F1 2008 Round 14 - Italian Grand Prix, MONZA - 12th-14th September 2008

[Cougar]

The 2008 Italian Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race which will be held from 12 September to 14 September 2008 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. It is the fourteenth and last European race of the 2008 Formula One season.

Last year's race was won by then McLaren driver Fernando Alonso ahead of Lewis Hamilton. The 2006 race saw the last Ferrari win at Monza, with Michael Schumacher's victory and retirement announcement.

Two other former Italian Grand Prix winners are in 2008's field. Rubens Barrichello won the race in both 2002 and 2004, after Ferrari had already clinched the drivers' crown with Schumacher. David Coulthard won the 1997 race for McLaren.

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton with 76 points leads the Drivers' Championships ahead of Felipe Massa of Ferrari by 2 points with Robert Kubica a further 16 point adrift of Massa and Kimi Raikkonen 19 points behind. In the Constructors' Championships, Ferrari leads with 131 points, 12 ahead of McLaren. However, these figures are in doubt due to McLaren launching an appeal regarding a penalty in the Belgian Grand Prix.

(Source: WIKI)


Drivers standings AFTER the BELGIAN GP (unofficial)

	Driver	Team															PTS
1	Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes		10	4	P13	6	8	10	RET	P10	10	10	4	8	6	76
2	Massa	Ferrari		RET	RET	10	8	10	6	4	10	P13	6	P17	10	10	74
3	Kubica	BMW-Sauber		RET	8	6	5	5	8	10	4	RET	2	1	6	3	58
4	Raikkonen	Ferrari		1	10	8	10	6	P9	RET	8	5	3	6	RET	P18	57
5	Heidfeld	BMW-Sauber		8	3	5	P9	4	P14	8	8	5		P10	P9	8	49
6	Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes		4	6	4	RET	P12	1	P9	5	4	4	10	5	P10	43
7	Trulli	Toyota		RET	5	3	1	P10	P13	3	6	2	P9	2	4	P16	26
8	Alonso	Renault		5	1	P10	RET	3	P10	RET	1	3	P11	5	RET	5	23
9	Webber	Red Bull-Renault		RET	2	2	4	2	5	P12	3	P10	RET	P9	P12	1	19
10	Glock	Toyota		RET	RET	P9	P11	P13	P12	5	P11	P12	RET	8	2	P9	15
11	Piquet Jnr	Renault		RET	P11	RET	RET	P15	RET	RET	2	RET	8	3	P11	RET	13
12	Vettel	STR-Ferrari		RET	RET	RET	RET	P17	4	1	P12	RET	1	RET	3	4	13
13	Barrichello	Honda		DSQ	P13	P11	RET	P14	3	2	P14	6	RET	P16	P16	RET	11
14	Rosberg	Williams-Toyota		6	P14	1	RET	1	RET	P10	P16	P9	P10	P14	1	P12	9
15	Nakajima	Williams-Toyota		3	P17	P14	2	RET	2	RET	P15	1	P14	P13	P15	P14	8
16	Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault		RET	P9	P18	P12	P9	RET	6	P9	RET	P13	P11	P17	P11	6
17	Bourdais	STR-Ferrari		2	RET	P15	RET	RET	RET	P13	P17	P11	P12	P18	P10	2	4
18	Button	Honda		RET	P10	RET	3	P11	P11	P11	RET	RET	P17	P12	P13	P15	3
19	Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari		RET	P12	P12	P10	RET	RET	RET	P18	RET	P16	P15	P14	P17	0
20	Sutil	Force India-Ferrari		RET	RET	P19	RET	P16	RET	RET	P19	RET	P15	RET	RET	P13	0
21	Sato*	SA		RET	P16	P17	P13	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	0
22	Davidson*	SA		RET	P15	P16	RET	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	0

[Cougar]

Constructors standings

	Team	Points
	Ferrari	131

Italian GP: Recent Results

Year	1st place	2nd place	3rd place
2007	Fernando Alonso	Lewis Hamilton	Kimi Räikkönen
2006	Michael Schumacher	Kimi Räikkönen	Robert Kubica
2005	Juan Pablo Montoya	Fernando Alonso	Giancarlo Fisichella

	Driver	Laptime
2007 Fastest lap	Fernando Alonso	1.22.871
2007 pole position	Fernando Alonso	1:21.997
Lap record	Rubens Barrichello	1:21.046(2004)

Weather Links

BBC Weather: www.bbc.co.uk
Weather UnderGround www.wunderground.com
Animated Rainfall Forecasthttp://weather.msn.com (Click "Precipitation forecast" just below the map)
Rainfall Radar http://www.meteogroup.co.uk
Rainfall Radar http://www.meteox.com


And especially for all those Martins out there!! GOOGLE EARTH WEATHER HACKS!


Italian Grand Prix Time Table (local)

DAY	LOCAL Time	UK Time
Fri 22nd August 2008
Friday Practice 1	10:00-11:30	09:00-10:30
Friday Practice2	14:00-15:30	13:00:14:30
Sat 23rd August 2008
Saturday Practice	11:00-12:00	10:00-11:00
Qualifying	14:00	13:00
Sun 24th August 2008
Race	14:00	13:00

Italian Grand Prix LIVE Chat

Please don't forget to join us in the ten-tenths chat room for live coverage of the Grand Prix!

You can log-in through the web here

You can also access the chat using a dedicated client.

If you're using Firefox, download the Chatzilla addon as the best alternative
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/16

Else, download any other IRC client, e.g. http://www.icechat.net/site/

The IRC server is irc.phishy.net, and the room is #motorsport (type "/join #motorsport" without the quotes when you're connected).
If you need any help in joining the chat room.. PM me and I'll try and help if I can.


Other Links

Live Timing
Race Schedule (and other f1 news)
Direct link to 2008 F1 Predictions - Round 14, Italy
All other F1 Predictions Contests
Spotters Guides

[Bononi]

Another fast one Cougar ! Nice as always.

[Marbot]

Nice work again Cougar.

Have you seen the weather forecast!

[djinvicta]

Marbot; Need a webcam and your weather report please!

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

Marbot; Need a webcam and your weather report please!

Cougar has posted the weather links.I'll see if I can find a 'cam'.

[djinvicta]

By the weather it looks as though we should all be on hols there...

[djinvicta]

And I thought you had all these webcams on your favourites. Can I have the one with Amanda Holden on please?

[mattt]

Just a question

Does Raikkonen get a new engine for this race or not?
As he didn't finish but got classified

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by mattt

Does Raikkonen get a new engine for this race or not?
As he didn't finish but got classified

As I understand it, the engine can be changed if the driver fails to finish, whether they be classified or not.

[mattt]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

As I understand it, the engine can be changed if the driver fails to finish, whether they be classified or not.

Im going to use that to influence my predictions competition then

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by mattt

Im going to use that to influence my predictions competition then

It's a risky strategy to base your predictions on my limited grasp of the rules and regulations.

You have been warned.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

By the weather it looks as though we should all be on hols there...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0063

Friday and Saturday (currently) look interesting weather-wise and it looks like being a relatively cool weekend which should play into McLarens hands,particularly when using the the harder tyres.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

Marbot; Need a webcam and your weather report please!

Trying to find a webcam is like trying to find a McLaren fan in Milan.

[Cougar]

http://www.milanocam.it/

Maybe if you are lucky you might spot an F1 driber in the street

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by Cougar

http://www.milanocam.it/

Maybe if you are lucky you might spot an F1 driber in the street

News just in. Lewis Hamilton handed a 10 place penalty for jaywalking.

[mattt]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

It's a risky strategy to base your predictions on my limited grasp of the rules and regulations.

You have been warned.

then theres also the thing about how many teams will use their free engine engine change also

I suspected that was the case

[Racer 35]

"The race track alone shall be used by the drivers during the
race"
If the same rule is applied in the same way for Monza's chicanes as it was for the Bus Stop, I look forward to a flurry of drive-throughs, until the last laps, when we'll have to keep a spreadsheet of who's got how many 25-second penalties. Should be fun

[Sodemo]

Dont think ive ever seen a wet F1 race from Monza.

I did go to Monza about 4 years ago just for a small GT meeting, and it rained absolutely cats and dogs all Sunday, it was really depressing, never seen rain like it, especially at Monza.

[Born Racer]

I think it the race started with a damp track some years ago (no idea when without checking- maybe four or five). However, historically it has had a long-standing habit of throwing up a dry race.

[Marbot]

From this http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/w...n.shtml#no_url we can see that the whole of Northern Italy will be prone to rain showers during Friday and Saturday with rain less likely (but possible) on Sunday.

[Racer 35]

Alternatively, yahoo are predicting thunderstorms Friday, and showers Saturday and Sunday

http://uk.weather.yahoo.com/ITXX/ITXX0049/index_c.html

Whichever you look at, I guess we're in for a mixed bag, so it should be fun

[Born Racer]

With the best of intentions, I hope it ****es on Ferrari's parade.

[Marbot]

It's hard to see either Ferrari being able to do too well in either qualifying or the race if the temperatures and conditions are going to be as predicted,although they weren't doing too badly in Spa...up until it started to rain that is!

[strider]

Originally Posted by Super Hans

As I understand it, the engine can be changed if the driver fails to finish, whether they be classified or not.

Doesn't the fact that the reason he failed to finish had nothing to do with the engine affect the situation? AFAIK, he started Spa with a fresh engine and will have to use the same one at Monza. And for once there didn't seem to be much sign of backing off to preserve the engine at Spa, although there may have been until the rain came.