German Car Zone

French GP - Kubica confident of Magny-Cours return


French GP - Robert Kubica believes a last-minute check-up ahead of the French Grand Prix will be nothing more than a formality as he bids to get back behind the wheel of his BMW Sauber...

Article: French GP - Kubica confident of Magny-Cours return - Yahoo! Eurosport UK

Hamilton: My tactics won't change.


Lewis Hamilton has revealed he has no plans to alter his tactics for the French Grand Prix next weekend, despite his back-to-back victories in Montreal and Indianapolis.

Hamilton is currently the 'man of the moment' and thanks to an unbelievable start to the season, his first at the pinnacle of the sport, he leads the drivers' championship, 10 points up on his McLaren-Mercedes team-mate, Fernando Alonso.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed though, he added that all he wants to do now is get back out on track and do some more racing.

"After the results in Canada and the United States it was great to come home and see my family and friends," he noted. "I will also have the opportunity to go to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend; I expect the atmosphere will be incredible and it should be great to drive the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes car up the hill in front of the British fans.

"For the past week I have been spending time at the McLaren Technology Centre working with the engineering team and catching up on some training and I participated in an event for Vodafone in London on Thursday.

"Now though I just want to get back out on track [and do the French GP]. My aims remain the same, to take it race-by-race and keep focused on scoring good points for myself - and the team."

Unlike the last two events however, Magny-Cours will be familiar territory for the Brit and while his outing last year didn't exactly go to plan in GP2, it should help him a bit. "The French round of the GP2 championship last year was not my best weekend, I had a coming together in the first race and therefore started race two in 19th. I did make my way up through the field to 5th to score some points, so it is possible to overtake here," he added.

Article: Hamilton: My tactics won't change. - Yahoo! Sport UK

I hope Lewis wins again, and increases his points lead of the championship!

His experience of overtaking there will definitely help. But he'll probobly start from pole.

But I have my money on Alonso to get the pole, but I hope Hamilton gets by him in the race. I think he'll give him a very hard time at least.

Since Ferrari are off the pace and probably still 0.2-0.3 seconds slower per lap, it's pointless to expect good things from the boys from Maranello. Having said that, I hope to see an Alonso vs. Hamilton race. This time I want to see the roles at Indy reversed. I want to see Alonso in the lead and Lewis try to pass him. If that happens, I think you'll see one car in the pits needing a front wing change and another on the back of a flatbed.

Hamilton chasing records.
The 22-year-old F1 rookie arrives at Magny-Course with a 10-point lead over
Fernando Alonso in the World Drivers' Championship.
Here's what the McLaren man can achieve on Sunday:
- If he wins, he will become the first Briton to win three successive Grand Prix since Damon Hill with Williams in 1996.
- If he wins, he will become the first Briton to win at Magny-Course since David Coultard in 2000.
- If he finishes on the podium, he will become the first Briton to rack up eight successive podium finishes since Jim Clark in 1963.
- If he leads at any point, he will stretch an unprecedented streak in which he has led every race he has started.
Here's a resume of the last five races at Magny-Course:
2006 (M. Schumacher, Ferrari)
Schumacher, on pole position, became the first driver to win the same grand prix eight times. It was also his 150th career appearance on the podium.
2005 (F. Alonso, Renault)
Alonso's fifth win in 10 races, the Spaniard leading from pole position to chequered flag and lapping all but McLaren's second-placed K. Raikkonen and Ferrari's Schumacher.
2004 (Schumacher, Ferrari)
Schumacher chalked up his ninth win in 10 races and seventh in France. Alonso started on pole but lost out with his three-stop strategy after Schumacher stopped four times.
2003 (R. Schumacher, Williams)
Ralf led a Williams one-two for his second win in a row as people started talking about him as a title favourite. The race had few thrills and little overtaking.
2002 (Schumacher, Ferrari)
M. Schumacher claimed his fifth world title with six races to spare. McLaren's K. Raikkonen was heading for his first win until he skidded on oil with five laps to go.
Hamilton chasing records - Yahoo! Eurosport UK

As always, i hope for BMW to finish in top 5, let alone a podium. It would be good if Kimi would have a DNF or such that Heidfeld gets closer. But top 5 and i'm satisfied, both...

Oh and go Hamilton of course!

I hope the Ferraris will have a better performance here.

BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica fit to race in France

Less than three weeks after his high-speed collision in Montreal, BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica has been given the go ahead to race again. Kubica will compete at this weekend’s French Grand Prix, after successfully passing an FIA medical examination at Magny-Cours.

Although the Pole only sprained his ankle and suffered slight concussion during the Canadian Grand Prix accident, he was advised to sit out the next race in Indianapolis as a precaution. BMW Sauber’s 19 year-old third driver Sebastian Vettel took his place at the United States event, scoring a point on his debut with an eighth-place finish.

“The reason why I wasn't allowed to drive at Indianapolis had nothing to do with how I felt; the problem was the risk involved in suffering a second accident within such a short space of time,” explained Kubica. “I've used the time to focus intensively on preparing for the next race. I can't wait to get back into the car.”

Kubica is currently seventh in the drivers’ standings, tied with Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen on 12 points.

Source: Formula1.com

Very nice! I'm really glad for him!