Alvin's Formula One Blog

Fernando Alonso won another controversial race where both Championship contenders cocked up - and the stewards did their best to emulate the Eurovision song contest. STAR OF THE RACE  Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1st He took advantage of an opening lap where chaos reigned. With Kovalainen out of the way and Raikkonen buffered by Robert Kubica, Fernando Alonso was able to score another unlikely victory. It wasn't as unlikely as the race before, but it wasn't undeserved. Alonso set some very fast laps on his way to victory and when Raikkonen put the hammer down mid-race he could catch Kubica but made no impression on Alonso. Overtaking Move of the Race Lap 2 - Lewis Hamilton on Felipe Massa If indeed Lewis Hamilton  had  flatspotted his tyres as badly as Ted Kravitz said he had, then to make a move up the inside of Felipe Massa was very neat and brilliantly executed - considering the vibration there must have been. It wasn't his fault that Massa lost the plot, cut the chicane an...

Proving rather more eloquent in print than person, ITV pundit Mark Blundell has delivered an outspoken criticism of the stewarding in F1 after the Japanese GP was overshadowed by more controversial rulings. After meting out drive-through penalties against both Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton during the race, the stewards then changed the result of the grand prix over an hour after the chequered flag by, to general incredulity, adding on 25 seconds to Sebastien Bourdais' time. The rulings have left Blundell dumbfounded and demanding the introduction of professional stewards. "I'm also bemused that those who sit in judgment have no understanding of what it is like to sit in an F1 car," he wrote in  The Daily Telegraph . "What do these guys know who have never done it? They have no concept whatsoever. "They have no experience of what you can and can't do in race situations, what you are and what you are not aware of on the circuit. In the 20 years I've ...

A man who knows a thing or two about winning a World Championship, Damon Hill, has warned Lewis Hamilton that his "impatience" won't help him to win the title. Hamilton appeared to lose his cool during Sunday's race in Japan when he out-braked himself into the first corner and forced Kimi Raikkonen off the track. He was handed a drive-through penalty for the incident. The Brit admitted after the race: "I made a mistake and I paid a price for it." Hill hopes Hamilton has learned a thing or two from the incident at the Fuji Speedway. "Lewis is impatient to win that first title, but you can't force it," Hill told  BBC Radio 5 Live . "There's no question about his speed or ability, he just needs to stay cool and let it happen." "Sunday's race was a lesson, and Lewis learns very quickly. "He'll look back and think maybe it would've been better to settle into it more and got his rhythm going. "It's a mark ...

Tuesday 14th October 2008 Lewis Hamilton has defended himself against claims that he is over-confident and arrogant. The 23-year-old divides opinion like no other driver in recent history. His detractors regularly accuse him of being cocky while his supporters often compare him to the likes Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. The Brit, who currently has a five-point lead over Felipe Massa heading into the final two races of the season, has been forced to throw cold water over reports saying he claimed he is better than Senna and Schumacher. "I would never say I was better than anyone else. But I am a Formula One driver and all of us have to believe in ourselves to get to where we are. You have to have that belief to go out and win: and that's what helps you strive for better performance and to achieve more in your life," he told his official website. "I look at the other drivers and I want to beat them. I would never say, 'I'm better than you', I just th...

The Japanese GP at Fuji this year was a fairly good race. It was not without the mistakes and incidents and overtaking moves but as usual, it was spoiled by the FIA"T" in their eagerness to make sure FIArrari win at all costs. It is so obvious now that the championships (both of them) are coming down to the wire that the FIA"T" is anxious to make sure FIArrari win again even if they have to cheat in broad daylight.  First off, Lewis  made a mistake  and shouldn't have been too agressive given that he has the lead in the drivers championship. After all there's  only 2 races to go . He should have tucked in behind Kimi after that dreadfull start and played the long game. That move just gave the FIA"T" the excuse they needed to penalise him and hand some more points to Massa . On that note, first turns in F1 are normally like that so the  FIA"T" have no excuse to penalise Lewis  actually. It was just another blatant attempt to help FIArra...

Saturday 11th October 2008 Lewis Hamilton answered his detractors in the best possible fashion by claming pole in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix and then declared: "I do my talking on the track." Hamilton surged to the top late in the third qualifying session on the Fuji Speedway circuit with a stunning best lap of one minute 18.404 seconds to finish ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. On Friday, BMW's Robert Kubica, who came through the karting ranks alongside Hamilton, claimed most Formula One drivers believe some of the young Briton's moves are too dangerous. The Pole deemed moves by Hamilton on Toyota's Timo Glock and Renault's Fernando Alonso at the Italian Grand Prix last month were too much. But Hamilton, who on Sunday will look to increase his seven-point lead over World Championship rival Felipe Massa, disagreed with Kubica's comments. "I do my talking on the track," said the 23-year-old. "One has their own opinions and t...

Japanese GP - Qualifying 11/10/08 08:17 L ewis Hamilton claimed pole position for Sunday’s 67-lap Japanese Grand Prix with a final flying lap in dry conditions this afternoon at Fuji Speedway. The championship leader stopped the clocks in 1:18.404s, over two-tenths of a second clear of nearest rival Kimi Raikkonen.  Hamilton ’s sixth pole of the season, the 12th of his career, will have been made all the sweeter as title rival Felipe Massa will start from fifth position after a poor final lap in qualifying. Kimi Raikkonen came alive when it counted and lines up on the front-row of the grid in his Ferrari with Heikki Kovalainen starting third in the second McLaren Mercedes, four-tenths off team-mate Hamilton .  An impressive final lap from Fernando Alonso saw him post the fourth fastest time and therefore starts on the second row of the grid in his Renault alongside Kovalainen. For Massa , the final run in qualifying was disappointing as he dropped 1.5 seconds from his best lap re...