Lewis Hamilton feels McLaren have shaken off the "excess baggage" that blighted his championship bid last season, ensuring he is in better shape to win this year's title.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
MALLYA: FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
Force India boss Vijay Mallya is convinced his team has made more progress this season than any other on the Formula One grid.
The team has yet to score a point after 10 races this year, and neither Giancarlo Fisichella nor Adrian Sutil has made it into the second session of qualifying.
MOSLEY STILL SET ON STANDING DOWN
Max Mosley has re-asserted he will stand down as FIA president at the end of his current mandate in October 2009.
Mosley claims he has the support of people within his organisation to stand for a further term, but he maintains that is not on his agenda.
MOSLEY URGES CRITICS TO 'GROW UP'
FIA president Max Mosley insists "no grown-up person gives the slightest damn" about what he gets up to in his private life.
The 68-year-old won his privacy case against the News of the World last week and was awarded Ј60,000 in compensation after the newspaper had accused him of taking part in a "Nazi orgy" with five prostitutes in an article in March.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
F1 TEAMS SHOW FUTURE VISION
Bosses from all 10 Formula One teams have agreed to establish a new association which will work with motorsport's governing body the FIA and commercial rights holders in a bid to take the sport forward.
HAMILTON STAYING ON THE OFFENSIVE
Lewis Hamilton is refusing to change his aggressive driving style as he focuses on Formula One world title glory this season.
GERMANS TAKE ON SUPER AGURI ASSETS
Super Aguri's liquidated assets have been purchased by a German tool design and construction company.
The Formula One team, run by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, went out of business three months ago due to mounting debts.
FERRARI CHIEF REJECTS 'CRISIS' TALK
Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali is adamant his team are not caught in a crisis and insists the outlook could be far brighter by the end of the weekend.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
McLAREN CHIEF REJECTS STEWART CLAIM
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has taken Sir Jackie Stewart to task for stating Heikki Kovalainen should play his part in helping Lewis Hamilton become Formula One world champion this season.
BRIATORE DECRIES MOSLEY MEDIA WOES
Renault boss Flavio Briatore believes Max Mosley's personal problems have had a knock-on effect for Formula One which he has again insisted is in dire need of an overhaul.
VETTEL CHOSEN OVER 'BIG NAMES'
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has confirmed the team had discussions with "big names" before signing Sebastian Vettel on a long-term contract.
RAIKKONEN HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS
Kimi Raikkonen is hoping seven turns out to be his lucky number this weekend.
The reigning world champion is currently in the middle of a slump as he has failed to win any of the last six grands prix to trail Lewis Hamilton by seven points in the drivers' standings.
Monday, July 28, 2008
KUBICA HOPES FOR 'HOME' SUPPORT
Robert Kubica is hoping for home support when the F1 circus stops in Budapest this weekend with plently of Polish fans expected to attend.
Kubica is in need of a boost as ever since his Canadian Grand Prix victory the Polish driver has failed to make it onto the F1 podium.
DC CONCERNS OVER KERS
David Coulthard has added his voice to the growing safety concerns over F1's plans to introduce KERS next season.
In recent weeks two serious incidents have occured as a result of F1 teams testing the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
HAMILTON WINS IN GERMANY
Lewis Hamilton can add a German Grand Prix 'miracle' to his CV of achievements.
Hamilton had been coasting to victory at Hockenheim, untroubled for the opening 35 laps of the 67-lap race after making the perfect start from pole position.
HAKKINEN BACKS LEWIS
Mika Hakkinen believes Lewis Hamilton is on the road to delivering a more harmonious McLaren their first title for nine years.
It was in 1999 Hakkinen won the last of McLaren's Formula One world drivers' championships before Ferrari and Michael Schumacher began to dominate.
STEWART: MOSLEY SHOULD STILL GO
Sir Jackie Stewart believes Max Mosley's 'carry on regardless' attitude has cast a shadow over the FIA.
Stewart on Thursday renewed his call for Mosley to stand down as president of motorsport's world governing body, with Eddie Jordan, Stirling Moss and Paul Stoddart all voicing a similar view.
WHITMARSH LOOKS TO HELP HEIKKI GROW
Heikki Kovalainen has a lot potential that needs to be "extracted", according to McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
RAIKKONEN HARD TO WORK OUT
It is hard to differentiate between an uninterested Kimi Raikkonen and a driver simply enduring a torrid time with his car at present.
There is a persuasive argument that could be put forward for both sides bearing in mind what we have witnessed over the last three months.
COULTHARD RUES POOR START
Toyota
Jarno Trulli: "That was a disappointing race for me because we had high hopes of scoring points today. Everything was looking good early in the race but after our second stop, when we switched our strategy because of the safety car, it became really difficult. I was having problems with the balance. I struggled a lot and in the last 10 laps it was really tough. But I was in eighth place and fighting really hard to get a point. I was holding off Vettel but unfortunately I locked up the front and couldn't recover so I lost the position. After that I lost more pace and wasn't able to push as hard as I wanted."
MOSLEY PLANS LIBEL ACTION
Max Mosley has once again launched legal proceedings against the News of the World, this time for libel.
Mosley successfully won his breach of privacy action against the tabloid earlier this week. The judged awarded the 68-year-old Ј60,000 in damages.
STEWART - MOSLEY SHOULD STAND DOWN
Max Mosley may have emerged victorious from his day in court, but that has not prevented renewed calls for him to resign as president of motorsport's world governing body, the FIA.
Friday, July 25, 2008
PATIENT KOVALAINEN PLAYING WAITING GAME
Heikki Kovalainen is adamant he is not becoming stressed at his failure to win a Formula One grand prix.
Kovalainen has had his fair share of problems since switching to McLaren for this season following his release from Renault.
GLOCK READY TO RETURN TO ACTION
Timo Glock will be back behind the wheel of his Toyota on Thursday just four days after his horror smash in the German Grand Prix.
In front of his home crowd, Glock hurtled backwards into a concrete wall along the main straight at Hockenheim due to a fault the team have now traced to the right-rear toelink/trackrod.
RAIKKONEN TO SEE OUT FERRARI DEAL
Reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen has insisted he will see out his Ferrari contract.
Speculation is rife Raikkonen is poised to quit Formula One at the end of the season amid claims he has become bored with the sport and is eager to seek new challenges.
RAIKKONEN RATIONAL DESPITE BAD WEEKEND
Kimi Raikkonen has dismissed suggestions Ferrari are currently in the middle of a crisis.
For the second successive race Ferrari endured a wretched weekend and were comfortably out-performed by bitter rivals McLaren.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
SLICK PERFORMANCE FROM VETTEL
Sebastian Vettel set the pace in testing at Jerez for the second successive day as the Toro Rosso driver underlined the potential impact of new tyre regulations for next season.
RED BULL SET JEREZ PACE
The Red Bull family continued its domination of this week's Formula One test in Jerez.
After Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheets over the first two days at the southern Spanish circuit, it was Mark Webber's turn to lead the way on Thursday.
VETTEL TOP OF JEREZ TESTING
Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel topped the first of four days of testing in Jerez in preparation for next month's Hungarian Grand Prix.
The German's time of one minute 19.844 seconds put him ahead of McLaren test driver Gary Paffett by one-third of a second.
MOSLEY WINS PRIVACY ACTION
Formula One boss Max Mosley on Thursday won his privacy action against the News of the World.
The newspaper, which had accused the 68-year-old son of the 1930s Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley of taking part in a "sick Nazi orgy" with five prostitutes, must now pay him a record Ј60,000 compensation.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
ROSBERG STAYS UPBEAT
Williams
Nico Rosberg: Even though it's not great to go home without any points, it was a good race. It was a bit difficult at the beginning as I had a technical problem at the start which cost me a place. From then on I was pretty comfortable, and I was able to push hard when I had free track - the car felt good, but then with the safety car the order was mixed up quite a bit. Regardless, it was great to race here in front of the German fans, and the atmosphere was amazing. We now have a few races ahead of us where I am sure we can do well and our performance will improve."
McLAREN CHIEF HAILS HEIKKI
Heikki Kovalainen's "sportsmanship" has been hailed by McLaren F1 chief executive Martin Whitmarsh following Lewis Hamilton's German Grand Prix victory.
Hamilton was indebted to Kovalainen late in the race at Hockenheim after the 23-year-old emerged behind his Finnish team-mate after his second pit stop.
GERMAN GP CLOCKWATCH
Lap 67: Please join us again on August 3rd for the Hungarian GP
Lap 67: Felipe Massa is third, ahead of Nick Heidfeld, Heikki Kovalainen, Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica. Seb Vettel takes the final points-paying position
SHOCK FOR SAUBER MECHANIC
A BMW Sauber mechanic sustained minor injuries after suffering an electric shock from a car fitted with a device which is set to become commonplace in Formula One from next season.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
HAMILTON: I NAILED IT
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton: I nailed it this afternoon: when the team told me I had to build a 23-second gap in just seven laps, I knew I had to drive over the limit - and I did. But I knew we had the best car this weekend and felt comfortable pushing hard to make up the gap. In the final stint, I had to work for today's win - when the Safety Car came out, I questioned whether I should pit but I trusted the team to make the best decision on strategy. It didn't quite work out - but I knew we had the pace in the car to keep pushing and want to say a big thank-you to Heikki, who realised I was quicker. I was able to slipstream past Felipe and then thought my work was done; then I had to do it all again to get past Nelson. But I made a couple of textbook moves to get past them both. Everybody in this team has worked so hard to make this victory happen. We mustn't grow complacent but must feel assured that our efforts are being rewarded. We couldn't have asked for more today."
HAMILTON ENJOYS LIFE IN FAST LANE
Lewis Hamilton hailed what he described as McLaren's "best weekend" this season following a superb German Grand Prix victory.
Hamilton went from cruise control to fighting like a tiger to take the chequered flag at Hockenheim following a horror smash involving Toyota's Timo Glock on lap 35 of the 67-lap race.
NIKI LAUDS HAMILTON WIN
Niki Lauda feels Lewis Hamilton could become "unbeatable" following a "Senna-type" drive to win Sunday's German Grand Prix.
The three-times Formula One world champion has been blown away by Hamilton's last two performances that have given the 23- year-old McLaren star a four-point lead in the drivers' standings.
WEBBER BLASTS RULES
Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber has branded Formula One's safety car rules a "joke" and claims their influence on races has left the sport looking "amateurish".
The Australian's comments come in the wake of Nelson Piquet's fortuitous second-placed finish for Renault at Sunday's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
Monday, July 21, 2008
GREAT RESULT FOR HEIDFELD
BMW
Nick Heidfeld: Coming fourth from 12th on the grid is a great result. Not making it into the top ten in qualifying meant we were free to choose our fuel load afterwards, and so we went for a rather long first stint. That's why I was able to stay out during the safety car period when almost everybody else was refuelling. That was certainly crucial as I was able to pull away as soon as the traffic was behind me. Before that I couldn't show my true speed as I never had a clear lap. The car was good and the fact that I set the fastest race lap proves it. In the end I was very close to Felipe, but still had no chance to overtake him. It was a good home race for me and I'm happy I could give something back to the fans who may have been disappointed by my qualifying performance yesterday."
GLOCK WILL RACE ON
Timo Glock is certain to race in the Hungarian Grand Prix in two weeks' time despite a horror smash on home soil in Germany.
An investigation is currently under way inside Toyota after Glock was sent hurtling backwards into a concrete wall on lap 35 of the 67-lap race at Hockenheim.
MASSA: WE'LL FIND OUR FORM
Felipe Massa is convinced Ferrari will show their true colours in Hungary following another grey performance in Hockenheim.
The Prancing Horse has been more Shetland pony during the last two grand prix weekends in which Lewis Hamilton has stolen the show.
HAMILTON KEEPING COOL
Lewis Hamilton knows now is the time for a cool, calm, collected head in the wake of back-to-back wins that have reignited his Formula One world title challenge.
It would be easy for euphoria to set in after Hamilton's majestic drives at Silverstone a fortnight ago and at Hockenheim on Sunday in which he has been in a league of his own.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
HAMILTON LEARNS FROM FINNS
Lewis Hamilton believes he can learn a trick or two from the ice-cool nature of Finnish rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen.
Hamilton also works with another Finn within McLaren in Aki Hintsa, who has the grandiose title of Head of Human Performance.
LEWIS SETS EARLY PACE
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the opening practice session for the German GP as a fast drying track allowed the drivers to put in the mileage.
The McLaren driver clocked a 1:15.537 to edge his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen by 0.129s while Felipe Massa was third quickest, a further 0.130s off the pace.
RAIKKONEN SHOWS APPROACH OF CHAMPION
Kimi Raikkonen is currently enjoying a mental calmness that comes with being Formula One world champion.
Heading into the second half of the year, and embroiled in a three-way struggle for the lead with Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren, in one respect Raikkonen has an edge.
DENNIS SHRUGS OFF TACTICAL SLIP
McLaren boss Ron Dennis defended the actions of his strategists who almost robbed Lewis Hamilton of a German Grand Prix victory.
A team of planners at McLaren's headquarters in Woking told Dennis on the pit wall in Hockenheim to keep Hamilton on track after Timo Glock had wrecked his Toyota in a spectacular accident on lap 35.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
KOVALAINEN EDGES OUT MASSA
Heikki Kovalainen ensured Lewis Hamilton did not have it all his own way in practice ahead of Sunday's German Grand Prix.
Hamilton dominated Friday's two 90-minute sessions, destroying his rivals around Hockenheim in posting a hot lap of minute 15.025 seconds to leave them trailing by over 0.6secs.
RUBENS TARGETS GERMANY PODIUM
Rubens Barrichello is not expecting a repeat of his maiden win at Hockenheim this weekend, but has not ruled out another podium to savour.
Back in 2000 Barrichello finally broke his victory duck, taking the chequered flag in the German Grand Prix at a time when he was with Ferrari.
FORCE INDIA TURN TO 2009
Force India boss Vijay Mallya is to turn his attention towards 2009 after conceding his team has given all they can for this year.
Aside from the introduction of a seamless shift gearbox, hopefully for the next race in Hungary, there will be no further improvements to this year's cars.
RAIKKONEN SEARCHING FOR RIGHT SET-UP
Kimi Raikkonen is hoping he does not run into yet another dead end in Sunday's German Grand Prix.
Reigning world champion Raikkonen starts from sixth on the grid for the 67-lap race at Hockenheim, his lowest position since the season-opener in Australia.
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