Raikkonen meets Kiss, Coulthard & Button have one, and 97 more...
With 2008 drawing to a close, here’s a look back at 12 months of Formula 1 in pictures.
From the launch of the 2008 cars, to the first glimpses of the strange creations we’ll watch in 2009, here’s 99 pictures that I think capture some of the most exciting, controversial, and funny moments of 2008. As ever, post links to your favourites below…
Click once to preview, click again for high-resolution version.
A low-key launch for Ferrari’s F2008
One of Williams’ interim testing liveries
Renault’s R28 was off the pace but became a race winner
A simple launch for Red Bull’s RB4
McLaren were one of few teams to give their car a ‘proper’ launch
Ferrari brought the world’s best test driver in before the season started
Force India launched at Mumbai
Force India ran a different livery in pre-season testing
Honda’s ‘real’ livery?
The drivers at the start of the season – 22 would shortly become 20
Kimi Raikkonen hangs out with Kiss at Melbourne
Webber joins the track at his home race in Melbourne
The first race of 2008 gets underway
Coulthard collided with Massa at Melbourne
Takuma Sato, Super Aguri SA08A, Melbourne, 2008
Alonso locked in battle with Kovalainen at Melbourne
Nico Rosberg scored his first career podium at Melbourne
Hamilton takes his first champagne shampoo of the season at Melbourne
Bourdais peaked early – seventh at Melbourne was his best finish of the season
Felipe Massa muscles Kimi Raikkonen aside at Sepang
Trulli was passed by Kovalainen but still took fourth at Sepang
Jean Todt in the Ferrari garage at Sepang
Robert Kubica scored his first pole position at Bahrain
Anthony Davidson, Super Aguri SA08A, Bahrain, 2008
Hamilton testing at Barcelona
David Coulthard, Red Bull, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 2008
Alonso’s army was out in force at his home Grand Prix
The Ferraris seized the lead in Barcelona
Takuma Sato, Anthony Davidson, Super Aguri SA08A, Melbourne, 2008
Ferrari’s new nose appeared at Barcelona and Raikkonen won the race
Kazuki Nakajima scored points at Barcelona
Sixth for Button at Barcelona was his best result
Fisichella left his braking for turn one at Istanbul a little late
Kovalainen started second at Istanbul but his race was ruined at turn one
Raikkonen spent several laps trying to pass Fisichella at Istanbul
Massa out-ran Hamilton to win at Istanbul
Webber best result of the year was fourth at Monaco
Kubica drover brilliantly at Monte-Carlo, but not all the spectators were paying attention
Adrian Sutil retired in Monaco after being hit by Kimi Raikkonen
Raikkonen’s Ferrari didn’t survive the assault from Hamilton
The track fell apart at Montreal
The Polish flag flew at the top of a Grand Prix podium for the first time in Canada
Coulthard scored his final podium at Montreal
Toyota ran black bands at Magny-Cours to mark Ove Andersson’s death
Fittingly, Trulli brought his car home on the podium
Piquet scored his first points of the season at Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours: Massa celebrates while Raikkonen trudges away
Adrian Sutil gets a Moto GP passenger ride with Randy Mamola
Hamilton does a demonstration run at Goodwood
Hamilton meets the fans at Brooklands
Timo Glock races the Batmobile at Silverstone
A crash in practice put Massa on the back foot at Silverstone
Kovalainen couldn’t hold Hamilton back for long at Silverstone
Heidfeld slithered past Kovalainen and Raikkonen at Silverstone
Button gives Coulthard some man-love after the Red Bull driver announced his retirement
Barrichello grabbed third at Silverstone
Alonso capitalised on the rain at Silverstone to score points
Was this F1’s last appearance at the Hockenheimring
Nelson Piquet Jnr inherited the lead at Hockenheim thanks to the safety car
Norbert Haug on the podium with Hamilton at Hockenheim
Heidfeld had a few problems in qualifying that left him mired in the midfield
A puncture for Hamilton took him out of the running for lead in Hungary
Engine failure robbed Massa of the Hungarian Grand Prix win
Kovalainen’s maiden win came at Massa’s expense
Glock got on the podium at the Hungaroring
McLaren team members watch the action at Valencia
Valencia was dusty
Toro Rosso cheer Vettel home at Spa – although Alonso passed him within sight of the line
Alonso passed a string of cars on the final lap at Spa to finish fourth
Monza is beautiful in September. Usually
Was Vettel’s Monza triumph the first of many?
Toro Rosso hold Vettel aloft after his stunning win
F1 had its first night race at Singapore
Webber walks away from his wrecked RB4 in practice at Singapore
Ferrari practised fuel stops at Singapore…
…perhaps they should’ve practised more
Sparks fly at Singapore
Nico Rosberg dives past Jarno Trulli at Singapore
Hamilton under night lights at Singapore
The Singapore safety car played into Fisichella’s hands
Hamilton’s McLaren in Fuji
Webber in practice at Fuji
Hamilton’s start at Fuji wasn’t his best
Fuji was just one of several crashes Coulthard suffered in 2008
Alonso and Kubica celebrated at Fuji – then went karting together
Bourdais celebrated his best finish of the season at Fuji – before it was taken off him
Coulthard used a special livery at his final race
Coulthard didn’t complete the first lap of his final race
The tense final round gets underway
Fisichella played a role in the finale, holding Hamilton back for several laps
Bourdais off-track after a tangle with Trulli at Interlagos
Interlagos may have been Barrichello and Honda’s final race
A tearful Massa celebrates his home win at Interlagos
McLaren mechanics celebrate Hamilton’s title win
Valentino Rossi got another Ferrari test
Michael Schumacher in Felipe Massa’s annual kart race
Pedro de la Rosa tested for Force India after the team’s McLaren deal
Bruno Senna had a test with Honda shortly before the team was closed
BMW were one of the first teams to run 2009-style aerodynamics
Lovely pics Keith! Just curious, where do you manage to get these images from? Couldn’t find hi-res images of F1 anywhere.. Or do you pay to get these images from freelance photographers?
My season highs were the last race in Brazil with Lewis winning the championship, and Vettel’s win in Italy. My season lows were the Spa robbery, and Sutil being shunted by Kimi at Monaco.
Wow, great post!! I’m so glad you included my favorite photo of the year, Bourdais’ opposite-lock powerslide through the wet grass and mud at Interlagos! He recovered very nicely after being pushed off.
HELLO KEITH as you wrote some Teams make images available but what I MISS and what is recommended is the COPYRIGHTS get displayed with the images… as you follow so long F1 you should know that this is the minmum to put on each image the copyright of the “producer or owner” / / Thorsten
cyanide
21st December 2008, 9:05
Lovely pics Keith! Just curious, where do you manage to get these images from? Couldn’t find hi-res images of F1 anywhere.. Or do you pay to get these images from freelance photographers?
Eddie Irvine
21st December 2008, 9:22
Thanks Keith!!! absolutely amazing job KEEP ON !!!
Chaz
21st December 2008, 12:36
Great pictures!
My season highs were the last race in Brazil with Lewis winning the championship, and Vettel’s win in Italy. My season lows were the Spa robbery, and Sutil being shunted by Kimi at Monaco.
Stealthman
21st December 2008, 13:18
Beautiful photography. I love it. :D
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
21st December 2008, 14:32
Thanks guys. Cyanide, the teams make some pics available for the media to use, although you tend not to get many pics of things like crashes!
Kevin McC
21st December 2008, 22:17
Wow, great post!! I’m so glad you included my favorite photo of the year, Bourdais’ opposite-lock powerslide through the wet grass and mud at Interlagos! He recovered very nicely after being pushed off.
Wesley
21st December 2008, 22:31
Thanks for the great pics Keith!…… the Canadian GP podium is my fav!
Tom
22nd December 2008, 0:54
It’s somewhat refreshing to see so many pictures of the season, and not have a crash in every single one!
Thorsten Jerg
11th January 2009, 20:01
HELLO KEITH
as you wrote some Teams make images available but what I MISS and what is recommended is the COPYRIGHTS get displayed with the images… as you follow so long F1 you should know that this is the minmum to put on each image the copyright of the “producer or owner” / / Thorsten