F1 2008 Race Calendar

[greenieadi]

For newbies or fans of F1, just checked that RTM 1 is broadcasting this Sunday race. But seems like it's not a live but delayed one. That might change, as in previous seasons. Race starts 12.30pm S'pore time but the TV listing shows 2pm.

Anyway, for those without Starhub sports channel, do checkout TV1 around 12.30pm for the broadcast if not then 2pm. Check posts below for latest news, as I update them

Race Calendar for 2008

01 Melbourne, Australia 16 Mar
02 KL, Malaysia 23 Mar
03 Bahrain 06 Apr
04 Catalunya, Spain 27 Apr
05 Istanbul, Turkey 11 May
06 Monte Carlo, Monaco 25 May
07 Montreal, Canada 8 June
08 Magny-Cours, France 22 June
09 Silverstone, Britain 06 Jul
10 Hockenheim, Germany 20 Jul
11 Budapest, Hungary 03 Aug
12 Valencia, Italy 24 Aug
13 Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium 07 Sep
14 Monza, Italy 14 Sep
15 Singapore 28 Sep
16 Fuji Speedway, Japan 12 Oct
17 Shanghai, China 19 Oct
18 Sao Paulo, Brazil 02 Nov

Drivers Standing
1 Lewis Hamilton___________10
2 Nick Heidfeld_____________8
3 Nico Rosberg_____________6
4 Fernando Alonso__________5
5 Heikki Kovalainen__________4
6 Kazuki Nakajima___________3
7 Sebastien Bourdais________2
8 Kimi Räikkönen____________1
9 Robert Kubica
10 Timo Glock
11 Takuma Sato
12 Nelsinho Piquet
13 Felipe Massa
14 David Coulthard
15 Jarno Trulli
16 Adrian Sutil
17 Mark Webber
18 Jenson Button
19 Anthony Davidson
20 Sebastian Vettel German
21 Giancarlo Fisichella
22 Rubens Barrichello

Constructors Standings
01 McLaren-Mercedes 14
02 BMW 8
03 Williams-Toyota 8
04 Renault 5
05 Honda 3
06 STR-Ferrari 1
07 Ferrari 0
08 Toyota 0
09 Super Aguri-Honda 0
10 Red Bull-Renault 0
11 Force India-Ferrari 0

 

[greenieadi]

Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park Circuit

Hamilton Wins

 

[greenieadi]

Latest News 16 Mar

Barrichello disqualified, Raikkonen gains point

Honda’s Rubens Barrichello has been disqualified from sixth place in the Australian Grand Prix. Barrichello was penalised by stewards for exiting the pits under a red light. It means Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen moves up to eighth place and hence scores a point.

The penalty brought a sad end to what had been an eventful afternoon for Barrichello. After putting in a performance far stronger than anyone had predicted in the RA108, the Brazilian fell victim to unlucky timing when he was forced to pit for fuel under the safety car.

Not only did that infringement earn him a ten-second stop-go penalty, Barrichello also managed to drag over a mechanic as he left his box before the refuelling man had removed the hose from the car. He then returned to the pits to take his penalty, but with the race again running under the safety car, he rejoined despite the red light at the end of the pit lane.

Barrichello’s disqualification means Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima moves up to sixth place, while Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais is promoted to seventh, despite not finishing the race. Raikkonen, who also failed to finish, takes the final point.

Hamilton victorious in action-packed Melbourne race

Lewis Hamilton’s win for McLaren at the Australian Grand Prix almost went unnoticed in Albert Park this afternoon - and that tells you just what sort of race it was. The 23 year-old Briton dominated an event characterised by safety car interventions following a series of dramatic incidents that all happened behind him.

Hamilton would build a lead, lose it behind the safety car, build it again, lose it again. You get the picture. But if he was impressive here a year ago, he was even better on Sunday, never losing his composure as he took the lead of the world championship with almost insouciant ease.

If it was a great day for McLaren, it was a disaster for Ferrari. Felipe Massa spun on the first lap and was then involved in an incident with Red Bull’s David Coulthard before retiring, and Kimi Raikkonen, having benefited from the second safety car intervention, slid off the road trying to pass McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen and undid all that work. Then his Ferrari let him down when he was running seventh with three laps to go.

Indeed, McLaren should have had a one-two, but a third safety car intervention following a heavy accident for Toyota’s Timo Glock badly hurt Kovalainen’s chances as he had to pit when everyone had closed up. He dropped way back, was passed by Raikkonen, repassed him, then found himself overtaken by Renault’s Fernando Alonso as the Spaniard overtook both of his rivals in a wonderful move.

After fighting back, Kovalainen repassed the Renault with two laps to go, only to have his car falter momentarily as they crossed the line for the 57th time. As he wiped oil off his visor he accidentally triggered the pit-lane speed limiter and a relieved Alonso pounced to head his former team mate home in fourth place.

Ahead of them, Nick Heidfeld brought his BMW Sauber home an excellent second, chased by Nico Rosberg, whose Toyota-engined Williams was the fastest car on the track in the closing stages. It was the young German’s first podium.

The race began with drama as an incident in the first corner involved Honda’s Jenson Button, Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella, Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Super Aguri’s Anthony Davidson and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel, and led directly or indirectly to their retirements.

Jarno Trulli looked set for good points until his Toyota let him down, and Nelson Piquet’s debut for Renault was little short of disastrous as he trailed at the back and failed to make it home.

Sebastien Bourdais and his Toro Rosso crew made a great call on strategy and were running fourth, ahead of Alonso and Kovalainen with three laps to go, but were stymied by engine failure. Force India’s Adrian Sutil and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato similarly failed to make the finish.

“The team did a fantastic job as always, and the car was phenomenal, a complete dream to drive compared to last year,” a delighted Hamilton said. “They pulled me in early on both stops and that kept us out of trouble. Physically the race was a breeze, and great preparation for Malaysia, so bring it on, I’m really looking forward to

 

[Godzilla Invades]

Bro,

You may one to join our thread

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359100

 

[greenieadi]

Thanks, but would like keep this thread updated, every racing weekend.

Anyway, updates on Saturday qualifiers coming.

 

[greenieadi]

Read updates 15th Mar 1500hrs.

For those F1 newbies, here are a summary of the F1 rules for 2008, including new qualifying format.

A number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been made by the FIA for the 2008 Formula One season.

Traction and launch control
Traction control - systems which prevent the rear wheels spinning if a driver applies too much power - are no longer permitted. This will place more emphasis on driver skill and should lead to more overtaking, as drivers are more likely to make mistakes. Similarly, systems that help the driver hold the clutch at a specific point to ensure an optimal getaway at the race start, have been outlawed.

Electronic Control Units (ECUs)
From 2008, all teams must use a standardised, FIA-approved ECU to control their cars' electronics. AS well as providing a more level playing field in this area of development, the new ECU - which must run FIA-approved software - will allow the FIA to monitor the cars' performance more closely.

Engine changes
As in 2007, drivers must use the same engine for two consecutive events. If that engine fails in final practice or qualifying and has to be changed ahead of the race, the driver will be given a grid penalty - 10 places if the change was made before qualifying, or the back of the grid if it was made following qualifying.

However, in an amendment for 2008, each driver is allowed one ‘free’ change per season, unless that change takes place at the final round. In other words, he will not incur a penalty for his first engine failure of the year, as long it is not at the last event.

Gearboxes
In a bid to further improve reliability and cut costs, gearboxes must now last for four consecutive Grand Prix meetings. Every unscheduled gearbox change will require the relevant driver to drop five places on the grid at that meeting. If a driver fails to finish a race, he may start the next meeting with a new gearbox without incurring a penalty.

Qualifying
In a very slight tweak to the familiar knockout qualifying format, the duration of Q1 has been increased from 15 to 20 minutes, while that of Q3 has been cut from 15 to 10. Q2 remains 15-minutes long. Furthermore, cars participating in Q3 will no longer get back the fuel used in that session - they must now start the race with whatever fuel was left in the car at the end of qualifying, thus eliminating the need for the infamous 'fuel-burning' phase at the start of Q3.

Cockpit safety
One of the slightly more visible differences to the cars this season will be an increase in the height of the cockpit padding - and hence the cockpit sides - on either side of the driver’s helmet, a change that has been implemented to further increase head protection in the event of an impact.

Biofuel
As part of moves to make Formula One racing ever more environmentally friendly, the FIA has introduced a new rule governing fuel. From 2008, at least 5.75 percent of all fuel must contain biomatter and, as a result, all cars must be designed to be biofuel compliant.

 

[greenieadi]

Final update for Sat, 15th Mar

 

[greenieadi]

Post Race update Australian Grand Prix