Formula One: Teammate Wars

 

Formula One’s rule is beating other teams. In McLaren Mercedes, British rookie Lewis Hamilton, with 70 points, leads the driver’s championship by two points against teammate two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Inside the Scuderia team, there is a scorching rivalry between Felipe Massa with 59 points and Kimi Raikkonen with 52.

The McLaren and Ferrari battle is heightened by their driver’s close scores. In the Bavarian team, next to Nick Heidfeld with 36 points is Robert Kubica with 24. Giancarlo Fisichella flaunts 17 points while teammate Heikki Kovalainen garners 17. Teammates are their closest rivals.

The 22-year-old Briton is having some nose-to-nose clash of points with the 26-year-old Spaniard driver. An air of it is reflected in the new 60-second McLaren Mercedes promotional ad, which also featured the legendary driver of the team – Mika Häkkinen.

How blistering is the rivalry? With seven races remaining, Hamilton and Alonso are separated by only two points.

Despite the alleged espionage and the threat of a possible expulsion still hanging over McLaren, the team is positive this Formula One season would not just turn out to be phenomenal but blissful as well.

Currently, the team is getting ready for the Hungarian Grand Prix to dig a favorable finish. The drivers do not get too confident because they know they still have bigger fish to fry…

 

Ferrari is not Satisfied as McLaren Escape Punishment

 

Ferrari is not satisfied that McLaren is not punished. The World Motor Sport Council called by the FIA found McLaren guilty of possessing technical data owned by Ferrari. This has angered Ferrari. Scuderia Ferrari’s chief executive Jean Todt is also furious at the ruling. He accused McLaren’s team principal Ron Dennis of signing an agreement of trust between the two teams while at the same time is aware that a spy is working inside Ferrari.

“I replied that I found it impossible to believe him because we had seen that certain commitments had always been disregarded by McLaren,” said Todt. “There was an exchange of views and, believing in their good faith, I agreed to sign this agreement on June 9. So, on the one hand, they had come to say ‘let us trust one another’ and, on the other, they were hiding serious facts but making no effort to inform us as would have been in the spirit and to the letter of our agreement.”

Todt pointed out that since McLaren was found guilty, they should be punished. “There is not even a sign of logic in this verdict. Either they are guilty or they aren’t. McLaren were found responsible of having violated the regulations of F1, of having behaved in a fraudulent manner, but they haven’t been punished,” he shared.

McLaren though was not found guilty of having used the Ferrari data on their cars which would have given them immense advantage over the Italian team. If the FIA punished McLaren that would either come in form of a monetary fine docking points from the team and drivers. Currently, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are leading the race to the championship.

 

McLaren Awaits Verdict on Ferrari Spying Scandal

Aside from that the team’s drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are leading in the drivers’ championship standings. The scandal involved a Ferrari and a McLaren employee.

Nigel Stepney, formerly of Ferrari, is allegedly passing on technical secrets to Mike Coughlan, McLaren’s chief designer. Ferrari documents were found in the possession of Coughlan and being a member of the McLaren team, the team was summoned by the FIA to the council. The British Formula One team currently has 138 points after ten races so far. The hope of the team now lies in the testimony of Mike Coughlan. If Coughlan testified that someone aside from him in the team was aware of the secret dossier, McLaren’s name will forever be tainted.

Stepney was already sacked by the Italian Formula One team.

McLaren is now waiting for the decision of the World Motor Sport Council concerning the Ferrari spying scandal. The team has been summoned at the council to make known their involvement in the alleged spying on rival Ferrari.

 

Red Bull Shows Surprise at 2007 European Grand Prix

For nine races this season before the European Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing’s highest ever finish this season is a fifth place taken by British Formula One driver David Coulthard. But at the race in Nürburgring, the duo of Coulthard and Mark Webber collected more points than in the nine races combined.

Before the European Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing only has six points. But at the Euro Grand Prix, Webber finished third, his second career podium finish for six points while Coulthard finished fifth for four points. Webber and Coulthard even outpaced the pair of BMW Sauber and Renault. BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld finished sixth and Robert Kubica finished seventh. Obviously, Webber and Coulthard are pleased with their performance. Eventually though, Winkelhock would not finish the race as his car’s hydraulics malfunctioned.

“I am really happy about it – I was leading my home Grand Prix! Unfortunately then we had a hydraulic problem and I had to stop. The target for me was to finish, but I know that not getting there was not down to me, so I am really pleased with what I achieved,” said Winkelhock after the race.