I’ve finally got 5 minutes to myself, so I thought I’d do a quick post on the movements of all the drivers for 2010.  Obviously, not everyone has been announced, but thus far, here are the teams and line-ups for the 2010 championship.

McLaren – Lewis Hamilton & Jenson Button (from Brawn GP now Mercedes)

Ferrari – Felipe Massa & Fernando Alonso (from Renault)

Brawn (now Mercedes) – Nico Rosberg (from Williams) & TBA

Red Bull Racing- Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber (no change)

Renault – Robert Kubica (From BMW Sauber) & TBA

Williams – Rubens Barrichello (from Mercedes formally Brawn) & Nico Hulkenburg

Force India - TBA & TBA

Toro Rosso – TBA & TBA

Manor GP – Timo Glock (from Toyota) & TBA

USF1 - Jose Maria Lopez (subject to securing sponsorship) & TBA

Lotus – One driver signed but not yet announced who & TBA

Campos Meta – Bruno Senna & TBA

BMW Sauber – Withdrawn

Toyota – Withdrawn

This still leaves quite a few F1 drivers without a confirmed seat so far.  These include ;

Heidfeld, Grosjean, Fisichella (quite likely to return to Force India), Sutil, Liuzzi, Kobiyashi, Alguersuari, Nakajima, Kovalainen, Raikkonen (sabbatical unless a championship winning seat is available).  Other possibilities include De La Rosa, Piquet, Bourdais, Davidson, Sato and Wurz.  I could continue, but it would make my list quite long.

There are several teams with one experienced driver announced, which could pave the way for them to sign a younger driver, or former F1 driver a second ‘rookie’ seat.

Campos have put their money in Senna and will want an experienced driver to direct the team into the 2010 season, which would leave the door open for drivers such as Heidfeld or even De La Rosa.  Either way, I’ll keep the list updated with any further announcements.

As for the 2010 calendar, that’s had some changes also, and there is still some debate if some of the tracks will still be participating.  Most notably in the United Kingdom, is the British Grand Prix.  It has been said my Bernie Ecclestone that Silverstone (who have been handed an offer due to Donington now in the hands of  administrators), has until the 9th of November to make their minds up or there is no British Grand Prix.

The Canadian GP is subject to completion of changes, Korean subject to completion and

Quando tuto gira per il verso giusto sembra non avere rivali; cosi Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) vince il GP di Abu Dhabi, davanti al compagno di team Mark Webber e al neo campione del mondo Jenson Button (Brawn GP).
Il campionato si chiude quindi con la vittoria del baby fenomeno e la sensazione è che quest’anno Vettel abbia buttato alle ortiche (causa errori suoi e del team) una grande occasione per portarsi a casa il titolo.

Durante le qualifiche Hamilton aveva messo in riga tutti ma Vettel si era insediato in seconda posizione con una monoposto più carica di benzina dell’Inglese, facendo presagire una facile vittoria, mentre le Brawn GP di Barrichello e Button, in quarta e quinta posizione, seguivano la seconda Red Bull di Webber.
Male, anzi malissimo le Ferrari con Raikkonen 11esimo e Fisichella ultimo.

Allo start Hamilton tiene la posizione grazie al kers, con Vettel Webber e Button a seguirlo, mentre Barrichello in un contatto col compagno di squadra rovina l’ala anteriore, fortunatamente senza che ciò leda le sue prestazioni.
Fisichella recupera diverse posizioni, mentre Raikkonen ne perde una a favore del debuttante Kobayashi.
Nel primo stint di gara la sfida è tutta fra Hamilton e Vettel, con l’Inglese obbligato a costruirsi un vantaggio tale da poter ritornare in pista dopo il pit stop davanti a Vettel, ma il Tedeschino sebbene con una monoposto più pesante, gli resiste incollato ai suoi scarichi.
Al primo pit stop si fermano nell’ordine Barrichello, Kubica, Hamilton, Button e dopo tre giri anche Vettel, che nel frattempo, liberatosi di Hamilton timbra giri veloci a ripetizione.
Tornato in pista in testa, seguito da Hamilton, Vettel allunga ma proprio in quel momento il pilota della McLaren accusa pesanti problemi ai freni che lo obbligano al ritiro, il primo della sua carriera per problemi meccanici.
Vettel quindi non ha più nulla da temere visto che il secondo in classifica Webber, subisce da lui distacchi pesanti ad ogni giro; nelle posizioni di rincalzo, grazie ad una gara impostata su di una sosta, Kobayashi e Raikkonen risalgono il gruppo con il Giapponese in terza posizione ed il ferrarista in sesta.
Purtroppo per Kimi però le enormi difficoltà della F60 nello scaldare gli pneumatici lo obbligheranno a remare e perdere molto terreno dopo la sosta, vanificando ciò che di buono poteva fare; Kobayashi dal canto suo contiene benissimo il ritmo arrembante dei piloti su due soste e riesce ad installarsi in sesta posizione.

Nell’ultimo stint di gara, dopo la seconda sosta, le posizioni rimangono invariate, con Vettel al comando con un margine di una ventina di secondi su Webber, il quale negli ultimi giri deve fare i conti con l’arrembante Campione del Mondo Jenson Button che, montate le gomme morbide, recupera quasi un secondo al giro, piombando addosso all’Australiano nelle ultime due tornate.
Jenson ci prova, forza un paio di staccate, ma Webber resiste mostrando i muscoli e Button deve arrendersi e rinunciare al secondo posto.
Barrichello conclude quarto seguito da un costante Heidfeld, poi l’ottimo Kobayashi che si mette dietro il caposquadra Trulli e in ottava posizione Buemi della Toro Rosso.
Nulla da fare per la Ferrari per il terzo posto nel mondiale costruttori perchè nonostante lo stop di Hamilton, gli zero punti conquistati da Kimi Raikkonen e Giancarlo Fisichella non hanno permesso il sorpasso e la conseguente conquista di svariati milioni di dollari di premio.

Il mondiale quindi si chiude con un Vettel in piena forma e con le Ferrari mestamente ai box a coronamento di una stagione perlomeno fallimentare; unico momento positivo del 2009 per il team di Maranello è da considerarsi la vittoria di Kimi Raikkonen sul circuito di Spa, teatro delle imprese dei più grandi piloti della storia.
La Formula 1 volta quindi pagina, in attesa di vedere confermati i nuovi team che prenderanno parte al campionato del prossimo anno e in attesa di capire quali saranno i loro piloti.
La Ferrari, come già annunciato, schiererà Fernando Alonso e Felipe Massa, nella speranza di poter tornare a conquistare quel mondiale piloti che nell’era post Schumacher solo Raikkonen è riuscito a vincere.
o farà contando anche sull’esperienza di Giancarlo Fisichella come terzo pilota; un Fisichella deludente che negli ultimi 5 GP non è riuscito a conquistare nemmeno un punto mondiale (a fronte degli ottimi risultati di Kimi) e proprio di un punto la Ferrari non è riuscita a sopravanzare la McLaren nel mondiale costruttori.
A Maranello si libereranno di Kimi Raikkonen quindi, il pilota di ghiaccio che non ama parlare e fare polemica, il pilota che dall’uscita di scena di Massa ha conquistato tre podi ed una vittoria, trascinando da solo il team per tutta la seconda parte della stagione.

Nel 2010 probabilmente i valori in campo cambieranno; la Ferrari lavora da almeno 6 mesi al progetto della monoposto per il prossimo anno, mentre la Brawn GP a fronte delle poche risorse disponibili perderà sicuramente il vantaggio di svluppo avuto durante il 2009.
La McLaren con Hamilton sarà sicura protagonista mentre in Red Bull Vettel partirà con l’obiettivo di vincere il mondiale, ma gli errori del team dovranno essere ridotti a zero perchè a quanto pare le squadre in lotta per l’iride non saranno più solo due.

Niezbyt jasna deklaracja Renault co do startów w przyszłym sezonie otworzyła furtkę prasowym i internetowym spekulacjom na temat naszego Roberta. Jeśli nie Renault to co? Tym razem padło na Mercedesa. Nico Rosberg wydaje się być pewniakiem, o drugie miejsce w Team Deutschland walczyć mają znany i lubiany Kimi (lepiej być znanym pijakiem niż anonimowym alkoholikiem), Michael Schumacher (inny Michael z Chicago udowodnił, że tak późne powroty raczej się nie udają i więcej można stracić niż zyskać, a jeśli dodamy do tego jeszcze kontrakt z Ferrari i bolący kark to właściwie nie ma o czym mówić), Szybki Nick no i nasz Robert. Za Szybkim Nickiem przemawia według redaktorów gazety.pl to, że jest solidny, wolny i relatywnie tani. A do tego jest Niemcem. To wolny jest w tym kontekście troszeczkę niezręczne.

Ze swojej strony mogę dodać, że jestem równie solidny, jeszcze wolniejszy, jeszcze tańszy, a do tego dziadek służył w wermahcie. Z troszkę innej beczki to ekscytująco będzie zobaczyć w przyszłym roku mistrzów świata z ostatnich dwóch lat w tym samym samochodzie. Zobaczymy czy będzie powtórka z Fernando i przekonamy się kto jest kim.

Mark Webber – Duro. Una sorta di Nigel Mansell del 2000. In partenza si difende da Raikkonen rompendogli l’ala anteriore con una manovra veramente pericolosa, poi nel gioco dei pit stop, grazie ad un ritmo altissimo, sorpassa Barrichello. Da li in poi nessuno lo impensierisce più.

Robert Kubica – Stranito. Si perchè inspiegabilmente da qualche GP la BMW si rivela competitiva nonostante abbia già deciso di abbandonare la Formula 1 a fine anno. Detto questo Kubica approfitta del parapiglia iniziale e imposta la gara su un ottimo ritmo che lo tiene al riparo dal ritorno di Hamilton, andando a conquistare un secondo posto inaspettato alla vigilia.

Lewis Hamilton – Surreale. Parte dai bassifondi della griglia e grazie ad un assetto da asciutto perfetto rimonta in maniera incredibile, fulminando tutti coloro che si ritrova davanti. Bella la lotta con Barrichello.
Cresce la consapevolezza che se la Mclaren non avessse sbagliato macchina, in cima al mondiale probabilmente oggi ci sarebbe lui.

Sebastian Vettel – Deluso. Come Hamilton parte dal fondo e recupera manciate di posizioni in gara. Pilota velocissimo ma un pò acerbo nella gestione di un intero campionato; paga delle qualifiche sottotono (nonostante sia un mago della pioggia) e assiste al trionfo del rivale Button.

Jenson Button – Campione del mondo. Qualifiche difficilissime, ma Jenson non perde la calma e approfittando del mega incidente del primo giro guadagna diverse posizioni.
Da li in poi tira fuori i muscoli lottando con Kobayashi e gli altri dimostrando che questo titolo se lo è meritato sul campo; il problema a Barrichello infine gli spiana la strada verso la corona e Jenson festeggia.

Kimi Raikkonen – Sfortunato. Partenza strepitosa, sale al terzo posto, poi mentre sta sorpassando Webber viene chiuso contro il muro col risultato che l’ala anteriore va a pezzi. Percorre il giro ad andatura turistica, poi rifornisce, la macchina prende fuoco causa la benzina di Kovalainen spruzzatagli in faccia, riparte ultimo e con un gran ritmo risale fino al sesto posto surclassando ancora una volta Fisichella.
E la Ferrari lo ha licenziato..

Rubens Barrichello – Sconfitto. Il grande sconfitto, ma col sorriso sulle labbra. Combatte nelle qualifiche e fa la pole, poi in gara paga una strategia non perfetta; ritrovatosi a lottare con Hamilton fora un pneumatico e dice addio al sogno di portare la lotta mondiale fino ad Abu Dhabi.
Onore delle armi a Rubens che, dato per finito, ha dimostrato ancora di saperci fare.

Giancarlo Fisichella – Inguardabile. Nelle libere fa spegnere la monoposto in una prova di partenza; in qualifica la fa spegnere al primo giro sotto l’acqua. In gara subisce ancora una volta Raikkonen; un disastro. E la terza piazza nel mondiale costruttori per la Ferrari si allontana.

Sebastien Buemi – Piede pesante. Si qualifica sesto in condizioni limite e conduce una gara perfetta senza errori e con un ritmo da alta classifica. Di altra pasta rispetto al compagno Alguersuari.
Del Franco-siciliano ne sentiremo ancora parlare.

Continued from Part Two

Raikkonen did give Ferrari a win, at Spa, after fending off…Fisichella! On that occasion, however, the Italian was still with Force India, whose Mercedes-powered car showed remarkable form on circuits where low downforce was required. Adrian Sutil proved very fast but wild and accident prone in the other car, but only Raikkonen’s KERS prevented Fisichella from staging a huge upset victory in Belgium. Fisi’s replacement, the underrated Vitantonio Liuzzi, was headed for a podium finish behind the Brawns at Monza when his car broke a driveshaft.

It was also at Spa that yet another scandal was unveiled. In Hungary Renault had been lucky to escape suspension when, only a week after former world champion John Surtees’ 19 year-old son Henry had been killed by an errant wheel in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch, the French team’s pit crew released Fernando Alonso from a pit stop knowing that the right front wheel had been improperly secured. It came off, and the stewards of the meeting fined them the maximum possible, US$50,000, and suspended them from Valencia.

Renault won their appeal against exclusion, but soon it became clear that they were being investigated for fixing the result of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix following allegations from former driver Nelson Piquet, sacked in July, that he had been told to crash deliberately there to give Alonso the safety car intervention that helped him through to victory. Subsequently, team principal Flavio Briatore was banned indefinitely from the sport, and technical chief Pat Symonds for five years.

Meanwhile, as Renault struggled on and off the track, Toyota’s performances picked up after a mid-season slump. Timo Glock was an excellent second to Hamilton in Singapore, a result that Jarno Trulli repeated on their home ground at Suzuka. That left them fifth overall, which was respectable, while a late-season charge from BMW Sauber, who had introduced a significant aerodynamic and technical upgrade for Singapore, benefited from a second place by Kubica in Brazil and Nick Heidfeld’s fifth in Abu Dhabi to jump ahead of Williams by one and a half points into sixth. The British team had its most consistent season of late, showing well on all but the low-downforce tracks, and would have gone better still had the Toyota engine had competitive horsepower.

Renault were a humbled eighth after one of their toughest-ever seasons yielded just one podium for Alonso, ironically enough in Singapore. Force India might have finished only ninth, but they showed they have the potential to run at or near the front, but Toro Rosso, in 10th overall, showed only flashes of speed with their Red Bull RB5 lookalike STR4. Sebastien Buemi looked good at times, while rookie Jamie Alguersuari replaced Sebastian Bourdais from Hungary onwards.

When Glock crashed in Japan in what would become history’s longest-ever qualifying session, he was subsequently replaced for the final two races by GP2 driver Kamui Kobayashi, who did enough with a ninth and a sixth place finish to make himself unofficial ‘Rookie of the Year’ ahead of Buemi. There were suspicions all along that he had been placed in Glock’s seat by a team that knew they were on borrowed time, and shortly after Bridgestone had announced after Abu Dhabi that they were quitting at the end of 2010, Toyota duly said they were going too, as of now. Like Honda and BMW, they blamed the economic climate and made compelling arguments why they had to stop spending so much on Formula One racing.

That in theory could clear the way for Peter Sauber and his new partner Qadbak to join the four new teams who are due to assemble on the grid in 2010: Lotus, US F1 Team, Manor and Campos Meta.

As yet some key driver placements have yet to be settled, notably whether Button stays with Brawn, and where, if anywhere, Raikkonen goes. The odds favour the second McLaren seat, but you never know with the Finn. With Red Bull staying the same, Alonso at Ferrari alongside Massa, Nico Rosberg and Barrichello being tipped to swap places (the latter is already confirmed at Williams), and Glock reportedly heading to Renault to join Kubica, the new season is already shaping up fast.

And based on what happened in 2009, it is safe to suggest that in the new era of Jean Todt succeeding Max Mosley as President of the FIA after a landslide victory against Ari Vatanen, and refuelling being banned, anything is possible.

Reference: F1.com

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

Q. There’s rumours that Renault want to offload its team, what is your information on that?

As you say, it’s a rumour, and this is my comment. You say it’s a rumour and I will not comment on a rumour. I have never done it in the past and there are many rumours going around and that’s how it is. We will see in the future. We will see who was right, and that’s how it is.

Q. Can you sum up the season for you?

RK: I think it has been a difficult season. A season with a lot of difficulties, I think not only one. The first one was of course the performance of the car. Then another one was the KERS, no KERS situation. First pushing with the KERS car and to then switch completely to a non-KERS car. And then another one was about BMW not continuing in F1. So for sure many difficult moments.

From a driving point of view it was also not an easy season. I think I did a few races with very good performance, like in Australia or Malaysia. If you review the Australia race and see where we were with the car I think it was not so bad, or even the last race in Brazil. When you have a car to fight for P12 in the middle of the season it’s difficult to make an impression. The difficulties to the season started from trying to really concentrate on KERS, which didn’t work out for us.

Q. You are one of the drivers who has his future sorted out for next season, how much of a help is that in preparing?

RK: Apparently not (laughter). I think today, when everything in F1 is quite uncertain with many questions marks on drivers and teams, I think I’m very happy I’m quite well placed for the future with Renault. I’m sleeping well, so that’s good. And I’m looking forward to the new challenge. For sure it will be a big challenge because I think Renault is very motivated to come back, to put the negative moments behind and that’s why I think we have a good chance to do well next year.

It will be much better for me to test in two weeks’ time and know where I’m standing. Otherwise you’d be all winter just guessing and believing the numbers and just hoping the numbers will be good. As I said, there’s huge motivation in the team I’m joining and I’m motivated very much for the new challenge, so I think it should be okay.

Q. What are your impressions of the new circuit?

RK: I think it’s a different style of circuit. If we talk just about the circuit it’s difficult to say because I have not driven it, but it looks interesting, although I think there are two different parts. What is interesting is the the practically free long straightlines where you will reach 300 or over or just under and then heavy breaking. And then you go on the other part with low-speed corners so you have to try to have downforce but also a good top speed. Around the circuit is nice, but to be honest, I don’t know what’s going on around. Everything is new so it’s looking good.

Q. Do you think this is going to become one of the “real” tracks?

RK: I think real tracks are where you pay for your mistakes. I haven’t driven here so I cannot say. I’m a big fan of street circuits so you can imagine the more run-off area you give me, the less I like it. But they are safer, so you have to find the best balance. Everything is nice until there’s accidents. Once there’s an accident you prefer to have more run-off area, so that’s why I’m saying the balance is the most important thing.

Q. What is your feeling knowing that your current team may not be in F1 next year?

RK: For sure I’m concentrating on the race, but knowing that the situation for many people in the team… That’s why I say I’m very happy to be well placed for the future, because I understand that most of the people their future is still uncertain. For sure it’s not nice for them and not nice for me, because I have worked with them for four years with the same people, so your relationship gets closer.

You’d like to see them on the grid. I hope we will see them on the grid. Maybe not all of them because even if the Sauber team continues there will be not as many people as we have now. But I hope they will continue and I hope all the people working at BMW Sauber they will get a job they like.

Q. What would you like Jean Todt to do for F1 as FIA president?

RK: To be honest, I don’t know exactly what’s the president’s job for Formula 1, so it’s difficult to talk about something I don’t know. I believe he will do a good job for general motorsport, because we are talking here about Formula 1, but motorsport is not only Formula 1. Motorsport is much bigger than Formula 1, and a lot of people is this paddock are forgetting the lower categories. But I believe he will do a good job.

Q. You are a big rally fan. Sebastien Loeb was hoping to race here, but it wasn’t possible. Would you like to see him in F1?

RK: First of all congratulations for another world championship for him. It was a close battle. I think it would not be easy for him. I think it would be a very nice challenge, and a nice opportunity, because if I was asked to do the opposite I would enjoy it. Of course I wouldn’t go there to compete at the top.

He knew he would not compete to win, that’s for sure. His approach would be the same as if I do rallying: just enjoy it, take it as a nice challenge and try to do your best, but without any targets. I believe he would struggle because racing is different than rallying, but it’d be the same if an F1 driver goes to rallying.

Reference: Autosport

Double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso ‘will be missed enormously’ at Renault, Bob Bell has admitted as the Spaniard’s last race with the French manufacturer approaches in Abu Dhabi this weekend – but the incoming Robert Kubica will prove to be ‘of the same calibre’ as the driver who has delivered the team the lion’s share of its success in recent years.

Alonso will depart Renault at the end of the campaign to switch camps to Ferrari following no fewer than two drivers’ titles, 17 grand prix victories, 16 pole positions and 41 podium finishes with the Enstone-based outfit, and the man from Oviedo will be replaced by current BMW-Sauber star and former Canadian Grand Prix-winner Robert Kubica.

Whilst Alonso’s absence will naturally be keenly felt, acting Renault F1 team principal and technical director Bell is confident that the Pole will be more than capable of taking up the mantle of de facto number one.

“He’s made a huge contribution to the team – especially winning two world championships in 2005 and 2006 – so he will be missed enormously,” confessed the Ulsterman. “It’s often said that he is the best driver on the grid and I wouldn’t disagree with that, so we’re understandably sad to see the end of our very successful relationship.

“We’re also looking forward, though, and we’re all delighted to be welcoming Robert Kubica to the team as I believe he will quickly show that he is of the same calibre as Fernando. He’s a strong team player, a great motivator and incredibly quick so we have plenty to look forward to as we enter a new era for the team.”

Before that happens, of course, Renault and Alonso have one final race together – the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, to be held around the eagerly-anticipated, all-new, anti-clockwise Yas Marina street circuit – and following a disappointing outing at Interlagos, Bell admits that a strong result, and ideally a podium, will be keenly-sought as F1 gets set to enter the twilight zone.

“It was very frustrating to lose Fernando from the race through no fault of his own,” the 51-year-old mused of the opening lap Brazilian Grand Prix contretemps that claimed Alonso as its innocent victim, “although we have to be grateful that he didn’t have a bigger accident with the Force India. We also have to be grateful that we didn’t get incinerated on the pit wall as we felt the heat from the fireball in the pit-lane!

“Romain [Grosjean] simply didn’t have the pace in the early part of the race as he wasn’t happy with the grip of the car, which cost him a lot of ground. The weekend didn’t meet our expectations, especially as we lost our advantage over BMW and we now face an uphill struggle to beat them in the final race.

“I think all the teams enjoy visiting a new country, though, and a new track always has a modern infrastructure with so much space available for the mechanics and engineers. It remains to be seen how good the circuit will be in terms of the action it produces, but from what I’ve seen so far it seems the organisers have done an excellent job. As a team we enjoy the challenge of a new track, and we will be ready to exploit any advantage we can.

“It would be great to get Romain and Fernando through to Q3 in qualifying, so that we have some reasonable starting positions for the race. We want to be challenging for points and even the podium, which is a realistic target considering the performance level we have already demonstrated this season.”

Those sentiments are echoed by Renault F1 chief engineer Alan Permane – the man widely believed to have been the mystery ‘Witness X’ in the ‘Singapore-gate’ race-fixing scandal that very nearly led to the car maker being expelled from the top flight – who predicts a unique challenge when the circus takes to the track around the 5.55km, Hermann Tilke-designed track.

“We usually begin our preparations about two months ahead of the race,” he explained, “which is when we receive a detailed map showing the layout and characteristics of the circuit. This gives us an idea of the set-up we will need in terms of the downforce levels and the demands on the brakes and the engine. We then feed the circuit map into our computers to create a virtual circuit, where we can run simulations with a computer model of our car. This allows us to evaluate many different set-up options, which can be easily changed to help us work out a good base set-up.

“Once we have arrived at the circuit and run the car in free practice, we will send the real circuit data back to the factory, which can be used to run more accurate simulations. The logged data from Friday practice can also be used on our chassis dynamics rig to explore the ride characteristics of the circuit and can reveal improvements to the damping or perhaps to the spring rates. Any suggestions from the factory for improving the set-up of the car usually come through by the end of Friday, so that we can try them on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying.

“There are a couple of reasonably long straights, but it does look like it will be quite stop-start – a bit like the street circuit in Valencia. In terms of downforce, it will be on the higher side, although we won’t run maximum downforce settings because of the long straights where straight-line speed will be important. There are a lot of right-angled corners, but it’s difficult to predict the impact this will have on car set-up as it depends on the layout of the curbs. That’s one thing we will examine during our track walk.

“What we do know already is that the drivers will want a car that is biased towards traction, as the circuit doesn’t have high-speed changes of direction, which would require a stiffer car set-up. To aid good traction from the low-speed corners, we will aim to give the drivers a softer rear end. In terms of braking, our simulations have shown it to be similar to Valencia and Melbourne, so it’s by no means an easy circuit on the brakes, but it’s not as tough as Monza.

“I agree with Fernando that turns eleven, twelve and 13 will be interesting and certainly worth a lot of lap time. Drivers always enjoy the high-speed corners, but most of the gains can be found in these low-speed corners where you spend the most time. With this in mind, turns five, six and seven will also be a section of the lap where the car needs to work well so we can maximise the gains in lap time.”

Reference: crash.net

Sei que estou meio (para não dizer muito) atrasado ao postar isso por aqui.

No GP do Brasil de Formula 1 tudo aparentemente corria a favor do piloto brasileiro Rubens Barrichello, com um treino classificatório que durou mais que normal devido às constantes e pesadas chuvas no sábado em São Paulo. Barrichello conseguiu a pole, seus adversários diretos Button e Vettel estavam no final do grid (uma ótima vantagem).

A corrida começou e com menos de 2 voltas já tinha Safety Car na pista, isso favoreceu muito quem estava atrás. Button percebeu que aquela era a chance dele e foi com tudo em busca de posições melhores.

Com um pneu furado no final Barrichello teve de voltar aos boxes para poder trocar o pneu. Com isso Button garantiu a ele o titulo mundial como piloto e a equipe Brawn o mundial de construtores. A corrida parecida focada nos pilotos da Brawn (não é por menos já que o titulo mundial estava em disputa), mas não se pode esquecer de atuações como a de Kubica, Hamilton e Raikkonen que fizeram uma corrida excepcional.

E não posso esquecer do estreante na Toyota, Kobayashi) que terminou na nona colocação e mostrou aos substitutos desse ano como ser um piloto substituto), que deu um show para a torcida em Interlagos.

A mídia e muitas pessoas davam como certa a vitoria de Barrichello e uma grande chance para ser campeão mundial, mas terminou a corrida em 3º no mundial atrás do alemão (sempre atrás do alemão) Sebastian Vettel com quem ele disputa a segunda colocação do mundial.

E com isso aos especuladores e mais otimistas que uma pole pode ajudar e muito, mas não garante a vitoria mesmo com o(s) rival (ais) no final do grid.

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.

Button is the champion
Em Interlagos, Button é o novo campeão da F1

Foto: Reuters

Ver uma animada torcida de Fórmula 1 gritar o nome de Rubinho após uma pole position ousada e heróica foi o suficiente para encher o Brasil de orgulho. Barrichello viu Button ficar no Q2 e largar em décimo quarto e manteve a esperança no título ou pelo menos na vitória diante de sua torcida. Ver uma largada perfeita e volta após volta fazer o melhor tempo e abrindo vantagem do segundo colocado não foi o suficiente para que o brasileiro mantivesse a ponta e terminasse a prova melhor que o companheiro de equipe, Button, novo campeão da F1.

A chuva alagou o circuito no treino de sábado, fez dele emocionante. Na corrida não havia nada mais que apenas nuvens carregadas, o jeito foi engolir à seco mais um título inglês e um pódio sem brasileiros. Mark Webber venceu a corrida, Kubica e Hamilton também subiram ao pódio para completar a festa dos coadjuvantes.

Campeã de construtoras logo no ano de estréia e com a possibilidade de deixar dobradinha no ranking dos pilotos consolida a BrawnGP como uma nova potência da F1. E por falar em consolidação, o pequeno Sebastian Vettel, agora, entra na lista dos favoritos. A RBR ganha com isso.

Para que Button e Ross Brawn chegassem a glória em 2009, muitos nomes tiveram de decepcionar o rol de favoritos. A Ferrari não saiu do provisório a temporada correu e a máquina vermelha de Raikkonen foi mero figurante no combate entre Brawn e RBR. Boa parte desta frustração foi prenunciada com os erros grotescos acometidos no ano passado que por fim podaram o triunfo de Felipe Massa.

Lewis Hamilton e a McLaren não conseguiram assustar ninguém nesta temporada, quando o queridinho da McLaren começou a pontuar pra valer, Button, inconteste, já havia ganhado seis corridas. Fora os tantos fracassos da escuderia somados este ano.

Quem não está mais com nada são os carros da Renault, estão na frente apenas de STR e Force índia, e acredito que mais três GP’s os fariam perder mais uma posição. Após o caso Nelsinho x Briatore, a equipe francesa vive declínio dentro e fora das pistas. A recuperação até é visionada. Kubica e Lucas di Grassi pode ser a dupla de pilotos da Renault para o ano que vem, mas a garantia virá com os resultados, dentro da pista.

Por fim, a campanha vitoriosa de Button foi projetada bem mais na insuficiência dos adversários, o mérito foi o aproveitamento e a regularidade, ao contrário da campanha de Hamilton em 2007. Um exemplo foi o GP do Brasil. Michael Schummacher já largou algumas vezes da 14ª colocação, de lá ele fazia corridas emocionantes, ultrapassagem por ultrapassagem até chegar na zona de pontuação ou até pódio. Button em Interlagos até foi versátil em algumas ultrapassagens, mas ganhou mais posições nas batidas de carros que o intermediava.

Os ventos do Brasil sopraram bonança na terra da Rainha mais ume vez. As nuvens carregadas impediram a chuva, agora, Interlagos guarda o nome Button em uma galeria de campeões ao som do clássico We are the champions. Pra Rubinho a temporada o devolveu por completo à competitividade, já que ele, perto da aposentadoria estava longe também dos históricos segundos lugares.

Foto: AP

Felipe Massa não pode entrar de vez nos duelos deste ano, quando começou a trilhar os caminhos da reação, um terrível acidente em Budapeste deixou-o inativo para competir. A velocidade da recuperação do acidente confirmou e configurou o acontecido em um milagre. A salvo coberto pela precaução dos médicos, ele não se afastou da orquestra sonora dos motores. No Brasil foi o grande convidado de honra de que deu a bandeirada final.

Por Wiliam Amorim

Festa da BawnGP: Título merecido

E foi como eu havia profetizado aqui num post passado. Jenson Button saiu de Interlagos como o novo campeão mundial de F1 e a BrawnGP leva o título de Construtores. E olha que depois daquele demorado treino de sábado, com a pole de Rubinho e Button em 14º, eu já havia ficado com dúvidas sobre minhas previsões. Mas depois de ver o peso dos carros e saber que a corrida seria em pista seca…

Foi merecido o título, já que Buttom dominou o início do campeonato de forma arrasadora, vencendo seis das sete corridas do início do ano, manteve a distância para os adversários na tabela de classificação e ontem voltou a ser um piloto agressivo, fez uma ótima corrida e contou com ajuda dos adversários, que se envolveram em confusões.

Já o rendimento da Brawn do Barrichello derrubou o brasileiro neste domingo. Foi bem no início da prova, manteve a liderança depois da entrada do safety car, mas teria que abrir distância maior para Webber. Depois da sua primeira parada ele perdeu rendimento, acho que por problemas nos pneus. Depois da segunda parada voltou a ter um bom rendimento, mas logo teve que parar por um problema na roda traseira, pneu furado. Muito azar para um cara só, que só ganharia se o tempo fosse igual ao de sábado, com chuva.

Barrichello: problemas sem fim com os pneus

Com o problema do brasileiro e um carro muito superior ao dos rivais, Mark Webber venceu o Grande Prêmio do Brasil sem maiores problemas. A Red Bull esta sobrando nesta reta final. Tanto que Vettel fez uma excelente prova e chegou em quarto, depois de largar bem lá atrás. Kubica ficou em segundo, com Hamilton em terceiro, que também fez grande corrida.

Mark Webber: Venceu sem maiores problemas

A corrida em si teve um início muito eletrizante, com acidentes, brigas interessantes, toques entre os pilotos, safety car, fogo nos boxes. Mas depois foi perdendo fôlego, mas não que tenha ficado ruim, muito pelo contrário, e Kobayashi me manteve entretido. Foi um dos melhores na corrida, ultrapassando Kimi Raikonnen (!) com valentia, brigou com Button, com Nakajima, que acabou batendo na sua traseira… Foi bem esse japinha. Na verdade, foi a melhor estreia entre aqueles que entraram no meio da temporada e que não mostraram nada até agora. Fala aí Koba:

“Foi uma corrida bem difícil pra mim, na verdade. No começo eu estava bem, com várias disputas e meu carro estava muito bom. Mas aí parei, mudei os pneus e o carro mudou muito, talvez até pela minha falta de experiência. Eu tinha chances totais de marcar pontos hoje, mas não deu. Estou desapontado, mas no geral até que estou feliz”, declarou.

Para quem não sabe, Kobayashi terminou a temporada da GP2 em 16º, com 13 pontos, 16 a menos do que o companheiro de Dams, Járôme D’Ambrosio.

Kobayashi sendo seguido por Button: grande corrida de estréia

Outro que fez boa corrida foi Kimi Raikonnen, que no início da prova teve que fazer uma parada, caindo para último e chegou em 6º.

Que venha o amistoso de Abu Dhabi.

1. Mark Webber – Red Bull, 1h32:23,081
2. Robert Kubica – BMW, + 7,626
3. Lewis Hamilton – McLaren, + 18,944
4. Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull, + 19,652
5. Jenson Button – Brawn, + 29,005
6. Kimi Räikkönen – Ferrari, + 33,340
7. Sebastien Buemi – Toro Rosso, + 35,991
8. Rubens Barrichello – Brawn, + 45,454
9. Heikki Kövalainen – McLaren, + 48,499
10. Kamui Kobayashi – Toyota, + 1:03.324
11. Giancarlo Fisichella – Ferrari, + 1:10.665
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi – Force India, + 1:11.388
13. Romain Grosjean – Renault, + 1 volta
14. Jaime Alguersuari – Toro Rosso, + 1 volta

Não completaram:

Kazuki Nakajima – Williams
Nico Rosberg – Williams
Nick Heidfeld – BMW
Adrian Sutil – Force India
Jarno Trulli – Toyota
Fernando Alonso – Renault

.

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! =)

Jenson Button is in hot pursuit of Kimi Raikkonen.

Places:

1) Webber

2) Vettel

3) Kubica

4) Barrichello

5) Hamilton

6) Raikkonen

7) Button

Buemi

Rosberg’s exit caused by transmission blow. (36/71)

Es grenzt schon ans Peinliche wenn Fahrer (oder ihre Manager … oder beide) um diese Jahreszeit Sätze von sich geben wie „ich habe nichts unterschrieben“ oder „Ich habe noch keinen Vertrag“. Wen wollt ihr eigentlich damit auf den Arm nehmen, Jungs? OK, zugegeben, gelogen habe sie damit nicht direkt. Die rechtlichen Hürden in dem gesamten Ablauf, der den meisten Journalisten scheinbar gar nicht klar ist, lässt eine solche Aussage durchaus zu. Auch wenn schon alles klar ist. Ich dachte mir, ich könnte ja einmal beginnen das Formel 1-Fahrerkarussell-Wörterbuch für Dummies zu erstellen.

Ich finde es schon bemerkenswert, dass einige in der Formel 1 tätige Kollegen noch immer nicht gecheckt haben, wie das da so vor sich geht. Ich kann mich nur zu gut erinnern was nach meinem Post am 29. Juli los war, als ich hier sieben Wochen vor sämtlichen deutschsprachigen Fachmedien verriet, dass der Ferrari/Alonso-Deal perfekt ist.

Die Kollegen bestürmten daraufhin in der Renault-Hospitality am Wochenende des Grand Prix von Spanien und befragten Flavio Briatore dazu. Und Flav hat, was sollte man auch anderes erwarten, den Nerv zu behaupten, er habe keine Kenntnis von einem Vertrag zwischen Ferrari und Fernando Alonso, also jenem Fahrer, den er von jeher in der F1 managt. Wers gegglaubt hat…

Das ist eben der Unterschied zwischen dem herumgerate der Spesenritter unter den F1-Berichterstattern und investigativem Journalismus von Insidern – mit den richtigen Handynummern. Die Zeiten, als man unbedingt vor Ort sein musste, um zu erfahren was hinter den Kulissen gespielt wird, sind längst vorbei.

Hier also ein paar „Übersetzungen“ zu den gängigstenen Phrasen der „Silly Season“:

„Der Soundso hat das Zeug zum Weltmeister“ = … weil ich dann einen Haufen Kohle mit dem Kerl mache.

„Es dreht sich immer nur um Geld“ = Man mir etwas ( ZIEMLICH VIEL ! ) dafür bezahlt, dass ich nicht mehr auf die Einhaltung meines Vertrags poche.

„Ich bin enttäuscht“ = diese verdammten Bastarde!

„Ich habe nirgends unterzeichnet“ = Das Team, für das ich ab 2010 fahren werde, und ich sind uns in allen Details einig geworden und warten jetzt darauf, dass wir den Vertrag von der Contract Recognition Board zurück bekommen, damit wir ihn unterzeichnen können.

„es sind weitere interessante Optionen aufgetaucht“ = Tourenwagenfahrer, Hobbygärtner, dass mir ein paar Muskelpakete beide breche, wenn ich dem Vorhaben ihres Chefs in die Quere komme…

„Ich habe Soundso gefragt und er sagte es sei noch nichts unterzeichnet“ = Ihr könnt nachher den einen Lügner schimpfen, mich aber nicht.

„Wir haben miteinander verhandelt“ = Ich habe ihn heute morgen am Eingang getroffen und „hallo“ gesagt

„Wir verhandeln noch“ = Ich habe ihn nochmal getroffen und nochmal „hallo“ gesagt.

„Es wurde noch keine Entscheidung getroffen“ = Es wurde noch keine Entscheidung darüber getroffen, wann wir euch etwas von dem verraten, was längst beschlossen ist.

„Wir warten noch auf Soundsos Entscheidung“ = Wir stehen auf seiner/deren Prioritätsliste ganz unten

„Es wird dazu bald eine Verlautbarung geben“ = Die Rechtsanwälte schicken sich noch immer Entwürfe zu

und mein heimlicher Favorit:

„Das ist doch nur Spekulation“ = Wie kannst du es wagen das der Öffentlichkeit bekannt zugeben, ohne dass wir das ausdrücklich erlaubt haben?????

Der hier gefällt mir auch gut, auch wenn es nichts mit der „Silly Season“ zu tun hat, sondern einfach nur „silly“ in sich ist:

„Soundso wusste sehr wohl darüber (Crashgate) Bescheid = Ich wusste es auch… und war auch zu feige VORHER die Klappe aufzureissen

Noch Vorschläge?

It’s bordering to the ridiculous when a driver (or a manager … or both) say „there’s nothing signed“ or „I got no contract“ at this time of the year. Who do you think you’re kidding, dude? OK, admittedly they don’t even have to lie to say that. That’s because of the legal procedures even most journos aren’t aware of. So here’s the Formula 1 silly season dictionary for dummies to help everyone a bit lost between what you’ve read here and what drivers (or managers) keep saying.

Funny to see that a lot of journalists in a Formula 1 paddock still don’t seem to get to grips with how things work in there this time of the year and are easily satisfied with any comment they can get about the latest rumour. I remember well what happened in the aftermath of my post on the 29th of July, revealing that the Ferarri/Alonso deal is done. My fellow coleagues stormed the Renault Hospitality during the weekend of the Spanish GP at Valencia and quizzed Flavio Briatore about it. And Flav, of course, duly replied he had no knowledge of a contract between Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, the driver he used to manage. Yeah, right.

That’s the difference between seasoned insiders – with the right mobile numbers – and „F1 travel journalism“. You don’t actually need to be there. It’s far more important who you know to put things into perspective. So here’s some „translations“ for common F1 silly season phrases:

„Soandso is going to be a World Champion one day = … because that’s what I need to happen to cash in

„It’s all about money“ = I got some ( A LOT ! ) to forget about insisting on my contract.

„I’m disappointed“ = Those effing bastards!

„I haven’t signed anything“ = We, the team I’m going to drive for from 2010 on and I, have agreed on absolutely everything in detail and are waiting for the contract to be returned by the Contract Recognition Board so we can finally sign it

„Some interesting options have come up“ = tin tops, gardening, some thugs breaking both of my legs if I get into the way of what their bosses want to se happen…

„I’ve asked soandso and he said nothing has been signed“ = Call soandso a liar later on but not me.

„We’ve been talking“ = I came past him this morning at the gate in the paddock and said „hello“

„We’re still talking“ = I came past him again at the gate in the paddock and said „hello“ again.

„There’s no decision on that“ = There’s no decision on when we’re going to tell you what has long been decided

„We’re waiting on soandso’s answer“ = We’re on the bottom of his/their priority list

„An anouncement is expected soon“ = The lawyers are still sending drafts back and forth

and my favourite:

„It’s just speculation“ = how dare you to publicise something we didn’t allow you to do so?????

Another good one, that admittedly has got nothing to do with F1’s silly season, but is worth mentioning for just being plain silly:

„soandso knew all about (Crashgate) and didn’t tell“ = So did I and I was too chicken to blow the whistle, too

13. oktober 1996 – Damon Hill sichert sich mit einem Sieg beim Grand Prix von Japan endlich den lang erwarteten WM-Titel und wird von Michael Schumacher und Mika Häkkinen auf dem Podest in Suzuka der “Weltmeister-Taufe” unterzogen. Williams-Teamkollege und Herausforderer Jacques Villeneuve muss sich mit dem Vizetitel zufrieden geben, nachdem sich in der 36. Runde ein Rad seine Williams-Renault verselbstständigt hatte.

13/10/1899, Piero Dusio wird geboren in Scurzolengo, Asti, Italien.

Der Vorkriegs-Rennfahrer Piero Dusio war der Gründer der Marke Cisitalia, deren kleine und flinke Renner mit der Typbezeichnung D46 war ein Erfolg unter Amateur-Racern. Der auf dem Porsche basierende Grand Prix-Rennwagen Tipo 360 war dagegen ein weit weniger guter Wurf. Der Italiener selbst war bis ins Reife Alter hinterm Lenkrad seiner Erzeugnisse zu finden. Im Alter von 52 Jahren unternahm er noch einen Versuch einen Cisitalia D46 für den GP von Italien 1952 zu qualifizieren.

Born: 13th of October 1899 in Scurzolengo d’Asti, Italien;
Died: 7th of November 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, im Alter von 76 Jahren.

13/10/1943, Peter Sauber wird geboren in Zürich, Schweiz.

Als Konstrukteur und Rennfahrer in Personalunion schaffte es Peter Sauber zum Schweizer Sportwagen-Meister und gründete dann, zum Bau weiterer Rennwangen, die Sauber Rennsport AG. Der zielstrebige Eidgenosse schafft es bis zum werksunterstützten Sportwagenbauer, die als Sauber-Mercedes eingesetzten Renner gewinnen das 24-Stunden-Rennen von Le Mans und die Langstrecken-WM gewonnen. 1993 dann der Einstige in die Formel 1, ein schwieriger und mit vielen Hürden versehener Weg. Doch Sauber etabliert sich mit harter Arbeit und seriösem Auftritt. Nach Achtungserfolgen seines Rennstalls in fast 12 Jahren in der Topliga, verkauft Peter Sauber verkaufte sein Formel 1-Team am 22. Juni 2005 an BMW, für sein Lebenswerk wurde er am 14. Januar 2006 zum Schweizer des Jahres 2005 gewählt. Grosse Freude, als sich BMW entschliesst den Namen in der Teambezeichnung weiterleben zu lassen. Und noch grössere Freude, als Robert Kubica beim Grand Prix von Kanada den ersten Sieg holt, dem ersten eines in der Schweiz ansässigen Rennstalls, den ersten für BMW als Konstrukteur.

13/10/1949, Patrick Marie Ghislain Pierre Simon Stanislas Nève de Mévergnies wird geboren in Liège, Belgien.

Patrick Nève debütierte am 16. Mai 1976 in der Formel 1 und nahm an 13 Grands Prix teil. In Deutschland wurde der Belgier als vorgesehener Fahrer für kurzlebige F1-Projekt von Willi Kauhsen bekannt.

13/10/1944, Jean Trémoulet stirbt.

Bevor Jean Trémoulet sich selbst hinter das Lenkrad eines Rennboliden klemmen durfte, war er zunächst beifahrender Mechaniker bei den Einsätzen seines Freundes Eugenè Chaboud als Delahaye-Werksfahrer. Als Fahrerduo gewannen die beiden Kumpels gar dei 1938er Ausgabe der 24 Stunden von Le Mans. Im Krieg wurde Trémoulet zum Widerstandskämpfer und verunglückte während einer Mission bei einem Motorradunfall tödlich.

Geboren: 12. April 1909 in Vézac, Frankreich;
Verstorben: 13. Oktober 1944 in Sagelat, Frankreich.

13/10/1981, Philippe Étancelin wird geboren in Rouen, Frankreich.

Étancelin begann seine Rennkarriere 1926 auf Bugatti und verblüffte mit dem Sieg beim Grand Prix von Frankreich in Reims. eine weitere Sternstunde erlebte “Phi-Phi”, so sein Spitzname, als er 1934 gemeinsam mit Luigi Chinetti die 24 Stunden von Le Mans gewann. Als 1950 die Formel 1 eingeführt wurde, war Étancelin mit von der, meist auf privat gemeldeten Gefährten, und ging bei 12 Grands Prix an den Start.

Geboren: 28. Dezember 1896 in Rouen, France;
Verstorben: 13. Oktober 1981 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Frankreich, im Alter von 84 Jahren.

Claro que não poderíamos de citar as notícias que bombaram hoje durante todo o dia. A mais falada é a confirmação de Kubica na Renault. Bom para a Renault e não posso dizer o mesmo para ele, pois a equipe dependerá de uma série de fatores para melhorar o desempenho de seus carros, que neste ano foram uma grande bomba, sem contar os motores que são um dos mais fracos do grid. Mas a questão dos motores já é outro assunto. Ainda não se sabe quem será o segundo piloto para o ano que vem.

E por falar nisso, tem gente apostanto que Kimi iria para a Red Bull. Foi o mesmo passarinho que me contou em agosto a história de Kubica na Renault.

O outro assunto é a confirmação do pedido oficial de Felipe Massa, solicitando a sua participação no último GP desta temporada, em Abu Dhabi. Além disso, Felipe Massa aceitou o pedido de dar a bandeirada no Gp do Brasil.

E por falar em Abu Dhabi, o circuito foi oficialmente vistoriado e liberado para a corrida.

Abraços e até amanhã

Robert Kubica será piloto da Renault em 2010. O piloto polaco e a equipa francesa anunciaram hoje [7/10/2009] a ligação, que ambos esperam ser recheada de sucessos.

As indicações dos últimos dias já davam quase como certa a passagem de Robert Kubica para a Renault, para ocupar o lugar deixado vago por Fernando Alonso, embora a Toyota também tenha tentado assinar com o actual piloto da BMW Sauber para 2010. Contudo, concretizaram-se as expectativas e Robert Kubica será mesmo piloto da Renault em 2010.

Bob Bell, director da Renault, afirmou que “Desde o Robert fez a sua estreia na F1 em 2006 que ele tem estado sob o nosso radar, sendo um dos pilotos mais talentosos da sua geração e ele cumpriu essa promessa pelo que é óptimo tê-lo num dos nossos carros na próxima temporada”.

Bob Bell disse também que “A Renault tem grandes ambições e esperanças para o futuro da equipa e sentimos que o Roebrt pode desempenhar um papel importante na sua concretização”.

Robert Kubica também está optimista, e referiu que “Estou muito contente por me juntar à Renault para 2010. Sinto que tenho uma ligação especial com esta equipa porque em 2005 venci a World Series by Renault. Isso deu-me a oportunidade de testar com a equipa em Barcelona, o que levou à minha estreia na Fórmula 1. Partilho com a Renault uma mentalidade vencedora e sinto-me confortável com a sua atitude amigável e aberta”.

Robert Kubica disse estar “altamente motivado e optimista de que juntos poderemos estar na frente no próximo ano e lutar pelo título”.

fonte (texto): http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/77484

imagem em: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79319