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Formula 1 - Season 2008

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1  Melbourne (Australia)

LXXIII ING Australian Grand Prix Location: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia Course: Temporary street circuit, 5.303 km (3.295 mi) Distance: 58 laps, 307.574 km (191.12 mi) Weather: Sunny Pole position: Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.714 Fastest lap: Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.418 on lap 43 Heading into the new season, several teams opted to keep the same line-up as they had in 2007, however some teams changed drivers for 2008. One of the main driver changes involved McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, who chose to move back to Renault for the 2008 season, with Heikki Kovalainen moving in the opposite direction to McLaren. Defending Drivers' Champion Kimi Räikkönen stayed at Ferrari after his title-winning campaign, with the Finnish driver again being joined by Felipe Massa. As in 2007, eleven teams took to the grid for the start of the new season. Notes - Timo Glock was demoted to 19th place due to two five-place grid penalties, for a gearbox change and for impeding Webber during qualifying. - Sebastien Vettel suffered an oil pump problem and did not take part in Q3. - Mark Webber suffered a right front brake failure and was unable to continue with the session after spinning into the gravel. - Kimi Räikkönen suffered a fuel pressure problem in Q1 and was barred from the rest of session for stopping on-track. - Adrian Sutil started the race from the pitlane after he was forced to change chassis after severe damage during qualifying.

Air Date: 2008-03-16

2  Sepang (Malaysia)

X Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix Location: Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia Course: Permanent racing facility 5.543 km (3.376 mi) Distance: 56 laps, 310.408 km (189.056 mi) Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy; Air 30-31°C, Track 39-46°C Pole position: Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:35.748 Qualifying Session 1 There were very few surprises in this session, with both the Force Indias and both the Super Aguris failing to progress. Sébastien Bourdais again failed to progress through this first session, whilst Kazuki Nakajima who had already been given a 10-place penalty for this race, also failed to progress through to Q2. The weather was highly unpredictable, Renault thought that rain would arrive after seven minutes, the official source stated rain would arrive within 20 minutes of the start. In the end, no rain arrived. Notably, less than 1 second separated 1st from 16th. Session 2 A few spots of rain greeted the start of this session, but it was otherwise dry. Both Hondas failed to progress, as did Coulthard, Nelson Piquet Jr., Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg. Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa produced poor first runs, so were forced to use a second set of tyres to ensure their qualification. Session 3 Again, the rain did not arrive during this session. Massa produced a stunning lap to take the pole by 0.482 seconds ahead of his team-mate. The McLarens took row two, Heikki Kovalainen coming ahead of Hamilton, whose final lap fractionally beat that of Robert Kubica. Kubica was also narrowly beaten by Jarno Trulli. At the very end of the session, Kovalainen and Hamilton (as well as some other cars), slowed down in an attempt to save fuel. The stewards ruled that this impeded the progress of Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso, thus the two McLaren drivers were demoted five places down the grid. Notes - Lap Leaders: Felipe Massa 16 (1-16), Kimi Räikkönen 32 (17-18, 22-38, 44-56) and Robert Kubica 8 (19-21, 39-43). - First Fastest Lap: Nick Heidfeld and BMW Sauber. This gives Heidfeld a new record in "most races before first fastest lap" with 134, surpassing former record (114) held by Thierry Boutsen.

Air Date: 2008-03-23

3  Bahrain (Bahrain)

V Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix Location: Bahrain International Circuit Sakhir, Bahrain Course: Permanent racing facility 5.412 km (3.37 mi) Distance: 57 laps, 308.238 km (191.530 mi) Weather: Sunny, widespread dust; Air 28-30°C, Track 34-39°C Pole position: Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:33.096 Prior to the race, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship with 14 points, and Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen was second with 11 points. Behind them in the Drivers' Championship, Nick Heidfeld was third, also with with 11 points, in a BMW Sauber, and Hamilton's McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen was fourth with 10 points. Heidfeld's teammate Robert Kubica was fifth with eight points. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren–Mercedes were leading with 24 points, five points ahead of BMW Sauber. Ferrari were third with 11 points. A week before the start of the Grand Prix weekend, the News of the World alleged that Max Mosley, the president of Formula One's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), had engaged in sexual acts with five prostitutes. While Mosley denied the allegations, he cancelled his scheduled appearance at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Several teams condemned Mosley's alleged actions and asked for his resignation, and while for a time the controversy threatened to overshadow the race, Mosley eventually retained his position and successfully sued the News of the World for the report.

Air Date: 2008-04-06

4  Barcelona (Spain)

L Gran Premio de España Telefónica Location: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Course: Permanent racing facility 4.655 km (2.892 mi) Distance: 66 laps, 307.230 km (190.872 mi) Weather: Sunny; Air 22-24°C, Track 34-41°C Pole position: Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:21.813 Notes * This was the final race for the Super Aguri F1 team. * First points for Honda Racing F1 in 2008. * BMW Sauber took the lead in the constructors standings

Air Date: 2008-04-27

5  Istanbul (Turkey)

IV Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix Location: Istanbul Racing Circuit, Istanbul, Turkey Course: Permanent racing facility 5.34 km (3.32 mi) Distance: 58 laps, 309.72 km (192.56 mi) Weather: Partly cloudy; Air 17-18°C, Track 27-36°C Pole position: Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:27.617 Qualifying Following the withdrawal of the Super Aguri entries, minor changes were made to the qualifying procedure. In the first qualifying session, the five slowest cars would be eliminated, leaving 15 drivers to continue into the second session. In the second session, once again five slowest were eliminated, leaving ten drivers to compete in third part as previously. Ferrari's Felipe Massa qualified pole ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. World Champion and Championship leader Räikkönen qualified fourth ahead of BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica and Red Bull's Mark Webber. Alonso, Trulli, Heidfeld and Coulthard complete the top 10. Rubens Barrichello of Honda qualified 12th on his record-breaking 257th Grand Prix, ahead of team-mate Jenson Button. Nelson Piquet of Renault failed to make Qualifying 2, whilst Kazuki Nakajima of Williams was the first driver this season to finish 16th in Qualifying 1 and not go through to Qualifying 2. Giancarlo Fisichella's three-place grid drop saw him drop behind team-mate Sutil to 20th and last place on the grid. Notes * Lap Leaders: Felipe Massa 42 (1–19, 22–23, 33–40, 46–58); Lewis Hamilton 11 (24–32, 44–45); Kimi Räikkönen 5 (20–21, 41–43) * This was Felipe Massa's third consecutive win in Turkey, all achieved from pole. * This was Brazilian Rubens Barrichello's 257th race, thus making him the driver who has raced the most number of Formula One races, beating Riccardo Patrese's 256. * This was Sebastian Vettel's first finish of the season. * This was scheduled to be the last time Toro Rosso used the "b-specification" car of 2007. The team intend to introduce the Toro Rosso STR3 at the next race, the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix. * Kimi Räikkönen's wing was damaged during the first lap, but it was decided not to change it.

Air Date: 2008-05-11

6  Monaco (Monte Carlo)

LXVI Grand Prix de Monaco Location: Circuit de Monaco Course: Street circuit, 2.08 mi Distance: 76 laps, 253.84 km (158.08 mi) Scheduled Distance: 78 laps, 260.52 km (162.24) Weather: Wet, drying later; Air 19-22°C, Track 19-24°C Pole position: Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:15.787 Qualifying First session The session started with Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Vettel learning that he would serve a five place grid penalty for changing the gearbox in his car. The reason for this was because the gearbox he used for the previous event in Turkey, which had only ran in two events, could not be fitted to the new STR3. The German was soon joined by Giancarlo Fisichella who received a similar penalty for changing his gearbox. Felipe Massa took the fastest time in the first session with the two McLarens of Hamilton and Kovalainen in second and third respectively. At the back Sébastien Bourdais, Nelson Piquet Jr., Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella, celebrating his 200th Grand Prix, were eliminated after posting the four slowest lap times. Second session Once again Massa took the fastest time of the session with Rosberg lapping closely behind and then the two McLarens. This time Timo Glock; Jenson Button; Nick Heidfeld; Kazuki Nakajima and Rubens Barrichello were eliminated. This was the first time in 2008 that Heidfeld had qualified out of the top ten, "Unfortunately I don't have much to say: my qualifying result is disappointing" he told reporters, "Here in Monaco I can't heat up the tyres quickly enough". At the end of the session, Red Bull's David Coulthard suffered a violent crash at the exit of the tunnel, which meant he took no part in the third session, despite having qualified for it. Third session In the final session to decide the top ten, both Ferraris of Massa and Räikkönen took the front row of the grid with the Brazilian in pole position. "I still cannot believe that I am on pole. It is unbelievable." Massa said in the post–qualifying press conference, "I was pushing very hard to learn how to drive here because it was the place where I struggled every time I came here". The two McLarens made up the second row, with Robert Kubica, Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber following. David Coulthard, who completed the top ten, was the only driver not to set a time in the third session, due to the damage to his car from the crash at the end of the second session. Notes * Lap Leaders: Felipe Massa 22 (1-15, 26-32), Robert Kubica 10 (16-25) and Lewis Hamilton 44 (33-76) * This was Giancarlo Fisichella's 200th Grand Prix start, having previously driven for Minardi, Sauber, Jordan, Renault and its predecessor Benetton; he drove in Monaco for Force India. * This race marked Frank Williams' 600th race as an entrant. * Sebastian Vettel scored his first points in 2008 with the new STR3. * Rubens Barrichello scored his first points since the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix. * Adrian Sutil, who had started second to last, was in 4th place when he was hit in the rear by Kimi Räikkönen at the Nouvelle Chicane. Sutil had to retire in the pits, thus he and his team were denied points while the World Champion had the nose of his car repaired and went on to clock the fastest lap. * Kazuki Nakajima finished in 7th place and became the first Japanese driver to take a point in the Monaco Grand Prix.[16] * The race was Ferrari's first 1-2 on the grid at Monaco since 1979. * Mark Webber had his 5th points scoring race in a row, setting a personal record.

Air Date: 2008-05-25

7  Montreal (Canada)

XLV Grand Prix du Canada Location: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada Course: Street circuit, 4.361 km (2.71 mi) Distance: 70 laps, 305.27 km (189.7 mi) Weather: Sunny; Air 26-28°C, Track 34-42°C Pole position: Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.886 Background Ahead of the race, the organizers unveiled a new paddock and media center facilities at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Also the site where Robert Kubica crashed in last year's race was modified. The wall on which Kubica crashed was moved closer to the track to decrease angle of impact. Additionally, a debris fencing was put on the wall to prevent any hazard to cars on the other side of the wall. Qualifying Lewis Hamilton took pole position for McLaren. First session Lewis Hamilton recorded the fastest time for the session, ahead of Felipe Massa and Heikki Kovalainen. Sebastian Vettel's poor season continued after he could not compete the qualifying following his crash in third practice session. Others eliminated in this session were Sébastien Bourdais, Adrian Sutil, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button. Bourdais received a five place grid penalty due to a gearbox change following the earlier practice session. Button too suffered a gearbox problem during his first lap run and clocked the slowest time for the session. Second session Qualifying conditions were hampered by a disintegrating track, which caused most drivers to record slower times than in Q1. Track officials were seen clearing the track of debris in between sessions. Toyota's Jarno Trulli suffered significantly from these conditions, his car spinning twice during the second session. Trulli, along with Timo Glock, Kazuki Nakajima, David Coulthard and Nelson Piquet Jr., was unable to progress to the next session. Hamilton once again topped this session, with Massa and Räikkönen coming second and third respectively. Third session Hamilton recorded quick times during early laps of the session, which were only surpassed by Robert Kubica towards the end of the session. But Hamilton on his final flying lap overcame Kubica's time claiming his second pole position at Montreal. Räikkönen came in third with teammate Massa pushed down to sixth position. Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg exhibited remarkable performances, taking positions four and five respectively. Mark Webber, who also became a victim of the breaking track surface, could not compete in Q3 after damaging his car at the end of second session. Notes * Mark Webber spun into the wall and damaged his right front suspension during the second part of qualifying, thus he was unable to compete in the third part. * Sébastien Bourdais incurred a five place grid penalty for a gearbox change. * Started from the pitlane. * Sebastian Vettel was unable to take part in qualifying due to damaging his car during third practice.

Air Date: 2008-06-08

8  Magny-Cours (France)

XCIII Grand Prix de France Location: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France Course: Permanent racing facility, 4.411 km (2.74 mi) Distance: 70 laps, 308.77 km (191.8 mi) Weather: Dry at first, two brief rain showers near end; Air 24-26°C, Track 25-32°C Pole position: Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:16.449 Qualifying First session Felipe Massa led at the end of first qualifying session, ahead of teammate Kimi Räikkönen and Toyota's Jarno Trulli. Both Honda and Force India drivers were eliminated at the end of the session along with Williams' Kazuki Nakajima. Honda's Rubens Barrichello further received a five-places penalty for gearbox change and started last. Second session Massa also topped the second session of qualifying, once again edging out Räikkönen. Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren recorded the third fastest lap time for the session. Piquet Jr. and Vettel, both of whom had impressive morning practice times, could not make the cut for third qualifying session. They were eliminated alongside Heidfeld, Bourdais and Rosberg. Third session Räikkönen succeeded in beating Massa's time in the final session and thus secured the pole position, with a time that he set in his first lap of the session. An error of sliding off the track hindered Hamilton in his first attempted fast lap, but he ended finishing the session with the third fastest time. Fernando Alonso in the Renault and Jarno Trulli in the Toyota came fourth and fifth. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was seventh fastest, ahead of the Red Bulls of Webber and Coulthard, and Timo Glock's Toyota. McLaren's Kovalainen was sixth but later received a five-place grid penalty for blocking Mark Webber. Note * Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton docked ten places on the grid for the race after causing a collision with Kimi Räikkönen in the previous round, the Canadian Grand Prix. * Heikki Kovalainen docked five places for blocking Mark Webber in qualifying. * Rubens Barrichello penalised five places on the grid for gearbox change.

Air Date: 2008-06-22

9  Silverstone (Britain)

LXI Santander British Grand Prix Location: Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, England Course: Permanent Road Facility, 5.141 km (3.194 mi) Distance: 60 laps, 308.355[1] km (191.603 mi) Weather: Rain, later drying Pole position: Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.049 Fastest lap: Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:32.150 on lap 18 Lap Record: M Schumacher (2004) 1:18.739 Qualifying McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen was quickest in the first session, comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. His teammate Lewis Hamilton was second, over three tenths behind, and less than a tenth ahead of Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel as well as Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was fifth and Sébastien Bourdais was sixth. Nico Rosberg in the Williams could only run a single lap after facing a suspension problem and was eliminated in the session. Other drivers eliminated were Honda's Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button and Force India's Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella. The two McLarens were again dominant in the second session, with Hamilton edging Kovalainen by six hundredths of a second. Red Bull's Mark Webber was only just over a tenth behind Kovalainen in third. The BMW Sauber cars of Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were less than a tenth behind him. The first of the Ferraris was that of Räikkönen in sixth place. David Coulthard in the second Red Bull faced problems due to engine oil leak during qualifying and was eliminated in this session, along with the Glock, Bourdais, Trulli and Nakajima. Kovalainen took his first career pole position by over half a second ahead of Mark Webber, whose Red Bull found an extra bit of pace to take second ahead of Räikkönen and Hamilton. The first of the BMW Saubers was that of Nick Heidfeld in fifth place with the Renaults of Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet in sixth and seventh places, Vettel qualifying eighth. Felipe Massa could go for a second lap run since his pitcrew faced a problem while changing the right rear tire during his pitstop after the first run. He had to settle for ninth place. Kubica did not set the time in the third session after he abandoned his first lap due to a possible puncture.

Air Date: 2008-07-06

10  Hockenheim (Germany)

LXVIII Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland Location: Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany Course: Permanent racing facility, 4.574 km (2.842 mi) Distance: 67 laps, 306.458 km (190.433 mi) Weather: Cloudy, partly sunny; Air 22-23°C, Track 28-34°C Pole position: Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.666 Fastest lap: Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:15.987 on lap 52 Qualifying The Ferraris of Massa and Räikkönen were first and second in the first qualifying session, while their McLaren couterparts, Hamilton and Kovalainen, came third and fourth respectively. Vettel in Toro Rosso along with Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock in Toyota were fourth, fifth and sixth fastest cars of the session. Kazuki Nakajima, Rubens Barrichello, Nelson Piquet Jr. and both Force Indias of Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella were eliminated in this session. Piquet Jr. later complained that he was blocked during his lap run by Vettel, affecting his lap timings. Second session was topped by Hamilton ahead of Massa and Kovalainen. Alonso came in fourth, closely followed by Räikkönen. Glock, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Button and Bourdais were eliminated in this session. Both Heidfeld and Button later said that they suffered from tire graining during this session. Hamilton took the pole position ninth time his career after he beat Massa two-tenths of a second in his final flying lap of the third session. Kovalainen, coming back after an error in his first run, was qualified third with Trulli taking fourth position. Alonso and Räikkönen ran a close fifth and sixth positions. The rest of the pack were ordered as Kubica, Webber, Vettel and Coulthard from seventh to tenth position. Kovalainen was fined €5,000 for a breach of the refuelling regulations during qualifying. It was stated that the fine was imposed since Kovalainen's car was running while being refuelled using non-FIA approved system. Notes * Lap Leaders: Lewis Hamilton 54 (1-18, 22-37, 39-50, 60-67), Felipe Massa 3 (19-20, 38), Heikki Kovalainen 1 (21), Nick Heidfeld 3 (51-53), Nelson Piquet Jr. 6 (54-59) * Giancarlo Fisichella was penalized 25 seconds for unlapping lead cars during the safety car period despite having made a pit stop during the period. This dropped him two places from 14th to 16th. * For the first time since 1991 Belgian Grand Prix two Brazilian drivers finished on the podium. * First podium: Nelson Piquet Jr. * This was McLaren's first victory at Hockenheim since 1998.

Air Date: 2008-07-20

11  Budapest (Hungary)

XXIII ING Magyar Nagydíj Number of Laps: 70 Circuit Length: 4.381 km Race Distance: 306.663 km Pole position: Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.899 Fastest lap: Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:21.195 on lap 61 Lap Record: M Schumacher (2004) 1:19.071 Qualifying In the first session, Hamilton and Massa set the early pace, with Hamilton over six tenths of a second quicker than his teammate Kovalainen. Räikkönen found himself being pushed in to 6th place behind the two Toyotas of Glock and Trulli. Heidfeld, Nakajima, Barrichello, Fisichella and Sutil were eliminated at the end of the session. Heidfeld was interfered by multiple cars in his final flying lap, but was most significantly blocked by Sébastien Bourdais as he approached the start-finish line. Bourdais was thus penalised five grid places at the start of the race. During the second session, Massa set the quickest time of both sessions so far, with Glock putting in a quick lap to put himself ahead of both McLarens, where Kovalainen reduced the gap between himself and Hamilton in this session. Räikkönen again found himself behind Jarno Trulli. Nico Rosberg did not take part in the session due to a hydraulic problem. Vettel, Button, Coulthard, Bourdais and Rosberg were eliminated. Hamilton took the pole position in the final session, his teammate Kovalainen beating Massa for second spot on the grid. Massa rued his tire selection for the qualifying and the traffic he faced during final session. Kubica managed an improved fourth position in comparison with earlier sessions. Glock, after setting an early fast lap scored his career best fifth position so far. Räikkönen docked sixth ahead of Alonso, Webber, Trulli and Piquet Jr. Notes * Lap Leaders: Felipe Massa 60 (1-18, 22-44, 49-67), Lewis Hamilton 1 (19), Heikki Kovalainen 9 (20-21, 45-48, 68-70) * First win: Heikki Kovalainen was the 100th driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. * First podium: Timo Glock * Kimi Raikkonen's last points finish until the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix.

Air Date: 2008-08-03

12  Valencia (Europe)

LII Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe Location: Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain Course: Street circuit, 5.419 km (3.367 mi) Distance: 57 laps, 308.883 km (191.931 mi) Weather: Sunny Pole position: Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:38.989 Fastest lap: Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:38.708 on lap 36 Race Felipe Massa's Ferrari was released from its pit stop into the path of Adrian Sutil's oncoming Force India car. There was no collision as Massa backed off as soon as he realised what had happened. This incident was deemed "unsafe" and was being investigated by the stewards. Shortly afterwards it was announced the incident would be investigated fully after the race. Massa was subsequently reprimanded by the stewards and fined €10,000, but the Brazilian kept his victory. Kimi Räikkönen left a pit stop with his car's fuel hose still attached. The incident left a Ferrari mechanic with a minor fracture, as well as losing Räikkönen a place. Notes * Both Rubens Barrichello and Adrian Sutil started from the pit lane. * Lap Leaders: Felipe Massa 50 (1–14, 20–36, 39–57), Lewis Hamilton 4 (15–16, 37–38), Robert Kubica 1 (17), Heikki Kovalainen, 2 (18–19). * The car of race leader Felipe Massa's Ferrari was released from its second pit stop into the path of Adrian Sutil's oncoming Force India. Massa had to back off to avoid a collision. The stewards launched an investigation into this and fined Massa €10,000. * Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen left a pit stop with his car's fuel hose still attached. The right rear tyre of Räikkönen's car hit Ferrari mechanic Pietro Timpini, who suffered a minor fracture to his right leg. Räikkönen did not last much longer in the race, retiring with an engine failure two laps later. * Fernando Alonso's retirement meant that he retired from both of his home Grands Prix held in 2008. * This race was Bridgestone's 200th Formula One Grand Prix since its full time entry in 1997. The company's tyres were also used in the 1976 and 1977 Japanese Grand Prix therefore strictly speaking it was Bridgestone's 202nd Grand Prix. * This was Felipe Massa's 100th Grand Prix entry, thereby making him the only driver to date to win his 100th Grand Prix.

Air Date: 2008-08-24

13  Spa-Francorchamps (Belguim)

LXIV ING Belgian Grand Prix Location: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium Course: Permanent racing facility 7.004 km (4.352 mi) Distance: 44 laps, 308.176 km (191.492 mi) Weather: Cloudy, rain in last 3 laps Pole position: Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:47.338 Felipe Massa was fastest during the first practice session, ahead of team-mate Kimi Räikkönen and McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen. They were followed by Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and both Toro Rossos. Toyota's Jarno Trulli missed most of the session after his car suffered an electrical problem. Rain and bad track conditions reduced practice time for the second session. The conditions caused multiple accidents including Webber, who slid off at Rivage hairpin and had to abandon his session. Räikkönen spun at Malmedy corner with the back of his car hitting the barriers, causing a large amount of water to be dislodged on to the track. Giancarlo Fisichella fell victim to this wet patch and his car aquaplaned into the barriers. Fisichella's crash resulted in the session being red flagged for 10 minutes while the Malmedy corner was cleared. The track still remained difficult to drive on, with Nelson Piquet Jr. nearly replicating Räikkönen's accident at Malmedy. It was only in the closing minutes that drivers were able to log better timings, with Alonso fastest at the end of the session. Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber topped the final session, ahead of the McLarens in second and fourth positions, with Alonso managing third. The conditions were damp at the start, and became worse as the rain continued throughout the early part of the session. The track, however, dried towards the end of the practice. Sébastien Bourdais of Toro Rosso was fastest in the first qualifying session with a late flying lap, ahead of Kovalainen and Massa. The Force India cars, which employed their seamless-shift gearboxes for the second time in this race, were eliminated along with both Honda cars and Williams' Kazuki Nakajima. The second qualifying session was dominated by the McLaren drivers, with Kovalainen claiming first position. They were followed by Räikkönen and Heidfeld, who managed to outpace Massa. Rosberg, who faced problems with his car's grip, much like his team-mate Nakajima, was relegated to the bottom of the table for this session. Williams mechanics were at a loss to explain the cars' problems. The Toyota drivers had problems with warming their cars' tyres to operative temperatures, as Trulli and Glock were eliminated in positions 11 and 13, respectively. Piquet Jr. and David Coulthard were the other two drivers who did not qualify for the third session. Lewis Hamilton secured pole position, beating Massa's lap time during the final runs in the third session. They were followed by Räikkönen, Kovalainen and Heidfeld. Alonso, Webber and Kubica were sixth, seventh and eighth fastest in the final session. Toro Rosso continued their strong weekend, taking the last two positions of the top ten. In the press conference following qualifying, Massa said the difference between pole position and second place was down to the car. He said that strategy would be the most important aspect of Ferrari's race, while both McLaren drivers remained confident that the balance of their car was solid, with Kovalainen identifying the second sector (Les Combes to Stavelot) as a possible weakness.

Air Date: 2008-09-07

14  Monza (Italy)

Number of Laps: 53 Circuit Length: 5.793 km Race Distance: 306.720 km Lap Record: 1:21.046 - R Barrichello (2004) Qualifying It rained so heavily in qualifying that predicting the pole-sitter would prove to be extremely difficult. Heikki Kovalainen set the fastest time in Q1 with Lewis Hamilton just behind.[5] Adrian Sutil, Jenson Button, Nelson Piquet, Jr., Kazuki Nakajima and Rubens Barrichello failed to make it into Q2, and for the first time a Force India made it into the second Qualifying Session. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time in Q2 ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica all struggled to find grip and speed. Felipe Massa narrowly made it through to Q3, Hamilton was extremely slow, after being out on the intermediate wet tires, rather than the full extreme-wets at the wrong time[6], and qualified in 15th one-and-a-half seconds slower than 14th placed Raikkonen. Kubica nearly made it into Q3 and David Coulthard and Giancarlo Fisichella were eliminated as well. Heikki Kovalainen set the fastest time early on in Q3, but was beaten by Sebastian Vettel, whose time remained unchallenged for the rest of the session. Felipe Massa struggled and qualified sixth. Mark Webber qualified third place, ahead of Vettel's teammate Sébastien Bourdais.

Air Date: 2008-09-14

15  Singapore (Singapore)

Race Date: 28 Sep 2008 Number of Laps: 61 Circuit Length: 5.067 km Race Distance: 309.087 km Lap Record: 1:45.599 - K Raikkonen (2008) Qualifying Räikkönen topped the first qualifying session, ahead of Kovalainen and Hamilton. Nelson Piquet Jr., Sébastien Bourdais, Rubens Barrichello, Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella were those who were eliminated in this session. Fisichella could not record a time during the session after he crashed into barriers at Turn 3 due to a punctured tyre, thus was 20th and last.[7] Barrichello was impeded during his second lap run by Nick Heidfeld and abandoned his lap to enter pits. Both Heidfeld and Barrichello were penalised for their maneuvers: Heidfeld was dropped three grids for blocking and Barrichello was fined €10,000 for unsafe pit lane entry, without using the deceleration zone.[8] The second qualifying session was led by Felipe Massa, with Kovalainen and Räikkönen in second and third place. Alonso, despite his performance during practice sessions, was eliminated early in this session when his car suffered a fuel feed problem.[9] The others who missed the top ten were Jarno Trulli, Jenson Button and both Red Bulls of Mark Webber and David Coulthard. Hamilton barely managed to reach the third session, after a driving mistake during his penultimate lap run.[7] Massa took the pole position in the final session, with Hamilton, Räikkönen and Kubica completing first two rows of the grid. Massa secured his position by clocking lap time six-tenths faster than Hamilton, describing it as his best qualifying result of the season.[7] Kovalainen, managing fifth position, rued his tyre selections in the final session.[10] Heidfeld, Vettel and Glock scored sixth, seventh and eighth positions, with Williams drivers Rosberg and Nakajima were ninth and tenth.[11]

Air Date: 2008-09-28

16  Fuji Speedway (Japan)

XXXIV Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix Location: Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka, Japan Course: Permanent racing facility 4.563 km (2.835 mi) Distance: 67 laps, 305.721 km (189.945 mi) Weather: Dry Pole position: Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:18.404 Prior to the race, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship with 84 points, and Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was second with 77 points. Behind them in the Drivers' Championship, Robert Kubica was third with 64 points in a BMW Sauber, and Massa's Ferrari teammate Kimi Räikkönen was fourth with 57 points. Kubica's teammate Nick Heidfeld was fifth with 56 points. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren–Mercedes were leading with 135 points, one point ahead of their rivals Ferrari, whom they had overtaken at the previous race. BMW Sauber were third with 120 points. In the battle for fourth place, Renault had 51 points, five points ahead of Toyota.

Air Date: 2008-10-12

17  Shanghai (China)

V Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix Location: Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai, People's Republic of China Course: Permanent Racing Facility 5.451 km (3.387 mi) Distance: 56 laps, 305.066 km (189.559 mi) Weather: Hot, Humid and Cloudy Pole position:Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.303 In qualifying Robert Kubica failed to get into the last qualifying group, only finishing 12th. Heikki Kovalainen was leading the qualifying ahead of the last round of laps in Q3, however Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso all put in faster lap times, qualifying in that order. Hamilton finished two places ahead of his title rival Felipe Massa. Red Bull's Mark Webber qualified sixth but was then relegated 10 places for an unscheduled engine change - having already used up his "joker" engine change before the Italian Grand Prix - while BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld had finished sixth but was demoted three places for impeding David Coulthard's Red Bull in Q1 - his second grid penalty in three races. Notes * Mark Webber dropped 10 places on the grid after an unscheduled engine change. * Nick Heidfeld penalised three grid positions for impeding David Coulthard during first qualifying session.

Air Date: 2008-10-19

18  Interlagos (Brazil)

The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was the eighteenth and last race of the 2008 Formula One season. It was from October 31 to November 2 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. The race was the final race of David Coulthard's career, the driver who replaced Ayrton Senna after his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Entering the race, Lewis Hamilton was leading Felipe Massa in the world championship by seven points, making this grand prix decisive in the title race. In 2007, The Championship had similarly been decided in the Brazilian Grand Prix, which was won by Kimi Räikkönen. Lewis Hamilton, who had held a four point lead in the championship, suffered a series of problems during the final race, finishing 7th and losing the championship to Räikkönen by a single point. The race had also been the Championship decider in 2005 and 2006. Both titles went to Fernando Alonso of Renault, whilst the races went to South Americans Felipe Massa (2006) and Juan Pablo Montoya (2005). Alonso has never won the race. Two more former Brazilian Grand Prix winners were in the field; Giancarlo Fisichella of Jordan (now Force India) won the chaotic 2003 race after a court challenge to the original result that Räikkönen won. 2008 retiree David Coulthard won another wet race in 2001 after Jos Verstappen crashed into Juan Pablo Montoya. Qualifying The qualifying was a debacle for Williams, as both Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima failed to survive the first round. Ferrari driver Felipe Massa clinched the pole position, with a surprising Jarno Trulli ending second and Kimi Raikkönen clinching the third position. Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth.

Air Date: 2008-11-02

Formula 1

Season 2008