Formula One 2008 Season Calendar
Two New Street Races - a Night Race Too in Singapore
As the 2008 Formula One Season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne it is time to look at the Calendar - with 18 rounds this year.
The 2008 Formula One season will be the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It will begin on 16 March 2008 in Australia and end on 2 November 2008 in Brazil after eighteen Grands Prix.
Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has confirmed the calendar for the 2008 world championship season. The addition of races in Singapore and Valencia in Spain, combined with the omission of a US Grand Prix, makes for 18 GP rounds in 2008 - one more than in 2007.
2008 F1 Season Ban on Electronic Driver Aids
Fans of F1 racing are looking forward to seeing which of the drivers can really drive with the new ban being imposed on electronic driver aids like traction control and engine-braking. Another interesting change is that the first part of qualifying has been lengthened to 20 minutes while final part has been shortened to 10 minutes.
Singapore Grand Prix and Valencia Grand Prix – New Street Circuits
The 2008 F1 Season also introduces two new street circuits to follow on from the famous Monte Carlo Street Circuit.
The Valencia Street Circuit and Singapore Street Circuit will host the European Grand Prix and the new Singapore GP respectively.
The Singapore Grand Prix will be held over sixty one laps from 26 - 28 September at the newly constructed street circuit on the Marina Bay in Singapore. It will be the first ever Formula One race held at night and will be the 800th Formula One World Championship Grand Prix race.
In Spain the event will be known as the Grand Prix of Europe Telefonica. This Grand Prix will be held on a circuit around the Spanish port's streets in the Valencia Street Circuit.
2008 F1 Racing Calendar
The 2008 F1 racing calendar in full:
- 16 March Australia - Albert Part Grand Prix Circuit
- 23 March Malaysia – Sepang International Circuit
- 6 April Bahrain – Bahrain International Circuit
- 27 April Spain- Circuit de Cataluña
- 11 May Turkey – Istanbul Park
- 25 May Monaco – Circuit de Monaco
- 8 June Canada - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
- 22 June France – Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
- 6 July Great Britain –Silverstone Circuit
- 20 July Germany – Hockenheimring, Hockenheim
- 3 August Hungary - Hungaroring
- 24 August Europe - Valencia Street Circuit
- 7 September Belgium –Curcuit de Spa Francorchamps
- 14 September Italy – Autodromo Nazionale Monza
- 28 September Singapore -Singapore Street Circuit
- 12 October Japan –Fuji Speedway
- 19 October China - Shanghai International Circuit
- 2 November Brazil – Grande Premo do Brazil
Martin Brundle’s Predictions for the 2008 F1 Season
In an interview with itv/f1.com, Martin Brundle made some interesting observations and predictions:
“From the testing form it looks as if Kimi Raikkonen has the edge over Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton’s a bit ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. The clear title favourite for me is Raikkonen.”
Brundle believes the pressure is on Lewis Hamilton because “last year he was the rookie with nothing to lose and everything to gain; this year the expectations are so much higher.”
Formula One Also Uses Biofuel
As part of moves to make Formula One racing ever more environmentally friendly, the FIA has introduced a new rule governing fuel. From 2008, at least 5.75 percent of all fuel must contain biomatter and, as a result, all cars must be designed to be biofuel compliant.
Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix gets special treatment this year, as it celebrates its 30th anniversary on Ile Notre Dame and with no U.S. Grand Prix in 2008 , this June 8 race in Montreal represents the only North American stop on the F-1 calendar.
* Get the F1Fanatic 2008 F1 Calendar for Google that you can embed in your website.
Sources:
f1fanatic .co.uk
RTe Sport
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