Previously in Formula One, a victory on Sunday earned you either 8, 9 or 10 points. This has been the standard since the championship formed in 1950 and only this year have we seen a fairly dramatic change. An increase to 25 points for a race win mimics MotoGP, and the 150% rise will surely see the ‘most points gained in one year’ record fall, despite the fact the points may be more evenly shared between the top-four. Adding to this, more teams and drivers are now able to score points, the system now including the top-ten finishers as opposed to the 5, 6 and 8 in previous seasons.

The current record more most constructor points earned in a single season was 2004, with the mighty F2004 powering the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello world championship success. Ferrari totaled 262 over the course of the year. Schumacher took the driver’s title with Barrichello just behind in second, and it was this year that the most number of points gained for a driver was set, with Schumacher’s tally of 148 becoming the new benchmark. 2004 featured 18 grands prix, one less than the current 2010 season.

If the Bahrain Grand Prix result is anything to go by, the records look set to be maintained by Ferrari, both team and driver. However, after only one race it would be naive to presume this. Looking at a more modest result, like that of McLaren who only collected 21 points from a P3 and P7, even they could exceed 262 by the thirteenth round assuming they consistently hit an average take-home of 21pts/race.

The maximum able to be scored under the 2004 points system was 324 (for a constructor) and 180 (for a driver), which highlights the dominance of Ferrari’s campaign. For 2010, the maximum achievable for a constructor is 817 and 475 for a driver.

In terms of overall total points, the record positions are likely to remain the same as of the current teams, only Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Renault feature at the top of the list. All four are fairly well-spaced so it is unlikely there will be any change in the order. For the driver’s though, Michael Schumacher has already begun to extend his lead at the top of the table, but Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso are currently in P4 and P5 respectively, the former on 608 the latter 602. There is a strong possibility this could change at the next race in Australia.

Looking closer at the driver’s points earned in one year, we will also see an improvement in the average points gained per race, such is the difference between the two systems. Of the current grid, Michael Schumacher leads in P2 with an average of 5.49 points per race entered. At the first grand prix of the year, Schumacher scored 8 points, so he is already improving on this. Lewis Hamilton rest on 5.11 while Fernando Alonso averages out at 4.27 per race. Looking at the Spaniard’s form in Bahrain, you’d have to suggest that the double champion will be making some in-roads into Hamilton’s lead over him.

How poignant it was then, to have most of the surviving world champions in Bahrain, all celebrating 60 completed years of the world championship and sharing a photo call with those who on the eve of the 2010 season, may be about to rewrite the record books.

Statistics from Wikipedia: Drivers and Constructors.
Image © Foto Ercole Colombo.

Original article by BlogF1.

How The Records Could Fall In 2010

Refueling was banned for a number of reasons for the 2010 world championship, with the teams hoping to save money by not having to transport heavy rigs around. Along with saving money, the pitlane is made safer with the teams not having to refuel a race car under pressure during a grand prix. However, this has resulted in pitstops only being required to change tyres, which teams must do at least once during a normal dry race. Of course, pitstops are significantly quicker now, but the real issue is the way the teams are approaching them.

Over the course of a grand prix weekend it usually becomes apparent early on that one tyre compound is better suited to the track than the other. Having to run both compounds during the race, drivers tended to stick to one-stop races. This was emphasised when it became known that the Bridgestone rubber supplied for the Bahrain Grand Prix was actually very durable and even the super-soft choice, which many feared would fall apart after a couple of laps, lasted for much longer than expected.

The result is drivers running the less-preferred or less-durable tyre for the first stint before changing very soon in the race to the durable option. This allows the teams to get the less-favourable compound out of the way and frees them up to run until the end of the race without having to make any further pitstops.

Combine this lack of pitlane activity with the fact that drivers are still struggling to overtake due to the efficiencies in the aerodynamics, and you’re left with a procession of 24 Formula One cars touring a circuit on a Sunday afternoon. As a sport, the whole show becomes a lot less desirable.

The Bahrain Grand Prix wasn’t too bad and there were some interesting battles in the mid-back field. At the front though, we saw several drivers just tail the car in the front, seemingly unable to pass. Even with the increase in points-margin between the positions, drivers simply couldn’t pass. It wasn’t a case of motivation and rather a case of physics.

If the Bahrain event had seen more pitstops, then there may have been more passes. Admittedly, these moves may have taken place in the pitlane and not on the race track, but at least the show would have been spiced up a little. Of course, if the Sakhir circuit had been run on its usual Grand Prix configuration, the lap length would have been shorter and more laps could have been completed. Furthermore, the drivers wouldn’t have been forced to complete the silly mickey-mouse section after T4.

After the race had been completed, Martin Whitmarsh, who is also the chairman of FOTA, spoke to the BBC about these concerns and how he would like for the rules to be changed as soon as possible. Whitmarsh has suggested revisiting the mandatory two-stops idea, or pushing Bridgestone to supply tyres that simply won’t last half a race distance.

We were one of three teams, that said we should have two mandatory pitstops because we were worried about one-stopping.

I think we have to re-examine that. But I think if we can now push on Bridgestone to have ‘racier’ tyres, we need a super-soft tyre that is really going to hurt if you take it to 20 laps. You shouldn’t be able to do that with a super-soft tyre and I think even the prime, if it’s a struggle to get it to do half a race distance, then you force [the issue].

The tyres were much closer in the race than we expected and they determined the spectacle. There was no real serious degradation of the tyres, we started the roll of pitstops because we were trying to get ahead of [Nico] Rosberg and everyone started to come in at that point.

But otherwise, just based on tyre degradation, we could have run to lap 25 or more on the super-soft tyres. If you can do that on the softest tyre, then the primes are just going to romp through for as long as you like. Martin Whitmarsh.

Whitmarsh went on to say that through FOTA, he is dedicated to improving the show

Formula 1 has to be entertaining, people have to be switched on to what is going to happen in the race, if it’s processional they are not going to be. Today was not the best show, we know that and we have all got to work together to improve it.

I personally believe that more challenging tyres will help the spectacle of the show. I also personally believe that we should have two stops mandated because we want to stop this. Today, if we had had a safety car on lap five, we’d have all piled in [to the pits] and we’d have all gone on the prime tyre and run to lap 49 without a stop. That was a real danger.

We do need to look at mandatings stops, we do need to look at the tyres and make them more fragile, and we do need to work on making the cars capable of racing close together and easier to overtake. Martin Whitmarsh.

While the McLaren boss is talking sense with regards to the tyres, it should not be forgotten that it was FOTA who pushed for these changes along with the sport’s governing body, the FIA. From the outset it was clear that if the drivers can get the harder tyre to last for most of the race, they will in order to avoid pitting. Formula One is after all a competition. Among those competing is Whitmarsh himself.

Also mentioned was the fact that despite trying to cut the downforce generated by the cars, overtaking is still very difficult due to the lack of close racing caused by overly-efficient aerodynamics. Again, the team bosses are desperate to reclaim any lost performance that arises from rule changes, and the designers and engineers are simply doing their jobs when they create these cars.

There is a solution to all this somewhere, simply because there has to be. But with the teams unlikely to unanimously agree to rule changes that could see them penalised (why would Ferrari vote in favour of mandatory pitstops?) I guess, for now at least, it comes down to the sport’s sole tyre supplier who are intent on leaving at the end of the season.

Original article by BlogF1.

Martin Whitmarsh Calls For Immediate Rule Changes

Looking at the entire race, it is still tricky to decide who has the outright quickest car at the moment, but one thing for certain is that the Mercedes MGP-W01 is perhaps towards the bottom of the top-four. The RB6 was very fast when Vettel was in clear air at the front although the young German didn’t manage to haul out a sizable lead with the lap times yo-yoing between Red Bull and Ferrari. However, as soon as Alonso was through Vettel, the double world champion came alive and pulled out a huge margin to Massa in second. McLaren weren’t quite on the pace either, although Lewis Hamilton believes he could have kept up with Alonso had his race run a little better. Opinion though, quite rightly, is divided on this.

The start of the race was always going to be interesting, with so many new teams and drivers. It was an old-hand though who made a minor error, Mark Webber not lining himself up in his grid slot properly. After the lights went out, most the field managed to navigate the first corner without major concern. Alonso just about managed to get ahead of his team mate and Lewis Hamilton started out quite well only to be squeezed over to the edge of the track by Felipe Massa before out-breaking himself, allowing Nico Rosberg to pass. Hamilton eventually got back ahead of the Mercedes driver during the pitstops.

Robert Kubica and Adrian Sutil had a minor coming together, the Renault driver spinning in the process as the pair were blinded by Webber’s plume of smoke coming from an oil overfill. This allowed Vitantonio Liuzzi through to take the lead position in the Force India team. Liuzzi went on to take two points from a ninth place finish. Also not faring too well at the start was Nico Hulkenberg, the GP2 champion finding himself on the sand and experiencing a tank-slapper in a Formula One car. Hulkenberg did manage to get to the end of the race though, albeit four positions down on his point-scoring team mate.

Both Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok started from the pitlane, but unfortunately for the Indian, Chandhok retired his Hispania on L2. Senna enjoyed a better race than his team mate, getting as far as L19 and completing a pitstop before pulling the car over with a suspected hydraulics failure.

Also retiring early on were the Virgin Racing duo of Lucas Di Grassi and Timo Glock, as well as Kamui Kobayashi in the Sauber and Vitaly Petrov in the Renault. Petrov came in for his first pitstop but failed to leave. A problem with the rear-right tyre caused the Russian driver to be stationary for a long time before the team decided to roll the car into the garage and call it a day.

At the front of the pack, things settled down and Vettel maintained a reasonable margin over the chasing Alonso. Unfortunately for Red Bull though, with a win looking very comfortable for the team, Sebastian’s RB6 slowed and the driver communicated a loss of power over the radio. It wasn’t long before Alonso pounced, quickly followed by Massa and then finally Hamilton. The cause of the decline in performance on the Red Bull was a damaged exhaust, many paddock insiders suggesting Adrian Newey’s radical design causing the rear section of the car to overheat.

Ferrari weren’t immune though, and just prior to Vettel’s problem surfacing, Alonso had been told to back out of the dirty air trailing Vettel because the F10 was overheating. Likewise, Massa faced a similar issue in the sister car. As soon as Alonso overtook the Red Bull though, the clean uninterrupted air improved Alonso’s situation and from here until the end of the race Fernando was simply dominant.

While Lewis Hamilton was able to repair the damage done to his position on the opening lap, Jenson Button couldn’t and eventually finished the afternoon in P7, just one place up on his qualifying result. It wasn’t a good start to his title defense, but Button remained upbeat after the race.

Michael Schumacher remained fairly anonymous on his comeback, gaining one place throughout the grand prix and finishing in P6. Schumacher spent most of his race behind team mate Nico Rosberg.

Of the new teams, Lotus had a great start to the year with both drivers enjoying battles with other drivers, notably Jarno Trulli of Virgin Racing in the opening stint. Towards the end of the race the Lotus duo were lapping to within 2s of the front-runners which is quite astonishing when you consider the length of the lap at Bahrain. Unfortunately for Trulli, his Lotus gave up with just a lap to go, but team mate Heikki Kovalainen managed to get to see the chequered flag.

Both Virgin cars retired early on in the proceedings, Lucas Di Grassi thinking he may have suffered a hydraulics failure while Timo Glock initially lost fourth gear before losing fifth. The German eventually parked the car up and retired it. Sauber too disappointed, especially after running reasonably well in pre-season testing. Both Pedro De La Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi retired, each with mechanical problems.

The opening race was perhaps not as exciting as it could have been, but there was some overtaking and some good battles through the field. One area of concern that FOTA chairman and McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh spoke about shortly after the chequered flag fell was the risk of teams pitting early in the race and changing to the harder tyre to get through until the end of the race. Under the rules as they currently are, this is an acceptable strategy, but today it became blatantly obvious as something that would lead to incredibly dull races. Whitmarsh suggested each driver be forced to complete two pitstops but any discussion on this will not happen just yet and would need the unanimous agreement of all the teams. With Ferrari and Red Bull looking strong, it is unlikely either of these two would agree to mandating the pitstops.

Ferrari leave Bahrain with a very healthy 43 points in comparison to McLaren who sit on just 21. Fernando Alonso leads the driver’s title and is 7 points clear of team mate Felipe Massa. With another 18 races left to run though, the championship has barely begun and there is plenty to play for in the next few races. Formula One will now take a two week break before the Australian Grand Prix at the end of the month.

Original article by BlogF1.

Bahrain 2010: Fernando Alonso Leads One-Two On Ferrari Debut

The opening 20-minute qualifying session saw Karun Chandhok finally get a chance to drive his Hispania, the Indian driver failing to make it out in the practice sessions both yesterday and this morning. However, with the hydraulic issues solved, Chandhok finally made it out onto the track and although the Indian qualified at the very bottom of the timing sheet, his performance was expected, understandable and actually not that bad.

Bruno Senna, in the sister Hispania, fared a little better and managed a time 1.7s faster than his team mate. At the sharp-end, Ferrari impressed with Fernando Alonso taking the fastest lap in Q1, but conversely, McLaren appeared to struggle, failing to match the pace of the Ferraris and Red Bulls.

Those knocked-out of the first session were of little surprise, with both Hispania drivers, both Lotus pilots, the Virgin Racing duo and finally Jaime Alguersuari for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Alguersuari’s failure to get any further than Q1 was perhaps a little odd, but with seven drivers being relegated to the garage after the first 20 minutes, one of the established teams will always find themselves in this position.

Timo Glock heads the new teams with Virgin Racing, qualifying P19 and will start the race ahead of Jarno Trulli in the Lotus. Heikki Kovalainen will follow his team mate in P21 while Lucas Di Grassi qualified P22 and comfortably ahead of the Hispania pair.

The second session again saw little surprise although the McLarens again were struggling. For a while Jenson Button hovered in or around P10 and only a final push saw the Briton get through to Q1. Early on in the running Kamui Kobayashi impressed with a quick lap but unfortunately could not further improve and soon found himself falling down the table. Vitaly Petrov qualified P17 and showed himself as a steady hand, although team mate Robert Kubica was closer to the front.

Pedro De La Rosa in the second Sauber drove relatively well and managed to put the C29 in P14, just ahead of Sebastien Buemi and behind rookie Nico Hulkenberg. Vitantonio Liuzzi pushed his Force India into P12 while Rubens Barrichello, on the harder compound, qualified P11 and is in a very good position for tomorrow’s race. With the top-ten starting on the less-desirable soft tyre, Barrichello will be able to go further in the first stint and should be able to pick up a few points, all things going well.

The final session saw Sebastian Vettel mimic his Q2 performance by blasting in a supremely fast lap. So far this weekend, Vettel is the only driver to get into the sub-114s lap times, and in Q3 the young German edged out Felipe Massa by a tenth.

Ferrari showed good pace with Massa taking a front row grid position and Fernando Alonso lining up just behind in P3. Lewis Hamilton hauled his MP4-25 into P4 while team mate Jenson Button had to settle for a lowly P8.

Adrian Sutil impressed with a top-ten qualifying performance and will start the race behind Robert Kubica, who likewise showed reasonable pace in the Renault. Mark Webber couldn’t match his team mate and slots into P6 on the grid while the majority of talking from qualifying centres around the Mercedes duo. Nico Rosberg managed a fine P5, only made all the more sweet by beating his team mate, Michael Schumacher. The multiple world champion has looked a little off-colour all weekend and Rosberg has been consistently ahead in the practice sessions. Many thought Schumacher would be able to turn the wick up and pop in a special lap, but alas not. The most successful driver on the grid, statistically speaking, will start the Bahrain Grand Prix behind his lesser-experienced team mate in P7.

Of the drivers to watch tomorrow, Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Rubens Barrichello should prove to be the most interesting. You can never rule out Lewis Hamilton and at last year’s opening round the Briton put in a fine performance (prior to the safety car period) in an under-performing car. Michael Schumacher will also be worth watching, just to see if during the race he can reclaim the lost ground to his team mate and improve his stature in the team.

Original article by BlogF1.

Bahrain 2010: Sebastian Vettel Takes First Pole Of Season

Flavio Briatore resigned from Renault last year after it became clear that he was involved in a case of race fixing the year previous, engineering such an incident by conspiring with technical chief Pat Symonds and driver Nelson Piquet Jr., suggesting that Piquet crash his car intentionally to give team mate Fernando Alonso an advantage. The plan went as all involved had hoped and Alonso won the Singapore Grand Prix, largely thanks to a well-timed pit stop and the accident bringing out the safety car. Alonso has always denied having any involvement and knowledge of went on behind the scenes.

Briatore and Symonds resigned, and the whole fiasco only came about because Piquet Jr. was fired partway through the 2009 campaign. All three participants were called before the FIA to answer their charges, and although Piquet had been given immunity, the other two faced heavier sentences. Symonds has been banned from motor sport for five years, while Briatore received a life time ban. The Italian businessman then set about overruling this, citing the fact he isn’t a license holder of the FIA, unlike the drivers. Briatore was successful in his case. The Renault team also received a 2-year suspended ban.

This now means that Flavio can return to motor sport should he wish, but speaking recently, it would seem he has no inclination to do so.

I rule that [return] out 100%. I will watch the race on TV and will look for the faces of the many people I know. I remain affectionate to F1, even though it would have been fairer had I left it at the end of 2006, after Alonso’s second title.

I had already won all my challenges and I was beginning to feel the will to dedicate myself to other things. Then, in 2008, Alonso came back after a difficult season at McLaren and because of our friendship, I preferred to stay by his side.

F1 has given me a lot in popularity, satisfactions, and acquaintances: I don’t regret anything.

That [overruling] was only right, I say. I had spent two months when I had been treated like a criminal, it was a bitter pill, only I know what I had felt inside. Then came the relief, even though in a couple of months there will be the appeal lodged by the Federation.

I’m calm, I did my duty as chief commander of a ship that was risking sinking, by resigning. I took moral responsibility for the scandal, but the real story is yet to be written. However, the verdict has given me freedom and pride, and that’s fine. Flavio Briatore, Gazzetta dello Sport.

Briatore at the time denied any involvement in the conspiracy, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Briatore’s ban was overturned earlier this year by the Tribunal de Grande Instance and the Italian was awarded €15,000 in compensation. The FIA are appealing the decision, as noted by Briatore in his interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

Original article by BlogF1.

Flavio Briatore Rules Out Formula One Return

Although USF1 are yet to officially announce the news, it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that the operation would close. Recently, FIA delegate Charlie Whiting paid the team a visit to assess their viability of competing this year. While it isn’t known what Whiting saw or reported back to the FIA, it seems the news wasn’t good.

Jose Maria Lopez, who signed to the US-based team earlier in the year, was today reported to be courting Campos Meta as a test and reserve driver (Karun Chandhok is expected to be announced as Bruno Senna’s team mate this week), although it should also be noted that a car is still forthcoming from this team as well. Although a name-change is on the cards following the buyout from Spaniard Jose Ramon Carabante, and the appointment of Colin Kolles should ensure the squad make it to Bahrain with something.

Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube and investor in USF1 will now have to weigh up his options, the American being speculated as possibly transferring his investment to either Campos or Stefan Grand Prix. Zoran Stefanovic will undoubtedly up his calls for his team to be present in Bahrain and allowed to race, the Serbian businessman having been seen to be desperate to get on the grid. Stefanovic, it would seem, is further along than USF1 ever were, the team firing up the new S-01 last week.

Original article by BlogF1.

USF1 Closes Operation & Calls It A Day Before It Began

Of course, with such a dangerous sport as motor racing, it is hoped the SLS will never see much more than the rear of a Formula One grid during its time as the safety car, Maylander always following the grid down the main straight at the start of every race before pulling in to the end of the pitlane. However, although not wanted, it is very likely the SLS will at some point join the race to slow the cars will a track can be cleared.

The SLS AMG is powered by a 6.3 litre V8 engine with 571bhp. It is worth noting that a Formula One engine is limited to a 2.4 litre V8, although the performance between the two are significantly different, with the SLS getting to 100kph (62mph) from stationery in 3.8 seconds. A Formula One machine would be nearing 160kph (100mph) in this time.

While this may be one the best safety cars the sport will have seen, Formula One has seen a sharp incline in the performance of the safety car in recent years. Having to control a pack of racing drivers is no easy task and while the sport’s current choice of Mercedes-Benz do a reasonable job, it wasn’t always that way.

It wasn’t until 1973 that Formula One first saw a safety car, the Europeans taking longer to adopt the convention in comparison to the Americans (and I use those terms loosely, F1 usually being considered America’s open-wheel equivalent). In ‘73 it was the Porsche 914/6 that had to lead a field of Formula One cars, and with a 110bhp generated from a 2.0 litre flat 6 engine, it did a good job of slowing down the drivers. In fact, too much of a good job, some might suggest.

Unfortunately, while the Porsche 914/6 was driven by ex-Formula One pilot Eppie Wietzes, the introduction of new rules concerning his role confused most others. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Wietzes was sent out to control the field, but ended up driving in front of the wrong car, causing half the remaining drivers to be sent a lap down incorrectly. Without electronic timers at the circuit and on the cars, it took the race officials three hours to figure out the actual finishing positions of each of the drivers. It could be said that it’s a good job the sport has moved on since then, but when the timing system failed in Hungary last year, confusion once again reigned supreme.

In 1980, Formula One upgraded the safety car to something with a bit more grunt, and Lamborghini were charged with leading the field, using the famous Countach to act as the pace-setter. However, it wasn’t until 1993 that the safety car was finally written into the rule book, with clear instructions as to what the teams and drivers could and could not do while the safety car was on the track. During the Brazilian Grand Prix that year the sport used a local-built Fiat Tempra 2.0 estate.

Opel Vectras were used in 1994, and the safety car once again became embroiled in controversy. The fatal accident involving Ayrton Senna has, to some, been put down to the ineffectiveness of the safety car. The Vectra was far too slow for a Formula One car and the brakes on it were worn out after just a couple of laps. This resulted in the tyres on Senna’s Williams being very cold at the restart of the race, which some have said contributed to the accident that followed moments later.

Learning from this, Formula One upgraded the safety car once again to a Honda Prelude, but still the car was not standard at all races and most circuits used locally-built machines, presumably with the intention of advertising their own automobile manufacturers.

Perhaps the most humorous situation a safety car has found itself in was during the 1995 Hungarian Grand Prix. Again using local cars, a Tatra 613 was sent out at the control of a marshal to assist Taki Inoue who had retired his Arrows. The Arrows caught alight and as the marshal arrived at the scene, Inoue jumped out of his car only to be hit by the Tatra. Inoue escaped serious injury, but the photograph of the young Japanese driver bouncing on the bonnet of the marshal’s car will never be forgotten.

Following these worrying incidents, the FIA introduced a standard machine to act as the official safety and medical cars. AMG, who build high-performance versions of Mercedes-Benz’s cars are used and since 2000, the safety car has been driven by Bernd Maylander.

Looking at the internal photograph of the new SLS, we can see it isn’t quite as standard as the one that will go on sale soon, the car featuring two screens, one presumably showing the director’s take of the race and another presumably showing a rear view via a camera.

While the safety car still produces controversy, with two races having finished behind Maylander and Michael Schumacher completing an extra lap of a race due to the Ferrari pilot crossing the start/finish line on the final lap while in the pitlane. The reason for finishing the race in the pitlane was due to a penalty being handed to the German for passing while under the control of the safety car.

Needless to say, Bernd Maylander will once again be driving this year and leading another race. Hopefully, the reasons for Maylander’s inclusion in a grand prix will not be serious.

Image © Mercedes-Benz.

Original article by BlogF1.

Safety Is Paramount: The New Mercedes SLS AMG Safety Car

Stefanovic is hoping to pick up an entry to the championship should one of the existing squads fail to make the cut. Of the four new teams – Lotus, Virgin, USF1 and Campos Meta – the former two are certain to be racing as they have been participating in the group tests in Spain these past two weeks. Campos Meta have experienced difficulties, but were very recently taken over by Jose Ramon Carabante who immediately placed ex-Midland/Spyker team boss Colin Kolles in charge of the outfit.

Elsewhere, USF1 have been reported to have hit a brick wall and Ken Anderson has stated the team may miss not only the opening round in Bahrain, but the following three races in Australia, Malaysia and China, only arriving in the sport for the start of the European leg in Barcelona. Autosport have learned that the FIA are visiting the team’s headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina to assess the viability of the squad’s entry.

Currently it would appear from the outside that Stefan Grand Prix are perhaps further along their programme than USF1, which for the sport would be better as having a guaranteed thirteen teams on the grid is better than twelve. However, to lose USF1 would be a great shame, the American outfit having looked to have been a welcome addition to the sport, with their promises of opening up to the fans and allowing followers to get closer to team than their rivals permit.

With Stefan Grand Prix though, we have a team who are using Toyota’s TF110 chassis that was in development last year prior to the motor manufacturer’s withdrawal, and although the squad hasn’t tested, they are boasting they could be ready for Bahrain, assuming Bridgestone release 2010-spec. tyres for testing purposes. Stefanovic had planned to test the car in Portimao this week but Formula One’s sole tyre supplier only released rubber to those teams who are on the official entry list. The test was therefore abandoned.

Definitely, we are waiting for something to happen because the time is very short and the deadline for Bahrain is approaching

If you are going to Bahrain you have to be packed by next Wednesday [03/03/09] and we think we will be able to reach something by then. Zoran Stefanovic.

Stefanovic believes his team’s involvement in Formula One would be very beneficial to both his home country of Serbia and to the sport itself. Zoran says he has the support of Bernie Ecclestone, who prefers those who actually do as opposed to just talk. This mantra, Stefanovic believes, will ensure his team’s place on the Bahrain grid next month.

I’ve been involved in engineering in the last five years and I’ve been interested in Formula One for a long time. I think Bernie supports everyone and I think he supports us because we are pushing for it. We are working, not talking.

The impact will be huge and a lot of people in Serbia don’t realise that yet. The positive image of Serbia being a part of Formula One is something any country would wish for, so it’s a plus one way or another. Also, it’s a huge opportunity to get into high-tech business. Zoran Stefanovic.

However, it should be noted that this is not the first time Zoran Stefanovic has attempted to enter the sport, and it isn’t as though the Serbian hasn’t ruffled a few FIA feathers in the past. Stefanovic had planned on purchasing the cars developed (and I use that word lightly) by Lola ahead of their failed attempt at competing in Formula One in 1997.

Zoran also blew the lid on the FIA’s selection process earlier in 2009, going as far as complaining to the European Commission that the governing body had told new teams they have to use Cosworth’s V8 engine plant. This is despite Stefan Grand Prix having the ability to build and use their own engines. And perhaps adding to the FIA’s list of reasons as to why Stefanovic may not get on the 2010 grid, photos showing former-McLaren employee and disgraced designer Mike Coughlan in the team’s headquarters were released on the team’s website.

For the moment at least, Stefan Grand Prix’s entry to the 2010 world championship hangs with USF1 and their preparations. If Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor can convince the FIA to allow them to miss the opening rounds, then this may continue to put Stefan Grand Prix on the sidelines. However, if the FIA can be convinced of Stefanovic’s burning desire to enter as well as his actual ability to enter, then there may be a late change before the team’s pack their equipment for the first race of the season.

Image © StefanGP.

Original article by BlogF1.

Zoran Stefanovic Still Hopeful Of 2010 Entry

Among the changes that have been confirmed is the adjustment made to the points structure. This is something that has caused some division among fans, but on the whole I feel has been generally accepted. Changing the points is perhaps one of the biggest and most visible things the governing body can do because of the knock-on effects it has with regards to the records. Furthermore, it can make following the sport from one year to the next more difficult – something I feel the constant changes to the rules do not help.

The sport has gone through this type of change in the past, and for a good long while the structure remained a constant 10-6-4-3-2-1 for the top six finishers. In 2003 however, it was decided to award the top eight finishers and the gap between P1 and P2 was reduced, thus creating the structure 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Since then this order has worked quite well, with many of the championships going down to the final race of the year and increasing the spectacle for the fans.

Bernie Ecclestone though, in his infinite wisdom (which I add sarcastically) decided that he wanted to change this last year, and proposed a radical solution to the apparent problem of drivers not always going for the win, but instead playing the strategy game as the season progressed. Ecclestone wanted to introduce medals for the top three finishers, much like the Olympic Games. Initially, it looked as though the FIA were behind this, although it is my impression that the majority of fans were not. Bernie’s idea was not well-thought out and caused more confusion than was necessary, especially as he intended to leave the constructor’s championship on the same structure with points awarded to the teams.

Thankfully, the FIA chose to ignore the ramblings of the old man but did however open discussions with the view of updating the points system. In late 2009, it was announced the sport would adopt a similar structure to MotoGP, awarding points to more competitors and thus giving the new teams a better chance to score and do well in their first years of competition. The new system was declared as 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1, meaning the top ten would score and the difference between P1 and P2 increased once again.

With the new regulations, the system proposed in December has been tweaked ever-so-slightly, and now the drivers and teams will score 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. This improves the difference between P1 and P2 to 7 points, equal to that between P2 and P3.

Also confirmed in the final draft of the rules is the fact that drivers who complete Q3 will have to start the race on the same tyres they used for their fastest qualifying lap, meaning that although no re-fuelling has finally abolished the nonsensical strategies adopted on Saturday, there will still be an element of tactics involved with the tyres. This may result in Q3 drivers running the harder compound of the two allowed in order to extend their first stint on Sunday. Or, we could see drivers go for a single banzai lap on the softer (and normally faster) compound before either pitting early and vacating the car or changing back to the harder tyre for safety. Thinking out aloud, I can see drivers waiting until the last moment in Q3 to go out and set a lap. As always though, there is much more to this than meets the eye and we will have to see how this plays out at the first race in Bahrain.

Exotic pitlane machinery has also been banned, presumably because of the emphasis now being placed on tyre changes. While I haven’t heard of teams intending to introduce new equipment to the pitlane, an additional rule now states that powered lifting devices are banned during the race. Previously (and presumably currently) when a car enters the pit box for new tyres, and front and rear are lifted on man-powered jacks, which essentially is completed in one swift movement from each end. Almost always the front goes up first as the person in charge of this end can wait in position and clench their bodies as a Formula One car hurtles towards them. The rear jack has be wheeled into place after the car has entered the box. However, in the time it takes to locate and position the air guns to undo the wheel nuts, the car is usually off the ground.

Testing has also been discussed, and in light of the number of driver substitutions last year, an extra day has been allowed for those teams who need to replace a driver mid-season. In 2009, Ferrari famously struggled in the second half of the year while Felipe Massa recuperated from his accident. Luca Badoer was charged with driving the F60, and although experienced, had not driven the car before and essentially embarrassed the Maranello squad. Jaime Alguersuari also caused some concern among the other drivers, the young Spaniard being given a promotion at Scuderia Toro Rosso despite having never driven a Formula One car around a circuit. Neither pilot were allowed to test the current car prior to their first race in it due to the in-season testing ban.

However, should a team require to change a driver in 2010, they will be allowed an extra day of testing providing the driver has not competed in the sport in the last two seasons and the test must be held at a non-championship circuit, like Jerez or Portimao. Popular testing venue Circuit de Catalunya is used for the Spanish Grand Prix, and therefore will be prohibited for such a test. Furthermore, the test must take place between 14 days prior and 14 days after the driver’s debut/returning race.

All is not lost though for teams wanting to substitute a driver with someone who has relevant experience. As the technical changes made to the cars is minimal, those who competed in 2009 will be able to get back into the groove much easier. Nick Heidfeld, who has recently been announced as the third driver at Mercedes, would be able to jump into the MGP-W01 and feel fairly comfortable from the get-go. Although different to the BMW he has been familiar with in previous years, the Mercedes shouldn’t be a completely unrecognisable machine to him.

The engine regulations have been tweaked as well, meaning that if a driver uses more than eight engines in a season, he will drop ten grid places at the first event the extra engine is used. This will continue unless another new engine is used, in which case the grid demotions will carry over. This means that if a driver uses two new engines at the tenth race, he will not be docked twenty grid places, but instead be demoted ten places at the tenth race, and ten places at the eleventh race as well.

Finally, a small change has been made to the formation lap procedures, stating that if a driver is slow away from the grid and cannot return to his original starting position by the first safety car line, he must start from the pitlane. This could delay a start because the driver, who is already falling behind the pack, will have to negotiate the pitlane while the field is lining up on the grid. The driver will then have to trundle down the pitlane at limited speed while avoiding the team personnel who are returning from the grid and wait at the end. Invariably, this will take longer than simply rolling around the final corner and tacking onto the back of the field. This situation is rarely seen though, so perhaps not so much of an issue.

So there we go, the ‘final’ 2010 rules and regulations have been published: what do you think of them? Will it improve the show, do they make sense, have I misunderstood something? Have your say in the comments below…

The full FIA Rules & Regulations can be downloaded from the FIA’s site.

Original article by BlogF1.

FIA Confirm Rule Changes For 2010

Schumacher last drove in 2006, at the time with Ferrari and although his retirement came with a lot of emotion from both the driver and his fans, the decision to quit was probably well calculated. Ferrari, although managing the 2007 drivers title and a couple of constructors, have slipped in form. Schumacher remained with the Maranello squad though, taking on an advisory role.

Earlier in 2009, Schumacher had hoped to return to racing with the Scuderia, the intention being for him to deputise the injured Felipe Massa. However, a neck injury sustained from a biking accident prevented the multiple world champion from returning.

With the desire to race still burning, and Mercedes needing someone special to take over from the dominant form displayed by Jenson Button in 2009, Mercedes courted Schumacher and with consent from Ferrari, the German driver will rejoin the marque that helped him so much in his early career.

The motivation I think is pretty straightforward. The call I got from Ross at the end of November concerning the chance to go racing, Mercedes being involved, I felt great.

I never left the race track. I was tired of F1 by the end of 2006, but in three years of absence I got back all the energy that I am feeling right now. I played around with motorbikes and I feel ready for some serious stuff now. Michael Schumacher.

Although Schumacher will turn 41 in January, he has maintained his fitness regime and in the summer increased his work-outs with the then-intention of driving the Ferrari. Clearly motivation is not an issue for the German – the decision to return and potentially tarnish his illustrious career (statistically speaking, I add) would have not been taken lightly.

This means that Mercedes will field an all-German line-up next year, hopefully competing directly with McLaren’s all-British line-up. Mercedes vs. Mercedes should also prove interesting, no less than having 4 world champions in the field.

Original article by BlogF1.

Mercedes Confirm Michael Schumacher Return

It would seem that Ecclestone has been keen on changing the points system for some time, and last year proposed a medal system much like how the Olympic Games work. This idea was declined before the season commenced and was met with some backlash from both those within the sport as well as the fans.

However, this recent proposal sticks with points – the system having worked since the sport’s inauguration in 1950 – and although looks quite dramatic on paper, actually isn’t a huge change and only presents on real problem. Currently, the points run: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, with the top-eight finishers collecting an award. Under the new system, the points would run: 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1, allowing the top-ten finishers to score.

With an extra three teams on the grid next year, it is hoped that by extending the points system, more of the drivers will be able to score, and therefore, seems quite fair. The new system also re-introduces a larger gap between P1 and P2, something that many fans have wanted since it was closed up in 2003 to try and prevent one team/driver from dominating and winning the titles prior to the final race of the season.

Of course, assuming Formula One continues with the tradition of having one, two or three dominant teams each year, then the points tally will be much greater, the increase of 150% for a victory giving a boost on paper when compared to previous years. This may mean, assuming the system stays for a few years, that the historical statistics may become skewed in favour of more recent drivers. At the moment, Michael Schumacher holds the record for most points earned, totaling 1369 throughout his career (thus far). It took Schumacher 15 years to accrue all those points, but under the new system, it would take a driver far less time to build up to and surpass Schumacher’s record.

Although the old adage of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it often comes to mind when thinking about how FOM and the FIA attempt to alter the rules, this change doesn’t seem quite so leftfield as they usually do. The new system closely resembles MotoGP’s, with the only differences being the cluster in the middle and the extension to the top-fifteen for MotoGP: 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. The system has worked well for motorcycles, so I would guess it would work okay for Formula One.

What do you think of the new points system? Will it work, or is it just another example of Bernie meddling where it isn’t needed?

Original article by BlogF1.

New Points System For 2010

One of the first areas of interest to be discussed and widely reported in the media is that of the media itself. What made the quotes coming out of Monaco all the more enticing though is that it wasn’t the traditional media in the spotlight, and instead the focus appeared to be more on the Internet and how Formula One is broadcast and viewed around the world.

Many of Formula One’s fans have access to the Internet and although I don’t have an exact number, I’m am certain that it is expected to grow in the next few years. This is also the feeling of many of the sport’s promoters as well as individuals and companies that have an interest in new media. And with an increase in popularity of the Internet, as well as advances continuously being made in how information can be made available and digested via a phone line, much of Formula One currently looks a bit antiquated.

I have long been advocating further use of the Internet by Formula One, and in comparison to other sports and even other disciplines within the field of motor sport, Formula One is only just beginning to catch on. The sport’s former UK broadcaster ITV only started showing live footage online in 2008, and the BBC have continued with this during their first year back in 2009. However, because of the way broadcasting contracts are dealt with, it isn’t necessarily up to Bernie Ecclestone to enforce this to happen.

What this means is that although UK viewers have the luxury of being able to watch the sport via the Internet, including sessions not broadcast via the television (free practices), some countries still do not allow this. It is up to the individual broadcasting company to initiate online viewing, and this is something I feel to be wrong.

Although the idea may not be popular with the traditional broadcasters, it is my belief that all online viewing should be provided and hosted by Formula One itself. FOM should be streaming every session and race from the official site, and this could then be incorporated with the existing Live Timing application. Of course, I say this may not be widely popular because it would detract from the BBC’s effort and others who have already invested considerable sums of money into their own service.

Other issues include commentary and pre/post-race shows. I hasten to add that the only other sport I tend to watch online is surfing, simply because it isn’t available via terrestrial channels in the UK. Yesterday evening I viewed some footage from a contest being held at Waimea Bay in Hawaii, complete with American commentary. Although I am not certain where the onscreen graphics came from, the official site appeared to be the only place on the Internet showing the footage legitimately to an international audience. And if the world of surfing can do this, I’m sure Formula One can.

If bringing the online experience together in one location proves too tricky for Ecclestone to achieve – and there is more on this later – Formula One could do similar to surfing. I mention above that footage from Waimea Bay was broadcast on the official site, but it wasn’t the ASP World Tour site (equivalent to F1.com), but instead the ASP linked out to the event’s official website. Transferring this idea to Formula One, the least Bernie could do is link out to the BBC’s iPlayer and similar from the official site. Or, perhaps finding some middle ground, the Grands Prix websites could host the streaming, perhaps with access to and integration with Formula One’s Live Timing application.

Having said all that though, Bernie Ecclestone will need to given a thorough shake first, and told to get his existing services running properly in the first place. I do watch Formula One online via the BBC’s iPlayer, primarily because I update this site during the sessions. I have the iPlayer and Live Timing on one screen, with BlogF1 and other applications running on another. Believe it or not ladies, male Formula One fans tend to be quite good at multi-tasking.

However, although Live Timing has shown to be a great asset to myself and many, many others, it doesn’t always work. And this is a key issue for me and pushing Bernie to further develop the sport online. I am certain that Live Timing is fairly complex – not the actual gathering of information because that is already there, but instead the broadcasting of that information via the site. I have never sat on the pitwall during a race, but I don’t imagine for a second the teams suffer the same delays, hangs and stalls in the system as we fans do (aside from in Hungary earlier this year). Therefore, I would guess that the problem lies instead with the website, the server/s and the number of people trying to access the information all at the same time.

If and when Bernie Ecclestone can bring himself to part with a little cash to get the Live Timing running reliably, then maybe he should spend some time thinking about how else he can promote the sport that made him the multi-billionaire that I’m sure he is today.

So what was said in Monaco?

One of the key people pushing Formula One to invest further in the online world was the man who is apparently sniffing around Renault at the moment. Aside from hoping to purchase the Renault squad from the French car manufacturer, Gerard Lopez spoke at the forum, suggesting that now is a time for change within the sport. Lopez spoke of encouraging people to invest in the sport and for Formula One to be reaching out to the fans as well as the very people who might want to become involved.

Stuart Codling, a contributor to F1 Racing and Autosport, has recently set up his very own little place on the Internet, and the man is in Monaco right now attending the forum. Stuart has been busy publishing many of the presentations/quotes made along with a few of his own thoughts and insights. I won’t copy down all of the quotes – they run on a fair amount – but instead I encourage you to head over and read everything that was said when you get a spare five minutes. It certainly makes for interesting reading. For now though, here are a few highlights…

The business opportunities in F1 lie very rarely in making money out of your team; they should lie in making money out of the business platform that you have. Gerard Lopez, Mangrove Capital Partners.

The teams can bring the sport closer to the audience. The sport and its environment is going to be forced to change. Gerard Lopez, Mangrove Capital Partners.

Most of the broadcast contracts are based on a way of looking at things from 15, 20, 25 years ago. The fact is that in three or fours years’ time, most people in a lot of countries will be watching it not on TV as we know it today, but over the internet. And that completely redefines how you negotiate contracts and how you distribute content. Gerard Lopez, Mangrove Capital Partners.

We’ve invested heavily in helping media organisations, and especially sports companies who invest vast amounts of money on content rights, to look at different ways of being able to monetise those rights. Primarily that’s through digital media. Neville Wheeler, Cisco Media Solutions Group.

As we all know, motorsport has a global audience, and we’ve got to a point now where you can have any content any time, anywhere in the world on any device. Neville Wheeler, Cisco Media Solutions Group.

Social media is a fantastic way of reaching an audience and keeping them excited on a day-to-day basis. There’s a massive opportunity. But whatever you do, it has to be accessible and reasonably priced. Tony Fernandes, Lotus F1.

I’ll finish up with just one final thought: These people (quoted above) want Formula One to develop into new areas, to be promoted on differing mediums and to be more open and accessible to a wider group of potential fans and investors. They all seem to think it can work, but at the end of the day, the commercial side of the sport is still run by a Mr Bernard Ecclestone. Do you think Formula One and primarily it’s broadcasting and marketing will ever drag itself into the 21st Century? Will Bernie ever learn how to program the VCR…

Original article by BlogF1.

Teaching Ecclestone To Program The VCR

In 2008, Bernie Ecclestone sensationally announced that Donington Park had signed a deal which would see the Leicestershire circuit host the British Grand Prix from 2010. However, funding issues and disputes got in the way and after Ecclestone had extended deadlines various times, the deal was called off. Silverstone then set about negotiating with Ecclestone to reclaim the event, which was finally announced this morning.

The title of Silverstone as home of motorsport has come true. It is a place for all motorsport. Everyone in the BRDC loves motorsport and we are looking forward to the MotoGP as well as the British Grand Prix.

It is not easy to enter into a contract of this magnitude and you have to take on a lot of responsibility, but the BRDC wanted this relationship to continue.

Everyone was well aware that the British GP is not just a sporting event, but it is dynamo of the industry in this country. Losing it would have been damaging and perhaps there would have been no coming back. Damon Hill.

The news means that Formula One will continue to have a British event and will undoubtedly come as good news to British fans. The majority of teams on the grid are based in Britain and the nation has long been involved with the sport, and currently enjoying great success with both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Although the deal is for 17 years, taking on what had been offered to Donington Park, there is a clause in the contract to break the deal after 10 years, although Silverstone’s managing director Richard Phillips said this is not what he wants to happen. Phillips and Hill also spoke more of the planned schedule of works due to be carried out, starting after Christmas.

Even this year with the new circuit we are trying to get better access for public, changing granstands for better viewing and running our own campsites to be better than the current ones.

We want to increase the entertainment factor. Richard Phillips.

Interestingly, Bernie Ecclestone has changed his tone considerably. Previously, Ecclestone had been quite anti-Silverstone, stating that even if the Donington deal fell through, Formula One would not return to the old airbase. However, this morning Bernie had nothing but good things to say, stating he is pleased Britain will continue to feature in the world championship.

I am pleased that we have reached an agreement with Silverstone for the retention of the British Grand Prix. This will ensure that Great Britain will remain on the Formula 1 calendar for many years to come, which is something I have personally always wanted to see happen.

The team at Silverstone already knows how to organise a good event, so now everyone can look forward to next summer at Silverstone. Bernie Ecclestone.

With Woking-based McLaren fielding both British champions on the 2010 grid, the race should draw huge crowds, although the new facilities and circuit will not be ready until 2011. The circuit will also host a round of the MotoGP championship.

Original article by BlogF1.

British Grand Prix To Remain At Silverstone

Given a choice of McLaren or Brawn for 2010, the answer is probably McLaren, and therefore Jenson Button has made a wise move. Brawn came from nowhere less than twelve months ago to storm to victory through the year and take both titles, but a fairytale story always has an ending. Comparing the resources of both teams, and combined with the historical facts, you would surely have to place your eggs in the Woking basket.

For evidence of McLaren’s great skill in development, you just have to look at the respective performances of both teams during 2009. Brawn started off very strong, but faded considerably and struggled to get themselves out of the non-winning rut. Conversely, McLaren started out at the beginning of the season in a less-than-favourable position, but dedicatedly developed their way into a race winning position. This, I am sure, will be carried over to 2010.

Of course, Mercedes have now purchased a majority stake in Brawn, and with that comes significant funding and undoubtedly security and expertise. Experience is already there as Ross Brawn has once again proven that he can win world championships, and the elder gentlemen and women from the Honda days know what they are doing. But McLaren have been doing it for longer.

So it is my belief that Button has made the correct choice, but it still remains my belief that he won’t take the 2010 title, and from there, it will become increasingly harder to take any more.

The McLaren family seems to be centred around Lewis Hamilton in the sister car, and having already taken one title for his beloved team, it is understandable that the general leaning within the crew is towards Hamilton’s garage. Although they may give each driver equal opportunity, equal equipment and insist on no team orders until necessary (one driver being out of a championship-winning position), there is still that Lewis is our man ethos. One cannot blame a team for this, it is natural human behaviour to lean towards the proven winner whom you know inside-and-out.

McLaren have run two world champions in their cars before, and although this has given the team immense success in the late ’80s, the rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost did at times get played out in front of the fans on the race track. It was clear that there was little love between the two great drivers and while that may have been acceptable in an era when it is said that men were men and boys were boys, in today’s overly-corporate world, sponsors will be wanting a happy family to promote their brands. I’m not suggesting I agree with this, merely that it is a reality.

We saw a little of this in 2007 with the pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Although Hamilton was yet to win his title (the ‘07 season being his debut) the rookie’s ability behind the steering wheel soon started to make headlines. Alonso, already a double champion, probably felt slightly on edge about the unexpected competitive nature of his team mate, and soon enough, sparks flew from the McLaren camp. And much like when Senna and Prost collided at the Suzuka chicane, Hamilton held up Alonso in the Hungarian pitlane, impeding his team mate during qualifying.

Since then Hamilton has matured, as he showed the world in 2009 with some gritty drives in a car that wasn’t always a comfortable winner. In front of the media he seemed more relaxed – or at least, after the first couple of races he did – and Hamilton showed that he could work with his team and come across to all as a generally calm and focused driver. However, Hamilton’s team mate of the past two years has failed to push him like Alonso did in 2007. That element of pressure from Heikki Kovalainen’s side of the garage failed to materialise and it is a key force for any driver. You will always want to beat your team mate, but teams know it should never be easy. Kovalainen was a bit too easy for Hamilton.

Jenson Button, while a great driver and someone who has finally proven his worth in Formula One, will struggle to ultimately beat Hamilton. And if the pair somehow end up at the final race still both within shout of the title, I would feel safer putting money on the driver who is not defending his title. Having said that, Button will apply substantial pressure on Hamilton. Like in 2007, the younger Briton will be paired with a much more experienced pilot, and right now Jenson will be on Cloud-9 and will carry the number 1 on his car. Hamilton will have to make do with number 2.

As we saw in 2007, and look back even further at the late-80’s and early-90’s, team mate rivalry can win many titles, but it can also lose you some. In 2007 it was Kimi Raikkonen who crept through to finally take the title, driving McLaren’s nemesis, a Ferrari.

I feel that the pairing will prove to be very successful for McLaren, and the team should and likely will take some constructor’s titles with the British duo. But with regards to driver’s titles…

…well, you already know how I think this is going to play out for Button. Perhaps it is time I hand this over to the capable hands of you.

Original article by BlogF1.

Jenson Button Has Won His First And Last World Championship

Jenson Button has reiterated that he wants to drive a competitive car next year, although Ross Brawn’s team have given no indication that the 2010 progress has been compromised by the dedication needed for the successful 2009 campaign. However, in recent years we have seen a troubled season follow a very successful season with Ferrari triumphing in 2008 in the constructors, only to struggle with the 2009 F60.

As I’ve said many times before, Jenson wants to drive a car which is capable of winning the next world championship.

We’ve been talking about possible terms for 2010 with Brawn for months and we’re not being difficult or unreasonably expensive in our demands for Jenson. In fact we’ve given up quite a lot of negotiating ground in our discussions with them.

I think it’s also important that Jenson wants to feel valued in whatever situation he finds himself next season. He needs to explore all the feasible options. Richard Goddard, Button’s Manager.

The McLaren car may look very tempting for Button at the moment, and the team are proven winners in the sport with a long and successful history. The Woking team will continue with the Mercedes-Benz engine, the very same that helped propel Button to multiple wins in 2009. The team are highly organised, very dedicated and managed to turn around what was a terrible car at the beginning of the season to a race winner.

However, while driving for the famous McLaren name will appeal, particularly if a long-term deal can be struck, Button would have to face partnering fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton. For the team, this isn’t the best situation as squads prefer to have drivers of different nationalities. This helps the team appeal to a wider range of sponsors which is ultimately hoped to bring in more money and therefore a larger budget to develop the car with.

From a driver’s standpoint though, going up against Lewis Hamilton may not be the wisest career move. Hamilton is very much the number one at the team, and although recently this has come about due to his dominance over team mate Heikki Kovalainen, when Fernando Alonso sat in the sister McLaren, fireworks were whizzing and banging all year. Needless to say, the relationship soured.

And that point brings me neatly onto drivers who switch teams after winning the drivers title. History tells us that sometimes it can prove to be an inspired move, but other times it also proves to be an unmitigated disaster.

In 2006 Fernando Alonso took his second successive title with the resurgent Renault team, the fruits of his labour finally paying off. His performances for the Anglo-French squad were inspiring and the Spaniard seemed very much at home with the Enstone-based team. However, in late 2005 Alonso announced his move to McLaren and shocked the Formula One world by seemingly turning his back on the team that he had been so successful with.

Of course, Alonso’s 2007 campaign didn’t go ultimately well, with controversial moments a’plenty centred around Alonso’s relationship with the team and team mate. Despite this though, the switch could be argued as one of the more inspired moves. The McLaren MP4-22 was a race winner and both drivers narrowly missed out on the title. Both Alonso and Hamilton collected 109 points each throughout the year, while eventual champion Kimi Raikkonen stole the show with 110 – it was one of the closest championships on record.

Due to other events that occurred away from the actual event of racing on the track, McLaren failed to seal the 2007 constructors title having been disqualified. The point remains though, that Alonso made the right call in terms of car competitiveness. The highest placed Renault driver of 2007 was Heikki Kovalainen, who amassed 30 points by the time the final race was over.

In 1996, Damon Hill was ejected from the Williams team as the bosses favoured Heinz-Harald Frentzen to partner Jacques Villeneuve. Although Hill’s move from the team wasn’t of his own wishing, the Briton still switched squads immediately after winning the drivers title.

Hill was an in-demand driver at the time and although getting on in terms of age, still had plenty to offer. I remember exactly where I was when I heard which team the champion had chosen, and it wasn’t who many of us were expecting. Eddie Jordan’s team were courting the first championship-winning son of a championship winner, but when the announcement came, it was Arrows who made the headlines. More so because the small team had never won a race before and had spent much of their time towards the rear of the grids.

The 1997 campaign was difficult for Hill and although the car improved massively and a near-win in Hungary lifted spirits, Damon had finally decided that perhaps Jordan was a better move and switched prior to the 1998 season. Although Hill’s move from Williams to Arrows was courageous, it ultimately was not successful.

Just one year prior to Damon’s team move there was another that also grabbed headlines the world over. Michael Schumacher had burst on to the racing scene and had taken the 1994 and 1995 drivers titles, albeit in contentious circumstances. The second championship for Schumacher also brought with it the constructors title for his team, Benetton. However, in 1995 Michael decided that he wanted to drive for one of the sports more famous and prestigious names, Ferrari.

Now, if we regard only the 1996 season, Schumacher’s move was a complete disaster. Ferrari had completely redesigned the car in anticipation of the arrival of the world champion and Schumacher’s season spent behind the F310 will be one he may want to forget. The German still managed three victories, one of which came at the saturated Spanish Grand Prix and is often regarded as one of the sport’s greatest drives. Although the actual move was a disaster, we cannot really consider it to be one over the longer term though, simply because Schumacher went on to take five further titles with Ferrari and dominate the sport for many years.

Of course, there are many more champions who have sought greener grass after being awarded the drivers title, some of whom found greater success while others found more time to polish the trophy they received the year previous. If Jenson has been offered a drive at McLaren, it will take a lot of thought and deliberation before a decision can be reached. Needless to say though, the Formula One world waits with abated breath.

Original article by BlogF1.

Speculation Rife Over Jenson Button’s Future

In December last year, Honda surprised all by withdrawing from the sport, leaving drivers and staff potentially without jobs. Of course, we all now know that Ross Brawn and Nick Fry saved the team and sensationally went on to take both world championships in a thrilling season of motor racing.

Earlier in the year, BMW also announced they would be leaving the sport at the season’s close, and the future of the Hinwil team is currently up in the air. It is hoped that Peter Sauber, the former owner of the squad, can reprise his role and keep the squad going, although currently the situation doesn’t look too good.

And now Toyota have become the third manufacturer in less than a year to pull out of Formula One.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula One world championship at the end of the 2009 season.

TMC, which had viewed its participation in F1 as contributing to the prosperity of automotive culture, remained dedicated to competing at the pinnacle of motor sports even in the face of the abrupt economic changes that started last year.

However, when considering TMC’s motorsports actitives next year and beyond from a comprehensive mid-term viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities, TMC decided to withdraw from F1. Toyota Press Statement.

Toyota have signed the recently agreed Concorde document, which essentially ties them to the sport through to the end of 2012. However, this position may be able to be transferred to Sauber if they can cobble together a team and financial backing.

Both Jarno Trulli and Timo were expected to leave the squad, with Glock being suggested as a partner for Robert Kubica in the second Renault. Jarno Trulli may end up with a new team, his experience perhaps being seen as a big enough draw over his lack of ultimate race pace.

Interestingly, Autosport are also reporting that Renault have an important meeting today to discuss the company’s future, and although they are expected to continue, I personally wouldn’t be surprised if the Enstone team decided to follow Toyota and bow out. The loss of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds amid huge controversy earlier in the year, combined with the loss of star driver Fernando Alonso, could be enough to sway the minds of those making the decisions.

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota Withdraw From Formula One With Immediate Effect

Ari Vatanen had been a favourite among motor sport fans, the former rally driver promising to shake-up the FIA and make the organisation more transparent. However, Todt had received the backing of the outgoing president and was even said to have been a good candidate for Mosley succession way back in 2005.

The election, held at the FIA’s headquarters in Paris, was supervised by an external Huissier de Justice, the French state-appointed public witness. There were 12 abstentions or invalid votes and Todt’s victory was a comfortable one.

The news of Vatanen’s defeat will undoubtedly cause many fans of motor sport to be upset, many feeling that Todt is unsuitable for the role given his public support from Mosley and his former ties with Ferrari. The FIA has been accused in the past of favouring Ferrari and Bernie Ecclestone even admitted that the Scuderia receive benefits (both monetary and in the deciding of new rules). Although Todt has long been resigned from his post of team principal at Ferrari and recently resigned from the company entirely, many will still feel uncomfortable at his appointment.

Despite claims that Todt may fail to shake-up the FIA and will merely continue in the vein of his predecessor, the Frenchman does have a lot of experience in motor sport, primarily Formula One and World Rally. It was Todt who helped rejuvenate Ferrari into a dominant force that won many titles in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and his management style has received considerable praise. The Ferrari company was named by the Financial Times as the best company in Italy to work for in terms of employee satisfaction in 2008.

While many of us fans may have been hoping for a more radical change at Place de la Concorde, we should allow Todt some time to settle in to his new role before making judgments. The president of the FIA does not just deal with motor sport and much of the organisation’s aim is to improve motoring for the general public the world over. Of course, Formula One is at the forefront of their operations though, the international sport garnering much of the headlines that involve the FIA.

We shall have to wait and see how Todt deals with the pressures of being the president, but despite trying to offer the man a chance, I feel the Internet-at-large is about to get a little crazy. But before we all get hysterical, let us remember one very important rule that has just come into force: the president of the FIA may now only preside for two terms at the very most. Something I’m sure we will all agree on as being a very good idea.

Original article by BlogF1.

Jean Todt Comfortably Wins FIA Presidency Election

Mark Webber took the victory, Robert Kubica came home second and Lewis Hamilton drove to a superb third, but all eyes were on the Brawn camp as the Australian and Austrian national anthems rang out over Interlagos. With a rendition of We Are The Champions as he crossed the finish line screamed over his radio to the team, Button takes over the mantle from compatriot Lewis Hamilton. Brawn have also clinched the constructors title and after having been withdrawn from the sport less than a year ago, Ross Brawn is understandably overwhelmed.

Original article by BlogF1.

Jenson Button: 2009 Formula One World Champion

The conditions improved a little shortly before Q1 was due to begin and the green light was given for the cars to go out and set times. However, while the Williams duo were showing everybody how to drive in the wet, Giancarlo Fisichella brought out the red flag after just four minutes. The Italian lost the rear of his Ferrari while off-throttle and stopped broad-side on the racing line. Fisichella’s anti-stall device apparently did not kick in and the F60 was stranded with others having dodge him as they rounded the corner.

At the same time, drivers were speaking to engineers via their radios explaining that the conditions have worsened and they are aquaplaning on the straights. Race control decided to stop the session with 15m53s left on the clock and everybody cruised back to the pitlane. As the Ferrari was recovered Race Control sent the Medical Car out several times to assess the track conditions, and after a short while the drivers were sent out again.

The Interlagos circuit had obviously improved by the time the second start occurred as lap times tumbled from around the 1m40s region down to the 1m25s region. However, while Q1 was able to be completed it was clear that conditions had once again worsened towards the end. Lewis Hamilton ran off the track and aborted his final run and Sebastian Vettel struggled throughout with a car setup for the dry.

Both McLarens, also on a dry setup, failed to get out of Q1 and Nick Heidfeld also struggled and failed to get through. Both Williams ran superbly with a wet setup and while they may have compromised their Sunday pace, Nico Rosberg went fastest and was tailed by his team mate for much of the session until Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica finally pipped Kazuki Nakajima which opened the floodgates for others to push through.

Q2 started after a delay but even before any driver was able to get a lap time in, Vitantonio Liuzzi had a sizable off, dropping the Force India has he released the throttle into the first corner, running down the pitwall before spinning around the backing the car heavily into the barrier on the other side. The accident was quite large but Liuzzi was fine and extricated himself from the car unaided. However, conditions were clearly not acceptable and the red flag was shown once again. The session was left with 12m24s on the clock.

Qualifying then went through a phase of waiting for track inspections which occurred just about every fifteen minutes. The level of standing water on the track was too severe and during the broadcast, the weather seemed to worsen which only made the call to continue even harder.

However, after what seemed like an eternity, the rain stopped and the session was able to restart. As the cars streamed out on to the track, Interlagos looked much better and before Q2 was over, Nico Rosberg switched to intermediate tyres which prompted the others to do the same. Although Rosberg struggled initially, by the time the German started his final set of laps, the tyre was keyed in and Williams went fastest in the middle 15 minute session.

The shock of Q2 was seeing Jenson Button fail to get through and although many had felt that the Briton was lucky after Sebastian Vettel left qualifying early, the luck quickly dried up and after simply not being fast enough and failing to change to the intermediate tyre, Button will start tomorrow’s race just a couple of positions ahead of his rival.

Q3 started as scheduled – five minutes after the completion of Q2 – and all drivers went out on intermediate tyres. The track was improving with each passing lap and it seemed that the final driver to complete a time would have the best opportunity. However, Rubens Barrichello was simply on fire and managed to control his tyres and time pefectly. A stonking final run from the Brazilian laid down the gauntlet and only Jarno Trulli, Adrian Sutil and Mark Webber really had the pace to challenge. Unfortunately for both, Barrichello was just too fast for them and the grid was completed.

Adrian Sutil once again proved he is very handy in wet and changable conditions and the German driver lines up in P3, behind Webber and ahead of Trulli. Kimi Raikkonen, who looked good in Q2, could only muster a P5 lap and Sebastien Buemi gave Scuderia Toro Rosso cause to celebrate with a fine P6.

Williams appeared to struggle though in the final run, but fuel weights are currently unknown and therefore it may not be true pace we saw from the blue cars. Nico Rosberg managed to get into P7 and team mate Kazuki Nakajima hauled the sister car into P9. However, if the Grove-based squad have gone heavy for the race, it would perhaps be an unwise decision based on the fact that they are both on a high-downforce wet setup and the race could be ran in dry conditions. We await the fuel weights to be published though.

And so Rubens Barrichello has claimed his first pole position since his days spent at Ferrari many years ago. Furthermore, the Brazilian has kept his title chances alive by out-qualifying his team mate by considerable margin, and a victory at home in front of his fans and family would edge Barrichello to within 4 points of Jenson Button if the Briton fails to score tomorrow.

The 2009 championship, it would appear, is far from over…

Further Reading

• Brazil 2009: Qualifying Result
• Brazil 2009: Live Qualifying Notes
• More information on the Interlagos circuit can be found on BlogF1’s sister site, AerialF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2009: A Saturated Qualifying Puts Barrichello In Pole Position

Brazil 2009 Qualifying Results		Q1 20 minutes	Q2 15 minutes	Q3 10 minutes
1.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m24.100s	1m21.659s	1m19.576s
2.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m24.722s	1m20.803s	1m19.668s
3.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m24.447s	1m20.753s	1m19.912s
4.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m24.621s	1m20.635s	1m20.097s
5.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m23.047s	1m21.378s	1m20.168s
6.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m24.591s	1m20.701s	1m20.250s
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m22.828s	1m20.368s	1m20.326s
8.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m23.072s	1m21.147s	1m20.631s
9.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m23.161s	1m20.427s	1m20.674s
10.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m24.842s	1m21.657s	1m21.422s
11.	Kamui Kobayashi Toyota	1m24.335s	1m21.960s
12.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m24.773s	1m22.231s
13.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m24.394s	1m22.477s
14.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m24.297s	1m22.504s
15.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India	1m24.645s	No Time
16.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m25.009s
17.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m25.052s
18.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m25.192s
19.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m25.515s
20.	Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari	1m40.703s

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2009: Qualifying Result

Vitantonio Liuzzi also endured a troubled start to the weekend with a gear box change, prompting a five-grid slot penalty. Although having only qualified ahead of Webber, the punishment will see no change of grid position for the Italian unless he decides to also start from the pitlane.

The first incident during qualifying came from Scuderia Toro Rosso pilot Jaime Alguersuari. Again at the Degner Curves, Alguersuari ran wide on his entry and hit the barriers. Although the Spaniard had to be assisted from the car, it was later announced Jaime was unhurt and cleared to race tomorrow.

The second of the red flags to be posted was in result to Timo Glock having a sizable accident coming out of the final chicane. The Toyota pilot skated of the gravel and smashed into the barriers, causing not only a red flag but the medical car to be in attendance as well. Timo suffered a cut leg and complained of back pain after being extricated from the TF109. As a precaution, Glock has been airlifted to hospital, but scans have apparently shown there is no serious damage to the driver. Toyota have stated they will make a decision early Sunday morning as to whether or not Glock would race (if cleared by the FIA). Test driver Kamui Kobayashi, who stood in for Glock during practice as the German driver is also recovering from a fever, is on stand-by to deputise again but the Japanese driver’s inclusion would require all other teams to unanimously agree to it.

Not escaping moments themselves, Sebastien Buemi also crashed in the second session which meant that although the Swiss pilot had made it through to Q3, could not set a time. Heikki Kovalainen also suffered incident after he too felt the magnetic force of the Degner tyre barrier.

And so after a hectic session at the returning Suzuka circuit, Sebastian Vettel has taken pole position from Jarno Trulli and Lewis Hamilton. Adrian Sutil managed a great fourth place while Rubens Barrichello helps his championship cause by out-qualifying team mate Jenson Button, fifth to seventh respectively. Sebastien Buemi placed his Scuderia Toro Rosso in tenth despite failing to set a lap in Q3 and Nick Heidfeld continues BMW’s renaissance by qualifying in sixth.

Singapore 2009 Qualifying Results		Q1 20 minutes	Q2 15 minutes	Q3 10 minutes
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m30.883s	1m30.341s	1m32.160s
2.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m31.063s	1m30.737s	1m32.220s
3.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m30.917s	1m30.627s	1m32.395s
4.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m31.386s	1m31.222s	1m32.466s
5.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m31.272s	1m31.055s	1m32.660s
6.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m31.501s	1m31.260s	1m32.945s
7.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m31.041s	1m30.880s	1m32.962s
8.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m31.288s	1m31.052s	1m32.980s
9.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m31.499s	1m31.223s	No Time
10.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m31.196s	1m31.103s	No Time
11.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m31.286s	1m31.482s
12.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m31.401s	1m31.638s
13.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m31.417s	1m32.341s
14.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m31.550s	No Time
15.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m31.571s	No Time
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari	1m31.704s
17.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m31.718s
18.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m32.073s
19.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India	1m32.087s
20.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	No Time

Original article by BlogF1.

Japan 2009: Qualifying Result

The latest controversy to engulf the sport has perhaps been one of the worse when you consider that Briatore and Symonds essentially fixed the race by convincing Piquet Jr to crash his car at a point that would virtually guarantee a safety car period. With this knowledge, the team were able to run a very aggressive strategy with Fernando Alonso and thus, the Spaniard took the race victory.

For his part, the FIA are happy that Alonso played no involvement in the agreement between the three men implicated and was unaware of what Piquet was going to do. Although it has been noted that an intelligent and experienced driver would normally have questioned the reasoning behind such an aggressive strategy, Alonso it seems is in the clear.

And all things considered, Renault are fortunate to have come out of this debacle relatively unscathed. To deliberately plan to cause an accident which could have harmful consequences to those in and around the car at the time is quite simply wrong, and to do this in order to gain advantage is unsporting at its most.

The World Motor Sport Council finds that Renault F1 team members Flavio Briatore, Pat Symonds and Nelson Piquet Jr. conspired to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The World Motor Sport Council therefore finds Renault F1, which, under article 123 of the International Sporting Code, is responsible for the actions of its employees, in breach of Articles 151(c) and point 2(c) of Chapter IV of Appendix L of the Code, and Articles 3.2, 30.3 and/or 39.1 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations.

The World Motor Sport Council considers Renault F1’s breaches relating to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to be of unparalleled severity. Renault F1’s breaches not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself. The World Motor Sport Council considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship. However, having regard to the points in mitigation mentioned above and in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1’s disqualification until the end of the 2011 season. The World Motor Sport Council will only activate this disqualification if Renault F1 is found guilty of a comparable breach during that time. FIA Press Release.

A suspended sentence essentially means that if Renault break any comparable rule in the next 24 months, the FIA will come down on them like a ton of bricks – they would be disqualified from taking part in Formula One. For now though, while the team remain within the rules, they are permitted to continue fighting in the Formula One World Championship in 2009, 2010 and 2011. After this point and assuming Renault do not do anything of similar nature, the suspension will presumably be lifted.

Further to the suspended disqualification, Renault have also agreed to pay the costs involved with the investigations and to also make a significant contribution to the FIA’s safety work and campaigns.

This will undoubtedly come as a relief to all who work at Renault who played no part and had no knowledge of what Briatore, Symonds and Piquet Jr did, and I’m sure Alonso (who attended the hearing this morning) is happy knowing he can continue driving for the remainder of the season alongside Piquet’s previously-implemented replacement, Romain Grosjean.

Piquet, who brought the matter to the attention of the FIA in the first place, received immunity from any consequences resulting from the hearing today, something the Brazilian is awarded for being honest and informing the governing body. Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have both left the Renault team and they may face further investigation. However, for now the team must continue without two of its (previous to recent times) most respected managers.

Of course, the sport has once again found itself splashed across the newspapers for all the wrong reasons, and once again I utter the words of comfort in the hope for a clean and exciting end to the 2009 season.

Original article by BlogF1.

Renault Receive A Two Year Suspended Disqualification

What Renault may have done at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix is serious and most certainly not trivial. To plan and ask for a driver to crash in order to benefit the team mate’s chances of victory is simply wrong and should be dealt with a heavy hand. If Pat Symonds and Flavio Briatore did indeed ask Nelson Piquet Jr to slam his R28 into the barrier just after Fernando Alonso’s pitstop last year, then the trio should simply not be allowed to return to motor sport. If what Piquet says is true, the decision is unsporting of the highest order.

Of course, we do not yet know this is the case, as the hearing into Formula One’s latest controversy will not be held until tomorrow. However, the sudden departure of Symonds and Briatore from the Renault team looks from the outside to be an admission of guilt. If the Renault management are innocent, there would be no reason to leave. It is interesting to note though, the FIA have not yet singled out Symonds and Briatore and instead have called the hearing with Renault, implying that the pair’s leaving will not yet change anything.

To also add further to that, it is of course plain and clear that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds asked Nelson Piquet crash. Bernie Ecclestone has spoken of the sadness of the affair and how Briatore’s career has ended poorly, and the Italian himself has briefly spoken of having to make the moral decision and save the team by standing down. While no official judgment will be made until tomorrow at the earliest, it would appear that Piquet has told the truth.

So why should Briatore, Symonds and Piquet be banned from motor sport should the hearing favour Nelson’s statement? Or perhaps more to the point, can they be banned? In 2008, Nigel Stepney went before the FIA to defend himself against allegations of sabotage and espionage. As it turns out, the FIA said they could not prevent Stepney from seeking employment in Formula One because he is not a licensee of the governing body. Instead, the FIA sent out a strong warning to its licensees telling them to be very careful and to use due diligence should they be looking to hire the ex-Ferrari employee.

Therefore, if Stepney was not a licensee of the FIA, one can only presume Flavio Briatore, Pat Symonds and Nelson Piquet Jr are not either. Perhaps even more so now that all three are not working within the sport. It would also be a great shame if Renault are punished severely too (assuming the decision was only between the three currently implicated), particularly if that led to the withdrawal of the team. Of all the recent squads in the sport, Honda and BMW included, Renault seemed to have the most flakey outlook with regards to continued participation. And while team bosses do not wish to discuss the team’s future involvement in Formula One at the moment, questions are being asked. If a race ban gets handed down to Renault, even if it’s just until the end of the year, I can see the squad packing up and selling on. Hopefully, the evidence will only concern the management and their resignations will be taken into account.

And why, you may be asking, am I throwing Piquet in with Briatore and Symonds, especially as the Brazilian has been given immunity by the FIA for making a statement? Well, because in my view Piquet is just as guilty as the instigators. If a boxer is approached by someone with a suitcase full of cash and told to go down in the third round, and consequently does go down, both people are guilty of match fixing. And more often than not, it is the boxer who everybody remembers and receives the most damage to the reputation.

Although there was probably no suitcase of cash, Piquet states clearly that he felt complying to the demands of Briatore and Symonds would ensure him a better position to get his contract renewed for 2009. Just because the cash is electronically transferred from one account to the other in the form of a salary does not make it any less shady when it results from doing something wrong and damaging to the sport.

And so I think that is just about all I want to write on the recent Renault scandal. BlogF1 has been quiet these past few days simply because I am sick to the core of the controversies that seem to embroil the sport every six months or so. Many of us felt that when Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlin were caught sharing information, the sport would be rocked. Quite simply, it was. Although Formula One recovered, the time spent dealing with the issue filled me with a sadness I had hoped would not return.

Of course, this wasn’t the first big moment to affect the sport, but it is the one I remember the most in my time of watching Formula One and the one I consider the first for me. Since then, it seems the sport has been put through the blender several times, with notable thanks to Max Mosley, Lewis Hamilton and Dave Ryan, the stupid budget cap idea and resulting breakaway threats (that one is Max again) and many, many more. The controversies seem to be never-ending in a sport that is actually about going around a race track as quickly as possible.

Controversial moments are inevitable, as I have already mentioned, and you cannot really prevent them from happening. A driver will cut across a chicane and not receive punishment, or will receive a punishment that is perhaps unjust. A team will design a radical new part that fits the rules as they are written and the other teams will throw their toys out of the pram. These aren’t a big deal in the long term. Unsporting behaviour from some the sport’s most respected managers and engineers is, and although Ecclestone may revel in the headlines his commercial asset is generating, we really only want to watch the racing.

People say its been a torrid year but it always is in F1. There’s always something going on. It’s never peaceful. Bernie Ecclestone.

Original article by BlogF1.

There’s Always Something Going On, It’s Never Peaceful

When Vijay Mallya announced that Fisichella was to leave his team with immediate effect, the words spoken seemed to imply that the three-time race winner wouldn’t be retained for next year, saying that this deal would secure Giancarlo’s future long-term future. And so Force India lose one Italian, but gain another.

Liuzzi’s time with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso was dogged with uncompetitive machinery, but at the times the Italian impressed despite being relatively inexperienced. Vitantonio managed to score a point on his debut , but this only came about after the BARs of Jenson Button and Takuma Sato were disqualified 10 days after the event at an FIA hearing.

The following year and after Red Bull had purchased the Minardi team, Liuzzi was given a full-time seat alongside American racer Scott Speed. Although the car wasn’t overly competitive, Liuzzi again managed to score and generally out-performed his team mate. The point Liuzzi earned at the US Grand Prix was the team’s only point that year.

In 2007, the Scuderia Toro Rosso car started to improve after the Red Bull parent squad started to push parts down the chain to the B-Team. The STR gradually got better as the season progressed and Liuzzi again scored points with a sixth place at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, towards the end of the year Scott Speed abruptly left the team and Red Bull managed to acquire Sebastian Vettel from BMW. Vettel outshone Liuzzi almost straight away and in the same Chinese Grand Prix where Vitantonio had scored his best result to date, Vettel went one better and took fourth and the lion’s share of points.

Scuderia Toro Rosso replaced Liuzzi with Sebastien Bourdais for the 2008 season and retained Vettel for another year. Vitantonio moved to Force India to become their test and reserve driver with the hope of being promoted at some point during his tenure with the Silverstone-based squad. With the departure of Fisichella, Mallya has given Tonio this opportunity.

I’m delighted to give Tonio the opportunity to get back into a race seat, which I know he has been itching to do for the past two years.

Force India is now in a very competitive position and we need a driver who can continue this momentum. This will be the chance for Tonio to demonstrate to both the team and the field that he has the commitment, speed and professionalism to perform and I am sure he will seize this opportunity. Vijay Mallya.

Liuzzi made a point of stating that his promotion is related to the accident Felipe Massa suffered, but he is of course pleased to be promoted to the race team.

I can’t wait to get back into the car in race trim, particularly at my home Grand Prix in Monza. I really appreciate the opportunity Vijay has given me, particularly now Force India has a great car that’s performing very well.

Although it’s unfortunate that this came about as an direct result of Felipe’s accident, this is my opportunity to show people what I can do and I’m really looking forward to it. Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Liuzzi has taken part in a couple of tests for the team prior to the season beginning earlier in the year, and more recently did some straight-line running in the VJM02, so the Italian has driven the car and should have a better idea of how it handles than Luca Badoer did of the F60 he was charged with prior to Fisichella joining.

The Italian Grand Prix this upcoming weekend will feature three Italian pilots, with Jarno Trulli in the Toyota, Giancarlo Fisichella in the Ferrari and now Vitantonio Liuzzi in the Force India.

Original article by BlogF1.

Force India Confirm Vitantonio Liuzzi As Fisichella’s Replacement

Ferrari are often considered to be the ultimate Formula One team, especially for young Italians growing up and worshiping those who pilot the cars around the circuits. Fisichella is no different and has not hidden his desire to drive for the marque, an opportunity that heightened after Massa crashed during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. While Felipe is said to be recovering well, Ferrari do not want to place him back in the car until he is 100% fit and ready, and for the past two races, they have been fielding their long-time test driver, Luca Badoer.

However, with a strong car after having developed it tirelessly during the year, Ferrari are starting to make some headway in the constructors championship. Although they will not take the title this year, they do have their eyes set on their current P3 position, and do not want the resurgent McLaren team to take this away from them. In order to secure this position though, the team needs two strong drivers, and from the results of the European and Belgian Grands Prix, it would appear that Badoer is not the driver to have. Although the Italian test driver did well when you consider he hadn’t driven a 2009-spec. car until he arrived in Valencia, and hadn’t raced in decade, the team need someone who can at least score some points alongside Kimi Raikkonen.

For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception. No one should stand in the way of this. Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo’s long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this, particularly when Giancarlo has made such a vital contribution to Force India. Vijay Mallya.

Mallya stated that the phone call did not come until yesterday (Wednesday), despite speculation being rife in Belgium at the weekend and continuing this week. Fisichella’s superb podium at Spa Francorchamps undoubtedly helped seal the deal, the points earned being Force India’s first and Giancarlo’s first podium in about three years. Mallya also stated that there were no commercial implications resulting from the deal, mentioned after it was speculated that a leftover debt from when the team ran Ferrari engines may have been excused as part of the agreement.

We would like to stress that we have not agreed any financial settlement with Ferrari. This agreement has been made in good faith and for the good of Giancarlo and the sport in general. A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari for Monza is a positive story for Formula One, which can only help raise the sport’s profile in these difficult times.

We would like to thank Giancarlo for all his help over the past one and a half seasons and for delivering us our first World Championship points last weekend. He has been an integral part of the team and we owe him a great deal for his input behind the scenes and performance out on track. We wish him all the best for the future. Vijay Mallya.

Mallya’s point about this being a positive step for Formula One as a whole once again reiterates the team owner’s belief in the sport, Mallya having given his permission to Brawn to run with Mercedes-Benz engines this year after he secured a technical partnership deal prior to 2009. However, his words also imply that Fisichella was not a part of the team’s ongoing future, stating that this deal secures Giancarlo’s long-term future with Ferrari. Interestingly, and perhaps something has been lost in translation (either literally or in the way it comes across), Mallya’s words also suggest Fisichella will be with Ferrari for longer than the remainder of this year, although if this were to happen it would almost certainly be in a test driver role. Unless of course, Raikkonen has already moved on and Fernando Alonso is not able to move over for 2010.

Either way though, Ferrari will benefit greatly from having a driver in the second car who has actually driven and raced a 2009-spec. car and is generally considered more of a talent than Luca Badoer. With three race wins under his belt from his time spent at Jordan and Renault, Fisichella should be able to accrue a few points and maybe even some podiums. If all things work out well, the Italian may even be able to clinch a victory before the season climaxes on the final lap at Abu Dhabi in November.

I am very grateful to Vijay Mallya for allowing me this opportunity to drive for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team.

It is true that it has always been an ambition to do this, and for Vijay to have allowed it to become a reality is very generous.

I hope in my turn I have helped Force India grow up and be on the right path to achieve their own ambitions. They are now a very competitive team and I wish them all the very best. Giancarlo Fisichella.

We have chosen Fisichella because we can expect him to make a valuable contribution in this final part of the season.

Giancarlo has shown, throughout his long career, that he is fast and competitive and we are therefore proud to be able to run an Italian driver in our home race.

We wish to thank Luca Badoer for the team spirit he demonstrated in these circumstances: it is a shame he was unable to show his true worth in these last two races, tackled under conditions which anyone would have found difficult. Stefano Domenicali.

So nice words all around, and Vijay Mallya even wished Giancarlo his best wishes for the future. There has been no announcement as to who will fill the vacant seat at Force India, although it is expected that test driver and former Scuderia Toro Rosso pilot Vitantonio Liuzzi will make a return. It had been widely expected for the young Italian to be taking over from the elder Italian at the Silverstone-based team next year anyway, making his first return to racing since 2007.

I have long been a bit of a fan of Fisichella, ever since I saw him race well at Hockenheim in 1997, a race in which he competed in the Jordan and pushed Michael Schumacher hard. Eventually, Fisichella retired his car due to a puncture, but acknowledging a well run race, Schumacher gave Giancarlo a lift back to the pitlane after the race was completed. The immortal image of a driver astride a Formula One car at speed (Senna/Mansell esque) once again cropping up and sticking hard in the memory.

It is very pleasing to know that although his career has waned ever since he sat alongside Fernando Alonso in the Renault, and that each move the Italian made appeared to have been decided under a cloud of unlucky-ness, Fisichella should hopefully drive well at Ferrari. Having pushed Raikkonen to the chequered flag in Belgium, surely morale will be brimming and the experienced and determined pilot can continue to impress.

Original article by BlogF1.

Ferrari Announce Fisichella For Remainder Of Season

Giancarlo Fisichella – the experienced Italian pilot – came alive this weekend and after taking a sensational pole position on Saturday, Fisichella managed to keep pace with Ferrari which was only ahead due to KERS at the restart. But although it wasn’t a win, Fisichella’s eventual second place was still the first points for Force India, their first podium, and Giancarlo Fisichella’s first podium since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.

Raikkonen’s and Fisichella’s race can be summed up very easily. The Finnish pilot had a great start and was helped by Rubens Barrichello almost stalling on the grid. After the first incident which saw Lewis Hamilton, Jaime Alguersuari, Jenson Button and Romain Grosjean crash out and encourage a safety car period, many drivers took the opportunity to pit. Raikkonen and Fisichella stayed out and at the restart, Raikkonen was trailing the Force India, but with the KERS deployed, Raikkonen was able to take the lead.

It wasn’t plain-sailing for Raikkonen though, as even though we expected Raikkonen to cruise off into the sunset, Fisichella kept him honest and the gap remained at about 1s for the rest of the race. It was clear in the final stint that the VJM02 was the faster car, but it simply wasn’t enough, and with KERS being enabled on the F60, Fisichella could only sit and read the rear wing of the leading Ferrari.

Conversely, the team mates of the leading duo had very different races. While one Ferrari crossed the finish line first, the other crossed the line last. Luca Badoer was the last of the runners and has probably hammered the final nail in the coffin that is now known as his Formula One career. Performing better, but still in the shadows, Adrian Sutil completed the Belgian Grand Prix in P11. It wasn’t the greatest of performances from the German pilot, but at least Adrian finished where he started.

Sebastian Vettel has managed to claw out a few points from championship leader Jenson Button and the German driver overtakes his team mate in the title race. It wasn’t a great weekend for Red Bull Racing though, after a poor qualifying performance left both drivers out of position. While Vettel was able to move forward in the race and take Robert Kubica in the pitstops, Mark Webber just went backwards, and after receiving a drive-thru penalty resulting from an early release from the pitstops into the path of Nick Heidfeld, the Australian had nothing left to give.

Red Bull’s only saving grace from the weekend was the fact tha Brawn didn’t score big points, and with a first lap retirement from Jenson Button, it was left up to Rubens Barrichello to collect for the team. Unfortunately, the Brazilian’s anti-stall kicked in on the grid and Barrichello’s race only got marginally better. Two points from seventh is not good enough for the championship leaders, but it is also good enough through sheer luck, as their rivals failed to score as well.

McLaren too were relying on only one driver for the race as Lewis Hamilton was taken out in the same incident that saw Jenson Button retire. The half-lap that Hamilton did complete was pretty hectic though, and from onboard footage we can see the Briton getting sandwiched at La Source and receiving quite a knock on the right side of the car. Seemingly undamaged, Hamilton was able to continue only to be caught up in the spinning Button following a tag from Romain Grosjean. Jaime Alguersuari was also involved, and although the drivers were investigated, no punishment or penalty has been handed out. Zero points for Hamilton though is penalty enough.

Heikki Kovalainen fared better today though, and although the Finn had a poor qualifying performance, he was able to battle his way through to finish in P6 and collect three points for himself and the team.

Having a better weekend were the team that only recently announced they wouldn’t be racing next year due to poor performances this year. BMW had a stellar race in comparison to the previous so far and a double points finish will have certainly buoyed the team from Hinwil. Robert Kubica was running third for much of the race although was out-pitstopped by Sebastian Vettel towards the end. Nick Heidfeld also collected well, despite having the brake heavily to avoid Mark Webber in the pitstops. P4 ad P5 is a good day for BMW.

Renault had a disasterous Belgian Grand Prix, with Romain Grosjean retiring on lap one and Fernando Alonso being retired after a bodged pitstop. The Spaniard received some damage to his wheel on the opening tour, but was able to continue. However, when the double world champion pitted for the first time, the severity of the impact suddenly became a problem. It seems the wheel-fairing was damaged and the tyre-changer simply couldn’t get the new tyre on properly. Fearing another investigation after Alonso’s wheel came off in Hungary and almost saw the team banned from racing in Valencia, Alonso was called back to the pitlane and retired.

And so that really leaves Toyota to mention, the team who have no idea why their car is behaving the way it is. Jarno Trulli is often quoted as saying that he doesn’t know why the TF109 is slow, and equally so, the Italian often says he does not know why it is fast. This weekend was a case of the latter, but it still didn’t help his race after he retired (an early pitstop due to a damaged front wing paid an end to his victory chances early on). Timo Glock remained fairly anonymous, although he seemed to have an okay car under him. P10 was all the German could muster.

The championship therefore only changes slightly, with Kimi Raikkonen receiving a welcome boost in points and the Force India score meaning that all ten teams have now got points in the constructors championship. Button maintains a 16 point lead over team mate Rubens Barrichello, and with five races to run, it will be interesting to see how the Brawn pilot manages the finale to his season. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are still very closely matched as are Raikkonen, Rosberg and and Hamilton.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Kimi Raikkonen Wins From A Very ‘Appy Giancarlo Fisichella

Both Force India drivers performed well in qualifying, and Adrian Sutil was hot on Fisichella’s heels initially, but couldn’t quite better the pace of those around him in the second stint. Sutil starts the race in P11 though, and is primed for a good race providing he can make up a couple of places at the start and hang on to those ahead. The field spread tends to be quite big at Spa Francorchamps, but if the cars are running well, then both Sutil and Fisichella could disrupt the usual running and provide an interesting race.

Two of the sport’s biggest names fell by the wayside early on in qualifying, and Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will start tomorrow’s grand prix in P12 and P14 respectively. Although only 0.003s shy of Sutil, Lewis Hamilton couldn’t quite make it out of Q2, but the most surprising performance came from Button, who once again has lost out to his team mate.

Rubens Barrichello fared better around Spa Francorchamps and the European Grand Prix winner starts in P4. Although not the best position to capitalise on his recent upsurge in pace, Barrichello is at least ahead of Red Bull Racing and McLaren, and only has a BMW, Toyota and Force India ahead of him. Assuming the experience of Barrichello can keep him out of trouble tomorrow afternoon, and depending on how much fuel is in the Brawn, Rubens is primed for a stellar race.

Like Force India, BMW have come alive as well, and although the grid looks like it should be indicating a wet qualifying session, the Belgian circuit was dry throughout and the results we see are genuine. Nick Heidfeld struggled in Q3 and seemed to have lost his way despite having hauled his F1.09 into the third run. However, on his last run Heidfeld popped in a surprising P3 lap and leads a resurgent BMW team into the race. Robert Kubica finished his Saturday running in P5 and following on from Kubica’s point-scoring European Grand Prix, the Hinwil team must surely be looking forward to another haul of points from the race tomorrow.

Toyota have both their cars in the top ten as well, with Jarno Trulli reveling the Spa Francorchamps circuit. Trulli sits alongside his compatriot on the front row of the grid and with his team mate in P7, both Trulli and Glock are taking the fight to McLaren in the constructors championship, the teams separated by only 2.5 points.

Both Red Bulls did manage to qualify in the top ten, but looking at the final positions, it isn’t much to write home about. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber completed their afternoons in P8 and P9, and although they are ahead of Button, they are also a fair distance behind Barrichello. It isn’t obvious why the team suffered so much in qualifying, but both drivers will struggle to score any meaningful points in the race and will be hoping for a bit of bad luck to fall Barrichello’s way.

Elsewhere on the grid, the Scuderia Toro Rosso and Williams had fairly anonymous sessions, with only Nico Rosberg again showing consistency with a top ten position, but seemingly down on pace in comparison to his Valencia outing last weekend. Renault too are struggling, Fernando Alonso only getting as high as P13 and Romain Grosjean only bettering the Ferrari of Luca Badoer.

And so Luca Badoer has indeed failed to improve his performance from the European Grand Prix, the Italian bringing up the rear after his qualifying ended early with a trip across the grass and thump with the barrier. Although not a heavy accident, the back of the F60 sustained damage and perhaps provided the final nail in his Formula One career.

Original article by BlogF1.

Belgium 2009: Giancarlo Fisichella Storms To Belgian Pole

To begin with, let’s rule out a few that made the headlines prior to the European Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher wanted to stand in and help is protege and his team, but owing to a neck injury sustained while testing a motorbike, the multiple world champion ruled himself out after a couple of weeks of supreme hype in the Formula One world. Fernando Alonso was also heavily rumoured to be making a move to Maranello, ahead of time if the speculation is anything to go by. Neither are likely to be in the seat for 2009 though.

Ferrari themselves have ruled out 2009’s departees; Sebastien Bourdais and Nelson Piquet Jr. Martin Brundle seemed to be keen on Ferrari giving the young Piquet a chance with the F60, going as far to say that he felt the ex-Renault pilot deserved another chance to show what he can do. Ferrari though do not want to be seen to be picking up other team’s rejects, a move that could prove a bit of an embarrassment should they perform similar to Badoer’s Valencia tour.

Away from the ex-2009 pilots though, there are still many drivers, experienced and rookie alike, who would jump at the chance to guide an F60 around Spa Francorchamps, Monza et al.

Anthony Davidson has stated that should he get the call, he would help the Italian team, and it seems a little suprising that the Briton gets passed up more often than not. Perhaps the team managers are aware of something us fans are not, but from what we saw of Davidson in the Super Aguri, he didn’t seem to be that bad.

Staying with the Super Aguri refugees, there is also Takuma Sato. The popular Japanese driver was on the hunt last year looking for a drive after the Honda junior squad closed it doors. Over the winter, Sato tested quite comprehensively with Ferrari-powered Scuderia Toro Rosso and was on par with Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastien Buemi. In fact, the decision seemed so hard for the little Italian team to make, it seems strange they didn’t hire Takuma when they issued Bourdais with his P45 mid-season.

Perhaps Sato isn’t the best fit for Ferrari though, and his reputation of throwing the car off the road is something Gestione Sportiva would like to avoid. Marc Gene, Ferrari’s other test driver, seems like a safe pair of hands. It was suggested that the team feel he is too slow, although his stand-in duties at Williams a few years back didn’t go too badly. A few points fell Gene’s way in 2003, although his 2004 outing was less spectacular. Having said that though, would Gene really have lapped the Valencia track one-to-two seconds slower than Raikkonen last weekend?

Elsewhere in the world of racing, Ferrari have still more choices. They could give any number of GP2, F2 or WSR pilots a chance to step up into the sport. Recently the rookie replacements at Scuderia Toro Rosso and Renault have barely put a foot wrong. Although they are not setting the track alight, their promotion from driving in junior formulae has shown that there is no substitute for actual racing. While Badoer was unable to test the car and offering advice from the pitwall, Jaime Alguesuari and Romain Grosjean were fighting there way forwards in the World Series by Renault and GP2 respectively.

In GP2, Vitaly Petrov has been rumoured to be making a leap forwards in 2010 with one of the new entries, as is Roldan Rodriguez. Lucas Di Grassi and Dani Clos have both driven Formula One cars around circuits previously. Nico Hulkenberg is perhaps the better of the GP2 competitors at the moment though, currently leading the championship and although signed to Williams, I’m sure Frank and Patrick wouldn’t mind loaning him out for a tidy sum – it would allow the young German to gain some racing experience prior to the much rumoured promotion he will receive next year.

There’s even an Italian driver who is potentially available and has also driven fairly recently. Vitantonio Liuzzi would love to return to the sport in a racing capacity, and although he is rumoured to have a seat for next year, I’m sure he could fill in at Ferrari between now and then.

If it’s an older pair of hands Ferrari want, then they could approach the 1997 World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve. It has been suggested that the Canadian is looking at trying to make a comeback next year, and Villeneuve has stepped in to help a team in the past, namely Renault at the tail-end of 2004 when Jarno Trulli took an early departure to Toyota. Although perhaps not a popular choice (with myself), I’m sure Villeneuve would love to add Ferrari to his CV, much like his late father.

Also hinting at a desire to help out Maranello, David Coulthard is available (assuming Red Bull Racing will allow it) and is perhaps the best choice at the moment. Coulthard drove as recently has last year and although the Scot hasn’t piloted a 2009-spec. machine, he is very experienced. Never a truly great driver, and perhaps he soured slightly towards the end with a few silly accidents, Coulthard is still the most relevant ex-driver outside of those who have driven 2009 cars.

Even Ferrari’s rivals might be willing to help them out, with McLaren currently employing three test drivers in the shape of Pedro De La Rosa, Gary Paffett and Paul Di Resta. While Martin Whitmarsh may be a little hesitant about letting one his drivers help out their arch-nemesis, Formula One has been moving towards a more cooperative and friendlier environment recently.

Of an interesting note, Stefano Domenicali has now admitted that Ferrari need a young driver programme and has vowed to implement one as soon as possible. The fact the Scuderia are in this position shows that a training programme would be of benefit. For now though, the team seem to be under the impression their options are limited. From what I can see though, they have a wide variety of drivers potentially available to them. And let’s be honest here, if you were to get a call from Maranello, you would be available, wouldn’t you?

So, of all the drivers mentioned here and all the others that are not, who would you pick to place alongside Kimi Raikkonen in the sister F60. Would you go with Luca Badoer, or would you pick someone else?

Original article by BlogF1.

Who Would You Put In The Second Ferrari?

Williams have been partnered with Toyota since 2007 after the squad endured a very difficult year with Cosworth units in 2006. Since 2007, the team have progressed back up the points ladder and this year looks to be a bumper season. Currently Williams rest on 29.5 points, which is already more than their 2008 total and only 3.5 shy of their 2007 total. With six races left to run it is surely very possible that the 33 points benchmark set two years ago will be beaten.

However, Toyota have admitted that Williams have requested an early release from their contract, and John Howett has stated that as long as Toyota are not financially burdened in any way then they will not put up any obstacles.

Williams have been rumoured to be wanting to rekindle their relationship with Renault, an engine manufacturer the team has enjoyed great successes with in the past. The Grove-based team has taken five constructor’s titles with Renault power, although it should be noted this was back when Adrian Newey was designing their chassis. It could also be possible that Ferrari or Mercedes-Benz are on the cards, although it would be hard to understand why Williams would choose Ferrari over Toyota, and Mercedes are already supplying more than their FIA-quota of squads.

It seem very unlikely that Frank Williams would want to return to Cosworth power, even if it is very cheap. But with new question marks hanging over the future of Toyota in Formula One, it is understandable why Frank and Patrick may be looking elsewhere. Another reason for a possible move could be put down to KERS. Toyota have no desire to run the system, and therefore their engines do not have have the necessary capability of running such a device. If Williams want to run their flywheel KERS next season, it may be beneficial to have an engine that is already set up to take such a piece of technology.

Also rumoured to be thinking about a change of engine for next season is Red Bull Racing. The Milton Keynes-based team currently use Renault units, and have done since 2007 – the same year Williams joined forces with Toyota. And just like Williams, Red Bull have grown with their engine and again, just like Williams have done in the past, Red Bull are beating their factory team in the standings this year.

However, this weekend has seen Sebastian Vettel suffer two engine failures, and four overall for the season thus far. This has put the German pilot at a serious disadvantage for the remaining six events, as two engines will have to be spread very thinly. It may be that Vettel has to take a new engine and suffer a grid-penalty, especially considering how hard the Spa Francorchamps and Monza circuits are on the power units.

Again though, it is hard to imagine who Red Bull might go with for 2010 if they do indeed want to change. In 2006 they used Ferrari units, but when Adrian Newey joined, it is believed he insisted on using Renault power as he knows exactly how it all works and can design a better car around their engine. Therefore, Ferrari were passed on to Red Bull sister team, Scuderia Toro Rosso. It seems strange though that Red Bull would want to move away from an engine supplier that on the whole, are getting the job done. The engine failures in Valencia will not have helped the relationship, but one cannot ignore 3 wins, 98.5 points and a P2 in the constructors so far in 2009, with the potential for more in the remaining races.

Of the other engine suppliers, they are only getting thinner as manufacturers withdraw from the sport. Although Honda and BMW did not supply customer teams, their loss only means that they will not be supplying customer teams in the future. Ferrari only supply themselves and Scuderia Toro Rosso, and therefore have the capability of supplying one or two more teams (assuming the FIA allow it), but if the reason for the move was KERS, then you would have to think twice about using the Scuderia units – Ferrari stopped using the device after it proved unreliable*.

Mercedes-Benz have been a real powerhouse this year, supplying their part-owned McLaren team, Force India through a technical partnership deal signed in 2008, and more recently they took on Brawn in order to help the survival of the team. In order to supply the Brawn team though, Mercedes had to seek permission from Force India boss Vijay Mallya, and the FIA who normally only allow manufacturers to have one other customer.

It is unlikely that Mercedes-Benz will be able to break their agreement with Force India, and the team will surely do anything they could to prevent such a move if it was to ever be attempted. Brawn too would be crazy to split from Mercedes, especially as they are winning the 2009 championships at the moment and have been very reliable all year. And if Mercedes can export their KERS with the engines for next season (and assuming the device stays) then based on the reliability of the KERS currently in the McLaren, you would have to say that Mercedes are the best choice of engine suppliers at the moment.

McLaren-Mercedes, Force India-Mercedes, Brawn-Mercedes, Williams-Mercedes, Red Bull Racing-Mercedes… Any more for any more?

Original article by BlogF1.

Why Might Williams & Red Bull Be Looking For New Engine Suppliers?

It was a bitter-sweet victory for the Brawn team though, as Jenson Button suffered a terrible weekend and went backwards from the opening lap, getting squeezed through the first corners and then being forced to relinquish his position to Mark Webber after the Briton missed the chicane and maintained a challenge from the Australian. Towards the end of the race, Button came back strong, but it simply wasn’t enough and the championship leader could only add two points to his tally.

Thankfully for Button but most disappointingly for Red Bull Racing, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel failed to score points, emphasised by the second engine failure for Vettel in two days. The Austrian squad now sit more than 25 points behind Brawn in the overall standings and their bid to take the title is slipping away very quickly. Added to this is the fact that Vettel now has only two new engines available for the final six races, two of which are hard on the power units; Spa Francorchamps and Monza.

McLaren also had a bitter-sweet weekend, relishing the highs from locking out the front row of the grid in qualifying to missing out on victory after leading for much of the race with Lewis Hamilton and falling backwards from second to fourth with Heikki Kovalianen. On an aggressive strategy which saw both drivers pit early in comparison to their rivals, it seemed as though the Brawn of Rubens Barrichello was just a little bit more competitive.

Lewis Hamilton missed out on victory after his second stop which didn’t go as planned. According to Hamilton and also to Martin Whitmarsh after the race, the team were attempting to gain an extra lap of fuel in the middle stint, and as Hamilton approached the pit entrance on his scheduled stop, the team informed him to continue for another lap. Unfortunately, Lewis was already committed to the pitlane, which came as an unexpected move for the mechanics holding the tyres. This lost Hamilton a few seconds at a time when Rubens Barrichello was setting the streets alight with very fast pace. As Hamilton exited the pitlane, the Briton was 6s behind the Brazilian and the race was over for the McLaren driver.

Ferrari had an interesting weekend and are clearly missing their star driver, Felipe Massa recovering at home after his accident in Hungary. Kimi Raikkonen grabbed a third place and well-deserved podium after a great performance, but on the other side of the garage, things didn’t go quite so well. Luca Badoer was under an enormous amount of pressure, even if it wasn’t implied by the team. To compete after a break of ten years in a car he hasn’t driven, Badoer was always going to struggle. However, it wasn’t expected that Luca would be quite as far from the pace as he was.

The Italian driver put the Ferrari in last position for the first time on merit for the Scuderia, and from there in the race, little improved. Badoer had a great start and made up six places through the opening corners, but from there he went backwards, one spin after another. His pitstop was almost a moment of comedy as well, as he thundered down the garages ahead of rookie Romain Grosjean. Luca clearly left his garage ahead of Romain, and although it was close, it wasn’t in the realm of being investigated by the stewards.

However, as Luca left the garages behind him and began to near the delimiter line, he moved right and seemingly allowed Grosjean to pass, which the Frenchman duly did. Furthermore, as Badoer rounded the pit exit, he moved the white line designating pit exit and race track and collected a drive-thru penalty.

Stefano Dominicali insists his long-term test driver will be in the car for the Belgian Grand Prix next weekend, but questions are being asked up and down the paddock, as well as across the Internet and paper publications as to why the team are allowing this.

Elsewhere in the race, Nico Rosberg put in another sterling effort and has collected another four points and still holds his head higher than Lewis Hamilton in the overall standings. Again, speculation is rife as to where the German pilot will be next year, but for 2009, Rosberg is still pushing hard and being Mr. Consistent.

On the other side of the Williams garage, Kazuki Nakajima once again proved his unlucky nature, the Japanese driver suffering a rear-left puncture. With a long lap at Valencia, it took a long while for Kazuki to return to the pitlane, and by the time he rejoined the track, he was plum last, where he remained until the final lap when Nakajima pitted. The reason for the final pitstop is yet unknown.

Robert Kubica picked up a point which to be honest is quite strange for the BMW team this year. Despite starting out the season with a competitive car, the Hinwil squad have moved backwards in terms of pace, but today Kubica drove well to collect a rather anonymous one point. That now means the Polish pilot is on par with Sebastien Buemi in the driver’s championship, a fact that says it all about his and the team’s performance this season.

Also having fairly anonymous races were the Renault pair, Fernando Alonso performing in front of his home crowd and although generally keeping himself to himself, the Spaniard did claim three points to add to his tally. Team mate Romain Grosjean did well to finish his debut grand prix, and aside from a small moment, drove well from start to finish. Grosjean’s final position was fifteenth.

The final mention has to go to Force India, who today proved that they have improved and are now comfortably ahead of Scuderia Toro Rosso in pace. During Free Practice on Friday and Saturday morning, Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella placed themselves within the top ten and although qualifying didn’t go quite as well as hoped, both drivers continued their progress in the race. Not only did both pilots get to the chequered flag, but Sutil finished in tenth and Fisichella finished in twelfth.

So now the Formula One circus heads to Belgium and the formidable Spa Francorchamps circuit, set in the Ardennes forest. The weather will surely play its usual part and with more chances of cooler temperatures, it could be the time for Red Bull to make a comeback and take some points away from Brawn. McLaren will surely be strong as well, meaning that although there are only six events to go this year, the championship is still wide open.

Original article by BlogF1.

Valencia 2009: Barrichello Takes First Victory In Five Years