F1 - Malaysian GP - Race 23/03/08

Raikkonen shines for Ferrari

It may not have been the most entertaining of races for the fans, but for Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari his dominant Malaysian Grand Prix victory is just what he needed following the disappointment in Melbourne a week ago.

Starting second, the defending champion was happy to shadow pole-sitter and team-mate Felipe Massa until the first round of pit stops and then put in a quick lap to ensure that he exited the pit just ahead. With the race lead in his hands, Raikkonen quickly pulled a four second advantage on Massa who then spun his Ferrari into retirement.

Starting fourth, Robert Kubica made best of Jarno Trulli’s bad start to run a comfortable third for the first half of the race before taking over second position when Massa retired. The BMW Sauber driver took the chequered flag just under 20 seconds behind Raikkonen and a similar margin ahead of third placed finisher Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren Mercedes.

Kovalainen drove an error free race but to take the chequered flag 40 seconds behind the winner. After their Melbourne performance, the result will be a shock for McLaren who by their own admission have struggled this weekend.



Jarno Trulli started third but he and Nick Heidfeld found themselves squeezed out of the pack through turns one and two at the start of the race. The Toyota driver recovered and took a comfortable fourth in the much-improved TF108, despite late race pressure from Lewis Hamilton.

For Hamilton, the race was always going to be about damage limitation but surprisingly he opted to run the softer type in both the first and second stint. In the third and final sting when it was effectively too late to make any further progress, the Melbourne winner was much faster as he chased Trulli across the line, just 0.7 seconds adrift.

Hamilton also lost ground in his first stop when his front right wheel insert slowed the wheel change by an additional ten seconds, so it was a case of lost opportunity for the championship leader who heads to Bahrain with a three point advantage over his nearest rival.

After losing out at the start of the race as Trulli pushed him wide, Nick Heidfeld was unable to regain the lost ground as he took the chequered flag in sixth position ahead of Mark Webber who will feel he and the team deserved more than two points from this event. The second round of stops saw the Red Bull Renault driver lose out to both Hamilton and Heidfeld but the Australian battled hard to keep Fernando Alonso behind to the flag.



For Renault, eighth position for Alonso and 11th place from Piquet was a fair result but not the kind of performance they would have hoped for heading into the weekend. Piquet had a much better weekend than in Australia and over the 58-lap race, lost just 22 seconds to his double world championship winning team-mate.

David Coulthard had a trouble-free run to ninth place in the second Red Bull Renault ahead of Jenson Button in the leading Honda. Giancarlo Fisichella drove a good race for Force India Ferrari to record the team’s first finish with 12th position ahead of Rubens Barrichello who served a drive through penalty late in the race after speeding in the pit.

Over at Williams Toyota, the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend has been disappointing. Starting 16th Nico Rosberg ran into the back of Timo Glock forcing the retirement of the Toyota driver. After pitting for a new front wing, Rosberg was unable to make much progress and finished 14th. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima finished last in 17th position.

Anthony Davidson finished 15th in his Super Aguri Honda a lap clear of team-mate Takuma Sato. Over at Toro Rosso, Sebastien Bourdais spun into retirement on the first lap while Sebastian Vettel survived a while longer before the Ferrari engine failed.

Hamilton retains the lead of the championship, but now leads Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld by just three points with Heikki Kovalainen just one point adrift in fourth. The Formula One circus packs up and heads to Bahrain in two weeks time. Two teams tested there for six days in the off-season and they were Ferrari and Toyota...

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

F1-Australian GP - Race 16/03/2008

Anyone finishing the opening race of the new season was awarded a championship point in what was a fraught race for many including three safety car periods. One man having no problems whatsoever was Lewis Hamilton who dominated the Australian Grand Prix from the pole position while all of his major championship rivals hit trouble.

With Hamilton cruising to the race win, Heikki Kovalainen looked set to make it a McLaren one-two until the timing of the third safety car compromised his race dropping him down the order. This handed Nick Heidfeld a solid second position in the BMW Sauber.

Starting second and fifth, BMW Sauber had been expected to challenge McLaren for the race win but the reality was that McLaren were far too strong in race trim today.

Nico Rosberg has waited a long time, but today’s action packed race saw the Williams Toyota record his first podium position after a fine error free drive. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima survived a clash with Robert Kubica whilst behind the safety car to finish in seventh position, the final finisher in this incident strewn race.

Fernando Alonso kept his nose clean in the Renault to finish in fourth position, having a tremendous scrap with Kovalainen over the final two laps to take the position. Kovalainen should have had more, but hitting the pit lane speed limiter by mistake coming onto the main straight on the last lap saw Alonso pounce and take the position.

Rubens Barrichello finished the race in sixth position after an eventful race. Running as high as fourth in the much improved Honda, the team instructed him to leave the pit before re0fuelling was complete. In addition Barrichello has made the stop when the pit lane was closed so the Brazilian veteran received a stop and go penalty. To cap off a tense few minutes for the Honda team, Barrichello seemed to exit the pits with the red light showing. It remains to be seen if sixth position will stand.

Sebastien Bourdais had a very strong Grand Prix debut holding back both Alonso and Kovalainen in the closing position while running fourth. An engine failure almost within sight of the chequered flag robbed the Frenchman of fourth position, but with no one else still running, is classified in eighth position.

The race was a disaster for Ferrari. Errors from the team and both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen see the defending champions leave Albert Park with no points. Raikkonen made up ground early on to move through the field. The team did not bring the Finn in during the second safety car period and Raikkonen found himself battling hard with Kovalainen.

A mistake from Raikkonen saw him run too deep into turn three and into the gravel trap. Raikkonen was soon back underway but pitted the very next lap pitting himself at the back of the field. Why Ferrari did not pit him sooner is not clear. Raikkonen soon closed down a 15 second gap to Timo Glock but then spun at turn three while trying to make a pass. It would prove academic as the F2008 slowed with an engine issue in the closing staged and Raikkonen retired from the race.

Felipe Massa started in fourth position but spun exiting turn one at the start and was forced to pit for a new front wing. From here Massa battled hard making contact with David Coulthard in what was a racing incident into turn one on lap 26 but would later retire with a mechanical problem.

Robert Kubica started on the front row of the grid but did not have the pace to run with Hamilton. Some rather oddly timed pits stops saw the Pole fall down the order before being hit from behind from Nakajima ending his disappointing race.

Timo Glock was having a steady race in his Toyota and could have picked up some points but running wide in the latter stages of the race, the TF108 was rather alarmingly launched into the air – crashing back down to earth breaking most of the suspension. Glock was able to climb from the badly damaged car. Team-mate Jarno Trulli had retired early on with a battery issue.

The start of the race saw five drivers eliminated with Giancarlo Fisichella, Sebastian Vettel, Anthony Davidson, Jenson Button and Mark Webber all making contact in the opening turns. Adrian Sutil retired the second Force India with a mechanical problem after starting the race from the pit lane having damaged his primary car yesterday in qualifying.

A scrappy opening race to the season, but the Formula One circus now packs up and heads straight to Sepang where first practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix gets underway on Friday.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

Renault - R28

Williams - FW30

Honda - RA108

Red Bull - RB4

BMW - F1.08

Toyota - TF108

McLaren - MP4-23

Ferrari F2008

2007 - Ferrari - Review

With Michael Schumacher hanging up his crash helmet, Ross Brawn leaving Maranello and Rory Byrne in retirement it really was the start of a new era for the Ferrari team in 2007. The long-standing names that had brought so much success to the Italian squad were all gone and it was down to the new generation to carry on the winning ways.

With Kimi Raikkonen joining Felipe Massa on the driving front the team showed that it had plenty of depth and strength despite the loss of it close long-term technical relationship with Bridgestone.

The industrial espionage scandal involving Nigel Stepney aside, it was a successful campaign with Kimi Raikkonen winning six Grand Prix on his way to the World Championship, while Felipe Massa was a factor until the closing stages of the season, notching up three victories.

Raikkonen’s championship campaign got off to a great start in Melbourne as the Finn converted his pole position into a race win, an accomplishment no Ferrari newcomer had accomplished before on his first outing for the team.

Malaysia and Bahrain brought further podium results while an electrical problem eliminated him from the Spanish Grand Prix and kicked off a difficult phase of the season for Raikkonen. Massa meanwhile took two straight wins in Bahrain and Spain from the pole

An error in qualifying around the streets of Monte Carlo saw Raikkonen qualify a distant 16th but on race day he was able to score one championship point. McLaren dominated the event with Massa finishing over a minute down in third position. Raikkonen’s difficulties continued in Canada and the US as Lewis Hamilton took consecutive wins but Raikkonen bounced back with victories at Magny Cours and Silverstone. A hydraulic failure at the European Grand Prix really put the team on the back foot with Fernando Alonso leading home Massa.

With seven rounds remaining, the championship looked to be heading towards rivals McLaren Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. Raikkonen knew that his chances of success were slim but over the remaining rounds he scored wins at Spa Francorchamps, Shanghai and Interlagos, picking up 58 points in the final races. Hamilton and McLaren hit their own problems scoring just 39 points.

In both China and Brazil, Raikkonen drove flawless races to score maximum points while Hamilton picked up just two points. This was enough to give Raikkonen the drivers’ championship by a single point over his rival.

Raikkonen may not be the all-round team-player that Schumacher was in his decade with the team, but the Finn proved that given the equipment, he is a regular race winner and a very worthy champion.

For Massa, his third and final win of the season came as he dominated the Turkish Grand Prix but an early retirement at Monza effectively ended his title aspirations. He would finish the season on 94 points, 16 adrift of Raikkonen. Brain fade in Montreal, a poor showing in Hungary and a mechanical retirement in Italy all conspired against the Brazilian who will be aiming to bounce back in 2008.

Off track, the constructors’ championship had been wrapped up long ago with the World Motor Sport Council opting to remove McLaren from the contest. Assuming that McLaren would have failed in its bid to reverse the decision to strip it of its Hungarian Grand Prix points, Ferrari would have taken the title in any case.

Raikkonen may not have enjoyed the same bullet-proof reliability enjoyed by Hamilton and Alonso, but six wins from 17 starts including 12 podiums makes for a most successful campaign…

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

2007 Race Season - The F2007

The F2007 is the fifty third single-seater built by Ferrari specifically to compete in the Formula One World Championship.

The F2007 chassis has been significantly modified when compared to last year’s 248 F1. The design was revised to accommodate a new front suspension that represents a major conceptual innovation, mainly in terms of aerodynamics. The rear of the car is much narrower, taking advantage of the more sculpted shape of the gearbox housing. The gearbox itself, which is still mounted longitudinally, is fitted with an innovative quick-shift system.

Overall, all modifications, and mainly those concerning safety, have led to a significant increase in the weight of the car, in the region of just under ten kilograms.

In accordance with the regulations which came into force this year, the basic structure of the engine remains the same as the one homologated at the end of last season.

The technical partners have played an important role during the development stages of the F2007. Ferrari and Shell engineers have been working closely together to ensure the car is equipped with the best formulations of Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix lubricant to get the most power from the car.

Technical Specification

Chassis

* Carbon-fibre honeycomb composite structure
* Ferrari longitudinal gearbox
* Limited-slip differential
* Semiautomatic sequential electronically controlled gearbox
* Number of gears7 + Reverse
* Ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
* Independent suspension, push-rod activated torsion springs front and rear
* Length 4545 mm
* Width 1796 mm
* Height 959 mm
* Wheelbase 3135 mm
* Front Track 1470 mm
* Rear Track 1405 mm
* Weight with water, lubricant & driver 600 kg
* Wheels (front and rear) 13”

Engine

* Type 056
* Number of cylinders 8
* Cylinder block in cast aluminium V 90˚
* Number of valves 32
* Pneumatic distribution
* Total displacement 2398 c m³
* Magneti Marelli digital electronic injection
* Magneti Marelli static electronic ignition
* Fuel Shell V-Power ULG 62
* Lubricant Shell Helix SL- 0977

MotoGP - Valencia - Ricardo Tormo - 04/11/2007

Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa rode to a fantastic victory in the Grand Prix of Valencia today and in doing so took a surprise second place in the riders World Championship.

The 22-year-old from Barcelona converted pole position into the win and also set the fastest lap of the race to become the first rider to claim victory in all three Grand Prix classes at the Ricardo Tormo circuit. The 25 points Pedrosa earned today were enough to overturn the 24-point championship deficit he held to Valentino Rossi coming into the final race of the season and Pedrosa took second in the world standings by just one point. Rossi retired from today's race.

Despite leading for 25 of the 30 laps and crossing the line 5.447s ahead of Casey Stoner, this was far from an easy win for Pedrosa. From pole position the Spaniard slipped to third behind Stoner and Repsol Honda team-mate Nicky Hayden, who made an excellent getaway from third on the grid. Pedrosa passed Hayden into turn two and began his pursuit of Stoner, closing in on the Australian before making his decisive move at the beginning of lap six. Riding on the absolute limit, Pedrosa set the fastest lap of the race – a new lap record of 1m 32.748s – as he gradually stretched a two second gap to Stoner. Only in the final two laps did the pressure ease as Stoner settled for second and a delighted Pedrosa took the chequered flag in front of 132,500 delirious home fans.

Hayden put up a valiant fight today. The 2006 World Champion was second from the start and held third place for the first three laps as he extracted the maximum performance from his RC212V. It was always an uphill struggle for the 26-year-old American who had battled grip issues for the entire weekend. Hayden duelled with Marco Melandri for two thirds of the race but in the final ten laps he couldn't maintain the pace and slipped to eighth at the finish. Despite this Hayden climbed one place in the World Championship today to finish in eighth overall.

With the 18-race 2007 season over, preparations for 2008 begin immediately with the Repsol Honda Team remaining at Valencia for two days of testing, beginning on Tuesday.

F1 Brazil GP - Race - 21/10/2007 Interlagos

It has been a real roller coaster of a season and the finale in Brazil was a fitting climax to a year that has enthralled fans both on and off the circuit. Kimi Raikkonen has achieved what seemed all but impossible and he overcame a seven point deficit by winning the this afternoon at Interlagos while Lewis Hamilton suffered his own problems.

The start of the 71 lap Grand Prix saw pole-sitter Felipe Massa sprint in the lead with Kimi Raikkonen making a good getaway and slotting into second. One man not making a good start was Lewis Hamilton who dropped from second to fourth and then compounded his problems by running off track and losing another four positions.

At that point Hamilton will have been frustrated but he was still in the race and the championship race was very much still on. Lap seven however saw the McLaren Mercedes slow dramatically with a gearshift issue. Hamilton dropped from sixth position to 18th and while he was able to reset the electronic systems and get back under power, his title hope were in tatters.

Out front Raikkonen shadowed Massa and seemed content to bide his time behind his Ferrari team-mate. The turning points for Raikkonen came in his second round of stops as he was able to stay out a few more laps and once he had made his final pit stop, emerged in the lead of the race. Fernando Alonso at this point ran in a lonely third and was not able to mount a serious challenge.

It has been a real roller coaster of a season and the finale in Brazil was a fitting climax to a year that has enthralled fans both on and off the circuit. Kimi Raikkonen has achieved what seemed all but impossible and he overcame a seven point deficit by winning the this afternoon at Interlagos while Lewis Hamilton suffered his own problems.

The start of the 71 lap Grand Prix saw pole-sitter Felipe Massa sprint in the lead with Kimi Raikkonen making a good getaway and slotting into second. One man not making a good start was Lewis Hamilton who dropped from second to fourth and then compounded his problems by running off track and losing another four positions.

At that point Hamilton will have been frustrated but he was still in the race and the championship race was very much still on. Lap seven however saw the McLaren Mercedes slow dramatically with a gearshift issue. Hamilton dropped from sixth position to 18th and while he was able to reset the electronic systems and get back under power, his title hope were in tatters.

Out front Raikkonen shadowed Massa and seemed content to bide his time behind his Ferrari team-mate. The turning points for Raikkonen came in his second round of stops as he was able to stay out a few more laps and once he had made his final pit stop, emerged in the lead of the race. Fernando Alonso at this point ran in a lonely third and was not able to mount a serious challenge.

Raikkonen took the chequered flag by just over a second from 2006 race winner Massa and with 110 championship points on the board, takes the title by one point from Hamilton who battled back to seventh position on track and Alonso who finished third.

"I always believed we could recover from our poor results and do a better job than our rivals," Raikkonen said. "So I never gave up and it was a great result for me and the team.

"I wasn't really 100 per cent sure of what was happening at the end as we were still waiting for still to finish - I had to wait a long time to hear that I had finally won it. I waited and waited. It was amazing for me that after all the last races we have had such a good finish to the season and I am very happy now."

Nico Rosberg put in a great drive in his Williams Toyota and finished in fourth position after a rather hectic battle with the BMW Sauber’s of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld who finished fifth and sixth. With Hamilton seventh, the final point went to Jarno Trulli who put in a strong performance for Toyota to claim a much needed championship point.

David Coulthard found himself spinning late in the race after contact with Kazuki Nakajima. The Red Bull racer would finish in ninth position while Mark Webber ran fifth early in the race only to retire with a drive train issue. Nakajima had an eventful debut in his Williams, arriving too fast into his pit box and knocking down several members of his team. Still, the Japanese rookie finished the event in tenth position.

Ralf Schumacher was 11th in the second Toyota in what is his final drive with the team while Takuma Sato finished 12th for Super Aguri Honda ahead of Tonio Liuzzi and Anthony Davidson.

There was plenty of incident and accident with eight drivers failing to go the distance. Giancarlo Fisichella cut across the grass at turn one and rejoined the circuit right in front of Sakon Yamamoto. The Spyker racer had no where to go, making heavy contact and eliminating both cars from the race.

Heikki Kovalainen suffered a failure on his Renault and crashed heavily at turn three, ending a nightmare weekend for himself and the team. Jenson Button’s Honda failed early in the race while Rubens Barrichello’s car lasted a little longer before suffering a massive engine failure. Adrian Sutil was up to his old tricks again in his Spyker as he hit Anthony Davidson’s Super Aguri Honda while battling for position and would retire a few laps later as a result.

A fitting end to a dramatic season as Kimi Raikkonen has won the championship with his sixth win of the season. Lewis Hamilton will be most disappointed having been the firm favourite heading into the race while Fernando Alonso will be looking to the 2008 season. There can only be one winner, so congratulations to Raikkonen and his team, commiserations to Hamilton, Alonso and their respective crew members and team.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. K.Raikkonen
2. F.Massa
3. F.Alonso

MotoGP - Malaysia - Sepang - 21/10/2007

The Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix concluded with Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) winning for the tenth time in a fantastic World Championship season, the 22 year-old Australian securing a 1.701s win ahead of Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri, after starting second on the grid.

Stoner now has a remarkable 106 point lead at the head of the premier class standings after dominating yet another MotoGP race, whilst Melandri moves up to fourth in the championship.

Following Stoner's 125cc victory in Malaysia in 2004 and his 250cc success in 2005, he becomes the first rider to win in all three classes at the Sepang circuit.

Behind the leading pair today Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa earned his seventh podium of the year, though he may be forced to settle for third in the World Championship with 24 points separating him from the man currently in second position, Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha), with one round remaining. The Doctor finished the Sepang race fifth, behind Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet in fourth.

A solid performance from Honda Gresini's Toni Elias saw him take sixth, while Rizla Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen got the better of team-mate John Hopkins in the battle for seventh.

Nicky Hayden did well to come home ninth in the end after an off track excursion mid-race, while his compatriot Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha) completed the top ten.

DORNA / CAPSIS International

1. C.STONER
2. M.MELANDRI
3. D.PEDROSA

MotoGP - Australia - Phillip Island - 14/10/2007

Ducati Marlboro's newly crowned World Champion Casey Stoner delighted the home crowd at Phillip Island today with a superb ride to victory by seven seconds at the GMC Australian Grand Prix.

Stoner joined MotoGP Legends Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner on an exclusive list of World Champions to have won on home soil in Australia as he came from third on the grid to take the hole shot and control the race from start to finish.

As Ducati confirmed the constructors' World Championship, and Ducati Marlboro the teams' title, Loris Capirossi made it a great day for his team as he in the runners-up spot, for a second podium in successive races following his Japanese hat-trick win.

Apparent tyre deterioration meant Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) could only finish third, when he had wanted to fight for victory from second on the grid, while Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa looked similarly disappointed to finish fourth having started on pole.

The top five was rounded off by Pramac d'Antin's Alex Barros, who finished just ahead of Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet and Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins.

The second Australian across the line was Hopkins' Suzuki colleague Chris Vermeulen in eighth, while Yamaha's Colin Edwards and Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri completed the top ten.

It is fair to say that 2007 has not been Nicky Hayden's year and last season's champion was unfortunately forced to retire in third place on lap 13, having made a great start from fourth on the grid to run with Stoner in the early stages.

DORNA / CAPSIS International


1. C.STONER
2. L.CAPIROSSI
3. V.ROSSI

F1 China GP - Race - 07/10/2007 Shanghai

Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso ensured the world championship battle will go down to the wire in Brazil after they took full advantage of Lewis Hamilton's dramatic retirement to finish first and second in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Title leader Hamilton had looked set to clinch his place in history as Formula 1's first rookie world champion after commandingly leading the first half of the wet-dry race, but agonisingly slid off into the gravel on the pit lane entry while grappling with clapped-out tyres.

The Briton's first major mistake of the year means he will now have to go through the wringer of what is set to be a nail-biting finale in Interlagos and the sport's first three-way title decider since 1986.

He heads there with just a four-point cushion over team-mate Alonso, and a further three in hand over Raikkonen, who took his fifth win of the season and Ferrari's 200th overall after an action-packed 98 minutes in Shanghai.

Morning rain showers meant the drivers faced damp and greasy conditions at the start, with further showers predicted to arrive just minutes into the event.

Yet none of this uncertainty seemed to affect Hamilton, who knew a win would wrap up the world crown with a round to spare.

The 22-year-old made the perfect getaway from pole, comfortably leading Raikkonen into turn one.

Alonso, meanwhile, knowing he had to make an impact from the second row early on if he was to put pressure on his team-mate, set about trying to pass the Ferraris around the outside of the first turn.

He got the first – Felipe Massa – despite a joust into the left-handed turn three, and had a look up the inside of Raikkonen on the exit.

But he soon slipped down back to fourth, as Massa dived down the inside of him under braking for turn six.

And that appeared to be that for the Spaniard’s title chances.

The forecast rain shower materialised on lap two, but this made little difference to Hamilton who, finding more grip and traction from his MP4-22, serenely pulled away at the front.

Indeed he continued to pull away from Raikkonen comfortably with his margin of superiority per lap varying from 0.5s to 0.8s.

By the time he initiated the first round of pit stops at the end of lap 15, his advantage stood at 8.6s.

While he took on more fuel, he decided not to change his intermediate tyres despite the track now drying and the right-front beginning to look particularly bald.

Massa and Alonso made their respective stops over the next two laps, with Raikkonen the last of the top four to dive in at the end of lap 19.

The Finn, who had been sure that Hamilton had been lighter on fuel after qualifying, made the most of his extra laps on track to halve the title leader’s advantage when he exited the pits.

Nevertheless, Hamilton still seemed to have the race under control, as he immediately responded to the increased threat with a new fastest lap.

However the complexion of the race, and indeed the world championship battle, was turned on its head at the half-distance mark.

Although another rain shower was forecast imminently, the track had moved into a dry tyre zone and Williams’ Alex Wurz was the first to take the calculated gamble.

Others, including fifth-placed David Coulthard and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber, followed suit.

Massa switched to 'slicks' on lap 27, but only after Alonso had passed him at the end of the back straight to move up to third.

Little did the Spaniard know that this would be the start of his championship recovery, as up ahead his race-leading team-mate began to struggle badly with his increasingly worn inters.

From a position of relative comfort, Hamilton fell into the clutches of Raikkonen and the Finn was soon all over his MP4-22’s gearbox.

As when Michael Schumacher hounded of a similarly grip-less Alonso last year, there was only one likely outcome and, after Lewis went in too deep at turn eight, his Ferrari rival swept past into nine to steal the lead.

This was still far from a disaster for Hamilton, but what unfolded in the next three laps most certainly was, as his weekend's destiny took a different course.

Despite his struggles only getting worse by the corner, and with his right-rear Bridgestone now down to the canvas, McLaren failed to call him in for fresh rubber and ultimately paid a heavy price.

With Alonso now bearing down on him, and a dry-tyred Jarno Trulli managing to unlap himself, Hamilton finally peeled into the pit lane at the end of lap 31 – but that is where his race would finish.

As he rounded the 90-degree left-hand corner in the entry lane, the Briton unbelievably slid off the road and came to a heartbreaking stop in the gravel.

Although he kept the engine running, his rear wheels dug into the gravel and – unlike at the Nurburgring in July – there was no push from the marshals or helpful crane to lift him out of trouble.

The first retirement of his astounding debut season gave both Raikkonen and a charging Alonso the stroke of luck they needed to keep their title hopes alive.

And there were no mistakes from either, as they both soon switched to the dry tyres and duly went on to finish in first and second respectively.

Raikkonen eventually crossed the line 9.8s ahead of Alonso, with Massa three seconds further back in third after setting the race’s fastest lap on his final tour.

Behind the top three, the race’s inclement weather had produced a fierce battle between a string of drivers and teams.

The big winner was Sebastian Vettel, who wiped out memories of his Fuji nightmare to claim a miraculous fourth place for Toro Rosso.

The young German used a one-stop strategy to perfection to move up from 17th on the grid and hand STR by far its best-ever F1 finish, paying the team back for the support it showed him following his mistake behind the safety car last weekend.

Team-mate Tonio Liuzzi ran strongly in sixth place for most of the race and kept his composure throughout to hand the little Italian outfit a further three points to complete a result that exceeded its wildest expectations.

Jenson Button sandwiched the two STR drivers in a season-high fifth place, banishing his own memories of his disappointing Japanese race.

After a poor start, the Briton made his big move in the race’s unpredictable second phase, not for the first time in his career making light work of the tricky conditions.

Nick Heidfeld salvaged seventh from a difficult weekend for BMW, after it had already seen Robert Kubica retire from the race lead before his second pit stop.

Coulthard took the final point to cap his strong weekend, although it had promised much more than that if the rain hadn't returned just after he had switched to dry tyres at his second pit stop.

Nevertheless, the Scot did well to fend off the marauding Renault of Heikki Kovalainen for eighth.

1. K.Raikkonen
2. F.Alonso
3. F.Massa

F1 Japan GP - Race - 30/09/2007 Fuji speedway

The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a real thriller with Lewis Hamilton coming though to take the victory after a flawless drive from pole position. The 67-lap race had a bit of everything, but the most significant result was Hamilton’s fourth win of the season on a day when team-mate and championship rival Fernando Alonso crashed out of the event.

Hamilton extends his championship lead to 12 points over Alonso with two races remaining, while Kimi Raikkonen closes to within five points of the defending champion with his third position behind Heikki Kovalainen.

In treacherous conditions, the first 19 laps were completed behind the safety car and even at that point there had been plenty of drama. For many at Fuji Speedway it certainly was a case of ‘what if’ with a number of drivers rightly claiming that a podium position was a possibility before it all slipped away.

The start saw Hamilton pull a three second advantage over Alonso. Heading to the pits for the one and only stop for fuel and fresh tyres, this would prove vital as Hamilton was able to exit third on track with Alonso eighth. Hamilton would soon regain the lead, despite being tipped into a spin by Robert Kubica, while Alonso crashed heavily exiting turn five as he tried to make up ground.

Hamilton went on to pull out a comfortable advantage to take the win from Kovalainen by just over eight seconds. For the Renault rookie, it was a tremendous result as like Hamilton, it was an error free run in awful conditions - and his first Formula One podium.

For Ferrari, third position was perhaps a little fortunate as they made an incredible decision to start the race on intermediate tyres rather than the full wets as instructed by race control. Behind the safety car Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were soon pulled in for the correct tyres having both run off track. From the back of the field Raikkonen charged through the field and picked up the final podium position as Massa pitted in the final minutes of the race.

Massa would finish in sixth position after a great battle with Kubica on the final lap, but is now out of championship contention.

David Coulthard finished fourth but there will be few smiles in the Red Bull Renault pit. Mark Webber ran second just two seconds behind Hamilton when Alonso went off and brought out the safety car on lap 41. With Sebastian Vettel running a stunning third in his Toro Rosso, it looked to be a dream result for the Red Bull organisation. The dream soon turned into a nightmare as Vettel made solid contact with the back of Webber while still behind the safety car and both were out of the race. It was an unfortunate situation and while Webber will be furious, Vettel will be simply mortified about his costly rookie error.

Giancarlo Fisichella finished in fifth position in the second Renault, while Massa and Kubica traded positions on the final lap in a stunning bit of all-out racing rarely seen in modern day Formula One. Kubica, who served a drive through penalty for his contact with Hamilton earlier in the race, took the chequered flag 0.2 seconds behind Massa who had an eventful race himself, including a drive through penalty for overtaking behind the safety car.

onio Liuzzi started the race from the pit lane in his Toro Rosso and put in a great drive to secure the final point with eighth position* ahead of Adrian Sutil who also put in a solid performance in his Spyker Ferrari.

Honda certainly could have had a handful of points today with Jenson Button running fifth before an incident with Nick Heidfeld early in the race saw him pit for a new front wing. Rubens Barrichello ran seventh in the closing stages but had to pit for fuel and dropped to tenth, just ahead of the recovering Button.

Sakon Yamamoto finished 12th in the second Spyker ahead of Jarno Trulli who was off the pace in his Toyota. It was a poor weekend again from the Japanese-owned team with Ralf Schumacher also running towards the tail of the pack before mechanical problems intervened.

Nick Heidfeld looked solid all afternoon and was on for a sixth place finish until his engine started to misfire on the penultimate lap. The German pulled the BMW Sauber to a halt and he was classified 14th ahead of Takuma Sato. Anthony Davidson retired his SA07 late in the race making it a dismal weekend for the Super Aguri Honda squad.

Nico Rosberg ran outside of the top ten after his engine change penalty and retired with an electrical problem while Alex Wurz spun his Williams Toyota following contact from behind - possibly from Takuma Sato - at the start of the race, making contact with Massa and retiring on the spot.

A race with a bit of everything, but for Hamilton, it was a dream result as the F1 circus packs up and head to Shanghai for next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

* Stewards decided after that race that Tonio Liuzzi was guilty of passing Adrian Sutil under caution. The Toro Rosso racer was handed a 25 second penalty dropping him from eighth to ninth and promoting Sutil and Spyker Ferrari into the points.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

1. L.Hamilton
2. H.Kovalainen
3. K.Raikkonen

MotoGP - Japan - Motegi - 23/09/2007

The Ducati Marlboro Team enjoyed its greatest day in Japan today, Casey Stoner securing Ducati's first MotoGP World Championship and Loris Capirossi winning the race, run in tricky conditions on a drying track.

The result triggered scenes of unbridled joy in the Ducati Marlboro Team pit, in the more than one thousand fans who watched the race in the Borgo Panigale Factory with the CEO Gabriele Del Torchio among them and in all the Ducatistis around the world.

Australian genius Stoner had to finish today's race ahead of Valentino Rossi to wrap up the title with three GPs remaining, and he did that, no problem, finishing sixth after leading the early stages. The race couldn't have been more nerve-wracking: it started on a slightly damp track, most riders choosing rain tyres, then the circuit dried out enough for riders to swap to slick-equipped bikes.

Capirossi was one of the first riders to switch, at the end of lap nine, and his strategy paid rich dividends, the 2005 and 2006 Japanese GP winner going on to score a Motegi hat-trick, 10.853 seconds ahead of his closest rival.

Stoner swapped bikes at the end of lap 14 and maintained his renowned cool to become the second youngest premier-class World Champion, after American legend Freddie Spencer. So far this year Stoner has won eight races, taken three further podium finished and scored five pole positions.

CASEY STONER, 6th, 2007 MotoGP World Champion on 297 points
"At the moment it all feels a little bit unrealistic! I'm struggling for words, I don't think there's any feeling that can compare to this, but I think it's really going to sink in as the day goes on and heads into tomorrow. The race started out quite well, we were able to get up front quite early and I had a reasonably good feeling with the bike, I was in a happy position. But then my rain tyres started wearing out as the track dried, and Valentino and Dani (Pedrosa) came past.
I didn't really know whether to come in or not, then my team put 'box' on my pitboard, so I had a bit more confidence to come in. After I changed bikes there was something up with the steering damper, the bike wasn't allowing me to tip into corners, so I had to slow down to unwind it. Then I started to find more of a rhythm, Valentino had a problem and we managed to finish ahead of him. I guess that was the aim of the game today. Towards the end everything was creeping into my head, so I just tried to stay focused on the job in hand, I wanted to bring it home for my team. The whole thing is a bit overwhelming, because we didn't really expect to get the championship today, it's come on me quite quickly. There's a lot of people I have to thank: my parents, who have always been there for me, they've supported me throughout my career, my wife Adriana's who's been there this season and the past few and everyone else who's helped me along the way - Ducati, my whole team, Bridgestone tyres, a big thanks to everyone who's had anything to with my career - we finally did it!"

LORIS CAPIROSSI, winner, 7th in World Championship on 130 points
"We st-ruggled a lot this weekend and only yesterday did we find a better set-up solution. When I woke this morning and saw the rain I said 'wow, for sure this is going to be a difficult day'. We didn't know which would be the best tyres to use, so we started with medium rain tyres. At first it was really difficult, so I decided to pit early, and for sure my tactic was the best because I won my third consecutive race here, it's a great moment for me. It's also a great day for Casey, for Ducati and for the team. I congratulate Casey, he's a really strong rider, I'm very happy for him."

GABRIELE DEL TORCHIO CEO Ducati Motor Holding
"This success, besides its great strategic value, is the best demonstration of Ducati excellence, is a triumph of Italian intelligence, talent, competences and the warmth that is one of our country's most vital assets. It's an important and remarkable achievement, 34 years after the premier-class World Championship was last won by an Italian factory. It is a dream come true. We are speaking of a great feat realised thanks to Casey's commitment, bravery and team work, united with the work of our draughtsmen, technicians, engineers, team members, sponsors and everyone at the factory. They have all worked with great passion and great skill to obtain this championship win, a success emphasized by today's win by Loris, to whom we say a hearty thank you for the great job he's done these past five years. The joy and the pride of experiencing this historic championship result pay back all our efforts and can only encourage us towards even more important and remarkable goals, both in the sporting and commercial arenas."

CLAUDIO DOMENICALI, Ducati Corse CEO/Ducati Motor Holding product director
"It is a dream come true - a fantastic feeling, really fantastic. I don't have enough words to thank all the guys who have contributed to this incredible achievement, which shows that Italy is a nation whose passion and talent can succeed in a hugely technically advanced field. It's certainly a good reason for Italians to be proud - proud about the talent of our engineers and about the quality of our universities. It is also a sign that allows Italy to look to the future and into globalization with a pinch more optimism."

Ducati Corse

1. L.CAPIROSSI
2. R.DEPUNIET
3. T.ELIAS

MotoGP - Portugal - Estoril - 16/09/2007

Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi took a wonderful win at Estoril this afternoon following a brilliant battle at the front with Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa - to temporarily put Casey Stoner's title celebrations on hold.

The bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal saw Rossi duelling with Pedrosa throughout the final stages of the race, eventually crossing the line just 0.175s in front of the Spanish rider to claim his fourth victory of the season and his first win since Assen in June.

he result was great news for Yamaha with Rossi making the most of his recently updated M1 800cc prototype machinery - with its new pneumatic engine - answering the critics in style after his Misano setback.

Third placed Stoner will have to put the champagne on ice for now as he saw his advantage at the head of the general standings drop to 76 points, but the young Aussie nonetheless rode with great maturity to secure the final podium spot and he will still be confident of clinching the title over the next two rounds.

With pole man Nicky Hayden finishing fourth at the scene of his 2006 heartbreak, Michelin demonstrated improved competitiveness with three riders in the top four.

Another solid run from Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri resulted in a top five finish, whilst John Hopkins came home sixth having started in his lowest grid position of 2007 in tenth.

Spanish pair Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) and Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) were seventh and eighth respectively, with Ducati Marlboro's Loris Capirossi and Fiat Yamaha's Colin Edwards completing the top ten.

DORNA / CAPSIS International

1. V.ROSSI
2. D.PEDROSA
3. C.STONER