2008 French Grand Prix

Infobox Grand Prix race report
Type = F1
Country = France
Grand Prix = French
Date = June 22
Year = 2008

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Race_No = 8
Season_No = 18
Official name = XCIII Grand Prix de France
Location = Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours, France
Course = Permanent racing facility
Course_mi = 2.74
Course_km = 4.411
Distance_laps = 70
Distance_mi = 191.8
Distance_km = 308.77
Weather = Dry at first, two brief rain showers near end; Air 24-26°C, Track 25-32°C
Pole_Driver = Kimi Räikkönen
Pole_Team = Ferrari
Pole_Time = 1:16.449
Pole_Country = Finland
Fast_Driver = Kimi Räikkönen
Fast_Team = Ferrari
Fast_Time = 1:16.630
Fast_L

Fast_Country = Finland
First_Driver = Felipe Massa
First_Team = Ferrari
First_Country = Brazil
Second_Driver = Kimi Räikkönen
Second_Team = Ferrari
Second_Country= Finland
Third_Driver = Jarno Trulli
Third_Team = Toyota
Third_Country = ItalyThe 2008 French Grand Prix was the eighth race of the 2008 Formula One season. It took place on 20–22 June at Magny-Cours.

Canadian Grand Prix winner Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber led the Championship by 4 points from Ferrari's Felipe Massa and McLaren-Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. [ [http://uk.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUKL2133971920080621 Piquet fastest in final French GP practice | Sports | Reuters ] ] Two consecutive retirements saw World Champion Kimi Räikkönen fall from Championship leader to 4th, 3 points behind Massa and Hamilton.

Ferrari led surprise package BMW Sauber by 3 points in the Constructors' Championship, with McLaren-Mercedes a further 17 points behind.

The 2007 French Grand Prix was won by Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari, followed by team-mate Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes [ [http://www.statsf1.com STATS F1 ] ] .

Two other former winners of the French Grand Prix were in the field for the race this year, 2000 winner David Coulthard will race for Red Bull Racing and 2005 winner Fernando Alonso in a Renault.

Report

Practice

Ferrari's Felipe Massa scored the fastest lap in first practice session on Friday, June 20. He was followed by Mclaren's Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen. [cite web
url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68428
title=Massa quickest in practice 1 - France
author=Matt Beer
publisher=autosport.com
date=2008-06-20
accessdate=2008-06-22] The afternoon session, however, saw Fernando Alonso recording the fastest lap, ahead of the Ferraris. Hot weather condition posed several problems for the drivers, many of them sliding through the gravel and across the asphalt. [cite web
url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68437
title=Alonso tops second practice in France
author=Matt Beer
publisher=autosport.com
date=2008-06-20
accessdate=2008-06-22] Renault continued their strong practice performance with Nelson Piquet Jr. leading the final practice session on Saturday, June 21. Red Bull's Mark Webber came second while Sebastien Vettel of Toro Rosso finished third. [cite web
url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68485
title=Piquet fastest in final practice - France
author=Matt Beer
publisher=autosport.com
date=2008-06-21
accessdate=2008-06-22]

Qualifying

First session

Felipe Massa led at the end of first qualifying session, ahead of teammate Kimi Räikkönen and Toyota's Jarno Trulli. Both Honda and Force India drivers were eliminated at the end of the session along with Williams' Kazuki Nakajima. Honda's Rubens Barrichello further received a five-places penalty for gearbox change and started last.

econd session

Massa also topped the second session of qualifying, once again edging out Räikkönen. Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren recorded the third fastest lap time for the session. Piquet Jr. and Vettel, both of whom had impressive morning practice times, could not make the cut for third qualifying session. They were eliminated alongside Heidfeld, Bourdais and Rosberg.

Third session

Räikkönen succeeded in beating Massa's time in the final session and thus secured the pole position, with a time that he set in his first lap of the session. An error of sliding off the track hindered Hamilton in his first attempted fast lap, but he ended finishing the session with the third fastest time. [http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h9mfuUzQBM_HS4U-3XGIMCRVIMZQ] Dead link|date=August 2008] Fernando Alonso in the Renault and Jarno Trulli in the Toyota came fourth and fifth. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was seventh fastest, ahead of the Red Bulls of Webber and Coulthard, and Timo Glock's Toyota. McLaren's Kovalainen was sixth but later received a five-place grid penalty for blocking Mark Webber.

Race

With an all-Ferrari front row, the duo got away cleanly from the grid. Fernando Alonso, starting third, had a weak getaway off the grid and was passed by Jarno Trulli and Robert Kubica, although Alonso got back past Kubica later on the first lap. Heidfeld and Glock also lost several places at the start.

Lewis Hamilton, starting in the midfield, passed Sebastian Vettel before running off the track in the second half of the Nurburgring Chicane. He was deemed by the race stewards to have gained an advantage by doing so and was given a drive-through penalty. [ [http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/6/7980.html The Official Formula 1 Website ] ]

The Ferraris remained in front through the first round of pit stops, with Räikkönen leading teammate Massa.

On the first lap, Jenson Button hit Sébastien Bourdais from behind, which resulted in Button losing his front wing, ultimately leading to his retirement. Bourdais's car was also damaged, but was able to finish the race.

Later in the race, the right-side exhaust pipe on race leader Räikkönen's car came loose. It was connected only by some wiring for a lambda probe. This caused the engine to overheat and damaged the surrounding bodywork, resulting in Räikkönen slowing his pace.FOX-TV race telecast, Steve Matchett] Massa passed Räikkönen cleanly after a few laps. The exhaust pipe eventually broke off the car later in the race and flew off the track.

Fernando Alonso lost another position late in the race after running wide at the hairpin with two laps to go, letting teammate Nelson Piquet, Jr. through. [Racer Magazine, posted on Speed TV website, report on French GP. http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-massa-wins-in-france-takes-points-lead/]

Heikki Kovalainen chased down Jarno Trulli in the closing laps for 3rd place, knocking wheels at one point, but failed to pass him. [ [http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/6/7978.html The Official Formula 1 Website ] ] Kubica followed the two closely for the late laps.

Massa won the race; Räikkönen was second. Trulli kept Kovalainen behind him to take third on the podium. Nineteen of the 20 starters finished the race.

Classification

Qualifying

*fnb|1 Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton docked ten places on the grid for the race after causing a collision with Kimi Räikkönen in the previous round, the f1 gp|2008|Canadian. [citenews|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68140|first=Pablo|last=Elizalde|title=Hamilton, Rosberg hit with grid penalty|work=Autosport|publisher=Haymarket Autosport Publications Limited|date=2008-06-08|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*fnb|2 Heikki Kovalainen docked five places for blocking Mark Webber in qualifying. [cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68521|title=Kovalainen penalised for impeding |date=2008-06-21|publisher=Autosport.com|accessdate=2008-06-22]
*fnb|3 Rubens Barrichello penalised five places on the grid for gearbox change. [cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68544|title=Barrichello gets gearbox change penalty |date=2008-06-22|publisher=Autosport.com|accessdate=2008-06-22]

Race

Notes

*Lap Leaders: Kimi Räikkönen 36 (1-21, 24-38), Felipe Massa 34 (22-23, 39-70)
*This was Jarno Trulli's first podium finish since the 2005 Spanish Grand Prix.
*This was the first time in the season that Nelson Piquet Jr had finished both in the points, and ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso.
*This was the highest proportion of cars to finish a Grand Prix in the 2008 Formula One season.
*Felipe Massa became leader of the championship for the first time of his career.
*25th Grand Prix start: Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen and Adrian Sutil

French Grand Prix speculation

In March 2007, the "Fédération Française du Sport Automobile" (FFSA) stated their intention to rest the Magny-Cours circuit from the Formula One world championship for the 2008 season. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=No French GP in 2008? |url=http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns18937.html |work= |publisher=GrandPrix.com |date=2007-03-29 |accessdate=2007-03-29 ] However on 24 July 2007 it was reported that Bernie Ecclestone had "agreed in principle to maintain the race at Magny-Cours in 2008, and even 2009, if there were no other alternative." [ [http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61121 Ecclestone agrees to keep French GP] ] A more recent statement by Ecclestone made on May 12 2008 to French sports magazine L'Equipe confirms that the 2008 Grand Prix will indeed be the last one held at Magny Cours. Ecclestone said that he discussed the issue with French prime minister Francois Fillon, hinting at the possibility of a street race in or close to Paris for 2009. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=No 2009 French GP at Magny-Cours, says Ecclestone |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/motorSportsNews/idUKL1258523920080512 |work= |publisher=Reuters |date=2008-05-12 |accessdate=2008-05-21 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.manipef1.com/results/2008/france.php Detailed French Grand Prix results]
* [http://www.fia.com/en-GB/sport/championships/f1/france/Pages/race_classification.aspx Official FIA results]

F1_race_report
Name_of_race = French Grand Prix
Year_of_race = 2008
Previous_race_in_season = 2008 Canadian Grand Prix
Next_race_in_season = 2008 British Grand Prix
Previous_year's_race = 2007 French Grand Prix
Next_year's_race = 2009 French Grand Prix