McLaren quickest on day two, Force India star wrecks car
Heikki Kovalainen set the quickest time during the second day of testing at Silverstone. McLaren’s Finnish driver completed 72 laps, setting a best lap of 1:20.015, which beat Felipe Massa’s Tuesday time by 0.173secs.
Massa struggled in windy conditions, and could only manage seventh fastest out of the 10 drivers during a day in which there were several incidents. Giancarlo Fisichella was caught out at Becketts, one of the fastest corners of the circuit, and went into the barriers at high speed. His VJM01 suffered major damage and could not be repaired in time to run again. Fisi escaped serious injury in the accident, although he did keep his hands on the wheel and was taken to hospital for precautionary checks on his wrist.
Brazilian sets pace on first day at British GP circuit
Ferrari’s in-form Felipe Massa was the quickest man at Silverstone yesterday, as a three-day test got underway. Massa clocked a best lap of 1:20:188 (he completed 71 laps in all) in fine conditions, just under three-tenths of a second ahead of McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen.
Kovi completed 90 laps for McLaren, whose car featured some new aero parts, as well as testing a new fuel and lubricant formulation. Heikki will also be in action today (more on that later) before he hands over to team-mate Lewis Hamilton on Thursday.
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.
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.
A poor performance by both McLaren drivers in yesterday’s qualifying session for today’s French GP means that a Ferrari 1-2 is almost inevitable, reliability permitting. Kimi Raikkonen (pole) and Felipe Massa (second) did a solid job in locking down the front row, but they were put under no pressure from Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen. Hamilton was fastest of the non-Ferrari cars, but he ran wide and could have possibly grabbed a vital pole. He later apologised to his team, saying “I didn’t do a good job at all”.
With Hamilton already pushed down the grid, this was seen as a chance for Kovalainen to step up and put some heat on Ferrari, but he did an average job, qualifying only sixth-fastest. At this rate, we’d be surprised if McLaren hang on to him for 2009.
Grid Crasher decodes pre-race quotes from the key drivers
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) “I think that things will look really different at Magny-Cours, compared to the last GPs. The smooth surface of the French track, its demanding corners and the quick changes of direction will underline the characteristics of the F2008.It was here in France last year that my season practically started all over again; and this is what I need now, after the two races with no points. I like this track and I think that it’s perfect for our car. I think we’ll be competitive and that we can go for the maximum result.” What he really means: “Not even Lewis is going to stop me winning this time.”
Felipe Massa (Ferrari) “I hope we will be very competitive this weekend. I like Magny-Cours: I came second here last year, having started from pole, but then I lost a bit of time in traffic and I also came third in 2006. It’s a good track for me. Let’s hope we can repeat last year’s one-two finish, but maybe in a different order!” What he really means: “I hope Ferrari lets me compete with Kimi on even ground.”
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
Kimi Raikkonen was quickest on the second day of testing at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, France. The reigning world champion’s best lap - he completed 102 - was less than a tenth of a second faster than that of second-place man, Heikki Kovalainen. The BMW Sauber of Bobby Kubica was third-fastest. Full timesheet from the day coming up next…
Heikki Kovalainen gives a double thumbs-up – Paul McCartney would be proud – after being given the all clear to race in Turkey this weekend. The McLaren driver, who torpedoed off the track during the Spanish GP last month, was examined this morning and found to be in tip-top condition. An FIA statement read as follows:
“Following a medical examination this morning by the FIA Medical Delegate, Professor Jean-Charles Piette, and the Chief Medical Officer of the event, Dr. Cem Boneval, Heikki Kovalainen was cleared to race in the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix.”
Watch McLaren’s flying Finn play hide and seek in a tyre wall
Proof that a modern Formula 1 car is almost indestructible. Ten years ago, this incident may well have cost Kovalainen his life; F1’s zero-tolerance attitude to safety in the 21st century means that a driver can almost walk away from a huge crash like this. As a precaution, the Finn had to be airlifted to hospital, but he suffered no injury apart from minor concussion after the smash.
