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Grand Prix of Germany Preview

Jul 15, 2008 - 6:55 PM

July 20, 2008
Hockenheimring
Heidelberg, Germany
Race 10 of 18 in Grand Prix series

Laps: 67
Track length: 2.831 miles
Race length: 187.6 miles


DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 13 (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 fifth in this race two years ago.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 48 (1st)

Won British Grand Prix to take over the lead in the standings; 
was involved in a pit road incident with Kimi Raikkonen and 
retired from the Canadian Gran Prix; finished 10th in France; 
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.


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 36 (5th)

Ran second to teammate Robert Kubica at Canada, finished 5.4 
seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at Australia and was 
runner-up to Hamilton in Britain; was 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.


Robert Kubica (Poland)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 46 (4th)

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 retired in Britain 
to drop to fouth in 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. 


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 48 (2nd)

Picked up his third win of the season at France then ran 13th in
Great Britain; 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: 48 (3rd)

Retired at Canada after a pit road incident with Hamilton then
finished second at France and fourth in Great Britain; 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.


Past Champions
--------------
2007  No race
2006  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 
2005  Fernando Alonso, Renault
2004  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2003  Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW 
2002  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 
2001  Ralf Schumacher, Williams-BMW 
2000  Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari 
1999  Eddie Irvine, Ferrari 
1998  Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes 
1997  Gerhard Berger, Benetton-Renault 
1996  Damon Hill, Williams 
1995  Michael Schumacher, Benetton 
1994  Gerhard Berger, Ferrari 
1993  Alain Prost, Williams 
1992  Nigel Mansell, Williams 
1991  Nigel Mansell, Williams 
1990  Ayrton Senna, McLaren 
1989  Ayrton Senna, McLaren 
1988  Ayrton Senna, McLaren 
1987  Nelson Piquet, Williams 
1986  Nelson Piquet, Williams 
1985  Michele Alboreto, Ferrari 
1984  Alain Prost, McLaren