Here are my notes on last week’s Monaco Grand Prix. Some people have suggested it showed McLaren now have the upper hand in the championship but I’m not convinced. Plus, Massa’s impressive start to the race, the drivers who missed opportunities, and more.
Jenson Button articles archive
Ferrari mistakes let Hamilton in for win despite crash
2008 Monaco Grand Prix review
Posted onWet conditions got the better of Ferrari at Monaco allowing Lewis Hamilton to claim victory at the principality despite hitting the barrier in the early running.
2008 Monaco GP qualifying: Ferrari shock McLaren with front row lock-out
Posted onA front-row lockout by Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen gave Ferrari their best chance of breaking their six-year losing streak at Monaco. The red team seemed just as surprised to be on the front row of the grid as Lewis Hamilton did at being bumped back to third. A mere 0.052s covered the top three … Continue reading 2008 Monaco GP qualifying: Ferrari shock McLaren with front row lock-out
Massa wins third consecutive race at Istanbul
2008 Turkish Grand Prix review
Posted onFelipe Massa remains the man to beat at Istanbul after his third win from pole position at the track in as many years.
2008 Turkish Grand Prix qualifying: Hat-trick of poles for Felipe Massa
Posted onFelipe Massa’s love affair with the Istanbul Park circuit goes on. He took his third pole position in a row at the circuit where he scored his first in 2006. It leaves him perfectly poised to turn the trick again in the race tomorrow. Joining him on the front row is McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen. He … Continue reading 2008 Turkish Grand Prix qualifying: Hat-trick of poles for Felipe Massa
Analysis: F1 team mates in qualifying
Posted onThanks to D Winn and David Watkins who sent in further analysis of how each team’s drivers compare against each other in each part of qualifying, in response to yesterday’s comparison of team mates so far this year. If you want to contribute an article to F1Fanatic, have a look at the guest post section. … Continue reading Analysis: F1 team mates in qualifying
Analysis: F1 team mate battles so far
Posted onThere are three drivers who have beaten their team mates in each qualifying session and race so far this year. So is that because they’re much better than their team mates – or some other reason? Here’s a look at the side-by-side comparisons of the F1 drivers so far this year.
2009 F1 drivers – early predictions
Posted onIt’s early days, but Luca di Montezemolo’s comments last week about Ferrari not needing Fernando Alonso started me thinking about which drivers might be on the move for 2009. On the face of it Montezemolo doesn’t seem to want to change his pairing of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. And after three driver changes in … Continue reading 2009 F1 drivers – early predictions
The richest men in motor racing
Posted onI’ve just had a look through the Sunday Times’ annual list of the 1,000 richest people in Britain to see who they reckon the richest Britons in motor racing are. Here are the ones I was able to find – do let me know if you think I’ve missed any. No prizes for guessing who … Continue reading The richest men in motor racing
Jenson Button: the driver debates
Posted onThe subject of this week’s driver debate is Jenson Button, whose career has had more ups and downs than a malfunctioning elevator. How do you rate Jenson Button – and will he ever win another race?
Raikkonen leads crushing Ferrari one-two
2008 Spanish Grand Prix review
Posted onKimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa’s winning margin of 0.9s over Lewis Hamilton suggests the Spanish Grand Prix was a close run thing. It was anything but.
Spanish GP 2008 qualifying: Raikkonen holds back home hero Alonso
Posted onThe big question after qualifying is this: how much fuel does Fernando Alonso have in his Renault? The Spanish driver in his home race sent the crowd into rapture by snatching provisional pole position, only to lose it at the last to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
2008 Spanish GP preview: The midfield
Posted onWith three teams likely to be in the hunt for the victory this weekend the battle to be best of the rest could decide who takes home the points for seventh and eighth positions – assuming the Ferraris, McLarens and BMWs all come home in one piece. So who from Renault, Williams, Red Bull, Toyota … Continue reading 2008 Spanish GP preview: The midfield
Rubens Barrichello wants 300 GP starts
Posted onRubens Barrichello will soon become the F1 driver to have started the most races but he’s told the media he wants to go on much longer: It is no secret that my contract expires at the end of the year. I want to extend it, because I think that with Ross Brawn a new and … Continue reading Rubens Barrichello wants 300 GP starts
Ross Brawn and the Honda recovery
Posted onAfter a dismal showing in winter testing Honda’s performance in the first three races of the season has been almost respectable. Jenson Button got the RA108 into the top ten in qualifying at Bahrain – beating Fernando Alonso’s Renault – and reckoned a points finish was on the cards had he not picked up a … Continue reading Ross Brawn and the Honda recovery
Insert Pole-on-pole joke here
2008 Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying
Posted onRobert Kubica took his and BMW’s first pole position in a surprisingly close qualifying session at Bahrain. The Ferraris had looked imperious in practice but Kubica’s BMW – possible thanks to a low fuel load – nicked pole position in the dying minutes of the qualifying session. Lewis Hamilton grabbed third for McLaren ahead of … Continue reading Insert Pole-on-pole joke here
2008 Bahrain GP preview: ducks to break
Posted onIt’s round three of the season and the last chance for several top drivers to score their first points of the year before the ‘European season’ kicks off. First among these has to be Felipe Massa. He’s already pointed out this week that it’s a long championship and there’s 160 points still to be won. … Continue reading 2008 Bahrain GP preview: ducks to break
Ferrari falter and Hamilton triumphs in Melbourne drama
2008 Australian Grand Prix
Posted onLewis Hamilton shrugged off the disappointment of losing the 2007 championship at the final round and started the new season back at the front of the title race.
Thoughts on the Australian GP grid
Posted onThere have been a few changes to the grid ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, with Timo Glock falling ten places and Adrian Sutil opting to start from the pits. Who will be in the lead going into the first corner? Here are my thoughts on the grid:
2008: Honda
Posted onHonda had a nightmare 2007. But chief executive Nick Fry did the right thing by using it as a starting point for major change. Fry scored a major coup by luring Ross Brawn to the team as principal. He’s made several other astute hires in the past 12 months including Loic Bigois (aerodynamics), Jorg Zander … Continue reading 2008: Honda