Heikki Kovalainen led the final day of testing at Jerez, setting a time of 1:18.385 in his McLaren that was also the top time of the week, as the McLaren was the latest to sprout wings on the nose.

Second was Sebastien Bourdais in the Toro Rosso, who with David Coulthard in third capped off an impressive week for the Red Bull family.

Romain Grosjean was back behind the wheel of the Renault as the team did suspension work. He finished fourth on the day.

"I had a better day today as I already knew the track and I am beginning to feel more comfortable with the car," Grosjean said. "We had a really good morning when conditions were cooler, covering lots of laps and doing some long runs, and we managed to find a good balance with the car. In the afternoon we tried out a few more things with the set-up and tried to make the car more consistent in the high temperatures."

And what would a good week of testing be without someone coming out of the garage sporting a shark fin engine cover?

This time it was Ferrari, in the hands of Felipe Massa, who was fifth on the day as the team worked on set-up for Budapest and Valencia.

"I am pleased with the way the day went," said Massa. "We saw some things which should be interesting for the upcoming races and we carried out an intensive investigation on the set-up of the car. There is so much data at our disposal that will help us be as well prepared as possible for Hungary."

Williams' Kazuki Nakajima was sixth, ahead of Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber.

Adrian Sutil continued work on Force India's seamless-shift gearbox, finishing the day seventh fastest, followed by Jenson Button's Honda, and Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi rounded out the field in this final day of testing.

"We ran the car with our latest aero and suspension developments today to complete the evaluations which have been ongoing all week," Button said. "The new parts have made a small but tangible improvement to the stability of the car, which is particularly evident over longer runs, so it has been a positive day. It will be interesting to see how this translates over the race weekend in Hungary."

The Hungarian Grand Prix kicks off in a weeks time. The next test window will be in late August, prior to the Italian Grand Prix.

Fresh off his privacy case victory over News of the World, FIA president Max Mosley has initiated libel proceedings against the tabloid concerning a column which ran a week after the initial story broke, claiming Mosley lied in his denial of the story.

But even as Mosley moves forward against the newspaper, a number of high-profile personalities in the sport continue to call for Mosley to step aside.

A number of them spoke to the BBC, including Sir Jackie Stewart.

"Max should now step down and be cut out of it totally. His stewardship of the FIA simply cannot be undertaken in its fullest form because of what has occurred," he is quoted by the BBC.

While Mosley won a vote of confidence from the world motorsport body, several high-profile member organizations have threatened to break away from the FIA over the Mosley affair, including the American Automobile Association.

The Japanese, French, Australian and Spanish automobile federations all voted against Mosley and the German ADAC has suspended its activities with the organization.

Ex-Jordan boss Eddie Jordan agreed it might be an opportune time for Mosley to step aside.

"Max has proven that he is a strong man, he's gone to court and he's not been bullied by a newspaper," he said to the BBC. "However, there's still a slur against him and people don't forget that easily. If I was Max now having won this case I would say... I'm out of here."

Paul Stoddart, late of Minardi, was even more blunt.

"Various heads of state that go to Grands Prix don't want to be seen with him," Stoddart told BBC Radio 5 Live. "The institution (FIA) is completely without credibility. The Crown Prince of Bahrain does not want Mosley in his country while the Australian prime minister refuses to have a meeting with him. There are big public companies that probably won't want to be associated with an institution that Mosley, having been exposed like this, has been representing and will continue to represent."

And even while paying tribute to Mosley's accomplishments, Sir Stirling Moss also told the BBC he thinks Mosley's in a difficult position.

"I can understand how people feel about him, but I like Max. He's an interesting and amusing person," Moss said. "However, I don't think his position is tenable - he does not hold the stature he held before."

Mosley's current term ends October 2009.

Want to lead testing? Call Dietrich Mateschitz.

For the third straight day, a Red Bull-backed team topped the charts at Jerez.

Today it was Mark Webber, who set time of 1:19.176 on '09 Bridgestone slicks in the morning.

Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel, who will line up next to Webber next season, was quickest on the first two days of the four-day session.

"We've had a pretty good two days here. The car ran pretty reliably and we've clocked up some good mileage," Webber said. "Today we were mostly getting ready for Budapest, as well as looking at developments for a little later in the season."

"Yesterday we were focusing more on '09, and it was quite a challenging day," he continued. "Today was better in terms of what we learned, mechanically and aerodynamically. It's been a hot week for the guys working here and they've done a good job."

David Coulthard takes over from Webber tomorrow.

Nelson Piquet was second fastest in the Renault before taking a trip into the kitty litter towards the end of the session.

"We spent most of the day looking ahead to next year by running with slick tyres, which was very interesting," he said. "They felt good, gave plenty of grip, and the car was working well. We also did some set-up work, evaluating the changes to try and improve the overall balance. So overall another good day's work."

Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest in the Ferrari, as the Scuderia focused on improving its 2008 challenger.

Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi was fourth as the team continued testing its seamless-shift gearbox.

"It was a good day of testing with more than 100 laps, so it was quite positive," Liuzzi told autosport.com. "Finally we put on the track the seamless shift and seems like it is working properly. For sure, we have to tune it better for the final version in Hungary, but we are happy because it was quite reliable. Hopefully there will be no problems for the rest of the test, and we will be ready to run it in Budapest."

Max Mosley won his case against the News of the World tabloid, a court awarding him A£60,000 in damages for breach of privacy concerning consensual "sexual activities (albeit unconventional)."

The court ruled their was no evidence the session reenacted Nazi behavior, rather the "bondage, beating and domination" that did take place was "typical of S&M behaviour," according to the BBC, thus, the newspaper had not satisfied the court there was a case for public interest.

"It demonstrates that their Nazi lie was completely invented and had no justification," the BBC reports Mosley said after the decision. "It also shows that that they had no right to go into private premises and take pictures and film of adults engaged in activities which are no-one's business but those of the people concerned."

Mosley told the court the story had devastated his wife and was undignified and humiliating for his children.

"Our press is less free today after another judgement based on privacy laws emanating from Europe," News of the World editor Colin Myler said, according to the BBC."(Mosley) had an obligation to honour the standards which its vast membership had every right to expect of him."

The judge, however, disagreed.

"Taking part in depraved and brutal S&M orgies on a regular basis does not, in our opinion, constitute the fit and proper behaviour to be expected of someone in his hugely influential position," he said.

World champion Kimi Raikkonen says he has no plans to quit Ferrari early, saying he intends to see out his current contract.

Citing waning interest in the face of recent struggles which have seen him drop to third on the drivers championship table, the latest round of silly season rumors have the Finn quitting the Scuderia at the end of the current campaign.

Sky Sports reports Raikkonen told Spanish newspaper El Mundo, however, he has no intention of leaving Ferrari before his current contract runs out after the 2009 season.

After that is anyone's guess.

"I'm not in a hurry to decide what I am going to do in the future," Raikkonen reportedly told the Spanish daily. "I have a year left on my contract that I want to fulfil. Later, in 2010, I do not know if I will be in F1. We will see."

"It is not an easy decision," he continued. "I have to evaluate many things, and I am not going to give any explanation to anybody. I will make my decision when I am ready. Ferrari are not pushing me on this."

Plus, Sebastian Vettel leads day two of testing at Jerez.

Honda reportedly has offered a "name-your-price" offer for the services of Fernando Alonso.

The Telegraph reports Ross Brawn and Nick Fry made the offer in hopes of paring the double world champion up alongside Jenson Button from 2009.

Many believe Ferrari have secured Alonso's services for 2010, but the newspaper reports Honda are not looking at a temporary solution, but rather are trying to convince the Spaniard the Japanese team is the better lace to be.

Part of that strategy is the presence of Brawn, a proven winner, combined with the new regulations set to take hold in 2009.

Plus, BMW Sauber's KERS woes, Toyota questions Glock's trackside treatment, Michelin to supply A1GP, and Vettel leads first day of testing at Jerez.

None other than Luca di Montezemolo weighed in on Ferrari's performance last weekend at Hockenheim.

The Ferrari chieftain, who blasted the team's "stupid mistakes" at Silverstone, personally met with Ferrari engineers Monday to analyze Sunday's race. Montezemolo said he wanted to be present "at a very important time from a technical standpoint," La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

Most concerning was the drop in performance from Friday to Sunday. Felipe Massa finished third and Kimi Raikkonen sixth last weekend.

"Let's forget about labels, because we need to figure out why we were so slow in Germany, slower than ever before this season," the Ferrari boss said, according to the Italian sports daily.

Following the meeting, Montezemolo said the team has recovered from worse before, and he is confident it can do so again.

Ferrari still lead the constructors championship with 105 points.

But it must be worrying, especially when you consider the number of points the Scuderia left on the table in the first half of the season.

McLaren truly looks like it took a big step forward in recent weeks, and the Prancing Horse must respond quickly if it is to maintain its lead in the championship.

"As usual, we know the McLarens were faster on a lap basis, but this is offset by our reliability and our pace in the race," La Gazzetta dello Sport reports race director Stefano Domenicali said. "Unfortunately, we saw this was not true yesterday, but we are determined to respond."

Plus, Sebastien Bourdais discusses the pros and cons of teammate Sebastian Vettel's promotion to Red Bull, and Milka Duno throws the towel at Danica Patrick.

Every time you think you have seen the best drive Lewis Hamilton has to offer, he pulls another rabbit out of his hat.

Two weeks ago it was a brilliant drive in the wet at Silverstone.

This time around, after the safety car appeared to rubbish his strategy, the Briton dispatched rival Felipe Massa and Nelson Piquet with relative ease to take a stunning victory in the German Grand Prix and take the lead in the drivers championship.

A big way to kick off the second half of the season, even if it didn't exactly go as he would have scripted.

Stewards fined Heikki Kovalainen 5,000 euros after it was found his car was improperly refueled during qualifying.

"Car 23 was refueled during Q2 using equipment that was not an FIA-approved race refueling system, and therefore the engine should have been stopped during the refueling process," ITV reports the stewards said in their statement.

Kovalainen's fine is purely monatary in nature, the Finn's grid position will not be penalized.

A flyer in the closing moments of qualifying delivered Lewis Hamilton the pole at Hockenheim, edging Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Hamilton's McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen, the fastest man in Saturday's morning practice session, will start third.

Possible showers and cooling temps are in the forecast for race day. The action kicks off at 2pm local time Sunday. For U.S. fans, it's tape delay again a€" 1pm Eastern on Fox. Lucky us.

Full coverage on SpeedRead

Lewis Hamilton threw down the gauntlet Friday at Hockenheim, dominating both practice sessions for the German Grand Prix.

Despite some morning rain, Hamilton 's 1:15.537 on an improving circuit. Teammate Heikki Kovalainen 1:15.666 set in the waning seconds of the session made it a McLaren 1-2.

Felipe Massa was the first of the Ferrari's in third, with Fernando Alonso's Renault in fourth and Kimi Raikkonen in fifth.

Robert Kubica provided a bit of excitement, putting his BMW Sauber into a tire wall in the stadium section and finishing 19th for the session.

The second session saw the sun emerge, and again it was Hamilton leading the way with a time of 1:15.025.

This time, however it was Massa and Raikkonen in third and fourth, respectively, as Massa traded fast times with Hamilton throughout the session.

Kovalainen was fourth in the second McLaren, with the Red Bull of Mark Webber rounding out the top five.

Further down the grid, Nico Rosberg's Williams looked solid in both sessions, the German will be hoping this time his pace holds through the weekend, and fellow German Sebastian Vettel was well on the pace of David Coulthard, the man he will replace next year at Red Bull.

Hamilton will be looking to make a statement heading into the second half of the season, fresh off winning his home race and racing in front of the Mercedes crowd at Hockenheim.

Last week's tests seem to indicate it will again be a battle between Ferrari and McLaren. Raikkonen is on record saying he hopes it will be a hot race -- the Ferrari tends to gain a leg up in hot weather because it is easier on its tires a€" but with rain in the forecast the Scuderia may have to do without that advantage.

With his difficulties in Canada , France and Great Britain , the Finn will be wanting to get his title defense back on track. Currently in a three-way tie at the top of the drivers championship, he will not only have to contend with Hamilton , but his own teammate, Massa.

Qualifying kicks off at 2 pm local time.

Red Bull officially announced today German Sebastian Vettel will partner Mark Webber next season.

In a move that surprised virtually no one, the 21-year-old Toro Rosso driver will replace the retiring David Coulthard.

"We are delighted that Sebastian will be joining us next year," team boss Christian Horner said. "As he was already part of the Red Bull family, choosing Sebastian as Mark Webber's team-mate was not a difficult decision. However, we have always stated that our aim is to have the strongest available driver line-up and Vettel's selection also matches these criteria."

Vettel debuted in 2007 for BMW Sauber at Indianapolis, subbing for the injured Robert Kubica, qualifying seventh and finishing eighth.

A month later he replaced Scott Speed at Toro Rosso. His best finish was fourth in China.

"Having only turned 21 at the last race and with only 17 Grand Prix starts to his name, he is still on a learning curve, but it is clear that he has plenty of ability and speed," Horner said. "We are confident that Red Bull Racing will make the most of these attributes and believe that, in Mark and Sebastian, we have a very competitive driver line-up for 2009."

While potential replacements for Coulthard included drivers like Fernando Alonso, it was widely expected Red Bull would look to within and their promising young star.

"I have been part of the Red Bull family for a long time, with its Junior Team since 2000," Vettel said. "Throughout my career, they have offered me great support and now, to drive for their senior F1 team is a dream come true and I am looking forward to having a great season next year, even if I still have a lot to learn about F1."

Plus, Rosberg rumors, and a pair of Schus

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher says he quit Formula One because he was worried Felipe Massa would lose his seat after the team hired Kimi Raikkonen.

"I stopped because I didn't want my friend Felipe Massa to be unemployed," Fox reports Schumacher told Swiss newspaper Blick.

The German goes on to say he did not quit out of fear of the Finn.

"I would have had no problem going up against Kimi Raikkonen."

Plus, Vijay Mallya on his first season in the piranha club, Glock says Jarno is underestimated, Fisi says he's not ready to hang it up and Dr. Theissen keeps mum on BMW Sauber's 2009 driver lineup.

The court heard final speeches today, day 3,246,923 in the Max Mosley privacy case.

Mark Warby, representing News of the World, said witnesses for Mosley have tried to make things out as "nothing more than hanky-spanky," the BBC reports.

Warby argued there was no case for damages as the newspaper was reporting a legitimate story.

Mosley's lawyer, in turn, argued the paper rushed to print a "scandalous" story and that compensation should be greater than a defamation award because Mosley has to live with the invasion of his privacy for the rest of his life.

The judge's decision is expected next week.

Plus, DC uses his weekly column to discuss retirement and the future; how F1 drivers spend a week off; Ross Brawn is focusing on the 2009 car, not who will drive it; Lewis rues how it all ended with Alonso; who ISN'T using a shark fin in Germany; and Enrique Bernoldi packs his IndyCar bags?

Takuma Sato's 2008 campaign came to a sudden end after the Spanish Grand Prix, but by no means is the Japanese driver ready to call it quits on his F1 career.

Sato said he is prepared to wait it out until 2009, if necessary, to find a race seat. He would also consider a testing role if a race seat was a possibility in the future.

Because he remains focussed on F1, Sato said he ruled out interest from the United States in both the open-wheel and sportscar categories.

Sato also revealed there have been talks with teams, but he is not at liberty to discuss them, of course.

Plus, a roundup of what's making news on some of SpeedRead's favorite blogs.