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F1 Portal
Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel formula auto racing. It is a worldwide sport, involving an annual World Drivers Championship, most recently won in 2008 by Lewis Hamilton, and World Constructors Championship, most recently won in 2008 by Ferrari, and is one of the most expensive sports in the world; annual team budgets average in the hundreds of millions of US dollars. It is based around a series of races — 18 in 2008 — known as grands prix, held on either permanent, custom-constructed road courses or temporary, closed-off public street circuits.
The sport is regulated by the FIA, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, and is generally promoted and administered by Bernie Ecclestone, who largely controls the sport's commercial television rights. Read more...
The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally the XXXVII Grande Prêmio do Brasil) was a Formula One motor race held on November 2, 2008 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the 18th and final race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 71 laps, was won by Ferrari driver Felipe Massa after starting from pole position. Fernando Alonso finished second in a Renault, and Kimi Räikkönen third in a Ferrari.
Massa started the race alongside Toyota driver Jarno Trulli. Massa's team-mate Räikkönen began from third next to McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton. Rain fell minutes before the race, delaying the start, and as the track dried Massa established a lead of several seconds. More rain late in the race made the last few laps treacherous for the drivers, but could not prevent Massa from winning the Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso finished in fourth place behind Alonso and Räikkönen. Hamilton passed Toyota's Timo Glock in the final corners of the race to finish fifth, securing him the points needed to take the Drivers' Championship.
Hamilton received praise from many in the Formula One community, including former Champions Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. The McLaren driver also received official congratulations from Queen Elizabeth II and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Massa's win secured him second in the Drivers' Championship, and helped Ferrari win the Constructors' Championship. The Grand Prix was David Coulthard's final race; the Scot retired after 246 race starts.
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Current World Championship standings
- December 5 – The Honda Racing F1 team quits the sport, blaming the world economic crisis. The desicion leaves drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello without a seat, and cuts the number of cars set to start in the 2009 season down to 18 if the team cannot be sold. [1]
- November 22 – Red Bull's Mark Webber is seriously injured in a crash while riding on a bike in Tasmania. He is rushed to hospital with a broken leg. [2]
- November 7 – Force India announces a technical partnership with McLaren for 2009 and an internal reshuffle that sees Mike Gascoyne and Colin Kolles without roles within the team. [3]
- November 4 – It is confirmed that Renault will retain its current drivers, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet, Jr., for 2009. Alonso will also stay on for 2010.
- November 2 – Felipe Massa wins the Brazilian Grand Prix whilst Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth and clinches the drivers title by just one point.
- October 19 – Lewis Hamilton wins the Chinese Grand Prix 15 seconds ahead of Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen.
- October 17 – It is confirmed that Force India will retain its current drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, for 2009. [4]
- October 12 – Fernando Alonso wins the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix, with Robert Kubica second and Kimi Räikkönen third. Championship protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa were both penalised for on-track incidents; Massa finished seventh and Hamilton twelfth. [5]
- October 6 – The BMW Sauber team will also retain its current drivers for 2009: Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld keep their race seats, with Christian Klien staying on as test and reserve driver. [6]
- October 1 – The Williams team announces an unchanged driver line-up for 2009: Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima will continue in the race seats, whilst Nico Hülkenberg will keep his role as test and reserve driver. [7]
Grands Prix in the Formula One World Championship
- Article requests: Erich Zakowski, Daniele Coronna, Hans Fouche, Chris Radage, Giorgio Stirano, Steve Tarrant, Dave Ryan,
- Copyedit: Bahrain Grand Prix, History of Formula One, Monaco Grand Prix, 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, Rob White (Formula One)
- Expand: Honda RA271, Paddy Lowe, Red Bull RB3, Spyker F1, Toyota TF107, BMW Sauber F1.07, Mario Theissen, Franz Tost, Chinese Grand Prix, Colin Kolles, Concorde Agreement, Formula One Constructors Association, McLaren MP4/1, Ove Andersson, Bob Bell, Korean International Circuit, Grand Prix Drivers' Association, Spyker F8-VII, Arai (company), Shoei, Schuberth Helme GmbH, Bell Racing Company, Jim Bamber, Nazir Hoosein, Formula One video games, Make Cars Green more
- Update: History of Formula One, Toyota, Robert Doornbos, Formula One regulations, 2009 Formula One season, Future of Formula One, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Super Aguri F1, Divina Galica, convert results table for Gordini
- Images needed: Max Mosley, Sakon Yamamoto, Jordan Grand Prix circa 1992-1997, Paddy Lowe more
- For more work, see this generated list or the Auxiliary list From WikiProject Formula One
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