Crazily Fast and Furious

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso beat teammate Lewis Hamilton Wednesday to the P1 slot at Monza. The Briton rookie took the track from the morning session of Day 2 as he continued the McLaren Mercedes programme of preparation for the Italian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard driver carried on with the aerodynamic testing with modified car settings. Alonso set the fastest lap during his session, clocking a 1:23.155 to beat teammate by 0.299 seconds.

Nick Heidfeld, meanwhile, was third quickest, finishing a further 0.271s off the pace. Heidfeld continued working on the set-up of the car. The German focused mainly on mechanical adaptations. He also did a comparison of the 2 tyre compounds which will be used for the upcoming race.

Jarno Trulli landed in fourth place. "We had a good day and improved many aspects of the car," he said. "I was much happier with the braking stability and we also made strong progress with the aerodynamic set-up. We improved our lap time, which is positive, and I am now confident of a strong race here at Monza in next week’s Italian Grand Prix."

Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen both finished with a 1:23.773. Sebastian Vettel and Alex Wurz completed the top eight.

Here are the results of Monza testing Day 2 as provided by Planet-F1:

Results
01 F. Alonso McLaren 01:23.155 49 laps
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 01:23.454 49 laps
03 N. Heidfeld BMW 01:23.725 84 laps
04 J. Trulli Toyota 01:23.759 61 laps
05 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 01:23.773 59 laps
06 H. Kovalainen Renault 01:23.773 59 laps
07 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:24.266 101 laps
08 A. Wurz Williams 01:24.356 70 laps
09 C. Klien Honda 01:24.595 92 laps
10 M. Webber Red Bull 01:24.701 83 laps
11 T. Sato Super Aguri 01:24.976 80 laps
12 A. Sutil Spyker F1 01:25.278 76 laps

Separately, McLaren has denied the rumors that Hamilton’s tyre failure at the Turkish Grand Prix was the result of Alonso keeping data from the Briton. The Daily Mirror earlier reported that the Spaniard took steps in Istanbul to ensure that Hamilton wasn’t privilege to any of his car’s data or set-up.

The report noted it is believed that ‘if Hamilton’s side of the McLaren garage had been able to emulate his teammate’s settings in Istanbul, the [tyre] blow would never have occurred.’ But McLaren strongly denied the allegation. "It’s totally untrue. We continue to have total transparency in the team," said team spokesman Ellen Kolby.

Thursday night will be what WRC fans in New Zealand are looking forward to. This is because the 37th Rally New Zealand will be kicking off Thursday night with a ceremonial start at downtown Hamilton. The kick-off ceremony will officially start the three-day grueling race through the gravel roads of the New Zealand countryside.

The cars are set to go. Arriving in the said country from Europe last Sunday, the cars are now headquartered at Mystery Creek where, no doubt, drivers and mechanics are going through last minute adjustments to the cars. One of the key elements that teams will be looking to get right is the right choice of tire and the suspension setting. For team Subaru, it is of course imperative that they take a good look at their brake assembly including Subaru brake pads. This is also true for other teams like Ford and Citroen.

The actual stage will be held on Friday when 136 competitors from 25 countries participate at the grueling race. Participating at the Rally are famous drivers like world champion Sebastian Loeb and championship leader Marcus Gronholm. Subaru’s Petter Solberg, Chris Atkinson, and Xavier Pons will also be participating in the event. All of them are looking to win the event. Gronholm looks ready to win at the event. The Finn driver has been known to be at his best on gravel roads jut like in his home race where he dominated almost every stage of the event.

The Rally New Zealand will pose a tough challenge for teams since the first driver to have a run will be facing a road with loose gravel on top thus making traction limited. Gronholm said: "I am first needing to concentrate on winning. I have always liked the New Zealand roads. They are very similar to home in Finland. That has always made it enjoyable to drive here." With a win, Gronholm will become the most successful driver at the event. The already has four wins in New Zealand and he is currently tied with Spain’s Carlos Sainz.

Meanwhile, Loeb is trailing by eight points in the leader board and will surely be looking to win at the event. The French driver failed to compete in New Zealand last year due to a broken arm. And now that he is healthy again and is fresh from a victory at the Rally Deutschland, we can surely expect a heated battle between Loeb and Gronholm.

A man of few words, Jean Todt always strikes me as someone who knows a lot but does not broadcast it to the world. Fresh from a one-two finish at the Turkish Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari may be in the mood for celebration and thus Todt may have his tongue loosened as evidenced by the recent interview with the sport’s official website. If you want the full interview with the man behind the red of Scuderia Ferrari, check out formula1.com.

Todt certainly has a hand in making Michael Schumacher a legend. His philosophy of having a star driver made sure that Schumi would never be engaged in a battle with his teammate, just like Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren are having. We all know also that Schumi will always be in Todt’s high regards even if the seven-time champion has already retired. In fact, when asked what his best moment as a team principal is, Todt answered: "Suzuka 2000, when Michael (Schumacher) won that drivers’ title that Ferrari had been chasing for 21 years. With Michael on the podium, we told ourselves our lives would never be the same again - and so it proved."

Interestingly, the interview was all about his Todt’s insight on the sport that we have come to love. Not one question pertains to the spy scandal or the one-two finish of his drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen at the Turkish Grand Prix.

In the said interview, Todt said that the best part about being a team principal is "being part of the evolution of a sport." And the worst aspect of it all is "having to manage all the false speculation that is part and parcel of the world of F1." And here I though that the best thing about being a team principal is you can tell these superstar drivers to do this and to do that and the worst is, well, telling these superstar drivers to do this and to do that.

The Frenchman is now looking for a back-to-back win for his team which will see the team closing in on the team of McLaren in the constructors’ championship standings. The Italian team is currently second to the McLaren in the standings. The next race is the Italian Grand Prix which will be Ferrari’s home race. It is interesting to note though that three most visible figure in Ferrari are not Italians. Kimi Raikkonen is Finn, Felipe Massa is Brazilian, and Todt is French.

It is nice to know that Chevrolet was able to make it in the most competitive WTCC qualifying session. From duemotori.com, I read that the 2007 World Touring Car Championship has been a witness. There were around no less than twenty cars qualified in the event which was held in the Oschersleben track, near Magdeburg.

With dragging weights from the ballast, the drivers still managed to have a good form in the race track. Nicola being the top with 65kgs, Alain Menu with 45kgs and lastly Rob Huff with 40kgs, they are bringing Chevrolet to a new improved performance. It was based from these results:

1. G Tarquini Seat Leon 1m36s291
2. Y Muller Seat Leon TDi + 0s011
3. R Colciago Seat Leon + 0.014
4. J Müller BMW 320si + 0s062
5. A Menu Chevrolet Lacetti + 0s180
14. R Huff Chevrolet Lacetti + 0s209
19. N Larini Chevrolet Lacetti + 0s886

The site provided what the individuals involved think about the event and what made them feel.

According to Alain Menu:

“My first run was not so good; actually it was quite a messy lap. The battery light on the dashboard kept coming on which distracted me. The second run on the other hand was a great lap, which moved me up to P5. For the last run we decided to follow Yvan [Müller] around, but I don’t know whether in the end that has helped me or not. At one point I braked a tiny bit later than normal, so my time could still have been a bit better…”

Meanwhile, Rob Huff said:

“My second run was quite good, but we then decided to change the roll bar for the third run, but apparently we just went a bit too far in that. Still, it will be a very competitive race tomorrow, with lots of people in places on the grid where they not normally start from. From my fourteenth spot I should still have a reasonable chance at getting into the top eight for the reverse grid for race 2, depending on what will happen in front of me in race 1.”

Furthermore, Nicola Larini stated:

“My car suffered from oversteer all through the session, so in the end we decided to leave a used rear left tyre on the car and just change the other three. That, unfortunately, didn’t cure the problem and on top of that I ran wide in a corner on my last run, so I decided to abort that lap and just come in. From where I am now starting, it will realistically be next to impossible to have much of a say in my own race. But I will try hard as usual and attack where I can. That is the only strategic option open to me: attack!”

And, Eric Nève, mentioned:

“Ten cars qualifying in just three tenths of a second; it’s something we haven’t seen before. I hope we can have two good races like we normally have, and with Alain on the third row of the grid for the rolling start I’m sure everything is still possible. The good thing is that our 1800 guests we’re having tomorrow will get to see one hell of a show. Real racing with real cars doesn’t get any better than this!”

This just proves that Chevrolet doesn’t just provide fabulous designs in a car, but most significantly the performance brought about by supreme Audi aftermarket parts boosting the car’s power to the fullest.

McLaren’s Briton rookie sets the pace with 1m 28.469s in Friday’s second practice session at Istanbul Park for the Turkish GP.

“I am happy with the performance so far, especially as the conditions today were not ideal. It is a shame that both sessions were interrupted, however the work we did was productive and we made some good progress,” said Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton, again on speaking terms with teammate Fernando Alonso, lost time in the first session due to a small gearbox oil leak which made the clutch to slip. In the second session he found the MP4-22, “very, very good up until the red flag, then less good afterwards because the track had changed slightly to understeer. You had to drive differently.” Alonso had the same problem, but was confident that the Woking team, “have one of the strongest cars out there.” The Spaniard was sixth in the afternoon on 1m 28.947s.

Next to Hamilton was Ferari’s Kimi Raikkonen with 28.762s. Ferrari is also feeling confident, especially as Raikkonen was close behind Hamilton in the afternoon.

“I am reasonably happy with the way things went in the morning and a bit less so when it came to the afternoon. For some reason, probably a change in the wind direction, conditions were rather difficult and we will have to evaluate very carefully the data from the second session because it is easy to go down the wrong route. As for the two types of tyre, from what we have seen today, both work well but we will have to wait to do a more complete evaluation tomorrow. We have a good package which we must try and get the most out of,” noted Raikkonen.

Raikkonen and teammate Felipe Massa dominated the morning period, with the McLaren drivers 1.2secs adrift such was the pace of the scarlet machines, reported Planet-F1. Raikkonen finished 0.293secs behind Hamilton, with the Toyotas of Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli third and fourth, while Massa was fifth and Alonso sixth.

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:28.469 28 laps
02 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:28.762 21 laps
03 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:28.773 23 laps
04 J. Trulli Toyota 1:28.874 28 laps
05 F. Massa Ferrari 1:28.884 25 laps
06 F. Alonso McLaren 1:28.947 24 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:28.995 27 laps
08 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:29.025 28 laps
09 A. Wurz Williams 1:29.093 27 laps
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:29.368 31 laps
11 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:29.435 12 laps
12 G. Fisichella Renault 1:29.456 28 laps
13 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:29.792 30 laps
14 J. Button Honda 1:29.945 26 laps
15 R. Barrichello Honda 1:30.055 31 laps
16 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:30.104 27 laps
17 M. Webber Red Bull 1:30.315 25 laps
18 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:30.530 24 laps
19 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:30.702 24 laps
20 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:30.801 16 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:31.153 32 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:31.175 32 laps

The Turkish Grand Prix is just around the corner. Will the McLaren pair of Alonso and Hamilton dominate the field once again? Will the Ferrari tandem of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen prevail? All those questions and more will be answered on Sunday’s event. But before that, the press conference for the Turkish Grand Prix gave us some of the drivers’ thoughts about the race. Present during the press conference on Thursday are David Coulthard of Red Bull, Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber, Heikki Kovalainen of Renault and Massa of Ferrari.

Heikki is confident, Coulthard pins hope on new parts, Heidfeld is comfortable with is team, and Massa is still short… LOL. Actually, Massa is going to the tracks that’re special for him.

Heikki said about the track in Turkey: "I like this circuit, they’ve done a very good job with the layout here, so I’m looking forward to driving F1 here as well."

Coulthard explained: "We’ve a new front wing to evaluate tomorrow. One of the limitations we’ve had from the car is being able to run enough front angle to balance and if it gives us what we believe it will, it should unlock a little bit more potential from this car, because rear stability generally in high speed corners is good so with some fast corners here, we could do with some more front flap."

Heidfeld admitted that: "I’ve been with Sauber a couple of years ago with Felipe, for example, and always had a good time there and I was quite certain that when BMW took over that we would move forward, but obviously not as quickly as we’ve done now. I believed that when I joined them nearly two years ago and I think we will be able to keep improving further."

And Massa enthused: "I got my first pole position, my first victory here so it’s very special. Hopefully we can repeat it, it would be fantastic. I like the track, I like the place, the country, the city and especially the track. It’s very challenging for the drivers, so hopefully I can have a great result here on Sunday."

Come Sunday, these drivers will be outdoing each other not in eloquence in answering questions from the media but on their cars. The upcoming race will be the twelfth of the season and it will be a very crucial event as after this, there will only be five more races to go. So, I think Ferrari needs to take some good points at Sunday’s race if they don’t want to be left behind by McLaren in the quest for the championships.

McLaren is currently leading the constructors’ championship. But the Woking team must understand that when you are on top, there are just two possibilities: to stay or to fall. Obviously, no team wants to fall. But watchers in the industry said that if the team’s problems will not be addressed, McLaren will surely lose its chance to be the champion this season.

First thing first, Nelson Piquet tells the McLaren duo – Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton – to ‘keep quiet.’ The three-time Formula One world champion Piquet said that the high-profile spat between the drivers has not been good for the team. The Brazilian told the Spanish news agency EFE that it’s time that the pair stopped talking and focused on racing instead.

"To lose respect is never good," he said. "And, while I do not believe that they are at that point yet, they should take the opportunity to keep quiet."

Star manager Willi Weber, as published by Planet-F1, said that Alonso would be stupid to consider leaving McLaren. The German, who used to manage Schumi’s affairs, believes that Alonso needs to reach concord with McLaren as well as his teammate.

Weber told Bild am Sonntag: "Alonso ought to think carefully about what is really important. He is a two-time World Champion, and that is a big thing. Therefore, he should sit down with McLaren and sort out this thing with Hamilton."

Weber is surprised with the Spaniard’s reaction to the pressure from his rookie teammate. "I do not understand Alonso’s behavior," Weber said. "He has not resorted to these kind of tricks before. I always thought of him as being cool. Instead he is making it into a Spanish bullfight and does things without appearing to think about them. In doing so, his credibility suffers - and that is the worst thing he can do. He must proceed with pride, get the team on side and not hide himself away. A change of team would be absolute feeble-mindedness."

Finally, experts say that the Woking team should concentrate on winning. Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren’s CEO, said the team will be able to put their Hungarian saga behind them and race to victory at the Turkish GP.

But notwithstanding the reports, Whitmarsh is confident the Woking team will not allow the intrateam war to deter them from their task of winning the Turkish GP. "Every single member of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is keen to get back to the racing next weekend in Turkey," he said. "Each race weekend has its own challenges, we faced some fairly unique ones at the Hungarian Grand Prix and there has been much reportage in the press in the two weeks since; however none of this has affected the preparation and motivation of Fernando, Lewis and the team for this 12th round of the season.”

"In Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart the work has been relentless as we seek to find the performance enhancements we know we have to achieve in order to continue our battle for both Championships," Whitmarsh concluded.

It’s about time! The most exciting and adrenaline pumping event is back after a short break from racing and testing. Formula One will conclude the final explosion of the season! The deciding event will take place on the 26th of August in Istanbul, Turkey.

Let’s check on the BMW Sauber team about their views on the upcoming Turkish Grand Prix as provided by the best F1 resource of all times, newsonf1.com! I’m going to leave you with these bits of info. Dig in while I clean my Saturn EGR valve in the garage! Enjoy!

Nick Heidfeld:

Robert Kubica:

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:

Willy Rampf, Technical Director:

Mercedes Benz has been very impressing in their performance.  I haven’t heard much questions about their Mercedes 260e radiator or any of their vehicles’ parts.  All I hear are praises and the impressions of being overwhelmed when driving Mercedes units.

Who won’t love the speedy McLaren?  It has been one of the top in the fastest cars around the world.  It flaunted its amazing moves in a lot of car racing competitions.  Besides the speed, the vehicle is absolutely stunning.

Let me share with you some of what the prominent McLaren riders say about this powerful car.  I was able to learn about this from a reliable site.  These are some of their thoughts as part of the Turkey preview:

Fernando Alonso:

“It is always great to have a break and re-charge the batteries, but it is fantastic to be getting back out on track in Turkey. I have a solid points total in the Drivers’ World Championship and I am aiming to build on that considerably in Istanbul.”

“We are in a strong position in both Championships and there are a lot of points to be won in the final six races. However, we are looking at the races one by one, and my focus is on this Grand Prix and getting the best result possible in Turkey. I have come second in the two years we have raced here previously and I will be aiming to improve on that this time.”

Lewis Hamilton:

Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula 1, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes:

Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

Check out autosport.com for more of it.  You would know they have the spirit to keep McLaren on the track.

Like me, I’m sure you’re also surprised by the underachieving Honda F1 team. I mean, they have two talented drivers in Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button and they have been in the sport for as long as we can remember. But they are currently being pushed to the back of the pack.

If you can remember, which I’m sure you do, the Barrichello I’m talking about is that driver from Brazil, the protégé of the late and great (in no particular order) Ayrton Senna. We have seen this man show his driving prowess at Scuderia but failed he to shine because Todt allowed Schumi to upstage his teammate. The infamous 2002 Austrian Grand Prix was proof of that. It was early in the season yet when Todt told Barrichello to let Schumi take the win, what a travesty that was.

Anyway, this Barrichello recently said on his official website that the most probable cause of their car’s lack of speed is a faulty wind tunnel. His exact words were: “They believe that our wind tunnel’s calibration is wrong and because of that everything that has been developed has not been effective. We will have to change many things, even parts of the structure inside the wind tunnel, and it will be about a month until we are able to see changes.”

The ‘they’ Barrichello was talking about were the guys at Honda’s UK headquarters who are in charged of testing the design of their cars. Barrichello recently visited the headquarters in Brackley and there, the team’s technical staff revealed to him that they suspect an error in the calibration of the wind tunnel.

The trip was taken by the Brazilian after his toughest race of the season. The grizzled veteran of the tracks found himself staring at the backend of Adrian Sutil’s Spyker car. That kind of performance for their cars has been consistent throughout this season. I just hope that they would fix the problem with their wind tunnel and hopefully get back with a competitive car before the end of the season.

Barrichello said: “The best thing is that for us to be sure that next year’s car will be good we need to change this year’s car to know if the changes are going in the right direction. I’m sure they are, they have to be!”

It can be remembered that his teammate Button said that he will quit if he does not win a race with Honda. With this development, maybe Button will have to continue racing then.