Hamilton sets pace at Monza

Eurosport - Fri, 29 Aug 22:47:00 2008

It was Lewis Hamilton's turn to top the timesheets on the third and final test test day at Monza.

2008 European GP McLaren Hamilton - 0

The Britain, in his McLaren Mercedes MP4-23, turned in the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1:22.967, but still feel short of Nick Heidfeld's time on day two.

Second quickest on day three was Hamilton's championship rival Kimi Raikkonen, whose Ferrari F2008 finished 0.404 slower.

Giancarlo Fisichella achieved a suprise third, with his Force India VJM01 coming in two thirds of a second off Raikkonen's time - and merely two thousandths of a second ahead of Kazuki Nakajima aboard the Williams FW30.

The Red Bull racer handled by David Coulthard finished faster than Fernando Alonso's Renault R28.

Sebastien Bourdais set the seventh-best lap at the controls of the Toro Rosso STR3, with Timo Glock's Toyota in eighth.

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica did not get as much time on the track as he wished for after suffering time-costly repairs, which were followed by electrical issues later on.

The Pole completed the timesheet roster ahead of Jenson Button and his Honda - the Briton came last, 1.354 seconds shy of Hamilton's mark.

The session was disrupted often due to the appearance of five red flag periods, which did not prevent David Coulthard from having a busy day indeed with 120 laps to his name.

Overall, the three best lap times recorded at Monza during the entire group test session belonged to Nick Heidfeld (1:22.621), Nico Rosberg (1:22.879), and Lewis Hamilton (1:22.967).

The teams will now pack up their equipment and move to Belgium for next week's much-anticipated Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Day three testing times:

1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)01:22.967 - 97 laps

2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)01:23.371 - 79

3. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India)01:23.632 - 114

4. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams)01:23.634 - 99

5. David Coulthard (Red Bull)01:23.737 - 120

6. Fernando Alonso (Renault) 01:23.820 - 80

7. Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) 01:23.865 - 77

8. Timo Glock (Toyota) 01:23.897 - 79

9. Robert Kubica (BMW)01:24.089 - 57

10. Jenson Button (Honda) 01:24.321 - 96

Crash.net / Eurosport

Comment 39 - 58 of 58

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  1. TO HELP OUT WE HAVE MANUFACTURED LOTS OF NEW SIGNS FOR F 1 races

    ~~~~~~~~~ """ NO OVERTAKING """ ======= 10,0000 FINE

    From jestyn.thyme, on Mon 1 Sep 9:05AM
  2. TO HELP OUT WE HAVE MANUFACTURED LOTS OF NEW SIGNS FOR F 1 races

    ~~~~~~~~~ """ NO OVERTAKING """ ======= 10,0000 FINE

    From jestyn.thyme, on Mon 1 Sep 9:05AM
  3. YES 57 IN THOSE DAYS THEY WERE REAL ~~~ DRIVERS

    now they are just delivery boys following the car in front round & round for 90mins

    From jestyn.thyme, on Mon 1 Sep 8:33AM
  4. WELL 57 ~~ THANKS FOR THAT WONDERFUL DESCRIPTION
    lets try out the modern "drivers" with cable brakes + no seat belts +++ narrow tyres etc
    they would not be able to keep the cars on the track

    From jestyn.thyme, on Mon 1 Sep 8:31AM
  5. You're all wrong. Nuvolari was the greatest followed by Fangio winning with cars cars that only a genius could keep on the road and roads they were--every conceivable type of surface from dirt to tar to concrete to macadam to Belgian block to railroad tracks. Senna may have been the greatest of the modern era, but put him in a pre-war Maserati or Alfa Romeo with cable brakes, then the hi-tech Mercedes of 600 and more horesepower, the rear engine Auto Unions followed by the post war Ferrari's, Masers, Alfas, Gordinis, etc. Then we'll see who the real champion is. I dare say Jim Clark might have taken Senna's measure too. Add to that they drove with crash gearboxes, lousy tires, poor aero-dynamics, no computer technology--simply put just man and machine--a true test of grand prix racing.

    From L'Etoile, on Mon 1 Sep 4:34AM
  6. mjhzxc - Schumcher openly admitted while he was still racing that Senna was the greatest, there was no secrecy in the fact he knew he'd be racing for second if Ayrton hadn't have crashed. The best drivers to race in the future will be aiming for Schumi's records, but I doubt many will be aiming for Senna's reputation, even Hamilton hasn't claimed that. And as for Hamilton being arrogant when other drivers aren't, thats @#$%. Every person to have competed at the front in any sport is arrogant, because if you don't walk out with unquestionable belief in your own ability then you will fall short. Hamilton is no worse than Alonso was, or Schumacher or Hakkinen or any one else. There is only one obvious difference between him and the rest and I can't help but feel that that drives so much of the anomisity towards him.

    From ginger_gitt, on Sun 31 Aug 3:00PM
  7. Schumaker who?

    From PETER, on Sun 31 Aug 2:00PM
  8. good idea seen earlier -- give MASSA the Honda car on race day __ any chance for points my darlings ?

    From ekaterinabell, on Sun 31 Aug 11:25AM
  9. good idea seen earlier -- give MASSA the Honda car on race day __ any chance for points my darlings ?

    From ekaterinabell, on Sun 31 Aug 11:25AM
  10. lets see Kubica in the seat of the pretti red toy Ferrarrii _ wud be sure to finish on the podium

    From ekaterinabell, on Sun 31 Aug 11:20AM
  11. item 50 what a plonker should stick to complicated kids video games

    From errattic.results, on Sun 31 Aug 9:20AM
  12. mjhzxc,........I DUN GIVE A @#$% `BOUT SENNA....DOES SCHUMI HAVE A BIG EGO LIKE HAMILTON????

    From yusry y, on Sun 31 Aug 7:31AM
  13. Williams didn't even enter the next race at Monaco out of respect and yet they still won the constructor championship with Ayrton's car that year, the same year that Schumacher went on to win his first championship, and the rest as they say is history. Apart from Senna's obvious greater ability and the greater calibre of competition he drove against you can only assume that if he had lived he would have won that years championship as well as the ones Hill and Villeneuve were to win in the Williams. Anyway it is all irrelevent, but fortunately it doesn't detract from Senna's rightful reputation as the greatest of the greats. And I think schumacher secretly knows it.

    From mjhzxc, on Sun 31 Aug 1:05AM
  14. Senna died just three races into Schumachers first winning season 1994. Senna died in what was to become the winning constructors car 1994. With a team that was set to dominate F1 over the next few years. With championship wins for both Hill and Villeneuve. Speaks for itself really. And schumacher knows it.

    From mjhzxc, on Sun 31 Aug 12:41AM
  15. Schumacher was a great yes i admit but there is only 1 title thats gives him being a great "7 world Championships"

    to be honest schumacher deserved 1 world championship i'll give you my reasons

    1 world championship came from a crash Schumacher vs Hill which Hill had to retire and give schumacher the title

    5 world championships was given to him on a plate where Ferrari dominance was proceding

    From Marti, on Sun 31 Aug 12:26AM
  16. Hakkinen and Alonso are great, and Schumi was only beaten by Hill and Villeneuve because he was in a much slower, less competative car. And didnt Schumi beat Senna?

    From tifosi4eva, on Sun 31 Aug 12:26AM
  17. Schumacher is a great. But Senna was the greatest of the greats. It aint what you do it's the way that you do it. You only have to look at who Senna drove against directly. He actually beat the 'other' greats, Piquet, Prost, Lauda, Mansell.

    Schumacher? beaten by Villeneuve, Hakkinnen, Hill, Alonso.

    From mjhzxc, on Sun 31 Aug 12:10AM
  18. A bit Harsh on old Schumi there arent you? He seems perfectly fine to me and yes, a few people consider Senna the greatest of all time but i wouldnt say most people do. Schumacher is what most f1 drivers could only hope of being, not only was he a complete driver, not only did he break every record and help revive ferrari, not only did he manage to quit whilst still being at the top of his game, he also managed to dominate the sport for such a long time that there was no driver alive who could beat him. Senna could be beaten and did not have the outright dominance that Schumacher did.

    From tifosi4eva, on Sat 30 Aug 11:44PM
  19. yusry y I think it is "do not compare yourself to Ayrton Senna unless you wish to be mocked" Senna was the greatest that ever lived, ask any expert, driver or non-driver the majority will all I'm afraid say the same thing. And who is it that they compare Hamilton to, Senna. And who is it that Hamilton looks up to, Senna. Even Schumacher himself, acknowledged Senna as the greatest. Now considering Schumachers legendary arrogance, visible during his interview on last weeks grid, your not gonna now tell me that Schumacher was being 'humble' when he made those comments. Being a realist more like. It didn't matter that Senna never lived to overtake Schumacher in the numbers game, he was simply the better driver, a better racer, and had the better race craft. Study the footage! ask questions and read!

    Did you actually enjoy watching Schumacher? Does he look happy to you today? He looks like a man full of regrets to me. He must know now that he didn't need to take out Damon hill or Villeneuve. His great racing passes? and race craft? We simply never saw it. A lifeless automaton. And when he didn't have the dominant car he crumbled and yes the Benneton was the dominant car by virtue of the fact that he was caught with a form of 'launch control' which would have allowed him to make perfect starts. He looks as miserable today loitering around the grid as he did driving the prancing donkey from pole to finish courtesy of the vacancy provided by Ayrton Sennas untimely death. It's almost as if he knows his myth is on borrowed time. Thats what the real racing fans remember. A career littered with cheating, fines and disqualifications. An opportunist. A business man who owns a McLaren F1 GTR LM, and who spends his time line dancing, and riding Harley Davidsons, tacky to the extreme. Think for yourself!

    From mjhzxc, on Sat 30 Aug 11:29PM
  20. Lol

    From mjhzxc, on Sat 30 Aug 10:33PM
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