More reason for me to celebrate this weekend! Sure it’s that time of the week again when I get to write yet another Top Gear update (which will be coming in after a few posts) but it’s also because it’s Formula 1 weekend and Lewis Hamilton did not disappoint. He know stands four points clear in the drivers’ standing board by four points ahead of Felipe Massa and then Kimi Raikkonen.

A brilliant race all in all for Hamilton who led most of the race but not before dropping to fifth after stopping under race conditions. A Team McLaren boo-boo if you ever saw one - having Hamilton pit with only a 10 second advantage over Mass. McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen was instrumental to the comeback, letting Hamilton pass him by for the Brit to catch up to and pass Massa and Nelson Piquet for the win.

It was a stunning race for Hamilton who passed Massa and Piquet in the same corner in separate occasions. The podium consisted of Hamilton, Piquet (with his maiden podium finish), and Felipe Massa. Nick Heidfeld came in fourth while Kovalainen came in fifth. Raikkonen clocked in sixth to add a few more points to Ferrari’s tally.

The constructor’s cup is still led by Ferrari with the solid placings of both drivers, followed by BMW-Sauber (credit to Kubica and Heidfeld) while McLaren sits at third.

View the full results after the cut.

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Inside every man, there is a boy waiting for a toy with which to play. I’d even have to say that part of the appeal of cars is basically that. That, when dealing with cars, most men who now have the buying power still display the same childish enthusiasm that we had when we first got a Matchbox car.

Now, I bet even grown-ups would have said “Wow” when they saw the Tumbler Batmobile and probably even let out an “Oooh” when they found out that the Tumbler’s not just a for-movie thing, but it’s actually a mean machine in cold steel and rubber.

As part of the campaign for the upcoming Dark Knight movie, the franchise partnered up with Toyota F1 team to promote the movie. Here’s a clip featuring the Toyota F1 car running alongside the Batmobile.

And in great hometown hero fashion, Lewis Hamilton cruises by the checkered flag first to win the British Grand Prix. And most likely, securing the status of the new British Formula 1 face in the light of David Coulthard’s retirement annoucement.

A flawless race and right tactical calls helped Hamilton finish the race 1:39:09.440, more than full minute ahead second placer, Nick Heidfeld in his BMW. Honda’s Rubens Barrichello clocked in third. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen found himself in fourth while the other McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen (who took pole) finished fifith. Former sole drivers’ standings leader Felipe Massa was nowhere to be found in the top five, finishing the race two laps behind at unlucky 13th.

Seven drivers fell out of the race with various reasons. The race, though, was not without incident, as the unpredictable weather forced teams to gable on making calls. Rain fell, stopped and fell again during the race.

With that win, Hamilton regains the lead in the drivers’ standing with 48 points but is level with both team Ferrari drivers Massa and Raikkonen.

View the full results after the cut.

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This might be sad news for British Formula 1 fans. Prior to the arrival of wonderboy, Lewis Hamilton, David Coulthard was the British F1 driver. Apologies to Jenson Button et al, David Coulthard deserves that praise. But after days of brewing, it’s now official - DC is retiring at seasons end.

In an issued personal statement Coulthard explains himself:

My decision to retire was taken earlier in the year and is based on a desire to stop while I am still competitive and enjoying the immense challenge that Grand Prix driving represents. I also have the desire to look for new challenges within the sport. The decision to make this announcement at the British GP should be an obvious one for all to understand, as I have achieved two of my thirteen F1 victories at Silverstone and I am a member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which hosts this event.

It’s an end of an era. While Lewis Hamilton will be the one who have, since last season, picked up the reigns, Coulthard’s retirement is an end to another chapter. He might not be a Michael Schumacher but after being around for quite some time, you got to hand it to the old guy.

Finally, BMW Sauber gets their maiden win as Robert Kubica cruised through the finish line clinching the checkered flag in the Montreal Grand Prix. And yes, it is quite important to note that both Ferrari and McLaren failed to get the podium finishes this time around and it was Lewis Hamilton who is to blame for such a tragic day for the board leaders.

A flawless run made sure Kubica’s win. Following him were teammate Nick Heidfeld at second and Renault’s David Coulthard. Toyota’s Timo Glock clocked in at fourth and Felipe Massa also had a disappointing finish at fifth. The win also boosted Kubica at the top of the drivers standings followed by Hamilton and Massa.

Lewis Hamilton was earlier poised to win the race only to be forced to retire after he inadvertently crashed into Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari in the first round of pit stops.

View the results after the cut.

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If you think that Formula 1 is the epitome of testosterone-filled gas burning that farts on Mother Nature’s face, then you might want to reconsider your thoughts given BMW’s latest move. They’re developing a hybrid specifically for F1 use. And yes, they aim it not to be carry on the Prius-esque silent and sluggish hybrid. BMW Motorsports have ‘race’ in their minds.

While this might not be a drive for fuel efficiency, BMW is looking at it as a way to make F1 cars greener. The technology involves the use of regenerative braking, capacitors and lithium ion batteries that will be used to power an electric motor in conjunction with the typical engine.

This is good news for those who love Formula 1 and are concerned with the environment. At least F1 is open to the idea of teams using fuel-saving technologies to improve car performance. BMW’s hybrid Formula 1 car should begin testing this summer and ready for the 2009 season.

Source: BMW Blog

Yes! A reason for me (and Hamilton fans - which would be a lot of Brits)to celebrate! Lewis Hamilton survives a punctured tire and a slam on the barriers to clinch the checkered flag in this weekend’s Monaco grand prix. As with the season opener at Australia, the race was not without incident.

Team Ferrari doesn’t have much to celebrate this time around with BMW Sauber edging out Felipe Massa for second. Kimi Raikkonen is much lower in the rankings at 9th place after getting his nose cone whanged in an earlier incident. Hamilton’s early trip to the pits enabled hit to hold out longer at the end of the race.

The win boosts the young Brit to the top of the drivers’ standings ahead of the now second and third placers, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, respectively. Still, Ferrari is way ahead of everyone else in the Constructors Cup.

Hmm… Why does Hamilton seem to thrive in disaster? End results after the cut.

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In probably the most exciting race of the season, Ferrari does it again with another win in the Turkish GP, taking 1 and 3 positions after the checkered flag with Felipe Massa clinching 1 and Kimi Raikkonen placing 3rd. Lewis Hamilton is again, back on the hunt for the driver’s title. BMW Sauber should also be happy with the results with Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld clinching 4th and 5th, repectively.

The race saw a lot of exciting moments including Hamilton’s 24th lap pass on Massa for the lead only to be pulled back by a 3-pit strategy for the race.

The results push Massa just 7 points behind current drivers’ standing leader Raikkonen. However, the 2nd place finish also places Hamilton tied with Massa in points with 28 for the season.

Results viewable after the cut.

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Kimi Raikkonen increased his lead in the driver’s points table after securing a win in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. The Ferrari driver won pole position, snatching it from hometown hero Fernando Alonso who did not even finish the race retiring after 34 laps.

Ferrari is surely happy with their 1-2 combo of Raikkonen and Felipe Massa taking the first two positions trailed by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton at third. The Brit (who now stands at second, nine points behind Raikkonen in the driver standings) is trailed by BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica and Aussie Mark Webber in his Renault.

The race was not without incident with two appearances of the safety car. First in the first lap and second with Heikki Kovalainen losing control of his car (forcing him to retire). McLaren believes that a stone was lodged between the Kovalainen’s tire and wheel, causing decompression resulting in the crash. Kovalainen plowed into the tire wall amazingly escaping without apparent injuries.

A strong finish for team Ferrari yet again.

View the Spanish GP results after the cut.

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Ferrari has much to celebrate yet again with Kimi Raikkonen circling the Barcelona track with a time of 1:21.813 to gain pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix. Hometown hero Fernando Alonso will be starting second with the Finn’s lap-time larceny with Raikkonen clocking faster just by 0.091 seconds than the Spaniard.

A good day all in all for Ferrari with Felipe Massa starting at third and BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica starting at fourth. So much for Lewis Hamilton, clocking only fifth fastest. Joining Hamilton on third row are McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen.

Alonso and team Renault are quite proud with their achievement today with the use of lighter fuel which shaved burden off the car allowing Alonso to zoom with a quick lap.

Raikkonen leads all drivers in the standings followed respectively by Nick Heidfeld and Lewis Hamilton.

View the rest of the grid after the cut.

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