Alvin's Formula One Blog

Re-published from Planet F1. With regards the German GP at Hockenheim where Heikki "gave way" to Lewis, I wish to point out my opinion on the matter. It looked like team orders and many people, especially the Lewis and McLaren haters out there would like to believe it that way but I tell you, it was not. It was actually a simple case of mathematics. Heikki, not being an asshole unlike some people we know, knew that he has no chance at this year's championship and that McLaren are quite far off in the constructors. It would be better for him to support Lewis so Lewis could win the championship and himself try to finish as high as possible for the team. Even if it was team orders, it would have been discussed before every race - that should a situation arise, Heikki should support Lewis. Did you think that if Lewis was at P13 and Heikki P4, Heikki would wait to let Lewis pass? C'mon people, logic. There is no way it can be proven as team orders as team orders are banned...

Re-published from Planet F1. Tuesday 22nd July 2008 Mika Hakkinen believes Lewis Hamilton is on the road to delivering a more harmonious McLaren their first World Title for nine years. It was in 1999 Hakkinen won the last of McLaren's Formula One Drivers' Championships before Ferrari and Michael Schumacher began to dominate. Although Hakkinen retired two years later, he has remained close to the team, and occasionally still attends races as their guest. The Finn was on hand on Sunday to congratulate Hamilton following his latest glorious triumph at the German Grand Prix, giving the 23-year-old a big bear hug as he entered the McLaren brand centre. The two men have also built up a relationship of late as they are ambassadors for Johnnie Walker's 'Responsible Drinking' campaign, and regularly attend promotional functions together. Compared to last year when McLaren were riddled with problems on and o...

Re-published from Planet F1. Tuesday 22nd July 2008 Lewis Hamilton is refusing to get too carried away after his back-to-back wins at Silverstone and Hockenheim. Just a few weeks ago Hamilton was under pressure after failing to score points in Canada and France, but he bounced back in style at his home race in Britain and Germany this weekend. The 23-year-old now has a four-point lead in the World Title and looks to be favourite to win his maiden Championship following last year's near miss. However, the McLaren driver knows the team can't rest on their laurels. "It's too early to say that I'm now the man to beat," assessed Hamilton. "We're looking strong, looking good, and we're in a good position, but as you know in a Formula One season things change, teams always make steps here and there. "As you saw last year we were swapping and changing, so in the next few races I do...

Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton for winning the German GP and doing it in style with 2 hardcore overtaking maneuvers of Felipe Massa and Nelson Piquet Jr. It was to be expected as the pace of the McLaren was strong and consistent all weekend. I was quite afraid for Lewis when the SC came out and he didn't pit. Everybody knew that he had to pit sooner than later and there was no way he could amass 25 seconds in 14 laps or so. But when he came out behind Heikki and fought his way to the win, it was priceless. Though, it was too bad for Heikki. He knew he had to give way to Lewis as Lewis was faster but more importantly, Heikki didn't have a chance at the championship but Lewis does. I don't think it was team orders as Heikki understood the situation. But it was sad to see that he couldn't fight his way after that or at least maintain his position. He could've been on the podium. I was also frustrated that Heidfeld couldn't take Massa in the final few laps. He wa...

Re-published from Planet F1 Sunday 20th July 2008 The Boy Hamilton Is Good Value Lewis Hamilton never wins easily. His victories are invariably dramatic, hard-fought, compelling events. They are rarely - and perhaps all-too-rare from his perspective - processional formalities. For the first two-thirds of the race, the 2008 German GP was proving to be one such formality, but Timo Glock's crash, coupled with the resultant deployment of the Safety Car and McLaren's peculiar decision not to pit the lead driver, changed all that. Hamilton's response was devastating - proof that even wins for the fastest car (and the fastest driver) can still be rip-roaring, edge-of-the-seat yarns. Hamilton's pace in his third stint - he was instantly approximately a second-and-a-half quicker than Felipe Massa - made a lie of the suggestion that McLaren had opted against pitting him because they feared his pace would suffer on soft rubber. The ...

Re-published from Planet F1 Sunday 20th July 2008 STAR OF THE RACE Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1st Another peerless drive from Hamilton who was in a class of his own at Hockenheim. It's a dramatic turnround for McLaren to be outgunning Ferrari by half a second a lap, as it was in the opening stages of the German GP. In 18 laps Lewis had carved out an 11 seconds lead over Massa. Though that worrying rush-of-blood-to-the-head looked to have descended on him as he approached Trulli after the first pit-stop on Lap 19, he reined it in. His passing moves on Massa and Piquet were clinical. But it's a good job for McLaren that their strategy hiccup came at a nice wide circuit. OVERTAKING MOVE OF THE RACE Lap 43: Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren on Robert Kubica, BMW Having received criticism for his lack of aggression at Silverstone, Kovalainen made amends with a superb overtaking move in front of a grandstand load of Mercedes fans at Turn 8. He...

Re-published from Planet F1 Sunday 20th July 2008 Lewis Hamilton put in a storming drive to win the German Grand Prix, after his McLaren team created more work for him during a Safety Car period. The McLaren driver led the grand prix from the start, easily putting time between himself and second placed Felipe Massa as he looked to be in a class of his own. However, what looked to be certain victory appeared to slip from his grasp when the Safety Car came out on Lap 35 after Timo Glock crashed heavily. All the front runners pitted except Hamilton, which meant that when the race re-started Nelson Piquet Jr and Felipe Massa were right behind him on the track but unlike Hamilton, they did not need to stop. Hamilton rejoined in fifth place and started a memorable charge to the front... Lewis's advantage was that he had a car that was about a second a lap quicker than the Ferrari. By Lap 55 the gap to Massa wa...

It would seem a forgone conclusion this weekend but as usual I don't like to count my chicks before they are hatched. The McLarens had good pace from Friday practice and Saturday practice looked good also. Lewis looked pretty strong this past 2 days and today's qualifying was the culmination of all that work. It was an extremely exciting qualifying today, especially the last part when Massa looked like he had pole but was snatched away by Lewis at the last minute. The other surprises were quite exciting as well. Alonso as usual managed to pull a rabbit out from his hat with fifth place and Vettel, the man of the hour, managed to get into the top 10. A truly incredible performance from Trulli. That last minute thing was incredible too, you'd think it was time to relax after punching the air when Lewis took pole but no..Trulli made it truly special by taking 4th with Alonso pushing Kimi to 6th. Kubica disappointed with 7th but worse was Heidfeld. I don't know what happene...

Re-published from Planet F1 Saturday 19th July 2008 Lewis Hamilton will start the German GP from pole position after beating Felipe Massa to the coveted grid slot in Saturday's qualifying. The McLaren driver, who led the way in both practice sessions on Friday, carried his pace through to qualifying on Saturday where he clocked a 1:15.666 to edge Massa by two tenths. Third place on the grid went to Heikki Kovalainen as the McLaren driver got within half a second of his team-mate while a last-gasp effort from Jarno Trulli put him P4. Fernando Alonso and an off-form Kimi Raikkonen complete the top six. Qualifying 1 There was a small threat of rain in the build up to qualifying, but when the pitlane exit light turned to green, the clouds had blown over. The ambient temperature was at 23C with the track at 32C. Local favourites Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel were out on track first and Vettel set P1 at 1:17.030. Kim...

Re-published from Planet F1. Friday 18th July 2008 Lewis Hamilton made it two from two in Germany on Friday when he posted the fastest time in the day's second practice session. The McLaren driver, who is determined to win this weekend's grand prix and take the sole lead in the Drivers' standings, clocked a 1:15.025 to beat the two drivers that he is tied with at the top of the Championship, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. Report: Sebastian Vettel set the first competitive lap time of the afternoon, a 1:18.431. The German, who recently signed on as David Coulthard's replacement at Red Bull for next season, continued lapping, shaving almost two seconds off his time before he was overhauled by the two McLaren drivers. Lewis Hamilton hit the top of the timesheets with a 1:15.817 while Heikki Kovalainen went P2. The Finn, though, dropped fast with Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld both edging ahead of him. K...

Re-published from Planet F1. Friday 18th July 2008 Lewis Hamilton may exude a cool persona moments before the start of every grand prix but he has conceded to suffering pre-race nerves. Hamilton admits to playing out in his mind numerous scenarios once the five red lights disappear to signal a frantic run down towards the first corner. But it is the kind of adrenaline rush that drives on Hamilton as he bids to become Formula One World Champion this year. "Well, I'm human," smiled Hamilton, quashing the thought he would have ice running through his veins in the race build-up. "There are nerves, but not the kind thinking I might fail. They are of excitement, with the adrenaline pumping. "It's about whether I will get the start perfect; what will happen in the first corner, because it's an unknown. You've no clue. "It's a question of: do I go left or right?; do I brake early...

Re-published from F1-Live 09/07/08 11:04 Even the fiercely nationalistic Spanish press had to commend British driver Lewis Hamilton's victory in last Sunday's British Grand Prix. 23-year-old Hamilton has endured a challenging relationship with the Spanish media corps; through his often bitter rivalry with Spaniard Fernando Alonso at McLaren last year, and the racism affair of the Barcelona test earlier in 2008. The rancour turned to praise after the rain-affected Silverstone event, however, with newspaper Diario AS proclaiming Hamilton and Alonso ‘the best ones in the chaotic race’. El Pais , Spain 's most widely circulated daily, added: ‘ Hamilton danced on the water with a clear head and silenced the criticism of the past days. Marca , the sports daily, said: ‘ Hamilton dominated the race, without ifs or buts.’ Hamilton 's British rival David Coulthard has often been a critical voice, but Auto Motor und Sport quotes the veteran as saying at the Hockenheim...

Re-published from F1-Live Happy with father to guide his career 09/07/08 15:36 Silverstone winner and joint championship points leader Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday denied reports he is considering appointing a professional manager to handle his Formula One career. We reported earlier this week that the McLaren driver's current manager, his father Anthony Hamilton, was last Sunday at Silverstone spotted in deep conversation with renowned F1 driver-manager Julian Jakobi. When asked about the rumours as he tested at Hockenheim, 23-year-old Hamilton replied: "It's not correct, no. "I am very content with my management team." Source: GMM © CAPSIS International

Re-published from Planet F1 Tuesday 8th July 2008 Having taken the lead in the standings with his victory in Sunday's British GP, Lewis Hamilton is determined to hold on to win this year's World title. The McLaren driver entered this year's Championship with three goals in mind: win in Monaco, win in Britain and win the World title. Now having achieved two of those he has set his sights on clinching number three, the World title. After nine races the Brit is tied with Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen on 48 points in the Championship. Hamilton, however, takes the lead as even though all his results as the same as Massa's, he has one P10 finish to the Brazilian's DNF. "It is straight back to work for me. I have a World Championship to win," the McLaren driver, who flew to Hockenheim on Monday to take part in a pre-Germany test, told The Sun. "I've ticked off Monaco, I've ticked ...

Congrats to Lewis for winning the British GP with such a commanding lead - 68.5 seconds infront of Heidfeld. Unfortunate for Heikki though. Yesterday's race was the best race of the season so far I think. The rain helped a lot. Actually the rain showed that Lewis is quite good in the wet. And so is Rubens. It was non-stop action all the way and I was glued to the TV. After watching how Lewis drove yesterday and his reaction/demeanour after the race, I saw that he has gone back to his attitude from last year. He was cool, listened to instructions and focused on the bigger picture, which is to finish. He didn't take unnecessary risks though as some points in the race it looked as if he might overdrive again. He didn't have to prove that he was a gung-ho hero of a driver. It's more important to finish and win than do an incredible overtaking move but not finish. I hope he keeps this up. I remember last year 2007 when I sent him off at the airport, I told him just focus on ...

Re-published from Planet F1. Sunday 6th July 2008 McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has hailed Lewis Hamilton's "well disciplined" drive to victory in Sunday's British GP. Having failed to score a single point in his last two race, Hamilton was under pressure to perform at Silverstone, his home race. And rather than buckle under that pressure, Hamilton came to the fore, mastering the wet conditions on the way to his third win of the season. The Brit clinched the victory by 68.5 seconds over second placed Nick Heidfeld, although Dennis reckons he had the pace to go faster if necessary. "It was very disciplined," Dennis told ITV . "We had to really, really keep the pace down. "He could have gone much quicker and the last 15 laps he was complaining at having to drive too slowly. It's very easy to make mistakes in those conditions." The McLaren team boss also reckons Hamilton has...

Re-published from Planet F1. Sunday 6th July 2008 Lewis Hamilton has hailed his phenomenal victory in Sunday's British GP as "by far the best" he's ever had. While some of his rivals faltered and came up short in the wet after opting not to change their tyres, McLaren and their star driver held their collective nerve. To a standing ovation from a sold-out Silverstone crowd, Hamilton took the chequered flag a full minute ahead of second placed Nick Heidfeld, and in doing so moved into joint first in the Drivers' Standings. "It is by far the best victory I've ever had," said the 23-year-old. "The conditions were bad and as I was driving I thought, 'If I win this, it will be the best race I've ever done'. "On my last lap, I could see the crowd starting to rise to their feet, and I was just praying, praying, praying I could get the car round." The Brit paid t...

Today's qualifying session (including Free Practice 3) was topsy-turvy. It was incredible to see Glock, Vettel, Bourdais, Coulthard and other midfielders taking turns to post P1 or P2 in-between the top 4 (Hamilton, Kovalainnen, Massa and Raikkonen). But I have noticed a worrying trend with Lewis. It seems that he's overdriving his car and making mistakes. I've noticed it for the last couple of races. And I've noticed that his mood and character has changed also. He seems distracted and lets his frustration at making one mistake lead to making more. I notice that he's been making mistakes since Canada, Magny-Cours and now Silverstone. At today's qualy session, his race engineer told him over the radio "do not overdrive, do not overdrive" and he did. I also notice that he overdrives over the last turn, touching the grass, everytime, every lap. As a friend and a fan, I'd advise him to cool down and listen to the people around him. Get back that cool ...

Re-published from Planet F1 Tuesday 1st July 2008 Sir Jackie Stewart believes Lewis Hamilton would have been heading into Sunday's British Grand Prix still in charge of the Formula One World Championship but for a lack of clear communication. Hamilton was on top of the world after his win in Monaco, but has since fallen from grace after mistakes in Canada and France. Driving into the back of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane in Montreal resulted in a 10-place grid penalty for France, where his pursuit of points resulted in a drive-through penalty. Three-time former world champion Stewart feels a wise, level head within the McLaren team would have served Hamilton well at both races, and seen him in the headlines for the right reasons. But as Stewart admits, finding a pit-wall engineer willing to take on the role of psychologist is virtually impossible. "One of the biggest and most important elements ...

Re-published from Planet F1 Wednesday 2nd July 2008 Lewis Hamilton believes he needs to rediscover the consistency of his rookie season if he is to bounce back in the battle for this year's Drivers' Championship. Hamilton has thrown away points at three race weekends this season after mistakes in Bahrain, Canada and France, and the McLaren driver admits better performances are needed as the season reaches its midway point with this weekend's British Grand Prix. Superb wins in Australia and Monaco have kept the 23-year-old in the title hunt, however, and he sits just 10 points shy of Championship leader Felipe Massa after eight rounds. The Ferrari driver tops the standings on 48 points, two clear of BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica and five ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, but Hamilton believes there is everything still to play for ahead of his home race. "There isn't one driver who's comfortably ...