Red Bull Racing have revealed that Vettel’s problems did in fact not stem from designer Adrian Newey’s work, but instead from engine supplier Renault. According to the team, the V8 engine suffered an electrical malfunction and this caused the loss of power and subsequent loss of victory. The team were quick to also point out that there has been no damage to the engine and so presumably, it will be okay to be used again later in the season.

Last year Red Bull Racing lost out on some critical points due to the unreliability of the Renault engine, and towards the end of the season the drivers found themselves on the edge of having to take a new engine and face the subsequent grid penalty. Thankfully the team avoided this and managed to get through to the end of the year with their allotted eight units. But it would appear as though Renault haven’t quite got their reliability problems completely sorted just yet. With another potentially race-winning car under them, Dietrich Mateschitz must be wondering why he hadn’t pushed harder for the Mercedes V8 when he had even the slimmest of chances. Maybe it’s time for the RBR/STR squads to perform another switcheroo when nobody’s looking.

Original article by BlogF1.

Bahrain 2010: Renault Are To Blame For Vettel’s Pace Issues

To be honest yesterday was a tough day for us, we had not as much running as we hoped for. Another long night, especially mechanics with not much sleep and a lot of long faces, but they were keen this morning to keep pushing.

I knew we had a great car, but obviously first of all we had to get it together.

Qualifying went pretty smoothly. I am very, very happy to be on pole, the boys didn’t get much sleep in the last month, a lot of testing in a short amount of time and to come here, where everybody shows how strong they are, and come out on top is a nice feeling.

I think we all don’t know what is going to be happen tomorrow yet, it could be very exciting, it could be very boring. That is what I hope for! We want a calm race, all of us here would like to be where we start, it is a difficult situation to be in.

The first part of the race will be crucial but there is no secret that you need to take care of tyres. All of us don’t know what to expect tomorrow. Sebastian Vettel.

Sebastian Vettel will start tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix in pole position, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber qualified in sixth.

Original article by BlogF1.

Bahrain 2010: Vettel Surprised To Be On Pole

The part in question is actually a driver-operated function that essentially closes off a vent while the car is moving at high speed. This helps the rear wing ’stall’ and improves the straight-line speed of the car. According to the regulations, movable aerodynamic devices are outlawed (aside from the adjustable front wing flaps). However, McLaren have some how managed to circumvent the rules and during the design process of the component, they maintained communication with the FIA who gave the all-clear to develop and build it.

Although most teams have remained quiet over the matter, Renault have spoken out alongside Red Bull Racing and have criticised the FIA for allowing such a device.

It is fundamentally clear that the McLaren wing design is totally illegal – and they have driven a cart horse through the sprit of the rules and regulations.

They have opened up another arms race; it’s going to cost everybody a lot of money. The governing body needs to be a lot stronger with these things.

I think that it is ridiculous in this era where we are all trying to save money. We are restricted by the number of people that we can bring to the track, with mechanics working ridiculous hours at night to prepare the car.

Now we have just opened another arms race that will cost us all a lot of money. It’s just a nonsense. I think the governing body needs to be more responsible in decisions like this. Bob Bell.

Like last year, the opening round of the season usually sees controversy as the teams arrive with their cars in full race-spec. In 2009 it was Brawn who came under fire with the ‘double diffuser’. The diffuser was eventually deemed legal and the other teams had to quickly develop a similar part just to keep up with the eventual world champions. In the past, McLaren have shown innovation, particularly with their third pedal which controlled a brake to one of the rear wheels. This was sensationally revealed to the world after respected F1-photographer Darren Heath took an unsuspecting shot of the foot-well of the McLaren and noticed the strange configuration.

Other teams are now looking at developing a similar part, which up until this weekend was generally kept well-hidden by McLaren.

We will have to get on and make our own version of it now. It wasn’t clear what the situation was, but we have had clarity from the FIA about how they want to treat it, so we are all off running in that direction. Ross Brawn.

Lotus technical chief Mike Gascoyne believes the system is illegal and refutes the FIA’s claim that the driver cannot be considered a moveable part of the car.

I still believe it’s a moveable aerodynamic device because the configuration of the aerodynamics are changing. Whether the driver is doing with it his knee or not, they [the aerodynamics] are not the same all the time so therefore it must be a moveable aero device.

We know what the rules are… but it is a pretty silly interpretation.

Everyone is going to go and do it, no one will have an advantage, we will go and spend loads of money – and for what? It will be worth two or three tenths, everyone will go and get it – so it is a complete waste of time. Vintage F1! Mike Gascoyne.

Along with Mike Gascoyne, Renault team principal Bob Bell believes this so-called ‘F-Duct Vent’ system will cause an arms race in the sport, and goes against the spirit of the regulations at a time when all involved are trying to save money and keep the sport as fair as possible.

While no official protest has been lodged, it isn’t out of the question that a team could. If McLaren perform particularly well during Sunday’s race, and rival team’s believe the McLaren has a significant straight-line advantage, then this issue could be dragged on. At the moment though, the MP4-25 is legal and will contest the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Original article by BlogF1.

Renault Critcise FIA & McLaren Over F-Duct Vent System

It is believed that Renault have requested a series of updates be made to the RS27 engine regarding both reliability and cost reduction measures, although these changes would likely see performance gains as well to bring them in line with others.

There is an issue with the engines and it would be a great shame if, under the engine freeze, engine performance is going to dictate the championship. Renault need to find a solution and quickly. Christian Horner.

The application to make updates to the Renault engine have been submitted under ‘fair and equitable’ grounds section in the regulations and both Renault and Red Bull Racing await the FIA’s decision.

Original article by BlogF1.

Renault Request Engines Be Equalised

The checks come after Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner expressed concerns about the layout of the MP4-25’s airbox, engine cover and rear wing assembly, suggesting to the British press that the wing may have been designed to stall under high speeds, giving the McLaren a straight-line advantage.

McLaren seemed to not be overly bothered about the questioning from other teams and stated that the FIA were involved early on in the design process of the part, suggesting that the team were aware they are likely to be running close to the edge of the rules. However, having followed procedures correctly, exercising due diligence in communicating with the FIA and inviting the sport’s governing body to inspect the car, McLaren have successfully passed scrutineering and will take part in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Original article by BlogF1.

McLaren Pass Scrutineering Checks: Rear Wing Deemed Legal

Despite this protest though, McLaren are confident the rear wing adheres to the rules and even consulted with the FIA during the initial stages of the design. To perhaps ensure there isn’t another ‘double-diffuser’ saga and to clarify the component’s legality, McLaren have invited the FIA to check the wing. Charlie Whiting was meant to visit the team late last week but delays in his travel schedule now mean the inspection will take place in Bahrain later this week.

The wing is different and innovative. But we have been in contact with Charlie over a period of several months to check that it complies with regulations. We have been assured that it does. Martin Whitmarsh.

We have no concerns with it, but we have been invited by the team to view the car so Charlie is going down to have a look. FIA Spokesperson.

Neither McLaren nor the FIA seem overly concerned about the matter, which will likely mean the part being declared legal and Red Bull Racing once again having to re-design parts of their car in order to keep up, just as they did in 2009 when Brawn’s ‘double-diffuser’ was deemed acceptable after much protest.

Original article by BlogF1.

McLaren Invite FIA To Inspect Rear Wing

The sixth car to come from Red Bull Racing is once again designed by legendary aerodynamicist, Adrian Newey. Mr Newey has penned some of the sport’s greatest cars, helping Williams and McLaren to find championship winning success. While the Briton may be known for his uncompromising attention to detail and performance, it is these factors that make his cars so fast and efficient. The momentum may have taken a while to get going at Red Bull, but now Newey has found his groove, there can be little doubt that this will continue.

The RB6 was launched with little fanfare at the Jerez circuit in Spain, like so many others being unveiled ahead of a group test. Following the success of the previous RB5 chassis, the world’s media were particularly interested in seeing what would come of the 2009 successor. In fact, most of the grid was looking to see what would come of the new car, with so many teams adopting similar ideas that were incorporated into the RB5.

The front section has followed the traits of many others, with a higher nose that suggests, along with the stability in the rules, that the teams are clawing back much of the downforce that had been lost last year. The raised nose helps make the front section appear slimmer and narrower, more pronounced in the new Virgin VR-01, although perhaps helped visually by the colour scheme used.

The nose rises to the suspension mounts before falling slightly towards the cockpit, again something a few other teams have adopted. Of course, the dip on the top of the monocoque is present, partially down to the mounts that attach to the chassis at the same point, although made more extreme by Newey presumably for aerodynamic gain. The highly-sculptured sidepods flow rearwards over the engine cover which, like for the past few years, incorporates a shark-fin which helps with stability under braking. The car, unlike the RB5 one year ago, features a double-diffuser from the offset.

Red Bull Racing have retained both their drivers for 2010, an obvious move considering how well they both performed in 2009. This puts the squad at an immediate advantage over Ferrari (who have replaced Kimi Raikkonen with Fernando Alonso), McLaren (who have replaced Heikki Kovalainen with Jenson Button) and Mercedes (formerly Brawn, who have replaced both drivers). Maintaining this consistency between campaigns will help the car’s development as both drivers will have intimate knowledge of how the RB5 performed and also of how the designers and engineers work.

This year will be important for Red Bull Racing as they have to continue their momentum and challenge for the titles. 2009 saw some controversy over the rules which initially hampered their efforts, but with little changes over the winter, Horner’s team need to hit the ground running and stamp their new-found authority over their rivals.

Red Bull Racing’s car designation system refers to the initials of the parent team name and parent company, Red Bull, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 6. Hence, RB6.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Red Bull Racing RB6

Scuderia Toro Rosso have had to increase their workforce ahead of 2010 to accommodate the fact that they are designing and building the car themselves, and this, we all presumed, would result in something a little different. Unusually though, the new car looks strikingly similar to the RB6, including all the little details that have made Adrian Newey – the designer of many championship winning cars over the years – a well-respected car designer.

So similar are the two cars in fact, that the studio photos released by the teams seem to have intentionally shown the cars from different angles. Not that I am in any way cynical, mind. But aside from the fact that the two machines bear an uncanny resemblance, the STR5 does look to be an interesting car. Of course, the RB5 was generally regarded as one of the best chassis in 2009, if not the best over the course of the whole year. The car sports a revised front wing and nose, sidepods and shark-fin engine cover.

The livery has seen a minor make-over, the first in quite some time. The front of the STR5 has more red on it, with flowing gold lines stretching over the moncoque and around the cockpit. The red bull maintains his place on the engine cover, as does the Red Bull Cola sponsorship. Again though, Scuderia Toro Rosso are relying on funding from the parent company, as very few other sponsors can be seen adorning the car.

Scuderia Toro Rosso have retained their driver pairing for another year, partnering Sebastien Buemi with Jaime Alguersuari. Buemi did quite well in 2009 and certainly performed better than I was expecting. Collecting points in his first race (albeit thanks to Lewis Hamilton) and also picking up a few more in China, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, the young Swiss pilot deserved to keep his seat at the Red Bull junior team.

Jaime Alguersuari too did reasonably well when you consider he joined the team partway through the year and had previously never driven a Formula One car around a circuit. Although points failed to come his way, and only three race finishes are marked on his record from eight attempts, the fact the Spaniard didn’t do anything particularly outrageous is impressive unto itself.

It will be interesting to see how the RB STR5 stacks up against its rivals, and whether the young driver pairing can be mature enough to become solid and reliable racers. The chassis, if indeed different to Red Bull’s, will have to be developed differently and this in itself will present many challenges to the team. The engine is solid though, the Ferrari 056 proving reliable and worthy of winning races. I think the Faenza-based team are going to have their work cut out though if they want to beat rival team Force India. Instead, I fear Scuderia Toro Rosso are going to be charging around with the newcomers to the sport.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s car designation system refers to the initials of the team name, STR, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 5. Hence, STR5.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Scuderia Toro Rosso STR5

Mark Webber had been running ahead of his team mate for the first half of the session but unfortunately spun his RB5 in the final corner and clouted the barrier. The Red Bull sustained damage and the session was stopped briefly while the car was recovered. This forced Webber to sit out of the second half of the running while Red Bull mechanics frantically set about rebuilding the machine.

Ferrari appear to be struggling a little and although both pilots improved between the two practice session today, Kimi Raikkonen slipped from ninth to fourteenth. this means Giancarlo Fisichella is closer to his team mate, but the Italian could only improve from seventeenth to sixteenth.

McLaren also seem a little up-and-down, but the overall package the team has this weekend will probably be solid, if not spectacular in comparison to the Brawn and Red Bull. BMW look to have found some improvement although this is likely because the tighter and twistier nature of the Marina Bay circuit favours the F1.09 as opposed to the open and fast-flowing Monza and spa Francorchamps.

Singapore 2009 Friday Free Practice One		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m48.650s	31 Laps
2.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m48.924s	27 Laps
3.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m48.952s	30 Laps
4.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m49.098s	31 Laps
5.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m49.311s	34 Laps
6.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m49.317s	14 Laps
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m49.333s	33 Laps
8.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m49.342s	30 Laps
9.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m49.358s	28 Laps
10.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m49.609s	24 Laps
11.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m49.616s	30 Laps
12.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m49.710s	31 Laps
13.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m49.795s	29 Laps
14.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m49.941s	29 Laps
15.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m50.023s	29 Laps
16.	Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari	1m50.253s	31 Laps
17.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m50.527s	29 Laps
18.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India	1m50.605s	28 Laps
19.	Romain Grosjean Renault	1m50.972s	17 Laps
20.	Jaime Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m51.423s	31 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2009: Friday Practice Two

As reported in the Daily Telegraph this morning, current engine supplier to Brawn – Mercedes-Benz – might be about to buy into the team, furthering the company’s interest in the sport and adding to their portfolio of customers. Mercedes currently own 40% of the McLaren Formula One team, and their association with the Woking-based squad goes right back to 1995. Elsewhere on the 2009 grid, the car manufacturer also supplies engines and technical expertise to Force India, a team that ran very well in the recent Belgian Grand Prix.

It would seem the Mercedes-Benz engine is the most desired at the moment, and murmurings are afoot that Red Bull Racing are keen to rid their cars of the Renault V8 in favour of German engineering. This however goes against the FIA policy of only allowing two customers for each manufacturer (Brawn received special dispensation this year by unanimous agreement from all other competitors). And should Red Bull opt out of a Mercedes deal, Williams are said to be poised and could step in.

However, while Mercedes are powering all-and-sundry, it seems they want to increase their presence ever further in the sport, not seemingly content with supplying three teams, the possibility of a fourth as well as providing all official safety and medical cars to the sport. The Daily Telegraph are suggesting that Mercedes want to buy into the Brawn team.

If true, this would be good news for Brawn as it would help to secure the long-term future of the squad. It would ensure the team kept the Mercedes engine and would probably also mean receiving extra items like the KERS device that Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen have been using to great effect thus far in 2009.

What this speculation also suggests is that Mercedes actually make money out of their part-ownership and engine supply with McLaren. Mercedes would not want to buy further into the sport if it wasn’t already doing well. If Mercedes were losing money with McLaren, Force India and Brawn, they would be looking to scale back their operation, just as many other manufacturers are doing at the moment in the troubled economic climate. But to further invest strongly suggests that Mercedes do reasonably well out of the sport.

However, what appears to be the case and perhaps what actually is the case may differ. Earlier in the year, Daimler Board Member, Helmut Lense, stated that Mercedes should end its Formula One operations to help the company stem losses that almost all motor manufacturers are going through at the moment. While the company as a whole is losing money, it seems strange they are now rumoured to looking for further investment. Unless of course, and more than likely, the full picture is still hazy to all those standing outside the boardroom.

Original article by BlogF1.

Are Mercedes-Benz Looking At Buying Into Brawn?

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

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?

As the lights went out in Hungary and the race got underway, Kimi Raikkonen was making use of his KERS device and was thundering up the field. The Finnish pilot squeezed Sebastian Vettel over to the right and the German Red Bull driver believes contact was made. After the first corner, Vettel radioed his team to say that he thought there was damage to the front wing, but it turned out to be more serious. The front-left suspension on the RB5 had been broken, and at about the mid-point of the race, it gave way. Vettel was forced to retire his car.

Despite this though, the stewards, who were investigating the incident, said that it was just a racing incident and that no punishment would be handed out.

However, Renault have been given a very harsh penalty following the incident that saw Fernando Alonso’s wheel come off mid-lap. The team, Piquet inclusive, will not race in Valencia in a months time. Although it is rumoured that Piquet will not be racing for Renault again anyway, penalty or no penalty. Further information on the Renault suspension can be read in this post.

Also, Red Bull have been reprimanded for the second race in succession. In Germany, Vettel was released early following a pitstop and the Milton Keynes squad were given a slap on the wrists. And again in Hungary this time, Mark Webber was released into the path of Kimi Raikkonen following a bodged pitstop that almost saw the fuel man get dragged to the floor. Webber thought he had been given the indication to go, but in fact the fuel nozzle was still attached to the RB5. Webber quickly backtracked his motions and stopped, but now under pressure, the team released him without checking the fast lane again and Webber was forced to back out of the throttle to avoid colliding with the Ferrari.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Sebastien buemi, who was enjoying a great weekend starting in P10, has not only finished in last place and been beaten by his rookie team mate, but has also received a fine for €1800 for speeding in the pitlane.

All in all, it was quite the Hungarian Grand Prix. Renault are out for one race, Raikkonen got away with being a bit boisterous at the start and Red Bull are treading on a very thin line with regards to pitstops.

• The live race notes can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Live Race Notes
• The race result can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Race Result
• The race report can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Lewis Hamilton Returns McLaren To Top With Victory
• The pitstop and tyre strategies can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Pitstop & Tyre Strategies
• The fantasy racers round-up can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Fantasy Racers Update
• The Renault penalty post can be viewed here: Hungary 2009: Renault Have Been Suspended From The European Grand Prix

Original article by BlogF1.

Hungary 2009: Penalty Updates

Mark Webber has raced with Red Bull since 2007, and was initially partnered with David Coulthard. However, his relationship with the team actually pre-dates the team in its current guise, as Webber drove for Jaguar in 2003 and 2004. When Ford decided to pull the plug on their Formula One operation, Dietrich Mateschitz stepped in and purchased the squad, renaming it inline with his energy drink company, Red Bull.

Since joining Red Bull, Webber has suffered frustration after frustration as each year, the car appeared to have pace, but ultimately proved to be unreliable. However, with the shake-up in regulations for 2009, Adrian Newey and the team at Red Bull Technologies have developed a great car that appears to be holding together over race distances. Initially, Sebastian Vettel seemed to get the upper-hand on Webber, but a dominant win despite receiving a drive-thru penalty proved that Webber has talent, and when given a decent car, can get the job done.

[Mark] has continued to show huge commitment and determination this season, especially following his bike accident at the end of last year.

His recent results show he is on the form of his life – most notably with his recent win at the German GP – and he has the motivation to deliver at the highest level. It was therefore a straightforward decision to extend the relationship. Christian Horner.

I’m extremely happy that Red Bull and I have been able to agree to race together again next year.

Even in the leaner and tougher years at the start of my relationship with the team, I’ve always enjoyed working with them, so now to go through this purple patch, which we hope will continue for a good while to come, makes the work even more enjoyable.

We’ve got a very exciting finish to this year’s championship, but I’m also looking forward to helping to develop and race the RB6 in the 2010 world championship. Mark Webber.

Red Bull have stated that they are allowing their drivers to race each other at the moment, and as most pilots have stated in the build up to this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the next few races could be critical in the fight for the championships. Both Red Bull Racing and Brawn are determined to do well, but as history has pointed out on a few occasions, drivers who have their following season confirmed usually drive well in the proceeding races to the announcement.

Mark Webber is currently 1.5 points behind his team mate and 22.5 behind championship leader Jenson Button.

Original article by BlogF1.

Red Bull Racing Retain Mark Webber For 2010

The weather in Germany, in particular just over the Nurburgring, has been a little cold this weekend, meaning Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello have been suffering slightly. It is known that the BGP 001 doesn’t do so well when the track is cold, as the tyres do not heat up as well and as quickly as some others. Some others includes their only real rivals for the championships this season, Red Bull Racing.

The first stint of qualifying, the opening twenty minutes which sees the bottom five knocked-out, proved interesting just as Martin Bundle anticipated in his commentary. Mark Webber was looking handy from the word go, but the real surprise was Lewis Hamilton, Adrian Sutil and of course, the clouds hanging overhead.

Most drivers went out and put a banker lap in, but after a few minutes it was clear a little rain had started to fall. The camera lenses dotted around the circuit were showing signs of water drops and as the cars toured the track, they were clearly slipping at certain points. Because of the slightly adverse and changeable conditions, the drivers were struggling slightly to judge the grip levels.

Two men who most certainly didn’t have too much trouble with the green track though were Lewis Hamilton, who popped in a P4 lap before being relegated to P5 by Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso, who was on course for P1 until he came across a recovering Timo Glock. The German having just had a small excursion had backed off considerably, much to Alonso’s surprise as he came up on the gear box of the Toyota. Alonso set a P2 lap, which was impressive, but cleary showed his frustration at Glock with a waving arm.

As the drizzle fell in the final few moments, the session was completed a little earlier than expected (in terms of competitive lap times), and both Scuderia Toro Rossos, Glock, Giancarlo Fisichella and Robert Kubica returned to their garages, their qualifying session over with.

The second run of the afternoon also proved interesting, as the rain got a little heavier. Everybody went out early to ensure they got a lap on dry tyres in before the track became too wet for the soft rubber. However, even on the first tour it was too much for some. Kazuki Nakajima was the first to find himself spinning around, and it wasn’t long before others were skating around the escape roads to avoid the gravel traps they were heading towards.

Everybody aborted their first laps with the sole exception of Mark Webber, who insisted on continuing on the dry tyres. Needless to say, he ended up aborting that lap after he tip-toed around the Nurburgring. Everybody switched to the intermediate compound, and Lewis Hamilton was the first to prove his pace again, going fastest straight away. Adrian Sutil, loving the wet conditions also did well early on, setting a P2 lap behind the McLaren driver.

These positions didn’t last long though, as Alonso went fastest, promptly followed by Nick Heidfeld before Mark Webber popped in a lap 3.3s faster than anyone else for the session. Again, Webber’s time at the top didn’t last too long either, as Rubens Barrichello was seen touring the track on dry tyres. The timing of Barrichello’s change couldn’t have been any better, and the Brazilians first hot turn of the Nurburgring saw him go comfortably fastest. The lap would stand for the rest of Q2.

According to Ted Kravitz, the BBC’s pitlane reporter, Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastian Vettel almost collided in the pitlane. Apparently, the pair shared some rubber, but they were able to continue. This was not sighted by the cameras showing the live feed, but would be a talking point after qualifying.

The third and final session of the afternoon was perhaps the least exciting in terms of track action, but equally so, was exciting because of that one lap from Mark Webber. Most waited in their garages for the first couple of minutes, assessing the conditions and hoping it will dry out a little. Only the Brawns ventured out, causing some cinfusion on the pit-car radio.

The final run of laps saw Mark Webber pop in the pole lap, followed by the Brawns who simply couldn’t match it. Perhaps most satisfying for Webber though was the fact that his team mate couldn’t match it either, and so the Australian claimed his first ever pole position, ahead of Barrichello, Button and Vettel, Hamilton and Kovalainen.

For the race, one needs to look out for Hamilton, starting in P5 and with a KERS-enabled car. Obviously the Brawns will be hoping to sneak pass the leading Red Bull, but Button’s starts haven’t been electric this season. Adrian Sutil is hoping to keep his position, ahead of both Ferrari pilots in P7, and Nelson Piquet will be reveling in the fact he has out-qualified his team mate Fernando Alonso; a rare occasion but given the conditions, credit to the young Brazilian.

Original article by BlogF1.

Germany 2009: Mark Webber Blitzes His Way To Maiden Pole

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Red Bull Triumph As Brawn Struggle

The surprise of the session, aside from Red Bull’s improvement, was Jenson Button, who only just squeezed into the final shootout and from there could only manage P6. Button stated that his car isn’t handling as well as it has done previously, and the temperature of the track is hampering the tyres on the BGP 001.

Another surprise of qualifying were the Williams, with Nico Rosberg finishing his afternoon in P7, two places behind his lesser experienced team mate Kazuki Nakajima. The Japanese pilot has been competitive all weekend and set the fastest time in the first session, albeit perhaps due to an early stoppage caused by Adrian Sutil impacting the tyre barrier at Abbey. Nakajima finally ended his afternoon in P5 and the pair look handy for the race.

Mark Webber has also been setting some great laps this weekend and looked good for pole position just prior to the start of the final stint. Webber’s first proper run was well down the pace of those around him and although he improved on his second quick lap, the Australian looked less comfortable in the final 10 minute session. On his final run Webber came across a cruising Kimi Raikkonen as most drivers had set their final lap moments previously. Although Raikkonen didn’t block the Red Bull pilot, Webber said it was a distraction as Raikkonen remained on the racing line.

Kimi was, I don’t know, drinking some vodka or dreaming or something, I don’t know what hell he was doing but he should have been on the right and he was on the racing line, dreaming. That wrecked my rhythm really into Stowe, I was very tight into there.

Kimi couldn’t have done a better job of distracting me. He was right on the racing line, on the most important lap of qualifying and it ruined my rhythm. Mark Webber.

The Force India duo had also been impressing so far this weekend, and the improvements that have been made to the VJM02 are certainly taking the car in the right direction. Unfortunately, a brake problem with Sutil’s car resulted in the German skating over the gravel and grass and slamming into the tyre barrier with some force. Sutil was perfectly okay, but it did ruin his and many other driver’s laps.

Once again the BMWs appear to be struggling, with Robert Kubica managing P12 and Nick Heidfeld finding little solace in P15. The Renaults are split, with Fernando Alonso setting his final lap of the day in Q3, although the Spaniard will start the race in P10. Nelson Piquet Jr will leave grid slot number 14 tomorrow afternoon.

With all the political wranglings that are consuming the sport at the sport at the moment, it is a pleasure to watch the drivers on the track, battling it out for Saturday supremacy on one of the calendar’s more challenging circuits. Undoubtedly there is more news to digest and report before tomorrow’s British Grand Prix, principally the fact that Silverstone may return next year. But for now, we need to look forward to an exciting battle on Sunday.

Will Button be able to improve his position and fulfill his dream of winning at home, or will the Red Bull drivers scupper his plans and edge ever-so-slightly closer in the title races? Or will Rubens Barrichello save the day for Brawn and win on a track he so clearly loves?

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The grid can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: The Grid
• The report on Adrian Sutil’s accident can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Sutil Stops Qualifying After Heavy Shunt
• The car weights and fuel levels can be viewed here: Silverstone 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Sebastian Vettel Romps To British Pole

The wind picked up after lunch and was causing havoc with the balance of the cars. Many drivers had moments, particularly under braking to Stowe when the drivers attempt to control the car decelerating from the fast Hangar Straight into the moderately fast right-hander. There were also a few spits of rain during the lunch break, but this did little to upset the cars.

Like in the morning session, Red Bull Racing looked strong and were again comfortably the fastest, Vettel posting a lap 0.1s up on his team mate Mark Webber, who was a leisurely 0.7s clear of the Force India in P3.

Adrian Sutil drove well (until he collided with Fisichella’s car in the pitlane at the end of the afternoon) and posted his quick lap early on. The improvements made to the VJM-02 car are clearly working well, but it remains to be seen if the local team can carry this pace through Saturday and into Sunday. Of course, thoughts cannot help but turn to maiden points for Vijay Mallya’s team, particularly as the team’s factory is just over the road from the circuit.

Not performing as well as expected are Ferrari. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen languish in P17 and P18 respectively. Also slipping a little were Toyota and Brawn. Rubens Barrichello managed to semi-respectable P6, but Silverstone favourite Jenson Button ended his day in P14.

Robert Kubica had a swiftly executed engine change after low oil pressure readings were noted and Nelson Piquet improved himself considerably after the break, going from P18 and 1m21.525s to P10 and 1m20.608s. Kazuki Nakajima also enjoyed the afternoon more, finishing in P4 and improving his time by 1.5s.

Silverstone 2009 Friday Free Practice Two		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m19.456s	39 Laps
2.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m19.597s	35 Laps
3.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m20.141s	41 Laps
4.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m20.209s	36 Laps
5.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m20.237s	36 Laps
6.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m20.244s	26 Laps
7.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m20.417s	35 Laps
8.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m20.458s	40 Laps
9.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m20.468s	42 Laps
10.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m20.608s	37 Laps
11.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m20.622s	23 Laps
12.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m20.733s	37 Laps
13.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m20.762s	37 Laps
14.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m20.767s	28 Laps
15.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m20.932s	35 Laps
16.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m20.945s	36 Laps
17.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m21.005s	37 Laps
18.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m21.132s	38 Laps
19.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m21.413s	40 Laps
20.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m21.668s	37 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Friday Practice Two

With a cool track temperature this morning, drivers struggled to get heat into their tyres, some taking as many as five laps before feeling comfortable on the rubber. This lead to a number of incidents of drivers spinning and/or almost losing the car under braking. Nelson Piquet Jr predictably spun in his Renault and Jarno Trulli visited the scenery at Becketts at the end of the session. Team mate Timo Glock found himself pointing the wrong way at Club as well, but like Piquet, he was also able to keep going.

Mark Webber lead for much of the session but a late charge from Sebastian Vettel moved him up the timing sheet. Also doing well were Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, who found themselves in P10 and P11 respectively.

Doing less well than usual for a free practice session were the Williams duo of Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima. All season the pair have impressed on Friday, but at Silverstone Rosberg could only manage P9 while Nakajima struggled down in P17.

Silverstone 2009 Friday Free Practice One		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m19.400s	20 Laps
2.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m19.682s	19 Laps
3.	Jenson Button Brawn	1m20.227s	20 Laps
4.	Rubens Barrichello Brawn	1m20.242s	29 Laps
5.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m20.458s	26 Laps
6.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m20.471s	23 Laps
7.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m20.585	32 Laps
8.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m20.650s	26 Laps
9.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m20.815s	32 Laps
10.	Giancarlo Fisichella Force India	1m20.838s	25 Laps
11.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m20.913s	22 Laps
12.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m21.029s	22 Laps
13.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m21.103s	24 Laps
14.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m21.179s	27 Laps
15.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m21.384s	23 Laps
16.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m21.386s	32 Laps
17.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m21.489s	26 Laps
18.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m21.525s	30 Laps
19.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m21.590s	37 Laps
20.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m21.801s	16 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2009: Friday Practice One

The seventh round of the championship has been billed as important, as once again many teams introduced new parts to the cars, Istanbul Park proving to be a better circuit to pass judgment on updated components than Monaco. However, while some teams have shown improvement, the general order remained with Red Bull and Brawn fighting it out at the top.

With track temperature exceeding Bridgestone’s limit between the two compounds – the soft falling off over the course of the lap that is run at 45°C or over – many drivers chose to set laps on the harder compound, thus managing to get two flyers in per run. However, the track temperature did fall towards the end of the sessions, and although this bucks the usual trend, it did allow some teams to capitalise on the soft compound in the first session.

The first stint saw Lewis Hamilton really struggle with his McLaren MP4-24, the rear of the car looking particularly hard to control. On his final two lap run, the reigning world champion fumbled the first attempt and heading into the first corner for his second, slipped away from the apex and lost time. The Briton could only manage P16 on the grid.

Looking good though was Sebastian Vettel, whose early time of 1m27.330s remained unbeaten for the remainder of the session. Team mate Mark Webber also enjoyed a good run, completing a lap just 0.1s shy of the pace setting sister car. Williams also looked very handy, with both drivers setting good pace early on in Q1. Kazuki Nakajima did run wide a couple of times, but ultimately his speed was pretty much up there for much of the 20 minutes.

Giancarlo Fisichella rather embarrassingly failed to match the pace of his team mate Adrian Sutil and qualified in P19, while Sutil carried himself through to Q2. Both Scuderia Toro Rosso pilots stayed in Q1, Sebastien Bourdais ending his day in P20 and Sebastien Buemi in P18. Nelson Piquet Jr. was the fifth driver out of qualifying in the first session, the Brazilian slipping off the track twice, the second excursion being put down to brake failure on the Renault R29.

Q2 was relatively straight forward, with fewer surprises than the first round. Adrian Sutil couldn’t better his position of P15, but the fact the Force India pilot managed to haul himself up into Q2 is an achievement all to itself. The second McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen also failed to do much better, the Finn exiting qualifying in P14. Timo Glock, Kazuki Nakajima and Nick Heidfeld all failed to improve, while team mates Jarno Trulli, Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica each went on to Q3. Sebastian Vettel again took the fastest lap.

The final 10 minute session was clearly going to be all about the Brawn drivers and Sebastian Vettel. Eddie Jordan pipped Jarno Trulli – one of his former drivers – for the pole, and although the Toyota pilot did well, eventually had to settle for P5. Robert Kubica showed promise in the BMW, and along with Nick Heidfeld finishing in P11 in Q2, Kubica ended his day in P10. However, it is clear the F1.09 is working better and hopefully both drivers can improve during tomorrow’s race.

Nico Rosberg eventually had to succumb to the mighty pace of the front runners, and his Williams FW31 had to settle for P9. Fernando Alonso also had a fairly anonymous qualifying session, finishing in P8 after sliding off the track at the infamous T8 in a similar fashion to his team mate. The Ferraris line up in P6 and P7, Kimi Raikkonen getting the upper hand on his team mate Felipe Massa. The Brazilian driver has always raced well around Turkey since he’s been with the Scuderia, and although the team are making inroads into their performance deficit, there is clearly a long way to go still.

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello appeared to be off pace in earlier sessions, but you simply can not rule them out. Button came on strong in Q3 from early on and on his final run managed to clinch the provisional pole position. Unfortunately for the Briton, it was stolen by Sebastian Vettel moments later, but the lap was good and clean and team owner Ross Brawn is confident they have the race-pace and correct fuel load for a decent strategy.

Barrichello had a slightly unusual Q3, seemingly lapping the Istanbul Park circuit way off the pace. The experienced Brazilian racer was no where on his first run and aborted the lap by blending out of the throttle towards the final complex. Being on the harder compound enabled Rubens to go again, but even the second lap was poor, 0.7s shy of the then-fastest lap by the end of the second sector alone.

However, unsighted by the cameras, Barrichello’s final run posted him into P2, only to be demoted to P3 by Vettel who took the pole. Fuel loads may tell the story better once they are published, but either Barrichello messed up his first runs (assuming he is on a lower fuel load than the times indicated) or absolutely blitzed his final lap (on a heavier fuel load than the time indicated).

Sebastian Vettel’s pole is his career third, and first on a dry circuit. In Italy last season, the German claimed the top spot at a saturated Monza, and he repeated this feat in China earlier this season. However, to claim pole on a dry circuit that is also a real challenge for the drivers will no doubt be remembered for a long time.

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Turkey 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The live qualifying notes can be viewed here: Turkey 2009: Live Qualifying Notes.
• The grid (inclusive of penalties) can be viewed here: Turkey 2009: The Grid.
• The post-qualifying car weights can be viewed here: Turkey 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.

Original article by BlogF1.

Turkey 2009: Sebastian Vettel Takes Pole Position Ahead Of The Brawns

If the proposed rules for 2010 remain unchanged, we will not enter next year’s championship.

The conditions for 2010 at the moment make it impossible to sign in. But I hope there will be a meeting and a settlement before the entry deadline. Dietrich Mateschitz.

As discussed in the previous post regarding Toyota, the teams are not happy with the current budget cap proposals, intending to limit teams who volunteer to the scheme to £40m per season. Although the cap does not include drivers and principals salaries and engine costs, it is still very limiting despite the technical development freedom. By remaining outside of the scheme, teams may be punished on the track by having to adhere to the very strict confines of the current regulations which sees among other things, rev-limited engines that cannot be developed.

It is clear that you would need to compete at the £40 million budget cap because the car would be quicker. And if you see that the engine revs are unlimited, then engines excluded from the cap, the KERS is excluded, you are probably talking about a budget of £150 million or more. It is a very confused situation that we need to clarify more. John Howett – FOTA Vice Chairman & Toyota Motorsport President.

Also concerning the manufacturers and Mateschitz’s two teams, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso, are the way the FIA have introduced this rule and intend to introduce others in the future. Currently, if the teams agree unanimously, a rule change can be dropped, adjusted or implemented. However, Autosport are suggesting that the FIA would like to make it harder for the participating teams to do this, thus taking away an element of control from them.

FOTA, the teams (supposedly) united body have stated in the past that they would like greater involvement in the creation of the technical regulations, and on the face of it, FOTA could be construed as an organisation that could compete with the FIA for even further control of the sport. Although currently the organisations have been working together to solve many issues surrounding the sport at the moment.

While at times relations between the two bodies have appeared constructive and cooperative, this latest controversy has the potential to escalate very easily. However, FOTA Chairman Luca di Montezemolo is expected to meet with Max Mosley prior to the Monaco Grand Prix in a fortnight to discuss the concerns of the teams.

Original article by BlogF1.

Dietrich Mateschitz Becomes Latest To Voice Non-Entry To Two-Tier F1

The problem that is plaguing Red Bull centres around their tightly constructed rear end – the suspension is sort of in the way at the moment. There is little doubt that the RB5 is a great car, and much of its superb handling comes down to the hard work that was put into ensuring the back as well as the front worked. Newey has incorporated a pullrod suspension into the RB5, which goes against the more common idea of using a pushrod suspension. While team admits it is unsure how much advantage they would lose by reverting from pull to push, they have ruled switching out and will press ahead with trying to implement a new diffuser while keeping the current workings as they are.

On the face of it, sticking with the pullrod suspension makes sense as it works with the car. The tapering of the sidepods allows air to move better over the mechanical parts and lower pullrod set up than it would with a pushrod system. Also, by having the parts sit lower on the car, the centre of gravity is lowered making for better handling.

The double diffuser concept doesn’t sit that easily with the packaging and aerodynamics of our car, so it hasn’t been easy to get a step forward in performance.

[The pullrod suspension] is a benefit to the car, but we don’t know how much because we haven’t tried a pushrod suspension. We don’t know if we would gain more if we had a pushrod. The goal has always been how we adapt our car. Adrian Newey.

By sticking with the current pullrod suspension though, Red Bull may not be able to get their new diffuser until after the Monaco Grand Prix in a fortnight. Adrian Newey has stated that lack of testing is a problem and generally speaking you wouldn’t change such a hugely important part of the car without knowing that it works first.

We might well run one car on Thursday and then put it on the other if it performs correctly. One of the things that we don’t have is an aerodynamic test between now and then where we will be able to test it.

When you’ve got something that is as different as that on the car, you want to know that it is performing as you expect it to. Monaco is not a proper runway test! Adrian Newey.

As Newey stated, it could be that Red Bull run one car with the existing design in Monaco’s Friday free practice, and the other car with the new design for comparison purposes. Either way, Red Bull are having difficulty in adapting the rear of their car, although so far it is still performing well against the Brawn BGP 001.

Original article by BlogF1.

Adrian Newey Struggles With The Bull’s Backside

According to a rather embarrassed Sebastian on the Shanghai grid, the young German likes to name his cars. Vettel said to Martin Brundle and David Coulthard that he treats ladies well and looks after them, therefore he names his cars after ladies because he likes to treat his cars in the same way.

Vettel said that the car he used in Australia was named Kate, but after his incident with Kubica, the chassis was trashed and he was given a new one. Due to updates being made to the RB5, his Malaysian and Chinese chassis was faster and more aggressive, so he and the team decided to call it Kate’s Dirty Sister.

Like a ship, a car should be named after a girl as it’s sexy.

My original car was called Kate. But then it got smashed at the opening race in Australia. So we called this one Kate’s Dirty Sister because it is more aggressive and faster. Sebastian Vettel.

And boy did Kate’s Dirty Sister do well! Driver’s often have silly little superstitions; Alex Wurz wore a different coloured boot on each foot and Felipe Massa apparently has his lucky boxer shorts which he won with in Brazil 2007. It is almost certain that Sebastian will not want to give up Kate’s Dirty Sister now he has managed to go all the way to victory with her. I’m sure Vettel will be treating this particular chassis very well from now on.

Via Sidepodcast and The Red Bullog.

Image © Getty Images.

Original article by BlogF1.

Vettel: I Name Thee Kate’s Dirty Sister

With the race being moved forward in the schedule to accommodate a summer break for the teams, the Chinese Grand Prix fell to the merciless hands of mother nature, which today dealt Shanghai the rain card.

The race was started behind the safety car as there was a lot of standing water on the back part of the track. Driver’s opinions were split though, with the Red Bulls and Fernando Alonso wanting to race; their strategies were designed to get away from the danger of the Brawns early on. Instead, the top three were forced to cruise around the opening laps with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello hot on their heels.

Conversely, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button both said their cars were aquaplaning behind the safety car and wanted Bernd Mylander to remain on track for a little longer. This point was emphasised when Felipe Massa ran wide at what would become the catch out final corner, the Brazilian being able to rejoin, but only after taking the scenic route back onto the start/finish straight.

Having been given a penalty for changing the gear box, Timo Glock decided that P19 wasn’t too different from starting from the pitlane and the German did just that, lining up next to Robert Kubica who also had a dreadful qualifying experience yesterday.

The safety car remained on track for the first seven laps, but they were far from incident-free laps. As mentioned, Massa skated around the outside of the final turn, and moments later team mate Kimi Raikkonen did just the same. The drivers were struggling to get any heat in the full wet weather boots, and combined with cold brakes, cars were sliding around all the over the place.

During the safety car period, Adrian Sutil, Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso pitted to take on fuel, the strategies already changing from what was decided after qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Alonso was forced to wait at the end of the pitlane while the train of cars passed, a rule brought in a couple of years ago to prevent a fast moving car coming out on a tail of slower moving cars.

As the field tripped the timing beacon to start L8, the race was on and almost immediately, Sebastian Vettel started to edge out a lead over his team mate Mark Webber, now in second due to Alonso having to pit for fuel. Further back, Sebastien Buemi started to earn his wages by attacking the apparent wet-weather master Lewis Hamilton. Although Buemi couldn’t find a way pass the McLaren initially, the maturity Sebastien showed was impressive. The Swiss rookie made a couple of advances in the braking zones, but knowing he was too far back, cleanly got out of the danger spot on Hamilton’s inside and lived to have another go further around the lap.

Meanwhile, the gaggle of cars following Jarno Trulli began to grow and this enabled Hamilton to make a pass on Kimi Raikkonen. The Finnish world champion did comeback at Hamilton, but with KERS fitted to his McLaren, the reigning champion was able to get away from the closing Ferrari, causing Kimi to radio his team to say he thought he had an engine problem.

By L9 Sebastian Buemi was all the gear box of Raikkonen, but again the Swiss pilot chose caution over stupidity and remained content with harassing the Ferrari driver. The following lap though, Buemi would find his way through, just as Hamilton would find a way around the Toyota of Jarno Trulli. Raikkonen wasn’t enjoying this stage of the race and even team mate Felipe Massa would make a move on Kimi.

The conditions on the track remained treacherous though and Hamilton left the circuit losing him valuable places. Nick Heidfeld also had a few moments, running wide and spinning on separate laps. The German BMW driver had a moment with Timo Glock, forcing Heidfeld to the outside of the corner which eventually pointed his F1.09 in the wrong direction. Similarly, Nelson Piquet and Giancarlo Fisichella shared some paint, although both were able to continue without any pirouettes.

Felipe Massa managed to squeeze by Jarno Trulli just as Mark Webber pitted for fuel and tyres, and the recovering Lewis Hamilton was soon back on the gear box of Kimi Raikkonen. These two would end up passing each other throughout the entirety of the race. On L14, Hamilton moved across the tail of Raikkonen, ensuring he wasn’t directly behind the Ferrari for visibility reasons. As the McLaren crossed line created by the F60, the Briton had a wobble, but it wouldn’t put him off the charge.

An error by Trulli allowed the McLaren and Ferrari through, and further around the lap, Hamilton would once again draw up alongside the F60 and push throw. Heikki Kovalainen followed his team mate pass Trulli the following lap, the Italian making a mistake which also allowed Sebastien Bourdais through as well. With fellow Toyota driver Timo Glock now pressuring Trulli, it was only a matter of time before the pitlane-startee would pass the team mate who started in sixth.

The next big incident of the rain-sodden race would come on L17. Coming down the straight towards the final turn, Jarno Trulli was mounted from behind by Robert Kubica, the Pole running into the back of Trulli and being forced up into the air. When they separated, Jarno Trulli was sans rear wing and his shark fin looked like it had been in a squabble with a considerably larger shark. Kubica also sustained damage to the front of his BMW but was able to continue. Trulli needed to pit however, but was forced to continue for another lap as he had missed the pitlane entry thanks to the unhelpful shove.

The safety car was thrown out due to the large amounts of debris on the track. Not only were the drivers earning their salaries today by racing in dreadful conditions, but so was Mylander, who has spent a fair amount of this season lapping circuits in the AMG Mercedes safety car.

At the same place on the following lap, Trulli was slowly recovering to the pitlane when Vettel came up behind. Seeing the car moving slowly in front of him, Sebastian moved over to the right to pass, but unfortunately didn’t realise this put him in the path of Scuderia Toro Rosso pilot Sebastien Buemi. The pair touched and Buemi took damage to his front wing. Vettel though was able to continue and said after the race that the incident didn’t do anything to the handling of his car.

While the safety car was touring the circuit, a slew of drivers entered the pitlane to capitalise on the slow-running pack. One driver who wouldn’t be capitalising on the SC period was Felipe Massa, the Ferrari pilot stopping on track. From the onboard camera, it appears his engine just gave up and cut out. Felipe Massa is yet to score a point in the 2009 championship. But while we’re talking of one driver’s miserable season, another deserves some credit for finally completing a lap this year; Heikki Kovalainen was still in the running on L21, the achievement being Kovalainen’s first completed laps of the 2009 campaign.

As the safety car pulled into the pitlane on L23, Hamilton passed Raikkonen once again and Glock was forced to pit with damage to the right endplate on his front wing. Somewhat incredibly, Adrian Sutil in the Force India passed Robert Kubica for position, such was the terrible race the Pole was having. Also showing signs of being incredible, it took Nelson Piquet 28 laps before having any serious spin. Given the conditions, Piquet can be proud he lasted so long. Unfortunately though, Piquet damaged his nose by clouting the polystyrene distance markers during his spin and was forced to pit for some cosmetic work to his R29.

Jenson Button and Mark Webber were having some fun at the front, and the pair swapped positions a few times during the race. On L29, Button ran wide into T1 allowing Webber through. A couple of laps later though, Webber would run wide at the final turn and allow Button back through. A few corners later and Webber passed Button once again, this time going through the sequence of corners at T7.

On L36, Robert Kubica finally entered the pits, his wobbling front wing getting replaced. By L41, most other front runners had made their stops, and it was Button who lead Vettel. There was some concern for Red Bull though as it wasn’t entirely clear if the Brawn pilot had to pit again. The pair were running close to each other on track, and taking the matter into his own hands, Vettel decided to attempt to overtake Button anyway. This he duly completed further around L41, getting right up on to the dangerous white lines and gaining excellent exit speed out of the corner. This allowed Vettel to draw up alongside and slam through into the following corner; the confidence in the young German was imperious.

Also on L41, Williams decided to take a Ferrari-esque gamble knowing they had little to lose from being so far back in the running. As Rosberg entered the pitlane, the Oxfordshire-based team put intermediate tyres on the FW31, hoping that it would provide Rosberg with an advantage as the water was lifted from the track surface by the wet weather runners. Had it worked, Rosberg would have been on for a good haul of points. Needless to say, it didn’t and by the end of the grand prix, Rosberg was lapping a couple of seconds shy of the pace setters.

Adrian Sutil was having a great race, quietly making up places and moving forwards through the field. By L43, the German was in P8, an astonishing achievement for Force India. Sutil had many drivers bearing down on him though, but this didn’t phase him too much and by L50 he was P7 thanks to Glock running wide. Unfortunately for all at the Silverstone factory and on the Shanghai pitwall, by L51 Sutil was climbing over the barrier, his car in pieces by the side of the race track. The German pilot had lost control of the back end exiting a corner, spun around, clouted the barrier and came to rest with only three wheels remaining on the wagon.

With Sutil’s car being recovered with double-waved yellows, the conditions began to deteriorate again and the final corner became the catch me out place of the circuit. With only a few laps remaining though, the pack had backed off and Sebastian Vettel controlled himself to match the pace of the following Red Bull of Mark Webber, Jenson Button indeed having to pit again. The pair took the chequered flag, Vettel taking his second career victory, Red Bull’s maiden, and Webber took his best career finish to date.

It is the second time Vettel has scored a team’s maiden win, and the German looked just as happy with this victory as he did last year in Monza. It was a victory under tremendous pressure again with the weather being so bad on China, but today the young German stamped his authority over the experience Australian Webber. Likewise, Red Bull showed Brawn that diffusers mean little when the rain is falling, and the team trounced Button and Barrichello to ensure the former Honda squad aren’t running away with the titles.

Sebastien Buemi drove superbly to claim his second point of the year for Scuderia Toro Rosso, and once again put Bourdais firmly in his shadow. Ferrari had nothing to celebrate though, as once again they failed to score a single point. 2009 is the worse start to a season the Scuderia have endured since 1981, and if they fail to score in Bahrain next weekend, it will be extended to one of the worse championship starts ever.

As the circus moves further west for the Bahrain Grand Prix, one cannot help but wander what will happen once Red Bull get a ‘double-diffuser’ fitted to the RB5. And if Vettel is light enough to allow a KERS device to be fitted, the tables will surely be turned. We know the Red Bull challenger is quick, and while it perhaps isn’t faster than the Brawn under normal circumstances just yet, it will surely only be a matter of time.

The race result as well as my notes (that were published live) from the race can be viewed here: Shanghai 2009: Race Result.

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2009: Sebastian Vettel Scores Red Bull’s Maiden Victory

The first qualifying stint threw up some surprise, as Robert Kubica was forced back to the motorhome early. The BMW driver trialled KERS yesterday in free practice, but ultimately the decision was that it provided little in the way of advantage. However, team mate Nick Heidfeld powered his F1.09 through to Q2 while Kubica struggled and eventually finished in a lowly P18.

Towards the end of Q1 though, it wasn’t just Kubica who looked to be in trouble. Before the final laps were posted, Nick Heidfeld joined his team mate towards the bottom of the timing sheet, both McLarens looked to have pace but hadn’t quite dialed it in yet, the Renaults looked down on pace and even Nico Rosberg was slipping back. In a flurry of quick laps though, some resemblance of the standard 2009 order started to form as Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg each improved, as did the Scuderia Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi and Heidfeld’s KERS-equipped BMW.

Lewis Hamilton showed the improvements made to the MP4-24 were working well as the Briton looked much more competitive in qualifying, although conversely, both Toyotas only just scraped through the first qualifying run with P9 for Jarno Trulli and P10 for team mate Timo Glock. Those missing the cut in Q1 were Giancarlo Fisichella, Adrian Sutil, Robert Kubica, Nelson Piquet and Sebastien Bourdais.

The second stint saw the times tumble as the drivers all started to use the super-soft compound tyre, and it was this session that the Red Bulls really showed their pace. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber locked out the top two places, beating both Brawns at their own game and proving that KERS and diffusers come second to raw talent.

Doing less well in the talent stakes though were Timo Glock and Nick Heidfeld. Up until this session, both drivers had looked fairly safe for the top ten. Although Heidfeld didn’t go that well in practice, the BMW squad often hide their form all weekend, only unleashing their drivers in Q2. Unfortunately, both German drivers failed to get into the third session. Glock will be especially disappointed as well, the Toyota driver having to take a five grid slot penalty for having his gear box changed out of sequence. Glock will actually start tomorrow’s race in P19 barring any other penalties.

The other two perhaps slightly surprising exits from the 15 minute stint, although judging by their 2009 form, it probably wasn’t that surprising, were Felipe Massa and Heikki Kovalainen. However, both team mates of these two did get into the final shootout, so comparatively speaking, these Ferrari and McLaren pilots didn’t do so well this afternoon.

Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso ran well to make P5 and P7 respectively while Sebastien Buemi did exceptionally well to get his Scuderia Toro Rosso into the top ten and into the final push for pole. The final driver to fail at making progress from Q2 was Kazuki Nakajima. The Japanese driver qualified P15, which will become P14 after Glock moves down the order.

The final run saw Sebastian Vettel waiting inside his garage for much of the ten minutes allotted for Q3. Team mate Mark Webber was on track track though and setting good times. Both Brawns were looking strong as well and Rubens Barrichello set the early pace, heading the table almost from the off. Nico Rosberg had claimed the top spot just prior to Barrichello, and while the Williams looks strong over single laps, the might of the BGP 001 is still in another league.

In the final minutes of the pole position fight, Fernando Alonso dramatically rose up the ranks and put his Renault in second, just seconds after pole position went first to Mark Webber, then to Sebastian Vettel. Jenson Button couldn’t match the pace of either Red Bull, nor could Rubens Barrichello.

This marks the second time Vettel has started from the front of the grid, the last time it happened being the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. That race showed Vettel to be cool under pressure as rain played havoc with almost every other driver. Weather forecasts for Sunday’s race are mixed in China, with some expecting rain while others saying it will pass by the Shanghai circuit. Whether it rains or not though, the Red Bulls look strong, especially so as they don’t yet have a KERS device or a fancy double diffuser.

In Malaysia we saw that both the Newey-designed cars were good, and Mark Webber was not afraid to attempt passes on other cars. In that race, the Australian had a great battle with Fernando Alonso, where Webber would pass through the corner, only to be immediately repassed by the KERS-equipped Renault. With the only driver in the top ten to have KERS being Hamilton, Webber will be pleased that most of the overtaking during the race will be on a level playing field.

With the general lack of KERS in mind, you’d be crazy to rule out another great victory from Vettel, or a maiden win for Webber. Alonso looks racey as well, although given that his car has looked to be the least competitive of the top-four qualifying teams today, the Spaniard isn’t a world champion because of sheer luck. Fernando will be hungry for the win, as will the chasing Brawns, who I suspect might be carrying a fair amount of fuel.

• The qualifying results can be viewed here: Shanghai 2009: Qualifying Result.
• The grid (inclusive of penalties) can be viewed here: Shanghai 2009: The Grid.
• The post-qualifying car weights can be viewed here: Shanghai 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.

Original article by BlogF1.

Shanghai 2009: Sebastian Vettel Captures Second Career Pole

Rubens Barrichello finished the morning practice in fourth and sixth in the afternoon run. Those at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia say the Brawn BGP 001 appeared to be running fine and the Brazilian didn’t have any apparent problems with the gear box. It is possible though that the team have spotted an issue early and taken the decision to replace it now rather than risk retirement in Sunday’s race.

Barrichello is likely to qualify within the top ten, so this penalty will put him down in the lower-midfield. However, the penalty will not be applied until Barricello has completed qualifying, so the Brawn driver will be taking part in all sessions he manages to get into.

Sebastian Vettel’s penalty received for his actions during last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix stands, and the Red Bull driver, who is also likely to get into Q3, will be demoted ten places on the grid.

Vettel was ordered to the stewards office at Sepang yesterday, but it is thought that this was just so the stewards could fully explain the reasons behind his penalty; Vettel continued his race despite sustaining considerable damage to his car and running with only three wheels fully affixed. Although his pace was significantly reduced because of the safety car, Vettel still breached the regulations which say he must either stop or safely return to the pitlane.

Original article by BlogF1.

Malaysia 2009: Barrichello Receives Five Grid Slot Penalty

It would seem that Toyota have breached the rule regarding flexibility in wings, and the rear wing on the TF109 has been or has the potential to move.

The Stewards have received a report from the Technical Delegate that the upper rear wing elements of cars No. 9 and 10 are showing extreme flexibility in contravention of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

The Stewards have heard the explanation from a representative of Panasonic Toyota Racing and have examined the cars in question.

The Stewards concur with the opinion of the Technical Delegate and find the cars contravene the requirements of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

It is the Stewards decision that cars number 9 and 10 be excluded from the Qualifying Session Official Classification. FIA Statement.

Article 3.15 of the Technical Regulations states:

With the exception of the cover described in Article 6.5.2 [the fuel connector cover] (when used in the pit lane), the driver adjustable bodywork described in Article 3.18 [permitted movable front wing element] and the [air] ducts described in Article 11.4, any specific part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance:
– must comply with the rules relating to bodywork ;
– must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom);
– must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car.

Any device or construction that is designed to bridge the gap between the sprung part of the car and the ground is prohibited under all circumstances.

No part having an aerodynamic influence and no part of the bodywork, with the exception 3.13 above, may under any circumstances be located below the reference plane. FIA Technical Regulations – 18/03/2009.

In short, this means the rear wing is not allowed to move or flex in any way. According to the FIA, Toyota’s does. This puts Toyota at the back of the grid after qualifying well in P6 for Timo Glock and P8 for Jarno Trulli. At the moment, this promotes Felipe Massa to P6, Kimi Raikkonen to P7, Mark Webber to P8, Nick Heidfeld to P9, Fernando Alonso to P10 and similar along the grid.

However, the grid could change yet again because Williams have protested the legality of the Ferrari and Red Bull cars. This protest comes after Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault protested the legality of the Williams diffuser (along with Brawn’s and Toyota’s) yesterday. It is thought that Williams’s protest centres around some aerodynamic part of the F60 and RB5 cars.

And finally, Lewis Hamilton has also gone to the back of the grid after having to get a new gearbox fitted to his McLaren MP4-24. Originally qualifying in P15, Hamilton couldn’t take part in Q2 as his car lost all drive. The team had hoped it was something other than the gear box knowing the ensuing penalty would only make Hamilton’s Australian Grand Prix go from bad to worse. Unfortunately, it has done just that. According to the team, fourth gear was to blame.

Grid penalties are awarded to drivers in the order they were handed out, but it is unknown to me if Hamilton’s gearbox was changed before or after the FIA deemed the Toyota’s illegal. It more than likely was, and therefore Hamilton will start in P18 while Glock and Trulli take P19 and P20 respectively. Of course, Hamilton could end up starting higher than his original qualifying place if Ferrari and Red Bull promote him to P14.

Update

Williams has now withdrawn it’s protest against Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.

Original article by BlogF1.

Australia 2009: Hamilton & Toyota Sent To Back, Ferrari & Red Bull May Follow

Scuderia Toro Rosso proved that despite not having the budget of Ferrari or McLaren, you can win if you’re clever enough. And even if you discount that magical day at a saturated Monza, the season was still one of great success and triumph. To equal Red Bull on points is more than be expected, to exceed was incredible.

Already though, STR have attempted to quell expectation and they have repeatedly said that a repeat performance of 2008 is unlikely to happen. They have continued with the Ferrari engine, and although STR’s unit may be a little behind than the factory team’s version, it is still a handy pocket-rocket. The chassis is derived from the Adrian Newey penned RB5, although it should be noted that modifications are required to fit the different engine and associated components.

During the winter, the team racked up many miles with the old car, and as a result the team often found themselves at the top of the timing sheets. With the new car though, testing appears to have been a little more arduous, but again, it is expected. One area that perhaps could have saved the team some heartache was the seemingly never-ending issue of drivers.

From early on in the off-season it was clear that Sebastien Buemi would be promoted from the role of test driver to full time STR pilot. The Swiss driver spent 2008 trialling different parts on the car as well as driving in various promotional roadshows around the world. Buemi’s knowledge of the Red Bull family is strong, as is his knowledge of the car. Although the STR4 will undoubtedly handle very differently to the RB4 he tested last year, Sebastien will still feel a sense of familiarity between the chassis.

Aside from Buemi though, Scuderia Toro Rosso seemed to be in a dilemma regarding the driver of the second car. Takuma Sato looked good for the role for quite a while, the Japanese driver having performed surprisingly well in testing. However, when it came down to it, the squad opted for some consistency and chose to retain Sebastien Bourdais. While Sato really did look like a driver reborn, Bourdais does deserve another chance to prove himself in Formula One. The French driver’s performances in 2008 were perhaps a little up and down, but ultimately the four-times Champ Car champion did show he had pace and skill when everything came together.

Bourdais’s biggest issue appeared to be qualifying, which lead him to be among the back markers at the start of the races, and therefore in the throes of any accident caused by the Force Indias, Super Aguris and Hondas all vying for the same bit of tarmac. As the season progressed though, Bourdais started to get to grips with everything and while four points isn’t much to write home about, it is my belief that 2009 will be better; Bourdais being able to hit the ground running this time.

The only other issue that may cloud the team, although perhaps not in their performances, is the decision from Dietrich Mateschitz to sell. The news has been known for a while, and the Red Bull magnate is making a sound business decision, even if it isn’t popular with the fans. Currently, STR receive hand-me-down chassis from Red Bull, but if customer cars are outlawed from 2010 onwards, the financial costs of the squad won’t be worth the extra marketing Red Bull gain. Mateschitz has questioned his decision to sell, and it may still not happen. But it will undoubtedly be a worry for those who have worked tirelessly at Faenza since the days of Minardi.

Previous Scuderia Toro Rosso Previews

• F12008 Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview
• F12007 Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview
• F12006 Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview

Original article by BlogF1.

F12009: Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview

One thing is for certain, Red Bull need to start showing some consistency in races, and carry this throughout a season. The RB4 chassis was certainly acceptable, and the Renault engine was fairly reliable, even if it was a little under-powered initially/apparently. Thus far, the RB5 looks to be okay as well, and the French engine manufacturer continues its relationship with RBR. Renault also intend to run KERS in the factory team at Australia, which could bode well for Red Bull who will surely get the device in following races assuming all goes to plan.

In testing, the car has looked like a fairly sturdy machine, occasionally setting good pace. The team appeared to struggle in the final group sessions, but it was in Barcelona and Jerez that all the teams had good and bad days. As a group though, Red Bull and STR have put in some good mileage during the winter, and even Mark Webber showed little sign of hesitancy after climbing back into the car in February after breaking his leg in November.

Sebastian Vettel really showed up Red Bull last year with his win in Monza. Although the photos showed team owner Dietrich Mateschitz smiling and applauding, underneath was likely painted with a different story, one of anguish no doubt; the better funded and generally faster team had been embarrassed by a young rookie. Of course, owning both teams allows staff to be moved easily between the two operations, and Red Bull have done well in promoting Vettel.

Despite his youth and wirey frame, Vettel is a great racer and his maturity in Italy when all around him drivers were spinning was impressive. It is perhaps too much to expect a repeat performance in 2009, but Vettel is a driver Red Bull will want to keep hold of. If Red Bull can start producing better cars, then surely it is Vettel who would be ideal at taking the squad into the future with greater successes.

Partnering Vettel is Mark Webber, the older, wiser and more experienced driver of the team. Mark had some great races last year, and really showed the car wasn’t all that bad when it worked. However, a few knocks and a few reliability issues made it hard for the team and driver to score with regularity, and this is where the consistency needs to be improved upon – Red Bull and Webber need to start scoring consistently.

The inter-team battle between Webber and Vettel will also be fascinating to watch unfold. Both drivers appear to get along, but I can see some fantastic battles emerging from the two as the season progresses.

I would love to say that Red Bull will improve this year, but aside from reclaiming their position ahead of Scuderia Toro Rosso, I cannot see much else happening. It would seem that Toyota have improved, Renault are claiming they can win, McLaren will be okay and Ferrari will likely continue their pace at the top, along with a closely following BMW. In fact, while Red Bull could gain a place from STR, they could then lose it to Brawn if the BGP 001 is as good as many think it is.

Previous Red Bull Racing Previews

• F12008 Red Bull Racing Preview
• F12007 Red Bull Racing Preview
• F12006 Red Bull Racing Preview

Original article by BlogF1.

F12009: Red Bull Racing Preview

Original article by BlogF1.

Michael Ammermuller Drives Red Bull Around Brazil