F1 World Championship 2009 Thread

[Raktael]

I personally feel Glock is a good driver, not the best but by far not the worst, and you call him and Trulli noobs? If you look back through the season both drivers had some decent races and it's only due to toyota's mismanagement they didn't do any better as Frank said really. Also San I think you forget, just because you have the biggest budget doesn't mean you can always attract the best drivers, many of whom would probably have been contracted already. This is not football.

[san.W10]

Glock & Trulli were out shined by that sushi kid - kobayashi :p

kob. DID make some mistakes, but he's just 2 GP old.

Toyota should have opted for better drivers for results.

btw, theres' another rumor- Renault also to leave F1.

[Subject Delta]

You can't just blame the drivers, if you look through the season at how up and down the performance of their car was, it indicates that there was something else lacking in their setup somewhere.

Toyota started with the double diffuser, and they had a front row lockout in Bahrain, to not convert that to a win was just poor. For me, Toyota could have put Vettel and Button in their cars, and they still wouldn't have achieved a win.

[san.W10]

:rofl:

pics from - http://fakeferrarinews.wordpress.com/

The last race of Kimi Raikkonen with Ferrari in Abu Dhabi was also the occasion to ask him a lot of questions. A way to understand what this experience in Italy will leave him, but also to find out more about the most enigmatic driver of the paddock. He comes rather tense because the topic 'future' basically worries him much more than he would to show. He sits down at the pitwall and answers (and on the lighter questions we can also see a smile).

- What is your ideal hour to wake up in the morning?

(Laughs) Eleven.

- Italians are rather open people. Has it been a problem for you in these three years?

No, I have always had a good relationship. It’s true, they are passionate in many ways but I wouldn’t say it has never been a problem.

- How many words have you learned in Italian, not the dirty words?

Well, I say something, but not much (smiles and makes clear that he doesn’t intend to perform).

- Being a F1 driver is great for what reasons?

Because I’ve always loved sports and driving, but driving is the best thing for sure.

- What is your worst nightmare?

Don’t know, I sometimes have nightmares but when they are very bad I wake up. But it usually happens that shortly after you woke up you forget everything.

- Can you tell us something about you that you think people have totally misunderstood?

No, I don’t tell you.

- Is there a category that you hate, journalists apart?

No, there isn’t. And I don’t even hate the journalists, the fact is that I don’t like being with them, because of this job I love the sport, not talking. But I can say that many of them are also interesting people, but simply answering to the questions it’s not something I enjoy.

- If you had to choose to have only one car in your garage, what would it be?

I have one in my mind, but I think it would be a vintage car, maybe of the '60s.

- What drives you crazy?

Many things, but sometimes it depends on whether you're in a bad mood and someone just says the wrong thing and in the end you get angry.

- You had many teammates. Who was the strongest one in your opinion?

I can say that in the past I’ve had very strong ones, but if I have to do a choice I would say Felipe Massa without doubt.

- Over the last two years you received various criticisms, maybe someone didn’t correspond to reality, so which one gave you most trouble?

In Formula 1, people talk, criticize, but I don’t care. If they want to write bad things they do it, nothing changes for me, I mean ... It’s part of life.

- What you will take away from this experience at Ferrari?

The best memory: I won the World Championship.

- What do you think that you will miss?

I met some beautiful people, basically I will miss them.

- Is there anything that scares you?

Nothing.

- What makes you nervous?

Usually I’m always nervous at the start of races, but then it’s a feeling that goes away. In life there are a lot of things that make me nervous.

- You can’t live without...?

Many things ... even if it’s true that to live you really need very little, I mean once you have water and food you'll be ok.

- What is your favorite food?

Pasta (before arriving in Ferrari he was a fan of chicken).

- Do you think Ferrari fans are different from others?

I don’t think they are different, they only have a lot of passion. To have fans is a beautiful thing and however they are, it’s fine for me.

http://darkmaiden.spaces.live.com/blog/

[san.W10]

Lotus design under scrutiny

Force India is keeping a close eye on the progress of the Lotus Formula 1 team's 2010 design, with team sources saying it is concerned about the similarities between its old car and the new Lotus.

Lotus recently published photographs of the wind-tunnel model that will form the basis of its new car. At the time, there was discussion about how similar it looked to the Force India - especially because Force India's former Aerolab wind tunnel and technical chief Mike Gascoyne are now working together on the Lotus project.

Sources suggest that there were details on the wind tunnel model that have become a cause for alarm for Force India's senior management. These relate to the design of the front wing assembly, which Force India believes is virtually identical to that which it started last season.

Furthermore, the team is concerned by the fact that the Lotus was fitted with wind-tunnel tyres that featured hand-writing from Force India staff - meaning they could only have come from the Silverstone-based team.

Sources have said that Force India is keeping a keen eye on the situation - although no formal action has yet been taken on the matter. That situation could change, however, when Lotus signs the Concorde Agreement - when it will then have to comply with a clause that demands no parts of its 2010 car have been designed by anyone working for another team.

Lotus technical chief Mike Gascoyne has played down any talk that the Lotus is a copy of the Force India - and says any similarities between the cars may purely be because it has been designed by people who have already good knowledge of the current F1 regulations through their work on previous projects.

"Obviously our wind-tunnel model was designed for us by Fondtech in Italy," Gascoyne told AUTOSPORT.

"It is based around a 2010 chassis, because there is a big fuel volume in it, it has a Cosworth engine, an Xtrac gearbox, our suspension, and other stuff designed by us. The Fondmetal guys put some generic bodywork on [for the tests].

"Some of the staff had been working on different projects. And whereas you cannot copy anything or take anyone else's IP, you can use your expertise - and you will base that on what you know and what directions you know have been happening. That is what has happened."

Gascoyne added that because Lotus sub-contracts its design work to Fondtech, then any complaints Force India has should be directed to it - not Lotus.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80029

[Subject Delta]

If Lotus want to do a ripoff of a back of the grid car, that's their loss IMO :laugh: the Force India didn't come good till the latter half of the season, so ripping off the design they started with is a bit pointless

[san.W10]

yeah :p

but it was designed by the same guy, the guy who has been designing since Jordan days.

----

man, what kind of ad is this?

lmao

a older ad

mclaren- kimi montoya

[Subject Delta]

My favourite one was this one:

[lt8480]

My favourite one was this one:

That is by far one of the greatest ads of all time with F1 drivers. It was so true to the circumstances Im still suprised they did the ad though.

[Subject Delta]

Chances are it was probably done before all of the unpleasantness really erupted within the team.

[san.W10]

Massa: you take this too seriously

Raikkonen: I have a diesel and a girl

Massa: where did you finish? you were behind us

Raikkonen: there's no competition anymore

:rofl:

this hasent changed a bit. lol

video- 2000, when he tested Sauber

at 5.04, he is asked which team he prefers.

he tells, its either Ferrari or McLaren. :D

[san.W10]

the more i read about "Quick Nick", the more i feel sorry for him & wish he gets McLaren seat rather than drunkard kimi :p

even martin whit... said nick is the most underrated driver in F1. its true.

BMW shouldnt have come in with JV, but like ferrari, a independent team!

[san.W10]

Toyota fallout signals new era for F1

A former senior member of Toyota's team has slammed John Howett in the wake of the Japanese carmaker's decision to withdraw from Formula One.

"The Japanese trusted the wrong people," said ex-head of research Norbert Kreyer, who was fired in late 2004.

"Why did they give a job to a bureaucrat who understood nothing about racing?" he added, specifically naming Howett, the team's president who before moving to Cologne worked for Toyota/Lexus in marketing.

Another former team member is Richard Cregan, who left to oversee Abu Dhabi's new F1 track. Cregan, formerly Toyota's team manager, also blames "certain individuals" for the demise.

"There's a well-proven formula on how to go about motor racing at that level," he told the Guardian. "Ignore that, and you do so at your peril.

"It was not recognised early enough that the direction the team was taking was simply not correct. But that was pretty obvious to those who knew what the business is all about," he added.

Two insiders are not concerned that the carmaker exodus, following the departures of Honda, BMW and Renault's current deliberations, signal a death knell for the sport.

"F1 at the moment is like a sauna, where the unnecessary ballast is sweated out and afterwards there is a new start," Niki Lauda wrote in a column for Sport Bild.

"I am convinced that Mercedes' (more efficient) philosophy will be adopted by other manufacturers and we could even see new ones coming in over the course of the next few years."

Williams Chief Executive Adam Parr agrees that a new era in F1 is dawning. "Perhaps this is the end of a decade of manufacturer dominance and what we will now see over the next decade is a sport that resembles much more closely the 1990s," he told Reuters .

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news...109094345.shtml

[simonlang]

"quick nick" for the 2nd mclaren cockpit ? cant take that seriously. first of all he is noz quick at all. then he is a commercial nightmare! watch him on german tv after races - he is always looking for excuses, whining arround blames traffic tires weather and opponents.

only time he was in a top car was 2008. what happened? he couldnt get his tires to work for half of the season while his team mate was leading the wdc!!!

if mercedes rly has to hire a german driver they should go for vettel. he has the speed and is a nice guy and not overaged!

[Subject Delta]

Vettel is signed to Red Bull, so that's not overly likely. I actually think Nick is a very clever racer, he probably doesn't have the overall ballistic speed of Hamilton, Raikkonen, or Alonso, but he is intelligent, and very good at keeping his head in difficult races.

[san.W10]

Raikkonen, McLaren deal back on track?

Kimi Raikkonen's management team seen visiting McLaren headquarters as speculation continues about his F1 future

Speculation linking Kimi Raikkonen to a return to McLaren has increased after the Finn's management team were seen visiting the team's Woking base.

ITV-F1 reports that Steve and David Robertson visited the McLaren Technology Centre on Wednesday as guests of team principal Martin Whitmarsh, increasing talk that Raikkonen could be set to rejoin the team he competed for from 2002-2006.

Raikkonen himself has previously said that he is only interested in an F1 drive that would give him the chance to fight for race wins and a second title, with McLaren appearing to be the best option of those drives still available for next season.

However, the former champion is believed to be one of a number of possible options for the team, with new champion Jenson Button having been linked with a seat and the suggestion that Heikki Kovalainen could yet retain his drive despite a difficult campaign where he managed only twelfth in the championship standings.

http://www.crash.net/f1/comments/154627/1/...k_on_track.html

[Subject Delta]

McLaren's denials seem to rule out the possibility of Button being in the seat IMO. I still see Kimi getting the seat, but my preference would be to see Rosberg get the drive, I feel he has a lot to offer the team.

[Antaris Veteran]

Mercedes takes ownership of Brawn

German car giant Mercedes has bought the Brawn Formula 1 team in a move that is likely to see Jenson Button join McLaren as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate.

Mercedes will buy a controlling interest in Brawn, believed to be 75% but will continue as McLaren's engine partner until 2015.

Brawn, who won both world titles in their debut season in 2009, will be rebranded as the Mercedes GP team.

Nico Rosberg will be their lead driver, with Nick Heidfeld his likely partner.

Neither driver has yet been confirmed but Rosberg, who drove for Williams in 2009, is widely known throughout F1 to have already signed for Brawn/Mercedes.

As part of a deal that will see the McLaren Group buy back Mercedes's 40% shareholding, the German company will continue to supply free engines and sponsorship to the team for the next six years.

Button, who won the drivers' title this year, has been trying to secure a pay-rise from his ?3.5m salary but it seems Mercedes is not interested in keeping him on.

He and his manager Richard Goddard visited McLaren on Friday and Button is now expected to join the Woking-based team for a salary around double what Brawn were offering.

Button's decision is understood not to be solely about money - sources say he considers McLaren might have a more competitive car than Brawn in 2010.

Mercedes Sports boss Norbert Haug said on Sunday that he was trying to secure a drive for Heidfeld, a former Mercedes protege who has driven for BMW since 2006.

"We are speaking with Nick Heidfeld as well," Haug told the German news agency GPA.

"Mercedes-Benz supports the idea of signing an experienced and capable German driver. There is however no reason to finalise the driver situation too hastily."

It is believed Ross Brawn will stay on as team principal.

@ BBC Sport

HUGE!

[Axel]

AWESOME!

[Subject Delta]

Good news for Brawn, makes McLaren's future a bit more hazy though, suppose if they are buying out Daimler's shares then they have a plan going forward though. Makes sense for Mercedes though to own their own team, will be interesting to see where Button ends up now, as Mercedes should be able to up Brawn's budget a fair bit.

[acnpt]

:D Sweet, My favourite team, with my favourite drivers. (Still support Hamilton more though).

I hope Mclaren know what they are doing though :pinch: , and I wonder if Mercedes will go back to them if Brawn isn't successful over the next couple years.

[Seismo]

Mercedes-Benz supports the idea of signing an experienced and capable German driver.

Then why are they hiring Nico Rosberg? He?s a twerp, just like "Quick" Nick.

They both are tame drivers, no matter what car they drive.

[san.W10]

poor kimi

if merc. are really interested in winning WDC, WCC, they should get kimi or someone who knows how to win or atleast be quick right out of box.

"It's yet another example of F1's warped politics that, at a time when the sport is suffering a pandemic of average drivers, a talent such as Raikkonen is in serious danger of being consigned to early retirement."

Planet F1

[san.W10]

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3261_5698223,00.html

...

What's the risk for Button if he does join McLaren?

In theory and in public statement, Button would be given equal billing at McLaren alongside Hamilton. In practice, however, he would be taking on a driver whose feet are firmly planted under the McLaren table, who is well versed in the team's practices, and who, arguably, possesses greater talent.

To win the World Championship, the first victory has to be over your team-mate and Button will find that a far, far more difficult task at McLaren than he did at Brawn last season against Rubens Barrichello or he would versus Rosberg.

And won't McLaren struggle without Mercedes?

Possibly but it would be foolish to write off McLaren for 2010 just because they are divorcing from Mercedes. The team are confident they can cope without their long-term partner and the general gist of the divorce is that one team is no longer big enough for the pair of them.

Moreover, rumour has it that the settlement will see McLaren given handsome financial compensation - money which will immediately be pumped into their own engine development programme - and a guarantee that Mercedes will continue to provide their engines, considered to be the best in the sport, for the next two seasons. If we had to bet on it, PF1 would still back McLaren over Brawn for 2010.

So where does this leave Kimi Raikkonen?

Out of the sport, unfortunately.

Really?

Fraid so. Until a contract is signed by Button and either McLaren or Brawn then there's still hope but Jenson has the double appeal to McLaren of being a cheaper and more marketable option. If Button does transfer, Brawn-Mercedes could yet offer Kimi a lifeline but if Mercedes are disinclined to resign Button then how likely is it that they will then opt to sign Raikkonen? He'll be more expensive, won't carry the badge of number one, and would most probably embarrass their apparent strategy of making the goldenboy of German motor-racing their figurehead :laugh:

i think merc have learnt a lot from BMW F1. BMW thought Nick would lead them, but it was a pole, the only pole in F1 who lead a fully (majority) german team :p

so thats why they are opting for a full German line up. lmao

[Shibby]

I hear Mclaren are wanting to become a bigger car maker, they wish to start competing with ferrari off the track a bit more. I wouldn't be suprised if the team is funded by some people in the middle east.