Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen made a strong start to Formula One's European season by dominating Spanish Grand Prix free practice on Friday. The Finn, championship leader after the opening three long-haul races, set a best time of one minute 20.649 seconds in the morning and then topped the afternoon timesheets in 1:21.935.
Ferrari have by far the best record at a circuit named after their late great Gilles Villeneuve, with 10 wins there since 1978.
Brazilian Felipe Massa led Ferrari to a one-two victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday with team mate Kimi Raikkonen seizing the championship lead from McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Massa's sixth career win brought him his first points of the Formula One season and came at the same Sakhir desert circuit where he fired up his title challenge last year with a pole-to-flag victory.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa needs to repeat last year's dominant victory in Bahrain on Sunday to silence his critics after a poor start to the Formula One season. While McLaren's Lewis Hamilton leads the standings with 14 points, three clear of Ferrari's World champion Kimi Raikkonen and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, Brazilian Massa is yet to score.
Champions Ferrari will be the first Formula One team to reveal their 2009 car with an unveiling scheduled for their Maranello factory on Jan. 12, the Italian team said on Monday.
Champions Ferrari will be the first Formula One team to reveal their 2009 car with an unveiling scheduled for their Maranello factory on January 12, the Italian team said on Monday. The wraps will come off Hamilton's new McLaren at that team's Woking factory in England on January 16, a day after Toyota launch their challenger on the internet.
Hamilton, 22, became the youngest championship leader in the sport's history after finishing second to Brazilian Massa in Spain last weekend.
Double world champion Alonso finished third, eclipsed before his 140,000 strong home crowd by Brazilian Massa and the extraordinary Hamilton.
The Brazilian lapped a three hundredths of a second quicker than Fernando Alonso in the dying seconds of the final qualifying session.
The 39-year-old German will test Ferrari's 2008 car in Spain next week along with reigning F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen.
Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa won the Brazilian GP but Lewis Hamilton, who finished fifth after last lap drama, took the world title, ending the 18-race season one point clear of Massa.
Renault's Fernando Alonso set the pace in Brazilian Grand Prix practice on Friday while home hero Felipe Massa lapped comfortably quicker than title favourite Lewis Hamilton. Alonso, who took his two Formula One titles at Interlagos in 2005 and 2006 but is out of the reckoning this time, set a best time of one minute 12.296 seconds on a damp and blustery afternoon.
Ferrari must resolve their baffling loss of pace before Felipe Massa fights Lewis Hamilton for the Formula One title in Brazil next week, team boss Stefano Domenicali has said.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday but the battle for the Formula One title will go on to the season finale in Brazil.
Briton Lewis Hamilton took first blood in his championship battle with Brazil's Felipe Massa at the Chinese Grand Prix by setting the quickest time in opening practice on Friday. The 23-year-old McLaren driver, who could wrap up the title on Sunday, swept around the 5.451km circuit in one minute 35.630 seconds and clocked the two quickest times of the morning.
Lewis Hamilton believes he is in a better position to become Formula One's youngest world champion in Shanghai this weekend than he was for his failed attempt to claim the crown last year.
Lewis Hamilton's Formula One lead was cut to five points at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday after Ferrari title rival Felipe Massa was promoted from eighth to seventh place.
Ferrari's new champion Kimi Raikkonen was fourth on the timesheets.
Poland's Robert Kubica, tipped as a future Ferrari driver, backed the Italian team's Felipe Massa on Thursday as his favourite for this year's Formula One title. Brazilian Massa has won four of the season's 12 races so far, the same number as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, and is six points off his championship-leading rival.
Felipe Massa took pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton taking second place.
Ferrari have extended Brazilian Felipe Massa's contract by two more years to the end of the 2010 season.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa could hold the key to the Formula One championship in his home Brazilian Grand Prix on October 21, despite being out of the reckoning himself.
The 22-year-old Briton will line up alongside Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen on the front row for Sunday's race.
'I don't think the departure of Schumacher or (technical director Ross) Brawn will change much,' said the Toyota driver.
Ferrari boss Jean Todt has ruled out any prospect of Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso moving to the team from McLaren next year.
Lewis Hamilton seized victory from the jaws of defeat after McLaren made their Formula One championship leader sweat for his second win in a row.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won a thrilling German Grand Prix on Sunday to forge four points clear of Ferrari's Felipe Massa at the top of the Formula One championship.
Kimi Raikkonen took pole position on an all-Ferrari front row for the Belgian Grand Prix.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton dominated a wet and chaotic British Grand Prix on Sunday to storm back to the top of the Formula One standings in front of his home fans.
The Brazilian banged wheels with the British rookie Lewis Hamilton at the first corner.
The Brazilian took pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix with championship-leading team mate Michael Schumacher alongside on an all-Ferrari front row.
Felipe Massa led a Ferrari one-two to win the French Grand Prix on Sunday and take the lead in the Formula One championship for the first time.
Lewis Hamilton joined Massa on the front row, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen lining up third.
It was Ferrari's first pole in Monaco since Michael Schumacher in 2000.
Renault's world champion Alonso finished second ahead of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher.
Brazilian Felipe Massa finished second for Ferrari with Australian Mark Webber third for Red Bull.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa won the Turkish Grand Prix from pole position for the third year in a row on Sunday after an enthralling tactical battle with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won the French Grand Prix on Sunday, leading Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa in a Ferrari one-two to end McLaren's winning streak.
Brazilian Felipe Massa put Ferrari on pole position for the French Grand Prix on Saturday.
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