Daily Update Formula1 News

Robert Kubica took the lead in the drivers' championship after scoring his and BMW Sauber's first Formula One victory, with teammate Nick Heidfeld finishing second in an astonishing Canadian Grand Prix.

The win was a remarkable way for Kubica to mark his return to Montreal, 12 months after his ferocious accident at the track.

David Coulthard claimed his first points of the season in fine style by taking third for Red Bull, ahead of Toyota's Timo Glock and Felipe Massa's Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen made a bizarre exit from the race when the McLaren crashed into the back of the Ferrari in the pitlane during a safety car period.

Prior to that incident, Hamilton had looked set for a dominant victory. He calmly pulled away from Kubica and Raikkonen in the early laps, and led by seven seconds when the caution period was called on lap 17 to retrieve Adrian Sutil's Force India, which had parked in a difficult position near Turn 3.

The leaders all poured into the pits, with Hamilton falling behind both Raikkonen and Kubica. The Ferrari and BMW then dutifully halted at the pit exit because the red light was on while the safety car train came past, but Hamilton appeared not to notice the light and ploughed into the back of the Ferrari.

Williams' Nico Rosberg - who had been running a strong fourth after passing Fernando Alonso at the first corner - was also caught off guard and struck the back of Hamilton's McLaren. Unlike Raikkonen and Hamilton, though, Rosberg was able to continue after a second stop for repairs.

The leading eight cars had all stopped during the safety car, meaning that Heidfeld moved up to first position, ahead of Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Kazuki Nakajima (Williams), the two Red Bulls and the two Toyotas.

Kubica was the best of those who had already pitted, but was down in 10th place.

When racing resumed, Heidfeld made the most of this golden opportunity and charged off into the distance, lapping two seconds per lap faster than the heavier Honda of Barrichello.

With Kubica losing time in the traffic, Heidfeld was able to pull sufficiently far ahead that he emerged in front of his teammate when he stopped eight laps later, although with Heidfeld fuelled to the end of the race, Kubica was able to swiftly overtake on the next lap.

Long first stints then meant that Barrichello, Coulthard, Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock all had chances to lead the race, with Kubica moving ever closer to the front as those ahead stopped.

By the time Glock became the last to pit on lap 42, Kubica had a 10-second lead over Heidfeld, with Alonso third and putting the BMW under huge pressure.

The Renault was on the same strategy as Kubica and had another stop to make, only to spin into the wall at Turn 7 on lap 45. The former champion blamed the crumbling track surface at the chicane exit.

Once in clear air, Kubica was able to sprint away from Heidfeld and open up a large enough advantage to guarantee that he would lead BMW Sauber's historic one-two.

He made his final stop on lap 49, and rejoined six seconds clear of Heidfeld, a margin that he continued to extend in the last stint before crossing the line to clinch a remarkable victory.

Coulthard's late pitstop allowed him to rejoin ahead of most of the cars that had stopped under the safety car, meaning that he appeared in third place by the time the stops were all complete.

Barrichello was set for fourth place, only for a trip across the grass in the closing stages to let Toyota duo Trulli and Glock sweep past him and into the top five.

Massa then passed Barrichello a few laps later. The Ferrari driver had fallen to the back of the field when a miscommunication meant he made an additional stop during the first safety car period, and then lost more ground when he had to make a third and final stop with 18 laps to go.

The Brazilian charged to the end, making it past Trulli for fifth with two laps to go when the Italian had to back off as his teammate Glock went wide at the first corner. Massa then pushed Glock to the end, but had to settle for fifth.

Kovalainen was left in a similar situation after having to wait behind Hamilton when both stopped under the safety car.

He was running ahead of Massa until sliding wide on the fragile track surface at the hairpin while racing with Barrichello on lap 50, which allowed the Ferrari to cruise past both as they scrabbled for grip.

Kovalainen then spent the final laps embroiled in a huge battle with Barrichello and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel for the final point-scoring positions, but was unable to pass the young German and finished just outside the points in ninth.

Rosberg completed the top ten after his early delay, ahead of Button, Webber and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais.

Nakajima retired after breaking his front wing on the rear of Button's Honda. The dislodged wing then wedged under the front of the Williams and sent it into the wall in the pit entrance.

Nelson Piquet retired his Renault after spinning while chasing teammate Alonso, while Giancarlo Fisichella became the final retirement when he crashed his Force India on the way out of Turn 4.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Canadian Grand Prix
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada;
70 laps; 305.270km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1h36:24.447
2. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 16.495
3. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 23.352
4. Glock Toyota (B) + 42.627
5. Massa Ferrari (B) + 43.934
6. Trulli Toyota (B) + 47.775
7. Barrichello Honda (B) + 53.597
8. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 54.120
9. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 54.433
10. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 54.749
11. Button Honda (B) + 1:07.540
12. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1:11.299
13. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:17.387

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 54
Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 49
Alonso Renault (B) 47
Piquet Renault (B) 42
Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 20
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 20
Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 14


World Championship standings, round 7:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Kubica 42 1. Ferrari 73
2. Hamilton 38 2. BMW Sauber 70
3. Massa 38 3. McLaren-Mercedes 53
4. Raikkonen 35 4. Red Bull-Renault 21
5. Heidfeld 28 5. Toyota 17
6. Kovalainen 15 6. Williams-Toyota 15
7. Webber 15 7. Renault 9
8. Trulli 12 8. Honda 8
9. Alonso 9 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
10. Rosberg 8
11. Nakajima 7
12. Coulthard 6
13. Vettel 5
14. Barrichello 5
15. Glock 5
16. Button 3
17. Bourdais 2
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McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on scoring his second consecutive Canadian pole in spectacular style; Red Bull’s Mark Webber on crashing out of Q2; and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel on being forced to watch the action from the garage. All 20 drivers report back from Montreal…
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (1st, Q1 - 1m 17.886s):
"To achieve pole position here in Canada at the same place where I took my first Formula One pole just one year ago is really awesome. Our car feels good and we’re really on top of our game - even though the track started breaking up in places. On my penultimate lap in the third part of qualifying I lost a bit of time when I ran wide and I knew that Robert and Kimi were chasing me so I was aware I had to give it my all. On my final lap, I found more than six tenths which was enough for pole position. Thank you to everybody in the team, I hope I will be able to reward them tomorrow with a similar result."

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (2nd, Q1 - 1m 18.498s):
"It was a very difficult qualifying with the track breaking up in some corners, which is a disaster. It was easy to make mistakes with these conditions. When you missed the racing line by just ten or 20 centimetres you were on the marbles with very low grip. However, I'm very happy with second. Certainly it will be a tough race tomorrow on this track. Unfortunately I shall not be starting on the clean side. McLaren particularly looks very strong and I shall also have pressure from the Ferrari, but we have to see who is on which strategy."

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (3rd, Q1 - 1m 18.735s):
"It's unbelievable how much time I lost at turn 10, lap after lap. The track was already beginning to break up in Q1 and I had no drive: it was like driving on ice and I never managed to find the right line at this point. It's a real shame because the car was going very well and I could have fought for pole position. I can't understand how things like this can happen: maybe it's down to the higher temperatures, or a repair job at this point not done properly but one thing's certain, in the race tomorrow, it will be very difficult to get through here. But the situation is not that bad. We are quick, as could be seen all weekend long up to qualifying and starting on the clean side of the track is definitely a good thing. Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow."

Fernando Alonso, Renault (4th, Q1 - 1m 18.476s):
"We have done very little running this weekend and there were still a lot of unknowns before qualifying. The car is still a bit sensitive and the track changes quickly here, and so I am very happy with my fourth place this afternoon - it's a good start to the weekend. The race is now totally open and that gives us the chance to score some big points tomorrow."

Nico Rosberg, Williams (5th, Q1 - 1m 18.844s):
“I am especially happy with my position in qualifying because it was very difficult, not just because the track has changed a lot from yesterday and even from this morning, but also because the surface was breaking up in various locations. The grip had dropped away, so the aim today was not to make a mistake as it would be heavily punished by simply going 5 or 10cm off line. Anyway, I managed to keep everything completely under control and avoid getting offline, and the reward was fifth, which is a great place to start tomorrow.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari (6th, Q1 - 1m 19.048s):
"This is definitely not the result we were expecting and it's a real shame, as we had everything in place to do well. The car was very quick, both yesterday and this morning and, but for the problem which occurred at turn 10, I could definitely have fought for a place at the front. As for the rest, you just have to look at the times: the first and second sectors were very good, while I was losing all the time in the final one. Clearly, if these track conditions at that corner continue in the race, there will be a further element of uncertainty in a race which already traditionally, can be influenced by chance events. While in normal circumstances I'd have said that starting from sixth meant I had abandoned any chance of fighting for a top place finish, today, I don't think I can say that, especially as we have been so strong all weekend."

Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren (7th, Q1 - 1m 19.089s):
“We worked hard to improve the car all weekend so my grid position is mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t find a clear lap in the final session. The traffic meant I couldn’t get into a proper rhythm so I’m a bit annoyed with myself. But what can I do? I just have to drive a better race tomorrow. Congratulations to Lewis, he has done a great job for the whole weekend but this place has a habit of throwing up surprises. It’s always been a bit of a chaotic race so hopefully that will help me tomorrow.”

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber (8th, Q1 - 1m 19.633s):
“It was obviously better than two weeks ago. In Q2 I was just one tenth of a second behind Robert, but I'm not happy with my lap times in Q3. It is a start, but I still have a lot of work to do. Today it was extremely difficult to choose between the tyre compounds. First I thought the harder prime would be quicker, but in the end I went for the softer options. Normally the track conditions get better and better during qualifying, but here they became worse. We had an awful lot of marbles on the track. This has always been an issue here, but normally this has been in the race and not in qualifying."

Rubens Barrichello, Honda (9th, Q1 – 1m 20.848s):
"I'm really pleased for myself and the team today. After the points that we scored in Monaco at the last race, this is a great start for the weekend here in Canada. In the hot conditions, the asphalt on the track was breaking up this afternoon and you had to take a good line to avoid running wide where it was so slippery. So it gave me the chance to use my experience to put some good laps in and I had two strong runs in Q1 and Q2 to make it through to the final session. It is nice to qualify in ninth place and we did a solid job today. I can look forward to a good race tomorrow from here."

Mark Webber, Red Bull (10th, Q1 – no time):
“I was going okay, but the track was breaking up and there were marbles on the racing line. Unfortunately, on the way back to the pits at the end of the second session, I was slightly off line, got onto the marbles and couldn’t bring it back. I’m not sure how they’re going to manage with the track tomorrow, but everyone’s in the same boat. I think we’ll need to use motocross bikes, as it’s not realistic in a Formula One car, you’ll need to drive on the grass or on the inside of the hairpin.”

Timo Glock, Toyota (11th, Q2 - 1m 18.031s):
"That was just a really difficult session. It was very hard to find a good balance and I was far from happy. The main problem was as each session went on, the track just started to fall away. That made the second and third runs very difficult and everyone was making mistakes. In the end I just got the lap together for P11 and we were unlucky not to reach the top ten. It would have been good to make it back into Q3 but it just didn't work out. Now we will have to see what happens in the race. It is usually possible to overtake here but if there are similar track conditions it could cause major problems."

Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (12th, Q2 - 1m 18.062s):
“It was a bit of a shame today because I missed Q3 by a very small amount and I really had the feeling that I could do it here, but it got harder to set good times as qualifying progressed. But I think it will be an eventful race tomorrow, possibly with safety car periods, so I plan to keep a level head like in Monaco and if that happens, I will have a good chance to score some points.”

David Coulthard, Red Bull (13th, Q2 – 1m 18.238):
“The track is breaking up, as it did two years ago, and it was incredibly difficult to drive at Turn 7 and at the hairpin. The track was swept between the first and second session, but it was breaking up so quickly that it was like trying to drive on train tracks. When you’ve got that amount of horsepower on a car that’s slipping and sliding, it’s incredibly difficult. I think we had the pace to run inside the top ten today, but I had traffic on the last runs of both sessions. On the first I was behind Bourdais, and on the second behind Piquet. It’s unfortunate to have a continued series of problems, but we’re thirteenth tomorrow, and hopefully we can have a strong race from there.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota (14th, Q2 - 1m 18.327s):
"Qualifying was exceptionally difficult today because the track conditions were a disaster. The surface was breaking up and getting worse with every lap. I don't know what was going on but I did my best lap at the beginning and then I couldn't repeat it any more. I spun on my quickest lap at the start of Q2, otherwise maybe I could have been in the top ten. But after that the track just got worse. Today was all about getting a clear, lucky lap. I don't know how the race will go but the track surface is a huge concern."

Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault (15th, Q2 - 1m 18.393s):
"It was quite a difficult session and the car had the pace to go through to Q1, but unfortunately I was not able to go any further than Q2. I'm still struggling a bit with this track, which is new to me, and I haven't managed to get as much running as I would have liked. For the race tomorrow I will try and stay out of trouble, move forward and hopefully fight for some points."

Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso (16th, Q3 - 1m 18.916s):
“The track is falling apart and the conditions are really difficult. Because of the wind, there was also a lot of debris and leaves, which made the track very slippery, plus the asphalt has got marbles on the racing line because it’s breaking up. After the morning, I could not afford to make any mistakes and run the risk of not taking up a start place for the race and in these conditions it was just unreal. For me this is one of the worst days of my career so far.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India (17th, Q3 - 1m 19.108s):
“We were almost there, but just not enough today and we will start in 17th. I actually had a worse feeling with the car and the tyres here than in the morning. The grip level was very, very low compared to that session and I think everyone struggled to find something. I think the lap time was alright compared to the others, just sadly not enough to get us into Q2 this time.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India (18th, Q3 - 1m 19.165s):
“The grip this afternoon was definitely worse than the morning. It wasn't too bad in practice and we found a good set up and compromise with the aero and we were quite competitive. This afternoon I just lost a lot of grip and didn't have confidence in the circuit. It was practically undriveable and really disappointing that we could not have finished higher up. We will see what happens tomorrow, particularly if it rains.”

Jenson Button, Honda (19th, Q3 - 1m 23.565s):
"I had a problem with third gear right at the start of Q1 which meant that I had no drive and that was the end of my qualifying today. It's been a pretty tough weekend for us and it's very disappointing to be starting from the back of the grid. We will just have to see how the race develops and take advantage of any opportunities which might arise."

Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso (20th, no time):
“This morning I made a mistake, losing the rear end of the car and unfortunately here the walls are very close, without much run-off area. The impact was not that bad but bad enough to damage the monocoque in a way that it could not be repaired in the two hours we had available before qualifying. This year of course the rules ban spare cars, so we had to rebuild the damaged one which meant no qualifying for me today.”
Read More......

By Jonathan Noble
BMW Sauber and Honda Racing believe the FIA must do something to address fears of a split within the governing body in the wake of the vote of confidence in Max Mosley earlier this week.

Although Mosley comfortably won a majority in the vote on his presidency at the General Assembly meeting in Paris, it has not stopped some clubs criticising the decision and threatening to leave the FIA completely if Mosley stays on.
And with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone calling on Mosley to resign later this year for the good of himself and the FIA, BMW Sauber and Honda Racing have expressed concern about the damage such uncertainty within the governing body can cause to F1.

BMW motorsport boss Mario Theissen said: "We respect the decision of the FIA, but it is now a very critical situation for the FIA - between it and its membership clubs. And apparently this does not only affect the FIA, but also external partners like the car industry or motorsport.

"But none the less, only the FIA can solve this situation. So we respect the decision and now we have to see how it develops."
When asked by autosport.com if he was worried that the troubles within the FIA could damage F1, Theissen said: "I think it depends on what goes on in the coming weeks, within the FIA. It is quite critical.
"But what we will see now, is that this controversial situation between the FIA and the membership clubs will certainly make people aware of the fact that the FIA is not in the first instance motorsport. It is in the first instance a worldwide body for the motoring clubs."
Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry backed Theissen's view that he hoped the current uncertainty could be ended quickly.
"We recognise that the FIA reached its decision following due process," he said about the Mosley verdict. "However, the reaction of motoring clubs around the world demonstrates a genuine concern about the extent to which the President of the FIA is able to carry out his role following these events.
"Despite the strong contributions Max has made to the sport, we share this concern and we would wish to see a speedy end to the current instability."
Theissen added that he hoped the wranglings within the FIA would not have an impact on its ability to act as the governing body for motor sport and automobiles.
"We expect that the FIA as a body sticks to its role and handles it professionally, which means governing motorsport - governing F1 and the other series," he said.
"We also expect the current initiatives of cost reduction and introduction of future technology to be carried on and to be really put in place."
ref[AS]
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Lewis Hamilton recovered from an early brush with the barriers to take a remarkable victory in a rain-affected Monaco Grand Prix and move into the world championship lead.
BMW's Robert Kubica beat pole-sitter Felipe Massa to second, despite the Ferrari driver dominating much of the race.
There was heartbreak for the hero of the race, though, as Adrian Sutil came within a few laps of taking an incredible fourth place for Force India, only to be taken out by world champion Kimi Raikkonen.
Their collision allowed Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) to complete the top five.

Rain just before the start meant that the whole field started on intermediate tyres - although Ferrari left it too late to fit Raikkonen's Bridgestones, subsequently earning the Finn a drive-through penalty because his mechanics had been on the grid too late.
Heikki Kovalainen was also in trouble before the start. His McLaren stalled on the dummy grid and had to begin the race from the pit lane after the field had passed.
Hamilton squeezed past Raikkonen to take second into Sainte Devote when the race got underway, but could not keep pace with Massa at first as conditions worsened steadily throughout the opening laps.
Inevitably there were plenty of early incidents: Jenson Button (Honda) lost his front wing trying to pass Nick Heidfeld's BMW on the first lap, Nico Rosberg needed a new nose section for his Williams after tagging the rear of Fernando Alonso's Renault, and Toyota's Timo Glock had the first of three spins on lap four, losing his wing on the wall at the Anthony Noghes corner.
Hamilton was the next to slip up - running wide into the Tabac wall on lap five and sustaining a right-rear puncture.
Fortunately for the Briton, the front-runners had already pulled so far away from the pack that he was able to rejoin in fifth place, behind Massa, Raikkonen, Kubica and Alonso, and having taken on a significant amount of fuel.
The safety car made its first appearance on lap seven after a series of incidents at Casino Square.
First Alonso tagged the wall and - like Hamilton - destroyed a rear tyre but managed to make it back to the pits. Moments later, David Coulthard (Red Bull) slid into the same barrier, and was then collected mid-crash by Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso), who was having an accident of his own.
Alonso switched to extreme wets during his stop for repairs, allowing him to go on a charge when the race resumed following three laps under yellow.
But his chance of pulling off a surprise result then ended when he tangled with BMW's Nick Heidfeld at the Fairmont Hotel hairpin, breaking the Renault's wing again and eventually causing Heidfeld to pit with a puncture.
Rosberg also lost another wing in the incident after a touch with Kovalainen in the traffic jam behind the interlocked BMW and Renault.
Raikkonen received his penalty shortly after the restart, and would later lose more time when he went straight on at Sainte Devote and broke his front wing.
These incidents allowed Kubica up to second, and the BMW began to edge closer to Massa, before taking the lead when the Ferrari ran wide at the first corner on lap 15.
The Pole couldn't shake Massa off, though, and when the Ferrari stayed out six laps longer than Kubica before its first pitstop, Massa was able to get back in front. Both were behind Hamilton, however.
The McLaren driver had fallen away from the top two at first while laden with his full fuel load. But as his car lightened and the track began to dry, Hamilton began to dominate - lapping between one and three seconds faster than second-placed Massa in the middle of the race.
By the time Hamilton made his final stop and took on dry weather tyres on lap 53, his lead was nearly 40 seconds, and he had no trouble rejoining comfortably ahead.
Kubica then jumped in front of Massa again by pitting for 'slicks' one lap earlier.
Only 13 seconds behind them, Sutil had risen to fourth thanks to some bold moves in the wet early laps, a mistake-free drive, and some extremely quick times as conditions improved.
Force India also chose the perfect moment to change to dry tyres, allowing Sutil to take fourth from Webber, as the Red Bull driver made his tyre switch slightly prematurely.
Sutil enjoyed a comfortable advantage over the battling Raikkonen and Webber until Rosberg had a huge crash on the entry to the Swimming Pool section on lap 61 - prompting a second safety car.
Raikkonen was determined to get past Sutil at the restart, but succeeded only in out-braking himself into the chicane and ploughing into the rear of the Force India, causing terminal damage to its rear and breaking the Ferrari's front wing.
Hamilton stretched away from Kubica and Massa to secure the victory after the restart, as the race ran to the two-hour time limit, bringing Ferrari's run of victories to an end.
Webber had a straightforward final few laps in fourth place, just ahead of Vettel, who held off Rubens Barrichello (Honda) as the Brazilian finally ended his long points drought following a strong drive from the midfield that saw him setting several fastest laps as the track dried.
Williams' Kazuki Nakajima and the delayed Kovalainen completed the points-scorers, with Raikkonen trailing home ninth and Alonso tenth after his miscellaneous incidents.
Button, Glock, Jarno Trulli (who lost too much time on extreme wets after an early tyre change) and Heidfeld completed the finishers. Nelson Piquet retired his Renault after crashing on slick tyres, while Giancarlo Fisichella's 200th GP was spent battling gearbox problems at the rear of the field. He finally stopped at half-distance.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo, Monaco, Monaco;
76 laps; 260.520km;
Weather: Wet.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 2h00:42.272
2. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 3.069
3. Massa Ferrari (B) + 4.811
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 19.264
5. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 24.657
6. Barrichello Honda (B) + 28.408
7. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 30.180
8. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 33.191
9. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 33.793
10. Alonso Renault (B) + 1 lap
11. Button Honda (B) + 1 lap
12. Glock Toyota (B) + 1 lap
13. Trulli Toyota (B) + 1 lap
14. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 4 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:16.689

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 67
Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 58
Piquet Renault (B) 46
Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 37
Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 13
Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 13


World Championship standings, round 6:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Hamilton 38 1. Ferrari 69
2. Raikkonen 35 2. McLaren-Mercedes 53
3. Massa 34 3. BMW Sauber 52
4. Kubica 32 4. Williams-Toyota 15
5. Heidfeld 20 5. Red Bull-Renault 15
6. Kovalainen 15 6. Renault 9
7. Webber 15 7. Toyota 9
8. Alonso 9 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6
9. Trulli 9 9. Honda 6
10. Rosberg 8
11. Nakajima 7
12. Vettel 4
13. Barrichello 3
14. Button 3
15. Bourdais 2
ref [AS]
Read More......

Felipe Massa will start tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix from pole position after snatching the top spot from Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen by less than three hundredths of a second.
Ferrari locked out the front row, despite McLaren having looked quicker throughout the weekend so far. Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen had to settle for sharing the second row of the grid.
Hamilton and Kovalainen began qualifying by trading quickest times in Q1, but Massa pulled a 1:15.1 out of the bag in the dying seconds. The Brazilian repeated the time with his first effort in Q2 and it remained unbeaten as he went on to top all three parts of qualifying.
Raikkonen seemed to have secured pole position when his last effort proved just out of reach of Hamilton, but Massa, last on track again, stole the top spot by the smallest of margins with the final lap of the session.

The McLarens were quickest in the first sector, but lost out ultimately because they weren't able to match the pace of the Ferraris in the longer second sector of the lap.
Robert Kubica was best of the rest in fifth place, ahead of Nico Rosberg, who finished Q2 in second place after setting an excellent 1:15.287 on the harder tyre.
Fernando Alonso will start seventh after only just making it into the final session with his last lap of Q2. The Spaniard complained of a lack of grip in his Renault, but managed to qualify ahead of Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber in the end.
David Coulthard completed the top ten despite being unable to run in the final session.
Several drivers' last efforts in Q2 were affected when Coulthard struck the barrier when he lost it under braking for the chicane. That left Nick Heidfeld 13th, and both Hondas, Kazuki Nakajima, and Timo Glock also in the drop zone at the end of the session.
Rubens Barrichello ended up 15th but is under investigation by the stewards for blocking one of Giancarlo Fisichella's laps in Q1.
Nelson Piquet's qualifying struggles continued as he was knocked out in Q1. The Brazilian nearly clipped the barrier at Portier on his penultimate lap and his final attempt was only good enough for 17th on the grid.
Both of Scuderia Toro Rosso's new cars were also knocked out in the first round. Sebastien Bourdais was unlucky not to make it through, with his last lap just half a tenth slower than Kazuki Nakajima in 15th.
Sebastian Vettel and Giancarlo Fisichella will start from the final row of the grid. Each had a five-place grid penalty for changing their gearbox, but only qualified 18th and 20th anyway.
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:15.190 1:15.110 1:15.787
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:15.717 1:15.404 1:15.815
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.582 1:15.322 1:15.839
4. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:15.295 1:15.389 1:16.165
5. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:15.977 1:15.483 1:16.171
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:15.935 1:15.287 1:16.548
7. Alonso Renault (B) 1:16.646 1:15.827 1:16.852
8. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:16.306 1:15.598 1:17.203
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:16.074 1:15.745 1:17.343
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:16.086 1:15.839 No time
11. Glock Toyota (B) 1:16.285 1:15.907
12. Button Honda (B) 1:16.259 1:16.101
13. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:16.650 1:16.455
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:16.756 1:16.479
15. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:16.208 1:16.537
16. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:16.806
17. Piquet Renault (B) 1:16.933
18. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:16.955
19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.225
20. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:17.823
ref[AS]
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For the second time in three races, Ferrari have utilised their vented nosecone assembly in Monaco. The solution, which improves the car's overall aero balance, works best at high-downforce tracks like Monte Carlo, and the Italian team have further refined it with the addition of two triangular, inclined winglets (inset) at the base of the nosecone. These are designed to help divert away turbulence generated by the front-wing pillars and hence enhance the efficiency of the bottom hole.

ref:[formula1.com]


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For nearly 80 years, the Monaco Grand Prix has challenged drivers to tame the tight and twisty streets of a race track which winds its way through the second smallest nation on earth. At just two square kilometres, and with the highest national population density in Europe, Monaco is unique on the Formula One calendar. That 350km/h race cars still do battle on its treacherous turns in the 21st century is testament to the enduring fascination of the Monaco Grand Prix.
For most in Formula One racing, Monaco is in equal parts a trial and a joy; with the tight confines challenging everyone in the paddock, but the history, glamour and unrivalled atmosphere stoking the flames of passion in all motorsport enthusiasts.
Richard Cregan, Toyota team manager, sums it up: "Monaco is one of the great races of the year. It is an icon in terms of Formula One and a driver on a flying lap in Monaco, I believe, earns his salary for the year right there. But you also have the great atmosphere of being in Monaco; the glitz and the glamour combined with Formula One racing. You have an enthusiasm, a passion that you probably don't get at too many circuits in Formula One."
Jarno Trulli has a passion for racing and some incredible memories of Monaco's legendary streets, having won his first Grand Prix in 2004 with a superb performance from pole position. Of course, that kind of result will always give happy memories but regardless, for Trulli, Monaco is always a special place.
"My race win here was the perfect Monaco souvenir," he says. "I have a lot of fun at Monaco, it is a very different Grand Prix and I find it very exciting. There is more risk there and you need a good feeling with the car to succeed. It is difficult to explain why this race track is so special. The guard rail is very close and it seems very fast; it is a great challenge and you need total concentration. It is just a great circuit."

With unforgiving walls just centimetres away, drivers are given no margin for error, which makes Monaco one of the most mentally demanding races of the year. In terms of the cars, it may be tempting, logical even, to assume the slowest race on the calendar is the least demanding, but that could not be further from the truth. Monaco is not only a unique challenge for a driver; it places very special demands on a Formula One car as well.
With so many slow-speed corners, drivers spend almost the entire 3.34 km lap working their way through the gears, adding up to nearly 4,000 gear changes over a race distance, and that is just one element of Monaco's mechanical menace, as Toyota’s chief race and test engineer, Dieter Gass, explains.
"It is a circuit which is mechanically very demanding because there are a lot of gear changes due to the fact you are always working in the lower part of the ratios," he says. "So there is a lot of work for the gearbox - between every corner the driver is shifting up and down.
"This track is very demanding for the brakes as well because of the low average speed and the lack of long straights where you would cool down your brakes. Consequently the average temperature of the brakes is very, very high and this means you have to be very carefully about your brake cooling."
Engine cooling, too, can be a major issue. While the rich and famous sip ice-cold cocktails, with a cool sea breeze wafting over their luxurious balconies in the May sunshine, a Formula One car gasps for air around the chokingly tight streets.
At other circuits, long straights represent welcome relief for an engine, with relatively cooler air blasting past the radiators at 350km/h to trim temperatures, but Monaco has a distinct shortage of straights. Luckily, that also means high downforce, rather than high top speed, is the order of the day, so there is more leeway than normal for aerodynamics to be tweaked to help out.

"The aerodynamic package will be our maximum downforce package," says Toyota’s head of aerodynamics, Mark Gillan. "We are not so concerned about drag so you will see appendages going on the car which wouldn't normally be on for reasons of efficiency and you will see different cooling options on the car as well to try to get maximum cooling. You also tend to try as much front aero balance, with big front wings, so really the car is trimmed for maximum downforce."
For all Monaco's technical challenge, its appeal is more basic; just to be so close to the action, surrounded by the fastest racing cars on earth, is an intoxicating experience, even for Formula One regulars.
"There is no run-off so the cars are very close to the walls and close to the public and that is probably what makes it so special for us," says Pascal Vasselon, Toyota’s senior general chassis manager. "It is the only place where you really feel, hear and smell the speed of the cars. For me every Monaco Grand Prix is really special - it is where I really feel what I am doing."
ref[formula1.com]
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No wonder that Ferrari’s Felipe Massa loves Istanbul Park. On Sunday afternoon he owned the place, and nobody seriously looked like challenging him as he sped to his hat-trick of victories here to move into joint second in the driver standings.
Sure, Lewis Hamilton pulled what seemed a brilliant passing move on him for the lead on the 24th lap, but it transpired that the Englishman was on a three-stop strategy for McLaren, and soon the way was clear again for Massa as Hamilton stopped to refuel and retain hard tyres on the 32nd lap.
Hamilton had sufficient in hand over Kimi Raikkonen, however, to keep the Finn in third place and to reduce his championship points lead to seven as they sped to the line 3.7s adrift of Massa, and separated by only four-tenths of second. The MP4-23 had been sweet on the harder Bridgestones, but still clearly didn’t like the softer rubber that Hamilton had to don for his final 13-lap stint. After the race the team revealed that tyre durability concerns had in fact prompted the three-stop route.
Into fourth and fifth places came the BMW Saubers of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, which lacked the sheer pace to play anything other than leading supporting roles this time out.
Fernando Alonso further boosted Renault with a solid sixth place, surviving a minor brush with Raikkonen in the first corner, and seventh fell to Mark Webber after another solid performance by the Australian for Red Bull. Nico Rosberg took the final point with eighth for Williams, and was followed home by David Coulthard in the second Red Bull and Toyota’s Jarno Trulli as the last unlapped runners.
Honda’s Jenson Button was a lapped 11th ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. The Finnish McLaren driver, who started second, was desperately unlucky to have to make an unscheduled stop for fresh rubber after two laps, having picked up a slow rear puncture following minor contact from Raikkonen's front wing - which sustained some minimal damage - at the start.
After that Kovalainen fought back from the rear of the field and had some great dices with Toyota’s Timo Glock, in particular, and Rosberg, before dropping back in his final pit stop. He finished ahead of Glock, who again showed his fighting spirit, Rubens Barrichello, whose 257th GP outing did not produce anything to shout about for Honda, Renault’s Nelson Piquet, Force India’s Adrian Sutil and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel.
The latter duo both stopped at the end of the opening lap to have repairs made after Giancarlo Fisichella’s unhappy weekend came to an end as he overtook Kazuki Nakajima - by flying over the top of the Williams. Neither the Italian, who landed his Force India in the gravel, nor the Japanese, who got to the pits minus his rear wing, were able to continue. The other retiree was Sebastien Bourdais, whose Toro Rosso dumped him in the gravel as the result of a technical failure.
The result leaves Raikkonen with a diminished lead in the world championship chase with 35 points, ahead of Massa and Hamilton on 28 and Kubica on 24. Ferrari extend their advantage atop the constructor standings, heading BMW Sauber by 19 points, with McLaren a further two adrift.
Result:
1 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:26:49.451
2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 3.779
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 4.271
4 Robert Kubica BMW 21.945
5 Nick Heidfeld BMW 38.741
6 Fernando Alonso Renault 53.724
7 Mark Webber Red Bull 1:04.229
8 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:11.406
9 David Coulthard Red Bull 1:15.270
10 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:16.344
11 Jenson Button Honda 1 lap
12 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1 lap
13 Timo Glock Toyota 1 lap
14 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1 lap
15 Nelsinho Piquet Jr Renault 1 lap
16 Adrian Sutil Force India 1 lap
17 Sebastien Vettel Toro Rosso 1 lap
18 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso (DNF)
19 Kazuki Nakajima Williams (DNF)
20 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India (DNF)
ref[formula1.com]

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Felipe Massa will start from pole position in Turkey for the third successive year after a dominant performance in qualifying at Istanbul Park.
The Ferrari driver, who is also chasing a third straight win at the track, was nearly half a second clear of the rest of the field after his first flying lap in Q3, and although the McLarens closed in, Massa improved on his second lap to claim pole with a 1:27.617.
Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton took second and third for McLaren, but championship leader Kimi Raikkonen could only manage fourth in the second Ferrari.
The McLarens had been over a second off Massa's pace in the first part of Q3, then made major gains on their second runs. Hamilton used the hard tyres to take third, while Kovalainen briefly knocked Massa off the provisional pole before having to settle for the outside front row position.

Robert Kubica completed the top five for BMW, four places ahead of teammate Nick Heidfeld.
Red Bull Racing got both their cars into the top ten for the first time in 2008. Mark Webber and David Coulthard then chose to save fuel and only do one run in Q3, taking sixth and 10th respectively.
Jarno Trulli maintained his record of reaching Q3 for every race so far this year and qualified eighth, while his Toyota teammate Timo Glock languished in 15th position.
Alonso was unable to repeat his astonishing Barcelona qualifying form, but did make it into the top ten again. He will start seventh.
Rubens Barrichello couldn't manage to claim a top ten start for his record-breaking 257th Grand Prix, but he did out-pace teammate Jenson Button, as the Hondas took 12th and 13th places, just behind Nico Rosberg (Williams).
The German squeezed into the top ten in the last seconds of Q2, then got pushed back to row six when Heidfeld recovered from a poor first lap to guarantee a Q3 position with his final run.
The demise of Super Aguri made it tougher for the midfield teams to secure a place in Q2, with only 15 rather than the previous 16 drivers now proceeding to the second qualifying segment under the tweaked format.
Williams' Kazuki Nakajima and Renault's Nelson Piquet were the drivers to lose out, with Nakajima spinning on the exit of Turn 7 on his first Q1 run and then only reaching 16th at the second attempt. He will start one place ahead of Piquet, who briefly got up to 15th then was edged back to 17th as others improved in the final seconds.
Sebastian Vettel impressively reached Q2 in the 2007 Toro Rosso chassis' last qualifying session, but his teammate Sebastien Bourdais was only 18th-fastest in Q1, albeit just 0.179 seconds slower than Vettel, who ultimately qualified 14th.
The Force India cars were slowest of all. Although Giancarlo Fisichella out-qualified teammate Adrian Sutil by half a second, he will start behind the German thanks to his penalty for passing the pit exit red light at the start of Friday practice.
Pos Driver Make Q1 Q2 Q3 laps
1. Massa Ferrari 1:25.994 1:26.192 1:27.617 16
2. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.736 1:26.290 1:27.808 16
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.192 1:26.477 1:27.923 15
4. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:26.457 1:26.050 1:27.936 17
5. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:26.761 1:26.129 1:28.390 17
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:26.773 1:26.466 1:28.417 17
7. Alonso Renault 1:26.836 1:26.522 1:28.422 18
8. Trulli Toyota 1:26.695 1:26.822 1:28.836 20
9. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:27.107 1:26.607 1:28.882 20
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:26.939 1:26.520 1:29.959 16
11. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:27.367 1:27.012 13
12. Barrichello Honda 1:27.355 1:27.219 13
13. Button Honda 1:27.428 1:27.298 14
14. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:27.442 1:27.412 15
15. Glock Toyota 1:26.614 1:27.806 15
16. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:27.547 9
17. Piquet Renault 1:27.568 7
18. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:27.621 8
19. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:27.807 10
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:28.325 9
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