http://www.formula1.com/news/features/ en-GB Formula1.com Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:55:14 GMT Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:55:14 GMT 15 http://www.formula1.com/photos/225x150/sutton/2008/d08bra639.jpg http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8754.html Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) McLaren MP4/23. Formula One World Championship, Rd 18, Brazilian Grand Prix, Practice Day, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, 31 October 2008 With one winter test session already under their belts, McLaren are fully focused on preparations for the 2009 season and the introduction of some of the biggest and most comprehensive rule changes in Formula One history. The team's top engineers, aerodynamicists, engine expert, test team manager and test driver spoke to the McLaren press office to bring you an exhaustive analysis of the changes and the impact they're likely to have… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8754.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:33:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8754.html Formula1.com It has been four long years since Williams last tasted victory with Juan Pablo Montoya's win at the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix. In the meantime the British team have seen their fortunes gradually dwindle - and their performance this season has done little to assuage the fall from grace. Despite scoring two podiums, Williams ended the year eighth in the standings - compared to fourth last season - scooping four points less than in 2007... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8751.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:35:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8751.html Formula1.com With one winter test session already under their belts, McLaren are fully focused on preparations for the 2009 season and the introduction of some of the biggest and most comprehensive rule changes in Formula One history. The team's top engineers, aerodynamicists, engine expert, test team manager and test driver spoke to the McLaren press office to bring you an exhaustive analysis of the changes and the impact they're likely to have… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8748.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:09:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8748.html Formula1.com Very rarely do you get what you wish for. But this season BMW Sauber have achieved just that, finishing third in the constructors' championship and scoring their maiden pole and race win. It's a brilliant achievement for a relatively young team, who have finally taken the fight to Ferrari and McLaren and become real title contenders. Over winter matters hadn't looked quite so upbeat, with murmurs that their aggressive pre-season development programme had backfired... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8745.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:08:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/12/8745.html Formula1.com The FIA have made a number of changes to the Sporting and Technical Regulations for the 2009 Formula One season, and the results of some have already been seen in testing. In the case of the Sporting Regulations, the primary aims are increased reliability and further cost reductions. In the case of the technical changes, there are three main objectives - reducing the role of aerodynamics in the cars' performance; making overtaking easier; and keeping lap times in check... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8741.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:11:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8741.html Formula1.com One team on the grid has seen more change in the past few years than all the others combined. From Jordan to Midland to Spyker, they started 2008 as Force India. With a new billionaire owner, Dr Vijay Mallya, Ferrari engines, a strengthened technical team headed by the irrepressible Mike Gascoyne, and a driver line-up featuring veteran Giancarlo Fisichella and promising talent Adrian Sutil, it was a fresh start... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8734.html Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:54:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8734.html Formula1.com With just 15 points from nine races, things did not look good for Renault midway through the 2008 season. That was until their unrelenting development work began to pay off, rewarding them with 65 points from the next nine rounds. Fernando Alonso proved why he remains so highly rated, with two wins and another six top-four finishes, while Nelson Piquet came through a trying rookie campaign to score his first podium and keep his seat for 2009… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8717.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:40:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8717.html Formula1.com The final third of the 2008 Formula One season had everything - tension, drama and controversy. Sebastian Vettel became the sport's youngest winner, Fernando Alonso scored surprise back-to-back victories, and Singapore awed fans and drivers alike with the sport's first night race. The biggest story, however, was Lewis Hamilton. Stewards penalised him and fellow drivers criticised him, but he fought back to clinch the title in a season finale that kept fans the world over on the very edge of their seats, even after the chequered flag… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8677.html Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:07:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8677.html Formula1.com If there is one person you want to beat as a Formula One driver it's your team mate. When you're both driving the same car, there are few places to hide if you find yourself struggling to match your colleague. So who won out this season? Which world champion was put firmly in the shade? Who was the only man to whitewash his team mate? Find out in our team-by-team qualifying rundown… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8673.html Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:06:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8673.html Formula1.com They'd been threatening to do it all season and in June BMW Sauber finally made the breakthrough. With Lewis Hamilton's wrecked McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen's injured Ferrari sat at the end of the Montreal pit lane, Robert Kubica took full advantage to score his and his team's first win. In the second part of our season review we go from Canada to Valencia, a period that also included a maiden victory for McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen and David Coulthard's last F1 podium… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8666.html Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:49:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8666.html Formula1.com Four men quickly emerged as title contenders in 2008, one of them quite unexpectedly. All of them started from pole, all stood on the top step of the podium and all of them led the standings, but only one could be champion. So close was the competition that halfway through the season just two points covered Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica, with three of the four level at the top of the table. We look back on the evolution of a gripping contest… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8660.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:31:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8660.html Formula1.com The 2008 Formula One season had a hard act to follow after the controversy and drama of 2007, but it achieved it in style. The emphasis returned to the racing (rather than the courtroom), and a plethora of up-and-coming talent kept fans enthralled. Seven men and five teams won a Grand Prix, five of those for the first time, and the sport crowned its youngest ever champion. On top of that were two new venues, with the inaugural Formula One night race in Singapore providing a spectacle few will ever forget... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8656.html Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:21:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8656.html Formula1.com This time last year Felipe Massa was playing the supporting role as Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen took the 2007 drivers' championship. On Sunday at Interlagos the roles were reversed, as Massa proved he is a nearly man no more, leading Ferrari to the constructors' crown and almost stealing the 2008 drivers' title from under the nose of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Even during a season that saw him miss out on glory by a single point, critics continued to dismiss Massa as an also-ran... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8645.html Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:18:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8645.html Formula1.com So established is the new world champion, it is difficult to believe that he becomes the sport's youngest ever title holder, aged just 23, bettering previous record holder Fernando Alonso by just over four months. Hamilton has just 35 race appearances under his belt, but from that modest tally has gleaned nine wins and 13 poles. To put those figures into context, Alonso had made 69 starts before he clocked up that number of wins, while Raikkonen has scored only three more poles over his eight-year career... http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8641.html Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:48:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8641.html Formula1.com Lewis Hamilton started the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend as title favourite and duly ended it as champion. Ahead of their showdown, Felipe Massa said the pressure would be on his rival at Interlagos - and that's exactly how it panned out. As the Brazilian romped to the home win he needed, Hamilton and McLaren understandably took a more cautious approach. It so nearly cost them everything, but ultimately gave us the most thrilling season finale in years… http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8637.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:38:00 GMT http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8637.html Formula1.com