BMW drivers made to look like fools again

What Bobby Kubica really wants to do in preparation for this Sunday’s British GP is help team-mate Nick Heidfeld line up a tricky putt.

God, he looks bored. At least Nick looks semi-interested, for once. We guess that golf is not as exciting as driving a rocket on wheels.

More humiliation below…

Grid Crasher previews this weekend’s race at Silverstone

1. It will rain on Sunday afternoon That’s what the expert weather folks say, and who are we to doubt them. A wet GP is an unpredictable GP - but that’s not going to stop us from making another nine rash predictions…

Saturday & Sunday will be wet, warn forecasters

The long-range weather forecast predicts that Friday at Silverstone will feature sunny spells, but conditions will worsen over the following 24 hours with rain forecast for Saturday (quali) and Sunday (race day). Temperatures are also set to drop sharply, with a high of around 16C on Sunday… so this is what it feels like to be a weatherman.

With Ferrari set to dominate a dry race, the Scuderia’s rivals - including title challengers Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica - will surely be delighted at the prospect of a wet, unpredictable race.

Ayrton Senna’s nephew may graduate to F1 next year

Bruno Senna, the nephew of the late, great Ayrton, is in “intensive talks” with BMW Sauber regarding a test-driver spot in 2009.

Sport Bild claims that the talented young Brazilian, currently competing in GP2, could even replace struggling Nick Heidfeld - we can’t see that happening next year, although Senna’s arrival in F1 is inevitable; think of the huge interest his name alone would generate for the sport.

Grid Crasher’s tells you who’s staying, and who’s going…

Now is the time of the season when the F1 rumour mill goes crazy. Will Alonso leave Renault at the end of the year? Will Kimi actually retire? Is Nelson Piquet Jnr history? What is the point of Timo Glock? So many questions, no concrete answers.

Here is our take on what the 2009 driver line-ups will look like…

The best pics from Magny Cours

Nick Heidfeld and Bobby Kubica enjoy a cheese and wine tasting session. Nick, in particular, seems to be having a fine time. Question (we have asked it before): why do the poor BMW drivers always get to do the shittiest PR set-ups? You wouldn’t catch Kimi Raikkonen sat in a field before a GP, with a wooden tray of brie and grapes laid out in front of him.

More pics this way…

Who got lost in France?

Five winners:

1. Felipe Massa (1st) Won a race that he didn’t really deserve to win, though that’s no criticism of Ferrari’s No.2, who could yet win the world title - especially if Kimi continues to have zero luck.

2. Nelson Piquet Jnr (7th) Wouhou, at last! Junior brings his Renault home in a points-paying position. Now we could see a totally different Piquet. Or not.

The first snaps from Magny Cours

Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen (back row), Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica (front row) look delighted to be stuck in Thursday’s pre-race press conference.

More below…

Williams star courted by BMW Sauber

Robert Kubica is playing it cool about rumours that cherubic Nico Rosberg could join him at BMW next season. Paddock whispers - often less effective than Chinese whispers - suggest that Rosberg could replace Nick Heidfeld for 2009.

Kubica says it doesn’t really make a difference to him who occupies the second BMW next season:

“For me it doesn’t change anything if it’s Nick or Nico: my team-mate is just one of 19 other drivers who I must beat,” he told La Stampa.

The Spaniard’s talent deserves a faster car for 2009

Put yourself in Fernando Alonso’s shoes. You’re 26 years old, and in your prime. You’ve already won two world championships; in the process you became the youngest driver ever to become a double champion.

In Alonso’s own mind, now is the time when he should be building his legend, by winning more titles. He is clearly one of the best three F1 drivers out there, arguably better than current champ Kimi Raikkonen or pesky Lewis Hamilton.

But… he’s stuck in a midfield car, the sort of car that only rookies and veterans should be driving. He desperately needs and wants to be in a top car, a Ferrari or McLaren or BMW. Nothing else will do. He deserves to be in such a car, not the Frankenstein’s monster that is the R28. And we, the F1 fans, deserve to see him in a good car.