McLaren is one of the most successful teams in Formula One,When account is taken of the period of competition, McLaren emerge as the most successful team with 11 drivers' and 8 constructors' championships since 1966.
Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen will battle in the 2008 FIA F1 Championship with Bridgestone tyres using the MP4-23
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30th August 2008
2008 Belgian Grand Prix Preview
One of Formula 1’s most revered racetracks, the Spa Francorchamps road course has been a mainstay of the world championship calendar since it began in 1950. Renowned for its thrilling, high-speed corners and the capricious local micro-climate which can throw up blazing sunshine and heavy showers in equal measure, the mighty seven-kilometre circuit is still considered one of modern Formula 1’s greatest challenges.
Situated in the heart of the deeply-forested Belgian Ardennes, the original Spa was dropped from the calendar in 1970 amid growing fears that Formula 1 machinery had finally outgrown its original 14km configuration. However, a heavily-revised track was commissioned in 1979, omitting the most dangerous village-to-village elements of the original circuit yet retaining the demanding up- and downhill swoops that had made the place so distinctive.
The new Spa Francorchamps once again hosted the Belgian Grand Prix in 1983 after a 13-year stint at Nivelles and Zolder. The revised iteration has been kind to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes : team founder Bruce McLaren won the squad’s first-ever grand prix here at the wheel of an M7A on June 9 1968 and the team enjoyed a five-year run of victories from 1987-1991. More recently, David Coulthard, Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen have all tasted victory for the McLaren-Mercedes partnership.
source www.mclaren.com
24th August 2008
2008 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen finished the European Grand Prix on the new Valencia street circuit in second and fourth positions respectively. After 57 laps (310.080km), Lewis came home 5.6sec behind winner Felipe Massa (Ferrari). Heikki was 39.7sec behind Felipe. Both drivers were on two-stop strategies; Lewis pitted on laps 17 (8.9sec) and 39 (7.1sec) while Heikki came in on laps 20 (9.4sec) and 43 (9.6sec). Vodafone McLaren Mercedes scored 13 points, more than any other team today, and reduced the gap in the Constructors' Championship behind the leader, Ferrari, from 11 points to eight points; after 12 of 18 races, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes now has 113 points, while Ferrari has 121. Lewis extended his lead in the drivers' rankings from five to six points; he now leads with 70 points ahead of Felipe (64 points). Heikki improved to fifth with 43 points.
source www.mclaren.com
23rd August 2008
2008 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday's European Grand Prix, the McLaren Mercedes partnership's 200th GP since their first Formula 1 win in 1997, from the front row of the grid. In Saturday's exciting qualifying, Lewis posted a fastest lap of 1m39.199 which put him second. His team-mate Heikki Kovalainen qualified fifth with a time of 1m39.937. The session on the new Valencia street circuit was extremely closely-fought, particularly during Q1 and Q2. In the first part, all 20 drivers were covered by two seconds, in the second, the remaining 15 drivers were within nine tenths of one another.
source www.mclaren.com
18th August 2008
2008 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
The Formula 1 circus re-groups after its three-week summer break to visit the first all-new venue on the 2008 calendar - the impressive street circuit in the Spanish port city of Valencia.
European Grand Prix organisers have created a unique and demanding 25-corner circuit that winds around the Juan Carlos I marina, home to the 32nd America’s Cup yacht race. However, unlike traditional Formula 1 street circuits, whose tight and twisting configurations place a premium on qualifying at the front, the Valencia track is fast, sweeping and wide, and offers several potential opportunities for passing.
Official simulations have estimated a top speed of 200mph at the end of the main straight and an estimated laptime around the 1m 37s bracket. With an estimated average speed of 125mph, Valencia should be on a par with a venue such as Bahrain (average speed of 128mph) and far higher than Monte Carlo (94mph).
The Spanish venue will mark the fifth home for the European Grand Prix, which has been held at Brands Hatch, the Nürburgring, Donington Park and Jerez since its inception in 1983.
source www.mclaren.com
3rd August 2008
2008 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen took his first Formula 1 victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix today. Heikki finished 11 seconds clear of Toyota’s Timo Glock after leader Felipe Massa (Ferrari) retired three laps from the chequer. His win marks the third successive victory for the team and makes Heikki the 100th Formula 1 winner since the World Championship began in 1950. Lewis finished fifth after pitting early to change a damaged front tyre on lap 41.
Both drivers were on two-stop strategies: Lewis stopped on laps 19 (9.4sec) and 41 (8.8sec), while Heikki pitted on laps 21 (9.9sec) and 48 (6.8sec).
After 11 races, Lewis maintains his overall lead in the drivers’ championship with 62 points. Heikki remains sixth with 38 points. In the constructors’ championship, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has moved up to second position with 100 points. Ferrari still leads with 111 points
source www.mclaren.com
26th July 2008
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2008 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
The Hungarian Grand Prix has become a staple on the Formula 1 calendar since its introduction to the world championship in 1986. The first Eastern Bloc grand prix, the race is as famous for its tight and twisting track configuration as its arid and scorching climate – both of which conspire to create a uniquely demanding event for teams and drivers alike.
Ayrton Senna has won at the Hungaroring for McLaren on three occasions, in 1988, ’91 and ’92. More recently, Mika Hakkinen (’99 and 2000) and Kimi Raikkonen (’05) have triumphed for McLaren-Mercedes – much to the delight of the huge Finnish contingent, who have made this race a home from home for many years. Lewis Hamilton won the race from pole position last year.
The Budapest circuit has been modified from its original configuration twice: in 1989, the tight hairpins following Turn Two were ironed out; in 2003, the 180-degree first corner was extensively re-profiled into a sharper hairpin to increase overtaking opportunities. This weekend’s race will mark the 23rd running of the event.
source www.mclaren.com
