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Ferrari dedicate win to whistle-blower
2007-09-19 17:21:00
Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo dedicated his team's Belgian Grand Prix win to the photocopy shop worker who sparked the spy saga. The furore that led to McLaren being fined £50million and stripped of all their Constructors' points for this year was instigated by a tip-off to Ferrari. A 780-page technical dossier belonging to the Italian team was taken to the shop by Trudy Coughlan, wife of suspended McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, to be formatted onto computer disk. With suspicions aroused, the worker contacted the Maranello team, and from that moment a scandal that has overshadowed Formula One was born. Montezemolo, thrilled by Kimi Raikkonen's triumph, said: "It's a perfect victory, for which I want to thank Raikkonen, (Felipe) Massa, (team boss Jean) Todt and all these guys. "I want to dedicate it to our fans who believe in the fairness of the sport and to this English gentleman, who in the month of June, wanted to inform us that someone linked to an opponent team ...
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Raikkonen: We are still in the hunt
2007-09-19 17:17:00
Kimi Raikkonen 's splendid victory at Spa has put him back into the title race, and the Finn reckons he can trump Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. With just three Grand Prix to go, the Ferrari driver is now 13 points adrift of Championship leader Hamilton, and he is optimistic that he has a chance. "We haven't given up and are still in the hunt," said the Finn following the Belgian Grand Prix. "We reduced the gap again. We lost a bit in the last race but anything can happen. There are still three races to go, everyone is so close and we will fight hard and sometimes things can go wrong for all of us. "We will keep pushing and see what happens. If we do it will be amazing but we will keep pushing and we don't give up." He continued: "We knew that we were going to be much stronger here than in Monza. We know the reasons why we cannot challenge them in circuits like Monza, Monaco and Montreal. "We are trying to fix the problems for next year and then we can be pretty strong. Here ...
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Belgian GP: Kimi Strolls To Easy Win
2007-09-19 17:14:00
Kimi Raikkonen kept his title hopes alive with victory at the Belgian GP, spearheading Ferrari's second one-two in the last three races. Pending an unlikely appeal by McLaren after the team were stripped of all Constructors' points in Thursday's World Motor Sport Council hearing, Ferrari have clinched the Constructors' Championship. Raikkonen's 13th win of his career and fourth this season for the Maranello marque means he now trails leader Lewis Hamilton by 13 points, with runner-up Felipe Massa 20 points adrift. Hamilton could only manage fourth place as he and third-placed McLaren rival Fernando Alonso were easily beaten by the Ferraris. Nick Heidfeld finished in 5th place with Nico Rosberg 6th, Mark Webber 7th and the one-stopping Heiki Kovalainen in 8th. Race Report: For once the threat of a mid-race rain shower was not a likelihood at Spa as the cars toured round in bright sunshine on the parade lap, with an ambient temperature of 21C and the track at 33C. As the red ligh...
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Qualifying Report: An all-red front row at Spa
2007-09-15 15:29:00
Saturday 15th September 2007 Ferrari locked out the front row of the grid for only the second time this season at Spa in Saturday's qualifying. Kimi Raikkonen won the closely fought battle between himself, his team-mate Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. At the end of Q3 the trio were separated by less than a tenth of a second, offering the promise of a fantastic race on Sunday afternoon. Lewis Hamilton, who is believed to be heavily fueled, qualifying fourth ahead of Robert Kubica. Kubica, however, will drop down the order as his engine was changed prior to qualifying. Times01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:45.994 02 F. Massa Ferrari 1:46.011 03 F. Alonso McLaren 1:46.091 04 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:46.406 05 R. Kubica BMW 1:47.334 06 N. Rosberg Williams 1:47.334 07 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:47.409 08 M. Webber Red Bull 1:47.524 09 J. Trulli Toyota 1:47.798 10 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:48.505 11 G. Fisichella Renault 1:46.603 12 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:46.618 13 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:46.800 14 J. Bu...
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A lap of Spa with Hamilton
2007-09-12 19:14:00
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton describes a lap of Spa-Francorchamps, home to the Belgian Grand Prix.. "You start out at the pit straight which leads down into the hairpin at Turn One. This is a nice, tight corner, a bit like in Bahrain, but it is quite easy to crash here at the start of the race because it's a low grip corner and you just have to make sure that you steer clear of everyone and hope no one rams you from behind! "Then you carry the speed down the hill as you go flat through Eau Rouge. That is the most exciting corner ever, because if you can imagine the feeling going over a small bridge in a road car where your insides just become weightless, well that is how that corner feels. This is followed by the long straight up into Turn Five which is very good for overtaking. "Actually Turns Five and Six going into Turn Seven are a nice couple of corners; they are quite tight and again there is low grip so its just about carrying in the speed. "Turn Eight is an extremely long d...

2007 Belgium Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps, September 16
2007-09-12 19:00:00
Aside from being the home to one of the greatest circuits on the Formula One calendar, Spa is recognised throughout the world for its water. The Romans were the first people to discover its natural springs deep in the Ardennes countryside, and people still visit the town today in search of hydrotherapy. The biggest industry in the town is the famous bottled water company, Spa. The mention of water is never far from people’s lips at the circuit, which is eight kilometres from the town. One of the most fearsome corners on the lap is Pouhon, which translates into English as ‘water well’ and the Ardennes has a micro-climate all of its own, hence rain tyres are never far from the cars. The bright lights of Liege and Brussels are a 40-minute and two-hour drive respectively, so there is something for everyone at the Belgian Grand Prix.The Belgian GP timetable The Belgian GP marks the 14th round of the 2007 season. Check out the full schedule for the race weekend. All times are local ...
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Todt: Ferrari can bounce back at Spa
2007-09-12 18:53:00
Jean Todt is confident Ferrari will be able to fight McLaren in at least three of the season's remaining four grands prix. Ferrari suffered a huge blow to their title chances at Monza on Sunday, where McLaren duo Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton comfortable outpaced Ferrari to claim the 1-2 at the Scuderia's home race. The Italian team now trails McLaren by 23 points in the Constructors' Championship, while Ferrari's best-placed driver, Kimi Raikkonen, is 18 points behind Hamilton in the Drivers' standings. The Scuderia, though, aren't giving up on winning the titles as team boss Todt believes they can win at least three of the final four races. "We have not been competitive this year on circuits where we need a lot of mechanical grip, and where there is a lot of importance on the kerbs," he told Autosport. "The worst circuits for us this year have been Monte Carlo, Canada, Budapest in qualifying, and Monza. "There is a question mark about Fuji because we have not been there...
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Italian GP: Alonso closes in on Hamilton
2007-09-12 18:39:00
Fernando Alonso has moved ever closer to McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the top of the Drivers' Championship with a pole-to-flag victory in the Italian GP. With Hamilton securing second place courtesy of a mighty overtaking move on Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren's 1-2 was the perfect riposte to the political moves against the team this week. Raikkonen finished third with the BMW pair of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica finishing in fourth and fifth places. With Felipe Massa an early casualty due to an unspecified problem at the rear of his Ferrari, the team comprehensively failed to deliver the 1-2 that Ferrari president had asked them to deliver in the last six races. Grand Prix Report: The ambient temperature was at 28C and the track at 30C as the drivers drove at full-speed to form up on the Monza grid. In previous GPs, teams have saved fuel by crawling very slowly to their starting positions, but now, mid-season, the rules have been changed to compel drivers to use all the revs. ...

Monza qualifying Report: Alonso breaks tifosi hearts
2007-09-12 18:28:00
Fernando Alonso dominated Saturday's qualifying to grab a comfortable pole position for tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix. Leading the way in the final qualifying segment, the McLaren driver actually backed off during his final flying lap after his team-mate Lewis Hamilton failed to beat the 1:21.997 Alonso had set on his previous flyer. The McLaren rookie finished 0.037s adrift of his team-mate, however, the deficit could have been more as Alonso was even faster on in the first sector of the lap he aborted. Felipe Massa saved face for Ferrari, claiming third place on the grid. The Brazilian, though, faces a tough task tomorrow to win the race as he was half a second off the pace of the McLarens. Nick Heidfeld finished fourth for BMW with Kimi Raikkonen fifth and Robert Kubica sixth. Qualifying Report : Bright autumnal sunshine shone down on Monza as the drivers tried to concentrate on the real first job of the weekend - qualifying - as opposed to filling out forms and sending their e....
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Massa hails `amazing` Turkish victory
2007-08-27 09:24:00
Felipe Massa hailed his "amazing" Turkish GP victory, which saw the Ferrari driver's title campaign get back on track. The Brazilian, who clinched the victory at the Istanbul Park last season, won this year's race from pole to flag while his family watched on from the Ferrari garage. It was an emotional win for Massa, who reduced the gap from himself to Championship leader Lewis Hamilton to just 15 points after the McLaren driver suffered a tyre blow-out. "It is amazing. Really fantastic," said Massa. "I love the track, love the place. Here was where my career made a switch, where I started winning races and fighting with the front-runners. "It is a special place for me. Having the second win is special, it is difficult to find the right words. "It was an emotional podium, the team likes to take this feeling from the people. I am proud to win in front of him (his father) and my mother." However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Ferrari driver, who came under attack from his t...
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Todt: Ferrari needs to get its act together
2007-08-08 07:44:00
Jean Todt has called on Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa to be podium perfect for the remainder of the season if the team are to have any chance of title glory. Raikkonen came home second in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, slipping to 20 points behind race winner and Championship leader Lewis Hamilton. Team-mate Felipe Massa, meanwhile, is a further point down after finishing 13th, making up just one place from his grid position after a fuel problem in qualifying. Ferrari at least closed the gap on McLaren to 19 points in the Constructors' title race after their rivals had all team points docked following a controversial qualifying session. But time and races are running out for Ferrari, and with just six grands prix remaining the Maranello marque face coming away empty-handed for a third successive season. "A second and 13th place are a meagre reward for this weekend," said Todt. "There is a slight bitter taste at seeing how competitive we were in the race with Kimi, as it showed a...
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Kimi knocks `boring race`
2007-08-08 07:40:00
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen called the Hungarian Grand Prix "boring" after he finished second behind Lewis Hamilton. Unlike last season, the Budapest event failed to offer much excitement and Raikkonen pointed out what millions of F1 fans already know. He explained: "It was a kind of boring race, just driving behind and waiting for something to happen. The Finnish star made a splendid start and went into the first corner on the tail of the McLaren, but in a race bereft of action, Raikkonen was unable to overtake Hamilton. He thus had to settle for the second step on the podium despite setting the fastest lap of the race. "Nothing really happened so we finished where we started," he added. The 27-year-old won this race two seasons ago with McLaren and he complained that his Ferrari did not suit the Hungaroring. "Our car is maybe not exactly suited for this circuit," said Raikkonen, who is now 20 points adrift of Championship leader Hamilton. Source: Planet-F1**go kimi go**
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An `emotional` victory for Hamilton
2007-08-08 07:35:00
Lewis Hamilton admitted the third win of his rookie season in Hungary was "quite emotional". Hamilton, who had controversially started from pole following a five-place grid penalty for Fernando Alonso, now holds a seven-point lead over his McLaren team-mate in the drivers' title race. Alonso, who was forced to start from sixth after being accused by stewards of illegally impeding Hamilton in yesterday's qualifying session, came fourth behind the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and the BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld. "It's been an eventful weekend and quite emotional for all the team," the 22-year-old Englishman said. "It's good to be back at the top after an eventful race the last time out (European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring). "With all the drama that has gone on over the weekend, it would have been easy to lose focus. "It's been a downer on the team, but the team have still done a great job, and I know how to win races. "It's probably one of the hardest I've had. I had to push th...
More About: Victory , Emotion , Tory , Emotional

Dennis struggling to cope with McLaren tension
2007-08-08 07:27:00
An emotionally-drained Ron Dennis has admitted that his McLaren outfit is being stretched to breaking point by the "tremendous amount of tension" existing between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Looking tense and tired at the end of an "exhausting weekend", Dennis confirmed that the team would conduct an internal investigation into the qualifying debacle at Hungary that resulted in Alonso being demoted five grid-slots and McLaren denied collecting any points towards the Constructors' Championship. It was apparent, however, that Dennis believed that his two title-chasing drivers, rather than the team itself, were at fault on Saturday. "What happened yesterday was really unacceptable and neither driver was blameless," he confirmed to ITV. "We could have been more aggressive in handling matters, but that isn't my style. "There is a tremendous amount of tension within the team. Both our drivers are phenomenally competitive and looking for every advantage within a system that does ...
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Alonso stripped of pole!
2007-08-08 07:18:00
Lewis Hamilton will start on pole for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix after McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso was penalised by a loss of five grid positions following a qualifying infringement. McLaren will also be docked all constructors' points from the race after the stewards refused to accept the team's explanations into the controversy that has overshadowed the event. The stewards signed off on the official qualifying classification at 9.30pm GMT, and with Alonso on pole it indicated that the reigning double world champion had been exonerated. However, it was later explained by an FIA official that regardless of such a release, the stewards could still issue grid sanctions. At 10.35pm, and following an investigation that had started at 3.30pm with team principal Ron Dennis being summoned, the panel finally delivered their verdict. In a statement, the stewards said: 'During the final minutes of qualifying, the car driven by Fernando Alonso remained in its pit stop position a...
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Alonso blames McLaren for Lewis hold-up
2007-08-08 07:15:00
Fernando Alonso insists it was McLaren's fault that Lewis Hamilton wasn't able to launch a counter-attack for pole position in Saturday's Hungarian qualifying. "The team held me back in this," the Spaniard said in the post-race press conference. We tried to have some space with the Ferrari (Raikkonen) in front of us." He added: "I am always monitoring the pitstop by the radio. They do the calculations, they find the gaps and I just drive the car. I am always ready to go, as soon as they put on the tyres." However, that's not how it looked. Nearing the end of the third and final qualifying segment, Alonso remained stationary in the McLaren pitbox for several seconds while Hamilton queued up behind him - and Alonso did so despite having already been waved out by the team. The hold-up meant that while Alonso was able to get across the line before the chequered flag fell and start a flying lap, Hamilton was not. And as a result, the McLaren rookie lost out on pole position. As for...
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A controversial Pole for Fernando Alonso - Hungarian GP - Qualifying
2007-08-04 17:14:00
A hollow Pole Position for Fernando Alonso Ron Dennis was not smiling at the end of the qualifying session despite the fact that Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton locked out the front row ahead of tomorrow’s 70-lap Hungarian Grand Prix. As if there was not enough controversy at McLaren Mercedes at the moment, the final second of qualifying would bring yet more. Lewis Hamilton held the provisional pole position following his first run in qualifying, but heading to the pits to take his second and final set of tyres, he found team-mate Alonso sitting there in the pit box, tyres changed but not moving. We do not know if Alonso was instructed to wait in the pits, or took his own decision to wait. The end result however was that Alonso was able to get back out and start his final flying lap, while Hamilton was unable to make it around in time... A strange situation as Alonso would complete the final flying lap and claim the Pole Position from Hamilton. The championship leader would def...
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Handling an issue for Kimi Raikkonen - Hungarian GP - Ferrari - Practice
2007-08-03 21:39:00
A difficult start to the race weekend for Raikkonen Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa ended the first day of practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix with the sixth and seventh fastest times respectively, just over six tenths off Fernando Alonso's pace. Raikkonen in particular was less than thrilled with the handling of his F2007 and was unable to get to grips with the super-soft and soft Bridgestone Potenza available this weekend.Kimi Raikkonen“I am not very happy with the handling of my car in these two sessions and obviously we have a lot to do in order to improve. But this is only Friday and there is no point in making a drama out of it as far as qualifying and the race are concerned. I wasn’t able to get a really clear picture of the performance of the two types of tyre, especially on the first lap, firstly because of traffic and secondly because of that quick short shower.”Felipe Massa“Overall, I am happy with the day. In the final series of laps I could have done a good ti...
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Alonso sets the Friday pace - Hungarian GP - Second practice
2007-08-03 21:29:00
A strong start from Alonso and McLaren Mercedes Fernando Alonso set the Friday practice pace ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix for McLaren Mercedes as he lapped the 4.384 KM circuit in 1:20.919s, three-tenths ahead of Heikki Kovalainen who was impressive in his Renault and Lewis Hamilton who spun off late in the final minutes. The 90-minute practice session started in sunny conditions but the clouds moved in and there were actually a few spot an hour into the session. This didn’t really create much of an issue, but the track temperate did drop off, and as a result, few were able to improve in the final 30 minutes. The McLaren MP4-22 was expected to be well suited to this tight and twisty circuit and it was no surprise to see Alonso at the head of the timesheets. Hamilton looked to make it a McLaren one-two, but spun his McLaren off track and beached the car in the gravel with four minutes remaining. Kovalainen and Renault will be happy to end the day second fastest, just 0.364s sl...
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Dennis broke 'trust' agreement - Todt
2007-07-29 10:49:00
The hostility between F1's arch rivals Ferrari and McLaren stepped up another gear on Friday, following the controversial verdict of the FIA World Council.Maranello based Ferrari, enraged that its championship competitor escaped the sanctioning powers of the governing body despite being found guilty of espionage, took the unprecedented step of publishing a tirade against McLaren on its team website. Jean Todt is quoted as accusing his team principal counterpart Ron Dennis of suggesting earlier this season that the pair sign an agreement to improve relations between the embittered teams while knowing that a rogue Ferrari employee was leaking secret information to his chief designer. "There was an exchange of views," Todt is attributed as saying, "and, believing in their good faith, I agreed to sign this agreement on June 9." The so-called 'spying' saga, that has scandalised the sport ever since, then broke out after a photocopy worker tipped off Ferrari that Mike Coughlan's wife...
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Todt: `I am bitter about it`
2007-07-29 09:47:00
Ferrari team boss Jean Todt admits he's "bitter" about the WMSC's ruling regarding McLaren's part in the Stepneygate saga. Todt met with McLaren and the World Motor Sport Council for a six-hour long hearing in Paris on Thursday, following which the WMSC ruled that although McLaren were guilty of unauthorised possession of Ferrari documents, the Woking could not be punished as there was insufficient evidence to suggest they had made use of Ferrari's secrets. And Todt is not at all happy with the verdict. "I am bitter about it: what happened yesterday is serious," he told Ferrari's website. "On the one hand a verdict of guilt was handed down and on the other, no sanctions were imposed. I cannot understand it. "During yesterday's meeting, the McLaren bosses, with no exceptions, admitted that their chief designer had obtained since back in March, prior to the Australian GP, documents from Nigel Stepney. "Some of this data was used to prepare a clarification request submitted to ...
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Ferrari considering an appeal
2007-07-29 09:06:00
Ferrari President Luca Montezemolo has vowed to continue his fight for penalties to be imposed in the Formula One 'spying' row. Ferrari were left outraged when McLaren escaped punishment despite being found guilty of 'fraudulent conduct', specifically being in possession of confidential documents belonging to Ferrari. At an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, the FIA's highest power, it was deemed there was insufficient evidence to impose any sanction on McLaren. The WMSC were unable to conclude that 780 pages of Ferrari technical information that ended up in the hands of Mike Coughlan, McLaren's suspended chief designer, had been used to "interfere improperly with the World Championship". The council have, however, left the door open by stating that if McLaren are found to have used the information in any way in the future then they will be thrown out of this year's and next year's Championships. Speaking to Italian reporters, Montezemolo has insisted th...
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