Daily Update Formula1 News

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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Heikki Kovalainen has said he has got no qualms about getting back in a Formula One car, ahead of his likely return to action in Turkey following his Spanish Grand Prix crash.
The Finn has resumed full training for the first time since his 145mph crash and, although he still needs to pass an FIA medical to be allowed to compete in next weekend's Turkish Grand Prix, he is raring to get back behind the wheel.
"I am feeling good, the stiffness in my neck has pretty much gone and I have been back training," Kovalainen said on Friday having just returned home for the first time.
"I left Spain on Thursday and went back to Finland, where I have spent some time working with the team doctor at our facility there on ensuring I am fit for the race. Initially during the week we were doing some light training before starting on my full programme just before the weekend. Lewis will also be here over the weekend doing his training before the race.

"The next stage for me is the fitness test at the track in Turkey on Thursday with the FIA. I can't wait to get back into the car and race with the team next weekend, but at the end of the day that decision is out of my hands, the FIA will make it based on safety grounds only."

When asked if he had any doubts about getting back in the cockpit, Kovalainen said: "None whatsoever, I want to get back racing as soon as possible, since the accident at Barcelona it has been my only focus.

"Everyone involved in the sport, the FIA in particular, is always working on improving safety for the drivers, but Formula One is a risky business. You know that as a driver, but you don't think about it. If you worry about things like that, you lose focus; I guess it is just not in my psyche."
McLaren have admitted they have a plan in place for Istanbul in case Kovalainen is not allowed to race, although they are optimistic about his progress since last weekend.
The tam's F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "Our team doctor has kept an eye on him during the week both in Spain and then at the Kuortane Sports Institute in Finland and there has been no development of any secondary symptoms so everything is positive on that front.
"Before travelling to Istanbul, we will organise a full neurological examination for Heikki with our specialists in Finland as a matter of course. He will then have the mandatory FIA evaluation on Thursday at the circuit, which is a routine neuro and physiological test completed after any concussion.
"Of course we have a plan in place should the FIA request Heikki sits this race out, as at all Grands Prix, but we have a race driver who is naturally impatient to get back out there and this is the aim of the team. That said, we will fully respect the decision of the medical professionals, they are the specialists."
Kovalainen's damaged car from Spain has been quarantined at the McLaren factory pending a full forensic investigation into the causes of the accident.
The team have prepared their spare monocoque into a new race car for Kovalainen for Turkey.
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PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS
The Spanish Grand Prix
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain;
66 laps; 307.104km;
Weather: Sunny.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1h38:19.051
2. Massa Ferrari (B) + 3.228
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 4.187
4. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 5.694
5. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 35.938
6. Button Honda (B) + 53.010
7. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 58.244
8. Trulli Toyota (B) + 59.435
9. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 1:03.073
10. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
11. Glock Toyota (B) + 1 lap
12. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
13. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:21.670

Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 42
Alonso Renault (B) 35
Barrichello Honda (B) 35
Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 22
Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 9
Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 8
Piquet Renault (B) 7
Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1
Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1


World Championship standings, round 4:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Raikkonen 29 1. Ferrari 47
2. Hamilton 20 2. BMW Sauber 35
3. Kubica 19 3. McLaren-Mercedes 34
4. Massa 18 4. Williams-Toyota 12
5. Heidfeld 16 5. Toyota 9
6. Kovalainen 14 6. Red Bull-Renault 8
7. Trulli 9 7. Renault 6
8. Webber 8 8. Honda 3
9. Rosberg 7 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 2
10. Alonso 6
11. Nakajima 5
12. Button 3
13. Bourdais 2

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Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen became the eighth consecutive man to win the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position, when he dominated Sunday's race at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The Finn shrugged off two safety car periods - the second when compatriot Heikki Kovalainen crashed his McLaren heavily after a front-end failure pitched him off the road in Turn Nine at an estimated 180 mph - and led home team mate Felipe Massa, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica. They finished 3.2s, 0.9s, and 1.5s apart respectively.
It may not have been a classic race, but it increased Raikkonen's championship score to 29 points and his lead to nine over Hamilton (20), while Massa jumps up to fourth on 18, one behind Kubica (19).
The Kovalainen incident occurred on the 22nd lap, possibly as a result of something causing the front-left tyre and rim to separate. It took a while to stabilise the Finn at the accident scene, but he gave a thumbs up as he was taken by stretcher to the medical centre. Later he was flown to hospital for precautionary checks, and his condition was described as stable.

The incident ruined Nick Heidfeld's race for BMW Sauber, since he was on a longer refuelling strategy and had just taken the lead after the first round of pit stops. He had to come in when the pit lane was still closed, and thus had to serve a stop-go penalty later on. That dropped him to a ninth-place finish.
Mark Webber brought his Red Bull home fifth ahead of Jenson Button's Honda, Kazuki Nakajima's Williams and Jarno Trulli's Toyota. The Italian was hampered by a long second stop and an unecessary third one after a communications mix up.
Giancarlo Fisichella was unable to resist the charging Heidfeld, so brought his Force India home 10th, ahead of Toyota's Timo Glock, who delayed himself running into the rear of David Coulthard. The Scot's left-rear tyre was cut as a result, so he also dropped back but managed to repass Super Aguri's Takuma Sato before the finish to claim 12th.
William's Nico Rosberg was headed for seventh place until his Toyota engine broke; Renault's Fernando Alonso was running fifth when his engine also blew up; Honda's Rubens Barrichello had a collision in the pit lane with Fisichella, which led to his subsequent retirement, and a clash on the opening lap also accounted for Force India's Adrian Sutil and, yet again, Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel. Team mate Sebastien Bourdais retired after being clobbered by Renault's Nelson Piquet as the Brazilian attempted to overtake. Piquet also failed to finish as a result. Finally, Super Aguri's Anthony Davidson went out with mechanical problems.
ref[formuala1.com]
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