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2008 Formula 1 Thread


danposs86

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they said there are gonna be so many lamps round the track the light level will be the same as a daytime race....so whats so special about having it at night if there isnt the added difficulty of the lower visability.

 

The track looks fantastic tho,especially the bit where the track goes under the grandstand

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I cant wiat for the new street circiuts, something (coupled with no TC) to actually challenge the drivers this year. I wouldnt mind seeing Hamilton win it, but i would love one of the underdog teams to pull a complete blinder.

 

Still, i'm looking forward to this.

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talking about the Moto Gp was watching the race (it'll get into F1 in a sec!) and they bought up a good point that i didn't think about. As its night it'll be alot colder so what will that do to all the cars with no TC and cold tyres :) thinking about it now it should be a lot more interesting

 

Well it can still be quite warm out there, even at night. If it isnt however, then the engines will also be making more power, as the air will be cooler.

Could make things interesting! lol

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Kep all aussie GP chat in here.

 

 

Hamilton gets off to flying start,

 

Lewis Hamilton's McLaren during practice for the Australian Grand Prix

Hamilton is hopeful of a strong showing at the year's first race

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

 

Lewis Hamilton

McLaren driver

Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was fourth fastest in both sessions.

 

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."

 

Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at Melbourne's Albert Park

Raikkonen's Ferrari looked ominously quick in the first session

Inconclusive though lap times in Friday practice can be, they suggest what many in Formula One suspected - that McLaren and Ferrari have an advantage of almost a second a lap over the rest of the field.

 

They also suggest that, as predicted, the battle for the lower points positions will be closely fought.

 

BBC Radio 5 Live commentator David Croft said: "The fight for the championship will be between two teams - Ferrari and McLaren.

 

"And we'll have two distinct battles - the fight for the title and the midfield battle, which will include Williams and Renault and BMW and maybe even Toyota."

 

Hamilton said: "It's great to be back racing and being here in Melbourne where I started my Formula 1 career only a year ago.

 

"It's always a special feeling to go out of the garage for the first time in practice at the start of a new season.

 

 

606: DEBATE

All the ingredients seem to be there for a Grand Prix season of impeccable vintage

 

Andrew Benson - BBC Sport

"There was some good progress with the car, and we made the best use of the ever-improving track conditions.

 

"Ferrari look strong, but it's still too early to tell exactly where we are in comparison. All in all, a good start to the Australian Grand Prix and the season."

 

Raikkonen, who won in Melbourne last year, was less pleased with his Ferrari.

 

"I'm not very happy with the way practice went," he said. "This morning we found some good settings for the car but in the afternoon we struggled and our lap times reflect that.

 

"We must look carefully at the data to work out how to improve the car."

 

David Coulthard slides into a gravel trap in his Red Bull

Coulthard was impressively quick despite this off-track moment

And the performance of the Hondas appears not to be as bad as many had predicted, with Englishman Jenson Button 11th in both sessions.

 

The struggling team said they had continued progress from an encouraging final test of the winter at the Spanish Jerez track two weeks ago, when they introduced new parts to improve the car's aerodynamics.

 

"It has been a good day for us," Button said. "We focused mainly on tyre work and getting the best out of the car in the very hot conditions. Everything went smoothly and the car feels much as it did at the Jerez test, which is pleasing."

 

Button's former team Williams, by contrast, had a frustrating day.

 

They have been battling for the lead of the group behind Ferrari and McLaren in winter testing, but gearbox problems hit both cars on Friday and lead driver Nico Rosberg missed the entire first session.

 

• McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa has been elected chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association - and said one of his first aims was to persuade stars who are not yet members, including Hamilton and Raikkonen, to join.

 

De la Rosa said: "One of the big aims is to recruit all of the drivers, not only the new youngsters but everyone. We all have to be part of it because we are working on safety and safety is for everyone. That's the whole point of the GPDA."

 

Double world champion Alonso and Webber are the other two directors of the GPDA.

 

First practice times from Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne:

 

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari one minute 26.461 seconds

2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.948

3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1:26.958

4. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.114

5. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:28.263

6. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:28.360

7. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:28.579

8. Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:28.913

9. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.957

10. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:29.014

11. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:29.124

12. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari 1:29.230

13. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:29.301

14. Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:29.363

15. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:29.533

16. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:29.561

17. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 1:30.155

18. Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz) Renault 1:30.357

19. Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:31.048

20. Anthony Davidson (GB) Super Aguri-Honda 1:31.771

21. Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota 1:35.053

22. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota no time

 

Second Session

 

1. Hamilton 1:26.559

2. Webber 1:27.473

3. Massa 1:27.640

4. Kovalainen 1:27.683

5. Coulthard 1:28.037

6. Raikkonen 1:28.208

7. Trulli 1:28.292

8. Rosberg 1:28.352

9. Fisichella 1:28.469

10. Glock 1:28.582

11. Button 1:28.632

12. Heidfeld 1:28.731

13. Alonso 1:28.779

14. Barrichello 1:28.849

15. Kubica 1:28.860

16. Nakajima 1:29.077

17. Sutil 1:29.161

18. Vettel 1:29.193

19. Piquet Jr 1:29.581

20. Bourdais 1:29.605

21. Sato 1:30.663

22. Davidson 1:31.527

 

 

Go Lewis. cant wait to see how things have changed this year,red bulls seem quick

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