the planned introduction of slick tyres. Honda tried a 'dumbo wing' on the car's nosecone and every other team tried to improve. Super Aguri lost their deal with the Magma Group after the planned buyout last month fell through, but did make it to the Spanish GP; SA's future is in the air again and still looking poor. The Spanish GP got underway with the hope that the adaptions will give new teams chances to win or get in the points. Fernando Alonso starred in qualifying by setting a provisional pole position time just before Kimi Räikkönen took it away by 0.091s.Toyota have made a jump from their slot at 11th-12th on the grid to clear points positions.McLaren didn't have a nice time with fifth and sixth places, in addition to David Coulthard who could only manage 17th after having a bad last lap. The Circuit de Catalunya saw Kimi Räikkönen take the glory with Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton finishing in second and third places respectively. Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella all drove one of their most best races, with Kazuki Nakajima also showing that he and WilliamsF1 are worth their stay in Formula One. Heikki Kovalainen had a nasty crash, causing a prolonged Safety Car period. He was rushed to hospital for checks; thankfully he was announced to have no serious injuries. Toro Rosso had a race to forget after both their cars were crashed out by other drivers. At the start of the season the FIA threatened the cancellation of the Spanish and European GPs if racism continued in Spain after after hearing of the racial abuse directed at McLaren's Lewis Hamilton while he was testing the MP4-23 at Barcelona during Winter testing. However, this was considered 'stupid' and has not happened due to the Spanish GP is completed and the European GP sold out.'Chubbennaitor, Sage J Callahan, Diniz(talk), Barkjon , Motofan
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Editor's Comment
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Ayrton Senna (da Silva) is most known for his push to win, much the same as Gilles Villeneuve. Senna is a three time Formula One Champion, winning in 1988, 1990, and 1991. Many people have compared Senna to Juan Manuel Fangio, who is known as "The Master" of Formula One. Senna is a Brazilian, and raced for Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, and Williams. Statistically, he is among the greatest ever, with 41 wins and 65 pole positions. His then-record of 65 pole positions was broken by Michael Schumacher in the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix. His rivalry with Alain Prost is among the most legendary in Formula One, going as far as Senna colliding with Prost in the first turn of Suzuka in 1990, giving Senna the title. Tragically, Senna died during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when his Williams left the track at high speed, hitting the concrete retaining wall at around 135 mph. No driver since has been killed while driving a Formula One car. His skill in wet weather and bad conditions has made him stand out among other drivers. Where most people would choose to drive conservatively, to avoid causing a crash, Senna would still push his hardest. Following the death of Senna (and Roland Ratzenberger), many safety improvements have been made. What could possibly be better than his on-the-track skills was what he did off the track. His character and attitude has made him a legend among F1 fans.
Nominated by Sage Callahan
Lewis Hamilton lived up to McLaren's expectations with a memorable win at a rainswept Monaco Grand Prix.Carnage after the pit lane pile-up. Rosberg just becomes untangled while Hamilton and Raikkonen get out of their carsCarnage after the pit lane pile-up. Hamilton and Raikkonen's cars left stranded on the pit-lane exit.Robert Kubica secured his and BMW Sauber's first win at the Canadian Grand Prix.Rubens Barrichello had to be one of the drivers of the month after scoring consecutive points and out racing his team-mate Jenson Button.
The week before the Turkish Grand Prix there was a controversy over Super Aguri being barred from the Istanbul paddock. This was a result of Honda'sNick Fry telling Bernie Ecclestone that Super Aguri wouldn't be competing in the race after worries that Weigl's sponsorship would be insufficient. The next day Super Aguri announced that they would be departing from Formula One, as the team was past saving. McLaren went into Turkey hoping for a good result and got a mixed one with Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen finishing second and twelfth respectively. The lights had a bit of a problem at the start but eventually the race got underway with Hamilton overtaking his team-mate. Kimi Räikkönen got overtaken by a fast-starting Alonso while Giancarlo Fisichella charged into the back of Kazuki Nakajima. Hamilton chose a three-stop strategy due to high tyre wear, but put in a fantastic overtaking manoeuvre on Felipe Massa. Late-race there was a three-way battle between Jenson Button, Nelsinho Piquet and a recovering Kovalainen, who had his left-rear tyre punctured by Räikkönen's front wing on the first lap. Button was struggling on the option tyre while Piquet was trying some moves; on his second overtaking chance he pushed Button into the pit entrance causing Button to slow. Probably thinking it was Hamilton lapping him, Button let Kovalainen pass on the corner immediately after (first corner). Massa thus won the first race of the month, with Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate following in hot pursuit behind. Rubens Barrichello celebrated his 257th Grand Prix start by finishing 14th with a "257" paint job on the car and a special "257-themed" helmet. Barrichello's 257th GP race surpassed Riccardo Patrese's former record of 256 GPs, making him the most experienced driver in F1 history. After the Spanish Grand Prix he celebrated in a round of golf accompanied by ITV's Louise Goodman and fellow racers. A week before the Monaco Grand Prix a test was held at Paul Ricard. There were mixed results with only 11-12 cars being tested per day and the sessions being affected by changeable weather. Honda kept their promise and the wings on the nose got a makeover with other visible changes as well. Then the circus moved to Monaco, the stylish venue on the calendar mapped around the bay of Monte Carlo. McLaren's drivers had special diamond studded helmets for the occasion. On the Tuesday that week Mark Webber proved to be the man of the hour after using First Aid on his companion, AMD's Morris Denton, alongside cycling legend, Lance Armstrong. A car had hit Denton through some traffic works; he would need 90 stitches but arrived at the paddock that weekend. Fisichella didn't get his wish of a points finish on his 200th Grand Prix start after retiring with a jumping gearbox. At the start of the parade lap, Kovalainen stalled and had to start from the pit lane, but despite starting from there he grabbed the last of the points-paying positions with eighth and catching up to seventh; he finished three seconds behind Kazuki Nakajima after the gap was sixteen seconds just five laps before. The race started in the rain for the first time since 1997 and the Ferraris came under pressure from Hamilton at the start with Räikkönen falling back to third. Massa led early on, whilst Hamilton tapped the wall and sustained a puncture. However, the McLaren team was able to use the changed pit-stop strategy to their advantage due to frequent Safety Car periods and the gradual improvement in the weather that necessitated a switch to dry tyres before the end of the race. While Massa and Robert Kubica struggled on worn tyres and heavy fuel loads mid-race, Hamilton was able to build up a big enough lead to maintain first position after his second pit stop. Kubica, who jumped past Massa when the Ferrari driver had a brief excursion at Ste. Devote, finished ahead of the Brazilian in second place, but there was last-minute drama behind. Adrian Sutil was running in a strong fourth place after the final safety car period until a recovering Räikkönen, who had earlier damaged his front wing and been forced to pit, slipped up going into the Nouvelle Chicane. Kimi only put on another new front wing and rejoined in ninth, but a devastated Sutil had bad car damage and retired just before the race's 90% distance mark. This left the way clear for Webber, Sebastian Vettel (débuting the Toro Rosso STR3 chassis), Nakajima, Barrichello and Kovalainen to finish in the points. Two weeks later, the championship moved to Canada on its annual trip to North America. The track had been partially resurfaced since 2007, but these new sections of tarmac began to break up, causing a hazard throughout the race weekend. Nevertheless, Hamilton seemed unaffected as he set a pole position time 0.6 seconds faster than second-placed Kubica. In the race, the front two and third man Räikkönen held position until the first round of pit stops, which were taken under Safety Car conditions. Hamilton lost position to his two pursuers with a longer stop, but then compounded his problems by running into the back of Räikkönen as the Finn and Kubica waited for the green light to come on at the end of the pitlane. Both retired, whilst Nico Rosberg (who was also involved) lost his front wing. Both Hamilton and Rosberg have been given ten-place grid penalties for the next race of the season, in France. This incident, fuel rig problems for Massa and Kovalainen's poor pace turned the race into an all-BMW Sauber fight between Kubica and Nick Heidfeld. Choosing different strategies, the former prevailed by making an additional pitsop to the latter. The race marked Kubica's and BMW's first win in F1, and the first time since the 1999 European Grand Prix that neither Ferrari, McLaren nor Renault has appeared on the podium, as David Coulthard finished in third place to take his first points of the season. Timo Glock was also a first-time 2008 scorer as he beat the recovering Massa to the flag, and they were followed home by Jarno Trulli, Barrichello and Vettel. Massa performed the most impressive pass of the race in his progress from the back of the field following his fuel glitch by passing Jenson Button and Kovalainen simulataneously at the Old Pits Hairpin. The result has elevated Kubica into the lead of the Drivers' Championship, with Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen and Heidfeld not far behind. Chubbennaitor, Barkjon , Diniz(talk)Sage J Callahan
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Editor's Comment
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Below is the F1 Picture for last month (found here) which is decided on every 25th-27th of each month. The picture has to be one uploaded that month and only from the current season.
It is exclusive to the Newsletter.
Note 1: Vettel didn't qualify after hitting the wall and damaging his STR3 in Saturday morning practice.
Note 2: Bourdais changed his engine after qualifying and got a five-place grid penalty (to the back of the grid.
Note 3: Button set one time of 1:23.565 but then drove back into the pits with a gearbox problem he started 18th on the grid in front of the two Toro Rossos.
^Note 4 : Mark Webber spun at the end of Q2 but with a secured place in Q3. He did not set a time due to the car not being suitable to drive.
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Below is the F1 Picture for last month (found here). The picture has to be one uploaded that month and only from the current season.
It is exclusive to the Newsletter.
Schumacher won his ninth race of the season, which equalled Nigel Mansell's record for victories in a season that was set in 1992. As both the Williams cars retired from the race, Benetton were confirmed as Constructors' Champions as Williams could not pass Benetton's points total with only one race remaining.
Jean Alesi, driving for Ferrari, started second beside Schumacher. However, since his car had moved forward before the start, he was forced to serve a 10-second stop and go penalty. Alesi climbed up to second, before retiring on lap 25.
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Images
Below is the F1 Picture for last month (found here). The picture has to be one uploaded that month and only from the current season.
It is exclusive to the Newsletter.
Article of the month: Forti (current GA candidate)
Forti Corse, commonly known as Forti, was an Italianmotor racing team chiefly known for its brief, and unsuccessful, involvement in Formula One in the mid-1990s. It was established in the 1970s and competed in lower formulae for two decades, with some success. The team graduated to F1 as a constructor and entrant in 1995 and continued into 1996, before succumbing to financial problems mid-season. The team competed in a total of 27 Grands Prix, scoring no points, and is recognised as one of the last truly privateer teams to race in an era when many large car manufacturers were increasing their involvement in the sport.
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Below is the F1 Picture for last month (found here) which is decided on every 25th-27th of each month. The picture has to be one uploaded that month and only from the current season.
It is exclusive to the Newsletter. REMEMBER, YOU CAN VOTE.
August picture - Felipe Massa at the European GP Friday Practice session.
Max Rufus Mosley (born April 13, 1940) is president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), a non-profit association that represents the interests of motoring organisations and car users worldwide. The FIA is also the governing body for Formula One and other international motorsports.
Mosley is a former barrister and amateur racing driver, and a founder and co-owner of March Engineering, a successful racing car constructor and Formula One racing team. He looked after legal and commercial issues for the company between 1969 and 1977. In the late 1970s, Mosley became the official legal adviser to the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), the body which represents the Formula One teams. In this role he drew up the first version of the Concorde Agreement, which settled a dispute between FOCA and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), the governing body of Formula One. Mosley was elected president of FISA in 1991 and became president of the FIA, FISA's parent body, in 1993. Mosley has identified his major achievement as FIA President as being the promotion of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP or Encap), a European car safety performance assessment programme. He has also promoted increased safety and the use of green technologies in motor racing. In 2008, Mosley retained his position after stories about his sex life appeared in the British press.
Mosley is the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, former leader of the British Union of Fascists (BUF), and Diana Mitford. He was educated in France, Germany and Britain before going on to attend university at Christ Church, Oxford where he graduated with a degree in physics. In his teens and early twenties Mosley was involved with his father's post-war party, the Union Movement (UM). He has said that the association of his surname with fascism stopped him from developing his interest in politics further, although he briefly worked for the Conservative Party in the early 1980s.
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The 1995 Pacific Grand Prix (formally the II Pacific Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on October 22, 1995 at the TI Circuit, Aida, Japan. It was the 15th race of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 83 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after starting from third position. David Coulthard, who started the Grand Prix from pole position, finished second in a Williams car, with Damon Hill third in the other Williams. Schumacher's win confirmed him as 1995 Drivers' Champion as Hill could not pass Schumacher's points total with only two races remaining.
Hill started the race alongside Coulthard on the front row, amidst pressure from the British media for not being "forceful" enough in battles. Schumacher attempted to drive around the outside of Hill at the first corner, but Hill held Schumacher off as Jean Alesi, driving for Ferrari got past both on the inside line to take second position. As a result, Hill dropped down to third and Schumacher dropped down to fifth behind Gerhard Berger. Schumacher managed to get past Alesi and Hill during the first of three pit stops. This allowed him, on a new set of slick tyres, to close on Coulthard who was on a two-stop strategy. Schumacher opened up a gap of 21 seconds by lapping two seconds faster per lap than Coulthard, so that when his third stop came, he still led the race.
*Hamilton was given a 25 second + to his racing time demoting him to 3rd place gifting Felipe Massa the win 1. McLaren appealed with hard evidence 2. Timo Glock also recieved this penalty for overtaking under the yellow flag dropping him to ninth place out of the points.
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Hamilton started from pole position alongside title rival Massa. Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen started from third next to the 2007 winner Kimi Räikkönen. Following a spin by Hamilton on the second lap, Räikkönen led the race, until rain fell on lap 41 and Hamilton performed the penalised pass. Räikkönen crashed in the following lap as rain started raining heavily. Massa finished second on the road after Hamilton, followed by Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber.
Hamilton received a drive-through penalty, which demoted him to third place and advanced Massa and Heidfeld to first and second positions. McLaren appealed the decision at the FIA International Court of Appeal. Their case, however, was judged inadmissible, with the Court ruling that drive-through penalties cannot be challenged. The penalty created a large amount of criticism from the global press, mainly from the United Kingdom and Italy, with several former drivers questioning the decision. Massa's retrospective win, with Hamilton demoted to third, narrowed the gap in the Championship from six points to just two.
Final standings. See 2008 Formula One season for further season summary and formula1.com or ITV-F1.com (and there is more there for the championship) for complete standings and statistics. ^Note 1 : Super Aguri withdrew from the championship on the Wednesday before the Turkish Grand Prix.
The Newsletter regrets that it has to inform readers of the death of WP:F1 member Pete Fenelon, who passed away in October (please see Wikipedia:Deceased Wikipedians for more information).
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Before the race, Drivers' Championship leader Lewis Hamilton had received heated criticism in the British press for his aggressive driving style at the Japanese Grand Prix three weeks previously. There, Hamilton's late braking at the first corner sent Räikkönen off the road and saw the McLaren driver relegated to the back of the field after a penalty.
Massa started the race alongside Toyota driver Jarno Trulli. Massa's Ferrari team-mate Räikkönen began from third next to Hamilton. Rain fell minutes before the race, delaying the start, and as the track dried Massa established a lead of several seconds. More rain in the closing laps did not prevent Hamilton from finishing the race in fifth position, securing him the points needed to take the Championship.
The WikiProject Formula One Newsletter wishes you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2009. Year I · Issue 12 · December 3, 2008 – December 31, 2008
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Damon Graham Devereux HillOBE (born 17 September 1960) is a retired British racing driver from England. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship; as the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title. His father died in a plane crash when Hill was 15, leaving the family in reduced circumstances and Hill came to professional motorsports at the relatively late age of 23 by racing motorcycles. After some minor success, he moved on to single-seater racing cars, and progressed steadily up the ranks to the International Formula 3000 championship by 1989, where although often competitive he never won a race.
Hill became a test driver for the Formula One title-winning Williams team in 1992. He was unexpectedly promoted to the Williams race team the following year after 1992 champion Nigel Mansell's departure and took the first of his 22 victories at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix. During the mid 1990s, Hill was Michael Schumacher's main rival for the Formula One Driver's Championship. The two clashed on and off the track; their collision at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix gave Schumacher his first title by a single point. Hill won the 1996 World Drivers' Championship, but was dropped by Williams for the following season. He went on to drive for the less competitive Arrows and Jordan teams, and in 1998 gave Jordan its first win.
Hill retired from racing after the 1999 season. He has since launched several businesses as well as making appearances playing the guitar with celebrity bands. In 2006, he became president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, succeeding Jackie Stewart.
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Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeledauto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform. The F1 world championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. The most famous Grand Prix is the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors.
Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most Grand Prix victories, having won 91 times. Alain Prost, is second with 51 wins, and Ayrton Senna is third, with 41 wins. Michael Schumacher holds the distinction of having the longest time between his first win and his last. He won his first Grand Prix in 1992 at the Belgian Grand Prix, and his last in 2006 at the Chinese Grand Prix, a gap that spans 14 years, 1 month and 1 day. The youngest winner of a Grand Prix is Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 years, 73 days old when he won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Luigi Fagioli is the oldest winner of a Formula One Grand Prix; he was 53 years and 22 days old when he won the 1951 French Grand Prix.
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Hamilton, the eventual Drivers' Champion, led the Championship going into the race, and started from pole position alongside Räikkönen. Second in the Drivers' Championship, Massa began from third, next to Fernando Alonso of Renault. The first three drivers retained their positions into the first corner, but Alonso was passed by Hamilton's McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen. However, Alonso was able to regain the place midway through the first lap. Over the course of the race, Hamilton extended a considerable lead over the two Ferraris. Massa passed Räikkönen with seven laps remaining, to improve his chances of surpassing Hamilton's points tally at the final race in Brazil.
The result extended Ferrari's lead over McLaren in the Constructors' Championship from seven to 11 points. Third-placed in the Drivers' Championship, Robert Kubica's sixth place at the Grand Prix eliminated his hopes of winning the Championship, and reduced his lead over fourth-placed Räikkönen to six points.
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Below is the F1 Picture for last month (found here) which is decided on every 25th-27th of each month. The picture has to be one uploaded that month and only from the current season.
It is exclusive to the Newsletter. REMEMBER, YOU CAN VOTE.
Hamilton maintained his startline advantage and led until he made his first pit stop on lap 18. As other cars made their pit stops, Hamilton regained the lead on lap 22. On lap 36 Timo Glock crashed, and the race was neutralized by the deployment of the safety car. Hamilton, on a two-stop strategy, did not stop to get more fuel during this period, while all the cars around him did. Thus when he did eventually stop on lap 50, he rejoined the race in fifth. In the closing stages of the race, Hamilton overtook first his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, then Massa, and finally Piquet, to take the lead again on lap 60, which he maintained to win the race.
The victory was Hamilton's second consecutive win, having won the preceding British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The win put him ahead of his two main rivals in the Drivers' Championship, Kimi Räikkönen (who finished sixth) and Massa of Ferrari, who were on equal points with him before the race. After the race he was four points ahead of Räikkönen, and seven ahead of Massa. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren drew closer to the two teams ahead of them, BMW Sauber and Ferrari. Ferrari still led by 15 points from McLaren, and 12 from BMW, whose drivers – Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica – finished fourth and seventh respectively.
† After the race, Trulli was originally given a 25-second penalty for passing Lewis Hamilton (4th, +2.914) under yellow flags.[6] However, due to misleading the stewards, Hamilton was disqualified and Trulli's penalty was overturned. [7]
* Timo Glock (1:26.975, 6th) and Trulli (1:27.127, 8th) were both disqualified from qualifying and sent to the back of the grid, as their Toyotas' rear wing elements were in breach of the rules.
The race was red flagged on lap 33 and the results were taken from lap 31.
* Sebastian Vettel (3rd, 1:35.518) got a 10 place grid penalty for his collision with Kubica at the previous Grand Prix. [8]
^ Rubens Barrichello (4th, 1:35.651) got a 5 place grid penalty for a gearbox change. [9]
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The race began with Kubica in pole position alongside Massa; Lewis Hamilton, the eventual Drivers' Champion, started from third, alongside Räikkönen. Kubica was passed by Massa into the first corner, and then by Räikkönen on the third lap. The Ferraris dominated at the front of the race, leading to their one-two finish. Hamilton had a slow start after almost stalling on the grid, and dropped back to ninth. The McLaren driver ran into the back of Fernando Alonso's Renault a lap later, breaking off the McLaren's front wing and dropping Hamilton to the back of the field.
Kubica's strong finish promoted BMW Sauber to the lead in the Constructors' Championship, after BMW driver Nick Heidfeld finished fourth. Ferrari and McLaren trailed, one and two points behind, respectively. Räikkönen took the lead in the Drivers' Championship, with 19 points, three points ahead of Heidfeld and five ahead of Hamilton, Kubica and Kovalainen, with 15 races remaining in the season.
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Below is the F1 Picture for last month (found here) which is decided on every 25th-27th of each month. The picture has to be one uploaded that month and only from the current season.
It is exclusive to the Newsletter. REMEMBER, YOU CAN VOTE.
Massa claimed pole, with teammate Räikkönen fourth, the two Ferrari cars sandwiching the McLarens of Heikki Kovalainen and Hamilton. At the first corner Räikkönen clipped Kovalainen's rear tyre and gave him a puncture. The safety car was deployed on the first lap, after a collision, but only remained out for one lap. During the course of the race, Hamilton, intending to make one more pit stop than both Ferrari drivers, was faster than Massa due to carrying a lighter fuel load and overtook him on lap 24. After Hamilton had made his third pit stop, he rejoined in second behind Massa but in front of the Championship leader, Räikkönen. Massa won the race, with Hamilton 3.779 seconds behind, and Räikkönen a further half-second behind. The two BMW Sauber cars of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld took fourth and fifth.
In the week running up to the grand prix, the Super Aguri team had withdrawn from Formula One, due to financial problems, leaving the sport with only ten teams. Massa's victory was his third consecutive pole position and victory in Turkey, having also won the race from pole in 2006 and 2007. This was also Rubens Barrichello's 257th Grand Prix start, breaking Riccardo Patrese's previous record of 256. Due to the race result, Räikkönen's lead in the Drivers' Championship was lowered to seven points. Massa rose to second from fourth, whilst Hamilton dropped to third, both drivers tying on 28 points but separated by Massa's two wins thus far to Hamilton's one. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari increased their lead to 22 points ahead of BMW Sauber, with McLaren a further two points behind in third.
"And it's GO GO GO! Anything can happen in Formula One and it usually does!" – Murray Walker
Welcome to the 2008 Season Preview provided by Chubbennaitor, Diniz and LB22.
The 2008 Formula One season is underway tonight. A sense of a new term starts in Melbourne's pit lane and the practices start at 11:00pm (GMT) tonight (13th March) and will show all of the rivalries we will be seeing during the season. With three contenders for the title, Kimi won't have it easy with Lewis, Fernando and the other drivers hot in pursuit! Enjoy the special issue!LB22(talk to me!)Email me! 20
LB22 (talk·contribs): I think Hamilton or Kimi will win the title and BMW will win a race or two
Diniz (talk·contribs): As long as Wikipedia covers it encyclopedically, I don't mind!
Chubbennaitor (talk·contribs): Hamilton or a suprising Jenson Button. Kovalainen's in with a chance of the title too. After the start of the season Ferrari most likely won't win.
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