V8 SuperCars Eager to Ride on the Singapore F1 Wave

V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane has expressed his interest in organising a V8 Supercar race on the same weekend as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix on 28th September 2008.

Discussions with Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the official race organisers of the Singapore Grand Prix, have already gone underway according to the news sources. Cochrane said that the V8 Supercars event will not be a supporting race of the F1 race, but rather, they will be held on the day before the F1 race (i.e, 27th September).

The V8s series are currently held only New Zealand and Bahrain, with a non-championship round in the Albert Park circuit (also used by the Formula 1 event) and a Townsville Street Race in 2009.

If the current discussions are unsuccessful, the V8s organisers are still keen to have a race in Singapore to widen the audience reach.

F1 Enthusiast Bidded $30K for Hotel Room

An F1 enthusiast has paid a reported sum of $30,000 SGD for a hotel room in Pan Pacific Hotel during a charity auction.

The charity event, which was attended by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and his wife among the 500 guests, was the Assisi Hospice's Light-a-Heart charity dinner.

The unnamed bidder would be staying in the trackside hotel, which offers a prime view of the circuit just as the cars zip across the stretch at the speed of more than 300kmh, from 26th September to 28th September.

The trackside hotels in Singapore will be levied with a heavy tax of 30 percent during the event, and according to industry observer Noel Hawkes, the room cost will triple the normal rate during F1 races in other cities.

Off-Track: Fast on Circuit, Fast on Road

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton made headlines lately with their F1-style performances off the circuit - and both ran into trouble with the law for their acts.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who had won the Race of the Champions for Team Germany with Sebastian Vettel, was in a rush to get to the airport or risk missing a family flight back to Switzerland. He decided to put his F1 skills to use when he took over the driver seat from the taxi driver Tuncer Yilmaz. Pushing the Opel Vivaro to its top speed of 163kmh, the taxi driver was in awe with the German racer and commented that Schumacher "overtook in some unbelievable places".

While the cabbie got a healthy sum as tips for letting Schumacher get to the airport more than in time for the flight, both Schumacher and him could be in trouble with the law as investigations are now underway.

Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, had mistaken the motorway near the northern town of Laon for the Magny Cours circuit when he took his Mercedes (the road one, not the F1 car) to a speed of 196kmh and was caught by the French police. He was subsequently banned for driving in France for a month, had his Mercedes detained and himself poorer by 600 euros. If anything good came out of this incident, he got himself free publicity and the French police commended the young driver for being cooperative and very polite.

Heikki Kovalainen for Mclaren

Heikki Kovalainen will line up alongside Lewis Hamilton for the Mclaren-Mercedes Team 08.

In almost something looking like a swop-deal between Mclaren and Renault (which of course didn't happen since Fernando Alonso was released before Renault finally got him back without having to negotiate with Mclaren), Heikki Kovalainen will leave Renault for the Woking-based team to complete an all-rookies line-up for 2008 season.

Lewis Hamilton, the 1st runner-up for the Drivers' Championship in his debut season, was more than happy to welcome the Finnish driver on board. He hopes that the Finn will enjoy his time in Mclaren, just like he did in season 2007. Not forgetting to emphasize on the importance of teamwork, he said that both of them will be "strong and focused" in their championship chase next year.

Heikki Kovalainen, on the other hand, felt that it is an honour for him to follow the footsteps of successful Finnish drivers Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Räikkönen, both whom have won Drivers' Championships before, although Kimi Räikkönen's was won with the Scuderia Ferrari team in 2007.

More Partnerships for Singapore Grand Prix Organisers

The Singapore Grand Prix organisers have announced 3 more deals for the inaugural Singtel Singapore Grand Prix next year.

First up, there is the deal with the Singapore Flyer, which will be prominently featured in the Singapore Grand Prix as the cars will have to pass by the observation wheel near turns 22, 23 and 24. The deal would allow the race organisers to utilise the grounds and facilities of the Singapore Flyer, thus adding more grandstands for spectators. The spectators will also have access to the areas within the Singapore Flyer Garden, with the organisers placing the entertainment and F&B outlets strategically inside.

Kingsmen Creatives and Pico Art International have both been awarded contracts to build temporary grandstands and corporate suites around the circuit. According to an article on the Straits Times, Kingsmen will be in charge of the areas at the pit grandstand, pit entry and exit, together with the Stamford grandstand and suites opposite One Raffles Link.

Pico will be in charge of the areas at turns 1, 2 and 3 as well as the grandstands at the Padang.

Fernando Alonso Reunites with Renault

As expected by many, Fernando Alonso will be reuniting with Renault - the team which he had won two world champions with in seasons 05 and 06 - after the FIA confirmed that Renault will be subjected to no punishment despite being found guilty of possessing Mclaren's intellectual property.

He will be partnering Nelson Piquet Jr, for the upcoming season.

Fernando Alonso left Renault for Mclaren in the 2007 season. Unfortunately, unlike Kimi Räikkönen who left his former team Mclaren to join Ferrari and won his maiden championship with the Italian team, Fernando Alonso had a stormy relationship with his Mclaren employers and ex-teammate Lewis Hamilton. He had joined the team hoping for a number 1 status, but when Lewis Hamilton started giving Fernando a run for his money with his strong performances, Fernando voiced out his unhappiness.

Mclaren team principal Ron Dennis' vehemence for an equality in the team might have ultimately cost the team the Drivers' championship with the two drivers engaging in draining off track and on-track feud.

Mclaren was also disqualified from the 2007 Constructors' Championship as they were found guilty of possessing Ferrari's technical data and information.

Fernando Alonso to Decide by Next Week

With Renault's spy incident hearing to take place on 6th December (this coming Thursday), Fernando Alonso is expected to announce his decision on his 2008 destination by early next week according to the Spanish newspaper AS DARIO.

Certainly, if all goes well in Renault, in any event that they were not found to be guilty, Fernando Alonso will most likely head back to his team where he had won 2 championships with in 2005 and 2006. Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has also indirectly hinted that Renault is ready to accept Fernando as the first driver of the French team.

Fernando Alonso has also been reportedly to the Honda's factory for a seat fitting last week, however, the rumour has been rubbished by the Honda team.

At the same time, Mclaren is also taking their time to decide on the driver who will replace Fernando Alonso's seat in 2008. Williams team has repeatedly stated Nico Rosberg's importance in the team, and Nico himself has also stated that he wants to be the revoluntionary force for the Williams team. Heikki Kovalainen, who looks likely to be forgotten by Renault with Flavio hinting a lineup of Fernando Alonso and current Renault test driver Nelson Piquet Jr, is another hot candidate for the coveted teammate seat of Lewis Hamilton.

Singapore Grand Prix To Be Sponsored By SingTel

The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, which will take place on 28th September next year, will be called the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix after a deal has been reached for the telco company to be the main sponsor of the event.

For this prominent display of their sponsorship, the deal is estimated to be around US $10 million by the Straits Times, although no confirmation of the exact figure was given by the company. As the title sponsor, SingTel will be actively involved in the events leading up to the night race next year.

Kimi Räikkönen Official 2007 World Champion After Mclaren Appeal Fails

Kimi Räikkönen's status as the F1 World Champion 2007 remains unchange as the FIA Court of Appeal ruled that Mclaren's appeal for BMW's Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica and Williams' Nico Rosberg to be disqualified from the Brazilian Grand Prix after being alleged of having used fuel at an illegal temperature.

Initially, Mclaren had launched the appeal claiming to seek clarity of the regulations, after the two teams were not penalised for using fuel at 10 degrees lower than the ambient temperature. Mclaren's lawyer Ian Mill QC then called for the disqualification of the 3 drivers and a review of the championship result.

If Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg had all been disqualified, Mclaren's rookie Lewis Hamilton would have moved up a few positions and would have won the World Championship.

However, Mclaren, which are fined $50 million and disqualified from the Constructors' Championship, had no better luck in this appeal as the court ruled it 'inadmissable'.

Ross Brawn Heads Honda, Stefano Domenicali Replaces Jean Todt

Shortly after Honda F1 team announced ex-Ferrari Technical Director Ross Brawn as the new team principal, Ferrari released an announcement that Stefano Domenicali, current Sporting Director of Ferrari, would replace French man Jean Todt as the Director of the Gestione Sportiva. This change would take place with effect from the 1st January of 2008.

Mario Almondo, the Technical Director of Ferrari, will then become the Operations Director, while Aldo Costa will be the new Technical Director.

Jean Todt was placed in charge of Ferrari's F1 team since 1993 after a few successful years with Peugeot in various motorsports. Together, Jean Todt and Ferrari had won a total of 98 grand prix races, beating the record set by Enzo Ferrari's 93 grand prix races during his time.

Jean Todt's future has yet to be announced.

Renault to Attend WMSC Hearing

Renault has been named the latest accuse of the spying incident on Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes.

In the earlier hearings of the spying incident between Ferrari and Mclaren, in which Mclaren was punished and stripped off all their points in the Constructors' Championship, Renault was also mentioned in the investigation results done by Mclaren. While they were not investigated in the earlier stages, they are now being called forth to attend the hearing in front of the FIA World Motor Sports Council (WMSC) on the 6th of December.

According to the official statement released by the FIA, Renault is called to the hearing based on the suspicion of having "unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes". Supposedly, a former Mclaren team member had passed several CDs filled with technical information of Mclaren to Renault.

Over in the Mclaren camp, the MP4-23, which is the 2008 car of the Mclaren F1 team, has began to be subjected to scrutiny by the FIA officials to ensure that the design is legal (and not in anyway based on the technical information that they had from the Stepneygate incident). The results of the FIA's findings will be published on 7th December.

Michael Schumacher Back On Track for Testing

First it was for MotoGP, now Michael Schumacher will be testing the Ferrari F2007 during the upcoming winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya.

On Monday, after the final round of the MotoGP 07, Michael Schumacher took the Ducati Desmosedici GP7 on track for some fun testing under the guidance of Ducati's test rider Vittoriano Guareschi, Nicky Hayden and Randy Mamola, who gamely took Schumacher on a two-seater Ducati last season in Mugello.


However, for Ferrari, the testing will be done not for fun but rather for technical information purposes. With the banning of traction control in 2008 season, Schumacher's experience in handling a car that is not computer-aided will provide invaluable information for the two Ferrari drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa.

Where's Fernando Alonso Going?

As the news of the release of former 2 times world champion Fernando Alonso broke out, teams are rushing to snap up the Spanish drivers, aside from Fernando's previous team Renault, Red Bull, Williams and even BMW Sauber are reportedly trying to woo him over.

Toyota was also reported to have offered the Spaniard a wonderful offer, but was turned down.

According to AS Daily, a Spanish sports newspaper, Fernando would try to secure a short deal with one of the smaller teams in order to prepare for a transition to Ferrari in the near future, when either Kimi Räikkönen or Felipe Massa's contract is over.

Over at the Mclaren Mercedes camp, where they are now short of one driver, Lewis Hamilton has given some hints on who his future teammate might be. Naming a few candidates like Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld and Adrian Sutil, he said that the only prerequisite is that the teammate will have to be a 'team player'.

However, things will have to be seemingly put on hold as everyone waits for Fernando Alonso's eventual decision with bated breath.

Fernando Alonso Out of Mclaren

Shocking news of the season - Fernando Alonso is out of Mclaren.

It was yet another worse-kept secrets of a very messy season. Fernando Alonso has been a long-disgruntled employee of Mclaren Mercedes, right down from the moment when he realised that he would not get to enjoy his status as Numero Uno in the British Mclaren team. Often accusing the team of favouring rookie Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso has surely not made his animosity with his team a secret.

In the Hungarian Grand Prix, he threatened team principal Ron Dennis that he would go to the FIA with the evidences that Mclaren's ex-employee Mike Coughlan had information from Nigel Stepney, if Ron Dennis does not accede to his request of favouring him over his teammate. An incensed Ron Dennis volunteered to call Max Mosley (and he indeed did) to show Fernando that he was ready to see through the ultimatum set by the Spaniard.

Fernando Alonso had another 2 years of contract left with Mclaren, but now he has been ordered to leave Mclaren Mercedes wtih immediate effect. Questions will be raised - where will he go? And most importantly, who would be the teammate of wonder-rookie Lewis Hamilton next season? Williams' Nico Rosberg, Renault's Heikki Kovalainen and Honda's Jenson Button are prospective choices, but it will have to be seen if the teams are willing to let them go.

Mclaren Appeal Set on 15th November

The appeal lodged by Mclaren is set to be heard by the FIA Court of Appeal on 15th November.

Mclaren had lodged an appeal against the results of the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton, who finished 7th, lost out on the Drivers' Championship title to Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen by just one point. It was later found out that Williams' Nico Rosberg, BMW's Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld had fuel that was below the allowed temperature (it has to be at most 10 degrees below track temperature), thereby giving them a boost in their performance (lower temperature meant more fuel stored). Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld finished 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.

If Mclaren's appeal is successful, it could mean that Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld could all be stripped off their positions, thus handing the 4th position to Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton would then have enough points to beat Finnish Kimi Räikkönen and win the Drivers' Championship title on his debut season.

However, FIA president Max Mosley has played down speculations that Lewis Hamilton could be handed the Drivers' title even if the trio were found guilty.

Certainly, if the FIA decides to strip Kimi Räikkönen of his first title and hand it over to Lewis Hamilton, it would be a cruel blow to the Finn, as well as possibly cause an uproar against the FIA's decision.

Singapore: Permanent Racetrack to be Built

The motorsports fever in Singapore is in fullswing as the government opened up a site in Changi for proposals to build it into a permanent racetrack.

This race track however, will be a Grade 2 racetrack* and will not be able to host the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Motorsports fans in Singapore can look forward to races like the A1GP, MotoGP, Japan GP, as well as many other races. Testing of cars and driving training courses can also be conducted on the race track.

The race track should be between 2.8km to 3.5km or more, making it one of the most compact and efficient race track in Asia. The government is looking at a seating capacity of 15,000 or more, with the possibility of adding temporary structures to accomodate more seatings.

With the seafront location, the track is set to be one of the most scenic in the region. The estimated cost is set to be around $84 million, with no government funding, and is expected to be completed by 2011.

The government has also indicated their clear interest in pursuing a motorsports industry in Singapore, with plans to not only involve Singaporeans as spectators, but a chance to develop motorsports talent in the Republic. "A chance for a driving school perhaps... some kind of academy that'll give the driver a chance to get on the pathway. It will allow the masses to enjoy this, not only as a spectator but also to drive," said Oon Jin Teik, CEO of Singapore Sports Council.

*Grade 2 FIA-approved motor sports racetrack capable of hosting any motor race for both motorcycles and cars, other than Formula One. Also includes a Grade 1 FIA-CIK-approved karting track.

Singapore Grand Prix 2008: Night Race is On!

Singapore will be hosting the inaugural night race of Formula 1 after the plans for the floodlit plans submitted were approved by the FIA.

The Singapore Grand Prix, which will be held on the 28th September 2008, will be a street-circuit that will feature prominent icons of Singapore, including the Swissotel, the Esplanade as well as the old Parliament House.

The US Grand Prix in Indianapolis will not be featured in the 2008 calendar, while the German race will be in the Hockenheim. Valencia, another new feature and a street circuit concept as well, will be the second of the two races in Spain (the first being in the Circuit de Catalunya) and will be called the Europe Grand Prix.

Brazilian GP:Kimi Räikkönen Wins Race, Wins Drivers' Championship Title

It was an epic buildup to the race, and the race itself certainly did not disappoint with the dramas that happened.

Right at the start of the last race of the 2007 season, Felipe Massa, showing he is a worthy teammate to Kimi Räikkönen, moved right in front of Mclaren's Lewis Hamilton, allowing Kimi to move up right beside the Brazilian. Going into turn 1, Massa went ahead while Kimi slotted in neatly behind his teammate's Ferrari. Mclaren's other driver Fernando Alonso did not make things any easier for his teammate Lewis Hamilton by overtaking him and forcing the young British driver to make a mistake and ran wide. Several cars overtook him as he steered back on track.

The two Ferraris pulled away gradually after 3 laps when Fernando Alonso's Mclaren could not keep up with their pace anymore. Lewis Hamilton then shortly suffered gear box problems and coasted around the track on neutral gear for nearly 40seconds. By the time he managed to get his car to working condition again, he was already down in the 18th place and effectively out of the title race.

William's Nakajima, in his debut race, was unable to control his race car to a stop effectively in the pit, knocking over one of the mechanics who had to be transported to the hospital but looked visibly alright other than a hurt left leg.

Felipe Massa built a small lead over his teammate after the first pitstop, however, a mistake by the Brazilian allowed Kimi to close in on him slowly and steadily. With a few marvellous laps while the Brazilian was having his second pitstop, and a brillantly executed pit stop for the Finn saw him overtook his teammate in the pits for the second time of the year.

Even when his Ferrari crossed the line, all Ferrari's supporters and Kimi himself were left holding their breaths as the other cars crossed the line. Lewis Hamilton was in the 7th place and if he remained in that position, then the Drivers' Championship would be Kimi's to take. Despite Williams' Nico Rosberg and the two BMWs of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica engaged in a fierce battle, they did not take out one another to the relief of the Red team and kept Lewis in his seventh spot.


Kimi Räikkönen, grateful for teammate Felipe Massa's help (who could have enjoyed a home victory but understood his position in the team and showed great teamwork when it mattered), got out of his car and thanked his teammate immediately.


The newly crowned World Champion Kimi Räikkönen with former 2 times World Champion Fernando Alonso on the podium. The Iceman, as Kimi is known for his cool and calm demeanor, showed rare smiles on the podium and looked visibly delighted.



Perhaps that was the defining difference between the two teams - Mclaren Mercedes, which looked like they had the two championships in the bag at the start of the season, and Ferrari, which showed great teamwork and unity when it mattered. Mclaren's team principal and rookie Lewis Hamilton will be left wondering about all the what-ifs and what went wrong for them this season when they had such a strong start.

Brazilian GP Results:
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:28:15.270
02 F. Massa Ferrari + 1.493
03 F. Alonso McLaren + 57.019
04 N. Rosberg Williams + 1:02.848
05 R. Kubica BMW + 1:10.957
06 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:11.317
07 L. Hamilton McLaren + 1 laps
08 J. Trulli Toyota + 1 laps
09 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 1 laps
10 K. Nakajima Williams + 1 laps
11 R. Schumacher Toyota + 1 laps
12 T. Sato Super Aguri + 2 laps
13 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 2 laps
14 A. Davidson Super Aguri + 3 laps
Did not finish
15 A. Sutil Spyker F1 + 28 laps
16 R. Barrichello Honda + 31 laps
17 H. Kovalainen Renault + 36 laps
18 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso + 37 laps
19 J. Button Honda + 51 laps
20 M. Webber Red Bull + 57 laps
21 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 + 69 laps
22 G. Fisichella Renault + 69 laps

Source: PlanetF1

Brazilian GP Qualifying: Felipe Massa in Pole Position

Times
01 F. Massa Ferrari 1:11.931
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.082
03 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:12.322
04 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.356
05 M. Webber Red Bull 1:12.928
06 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:13.081
07 R. Kubica BMW 1:13.129
08 J. Trulli Toyota 1:13.195
09 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:13.272
10 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.477
11 R. Barrichello Honda 1:12.932
12 G. Fisichella Renault 1:12.968
13 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.058
14 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.251
15 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.315
16 J. Button Honda 1:13.469
17 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:14.078
18 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:14.098
19 K. Nakajima Williams 1:14.417
20 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:14.596
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:15.217
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:15.487

Source: PlanetF1



Home hero Felipe Massa did not disappoint the Brazilian fans. Fastest in Free Practice 3, Massa carried his wonderful form into the final qualifying of the 2007 season by clinching the pole position ahead of Mclaren's Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari teammate Kimi Räikkönen.

Lewis Hamilton was embroiled in more controversies as he was allegedly blocking Kimi Räikkönen on his flying laps twice as he came out of the pits to do his installation laps. However, the stewards did not conduct any investigations, nor were there any formal complaint filed by the Scuderia Ferrari team.

Mclaren's Fernando Alonso managed a 4th position, and will line up behind his teammate. He admitted that the hopes for any championship title is grim now, and blamed having to start Q3 behind his teammate, "The main problem was starting behind my team-mate as usual," he told Italian television RAI. He would certainly be hoping for some miracle to happen as he believes that the two Mclaren would be on identical pit-strategy, so Lewis Hamilton will have the upperhand on him by starting in the front row.

Mark Webber was a surprise in his Red Bull, taking the 5th grid, but perhaps the recent races have shown Red Bull's improvement, while his teammate David Coulthard qualified on the 9th position. Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica's BMWs were normal in their performance taking the 6th and 7th spot, while the 8th was taken by Jarno Trulli in his Toyota.

Williams' rookie Kazuki Nakajima, replacing Alex Wurz who retired with immediate effect after the Chinese Grand Prix, managed a lowly 19th position, while a surprisingly horrible performance by Renault's Heikki Kovalainen put him in the 17th position on the grid.

Brazilian GP Prac: Home Hero is Fastest

Times
01 F. Massa Ferrari 1:11.810 22 laps
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:11.934 18 laps
03 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:11.942 21 laps
04 M. Webber Red Bull 1:12.446 14 laps
05 J. Trulli Toyota 1:12.461 23 laps
06 R. Barrichello Honda 1:12.478 24 laps
07 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:12.579 25 laps
08 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.594 12 laps
09 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:12.767 18 laps
10 N. Rosberg Williams 1:12.823 20 laps
11 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:12.893 20 laps
12 G. Fisichella Renault 1:12.913 20 laps
13 J. Button Honda 1:13.015 22 laps
14 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.046 23 laps
15 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:13.090 20 laps
16 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:13.117 12 laps
17 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:13.299 16 laps
18 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:13.331 16 laps
19 K. Nakajima Williams 1:13.474 17 laps
20 R. Kubica BMW 1:13.525 14 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:13.684 21 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:13.872 21 laps

Source: PlanetF1

Homegrown hero Felipe Massa topped the timesheet for the first time this weekend in his homeground. On a contrary condition from yesterday's weather, today's third practice session was held on a dry track in a sunny weather.

Lewis Hamilton, Mclaren's hope for a Drivers' Championship in 8 years (their last Drivers' Championship crown was obtained in 1999), set the second fastest time during the last 3 minutes of the timed session. Ferrari's other driver Kimi Räikkönen was the third fastest, while the other title contender Mclaren's Fernando Alonso was a lowly 8th.

Robert Kubica faced technical problems when his car around Bico de Pato, bringing out the yellow flags.

With just half an hour to go before the final qualifying session of 2007, 3 title contenders, who will get the pole position?

Will Felipe Massa attempt a shot at glory in his home race, or would he help teammate Kimi Räikkönen by playing shotgun? Will Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton lose their cool?

Only time will tell!

Three Drivers to go Unpunished for Tyre Error

Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Takuma Sato will all heave a sigh of relief as they are all not penalised for the tyre error committed during Practice 1, where they each used 2 sets of wet tyres instead of a set of wet and a set of extreme weather tyre as stipulated in the regulations.

Each team, Mclaren (Lewis Hamilton), Honda (Jenson Button) and Super Aguri (Takuma Sato) will instead be fined $15,000 euro and have a set of wet tyres confiscated. It is considered a light penalty in light of what could have been if the stewards decided to impose penalties on the drivers instead, considering that Lewis Hamilton would need all the points he can get to ensure that he gets his first Drivers' Championship, with teammate Fernando Alonso 4 points behind, and Kimi Raikkonen a further 3 points back.

Lewis Hamilton's Title Hope Hangs by a Thread

Lewis Hamilton, current leader in the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, will be investigated after he was found to be using 2 sets of wet tires during Practice 1.

Ron Dennis admitted that it was a "100%" Mclaren's fault, and now Lewis Hamilton, for the third time of the year, will be at the centre of controversies as he faces a steward's hearing.

According to article 25.3 of the F1 Sporting Regulations: "No driver may use more than one set of wet and one set of extreme weather tyres during P1 and P2." Other than Lewis Hamilton, Honda's Jenson Button and Super Aguri's Takuma Sato are all guilty of this offence. All three will be holding their breaths to see what punishment or penalty would be meted out to them as there has been no penalties set for the breach of this offence yet.

Brazilian GP Prac 2: Lewis Fights Back

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.767 27 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.889 28 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:13.075 30 laps
04 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:13.112 30 laps
05 G. Fisichella Renault 1:13.579 22 laps
06 R. Kubica BMW 1:13.587 34 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.655 33 laps
08 K. Nakajima Williams 1:13.664 38 laps
09 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:13.706 30 laps
10 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:13.785 44 laps
11 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.829 29 laps
12 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:13.879 28 laps
13 R. Barrichello Honda 1:13.892 45 laps
14 J. Button Honda 1:14.095 44 laps
15 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:14.152 33 laps
16 J. Trulli Toyota 1:14.179 25 laps
17 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:14.409 37 laps
18 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:14.431 27 laps
19 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:14.477 31 laps
20 M. Webber Red Bull 1:14.543 35 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:15.095 35 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:15.715 32 laps

Source: PlanetF1

Practice 2 saw the Mclaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso topping the timesheet, a stark contrast from Practice 1 where they only managed a 5th and no-timing respectively. Kimi Raikkonen, the man who had set the pace on the first practice, managed only a disappointing 4th, behind his teammate Felipe Massa.

The session was without any rain, but the track was wet when they started, and was nearly totally dry towards the end of the session.

Brazilian GP Prac 1: Kimi First on a Wet Session

Times
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:19.580 9 laps
02 F. Massa Ferrari 1:20.062 10 laps
03 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:20.829 19 laps
04 N. Rosberg Williams 1:21.064 14 laps
05 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:21.121 10 laps
06 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:21.243 22 laps
07 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.598 22 laps
08 M. Webber Red Bull 1:22.104 12 laps
09 J. Trulli Toyota 1:22.104 26 laps
10 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.250 17 laps
11 R. Barrichello Honda 1:22.434 23 laps
12 J. Button Honda 1:22.477 22 laps
13 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:22.667 16 laps
14 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:22.929 19 laps
15 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:23.248 30 laps
16 K. Nakajima Williams 1:23.261 26 laps
17 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:23.551 20 laps
18 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:24.366 25 laps
19 N. Heidfeld BMW no time 1 laps
20 R. Kubica BMW no time 1 laps
21 F. Alonso McLaren no time 1 laps
22 G. Fisichella Renault no time 2 laps

Source: PlanetF1


Kimi Raikkonen came up on top of the timesheet for the first practice of the Brazilian Grand Prix. As predicted, it looks like we could be in for a wet race in Brazil following the wet ones of the Japanese Grand Prix and the Chinese Grand Prix.

Championship title contender Lewis Hamilton looks lacklustre in his first Brazilian GP by setting a time that only puts him on the fifth place, while his Mclaren teammate Fernando Alonso, together with BMW's Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, as well as Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella failed to set a timing.

Singapore Set to be the Regional Racing Hub?

Plans to bring more forms of motorsports to Singapore are roaring ahead with the latest being the possibility of bringing in the Volvo Ocean Race here.

According to a report on The Straits Times, discussions to bring in the Volvo Ocean Race (one of the largest competition for 70-foot racing yachts) are already in the final stretch with a contract signing to be done next month.

Similar to Formula 1, the Volvo Ocean Race would mean huge media coverage for Singapore during the 10-month duration of the event. The event takes place once every 4 years.

Another big event that looks possible to take place in Singapore in the near future is the high-profiled Red Bull Air Race. If Singapore fulfils the bidding criteria, we could be considered as a 2009 circuit. Again, the media coverage would be extensive on the host country, especially with one of the criteria being that "the host city should be easily recognisable to the watching millions world-wide".

With the Formula 1 race in Singapore happening next year September 28, it should not be a problem for the country to meet that criteria, as the race is set within the heart of the city and numerous key buildings will be captured during the course of the race as the cars zip around the street circuit.

Singapore F1 GP Names Lighting Contractor

SINGAPORE : Organisers for the inaugural Formula One race in Singapore have picked a company based in Italy as the lighting contractor.

The decision came after two lighting tests were conducted in July and September at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track in Le Castellet, France.

Organisers have also got the go-ahead after submitting a proposed system to the Federation Internationale de I'Automobile (FIA) in Paris.

Singapore plans to hold the world's first night race next year and has teamed up with Italy-based Valerio Maioli S.p.a, which specialises in the engineering of lighting and telecommunication system.

Lighting plays an important part in the race and the company said it will use lights to guide the drivers.

The entire track will be fitted with close to 1,500 projectors, placed 4 metres apart.

This makes it almost four times brighter than an average sports stadium.

But the brightness will not be too glaring for the drivers.

This is because the projectors will be erected 10 metres above the course.

The power surge will not result in any power outage or blackout, thanks to the 12 twin-powered generators.

The lights will be brought to Singapore in early January to be tested in a controlled environment.

Contractors will then take approximately two to three months to set up the system, so the lighting system will likely be up in the second quarter of 2008.

Meantime, all eyes will be on the announcement whether Singapore gets the go-ahead to hold the world's first night race.

"It's never happened before so it's very exciting for the world, and everybody's waiting for this night race. For instance, there are 400 reporters going for each grand prix. For Singapore, probably 600 are coming, almost double the number, because of the interest," said Colin Syn, President of Singapore Grand Prix.

The decision on holding the night race will be known early next year.

- AFP /ls

Source: Channel News Asia

Ferrari Extends Felipe Massa's Contract Till 2010

Ferrari has extended Brazilian Felipe Massa's contract till 2010, effectively ending any further speculation of Mclaren's unhappy driver Fernando Alonso's chances of ending up in a Ferrari seat. Kimi Raikkonen, the other Ferrari driver, is currently ia contract up till 2009.

Mario Theissen All for Night Race

Mario Theissen, team principal of BMW, has shown his support for a night race in Singapore provided that the drivers' safety is taken care of. Joining a number of drivers who have already expressed their interest in a possible night race, Dr Mario (as he is affectionately called) compared the attractiveness of a night race to that of a football match held in a stadium lit with floodlights.

According to him, he felt that "it's no rocket-science to create a fail-proof lighting system". Testings have already been conducted in the US Indianapolis track in June was deemed a success with the help of American company Musco Lighting, which provides lighting to a couple of US races like the Nascar, Champ Cars and Indy series.

Mclaren driver Fernando Alonso was the only one so far to have explicitly expressed his unwillingness to race in a night-setting.

Liuzzi Loses Appeal to Keep Fuji Point

Toro Rosso's Vitantonio Liuzzi, who came in 8th place during the Japanese Grand Prix two weekends ago, failed in the appeal against the point stripped from him after he was found guilty of overtaking Spyker's Adrian Sutil under yellow flags.

The FIA stuck by their decision to penalise the Toro Rosso team, which would have scored their first point finish during the Japanese Grand Prix if not for the 25-second penalty handed out to Liuzzi, and awarded the single point to Spyker's Adrian Sutil. A week later, in the Chinese Grand Prix, Toro Rosso showed that they might be a force to reckon with in 2008 with a strong 4th place finish by rookie Sebastian Vettel and a 6th place by Liuzzi.

Renault Denies Alonso Links

French team Renault has issued a half-hearted statement denying the reports of a possible return of Fernando Alonso in 2008. Renault issued the following statement: "The team will not comment on the speculation that has appeared in the media,"

"We will announce our drivers for next season when we are ready to do so."

Fernando Alonso Set to Return to Renault in 2008?

Fernando Alonso has reportedly signed a letter of intent to rejoin Renault in 2008, with his exit strategy and contract to be worked out soon.

The Spaniard who is currently driving for Ron Dennis' Mclaren team, is still under contract with Mclaren till 2008, with the option of continuing in 2009. However, his bad blood with team principal Ron Dennis and teammate Lewis Hamilton have quashed any hope of him remaining in the Mclaren outfit next year, with his latest accusation of the team over-inflating his tires on purpose during the Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session so that advantage can be given to his teammate Hamilton.

Toyota, desperate for a good break, has also indicated their interest in the current world champion by offering him "(US) $150 million for a three year deal; a comparable amount of money to that earned by Michael Schumacher at Ferrari towards the end of his illustrious career" as reported by F1-Live.

However, given the promise of the number one status in the Renault team, as well as an enticing 3-year contract and as escape route, Fernando Alonso is more likely to be joining Renault, where he won 2 world championship titles in seasons 2005 and 2006.

Fernando Alonso Quizzed by Italian Prosecutors, Discussed Contract with Renault

Fernando Alonso, who on Sunday claimed that Mclaren over-inflated his tires, has created news yet again as he volunteered information about the Stepneygate incident in a two-hour session with the Italian police.

The driver is not under any investigation, but was apparently interviewed by the Modena Magistrate Giuseppe Tibis as a potential witness to the spy incident. He was quizzed mainly about the email correspondence with test driver Pedro dela Rosa over the Ferrari information given by Nigel Stepney to Mike Coughlan.

Renault meanwhile is hard at work to attract their ex-driver by showing Fernando Alonso the details of Renault's car next year, the R28. Spanish sources claimed the he was involved in a meeting with Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds for a possible 2 - 3 years contract. Autopista, a Spanish magazine, also claimed that Fernando Alonso's teammate is not likely to be the underperforming Giancarlo Fisichella, who is touted to replace Williams' Nico Rosberg, who in turn will be joining the Mclaren camp in Fernando Alonso's spot.

Chinese GP: Kimi Raikkonen Ultimate Winner of the Weekend

Chinese GP Results
1 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:37:58.395
2 F. Alonso McLaren + 9.800
3 F. Massa Ferrari + 45.800
4 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso + 53.500
5 J. Button Honda + 1:08.600
6 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1:13.600
7 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:14.200
8 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 1:20.700
9 H. Kovalainen Renault + 1:21.100
10 M. Webber Red Bull + 1:24.600
11 G. Fisichella Renault + 1:26.600
12 A. Wurz Williams + 1 laps
13 J. Trulli Toyota + 1 laps
14 T. Sato Super Aguri + 1 laps
15 R. Barrichello Honda + 1 laps
16 N. Rosberg Williams + 2 laps
17 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 + 3 laps
Did not finish
18 R. Kubica BMW + 23 laps
19 L. Hamilton McLaren + 26 laps
20 R. Schumacher Toyota + 31 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 + 32 laps
22 A. Davidson Super Aguri + 45 laps

Source: PlanetF1

Lewis Hamilton's bright beginning to the Chinese GP ended off with a dramatic and tragical sizzle. At the start of the race, light rain began to drizzle down the track and the teams all opted for the Intermediate tires. Lewis Hamilton kept a strong hole on the first position, and at one point, even opened up a wide gap between him and 2nd placed Kimi Raikkonen.

The top 4 drivers - Lewis, Kimi, Fernando and Massa went into the pits and made the decision not to change their intermediate tires (which were beginning to become slick tires given their wear-and-tear) since it looked like the track was beginning to dry up. Massa began to experience problems with his intermediate tires first as he struggled for grip on the track. Fernando Alonso had a couple of run-offs but managed to keep his third place, while Lewis Hamilton, under the tremendous pressure from Kimi Raikkonen, lost out the most.

As he was coming into the pitlane for tire change, he was unable to stop his car from sliding off the track and into the gravel at the pitlane entry. He was unable to get his stuck car out of the gravel even with the help of race marshalls. That was the end of the race for him, and he collected no points at all.

Kimi Raikkonen then went on to collect the 200th victory for Ferrari, which is also the 600th time a Ferrari driver has gotten onto the podium, while his teammate Felipe Massa finished in third place, behind Mclaren's Fernando Alonso.

Sebastian Vettel, with an impressive one stop strategy, finished in the 4th spot ahead of the Honda of Jenson Button, while the other Toro Rosso Vitantonio Liuzzi finished in 6th place. Toro Rosso had a really great weekend as they collect their first points finishes. Nick Heidfeld managed a disappointing 7th position, having struggled all weekend, while Red Bull's David Coulthard took the last point-finishing spot.

With just one race left, the drivers head to the Brazillian Grand Prix in 2 weeks' time with this standing:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 107 points
2. Fernando Alonso- 103 points
3. Kimi Raikkonen - 100 points

Just 7 points separate the top 3 drivers.

For Lewis Hamilton, all he needed to do is to finish ahead of both Fernando and Kimi to win his first championship title.

For Fernando Alonso, he needs Lewis Hamilton to finish 5 points behind him, and Kimi Raikkonen to finish behind him.

For Kimi Raikkonen, he would need a victory for himself, Lewis Hamilton to finish 6th or below, and Fernando Alonso to finish 3rd or below to collect his first, and long awaited drivers' championship title.

Chinese GP Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton Takes Pole

Qualifying Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:35.908
02 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:36.044
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:36.221
04 F. Alonso McLaren 1:36.576
05 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:37.619
06 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:38.013
07 M. Webber Red Bull 1:38.153
08 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:38.455
09 R. Kubica BMW 1:38.472
10 J. Button Honda 1:39.285
11 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:36.862
12 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:36.891
13 J. Trulli Toyota 1:36.959
14 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:36.991
15 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:37.247
16 N. Rosberg Williams 1:37.483
17 R. Barrichello Honda 1:37.251
18 G. Fisichella Renault 1:37.290
19 A. Wurz Williams 1:37.456
20 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:38.218
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:38.668
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:39.336

Source: PlanetF1

Lewis Hamilton once again convince the world why he is deserving to be the youngest world champion at his debut season, with a strong show in the Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session. Never having set a single fastest timing throughout the practices (Kimi Raikkonen took the P1 in all 3 practices), Lewis stunned the crowd with an impressive performance.

Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, could not match the rookie's timing and could only settle for the second spot. Ferrari's other driver Felipe Massa took the third position, while Mclaren's Fernando Alonso managed only a fourth position surprisingly, given his practice timings.

Red Bull looks set for another great weekend with David Coulthard getting the 5th position, ahead of Ralf Schumacher's Toyota, and David's teammate Mark Webber took the 7th position. Nick Heidfeld's BMW was disappointing and the German could only just manage a 8th place ahead of his teammate Robert Kubica. Jenson Button finished up the top ten position in his Honda.

Chinese GP Practice 3: Kimi Fastest But Hit By Reliability Issues

Practice 3 Times
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:36.100 15 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:36.126 13 laps
03 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:36.227 14 laps
04 F. Massa Ferrari 1:36.405 14 laps
05 R. Schumacher Toyota 36.959 18 laps
06 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:36.964 13 laps
07 R. Kubica BMW 1:37.024 23 laps
08 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:37.106 14 laps
09 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:37.176 18 laps
10 M. Webber Red Bull 1:37.315 13 laps
11 N. Rosberg Williams 1:37.323 16 laps
12 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:37.463 18 laps
13 J. Button Honda 1:37.564 19 laps
14 J. Trulli Toyota 1:37.679 20 laps
15 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:37.732 15 laps
16 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:37.759 19 laps
17 G. Fisichella Renault 1:37.791 17 laps
18 R. Barrichello Honda 1:37.920 20 laps
19 A. Wurz Williams 1:37.926 16 laps
20 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:38.577 16 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:38.868 20 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:39.517 21 laps

Source: PlanetF1

Kimi Raikkonen sets the fastest timing for the third practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix, however, it looks like he was hit by reliability issues as he went back early into the pits and spent some time talking to his engineers.

Fernando Alonso sets the second fastest timing for the third time of the weekend, and has beaten his teammate Lewis Hamilton again. Ferrari's Felipe Massa took the fourth spot.

Williams has indicated their decision to drop Alex Wurz from the team line up next season. In an interview, Frank Williams, team principal of the Williams team has said that while Wurz "has been reliable" he is not sure if he is going to give him a chance to race again in the next season.

Chinese GP Practice 1 and 2: Kimi Sets the Pace

Practice 1 Times
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:37.024 23 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:37.108 18 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:37.128 21 laps
04 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:37.210 20 laps
05 N. Rosberg Williams 1:37.707 23 laps
06 R. Kubica BMW 1:38.055 23 laps
07 J. Trulli Toyota 1:38.208 30 laps
08 G. Fisichella Renault 1:38.217 16 laps
09 K. Nakajima Williams 1:38.270 30 laps
10 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:38.445 13 laps
11 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:38.551 17 laps
12 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:38.661 23 laps
13 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:38.700 25 laps
14 J. Button Honda 1:38.942 18 laps
15 R. Barrichello Honda 1:38.945 22 laps
16 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:39.238 23 laps
17 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.497 22 laps
18 M. Webber Red Bull 1:39.535 23 laps
19 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:39.539 20 laps
20 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.898 24 laps
21 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:40.126 27 laps
22 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:40.149 26 laps

Practice 2 Times
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:36.607 31 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:36.613 28 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:36.630 29 laps
04 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:36.876 33 laps
05 J. Trulli Toyota 1:37.151 36 laps
06 M. Webber Red Bull 1:37.450 34 laps
07 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:37.524 32 laps
08 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:37.617 27 laps
09 N. Rosberg Williams 1:37.646 36 laps
10 G. Fisichella Renault 1:37.970 32 laps
11 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:38.062 21 laps
12 J. Button Honda 1:38.205 41 laps
13 R. Barrichello Honda 1:38.304 40 laps
14 R. Kubica BMW 1:38.379 39 laps
15 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:38.388 16 laps
16 A. Wurz Williams 1:38.531 32 laps
17 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:38.975 38 laps
18 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.062 36 laps
19 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:39.224 37 laps
20 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:39.360 37 laps
21 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.404 34 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:40.051 38 laps

Source: PlanetF1

FIA to Investigate Lewis Hamilton

Yet another post-race activity set the F1 world in a frenzy again.

A video taken by a spectator from the grand stand,showed the current championship leader Lewis Hamilton slowed his car down dramatically behind the safety car, which in turn led to Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel pulling up beside him, before the Red Bull and the Toro Rosso drivers collided, resulting in the end of the race for both of them.

Sebastian Vettel was later deemed guilty by the race stewards and will be punished with a 10 place penalty in the upcoming Shanghai Grand Prix this weekend.

Franz Tost, the Toro Rosso team principal, alerted the FIA to the footage in a bid to appeal against Sebastian Vettel's penalty. The incident was not caught on official race footage, but this video could prove to be a key evidence for the incident.

Hamilton was slammed by Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, as well as several other drivers down the field such as Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. The lead car was supposed to keep within 5 car lengths from the safety car, but Hamilton, on several occasions, had been braking the car to almost a standstill, resulting in those behind him to bunch up, before zooming off again.

If found guilty, Hamilton could either find his 10 points earned deducted, or be demoted 10 grids for the Chinese Grand Prix, and both are not going to be beneficial in his bid to become the youngest world champion by this weekend.

Ralf Schumacher Set to Leave Toyota

Yet another of the worst-kept secrets of this crazy F1 season has been confirmed by the man himself - Ralf Schumacher, after 3 years of less-than-impressive performance, has decided to part ways with the Toyota team.

He has yet to announce where he is headed next, with no team having explicitly expressed their interest in the German driver. Ralf said that he would announce his plans at the end of this season, and has also mentioned that money will not be an important factor in his new job search.

Meanwhile, the Toyota team would be on the lookout for a new driver to replace Ralf. Nico Rosberg, from the Williams-Toyota team, looks to be a prospective candidate, but Toyota would face a fierce competition from Mclaren and any other team eager to land their hands on this rising star who has proven himself worthy (and pipped to be as good as Lewis Hamilton by team boss Sir Frank Williams) more than often this season.

But of course, now everyone will hold their breaths to see what reigning world champion (soon we probably wouldn't be using it on him anymore)Fernando Alonso would do. Renault has supposedly offered him a contract with a likely promise of the Number 1 status in the team (and probably partnering Heikki Kovalainen). If Fernando Alonso choose to take that, Renault would have to buy out the remaining 2 years of his contract with Mclaren, and Giancarlo Fisichella could be left without a job and Mclaren would be looking for a partner for Lewis.

It's all one big driver-movement circus.

Post Japanese GP: Mix Ups, Penalties and More

After a weird pit-stop call for both Ferraris at the beginning of the race, all came to light during the press conference when an unhappy Kimi Raikkonen said that both him and Massa were told to come into the pits to have their tires changed. It turned out that FIA's email to the teams telling them to start on extra wet tires for the race did not manage to land in the Ferrari mailbox until late.

As a result, both Ferraris, which started on intermediate tires as they had set the car up for a dry race. Unfortunately, this resulted in a compulsory pitstop for both of them, which might have cost Kimi Raikkonen his Drivers' Championship chances.

Sebastian Vettel was ruled as the guilty party in the collision with Mark Webber, and as a result, he is hit with a 10 place penalty which will be carried over to the Shanghai Grand Prix next weekend.

His teammate, Vitantonio Liuzzi, who scored his first point of this season for himself and Toro Rosso, was unable to enjoy his solitary point for more than 5 hours after he was found guilty of overtaking under yellow flag. Adrian Sutil, in a very much improved Spyker, would be more than happy to score the first point for his team and himself after finishing in the 9th place initially, but would now move up one position in place of Vitantonio.

Japanese Grand Prix 07 - Lewis Retains Lead with 12 Points

In an extremely wet race of the Japanese Grand Prix, where the cars spent almost 20 laps behind the safety car, Lewis Hamilton managed to maintain his lead from pole position to clinch the victory. His teammate and closest rival Fernando Alonso however, crashed into the safety barrier after a suspected suspension failure, now trails the Brit by 12 points in the Drivers' Championship after failing to finish the race.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who started from third, finished in third place behind fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen from Renault. Heikki, who just scored his first podium finish, did a wonderful race to defend his 2nd position from the relentless attack of Kimi.

David Coulthard brought the Red Bull team to the fourth position behind the Finns and Giancarlo Fisichella, in the other Renault, although he qualified better than Heikki Kovalainen, managed a 5th position. Felipe Massa took a disappointing 6th position after being penalised for overtaking under safety car in the early stages of the race. However, his last-gasp duel with BMW's Robert Kubica left many of us breathless as the two took swipes at each other viciously before coming up to the start-finish line. Vitantonio Liuzzi then scored the first point for the Toro Rosso Team in the 8th position.

The most disappointed people, other than Fernando Alonso, were perhaps Mark Webber and rookie Sebastian Vettel. During the safety-car stint brought about by Alonso's crash, the two Red Bull affiliates, in 2nd and 3rd position respectively, lined up behind Lewis Hamilton while waiting for the race restart. However, an overzealous Sebastian unfortunately ploughed his Toro Rosso car into Mark Webber's Red Bull. Mark did not bother to hid his disgust as he threw his steering wheel out of the car before getting out, while a remorseful Vettel was seen in tears at the pitwall.

Results
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 2:00:34.579
02 H. Kovalainen Renault + 8.377
03 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 9.478
04 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 20.297
05 G. Fisichella Renault + 38.864
06 F. Massa Ferrari + 49.042
07 R. Kubica BMW + 49.200
08 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 55.600
09 A. Sutil Spyker F1 + 1:01.100
10 R. Barrichello Honda + 1:28.300
11 J. Button Honda + 1 laps
12 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 + 1 laps
13 J. Trulli Toyota + 1 laps
14 N. Heidfeld BMW + 2 laps
15 T. Sato Super Aguri + 2 laps
Did not finish
16 R. Schumacher Toyota + 122 laps
17 A. Davidson Super Aguri + 46 laps
18 N. Rosberg Williams + 18 laps
19 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso + 21 laps
20 M. Webber Red Bull + 22 laps
21 F. Alonso McLaren + 26 laps
22 A. Wurz Williams + 48 laps


Source: PlanetF1

Japanese GP Qualifying: Mclaren Duo Up In Front

01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:25.489
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:25.438
03 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:25.516
04 F. Massa Ferrari 1:25.765
05 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:26.505
06 N. Rosberg Williams 1:26.728 *
07 J. Button Honda 1:26.913
08 M. Webber Red Bull 1:26.914
09 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:26.973
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:27.225
11 G. Fisichella Renault 1:26.033
12 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:26.247
13 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:26.247
14 J. Trulli Toyota 1:26.253
15 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:26.948
16 R. Schumacher Toyota no time
17 R. Barrichello Honda 1:27.323
18 A. Wurz Williams 1:27.454
19 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:27.564
20 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:28.628
21 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:28.792
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:29.668

* Nico Rosberg will suffer a ten-place penalty due to an engine change on Friday.

Source: PlanetF1

In the wet-weathered qualifying, nothing unexpected happened and the drivers on top are the usual suspects - Mclaren duo vs the Ferrari duo. Lewis Hamilton did a fantastic flying last lap to snatch the pole position from right under teammate/rival Fernando Alonso's nose. Kimi Raikkonen took the third position, while Felipe Massa will be lined alongside his teammate in the 2nd row of the grid at the 4th position.

Nick Heidfeld, affirming BMW's position as the third fastest car, came into the 5th position on the grid, while Williams' Nico Rosberg registered a 6th fastest timing, but due to an engine change, he will be relegated to the 16th position. Jenson Button, in a surprising strong show for the Honda team, came in 7th fastest and Mark Webber's Red Bull also did a stunning performance in the 8th position. Rookie Sebastian Vettel managed an impressive 9th fastest while Robert Kubica of BMW falls short of his expectations to come in 10th.

Japanese GP Practice 3: Abandoned

The 3rd and final practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix was abandoned due to extreme bad weather. The practice session was initially delayed for half an hour, beginning at local time 11.30am instead of the planned 11am, but was eventually abandoned after 4 mins into practice time. Only Alex Wurz, Nico Rosberg and Jarno Trulli were able to set lap times in the respective sequence. All drivers other than Kimi Raikkonen managed an installation lap before the session was finally abandoned.

If the weather continues, it could set the background for a very interesting Fuji race. With the lack of familiarity of the track and the wet weather, the race could easily go in anyone's favour.

Singapore F1 Circuit Approved

The revised version of the Singapore F1 Circuit has been approved by the FIA - the governing body of F1. Work has already begun on the major facilities and additional roads required for the event that will take place next September 28.

However, there is still no word from the FIA regarding the proposal for Singapore to have the first ever night race in Formula 1 history.

Japanese GP Practice 2 - Mclaren Still Contenders

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:18.734 38 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:18.948 34 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:19.483 36 laps
04 J. Trulli Toyota 1:19.711 35 laps
05 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:19.714 29 laps
06 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:19.789 40 laps
07 G. Fisichella Renault 1:19.926 39 laps
08 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:19.949 33 laps
09 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:19.969 40 laps
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:20.069 45 laps
11 M. Webber Red Bull 1:20.006 35 laps
12 A. Wurz Williams 1:20.233 37 laps
13 N. Rosberg Williams 1:20.270 43 laps
14 J. Button Honda 1:20.336 44 laps
15 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:20.462 36 laps
16 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:20.736 37 laps
17 R. Barrichello Honda 1:20.889 33 laps
18 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:20.985 44 laps
19 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:20.997 38 laps
20 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:21.007 34 laps
21 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:21.305 38 laps
22 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:21.352 34 laps

Source: PlanetF1

In what seemed almost like a reversed scenario of Practice 1, Mclaren found themselves on the top of the timesheet during Practice 2, with almost half a second off Kimi Raikkonen's fastest timing during Practice 1. Mclaren was the only team in the 1:18s timings while their closest rival, Felipe Massa of Ferrari, just managed a 1:19s.

Right now the odds look pretty even, and the race could very well go either way.

Japanese GP Practice 1 - Ferrari Leads the Way

Times
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:19.119 26 laps
02 F. Massa Ferrari 1:19.498 27 laps
03 F. Alonso McLaren 1:19.667 27 laps
04 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:19.807 24 laps
05 N. Rosberg Williams 1:20.058 26 laps
06 R. Kubica BMW 1:20.297 26 laps
07 A. Wurz Williams 1:20.411 24 laps
08 J. Trulli Toyota 1:20.483 32 laps
09 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:20.516 29 laps
10 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:20.601 22 laps
11 R. Barrichello Honda 1:20.068 24 laps
12 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:20.718 27 laps
13 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:20.728 26 laps
14 V. Liuzzi Toro Rosso 1:20.808 29 laps
15 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:20.828 28 laps
16 G. Fisichella Renault 1:20.851 23 laps
17 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:21.186 15 laps
18 M. Webber Red Bull 1:21.437 18 laps
19 J. Button Honda 1:21.541 22 laps
20 S. Vettel Toro Rosso 1:21.854 18 laps
21 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:22.436 18 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:22.902 17 laps

Source: PlanetF1

Kimi Raikkonen proved himself a formidable force by stamping his authority for the Japanese Grand Prix with an impressive first practice session. The Fuji Speedway, which was last used for an F1 Grand Prix back in 1977, is a relatively new circuit to all the current drivers. The teams spend much time getting to know the track and putitng in practice laps to ensure that the drivers get to know the circuit's every turn and bump.

The predictions before the first practice session were generally that Ferrari would not do well here because of the track's similarity to other tracks like Montreal, Monaco, where Ferrari had failed to perform due to the cars. Mclaren were the hot favourites, but it looks like they have quite some work to do to match the pace of Ferrari.

Alonso to Ferrari, Massa to Toyota?

As the season nears its end, the usual speculation in the drivers' market is at full force. The latest rumour, sparked by a report on British's News of the World, Fernando Alonso, the disgruntled Mclaren driver, is said to have already negotiated a contract with Scuderia Ferrari for the next season. One thing for sure - Fernando Alonso is not likely to be staying in Mclaren. But a move to Ferrari and a partnership with the Iceman Kimi Raikkonen? Definitely this would result in a lot of sparks off and on the track as we all know beyond the Iceman façade, Kimi is not one to mince his words.

But to make way for the Spaniard, rumour has it that Ferrari's current driver Massa will be making a move to the Toyota team. According to the Daily Mail, Massa has already been engaged in preliminary talk with the Japanese team. Toyota has been reportedly fed up with the underperforming Ralf Schumacher, so they would definitely be on the lookout for a new driver. Massa, on the other hand, could possibly be worried about his peril position after Jean Todt's possible retirement at the end of this season for the return of Ross Brawn. Massa, who is currently managed by Jean Todt's son Nicholas, could find himself in unfavourable position if and when Ross Brawn takes over.

Spyker Sold to Michiel Mol and Vijay Mallya

The sale of Spyker F1 Team to Michiel Mol and Vijay Mallya has been announced. Spyker F1, whose drivers are perpetually out of point-scoring positions (whether is it the machine or the man, well, we'll leave it to you), bought over Midland F1 Racing (which bought over Jordan Grand Prix). None of these 3 teams were ever top-tier racing companies, which lead us to wonder if such teams are always at the bottom because of the limited development capabilities.

Bernie Ecclestone, owner of Formula 1, for one, isn't apologetic for Spyker's short stint in Formula 1. He expressed his feelings about how Spyker had not contributed anything to the sport freely, and the deal would be finalised on September 29.

Spyker's highest ever finish in a race was in last week's Belgian Grand Prix, when Adrian Sutil finished in 14th position.

Mclaren Will Not Be Appealing For Hungary Points

Mclaren has withdrawn their appeal for the team points lost in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

During the qualifying session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso was found guilty of impeding teammate Lewis Hamilton during the pitstop. The stewards thus punished Mclaren for this unsporting behaviour by not awarding them any points scored during the Grand Prix.

In view of their oust from the 2007 World Constructors' Championship, Mclaren has decided to drop the appeal in an attempt to seek closure for the matter after the spy espionage. However, it is reported that this decision might affect the $100 milion fine sanctioned by the FIA against Mclaren as the final sum of the fine is calculated based on the team's earnings from its final standings in the championship deducted from the $100 million.

FIA Ready to Investigate Renault

Renault, which had recently been dragged into the spy espionage by team Vodafone Mclaren-Mercedes which was found guilty of breach of sporting rules, might be investigated by the FIA if Mclaren manage to produce substantial evidence against them.

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore however has insisted that the case brought forward by Mclaren against them was not related to the high-profiled 'Stepneygate'.

FIA president Max Mosley has already gotten into contact with Mclaren team principal Ron Dennis regarding their evidence against Renault, and has promised to take action against the French team if the evidence produced is damning enough. Ron Dennis on the other hand, has decided not to say anything to the press until the investigation has been carried out.

Spa-Francorchamp 07 - Raikkonen Leads Ferrari 1-2

With Mclaren docked of all their 166 points in the Constructors' Championship and thus banned from accumulating any more teampoints for the rest of the season, Ferrari looks to be heading towards a comfortable victory for the World Constructor's Championship.

In the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, Kimi Raikkonen led the race from the beginning to the very end with Felipe Massa doing a great job following safely in second place. The first lap of the race saw the two Mclarens nearly taking each other out if Lewis Hamilton had not backed off during the first corner. Fernando Alonso, whose terrible relationship with his team is the worst-kept secret in this season, forced his teammate off the track, resulting in Lewis losing the fight for the third place. The gap between current World Champion Leader Lewis Hamilton and teammate Fernando Alonso has been reduced to just 2 points, with just 3 more races to go.

Nick Heidfeld, who did not have a good qualifying session on Saturday, finished in the 5th place. Nico Rosberg, whose future for the 08 season is still being widely speculated, brought his Williams to the 6th place and technically securing the 4th place in the Constructors' Championship for his team. Mark Webber, in a surprising strong showing in his Red Bull, made it to the 7th place while Heikki Kovalainen's one stop strategy nearly backfired as he held on barely to the last point finish.

Results
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:20:39.066
02 F. Massa Ferrari + 4.695
03 F. Alonso McLaren + 14.343
04 L. Hamilton McLaren + 23.615
05 N. Heidfeld BMW + 51.879
06 N. Rosberg Williams + 1:16.876
07 M. Webber Red Bull + 1:20.639
08 H. Kovalainen Renault + 1:25.106
09 R. Kubica BMW + 1:25.661
10 R. Schumacher Toyota + 1:28.574
11 J. Trulli Toyota + 1:43.653
12 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
13 R. Barrichello Honda + 1 laps
14 A. Sutil Spyker F1 + 1 laps
15 T. Sato Super Aguri + 1 laps
16 A. Davidson Super Aguri + 1 laps
17 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 + 1 laps
Did not finish
18 J. Button Honda + 8 laps
19 A. Wurz Williams + 10 laps
20 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 15 laps
21 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso + 36 laps
22 G. Fisichella Renault + 43 laps

Source:PlanetF1.com

Next up is the Japanese Grand Prix (30th September), which will take place in the Fuji Speedway. It could go anyway with the drivers being relatively new to this circuit. However, as more news of the inevitable separation between Fernando Alonso and Mclaren appear, one can't help but wonder if there might be some strategic teamplay to favoritise Ron Dennis' protége, Lewis Hamilton for his first World Championship title.

Spa Qualifying - Ferrari 1-2

The grid on Sunday for the Spa-Francorchamps will be as follows:

01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:45.994
02 F. Massa Ferrari 1:46.011
03 F. Alonso McLaren 1:46.091
04 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:46.406
05 N. Rosberg Williams 1:47.334
06 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:47.409
07 M. Webber Red Bull 1:47.524
08 J. Trulli Toyota 1:47.798
09 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:48.505
10 G. Fisichella Renault 1:46.603
11 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:46.618
12 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:46.800
13 J. Button Honda 1:46.955
14 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:47.115
15 R. Kubica BMW 1:47.33415*
16 A. Wurz Williams 1:47.394
17 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:47.581
18 R. Barrichello Honda 1:47.954
19 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:47.980
20 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:48.044
21 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:48.199
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:49.577

Ferrari gets a 1-2 qualifying for the first time this year. Kimi Raikkonen qualified on the pole position on the track where he had won twice in Mclaren, while his teammate Felipe Massa will take the second position. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton took the 3rd and 4th spots respectively for the Mclaren team (which will receive no team points no matter what position they finish in). Robert Kubica did a good job getting 5th position, but he is penalised with an engine change and was demoted 10 places. Nico Rosberg thus takes over the 5th spot on the grid with BMW driver Nick Heidfeld taking the 6th place. Mark Webber, Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella round up the top ten places on the Spa-Francorchamps grid positions.

Spa Practice 3 - Ferrari back on top with Kimi

01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:46.137 16 laps
02 F. Massa Ferrari 1:46.388 16 laps
03 F. Alonso McLaren 1:46.507 9 laps
04 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:46.782 13 laps
05 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:47.065 13 laps
06 J. Trulli Toyota 1:47.218 10 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:47.251 16 laps
08 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:47.359 15 laps
09 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:47.454 18 laps
10 M. Webber Red Bull 1:47.527 15 laps
11 G. Fisichella Renault 1:47.564 15 laps
12 J. Button Honda 1:47.767 17 laps
13 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:47.806 9 laps
14 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:47.838 19 laps
15 A. Wurz Williams 1:47.902 16 laps
16 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:48.129 16 laps
17 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:48.163 20 laps
18 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:48.348 18 laps
19 R. Barrichello Honda 1:48.528 16 laps
20 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:48.955 16 laps
21 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:49.179 14 laps
22 R. Kubica BMW no time 2 laps

Spa Practice 2 - Mclaren Duo Fight Back

01 F. Alonso McLaren 1:46.654 29 laps
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:46.765 29 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:46.953 27 laps
04 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:47.166 26 laps
05 J. Trulli Toyota 1:47.491 33 laps
06 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:47.946 34 laps
07 G. Fisichella Renault 1:48.086 30 laps
08 M. Webber Red Bull 1:48.271 29 laps
09 R. Kubica BMW 1:48.279 37 laps
10 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:48.567 38 laps
11 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:48.606 36 laps
12 N. Rosberg Williams 1:48.840 32 laps
13 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:48.883 17 laps
14 J. Button Honda 1:48.919 29 laps
15 R. Barrichello Honda 1:49.364 31 laps
16 A. Wurz Williams 1:49.393 28 laps
17 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:49.697 32 laps
18 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:49.720 34 laps
19 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:50.168 23 laps
20 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:50.399 24 laps
21 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:50.542 24 laps
22 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:50.865 9 laps

Source: Planet-F1.com

Spa Practice 1 - Ferrari First, Ferrari Last

01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:47.339 16 laps
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:47.881 19 laps
03 F. Alonso McLaren 1:47.994 17 laps
04 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:48.052 20 laps
05 N. Rosberg Williams 1:48.372 18 laps
06 R. Kubica BMW 1:48.605 20 laps
07 A. Wurz Williams 1:48.920 20 laps
08 J. Trulli Toyota 1:48.994 19 laps
09 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:49.138 22 laps
10 J. Button Honda 1:49.330 22 laps
11 G. Fisichella Renault 1:49.380 25 laps
12 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:49.548 21 laps
13 M. Webber Red Bull 1:49.894 23 laps
14 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:49.931 19 laps
15 R. Barrichello Honda 1:50.264 22 laps
16 S. Vettel Toro Rosso 1:50.482 27 laps
17 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:50.640 16 laps
18 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:50.648 20 laps
19 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:50.768 22 laps
20 V. Liuzzi Toro Rosso 1:51.628 12 laps
21 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:52.379 21 laps
22 F. Massa Ferrari no time 2 laps

-- Felipe Massa crashed into the tires barrier as his car failed to steer to the right at Rivage.

Source: Planet-F1.com

Mclaren Faces Expulsion from Constructors' Championship and Fined $100 Million

The verdict has been delivered - Mclaren will face expulsion from the 2007 Constructors' Championship - but drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton will not get their points deducted from the Drivers' Championship.

Mike Coughlan, the disgraced ex-Mclaren employee, had earlier on Thursday named several Mclaren key figures who knew about the Ferrari information that he had from Nigel Stepney. While he claimed to have merely glanced through the information, the FIA deemed Mclaren to be guilty of a breach in the sporting regulation, and other than disqualifying Mclaren from the Constructors' Championship, Mclaren has also been slapped with a US$100million fine, as well as having their 2008 car design subjected to approval by the FIA.

However, Ron Dennis, Nobert Haug and the Mclaren team have voiced their dissatisfaction over the FIA's ruling, maintaining their stand that the Mclaren team had not used the information in any way.

Ferrari, on the other hand, is very satisfied with the FIA's ruling, and as a result of Mclaren's disqualification from the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari will now lead the Constructors' Championship with 143 points.

Renault Part of Spy Scandal?

In the latest development of the spy-scandal involving Ferrari and Mclaren, the Woking-based team has indicated to the FIA that rivals Renault should be scrutinised for certain undisclosed matters.

Flavio Briatore, team principal of Renault, has denied of any problems with his team. However, he did not have much to worry about as the FIA has told Mclaren that whatever they were reporting about Renault had nothing to do with the hearing this Thursday - which was to be about the spy scandal between Ferrari and Mclaren.

India Commits to Building F1 Track

In a bid to host an F1 race, India has signed a deal to construct an F1 track. However, this deal is conditional on the term that India pays $30 million by the end of September for the rights fee.

While this deal does not mean that India will definitely host an F1 race, it is viewed as a significant step towards their bid to host an F1 race in the near future.

The proposed circuit will be built in New Delhi.

Italian Grand Prix 07 - Mclaren 1-2 despite tumultous week

In the home grand prix of Scuderia Ferrari, Mclaren managed a 1-2 finish, and enjoyed the honour of being the Highest Scoring Constructor for this grand prix.

Earlier, before the qualifying had started, Italian police called upon the Mclaren camp and served 5 writs to top management of the Vodafone Mclaren-Mercedes Team. Those served included team boss Ron Dennis, Martin Whitmarsh, Jonathan Neale, Paddy Lowe and Rob Taylor - all who were the key figures in the design and strategy of the Mclaren team. It all leads back to the white powder found on the cars of Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen a few days before the Monaco Grand Prix, which sparked the spy-scandal of Nigel Stepney - ex-head of performance development for Ferrari, and Mike Coughlan, ex-chief designer of Mclaren.

While Mclaren appeared unruffled by this 'unnecessary visit' (as Ron Dennis calls it) from the Italian police, emotions were frayed and the tv images showed just as much - an emotional Ron Dennis getting a hug from his wife and wiping away tears from his eyes before he went onto the podium to receive the Constructor's Trophy. He denied the rumours of his retirement, which were no doubt sparked by the spy-scandal incident, and his description of this season being "the most extreme" one of his 41 years in F1.

On with the race report, Felipe Massa could only lament on his poor luck as his car failed with what seemed to be possibly transmission problem just after 9 laps. David Coulthard had his front wing disintegrated by what he claimed to be the result of a contact with Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella.

After the retirement of teammate Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, who suffered a huge shunt during Free Practice 3 on Saturday, was able to move up to 3rd place. He started from 5th position, but a great start saw him leapfrogging BMW driver Nick Heidfeld into the 4th place. Going on a 1 stop strategy, he had a brief moment in 2nd place, until Lewis Hamilton, in a desperate attempt, braked late in the first turn and overtook Kimi. As described by Kimi in the post-race conference, he was not able to hold up his neck during braking after the shunt on Saturday, thus affecting his performance during the later stages of the race.

Fernando Alonso then proceeded to win the Italian Grand Prix with ease, while breaking many tifosi* hearts. Lewis Hamilton completed the 1-2 victory by Mclaren in 2nd place, the lone Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen taking third spot. A delighted Nick Heidfeld took the 4th place, teammate Robert Kubica 5th (can anyone separate these two BMW drivers?! Lol!), a strong show from Williams driver Nico Rosberg got him a 6th place, while Renault driver Heikki Kovalainen took the 7th spot with Honda driver Jenson Button completing the top 8 drivers.

*Tifosi - italian word for sports fans. An affectionate term used to call the Ferrari fans in F1 context.

Singapore F1 Grand Prix PR Account Awarded to Fulford

Fulford, a public relations firm which has experience in handling major sports events, have been awarded the PR account for the Singapore F1 Grand Prix. The company will be in charge of promoting the event in the regional markets, which includes Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and more.

Singapore GP handed the account to Fulford based on its track records in handling motorsports events. The company previously handled the PR for team Mclaren F1 for four years. The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, Lexus Cup women's golf tournament, Singapore Swimming Association and the Netball Singapore national federations - all the big names, are currently in Fulford's portfolio.

The exact number of firms vying for the prestigious account was not made known, nor the value of the account. However, it is understood that the contract stands for 14 months.

Construction for Singapore F1 GP Pit Building Begins

The construction for the Pit Building on Marina Bayfront has begun as of 31st August 2007, after a ground-breaking ceremony led by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang. In order to be in time for the race next year on September 28, the Pit Building will be completed within 9 months, with the estimated date of completion sometime in the end of May next year.

The Pit Building, which includes the usual team garages, VIP lounges, media centre and other facilities, is estimated to cost about SGD 33 million. With most of the walls made of glass, it provides an excellent view for the exclusive guests to have a bird's eye view on the action in the pits, as well as along the start-finish straight.

During races, pit strategies are critical as a well-timed pitstop could very well leapfrog a driver from the second place to the first place, as Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen had proven twice this season during the French Grand Prix and the Santander British Grand Prix.

The FIA would announce next month whether the night race is approved for the Singapore Grand Prix, but in a similar move in MotoGP, the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar 2008 will be ran on the night of March 9th.

Scam alert?

According to a report by The Straits Times on 25th August 2007, a corporate-hospitality company has already been approaching companies and selling the Singapore F1 GP tickets to corporate clients.

Even before Singapore GP, the official race promoters, have appointed any official sales agent for the inaugural Singapore GP next September, some corporate clients have already been approached by sales representatives from a company who claimed to have already sold 200 seats to their global clients.

A check by us shows that this is the possible site (http://www.thgworldwide.com/html/eventdetails.asp?eventID=254) that the Straits Times was talking about. Facilities offered included "private tables, four-course dinner, open bar, grandstand tickets and champagne reception".

While nothing has been confirmed about whether Singapore will really be hosting the first ever night race in Formula 1 history, the company's website has even provided a provisional itinerary with the race starting at 8pm. According to the Straits Times report, the cost of the package is about US $59,000 for 20 people.

The official details for the corporate hospitality packages for the race will only be unveiled on the 28th of November this year, so before you race to get your tickets, think again.