FORCDA 2010 Season

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for France now up

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Great Britain:

The focus of the pre-race buildup was again on Daniel Melrose and again it was for all the wrong reasons. His already well publicised problems off the track crept up again amid renewed rumours that he could be leaving the BMW team next season or even retire from the sport altogether. However Melrose dismissed those rumours saying he will honour his contract extension for 2009 with the Munich squad. In other news Fernando Alonso confirmed that he would be staying at the Renault team next season as to be honest he doesn't have anywhere else to go other than possibly Red Bull.

Round 9: Great Britain

Qualifying:

If Robert Kubica's 9th place on the grid was indicitive of where the BMW deserves to be then considering all the circumstances Melrose's lap that netted him 5th on the grid was nothing short of brilliant although Melrose himself said if he was motiviated enough to go for another lap he could have gotten himself ahead of Massa. Up front and Raikkonen took pole from the 2 McLarens who were revelling with the home track advantage. Bourdais, Alonso and Zimmer all put in good performances to be 6th, 7th and 8th respectively while their teammates didn't fare so well with Vettel 19th, Kovalainen 15th and Button 13th.

Grid:
1. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. F. Massa (Ferrari)
5. D. Melrose (BMW)
6. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
7. F. Alonso (Renault)
8. F. Zimmer (Honda)
9. R. Kubica (BMW)
10. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
11. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
12. J. Trulli (Toyota)
13. J. Button (Honda)
14. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
15. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
16. T. Glock (Toyota)
17. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
18. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
19. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
20. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)

Qualifying 2:

Grid:
1. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. F. Massa (Ferrari)
5. D. Melrose (BMW)
6. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
7. R. Kubica (BMW)
8. F. Alonso (Renault)
9. F. Zimmer (Honda)
10. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
11. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
12. J. Trulli (Toyota)
13. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
14. J. Button (Honda)
15. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
16. T. Glock (Toyota)
17. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
18. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
19. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
20. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

Before Monaco, if you had told Daniel Melrose that he would win the next 4 races and become a contender for this year's title he would have thought you were insane. However after the British Grand Prix it became reality as Melrose closed to within 4 points of the championship lead. A far cry from after Turkey when he was 5th with 16 points, just under half the total of Felipe Massa at the time. Here at Silverstone, Melrose made the best of his decision to run the harder of the two Bridgestone compounds by robbing both Ferraris at the start with a brave move into Copse and from there he simply had to keep in touch with the two McLarens to make his one stop strategy work as opposed to the two stoppers of the McLarens. In the end Jones won the battle for 2nd after Hamilton spun at Abbey with 20 or so laps to go which relegated him to 3rd. Kubica was 4th ahead of Massa in a distant 5th while Kimi Raikkonen's one stop strategy on the softer tyres didn't work as he ended up 7th between Bourdais and Trulli. Remarkably all 20 cars finished, including Rubens Barrichello who got beached at the Abbey gravel trap, spent 2 laps digging himself out and conducted an extended test session for the rest of the race.

Results:
1. D. Melrose (BMW): 1h 23m 31.812
2. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): +6.210
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): +27.215
4. R. Kubica (BMW): +44.301
5. F. Massa (Ferrari): +1:08.657
6. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +1 LAP
7. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +1 LAP
8. J. Trulli (Toyota): +1 LAP
9. F. Alonso (Renault): +1 LAP
10. T. Glock (Toyota): +1 LAP
11. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
12. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
13. F. Zimmer (Honda): +1 LAP
14. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
15. J. Button (Honda): +1 LAP
16. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
17. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +1 LAP
18. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +1 LAP
19. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
20. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +3 LAPS

Pole: L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:20.120
Fastest Lap: S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:21.668
Leaders: S. Jones: 1-20, 29-36, 41 (Total: 29)
L. Hamilton: 21-22, 37-40 (Total: 6)
D. Melrose: 23-28, 42-60 (Total: 25)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 59 points (2 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
2. D. Melrose (BMW): 56 points (4 wins, 1 3rd)
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 55 points (4 2nds, 2 3rds)
4. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 48 points (1 win, 1 2nd, 3 3rds)
5. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 43 points (2 wins, 2 2nds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 19 points (1 3rd)
7. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 15 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
8. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 13 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 10 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
10. F. Alonso (Renault): 9 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
11. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
12. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 6 points (Best Result: 2 6ths)
13. J. Trulli (Toyota): 4 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
14. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
15. T. Glock (Toyota): 2 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
16. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
17. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 107 points (3 wins, 3 2nds, 4 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 98 points (2 wins, 6 2nds, 3 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 75 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 23 points (Best Result: 3 5ths)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 18 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 15 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
7. Honda Racing F1 Team: 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
8. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 6 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
9. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
10. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Next up is the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim

[golic_2004]

Bahrain: 2nd
Australia: 2nd
Malaysia: 1st
China: 2nd
Spain: 10 (my pit crew would be given ROTR award for holding me up so long)
Monaco: DNF
Turkey: 1st
Canada: 1st
European: 1st
British: 2nd
German: 1st
Hungarian: DNF (Bruno Senna crashed into me)
Belgian: 1st
Italian: 1st (barely)

Singapore: DSQ for "illegal blocking" .....

What happened, exactly? Codemasters games have always been far too strict on penalties when the game actually decides to hand them out - I was disqualified for illegal blocking once, even though there was a crashed car stopping me from going forward, and another car crashed into me from behind, so I couldn't move at all.

In my own F1 2010 season, I'm currently leading the World Championship for Lotus in my first season on the highest AI difficulty (although I do have assists on), leading Hamilton by about 15 points or so coming out of Valencia. I won the first race of the season in Bahrain, finished 3rd in Australia, struggled for the next 3 races and dropped to 4th after DNF'ing in Spain.Then, after qualifying 21st in Monaco, I got a storming start in the rain, and was up to 4th by the end of lap 2, albeit with a damaged wing. I still forced my way past Button, and a lap or two after, Hamilton and Webber, who were 1st and 2nd, crashed into each other, handing me the lead. From there, I crusied to my second win, holding up the entire field to the point that Vettel and Massa crashed into each other, allowing Kubica to take 2nd and Sutil 3rd.

I had a decent race in Turkey, coming 5th, before qualifying on pole and winning in Canada (for some reason I'm very good around Montreal, in F1 Challenge I usually take pole there by about 5-6 seconds). I pretty much copied Kobayashi's real-life strategy in Valencia, although without the safety car, but I still improved what would've been a 5th or 6th into a 3rd place finish.

Yeah, the codemasters have problems with that. ALSO I got held up in the pits at the Japanese Grand Prix because I had to "wait for the other cars to pass first." Very upsetting to top off a poor handling car to finish 17th. At least Alonso didn't score pts either because of a retirement. So I still have the lead in the points with three races to go.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Great Britain now up

[golic_2004]

Korea: 1st

[ADx_Wales]

Dont you think that the FORCDA 2011 Season should start by now?

[golic_2004]

Dont you think that the FORCDA 2011 Season should start by now?

Well technically I am on my 2nd season so I guess this is season 2011 for me.

As for the Brazilian Grand Prix, who else but my own teammate Jarno Trulli crashing me out. Alonso finished 4th but I got a 24 pt lead. I will win the championship if I score pts at Abu Dhabi or Alonso does not win.

[TomWazzleshaw]

2004: Round 8: Europe

Qualifying:

It was a tale of "What if" for Daniel Melrose as yet again he showed his obvious talent by qualifying 3rd behind first time polesitter Takuma Sato and Michael Schumacher but Melrose had lost over 8 tenths in sector one. He had clawed it back to under half a second by the end to keep him ahead of Button. David Coulthard disappointed greatly in 19th while Heidfeld and Pantano were mixing with the midfield in 14th and 16th.

Grid:
1. T. Sato (BAR-Honda)
2. M. Schumacher (Ferrari)
3. D. Melrose (Minardi-Cosworth)
4. J. Button (BAR-Honda)
5. J. Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW)
6. K. Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes)
7. R. Barrichello (Ferrari)
8. O. Panis (Toyota)
9. R. Schumacher (Williams-BMW)
10. F. Alonso (Renault)
11. J. Trulli (Renault)
12. C. Da Matta (Toyota)
13. M. Webber (Jaguar-Cosworth)
14. N. Heidfeld (Jordan-Ford)
15. C. Klien (Jaguar-Cosworth)
16. G. Pantano (Jordan-Ford)
17. F. Massa (Sauber-Petronas)
18. Z. Baumgartner (Minardi-Cosworth)
19. D. Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes)
20. G. Fisichella (Sauber-Petronas)

Race:

(To be done later)

[the Masked Lapwing]

Hey AndreaModa, where's Sammy Jones going to drive in 2001? Because I want to get started with 2001 soon.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Hey AndreaModa, where's Sammy Jones going to drive in 2001? Because I want to get started with 2001 soon.

I imagine his career path before 2006 to look something like this:
2001: Jaguar alongside Irvine
2002: Toyota alongside Salo
2003-2004: Toyota alongside Panis
2005: Jordan alongside Karthikeyan

Jones gets picked up by Honda in 2006, matches Button, gets McLaren drive and the rest, they say, is history.

[the Masked Lapwing]

That could be difficult, because of the driver change that would happen between Burti and de la Rosa. I could switch it to Irvine being sacked, or neither.

[golic_2004]

Alonso finished 6th. I was out of the pts again, thanks again Jarno.
I am world champion!

Now on to Force India for my 3rd year with Adrian Sutil as my partner, a much more worthy rival.

[Sullivangate]

I may get in on this I have enough F1 and IndyCar games to last about 20 seasons.

[the Masked Lapwing]

2001 Formula One season entry list:

West McLaren Mercedes
#1 - Rhys Davies (AUS)
#2 - Mika Hakkinen (FIN)

McLaren, with their new signing, look to be strong this season, since they have the two most recent world champions in their lineup. With the entry of Michelin as a tyre supplier for F1, McLaren have decided to stick with Bridgestone.

BMW WilliamsF1 Team
#3 - Ralf Schumacher (GER)
#4 - Juan Pablo Montoya (COL)

With Davies heading off to McLaren, the reigning constructors' champions have signed Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya to replace him. Still using BMW engines, Williams have decided to use Michelin tyres instead of Bridgestones.

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
#5 - Rubens Barrichello (BRA)
#6 - Michael Schumacher (GER)

Not much change from the Italians, although there are rumours that Schumacher is upset at the team's apparent preference towards Barrichello, with threats of leaving the team being thrown around. Ferrari will continue to use Bridgestones.

Lucky Strike BAR Honda
#7 - Jacques Villeneuve (CAN)
#8 - Olivier Panis (FRA)

Zonta's gotten the sack, and BAR have brought in Olivier Panis to replace him, after the Frenchman took a year off. The team will keep Villeneuve, as well as the Bridgestones.

Mild Seven Benetton Renault
#9 - Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
#10 - Jenson Button (GBR)

Benetton have replaced their rebadged Renaults with works Renaults, as well as dropping Alexander Wurz from their lineup, despite the Austrian easily beating Fisichella last year. They will also gove Jenson Button his F1 debut, hoping that the former Williams test driver will bring similar success as the last debutant they brought in. To continue with the changes, Benetton will use Michelin tyres.

B&H Jordan Honda
#11 - Heinz-Harald Frentzen (GER)
#12 - Jarno Trulli (ITA)

Jordan will keep their lineup that scored victory at France last year, as well as Bridgestone tyres. But no longer do they have Mugen-Honda engines, now they have the same Hondas that BAR are using.

Orange Arrows Asiatech
#14 - Jos Verstappen (NED)
#15 - Enrique Bernoldi (BRA)

De la Rosa has been sacked, despite scoring almost of Arrows' points last year. Arrows instead hire Enrique Bernoldi to partner Jos Verstappen. Arrows also switch engine suppliers, from Supertec to Asiatech.

Red Bull Sauber Petronas
#16 - Nick Heidfeld (GER)
#17 - Kimi Raikkonen (FIN)

Sauber have lost Mika Salo, who has joined the Toyota outfit who look to join in 2002. They have signed Kimi Raikkonen to replace him, and the Finn barely managed to get a superlicence. Nick Heidfeld also joins the team from Prost, replacing Pedro Diniz.

Jaguar Racing
#18 - Sammy Jones (GBR)
#19 - Luciano Burti (BRA)

Eddie Irvine has decided to hang up his helmet, after a fairly poor season last year. Sammy Jones however will retain his seat, scoring all of Jag's points last year, alongside Luciano Burti, who replaced Irvine at Austria last year. The team will switch to Michelin tyres.

Prost Acer
#20 - Jean Alesi (FRA)
#21 - Gaston Mazzacane (ARG)

Prost have kept Jean Alesi, but with Heidfeld going to Sauber, have signed Gaston Mazzacane from Minardi, as well as switching to Michelin tyres. They've also lost their Peugeot engines, and replaced them with Ferraris, rebadged as Acers.

European Minardi F1
#22 - Tarso Marques (BRA)
#23 - Fernando Alonso (ESP)

Buh-bye Marc and Gaston, hello Tarso and Fernando. Two new drivers as well as a new owner, Paul Stoddart. They will rebadge their engines as European and use Michelin tyres.

[MinardiFan95]

Dave Simpson to drive privateer Peugeot in WTCC - 2nd February 2006
Former Minardi F1 test driver Dave Simpson has put his F1 plans on hold for 2006 to go touring car racing in the newly reformed World Touring Car Championship, in a privately owned Peugeot 407, sponsored by BP. The car's livery is inspired by the BTCC Peugeot 406 from 1998. There is no word whether he will participate in all rounds at the moment.

[MinardiFan95]

2006 WTCC - Round 1 Monza (April 2)
Race 1 (9 laps)

On my WTCC debut I put in a brilliant lap to start off in third place, behind Jorg and Dirk Muller. Off the start I lost a place to Augusto Farfus and fell through the pack to tenth by the end of lap 1. On lap 3 the yellows were brought out when Nicola Larini spun Yvan Muller going into the first Lesmo. Upon exiting the first sector I was able to pass both Rob Huff and Elio Marchetti, which meant I was back in a points scoring position. I then set off in pursuit of James Thompson, who I passed on lap 7. Dirk Muller, who was running second, was sent off by Farfus in Lesmo 2 and dropped to 8th. I was sizing up a passing move on Roberto Colciago in sector 1 when Rickard Rydell speared off into the gravel at Lesmo 1 on the last lap. It was a drag race to the line between myself and Colciago, with the SEAT driver taking fourth in the end. Jorg Muller won the race.

Results:
1. Jorg Muller, BMW 18:51.509
2. Augusto Farfus, Alfa Romeo +3.236
3. Andy Priaulx, BMW +3.714
4. Roberto Colciago, SEAT +13.561
5. Dave Simpson, Peugeot +13.661
6. James Thompson, SEAT +16.446
7. Dirk Muller, BMW +22.016
8. Rob Huff, Chevrolet +22.286

Race 2

I've lost the results to this race, but I do know that I finished 20th after a penalty for cutting the chicane.

Standings
=1. Augusto Farfus - 13pts
=1. Jorg Muller - 13pts
3. Dirk Muller - 12pts
4. Andy Priaulx: 10pts
5. James Thompson - 9pts
=5. Robert Huff - 9pts
7. Roberto Colciago - 5pts
8. Dave Simpson - 4pts
9. Salvatore Tavano - 2pts
10. Alex Zanardi - 1pt

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Germany:

The focus was again back on Williams at the team continued to lurch from disaster to disaster. Rosberg's seat looks safe for next season but Toyota seemed to have turned the screw on Sir Frank and co as they're demanding Kazuki Nakajima gets a drive next year or face losing the Toyota engines. This leaves Barrichello in the cold rather unfairly as he has been the more consistant of the two Williams drivers this season.

Round 10: Germany

Qualifying:

It's almost amazing to consider that Lewis Hamilton has scored 11 podiums so far in his short career but is yet to take that illusive win. He took a step closer to his goal by scoring pole position ahead of championship leader Felipe Massa, Sammy Jones and Kimi Raikkonen. Heikki Kovalainen put in a much improved performance for Renault to slot in 6th behind Robert Kubica while Melrose was stranded in the midfield after only qualifying 12th.

Grid:
1. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2. F. Massa (Ferrari)
3. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5. R. Kubica (BMW)
6. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
7. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
8. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
9. F. Alonso (Renault)
10. J. Trulli (Toyota)
11. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
12. D. Melrose (BMW)
13. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
14. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
15. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
16. F. Zimmer (Honda)
17. T. Glock (Toyota)
18. J. Button (Honda)
19. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
20. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

Felipe Massa secured an important victory at Germany to give his championship challenge some much needed momentum on a day where Hamilton was only ever going to finish 2nd at best and Melrose was stranded in the midfield. Hamilton eventually lost second to Raikkonen aswell while Kubica and Jones finished 4th and 5th. Melrose's absolutely brilliant start to go from 12th to 7th saved his afternoon as he scored three priceless points in 6th ahead of Kovalainen in the Renault and Mark Webber.

Results:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 1h 27m 03.289
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +2.701
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): +3.755
4. R. Kubica (BMW): +12.040
5. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): +16.443
6. D. Melrose (BMW): +1:03.359
7. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +1:03.937
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +1:04.326
9. T. Glock (Toyota): +1:05.105
10. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +1:05.478
11. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +1:07.080
12. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +1:11.469
13. F. Zimmer (Honda): +1:12.433
14. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
15. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
16. F. Alonso (Renault): +1 LAP
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
18. J. Button (Honda): +4 LAPS
DNF. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
DNF. J. Trulli (Toyota)

Pole: L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:15.194
Fastest Lap: L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:16.211
Leaders: L. Hamilton: 1-21, 47-49 (Total: 24)
K. Raikkonen: 22-23, 45-46 (Total: 4)
F. Massa: 24, 27-44, 50-67 (Total: 37)
R. Kubica: 25-26 (Total: 2)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 69 points (3 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 61 points (4 2nds, 4 3rds)
3. D. Melrose (BMW): 59 points (4 wins, 1 3rd)
4. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 56 points (1 win, 2 2nds, 3 3rds)
5. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 47 points (2 wins, 2 2nds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 24 points (1 3rd)
7. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 16 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
8. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 13 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 10 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
10. F. Alonso (Renault): 9 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
11. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 8 points (Best Result: 2 6ths)
12. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
13. J. Trulli (Toyota): 4 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
14. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
15. T. Glock (Toyota): 2 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
16. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
17. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 125 points (4 wins, 4 2nds, 4 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 108 points (2 wins, 6 2nds, 4 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 83 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 23 points (Best Result: 3 5ths)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 19 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 17 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
7. Honda Racing F1 Team: 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
8. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 6 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
9. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
10. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Next up it the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Budapest.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Germany now up.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Hungary:

Force India have announced that they're not keeping the Ferrari engines for 2009 as the team tries to find a way to return to the glory days of Jordan. There are also some rumours that Phoenix McAllister may get a Red Bull drive next season but that seems unlikely as Red Bull are pushing to promote one of the Toro Rosso drivers to the spot. Finally down Williams' way and Kazuka Nakajima has been signed on for a race drive next season. Sir Frank is trying to hold onto Rosberg for dear life but Barrichello is quite possibly looking at retirement at the end of the season.

Round 11: Hungary

Qualifying:

Ferrari needed a good result to edge out further ahead in both championships. Kimi Raikkonen kept up his end of the deal by planting his F2008 on pole ahead of the McLarens of Jones and Hamilton. One got the sense however that it was the wrong Ferrari out front as Massa put in a poor performance to qualify 7th. However his troubles were nothing compared to the struggles Daniel Melrose had as for the second race in a row he drove his heart out for a starting spot outside the top 10.

Grid:
1. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. R. Kubica (BMW)
5. F. Alonso (Renault)
6. T. Glock (Toyota)
7. F. Massa (Ferrari)
8. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
9. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
10. J. Trulli (Toyota)
11. D. Melrose (BMW)
12. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
13. J. Button (Honda)
14. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
15. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
16. F. Zimmer (Honda)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
18. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
19. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
20. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)

Qualifying (Race distance was 10 laps short of what it was supposed to be so I had to do qualy again.)

Grid:
1. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. F. Massa (Ferrari)
5. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
6. R. Kubica (BMW)
7. F. Alonso (Renault)
8. T. Glock (Toyota)
9. J. Button (Honda)
10. J. Trulli (Toyota)
11. D. Melrose (BMW)
12. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
13. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
14. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
15. F. Zimmer (Honda)
16. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
17. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
18. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
19. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
20. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

Felipe Massa was absolutely fuming at the Ferrari strategists after the race for costing him the race win. Being the only frontrunner on a three stopper meant he was always going to be at a pace advantage. Ferrari brought him in for his first stop at the end of lap 17 thinking that he would emerge in clear air. He didn't. What actually happened was he spent the next 11 laps behind Daniel Melrose who was running an excruciatingly long first stint on his skewered two stop plan. With Massa out of the equation it was a relatively easy run for the McLarens of Jones and Hamilton to pick up their third 1-2 of the season ahead of Massa and an out of sorts Kimi Raikkonen. Heikki Kovalainen kept his head when teammate Alonso didn't to finish 5th while Melrose picked up more points in 6th thanks to a brilliant start from 11th to 7th (which became 6th once Alonso spun on lap 3) ahead of teammate Robert Kubica while Sebastien Bourdais picked up the last point in 8th. Sebastian Vettel was in contention for that last point early on until he collided with Jenson Button putting the Honda out of the race and forcing the German in for a new front wing. Both Red Bulls found the wall at the back of the circuit while both were in contention for points finishes.

Results:
1. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 1h 36m 31.010
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): +1.599
3. F. Massa (Ferrari): +14.622
4. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +21.512
5. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +52.416
6. D. Melrose (BMW): +58.827
7. R. Kubica (BMW): +1:00.091
8. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +1:00.870
9. J. Trulli (Toyota): +1:04.263
10. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +1:20.786
11. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +1:21.570
12. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
13. F. Alonso (Renault): +1 LAP
14. F. Zimmer (Honda): +1 LAP
15. T. Glock (Toyota): +1 LAP
16. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +2 LAPS
17. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari): +2 LAPS
DNF. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
DNF. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
DNF. J. Button (Honda)

Pole: S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:20.463
Fastest Lap: F. Massa (Ferrari): 1:20.929
Leaders: S. Jones: 1-11, 17-43, 51-70 (Total: 58)
F. Massa: 12-16, 49-50 (Total: 7)
L. Hamilton: 44-48 (Total: 5)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 75 points (3 wins, 2 2nds, 2 3rds)
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 69 points (5 2nds, 4 3rds)
3. D. Melrose (BMW): 62 points (4 wins, 1 3rd)
4. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 61 points (1 win, 2 2nds, 3 3rds)
5. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 57 points (3 wins, 2 2nds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 26 points (1 3rd)
7. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 16 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
8. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 13 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
9. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 12 points (Best Result: 1 5ths)
10. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 11 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
11. F. Alonso (Renault): 9 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
12. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
13. J. Trulli (Toyota): 4 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
14. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
15. T. Glock (Toyota): 2 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
16. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
17. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 136 points (4 wins, 4 2nds, 5 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 126 points (3 wins, 7 2nds, 4 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 88 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 24 points (Best Result: 3 5ths)
5. ING Renault F1 Team: 21 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
6. Red Bull Racing Renault: 19 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
7. Honda Racing F1 Team: 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
8. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 6 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
9. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
10. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Next up is the European Grand Prix at the new Valencia Street Circuit.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Hungary now up.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Europe:

With most of the driver lineups sorted out the main focus turned to the new regulations for 2009. Among the raft of changes were wider front wings, narrower and taller rear wings, a return to slick tyres and the introduction of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System introduced to "spice up the show". More details are expected to be revealed before the Belgian and Italian Grand Prixs.

Round 12: Europe

Qualifying:

If Daniel Melrose was having trouble getting to grips with the new Valencia Circuit in the hateful BMW he was in for even more misery in qualifying as he qualified stone dead last as the rain played havoc on the grid. Felipe Massa judged the conditions perfectly as he qualified on pole by over half a second from the McLaren duo of Jones and Hamilton. Toro Rosso had reason to celebrate as the two Sebastians put Red Bull to shame by qualifying 4th and 5th ahead of Kovalainen in the Renault. Force India performed similar giant-killing feats with Sutil 16th and McAllister an astounding 14th infront of his home crowd well ahead of Fernando Alonso.

Grid:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari)
2. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
5. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
6. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
7. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
8. R. Kubica (BMW)
9. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
10. J. Trulli (Toyota)
11. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
12. T. Glock (Toyota)
13. J. Button (Honda)
14. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
15. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
16. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
17. F. Alonso (Renault)
18. F. Zimmer (Honda)
19. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
20. D. Melrose (BMW)

Qualifying 2 (Race turned out to be 12 laps shorter than it was supposed to be so I had to do qualy again. Needless to say even though it was dry I still did bathplug all.)

Grid:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari)
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. R. Kubica (BMW)
4. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
5. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
6. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
7. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
8. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
9. T. Glock (Toyota)
10. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
11. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
12. J. Trulli (Toyota)
13. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
14. J. Button (Honda)
15. F. Zimmer (Honda)
16. F. Alonso (Renault)
17. D. Melrose (BMW)
18. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
19. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
20. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

You can't help but get the feeling that Daniel Melrose was losing control of his destiny as he fell to a lowly 17th place finish and was placed on report for causing an avoidable accident which eliminated Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil with 2 laps to go. Up front it was business as usual with Felipe Massa taking a massive stride towards his first championship by winning ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Sammy Jones. Robert Kubica defended BMW's honour in 4th with Lewis Hamilton finishing 5th. Toro Rosso scored a double points finish with Vettel ahead of Bourdais while Timo Glock picked up the final point for 8th place after Heikki Kovalainen encountered electrical problems on the final lap.

Results:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 1h 35m 19.862
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +3.242
3. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): +8.558
4. R. Kubica (BMW): +21.256
5. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): +26.782
6. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +30.009
7. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +49.111
8. T. Glock (Toyota): +1:20.997
9. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +1:26.827
10. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +1:31.909
11. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari): +1:39.600
12. F. Zimmer (Honda): +1 LAP
13. J. Trulli (Toyota): +1 LAP
14. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
15. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
16. J. Button (Honda): +1 LAP
17. D. Melrose (BMW): +1 LAP
18. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +3 LAPS*
19. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +3 LAPS*
DNF. F. Alonso (Renault)

Pole: F, Massa (Ferrari): 1:37.536
Fastest Lap: F. Massa (Ferrari): 1:38.361
Leaders: F. Massa: 1-15, 23-40, 44-57 (Total: 47)
R. Kubica: 16-21, 43 (Total: 7)
L. Hamilton: 22 (Total: 1)
S. Jones: 41-42 (Total: 2)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 85 points (4 wins, 2 2nds, 2 3rds)
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 73 points (5 2nds, 4 3rds)
3. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 69 points (1 win, 3 2nds, 3 3rds)
4. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 63 points (3 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
5. D. Melrose (BMW): 62 points (4 wins, 1 3rd)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 31 points (1 3rd)
7. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 16 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
8. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 16 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 13 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
10. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 12 points (Best Result: 1 5ths)
11. F. Alonso (Renault): 9 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
12. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
13. J. Trulli (Toyota): 4 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
14. T. Glock (Toyota): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
15. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
16. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
17. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 154 points (5 wins, 5 2nds, 5 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 136 points (3 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 93 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 29 points (Best Result: 3 5ths)
5. ING Renault F1 Team: 21 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
6. Red Bull Racing Renault: 19 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
7. Honda Racing F1 Team: 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
8. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 7 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
9. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
10. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Next up is the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.

[MinardiFan95]

2006 WTCC Round 2 - Magny Cours

Race 1

Dave Simpson had a terrible qualifying session, spinning into the gravel and recording a best lap that put him into 22nd on the grid. Dave had a great start making up 12 spots. However on lap 6 he spun in exactly the same spot as in qualifying when passing one of the Honda Accords. After dropping from 7th to 16th he made a great comeback to be one spot off the points in 9th.

Race 1 Results
1. James Thompson 16:59.099
2. Alain Menu +0.833
3. Yvan Muller + 1.310
4. Rickard Rydell +2.088
5. Nicola Larini +2.979
6. Gabriele Tarquini +3.488
7. Salvatore Tavano +4.863
8. Rob Huff +5.257
9. Dave Simpson +10.825


Race 2
Starting from 9th, Dave Simpson had a great first lap, making up four places at the hairpin and passing Yvan Muller later in the lap. On lap 2 he passed Tavano's Alfa for third and set off after the leaders, Huff and Tarquini. Huff ran wide, handing the place to Simpson. However, Tarquini was not such as easy target, and an epic battle for the race lead had commenced. When Simpson eventually got past on lap 5, Tarquini immediately passed at the hairpin to retake the lead, but Simpson came back just 2 corners later. The exact same thing happened the next lap, however on the penultimate lap the roles were reversed, with Simpson passing Tarquini at the hairpin. Simpson was never headed, but almost lost the race with a bad exit from the final chicane. Race 1 winner James Thompson finished 3rd, while the BMW drivers had a weekend to forget after not scoring any points over both races.

Race 2 results
1. Dave Simpson 16:49.160
2. Gabriele Tarquini +0.297
3. James Thompson +1.279
4. Rob Huff +3.687
5. Salvatore Tavano +4.707
6. Nicola Larini +5.411
7. Yvan Muller +6.179
8. Alain Menu +7.051

Standings
1. James Thompson - 25pts
2. Rob Huff - 15pts
3. Dave Simpson - 14pts
4. Augusto Farfus - 13pts
=4. Jorg Muller - 13pts
6. Dirk Muller - 12pts
7. Gabriele Tarquini - 11pts
8. Andy Priaulx - 10pts
9. Alain Menu - 9pts
10. Yvan Muller - 8pts
=10. Salvatore Tavano - 8pts
12. Nicola Larini - 7pts
13. Rickard Rydell - 5pts
=13. Roberto Colciago - 5pts
15. Alex Zanardi - 1pt

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Europe now up.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Belgium:

Daniel Melrose was lucky to "only" receive a reprimand and a $20 000 fine for his involvement in the accident between himself, Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil. In other news Heikki Kovalainen has announced he will join Williams next season but to what capacity remains to be seen.

Round 13: Belgium

Qualifying:

The last time Daniel Melrose started on the front row was in Magny Cours back in June. Melrose was simply reveling at Spa and he was miles faster than anyone through sector 2 which landed him 2nd place on the grid alongside polesitter Lewis Hamilton. Championship leader Felipe Massa lined up 3rd with Sammy Jones 4th. Toro Rosso put in a stunning display of pace with the two Sebastians 6th and 7th behind the second BMW of Robert Kubica. Disappointments included Kimi Raikkonen in 8th place and Frank Zimmer in 19th in the frankly rubbish Honda.

Grid:
1. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2. D. Melrose (BMW)
3. F. Massa (Ferrari)
4. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
5. R. Kubica (BMW)
6. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
7. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
8. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
9. F. Alonso (Renault)
10. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
11. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
12. T. Glock (Toyota)
13. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
14. J. Button (Honda)
15. J. Trulli (Toyota)
16. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
18. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
19. F. Zimmer (Honda)
20. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

Before this weekend it looked like that Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton were in a straight fight for the world championship. However after Hamilton ran into the back of Melrose early on and Massa speared off whilst trying to overtake Melrose both failed to pick up any points at Spa. Instead Sammy Jones picked up his 4th win of the season ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Melrose who was struggling with a lack of straight line speed. Toro Rosso picked up another double points finish with Vettel 4th and Bourdais 6th with Robert Kubica splitting the pair in 5th. Red Bull also scored a double points finish with Ammermuller ahead of Webber in 7th and 8th.

Results:
1. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 1h 20m 49.062
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +9.146
3. D. Melrose (BMW): +23.192
4. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +25.878
5. R. Kubica (BMW): +33.805
6. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +34.111
7. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +39.325
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 40.945
9. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): +43.428
10. T. Glock (Toyota): +51.468
11. J. Button (Honda): +53.106
12. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +53.556
13. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +57.688
14. F. Alonso (Renault): +1:02.397
15. F. Massa (Ferrari): +1:08.960
16. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +1:19.938
17. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1:28.996
18. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari): +1:29.257
19. J. Trulli (Toyota): +1:30.034
DNF. F. Zimmer (Honda)

Pole: L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:47.585
Fastest Lap: K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 1:47.741
Leaders: D. Melrose: 1-7, 17-20 (Total: 11)
K. Raikkonen: 8-12, 31-34 (Total: 9)
S. Vettel: 13-16, 26-30 (Total: 9)
S. Jones: 21-25, 35-44 (Total: 15)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 85 points (4 wins, 2 2nds, 2 3rds)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 77 points (1 win, 4 2nds, 3 3rds)
3. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 73 points (4 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
4. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 73 points (5 2nds, 4 3rds)
5. D. Melrose (BMW): 68 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 35 points (1 3rd)
7. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 21 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 17 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 16 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
10. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 12 points (Best Result: 1 5ths)
11. F. Alonso (Renault): 9 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
12. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
13. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 5 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
14. J. Trulli (Toyota): 4 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
15. T. Glock (Toyota): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
16. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
17. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 162 points (5 wins, 6 2nds, 5 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 146 points (4 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 103 points (4 wins, 3 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 37 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 22 points (Best Result: 1 4th)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 21 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
7. Honda Racing F1 Team: 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
8. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 7 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
9. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
10. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Next up is the final European race of the season, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

[MinardiFan95]

2006 WTCC Round 3 - Brands Hatch

Qualifying

The qualifying session at Brands Hatch threw up a number of surprises, with the hometown heroes Andy Priaulx and James Thompson lining up 15th and 22nd respectively. An even bigger surprise for the session was that independent BMW driver Luca Rangoni qualified on pole position. Last round's winner Dave Simpson lined up 12th.

Race 1
As expected with a full grid of touring cars at Brands Hatch, the first lap of the race was quite chaotic, with what could have potentially been a huge crash when one car spun into Paddock Hill but fortunately everyone missed him. However, going into the GP section of the track, Morbidelli was on the receiving end of a shunt which put him out of the race. A lead group of three drivers broke away, while the mid-pack action was intense. Rangoni was holding up the pack and was doing quite a good job until he ran wide on lap 6, losing a few positions. Dave Simpson took fourth and held on to it for the rest of the race, however the third placed driver, Jorg Muller was already 20 seconds ahead. The race winner was Dirk Muller, who put in a great drive to narrowly defeat Yvan Muller, with Jorg Muller finishing a distant third.

Results:
1. Dirk Muller 14:43.695
2. Yvan Muller +0.513
3. Jorg Muller +7.921
4. Dave Simpson +33.732
5. Duncan Huisman +37.988
6. Alain Menu +38.421
7. Luca Rangoni +43.123
8. Gabriele Tarquini +43.351


Race 2
This was a really strange race, mainly due to a glitch which saw AI drivers pitting a number of times when the track was drying out. I was almost assured of a win until the force feedback in my wheel cut out for no apparent reason with two laps to go. However, the AI drivers came in for yet another pitstop, handing me the easiest win I've ever had in Race On.

Results:
1. Dave Simpson 16:49.610
2. Nicola Larini +24.086
3. Yvan Muller +24.643
4. Luca Rangoni +29.993
5. Gabriele Tarquini +30.443
6. Alain Menu +32.703
7. Peter Terting +37.246
8. Duncan Huisman +45.130

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Belgium now up.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Italy:

There are more off-track ramblings as there are rumours that this year's Japanese Grand Prix may be the last one at Fuji as Toyota doesn't seem too interested in funding the race for much longer. In other news more details have been released on the regulation shakeup for next year. The Kinetic Energy Recovery System is expected to give a boost of about 80bhp for 6.6 seconds each lap as the system is introduced for next season. Also winglets have been banned for next season and the front wings are to be 1.8 metres wide (About the same width as the car itself).

Round 14: Italy

Qualifying:

If Daniel Melrose wanted to win a historic fourth world championship he certainly went the right way about it by scoring pole position. Felipe Massa will start alongside him in second while Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton will start from row 2. Rubens Barrichello did his career chances a massive dent by qualifying 17th (although to his credit Rosberg wasn't that much quicker in 14th) while Frank Zimmer was languishing in Force India territory in 18th spot.

Grid:
1. D. Melrose (BMW)
2. F. Massa (Ferrari)
3. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
5. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
6. R. Kubica (BMW)
7. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
8. F. Alonso (Renault)
9. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
10. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
11. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
12. T. Glock (Toyota)
13. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
14. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
15. J. Trulli (Toyota)
16. J. Button (Honda)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
18. F. Zimmer (Honda)
19. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
20. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

The 6 or so laps Daniel Melrose did before his race-ending collision with Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli and his weekend in general said everything you needed to know about his season so far. He was there or thereabouts in practice, pulled off that stunning pole lap in qualifying before sliding down the order faster than a rock as the same setup that gave him pole left him helpless on anything that resembled a straight. The fact that he managed to drag championship leader Felipe Massa with him was telling as not only did Massa spin whilst trying to overtake Melrose early on but he needed a new front wing aswell after collecting debris from the Melrose/Trulli accident. Robert Kubica also had to fight from the midfield after an early collision with the Red Bull cars while Lewis Hamilton went for a strange 3 stop strategy which left the door for Kimi Raikkonen and Sammy Jones to slug it out for the win.

In the end Sammy Jones won out in a straight strategic fight to take the win he was denied at the very same track last season by Daniel Melrose with Kimi Raikkonen finishing second. Sebastian Vettel took full advantage of the madness up front to score a comfortable podium while Mark Webber and Sebastian Bourdais also scored points in 4th and 7th. Bourdais' drive in particular was brilliant as he had to recover after colliding with Timo Glock on lap 2 putting the German out of the race. Hamilton was resigned to a distant 5th with Kubica in the sole remaining BMW fighting back to 6th with Nico Rosberg scoring his first point of the season in 8th place. Massa could only recover to a lapped 12th place to rack up his second non-points scoring finish in a row.

Results:
1. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 1h 14m 48.187
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +7.077
3. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +30.848
4. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +58.643
5. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): +1:00.604
6. R. Kubica (BMW): +1:06.008
7. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +1:19.134
8. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1:20.680
9. F. Zimmer (Honda): +1:23.281
10. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
11. F. Alonso (Renault): +1 LAP
12. F. Massa (Ferrari): +1 LAP
13. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +1 LAP
14. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
15. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
16. J. Button (Honda): +1 LAP
17. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
DNF. D. Melrose (BMW)
DNF. J. Trulli (Toyota)
DNF. T. Glock (Toyota)

Pole: D. Melrose (BMW): 1:22.511
Fastest Lap: S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:22.765
Leaders: F. Massa: 1 (Total: 1)
K. Raikkonen: 2-17, 23-36 (Total: 30)
S. Jones: 18-22, 37-53 (Total: 22)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 85 points (4 wins, 2 2nds, 2 3rds)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 85 points (1 win, 5 2nds, 3 3rds)
3. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 83 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
4. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 77 points (5 2nds, 4 3rds)
5. D. Melrose (BMW): 68 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 38 points (1 3rd)
7. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 27 points (1 3rd)
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 22 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 18 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
10. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 12 points (Best Result: 1 5ths)
11. F. Alonso (Renault): 9 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
12. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
13. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 5 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
14. J. Trulli (Toyota): 4 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
15. T. Glock (Toyota): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
16. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
17. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
18. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 170 points (5 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 160 points (5 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 106 points (4 wins, 3 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 45 points (1 3rd)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 27 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 21 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
7. Honda Racing F1 Team: 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
8. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 7 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
9. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 2 points (Best Result: 2 8ths)
10. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

With just 8 points separating the top 4 drivers it's time for Formula One's first ever night race at Singapore.

[MinardiFan95]

WTCC Round 4 - Oschersleben
Qualifying
Andy Priaulx returned to form, taking pole from the Seat drivers Rickard Rydell and Gabriele Tarquini. Diego Romanini qualified 4th in an outdated E46 BMW. Dave Simpson had his best qualifying session so far, lining up 6th.

Race 1
Race 1 was a lights to flag win for Andy Priaulx, the BMW driver scoring his first points since round 1 at Monza. Tarquini and Rydell swapped positions from their grid slots (team orders this early in the season?) to finish 2nd and 3rd. Dave Simpson could only manage 10th after a spin.
Results

1. Andy Priaulx 14:57.885
2. Gabriele Tarquini +0.914
3. Rickard Rydell +1.371
4. James Thompson +3.553
5. Gianni Morbidelli +3.974
6. Jordi Gene +4.933
7. Diego Romanini +7.927
8. Peter Terting +9.182
...
10. Dave Simpson +20.618

Race 2:

Race 2 was an absolute shambles for Dave Simpson, after being punted off by main rival James Thompson on the third lap. It didn't get any better, especially after hitting Roberto Colciago on the penultimate lap and finding himself heading for the gravel trap. The Seats were utterly dominant, taking the first four places, with Tarquini winning.

1. Gabriele Tarquini 15:15.390
2. Rickard Rydell + 0.535
3. Peter Terting + 1.419
4. James Thompson + 3.260
5. Rob Huff + 3.517
6. Andy Priaulx + 5.235
7. Diego Romanini + 8.465
8. Gianni Morbidelli + 9.360
...
23. Dave Simpson + 22.000

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Italy now up. If this is not incentive for AndreaModa to restart his career I don't know what is.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Singapore:

Formula One's first night race was always going to be a major talking point in the paddock but there were other stories aswell. The first was Bridgestone confirming they will be running green stripes on the dry tyres at the next race in Fuji. The other was the not-unexpected signing of Sebastian Vettel as Red Bull's replacement for Michael Ammermuller next year with Sebastian Bourdais being signed on as third driver. Rumour has it that Belgian Thomas De Bock and Swiss born Sebastian Buemi are the favourites for the two Toro Rosso seats next season.

Round 15: Singapore

Qualifying:

In a sense it was the usual suspects up front with Lewis Hamilton taking pole from Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso pipped Sammy Jones to 4th place whilst Daniel Melrose struggled yet again under the lights to qualifying outside the top 10 for the 4th time in 6 races. Other disappointments included Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber being beaten by their un-fancied teammates and Frank Zimmer being absolutely nowhere yet again.

Grid:
1. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2. F. Massa (Ferrari)
3. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. F. Alonso (Renault)
5. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
6. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
7. R. Kubica (BMW)
8. T. Glock (Toyota)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
10. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
11. D. Melrose (BMW)
12. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
13. J. Button (Honda)
14. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
15. J. Trulli (Toyota)
16. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
17. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
18. F. Zimmer (Honda)
19. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
20. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

It took Lewis Hamilton over a full season to take his first Grand Prix win but he did it in style under the lights at Singapore with the help of the vast majority of the field (himself included) going for the one stopper, Ferrari brain fade and a pissed off Australian with a point to prove. Ferrari had an awful weekend as it turned out that as soon as Melrose passed both of them in the early laps that their two stop strategy was shot as soon as Daniel Melrose had passed Felipe Massa for second his tyres fell off the edge of a cliff and procceded to lap 2-3 seconds slower than leader Hamilton. Melrose had only been in that position because he had made THE start of the season and one of the best in his career to go from 11th to 4th by the second corner (which including barging Alonso into the nearest wall and retirement) before he drove out of his skin and in a BMW which was eating its tyres like no tomorrow despite being on a two stopper to, abit a distant, 4th place.

Kimi Raikkonen managed to salvage 6th place while Massa only managed a lap 9th thanks to two dodgy pitstops and attrition removing half the field by race end. Sammy Jones had gotten into an early collision with Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Bourdais which put Rosberg and Bourdais out on the spot and forcing the Englishman in for a new nosecone. From there on he was one of the fastest cars on track as he took home the final point in 8th place to score a critical point in his bid for a World Championships. With Robert Kubica also retiring after a trip to the barriers it was a race for the midfield to score some big results.

And that they did with Sebastian Vettel scoring his best ever finish in 2nd place and Timo Glock scoring his first podium and Toyota's first since 2005 in 3rd. Jenson Button gave Honda some much needed points in 5th place while Jarno Trulli in the second Toyota made his two stop strategy work by finishing 7th ahead of Jones while Mark Webber was 10th and the final runner.

Results:
1. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1h 46m 34.179
2. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +43.425
3. T. Glock (Toyota): +1:11.825
4. D. Melrose (BMW): +1:40.088
5. J. Button (Honda): +1:40.810
6. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +1:41.098
7. J.Trulli (Toyota): +1:41.846
8. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): +1:42.264
9. F. Massa (Ferrari): +1 LAP
10. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
DNF. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
DNF. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
DNF. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
DNF. F. Zimmer (Honda)
DNF. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
DNF. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
DNF. R. Kubica (BMW)
DNF. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
DNF. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
DNF. F. Alonso (Renault)

Pole: L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:41.583
Fastest Lap: S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:42.144
Leaders: L. Hamilton: 1-61 (Total: 61)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 88 points (1 win, 5 2nds, 3 3rds)
2. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 87 points (1 win, 5 2nds, 4 3rds)
3. F. Massa (Ferrari): 85 points (4 wins, 2 2nds, 2 3rds)
4. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 84 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
5. D. Melrose (BMW): 73 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 38 points (1 3rd)
7. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 35 points (1 2nd, 1 3rd)
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 22 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 18 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
10. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 12 points (Best Result: 1 5ths)
11. T. Glock (Toyota): 9 points (1 3rd)
12. F. Alonso (Renault): 9 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
13. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
14. J. Trulli (Toyota): 6 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
15. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 5 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
16. J. Button (Honda): 4 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
18. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
19. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 173 points (5 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 171 points (6 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 111 points (4 wins, 3 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 53 points (1 2nd, 1 3rd)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 27 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 21 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
7. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 15 points (1 3rd)
8. Honda Racing F1 Team: 11 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
9. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 2 points (Best Result: 2 8ths)
10. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

With 4 points seperating the top 4 drivers and just 2 points seperating McLaren and Ferrari it's time to head to Fuji for the Japanese Grand Prix

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Singapore now up after a month of computer problems with GP4

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Japan:

The silly-season focus was firmly back on Williams as it was announced the Rubens Barrichello has been relegated to third driver duties for next season. Frank Williams has stated he wants Kovalainen in the Williams seat next year alongside Rosberg but he may be forced to go with Kazuki Nakajima as Williams may need to reduce the cost of the Toyota engines. Force India have confirmed they are keeping the same lineup for next season as speculation ended at Singapore of a possible move to Red Bull by Spaniard Phoenix McAllister. Finally Toro Rosso have confirmed Belgian Thomas De Bock as one of their drivers for next season but will not announce his teammate until the season is finished.

Round 16: Japan

Qualifying:

Ever since Great Britain Daniel Melrose's form has come into question time and time again yet he has somehow managed to stay in touch with the championship leaders. However after qualifying 12th at Fuji his championship defense might end this weekend. Mind you the McLarens weren't doing much better in 7th and 8th for Hamilton and Jones which puts the pair of them right in the firing line of Melrose who has typically been the best starter on the grid this year. Up front Kimi Raikkonen led an all Ferrari front row while Renault put in an astonishing performance with Alonso and Kovalainen 5th and 6th. Michael Ammermuller was in all sorts of trouble as he will start last on the grid.

Grid:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3. R. Kubica (BMW)
4. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
5. F. Alonso (Renault)
6. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
7. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
8. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
10. J. Trulli (Toyota)
11. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
12. D. Melrose (BMW)
13. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
14. J. Button (Honda)
15. F. Zimmer (Honda)
16. T. Glock (Toyota)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
18. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
19. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
20. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)

Race:

Never has the term "Melrose Express" been used more in one Grand Prix than it was here as Daniel Melrose in the world's widest BMW (which had surprisingly good traction while being slow everywhere else) held up everyone bar 3 drivers during various points in the Grand Prix. Those 3 drivers claimed the 3 podium spots with Felipe Massa scoring another victory with Robert Kubica putting in his best drive all year to finish just 5 seconds behind the Brazilian and demolish his illustrious teammate in the process for the second year running at the track. Sebastian Vettel scored his thrid podium in 3 races by finishing on the bottom step of the dais. Kimi Raikkonen spun on lap 2 which relegated him but put in the drive of the season to make his three stop strategy work to finish 4th ahead of the second Toro Rosso of Sebastian Bourdais, Lewis Hamilton and the two Renaults of Heikki Kovalainen and Fernando Alonso. Melrose finished a distant 9th which put an end to his 2008 championship defense which meant that a first time championship winner was guaranteed. Sammy Jones put in a simply abmysal performance with several notable errors under pressure which meant he finished dead last. Finally Adrian Sutil finally lived up to the hype surrounding him by putting in a consistent and intelligent drive to 12th place just a few seconds behind Melrose.

Results:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 1h 30m 06.769
2. R. Kubica (BMW): +5.182
3. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +16.340
4. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +20.633
5. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +36.179
6. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): +49.642
7. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +54.540
8. F. Alonso (Renault): +57.302
9. D. Melrose (BMW): +1:20.383
10. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
11. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
12. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
13. T. Glock (Toyota): +1 LAP
14. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
15. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
16. J. Button (Honda): +1 LAP
17. F. ZImmer (Honda): +1 LAP
18. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
19. J. Trulli (Toyota): +1 LAP
20. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): +1 LAP

Pole: K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 1:18.169
Fastest Lap: K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 1:18.630
Leaders: K. Raikkonen: 1, 48-50 (Total: 4)
R. Kubica: 2-23, 39-47 (Total: 31)
S. Vettel: 24 (Total: 1)
F. Massa: 25-38, 51-67 (Total: 31)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 95 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 2 3rds)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 93 points (1 win, 5 2nds, 3 3rds)
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 90 points (1 win, 5 2nds, 4 3rds)
4. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 84 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
5. D. Melrose (BMW): 73 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 46 points (1 2nd, 1 3rd)
7. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 41 points (1 2nd, 2 3rds)
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 22 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 22 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
10. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 14 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
11. F. Alonso (Renault): 10 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
12. T. Glock (Toyota): 9 points (1 3rd)
13. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
14. J. Trulli (Toyota): 6 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
15. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 5 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
16. J. Button (Honda): 4 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
18. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
19. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 188 points (6 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 174 points (6 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 119 points (4 wins, 1 2nd, 3 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 63 points (1 2nd, 2 3rds)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 27 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 24 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
7. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 15 points (1 3rd)
8. Honda Racing F1 Team: 11 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
9. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 2 points (Best Result: 2 8ths)
10. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Next up is the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for Japan now up.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-China:

With BMW's driver title defense coming to an end at the last race at Suzuka Daniel Melrose was given the oppertunity to test an interim BMW F1.08/09 hybrid and he said he felt incredibly comfortable in the car and hopes to have a better season in it. As they touched down in Shanghai the Williams saga continued with Heikki Kovalainen being announced as Williams' second driver next year only for him to recieve an ultimatum from Toyota to either put Nakajima in the second car or else. Elsewhere Force India scored a coup by signing on Alexander Wurz as a test driver alongside Tonio Liuzzi for next season after the Austrian was shafted at Honda with the return of Anthony Davidson.

Round 17: China:

Qualifying:

If Daniel Melrose wasn't in 2009 mode already he certainly was now as it seemed for most of the weekend that his secret talentless clone had showed up and was lapping several tenths off the pace of the Force Indias and simply helpless to do anything about it. Then in qualifying he put in an on the limit lap to go... 18th, yes 18th, on the grid in his worst qualifying performance of his career with the exception of last year's United States Grand Prix where he had a throttle jam and a huge accident at turn 13. Up at the pointy end of the field it was a clinical display from Ferrari as Felipe Massa headed an all-red front row. Sammy Jones was stranded in the upper midfield for te second race in a row in 8th while Jarno Trulli was having an equally pathetic time as Melrose as he ended up 19th on the grid.

Grid:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. F. Alonso (Renault)
5. R. Kubica (BMW)
6. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
7. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
8. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
9. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
10. T. Glock (Toyota)
11. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
12. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
13. F. Zimmer (Honda)
14. J. Button (Honda)
15. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
16. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
17. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
18. D. Melrose (BMW)
19. J. Trulli (Toyota)
20. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

Daniel Melrose was the last retirement of the Grand Prix. He was out by turn 1. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that three wide into turn 1 was never going to work and it didn't with Melrose, Trulli and McAllister all out on the spot. It was the battle of the one stoppers (Massa who had made a horrific start and Jones), the two stoppers (Hamilton and Kubica who spun during the first stint, became a non-event for the rest of the race and capped off BMW's miserable weekend) and Raikkonen who was three stopping. Eventually after an intriguing race Hamilton won out ahead of the Ferraris of Raikkonen and Massa which sets up a mouth-watering 3 way duel heading into Brazil. Jones' 4th place finish wasn't enough to keep him in the championship hunt and with BMW imploding Fernando Alonso and Toro Rosso picked up the pieces in 5th, 6th and 7th. The fact that the other 3 Toyota powered cars finished in the bottom 4 said everything you needed to know about the Japanese consortium's day as it was simply crap.

Results:
1. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1h 35m 46.019
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +10.279
3. F. Massa (Ferrari): +23.862
4. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): +27.055
5. F. Alonso (Renault): +29.320
6. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +30.305
7. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): +43.050
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +45.554
9. R. Kubica (BMW): +1:00.986
10. F. Zimmer (Honda): +1:04.647
11. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +1:09.819
12. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +1:15.489
13. J. Button (Honda): +1:34.269
14. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +1:36.646
15. T. Glock (Toyota): +1:37.132
16. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
17. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): +1 LAP
DNF. D. Melrose (BMW)
DNF. J. Trulli (Toyota)
DNF. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)

Pole: F. Massa (Ferrari): 1:39.799
Fastest Lap: K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 1:40.333
Leaders: K. Raikkonen: 1-15, 25-30, 41-42 (Total: 23)
L. Hamilton: 16-17, 32-40, 43-56 (Total: 25)
F. Alonso: 18 (Total: 1)
F. Massa: 19-24, 31 (Total: 7)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 101 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 3 3rds)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 101 points (1 win, 6 2nds, 3 3rds)
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 100 points (2 wins, 5 2nds, 4 3rds)
4. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 89 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 1 3rd)
5. D. Melrose (BMW): 73 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
6. R. Kubica (BMW): 46 points (1 2nd, 1 3rd)
7. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 44 points (1 2nd, 2 3rds)
8. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 24 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
9. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 23 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
10. F. Alonso (Renault): 14 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
11. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 14 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
12. T. Glock (Toyota): 9 points (1 3rd)
13. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
14. J. Trulli (Toyota): 6 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
15. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 5 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
16. J. Button (Honda): 4 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
18. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
19. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 202 points (6 wins, 8 2nds, 6 3rds)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 189 points (7 wins, 7 2nds, 5 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 119 points (4 wins, 1 2nd, 3 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 68 points (1 2nd, 2 3rds)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 28 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 28 points (Best Result: 3 5ths)
7. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 15 points (1 3rd)
8. Honda Racing F1 Team: 11 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
9. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 2 points (Best Result: 2 8ths)
10. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)

Next up is the season finale at the Brazilian Grand Prix

[Phoenix]

17. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
18. D. Melrose (BMW)
19. J. Trulli (Toyota)
20. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)

[TomWazzleshaw]

Race results for China now up

[tommykl]

Ooh, things are heating up, I see! Too bad for Jones though.

[Phoenix]

So, yeah, many thanks to Mr. Melrose for ruining my race, I guess...

[TomWazzleshaw]

Pre-Brazil:

Heading into Brazil there were 3 empty seats (The second seats at Toro Rosso, Renault and Williams). One of those were filled today with Renault announcing that Nelson Piquet Jr will make his debut next season alongside Fernando Alonso. Frenchman Romain Grosjean was allegedly in contention for the seat as well but his inconsistent results in GP2 put paid to his chances.

Round 18: Brazil

Qualifying:

No matter what Daniel Melrose tried to do with the car he just couldn't cure the understeer the car was producing which meant he was a dismal 17th on the grid at a track where he's won twice before. Up front and it was the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Sammy Jones secured the front row ahead of the Ferraris of Raikkonen and Massa. The big surprise of the session however was Williams with Nico Rosberg in 8th and Rubens Barrichello 10th behind Frank Zimmer who put in a spirited performance to qualify 9th.

Grid:
1. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. F. Massa (Ferrari)
5. R. Kubica (BMW)
6. F. Alonso (Renault)
7. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
8. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
9. F. Zimmer (Honda)
10. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota)
11. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault)
12. H. Kovalainen (Renault)
13. T. Glock (Toyota)
14. J. Trulli (Toyota)
15. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
16. M. Webber (RBR-Renault)
17. D. Melrose (BMW)
18. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
19. J. Button (Honda)
20. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)

Race:

Daniel Melrose's last day as reigning World Champion wasn't a good one as he finished a lapped 12th and last. Felipe Massa's day wasn't much better as his engine let go after just 5 laps. The entry to turn 3 seemed to have magnets installed into the tyre barrier as Kubica, Trulli, Bourdais and Glock all found that outside wall at one point or another. Frank Zimmer had a race to forget as he collided with Melrose twice in the race before retiring with a loose wheel before he got summoned to the Stewards for setting his car on fire after the race. Finally up front it was a relatively straightforward race for Lewis Hamilton as he won the Grand Prix to win his first world championship from Kimi Raikkonen and Sammy Jones. However it wasn't enough for the team from Woking to take home the constructors crown as Ferrari secured that by a single point.

Results:
1. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1h 29m 56.746
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): +15.124
3. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): +16.576
4. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): +22.069
5. F. Alonso (Renault): +42.780
6. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): +56.012
7. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): +59.806
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): +1 LAP
9. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): +1 LAP
10. H. Kovalainen (Renault): +1 LAP
11. J. Button (Honda): +1 LAP
12. D. Melrose (BMW): +1 LAP
DNF. T. Glock (Toyota)
DNF. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
DNF. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari)
DNF. F. Zimmer (Honda)
DNF. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
DNF. J. Trulli (Toyota)
DNF. F. Massa (Ferrari)
DNF. R. Kubica (BMW)

Pole: L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 1:13.616
Fastest Lap: K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 1:14.325
Leaders: L. Hamilton: 1-17, 21-26, 38-71 (Total: 57)
K. Raikkonen: 18-20, 36-37 (Total: 5)
S. Jones: 27-35 (Total: 9)

Championship Standings:
Drivers:
3. L. Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes): 110 points (3 wins, 5 2nds, 4 3rds) (World Champion)
2. K. Raikkonen (Ferrari): 109 points (1 win, 7 2nds, 3 3rds)
1. F. Massa (Ferrari): 101 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 3 3rds)
4. S. Jones (McLaren-Mercedes): 95 points (5 wins, 2 2nds, 2 3rds)
5. D. Melrose (BMW): 73 points (4 wins, 2 3rds)
6. S. Vettel (STR-Ferrari): 49 points (1 2nd, 2 3rds)
7. R. Kubica (BMW): 46 points (1 2nd, 1 3rd)
8. M. Webber (RBR-Renault): 24 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
9. S. Bourdais (STR-Ferrari): 24 points (Best Result: 2 5ths)
10. F. Alonso (Renault): 18 points (Best Result: 3 5ths)
11. H. Kovalainen (Renault): 14 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
12. T. Glock (Toyota): 9 points (1 3rd)
13. M. Ammermuller (RBR-Renault): 8 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
14. F. Zimmer (Honda): 7 points (Best Result: 1 6th)
15. J. Trulli (Toyota): 6 points (Best Result: 2 7ths)
16. J. Button (Honda): 4 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
17. R. Barrichello (Williams-Toyota): 3 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
18. N. Rosberg (Williams-Toyota): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
19. A. Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda): 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
20. T. Sato (Super Aguri-Honda): 0 points (Best Result: 1 9th)
21. P. McAllister (Force India-Ferrari): 0 points (Best Result: 1 10th)
22. A. Sutil (Force India-Ferrari): 0 points (Best Result: 2 12ths)

Constructors:
1. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: 210 points (6 wins, 9 2nds, 6 3rds) (World Champions)
2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: 205 points (8 wins, 7 2nds, 6 3rds)
3. BMW Sauber F1 Team: 119 points (4 wins, 1 2nd, 3 3rds)
4. Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari: 73 points (1 2nd, 2 3rds)
5. Red Bull Racing Renault: 32 points (Best Result: 2 4ths)
6. ING Renault F1 Team: 32 points (Best Result: 4 5ths)
7. Panasonic Toyota Racing: 15 points (1 3rd)
8. Honda Racing F1 Team: 11 points (Best Result: 1 5th)
9. AT&T WilliamsF1 Team Toyota: 4 points (Best Result: 1 7th)
10. Super Aguri F1 Honda: 1 point (Best Result: 1 8th)
11. Force India Formula One Team Ferrari: 0 points (Best Result: 1 10th)

[the Masked Lapwing]

Burn, you useless piece of crap, BURN!