grandad
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Formula 1Well here we go again for the sport called car racing but that is just a procession of cars around a track. Whoever starts in pole position wins as no one is allowed to pass as it is too dangerous for the driver. they only get payed vast amounts of money to drive not put themselves in danger by passing.God this so called sport makes me sick. primadonna's parading around like they can drive when in fact all they do is steer as computers do the rest.
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stkflote
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 but dont you wish you could do it for that kind money ???
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john the tinca
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Lewis Hamilton says he will adopt a more conservative approach this year in his quest to win the Formula One title.
The Englishman was beaten to last year's championship by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen after making crucial mistakes in the final two races of the season.
"If I'm leading the championship, I won't be pushing way over the limit to win the race," he said.
"I'll be conservative and finish with the points. I'm chasing the same dream but in a slightly different way."
Hamilton's remarks are a reference to last year's Chinese and Brazilian Grands Prix.
In the penultimate race in China he slid off the track on the way into the pit lane after staying out for too long on worn tyres while in the lead.
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john the tinca
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World championship favourites Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest times in Friday practice ahead of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
World champion Raikkonen's Ferrari set the fastest time of the day to be 0.487 seconds quicker than Hamilton's McLaren in the first session.
But the Briton was on top in the afternoon, with Raikkonen sixth.
Hamilton, 23, said he felt "very, very optimistic" for Sunday's race. "The pace we and the Ferraris have is good."
Ferrari's Felipe Massa was third in both sessions, with Fernando Alonso sixth and 13th in his Renault.
Ferrari look strong, but it's still too early to tell exactly where we are in comparison
The pace of the Red Bull also caught the eye - Australian Mark Webber was second fastest in the afternoon session and fifth fastest in the morning, while team-mate David Coulthard, of Scotland, was fifth fastest in the afternoon.
That seems to back up Webber's claim in his BBC Sport column that Red Bull have been consistently the third or fourth quickest team in pre-season testing.
The practice sessions took place in searing temperatures, with a high of 38C. Coulthard told 5 Live that the cockpit temperature of his car was pushing 60C.
"We're absolutely roasting in the cockpit," Hamilton said. "It's like having four jumpers on and shorts and trousers in the sauna."
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john the tinca
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McLaren have dismissed the engineer at the heart of the spy scandal that ended with them fined £50m and thrown out of last year's constructors' championship.
Mike Coughlan was McLaren's chief designer when a 780-page document of confidential Ferrari technical information was found at his home.
The Englishman was suspended by the team last year but remained on the staff for legal reasons.
A McLaren spokesman said: "The company has now terminated his employment."
BBC Sport understands Coughlan has apologised to motorsport's governing body the FIA and Ferrari, and has accepted a ban from the sport until July 2009.
Ferrari sacked performance director Nigel Stepney, who was accused of passing the information to Coughlan, last July.
Stepney has since admitted giving Ferrari data to Coughlan but denied that included the 780-page document.
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john the tinca
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Lewis Hamilton has claimed he and new McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen will compete on equal terms.
The 23-year-old had an intense struggle for supremacy with Fernando Alonso at McLaren last season but he has hinted that will not be case with Kovalainen.
Hamilton told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We have been hired to win. Whichever driver does it, it doesn't really matter - for the team at least.
"We're both in our second year and we have the same amount of experience."
Hamilton also appears to have ended his rift with Alonso, saying it was an honour to work with the double world champion.
Alonso left McLaren at the end of last season, one year into a three-year contract because he fell out with the Woking-based team.
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john the tinca
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McLaren chief Ron Dennis has hinted he may step down sooner rather than later after recently deciding against it.
Dennis is chief executive and chairman of McLaren Group and principal of the F1 team and came close to relinquishing at least one of his key roles.
The 60-year-old said: "I thought pretty much at the beginning of last season it would be my last going to races purely because of how long I'd done it.
"But there were other things that came along that made me think."
Dennis's judgement came under intense scrutiny last season with McLaren fined £50m and stripped of their constructors' championship points after being found guilty of possessing data from rivals Ferrari.
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stkflote
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it just might be an interesting race on sunday
lets hope so
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john the tinca
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Hamilton finished first with McLaren team-mate Kovalainen in third
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, but Kimi Raikkonen must start from near the back of the grid in Melbourne.
McLaren's Hamilton was fastest in the second and third runs, while Raikkonen was forced out before the second session after his Ferrari pulled up.
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica almost stole pole but a slight oversteer in his last lap saw him finish second fastest.
Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was third quickest.
After claiming his seventh pole from just 18 starts, Hamilton was naturally in upbeat mood.
"Being in pole is a great feeling, but there's always improvements you can make," said the 23-year-old Briton.
"It's going to be a very tough race and we just have to do the best we can in managing our tyres and hope for the best."
With traction control now outlawed, Hamilton said the start would be a crucial moment during the opening race of the season, particularly as Kubica is no slouch off the line.
"Obviously the start will be a major factor," said Hamilton. "The new regulations makes the starts a little bit trickier and I think you will see a wide range of good and bad starts."
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john the tinca
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Final qualifying times for the Australian Grand Prix
1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes, 1 minute, 26.714 seconds.
2. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW-Sauber, 1:26.869.
3. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:27.079.
4. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 1:27.178.
5. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW-Sauber, 1:27. 236.
6. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 1:28. 527.
7. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 1:28.687.
8. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, 1:29.041.
9. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 1:29.593.
10. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso, did not start.
Eliminated after second session
11. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 1:26.173.
12. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 1:26.188.
13. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 1:26.259.
14. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, 1:26.413.
15. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, did not finish.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, did not start.
Eliminated after first session
17. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India, 1:27.207.
18. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso, 1:27.446.
19. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India, 1;27.859.
20. Takuma Sato, Japan, Super Aguri, 1:28.208.
21. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault, 1:28.330.
22. Anthony Davidson, Britian, Super Aguri, 1:29.059.
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grandad
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guess who will win this one then?
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john the tinca
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LEWIS HAMILTON
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grandad
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Correct 1st on the grid first passed the post, this bears out what I said. tell me something if you can how can a driver stop with three laps to go and still pick up points? another showing of the anomillies of formule 1.
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john the tinca
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Lewis Hamilton steered clear of the chaos at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix to get his title campaign off to the best possible start.
The Englishman dominated from the start in his McLaren to beat Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber and Nico Rosberg's Williams.
World champion Kimi Raikkonen threw away a chance to challenge Hamilton with a mistake while trying to pass the second McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen.
Kovalainen would have been second but for bad luck with the safety car.
It came out for the third time in a dramatic afternoon at exactly the wrong time for the Finn following a high-speed crash involving Timo Glock's Toyota on lap 44.
Kovalainen had to pit for fuel and tyres while the safety car was out, and dropped to the back of the pack.
He recovered to finish fifth, losing out in an exciting battle with Fernando Alonso's Renault in the last two laps.
Kovalainen passed the double world champion spectacularly towards the end of the penultimate lap, only to lose the place as they crossed the line for the start of the last lap when the McLaren stuttered on the pit straight.
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john the tinca
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Provisional results from Australian Grand Prix:
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 58 laps one hour 34 minutes 50.616 seconds
2. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber +5.478 secs
3. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota +8.163
4. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault +17.181
5. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes +18.014
DQ Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda +52.453
6. Kazuki Nakajima* (Jpn) Williams-Toyota 1 lap behind
7R Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 55 laps completed
8R Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 53 laps
R Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 47 laps
R Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 43 laps
R Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 32 laps
R Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz) Renault 30 laps
R Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 29 laps
R David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 25 laps
R Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 19 laps
R Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 8 laps
R Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 0 laps
R Jenson Button (GB) Honda 0 lap
R Anthony Davidson (GB) Super Aguri-Honda 0 lap
R Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 0 laps
R Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 0 laps
* Nakajima handed 10-place grid penalty for next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix
Key: R = retired; DQ = disqualified.
Fastest lap: Kovalainen one minute 27.418 seconds, lap 43
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john the tinca
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Todt steps down as Ferrari boss
Ferrari have named Amedeo Felisa as the Formula One team's chief executive after the resignation of Jean Todt.
Todt, 62, who was a key figure in turning the Italian team into one of F1's most successful teams, will stay on in a senior executive role.
Felisa, also aged 62, joined Ferrari in 1990 and has been the team's general manager since 2006.
Todt joined Ferrari in 1993 and guided the team to six straight constructors' titles between 1999 and 2004.
With chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo back at Ferrari after a stint as chairman of Italy's employers body, Todt said he could "dedicate more time to myself and the things I'm interested in".
Montezemolo is known to be an admirer of Renault driver Fernando Alonso.
The switch marks the culmination of a generational shift within Ferrari, with the replacement of the previous foreign leaders with a new set, chiefly Italian.
The team's success in the late 1990s and first half of this decade was based on Michael Schumacher's arrival at the team in 1996, by which time Frenchman Todt had already been in charge for three years.
Schumacher retired at the end of 2006 to be replaced by Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who won the world title last season.
Todt will remain a board member as well as chairman of Ferrari Asia Pacific and Ferrari West Europe.
He will also be charged by Montezemolo to carry out special assignments for Ferrari's racing operations.
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john the tinca
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Sir Jackie Stewart says Lewis Hamilton is "completely wrong" not to join the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.
The McLaren driver, who won the opening race of the season in Australia, claims he has not joined the union because he has "so much going on".
But former world champion Stewart believes every driver should support the union's attempts to improve safety.
"I'm surprised and disappointed. He has been badly advised," he said. "It is completely wrong not to be involved."
Stewart was instrumental in changing the sport's attitude to driver safety, both during his career and after.
The GPDA was formed in 1961 but it was thanks to Stewart's tireless campaigning during the 1960s and '70s that the association became influential, introducing fireproof overalls, effective helmets and emergency medical facilities.
There have been no deaths in Formula One since that of Ayrton Senna nearly 14 years ago, but Stewart is concerned that drivers such as Hamilton and world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who is also not a member of the GPDA, are becoming complacent.
"So far we have been incredibly lucky," added Stewart, who won the world title in 1969, 1971 and 1973.
"We are on the slate to have a big shunt. But what is going to happen is this - somebody is going to get killed.
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john the tinca
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The Toro Rosso Formula One team has been put up for sale, team founder Dietrich Mateschitz has confirmed.
Rule changes in 2010 mean Red Bull will no longer be able to provide Toro Rosso with custom cars and so Matechitz says there is no need to run two teams.
"It is not a big secret that we've put Toro Rosso on the market," Mateschitz told Motorsport Aktuell magazine.
"I see the necessity that we continue with one team only for 2010 but we will not sell Toro Rosso during 2008."
Mateschitz and co-owner Gerhard Berger want to have a buyer in place by the end of next season.
"We will only sell the team if it is put into safe hands," added Austrian Mateschitz. "But it will be before 2010."
Toro Rosso's cars are designed and constructed by Red Bull's team in Milton Keynes but under the new Concord Agreement teams will no longer be able to make cars for one another.
The Toro Rosso team came into existence in 2006 one year after Red Bull when Mateschitz bought the Minardi outfit from Paul Stoddart.
This season the team signed up four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais to race alongside German Sebastian Vettel.
The Frenchman earned two points for the team on his debut at the dramatic Australian Grand Prix.
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john the tinca
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State officials have ruled out staging a night Grand Prix in Australia, despite Bernie Ecclestone saying the future of the race may depend on it.
Formula One boss Ecclestone wants a race under lights to satisfy European television viewers.
The current contract ends in 2010 but Victorian state premier John Brumby said the government would do everything possible to keep the race in Melbourne.
However, Brumby insisted: "There won't be a night Grand Prix."
Race organisers and the Victorian state government, which gives financial backing, are optimistic they can hold on to the event.
Brumby added: "We will take whatever steps are reasonable and whatever steps are practical to keep the event."
The start time of this season's curtain-raiser in Australia was pushed back to 0430 GMT and could start 90 minutes later at 0600 GMT in 2009.
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john the tinca
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Lewis Hamilton beat title rivals Ferrari to set the pace in Friday practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Fresh from victory in the season-opening race in Australia on Sunday, the Englishman's McLaren beat the Ferraris into second and third places.
Hamilton was 0.151 seconds clear of Felipe Massa, with Kimi Raikkonen a further 0.222secs behind in third.
Massa had been fastest in first practice, with Raikkonen second and Hamilton down in fifth.
Scot David Coulthard was forced to sit out second practice at the Sepang track after a worrying suspension failure.
He ran off the track when a track-rod failed, and then suffered major front suspension damage when the car bounced over a kerb as it speared off the track.
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john the tinca
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The BBC has secured the television rights to show Formula One in the UK from the 2009 season.
The five-year deal for an undisclosed fee marks F1's return to BBC screens 12 years after it switched to ITV.
The contract covers all platforms and will see F1 broadcast on the BBC Sport website, as well as on TV and radio.
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said he was "delighted", adding: "The BBC has some innovative ideas to consolidate and expand our UK fan base."
Among the new developments will be live video coverage of F1 on the BBC Sport website.
Asked why he had decided to split with ITV, Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's not that we are unhappy with ITV but I think maybe they will have their hands full with other things and maybe the BBC can service us a bit better.
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john the tinca
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BBC editors should have been "probing" their senior managers more about the corporation securing Formula One TV coverage, a Labour MP has said.
Andrew MacKinlay said BBC coverage of the story had been too celebratory and lacked questions about costs.
He said the licence fee should be spent on "real sports rather than the wealthy industry of Formula One", he argued.
A BBC spokesman said managers had been available for interview. He said public response to the deal had been positive.
He said it was "standard practice" not to discuss the value of such deals owing to "commercial sensitivity".
"The public response to the BBC's announcement, judging by our message boards and blogs, has been overwhelmingly positive - and people are particularly pleased about the opportunity to watch F1 live and uninterrupted," he added.
'Brought to book'
The BBC's five-year deal, across TV, radio and online, begins next March and will end 12 years of televised race coverage on ITV.
ITV is currently three years into its own five-year contract but said it had decided to end the arrangement for "commercial" reasons.
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