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The British Grand Prix has passed, as has the Le Mans 24 Hour, and that means along with longer evenings and sunnier afternoons, the Goodwood Festival Of Speed must be drawing close. And indeed it is, taking place on the grounds surrounding Goodwood House this upcoming weekend. From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July, all manor of motor vehicle will scream up the hillclimb, entertaining motor sport enthusiasts and allowing fans to mingle with the machines they love.

The Festival Of Speed is exactly that – a festival of all things fast – and the event attracts a lot of people over the three days, all clamouring to see the cars and bikes in action. Many vehicles that participate in the event are privately owned, brought to the festival by their proud owners. Big names in motor sport also attend, with Formula One teams showing off their racers as well as GT and rally legends.

Goodwood also attracts famous names in motor sport, with Stirling Moss making frequent appearances over the years along with Jackie Stewart and more recent drivers who enjoy the break in their hectic schedules. The event is very friendly, and the drivers who normally shield themselves in their garages are usually more relaxed at the Festival, speaking with fans, signing autographs and posing for photos.

So what can we expect at the 2009 show, this time themed as ‘True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance’…

Click the image to download larger version. Note: It may not be 100% accurate.

Audi will be celebrating their 100th anniversary at Goodwood, showcasing many cars dating back to the Auto Union days and stretching forward to the present time with the R8. Also presenting a large collection of cars will be Alfa Romeo, who are on the verge of starting their own 100 years celebration. Alfa Romeo will field several cars as well as showing off some concepts. Mini are in the celebrating mood as well, marking 50 years of the little car with big personality.

Jaguar, Ford, Land Rover and Mazda will give visitors a sneak peak at their 2010 line, and Ford will be showcasing the new Focus RS while Jaguar are planning on bringing the XFR with them. Mercedes are to debut the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss in the UK alongside its origins, the 300 SLR (the one with the gullwings). A whole host of other car companies will be present as well, all waxing lyrical about their machines. Audi will have off-road demonstration runs in their Q7, and Porsche are also likely to do similar with their Cayenne as are Land Rover.

According to the Goodwood Festival Of Speed website, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton will be around, likely on Sunday only though as he did last year. Current Formula One championship leader Jenson Button is also expected with the Brawn team. Mark Webber and Timo Glock should also be around to drive up and down the hill in their respective Red Bull and Toyota cars. Williams and Ferrari will also bring their cars to Goodwood, although they are likely to be driven by test drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Marc Gene.

Several former drivers are also expected to turn up at some point over the weekend, including Damon Hill, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Eddie Irvine, David Coulthard, Dan Gurney, Derek Bell, Takuma Sato… as well as a host of rally drivers including current World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb.

According to the most recent update on the official Goodwood Festival Of Speed website, here is a quick run down of the current and former Formula One drivers and cars that will be thundering up the hill over the course of the weekend.

Sourced from the Goodwood Festival Of Speed website. Please note that these details may change and it is best to keep an eye on the official FOS website to keep up-to-date as to who’s doing what on which day.

Frank Williams, Christian Horner and Mario Theissen are also expected to be present, although unlike last year, the BMW team are not listed yet. It seems strange that the team principal would turn up without a car to show, so I wait to see what happens regarding this.

The list is almost endless and what is printed above barely scratches the surface of everything that takes to the hillclimb. From experience, the programme that is sold at the entrance is indispensable if you want an accurate guide as to who, what and when. It may cost upwards of £10 but I’ve always found it useful and worth £3/day.

For those who have never been to Goodwood Festival Of Speed before and are making their first journey to Chichester next weekend, here are a few tips that I’ve come to discover from my previous two Festivals…

• Pack a lightweight rain coat. Both times I have been to FOS I’ve used mine as the British weather is indecisive at best.
• Take some sun-screen and sunglasses. Both times I have been to FOS I’ve caught the sun on my face. The British weather really is indecisive!
• Take some earplugs, especially for children or if you know you are sensitive to loud noise.
• Where a comfortable pair of shoes as there is a lot of walking to be done.
• While not entirely necessary, I do leave a pair of wellies in the car – the car parks and festival fields can become very muddy if it rains.
• There are hundreds of places to buy food and drink, but if you don’t want to pay inflated prices, you are allowed to bring your own packed-lunch.
• Don’t feel it necessary to do everything at once, especially if you’re visiting more than one day. Relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
• Always listen to the marshals in the paddocks. I’ve almost been run over twice whilst trying to take a photo.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions to car owners/drivers – they love chatting about their motors.
• If there are things you specifically want to see, use the programme to help you plan. Don’t forget to allow for walking time between areas.
• If standing by a corner in the rally stage, shield your face/camera lens just as the car passes – they kick up a lot of gravel.
• Don’t forget where you’ve parked your car. Write down the location on the reverse of the ticket.

If you’re going to Goodwood Festival Of Speed and happen to see me wandering around, do come up and say hello – I love meeting people who have a passion for motor sport, and it is only made even more exciting if you are a reader/commenter here on BlogF1.

Image by Harry_S, uploaded to Flickr and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic.

Just when Formula One appeared to be coming out of the darkness and heading towards the bright future of cooperation, Max Mosley has decided to cast doubt on it all once again, this time by reacting angrily to claims made by FOTA since the deal on Wednesday was made. The deal would have seen a breakaway series averted, FOTA’s proposals of cost-cutting followed and Mosley not standing fro re-election in October. Alas, that may not happen now.

Since Wednesday, it has been claimed that a series of rumours and allegations have been made by FOTA, and in a letter to FOTA’s chairman Luca di Montezemolo, Mosley voiced his anger at these claims and stated the team’s association has deliberately attempted to mislead the media.

In his letter, which was sent to di Montezemolo on Thursday, Mosley references the suggestions that FIA Senate president Michel Boeri has now taken over Mosley’s role in relation to Formula One, that Mosley was forced out of office and that he would have no ongoing role within the FIA.

Mosley has slammed FOTA and demanded an apology and correction to the statements made. According to Autosport, the letter was sent to di Montezemolo prior to Thursday’s FOTA press conference, where no apology was forthcoming.

We made a deal yesterday in Paris to end the recent difficulties in Formula 1. A fundamental part of this was that we would both present a positive and truthful account to the media.

I was therefore astonished to learn that FOTA has been briefing the press that Mr Boeri has taken charge of Formula 1, something which you know is completely untrue; that I had been forced out of office, also false; and, apparently, that I would have no role in the FIA after October, something which is plain nonsense, if only because of the FIA statutes.

Furthermore, you have suggested to the media that I was a ‘dictator’, an accusation which is grossly insulting to the 26 members of the World Motor Sport Council who have discussed and voted all the rules and procedures of Formula 1 since the 1980s, not to mention the representatives of the FIA’s 122 countries who have democratically endorsed everything I and my World Motor Sport Council colleagues have done during the last 18 years.

If you wish the agreement we made to have any chance of survival, you and FOTA must immediately rectify your actions. You must correct the false statements which have been made and make no further such statements. You yourself must issue a suitable correction and apology at your press conference this afternoon.

Formula One is run entirely by our 5-strong team without any help from me or any other outsider. There was no need for me to involve myself further in Formula One once we had a settlement. Equally, I had a long-standing plan not to seek re-election in October. It was therefore possible for me to confirm both points to you yesterday.

However, given your and FOTA’s deliberate attempt to mislead the media, I now onsider my options open. At least until October, I am president of the FIA with the full authority of that office. After that it is the FIA members clubs, not you or FOTA, who will decide on the future leadership of the FIA. Max Mosley.

Unfortunately for Mosley, this letter only furthers the perception that he is a dictatorial manager, and it also suggests that he no longer commands the respect of the teams – the very fact Mosley felt compelled to send this indicates that. Mosley is clearly clutching at straws. While Mosley does not need the support of Formula One fans, he cannot work against them either. And unfortunately for himself, this letter will only push more away rather than reach out to newcomers. It also shows a man who is desperately trying to retain the power he seemingly craves.

It would also appear that Mosley is taking the alleged actions of FOTA somewhat personally. The letter apparently did not come from the FIA, but from Max himself. While it is perfectly acceptable for the FIA president to write a letter or send an email, it does seem a little strange that in this case, he would put his name at the bottom. Perhaps the letter would have carried more weight if the FIA had sent it.

It is very clear that FOTA have no issues with the FIA itself. In the past, they have made it known they are unhappy with the governance of the sport, which could be interpreted as the FIA. However, it would seem that Mosley agreeing to not stand for re-election again in October was what finalised the deal on Wednesday. The very fact that Mosley is now bringing that into question leads me to believe that he is aware that this is the point that could cause the deal to collapse. Otherwise, he could have threatened a return to the £40m budget cap.

If FOTA now resurrect their plan to create a breakaway championship – and it would seem this is the only course of action for FOTA aside from backing down and/or apologising – we will be back to square-one again. Formula One will face falling apart at the seams, fans will be confused and in this time of financial turmoil, the sport will be further rocked through its core.

If it is all about Mosley – and it is looking more and more like it is – perhaps the FIA Senate need to think about what is more important to the sport it holds so close to its heart and that helps promote all the work the organisation does away from motor sport. Formula One, or Max Mosley?

Further Reading

• Breakaway Averted: Max Mosley Will Not Stand Again
• Formula One To Split As Talks Between FIA & FOTA Fail

Following a series of meetings held ahead of today’s World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris, it has been announced that a compromise has been reached between the FOTA teams and the FIA. The deal will see FOTA’s proposals of cutting costs implemented, which appears to have the blessing of the new entrants as well. Also, Max Mosley has stated that he will not run for re-election when his fourth term as FIA president comes to an end later this year.

The apparent resolution of this crisis means that the planned breakaway series will no longer happen and the eight FOTA teams have been confirmed as entrants to the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Ferrari, McLaren, Brawn, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Toro Rosso and BMW will compete alongside Williams and Force India, as well as newcomers Campos, Manor and USF1.

There will be no alternative series or championship and the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009.

As part of this agreement, the teams will, within two years, reduce the costs of competing in the championship to the level of the early 1990s. The manufacturer teams have agreed to assist the new entries for 2010 by providing technical assistance.

The manufacturer teams have further agreed to the permanent and continuing role of the FIA as the sport’s governing body. They have also committed to the commercial arrangements for the FIA Formula One World Championship until 2012 and have agreed to renegotiate and extend this contract before the end of that period.

All teams will adhere to an upgraded version of the governance provisions of the 1998 Concorde Agreement. FIA Press Release.

The teams must also sign up to the new Concorde Agreement which will help ensure the sport’s future until 2012 with the current squads.

Earlier in the week Max Mosley had been adament about standing again later this year, saying that it doesn’t matter if he remained or left, as his successor would behave in a similar fashion as the role of the president is to ensure the matters of the FIA are looked after. However, the teams have made it known that they are unhappy about the way Mosley has governed Formula One, and it would seem that this, along with the acceptance of their cost-cutting proposals, has eased the tension and allowed the issues to be resolved.

Another race, another set of numbers generated for the Fantasy Racers competition. Again, BlogF1 Racing did well and collected a healthy 715 points, mainly thanks to Button, Rosberg, Barrichello and Vettel all finishing in the top-eight. Also doing okay is Inner Pickle Racing, who were also thankful for a strong finish from their drivers, Timo Glock collecting 90 points towards their total.

Fantasy Racers Silverstone 2009 Update	Points Scored Team/Driver	Race Result Position	Overall Position Championship
BlogF1 Racing	715	601st	980th
Adrian Sutil	63
Jenson Button	120
Nico Rosberg	130
Rubens Barrichello	150
Sebastian Vettel	250
Budget Remaining	2
Team Finitalia	362	4306th	4521st
Giancarlo Fisichella	80
Heikki Kovalainen	37
Jarno Trulli	110
Kimi Raikkonen	100
Budget Remaining	35
Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate	495	3048th	2640th
Adrian Sutil	63
Jenson Button	120
Mark Webber	160
Rubens Barrichello	150
Budget Remaining	2
Blogger’s Dog Racing	538	2453rd	2397th
Adrian Sutil	63
Giancarlo Fisichella	80
Nick Heidfeld	65
Nico Rosberg	130
Robert Kubica	67
Sebastien Bourdais	39
Timo Glock	90
Budget Remaining	4
Inner Pickle Racing	560	2209th	1541st
Jenson Button	120
Nick Heidfeld	65
Nico Rosberg	130
Rubens Barrichello	150
Timo Glock	90
Budget Remaining	5

As we can see though, Team Finitalia continue their abysmal assault on the title with only Kimi Raikkonen and Jarno Trulli earning any decent points. PETN didn’t do too badly and collected almost 500 points, themselves capitalising on Mark Webber’s strong finish today. The team of numpties, Blogger’s Dog Racing also did okay for once, adding 538 points to their total, with Nico Rosberg, Giancarlo Fisichella and Timo Glock scoring well.

Overall, BF1R rests in 980th which is up 84 places since the Turkish Grand Prix, and 143rd in the Sidepodcast League, an improvement of 8 places.

Fantasy Racers is a fantasy Formula One competition. It is free to sign up but if you wish to have more than team you will need to make a donation to the site. You can also join private leagues, and currently BlogF1’s set of squads race in the Sidepodcast League.

Below is the table for the pitstop strategies for the British Grand Prix, showing that most drivers opted for a two-stopper at Silverstone. The only drivers to attempt a one-stop race were Nelson Piquet Jr and Adrian Sutil. The tyres were fairly evenly matched as well, with many drivers complaining that they couldn’t get them up to temperature. Brawn particularly struggled with this, although Ferrari seemed to have improved significantly in this area. Only two drivers retired at Silverstone; Sebastien Bourdais and Heikki Kovalainen.

Silverstone 2009 Pitstop Strategies	Stint 1 (Start Tyre)	Stint 2 (Lap)	Stint 3 (Lap)	Stint 4 (Lap)
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton	Soft	Soft (20)	Hard (44)
Heikki Kovalainen	Soft	Hard (32)	Hard (33)	DNF (37)
Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen	Soft	Soft (15)	Hard (42)
Felipe Massa	Soft	Soft (21)	Hard (45)
BMW
Nick Heidfeld	Soft	Hard (21)	Soft (46)
Robert Kubica	Hard	Soft (28)	Soft (47)
Renault
Fernando Alonso	Hard	Hard (18)	Soft (38)
Nelson Piquet Jr.	Hard	Soft (29)
Toyota
Jarno Trulli	Soft	Soft (18)	Hard (46)
Timo Glock	Soft	Soft (19)	Hard (48)
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi	Hard	Soft (21)	Soft (42)
Sebastien Bourdais	Soft	Soft (26)	Hard (33)	DNF (38)
Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel	Soft	Soft (20)	Hard (44)
Mark Webber	Soft	Soft (20)	Hard (46)
Williams
Nico Rosberg	Hard	Hard (18)	Soft (43)
Kazuki Nakajima	Hard	Hard (14)	Soft (41)
Force India
Giancarlo Fisichella	Soft	Soft (21)	Hard (?)
Adrian Sutil	Hard	Soft (?)
Brawn
Jenson Button	Soft	Hard (18)	Soft (49)
Rubens Barrichello	Soft	Hard (19)	Soft (46)

Sebastian Vettel has won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in a dominant fashion, leading from the first lap and stamping his authority over team mate Mark Webber. Brawn it seemed were on their back foot although Rubens Barrichello managed to salvage a podium finish and Jenson Button eventually came home in sixth. Elsewhere in the field, we saw good races from Nico Rosberg and Giancarlo Fisichella as well as a great fight between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

Sebastian Vettel’s win has been heralded by many paddock insiders as a turning point in this year’s championship, with many suggesting that Red Bull will now have the ability to start hauling in Brawn who have led all season. It is perhaps far too early to make such a claim, and Red Bull need to put in some more performances similar to today’s. But there is little question that the RB5 is a good car and worked very well on a day when Brawn suffered.

The start of the race proved interesting, as Sebastian Vettel got away from the line well. Although Barrichello did challenge the young German, it simply wasn’t enough and Vettel headed through Copse in the lead. Jenson Button also had a good start, leaping away from his grid slot only to be boxed in by those around him. As the Briton attempted to find some space on the tarmac, he eventually lost position.

Also romping away as the lights went out were the Ferraris. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa made up places and both went very wide around Copse, using all of the track and some more to ensure they made the most of the afternoon. The KERS, still being used by the Maranello team, was used to good effect on the run down to the first corner.

Early on in the race, Jarno Trulli and Nico Rosberg enjoyed a little tussle, the pair fighting for points and honour; Toyota supply engines to the Williams team. Further back, Lewis Hamilton lost out to Fernando Alonso as he went for a pass but found himself trundling over the grass. Alonso cruised by as did Robert Kubica.

Nick Heidfeld had a good start, going from P15 to P11 on the opening lap. However, all was not well with the BMW pilot as the team ordered Heidfeld to pit for a new nose. The German driver refused however, and stayed out on the track.

Soon enough, a slow starting Fernando Alonso found himself behind the BMW and by L8 the Spaniard was getting frustrated at not being able to pass. The BMW was under-steering in the Becketts complex, which allowed Alonso to get on the gearbox of the Swiss-German car. However, Heidfeld had better traction out of the corners and was able to defend to the Renault.

By L10, Vettel had pulled out a 10s lead over Barrichello, who was clearly holding Mark Webber up. However, the Australian couldn’t pass and essentially, Webber’s race was ruined. Although Vettel was too far ahead to be caught, Webber did manage to leap frog Barrichello, but it wouldn’t happen until the pitstops. The Red Bull team managed to turn Webber around quickly and as he exited the pits on L20, he found himself ahead of the Brazilian.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso continued their battle, albeit for P14 towards the back of the pack. Hamilton had a couple of interesting moves, one on Alonso into copse, and another on Heidfeld who was caught out exiting the pits and going into the Becketts complex. It wasn’t all good for the Briton though, as a spin at Club hampered his progressed.

At the mid-point of the race, Heikki Kovalainen allowed his team mate to pass, which gave Sebastien Bourdais the opportunity to close in on the McLaren. Unfortunately for both, it ended in tears as the Scuderia Toro Rosso slammed into the back of the Finnish driver. Bourdais lost his front wing, Heikki suffered a rear-left puncture. Both drivers struggled back to the pitlane, and although they tried to contine, they would retire a couple of laps later. Naturally, Bourdais blamed Kovalainen and Kovalainen blamed Bourdais.

The only other significant battle was between Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and in the final few laps, Jenson Button. The trio were pounding around in P4, P5 and P6 respectively, and feeling the car was better, Button was hungry for more points. Although the Brawn driver closed in on the Williams, there was no way through and the positions remained as they completed the final lap.

It wasn’t a classic British Grand Prix, and in fact it was a little dull. However, it was an interesting race because we could see just how good the Red Bull RB5 is, and without being hampered by his team mate, Vettel was able to cruise to the win, his first in the dry. Sebastian’s win moves him to within 25 points of Button in the drivers championship and just 2 behind Rubens Barrichello. In the constructors, Brawn still maintain a very healthy lead over Red Bull, the pair separated by a mammoth 30.5 points.

A three week break is now upon us before the circus heads to the Nurburgring for the German Grand Prix. Undoubtedly, Button will be looking to return the favour to Vettel and spoil his home party. Although Brawn do have a huge collection of points, the championship isn’t over yet.

Sixty laps of Silverstone this afternoon will make up the 2009 British Grand Prix. The race should be interesting, particularly if Mark Webber can squeeze himself ahead of Rubens Barrichello. Richard Branson is behind Barrichello for the win, and Sebastian Vettel is looking very good on pole position. Adrian Sutil is starting from the pitlane, Lewis Hamilton isn’t too far ahead in P19. Most cars are starting on soft tyres.

• L1: Good start from Ferrari.
• L1: TRU and ROS battling.
• L1: BUT in P9
• L1: Good start from HEI – P11
• L2: FIS passes KUB and ALO.
• L2: VET lead up to 2.5s
• L3: KUB passes HAM after trying to ALO and getting on the grass.
• L4: HEI told to pit for new nose. HEI insists he wants to stay out.
• L4: ALO pressuring HEI. Clearly HEI does need to pit.
• L5: Last year’s championship leaders HAM and KUB are battling for P14 this time around.
• L6: VET lead up to 6.1s.
• L7: TRU and BUT in P7 and P8
• L7: BAR soft tyres are not heating up properly. It will be even harder on the hard compound later on.
• L8: BUT told MAS going to L24
• L8: ALO still can’t pass HEI. He’s getting frustrated.
• L9: HAM told KUB is going longer and HAM has to pass.
• L10: VET pulling out a second a lap
• L14: KOV in P19
• L14: NAK pits. From hard to hard tyres. Front right slow to go on.
• L15: RAI pits. Soft tyres.
• L16: RAI has leapfrogged NAK on pits.
• L18: TRU ROS BUT pit. BUT goes soft to hard, TRU stays soft
• L18: ALO pits
• L19: BAR pits. Soft to hard tyre
• L19: GLO pits. Soft tyres
• L20: WEB pits. Soft to soft
• L20: WEB out ahead of BAR. Just.
• L20: HAM pits.
• L20: VET pits. Soft to soft.
• L21: HEI pits.
• L21: HAM passes HEI as HEI exits pitlane. Very close into Becketts.
• L21: MAS pits. Soft to soft
• L21: BUE pits.
• L23: BUT says car understeering at high speed.
• L26: VET lead up to 21s. WEB is lapping faster though in P2.
• L26: BOU pits.
• L28: KUB pits.
• L29: PIQ pits.
• L30: HAM passes ALO in to Copse.
• L31: ALO has repassed HAM.
• L32: ROS catching BAR quickly.
• L33: KOV pits. Soft to hard.
• L33: KOV exits pitlane ahead of HAM. HAM passes.
• L33: BOU slams the back of KOV. Damagaed front wing. KOV has left-rear puncture.
• L33: It looked as though KOV moved over cheekily. DC reckons BOU was being a bit stupid though and out-braked himself.
• L33: Both KOV and BOU pit. Both on hard tyres.
• L37: KOV retires.
• L38: ALO and BOU pit.
• L38: BOU retires.
• L41: NAK pits.
• L42: BUE pits
• L42: RAI pits. Soft to hard tyres.
• L43: ROS pits. Hard to soft.
• L43: HAM spins off track at Club.
• L44: VET pits. Soft to hard.
• L44: HAM pits. Soft to hard.
• L45: MAS pits. Soft to hard.
• L45: FIS pits.
• L45: MAS leapfrogs ROS in pits.
• L46: TRU pits.
• L46: WEB pits. Stays hard.
• L46: Bar pits. Hard to soft
• L46: HEI pits.
• L47: KUB pits.
• L48: GLO pits. Soft to hard.
• L48: BAR exited pits comfortably ahead of MAS.
• L49: BUT pits. Hard to soft tyres.
• BUE says KOV moved three times in their incident.
• L49: BUT exits pits in P6
• L53: BUT catching ROS
• L53: GLO chasing RAI
• L55: BUT closing in at 1.5s per lap on ROS
• L58: BUT in ROS turbulent air now.
• L60: VET wins.
• L60: WEB completes 1-2 for Red Bull.
• L60: BUT finishes in P6.

Sebastian Vettel is on pole, Rubens Barrichello lines up alongside. Mark Webber is in third and has to get by the Brawn if the Australian is to have any real impact in the race. In fourth is the fast starter Jarno Trulli and in fifth is Kazuki Nakajima in the Williams. Jenson Button is dow in sixth while Lewis Hamilton is in nineteenth. The weather is looking fine in Northamptonshire this afternoon for a good race.

Silverstone 2009 Race Results		Laps Completed	Time Race Length	Points Earned
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	60		10pts
2.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	60		8pts
3.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	60		6pts
4.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	60		5pts
5.	Nico Rosberg Williams	60		4pts
6.	Jenson Button Brawn	60		3pts
7.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	60		2pts
8.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	60		1pt
9.	Timo Glock Toyota	60
10.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	60
11.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	60
12.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	59
13.	Robert Kubica BMW	59
14.	Fernando Alonso Renault	59
15.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	59
16.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	59
17.	Adrian Sutil Force India	59
18.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	59
19.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	38		Damage
20.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	37		Damage

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems were introduced this year as a way of making the sport of Formula One greener, more applicable to every-day motorists and to add to the spectacle of the sport through the re-distribution of the saved energy. However, few teams have adopted the technology and those that have are slowly ceasing its use on their cars. BMW today have announced they want to concentrate on car development rather than KERS development. Was KERS ever a good idea?

The pomp and circumstance surrounding KERS came primarily from the president of the FIA, the forever embattled Max Mosley. His dream, along with the FIA’s it should be noted, was to make Formula One more environmentally friendly. Or at least, to make it look more environmentally friendly.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Formula One cars aren’t particularly fuel efficient, although in the same breath, it should also be noted that they aren’t as bad as you think as this advantage can prove to be the difference between winning and not finishing. And that is a good enough incentive to the engineers to ensure their cars are making full use of the fuel.

Other areas where Formula One falls into the clutches of the green-brigade is the travel and transportation of all the materials around the world. The teams move several hundred tonnes of equipment each time they go to a race, and most of the time that involves an aeroplane and several trucks.

So the idea behind KERS was help the sport become more friendly to the environment by using energy that would have previously been lost. When a car is braking, it is still using the engine and therefore the fuel and other electrical systems. However, with KERS this otherwise lost energy is stored in the form of electrical energy in a battery, and used at the drivers command to give him an extra ~80bhp boost.

However, the system isn’t simple and has been in development since last year for most of the teams. Williams even attempted to try a potentially-safer flywheel solution that negates the use of batteries (as there were some electric shock incidents in testing, notably with BMW). Ferrari’s system has plagued them with troubles since they first tested it, and on more than one occasion a Ferrari driver has ultimately retired from a race this year due the system’s unreliability. Although it must be said, their device has improved significantly in recent events.

And BMW, who haven’t used KERS since the Bahrain Grand Prix, have now decided to completely shelve it in favour of spending more time, energy and resources in improving the aerodynamic efficiency of their car. This is in despite of the fact that BMW were originally all for KERS and were one of the first teams to use the technology in pre-season testing.

We evaluated different alleys, proceeding with KERS or proceeding on the aero side and what could we do with no KERS on board.

We had made some significant progress on the aero side which does not allow to fit KERS, and we have taken a decision just a few days ago to no more run KERS this year because we see a more promising alley in developing the aero. Mario Theissen.

Of course, the other side of the issue is the fact that many drivers felt the need to shed some weight over the winter in order to accommodate the huge weight of the system, something I feel is wrong for the sport to be indirectly encouraging. With the minimum weight set at 605kg, taller and therefore heavier drivers felt they were being penalised. In the BMW garage, Nick Heidfeld was able to use KERS for the first four races, whereas team mate Robert Kubica (who is one of the grid’s tallest pilots) was forced to only test system later in the year.

With all the money that has gone into developing the technology, it would appear to have been a complete failure. Mario Theissen insists that it is not a flop, and that BMW have made good use of the information collected by the Formula One branch of the company. However, within the circles of the racing teams, only Ferrari and McLaren still use the technology.

Considering there are ten teams, and that McLaren Mercedes supply Brawn and Force India with engines and technical support, and Ferrari supply Scuderia Toro Rosso with similar, one could rightly expect these teams to be running the same system as the suppliers. Alas not, and it is perhaps because the technology really isn’t all that useful in the grand scheme of things.

It would appear that KERS will not make into next year’s championship, whichever way the current issues surrounding the breakaway series are resolved. FOTA have called for it to be shelved, and with teams like BMW ceasing development work on it, it does seem unlikely that the planned mandatory introduction of the system next year will now happen.

And while running the risk of alerting the green activists, I say that is a good thing. In my own personal view, Formula One shouldn’t be green. Simply because it isn’t, and it never will be. I therefore feel that all the faffing around trying to change something that is inherently un-green a total waste of money. Formula One is a bit like a vice – it’s naughty, we know it shouldn’t be allowed, but it is. The well-paid playboy drivers thrash their cars around with little regard for their own safety and well-being, and we watch because it is fun, entertaining and most of the time, a darn good spectacle.

And at the very end of the day, it is only 20 or so cars every other weekend. Instead of thinking up of hare-brained ideas, wouldn’t it be better to develop better fuels, reduce unnecessary transportation miles/weight and insist the factories that house the teams make better use of alternative energy sources and are more environmentally sound? Honestly…

With the car weights from qualifying now published, we can see who did well during Saturday afternoon’s running and who did not. We can also work out how much fuel was in the cars and therefore how far they each go into the first stint before stopping. The key figure comes from Williams, who say that a lap of Silverstone uses about 2.48kg of fuel. Taking away the car and driver combined minimum weight of 605kg, and minus a couple of laps for grid formation and margin, we can divide the remainder by the per-lap amount and see who is going for a two stopper and who is heavy and going for a one stop race.

Silverstone 2009 Post-Qualifying Car Weights		Car Weight Kilograms	Fuel Weight Kilograms	First Stop Estimated Lap
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	666.5	56.1	23
2.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	657.5	47.6	19
3.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	659.5	49.6	20
4.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	658	48.1	20
5.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	652.5	42.6	17
6.	Jenson Button Brawn	657.5	47.6	18/19
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	661.5	51.6	21
8.	Timo Glock Toyota	660	50.1	19/20
9.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	654	44.1	18
10.	Fernando Alonso Renault	654	44.1	18
11.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	675	65.1	27
12.	Robert Kubica BMW	689.5	79.6	33
13.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	695.5	85.6	35
14.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	682.5	72.6	30
15.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	665.5	55.6	23
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	668	58.1	24
17.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	687.5	77.6	32
18.	Adrian Sutil Force India	692	82.1	34
19.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	666	56.1	23
20.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	672.5	62.6	26

From the table we can see that both Brawns are on the same strategy, supposedly pitting on the same lap, although it is likely that one of them would be brought in earlier than anticipated. Button is likely to be on the most flexible of strategies because the team will want to know how to play his race out after the opening lap. Therefore it is Button who may be brought in first. Interestingly though, to highlight Button’s troubles with the car, both he and Barrichello had the same fuel level on board, yet Rubens went 0.4s faster.

We can also see that Sebastian Vettel took pole comfortably from the Brawn pilot, but Vettel was in fact heavier than his team mate Mark Webber. Therefore, Webber’s performance in Q3 earlier has to be questioned. The Australian looked good all day, but then in the final 10 minutes appeared to be struggling, before finally getting distracted by a very slow Kimi Raikkonen who was sitting on the racing line.

Kazuki Nakajima is considerably lighter than those around him, including his team mate who he managed to out-qualify today. Also of note are Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando, who are on the same fuel load in P9 and P10 respectively. Considering their lap times in qualifying were only 0.03s apart, one can presume that at Silverstone, the pace of the two cars is fairly even. So either Ferrari are having a bad weekend or Renault have improved.

Outside of the top-ten, where the car weights are declared by the teams rather than weighed in Parc Ferme, we can see that Heikki Kovalainen is once again the heaviest on the grid. And again it has to be asked why McLaren feel it necessary to fill Heikki up so much; has it actually worked yet in the past year and a half?

Nick Heidfeld and Lewis Hamilton are relatively light and will be looking to make places up at the start. And for the last mention, look out for Giancarlo Fisichella. the force India driver is on a strategy that implies he his competitive, and given that the car has looked good until qualifying went horribly wrong, I think the Italian could make a few places up. Adrian Sutil could also come into play for a top-ten finish later on, the German being heavier than his team mate and playing the long-game.

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The qualifying report can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Silverstone 2009: Sebastian Vettel Romps To British Pole
• The grid can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: The Grid