Entries for April, 2008
2008 F1 Spanish GP (Race) - Again, Ferrari takes the lead with One-Two Wins!
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen became the eighth consecutive man to win the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position, when he dominated Sunday’s race at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The Finn shrugged off two safety car periods - the second when compatriot Heikki Kovalainen crashed his McLaren heavily after a front-end failure pitched him off the road in Turn Nine at an estimated 180 mph - and led home team mate Felipe Massa, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica. They finished 3.2s, 0.9s, and 1.5s apart respectively.
t may not have been a classic race, but it increased Raikkonen’s championship score to 29 points and his lead to nine over Hamilton (20), while Massa jumps up to fourth on 18, one behind Kubica (19).
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 66 | 1:38:19.051 | 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 66 | +3.2 secs | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | 22 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 66 | +4.1 secs | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 66 | +5.6 secs | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | 10 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 66 | +35.9 secs | 7 | 4 |
| 6 | 16 | Jenson Button | Honda | 66 | +53.0 secs | 13 | 3 |
| 7 | 8 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams-Toyota | 66 | +58.2 secs | 12 | 2 |
| 8 | 11 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 66 | +59.4 secs | 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 3 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 66 | +63.0 secs | 9 | |
| 10 | 21 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India-Ferrari | 65 | +1 Lap | 19 | |
| 11 | 12 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 65 | +1 Lap | 14 | |
| 12 | 9 | David Coulthard | Red Bull-Renault | 65 | +1 Lap | 17 | |
| 13 | 18 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri-Honda | 65 | +1 Lap | 22 | |
| Ret | 7 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 41 | Mechanical | 15 | |
| Ret | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 34 | Engine | 2 | |
| Ret | 17 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 34 | Accident | 11 | |
| Ret | 23 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren-Mercedes | 21 | Accident | 6 | |
| Ret | 19 | Anthony Davidson | Super Aguri-Honda | 8 | Radiator damage | 21 | |
| Ret | 14 | Sebastien Bourdais | STR-Ferrari | 7 | Accident | 16 | |
| Ret | 6 | Nelsinho Piquet | Renault | 6 | Accident | 10 | |
| Ret | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Ferrari | 0 | Accident | 20 | |
| Ret | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | STR-Ferrari | 0 | Accident | 18 |
2008 F1 Spanish GP (Qualifying) - Kimi steals the pole from Alonso
Renault’s Fernando Alonso nearly pulled off a miracle for his fellow countrymen in Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, but it was Kimi Raikkonen who pipped him for pole position for Ferrari right at the end of a dramatic qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Spanish crowd went mad when Alonso planted his Renault on pole with 1m 21.904s, but then Raikkonen rained on their parade with 1m 21.813s. That left hitherto fastest man Felipe Massa third on 1m 22.058s, from Kubica (1m 22.065s) and Hamilton (1m 22.096s), with Kovalainen joining his McLaren team mate on the third row with 1m 22.231s.
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:20.701 | 1:20.784 | 1:21.813 | 17 |
| 2 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 1:21.347 | 1:20.804 | 1:21.904 | 18 |
| 3 | 2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:21.528 | 1:20.584 | 1:22.058 | 16 |
| 4 | 4 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:21.423 | 1:20.597 | 1:22.065 | 13 |
| 5 | 22 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:21.366 | 1:20.825 | 1:22.096 | 14 |
| 6 | 23 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:21.430 | 1:20.817 | 1:22.231 | 15 |
| 7 | 10 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:21.494 | 1:20.984 | 1:22.429 | 19 |
| 8 | 11 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1:21.158 | 1:20.907 | 1:22.529 | 19 |
| 9 | 3 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:21.466 | 1:20.815 | 1:22.542 | 20 |
| 10 | 6 | Nelsinho Piquet | Renault | 1:21.409 | 1:20.894 | 1:22.699 | 18 |
| 11 | 17 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 1:21.548 | 1:21.049 | 12 | |
| 12 | 8 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams-Toyota | 1:21.690 | 1:21.117 | 15 | |
| 13 | 16 | Jenson Button | Honda | 1:21.757 | 1:21.211 | 12 | |
| 14 | 12 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 1:21.427 | 1:21.230 | 16 | |
| 15 | 7 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 1:21.472 | 1:21.349 | 15 | |
| 16 | 14 | Sebastien Bourdais | STR-Ferrari | 1:21.540 | 1:21.724 | 15 | |
| 17 | 9 | David Coulthard | Red Bull-Renault | 1:21.810 | 6 | ||
| 18 | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | STR-Ferrari | 1:22.108 | 10 | ||
| 19 | 21 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India-Ferrari | 1:22.516 | 11 | ||
| 20 | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Ferrari | 1:23.224 | 8 | ||
| 21 | 19 | Anthony Davidson | Super Aguri-Honda | 1:23.318 | 9 | ||
| 22 | 18 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri-Honda | 1:23.496 | 9 |
2008 F1 Bahrain GP (Race) - Ferrari one-two, BMW three-four, Hamilton finished 13th
Felipe Massa needed a win in Bahrain, and all weekend he looked like a man who had come to get it. When the red lights went out at the start, he lit off from the front row of the grid, and that was all she wrote as he dominated in style for Ferrari.
BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica lost second place to Kimi Raikkonen on the third lap, and from then on, pit stops apart, it was an easy one-two for Ferrari.
The start also set the pattern for McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. He was very slow away, and ended the opening lap in 10th place. Then he clobbered the back of Fernando Alonso’s Renault, and the resultant pit stop for a new nose put him into a cycle of running a heavy fuel load in traffic for the rest of a frustrating afternoon in which he took only 13th place and lost his world championship points lead.
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 57 | 1:31:06.970 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 57 | +3.3 secs | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | 4 | Robert Kubica | BMW | 57 | +4.9 secs | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | 3 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW | 57 | +8.4 secs | 6 | 5 |
| 5 | 23 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren-Mercedes | 57 | +26.7 secs | 5 | 4 |
| 6 | 11 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 57 | +41.3 secs | 7 | 3 |
| 7 | 10 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 57 | +45.4 secs | 11 | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 57 | +55.8 secs | 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 12 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 57 | +69.5 secs | 13 | |
| 10 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 57 | +77.1 secs | 10 | |
| 11 | 17 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 57 | +77.8 secs | 12 | |
| 12 | 21 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India-Ferrari | 56 | +1 Lap | 18 | |
| 13 | 22 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 56 | +1 Lap | 3 | |
| 14 | 8 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams-Toyota | 56 | +1 Lap | 16 | |
| 15 | 14 | Sebastien Bourdais | STR-Ferrari | 56 | +1 Lap | 15 | |
| 16 | 19 | Anthony Davidson | Super Aguri-Honda | 56 | +1 Lap | 21 | |
| 17 | 18 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri-Honda | 56 | +1 Lap | 22 | |
| 18 | 9 | David Coulthard | Red Bull-Renault | 56 | +1 Lap | 17 | |
| 19 | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Ferrari | 55 | +2 Laps | 20 | |
| Ret | 6 | Nelsinho Piquet | Renault | 40 | Gearbox | 14 | |
| Ret | 16 | Jenson Button | Honda | 19 | Accident damage | 9 | |
| Ret | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | STR-Ferrari | 0 | Accident damage | 19 |
2008 F1 Bahrain GP (Qualifying) - Kubica BMW Sauber maiden pole!
Felipe Massa has made the running here all weekend, but on Saturday he had to play second fiddle to Robert Kubica as the Pole grabbed the first pole position of his career, and the first for BMW Sauber.
When the chips were down in the final runs of Q3, Lewis Hamilton went to the top with 1m 33.292s for McLaren, but then Kubica banged in 1m 33.096s - even though he said his car was pulling to one side under braking - and when Massa came up short with 1m 33.123s, the dye was set, to the delight of the men from Munich and Hinwil. Their speeds, of course, could owe much to their respective fuel loads, but it was all great theatre.
Behind them, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen just pipped fellow countryman, McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen, for fourth, 1m 33.418s to 1m 33.488s, and again fuel loads may be a factor there.
Nick Heidfeld put his BMW Sauber in sixth place with 1m 33.737s, beating Jarno Trulli who again had the Toyota in the top 10 with 1m 33.994s. Williams faded a little after the speed Nico Rosberg has shown all weekend, but the German will line up eighth with 1m 34.015s. Jenson Button achieved his top 10 target with ninth place and 1m 35.057s for Honda, while Renault’s speed also faded as Fernando Alonso settled for 10th with 1m 35.115s.
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Robert Kubica | BMW | 1:32.893 | 1:31.745 | 1:33.096 | 12 |
| 2 | 2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:31.937 | 1:31.188 | 1:33.123 | 12 |
| 3 | 22 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:32.750 | 1:31.922 | 1:33.292 | 13 |
| 4 | 1 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:32.652 | 1:31.933 | 1:33.418 | 12 |
| 5 | 23 | Heikki Kovalainen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:33.057 | 1:31.718 | 1:33.488 | 12 |
| 6 | 3 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW | 1:33.137 | 1:31.909 | 1:33.737 | 15 |
| 7 | 11 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1:32.493 | 1:32.159 | 1:33.994 | 19 |
| 8 | 7 | Nico Rosberg | Williams-Toyota | 1:32.903 | 1:32.185 | 1:34.015 | 22 |
| 9 | 16 | Jenson Button | Honda | 1:32.793 | 1:32.362 | 1:35.057 | 17 |
| 10 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 1:32.947 | 1:32.345 | 1:35.115 | 17 |
| 11 | 10 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:33.194 | 1:32.371 | 12 | |
| 12 | 17 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 1:32.944 | 1:32.508 | 12 | |
| 13 | 12 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 1:32.800 | 1:32.528 | 15 | |
| 14 | 6 | Nelsinho Piquet | Renault | 1:32.975 | 1:32.790 | 15 | |
| 15 | 14 | Sebastien Bourdais | STR-Ferrari | 1:33.415 | 1:32.915 | 15 | |
| 16 | 8 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams-Toyota | 1:33.386 | 1:32.943 | 15 | |
| 17 | 9 | David Coulthard | Red Bull-Renault | 1:33.433 | 7 | ||
| 18 | 21 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India-Ferrari | 1:33.501 | 5 | ||
| 19 | 15 | Sebastian Vettel | STR-Ferrari | 1:33.562 | 9 | ||
| 20 | 20 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Ferrari | 1:33.845 | 6 | ||
| 21 | 19 | Anthony Davidson | Super Aguri-Honda | 1:34.140 | 9 | ||
| 22 | 18 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri-Honda | 1:35.725 | 5 |
