F1: Spanish Grand Prix 2008

The Barcelona Grand Prix took place on Sunday and proved to be hugely exciting, with the safety cars in much evidence. A first lap smash brought them out, and later Heikki Kovelainen’s 140 mph crash following a failure of a wheel rim saw the race under the safety cars again for several laps. Although he was knocked unconscious, the high safety standards of F1 mean that he is expected to be fit to drive later in the week, having sustained no serious injury. There were concerns because of his car being buried so deeply in the tyre wall, but once out he gave the thumbs up while being stretchered away.

Despite qualifying second on the grid, the race didn’t go well for Fernando Alonso. Perhaps due to the safety cars his engine overheated and he stopped his Renault with flames licking behind him. Although it would have been a major disappointment to him in front of his home crowd - many who left the circuit after this incident - Renault have made a major improvement to the car in order for him to produce such a good qualification time.

While teammate Lewis Hamilton got a great start and finished in third place, the Ferraris showed their class again, finishing one and two. McLaren admitted that their cars are proving to be difficult to set up, but they are making progress, which was clear from the race.

Results:
1 Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari)
2 Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
3 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
4 Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
5 Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault)
6 Jenson Button (Honda)
7 Kazuki Nakajima (Williams-Toyota)
8 Jarno Trulli (Toyota)