Formula1Track

India Government Doesn't want Formula 1

2009-08-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

The India Government has refused to provide financial support for Formula 1 racing in the country - as it doesn not believe that racing is a sport!!

This is the argument released by the government:

"Formula 1 racing would have no impact on the development of sports in the country. Formula 1 is not purely sports. It is entertainment and this venture by JKSP is a commercial initiative. It will not have an impact on Indian sports in terms of either participation, broad-basing or promotion of excellence."

Secret Meeting in London to Next year Formula 1 teams

2009-06-12T00:30:00.000-07:00

A secret meeting was held in London yesterday between FIA president Max Mosley and eight dissident teams to posting unconditional entries.

Scuderia, along with Renault, Toyota and the two Red Bull-backed teams have been the most vocally-opposed to Mosley's budget cap plan, claiming that the technical benefits signing up to it may confer on rivals would lead to a two-tier split in the sport. The move has been proposed by Mosley in a bid both to cut the cost of competing in the wake of Honda's 2008 demise and, as a result, bring in new blood to swell the grid.

Reuters claims that various sources have suggested that one compromise could see the entry list published incomplete, with some entries unfilled pending further talks.

The news agency also claims that a letter, from Mosley to FOTA president Luca di Montezemolo, admits that the level at which the budget cap is set could be massaged to start at a higher level before following a 'glide path' to the FIA's desired £40m limit in future seasons. That, however, could alienate some of the ten or so organisations who have lodged bids to join the grid under tight cost-capping measures.

The First Totally Ecological Race Track in the World

2009-05-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

A plan to build a new Formula 1 race track outside Paris that would be, according to the architect, the first totally ecological race track in the world has turned into a row between France's sports car-mad prime minister and two cabinet members who say it would be an ecological disaster.

Hundreds of environmentalists demonstrated over the weekend in Versailles against the track with banners saying: "F1: Non, Organic (farming): Yes".

Alain Prost, the former quadruple world champion who has lobbied for the Paris area track, said that it had become the victim of a "political problem".

"Things have to be clear at the government level," he told Le Journal du Dimanche. "It's typical of France." "A Grand Prix around Paris would be as strong (a message) as the football World Cup," he added. Mr Prost recently declared that France was "anti-cars".

Huge Conspiracy as Lewis Hamilton is Disqualified from Race

2009-04-02T02:44:00.000-07:00

The doubts that there is a huge conspiracy going on to discredit Lewis Hamilton and McLaren has been proved without doubt as both the driver and the team have been disqualified from last week's Australian Grand Prix.

According to the race stewards the reigning world champion had deliberately misled them when providing evidence about an incident that saw him passed by Jarno Trulli during a safety car period. After a hearing yesterday, the stewards decided to reinstate Trulli's third place and to sanction Hamilton and McLaren by excluding them from the race classification.

They explained their decision in a statement, which read: "The stewards having considered the new elements presented to them from the 2009 Australian Formula One Grand Prix, consider that driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the Stewards."

McLaren and Renault Threaten to Pull Out of Melbourne Race

2009-03-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

Britain's Times newspaper reported that Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and McLaren Chairman Ron Dennis threatened to organise a boycott of Sunday's race unless Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone paid up.

Ecclestone in return has reportedly threatened to cancel the charter plane taking the cars to Melbourne. A statement posted on the official Formula 1 website (www.formula1.com) by his Formula 1 Administration accused FOTA of making "inaccurate and misleading" comments. "Neither CVC nor FOA owes any amount to any team," it said.

McLaren team Principal Martin Whitmarsh said that while he had not been at the meeting, he believed Ecclestone's version of events to have been "relatively theatrical".

"There is a lot of tension in this climate about lots of teams being owed lots of money," he said. "I think that is a business between the teams and Bernie that needs to be resolved urgently."

McLaren Does Not Have The Pace This Year says Lewis Hamilton

2009-03-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

It seems everyone but the reigning champion himself is the only person who is not sure he will repeat his historic triumph this year, if his comments are anything to go by.

"We don't know what to expect this weekend," Lewis Hamilton said. "It will be a real challenge for everyone, so much has changed. It doesn't only affect drivers but the teams.

"People will be making adaptations and getting used to it."

"We'll have pretty much the same people up there as last year, except for us obviously," Hamilton said at a publicity event on Thursday.

"I've reset the targets again. I want to be world champion again, although it will be tough this year."

Ferrari looking to Dump Kimi Raikkonen

2009-03-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari boss, has given strong indications that Kimi Raikkonen's future with the team may be in doubt.

Raikkonen's contract with Ferrari expires only at the end of the season but rumours persist that Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso could replace him if his agreement is bought out.

Incidentally, Domenicali was full of praise for Felipe Massa, who easily outperformed Raikkonen last year, winning more races than the eventual world champion Lewis Hamilton.

New Changes Are Unilateral Claims Ferrari

2009-03-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

Ferrari is leading the opposition against the latest changes announced in Formula 1 racing.

Among the most contentious rules agreed to by the FIA on Tuesday is the move to award the world championship to the driver with the most race wins for the year rather than the most points, starting at this month's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari boss and Formula One Teams' Association chairman Luca di Montezemolo says "The framework of the regulations as defined by the FIA, to be applicable from 2010, runs the risk of turning on its head the very essence of Formula 1 and the principles that make it one of the most popular and appealing sports".

More Cost-cutting in Formula 1 racing

2009-03-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

More cost-cutting measures are due in Formula 1 racing if reports from the International Automobile Federation are to be believed. Formula 1's governing body is due to present a further round of cost-cutting measures overnight and vote on whether to change the scoring system for this year's championship.

While no details have been given, they are likely to involve more standardisation of parts and the possible imposition of a budget cap on top of significant steps already taken.

The Formula 1 Teams' Association has put forward cost-cutting proposals it says will halve the expense of competing next year compared with last year.

Queen Elizabeth Will be Watching Lewis Hamilton

2009-03-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, Lewis Hamilton was at Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth II who told the driver she had watched the closing stages of his win in Brazil.
"The pressure's on now. She'll be watching as I go into the first race," he said.

Everything is going great for the boy from Stevenage. He is in a long-term relationship with Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls after previously dating Miss Grenada. He must be feeling good since the end of the last season when the knives were out with Hamilton facing accusations of arrogance and aloofness with rivals suspicious of his driving technique and his judgement.

Bernie Ecclestone - Most Powerful Man in Formula 1 Gets Divorced

2009-03-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

Formula 1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone was divorced by his wife yesterday on the grounds of "unreasonable behaviour". Slavica Ecclestone, 50, was granted divorce by a judge in central London. So, Slavica will be taking home a lot of money as Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is all set to pay the world’s most expensive divorce settlement to his wife of 24 years. The settlement could amount to almost £1 billion, according to legal experts. So, Slavica will be taking home a lot of money as Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is all set to pay the world’s most expensive divorce settlement to his wife of 24 years. The settlement could amount to almost £1 billion, according to legal experts. Most of the property owned by the racing boss is in the name of his ex-wife because of tax reasons. It includes a hotel in Switzerland and ownership of the Queens Park Rangers Champions League soccer team, apart from Alpha Prema, the holding company of Formula 1 racing.

It is interesting to learn that Bernie, often called “Mr Formula One”, had to pursue his future bride before winning her. In 1984, at the age of 54, Bernie met the 26 year old Croatian model, Slavica Radic, during a Formula 1 event. Despite being nearly a foot shorter than the 6′ 2″ Slavica, Bernie fell for her and chased her relentlessly. At the time Bernie spoke no Croatian and Slavica spoke only her native tongue and Italian, so the courtship must have been a bit difficult.
Yet, in true determined Ecclestone fashion, Bernie won his bride and they were married. They have two daughters, Tamara and Petra, and the marriage had lasted for more than twenty years.

Formula 1 technology used in cycle

2009-03-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

It's possibly the world's most advanced bicycle, in fact, and it's been officially unveiled yesterday at the Science Museum in London as part of the "Fast Forward" exhibition which covers 20 ways F1 tech is changing the world.

It's made out of carbon fiber which gives it excellent structural rigidity as well as being very light--the entire machine weighs less than 7 kilos, and was designed using the same modeling and analysis tools used to create the F1 cars. It's specifically designed to help athletes train, so the entire machine is laced with different sensors.

Read the rest of the story here

Malaysian Grand Prix to provide variety

2009-03-08T23:31:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, which celebrates its 11th edition next month, has marked the beginning of a new era as Sepang International Circuit (SIC) promotes the F1 event differently.

SIC spokesman Azhar Ghazali said with the new approach, SIC wants to showcase itself as an entertainment venue as well, and not just a racing circuit.

Met at the F1 Roadshow in Gurney Plaza here today, he said with an aim of bringing the fans closer to the F1 fraternity and SIC, among new programmes incorporated to inject further excitement for the fans and spectators included a meet-and-greet session with the F1 drivers where fans can meet and get their autographs in one special session at the spectator areas.

Read the full story here

Button and Barrichello to remain as Honda F1 team sold to Ross Brawn

2009-03-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

Honda F1 Racing Team has been sold by its owner, Honda, to rescue it from a crippling financial crisis to former team principal Ross Brawn. The two team drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello would keep their seats as their experience would bring benefits to the new team. "The vast experience and knowledge that both drivers bring to our team will prove invaluable as we aim to get up to speed in the shortest possible time to be ready for the first race of the season," Ross Brawn said. The new team will now be known as Brawn GP Formula One Team. The Honda team had been struggling to stay afloat after falling victim to the global economic crisis. The new team will have to face a lot of hurdles in this year's championship where they make their debut and is heavily counting on the vast experience of the two drivers as well as Ross Brawn to help them carry forward.

Major Desicions Expected at FOTA meeting in Geneva

2009-03-05T01:01:00.000-08:00

The senior management of the FOTA affiliated Formula One teams are meeting at the FOTA headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland for finalising their proposals aimed at increasing the stability, sustainability, substance and spectacle of the sport. Among those participating in the meeting include Mario Theissen from the BMW Sauber F1 team, Flavio Briatore from the Renault F1 team, Christian Horner from the Red Bull Racing team, Luca di Montezemolo from Ferrari and Ron Dennis from the McLaren group.

The absence of Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant owner of Team Force India, was conspicious by his absence.

A press conference will be held today to announce the decisions of the meeting.

FOTA [Formula One Teams Association]is a group of Formula One teams that was formed in 2008.

19 years 350 days - Sebastian Vettel youngest to score a point in F1

2007-06-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Its Baby Boom in the Formula One world. After the wonder boy the new young sensation is Sebastian Vettel of the BMW Sauber Team who, at 19 years and 350 days, became the youngeat ever driver in F1 to score a point.

Vettel broke the record held by Jenson Button of Honda who scored a point at the age of 20. The German has already named him 'baby Schumi.

He finished 8th at the United States Grand Prix.Mike Thackwell remains the youngest driver to compete in a championship Grand Prix race; Nico Rosberg the youngest to drive an F1 car in private testing[1]). He also became the quickest driver to get a fine in F1, being fined $1,000 nine seconds into his career, after speeding in the pitlane.[2] He also became the sixth youngest driver to start a Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton hits bulls eye in US Grand Prix

2007-06-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

"What a dream !" claimed Lewis Hamilton after his stunning victory in the United States Grand Prix over McLaren team - mate Fernando Alonso and certainly what a dream it has been for the young Brit. A reminder to the classic beauty of F1, the race produced some moments of old-fashioned rivalry that makes F1 such a wonderful spectacle.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso claimed the team’s third one-two finish of the season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the third consecutive win for the team. After 73 laps, Fernando finished second 1.5 seconds behind Lewis. Both drivers were on two-stop strategies. Lewis came in on laps 21 (8.8 seconds) and 51 (7.1 seconds) whilst Fernando made his stops on laps 22 (7.6 seconds) and 50 (6.5 seconds). In the Drivers’ Championship, Lewis extended his lead to 58 points ahead of Fernando with 48 points. After four wins in seven out of the season’s 17 races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes heads the Constructors’ table with 106 points ahead of Ferrari on 71.

LEWIS HAMILTON

“It just keeps getting better and better - what an amazing week this has been. I can’t believe that I have won and am so incredibly grateful to the team who have worked to hard to continue the development which has seen us taking one-two here today. Everything went right; start, pitstops, strategy and I’m really happy. I was under pressure all the way from Fernando and we were both pushing as hard as possible. I made a good start to maintain the advantage but Fernando was right there. In the second stint Fernando managed to get really close when my tyres were graining, and he had a go at the end of the straight, but I was able to keep him behind. It’s been a long and hot day, but I have really enjoyed myself and the support from the fans. “

Frank Williams has never seen anyone like the 22-year-old Hamilton

2007-06-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Frank Williams says that Hamilton never seems like an ordinary 22-year-old man.
Lewis is clearly a very special driver. We have never seen anything like this in F1 before.The 22-year-old leads the championship by eight points over world champion Fernando Alonso much to the delight of Williams.

Williams says Hamilton is like no other driver he has ever seen
Alonso shows Hamilton how it's done

Frank Williams has hailed McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton's achievements this season as "remarkable" and says he has never seen anyone like the 22-year-old.

Hamilton was second-fastest in the second practice session for the Indianapolis grand prix behind team-mate Fernando Alonso and Williams believes Hamilton is unique.

He said: "In my opinion I've never seen anyone arrive and be so successful so quickly.

"That is to say from his first race. It is quite remarkable."

Williams, who has worked with Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna, says he cannot think of any other driver with who Hamilton can be compared.

"I am looking hard to find fault with him and he is very nice, which is quite unusual, too," said the Williams supremo.

The British rookie leads the drivers' world championship standings by eight points from Alonso and remains confident of his prospects at the US grand prix.

Although it is a new track to Hamilton he was still towards the top of the timesheets in practice on Friday.

He said: "We have a pretty good idea of where we are going, and it looks like we should be competitive, but as always Friday is only the start of the weekend - there is a long way to go."

The McLaren driver said he took his time getting to know the track and found some of the section quite tricky.

Alonso will hope to close the gap with his team-mate after this weekend's grand prix and is also hopeful of doing well at Indianapolis.

"This track has never been kind to me, but I really want to do well this weekend," said the Spaniard.

Fernando Alonso Dominates Opening Practice in Indianapolis

2007-06-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Fernando Alonso dominates opening practice in Indianapolis on Friday (15th June) with the fastest laps in each session ahead of Sunday's United States Grand Prix.
Alonso dominates both practice sessions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The temperatures at Indy were amongst the highest experienced so far this season but despite the tough conditions for the seventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Bridgestone Potenzas performed admirably. Alonso’s time on the first day of running was only 1.1 seconds off last year’s pole time. The medium and soft tyre combination has only been previously used at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Alonso set his times on Bridgestone’s soft compound Potenza whilst BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Alonso’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton were second and third fastest in the morning session. In the afternoon session, held in even hotter conditions, Hamilton and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa were the second and third fastest. Sebastien Vettel, standing in for Robert Kubica at BMW Sauber, impressed through the day with the fourth fastest time in the morning, and he completed the greatest amount of laps of any driver.

Kees van de Grint, Bridgestone Motorsport Head of Track Engineering Operations said:

“It was a very good session today with no tyre issues to report. The circuit was not at its best which is normal due to this being the first day of running, but despite this both compounds of Potenzas performed well. If we are critical we could say that more grip would be advantageous, but in terms of graining and consistency I am very satisfied. More grip should come as the circuit improves but competitive lap times were already set despite the circuit’s condition.

The soft Potenza was faster, as expected, with a minimum four tenths advantage over the medium Potenza. The temperature levels are not an issue to me as it is the high speeds and the banking here which are the crucial aspects. Although we have had a good day today, we should never be complacent at this circuit. ”

Stats of the Day

Total amount of laps completed by all drivers: 1366

Average number of laps per car: 62 laps

Most laps by a driver: 83 – Sebastian Vettel

Fastest lap: 1min 11.925secs – Fernando Alonso

Compounds: Medium and soft

Qualifying in 2006

Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa made up an all-Ferrari front row with Schumacher on pole position by over four tenths with a time of 1min 10.832secs. Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault) and Rubens Barrichello (Honda) made up the second row.

Massa Vows to overcome McLaren

2007-06-15T09:29:00.001-07:00

Ferrari star Felipe Massa has vowed to bridge the gap on Formula One frontrunners McLaren, starting at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis.

Ferrari won three of the first four races of the season with Kimi Raikkonen taking the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and Massa winning in Bahrain and Spain.

Then the Ferrari campaign hit the skids, with the team drubbed in Monaco as McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton secured their one-two finish.

Then Massa was disqualified in Canada last weekend as the Brazilian ran a red light exiting the pit lane and Raikkonen was outpaced by BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld, the Williams of Alexander Wurz and Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen as the Finn had to settle for fifth behind race winner Hamilton.

McLaren have a 28-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, the sort of dominance enjoyed by the Italian team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2000, with Michael Schumacher winning six of the seven Grands Prix at the venue.

Sebastien Vettel will replace Kubica in US GP

2007-06-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

The doctors disagreed with Robert Kubica and disallowed him from competing in the US Grand Prix, giving newcomer Sebastien Vettel his chance for hisfirst ever Formula One race.

Formula One driver Robert Kubica came to Indianapolis Motor Speedway proclaiming he was alert, clear-minded and ready to race Sunday in the U.S. Grand Prix.

FIA, the international governing body of racing, ruled Kubica could not yet climb back into the cockpit four days after sustaining a concussion and spraining an ankle in a frightening crash at Montreal. He will be replaced by Germany's Sebastian Vettel, a test driver for BMW Sauber.

"I felt absolutely ready to race," Kubica said in a statement issued by the team after the doctors' decision. "I respect the decision. It was made because there is too much risk to let me race in this Grand Prix in case I have an impact so soon after Montreal. I will go home now."

Vettel, a 19-year-old rookie, is expected to make his first F1 start Sunday.

Bernie Ecclestone: "We could be in India soon instead of the United States"

2007-06-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has threatened to take F1 race away from the United States if he cannot agree on a new deal with Indianapolis.

It is not vital to Formula One to be in the United States," the 76-year-old told Britain's Daily Express newspaper, three days ahead of this season's US Grand Prix.

"There are bigger markets for us to be in other parts of the world. We could be in India soon instead of the United States. We don't have a lot of sponsors from the US, no American teams and only one driver," he added.

"I get along with (Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner) Tony George and I hope we can strike a deal, but we have offers from other places in the US too."

Despite Ecclestone's comments, similar to ones he made last year before agreeing a one-year extension with Indianapolis, the US is a key market for the car manufacturers who dominate the sport and own most of the teams.

"The automobile market in the USA is the biggest one for Mercedes-Benz outside Germany," said Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug, whose company owns 40 per cent of championship leaders McLaren.

"For the BMW Group, the USA Grand Prix is of key importance in so far as the United States is our biggest market," said BMW Sauber boss Mario Theissen in a team preview of Sunday's race.

"We sell more cars there than in Germany and also have our biggest production sites outside Germany."

Tiger Hamilton!

2007-06-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Both are the best in their sports. Both are revered by millions around the world. Both are considered saviors of their respective sports. And both are black!

Tiger Woods and Lewis Hamilton have found fame and glory.Hamilton’s amazing start to his big-time career — six podium finishes in his first six races for McLaren — is making the entire sporting world sit up and take notice.

His incredible impact, including last Sunday’s first victory in Canada, has already earned him comparisons with Woods.
The American has almost single-handedly sent golf’s popularity soaring since he turned professional a decade ago.

As golf’s first black superstar, millions of youngsters from minority groups regard Woods as an inspiration — and he feels that Hamilton will swiftly have the same appeal.

Woods told me: “I’ve been following his progress pretty closely and I think it is great he won the Canadian Grand Prix after going close in all his previous races.

Crash Nightmares haunt Nick Heidfeld

2007-06-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Prior to the Indianapolis Grand Prix BMW Sauber F1 team driver Nick Heidfeld is getting ready to battle - not just his rivals - but some crash nightmares too.

Last year at the same venue Heidfeld had an accident when he ended up on the wrong side of a pile up started when Juan Pablo Montoya clipped McLaren team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and then Honda's Jenson Button, who then made contact with the BMW Sauber.

He was also faced with the horrifying crash of his friend and team mate Robret Kubica in the last race at Montreal. Kubica was lucky to escape with a mild concussion and a sprained ankle and will see an FIA doctor today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to determine whether he is fit enough to race on Sunday.

My memories of Indy are very varied," said Heidfeld. "In 2001 I managed a sixth-placed finish with Sauber, although I had lost my first, second and, most crucially, seventh gear. That was one of my best races.

"A less pleasant memory is the accident in 2006. We had done well in qualifying, but shortly after the start I was involved in a collision and turned over for the first and, hopefully, last time in my career.

"That is why I was worried when I saw Robert's car at the side and I was happy to hear that he was okay.

"It was difficult to get some information (during the race) and you just saw the car on the side with nothing left."

Indianapolis is familiar to Lewis Hamilton - through computer games!!

2007-06-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton is going to Indianapolis with an open mind just as he went to Canada, and hoping to repeat the good job by winning again. But a problem that he would face is that he has never raced at Indianapolis before, not even seen it. But obviously he is not worried.

Why?

The answer is that Lewis Hamilton is indeed familiar with the Indianapolis track - through computer games, it seems.

"I actually haven't been on the simulator [for Indianapolis], but I've seen it on computer games," Hamilton said. "I don't really know what to expect."

He added: "I've watched the previous races and onboard footage and looked at data.

"But I'll be going there with an open mind and having to do the same sort of job as I did here in Canada."

Formula One Race in India In 2009

2007-06-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

After a lot of meetings and rumours the Indian Olympic Association has finally announced that it has come to an agreement with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone for conducting an F1 race in New Delhi from 2009. Ecclestone has for quite some time been engaged trying to widen the extent of influence for F1 races. At present Malaysia and Singapore hosts F1 races in Asia. India is one of the largest consumer markets in the world with a booming economy and an F1 race will no doubt be beneficial to both India and Ecclestone.

IOA president Suresh Kalmadi said the agreement was preliminary and conditional on having a venue approved.

The city does not currently have a racing track.

"We have received a letter in this regard from Bernie Ecclestone," said Kalmadi. "The IOA will be the promoter, the first event will be held in 2009."

He added: We are looking to identify suitable land for a world-class track."

Lewis Hamilton - Past and Present - and a Lover

2007-06-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton's life has changed for ever. He can now never remain in annonimity. Media, and indeed the whole world of motorsports, are going to watch his every step, bring under scrutiny his past deeds, his love life and family, and every microscopic detail.

Home

Home was a small flat in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, where he lived with Anthony, who split from Carmen, Lewis’s mother, when he was 2. Anthony once held down three jobs to keep the money coming in. When McLaren stepped in to finance the young racer’s career, Lewis, his father, Linda, his stepmother, and Nicholas, his younger brother, who suffers from cerebral palsy, moved to a house in Tewin, a village near Stevenage. Linda and Nicholas followed Sunday’s victory on television, although they sometimes go to Lewis’s races.

Lewis now lives mostly in a £1 million mansion in Woking, Surrey, to be near the McLaren factory. Will he follow the advice of accountants and move abroad to avoid the long arm of the British taxman, to a harbour-front apartment in Monaco alongside Jenson Button and David Coulthard, or to Lake Geneva, along with Fernando Alonso, his team-mate? Or will he want a vast Swiss farmhouse like Michael Schumacher’s, complete with health centre, cinema and petrol station?

The Women

The first kiss-and-tell has appeared in a British tabloid as a schoolmate from Stevenage breathlessly told of their first romantic encounter in the back of Hamilton’s Mini. But he proclaims himself in love with Jodia Ma, the teenage sweetheart he met at Cambridge Arts and Science College. The drawback is that she is from Hong Kong and he travels the world. Hamilton has ordered a £10,000 diamond bracelet for Ma, but Formula One is awash with beautiful women and he would not be the first racing driver to have his head turned.

Lewis Hamilton is next Michael Schumacher says Derek Daly

2007-06-13T04:34:00.000-07:00

According to Derek Daly, former Formula 1 and Indy car driver, Lewis Hamilton has the potential to replace Michael Schumacher as the next greatest driver in Formula 1 racing."He can have the same effect here as he's had elsewhere, very much so," said Daly. "Without a doubt.

"He has managed that Mansell touch and become the people's favourite almost overnight. Add to that that he's the first black guy and that he appears to have the whole package and he's a potential replacement for Michael Schumacher. He's that good."

"I expect similar scenes at Indy as there were in Montreal. He drives with such flair, and confidence and the way he sits in the car is like Mansell.
"Gilles Villeneuve had a similar impact but the promise was never fulfilled. He wasn't as well prepared as Lewis is.

"(Juan Pablo) Montoya had the impact with all his flair but he was not the complete package in terms of discipline and preparation that Hamilton appears to have.
"There's still a long way to go but he's so well spoken, he's got his Dad with him all the time and he looks to have the whole thing."

Only one name In F1 world - Lewis Hamilton! Lewis Hamilton! Lewis Hamilton!

2007-06-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton creates history! An unbelievable story has come true for this wonder boy, who hails from that land of dandies - England. His Victory at the Canadian Grand Prix will ensure his immortality. Fans no more need to weep for the loss of Michael Schumacher for here has risen a star whose brightness has illuminated the whole woorld of Formula One Racing.

1st Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 1h44m11.292s; 2nd Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), 1h44m15.635s; 3rd Alexander Wurz (Williams), 1h44m16.617s.

Q: Lewis, what a day: four safety cars, obviously that big accident with Robert, who we hear is OK now. What a day for you!

Lewis Hamilton: It has been a fantastic day. This is history. To come here, my first time in Canada… it’s really been a fantastic season already. We’ve had six podiums and I’ve been ready for the win for quite some time. It was just a matter of when and where. The team gave me the best car. I had no problems during the race at all, a few safety cars which sort of made it a little bit boring at some point but as soon as we got going, it was exciting again. But I did hear about Robert. He’s a good friend of mine. I hope he’s OK, and so best wishes to his family and everything. I have to dedicate this win to my Dad because without him this would not have been possible.

Q: Lewis, now that first win is behind you, talk us through the closing stages; what was going through your mind, what did it feel like to take the chequered flag?

LH: As I said, we sat behind the pace car for quite some time so it sort of dulled down for a while, and then it was about building it back up. The team did a great job in getting me in before the first pace car, and so I was out in the clean air and I was very fortunate. I had a good pace. Nick wasn’t very close to me, so I was able to keep a good gap and then the last few laps, I was just counting them down. I could see my board; I’m the type of guy who usually pushes right to the end but it’s a tricky circuit and if you make one mistake you get on the marbles and you’re in the wall, so I quietened down towards the end and just enjoyed it and it really was about just enjoying the whole moment.

Q: And you made a great start too, Nick Heidfeld right behind you too going in there, and Fernando on the outside. I say a great start, you came out of the second corner in front, anyway.

LH: Yes, I made quite a poor getaway to be honest. I don’t know what exactly happened. I’m supposed to have a certain amount of revs and I went over it and then under to try and get it back so I had a pretty poor start and I saw Nick getting close, so I had to close the door, and then I saw Fernando fly past. Obviously I didn’t want him coming past but somehow he got onto marbles I think and went straight on, and I just took the corner as normal and then Fernando came flying past. It was quite exciting, but it was just great to get out in front.

Q: Nick, qualified third, finished second: a fantastic day for you also and for the team.

Nick Heidfeld: Yeah, it was great and definitely the start was a special moment, as we just spoke about. I had a fantastic start, easily overtook Fernando, I was right behind Lewis in the slipstream, tried to get to the inside but he closed the door. I saw that Alonso was probably just pushing a bit too hard and then went off, and then the safety car. Let’s put it this way, I was not unlucky but I lost a lot of time I pulled on the other guys behind me, but I have to say that the team did a great job today. I was happy to hear that Robert is OK. It was difficult to get some information at some point. You just saw the car on the side with nothing left, and I think he’s fine.

Q: Obviously very, very difficult conditions today for the drivers; talk about that and the marbles off-line.

LH: Well actually, I don’t think it’s acceptable that we have that many marbles here again. I doubt that it’s just the rubber off the tyres coming loose. We had it yesterday. Fernando probably lost pole due to that. We’ve seen in turn ten that they did something to the circuit. We had it numerous times in the last couple of years and OK, we are the best in the world and we should keep on line but we’re talking about centimetres. You just go off half a meter and you lose a lot or you can even crash, so that was a difficult thing again.

Q: And Alexander Wurz, P3 in the Canadian Grand Prix; 24 hours ago that would have seemed like a dream.

Alexander Wurz: Yes, it’s still a dream. I had a difficult weekend, never found the rhythm but hey, if you just keep pushing… I’ve showed the whole year that I’m a strong racer. Today I was a bit lucky as well as just keeping the pace all the time on the option tyres, out for very long, very difficult but the car was running fine, no problems and I made no mistakes and I’m very pleased to bring that third place home.

Q: As you say, difficult with the option tyre, the only driver, the only finisher on a one stop strategy. What was it like in that second phase of the race?

AW: To be honest it was hell, so I thank God for the safety cars, because the tyres just grained to bits. What I did, tactically, was I really scraped the tyres as much as I could, just to get rid of the graining quickly and that was very important because in the end I had Kovalainen behind me on the prime tyre. But then my tyres cleaned up and I could control the pace. I actually got close to Nick but there weren’t enough laps. But anyway, I’m super happy with third, exactly on my tenth year anniversary. It’s a bit kitsch but I’ll take it.

Q: Returning to you, Lewis, finally for your thoughts: leading the championship, going to Indianapolis next weekend, so not too much time to enjoy this win of yours, but nonetheless I guess it will be a great evening for you?

LH: It will and there is plenty of time to enjoy it. I have to say hallo to all my family back home. I know they are all sitting at home watching me, supporting me, and to all the fans, they have been great, and the team – what a job they’ve done, back in Woking, in Brixworth, in Stuttgart to prepare the car and make it quicker than everyone’s. There’s really a big thank you to them but going into Indy, obviously I go there with great confidence. We have to try and continue with the performance that we have, and I have no doubt we can do that. PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lewis, fantastic. In many ways an incredibly complicated race for us watching, but I don’t know if it simple it was for you, you didn’t seem to have any problems for you in front?

LH: No, to be honest it was a fairly simple race apart from the restarts, making sure that I pulled a good gap from Nick here but yeah, it was great. I got a reasonably decent start, it wasn’t great to be honest, and Nick was right up the back of me going into turn one, so I covered my position and went through the first corner and saw Fernando just fly down the outside, and I thought ‘no, I’m going to lose it here.’ But he just went straight, so I was able to continue with my line. And then I got a fantastic exit and at the same time, Fernando came flying across the front me and I just had to make sure. And that was it, this is my opportunity to get away into the distance but from there it was fairly smooth.

Q: But four times the whole field was bunched up behind you again.

LH: I thought it was quite a good challenge, to be honest, because obviously I got such… I think it was an eleven second lead from the start and then we got the first pace car. Fortunately the team did a great job pulling me in a lap before, and I have to say that was just a very good call from them, because I think that was earlier than I was supposed to stop. And I think some other people got caught out with the pace car but I came out just behind Felipe and then it was again, to try and get the gap, and each time I managed to do it. I think Nick was learning and getting better and better towards the end, because I think it was a bit closer right at the end, but still I managed to hold it.

Q: You must have thought ‘somebody doesn’t want me to win this, they keep on closing it all up again.’

LH: That’s what I was thinking, I was thinking… because each time your tyres get cold, your brakes get cold and it’s so easy to go back out and just put it in the wall. That was the real challenge: warming up your tyres enough and don’t make any mistakes.

Q: And when was the big realisation that this was really coming to you?

LH: It all started coming to me on the last five laps. I could see four, three, two, one, and I was thinking, OK, and each time I was getting slower and slower and thinking ‘stay off the kerbs.’ I had some problem… I noticed towards the end, after the last pace car, that I was turning into turn five just before turn six and the car was turning really well, and I found out my steering was a little bit off to the left and I didn’t realise that for a while and I thought maybe something was wrong so I just tried to stay off the kerbs, but other than that, the car was superb.

Q: And the emotions on the last lap?

LH: I was just trying to control myself, to be honest. I wanted to stop the car and jump out and just do, I don’t know, cartwheels or something! I just had to keep it going and it was just… the fans were fantastic, to come to Canada for my first time, they really have been fantastic supporters, so thank-you to them but it was extremely emotional: to get all way into Formula One and to have my first pole, my first win and… who had fastest lap? Don’t know, I don’t know, it would be great to know if I got it or not.

Q: Nick, I guess after those fourth places this is definitely better.

NH: Yes, definitely. We hoped to get a podium but we were speculating about third, maybe, but definitely didn’t expect second. And more importantly, or even more satisfying actually, is that I think I had a very good chance to finish second, even in normal race conditions, without so many safety cars, without Fernando being penalised, because I was pulling away from him. I had a good gap and after the stop I would have left him and that was definitely unexpected, so great thanks to the team. I think they developed the car very well. Until nearly the beginning of the race we didn’t know how strong we were, just because I had so many problems over the weekend, especially on Saturday, and then seeing the pace I was doing, I was speaking to the team and asked them to confirm if it really looked as good as I thought. And they told me ‘we have a very good chance to finish second’ and I just kept the car on the road. As we said earlier, it was quite complicated. As Lewis said, my restarts were getting better following him, but also at the beginning I was a bit worried about Fernando, so I was not only looking forward but also looking backwards a bit.

Q: Yes, he did have a go at you a couple of times.

NH: Nothing serious, really, but he’s quite hard on the tyres, he’s aggressive with the tyres, and on the restart, on hard tyres, I did expect him to be strong, so I knew what to expect.

Q: And you got news of your team-mate during the race?

NH: Yes, I asked the team when the accident happened, because I saw the car upside down. I saw on the big screen that my team was putting their hands above their heads so I knew there was something serious, but they told me they didn’t see anything on the screen, and they didn’t speak to Robert, so there was no information for quite a long time. And then later, in one of the later safety car phases they told me that he seems fine.

Q: Alex closed on you right at the end there; were you in control?

NH: Yes and no. I think if it would have been a lot longer it could have been difficult, fully depending on how the tyres would have worked. Alex was on the soft tyres for a while so he already got rid of the graining, and I was right in the middle of it. Actually I had already backed off, reduced the rpm but then I just decided to raise my rpm because it was just so difficult to drive and yes, there was a problem at the end but it worked out.

Q: Alex, I got reprimanded for reminding you it was ten years since your debut; now you’re telling everybody!

AW: Well, it’s nothing to be ashamed of but it’s a bit kitsch, after ten years’ celebration, finishing third here. Of course, I will take that because I might have been a bit unlucky sometimes at the beginning of the season, but if you can’t live with bad luck, you will never get luck, so I’m very happy now.

Q: The tyre strategy was an interesting one but a tough one.

AW: Yeah, very tough. We said let’s go for this one. The first stint was interrupted with all the safety cars. At one point I was already sixth to fifth and then I was back in 18th but the one stop was quite critical when we put the option tyre on because with the heavy fuel, the car was just sliding all over the place, especially here with off-line, the tyre-graining stuff, whatever it’s called. It is so difficult not to make a mistake. I had to draw on all my experience not to crash it or make a mistake. And in the end it worked out fine. And right at the end, after I got rid of my graining, I actually closed up to Nick. I wasn’t looking at how many laps to go, I was just looking at his rear wing just to get it and eat it up, but there weren’t enough laps left.

Q: Talking of rear wings, I think you had a chunk out of yours.

AW: I had a collision with one of the Toro Rossos, I don’t know (which). He tried a manoeuvre, touched my rear wing and I saw that part of the endplate was broken. It cost me a lot of top speed, so I was a bit like fish food out there when Kovalainen passed me on the straight just like nothing. I think I lost about six or seven km/h top speed. But the wing structure was intact. They checked it at my one stop so I could just push right to the end. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Jeremy Filosa – Broadcast News Radio) Nick you mentioned earlier the safety issues on this track, a lot of cars not finishing, the safety car coming out, a spectacular accident… Does something need to be done in order to ensure the safety of the pilots on this track?

NH: Well obviously we are always looking to improve the circuit and this definitely is not the best one but for me the bigger problems are the marbles off line. I don’t know 100% but I doubt that it was just rubber coming off the tyres. I think the circuit was breaking loose especially in turn ten and if that could be rectified for next year that would already be a big step. It doesn’t sound difficult to do that, at least in theory for next year.

Q: (Rob Martier – CJAD Radio) Lewis two quick questions for you. Fernando didn’t have the best of days. At this point do you even care?

LH: Of course. That’s a bit of a silly question to be honest. He’s my teammate, I’ve got a lot of respect for him and we’re quite good friends. At the end of the day we are a team, we both want to finish at the front. I don’t know what happened in his race but we need to have a look and it’s not good for him obviously.

Q: (Rob Martier – CJAD Radio) You say that you are team-mates and you care about each other, that doesn’t always seem to be the case. What might this do to the relationship from here on?
LH: When does is not appear to be the case?

Q: (Rob Martier – CJAD Radio) It’s just my perspective.

LH: Ok, me and Fernando… He’s extremely professional and for me, coming into the team, I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him and I think he’s grown to get on really well with me. At the end of the day he’s the two-time world champion he’ll bounce back without a doubt and I’m sure he’ll be extremely quick in the next race.

Q: (Niki Takeda – Formula PA) You said you were over the moon yesterday. How exactly are you feeling now? Are you on a different planet?

LH: I am definitely on a different planet. It’s just really hard to grasp everything, it just keeps getting better and better. Firstly getting to Formula One, my first tests, becoming the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes race driver, having six podiums, already having a pole. You know I got that pole position and going into this weekend I really didn’t think it would be my time. I thought Fernando was extremely quick here, perhaps he’ll be quick this weekend and he’ll get the job done. But that wasn’t the case and I think I was fairly consistent, I drove quite well to keep it out of the wall and going into the race today I just had to knuckle down, keep focused and keep my mind clear and that’s what I did. I think with the pace cars it made it even easier to do that. I’m looking forward to the next race that’s for sure.

Q: (Frédéric Ferret – L’Equipe) You dreamt of being an F1 driver, you are. You dreamt of getting pole, you got it. You dreamt of winning a race, you did. What are you dreaming of now?

LH: The next dream is obviously to win a Formula One world championship but at the moment we have to be realistic again. It’s always good to bear in mind that I’m still a rookie and this is my first season. There are going to be some hard times. I hope that there aren’t but it’s just bound to happen, it’s just the way it goes in this business and there’ll be good days and bad days. But at the moment it’s been consistent and that’s down to the team and all the people around me. I’ve got a very well-grounded family and I think it works perfect.

Q: (Randy Phillips – The Gazette) I read this week that you said pole position was better than sex, where do you rank this? (laughter)

NH: He’s too young still.
LH: Yesterday it was a joke, it’s a completely different feeling but… (more laughter)AW: Did something change since yesterday?(more laughter)
LH: It’s definitely another level of feeling from yesterday, that’s for sure.

Q: (Randy Phillips - The Gazette) And also, what did your father say to you immediately after the race?

LH: I haven’t seen him but obviously I could see him in the crowd while I was on the podium and it looked like he had a tear in his eye. So it’s obvious that he was extremely proud and you wouldn’t believe the amount of work he’s put into my career. He had nothing when he was younger. He lost his mum at a young age and just to see his family be successful is a real pleasure to him and I dedicate this race to him.

Q: (Bill Beacon – The Canadian Press) Nick I just wonder with Robert… If he has to miss some time will that affect you in any way when you are doing so well?

NH: No, I don’t think it should have a big effect. First of all I hope he will be fine and returning to the cockpit soon. If not, we have some test drivers but you would have to ask somebody else what would happen.

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) The set-up here is quite similar to that of next weekend. How competitive do you think your car will be? Lewis I know you haven’t been there but you’ve obviously been in the simulator and talked about the track with your engineers.

LH: I actually haven’t been on the simulator but I’ve seen it on computer games. I don’t really know what to expect. I mean I’ve watched the previous races and onboard footage and looked at data. But I’ll be going there with an open mind and having to do the same sort of job as I did here.NH: First of all I’m stunned about how quick we were here in race conditions. As I said earlier I think I could have finished second anyway, beaten probably one of the McLaren’s and both of the Ferrari’s. It is true that the downforce level in Indy is similar to here, probably a bit more, obviously then there are a lot more corners but this is one of the circuits where I’ve always done well. Apart from last year when I was flying a bit but I hope I will have better luck this year.AW: You have to know that next week we have different tyre choices, Bridgestone brings the super-soft and soft, it will be soft-medium and obviously that has an influence on the set-up. Temperature, grip level, friction level of the track is higher than here. So I think the stiffness of the car can be different depending on what we did here. The kerbing is more aggressive so you have different set-ups and traction control and differential in the end. I don’t want to show off here but the details count and even if it is a similar set-up, it’s a completely different story.

Q: (Tony Marinaro – The Team 990 Radio) Lewis when you take a look at the qualifying times and you take a look at the podium today you must really be excited at the progress the McLaren is making compared to the Ferrari?

LH: Absolutely. Without a doubt the team has worked extremely hard as they do every year I think. Also Mercedes-Benz have done a great job too to develop the engine this year and that’s a big step forward. But we’ve been very fortunate, the car has been very reliable and I go to the workshop as much as possible speak to as many of the people as I can and they probably get a much better feel of the car and where they want to improve things. They want to win as much as me and Fernando and that’s the thing we share in common. We were surprised to see that Ferrari weren’t as quick again this weekend but I’m sure they’ll be back. So we need to make sure we keep on stepping forward and I’m sure we’ll do that.

Q: (Dave Stubbs – The Gazette) As you were going past the remains of Robert’s car did you have a look at it and can you talk a little bit about the safety and integrity of these cars. We saw this accident happen. It was with absolutely tremendous force and the fact that he is apparently ok speaks volumes about the safety of the cars. Can you talk a little bit about the safety and how comfortable you feel knowing that something like this can happen at high speed and that you will do ok.

LH: I feel great in the car, not worried at all. I know that they’ve done a fantastic job to make the safety the number one priority. I’ve not seen the crash but there was a lot of debris and obviously as I came past I wasn’t focusing on the car I was focusing on trying not to run anything over. It is good to hear that he’s well. I know Robert quite well from karting days and I really wish him all the best and his family. I think it’s safe enough as you can see. I think we need to always improve.NH: It can never be safe enough. I think we have been extremely lucky that we haven’t seen a very bad accident over the last couple of years but you have to remember that if we do more than 300kph wheel to wheel, open wheels, anything could happen. It’s fantastic how much the cars have improved over the last couple of years. Usually each year the regulations make it harder for impact for the whole group and I hope it continues like that. I’m not worried but I hope we keep on the same direction in the circuits. In the last couple of years the circuits have also improved massively. Over the next few years we will go to more street circuits and hopefully it will stay that way. I think there are some exceptional street circuits that are definitely a bit dangerous but I think there is a possibility to make even a street circuit meet the normal FIA standards. I hope that will happenAW: We all shouldn’t be too comfortable to be honest. It is motor racing. Formula One, with the speed is still extremely dangerous. You have to always be careful. If you are unlucky tragic accidents can still happen. I have to say thanks to so many people for pushing the safety. The FIA, the FIA Foundation and the FIA Institute, the teams, the manufacturers, really a lot of people put a lot of effort in to the safety. It’s stunning that you know that many people care. The only thing I want to say is that, ok we are all pleased that Robert is fine. But at the same time I hope what Formula One achieves in terms of safety standards will be one day translated to the street because we have 1049 people dying in traffic accidents every day around the world and that is too many. So I think an accident like Robert’s today shows how much safer cars can be and what you can get away with. I wish that would be the case for everybody in the world.

This is the official interview conducted by formula1.com

Formula1 Timings of race

2007-06-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Formula1 Timings of race:

Friday 08 Jun 2007

10:00 - 11:30
Practice 1

14:00 - 15:30
Practice 2

Saturday 09 Jun 2007

10:00 - 11:00
Practice

13:00
Qualifying

Sunday 10 Jun 2007

13:00
Race

Canadian Grand Prix

2007-06-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Results of
2007 Canadian Grand Prix

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 70 1:44:11.292 1 10 2
9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 70 +4.3 secs 3 8 3
17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 70 +5.3 secs 19 6 4
4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault 70 +6.7 secs 22 5 5
6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 70 +13.0 secs 4 4 6
22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 70 +16.6 secs 11 3 7
1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 70 +21.9 secs 2 2 8
11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 70 +22.8 secs 18 1 9
15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 70 +22.9 secs 6 10
16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 70 +23.9 secs 7 11
23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 70 +24.3 secs 17 12
8 Rubens Barrichello Honda 70 +30.4 secs 13 Ret
12 Jarno Trulli Toyota 58 Accident 10 Ret
18 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari 54 Accident 12 Ret
21 Christijan Albers Spyker-Ferrari 47 Accident 21 Ret
14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 36 Gearbox 14 Ret
10 Robert Kubica BMW 26 Accident 8 Ret
20 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 21 Accident 20 Ret
19 Scott Speed STR-Ferrari 8 Accident 16 Ret
7 Jenson Button Honda 0 Gearbox 15 DSQ
5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 51 Black flagged 5 DSQ
3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 51 Black flagged 9 Official Result

Biography of Fastest racer " Michael Schumacher"

2007-06-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Schumacher " Fastest wind"

Michael schumacher "His life and his sucess"
Biography of Michael Schumacher.

This Article is dedicated to the greatest Formula 1 race car driver in the world, Michel Schumacher. He has won the F1 championship 5 times, and he is the backbone of team Ferrari.

Summary

Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. After his debut he signed and raced for Benetton and won two championships with them, then moved to the Ferrari in 1996 and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them from 2000 - 2004. He announced his retirement in 2006.
First of all,he raced for Jordan back in 1993.But he only raced one race for them!He got called by Benetton and he signed on for them.He raced for them untill1998.Then he raced for Ferrari from then on.(These are the name for the cars he raced in for Ferrari.F-1998,F-1999,F-2000,F... and for 2006 he raced in the 248-F1.Strangely enough). He is the first German to win the Formula One World championship[3] and is credited with popularising Formula One in Germany In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver among Formula One fansAfter winning two championships with Benetton, Schumacher moved to the Ferrari in 1996 and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them. Schumacher holds nearly every record in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. His driving sometimes created controversy: he was twice involved in collisions that determined the outcome of the world championship, most notably his disqualification from the 1997 championship for causing a collision with Jacques Villeneuve.On September 10, 2006, Schumacher announced his retirement as a driver.Schumacher is currently assisting Scuderia Ferrari CEO Jean Todt for the 2007 Formula One Season.
Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life.[8] He is the older brother of current Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher.

Life:-
Schumacher was born January 3, 1969, in Hürth Hermülheim, to Rolf, a bricklayer, and Elisabeth. When Schumacher was four, his father modified the young boy's pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine. After the young Schumacher crashed it into a lamp post in Kerpen, his parents took him to the local karting track at Kerpen-Horrem where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father soon built him a proper kart from discarded parts and at the age of six Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his son's racing, Rolf Schumacher took on a second job renting and repairing karts at the circuit, while his wife worked at the track's cafeteria. Despite the extra income, when Schumacher needed a new engine costing DM800 (400 €) his parents were unable to afford it, but their son was able to continue racing through support offered by several local businessmen.
In order to obtain a kart license in Germany the regulations required the driver to be at least 14 years old. Therefore in 1981, to get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in Luxembourg insteadIn 1983 he obtained his German license and the year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship. From 1984, Schumacher won numerous German and European kart championships. He joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985. By 1987 he was the German and European kart champion, at which point he withdrew from school and began working as a mechanic. In 1988 Schumacher made his first step into single-seat car racing by racing in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, the second of which he wonIn 1989 Michael signed with Willi Weber's WTS Formula 3 team. For the next two years, funded by Weber, he competed in the German Formula 3 series, winning the title in 1990. Towards the end of 1990, along with his Formula 3 rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Sports-Prototype Championship. This was an unusual move for a young driver: most of Schumacher's contemporaries would instead compete in Formula 3000 on their way to Formula One. However, Weber advised Schumacher that exposure to professional press conferences and driving powerful cars in long distance races would help his career. He gained victory at the season finale at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in a Sauber-Mercedes C11 and finishing fifth in the drivers' championship. He continued with the team in the 1991 season, winning again at the final race of the season at Autopolis in Japan with a Sauber-Mercedes-Benz C291, leading to a ninth place finish in the drivers championship. In 1991 he competed in one race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second.

Overview
Schumacher was noted throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race, to push his car to the very limit for sustained periods. Motor sport author Christopher Hilton observed in 2003 that "A measure of a driver's capabilities is his performance in wet races, because the most delicate car control and sensitivity are needed," and noted that like other great drivers, Schumacher's record in wet conditions shows very few mistakes: up to the end of the 2003 season, Schumacher won 17 of the 30 races in wet conditions he contested. Some of Schumacher's best performances occurred in such conditions, earning him the title "Regenkönig" (rain king) or "Regenmeister" (rain master). He is known as "the Red Baron", due to his red Ferrari and in reference to the German Manfred von Richthofen, the famous flying ace of World War I. Schumacher's nicknames include "Schumi", "Schuey" and "Schu".
Schumacher is often credited with popularising Formula One in Germany, where it was formerly considered a fringe sport. In 2006, three of the top ten drivers were German, more than any other nationality and more than have ever been present in Formula One history. Younger German drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel, feel Schumacher was key in their becoming Formula One drivers.
In the latter part of his Formula One career, and as one of the senior drivers, Schumacher was the president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

Debut
Schumacher testing the Jordan 191.Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. Schumacher, still a contracted Mercedes driver, was signed by Eddie Jordan after Mercedes paid Jordan $150,000 for his debut. The week before the race, Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster during a test drive at Silverstone. His manager Willi Weber assured Jordan that though Schumacher had only seen the challenging Spa track as a spectator, he knew it well. During the race weekend, teammate Andrea de Cesaris was meant to show Schumacher the circuit but was held up with contracnegotiations. Schumacher then learned the track on his own, by cycling around the track on a fold-up bike he had brought with him. He impressed the paddock by qualifying seventh in this race, his first competition in a Formula One car. This matched the team's season-best grid position, and out-qualified 11-year veteran de Cesaris. Motorsport journalist Joe Saward reported that after qualifying "clumps of German journalists were talking about 'the best talent since Stefan Bellof'." Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race with clutch problems.

Schumacher in Benetton After his debut for Jordan, Schumacher was signed by Benetton to drive a car similar to this B191 for the rest of the season.After his debut, and despite Jordan's signed agreement in principle with Schumacher's Mercedes management for the remainder of the season, Schumacher was signed by Benetton-Ford for the following race. Jordan applied for an injunction in the UK courts to prevent Schumacher driving for Benetton, but lost the case as they had not yet signed a contract. Schumacher finished the 1991 season with four points in six races. His best finish was fifth in his second race, the Italian Grand Prix, in which he outpaced his teammate and three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet.
At the start of the 1992 Formula One season the Sauber team, planning their Formula One debut with Mercedes backing for the following year, invoked a clause in Schumacher's contract which stated that if Mercedes entered Formula One, Schumacher would drive for them. It was eventually agreed that Schumacher would stay with Benetton, Peter Sauber commenting "Michael didn't want to drive for us. Why would I have forced him?". The year was dominated by the Williams of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese, featuring powerful Renault engines, semi-automatic gearboxes and active suspension to control the car's ride height. In the 'conventional' Benetton B192 Schumacher took his place on the podium at the end of the race for the first time, after finishing third in the 1992 Mexican Grand Prix. He went on to take his first victory at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, in a wet race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which by 2003 he would call "far and away my favourite track". He finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1992 with 53 points, three points behind runner-up Patrese.
The 1993 championship was again dominated by the Williams-Renaults of Damon Hill and Alain Prost. Benetton introduced their own active suspension and traction control early in the season, last of the frontrunning teams to do so. Schumacher was partnered by Riccardo Patrese in Patrese's last year in F1. Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix and had nine podium finishes, but retired in seven of the other 15 races. He finished the season in fourth, with 52 points
In 1994, Schumacher won his first Drivers' Championship. The season, however, was a controversial one, marred by the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola and allegations of cheating.
Schumacher started the season strongly, winning six of the first seven races. Following the San Marino Grand Prix, the Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren teams were investigated on suspicion of breaking the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids. Benetton and McLaren initially refused to hand over their source code for investigation. When they did so, the FIA discovered hidden functionality in both teams' software, but no evidence that it had been used in a race. Both teams were fined $100,000 for their initial refusal to cooperate. At the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was penalised for overtaking on the formation lap. He then ignored the penalty and the subsequent black flag, which indicates that the driver must immediately return to the pits, for which he was disqualified and later given a two-race ban. Benetton blamed the fiasco on a communication error between the stewards and the team. Schumacher was also disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to have illegal wear on its skidblock, a measure used after the accidents at Imola to limit downforce and hence cornering speed. Benetton protested that the skidblock had been damaged when Schumacher spun over a kerb, but the FIA rejected their appeal. These incidents helped Damon Hill close the points gap. With Schumacher leading by a single point going into the final race in Australia, Schumacher made a mistake and left the track. After rejoining, he collided with Hill and crashed out of the race. Furthermore, the damage to Hill's car from the collision forced him to retire. Schumacher thus became the first German to win the Formula One World Championship.
In 1995 he successfully defended his title with Benetton. He now had the same Renault engine as Williams. He accumulated 33 more points than second-placed Damon Hill. With teammate Johnny Herbert, he took Benetton to its first Constructors' Championship and became the youngest two-time world champion in Formula One history. In one of the early races of the season Herbert set a faster lap time than Schumacher in qualifying. After that Herbert said he was prohibited from seeing Schumacher's telemetry.
The season was marred by several collisions with Hill, in particular an overtaking manoeuvre by Hill took them both out of the British Grand Prix near the start of the race. Schumacher won nine of the 17 races, and finished on the podium 11 times. Only once did he qualify worse than fourth; at the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified 16th, but went on to win the race. After Schumacher left Benetton, the team would win only one more race before being bought by Renault in 2000.

Ferrari in its Best years
For 1996, Schumacher joined Ferrari, a team which had last won the Drivers' Championship with Jody Scheckter in 1979. By 1996, Ferrari was considered to have inferior technology and crews compared to front-running teams such as Benetton and Williams. Since that last championship win, various Ferrari drivers, notably Alain Prost, had given the vehicles labels such as "truck", "pig", and "accident waiting to happen". The poor performance of the Ferrari pit crews was considered a running joke.

Schumacher, along with Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Jean Todt, has been credited as turning this once struggling team into the most successful team in Formula One history. Three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart believes the transformation of the Ferrari team was Schumacher's greatest feat. Eddie Irvine also joined the team, moving from Jordan.
In 1996 Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship. He won three races, more than the team's total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995. His win at the Spanish Grand Prix was a wet race, it is considered one of the best performances by an F1 driver. His method of attaining time from the car resulted in somewhat flamboyant and uncharacteristic driving, with oversteering However, the team had reliability trouble: Schumacher did not finish 6 of the 16 races. In the French Grand Prix Schumacher qualified in pole position, but suffered engine failure on the race's formation lap.
Schumacher battles with David Coulthard at the 1998 British Grand Prix.Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve vied for the title in 1997. In the first part of the season, Villeneuve held the advantage, driving the superior FW19. However, by mid-season, Schumacher led the Championship, winning five races, and entered the season's final Grand Prix with a one-point advantage. During the race, held at Jerez, Schumacher and Villeneuve collided as Villeneuve attempted to overtake. Schumacher retired from the race and Villeneuve scored four points to take the championship. Schumacher was held to be at fault for the collision and was disqualified from the Drivers' Championship.
In 1998, Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen became one of Schumacher's serious contenders. Häkkinen won the first two races of the season, gaining a 16 point advantage over Schumacher. But by the 14th of 16 races, Schumacher equaled the Finn with 80 points, having won six times. At the British Grand Prix Schumacher was leading on the last lap when he turned into the pit lane, crossed the start finish line and stopped for a ten second stop go penalty. There was some doubt on if this counted as serving the penalty but the win stood. Häkkinen won the Drivers' Championship by winning the final two races. With the Ferrari improving significantly and being faster in the second half of the season, Schumacher won six races and had five other podium finishes. Ferrari took a 1-2 finish at the Italian Grand Prix using the later outlawed mini sidepod wings.
Schumacher's efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors title in 1999. His chances for the Drivers' Championship were made remote, however, at the British Grand Prix: At the high-speed Stowe Corner, his car's rear brake failed, sending him off the track and resulting in a broken leg. During his long absence, he was replaced by Finnish driver Mika Salo. After missing six races, he made his return at the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix, qualifying in the pole position by almost a second. He then assumed the role of second driver, assisting team mate Eddie Irvine's bid to win the Drivers' Championship for Ferrari. In the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Häkkinen won his second consecutive title. Schumacher would later say that Häkkinen was the opponent he respected the most.

2000–2004:
World Championship yearsSchumacher won his third World Championship in 2000 after a year-long battle with Häkkinen. Schumacher won the first three races of the season and five of the first eight. Mid-way through the year, Schumacher's chances suffered with three consecutive non-finishes, allowing Häkkinen to close the gap in the standings. Häkkinen then took another two victories, before Schumacher won at the Italian Grand Prix. At the post race press conference, when asked about his feelings on equaling the number of wins (41) won by his idol, Ayrton Senna, Schumacher broke into tears. The championship fight would come down to the last but one race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, Schumacher had the early lead, but soon lost it to Häkkinen. After his second pit-stop, however, Schumacher came out ahead of Häkkinen and went on to win the race and the championship.
In 2001, Schumacher took his fourth drivers' title. Four other drivers won races, but none sustained a season-long challenge for the championship. Schumacher scored a record-tying nine wins and clinched the world championship with four races yet to run. He finished the championship with 123 points, 58 ahead of runner-up Coulthard. Season highlights included the Canadian Grand Prix, where Schumacher finished 2nd to his brother Ralf, thus scoring the first ever 1–2 finish of brothers; and the Belgian Grand Prix in which Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost's record for most career wins.
In 2002, a dominant year, Schumacher used the Ferrari F2002, which was widely considered to be far more advanced than the rest of the cars in Formula One to retain his Drivers' Championship. At the Austrian Grand Prix his teammate, Rubens Barrichello was leading but in the final metres of the race, under orders, slowed to allow Schumacher to win the race. In winning the Drivers' Championship he equaled the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio of five world championships. Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races, and Schumacher won the title with six races remaining in the season. Schumacher broke Nigel Mansell's and his own record of nine race wins in a season, scoring eleven and finishing every race on the podium. He finished with 144 points, 60 ahead of runner-up teammate Rubens Barrichello. This tandem finished 9 of the 17 races in the first two places.
Schumacher at Indianapolis in 2004, where he won the 2004 United States Grand Prix.Schumacher broke Juan Manuel Fangio's record for championship wins by winning the drivers' title for the sixth time in 2003, a closely contested season. The biggest competition came once again from the McLaren Mercedes and Williams BMW. In the first race, Schumacher ran off track, and in the following two, was involved in collisions. He fell 16 points behind Kimi Räikkönen. Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix and the next two races, and closed within two points of Räikkönen. Aside from Schumacher's victory in Canada, and Barrichello's victory in Britain, the mid-season was dominated by Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each claimed two victories. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher led Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen by only one and two points, respectively. Ahead of the next race, the FIA declared illegal the front tyre design used by Michelin, supplier to Williams and McLaren among others.[46] Michelin had to rapidly redesign their tyres before the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher, running on Bridgestone tyres, won the next two races. After Montoya was penalized in the United States Grand Prix, only Schumacher and Räikkönen remained in contention for the title. At the final round, the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher needed only one point whilst Räikkönen needed to win. By finishing the race in eighth place, Schumacher took one point and assured his sixth World Drivers' title, ending the season two points ahead of Räikkönen.
In 2004, Schumacher won a record twelve of the first thirteen races of the season, only failing to finish in Monaco after an accident with Juan Pablo Montoya during a safety car period when he briefly locked his car's brakes. He clinched a record seventh drivers' title at the Belgian Grand Prix. He finished that season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up, teammate Rubens Barrichello, and set a new record of 13 race wins out of a possible 18, surpassing his previous best of 11 wins from the 2002 season.

2005–2006
Schumacher battling with Kimi Räikkönen during the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix.In 2005 Schumacher's sole win came at the United States Grand Prix. Prior to that race, the Michelin tyres, used by most teams, were found to have significant safety issues. When no compromise between the teams and the FIA could be reached, all but the six drivers using Bridgestone tyres dropped out of the race after the formation lap. However, rule changes for the 2005 and 2006 seasons required tyres to last an entire race, tipping the overall advantage to teams using Michelins over teams such as Ferrari that relied on Bridgestone tyres. The rule changes were partly in an effort to dent Ferrari's dominance and make the series more interesting. Less than half-way through the season, Schumacher said "I don't think I can count myself in this battle any more. It was like trying to fight with a blunted weapon.... If your weapons are weak you don't have a chance."[48] The most notable moment of the season for Schumacher was his battle with Fernando Alonso in San Marino, where he qualified 14th and finished only 0.2 seconds behind the Spanish driver.[49] Schumacher retired in six of the 19 races. He finished the season in third with 62 points, less than half the points of world champion Alonso.
2006 became the last season of Schumacher's racing career. After three races, Schumacher had 11 points and was already 17 points behind Alonso. He won the following two races, his first wins in 18 months, not including the boycotted 2005 United States Grand Prix. Schumacher was stripped of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and started the race at the back of the grid. This was due to him stopping his car and blocking part of the circuit, while Alonso, was on his qualifying lap. By the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season, he was 25 points behind Alonso, and the three wins that followed helped him reduce his disadvantage to 11. After his victories in Italy and China, in both of which Alonso was plagued by mechanical failures, Schumacher led in the championship standings for the first time during the season. Although he and Alonso had the same point total, Schumacher was in front because he had won more races.
Schumacher overtakes Kimi Räikkönen with three laps to go of his final race, having dropped to 19th early on.The Japanese Grand Prix was led by Schumacher with only 16 laps to go, when for the first time since 2000 in Magnycours, France, Schumacher suffered engine failure. Alonso won the race and now led the championship standings by 10 points. With only one race left in the season, Schumacher could only win the championship if in that race he won and if Alonso did not manage to score a single point.
Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, the last race of his career, Schumacher conceded the title to Alonso. In pre-race ceremonies, football legend Pelé presented an award to Schumacher for his years of dedication to Formula One. During the race's qualifying session, Schumacher had the best time of all drivers through the first two sessions; but a fuel pressure problem prevented him from completing a single lap during the third session, forcing him to start the race in tenth position. Early in the race Schumacher pushed forward to the sixth position. However, in overtaking Alonso's teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, Schumacher experienced a tyre puncture caused by the front wing of Fisichella's car. Schumacher pitted and consequently fell to 19th place, 70 seconds behind teammate and race leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher recovered and overtook both Fisichella and Räikkönen to secure 4th place. His performance was classified in the press as "heroic", an "utterly breath-taking drive", and a "performance that ... sums up his career"

Retirement
While Schumacher was on the podium after winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari issued a press release stating that he would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season. Schumacher confirmed his retirement in the post-race press conference. The press release stated that Schumacher would continue working for Ferrari. It was revealed on 29 October 2006 that Ferrari wanted Schumacher to act as assistant to the newly appointed CEO Jean Todt. This would involve selecting the team's future drivers. After Schumacher's announcement, leading Formula One figures such as Niki Lauda and David Coulthard hailed Schumacher as the greatest all-round racing driver in the history of Formula One. The tifosi and the Italian press, who did not always take to Schumacher's relatively cold public persona, displayed an affectionate response after he announced his retirement.

Honours
In recognition of his contribution to Formula One racing the Nurburgring will rename one of its corners after Schumacher. In a similar act of honoring Schumacher, he was awarded an FIA Gold Medal for Motor Sport in 2006.
The following year the Swiss Football Association appointed Schumacher as the Swiss ambassador for the 2008 European football championship. A month later he presented A1 Team Germany with the World Cup trophy at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport 2007 awards ceremony. He received a standing ovation from the gathered crowd when he was announced on stage.
Schumacher has been hounored during his career. He has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award twice, in 2002 and 2004 for his performances in the 2001 and 2003 seasons respectively. He has received nominations for the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 awards. No-one has been nominated more times than Schumacher in the award's 7-year history.

Championship deciding collisions

Hill (left) and Schumacher (right)crash at the Flinders Street corner during 1994 Australian Grand Prix.Going into the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, the final race of the 1994 season, Schumacher led Damon Hill by a single point in the Drivers' Championship. Schumacher led the race from the beginning with Hill closely following him. On lap 35, Schumacher went off track, hitting a wall with his right side wheels.[70] It is unknown whether Schumacher's car was damaged. He returned to the track at reduced speed but still leading the race. At the next corner, when Hill attempted a pass on the inside while Schumacher was turning into the corner, Schumacher and Hill collided. Schumacher's car was tipped up onto two wheels and eliminated on the spot. Hill pitted immediately and retired from the race with unrepairable damage. As neither driver scored, Schumacher took the title. British author Alan Henry has written that Schumacher was blamed by "many F1 insiders" for the incident. The race stewards judged it a racing accident and took no action against either driver.
Michael Schumacher (red) and Jacques Villeneuve (blue) in the moment of the collision at the Dry Sack corner in the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez.At the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez, the last race of the season, Schumacher led Jacques Villeneuve by one point in the Drivers' Championship. Although Schumacher and Villeneuve had set the same time during qualifying, the Canadian driver started the race in pole position due to his being the first to set the time. By the first corner of the race, Schumacher was ahead of Villeneuve. On lap 48, Villeneuve passed Schumacher at the Dry Sac Corner. As he did so, Schumacher turned into the Williams, the right-front wheel of Schumacher's Ferrari hitting the left sidepod of Villeneuve's car. Schumacher retired from the race immediately while Villeneuve was able to finish the race in the third place, taking four points and so becoming the World Champion.
Two weeks after the race, Schumacher was excluded from the results for the season after a FIA disciplinary hearing disqualified him, finding that his "manoeuvre was an instinctive reaction and although deliberate not made with malice or premeditation. It was a serious error." This made him the only driver in the history of the sport to be disqualified from a World Championship. Schumacher accepted the decision and admitted having made a mistake.

Family and off-track life

Schumacher playing a football charity match organized by Luís Figo in Porto, Portugal.Schumacher's younger brother Ralf is a current Formula One driver. In August 1995, he married Corinna Betsch. They have two children, Gina-Maria (born in 1997) and Mick (born in 1999). He has always been very protective of his private life[81] and is known to dislike the celebrity spotlight, preferring a simple life. The family, currently lives in Gland, Switzerland near Lake Geneva, will move in 2007 to a new $50M, 7000 ft² (650 m²) home with its own underground garage and petrol station and with a private beach on Lake Geneva.
In 2005 Eurobusiness magazine identified Schumacher as the world's first billionaire athlete. His 2004 salary was reported to be around US$80 million.Forbes magazine ranked him 17th in their "The World's Most Powerful Celebrities" list. A significant share of his income came from advertising. For example, Deutsche Vermögensberatung paid him $8 million over three years from 1999 for wearing a 10 by 8 centimetre advertisement on his post-race cap. The deal was extended until 2010. He donated $10 million for aid after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. His donation surpassed that of any other sports person, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries.
Schumacher plays football for his local team FC Echichens. He has appeared in several football charity games[90] and organised games between Formula One drivers.
Schumacher is a special ambassador to UNESCO and has donated 1.5 million Euros to the organization.Additionally, he paid for the construction of a school for poor children and for area improvements in Dakar, Senegal. He supports a hospital for child victims of war in Sarajevo, which specialises in caring for amputees. In Lima, Peru he funded the "Palace for the Poor", a centre for helping homeless street children obtain an education, clothing, food, medical attention, and shelter. He stated his interest in these various efforts was piqued both by his love for children and the fact that these causes had received little attention. While an exact figure for the amount of money he has donated throughout his life is unknown, it is known that in his last four years as a driver, he donated at least $50 million.
Since his participation in a FIA European road safety campaign, as part of his punishment after the collision at the 1997 European Grand Prix, Schumacher has continued to support other campaigns, such as Make Roads Safe, which is led by the FIA Foundation and calls on G8 countries and the UN to recognise global road deaths as a major global health issue.
Schumacher provided the voice of a Rosso Corsa Ferrari F430 in Disney-Pixar's animated feature film Cars. In early March 2006, it was reported that Schumacher will play a small role in the movie Asterix at the Olympic Games

article published by:Abhilash

War of Words Between Formula 1 drivers Scott Speed and Mark Webber

2007-06-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Formula 1 drivers and rivals Scott Speed(Scuderia Toro Rosso) and Mark Webber(Red Bull) got into a war of words prior to the Canadian Grand Prix followinf an on track incident during qualifying.

Scott Speed's Scuderia Torro Rosso car hit Mark Webber form behind and both drivers blamed each other for the incident.

"At the end of the session, for some reason I don't understand, Mark did the most strange thing I have seen since I've been in Formula One," Speed said.

"I haven't been brake-tested like that since my karting days and I'll be interested to see what Mark has to say about that."

Webber was unrepentant after the incident, saying: "We managed to fall over each other. I think he was a little bit asleep initially but then we managed to wake each other up.

"It was ongoing from a few laps before. He never once let anyone through by going off-line, he always sent everyone down on the inside on the marbles and was doing his thing.

The next time up, we got the chequered flag but we were both still pushing on the in-lap and I had a look at Turn Six and I thought if he was going to co-operate there then he will, but he didn't.

"I said to myself 'OK, fair enough' and we went down to Turn Eight and I thought we were cruising down there and I was very close to the rear of him and he braked 100 metres earlier than the previous lap.

"I thought I was going to harpoon him big time, really big, but managed then to get my stuff together and get down the inside, and then went round the next corner quite slow."

Michael should be proud of former student Massa

2007-06-09T11:46:00.001-07:00

If the current Formula 1 championship point standings are any indication then Michael Schumacher can be proud of his former student - Felippe Massa. Massa has proved himself a serious title contender to the Formula 1 title as well as the No. 1 driver in the Ferrari paddock - both positions which were once held by Michael Schumacher before his retirement.

Giancarlo Fisichella believes Ferrari young gun Felipe Massa is now reaping the rewards of a Formula One education at the side of Michael Schumacher.

The 26-year-old Brazilian has been in Formula One since 2002, starting out alongside current team-mate Kimi Raikkonen at Sauber.

Massa was a former team-mate of Fisichella before his big break came in 2006 when he got the chance to drive at Ferrari with Michael Schumacher. He won twice and finished third in the drivers' championship behind the German and world champion Fernando Alonso.

Says Fisichella "He's a good driver and he's learned a lot in the last couple of years, especially at Ferrari next to Michael"

"Now he's doing really well, he's really comfortable with the team and he's doing his best, and at least at the moment, he's quicker than Raikkonen."

"Obviously when I was his team-mate I was quicker than him most of the time and I scored more points than him but he's learned quite a lot and he's grown up for sure."

Rumour: Timo Glock to replace Ralf Schumacher

2007-06-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Looks like Ralf Schumacher will soon be joining his famous brother Michael Schumacher for skiing in Switzerland as he won't be having his job for long.

Despite denying rumours, the talk is that Toyota has already started looking for possible replacements for Ralf Schumacher and has even started talking to some of the prospects. The name which tops thw list of potential replacements is that of Timo Glock, former Champ Car World series driver. He is currently leading the points battle in the GP2 series in Europe.

The younger Schumacher is hoping to bounce back to at least earn his first point this season in Canada where he has had some of his best F-1 results with a win in 2001 and a second-place finish to Michael in 2003.

But if his practice time yesterday -- one minute, 19.331 seconds, which almost was three seconds off Fernando Alonso's pace and good enough for only 19th best on the day -- was any indication, it might be best for Schumacher to not book any hotel rooms beyond next week's USGP in Indianapolis.

Young Canadian drivers hoping to replace Jacques Villeneuve

2007-06-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

There may be no Jacques Villeneuve or any other Canadians in this year's Canadian Grand Prix, but there is no shortage of young talented drivers in Canada as a look at the Formula BMW USA series will show.

Daniel Morad, Jeffrey Petriello, Yannick Hoffman, Philip Major and Maxime Pelletier are some of the promising talents in the Formula BMW USA series who come from Canada.

"North America doesn't really have a strong formula car presence. It's more sports cars and NASCAR, basically," Morad said. "But it's going to be difficult. Not a lot of people respect North Americans as race car drivers, so you really have to go over to Europe and perform. You have to show people what you have so they respect you."

Of course, drivers need sponsors willing to foot the bill for them to compete in Europe and Petriello said that is actually the biggest challenge for a Canadian driver.

"To replace Jacques Villeneuve in Formula One will be tough," he said. "It's always a question of sponsors. It's the driver who shows up at the right time and knows the right people who will be able to break through."

F1 Drivers in constant danger

2007-06-09T11:21:00.002-07:00

Biggest formula1 Blogger

Formula 1 craze: Article by Abhilash.................

what do you think if a person drives a vehicle and has a small accident.
AAA...h This is the sound he makes, isnt it...or say Maa..Mom etc.
This is only the case for a small vehicle say with minimum speed.
Just imagine a simple accident where a man is hurt.
He is badly injured, gets a fracture and maybe his legs may never become erect again sometimes.
You know the speed of a normal vehicle which you might have driven but have you ever thought about the formula one drivers in their cars.
Do you know what is the speed of ferrari,the guts of their drivers...?
NO you don't know.
That's the common mind of the mere audiences.They dont want to be bothered about the life of a driver,the accidents,injuries etc. This does count...
Have you ever thought to go through the specifications of any formula one racing cars or any popular brands. Just imagine a speed to win within seconds...It does make sense...It does count...
Here is a common specification for a ferrari

F430 Technical Specifications

Dimensions
Overall length: 4512 mm 176.6 in
Overall width: 1923 mm 75.7 in
Height: 1214 mm 47.8 in
Wheelbase: 2600 mm 102.3 in
Front track: 1669 mm 65.7 in
Rear track: 1616 mm 63.6 in
Curb weight: 1450 kg 3197 lb

Engine
Type: 90° V8
Bore/stroke: 92 mm x 81 mm 3.50 x 3.03 cu in
Unit displacement: 538.5 cc 32.86 cu in
Total displacement: 4,308 cc 262.89 cu in
Compression ratio: 11.3:1
Maximum power: 360.4 kW (490 CV*) at 8500 rpm
Maximum torque: 465 Nm (47.4 kgm or 343 lbft) at 5250 rpm
Specific horse power: 114 CV*/l
PerformanceMaximum speed: >315 km/h > 196 mph0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 4.0 s

Now just imagine the speed and the methods adopted to win the race ..do think on this..
It's a great thing to think...
To imagine,To plan....
So dont wait "Go F1 GO RACE"
This is the general speed chart for the current circuit
Just imagine the efforts to reach ahead in this time.....Even the one with last position is the best

Saturday Practice - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:16.071
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:16.459 + 0.388
3. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:16.465 + 0.394
4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:16.666 + 0.595
5. Sato Super guri-Honda (B) 1:16.864 + 0.793
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:16.975 + 0.904
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:17.071 + 1.000
8. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:17.329 + 1.258
9. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:17.391 + 1.320
10. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:17.391 + 1.320
11. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:17.454 + 1.383
12. Button Honda (B) 1:17.468 + 1.397
13. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:17.601 + 1.530
14. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:17.624 + 1.553
15. Speed Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:17.742 + 1.671
16. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:17.748 + 1.677
17. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:17.799 + 1.728
18. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:18.270 + 2.199
19. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:18.428 + 2.357
20. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:18.489 + 2.418
21. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:18.758 + 2.687
22. Albers Spyker-Ferrari B) 1:18.933 + 2.862 13

copyright(c) 2007-20012

Press Release. 10-06-07 12.24 AM

Dontechab media Ltd.

Alonso not ready to cede to Hamilton

2007-06-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Fernando Alonso has made it clear that he is not ready to give way to the young upstart Lewis Hamilton in yesterday's Montreal Grand Prix.

Alonso whipped around the Montreal Grand Prix track in his McLaren Mercedes in one minute, 16.550 seconds -- more than five-10ths ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa (1:17.090) and more than seven-10ths ahead of Hamilton in the other McLaren Mercedes in the second of two practice rounds.

Still, Hamilton's 1:17.307 lap around the 4.361-kilometre track was remarkable in that it was his first trip to the Montreal Grand Prix.

Alonso -- the defending Montreal Grand Prix champion -- and Hamilton are tied atop the world championship with 38 points, but Alonso has the edge with two wins to Hamilton's none. In his most recent win at Monaco, there were complaints that team orders had more to do with Alonso's victory than a faster car, but a probe by FIA -- F-1 racing's ruling body -- cleared the team of any wrongdoing.

National Anthem at United States Grand Prix Sung by Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson

2007-06-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Nelson, Miss Oklahoma, was crowned Miss America on Jan. 29 in Las Vegas. She is a native of Lawton, Okla., and is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma.
“I’m excited about the experience, ” said Nelson, 20. “Miss America is an American tradition and so is the Grand Prix. I think it’s a perfect match, a perfect relationship, and it’ll be a lot of fun.
Attending the USGP will be Nelson’s first experience at a professional race, and she is intrigued and wants to learn about the sport.
“The race is something a lot of my friends have watched on TV, ” Nelson said. “I have not had the opportunity to do that, so I’m excited to be a part of it.
“I think the neatest thing I get to do is sing the national anthem, especially since it will be on an international basis. It’s a huge crowd, and singing is something that I’ve always loved to do, so having the opportunity to sing in front of such a big crowd and to sing our national anthem, it’s nice to have that opportunity. ”
Before she watches the race, Nelson will sing before the largest crowd of her performing career. During the talent portion of the Miss America competition, Nelson sang “You’ll Be in My Heart”. After college, she aspires to be a Broadway performer.
But before she hits Broadway, she’ll conquer the international stage first at IMS.
“This is going to be fun, ” Nelson said. “I’m really excited about it. ”

Miss America can add crime fighter to her resume. Lauren Nelson recently went undercover with police in New York for a sting targeting sexual predators. Officers with Suffolk County's computer crimes unit created an online profile of a 14-year-old girl that included photographs of Nelson as a teenager.
"I got to chat online with the predators and made phone calls, too," Nelson said by phone from Atlantic City, N.J. "The Suffolk County Police Department was there the whole time."
The operation was filmed for a segment of "America's Most Wanted" that will air Saturday on Fox. Police spokesman Tim Motz said the operation was ongoing and declined to comment Tuesday evening.
At least four men were arrested and face charges, said Avery Mann, a spokesman for the show. Another six men agreed to meet Nelson, of Lawton, Okla., he said.
Nelson, 20, posed as a young teen online and went into chat rooms, where she said men would begin sending her instant messages asking her how old she was and where she lived.
"I would say I'm a 14-year-old female from Long Island. Sometimes they would say, 'You're too young, sorry,' which is exactly what needs to happen, but some would continue chatting.
"It would only take a matter of time before it got pretty explicit."
Nelson then arranged to meet the men at a home in Long Island, where police and camera crews were waiting.
"The story was that they knew I was 14, and I told them I was cutting school to meet with them," Nelson said. "I stood outside on the porch, and I would say, 'Hi' to them and wave them inside."
Once she entered the home with the suspect, Nelson said, she left the room, and police and "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh confronted the suspect.
"That part was very scary, but the police were all over the place," Nelson said. "I was nervous, of course, but it was a very controlled environment, very safe."
Art McMaster, president and CEO of the Miss America Organization, said he initially was hesitant about Nelson participating in the sting, but agreed after speaking with Nelson's father and the producers of "America's Most Wanted."
"We came to the agreement that as long as she was safe and wanted to do this, we'd be behind her," McMaster said.
Nelson, whose platform issue is Internet safety for children, said she was eager to participate.
"As many as we caught on that day, there are a lot more out there," she said. "It's nice to know that they were chatting with police officers and me rather than a 14- or 15-year-old girl."

Hamilton ‘rapped’ Monaco sorrow away

2007-06-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton blew off his frustration after finishing second in the Monaco grand prix by picking up a microphone.

The McLaren rookie would soon be at the centre of the team orders storm, but on Sunday evening he headed to Monte Carlo’s VIP nightclub Amber Lounge, which is the brainchild of former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine’s sister Sonia.

The Spanish newspaper Diario As published a photo of Hamilton, 22, ‘rapping’ on stage during a stint as a DJ.

Trulli to wear pink helmet in Canada

2007-06-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

Jarno Trulli will swap his usual chrome helmet for a special pink design for the Canadian grand prix.

The Italian driver witnessed his lifelong friend Danilo di Luca win the recent Giro d’Italia cycling race, and Trulli will honour the victory by copying the colour of his riding gear and helmet.

Like Toyota’s Trulli, di Luca is also from Pescara, a small city in central Italy, according to the report in the sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Villeneuve hits out at Hamilton tactics

2007-06-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve says Lewis Hamilton’s start-line tactics are beginning to remind him of Michael Schumacher.

Villeneuve, who left the BMW-Sauber team and the sport mid-way through the 2006 season, was among the most outspoken critics of Schumacher’s tendency to ‘chop’ his rivals on the dash to the first corner at races.

And “Lewis is not getting penalised” either, Canadian Villeneuve marvelled to the British print magazine Autosport.

Villeneuve said McLaren’s Hamilton has therefore been “lucky” to avoid the stewards’ wrath, and suggested that his popularity might be one explanation for why he is getting away with it.

Versailles could be alternative venue for French GP

2007-06-07T05:25:00.000-07:00

Another name can be added to possible alternative venues for the French grand prix — Versailles.

With the race almost certain to move away from uninspiring Magny Cours after this season’s running, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is keen to set up a new French event either in downtown Paris or the capital’s Disneyland Park.

A report in the sports publication L’Equipe on Wednesday, however, said officials of Versailles - which is not far from Paris itself - had put forward the historic city or suburb as a possible alternate F1 venue.

Rift Between McLaren, Mercedes?

2007-06-06T04:22:00.000-07:00

Rumours of a rift between McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have emerged in the specialist motoring press.

The duo are closely aligned in the world of formula one, with Mercedes-Benz providing works engines and owning the largest slice of Ron Dennis’ company.

But Automotive News Europe reports that, despite their collaboration on the $600,000 SLR supercar, Mercedes is actually getting ready to pair with its German car partner for the DTM touring car series, HWA, for the SLR’s successor.

Other sources said Mercedes had been “disappointed by the performance” of the original SLR, which is built at McLaren’s F1 factory.

Schu, Liuzzi, watch MotoGP at Mugello

2007-06-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

After attending the most recent Spanish and Monaco grands prix, Michael Schumacher this weekend switched his attention to the two-wheeled world of MotoGP.

The German, now an ‘advisor’ for the formula one team Ferrari following his sixteen year driving career, was spotted on the grid prior to motorcycling’s Italian grand prix at Mugello.

The Autodromo Internazionale di Mugello, occasionally used for formula one testing, is owned by Ferrari.

38-year-old Schumacher was observed chatting with Ducati’s championship leader Casey Stoner, and also Valentino Rossi, who rides for the Fiat-backed Yamaha team and in the past tested Ferrari’s single seaters.

Albers cynical about Verstappen test

2007-06-06T04:17:00.000-07:00

Christijan Albers admitted to cynicism amid reports that Dutch countryman Jos Verstappen is likely to test his Spyker formula one car later this year.

The 28-year-old, who has struggled to match the pace of his rookie teammate Adrian Sutil so far in 2007, told Formule 1 Race Report that former grand prix driver Verstappen’s run would be “good for publicity”.

“But if you ask me,” Albers told the magazine, “a formula one team is assessed rather by performances and results. Of course, though, a sportsman would say that.”

Symonds seeks two-tenth step in Canada

2007-06-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

F1’s reigning world champion team Renault is making strides towards returning to the pace in 2007.

That is the outlook of the French squad’s veteran engineering chief Pat Symonds, who suggested to the magazine Auto Motor und Sport that Renault is finally getting to the bottom of the reasons for its mysterious lack of speed earlier this season.

“The modified front suspension in Barcelona was the first step, and the new front wing in Monte Carlo (was) the second,” Symonds is quoted as saying by the German publication.

It is understood that the problem with the R27 has therefore been isolated to the front of the car, but even with improved pace, Giancarlo Fisichella still finished a lap behind the McLarens in Monaco.

Red Bull fits new rear wings for Canada

2007-06-06T04:14:00.000-07:00

Both of Austrian energy drink Red Bull’s formula one teams will race new rear wings at the Canadian grand prix.

Many outfits, including Ferrari and Toyota, intend to debut new bodywork on the low-downforce Montreal layout this weekend, but the Red Bull news is particularly noteworthy in the context of the similarly new FIA deflection tests.

We first reported late last month that the intensified scrutineering tests, to be conducted for the first time in Canada, were a reaction to evidence that suggested the Red Bull wings were flexing illegally at high speed in Spain.

The team technical boss, Adrian Newey, confirmed in a press document this week that the RB3 will be fitted with a “smaller rear wing” in Canada.

Monaco slump was ‘rare episode’ - Todt

2007-06-06T04:13:00.000-07:00

Jean Todt said on Monday that he thought the recent Monaco grand prix had been a “rare negative episode” for the Ferrari team in 2007.

The Italian squad, which is led by the 60-year-old Frenchman, finished a minute behind the leaders in the Principality, despite Felipe Massa winning the preceding Bahrain and French grands prix with superior pace to the McLarens.

Referring to Monaco, Todt said: “It was one of those rare negative episodes that inevitably occur during a season.”

Massa, meanwhile, is also quoted by the newspaper El Mundo as saying: “I know that (the) McLaren (car) did not have anything especially new (in Monaco) — it was not that they improved, it was that we did not perform at our best.

Hamilton factor may help Canada GP sellout

2007-06-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

The Canadian grand prix this weekend could be heading for a sellout — thanks to Lewis Hamilton.

Montreal’s always-buzzing Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will be missing two usual drawcards in 2007, following the retirement of Michael Schumacher and local hero Jacques Villeneuve’s formula one exit.

Canada’s National Post reports that the event is not sold out, “but (it) could be by the end of the week, depending on an anticipated rush for general-admission tickets”.

The ‘rush’ is expected due to a late marketing campaign centred around the success of British McLaren rookie Hamilton, who has scored as many points so far in 2007 as his world champion teammate Fernando Alonso.

Ralf Schumacher - a downward spiral that continues to get worse

2007-06-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

Ralf Schumacher’s former manager says he was “shocked” by the Toyota driver’s performance in the recent Monaco grand prix.

The 31-year-old, who is currently the subject of wild speculation concerning his immediate future on the grid, hit a new low in 2007 when in Monte Carlo he was outqualified by a Spyker and then struggled to overtake the orange cars in the race.

But Willi Weber, who negotiated Ralf’s expiring $20m per-year Toyota contract before they split, told Bild newspaper: “He finds himself in a downward spiral that continues to get worse.

“Monaco shocked me — that he hung around behind (Christijan) Albers for so long, seeming to not be able to do anything about it.
“It is not the Ralf that I know.”

Kubica not sorry about Villeneuve absence

2007-06-06T04:06:00.000-07:00

Robert Kubica says he is not nervous about racing in Montreal this year, after taking Canadian favourite Jacques Villeneuve’s seat at BMW-Sauber.

Former world champion Villeneuve split with BMW last season mere weeks after competing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is named in honour of his late and legendary father.

But although the separation was in ex-tester Kubica’s favour, the rookie Pole refused to treat the subject carefully in conversation with the Canadian newspaper National Post ahead of his return to Montreal in 2007.

Kovalainen: "I don’t really like Piquet Junior so much"

2007-06-06T03:59:00.000-07:00

Heikki Kovalainen has given a noteworthy insight into his relationship with his Renault team colleague Nelson Piquet Jr.

Finn Kovalainen has had a difficult start to his rookie season as the French squad’s race driver, after testing for the team last year.

Waiting in the wings in the Renault pit garage, meanwhile, is 21-year-old Piquet Jr, who filled Kovalainen’s test-seat shoes this year and wants to move into a racing cockpit no later than 2008.

In a blithe interview with ITV, Kovalainen, 25, was asked which famous racer he most admired — 1992 title winner Nigel Mansell or triple world champion Nelson Piquet.

He answered: “To be honest I don’t really know them so well -– it was too early for me when they were racing.

“(But) I don’t really like Piquet Junior so much, so maybe Mansell.”

Hamilton on verge of Beckham-like bucks - expert

2007-06-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton is on the cusp of superstardom, according to a famous British publicist.

Max Clifford, who has represented clients including the billionaire Harrods mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed, said the 22-year-old McLaren rookie is poised to become as big and as rich as David Beckham.

Football star Beckham recently signed a five year contract worth (US) $250m, and Clifford urged Hamilton to keep up his huge media profile if he wants to make the same sort of money.

Toyota to blame for Ralf trough - Howett

2007-06-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Toyota’s F1 team president John Howett has thrown a metaphorical arm around his beleaguered race driver Ralf Schumacher.

Mounting media speculation is predicting the imminent decline of former grand prix winner Schumacher’s formula one career, as he struggles at the wheel of the TF107 car.

Those rumours were not helped on Monday, when Toyota technical director Pascal Vasselon admitted in an official press document that Schumacher’s “general grip” problem at the recent Monaco grand prix was due to “no obvious limitation of one parameter” of the 2007 machine.

Hamilton ready for Canada

2007-06-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton is aiming to build on a 'dream result' scored at the Monaco GP when he takes part in his very first Canadian Grand Prix next weekend.

The Montreal race is the first in a double-header of transatlantic races in the coming fortnight, with the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis set to follow a week later.

Both will be breaking new ground for the young Briton, but with five podium finishes from his maiden five outings in the top flight, Hamilton has shown that he is anything but a slow learner.

Alonso in favour of Hamilton

2007-06-05T04:41:00.000-07:00

Formula One champion Fernando Alonso has praised the start to the season made by his team-mate Lewis Hamilton after the furore over the McLaren team allegedly issuing team orders during the Monaco Grand Prix.

The FIA, the sport's governing body, investigated the race after Alonso and Hamilton finished first and second, with claims being made that the young British driver was ordered to back off so he did not put his stablemate under pressure.

But the Spaniard, whose team escaped punishment by the FIA, has welcomed the impact made by Hamilton.

Alonso said: "We need to wait and see how the championship develops but it has been a very good start for the team and Lewis as well."

Ferrari expecting more in Montreal

2007-06-05T04:35:00.000-07:00

After a disappointing Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari are looking forward to a return to form at this weekend’s Canadian race. The Italian team are certain that their heavy defeat in Monte Carlo was more down to luck than lack of pace, and are optimistic that in Montreal they will reduce McLaren’s 20-point lead in the championship.

“We believe we will have a strong package for this event,” Ferrari’s sporting director, Stefano Domenicali, told the team's official website. “There is no reason why we should not be able to fight for the win in Montreal after a weekend in Monaco where our performance did not accurately reflect our potential.”

Read fill story here

NASCAR Pioneer Bill France Jr. Passes Away

2007-06-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

NASCAR Vice Chairman William C. France, whose leadership helped turn a family-owned company into a national phenomenon, died today at his home in Daytona Beach, Fla. at the age of 74.

France served as NASCAR’s president from 1972-2000, taking over from his father, NASCAR founder William H. G. “Big Bill” France.

In 2000, France – known as “Bill Jr. ” – became NASCAR’s CEO and the chairman of the newly created NASCAR Board of Directors.

In October 2003, the torch was again passed, with France’s son Brian France taking over as Chairman and CEO. France became Vice Chairman at that time, whereupon his influence and input remained considerable – and valuable.

“He had a remarkable career and an even-more remarkable life, ” said Brian France. “Words cannot express how much he’ll be missed by myself and the rest of our family and by the NASCAR industry overall. ”

Mike Helton became NASCAR’s president in 2000. He was the third president in the sport’s history and the first not named France.

“Coming in, I had two big pairs of shoes to fill, ” Helton said, talking about Bill Sr. and Bill Jr. “I was more familiar with Bill Jr. ’s way of doing business but that didn’t make it any easier. He blazed so many trails for our sport. He was determined to follow the vision of his father while also expanding on that vision. Over nearly four decades, he did a masterful job. ”

France is survived by his wife Betty Jane France, NASCAR’s assistant secretary; his son Brian; daughter Lesa France Kennedy, NASCAR’s vice president and assistant treasurer; his brother James C. France, NASCAR’s vice chairman and executive vice president; and three grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

One answer, many questions

2007-06-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Formula One’s Monacco Grand Prix on May 27 gave one expected answer and asked a lot of unexpected questions.

As many predicted, McLaren Mercedes scored a double win in Fernando Alonso’s first place and Lewis Hamilton’s second.

After the finish, the time for questions came.

Is there a number one driver in McLaren’s team?

Did Ferrari concede the defeat in Monte Carlo even before the start of the race?

Is Ferrari’s top driver Kimi Raikkonen still a contender for the title?

Renault run thrills spectators in Warsaw

2007-06-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

Renault kicked off their 2007 roadshow programme in style on Sunday, as race driver Heikki Kovalainen took to the streets of downtown Warsaw in a R26. Kovalainen’s demonstration run, the first of its kind to be held in Poland, attracted a crowd of 80,000.

“I am really pleased to have been able to come to Warsaw for this roadshow,” enthused the young Finn. “At Renault, we are always trying to get people to see Formula One in a new way and to get them behind the scenes, and the roadshow is a brilliant way of doing it! I really enjoyed myself today, and people were very friendly, and I hope they had as much fun watching the show as I did behind the wheel!”

read full story here

Hamilton looks ahead to Canada

2007-06-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton has declared his second-placed finish in Monaco a "dream result", but has now turned his focus to the Canadian Grand Prix.

The young Briton finished behind team-mate Fernando Alonso in Monte Carlo and admits he was satisfied with the race, despite his initial disappointment.

And he is now looking ahead to the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend as he bids for his maiden race win.

Damon Hill: "We need all the support we can get"

2007-06-02T04:55:00.000-07:00

THE battle to ensure Silverstone remains the home of the British Grand Prix is gathering support.

Damon Hill, the last British F1 champion in 1996 and now president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) who control Silverstone, said: “I don’t think you can underestimate the effect the grand prix has on the environment, industries, employment and the country.

“We very much hope we can move forward to make Silverstone a place we can be really proud of, not just for the BRDC but also for the UK to beam motorsport and our event around the world. We need all the support we can get. ”

Fernando Alonso warns rivals ahead of North American double-header

2007-06-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Having claimed the 1-2 in Monaco, which saw Alonso and team-mate Lewis Hamilton lap all the runners except third-placed Felipe Massa, Alonso's confidence is at an all-time high.

And the Spaniard firmly believes that, combined with McLaren's continuous development programme, his Monaco win has given him the advantage ahead of the next race in Canada.

"We have a great momentum in the team right now after such a fantastic result in Monaco, which is a positive way to be going into the North American double-header," he said.

Toyota hint Ralf’s days are numbered

2007-06-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Ralf Schumacher's days with Toyota seem to be numbered after reports in the German press yesterday suggest his employers are considering other options for next season.

After his 16th-placed finish at last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, German daily newspaper Bild reported Toyota team president John Howett is looking for a possible successor to the 31-year-old brother of seven-times world champion Michael.

In his three years with Toyota, Schumacher, who earns 17 million euros a year, has only finished in the top three on three occasions.

The Monaco of Britain

2007-06-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

"Yes, well the poor chap is struggling a bit and if he's not careful they will be sticking Piquet in the car."

"Don't be silly," said Mrs Mole. "Piquet must be nearly 60."

The Mole paused for a moment but decided not to even attempt to explain about Nelson's children.

"I expect they will put Webber in one of the Renaults next year," he said.

"But Webber's at Williams," said Mrs Mole.

The Mole rolled his eyes.

"Well, maybe not for much longer."

Read full story here

Indy is preparing for F1 race without Schumacher

2007-06-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Grand Prix without Michael Schumacher is like the Indianapolis 500 without A.J. Foyt or Mario Andretti.

The race will go on. It just won't be the same.

As prominent as Foyt was in his four victories among 35 starts at Indy and as compelling as Andretti was in his lone victory and years of heartbreak thereafter, neither was as dominant on the track as Schumacher. The German retired last year as a seven-time Formula One champion and the only driver in any series to win at Indianapolis five times.

And with Schumacher gone this season, the F1 lineup looks a lot different.

Read full story here

Ferrari caravan stops in Slovenia

2007-06-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

The 60th anniversary of legendary Italian carmaker Ferrari prompted the sports car manufacturer to put together a caravan of its vehicles to transverse the globe.

A part of the caravan, twelve Ferraris in all, stopped in Ljubljana on Saturday, 19 May, to a welcome by Italian Ambassador to Slovenia Daniele Verga and Mayor Zoran Jankovic.

Slovenia contributed a doorknob, designed by the country's most celebrated architect Joze Plecnik for the National and University Library building.

The horse-shaped knob was chosen because Ferrari's symbol is a black prancing stallion on a yellow shield. The caravan had already visited most of the world and its tour is expected to end on 25 June in Maranello, the headquarters of Ferrari.

Ecclestone warns British government to help or lose F1 race

2007-06-01T04:49:00.000-07:00

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has warned that Britain could lose the right to hold a grand prix after Silverstone's contract runs out in 2009 and has called on the Government help fund a redevelopment of the ailing circuit.

Ecclestone is to begin negotiations with Silverstone's owners BRDC soon but admits that the current state of the British race is not up to scratch.

"The Government could and should do something to help ensure the BRDC does not lose the F1 event," Ecclestone told the Daily Express.

Symonds defends Heikki's progress

2007-05-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Renault's executive director of engineering Pat Symonds says people should not compare Heikki Kovalainen's progress with fellow rookie Lewis Hamilton's stunning achievements.

"It's an unfair comparison," he said in Renault's official podcast.

Symonds is convinced that Kovalainen would fare better if the car gave him more confidence.

"Perhaps the most important thing that you need to give a rookie is a car he can trust - a car that he can take to the limit and a bit beyond, and get it back," he said.

"And I think that's where we're probably letting Heikki down a little bit this year."

Read full story here

Ron Dennis lost no sleep over Monaco row

2007-05-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

Ron Dennis almost certainly did not lose a wink of sleep over the three nights it took the FIA to conduct their investigation into Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix - just as he said he wouldn't.

Dennis and his McLaren team emerged with reputations intact after being cleared of issuing team orders which resulted in the one-two processional finish for Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton around the streets of Monte Carlo.

The 59-year-old insisted immediately after the race his conscience was clear, maintaining that his team "are scrupulously fair at all times".

Read full story here

Robert Kubica: We don’t want to stop at being ‘the third power’

2007-05-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

Q: It was you first time in a Formula One car in Monaco. Racing there has produced many famous analogies - riding a bicycle in your bathroom, etc - but how would you describe it?

RK: I was not a complete Monaco virgin as I did the Friday sessions last year - and in ‘98 was racing a kart, although it was not the complete track that F1 uses - so I knew pretty well what to expect. I like street circuits – I’ve always performed well there and Monaco is a hell of a task. Of course they are not as safe as purpose-built tracks, but nothing can compare to the atmosphere. And with some more street circuits in the planning I am sure they will find the right balance between safety and urban character.

Read full story here

Rules Makeover Will Improve Spectacle, Mosley Says

2007-05-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

Max Mosley believes that moves to improve the spectacle of Formula 1 should be focused around boosting overtaking rather than a radical overhaul of the race weekend.

Earlier this year, Renault team boss Flavio Briatore suggested a shake-up to F1’s format, with a GP2-type double header instead of the traditional single race (click here for story). Mosley says the FIA will consider all possibilities, but he reckons making passing easier should be the first priority, rather than changes to the established race format.

Read full story here

The English tradition of great expectations

2007-05-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

by Cameron McMillan

It's not one of the first things you notice when you get to England.

Whether it's an indie band from Camden who are the next Arctic Monkeys, or a young West End actress who is the next Keira Knightley; they love to predict a future star. Usually you never hear about them again after they crumble under the huge expectations of the British public.

But this time the pundits just may have it right, because Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton looks the real deal.

The rise of Hamilton has come at the right time for England sports fans in desperate need of a national hero. The cricketers are trying to pick themselves up after losing the Ashes heavily followed by a poor performance at the World Cup, the footballers are dangerously close to not qualifing for the European Championships and the ?world champion' rugby team take up as many inches in the sports section as darts.

Read full story here

Formula 1 days at Magny Cours over

2007-05-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

The French Grand Prix's days at Magny-Cours are numbered according to Bernie Ecclestone, who is now looking to run the event closer to Paris.

Problems with access to the track, accommodation in the area and the lack of business opportunities prompted the decision, with the Briton adding: "It's a little bit disappointing because we organised this Grand Prix but it never evolved in the way that we would have like it to."

Instead, Ecclestone dreams of seeing a race through the streets of the French capital, even if that idea is unlikely.

"Why not Disneyland? There are hotels, (and) you can get there by train. It would ideal."

Ecclestone also hinted that the sport's most glamorous event might be a little different in the future.

Read full story here

Hamilton sacrifices personal glory for team points

2007-05-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton sacrificed personal glory for team points at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Formula One sensation from Tewin was second around the challenging Monte Carlo street circuit.

He crossed the line four seconds behind team-mate Fernando Alonso as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes claimed their second one-two finish of the season.

Read full story here

Adrian Sutil replacement for Ralf Schumacher?

2007-05-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

Adrian Sutil has been touted as a possible replacement for the beleaguered Ralf Schumacher at Toyota.

Following a dismal weekend in Monaco, Schumacher has reputedly been given just two races to save his F1 career.

According to reports in the German press, the team have run out of patience with the 31-year-old and Sutil has been linked with a dramatic transfer from Spyker.

The unheralded Sutil has emerged as one of 2007's unlikely success stories.

Read full story here

The day EJ beat them all

2007-05-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

Now take your mind back to the start of Spa in 1998. Damon Hill's third on the grid, and it's been raining since the morning warm-up...

Damon [Hill]’s clutch snatched at the start and he spun his rear wheels on the wet track. He had dropped from third to seventh by the time the leaders reached the first corner.

Disappointment had barely taken hold when there was another surprise.

The television pictures showed mounting chaos as David Coulthard spun at the exit of the corner and car after car seemed to pile into the McLaren.

Wheels and bits of bodywork flew in all directions, leaving the organisers with no alternative but to stop the race. Damon was going to get a second chance – provided his car had not been damaged.

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Govt denies budget for night grand prix

2007-05-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

The Victorian government has scoffed at concerns that an increase in its tourism budget is evidence of its secret preparation for a night-time Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Greens and Liberal MPs used a parliamentary committee on Thursday morning to quiz Tourism Minister Tim Holding on the government's intentions for the race and highlighted an increase in money spent on tourism from $53.7 million in 2005-06 to a target of $70.3 million for 2007-08.

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McLaren's "Team Orders" to be investigated by FIA

2007-05-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

The FIA has announced that it has launched an investigation into incidents involving the McLaren Mercedes team at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix, in light of a possible breach of the International Sporting Code. This is based on claims made mainly in the media that the team played its race strategy in such a way as to help Fernando Alonso to win the race, rather than Lewis Hamilton.

The FIA will now review all the available evidence, including any radio calls between the cars and the pits and whatever other data is available. The FIA says it is simply doing its job and if that makes it unpopular that is an unfortunate part of the role of being the regulator. The FIA says that the rules were changed in 2002 after the mess in Austria when Rubens Barrichello backed off to allow Michael Schumacher to win the race.

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FIA new rule package to be complete by 2011

2007-05-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

The FIA has sent out a new briefing note to the Formula 1 Manufacturers’ Advisory Committee regarding the technical plans for Formula 1 in 2011 and beyond. The package was dreamed up by Tony Purnell and Peter Wright and reviewed by Professor Neville Jackson, the Technical Director of the Ricardo company. The FIA is working with Ricardo to run simulations and to review strategy in the light of Ricardo's experience in mainstream automotive research and development. The document we have obtained says that discussions are still going on and that a Power-train Working Group will be formed to assist the FIA in detailing the technical regulations. The aim is to have to 2011 regulations settled by the end of the year.

The FIA says that the changes are needed because they need to lower costs in F1 and to react to public concern about the environment. Research and development relevant only to Formula 1 will be discouraged, whereas that which has relevance to road car development will be encouraged. The FIA says it will overtly encourage energy-efficient power-train development and contrain many other areas of the cars. It will also reduce waste by requiring parts to be used at more races.

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Did McLaren Favour Alonso Over Hamilton at the Monaco GP?

2007-05-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

In the aftermath of a processional race in which the two McLaren drivers finished first and second with ease, but without fighting each other, Dennis said that McLaren did not favour the 25-year-old Spaniard against the 22-year-old British rookie.

He spoke out after being questioned strongly on the team's strategy and team orders, particularly as Alonso, on pole position, began the race in a car that carried five laps less fuel than Hamilton.

This meant that Alonso was not only in a lighter car for qualifying on Saturday, but also in a lighter, faster car for the first part of the race.

Hamilton accepted this after the race with a long face when he said: "I am in car number two so I am the number two driver."

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Gambling, Luck and the Formula 1 race in Monaco

2007-05-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Gambling will only get you so far. It is nice to win but a lot of the time luck has nothing to do with it. You win by working at it, doing the homework and not because the cards fell in your favour.

Monaco is a city built on a casino, on the foundation that luck can bring you everything you need. But on Sunday in Monte Carlo luck had nothing to with it. McLaren won the event because the team has worked for it. T

he fact that Fernando Alonso took victory in the event meant that Lewis Hamilton was second. He seemed happy with that. When you are in your fifth Grand Prix and have finished on the podium in all five, you are still excited to be there but there was something about the smiles and the body language involved that hinted that Lewis would have been happier to have won.

Everyone likes to win but there are times when luck has nothing to do with it.

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Formula One and fashion unite for charity

2007-05-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Formula One racing and fashion is a synergy that has worked smoothly for years, especially at the ultra-glamorous Monaco Grand Prix. On Friday evening they officially came together in the name of charity, for ‘Grand Prix and Fashion Unite’, to raise money for top model Tereza Maxova’s foundation for children in need.

The fashion: Tereza Maxova send out an SOS to her colleagues from the catwalk business and the likes of Petra Nemcova, Mari Tool and Jessica Sjöö came to her rescue to present evening dresses to die for by Isabell Kristensen. A special surprise was Petra Ecclestone, daughter of Bernie, who made a very personal donation by joining the professional models on stage. She blended in so perfectly that the rumour of the evening was that this could perhaps be the start of a new top modelling career.

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F1 race in the US?

2007-05-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) owner Eddie Gossage has approached Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone about the possibility of staging a night race in the United States.

With Formula One planning an inaugural night race in Singapore next year, Gossage said he had sent Ecclestone an invitation to attend a night-time oval Indy car race at TMS on June 9, the day before the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

TMS staged the first-ever night-time Indy car race in 1997.

"I think it would be of great interest to Mr. Ecclestone and his staff to visit Texas Motor Speedway and get an opportunity to witness and evaluate open-wheel cars running at high speeds under the lights," Gossage told reporters.

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Fernando Alonso Claims Victory at Monaco F1 Race

2007-05-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

FERNANDO ALONSO

"This win means a lot to me and our World Championship Campaign. It’s a very nice surprise to see how the team’s hard work during the last couple of weeks has made our car so competitive. I have never had the experience of being more than one minute ahead of the competition which probably makes this one of my best victories. I didn’t get off the line brilliantly from pole position, but as there is such a short run to the first corner I was pretty sure that I would be able to keep the lead. However, as I was able to save fuel in my first stint I was able to stay out for two more laps than originally planned. After that the race was pretty quiet with only the backmarkers causing a few problems especially shortly before my second pitstop when I lost a lot of time. I will enjoy this victory and look forward to the races in North America."

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Mark Webber and Red Bull F1 Team hopes things will work out at Monaco

2007-05-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

Australian Mark Webber is confident Red Bull will be one of Formula One's most respected teams by the end of the year.

Webber feels that Red Bull has overcome a tough start to the season and is now starting to show some potential.

Teammate David Coulthard shrugged off the loss of third gear at the Spanish Grand Prix 11 days ago to finish fifth and score the team's first points for the season.

Unfortunately unreliability continued to haunt Webber as he retired with a hydraulics problem that had also wrecked his qualifying performance.

Ahead of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, Webber said there had been an upsurge in morale, which he hopes will lead to respectability.

Glamourous New Face of The 2007 Formula 1 British Grand Prix - Gemma Atkinson

2007-05-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Gemma, the successful model and former Hollyoaks star, is all geared up to set pulses racing as all eyes start to focus on this year’s British Grand Prix, taking place on 6-8 July.

In her role as the Female Face of the British Grand Prix, F1 fan Gemma will add an extra touch of glamour to the intensity and excitement of the country’s most breathtaking sporting event.

Etihad Aldar Spyker Formula One Team helped set the scene by supplying a F1 caras Gemma was officially unveiled as the Female Face of the 2007 FORMULA 1™ Santander British Grand Prix.

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Alonso fastest at Monaco Practice as Hamilton crashes in practice

2007-05-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

McLaren’s Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton crashed in Monaco Grand Prix practice yesterday in the first mishap of an otherwise sensational debut season.

The team blamed driver error for the accident with 22-year-old Hamilton braking late and spearing into the tyre wall at Sainte Devote, the first turn at the end of the pit straight, with half an hour remaining of the afternoon session.

Double champion Alonso, two points adrift of Hamilton in the overall standings after four races, was quickest in both sessions and the only driver to lap the tight and twisty street circuit in under one minute 16 seconds.

The Spaniard’s best lap in the afternoon was 1:15.940 after 1:16.973 in the morning.

Alas! Paris Hilton unavailable for Monaco F1 race

2007-05-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

To the dismay of Formula 1 fans worldwide, the American socialite and wearer of funny sunglasses, Paris Hilton, will not be able to make it to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Miss Hilton, was due to visit F1’s most glamorous event as a guest of the Spyker F1 team, to promote fizzy white wine, Rich Prosecco.

Sadly, an impending spell in the clink for ‘drink driving related issues’ means that poor old Paris will not be able to attend Sunday’s race.

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Hamilton handed £5,000 diamond ring as an SIP – Super Important Person

2007-05-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

If Lewis Hamilton had any lingering doubts about his permanent residency on Planet F1, they ended yesterday as he was handed a £5,000 diamond ring as an SIP – super important person – on board a magnificent yacht in Monaco harbour.
Under his arm, with Monaco 07 emblazoned on the side in white diamonds, was his distinctive yellow racing helmet which he will wear this weekend for what many believe will be a crowning parade on the streets of this royal tax haven.Nearby, a woman with neck muscles presumably as strong as Hamilton’s, posed with a £60million diamond necklace, the Ponahalo, expected to be the world’s most expensive piece of jewellery when hosts Steinmetz sell it.

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Lewis Hamilton hints taking attacking approach at Monaco F1 GP

2007-05-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

Lewis Hamilton has hinted at an aggressive approach when it comes to qualifying for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

Around the tight, twisty Monte Carlo street circuit, where overtaking is virtually impossible, it is crucial to claim pole position.

Hamilton has yet to achieve such a feat so far in his debut season as the championship leader has adopted a more considered strategy.

That was certainly the case in the last race in Barcelona where the 22-year-old opted for a slightly heavier fuel load than team-mate Fernando Alonso who pushed for pole.

The Spaniard failed in his bid, having to settle for second behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa who went on to win the race.

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14th Formula One race at Monaco and David Coulthard still nervous

2007-05-24T04:21:00.000-07:00

David Coulthard has revealed he still feels nervous ahead of every Monaco GP - even though this will be his 14th race around the famed circuit.

The Red Bull Racing star is a two-time winner of the event, taking the chequered flag in 2000 and 2002 with McLaren.

Last year the 36-year-old claimed his only podium to date with Red Bull by finishing third, at the end of which he adorned a Superman cape to mark his heroic achievement.

Like no other race, though, this is the one that gives Coulthard a buzz. He said: "This is the biggest challenge for a driver.

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Jarno Trulli And Toyota Looking For Happier Times at The Monaco F1 Grand Prix After Woeful Weekend

2007-05-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Jarno Trulli is hoping to erase the memory of his pain in Spain by rekindling far happier times around the streets of Monaco.

Trulli was forced to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix with a fuel-line fault at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya 10 days ago as Toyota endured a woeful weekend.

The team's 100% reliability record this year was wrecked as Trulli departed the scene, followed later by team-mate Ralf Schumacher, resulting in Toyota's first point-less grand prix of 2007.

Trulli is now looking to turn back the clock to 2004 when he scored his maiden Formula One victory in Monte Carlo after qualifying on pole for Renault.

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Report: Australian Formula One Grand prix cost 'outweighs benefit'

2007-05-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

The cost of the staging the Australian Formula One Grand Prix outweighs its benefit to Victorians, a report to the state government has found.

The Victorian Auditor General's report into State Investment in Major Events found the social cost of staging the 2005 Grand Prix was $69.8 million.

The cost to the community through government agency costs, loss of the use of the Albert Park Lake area, traffic diversion and noise was estimated to be $1.7 million.

Costs to the community did not include losses by local traders.

However, the report says the race may cause some households to spend in different areas.
"The grand prix is likely to increase local spending in Victoria because of the extra spending by interstate and overseas visitors rather than reduce it, " the report says.

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Nick Heidfeld Looking Forward to "the Stars, Starlets And Parties" of Monaco Grand Prix F1 Race

2007-05-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

Nick Heidfeld returns to one of his former haunts this week eager to put into perspective "the stars, starlets and parties" that turn the Monaco Grand Prix into a celebrity event.

For glitz and glamour, the blue-riband event of the Formula One calendar is virtually unparalleled in sporting terms.

Yet behind the diamonds and Dior there is still a motor-race that unfolds around the streets of the Principality.

Heidfeld knows Monte Carlo only too well, not only in race terms but also as he lived in the French enclave for many years.

"I had a lot of fun there, " recalled the BMW Sauber driver who has made a strong, steady start to the season.

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Malaysia must be prepared to stage Formula One races at night says Bernie Ecclestone

2007-05-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

Malaysia must be prepared to stage Formula One races at night to stay on the FIA's F1 calendar or even harbour any hope of an extension of the Malaysian Grand Prix contract that expires in 2010.

This was among a number of conditions, or rather terms, put forward by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone with regards to talks of an extension of the contract for staging the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chairman Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir said: "The FIA wants us to be prepared to stage night races as well as carry out some upgrading works at the circuit.

"We are actually studying what kind of light that would be suitable, the security aspects, which will certainly be our top priority, and a few other things before anything can be firmed up."

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Kimi Raikkonen: "I’d like to be at the top of the championship table"

2007-05-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

After making a flying start to his new career at Ferrari by winning on his debut in Australia, the Finn has lost ground in recent races.

Raikkonen’s optimism, however, could be ill-founded as British sensation Hamilton is showing no signs of slowing down.

He was outgunned by the two McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in Malaysia, and since then has lost the initiative to Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa, who won in both Bahrain and Spain.

To make matters even worse for Raikkonen, he failed to score any points in Barcelona as his Ferrari suffered a rare mechanical glitch.

However, he claimed that looking back at failure isn’t his style. "I’m not the type to go over what has happened and I’m not about to start now, " he explained. "That was part of racing and it is impossible to change what took place. Points have been lost and there is nothing to be gained in going back – we will only know the full effect of this retirement at the end of the season. Of course, I’d like to be at the top of the championship table, but there are still 13 races to go and I am only eight points behind (series leader) Hamilton. "

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Lewis Hamilton cautious over chances of victory at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix

2007-05-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is remaining cautious over his chances of victory at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, despite having never lost around the challenging Monte Carlo street circuit.

Hamilton, who has finished on the podium at every race this season, triumphed in last year’s GP2 event in Monaco and also won on his previous visit in the F3 Euroseries. The Englishman, however, is taking nothing for granted.

"I have always run well at Monaco, having won there on my previous two visits to the race,” he said. “I am going to the race again this year with the intention of fighting for the win, but that is the case at everything I compete in. "

However we do have to keep being realistic, this will be my fifth race in Formula One and I am still developing. We have to focus on keeping scoring points for both the constructors' and drivers' championships and take it step by step."

Niki Lauda believes Britain's Lewis Hamilton can win world championship in his first season

2007-05-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

Formula One legend Niki Lauda believes Britain's Lewis Hamilton can win the world championship in his first season.

The 22-year-old heads the current world drivers' standings ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.

Lauda, the three-time world champion, said: 'It may seem absolutely amazing but, yes, I can see Lewis winning the championship (this season).

'He is clearly already as fast as his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso, despite the fact he is completely new. He has a clear mind to face the challenge of Formula One.

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