Raikkonen Wins Spanish Grand Prix

Spanish Grand Prix

About the only thing exciting about the Spanish Grand Prix was Fernando Alonso scoring second starting position for the race in a car which has been well of the pace. His efforts on Saturday gave his cheering hometown fans the only thing to be happy about as his Renault engine blew up early after the first pit stop.

The Ferrari's of Raikkonen and Massa were no match for the rest of the field as they were in lockstep throughout the race, only losing positions during pit stops. Kimi Raikkonen won the pole and had a dominant race as he led his Ferrari teammate to the checkered flag. Lewis Hamilton drove to a well deserved third place finish after two consecutive poor races. His teammate did not fare so well as Heikki Kovalainen went hard into a tire barrier after a front tire failure. Thankfully he escaped serious injury and will be fit to race next week in Turkey.

What we did see in Spain was a very close race amongst most of the teams as qualifying times were within a few tenths of each other and all eight point scoring positions finished on the lead lap. Seven different teams scored points in the race, unusual for a Formula 1 race. BMW proved strong again as Robert Kubica outpaced his teammate Nick Heidfeld and finish right behind Hamilton in fourth place. Points also were also scored for Red Bull, Honda, Williams and Toyota.

Well its on to Turkey for what should be a more eventful race on a track where there may actually be some passing for position. A relatively new track with some good corners for overtaking, should produce more action, even among the top runners. Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen and team Ferrari for another dominant performance and hoping that we get a new winning team in the not to distant future in Formula 1.

Spanish Grand Prix

Massa Wins F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain

Formula 1

BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica won the pole position but Felipe Massa of Ferrari won the race in convincing fashion in the Grand Prix of Bahrain. Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari finished second and Kubica third to round out the podium.

The surprise of the weekend was the lackluster performance of team McClaren as they seemed never to have the speed required to run up front. Lewis Hamilton qualified third but a poor start found him way behind after one lap and then his opportunity to finish in the points were dashed when he ran into Alonso's Renualt on lap two. With a new nose con replaced he could not muster enough speed to score points while teammate Heikki Kovalainen languished in 5th place all race long.

By winning in Bahrain Massa has temporarily gotten a reprieve from the Italian press for his poor start to the 2008 season. When you are a Ferrari driver you are expected to either win the race or finish well in the points. With team mate Raikkonen the favored driver and reigning world champ, Massa is under the most intense pressure. Even though he is in his third season as a Ferrari driver, most F1 people still find it hard to believe he is driving for the team. Now the biggest rumor is that Fernando Alonso is on his way to Ferrari next year if his Renault doesn't perform to his liking.

Well the merry go round of F1 is always full of stories that keep us wondering what will happen next. But a big congratulations goes out to BMW Sauber for winning their first pole and finishing third and fourth in the race. I think we are seeing the gradual progression of teams like BMW, Toyota and Williams as they march closer to the front running teams of Ferrari and McClaren. This improvement of other teams will keep my attention as I will be eager to wake up early Sunday mornings to watch all the races from the upcoming European swing of the F1 Championship.

Formula 1

Hamlin Wins In Martinsville

NASCAR

When Denny Hamlin came across the finish line in Martinsville I am sure he let out a big sigh of relief. Two weeks earlier he had a sure win taken away when his car failed to pick up the fuel he needed to complete the last three laps in Bristol. But he had better luck for the Goody's 500 as he fended off a late race charge by Jeff Gordon to post victory number one for 2008.

The biggest impression I took away from this race was how a car's performance can change during a long green flag run. For thirty laps you could be garbage and the next seventy your completely dialed in. Just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr., who seemed to go in and out with the performance of his AMP Chevrolet. One minute he has the car to beat, but in the end he had to fight and claw for his sixth place finish.

Wild and wacky as all Martinsville races are, it has always amazed me how they can fit 43 cars on the track, but even more amazing in the pits. The pit crews really have to be at their sharpest on this most dangerous of pit lanes on the Nascar circuit. There is absolutely no room for error or you could find yourself flat on your back from the bumper of an oncoming car. Be careful out there!!

But on a closing note, congratulations to Denny Hamlin as this home state boy came away with a well deserved victory. His teammate Tony Stewart battled all day and found himself a strong fourth place when the checkered flag fell, rubber stamping Toyota's mark on the Cup series.

But Team Hendrick put their own stamp on this race as all four cars ran strong all day. They may not have won the race but dominated the pace from the drop of the green flag, letting the competition know that the Bow Tie boys are alive and kicking. On to Texas for a high speed chase around a tricky race track, were the racing is a much different flavor then the paper clip of Martinsville.

NASCAR

Kanaan's Bad Luck Gives Dixon Win

IRL

New American open-wheel era or not, it was business as usual Saturday night in the IRL IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Chip Ganassi Racing entry, driven by former series champion Scott Dixon, won the season-opener for the third straight year. He took the lead late in the 200-lap race when Tony Kanaan ran out of luck.

While none of the newcomers making the transition from the Champ Car World Series to the newly unified IndyCar series were able to compete with the leaders, predetermination of a disaster proved wrong as the newcomers stayed out of the way of the faster cars and for the most part out of trouble.

On the final lap of last years final race, Dixon, the New Zealand driver lost the IRL IndyCar Series championship to Dario Franchitti when he ran out of fuel on the last lap, got off to a great start with the victory in the Gainsco Indy 300. But it didn't look much like a race he could win.

Kanaan came out of the last round of green flag pit stops in the lead and appeared well on the way to a victory until Ernesto Viso, a rookie driving for one of the former Champ Car teams that just joined the IRL, punctured a tire and spun on the 193rd of 200 laps. Viso slid sideways across the track, Kanaan tried to go under him and almost made it, but he hit Viso's car with the right front of his Seven-Eleven Dallara-Honda, knocking his right front out of alignment.

Kanaan stayed out front for a few laps behind the pace car, with his damaged tire barely touching the ground. But he slowly drove his damaged car into the pits as the green flag waved on lap 197, giving the lead to Dixon, who came away with his second win at Homestead.

Marco Andretti, who led a race-high 85 laps, finished second, about five car-lengths behind the winner. It seemed that it was his race to win about mid-race on but I think his inexperience and a longer final stop put him out of contention for the win.

Hopefully this will be the start of a unified open wheel series that can grow and flourish under the banner of the IRL. In the future I would like to see them go to International circuits, road corses and more street venues to give it the same flavor as the heyday of the early 1990's. Good luck IRL, this hopeful race fan wants to see you succeed.

IRL

Raikkonen Cruises to Victory in Malaysia

Formula 1

Kimi Raikkonen had the type of race that all F1 drivers dream of as he won the Malaysian Grand Prix in easy fashion over BMW's Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen of McClaren. Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa seemed to have another brain fade moment as he spun out of a sure second place finish, cementing his probalble demise from the team after 2008.

In just one weeks time the Ferrari team went from miserable to unbeatable and Kimi showed why he has to be once again the favorite to win the championship. If Ferrari can give him a reliable car than he will consistently score high positions for the balance of the season. Lewis Hamilton of McClaren had a bit of a reversal from his fortunes the week before in Australia, with a race filled with penalties, a long first pit stop and a slower Mark Webber. But after all this fifth place points for his efforts were well deserved.

The balance of the points paying positions were not so surprising other than that the Williams of Nico Rosberg had a miserable weekend. After scoring the first podium finish in his career a week earlier, he did not qualify well and had a first lap shunt with Timo Glock's Toyota which basically ended his horrible weekend.

No real racing in this GP as all the passing was accomplished in the pits. Alonso had a bit of a tussle with Mark Webber for seventh spot at the end but settled for 8th place points in his inferior Renault. Hamilton caught Trulli at the last lap but used discretion and did not push the issue settling for fifth.

Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen for a much deserved win and for team Ferrari for bouncing back strong in the second round of the championship. I am still looking for that first breakthrough win for BMW but it will probably be at the hands of trouble for Ferrari and McClaren in the same race. Let's keep routing for the "Dark Horses" and not just the prancing ones.

Formula 1