Rate this article:
Greenlight Andretti Green Danica Patrick 1st Win 2008
This is a replica of the racecar used during the 2008 Japan race in which she won her first race ever!
Our Price: 1/18th Scale - $45.95 ($41.36 Member)
Ducati Red Team Logo Hat
100% cotton. Embroidered. Adjustable strap.
Our Price: $36.00 ($32.40 Member)
Formula 1 2009 Calendar
Every month is accompanied by a superb action shot from the 2008 season, with essential information about the sport.
Our Price: $16.95 ($15.26 Member)
Written by:
Adam Cooper
RACER Magazine http://www.racer.com/speedtv
RACER Magazine http://www.racer.com/speedtv
03/21/2007 - 07:00 PM
Melbourne, Australia
Hamilton's Alonso-matching pace was one of the biggest stories of the Melbourne opener. (LAT Photo) » More Photos
Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari have won convincingly in their first-ever race together, but there was plenty more to consider about the pecking order in last weekend's the Australian Grand Prix season opener. Here's a team-by-team review of the Melbourne action…
McLaren
The Australian GP confirmed that the new look McLaren team will be a championship contender this year, and be the main challenger to Ferrari. Fernando Alonso qualified second and finished in the same position in his first race with his new team, but all eyes were on his young team mate. Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and made a great start to jump up to third, ahead of Alonso. He took second when Nick Heidfeld pitted and stayed in front of his team mate until the second pit stops, after which he settled for third. It was a faultless weekend from Hamilton, but the real story was qualifying – he was marginally faster in Q1 and again after the first runs in Q2 until Alonso unnecessarily went for a second set of soft tires. Alonso's 0.2s margin in Q3 was pretty much accounted for by the two-lap difference in fuel loads. The boy is quick…
Renault
Renault had a tough first weekend in Australia, and the team emerged well aware that it has some work to do to regain lost ground. Giancarlo Fisichella put in a solid performance, and having qualified sixth moved up to fifth in the race after Robert Kubica retired. It was not a great debut for rookie Heikki Kovalainen. The Finn never really recovered from a fuel pump failure that cost him priceless track time on Friday, and failed to make it to the final round of qualifying in 13th. In the race he spent much of his time stuck behind other cars, and after a couple of off track moments had to settle for 10th. He has the potential to do a lot better than that.
Ferrari
Australia was the dawn of a new era for Ferrari, and the team seems to have survived the loss of Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn without too much pain. After keeping
Being spanked by Aguri in qualifying certainly wasn't on Honda's plans... (LAT Photo) » More Photos
Honda
Honda finished last season well and hopes were high for the newly livered "Earth Car," but Australia was a huge disappointment for the team. The main problem is aerodynamic as the team seeks to find downforce and lose drag, and Button's car was particularly affected in Melbourne and the driver complained of a problem at the front that compromised braking. Barrichello didn't make it out of Q1 and started 16th, but had a better run in the race to move up to 11th - still that was hardly a great result. Button had an awful race that included a drive through for pit speeding. From 14th on the grid he finished 15th. Worryingly a major wing adjustment at the second stop apparently had very little effect, which says something about the aero package.
BMW
BMW had shown promising form in testing and that was backed up with a solid performance in Australia. Nick Heidfeld qualified an excellent third, but the race was to prove that he was running very light – the plan was to use the less favored soft tires for a few laps over the first stint. He made a good start and ran second for a while, but lost out to the McLarens after his early stop, and thus finished fourth. Robert Kubica qualified just behind in fifth and would have taken that position in the race had he not suffered a gearbox failure and become stuck in fifth gear. Clearly the team has the potential to establish itself as best of the rest behind McLaren and Ferrari.
Page 1 of 2
