Ross Brawn e Nicky Fry não ficaram muito contentes por terem ‘perdido’ Jenson Button para a McLaren.

Depois de muito esticarem a corda no que a dinheiro diz respeito, viram o piloto que se sagrou Campeão do Mundo de F1 em 2009,  rumar à McLaren-Mercedes, que tem agora na sua equipa os dois últimos Campeões do Mundo:

Em declarações ao “Daily Express”, Ross Brawn mostrou-se decepcionado: “Fiquei muito desiludido pela forma como tudo se processou com o Jenson.”, referiu lacónico. Já Nick Fry, em declarações ao “Daily Mirror”, foi mais ‘explícito’: “Eu e o Ross fomos ingénuos, pois esperávamos lealdade, que não tivemos. Vamos ver se ele tomou uma boa decisão ou se por outro lado cometeu um erro estúpido. Vamos ver no próximo ano. A proposta era boa, e maior que os valores que foram divulgados que ele vai receber da McLaren, pelo que estamos surpresos com a decisão.”, referiu.

[Fonte: autosport.aeiou.pt]

O inglês Lewis Hamilton reagiu positivamente e comemorou a chegada do seu compatriota Jenson Button à McLaren, sua casa há três temporadas.

A equipa britânica anunciou a dupla de pilotos totalmente inglesa esta quarta-feira, após Button não ter conseguido chegar a um acordo para renovação do seu contrato com Ross Brawn, agora chefe de equipa da Mercedes GP.

“É uma notícia fantástica que Jenson decidiu juntar-se à McLaren – e estou ansioso para trabalhar com ele e com os nossos engenheiros para assegurar que começaremos a temporada 2010 com um carro que é competitivo o bastante para vencer o campeonato.”, iniciou Lewis.

“Já conheço Jenson, e vamo-nos dar bem. Nós queremos que a nossa equipa se dê bem. Apesar de forçarmos um ao outro, estou certo de que rapidamente estabeleceremos um óptimo relacionamento. Ele é um piloto excepcional: muito controlado e muito suave, e tem uma profundidade real de conhecimento e experiência. Acho que nos complementamos muito bem, e a nossa colaboração fará a equipa ainda mais forte. Também, estou feliz em correr ao lado de um companheiro britânico campeão mundial, e acredito que poderemos fazer a McLaren a melhor equipa do pelotão.”

“Estou certo de que Jenson já começou a apreciar a cultura única da nossa equipa e a atmosfera especialmente familiar que faz dela um lugar incrível para se viver e trabalhar. Somos realmente como uma grande família – estou certo de que Jenson sentirá isto desde o primeiro dia.”, concluiu.

[Fonte: portalf1.com]

Jenson Button will move to McLaren-Mercedes next season to join compatriot and fellow world champion Lewis Hamilton, the team has confirmed.

The announcement of a multi-year deal between Button and McLaren follows weeks of feverish speculation about the champion’s future, which was heightened when he paid a visit to the McLaren factory last week.

“It’s always a difficult decision to leave a team when you’ve been there for so long,” said Button. “But life is all about challenges – and, most important of all, it’s about challenging yourself.

“So, although I won the world championship with Brawn GP last year, and I’ll never forget that, I was always adamant that I wanted to continue to set myself fresh challenges.

“So that’s why I’ve decided to join Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. You can’t help but be affected by this team’s phenomenal history. McLaren is one of the greats of world sport, and its achievements and list of past champions read like a Who’s Who of Formula 1 – Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and of course my new team-mate Lewis Hamilton. I’ve followed the McLaren team ever since I was a small boy, and it feels unbelievable to finally be a part of it.

“When I visited the McLaren Technology Centre earlier this month, it wasn’t simply the technical resources and the incredible standards of excellence that impressed me. No, I was equally struck by the ambition, the motivation and the winning spirit that flow through everybody there. And then there’s the team’s epic history: put it this way, the trophy cabinets seem to stretch for miles.

“From a personal point of view, it’s also a great pleasure to be joining a fellow British World Champion. Lewis has achieved an incredible level of success in a very short period of time, and he’s a wonderfully gifted driver who has earned the respect of every Formula 1 driver. I’m sure there’s plenty that we can learn from each other, and I’m really looking forward to using our combined knowledge to push the team forward.”

Although Button was initially expected to remain with the Brawn team that took him to the 2009 title, talks with Ross Brawn’s squad reached an impasse over the issue of Button’s salary. The Briton had taken a pay cut to help the team when Honda’s exit left it in a delicate financial position, but now sought a wage increase having clinched the championship – and given that Brawn’s finances would become more healthy following its takeover by Mercedes-Benz.

McLaren had originally lined up Kimi Raikkonen to fill its second seat, but these talks also broke down during pay discussions, leading to Raikkonen’s decision to take a year off from Formula 1 next year, and leaving the way clear for Button to take the vacant McLaren drive as he was unable to agree a suitable deal with Brawn and Mercedes.

Button’s move ends a seven year relationship with his previous team, which he joined when it was still known as BAR in 2003, and stayed with through its difficult seasons under Honda ownership prior to this year’s fairytale success.

Nico Rosberg is expected to be announced as Mercedes’ lead driver for its new works F1 assault with the erstwhile Brawn team, with Nick Heidfeld linked to the second seat.

Have your say and share your views in the comments  – get writing now…

Reference Source:Autosport.com

Mercedes-Benz has announced that it has bought a controlling stake in the recently-crowned Formula 1 champions Brawn GP and re-named it Mercedes Grand Prix.

World champion Jenson Button is closing on a switch to McLaren-Mercedes in a deal that should be completed later this week.

The 29-year-old Briton is understood to have emerged as a McLaren target after negotiations to bring Kimi Raikkonen back to the team stalled over pay demands.

A report in The Guardian on Tuesday said that following a visit to the team’s Woking base last week, further negotiations have taken place.

Sources have confirmed to AUTOSPORT that while no deal has yet been signed, Button is likely to commit to the team within the next few days.

It is understood that the deal has not yet been agreed by Button, although with little hope of remaining at the rebranded Mercedes Grand Prix team, it is unlikely that he would turn down the chance to join one of the most successful teams in the history of the sport.

Button had been negotiating a new Brawn deal since early in the season, with talks intensifying after he clinched the world championship in the Brazilian Grand Prix on October 18.

But the team was unwilling to offer more than a £4 million a year deal, around half of what Button’s management is asking. Despite Mercedes taking over the team, chief executive officer Nick Fry emphasised that nothing had changed in the Button discussions.

“I’m sorry to say, it’s not going to change anything,” Fry told the BBC.

“We’re running with a budget that is probably less than most of the others have spent and that’s what Mercedes likes. In these financially constrained times, you do have to tighten your belt.

“We’ve had discussions with Jenson on what we think is a sensible salary and this is not going to change anything in that respect.”

Button would partner Lewis Hamilton at the team, with Mercedes considering running an all-German driver line-up.

Mercedes Motorsport boss Norbert Haug admitted last weekend that Nick Heidfeld was a possible target, and the team is understood already to have signed Nico Rosberg.

Have your say and share your views in the comments  – get writing now…

Reference Source: Autosport.com

Mercedes Benz have announced that they have purchased a controlling 75% stake in the Brawn GP team.

The German automobile giant had been speculated with a move to Ross Brawn’s championship winning team, which it supplied engines too in 2009, since September and today’s announcement seeked to tidy up the paddock thoughts ahead of 2010 preparations.

It is now likely that Brawn, who won both titles in their maiden season, will be re-named Mercedes Benz Grand Prix however Ross Brawn will stay on as Team Principal alognside Norbert Haug of Mercedes Motorsport.

Mercedes Benz will also be pulling out of McLaren with the team having to buy back the 40% shares over 2 years, but remain with the German’s as an engine supplier until 2015.

Jenson Button is now set to go to McLaren to race alongside Lewis Hamilton, the Briton visited the factory earlier this week.  He claims not to be motivated by cash in the move, however his salary is likely to be greater than the £3.5million Brawn offered him.

With Nico Rosberg looking ever more likely to head to the new Mercedes GP team, Nick Heidfeld is a suprise team mate choice, Norberg Haug says he has held various meetings with the perennial underperformer ousted from BMW this season.

“We are speaking with Nick Heidfeld as well,” Haug told DPA.

“Mercedes-Benz supports the idea of signing an experienced and capable German driver. There is however no reason to finalise the driver situation too hastily.”

More news this evening.

With the Formula 1 season finished, BBC Sport will bring you a regular round-up of the gossip in newspapers and on specialist websites around the world.

Lewis Hamilton has revealed his immense pride at McLaren-Mercedes having transformed arguably the slowest car in the field to the fastest over just a matter of months – a feat he contends no other team would have been capable of achieving.
Full story: crash.net

N.Technology’s legal action against the FIA over the way that the process for the selection of the new teams for the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship has been unsuccessful after French courts rejected all of its claims.
Full story: autosport.com

Michael Schumacher has confessed that if he could have his record-breaking F1 career over again, he would “do some things differently” – most notably the highly controversial manner in which he tried and failed to snatch the 1997 drivers’ crown from Williams rival Jacques Villeneuve in the European Grand Prix finale.
Full story: crash.net

Internet giant Google has been ordered to pay $500,000 dollars in damages to Formula 1 racer Rubens Barrichello for hosting fake online profiles of him on its social network Orkut.
Agence France Presse

It has emerged that the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, held at iconic Spa-Francorchamps, made a loss of more than 5m Euros (£4.5m).
Full story: f1-live.com

Fernando Alonso is tipped to appear at Ferrari’s ‘World Finals’ event at the Valencia circuit this weekend.
Full story: F1-live.com

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost admits world rally champion Sebastian Loeb will need to spend more time behind the wheel of an F1 car if he wants to race in a grand prix.
Full story: planet-f1.com

Cosworth general manager of F1 Mark Gallagher is confident that the four new teams are on target to be on the grid at the start of the 2010 Formula 1 season.
Full story: autosport.com

Formula Two front-runner Mirko Bortolotti will join British Formula Three champion Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull reserve driver Brendon Hartley in testing for Toro Rosso next month.
Full story: F1-live.com

Reference: BBC F1 Sport

A novel driver line-up for next month’s rare Formula One test is taking shape. General end-of-season testing is banned, but three days for the purposes of “young driver training” in December are permitted according to the 2009 Sporting Regulations.

Only drivers with less than three races of F1 experience are eligible. The teams have decided to run at Jerez between 1-3 December.

Ferrari has allocated the days to the top three finishers in the Italian F3 championship: Daniel Zampieri and Marco Zipoli, and the Mexican teenager Pablo Sanchez Lopez.

Red Bull will run the British F3 champion Daniel Ricciardo and Brendon Hartley will be at the wheel of the Toro Rosso.

Williams confirmed this week that Andy Soucek will be driving on the first day as his prize for winning the F2 title, before the team’s 2010 race driver Nico Hulkenberg takes over.

BMW Sauber will be running with Formula BMW champions Alexander Rossi and Esteban Gutierrez.

Gary Paffett will test for McLaren Mercedes; while Toyota had been expected to run Kamui Kobayashi until the carmaker announced its immediate withdrawal from F1.

Renault will run the new World Series champion Bertrand Baguette as well as team test driver Lucas di Grassi.

Force India is expected to turn out at the Spanish circuit with the Indian hopeful Karun Chandhok.

Reference: f1-live.com

Si chiude finalmente ad Abu Dhabi questo mondiale travagliato di Formula 1. Travagliato per le infinite polemiche e colpi di mano sul controllo della Federazione, i regolamenti ambigui e regolamentati solo a campionato iniziato e le pessime prestazioni delle grandi scuderie. Ad Abu Dhabi si impone la Red Bull che conquista la quarta doppietta stagionale soprattutto grazie al ritiro inaspettato di Lewis Hamilton, anche se probabilmente Vettel avrebbe vinto lo stesso. La Red Bull termina una stagione esaltante, quasi sempre al vertice ed in lotta per il titolo mondiale, premiata in una scommessa da alcuni considerata azzardata (puntare tutto sull’areodinamica grazia al genio di Adrian Newey e sui giovani). Come azzardata era parsa l’interpretazione del regolamento da parte della vecchia Honda, riveltasi poi corretta (anche se al limite) e fondamentale per portare laa nuova BrawnGP a vincere titolo piloti e costruttori.

La stagione della McLaren invece si può descrivere in una parola: sfortunata! Da metà campionato in avanti si è sempre mostrata migliori di tutti (anche di BrawnGP e Red Bull) ma ha collezionato 2 vittorie ed un solo secondo posto in otto gare. Pur avendo un vettura nettamente superiore ha chiuso il campionato costruttori al terzo posto con un solo punto di vantaggio su una Ferrari allo sbando. La Ferrari che ad Abu Dhabi ha chiuso lontana dalla zona punti (Raikkonen dodicesimo e Fisichella sedicesimo) giustificandosi che lo sviluppo di questa vettura era stato bloccato già da diverso tempo, per concentrare risorse sulla vettura del prossimo anno. Per sua fortuna si chiude un anno disastroso, con la speranza che il prossimo porti con se una vettura migliore.

Per finire due parole sul circuito di Abu Dhabi: costruito in meno di due anni nella terra del petrolio, dal solito architetto Hermann Tilke, non è solo un circuito ma ospita amalgamati tra loro un parco divertimenti (ancora in costruzione), un hotel a 5 stelle e un museo interamente dedicato alla Ferrari (su una superfice immensa, coperta da un gigantesco tetto rosso su cui campeggia il cavallino rampante). Un circuito interessante, pensato per far iniziare la gara con la luce del sole e terminarla con luce artificiale e progettato per rendere magnifiche riprese televisive. Tuttavia la gara è stata una delle più noiose degli ultimi anni, nessun sorpasso (a parte Alonso su Kobayashi e la lotta finale tra Button e Webber) e poche emozioni. Un impianto notevole e un tracciato tecnicamente per nulla interessante. Peccato!

Comments on the Qualification

I really enjoyed this qualification. What an action and what a great circuit Yas Marina Circuit is!

Giancarlo Fisichello is very disappointing in his Ferrari, while Kimi Raikkonen did the best he could and got 11th. It’s a pitty for Force India with both cars on 17th and 18th. McLaren Mercedes shows they are still the best with Lewis Hamilton on pole, only a shame they didn’t do that in the first nine races. Red Bull Racing is going steady for 2nd in the championship with Sebastian Vettel on 2nd and Mark Webber on 3rd. BMW Sauber has both cars in the top ten. If this is the last race they contend, it’s a good result.

I look forward to the race this afternoon.

Results of the third qualification

Results of the second qualification

Results of the first qualification

Pictures of the Saturday Qualification

Pictures of the Saturday Practice

2009 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
SATURDAY POST-QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE – October 31, 2009
DRIVERS:
1. Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren Mercedes), 1m40.948s
2. Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull), 1m41.615s
3. Mark WEBBER (Red Bull), 1m41.726s
TV UNILATERALS
Q: Lewis, your fourth pole in seven races. You have been on fire here all weekend in Abu
Dhabi. Was it as easy as it looked?
Lewis HAMILTON: Like I always say it is never easy but it definitely was as fun as it looked. The
car has been I think probably the best it has been all year. It seems to really feel quite comfortable
on this circuit. What they have done here is incredible and I think it is just a real pleasure to drive
here and when you have definitely got the car beneath you it is just a great drive. That lap for me,
we could have thought about going a bit longer, but I don’t think we were particularly too
aggressive but it was quite a smooth lap. It just kept getting better and better. I am very happy with
it.
Q: Sebastian, you said coming into the weekend that you wanted to finish the year on a
high. Second on the grid is a great way to start.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it is. Just looking ahead both of us are a little bit surprised by the gap.
Lewis has been strong all weekend and generally McLaren is very strong here and we could see
already in Q1 and Q2 that it would be difficult to match them. But let’s see later when we get the
strategies. I think it was the maximum we could do, so very pleased so far. I think tomorrow we
should have a good race. The car is working well here. It just seems that our KERS button which
we have on the steering wheel is not working, so it is not an easy one but let’s see tomorrow. I
think we do have a good race pace. The car is getting better throughout the distance, so I am
looking forward to tomorrow.
Q: Mark, two Red Bulls in the top three and the two Brawns just behind you. A great
qualifying performance from you, but do you think you can hold the new champions behind
you?
Mark WEBBER: We hope so. The grid tonight is the story of the second part of the championship.
Lewis has been here and there at a lot of venues, clearly they are very strong here and we will see
when we get the weights, but also Seb and I are pushing as hard as we can. I enjoyed qualifying
tonight and Brawn are there as well, so it is very much a message of how the second part of the
championship has gone. I was pretty happy, considering when I did my lap within the session, as
obviously other people can run after, so I was pretty happy.
Q: Lewis, new circuit, new country. Your feelings on this Yas Marina track and the job that
they have done here to create it?
LH: Coming here I had not really seen any pictures. I had seen perhaps a picture of the hotel or
something, but the place is just stunning. They all said it would be a great event, but it is mindblowing.
What they have been able to create here is really fantastic and I expect more and more
people will want to come here in the future. It is a great race to come to. I definitely will try to bring
Page 2 of 4
my family next time. It is a great country, it’s a great part of the world. We came to Bahrain. I have
been in Bahrain. I was there earlier in the week, then we came through to Dubai and then here.
The weather has always been great. The people have been so respectful and so welcoming and I
am sure we are going to put on a great show for everyone, so fingers crossed it is a great day
tomorrow.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Lewis were you ever not going to be on pole? You have been dominant so much this
weekend.
LH: Anything could have happened. Clearly we have been very competitive all weekend and the
car has felt great and I didn’t have any particular doubts in my mind whether we could have done it.
But it is still finding the gap, getting your tyres up to temperature, all these different things and it is
easy to make mistakes but fortunately I didn’t and put a really nice lap together. Very, very happy
with it.
Q: What is suiting the car here particularly? The lack of slow corners, KERS worth fourtenths-
of-a-second Heikki (Kovalainen) said yesterday.
LH: Yep, it is the same at every race. You ask that question at every race. KERS, when you press
that button, is worth four tenths pretty much everywhere. Three to four tenths. Here in qualifying it
is around four-tenths, but obviously you have got to use it to optimise it and get the maximum from
it but it works really well. The great thing is the car is working and feeling better than it has all year,
so it is such a great feeling for me in the car and also for all the guys. What a great job they have
done all year and what a great way to finish at least our practice session and our qualifying session
and I want to go out and do the job tomorrow.
Q: What’s the circuit going to be like to race on? A lot of people were worried that off line it
might be dirty.
LH: It is always dirty off line but it is not going to be somewhere like Montreal with all the bubbles
off line. I don’t think it will be a problem. I have been off line a couple of places and it wasn’t too
bad. The track surface, I mean we are always trying to improve other circuits saying the kerbs
should be good here or we could improve the rumble strip here, but I can honestly say I think they
have really done almost a perfect job at this track. They have really done a good job with the
layout, with the track. It is very, very smooth. The kerbs are nice and in the right places and I think
for the racing it looks very safe. I think there are quite a few opportunities to overtake, so it should
be quite an exciting race, especially for the spectators here.
Q: How was the car on the option tyre?
LH: For me the option and the prime are pretty much the same. Normally we see quite a big
difference between them with obviously the option being a lot quicker and a little bit grippier. Here I
generally find it is very, very close. There is a different kind of warm-up, different way of using
them, but I preferred the prime. For me they just seemed to be a little bit more consistent
throughout the lap but no doubt the track will get grippier, so who knows what tyre we will use
tomorrow.
Q: Sebastian, what was the tyre choice like for you? Is it fairly simple?
SV: Well, I think it was pretty much the same for everyone. It is difficult to point out how much there
is between the tyres. I think you could see that we also favoured the prime. Overall, back to
qualifying, I think it was the maximum we could do. Just a little bit surprised by the gap in the end.
You know, seven tenths in qualifying is quite a big gap. Looking at the sectors, sector two I think,
there are maybe a little bit too many straight lines for us, so we don’t have the button. We do have
it, but it doesn’t work.
Q: Was there much difference as the natural light changed?
SV: Well, it is a little bit, but you get used to it quite quickly, so you have to deal a little bit with the
visor and use a darker one maybe to start and then a lighter one for the end as when the sun goes
down it is a little bit darker. But it is not a big problem. I think they have done a very good job here,
Page 3 of 4
similar to Singapore. Even though the lights are further away I think they seem to be strong enough
to make us see all the track.
Q: Mark, what about this McLaren performance? Do you think you can take the race to them
tomorrow?
MW: Easy. We are not stopping tomorrow. We don’t do a pit stop. We just put the option on for the
last lap and we jump them like that, so pretty straightforward.
Q: Sounds a great idea. What’s the truth?
MW: No, look, they did good job. No question about it. They are quick. I am a bit surprised by
Lewis’s time, both of us are, but we did our best. As I said before it is a reflection on the second
part of the championship with Brawn sitting there as well behind us. These are the guys who have
been there most of the season and here we are again, ready to go tomorrow. I enjoyed quali(fying)
actually. As always you want a bit more out of it, but it was a good job by the team. We want to
finish on a high and we have laid the foundations for a reasonable race tomorrow.
Q: Tell us your thoughts on the circuit, particularly for the race tomorrow?
MW: It’s a pretty good track. I would say the first sector is nice. It’s always difficult to make a track
with lots and lots of quick corners because obviously you need a lot of run-off, so I can understand
it’s easier in terms of space to have a lot more slower speed corners finishing the lap here. So the
rhythm of the lap goes a little bit, especially in turns 11, 12, 13 – all that section up there is a little
bit Mickey Mouse, but it’s unique in quite a lot of areas, I would say. Yeah, it’s a pretty good track.
For overtaking, there’s obviously a very long straight, that’s clear, but I think everyone’s running
pretty similar wing levels for their cars, so it’s not like Interlagos or some other tracks where you
maybe have a different opinion on end-of-straight speed. It’s not going to be Interlagos, don’t worry
about that, but it might be better than Barcelona.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Sana Bagersh – Abu Dhabi Tempo) What are each of you going to do between now and
tomorrow’s race, to prepare mentally or physically? Any specially rituals, any relaxation
techniques?
SV: Sleep. It’s quite late already. I think everyone has his own way to get prepared. Obviously
everyone is trying to get a good night’s sleep, rest, then tomorrow. I don’t know what the others do,
if they have a dance or whatever. I think, for myself, dancing for rain would be pretty useless here,
but yeah, just trying to go through. Obviously later we will know a little bit more about strategy and
then just trying to prepare, to focus on the start and then seeing how the race goes.
LH: Yeah, same for me really. A little bit different to some of the other tracks. The climate change:
it’s so much hotter here, so the race will be very tough tomorrow, so you could perhaps focus on
the preparation a little bit more in terms of the amount of rest you get, the fluids through the night,
drinking plenty. I will probably have to make a pit stop during the night, because you’ve just got to
drink as much as you can for the race tomorrow. And then just good food, we’re staying in town
and I’m just going to enjoy myself, make sure I enjoy the weather, might sit on the beach, just
relaxing things. I’ve got the girlfriend with me, so just relax.
MW: Yup, pretty similar: yeah, good sleep, good food and I get to the track as late possible
tomorrow. No point in getting in too early. But generally the GP2 cars have been my wake-up call
at the hotel, so I will sleep until they start up. But it’s very easy for us, we’re staying close here, so
relax, there’s no hassle with traffic like some other venues we have like Brazil or in Shanghai. We
have a lot of tracks like that where there’s a bit of a palaver getting to the track but here it’s a lot
more straightforward, so that helps our preparation.
Q: (Tomas Richter – TV Nova) It looks like the most difficult corners are those before the
hotel and turn one. The race will be long and hot; first of all do you agree and secondly do
you expect some difficulties during the race?
MW: Yeah, you’re right, there are some difficult corners in the last sector, there’s no question
about it, it’s easy to get in there a little bit deep and not hit the apex cleanly. Turn one, you’re right,
is the same. It’s easy to get a little bit out of the track there but all the guys are fit these days, there
Page 4 of 4
should be no problems tomorrow night. It’s a pretty long race but we’ve had worse. There are a lot
of straights you can relax on, so this track is not that physically demanding, it’s just a bit warm.
SV: As Mark said, there are some difficult corners, not only turn one and 15, 16, 17. Turn one is
still outstanding; it’s quite quick and it’s blind, so it’s very easy to overshoot, to make a mistake at
the entrance and you have a long straight following, obviously turn two, three, four which is flat, but
whatever you lose there you pay the price for. 15, 16, 17 is easy to lose the car on the entrance
and if you go wide it’s very easy to go off-line and then it’s quite dirty, like everywhere else, but you
lose a lot of time easily. Let’s see tomorrow. I think the start is the key, turn one, and then it will be
interesting going down the long straight. Obviously I hope I will be ahead of Lewis or at least right
on his back, and then have a good space. I hope that Mark and myself will have good space to
whoever comes behind us.
LH: I don’t particularly want to comment just on those corners. I think turn one is obviously very
important for the beginning of the race but it’s fairly straightforward. The great part of this track is
that even though we do have a couple of high speed corners, maybe it will be tough to follow
through two, three, four but it’s not difficult to stay behind someone through five, six, seven, so that
means you can be close to them and have a good chance of towing them down the back straight.
Also braking into eight and nine, again it’s easy to be quite close and then relatively easy to have
another shot going down the other back straight. Clearly, then, it gets a bit tighter and a little bit
harder to follow, but I think it should provide some good racing, being able to be a little bit closer
than normal. You normally have the long flowing corners and you lose a little bit and then you have
this long straight and you never really catch up. I hope – I feel it’s designed quite well.
Q: (Vajta Balazs – Autosport Es Formula) For all three drivers: the last two or three days
we’ve basically heard only positive words about the track: how great it is, the facilities and
everything else. I know it’s also very hard to name negative aspects about yourself, but can
you name or point out some negative points about the track?
MW: We’re paid lots of money to say good stuff, obviously. You know that we get backhanders to
say that it’s a great track, so we’re not going to say anything negative. The deal is done before we
all arrive, so 20 drivers, we get a backhander, easy from there! It’s a great facility, it’s a good track.
LH: (to the journalist) You should try and get in on it!
SV: I think probably the worst thing is that you get a wake-up call from the GP2 cars, if you’re
sleeping at the track. Other than that: similar. Just to sum it up as well, and what we all agreed on
in the drivers’ briefing: we come to many new circuits, more and more and there are always bits
and pieces which can be improved, but here everything is pretty much spot on: kerbs, everything.
Q: (Vajta Balazs – Autosport Es Formula) But were you expecting a boring race because of
the track layout?
SV: No, I don’t think so. As they said, you have a very long straight here and the key is that you
don’t have high speed corners leading onto that straight like in Shanghai. You have a tight corner
leading onto the back straight, but it opens up and then it’s difficult to follow other cars, whereas
here you have the complex of five, six, seven which is quite low speed and then obviously the
longer straight, leading into another low speed section, eight and nine, which gives you another
chance if you’ve used the tow and then stay close to whoever is in front for turn eleven. As we’ve
seen in the GP2 race and also the Porsche SuperCup race it should be a good race tomorrow. You
are always smarter after a Grand Prix distance but it looks promising so far.

Pictures of the Friday

Pictures of the Thursday

Pictures of the Wednesday

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

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

Reference: autosport.com

Button & Brawn Celebrate a Double Victory

Last Sunday at the Brazilian Grand Prix, “Great Button” clinched his first ever F1 World Drivers’ Championship after finishing 5th place in the race with a time of 1h32:52.086. I’ve been following the highly talented Brit after watching some clips of his Formula Three performance, and when he became “the man” for Honda’s disappointing F1 team. The 2009 season with Brawn-Mercedes has only been a career blessing for Button after being overshadow by F1 sensation and fellow countryman, Lewis Hamilton, and Spain’s Fernando Alonso. Button responded to his critics by ripping through the competition – winning  the first two GPs and then winning four more GPs in a row. Button has 11 top-5 finishes for the 2009 season.

In addition, Brawn-Mercedes clinched their first ever F1 Constructors’ Championship in the team’s first year. Mark Webber finished the Brazilian GP first with a time of 1h32:23.081.

No more doubting the "Great Button"

The Results of the race driven on Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil.

The results of the different sessions (FORMULA1.COM)
1st Friday Practice, 2nd Friday Practice
Saturday Practice, Saturday Qualification
Sunday Race Results

Various Links
- Race Report at GrandPrix.com
- Standings after this GP at MOTORSPORT.COM

Pictures of the different days (GPUPDATE.NET)
Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday

Pictures of the different days (MOTORSPORT.COM)
Thursday
Friday : Practice 1/Practice 2
Saturday : Practice/Qualifying
Sunday : Pre-Race/Race/Post-Race

A few selected pictures of the race