One Team, One Aim: Cultures Combine at Panasonic Toyota Racing

Panasonic Toyota Racing
Monday 6 October 2008

Panasonic Toyota Racing may be based in Cologne, Germany, but its spiritual heart is back in Japan, making the Japanese Grand Prix a very special event.

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October 1, 2008 7:56 PM

AT&T Williams confirms unchanged driver line-up

AT&T Williams
Wednesday October 1

The AT&T Williams team today confirmed an unchanged driver line-up for the 2009 Formula One season, with Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima retained as the team’s race drivers, while Nico Hulkenberg will take up duties as the team’s official test driver for a second year. With continuity a key consideration, the team is confident in the abilities of Nico Rosberg to apply his talent and experience to lead the important introduction of the FW31 next season.

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September 30, 2008 7:22 AM

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX TECHNICAL DEBRIEF WITH MARTIN WHITMARSH

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Singapore Grand Prix technical debrief with Martin Whitmarsh

Despite the lengthy preparations beforehand, were there any aspects of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend that caught the team unwawares?

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September 28, 2008 4:23 PM

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2008 Singapore Grand Prix - race report

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
2008 Singapore Grand Prix - race report
Singapore, Sunday 28th September 2008

Lewis Hamilton MP4-23 07
Heikki Kovalainen MP4-23 04

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, the first night race in Formula 1 history, in third place. After 61 eventful laps (309.087km) with two Safety Car periods, Lewis came home 5.9sec behind winner Fernando Alonso (Renault). Heikki Kovalainen ended up 10th. Both drivers were on two-stop strategies; they came in simultaneously during the first Safety Car period on lap 17 with Lewis being stationary for 11.5sec and Heikki for 12.0sec. Heikki made his second stop on lap 34 (8.4sec) and Lewis on lap 42 (7.7sec). After 15 out of 18 races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has taken the lead in the Constructors' Championship with 135 points ahead of Ferrari with 134 points. Lewis extended his total in the drivers' rankings to 84 points, ahead of Felipe Massa (77 points) who did not score today. Heikki is sixth with 51 points.

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AT&T Williams Singapore GP Race

AT&T Williams
Singapore GP Race
Marina Bay, Singapore
Sunday 28 September, 2008

61 LAPS, 309.087 kms / 192.058 miles
Weather: Humid, clear
Air 28 - 300C, Track 30 – 330C

Podium! Nico Rosberg led home a double points score for the AT&T Williams team, in the process claiming a career-best second place in the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix. In an incident-filled and physically demanding race, Rosberg overcame the disadvantage of a stop-go penalty with a superlative drive in Formula One’s first night race to score eight points and the team’s best finish since the European Grand Prix in 2005. Teammate Kazuki Nakajima contributed a further point to the tally with a spirited drive to eighth place.

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Panasonic Toyota Racing Singapore Grand Prix - Race Round-Up

Panasonic Toyota Racing
Singapore Grand Prix - Race Round-Up

Today's Weather: Hot and humid, air temperature 28-30°C, track temperature 30-33°C
Constructors' Championship Points: 46 points (5th)
Drivers' Championship Points: Jarno Trulli 26pts (9th); Timo Glock 20pts (10th)

Tadashi Yamashina - Team Principal:
"Considering our practice and qualifying performances, when we found the car was not so well suited to the bumpy conditions, the team did a very good job. Our strategy proved to be very complimentary considering the expected safety car periods and we were looking good until Jarno's issue, which cost us a lot of points. Both drivers performed really well and pushed as hard as possible despite the difficult conditions. We are pleased with fourth place but we should have had both cars in the top six. We must analyse Jarno's hydraulic problem and find out why it happened. I have to say, some drivers' races were ruined by the safety car rules and we have had a lot of intense discussion on this matter, so I think it is time the situation was improved. Now of course we turn our attentions towards the Japanese Grand Prix and we will be pushing ourselves really hard to get a good result at Fuji Speedway."

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September 24, 2008 8:20 PM

ETIHAD HOSTS 'KIMI DAY' IN ABU DHABI

Etihad Airways

Reigning Formula One world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, roared into Abu Dhabi this week on a day trip that included being quizzed by a group of Emirati youngsters aspiring to become the UAE's grand prix driving stars of the future.

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September 19, 2008 6:59 AM

Racing After Dark in Singapore

Panasonic Toyota Racing
Friday 19,September 2008

Panasonic Toyota Racing takes a step into the unknown this weekend with the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix. Not only is this the first time the city state has hosted the Formula 1 World Championship, it is also the first time a Grand Prix has been held at night.

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September 17, 2008 7:26 AM

Santander Italian Grand Prix technical debrief with Martin Whitmarsh

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Santander Italian Grand Prix technical debrief with Martin Whitmarsh

Lewis described his result in the Santander Italian Grand Prix as ‘damage limitation’ - would you agree?

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September 14, 2008 10:15 PM

Italian GP - Not fast enough today

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Monza, 14th September 2008

Felipe Massa started sixth and finished sixth in the Italian Grand Prix, while Kimi Raikkonen ended his day just outside the points in ninth place. The explanation of this less than satisfactory result is that, in certain track conditions and temperatures, the F2008 was simply not quick enough. Some consolation can be taken from the fact that a Ferrari engine powered the winner- Sebastian Vettel for Scuderia Toro Rosso, who led from pole and never relinquished the lead apart from during the run of pit stops. Felipe's main rival for the championship, Lewis Hamilton, crossed the line in his McLaren-Mercedes one place behind the Brazilian Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver, so one other positive for the Prancing Horse team, is that the Massa only trails the Englishman by a single point in the championship battle. However, with Heikki Kovalainen finishing second in the other McLaren, the Scuderia's lead in the Constructors' classification, with four races remaining has gone down to five points. The final member of the podium party was BMW-Sauber driver, Robert Kubica.

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Three points for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Italian Grand Prix

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Italian GP - Race
Monza, 14th September 2008

F. Massa : 6th 1:27.16.310 + 28.816 53 laps chassis 269
K. Raikkonen: 9th 1:27.26.962 + 39.468 53 laps chassis 271
Weather: air temperature 15/16 °C ,track temperature 17 °C, overcast, rain in the first part.

Three points for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Italian Grand Prix, thanks to a sixth place finish for Felipe Massa; Kimi Raikkonen finished ninth. After 14 races, Felipe has reduced the gap to the leader of the Drivers' classification to a single point, while the Scuderia has a five point lead in the Constructors'. Next week the team will be on track in Mugello for three days testing: Wednesday with Luca Badoer, Thursday with Kimi Raikkonen and Friday with Felipe Massa.

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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - 2008 Santander Italian Grand Prix

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
2008 Santander Italian Grand Prix
Monza, Sunday 14th September 2008

Lewis Hamilton MP4-23 07
Heikki Kovalainen MP4-23 05

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen finished the Santander Italian Grand Prix at Monza in second place. After 53 laps (306.720km), with intermittent rain and changeable track conditions, Heikki came home 12.5sec behind maiden winner Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Toro Rosso). Lewis Hamilton, who had started 15th on the grid, ended up seventh. Heikki was on a two-stop strategy, and came in on laps 22 (5.0sec) and 34 (6.4sec). For Lewis, the team had planned one stop, and he pitted on lap 27 (9.7sec). However, on a drying track he had to change from extreme-wet to wet-weather tyres and came in a second time on lap 36 (5.2sec). After 14 out of 18 races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes lies second in the world constructors' championship with 129 points behind Ferrari with 134 points. Lewis leads in the drivers' rankings with 78 points, ahead of Felipe Massa on 77 points. Heikki is sixth with 51 points.

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A Bad Day For Traffic - A Good Day For Red Bull Technology

Red Bull Racing
Italian Grand Prix Sunday
14 September 2008

CHRISTIAN HORNER:
"First of all congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Toro Rosso on a fantastic result for Red Bull. Sebastian drove a fantastic race and totally destroyed the opposition. Red Bull Technology can be very proud of the car that they have provided. Mark's first stint in the race was good, unfortunately he dropped out in traffic and then a spin on his out lap on inters cost him places to Massa. However, he was very quick at the end of the race, but unfortunately, having dropped places on his out lap he couldn't re-gain them, so a frustrating result for Mark when the potential was there to do better. For David we gambled on running an inter on his one stop with nothing to lose and unfortunately, towards the end of the race he started dropping back and then an accident with Nakajima finished his afternoon."

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Panasonic Toyota Racing Italian Grand Prix - Race Round-Up

Panasonic Toyota Racing
Italian Grand Prix - Race Round-Up
Sunday 14 September 2008

Today's Weather: Rain early on before the track surface gradually dried out, air 14-15°C, track 15-16°C
Constructors' Championship Points: 41 (4th)
Drivers' Championship Points: Jarno Trulli 26 (8th) Timo Glock 15 (11th)

Tadashi Yamashina - Team Principal
"Everybody did their best today but the weather did not help us. We qualified well and we went for a one-stop strategy. Unfortunately we were in exactly the wrong window because the teams who did two stops and the teams on a longer one-stop strategy could both time their stops better. We were caught in the middle, just like Nico Rosberg's Williams. Still, we were very quick in the first stint with the extreme wet tyres, the drivers did well and the car's performance was good. But there was not much more we could do today. Congratulations to Toro Rosso for their first win in Formula 1. Now we must look for a better return from the remaining races this year."

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AT&T Williams Italian GP Race

AT&T Williams
Italian GP Race
Monza, Italy, Sunday 14th September 2008

53 LAPS, 306.720kms / 190.586 miles
Weather: Overcast, rain to begin
Air 14 - 150C, Track 15 – 160C

Weather played a decisive role in the outcome of the Italian Grand Prix today, unfortunately mitigating all of the advantage gained by Nico Rosberg in yesterday’s strong qualifying session. After a wet start to this afternoon’s race, the unexpected drying conditions meant an extra and unscheduled stop for the German driver, relegating him from a top five position to P14 at the finish. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima made a tactical decision to start from the pitlane and make some aero modifications to his car which allowed him to progress six places at various intervals during the race, but ultimately he finished just outside the top ten and was also not able to claim any points. After demonstrating good but unfulfilled potential in the wet in Italy and having shown a strong pace earlier in the season on street circuits, the team will be seeking to convert these factors into a strong performance in Singapore in two weeks time.

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