2008 European Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Felipe Massa put his Hungarian disappointment behind him with victory at the new Valencia Street Circuit. Lewis Hamilton limited the damage in second and Robert Kubica took third, while another engine failure left Kimi Räikkönen facing a growing championship deficit.

Race Guide

Season: 2008 F1 World Championship
Race date: 24 August 2008
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Valencia Street Circuit
Laps: 57 laps
Circuit length: 5.419 km
2007 winner: Fernando Alonso

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Pole time	1:38.989
Fastest lap	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:38.708 on lap 36
First	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Second	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Third	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
22 August 2008	Practice 1	10:00
22 August 2008	Practice 2	14:00
23 August 2008	Practice 3	11:00
23 August 2008	Qualifying	14:00
24 August 2008	Race	14:00

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 12 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 62 points, with Kimi Räikkönen on 57. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 111 points.

Race entries

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

Free Practice

Sebastian Vettel set the first Formula 1 practice benchmark around Valencia’s harbour on a dusty, slippery surface. Despite the unfamiliar layout there were few major incidents, although David Coulthard touched the barriers late on. Toro Rosso’s strong opening running stood out as teams learned the new circuit’s braking points and kerbs.

Kimi Räikkönen topped FP2 with a late lap after Fernando Alonso had briefly moved ahead. Nico Rosberg spun under braking and narrowly avoided Mark Webber, escaping damage. Fernando Alonso was subsequently fined for crossing the pit-entry line, a reminder that learning the new venue included its unfamiliar approach to the pits.

Overnight rain washed away much of the rubber, changing the surface again for final practice. Robert Kubica went fastest, while Lewis Hamilton and Timo Glock spun. Jarno Trulli managed only two laps because of gearbox trouble, losing important preparation on a circuit where the teams still had relatively little experience.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 European Grand Prix FP1, 22 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:40.496	29
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.158s	27
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.326s	21
4	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.603s	31
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.667s	23
6	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.785s	24
7	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.821s	27
8	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.833s	26
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.889s	31
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.210s	22
11	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.334s	27
12	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.434s	27
13	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.455s	23
14	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.540s	27
15	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.611s	32
16	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.957s	23
17	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.964s	29
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.579s	25
19	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.816s	23
20	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+3.028s	24

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 European Grand Prix FP2, 22 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:39.477	30
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.020s	39
3	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+0.069s	35
4	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.201s	31
5	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.235s	31
6	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.477s	30
7	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.490s	32
8	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.672s	35
9	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.962s	32
10	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.023s	23
11	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.108s	24
12	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.130s	34
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.219s	23
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.265s	34
15	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.400s	32
16	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.505s	36
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.522s	32
18	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.607s	35
19	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.769s	38
20	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.900s	31

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 European Grand Prix FP3, 23 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:38.754	15
2	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.123s	18
3	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.255s	16
4	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.516s	17
5	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.522s	18
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.546s	16
7	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.560s	13
8	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.581s	18
9	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.667s	16
10	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.698s	20
11	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.843s	17
12	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+0.874s	10
13	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.898s	17
14	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.048s	14
15	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.056s	20
16	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.165s	22
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.265s	21
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.305s	21
19	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.758s	20
20	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	No time	2

Qualifying

Felipe Massa secured pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Robert Kubica third and Kimi Räikkönen fourth. Officials had moved the pole-position slot to the right-hand side after observing the racing line during practice.

Both Toro Rosso drivers reached Q3, while Fernando Alonso qualified outside the top ten at his second home race of the season. Gearbox changes and setup decisions subsequently sent Rubens Barrichello and Adrian Sutil to pit-lane starts, adding complications to their difficult weekends.

Qualifying Classification

2008 European Grand Prix Qualifying, 23 August 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:38.176	1:37.859	1:38.989	19
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:38.464	1:37.954	1:39.199	15
3	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:38.347	1:38.050	1:39.392	18
4	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:38.703	1:38.229	1:39.488	21
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:38.656	1:38.120	1:39.937	18
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:38.141	1:37.842	1:40.142	19
7	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:37.948	1:37.928	1:40.309	21
8	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:38.738	1:37.859	1:40.631	19
9	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:38.595	1:38.336	1:40.721	18
10	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:38.622	1:38.417	1:40.750	18
11	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:38.667	1:38.428	—	15
12	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:38.268	1:38.435	—	12
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:38.532	1:38.499	—	14
14	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:38.559	1:38.515	—	15
15	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:38.787	1:38.744	—	15
16	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:38.880	—	—	6
17	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:39.235	—	—	9
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:39.268	—	—	10
19	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:39.811	—	—	10
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:39.943	—	—	9

What happened in the 2008 European Grand Prix?

Felipe Massa retained the lead at the start and controlled the race, while Fernando Alonso’s afternoon ended almost immediately after contact from Kazuki Nakajima. Lewis Hamilton stayed second but could not mount a sustained challenge, and Robert Kubica recovered from a plastic bag briefly affecting his car to hold third.

Ferrari’s pit stops supplied the main drama. Felipe Massa was released towards Adrian Sutil and had to back off to avoid contact, prompting an investigation. Kimi Räikkönen then left with the fuel hose attached, injuring a mechanic, before an engine failure ended his race shortly afterwards.

Felipe Massa completed victory and kept the result after Ferrari received a fine and reprimand for the unsafe release. Lewis Hamilton finished second despite illness over the weekend, with Robert Kubica third. Jarno Trulli and Sebastian Vettel scored strongly behind Heikki Kovalainen as the first Valencia race concluded without the safety-car interruptions many had expected.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 70 points, followed by Felipe Massa on 64. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 121, with McLaren on 113.

2008 European Grand Prix race results

The 2008 European Grand Prix was held on 24 August 2008, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	57	1:35:32.339	10
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	57	+5.611	8
3	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	57	+37.353	6
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	57	+39.703	5
5	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	57	+50.684	4
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	57	+52.625	3
7	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	57	+1:07.990	2
8	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	57	+1:11.457	1
9	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	57	+1:22.177	0
10	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	57	+1:29.794	0
11	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	57	+1:32.717	0
12	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	56	+1 Lap	0
13	16	Jenson Button	Honda	56	+1 Lap	0
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	56	+1 Lap	0
15	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	56	+1 Lap	0
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	56	+1 Lap	0
17	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	56	+1 Lap	0
Ret	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	45	Engine	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	41	Accident	0
Ret	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	0	Collision damage	0

Rubens Barrichello and Adrian Sutil both made late gearbox changes, and consequently started from the pit lane.

2008 European Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	36	1:38.708	197.637
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	16	1:38.884	197.285
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	19	1:39.112	196.831
4	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	38	1:39.330	196.399
5	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	34	1:39.424	196.214
6	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	36	1:39.485	196.093
7	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	57	1:39.526	196.013
8	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	54	1:39.535	195.995
9	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	29	1:39.544	195.977
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	35	1:39.577	195.912
11	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	35	1:39.639	195.790
12	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	37	1:39.657	195.755
13	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	56	1:39.803	195.469
14	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	27	1:40.264	194.570
15	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	54	1:40.353	194.397
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	56	1:40.593	193.933
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	28	1:40.661	193.802
18	16	Jenson Button	Honda	21	1:40.763	193.606
19	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	13	1:40.978	193.194

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 European Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	70
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	64
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	57
4	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	55
5	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	43
6	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	41
7	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	26
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	18
9	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	18
10	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	15
11	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	13
12	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	11
13	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	9
14	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	9
15	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	8
16	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	6
17	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
18	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
21	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	121
2	McLaren	113
3	BMW Sauber	96
4	Toyota	41
5	Renault	31
6	Red Bull Racing	24
7	Williams	17
8	Honda	14
9	Toro Rosso	11
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

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Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.