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Hockenheim's forest's are painted red now and Alonso's lead doesnt look so big anymore with a strong Ferrari 1-2 this weekend at Hockenheim. A wonderful display of sheer dominance by Ferrari pleased the home crowd of Schumi. Schumacher led the red attack clinching the first position , with Massa coming second.

Initially, at the start of the race Raikonnen looked in command , he was able to defend his 1st place at the start, but things fell apart for him after the 1st pit stop, he wasnt able to keep up wit the fast Ferraris and finished 3rd. Another dud proved to be Alonso, all through the buildups he kept saying that Renault will rise again, things will be 'normal', looks like things are back to NORMAL, Ferrari winning, no one else in sight. Alonso finished fifth, his lead being reduced from 17 to 11 points.

Jenson Button finally had a good race, he clinched 4th spot ahead of Alonso.

Formula One German Grand Prix 2006 result:

1. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari one hour 27 minutes 51.693 seconds
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari +0.720 seconds
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren - Mercedes +13.206
4. Jenson Button (GB) Honda +18.898
5. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault +23.707
6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault +24.814
7. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota +26.544
8. Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull - Ferrari +48.131
9. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota +60.351
10. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso - Cosworth 1 lap
11. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull - Ferrari 1 lap
12. Scott Speed (US) Toro Rosso - Cosworth 1 lap
13. Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland - Toyota 1 lap
14. Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland - Toyota 2 laps

Retired:

15. Mark Webber (Aus) Williams - Cosworth 59 laps completed
16 Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri - Honda 38 laps
17 Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 30 laps
18 Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 19 laps
19 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 9 laps
20 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) McLaren - Mercedes 2 laps
21 Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn) Super Aguri - Honda 1 lap
22 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams - Cosworth no laps completed

Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher, 1:16.357 on lap 17

Quotable Quotes



Technorati Tags:
f1, formula one, race result, hockenheim, german grand prix, ferrari, michael schumacher, felipe massa, renault, fernando alonso, jenson button, Dopieta, Championship, Drivers, Constructors, Kimi Raikonnen, McLaren

Qualifying result at Hockenheim:

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren - Mercedes one minute 14.070 seconds
2. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1:14.205
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1:14.569
4. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:14.862
5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:14.894
6. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:14.934
7. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:15.282
8. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1:15.923
9. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.936
10. David Coulthard (GB) RedBull-Ferrari 1:16.326
11. Mark Webber (Aus) Williams-Cosworth 1:15.094
12. Christian Klien (Aut) RedBull-Ferrari 1:15.141
13. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:15.150
14. Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1:15.329
15. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 1:15.380
16. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:15.397
17. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1:16.399
18. Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland-Toyota 1:17.093
19. Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:17.185
20. Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland-Toyota 1:17.836
21. Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:20.444
22. Scott Speed (US) Toro Rosso-Cosworth

Technorati Tags:
f1, formula one, ferrari, mclaren, williams, renault, germany, qualifying, toyota, result, schumacher, massa, alonso, fisichella

Well renault have started playing dirty it seems (no surprise after their recent beatings !!! ) , a little time ago, FIA had issued guidelines banning certain types of dampers which were said to be giving aerodynamical advantage to cars. While most manufacturers stopped using it, Renault comes to Germany with one of their cars still having it, moreover they say that the order was not binding and file an appeal with stewards, the stewards confirm that the order indeed was not binding.

So renault has a car 'better' than the others, and have bent the rules to benefit. But the FIA was quick to save the face of Formula One, they immediately decided to file an appeal. The result is expected at the time of hungarian grand prix. Renault here were caught on the backfoot. If they win this weekend and the decision comes against them, then their points will be nulled. Hence it seems the company has decided not to use the controversial dampners.

More News :

• Trulli signed a new contract with Toyota and will stay in the team till 2009 season

• Williams have dumped Cosworth and have decided to go with Toyota as their engine suppliers, this means midland are left without an engine supplier.
  

Technorati Tags : f1 , formula one , Renault , controversy , Trulli , Toyota , williams

Sauber have been asked to remove their horn type towers which they had used on their cars for aerodynamics during the french grand prix 2006. The FIA cited that the towers( suspiciously like the twin petronas of Malaysia(Petronas !!!)), would block the view of drivers and were hence dangerous. Sauber has decided not to contest the decision.


sauber , f1 , formula one , fia , aerodynamics

We go to Hockenheim for the 2006 Formula One German Grand Prix.Alonso reckons he can stop Ferrari, and hopes that their good start to the season is not wasted, Ferrari on the other hand would like to keep this thought of Alonso a dream as they push to make Michael Schumacher world champion again.

Here are some statistics of the Hockenheim Circuit.

Laps 67
Circuit length 4.57 km (2.84 miles)
Race length 306.46 km (190.42 miles)

Year 2005

Winner Fernando Alonso
Winning team Renault
Winning time 1:26'28.599

Pole time 1'14.320
Pole driver Kimi Räikkönen
Pole team McLaren-Mercedes

Fastest lap 1'14.873
Fastest lap driver Kimi Räikkönen
Fastest lap team McLaren-Mercedes

Photo By Dirk Goldhahn Under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License v. 1.0:

Supremo Aguri Suzuki said

"Next weekend is going to be like a new beginning for us,"

"It is possible that we are going to face a few teething problems, but I have every confidence in the capability of the car and the team."

This weekend Yamamoto will replace montagny who was given a last chance in the French Grand Prix, his home one.

"We knew that Michael was a bit quicker this weekend - like in Imola and the Nürburgring," said Fernando Alonso

"Back then, everybody thought that Michael would win all the races after two wins in a row, and we responded very strongly.

"Hopefully, we can do the same at Hockenheim in two weeks' time."

"Given where I started on the grid, I think second is everything I could have hoped for," he added.

"Once we saw that Ferrari would be three-stopping then we knew it would be hard to pass them on the track.

"So we chose to rely on the consistent tyre performance, and make two stops.

"The car balance was consistent all the way through the race, and I pushed hard to make sure I could get ahead of Felipe in the final part of the race."

Tags : F1 , Formula One , Alonso , Interview

Michael pulled of an incredible win over championship leader Alonso and cutting his advantage by 2 points. It looked like a Ferrari 1-2, but massa's pit strategy proved to be insufficient, allowing Alonso to pass by and claim the second place and preventing the second 1-2 in a row for the Italian team.

It was again a sad day for Jenson Button, the briton had to retire on lap 63. Schumacher is now behind 17 points from Alonso in the championship.


FIA Formula One French Grand Prix 2006 Final Results

1. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari one hour 32 minutes 7.803 seconds
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault +00:10.131 seconds
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 00:22.546

4. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 00:27.212
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren -Mercedes 00:33.006
6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 00:45.265
7. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) McLaren 00:49.407
8. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1 lap
9. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull - Ferrari 1 lap
10. Scott Speed (US) Toro Rosso - Cosworth 1 lap
11. Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1 lap
12. Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull - Ferrari 1 lap
13. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso - Cosworth 1 lap
14. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams - Cosworth 2 laps
15. Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland - Toyota 2 laps
16. Franck Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri - Honda 3 laps

Cars which Retired:

Jenson Button (GB) Honda 61 laps completed
Mark Webber (Aus) Williams - Cosworth 53 laps
Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 29 laps
Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 18 laps
Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland - Toyota 11 laps
Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri - Honda 1 laps

Fastest Lap By : Michael Schumacher, 1:17.111

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Formula One Drivers' world championship 2006
Name	Car	Nat	Points
1 Fernando Alonso	Renault	Spa	96
2 Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Ger	79
3 Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	Ita	46
4 Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes	Fin	43
5 Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Brz	42
6 Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	Col	26
7 Jenson Button	Honda	GB	16
8 Rubens Barrichello	Honda	Brz	16
9 Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	Ger	13
10 Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	Ger	13
11 David Coulthard	Red Bull-Ferrari	GB	10
12 Jarno Trulli	Toyota	Ita	8
13 Jacques Villeneuve	BMW Sauber	Can	7
14 Mark Webber	Williams-Cosworth	Aus	6
15 Nico Rosberg	Williams-Cosworth	Ger	4
16 Christian Klien	Red Bull-Ferrari	Aut	1

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Formula One Constructors' world championship 2006
Team	Points
1 Renault	142
2 Ferrari	121
3 McLaren-Mercedes	71
4 Honda	32
5 Toyota	21
6 BMW Sauber	20
7 Red Bull-Ferrari	11
8 Williams-Cosworth	10
9 Toro Rosso-Cosworth	1
10 Midland-Toyota	0
11 Super Aguri-Honda	0

---

Post Race Press Confrence

Q: What a day - it looked like a perfect day for you?
Michael Schumacher: Yes, we had a good start and we drove our race from there. We were not sure how the race would go because we didn’t do any long runs because of some problems we had on Saturday morning so it was a bit of a guess where, and how, the race would go, but I have to say that the car, the tyres, the whole package really worked superbly and it is a great result. I am sorry for Felipe that he couldn’t keep his second, but nevertheless back on the podium and important points we got from that.

Q: You were stunningly quick after the second pit-stop and that was the decisive moment of the race.
MS: Yeah, we obviously chose to use the tyres in a certain way and that was the period when we chose to put new tyres on the car and they gave us some extra performance plus the circuit got in better shape at that stage and things just seemed to come together.

Q: And it must have been great to see Felipe in your mirrors during the opening laps?
MS: As I said we made a great start and being first and second is the ideal situation at the start of a race and it is a good result at the end of the day and we can be quite happy about it.

Q: Fernando, very close with Felipe going into the first corner?
Fernando Alonso: Yes, it was close, but I was nearly in the grass at one point so I had to back off and after I tried to overtake but obviously it’s very difficult on this track so we would have to wait for the stops. We hoped at that stage of the race to have perfect consistency in the tyres so we knew that we should be in front of Felipe and at the end everything was working as planned.

Q: How much did that first stint limit your performance over the race distance, the time you may have lost?
FA: Not much. I think in the whole first stint, maybe four or five seconds, no more than that, so for sure it was not enough to win the race and it didn’t change too much at the end.

Q: How was the car towards the end of the race?
FA: It was OK. Obviously we put in a lot of fuel at the stops to go quite long and at the end of the run, the tyres were not in perfect condition because I used them quite a lot at the beginning of the stints with a heavy car, but they were still working really nicely. We were two or three tenths down compared to Michael if we were to win the race, coming from the whole package, all weekend, not only today but to be second on a difficult weekend for us is a perfect result and it’s good to finish second with the position we have in the championship.

Q: Felipe, it looked like a great team performance today. You protected that second place in the early stages.
Felipe Massa: Yes, I went into the first corner alongside Fernando. I was a little bit in front and inside so I knew he had more to do than me so in the end it was a fair start. Anyway, I think the team did a good job, the car was very good and unfortunately, I couldn’t keep the position but I’m still happy to bring points home, especially for the team’s championship but my championship as well. I’m just getting closer to Giancarlo and Kimi so I think it was a great weekend for us and hopefully we can maintain this pace.

Q: Michael, seven races to go, the championship still very much to play for and a great performance from Ferrari and Bridgestone following on from Indianapolis.
MS: Yeah, absolutely. That’s what we have to look at and hope for from the coming races, to keep the momentum going. Obviously it’s going to be a battle in development in all areas but it’s a great result if you see, particularly this weekend, how difficult at certain moments it has been, with the problem we had yesterday. At one moment we weren’t certain whether we could do qualifying or not, but the mechanics really did a superb job and I’m really thankful to all of these guys, they are really special guys. The engineers put the car together very well. We made up our set-up out of guesswork and all the team, in that respect, my engineers, my group, have worked very well together and I’m really pleased about that.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Michael, a remarkable eighth win here, what is it that’s so special about here that allows you to win eight times?
MS: Great guys behind me. If you think about the problem I had on Saturday, to get the car together to do the qualifying, to get pole position, to guess the set-up from there on, to get the tyres sorted, they did a really great job.

Q: Were you a little bit surprised that Renault did two stops, particularly when they stopped at virtually the same time as you first time around?
MS: Yeah, they stopped one lap earlier. I think they had both options and there was a reason why they chose that option, but I’m not well enough informed with the information and what was going on to judge that.

Q: These last two races have certainly put your championship back on track again; what are your feelings about it?
MS: Yup. Keep going like that. If you look at this race… to me Indianapolis was not really the reference in a way. We were too dominant. Looking at this race, yes, it is a reference point. We have clearly made up ground and we have to keep on working at that pace and for sure everybody will just keep pushing for the last seven races. It’s far from being over.

Q: And Hockenheim is the next one, which you can count as one of your home Grands Prix.
MS: It doesn’t really matter if it is a home Grand Prix. What matters is how much your car and package match the circuit and we obviously feel confident that that can be the case, but then we want to prove it.

Q: Fernando, can you tell us a bit about that strategy; the first stint was quite short, the second stint was longer, the third stint was longer again.
FA: Yeah. I think we had two options, two possibilities, but after starting behind the two Ferraris, we guessed, at that point that they were on three stops and it’s difficult to overtake on this track or nearly impossible so if we were going to stay on the same strategy we would finish behind them, but if we did a different strategy, we had the possibility of finishing in front of them or behind them anyway.

Q: What do you think of this resurgence of Ferrari, a bit surprised by it?
FA: No, no, not at all. I think Indianapolis was a strange race, as Michael said, from the tyres and the difficulties we had last year. Maybe we were too conservative or whatever. I think here we were close, but not quick enough. Same as Nurburgring and Imola but at that point Ferrari seemed to have more development than anybody else and everybody thought that they would win all the races and then we won four consecutive races and hopefully this will happen again from the next race on.

Q: When did you have new tyres in this race?
FA: At the start and at the first stop. After that they were used tyres.

Q: Difficult on used tyres?
FA: No. To be honest there wasn’t a big difference. They were a bit more difficult because they were longer stints, so a little more difficult but not a big difference between new and old tyres.

Q: Felipe, you were pushed hard by Fernando in the early stages -- how hard was it?
FM: Yes, it was quite hard, especially at the start, he got alongside at the first corner and it was quite tight, but I could manage to stay in position and then he was pushing a little bit, especially in the first five laps and then I could manage to improve my pace and to find a gap between us and it was comfortable to the first stop. Then we decided to stay on three stops and Fernando went to two stops and he managed to pass him in the strategy, which was, Well, I would like to have stayed in that position, but anyway I think it was a good result and just important for the championship.

Q: How was the car today?
FM: It was good. It was a good car. Everything worked good. The tyres – we were a bit afraid (about) for the race, because of consistency, but we had the consistency but I think the tyres worked better than we expected especially as yesterday night it was not raining like it was on Friday night and I think the track picked up a little more rubber and it helped us for sure in terms of consistency.

Q: So encouraging for the rest of the season from Bridgestone?
FM: Yeah. Definitely. In terms of the tyres and the car. We are working hard to improve the car and pretty much you can make a stab in terms of aerodynamics.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Matthias Brunner – Motorsport Aktuell) Fernando, do you think a different tyre choice would have changed anything for the race?
FA: No, I don’t think so. I think the two tyres we had here they worked really well as we expected and tested last week in Jerez and nothing was a surprise for us and probably the Bridgestone tyre did a really good job as well and they worked really well because we had two Ferraris and two Toyotas in the top five so it was not a perfect weekend for us. But with a difficult weekend we have eight points and we have second place so it is fantastic news.

Q: (Thierry Vautrat – Sud Ouest) To Fernando, I would like to know, when you were in front of Michael on his second stint, did you think that would be enough for you to keep him behind you?
FA: No because I knew I had to stop three laps later and take fuel to the end and it was a really heavy car and we both had to do one stop after those laps and he was quicker than me for sure in those laps.

Q: (Juha Paatalo - Financial Times Deutschland ) Could you clarify – did you have two strategies as options before the race? Or did you change during the race?
FA: No we have always two options and here especially because it is wide open between two and three stops and the first stop was similar in both cases around 17, 18 and 19 and from there we decide and because we start behind the Ferraris I think it was quite clear and our tyres seemed to be a little more constant in the long runs and so we chose the two stops.

Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazetta dello Sport) Michael could you tell us when you use the new set and, Felipe, if I understood, you had also the option to do two stops?
MS: Last stop and second-last stop.
FM: We had, like Fernando said, both teams have the two options and we thought that looking at the traffic that if the traffic was not a problem three stops was a little bit better, but for me it wasn’t really the case. I took a lot of traffic and I lost very important seconds behind the traffic and the strategy on three stops was a little bit tight for me but we just know after the race.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Question for Michael. In lap number 18, did you realise that you really could win the race because you didn’t have reference before about tyre performance in long runs?
MS: At that moment, I think I had already eight seconds or something like that in front of Fernando, if I am correct – and I am not sure, the main point was in the first laps was how the tyres would go because we had had some difficulties, but the track came through with us and it was ok. We had consistent lap times from there on and I was pretty optimistic.

Q: (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Felipe, yesterday you said you would try to do everything to help Ferrari in the world championship and the race proved that you couldn’t do it today. How unhappy are you about that and secondly do you think there was a chance to finish second in this race?
FM: I think that to finish third helped the team so Michael make two points in front of Fernando and I made few points in front of Giancarlo and that is helping the team I guess. That’s important and for sure I was trying to keep my position and it was not possible today. I had a lot of traffic and I lost time and Fernando was very consistent on his tyres especially on two stops and on his second stint and he could make a little gap to stay in the front. I don’t agree with you that I am not helping the team. I think we have taken away some points and it is a big help for the championship.

Q: (Juha Paatalo – Financial Times Deutschland) But I mean mathematically if you calculate it is not enough if Michael is always first and Fernando is second.
FM: But we still have seven races and the mathematics is important at the end of the championships, not now. Everything is important, race by race, but we still have seven races and we try to do our best to be at the front of the championship at the end. I pushed as hard as I could to stay in second position but it was not possible, but it was important for me and for the team.

Q: (Carlos Miquel Gomez – Diario As) Fernando, was Massa correct in the first corner?
FA: Yes, I think so. We always try to keep our positions and always the start here at Magny-Cours is very difficult because the first corner is really quick and on the left, flat-out and then a very quick corner on the right and I think it was quite normal what happened there. Massa had nothing to lose, his Ferrari drivers had to back off for sure.

Q: (Philippe Joubin – L’Equipe) A question for Fernando – yesterday after qualifying you seemed very confident. Why were you so confident to fight for victory?
FA: Well, we were confident because we did our maximum in qualifying and there were no mistakes and nothing went wrong and if we finished third we believed it was because for one lap performance our tyres were not quick enough and maybe this paid out in the race with a more consistent tyre and it was what we thought yesterday and I still think our tyres were a little bit more constant than the Ferraris but they were probably not quick enough to beat them.

Q: (Serhan Acar – CNN Turkey) A question for Michael – now you have 160 podiums and 88 wins if I am right. How far do you think you can go? Is 100 wins possible for you?
MS: Find out.
Post tagged as : Formula One , F1 , Race Result , Schumacher , Ferrari , France , Magny Cours

Ferrari began the weekend on a good note, capturing a one-two with Schumacher claiming his record 68th career pole (barely beating teammate Felipe Massa by barely .017 seconds) , and reigniting rumours that Ferrari has resurfaced as the team to beat, it is still early days as no one knows what will happen in the race, but, Alonso's claims that Renault will be dominating in France seem to have been quashed. Nico was the unlucky person of the race, his 9th place will now be 19th due to a change in their Cosworth engine. Jarno continuing his good run was 4th, just getting past teammate Ralf Schumacher.

2006 Formula One French Grand Prix Qualifying Result

1. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari one minute 15.493 seconds
2. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1:15.510
3. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:15.785

4. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:16.036
5. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1:16.091
6. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren 1:16.281
7. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:16.345
8. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) McLaren 1:16.632
9. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams - Cosworth 1:18.272
10. David Coulthard (GB) RedBull - Ferrari 1:18.663
11. Mark Webber (Aus) Williams - Cosworth 1:16.129
12. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:16.294
13. Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull - Ferrari 1:16.433
14. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:17.027
15. Scott Speed (US) Toro Rosso - Cosworth 1:17.063
16. Christijan Albers (Ned) MF1 - Toyota 1:17.105
17. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso - Cosworth 1:17.164
18. Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1:17.304
19. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:17.495
20. Tiago Monteiro (Por) MF1 - Toyota 1:17.589
21. Franck Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri - Honda 1:18.637
22. Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri - Honda 1:18.845



Post tagged as : Formula One , F1 , Qualifying , Schumacher , Ferrari , France , Magny Cours , Dopieta

So we finally know where JP Montoya is headed next, no its not McLaren or any other Formula One team, Montoya is headed into Nascar.Montoya will join Ganassi's team.

"It should be fun," said Ganassi

"He said 'I want to get back to racing'. The guy loves racing. And what better place than here?"

"I am so happy to be entering the fastest growing racing league in the world," said Montoya

"I've thought about this for quite some time but the opportunity had to be right. I know it will not be easy but I can't wait to get behind the wheel."

So now Montoya has got the license to crash again, I think the reason he made the switch is because Nascar cars are cheaper than F1 cars, so when he crashes them the monetary loss is minimum. What about 2008 Montoya , Demolition Derby ?

Bill Gates wanted to look good and impress everyone with his success. He decided to measure the accomplishments of Microsoft against General Motors. The comparison went like this:

If automotive technology had kept pace with computer technology over the past few decades, you would now be driving a V-32 instead of a V-8, and it would have a top speed of 10,000 miles per hour. Or you could have an economy car that weighs 30 pounds and gets a thousand miles to a gallon of gas. In either case the sticker price of a new car would be less than $50.

In response to all this goading, GM responds: "Yes, but would you really want to drive a car that crashes twenty times a day?"

'I am sorry to say ladies and gentlemen the future of Formula One looks doomed'

;)

OFFICIAL FORMULA ONE PRESS RELEASE 2006
WORLD MOTOR SPORT COUNCIL

The World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on July 5, 2006. The following decisions were taken:


FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Bridgestone has been selected as the official tyre supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship in 2008, 2009 and 2010*.

Microsoft MES has been selected as the official ECU supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Due to a significant increase in cornering speeds in Formula One this season, the World Motor Sport Council agreed to consult with the Formula One Technical Working Group regarding possible measures to slow the cars.

*Note to editors: In the absence of a second tyre company Bridgestone will be the sole tyre supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship for 2007. Bridgestone's contract with the FIA to be the official tyre supplier begins in 2008.


Cars will now officially run on windows.

:P

From the hot-hot weather of Indianapolis, we move to cool and serene Magny Cours - The home of the Formula One French Grand Prix since 1991. The build-up to this race has been fairly interesting , Micheal Schumacher reckons that Ferrari will take the advantage they had in Indianapolis to France too, but Renault has other ideas. Alonso dubbed Indianapolis a fluke and even went on to say that things will be 'normal' (Ahem Ahem !!!) in France.

Here are some stats of the French Grand Prix to keep you busy.


Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours - General Statistics

Laps 70
Circuit length 4.41 km (2.74 miles)
Race length 308.59 km (191.75 miles)
Fastest lap 1'16.423
Fastest lap driver Kimi Räikkönen
Fastest lap team McLaren-Mercedes

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Previous Winners

2005 Fernando Alonso Renault
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW

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Useless Trivia

Michael Schumacher was able to win the 2004 French Grand Prix using a four-stop strategy. ( WOW !!! )

From 1985-1990 , the French Grand Prix was held at Paul Ricard

Heidfeld doing some Acrobatic Stuff

The United States Formula One grand prix witnessed a historical Ferrari 1-2. Schumacher won the race for the 5th time in 7 years.Alonso was a dismal 5th, behind Trulli and teammate Fisichella (Revenge is sweet ;) ).

The wather was HOT at US before the Grand Prix, teams using dry ice to keep their cars cool (but as you will later find out, they didnt need to, their cars were gonna do only 100m distance).The start was a dramatic one with Alonso gaining two places and Schumacher losing the lead to teammate Massa. But what happened next would have shocked most of us, Juan Pablo Montoya clipped the back of Kimi Raikonnen's McLaren causing a chain reaction and taking out 6 six cars at that very instant , later Jenson Button who was also involved drove back into the pits and retired. The Safety car was called. When the safety car went in , Alonso came under pressure from Fisichella and had to subsequently let Fisichella go by (it was obvious he let Fisi go by, so that his team mate doesnt lose time). Schumacher overtook Massa after the 1st round of pit stops.

In the end only 9 cars finished the race(just 3 more than last year, LOL)

United States Formula One Grand Prix 2006 Results

1 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1hr 34mins 35.199secs
2 Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 01:34:43.099
3 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 01:34:51.699

4 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 01:34:58.799
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 01:35:03.599
6 Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 01:35:11.699
7 David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull - Ferrari at 1 lap
8 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso - Cosworth at 1 lap
9 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams - Cosworth at 1 lap

Retired:

Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 62 laps completed
Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland - Toyota 37 laps
Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 23 laps
Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland - Toyota 9 laps
Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri - Honda 6 laps
Jenson Button (GB) Honda 3 laps
Mark Webber (Aus) Williams 1 lap
Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull 1 lap
Franck Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri - Honda 1 lap
Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1 lap
Juan Montoya (Col) McLaren - Mercedes 1 lap
Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren - Mercedes 1 lap
Scott Speed (USA) Scuderia Toro Rosso - Cosworth 1 lap

"Quotable Quotes"

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Q: (Todd Golden – Terre Haute Tribune Star) Giancarlo, Michael’s had a chance to talk about Germany’s prospects in the World Cup, what about your passion for the Azzuri and Italy?

GF: You know, myself and Michael are really big fans of football. We play together in a drivers’ team for charity. I think both of us play quite well. Apart from that…
FM: I don’t think so, no.
MS: You’d better be quiet, you’re out already.
GF: He’s Brazilian but he doesn’t play very well. It’s going to be a very interesting game. I’ve got on my helmet ‘Forza Azzuri’ which shows how important the World Cup is for me and to see them in the final and winning the final, of course.

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I had a very good start and had already made up three positions - then, all of a sudden, I was airborne

Nick Heidfeld(that doesnt happen everyday, does it)

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A lot of cars were squeezed - I don't think anyone should be too criticised

Ron Dennis
McLaren Supremo

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Q: (Tim May – Columbus Dispatch) Michael, when is the last time, though, you picked up a team mate after a race near the podium like you did Felipe and; secondly, when is the last time you did feel this excited?

MS: It's a long time ago I picked up a teammate and threw him up in the air. There are many reasons for that. First of all, we're getting on very well together. He's really a special teammate, I have to say, for many ways, for his speed, for his character and the way we work together in the team. Plus he's so light, it's easy. Last year, I would have struggled to pick up Rubens.

Micheal Schumacher (Dont you just love his replies)

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2006 Formula One Drivers Championship

1 F Alonso 88
2 M Schumacher 69
3 G Fisichella 43
4 K Raikkonen 39
5 F Massa 36
6 J P Montoya 26
7 J Button 16
7= R Barrichello 16
9 N Heidfeld 12
10 D Coulthard 10
11 R Schumacher 8
11= J Trulli 8
13 J Villeneuve 7
14 M Webber 6
15 N Rosberg 4
16 Vitantonio Liuzzi 1
16= C Klien 1



2006 Formula One Constructors Championship

1 Renault 131
2 Ferrari 105
3 McLaren 65
4 Honda 32
5 BMW-Sauber 19
6 Toyota 16
7 Red Bull 11
8 Williams-Cosworth 10
9 Toro Rosso 1
10 Midland 0
11 Super Aguri 0

Thats all folks for our coverage of the United States Grand Prix

Go Heidfeld !!!!!

LOL

This was the lone race ferrari had won last year(lots of controversy), the win was lacklustre. But today's performance was anything but that, Ferrari showed they are still in the race with an impressive 1-2. Schumacher beat Massa's times by .6 of a second to claim his 67th career pole. Whoa !!!, Midland for once finally got into the second round of qualifying)

Here is the official qualifying list of the United States Formula One Grand Prix 2006

1 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari one minute 10.832 seconds
2 Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1:11.435
3 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:11.920

4 Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:12.109 (Surprise Surprise !!!)
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:12.449 (Big Fall down the order, would like to have a littlt bit of Schumi magic in the race)
6 Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1:12.479(Wow, flop in Canada(hometown), can he do something here, my guess is he will blow it)
7 Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:12.523
8 Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1:12.795
9 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.174
10 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:15.280
11 Juan Pablo Montoya (Col) McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.150
12 Mark Webber (Aus) Williams-Cosworth 1:12.292
13 Scott Speed (USA) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1:12.792
14 Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland-Toyota 1:12.854
15 Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland-Toyota 1:12.864
16 Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull-Ferrari 1:12.925
17 David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Ferrari 1:13.180
18 Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:13.496
19 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 1:13.506(Rookie of the year ???, any comments)
20 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:13.787
21 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1:14.041
22 Franck Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri-Honda 1:16.036