All news from Formula1.com http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/ en-GB Formula1.com Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:50:55 GMT Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:50:55 GMT 15 http://www.formula1.com/photos/225x150/manual/gallery_image_main_493_13.jpg http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8286.html Nurburgring, May 1965: Following his retirement from Formula One racing, Hill continued competing in sportscars for a while. He is pictured here at the 1000km event at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit. © Schlegelmilch Phil Hill, the United States' first Formula One world champion, has passed away, aged 81. Hill, who took the 1961 drivers' title with Ferrari, died on Thursday in a California hospital of complications from Parkinson's disease. Born in Santa Monica in 1927, Hill started racing after dropping out of college to become a mechanic's helper in Los Angeles. In 1955 he joined Ferrari's racing roster at Le Mans, a race he would eventually win three times... http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8286.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:35:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8286.html Formula1.com Nick Heidfeld shrugged off speculation over his BMW Sauber future on Thursday to set the fastest time in this week's second day of testing at Monza. Heidfeld's best lap of 1m 22.621s around the Italian Grand Prix circuit put him two-tenths clear of Williams's Nico Rosberg. Full report to follow... http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8285.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:37:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8285.html Formula1.com Spa-Francorchamps, with its long straights and epic corners, is one of the calendar's toughest prospects and a firm favourite with most of the field. It's also one of Formula One's most historic venues. The drivers, and some senior team personnel, reveal why they find the Belgian track such a special place to visit… http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8283.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:57:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8283.html Formula1.com For the drivers in the 2008 GP2 Series, the immediate goal is this year's championship. Beyond that, however, they invariably have their sights set on the highest rung of the motorsport ladder, Formula One. At the European GP2 rounds - they support the Formula One Grands Prix - a 2008 finalist in Bridgestone's e-reporter competition is bringing us the lowdown on the F1 hopefuls. In Valencia, Tabatha Valls Halling caught up with Andy Soucek... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/8/8282.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:10:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/8/8282.html Formula1.com Without a victory since April, it is no surprise that world champion Kimi Raikkonen's dwindling results have come under the spotlight of late. Raikkonen, however, has dismissed speculation that his motivation is fading and believes his championship hopes are still very much alive. After retiring from last weekend's European Grand Prix, the Finn trails Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa by seven points and Lewis Hamilton by 13. But last season he made up an even greater deficit to clinch the championship... http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8281.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:24:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8281.html Formula1.com European Grand Prix winner Felipe Massa continued where he'd left off in Valencia on Wednesday, as he topped the timesheets in this week's first day of testing at Monza. Massa took his Ferrari around the Italian circuit in 1m 23.428s to edge McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen into second. Massa covered 101 laps over the course of the day, carrying out three long runs in the afternoon. The Brazilian was charged with finding the best set-up for the F2008 and will continue to test on Thursday... http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8280.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:19:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8280.html Formula1.com McLaren may not have left the inaugural European Grand Prix with the victory they wanted, but the British team were well-satisfied with their haul of 13 points. Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren's Formula One CEO, reveals how the weekend unfolded and looks ahead to the rest of the season… http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8279.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:48:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8279.html Formula1.com Ferrari believe that the engine failure, which ended Kimi Raikkonen's European Grand Prix on Lap 46, was caused by a broken con rod. A similar issue is understood to have resulted in the retirement of team mate Felipe Massa from the previous round in Hungary. “Initial analysis of the engine fitted to Kimi Raikkonen's car confirmed the breakage of a con rod,” said the Italian team in a statement. “Currently underway are further checks to try and understand what provoked the failure, even if it is easy to surmise that it could be a similar problem to the one that sidelined Felipe, three laps from the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix.” http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8278.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:01:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8278.html Formula1.com Last season McLaren found themselves battling on two fronts. But with the courtroom dramas long since decided, this season the British team have been free to focus solely on their racing. And with Lewis Hamilton currently leading the drivers' standings, so far things are looking up. For team principal Ron Dennis, the temptation to stay and fight on has proved far too attractive and any talk of retirement has been firmly put on hold… http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8277.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:58:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8277.html Formula1.com Toyota's Jarno Trulli left Valencia in an upbeat frame of mind. Not only did he enjoy a positive qualifying session on Saturday, but Trulli also finished Sunday's European Grand Prix in fifth to clinch four points for the Japanese team. Here the Italian reviews his race weekend and looks ahead to his favourite circuit on the calendar, Spa-Francorchamps, which will host the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix in under two weeks' time… http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8276.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:12:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8276.html Formula1.com With the summer ban now lifted, the Formula One fraternity is expected to be out in force testing at Monza this week. All 10 teams are scheduled to make the journey to the Italian track to begin preparations for September's Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. While the rest of the field will test from Wednesday, Ferrari will be in action a day earlier. GT driver Andrea Bertolini will be in the F2008's cockpit on Tuesday, before he hands the car over to Ferrari race regular Felipe Massa for Wednesday and Thursday. World champion Kimi Raikkonen, meanwhile, will be on driving duties on Friday. http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8275.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:35:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8275.html Formula1.com Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel may have only started 20 Grands Prix so far in his Formula One career, but he has already developed something of a routine when it comes to his race weekend. We caught up with Vettel in Valencia, following this weekend's European Grand Prix, to get a few tips on the calendar's top nightlife, his favourite places to stay, who he likes to socialise with during an event and how he winds down after a race… http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8274.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:24:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/8/8274.html Formula1.com As in Hungary, Felipe Massa controlled the European Grand Prix from the front. But this time he stayed there to win - despite that controversial pit stop - as Ferrari's technical gremlins chose to pick on team mate Kimi Raikkonen. The champions had the pace, but not reliability. Their second engine failure in as many races left McLaren victorious in the numbers game. Lewis Hamilton extended his advantage atop the drivers' standings, while Ferrari's constructors' lead fell into single figures... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/8/8273.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:42:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/8/8273.html Formula1.com 1st Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 1h35m32.339s; 2nd Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), 1h35m37.950s; 3rd Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), 1h36m09.692s Q: Felipe, what a way to bounce back from the disappointment of Hungary by winning the inaugural European Grand Prix from pole and setting the fastest lap. Felipe Massa: I think it is amazing after such a bad result we come here with a new track which was new for everybody and we did just such a fantastic job from preparing the car... http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8272.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:58:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8272.html Formula1.com Ferrari's Felipe Massa on his controversial win in Valencia; Force India's Adrian Sutil on narrowly avoiding the Brazilian in the pit lane before ending his race in the barriers; and Renault's Fernando Alonso on exiting his second home race of the season on the first lap. All 20 drivers report back on Sunday's action… http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8271.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:43:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/8/8271.html Formula1.com