Silverstone, England The Daily Telegraph, reports that Lewis Hamilton has been house hunting in Monaco, which is also the base of team-mate Jenson Button, 9 July. Apparently the Formula 1 driver finds life a bit dull in Zurich but might also be influenced by the prospect of higher taxes. Other commentators are more concened with Hamilton’s erratic performance this season. Felipé Massa, Nicki Lauda and even Stirling Moss have been critical of his aggressive driving style as he struggles to compete with the better performing cars of the Red Bull team and its star driver Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton has promised to put things right at this weekend’s British Grand prix at Silverstone.
International sports, Formula 1
Monza, Italy (GenevaLunch) - Fernando Alonso took the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari in front of the adoring Tifosi at Monza. He came in ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa. Alonso started in pole position but was pushed back into second place as Button got a better start. Lewis Hamilton got too close to the Ferraris and was out of the race on the first lap. Alonso regained the first place as the cars stopped for tyre changes and stayed comfortably ahead for the rest of the race.
Sebastian Vettel came fourth for Red Bull while Mark Webber was sixth while Michael Schumacher was ninth. Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi finished just out of the points in 11th place.
The overall championship table now has five drivers within the 25 points that come from a win. Mark Webber heads Lewis Hamilton by five points while Alonso, Button and Vettel are all in touch.
International sports, Formula 1, German Grand Prix
Update 26 July Hockenheim, Germany (GenevaLunch) - Ferrari took their first double for two years as Fernando Alonso and Felipé Massa took the top two places in the German Grand Prix, 25 July 2010. The win left a sour taste, however, as Massa allowed Alonso to pass despite the F1 rules against race fixing. Sebastian Vettel started in pole position with his Red Bull but was passed by the two Ferraris on the first straight and could only follow them to third place. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button took the next two spots for McLaren. Hamilton heads the standings for the season, 14 points ahead of Button while Mark Webber is another seven points back.
Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi retired after one lap.
Stewards later announced that Ferrari had been fined $100,000 for breaching the regulation: “Team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited.” It is also possible that the team will be punished by losing their points from the Grand Prix. The rule was introduced after outrage following the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix when Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello allowed team-mate Michael Schumacher to pass in the final straight.
Sepang, Malaysia (GenevaLunch) – Red Bull dominated the Malaysian Grand Prix Sunday 4 April. Their two drivers started on the front row and ended first and second: the only change was that Sebastian Vettel passed Mark Webber on the way to the first bend and then stayed in front for the rest of the race.
Further back there was more action. Both Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes made a mess of the qualifying stages and started almost at the back of the grid.
Melbourne, Australia (GenevaLunch) - World Champion Jenson Button gave a master class in smooth driving to take the Australian Grand Prix for McLaren Mercedes Sunday 28 March (Swiss time). It was an exciting race full of incidents: changing weather, changing tires, engine failures, overtaking and collisions. The keys to the victory were Button’s decision to switch to slick tires, for dry conditions, before the other drivers and then his unmatched ability to preserve his tires.
Bahrain (GenevaLunch) - Fernando Alonso started his Ferrari career in the ideal way by leading the team to a one-two victory Sunday 14 March at the opening Grand Prix of the season on the newly designed Bahrain track. Sebastin Vettel started in pole position with Alonso and teammate Felipe Massa taking the next two spots on the starting grid, followed by Lewis Hamilton for McLaren. Michael Schumacher started his comeback race in seventh place.
Once the race was underway Vettel pulled into an early lead and held it for the first 35 laps until his car developed problems with its exhaust system.
Budapest, Hungary (GenevaLunch) - Felipe Massa left hospital and joined his wife Raffaela, six months pregnant, to return by private jet to his home in Brazil. He was seriously injured during the qualifying stages for the Hungarian Grand Prix when a spring that had fallen off compatriot Rubens Barrichello’s car struck his helmet. Massa said that he remembers nothing of the crash and will wait until he sees how he recuperates before deciding whether to return to racing. Michael Schumacher is coming out of retirement to replace Massa in the Ferrari team.
Details: The Times
Gland, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Seven-times world champion racing driver Michael Schumacher announced he would stand in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa in the upcoming race in Valencia, Spain 23 August. Schumacher, 40, who lives on the shores of Lake Geneva, retired from Formula 1 racing in 2006 but continued as a team advisor for the Ferrari team where he won five of his seven championships.
Budapest, Hungary (GenevaLunch) - It was just like old times as Lewis Hamilton, current Champion drove an almost faultless race, with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkönen second, and Mark Webber third for Red Bull. It was Hamilton’s tenth Grand Prix win, but his first this season.
Fernando Alonso started in pole position in his Renault but was forced to stop at the pits with tire trouble, and then to retire as a front wheel was not properly fitted and later flew off.
Budapest, Hungary (GenevaLunch) - Fernando Alonso will start on pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after an incident-packed qualifying session which saw Felipe Massa taken to hospital by helicopter after crashing at 200 kph. The Brazilian Ferrari driver has undergone emergency surgery after suffering skull damage and concussion, reports the BBC. Ferrari says he will remain under observation in intensive care.
Nuerburgring, Germany (GenevaLunch) – Australian Mark Webber drove his Red Bull team to his first Grand Prix victory after 130 starts, all the more amazing considering that he spent the winter in rehab after a severe cycling accident gave him a badly broken leg and shoulder injuries. His German teammate Sebastian Vettel was second while Brazilian Felipe Massa was third for Ferrari. Nico Rosberg came in fourth for Williams while current leader Jenson Button was fifth ahead of fellow Brawn driver Rubens Barrichello.
Silverstone, England (GenevaLunch) – Sebastian Vettel lead the Red Bull team to victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Team-mate Mark Weber was second while Rubens Barrichello came in third for Brawn GP. Championship leader Jenson Button could only manage sixth place, while last year’s champion Lewis Hamilton continued his horrible season with a sixteenth place.
Istanbul, Turkey (GenevaLunch) – Jenson Button drove his Brawn GP car to his fourth consecutive Formula 1 victory. He has now won six of the seven races this season. He then thanked the team for producing a “monster of a car.” Only four other drivers have won six of the first seven, Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher (twice).
Barcelona, Spain (GenevaLunch) – Jenson Button started from pole position in the Formula 1 race in Barcelona but lost the lead to Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello by the first bend. After the customary mayhem of the opening lap the only real question was which of the two Brawn GP drivers would take first place.
