Category: Motor Racing

World champion Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren Mercedes team have been accused of ‘lying’ to the FIA stewards following a new investigation in the aftermath of last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

The British driver had finished fourth on track, but was moved up to a podium position following a 25-second penalty added to Toyota’s Jarno Trulli. The Italian was deemed to having overtaken Hamilton behind the safety car.

However, following the discovery of new evidence from McLaren’s own radio communications, the race stewards have decided to issue a harsh punishment by stripping the team and the driver of all points scored in Melbourne.

This outcome has arrived at the worst possible time, as it follows on from that diffuser controversy… If the FIA International Court of Appeal come to a conclusion on April 14th that Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota’s rear aerodynamic kit is illegal, then the results of the opening Grand Prix and at Malaysia will become null and void. Meaning the whole integrity of the sport is a farce.

As for this latest development, it is difficult to understand the logic behind McLaren and world champion Lewis Hamilton to ‘twist’ the story in front of the race stewards. Is it a sign of desperation as this year’s car is not competitive? Why go all that way to lie for the sake of those extra six points?

From what I can understand, yes McLaren and Hamilton made a big mistake by initially saying that Trulli was at fault, but with the evidence now in the public domain, that error of judgement has proved costly.

To be honest, the lack of consistency from the race stewards is another issue to be looked at. The way it is right now, with different penalties handed out for drivers or/and teams that break the Formula One rule book, is testing the strain of hardcore Formula One fans to breaking point. Just look at the reaction from various motor sport forums on this issue.

It is a crying shame that following an exciting Grand Prix in Melbourne, the same old story of the stewards manipulating the results after the chequered flag, means the credibility of the sport is tarnished yet again with rows and controversy.

Right, you can read the full verdict by the race stewards below:

At the first hearing following the Australian Grand Prix the Stewards did not have the benefit of the radio exchanges between driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and his Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes nor did they have access to the comments to the Media given by Lewis Hamilton immediately after the end of the race.

From the video recordings available to the Stewards during the hearing it appeared that Jarno Trulli’s car left the track and car No 1 moved into third place. It then appeared that Trulli overtook Hamilton to regain third place, which at the time was prohibited as it was during the Safety Car period.

During the hearing, held approximately one hour after the end of the race, the Stewards and the Race Director questioned Lewis Hamilton and his Team Manager David Ryan specifically about whether there had been an instruction given to Hamilton to allow Trulli to overtake. Both the driver and the Team Manager stated that no such instruction had been given. The Race Director specifically asked Hamilton whether he had consciously allowed Trulli to overtake. Hamilton insisted that he had not done so.

The new elements presented to the Stewards several days after the 2009 Australian Grand Prix which led to the reconvened Stewards Meeting clearly show that:

a. Immediately after the race and before Lewis Hamilton attended the Stewards Meeting he gave an interview to the Media where he clearly stated that the Team had told him to let Trulli pass.

b. Furthermore, the radio exchanges between the driver and the Team contain two explicit orders from the Team to let the Toyota pass.

The Stewards, having learned about the radio exchanges and the Media interview, felt strongly that they had been misled by the driver and his Team Manager which led to Jarno Trulli being unfairly penalised and Lewis Hamilton gaining third place.

Formula One – the pinnacle of motor racing? More like Formula Farce…

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello gave the new Brawn GP team an extraordinary one-two result in a dramatic season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which finished behind the safety car after Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica collided into one another while fighting over second position.

Button controlled the race from the off, making a good start from pole position. While team-mate Barrichello had to recover after the Brazilian was bogged down when his car activated its anti-stall device. Rubens was then embroiled in a first-corner clash with BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld, Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber, Force India’s Adrian Sutil and McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen.

That first corner mayhem allowed McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and the Toyota pair of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock to emerge into a surprising third, fourth and fifth places.

However, Trulli’s third place is currently under investigation by the FIA race stewards with McLaren suggesting that the Italian re-passed Hamilton during the safety car period after sliding off the track.

If the race results change, then the world champion could be elevated to third place, grabbing those extra six points. Even so, to see Lewis Hamilton finishing quite highly up the order after a frustrating qualifying session that resulted in taking a five-grid penalty after changing the gearbox is still a remarkable achievement. Though the car’s pace is still a major problem for McLaren.

Hamilton’s team-mate didn’t even finish the first lap, as Heikki Kovalainen was forced to retire with damage after that first corner chaos. Still, at least the team did better than rival Ferrari.

Championship runner-up Felipe Massa initially looked like a race contender after making a good start but had to retire in the late stages of the Grand Prix with a mechanical problem. As for Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn had a spin upon exiting a corner, which resulted in damaging his front wing as he brushed against the wall. He would later retire with only three laps to the chequered flag.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso brought home his slow Renault in sixth, while the bitterly disappointed Nice Rosberg finished in seventh, despite setting the race’s fastest lap. Nico was initially running in fourth with six laps to go but had used up his Bridgestone option tyres and was simply in no position to defend the place.

By the end of the race, the Williams driver just held on to his position ahead of Formula One rookie Sebastien Buemi, who drove a solid race in his maiden Grand Prix. The Swiss not only out-qualified his more experience team-mate at Toro Rosso, but he also scored a championship point with eighth.

It was lost points and opportunity for BMW Sauber in particular Robert Kubica, as the Pole was involving in a collision with Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel.

The incident happened on lap 55. Kubica was rapidly closing in thanks to his harder Bridgestone tyres offering better grip compared to Vettel (running the softer option tyre respectively). The Pole’s dramatic speed in tyre performance allowed him to challenge the young German over second position as the race was heading to the finish. On the approach to turn one, Vettel made a mistake and lost momentum. That allowed Robert the chance to pass and he got alongside his rival as they approach turn three. Neither was willing to give way, and they became entangled in the corner before both crashing on the next straight as their battered suspension gave way. This was an unfortunate accident and the fault lies between the two. Neither wanted to give up the position and the end result means two damaged cars and batted egos.

Incredibly, that melee promoted Rubens Barrichello back to second place, despite his first-lap incident and a later touch with Raikkonen, which damaged his Brawn’s front wing. To finish on the podium despite his problem, even the Brazilian was surprised. Barrichello joked that the accidents removed any potential advantage from Brawn’s controversial diffuser!

So, a fantastic achievement by Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Ross Brawn and everyone at the Brackley-based squad. This historic one-two result is a great positive outcome for the sport following the last couple of days of controversy regarding the legality of those diffusers… It is just unbelievable that the transformation of the former Honda team, who were massively under performing in the last two years, which went under over the winter and then rescued by a management buy-out just a few weeks before the season began is simply remarkable.

This was Jenson’s second career Grand Prix victory, following his debut win in Hungary back in 2006. He also becomes the 200th British driver to triumph and he now leads the drivers’ standings with the next race in Malaysia taking place the following week.

As for Brawn GP, this impressive result marked the first time a new team has won its first race since Jody Scheckter steered the Wolf outfit to victory in the 1977 Argentine Grand Prix.

Can this ‘fairy tale’ dream continue? Well, the Mercedes-powered BGP 001 is quick, reliable and in the case of Rubens, strong at withstanding impacts against other cars(!), then expect some more great results from Ross Brawn’s team. Roll on Malaysia for the next exciting Grand Prix!

Race Results from Melbourne, 58 laps:

1.  Button        Brawn GP               1h34:15.784
2.  Barrichello   Brawn GP              +0.807
3.  Trulli        Toyota                +1.604
4.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes        +2.914
5.  Glock         Toyota                + 4.435
6.  Alonso        Renault                +4.879
7.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       +5.722
8.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari    +6.004
9.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari     +6.298
10.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes   + 6.335
11.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber             +7.085
12.  Fisichella    Force India-Mercedes    +7.374
13.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      +1 lap
14.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault      +2 laps
15.  Kubica        BMW Sauber             +3 laps
16.  Raikkonen     Ferrari                 +3 laps

Fastest lap: Rosberg, 1:27.706

Not classified/retirements:

Massa         Ferrari               46 laps
Piquet        Renault               25 laps
Nakajima      Williams-Toyota          18 laps
Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      1 lap

World Championship standings, round 1:

Drivers:
1.  Button        10
2.  Barrichello    8
3.  Trulli         6
4.  Hamilton       5
5.  Glock          4
6.  Alonso         3
7.  Rosberg        2
8.  Buemi          1

Constructors:
1.  Brawn GP               18
2.  Toyota                 10
3.  McLaren-Mercedes        5
4.  Renault                 3
5.  Williams-Toyota         2
6.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1

Next race: Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang. April 3-5.

Britain’s Jenson Button took his first pole position in three years after a sensational qualifying session in Albert Park, scene of this year’s Australian Grand Prix. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello will start alongside sealing the front row for the new Brawn GP team competing in its first Formula One race.

Although Brawn GP is effectively a renamed Honda operation, it is officially classed as a new outfit – which makes today’s result the first time a new entrant has taken pole position for its debut since the factory Mercedes-Benz team in the 1954 French Grand Prix.

This is a remarkable achievement as only a few weeks ago the squad’s future was secured when Ross Brawn completed his buyout from Honda. To lockout the front row in Melbourne, with a sixth tenths (of a second) advantage over Red Bull Racing’s Sebastien Vettel (who lines up third on the grid) makes this result even more special.

The margin between the Brawn GP pair was only separated by 0.305 seconds, revealing a close and private duel for the top spot. In fact, Button and Barrichello dominated both Q1 and Q2, with a clear advantage over their rivals in each of the qualifying session.

But in the all-important pole position shootout, it was Button who emerged on top with a lap time of one minute, 26. 202 seconds.

Red Bull Racing’s Sebastien Vettel will line up behind the Brawn GP pair while Robert Kubica demonstrated his KERS-free BMW Sauber is still quicker than the KERS-enabled car of team-mate Nick Heidfeld (fourth and eleventh places respectively).

Practice pacesetter Nico Rosberg could only manage fifth for Williams, ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock and championship runner-up Felipe Massa in the Ferrari.

Jarno Trulli  puts the second Toyota in eighth position with past champion Kimi Raikkonen down in ninth place.

As for the home crowd favourite, Mark Webber was initially as high as third on the provisional grid following his first run in Q3, but over the course of the session, the Australian was pushed back down to tenth.

What about McLaren? How did the team fare in this all-important session in Melbourne? Well, as expected the team was unable to challenge for the top ten spots and world champion Lewis Hamilton was even forced to retire after a gearbox/drivetrain problem at the end of Q1. He will start his first race as a defending champion in a disastrous P15 on the grid… His team-mate Heikki Kovalainen didn’t suffer any technical problems but made little difference to boost the team, as the Finn could only P14.

Renault also lacked pace with the double world champion Fernando Alonso down in a disappointing P12, split between the BMW Sauber of Heidfeld and Kazuki Nakajima’s Williams.

As for the only rookie competing this year, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi did a solid job to out-qualify his more experienced team-mate Sebastien Bourdais. The Swiss was 0.4 seconds faster over the four times Champ Car star and will line up on his maiden Formula One race in P16. As for the Frenchman, he will start last complaining of a lack of tyre temperatures.

So, an unusual grid for this Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Pre-race favourite Jenson Button is on target to score a dream victory for Brawn GP following an exciting qualifying session. The speed from the Red Bull Racing team is also impressive in particular Vettel. As for Lewis Hamilton, this result is not what he needed as the new champion, so the challenges that lay ahead as he races through mid-pack will be fascinating. Roll on race day for the start of the new 2009 Formula One World Championship!

Qualifying times from Melbourne:

1.  Button      Brawn-Mercedes        1:26.202
2.  Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes        1:26.505
3.  Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1:26.830
4.  Kubica      BMW-Sauber            1:26.914
5.  Rosberg     Williams-Toyota       1:26.973
6.  Glock       Toyota                1:26.975
7.  Massa       Ferrari               1:27.033
8.  Trulli      Toyota                1:27.127
9.  Raikkonen   Ferrari               1:27.163
10.  Webber      Red Bull-Renault      1:27.246
11.  Heidfeld    BMW-Sauber            1:25.504
12.  Alonso      Renault              1:25.605
13.  Nakajima    Williams-Toyota       1:25.607
14.  Kovalainen  McLaren-Mercedes      1:25.726
15.  Hamilton    McLaren-Mercedes      1:26.454
16.  Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:26.503
17.  Piquet      Renault               1:26.598
18.  Fisichella  Force India-Mercedes  1:26.677
19.  Sutil       Force India-Mercedes  1:26.742
20.  Bourdais    Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1:26.964

This coming weekend is the start of the new Formula One season and with new rules and regulations in place, this season’s world championship could be the most unpredictable in the six decades of the sport.

The major changes can be seen in the look of these single-seaters. In a bid to improve the spectacle of the sport – in terms of providing on-track entertainment, namely overtaking – the sport’s governing body (the FIA) have drafted in a set of new rules to cut the level of downforce therefore making it easier for cars to pass one another.

Gone are the winglets, chimneys, barge boards and ‘bull horns’ that made last year’s Formula One cars so aerodynamically sensitive to be replace with a cleaner and less aero sophisticated bodywork. Such a shame that the Overtaking Working Group (OWG) have made the new 2009-spec Formula One cars look way out of proportion with it’s large and wide front wing (with changeable flaps), slick tyres (to replace the grooves) and tall, narrow rear wing (less turbulence for the cars following behind).

Not to mention the new Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) is there to provide an extra ‘boost’ to aid overtaking. I am quite sceptical about this new system. Not only for the safety aspect, as last winter a BMW Sauber mechanic was injured after suffering an electric shock, but also how it could improve the on-track racing. KERS is essentially a way of storing loss energy in deceleration and converting it into extra brake horsepower. It can be stored in either as a mechanical energy (a flywheel) or an electrical energy (as in a battery or super capacitor). The benefit with KERS is to give the driver that additional speed in making a passing manoeuvre. But I am worried that it will make the art of overtaking into whom presses the button sooner… But if you want to entertain the fans, then so be it.

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The racing season maybe over for another year but Formula One never stops and with new rules being implemented for 2009, the first signs of the new look to the single-seater racing car have being unveiled during testing at Barcelona.

In a bid to improve the spectacle and make overtaking easier, the sport’s governing body have drafted in a set of new aerodynamics regulations – as well as reintroducing slick tyres – to Formula One next year.

Williams was the first team to incorporate the new 2009-spec aero kit with a hybrid version of last year’s FW30. The front wing has been lowered in height and extended in width in a bid to get rid of the understeer effect when following another car. The driver can actually adjust the wing angle with a lever or switch inside the cockpit to change the level of downforce if needed.

As for the rear wing, the increase in height and a reduction in the width will create more drag, so that the slipstream effect can be achieved. In addition, the level of grip has been reduced to make it more of a challenge for the driver.

More on the 2009-aero spec can be seen in this detailed technical drawing taken from Autosport magazine (shown below). The mock-up of the Ferrari looks reasonable and in reality, the Willliams F1 car seems good.

But prepare to be shocked with what BMW Sauber has come up with during the first week of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

This hybrid BMW Sauber looks horrible! The front wing is out of proportion, no thanks to the retro-looking flat nose that magnifies the appalling mess… As for rear wing, it looks tiny when you view the Formula One car from the back. Sure, it is refreshing to see slick tyres back on a racing car after ten years running on grooves, but somehow the overall appearance is difficult to consume.

I really hope the FIA have done the correct approach in making these cars easier to overtake as the look behind these Formula One cars are ghastly. Perhaps I should hold back my first impressions when all the teams have sorted out their aerodynamics for the new season in time for the first race in Melbourne. But it’s hard for the designers to improve on the limitations that have been set in the rulebook…

In a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has finally achieved his dream of winning the Formula One World Championship with a tense and exciting final few laps at Sao Paulo. Title rival Felipe Massa did the best he could by leading from start to finish in a rain-affected Brazilian Grand Prix, but race victory was still not enough as Hamilton was able to come home in fifth position… just!

By winning the title, Lewis Hamilton becomes the youngest world champion in the history of Formula One motor racing. He also joins the list of great British drivers who have won the world championship including Mike Hawthorn, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.

It was McLaren’s first drivers’ title since Mika Hakkinen back in 1999 and the first for a British driver since Hill back in 1996.

But in the final two laps to the chequered flag, with steady rain falling down, it could have gone wrong for Hamilton as he lost a vital track position when Sebastian Vettel passed him.

At that point, the championship was heading towards Felipe Massa, and when the Ferrari took the chequered flag, everyone believed he did the impossible by winning the drivers’ title in style. But on the final lap as Lewis was desperately trying to pass the Toro Rosso of Vettel, Toyota’s Timo Glock – who was ahead and still running on dry Bridgestone on a slippery surface – was unable to stay on track and dropped down from fourth to sixth, handing the title to Hamilton.

Ferrari still clinched the constructors’ title, with Massa winning the Brazilian Grand Prix and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in third. Renault’s Fernando Alonso drove a solid race challenging the Ferraris and ended the season with a superb second position.

The start was delayed by ten minutes after a brief, but heavy, downpour hitting the Interlagos track just before the mechanics were due to clear the grid. Although the sunshine returned within a few minutes, parts of the race track were damp. And deciding not to take risks, the twenty-car field opted to start the race on intermediates.

As the five red lights went out, Massa headed into the Senna S still in the lead followed by Jarno Trulli, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. Behind there was chaos as Nico Rosberg tapped David Coulthard into a spin, with the Red Bull Racing swiping Rosberg’s Williams team-mate Kazuki Nakajima. Coulthard was out on the spot and it was a sad and early end to his Formula One career.

Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr was also forced to retire in his home event in a separate first lap incident.

The Safety Car made its appearance and stayed out for three laps while Coulthard’s car was retrieved from a dangerous position. When the field got going again, Massa edged away at the front as team-mate Raikkonen began to apply pressure on Toyota’s Trulli for second, with Hamilton running in a safe fourth.

His McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen lost out to both Vettel and Alonso in the opening lap as the Finn tried to protect Hamilton. Heikki did get past Fernando at the restart, only for the McLaren to run wide and losing the position again to the Renault.

As the track began to dry out, some teams opted to gamble by running slick tyres. This worked beautifully for Giancarlo Fisichella as the Force India team pitted the Italian at the right moment thereby gaining track position. By the time the rest of the field made its switch to dry Bridgestones, Fisichella was up to fifth, in between Raikkonen and Trulli.

Vettel and Alonso also benefitted in pitting early and the pair was promoted up the order in second and third respectively. Race leader Massa waited until the next stop while Hamilton stayed out one lap too long. Lewis’ caution proved costly, as he rejoined down in seventh place…

Hamilton soon passed sixth-placed driver Trulli, when the Toyota slid wide into the Senna S, but it was not until lap 17 that he was back in the all-important top five race positions when he passes Fisichella at the same corner.

The McLaren driver then gained an extra place when Vettel made an early second pit stop on lap 27. Although the Toro Rosso was temporary in second when the other cars made their final pit stops, Vettel’s final third visit to the pits for new tyres and fuel dropped him back to fifth behind Hamilton.

Meanwhile at the front, Massa was comfortably pulling away from Alonso and heading for the race victory. Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was slowly closing in on Alonso, while Hamilton was still driving cautiously in fourth.

But then the rain showers returned with only seven laps to the finish! Not taking any risks except for Toyota, everyone pitted for intermediates.

By staying out on a wet track with slick tyres, Timo Glock moved into fourth, ahead of Hamilton and Vettel.

It looked like title was still heading to Hamilton’s way until he ran wide at the final corner when BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica decided to un-lap himself! That also let Vettel through and suddenly it appeared that the title had slipped from Hamilton once again.

But within sight of the chequered flag, Hamilton’s luck changed as Glock was losing grip (as much as 17 seconds on the final lap alone!) and it allowed the McLaren to sweep past and back into fifth position. By that time, the Ferrari team was celebrating Felipe Massa’s championship success, but the mood quickly changed as it became clear that it was Lewis Hamilton who won the title.

Poor Massa. The young Brazilian believed he did the job with pole position and race victory. But to lose out by a single point, that is deeply distressing… Though Felipe should be proud of his achievements this season and he did put in a strong performance in the final race.

Heikki Kovalainen finished seventh for McLaren while Jarno Trulli finished in the last point-scoring position with eighth for Toyota, ahead of Mark Webber’s Red Bull Racing and the BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld.

So congratulations to Lewis Hamilton for winning the 2008 Formula One World Championship. The 23-year-old Briton had been dreaming this day would come since he drove for the Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes team back last year. Back in 2007, he missed out on the chance to become world champion when he was feeling the pressure from then team-mate Alonso and eventual winner Raikkonen. Fast-forward twelve months on, Lewis has finally accomplished his objective but he must be feeling pretty anxious in those final two laps in Brazil!

Hard luck Felipe Massa, but he will come back stronger and more determined than before in 2009. The Brazilian may not have won the world title, but by finishing first with team-mate Raikkonen third, the Scuderia Ferrari team have achieved their 16th constructors’ title.

And so ends a dramatic and controversial season of Formula One racing. We have seen new winners, classic races and exciting moments in this sport and thanks to the talent of Lewis Carl Hamilton – we have a British world champion.

Race results from the Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo:

1. Massa Ferrari 1h34:11:435
2. Alonso Renault +13.298
3. Raikkonen Ferrari +16.235
4. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari +38.011
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes +38.907
6. Glock Toyota +44.368
7. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +55.074
8. Trulli Toyota +1:08.433
9. Webber Red Bull-Renault +1:19.666
10. Heidfeld BMW Sauber +1 lap
11. Kubica BMW Sauber +1 lap
12. Rosberg Williams-Toyota +1 lap
13. Button Honda +1 lap
14. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
15. Barrichello Honda +1 lap
16. Sutil Force India-Ferrari +2 laps
17. Nakajima Williams-Toyota +2 laps
18. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari +2 laps

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:13.376

Not classified/retirements:

Piquet Renault 1 lap
Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1 lap

World Championship standings, round 18:

Drivers:

1. Hamilton 98
2. Massa 97
3. Raikkonen 75
4. Kubica 75
5. Alonso 61
6. Heidfeld 60
7. Kovalainen 53
8. Vettel 35
9. Trulli 31
10. Glock 25
11. Webber 21
12. Piquet 19
13. Rosberg 17
14. Barrichello 11
15. Nakajima 9
16. Coulthard 8
17. Bourdais 4
18. Button 3

Constructors:

1. Ferrari 172
2. McLaren-Mercedes 151
3. BMW Sauber 135
4. Renault 80
5. Toyota 56
6. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 39
7. Red Bull-Renault 29
8. Williams-Toyota 26
9. Honda 14

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa scored his sixth career pole position in Sao Paulo while championship rival Lewis Hamilton will start in a disappointing fourth.

By starting on pole position – his third successive pole – the Brazilian has a great opportunity to win the race in front of his adoring fans and possibly the world title. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli lines up in an impressive second, his best grid spot since the French Grand Prix back in 2005.

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will start in third for Ferrari. The Italian team can actually win the constructors’ championship if Massa and Raikkonen score a strong result in Sao Paulo.

For Lewis Hamilton, this qualifying result will be a big concern for his championship prospect. He needed to start at the front in order to win his first drivers’ title in style but with fourth position, Lewis will face a difficult Brazilian Grand Prix on race day. Yes, he can still win the championship by finishing in the top five, but Lewis must be feeling a little worried.

His McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen tried his best to upset the grid order as the Finn had a quick car around the Interlagos circuit, but when it mattered, Heikki could only manage fifth. As for Fernando Alonso, who again stated his claim in supporting Felipe and Ferrari in the title chase, the Renault driver will start in sixth.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel will line up seventh on the grid with team-mate Sebastien Bourdais in ninth. Between the pair will be Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber.

And rounding out the top ten is Timo Glock in the second Toyota.

Nelson Piquet Jr missed out on an opportunity to take part in Q3 by a small margin (0.03 seconds!) and will start in P11 for his home race.

As for David Coulthard, who will be racing in his final Grand Prix with a special livery Red Bull car, the Scot will be two positions behind his team-mate Mark Webber in P14.

Fellow race veteran Rubens Barrichello, who maybe out of his Honda seat at the end of the year, out-qualified his team-mate Jenson Button with P15.

So the stage is set for a dramatic finale in this exciting and controversial season of Formula One motor racing. Lewis Hamilton heads the drivers’ standings with seven points over Felipe Massa, and yet it is the Brazilian who has the advantage on the race track.

If Lewis wants to win the title, he needs to stay calm and run at the same pace as the cars ahead. The title will be his if Hamilton finishes inside the top five.

For Felipe, pole position is ideal, so all he needs to do next is go for the maximum ten points with race victory. And hope something unfortunate will prevail his title rival in not scoring any points!

Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix could yet be a wet race so it will be fascinating who will be fast and composed enough to win the championship. Will it be Lewis Hamilton or Felipe Massa? Let the showdown between the two commence on race day!

Grid positions for the Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo:

1. Massa Ferrari 1:12.368
2. Trulli Toyota 1:12.737
3. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:12.825
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.830
5. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.917
6. Alonso Renault 1:12.967
7. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:13.082
8. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:13.297
9. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.105
10. Glock Toyota 1:14.230
11. Piquet Renault 1:12.137
12. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:12.289
13. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:12.300
14. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:12.717
15. Barrichello Honda 1:13.139
16. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:12.800
17. Button Honda 1:12.810
18. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:13.002
19. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:13.426
20. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:13.508

This weekend is the big event. After seventeen rounds of this year’s highly competitive and controversial Formula One season, two drivers are on the verge of winning the drivers’ title in Brazil. Like last year, Lewis Hamilton will have the advantage with a seven-point lead over title rival Felipe Massa, but will history repeat itself come race day on Sao Paulo?

This is Hamilton’s second opportunity to win the drivers’ championship, as back in 2007 he missed out due to cracking under the pressure by first trying to desperately get pass his then McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso on the opening lap, and later suffering a rare gearbox malfunction as Lewis tried to regain lost ground. The Briton lost out to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who took the title against all odds by a single point.

This time, Lewis Hamilton has vowed to take a relax approach and following his dominant performance in Shanghai two weeks ago, the Briton will have the upper hand as he only needs to finish fifth or higher to take the crown.

But circumstances could fall in his way during the Brazilian Grand Prix… Lewis has yet to encounter a failure on his ultra-fast McLaren MP4-23. The same can’t be said to team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, who seemed to have all the bad luck with the car breaking down… Okay, Lewis did have some ‘off’ days when he failed to record any significant points no thanks to his aggressive driving style. Case in point when he collided into Alonso at Bahrain, with Raikkonen in the pit lane at Montreal and cutting the chicane at Spa… Lewis will need to keep himself in check by driving sensibly and in line with the strict Formula One rules, as breaking them would result in penalties…

If the McLaren is reliable and the new aerodynamic body kit – featuring a revised rear-wing – provides extra confidence to the driver, then you will see a British world champion since Damon Hill back in 1996. If Lewis Hamilton manages to win the title, it will be his lifelong ambition being fulfilled and he will become the youngest champion in the history of Formula One motor racing.

As for his opponent, Felipe Massa has the unique opportunity of taking the drivers’ crown in front of his adoring and passionate Brazilian fans. Only victory will be good enough, as nothing else will do. The Ferrari driver needs all the support and probably luck in order to win his first title. But saying that, the young Brazilian has a fantastic record around Interlagos.

In 2006, Massa won his second Grand Prix in style with a dominant performance in front of his home crowd. Doing so, Massa became the first Brazilian driver to win at Interlagos since the late, great Ayrton Senna took the honour back in 1993. The following year, he was leading the race comfortably but pulled over to let his team-mate Raikkonen through for the Finn to take the championship away from the McLaren pair (Alonso and Hamilton). He finished second in that race.

And now with the championship poised with a climatic finale this year, Massa will be determined to score a perfect result with race victory. He will have the support of team-mate Raikkonen and Renault’s Fernando Alonso, but it will be all down to him to perform in qualifying and in the race.

Here’s hoping Felipe will have a clean fight with Lewis with a fast, consistent car with no pit stop ‘dramas’ that could hinder his attempt to win.

So who will win the ultimate prize in Formula One? The British public and media will want Lewis to take it after his impressive performance this season and with a seven-point advantage, he can afford to take the conservative approach to land the title. But he is a racing driver after all and the overall victory is what matters, so don’t be surprise if he goes all out for the maximum ten points! Only fifth place or higher will get the job done, so keep that in mind Lewis.

Personally, I like to see Massa to triumph, as he is the most improved driver in 2008. Yes, he had made some errors including spinning off no less than five times in the soaking wet British Grand Prix at Silverstone(!) but I truly believe he has the ability to cast aside his doubters/critics with a strong result at his home circuit.

We shall find out who will be spraying the champagne on Sunday evening. Let battle commence!