F1 Grand Prix 2009

Brawn/Button in pole in Malaysia - looking for 2 out of 2...

Top ten after Saturday:

1 Jenson Button GBR/Brawn 1.35,181
2 Jarno Trulli ITA/Toyota 1.35,273
3 S Vettel GER/Red Bu 1.35,518
4 R Barrichello BRA/Brawn 1.35,651
5 Timo Glock GER/Toyota 1.35,690
6 Nico Rosberg GER/Willia 1.35,750
7 Mark Webber AUS/Red Bu 1.35,797
8 Robert Kubica POL/BMW 1.36,106
9 K Räikkönen FIN/Ferrar 1.36,170
10 F Alonso ESP/Renaul 1.37,659

Vettel will start 13-th ... don't forget his penalty and Barrichelo will start 9-th (same reason but he's penalty is 5 places). Still I hope Vettel does well and takes a top place in the final standings. Also I hope Massa and Kimi do well and also finish in the top positions

I've heard analysts reckon the Brawn is 0.7 seconds quicker a lap on average than any other car in the field. Even if the diffusers get banned, they will still be 0.4/0.5 seconds quicker but of course, other teams can adapt and make up another two are three tenths with the new diffuser which would put Red Bull up there with the Brawn. Not only that, but Brawn would lose all points from the opening 2 races.

This is going to be a fascinating season because Vettel and Trulli could well end up being title contenders and you would expect Ferrari, McLaren and maybe Renault to put themselves up there.

Consistency will be key this season i reckon.

Great race today as the weather made it everything but easy.

J.Button wins again, Heidfeldt second and Glock third. What a start for Brawn, huh?

Indeed a fantastic race with many overtakes.

McLaren hauled in by FIA

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07042009/58/mclaren-hauled-fia.html

McLaren risk expulsion from F1 after the misleading report they gave to the stewards. Unreal how stupid McLaren can be at times, they know that the stewards and Mosley, Ecclestone etc are all over them after the Ferrari documentation scandal, you would think they would have more sense. They now risk expulsion altogether and for what? To try and cheat their way into 3rd place instead of 4th in ONE race, it's unbelievable.

This is a tricky situation.

Ryan has been sacked from McLaren over this incident. What's actually taking place here is fraud and two people are involved in this incident; Ryan and Hamilton.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but fraud means jail in most countries. If the offence is serious enough that Ryan is sacked then surely Hamilton has to be thrown out of the Championship. But he won't be. McLaren will get punished instead and as harsh as this sounds, it's all because of Hamilton's skin colour and Max Mosley's supposed political orientation. F1 does not need a racism storm.

So, if Hamilton gets off with this and if the Brawns get points taking off them for the diffuser row, where is the justice in F1? When Senna died, people used to get bans for causing accidents off the grid. Now you get away with things if it keeps F1 reputable. Even in Schumachers day that wasn't the case. I remember a few years back, Schumacher was caught parking his car on the street circuit of Monaco in a bid to guarantee pole and he got a grid drop. Nowadays, three years later, Vettel gets a grid drop for trying to defend his second place in Australia and accidentally hitting another car. And then you have Hamilton getting away with fraud? Where is the justice...

Couldn't agree more Caxi, we have already heard the race card being played when Hamilton gets a penalty. At the end of the day, Hamilton and McLaren are ruining the sport with their antics and as much as it would be a shame to have F1 without McLaren they have no one to blame but themselves.

I'll be extremely disappointed but surprised if Brawn get a penalty for the diffuser because it was already passed by the stewards. If they deem it illegal now then they should simply have it removed.

Brawn bought Honda for £1


http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10042009/58/brawn-bought-honda-1.html

Hey, RedBull seems catching up in Shanghai... Showing up Newey's genius eh?
But my bet is still on Brawn, they race pace are constantly quick...

Woah....crazy F1 this year! Red Bull 1-2 with Button in 3rd...still no points for Ferrari!

A very interesting start to the F1 this year. Red Bull, Brawn...crazy!

I tipped Red Bull to be a winning team this season. I thought it would have been obvious, that, with the new rule changes, Newey would build a car that could contend for the Championship. He did the exact same thing with McLaren in 1998; turned an average car into an unbeatable car.

Red Bull will be dominant when they get this new diffuser, the question is, when will they get it. Ferrari have screwed up by pinning all their hopes on the double-decker diffuser getting banned. I don't think Red Bull have done the same but their crash structure (the little box at the back of the car) is part of their diffuser so they will have more work to do to find a solution.

This season will all come down to a few things;

1. How well McLaren and Ferrari catch up; they need to be quicker than everyone else as soon as possible.
2. How far ahead can Brawn get from Red Bull in the next few races. Red Bull will surely outpace the Brawn as the season ends.
3. How good is that Renault with the new diffuser on a dry track? Alonso could be a very dark horse this season.

Brawn still have the quickest car but whether they will dominate 2009 remains to be seen. Could be a straight fight between Button and Vettel in the end.

I think F1 have shot themselves in the foot with all the changes. I think it's great that we have new teams challenging even though I am a Ferrari fan, but I don't like the diffuser issue espescially. I think it sucks that the season depends on the development of the diffuser, so it's gonna be a real topsy turvy season where only the driver with the best car at that time will win as opposed to trying to even the playing field.

Giolazio wrote:

I think F1 have shot themselves in the foot with all the changes. I think it's great that we have new teams challenging even though I am a Ferrari fan, but I don't like the diffuser issue espescially. I think it sucks that the season depends on the development of the diffuser, so it's gonna be a real topsy turvy season where only the driver with the best car at that time will win as opposed to trying to even the playing field.

I think beyond this season, the changes are superb for F1. In general, the playing field has been evened out. For example, qualifying will be different each week, Alonso light-fuelled this week to get well up the grid and I expect Ferrari to do the same with Massa next weekend (his pace in Bahrain has always been quick and with low fuel, he could snatch pole).

The diffuser is an inevitable problem that comes from loopholes in new rules. It was always going to happen. Remember 1998 when McLaren did something similar with a brake system? (which was outlawed immediately).

Also, it's not just going to be about the diffuser. Obviously that's the focus of most, if not all teams at the minute but Red Bull have obviously got some other parts that other teams will be spying in future races. They've managed to steal a march on the rest without the diffuser.

This season could be immensely exciting as you could have one team miles clear in the standings but with a slow car as others have surpassed them over time. In a sense, that is more exciting than having two cars battle it out over the course of the season (although last year's finale was the best in history).

I like the new rule changes, I still think there is more they can do and I think they could simplify regulations for the new fans. Qualifying is needlessly complex; they could have a sixty minute session separated by a series of five minute breaks where no laps can be posted so adverts can be shown and viewers won't miss out. These grid drops and different pit penalties are confusing and racing incidents should go unpunished with only supremely foolish actions being punished with a one-race ban for the driver and the team should be allowed to bring in their reserve for the one race. This is what they need to look at. Controversies make F1 what it is but only when it's about the drivers and not the cars.

F1 breakaway schedule leaked
Eurosport - Tue, 23 Jun 11:57:00 2009

A blueprint calendar for the Formula One Teams' Association's new breakaway series in 2010 has been leaked - with no fewer than 10 current or recent grand prix circuits listed amongst the 17 venues.


FOTA are at loggerheads with FIA president Max Mosley over regulations for the 2010 season, and the appearance of a schedule for the new series undermines Mosley's claim that the teams are merely "posturing" and that a resolution to the dispute is "very, very close."

Current F1 venues Monaco, Silverstone, Monza, Abu Dhabi and Singapore are all on the list of venues, while the recently discarded Imola, Montreal, Indianapolis, Magny-Cours and Suzuka are part of the draft plan.

There is also a mooted return to Jerez, the southern Spanish track that fell out of favour with F1 when the town's mayor appeared on the podium and presented a trophy that should have been given out by a dignitary from Daimler-Benz.

There is also a potential return to Adelaide, the popular home of Australian Grand Prix until 1996, when rival Melbourne took over.

"Not surprisingly Adelaide has been included because it was very, very popular when it had Formula 1," said racing consultant Mike Drewer.

"But it's a bit like trying to work out who might be the members of a cabinet if there was a change in government."

There is no race in Brazil, but Argentina and Mexico are both on the list.

In Europe, meanwhile, there is the addition of the state-of-the-art Portimao track in Portugal, which opened in 2008 and has hosted testing as well as World Superbike races.

Surfers' Paradise - which has hosted Champ Cars, IndyCars and V8s - has been nominated as a reserve venue should any of the others not be up to the grade.

F1 commercial rights-holder Ecclestone has poured cold water on the FOTA plans, claiming dissenting teams do not possess sufficient financial backing to organise their own championship.

Provisional FOTA 2010 schedule:

March 3 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Last hosted F1 in 1998

March21 - Mexico City, Mexico - Last hosted F1 in 1992

April 11 - Jerez, Spain - Last hosted F1 in 1997

April 25 - Portimao, Portugal - Never hosted F1

May 2 - Imola, San Marino - Last hosted F1 in 2006

May23 - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Current F1 host

June 6 - Montreal, Canada - Last hosted F1 in 2008

June 13 - Indianapolis, United States - Last hosted F1 in 2007

July 1 - Silverstone, United Kingdom - Current F1 host

July 25 - Magny-Cours, France - Last hosted F1 in 2008

August 15 - Laustizring, Germany - Never hosted F1

August 29 - Helsinki, Finland - Never hosted F1

September 12 - Monza, Italy - Current F1 host

September 26 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Current F1 host

October 10 - Marina Bay, Singapore - Current F1 host

October 24 - Suzuka, Japan - Last hosted F1 in 2006

November 8 - Adelaide or Surfers' Paradise, Australia - Last hosted F1 in 1995/Never hosted F1

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/23062009/58/f1-breakaway-schedule-leaked.html

I don't know what I'm more excited about....Adelaide, Imola, Jerez or Buenos Aires! Amazing tracks being brought back! We need to secure Brazil though. Stick it to Max Mosely, his empire is crumbling....

I don't think it can sustain itself. I would think it's impossible to organise a new series in 6 months or so.

However, some good may come out of this disagreement if they both agree on a new format next season. Some countries must start rotating GP tracks. Silverstone and Donington is a prime example as is Adelaide and Melbourne. Jerez, Valencia and Barcelona? Suzuka and Fuji? Nurburgring and Hockenheim? Monza and Imola? The list is endless...

Also, I'm hugely in favour of these cost-cutting measures. I want the old day format where you have to bust your balls to even make the grid on a Sunday. None of this shootout for position nonsense. For example, have a 24-man grid, have 18 teams, 2 drivers each. Have a shootout to make the Grand Prix and have another shootout to decide the top twelve with race fuelloads on board. Then allow the teams to announce their race fuelload during the 5 minute ad break (which means teams have to calculate their strategy on the spot by looking who will be around them on the grid) and then have them shootout with minimum fuelload and allow them to refil on the Sunday.

A two-tier series will not work. F1 can survive without any team, even Ferrari. It's surviving right now with Williams struggling for the past 12 years. They're such a big-gun and on a par with Ferrari and McLaren and their lack of performance hasn't damaged F1's so why should Ferrari or McLaren's non-representation do the same.

Just cut the costs, all agree on an effective way to do so and get a lucrative package in place for new teams to enter and have a proper, proper racing series like it was pre-1995.

well I for one am excited about the return of Adelaide

under the 'old' F1 system, it never would've come back, the state government had no interest in supporting the return of the GP. Still not 100% sure they will actually.

If the competition is split, this will ruin this sport.

So they agreed to stick together? Why am I not surprised

Everytime a "breakaway" gathers momentum, it is followed by a swift resolution. In a sense, you have to wonder if it was all just a publicity stunt. At the end of the day, I haven't a clue what FOTA were protesting about.

For me, this years Championship has been very credible because in my eyes, 2 of the best drivers in F1 are now at the front; Button and Vettel. I think the fact they are both among the youngest drivers in the history of sport to participate shows how much talent they have.

One stat that impresses me is that Jenson, when younger, entered a karting championship and one every race...and there was something like 34 of them. Vettel won a race in a Toro Rosso. Enough said.

For me, the last two championships were the ones that were not credible. In my opinion, Massa deserved to be champion last year. I believe he had a worse car than Hamilton, worse luck, lost it on the final corner of the final lap despite winning the race and more races than Hamilton overall. Raikonnen won the title in 2007 because Hamilton bottled it and crashed in the pitlane after his team favoured him over a two-time world champion who would have walked the championship if no.1. The last two years have provided dramatic finales but the wrong winners.

This year, I believe we will have a very worthy winner, whoever it may be and at present, it looks as if it may go to the wire. If it doesn't, Jenson deserves the accolade.

As long as Max Mosely leaves the sport I'll be happy. Personally I don't mind not seeing Ferrari win all the time, it's good for the sport, even though I think some rules need to be changed (the points system, qualifying, and some technical aspects). Mosely has been ruining it for years and it seems he will leave at the end of the season.

Giolazio wrote:

As long as Max Mosely leaves the sport I'll be happy. Personally I don't mind not seeing Ferrari win all the time, it's good for the sport, even though I think some rules need to be changed (the points system, qualifying, and some technical aspects). Mosely has been ruining it for years and it seems he will leave at the end of the season.

it will either not be good for me, as a "10 years and counting" ferrari fan, to see the reds winning everything. coz' in that case f1 will never get going any further.

Not the greatest of qualifying sessions yesterday.

There was almost an inevitability about Massa's accident yesterday. These accidents in motorsport come in waves and after the tragic death of Henry Surtees, I naturally had a bad feeling about this weekend.

I hope he pulls through. In my opinion, he is one of the best racers in the world, perhaps only behind Alonso and on top of all that, he strikes me as being a wonderful person.

Get well soon Felipe!