Sorry, but kinda getting tired of waiting for these threads now, so going by the old saying "If you can't get somthing done, do it yourself"


Practice 1
http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/795/6528/

McLaren have as they said they would, come closer to Ferrari this weekend. Both Kovalinen and Hamiliton taking 2rd and 3th Respectivily.
The rest of the feild was our usual friday practice lottery result,

Strangely, Honda decided to do very little running. Button doing 7 laps and Barrichello only 4, leaving himself at the bottom of the time sheets.

Meanwhile, Massa had a huge stunt on braking for turn 7, flying backwards into the barrier, causing hard damage to the Ferrari's rear end. Ends up, Alonso's Renault failed just before that, leaving a trail of oil which Felipe found himself braking on.



Heavy Rain is predicted all weekend, and knowing Britan, we can count on rain ruining races and giving back markers the chance to shine.
Predictions anyone

I was much more suprised with this particular news article:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/7/8039.html

My reaction: wwwwhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaatttttttt?

Awesome!

sonicadg,the McLaren were 2nd and 3rd

I'm not sur if the GP moving to Donnington is a good thing or a bad thing tbh. I think its needs a big change, and hopefully Donnington will provide a better GP for the future. Its a good track, with F1 history, so I'm optimistic.

Been missing alot of F1 races this year, and I will miss this one too. :( Luckily I catched Canada.

Still rooting for the good ol' prancing horse though. And I hope they'll win Silverstone as well.

Although Donnington is a great track, and been the host for some awesome races in the past, 1993 anyone, it all seems a bit small for a F1 race. Maybe that's just me though.

It does seem a little...danty for a GP. That was partly reason for my reaction! They're doing major upgrades to the circuit to bring it up to FIA race standards, so we'll see what happens. I personally can't wait to see them going down the hill!

I'm really dissapointed with Heidfeld. The lap time difference with Kubica is sometimes big.

Damn, i think that BMW will send him off. They will keep Kubica for sure.

And i think that Donnington will be a great place to host a F1 race.

Bad thing is that i might loose the British GP on Sunday:(

I want Heikki to do well =)
It should be a good GP :D

About Donnington, they are scheduling to begin there in 2010, so they have a few years to get it up to the level of what is expected in F1. I think its a good thing, was never really a fan of Silverstone anyway and it will be nice to have a change. Also, its closer to me so there is more chance of me being able to go!

Now, on to this weekend; if i could wish for nothing else, it would (rather unpredictably) be for Kovy to stand on the top step of the podium. I know i am a Hammy fanboy and i will always be rooting for him to win, but Kovy has had the unluckiest season by far of all the drivers, so he deserves to have all the hard work he puts in pay off. I know its the British GP, and for Hamilton to win here would probably make the season for me, regardless of weather he wins the championship (unlikely), but Kovy has had such a hard season and hasnt put a foot wrong, hes always had some bad luck or for events to turn against him when he was on for a great result. Even from Melbourne when he was on for 2nd place.

So come on Kovy, get your first win here!!! And if you dont, COME ON HAMMY!!!!

As for the rest of them, i would love Massa to have a good result, i think he is becoming more and more competitive and seems all of a sudden to be right there for the championship, where most people (me included) doubted him at the beginning of the season and questioned weather he had what it takes to be a world champion. It seems he may just have it, although when you look back at it, its actually obvious he has what it takes. Even from when he first came into F1 he was extremely fast, the only problem he had (and has only just recently managed to controll) is his consistency. The more he has come along, the more consistent he has become and the more and more likely he is looking to get a WDC.

One person who hasnt impressed me of late (sorry Nemphis) is Kimi. He is fast, thats not in question, but its his attitude, he for some reason doesnt appear to give every race his all. Maybe its his sometimes bizzare tendancy to dissapear from an entire weekend, sometimes after coming off the back of a win. Will this be another one of those? In a way, i really hope not. I am not his biggest fan, it has something to do with his complete lack of emotion and personality infront of cameras, and partly to do with my impression that he sometimes just fails to be bothered. Like last season when he had that string of races where he just kind of gave up before hed even tried. Only turning up when he felt he really needed to. (or when Ferrari themselves told him to book his ideas up!) I hope he doesnt slink away from this GP, he produced (imo) his finest drive of 2007 at silverstone, so he obviously has the ability to do well here, i just hope he turns up.

My predictions for qualifying are as follows:

1. Hamilton (running light and going for an agressive race)
2. Kovy
3. Massa
4. Webber
5. Kimi
6. DC
7. Button
8. Kubica
9. Trulli
10. Rosberg

*I know i only commented on the "top 4" but i dont really have enough time to go over many others. I would like to write about Piquet and about DC, Heidfeld, Button et al but i dont have the time, just dont want people to think im one of those "only-watches-the-front" fans.

I was much more suprised with this particular news article:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/7/8039.html

My reaction: wwwwhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaatttttttt?

Awesome!
Eh.... that track sucks none the less.

This can only mean bad news for Silverstone. It is falling out of its way a bit and losing F1 means its lost a lot of its buzz and vibrance.

Lots and lots of things going on this weekend, one of the main ones is that David Coulthard has announced that he will be retiring from F1 as of next season, which basically moves Vettel up to the senior Red Bull seat really. 13 wins, 15 years in a career that saw him finish second in the world championship in 2001. Sadly, his glittering career has to come to an end.

Another major issue is that the British GP will be moving to Donington Park as of 2010. Personally I can see this going quite well, as the fans absolutely love Donington as it always encourages great racing and there will be a few overtaking places on that track. Extremely sad to lose Silverstone also, as we have seen quite a few epic races over the years at that track. Hopefully Donington will give Jenson Button more luck over the next few years! The big positive out of this event is that the British GP will be guaranteed to be on the calendar until at least 2020, which is brilliant.

Anyway as of this weekend, Hamilton needs a good result, at least a podium, to have a realistic chance of the world championship. I think it's fair to say that Lewis would probably be closer to the championship lead, if not leading it, if he hadn't have crashed in Canada or made any silly mistakes in France. Lewis' last two races have been poor by anyone's standards and he needs to get his ass together to prove the critics who say that the pressure is getting to him wrong.

Historically, the Ferrari cars have always been mega quick at this circuit, as Raikkonen's win last year proves. The McLaren car is not as fast as the F2008 as it stands, so this track might just amplify Massa and Kimi's performances even more.

As for Hamilton's team-mate, Kovalainen, he also needs a good run to justify his place in the McLaren team, but lady Luck needs to be on his side today and a good result will be deserved after his horrendous bouts of luck over the course of this season.

Personally I will be supporting Jenson Button 110% on this race (even more so), as he has had some bad luck at this track in the past, and I think a good result would be justified.

As for my qualifying and race predictions, here they are:

Kimi
Massa
Hamilton
Kubica
Alonso
Kovalainen

And there's not much change for the race either, in fact I'll go as far as saying that there will be no change at all!

What d'ya reckon of this weekend, people?

@Beaver interesting prediction you've got there, but its still logical.

As for Kimi. Theres certainly a degree of laziness and lack of enthuisiam, but it does make him all the more unique. I personally think he's alot better then what he was, and he's upped his quali preformances as well. But when he's slower in practice, and goes on a bit about things like not getting the right step up, you begin to wonder just little

I personally think the BMW isn't a well rounded car, and that they're gonna struggle, maybe for a while. But I doubt Silverstone will be just as bad as France was. Still, they're just not on the pace of the front runners right now.

Quali will be interesting, and as usual, its more of a lottery than an educated guess, but
1. Massa (huge form in practice 1 and practice 2)
2. Lewis (will go agressive
3. Kovy
4.Webber (going on a wim really)
5. Kimi
6.Kubica

i'm well known for having zero interest in F1, and for that reason I don't waste anyones time by posting in those topics, however, I heard about the track change today from a very reliable source - my boss is on the board of directors for both Silverstone and the BRDC.

It is fair to say things were not going down too well and apparently he was not particuarly in a good mood about it (he was at Silverstone today I think for a meeting, so I did not actually see him, but the other boss told us what he had said.

So yeah, random interlude from me, I have nothing else to say on the matter :p
Other than Donnington is nice, I like being able to drive under the circuit and park on the inside, meaning I could watch the LeMans series while sitting in my car :p so would be the same for F1, somethings its nice to change things I think, keeps the scene fresh. There is no reason why it will not return to Silverstone in the future....

One person who hasnt impressed me of late (sorry Nemphis) is Kimi. He is fast, thats not in question, but its his attitude, he for some reason doesnt appear to give every race his all. Maybe its his sometimes bizzare tendancy to dissapear from an entire weekend, sometimes after coming off the back of a win. Will this be another one of those? In a way, i really hope not. I am not his biggest fan, it has something to do with his complete lack of emotion and personality infront of cameras, and partly to do with my impression that he sometimes just fails to be bothered. Like last season when he had that string of races where he just kind of gave up before hed even tried. Only turning up when he felt he really needed to. (or when Ferrari themselves told him to book his ideas up!) I hope he doesnt slink away from this GP, he produced (imo) his finest drive of 2007 at silverstone, so he obviously has the ability to do well here, i just hope he turns up

Put it this way I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I have been impressed with Kimi over the last couple of race weekends :).


France was Kimi's race but because of the exhausts it wasn't meant to be :(.

I have abit to say about Donington but I won't say it, I will post it in another thread :).

Back to the race weekend eh ????


Kimi needs a win no doubt about that, Hamilton needs a win, Kovi could do with a win and Kubica could do with a podium.


It will be interesting to see how Hamilton will race this weekend, I mean I don't think he can go flat out crazy because judging by his France exploits it will do him more harm than good, I think it will take a couple of race weekends for him to get back into 'routine' so I think it will be best if he just drives without the mindset of 'I have to win' and finish with a decent position under his belt so he gets his confidence back :).

I have a question for the Brits: Is Silverstone in that bad of shape with F1?

All I have been hearing about is how Silverstone isn't bringing in enough money, yet the track's facilities seem pretty good to me, and the track is one of the best on the calendar (need not look past the esses...IMO).

Donington might be in a better region to get money, but it is going to be redesigned by Hilke, who as far as I know, will not keep Donington...well, Donington.

I just don't understand why they would ditch a circuit that could be perfect facility-wise to one that is going to need a complete overhaul.

Anyway, as for the GP, I'm hoping to see Massa win and BMW doing well, but I think Mclaren will do everything they can to make sure Hamilton does well, especially after France.

I have a question for the Brits: Is Silverstone in that bad of shape with F1?

All I have been hearing about is how Silverstone isn't bringing in enough money, yet the track's facilities seem pretty good to me, and the track is one of the best on the calendar (need not look past the esses...IMO).

Donington might be in a better region to get money, but it is going to be redesigned by Hilke, who as far as I know, will not keep Donington...well, Donington.

I just don't understand why they would ditch a circuit that could be perfect facility-wise to one that is going to need a complete overhaul.

Anyway, as for the GP, I'm hoping to see Massa win and BMW doing well, but I think Mclaren will do everything they can to make sure Hamilton does well, especially after France.

Silverstone used to be a lot busier than it is today, and if F1 leaves Silverstone it can only mean bad things for the circuit.

Well its been raining like nothing else here, and the track at silverstone has been declared wet for practice, but its quciklu drying up at the moment.

Massa was fastest in the wet earlier on, and by a half a second. It was the first sector where the time came from, and imagine that in the wet. That takes some brave pills alright.

I think the question now is whether or not it will rain again before or during quali. It'll be interesting to say the least.

Well its been raining like nothing else here, and the track at silverstone has been declared wet for practice, but its quciklu drying up at the moment.

Massa was fastest in the wet earlier on, and by a half a second. It was the first sector where the time came from, and imagine that in the wet. That takes some brave pills alright.

I think the question now is whether or not it will rain again before or during quali. It'll be interesting to say the least.

I think we have to conclude rain is going to up Hamilton's chances a fair bit on top of his high hopes already - in Monaco he proved he has what it takes to perform blisteringly in the rain, there is no doubt about it.

Well we never know. Button is a highly aclaimed wet driver, and look at the past wet results, germany and fuji didn't turn out great, and neither did monaco.
You can be fast in the wet, but you also have to stay on the track. Unless your hamiliton, who benefited from a crash in monaco ;p

So to be honest, I think a wet race is going to be more of a lottery.
Any of the top few drivers could pull of somthing special.

Wow, what a great qualifying. It gave me the chills at the end.

Mclaren seems in a good mood in this GP. Ferrari is fast but not so fast as the previous GPs.

Webber was the surprise. I just started screaming when i saw him 1st (wowie). Then Kovi had a blast and took from Webber the 1st place.

Hey what happened to Kubica? What a pity.

Hamilton was a big surprise. By quali 2 I was expecting pole easily, but 4th position isn't too great for him.

That was an exciting qualifying! Webber was a big surprise, but I'm really pleased Kovy got pole, he deserves it. It should be a good race tommorrow.

I am not happy about the Donnington thing though. I agree with everything Jackie Stewart said today, which was Donnington are going to have to do a hell of alot more work than Silverstone would to get it up to scratch, including making it safer, having more run-off areas, and also that needs to be a longer track. Plus its even further away from me than Silverstone!

I'm pretty baffled by just what on earth happened. What a topsy turrvy session.
Webbers lap was just, woah. The guy is on the form of his life, and Red Bull are really clawing their way to the top now. Whether or not we can see Red Bull up there more often, remains to be seen, but they are fast, thats for sure.
Not only that, Vettel having another outstanding quali, 8th in an STR. What is that kid going to do next year in a red bull thats potenially going to be closer the front.

Sad for Massa of course. I was yelling at the screen for him to leave the garage, and it ends up they wheel wouldn't come off, and he didn't even get a lap in. Disapointing, but at least he's not 22nd like last year.

But at last, breakthrough for Kovy, and about time to. If anyone deserves to win this weekend, its Kovalinen, and I''m pretty sure hes got the pace to do so. But not only that, he was miles clear. Nearly a second clear of Lewis, and 1/2 second clear 2nd place.

I think whats happening this year is that the cars are struggling a bit more with silverstones bumpy surface, so williams are suffering, and clearly its worked in McLarens favour who we know have a nice suspension set up. Just my theory.

I want Heikki to do well =)
It should be a good GP :D

See what I said =) fortune teller!

I'm quite pleased with qualifying apart from Kubica and Massa's low positions I guess it's as expected. Hopefully we're on for some rain and a good race tomorrow :D

See what I said =) fortune teller!

I'm quite pleased with qualifying apart from Kubica and Massa's low positions I guess it's as expected. Hopefully we're on for some rain and a good race tomorrow :D

Okay, your scary! Lol, whats next weeks lottery numbers? :p

Well, looks like my predictions are outta the window then eh?!

3rd for Kimi and a 9th for Massa. Bloody hell 9th, wonder what happened there. Even if he's carrying a lot of fuel, it might be too low down for him to claw his way back up the grid; Massa started lowly here last year and he finished 6th I think. And he started lowly in Hungary last year and he finished lowly there.

Not too bad for Lewis Hamilton, got a sneaking suspciion he's carrying more fuel than Webber (brilliant qualifying from Mark, actually wanted him to take the pole, that would have made for an even better race prospect), but a brilliant Kovi did the job proper for McLaren. Just wondering if they made Kovalainen a little lighter than Lewis so a McLaren was guaranteed to get on pole, maybe hold the two behind him for Lewis to gain places up the grid? We'll never know, have to wait until tomorrow. Will be supporting Lewis after Button, obviously.

Speaking of which, Button's qualifying session wasn't as successful as I had hoped, so it's looking like a hard race from 18th on the grid for him.

Well, if you haven't heard already, ends up they couldn't get Massa's back left tyre off, and couldn't get the car out in time. So he's in 9th.

If you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised if neither Red Bull's finish tommorrow. Just a hunch.

Anyways, McLaren are in my opinion quite a bit faster this weekend. So I'd say we'll see Kovalinen shoot of into the distance, and then a 3 way battle between Kimi Lewis and Webber. That is of course, if it dosen't rain.

^Yeah, I did hear about Massa's wheel nut fiasco, but he should never have been in the lower ends of the top ten in the first place, so Ferrari have nobody to blame but themselves.

And if neither Red Bull's finish then that will suck extraordinarily, so say the least. Just a hunch I have also, is that I can't see Kovalainen shooting off into the distance and absolutely dominating the race. Dry running I can see Lewis and possibly Raikkonen coming into play as I think they have a bit more fuel onboard.

Bearing in mind if it does rain, the the whole running order will be thrown out of the order, and I'm gunning on a win from Button from 18th on the grid! :)

Bit off a strange Quali. Ferraris really struggling, McLarens going well, Webber going amazingly, Nick Heidfeld massively faster than Kubica (although he did have a problem) and Kovy being about half a second faster than the entire field!!

GO KOVY!!! WOOOOOH!!! Im so pleased for the little Fin! He puts in so much effort and has got a reward for it. All weekend hes been on for pole, fast in testing, fast in practice, miles faster in quali, 1st place? We'll see, but hes looking favourite for his maiden GP win here this weekend. Finally!

Mark Webber! Get in! Although im not Webbers biggest fan, he has definately showed that Red Bull is making steps in the right direction. They wont be there all the time, thats a certainty, but they have definately improved their pace steadilly over the last few races. Theres one heck of a battle in that midfield now!

Great effort from Kimi, he looked to be struggling but pulled out a lap from nowhere to claw it up to row 2.

Hamilton looking a bit off in Q3, he was fast in Q1 and Q2 but couldnt seem to pull out the special lap when he needed it most. P4 isnt a bad place and after France and Canada its fantastic, he just needs to keep his head, go for the points, maybe get a podium but hes got to remember not to go for broke on everything, he needs to keep his cool, forget about winning, Kovy could walk away with this if he carries on, hes had about 3 tenths over Hammy all weekend. Hamilton just needs to do his best, but not to over-drive the car.

Great session from Piquet. He needs to carry on from here with this form, it looks like some of his confidence has returned and is starting to show his talent a little more. Keep it up Nelson, bring home some points.

Poor Massa. Just when he was looking good for a decent position, bad luck slaps him down. Its a shame for him, he has had an awful lot of problems over the last 2 seasons with Ferrari errors and technical problems. I believe without those problems it may have seen Massa an awful lot closer in Brazil last year.

Kubica obviously also having problems, but he didnt appear to have his Canadian pace here. Its looking like after that first win BMW are struggling to keep up with McLaren and Ferrari. At the moment they are again looking to be in a no-mans-land. Ahead of the midfield, but not at the frontrunners pace.

The 2 Honda boys having (again) a troublesome time. But i feel that they are not doing so well because they have got one eye on 2009 so their development of this years car is slower than everyone elses. Like Button said when someone asked him weather Honda were focusing on 2009: "No, thats not what were doing...were focusing on 2010!"

Rosberg. What an inspired decision by Williams! Ive never seen such ingenuity in a F1 team before! Using pogo sticks for suspension, what an idea! I have never been so baffled when watching an F1 car before. Ive also never seen someone make so many corrections mid corner and even on the straights! Thats got to be the worst handling car on the grid, bouncing around like a space hopper, and poor Nico has to go 70 laps with it! I feel for Rosberg i really do, i pray for the day he has a decent, race winning car underneath him. His time will come. Just get off the space hopper! ;)

Should be a good race, changable conditions, Webber on the front row, Kimi and Hammy battling it out, Massa and Kubica fighting their way through, an immense midfield battle, and Nico Rosberg trying to man handle a 740bhp space hopper around Silverstone. Should be immense!

Going for Kovy win. Everything else is irrelevant!!

Rosberg. What an inspired decision by Williams! Ive never seen such ingenuity in a F1 team before! Using pogo sticks for suspension, what an idea! I have never been so baffled when watching an F1 car before. Ive also never seen someone make so many corrections mid corner and even on the straights! Thats got to be the worst handling car on the grid, bouncing around like a space hopper, and poor Nico has to go 70 laps with it! I feel for Rosberg i really do, i pray for the day he has a decent, race winning car underneath him. His time will come. Just get off the space hopper! ;)

The annual mid-season-back-to-Europe slump seems to be in full swing for Williams! haha

Its sure does seem like it. Poor Rosberg, really. He needs to get himself out of Williams right about now.
I think Williams are struggling from lack of experienced drivers this year, but next year theres a rumour that their using a different KERS system from everybody else, which could make them 3!! seconds faster, or 3 seconds slower that everyone else.
If that does of course turn out to be true, do you leave the struggling team, or gamble they'll return to form. Afterall, they're still the 3rd most successful team in F1 ever.

I was watching the GP2 race this morning, and it looks like it'll rain throughout the race today. Interesting though, if it does, what chance does that give Webber for even a win. Remeber Fuji last year.
The track will most likely dry up quite a bit, but its a question of whether or not it'll rain again.

I'm personally hoping for rain, and that'll it will give Massa a chance to make up for yesterdays pit probelm.

What a flawless race from Hamilton, incredible driving.

Kudos goes out to everyone else too, the conditions were torturous at some points, but everyone kept it together pretty much.

Best race of the season, along with Melbourne.

^^^ indeed it was, very impressive driving by Lewis, Rubens Barrichello as usual did well at Silverstone, good driving by him. Nick Heidfeld did well too, a great race to watch, entertaining, a lot of spins and offs, a great GP.

What a GP! Greatdriving from Lewis, really deserved the win, I was on tenderhooks throughout the race, by far the best race of the season so far!

Speical mentions to Rubens and Nick, very well done to both of them too. Poor little Massa and Kimi, seems like Ferrari didn't have the right set-up today, every time you saw the Red cars, they were facing the other way!

Wow, what a great GP. The conditions were crap but they were just right for an exciting GP.

Congrats to Lewis for this incredible race. He was really fast. He deserves the 1st position.

Nick Heidfeld. Yeah! This driver proved today that he's still there and helps BMW to get more points. I think that with this 2nd place he will stay at BMW at the end of the session!

Who would say that Rubens would get the 3rd position. He started from the 16th place and with the right tires choices he went 2nd. Then he had a problem with his pit stop(they didn't add enough fuel so he went again to do the final pitstop so he went down to 3rd). Incredible race for Rubens.

Webber was really unlucky. Damn!

Ferraris didn't like the track much. The cars didn't have the right set up for this race (this can be proved from Massa). Kimi was trying though.

It was quite an exciting race with all these spins.

A lot of drivers were unlucky with these extreme weather conditions.

I think this race can be summed up very easily. I was joking that Hamilton maybe might want to stop in the pits, have a cup of tea maybe and still resume in the lead.
Unbelievable stuff.

I think there were 3 drivers today who were outstanding. Hamiliton Heidfeld and Barrichello.
Heidfeld took two cars at the last corner! TWICE!! If there was an award for best overtaking manourve of the year, it'd be between that, and maybe Massa's move in canada. Heidfeld steamed through the feild early on.

But not as good as Barrichello. I don't think he made an overtaking moves. He more or less drove past the cars like they were being blue flagged. One point he was under 30 seconds faster on one lap. A pit stop a lap. ROFL

Then theres ferrari :( They need to fire their stratiegist now. Hes a uselss fool without two brain cells to rub together.
Poor Massa. Probaly he worst race weekend ever. First the crash on friday, then he got stuck in the pits and couldn't set a time. Then he found himself backwards a few too many times. But he did finish the race, which I found funny.

Kimi and Kovy had the same race really. They did well, but Lewis was just light years ahead this weekend. The thing is, everybody flew of the track at least twice. It was madness at times, yet of course, no safety car. Odd.
But still, brilliant race through and through.

Germany will be interesting, since we now have a 3 way tie at the top. Unfortunatly I'll miss it, but I still can't wait to hear just what happens.

LEWIS HAMILTON WINS THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX.....

Has a ring to it, doesnt it!

First things first. KOVY! :'( nooooo!! Poor Kovy. Will his bad luck ever end???

Now. Onto celebrating!

Absolutely flawless drive from Hammy today, i was lost for words at one point, screaming for him to come in for full wets. Yet he kept his cool, defied the laws of physics and somehow managed to keep it pointing in the right direction in conditions that favoured a hull and an outboard motor over intemediate bridgestones. Where are all the Hamilton bashers, all the people who say he cant handle the pressure, the ones who say he cant win from anywhere but pole, the people who said he couldnt handle traction controll and the people who said he wasnt special or that talented?? WAKE UP! Hamilton drove an epic race today, imo better than Monaco and on a par with his Fuji drive of last season. And this wet weather performance got me thinking, when he cant get pole or win, it cannot be because of his driving ability or cracking under pressure, it must purely be the car hes in. Ive said this many times, hes fast, the only reason he doesnt win everything is that he doesnt always have the car to win. Yes, sometimes he makes errors, but who doesnt?! World champion Kimi made some today, loads in Monaco. Alonso makes errors, Senna made errors, Schumi made errors. And lets not forget that this guy is still only in his second season, and despite whatever some of you say he has still a lot to learn. He is a top TOP driver and could end up being one of the best the sport has seen. Seeing him on the podium, with "God Save The Queen" echoing around Silverstone made me feel quite proud and nearly brought a tear to my eye. Here was a british lad, being criticised all month for some errors, coming to his home GP and just getting on with it, beating everyone by over a minute. I dont care what anyone says about Hamilton, he is one of the best drivers in the field and has the potential to eventually be considered one of the greatest of all time. Today he proved that.

Now, onto the rest of the field!

Go quick Nick!! He is another one that when the field is even and theres an opportunity to score some points he will be there, battling through. He drove a brilliant race and fully deserved his 2nd place.

Another man who deserved to be on the rain-soaked podium was Barrichello. What a drive! At one point im sure he was about 13 seconds a lap faster than anyone on extreme wets! Loved seeing him on the podium, after all his struggles with Honda, the most experienced man in F1 history claims another podium. Congratulations to him and to Honda, who i think will remember this for a while yet!

Someone who wont want to remember this is Ferrari. Terrible management from them with Kimi. Why, when your driver, in 2nd place, catching Hamilton at over a second a lap, do you not change his tyres when everyone else is expecting rain??? WHY?! I felt a little sorry for Kimi, he did amazingly well, drove consistently and what let him down was his team. (Although if the Hamilton bashers want to be consistent, they will have to say that the decision came down to Kimi, and therefore its all Kimis fault. I say this because coincidently most of the Hammy bashers happen to be Kimi fans, and imo this situation is very similar to Hammys in China)
But the man who will want to erase this weekend from his memory completely, is the Ferrari spinning top, Fellipe Massa. Who wins the award for "Most Spins In A Race". I think Massa now has a full track, 360 degree map in his mind for Silverstone. Was there a corner he didnt spin on??? I think part of this was Massa, as weve seen before, but i think another part was his set up. Im not an engineer (not at this level anyway!) but it just seemed like any time Massa even thought about going on the throttle, the car sensed this and the 740 rampaging Italian horses made a bid for freedom through his rear tyres, sending him in every direction except forward. Hopefully, the Massa that can dominate a weekend will return in Germany.

Poor Kovy was caught out by the wet conditions and once again fails to make his mark on the season. Its a real shame as i tipped him to do well at McLaren and just hasnt had the luck with him when he needed it.

It created a great fight between Kovy, Alonso, Nakajima and Trulli though. Alonso was looking good, before tyre choice left him off the pace. Nakajima though! Wow, he is really shining in that Williams seat, almost looking like he should be their number 1 driver at times over Rosberg!

Ahh Rosberg, he saw the light in the end after his audatious suspention choice and reverted back to regular springs and dampers. Is this the last we will see from pogo stick suspention?? I hope not, its comical! Did well though, fighting his way back from the pit lane.

Poor Piquet, was doing so well and i cheered when he passed Alonso. Just was unlucky and i dont blame the lad for dropping it. I dont blame anyone for sticking it in the gravel in those conditions. Better luck next time, dont let it dent your confidence. Chin up Nelson!!

Poor Webber, just when people thought that Kovalinen had the worst luck in F1, Mark Webber took it up a notch and proved that he has what it takes to be crowned "Unluckiest Driver Ever". Seriously, how Webber doesnt break down into tears at any stage is truly remarkable! He is so strong, an inspiration to us all!

Also felt sorry for DC, its such a shame that he didnt get to finish his last home GP. But he wont let it dampen his mood, hes a tough character, hell be back fighting it out with the Renaults and Toyotas in Germany!

Robert Kubica had a pretty miserable end to his weekend also. Did well to fight his way up, only to bin it in the pouring rain. Its a shame, but he never looked like being up the front this weekend whatever the conditions did.

What to say about this GP? It will no doubt live on in my memory for many years to come. A british driver, in a British car has won the British GP. It really doenst get much better for me!

Congratulations Hamilton. You drove like a legend!!

GO HAMMY!!! WOOOOOOOH!!!! :D

What a great race! And a great win, as a matter of fact.

Right off the start line things were cooking - the immense battle between Kovalinen and Hamilton who snuck past Raikkonen into 2nd was actually nerve racking in places. On the play back the wheel touch was obvious, and I had very few nails left by the time the scrap had finished and Lewis gained 1st, heading straight into another battle with Kimi!

Of course, the early retirement of Coulthard and Vettel along with Sutil, etc later was bad news. And Webbers spin was really depressing considering his good starting position.

Who decided to keep Kimi on worn inters in the pits? I'm guessing the idea was to get him out before Hamilton and leap frog into first, but it really did not work and Hamilton came out of it with more fuel and new tires, meaning Raikkonen really had no chance.

Very dissappointed with both Massa and Raikkonen in the wet conditions - especially Massa who span out 4 or 5 times putting him in 13th (last place). At this point Lewis was comfortably clear of the pack, however.

Alonso was another shining star this race - Piquet took him a couple of times but overall Alonsos experience and superior skill shone through, even when he had drivers chasing him down.

Buttons unfortunate retirement annoyed me too - we really don't see that much of him considering all the technical problems, and he usually excels in wet conditions. However, Rubens more than made up for it with a cracking drive especially after the great decision to put him on extreme wets. Shame the fuel problem lost him 2nd place.

Webber managed to make his way back up the pack surprisingly quickly, but Massa had no such luck, spinning out numerous times. Hamilton drove flawlessly throughout except for one off which was pretty minor.

Kubica was doing alright until his retirement, shame to see him stuck at the sidelines whilst Heidfeld drove an astonishing race, passing two people on one turn twice! A surely deserved second place.

What happened to Kovy? He drifted off as the race went on, falling back to 9th at one stage - and this was the guy who started on poll? Concerning.

No-one can take that victory away from Hamilton though, what an astounding race. He proved once again to all the haters that he has the skill to perform exceptionally.

Well, well



Poor Kovi



(I haven't actually watched the race yet I'm watching the pre race build up as I type this, Sky+ FTW !!!!!!!!!!)

I really did not enjoy that race. It was just dissapointment after dissapointment. First Kimi being blocked by Webber & Kovy at the start, then Webber spinning, then DC retiring, then Kovy loosing the lead to Lewis. And then Ferrari's idiotic decision to keep Kimi on the same tyres, and ruining his race. AND THEN Kubica spins off!

And I wouldn't say Hamiltons performance was flawless, at all. He still spun himself, and if Ferrari hadn't cocked up Kimi's tyre choice, I'm pretty sure the Hamilton fanclub would not be celebrating right now.

I really did not enjoy that race. It was just dissapointment after dissapointment. First Kimi being blocked by Webber & Kovy at the start, then Webber spinning, then DC retiring, then Kovy loosing the lead to Lewis. And then Ferrari's idiotic decision to keep Kimi on the same tyres, and ruining his race. AND THEN Kubica spins off!

And I wouldn't say Hamiltons performance was flawless, at all. He still spun himself, and if Ferrari hadn't cocked up Kimi's tyre choice, I'm pretty sure the Hamilton fanclub would not be celebrating right now.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I'm just watching the race now and Kovi just seemed to let Hamilton pass, there was me thinking team orders were not allowed STUPID ME :rolleyes:.

Anyone else think that they should flood the race track every week and not be allowed to have pit stops for fuel? Today's race was fantastic. Loads of good overtaking, spinning and general action, in fact the only people who didn't leave the race track were Alonso, Bourdais, Heidfeld, Trulli & Glock!!!

Very impressive driving from Heidfeld, just sort of sneaked up in second! Also, Barrichello!, nice one from him! But, what were Ferrari thinking :o that mistake was sooooo costly, reckon it cost them the race. Hammy was quite lucky, getting let through by Heikki early on let him go! Heikki tried incredibly hard today, but doesn't really have any luck :(

And I wouldn't say Hamiltons performance was flawless, at all. He still spun himself, and if Ferrari hadn't cocked up Kimi's tyre choice, I'm pretty sure the Hamilton fanclub would not be celebrating right now.

lol, yeh, cause running on wrong tires for a few rounds cost him the FULL lap Hamilton took on him...

Not to mention he spun several times, no way was he gonna catch up.

I just watched the GP on t.v...it was so awsome when Kubica was in second and Heidfeld was in third. But sucked so much when Kubica lost control when he was still in SECOND place! But nonetheless, Heidfeld did a great job keeping BMW at that position. Great race nonetheless.

I'm just watching the race now and Kovi just seemed to let Hamilton pass, there was me thinking team orders were not allowed STUPID ME :rolleyes:.
Massas never let Kimi past. Also, how do you know McLaren didnt get on the radio to Kovy and say "Lewis is faster" and then he made up the decision to let him through, knowing he would have to eventually. Remember, they were on for a 1-2 then, Kovy wouldnt want to mess that up becase he was too stuborn.


...and if Ferrari hadn't cocked up Kimi's tyre choice, I'm pretty sure the Hamilton fanclub would not be celebrating right now.
And im pretty sure if McLaren hadnt cocked up Hamiltons tyre choice, Kimi would never have won his only WDC.

Anyone else think that they should flood the race track every week and not be allowed to have pit stops for fuel? Today's race was fantastic.
YES! YES! YES!!!

lol, yeh, cause running on wrong tires for a few rounds cost him the FULL lap Hamilton took on him...

Not to mention he spun several times, no way was he gonna catch up.
Exactly. Well put. Yes Ferrari (or Kimi depending how you look at it) messed up his tyres, but he still lost immense time after that and spun it aswell. Thats what cost him. At some points Hamilton was lapping several seconds faster than Kimi even when he was on his new Inters.

Oh snap. Honda scored a podium. :D

Well the decision on Kimis tyres was a joint decision between him and the team. So we can't shift all the blame of ferrari.
But thet still have admittly have a stubborn mule of a stratgeist.

Did no one look at Barrichello and think, bugger, well hes just overtaken half the feild in a few laps, maybe we should follow their lead. Look at Massa, he was paddy last with nothing to lose (except the rear of his car ;p poor massa), why not gamble on full wets.

Yes Hamiliton didn't drive a flawless race, but apart from that, what blockhead can't it through their head that the last time someone won by 60 seconds was called Schumacher. Yes he had one tiny off, but that was less than lets see, 19 drivers.
I'm not a Hamilton supporter in the slightest. I'd rather see him have stalled while waving to his fans, and see Massa or Kovy make a miracle recovery, but I cannot deny the plain fact that his drive was outstanding.

and no, Kovy did not let him past. Kovy admitted he ran wide. Thats that.

lol, yeh, cause running on wrong tires for a few rounds cost him the FULL lap Hamilton took on him...

Not to mention he spun several times, no way was he gonna catch up.

^ Well yes, actually, it could. They said because of those tires he running a good 10 seconds a lap slower, at least. So he'd have lost that lap within about 13 laps. And he only spun once more than Hamilton, because of the tires.

^ Well yes, actually, it could. They said because of those tires he running a good 10 seconds a lap slower, at least. So he'd have lost that lap within about 13 laps. And he only spun once more than Hamilton, because of the tires.

Firstly, most of the time it was less than 10 seconds, for about 4-6 laps he was about 5 seconds slower, then fell back even further. But im sure he didnt stay out for 13 laps loosing 10 seconds. He might have just got out and walked round, it would have been faster.

And like i said. If Hamilton hadnt made a similar tyre error (staying out too long on the wrong tyres) Kimi wouldnt have won his WDC. Swings and roundabouts.

As much as I hate to admit it. It's nice to see Heidfeld and Reuben up
on the podium. Especially Reuben he has been so long overdue! I agree
that Kimi and his "braintrust" screwed up on their tire strategy, but here's hoping for a Ferrari 1/2 in Germany two weeks from now.

I'm not as much of a fan of the Brazilian as I am the fan of the Brit.

But.

We scored a Podium, and I'm not going to complain.

2010, here we come!

Well the decision on Kimis tyres was a joint decision between him and the team. So we can't shift all the blame of ferrari.
But thet still have admittly have a stubborn mule of a stratgeist.


I think that you have understood what's going on at Ferrari. Ferrari makes me to believe that they had the fastest F1 car on the circuit but the whole team doesn't seem to believe that. Sometimes they're making some pretty bad decisions. You will say that it's physical and F1 strategies are like a chess game but Ferrari was kicking asses when M. Schumacher was there. Great planes, great strategies and all. Now it seems that they lost something.

^^and would you like to know that something they lost was. Ross Brawn.
Ross was simply inspired. The decision to put barrichello on wets theorically should of given Barrichello a win. Except they had a fuel probelm and a Hamiliton to fast to contend with.

Still, either way, thats yet again Ferrari have lost their drivers points in wet conditions. Fuji, Monaco and Silverstone. All stupid tyre choices. Really, do they not learn.

I have promoted Hamilton from yeast to sliced bread. Very nice drive by that guy, calm and collected, actually looked like a mature f1 driver for once.


Race trophy has to go to Honda and the Brazilian. Brilliant move on the full wet tires.


I am very disappointed with Ferrari, and both its drivers. Why the hell if you see Barrichello pull 13 seconds faster a lap than everyone else, do you not bring Massa in at least and put those shoes on. I mean all the guy did was slide all over the track straight into last place.


bah, it ruined my weekend.

I have promoted Hamilton from yeast to sliced bread. Very nice drive by that guy, calm and collected, actually looked like a mature f1 driver for once.


Race trophy has to go to Honda and the Brazilian. Brilliant move on the full wet tires.


I am very disappointed with Ferrari, and both its drivers. Why the hell if you see Barrichello pull 13 seconds faster a lap than everyone else, do you not bring Massa in at least and put those shoes on. I mean all the guy did was slide all over the track straight into last place.


bah, it ruined my weekend.

How nice of you :p.


But you are missing one major point McLaren/Hamilton capitalised on Ferrari/Kimi mistakes so I don't thing it was a magnificent drive just right place, right time soughta thing :).

Besides I don't care what people say I'm still upset about Kovi giving up his place for Hamilton (I won't let that go !) :mad:.

But you are missing one major point McLaren/Hamilton capitalised on Ferrari/Kimi mistakes so I don't thing it was a magnificent drive just right place, right time soughta thing.

Dito with Kimi in China and Brazil in 07.

Dito with Kimi in China and Brazil in 07.

Thats so true :).


What I was saying was people said it was a magnificent drive but imo it was an average drive and it only looked magnificent because Ferrari weren't at their best :).

Right time, right place !!!

Dude despite his team mate "letting" him by, no rooster tails, as he is in front, Ferrari having a retarder tires guy, Massa not able to keep the car straight, etc.. etc...

The guy was about to lap 3rd place. Don't get me wrong I still hate the guy, and hope he does not win the championship, But lapping up to 3rd place on a wet race, is more the just average run. It was brilliant race from sliced bread, virtually no mistakes, he controlled the pace, very decent lead, lapped the whole field. To be honest, it is the best race that guy has done since he hit F1.

I have promoted Hamilton from yeast to sliced bread. Very nice drive by that guy, calm and collected, actually looked like a mature f1 driver for once.


Race trophy has to go to Honda and the Brazilian. Brilliant move on the full wet tires.


I am very disappointed with Ferrari, and both its drivers. Why the hell if you see Barrichello pull 13 seconds faster a lap than everyone else, do you not bring Massa in at least and put those shoes on. I mean all the guy did was slide all over the track straight into last place.


bah, it ruined my weekend.

That's what I didn't understand either. I mean, they could have brought their driver in, put him out for 5-10 laps on the wets, bring him back for inters, and have made up like 30 something seconds. Ruebens was simply the fastest man on the track at one stage, so why they didn't bring raikkonen in for the wets I'll never understand.

Apparently, the Mclarens didn't want to run wets because they destroy their tyres, they get them too hot too quick. That mean's if the water cleared, the tyres would deterioate(spl?) pretty much straight away. That's what itv said anyway.

I enjoyed it though. By far one of the best races I've seen in years. Water truly does even the field, Ferrari's racing the Renault again, Heidfield just carving through some immense passes. It was just ashame that many people went off. Especially Webber. As soon as he got his bit spins out the way, he was fastest on the track. I was gutted, cos he's a canny awesome guy.

Super gutted for heikki too. It's a shame that he couldn't keep pace with Hamilton, cos I think he is probably one the most humble people on the track. Everytime he finishes a race, he's always smiling, and he's always first to say, my fault, but still smiles about it. The quicker he wins the better for me.

All in all, more races like that please. I've thought this season has been a bit boring, until now. Best race yet, and a three way tie at 48 points. Epic.

Haha, you know i joked that Massa won the award for "most spins in one race"

Well, it turns out that no one (ever recorded at least) has ever spun 8 times in a single grand prix race. Ever. Massa broke an actual record! Shame its one he will probably want to forget!!

Kudos to Hamilton for a great drive in the rain. Was it only British press that proclaimed he took the lead?

Well he's leading the championship on a technicality, as he's got most race wins, but, the british press being the british press, they don't really mention that. ever.

Nope. And when last season he was 2nd by a technicality (more 2nd place finishes i think) the British press forgot to mention that also. Its just how they work, makes it sound better if you simplify it and omit information whilst still being technically right.

If it ended now, he would technically win, so they are correct in saying hes leading the championship.

Some more news about Donington...


Donington Park CEO Simon Gillett has outlined how the circuit plans to transform itself into the new home of the British Grand Prix from 2010 – a challenge he insists it will meet.
As the dust settles following last week’s shock announcement that the British round of the championship will switch from its traditional home at Silverstone to Donington in two years’ time, attention has now turned to how the Leicestershire track will carry out its promised £100 million revamp.
Joint CEO Gillett had already acknowledged that the 2.5-mile circuit would have to be altered to accommodate F1 cars, while also vowing to retain its iconic sections such as the Craner Curves.
Gillett has now revealed that the changes include the creation of a half-mile infield loop linking the Melbourne hairpin with the current start/finish straight to extend the lap.
“Off the Melbourne loop, instead of going around Goddards corner and 180 degrees onto the start/finish straight, you’ll go straight on and do a half-mile loop before going back onto the start/finish straight,” he told Autosportmagazine.
http://sam.itv.com/IMPCNT/ccid=10628/acc_random=4079080857/SITE=ITV/AREA=SPORT.FORMULA1.NEWS/POSITION=1/AAMSZ=300x250/RS=K0771910003.K0771910012.K0771910014.K 0771910034.K0771910037.K0771910039.K0771 910038.K0771910045.K0771910046.K07719100 63.K0771910064.K0771910065.K0771910066./SEG=SPORT.FORMULA1/pageid=7667887724


The magazine reports that the track changes, which will be overseen by F1’s resident designer Hermann Tilke, could also include the bypassing of the chicane at the end of the back straight to create a longer run to the tight Melbourne hairpin.
In addition, the pit and paddock complex – which in its present guise is too small to house modern-day F1 teams, trucks and equipment – would be moved and a new complex built on the inside of the back straight.
Another hurdle that will need to be cleared before the parkland circuit is ready to host the 2010 event is access to the venue, with just a single-lane road connecting it to the M1 motorway and the yearly MotoGP event already beset by heavy traffic jams.
And while a Silverstone-style bypass has been mooted, Gillett says extensive park and ride schemes will be in operation to manage the traffic flow.
“We have acquired the right to a lot of new sites as well within walking distance, which means we don’t bring everyone into the Park,” he said.
“There’s going to be a lot of park-and-ride and park-and-walk so were not bringing them all into one place.”
While the proposals have yet to reach the planning officers at the local council, Gillett has said the track’s master plan will be unveiled soon and that work will start on the upgrades in the autumn.
“We close the circuit [every year] from October to March expect for testing, and we’re going to be doing the same this year,” he told the magazine.
“During that period we’re going to be doing all the works that need to be done to the track to bring us up to FIA standard.”
However uncertainly remains over how the ambitious project will be financed.
The circuit initially said in a statement last week that the funding would be led by a private investor, before Gillett suggested to ITV Sport over the British GP weekend that it would come from a debenture scheme, or long-term bond.
Gillet, though, insists that the transformation of Donington will come off as promised.
“You don’t enter a contract with Bernie Ecclestone without thinking about it long and hard,” he said.
“We are ready.”

The British GP of 2008 has got to be one of the most exciting races of 2008! The wet track made things interesting...

So, when do we get to see Singapore? :D

The British GP of 2008 has got to be one of the most exciting races of 2008! The wet track made things interesting...

So, when do we get to see Singapore? :D
September 28, 2008.