Reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)blasted to the top of the timesheets with Bridgestone’s medium compound Potenza tyre on the opening day of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, the first season with Bridgestone as the Official Tyre Supplier.
Raikkonen set a time of 1min 26.461secs at the 5.30km Albert Park track, scene of the ING Australian Grand Prix in the Victoria State capital of Melbourne. His time was set in the day’s first 90 minute practice session and he was almost half a second faster than the next quickest driver, Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes).
The afternoon practice session saw Hamilton go quickest using the soft compound with a slightly slower time than the morning’s fastest, with a 1min 26.599secs. Hamilton displaced local hero Mark Webber (Red Bull) who had been quickest for most of the session with a 1min 27.473secs.
Both Bridgestone’s medium and soft compound were put through their paces in searing temperatures on the street course, set in picturesque parkland south of Melbourne’s city centre. The morning session was briefly interrupted with red flags after Nelson Piquet (Renault) span, whilst many competitors had moments off the track as they sought faster times.
The best lap time achieved today was almost a second quicker than the fastest Friday lap last year, a 1min 27.353secs, set by Felipe Massa (Ferrari), although the weather was less favourable in 2007.
Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
"It was good to have the first sessions at a grand prix after a long off season of testing. Despite the hot weather here in Melbourne our tyres performed reasonably. Although we saw today’s fastest lap set using the medium compound, I expect the soft compound to be the quicker for most competitors, with the medium offering more durable and consistent performance.
However, it is very difficult to judge which driver is quicker, as the teams will use different set-ups, for example with fuel load.
Although we have high temperatures for Melbourne, we did see a hotter track last season using these compounds, for example in Indianapolis, so we do not have concerns. As expected, the track started dirty and we expect it to improve over the weekend and we should see less graining because of this."
Stats of the Day
Total amount of laps completed by all drivers: 979 laps
Average number of laps per driver: 44.5 laps
Most laps by a driver: 62 – Sebastian Vettel
Fastest lap: 1min 26.461secs – Raikkonen (FP1)
Compounds used: Medium / Soft
Qualifying in 2007
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) set pole position using the soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyre last season with a time of 1min 26.072secs, over four tenths quicker than the second fastest driver, Fernando Alonso (McLaren Mercedes). Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) were on the second row.
Temperatures Ambient Track Weather
AM – Practice 31C-36C 33C-38C Sunny
PM – Practice 37C-39C 42C-43C-42C Sunny / hazy
- Rachel Ingham – Andy Stobart – photos Bridgestone
2008 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
1 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.559 33
2 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:27.473 0.914 27
3 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:27.640 1.081 29
4 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.683 1.124 29
5 9 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:28.037 1.478 26
6 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferra weiter >>
2008 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
1 1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:26.461 25
2 22 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.948 0.487 21
3 2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:26.958 0.497 25
4 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.114 0.653 19
5 10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:28.263 1.802 18
6 5 Fernando Alonso weiter >>
Das lange Warten hat ein Ende: Seit dem vergangenen November fiebern die Formel 1-Fans weltweit dem Start der neuen Weltmeisterschaft entgegen. Jetzt ist es soweit – am kommenden Wochenende endlich startet die Königsklasse des Motorsports im australischen Adelaide in die Sais weiter >>
After weeks of speculation, Super Aguri announced on Monday that they have reached agreement with Magma Group regarding the acquisition of the team. The deal is expected to be completed over the next few weeks.
Under the new ownership, Super Aguri weiter >>
Panasonic Toyota Racing's new driver line-up of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock were flat-out in Melbourne - before the Australian Grand Prix weekend even got under way at Albert Park.
The start of a new Formula 1 season always means a busy few days for the team, with the mechanics at the tra weiter >>
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will continue its participation in the Formula One World Championship again this year, as the Honda Racing F1 Team. Honda will also provide the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM with engines, parts, and support as a technical partner.
Honda Racing F1 weiter >>
"Wenig Zeit über Druck nachzudenken"
Kribbeln im Bauch hatte ich bei der Präsentation des Toyota TF108 in Köln noch nicht. Aber es war schon irgendwie spannend und natürlich etwas Besonders . Ich habe mich riesig gefreut. Und wenn ich jetzt denke, dass es am 16. März endlich in Melbourne lo weiter >>
From this Friday, the Formula One enthusiasts all around the world are going to again focus on "Down under" with excited anticipation. Melbourne's "Albert Park Circuit" is the venue of the F1 season kick-off. Here, we provide you with interesting facts and figures around the Australian Grand Prix.
Circuit/Date: Albert Park, Melbourne/16th March 2008
Star weiter >>
With a population of 3.4 million, Melbourne is Australia's second-largest city, with Sydney being the No 1. And once again,. It is the venue of the Formula One season opener, in 2008. Learn more out the Australian metropolis.
Being the capital of the State of Victoria, it is situated at the e weiter >>
Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne’s Albert Park.
The start of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship looks likely to enjoy settled weather. It’s due to be partly cloudy on Thursday with an ambient temperature high of 34 degrees Celsius, and that will be the story for the remaining three days, albeit with a rise from Friday to 36 degrees.
The 5.303 km weiter >>
A unique partnership has been announced between the Centre for Customised Executive Development at Cranfield School of Management and the Formula One team, Williams F1.
The partnership brings together Cranfield’s expertise in management development with Williams F1’s experience of delivering sustained performance in the most competitive of environments, Formula One motors weiter >>
Formula One roars back into action this weekend for the start of the 2008 FIA World Championship at Melbourne’s picturesque Albert Park circuit in Victoria, Australia. The AT&T Williams team will return to the race track with Nico osberg, who will be entering his third season as a race dr weiter >>
2008 marks your debut season as a Formula One driver, you must be excited?
I’m really excited! I’ve done a lot of work over the winter with my engineers and it’s all gone well. The weiter >>
You’re entering your third year as a race driver with the team this season, what are your objectives?
First of all, the goal is for the team to progress as a whole and take a step forward from 2007. Because we’ve worked together for a while now, we all know each ot weiter >>
Australian Grand Prix - Preview
Panasonic Toyota Racing heads to the opening round of the 2008 FIA Formula 1 World Championship in optimistic mood and with a new driver line-up eager to get the racing season underway. GP2 champion Timo Glock has joined Jarno Trulli behind the wheel weiter >>
Australian Grand Prix 14 - 16 March 2008
The opening race of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship season will be a landmark in the history of Indian sports: the debut of India's first-ever Formula One team. When the Force India Formula One Team's distinctive red, white an weiter >>
The Australian Grand Prix is not only the start of a new Formula 1 season; for Panasonic Toyota Racing it is the start of a new era, with an exciting new driver line-up of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock bringing fresh optimism to the team.
For its seventh season at the pinnacle of motorsp weiter >>
Australian GP: Honda preview
Round one of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship takes the Honda Racing F1 Team to Melbourne, south east Australia. The 58-lap race is held on the Albert Park street circuit, situated just two kilometres south of Melbourne's Central Business District.
Albert Park has hosted the Australian Grand Prix every year since 199 weiter >>
Things are hotting up. This weekend sees man and machinery embarking on the long trip to Australia. Everyone is on tenterhooks in anticipation of the first trial of strength in 2008 between the Formula One teams due to take place the following weekend, 14th - 16th Marc weiter >>
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes new driver line-up for the 2008 season, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen, will make their race debut as teammates in Australia next weekend.
The Australian Grand Prix will take place in Melbourne f weiter >>
NICO ROSBERG P12 2 (27, 41) 1.26.721 (5th, lap 40) P7
ALEX WURZ P15 1 (32) 1.28.303 (16th, lap 24) DNF
SYNOPSIS
AT&T Williams ran through Friday and Saturday morning’s practice sessions at a respectable pace, but experiencing poor grip levels when trying to extract the weiter >>
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) won the ING Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. Raikkonen led the race for 52 of the 58 lap race which was run under blue skies at Albert Park.
Second placed Fernando Alonso and third placed Lewis Hamilton weiter >>
Rd.1 – Australian Grand Prix
At the Australian Grand Prix, the soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyre was marked with a solid white spot.
Team Race Driver Tyre Choice by Stint: Medium or Soft Compound
ING Renault F1 Team Giancarlo Fisichella Medium – Medium – Soft Heikki Kovalainen Medium – Medium – So weiter >>
Panasonic Toyota Racing will leave Melbourne with a solitary point courtesy of Ralf Schumacher's eighth place at today's Australian Grand Prix. Jarno Trulli was next home in 9th place, just outside the points on a sunny day at Albert Park when track temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius. After yesterda weiter >>
The AT&T Williams team had a positive points start to their 2007 campaign, with Nico Rosberg making up five places on his grid position to finish the race in seventh place, placing the team fifth in the Constructor’s Championship after the first race.
Nico also posted the fifth fastest tim weiter >>
1 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 58 1:25:28.770 1 10
2 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 58 +7.2 secs 2 8
3 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58 +18.5 secs 4 6
4 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 58 +38.7 secs 3 5
5 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 58 +66.4 secs 6 4
6 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 58 +66.8 secs 22 3 weiter >>
The AT&T Williams team was disappointed not to participate in the final qualifying session at Albert Park today and the team will start 12th and 15th on tomorrow’s grid, but do expect to show a stronger relative race performance.
The team has worked hard to improve poor reliability during 2 weiter >>
Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying Round-Up
Panasonic Toyota Racing will line up with two cars in the top ten of the grid for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix after a strong first qualifying session of 2007. Following yesterday's rain there were further showers on Saturday morning, affecting the third practice session.
Conditions improved and qualify weiter >>
Stewards decline to rule over 'customer car' allegations
The Spyker team say they plan to go to arbitration to determine the legality of the Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Super Aguri cars, following an approach to the Melbourne stewards to have the situation clarified.
Spyker team principal Colin Kolles claims that the Super Aguri SA07 is last year’s H weiter >>
When both Super Aguri’s made it through to the second phase of qualifying there were a few raised eyebrows in the Albert Park paddock. When one of them then progressed to the final shootout, surprise turned to amazement as Takuma Sato clinched tenth on the grid for the Japanese team.
And Sato’s pace in the new SA07 - launched just last Wednesday - was no fluke. Team mate weiter >>
Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:26.644 1:25.644 1:26.072
2 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.697 1:25.326 1:26.493
3 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:26.895 1:25.358 1:26.556
4 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.674 1:25.577 1:26.755
5 10 Robert Kubica B weiter >>
Following the theme of our preview, this release is based on work produced by kids from Mark Webber's old school in Queanbeyan. The project produced collages, poems, scrapbooks, model cars, board games and generally showed a lot of imagination, including a set of funny captions, like this one...
"Mark had forgotten to tell his mum that practice finishes later this season weiter >>
Australian GP:
The first day of practice for the 2007 Formula One season began under changing weather conditions. After rain during the night and in the early morning the 5.3 kilometre long Albert Park track was wet.
For the first of the two 90 minute test sessions Nick Heidfeld shared duties with the team's test and reserve driver, Sebastian Vettel, for w weiter >>
Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton made their Grand Prix weekend debut as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers earlier this morning at 10.05 during the first practice session for the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.
The weather kept changing throughout the first session with the track slowly drying allowing the drivers to do their last run with dry tyres. Fernando was fastest wi weiter >>
Comments from the Toro Rosso drivers after Friday practices for the Australian Grand Prix
Scott Speed:
Best lap: 1:30.383
Position: 19th
"As expected we are quite far behind at the moment as we learn about a lot of things that we should have done in testing. Lots of stuff on the car is brand new for today and so inevitably some of weiter >>
Up to 40 Shell specialists contribute to the Shell Formula One programme with Ferrari; based in Shell laboratories and facilities around the world, back at the Scuderia Ferrari factory in Maranello and travelling to the race tracks of the world. This is clearly much more than a sponsorship – it is a technical partnership.
Test after test, race after rac weiter >>
The 2007 Formula One season got underway today with the first practice sessions for the Australian GP. Kakuzi Nakajima ran with Alex Wurz in the morning session, with the young Japanese driver recording a highly creditable 6th fastest time on his debut. Nico and Alex had a productive second session as s weiter >>
DOWN UNDER STREET
The 2007 Formula One season began today for Panasonic Toyota Racing with a rain-affected day of practice for the Australian Grand Prix. This year Friday free practice has been extended to two 90-minute sessions so there was extra time for the drivers to get a feel for the TF107.
An early shower ensured a wet track for most of the morning weiter >>
Plenty of surprises on day one in Australia. Perhaps not the Ferrari one-two, but how about two Williams in the top eight, or Super Aguri out-pacing both Honda and Toyota? Let's speak the drivers…
Felipe Massa, Ferrari (1st, 1m 27.353s):
"It was a good day. We did a good job of comparing the two types of dry weather tyre and this morning we also g weiter >>
1 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:27.353
2 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:27.750
3 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.829
4 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:27.941
5 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:27.970
6 17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 1:27.981
7 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 1:28 weiter >>
1 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.214
2 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:30.707
3 35 Sebastian Vettel BMW 1:30.857
4 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:30.878
5 7 Jenson Button Honda 1:31.162
6 38 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:31.401
7 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renau weiter >>
The Honda Racing F1 Team arrived in Melbourne this week and one of the first stops was Albert Park Primary School, where the team's race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello helped to update the school's lighting system with eco-f weiter >>
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is taking to the race track this weekend for the first time in its new era. Double World Champion Fernando Alonso and team-mate
Lewis Hamilton have completed their pre-season test programme with the MP4-22s covering more than 13,300km before arriving in Australia. Fernando and Lewis completed 10,200km, with Pedro totalling 3,100km. weiter >>
Der Leitende Chefingenieur des ING Renault F1 Teams blickt voraus auf den Saisonauftakt am kommenden Wochenende in Melbourne.
Pat, das ING Renault F1 Team hat in den vergangenen beiden Jahren in Melbourne gewonnen. Wie sehen Sie die Chancen für das bevorstehende Wochenende?
Pat Symonds Ich denke, wir müssen unsere derzeitige Leistungsfähig weiter >>
Panasonic Toyota Racing took to the skies to mark the start of the new Formula 1 season in acrobatic style in Melbourne this week.
Franck Montagny's high-flying antics capped a busy build up to the Australian Grand Prix for the team, which is preparing to start its sixth season in Formula 1 as Toyota celebrates 50 years in motorsport.
Daring third dr weiter >>
This season Bridgestone tyres feature on all cars lining up in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Bridgestone made its Formula One debut in Melbourne in 1997 so it's fitting that the eleventh consecutive season in the world's premier motorsport arena will be marked b weiter >>
The start of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship gets underway with the ING Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 18th. Twenty-one weeks since the 2006 season finale in Brazil, the Australian GP takes place on the temporary street c weiter >>
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