Belgian F1 2008 - Qualifying : Hamilton on pole in Spa

World championship leader Lewis Hamilton oozed confidence after he secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix with a dazzling lap in Saturday’s qualifying session.

The 23-year-old Briton, in a McLaren, claimed his fifth pole of this season and the 11th of his career with a perfectlytimed lap to outpace Ferrari’s Felipe Massa

Hamilton’s supreme lap lifted him clear of Massa by three-tenths of a second and proved he is fully recovered from his sore neck suffered in Spain two weeks ago.

Finland’s Heikki Kovlainen in the second McLaren was third fastest and starts ahead of defending champion and compatriot Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari on row two. German Nick Heidfeld was fifth for BMW Sauber ahead of Spaniard Fernando Alonso in a Renault.

Australian Mark Webber was seventh for Red Bull ahead of Poland's Robert Kubica in the second BMW, Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais in a Toro Rosso and Sebastian Vettel of Germany in the second Toro Rosso. Hamilton leads Massa by six points going into the penultimate European race of the year and oozed confidence.

After a morning of heavy rain, the afternoon session was run in dry, if cloudy conditions and Hamilton was swiftly out to top the times after Massa and then Raikkonen had laid down good marker laps.

In the final minute, and as the flag fell, both Massa and Hamilton were pushing as hard as possible and the Brazilian went top briefly before the leader took over again to get the prime grid position.

German Adrian Sutil and his Force India team-mate, Italian veteran Giancarlo Fisichella, were also removed along with the Japanese Kazuki Nakajima in a Williams.

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Europe 2008 : It’s Massa all the way

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa revived his title challenge on Sunday with a convincing victory in the European Grand Prix at Formula One’s newest street circuit.

The 27-year-old Brazilian led a processional race from pole position to beat McLaren’s championship leading Briton Lewis Hamilton by 5.6 seconds with Poland’s Robert Kubica third for BMW Sauber.

The result remained subject to a post-race stewards’ enquiry, however, after Ferrari released the race winner into the path of Force India’s Adrian Sutil during his second pitstop. Massa’s win lifted him up to second in the drivers championship with 64 points, six fewer than Hamilton on 70, with six of the 18 rounds remaining.

It was Massa’s fourth win this season and helped him wipe away the disappointment of his enforced retirement, while leading with three laps remaining, from the Hungarian Grand Prix three weeks ago. It was also the ninth win of the Brazilian’s career, achieved in exemplary fashion, and ended McLaren’s run of three victories in a row.

Massa’s Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen was involved in a nightmare pitstop, with the world champion accelerating away with the fuel hose still attached in an incident that left a mechanic on the ground.

The Finn, who had started the day second overall in the championship, retired two laps later when his car's engine blew. He fell to third overall with 57 points while Kubica moved closer on 55.

Force India’s Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella finished 14th while teammate Adrian Sutil crashed out.

Kimi runs over team mechanic

A Ferrari mechanic was hospitalised after being run over by Kimi Raikkonen during refuelling on Sunday. Raikkonen was refuelling for the second time at the same time as McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen. Under pressure, the world champion took off while the fuel pump was still in his car. He reversed and apparently ran over the leg of the Ferrari mechanic, who was quickly stretched off. The Italian team has not yet revealed details of the mechanic’s condition.

HOW THEY FINISHED
1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1h 35m 32.339
2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) +00:05.611
3. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) 00:37.353
4. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) 00:39.703
5. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 00:50.684
6. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 00:52.625
7. Timo Glock (Toyota) 01:07.990
8. Nico Rosberg (Williams) 01:11.457
9. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 01:22.177
10. S Bourdais (Toro Rosso) 01:29.794
11. Nelson Piquet (Renault) 01:32.717
12. Mark Webber (RedBull) 1 lap
13. Jenson Button (Honda) 1 lap
14. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) 1 lap
15. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 1 lap
16. Rubens Barrichello (Honda) 1 lap
17. David Coulthard (RedBull) 1 lap

Retired:
Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 12 laps
Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India 16 laps
Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 57 laps

Fastest Lap:
Felipe Massa, 1:38.708, lap 36

HOW THEY STAND
Drivers
1. L Hamilton 70 pts
2. F Massa 64
3. K Raikkonen 57
4. R Kubica 55
5. H Kovalainen 43
6. N Heidfeld 41
7. J Trulli 26
8. F Alonso 18
9. M Webber 18
10. T Glock 15

Constructors
1. Ferrari 121 points
2. McLaren 113
3. BMW Sauber 96
4. Toyota 41
5. Renault 31

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European F1 2008 - Qualifying : Pole No. 13 for Massa

Brazilian Felipe Massa put Ferrari on pole position for Sunday’s European Grand Prix with McLaren’s championship leader Lewis Hamilton alongside on the front row.

The 27-year-old secured his fourth pole of the season, and the 13th of his Formula One career, with a flying lap in the final seconds of Saturday’s qualifying. Hamilton had already clocked 1:39.199 seconds when Massa roared around Formula One’s newest street circuit with a time of 1:38.989 to push the Briton into second place.

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Hungary 2008: HEIKKI ALL THE WAY

McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen celebrated a shock maiden win at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday after Ferrari’s Felipe Massa suffered an engine failure while leading with three laps remaining.

Finn Kovalainen capitalised on Brazilian Massa’s misfortune to finish ahead of podium debutant Toyota’s Timo Glock of Germany with Kimi Raikkonen third.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton stayed top of the championship standings despite a puncture just after the midway stage that saw him finish the race in fifth place behind Renault driver and former teammate Fernando Alonso of Spain. Briton Hamilton now holds a five-point lead over Finland’s Raikkonen in the championship with Massa dropping into third place, a further three points back.

“Of course I feel a bit sorry for Felipe because what happened to him has happened to me a few times this year,” said Kovalainen. “But I’m very happy today, of course, after working through all the hard times along with my team. Massa and Lewis were very fast today but halfway through things were working better for me. I just tried to put pressure on Massa at the end and try to make something happen which it did with what looked like a mechanical failure.”

Massa had looked set to regain the world championship lead after making a stunning start to Sunday’s race. From third on the grid, the Brazilian used the race’s opening turn to surge ahead of his two McLaren rivals before building a comfortable lead.

With overtaking all but impossible on the rest of the twisting Hungaroring track, Massa saw his advantage boosted when Hamilton left the track on the 41st lap before limping into the pit lane with a punctured front left tyre.

Massa then suffered a much more costly problem when his engine died in front of the main grandstand with three laps to go, allowing Kovalainen to wrap up his unexpected win.

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Hungarian F1 2008 - Qualifying : Lewis’ POLE Dance

World championship leader Lewis Hamilton put himself on course for a third successive Grand Prix victory after grabbing an emphatic pole position for Sunday’s Hungarian race.

The Briton powered around the blisteringly hot Hungaroring track in one minute 20.899 seconds, with teammate Heikki Kovalainen posting the second best time of 1:21.140.

“It’s been a pretty decent weekend for us so far and I feel safe with the position we’re in,” Hamilton said.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa had to settle for third place after finishing his last flying lap in 1:21.191. “I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with my laps in Q3,” said Massa, who trails Brit Hamilton by four points in the standings.

Massa’s teammate Kimi Raikkonen will start in a disappointing sixth place behind BMW-Sauber’s Robert Kubica and Toyota’s Timo Glock.

Twice world champion Fernando Alonso will line up on the fourth row of the grid for Renault after finishing qualifying in seventh place ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

Jarno Trulli ensured that both Toyotas qualified in the top 10, finishing the final session in ninth place just in front of Nelson Piquet.

BMW-Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld, who was a surprise casualty of the first qualifying session, will start Sunday’s race in 16th place ahead of Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima and Honda’s Rubens Barrichello, with Force India pair German Adrian Sutil and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella bringing up the rear.

STARTING GRID
1st :Lewis Hamilton (McLaren),Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren)
2nd: Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
3rd: Timo Glock (Toyota), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4th: Fernando Alonso (Renault), Mark Webber (Red Bull)
5th: Jarno Trulli (Toyota) Nelson Piquet (Renault)
6th: Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso), Jenson Button (Honda)
7th: David Coulthard (Red Bull), Nico Rosberg (Williams)
8th: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), Kazuki Nakajima (Williams)
9th: Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India)
10th: Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso), Adrian Sutil (Force India).

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Germany 2008: LEWIS LEADS ’EM ALL

Briton Lewis Hamilton delivered another massive endorsement of his great potential Sunday when he opened a clear lead in this year’s drivers’ championship by winning the German Grand Prix in thrilling style.

The 23-year-old Englishman, in his McLaren Mercedes-Benz, dominated the early stages and then, after being upset by two Safety Car interventions and some cautious team strategy, proved he could overtake anyone with a dazzling display of passing moves in the final laps. “Sorry about that,’’ said his McLaren team chief Ron Dennis over the radio system later. “We made it much more difficult for you and we made you drive like that in such a great car.’’ Hamilton, smiling afterwards, said: “That’s ok, Ron. Don’t worry about it. We did good in the end, so it is ok.’’

In blistering style, Hamilton had to pass a clutch of drivers in the closing laps to make up for time lost in the pits when he made an out-of-synch late stop. But he showed his true speed and brilliance by overtaking both Brazilian Felipe Massa in a Ferrari and then his compatriot Nelson Piquet in a Renault to regain the lead. Hamilton took the chequered flag 5.5 seconds ahead of Piquet who claimed the first podium of his career while Massa was third. Hamilton now leads the standings with 58 points from Massa, on 54, whose Ferrari team-mate, defending drivers world champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen, is seven points adrift after finishing a disappointing sixth.

Hamilton had dominated the first half of the race after powering away from the ninth pole position of his career.

The Geneva-based driver had built-up a lead of around 12 seconds by lap 36 when German Timo Glock crashed out in his Toyota. Glock lost control of his car at the last corner when the right rear tyre suddenly deflated sending him spearing into the wall. The German, 26, slid backwards down the home straight before his wrecked car finally came to a stop. Glock was clearly dazed after he got out of the Toyota and was later taken to the medical centre and then a local hospital for a check-up, although his conditions was described as ‘fine’.

Hamilton was kept out on the track as all his main rivals made their final pit-stops under the safety car. The Mercedes-powered driver dropped to fifth when he was forced to make his final pit-stop, but soon passed Kovalainen for third spot. Hamilton then hunted down Massa overtaking his rival on lap 57 as he forced him wide at the chicane to take second with Nick Heidfeld having pitted for BMW.

Massa attempted to fight back a couple of corners later, but was again forced into the dirt. Hamilton made the same move on Piquet at the hairpin turn three laps later to regain a deserved lead.

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German F1 2008 - Qualifying : Lewis in top gear at Hockenheim practice

Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton put McLaren on pole position for engine partners Mercedes’ home German Grand Prix yesterday. The 23-year-old Briton will share today’s front row with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, the Brazilian who is level on 48 points with Hamilton and his own world champion team mate Kimi Raikkonen at the halfway point in the season.

Raikkonen, on pole at Hockenheim for McLaren in 2005 and 2006, qualified a distant sixth for Ferrari alongside Renault’s Fernando Alonso. McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen will start third, paying the price for some ‘rallycross moments’ in the final session, with Italian Jarno Trulli fourth for Toyota in what amounts to a second home race for the Cologne-based Japanese team.

The pole was Hamilton’s third of the season and ninth in 27 Formula One starts. “My lap was pretty smooth, you know, it was pretty easy going and I’m quite comfortable that we could have gone a little bit quicker if we needed to,” said Hamilton, the runaway winner in Britain two weeks ago.


The changing conditions and swirling wind, with the car buffeted by gusts down the back straight, made life difficult but Hamilton kept it all together to secure his first pole since June.

“I think I just collected all the little pieces that were missing,” he said when asked whether he felt the season had begun to swing his way since the pre-British Grand Prix Silverstone test. “At the test we’ve made a step forward with the car and that’s definitely made us more competitive. I think we’ve improved all round.”

Massa shrugged off his dire Silverstone performance in the wet. “It’s not really a recovery, I know I’m quick,” he said.

“All my career I was quick on the wet, even in go-karts always when it rained I won.” REUTERS

GERMAN GP GRID
1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren
2. Felipe Massa Ferrari
3. Heikki Kovalainen McLaren
4. Jarno Trulli Toyota
5. Fernando Alonso Renault
6. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
7. Robert Kubica BMW
8. Mark Webber Red Bull
.
.
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19. Adrian Sutil Force India
20. Giancarlo Fisichella Force India

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