2008 Canadian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Robert Kubica claimed his first Grand Prix victory a year after his huge Montreal accident, leading a BMW Sauber one-two. A collision at the red pit-exit light eliminated Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen, opening the way for a result that also put Robert Kubica on top of the championship.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:17.886
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:17.387 on lap 14
First	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber
Second	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber
Third	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
6 June 2008	Practice 1	10:00
6 June 2008	Practice 2	14:00
7 June 2008	Practice 3	10:00
7 June 2008	Qualifying	13:00
8 June 2008	Race	13:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 7 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 38 points, with Kimi Räikkönen on 35. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 69 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Wet conditions limited the useful running in FP1, with several drivers waiting until late in the session before venturing out. Felipe Massa eventually set the fastest time ahead of Robert Kubica. Lewis Hamilton completed only late laps, so the changing track made the opening order a limited guide to the weekend’s prospects.

Lewis Hamilton headed FP2 under overcast skies, with Robert Kubica again competitive and Kimi Räikkönen close behind. Timo Glock hit the wall at Turn 4 in a minor accident. The dry running gave teams a better opportunity to assess the circuit, where traction and heavy braking would be particularly important.

Nico Rosberg topped final practice, but both Toro Rosso drivers crashed. Sebastian Vettel’s impact at Turn 9 brought out a red flag and damaged his car badly enough to prevent him taking part in qualifying. Sebastien Bourdais also hit the barriers, leaving the team facing substantial repairs on both sides of the garage.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Canadian Grand Prix FP1, 6 June 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:17.553	14
2	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.256s	12
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.580s	10
4	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.629s	13
5	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.739s	12
6	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.750s	8
7	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.159s	11
8	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.256s	12
9	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.418s	24
10	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.452s	13
11	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.540s	20
12	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.675s	21
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.793s	28
14	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.015s	31
15	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.262s	16
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.335s	15
17	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.538s	23
18	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.620s	17
19	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+2.988s	16
20	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+3.989s	17

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Canadian Grand Prix FP2, 6 June 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:15.752	42
2	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.271s	41
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.341s	39
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.579s	36
5	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.661s	27
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.837s	43
7	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.852s	39
8	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.015s	37
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.267s	43
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.316s	46
11	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.490s	37
12	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.582s	31
13	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.710s	39
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.756s	39
15	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.797s	31
16	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.807s	38
17	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.892s	30
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.061s	37
19	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+2.090s	39
20	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.324s	17

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Canadian Grand Prix FP3, 7 June 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:16.555	16
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.034s	22
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.170s	17
4	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.232s	19
5	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.343s	16
6	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.391s	20
7	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.397s	16
8	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.505s	19
9	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.507s	16
10	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.530s	16
11	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.554s	17
12	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.727s	17
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.767s	20
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.002s	19
15	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.002s	20
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.053s	24
17	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.128s	16
18	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.211s	17
19	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.623s	19
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.869s	21

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole with his final lap after Robert Kubica had briefly gone fastest. Kimi Räikkönen qualified third ahead of Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, while Felipe Massa could manage only sixth.

The deteriorating track surface complicated the session and caught out several drivers. Jarno Trulli spun twice in Q2, and Mark Webber damaged his car before he could participate in Q3. Jenson Button’s gearbox trouble and Sebastian Vettel’s absence from qualifying added further disruption at the back of the grid.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying, 7 June 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:16.909	1:17.034	1:17.886	19
2	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:17.471	1:17.679	1:18.498	14
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:17.301	1:17.364	1:18.735	23
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:17.415	1:17.488	1:18.746	22
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:17.991	1:17.891	1:18.844	26
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:17.231	1:17.353	1:19.048	23
7	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:17.287	1:17.684	1:19.089	25
8	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:18.082	1:17.781	1:19.633	21
9	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:18.256	1:18.020	1:20.848	25
10	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:17.582	1:17.523	No time	15
11	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:18.321	1:18.031	—	19
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:17.638	1:18.062	—	19
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:18.168	1:18.238	—	19
14	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:18.039	1:18.327	—	16
15	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:18.505	1:18.393	—	18
16	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:18.916	—	—	10
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:19.108	—	—	12
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:19.165	—	—	12
19	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:23.565	—	—	3
20	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	No time	—	—	—

Mark Webber spun into the wall and damaged his right front suspension during the second part of qualifying, thus he was unable to compete in the third part.

Sebastian Vettel was unable to take part in qualifying due to damaging his car during third practice.

Sébastien Bourdais incurred a five place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

What happened in the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton led comfortably until Adrian Sutil’s stopped Force India prompted a safety car. During the rush of pit stops, Kimi Räikkönen and Robert Kubica waited at the red exit light. Lewis Hamilton failed to stop in time and hit Kimi Räikkönen, eliminating both, while Nico Rosberg struck the McLaren and needed repairs.

BMW Sauber now had a major opportunity, but its drivers were on different strategies. The lighter Robert Kubica moved ahead of Nick Heidfeld and built the margin required for his additional stop. Fernando Alonso’s promising challenge ended in a spin, while Felipe Massa recovered from refuelling trouble with several determined overtakes.

Robert Kubica won ahead of Nick Heidfeld to secure BMW Sauber’s first victory and one-two. David Coulthard finished third, with Timo Glock fourth and Felipe Massa fifth. Robert Kubica also took the championship lead, completing an extraordinary turnaround at the circuit where he had escaped a devastating accident the previous year.

After the race, Robert Kubica headed the drivers’ standings with 42 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 38. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 73, with BMW Sauber on 70.

2008 Canadian Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix was held on 8 June 2008, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	70	1:36:24.447	10
2	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	70	+16.495	8
3	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	70	+23.352	6
4	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	70	+42.627	5
5	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	70	+43.934	4
6	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	70	+47.775	3
7	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	70	+53.597	2
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	70	+54.120	1
9	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	70	+54.433	0
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	70	+57.749	0
11	16	Jenson Button	Honda	70	+1:07.540	0
12	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	70	+1:11.229	0
13	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	69	+1 Lap	0
Ret	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	51	Spun off	0
Ret	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	46	Accident	0
Ret	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	44	Spun off	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	39	Brakes	0
Ret	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	19	Collision damage	0
Ret	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	19	Collision	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	13	Gearbox	0

Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel started from the pitlane.

2008 Canadian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	14	1:17.387	202.871
2	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	25	1:17.430	202.758
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	4	1:17.506	202.559
4	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	47	1:17.539	202.473
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	14	1:17.977	201.336
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	11	1:18.006	201.261
7	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	36	1:18.085	201.057
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	51	1:18.201	200.759
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	16	1:18.225	200.697
10	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	35	1:18.301	200.503
11	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	62	1:18.462	200.091
12	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	33	1:18.532	199.913
13	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	34	1:18.620	199.689
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	30	1:18.784	199.273
15	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	38	1:18.870	199.056
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	41	1:19.066	198.563
17	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	31	1:19.087	198.510
18	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	16	1:19.239	198.129
19	16	Jenson Button	Honda	58	1:19.352	197.847
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	7	1:20.666	194.624

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	42
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	38
3	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	38
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	35
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	28
6	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	15
7	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	15
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	12
9	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	9
10	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	8
11	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	7
12	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	6
13	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	5
14	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	5
15	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	5
16	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
17	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
18	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
19	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
20	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
21	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0
22	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	73
2	BMW Sauber	70
3	McLaren	53
4	Red Bull Racing	21
5	Toyota	17
6	Williams	15
7	Renault	9
8	Honda	8
9	Toro Rosso	7
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November