Relive Lewis’ worst nightmare at Interlagos
Watch as Robert Kubica unlaps himself, then Seb Vettel takes fifth. You can almost sense the panic in Lewis as Vettel threatens to ruin his title chances.
Relive Lewis’ worst nightmare at Interlagos
Watch as Robert Kubica unlaps himself, then Seb Vettel takes fifth. You can almost sense the panic in Lewis as Vettel threatens to ruin his title chances.
6 CommentsTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, F1, interlagos, Lewis Hamilton, Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel
Posted: November 9th, 2008 by Ollie Irish
Scuderia prez admits losing his cool
He may look like a mild-mannered Italian gent, but Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has a dark and wild side. Crazy Luca smashed a TV set after seeing Lewis Hamilton snatch the F1 title from Felipe Massa at Interlagos.
“I broke the television, I must tell the truth,” Montezemolo admitted at a Ferrari event in Mugello.
“When a television breaks it makes a terrible bang. My daughter in the other room was given an awful fright. Luckily we had another television so I was able to watch the podium ceremony, which I enjoyed.”
Lesson learned: don’t make Luca angry… you won’t like him when he’s angry.
Add CommentTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Luca di Montezemolo
Posted: November 9th, 2008 by Ollie Irish
Massa’s won, Massa’s the champion! … Bugger…
In which Felipe Massa’s supporters:
1) Go absolutely crazy because they think their man has been crowned world champion.
2) … Then news reaches them that their man has not been crowned world champion.
Triumph to disaster in 3.4 seconds.
Add CommentTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, F1, Felipe Massa, interlagos
Posted: November 4th, 2008 by Ollie Irish
Toyota driver denies foul play on last lap
Some Ferrari fans and conspiracy theorists have accused Timo Glock of slowing down deliberately on the final lap of Sunday’s Brazilian GP, to let Lewis Hamilton overtake him and take the crucial fifth place that he needed to win the title.
Glock replied to the accusation by saying: “Are you taking the Mickey?”
Some Brazilian fans at Interlagos even booed Glock after the race, thinking he had robbed local boy Felipe Massa of the championship. But to blame Glock is ridiculous.
The notion that Glock allowed Lewis to pass him is laughable. Toyota had absolutely nothing to gain by helping Hamilton. Also, the German’s slow final-lap time matched that of team-mate Jarno Trulli, who was also on slicks in treacherous conditions - and Trulli was nowhere near Lewis.
Glock had zero grip on the final lap - it’s that simple. And if Toyota had brought him into the pits to replace the slicks with a couple of laps to go (as McLaren did, quite rightly), he would never have been in front of Hamilton in the first place, and we wouldn’t be having this debate.
Toyota made a wrong call, McLaren didn’t. End of story.
21 CommentsTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, Eddie Jordan, F1, interlagos, Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Timo Glock, Toyota
Posted: November 3rd, 2008 by Ollie Irish
Canada’s Red Bull girl not allowed into Brazil
Red Bull’s paddock girls, or Formula Unas to give them their proper name, show up at every grand prix and do a very good job of making the pit lane a prettier place.
At Brazil, the “winning” Formula Una from each grand prix (translation: the hottest local girl at each race) is invited by Red Bull to attend an end-of-season party. All of the Unas made it to Interlagos… except one.
Montreal’s Formula Una - better known as 19-year-old Katrina Lesko - required a visa to be allowed into Brazil. So Red Bull informed her that she should get her paperwork sorted. She duly obliged.
But when Lesko transferred from Montreal to Washington on Wednesday, and was asked to present her visa for Brazil, the immigration officer refused to let her get on the plane to Sao Paulo. Why? It might have something to do with the fact that Lesko pulled out a brand-new Visa credit card.
She never made it to Brazil. True story.
8 CommentsTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, F1, Formula Unas, Girls, Girls and Cars, interlagos, Montreal
Posted: November 3rd, 2008 by Ollie Irish
1 CommentTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, F1, Girls, Girls and Cars, Grid girls, interlagos
Posted: November 3rd, 2008 by Ollie Irish
Three cheers for Massa, no love for the Brazilian fans
Felipe Massa showed himself to be a class act at Interlagos this weekend. Not only did he drive brilliantly, his emotional yet gracious reaction to ultimate defeat in the world championship proved that he is a top bloke. He didn’t hesistate to congratulate Lewis Hamilton after the race, when all around him Hamiton’s critics were looking for excuses or claiming that the McLaren driver was “lucky” to snatch fifth place on the last lap.
Massa is a credit to F1 - unlike his compatriots in the stands, many of whom booed at the merest glance on the big screen of Hamilton (and his family), and anything with a McLaren badge on it, throughout the weekend. The boos and whistles rang out loudest as it transpired that Hamilton had done enough to win the championship - from the huge amount of noise coming from the stands, it’s clear that this was not the minority of the crowd.
Anthony Hamilton, interviewed by ITV just after the race, said: “It’s a shame the crowd is doing this, they should be fair sports people.”
He’s right. It was a shame, and just about the only negative to come out of a thrilling weekend of motorsport.

2 CommentsTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, F1, fans, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, interlagos, Lewis Hamilton
Posted: November 3rd, 2008 by Ollie Irish
The best pics from Interlagos, for your viewing pleasure

Nicole Scherzinger, Pussycat Doll and girlfriend of Lewis Hamilton, hugs Lewis’s brother, Nick.
More photos below:

7 CommentsTags: Brazilian Grand Prix, F1, interlagos, Lewis Hamilton, photos
Posted: November 3rd, 2008 by Ollie Irish