Ferrari roar back to business in Malaysia

Ferrari looks set for a repeat of last year's Malaysian Grand Prix rebound, posting the fastest times in Friday's pre-race practice to shrug off last weekend's disappointing results in Australia.

In 2008, Ferrari finished without a point in Australia and then dominated in Malaysia.

After another pointless finish in Melbourne in F1's season opener last weekend, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa recorded the two best times Friday to hint at another immediate comeback.

Raikonnen's time of 1 minute, 35.707 seconds in Friday's afternoon session was faster than last year's pole-winning time set by teammate Felipe Massa, who was an eighth of a second behind his teammate Friday.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, Williams' Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber of Red Bull followed the Ferrari pair.

Brawn drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, who finished 1-2 in last weekend's season-opening Australian GP, were sixth and seventh on the time sheets, ahead of Williams' Kazuki Nakajima.

Raikkonen's strong showing shook off doubts about the reliability of the Ferrari after a mishap in morning practice, when a short circuit in the KERS energy-storage device sent smoke began billowing into the cockpit and streaming from the rear of the car.

"We had felt that the situation here could be different to Melbourne, but it is still too early to say where we are up against the opposition," Raikkonen said.
"What we can be sure of is that when the car runs trouble-free, we are competitive."
On Melbourne's street circuit, Ferrari was badly hampered by degradation of its softer tires and an inability to get heat into its harder compounds, but Massa said there was better grip on the specialist racing surface of Sepang.

"Clearly looking at the time sheet today, there's a slight feeling of relief," the Brazilian said.

Rain threatened the Sepang circuit in the afternoon, but both morning and afternoon sessions were dry, preventing teams trying out their wet weather settings. This heightened the chances that they will go into Sunday's race - with rain forecast - without the benefit of acquainting themselves with a wet track.

Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella was the main casualty of the second practice, spearing off the track on the dual right-handers of turns 10 and 11, sideswiping the tire wall. It ended his session, but he walked away unhurt.

Rosberg set the fastest time in the morning practice, making it four straight practice sessions in which the German had topped the time sheets after the three at Melbourne last week.

Rosberg's time of 1 minute, 36.260 seconds was just four hundredths of a second quicker than teammate Nakajima.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton's horror week - after being stripped of his third place in Australia for misleading stewards in an inquiry - continued when the McLaren driver was fined euro1,200 ($1,600) for breaching the pit lane speed limit during morning practice.

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Underdogs to the recue

Success-starved Williams, Toyota and Formula One newcomers Brawn signalled they could be ready for breakthrough wins by dominating practice on Friday ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The presence of the three teams atop the time sheets will infuriate their rivals, some of whom are convinced their bodywork is illegal. Williams, Toyota and Brawn showed impressive pace, aided by the additional downforce created by their rear diffusers which rival teams claim are too large and infringe new aerodynamics rules. The three teams are racing under appeal this weekend, with other teams set to challenge the legality of their cars following next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix.

Williams’ Nico Rosberg was quickest in both the opening and second sessions, posting a best of 1 minute, 26.053 seconds in the second session. Brawn’s Rubens Barrichello was second fastest in the second session with 1:26.157, ahead of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli on 1:26.350.

Trulli was among the drivers complaining of low tyre grip. “I am still not completely happy with the car balance and, even though when you look at the timing sheets things look pretty good for us, the car isn’t completely comfortable to drive,” Trulli said.

Williams, seven-time winners of the drivers’ championship and nine-time constructors’ champions, have not won a race since the final event of the 2004 season at Brazil—a run of 72 races without victory. Toyota are yet to win a race since entering F1 in 2002, while Brawn took over the former Honda team after the Japanese carmaker pulled out following the 2008 season.

Australia’s Mark Webber steered his Red Bull to a fourth quickest time in the second session after a reliability issue in the opening stint. Brawn’s Jenson Button was sixth in session two, ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima and Red Bull’s Sebastien Vettel.

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Britain F1 GP 2008 - Testing

IT was even stevens for McLaren and Ferrari after Friday's two practice sessions at Silverstone, ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix.Felipe Massa for Ferrari clocked up the fastest time in the morning session - despite missing the final 30 minutes of the session after crashing at Stowe corner at 180mph when his car hit oil – while McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen was fastest in the afternoon.

Kovalainen's team-mate, top British hope Lewis Hamilton, was third in both sessions.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in the morning, but struggled in the afternoon, only managing the 12th fastest time.

Brackley-based Honda will be pleased with British driver Jenson's button second practice time, which put him in seventh spot, 10 places higher than his morning session performance. Silverstone-based Force India-Ferrari again struggled to keep pace with the bigger teams.

British Grand Prix Friday practice (morning session):
1. Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1mins 19.575secs
2. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:19.587
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:19.623
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:19.948
5. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:20.367
6. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:20.436
7. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.588
8. Nelson Piquet (Bral) Renault 1:20.653
9. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:20.698
10. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 1:20.744
11. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:20.892
12. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:21.102
13. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:21.107
14. Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:21.166
15. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:21.265
16. Kazuki Nakajima (Jap) Williams-Toyota 1:21.282
17. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:21.901
18. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 1:22.169
19. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 1:22.219
20. Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Honda 1:24.123

British Grand Prix Friday practice (afternoon session):
1. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1min 19.989secs
2. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:20.520
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.543
4. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:20.589
5. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 1:20.748
6. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.805
7. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:20.929
8. Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:20.943
9. Kazuki Nakajima (Jap) Williams-Toyota 1:20.985
10. Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Honda 1:21.002
11. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:21.023
12. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:21.275
13. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:21.453
14. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:21.472
15. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:21.511
16. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 1:21.520
17. Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:21.634
18. Nelson Piquet (Bra) Renault 1:21.642
19. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 1:21.756
20. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:22.196

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France F1 GP 2008 - Testing : Massa makes Ferrari fly

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa set the pace in free practice for the French Grand Prix on Friday with a time inside the circuit’s race lap record.

The Brazilian, who started on pole position at Magny-Cours last year but has yet to win in France, lapped fastest in the morning with a time of one minute 15.306 seconds.

Renault’s double world champion Fernando Alonso, preparing for the car company’s home race on Sunday, topped the timesheets in the afternoon with a lap of 1:15.778. Massa was second, a mere 0.076 slower.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who will be penalised 10 places on the starting grid after a pit lane collision with world champion Kimi Raikkonen’s stationary Ferrari in Canada, was second and fourth in the two sessions.

Massa’s best time compared to his 2007 pole of 1:15.034 and retired Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher’s 2004 race lap record of 1:15.377.

BMW Sauber’s championship leader Robert Kubica, winner in Canada, was fifth quickest in the morning and sixth after lunch. The Pole leads Hamilton and Massa, who have both won twice this season, by four points with world champion Raikkonen a further three adrift after seven rounds of the 18-race championship.

However, Kubica could struggle to match the pace of the Ferraris this weekend. The Italian team have won for the past two seasons at Magny-Cours and seven times in the last 11 years. Raikkonen led Massa in a one-two finish in 2007. Alonso, who has scored just nine points this season with Renault struggling to match the pace of the top three teams, had pulled over with two minutes remaining of the morning session with smoke billowing from the engine. The Spaniard was still sixth fastest however.

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Canada F1 GP 2008 - Testing

Germany's Nico Rosberg was fastest in Saturday's final free practice for the Canadian Grand Prix after late crashes interrupted the session.

With warmer temperatures heating up the track and most of the teams working on their fuel strategies for Sunday's race, the times were slower than Friday. The Williams driver, son of Finland's 1982 world champion Keke, lapped the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in one minute 16.555 seconds., a long way off defending race champion Lewis Hamilton's fast lap of 1:15.732 on the opening day of practice.

World champion Kimi Raikkonen was close behind at 1:16.589 in his Ferrari, followed by current championship leader and last year's Canadian GP winner Lewis Hamilton of McLaren third at 1:16.725, Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari at 1:16.787 and Kazuki Nakajima at 1:16.898 in the second Williams.

It was a messy hour. Renault's Nelson Piquet hit the wall and spun twice. And both Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers — Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais — also hit walls as several other drivers bounced off the concrete barriers that line the 12-turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The session was halted after Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel crashed into the barrier at the exit of turn nine and his Ferrari-powered car had to be towed away, leaving plenty of debris to be cleared.

The session resumed with just six minutes remaining, the drivers switching to their softer tyres but having little chance to give them a real workout.
The session was again interrupted after the other Toro Rosso driver, Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais, clipped the wall on turn five and brought out the yellow warning flags preventing any further flying laps.

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Monaco F1 GP 2008 - Testing

Practice 1
It’s game on in Monaco with Thursday free practice, yes Thursday and no rain (yet). So far after all times in, the leader board doesn’t look all that different than other races. Kimi Raikkonen came out big on top with Hamilton right behind and Kovalainen rounding the top 3. Ouch, it was Jarno Trulli who was introduced to one of the walls first damaging his rear suspension. It was the first day for the new Toro Rosso STR3 and more of a 2nd shakedown than anything with Boardais 13th and Vettel 19th. Tech trouble today belonged to Nick Heidfeld and David Coulthard. Does Nelson Piquet ever need his dad now. If this is indicative of what he will do in the race, he may not have too much time left in F1.

I’m still hoping for dry weather for the race so we can have a good one without millions of dollars of car parts littering the track and at least half the field finishing the race.

1. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari 01:15.948
2. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 01:16.216
3. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 01:16.248
4. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 01:16.292
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota 01:16.653
6. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber 01:16.834
7. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault 01:17.498
8. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda-Honda 01:17.511
9. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 01:17.798
10. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Ferrari 01:17.835
11. Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota 01:17.942
12. Jenson Button Britain Honda-Honda 01:18.153
13. Sebastien Bourdais France Toro Rosso-Ferrari 01:18.245
14. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber 01:18.263
15. Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota 01:18.274
16. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota 01:18.360
17. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Ferrari 01:18.360
18. Nelson Piquet Jr Brazil Renault-Renault 01:18.955
19. Sebastian Vettel Germany Toro Rosso-Ferrari 01:19.176
20. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Renault no time

Practice 2

Both Renaults bit the Monaco wall in the 2nd practice session this afternoon in Monaco. First was Nelson Piquet who half-spun and kissed the tire barrier from the rear. At a slow pace or maybe his normal pace he managed to get back to the pits with a damaged rear wing. It’s not going well for Piquet.

Next was Fernando Alonso who almost repeated the same move Piquet did at Sainte Devote corner but he missed the tire barrier and kissed the wall. Despite Alonso’s brush with the wall, he did post 7th fastest time. That’s both Renaults into the wall and on to the body shop.

Next in line was Jarno Trulli who liked the wall so much this morning he decided to do it again although only slightly at the swimming pool.
Queue up another. Adrian Sutil took the front wing off of his Force India at the famous La Rascasse.

Of those who managed to go it unscathed Lewis Hamilton was tops on the chart 4 tenths ahead of a pretty fast Nico Rosberg. Have to check the fuel load in his car today. Nevertheless a good day for Nico in both sessions. Both Ferraris next in line followed by Heikki Kovalainen.

Jenson Button ran a good eighth with team mate Rubens Barrichello in 10th. Not bad for Honda on day one. Nick Heidfeld surprisingly ended the session with the 11th fastest time, but the ever present Robert Kubica Robert Kubica ran sixth.
Far to the back was Sebastian Vettel who hasn’t come to grips with the new Toro Rosso STR3, admitting that he is a bit lost in setting up the car.

One another note, there is one startled person in pit lane today who was strolling across and was almost hit by Lewis Hamilton as he exited his pit garage.

1. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 01:15.140
2. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota 01:15.533
3. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari 01:15.572
4. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 01:15.869
5. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 01:15.881
6. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber 01:16.269
7. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault 01:16.310
8. Jenson Button Britain Honda-Honda 01:16.351
9. Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota 01:16.372
10. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda-Honda 01:16.418
11. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber 01:16.426
12. Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota 01:16.688
13. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 01:17.094
14. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Renault 01:17.131
15. Nelson Piquet Jr Brazil Renault-Renault 01:17.246
16. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Ferrari 01:17.251
17. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota 01:17.379
18. Sebastien Bourdais France Toro Rosso-Ferrari 01:17.581
19. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Ferrari 01:18.176
20. Sebastian Vettel Germany Toro Rosso-Ferrari 01:18.225

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Turkish F1 GP 2008 - Testing

Ferrari set the pace in Turkish Grand Prix free practice on Friday, with Brazilian Felipe Massa fastest in the morning and world champion team mate Kimi Raikkonen top of the timesheets in the afternoon.

In a second session halted briefly after Australian Mark Webber crashed his Red Bull, Raikkonen lapped in one minute 27.543 seconds.
That compared to Massa's best time in the morning of 1:27.323.
Ferrari are chasing their fourth win in a row on Sunday.
Championship leader Raikkonen, winner of two races this season already, had completed only three laps before lunch due to a gearbox problem but he made up for the setback with 30 laps in the afternoon.

"Not the best of Fridays," commented the Finn, who also struggled to find the right settings in the afternoon.

"One of the main problems today was getting the tires up to the correct temperature but I think that tomorrow -- partly as the grip level on the track improves and partly as we work to improve the set-up -- it will be a different situation."
Massa, chasing a Turkish hat-trick after winning from pole position at the Istanbul Park circuit for the past two years, was only third fastest in the second session but happier than his team mate.

"Overall, this was a positive day," he said. "I feel comfortable on this track and I think I can be very competitive tomorrow and on Sunday."

McLaren were second quickest in both sessions with Finland's Heikki Kovalainen second in the morning and 23-year-old Briton Lewis Hamilton, nine points behind Raikkonen in the standings after four races, taking that slot in the second stint.
Kovalainen, passed fit to race on Thursday, was making his return to the cockpit after a big crash at the previous round in Spain.

"It was nice to get back in the car again and everything was fine," said the Finn.
Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso was fourth in the morning in another sign that the team were making up ground after failing to win a race last year.
Kazuki Nakajima, now the only Japanese driver on the starting grid after the withdrawal of Takuma Sato's Super Aguri team for financial reasons, finished in the top 10 in both sessions.

Poland's Robert Kubica, third in the championship for BMW Sauber, completed only seven laps in the morning after struggling with a rear suspension problem. He was sixth in the afternoon.

Webber halted the second session for six minutes when his car spun into the barriers with 31 minutes gone.

He said the accident was "100 percent my fault".
"I was a bit too loaded up on the outside of the track, the Astroturf was a bit damp and I went off. It was my fault. I apologize to the guys and we'll bounce back from this tomorrow," added the Australian.

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Spanish F1 GP 2008 - Testing

Kimi Raikkonen gave further credence to the suggestion he will be the man to beat in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona by dominating both practice sessions.Formula One's reigning world champion, who also leads this year's drivers' standings by three points, edged the morning session by just 0.050secs from Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.
In the afternoon's 90-minute session, when the teams run heavier fuel loads, Raikkonen topped the timesheets again ahead of Renault duo Nelson Piquet and Fernando Alonso.

His Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was fifth fastest, while the two McLarens were only 11th and 16th.

The teams' differing strategies meant that the timing screens had an unusual look throughout, with Force India holding first and second positions for the first 40 minutes - Adrian Sutil leading the way initially before being beaten by teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.

David Coulthard (Red Bull) ended their moment of glory by lapping in 1:22.321, 0.062 seconds quicker than Fisichella's benchmark, as the session neared its halfway point.
Ten minutes later, Williams took a one-two, with first Nico Rosberg, then Kazuki Nakajima going fastest of all.

Then with 27 minutes remaining, Fernando Alonso hit the front, to the delight of the Spanish fans in the grandstands.

His 1:22.034 lap was 0.138 seconds clear of Nakajima's previous best, but was beaten within 12 minutes by his own teammate Nelson Piquet, who lapped 0.015 seconds faster. Although Alonso subsequently improved his time, he only closed the gap by 0.002 seconds.

Renault then held the top two places until the final four minutes, when Raikkonen moved ahead with a 1:21.935 lap, 0.084 seconds quicker than Piquet.

McLaren did not feature amongst the lead runners. Hamilton had a spin at Turn 10 on his first run, and ended the day in 11th. He then came to a halt in the pit entry on his final lap of the session.

His teammate Heikki Kovalainen managed just eight laps. A gearbox problem kept the Finn in the McLaren garage for most of the first hour, and when he did take to the track, he only completed a handful of laps before his car slowed and came to a halt on the way out of Turn 6.

Behind Raikkonen, Piquet and Alonso, Nakajima held on to fourth place for Williams, with Massa fifth and 0.2 seconds slower than Raikkonen.

Mark Webber and David Coulthard took sixth and eighth for Red Bull, split by Rosberg, while the two Force Indias were shuffled down the order as others improved, but secured the final top ten positions

Pos Driver Team Time Laps

1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:21.935 38
2. Piquet Renault (B) 1:22.019 + 0.084 38
3. Alonso Renault (B) 1:22.032 + 0.097 26
4. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:22.172 + 0.237 35
5. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:22.229 + 0.294 32
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.238 + 0.303 36
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:22.266 + 0.331 33
8. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:22.289 + 0.354 30
9. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:22.383 + 0.448 38
10. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:22.548 + 0.613 38
11. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:22.685 + 0.750 33
12. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:22.788 + 0.853 38
13. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:23.130 + 1.195 40
14. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:23.224 + 1.289 34
15. Button Honda (B) 1:23.263 + 1.328 34
16. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:23.264 + 1.329 8
17. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:23.415 + 1.480 31
18. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:23.661 + 1.726 35
19. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:23.684 + 1.749 37
20. Glock Toyota (B) 1:23.883 + 1.948 40
21. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:25.110 + 3.175 30
22. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:25.163 + 3.228 31

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Bahrain F1 GP 2008 - Testing

It’s great to see some driving action again rather than the boring politics. Mr. Mosley’s tryst with hookers and lack of inputs from the pits made the racing junkie yearn for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa led teammate Kimi Raikkonen in a Ferrari one-two in the first free practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Williams' Nico Rosberg took third with a late qualifying-style run, ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen.

Everything seemed to look similar in the 2nd practice run until things changed a bit for one Mr. Hamilton. The Briton lost control of his car on the exit of Turn 7 and spun across the track, hitting the opposite barriers side-on and causing heavy damage to the right-hand side of the car. Hamilton was unharmed in the incident.

As if to rub salt in the wound, Raikkonen then banged in a new fastest lap of the session moments later, at 1m 32.327s. Massa, who had been quickest since deposing Hamilton early on, looked like dropping to second but then made a low-fuel run for the best lap of the day in 1m 31.420s.

Heikki Kovalainen vaulted up to third with 1m 32.752s just before team mate Hamilton crashed, the latter’s once-quickest time of 1m 32.847s leaving him fourth.

Behind them, Robert Kubica kept BMW Sauber close to McLaren with 1m 32.915s, and Nico Rosberg maintained his form with sixth place and 1m 33.022s for Williams. With Kazuki Nakajima in eighth with 1m 33.098s, there was an air of quiet satisfaction in the English team.

David Coulthard gave Red Bull continued cheer with seventh place on 1m 33.048s, but Mark Webber was on a different programme and was 13th on 1m 33.782s.

There was a little more excitement when Adrian Sutil and Fernando Alonso came together after Alonso braked late into the corner. Fernando Alonso wasn’t pleased with his outings today saying they lacked grip and a lot speed that must be worked on before the race.

All in all it was a good day for Ferrari with Massa topping the times in both sessions showing everyone he can drive in the sand. Raikkonen had another and predictably good day with the second fastest time in both sessions.

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Malaysia F1 GP 2008 - Testing

After both Ferrari’s made it to the top of the time charts in Friday’s 1st practice session, it was Lewis Hamilton who topped the 2nd practice session in fine form.

Jenson Button had a good outing posting the 4th fastest time. Even though these sessions are much like in testing with times not really telling too much of a story, Honda really have made some improvements that are beginning to show.

It was Sebastien Bourdais, after very nearly taking out Nick Heidfeld exiting his pit who paid a coincidental price with a transmition failure soon after. A little more luck for Bourdais is all he needs to show what he is really made of.

Giancarlo Fisichella had a great outing with a top 10 finishing time and continuing to show that Force India are not going away and really do have some good potential. I hope for good things from him in qualifying and the race as long as he isn’t punted off the track like Australia.

Both Renaults were either a big disappointment or they had an agenda other than posting a quick time as Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet (jr) were significantly slower in session 2 than in session one with 14th and 15th best times.

It was reliability problems that struck Red Bull throughout Friday practice when Mark Webber in the RB4 had an engine burn out in session 1 and then David Coulthard with a steering malfunction. He ran wide in turn 12, over the curbs blowing out his front suspension.

This starts the story of the day. Back in the Australian Grand Prix when David Coulthard and Felipe Massa came together, the damage to Coulthard’s front suspension did seem a little exaggerated considering the impact. Now, with another front suspension blow out, the F1 Stewards are wondering if the RB4’s suspension is too fragile to race. Here’s their request:

“Following a verbal report from the Race Director, the Team Principal and the Technical Representative are require to report to the Stewards of the Meeting to discuss the incident involving Car no. 9 during practice session 1 as soon as possible, after the end of practice session 2.”

Further to this and after the meeting:
“The Stewards, having met with the Team Principal and Technical Representative of Red Bull racing in relation to the incident involving Car 9 in Practice 1, have requested that the competitor provide to the FIA Technical Delegate a report verifying that the integrity of the suspension is such that the car should not be deemed ‘of dangerous constructions’ under Article 2.3 of the 2008 Formula One Technical Regulations.”

To be brief, Article 2.3 does say that ‘The stewards of the meeting may exclude a vehicle whose construction is deemed to be dangerous‘.

This definitely leads to a possibility (although a slim one at most) that Red Bull could be excluded from the Malaysian Grand Prix. Not likely to happen because the super charged David Coulthard just may want to kick the *$%& out of someone

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Australian F1 GP 2008 - Testing

Ferrari’s world champion Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton renewed their rivalry at the top of the timesheets in practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Ferrari’s Raikkonen, limbering up for his first race as world champion, laid down an early marker for Sunday’s grand prix with a one minute 26.461 second lap that topped the morning timesheets at Albert Park.
But the Finn was less happy with his car’s set-up in the afternoon, when Hamilton was quickest.
“I’m not very happy with the way practice went,” he said.
“This morning we found some good settings for the car but in the afternoon we struggled and our lap times reflect that.
“We must look carefully at the data to work out how to improve the car.”
Raikkonen won in Melbourne last year on his Ferrari debut and the Finn will be chasing a third successive victory after ending 2007 on a high with triumphs in China and Brazil taking him to the title by a single point.
Hamilton, the 23-year-old who missed out on the 2007 title by a single point after a stunning debut season with McLaren, was more positive.
“There was some good progress with the car and we made the best use of the ever-improving track conditions,” he said. His lap of 1:26.559, in 36 degree Celsius heat and under a cloudless sky, ousted Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber from the top spot.
Ferrari and McLaren, between them winners of every race last year, dominated the field in the first session but the pecking order was shaken up by Red Bull’s strong showing after lunch. Webber, who was a considerable 0.914 off Hamilton’s time, cautioned his home fans against expecting too much however after a session that saw cars running with different fuel levels.
“We’re not second quickest, we’re still fighting for the back of the points,” he said.
Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa and McLaren’s new Finnish signing Heikki Kovalainen were third and fourth fastest respectively in both sessions.
Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso, who has returned to Renault after a bitter and tumultuous year alongside Hamilton at McLaren, was sixth in the morning but 13th in the second stint and complained of gusting winds.
“We must still find some performance but I am optimistic for the rest of the weekend,” he said.
The top 10 highlighted the fierce fight behind Ferrari and McLaren, with seven teams jostling for position. Poland’s Robert Kubica was seventh fastest for BMW in the morning, ahead of Toyota’s German rookie Timo Glock and compatriot Sebastian Vettel in a Toro Rosso.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, a winner in Australia with Renault in 2005, showed Force India were likely to be more serious contenders than predecessors Spyker with ninth place in the afternoon after 12th place earlier on.
Toyota-powered Williams, whose pre-season testing times were impressive, made a troubled start with Germany’s Nico Rosberg failing to register a timed lap in the morning before lapping eighth fastest in the second session.
The first session was halted for four minutes after Brazilian rookie Nelson Piquet Jr spun and stalled on the track. (Reuters)

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