YAY for the Brawn Team! :cheer:

 

I hope that diffuser won't cost them these precious results! I don't think those diffuser made such a huge difference, Red Bull and BMW were close to the top in the race too.

Disaster for BMW! Kubica was ok, but in the end was really stupid move, by Kubica especially by Vettel. Nick with fuel weight, destroyed bolide and KERS didnt make nothing in the race. :(

 

 

 

 

I regards to the other point, unlike Alonso i don't think Hamilton is anywhere near good enough to pull off a turn around like Alonso did and i fully expect Kovy to outdrive him.

 

After all Kovy (R27) and Alonso (Minardi, R23 wasn't perfect but he won a GP in it, R24 labeled undriveable but it finished 3rd overall, R28 down on power and Aero.) have both had experiences in bad cars. Hamilton hasn't allegedly he's always been in a winning car.

 

I shall be enjoying 2009 :smoke: I would quite like Hamilton to hit the barrier at Turn 2 tomorrow so i can 1) catch it on camera and 2) laugh at him face to face. :D

 

I guess maybe you did not enjoy today's GP as muxch as you would have liked to then.

 

:P

 

Full race timings

Sunday, 29 March 2009

Sunny

 

Position Country Driver Car number Team Grid position Race time Points

1 great britain Jenson Button 22 Brawn-Mercedes 1 1:34:15.784 10

2 brazil Rubens Barrichello 23 Brawn-Mercedes 2 1:34:16.591 8

*3 great britain Lewis Hamilton 1 McLaren-Mercedes 18 1:34:18.698 6

4 germany Timo Glock 10 Toyota 20 1:34:20.219 5

5 spain Fernando Alonso 7 Renault 10 1:34:20.663 4

6 germany Nico Rosberg 16 Williams-Toyota 5 1:34:21.506 3

7 switzerland Sebastien Buemi 12 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 13 1:34:21.788 2

8 france Sebastien Bourdais 11 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 17 1:34:22.082 1

9 germany Adrian Sutil 20 Force India-Mercedes 16 1:34:22.119 0

10 germany Nick Heidfeld 6 BMW Sauber 9 1:34:22.869 0

11 italy Giancarlo Fisichella 21 Force India-Mercedes 15 1:34:23.158 0

*12 italy Jarno Trulli 9 Toyota 19 1:34:17.388 +0:00:25.000 penalty 0

13 australia Mark Webber 14 Red Bull-Renault 8 lapped 0

+RET germany Sebastian Vettel 15 Red Bull-Renault 3 retired, 56 laps 0

RET poland Robert Kubica 5 BMW Sauber 4 crash, 55 laps 0

RET finland Kimi Raikkonen 4 Ferrari 7 retired, 55 laps 0

RET brazil Felipe Massa 3 Ferrari 6 retired, 45 laps 0

RET brazil Nelson Piquet Jr 8 Renault 14 crash, 24 laps 0

RET japan Kazuki Nakajima 17 Williams-Toyota 11 crash, 17 laps 0

RET finland Heikki Kovalainen 2 McLaren-Mercedes 12 retired, 0 laps 0

 

* Trulli received 25 seconds penalty for going off the track under the safety car and then erroneously retaking Lewis Hamilton under waved yellow flags.

 

+ Vettel given 10 place grid penalty for Malaysian GP for not pulling off to the side of the track when instructed due to driving an un-race worthy vehicle following on from the crash with Kubica.

Vettel's punishment is well harsh

 

I bet Gilles Villeneuve would have got a similar penalty after his efforts at Zandvoort where he drove a full lap on 3 wheels only a few seconds slower than the race pace, I bet Verstappen would have got a penalty for doing the same thing a few years back although less spectacular than Gilles

 

Whiting and the FIA are trying to kill racing

 

Next time a driver gets a puncture and has to drive 3/4 of a lap back to the pits will he get a penalty for driving a non roadworthy vehicle ? this sets a dangerous precedent

Vettel's punishment is well harsh

 

I bet Gilles Villeneuve would have got a similar penalty after his efforts at Zandvoort where he drove a full lap on 3 wheels only a few seconds slower than the race pace, I bet Verstappen would have got a penalty for doing the same thing a few years back although less spectacular than Gilles

 

Whiting and the FIA are trying to kill racing

 

Next time a driver gets a puncture and has to drive 3/4 of a lap back to the pits will he get a penalty for driving a non roadworthy vehicle ? this sets a dangerous precedent

 

I totally agree, it completely undermines the sport to neutrals IMHO.

To be honest I think under the circumstances the penalty was completely fair. It wasn't under normal circumstances as it was a safety car period and the car was clearly very damaged. If he'd just managed to get that car to the pit lane under normal racing conditions then it wouldn't have been a penalty. But when he was holding other cars up quite badly and went past the pitlane when it was clearly the one place he needed to be then I don't feel the penalty was harsh at all.

 

Overall it was a great race. A one two for Brawn is a great start even if Rubens was very lucky more than once. Great for Lewis on the podium too, not bad considering the car's supposed to be awful! :D

To be honest I think under the circumstances the penalty was completely fair. It wasn't under normal circumstances as it was a safety car period and the car was clearly very damaged. If he'd just managed to get that car to the pit lane under normal racing conditions then it wouldn't have been a penalty. But when he was holding other cars up quite badly and went past the pitlane when it was clearly the one place he needed to be then I don't feel the penalty was harsh at all.

 

Overall it was a great race. A one two for Brawn is a great start even if Rubens was very lucky more than once. Great for Lewis on the podium too, not bad considering the car's supposed to be awful! :D

 

I don't see where the danger was though, at safety car conditions you are not allowed to go more than 60 so I don't think Vettel presented a safety threat

 

He was still in 7th place after the Kubica incident and with 2 laps to go I can see why he took the gamble

 

If they were under full course green and travelling at 180 then maybe but under safety car conditions I can't see the safety risks of forcing Vettel to come in

I don't see how people can say he's not good when he's never had the chance to show it. Back when Honda finished 2nd they were still miles behind Ferrari and Jens did a brilliant job of taking as many points as possible.

 

I think this is the point. This is his 10th year in Formula 1 now and surely if he was that good he'd have been offered better drives by now. Williams were average when he joined, as they got a better car they got rid and replaced him with Montoya. He did ok for Renault but as soon as they built a car to come out of the midfield and into the frontrunners they replaced him with Alonso. I still maintain that if he was a great driver then teams would've put some faith in him.

I think this is the point. This is his 10th year in Formula 1 now and surely if he was that good he'd have been offered better drives by now. Williams were average when he joined, as they got a better car they got rid and replaced him with Montoya. He did ok for Renault but as soon as they built a car to come out of the midfield and into the frontrunners they replaced him with Alonso. I still maintain that if he was a great driver then teams would've put some faith in him.

 

Where could he have gone though that he would have had a winning chance as opposed to being a lapdog ?

 

F1 over the last decade been dominated by Ferrari bar 98/99/2008 so there is no way Button would have been allowed to race Schumi and the odd token win doesn't repay the loss of self respect that comes with knowing you are a lapfog

 

McLaren were effectively a 1 car team under Hakkinen and now Hamilton so again Button would have had to have played lapdog at McLaren

 

At Renault likewise Fisichella was a slave, Button would not been allwed to race Alonso or would have been given inferior equipment

 

 

It's not even about a winning car though, just a better car. The only time he's had a decent car was that couple of seasons for Honda and that was mainly because everyone else was so bad. Honda have been poor for a while now but still, no one's wanted to take him, the likes of Nelson Piquet and Kazuki Nakajima being employed in better cars instead. Also, after Honda pulled out last year the other 9 teams were quite happy to see him out of work. OK there weren't many drives but there were a couple and did he even recieve any offers to be third driver for a year elsewhere?

 

So Toyota get banned and not Williams or Brawn???

I thought it was due to the diffuser causing too much flexibility :lol:

Nope it was something else Toyota got banned after qualifying.

 

And I agree with Rabbitfurcoat too, Vettel's punishment was fair. His damage was a lot more serious than a simple puncture.

Brilliant start for Jenson :D Ever since he was young Lewis has always been able to get from the back to near the front so I'm relieved to see that McLaren might not be so bad afterall! A great day for british drivers :D

BTW guys, just watched again the grand prix and Vettel did a whole lap with the damaged car before pulling to the side and he had the chance to go to the pits (he passed it), he continued though, hoping to be able to finish the race behind the safety car so now I absolutely think his penalty is right.

It's not even about a winning car though, just a better car. The only time he's had a decent car was that couple of seasons for Honda and that was mainly because everyone else was so bad. Honda have been poor for a while now but still, no one's wanted to take him, the likes of Nelson Piquet and Kazuki Nakajima being employed in better cars instead. Also, after Honda pulled out last year the other 9 teams were quite happy to see him out of work. OK there weren't many drives but there were a couple and did he even recieve any offers to be third driver for a year elsewhere?

 

At the time of the Honda sale all seats had been confirmed with the exception of those at STR who, it is well known, wanted to support driver's from the Red Bull driver's programme so effectively no seats were open to Jenson. Furthermore, Jens was still contracted to Honda and so would not have been allowed to sign for anyone else whilst the team was up for sale as it is likely his contract would have been part of the sale. I understand he was unable to keep seats at some teams but he never actually had the car underneath him, at Williams it was hugely unreliable and he can't have been too shabby seeing as Williams wanted him back a few years later, he wiped the floor with Trulli in '02 before losing the seat so I wouldn't blame his racing in that situation before going on to beat Villeneuve at BAR.

 

Now today, it was a fantastic GP, the new cars look like they can overtake more easily which is fantastic and they look quite tricky to drive too! BGP were dominant with Button but never too far ahead that I thought they were uncatchable which is good to see. Vettel was impresive up untilt the incident when the desperation of getting second place just showed the hideous sides of both drivers. Vettel should have given up the corner earlier and stopped once he crashed out but Kubica should have given more room to the STR, he coud see that Vettel was struggling for grip and so it can't have been a surprise when he understeered into the side of him. I didn't like the way two wheels fell off of that BMW, one of which came very close to hitting Kubica on the head which needs to be addressed I think. Rosberg did brilliantly, it was devastating the way his race unfolded with pitstop problems and then tyre problems at the end of the race though, Nico could be a dark horse this year. Toyotas also looked very quick, it's unfortunate to see them handed such a severe penalty for Trulli though.

:arrr:

 

Because i had to catch a flight back to Brisbane at 8.30 from the airport at the other side of Melbourne i missed the big f***ing accident! argh! i heard it over the commentary.

 

I would bet against that McLaren seeing the podium again for some time. It looks horrific on track. Alonso would have had third had he not had to pit with 7 laps to go! The first safety car while helping Alonso a little also kinda hampered him. Piquet is a f***ing re****, that 'spin' happened right in front of me. Watching the pack hit the braking zone for T1 then all i see is a Renault going backwards. I didn't need Alonso passing me on the T2 exit to tell it was Piquet. -_- That having been said, Rosberg is the one to blame for that. Basically ramming Piquet off the road.

 

Mark Webber was so unlucky, involved in that T1 accident and then just went nowhere :( I just saw a Renault flying across the grass and thought oh dear god what has Piquet done now, it's the first lap and he's on the grass already. Before i saw the camera box colour and was just like phew, Alonso is safe (no damage that i could see)

 

It was great fun watching a Grand Prix live, but not quite the result i would have liked. I also missed the ability to get food and drink etc whenever there was a safety car or a lull in on track action

:arrr:

 

Because i had to catch a flight back to Brisbane at 8.30 from the airport at the other side of Melbourne i missed the big f***ing accident! argh! i heard it over the commentary.

 

I would bet against that McLaren seeing the podium again for some time. It looks horrific on track. Alonso would have had third had he not had to pit with 7 laps to go! The first safety car while helping Alonso a little also kinda hampered him. Piquet is a f***ing re****, that 'spin' happened right in front of me. Watching the pack hit the braking zone for T1 then all i see is a Renault going backwards. I didn't need Alonso passing me on the T2 exit to tell it was Piquet. -_- That having been said, Rosberg is the one to blame for that. Basically ramming Piquet off the road.

 

Mark Webber was so unlucky, involved in that T1 accident and then just went nowhere :( I just saw a Renault flying across the grass and thought oh dear god what has Piquet done now, it's the first lap and he's on the grass already. Before i saw the camera box colour and was just like phew, Alonso is safe (no damage that i could see)

 

It was great fun watching a Grand Prix live, but not quite the result i would have liked. I also missed the ability to get food and drink etc whenever there was a safety car or a lull in on track action

 

Rosberg didn't touch Piquet, they got a bit close and so Piquet decided to throw it off the track as the pressure was getting to him :lol:

 

Gotta feel bad for Webber in front of his home corwd but I'm sure he'll be on the pace of Vettel in Malaysia.

 

Phil, could you not appreciate Button's well-earned victory even a little?

 

Massa :cry:

 

Ferrari's reliability throwing away a potentially good result

 

As for Kimi :|

:arrr:

It was great fun watching a Grand Prix live, but not quite the result i would have liked. I also missed the ability to get food and drink etc whenever there was a safety car or a lull in on track action

 

I know what you mean, I was at Silverstone 08, in full Massa gear :|. The best thing about that race was Nakajima getting a point :P

Rosberg didn't touch Piquet, they got a bit close and so Piquet decided to throw it off the track as the pressure was getting to him :lol:

 

Gotta feel bad for Webber in front of his home corwd but I'm sure he'll be on the pace of Vettel in Malaysia.

 

Phil, could you not appreciate Button's well-earned victory even a little?

He got more than a little close, he swerved so close to the Renault you could barely spit between the tires.

 

Plus it was Piquets cold brakes that caused the actual spin as he reacted to Spastic Rosbergs random swerve

 

I felt gutted for Webber, most people did. There was quite a loud groan for his accident. Personally i was cursing when Kovy stopped. Wrong bloody McLaren.

 

and Nope. I dislike Button almost as much as i hate Hamilton. I think they are both arseholes and i'm looking forward to their retirement so i don't have to watch the commentators and british press arse lick them. I don't rate either of them as drivers and as for Hamilton's Senna comparison, if i were Senna i'd be spinning in my f***ing grave.

I know what you mean, I was at Silverstone 08, in full Massa gear :|. The best thing about that race was Nakajima getting a point :P

My Alonso poloshirt is in the UK -_-

 

i had my Hat on tho ^_^

 

Even tho all my kit is from 04/05

 

Poloshirt has Mild Seven branding and the number 8 on it, the hat has Mild Seven branding and #5.

 

pretty impressive given Tobacco branding is banned in most of Europe :kink:

 

god i miss our Blue/Yellow livery. But, now that ING are officially pulling out of F1 (Leaving Renault without a title sponsor) we might just be able to ditch the orange and get the traditional Yellow/Black/White Renault livery back.

 

In my aussie version of F1Racing there was a section on the designing of the R29's livery and they said it's the first time since we came back that RF1 have given Renault the branding they wanted: Black lettering on a Yellow background (see front of rear wing)

 

They got more space because all our sponsors f***ed off in 06 after winning 2WC's and no-one would take it :lol: :(