Na sua primeira visita à Red Bull da Nascar, Sebastian Vettel, vice-campeão mundial de 2009 e convidado especial da equipa dos energéticos, disse que a F1 pode aprender com a categoria norte-americana.

Para o alemão, os norte-americanos são bons em criar um espetáculo em torno dos eventos desportivos e, por esta razão, o público nos autódromos do país é quase sempre superior à média de público da F-1.

“Aqui na Nascar temos mais de 100 mil pessoas que vêm para assistir às corridas. É sempre um grande show”, disse. “Então, acho que há muitas coisas que podemos aprender com eles, porque às vezes é disso que as pessoas se queixam, que a F1 não é emocionante o suficiente.”

“Obviamente, os carros são muito diferentes, então isso depende do que se gosta. Mas se estivermos interessados em automobilismo, podemos ser muito apaixonados por F1, mas para o espetáculo, há coisas que podemos aprender.”

“Algumas coisas sempre serão diferentes, simplesmente porque a F1 não é a Nascar e a Nascar não é a F1, mas na América eles são muito bons em trazer o espetáculo para o desporto e para os pilotos.”

“Há sempre uma enorme multidão, os autódromos estão sempre lotados e acho que isso é algo que podemos aprender na Europa, para tornar a F1 mais interessante para mais pessoas.”

Por fim, Vettel teve um rápido encontro com Juan Pablo Montoya, ex-piloto de F1, e destacou que o colombiano está feliz na Nascar.

“No fim, ele provavelmente não se sente confortável com o mundo da F1 e por isso está aqui. Ele ainda é o mesmo homem, parece muito feliz e é bom vê-lo depois de tanto tempo.”

“Ele não precisa dizer nada. Basta olhar para ele para ver o quanto ele é feliz, então isso é bom. Não importa se ele está na F1 ou na Nascar”, completou.

[Fonte: portalf1.com]

“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]

Sebastian Vettel mostrou vontade de disputar ralis mas a Red Bull já o desincentivou.

De acordo com o jornal alemão ‘Bild-Zeitung’, Vettel tinha dito: “Para os pilotos de Fórmula 1, os ralis são uma moda.”. Kimi Raikkonen já correu na Finlândia, Robert Kubica ‘treinou’ em Itália e vai correr em França, e agora fala-se também no Heikki Kovalainen. Contudo, Christian Horner, patrão da Red Bull já fez saber que por razões de segurança “Nem pensar.”

[Fonte: autosport.aeiou.pt]

Sebastian Vettel was shocked by title rival Jenson Button’s move to McLaren, and expects Mercedes GP to be a strong contender in 2010.

The German, who finished second in this year’s world championship, said he was not expecting Button to leave the team with which he won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles, especially given that it had just become a manufacturer outfit, with Mercedes taking controlling equity.

“I think it was a surprise to everyone,” Vettel told AUTOSPORT. “Brawn GP, now Mercedes GP, was very very strong this year. They won the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. They had a very good car, a good team and it’s always a surprise if a champion, in a champion team, is leaving.

“You don’t know if things will change completely next year, but in that regard for Brawn GP it was a very positive thing to happen that Mercedes is now taking over and it’s a manufacturer team.

“So it was a surprise and for next year they’re going to be strong. McLaren always has been. This year they were struggling a little bit but I think looking back they’ve always been strong.”

Vettel said it would be intriguing to watch how Button fares as the new boy coming in at McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton entering his fourth season with the team.

“I think it will be interesting,” he said. “They’re obviously both English and McLaren is an English team. Lewis knows the team very well, already for a couple of years now, Jenson is the new one coming in, so we will see.”

The 22-year-old expects the usual top teams to be back in contention for the world championship in 2010, following a year of shake-ups in the established order due to the new tehcnical regulations. However he remains confident of Red Bull Racing getting even stronger after being Brawn GP’s main rival this year.

“I’m very confident in how strong we are in Red Bull and we will get even stronger,” said Vettel. “It will be a nice challenge next year, not only with McLaren, also with Mercedes GP, whose drivers we don’t know yet, and also with Ferrari, same as McLaren.

“The rules change a little bit, no refuelling, a little bit different tyres but not that much. Not like from 2008 to 2009, so we’ll see in the first test.”

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

Reference Source:Autosport.com

Schumi Going Green?

And no… I do not mean environmentally friendly. After initial reports tipped Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg for the drives at Mercedes GP (formerly Brawn GP), rumours have surfaced about another German bumping Heidfeld from the running. Former F1 team owner, and established race analyst Eddie Jordan, has stated his belief that retired, 7 time world champion Michael Schumacher, will now prospectively be the number one at Mercedes, which will place even more certainty on the impending departure of Kimi Raikkonen from F1, for the next year at least. Of course, this is still all up in the air. Michael faces a fair bit of red tape including gaining medical clearance, being released from his current contract at Ferrari… not to mention the physical wear and tear on that F1 will put on his body… how much more he can take has he suits up at the ripe age of 40? While it would be amazing to see the greatest driver of our generation take to the world’s circuits once more, we should remember that all of these talks could be surrounding a consultative move, comparable to his role with Ferrarri currently.

Jordan did comment that the contract would likely only last a year as the general thought is that Mercedes ultimately want Sebastian Vettel as soon as he becomes available… which could be as early as next year depending on any extensions and or/options that are extended in his contract at Red Bull Racing. This also pushes Heidfeld into drivers no-mans land, which is somewhat disappointing because many feel that while he has not always had the most flattering results in the series, that he is a bona fide competitor and that he could without a doubt be a solid contributor to any team in search of winning the constructor’s title. Stay tuned to cheddarbomb.wordpress.com for an upcoming breakdown of Teams and their driver selection to date.

Mercedes Loves Germans

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?

Sebastian Vettel pode ter perdido o título Mundial para Jenson Button, mas para os patrões das equipas de Fórmula 1, foi o melhor piloto, e como uma boa vantagem sobre o Campeão verdadeiro.

No balanço do ano publicado esta semana pela revista inglesa Autosport, e com votações similares às do Mundial de F1, o resultado foi o que pode ver na lista abaixo. Lewis Hamilton ficou no ‘pódio’ e Fernando Alonso foi quarto, apesar da má época da Renault. Veja a lista completa:

[Fonte: autosport.aeiou.pt]

So you might think, why Jenson, he is the reigning Formula One champion and has that adorable face fuzz!

Here is my original Facebook post:

Jenson why don’t you just fuck off. Kimi should be driving for McLaren, not you! You fuzz faced bastard. And do you really think McLaren will make you their number one driver when they have invested 10+ years in Lewis, who is a miles better driver than you (no pun intended). Lewis has won more races than you in 3 seasons than you have in 10 years in F1. JUST GO AWAY WITH YOUR SMARMY FACE. Rant over.

And it would have been more but Facebook wouldn’t let me post anymore characters.

“But Vic, you’re just jealous because Jenson might take the place of your beloved Kimi!”

So!! It is not JUST because he is gorgeous – he also happens to be a talented driver and 2007 World Champion. Despite the fact that my view is slightly clouded due to my immense love of Kimi, there are several things that are true about this situation, whether you are a Kimi fan or not:

Whoever is in that other seat in McLaren will play second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton. FACT. Would McLaren invest all that time and money into Lewis and his and the team’s future in Formula One just to let some trumped up little squirt be their main driver. No, they would not. And surely if Jenson does not realise this, then his management will.

Why as a driver would you want to put yourself in that position after winning the 2009 World Championship?

GREED. Jenson is looking for a salary higher than the paltry £3 million that Brawn will offer him. Is that really all it’s about? Well seeing as he lives in Monaco, can afford a Bugatti Veyron and a vareity of other super cars, he is probably not so strapped for cash like the rest of us. So why not stick with Brawn, why not stick with a team who have won the 2009 world Championship for you and who (without Ross Brawn’s sheer genius) you wouldn’t have won the first 6 out of 7 races while all the other teams (except Red Bull Racing) were lagging behind.

It all comes down to this: BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS. That’s right. Jenson was all happy to say how well the team had done to pull it together because “at Christmas, they didn’t even know if they’d have jobs in F1″. But now he is World Champion, suddenly Jenson is too good for them?? Talk about having a giant ego…

And here are a few other things that really peeve me about Jenson, some hilarious and some which are blindingly obvious:

1. Brawn won the title for him. I’ve said it already in this post. It is easy to win when the other cars are no way near at your pace, but as soon as the other teams started to catch up, Jenson crumbled under the pressure. His qualifying became piss-poor. His race days became equally as bad. He even admitted it himself that it was a massive weight off his shoulders when he won and the pressure was intense. And why was it so intense? Because there are probably 10-15 drivers on the grid who are better than him.
2. A worthy champion. Around the Brazil race, the BBC team reported that F1 critics, fans and various other people around the paddock were questioning whether he was a “worthy champion”. If he was a worthy champion, then it wouldn’t be questioned. FACT. See point 1 for the reason he won. Then after his 5th place in Brazil when he wrapped it up, you have Martin Brundle and Eddie Jordan saying “Well that drive proved it!” So, he had to ovetake some cars rather than rely on the fact his car was better than everyone else’s for the majority of the season. A worthy champion indeed…NOT.
3. People, including my very favourite F1 friend Martyn, hated Michael Schumacher because “Ferarri had the best car so Michael won all the races”. HELLO? Is this not the same this season. But would anyone question the fact that if Schumi was driving for a different team, that he would have won races, if not championships. Could the same be said for Jenson, I think not.
4. He has a smarmy face, with face-fuzz!
5. He does not compare to the other top drivers in F1 who have world championships. Kimi, Lewis and Fernando Alonso are just better drivers, plain and simple. Even Massa, who has not won a world championship, is a better driver.

And yes, one of my gripes about Jenson is that he could “take” Kimi’s place in McLaren. Despite being a big fan, F1 would be a duller place without Kimi. He is a class driver, does some pant-wetting overtaking moves and if you are female/gay/curious/have eyes, he is hot. Plus if we are going to go to the Korean GP and Kimi is not there I will be pissed off.

But regardless of my petty reasons for disliking Jenson and loving Kimi, the fact of the matter remains: Jenson is not a worthy champion, only won it because of Ross Brawn and now thinks he is better than Lewis Hamilton. Dream on. And get a shave for god’s sake.

La temporada 2009 de la Fórmula 1 concluyó después de un año caracterizado por la coronación del británico Jenson Button y Brawn GP, el marcado dominio de escuderías que a priori no eran candidatos a la corona, la poca competitividad que mostraron las escuderías más importantes de la categoría, las controversias en cuanto a los cambios reglamentarios y técnicos, y la polémica por la inhabilitación de por vida de Flavio Briatore por pedirle a su piloto que provoque un accidente en Singapur 2008.

El equipo Brawn GP, con Ross Brawn a la cabeza, y con Button y el brasileño Rubens Barrichello al volante, se adaptó mejor a las modificaciones de reglamento y aprovechó el mal rendimiento de sus rivales a principio de temporada para llevarse el campeonato de pilotos y constructores. Button tuve un arranque de temporada devastador -ganó seis de las siete primeras carreras- y con esto le alcanzó para llevarse el primer título de su carrera en el Gran Premio de Brasil. Por su parte, Barrichello contribuyó con sus dos victorias y una buena consecha de puntos a lo largo de la temporada para catapultar a Brawn GP a lo más alto de la copa de constructores.

El equipo dirigido por el extratega Ross Brawn no fue el único que tuvo un alto rendimiento durante está temporada. Red Bull Renault también tuvo una performance destacada, con el alemán Sebastian Vettel a la cabeza, secundado por el australiano Mark Webber. El piloto europeo llegó con chances a la penúltima carrera en Interlagos, pero no le alcanzó para batir a Button. A pesar de esto, obtuvo cuatro victorias en la temporada y cerró el año con un imponente triunfo en Abu Dhabi en la última competencia del 2009.

Button comanda el Brawn GP, el auto más ganador de la temporada con 9 triunfos (7 de Jenson) sobre 17 carreras

Las escuderías que solían ser los animadores de la máxima categoría del automovilismo no brillaron este año. Ferrari corrió siempre de atrás a los Brawn y Red Bull, contrariado por los cambios reglamentarios y la falta de respuesta ante éstos. Además debió penar por el infortunado accidente que sufrió el brasileño Felipe Massa en la clasificación del Gran Premio de Hungría y por la irregularidad que mostró el saliente piloto finés Kimmi Raikkonen. Por su parte, McLaren no fue competitivo y regular a lo largo de la temporada. El británico Lewis Hamilton obtuvo dos victorias cuando ya no tenía chances para pelear el campeonato y su compañero de equipo, el finés Heikki Kovalainen, hizo los méritos suficientes para que la escudería no lo tuviera en cuenta para la próxima temporada.

Por otra parte, los cambios reglamentarios y técnicos más destacados como la implementación del doble difusor, fueron aprovechados de manera más eficiente por Brawn GP, lo que le permitió obtener un gran arranque de temporada que finalmente coronó con ambos campeonatos, el de pilotos y constructores.

Briatore protagonizó el escandalo más importante de la temporada 2009

La polémica generada por la inhabilitación de por vida de Flavio Briatore dejó su huella en la presente temporada. El Consejo Mundial de Deportes de Motor determinó que el principal referente de la escudería Renault no podrá volver a trabajar en la Fórmula 1, tras considerar como un “comportamiento inaceptable” la orden para que el piloto brasileño Nelson Piquet Jr. estrellara contra un muro su auto en el Gran Premio de Singapur del año pasado, para beneficiar a su compañero de equipo, el español Fernando Alonso.

La actual temporada dejó su huella y se espera la próxima con muchas expectativas. Las escuderías decidieron salir a reforzarse y se produjeron varios traspasos de pilotos: Raikkonen a McLaren y Alonso a Ferrari, son los más destacados y demuestran que ambas escuderías quieren recuperarse después de una temporada con malos resultados. El calendario 2010 incluirá 19 competencias y la primera de ellas será el Gran Premio de Bahrain, carrera que se disputará el 14 de marzo.

Começa a altura das recuperações do tempo perdido. Depois de não me ter corrido lá muito bem os últimos dias, aproveito para dizer duas coisas: irei começar a recuperação com uma média de um post por dia, e aproveitarei a calma pré-temporada ao anuário.

Enfim, comecemos. Notem que as análises que vou fazer serão feitas como se fossem dadas no momento, ou seja, nesta análise falarei como se a corrida não tivesse sido já disputada.

Hamilton com pole fácil

Depois da qualificação é óbvio que o alvo a abater na pista do Abu Dhabi é Lewis. O britânico misturou uma condução soberba com um carro demolidor e conseguiu a pole position.

Apesar de estar com uma estratégia de paragem mais curta que Vettel, acredita-se que o conjunto de Hamilton com o MP4-24 poderá valer perto de meio segundo por volta!

Numa qualificação em que os dois Ferrari ficaram bem para trás, a McLaren tem tudo para permanecer na frente da Scuderia no campeonato, apesar dos problemas de Kovalainen o terem deixado na Q2…

Título bem entregue

Quando dei uma boa vista de olhos à tabela classificativa e conjuguei com o que estava a ver no ecrã, pensei para mim mesmo: foi justo!

Em retrospectiva e pelas performances mostradas por Red Bull e Brawn durante o treino, fiquei contente com o desenrolar dos acontecimentos. Nada melhor que variar um pouco uma vez por outra…

Estou-me a desviar do tema! Apesar de estar logo atrás de Hamilton, Vettel não pareceu contar em tê-lo lá. E Webber tinha obrigação de bater o alemão, pois tinha combustível a menos.

Já a Brawn mostrou um pouco como foi a sua performance durante a 2ª metade da época: longe do domínio inicial, mas bastante aceitável andamento para quem luta pelo título.

Resumir o ano numa qualificação…

Foi por demais óbvio que a Renault resumiu nesta tarde (Sábado) exactamente o ritmo que os caracterizou durante a temporada inteira, ou seja: muito, mas mesmo muito, mau.

Para além das dúvidas sobre a possível saída da Renault no final do ano, teremos agora ainda a dúvida de Grosjean. A não ser que o francês faça uma grande performance na corrida está absolutamente tramado para garantir o lugar em 2010…

Quem não gostou da sua aquisição para o próximo ano deve ter sido Montezemolo que foi apanhado pelas câmaras em flagrante enquanto olhava para o falhanço do espanhol em ir à Q2. A juntar ao péssimo andamento da Scuderia, imagino o seu humor!

É fantochada, mas Bernie gosta…

É esta a minha visão sobre a iluminação deste GP. Apesar de ser giro ver carros a andarem às voltinhas enquanto começa a anoitecer, e de vermos um hotel a mudar de cores, não há nada de especial nisto.

Temo que durante a corrida se veja mais interesse no artificial no que naquilo que realmente interessa: a competição…

Resultados da qualificação

This is the ultimate guide to where drivers are going in Formula 1 for 2010. The guide is split between current season (2009) teams, and new 2010 teams. This page will be constantly updated.

2009 Teams and confirmed drivers

Sauber

Retired from 2010 season brought by Peter Sauber

Mercedes GP

1. Nico Rosberg
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Michael Schumacher, Nick Heidfeld

Ferrari

1. Fernando Alonso
2. Felipe Massa

Force India

1. Adrian Sutil
2. Antonio Liuzzi

McLaren

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Jenson Button

Red Bull Racing

1. Mark Webber
2. Sebastian Vettel

Renault

1. Robert Kubica
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Heikki Kovalainen, Romain Grosjean

Toro Rosso

1. Sebastien Buemi
2. Jaime Alguersuari

Toyota

Retired from 2010 season

Williams

1. Rubens Barrichello
2. Nico Hülkenberg

New teams for 2010 and confirmed drivers

Campos Meta

1. Bruno Senna
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Pedro de la Rosa, Nelson Piquet Jr.

Lotus F1

1. Unconfirmed
2. Unconfirmed
Rumoured: Jarno Trulli, Kamui Kobayashi

Manor GP

1. Timo Glock
2. Unconfirmed

US F1

1. Jose Maria Lopez
2. Unconfirmed

2009 Drivers Currently Missing a Race Seat

• Kimi Raikkonen (ex Ferrari). Confirmed as leaving in 2010.
• Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren)
• Kazuki Nakajima (ex Williams)
• Nick Heidfeld (ex BMW Sauber)
• Giancarlo Fisichella (ex Force India & Ferrari)
• Jarno Trulli (ex Toyota)
• Kamui Kobayashi (ex Toyota)

Available unattached drivers

• Heidfeld
• Fisichella
• Kovalainen
• Montagny
• Trulli
• Kobayashi
• Villeneuve
• Summerton
• Petrov
• Maldonado
• de la Rosa
• Piquet Jr
• di Resta
• Davidson
• Carroll
• Raikkonen
• Paffett
• Nakajima
• Wurz
• Chandhok
• A. Rossi
• V. Rossi
• Gutierrez
• Bianchi
• Baguette
• Hildebrand
• Jose Maria Lopez (*subject to sponsorship / superlicence)
• Sato

On his official website Kimi Raikkonen said:

I am very motivated to win races and a championship again and will only remain in Formula One if I can race for a team that can give me a car to fight at the front. Let’s wait and see what happen.

Let’s look at this realistically, who are the teams set to compete in Formula 1 in 2010 that will be fighting for the Championship:

Red Bull
If it hadn’t been for Brawn GP’s fairytale start to the 2009 season then Red Bull would have beena good bet to win the Drivers Championship with Sebastian Vettel and probably the Constructors Championship with Mark Weber as his team mate. Vettel and Weber are two of just a handful of drivers that are confirmed for 2010. this means that although Red Bull could enter next season in Formula 1 as the favourites, there is no room for Kimi Raikkonen in 2010.

Brawn GP
They had a fantastic head start coming into the 2009 season and built up an unassailable lead in the first 6 races of the season thanks to the developments they made to the car while under the Honda badge and at the sacrifice to their 2008 season. While nobody expects to see such dominance in 2010, they will still be one of the teams fighting it out at the front of the grid.

While the 2 race seats at Brawn GP are still unconfirmed, we’re all just waiting for Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg to be confirmed. As much as the UK press like to try their hand at fantasy booking an all British driver team at McLaren, it isn’t going to be happening. What this means is no race seat for Kimi Raikkonen at Brawn GP in 2010.

Ferrari
While 2009 was quite a poor season, at least in terms of the previous successes of Ferrari, you wouldn’t bet against them coming back strongly in 2010 and they in fact started working on their 2010 car towards the end of the 2009 season.

Ferrari has been Kimi Raikkonen’s home for the past 3 seasons, and where he won the Drivers Championship in 2007 while finishing 3rd and 6th in 2008 and 2009 respectively. However, the least surprising move in Formula 1 saw Ferrari sign Fernando Alonso for the 2010 season, who along with the returning Felipe Massa makes up their Driving team for next season. Once again, no room for Raikkonen in 2010.

McLaren
Like Ferrari, McLaren had a bad start to 2009 but by the middle of the season they seemed to be catching up and by the end of he season Lewis Hamilton had scored more points than any other driver in the 2nd half of the season. Ironically it was Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari who had scored the second most points in that same period. Martin Whitmarsh has said that the McLaren will be faster in 2010 so we can expect the MP4-25 to be battling Red Bull, Brawn GP and Ferrari for the big points next season.

Hamilton and Raikkonen – competitors in 2007, team mates in 2010?

No disrespect to any of the other teams, but it would seem that if Kimi Raikkonen does indeed what to drive next season and be competitive, then McLaren is his only choice. It’s recently been said that Raikkonen could earn more by not driving next year than if he were to drive with McLaren. The figures being banded around are €17 million if he takes 2010 off and €15 million if he accepts the offer to drive for McLaren. In the world of McLaren the minimum €2 million pounds extra they’d need to offer Raikkonen to match his sabbatical earnings seems like a drop in the ocean, but then why should they offer him more?

It could be argued that if money is the only thing motivating Kimi Raikkonen is he really the right choice for the team and should McLaren look elsewhere to fill that second seat. I discussed the 2010 driver options here, and to be honest, even a money motivated Kimi Raikkonen could be McLaren’s best option for 2010 to get the most points possible. That is unless Renault do indeed quit Formula 1 in which case I’d get Robert Kubica into that second seat quicker than you can say ‘enjoy your ice cream Kimi’!

All will no doubt be revealed soon and I won’t be at all surprised to see Kimi Raikkonen announced as McLaren’s second river for 2010 – for how much is anyone’s guess.

…TV-Produzent Wolfgang Rademann, Formel1-Fahrer Sebastian Vettel, Roland Emmerich, John Cusack, RTL-Moderatorin Nazan Eckes und Stargeiger David Garett.

Außerdem erwartet Thomas Gottschalk heute in Braunschweig auch noch Spandau Ballet, Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis mit “potentieller Skandalgefahr” (zumindest für das alternde ZDF-Publikum) gibt es Lady Gaga.

Lauwarme Kost gibt es auch in Sachen Saalwette, die ja eigentlich keine Saalwette mehr ist. Die Wette, mit der Michelle Hunziker Moderator Thomas Gottschalk herausfordert: Mindestens 1000 Menschen sollen sich am Abend nach dem Song „Thriller“ von Michael Jackson bewegen.

Je nachdem in welcher Form sich Robbie Williams und eben die skandalöse Lady Gaga sich befinden, könnten das zumindest die Höhepunkte der Show werden. Sollten sie aber auch nur ihr Standartprogramm abspielen um pünktlich den Flieger zu bekommen, dann darf man heute Abend sicherlich auch getrost etwas anderes anschauen.

Well, that was some season! Yet another stunning FIA Formula One World Championship that created a fresh chapter of history.

Brawn GP, the Phoenix that rose from the ashes of Honda who sent shockwaves rippling through the sport after their sudden and unexpected withdrawal the previous December, became the first ‘new’ team ever to win their first two races (Mercedes-Benz, March and Wolf in 1954, 1970 and 1977 respectively had won their first) and go on to win both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. They won eight races, took four one-twos and 15 podiums.

And by season end Jenson Button’s succession to Lewis Hamilton’s throne meant that for the first time ever two Englishmen – as opposed to two Britons – had won back-to-back titles.

Almost inevitably, 2009 began with controversies. First, there were the new regulations. Slick tyres were back. Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) were optional, and promised those who opted to pursue their multi-million dollar development in an era of cost cutting, such as McLaren, Ferrari, BMW Sauber and Renault, an extra 80bhp for six seconds a lap, and a potential gain of 0.6s in lap time.

And aerodynamic changes aimed at improving overtaking meant less bodywork ‘furniture’ such as bargeboards, smaller and higher rear wings, and wider and lower fronts which could be adjusted twice a lap through three degrees to cut down understeer while following closely in another car’s wake. Sadly, despite all the research that went into this, most drivers were sceptical about the overall effect.

It was the aero side, allied to the new rule banning testing during the season, which were to create the main talking points at the start of the season, because Brawn, Toyota and Williams all hit, through varying routes, on the idea of running a double diffuser. They had spotted the loophole in the regulations, and the FIA rejected protests from the likes of BMW Sauber, Red Bull and Renault after Button had wiped the floor with everyone in Melbourne.

The testing ban made it hard for others to catch up, though invariably they did after four or five races. By then Button had run amok. He won again in the rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix (and had that race run its course the latter part of his season might have been less stressful), in Bahrain, Spain, Monaco and Turkey. Of the opening seven races, only China, the third, fell to Red Bull, as Sebastian Vettel led home Mark Webber.

Button was third there, and for the first time the Brawn’s Achilles’ heel was exposed: an inability to generate the same sort of tyre temperatures in cool conditions (or rain in this case) as the Red Bull. The Adrian Newey-designed RB5 had the best lift/drag performance of any car, and in a year that would yield the Milton Keynes-based team six wins, four one-twos and 16 podiums, fearsomely improved reliability.

As Brawn and Red Bull thus set the pace, others struggled. McLaren’s MP4-24 was initially a major disappointment, with very poor aero performance. Ferrari’s F60 was beautiful, but likewise lacked aero ‘grunt’. The two big hitters were paying the price for throwing so much technological development into their 2008 title fight, whereas Brawn had been working on their car’s concept since February 2007.

Though BMW Sauber briefly looked strong in Australia until Robert Kubica was taken out in a clash with Vettel, they and Renault would soon find that their respective F1.09 and R29 offerings were not up to scratch. Thus the cars that showed promise in the wake of the two leaders were Toyota’s TF109 and Williams’ Toyota-powered FW31.

The second controversy was born in Australia but ultimately came to light in Malaysia. Lewis Hamilton inferred to the Australian Grand Prix stewards that Jarno Trulli had refused to let him repass after Trulli had briefly slipped off the road in Melbourne when the field was running behind the safety car, but the FIA subsequently ruled that radio transmissions proved that McLaren – in their first race under new team principal Martin Whitmarsh – had told him to hold station. The suggestion that McLaren were trying to get Trulli into trouble left a bad taste and led to the departure of their sporting director, Dave Ryan.

Continued in Part Two

Reference: F1.com

BBC

RTLGP

One

If you’re an engineer and love cars, then there is no reason not to love Formula 1 racing, the highest form of motorsport. Formula 1 has the fastest and most technically advanced cars. Plus the glamour of the sport gives the geeky engineers a chance to hang with some gorgeous people!

Pictured above is a beautiful shot from www.f1fanatic.co.uk at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the brand new Yas Marina circuit. It was the last race of what was a fun 2009 Formula 1 season. It will be a season known as the season of underdogs. The usual top teams of Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes played catchup all season while the young Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing were fighting at the top for the champtionship. In the end, the World Champion driver and the World Manufacturer’s champion were both first time winners. British driver Jenson Button finally won the World Championship after 10 years in the sport. And Brawn GP won the Manufacturer’s championship even though the team almost didn’t have a spot at the beginning of the season. Congrats to them on a wonderful season!

I was pulling for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing to win it all, but they came up short. However, Vettel was able to be the first winner of the inauguaral Abu Dhabi Grand Prix so I’m happy for that. I’m looking forward to them competing for the championship next year in 2010! But I am also gonna be pulling for the brand new United States Formula 1 team! 2010 is going to be such an exciting year with new rules and the new US team. Peter Windsor is one of the new team principals and with the job he did with SpeedTV covering Formula 1 it’s hard not to root for him! Check out their website at www.usgpe.com.

So for 2010 I’ll be rooting for USF1 and RBR. Can’t wait!

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Double DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom has taken his third Race of Champions title – by winning every single race he competed in then beating Michael Schumacher in the event’s final.

The Swedish touring car and rallying star took the prize after outdriving triple World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx, five-time Moto GP champion Mick Doohan and multiple X-Games gold medallist Travis Pastrana in the group stage.

He beat eight-time Le Mans 24 Hour winner Tom Kristensen in the quarter finals and newly-crowned F1 World Champion Jenson Button in the semi-final.

Ekstrom said that the flexibility born of driving many different types of race car was the key to his success in the competition, which aims to pit champions from different disciplines against each other on equal terms.

He said: “I was born in the countryside in Sweden and drove lots of different cars as a boy, plus I’ve also had the pleasure of racing a lot of good touring cars, sportscars and rally cars. That is what makes the difference for me.

“I look across at Michael on the start line and I think ‘why should I beat him? His driving his spotless’. A tenth of a second here and there isn’t a lot but sometimes it is enough and driving against Michael is always a pleasure.

“I always pretend to be thinking about whether to come to The Race of Champions or not but actually I’m never thinking about it.”

Schumacher said: “It has been a nice event, all in all, as always. It has the right mixture of seriousness behind the wheel and a relaxed atmosphere in which to meet some good guys.”

F1 World Champion Jenson Button reached the semi-finals, having won his group and beaten his Nations Cup team-mate Andy Priaulx in the quarter-finals. Sebastian Vettel, runner-up to Button in the F1 World Championship, also reached the penultimate round before losing to his Team Germany team-mate Schumacher.

David Coulthard made it out of the group stages but was knocked out by his Red Bull colleague Vettel in the quarter-finals. Vettel went on to crash in the semis, handing a place in the final to Schumi.

Full results can be found at http://www.raceofchampions.com and a race by race account of The Race of Champions 2009 will appear on the site shortly.

The contest for the 2009 season’s DHL Fastest Lap Trophy was decided on the penultimate lap of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when eventual winner Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest lap of the Yas Marina race.

Vettel’s quick lap of 1m 40.279s in Abu Dhabi meant that he had equalled team mate Mark Webber’s tally of three fastest laps over the course of the season. And after the duo’s number of second fastest laps were taken into account, the young German driver came out in front of his Australian counterpart in the standings by three to one.

“I am very pleased,” said Vettel after being presented with the trophy following the race. “It means a lot to me to have my achievements recognized in this way. I wanted to post the fastest lap of the race, which is why, just before the finish; I really put my foot to the floor again. It was more than worth it.”

Former Formula One driver and now RTL TV commentator, Christian Danner, offered Vettel warm congratulations, saying: “After such a great season, culminating in a win at Abu Dhabi and the number two spot in the world championship, winning the DHL Fastest Lap Trophy is the icing on the cake for Sebastian.”

To post the fastest lap in a race is a real challenge and comes about as a result of speed, precision and teamwork. “These attributes are indispensable for the DHL Logistics Business as well,” added Thomas Nieszner, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Europe/CEE, who handed over the award.

Vettel succeeds the Finnish driver, and former world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, who won the trophy in the first two years of its existence. In 2007, Raikkonen, with six fastest laps under his belt, was in a similar exciting neck-and-neck race against his Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa.

In 2008, the Finn was the undisputed winner, securing a total of ten fastest laps. He is the clear leader in this contest amongst the current crop of drivers, having set a total of 35 during his career. In the list of all-time top drivers, he lies in third position behind Michael Schumacher (76) and Alain Prost (41).

DHL is the Official Logistics Partner of Formula 1™ and has been the official name patron of the Fastest Lap Trophy since 2007.

DHL Fastest Lap Trophy 2009 – Facts
Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
Number of fastest laps: 3
Fastest lap of the season: Mark Webber (Red Bull), Brazil (1m 13.733s)

Fastest lap drivers:
Sebastian Vettel – 3
Mark Webber – 3
Rubens Barrichello – 2
Fernando Alonso – 2
Jenson Button – 2
Felipe Massa – 1
Jarno Trulli – 1
Timo Glock – 1
Nico Rosberg – 1
Adrian Sutil – 1

Fastest lap teams:
Red Bull – 6
Brawn GP – 4
Renault – 2
Toyota – 2
Ferrari – 1
Williams – 1
Force India – 1

Reference: f1.com