Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen will start first on the grid on Race Day as he bagged the pole position in the French Grand Prix Qualifying. The Finnish driver proved quicker than his team-mate Felipe Massa who will start second . The Ferrari cars looked solid and extremely well - balanced throughout all three sessions and stand a strong chance of maintaining this form in the race too. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who will have to serve a 10-place grid penalty on Race Day as a result of the Canadian GP pit lane mishap, finished third behind the two Ferraris and will start the race in thirteenth position.
A surprising performance by the Toyotas in all three sessions was the highlight of the Q ualifying. Jarno Trulli was constantly posing a threat to the top drivers by clocking well within the top five and so was Timo Glock, who was also pretty consistent (with the exception of a Q3 spin off the track) and will start on P10. Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren was struggling for form as he finished sixth, one place behind Trulli. Fourth place went to the always-eager Fernando Alonso who looked pretty confident in his Renault. However his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr struggled as usual, finishing eleventh. Hamilton ’s penalty means both Renaults will start inside the top ten, with Alonso getting P3 and Piquet scraping in at P10.
A disappointing feature of the Qualifying was seeing the BMWs struggling on track, especially after a magical 1-2 finish in the Canadian GP . Both drivers could just not carry forward the momentum. Nick Heidfeld was nowhere near quick enough and did not even make it to Q3. Robert Kubica , too, struggled with the car and finished at a shaky seventh.
No luck for Force India either as once again the team did not manage to get either of their cars past Q1.
It will be interesting to see if the Ferraris will return to their winning ways in the French GP, especially after the last two races did not yield them the best results. Also worth watching will be Felipe Massa’s performance as against team-mate Kimi. Massa has outshone the Finnish World Champion in the team’s last two outings and his increased confidence is apparent in his driving form. He is now also a serious contender for the Drivers’ Championship of 2008, more so than Kimi.
Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren will have to race his heart out if he wants to bag a podium place and stay in the running for individual points. And if not podium places, Team McLaren will at least be looking to score maximum points in the top eight at the French GP if they want to catch up on the Team Constructor standings
A surprising performance by the Toyotas in all three sessions was the highlight of the Q ualifying. Jarno Trulli was constantly posing a threat to the top drivers by clocking well within the top five and so was Timo Glock, who was also pretty consistent (with the exception of a Q3 spin off the track) and will start on P10. Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren was struggling for form as he finished sixth, one place behind Trulli. Fourth place went to the always-eager Fernando Alonso who looked pretty confident in his Renault. However his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr struggled as usual, finishing eleventh. Hamilton ’s penalty means both Renaults will start inside the top ten, with Alonso getting P3 and Piquet scraping in at P10.
A disappointing feature of the Qualifying was seeing the BMWs struggling on track, especially after a magical 1-2 finish in the Canadian GP . Both drivers could just not carry forward the momentum. Nick Heidfeld was nowhere near quick enough and did not even make it to Q3. Robert Kubica , too, struggled with the car and finished at a shaky seventh.
No luck for Force India either as once again the team did not manage to get either of their cars past Q1.
It will be interesting to see if the Ferraris will return to their winning ways in the French GP, especially after the last two races did not yield them the best results. Also worth watching will be Felipe Massa’s performance as against team-mate Kimi. Massa has outshone the Finnish World Champion in the team’s last two outings and his increased confidence is apparent in his driving form. He is now also a serious contender for the Drivers’ Championship of 2008, more so than Kimi.
Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren will have to race his heart out if he wants to bag a podium place and stay in the running for individual points. And if not podium places, Team McLaren will at least be looking to score maximum points in the top eight at the French GP if they want to catch up on the Team Constructor standings
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