Formula One News — October 2008

Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the first practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai with a time that was four-tenths of a second faster than his World Championship challenger Felipe Massa

Chinese GP - Practice 1 Results

The Speedcar Series has announced the appointment of Claudio Berro as Operations Directo. Berro brings with him invaluable experience having served as Sporting Director of Peugeot-Italy, Team Manager and Press Officer of Ferrari F1 and then General Manager of Maserati and Fiat-Abarth respectively.

Chinese GP - Thursday Press Conference

The Formula 1 team principals met yesterday in Shanghai to discuss sporting rules which would help to cut costs in F1. The principal decision appears to have been to further reduce testing so that teams do just 20,000km next year. It seems that, after the winter testing programmes, the teams have now agreed to run only one car at every test.

The board of directors of the French motor sport federation have announced in Paris that they are not going to hold a French Grand Prix in 2009 because of economic problems.

The FIA's latest proposals for cost-cutting, which were leaked to The Times today, are in part serious and in part a negotiating position from which the federation will back down after talks with the teams. Such is the way that business is done in F1.

There are reports in Italy that Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro will offer the winner of the Italian Formula 3 championship a test with the F1 team. This is believed to part of the deal that has been organised for engines to be supplied to the series by Fiat Powertrain Technologies

The turbulent financial markets are causing problems for the supercar companies such as Ferrari. According to reports in Australia, dealers are finding an increasing number of young executives trying to sell their cars as they have less ready cash than previously to make the necessary payments.

Williams sponsor RBS is to be taken over by the British Government, in an effort to recapitalise the Scottish bank. The news means that RBS chairman Sir Fred Goodwin has resigned.

Fernando Alonso ran away with the Japanese Grand Prix. It was not a fluke like in Singapore. It helped that the two World Championship contenders seemed a little overwrought and made mistakes which resulted in penalties. But, for all of that, Fernando Alonso was still able to charge to an impressive victory.

Japanese GP - Race Notes

Japanese GP - Sunday Photos

Japanese GP - Sunday Press Conference

Japanese GP - Sunday Team Quotes

The FIA Stewards issued a weird ruling at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, penalising Sebastien Bourdais 25secs for a collision with Felipe Massa. The additional time meant that Bourdais loses his sixth place, falling to 10th behind Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld.

Japanese GP - Race Incidents

Japanese GP - Race Results

Newly-released documents in Britain have revealed that British Prime Minister Tony Blair did intervene in the British government's tobacco policies, just hours after a meeting with Bernie Ecclestone back in 1997.

Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, ending all the fantasies that had gone on in the earlier practice sessions.

Japanese GP - Saturday Photos

Japanese GP - Saturday Press Conference

Japanese GP - Saturday Team Quotes

The word in the paddock in Fuji is that Jean Todt will leave Ferrari at the end of the month and it is expected that he will take a new role at the FIA at the next General Assembly in November.

Japanese GP - Qualifying Results