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Grand Prix de France Preview

Jun 22, 2008 - 10:21 AM

June 22, 2008 
Circuit de Nevers 
Magny-Cours, France
Race 8 of 17 in Grand Prix Series

Laps: 70 
Track length: 2.74 miles 
Race length:  191.746 miles

Lap Record: Michael Schumacher - 1:15.377 (2004) 

DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 9 (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 seventh this race last year.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 38 (2nd)

Was involved in a pit road incident with Kimi Raikkonen and 
retired from the Canadian Gran Prix; slipped to second in the 
standings, four points behind Robert Kubica; 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 
fifth here last year. 


Robert Kubica (Poland)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 42 (1st)

Won his first race at Canada and took over the top spot in the
standings; leads Hamilton by four points; win at Canada was made
more impressive after he was injured in a scary crash at the 
same track a year ago; 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 ever 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: 38 (3rd)

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: 35 (4th)

Retired at Canada after a pit road incident with Hamilton and 
dropped to fourth in the standings; 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;
won this race last year.


2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari
 2. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari 
 3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, McLaren Mercedes
 4. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW
 5. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW
 6. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault
 7. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren Mercedes
 8. Jenson Button, Great Britain, Honda 
 9. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Toyota
10. Ralf Schumacher, Germany, Toyota

Past Champions
--------------
2007  Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2006  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2005  Fernando Alonso, Renault
2004  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2003  Ralf Schumacher, Williams-BMW
2002  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2001  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2000  David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes
1999  Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jordan-Mugen Honda
1998  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1997  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1996  Damon Hill, Williams
1995  Michael Schumacher, Benetton
1994  Michael Schumacher, Benetton
1993  Alain Prost, Williams
1992  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1991  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1990* Alain Prost, Ferrari
1989  Alain Prost, McLaren
1988  Alain Prost, McLaren
1987  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1986  Nigel Mansell, Williams
1985  Nelson Piquet, Brabham
1984# Niki Lauda, McLaren

*-race held at Le Castellet
#-race held at Dijon