Formula 1 - 2009

[Supra_Natural]

& Button wins the championship!

the McLaren Ferrari pit fuel-fire issue was shocking!

Epic race that was, drama absolutely EVERYWHERE!! Six retirements in total too.

Anyway congrats to button and brawn but the bloke I feel sorry for is old Rubens... Worst luck in the world!

[miniace]

Another great F1 week end.Good show by Button.My hero of the day is Hamilon.Great run by him.No points to Trulli for the childish act.

MINIACE

[MasterDon]

i'm gonna mis them fuel pit stops next season...lol...poor kimi...bugger nearly got barbecued out there...

btw just saw on bbc that bruno senna is a getting a seat for next season for some team called campos or summin...the guy does look like his uncle.

[Devinda_Z]

Epic race that was, drama absolutely EVERYWHERE!! Six retirements in total too.

Anyway congrats to button and brawn but the bloke I feel sorry for is old Rubens... Worst luck in the world!

spare a thought for Webber as well - man won the race but didn't look like anyone really noticed or bothered to pay him any attention!

[Devinda_Z]

Another great F1 week end.Good show by Button.My hero of the day is Hamilon.Great run by him.No points to Trulli for the childish act.

MINIACE

regardless of all that been said LH keeps proving that he is a very capable driver - i reckon his climbed more places each each race this season than most if not even all of the drivers

Trulli's was a typical Italian outburst, even when he was in the wrong!

[Devinda_Z]

i'm gonna mis them fuel pit stops next season...lol...poor kimi...bugger nearly got barbecued out there...

what do you mean??

[Devinda_Z]

Interesting to note that all of the 4 new teams for 2010 will be running Cosworth Engines!

[MasterDon]

what do you mean??

eh???...did you not see kimi's car catch fire for a moment cos mclaren bungled up heikki's refuelling bro...

[Devinda_Z]

eh???...did you not see kimi's car catch fire for a moment cos mclaren bungled up heikki's refuelling bro...

of course i did

i was asking about the comment regarding you missing fuel pit stops next season

[fuzzo]

dev.. for next year, they are doing away with fueling stops

[MasterDon]

dev.. for next year, they are doing away with fueling stops

yep...exactly

one tank of fuel for every race,the pits are gonna be for tyre changes only.

[Devinda_Z]

aiyo thats a shame!

i quite enjoy seeing the pit crew sprint after cars with hoses yet attached spewing fuel & igniting things left in its path!

[Elvis_Pil]

Interesting to note that all of the 4 new teams for 2010 will be running Cosworth Engines!

Machan where did you read this? Williams and Redbull may switch to Cosworth with the former being most likely and RB based on how the deal with Merc goes.(which is being blocked by a couple of other teams) I dont think a single engine supplier can do so many teams according to the FIA rules..

Apparently the Cosworth option is strong one as they have the rights to re-tune their motors during the season- unlike the other Suppliers who will come under the 'engine freeze' rule.

[KLM]

Machan where did you read this? Williams and Redbull may switch to Cosworth with the former being most likely and RB based on how the deal with Merc goes.(which is being blocked by a couple of other teams) I dont think a single engine supplier can do so many teams according to the FIA rules..

Apparently the Cosworth option is strong one as they have the rights to re-tune their motors during the season- unlike the other Suppliers who will come under the 'engine freeze' rule.

Machan I think that the new teams ARE in fact all going with Cosworth. Even your beloved Williams has signed up with them. In fact if you remember, when the 3 original teams were announced, there were allegations that the FIA had told all the contenders that only those that tied up with Cosworth would be entertained and a couple of lawsuits are still pending. The mystery part was that the best of the contenders, Prodrive, were omitted. The suggestion was that it happened because they were going to be Mercedes-powered.

Cosworth get to build their V8 to a 'current' spec as they are not bound by the freeze. This loophole should allow them to build a strong engine, which is probably why Williams went with them. However, by the start of next season they'll have to fall in line with the other teams and will only be able to modify engines to 'improve reliability.' Last year Renault were believed to have made a number of performance mods in the guise of improving mechanical reliability. F1 is all fun and games..............

[Elvis_Pil]

Machan I think that the new teams ARE in fact all going with Cosworth. Even your beloved Williams has signed up with them. In fact if you remember, when the 3 original teams were announced, there were allegations that the FIA had told all the contenders that only those that tied up with Cosworth would be entertained and a couple of lawsuits are still pending. The mystery part was that the best of the contenders, Prodrive, were omitted. The suggestion was that it happened because they were going to be Mercedes-powered.

Cosworth get to build their V8 to a 'current' spec as they are not bound by the freeze. This loophole should allow them to build a strong engine, which is probably why Williams went with them. However, by the start of next season they'll have to fall in line with the other teams and will only be able to modify engines to 'improve reliability.' Last year Renault were believed to have made a number of performance mods in the guise of improving mechanical reliability. F1 is all fun and games..............

Yep its been confirmed that Williams will be going for Cosworth- so, so much for the supplier rule by the FIA. You can bet Patrick would not have dumped toyota if not for havng something solid in his hands. its not everyday that toyota get dumped!

[terrabytetango]

spare a thought for Webber as well - man won the race but didn't look like anyone really noticed or bothered to pay him any attention!

And what about Kubica? Where did he come from? That was a major "WTF!?" moment for me.

[Devinda_Z]

Heard this over the radio...

Toyota negotiating with Kimi Raikkonen for 2010 drive

October 20, 2009

Toyota’s Formula 1 squad has admitted that it is currently negotiating with former World Champion Kimi Raikkonen for a drive in 2010. Toyota also recently announced that its wishes to have a completely new drive line-up for next year.

The Japanese team which is based in Cologne currently has Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock as its pilots, hence both will have to look elsewhere for race seats in 2010.

Kimi Raikkonen will leave Ferrari after this season, as the Maranello outfit has confirmed Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso as its drivers for next season. Raikkonen was also rumored to rejoin Woking-based McLaren and race alongside fellow World Champion Lews Hamilton.

Source : http://www.icars.sg/2009/10040/toyota-nego...kimi-raikkonen/

[virensti]

Heard this over the radio...

Toyota negotiating with Kimi Raikkonen for 2010 drive

October 20, 2009

Source : http://www.icars.sg/2009/10040/toyota-nego...kimi-raikkonen/

I heard about this too.. But also heard that Toyota is reluctant to pay the amount Raikkonen is asking for. Can't say I blame them, but then again he's got every right to ask that much.. Wonder how a Raikonen Hamilton partnership would go

[Devinda_Z]

I heard about this too.. But also heard that Toyota is reluctant to pay the amount Raikkonen is asking for. Can't say I blame them, but then again he's got every right to ask that much.. Wonder how a Raikonen Hamilton partnership would go

i read about that speculation somewhere as well - but knowing how each of them are , i reckon it won't be any better than the last time they had more than one world champion in the team

[Devinda_Z]

as interesting as this may have been...........

Danica Patrick rules out USF1 drive in 2010

USF1 May Be Forced To Reconsider All-American Line Up

Danica Patrick has all but ruled out switching to formula one next year.

The 27-year-old American female racer, who currently drives in the United States\' premier IndyCar open wheel category, has been linked with the new USF1 team.

But speculation also hints at a NASCAR move for the diminutive Patrick, and when questioned about her plans for 2010 is quoted as saying by the LA Times: \"I\'d say it\'s probably not F1\".

She said she has little interest in the USF1 outfit, whose principals Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor are targeting American drivers and have named Patrick specifically.

\"Not really, and the fact is that to my knowledge they\'ve never called,\" she revealed.

In 2005, Patrick turned down the offer of a demonstration run in a formula one car at Indianapolis, and last year Honda chief executive Nick Fry\'s invitation of a proper test drive reportedly went unanswered.

\"I\'ve had opportunities to take it a step further with formula one, and I don\'t want to lead anyone down a path. It\'s not in my heart to go there,\" Patrick said.

She moved to England in the late 1990s to advance her formative career in open wheelers, but for several years has settled on the American scene.

\"I\'ve explored Europe before,\" Patrick said in Los Angeles. \"I particularly like to be here and I like my family and I like my friends and I like my creature comforts of my home country.\"

Source : http://www.worldcarfans.com/109072020554/d...1-drive-in-2010

Edited October 23, 2009 by Devinda_Z

[virensti]

ABU DHABI Yas Marina Circuit 2009 final grand prix of the season.. Looks like its gonna be a cracker

Hamilton: There’s gonna be some racing this weekend! McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was certainly impressed with the new Yas Marina Circuit on Thursday. “It’s just mind-blowing,” the outgoing world champion said of the Abu Dhabi venue. “I can’t even comprehend how much money has gone into it. And I think there will be some overtaking here. There are the long straights, one of the 1.2 kilometres long… I think there is gonna be some racing this weekend!”

Hamilton wasn’t the only one being verbose. Thursday’s preparation day was enlivened by a lively debate on the rights and wrongs of the incident in Brazil which wiped out Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Force India’s Adrian Sutil on the opening lap, which all of the drivers will discuss later in Friday’s drivers’ briefing.

“I think I had every reason to be extremely furious,” Trulli said in the FIA press conference. “I’ve got all the evidence to show that I was there, I was next to him, so I think tomorrow we are going to discuss it.”

“I think there’s nothing to discuss,” Sutil countered. “It was a quite obvious incident. In the end it was very disappointing for myself, even more, I think, because I was the one who was just driving and he lost control of his car and crashed in my back, so it was not my problem, it was his problem. I don’t know why he’s freaking out like that, to be honest.”

Trulli laughed. “If you want, I can show you some pictures. I don’t know if you’re blind but they clearly show you that my front wing is next to your front wing, so…”

“Yeah,” Sutil snapped, “but you’re trying to overtake me on the outside on the kerbing. There was not a problem…”

“So you mean… you didn’t move there…”

“No, you were just not going off the power. The same happened in Barcelona where you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car. You just have to sometimes also respect the limits of the car. If there’s no way to go, you have to back off, that’s how racing is, and I don’t know how long you want to learn it.”

“In Barcelona I spun and he hit me because he tapped the kerb,” Trulli pointed out, “he completely cut the circuit and he didn’t slow down, so basically… Anyway, I think it’s better…”

At this point and smirking Fernando Alonso looked at Kimi Raikkonen and laughed: “Shall we go?”

“No, no. Watch the race in Barcelona,” Sutil said angrily. “I didn’t hit you, you hit me. I don’t know what’s the problem, but maybe your eyes are a problem.”

“I was furious because I said ‘Didn’t you see me?’” Trulli ask, smiling. “I mean, I was next to him and he kept pushing me going outside until I was obviously on the kerbs. I couldn’t believe…”

“…the kerbs, not a problem to be on the kerb, I think,” said Sutil, poker-faced. “Where’s the problem?”

“Okay, no problem, it’s okay. As long as we know the rules.”

“I know the rules.”

“Fantastic.”

Like Hamilton said, we could have some really fun racing this weekend…

F1.com

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/10/10157.html

I must say the replays and what the commentaters said that it looked alot like Trulli's fault.

And the Mclarens are on top for the 1st 2 practice sessions. Wonder if Hamiltons gonna pull it off again. Hope Kimi gets a super race with the scuderia as well. fingers crossed.

Edited October 30, 2009 by virensti

[virensti]

NOVEMBER01 Nov 2009

Vettel and R*D B*LL triumphant at Yas Marina

Once a brake problem slowed McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, R*D B*LL’s Sebastian Vettel had no competition in Sunday evening’s inaugural day/night Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A brilliant win cemented his second place in the drivers’ world championship behind Brawn GP’s Jenson Button, who enlivened the end of the race with a superb challenge to the second-placed R*D B*LL of Mark Webber in the closing stages.

Hamilton led from pole and built a lead of 1.4s when he refuelled on the 17th lap. Vettel was able to run until the 20th, and emerged comfortably in the lead. Soon afterwards Hamilton’s challenge ended when McLaren had to withdraw his car after the telemetry revealed a problem with the right rear brake pads which were suffering from excessive wear.

Webber thus moved up to second, with Button at that stage a distant third ahead of Brawn GP team mate Rubens Barrichello. The Brazilian had run ahead of the Englishman on the opening lap but clipped Webber’s left-rear wheel with the right-hand endplate of his front wing, causing understeer. Button overtook, and chased after Webber while, at one stage, unsuccessfully fending off impressive rookie Kamui Kobayashi, until the Toyota driver finally refuelled.

In the closing stages Button found the softer Bridgestone option tyre cured the understeer he’d had on the harder primes and homed in on Webber like a heat-seeking missile. On the final lap he drew alongside at the end of the 1.2km back straight, but Webber handled the situation beautifully, hogging the inside line and forcing Button to go to the outside where he didn’t want to go. They ran side by side for a while, but the Australian was able to keep his second place by 0.6s.

Behind them, the race was relatively uneventful. Nick Heidfeld signed off BMW Sauber’s tenure as a joint team with a solid fifth place ahead of Kobayashi, who proved to be the find of the second half of the season. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was seventh, two-stopping where Kobayashi stopped once, and Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi survived a challenge and a brush with BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, which left the Pole spinning, to take the final point.

Nico Rosberg was ninth for Williams with a recovered Kubica 10th. McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen fought up from his 18th place start to take 11th, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s uncompetitive Ferrari, Kazuki Nakajima’s Williams, Fernando Alonso who took his Renault until the 34th lap before his sole refuelling stop, and similarly single-stopping Vitantonio Liuzzi whose Force India was the last unlapped runner.

Ferrari’s Giancarlo Fisichella jumped Romain Grosjean’s Renault in the closing laps for 16th, and the Franco Swiss driver was so unsettled that Force India’s Adrian Sutil also sneaked by.

Besides Hamilton, the only other retirement was Jaime Alguersuari. The Spaniard mistakenly tried to refuel in Vettel’s R*D B*LL pit instead of his own Toro Rosso camp and was frantically waved back round. He stopped soon after out on the track.

In the constructors’ world championship, McLaren retained third place ahead of Ferrari, while Williams lost sixth at the last gasp by 1.5 points to BMW Sauber.

Source. http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/11/10180.html

Shame bout Hamilton, I was hoping he'd give a fight to Vettel. Poor bloke Ah well, race was quite good. Got a bit boring though at one point.. But certainly fired right up with the Button Webber battle at the end!! That was some serious racing!! If only F1 was always like that. Anyways all credit to redbull for fighting back hard.. And that track was just stunning!!!! The lighting along with the twilight racing.. Brilliant!

Edited November 1, 2009 by virensti

[miniace]

Toyota announce Formula One withdrawal

Toyota will be absent from the grid next season after the team’s parent company announced its withdrawal from Formula One racing on Wednesday. The team had been competing since 2002.

“Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula One World Championship at the end of the 2009 season,” said a statement released by the Japanese car manufacturer

Sourced

MINIACE

[Devinda_Z]

Toyota announce Formula One withdrawal

Toyota will be absent from the grid next season after the team’s parent company announced its withdrawal from Formula One racing on Wednesday. The team had been competing since 2002.

“Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula One World Championship at the end of the 2009 season,” said a statement released by the Japanese car manufacturer

Sourced

MINIACE

Aiyo!

i don't really care much for the team , but whats gonna happen to Kobayashi ?!?!?!

that guy what quite something! i do hope someone decent picks him up - Brawn perhaps , tough i will admit it would have been nice to see a Jap driver win in a Jap team

[Devinda_Z]

Barrichello leaves Brawn

Rubens swaps Brawn GP for Williams as 2010 Formula 1 driver changes begin

By Stephen Dobie 02nd November 2009

The Formula 1 driver merry-go-round has begun. With the season closing at Abu Dhabi last weekend, next year’s grid is starting to thrash out.

After recent news that Fernando Alonso will team up with Felipe Massa at Ferrari, Williams’ pairing will be Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello and German newcomer Nico Hulkenberg.

The former should be pretty well known, with next year being his 18th season in the sport. He had a rather good 2009, finishing third in the drivers’ standings, his best finish since a runner-up slot in 2004. It looked unlikely that he and Jenson Button would remain as partners at Brawn GP for 2010, and Barrichello is the one who has left the team.

It makes him the first GP race winner to drive for Williams since Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya in 2004. Williams team principal Frank Williams said: ‘He is not only the most experienced driver in Formula 1 but a passionate and talented driver who fought hard for the drivers' championship this year.’

Hulkenberg is a lesser-known quantity, the 22-year-old joining Formula 1 for the first time next year having won the 2009 GP2 Championship as well as previous F3, Formula Masters and A1 GP titles. He was Williams’ reserve driver this year.

Source : http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/244477/b...be071e40617aa96