Formula One News — July 2008

Heikki Kovalainen was fastest in the second session for the British Grand Prix, but the timesheets revealed that there was not much to be taken seriously in the session.

British GP - Friday Photos

British GP - Friday Press Conference

British GP - Friday Team Quotes

The word in the paddock at Silverstone is that Donington Park already has planning permission for a major rebuild to create a new F1-standard facility by 2010.

British GP - Practice 2 Results

BP has been a major supporter of motorsport over the years dating back to the early days of the sport. At the end of the 1960s the company quit F1 and concentrated on other formulae, but returned to F1 in 1983 with the Toleman team.

Felipe Massa set the fastest time of the first session for the British GP at Silverstone, but the Brazilian's morning was ruined when he hit oil and spun heavily into the wall at Stowe, causing considerable damage to the rear end of his car.

British GP - Practice 1 Results

Patrick Head is not a man who minces words and this week he has told The Independent exactly what he thinks of the idea of former Ferrari boss Jean Todt becoming the next FIA President.

The last few months have seen a deal of stress and strain between Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, although it has been very difficult towork out whether they were really at odds or whether they were (as usual) working together. The one thing on which everyone agreed was that a division between the two made little sense.

The Australian Grand Prix has been secured for another seven years. The Victorian government and Bernie Ecclestone have agreed to a new deal, with the races starting at 5pm.

British GP - Thursday Press Conference

Red Bull Racing has announced that Mark Webber will stay with the team until at least the end of the 2009 season.

Max Mosley has written to all the F1 teams with his latest ideas about the Formula 1 rules and, in keeping with his current policy of winning friends, he has "invited" the teams to come up with proposals for new rules, rather than telling them how things are going to be.

David Coulthard has announced his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the season. The news is not a surprise.

Motor Sport magazine celebrated its 1000th edition in London this week with a pary in its new offices in Chelsea. Motor Sport was founded in 1924 as the Brooklands Gazette, but changed its name two years later.

The death of Scott Kalitta, one of the stars of the National Hot Rod Association's (NHRA) biggests stars a week ago at Englishtown, New Jersey, has called for changes in safety measures in the sport and the NHRA is now looking at ways to improve its safety with the specific aims being to stop engine explosions, find better ways to employ parachutes, develop brakes to more effectively stop the cars and to examine better run-off areas and catch nets.

Grand Prix racing is not a favourite of British politicians, although this was not always the case. Back in 1996, the soon-to-be Prime Minister Tony Blair attended the British GP as a guest of the FIA. There were six other MPs present at the event that year.

Philippe Gurdjian, the man in charge of the Circuit Paul Ricard for the last nine years, is standing down from his role in order to concentrate on getting the Abu Dhabi F1 circuit finished in time for the Grand Prix at the end of next year.