German GP: Hamilton Makes it Two in a Row with Brilliant Win!

From Formula1.com

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton scored the fourth victory of his 2008 season here at Hockenheim on Sunday - and he did it the hard way. For the first 34 laps he ran away and hid from his pursuers, led by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, but then Timo Glock ran hard into the pit wall after the right-rear suspension of his Toyota appeared to fail, and all hell broke loose.

The safety car was deployed as the shards of debris were cleared, and the moment the pit lane opened there was a rush to refuel for the final stints. In came everyone, apart from Hamilton, BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Renault’s Nelson Piquet had just been in when Glock crashed.

Suddenly, the complexion of the race had changed totally, for Hamilton was still stuck behind the safety car and the rest had a clear run at him and a pit stop in hand. But his trump card was the presence of Heidfeld in second place and Piquet third, ahead of his sternest challenger, Massa.

By the 50th lap Hamilton had opened a lead of 15.7s over Massa in fourth place, but it was far from enough. He needed 23. As he finally refuelled he fell to fifth place, behind Heidfeld, Piquet, Massa and McLaren team mate Heikki Kovalainen.

Kovalainen soon succumbed, on lap 52. Then Heidfeld stopped to refuel on lap 53. So now it was Piquet leading, with Hamilton thirsting after Massa. Down came the gap, from just under four seconds to virtually nothing, and on the 57th lap the Brazilian fell prey to the Englishman as they braked for the hairpin. He fought back valiantly two corners later, but Hamilton was not in any mood to be denied, and now only Piquet stood between him and victory.

Lap by lap he hunted down his old GP2 adversary, until the inevitable happened, again at the hairpin. By the flag he was 5.5s clear, and four points ahead of a resigned Massa in the title stakes - 58 to 54.

Piquet clung on to the place fortune had gifted him - for the first half of the race he was down in 14th place - and Massa fended off Heidfeld in the closing stages to take the final podium position.

Kovalainen clung on for fifth ahead of fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen, whose subdued sixth place earned him three points after he had overtaken BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica and left him third overall on 51 points. Kubica has 48, for fourth.

The final point went to Sebastian Vettel after a feisty run for Toro Rosso saw him see off the likes of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Renault’s Fernando Alonso, who were ninth and 11th after the latter spun at the hairpin late in the race. Nico Rosberg was 10th for Williams, embroiled in the fight late in the race.

Sebastien Bourdais was also close to Alonso by the finish in the second Toro Rosso, and the Frenchman was followed home by Red Bull’s David Coulthard, who made a poor start and later survived a brush with Rubens Barrichello which resulted in the Honda’s demise. Giancarlo Fisichella was 14th for Force India, ahead of Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima, Force India’s Adrian Sutil and Honda’s Jenson Button, who ran into mechanical trouble and finished last.

Mark Webber’s Red Bull lost its engine as the safety car was deployed, and Glock was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after his heavy backward impact with the pit wall, but is okay.

What had looked set to be a low key race literally exploded into life due to Glock’s crash and McLaren’s gamble in keeping Hamilton out when everyone else pitted. Luckily for McLaren, Hamilton had the ability to make sure the gamble paid off.

FINAL RESULTS:

1) Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - Mercedes

2) Nelson Piquet Jr - Renault

3) Felipe Massa - Ferrari

4) Nick Heidfeld - BMW

5) Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren - Mercedes

6) Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari

7) Robert Kubica - BMW

8) Sebastian Vettel - Scuderia Toro Rosso - Ferrari

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1) Lewis Hamilton - 58

2) Felipe Massa - 54

3) Kimi Raikkonen - 51

Bobby Murcer 1946 - 2008

BAMBINO: Once again, we have to pause and reflect on the life and times of one of the Yankee Family. When I heard the news about Bobby Murcer's death, I immediately thought about Thurman Munson's tragic death. Murcer had that huge game against the Orioles the day of Munson's funeral. I'll never forget the sadness I felt at the beginning of the game, then the euphoria when Murcer won the game in the bottom of the 9th. Bobby helped us all through that terrible time by making us happy for that one moment. He was a classy guy and a true Yankee.

Bobby was traded to the San Francisco Giants after the 1974 season for Bobby Bonds. Murcer was heartbroken, but would return to the Bombers in 1979. The Yankees then traded Bonds to the Angels for Mickey Rivers and Ed Figueroa before the 1976 season. Murcer finished his career with the Yankees and retired in 1983. He had a very successful broadcasting career calling games for the Yanks. Him and Scooter were a riot together. Say hello Bobby.

British GP: Hamilton Wins Rain Soaked Home GP!!!!

From Formula1.com

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton gave his adoring fans exactly what they came to see at a sodden Silverstone on Sunday. A brilliant British Grand Prix victory in often treacherous conditions lifted him right back into contention for the world championship, on a day when Kimi Raikkonen failed to shine and Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa and BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica were the ones who came home pointless.

The race started on a damp track, with the promise of more rain to come. Hamilton touched wheels with pole-sitting team mate Heikki Kovalainen on lap one at Copse after making a terrific start, and edged ahead of him at Becketts on the fifth lap. Thereafter it was his race to lose, and the most crucial point came when both he and Raikkonen, an apparent threat at this stage, pitted on the 21st lap. But where McLaren gave their man another set of standard wet-weather Bridgestones, Ferrari kept theirs on the same set. Hamilton rocketed away from the red car, and Raikkonen slipped steadily down the order as strong mid-race performances from Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica put BMW Sauber into the frame for podium finishes.

Heavy rain in the middle of the race created further havoc, however, as driver after driver slipped and slid off the road. This was where clever strategic thinking by Ross Brawn at Honda saw the team risk bringing in both Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button for extreme wet tyres on the 35th lap. The Brazilian made great use of them and was able to push up into second place until a late switch back to intermediates. As Heidfeld clung on to a good second place, after making the right call for fresh intermediates at his first stop, Barrichello recovered to a podium finish that was a great boost to the Japanese team.

Behind them, Raikkonen finally fought his way out of a late-race battle with Renault’s Fernando Alonso and Kovalainen to finish fourth.

That means that Hamilton, Massa and Raikkonen now lead the world championship fight with 48 points apiece, with Kubica fourth on 46!

Kovalainen fought his way past Alonso in the closing stages for fifth, as Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima and Toyota’s Jarno Trulli closed in on them. On the last lap the Japanese racer’s attempts to pass the Spaniard dropped him a place, as Trulli saw an opening and pounced.

Nico Rosberg was ninth after a terrible race, in which he started from the pit lane and later damaged yet another nose and front wing after rear-ending Timo Glock’s Toyota. Mark Webber also had a terrible day, spinning on the opening lap after starting from the front row. He spun several more times on his way to 10th, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais, Glock and Massa. All of them spun at least once, with Massa talking the award for the most spins (around six) and the dizziest driver by the end.

FINAL RESULT:

1) Lewis Hamilton - McLaren - Mercedes

2) Nick Heidfeld - BMW

3) Rubens Barrichello - Honda

4) Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari

5) Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren - Mercedes

6) Fernando Alonso - Renault

7) Jarno Trulli - Toyota

8) Kazulo Nakajima - Williams - Toyota

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS:

1) Felipe Massa - 48

2) Kimi Raikkonen - 48

3) Lewis Hamilton - 48

4) Robert Kubica - 46

5) Nick Heidfeld - 36

French GP: Massa Wins His 3rd Race in a Ferrari 1-2 at Magny-Cours!

From F1-Live.com Kimi Raikkonen led away from pole position this afternoon in the 70-lap French Grand Prix and controlled the race from Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa for the first half of the race. However, a right hand side exhaust failure saw Raikkonen suddenly lose a second and a half a lap and Massa was able to cruise ahead and would go onto take a relatively easy third victory of the season.

Massa’s eighth career win moves him to the top of the championship standings with 48 points while Raikkonen was able to finish the race in second position - such was the advantage the Italian team enjoyed this weekend in France. Raikkonen looked fully in control of the race, but second position and the eight points moves him third in the championship standings just five points behind Massa.

While the battle for the race win was not much of a contest, third position remained very much in doubt right until the chequered flag fell. Jarno Trulli took the position in his Toyota, ten seconds behind Raikkonen and fended off an aggressive challenge from Heikki Kovalainen over the closing stages of the race.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080622160456.shtml

FINAL RESULTS:

1) Felipe Massa - Ferrari
2) Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari
3) Jarno Trulli - Toyota
4) Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren - Mercedes
5) Robert Kubica - BMW
6) Mark Webber - Red Bull - Renault
7) Nelson Piquet Jr. - Renault
8) Fernando Alonso - Renault

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEADERS:

1) Felipe Massa - 48
2) Robert Kubica - 46
3) Kimi Raikkonen - 43
4) Lewis Hamilton - 38
5) Nick Heidfeld - 28