Race notes: 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix

2008 Grande Premio do Brasil
Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Sau Paulo, Brazil
71 laps

*LIVE* on ITV1 for the last time

Anchor: Steve Rider
Analyst: Mark Blundell

Lead commentary: James Allen
Expert commentary: Martin Brundle

Pitlane; Ted Kravitz (strategy), Louise Goodman (DNFs)


I note there is no title sponsor for this race, just looking at the schedule list on f1.com and 4 of the 18 are unsponsored.

I'm watching ITV News before coverage begins, Gordon Brown says he and the rest of Britain are behind Lewis Hamilton. I feel better for knowing that and I'm sure Lewis does too.

While we wait there are 7 drivers on the second race in the two-race engine cycle: Hamilton, Heidfeld, Coulthard, Webber, Rosberg, Nakajima and Sutil. These guys may have to take it easy towards the end if they are worried about reliability. Everyone else can go for it without those nagging doubts in the mind about whether the engine will last.


Coverage begins at 16.04 (56 mins to go) and we immediately launch into the dramatic title fight montage. Nice way to set the scene.

There are storm clouds around the circuit, some of them look very dark! Mark says they can hear the odd crack of thunder.

Recap of what is needed: Lewis needs to finish 5th or better. Felipe needs to finish 1st or 2nd.


51 mins to go - Qualifying Review with James Allen

Massa (P1) / Trulli (P2)
Raikkonen / Hamilton
Kovalainen / Alonso
Vettel / Heidfeld
Bourdais / Glock
Piquet / Webber
Kubica / Coulthard
Barrichello / Nakajima
Button / Rosberg
Fisichella / Sutil

Rapid-fire post-qual chats:
Jarno: If I'm wheel to wheel at the start on the inside I won't give up.
Kimi: 3rd is a good place to start, I'd prefer that to 2nd place, on the clean side so should get a good start.
Heikki: If I can help Lewis in any way I will do the best I can.
Lewis: Off pole it is always a bit easier, at P4 we are on the dirtier side, I've just got to keep my nose clean.

Steve thanks Lewis from ITV for all his help over the last two years.
Lewis thanks ITV for all their support going back to his GP2 days.

Cut back to Steve live in pitlane: "We shouldn't be biased especially standing here in front of the Ferrari pits, but you all know that we are."
Ha!


Circuit Review with Martin Brundle
We are onboard with Felipe Massa for his pole lap.
195mph into the Senna S turn 1.
Full power on exit on to the straight.
195mph into Decida de Lago.
Into the twisty stuff, good traction, he missed the apex of turn 10.
The compression in Mergulho knocks you out, hook into Juncao for the long run to the line.


44 minutes to the start, a review of last year's start where Lewis messed up at turn 3 or 4.
Recorded segment with Louise talking to Lewis and clips of this and that. I don't really learn anything new, we've seen all this before.
Lewis says he's not concerned that Massa is on pole.

Over to Ted with clips of Senna winning at Interlagos. Says there's a lot of pressure to live up to Senna for any Brazilian driver.
Emerson Fittipaldi: He's A very good team player, a special year for him.
Kimi: For me it doesn't matter who wins. For sure for out team it would be nice for Felipe but I don't really think about it, whoever wins deserves it.

Ted is now on the grid... no he's by the grandstand alonsgide the grid! The crowd smell of beer. Gets out a British flag and they all start booing, throwing a bit of beer over him!
Cut to Red Bull where there are cheers for DC. A lone piper plays Flower of Scotland!
DC: "It's great to see the sentiment in the paddock. I may not have won the championship but I've made a few friends along the way."

36 mins to go

Steve's pretty emotional as he presented DC with the Autosport Young Driver of the Year award some 20 years ago.
"It's also time to review ITV's 12 years in the sport" and they replay the My Chemical Romance video I posted last night.

The ITV-F1 website will continue into the winter and all through next season. Competition time, win a trip to the inaugural Abu Dhabi GP.

30 minutes, engines have fired and cars are starting to leave the pits. Mark is rabbitting on about the pressure Lewis is under.

Ad break. First of the day after half an hour, nice going.

Louise with Vettel: We'll try and survive the first lap then anything can happen. It will be an interesting race, anything is possible.

Martin is on the grid alongside the safety car. Says there is less chance of rain now, the cloud is breaking up and moving away. Short run to first corner.
Walking back through the grid, finds Trulli: "It's nice to be on the front row, I will do my race, I have no sympathy for anyone I want my best possible result, try to score as many points as possible." Said with a smile and cheeky grin!
Martin says Jarno could play a major role, Kimi will be desperate to get past him. Expects Kimi to back Lewis into the pack, slow him down.

Left-hand side is the clean side of the grid, the racing line with the rubber.
Finds a random mechanic from McLaren. His job is to move tyres around. Worthwhile interview Martin...
He goes to Ron Dennis, what did you say to Lewis: "Avoid trouble, follow instructions, this is as much about the team as it is him."
With Bernie, 25 of 58 championships have come down to the last race, how do you do it? "It's not easy, more difficult every year!" Crowd? They were booing earlier. "It's not good to boo anyone, cheer but not boo."

Can't get anyone else, they are too busy. Back to Steve.

15 minutes

Ted with Alan Permayne of Renault. They are trying to get a podium.

Louise with Anthony Hamilton who has his fingers crossed, says Lewis loves the car and the circuit, it'll be a really good day.

10 minutes - Drivers are suited and booted, helmets are now going on.

Ad break.

5 minutes - F1 ident graphics, track map.
We hand over to James and Martin in the commentary box above the pits.

James: 12 years since the last British champion, 16 years for Brazil.

RAIN!! It is raining on the grid!!
Martin: "That surprised a lot of teams. Everyone I spoke to on the grid said it was breaking up."

This is heavy rain.

START ABORTED
Race Control - Formation lap will start at 15:10 local (that's 12 minutes from now).

Ted says this is Intermediate weather. FIA man is soaked through.

Chaos on the grid as teams change tyres but look, the rain has stopped already and the guys are saying when it stops it evaporates very quickly because it is so hot.

The Safety Car had left the grid and took up station at the end of the lap in case it needed to pick up the field at the start. They've now brought it around to the front of the grid in case an SC start is needed, in which case the extreme wet tyres will be required under the rules.

Reminder: In F1 the official 'wet' tyres everyone calls 'intermediates'. The 'extreme wets' are known as just 'wets'. F1 teams like to name things as they've always been known rather than the supplier's marketing reasons.


Alonso radio: Radar is clear for 40 minutes.
Ted agrees as he's seen Ferrari's radar. All the teams have the radar data from Meteo France.


ITV have taken the opportunity for an ad break.
I've taken the opportunity to grab a beer. Carlsberg Export.

The Safety Car has been around for a sighting lap. It is wet in places, bone dry in others.

Martin tips Toro Rosso for a good result, they won at Monza in the rain.

Tyre warmers are coming off the cars, what do people have?

Lewis is on full wets. Red lights flashing on the cars, when you run wets you MUST have your rain light turned on.

17.10: Cars pull away on the formation lap, lots of spray.

Starting order: Massa, Trulli, Kimi, Lewis, Heikki, Alonso, Vettel, Heidfeld, Bourdais, Glock, Piquet, Webber, Kubica, Coulthard, Barrichello, Nakajima, Button, Rosberg, Fisichella, Sutil - No penalties!

Martin: It has rained mostly around the pit straight area. Kubica is on dry tyres. The Bridestone inters have a very wide operating window, it can be quite dry and they still work.

Grid forming. Kubica has pitted.

5.4.3.2.1.GO!

They ease through turn one, crash in turn 2. DC spun with another car.

Kovy has been taken by Vettel and Alonso.

Safety Car for the incident at turns one and two. This is what I said earlier about parking it at the end of the lap.

Piquet is out with a broken wing. Ah shit, Coulthard gets out of the car, he couldn't recover it. That's hugely disappointing for two reasons: this was his last race, he deserved a good race, the whole paddock seemed to want him to do well. Secondly he was the guy running the camera inside the helmet!

Ad break. Order as they circulate on Lap2:
Massa, Trulli, Kimi, Lewis, Vettel, Alonso, Kova, Bourdais, Glock, Webber, Barrichello, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Button, Sutil, Fisi, Naka, Kubica

Fisi pits at the end of L2.

Replay of Vettel and Alonso passing Kovalainen.

DC is talking to his guys on the pitwall to help Webber's race. Martin thinks DC took a hit from Nakajima. Piquet was out a little further around the corner.

Replay of the start: Heikki blocks Vettel to let Hamilton away.
Rosberg tags Coulthard who was knocked into Nakajima.
Helmet cam, he's just pushed off. Rosberg's fault entirely.

Lights out on the SC. Track is largely dry apart from the main straight, turns one and two, and the pitlane.
Fisi pitted a lap ago?

L4 - RESTART

Heikki overtook Alonso on entry to turn one but Alonso repasses in 2.

L5 - Heidfeld passes Barrichello for 11th. Fisichella had taken dry tyres on his stop and is last, 6 seconds per lap slower. Will it pay off for him later or will it cost too much time?

L7 - Massa leads Trulli by 1.8s.
Louise with DC: "Took a cautious approach, left plenty of room, Rosberg hit me and spun me around, then Nakajima continued our crashing love affair. I wanted to get to the chequered flag and do some donuts which I think I would get fined for!" He thanks his parents and his fiance.

Raikkonen goes for Trulli but doesn't make it.
Rosberg pits, so does Button. Both take dry tyres as Fisichella is setting reasonable times now.

Martin says this is the first wet running of the weekend.

Replay: Heidfeld passes Webber for 10th.

L9 - Bourdais and Glock pit, so do Sutil and Nakajima. I'm getting this from live timing, the TV is a few seconds behind on noticing.

A Honda and Williams have a fight exiting the pits.

Martin: The treaded tyres fall away quickly when they overheat.

Vettel, Alonso, Webber pit. Barrichello too.

Fisichella sets a purple time in sector 2!

A fire extinguisher has gone off at Honda! No car there..

L10 - Massa pits, Kovalainen and Heidfeld also in.

Trulli leads from Raikkonen and Hamilton. Kovalainen was sat there for a long time, problem on the right rear, he'll lose a lot of places.

L11 - Trulli, Raikkonen and Hamilton now pit - the last to do so.
Wing adjustments.

Trulli beats Hamilton, just. Raikkonen beats the pair of them.

Ted says they don't need to use the soft tyres now that it has been raining.

Hamilton is behind Vettel, Alonso and Fisichella! Fisi is 7th! GREAT call from him and Force India.

Massa had a big slide at turn one.
Nakajima spun it at turn one, continues.

Hamilton passes Trulli at turn one and spuns, continues. Fisi is hustling Kimi!

L14 - Massa, Vettel(!), Alonso, Kimi, Fisi(!), Hamilton, Glock, Bourdais, Trulli, Heidfeld, Webber, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Button, Rosberg, Sutil, Kubica, Nakajima

Hamilton 6th, if it ends now Massa would win the title on the tiebreak.

Kimi is slow, does he have no pace - or is it deliberate?

L16 - Vettel and ALonso are matching Massa's lap times. Massa is 0.9s ahead of Vettel, then another 1.1 to Alonso, and live timing has chosen this moment to freeze.

Radio to Vettel, Massa is ten laps longer.

Timing is back.

L18 - Martin notices that Fisi is on the softer rubber, gives more speed but wears out sooner.
Hamilton passes Fisichella on the wet part of the track on dry tyres!

He jumps to hyperspace, he's practically out of Fisi's vision already.

McLaren mechanics clapping, very happy.

Sebastien Vettel sets the fastest lap of the race!

The top 5 cars are somewhat faster than the rest of the field. Several cars are now backed up behind Fisichella, costing them time. Glock has cleared Fisichella.
Bourdais is now trying it.

L20 (where is the time going?) - Bourdais alongside, Fisi resists.

Trulli pushes Bourdais off the track at turn 1, he loses 5 places.

Martin: "I don't know how the stewards will see this one, it's bordering on rude."

Vettel has been faster than Massa for two laps now. Factory Ferrari outclassed by customer Ferrari engine. Sebatien waves at Adrian Newey as he goes by (he doesn't but he should).

L23 - Ad break.
L25 - We're back. Fisichella now has Trulli and Kovalainen behind him. Heidfeld is catching them.

Vettel sets another fastest lap.

Glock is catching Hamilton by a couple of tenths per lap. Hamilton is 5th and isn't catching anyone.

L27 - Kovalainen passes Trulli on the front straight.
L28 - Vettel pits. Commentary thinks this may have screwed his day.

Kovalainen sweeps past Fisichella on the main straight, Kovy on a charge. He's 17sec or so behind Hamilton with only Glock between them.

L29 - Alonso radio: "Vettel was fuelled much shorted than we thought, your race is with Massa."

Massa is catching a Williams to lap it.
Ted reports that Toyota did NOT fuel Glock when they switched to dries so McLaren's day will get a little easier.
It gave him a good position but he'll get the cost of that now.

L31 - Ad break.
L33 - We're back.

Glock set the fastest lap of the race a lap ago.

Martin: "If Hamilton wants the championship he's got to get on the programme. He's matching Massa's times at last."

As he says that Massa smashes the fastest lap! Yet we're still 1.5sec or so off a completely dry lap time. Nobody else is anywhere near Massa's time.

L34 - Button pits.

L37 - Glock pits. Martin asks James if they can get to the end of the race from here.. James says yes, he thinks they can. It is a very long stop.
He's out alongside Rosberg in 14th, losing 9 places.
Ted says the fuel nozzle was out of position so they lost a lot time resetting the position.

L38 - Felipe Massa pits. Ferrari's garage is at pit entry this week so he's straight in. 9.4sec stop, Martin says he'll need to come in again.
Fisi and Bourdais are also in.

So Alonso leads, we expect him in over the next couple of laps.

L41 - Alonso is in, so is Hamilton.
We don't see Alonso rejoin. Both will have to stop again
Hamilton is out ahead of Trulli, he's now in 6th position.

L42 - Renault tell Alonso that Vettel will stop again.

Martin says the cars don't all have the same fuel tank size so some cars can go significantly further than others.

L43 - Kovalainen pits. 8.8sec stop.
L44 - Raikkonen pits. 5.1sec stop. Not sure if the clock was wrong there.
James: He'll only be the champion for another 28 laps.

Raikkonen is out ahead of Hamilton.
Button passes Barrichello for 11th, team-mate pass.

L45 - ad break.
Let's recap the positions from live timing:

Massa 4.1s ahead of Vettel who will need to stop shortly, then another 3.2 to Alonso, 10.7 to Kimi, 2.7 to Hamilton in 5th, 6.0 to Webber, 10.0 to Kovalainen, then Glock, Trulli, Heidfeld, Button, Barrichello, Rosberg, Bourdais, Kubica, Nakajima (lapped), Fisichella, Sutil.

BMW are having a very flat day. Webber and Nakajima have stopped once, everyone else twice, although obviously the picture could be masked because of the switch to dries.

L47 - we're back.

L49 - Webber is now in. Hamilton has Kubica on his arse but Robert is a lap behind.
Ted says the fuel consumption is lower than expected because laptimes are slower than they have been in practice. It is changing the fuel strategy.

Vettel is catching Massa again and is just 1.9s behind now. We expect Vettel in but not sure if the others will definitely stop. They may have saved fuel at some of the stops, not pitted on empty.

L52 - Vettel pits. 20 laps go to. Vettel comes out behind Hamilton (and the lapped Kubica).

Kubica is 16th because of the wrong decision on tyres at the start.

L54 - Vettel is 2.2sec behind Hamilton.
Martin is thinking maybe they can all now squeeze the fuel to the end of the race, maybe that's why laptimes are so much slower.

L55 - ad break.
L57 - we're back with 15 laps to go, sorry 14 now.
Renault to Alonso: There may be rain soon.

Hamilton has picked his pace up to match Vettel who is now right behind him, 1.0sec.

Kubica radio: Could rain in ten minutes.
Martin says: "Stay tuned, this is a long way from over. 13 laps is about 15 minutes!"
I say this could be Spa all over again!

Kimi is catching Fernando quite quickly, the gap is 3.1 seconds.

L60 - Ted is watching the weather coming in. It will hit the main straight first and may not hit the rest of the circuit.
Eleven laps to go.

Massa grew up around here and hung out at the kart track just over the wall after turn 2. I remember the same thing being said of Barrichello in recent years.

Massa, then Alonso 12.3sec back, then Kimi 1.7sec back from Alonso, Hamilton is 12.2sec behind Kimi.

Alonso laps Bourdais into turn one.

James speculating whether Ron Dennis will step down from his role at McLaren if Lewis wins.
L64 - Radio to Nico Rosberg: "As soon as you seen rain on the visor let us know and we'll change tyres."
We're told there is light rain in the paddock. Nakajima pits. We don't see it. Did he gamble on wets? He's at the back with a damaged car from the Coulthard incident, so he may as well.

Positions 11th down have been lapped.

L66 - Raining halfway around the track. Heidfeld takes the gamble he did at Spa.
Barrichello, Button, Rosberg, Bourdais, Fisi all in for inters.
Who whole back of the field has pitted!! It is raining on the main straight.
Vettel attacking Hamilton.

Martin is calling for intermediates for everyone. Ferrari are scrambling for tyres.

Raikkonen is in, Massa did NOT pit. Alonso is in. Hamilton is in with Vettel.

Will Glock and Kovalainen make it to the end without pitting? There are FIVE LAPS to go.

L67 - Massa pits. Getting dark at Interlagos. We can't see where Hamilton rejoined. Timing hasn't caught up.

Martin: If it doesn't rain Hamilton doesn't get the championship, no Vettel is still behind, he needs to keep Vettel behind him to win it.

L68: Massa, Alonso, Kimi, Glock, Hamilton, Vettel, Trulli, Kovalainen, Webber, Heidfeld (top ten)

If Vettel passes Lewis then it is all over. Hamilton has a lot of traffic.

L69 - Kubica pushes past Vettel! To unlap himself, then gets Lewis.
VETTEL passes Lewis!! Now raining harder.

Can Glock handle the rain on his dry tyres?? Can Hamilton retake Vettel?

Massa has started the last lap. Glock 15sec up on Hamilton.

FINAL LAP

Felipe Massa wins the race! Fuck I can't type. Lewis passes Glock!!!

Hamilton wins the TITLE!!

Fucking hell how did that happen? Where did Glock come from?

Ferrari celebrated early.

Martin: "To be fair the kid did everthing right."

Louise with Anthony: "What can I say. I can't find any words. Great. Absolutely great. It's a shame the crowd is booing this. We got the championship, now on to the next one."

James: "We've done 206 with ITV and we've never seen a race like this, I hope we get to work together again."
Martin: "Glock lost 18 seconds on the last lap."

Radio - Massa thanks his team, crying.

Felipe is out of the car.

Fire in the pitlane! Button's car is alight. Cameras catch up to Hamilton.
He can't seem to get the steering wheel back on.

Look at the pitlane! Packed with media.

Martin: Thank you to every single person who's worked on F1-ITV over the last twelve years.

Lewis with his crew at last. Chanting his name.

Straight to the podium, which is lit because of the darkness of the clouds.
Massa, Alonso, Raikkonen.

Brazilian anthem. Flags are raised and look like they'll blow away!
Italian anthem. Shots of Hamilton with the British flag over his shoulder as Massa on the podium nearly breaks down in tears.

He collects his trophy which looks possibly Klingon.

Martin's driver of the day: Massa.
Martin's driver of the year: Hamilton - just.

Ted is with Lewis: "Lewis Hamilton World Champion, how does that feel?" There's so much media he can't speak, mic's in his face, his dad tells everyone to back off let him get a drink. We cut away.
Champagne on the podium.

James and Martin sign off for the last time and we go to an ad break.

ITV have to get out of here because of a new series ripping off High School Musical so they'll probably whizz through the post-race, even though it is their last.

We're back with Dave Ryan of McLaren talking to Steve and Mark. "Well you said some champagne, it isn't going to be some it'll be heaps. I've never experienced anything like it. For a minute we thought 'not the same thing again'. This is really special. He's something special. You won't see me sober again for a while!"

Lewis Hamilton wins this race by one point. Steve says if Massa had won we would have reflected on some strange stewards decicions.

Review of the race.
Hamilton went too wide which let Vettel through.
Mark: "Whatever happened to Glock changed the outcome of the race and the championship, for the better I think."

Press conference:
Massa - "The race was just perfect. We did everything fantastically. Such difficult weather at the beginning. I'm so proud about the race, the team, the people who support me more than ever, much more than I expected. But then we saw Lewis passing Glock again and that's a really mixed lot of emotion. Unfortunately we missed [by] one point but that's racing, we need to be proud about our job, our race, our championship. It's one more day of my life I'm going to learn a lot."
ITV cut the conf to go to Martin Whitmarsh of McLaren - "we said to Lewis take it easy, we knew we were racing Glock, we had the GPS so could see him coming back towards us, we kept telling him Glock's on dries."

Nobody cares about Fernando and Kimi in the press conf do they? Nah didn't think so.

To Lewis - "It's been such a long journey, the team has done such a good job all year. Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable, my tyres were a bit shot, then Vettel got past me and the team told me I had to pass him, then I saw Glock and they said I had to pass him. I crossed the line and was like 'have I done it have I done it?'"
Anthony interjects - "this is the dream from young kids everywhere. Huge respect to Mr Massa Senior and Junior, fantastic people."

To Ron Dennis - "That was one hell of a call [on tyres]". More platitudes.
Is there another Lewis? "We've got another couple of young guys we're looking after. But Lewis is something else." Wow look at the rain now!!

Steve - "A great way to end our coverage on ITV."
Mark - "It'll take a lot to beat us on the other channel but I bet they'll try."


Closing montage reviewing the season to the Kings of Leon.

And that's it, we're done for 2008.


Goodbye ITV. You gave us a lot of good things, you also sucked enormously in several ways. It will now be for the BBC to see what they can do.

Congratulations Lewis Hamilton, and Ferrari for the Constructors' title.

Anyone else think Vettel is auditioning for a Ferrari drive?


Race Results
01. Massa 71 laps [10 points]
02. Alonso +13.2s [8]
03. Raikkonen +16.2s over Massa [6]
04. Vettel +38.0s [5]
05. Hamilton +38.9s [4]
06. Glock +44.3s [3]
07. Kovalainen +55.0s [2]
08. Trulli +68.4s [1]
09. Webber +79.6s
10. Heidfeld + 1 lap
11. Kubica + 1 lap
12. Rosberg + 1 lap
13. Button + 1 lap
14. Bourdais + 1 lap
15. Barrichello + 1 lap
16. Sutil + 2 laps
17. Nakajima + 2 laps
18. Fischella + 2 laps
19. Piquet DNF
20. Coulthard DNF

A well-driven race from Massa, Alonso and Vettel. Kubica picked up several spots with the tyre change. Both Glock and Trulli set a 1m44 time on the final lap because they were on dries, everyone else on inters.



Final Points Standings
01. 97 Hamilton *champion*
02. 96 Massa
03. 75 Raikkonen
04. 75 Kubica
05. 61 Alonso
06. 60 Heidfeld
07. 53 Kovalainen
08. 35 Vettel
09. 31 Trulli
10. 25 Glock
11. 21 Webber
12. 19 Piquet
13. 17 Rosberg
14. 11 Barrichello
15. 9 Nakajima
16. 8 Coulthard
17. 4 Bourdais
18. 3 Button
No score: Fisichella, Sutil, Sato and Davidson

Lewis Hamilton is the 2008 Formula One World Drivers' Champion.


Final Constructors' Standings
01. 172 Ferrari *champion*
02. 151 McLaren-Mercedes
03. 135 BMW Sauber
04. 80 Renault
05. 56 Toyota
06. 39 STR-Ferrari
07. 29 RBR-Renault
08. 26 Williams-Toyota
09. 14 Honda
10. 0 Force India Ferrari
11. 0 Super-Aguri Honda

Ferrari is the 2008 Formula One World Constructors' Champion.


Right that's it for the final live race of the year. I'm off to wait and see what penalty the FIA will dream up for Hamilton, in the meantime the brand new run of Top Gear starts tonight. My next live race which will be the Australian Grand Prix in March, and I'll have updates throughout the off-season.

ITV's Farewell Montage

No matter what you think of ITV's coverage since 1997 this weekend marks the end of an era. The ITV Sport / North One Productions people had the rug pulled out from under them when the top brass decided to cancel the contract two years early and grab more football rights instead.

During the qualifying show today they aired this goodbye piece, which will undoubtedly be in the pre-race show as well. It starts off being the usual downhearted 'sorry to be leaving' thing (and your heart sinks when you hear that damned song again)... clips of Lewis "when I was a young boy"... and then they have a bit of fun!



Great to see a sense of humour from the ITV team, I wish they'd shown it a little earlier. The sudden stop halfway through to show the words "place commercial here" after all the shit they've been through with timing of ads, the reposte from James Allen to the criticisms of basically every internet forum and blog around, and the F1 community saying when you're gone we'll carry on.. Lewis' face when Steve sings!

Nice to hear Murray Walker again, and a reminder of how good Allen was in the pitlane role.

Cool way to bow out. I hope they have a longer version to close out the coverage tomorrow because so much Formula 1 history has occurred since their eventful first season and this version only covers a tiny part of it.

For 2009 ITV's racing activities are limited to live British Touring Cars on ITV4, as with this season. I hope they are able to develop that coverage a little more - and it's pretty good already.

Goodbye ITV, and thanks.

I'll see if I can dig up some more YouTube links of ITV's history in F1 for posting from Monday onwards, as a send-off for them. I'll also post a little overview of their good and bad points over the years as I will remember them going forwards.

Racenotes: 2008 Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix

2008 Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China

Coverage from ITV1, their penultimate event before the rights switch to the BBC.
Paddock anchors: Steve Rider & Mark Blundell
Commentary: James Allen & Martin Brundle
Pitlane: Ted Kravitz & Louise Goodman


Coverage started at 7am, I'm coming in at 7.30am although I wasn't really paying attention for five minutes or so while I was starting Notepad and FIA live timing. I did mean to get up at 7am but I don't do mornings very well.

I think Sinopec is a fuel company. Yesterday we were told the circuit is 40 minutes to 2 hours from central Shanghai depending on time of day and levels of traffic.

7.45am, Martin is on the grid, this is he:
"Hamilton can secure the driver's title and Ferrari the constructor's.
There's a stadium effect here, between the grandstands and the buildings over the track, one is hospitality and the other is the media centre.
We've seen in the support races the drivers who can hang on around the outside of turn one are in the ideal position for turn 2."

I've woken up now I've started typing.

Martin talks to Norbert Haug of Mercedes before heading down the grid - but he says not a single driver is near their cars at the moment. Finds Pat Symonds (Renault): "There's going to be some shenanigans going into the first corner. Let's keep out of trouble and have a good race."
Martin throws to Louise with Mark Webber.

Webber: "My fuel load is probably a little lighter than the guys around here because of Q3. Taking a penalty 5 rows back and you're gone basically."

Now she's with Kovalainen: "All we can do is aim to take maximum points. We're going to be positive, let's not worry about what might happen."
Louise: "Enjoy the rest of your birthday."

The gridwalk is a bit early today so maybe that's why nobody is around. They go back to Steve & Mark for a bit.

STARTING ORDER
Q3 Hamilton, Raikkonen, Massa, Alonso, Kovalainen, Vettel, Trulli, Bourdais, Heidfeld *
Q2 Piquet (9th), Kubica, Glock, Barrichello, Rosberg
Q3 Coulthard, Webber**, Nakajima, Button, Sutil, Fisichella

* Heidfeld was P7 but penalised 3 places for holding up DC in qualifying.
** Webber was P6 but penalised 10 places for an engine change.


5 minutes to go, FIA graphics, we go to James Allen and Martin Brundle and at *precisely* this moment the live timing updates - it was showing qualifying results, now it has cleared the timing data and shows the starting order.

Formation lap - this will be a 56 lap race and there is a chance of rain towards the end.
As I write that BMW get on Kubica's radio to say there could be rain in 20 minutes.

Martin - it's a longer lap than Fuji, more chance to get the brakes up to temperature, they need to be 700 degrees to work effectively.

Hamilton is on hard tyres, the two Ferraris are on soft tyres. Alonso in 4th on hard tyres.
Cars arrive on the grid, lots of tension..

5.4.3.2.1.GO!

Hamilton takes the lead, Kova around the outside, crash at the back.
Kovalainen is still alongside Alonso. Heikki bags him. Top 3 are as they were on the grid.
On to the back straight and Alonso goes alongside Heikki, and outbrakes him at the end of it. Important move, and interesting that he could pass with horsepower.

Lap 2 - not seen a replay of the start crash yet. On timing it looks like Trulli is the only car damaged and he pits now.
Alonso is pulling away from Heikki.
Ted is at Toyota - the whole right-hand sidepod is flapping everywhere, completely destroyed, it'll lose him a load of downforce. James suggests he may have hit Bourdais who is now 18th after starting further up.
Replay - Heidfeld drivers around a few cars. Trulli turns in on Bourdais (not again Sebastien!).
Replay of Alonso passing Heikki who got it slightly wrong leading on to the straight, thus losing speed.

L3 - Trulli pulls the car in after letting the leaders through. The car must be too damaged.

L4 - Hamilton pulling away. Webber vs Barrichello, Rubens covers the inside.

L5 - first ad break
Timing shows Webber has taken Rubens for 10th. Hamilton is still faster than everybody, Ferrari next up with Alonso, these are in a race of their own. Kovalainen can't stay with them and leads Heidfeld and Vettel.

L8 - back from ads
Heikki is 1.2 seconds per lap slower than Lewis and we saw Heikki's brakes smoking on the grid, Martin says too much temperature in them. It could be hurting him now.

Louise is with Trulli, 'not the first time you've had contact with Bourdais at the start': "I mean this guy has to cool down a little bit. I had a hit on the rear right and my car was damaged."

L9 - Webber is all over Piquet, takes him up the inside but too fast, Piquet comes back and they stay together - Piquet has to back out. Radio: "You know he's light Nelson so don't worry."

L10 - Kimi now sets fastest lap. Ted tells us Vettel (P7) will stop a lot shorter than Kubica (P8) but Robert needs to stay within 7 seconds of him.

L13 - Rosberg passes Glock at the hairpin. Webber pits from 10th, James says the leaders are due in shortly. Rosberg's radio says 'qualifying laps until you stop'.

L14 - Piquet ran a little wide at the last corner. Webber is now running 18th and has to pass all those guys again, though he's hoping most of that will come when they pit.
L15 - Massa and Alonso pit. Massa stays on soft tyres, Alonso stays on hards. Massa is 8th behind Kubica, Alonso is 10th behind Piquet.
Adrian Sutil has parked in a little run-off at the last corner.
L16 - Hamilton and Raikkonen pit. Both are on the hard tyres. Hamilton gets out ahead of Vettel with Raikkonen just behind Vettel. Kovalainen leads.
Replay of Sutil's engine smoking as he pulls over.

L18 - Heidfeld is in.
L19 - Kovalainen and Vettel pit. Hamilton is now in the lead again. We go to an ad break.

Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kubica (not stopped), Massa, Piquet (not stopped), Alonso, Kovalainen, Heidfeld

L21 - Back from break.
L22 - Alonso radio: "Heikki is 6 laps longer than us."
Lots of marbles on the side of the long straight.

L23 - Ted at McLaren: "Lewis says the car is a lot better and more stable after a half a turn of front wing at the stop."

Everything is pretty stable right now on the timing screens, they are all matching each other up front.

L25 - Piquet comes in. He beats Vettel and Nakajima. Martin says he tried to pick up a fuel hose the other day and it was very heavy, he struggled with it and that was with no fuel, says it is a very hard job!
L26 - Kubica pits from 3rd. He's out in 8th behind Coulthard who hasn't stopped yet.
Replay of Kubica's stop - they left the tyres on, added fuel and adjusted the front wing. Not often you see tyres left on in F1.

L28 - another ad break, return on L30.
Raikkonen lost 1.4 seconds trying to lap Fisichella.

Hamilton, Raikkonen +7.5, Massa +14.6 from Hamilton, Alonso +21.7, Kovalainen +29.7

L32 - Coulthard and Bourdais having a fight, Sebastien takes the place. Nakajima and Webber pit.
L33 - Glock is in. Massa lost a second passing Fisichella.

L36 - Kovalainen has a puncture! McLaren had been getting ready for him, we saw the mechanics already in the pitlane. They pushed it a little too far. Now he has to run the length of the long straight with it.
Ted: "This is brake-related. We saw them smoking on the grid. Then at the stop there was a lot of black dust, all the team breathed it in."
Heikki pits and comes back out in 17th. Big news in the Constructors' championship, McLaren needed him to score.

L37 - Alonso pits.
L38 - Massa is in, he switches to hard tyres. Webber gets on the marbles and runs through the car park.
L39 - Hamilton pits and switches to the soft tyres. Raikkonen is right behind him taking . He's out just ahead of Massa. Hmmm I wonder if he'll mysteriously begin to slow down soon and let Massa through..

L40 - Heidfeld is in, he's out in 6th.
L41 - Kubica pits from 4th, he's now behind Vettel again. There's talk of McLaren turning the revs back a bit on Hamilton's car, they need to take this engine to Brazil whereas Ferrari will have two new engines.

L42 - another ad break. Timing shows Vettel pitting.
L43 - back from ads, James says "this has not been a vintage grand prix". No kidding. They are all driving away from each other.

L45 - 12 laps to go and I can't believe Kimi won't let Massa through. He's letting him gain a couple of tenths each lap.
L46 - wow we're going to another ad break already. Rumours on forums say they have to take 5 breaks per race.. Won't miss this next year on the Beeb!
L48 - back again.
L49 - Kimi completely backs off into the hairpin, Massa is now 2nd. Sensible move given the title situation.

L50 - Kovalainen pits! Did he not take enough fuel when he had the puncture? Maybe not, he parks it in the garage. James and Martin speculate they may have decided to save the engine for Brazil. Ted gets on the phone and says "no, its definitely the brakes, it became undriveable. The man from the brake supplier is here looking very worried."
Martin - when they get too hot the wear rate goes up exponentially.

L52 - Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen, Alonso, Heidfeld, Kubica, Glock, Piquet
Alonso is catching Raikkonen. Kubica and Glock are catching Heidfeld. The gaps seem to have come down a little everywhere but nobody is close enough to do any racing.

L55 - Martin: "Interesting isn't it, 33 starts but only 2 fastest laps for Hamilton."
L56 - Good drive from Barrichello in 11th in that shitbox of a Honda. Martin suggests Bruno Senna will be testing for Honda soon, maybe he'll be racing the car next year.

L57 - Hamilton Wins!

Massa 2nd, Raikkonen 3rd, Alonso 4th, Heidfeld 5th, Kubica 6th

Martin: "We've had some thrilling races this year, this wasn't one of them, Hamilton won't care will he?" He gives 'driver of the day' to Hamilton.

Congratulatory radio calls.

ITV sells us some more products as the cars head to parc ferme.

Drivers are in the little waiting room now having a bit of a chill out.
To the podium!
British anthem for Hamilton and McLaren. Dreary little ditty not suited to a celebration at all.

Trophy-giving, a bit fell off Hamilton's trophy! Massa does not look happy, he's very down. Martin: "Lovely man is Felipe Massa, a man you'd sit beside on an aeroplane or have around for dinner."

Champagne!

Steve and Mark are in pitlane, behind Mark a throng of people pack out the start/finish straight.

After more adverts and a results review we go to the press conf.

Lewis: "Team have done a phenomenal job. I owe so much to the guys, the car is a dream to drive." Peter Windsor suggests it was an easy win. "It was quite straightforward actually, made a great start, one of the best we had this year. Fortunately we were very consistent therefore I was able to create a gap. After my second stop we were just trying to look after the engine and tyres."
Lewis seems quite quiet and understated today as well.

Felipe: "For us the hard tyre was not quick, difficult to drive, the soft was the only option. At the start I had a bit of wheelspin, then we just stayed in the same positions. Lewis was pulling away 3 tenths per lap, we were on the limit. Lewis had the better car. I think for the drivers championship it was not fantastic but for the constructors it was very good."

Kimi: "We won as a team, its normal in these situations. The car was handling quite nicely but it wasn't fast enough. Every time when I was faster it was too late. I got traffic three times and it cost me a lot of time. 2nd and 3rd was the best we could do but hopefully next race we can challenge a bit more." Pete asks the inevitible team order question. "I know what the team expects, I have nothing to lose I'm driving for the team."

Lewis again. Peter says: "7 points was your lead last year, 7 points is your lead this year into the last race in 2008*"
Lewis: "I know going to Brazil will be much different to last year, we know we've got to do a good job, these two will be pushing hard."


Long conference today, longer than I've written down, thanks to ITV for sticking with it.

Steve & Mark briefly review the race with replays. A crowd has gathered to watch them! That's funny!



Results
01. Hamilton 56 laps in 1h31m57.403s [10 pts]
02. Massa +14.925s [8]
03. Raikkonen +16.445s [6]
04. Alonso +18.370s [5]
05. Heidfeld +28.923s [4]
06. Kubica +33.219s [3]
07. Glock +41.722s [2]
08. Piquet +56.645s [1]
09. Vettel +64.339s
10. Coulthard +74.842s
11. Barrichello +85.061s
12. Nakajima +90.847s
13. Bourdais +91.457s
14. Webber +92.422s
15. Rosberg + 1 lap
16. Button + 1 lap
17. Fisichella + 1 lap
DNF Kovalainen (brakes)
DNF Sutil (engine?)
DNF Trulli (crash damage)

Fastest Lap: Hamilton 1m36.325

(results from Autosport.com who had them online unbelievably quickly)


World Drivers' Championship
01. Hamilton 94
02. Massa 87
03. Kubica 75 (eliminated from title race)
04. Raikkonen 69
05. Heidfeld 60
06. Alonso 53 [+1]
07. Kovalainen 51 [-1]
08. Vettel 30
09. Trulli 30
10. Glock 22 [+1]
11. Webber 21 [-1]
12. Piquet 19

Hamilton extends the gap by 2 points and now leads by 7. All of the top six scored today. That top six now includes Alonso who has passed Kovalainen.


World Constructors' Championship
01. Ferrari 156
02. McLaren 145
03. BMW 135
04. Renault 72
05. Toyota 52
06. Toro Rosso 34
07. Red Bull 29
08. Williams 26
09. Honda 14

Ferrari have a 9 point lead with 16 available in Brazil. McLaren will need Kovalainen to bring a better game to that race to pick up as many points as possible on a track were Ferrari are always strong.
Red Bull will need to score well to avoid the embarrasment of being beaten by the B-team!


The title-deciding race will be at Interlagos, Sau Paulo, Brazil on November 2nd. Not only is a Brit in the running, this will be ITV's last race for the forseeable future so their coverage may be a little emotionally charged.

Bernie and ITV will be happy that it has gone to Brazil because that race gets away at 6pm here - prime time Sunday ratings!

Racenotes: Gran Premio Santander d'Italia 2008

Gran Premio Santander d'Italia
(Italian Grand Prix)

Autodromo Nationale Monza [official site] [wikipedia]
Monza, Milan, Italy
5.793 km (3.56 miles)
53 laps

Coverage: ITV1
Paddock analysts: Steve Rider & Mark Blundell
Commentary: James Allen & Martin Brundle
Pitlane: Ted Kravitz & Louise Goodman

Beverage update: Tea during the race this afternoon, these notes are being edited some 7hrs later with the aid of Whitbread Best Bitter.

12:05 To Monza, where we have what is described by Steve Rider as 'showery, intermediate conditions'.

Report from Ted Kravitz with replays from Spa, the whole Lewis vs Kimi thing. The stewards believed Hamilton didn't give all of his advantage back which is why he got the penalty.
Alonso agrees with the stewards. Rosberg says he should have waited until one corner later before trying to pass again.

Ted talking to Sir Jackie Stewart: "If it rains as I rather hope it will [because it is always exciting], I think the McLaren is an easier car to drive in the rain than the Ferrari. Both Kovalainen and Hamilton seem to be able to handle the conditions better than Raikkonen or Massa."

Max Mosely is in the paddock this weekend for the 2nd time this season. Steve says they wanted to ask him about penalties, stewards decisions etc., but they weren't granted an interview - "we'll keep trying".

12:13 Qualifying report with James Allen
STR is based on the old Minardi team and most of the people there were at Minardi.
Hamilton tried intermediate tyres on an out-lap but pitted straight away, he then had a long delay in which his brakes 'glazed over'. He's 15th.

START ORDER
Top ten: Vettel, Kovalainen, Webber, Bourdais, Rosberg, Massa, Trulli, Alonso, Glock, Heidfeld
Out in Q2: Kubica, Fisi, DC, Raikkonen, Hamilton
Out in Q1: Barrichello, Piquet, Nakajima, Button, Sutil

Vettel: "I was always dreaming of driving these fast cars and now I'm on pole position."
Kovi: "We are strong." Those Finns are always to the point..
Webber talked a lot of words without really saying anything.
Ham: "Very tricky, couldn't see much. I missed the good window to get a lap in."

Felipe Massa has had an engine change. The rule is that you have to run the engine for two races, else you get a penalty. An additional rule for this year: there is a 'joker' card which means you can make one free unpenalised change. That's what Massa has taken this time so no penalty for him. Kimi took his after his Valencia unit blowed up.

Vettel again: "Comfortable in these conditions, I was saying 'we have to push'."
STR team manager: "We never thought we were a bunch of idiots, we knew we needed more money to be invested. We'll have a good race."
Replay of Bourdais interview last week after the race, he was very frustrated at losing three places on the last lap - almost crying.
This is him yesterday when he was much happier: "Its tricky here but starting up front is never a bad thing!"
Vettel: "Long race tomorrow, tough day, we don't know about the weather. We will have good dreams tonight and we will see tomorrow."
Berger: Something about Vettel, missed it... "Not a question of beating the sister team, sometimes they are better than us, and we are here to beat all the other teams." When asked about Bourdais' contract: "He is doing a good job in a good position."

Hamilton: "Myself and my engineer made a decision. My brakes because they were so cold they weren't really working, so I struggled to get heat into the tyres. I just want to get through the first couple of laps, after that I know I can challenge." I'm bored of hearing about Hamilton so you can look up the rest of what he said. We get these long post-qualifying interviews with him at every single race.

12:27 DC interview, career retrospective ahead of retirement. Lots of good stuff there which I was paying attention to - rather than half-listening while transcribing here..

12:31 Bourdais leaves the pits as the grid starts forming. Blundell, CART race winner, mentions Bourdais' career in 'Indycar racing in America'. Near enough, Mark.
I'm amazed we've gone 20 minutes before our first ad break which is only taken now.

A wet GP at Monza is very rare, the last one was in 2004 which was only partly-wet, before that you have to go back to the 1970s. The problem here is the spray hangs in the air, helped by the trees at the back of the track.

12:36 Massa almost throws it off the track on his way to the grid! It is still wet out there.

12:41 Louise on the grid with DC asking which tyres he'll start with. "I think it is quite clear, it is a full wet. The spray back here will be bad, we need to consider a Safety Car start. When you come to Lesmo or Ascari they spray hangs there, you can't see the nose of your car."
Max Mosely is on the grid networking, talking to Dietrich Mateschitz who owns Red Bull. The company Red Bull not just the teams.

Martin's Gridwalk
We go to Martin Brundle on the grid, who has just spoken to Bernd Maylander who drives the Safety Car. They started the GP2 race yesterday with a rolling start behind the SC, he says it was more dangerous because they are carrying a more speed than with a standing start and they had 'an almighty shunt'.
MB: "Every car has new tyres on. I can see problems in the pitlane with the shiny apron surface, it was slippery yesterday." Looking for Heikki.. can't find him, he's not there, so he asks a McLaren man - when do you know if it is a SC start? "When you do. If it drives away with 5 minutes to go we won't have one, if it is still there we will."
With Gerhard Berger, part-owner STR: "Fantastic for us to be here at front of the grid, let's see if we can meet expectations." What can you tell the drivers to help them out? "Stay on the road! You know yourself it can be difficult to make speeches.. stay on the road, make use of the safety cars, it's all about car control. It's a good chance for a team like us."
Martin says good luck to Bourdais who says no to an interview - then turns round and bumps into Bernie!
Bernie: "I'd be surprised if [Kimi and Lewis] come through actually. Unusual for me but I'd like the guy on pole to win. The stewards are gonna be busy. Are you still with ITV?" "I haven't been fired yet." "They need to buy you an umbrella."
Bernie in a good mood today! Martin and Bernie have a great relationship on the gridwalks, throwing one liners at each other all over the world. I like his sense of humour which is dry and understated, doesn't require the exclamation mark..

Martin throws back to Steve because the drivers are getting ready a little earlier than usual with the conditions, he knows none of them will grant an interview at this stage because they have a lot of thinking to do before a wet race.

Louise has found Fisi, might have been recorded during Brundle's walk: "I like these kind of conditions, it will be difficult with a lot of spray. I feel okay, I hope to get to the end of the race and score points. Safety Car start is the right decision otherwise there is too much spray."
Steve says we have confirmation of a Safety Car start. It does look like the rain is falling harder now.

The good news is that f1.com live timing is working for me this week. If you watch F1 live on TV and near a computer, make sure you have timing on. TV commentary often misses things and you can spot laptime patterns while they warble about something boring.

12:55 Out of our final pre-race ad break. Official F1 Swirly Graphics (tm) means 5 minutes to go, we throw to James and Martin for race commentary.

James is rambling as he often does. This will be a 53 lap race.

Okay - with a Safety Car start we will NOT have a formation lap. When the green lights come on we will start counting laps and the race is 'live'. When the track is ready they will set the cars loose from the Parabolica.

A reminder of the start order:

Vettel, Kovalainen, Webber, Bourdais, Rosberg, Massa, Trulli, Alonso, Glock, Heidfeld, Kubica, Fisi, DC, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Barrichello, Piquet, Nakajima, Button, Sutil

Scratch Button and Nakajima who are starting from the pitlane - meaning they can change anything they want on the cars because they are no longer in 'parc ferme' conditions. Between Qual and Race you can't change anything on your car without attracting a 'go to the back' penalty. They probably had their cars on dry settings.

13:00 Cars pull away - Bourdais doesn't get away!! He's pushed to pitlane. Because of the lack of formation lap he will drop a lap if he's not careful because this is now LAP ONE. Looks like we'll go green at the end of this lap.

L2 - We stay yellow with massive spray on the front straight. Bourdais has not yet left the pits, they are still working on it. If this had been a normal start the cars would form up on the grid this time and he would not have lost this lap so he got screwed by the rain.
The pack are halfway around and Bourdais is now released, he's at racing speed to catch them! SC IN THIS LAP

L3 - Merc SC drives away as Vettel holds them back. You cannot pass until you go over the finish line.
Vettel floors it, three wide in spray!
Cautious under braking into 1.. Martin: "It was absolutely right to start them behind the safety car, the spray is horrendous."
James says the cars spread out more than they usually would in dry conditions. This is because of the visibility. No shit.

L4 - Alonso is racing the two Toyotas. Vettel is considerably faster than anyone else. James says he's a lot lighter than anyone else. Replay: DC passes Fisi for 11th.
Hamilton missed the chicane, lets Kimi repass.... deja vu...

L6 - Glock spinning, almost takes out Alonso.
Why haven't Kimi and Lewis passed Fisichella yet?

Kovalainen is now matching Vettel's pace. Martin is wondering why Hamilton can't match those times. He seems to not have noticed Fisi holding them up.

Kimi runs at Fisi, just gets out of it in time or Fisi would be pushed off.. now Hamilton tries Kimi.. Close but no.

L8 - Kimi takes Fisi into the first chicane and is now 12th. I thought DC had passed Fisi earlier but he's now 14th.. the next car for Kimi is Heidfeld who is 3 seconds ahead.

James: Massa is 5th, 0.6s behind Rosberg.
Hamilton racing Fisichella... got him on the pit straight for P13.
Vettel radio: 'Balance when you can'. Martin: Tell me the balance of the car when you are able to.

There is no traction control this year, it was banned for this season, these guys have to work for it. Have to say it looks great in the wet, the engines sound great, not strangled.
Hamilton passes Kimi at the Lesmo! We didn't see the start of it. Hamilton now he has it hooked up and is pulling away from Raikkonen.
Replay - Martin: Better traction through the chicane, put his car in the right places.
Rosberg on the radio complaining of tyre degradation on his full wets - Massa is on his arse. Martin says we are getting close to the crossover to intermediates.

This would be too early for a fuel stop but you would lose too much time on the wrong tyres to even think of not changing. I think the one-stoppers are going to have to stop twice because of tyres.

We're getting ad breaks every 10 minutes.. Live timing is showing Fisichella has stopped on the track.

L13 - Massa has been passed by Rosberg, we didn't see the Rosberg over Massa move. Hamilton has passed Heidfeld for 10th as Massa takes Rosberg again. Maybe he had to give the place back before?

Replay: DC passes Fisichella, who hits DC's tyre. Later in the lap Fisichella's front wing collapses and he's in the tyre barrier! That might have hurt. Shame, he was running well for that car.

L15 - Massa sets fastest lap. Hamilton on the outside of Glock, who is fighting back but is pushed on the grass.. not a good thing..
Hamilton is immediately on to Kubica just ahead of them. Vettel is already one pit stop ahead of Massa in 4th!
Martin thinks Hamilton wouldn't know Glock was there because of the spray and the small mirrors. Replay: Not much spray there IMO...

Rubens Barrichello has stopped but TV missed it. I'll watch his laptimes as I think he's on different tyres.

Alonso radio: more rain in 5 minutes, for a long time.
L18 - Hamilton passes Kubica quickly.
L19 - Vettel pits from the lead. I could get used to typing that. They put on a new set of the full wets. Barrichello's numbers aren't any different to anyone else's so that would suggest he's done the same.

Hamilton has taken Alonso on the front straight! He is now 7th. Kubica had cut the chicane, Glock passes him.
Hamilton is now 6sec ahead of Raikkonen.

Ted: The FIA told Massa to give the place back to Rosberg.
Martin: We need a different camera angle though, if they keep two wheels inside the white line it's okay, that's the normal line at Monza.

L20 - Vettel runs 4th. Hamilton is catching Trulli at 1.5sec per lap. Raikkonen is still 12th. Glock makes a clean pass of Alonso who looks like he's used up his tyres.
L22 - Hamilton passes Trulli, but has to cut the chicane because he's in too hot. Has to give the place back.

L23 - In all of this everyone seems to have forgotten Kovalainen who is leading. He now pits. Massa is also in, James says earlier than expected. Webber also in.
Hamilton passes Glock legitimately.
Raikkonen trying Heidfeld, can't do it. Kimi is struggling under braking but Nick has it nailed.
Vettel leads again from Rosberg, Hamilton, Trulli, Glock, Kovalainen, Alonso, Kubica, Webber, Heidfeld, Raikkonen, Massa, DC, Piquet, Naka, Sutil, Button, Barrichello, Bourdais.
Only a third of the grid has made a stop so this is sort of a false picture..

L25 - Hamilton is now 2nd and is the fastest man on the track. Slipstream move on Rosberg, just drove around him.
Hamilton could be one-stopping. Vettel radio: Hamilton will be stopping in 3 laps.
Glock pits. Hamilton sets fastest lap.
No sign of the rain from Alonso's radio call earlier.

When Massa pitted he came out behind Heidfeld and is losing a lot of time behind him. He's stuck like Kimi was.

L26 - Ted: "Everyone who has stopped has taken full wets. Thought Glock would try intermediates."
Raikkonen pits and takes full wets. Trulli is also in.
Hamilton is catching Vettel, he's only 1.1s behind but does need to stop. Vettel will also need to stop again in this race - will Hamilton need a 2nd stop?
L28 - Hamilton pits and takes full wets. Clear track when he gets out, there's a Renault in the background.
If Hamilton doesn't stop again he's carrying a lot of fuel and will need to protect his tyres - and will need it to rain some more.
L29 - Rosberg pits, he also has full wets. Fuel hose is stuck! Gets going.. This is Williams' 500th GP.
Coulthard pits and he HAS taken the intermediates! He's a long way back in the field and has nothing to lose, the track is drying now. Will it rain?
Replay: DC exiting pits doesn't even take to the first corner, runs up the escape road.
L30 - Heidfeld pits but we don't see it. Bourdais pits from a lap down..
Alonso, Kubica, Piquet and Nakajima have yet to stop.

L31 - Alonso is now in. Martin says Hamilton has a good chance of winning this race and Massa will have to stop again. Alonso does take intermediates.
Raikkonen passes Trulli for 10th. He'd already taken Glock on the previous lap.
I'd like to know what they make of the chances of Kovalainen.

L32 - From the timing - Coulthard is lapping at roughly the pace of the guys on full wets. That means we're at the crossover point between tyres - it will now come down to whether it rains or not.

L34 - Massa pits from 5th. He's on intermediates now. Rosberg is in. Everyone is switching because Alonso is the fastest car on the track on intermediates. DC and Nakajima are also fast but a way back.
Kovalainen is in from 2nd, he's 16sec behind the leader. Kubica is in for his first stop, Webber is in. Everyone going to inters.

If it rains heavily now all these guys are screwed.
L36 - Massa has passed Webber for position - Webber spins!! Saves it. He's struggled with the change of tyre.
Kimi changes tyres.

Hamilton is going to have to change tyres, he's second now and still needs that rain. It is still wet but there isn't enough water on the track for his full wets.

Vettel pits for the change to inters. He has a full pitstop over Hamilton.
Piquet is running 3rd and still hasn't made a stop!
Hamilton has pitted for inters, his chance of winning has now gone.
Massa sets fastest lap. Piquet has now stopped, he's going to get a good result.
Hamilton sliding it past Webber, great driving when he doesn't know what grip he'll have on these tyres!

L38 - Kovalainen has cut the gap to Vettel from 16sec to 9.5sec through the stops, in laps, out laps. There are 16 laps to go.
Hamilton sets fastest lap.. some was faster than anyone else. 2 seconds faster! He's 7th, 5.5sec behind Massa.

Order after stops: Vettel, Kovalainen, Kubica, Alonso, Heidfeld, Massa, Hamilton, Webber, Barrichello (eh??), Coulthard, Button (?), Piquet, Nakajima, Raikkonen, Glock, Trulli, Rosberg, Sutil, Bourdais

Kubica's long run worked for him, he pitted at just the right time, as did Alonso. Coulthard is 10th so it worked for him too. Where did Rubens come from? Does he need to stop again? It hasn't worked at all for Kimi who is still 14th.
L40 - Massa is trying to get by Heidfeld. Hamilton is close behind both and catching fast.

L43 - Kimi takes Nakajima for 14th. Martin: It's interesting but not really what we want to see, we want to see Massa and Hamilton.
Glock takes Nakajima too.

There are ten laps to go.

Replay: Coulthard runs across the middle of the Ascari chicane.
L44 - Barrichello pits from 9th, he did need a stop.
Ted: "Barrichello has put on the full wets - do they know something the others don't? All the teams are given the same forecast by Meteo France."

Piquet messes up turn one.

L46 - Kimi now sets fastest lap as he catches DC and Button.
Kovalainen was 0.7s slower than Vettel on that last lap! McLaren vs Toro Rosso. This isn't supposed to happen!
Button has now pitted. He's taken the inters again.

Webber now sets the fastest lap! Kimi takes it straight back again. Shame you don't get an extra point for that. Replay of Kimi passing Coulthard, he's caught Piquet now.
Kimi passes Piquet for 9th. Piquet missed the chicane as Glock and DC fight.
Webber has caught Hamilton, he was 1sec faster last lap. Has Hamilton wasted his tyres already?
Lewis pushes Webber wide so Webber has to take the escape road.. they touched wheels.. Martin says he's pushing his luck. I say Mark will NOT like that..

L50 - Raikkonen is still setting fastest laps but he's 16sec behind Webber who is 8th, the last points-paying place.

Vettel is fourteen seconds clear of Kovalainen. Martin: "I tell you this kid has gotta change his attitude, he's polite with the media, shakes your hand, shakes the soundman's hand, gives explanations and has a great sense of humour - he'll give Grand Prix drivers a bad name!"

L51 - Coulthard hits Nakajima! DC has to pit with damage.
Raikkonen is consistently two seconds per lap faster than pretty much every car except Alonso.

L53 - Final lap. James on Vettel: "Every now and then you see something which reminds you why love Formula One. This is one of the most impressive things I've seen in 20 years of Formula One."

The fans horns are blowing. Final corner.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL WINS!!
He applaudes himself. Even HE can't believe it. Martin: "Faultless in dificult conditions."
No position changes on the last lap.
Radio: "You have won the Italian Grand Prix. We're proud of you."
Vettel on the radio in Italian. I like that he took time to learn the lingo.

James: "I won't even ask your driver of the day, it has to be Vettel, it has to be the drive of the season let alone day." Martin agrees, suspects STR have moved ahead of RBR in the teams standings. Ferrari engine, the main team has the Renault.

Result:
Vettel 53 laps [10 pts]
Kovalainen +12.5sec [8]
Kubica +20.4s [6]
Alonso +23.9s [5]
Heidfeld +27.7s [4]
Massa +28.8s [3]
Hamilton +29.9s [2]
Webber +32.0s [1]
Raikkonen +39.4s
Piquet +54.4s
Glock +58.8s
Nakajima +62.0s
Trulli +65.9s
Rosberg +68.6s
Button +73.3s
Coulthard (-1 lap)
Barrichello (-1)
Bourdais (-1)
Sutil (-2)
Fisichella (-42 DNF)

STR get 10 pts, McLaren 10, BMW 10, Renault 5, Ferrari 3, RBR 1

Fastest lap: Kimi Raikkonen, 1m28.047, lap 53 (the final lap!)

Cars have returned to the pits. Vettel is out of the car, diligently replaces the wheel and head restraints, then arms aloft! Alonso congratulates him as does Kubica. I'm glad F1 doesn't do that false choreography of NASCAR and IRL, I hate manufactured reactions.

Martin: "McLaren's cloud should've had a Kovalainen today." groan!

They are on the podium! Vettel is grinning. Great to see this. German anthem for Sebastian. Look at the crowd on the straight now. Italian anthem for STR!
Who would believe this team used to be Minardi?
We've heard that combination of anthems far too much over the years with a certain Herr Schumacher. This is the first time I'm genuinely pleased to hear it.
Gerhard Berger collects the trophy for STR. He won 10 races as a driver, Brundle says this will top all of them.
Kovalainen does NOT look happy.
Kubica gets the trophy for third.

Champagne! Sprayed over the masses by the youngest ever winner in F1. He takes that record from Alonso.

Steve is with Mario Theissen who used to employ Vettel as test driver: "They were the best team today. Sebastian did a fantastic job. He's just 21 we shouldn't put too much pressure on him."

STR team bloke: "Sebastian wrote a bit of history." And you used to be Minardi! "We always dream of the podium, our first podium is P1 in Monza in Italy. Unbelieveable."

Press Conference
Peter Windsor: All I can say is Sebastian, over to you: "Unbelievable. All race we had no problems, good race, very good strategy. For sure the best day of my life. So much better than you might think it is. Big big thank you to all the guys in the team. It's great, fantastic, I'm speechless."
"We were thinking it might be dry today and we didn't change wing settings, so on the straight lines we were bloody fast. I was pushing hard, nearly over the limit. It was more tricky in the middle of the race with no standing water [to help the tyres]. Overall what a weekend! Pole position, race win, I don't know what to say really."
"I was thinking it still says P1 on my board, how can that be?"

Heikki: "Clearly not possible to win today, Sebastian and Toro Rosso very strong. I had a problem in the first couple of stints especially with the full wets. Problem warming the brakes. Got some good points, we can look forward to the next one now."
"The problem was related to the ambient temperature."

Robert: "Quite good weekend. We were the first car out of Q3 so we could choose our strategy. I make up quite good pace closing gap to Heikki but he was too far away. Start of the race was difficult, I overtook Nick without seeing him, suddenly I realised I'm ahead of him. Lewis got by quickly, he was faster but we stayed out longer."

ITV cut away here so we didn't see what Vettel said when they returned to him.

Louise with Lewis: "I drove a good race, started to close, think I was up to second at one stage and if it had rained I would have won. Once I got behind Felipe I overcooked the tyres and struggled to stay with him."

Ted with Norbert Vettel, Sebastian's dad: "Thank you very much. It's perfect." I don't think he can speak much English - or he might just be speechless!

Not many post-race interviews from ITV today, they are talking to Mark Blundell more often.

ITV Sport has left the building in order to get Police Academy 3 on the air. Really!

Points:
Drivers: Top Ten
1 78 Hamilton
2 77 Massa (-1 back)
3 64 Kubica (-14)
4 57 Raikkonen (-21)
5 53 Kovalainen (-25) [+1]
6 51 Heidfeld (-27) [-1]
7 28 Alonso (-50) [+1]
8 26 Trulli (-52) [-1]
9 23 Vettel (-55) [+?]
10 20 Webber (-58) [-1]

Massa only scored one more point than Hamilton, mission accomplished in terms of damage-limitation from 15th. Kimi didn't score! Frankly now I'd be more worried about Kubica.

Constructors
134 Ferrari
129 McLaren
117 BMW-Sauber
41 Toyota
41 Renault
27 STR-Ferrari
26 Red Bull-Renault
17 Williams-Toyota
14 Honda

Toro Rosso are indeed ahead of Red Bull Racing! Both McLaren and BMW close on Ferrari. Renault have caught up to Toyota.

Next up is the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, the first F1 race to be held under the lights. Because of the time difference, and the fact it will be night there, the race will get under way at the same time as it did today in Italy, that's 1pm UK time.

Some of the F1 personnel are a little wary of the safety aspect but I think it'll be fine. They race in the US under lights all the time, albeit ovals, and it seemed to work okay on a road course for that MotoGP race in Qatar. It'll look spectacular with the city as a backdrop - I'm not sure the racing will be up to scratch after seeing the track map. Let's hope it is.

That's a fortnight away and there isn't the usual IndyCar race in the middle to keep us occupied, so it gives us a little break. I'm not sure I want a break...

I'll see you later in the week for something, I'm sure.

F1 - European Grand Prix

2008 Formula 1 Telefonica Grand Prix of Europe
Valencia, Spain
Round 12 of 17
5.440 km (3.38 mile) street circuit
Race distance: 57 laps, 310.08 km, 192.66 miles


The Grand Prix of Europe, because we're all one big happy European family!

Coverage: ITV1 *LIVE*
Anchor: Steve Rider
Analyst: Mark Blundell
Commentary: James Allen & Martin Brundle
Pitlane: Louise Goodman & Ted Kravitz

You can read my race preview here. I was unable to take notes live by computer when I watched the race, so my notes are hand-written. It's now Monday and I'm trying to decipher them.. Quotes are paraphrased!


Pre-Race
The info comes thick and fast on the ITV pre-race, they do an excellent job which is only really let down by their main commentator (this is strange as he was one of the best pit reporters I've ever heard) and their over-emphasis on Lewis Hamilton. Coverage switches to the BBC in 2009, it'll be interesting to see how they approach it.

12:05 British Summer Time / 13:05 local time in Valencia

Steve: "This is Valencia's first F1 race, the track took 9 months to build. It is a high-speed layout with two or three potential passing places." The track is around several America's Cup racing yacht bases.

Mark: "This is the first time in years we've had a track with a flat out turn 1. I'm looking forward to it. New circuit, new race conditions. The warm temperatures should suit Ferrari. Brakes could be an issue."

This is because like Montreal and Bahrain, there are several fast sections leading into tight, slow corners.

12:10 Interview with the guy who built the track, didn't catch a name (not Tilke):
"This circuit cost 70m Euros to build but we'll save money from now on, now we have the facilities. "
It took 700 workers 270 days to construct the circuit, they relaid the asphalt so we aren't on normal streets, this is racetrack.

Alonso was fined 10,000 Euros for crossing the pit exit (or entry?) white line during practice. Can't cross that line, not even an inch.

Trulli: "I like the city, I like the circuit environment, it doesn't feel like a street track."

A reported 112,000 fans are in attendance, later we learn the capacity is 120k and the promoters were disappointed not to get a sellout.

Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren test driver), interviewed because he is Spanish: "Great track, a great effort, safety is good. It will get stronger and better."

Mark (who raced in CART for several years): "It's like Montreal or the US street tracks. The teams are prepared, McLaren has a laser wot scans the circuit so they can put it into their computer."
European street tracks are tight, fiddly affairs, there aren't many in the US mould of wider more open layouts i.e. Long Beach or St Pete. There aren't many European street tracks at all actually.
He was also referring to McLaren's scanning system, we learned in qualifying that McL sent a team out several weeks ago with a scanner for their race simulator.

12:15 Here's James with a quick report from qualifying, blink and you miss it, I did.
Talking to more drivers. Massa, Hamilton, Vettel.
Lewis: "Surprised there have been no shunts yet." Only in F1 Lewis, the support race guys have been crashing everywhere. Who will win? "Whoever looks after their tyres and stays off the walls."
Seb Vettel: "I made a mistake in turn 12 so could not improve, but I wasn't going to be on pole anyway!"

Qualifying order:
Q3: MAS, HAM, KUB, RAI, KOV, VET, TRU, HEI, ROS, BOU
Knocked out in Q2: NAK, ALO, GLO, WEB, PIQ
Knocked out in Q1: BUT, COU, FIS, BAR, SUT

Steve: Surprises in qualifying?
Mark [I'll summarise]: "Massa outstanding job. Vettel. Topsy turvy until the last session when the order returned to normal. Toro Rosso outpaced Red Bull."

Now we go onboard with Felipe Massa during is pole lap yesterday, commentary from Martin Brundle who talks us around the corner entries, racing lines, gears, etc. I always look forward to this.
Martin: "5.44km, was very dusty but has improved as rubber down. Flag marshals will have to be on their toes as there are a lot of blind-entry corners at speed. The pole position spot was only moved to the clean side of the grid this morning."
The cars are laying rubber on the racing line, over one half of the grid. The other half is still fairly dusty - same as Hungary. Pole was supposed to be on the dirty side. Later we learn it was changed before Qual but they weren't given the info in the commentary box.

Feature: After quals, Red Bull drivers from both teams were taken out on an America's Cup racing boat, the one Red Bull sponsors. While there they talked to Louise.
Bourdais: You're used to this sort of track from America? "Not actually much like the USA. It's unique. It's an interesting track." He's referring to it being a normal racing surface but around streets.
DC (sitting next to Bourdais on the yacht): "The atmosphere will build over the coming years. We're definitely not in America, I don't see anyone eating hotdogs and hamburgers!"

12:24 Unusual that there are only grandstands here, no general admission. Even Monaco has a little GA section.

The America's Cup is in a legal dispute over where to hold their event, so they might not even return to Valencia despite them building facilities for them. So they need to find another use: F1!
Bernie was interviewed before quals yesterday and said it was his idea.

DC again, this time on a balcony in pitlane: "It will be better in 5 years when the local redevelopment is complete." Says something about being a dockyard.

Ted Kravitz: "This is like Monaco but with less money and more room to spread out."

12:29 Team personnel are now on the grid and engines are firing up in the garages. As Steve and Mark babble about something, the first cars head out on their sighting laps.
Mark had tipped Massa for the title a few weeks back: "I'd better stick to my guns. Out front nobody can touch him, he struggles when he's behind, and he's starting on pole. Watch Hamilton, he always starts fast."

12:36
Lewis: "We're fast and consistant, happy to be on the front row." About Massa passing him in Hungary: "No-one ever usually overtakes me, if they do its on the inside! Outside won't happen again." And Valencia? "Very wide, don't get close to the walls, it's like a car park!"
Have you sent a message to Team GB in Beijing to support them? (FFS what sort of question is that?): "Very proud of GB [looks at camera], very proud of you if you're watching. Usain Bolt, gobsmacked at the speed of the Jamaicans."

12:39 Martin's gridwalk!
"Valencia has character, an unusual first corner, sitting on the grid they are looking at a wall. Corner feeds into the braking area for turn 2. GP2 got through there and they drive like its their last day on Earth. There is no perimeter road, no space for cranes so Safety Cars are expected. No F1 cars in the wall yet though."
"Superb lap from Massa. Hot temps favour Ferrari. [why Martin, why?] 10-12 guys working on the cars on the grid."
Michael Schumacher (honestly) is standing talking to Mario Theissen of BMW. No, he's on the phone! Martin interrupts him anyway.
"Michael, sorry didn't realise you were on the phone"
Schuey: "Honestly" [hah, his first word was 'honestly'!] "Honestly, the cars and tyres are sensitive to temperatures." Short answers today from Michael, there was that and some one word answers..
Martin asks if he'd like to drive here? "Maybe on a bike! Martin: "But you keep falling off! Isn't it unsafe?"
"I thought so too a few years ago."
"I know what you mean, I ride a road bike myself, thanks Michael and sorry for interrupting your phone call - Mario!" He grabs Mario Theissen who is talking to someone else. Michael says goodbye to Mario...
Mario: "Kubica in a good position, good chance. 1 stop for the cars at the back, 2 stops further up." Martin: "Sorry to butt in!".
Bumps into Bernie who is with the Mayor of Valencia, tries to motion Martin to talk to his esteemed guest but he ignores her completely. Bernie: "I've wanted a GP since my first time here. That was 14 months ago." Martin: "I'm sure you're pleased and so is the mayor, well done ma'am". [words to that effect]
Walks along, finds Heidfeld: "Track is quite grippy, not our own rubber but should be nice. We took the safer option on brakes which is more comfortable anyway."
Out of a break, into gridwalk, into the next break.. Commercials bunching means nearly race time.

12:47 Button with Louise: "Disappointing qualifying, we chose the wrong tyres." Plan? "Go fast, don't crash!".
Ted with Alan Permaine, engine guru at Renault. Ted: "Seems to have become an engine circuit with long straights, you struggling?" Alan: "Don't want to go into that too much for obvious reasons!" He said more but I didn't take it down in my notes for some reason..

Almost ready to begin, one final ad break before the start, now we join James and Martin upstairs as the official F1 track graphics are rolling.

Barrichello and Sutil will be starting from the pit lane as they had to work on their gearbox after qualifying. That breaks the new 'your gearbox has to last for 4 races' rule. I'm not sure why they don't just put them at the back.

13:02 Cars away on the Formation Lap
James: "This race is 57 laps which is 192 miles, the longest race of the year."
My comments: F1 races last either 2 hours or 300 km, whichever is soonest. The scheduled laps are normally based on the 300 km but this one seems to be 10km more for no apparent reason. We don't yet know how long this will be in terms of time, depends on SC. The next race (Spa) is long in terms of time, not sure on distance, the one after (Monza) is the shortest in time.

Grid forms up.

5..4..3..2..1..pause..GO!

57 to go: Everyone gets through the first turns, they are taking it carefully. Amazing sight through T1. Nope - someone in the wall at T3. Alonso is slow. Nakajima has a damaged front wing. DC has also dropped back.
Replay: Nakajima hit Alonso's rear wing, both wings damaged. James: "Rear wing is structurally attached to the gearbox and will take up to 5 minutes to change. Front wing is easy - change the nose."

L55: Massa is 8 points back from Hamilton with 6 races to run. Kovalainen gets Raikkonen on the start.

L54: Alonso is out of the car. He'd been told to wait while they fix it, looks like he's done. Replay: He had to get out of it to avoid another car. Naka didn't get out of it.

L53: DC runs at Piquet and gets him, nice move!
L52: Heidfeld lost a spot to Rosberg at the start for 8th. Sutil radio: "I'm faster I need to pass him!" Talking about his teammate Fisi.
Louise with Alonso: "2 races in Spain, 2 retirements. We tried to go out for the fans, they came to see me, too much damage to suspension and gearbox so impossible to go out now."
L50: DC makes a run at Sutil, hits him and spins! Sutil continues.

L48: Kubica in 3rd is now 8.5s behind Hamilton, lost some time. Struggling with oversteer will fix it at next stop. Bourdais has a broken front wing element.

L46: Rubens runs wide, DC goes by him. Vettel is fast.
L45: Kimi 5th 17.8s back from Massa after 12 laps but may be quicker than Kovy. James talked about 'field spread', cars spread out more easily at some tracks due to configuration of straights/corners.

L43: Allen: "In F1 if 3 people gather they'll end up talking about Massa. Is he good enough?" Championship material? Brundle: "He's beating Schumacher and Raikkonen in the same car, he's fast." Massa pits! That's early and unexpected even by McLaren. Expected 2 laps later. He's out ahead of Kimi! Massa running heavy is ahead of a light Kimi, he'll hold up Kimi, that'll annoy him.
ITV are saying Big Mistake.

L41: Hamilton pits. Lots of dust. Is out behind Raikkonen. Vettel also in, back out 9th.
L40: Now the turn of Kubica and Raikkonen.
L38: Trulli in. Hamilton only gained 1 second over Massa on his stop.
L37: Kovy pits as does Rosberg. HK comes out alongside Heidfeld who hasn't stopped.
L35: Nick pits now, out 11th, not great but some one-stoppers are ahead.

L34: They are saying Renault is generally down on power compared to the other manufacturers, and that Red Bull aren't happy with the situation. Glock is asked about his tyres.

L31: Piquet has wing damage. Fisi hasn't stopped yet, neither have Webber, Piquet, Glock, Button or Sutil.

L29: Hard tyres are getting better lap times as we go through the stint. Webber overshoots his pit box on the dust, hits his jack man. Everyone has to shuffle down a bit. Martin: If you go in too hot that can happen, but if you're too careful you lose too much time.

L28: Team checks in with Glock again. No wing adjustment for Timo, he's happy. During the next few laps he pits while we're in an ad break. He's 1-stopping and looking to beat Vettel who's 2-stopping.

L25: This is fairly uneventful. I'm not gonna lie, I'm flipping between this and the Olympic Closing Ceremony which is just starting because a) this race is boring and b) I want to see London's handover segment. If I miss anything tell me later 'k?

L22: Hamilton struggling to match Massa's pace, has he settled for 2nd and the championship points? Raikkonen is catching Kovy. The Ferraris *are* faster in these conditions. If I were McLaren I'd be hoping for cloud cover.

L19: Massa pits and is released into Sutil. Traffic already in pitlane has priority! You can try and beat him but once he's there you've got to give way. Ferrari's error, no doubt about it. Not Massa's fault, he goes when the team tells him.

Incident involving car 2 under investigation.

L18: Hamilton pits. Emerges behind Massa. Vettel in.
L17: Kubica in.
L15: Sutil into the wall. Okay the tyre wall. Yellow flags at turn 2, they should be able to recover that without the SC as he's in a runoff area.
Incident with car 2 will be sorted after the race.
Rosberg now into a runoff, continues.
L14: Kimi hit a man! He left his pit box with the fuel hose still attached, it took a guy with it. Kimi stops immediately. The mechanic is stretchered away to the medical centre. Replay: Kimi goes on the orange light. Ferrari have a light system rather than a man with a stop board. Supposed to wait for green, the orange lit and he went.

L11: Now his engine! Kimi's engine has gone. Boom! He's on the pit straight in front of everyone as well.. pulls to the side. This doesn't help his points battle, and he might be relegated to Massa's Helper.

L9: Kovalainen 4th is much quicker than Kubica 3rd. Catching him fast. Enough laps left? Fisi gets it wrong on the kerb.

L7: Louise with Kimi: Oh, she's not got him, he's walking past everyone, not talking. Will try to get him later.

L6: Team to Glock: "Rosberg catching you." Shot of people on the funnel of the ship!

L5: Ferrari man to Ted [on Massa incident]: "Nobody lost time".
Allen (bloke can't hear him): "That's not the point! It was an unsafe release, as the caption said."
Massa's conception was an unsafe release.

These last laps are really tedious. Where is the passing we were promised? Can I at least have a close battle? Some form of intrigue? No? Nothing?

L2: Brundle cottons on: "Not much overtaking. Hopefully the 2009 car regulations will bring overtaking back to F1."
Allen: "Vettel is 10 km/h faster than Trulli on the straights here."
Salient point there James..

L1: Brundle: "Great drive but rules are rules." He's been complaining for a while now that Massa should have been given a penalty. Expects a grid penalty next race.

Chequered Flag - Massa wins!
Hamilton 2nd then a biiig gap to Kubica 3rd and the chasing cars.

Finishing order:

MAS, HAM, KUB, KOV, TRU, VET, GLO, ROS, HEI, BOU, PIQ, WEB (-1), BUT (-1), FIS (-1), NAK (-1), BAR (-1), COU (-1)
DNF: RAI, SUT, ALO

Martin's Driver of the Day? Sebastien Vettel.
I'd choose Glock because he had a much lower starting position and finished one place back from Vettel. Martin gives it to Vettel because of his ablity to run up front at speed.

Rob Smedley, race engineer for Massa: "We released him and he backed off [to let Sutil through]. Silly little incident let's not dwell on it." Then into the usual 'great race' platitudes the engineers give their drivers when they win.

James Allen says it: "Not a thriller but lots of drama."
Martin Brundle: "Yes and Kubica is only 2 points behind Raikkonen now."

This year has seen good racing and an even better points battle. Let's look at the tables:

WDC
Hamilton 70
Massa 64
Kimi 57
Kubica 55
Kovy 43
Heidy 41

WCC
Ferrari 121
McLaren 113
BMW 96
Toyota 41
Renault 31
RBR 24

Full tables at www.formula1.com as is the transcript of the press conference, I haven't read that, this is from the TV:

Massa: "Chose the right tyres yesterday. Pole, race, fastest lap what more to ask for? Start was just great, car improving lap by lap. Sutil not clever, should have let me by. I was the leader and he was the lapping (lapped) car."
Uh, no, there has been a precedent for some time... you're stopped and a guy is coming past, if there isn't room for two wide you wait until he's through.

Hamilton: "Strong weekend, problems healthwise. Nice new circuit, solid weekend. Track not too physical but hot."
ITV decided that hearing from Kubica was none of our business so cut away to Steve and Mark babbling again, because that's what we all want to hear.
Louise got a very quick comment from Sutil: "Car just appeared alongside me."

I think his bit was edited because we're quickly into the ITV F1 competition then dumped out into adverts and an old Carry On film. Seriously? I can understand Coronation Street, biggest soap in the country. But this shit? Nothing like cutting a post-race debrief short for a 1967 "comedy".

I really hope the racing gets better next year because Valencia was a fantastic venue! One I would be tempted to visit.

Okay, so that concludes my notes for this event. Sorry if this is too long for you, whaddaya gonna do. Feedback is appreciated.

I missed the IRL at Sonoma on the big fuck-off TV, had to go elsewhere. I'll catch it later in the week.