Formula One Season 2009!

[Cky]

^

Trulli was in third when the saftey car came out, I know this because Hamilton was sitting in Sixth place around 10 seconds behind Kubica and Vettel when they collided together, so there's not a chance he jumped from Sixth to Third when there was three other cars ahead .

That's the way I saw it anyway, some places are saying Trulli ran wide when the saftey car was out, so rightfully the third place is still his.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I missed the middle of the race as I was going to work (from shortly after the safety car restart to around about 17 laps to go) but it was otherwise great stuff.

Jenson Button was simply outstanding, rarely putting a foot wrong in the Brawn car, unlike Rubens Barrichello, who had an awful start, and for me was lucky to not get a penalty for his first corner shunt that led to Heikki Kovalainen's retirement and several front wing changes for others (how Rubens himself survived on a floppy and precarious left front wing tip is incredible). The veteran certainly rode his luck today - a Brawn GP 1-2 finish of all things!

Still, the Ferraris did struggle today too, and seemed to overestimate the longevity of the new super-soft slicks, causing them and Robert Kubica (also on the same tyres) to lose valuable time in the first quarter of the race onwards - mind you, that KERS device on the Ferraris and Lewis Hamilton's McLaren seemed to do the business in key moments, especially the Ferrari's great start at the lights, and Hamilton carving through the field to earn himself a few well-deserved championship points.

Comedy moment of the race of course belonged to the otherwise brilliant Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica for their close racing and spectacular collision towards the conclusion - especially as the chequered flag was something of an anticlimax, it coming from the back of the safety car, having been a thrilling race overall. I did like Vettel's radio comment after the crash: "I'm very very sorry!" Gotta love that sense of humour!

Also great stuff from the Toyotas with their dodgy flexible wings and subsequent pitlane start not deterring them from a top 8 finish, and a podium for the long-sufferring Jarno Trulli. And of course new boy Sebastien Buemi, who must be thrilled to pick up a point for STR on his debut.

My driver of the day? Well, it has to be Jenson Button for driving a flawless and mature race and taking advantage of a miracle of a car in otherwise virgin territory (well, someone here had to say it... ) for all of them.

And I agree, the biggest loser of the weekend surely has to be Honda.

Finally, I was glad that Martin Brundle brought his Grid Walk over from ITV - as usual, entertaining and with the occasional comedy moment here and there.



I've just had a thought - if the World Motorsports Council does uphold the appeal from Ferrari et al. in April and thus rule against Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota, and decides to exclude those cars from this race and Malaysia.... it effectively hands victory to Lewis Hamilton today, against all possible odds. Catch-22 situation for Max and Bernie, say the Hamilton conspiracy theorists? Personally, I think and hope the appeals will be thrown out, the decision to let the cars race will be upheld instead, and today's results stand.

 

[Cky]

Well it's been revealed that Vettel has got a $50,000 fine and a 10 place penality for what happened with him and Kubica today, and Trulli's podium has been revoked and he was suppost to get a 10 second stop-go penality, but because there was less than 5 laps to go, he has been given a 25 second penality, which takes him down to 12th.

 

[BRG]

The penalties dished out to Trulli & Vettel are rather harsh. IMHO.

Trulli
They did not show the incident on the live BBC broadcast, but from what I've read, after he went off and fell behind Lewis, it was confusion on the part of both drivers & teams which caused the mix up.
Lewis, unsure if he passed Trulli illegally, lifted off and allowed Trulli to retake 3rd. Then Jarno, also unsure of his position, pulled over and offered his 3rd back to Hamilton, Lewis declined and held station.

While it does appear that Hamilton was rightly 3rd, giving Trulli a 25sec penalty seemed excessive for a genuine missunderstanding, especially as they where finishing under a safty car, meaning Trulli lost a huge amount of places.

Could the not have simply demoted him to 4th?

Vettel
To me, this was just a racing incident between two drivers fighting for position. You can probably make a case that Vettel was more to blame than Kubica, he had already made a mistake which had lost him drive out of the previous corner, his tyres were shot, and Kubica had gotten his nose infront going for the apex, so he really should have yealded.
However, Kubica must take some of the blame for squeezing Vettel when there was no need. If Vettel chose to put up a fight with the state of his tyres, it was obvious that squeezing him at the apex was only going to end with both cars in the wall!

Racing incident, pure and simple. Just let them argue it out, but no need for 10 place grid penalties.
But I gather the $50,000 fine was for Vettel trying to drag his wrecked 3-weeler Red Bull round the last 3 laps to steal some points. The cheeky monkey. This penalty is totaly justified.
BRG

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I do agree that Vettel be fined for not pitting his car with the left front wheel dangerously hanging by a thread - if this were any other part of the race, he could have been orange-disced or even black-flagged for driving a car that posed a threat to others, if you ask me. Cheeky monkey indeed... he's slowly becoming my favourite driver of the current generation!

As for Hamilton vs Trulli, it seems they both acted out that dilemma in a sportsmanlike manner. Why Trulli was penalised I have no idea, although it may well have to do with strict safety car conditions (no overtaking by cars on the same lap) - I feel it might have been resolved better by Trulli, possibly rightly feeling he was in the wrong, pulling over immediately before the chequered flag (as the safety car was leaving and the race was "restarting") to let Hamilton by. Fourth place is a much fairer outcome than a 25-second penalty.

 

[Cky]

In all fairness, it wasn't dangerously hanging by a thread. The "thread" you speak of is a anti measure to stop wheels flying away when a car hits a wall after a marshall died in 2005 or 2006 because of a loose wheel. I guess Vettel thought he could make it to the end of the race as there was 3 laps to go.

But he has been penalised 10 grid places for the next race, but the accident wasn't all his fault. I re-watched the race and Kubica is just to blame as Vettel. Vettel had the racing line but he should have pulled back, but at the same time Kubica should have given Vettel more room, then they connected and the rest we know about. It's unfair to punish him for not wanting a car to overtake him.

 

[Bitter_Dregs]

Trulli was in third when the saftey car came out, I know this because Hamilton was sitting in Sixth place around 10 seconds behind Kubica and Vettel when they collided together, so there's not a chance he jumped from Sixth to Third when there was three other cars ahead .

That's the way I saw it anyway, some places are saying Trulli ran wide when the saftey car was out, so rightfully the third place is still his.

Video of Trulli going wide. Don't know how long it will still stay up.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/03/...fourth-would-have-been-fairer/comment-page-2/

 

[BRG]

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/03/29/hamilton-promoted-to-third-trulli-dropped-to-12th-but-fourth-would-have-been-fairer/comment-page-2/[/URL]

Cheers!

BTW, that looked like Glock sliding off at the same place as Trulli just seconds later! We was lucky he got back on track without also losing a few places.
BRG

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Honestly, what is it about Hamilton and passing a Toyota on the final corner of a Grand Prix these days?!

 

[BRG]

The latest twist in the bizzare Trulli-Hamilton saga!

Apparently, after reviewing some new evidence- team radio and media interviews, the Austrailian GP stewards now say that McLaren & Hamilton "misled" them in order to gain 3rd.

Hamilton has now been disqualified from the Austrailian GP, and Trulli reinstated to 3rd! And they have not ruled out further action against team or driver.
Honestly, you could not make this shit up!

So, Maylasia this weekend. Brawn still look like the team to beat, with a good chance for Jenson & Rubens to get a solid lead in the championship before the big teams make their inevitable improvements and close the gap when we return to Europe.
But Sepang could be a lottery. They still reckon the super-soft tyres will cause major problems again. With a very late start, the low sun, or low light under cloud could cause visibility issues, and any delay could see the race finishing in darkness. And as we all know, when it rains in Maylasia, it is never a wee shower!
BRG

PS- Watching the 'Classic Highlights' on the BBC Red Button, I can't believe it has been 10 years since the first Maylasian GP- a Schumacher masterclass before gifting the victory to Irvine in his title push of 1999.
Where has the time gone?

 

[Bitter_Dregs]

The latest twist in the bizzare Trulli-Hamilton saga!

Apparently, after reviewing some new evidence- team radio and media interviews, the Austrailian GP stewards now say that McLaren & Hamilton "misled" them in order to gain 3rd.

Hamilton has now been disqualified from the Austrailian GP, and Trulli reinstated to 3rd! And they have not ruled out further action against team or driver.
Honestly, you could not make this shit up!

WTF? What a joke! It took the FIA took four days to come to a definitive ruling about the incident?!?

So now, it doesn't matter that Trulli drove off the track and regained his position by passing Glock and Hamilton?

Why bother having a race at all if the stewards/FIA are going to change the results after the fact?

 

[arch101]

Lewis was robbed...again! What rotten luck that 2 of his best drives have been disqualified. Well, at least now McLaren won't have more constructors points than Ferrari. (which I think was the point)

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Heads have indeed rolled... McLaren sporting director Dave Ryan is "suspended".

Hamilton in the meantime gave a press conference where he apologised for his actions (or is he sorry he got caught? ). He sounded, probably for the first time in a competitive season, a truly broken man there. Not good when the Malaysian GP is around the corner.

I can see how Hamilton's actions at the time (giving back Trulli's place with good intentions when he thought he was in the wrong - it seems he was actually right in not letting Trulli retake his lost place as it was overtaking on the safety car) will have misled the stewards to think that Trulli was breaking the rules, although now we know what Hamilton and co said in the aftermath was at odds with the actual radio and film footage (Hamilton asking about and eventually being told to give the place back when he said something different to the stewards later) and indeed the post-race media interview with the lovely Lee McKenzie (very nice but still no Suzi Perry ).

I feel Hamilton's excuse for misleading the stewards afterwards (that he claimed he was following Ryan's lead in misleading the stewards) suggests he is trying to absolve himself of blame - is he trying to force a rift between himself and the rest of McLaren now it seems? Is Ferrari calling for him now in 2010? And will Alonso be his team-mate?

It was all over the news yesterday about talk of Hamilton even being disqualified from this year's championship (after only one race, mind you ) especially if the matter is taken to the WMSC. I guess when you have a reputation for getting into trouble with the FIA like McLaren has, the media will hyperbole anything within reason... I wouldn't want to be in Dennis or Whitmarsh's shoes in any case.

 

[BRG]

Do you think Ferrari are missing Ross Brawn calling their strategy? Indeed, after two monumental cock-ups this weekend in Maylasia cost both Raikkonen & Massa points, I suspect Baldrick and his "cunning plans" are calling the shots from the pit wall!

First of on Saturday during Q1, Ferrari decide that one timed lap is all that each driver needs to cruise through to Q2. However, they failed to take into account how much the track would improve over the 20mins, and the performance of the option tyre, so Kimi scrapes through by the skin of his teeth, but poor Filipe is stuck on 16th in a car good enough to get deep into the top 10!
Then an all time classic cock-up on Sunday. Kimi, who is in a good points scoring position, enters the pits with the sky darkening. So Ferrari take an insane gamble at throw full wet tyres on his car while the track is bone dry! Unless the heavens opened within the next half a minute, Kimi was completely screwed. He trundled around for 4 or 5 laps 30secs slower than the Force India's, then when the rain finally did come, his tyres were completely destroyed! I wonder who called this play, driver or engineer?

It was a great GP while it lasted. Button again head & sholders above everyone else. And brilliant tyre choices by Heidfeld & Glock when the rain started to put themselves from nowhere onto the podium. And Webber & Rosberg also impressed.
But alas! The shambles that everybody in the world except Bernie predicted with a 5pm local start in Maylasia arrived right on schedual. It's always a wee bit of a lottery when a race is red flagged like that, as people who dive into the pits at the wrong time can find themselves out of the points after a strong race, while others find themselves picking up points from seemingly nowhere.
BRG

 

[Bitter_Dregs]

Do you think Ferrari are missing Ross Brawn calling their strategy? Indeed, after two monumental cock-ups this weekend in Maylasia cost both Raikkonen & Massa points, I suspect Baldrick and his "cunning plans" are calling the shots from the pit wall!

First of on Saturday during Q1, Ferrari decide that one timed lap is all that each driver needs to cruise through to Q2. However, they failed to take into account how much the track would improve over the 20mins, and the performance of the option tyre, so Kimi scrapes through by the skin of his teeth, but poor Filipe is stuck on 16th in a car good enough to get deep into the top 10!
Then an all time classic cock-up on Sunday. Kimi, who is in a good points scoring position, enters the pits with the sky darkening. So Ferrari take an insane gamble at throw full wet tyres on his car while the track is bone dry! Unless the heavens opened within the next half a minute, Kimi was completely screwed. He trundled around for 4 or 5 laps 30secs slower than the Force India's, then when the rain finally did come, his tyres were completely destroyed! I wonder who called this play, driver or engineer?
BRG

It's Schumi's fault!!!!!!!

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5156679,00.html

What do you think? Any truth to this?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

It's official: Brawn's cars are LEGAL.

Button has won both races this season and there were complaints that his Brawn GP team and rivals Toyota and Williams used an illegal diffuser.

But following eight hours of strongly worded evidence the International Court of Appeal ruled that the cars "comply with the applicable regulations".

All three teams are free to race in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai

This will have the other competitors worried. Some of the cars will have newer designed diffusers in order to "catch up" with the leading packs, but will they get them out before the European season begins?


In the meantime I hear rumours that Ron Dennis, former head of McLaren's F1 team and current chairman of the McLaren Group, is set to make a "big announcement" at the Chinese Grand Prix. Seems like people are interpreting this as an announcement he could be leaving McLaren completely. Given the tribulations the team have had lately, from 2007's "Spygate" to this year's "Liegate", it doesn't surprise me at all if he distances himself from McLaren and Martin Whitmarsh's regime.

 

[Iasius]

So far, KERS seems to be mostly used to get a good start and then preventing the ones behind you from passing even though they're faster overall.

Another good race by Brawn GP once again.

It will be interesting to see what Red Bull Racing can do with the new diffusor and aerodynamic package next race.

Also, maybe at some point Ferrari can stop being its own worst enemy.

 

[Koinek]

^Seriously....It's sad to see just how far they've fallen without Todt, Brawn and Byrne.

I just wish the FIA would stop meddling and let the formula stay consistent for a while. We've gone from two of the best seasons in F1 history to a complete 1-team washout. And all in the name of making the sport more comptetive. It's really sad.

And next year they've banned in-race refueling and tyre warmers. Didn't we already establish in '05 that pitstops are not the issue? And the lack of warmers basically means less grip and more spins. What happened to making it more about the driver and less about the technology. And what happened to safety?

Max Mosley needs to piss off and let someone with some vision and common sense take over.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Just watching the Hungarian GP qualifying... both Brawns in trouble - and the troubled Barrichello has failed to make Q3.

But I'm more concerned about Felipe Massa - at the end of Q2 he pretty much drove off after turn 4 and straignt into a tyre wall, the nose of his Ferrari buried within, and Massa's helmet ominously still in the car....

 

[Cky]

Massa is okay. Barichello reported something was wrong with his rear suspension while going around turn 11, when the replays came around it showed that he had a complete rear suspension failure and some peices fell off. After that, an onboard replay from Massa showed that the peice of suspension from Barichellos car hit Massa in the face which (although Martin Brundle said it knocked him semi-concious) I think completely knocked him out. His hands were slipping from the steering wheel and was noticable as he went on to the grass.

But no, Massa is fine, doubtful that he'll race tomorrow, and from the fly-by shots he looked as though he had blood on his face so there's a possible cut somewhere.

And the reason why Button didn't do a good time was he couldn't get enough heat in to the tyres before his actual lap as the yellow flags came out, and then the time sheets went down so nobody had a clue who was where, at the end of it, Fernando Alonso went up to Jenson and said "what did you do, I did a 1:21.5" to which Jenson (not realising there was a camera pointed at him) said "Fucking hell!!! I did a 1:22.5"