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Grand Prix of Europe Preview

Aug 22, 2008 - 10:27 AM

July 24, 2008
Valencia F1 Urban Circuit
Valencia, Spain

Laps: 57
Track length: 3.4 miles
Race length: 193 miles


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

Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 18 (8th)

Two-time champion has struggled in return to Renault with just 
two top fives all season - a fourth at the season opener at 
Australia and fourth at Hungary; retired in Spain and Canada and 
has a pair of sixth and eighth place finishes; 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; won this race last 
year.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 62 (1st)

Won British and German Grands Prix to increase lead atop the
standings; was involved in a pit road incident with Kimi 
Raikkonen and retired from the Canadian Gran Prix; 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; finished ninth in this race last year.


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 41 (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 Germany, and fifth in Turkey; 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 in this race last season.


Robert Kubica (Poland)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 49 (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 by running fifth in France, retired in Britain and took 
seventh in Germany to remain 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, ran seventh in this race last year.


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 54 (3rd)

Picked up his third win of the season at France then ran 13th in
Great Britain and third at Germany; 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; last year bounced 
back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary by winning in Turkey; 
had 11 top five finishes in 17 starts last season.


Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 57 (2nd)

Retired at Canada after a pit road incident with Hamilton then
finished second at France, fourth in Great Britain and sixth at
Germany; 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 Lewis 
Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points entering final race; 
retired from the Grand Prix of Europe after consecutive 
checkered flags at the British Grand Prix and Magny-Cours; had 
14 top-five finishes in 17 starts last season; joined Ferrari 
after spending five years with McLaren where he went winless 
in 2006, finished second here last season.


2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes
 2. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari
 3. Mark Webber, Great Britain, Red Bull-Renault
 4. Alexander Wurz, Austria, Williams-Toyota 
 5. David Coulthard, Great Britain, Red Bull-Renault 
 6. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-BMW
 7. Robert Kubica, Poland, Sauber-BMW
 8. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault 
 9. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes 
10. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault 

Past Champions
--------------
2007 Fernando Alonso, McLaren-Mercedes
2006 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2005 Fernando Alonso, Renault
2004 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2003 Ralf Schumacher, Williams
2002 Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari
2001 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2000 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1999 Johnny Herbert, Stewart
1998 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren
1997 Jacques Villeneuve, Williams
1996 Jacques Villeneuve, Williams
1995 Michael Schumacher, Benetton
1985 Michele Alboreto, Ferrari
1984 Alain Prost, McLaren
1976 James Hunt, McLaren
1975 Carlos Reutemann, Brabham
1974 Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari
1973 Jackie Stewart, Tyrrell
1972 Jacky Ickx, Ferrari
1971 Jackie Stewart, Tyrrell
1969 Jacky Ickx, Brabham
1968 Jackie Stewart, Matra
1967 Denny Hulme, Brabham
1966 Jack Brabham, Brabham
1965 Jim Clark, Lotus
1964 John Surtees, Ferrari
1963 John Surtees, Ferrari
1962 Graham Hill, BRM
1961 Stirling Moss, Lotus
1958 Tony Brooks, Vanwall
1957 Juan M. Fangio, Maserati
1956 Juan M. Fangio, Ferrari
1954 Juan M. Fangio, Mercedes
1953 Nino Farina, Ferrari
1952 Alberto Ascari, Ferrari
1951 Alberto Ascari, Ferrari