Monday, 07 July 2008

How confident were you ahead of the start of the race?

”I've got to admit, I was nervous! In front of my home crowd, I didn't want to mess this up for everyone. Even on my lap-to-grid, the track felt greasy and slippery in places and the car was starting to aquaplane. But at times like that, you've got to relax and once the race started I was quickly into a rhythm and everything seemed to come to me. I know you can never start feeling too confident because it can affect your concentration but I think I found the perfect balance out on the track on Sunday.”



Were there some big celebrations back at the team’s brand centre in the paddock afterwards?

”We got a bit of a party vibe going on there after the race! When I finished with the TV crews I walked back into the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Brand Centre and just found it packed with partners, team members and members of my family. Everybody started cheering and I felt a bit overwhelmed. My physio was so happy he took over the music system and put some tunes on to turn the place into a club! Notorious B.I.G, Ini Kamoze, Kanye West, party hip hop basically - a real mixture of old and new stuff - and that got everybody going! Everybody started dancing and I could finally start to relax with my family. You need a bit of time on your own after a performance like that just to get yourself back on the ground but it was great to have my family, friends and colleagues all joining in the celebration.”



I believe the entire team got together afterwards to do a team photo as well?

”Monza 2007 was our last team photo when Fernando and I finished one-two. Although this wasn’t a one-two it was very much another special result for the team after a couple of difficult races so it was a good sign of solidarity for everybody. The team has been working so hard recently and this result was as much for them as it was for me.”



Silverstone had organised a Grand Prix party for the fans after the race and you made an appearance on the stage?

”It was crazy! I got a shuttle from the paddock, and before I could even get in it I was mobbed by fans. I always try and sign as many autographs and pose for as many pictures as I can - because I never like to leave people disappointed but sometimes it is just impossible, I’m sorry. I know you can always do more, but I really hope people understand that I give as much as I can to the fans and couldn't do what I do without their support. Once we got to the venue, I bumped into Sir Jackie Stewart and Jenson Button and then went on stage with my brother Nic. That was the biggest roar I've ever heard - it left me speechless for a while. That sort of thing just gives me such a buzz and makes days like this feel even more valuable and worthwhile. It was an awesome feeling to see the sea of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Rocket Red caps and flags being waved and to hear their cheering and chanting.”



How important is the support of your family and in particular your relationship with your younger brother Nic?

”I was in my room preparing for the start and Nic came in to see me. I told him I was worrying about the race and whether I would be able to get through it without making a mistake. He told me not to worry; he told me I was a great wet-weather driver and reminded me of a Cadet kart race I did years ago where I lapped every single one of the karts twice! That made me feel a whole load better and gave me some much needed additional self confidence to go out there and drive as strongly as I did.”



Your drive has been hailed as one of the all-time wet-weather greats - how does that make you feel?

”It's awesome, but I also feel humbled, to be honest. To be included up there with greats such as Stewart and Senna – not that I would claim that myself of course - is one of the reasons why I've pushed so hard throughout my motorsport career. But it hasn't really sunk in yet: sometimes you need a night and a day before you really start to feel the impact of all you've achieved. And you can't really rate one drive against others; people told me it reminded them of Ayrton at Donington in 1993 but I couldn't really say – what an unbelievable comparison though. All I know is that, like Ayrton, I've worked hard my entire racing career to be the best and a result like Sunday's is the reason for all of that.”



What's next for Lewis Hamilton?

”Nothing ever slows down in my life! There's no time to reflect on Silverstone just yet as I'm flying to Germany on Monday and will be in the car testing at Hockenheim on Tuesday and Wednesday. Maybe there will be a bit of time to relax later in the summer and take a holiday - but not yet...”

After Silverstone, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team begins preparations for its second ‘home’ race; next week’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

Another historic event, the German Grand Prix has previously been held on four circuits – two iterations of the Nurburgring. (22 races for the Nordschleife, one for the new circuit, in 1985), Hockenheim (30 races) and a singular event, in 1959, at Berlin’s Avus circuit. This year will mark the 55th running of the German Grand Prix.

While the Hockenheim circuit was not introduced onto the Formula One calendar until 1970, it first existed in recognisable form way back in 1938 and gained its familiar concrete stadium section in 1966. It existed largely unchanged until 2002, when it was dramatically shortened from its mighty 6.8km incarnation to 4.6km by Formula One architect Hermann Tilke.

McLaren has won six times, including a victory for McLaren-Mercedes with Mika Hakkinen in 1998. As a manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz first triumphed in Germany back in 1954, when Juan Manuel Fangio won at the old Nurburgring in a W196.

Since last year, organisers elected to alternate the German round of the world championship between the Nurburgring (organised by ADAC in odd-numbered years) and Hockenheim (organised by AvD in even-numbered years). Due to a disagreement over naming rights, this is the first German Grand Prix to take place since 2006; last year’s Nurburgring race was called the European Grand Prix.


Lewis Hamilton - Does your win at Silverstone take some of the pressure off your shoulders?
“Pressure always exists because you need to win consistently. In Formula One, you’re only as good as your last race and Silverstone already felt like an old memory by the time I was testing at Hockenheim on Tuesday. Generally, however, a race win briefly takes the load off everyone’s shoulders because it allows you to push forward without looking back at the problems you may have faced in the previous race. But you can never get complacent and we’ll be pushing hard again in Germany next week.”

This is your first time at Hockenheim in a Formula One car, what are your initial impressions?
“I was at Hockenheim in 2005 when I won a Formula 3 EuroSeries race and in 2006 with GP2 when I finished second and third. It’s actually quite a straightforward circuit to get into, and it helps that our car just feels so awesome at the moment. There’s a bit of everything around here and it’s quite fun to throw the car into some of the high-speed corners, like Turn One and Turn 12 – the high-speed right-hander into the stadium section.”

You are going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Farnborough Air Show ahead of the Santander German Grand Prix – how do events like these affect your preparations?
“I’m going to Goodwood on Sunday – it’s an event I love because, unlike a Grand Prix, it lets you get closer to the fans, and I always get a real boost from their enthusiasm and positivity. It’s also a place where you can meet other racing drivers in a really relaxed atmosphere – that’s not something you experience during a race weekend either. On the Monday I’m going to Farnborough, which should also be pretty cool. But I’m still doing less than I was before Silverstone and I’ll have several days to relax before Hockenheim.”

Will there be any special promotion activities with Mercedes-Benz for the fans?
“It will be great to be at Hockenheim where I will compete in my first German Grand Prix. I’m looking forward to the support of the Germans and especially the Mercedes fans. I know that many of them will be on the Mercedes grandstand from where they have a great view and there will also be a fantastic entertainment programme behind the grandstand. I will be on stage during the weekend and answer questions about my practice and qualifying. It is always nice to get close to the fans as it gives me additional motivation.”

Heikki Kovalainen - At the start of the season, you talked about needing time to settle in – after your impressive qualifying performance at Silverstone, do you now feel more at ease with the car and team than before?
“In some ways, yes. For sure, in the dry at Silverstone I couldn’t believe how good the car felt and just how much I could keep pushing it. It felt better than ever. But the race showed I can still do more to improve – both in terms of my driving style and the way the team works with me. I know I have the speed, I just need to work harder to apply it across the whole race weekend.”

Does the track suit the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes technical package?
“Our car’s real strengths are in high-speed corners and under braking. Hockenheim is more of a technical, medium-speed circuit so I wouldn’t expect us to have any particular advantage – but the car does feel very good here. It has a similar downforce level to Magny-Cours, where we weren’t really able to show our true potential, so it will be interesting to see where we sit in comparison to our rivals.”

The team tried a new dorsal fin engine cover during the test – did it make a difference?
“The new top body engine cover has been designed to improve aero performance, particularly through high-speed corners – and we feel it had an advantage during the Hockenheim test. But it’s still too early to say; maybe Hockenheim is not the best place to try this new wing and we need to see if it is affected by crosswinds – it was quite windy at the Hockenheim test, but we didn’t seem to be too affected by the wind. It’s definitely encouraging for the future.”

A pole every three races for Lewis Hamilton
McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday's German Grand Prix, the team's second consecutive home Grand Prix, from pole position after Silverstone two weeks ago.

It is also the team’s second pole position in a row and the fourth this year. In the closing seconds of the final session, Hamilton set a time of 1:15.666s and claimed his ninth pole position in his 27th F1 start.

It is the 58th for the McLaren Mercedes partnership and McLaren’s 137th. Silverstone pole-sitter Heikki Kovalainen qualified third fastest with a 1:16.143s and will start from the second row, right behind his team-mate.

Lewis Hamilton
"What a lap! My first run during Q3 wasn’t bad, but my final lap was very smooth and I expected to set an even better time. The wind made today's conditions quite tricky and sometimes it was difficult to stay on the racing line, particularly in the stadium section – where the wind seemed to change a couple of times. The team did a really good job to adjust to these conditions and to prepare the car perfectly. We’ve been fast and consistent all weekend, we have good pace, and I’m confident for tomorrow."

Heikki Kovalainen
"In the final session my car felt the best it has all weekend. But on my first run I lost the rear-end entering the stadium section and ran wide. And on my final run I did a little bit of rally-crossing at the last corner. Taking that into account, it was a good lap.
"

Ron Dennis
"Today we saw another excellent team performance by all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Clearly, we're delighted for Lewis, who drove a great lap to take pole position in what I'm sure most people will agree was a gripping end to today's qualifying session. But we're equally pleased with Heikki, who recovered very impressively after his 'off' earlier in the session. He pushed hard, kept his head and carved a fast but disciplined lap that placed him third on tomorrow's grid. As regards tomorrow, we believe we have a competitive strategy and are therefore looking forward to putting in a strong performance in what is the second successive home Grand Prix for our team."

Norbert Haug
"That was a thrilling qualifying and Lewis made things clear at the last possible moment. A great lap which led him to the best position to start our second home Grand Prix after Silverstone. Heikki was on pole a fortnight ago, now it’s Lewis's turn. With Heikki in third place on the clean side of the track, we are in a good position for tomorrow’s race – but we certainly are not underestimating our competitors."

Yes, similar but Massa try to fight back which makes it so much love-able

But ya, the most economic drive goes to Renault. What a suprise that they just made one stop

McLaren boss Ron Dennis on Sunday admitted team strategists made a mistake that could have cost Lewis Hamilton victory at Hockenheim.

While much of the field pitted under the safety car following Timo Glock's violent crash in the middle of the race, leader Hamilton was told to stay on the track.

With a pitstop still to make when the safety car pulled off, Hamilton was told over the radio he had to build a 23-second gap to retain his lead - in just seven laps.

"I just kept pushing - over the limit, pushing and pushing - but I couldn't find the gap," Hamilton, who established a four point advantage in the drivers' championship with his dominant performance in Germany, told reporters.

After the pitstop, the Briton was let past by his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, and then overtook Ferrari's Felipe Massa and surprise leader Nelson Piquet's Renault.


But when he was behind the safety car, Hamilton admits he questioned McLaren's strategists over the radio.

"I said are you sure about this, and they said fine. But we all have decisions and opinions and we'll learn from this one and move on," he said.

Dennis, McLaren Principal, told British broadcaster ITV the team got the call wrong.

"We expected the safety car to come in early. We thought the race could have started three laps earlier. You can't get it right all the time," he said.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

LEWIS HAMILTON

“I nailed it this afternoon: when the team told me I had to build a 23-second gap in just seven laps, I knew I had to drive over the limit – and I did. But I knew we had the best car this weekend and felt comfortable pushing hard to make up the gap. In the final stint, I had to work for today’s win – when the Safety Car came out, I questioned whether I should pit but I trusted the team to make the best decision on strategy. It didn’t quite work out – but I knew we had the pace in the car to keep pushing and want to say a big thank-you to Heikki, who realised I was quicker. I was able to slipstream past Felipe and then thought my work was done; then I had to do it all again to get past Nelson. But I made a couple of textbook moves to get past them both. Everybody in this team has worked so hard to make this victory happen. We mustn’t grow complacent but must feel assured that our efforts are being rewarded. We couldn’t have asked for more today.”

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN

"A very difficult race for me. I had a good start and almost managed to pass Felipe but, unfortunately, my speed was not good enough, and I couldn’t make the tyres work to their best. The Safety Car period didn’t help me either, and I lost positions during my pitstop. Then I lost time behind Kubica. However, I managed to overtake him again two laps later and, from then on, it was a rather uneventful race. Fifth position was not what I had hoped to achieve here, but I am now looking forward to the Hungarian Grand Prix, where I will try my hardest to fight for a podium finish."

RON DENNIS

"Today's victory topped-off another magnificent weekend for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. I stress the word 'team' because our win was very much a team effort. The deployment of the Safety Car presented us with a difficult decision: should we or should we not bring Lewis in for a pitstop? We decided that, since he still had quite a lot of fuel on board, we would leave him out until lap 50. We'd expected the track to be cleared of debris a little faster than it was, which would have allowed the Safety Car to come in a bit earlier. As a result, Lewis was unable to rejoin the race in the lead. He responded majestically, however, and scored another fabulous win. Heikki was troubled by oversteer in his first stint, which we attempted to correct at his first pit stop, but he still struggled a little in his next stint. That being the case, he wasn't able to match Lewis's pace today. But it's the mark of both his professionalism and his sportsmanship that, aware of his situation relative to Lewis's, he made it relatively straightforward for Lewis to pass him. As I've said before, Heikki's time will come. In difficult circumstances he raced tremendously well today – his overtaking manoeuvre on Robert Kubica was just sensational – and once again he showed a winner's grit and determination. It's a joy to have two drivers who are not only super-competitive but also super-cooperative."

NORBERT HAUG

"A sensational victory for Lewis with some great overtaking – he was in a class of his own in the team’s second consecutive home Grand Prix. His speed was better than I had ever dreamed of. After we let him continue during the Safety Car period we saw two of the most exciting overtaking manoeuvres of the championship. I am really happy about this convincing win – thank-you Lewis. I also want to thank everybody in the team for doing a great job; not only in the garage but also to everybody on the marketing, press and organisational side. Finally, I want to thank all our friends and guests who enjoyed a fantastic day at the Mercedes grandstand where they all saw a lot of action and enjoyed the great atmosphere."

McLaren boss Ron Dennis rejected any suggestion Heikki Kovalainen was the victim of team orders during Sunday's German Grand Prix.

As Hockenheim winner and championship leader Lewis Hamilton made his way back to the front following the mid-race safety car, his Finnish team-mate Kovalainen - now a full 30 points behind in the drivers' standings - seemed to pull aside and let his British colleague past.

Hamilton and Dennis thanked the 26-year-old for his cooperation, but some sections of the German crowd registered their displeasure by whistling - resurrecting memories of Austria in 2002, when Ferrari's Jean Todt famously required Rubens Barrichello to 'let Michael Schumacher pass for the championship.'

Dennis denied Kovalainen was ordered to cede, which would be a breach of the post-2002 rules.

"The only thing we do is advise our drivers of the respective pace of the other driver," he said.
"They ultimately call it.

"Lewis was nearly one second quicker and when he was told Lewis was quicker he just let him past. It was a tremendous sporting gesture," Dennis added.

Referring to Kovalainen, he continued: "He knew that was the only way because the longer he would have held up Lewis the more difficult it would have been for him to have regained the lead. It's what being in a racing team is about.

"True team-mates do these things because that's the way they are," said Ron Dennis.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

Lewis Hamilton has turned a corner and is now on the right track to winning the world championship, according to former triple title winner Niki Lauda.

The great Austrian, who watched 23-year-old McLaren driver Hamilton dominantly win Sunday's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, is sure the Briton is driving better even than his rookie season in 2007.

"Last year he was my favourite, but he screwed up in the last two races," Lauda, the former Ferrari and McLaren driver, told Reuters.

"I think he's got the message now, from Silverstone in a difficult race and here in a difficult race for him. He's on the right track and if he continues like this he's unbeatable," he added.

Lauda, 59, said Hamilton's Hockenheim drive reminded him of Ayrton Senna.


Ross Brawn, the Honda team boss and former Ferrari technical director, said Hockenheim reminded him of another great.

"It was reminiscent of some of Michael (Schumacher)'s greatest drives," Brawn was quoted as saying by The Mirror at Hockenheim.

Even the seven-time World Champion himself, Schumacher - rooting for the defeated Ferrari on the pitwall - had to applaud Hamilton's "fantastic performance" in Germany.

© CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

You looked particularly comfortable in the opening laps - were you pushing hard?

"I was definitely pushing! But the car felt so good at the start of the race that it wasn't difficult to push to the limit. I've said it before, but we've really transformed this year's car over the past six weeks. It's now so well-balanced and responsive that it just feels fantastic to drive - you can always trust it and get something more out of it - and I was actually enjoying those early laps because I was able to get into a nice rhythm. I think my start was almost perfect, too."

The team pitted you a little early for your first stop - were you concerned that might erode some of your advantage?

"Not really. As I said yesterday, I always trust the team's decisions and I had no problem with them calling me in a little early - it was just a precaution to avoid a random Safety Car period causing us difficulties. Naturally, I wanted to make sure I got back into the lead and I did radio the team just after my first pitstop to ask if they knew if I was going to run longer than Felipe Massa to the second stops. We were pretty confident we were going longer. After that, I had a few problems trying to overtake lapped cars. Despite that, the car felt really well-balanced and I knew I was comfortable in front."

Then the Safety Car was deployed to deal with the wreckage from Timo Glock's shunt. What did you feel when you heard about it over the radio, knowing that it would destroy the advantage you had built up?

"Sometimes, you just have a feeling that something like that is going to happen. And when the team came on the radio to tell me there had been a crash on the pit-straight, I wasn't too surprised, actually. We've seen before that the Safety Car can help your race or hurt it - and it's just one of those things that happens in racing. I must admit, I did wonder whether we should have pitted under the Safety Car, but I was confident the team would make the right decision for my race. I was also pretty worried about the pace of the Safety Car - if it had gone any slower, I would definitely have had problems keeping heat in my tyres and I had to work the brakes quite hard to keep some heat in the tyres to keep the pressures up."

How did you react when the team told you you needed to pull out a 23-second gap in fewer than 10 laps in order to maintain your lead over Felipe Massa?

"I remember flicking on my radio switch and saying, ‘You want to make it hard, huh?' and then I just decided to put everything into focusing on those laps. I was quite lucky, because the track was clear ahead of me and I could just put my foot down. I knew it was a long shot - actually, I knew it was going to be near-impossible! - but I didn't spend too much time thinking about it and just got on with the job. Driving a racing car in those situations is actually one of the most enjoyable times you can have as a racing driver - you stop thinking about the race and just focus on yourself and the car; the optimum moment to hit the brakes, the best time to pick up the throttle. You just bury yourself in the rhythm of it all - I love it."

After your final pitstop, you found yourself behind Massa. Were you geared up to take him on?

"I knew the gap to Massa wasn't too big, and I knew our car had the pace to take him on, so I felt confident that I would be able to have a go. I got closer to him through the Stadium Section, got a good tow out of Turn One and was right behind him as we exited Turn Two. On the way up towards the hairpin, I got a great tow and was able to slipstream past - but he was pretty quick too, so it was a case of being late on the brakes. It was pretty copybook stuff - and I wouldn't want to be in F1 if I couldn't overtake - and Felipe put up a bit of a fight, but I felt I had him covered. I'm here to race; I came into Formula 1 because I want to be the fastest driver, I want to pull off great overtaking moves and I want to race as hard as I can for the rest of my career. That's why I'm here."

But then you had to do it all again with Nelson Piquet - were you aware that he was leading?

"No, not at all! To be honest, once I'd got past Felipe, I thought my work for the afternoon was done. But then the team told me I still had to get past Nelson. It was good to be racing against somebody who I'd got to know quite well on the track back in 2006, when we were in GP2 together. And because I'd raced against him before, I'd sort of learnt how he races and how he reacts - you do that with all drivers you race against regularly - and I was also fully aware that he was leading a grand prix for the first time. That brings a lot of pressure with it, and I knew he'd be looking more for a good result than a struggle, so I was able to pull off another clean move to get back into the lead. We could have made things easier on ourselves at Hockenheim on Sunday, but I enjoyed the afternoon - it's always good to get stuck into a battle - and we must feel confident that everybody in the team is pushing hard to improve the car. I won at the Hungaroring last year, so I can't wait to get in the car again."

Lewis Hamilton

Gary Paffett fine-tuned a wide number of aero-components yesterday in the first day of testing for McLaren Mercedes at Jerez as well as evaluating different suspension set-ups.

Pedro de la Rosa kicked off the slick evaluation programme for the team today in sunny and hot conditions at the Spanish test circuit.

The Spaniard's best lap came in the cooler morning conditions as he posted a 1:19.061s best on lap seven of 122 completed today. The time was good for second fastest on the day, two-tenths behind pace-setter Sebastian Vettel's Toro Rosso Ferrar that also ran slick tyres.


De la Rosa remains on track Thursday before handing over to Heikki Kovalainen. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton is not scheduled to test this week.

McLaren have ended speculation about Heikki Kovalainen's future by confirming he will race for the team alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2009.

The Finn, 26, has collected 28 points so far in his debut season for McLaren but the team believe he can progress.

"He is a brilliant young racing driver," McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh said.

"But there's no magic in Formula One and we still need to work with Heikki to extract his full potential."

Kovalainen joined McLaren from Renault for the beginning of the 2007 season with Fernando Alonso moving in the opposite direction.

After a progressive season with Renault, the Finn was expected to provide a tough, but more amicable, team-mate for Hamilton at McLaren.

However, after 10 races, Kovalainen trails Hamilton by 30 points in the drivers' standings to see his own title chances fade.

A topsy-turvy season has seen the Finn perform well in qualifying, capturing a maiden pole at Silverstone, but struggle to make his grid positions count.

Kovalainen's only podium of the season has come with third place in Malaysia and the Finn has been working with the team's engineers to improve his set-up ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

But McLaren, who were rumoured to be interested in Williams's Nico Rosberg, have chosen to stick with Kovalainen as they look to build a period of stability at the team after a 2007 season upset by strained team relationships and the McLaren-Ferrari spy row.

Whitmarsh added: "We welcomed Heikki on board at the start of the year.

"He is under contract to McLaren Mercedes and will race for us in the 2009 season."

McLaren will begin rotating staff members on its travelling race team next year due to the absence of the August break on the provisional 2009 calendar.

The sport is currently in the three-week break between the Hungarian and European Grand Prix, which coincides with a summer test ban.

But even though the pause was designed to give respite on the ever-expanding F1 calendars of today, it will not appear in 2009, despite the addition of one more race next year.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis is a staunch supporter of a break he deems 'essential' for travelling team members including mechanics.

"They don't get the right amount of time with their families and this gives them an opportunity to have at least one week where they are not at the office or workshops," he is quoted as saying by CNN.

"It's a key ingredient of keeping people motivated and happy when you are addressing the calendar, which makes next year's difficult for them.

"We will have to accommodate that by rotating people. They will not be expected to go right through the season," Dennis revealed.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

The Formula One teams gathered in Italy have now completed their three-day test session at the Monza circuit, thereby capping off several programmes aimed at preparing the upcoming Belgian and Italian races. Of the ten drivers on track, eight set times within the same second.

Following Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld, it was Lewis Hamilton's turn to top the timesheets at the end of a test day. His McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 accomplished today's fastest lap of the circuit with a time of 1:22.967, a run which did not improve that of Heidfeld's recorded yesterday.

Second-fastest on this Friday was title rival Kimi Raikkonen, whose Ferrari F2008 displayed a 0.404 gap on Hamilton. There was a surprise today as Giancarlo Fisichella signed the third-quickest time, his Force India VJM01 coming in two thirds of a second off Raikkonen's time but merely two thousandths of a second ahead of Kazuki Nakajima aboard the Williams FW30.

The Red Bull racer handled by David Coulthard led another Renault-powered car, Fernando Alonso's Renault R28. Sebastien Bourdais set the seventh-best lap at the controls of the Toro Rosso STR3, with Timo Glock's Toyota coming next.

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica did not get as much time on the track as he wished for after a slight off caused time-costly repairs, which were followed by electrical issues later on. The Pole completed the timesheet roster ahead of Jenson Button and his Honda, last on the list with a time 1.354 seconds off today's best.


The session was disrupted often due to the appearance of five red flag periods, which did not prevent David Coulthard from having a busy day indeed with 120 laps to his name.

Overall, the three best lap times recorded at Monza during the entire group test session belong to Nick Heidfeld (1:22.621), Nico Rosberg (1:22.879), and Lewis Hamilton (1:22.967).

The teams will now pack up their equipment and move to Belgium for next week's much-anticipated Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Monza - 29/08/2008
1. L. Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 - 1:22.967 (+ 0.000) - 97 laps
2. K. Raikkonen - Ferrari F2008 - 1:23.371 (+ 0.404) - 79 laps
3. G. Fisichella - Force India VJM01 - 1:23.632 (+ 0.665) - 114 laps
4. K. Nakajima - Williams FW30 - 1:23.634 (+ 0.667) - 99 laps
5. D. Coulthard - Red Bull Renault RB4 - 1:23.737 (+ 0.770) - 120 laps
6. F. Alonso - Renault R28 - 1:23.820 (+ 0.853) - 80 laps
7. S. Bourdais - Toro Rosso Ferrari STR3 - 1:23.865 (+ 0.898) - 77 laps
8. T. Glock - Toyota TF108 - 1:23.897 (+ 0.930) - 79 laps
9. R. Kubica - BMW Sauber F1.08 - 1:24.089 (+ 1.122) - 57 laps
10. J. Button - Honda RA108 - 1:24.321 (+ 1.354) - 96 laps

McLaren have lodged an appeal against the punishment that stripped Lewis Hamilton of his Belgian Grand Prix win.

Stewards hit the Englishman with a 25-second penalty, demoting him to third, for cutting a chicane as he battled with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

McLaren said they are appealing on the grounds that Hamilton had immediately ceded the position back to Raikkonen.

"We hereby confirm we have lodged notice of appeal," said McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh.

The appeal has been lodged by the UK's national sporting authority, the Motor Sports Association, with Formula One's governing body the FIA.

There is some debate about whether the rules allow for teams to appeal against a time penalty - but that will be decided by the FIA court of appeal.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda has already described the stewards' decision as "the worst judgement in F1 history".

"It is the most perverted judgement I have ever seen," said the Austrian, who won the title for both Ferrari and McLaren.

"It's absolutely unacceptable when three functionaries (the stewards) influence the championship like this."

After the race, a McLaren spokesman said: "Having passed the lead back to Kimi, Lewis repositioned, moving his car across and behind Kimi to the right-hand line.

"He then outbraked him into the hairpin."

The incident that led to the penalty arrived at the end of lap 42 as the rain Hamilton had been praying for duly arrived.

It allowed F1's wet-weather king to reel in leader Raikkonen and on the approach to the Bus Stop chicane, he had the Finn in his sights.

Hamilton darted around the outside, both drivers locked up their brakes on entry and Hamilton took evasive action by using a run-off area to his left.

The rules say drivers are not allowed to gain an advantage by cutting a chicane.

Returning to the track in the lead, the 23-year-old knew he had to yield his position, otherwise he would have been duly penalised.

Hamilton appeared to do so, with Raikkonen crossing the start-finish line narrowly ahead, before Hamilton dived across the track to the inside and overtook the Ferrari into the La Source hairpin.

But race stewards Nicholas Deschaux, Surinder Thatti and Yves Bacquelaine saw things differently.

The McLaren spokesman had added: "We looked at all our data and also made it available to the FIA stewards.

"It showed that, having lifted [off the accelerator], Lewis was 6kph slower than Kimi as they crossed the start-finish line.

"Based on this data, we have no option other than to register our intention to appeal.

"We are a racing team and we will now focus on Monza (the Italian Grand Prix next Sunday), with a view to extending our lead in the drivers' world championship."

Despite his joy at the apparent win, describing his fight with Raikkonen as "one of the most exciting for a long time", Hamilton perhaps had an inkling as to what might transpire.

"We were still able to race at the next corner and I gave him his spot back and I think it was fair and square."

Hamilton has incurred the wrath of the stewards on other occasions already this season.

Hamilton's first punishment was in the second race of the season in Malaysia, where he and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen were handed five-place grid penalties for impeding other drivers in qualifying.

Hamilton was then demoted 10 places for the French Grand Prix after driving into the back of Raikkonen in the pit lane in the previous race in Canada.

Add the drive-through penalty in Magny-Cours and a 5,000 euros fine for being late to a press conference in Valencia a fortnight ago, and it has been a controversial year for Hamilton.

But win or lose the appeal, he still has a lead going into the final five races of the season.

Lewis Hamilton says he will not allow last Sunday's dramatic events in Spa to distract him at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza this weekend.

The McLaren driver was stripped of his Belgian GP win for cutting a chicane and the team are taking their case to the International Court of Appeal.

But Hamilton said: "I don't feel at all disheartened by what happened.

"I don't feel that there's a need for revenge. We want to win on the track. Winning in court is not what we want."

Hamilton had clinched a thrilling victory in Spa passing Ferrari rival Kimi Raikkonen, who later crashed out, as rain began to fall in the closing laps.

But the Englishman was handed a 25-second penalty that saw him drop to third and Ferrari's Felipe Massa promoted to race winner.

Officials judged Hamilton had gained an advantage by cutting the Bus Stop chicane in his battle with Raikkonen, but McLaren have lodged an appeal on the grounds that Hamilton immediately ceded the position back to the Finn.

The hearing will be heard by the court of appeal of Formula One's governing body, the FIA, before the end of the month.

With judicial proceedings under way, Hamilton had to watch his words but did say: "Everyone in the team thinks we've won the race on moral grounds.

"We just have to try our best to stay squeaky clean, stay out of trouble for the rest of the season, and not let them have any opportunity to put us in that position."

As well as examining whether Hamilton surrendered any advantage he gained by cutting the chicane when he let Raikkonen past him on the pit straight, the court may also examine the manoeuvre at the chicane.

Hamilton himself discounted suggestions that a lack of grip forced Raikkonen to brake earlier going into the chicane, causing the McLaren driver to veer off the track.

"We had the same amount of grip," said Hamilton. "That's the way he drives.

"If you don't have the balls to brake late, that's your problem.

"At the end of the day, in those situations, it's the driver who can feel the grip more, and put the car more on the edge.

"I'm great in those conditions, and I felt the grip more than he did. I knew where to place my car, I placed it in a different position to him and I found the grip."

For now, the 23-year-old is determined to put the appeal to the back of his mind and focus on the looming battle with Ferrari in Monza.

Hamilton arrives at the Italian marque's home race two points ahead of Massa in the drivers standings but believes McLaren have the upper hand going into the weekend.

"I hope what has happened does not have an effect, and I plan to make sure it has no effect on the championship," insisted Hamilton.

"I still have a two-point lead and we will continue to attack and perform like we did in the last two races. If anything we can use this [the Spa incident] as our fuel to keep pushing.

"Massa is on his back foot. He has to work damn hard to keep up with me.

"We do have a close battle but I'm in a very strong position. I have a great car and we will continue to take points from them.

"I feel like I'm coming away from a win and moving on to the next race.

"We're having a great season battling the Ferraris and it's a real pleasure. But I think we're coming here for a great win to beat them on home turf like last year."