News has been quiet over the weekend apart from testing, so let’s get back to it with Ferrari’s preview for the what may be the last French GP at Magny Cours later this week. It also mentions that Kimi will be giving a competition winner a flying lap around the circuit in a Ferrari 599 car – lucky person whoever that will be!
From FerrariWorld.com
The French Grand Prix has been a permanent uninterrupted fixture on theFormula 1 calendar since the World Championship began in 1950 and the
first win for a car bearing the Prancing Horse emblem came two years
later courtesy of Alberto Ascari. Traditionally, this has been a
successful event for the Scuderia, with a total of 16 wins on French
soil, seven since 1997, including a one-two finish for Kimi Raikkonen
and Felipe Massa last year. Another more recent tradition is
speculation that the Gallic race will lose its place on the calendar,
but whatever opinions people hold regarding the rural out of the way
location of Magny-Cours, the tradition of maintaining continuity of the
famous "Grandes Epreuves" is an important historical element worth
preserving alongside the move to more modern venues.
Scuderia
Ferrari Marlboro arrives in France having picked up just a meagre ten
points from the last two races. This sounds a familiar tale after the
Monaco and Canada Grands Prix, which had not been strong races for the
team in the past, but this year, while admitting to some minor mistakes
from within the team, it’s fair to say that bad luck and Safety Cars
had something to do with the lack of points, because car performance
certainly wasn’t lacking. The frustration at failing to capitalise on
the potential of the F2008 is tempered by the strengthened confidence
that the team is currently moving in the right direction.
Last
week, long time Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer spent three profitable
days at the wheel at the Barcelona test. Apart from a couple of
technical glitches and some time lost to rain, it was a success. "It
was a generally positive test," commented the Scuderia’s official test
driver. "We were able to work continuously and without any major
technical problems. We saw interesting results from some new
components, which might prove useful in the forthcoming races. On top
of that, we also got through everything we had planned in terms of
engine reliability work. Today, I am back in the cockpit at our home
track, Fiorano, to carry out the shakedown of our Magny-Cours race
cars, with both of them getting new engines for the start of another
two race cycle."
On past form, Raikkonen and Massa should be
aiming for a win on Sunday, however this year, the clichés that certain
circuits are "Ferrari tracks" or "McLaren tracks" for example do not
seem to hold true. While we have worked on improving our weak points
which saw our upturn in performance in Monaco and Montreal, it can be
assumed that our rivals will also have looked at our strengths and
upped their game for the forthcoming race at Magny-Cours. In general
terms therefore, the competition has been much more closely balanced at
every track this year. With performance levels so close, teams really
have to do a perfect job to make the difference and this is
particularly relevant on the reliability front, as has been seen in the
case of BMW. The German team might not have quite the ultimate speed of
the other two top teams, however they have proved that running reliably
and scoring consistently can be the key factor, hence the fact that
Kubica currently heads the Drivers’ classification.
The
Magny-Cours track has several peculiarities: it boasts an incredibly
smooth surface, it is very temperature sensitive, in that an increase
or decrease in temperature of just a couple of degrees can have a
significant effect on tyre performance, although now that the sport is
a one-make series in terms of rubber, this is less of a factor. In a
championship where one or two pit stops has become the norm, the French
track does offer additional strategic possibilities as it has a very
short pit lane, thus reducing the overall time taken for a stop. This
fact was borne out in 2004, when Michael Schumacher took the win,
visiting the pits no less than four times! Waiting for the pit stops is
not the only method of moving up the order as the hairpin and the
entrance to the chicane afford a couple of genuine passing
opportunities.
Both Kimi and Felipe will get some track time
outside of the usual F1 timetable as this weekend, they will continue the
tradition of the past couple of years of giving a pair of lucky members
of the public flying laps of the track in a Ferrari 599 cars. The
passengers will be winners of a competition run by the ICM charity set
up by among others, Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher, to carry out
research into spinal injuries. Kimi will take a final winner around on
race day just before the driver parade.
The French Grand Prix
takes place just one week after another famous race was held in France;
the Le Mans 24 Hours. In the GT2 class, the Ferrari F430 took the top
four places, with a Risi Competizione car standing on the top step of
the podium. With only two cars at its disposal, Scuderia Ferrari
Marlboro will find that feat impossible to repeat but, as usual, the
target will be to see its two drivers on the podium this Sunday
afternoon.
FUCK ISRAEL 