Ridicules Ecclestone's medals plans:Eddie Jordan

LONDON - Former team boss Eddie Jordan has poured cold water on Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone's plans to have the drivers' world championship decided by gold medals rather than points.

"I think they are a nonsense," Jordan told BBC radio on Wednesday.

"I can't possibly believe he's thinking straight, especially on this one. His focus must be on cost-cutting and nothing else. The rest is just dressing it up."

Ecclestone has said he wants the title won by the driver who wins most races to make the sport more exciting and prevent a repeat of this year's situation where McLaren's Lewis Hamilton needed only to finish fifth in Brazil to be champion.

Hamilton did what was necessary -- but only just -- at Interlagos, beating Ferrari's Felipe Massa by a single point although the Brazilian won six races to the Briton's five victories.

Under Ecclestone's Olympic-style plan, the top three in each race would get gold, silver and bronze medals. Points would count only towards the constructors' standings and to decide overall rankings.

The 78-year-old Briton returned to the theme at a news conference to announce a new sponsorship partner for the championship on Wednesday.

"It's going to happen. All the teams are happy, we're happy and the (governing) FIA are happy," he said.

"The whole reason for this was that I get fed up with people talking about no overtaking. The reason there is no overtaking is nothing to do with the circuits, very little to do with the cars, it's that drivers don't need to overtake.

"If you are in the lead and I'm second, I'm not going to take a chance maybe falling off the road and doing something silly to get two (more) points," added Ecclestone.

"But if I now need to get gold medals because the most gold medals win the championship, then I will overtake you, I promise. And that's what will happen.

"This year, on a number of occasions, Lewis didn't bother to overtake Massa for that reason. And I wouldn't. If he had driven for me and tried and made a mistake, I would have complained. It's just not on that someone can win the world championship without winning a race."

Jordan said however that points were of vital importance to teams and drivers further down the pecking order and trying to get noticed.

"One point is as important to those teams as a win is to McLaren and Ferrari," he said.

"He (Ecclestone) is tinkering with something on which he has lost the understanding. He thinks only wins matter.

"When Hamilton lost the race in Spa and it was given to Massa, can you believe the controversy that would have created?" added the Irishman.

"There has not been enough thought put into this and for him to say that it comes with the full approval of all the teams -- I'm sorry, I just don't believe it."

thanks :Reuters

f1 gp 08 hamiltion day

http://www.sforts.com/f1-videio/

Dominant win for Hamilton

http://www.sforts.com/2008/07/06/dominant-win-for-hamilton/

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Renault: 2009 regulations could lead to shake-up

Next season will see the introduction of several key changes to the Formula One regulations. And Renault’s executive director of engineering Pat Symonds believes that these adjustments could bring about a shift in the standings, as teams struggle to balance their 2008 development work with the need to prepare for the future.

Revised aerodynamic rules, the return of slick tyres and the introduction of KERS technology means that Formula One teams should already be hard at work developing their 2009 car. Symonds, however, whose squad is currently embroiled in a tough championship fight with other midfield teams, including Red Bull, Williams and Toyota, is aware that they also need to continue development work for their ’08 machines.

“We are a big team but we are not big enough to handle two major projects and I think some of the people who are maybe struggling a little bit this year, for example Honda, I think have pushed a lot more effort into next year than we have been able to,” explained Symonds during a team podcast on Renault’s official website. “And we may see a little bit of a shake-up of the establishment next year.

“If you are fighting, as we are this year, then you have got to keep the development. And there is nothing wrong with (that) if it is all applicable to the following year's car. Unfortunately next year's car is a very, very different animal, completely different aerodynamic rules, the KERS system is introduced, slick tyres - lot and lots of things that will make it a very different car. So it is all the more important that we start early on it. And that makes it a very hard for us to do.”

Despite the difficulty of dividing resources between next season and this, Symonds is confident that the developments Renault plan to introduce at the forthcoming Canadian Grand Prix will change the French team’s performance for the better.

“There are other parts that are non circuit specific that are coming in Canada both in aerodymanics and in suspension, which will remain on the cars for other circuits as well, whether they be high, low or medium downforce,” he added. “So there’s a lot of work going on, a lot of exciting things in the pipeline.

“We need something to get up there and be challenging the top three but I do believe those things are coming. We have gone from Australia where we had a car that was definitely not the car that we wanted and not the car that we needed, to a car that really is a great deal better. And all the things that were put in place to make the car better are still in place and still producing results, so in terms of performance I actually feel very confident.”

Renault are currently seventh in the championship, level with Toyota on nine points, six behind Williams and Red Bull.

Force India: Sutil heartbreak shared by Mallya

MONTE CARLO- Force India's billionaire co-owner Vijay Mallya has conceded to being "shattered" and close to tears after seeing his dreams of Monaco glory cruelly wrecked.
Adrian Sutil was on course to score the team's first points when running fourth with only 10 minutes of the two-hour race to run around the streets of Monte Carlo on Sunday.
But the young German was rear-ended by reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who lost control of his Ferrari on a damp part of the circuit emerging out of the tunnel.
Sutil was later seen in floods of tears inside the team garage, and although Raikkonen apologised, the shunt has potentially cost Force India around £5million in points bonuses.
"I was close to tears too - so were many of us actually because we were obviously shattered," remarked Mallya.
"I've had a lot of SMS (text) messages and phone calls from supporters in India, all of whom were highly emotional.
"We were so looking forward to a spectacular result, which was not to be.
"Kimi just rear-ended him. It wasn't as if it was an overtaking manoeuvre.
"Something drastic must have happened, because you wouldn't expect a world champion to run into somebody.
"It was sad for us, that moment was a very emotional moment. But such things happen in racing, that's what I've been telling everyone.
"F1 wouldn't be F1 if it wasn't as unpredictable as it is, but we'll get over it, and take away a lot of positives."
One of those is Mallya believes Sutil has proved he is worthy of his race seat following a poor start to the season.
"Adrian has a lot of ability and talent, and we're glad and proud to have him in our team," added Mallya.
"Some people started questioning my decision to keep him when he didn't finish a few races at the start of the season, but I think he has more than redeemed himself."
Mallya is hoping the tide of good fortune will soon turn the way of his team, as he said: "We don't want to base our earning points on exceptional circumstances.
"The team has to be good and competitive, and that's what we're driving for.
"Everyone's doing their best to make that happen. I just hope that some of these efforts get rewarded soon."

Ferrari: Domenicali keeps positive outlook

MONTE CARLO- Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is adamant the picture is "positive" for his team, despite a miserable Monaco Grand Prix that had a "definitely negative outcome".

From one-two on the grid, Ferrari mustered just six points from Felipe Massa's third place as world champion Kimi Raikkonen was a lowly ninth at the end of a shocking performance.

The Finn was forced into a 10-second drive-through penalty early on as his team had failed to fully fit his tyres at the three-minute warning before the formation lap.

Raikkonen then lost his nose cone twice, notably with 10 minutes of the two-hour race remaining when he ran into the back of Force India's Adrian Sutil after losing control of his car coming out of the tunnel.

At the time Raikkonen was running fifth and on course to retain his championship lead, only to slip out of the points, and he now trails race winner Lewis Hamilton by three.

As for Massa, a spin whilst leading and a poor strategy denied the Brazilian a win from pole position, leaving Domenicali to reflect on a wasted opportunity.

"After a great qualifying it was easy for us to act like prophets foreseeing a possible lottery for the race given the weather forecast," said Domenicali.

"We cannot deny we are disappointed, with the result a combination of errors on our part and bad luck.

"We got off on the wrong foot, with an infringement of the rules in preparing Kimi's car on the grid minutes before the start resulting in a drive-through penalty.

"Then we decided to switch our strategy, going for a one-stop race on the basis that we expected the rain to return and this did not happen.

"With hindsight, it is easy to say we should have made different choices, but the reality is that at every level we did not meet our usual high standards."

However, Domenicali maintains the picture is a healthy one for the team with regard to the remainder of the season.

"We have taken four wins and the same number of poles from six races and we are still solidly in the lead of the constructors' classification," added Domenicali.

"Now we must look ahead and get as well prepared as possible for the Canadian Grand Prix.

"In Monaco, we showed we were capable of fighting for the lead and we want to do the same in Montreal, another track that did not suit us so well last year."

McLaren: No price to pay for Hamilton's celebrations

MONTE CARLO- Lewis Hamilton managed to avoid paying a hefty drinks bill on Sunday night as a startlingly different mood enveloped McLaren in Monaco compared to a year ago.
Hamilton's victory around the rain-lashed streets of Monte Carlo sparked unbridled scenes of joy immediately after the race, and a substantial party into the bargain.
When the 23-year-old eventually returned to the McLaren brand centre after a copious round of interviews, it was to a rousing cheer and deafening music, including Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'.
As the champagne flowed, there was a bear hug from dad Anthony, a 'you-da-man' embrace from rapper P Diddy, and a kiss on the cheek from Pussycat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger.
Go back to last May, and despite a one-two finish led by Fernando Alonso, the aftermath on that occasion included accusations, an FIA investigation, and the start of an internal feud.
Team orders deprived a flying Hamilton of attacking his then team-mate, and although the FIA cleared McLaren of any wrongdoing, the blue touchpaper to an explosive season had been lit.
If the scenes on Sunday are anything to go by, McLaren are a new-found team this season - relaxed, at ease, and ready to enjoy, as they did on Sunday night.
"After crossing the line my engineer said 'drinks are on you'," remarked Hamilton.
"I was just about to reply and say 'no problem', when (team boss) Ron (Dennis) said: 'don't worry, I'll pay for the drinks.' Even better!"
But behind Sunday's delirium, there remains the serious issue of a world title to win.
With a third of the season gone, Hamilton is back in the lead by three points to Kimi Raikkonen who suffered a day of disaster in coming home ninth.
In the very next sentence, Hamilton added: "We need to remain focused for the next race, as we want to continue.
"It's always good to continue with the momentum you have."
Even Dennis conceded the team would "party hard", and whilst there might be a few hangovers on Monday, no doubting his team will be fully focused on the Canadian Grand Prix in 13 days' time.
At least it was a win for Dennis to savour, compared to last year as he said: "There was no controversy to it all.
"It was a great race to be part of, one the whole team felt they had participated in.
"Lewis drove exceptionally well on a track that is so technically difficult.
"He made a mistake early on and nearly paid the price. Anywhere else on the circuit, that could have been very hard to get back.
"But after that we were in control, and winning here has fulfilled a dream for Lewis.
"For him this was his icon race, and he has come out leading the championship again, although there's a long way to go."
Undoubtedly, Hamilton's feet will be on the ground at Montreal, the scene of his debut win last year.
When asked whether Hamilton would feel 10 feet tall in Canada in the wake of his win in Monaco, Dennis replied: "He will go in there realising he's got to do the best job possible."
Last year in Canada, Hamilton took the lead in the title race and held on until the final grands prix in Brazil where he ultimately missed out on the championship by a point to Raikkonen.
There is no denying McLaren's determination to go one better this season, in particular as last year was wrecked by the in-fighting and spy scandal.
"As a team, we're galvanised all the time," added Dennis.
"Prior to Monaco, Ferrari might have got results in the previous four races, but we've been quick.
"We're going to come back as strong as ever, and we've got to push like hell to get developments on the car.
"And compared to last year, we're not going to make the same mistakes again - whatever they were!"

Formula One: Clubs urge Mosley to quit

LONDON- A number of the world's leading automobile clubs have joined forces in one last desperate attempt to force disgraced FIA president Max Mosley out of office.
Mosley's refusal to resign, or even accept a compromise agreement, in the wake of lurid allegations about his private life has amazed senior figures within the motoring organisations.
That has resulted in a letter being sent to Mosley imploring him to step down ahead of next Tuesday's confidence vote in Paris to spare the governing body further embarrassment and damage.
A section of the letter reads: "We strongly believe that the only respectable way forward for the FIA, and for yourself, is to have an orderly transition, with an immediate agreement and your commitment to step down.
"The FIA is in a critical situation. Its image, reputation and credibility are being severely eroded.
"Every additional day that this situation persists, the damage increases. There is no way back."
The letter is signed by representatives from America (AAA and AATA), Austria (OEMTC), Belgium (TCB), Brazil (CCB), Canada (CAA), Denmark (FDM), Finland, (AL), France (FFA), Germany (ADAC), Hungary (MAK), India (FIAA), Israel (MEMSI), Japan (JAF), Singapore (AAS), Spain (RACC and RACE), Sweden (M), Switzerland (TCS) and the Netherlands (KNAC).
The clubs have also expressed their anger at Mosley for refusing the offer of a compromise deal to step down in November in exchange for a guaranteed victory in next week's vote.
The suggestion was proposed by the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT), a senior body of the FIA.
The letter added: "We deeply regret your refusal to accept the proposal by the members of WCAMT to reach an agreement for you to step down at the General Assembly in the coming month of November.
"This is a constructive effort to facilitate an orderly transition within the FIA and to find a solution to the present crisis.
"Instead, your intention to remain until the end of your term in 2009, in spite of the severe damage being inflicted to the FIA, could imply putting personal considerations before the interests of the FIA and its member clubs."
To further undermine Mosley, the clubs do not accept his assertion the FIA is at war with commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone with regard to the future of Formula One.
Mosley put forward the claim, amongst others, as to why he should continue, only for Ecclestone to issue a rebuttal, and pointedly state the FIA should be led by "a respected president".
In siding with Ecclestone, the letter further adds: "We take note of the letter sent by B. Ecclestone to all member clubs, stating his support for the FIA as the sole body governing international motor sport and his willingness to continue working with the FIA, irrespective of the result of the Extraordinary General Assembly on June 3.
"We believe that his explanations put in due perspective the state of the relationship between the FIA and the Formula One world, taking away relevance to many of the arguments you make in your letter to justify your continuity.
"We take note of his point on the importance that the FIA be led by a credible and respected president."
It was expected Mosley would win the day next week, however, this latest damaging letter endorsed by so many leading organisations could convince others to now go against him, and make the vote closer than previously anticipated

fixture of races

#.
GRAND PRIX
RACE DATE
1
Albert Park, Melbourne (ING Australian Grand Prix)
Sun Mar 16, 2008
2
Sepang (Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix)
Sun Mar 23, 2008
3
Bahrain (Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix)
Sun Apr 06, 2008
4
Catalunya (Telefonica Spanish Grand Prix)
Sun Apr 27, 2008
5
Istanbul (Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix)
Sun May 11, 2008
6
Monte Carlo (Monaco Grand Prix)
Sun May 25, 2008
7
Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal (Canadian Grand Prix)
Sun Jun 08, 2008
8
Magny-Cours (French Grand Prix)
Sun Jun 22, 2008
9
Silverstone (Santander British Grand Prix)
Sun Jul 06, 2008
10
Hockenheim (Santander German Grand Prix)
Sun Jul 20, 2008
11
Hungaroring (Hungarian Grand Prix)
Sun Aug 03, 2008
12
Valencia (European Grand Prix)
Sun Aug 24, 2008
13
Spa-Francorchamps (ING Belgian Grand Prix)
Sun Sep 07, 2008
14
Monza (Santander Italian Grand Prix)
Sun Sep 14, 2008
15
Singapore (Singtel Singapore Grand Prix)
Sun Sep 28, 2008
16
Fuji (Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix)
Sun Oct 12, 2008
17
Shanghai (Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix)
Sun Oct 19, 2008
18
Interlagos (Brazilian Grand Prix)
Sun Nov 02, 2008

Ferrari: Massa plots Canadian comeback

MONTE CARLO - Felipe Massa blew the chance of a maiden Monaco Grand Prix victory, but is confident Ferrari will bounce back in Montreal.
An all-red front row should have yielded more than the six points Massa collected for his third place from pole, with Kimi Raikkonen concluding a wretched race by finishing ninth.
With a third of the season completed, it means Raikkonen trails race winner Lewis Hamilton by three points in the drivers' standings, with Massa a further point back.
Although the Brazilian was comfortably away from the front of the grid as rain dominated the early part of a race that ran for the full two hours, a spin and poor strategy led to his downfall.
"Saturday was one of the best pole positions of my career, and with a heavy car (on fuel)," assessed Massa.
"Everything was pointing in the right direction to fight for the victory, and we were fighting because I was very quick at the beginning when it was very wet. I was even pulling away.
"I heard Lewis had a problem, but then everything turned when the track started to dry and we had a lot of problems when we stopped and put a lot of fuel in the car.
"We made a mistake on the strategy as we were waiting for the rain (later in the race), which didn't come.
"It was a little bit of a gamble. Sometimes it works perfectly on this track, sometimes it doesn't work.
"The weather forecast was perfect most of the time, but it wasn't when we really expected it would rain again."
Massa feels Ferrari will be strong in another race that should favour McLaren, the Canadian Grand Prix in 13 days' time.
Hamilton won another incident-filled event a year ago from pole as Ferrari again made mistakes.
But Massa added: "We will be stronger than last year because, in this race, McLaren were not unbeatable.
"We had great pace in both the rain and on the dry, but with all the circumstances we were unable to fight with Hamilton.
"Because I don't think McLaren were unbeatable here, we have the same feelings for Montreal, so the championship is very open.
"We have a good car, a good team, and this race will not change our possibilities to fight over the season."
As for Raikkonen, a major gaffe by his team resulted in a 10-second drive-through penalty as they failed to fully fit his tyres at the three-minute signal prior to the start of the race.
The reigning world champion, starting from second on the grid, was then passed by Hamilton on the run to the first corner at Sainte Devote.
After Raikkonen served the penalty, there followed two nose-cone changes as one minor incident early on was followed by a major shunt 10 minutes from the end of the two-hour race.
Losing control of his Ferrari coming out of the tunnel, the Finn rammed into the back of Force India's Adrian Sutil at a time when they were running fourth and fifth.
Sutil was forced to retire, and was later seen sobbing his heart out in his team's garage, whilst Raikkonen managed to rejoin, only to miss out on a points-scoring finish by one place.
Assessing the situation, Raikkonen added: "It was a very poor race for me, right from the off.
"It's true I've lost the lead, but I always said the championship would be a very long one.
"Now we must prepare as well as possible for Canada, where we will try to make up for this disappointment."

Ferrari: Domenicali keeps positive outlook

MONTE CARLO- Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is adamant the picture is "positive" for his team, despite a miserable Monaco Grand Prix that had a "definitely negative outcome".
From one-two on the grid, Ferrari mustered just six points from Felipe Massa's third place as world champion Kimi Raikkonen was a lowly ninth at the end of a shocking performance.
The Finn was forced into a 10-second drive-through penalty early on as his team had failed to fully fit his tyres at the three-minute warning before the formation lap.
Raikkonen then lost his nose cone twice, notably with 10 minutes of the two-hour race remaining when he ran into the back of Force India's Adrian Sutil after losing control of his car coming out of the tunnel.
At the time Raikkonen was running fifth and on course to retain his championship lead, only to slip out of the points, and he now trails race winner Lewis Hamilton by three.
As for Massa, a spin whilst leading and a poor strategy denied the Brazilian a win from pole position, leaving Domenicali to reflect on a wasted opportunity.
"After a great qualifying it was easy for us to act like prophets foreseeing a possible lottery for the race given the weather forecast," said Domenicali.
"We cannot deny we are disappointed, with the result a combination of errors on our part and bad luck.
"We got off on the wrong foot, with an infringement of the rules in preparing Kimi's car on the grid minutes before the start resulting in a drive-through penalty.
"Then we decided to switch our strategy, going for a one-stop race on the basis that we expected the rain to return and this did not happen.
"With hindsight, it is easy to say we should have made different choices, but the reality is that at every level we did not meet our usual high standards."
However, Domenicali maintains the picture is a healthy one for the team with regard to the remainder of the season.
"We have taken four wins and the same number of poles from six races and we are still solidly in the lead of the constructors' classification," added Domenicali.
"Now we must look ahead and get as well prepared as possible for the Canadian Grand Prix.
"In Monaco, we showed we were capable of fighting for the lead and we want to do the same in Montreal, another track that did not suit us so well last year

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008
Pos
No
Driver
Team
Laps
Time/Retired
Grid
Pts
1
22
Lewis Hamilton
McLaren-Mercedes
76
2:00:42.742
3
10
2
4
Robert Kubica
BMW Sauber
76
+3.0 secs
5
8
3
2
Felipe Massa
Ferrari
76
+4.8 secs
1
6
4
10
Mark Webber
Red Bull-Renault
76
+19.2 secs
9
5
5
15
Sebastian Vettel
STR-Ferrari
76
+24.6 secs
19
4
6
17
Rubens Barrichello
Honda
76
+28.4 secs
14
3
7
8
Kazuki Nakajima
Williams-Toyota
76
+30.1 secs
13
2
8
23
Heikki Kovalainen
McLaren-Mercedes
76
+33.1 secs
4
1
9
1
Kimi Räikkönen
Ferrari
76
+33.7 secs
2
10
5
Fernando Alonso
Renault
75
+1 Lap
7
11
16
Jenson Button
Honda
75
+1 Lap
11
12
12
Timo Glock
Toyota
75
+1 Lap
10
13
11
Jarno Trulli
Toyota
75
+1 Lap
8
14
3
Nick Heidfeld
BMW Sauber
72
+4 Laps
12
Ret
20
Adrian Sutil
Force India-Ferrari
67
Accident damage
18
Ret
7
Nico Rosberg
Williams-Toyota
59
Accident
6
Ret
6
Nelsinho Piquet
Renault
47
Accident
17
Ret
21
Giancarlo Fisichella
Force India-Ferrari
36
Gearbox
20
Ret
9
David Coulthard
Red Bull-Renault
7
Accident
15
Ret
14
Sebastien Bourdais
STR-Ferrari
7
Accident
16

Exclusive interview - Barrichello: I'm driving better than ever

With a driver’s physical fitness tested to its absolute limits over the course of a season, Formula One racing is known to take its toll. However, at a record-breaking 258 Grands Prix starts and counting, Honda’s Rubens Barrichello is showing no signs of flagging.Instead, Barrichello is adamant that thoughts of retirement have never crossed his mind. And in Monaco, the sport’s longest-serving driver showed he still has what it takes, bagging three points and drawing level with his team mate Jenson Button in the standings…Q: Rubens, you are now the record holder in Formula One. An amazing achievement, but is it also an indication that a long career is finally coming to an end?Rubens Barrichello: No, not really. Obviously everything comes to an end sooner or later, but I have seldom felt better physically and mentally, so in my head it’s only a number right now. I don’t feel like 36, I don’t feel that I have that many races under my belt. I am just enjoying the time - and I am driving well!Q: So this season is not a farewell tour then?RB: Well, the celebration and the cake and all the appreciation from the other teams has all been very nice - and I was definitely moved to witness all that - but I am still doing my job and Sunday's result has proved that. So why should I want to put all that behind me?Q: Has racing become more or less interesting for you?RB: I am in a situation where my mind is the big player. I am very motivated and with the joining of Ross Brawn, I definitely feel that we are undergoing a change for the better. For sure, the car is not that good yet for what I want to achieve, but right now I have the feeling that I am driving better than at any other time, so all I need is a quick car to perform. My mind still says yes to racing.Q: Before this weekend’s excellent result, Australia’s Q3 was the only other highlight for you this season. How would you judge 2008 to date?RB: Well, before Monaco I had some chances for scoring, but car and luck were not on my side. In Australia I was really unlucky with the safety car and in Barcelona we were also quite competitive. And Monaco finally made it good. But still we have to improve quite a lot as Monaco is the exception to the track rule. Q: Honda seem to be a patient waiting for the right cure. Is Brawn that cure?RB: Yes, definitely! So far he has done a super job with the tools that he has on hand. Some more good results will further pump up everything and will show the potential that the team has.Q: You worked with Brawn for many years at Ferrari. Does your intimate knowledge of his working method help push development forward?RB: Yes, it helps. Especially knowing how he is treating things as he is really, really determined to make it happen. I was a big fan of his at Ferrari, but my impression is that he is working even better now. He’s just like me - becoming older and better.Q: For many years you witnessed a world championship-winning team in action. On a scale of one to 10, Ferrari being 10, where would you put Honda right now?RB: At the moment I wouldn’t be able to give a score to the overall thing. We are very well set up in terms of facilities; we are very well set up in terms of engineers and mechanics; in terms of pure performance I would say we sit at five. We are quite in the middle but we need another five steps to get to the top. We have all the tools falling into place so I think that Honda can be a team of the future - with Ross Brawn. Q: While it is obviously too early to talk about winning, what do you hope to achieve?RB: Well, I miss winning races - in fact I miss it terribly. That’s why I put so much effort into testing and getting things done. I just know that I am prepared whenever the car is ready. And on Sunday the cycle overlapped!Q: Monaco divides the paddock, with drivers either loving or hating the circuit. What’s your take?RB: In Monte Carlo anything can happen. You can overcome problems by being a good driver. And you have to be open minded towards the track!

monoco-gp qualify

Saturday May 24, 2008
The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying

POSITION	DRIVER	TIME / RETIREMENT
1	Felipe Massa	1:15.787
2	Kimi Raikkonen	1:15.815
3	Lewis Hamilton	1:15.839
4	Heikki Kovalainen	1:16.165
5	Robert Kubica	1:16.171
6	Nico Rosberg	1:16.548
7	Fernando Alonso	1:16.852
8	Jarno Trulli	1:17.203
9	Mark Webber	1:17.343
10	David Coulthard	No Time
11	Timo Glock	1:15.907
12	Jenson Button	1:16.101
13	Nick Heidfeld	1:16.455
14	Kazuki Nakajima	1:16.479
15	Rubens Barrichello	1:16.537
16	Sebastien Bourdais	1:16.806
17	Nelson Piquet Jr	1:16.933
18	Sebastian Vettel	1:16.955
19	Adrian Sutil	1:17.225
20	Giancarlo Fisichella	1:17.823