New Book Tackles NASCAR's Greatest Debates

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Petty Enterprises, Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR

EDITORS NOTE: When you start talking about Richard Petty's rightful place in NASCAR history vs. Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon, you're going to get in an argument.

In his first book, Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates, recently published by John Wiley & Sons Inc., motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski tackles these questions and provides his unique viewpoint. Prior to joining FanHouse over a year ago as an editor, Jerry Bonkowski was National NASCAR Columnist for Yahoo! Sports and ESPN.com and wrote for USA Today.

Here are several excerpts from Bonkowski's book, which is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders and other book stores, as well as online at Amazon.com.

WHO'S THE GREATEST NASCAR DRIVER EVER?

This debate always gets passionate fans going, with typically mild-mannered individuals turning into raving, obsessed fanatics if someone dares to challenge the superiority of the guy they so proudly call "their" driver. Think of a 140-pound, Woody Allen-looking dweeb who lives and breathes Kasey Kahne suddenly getting a surge of testosterone, puffing out his chest while forgetting common sense, and stupidly trying to take on a hulking, 300-pound redneck who takes great offense if you say anything bad about Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Then watch the punched-out Woody Allen-esque fan suddenly wind up doing a frightening, almost cartoonlike barrel roll through the air like the great Rusty Wallace did more than a few times during his career at places like Talladega Superspeedway.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/06/new-book-tackles-nascars-greatest-debates/

Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene

Turkish GP: Hamilton gains victory by Red Bull collision

May 30 '10

Lewis Hamilton won today's Turkish Grand Prix with a bit of a luck from the collision of the Red Bull mates, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton's first win of the season. His team mate Jenson Button finished second and Mark Webber who was leading the race before the incident, finished third.

The McLaren duo of Hamilton and Button, who were running first and second after the incident between the Red Bull drivers, were racing against each other despite warnings from their crew about ?critical? fuel shortages.

According to F1Fanatic, The McLaren drivers could scarcely believe their fortune but Button, now up to second, fancied his chances of a third win. He drew alongside his team mate on the outside of turn 12 and scrambled past.

That left Button on the outside of the last corner and Hamilton used his momentum to get back alongside. The pair touched wheels as they dived into turn one side-by-side and Hamilton seized the lead back."

Details of the race below, thanks to the Formula 1 broadcaster and journalist, James Allen's tweets.

Video of the incident between Webber and Vettel

According to iTV, "Winning this race would be about seizing the precious moment. Vettel felt his had come when he got a run on Webber exiting ?Faux Rouge?, the right-hand kink in the back straight.

It was a squeeze but he got alongside and had the inside line for turn 12. He was slightly ahead too, and clearly felt he had earned the right to drift over for a slightly less compromised line.

Webber didn?t see it that way. Perhaps hoping to pinch his team-mate in order to get a run on him through the second part or even the exit of the left-right-left combination, he held his line.

The Red Bulls touched and Vettel spun down the road, almost collecting Webber in the run-off area before marching away from his wreck while giving the universally accepted hand signal for ?crazy?."

Michael Schumacher finished a strong fourth in his Mercedes ahead of his team mate Nico Rosberg in fifth. Kamui Kobayashi scored his first points of the season and also his team's. Both the Saubers finished the race for the first time this season.

Hamilton?s first win of the season moves him up to third place in the driver's standings (84 pts), Webber retains the lead (93 pts). Button moves to second (88 pts). Vettel, who jointly led the championship heading into this race, falls to fifth (78 pts). McLaren lead the constructor's championship, ahead of Red Bull and Ferrari.

Turkish Grand Prix Race times

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58 laps 1hr 28m 47.620s
2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +00m 02.6s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault +00m 24.2s
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 31.1s
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 32.2s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault +00m 32.8s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 36.6s
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 46.5s
9. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +00m 49.0s
10. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.6s

11. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.9s
12. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +01m 07.8s
13. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
14. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
15. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault +1 lap
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
19 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
20. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth +6 laps

Rtd Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 46 laps completed
Rtd Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 39 laps completed
Rtd Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 33 laps completed
Rtd Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 32 laps completed


Fastest lap:

Vitaly Petrov Renault -Renault 1m 29.165s lap 57



Images (C) Daylife, F1Fanatic

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2010 Team Reviews: JGR Inches Closer to Title

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, NASCAR

As easily the most staunch threat to unseat Jimmie Johnson and Co. from their record-setting run through the previous four seasons, Joe Gibbs Racing takes second spot in our review of the top teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from 2010.

Denny Hamlin (above) delivered the last, best threat to Johnson's run to five consecutive championships at Homestead in November by holding a narrow points lead on the No. 48 before the season finale. However, a risky decision early in the race left Hamlin spinning and scrambling while Johnson cruised to his fifth.

It was a storyline we've seen before from the JGR camp -- most notably in Kyle Busch's 2008 Chase implosion.

Labeling the 2010 season a failure for JGR with one gaffe in one race, however, isn't fair to the otherwise notable successes the team saw during the campaign. Here's a look back, and the reasoning why, JGR was the second-best NASCAR organization in 2010.

2nd- Denny Hamlin [8 wins, 14 Top-5s, 18 Top-10s, 2 DNFs, 12.9 Avg Finish]

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/27/2010-team-reviews-jgr-inches-closer-to-title/

GT Vodka Chevrolet Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota Parker Kligerman

2010 Team Rankings: Hendrick Motorsports Leads Way

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

Just days after Jimmie Johnson secured his record-extending fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup title, Hendrick Motorsports experienced quite possibly the largest shift within its organization, ever.

With the exception of Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus, crew chiefs changed teams and drivers switched shops. All of it, goofy enough, in a bid to become as good or better than Johnson & Knaus in 2011.

But before they get there, it's worth noting what Hendrick Motorsports did in 2010 that earned them the distinction of FanHouse's top NASCAR team of the past season:


1st - Jimmie Johnson [6 wins, 17 Top-5s, 23 Top-10s, 4 DNFs, 12.2 Avg Finish]

Johnson obviously carried the Hendrick load most impressively this season by the sheer fact that he won, yet again, the Sprint Cup title. However, it was Johnson's first season in which he looked terrifically vulnerable down the stretch -- even needed to outrace Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick in the season finale to lay claim to his fifth title.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/22/2010-team-rankings-hendrick-motorsports-leads-way/

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New Daytona Will Have Tighter Action, More Chance for Mayhem, Drivers Say

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Testing, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

As defending Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray made his first laps on the repaved Daytona International Speedway Wednesday, the newness of it all was mildly overwhelming at first.

"Honestly, from my first 15-lap run in the draft, it took awhile to take it all in and kinda understand what was happening," McMurray said of the first of two days of Goodyear tire tests on the 2.5-mile speedway's new pavement. "When we unloaded, the cars seemed really wide and the track seemed narrow. But, really, after running 20 or 30 laps, it was not scary and was not that big of a deal.

"Today (Thursday), when I got out there, it felt way more comfortable and you kinda learn little tricks and stuff."

What they also learned, McMurray and other drivers said Thursday at a press conference at the speedway, is that because the new surface is so smooth and fast and so much easier to drive, big packs of cars will stay together longer, and that means the chances of big crashes are greater.

"It's gonna be different racing than what we've had in the past," McMurray said. "The cars are going to stay bunched up more. When you're really close together, it increases those chances" of a big crash, McMurray said. "You just gotta hope that you can make it to the end, because the odds [of a crash] are going to be really good, I'd say."

Barring a huge mistake or problem, "you're not going to the lose the draft," said Jeff Burton. "It's going to be big packs all the time. Three-wide is work. Four-wide is a wreck. Because of the mentality of superspeedway racing. there's going to be efforts to go four-wide to pick up positions, and when that starts happening, it's going to be get hairy."

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/16/new-daytona-will-have-tighter-action-more-chance-for-mayhem-dr/

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2010 European Grand Prix weekend review

July 5 '10

It's good to be back!!

Well..First of all, let me apologize to all the F1Insighters for the lack of posts this race weekend. My job took me to a remote location in India where I was unable to access neither the internet nor a Television!! Anyways, now that I'm back I think I'll post some insights on what happened during the Grand Prix weekend in Valencia before the start of the British Grand Prix this weekend.

Practice

European Grand Prix, Valencia - Friday free practice (1)

Nico Rosberg headed the opening practice in Valencia.

European Grand Prix free practice 1 times
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 41.175s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 41.339s
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 41.383s
4. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 41.715s
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.182s
6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 42.216s
7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 42.275s
8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 42.312s
9. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.421s
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 42.463s
11. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 42.707s
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 42.962s
13. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 43.310s
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 43.380s
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 43.397s
16. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m 43.437s
17. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 43.729s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 44.183s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 44.491s
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 45.653s
21. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 47.123s
22. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 47.285s
23. Christian Klien HRT-Cosworth 1m 47.343s
24. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 47.356s

European Grand Prix, Valencia - Friday free practice (2)

Fernando Alonso topped second practice in Valencia, closely followed by Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

European Grand Prix free practice 2 times
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 39.283s
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 39.339s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 39.427s
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.650s
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 39.749s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 39.880s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 39.947s
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 40.020s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 40.029s
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 40.174s
11. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 40.287s
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 40.387s
13. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 40.618s
14. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 40.906s
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 40.945s
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 41.115s
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 41.371s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 41.457s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 42.467s
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 42.993s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 43.811s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 43.854s
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 44.095s
24. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 44.566s

European Grand Prix, Valencia ? Saturday free practice

Sebastian Vettel headed a Red Bull 1-3 in final practice for the European Grand Prix, with Robert Kubica in between.

European Grand Prix free practice 3 times
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 38.052s
2. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 38.154s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 38.313s
4. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.500s
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.513s
6 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.623s
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.676s
8. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.686s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.769s
10. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.816s
11. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 38.822s
12. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.050s
13. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 39.105s
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 39.113s
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.222s
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.392s
17. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.527s
18. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.699s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 41.303s
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 41.428s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 41.955s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.354s
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.611s
24. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.622s


Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel headed a Red Bull Racing 1-2 in qualifying for the European GP

Sebastian Vettel scored his 4th pole position of the 2010 season with a wonderful performance on Saturday (June 26) afternoon in Valencia.

Although the Austrian team predicted it would struggle to get its cars to speed on the Valencia street circuit, both Vettel and teammate Mark Webber scored consistently good results in the second part of qualifying, emerging in 1st and 2nd respectively at the end of Q3. Vettel clocked his fastest lap in 1:37.587, while Webber had to settle for 2nd some 0.075 seconds behind.

Third place went to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who made a few mistakes in his last flying lap to lose his initial front row position. However, he did manage to out-qualify the two Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa who, despite the overall improvements brought to Valencia, were unable to keep the pace with the front-runners in the last few minutes of qualify.

Renault?s Robert Kubica finished Q1 in 1st place but had to settle for 6th overall in the end, while in front of the second McLaren MP4-25 driven by Jenson Button. Williams F1?s improvements for the weekend got both their cars inside the Top 10, with Nico Hulkenberg topping his much older teammate Rubens Barrichello for 8th place. The Top 10 was completed by the second Renault driver Vitaly Petrov.

Mercedes GP had a Saturday to forget, with Nico Rosberg barely making the 12th slot on the grid, behind Scuderia Toro Rosso?s Sebastien Buemi, but ahead of Force India duo Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi. After almost failing to make it out of Q1 with a steering problem at his W01, Michael Schumacher scored the 15th best time of Q2, ahead of BMW Sauber?s Pedro de la Rosa and STR?s Jaime Alguersuari.

Top ten drivers in Q3
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 37.587s
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 37.662s
3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 37.969s
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.075s
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.127s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 38.137s
7. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.210s
8 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.428s
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.428s
10. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 38.523s

Drivers eliminated in Q2
11. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 38.586s
12. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 38.627s
13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.851s
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.884s
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.234s
16. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.264s
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.458s

Drivers eliminated in Q1
18. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.343s
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 40.658s
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 40.882s
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.086s
22. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.140s
23. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.600s
24. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.851s


Race

Sebastian Vettel scored his second win of 2010 in the European Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel cruised to his second win of the 2010 Formula One season on Sunday (June 27), as the Red Bull racer drove mistake-free from beginning to end in this weekend?s European Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, the German maintained his lead at the first corner, despite an early charge from McLaren?s Lewis Hamilton, after which he never let go of his 1st place.

His teammate Mark Webber started off poorly in Valencia and lost no less than 7 positions in the first lap, being the first to pit from the entire F1 field on Lap 8. Dropping down to 18th overall, the Australian started his recuperation race behind Lotus? Heikki Kovalainen, but it all lasted for a single lap.

While trying to overtake the Finn, Webber?s car touched the rear of Kovalainen?s Lotus and was practically lifted into the air and projected upside down onto the track, after which it flipped back the right way and smashed into the tyre barriers. Luckily, the Red Bull racer did not sustain any injuries in the accident.

Video:

That caused the first and only safety car of the race, meaning all the drivers visited the pits for tyre change. When deployed, the SC joined the field just ahead of the two Ferraris driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, causing some major time damage for the two drivers.

After the pit stops, Vettel remained in 1st place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kamui Kobayashi, who decided not to change his tyres early on. Alonso dropped to 10th place, while Massa rejoined the field in 15th place.

Shortly after the safety car went in, Alonso attacked Williams? Nico Hulkenberg and went into 9th place, a position which he held until 3 laps to the finish line, when Kobayashi finally made his tyre change stop. In the front of the field, Hamilton made huge efforts to catch Vettel, but was given a drive-through penalty for passing the SC on track and lost approximately 15 seconds in the process.

However, despite the drive-through penalty, Hamilton retained his 2nd place and went on to finish in the runner-up spot, ahead of his McLaren teammate Jenson Button. Fourth place went to Williams? Rubens Barrichello, who finished ahead of Renault?s Robert Kubica and Force India?s Adrian Sutil.

Going in for a new set of tyres 3 laps to the finish line, Kobayashi managed a spectacular surge from 9th to 7th in only one lap, passing both Alonso and STR?s Sebastien Buemi in the last few kilometers of the race. Buemi had to settle for 8th, ahead of Alonso, while the Top 10 was completed by the second BMW Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa.

As the chequered flag was waved, uncertainty is the word of the day in Valencia, as a bunch of cars were announced to be investigated for their pit stop under SC rules.

Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg, Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Buemi, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi received 5-second penalties for "failing to stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU when the Safety Car was deployed."

In the overall classification of the race, Alonso was lifted up one spot to 8th place, while Buemi dropped to 9th. Pedro de la Rosa lost his 10th place in favor of Nico Rosberg.

European Grand Prix Race times
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 57 laps 1hr 40m 29.571s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes +5.0s
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +12.6s*
4. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +25.6s*
5. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault +27.1s*
6. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +30.1s*
7. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari +30.9s
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari +32.8s
9. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +36.2s*
10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes +44.3s

11. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari +46.6s
12. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari +47.4s*
13. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +48.2s*
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault +48.2s*
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes +48.8s
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +50.8s*
17. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +2 laps**
20. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth +4 laps

Rtd. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 49 laps completed mechanical*
Rtd. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 8 laps completed accident
Rtd. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 8 laps completed accident


Fastest lap:
Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.766s

* denotes handed 5-second penalty for speeding under safety car conditions
** denotes handed 20-second penalty for ignoring blue flags


Links to websites related to the 2010 European Grand Prix

• Europe analysis - Vettel back on the title trail
• European Grand Prix - The key decisions
• Kovalainen: Webber just ran into me
• Massa frustrated by safety-car controversy in European Grand Prix
• 'Lucky' Hamilton deserved 'a black flag', argues Briatore
• Alonso fumes after Hamilton penalty, Ferrari calls result ?a scandal?
• Lewis Hamilton accuses Fernando Alonso of sour grapes as fallout from European Grand Prix rumbles on
• Mark Webber thankful to survive horror crash with Heikki Kovalainen in Valencia

Images(C) daylife, f1fanatic. Thanks to autoevolution, crash.net, autoweek, f1fanatic, jamesallenonf1

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Ferrari adopts Red Bull-style exhaust for Valencia

June 20 '10

Ferrari's B version of the F10 will reportedly feature a Red Bull-style exhaust system at Valencia. The information appeared in Spain's AS newspaper, whose reporters believe ? from Ferrari sources ? that the heavily restyled car will be from 0.3 to 0.4 seconds quicker per lap as compared to the recent races in Turkey and Canada.

According to the same report, the updated Ferrari challenger will feature a modified rear suspension as well, in order to better integrate the new exhausts. The new layout is expected to open a bigger channel of air ?to double the downforce generated by the diffuser,? as reported by the GMM news agency, quoting AS.

Here is a picture of the Red Bull during the pre-season testing. The exhaust vents to the outer side of the gearbox below the bottom suspension wishbone, channelling the hot air around the rear suspension and out the top side of the floor. The Red arrow shows Red Bull's attempt to mislead rival teams by placing a sticker of an exhaust pipe on the upper bodywork below the upper wishbone, where one would expect to see it!

Ferrari have been preparing for the Valencia update for quite some time now, having lost a lot of time developing the F-duct system until now. This was actually the main reason why their car has become less competitive as compared to the championship front-runners, as argued by team boss Stefano Domenicali himself.

?For Valencia, the focus has been on other areas of the car apart from the (F-duct) rear wing,? said the Ferrari principal, according to Brazil's Globo. His comment was strengthened by Alonso's outspoken belief that the revised package for Valencia will set the base for a whole new perspective for Ferrari for the rest of the 2010 season.

?The most important improvement in Valencia is not what we achieve there, but the way it opens us developments to be stronger for the remainder of the season,? said Alonso.

At Ferrari?s own Fiorano test circuit on Friday (18th June), Fernando Alonso drove the F10 for the ?promotional and filming? reasons as permitted by the test ban.

But, as confirmed by Italian media sources, the 2010 car was in its full Valencia specification, including Red Bull-style low exhausts, designed to channel more air to the double-diffuser.

?You have to make the most of any opportunity in this era of the testing ban,? the Italian team said.

A 14 seconds video below, with Alonso testing the F10b in Fiorano was leaked on Youtube and f1around.files.wordpress.com compiled the image and compared it beautifully with that of Ferrari F10 and Red Bull RB6 as seen above.

Credit : Autoevolution, F1Aldia. Images(C) Google, F1Around, F1Aldia

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