Kimi Raikkonen assinou um pré-contrato com a Red Bull, depois de terem falhado as negociações com a McLaren, documento esse que passará a definitivo se o finlandês não assinar com nenhuma equipa de Fórmula 1 até ao final deste ano para correr em 2010.

A informação chegou de fontes muito próximas de Raikkonen, que nos garantiram que o nórdico deverá disputar um programa limitado do WRC com a equipa oficial da Citroën no próximo ano, para satisfazer os seus ímpetos competitivos, antes de voltar à F1 com a Red Bull Racing em 2011, tomando o lugar que ainda é de Mark Webber.

A dupla com Vettel seria do agrado de ambos, mas a Mercedes tem ainda cinco semanas para garantir o concurso do finlandês para as próximas temporadas. Saiba mais na revista AutoSport, hoje nas bancas.

[Fonte: autosport.aeiou.pt]

Old-ish news but we now know that it’s highly likely that Kimi Raikkonen will be leaving F1 for at least a year with the McLaren drive no longer up to grabs thanks to Jenson Button. To many people, it seems, this is no big loss. But to me, this is a huge one.

Raikkonen started his F1 career in 2001, with the Sauber team. He only had 23 car races to his name at this point, and many believed it was dangerous letting him drive at the highest level in F1 at this stage. Nevertheless, he bypassed many of the junior Formulae by jumping into F1. And how did he silence his critics? By saying very little, and simply driving his way to a points scoring position in his first race. He didn’t succumb to the pressure. In fact, he was asleep 30 minutes before his first race. Pressure? What pressure. He’s there to drive.

But that’s been a feature of Kimi Raikkonen. He’s not a fan of the media. He just wants to drive. His interviews are almost always boring affairs with him speaking in his trademark nasal monotone, and yet he has a certain charm about him. He’s been known as lazy, in the recent 2009 season being seen in shorts and T-shirt, eating an ice cream after a red flagged race, while his mechanics work frantically, and other drivers wait to go back out.

And his dislike for the media, and his I-don’t-care personality can sometimes provide great amusement to those of us who appreciate that he isn’t just a robot, he has more personality than almost anyone else in Formula One. He doesn’t just conform to the ideals that are always being set upon the drivers.

He’s lazy, unconventional, and perhaps a little greedy with his contract negotiations.

But he’s still blisteringly quick.

2009 saw one of, if not the most awful Ferrari car of the past few decades, being used. Kimi took it to it’s first podium of the year at Monaco, and, after Massa had his horrific accident at Hungary, Kimi really stepped up to the plate, despite Ferrari stopping development of their car to focus on next year around half-way through the season. He achieved a brilliant win at Spa, and came a solid sixth in the world drivers championship, only narrowly being beaten by 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren that was being developed all season.

Let’s not forget how experienced racer Luca Badoer and solid, on the pace, proven race-winner Giancarlo Fisichella fared in the same car. Zero points between them. Yet Raikkonen hustled the car to forty-eight points in the season, all when he’d had speculation all year that his job at Ferrari was to be taken by former double world-champion Fernando Alonso.

Kimi himself is a former world champion, and was very close to winning on two other occasions where it was only the car’s reliability that could be blamed. It’s a testament to his racing ideals that he would prefer to take a sabbatical or try another form of racing if he can’t be competitive in his current series.

He has natural talent and is one of the few F1 racers of today’s era that can hustle the best out of a bad car (along with Hamilton and Alonso, amongst maybe one or two more), and isn’t afraid to push hard and make daring manoeuvres (I still remember his win at Spa 2005, where, in the wet, he pushed to retain his lead with a fastest lap at the time that was two seconds faster than the nearest time). Without him, we lose one of the true racers and champions of today’s era, and we lose one of the most unique people the sport has ever seen. I for one, will miss you Kimi. Please come back soon. I’m sure there will be a place for you somewhere, whether it’s McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari… Who knows. I guess to him it just depends who’s competitive this year. To them, it depends if they can afford him.

Relevant song lyric of the post: Racer X – Motor Man

“Speed is his lifeline
Motorman”

Closing KoLd Quote:

“Kimi Raikkonen will be missed by many, even if some aren’t comfortable with his less-than standard demeanor. People may not realise it, but without him, the racing will not quite be the same. He isn’t easily replaceable. He has cast a shadow; I hope that a major F1 team sees that by next season, or, regrettably, that will be another true racer in the vain of both Senna and Schumacher that we will have lost.”

This has got to be the most detailed model I’ve ever seen. However, at US$4700, it had better well be.

Amalgam Fine Model Cars - McLaren F1 LM Model Car - Neiman Marcus.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8374911.stm

… They better be. F1 see’s two back to back British champions for the first time in forty years, and also it seems that both of those British champions will be in the same British team, that’s the second oldest team in the sport. Not to mention the fact that it was an all British team (Brawn) that won both the Drivers and Constructers titles in 2009, and McLaren won the Drivers title in 2008. So it seems ridiculous to think that there may not be a British Grand Prix in 2010! Britain really is the heart of motorsport, so I hope that it all gets resolved, as the market for F1 in Britain clearly must be at a high that hasn’t been experienced for quite some time.

So in closing… Please Bernie, please don’t forget you and F1’s roots, and where it all belongs. Don’t let your ego and love for money get in the way.

Relevant song lyric of the post: Fleetwood Mac – The Chain

“Chain…keeps us together
(run into the shadows)”

Closing KoLd Quote:

“The home of motorsport is in Britain. Therefore, along with the great tracks that have such a heritage in F1, of Spa, Monza, Monaco and a few more (many not on the calendar these days, unfortunately), a British Grand Prix should be a no-brainer, a secure vote year in, year out. The majority of the true fans don’t want to see a procession around bland, Tilke-built Valencia, they don’t even want to see cars driving around a multi-million dollar Singapore or Abu-Dhabi. They want to see true, wheel to wheel racing, by the best drivers in the world, on the tracks that have proven to be the best in the world. We want to see a true battle between the best. Not a metropolis or a circus, used to distract the public from the poor racing.”

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.

In a matter of weeks, the driver market has upended itself.  The world champion has left his team and joined the 2008 world champion.  The 2007 world champion is out of racing, his spot taken by the 2005-2006 world champion.  A seven-time world champion is thinking of returning to the grid. 

Got it? 

No one was surprised when two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was announced at Ferrari.  Then, with Kimi Raikkonen seemingly ousted from the scuderia and Toyota announcing its withdrawal from the sport, Jenson Button landed at McLaren.  This earth-shattering news came just weeks after Button won the 2009 title for Brawn. 

My head is beginning to hurt.

At first blush, Button’s move seems hard to explain.  Brawn had thrown him a lifeline after Honda pulled the plug on its adventure in team ownership.  Brawn cleverly exploited the regulations in creating a double-diffuser that placed its car at the sharp end, landing Button his first world championship and a second consecutive British champion.

Button predictably increased his salary demands.  Brawn should have seen this coming, and to not have recognized Button’s increased worth was a mistake.  Perhaps Brawn thought Button would stay out of loyalty.  A quick glance at some of Button’s career moves suggests that he is less than reliable when it comes to cashing in on a promise.

My theory is that Button sensed a resurgent McLaren at the end of the year, once the other teams had caught up to Brawn and Red Bull’s “unfair advantage”.  We saw the title contenders close in on Button at the end of the year.  Possibly, Button calculated that Brawn would never meet his salary demands, whereas McLaren was happy to shell out for two British champions .  Button’s move is characteristic of his career trajectory, similar to his on-again, off-again move to Williams several years ago. 

Raikonnen’s disappearance from the grid next season is hard to explain, although rumors are floating that he will replace Button at the newly rebranded Mercedes F1 team, the three-pointed star having bought Brawn (and presumably thinking Button as well), being shocked to find out that longtime “partner” Ron Dennis had just bought Button for McLaren.  I saw that as a nice “f– you” to Norbert Haug for buying Brawn, and a middle finger firmly directed at Ross for sorting out the double diffuser first.

Now Eddie Jordan, of all people, is saying that Mercedes is in negotiations to sign Michael Schumacher.  The Schumacher-Raikonnen pairing was a near-miss when Michael retired, but it’s obvious from his aborted comeback of earlier this year that the fire burns.   Remember that his comeback was stopped cold by a neck injury.  This could be a pairing for the ages, or a disaster for either driver.

I questioned this story but wondered why Eddie Jordan would put it out without having some sense of the facts.  Eddie’s been known to stretch the truth (in fact, one might argue that’s what got him in to F1), but this is a big chunk of gossip to throw out there without a firm belief in its truth.  Eddie still likes his credibility.

It has all the makings for an incredible 2010.  Alonso in a Ferrari is mouth-watering.  With a decent car, Alonso could easily win his third title and bring the championship home to Maranello next season.  Notice I don’t mention Felipe; I’m sorry but his injuries are too severe for him to be the same driver who nearly won the title in 2008.  Michael in a Mercedes, alongside Raikonnen, is the matchup we all waited for when Kimi went to Maranello.  And two world champions in silver cars, rising above it all.

“O ideal é que um campeão fique na equipe campeã”, afirmou o alemão

Sebastian Vettel, vice-campeão mundial de 2009, mostrou-se surpreso com a transferência de Jenson Button da Brawn para a McLaren.

O alemão comentou que a atitude normal de um campeão mundial é ficar na equipe onde conquistou seu título, especialmente se esta equipe também tiver conquistado a taça de Construtores na mesma temporada.

“Acho que foi uma surpresa para todos”, disse o alemão. “A Brawn, agora Mercedes, foi muito forte neste ano. Ganharam os títulos de Pilotos e Construtores. Tinham um carro muito bom, uma boa equipe e é sempre uma surpresa quando um campeão, em uma equipe campeã, resolve sair.”

“Não sei se as coisas vão mudar completamente no próximo ano, mas no que diz respeito à Brawn, é muito positivo que a Mercedes tenha assumido o controle e seja uma equipe de fábrica.”

Por fim, Vettel mostrou-se confiante na competitividade da Red Bull em 2010 neste ano, a equipe entrou para o grupo das vencedoras, subiu ao alto do pódio seis vezes e ficou com o vice-campeonato de Construtores.

“Estou muito confiante na força da Red Bull. Vamos ficar ainda mais fortes. Teremos bons desafios no próximo ano, não só com a McLaren, mas também com a Mercedes e a Ferrari.”

“As regras mudarão um pouco, não teremos reabastecimento e os pneus serão um pouco diferentes, mas não são mudanças como as de 2008 para 2009. Vamos ver como serão os primeiros testes”, completou.

[Fonte: tazio.uol.com.br]

Dessin réalisé au stylo bille, crayon de couleur et feutre en 1999 et remis à jour sur Photoshop ces dernières semaines…

La McLaren MP4/13 est la monplace qui permit de voir pour la première fois le duo McLaren-Mercedes enlever les championnats Pilotes (avec le Finlandais Mika Häkkinen) et Constructeurs de F1 en 1998, mettant un terme à plusieurs années de disette pour l’équipe de Ron Dennis.

Cette MP4/13 est pourtant apparue tardivement durant les essais d’intersaison et est considérée comme la première McLaren d’Adrian Newey, le concepteur de génie qui remporta le plus de succès en F1 dans les années 90. De ce fait, elle a rapidement fait partie des favorites pour la saison avec la Ferrari F300 et la Williams FW20.

source : wikipedia.org

Briga equilibradíssima em 2010

Bom dia, fufeiros. Aqui em London está chovendo, infelizmente, mas as perspectivas para uma tarde ensolarada são boas, então fico na torcida.

Como hoje não há muito o que falar, pensei em fazer uma rápida enquete para vocês me ajudarem em uma questão que não consigo resolver desde ontem: quem tem a dupla mais forte para 2010, Ferrari ou McLaren?

Alonso, bicampeão mundial, melhor piloto do grid. Felipe Massa, o cara que mais evoluiu de 2006 para cá e também o cara que dominou Kimi-Matias pela primeira vez na carreira do finlandês. Dois pilotos de muito talento, sem sombra de dúvida.

Mas do outro lado temos Lewis Hamilton, campeão de 2008, e Jenson Button, atual campeão. Button, muitos irão argumentar, é o mais fraco da turma, mas não concordo. Ele tem consistência em corrida e é extramente regular (e veloz) nestas condições. Pode até estar ligeiramente abaixo, mas é diferença tão sutil que não me atrevo a cravar sua inferioridade. Ele tem um estilo próprio, e que se provou eficiente em 2009. Em 2010, com carros lotados de gasolina, sua tocada tranqüila poderá ser uma carta na manga.

E sobre Luisinho World Champion, nem preciso falar. É um tremendo piloto, velocíssimo e dos mais agressivos do grid.

A parada está difícil, e peço a ajuda de todos vocês. Quem tem a dupla mais forte para 2010? Ferrada ou McLata?

Um ótimo domingão para todos nós! Beijundas.

PS: Não incluí a dupla da Red Bull por algumas razões. Primeiro que nenhum dos pilotos têm título mundial – contra fatos não há argumentos. E segundo que Mark Webber me parece um claro motivo para descarte imediato. Alguém discorda?

In the past 2 seasons, with Heikki Kovalainen as his team mate, all the smart money has been on Lewis Hamilton to bring the lion’s share of the points home for McLaren and that has proved right. Now Kovalainen has been replaced by Jenson Button, the current world drivers champion, does that mean Lewis Hamilton’s position as the number 1 driver at McLaren is under threat and will he win more points than Hamilton next season?

Quite the methodical win for the Sharks as they defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. The Sharks are two-for-two against Anaheim this season, and while this game wasn’t as dominating as the first, the result was the same: a win. Also remember this is the second time San Jose beat Anaheim at Anaheim.

It was KISS night in Anaheim. I can’t think of a stupider promotion. I was forcefed two makeup artists during the Ducks broadcast. I will say the makeup was more fun to look at than listening to the commentators.

There wasn’t anything flashy about this game; it was all hard work and determination. Both teams made mistakes — of course a few Sharks giveaways in their own zone stick out to me. But I’ve come to expect that, unfortunately, from the Sharks.

Douglas Murray was bad tonight. Don’t let the +1 rating fool you. He had so many giveaways and positioning errors — one of them led directly to a goal ten seconds later. He also took a penalty late in the second period, and the Ducks converted 11 seconds later. Dan Boyle was just a step behind tonight and couldn’t cover for Murray’s mistakes.

Frazer McLaren and George Parros get busy. (From SJSHARKS.com)

Things were frisky early with a quick fight out of the gates: Frazer McLaren vs. George Parros. Frazer won the first half of the fight, and Parros won the second half. Draw. Good to see Frazer making an impact with such a minute amount of ice time.

It looked to be another boring, close game after a scoreless first period. But the red lights were tiring out from four goals in the second. Ryane Clowe got on the board with a shot from the point. It’s his second straight goal from the point. Not the place you usually see him scoring from, but hey, whatever works.

Dany Heatley scored to keep his title of goal-scoring leader (18). It came off a Joe Thornton shot and rebound. I don’t think Anaheim was expecting Joe to shoot after his passes last game. That’s probably why the play worked.

But Anaheim hung in there, leaving the second period tied at 2-2.

The third period resembled the first, and I started getting deja vu; the game looked a lot like the playoff series between these two from last year. The difference? The Sharks were the ones who willed a goal out of themselves. Heater played passer and found Thornton coming up the side. Jumbo pocketed the puck perfectly to the far side to put the Sharks up for good.

People questioned coach Todd McClellan’s move to keep Evgeni Nabokov in goal for back-to-back games. He didn’t look as sharp as he usually does, but he was competent enough to earn the W. He’ll get a long rest because the Sharks won’t play again until Wednesday.

Other Notes

Hit-O-Meter: SJ 20  ANA 19; Scott Nichol (4) and Joe Thornton (3) led the team.

Every Sharks player who was on the ice for an Anaheim goal redeemed themselves; No Shark had a negative +/-.

The Sharks battle the Blackhawks, Wednesday at HP Pavilion.

–Ray

Elérkeztünk a Száguldó Cirkusz azon szakaszába, amelyik bombahírektől és bombapletykáktól hangos: bár a pályán semmi sem történik, most alakul ki a 2010-es felállás, és a pilótapiac „felszabadulásával” egyre erőteljesebben pusztítják a csapatok a kérdőjeleket. Ettől függetlenül van belőlük bőven, és még hosszú ideig találkozhatunk megválaszolatlan kérdésekkel.

Jövőre 13 csapat indul, minden istálló két pilótát vonultat fel. A teljes mezőnyből mindössze négy csapat ismertette mindkét versenyzőjének a kilétét:

Red Bull: Sebastan Vettel (német) és Mark Webber (ausztrál) – tehát a 2009-es felállás.
McLaren Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton (brit) és Jenson Button (brit) – az utóbbi évek legerősebb felállásának tekinthetjük abból a szempontból, hogy két világbajnokot vonultat fel a csapat. Utoljára 1989-ben volt példa arra, hogy két, már világbajnok pilóa ugyanazon csapatban versenyezzen: a francia Alain Prost és a brazil Ayrton Senna éppen a McLaren színeiben rótta a köröket, és csúnya marakodástt eredményezett a „bajnokok harca”.
Ferrari: Felipe Massa (brazil) és Fernando Alonso (spanyol) – a maranellóiak fizettek Räikkönennek, hogy 2010-re még érvényes szerződése ellenére hagyja el a csapatot.
Williams: Nico Hülkenberg (német) és Rubens Barrichello (brazil) – Hülkenberget az a Wili Weber menedzseli, aki korábban a Schumacher-testvéreket is „beszervezte” a Forma–1-be.

További négy csapat már hivatalosan bejelentette a szerződését az egyik pilótájával:

Renault: Robert Kubica (lengyel). A francia gyártó lehetőségei között elsősorban a már idén kipróbált francia Romain Grosjean szerepel, de korántsem biztos, hogy ő kapja a másik autót.
Toro Rosso: Sebastien Buemi (svájci).
Manor: Timo Glock (német).
Campos: Bruno Senna (brazil) – a fiatal dél-amerikai tehetség a néhai Ayrton Senna unokaöccse.

A Brawn GP utódja, a Mercedes GP egyik pilótája a német Nico Rosberg – annak ellenére, hogy a szerződést hivatalosan még nem közölték. A világbajnok csapat másik 2010-es versenyzője több mint valószínű, hogy a szintén német Nick Heidfeld. Kavarog a hír Michael Schumacher szerződtetéséről – aki egyébként elérte, hogy a Ferrarihoz kapcsoló tanácsadói szerződését bármikor felbonthassa –, de a szerződés életképességéről eléggé megosztott a vélemény.

Szinte biztos, hogy a Force Indiánál megmarad Adrian Sutil. Bár az idén kiválóan versenyző németet korábban a McLarennel is összefüggésbe hozták, jelenleg egyetlen lehetősége az átigazoláshoz a BMW utódcsapata, a Sauber-Qadhok. Az indiai csapat tehát az egyes számú pilótájában sem lehet biztos, a második számú pedig ennél is nagyobb rejtély.

Az említett Sauber csapat mellett a visszatérő Lotus és az újonc amerikai US F1 berkeiben még nincs konkrétan megnevezett pilóta. Eléggé nagy a valószínűsége, hogy az amerikai csapat színeiben visszatér 1997 kanadai világbajnoka, Jacques Villeneuve, viszont egyre több pletykát hallani a tengerentúliak felkészületlenségéről. Számos szakértő kétségbe vonja a US F1 2010-es indulását.

A bejegyzés végére pedig érdekességnek: Ross Brawn jelképes összegért, 1 fontért vásárolta fel a Forma–1-es bukás után a Honda-csapatot. A Brawn által felpofozott csapat megnyerte a konstruktőri vb-t, és az egyéni világbajnokot is – Buttont – ő adta. Ma a csapat értéke mintegy 245 millió dollár – derült ki, miután a Mercedest birtokló Daimler és részvényese, az Abar 184,2 milliót fizetett a 75,1 százalékos többségi tulajdonért.

Kovács Hont-Imre

Escocês afirmou que campeão de 2009 cometeu erro ao mudar para McLaren

Jenson Button, atual campeão mundial, minimizou as declarações de Jackie Stewart a respeito de sua transferência para a McLaren.

O escocês afirmou que o ex-piloto da Brawn cometeu um erro ao se transferir para a escuderia de Woking e comparou o duelo com Lewis Hamilton a “caminhar em uma cova de leões”.

Button evitou polemizar as declarações de Stewart e destacou que se o escocês ainda fosse um piloto de F-1, tomaria a mesma decisão.

“Jackie é sempre muito sincero”, disse o inglês. “Me dou muito bem com ele e é sempre interessante ouvir seus comentários.”

“Mas, no fim das contas, sei qual é o ambiente nas duas equipes e sei o que quero fazer. Quero um novo desafio. Se Jackie estivesse correndo, tenho certeza de que sentiria o mesmo”, completou.

[Fonte: tazio.uol.com.br]

Despite the not so impressive first half of the season, it seems the Formula 1 world have recognised that the car was to blame and not Lewis Hamilton. This was evident in the second half of the season when improvements to his McLaren MP4-24 saw Hamilton back on top again, twice, in Hungary and Singapore, and competing for the top spot in most other races.

Hamilton thanks his car for victory in Hungary

Lewis Hamilton has been voted the number 1 Formula 1 driver of 2009 by not one, but two of the most prestigious publications in motorpsort.

Autosport
Arguably the number 1 motorsports magazine in the world has a 2009 Formula 1 season review issue out at the moment which rates the top 10 drivers of 2009. At number 1 is Lewis Hamilton. The 9 drivers below him were rated as follows:

2 – Jenson Button
3 – Sebastian Vettel
4 – Mark Weber
5 – Robert Kubica
6 – Fernando Alonso
7 – Felipe Massa
8 – Kimi Raikkonen
9 – Rubens Barrichello
10 – Nico Rosberg

Very interesting top ten indeed – I’ll be picking up my copy tomorrow to see what justification there is for Barrichello being in only 9th place. Sure he didn’t do as well as team mate Button but he did his part to ensure Brawn GP won the constructors championship and towards the end of the season he was a better driver than Button himself. Also, Kubica in 5th – was that based on Brazil alone?

You can flick through a tiny version od the current issue over at Autosport.com

GP Week
If you didn’t know already, GP Week is a free, yes FREE, online publication with excellent written content and superb photos. They have rated the top 5 Formula 1 drivers of 2009, and like Autosport have Lewis Hamilton taking the number 1 spot. The other 5 are as follows:

2 – Sebastian Vettel
3 – Jenson Button
4 – Mark Weber / Rubens Barrichello
5 – Sebastian Buemi

The first thing you’ll notice is the inclusion of 2 drivers at #4 – there’s your top 5 there guys, but I will let you off as the extra driver is Buemi who performed very well considering his absolute dog of a car. Interesting to see they rate Rubens Barrichello a lot higher than Autosport, and rightly so in my mind.

So, anyone agree or disagree with the two sets of rankings?

Jenson Button believes his former team boss Ross Brawn understands the motivation behind his surprise switch to McLaren.

The new world champion left the Brackley-based team’s management reeling earlier this week when he concluded a deal to join rival McLaren on a three-year deal, the move coming less than a month after he won his maiden title with the squad.

And while Brawn and team CEO Nick Fry have publicly expressed their disappointment with the 29-year-old’s decision, Button is sure Brawn respects his reasons.

Asked in an interview with GMTV if Brawn was disappointed by his defection, Button said: “It’s a difficult one to talk about right now.”

“But we will remain friends.”

“It will be a different atmosphere and it will never be the same because we’re not going to be working together in the same team.”

“But I think he respects my decision and realises why I wanted to make the change.”

In joining his predecessor as world champion Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, Button has signed up for arguably the toughest challenge of his 10-year Formula 1 career.

The Briton acknowledges his new team-mate will be a difficult force to be reckoned with on track in the same car, but feels his own career is ready for that sort of test.

“It is going to a be a real challenge, for sure,” Button admitted.

“And that’s what I’m looking for – I’ve reached my goal and my initial dream, which was to be world champion, and now I’ve got this challenge.”

“It’s going to be a big challenge.”

And asked if he had yet spoken to his friend Hamilton about the move, Button, who appeared at a book signing in Selfridges in London on Thursday, said: “I haven’t, I’ve been pretty busy since the announcement.

“But I will speak to him very soon and I’m sure we will be spending quite a bit of time together over the winter.”

[Fonte: itv-f1.com] - Tradução para PT/BR, clique aqui.

Quite the suhweeeet performance by the Sharks in their 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sharks withstood the punches and counterpunches, both figuratively and literally, and sealed the win.

The man of the match was Dany Heatley who notched his ninth career hat trick and second with the Sharks. Winning co-man of the match was Joe Thornton who received the primary assist on all three Heater goals and added a fourth assist.

It was just an unbelievable game all around. The Flyers haven’t beaten the Sharks since 2000, but the games are always entertaining. They bring out the best in both teams, and I hope this is a Stanley Cup Finals preview.

Everything for the Sharks worked tonight: the even strength forecheck, the power play, the penalty kill. All exceptional. Well, I may be wrong about everything working. The defensive zone giveaways were enough to give fans and coach Todd McClellan migraines. If it weren’t for those, it would be a 6-0 victory.

Philly sure didn’t like Sharks ice. They saw it as a slip-and-slide, with public enemy #1 Chris Pronger as the main slip-and-slider. One of his slips ended up being a Heater goal. It really was home-ice advantage tonight.

Heatley’s hat trick was the EPS Trifecta (trademark pending). Even strength, power play and shorthanded goals. Two were carbon-copies. Joe would receive the puck in what looked like a perfect shooting opportunity, but it he would stop right to the side of the crease, wait, wait, wait for the defenseman to make a move, then BAM! Pass to Heater’s stick and it’s as easy as an Ovechkin toothless smile.

Dany Heatley notched his second hat trick as a Shark (From SJSHARKS.com)

San Jose now has its top two lines set in stone for at least the next month. McClellan saw some great play between Heatley-Thornton-Marleau last game and decided to start them tonight. That choice proved epic as every time they took the ice, something good happened. Remember when everyone shook in fear from the Marleau-Thornton-Cheechoo line? Multiply that by 10,000.

The second line was Malhotra-Pavelski-Clowe and they meshed talent with will. This line will probably be broken up since Devin Setoguchi will come back from injury. Move Clowe to left wing and put Seto on the right. While Malhotra did net a goal tonight, he also netted a goal for the Flyers; for some reason he tried to handle the puck in the crease during a scramble, and instead of just knocking it out, he thought it best to backhand it first — bad idea.

The Sharks still haven’t lost in regulation at home either. Oh, how sweet the confines of HP Pavillion are.

Friday Night Fights

Frazer McLaren, up from Worcester took on Daniel Carcillo and McMan-handled him. I this kid is better than Staubitz and should get a few more looks. And he will because Staubitz is out for a couple weeks with an injury. I wish it were under better circumstances, but whatever the situation, cease your opportunity F-Mac.

Wait…Who? And he’s fighting who?

That’s right, my friends. Marc-Edouard Vlasic showed a nasty side tonight. Don’t know if someone stole this pickles from the pickle jar, but he was angry tonight. He dropped the gloves for the first time in his career with Daniel Briere and earned the win. Vlasic was the only one to throw a punch, and he also took Briere down. Vlasic also was featured in some scrums. I really hope this continues; I don’t want another Thornton situation where a guy plays better angry, but chooses to be angry once every leap year.

Other Notes

Hit-O-Meter: SJ 25  PHI 26; Jed Ortmeyer (6) and Douglas Murray (5) led the team.

With the amazing play of the top two lines, the fourth line saw as much action as a young Bill Gates. McLaren played for two minutes, Benn Ferriero played four and Logan Couture played six. That’s fine with me if I can get first-line production like this every game.

The Sharks travel to Anaheim to face the Ducks. In their first meeting, the second game of the Sharks’ season, San Jose pummeled Anaheim 4-1.

–Ray

On the day Brawn GP’s intention to tempt seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher out of retirement was revealed, the wisdom of great sportsmen to reach out and dust off those old gloves, those boots or, indeed, that helmet which accompanied such adulation and success in their prime, must surely be questioned.

Earlier this year the media frenzy surrounding Schumacher’s near-return for Ferrari, in place of the injured Felipe Massa after the latter’s career-threatening crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix, generated such hype and fervour that few could argue against the marketability of the racing legend. A back injury sustained in a prior motorcycle accident put paid to the return, however the status of one of sports true modern greats was apparently reaffirmed and duly noted by German motoring giant Mercedes and Schumacher’s long-time collaborator at Benetton and Ferrari, Ross Brawn. Jenson Button’s departure to create a back-to-back world championship dream team with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren has left a void which Schumacher appears ready to fill. The question this poses is not, however, Schumacher’s driving ability or appeal. Even at the ripe old age of 40, Schumacher’s skill and nous behind the wheel would be more than the equal of many a younger driver. Instead, it is one of legacy, sporting mythology and bowing out through choice, not necessity.

Muhammed Ali is possibly the best known and relevant example of a sporting great continuing a career past such a time where the stratospheric standards set by a total dominance of their given medium, simply cannot be achieved. In his final fights, Ali lost to such fighters as Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick, pugilists of some talent yet not of the same calibre as a Liston, a Frazier, a Foreman – all of whom simply could not live with the ‘Greatest of All Time’. We now see a man ravaged by Parkinsons Disease, by general consensus the result of not heeding medical advice and retiring before it was too late. Within boxing a trend appears to form whereby men who have spent their lives in the gym and in the ring, seem reluctant, if not afraid, to admit their time is up.

A notable exception to this rule comes in the form of Joe Calzaghe. Retiring after defeating all comers in a career spanning 46 fights, producing 46 wins with 32 by way of knock-out, Calzaghe bowed out a true champion making no noises (thus far) of any possible return between the ropes. Calzaghe, for me, is one of boxing’s great champions, one to rival such middleweight idols as Hagler, Leonard and Hearns. My view of him is enhanced by not seeing him, aged and failing to live up to his younger self, climbing into a ring to kickstart the career of a younger fighter such as Carl Froch. A contemporary of Calzaghe’s, Ricky Hatton, appears not to be aware of making the same mistakes as many a brawler before him, this week declaring (whilst looking incredibly bloated and unwell) his desire and “hunger” to return. We can only hope his decision does not return to haunt him in years to come.

Footballers have often resisted the temptation to continue past their peak with such luminaries of the game as Michel Platini, Eric Cantona and George Best retiring from the game, somewhat unexpectedly, in what many perceived to be the midst of the most productive and impressive years of their careers. Best, of course, made an ill-fated return with Fulham in 1976 after retiring from Manchester United in ‘74 and, having lost the pace for which he was once revered, lasted barely a year before shipping off to the money in the newly formed North American Soccer League. These players, Cantona especially having featured heavily in my football-watching lifetime, with early retirement seem to adopt an almost impenetrable aura which inflates the sense of champion they acquired as players. I’m reminded of the goals he scored, the sheer audacity of his nonchalant control and effortless lobs from outside of the box, with even his notorious kung-fu kick on a neanderthol at Crystal Palace seemingly adding to the mystique of the man. I do not remember him, being substituted at half time in a make-or-break match for being off the pace, old, or out of shape.

The common factor between Cantona and Calzaghe is that when they had achieved all they desired in their given sport, they were strong enough and honourable enough to walk away, leaving nothing but reputation and memories to be eulogised ad infinitum. These men will never be vilified in the press because ‘his legs have gone’.

Michael Schumacher, up until now, has found this status amongst sporting gods. His ruthless duels with Damon Hill, his infamous fight with Nigel Mansell, the seven world titles in a peerless reign of dominance, all part of a narrative to draw alongside and overtake the ghosts of racing past: Moss, Stewart, Senna, Lauder, Prost. If he returns to a team less competitive than the Ferraris he became accustomed to and who could only get this years world champion on the podium once in the second half of a title-winning season, how will he fare? For all the ability and skill he may or may not still possess, if the car ain’t fast, the car ain’t fast. Worse than that however, is if he makes a return to a potential podium challenging vehicle and can’t cut it. What if the few years spent as a guest on Ferrari’s pit wall, testing F1 prototypes and spending time with his young family have dulled the reactions, reduced the insatiable will to win at all costs, or simply reduced the willingness to take the risks involved when accelerating to 150mph directly towards a tyre wall? In either of these scenarios, the aura will be cracked. The myth a little less believable. The memories updated with pictures of a frustrated man, replacing those of the omnipotent deity.

Instinct tells me that there is no smoke without fire. I fully expect to witness one of the most heralded returns in the history of all sport and maybe this is what makes him a true sporting great; the willingness to take the risks others wouldn’t and the passion to succeed others can only dream of.

However the doubt remains that, above all else, Michael Schumacher is gambling with nothing but his own legacy.

Indy Lights hopeful Stefan Wilson has cashed in his prize for winning the Autosport BRDC Young Driver award – a Formula One test drive at Silverstone in Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning McLaren.

Stefan Wilson

He managed 20 laps of the National circuit in the wet, setting faster times as he progressed despite ever-worsening conditions that left team engineers having to assess whether it had become unsafe to send the car out.

Race engineer Andy Latham said: “Stefan drove very sensibly. He got quicker and quicker in conditions that were getting worse and worse.

“In those sorts of conditions we’d seriously consider whether to send [out] our most experienced test drivers, so Stefan did a good job on a track that was right on the edge of acceptability.”

Wilson, the younger brother of ex-F1 and current IndyCar driver Justin, said: “I was a bit nervous beforehand because of the weather: the back straight of the National circuit is bumpier than the Grand Prix track, and all those bumps filled with water and became puddles, so the car was aquaplaning quite a bit along the back straight.

“Still, I was absolutely blown away by the day – it’s a huge thing to get the chance to drive a Formula One car, I was hugely impressed by the professionalism of the team and I felt I got more consistent with every run.

“There was more time to come from myself, and the car, but I didn’t want to take too many risks because I didn’t want to spoil the day.”

Writing on his website he added: “I hardly slept the night before. It was the date of my test, Friday 13th November. What a day to drive a Formula One car, eh?

“The McLaren team had 30 personnel attending the test, supported by four transporters. But it was only when I walked into the garage and saw the car there, with my name on the side, that it suddenly hit me: I was about to fulfil one of my lifelong ambitions.”

At almost 6ft 4in, Wilson shares with his brother a greater-than-average height that makes race cars difficult to squeeze into. He had already written on his site about the difficulties that went with his seat-fitting at the McLaren HQ at Woking.

Writing about the test itself, he said: “I climbed into the car, and it was a very snug fit. Every corner of my body was tight up against the car, my knees were touching the top of the tub, my elbows were rubbing the back of the cockpit, and my hands were brushing my knees as I turned the wheel. However, this wasn’t an armchair I was sitting in, so it didn’t need to be comfortable.

“My first lap was an adventure, as I used the paddle shift to go through the gears and experienced the immense power. It started to rain harder and at one point the car was more like a powerboat as it aquaplaned over the puddles down the straight. I finished the day by setting my best time on my last lap, when the wind and rain were at their worst.”

The 20-year-old won the Young Driver award in 2007 from a shortlist that also included Superleague and Indy Lights competitor Duncan Tappy and F3 drivers Henry Arundel and Nick Tandy.

He ran a partial schedule in last year’s Indy Lights championship in North America and is aggressively pursuing a full-season seat for next year in tests with Sam Schmidt Motorsports: “The next month is going to be really exciting, and I hope sometime soon we have something big to announce for next year,” he wrote on his website.