We’ll leave it to Coutlhard to tell you about his decision to quit F1 at the end of this season:
“I would like to announce today my decision to retire from racing in Formula 1 at the end of this season. I will remain actively involved in the sport as a consultant to Red Bull Racing focusing on testing and development of the cars.
“I have an open mind as to whether or not I will compete again in the future, in some other form of motorsport, so I am definitely not hanging up my helmet!”
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…
David Coulthard enjoyed a tour of the McLaren Technology Centre today after winning the top prize in a recent F1 charity auction - you’d think he’d seen enough of the team that sacked him in 2004.
The Big Chin was joined by Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Adrian Newey, plus his manager, Martin Brundle - the ITV commentator once drive for McLaren, in 1994.
The quartet were given a full guided tour of the facility by McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh, followed by lunch in one of the team’s private dining rooms. Did the Red Bull trio spy on McLaren take notes?
Pharrell Williams the hottest ticket for British GP
Pharrell Williams and band N*E*R*D will play a private gig prior to the British GP, in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. The party is being held at London’s Bloomsbury Ballroom on Wednesday 2 July.
Most of F1’s top drivers are set to attend, including British stars Lewis Hamilton (a friend of Pharrell’s), Jenson Button and David Coulthard. “This is going to be the hottest ticket in London this summer!” said Williams. “It is our pleasure to perform at the F1 party… we are going to give a crazy performance. I am very grateful to Mr (Bernie) Ecclestone for inviting us to perform and I can’t wait to give Lewis my full support at the British Grand Prix later that week.”
Looks like Seb will replace DC in Red Bull’s senior team
The longer the 2008 F1 season goes on, the more likely it seems that Sebastian Vettel will make the step up from the baby Red Bull team, Toro Rosso, and into the senior Red Bull team. That would almost certainly see the German take the seat of David Coulthard, rather than Mark “Steady Webby” Webber.
Vettel is getting stronger and stronger, and Coulthard is having a very tough year, despite solid runs in Canada and France.
German magazine Auto Motor und Sport claims that only “a miracle” will now prevent Red Bull from starting the 2009 season with its preferred lineup of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
That leaves David Coulthard out in the cold, and looking very short on options if he wants to stay in F1 for another year. Asked about the mounting speculation, DC replied, mysteriously: “I have plans for the future.”
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (DNF)
Could do nothing about the incident that led to his retirement, so we won’t mark him down. Until the safety car, Kimi was setting fastest laps and looking like he could threaten Lewis Hamilton. 7/10
Felipe Massa, Ferrari (5th)
An up-and-down weekend for the Brazilian, but he’ll be happy to make a small gain on Hamilton and his team-mate. Qualified poorly, but not to blame when Ferrari forced him to pit twice within two laps. Put a stunning overtaking move on Rubens Barrichello and Heikki Kovalainen. 6
1. Robert Kubica His maiden F1 win had been coming all season, although we doubt he’d have beaten either Raikkonen or Hamilton in a straight fight. But the handful of “on-it” laps when he increased his lead over team-mate Nick Heidfeld to more than 20 seconds - a gap that enabled the Pole to make his second pit-stop without losing the lead - were blistering. He now leads the championship, and if all around him continue to lose their heads, he could even win it.
2. Nick Heidfeld As Martin Brundle pointed out during ITV’s coverage, Heidfeld appeared to be pissed off with second place, because BMW had been threatening to win for ages; when they did, it was Kubica who reaped the reward, not him. Still, second place was a welcome return to form for the under-pressure German.
One third of the season is done & dusted. We rate the drivers so far, based on the first six GPs of 2008
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (35 points, 2nd in championship)
Despite an up-and-down season so far, the reigning champ is still very much the favourite to win the title this year. He had a horrible race in Monaco, but solid wins in Malaysia and Spain are a more reliable indicator of his pace this season. Four podiums in six races is championship-winning form. Over the long haul, we can’t see that Felipe Massa will have enough to get the better of the laidback Finn; only Lewis Hamilton can challenge him. 7/10
Felipe Massa, Ferrari (34pts, 3rd)
So far, the little Brazilian has put up a better fight against his team-mate than many observers expected - especially after he failed to finish either of the first two grands prix. When he’s fast, he’s very very fast, arguably the quickest natural driver in the championship; and now he seems to be getting more consistent, which is the key to winning his first title. If he can outscore Raikkonen in the second third of the season (a huge if), then Ferrari will have a dilemma as to which driver to support. 7/10
