Formula 1

The modern era of Formula One Grand Prix racing began in 1950, but the roots of F1 are far earlier, including such pre-World War II legends as Italian Tazio Nuvolari and the great German teams, Auto Union and Mercedes Benz.Winner at Silverstone in 1950 and the first F1 champion, Giuseppe (”Nino”) Farina drove an Alfa Romeo 158, capturing the Belgium, Swiss and Italian races as well, along with non-championship wins at Bari and Donnington. Farina, who topped Juan Manuel Fangio by three points in the 1950 season, is best remembered for his style of driving; the relaxed, inclined position and outstretched arms that was to influence a whole generation of drivers. Leaving for Ferrari in 1951, for the next two seasons Farina fought a personal battle with Alberto Ascari, a battle he was bound to lose, for Ascari was by far the better driver; more controlled, faster and more precise. Ascari won the F1 championship in 1952-53 in the Ferrari 500. But it is Fangio, from Argentina, who epitomizes the first decade of Formula One, winning five World Championships for five different manufacturers and four consecutively from 1954-57. The most tragic fact was when Mercedes withdrew from motor racing after the horrific, multi-car accident (which Fangio barely escaped) at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours that left 85 people dead. Sine 1950 the statistic say that after 58 Grand Prix, a total of 29 drivers have won the Drivers Championship: Michael Schumacher (7), Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Alain Prost (4), Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Nicki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna (3), Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Hakkinen and Fernando Alonso (2), Giuseppe Farina, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, Jochen Rindt, James Hunt, Mario Andretti, Jody Schekter, Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Kimi Raikkonen (1) and a total of 14 teams have won the Teams Championship: Ferrari (18), Williams (9), McLaren (8), Lotus (7), Alfa Romeo, Maseratti, Cooper, Brabham and Renault (2), Vanwall, BRM, Matra, Tyrell and Benetton (1).

Bahrain had one colour on Sunday 6^th April,  and that was red. BMW Sauber were strong enough to keep the pressure on and to take the lead in the world championship for constructors, thanks to Kubica and Heidfeld finishing third and fourth, but the one-two result for Massa and Raikkonen confirmed the form the world champions had shown in Malaysia. As for McLaren, and in particular Hamilton, this was a race best forgotten.
Massa really needed this victory, and his Ferrari had all the pace it needed, and he could control the race. His only problem was ensuring that there was no repeat of Malaysia. Raikkonen was quick, but not quick enough to challenge his team mate. Taking the lead in the world championship for drivers’ points table was adequate compensation as Ferrari dominated, however.
BMW Sauber and Kubica continue growing and he was quick throughout, but though the fastest laps suggest otherwise he did not quite have enough speed to challenge the Ferraris.
McLaren had to put a brave face on a race that saw them lose the lead in both championships. Hamilton’s start problem came when he selected the wrong procedure and activated the anti-stall mechanism at the wrong moment. Then he compounded that by hitting Alonso on the second lap. The race was as difficult as Alonso had expected, and after being attacked by Hamilton on the second lap the Spaniard pushed as hard as he could. Tenth place was the ultimate result. Piquet spun in the esses on the second lap but lapped faster than his team mate before a gearbox problem obliged him to quit.
The fight will continues at Montmelo on 27^th April but it seems quite obvious that Ferrari will maintain his predominance.

Valencia is fast becoming one of the most popular Spanish destinations. Over recent years the old industrial port has been transformed into a real cultural must-see and next 24^th August this Mediterranean  city will host its first Grand Prix on a brand-new harbour-side street circuit. Situated in Valencia’s recently-revamped marina area, the track is 5.473 kilometres in length and boasts top speeds of over 300 km/h - and average speeds of 200 km/h. The layout of the innovative track is challenging too, with 25 turns (11 left and 14 right) to test the drivers to the maximum. After deciding on a harbour-side location, the circuit’s designers were keen to use the unique area to its full potential and for most of the lap the action rarely leaves the water’s edge. Indeed, at one point the Formula One cars even cross over Valencia’s canal, using a swing bridge which has been specially built between the north and the south marina. Once on the southern side of the port, the cars will pass very near to the edge of the quay. After leaving the historic fish market area, the field leaves the docks through the shipyard gates and heads towards the new suburb of Grao. After briefly following the course of the River Turia, the cars then will slow for a tight hairpin and progress down the city’s Avenida de Francia.
After negotiating a series of ‘S’ bends, the field then will make a sharp turn to the left and will finally enter the home straight, which is situated back in the port area. The pits and team garages are also located in the former port stalls. While enjoying all the benefits of a street circuit, the new track has also been designed to meet the same modern safety specifications that apply to permanent circuits. The track is at least 14 metres wide along its entire length and also features appropriate run-off areas throughout.

After two races (Melbourne and Sepang) the Formula 1 2008 Drivers Championship Classification is as follows: 1 Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) 14 points, 2 Kimi Räikkönen (Finland) 11 points, 3 Nick Heidfeld (Germany) 11 points, 4 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) 10 points, 5 Robert Kubica (Poland) 8 points, 6 Nico Rosberg (Germany) 6 points and 7 Fernando Alonso (Spain) 6 points.
Regarding car constructors the situation is: 1 McLaren-Mercedes 24 points, 2 BMW 19 points, 3 Ferrari 11 points, 4 Williams-Toyota 9 points and 5 Renault 6 points.
Following his dominant performance in Melbourne, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had set a formidable benchmark for his 2008 season. But a week later at Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix the situation completely changed with Ferrari’s Räikkönen leading with authority and reducing to only 3 points the advantage of Hamilton.
Other interesting performances at the two first races were for Heidfeld, Kovalainen and Kubica. Renault team is still not ready to successfully compete and both Alonso and Briatore, however, agree that claiming victory in a Grand Prix will be an almost impossible task this season and the R28 is not looking like a winning car.
During the forthcoming Bahrain Grand Prix fans will get the chance to get up close and personal with an array of historic Ferrari Formula One cars, as the Italian company continues celebrations to mark its 60th anniversary with a special exhibition.
And on 27th April at Montmelo, one of the most complete and demanding circuits, situation could be clarified and the options for this season Formula 1 Championship could be finally defined. The Spanish Formula 1 fans are already preparing themselves to be at Montmelo circuit, to enjoy with an exciting race and establish perhaps a new attendance record.

From Australia (16th March) to Brazil (2nd November) through Montmeló (27th April) and Valencia (18th August), one of Formula 1 racing’s greatest assets is its ability to renew itself. It is what gives this fantastic sport its appeal.
Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari are the world champions after a controversial 2007 season when the action on the track between the Scuderia and McLaren reached fever pitch. But what are their chances of retaining the tittles? Having come so close in his rookie season, can Lewis Hamilton win redemption for McLaren by going one better in 2008? Over the winter, Ferrari appeared to make a step forward even on their late 2007 form. McLaren, however, hit back with very quick times in Barcelona, where the track mercilessly highlights any shortcoming with its wide range of corners. Then there is the fight to be third. Last season was pretty much the preserve of BMW Sauber, but this year it could be different. Williams have looked very strong in testing and Renault, despite gloomy predictions from Fernando Alonso, will be in there sooner or later. The renewal is not confined to what happens on the track. In two cases, it is the tracks themselves that are new, with exciting new street venues in Valencia, for the European Grand Prix, and the first-ever night race at Singapore in September – a further indication that the sport never misses a trick in evolving itself for the fans’ benefit.
This is always the time of year when anything is possible, a great point at which to let one’s expectations for the campaign ahead to be coloured by the excitement of the previous season. As things stand, at least three drivers may be vying for the world championship in November. So do not go away. This is where the fun really starts.

The ninth annual Laureus World Sports Awards was held in St Petersburg, Russia, on February 18, 2008. The Awards Ceremony, televised to a worldwide TV audience, was staged at The Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall.
The Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony brings together sporting celebrities past and present to honour the great achievements of the sports stars of today and is also a platform to showcase the work of the Laureus Sport Foundation, an humanitarian programme that operates on every continent and has improved the lives of over 150,000 young people since its inception.
Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was named Laureus Sportsman of the Year for the fourth straight time at the 2008 Awards ceremony after another superb year, which saw him once again win three Grand Slam in the season.
Tennis was the biggest winner in Saint Petersburg as Belgium’s Justine Henin won the Sportswoman of the Year award and Holland’s Esther Vergeer, the greatest wheelchair tennis star of all-time, took away the Laureus Disability trophy for the second time.
Two of the biggest names in British sport also have their hands on Laureus as Lewis Hamilton won the Breakthrough of the Year award after his remarkable debut season in Formula One, while long distance runner Paula Radcliffe had the Comeback of the Year award.

A resolute Fernando Alonso has vowed to lead Renault back to their winning ways during the coming season. At the official launch of the R28 in Paris few days ago Alonso said he is hopeful that, with enough hard work, the team’s fortunes can improve during 2008.
The Spaniard took two consecutive world titles with the French squad in 2005 and 2006 and scored 15 of his 19 career wins before leaving for a troublesome yearlong sabbatical with McLaren. He returned to Renault last December and has since tested the team and spent several days running in the R28.
The entire Renault team is absolutely determined to get back to the top and they are all pushing very hard because that is a big motivation for everybody. First and foremost is that Fernando is a tremendous competitive racer and he obviously want to win and will do the maximum to make that it happen because he also knows what is expected from him.
Some people have suggested that Alonso is still thinking in the problems occurred in 2007, but that is not the way he looks at it. He is preparing for this season the same way he always has done: by concentrating on his job.
Formula 1 2008 season will start soon with Australian Grand Prix (March 16) and after passing through Malaysia (March 23) and Bahrain (April 6) will arrive to Montmelo (Barcelona) with Spain Grand Prix (27 April) and by then the supporters would have had opportunity to see which will be the future of Fernando Alonso this year.