2008 FORMULA 1™ ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

[Paulo Albuquerque]

[attachment=225:F12008_Australia2.jpg]

Final qualifying times for the Australian Grand Prix

1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes, 1 minute, 26.714 seconds.
2. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW-Sauber, 1:26.869.
3. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:27.079.
4. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 1:27.178.
5. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW-Sauber, 1:27. 236.
6. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 1:28. 527.
7. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 1:28.687.
8. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, 1:29.041.
9. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 1:29.593.
10. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso, did not start.

Eliminated after second session

11. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 1:26.173.
12. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 1:26.188.
13. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 1:26.259.
14. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, 1:26.413.
15. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, did not finish.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, did not start.

Eliminated after first session

17. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India, 1:27.207.
18. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso, 1:27.446.
19. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India, 1;27.859.
20. Takuma Sato, Japan, Super Aguri, 1:28.208.
21. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault, 1:28.330.
22. Anthony Davidson, Britian, Super Aguri, 1:29.059.

How they'll line up on Sunday.....
1. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 01:26.714
2. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber 01:26.869
3. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 01:27.079
4. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari 01:27.178
5. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber 01:27.236
6. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota 01:28.527
7. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota 01:28.687
8. David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Renault 01:29.041
9. Sebastian Vettel Germany Toro Rosso-Ferrari no time Q3
10. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda 01:26.173
11. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault 01:26.188
12. Jenson Button Britain Honda 01:26.259
13. Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota 01:26.413
14. Timo Glock Germany Toyota 01:29.593*
15. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault no time Q2
16. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari no time Q2
17. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Ferrari 01:27.207
18. Sebastien Bourdais French Toro Rosso-Ferrari 01:27.446
19. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Ferrari 01:27.859
20. Takuma Sato Japan Super Aguri-Honda 01:28.208
21. Nelson Piquet Jr Brazil Renault 01:28.330
22. Anthony Davidson Britain Super Aguri-Honda 01:29.059

all times unofficial
[* denotes driver penalised five places for gearbox change]


Resultado Final
1. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1:34:50.616
2. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber + 5.4s
3. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota +2.6s
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault +9.0s
5. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +0.8s
6. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda +34.4s
7. Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota +1L
8. Sebastien Bourdais French Toro Rosso-Ferrari +2L
9. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari +2L

Não Terminaram
Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber
Timo Glock Germany Toyota 01:29.593
Takuma Sato Japan Super Aguri-Honda
Nelson Piquet Jr Brazil Renault
Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari
David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Renault
Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota
Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Ferrari
Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault
Jenson Button Britain Honda
Anthony Davidson Britain Super Aguri-Honda
Sebastian Vettel Germany Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Ferrari

Volta Mais Rapida
Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes L43 1:27.418

Pontuação Pilotos ao fim de 1 GP
10 Lewis Hamilton
8 Nick Heidfeld
6 Nico Rosberg
5 Fernando Alonso
4 Heikki Kovalainen
3 Rubens Barrichello
2 Kazuki Nakajima

Pontuação Equipas ao final de 1 GP
14 McLaren
8 BMW
8 Williams
5 Renault
3 Honda

Próximo Grande Prémio de Formula 1
23 de Março - Sepang

[Berto Carvalho]

Excelente corrida, gostei, teve de tudo, abandonos, ultrapassagens, erros infantis, quebras de motor, acidentes, atropelamentos... a ausência de ajudas realmente veio beneficiar o espectáculo.
Pela positiva destaco:
- A Mclaren, durante a pré-época não pensei que estivessem tão bem, mereciam uma dobradinha. O Lewis esteve fantástico sem nenhum erro, o Heikki merecia o 2º lugar, teve azar com o Safety Car, teve ainda tempo para fazer uma enorme ultrapassagem ao alonso e uma infatilidade logo a seguir.
- Williams, tal como se esperava estão em optima forma, grande resultado para o Nico
- Honda, que grande andamento da Honda, felizmente este carro não tem nada haver com o tijolo do ano passado, tem grande margem de progressão, boa corrida do Rubens pelo menos até à sua ultima paragem quando saiu com o sinal vermelho:notrust:
- BMW, acabaram por não estar tão fortes como na qualificação, mas mesmo assim andaram bem. eles vão tirar muitos pontos aos pilotos da Ferrari e Mclaren, e vão ser decisivos na luta pelo campeonato.

Pela negativa:
- Ferrari, Logo na 1ª curva o Massa erra ao acelerar cedo de mais, mais tarde tem uma ultrapassagem demasiado optimista ao DC, o Kimi com dois erros infantis e a Ferrari com algumas decisões estranhas. mas mesmo assim é o carro mais rápido e vão ser a equipa a bater, vamos é ver a fiabilidade.

[Artur Nunes]

TEN CONCLUSIONS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN GP
Sunday 16th March 2008

F1 returned with a bang and a few improvements...

It's Great That Formula One Is Back
Because that was a lot of fun.


Lewis Hamilton Is Still Improving
In the preamble to the new Formula One season, it was opined that Lewis Hamilton's hardest task would be improving on the best rookie season in the sport's history. In the very first race of his second season, Hamilton has achieved his primary objective.

The youngster - and he is still young, just as it needs to be remembered that this is still only his second season in the sport - delivered a faultless performance that was so serene that it was largely ignored by a television director understandably preoccupied with the woes of his peers. Thus the ironic 'sight' of Hamilton impressing in contrast without making much of an appearance.

Nor did Lewis impress through impressive lap times. Instead he excelled by matching his speed to the demands of the situation: putting his foot down at the start and when released from behind a safety car, managing his tyres in cruise control to guarantee victory. In terms of professionalism, it was close to perfection.

"I wouldn't say it's the perfect win but I think in terms of managing my tyres, controlling my pace and confidence and being comfortable in the car, it's the best race I've had so far," he remarked afterwards with good reason.


Felipe Massa Is Struggling
Of the many problems that Ferrari encountered this weekend, few will cause as much introspection as the problem that Felipe Massa encountered all weekend. As suggested by the winter rumour mill, the Brazilian is struggling without traction control - a substantial flaw that resulted in a host of errors and substandard lap times from Friday morning onwards. His first-corner mistake was no surprise and thus particularly concerning: if Massa has not adapted after pounding out lap after lap in winter testing, what hope of the Brazilian learning the answer during the examination of a grand prix weekend?

A petulant threat from an old man was the least of Felipe's worries as he left Melbourne probably mindful of the truism that driver after driver declared this weekend: the removal of traction control will separate the very good from the merely good.


Ferrari Don't Possess The Predicted Pace Or Reliability
It may be the case that Ferrari's thrashing was a one-off, a horrible combination of worst-case scenarios, and the sort of nightmare afternoon that only the very best can suffer. The second of Kimi Raikkonen's off-track excursions was, for instance, the consequence of a sportsman at the peak of his profession being undone by overconfidence and irritation. A podium was there for Kimi's taking if he was willing to accept an offering he clearly regarded as meagre.

Yet it is probably also the case that the advantage it was believed Ferrari held over McLaren is either marginal or non-existent. Barring another calamity in qualifying, Malaysia will provide a better indication of which team has the upper hand but it is reasonable to conclude from events this weekend that Ferrari's work over the winter was over-hyped and unreliable. As Raikkonen reflected glumly, the quality of his own work became irrelevant when his engine faltered with five laps remaining.


Robert Kubica Needs More
The Pole had a curious race. Ultimately, it was wrecked by BMW's ill-advised decision to change his strategy mid-race, opting to fuel Kubica to the finish as if his car was a midfield plodder, but that clanger does not explain the rest of his afternoon. It began brightly, with Kubica resisting Heikki Kovalainen, yet he faded thereafter and Nick Heidfeld was much the faster BMW driver. A curiosity, then, and one that encapsulated his F1 career: a hint of superstardom as yet unfulfilled.


BMW Are There Or Thereabouts. Probably/Possibly
The credibility of the winter testing guide took a heavy dent when Honda and BMW took to the track in Melbourne and suddenly produced the sort of lap times that had seemed beyond them in January and February. Honda's improvement was attributed to the introduction of a new aerodynamic package at a behind-closed-doors test in Jerez two weeks ago but what of BMW? Nick Heidfeld's fastest race lap time was just three-tenths shy of Lewis Hamilton's best. Were they really sandbagging during the winter? Perhaps.

But perhaps not. While convinced the F1.08 represented an improvement, both the team's drivers repeatedly bemoaned balance in testing. Presumably they found its sweet spot in Melbourne. Yet they will need to find it again - did it elude Kubica in the second half of Sunday's race? - in Sepang before a breakthrough can be proclaimed.


If Skoda Raced This Year, They Might Have Won Some Points
Just seven cars finished the race. Just imagine what might happen when the absence of traction control is coupled with rain. Super Aguri's tactic might be to crawl around in second gear and wait for everyone else to fall off the track.


Renault Need More Than Six Tenths
Fernando Alonso will be delighted with fourth place and he made no attempt to disguise the extra satisfaction he gleaned from taking back fourth place from Kovalainen when his replacement at McLaren accidentally turned on his pit-lane limiter along the pit straight - the motor racing equivalent of stalling in the fast lane of the M25 on a Friday night.

Yet that joy will be tempered by the timesheets which found Renault over a second slower than McLaren. In other words, Alonso needs to deliver double the improvement he claimed to have brought his team last season.


Qualifying Matters Even Less Now
Qualifying has never mattered as much since it was diluted from being a pure guide of pure speed. Long gone are the days when Saturday afternoon would reveal which driver - and which team-mate - had the superior speed in a shoot-out. Judging by events in Melbourne, it will count for even less this year. While the removal of traction control made for tremendous entertainment on Sunday afternoon, it also means that a good start off the line could be worth as much as 40 yards. In Kimi Raikkonen's case, that represented an eight-place improvement. In a blink of an eye, his failure to make even the second round of qualifying - something which should have been a significant handicap - ceased to matter.

Nobody is saying that it's not better for a driver's start to be the product of his own reactions rather than the wizardry of a computer boffin in Milton Keynes. But it's debatable whether it should offer such a vast and quick opportunity for drivers to rectify the mistakes of twenty-four hours previously.


It's Very Dark At 3am
And alarm clocks can inspire a surprising amount of hostility.

Pete Gill

[Rui Sousa]

POSITIVO:

- L. Hamilton: Uma boa corrida deste piloto Inglês que aproveitou o facto de não ter adversários a altura durante toda a corrida, para fazer uma corrida tranquila e somar mais uma vitória.

- McLaren MP4-23: Afinal, parece que o carro a abater este ano não é o Ferrari F2008, mas sim o McLaren MP4-23 (na Malásia vamos ter a confirmação, ou não, desta opinião).

- N. Rosberg: Mais uma corrida muito certinha deste talentoso piloto e que mais uma vez reforça a sua candidatura a ser um dos pilotos com mais futuro nesta actividade. Acabou por apostar em ficar na Williams como 1º piloto (em detrimento de aceitar a proposta de ir para a McLaren como 2º piloto), e até agora, a competitividade do Williams FW30 não o tem deixado ficar mal.

NEGATIVO:

- Ferrari: Apenas 1 ponto no 1º grande prémio do ano, e pior que isso, foi ter deixado a dúvida sobre quem é realmente a equipa a bater neste campeonato do mundo.

- Renault: O R28 ainda está pior que o R27. Ou arrepiam caminho rapidamente, ou os seus pilotos vão passar as “passas” do Algarve durante esta época. Estrategicamente, a corrida do piloto Asturiano foi um desastre (exemplo: 1ª paragem sensivelmente a metade da corrida, para depois ainda fazer mais duas paragens até ao fim da corrida!!!).

- K Räikkönen: Um misto de azar e de asneiras de principiante, marcaram a passagem do campeão do mundo por terras Australianas.

MOMENTO DECISIVO DESTE GP:

- 30ª Volta: A gorada ultrapassagem (bastante optimista, diga-se de passagem) do Räikkönen ao Kovalainen após a saída do safety car. Nesta altura o piloto Finlandês já estava em 3º lugar a somente um par de segundos do 1º classificado.

MELHORES MOMENTOS DA CORRIDA:

- F. Alonso: Ultrapassar os dois pilotos Finlandeses na mesma curva nunca é uma tarefa fácil.

- H. Kovalainen: Ultrapassagem com classe ao piloto Asturiano.

MOMENTO CARICATO DA CORRIDA:

O comportamento apresentado pelo Sr. Ron Dennis quando o piloto Finlandês ultrapassou o piloto Asturiano (foi pena a transmissão não ter apanhado a cara deste dito "senhor" quando alguns metros à frente o jovem piloto Finlandês cometeu um erro com o famoso botão) .

NOTA: Não posso deixar de destacar a péssima qualidade do comentador residente (JMB) e do seu convidado que passaram todo o grande prémio a debitar uma série de disparates. Será que vale a pena continuar a pagar este serviço?!?

[Filipe Santos]

Excelente análise amigo Rui. :fixe:

[Filipe Santos]

ArrayNOTA: Não posso deixar de destacar a péssima qualidade do comentador residente (JMB) e do seu convidado que passaram todo o grande prémio a debitar uma série de disparates. Será que vale a pena continuar a pagar este serviço?!?[/quote]
Eu deixei de pagar esse serviço muito por causa desses factos que referes.

[Berto Carvalho]

Array...[/quote]
Concordo com tudo o que disseste, Rui:blink1:

[Artur Nunes]

Uma boa análise, correcta:noworry:mas para mim o momento decisivo da prova foi... a avaria de motor nos treinos do Kimi. :confused:
E tambem decisivos os erros cometidos imho pelas saídas sem justificação do safety car, mas isso é a minha opinião.:blink1:

[João Augusto]

Ninguem consegue encontrar o video a ultrapassagem do Alonso no YouTube? Não vi muito bem a ultrapassagem pois só deu replay uma vez :noworry: Pareceu me grande ultrapassagem e limpo!

[Berto Carvalho]

ArrayNinguem consegue encontrar o video a ultrapassagem do Alonso no YouTube? Não vi muito bem a ultrapassagem pois só deu replay uma vez :noworry: Pareceu me grande ultrapassagem e limpo![/quote]
Esta?