SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium - McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was deprived of victory in a thrilling Belgian Grand Prix after stewards decided he had gained an advantage by cutting a chicane during a last-gasp duel with Kimi Raikkonen.
The race officials decided to give Hamilton a 25-second time penalty which saw him demoted to third and victory handed to second-placed Felipe Massa, allowing the Ferrari driver to cut the Briton’s lead in the championship to just two points.

Brazilian Massa succeeded in crossing the line second but won the maximum 10 points ahead of Germany’s Nick Heidfeld, the BMW-Sauber driver reached second. Hamilton grabbed six points to move to 76 in the championship to Massa’s 74.

World champion Raikkonen had led until rain began to fall and Hamilton, the 23-year-old championship leader who had started on pole position, reeled in the Ferrari and powered past on the penultimate lap.

Raikkonen was seen fighting back to retake the lead before losing control on the slippery surface and smashing into a wall while Hamilton went wide over the grass.

The two rivals had already banged bodywork, skidded and narrowly avoided other cars before stewards decided that Hamilton’s late maneouvre had broken the rulebook.

“It was an experience and a half,” said Hamilton before the stewards gave their verdict. “It was just mix and match. I was just praying for rain. I wanted it to come because I knew how to deal with it.

“It was one of the most exciting races of my career. I love having battles,” comments Hamilton.

Starting in fourth place, the Finn made a determined move on Massa after running wide at the tight first corner.

The two Ferraris ran side by side up the hill through Eau Rouge before Raikkonen, whose engine had blown in the previous race in Valencia, scythed past and took the chase to Hamilton.

Renault’s double world champion Fernando Alonso was fourth with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel fifth for Toro Rosso.

Poland’s Robert Kubica was sixth, a result that elevated him to third in the championship with 58 points, with France’s Sebastien Bourdais considerably enhancing his prospects of staying at Toro Rosso next season with seventh.

Mark Webber of Australia took the final point for Red Bull after Germany’s Timo Glock also picked up a 25-second penalty.

Bookmark It

 Del.icio.us    digg  
 Facebook    Google Bookmarks    Stumble It    Technorati    Yahoo! My Web  
Hide Sites

BUDAPEST- Formula One began its mid-season break on Monday despite vows from sport’s heavyweights Ferrari and McLaren that there would be little let-up as they began preparations for the decisive stage of the season.

Both teams will be offering welcome time off to drivers and mechanics in a three-week pause from official test sessions before the European Grand Prix in Valencia on Aug. 24.

But serious work will go on at the respective bases after Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix maintained the tension at the top of the standings.

“We showed the worth of our team and our drivers but we lacked the total reliability which is absolutely vital,” comments Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicalli after Felipe Massa missed out on taking the overall championship lead due to an engine failure just three laps from the chequered flag. He adds that a three weeks of hard work preparation will be required before the European Grand Prix.

Ferrari also has found out a mechanical problem with Kimi Raikkonen’s car and instructed the Finn to ease up on the final laps. But Domenicalli stresses that the two faults were unrelated. Raikkonen got the car home in third place behind McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen and Toyota’s Timo Glock as Ferrari stayed on top of the constructors’ championship.

Lewis Hamilton’s fifth place following a puncture in the race’s middle section has made the McLaren man to stay on top of the drivers’ standings. Raikkonen climbed to second place, just five points behind. Massa ended third, eight points behind Hamilton.

Despite their technical setbacks, Ferrari could relax on the blistering pace shown by Massa, on his daring pass of both Kovalainen and Hamilton at the first turn.

“We obviously cannot say that everything is one hundred percent. We will have to push very hard these next three weeks in the factory in terms of the car’s development and reliability,” comments Massa after the disaster.

“If we had been out in front then it perhaps would have been a little different, but they showed some really strong pace,” said Hamilton. “We already knew they were fast. It’s just you guys (in the media) who seem to think there’s a huge difference.”

After the comment on last week that he feels need for a holiday, Hamilton seemed to have talked himself into a few extra press-ups. “I think Lewis has definitely set himself up for a more intense training program for the next three weeks by saying that”, commented team boss Ron Dennis.

Bookmark It

 Del.icio.us    digg  
 Facebook    Google Bookmarks    Stumble It    Technorati    Yahoo! My Web  
Hide Sites

World champion racer Kimi Raikkonen wins the second round of the 2008 Malaysian Formula One World Championship. Bmw Sauber driver Kubica bags the 2nd position while Heikki Kovalainen finishes at the third position.

Bookmark It

 Del.icio.us    digg  
 Facebook    Google Bookmarks    Stumble It    Technorati    Yahoo! My Web  
Hide Sites

The iceman in red is all set to go and defend his title against all comers. The track at the Austrailin GP is going to get pretty cold as Kimi and Hamilton slug it out on the first race of the season. The defending champion, Kimi Raikkonen, is all set with his usual cool self as he is ready for Hamilton and the others.

Coming from an unconventional motor sporting background, the Finn had to claim a ‘Super License’ from the FIA to be made eligible for participation in F1, Peter Sauber allowed the rookie a few tests during the dawn of 2000 and was quick to sign him up for the succeeding season.

Back in 2000, in his very first race at the Australian GP, he got himself a point. Although, he has gone a long way since then, this track has special memories for him. His efforts in his debut season with Sauber proved to be good, as Ron Dennis - who was in lookout for a replacement for Mika Hakkinen - was quick to rope Kimi into McLaren. It was loud and clear that yet another Flying Finn had arrived in Formula One. Do not miss anything this season, as they are all going to be “scorchers”.

Bookmark It

 Del.icio.us    digg  
 Facebook    Google Bookmarks    Stumble It    Technorati    Yahoo! My Web  
Hide Sites

Race day is just a week away at Albert Park, Melbourne. The Albert Park tack is of high interest to the drivers as it is known to be quite fast and the smoothness is an added advantage. Drivers have also commented that the steady placement of corners allows them to easily learn the circuit and achieve competitive times. However, the terrain around the lake is flat and coupled with the track design, meaning that the track is not favorable to overtaking or easy viewing unless one is in a grandstand seat.

Will this year again see the 2007 winner Kimi Raikkonen taking a podium finish or will it be a battle for the first race of the new season. All remains to be seen on the 16th of March with the ING Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne the fist race of the 2008 season. Lewis Hamilton and Raikkonen have seemed to developed a need to go head to head against each other The rivalry will be settled and pride scorned or heaped upon the first winner. May the best man win.

Bookmark It

 Del.icio.us    digg  
 Facebook    Google Bookmarks    Stumble It    Technorati    Yahoo! My Web  
Hide Sites