Second Session

1. Hamilton 1:26.559
2. Webber 1:27.473
3. Massa 1:27.640
4. Kovalainen 1:27.683
5. Coulthard 1:28.037
6. Raikkonen 1:28.208
7. Trulli 1:28.292
8. Rosberg 1:28.352
9. Fisichella 1:28.469
10. Glock 1:28.582
11. Button 1:28.632
12. Heidfeld 1:28.731
13. Alonso 1:28.779
14. Barrichello 1:28.849
15. Kubica 1:28.860
16. Nakajima 1:29.077
17. Sutil 1:29.161
18. Vettel 1:29.193
19. Piquet Jr 1:29.581
20. Bourdais 1:29.605
21. Sato 1:30.663
22. Davidson 1:31.527

Follow live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix on 5 Live and bbc.co.uk/sport. Qualifying starts at 0300 GMT on Saturday with the race at 0430 on Sunday.

In theory, there should be the humiliation of a garage at the wrong end of the pit lane this year, but within McLaren right now there is no looking back. Everything is totally focused on one task, and one task only: winning. The team’s philosophy has always been to win every race; that’s the way to win championships.

In recent testing the MP4-23 set the pace, giving rise to optimism that Hamilton and his new team mate Heikki Kovalainen will be able to take the fight to Ferrari once more. Whether they have the necessary technical savvy, and the strength of character to get on with one another, remain but two of the fascinating aspects of this team’s battle for redemption.

Lewis Hamilton has claimed he and new McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen will compete on equal terms.
The 23-year-old had an intense struggle for supremacy with Fernando Alonso at McLaren last season but he has hinted that will not be case with Kovalainen. Hamilton told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We have been hired to win. Whichever driver does it, it doesn’t really matter - for the team at least. “We’re both in our second year and we have the same amount of experience.”

Source www.news.bbc.co.uk 

Honda
16 Jenson Button 17 Rubens Barrichello
Testers: Alex Wurz, Mike Conway, Luca Filippi
Honda made much of the power of dreams and their Earthdreams programme when they launched their eco-friendly Formula One car last year, but it proved to be an utterly disastrous season that brought the team to their knees. Jenson Button did a fantastic job to maintain his momentum as, for yet another year, he saw his genuine aspirations of mounting a championship challenge crumble the moment the first race started.

Testing times suggest that the new RA108, at least in its current guise, is not going to turn that trick for him either. Insiders say his first comments on the new car were unprintable. At the launch in late January, there was much evidence of brave smiles for the cameras to disguise an ongoing crisis.

But… nobody in the real world doubts that the presence of new team principal Ross Brawn will have a huge influence on the team’s development in the medium term. His record at Benetton and Ferrari speaks volumes, and this major asset will surely lead the team from the wilderness. It will, however, take time.

Mark Webber gave Red Bull a timely boost with a late fifth fastest run, of 1m 28.263s. That edged out Fernando Alonso, who got along well with the Renault R28 for 1m 28.360s. Robert Kubica was another late improver, lapping in 1m 28.579s in his BMW Sauber which bears distinctive nose fins atop the scuttle.

Glock’s 1m 28.913s stood up for eighth overall, with Sebastian Vettel pushing ahead of Trulli for the ninth best time. The German lapped his Toro Rosso in 1m 28.957s, beating the Italian’s 1m 29.014s.

Jenson Button looked better than expected in the Honda RA108 which he rowed round in 1m 29.124s for 11th ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella’s Force India (1m 29.230s), David Coulthard’s Red Bull (1m 29.301s), Sebastien Bourdais’ Toro Rosso (1m 29.363s), Rubens Barrichello’s Honda (1m 29.533s) and Nick Heidfeld’s BMW Sauber (1m 29.561s). Coulthard’s car expired in the pits with a smoking gearbox, while Heidfeld stopped out on the circuit at Turn 10.

Adrian Sutil was 17th for Force India on 1m 30.155s and Nelson Piquet 18th for Renault on 1m 30.357s. The young Brazilian rookie had a difficult morning, bringing out the red flag briefly after spinning and stalling.

The Super Aguris did not go out until the end, Takuma Sato working down to 1m 31.048s for 19th, comfortably ahead of Anthony Davidson’s 1m 31.771s.

It wasn’t a good morning for Williams; Kazuki Nakajima lapped his FW30 in 1m 35.053s for 21st, while technical problems prevented Nico Rosberg from doing more than just three installation laps.

Source www.f1.com

Finn Heikki Kovalainen, who had an impressive first season with Renault in 2007, is expected to move to either McLaren, where he would partner Lewis Hamilton, or the Toyota F1 Team. 
Alonso was quoted: “This is the team where I grew up as a driver in F1. Now it is time for us to begin a new chapter together. I am very excited about working with this great team once more, and confident that together we can move back to the front of the field. Renault had a difficult year in 2007, but I know that the team has real strength in depth. I am confident they can produce a fast and competitive car and be back at the top in 2008.”  Alonso, 26, previously drove for Renault between 2003 and 2006, during which time he scored 15 Grand Prix victories and won two drivers’ championships, in 2005 and 2006.

Every time the magic of Formula One descends on a circuit for a race around the world, the Formula One Paddock Club™ is not far behind. From Malaysia to Monaco, and from Shanghai to Sao Paulo, the same level of luxurious comfort, proximity to the action and sheer excitement is on offer.

Patrick McNally, President and CEO of organizers Allsport Management, describes it: “No matter where a Grand Prix takes place in the world, Formula One Paddock club clients can count on the same first class standards of professionalism. Our ambition is to create an atmosphere of relaxed sophistication, with the ambiance of a private members club.”

One maxim the F1 Paddock Club always follows is that location is everything. During a Grand Prix weekend, its guests are prestigeously located to watch the track action from on top of the pit lane. The Paddock Club can usually be found either above or alongside the Formula One Paddock, where the teams set up their garages, or overlooking the pit lane, with a view of the start/finish line. Guests also get the chance to visit the pit lane, an area normally only open to Formula One personnel. Since it was established in 1984 the Formula One Paddock Club has become the ultimate in corporate hospitality luxury and spectator enjoyment. Its exclusivity provides an environment in which those who make Formula One racing the most glamorous sport in the world can enjoy free flow of champagne, savour international first class cuisine and experience the thrill of the racing action. A grand setting for business and socialising.

Clients can enjoy either their own private hospitality area, customised to reflect their brand, or the Club Suite, which has been specially-designed to relax, excite and impress guests in equal measure. In each area, lunch is always served with a smile, champagne glasses are never empty and everybody enjoys uninterrupted views of the race action. While corporate functions make up the majority of its clients, the Paddock Club is also available to anyone who wants to enjoy an unforgettable experience of the fast lane.

During a single race weekend, the Paddock Club hosts guests for 27 hours and serves over 10,000 meals, while during an average Grand Prix 3,000 pieces of lobster and 3,000 bottles of champagne and fine wines are enjoyed. To achieve such a high standard of professionalism, the Formula One Paddock Club team at Allsport Management SA begins planning for a Formula One season before the last race of the previous season to ensure that every table is correctly allocated and every client’s requirements are met.

As a dedicated Formula One Paddock Club™ ticket agency closely working with Allsport Management for the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship™ season, we are pleased to offer you the ability to make individual or group bookings at selected Formula One™ Grand Prix events through the “Golden Card” division.

All Formula One Paddock Club™ tickets offered or sold by us through Golden Card are subject to availability and to the 2008 Formula One Paddock Club™ Standard Terms and Conditions which can be viewed on line at (Terms&Conditions 2008) or which can be posted to you upon request.

We look forward to taking care of you and your guests in the exclusive luxury of the Formula One Paddock Club™

Lewis Hamilton gets close to Avril Lavigne at the MTV Europe Music Awards but will the public embrace?

Lewis Hamilton’s debut season saw him achieve the best performance ever seen from a rookie driver. Although he led the championship for the last months of the season, he should feel no shame in coming second. But who will partner him at McLaren in 2008, now that Alonso has — to the surprise of noone — left the team before his contract expires?

Heikki Kovalainen and Nico Rosberg have both been tipped to partner the 22-year-old Briton. Kovalainen, currently at Renault, has proven himself to be an extremely capable driver, and scored 30 world championship points) in a car that has not proved competitive (though he scored second place in the rain-sodden Japanese Grand Prix). Rosberg, currently at Williams, has also had an impressive season, recording his best ever finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix where he came in fourth place.

Hamilton-mania — which reached its height in the summer when he appeared at two events in his home country, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and Goodwood Festival of Speed — may be under threat by the young driver’s decision to leave Britain for Switzerland. Seen as a people’s champion in his home country, his decision to leave to avoid being pestered for autographs, will strike many as ungracious. The fall-out from McLaren’s involvement in the spying scandal, in which it was fined $100 million for making use of confidential Ferrari technical data, will continue to be felt in 2008. Later this year McLaren will learn whether it is eligible to compete in the constructors’ championship next season (the FIA will impose further sanctions on the team if it is thought that its 2008 car contains technology that could have been influenced by the leaked Ferrari data).

Ferrari believes the FIA was too lenient with McLaren, by allowing Hamilton and Alonso to keep their drivers’ championship points. Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo said: “I had already thought about taking part [in 2008] with an 8000cc engine. They’d disqualify the team, but the driver would win anyway.”

And it is not just McLaren that has been affected by “Spygate”. The proposed Prodrive F1 team, which was granted licence to enter F1 competition for 2008, looks unlikely to join the grid. Prodrive was expected to run customer versions of McLaren’s 2008 car. But a combination of McLaren’s woes, and a change of heart about customer cars from F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and FIA chief Max Mosley, has scuppered Prodrive’s plans. Ecclestone and Mosley both believe that F1 should be a showcase of automotive technology. So that the presence of customer teams who do not develop their own technology, and are contractually obliged to finish behind the teams whose technology they are licensing, is both at odds with the quest for technological excellence and the spirit of competition.

This U-turn could jeopardize the futures of Toro Rosso and Super Aguri who both race with the technology of parent teams (Red Bull and Honda, respectively).

With Alonso released from his contract to McLaren, the two-time world champion is now free to find a new team. But, having failed to secure a third world championship, will Alonso be able to find a team that will give him a fighting chance next year?

Judging by this year’s performance, there are only two teams with enough of an edge to deliver a world championship to one of their drivers: McLaren and Ferrari. But Ferrari is out of the question, as both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are under contract.

Current speculation is that Alonso may go back to Renault (for whom he won his world championships) or move on to Red Bull. Renault’s fall from grace in 2007 was spectacular. In 2006 it won the constuctors’ championship with 206 points. In 2007 it came third (fourth, had McLaren not been disqualified) with a paltry 51 points. Renault is confident of putting in a better performance for 2008. It had realized the faults of the R27, their 2007 car, early in the season. But rather than improving the car throughout the season in an effort to claw back points, the team thought it would be better use of their engineers’ time to concentrate on the R28 and have a determined contender for 2008.

Renault does not have contracted drivers for 2008. Of its current pair, Kovalainen is tipped for McLaren, and Giancarlo Fisichella may well have seen his last season in F1. There is space for Alonso, but would Renault want him back? Rumors suggest that Alonso will take a temporary home at Red Bull for 2008, before launching a serious bid for his third world championship at Ferrari in 2009. A current Red Bull driver, likely Mark Webber, will be transferred to Toro Rosso. Driver movements at other teams are likely to include a transfer to Super Aguri for Rubens Barrichello. The 35-year old Brazilian is contracted to Honda for 2008 but his flagging talent would suggest a kick downstairs to the B-team. If he completes the 2008 season he will become the most experienced driver in F1 history — in terms of races started. His team-mate Jenson Button is to stay at Honda.

Toyota has lost Ralf Schumacher who, despite years of underwhelming drives, is likely to secure a drive with a back-of-grid team (possibly the new Force India) thanks to his industry contacts. Two exciting additions to the F1 season are the new Grands Prix at Valencia and Singapore. The European Grand Prix at Valencia is to be held in August on a street circuit around the Spanish city, passing the other-worldly architecture of Santiago Calatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences.

The Singapore Grand Prix will also be on a street circuit, around the city-state’s Marine Bay. To maximize television exposure, the race is to be held at night, under floodlights — thus assuring that European viewers will be able to watch the race live. Some F1 drivers have expressed concern about the safety of racing at night — particularly the dangers of under- or over-illumination.

This year’s scandal, and its nail-biting finale, will likely keep F1 converts watching the opening races of 2008. But will they keep watching if popular heroes become petulant recluses or if there are many more grands prix that seem as stage-managed as Brazil’s season-closer?

Read this artical on Cnn.com here