02.07.2007

AU REVOIR MAGNY-COURS

Formula 1 bade farewell to Magny-Cours on Sunday following what is expected to be the last French Grand Prix at the circuit, which first hosted Formula 1 in 1991.

The track is enjoyed by many drivers because of its high-speed chicanes and challenging lay-out but the location is less appreciated. The rural circuit is surrounded by fields, featuring cows grazing, and the local area is notoriously quiet, with some members of the paddock complaining about a lack of hotels and nightlife.

As a Frenchman, Panasonic Toyota Racing's Senior General Manager Chassis, Pascal Vasselon, is a fan of the venue but he is unlikely to return with the team next season, with the race seemingly not to feature on the calendar in 2008.

Pascal admitted that he was "curious" to see how some in the paddock would celebrate that news, joking that "they love the place so much!"

One person who will remember Magny-Cours with affection is Toyota Young Driver Programme (TDP) member Kamui Kobayashi, who won his first Formula 3 Euro Series race of the season on Saturday.

Kamui is a familiar face to many in the team after testing the TF107 over the winter and he was overwhelmed with congratulations and handshakes when he popped into the motorhome and the garage after his great performance.

The 20-year-old, who drives for ASM Formule 3, clearly enjoyed his well-deserved win saying: "I am overjoyed with this victory. The race was very hard as Grosjean was behind me all the time and kept me under pressure. I couldn't make a mistake, otherwise victory would have been lost."

The French Grand Prix weekend was unusual in that three TDP drivers were competing at the same venue, with Kamui joined by GP2 drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Kohei Hirate. They posed for photographs together and spoke with the Japanese press on Thursday.

NEWS FROM OUR RIVALS

A road car driving around a race circuit late in the afternoon rarely grabs the attention of fans and media but when the circuit is Magny-Cours and the passenger is French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, it's a different matter.

And his driver was no ordinary chauffeur, with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher taking the wheel of his very own car, a Ferrari FXX - one of only 30 in the world.

Zidane said: "That was quite an experience. It was incredible how late Michael was braking before beating the car around the curves. I would not want to try that on a normal road!"

The hot lap was for more than just fun though. The two champions, who both retired from professional sport in 2006, were raising awareness and money for the Institute for Cerebral and Medullar Disorders, which is working to prevent brain diseases.

RACE REPORT

Panasonic Toyota Racing suffered a disappointing French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours after Jarno Trulli retired on lap one and Ralf Schumacher missed out on points in 10th.

The team started the day with hopes of a double points finish following an encouraging qualifying on Saturday which saw Jarno start 8th and Ralf 11th.

However, Jarno's race ended after just a lap following a collision with Heikki Kovalainen's Renault. Jarno made a solid start and was fighting with the cars around him approaching the hairpin. The field bunched up under braking and Jarno hit the rear of sixth-placed Heikki Kovalainen, damaging his front wing.

Even though he made it back to the pits, unfortunately the impact had also damaged the front suspension and he was not able to continue.

Jarno gave an honest assessment of what went wrong: "It was a racing accident. The field was very bunched up on the first lap and to be honest I just misjudged it going into the hairpin. I was not attacking anyone but I just braked too late and I hit Kovalainen. I am really sorry for him because it spoiled his race, and mine as well. Unfortunately I just made a mistake."

However, he is now looking to put that disappointing end behind him in the British Grand Prix next weekend. He added: "It's a real shame because I am confident we had a good strategy and I expected to score points. But the next race is very soon and with everyone in the team working so hard I am sure we will get a better result at Silverstone."

Ralf lost two places at the start as the field jostled for position but he pushed hard and his efforts were rewarded when he moved up to 10th place at the first round of pit stops, after stopping for more fuel and new tyres on lap 28.

With a clear track ahead of him, Ralf was able to demonstrate the true potential of the car and he put in some competitive lap times to close the gap on the points positions. His final stop came on lap 53 and he completed a consistent performance by coming home 10th.

Elsewhere, Ferrari controlled the race with Kimi Raikkonen passing team-mate Felipe Massa at his second stop to claim the victory. Lewis Hamilton, winner of the last two races, kept up his 100% podium record this season with third place for McLaren-Mercedes.

Hamilton extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 14 points from team-mate Fernando Alonso, who could only finish seventh today. Hamilton has 64 points with today's winner Raikkonen increasing his tally to 42. In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren-Mercedes have 114 points with nearest challengers Ferrari now on 89 while Panasonic Toyota Racing remains in sixth place with nine points.