Just a week after Ferrari take their first 1-2 of the season, we move onto the next race in this dramatic title challenge.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it's the big one, it's the race that could make or break anyone's title chances; it's the British GP, held in Norhamptonshire at the Silverstone GP circuit.

Steeped in history, can this great circuit give us another fantastic race.

With McLaren and Ferrari fighting for their lives at the top of both championships, it's all to play for.

Will Lewis Hamilton find form once again and dislodge the Ferraris, or will his team-mate be top dog?

Will the Ferraris once again get the better of the Silver Cars and get their title challenge right back on track?

All will be revealed over the course of this weekend. This could be an epic race.

It's neck and neck in Pactice, with Hamilton dealing the early blow in P1:
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39931

But Ferrari bounces back in P2:
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39936

Button sits out of P2 with back pain:
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39934

I'm gonna go McLaren. France was just a glitch in the program. I'm optimistic for another 1-2 for McLaren.

Obviously I'm a Kimi fan sooo I wanna Ferrari 1-2 and he did get the fastest lap in P2 so don't underestimate him/Ferrari ;) !

But I also think McLaren will provide some competition but a McLaren win, I can't see it, McLaren finishing 3rd yes !

I think that BMW will be very competitive in this GP. I want from the 2 Bmws to be very competitive and hard. I like BMW. I want to see them first and second in the qualifyings. I know that i sound like crazy but one day BMWs will be in the top. :p

I think that BMW will be very competitive in this GP. I want from the 2 Bmws to be very competitive and hard. I like BMW. I want to see them first and second in the qualifyings. I know that i sound like crazy but one day BMWs will be in the top. :p

BMWs down in 13th and 15th in P2 today. Could be just the gusty weather conditions or an uncompleted Practice programme. I think that they will climb up the grid and take their usual spots in qualifying and the race.

They might encounter some problems from the Renault because their whole package has improved over the weekend.

I'm gonna go McLaren. France was just a glitch in the program. I'm optimistic for another 1-2 for McLaren.

I think a McLaren 1-2 will be very hard. None of the teams are standing still but it all comes down as to who will be the tenths/hundredths fastest when it comes to the grid. We never know, although I do think Ferrari have the slightest of edges right now.

BMWs down in 13th and 15th in P2 today. Could be just the gusty weather conditions or an uncompleted Practice programme. I think that they will climb up the grid and take their usual spots in qualifying and the race.

They might encounter some problems from the Renault because their whole package has improved over the weekend.
Oh damn. I hope BMW's to have good standings in the qualifyings as always.

BMWs down in 13th and 15th in P2 today. Could be just the gusty weather conditions or an uncompleted Practice programme. I think that they will climb up the grid and take their usual spots in qualifying and the race.

They might encounter some problems from the Renault because their whole package has improved over the weekend.



I think a McLaren 1-2 will be very hard. None of the teams are standing still but it all comes down as to who will be the tenths/hundredths fastest when it comes to the grid. We never know, although I do think Ferrari have the slightest of edges right now.

The likliness of them winning the whole thing is now unlikely. Alonso and Hamilton are two great drivers, and there is a substantial point gap between McMerc and Ferrari.

Forza Ferrari!!

Basically, if Hamilton want's to win this, he needs to hang his balls out. He is sometimes a very conservative driver, for how fast he is. If he goes full whack, instead of playing nicely, I reckon he could have it.

However, the safe money is on Kimi. I hate to say that, very, very much.

After seeing Ferrari's good form back in France with the first Ferrari 1-2 of the season, i definitely think Ferrari can do it again. Ferrari have finally got back in shape and back to their old form since the Australian GP where Kimi won on his debut season and Massa winning in Spain and Bahrain. Thats why i voted Ferrari on the poll. But the Mclarens will definitely be fighting since it's their home GP. Overall it's going to be a great race, i'm looking forward to it.

In 30 minutes the qualifyings will start. So i should go to my TV. Go go BMW.

For gods sake, this is getting ridiculous!
Alonso's been fastest all the time, so i guess he stands a good chance tomorrow.

Oh Kimi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WTF happened coming out of the last corner ????????

Kimi could have been 1st but he stuffed it up and Hamilton improved soo Hamilton is 1st !

But hey Kimi's on the front row so not all bad is it !

I'm predicting - Kimi 1st, Hamilton 2nd, Alonso 3rd on the podium tommorow !

I haven't watched qualifying yet since it's not broadcasted in 2hrs but I've been checking out the live timing and damn, i guess Hamilton has pole position, tomorrows race is going to be very interesting indeed since it's basically a Mclaren and Ferrari sandwich!

And heres the qualifying results:

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/3569/untitledjz5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I'm predicting Hamilton 1st his dream debut could only get better with a win at home. Alonso 2nd and 3rd Kubica. I think Kubica is an unspoken threat even with his crash he has driven very well for a rookie.. I don't think kimi's got it (one lap speed yes but race winning I'm not sure of) this year even with the win last round.

But knowing Ferrari they will pull something out of there arse and probably win for the rest of the season..

I saw the qualifyings. What a pity for Kimi. In the last corner he pushed his F1 too much. He could be 1st. Although he is 2nd. Not bad.
Kubica was great. Excellent cause he took the 4th place. But Heidfeld was out of order. He finished in the 9th place. What a pity.
As GT King said the first 4 places are like a sandwich. lol :D

It seems like there will be no stopping Lewis this weekend, and considering its his home GP, he will try his best not to disappoint the fans. I think that the race at Silverstone will be a race for second place and that shall be occupied by a "resurgent" Kimi Raikkonnen. Third shall go not to a McLaren but to a Brazillian named Massa overtaking Alonso either on the start or at the exit of a pit stop.

Otherwise its a race that will most likely feature both BMWs in the points along with the Renaults.

My bold prediction of the race weekend, Mark Webber gets points for RBR. Otherwise a disappointing qualifying session by both Honda teams and Spyker makes it a certainty they will finish where they start.

Never saw qualifing for obvious reasons
but damn massa. hopefully there will be qn overtaking tommorrow

Its nice for Lewis being pole, plus it would be his dream to win in briton, but hopefully ferrari take it.
Ralf seems to have found some speed, guess we just need to wait till tommorrow to see what happens

I'm predicting Hamilton 1st his dream debut could only get better with a win at home. Alonso 2nd and 3rd Kubica. I think Kubica is an unspoken threat even with his crash he has driven very well for a rookie.. I don't think kimi's got it (one lap speed yes but race winning I'm not sure of) this year even with the win last round.

But knowing Ferrari they will pull something out of there arse and probably win for the rest of the season..

I think it would be quite a bold statement to rule both Ferraris out of a podium position in this race. They're looking menacingly strong and it looks as if they have a slightly heavier fuel load than the McLaren which could prove pivotal in the race. Their race pace is excellent, so we have a good chance of seeing both of the Ferraris on the podium tomorrow.

Who's going to be on the top step; nobody really knows, although I think the start will be very very important, as I think that is the key to the victory here.

_

My input:

What a bloody marvellous qualifying session. Hamilton putting in a stupendous qualifying lap that would have put anyone to shame. It was blisteringly fast, out of this world fast. I've said it before and I'll say it again; Michael Schumacher was a fantastic one lap specialist type of person, he was devastatingly quick, probably one of the quickest F1 drivers. Seeing him and Hamilton battle it out for pole at a race would be to die for.

But back to the qualifying; I was jumping for joy when Hamilton crossed the line. At first, he had a little lock up and a little slide a the last corner and I think he blew all his chances of getting a pole but I was pleasantly surprised when he crossed the finish line, and he got his pole. I was expecting something around 2nd or 3rd place, but getting 1st is absolutely brilliant for him and for the team.

BUT

I think Raikkonen is carrying a bit more fuel than Hamilton. I thought Ferrari had a slight edge going into this weekend over single lap pace, and that would have been the case if Raikkonen didn't make that last lap mistake. I found it truly incredible that, with that last corner mistake, Raikkonen still crossed the finish line with a provisional pole lap time. If he hadn't had made that error, he would have been on pole by a good three or four tenths of a second, and, with his suspected heavy fuel load, it would have been safe money for him to win here in Britain.

Alonso didn't fair too well, and it's safe to say he is being truly overshadowed by his team-mate and he needs to step it up a gear because he's simply not fast enough right now. Don't count Massa out tomorrow either, I suspect he's carrying a little bit more fuel, but those two will have to make up some places at the start.

And I've also come to the conclusion that Jenson Button is the unluckiest driver in F1. First off he does a decent banker lap time, goes into the pits, gets called into the weighbridge with 4 minutes to go (exactly the same as last year, anyone?), so he doesn't have any time to talk to race engineers to tell anyone what's wrong with the car, so he can hardly improve his lap times. Then, on his outlap, he lets Anthony Davidson go past so he can start his hot lap aswell, but then (before I say this I want you to know that I have a hell of a lot of respect for Anthony Davidson) he has a moment of utter madness and tries to warm his tyres up midway through a corner by nailing the throttle and spinning it into the gravel. This throws dust right into Button's line, causing him to slow down, right before he's about to start his lap, which makes his radiators clogged up with dust, and the tyre pressures and temperatures to severely drop which basically mucks up his whole lap, and gets him knocked out in Q1. So, he gets knocked out because he lets a rookie driver through, Button acting as the nice guy, then the rookie makes a rookie mistake and messes up a pivotal lap for Button. I'm getting sick of all the bad luck happening to him, it's just totally unfair, and at his home grand prix aswell? Now what in all that's holy is that all about. You cannot understand how annoyed and frustrated I was when I saw him cross the line in 17th, and only to be knocked down to 18th by god knows who. It's just not fair.

But on a happier note, he has good race pace, and Barrichello is starting up the field aswell, but it's still not good enough.

Come tomorrow though, hopefully something lucky will happen and he can get some points because he really needs them.

Just for the record, Button won the Hawthorne Prize (an award awarded to the British driver who scored the most points the season beforehand. No prizes as to who's won it this year.)

Can't wait for tomorrow though, go Lewis!

_

Qualifying report:
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39960

Davidson's misshap was just blantatly rookie like and I still have no ide what he was thinking. I mean I get the whole heat up your tires, but cme on Anthony, you aren't Alonso and his old Renault. Button shamefully was relegated because he had to slow down and the fact that the local yellow came out. As for Barichello, just like the announcers on my coverage said, Rubens rues the day he left Ferrari because he wasn't treated as top dog and only finishing in the podium.

BTW, if anyone cares to know, Honda has gone back to their 2006 chassis for this weekend because they have basically given up on development and poor results with the 2007. Which means they are using nearly identical cars to Super Aguri. Just have to wait and see what happens now. Wouldn't it be funny if Super Aguri asked Honda for its 2007 chassis and then went out and scored points weekly.:)

^Yeah I haven't got a clue what he was doing there. Just an elementary error that simply shouldn't happen, and after that he ruined Jenson Button's lap which was totally unfair on him.

But I'm slightly puzzled as to why Honda have gone straight back to their 2006 chassis. Are you sure this information has been confirmed, clutch? If Honda want any chance of a decent 2008 then they need to carry on development with their RA107 to make things happen for next year.

Well the guys during SPEED's qualifying coverage said that Honda has completely scrapped the idea of the 2007 chassis carrying on and have brought out the old 2006 version for this week.


And after some research I found out that I am not the only one who heard this statement on the broadcast. After looking at the scoring sheets and information, Honda is still in fact running the 2007 version. So quite honestly I don't know why they said what they did.

^They wouldn't be allowed to run a 2006 chassis, because it's not up to 2007 rules and regulations anyway. Strange from the SPEED guys there, and besides, Honda need to develop their RA107 a lot!

Woot, go Hamilton and Alonso. Hoping that Alonso will get back on his feet after that terrible finish at France.
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http://www.mclaren.com/latestnews/portraits/vmm.gif

^They wouldn't be allowed to run a 2006 chassis, because it's not up to 2007 rules and regulations anyway. Strange from the SPEED guys there, and besides, Honda need to develop their RA107 a lot!

I think they're using a modified RA106 chassis. But, looking at images from Qualifying, it does look the RA107. It would be too cumbersome for them to simply change some external parts on an 06, so now I'm confused :S

Anyway, I'm bummed, obviously, about qualifying.

^^ It is possible for Honda to run their RA106 chassis, but it has to be modified. Percisely, Super Aguiri is using a modified RA106 chassis this year, so it would be able to comply with the 2007 rules and regulations.

This should solve some problems.
__________________
http://www.mclaren.com/latestnews/portraits/vmm.gif

^^ It is possible for Honda to run their RA106 chassis, but it has to be modified. Percisely, Super Aguiri is using a modified RA106 chassis this year, so it would be able to comply with the 2007 rules and regulations.

It's not the same as Super Aguri's situation, who have developed the car around the RA106 chassis. All the parts that SA have developed and implemented on their car have been through using the RA106. However, Honda have developed their car around the RA107 chassis, so all their parts have been developed around it.

It's not that easy. You can't just bolt on the RA107 nose cone onto a RA106 chassis and hope that it'll be faster.

Yeah Kimi won !!!!!!!!!!

I think we can safely say that the real Kimi is here and after that race it just proves it !

Good race I enjoyed it but wtf happened to Massa at the start ??? I mean he stalled the engine but there has to be more to it than that surely ...., Kubica had a good race to hold off Massa for over 10 laps and Hamilton lets no go there lol. Alonso and Mclaren just where out paced by Ferrari today and I hope its the way things are going to be from now on. I think Massa also did a great job from starting in the pits to end up in 5th was excellent great job Ferrari !

Overall the best race of the season so far if you ask me !

It was a great race! I really enjoyed it!
Massa put the first gear in his gearbox but the car shut off. He started the race from the pits. But he did a great race and he overpassed so many cars. He finished at the 5th place. Impressive.

Hamilton finished at the 3rd place. He was good except from the wrong pit stop. But he is a young driver so he will take the experience he needs. He was good.

Alonso did a great race like Kimi. Kimi is very fast in these current Gp's. He did the fastest lap. He is in a good mood. So he starts his war. MAybe he will take the championship or Ferrari will beat Mclaren at manufacturer's championship.

Bmw was very good at one more time. Heidfeld finished at the 6th place. He did a good race.
Kubica was great. He didn't let Massa to pass. He stayed at the 4th place. Great!

And the results.
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7307/35594970zr4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

To quote myself:


Otherwise its a race that will most likely feature both BMWs in the points along with the Renaults.

My bold prediction of the race weekend, Mark Webber gets points for RBR.

Well I was right about the first statement and who knows about the second one if he didn't have the hydraulic failure.


Overall it was a good race because a Ferrari won, which is rather opinion based, but thats what being a fan is all about. Otherwise it was boring after the mini battle between Kimi and Hamilton in the first stint before the stops.

Team race rundown and grade:

Ferrari: Simply awesome Kimi, you are what may save us yet and dispell any rumors that you are leaving. Massa an amazing ride from the rear but yet could not manage to get by Kubica for 4th. Disappointing where he finished but from where he came to where he finished is an achievement. A

McLaren: Not much to say here, both had "ok" races barring the near disaster in the pits with a hyped up Hamilton. Alonso did his job and beat his team mate and led laps after having a dry spell. A-

BMW: Robert is so close to the podium he can smell the aftershave of the top 3 drivers. He is almost there but not quite and he just needs to stay commited and enthusiastic about his chances. Heidfeld had a "bad" race according to his standards, still in the points but beaten by a team mate. Both drivers beat Renault which is their first goal and stayed on the same lap as the up front runners, which is something other teams cannot say. B

Renault: Although finishing in the points an uninspiring race from the the ING boys. Their goals to stay with the BMWs was not as complete as they had hoped and they were also more than a lap off of the leaders. The fact that Heikki beat Giancarlo tells you that the rookie is pushing his hardest with what he has and he deserves a thumbs up for his effort. Giancarlo finished where he probably will for the rest of the season and is in danger of dropping out of the points if others don't have misfortunes. C

Honda: Well, well, well, can it be? Both factory Hondas in the top ten. Well done considering where they have been in the first half of the season. Once again the announcers from SPEED said that Honda is using the cars from last year for this race weekend, so I am still confused. Button had a great drive from 18th to 10th and perhaps if he had more time a points finish? Barrichello held his own and pushed all the way to the end and he almost tasted points after a disappointing year. With a one pit stop strategy the Hondas were heavy but did a good showing at Silverstone. B+

Williams: A top 15 finish by a Spyker team iis good, but a top 15 finish by Williams is something to frown upon. Both guys did mediocre races and Wurz finished where he started, 13th, along the way he took out Speed and was passed by Nico, who had a relatively good race. He started 17th and advanced 5 positions, but after being in the top ten all during practice, this is not a good finish. C-

RBR- David had a respectable race just outside the top 10 and made it difficult for some people to pass him, but the car just isn't fast enough for him to strike. Webber had a terrible race, racing only 8 laps before hydraulic failure put an end to an optimistic run. C

Super Aguri- Davidson didn't finish and Sato had a top 15 finish. Not much else to say but its what is the norm as of late. I really hope they can turn it around and get more points. With a dangerously behaving car Anthony had to retire while balance was the problem for Taku. C-

Spyker- Sutil had a 17 lap sprint race before Kerblammo! Albers had a good finish in 15th but had a bunch of people ahead of him go down with retirements. So although he didn't earn the positions on the track, he kept the car clean and stayed on the course, so he did a positive job. C

STR- Scott doesn't finish once again but at least it isn't due to reliability issues, which marred Liuzzi. Wurz decided to be a battling ram and took out the Amrican who was letting Alonso by. Liuzzi must be frustrated with the reliability of his car and another DNF. These guys are really in a bad luck category, because the run positively when they don't have problems. The car is still slow during the race but the do well with what they have. D+

Toyota- A great qualifying session had little effect after Ralf went out with a suspension issue. Trulli had a fast car at the start but he too was brought in the pits because of Ralf's issues. Just like Canada both cars were demed too dangerous to continue on by the team. F

I absolutely loved the race. It was a shame in the beginning when Massa stalled his car on the grid when he selected first gear. But that wasn't a huge problem since he started from pit lane and ended up 5th, just like what Michael Schumacher did last year in Monaco. Good job to Massa, hes my driver of the day. Although he could have maybe got on the podium if he didn't stall.

As for Kimi, good job to him by overtaking Hamilton, that first stint was very exciting to watch, it's nice to see Kimi back in his old winning form, congratulations to him.

^^

Yeah I'm glad that Kimi and Ferrari are now on form its giving McLaren something to think about because I think if Ferrari keep finishing 1st we will see Hamiltons lead go down and Kimi or Massa winning the championship, but Ferrari ideally need 1-2's every weekend because McLaren are way ahead of Ferrari at the moment but I see Ferrari catching up with them.

I really want to know how this season is gonna go, it's been like a yo-yo so far, Mc-Merc - Ferrari, Alonso - Hamilton, Massa - Raikkonen, I mean, there seems to be no end.

I really want to know how this season is gonna go, it's been like a yo-yo so far, Mc-Merc - Ferrari, Alonso - Hamilton, Massa - Raikkonen, I mean, there seems to be no end.

Ha ha yeah lol !

We could even be lucky enough for BMW to improve dramtically and qualify on the first 2 rows consistently and finish in the top 5 that will cause a real stir wouldn't it lol ??

Aha, yeh, BMW ftw :) Nah, maybe not this year, but definitely next year, we should hopefully see some competition from Honda as well. I mean wouldn't it be great to see Honda, BMW and Renault rivaling the likes of Mc-Merc and Ferrari, maybe Toyota could get their act together too? It would be so great to see that. I'm getting bored of F1 right now, to be honest, there's no real battles, it's a bit, flat, we need more competition!

Aha, yeh, BMW ftw :) Nah, maybe not this year, but definitely next year, we should hopefully see some competition from Honda as well. I mean wouldn't it be great to see Honda, BMW and Renault rivaling the likes of Mc-Merc and Ferrari, maybe Toyota could get their act together too? It would be so great to see that. I'm getting bored of F1 right now, to be honest, there's no real battles, it's a bit, flat, we need more competition!

Yeah it is only McLaren - Ferrari but the real battles happen with Renault, Williams, Red Bull because IMO BMW are battling themselves for the higher position of the 2 cars lol, I mean they are better than Renault & the others but not as good has McLaren & Ferrari so they are a bit lost really (if you get what I'm trying to say) !

Yeah it would be great if we had Renault, Honda, BMW & Red Bull all fighting for a spot on the podium but I'm sure McLaren & Ferrari wouldn't like that would they ?

^^ Ye, but maybe they would, they probably get bored of seein the red {or silver} cars in their mirrors all the time. I'd love to mix it up a bit. Lets put everyone in a Mc-Merc, that would be fun :p
It would be better for the viewers!

Yeah it would be great if we had Renault, Honda, BMW & Red Bull all fighting for a spot on the podium but I'm sure McLaren & Ferrari wouldn't like that would they ?

Honda need to sort it out before next season - you just knew when they did that wacky Earth Car paintjob they were out of contention - nice try at adding some point to your useless season... Shame, because they've got such an awesome F1 history, but I bet they won't stay down.

Red Bull are going places imo - Dietrich Mateschitz has about enough money to make it work for him in F1, and Adrian Newey is a LEGEND of a designer.

Would personally love it if the midfield made it into a massive 6-way title fight :)

Plus, Kimi drove a perfect race on Sunday, eh? Shame about Lewis tho.

Guys i realised that the Ferrari has in each wheel a weird thing. They are like some wheel covers. Or like wheel caps. And i am asking you. Why the mechanics put these covers to Ferrari's wheels? Is this legal?

To answer in my question.
I think that these covers are for directing out from the brakes the warm air. So the brakes have fresh air and not warm.This is my explanation. What do you think guys?

Also can these covers help for the Ferrari's aerodynamic?

^ yup, exactly, smoother surface reduces drag, thats what makes it abit slightly faster and more stable, and probably is when you crash and those F1 side slot stuff on the front wing may hit the spokes of the wheels causing a big trouble...not sure about that but im sure about the aerodynamic stuff

^ yup, exactly, smoother surface reduces drag, thats what makes it abit slightly faster and more stable, and probably is when you crash and those F1 side slot stuff on the front wing may hit the spokes of the wheels causing a big trouble...not sure about that but im sure about the aerodynamic stuff
The second thing you said is a bit too much. I don't think so that this will happen. And i don't think so that Ferrari put them for safety.

yea, i just HAD to make my post longer because all the posts here are so damn long...lol

oh damn, here i go...

It didn't make sense to me. A stupid reason. Just tell the right thing. [-X

Guys i realised that the Ferrari has in each wheel a weird thing. They are like some wheel covers. Or like wheel caps. And i am asking you. Why the mechanics put these covers to Ferrari's wheels? Is this legal?

To answer in my question.
I think that these covers are for directing out from the brakes the warm air. So the brakes have fresh air and not warm.This is my explanation. What do you think guys?

Also can these covers help for the Ferrari's aerodynamic?

Yes, it's legal and they do help Ferrari's aerodynamics. 2 are located on the rear wheels ad 2 are located on the front. The ones on the rear help reduce turbulence in the rear of the car and help with getting heat out of the rear brakes. Ferrari have been using then for almost a year now i think.

As for the ones on the front, i have no idea since they just got installed on the car in the British GP, but i found a technical analysis article on it on formula1.com

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/5076/untitledts7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I know GT King. These covers are for directing the heat out from the brakes. But the front covers are doing the same thing. They are directing the heat out from the brakes. Also this warm air is going under F1 body directing to the diffuser. Then the F1 can produce more downforce and that means additional stability.

^^Yeah, so in other words Ferrari have a good advantage over the over their opposition in terms of brake cooling and aerodynamics. Although the downside is that the rim shields look damn ugly, but i guess it's not a problem since F1 is all about speed and performance.:)

I swear I saw the Renault with those covers on the rear at silverstone :-k ??

Because James Allen said that other teams are following suit and doing that aswell although I think McLaren have complained to the FIA about them lol !

I swear I saw the Renault with those covers on the rear at silverstone :-k ??

Because James Allen said that other teams are following suit and doing that aswell although I think McLaren have complained to the FIA about them lol !
Look FIA will discuss for these covers. They will make an anouncement if this part is legal. I think that the other companies will have their complaints about these parts.
It's a cool stuff for Ferrari.

damn, looks like a great GP missed
though did massa start from the back, if not he might of won and taken second overall, so close. Maybe germany.
But driver of the day for getting up to 5th.
It took alonso a whole race to get from, 10th to 7th, yet massa went from 22 to 5, what pace.

Ha ha yeah lol !

We could even be lucky enough for BMW to improve dramtically and qualify on the first 2 rows consistently and finish in the top 5 that will cause a real stir wouldn't it lol ??

Damn, I'd love for that to happen, Kubica with all his talents would be definitely winning some races. Put him in a Ferrari or McLaren and he would be battling it out for victories with the top dogs at the front of the field.

Aha, yeh, BMW ftw :) Nah, maybe not this year, but definitely next year, we should hopefully see some competition from Honda as well. I mean wouldn't it be great to see Honda, BMW and Renault rivaling the likes of Mc-Merc and Ferrari, maybe Toyota could get their act together too? It would be so great to see that. I'm getting bored of F1 right now, to be honest, there's no real battles, it's a bit, flat, we need more competition!

Yeah, hopefully Honda can join in the title challenge aswell. You've no idea how happy I would be if Honda started getting back to the front and challenging for race victories. Rubens can do it, Jenson can do it, and their team can do it aswell.

(Recent strengthening of team: see here: http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=40015)

Good to see other people moving to a team who needs work done to it.

I mean, in all honesty I thought that Button would be a contender for the title this season. They had so much momentum in the last part of 2006 (Button scored more points than any other driver last year from Hungary onwards), and then, what the hell happened? You don't go from being the third best team to becoming the third from last best team. Honda said they wanted to try something new with their car this season, but to be honest I just see it as a season wasted; a season which could have potentially been brilliant for both drivers. Bring on 2008!

Guys i realised that the Ferrari has in each wheel a weird thing. They are like some wheel covers. Or like wheel caps. And i am asking you. Why the mechanics put these covers to Ferrari's wheels? Is this legal?

To answer in my question.
I think that these covers are for directing out from the brakes the warm air. So the brakes have fresh air and not warm.This is my explanation. What do you think guys?

Also can these covers help for the Ferrari's aerodynamic?

As it's been said before, their main purpose is to aid brake cooling (out of the holes near the centre.) I think they've been using them full time since Turkey last year, and the front wheel ones were introduced this weekend.

I swear I saw the Renault with those covers on the rear at silverstone :-k ??

Because James Allen said that other teams are following suit and doing that aswell although I think McLaren have complained to the FIA about them lol !

Yeah, quite a few of the teams have the covers now. I don't think anything will happen to those teams, as it's a failry basic principle to understand about the cooling/aerodynamics, that's why a lot of teams have followed suite.

_

My input:

What a great race from Raikkonen. I can safely say that the flying Finn is back, and I genuinely believe he has a shot at this year's title. All four drivers, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa have a great chance of winning it, but I have to say it's Raikkonen who's in the ascendancy right now.

A fantastic race from him today. Drove the laps, made him fast, and put the pedal to the metal when it counted. When he overtook Hamilton at the stops, it was all looking good for him, and he never flustered even when Alonso took the lead. Those extra six laps he ran after Alonso pitted were all extremely fast ones, so Raikkonen had the lead in the last stint of the race, and fully deservedly so I think. Two race wins in a row don't come by fluke, they come by maximising the car's potential and by putting in all the laps and working with your team and driving bloody fast, and that's what Raikkonen has done. I say Ferrari and Raikkonen have the advantage going into Europe in a fortnight's time.

Massa did great aswell, and, showing his pace throughout the opening laps, he could have definitely had won the race without starting from the pit lane. Ferrari's reliability hasn't been the best this season, and they need to cut out those little glitches to get them back into the Constructor's table. Still, 5th is a fantastic result for him considering he started from the back of the field in 22nd. COuld have got 4th but Kubica's class shone through.

I say, it's quite a shame for McLaren. It seems kinda ironic that a rookie would be disappointed to come 3rd in his first ever home race, but I think he gave us one promise too far, as his qualifying lap was the result as a very light fuel load (Lewis being the early pitter, only pitting after a meagre 17 laps). But still, he has made an astonishing start, 9 podium finishes out of 9. That puts him 3rd in the all time list of consecutive podium finishes, with his team-mate Alonso and 15 and the greatest, Schumacher on 19 consecutive podium finishes.

His car simply wasn't fast enough today, which was a great shame for him because in the opening stint I really thought he could win it, but the next race he will come back fighting.

Alonso drove a great race, at one point he could actually win the race, finished in 2nd because nobody could really beat Raikkonen today, I mean, what a drive.

Great race for the BMWs aswell. Like Nige said, they're the ''lonely'' team in F1, faster for the midfield but not fast enough for the top 2 teams! Kubica and Heidfeld drove a great race, finishing 6th, which should put them in good contention for Europe, and if anything goes wrong for the Big 4 then a podium is almost a certainty.

Have to say Renault are definitely improving, with 7th and 8th, and so are the Hondas, 9th and 10th, only need to get those last few tenths of a second into their qualifying laps and they will be right on the Renault's tail, which is a great thing. They're really improving and have put their sorry start to the season behind them, I would think.

Williams, their race pace not as good as it has been in some race. Rosberg finishing out of the points on 2 occassions now, and that being in the last few races, and even when they qualify so well, it's a slight disappointment.

Shame for Webber, who retired once again with what looked like a hydraulics problem. DC brings it home in 11th.

Super Aguri didn't do as well as they have done in other races, and Spyker finishing 15th (last) and having one retirement.

You may be interested to hear that Albers has been dropped from Spyker with immediate effect:
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=40011

Anyway I'm really looking forward to Europe in a fortnight's time, because the title's really hotting up, but for the time being, let's just relish the awesomeness of the British GP.

_

I mean, in all honesty I thought that Button would be a contender for the title this season. They had so much momentum in the last part of 2006 (Button scored more points than any other driver last year from Hungary onwards), and then, what the hell happened? You don't go from being the third best team to becoming the third from last best team.


Well, I mean, miracles happen, look at McLaren, from failing every race, to well, podiums...it happens, these things take time.

Poor old Albers, I like Klien though.

IMO Albers shouldn't have got sacked or whatever, ok it was stupid of him with the whole pit stop and all but sacking him ???

I mean Hamilton nearly did what Albers did and did Hamilton get the same treatment from the press ?? NO !

On a side note (its a bit random but hey):

I would like to see Kubica in a Ferrari because without a doubt he his a future world champion and with a car like the Ferrari thats a perfect combination for a head to head with Hamilton in the future obviously Kubica will be the better driver and win more Championships ;) lol !

Well, I mean, miracles happen, look at McLaren, from failing every race, to well, podiums...it happens, these things take time.

Poor old Albers, I like Klien though.

That's very true, although I have a feeling McLaren sacrificed most of their 2006 season (second half) to get a brilliant 2007, and by gum has it payed off so far! Great driver choices aswell.

@Nige, Albers had to be let go because of a sponsor error (he was not paid or something like that) so Spyker had to terminate his contract with immediate effect.

Their test driver, Marcus Winkelhock, Narain Karthikeyan, WIlliams test driver and Honda's test and reserve driver Christian Klien have all been linked with drivers for Spyker.

Not sure where Albers goes from now.

That's very true, although I have a feeling McLaren sacrificed most of their 2006 season (second half) to get a brilliant 2007, and by gum has it payed off so far! Great driver choices aswell.

@Nige, Albers had to be let go because of a sponsor error (he was not paid or something like that) so Spyker had to terminate his contract with immediate effect.

Their test driver, Marcus Winkelhock, Narain Karthikeyan, WIlliams test driver and Honda's test and reserve driver Christian Klien have all been linked with drivers for Spyker.

Not sure where Albers goes from now.

Albers possibly a DTM drive nest season, didn't he come from DTM come to think about it ??? or some other form of racing maybe in the Dutch A1GP team. There is loads of places a race driver can go/do so I don't think he will be out of a job for long .... !

^Yeah, he came from DTM, he was very successful in that, so he might get his drive back from that, we'll just have to see if there's any vacant spots.

Same goes for A1, are you aware of any other spots he could go to?

^Yeah, he came from DTM, he was very successful in that, so he might get his drive back from that, we'll just have to see if there's any vacant spots.

Same goes for A1, are you aware of any other spots he could go to?

Possibly:

Le Mans Series
WTCC
BTCC
DTM
A1
Champcar
Nascar

Theres just a few I'm sure there are other drives he can do but we have jumped a gun here because he could still do a test drive/drive for a F1 team because I see him as a driver that can still mature to be a better driver.

I would really like to see him get back into DTM. He was a quality driver then, although I'm not sure if there's any vacant spots for him.

^^

Probably not this season but surely there will be a drive for him next season.

DTM constantly seems to be changing drivers (from what I see) so it shouldn't be hard.

Well Albers has said he is determined to get back into F1, and it looks as though it will only be a test role at best, because teams pretty much have a line-up sorted right now, so testing/reserve driver could be in the wings, although with his disappointing performances this season it might be hard.