F1 2008

Kazi ipo hapo kesho, Massa will do some wonders...

SteveD said:

Hoooray!!! Lewis Hamilton takes pole position once more 🙂

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Although I am Hamilton fan I don't like him starting from pole, dogo akianza mbele ana papara sana, considering the fact Kovalainen in second place wanaweza kufanya manyago mbele apo wakapoteza ushindi, the only relief is that on third place is Massa and not Raikkonen, kama kichaa Raikkonen angekuwa nyuma yao ingelikuwa balaa. All in all good luck for tomorrow Lewis!!!!!

set up za team ferrari zimekataa,hamilton ashindwe mwenyewe kushinda

The Race Start!!! As I Was Predicting Hamilton Kaanza Kufanya Manyago Right At The Start!!! He Is Second Behind Massa Na Hii Track Ya Hungary Overtaking Ni Shida Kidogo !!time Bado Ipo Wacha Tuone!!

Phillipe massa car broke down while he was leading just 3 laps to go!!!

The race is over Kovalainen won the Race

Kweli said:

The race is over Kovalainen won the Race

Click to expand...

Tomorrow European GP Valencia qualifications (after sat. practise result) are as follows:
1 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:38.989
2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:39.199
3 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:39.392
4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:39.488
5 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:39.937
6 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 1:40.142
7 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:40.309
8 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:40.631
9 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:40.721
10 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:40.750
11 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota
12 Fernando Alonso Renault
13 Timo Glock Toyota
14 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
15 Nelsinho Piquet Renault
16 Jenson Button Honda
17 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault
18 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari
19 Rubens Barrichello Honda
20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari

dalili zote,zinaonyesha,ferrari will triumph,uwanja has got sehemu za ku overtake-will the real raikonnen stand up

European Grand Prix

Ferrari's Felipe Massa became Lewis Hamilton's closest championship challenger with a copybook victory in the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

The Brazilian held off the challenge from Hamilton's McLaren throughout the race on the new Spanish street track.

But Massa was fined 10,000 euros after he ran into the path of another car after his second pit stop.

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was third, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen saw his title hopes dented with retirement.

Hamilton's lead is a point bigger than it was at the start of the race - he now leads by six points from Massa, while Raikkonen's deficit following his engine failure has grown from five points to 13.

Massa's victory was allowed to stand after an inquiry into an incident at his pit stop on lap 37, when he was released illegally into the path of Force India's Adrian Sutil.

Unusually, the stewards decided they would investigate at the end of the race - a move that will be met with cynicism in the F1 paddock given the potential impact on the title battle.

Officials eventually chose to reprimand and fine Massa 10,000 euros (£7, 981), ruling he had not gained a sporting advantage from the incident.

I thought we would keep a certain gap and maintain it but he just stretched it

Lewis Hamilton

Massa's near-miss with Sutil may have been influenced by Ferrari's pit-stop system, in which the team do not have a "lollipop man" controlling the driver.

Instead, they use a system of lights, which are operated by the crew doing the pit stop.

Out on the track, Massa and Hamilton staged their own private battle at the front of the field, but the Ferrari driver was always just that bit too fast for his rival.

Massa consolidated his pole position into a lead on the first lap as Hamilton, starting on the dirty side of the track, was forced to defend his second place from Kubica.

Massa then proceeded to edge away from Hamilton until he had a lead of nearly five seconds by the time of his first pit stop on lap 15, two laps earlier than Hamilton's first stop.

But despite two superbly quick laps from the McLaren driver before he came into the pits, the margin between the two was reduced by only a second when Hamilton rejoined.

And Massa was even stronger in the second stint, pulling away from Hamilton in a more convincing fashion to be more than eight seconds in front by the time of his second stop on lap 37.
Felipe Massa leads Lewis Hamilton at the start of the European Grand Prix
Massa led comfortably from Hamilton throughout the race

The Ferrari driver regained his lead when Hamilton stopped two laps later and cruised to his fourth victory of the year - the same number as Hamilton.

"I can't complain with second place," Hamilton said.

"We've had quite a strong weekend. I've had a traumatised weekend - I've had a problem health-wise.

"But we got some good points this weekend and so it was solid for us.

"I got a reasonably decent start but I just had to try and hold my spot but after that I was able to relax and try and attack and keep up with Massa.

"I thought we would keep a certain gap and maintain it but he just stretched it."

Massa was thrilled to make up for the disappointment of losing a win in the last race in Hungary when his engine failed with three laps to go.

"It's amazing after such a bad result," Massa said. "We've come here to a new track and did a fantastic job; preparing the car in the sessions and choosing the right tyres, which was pretty difficult.

"Then making the pole and winning the race and making the fastest lap there is nothing more we can ask for."

Ferrari's pit stop system also came under the spotlight when Raikkonen made his final stop - the Finn left while the refuelling hose was still attached.

He had pitted at the same time as McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, who he had been attempting to pass for fourth place.

But in his keenness to get out of the pits ahead of his fellow Finn, Raikkonen knocked over one of the two men holding the refuelling hose, and had to stop again and he lost a place to Toyota's Jarno Trulli.

A Ferrari spokesman said he thought Raikkonen had left the pits before being given the green light by the pit system.

The mechanic was taken to the circuit's medical centre for attention.

There was worse to come for Raikkonen, when his engine failed a couple of laps later.

In the race, Raikkonen, who has not won since the Spanish Grand Prix in April, suffered again for his inability to string a competitive lap together in qualifying.

The Finn was held up behind Kovalainen in the first stint of the race, but had a particularly poor second stint, when he lapped the best part of a second slower than Massa despite being on a clear track.
Marshals push away Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari following its retirement with engine failure
It was a disastrous race for Raikkonen, who retired with engine failure

Kubica drove a lonely race, unable to challenge the leaders, but comfortably clear of the pursuing Kovalainen and Raikkonen.

Following Raikkonen's retirement, Kovalainen was comfortable in fourth, ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Vettel, who lost out to the Italian during the first pit stops.

Toyota's Timo Glock and Williams's Nico Rosberg took the final points positions.

Belgian Grand Prix


McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was stripped of a dramatic victory in the Belgian Grand Prix after stewards handed him a 25-second post-race penalty.

The Englishman was demoted to third place behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

He was accused of gaining an advantage by cutting the Spa circuit's Bus Stop chicane in a late-race battle with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton's lead over Massa in the title chase has been cut to two points.

Massa's team-mate Raikkonen, who crashed out of second place shortly after losing the lead, is 19 points behind Hamilton.

Before the penalty, Hamilton had extended his lead over the Brazilian to eight points, with Raikkonen effectively out of the running on 23.

On the track, Hamilton had survived a frantic last two laps in a late shower of rain to apparently score a superb win.

Hamilton lost the lead to Raikkonen with an early spin but fought back in the closing laps to re-take the lead with two laps to go.

In a dramatic climax on a soaking track, Hamilton passed Raikkonen, lost the lead again with a spin, re-took it and then saw Raikkonen crash. I was praying for rain - I wanted it to come because I knew how to deal with it



In a chaotic final couple of laps, Heidfeld jumped from eighth to third place on the track with what he called a "hero or zero decision" to come in for wet-weather tyres with two laps to go.

Renault's Fernando Alonso chose the same tactic a lap later and it secured the double world champion the fourth place he had held for much of the race.

It was an experience and a half," Hamilton said before his penalty was announced. "I was praying for rain. I wanted it to come because I knew how to deal with it.

"The heavens opened and I saw Kimi begin to back off and to brake a bit earlier....... More


Source: BBC SPORT

Italian Grand Prix qualifying result:

1 S Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1min 37.555secs
2 H Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:37.631
3 M Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:38.117
4 S Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:38.445
5 N Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:38.767
6 F Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:38.894
7 J Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:39.152
8 F Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:39.751
9 T Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:39.787
10 N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:39.906
11 R Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:36.697
12 G Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 1:36.698
13 D Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:37.284
14 K Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:37.522
15 L Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:39.265
16 R Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:36.510
17 N Piquet Jr. (Brz) Renault 1:36.630
18 K Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:36.653
19 J Button (GB) Honda 1:37.006

Italian Grand Prix - Result:

Sebastian Vettel took his and the Toro Rosso team's maiden win in a thrilling Italian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton came from 15th to finish seventh.

The German led from pole throughout a demanding race of changing conditions to finish ahead of Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen.

Vettel, 21, takes over from Fernando Alonso as F1's youngest-ever winner.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa reduced the Englishman's championship lead to one point by finishing sixth.

More:

Final
1 S Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari

2 H Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes

3 R Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber

4 F Alonso (Spa) Renault

5 N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber

6 F Massa (Bra) Ferrari

7 L Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes

8 M Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault

Singapore Grand Prix


Fernando Alonso's stunning drive saw him top the time charts in second practice for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Renault driver left it late to deny Lewis Hamilton top spot, who had earlier set the day's fastest time.

Alonso clocked one minute 45.654 seconds to edge Hamilton by just 0.098secs, despite the Englishman leading for most of the session.
The day's first session saw Hamilton narrowly beat title rival Felipe Massa by just 0.080secs.

Ferrari's Massa finished third in second practice, while Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren and Williams' Nico Rosberg took fourth and fifth, respectively.
The rain and thunderstorms that had lashed Singapore on Friday morning abated for formula one's debut under floodlights and the action on the track lived up to the much-hyped billing.

BMW Sauber's Nico Rosberg set the early pace in the evening's second session, but Hamilton soon continued from where he had left off to go top on his third lap.

More Check: BBC SPORTS

Photos: Yahoo! Eurosport

Singapore Grand Prix - Pole position


Ferrari's Felipe Massa produced a sensational final lap to snatch pole ahead of McLaren title rival Lewis Hamilton at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Brazilian, only a point adrift in the title race, was six-tenths of a second quicker than Hamilton.

World champion Kimi Raikkonen took third under the floodlights, ahead of BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica.

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen and the second BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld make up the top six for Sunday's race.

With overtaking difficult on the Marina Bay street circuit, grid positions are likely to be crucial - and Massa was understandably delighted to have pipped Hamilton at the death.

More: BBC SPORTS

Final positions:

1. Massa (Ferrari)

2. Hamilton (McLaren)

3. Raikkonen (Ferrari)

4. Kubica (BMW Sauber)

5. Kovalainen (McLaren)

6. Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)

7. Vettel (Toro Rosso)

Singapore Grand Prix - Results


1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault one hour 5 minutes
2 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 2.9 seconds behind
3 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes +5.9secs
4 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota +8.1secs
5 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari +10.2secs
6. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber +11.101
7. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault +16.387
8. Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota +18.489
9. Jenson Button (GB) Honda +19.885
10. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes +26.902
11. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber +27.975
12. Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari +29.432
13. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari +35.107
14. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari +43.571

R15 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 57 laps completed
R Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 50 laps completed
R Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 49 laps
R Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 29 laps
R Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 14 laps
R Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz) Renault 13 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen one minute 45.599 seconds on lap 14
Key: R = retired

Source: BBC SPORT

Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos​

Felipe Massa insists he is unfazed as he attempts to clinch the Formula One title ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver trails Hamilton by seven points in the title race heading into Sunday's race at Interlagos.
"I have zero pressure because I have nothing to lose," said Massa.

"I have a harder job ahead of me than Lewis in terms of points but my gameplan for the end of the week is more simple than his - I must win."

Hamilton, 23, only needs to cross the line in fifth place in Brazil to become the youngest world champion in the history of F1 following his victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Massa, on the other hand, must finish first or second to have any hope of pipping the Englishman to a maiden world drivers' crown.

However, the Brazilian believes knowing exactly what he has to do on his home track in Sao Paolo is an advantage.

"My own objective for the weekend is much more straightforward than his," added Massa.

"I only have to focus on winning the race on Sunday afternoon, hopefully with my team-mate Kimi Raikkonen second behind me.

"The only thing I am thinking about is winning. After that, the matter is not in my hands and we will have to wait and see exactly what and how much we have won."

Massa has been on pole in Brazil for the past two seasons and finished second to Raikkonen in 2007 after allowing the Finn past to collect the win he needed to become world champion.

The 27-year-old is also confident his good form at Interlagos, coupled with the support of his home fans, could also play into his hands.

"It is impossible to predict what will happen at the Brazilian Grand Prix but I think our car has always been very good at this circuit," stated Massa.

"Another plus for me is that I will have a huge following here in my home town, I have my people behind me."

Hamilton heads to Brazil with the same points advantage he held over Raikkonen last season but will aim to avoid repeating the misfortunes that resulted in him being denied the title.

In 2007, the McLaren driver ran off the road trying unnecessarily to pass then team-mate Fernando Alonso before a gearbox problem left him at the tail of the field.

He was able to recover only to seventh as Raikkonen won to snatch the title from Hamilton's grasp by a single point - and Massa believes the memories of that race could still affect his English rival.

"All the pressure will be on him," he said. "Especially when you think about what happened at this race last year.

"For sure, Lewis will try to put pressure on me but I can't wait for the final Sunday of the sea.



WHAT HAMILTON NEEDS TO DO

• If Massa wins in Brazil, Hamilton must finish at least fifth to be champion
• If Massa is second, Hamilton must finish at least seventh
• If Massa is third or lower, Hamilton is champion regardless of his result in Brazil

Source: BBC SPORT

Brazilian Grand Prix Winner!!!​

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton became the youngest world champion in Formula One history by the skin of his teeth after a nail-biting Brazilian Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old Englishman's title rival Felipe Massa won the race in his Ferrari but Hamilton grabbed the fifth place he needed at the last corner.

A late-race rain shower looked to have cost Hamilton the title when he dropped to sixth after a stop for wet tyres.

But he passed Toyota's Timo Glock as they entered the pit straight.

Renault's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest champion, was second ahead of Massa's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton's success buries the ghosts of last year, when after a remarkable debut season he let slip a massive lead in the final two races and Raikkonen sneaked in to win the title.

Ultimately, there were no similar mistakes this time around - but as he entered the final lap Hamilton was not going to win the title.

He - like Massa - had stopped to change to wet tyres as the rain fell in the closing laps.

But while the Brazilian held on to his lead, Hamilton dropped to fifth place behind Glock - who stayed on dry tyres.

Report: Lewis Hamilton - the making of a champion

Hamilton then lost that position - which was the minimum he needed if Massa won - when he was passed at the start of the penultimate lap by Vettel.

Hamilton tried hard to get back past the German, but he could not get close enough to him and he would have thought he had lost the title until he came to the last two corners of the lap.

There, Glock - who had started the final lap 18 seconds ahead of Hamilton - was struggling badly on the now-slick track and the McLaren slipped passed the Toyota as it accelerated up the hill towards the finish line.

"It's pretty impossible to put into words," Hamilton said.

"I thought do I have it? Do I have it? And when they told me I was ecstastic."

It was heartbreaking for Massa, whose family were celebrating what they thought was his success for a few seconds until they realised what had happened.

"It was an emotional day for me. You get here and you've almost done everything perfect but we saw Lewis passing Glock again and that mixed emotion.

"Unfortunately we missed [out] by one point but that's racing.

"We need to be proud of our race and our championship. It's one more day of our life when I will learn a lot but for sure I'm very emotional."
Felipe Massa at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix

His only consolation was that his victory helped secure the constructors' title for Ferrari.

The thrilling climax was a stark contrast to the rest of the race, which Hamilton had approached with the caution he felt was required to avoid mistakes.

The 23-year-old - watched from the sidelines by his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, singer with the Pussycat Dolls - went into the race knowing he only had to finish fifth even if Massa won his home event.

That luxury showed in the way in which he and his McLaren team approached the Grand Prix.

A shower of rain five minutes before the scheduled start introduced a random element that was exactly what Hamilton did not need.

It caused a five-minute delay and shaped the entire race.

The heavy shower doused the track in the area of the pits and some of the corners, but other areas remained dry.... MORE

MICHAEL SPEARMAN at Interlagos

Published: 02 Nov 2008

LEWIS HAMILTON crossed the line at Interlagos and had to ask if he was world champion.

Britain’s newest Formula One hero was understandably confused after an incredible finish to the Brazilian Grand Prix.

It was only on the second-last turn that McLaren ace Hamilton overtook German Timo Glock to give him the fifth place he needed to take the crown by one point from Felipe Massa.

Hamilton, 23, admitted: “When I crossed the line I didn’t know if I had done enough.

“I kept asking the guys, ‘Am I world champion? Am I world champion?’

“Then they told me I was world champion and I am ecstatic.

“It was an incredible way to win it. My family’s here, my dad’s here.

“I was told I had to get in front of Glock and to do it on virtually the last corner was amazing.

“This is for my dad — he knows he is the man. It’s been such a long journey — all the sacrifices we’ve made, I’m so thrilled to do this for everyone.

“It was one of the toughest races of my life. I don’t think I can describe my emotions. It is so special to win the race here on Ayrton Senna’s home ground.”

Dad Anthony said: “To be honest, I thought it was over. I thought it was gone. But I believed in God, I believed that right would come through.

“It is not over until it’s over. Even now I am not sure — this business works in mysterious ways.

“We have had to overcome a lot, I am extremely pleased — not just for us but people like us.

“We came from nowhere, had a dream, worked hard, dedicated ourselves and here we are on top of the world. We would never ever have expected this.

“I didn’t know he was champion when he went through.

“I had to go by what everyone else did. They were jumping up so I assumed we must have got something.

“They were absolutely the worst few minutes of my life. Where’s Timo? I want to give him a kiss.”

Father and son wept tears of joy as they hugged afterwards.

And Anthony added: “It was just an emotional embrace with Lewis, what can I say? I am speechless. That is 16 years of hard work. There is nothing I can say that expresses how I feel.

“You have got to believe. We’ve got a few years left in the sport but I don’t want another one of those.

“I don’t normally follow the race in the garage but with this being a special weekend I thought we should.”

Hamilton’s younger brother Nic said: “It was great, I loved being around the team but it was so hard at the end.”

McLaren boss Ron Dennis admitted his team were caught by surprise by Glock’s decision to stay on dry-weather tyres, which ultimately allowed Hamilton to catch him.

Dennis said: “It’s great. It was a really difficult race. We saw the Ferraris and Alonso go away. We just couldn’t race, so we had fourth and fifth to play with.

“Who would have thought Glock would stay out on dry tyres? Boy, I tell you that was one hell of a call and we’re pleased for the team but delighted for Lewis.”

Damon Hill, Britain’s last world champion 12 years ago, was delighted for Hamilton.

He said: “I send my heartfelt congratulations to the Hamilton family — it will have to go down as one of the most exciting Formula One races ever.

“It’s a momentous day and I’m really pleased. He will go on and win more championships.

“He’s been through the biggest, toughest test you can possibly go through and he’s bringing the cup home here.”

Former Brit star Sir Jackie Stewart, who won three world drivers’ championships, added: “There’s no reason why Lewis can’t win more. He’s with probably the best racing team in the world.

“He’s a lucky boy to be there so early in his career with the team’s support, skill, resources and technology behind him. He’s a man with exceptional talent and raw skill.”

It was heartbreak for Ferrari ace Massa, who won the race in front of his home crowd.

The Brazilian said: “We need to congratulate Lewis because he did a great championship and he scored more points than us so he deserves to be champion.

“I know how to lose and I know how to win. That’s racing. I am leaving the track with my head up as I think we did everything we could.”