Jul 2, 2008 - 9:43 AM
1 shoutJuly 6, 2008 Silverstone Circuits Limited Northamptonshire, England
Race 9 of 17 in Grand Prix Series
Laps: 60 Track length: 3.2 miles Race length: 191.6 miles
DRIVERS TO WATCH ----------------
Fernando Alonso (Spain) Team: Renault 2008 Points: 10 (9th)
Began his season with a fourth at Australia and eighth at Malaysia, then slipped to 10th in Bahrain also finished 10th in Monaco; two-time champion had a tumultuous 2007 season with McLaren, but still managed to finish third overall; had the same points as teammate Lewis Hamilton, but lost the tiebreaker for second place; won four times last season, but relationship with team and Hamilton deteriorated after Ferrari spy scandal affair and returned to Renault for 2008 season; won consecutive titles in 2005-06 with Renault; won six races in 2006 and seven in 2005; finished second in this race last year.
Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Team: McLaren 2008 Points: 38 (4th)
Was involved in a pit road incident with Kimi Raikkonen and retired from the Canadian Gran Prix; finished 10th in France and slipped to fourth in the standings, 10 points behind Felipe Massa; won at Monaco; opened the season with a dominant win at Australia then ran fifth at Malaysia and 13th in Bahrain; bounced back to finish second at Turkey; had a stunning rookie season, scoring podiums in his first nine races; won four times and captured six poles to outperform more heralded former teammate Alonso; was the favorite to win the championship last year until errors in final two rounds dropped him to second place behind Raikkonen; needed to only finish immediately behind Alonso to claim the championship; retired from the race at China to give his teammate and Raikkonen the chance to steal the crown; won at Japan to open a 12-point lead over Alonso with two races left; made history at Canada where he became the first black driver to win a Formula One race; followed that victory in Canada by winning the United States Grand Prix; placed second in four consecutive races prior to his back-to-back wins; was the first rookie since 1964 to capture podium finishes in his first three races; ran third here last year.
Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Team: BMW Sauber 2008 Points: 28 (5th)
Ran second to teammate Robert Kubica at Canada; finished 5.4 seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at Australia; followed up with a sixth at Malaysia, fourth in Bahrain and fifth in Turkey; ran 14th at Monaco; was the best of the rest behind the Ferrari and McLaren drivers last year after an impressively consistent season for BMW, finishing fifth overall; did not win last season as best race of the season was at Canada where he finished second; had consecutive fourth-place finishes at Italy and Turkey and was third in Hungary; opened the year with three consecutive fourth place finishes at Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain; forced to retire at Spain and the United States Grand Prix; has nine top-five finishes in 17 starts last year; ran sixth here last year.
Robert Kubica (Poland) Team: BMW Sauber 2008 Points: 46 (2nd)
Won his first race at Canada and took over the top spot in the standings; win at Canada was made more impressive after he was injured in a scary crash at the same track a year ago; followed win at Canada by running fifth in France and dropped two points behind Massa atop the standings; finished sixth overall last year in his first full Formula One season; opened the season by retiring at Australia, but has finished in the top five in every race since; ran second at both Malaysia and Monaco; was third at Bahrain and fourth at both Spain and Turkey; finished fourth at this event last season.
Felipe Massa (Brazil) Team: Ferrari 2008 Points: 48 (1st)
Picked up his third win of the season at France to take the lead in the standings; rebounded from an awful start to the season by winning at Bahrain and Turkey; completed only 29 laps before retiring at Australia with engine issues; also retired at Malaysia by spinning out early; posted three wins and six poles last season, but reliability issues and a disqualification in Canada put him out of title contention and he wound up fourth; contract with Ferrari runs until 2010; retired from the Italian Grand Prix with suspension problems, dropping to fourth place in the standings; bounced back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary by winning in Turkey; posted a runner-up finish at the Grand Prix of Europe after slipping to fourth place following a fifth place finish at the British Grand Prix; was runner-up to Raikkonen at Magny-Cours and season finale at Brazil; ran third at Indianapolis and Monaco after capturing two straight checkered flags at Bahrain and Spain; had 11 top five finishes in 17 starts last season.
Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Team: Ferrari 2008 Points: 43 (3rd)
Retired at Canada after a pit road incident with Hamilton and dropped to fourth in the standings; finished second at France to move up to third; finished ninth at Monaco; opened defense of his title by running eighth at Australia, completing just 53 laps before having engine problems; bounced back to win at Malaysia, ran second at Bahrain and third in Turkey; won first appearance for Ferrari in Australia last season then went on to win five more times; biggest win came at the season-ending event at Brazil, which gave him his first drivers title by a single point over Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points entering final race; retired from the Grand Prix of Europe after consecutive checkered flag wins at the British Grand Prix and Magny-Cours; had six wins and 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts last season; struggled to eighth place at Monaco and retired due to electrical problems at Spain, dropping him from first to fourth in the standings; joined Ferrari after spending five years with McLaren where he went winless in 2006.
2007 Top 10 ----------- 1. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari 2. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes 3. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes 4. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW 5. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari 6. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-BMW 7. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault 8. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault 9. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda 10. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda
Past Champions -------------- 2007 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 2006 Fernando Alonso, Renault 2005 Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren-Mercedes 2004 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 2003 Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari 2002 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 2001 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes 2000 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes 1999 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes 1998 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 1997 Jacques Villeneuve, Williams 1996 Jacques Villeneuve, Williams 1995 Johnny Herbert, Benetton 1994 Damon Hill, Williams 1993 Alain Prost, Williams 1992 Nigel Mansell, Williams 1991 Nigel Mansell, Williams 1990 Alain Prost, Ferrari 1989 Alain Prost, McLaren 1988 Aryton Senna, McLaren 1987 Nigel Mansell, Williams 1986 Nigel Mansell, Williams 1985 Alain Prost, McLaren 1984 Niki Lauda, McLaren
