[Official] Formula 1 2009 Thread

[The Todd]

It's a week away now, and this quite a farce to head into the season with.

The FIA this week: Championship goes to driver with most wins, no, no one likes that idea, we have to change it back.

So I think we are still on the right way to do it, points wins the Championship.

Onto the teams now. McLaren have struggled a hell of a lot in testing, and are currently fifth or sixth fastest team in practice.

That leaves Ferrari to walk the championship with BMW comfortably in second right? Wrong, the emergence of Brawn GP! With Honda leaving the sport, the British team were without financial backing or an engine. A last minute deal was done and Ross Brawn and his men got to testing their new car, which has been the quickest in testing.

So can Jenson Button finally fulfill his potential? Will Brawn GP carry on their remarkable success? Will Massa win the title after coming so close last year? Will Raikkonen actually drive properly this year? Can Hamilton get his Mclaren working and retain the title? Can Vettel repeat his success at Monza in his new Red Bull car? Will the new restraints on the cars have much effect?

What are your thoughts on this new season?

 

[Leeds Guy]

I cant wait, i love formula 1 and no amount of pissing about with the rules will change that. Although i'm glad that they are keeping the points system in tact for a least another season. The only reason they wanna change it is they probably lost a ton of money when Massa didnt win it.

I hear Mclaren are struggling so i cant really see Lewis as a threat so i think Ferrari will walk it this year. Brawn GP could be entertaining as he is the mastermind behind all Schumachers title wins. However that said, i dont see them finishing in the top 2. The main question is can Mclaren be ready intime?

 

[The Rob]

I'm a die-hard Formula 1 fan and have been for about 12 years. Honestly, my room is plastered in items related to Formula 1 and Ferrari. I'm seriously hyped up about this weekend, it's actually more un-predictable than I thought it was going to be. Obviously you've got Ferrari who at the moment look like the team to beat, then theres BMW, then theres Brawn GP. But don't discount Toyota and Williams to come good either. Lewis however is struggling but thats not down to him if I'm honest. The car seems to be a dissappointment and they're gunna have to work their asses off to sort out the problems the car has.

 

[AFC1986]

I can't wait for the season to start as I think this is going to be the tighest and most exciting season for a long time as due to the changes we could have 6 or 7 potential title contenders in Hamilton, Alonso, Button, Raikkonen, Massa, Heidfeld and Kubica.

My only concern is that for 2010, they could bring in the "winner takes all" way of winning the title where the driver with the most wins would be crowned champion even if they ended finishing 10th in the Championship. For me, that should not happen as that will be a huge turn off for the fans

 

[Hip2bsquare]

Havent they already brought in the'winner takes all' approach? Or is that just my imagination. I think both ways of determinging the champion has its pros and cons. But really Im not entirely sure why they would change it after all these years. I guess its favouring a team that can get their cars up for a specific race instead of rewarding consistent performances.

 

[The Todd]

Well it's officially back. The cars look ugly because of the rear spoilers, but us in the UK have it back on the Beeb so no advert breaks anymore!!

As for today's qualifying... YES!!!! Go on Jenson lad. If he wins tomorrow it will be a great start to the season. McLarans and Ferraris aren't the big boys anymore, tomorrow is about Brawn vs Red Bull vs Williams. All British teams, it is brilliant!!

However, all we have seen so far is qualifying and practice, cars can be very different in races. Reliability comes into it as well. This season is set up so good and there is no way of guessing of how it will pan out. I'm so excited I'm contemplating getting up at 7am to watch the race.

 

[AFC1986]

The season has started off brilliantly and this weekend was full of excitement and I think Button deserved to win today as he was solid from start to finish and I think Hamilton can be extremely thankful to finish third seeing as he struggled in qualifying with a poor McLaren.

Let's hope next weekend's Malaysian GP is just as good this the Australian GP

 

[The Todd]

Screw the rest of the world, Britain shows once again it rules in F1. The winner was a Brit, who drove superbly and thoroughly deserved his win, and Hamilton finished third which, considering he started 18th in a car struggling for pace, is outstanding. He certainly put to rest the rumours that he was only world champion because he was in the best car. This guy certainly has the potential to be the next Schumacher.

Providing the appeal over Brawn's diffuser doesn't ruin the sport again, we have had a perfect first race. We move onto Malaysia next weekend for round two.

 

[Hip2bsquare]

Only watched a little bit of the race but congratulations to Jenson Button on a terrific effort to win the first race of the season. Good story with Brawn not even being a team a couple of months ago. Also great to see another car apart from a Mclaren or Ferrari being at the head of the pack.

Also Mark Webber showing again that he is a deadset dud.

 

[The Todd]

And there we have it. F1 shoots themselves in the foot again.

The Grand Prix finished with Trulli 3rd and Hamilton 4th yet was changed an hour later with Trulli being demoted for an infringement. I thought this was stupid, if he was in the wrong he should have been punished in the next race. However, not Trullo has been officially placed third again, fair enough, but Hamilton was been stripped of his finish. The reason:

"for providing evidence deliberately misleading to the stewards at the hearing on 29 March"

This has nothing to do with the actual race. If McLaren need to be punished, make them start at the back in the next race.

By continually altering race results they are ruining their sport. It was a BRILLIANT race, yet now it has been mellowed due to the politics. THere is still the chance Button, Barrichello and Trulli are disqualified as well due to the diffuser argument. The actual race result could well see Alonso win with Buemi 2nd!! It is a disgrace and they are going to lose some of their fans.

 

[AFC1986]

This season has started with so many surprises. Ferrari have scored no points, McLaren have only scored 1 point and Button has won the opening 2 races.

I think the Charlie Whiting made the correct decision today to offer half points as the conditions were far too dangerous for the drivers to continue. So there is some common sense left in F1 after all

 

[Dave]

Yeah definitely. Does anyone else think that Brawn are simply going to dominate this season? 2 races and 2 good wins. It's worrying. The new rules were put into place in order to make it fairer but it is the teams using the diffuser that are dominating. Has it bi them in the ass?

 

[Leeds Guy]

im a bit dissapointed, why only give them half points, why not just full. It makes no sense especially when it could come back and haunt Button at the end of the season. The Race was great and i was pleased to see common sense used to stop the race when the track was becoming a river. Im also pleased with Ferraris nil points so far, as i was expecting them to dominate. Button drove a great race again and thought Brawn did brilliantly considering it was the first time the car had ever used wets and inters.

 

[The Todd]

Well we finally have had a race without controversy, but yet more wet weather. The result was a one two for first time winners Red Bull. They obliterated the rest of the field, finishing a full 30 seconds ahead of the Brawn's.

Sebastien Vettel is young, quick, German and unbelievable in the wet so the predictable comparisons to Schumacher have happened. This is a bit too far as Schumacher is the greatest in the sport's history, and Vettel has won two races, but he is on his way.

As for thw Brits, Button was consistent and finished a comfortable third and still leads the Championship. A hopeful bone dry race in Bahrain could return him to the top step of the podium. Lewis Hamilton drove well, but too many mistakes cost him a higher finish. Without the four or five spins he would have been right behind Barrichello but the improvement is a welcome sign for McLaren.

After three races we seem to be finally settled down into an order. The Ferrari vs McLaren rivalry looks to have been replaced by Brawn vs Red Bull. If this continues to be the case it could be a thrilling season with the vastly experienced Webber and Barrichello helping their teammates towards the driver's title.

 

[Leeds Guy]

Well we finally have had a race without controversy, but yet more wet weather. The result was a one two for first time winners Red Bull. They obliterated the rest of the field, finishing a full 30 seconds ahead of the Brawn's.

Sebastien Vettel is young, quick, German and unbelievable in the wet so the predictable comparisons to Schumacher have happened. This is a bit too far as Schumacher is the greatest in the sport's history, and Vettel has won two races, but he is on his way.

As for thw Brits, Button was consistent and finished a comfortable third and still leads the Championship. A hopeful bone dry race in Bahrain could return him to the top step of the podium. Lewis Hamilton drove well, but too many mistakes cost him a higher finish. Without the four or five spins he would have been right behind Barrichello but the improvement is a welcome sign for McLaren.

After three races we seem to be finally settled down into an order. The Ferrari vs McLaren rivalry looks to have been replaced by Brawn vs Red Bull. If this continues to be the case it could be a thrilling season with the vastly experienced Webber and Barrichello helping their teammates towards the driver's title.

Man I was shocked that the Bulls got a 1-2 I expected Alonso to put up a much better fight than he did, he just seemed to float down the order. Vettel drove fantastic just like he did in Monza last year, his pace all weekend was top quality. Webber could have been right behind Vettel had he not made an error but he still had a decent drive.

Button was comfortable in 3rd, he was never going to catch the Bulls but had no problems from behind and he still tops the championship which is great stuff as I hope he can win it and shut up all the critics over the years. I dont think we can say its between Red Bull and Brawn just yet as now the rest of the teams are fitting diffusers so more should become competative in the next few races, I just hope its not Ferrari.

I think Barrichello drove a fantastic race considering he didnt like the car step up, he kept going on about how it didnt feel right and he was struggling for pace. To say he had all those problems and still finished 4th is a testament to his driving talent, I wouldn't be too sad if he won the championship ahead of Button as his career has been amazing

 

[The Todd]

Yeah Barrichello is vastly underrated as a driver. If it were not for Schumacher, I have no doubts Barrichello would have been a multiple World Champion. He was so unselfish at Ferrari, but apparantly him and Jenson have equal footing at Brawn. I hope he can get a couple of wins under his belt as he deserves it. But if push comes to shove, Button has to win it. After 12 years without a Brit winner, it would be great to have two in two years.

 

[The Todd]

Brawn one-two, then Red Bull one-two, surely not a Toyota one-two too? Qualifying is crazy this year. Normally Ferrari and Mclaren lock out the top two places. Can't wait for tomorrow's race. Would like to know how far the Toyota's are fuelled up before making a predictopn.

 

[AFC1986]

I think the first few races have shown that it won't just be about Ferrari and McLaren this year which is great as it gives F1 a breath of fresh air and it has been given some unpredictablitiy.

Trulli could win tomorrow as long as he hasn't been got a lot of fuel in his car as he is normally very slow if his car isn't light on fuel

 

[The Todd]

Well I wasn't able to watch the race, but from what I have heard/been told Button again looked comfortable in his win. The Toyota's messed up their chance big time, leaving the Brawn's and Red Bull's to get to work. I hope and pray that Vettel vs Button turns into Hill vs Schumacher, but there is a long way to go before that.

As for Hamilton, he is getting every last ounce out of that poor McLaran car. He is showing he is a brilliant driver. The car doesn't make the driver in his case.

The season moves onto Europe now where the temperatures are not as hot. We will wait and see if the Brawn's and Jenson Button can continue their domination.

 

[Leeds Guy]

It wasnt a flat out domination of the race but he was pretty comfortable, had Vettel managed to leapfrog Trulli earlier than he did maybe it would have been differant. i dunno what happened to Glock he just kinda slipped down the field. Barrichello once again showed why he is an amazing driver but Brawn screwed him abit by putting him onto a three stopper. Hamiltons getting better but still not quite there yet, but constrast him and Kovi and you can see how much better he is. On to Europe now and Spain then Monaco. I love the Monaco GP something always happens there that messes up a drivers race.

 

[The Todd]

Monaco is awesome, and would be my favourite of the season if not for Silverstone (purely because I have witnessed many Grand Prix's there so have a loyalty to the place) but Monaco is immense. I have been there, but not for a race unfortunately. Still, getting to drive around the track was a thrill. I will be awaiting that race eagerly.

THe point you make about Hamilton's performance in contrast to Kovalainen's is a good point. Hamilton may be struggling for a reigning World Champion, but the fact he is comfortably quicker than his teammate shows he is getting the very best possible out of a poor car. To judge how good a driver is, you have to see how he does when not in the best car and Hamilton is showing he is a very good driver.

 

[The Todd]

Well Jenson did it again in dramatic circumstances. Only crossed the line to start his flying lap with a second to spare and then pipped rival Vettel for pole. Barrichello qualified third to carry on his good form. Oh and the McLaren's got worse. Much worse.

This race is meant to be the race when all the teams upgrade their cars but not a lot changed in the order. Red Bulls and Brawns are at the front. In fact only Ferrari seem to have improved a little (Massa anyway, they messed up with Kimi).

So prospects for the race, Button has to be favourite to win but it will be a great battle wit Vettel. Always need to look out for Alonso at his home venue but a podium is the best he can hope for.

 

[The Rob]

Another win for Jenson. Considering the Brawn's pace, I'm not all that surprised. However what am I surprised at is the pace of Felipe Massa. At several stages during the race he was lapping roughly at the same pace as Button. I know the level of fuel on-board played a factor but still, compared to what we've seen so far from the F60, today was a pretty big step up.

I'm optimistic for Monaco, last year Felipe snatched a surprise pole position when it looked like Lewis was gunna steal the show. As for it being my favourite cirucit... no, it's not. I do like it however, just due to the grand prix's history and that seeing a Formula 1 car racing through the tunnel and around the tight streets is something special. After that is Turkey then, finally, Silverstone. It'll be my 9th year in a row that I will be attending and I'm just as excited about this year as I was for 2001.

 

[The Todd]

. After that is Turkey then, finally, Silverstone. It'll be my 9th year in a row that I will be attending and I'm just as excited about this year as I was for 2001.

You lucky bastard. I went to my first in 2001 as well and the following three, but haven't been in ages. Where abouts do you sit when you go?

As for yesterday, the Button machine keeps rolling on. Barrichello can bitch and moan about strategies, but the fact is Button outperformed Barrichello when Button was heavier. I like Barrichello, and I felt for him all the years at Ferrari, but he didn't have to sound as pissed off as he did. The team is winning and he is performing well. His wins will come.

The Ferrari car is better, but the team keep shooting themselves in the foot. The qualifying mistake with Raikkonen was inexcusable and then the Massa's fuel problem just rounded it off. They look like they have the car to challenge for wins again, but they need to sort themselves out.

Also, that Webber Alonso battle after the safety car was epic. And Alonso lost it which is always fun to see. As for Hamilton, he needs to cheer up. He's the reigning World Champion, he's proving he is a brilliant driver by pushing a very poor car to it's limit and he still has his pussycat doll. Things could be worse.

 

[The Todd]

Ferrari have just announced they will QUIT the sport if the FIA enforce a £40 million budget cap. What are your thoughts on this?

Personally, I don't see the budget cap happen. When F1 is mentioned, Ferrari are the first team to be mentioned. If Ferrari goes, then can say goodbye to the Italian Grand Prix. The Italian people won't stand for it.It would lose the business a lot in revenue. And sure, they can sell that spot to a rich Middle East country, but this will push a lot of old school fans away.

As for the budget cap, I personally feel it take some magic away from the sport. F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of motor racing where the boundaries of technology are stretched. Limiting what the engineers can do will ruin this. Sure the smaller teams won't be able to live with the bigger teams, but it is like this in every sport.

This year has been thrilling so far, last year was the best in a long time. Why do they insist on changing the rules to something that has a winning formulae. They are already risking ruining it with "medals" instead of points, they can't do this too. No Ferrari and no points? No thanks.