German Car Zone

McLaren has admitted it will take a 'strategic' approach to the final races of 2008 for fear of again squandering the chance of winning the championship.

Team boss Ron Dennis said in Singapore last weekend, where championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished third, that neither team nor driver will take undue risks in order to protect their advantage in the drivers' classification.

Last year, Hamilton had a 17-point advantage with two races to go, but key errors allowed Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to bridge the gap.

"I think an inherent weakness in the team and Lewis last year was the overwhelming desire to win the races at almost any risk," Chief Executive Martin Whitmarsh is quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"That is more forgivable in Lewis - you would like to have that in a young racing driver. We as a team should have been more disciplined than we were," he added.

Indeed, in the closing laps of the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton was instructed by the pitwall to settle for third place rather than try to pass Nico Rosberg.
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In 2007, the British driver slid into the pitlane gravel in Shanghai, before further mistakes in Brazil cost him the title.

"We wanted to win and pushed too hard when we didn't need to," Whitmarsh said, recalling the last races a year ago.

"Championships aren't won like that," he added.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is this week the subject of criticism in the German press, with the broadcaster RTL pronouncing him a "megalomaniac" for comparing himself with the legendary late triple world champion Ayrton Senna.

"I know that I am as good as Ayrton Senna was," the 23-year-old is quoted as saying.

F1live.com

Track length - 4.563 km

Number of laps - 67 (305.721 Km)

Number of corners - 11 (left:4) (right:7)

Top speed ~330 Km/h
Start line offset - 0 m

Downforce setup - medium

2007 race weather - wet

Best lap L. Hamilton - 1'28''193 (2007, McLaren)
Record Pole L. Hamilton - 1'25''368 (2007, McLaren)

Pole 2007 L. Hamilton - 1'25''368 (McLaren)

Podium 2007
1. L. Hamilton
2. H. Kovalainen
3. K. Raikkonen

Japanese Grand Prix - selected preview quotes


After making its return to the calendar last season, the Fuji Speedway once more plays host to the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend. With an overtaking-friendly 1.5-kilometre straight, Mount Fuji as a backdrop and the possibility of the same wet conditions seen in 2007, it presents a real challenge to drivers and engineers alike…

Felipe Massa, Ferrari
2007 Qualifying - 4h, 2007 Race - 6th
“Last year was a very wet weekend in Fuji and a very wet race. It was a very tough event and I eventually finished sixth, which was not a great result at the end of the day. But I do remember that on Friday's sessions, in the dry we had a very strong pace from our package. Of course, that was last year, but I am confident we will be competitive again. The Fuji track was an enjoyable one to drive, at least without the rain!

"As for the championship it depends how you look at it: a seven point gap can be a lot or it can be a little. If you look at what happened to me in Singapore where my gap went from one point to seven so suddenly, then you have to consider it could easily go the other way as well. The most important element to consider is that we have a very good car. Without that, my chances would be much smaller. We have two good cars and we can try and get both of us to finish ahead of our rivals. It can be done and we need to think positive and we need to keep fighting to the last race."

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
"The major feature of Fuji is the very long straight, and this straight goes into a slow corner which will mean some interesting overtaking opportunities. There are only two high speed corners, with the 100R and 300R. We will see dry set-ups with low downforce configurations. The surface is quite smooth, so I do not expect problems with wear. As we saw last year, the biggest challenge could be the weather and I will certainly be bringing wet weather clothing.

"We have learnt a lot from racing in other racing categories at Fuji, such as Formula Nippon and Super GT, over the years and it is from this knowledge that we chose the Formula One tyre position of the medium and soft tyres from our range. Of course, last season we did not see too much dry running, but we know that the 100R corner will be a challenge for graining on the left front tyre. However, if competitors manage this well we are confident of a strong performance from our tyres."

Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren
2007 Qualifying - 11th, 2007 Race - 2nd
“Last year was one of those races where everything went right for me, one of those races where you can perform to a higher level than the car. I didn’t qualify too well but kept my head, drove sensibly, didn’t make any mistakes and battled with Kimi (Raikkonen) to finish second - my first Formula One podium. It was the highlight of my season. Of course, I love Japan, I’m looking forward to visiting Tokyo and also getting back to a circuit where I’ve got plenty of good memories.

"There is no single corner at Fuji that particularly contributes to your laptime. It’s relatively easy to understand the corners, and it’s not a particularly tricky circuit. So it’s a place where you can’t afford to make any mistakes, you have to be absolutely precise and extract the maximum from your car to be fast. And that’s not easy: you’ve still got to understand the car and find a good set-up: finding the ideal compromise is the tricky bit.”

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2007 Qualifying - 1st, 2007 Race - 1st
“I love Japan. Last year might have been difficult because of the wet weather and the poor visibility, but I actually really enjoyed that weekend. The Japanese fans are some of my favourite in the world: so passionate, but really polite, charming and respectful. As for the race, one of the questions I get asked most is whether I prefer to drive in the rain: my answer is always the same, I’ll race in the wet or dry, I don’t mind. But it’s always easier for us drivers to race in the dry; I’d always prefer a dry race. This weekend, I’ll be hoping for dry weather for another reason - I want the fans at the track to have the best weekend possible and to enjoy the atmosphere of one of the season’s best races.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren Formula One CEO
“It’s not a particularly extreme circuit; it’s not a place that really places a premium on the car or the driver - unless it’s raining, of course. But, as a result, it’s a circuit where you really benefit from solid, clever engineering rather than raw power or efficient aerodynamics. This year, we’re bringing a number of smaller components to the car ahead of the race and will be working hard with our engineers to ensure that we can maximise our track time in order to get our cars well-balanced. Of course, we are reliant on good weather - and we learnt last year that this is not always forthcoming when you’re racing on the side of a mountain!”

Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“The 4.5km track at Mount Fuji is quite a difficult task for drivers and engineers. The near-1.5km-long front straight is the longest of all circuits on the Formula One calendar; here the cars race at full throttle for 20 seconds. At Turn 10, the cars reach only about 70km/h. Therefore, it will be quite a challenge for drivers and engineers to find the best compromise for the set-up between the high-speed section and the slow corners. Last year’s data can only be used in a limited way due to the heavy rain encountered during that event.

“Three Grands Prix within three weeks, on two different continents, in three different time zones are a big challenge for all drivers and teams. Since Lewis’s victory in Silverstone, where he re-gained the championship lead, McLaren has scored 77 points. Our closest competitors, Ferrari and BMW Sauber, have achieved 43 and 46 points respectively. Lewis scored 46 points during that time. For the seventh time in a row, Lewis arrives at a grand prix as the championship leader. Everybody in the team will work hard to achieve that at the final race in Brazil.”

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
2007 Qualifying - 5th, 2007 Race - 14th
“Firstly, I’m hoping Fuji won’t bring the kind of torrential rain we had in 2007. Basically I enjoy driving in the rain, but with last year’s deluge it was just impossible. Visibility was zero, which led to a number of collisions. Somebody drove into my car as well and damaged it. Even so, shortly before the end I was in sixth place, but then an engine problem put me out of the race.

“It’s a fun circuit. There are lots of uphill and downhill gradients and several blind corners. But I’m a bit hard on it as Suzuka was always my favourite GP track. One feature of the Fuji circuit that stands out is its extremely long straight. It’s a beautiful landscape, and the road from the hotel to the track could serve as an excellent rally special stage. I hope Mount Fuji is going to show its face again. Overall there doesn’t seem to be much going on in the area, but that's fine after all the hustle and bustle of Singapore.”

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
2007 Qualifying - 9th, 2007 Race - 7th
“This season we go to Fuji for the second year in a row. I guess everybody remembers last year’s Japanese Grand Prix as the weather conditions were crazy. It was extremely wet and visibility was poor. From a driver’s perspective the track is very interesting. There are some challenging corners with different radii and also some blind corners. Under dry conditions it was very enjoyable to drive, although the last sector is quite slow as there are a lot of tight corners. As always in Japan, I think the fans will bring a unique atmosphere to the Formula One track. Usually they come to the track early in the morning and leave it after us.”

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
“The spectacular night-race premiere in Singapore is over. For the next two races we will be stopping off in Asia as well, first in Japan and just a week later in China. Some team members flew back to Munich and Hinwil from Singapore, while others stayed on in Asia for a few days’ relaxation. Others, in turn, are travelling to South Korea, where Nick will be doing some demo drives with the Formula One car on Saturday and Sunday.

“The Fuji Speedway celebrated its successful comeback to the F1 calendar in 2007. The circuit is in a picturesque setting in the Japanese Alps, against the backdrop of Mount Fuji that rises majestically behind it. Last year, however, the sacred mountain could only be seen on Friday, and in the sunshine it was the most photographed view. Unfortunately, it then disappeared behind a thick wall of fog and rain and was never seen again. The weather had a profound impact on the entire race weekend in 2007.

“After our unlucky experience with the Safety Car regulations in Singapore - the second time this season - which lost us important points, we aim to make up for lost ground in Japan. In the drivers’ and constructors’ championships the leaders are bunched close together, which promises plenty of excitement for the remaining races.”

Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber technical director
“After the spectacular night race in Singapore, Formula One will be returning to normality in Fuji. Last year was our first race there, though it was dominated by a very wet track. But we still managed to gather some information in terms of the car set-up.

“At around 1.5 kilometres, Fuji boasts the longest genuine straight of any Grand Prix circuit. It means there are real overtaking opportunities. At the same time, the medium-fast and fast turns require plenty of downforce, which calls for a compromise in the aero set-up. In Fuji we drive with medium downforce, comparable to Valencia. Bridgestone supplies the two medium tyre compounds, which shouldn’t pose us any major problems.

“After Singapore’s turbulent race, where the safety car phase threw a spanner into the works, we want to achieve a strong points haul with both cars in Japan.”

McLaren has nothing to worry about.
Ferrari will screw up as usual- just feel sorry for poor Massa.

i hope ur not right. sigh...

anyhow, i'll be missing the race. the 1st time in 2 years actually.

I hope I am wrong too, but you never know what to expect with the Ferrari crew- too many mistakes in one season.
I honestly do feel sorry for Massa.

And I feel sorry for Hamilton having had FIA trying to screw up his season.

interesting its going to be a wet weeking at fuji....

Will be even more interesting on corner 1, with speed at 200+, late breaking and locking up...There will be a lot of crashes there


I can't wait

Hamilton's Grenada deal cleared

An investigation into an investment deal involving championship leader Lewis Hamilton has been given a clean bill of health.

We reported that the McLaren driver's $35m deal to buy a luxury beachside hotel development on the Caribbean island was being probed, following a change of government.

But Grenada tourism minister Peter David says the review showed the deal to be 'completely legitimate', according to the news agency Associated Press.

"The attorney general has reviewed the contractual deal ... and has found no case of impropriety on the part of the Lewis Hamilton team," he said.

David added: "To suggest any underhanded dealing by the purchaser or his agents is not only unfortunate, but incorrect."

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I guess this is why the Anthony made Hamilton move to Geneva. Not paying UK tax leaves Hamilton with tens of millions to spare for investments. They are surely moving ahead very fast, talk about maturity acceleration.

BMW confirmed its actual lineup for 2009.