Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew Davies

The Brutal Brawns Rack A Nice 1-2 Down Under

Andrew Davies — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:55:32 -0400

Brawn GP. That is the name that comes to my head straight away when I think about the 2009 Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

I woke up at the early time of 5:45am in eager anticipation of what could be something quite remarkable in terms of overtaking and some fresh results. The setting was almost perfect down under, taking into account the time setting of the Grand Prix, which took place at a local time of 5pm.

The atmosphere in the paddock and around the race track must have been sensational, as the cars were about to blast their way around the circuit in the late Australian sunshine.

Yesterday it was the same for qualifying too, some of the drivers complaining about visibility, some parts being rather tricky to deal with at times. It was a great qualifying session, I could not remember seeing so many cars close together in terms of time.

But in the end, Brawn GP's pace showed, as the two Team Mates- Button and Barrichello locked out the front row.

Vettel qualified a superb third for Red Bull, and I was hoping for him to do very well, and even win.

Kubica was in fourth and he too, could be in with a sniff of victory.

This left Rosberg in 5th for Williams, unlucky for them, as they showed great pace in all of the practice sessions throughout the whole weekend.

6th was Massa, the first of the KERS equipped cars. Then in 7th was Raikkonen.

Then to roundout the top eighth was Mark Webber, hoping for some success at his Home Grand Prix.

A mention for the current World Champion, Hamilton starting right at the back of the field. Poor qualifying in general, all the team can hope for is some solid points.

The Toyotas originally qualified P6 and P8, but were thrown out of qualifying due to their rear wings 'flexing' out side of the what the regulations state.

So, those famous five red lights counted and went out, and the 2009 season was under way. Button made a great start, looked smooth and calm. Barrichello however appeared very slow off the start line, he actually got his Anti -stall on his Brawn GP slowing him right down, he quickly resolved the problem, but he still lost seven places.

Vettel made a good start too, still had to drive defensively at the start, as the Williams of Rosberg was very close as were the Ferraris of Massa and Raikkonen. The two Ferraris very eager to steam through after gambling to start with the super soft tyre, in the hope that they could get the ground at the start using KERS and the fresh grip of the super soft tyre to leap ahead.

That turned out to be a good tactic I thought. Well It worked well for them at the start, but they began to grain after 12-13 laps, and they soon pitted.

There was a first corner incident, this was all triggered by the slow starting Rubens Barrichello of course, after his poor getaway.

Rubens was on the inside, and well,he braked for his corner, and there was no where for him to go really, and he ended up hitting Mark Webber.

Webber then hit Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber, and this sent Webber on a collision course with the unlucky Heikki Kovalainen. Kovalainen was put out of the race, and Webber was way down from the leaders after the accident.

Webber ending up pitting for a new wing, and Heidfeldalso pitted with a rear puncture.

Button began to stretch out a lead then, with Vettel keeping Button very honest, and in third pace was Massa.

At lap 3, Hamilton from last on the gird, was up to 11th place, after passing Giancarlo Fisichella. A great start by the World Champion.

Button and Vettel then began to set fastest lap times as one tried to pull away as the other tried to catch. They appeared to be evenly matched, but Brawn had more fuel on board.

A driver who was looking smooth and consistent was Nico Rosberg, he began to catch the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, and then passed him on lap 10, it was a nice move, and great for a Williams to be near the front, passing a Ferrari.

Lets hope Williams can continue to improve their car, and stay in touch with the front. It will make it a great season.

Barrichello, after making his awful start, began to find some good pace, even though he damaged his front wing with contact from the accident at the start.

He did not improve the situation, when he then tagged Kimi Raikkonen, but still slithered past. He suffered after that though, his pace began to drop off, and eventually pitted.

He took on a lot of fuel and a new nose, and could then set about getting his race back on track, hopefully with out making contact with anyone!

It must be the toughest car on the grid....

And from that we go to a car that was not so tough, as Kazuki Nakajima slammed into the barrier after accelerating hard out of turn 4, he ran over the kerb, and this sent the car sliding into the barrier. Bad mistake there from the young Japanese driver.

This brought out the safety car. It was rather late in coming out to be honest, but it came out in the end. I thought it was out for a long time, but anyway the debris was cleared, and the pack was bunched up once again.

I noticed Massa locking up his wheels far too much during the safety car period, for whatever reason he thought it would be good, or he had a problem who knows, but surely he would get bad vibration after the safety car would pull in.

They eventually got under way again then, It was still Button, Vettel and Massa. Button locked his wheel at the restart, this gave Vettel and good run on him.

It came to nothing however, and they carried on with Button leading the way.

Further back Rosberg and Piquet were side by side, then as they both braked for turn one, Piquet spun dramatically and went off into the gravel trap. He lost a lot of temperature in his brakes, and on the radio he said his brakes went 'crazy'.

I thought he should have been more cautious. Let Nico by, then ease his way into the corner. Maybe his problem was too major and would have happened anyway. But still not a good start for him in his 2nd season with the Renault F1 Team.

As for the Driver in his first season, Sebastian Buemi that is, driving very well, Staying out of trouble and keeping a solid pace. Not bad, he even out-qualified his Team-Mate for the race. Do we have yet another hot star in the making?

Too early to tell yet. But showing good promise, as is the Toro Rosso yet through the race.

He tries to take on Massa, who has just had Hamilton come out in front of him after Hamilton made a pit stop.

Maybe there is a gremlin beginning to halt the Ferrari's progress. But It is not a gremlin that eventually halts Kimi Raikkonens' Ferrari, as the Finn stuck his into the wall towards the end of lap 45.

Amazingly he is still running, although his position in way down in 16th place.

On lap 47, Massa began to slow, and came into the pits and retired his car.

On the same lap Jenson Button pitted. It was a slow stop, because the first fuel rig had a problem, so they used a back up rig. He lost a good 5-6 seconds, but still came out in front or Vettel.

During all that Kubica found his way up to fourth position and catching everyone. He was on the hard compound tyre, where as the two leaders are on the soft tyre.

This softer tyre was going off after a few laps, so it was not the ideal tyre to be on.

He closed in on Barrichello, but Barrichello then made a pit stop, and came out behind Rosberg.

Barrichello passes a struggling Rosberg however, as his Williams is struggling on the softer compound tyre. The Toyota of Jarno Trulli also closes in on Rosberg.

Trulli passes Rosberg, as does Lewis Hamilton.

Amazing drives from the Toyota cars and Hamilton. They all started from the back of the grid. They were aided by some safety cars of course, but what a finish to the race it was turning out to be.

With 5 laps left, we had Button, Vettel and Robert Kubica all on the Pit Straight. Kubica the one with the pace, Button was told that Kubica is a threat.

Lap 56, and it is make or break time for Kubica.

Vettel ran wide on the exit of turn 1 and this compromised his line and speed, Kubica then with all the flow, came along side him heading into turn 3.

Vettel braked earlier, and Kubica went round the outside. Vettel kept his car in there though, and did not want to give up on his place. The two collided and then span off the track.

The safety car was then deployed and the race was basically over, with Button taking the victory, and the very fortunate Barrichello taking P2. Trulli took P3, but was then given a time penalty for passing Hamilton under a safety car situation.

All in all, it was one amazing season opener, we had crashes, mistakes, safety cars, and a new Team Finishing 1 -2 for the first time since 1954, when the Great Fangio took victory at the French Grand Prix. His Team-Mate, Karl Kling was 2nd.

So an historic day for Formula 1, and a historic season I think it shall be also.

A few points about the race, one comes to mind...

The Kubica and Vettel shunt right at the end. From my point of view, i think it was 50/50. Yes, Vettel was slow out of Turn 1, and he did break earlier. But he had the line into Turn 3, and Kubica could have given more room.

Honestly, he should have still stayed there to fight for his position. And in any case, there was no where else for him to go either. It was pure racing incident for me, as both drivers wanted the place, and both could have done things to avoid it.

Vettel has now been penalised for this, and he even apologized to the BMW Sauber boss Dr. Mario Thiessen after the race. And on the radio he said he was sorry.

This shows he is a gentlemen, but really, I do not believe he should be sorry. Yes sorry it turned out that way, but he was within his rights as a racer to defend his position.

If Vettel was punished for that, why was Rubens Barrichello not penalised for the tag he gave Kimi Raikkonen, in exact same place. Because Rubens gained from that little shunt he gave Kimi.

And Rubens was further behind also!

The boss of BMW Sauber Dr. Mario Thiessen believes Kubica would have went on to win the race, and the pace did show that.So it was a very unlucky racing accident. But it was a 50/50 in my book. And for Vettel to get a penalty, for me, was harsh.

I even saw after the Grand Prix that Eddie Jordan was saying what Vettel said shows a little weakness in his armour.

If it was me, If I was Vettel, I would have been saying that Kubica was to tight and gave me no room at all, and he just turned in towards me.

Nice of Vettel to apologize, but is that being too nice to be a dominating force within Formula One?

Will his competitors think of him as an ' oh it is OK, that is Vettel we can muscle him about' or will they think he is a relentless competitor who will do what he must to do the best he can within the rules?

If someone like Alonso was in his position, he would not have apologized. Because he knows the game. And he should not have to either! Not for an incident such as the one we saw.

Even so, he is still a great talent, and I am sure he will win many races.

There was lots of other issues in the Grand Prix. I thought Hamilton drove a good race, starting right at the back of the field, then eventually coming home in third. Fantastic result that.

His McLaren does not have the pace, but he drove well. And got the maximum from it, no doubt about it. To come home third after the Brawns? Superb.

It is going to be hard for McLaren to get up to speed, seen as testing rules will not allow them to go out trying new parts. They are however one of the most resourceful teams in the paddock.

This will help them hopefully find the grip they need to get closer to the front.

Ferrari seemed to have a good pace, they worked there strategy very well, only for Massa to stop with a problem, and Kimi slamming into the wall. I bet they are still well happy to be way ahead of McLaren. In terms of pace only for the moment though.

No points for Ferrari.

A few other pointers, Buemi, scored points on his debut, and his Team Mate also got a point making it a double points finish for Toro Rosso.

Rosberg showed early promise in the race, but his last stint was his worst, and he faded away, he had a bad pit stop too. All in all though, he stayed out of trouble, and made a sweet pass on Raikkonen. He took 3 points for his 6th place.

The Toyotas, showing much promise over winter, brought good pace with them to the first race. They shot themselves in the foot with the Flex wings, but they bounced back in the race.

A shame for Trulli, who would have taken 3rd place, Because Glock would have been in 5th place, which would have been a good start to the season for Toyota.

As it turned out, Glock took 4th place bringing in 5 points for him and him team, After Trulli was given the time penalty.

The Renault of Fernando Alonso wound up in 5th place. Hard drive, never seemed to have any good pace. His team mate flew of the track with brake issues.

Mark Webber, at his home race, was very unlucky. he was lapped, and finished last.

The Two Force India cars were here and there, they had a good fight between themselves in the race, Fisichella missed his Pit Box at one pit stop! Lucky to eventually get his tyres and fuel.

They finished 9th (Sutil) and 11th (Fisichella).

And last but not least, Brawn GP. What a car they have managed to pull off. I was shocked when I saw their times in testing.

It got me excited about what may be possible for when everyone would arrive at Melbourne.

And I my excitement was fulfilled, they finished 1st and 2nd. Button drove a super race, smooth as silk and handled his safety car moments well. He had a slight problem at one of his pit stops, but he still came out in the lead.

Barrichello, a bit scruffy, but exciting to watch. He was lucky. He gets P2.

They still have diffusers which some teams have lodged protests against, but they are legal. So those teams need to get their act together. We shall see what happens, the 'diffuser' hearing is April the 14th.

Brawn have done the best job so far it would seem, and what a great story it is, and just made a great Australian GP. Melbourne never fails to bring a good race.

Also I would like to give my thoughts and condolences to sufferers of the Australian bush fires.

Many congratulations to Australia and Melbourne for a great GP.

So, a few more days and we are back in Malaysia!

I can not wait! Just like Jenson Button can not wait!

And neither can you!

Brawn GP, Bring Back Michael Schumacher?

Andrew Davies — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:02:56 -0400

So the new season is almost under way, and new team Brawn GP have hit some sweet times in testing. Is this a true reflection of some real pace they may produce at the beginning of the season?

It would be astounding to see them near the front at Melbourne.

But what about finance for Brawn GP?

Where is it going to come from?

We all know where money is coming from for this year, but what about the teams future?

I can see Ross Brawn giving his mate Michael a call. Schumi has got buckets of cash, and if need be, he could help out.

But how about helping out with the driving?

Imagine it, Brawn GP, Schumacher, Barrichello, well financed. I think the rest of the grid would be scared.

We all know what that kind of force done from 2000 to 2004!

Schumacher always said he would never come of retirement though, and I for one, believe him. But It would be awesome, it would be one amazing season of F1 no doubt about it.

That is where my thinking has taken me anyway, because Brawn GP will need finance for the team to move on. And Schumi would bring good sponsorship, as well as his own pot of gold if needs be.

As F1 costs are going to be reduced, it is a possibility.

Michael Schumacher with a German engine behind him...Hockenheim would be rimmed full again!

But back down to earth, I still think Brawn GP can find a way. Lets see how the season unfolds. I reckon they will be in good shape a few races into the season.

the excitement is boiling...

So...A New Era of Formula 1 Begins

Andrew Davies — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:58:22 -0400

Here we go then, another year, another season of F1. This one however has got me more excited than previous years.

There is the return of slick tyres, last used in the 1997 season. There is the introduction of the KERS device, a first for the Motor-sport.

And there has been the introduction of tall and thin rear wings, wide and low wings for the front along with the 'smoothing' of every car's aerodynamics.

All of these factors should produce some lively results for the first 6 Grand Prix of the season. I really do not want to take a punt on who will be fastest, but, like many others I am going to go for a Red Bull being close to winning in Melbourne.

It would be fantastic to see either of the Red Bull stable on top, but even more I would like to see Mark Webber. It would be great for Mark, himself suffering a broken leg over the winter. He has recovered well and has even been testing the new car.

And to win his Home Grand Prix would be fantastic. I think everyone would agree with me- there is no one in the pit-lane who would not be pleased to see Mark on top.

I think I have gone for Red Bull because the last time the cars had a major overhaul, McLaren were fast out of the blocks. And we all know that Adrian Newey helped design McLaren cars.

Who knows, I have made a punt anyway, and I am going to stick with a Red Bull. Another team who I think might do well is Toyota. I think they are looking good. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock will be fast this year.

It is just so hard to judge where all the cars are at.

Glad to see that Honda F1, now Brawn GP, will be at the season opener. I was worried they would not make it at one point. Then there was all the talk of Virgin buying Honda F1.

I never really thought that would happen, Sir Richard Branson I am sure is aware how good F1 is for sponsorship, but does he need it? I guess it would be good for Virgin but not right now.

''There's so much that's great about Formula 1," Branson told sky news. "But there are aspects that need to be tackled.

But it all turned out well in the end, with a Management led buyout being confirmed a few days ago on Friday. The team are in Barcelona testing as I write this very article.

All of the cars look very different, I am however getting used to it, and they do not look so bad. I still believe having tall and thin rear wings with low and wide wings at the front makes the car look out of proportion, but after seeing all the cars, it is not so bad.

Although Renault has definitely made not the best looking car! Let us wait and see if it has the speed. The smartest looking cars on the grid for me are the Red Bull, Toyota and the Ferrari. Looks are not everything as we all know, however!

As for drivers taking the title this year, well there is no way you can predict it. I am going to pick four drivers. And they are Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica, and Sebastian Vettel.

For some reason, I don't think Renault will have a good car. But well, Alonso is a fantastic driver. But I have picked my four.

Welcome also to Sebastian Buemi, a new kid on the block as all the other drivers have had at least one season under their belts. Barrichello has 16 under his!

There are plenty of races on offer to win, 17 in all. One track will be new to the calendar, and it is also the last race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Should be a great place, similar to Monaco it winds round a Marina. And a bizarre twist, the pit-lane exit will go underneath Turn One.

It also has a series of slow corner. longish straight, heavy braking corners. Overtaking opportunities galore then.

As for it being a new era, well it is. The cars are completely different in style. Slick tyres. KERS. And lots of young fast drivers.

It also a new era for the fans in terms of where it will be seen, as F1 moves from ITV to BBC.

Really happy to see that Martin Brundle will be on the commentary team, I think he's a great commentator. We will even get some Murray Walker in some shape or form too. Ted Kravitz also joins the BBC.

Well, this is more a pep talk than an article. Just excited about the new season!

Good luck to all F1 teams, Broadcasters, and Bleacher Report writers for this year.

Is Felipe Massa the Man For Ferrari?

Andrew Davies — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:01:03 -0400

Felipe Massa. Great guy, a gentlemen. Part of a legendary history of Brazilian drivers who have won Grand Prix, with the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, and of course the great one himself, Ayrton Senna.

He is without doubt a great F1 driver. He has great ability behind the wheel, and works well with his engineers. When he is out in front of a Grand Prix, he can waltz away without anyone having the pace to catch him.

He even reminds me of Schumacher when he used to get out in front, and just drive off into the distance.

I have been watching him since his first race, which was at Melbourne in 2002. He debuted for the then-Sauber F1 team, who were powered by Ferrari, of course, with the engines re-badged as Petronas. (The Sauber also looked a lot like the Ferrari!)

His first season was a little ragged, making a lot of errors and frequently being beaten by his teammate Nick Heidfeld. But apart from these errors, you still got the feeling he had the talent and the capability to drive an F1 car very fast.

Massa ended up with four points for that season, and his highest finish was fifth place at the Spanish Grand Prix.

After his first season in F1, he went to Ferrari for a year, testing their F1 car. This I’m sure gave him great knowledge, and it gave him time to work his skills in an F1 car without the pressure of racing against 20 other drivers.

After his year testing for Ferrari, he moved back to Sauber F1 and drove alongside Giancarlo Fisichella for the 2004 season. More of the same, I thought to myself, as I prepared to watch the season unfold.

Massa showed a more polished approach to his driving, but he still seemed to lack a consistency. With it, he would have been able to beat his teammate Fisichella, who beat him on many occasions and looked the better driver that year.

For that season, Massa managed a highest finish of fourthplace, coming at the Belgian Grand Prix. His points tally at the end of the season was 12. In 2005, he would stay with Sauber, but this time partner with Jacques Villeneuve.

Throughout the 2005 season, I didn’t really think Massa was anything special, I knew he was fast and capable, yes, but I always felt he made too many errors.

Massa ended up beating Jacques that year, eleven points to nine. He also out qualified him 13 to 6. His average finishing position was also higher than Villeneuve for that season.

So you could say 2005 was a turnaround for Massa, and maybe that he had conquered his demons and finally achieved something he needed: consistency. He would need consistency to beat his next teammate, as Massa was to join Ferrari for 2006.

This would be the ultimate test of his ability, up against the legend himself, Michael Schumacher.

I didn’t think he had the slightest chance of beating Michael Schumacher, and he did not beat him. But he did learn from the great one, and he improved his pace and performance throughout the season.

Massa went on to secure podiums in 2006, at the European, American, French and German Grand Prix. Some were very impressive podiums, he then eventually took his maiden victory in Turkey.

He basically blew everyone away, showing everyone that he has the ability and the speed. He won another race that year, and with Michael Schumacher announcing his retirement at Monza that year, it seemed 2007 could Massa’s year to launch an assault on the championship.

He ended the season well, and took away another victory at his home race, Brazil. His total podiums for that season was seven, along with two race victories. His points tally was 80.

It was time for a new dawn at Ferrari then. Enter Kimi Raikkonen. I don’t think Massa really cared who his teammate was. He just loves driving for Ferrari, and that was all that mattered.

So 2007, the year in which Massa would stake his claim for the title?

It began well, season testing saw Massa and Ferrari on a good race pace, looking very quick. But when the F1 paddock arrived for the season opener at Melbourne, Ferrari hit reliability problems.

He had to take an engine change, which put him at the back of the field. He drove well during the race, showing maturity and good pace, he ended up finishing sixth.

With these well driven performances, he would surely challenge for the championship. All he needed was a little luck, and this came at Bahrain. Massa took Pole Position at the Bahrain Grand Prix and went on to win.

He also achieved the same feat in the following race in Spain. This was the performance level that would enable him to win the championship. All he had to do was remain consistent.

Unfortunately as the season progressed, some of the minor errors that have been associated with Massa crept in. At Canada, he drove through a red light in the pit lane and was black flagged from the race. Errors can be expected of course, but with Massa you seemed to be waiting for it to happen, and you thought it would happen.

Massa secured more podiums that year, and another victory came in Turkey. Quite a dominant victory too. Massa looked fast and at home in Turkey.

Still though, Massa did not have enough points to challenge for the championship in 2007. All he could do now was win his home Grand Prix and give something back to his home country.

Massa led the race, but Kimi Raikkonen overtook him during a pit stop phase during the race. This was obviously a bit of team play, as Kimi was on for the championship. Kimi eventually went on to win the championship for Ferrari.

In total, Massa scored 10 podiums that season, three of them standing on the top step, His points score was 94. I feel he could have won that year, but a few minor errors and bad reliability cost him dearly.

I still also believed Massa was still making errors that could and should have been ironed out a long time ago.

After watching Massa in the 2008 season, it looks like more of the same, Massa retired from the first two races of the season, not a great start at all.

Then a massive turnaround. He wins in Bahrain, comes in second in Spain and then wins in, yes you’ve guessed it, Turkey!

After that great run of form, Massa hit a real bad patch at Silverstone. He spun off the track many times, yes it was a wet race, but he spun too many times! He was unlucky in qualifying when he tripped on some oil that was spilt on track. So up and down are his performances, you're just not sure what he is going to do next.

I watched the German Grand Prix this year, and I believed Massa did not have what it takes to win. He was passed by Lewis Hamilton towards the end of that Grand Prix, literally muscled out of it.

I thought to myself, there is no way driving like that, he going to win this years championship. The Ferrari was so poor in Germany.

Is it a case of bad luck for Massa? Or is he just prone to making a few more errors than others? Maybe he hasn’t quite got the bravery to just stick his car where someone else would. But on his day, he can be unstoppable.

Rob Smedley, Massa’s race engineer, has helped cool the fast Brazilian down, and try to help him be more consistent with his driving, feeling confident and good within himself. But I still have the feeling that Massa is going to always be the nearly man, and never actually take the championship.

I would love to see him win it, he’s a great guy, and is fast and worthy enough. I just always wonder if he actually can. He needs to fight for the championship, without making any mistakes.

I saw evidence for the first time that Massa can pull this off, as I watched the Hungarian Grand Prix. Massa and Ferrari were not looking good for pace in practice or qualifying, and everyone thought McLaren would dominate the race. Massa had other ideas, he started third behind the two McLarens.

He made a great start, and was looking to pass the Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the first corner. He came steaming round the outside, gave a little room for Hamilton, and went through.

It was a fantastic overtaking move, and he went on to build a gap. He was looking good for victory until his car came to a halt on the pit straight. Smoke came out of his car three laps before the end of the race. Very unlucky.

He showed to me in that race that he can fight, and he has got the measure of the best drivers when it matters. I just wonder if he can remain consistent. We will see of course how it unfolds.

I make him my outsider for the championship. This is only because he has shown more errors than the other challengers in this year's quest to become champion and previous ones before it.

But is he really the man for Ferrari?

The successor to Michael Schumacher?

No.

No one will achieve what Michael did, and Felipe does not have what Michael was so good at: relentless consistency.

Lewis Hamilton Gives the Brits That Special Feeling At Hockenheim!

Andrew Davies — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:47:05 -0400

I woke up today and the first thought I had in my head was the German GP at Hockenheim. I tried to keep myself busy until the beginning of the Grand Prix, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I knew inside, after watching qualifying, that something special was going to happen, and it did. That special feeling that I had? It’s the Lewis Hamilton feeling.

What a race at Hockenheim! Lots of overtaking, and a safety car thrown in. No rain this time round for the German GP, but the tension created at this race was still immense.

At the lights out, Hamilton, on pole position, made a great start. Kubica starting in seventh position made a lightning start, ending up fourthposition at the end of lap 1. Can Kubica sustain his points position near the top this weekend? He has to.

Through out the first stint of the race, we could begin to see the pace of the McLarens vs. Ferrari. It was easy to see who was faster. The McLaren of Lewis Hamilton was basically 0.8 of a second faster than second place Felipe Massa. Hamilton was setting faster sector times almost each lap, pulling away and setting a great margin between himself and Felipe.

The battle behind was also heating up, as Jarno Trulli, who started fourth, had Raikkonen and Alonso behind him. The midfield battle was as intense as ever, all the cars quite close together battling for position. Button of Honda and DC of Red Bull Racing had another battle for position.

At lap 8, Lewis had a lead of 5.5 seconds, and he looked comfortable. It looked like nothing but a mechanical failure or situation beyond his control was going to stop him. Good consistent sector times followed, and he set another fastest lap time on lap 11. So far, so good.

Jarno Trulli in fifthplace, was now looking comfortable with a small margin between him and Kimi Raikkonen. The pace of the Ferrari was nowhere it seemed, and Kimi knew he was in for a long day.

He was hoping for high temperatures, he didn’t get them. The track was at a low level of temperature throughout the Grand Prix, with its highest temperatures being right at the beginning of the race, and right at the end. Either way, Kimi was slow.

McLaren, in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, were looking very strong, and had an easy 0.4 to 0.8 seconds advantage over Ferrari. I’m really beginning to feel that McLaren have made some good progress with the car now, and the facts proved it.

Meanwhile, in the midfield, DC was battling with Jenson Button, and eventually dived down the inside to take Button for 13^th position, leaving Button into the clutches of Williams’ Nico Rosberg, one of the five German drivers taking part in this years German Grand Prix.

At the back of the field, the two Force India cars had a fight, with Adrian Sutil passing Giancarlo Fisichella.

In Williams’ other car, Kazuki Nakajima spins on lap 18, and lets past Sutil and the one stopping Nelson Piquet of Renault. Renault was down the field due to Piquet only qualifying in 17^th position.

At the front, Lewis Hamilton extends his lead furthermore to 11 seconds as he sets another new fastest lap. Just as he set his fastest lap, he comes into the pits for a crucial first stop. He takes on nine seconds worth of fuel and gets a new pair of hard tyres.

Lap 19 then, and Lewis rejoins the race track just ahead of Jarno Trulli, only for the Italian to then pass him. Lewis then tried to retake the place, but Trulli wasn’t having any of it.

But he was to be pitting soon anyway. It wasn’t a move Lewis really needed to make, because the team surely would have let him know that Trulli was about to pit. It worked out well for the Brit in the end. Massa pitted on lap 20, his stop being 7.9 seconds.

Alonso also pitted for Renault. Kovalainen pitted on lap 22. Alonso I think can achieve 5^that best. I was hoping for Kovi to do very well here at Hockenheim. It seems that a podium could be on the cards for the Finn. His pace isn’t as good as Lewis’, but he’s got enough to catch Felipe Massa.

In the midfield Mark Webber pits on lap 24. Will he score points this race?

This is his most impressive season to date, and he will be looking to improve on his tally in this years championship.

Hamilton’s lead after the pit stops was 8.9 seconds, the loss of time due to Jarno Trulli making a move on the Briton. By lap 27, Lewis has yet again opened up the gap to over 10 seconds.

Impressive consistent pace is what wins world championships, said Niki Lauda before the race. Well here is Hamilton doing exactly that. Superb stuff.

Of the Germans in the race, Timo Glock is still yet to pit, driving well. He eventually pits on lap 30, he was in 3^rdposition. Glock jumped at least 2 cars after his first stop, and was right up near his team mate.

Sebastian Vettel driving well again, he passes Timo Glock for 7^th.

All that hard work by Timo undone By his fellow German!

Barrichello pits on lap 32, and rejoins alongside his teammate Button, leaving the two fighting for position down to the hairpin.

Nelson Piquet pits on lap 36. A long first stint, and he stops for his one fuel stop.

On lap 36 Timo Glock appeared to have a right rear suspension failure, and his car was sent into the pit straight wall backwards, He was conscious and survived. But he definitely felt that one, he was in the car for a few minutes. A very heavy impact.

The safety car was then deployed, lots of debris on the track. This would obviously ruin the lead Lewis Hamilton had built up.

On lap 38, the pit lane was opened, and almost everyone who needed fuel pitted, but Lewis Hamilton did not. McLaren think he has enough fuel to pull a gap so that when he stops, he will have enough of a margin over Felipe Massa.

But will he have enough fuel?

I didn’t think so, and I thought his chance of victory had been ruined. The likes of Piquet were in great luck, as he had a fully fuelled car and was high up the field. He is looking good for a podium finish. Massa was behind him with a fully fuelled car also.

Mark Webber’s RBR has a mechanical problem, and smoke is seen coming from his car for a few laps. He finally pulls over and retires from the race.

Alonso was in the pits and gets pushed over the white line at the exit by Sebastian Vettel. Alonso complains to his team, but I don’t think Alonso will get punished for that one.

Lap 42, and the safety car comes in, with Lewis Hamilton stretching out a lead of 2.2 seconds almost immediately.

Alonso is all over Vettel in the midfield and would like to pass him after the pit stop incident.

Barrichello and Coulthard make contact on lap 50; DC was unaware that Barrichello was there. DC has had so many tangles this year!

Hamilton also pitted on lap 50, and he had around a 15-second margin. That was not enough, and I wasn’t surprised either. It meant that when he came out, he had to overtake Massa and Piquet and Kovalainen to take victory.

Heidfeld is still in the lead of the Grand Prix, and he sets the fastest lap, as his car runs low on fuel ready for his final pit stop. He pits on lap 54. So its Piquet, Massa, Kovalainen, Hamilton.

Hamilton takes Kovalainen in the hairpin, although it looked very friendly. No surprises really, if I was Heikki I would have let him through. I'd rather him win than have the possibility of a Ferrari winning the race!

Heikki knew he didn’t have the pace to keep Lewis behind.

So Lewis began to catch Massa at a fast rate, setting fast sector times everywhere. Lap 56 and Hamilton has got Massa in his sights. He then takes him at the hairpin, then Felipe tries to fight back at the next few corners, but is muscled out of it by Hamilton. Massa ends up losing time, and Hamilton heads on to chase down Piquet.

Alonso spins and loses out a place to Nico Rosberg. The Spaniard is not at his best, it has to be said. How long will he stay at Renault?

They really need to get their act together quickly if they are going to challenge for the championship next year.

Into the final lap, and Lewis takes victory!

What a win, for me, one of the best of Lewis Hamilton's victories. He won at GB, and now at Germany. The momentum is very much going with him and the team.

That is the special feeling I have. I haven’t had it since the beginning of the 2007 season, when I knew we were in for a great season. I truly believe, after seeing this race, watching the times, that McLaren have got an edge. That’s the way it looks for me, and I’m really pleased for the team.

After all the spy gate saga wrecking last year's championship, we can focus on a great championship this year. And this year, McLaren will be at full strength, and Ferrari haven’t got anything up their sleeves to throw at McLaren this time around.

I’m still not going to say that McLaren WILL win, but I think they’ve got an edge. But its looking good in the McLaren camp. Ferrari will be having some long talks about where their pace was. I’m really looking forward to the next race now. We will get to see whether this apparent edge for McLaren is as true as it looked this weekend.

A few things to say about the race, I’m chuffed for Nelson Piquet; he has had a difficult rookie season. But he gets the podium, whilst Alonso is down the field. Mind you, Piquet was lucky, but maybe his luck is turning for this year finally. You need the talent to go along with it, so let's see what he does.

Timo Glock was sent to surgery for further checks. Let's wish him well and that he is fit for the next race.

I think without the safety car, Lewis would have won, with Massa in second and Kovalainen in third. The safety car wrecked Kovalainen's chances really. He had to let Hamilton by, as Heikki was not fast enough. Absolutely the right thing to do was to let him past. Well done.

Hamilton is looking great for this years championship now, the momentum is in his favour, at a great time of the year to get the momentum too. Stefano Domenicalli has got some work to do when he gets back to base at Ferrari.

Here are the final positions for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

1. Lewis Hamilton

2. Nelson Piquet

3. Felipe Massa

4. Nick Heidfeld

5. Heikki Kovalainen

6. Kimi Raikkonen

7. Robert Kubica

8. Sebastien Vettel

9. Jarno Trulli

10.Nico Rosberg

11. Fernando Alonso

12. Sebastian Bourdais

13. David Coulthard

14. Giancarlo Fisichella

15. Kazuki Nakajima

16. Adrian Sutil

17. Jenson Button

18. Rubens Barrichello

19. Mark Webber

20.Timo Glock

The championship is now still very close, but Hamilton has the edge over his rivals.

He leads by 4 points, with Massa on 54 points in second place. Raikkonen is third with 51.

Kubica is now 10 points behind Lewis, and Heidfeld is closing in on his teammate with 41.

McLaren are now only eight points behind BMW in the constructors’ championship.

Ferrari are still way ahead in this years constructor championship. Still, eight races to go then, so all the positions still wide open. I’m going to put my money on Ferrari for the Constructors’ championship. Lewis has got my vote for the drivers’ championship.

Roll on, Hungary!

Lewis Hamilton Tops at Formula One Hockenheim Practice

Andrew Davies — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:09:53 -0400

It's Friday and it's the Hockenheimring for this year's German Grand Prix. This event has changed since its first opening in 1939, of course. It had a major revamp in time for the 2002 Grand Prix.

It was a classic race track; the one I remember had long straights with a few hairpins separating them from a stadium section which led onto the pit straight.

The good old days, I guess! Yes the years of Hakkinen, Schumacher, Prost, Hill, and Senna. But it's 2008, and we've got a Herman Tilke-designed racetrack, of course!

To be fair, I do like the changes that were made, but I do still like the layout it had before. The new layout does make for some interesting overtaking battles.

I'm really looking forward to seeing who will get the best out of the track and their package this weekend. Apparently, according to Lewis Hamilton, McLaren have the slight edge over Ferrari, and well many may believe that. I’m not one of them.

I do believe McLaren have a good package, as do Ferrari. I just don’t think any one of the two is ahead yet. Sunday will tell us for sure who will have the edge, weather permitting of course.

A few drivers in the field have a chance of winning. I’m going to put my money on Heikki this weekend; he needs it. It would cement his careful step up to a team like McLaren and show his employers that he is capable of winning a Grand Prix. I have no doubt in my mind about this, and I’m sure he will be on the top step soon.

Many great drivers have won this race. The legendary Nigel Mansell won it in 1991 and 1992. The last person to win here was Michael Schumacher in 2006. There are five Germans in the 2008 lineup, but, unless something happens to the Ferrari or McLaren, none of them have a chance this year, unfortunately.

So Sebastian Vettel will partner Mark Webber in next years RBR. This is news I’m glad to hear. I believe Vettel is going to be a major force to be reckoned with in the future.

I think Mark Webber is going to struggle to match him for pace next year. But Mark is a wise hand at this game now, although he is yet to get to the top step of the podium. He has been very unlucky, of course, but a great prospect for next year.

Where will Fernando be next year then?

Renault, I’m sorry, they aren't really going in that much of the right direction. I want to see them up there! Alonso is a great fighter, and seeing him in the midfield is really disappointing.

Anyway back to this weekend, and it's definitely Ferrari vs. McLaren again for sure. I expect Hamilton and Kovalainen to be on top form here. This is McLaren and Mercedes' home Grand Prix in a way, so they'll get some extra special German power, hopefully.

After watching the first practice session, it was hard to tell who may have the edge between Ferrari and McLaren, due to the wet conditions at Hockenheim. But the Ferraris seem to be working well enough in wet conditions, after Kimi Raikkonen hoped for a heat wave...he’s a bit out of luck in that respect.

For the first 40-50 minutes, the track was basically a bit of an ice rink for the cars, with Hamilton losing control and spinning off. His car just went sideways with no warning whatsoever!

Alonso was looking good in the wet conditions, keeping it on track and gradually improving his times. He's hoping for a wet race, as this will be his only chance to win or get on the podium.

The track eventually began to dry then, with some young guns putting on dry tyres and trying their luck. Enter Seb Vettel.

He is, once again, most probably doing more than his car is capable, and he's definitely having his way with his team mate, Sebastian Bourdais.

After that, all the drivers moved to dry tyres and the track began to improve massively. As the temperature in the tyres becomes hotter, with more cars moving around the track, it all helps dry out the surface of the track, and then the lap times begin to tumble.

This is if the drivers stay on the dry line, of course. There is still some dampness out on the track, as Robert Kubica found out. He spun out wildly entering the stadium section, slightly damaging his BMW. It was minimal damage, so he should be good for practice 2.

There was a bit of a rush for lap times towards the end of the session, with many cars out on track improving their lap times. The man who ended up top of the order was Lewis Hamilton, with his teammate right behind him. Massa ended up third for Ferrari.

So it's as I and everyone else thought. McLaren and Ferrari are the ones to beat.

Here are the top ten practice session one times:

1. Lewis Hamilton 1:15.537
2. Heikki Kovalainen +0.129
3. Felipe Massa +0.259
4. Fernando Alonso +0.626
5. Kimi Raikkonen +0.790
6. Nico Rosberg +1.069
7. Sebastian Vettel +1.081
8. Nick Heidfeld +1.182
9. Kazuki Nakajima +1.284
10. Nelson Piquet +1.526