Outside Paragon HQ, locks now changed: dashing munchkin Finn, Heikki Kovalainen has revealed today how his love affair with Mclaren was blown wide open, dashed on the rocks and blown up in his face when he discovered the Woking team had been speaking to other partners behind his back, reports our breaking up correspondent Toulihan O’ Houlihan.

The 28 year old from Suomussalami, broke down when he told reporters the first time he begun to suspect something was not quite right at the Santander Vodafone Mobil 1 Aigo Johnnie Walker Tag Heuer Mercedes squad,

“Everything seemed to be going really well and I was really in love with the team”, he squeaked despairingly from inside his Ikea sauna, “we were completely at one with each other; I completely trusted them and they trusted me – that is why the situation I find myself in is so devastating”, he continued as the hot bubbling water gently massaged his aching Finnish limbs.

Heikki, in happier times

“Over the course of this year however, I began to realise that something wasn’t quite right”, Heikki’s faltering voice struggled above the frothing spa, “at first it was little things like having to do more PR events than Lewis or the mixture settings on the fuel not being exactly as I asked for”, he ventured, “but then other things started happening like Lewis got a whole new car to race whilst I had to use a converted bathtub from one of the transporter rigs or I went to start free practice and discovered my car still up on jacks with the mechanics smoking out the back, chatting to John Button,” he lamented.

And despite the scanty Scandinavian choosing to ignore the apparent growing indifference and de facto number 2 status, it was the final race at Abu Dhabi that the now ex-Mclaren driver knew his days of not being what was about to happen were numbered.

“Right from when I arrived at the circuit I knew it was over”, sobbed the Finn who was later to finish the race in a desultory can’t-be-bothered-to-look-up-the-result finish. “First of all, when I arrived by Easyjet after about half an hour waiting in the sweltering sun it became clear that there was nobody to meet me at the airport so I flagged down a cab but ended up being driven halfway round the desert in an old Fiat 124 by a bloke called Mohammed who kept asking me if I’d been to London and whether I’d like to buy this bit of papyrus”.

“When we finally got to the circuit 3 hours later having taken tea with his family and been introduced to his 4 daughters, it was like nobody knew me and when I asked why nobody came and met me Martin just said they had sent a car but it had gone to the wrong airport and then broken down on the way to meet me but he looked really shifty when he was saying it and I can’t say I believed him.”

“It’s not you, it’s me”

Worse was to follow for the Finn however, “worse than that followed”, the hapless Heikki continued, “during qualifying, I repeatedly asked for certain settings to make my car fast – you know, like Lewis’ – but it was as if they couldn’t be bothered. Then when the gearbox broke I had to walk back to the pits but found they’d already packed up and gone back to the hotel.”

“The knife through the heart though was that I later discovered from one of the mechanics still prepared to talk to me that they had been so busy laughing and joking with Jenson they’d forgotten to put oil in the gearbox which was why it failed: I couldn’t believe how I’d been 2-timed”, he wailed as the steam-laden room fogged the photographer’s lens up making a candid portrait of the Finn’s anguished face a practical impossiblity.

Inevitably, Heikki confessed, it was nearly the end bit of the bit that had been ending for quite some time, “a couple of weeks after the race I was relaxing in my hot tub”, he said, “when I got a call from Martin saying we had to talk. I rushed over to Paragon and entered the office where he was pacing up and down the room looking nervous; then he just turned to me and blurted out that – though everyone at Santander Vodafone Mobil 1 Aigo Johnnie Walker Tag Heuer Bridgestone Mercedes and all their corporate partners respected and liked me – the deeper feelings didn’t seem to be there any more. Even though it was nothing I’d done, maybe it was better for both of us that I take all my stuff and get out”, he sobbed. “It was at that point I noticed the portrait of Jenson on Martin’s desk but it was too late: I had been told to leave”.

Walking out of Paragon for the last time however, Heikki is philosophical about his time with the team in between uncontrollable sobbing, “I got my first win and pole position with Mclaren”, he said, “and I’ll never ever forget them. Even if they are a bunch of unfaithful, cheating, prejudiced jezobel bastards”, he added.

http://www.pitflaps.co.uk/

2010 será o ano sabático mesmo para Raikkonen? Ao que tudo indica sim. Kimi já garantiu que não existe possibilidade dele participar do mundial de F1 ano que vem, já que sua única opção, a McLaren, contratou Jenson Button. Puro desperdício na minha opinião um piloto  do calibre do Kimi ficar afastado por um ano. O tetracampeão Alain Prost avisou a Kimi que se quiser uma vaga em 2011, terá que se manter em forma, existem alguns passarinhos cantando por ai que Kimi seria a grande surpresa da Mercedes (ex-Brawn GP), mas eu duvido muito disso, Raikkonen está mais perto dos Ralis mesmo. agora é esperar e ver.

Abraços e Comentem

Saapahan nyt nähdä, että montako suomalaista siellä ajaa. Formuloissa ensi kaudella siis.

Kimi on nyt näillä näkymin pitämässä välivuotta (jos tekee paluuta sitten lainkaan..), eikä Heikilläkään ole vielä ainakaan julkaistua sopimusta ensi kaudelle. Niso ajelee Mercedeksellä, mutta se onkin vain puolisuomalainen. Tai kai Kimillä on vielä joku jalka jotenkin Mercedeksen oven välissä, mutta saa nyt nähdä.
Jossain haastattelussa Kovalainen tosin tuumasi, että ensi vuonna formuloita ajaa jokatapauksessa, ei vaan ole varma vielä että missä. Saapi nähdä.

Neljä uutta tallia tulee mukaan häntäpäähän pyörimään. Kaikilla on Cosworthin moottorit, joista ei ole aiemminkaan ollut mihinkään. ProDrive koetti tarjota itseään uudeksi talliksi kans ja sillä oli käytännössä moottorisopimus mersun kanssa, mutta FIA ei ottanut sitä mukaan. Ilman perusteita ProDriven mukaan.

Saksalaisia äf-ykkösissä ensi kaudella ajelee Nison lisäksi ainakin Timo Glock (Campos Meta F1) ja Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull). Nich Heidfeld on kait vielä ilman tallipaikkaa.

Mielestäni viime vuosina tallipaikat on jaettu jonkun verran aikaisemmin. Mutta tänä vuonna näin. Joitain sääntöuudistuksia on tulossa ensi kaudelle kans. Olikohan jopa niin, että välitankkaus jää pois. Ja aika-ajoja rukataan taas johonkin suuntaan kans. Perinteisesti.

McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen will start tomorrow’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from a lowly 18th place on the grid after an unscheduled gearbox change pushed him back five places on the provisional grid. The Finn suffered a transmission problem during Q2 this evening pushing him back to 13th on the grid.

The news deals a further blow to McLaren who had been hoping for a strong result from both cars on Sunday. The Mercedes-powered MP4-24 has been the class of the field all weekend long and Kovalainen looked set for a solid grid position before grounding to a halt mid-way through the second part of qualifying.

Speaking after qualifying, Kovalainen said he had already had problems with his gearbox. “What a disappointing outcome to my qualifying,” Heikki said. “I got stuck in second gear during Q2 and that was it. I already had minor problems with the gearbox yesterday when it jumped out of gear, so it’s frustrating when you have a car you can easily take into Q3.

“You can absolutely guarantee I’ll be giving it my all in the race tomorrow and I’ll be fighting from the first lap to the very last.”

Kovalainen is expected to leave McLaren at the end of the season and move to Toyota, although there remains a slim chance of him staying on should the team fail to agree a contract with fellow Finn Kimi Räikkönen.

Reference: Manipe F1

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Button Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:40.625 21
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:40.627 + 0.002 18
3. Barrichello Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:40.907 + 0.282 20
4. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:40.934 + 0.309 22
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:41.241 + 0.616 18
6. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:41.263 + 0.638 20
7. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:41.310 + 0.685 23
8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:41.322 + 0.697 20
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.372 + 0.747 22
10. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:41.373 + 0.748 23
11. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.403 + 0.778 19
12. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:41.478 + 0.853 22
13. Kobayashi Toyota (B) 1:41.499 + 0.874 24
14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.675 + 1.050 20
15. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.682 + 1.057 15
16. Alonso Renault (B) 1:41.897 + 1.272 19
17. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:42.156 + 1.531 21
18. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:42.213 + 1.588 19
19. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:42.351 + 1.726 23

Reference: Autosport.com

1 . H. Kovalainen – McLaren Mercedes MP4-24
“The whole day was pretty good. We’d already done some good work in Woking preparing for this circuit, so we had a good balance right from the start this morning. However, we had a brake issue during first practice which we couldn’t sort out during the session. This afternoon, we got it sorted and were able to improve considerably, with both tyres working well. The circuit is cool – it’s very smooth with good grip and the kerbs are nice. Turns Two and Three are not easy-flat, but, with the good balance of the car, they’re fun. On the straight, KERS gives us an additional benefit. We can use it for maximum performance and it’s worth three-and-a-half to four tenths. The light is no problem with our slightly tinted tear-off visors, which we could remove once the sun had set.”

2 . L. Hamilton – McLaren Mercedes MP4-24
“It looks like we might be quite competitive here – our long runs appear to be good, the car feels great and the track is great – it’s quite interesting coming from daylight into nighttime, you don’t notice the difference through the twilight. They’ve done an incredible job here. It’s a really nice circuit to drive – there are a lot of technical corners, where braking stability is important. It’s a great track and I really enjoy driving it. The only bit I don’t like is the tunnel – but it’s a challenge. We’ll have to see what happens tomorrow, because the track conditions are always changing, but we feel quite comfortable with the pace we have. Our car seems to behave quite well over the kerbs, we’ve got the balance feeling quite good today. Our car is probably driving better than it has all year – it’s just been getting better and better. In a way, it’s been an excellent year: it’s a bit like a race when you start from the back of the field and fight back to the front – that’s what our season has been like.”

3 . J. Button – Brawn Mercedes BGP 001
“The Yas Marina circuit is certainly an interesting one. When you look at the layout, it doesn’t seem that exciting but when you actually drive it, it’s fantastic. The track has a bit of everything with high and low speed corners, positive and negative camber and the walls are pretty close to you most of the way round. We had a good first day of practice here with just a few balance issues to work on overnight.”

4 . S. Vettel – Red Bull Renault RB5
“So, that was the last Friday practice of this year. I’d like to say thanks to Renault – many people didn’t believe that we’d succeed without having to change an engine, but here we are having completed a lot of miles on another Friday without a single problem. Abu Dhabi is a new circuit, so new conditions – including starting driving in the daylight and finishing the session at night, which is quite exciting. Obviously, the circuit was very green and slippery to begin with, but overall it’s quite a thrill to drive, with some good corners. It’s also pretty special to go under a hotel! Performance wise, we’re looking quite good. We didn’t know what to expect around here, but it seems as though we’re quite competitive, although we will have to wait to see how competitive. Even though it’s a new track, it was a normal Friday practice and we were testing which tyre works best.”

5 . K. Kobayashi – Toyota TF109
“Today went well and it was interesting to drive on this track for the first time; it is a fantastic venue. This is the second time in two weeks I have had to learn a new circuit so it is becoming a familiar experience. I learnt a lot from the Brazil weekend which has already helped me here in Abu Dhabi. It will also be helpful to have a completely dry weekend so I can really become familiar with the car and tyres on this track; that didn’t happen in Brazil but I am confident it will this weekend. We have quite a lot of data from today and that will allow us to find areas to improve. I believe we can make another step in terms of performance before qualifying and then I will do my best to start as high as possible.”

6 . S. Buemi – Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4
“This new circuit has some interesting features which we are not used to, like the tunnel and it’s a nice feeling to start running in daylight and going into the dark. This morning was a bit difficult, but we improved the car quite a lot in the afternoon, so I am not unhappy. You have to consider that there is a huge difference in the track between the first session and the second, as it is a lot quicker in the evening when it’s cooler. It was a bit difficult to get the tyres working properly, especially the Option, but apart from that, the car is not too bad. Now we have to see what we can do for tomorrow, when it will be important to qualify well.”

7 . M. Webber – Red Bull Renault RB5
“A productive first day at a new track. We had an engine change between P1 and P2 – the guys did a brilliant job to get the car turned around in time. Other than that, we got on with the normal tyre comparisons and other tests we do on a Friday – so, although a new track, a normal Friday. The track’s pretty good – it’s not Spa, but it’s also not Bahrain! It’s not bad. There was a difference in clarity between driving in the afternoon for P1 and in the early evening during P2 – it’s a different atmosphere when the lights are on, but we’re used to that from Singapore.”

8 . R. Barrichello – Brawn Mercedes BGP 001
“First of all, I’m really pleased with the new track here in Abu Dhabi. The venue looks sensational and it’s quite challenging to drive which is makes it a lot more fun for the drivers. The car felt good here over the two sessions and we were able to make several improvements over the course of the day. I’m quite happy with the balance and looking forward to tomorrow.”

9 . N. Rosberg – Williams Toyota FW31
“I enjoyed driving the track for the first time today. It was dirty to begin with and then of course in the second session we were interested in the artificial lighting conditions in the dark and the effect on the tyres of the temperature dropping.
Visibility-wise it was fine in the second practice session and again, the temperature change didn’t seem to have too big an effect on us. The more unknown element is the choice of tyre and it is hard to say which is better. In terms of set-up, we have definitely found a direction especially on the mechanical side. All in all, a good day which has given me confidence that we can score some points here this weekend.”

10 . K. Raikkonen – Ferrari F60
“The car is not bad to drive, but it is simply slow and lacks grip, as in fact has been the case very often this year. It’s not as though there is a specific reason why it’s not going well, but most of all, its down to our choice to stop development of the F60, so our performance level compared to the others is going down race by race, given that so many teams are still working on this year’s cars. There are only a few corners where you can make a difference, near the start of the lap. Then there are so many heavy braking points and slow speed corners, where stability on entry and acceleration on exit are the important factors. Going from daylight to artificial light? After two races in Singapore, it doesn’t cause a problem. The pit lane exit? In terms of its layout it’s quite similar to Interlagos, except there’s a wall instead of a guardrail.”

12 . K. Nakajima – Williams Toyota FW31
“It was an interesting day, running P1 in the daylight and P2 in the evening. The track has improved a lot and we have spent a useful day finding a set-up direction. The tyre selection is quite tricky, which will be the key factor we will look at tomorrow.”

13 . N. Heidfeld – BMW Sauber F1.09
“The track offers everything you can ask for. The tarmac is good and the lay-out is quite good with the first sector having the fast corners, the second sector providing this endless straight and a possibility for overtaking, and the third one being rather narrow and windy, but flowing nicely. I’m not happy with the car’s set-up and balance yet. This is especially for a single quick lap as on the long runs the lap times were improving. The visibility during sunset and twilight wasn’t an issue today. I hope this doesn’t change if we get more dust in the air. In respect of the total darkness and floodlighting, I have the feeling it was brighter in Singapore.”

14 . J. Trulli – Toyota TF109
“I must say that was an enjoyable day for me and it was interesting to drive on the new track for the first time. It was good fun and I am looking forward to racing here. They have done a great job with the facilities and the track is really well built, so I am impressed. The first laps were difficult because there was just no grip, but that is normal for a new circuit like this and as the day went on the situation improved. Driving during twilight was a new experience for me and the view does change a little, with some shadows, but generally it is similar to Singapore so it’s not a problem. All in all, the car seemed competitive and well-balanced so if we can improve again tomorrow we can have another strong weekend.”

16 . F. Alonso – Renault R29
“Today we experienced Yas Marina for the first time so we had to learn the circuit and work out the best way to set the car up. We tried a lot of different things and made some good progress by concentrating on getting good grip and traction in the low-speed corners. As we expected, the track was a bit dirty to begin with, but when more rubber was laid down I started to get a good feeling for the circuit and the car. We have a lot of information to look over tonight so that we can make some changes in the morning to find some more performance from the car before qualifying.”

17 . G. Fisichella – Ferrari F60
“This will become a sort of second home Grand Prix for Ferrari, as rising above the back of the circuit, will be the first ever theme park dedicated to the Maranello company. As for the track, I can say the nicest part is the first section with the quick corners. I think there is some chance of overtaking on the long straights, while the pit lane exit is a bit dangerous, but there is nothing that can be done to change it. In the second session, when the temperature dropped, the track became less slippery. In the first session, I was struggling a bit to stay on track and I had a lot of graining. We have nothing new on the car and we must try and do our best, working on its set-up.”

18 . R. Grosjean – Renault R29
“The circuit is very nice and it feels like there are two different parts. The first part is like a ‘normal’ track and the second part, including the third sector, has a lot of 90-degree corners that are very challenging. I quite like sectors one and two, but not sector three as you cannot afford to make any mistakes there. These very different sectors are a challenge when it comes to setting up the car. Also, the temperature difference between the sessions played a relatively big role in today’s programme as we ran on the track during the day and the night, which allowed us to see what it will be like for the race. Now I’m look forward to tomorrow and building on today’s work.”

19 . J. Alguersuari – Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4
“I have enjoyed driving this new circuit. It has nothing particularly tricky about it and it reminds me in parts of Valencia. This morning I was learning the track and I also had to get used to an F1 car again, as last weekend, I was racing in the World Series. The first session went pretty well and so did the afternoon, apart from a small problem on the car towards the end. Degradation does not seem to be an issue with the tyres and they are lasting well. In FP2 the track of course had more grip and was generally faster, helped by the fact it was cooler in the dark.”

20 . R. Kubica – BMW Sauber F1.09
“The track is quite interesting, although there are not a lot of high speed corners and most are quite short. The final sector of the track reminds me of Singapore. We were just starting to work on the set-up and the tyre evaluation in the second free practice session when I had an engine failure. Now the track conditions are improving with each lap, this is a big loss and I lost nearly one hour of valuable track time.”

Adrian Sutil – 11th: The car was performing well today, although we still have some work to do to get the balance right. We are missing a little grip on the harder tyre but it’s going well with the softer compound, although we are struggling with warm up on both. We lost a little time with a brake problem in the morning but it didn’t affect our programme too much as the grip was not really there at the start. At the end of the first I was still able to do 25 mins and two runs and got a good position in FP1 and could follow it up in the second practice too. The circuit is OK, but I miss some of the high speed sections you find in other tracks. There are a lot of second gear slow sections and the flow is not really there, but it’s still a big challenge as it’s very slippery so you are always fighting with oversteer. There wasn’t a problem with the changing light as the lighting is very good: you still know it’s at night but you can really see clearly. Driving into the sunset was OK – I don’t think there will be a problem on Sunday.

Tonio Liuzzi – 15th: It’s a great facility here, still quite slippery with the dust but it was very interesting to drive in such different light conditions over the day. It went quite well today. I think we are very competitive and have a very strong car on higher fuel loads. We still need to work a lot on the low fuel conditions as we are not spot on but I think we are going in the right direction with the car and can be happy with the progress we made today. We knew it would be hard but it’s not easy for anybody with this high temperature to find a balance but I am positive for tomorrow.

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer: Today’s objectives were to allow the drivers to familiarise themselves with the circuit in the real world rather than on the simulator, ensure our cooling and brake system fundamentals were suitable, validate our wing level selection and understand the tyre behaviour as usual. We completed these steps and will review the results overnight. Adrian lost a bit of track time in both sessions with some minor issues, but this hasn’t caused any setback. What is clear without needing to look at any data however, is that this is a world-class race track and will definitely deliver an excellent event this weekend.

Martin Whitmarsh – Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: “I think everybody in the Formula 1 paddock has been overwhelmed by the scale and ambition of the Yas Marina circuit – it sets standards within our sport that I think will be almost impossible to eclipse. It is a truly fantastic facility, and a fine testament to the incredible vision of our hosts here in Abu Dhabi, who have treated everyone in our team with enormous warmth and hospitality.

“To finish the second practice session in first and second positions on the timesheets is, of course, highly encouraging, but we are aware that there are a number of closely matched teams who will be working hard to win this race.

“Both Heikki and Lewis did a fantastic job today. Now, our efforts will shift towards maximising our performance and ensuring we are fully prepared for a thrilling qualifying session tomorrow.”

Norbert Haug – Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “An exceptional new racetrack with fantastic facilities. Sincere compliments to the hosts in Abu Dhabi for establishing the new benchmark of new grand prix racetracks. The atmosphere here – especially at night – is absolutely fascinating, and I am sure this will become even better during tomorrow’s qualifying and Sunday’s race.

“Our performance on this new track was very good today. Both Lewis and Heikki posted very competitive lap times during their race simulation long runs on both tyre compounds.

“I guess this was our most competitive Friday performance of the whole season.”

Ross Brawn: “The Yas Marina Circuit is a stunning facility and a massive credit to Abu Dhabi, Bernie, Philippe Gurdjian and the team behind it. The track layout is very interesting with some good combinations and quite challenging for the drivers. They seem to be enjoying the experience. We are pleased with how our practice programme went today. The track was very dirty at the start of the first session with high track temperatures but it was a good opportunity for the drivers to familiarise themselves with the new track. The temperatures fell dramatically going into the second session which is consistent with what we expect to see in qualifying and into the race so we worked through our usual Friday programme with the tyres and aerodynamic set-up collecting some good data.”

Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering): “At the beginning of the first free practice we realized we had been quite accurate with what we expected from the track based on our simulations. However, it’s not easy to assess our own performance after day one. We have worked on race preparation, as usual. Obviously, the engine failure on Robert’s car cost us time working on the set-up. However, I believe we have enough data available to draw the right conclusions for the remainder of the weekend.”

Rod Nelson, Chief Operations Engineer: “As with any new circuit, it is very important to get out for maximum track time. The circuit is very professional and immaculately presented, however, being near the desert, it is sandy which possibly coloured the times we saw today. Looking at our tyre tests, we have plenty to think about overnight. It will be interesting to see what condition the track starts in tomorrow as it certainly improved significantly over the course of today.”
Dieter Gass, Chief Engineer Race and Test: “First of all, big congratulations to the organisers who have created a really extraordinary and exciting facility here at Yas Marina. It is a pleasure to see the cars running around this track. For us it was pretty much a trouble-free day during which we focused initially on getting all the necessary information on the new track and allowing the drivers to get used to it.

“Everything went well and we also did some aerodynamic comparisons, mainly in the first session. In the evening session we looked more at the tyres and the results were largely as we expected; both compounds seem to be in a workable range so we can expect a consistent race. In terms of performance, as usual it is difficult to evaluate on a Friday but that is particularly true here because the effect of carrying more or less fuel is quite pronounced.”

Bob Bell, Team Principal: “It was an interesting first day in Abu Dhabi. Coming here we thought we would struggle more with the track, but it was cleaner than we expected. For us the day was mainly about the tyres, and in both sessions our main issue was with drop-off in rear tyre performance, particularly in the low-speed corners, which caused the cars to oversteer. In the high-speed corners the cars had a better balance with a bit of understeer. By the end of the day we had made good progress and have a good idea of how to move forward tomorrow.”

References: Autosport.com and f1-live.com

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:41.307 35
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:41.504 + 0.197 34
3. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:41.541 + 0.234 39
4. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.591 + 0.284 37
5. Kobayashi Toyota (B) 1:41.636 + 0.329 34
6. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:41.683 + 0.376 37
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.684 + 0.377 34
8. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:41.831 + 0.524 38
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:41.931 + 0.624 39
10. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:41.987 + 0.680 39
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:42.180 + 0.873 28
12. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:42.245 + 0.938 36
13. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:42.278 + 0.971 36
14. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:42.409 + 1.102 30
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:42.530 + 1.223 33
16. Alonso Renault (B) 1:42.782 + 1.475 29
17. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:42.932 + 1.625 37
18. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:43.021 + 1.714 37
19. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:43.022 + 1.715 39
20. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:43.708 + 2.401 13

Reference: Autosport.com

1st Session: Lewis Hamilton is the fastest

Lewis Hamilton ended the first free practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fastest of all following an entertaining battle with new world champion Jenson Button for the quickest time.

The pair duelled for time towards the end of the session as both lapped faster than Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

Rubens Barrichello was fourth fastest as less than three tenths separated the top four. Nick Heidfeld was fifth quickest for the departing BMW team ahead of Sebastien Buemi. Adrian Sutil was seventh, having sat out most of the session with a gearbox problem.

Mark Webber, Jaime Alguersuari and Jarno Trulli completed the top ten.

Unsurprisingly the brand new 3.451-mile Yas Marina track was covered in dust at the start of the session, despite the best efforts of the circuit organisers over the last few days.

Thus only the Toro Rossos of Alguersuari and then Sebastien Buemi, and fellow rookies Kamui Kobayashi and Romain Grosjean did much of the running in the first 30 minutes.

Indeed it wasn’t until the halfway point of the 90-minute session that the big guns began to fire as Vettel set a 1m45.372s ahead of team-mate Webber.

A few minutes later and Hamilton signalled his intent lowering the mark to 1m44.908s.

That’s the way it stayed for a while as drivers began to find the limits of the circuit, laying that all-important rubber line down in the process.

Then it was Webber’s turn to move to the top with a 1m44.805s, suggesting that Abu Dhabi could be a Red Bull kind of track.

But that’s not counting for the Brawns, which up until the 70-minute mark had proved very quiet in the midfield.

Then Button, free of the shackles of world championship pressure, suddenly banged in a 1m44.524s to quickest.

This sparked a neat little cameo between Britain’s two active world champions as Hamilton and Button traded fastest laps, the P1 spot moving backwards and forwards between McLaren and Brawn twice before eventually ending up in Hamilton’s corner – with a 1m43.939s lap.

Several drivers found tricky spots on the new track. Button was among many to be caught out at the Turn 19 left-hander after the tunnel under the hotel, spinning harmlessly.

Kobayashi also had a spin into the complex of turns after the pit straight. No one though, remarkably ended the session with any car damage despite the closer proximity of the barriers at the new track.

Here are the times of this practise:

Pos  Driver       Team                  Time               Laps
 1.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1:43.939             18
 2.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        1:44.035  +  0.096   20
 3.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      1:44.153  +  0.214   28
 4.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        1:44.207  +  0.268   23
 5.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            1:44.667  +  0.728   23
 6.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:44.687  +  0.748   32
 7.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1:44.688  +  0.749   14
 8.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      1:44.805  +  0.866   25
09.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:44.955  +  1.016   33
10.  Trulli       Toyota                1:44.958  +  1.019   25
11.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            1:44.988  +  1.049   22
12.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      1:45.123  +  1.184   20
13.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       1:45.649  +  1.710   27
14.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       1:45.679  +  1.740   25
15.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:45.704  +  1.765   27
16.  Alonso       Renault               1:45.865  +  1.926   23
17.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  1:46.239  +  2.300   22
18.  Fisichella   Ferrari               1:46.267  +  2.328   26
19.  Kobayashi    Toyota                1:46.364  +  2.425   28
20.  Grosjean     Renault               1:46.411  +  2.472   27

text at: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79846

picture at: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78411

2nd Session: McLaren on top

Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton gave McLaren a one-two in second practice for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Going into the closing moments it looked like Hamilton and newly-crowned world champion Jenson Button (Brawn) would repeat their first and second places from the morning, before Kovalainen edged ahead of his team-mate with a late soft tyre run.

At the start of the session Hamilton had an early trip over the run-off area at the end of the long back straight before establishing himself in front following a quick exchange with Kovalainen.

Sebastien Buemi then repeated the strong practice form he had showed in both Japan and Brazil by producing an ever-faster series of laps that took him up to first and then increasingly further away from the pack. His advantage eventually reached nearly 0.8s, before others made gains and Hamilton reclaimed the top spot 36 minutes in.

That was where he stayed, as Button and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel closed to within a few fractions of a second, until Kovalainen put softs on and improved to 1m41.307s.

Behind Button and Vettel, Toyota’s rookie Kamui Kobayashi impressed greatly with fifth place, having been among the frontrunners for most of the evening.

Buemi fell to sixth, ahead of Mark Webber and Rubens Barrichello in the second Red Bull and Brawn respectively.

Adrian Sutil’s brake problems continued, with the German pitting his Force India following a major lock-up at the end of the long straight. He later rejoined to take 11th.

Robert Kubica was consigned to the bottom of the timesheets when his BMW Sauber suffered an apparent engine failure on the exit of the first chicane after just 13 laps.

The session gave a preview of the lighting conditions the drivers will experience in Sunday’s race, which also starts at 5pm local time. Practice began at dusk, but darkness soon descended on Yas Marina, leaving the circuit’s floodlights to illuminate the majority of the session.

Here are the times of this practise:

Pos  Driver       Team                  Time              Laps
 1.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      1:41.307            35
 2.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1:41.504  + 0.197   34
 3.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        1:41.541  + 0.234   39
 4.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      1:41.591  + 0.284   37
 5.  Kobayashi    Toyota                1:41.636  + 0.329   34
 6.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:41.683  + 0.376   37
 7.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      1:41.684  + 0.377   34
 8.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        1:41.831  + 0.524   38
 9.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       1:41.931  + 0.624   39
10.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:41.987  + 0.680   39
11.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1:42.180  + 0.873   28
12.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       1:42.245  + 0.938   36
13.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            1:42.278  + 0.971   36
14.  Trulli       Toyota                1:42.409  + 1.102   30
15.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  1:42.530  + 1.223   33
16.  Alonso       Renault               1:42.782  + 1.475   29
17.  Fisichella   Ferrari               1:42.932  + 1.625   37
18.  Grosjean     Renault               1:43.021  + 1.714   37
19.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:43.022  + 1.715   39
20.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            1:43.708  + 2.401   13

text at: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79856

image at: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78422

1º Treino Livre: Lewis Hamilton no topo

Lewis Hamilton fez o melhor tempo na primeira sessão de treinos livres para o GP de Abu Dhabi, último GP desta temporada.

Na estreia do novo circuito, o piloto da McLaren demonstrou a velocidade do seu McLaren ao efectuar a sua melhor volta em 1:43.939s, batendo o já campeão do Mundo Jenson Button por escassos 0.096s. Sem a pressão de lutar pelo título, o piloto da Brawn GP parece surgir bastante motivado, rodando sempre nos primeiros lugares.

Sebastian Vettel estabeleceu o 3º melhor tempo, sendo o melhor dos pilotos da Red Bull, mas já a mais de dois décimos de segundo de Lewis Hamilton, ficando pouco à frente do outro Brawn GP, de Rubens Barrichello.

Na última corrida da BMW na Fórmula 1 (e possivelmente, também da Sauber), Nick Heidfeld comprovou as melhorias do monolugar de Hinwill, marcando o quinto melhor tempo, na frente de Sébastien Buemi, também ele muito motivado após as últimas exibições da Toro Rosso.

Adrian Sutil, que perdeu grande parte do treino, fez o 7º ‘crono’ com o seu Force India, batendo o Red Bull de Mark Webber (8º), o Toro Rosso de Jaime Alguersuari (9º) e o Toyota de Jarno Trulli (10º).

A Williams, que no início da temporada foi a grande dominadora dos treinos livres, não teve nenhum dos seus pilotos no top-10 desta sessão, com Nico Rosberg em 13º e Kazuki Nakajima em 14º. Também a Ferrari não entrou no top-10, com Kimi Räikkönen a ficar no 15º lugar e Giancarlo Fisichella em 18º.

Eis os tempos desta sessão:

Pos  Piloto       Equipa                Tempo                Voltas
 1.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1:43.939             18
 2.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        1:44.035  +  0.096   20
 3.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      1:44.153  +  0.214   28
 4.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        1:44.207  +  0.268   23
 5.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            1:44.667  +  0.728   23
 6.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:44.687  +  0.748   32
 7.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1:44.688  +  0.749   14
 8.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      1:44.805  +  0.866   25
09.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:44.955  +  1.016   33
10.  Trulli       Toyota                1:44.958  +  1.019   25
11.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            1:44.988  +  1.049   22
12.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      1:45.123  +  1.184   20
13.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       1:45.649  +  1.710   27
14.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       1:45.679  +  1.740   25
15.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:45.704  +  1.765   27
16.  Alonso       Renault               1:45.865  +  1.926   23
17.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  1:46.239  +  2.300   22
18.  Fisichella   Ferrari               1:46.267  +  2.328   26
19.  Kobayashi    Toyota                1:46.364  +  2.425   28
20.  Grosjean     Renault               1:46.411  +  2.472   27

fonte: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78411

2ª Sessão: Heikki Kovalainen e McLaren os mais rápidos

A McLaren-Mercedes parece mesmo ser uma forte candidata aos triunfo na última corrida, com Heikki Kovalainen a ser o mais rápido na segunda sessão de Treinos Livres, sendo logo seguido por Lewis Hamilton.

Heikki Kovalainen, que ainda não tem o seu futuro garantido na equipa de Woking, fez a volta mais rápida em 1:41.307s, batendo Lewis Hamilton por 0.197s.

Jenson Button esteve novamente bem, fazendo o 3º tempo, a 0.234 de Heikki Kovalainen. Sebastian Vettel foi o melhor dos Red Bull, com o 4º tempo. Kamui Kobayashi continua a demonstrar as suas capacidades, e foi o 5º melhor da sessão, sendo o melhor dos Toyota.

Sébastien Buemi foi o sexto melhor, evidenciando a subida de forma da Toro Rosso, batendo Mark Webber, que foi o sétimo mais rápido, e Rubens Barrichello, o oitavo. Nico Rosberg marcou o 9º tempo com o melhor dos Williams, logo na frente de Kimi Räikkönen, que depois da má demonstração da manhã, conseguiu melhorar o seu andamento da parte da tarde.

Adrian Sutil, que teve problemas de travões no seu Force India, foi apenas o 11º, batendo Kazuki Nakajima e Nick Heidfeld, que foi o melhor da BMW Sauber, já que Robert Kubica viu o motor do seu monolugar ceder a meio da sessão.

Eis os resultados desta sessão:

Pos  Piloto       Equipa                Tempo               Voltas
 1.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      1:41.307            35
 2.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1:41.504  + 0.197   34
 3.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        1:41.541  + 0.234   39
 4.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      1:41.591  + 0.284   37
 5.  Kobayashi    Toyota                1:41.636  + 0.329   34
 6.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:41.683  + 0.376   37
 7.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      1:41.684  + 0.377   34
 8.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        1:41.831  + 0.524   38
 9.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       1:41.931  + 0.624   39
10.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:41.987  + 0.680   39
11.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1:42.180  + 0.873   28
12.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       1:42.245  + 0.938   36
13.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            1:42.278  + 0.971   36
14.  Trulli       Toyota                1:42.409  + 1.102   30
15.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  1:42.530  + 1.223   33
16.  Alonso       Renault               1:42.782  + 1.475   29
17.  Fisichella   Ferrari               1:42.932  + 1.625   37
18.  Grosjean     Renault               1:43.021  + 1.714   37
19.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:43.022  + 1.715   39
20.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            1:43.708  + 2.401   13

fonte: http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/78422

Kövalainen no 1º treino: foi o mais rápido no 2º

Como sempre, o treino de sexta é chato mesmo. E a culpa não é da pista, que é simples, como falei no post passado. Os pilotos não apresentaram dificuldades em se adaptar ao circuito e, tirando uma ou outra freiada mais forte, ninguém fez besteiras. Claro, eu não estou contanto com o Grosjean, que graças a Deus não vai estar na F1 no ano que vem.

Heikki Kövalainen foi o mais rápido de hoje, com Lewis Hamilton em segundo. Em terceiro vem Button, seguido por Vettel. Barrichello treinou pensando na corrida, deu bastante voltas pelo circuito árabe e terminou em oitavo.

Button ficou em segundo: A iluminação é um espetáculo, mas dizem que o circuito pode atrapalhar nas ultrapassagens, tornando a corrida chata.

Isso mostra que a McLaren esta sobrando na pista e as outras vão ter que se esforçar para andar na frente deles amanhã. Brawn e McLaren irão lutar pela vitória, com uma pequena vantagem para a primeira. Vettel levou sua Red Bull no braço.

O destaque vai para o japa Kobayashi, que ficou em quinto. Outro que vem andando bem é Buemi, que terminou em sexto. Esses dois pilotos, que nunca tiveram resultados brilhantes nas categorias de base, merecem carros melhores e de certa forma foram a sensação desta temporada.

Kobayashi: o destaque no final desta temporada

A classificação ficou assim:

1. Heikki Kövalainen (McLaren), 1:41.307
2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 1:41.504
3. Jenson Button (Brawn), 1:41.541
4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1:41.591
5. Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota), 1:41.636
6. Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), 1:41.683
7. Mark Webber (Red Bull), 1:41.684
8. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn), 1:41.831
9. Nico Rosberg (Williams), 1:41.931
10. Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari), 1:41.987
11. Adrian Sutil (Force India), 1:42.180
12. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams), 1:42.245
13. Nick Heidfeld (BMW), 1:42.278
14. Jarno Trulli (Toyota), 1:42.409
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India), 1:42.530
16. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 1:42.782
17. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ferrari), 1:42.932
18. Romain Grosjean (Renault), 1:43.021
19. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 1:43.022
20. Robert Kubica (BMW), 1:43.708

Uma pequena observação: Loeb não esta fazendo sua corrida de estréia porque a FIA não liberou a super licença para o multi campeão de rali. Acham que o cara ainda não esta apto a pilotar um F1. E ele não foi bem mesmo na GP2, precisa treinar muito mais para andar no topo do automobilismo. Não esta adaptado aos carros formulas.

Abraços

O piloto finlandês Heikki Kovalainen acusou esta quinta-feira a McLaren de beneficiar o inglês Lewis Hamilton durante as duas temporadas em que esteve na equipa.

A poucos dias de disputar aquela que parece ser a sua última corrida pela escuderia, o finlandês quebrou o silêncio e disse ao jornal “Helsingin Sanomat”, do seu país, que a equip britânica não deixa os seus pilotos em igualdade de condições.

Este foi o argumento usado pela McLaren em 2007 para defender um estreante Lewis Hamilton em vez de apoiar Fernando Alonso, duas vezes campeão da categoria. O espanhol acabou por voltar à Renault.

Heikki Kovalainen referiu que “É difícil aceitar que o Lewis sempre recebesse primeiro as peças novas. Não quis causar confusão por isso, mas seria bom que algumas delas fossem para o meu carro, principalmente a partir da hora que perdemos as hipótees de ser campeões”.

O piloto finlandês finalizou dizendo que “Sempre tive a hipótese de reclamar em público, mas queria mostrar à escuderia que tentava dar meu melhor em qualquer condição, e acho que eles também deram conta disso”.

Heikki Kovalainen tem 27 pontos a menos que Lewis Hamilton na classificação de pilotos, e disse ter sido deixado de lado também na hora de discutir as estratégias de prova.

O finlandês afirmou que “Cada vez que Hamilton e eu disputávamos a terceira fase da classificação, eu andava sempre com mais gasolina. Se levarmos em conta os níveis de combustível, teria obtido a «pole» algumas vezes”.

O piloto finlandês defendeu o trabalho que realizou esta temporada, apesar dos seus modestos resultados. Para ele, partir da primeira posição com pouca gasolina representa muito mais hipóteses de vitória do que sair em quinto com um carro muito pesado.

Contudo, Heikki Kovalainen admitiu parte da culpa por não ter conseguido melhores resultados em alguns dos Grandes Prémios disputados.

O piloto finlandês disse que “O carro não me permitiu conseguir mais pontos no início da temporada, e no final do ano, quando o carro tinha um melhor rendimento, não fui capaz de conseguir melhores resultados”.

Heikki Kovalainen acredita na permanência na McLaren, apesar dos rumores que o colocam fora da equipa em 2010: “Tenho a certeza absoluta que a McLaren ainda não tomou uma decisão. Vamos aguardar”.

fonte: http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5h8om8hhAmtdu0u4gSx9YYccH532w

Jenson Button è Campione del mondo!
Si conclude cosi la lotta per la conquista dell’iride 2009, con il “paracarro” (come lo aveva definito Briatore) che con una gara gagliarda conquista sul campo i punti necessari per porre fine alla cavalcata iniziata a Melbourne in primavera.
Mark Webber (Red Bull) vince invece il Gran Premio del Brasile, davanti a Robert Kubica (Bmw) e a Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) dopo una gara piena di colpi di scena, sia in ottica mondiale che non.
Ma andiamo con ordine.

Durante le qualifiche un temporale si abbatte sul circuito; dopo continue interruzioni finalmente la griglia di partenza viene definita, con Barrichello in pole davanti a Trulli, mentre gli altri protagonisti della lotta per il titolo arrancavano molto più indietro.
Vettel 16esimo, attardato da un assetto sbagliato (lui sotto la pioggia è un vero mago), mentre Button 14esimo faceva buon viso a cattivo gioco, conscio del fatto di poter decidere la strategia migliore visto che non partecipando alla Q3 (dove i carichi di benzina scelti non possono essere variati) avrebbe potuto riempire il serbatoio di carburante e sfruttare il primo stint di gara per recuperare posizioni.
Male Hamilton, 17esimo sempre per aver scelto un assetto da asciutto (che lo aiuterà molto in gara), mentre per la Ferrari l’unico in grado di poter salvare il salvabile si dimostrava ancora una volta Raikkonen con un buon quinto posto; ancora inguardabile Fisichella, ultimo dopo un errore da principiante durante la Q1.

Pronti-via e Raikkonen passa subito al terzo posto lottando con Sutil; nel rettilineo opposto cerca l’attacco a Webber ma l’australiano lo chiude verso l’erba cambiando traiettoria in maniera poco ortodossa rompendo l’ala anteriore del ferrarista; Kimi è costretto a rallentare mentre dietro di lui Sutil pasticcia un pò per evitarlo coinvolgendo Trulli in un incidente pericoloso che avrà come vittima anche Fernando Alonso.
Troppi detriti in pista ed esce la safety car; Raikkonen e Kovalainen rientrano ai box, il primo per sostituire l’ala danneggiata e per cambiare strategia, il secondo solo per rifornire.
Alla ripartenza dalla piazzola però Kovalainen si trascina il bocchettone della benzina rovesciando letteralmente decine di litri addosso al povero Kimi che lo segue a ruota; il calore degli scarichi della Ferrari fa il resto e per un attimo la rossa (con Kimi a bordo) si trasforma in una palla di fuoco.
Iceman (soprannome a pennello qui) dopo un attimo di smarrimento riprende subito la corsa nonostante un pò di benzina gli si sia infilata negli occhi, rientrando in pista addirittura dietro al compagno Fisichella.

Dopo il rientro della safety car si scatenano i contendenti per il titolo; Barrichello in testa impone il suo passo, mentre da dietro risalgono a suon di sorpassi Vettel e Button, nel frattempo avvantaggiati dagli incidenti capitati al primo giro.
Barrichello però è il più scarico di carburante e per avere chanches di vittoria dovrebbe scavare un solco ben più ampio di 2 secondi nei confronti di Webber; infatti Rubens è il primo a fermarsi e al suo rientro in pista la situazione inizia per lui a prendere una piega sfavorevole.
Vettel infatti lo sorpassa, e dopo la sosta di Webber, Rubens se lo ritrova davanti, con Button “lungo” nella strategia, in rimonta.
Jenson però si scontra con l’irruenza del rookie Kobayashi (Toyota) che senza timori reverenziali tiene dietro l’aspirante Campione a suon di staccate obbligando Button ad una manovra al limite per sbarazzarsene.

Kimi Raikkonen intanto imposta un ottimo passo col quale recupera tante posizioni, mentre Fisichella continua ad arrancare in fondo al gruppo; entrambi hanno una strategia molto conservativa che in teoria potrebbe garantire loro una gara in rimonta visto lo stop in meno da effettuare, ma soltanto Kimi riesce a interpretare al meglio questa macchina e prima della sua prima sosta (44esimo giro) il finlandese risale fino al quinto posto.
Nel secondo stint  di gara la classifiche vede Webber al comando davanti ad un ottimo Kubica, poi Barrichello in lotta con Hamilton (risalito grazie alla sua aggressività ed a un’assetto ottimale), poi Raikkonen, Button, Vettel e il sorprendente Buemi della Toro Rosso velocissimo per tutto il weekend.

Dopo la sosta di Kimi, anche Kubica si ferma ma Barrichello non riesce ad approfittarne causa problemi indefiniti alla sua monoposto; il pilota via radio si lamenta infatti della caduta di competitività della sua Brawn avvenuta dopo la prima sosta e, l’impossibilità di impostare un ritmo otimale, lo taglia di fatto fuori dalla possibile lotta per la vittoria.
Barrichello si ferma per la seconda ed ultima sosta al 50esimo giro, rientrando dietro Buemi che si fermerà di li a poco; al giro successivo tocca a Webber che mantiene la testa della corsa, mentre al 56esimo e al 57esimo si fermano Button e Vettel.
Dopo la girandola delle soste la classifica vede Webber, Kubica, Barrichello, Hamilton, Vettel, Button e Raikkonen con Jenson virtualmente Campione.
La speranza per Rubens è quella di andare a prendere Kubica e allo stesso tempo che Kimi sorpassi Button; purtroppo per lui però una foratura lo riporta sulla terra vanificando ogni suo sogno di giocarsi il titolo all’ultima gara ad Abu-Dahabi.
Barrichello è costretto a far passare Hamilton e mentre a pochissimo dal termine rientra mestamente ai box per cambiare la gomma forata, tutta la torcida brasiliana è in piedi ad applaudirlo, nonostante l’ennesima pesante sconfitta di Rubens.
Nel frattempo Raikkonen recupera su Button ma non abbastanza e cosi sotto la bandiera a scacchi (sventolata da Felipe Massa) finalmente Jenson può esultare; è Campione del Mondo.

Si realizza cosi il sogno di un pilota considerato fin dall’inizio della sua carriera un predestinato, ma mai in grado di dimostrare granchè soprattutto a causa di monoposto poco felici; quest’anno, alla prima vera occasione con una neonata Brawn GP (campione del mondo costruttori) al massimo della forma ha però zittito tutti.
Ora vedremo se nel 2010, con avversari ben più agguerriti riuscirà a fare il bis.
Per quanto riguarda la Ferrari, la Scuderia ha perso il terzo posto nel mondiale costruttori a vantaggio della McLaren; l’ultimo GP sarà quindi decisivo e il punto che divide i due team potrà essere recuperato solo se la rossa si dimostrerà a suo agio sul nuovo circuito medio-orientale.
Altrimenti per Maranello sarà un 2009 assolutamente da dimenticare.
Prossimo ed ultimo GP ad Abu Dahabi il 1 novembre.

Interlagos foi novamente palco da definição do campeão da temporada de Fórmula-1. Após festas para Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen e Lewis Hamilton, o GP do Brasil consagrou Jenson Button como campeão, o 31º da história da categoria.

Para isso, Button contou com uma série de acidentes à sua frente, bem como realizou ultrapassagens importantes para chegar aos pontos que lhe eram necessários. Como o inglês havia declarado no sábado, seria necessária uma corrida dos infernos.

A largada transcorreu sem maiores incidentes, com Barrichello e Webber mantendo a liderança e Raikkonen pulando para terceiro. E então veio a reta oposta: O finlandês tentou ultrapassar o australiano, mas Webber fechou a porta e quebrou a asa dianteira da Ferrari. No fundo do grid, Fisichella e Kovalainen se tocaram. Duas curvas mais tarde, Trulli forçou para ultrapassar Sutil e o acertou, que perdeu o controle de sua Force India e acertou Alonso.

Safety car na pista, e quatro carros a menos na frente de Button, agora o nono – e também de Robert Kubica, que pulou para terceiro. Kovalainen e Raikkonen entraram nos pits, Kovalainen saiu com a mangueira de abastecimento engatada bem à frente do finlandês. O combustível vazando voou na Ferrari, que virou uma bola de fogo por alguns segundos.

O safety car permaneceu na pista por quatro voltas, e a relargada ocorreu sem problemas. Barrichello não abriu vantagem suficiente para voltar de seu pit na liderança, muito por conta do safety car. Acabou ultrapassado por Webber e Kubica e voltou à frente de Hamilton, que o pressionava.

Enquanto isso, Button ultrapassou Nakajima, Buemi e Kobayashi, com quem travou um belo duelo – o estreante da Toyota ainda duelou com Nakajima, tendo defendido a posição após dividir uma série de curvas com o compatriota.

As chances de Barrichello no campeonato já não existiam após a segunda rodada de pits, com o brasileiro em terceiro e Button em sexto. Um pneu furado de Barrichello forçou um terceiro pit, deixando o piloto da Brawn em oitavo lugar. Button subiu para quinto e cruzou a linha de chegada comemorando seu título. Webber venceu a prova com tranquilidade, seguido de Kubica, Hamilton e Vettel.

Em duas semanas, o encerramento da temporada em Abu Dhabi.

Tässä videossa neuvotaan miten näät Formula 1 -kisat tietokoneellasi ilmaiseksi, hyvällä kuvanlaadulla ja englanninkielisellä selostuksella. www.filmon.com

YouTube-kanava: http://www.youtube.com/user/Ohjeet

Porque nem tudo foram flores…

.

Apesar de toda a torcida brasileira, o inglês Jenson Button conquistou neste domingo o título de campeão mundial da temporada 2009 da F1. Esta foi a quarta vez na história que o campeão saiu no GP do Brasil.

Homens ao volante, perigo constante

Na largada Barrichello manteve a ponta e deixou pra trás a confusão que se formou: no S do Senna Kovalainen  rodou e tocou em Fisichella, na reta oposta Webber fechou Raikkonen e quebrou o bico do carro do finlandês e na descida do lago Trulli perdeu o controle do carro atingiu Sutil que na escapada acertou a Renault de Fernando Alonso, que vinha em seguida, e tirou o espanhol da prova. O Italiano saiu do carro e partiu pra cima do Alemão, que não teve culpa de nada, protagonizando uma cena bastante hilária.

Jarno Trulli tira satisfações com Adrian Sutil após o choque entre eles

A confusão não parou por aí, Raikkonen e Kovalainen foram para os boxes concertar seus carros e na saída o piloto da McLaren levou a mangueira de combustível junto, com gasolina vazando, e deu um banho na Ferrari que vinha logo atrás. Houve uma pequena explosão quando o combustível espalhado entrou em contato com as partes quentes do carro, mas ficou apenas no susto, e os dois pilotos retornando à prova em seguida. Porém, após a corrida, Kovalainen foi punido em US$ 50 mil e 25s acrescidos em seu tempo final, caindo da nona para a 11ª posição.

Com tantos incidentes o safety car entrou na pista por 3 voltas e na relargada Rubinho manteve a posição com Webber em segundo, enquanto Button subia para sexto ultrapassando Grosjean e Nakajima ficando empacado no estreante Kobayashi.

Na primeira rodada de pit-stops Rubinho perdeu sua posição para Kubica e Webber, enquanto Rosberg e Heidfeld abandonaram. Neste momento o público pode se deliciar com uma bela manobra do estreante Kobayashi: ele deu o popular “X” (toma a ultrapassagem e da o troco em seguida) quando Button tentou passá-lo no S do Senna.

Já na segunda rodada Barrichello ganhou a posição de Lewis Hamilton em terceiro,  enquanto o líder Webber voltou na liderança e praticamente selou sua vitória. Button ganhou a posição de Kovalainen e estava em sexto, resultado com o qual já seria campeão.

Pouco depois Barrichello cedeu o terceiro lugar para Hamilton e foi para os boxes trocar um pneu furado, voltando em 8º com Button em 5º a oito voltas do fim. Ali o campeonato acabou.

Na dianteira, Webber recebeu a bandeirada, seguido de Kubica e Hamilton. Vettel completou em quarto e Button, em quinto, tornando-se campeão ao somar 89pts.

O pódio do GP Brasil de F1 2009: Kubica, Webber com o troféu e Hamilton

Vitória merecida

Button mereceu ganhar a disputa pelo brilhante início de temporada que teve, vencendo 6 das 7 primeiras corridas, e pela performance que apresentou em Interlagos. O inglês soube contar com a sorte e buscou as ultrapassagens que precisava com arrojo e determinação. Bem diferente da apatia vista nas últimas etapas.

Ele comemorou muito a vitória e pelo rádio entoou um verso de “We are the Champions”, da banda inglesa Queen, para a equipe:

Já Rubinho que levantou o público no sábado, durante o treino de classificação, soube reconhecer a derrota e foi o primeiro a cumprimentar o companheiro de equipe. Agora ele brigará pelo vice-campeonato com Sebastian Vettel na última etapa em Abu-Dhabi, no dia 1/11.

O cumprimento de Barrichello em Button e a comemoração do inglês junto à equipe Brawn, campeã do Mundial de Construtores da F1 2009

________________________________________________________________________________________

Obrigada a todos pela torcida e sigam acompanhando as atualizações do blog. Boa semana! =)

Επεισοδιακό το GP F1 στην πίστα του Interlagos την Βραζιλία. Οι χρονομετρημένες δοκιμές του Σαββάτου έγιναν κατά διαστήματα με έντονη βροχή και την pole position κατέκτησε στην πατρίδα του ο Rubens Barrichello.

Στον αγώνα της Κυριακής ο Kovalainen φεύγει από τα pit χωρίς οι μηχανικοί να βγάλουν την αντλία ανεφοδιασμού από το μονοθέσιό του και το καύσιμο που περιέχει χύνεται πάνω στη Ferrari του Raikkonen και αναφλέγεται.

Νικητής στον αγώνα αναδείχθηκε ο Mark Webber με Red Bull, αλλά το σημαντικότερο είναι η ανάδειξη του φετινού παγκόσμιου πρωταθλητή Jenson Button με Brawn GP που τερμάτισε στην 5η θέση.

Este sábado a la 7:00 hora española se ha celebrado la clasificación para el GP de Japón. Esta sesión ha sido muy accidentada. En la Q1, aparte de que cayó Fisichella, Buemi estrenó hoy las barreras del circuito, sin embargo, no sufrió graves daños y pudo ser arreglado todo a tiempo.

En la Q2, primero fue Alguersuari quien provó las barreras quedandose fuera así. Bandera roja. Justo después de reiniciarse, Timo Glock sufrió un tremendo accidente que le dejó fuera. Fue transladado con camilla. Otra bandera roja. Para el final de esta sesión, Vettel se quedó sin alerón haciendo así que nadie pudiese mejorar, en teoria, y Alonso se quedó fuera.

La Q3 empezó con mucho retraso y todavia se retrasó mas cuando Kovalainen se estrelló, fue un golpe flojo, no obstante, sacaron la tercera bandera roja de la sesión.

Finalmente, Vettel hizo la pole position, segundo Trulli sin hacer mucho ruido y tercero Lewis Hamilton

1st Session: Heikki Kovalainen set the best lap time; in Toyota, Kamui Kobayashi replaces Timo Glock at Free Practises

Heikki Kovalainen waited until the very last moment of the first free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix to go quickest around a wet-but-drying Suzuka circuit.

Until the Finn took the chequered flag, Kazuki Nakajima looked likely to enjoy a piece of home glory as the Williams driver took the top spot with just minutes to spare.

The 24-year-old Japanese appeared to time his final attempt on intermediate tyres to perfection as he set a fastest time of 1m40.648s. But the lap times were falling all around him as drivers found ever more grip on the drying track, and Kovalainen was one of them – his 1m40.356s lap settling the matter.

Wet-weather maestro Adrian Sutil was another to get bumped by the Finn, and the Force India driver ended up third, having been fastest himself earlier in the session.

While the session began with a great deal of standing water on the track, it quickly dispersed as several of F1’s Suzuka rookies got down to the business of learning the daunting track – Lewis Hamilton and Kovalainen among them.

In fact, the McLaren drivers were the early pace-setters, until Sebastian Vettel, then Fernando Alonso moved to the top.

Hamilton responded halfway through the 90-minute session only to find himself demoted again by Nakajima. With 20 minutes to go, Kovalainen moved to the top and though briefly deposed by Sutil, remained in control until all the antics of the final ten minutes.

When the order had shaken out, behind the top three, Giancarlo Fisichella looked to have garnered some confidence in the Ferrari F60 to go fourth fastest, ahead of a rapid Sebastien Buemi, while Hamilton was eventually sixth.

Alonso was seventh, despite a run across the gravel at the hairpin early on in the session. The man he replaces at Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen, was just behind him in eighth.

Rubens Barrichello and Nico Rosberg completed the top ten.

Despite the weather, there were surprisingly few incidents, with Fisichella replicating Alonso’s moment at the hairpin late on, and Vitantonio Liuzzi having a lurid moment as he ran wide across the kerbing at Spoon.

Kamui Kobayashi ended the session 19th on his debut, but impressed through the session and was only outpaced by Toyota team-mate Jarno Trulli in the final five minutes.

Here are the times of this practise:

Pos  Driver        Team                 Time               Laps
 1.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     1:40.356           24
 2.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota      1:40.648 + 0.292   18
 3.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes 1:40.806 + 0.450   14
 4.  Fisichella    Ferrari              1:40.985 + 0.629   27
 5.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:41.421 + 1.065   26
 6.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     1:41.443 + 1.087   15
 7.  Alonso        Renault              1:41.532 + 1.176   22
 8.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:41.577 + 1.221   25
 9.  Barrichello   Brawn GP-Mercedes    1:41.821 + 1.465   18
10.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota      1:42.188 + 1.832   20
11.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     1:42.332 + 1.976   10
12.  Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes 1:42.475 + 2.119   15
13.  Trulli        Toyota               1:42.657 + 2.301   13
14.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:42.667 + 2.311   27
15.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           1:42.833 + 2.477   16
16.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           1:42.977 + 2.621   14
17.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault     1:43.218 + 2.862   11
18.  Button        Brawn GP-Mercedes    1:43.318 + 2.962   17
19.  Kobayashi     Toyota               1:43.407 + 3.051   16
20.  Grosjean      Renault              1:43.572 + 3.216   22

in: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79110

2nd Session: Adrian Sutil and Force India return to top

Adrian Sutil set the fastest time in a largely pointless soaking wet second free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

The German set a time of 1m47.261s in the final moments of the session, despite running wide at the notorious 130R corner. Second quickest was Sebastian Vettel ahead of the second Force India of Vitantonio Liuzzi.

But the heavy rain and a limited supply of tyres with which to tackle it contributed to an almost total washout of the second 90 minutes.

The bad weather hit the Suzuka area between the two free practice sessions on Friday, saturating the track and creating small rivers of water that formed at various points around of the circuit as the precipitation continued throughout the 90 minutes.

One of these streams gave Jaime Alguersuari a fright under braking into Degner 1, when the two Toro Rossos came out for an exploratory lap early on in the session. They soon ducked back into the pits.

It was an hour before anyone went out on track again.

And then it was the two Spaniards, Fernando Alonso and Alguersuari again, who came out for another look. The double world champion immediately pitted again, but the Toro Rosso driver gamely continued, posting a 1m56.848s lap. But then that same river convinced him to return to his pit

Romain Grosjean then went out for a look, but like his Renault team-mate, gave up without so much as completing a lap.

Finally with just over 10 minutes to go, Fernando Alonso led out a brave band of 17 drivers who gave it their best – Heikki Kovalainen, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello didn’t bother.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest ahead of Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.

Here are the results of this 2nd Practise:

Pos  Driver       Team                  Time                Laps
 1.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1:47.261            5
 2.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      1:47.923  + 0.662   6
 3.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  1:47.931  + 0.670   4
 4.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1:47.983  + 0.722   5
 5.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       1:48.058  + 0.797   8
 6.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:48.691  + 1.430   9
 7.  Alonso       Renault               1:48.693  + 1.432   5
 8.  Trulli       Toyota                1:48.737  + 1.476   6
 9.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:48.802  + 1.541  11
10.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            1:48.861  + 1.600   6
11.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:48.886  + 1.625   4
12.  Kobayashi    Toyota                1:49.054  + 1.793   7
13.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      1:49.382  + 2.121   7
14.  Grosjean     Renault               1:49.405  + 2.144   6
15.  Fisichella   Ferrari               1:49.553  + 2.292   5
16.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       1:49.872  + 2.611   7
17.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            1:50.179  + 2.918   9
18.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes          No time
19.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes            No time
20.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes            No time

in: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79117

]]> http://motorsandworldnews.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/formula-1-gp-do-japao-treinos-livres-de-6%c2%aa-feira/ Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:00:58 +0000 cdmafra http://motorsandworldnews.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/formula-1-gp-do-japao-treinos-livres-de-6%c2%aa-feira/

1ª Sessão: Heikki Kovalainen faz o melhor tempo; na Toyota, Kamui Kobayashi substitui Timo Glock nos treinos

Heikki Kovalainen esperou até ao último momento da 1ª Sessão de Treinos Livres para o GP do Japão para ser o mais rápido da sessão num “semi-molhado” circuito de Suzuka.

Até ao finlandês receber a bandeira de xadrez, Kazuki Nakajima parecia desfrutar de um pouco de glória no seu GP “caseiro”, visto que o japonês obteu o melhor tempo quando faltavam alguns minutos para o fim da sessão.

O japonês de 24 anos fez a sua última tentativa com pneus intermédios para a perfeição, estabelecendo uma volta em 1:40.648s. Mas os tempos por volta foram melhorando à volta do dele, enquanto os pilotos encontravam mais aderência na pista seca, e Heikki Kovalainen foi um desses pilotos que encontrou aderência –  a sua volta em 1:40.356s resolveu logo a questão do melhor tempo da sessão.

O “mestre do piso molhado” Adrian Sutil, no seu Force India, foi o 3º, sendo o mais rápido de todos nos primeiros momentos da sessão.

Quando a sessão começou, a água depositada na pista dispersou-se rapidamente, com muitos estreantes em Suzuka a saírem à pista para aprendê-la, como por exemplo Lewis Hamilton e Heikki Kovalainen.

De facto, os pilotos da McLaren foram os primeiros a estabelecer tempos-padrão, até Sebastian Vettel e, em seguida, Fernando Alonso subirem ao topo da tabela.

Lewis Hamilton respondeu a meio da sessão de 90 minutos, aoenas para ser batido por Kazuki Nakajima. A 20 minutos do fim, Heikki Kovalainen passou ao topo da tabela e, embora brevemente deposto por Adrian Sutil, o finlandês recuperou o controlo até a todos os momentos dos 10 minutos finais.

Quando a tabela sofreu muitas alterações, atrás dos três primeiros, Giancarlo Fisichella mostrou ter ganho alguma confiança no seu Ferrari F60 para ser o 4º mais rápido, na frente do rápido Sébastien Buemi, enquanto que Lewis Hamilton foi 6º.

Fernando Alonso foi o 7º, apesar de ter ido à gravilha no gancho, nos primeiros momentos da sessão. Kimi Räikkönen, da Ferrari, foi 8º, atrás do seu substituto na Ferrari em 2010.

Rubens Barrichello e Nico Rosberg completaram o top-10.

Apesar do tempo, houveram alguns acidentes surpreendentes, com Giancarlo Fisichella a “reproduzir” o incidente de Fernando Alonso no gancho, e Vitantonio Liuzzi a protagonizar um momento espectacular quando o carro fugiu de traseira.

Kamui Kobayashi, que substituiu o adoentado Timo Glock na Toyota nas sessões de treinos livres, foi o 19º na sua estreia, mas impressionou durante a sessão e só foi ultrapassado pelo seu colega de equipa na Toyota, Jarno Trulli, nos 5 minutos finais.

Foram estes os tempos da 1ª Sessão:

Pos  Piloto        Equipa               Tempo              Voltas
 1.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     1:40.356           24
 2.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota      1:40.648 + 0.292   18
 3.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes 1:40.806 + 0.450   14
 4.  Fisichella    Ferrari              1:40.985 + 0.629   27
 5.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:41.421 + 1.065   26
 6.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     1:41.443 + 1.087   15
 7.  Alonso        Renault              1:41.532 + 1.176   22
 8.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:41.577 + 1.221   25
 9.  Barrichello   Brawn GP-Mercedes    1:41.821 + 1.465   18
10.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota      1:42.188 + 1.832   20
11.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     1:42.332 + 1.976   10
12.  Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes 1:42.475 + 2.119   15
13.  Trulli        Toyota               1:42.657 + 2.301   13
14.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:42.667 + 2.311   27
15.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           1:42.833 + 2.477   16
16.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           1:42.977 + 2.621   14
17.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault     1:43.218 + 2.862   11
18.  Button        Brawn GP-Mercedes    1:43.318 + 2.962   17
19.  Kobayashi     Toyota               1:43.407 + 3.051   16
20.  Grosjean      Renault              1:43.572 + 3.216   22

fonte: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79110

2ª Sessão: Adrian Sutil e Force India regressam ao topo numa sessão marcada pela chuva

Adrian Sutil foi o mais rápido numa 2ª Sessão de Treinos Livres para o GP do Japão que foi em grande parte inútil devido ao piso molhado.

O piloto alemão fez a sua melhor volta em 1:47.261s nos momentos finais da sessão, apesar de sair largo na famosa curva 130R. O segundo mais rápido foi o também alemão Sebastian Vettel, que ficou à frente do outro Force India, de Vitantonio Liuzzi.

A chuva forte e um fornecimento de pneus limitado contribuiram para um gasto quase total destes 90 minutos de treino.

O mau tempo atingiu a região de Suzuka entre os dois treinos livres de 6ª Feira, alagando a pista e criando pequenos lençóis de água por todo o circuito. A chuva continuou durante os 90 minutos de Treino.

Foi uma hora antes do final da sessão que alguém foi para a pista novamente.

Aí, os dois pilotos espanhóis, Fernando Alonso e Jaime Alguersuari foram para a pista. O bi-campeão Mundial de F1 regressou logo às boxes, mas o jovem piloto da Toro Rosso continuou na pista, fazendo uma volta em 1:56.848s. Mas também o espanhol voltou para as boxes.

Romain Grosjean saiu para a pista para a avaliar, mas tal como o seu colega de equipa na Renault, regressou às boxes sem completar uma única volta.

Já nos últimos 10 minutos, Fenando Alonso liderou um corajoso grupo de 17 pilotos que foram para a pista dar o seu melhor – Heikki Kovalainen, Jenson Button e Rubens Barrichello não chegaram a fazer qualquer tempo.

Lewis Hamilton foi o 4º, à frente de Kazuki Nakajima e Sébastien Buemi.

Eis os tempos da 2ª Sessão de Treinos:

Pos  Piloto       Equipa                Tempo               Voltas
 1.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1:47.261            5
 2.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      1:47.923  + 0.662   6
 3.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  1:47.931  + 0.670   4
 4.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1:47.983  + 0.722   5
 5.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       1:48.058  + 0.797   8
 6.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:48.691  + 1.430   9
 7.  Alonso       Renault               1:48.693  + 1.432   5
 8.  Trulli       Toyota                1:48.737  + 1.476   6
 9.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:48.802  + 1.541  11
10.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            1:48.861  + 1.600   6
11.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:48.886  + 1.625   4
12.  Kobayashi    Toyota                1:49.054  + 1.793   7
13.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      1:49.382  + 2.121   7
14.  Grosjean     Renault               1:49.405  + 2.144   6
15.  Fisichella   Ferrari               1:49.553  + 2.292   5
16.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       1:49.872  + 2.611   7
17.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            1:50.179  + 2.918   9
18.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes          Sem tempo
19.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes            Sem tempo
20.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes            Sem tempo

fonte: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79117