McLaren-Mercedes tips F1's newest grand prix winner Heikki Kovalainen to go from strength-to-strength following his Hungarian triumph - and to win again before the 2008 season is out.

“We have a strong Finnish tradition in the team, and I've seen both Mika [Hakkinen] and Kimi [Raikkonen] take their first grand prix wins while driving for McLaren ,” the 50-year-old stated. “With Lewis [Hamilton] too, that maiden victory firstly stands as a validation of their skill and only really underlines what we at McLaren-Mercedes have always believed about our drivers.

“We hire them because we believe them all to be winners, and once we can provide them with the equipment to do... // crash.net

McLaren-Mercedes tips F1's newest grand prix winner Heikki Kovalainen to go from strength-to-strength following his Hungarian triumph - and to win again before the 2008 season is out.

“We have a strong Finnish tradition in the team, and I've seen both Mika [Hakkinen] and Kimi [Raikkonen] take their first grand prix wins while driving for McLaren ,” the 50-year-old stated. “With Lewis [Hamilton] too, that maiden victory firstly stands as a validation of their skill and only really underlines what we at McLaren-Mercedes have always believed about our drivers.

“We hire them because we believe them all to be winners, and once we can provide them with the equipment to do... // crash.net

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Car problems cost Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, giving McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen his first F1 victory at the expense of the leading drivers.

Kovalainen became the 100th different Formula One driver to win a GP, though it came after Massa’s Ferrari engine blew with three laps to go, while Hamilton had an earlier tire puncture. Kovalainen took his chance and the British team earned its third straight victory.

"I have spent a lot of time to achieve this goal so to finally achieve it is very pleasing," the 26-year-old Finn said. "Today we had a little bit of luck on our side but it certainly won’t do any harm for anyone in our team and not for myself either."

Kovalainen, who will remain at McLaren next... // The Island

to lead Raikkonen by five points after a tire puncture dropped him halfway down the field in the midst of chasing Massa.

"I feel I could have had a go at passing him, but the damaged tire halted my progress," said Hamilton, who was coming off two dramatic victories at the British and German GPs. "I don't yet know what happened. But at least I scored four points and maintained my lead in the championship, so this result is not too bad for me."

Kovalainen — greeted by chants of "Heikki" from the large Finnish contingent in the stands — had narrowed Massa's lead to under six seconds before the Brazilian's engine started smoking.

"I just tried to put pressure on Massa hoping something would happen," Kovalainen said. "It worked out for me. I'm very, very glad to secure the victory."... // Connecticut Post

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race Sunday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to go.

Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture. But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

"Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels with what happened to him today; I've had similar moments to him this year," said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

Kovalainen -- greeted by chants of "Heikki" from the large... // Joliet Herald News

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race yesterday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to go.

Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture. But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

"Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels with what happened to him today; I've had similar moments to him this year," said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

Kovalainen -- greeted by chants of "Heikki" from the large... // Winnipeg Sun

Globe and Mail (Enlarge photo)

BUDAPEST -- McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race yesterday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Grand Prix of Hungary with three laps to go.

Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture.

But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

"Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe,"said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

"I know how he feels with what happened to him today. I've had similar moments to him this year."

Kovalainen, greeted by chants of "Heikki" from the large Finnish contingent... // Globe and Mail

There is a report surfacing that former Magic point guard and fan favorite Carlos Arroyo has signed a three-year deal worth $7.5 million to play in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Arroyo was a free agent after the season, but the Magic obviously chose not to re-sign him, opting to bring in Anthony Johnson to back up Jameer Nelson . HAARETZ newspaper in Israel is reporting that Arroyo has signed, adding to the handful of NBA players who have opted to... // Orlando Sentinel

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race yesterday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to go.

Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture. But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

"Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels... // Toronto Sun

Massa would have taken a three-point lead in the overall standings with a win, but instead slipped to eight behind Hamilton.

"It happened completely without warning, without giving the slightest indication," he said. "I am very frustrated at the moment because we had a great car and we had done everything perfectly until a few kilometres from the finish."

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen recovered from qualifying sixth to finish third ahead of... // Canoe.ca

McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen captured his maiden win at the Hungarian Grand Prix as teammate Lewis Hamilton maintained his championship lead.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa gifted the Finn victory after his car ground to a halt with just three laps to go.

Massa jumped both McLarens at turn one and the race looked to be his after Hamilton suffered a punctured tyre.

But bad luck hit Massa and Kovalainen took the flag ahead of Toyota’s Timo Glock and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Fernando Alonso matched his best finish of the season for Renault in fourth ahead of former... // Sowetan

BUDAPEST, Hungary - McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race Sunday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps left.

    Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture. But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

    Kovalainen had narrowed Massa's lead to under six seconds before the Brazilian's engine blew up and ruined... // Salt Lake Tribune

LONG POND, Pa. -- Rain was falling.

The cars were parked on pit road with Carl Edwards in 22nd place, and the driver and crew chief Bob Osborne were arguing heatedly on top of the team's pit box.

Not the most likely formula for winning a race.

Edwards and several other race leaders had pitted minutes earlier after rain began falling on lap 127 of the 200-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the Pennsylvania 500, Sunday at Pocono Raceway. Nineteen other drivers, taking a gamble on the possibility of a rain-shortened race, had stayed on track.

"The argument came from when it started raining real hard, then we were trying to blame one another for the idea of coming (onto pit road)," Edwards said. "Bob said it was my idea, and I really felt like it was his idea. I had to leave the pit box... // DetNews.com

OXNARD, Calif. -- Terrell Owens took it easy at Dallas Cowboys training camp Sunday, getting a day off from practice along with tight end Jason Witten and linebacker Zach Thomas.

All three players were on the field, but were in shorts and only spectators for the lone workout of the day. It was the Cowboys' 10th consecutive day of practices since opening camp, and came after back-to-back two-a-days when the team went later than scheduled both days.

Since the Cowboys aren't scheduled to be off until next Sunday, the day after their preseason opener, coach Wade Phillips is planning to periodically give some veteran players time off. He also did that in his first Cowboys camp last year.

"I know we're getting a little tired," Phillips said after practice Sunday. "We still may hold a few... // Abilene Reporter-News

BUDAPEST, Hungary : Car problems cost Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, giving McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen his first F1 victory at the expense of the leading drivers.

Kovalainen became the 100th different Formula One driver to win a GP, though it came after Massa's Ferrari engine blew with three laps to go, while Hamilton had an earlier tire puncture. Kovalainen took his chance and the British team earned its third straight victory.

"I have spent a lot of time to achieve this goal so to finally achieve it is very pleasing," the 26-year-old Finn... // International Herald Tribune

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Car problems cost Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, giving McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen his first F1 victory at the expense of the leading drivers.

Kovalainen became the 100th different Formula One driver to win a GP, though it came after Massa's Ferrari engine blew with three laps to go, while Hamilton had an earlier tire puncture. Kovalainen took his chance and the British team earned its third straight victory.

«I have spent a lot of time to achieve this goal so to finally achieve it is very pleasing,» the 26-year-old Finn said. «Today we had a little bit of luck on our side but it certainly won't do any harm for anyone in our team and not for myself either.

Kovalainen, who will remain at McLaren next year, recently said... // PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)

Hungary GP: McLaren F1 Race Recap - Kovalainen's First Win!

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen took his first Formula 1 victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix today. Heikki finished 11 seconds clear of Toyota’s Timo Glock after leader Felipe Massa (Ferrari) retired three laps from the chequer. His win marks the third successive victory for the team and makes Heikki the 100th Formula 1 winner since the World Championship began in 1950. Lewis finished fifth after pitting early to change a damaged front tyre on lap 41.

Both drivers were on two-stop strategies: Lewis stopped on laps 19 (9.4sec) and 41 (8.8sec), while Heikki pitted on laps 21 (9.9sec) and 48 (6.8sec).

After 11 races, Lewis maintains his overall lead in the drivers’ championship with 62 points.... // PaddockTalk

McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race overnight after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to race.

Massa overtook both Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tyre puncture. But Massa’s Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

“Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels with what happened to him today, I’ve had similar moments to him this year,†said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

Kovalainen – greeted by chants of “Heikki†from the... // The West Australian

McLAREN driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race today after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to race. Massa overtook both Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tyre puncture. But Massa's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

“Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels with what happened to him today, I've had similar moments to him this year,” said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

Kovalainen - greeted by chants of “Heikki” from the large Finnish contingent in the stands -... // The Australian

BUDAPEST, Hungary McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race Sunday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to go.

Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture. But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

"Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels with what happened to him today; I've had similar moments to him this year," said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

Kovalainen greeted by chants of "Heikki" from the large Finnish contingent in... // Dallas Morning News

BUDAPEST, Hungary - McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race Sunday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to go.

Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture. But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

"Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels with what happened to him today; I've had similar moments to him this year," said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

Kovalainen _ greeted by chants of "Heikki" from the large Finnish contingent... // Longview Daily News