Formula-1 News and Updates

Even I expected this reply from You...
I ll post the video later.. Look for yourself who did the mistake.. It was just a racing incident.. He is not going to gain had he done it on purpose...
It is now very clear that Ferraris are clearly having the F1 Control with them...
Again coming back to Bourdais incident, why was he penalised ? It was just a racing incident, I thought ok so both drivers are fighting for positions. Massa was faster on the corner but left no way for Bourdais and he spun.. ok.. but what was the outcome ? Bourdais was penalised.. shocking isnt it...

After the race the same question was asked to KAran Chandok the guest commentator for Star Sports yesterday he was and i was also clear that it was hamilton's mistake to overtake kimi in the 1st corner and could not break it at the right time which forced Kimi, Kovi.........and some other to take straight line and go off the track by which kubica, alonso got benefitted...........it was purely hamiltons mistake and regarding massa penalty it was correct as it was his mistake to collide with hamilton..........regarding the bourdias and massa incident i again feel that the car coming out from the pit lane should have slowed down a bit in the 1st corner which bourdias did not do that .........but i felt that massa also to be partially blamed for that incident...........

In the end i am happy to see Massa getting 2 points from this race and now he is behind hamilton by 5 points..................If Massa needs to win the championships from now on its simple for him........its nothing but to win both the races................:cool2:. I am keeping my fingers crossed:ashamed:

This time i am voting again i am voting for Kubica as i feel again some drama might happen in this weekends race too........and i feel that the drivers from red and silver car may not win this race too......and i predict kubica or other drivers might win this weekends race..........:thumb:.

As i quoted in my thread starting post there was drama in yesterday's race and it was a treat to watch it too...........

Alonso wins and this time he deserved it.

Hamilton again pays for not braking right time which he does now everytime.
It was totally alonso's race yesterday and he drove it brilliantly. This time it was not luck except the 1st corner incident.........It was his performance and the car which made him to win the race and purely deserves the victory and good to see that renault is making some progress now........:thumb:

Massa: Hamilton duel 'hard but fair'

Sunday, 12 October 2008 14:16

Felipe Massa believes he did nothing wrong in his controversial clash with championship rival Lewis Hamilton at Fuji, which resulted in him receiving a drive-through penalty.

The Ferrari driver punted the Briton into a spin at the turn 10 chicane on the second lap on Sunday as they battled for position after both losing ground at the first corner, resulting in Hamilton dropping to the back and Massa feeling the wrath of the stewards.

Massa, who went on to cut Hamilton’s points lead to five after being promoted to seventh place from eighth on the road, insists the collision was no more than a racing incident.

"A strange race with everything that happened on track,” he said.
Massa: Hamilton duel 'hard but fair' - F1 | ITV Sport

McLaren 'surprised' by penalty

Sunday, 12 October 2008 10:25

McLaren boss Ron Dennis said the team was "surprised" by the stewards' decision to give Lewis Hamilton a drive-through penalty for his move at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix.
The polesitter was passed by Kimi Raikkonen off the line but dived back ahead into turn one, only to take both Ferraris and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen wide with him.
Dennis felt that it was unusual for such an incident to warrant a penalty.
"We were a bit surprised that Lewis was given a penalty in respect of the first corner incident, simply because we've all seen similar first corner incidents that triggered no such penalty," he said.
"Drivers miss braking points, they run wide; these things happen."
McLaren 'surprised' by penalty - F1 | ITV Sport

Briatore hails 'great' Alonso, Piquet

Sunday, 12 October 2008 10:03

Renault boss Flavio Briatore hailed his drivers’ performances in the Japanese Grand Prix as “great” after the team secured a surprise 1-4 finish.
Fernando Alonso claimed a second straight victory for the Enstone-based squad, while team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr responded to the growing pressure mounting on him to produce his best drive of his rookie season to score fourth.
Briatore hails 'great' Alonso, Piquet - F1 | ITV Sport



Sunday, 12 October 2008 08:13

Kimi Raikkonen was frustrated with third place in the Japanese Grand Prix, believing that his first corner incident with Lewis Hamilton cost him a much better result.

The Finn jumped into the lead at the start as pole-sitter Hamilton made a slow getaway, but then the McLaren dived down the inside into turn one, forcing both wide.

Raikkonen tumbled to eighth in the incident, and also sustained minor damage.

"I got a pretty good start, got into first place, but then braking into the first corner I was trying to turn in and there was first one McLaren, then the second one, and they both hit me," he said.
Kimi frustrated by first corner incident - F1 | ITV Sport

Kubica: Second better than Canada win

Sunday, 12 October 2008 00:00

Robert Kubica believes his second place in Japan was a greater achievement than his Canadian Grand Prix victory.

He believes BMW is now in much less competitive shape than it was in the first part of the season, making this podium even more satisfying than his maiden win.

"I think this is much better than the Canada win," said Kubica.
Kubica: Second better than Canada win - F1 | ITV Sport

Hamilton: I made a mistake

Sunday, 12 October 2008 07:55

Lewis Hamilton admitted the first-corner incident that caused his Japanese Grand Prix to go disastrously wrong within seconds of the start was his own fault.
The McLaren driver made a poor getaway from pole position and then, while trying to repass Kimi Raikkonen at turn one, locked up heavily, ran wide and forced the Ferrari off the circuit.
After an unscheduled pit stop to replace the damaged tyre and later a drive-through penalty, Hamilton dropped out of contention for a points finish and came home a lowly 12th.
When asked by ITV Sport’s Louise Goodman if he regretted the move, Hamilton replied: “Of course.
“You can always look back and wish you did something else, but I made a mistake and I paid for it.
“This sort of thing happens, you’ve just got to keep your head up and keep going.”
Hamilton: I made a mistake - F1 | ITV Sport
@asdfgf
Since hamilton himself has admitted that he has committed a mistake and i hope that now you agree that that he has done a mistake in the first corner ............

Engine failure fells Kovalainen

Sunday, 12 October 2008 07:23

Heikki Kovalainen said a Mercedes-Benz engine failure was the likely cause of his retirement from the Japanese Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver was running in third place when his MP4-23 expired on lap 17.
“I think it was an engine failure,” Kovalainen surmised to ITV Sport’s pit lane reporter Louise Goodman.
“I don’t know what [triggered] it because the reliability has been fantastic so far this year and even last year.
“Sometimes these things happen.
“I just saw some pieces of metal flying from the exhaust, which is never a good sign.”
Engine failure fells Kovalainen - F1 | ITV Sport

Alonso praises 'perfect' Renault

Sunday, 12 October 2008 00:00

Fernando Alonso said a 'perfect' Renault allowed him to pull out the lead he required to take Japanese Grand Prix victory.

The Spaniard claimed his second consecutive victory thanks to an awesome middle stint in which he charged away from the chasing Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen before his relatively early final stop.

He had followed Kubica initially after falling behind the BMW at the chaotic first corner, but requested a light fuel load so he could make a break in the second stint.

"The start was probably the most exciting part of the race for sure," said Alonso.
Alonso praises 'perfect' Renault - F1 | ITV Sport

Alonso praises 'perfect' Renault

Sunday, 12 October 2008 00:00

Fernando Alonso said a 'perfect' Renault allowed him to pull out the lead he required to take Japanese Grand Prix victory.

The Spaniard claimed his second consecutive victory thanks to an awesome middle stint in which he charged away from the chasing Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen before his relatively early final stop.

He had followed Kubica initially after falling behind the BMW at the chaotic first corner, but requested a light fuel load so he could make a break in the second stint.

"The start was probably the most exciting part of the race for sure," said Alonso.
Alonso praises 'perfect' Renault - F1 | ITV Sport

I think alonso should stay with renault for next year and i hope with his experience and inputs to renault hope he gets a winning car.....:thumb:

Guys I have come back again with this weekends race poll...........

This time i am coming with the question which car will win the Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai, China. I believe this time we are not going to have any drama unless rain comes and interferes in the race. I think this time its going to red car or the silver car will win this race.............:dance:. There is no doubt on this for me............

So please participate in the poll before the qualifying session of this weekends race........:thumb:


2007 Race Report : Kimi win sets up three-way title decider


Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso ensured the world championship battle will go down to the wire in Brazil after they took full advantage of Lewis Hamilton's dramatic retirement to finish first and second in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Title leader Hamilton had looked set to clinch his place in history as Formula 1's first rookie world champion after commandingly leading the first half of the wet-dry race, but agonisingly slid off into the gravel on the pit lane entry while grappling with clapped-out tyres.
China - Race Report - F1 | ITV Sport

Hope History repeats again in Chinese Grand Prix.........😀

yes now mostly he will stay with renault seeing that they can make race winning car. but i still feel renault is still behind BMW

But for the past 2 races BMW was behind renault😛just kidding but i believe that renault can produce a winning atleast for the next season..........i wanted to see alonso in a competitive car..........

Did any one see the last lap of Alonso some interesting thing happend where in in Alonso's Last Lap hamilton was behind alonso by a lap down and i believe he was interested in it and thats the reason for few times he showed the car nose to alonso that he wants to over take and alonso graciously left him to over take as he might have done serious damage to alonso by hitting him from behind as he did for kimi in canadian GP...........🙂

It was actually Hamilton's ego, he didnt want to be in a lapped car (every1 wud have such ego, me too)! But he was faster anyway.

I wanted to tell the same but i restriced my comment as i thought that our friend Mr.asdfgf may not agree with that........:hysterical: but certainly i would say that hamilton has got a big ego problem with him.....😢.......and our commentator Mr. Steve Slater would say or term that ego as a aggressive racing driver behaviour.........one thing i found our this season is that our commentator is some what one sided towards hamilton. This is because he is also a brit residing in singapore..........😡

Hamilton: I made a mistake

Sunday, 12 October 2008 07:55

Lewis Hamilton admitted the first-corner incident that caused his Japanese Grand Prix to go disastrously wrong within seconds of the start was his own fault.
The McLaren driver made a poor getaway from pole position and then, while trying to repass Kimi Raikkonen at turn one, locked up heavily, ran wide and forced the Ferrari off the circuit.
After an unscheduled pit stop to replace the damaged tyre and later a drive-through penalty, Hamilton dropped out of contention for a points finish and came home a lowly 12th.
When asked by ITV Sport’s Louise Goodman if he regretted the move, Hamilton replied: “Of course.
“You can always look back and wish you did something else, but I made a mistake and I paid for it.
“This sort of thing happens, you’ve just got to keep your head up and keep going.”
Hamilton: I made a mistake - F1 | ITV Sport
@asdfgf
Since hamilton himself has admitted that he has committed a mistake and i hope that now you agree that that he has done a mistake in the first corner ............


I agree that it is a mistake. But I ll not agree that It was did by him puposely :madness: he locked up at that corner thereby pushing raikkonen wide... it is a racing incident...

I wanted to tell the same but i restriced my comment as i thought that our friend Mr.asdfgf may not agree with that........:hysterical: but certainly i would say that hamilton has got a big ego problem with him.....😢.......and our commentator Mr. Steve Slater would say or term that ego as a aggressive racing driver behaviour.........one thing i found our this season is that our commentator is some what one sided towards hamilton. This is because he is also a brit residing in singapore..........😡

Thats what Steve Slater told... Even I didnt like Mclaren being lapped :wall:.. in the end, Hamilton made a right move 😀

Pls post the Qualifying and Race Timings... I think it ll start at 12 o clock?

11:30 qual saturday12:30 race sunday

@amish,Nandri... (Thank You)

At any cost i dont want to miss the next race as i expect something unexpected is going to happen in the next race too.......involving some incidents between mclaren and ferrari😀....... I still want to comment some more things but i am keeping my mouth shut till the season ends......:cool2:

I agree that it is a mistake. But I ll not agree that It was did by him puposely :madness: he locked up at that corner thereby pushing raikkonen wide... it is a racing incident...

He did not do that wanted but a good driver would not have done that move at all coming that close to 1st corner by overtaking the other car and braking so late.......because of his incident it forced kimi to go stright and also others too.......ultimately what happend in that race........elephant threw mud in his head on his own.........:cool2:

Hamilton: Massa deliberately hit me

Monday, 13 October 2008 10:58

Lewis Hamilton has accused Felipe Massa of deliberately driving into him at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The title contenders collided on lap two at Fuji, when Massa ran wide going into the chicane, allowing Hamilton to slip past.

But the Ferrari driver then attempted to regain the place at the second part of the corner, hitting Hamilton's left-rear wheel and pushing the McLaren into a spin.

Lewis suggested that his championship rival had made a calculated decision to run into him.

"Felipe hit me off," Hamilton was quoted as saying by The Independent.

"I went on the inside of him and he broke left and hit me pretty hard.

"It was as deliberate as it could be."

But Massa vigorously refuted Hamilton's accusation.

"I did not hit him deliberately," the Brazilian was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

"I can't believe he sees it that way.

"For me it was just a racing incident but we took the penalty.

"He braked too late and just pushed me off the track.

"I had two wheels in the gravel and couldn't stop the car.

"I have a good relationship with Lewis and I will not do something to destroy something by purpose."

Massa was given a drive-through penalty for the incident, with Hamilton receiving the same punishment for his own antics at the start, where he had pushed both Ferraris wide in a late-braking bid to pass leader Kimi Raikkonen.

While Massa charged back into the points and finished seventh, Hamilton could only recover to 12th, reducing the championship gap between them to just five points.






http://www.itv-f1.com/popups/imageviewer.aspx?i=50650_2.jpg
Hamilton: Massa deliberately hit me - F1 | ITV Sport

James Allen's Japanese GP verdict

Monday, 13 October 2008 00:54

Against all expectations, the Japanese Grand Prix took place in bone-dry conditions, but there was no shortage of entertainment, incident and controversy all the same – and title protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa were in the thick of it.
ITV Sport commentator James Allen analyses all the key performances, including Fernando Alonso's majestic drive to a second consecutive victory, in his regular post-race verdict.


There is so much to talk about from this race, it’s hard to know where to start.
We had Lewis Hamilton losing his head when all that was required was some pragmatism, Felipe Massa showing his ruthless side, Fernando Alonso and Renault again excelling and then a highly contentious penalty for Sebastien Bourdais – which gifted Massa and Ferrari an extra point, reducing Hamilton’s lead to five points.


Red mist

http://www.itv-f1.com/popups/imageviewer.aspx?i=50656_2.jpgLet’s start with Hamilton.

Starting from pole, he knew that Kimi Raikkonen was a threat off the startline, but he also knew that Raikkonen was no threat to his championship position.
Second place here behind Kimi would have been fine, as long as Massa finished behind.
Ron Dennis even made this point in his press gathering on Saturday evening. So Lewis was told by Ron: “If Raikkonen passes you at the start, let him go.”
Lewis did the opposite. Once again, faced with a Ferrari in front of him he got a red mist on, just as he did when Kimi passed him in the pit lane in Canada.
He lunged down the inside with his front wheels locked up and pushed Kimi wide, losing vital places himself in the process – but more importantly, putting flat spots on his front tyres which would have made the car undrivable over a 20-lap stint.
So already he knew that he would have to stop for new tyres almost immediately.
But he wasn’t thinking about tyres; he was thinking about Massa, who had got in front of him.
He repassed Massa, who ran wide and then came across the chicane at him, and the inevitable collision happened, which spun Hamilton around and dropped him to the back of the field.


Ruthless streak
http://www.itv-f1.com/popups/imageviewer.aspx?i=50651_2.jpgThis was a different Massa from the one we have seen in the past, who didn’t put up much of a fight at Hockenheim, or in Malaysia last year, when Hamilton passed him.
This was ruthless Massa:cool2:; he’d lost the corner but he wasn’t going to let Hamilton get by, so he hit him.
Hamilton can have few complaints about it – after all he’s put some tasty moves on other drivers this year:ashamed: – but it’s definitely a marker for him that Massa will not be a soft touch in future.
For this incident Massa was rightly given a drive-through penalty, the same penalty as Hamilton received for the incident at the start.
This dropped both of them to the back of the field and from there it looked like a tough climb back into the points.
At this point Massa was 14 seconds ahead of Hamilton, but at the end of the race he was 32 seconds ahead.
In other words he was able to use the Ferrari’s speed to recover, while Hamilton found his car compromised by bodywork damage and didn’t have the speed to fight back.

Nevertheless, I think it is interesting that, for the second race in a row, Ferrari set the fastest race lap, with Renault the second fastest and McLaren third.http://sam.itv.com/IMPCNT/ccid=13629/acc_random=7960691795/SITE=ITV/AREA=SPORT.FORMULA1.ITVTEAM.JALLEN.STORY/POSITION=1/AAMSZ=300x250/RS=K0771910003.K0771910012.K0771910034.K0771910037.K0771910039.K0771910045.K0771910046.K0771910063.K0771910064.K0771910065.K0771910066.K0771910067.K0771910076.K0771910077.K0771910082.K0771910083.K0771910084.K0771910101./SEG=SPORT.FORMULA1/pageid=6396485994

Catching up quick
http://www.itv-f1.com/popups/imageviewer.aspx?i=50644_2.jpgIt shows how impressive Renault’s development has been this season, considering that they were over a second off the pace at the start of the year.
They’ve found something in the last few weeks which has transformed their car.
It’s either an aerodynamic tweak or a mechanical one which allows them to exploit the tyres better. Perhaps it’s both.
If you bear in mind that their engine is a little bit down on the Mercedes and Ferrari – to the extent that the FIA have been persuaded to let them bring it up to the level of the benchmark units over the winter – it has been a great effort on the chassis by the team from Enstone.
I wonder if this was a discovery they might have made earlier in the year. Either way, Alonso has now scored 30 points in the past four races, way more than the two title contenders.
Alonso was simply magnificent again today.
He rode his luck at the start, losing a place to Robert Kubica, but emerged second behind him after the Hamilton/Raikkonen incident at the first corner.
He jumped the Pole at the first round of pit stops by making a shorter refuelling stop.
He believed that the Renault was a faster car than the BMW and he was proved right, because when he got some clear air in the middle stint he was very fast.
He was also very consistent. He put in a sequence of laps which were identical to within a tenth of a second.
This was the Alonso who won two world titles with his relentlessness and sheer desire.
He hasn’t let his motivation wane at all this season, even when the car was barely good enough to qualify in the top 10.


Unjust punishment
http://www.itv-f1.com/popups/imageviewer.aspx?i=50627_2.jpgReturning to the subject of ruthless Massa, the major talking point as we left the circuit was the ridiculous penalty awarded to Sebastien Bourdais for the collision with Massa near the end of the race.
Bourdais was exiting the pit lane and the pit lane exit light was blue to warn him that a car was coming down the straight. They were racing each other for position.
Bourdais came out of the pit lane, with Massa well over to the left on the run to the first corner. Massa drove like a man who felt that a Toro Rosso had no business being in his way and should let him pass.
Bourdais did everything he could to avoid a collision, even putting his inside wheels on the kerbs, but Massa came across and spun around him.
He might argue that he had his front wheels in front, but the team managers I spoke to after the race all said that FIA race director Charlie Whiting had briefed them in Singapore and again in Fuji that the car exiting the pits has right of way.
So once again, the stewards have gone against the advice Charlie has issued to teams, as they did with the penalty for Hamilton in Spa (where Whiting had told McLaren he thought Hamilton had acted fairly).
If the teams cannot believe the race director, what hope have the rest of us and the wider public got?
The FIA styles itself as the referee in this sport, but surely it cannot afford to keep sending out such mixed messages.
It confuses the public and makes some of them think that these things are being done for Ferrari’s benefit.
Of the professionals I quizzed at the track, 99% were saying that this was in no way an offence by Bourdais – but it gives Massa another vital point in the championship, to go with the six he gained at Spa.
And like Hamilton’s penalty at Spa, this one cannot be appealed as it was a 25-second penalty added to race time, in lieu of a drive-through during the race.
But the incident happened on lap 51, some 16 laps from the end. The stewards had 20 minutes to consider their verdict.
Ironically it took them only 15 laps to award the penalties for Hamilton and Massa at the start, so they could have arrived at a conclusion before the end of the race.


Cause for concern
http://www.itv-f1.com/popups/imageviewer.aspx?i=50648_2.jpgA final note on Heikki Kovalainen’s engine failure.
This could be a bit of a worry for Lewis, as Kovalainen had used his free engine change in Singapore because there was a concern there. Now Mercedes has lost one in a race.
If there is a problem part, they haven’t got much time to put it right before Shanghai.
Lewis is due a new engine there and he hasn’t taken his free change yet, so can also have a new one in Brazil.
But it will be a niggling doubt in their minds. Another one, to go with the doubt about Lewis’s state of mind in the closing stages of another championship that is his to lose.
James Allen's Japanese GP verdict - Feature - F1 | ITV Sport