arrogant raikkonen

Schummi: Anything new on your car?
Kimi: why? whine to the FIA after this?

Kimi is a nice guy la...he know when to whine and when do not. Anway I was so syok watching the qualifying for the last lap after Schumi end it (i taught he will be getting the pole) but i am so surprise and happy   he is faster than Schumi for 0.002 sec after he pass the lap. Wow...he really did a great job man. Go Kimi Go For the Champion at tomorrow race.

Lewis Hamilton is on course to become the greatest driver in Formula One's history, according to McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

Hamilton burst onto the F1 season in record-breaking fashion, becoming the first driver to claim three podium finishes in his first three races.

His phenomenal results have also put the McLaren rookie at the top of the Drivers' standings, together with his double World Champion team-mate, Fernando Alonso, and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

However, Whitmarsh believes it's only a matter of time before Hamilton is ahead of his rivals and winning World titles.

"It's obviously too early to analyse but if the trend continues there is no reason why he could not be the greatest driver ever," Whitmarsh told The Guardian.

"Since I joined McLaren in 1989 I've worked with a lot of great drivers including (Alain) Prost, (Ayrton) Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen and now Fernando Alonso with Lewis and I think I've developed a pretty clear picture of what gives the top guys that crucial edge over the simply good or average drivers.

"And I think it is pretty clear that Lewis ticks all the necessary boxes."

Whitmarsh went on to explain what he believes that 'boxes' are.

"Firstly, and obviously, you need the natural skill. Secondly you require a considerable degree of natural toughness. Thirdly some technical empathy is a major benefit because it helps a driver to integrate better with his engineers, which in turn speeds up the car development progress," he added.

"Finally there is fitness, determination and application. Even over their cornflakes the top guys are always thinking what they can do to improve their own performances and work hard. It is almost as if they have some special genetic capability.

"Lesser drivers don't do this, possibly because they aren't smart enough, aren't committed enough or simply don't care."

Fernando Alonso is not feeling the pressure of racing against team-mate Lewis Hamilton, according to McLaren.

Alonso has come under some stiff pressure from his rookie team-mate this season, starting with the Australian GP, which saw the Spaniard trailing his team-mate for two-thirds of the race.

And although the World Champion got the better of Hamilton at the second race in Malaysia, he failed to match his team-mate's performance in the Bahrain GP.

The duo's results this season have put them tied for the lead in the Drivers' standings along with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

However, it's only just on the race-track but also in the press that Hamilton is getting all the attention.

But despite this, McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh is confident that Alonso isn't feeling rattled by his rookie team-mate.

"I think that the two guys are very open and honest with each other and the team," Whitmarsh told Autosport.

"They both want to beat each other. And providing that is in a constructive manner, which it is and has been so far, then that is positive. If a racing driver doesn't want to beat his team-mate then there has to be something wrong with that.

"Our guys are really true competitors. But I think Fernando has tremendous resilience, self-belief and confidence.

"He will recognise that he has come out of the first three races as co-leader of the Championship and he will fancy his chances of getting the job done."

Eddie Jordan has criticised McLaren boss Ron Dennis for being too over-protective of the team's young star Lewis Hamilton. The Former F1 boss, who himself nurtured many young talented drivers on the way to stardom, believes Dennis should let his protégé embrace the media.

"Media interviews, through generating interest for fans and exposure for paying sponsors, are the lifeblood of Formula One," Jordan told F1 Racing magazine.

"So, what was Ron Dennis thinking when he stopped Lewis Hamilton doing interviews on the Melbourne and Sepang grids? Ten other drivers would gladly have done it, and all sponsors would give their right arm for a logo shown in the pre-start minutes.

"And fans certainly wanted to hear F1's new star, live. I don't understand what he was being protected from, and it'll only hurt his profile. Nobody in F1 is too important for 'trivialities' like the media. Let's get this straight: focus on technology and driving all you want, but if nobody's watching, you ain't gonna be at it for long.

"Lewis is good enough to stay focused. He doesn't need nannying. Ron should have let us have our piece: we're entitled to get to know him," he added.

Fernando Alonso has bucked reports that the opening few races of the season have left him 'rattled'.

The reigning World Champion and current championship leader might be forgiven for feeling flustered about the performance and hype of his rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton or his lacklustre outing earlier this month in Bahrain.

But Alonso is quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE as insisting that he still considers himself to be in a honeymoon-like period of this season.

The next Grand Prix is at Barcelona, where a sellout crowd of Alonso's countrymen are expected.

"You are always really optimistic during the first months of a season," he said, "and you think that you can repeat all of your past successes."

"There are no bad thoughts at all - they usually come a little bit later, when things happen and you start to have doubts."

Alonso insisted: "But at the beginning of the season all of your expectations and predictions are good ones.
"
The Spaniard said switching from Renault after five years at the French team has left him feeling 'refreshed'.

"I have a different image but I have not changed as a person," Alonso continued. "But changing teams has made me feel ready for new challenges; I feel that this is a new chapter in my life and it is exactly what I needed."

He failed to match Briton Hamilton's pace last time out in Bahrain but Alonso insists that he approaches every race freshly and 'thinking that I can win'.

"Five minutes before you put on your helmet it would be a mistake to think that you are not going to beat everyone," he explained

Lewis Hamilton has vowed to beat Ferrari rival Felipe Massa and score his first Formula 1 win soon, after finishing runner-up to the Brazilian for the second straight race.

The British rookie notched up another milestone at the Spanish Grand Prix, moving from a three-way tie for the world championship lead to sole possession of it.

By a nice historical coincidence, he became the youngest driver to achieve that feat since Bruce McLaren - the founder of the eponymous team for which Hamilton now races.

"I keep saying I'm living my dream and it really is true," beamed Hamilton in the post-race press conference.

"I've been working so hard for this, and to come out of only my fourth grand prix leading the world championship - when I'm driving with the top drivers in the world - is just incredible."

Hamilton moved from fourth to second place on the opening lap after passing Kimi Raikkonen at the first corner and capitalising on an uncharacteristic error from his team-mate Fernando Alonso.

He admitted he did not have the outright pace to challenge Massa for the win - but feels sure his maiden win is not far away.

"Going into the race we knew we had a very good strategy, and at this track you can't really overtake so the key is to try and get the best position in the first corner," he related.

"Fortunately I got past Kimi, Fernando and Felipe touched and I was able to get past Fernando.

"It was very close - I think when he came back on[to the track] he nearly hit me - but, nevertheless, we managed to pull it off.

"We didn't particularly have the pace of Felipe but I think we're another step closer, and as I said to him just now, we'll get him soon!"

Although he started with a heavier fuel load than Massa, Hamilton was unable to keep the Ferrari within close enough range to leapfrog him at the first pit stop exchange.

"He had already pulled quite a big gap, so when he pitted a few laps before me, I knew I'd be quick but I'd only gain back maybe four seconds," he said.

"So I just had to keep pushing and try to do the best job I could.

"The middle stint again wasn't great but at the end we had a very good pace, very similar times to Felipe.

"We were trying to decide whether to run two prime [tyres] or an option and a prime in the second and third stints.

"We weren't quite sure but five laps before the pit stop we made a decision and stuck with it.

"I think it went quite well, but as I said we struggled in the middle stint with a bit of oversteer."

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa clashed in their views of the first-corner collision that sent the world champion through the gravel and out of contention for a victory in his home grand prix.

The rivals banged wheels at turn one as the Spaniard tried to go around the outside of the Ferrari driver, but it was Massa who was able to hold the lead as Alonso was pitched off the circuit.

The McLaren driver's MP4-22 sustained minor aerodynamic damage from the clash and although keen to not criticise Massa directly, believed that the Ferrari driver tried a "very risky" manoeuvre.

"I think what I mean is that in this type of incident 99 per cent of the time both cars will finish in the first corner as we saw in GP2," Alonso said in the post-race press conference.

"I think when you are fighting for the championship it is very risky to be as aggressive as this in the first corner, sometimes, and I only mean that.

"We were lucky today that both cars finished, one first and one third, and thanks to that the incident will become a little less important.

And when asked to further clarify his comments, he said: "I think what I mean is that it was a very risky point in the race and I nearly finished my race in the first corner, unfortunately, when I felt that I went into the corner a little in front of the other car.

"If you look at my car, at my side-pod and the rear side of the car, it is completely touched. I think that shows everybody who arrived first into the corner. I was more than half a car in front."

However race-winner Massa defended his driving in the first corner, insisting that he was well within his rights to hold the inside line.

"Both of us," he said when asked which driver took more risk in the first corner.

"But usually I was inside, so I had the car inside, so I don't understand his point.

"It was just a normal race accident and as long as I am inside, close to the car going to the first corner, I will keep there. I will not move.

"So, if somebody was aggressive, it was Fernando, it was not me."

Lewis Hamilton apologised to his McLaren mechanics for causing them extra work after damaging his car in a practice crash on Thursday afternoon.

The 22-year-old British rookie had just been demoted from the top of the timing charts by team-mate Fernando Alonso when he locked up his rear wheels under braking for Sainte Devote and made heavy contact with the tyre barrier.

The impact badly damaged the front end of the MP4-22 and Hamilton had to sit out the remaining 35 minutes of the 90-minute session, dropping to third place.

Afterwards he admitted he had paid the heavy price for a minute braking error that Monte Carlo traditionally exacts.

"I have obviously had experience of the circuit from Formula 3 and GP2, but in a Formula 1 car it's very different," he said.

"I found out how unforgiving the track can be when I went off in the second session causing some damage to the car.

"I'm obviously sorry as there will be a bit of work for the guys.

"I had a very small braking error coming into Ste Devote, and the tyres hadn't built up enough grip so I made a tiny mistake, and the back of the car slipped a little and that was it.

"There is just no room for error in Monaco."

Hamilton's crash compounded an earlier setback when his car's starter motor broke and a piece of debris became lodged in the gearbox, forcing him to watch much of the morning session from the pit wall.

But despite his limited mileage - 33 laps overall compared to 60 or more for many of his rivals - Hamilton believes his instant pace bodes well for the weekend.

"Until the crash everything had been going smoothly, and we were able to set some competitive lap times," he said.

Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug noted: "Before [the accident] Lewis was as strong as Fernando."

McLaren's Fernando Alonso set fastest times in both of Friday's free practice sessions for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal with 1m17.759 in the morning and 1m16.550 in the afternoon. His team mate Lewis Hamilton was second fastest in the first practice with 1m17.967 and third fastest in the second session with 1m17.307. Fernando did 17 and 37 laps respectively whilst Lewis completed 20 and 36 laps.

"A good start to our weekend at a challenging circuit. In the first session we limited our running slightly as the track was very dirty and only used one set of tyres, but still emerged fastest," said Alonso. "The second session was spent on tyre evaluation and also looking at the brakes and we have made some good progress. I don't think we will dominate like we did at the last race in Monaco and the track conditions here means that it's very hard to estimate where our competition is, but so far so good."

Hamilton commented, "Today was the first time I had the opportunity to drive at the Montreal circuit and I really enjoyed myself. We had done a lot of work back in the UK with our simulation programme and also I have watched a few of the past races here but you can't beat the real thing. We worked on set-up, tyre evaluation and also looking at the brakes as this circuit is notoriously hard on the brakes. There were no problems and it looks like we are in good shape."

Team boss Ron Dennis added, "A troublefree start to our Canadian Grand Prix weekend. The team has worked hard since Monaco on finding further improvements and so far it looks like we could have a competitive weekend. As always on a Friday both drivers focused on general set-up work and tyre evaluation but we also did some work with the brakes as these are a key factor at this particular circuit."

heard news juz now, hamilton might leave mclaren!!!