It’s what YouTube was made for

In which a few pictures of girls, taken at last weekend’s GP at Magny-Cours, have been hastily thrown together to create the amazing illusion of a video.

Or, as one YouTube commenter puts it: “I will bust a skeet skeet on all of you bitches at Silverstone.”

Quite.

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…

French beauty queen hangs out with Toro Rosso

Valerie Begue, the current Miss France, was a guest of Toro Rosso at Sunday’s French GP. She wore a few more clothes than in her day job though, as the pics below show…

Poor quali by Lewis & Kovi points to Ferrari 1-2

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.

Ferrari No.2 fastest in first Magny Cours session

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa dominated Friday morning at the French Grand Prix. The Brazilian set the pace at Magny-Cours with a lap of 1:15.306, some 0.696 seconds quicker than second-placed Lewis Hamilton - both McLarens struggled for grip on a mild, partly sunny morning in central France.

Hamilton’s team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was third fastest, ahead of world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Full times below:

McLaren to use splash-and-dash pit strategy this weekend?

The highest Lewis Hamilton can start on the grid in France this Sunday is 11th, thanks to a 10-place grid penalty, awarded after the pit-lane incident in Montreal two weeks ago. That’s a best-case scenario.

Hamilton has been in bullish moood about his chances in France, so we presume he’ll want to start as high up the grid as possible, to give himself the best chance of clearing some mid-field traffic early on. But he can only start from 11th if he runs light on fuel, drive brilliantly and qualifies on pole position, presumably ahead of the Ferraris and Bobby Kubica’s BMW Sauber. That suggests McLaren will put their No.1 driver on an aggressive three-stop strategy.

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…

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.”

Get to know Magny Cours before this Sunday’s French GP

Watch Kimi take on Magny Cours in the 2006 McLaren (one of the most beautiful F1 cars in recent years).

It’s a tricky, fast circuit, notable for the very quick first corner, taken at 170mph, the tricky Estoril right-hander, which comes soon after, and the unsighted Imola chicane.

BONUS VIDEO! Watch Martin Brundle describe a Fernando Alonso pole lap below…

McLaren star says he can win French GP, despite grid penalty

Never one to lack self-belief, Lewis Hamilton maintains he can still win the French GP (22 June), despite being hit with a 10-place grid penalty, after his controversial pit-lane clash with Kimi Raikkonen in Montreal.

“We know we are sort of on the back foot already but knowing the pace and the momentum we had already from the last race it just shows that anything can happen,” Hamilton said. “I feel quite confident that we can still win. That’s my job - I have got to have that sort of belief in myself and the team and I truly do.”

Magny-Cours is a difficult circuit to overtake on, but we’ve seen Hamilton drive like a man possessed from the back of the field before, and wouldn’t be shocked to see him do it again.

What do you think - can he win despite the grid penalty? Vote below…