Mercedes-Benz traditionally has been one of the early power houses in F1 and finally after 55 years, Mercedes is back in grand prix racing as a constructer ever since taking over Brawn GP a few days back. Though the McLaren Mercedes alliance has been one of the most enduring one in the sport and has lasted 15 years and it is quite possible that it may even go on to last 21 years after their revised contract, in which McLaren buys back its shares while Mercedes supplies engines till 2015. For years Mercedes wanted a German driver for the team but McLaren has usually gone with Finnish or British driver and for 2010 they have pulled a major coup and has pulled the rug under Mercedes by recruiting Jenson Button the 2009 World Champion who will team up with Lewis Hamilton the 2010 Champion. It will be a dream team for all the British marketing firms as finally McLaren has two British drivers who have won the Championship in the last 2 seasons. Crucially, Button will once again bring the #1 to the team while Mercedes after buying Brawn who won both the titles last year had to go through one more season to reclaim the #1 position.
Though the team has said that it wants to become an international power house team, it is most likely to have 2 German drivers in its cockpits. Though for F1, there is nothing better than a Great Britain-Germany rivalry but then Mercedes could be forced to field 2 drivers who have raced in more than 200 races without even winning once. Well Rosberg never had a car which can win races while Heidfeld despite being a very promising driver never was in the right teams. Rosberg was considered to be the “Next Big Thing” of F1 while Heidfeld has become from being the nearly man to a vastly underestimate driver who is Mr Consistent. It may not be a team of superstars but it has enough talent and potential backed by an ideal machinery, could well go on and challenge the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull for the title.
Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, were no superstars as Button was more or less a “has-been” driver in 2009 with a single race win due to rain while Barrichello was one the world’s best # 2 driver who can be a good side-kick but never good enough to challenge for the crown but in 2009 both were fighting for the crown and now Button is a World Champion and will join McLaren while Barrichello despite his age still manages to find a seat in Williams.
For 2010 we will see Mercedes Grand Prix end up with Rosberg and Heidfeld, but you just cannot ignore 2 other drivers who had a chance to drive for the team and both are ex-Ferrari drivers. 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen was in contention for a McLaren seat but due to money related issues and with Jenson Button joining the team, that option is closed but with Norbert Haug has always been impressed with Kimi and you can still have Kimi leading the charge for the Mercedes team for the next season.
The other option is something which has been going around in many circles but if you do look at the past, it was Mercedes which did support Michael Schumacher in his early career and though he has been retired from the sport for the last 3 years, he was still in contention to race for Ferrari as a replacement for Massa and if not for his injured neck, he could well have made a comeback but a more interesting link to the Mercedes team is that Ross Brawn was involved in all the 7 World Titles he has won with Ferrari and Benetton. It could be the most amazing comeback in the history of F1 and if one person can pull it off it can be only Schumacher but then he is soo much associated with Ferrari, it is actually strange to even imagine him driving for any other team apart from Ferrari but then never say never in F1 and he can be winning the championship next year with the Silver Arrow Mercedes.
One thing is sure and that is Mercedes is surely having one German driver and this is Rosberg but who will partner him is still a mystery and given the current scenario, you can expect anything and it can even lead to a Cinderella comeback for Schumacher.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
And then there was none........
The team line-up for the 2010 season was expected to be right on track after Spanish double World Champion Fernando Alonso joined Ferrari but so far only 10 out of the possible 26 seats is yet to be confirmed. Though there was some uncertainty if Toyota and Renault would stay in F1, but Toyota has pulled out of the 2010 season while Renault is still expected to stay on despite the global economic turmoil which affected the automobile industry and not to mention the spygate scandal where some former senior members of the team was involved. They have confirmed Robert Kubica as one of their drivers and actively on the lookout for another driver to partner him but all said and done, they may still end up pulling out but they should stay as an engine supplier as their customer team Red Bull Racing gave Brawn GP a run for their money and fought till the Brazilian GP for both the titles.
Jenson Button after his title victory may still not sure if he will race next year as his contract talks with Brawn is stalled and he could be the key to the driver’s market puzzle. If talks with Brawn fail, he only has McLaren as his realistic option for defending the title he won this year. McLaren would not mind a pairing of the reigning World Champion with the 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton as that would be a dream combination in the minds of all English racing fans and would be a sponsorship coup. Though Brawn has been talking about how sponsorship has been lined up for the next 3 years and there are rumours of Mercedes buying a stake in the team but Jenson Button is actually not too expensive for a World Champion and if Brawn is still not keen on spending too much cash Button can look at McLaren but then there are stumbling blocks to it too.
The last time McLaren was in such a comfortable position when it comes to have 2 very good drivers was in the 80’s when Prost and Senna were teammates but now McLaren have enough options to choose on who will partner Hamilton in its quest of reaching the top once again. Ferrari has a very enviable combination of Alonso and Massa, while Red Bull has the wonder kid Vettel partnered by the very able Mark Webber who is one of the most underestimated driver on the grid. They can go back to Kimi would will be the ideal foil to Hamilton and if Kimi is motivate, well McLaren can pose a very dangerous combination which can take on anyone on the grid while picking Rosberg too can be an ideal scenario for McLaren as not only would that please Mercedes but Hamilton and Rosberg go a long way and there would not be any friction in the team. One thing is certain, both Rosberg and Button would drive a Mercedes powered car next year. Other options include McLaren’s former protégé Nick Heidfeld who is actually talking to every other team apart from Ferrari and RBR. Many were surprised when Heidfeld was overlooked for Kimi but though this maybe too late in his career, he can be the ideal #2 driver for the team. If the team wants a long term #2 then Sutil will be a good choice but neither Sutil nor Heidfeld would be challenging for the titles as long as Hamilton is there.
Renault has confirmed Kubica and though there was talks on Heidfeld partnering Kubica but now the team is interested in securing the services of former Toyota driver Timo Glock and if the team does races next season, the combination of Kubica and Glock would be a power house mid-field line-up. Apart from Glock the team can go back to Heikki Kovalainen, who is on the hunt for a race seat for the next season while current driver Romain Grosjean’s chances of retaining his seat is slim but long term test driver Lucas Di Grassi has an outside chance.
Toro Rosso was expected to confirm both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari but so far only Buemi has been confirmed while Alguersuari may have some stiff competition from Red Bull backed drivers which also includes the highly rated Italian Mirko Bortolotti who broke the Fiorano lap record while testing with Ferrari and was touted as one of the potential replacements for Massa after his injury. The others includes New Zealander Brendon Hartley, who was a reserve driver for STR for some parts of the season and also Australian Daniel Ricciardo, the new British F3 champion. Among the 3, Bortolotti will be the one most likely to get the nod if Alguersuari does not make the cut as not only is STR powered by Ferrari but the team may also have long term plans for this Italian protégé.
Force India is expected to retain both Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi but former driver Giancarlo Fisichella also cannot be ruled out if Sutil ends up joining a higher profile team. Though Neel Jani and Karun Chandok may have an outside chance due to their Indian heritage.
Sauber the team to benefit most from Toyota’s withdrawal will be looking to retain current driver Nick Heidfeld if his move to McLaren fails to initialize while test driver Christian Klien may also be in the loop. If Heidfeld does drive for McLaren, then Italian Fisichella may also be in contention as the team has a Ferrari engine and Fisi is open to racing next season though he is a Ferrari test driver from 2010 onwards.
Among the new teams, Lotus F1 is surely going to make it to the grid and the mercurial Italian Jarno Trulli is being linked with the team. Among others who has been linked includes former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Christian Klien and Japanese rookie Kamui Kobayashi, who impressed everyone with his drives in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
Campos has brought the Senna name back to F1 by signing in Bruno Senna the nephew of legendary Ayrton Senna while Pedro de la Rosa was expected to take the other seat but talks have not been that fruitful and even Nelsinho Piquet may have a chance for a seat due to his good financial backings. No one has a clue on who will be signed for Manor GP and USF1, but we can rule out some famous American drivers like Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti for USF1, while experienced drivers like Anthony Davidson and Alexander Wurz will be on the radar for these teams.
Nothing is certain till the Bahrain GP of 2010 where we will actually know which teams makes it and which drivers manages to have a spot on the grid.
Jenson Button after his title victory may still not sure if he will race next year as his contract talks with Brawn is stalled and he could be the key to the driver’s market puzzle. If talks with Brawn fail, he only has McLaren as his realistic option for defending the title he won this year. McLaren would not mind a pairing of the reigning World Champion with the 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton as that would be a dream combination in the minds of all English racing fans and would be a sponsorship coup. Though Brawn has been talking about how sponsorship has been lined up for the next 3 years and there are rumours of Mercedes buying a stake in the team but Jenson Button is actually not too expensive for a World Champion and if Brawn is still not keen on spending too much cash Button can look at McLaren but then there are stumbling blocks to it too.
The last time McLaren was in such a comfortable position when it comes to have 2 very good drivers was in the 80’s when Prost and Senna were teammates but now McLaren have enough options to choose on who will partner Hamilton in its quest of reaching the top once again. Ferrari has a very enviable combination of Alonso and Massa, while Red Bull has the wonder kid Vettel partnered by the very able Mark Webber who is one of the most underestimated driver on the grid. They can go back to Kimi would will be the ideal foil to Hamilton and if Kimi is motivate, well McLaren can pose a very dangerous combination which can take on anyone on the grid while picking Rosberg too can be an ideal scenario for McLaren as not only would that please Mercedes but Hamilton and Rosberg go a long way and there would not be any friction in the team. One thing is certain, both Rosberg and Button would drive a Mercedes powered car next year. Other options include McLaren’s former protégé Nick Heidfeld who is actually talking to every other team apart from Ferrari and RBR. Many were surprised when Heidfeld was overlooked for Kimi but though this maybe too late in his career, he can be the ideal #2 driver for the team. If the team wants a long term #2 then Sutil will be a good choice but neither Sutil nor Heidfeld would be challenging for the titles as long as Hamilton is there.
Renault has confirmed Kubica and though there was talks on Heidfeld partnering Kubica but now the team is interested in securing the services of former Toyota driver Timo Glock and if the team does races next season, the combination of Kubica and Glock would be a power house mid-field line-up. Apart from Glock the team can go back to Heikki Kovalainen, who is on the hunt for a race seat for the next season while current driver Romain Grosjean’s chances of retaining his seat is slim but long term test driver Lucas Di Grassi has an outside chance.
Toro Rosso was expected to confirm both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari but so far only Buemi has been confirmed while Alguersuari may have some stiff competition from Red Bull backed drivers which also includes the highly rated Italian Mirko Bortolotti who broke the Fiorano lap record while testing with Ferrari and was touted as one of the potential replacements for Massa after his injury. The others includes New Zealander Brendon Hartley, who was a reserve driver for STR for some parts of the season and also Australian Daniel Ricciardo, the new British F3 champion. Among the 3, Bortolotti will be the one most likely to get the nod if Alguersuari does not make the cut as not only is STR powered by Ferrari but the team may also have long term plans for this Italian protégé.
Force India is expected to retain both Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi but former driver Giancarlo Fisichella also cannot be ruled out if Sutil ends up joining a higher profile team. Though Neel Jani and Karun Chandok may have an outside chance due to their Indian heritage.
Sauber the team to benefit most from Toyota’s withdrawal will be looking to retain current driver Nick Heidfeld if his move to McLaren fails to initialize while test driver Christian Klien may also be in the loop. If Heidfeld does drive for McLaren, then Italian Fisichella may also be in contention as the team has a Ferrari engine and Fisi is open to racing next season though he is a Ferrari test driver from 2010 onwards.
Among the new teams, Lotus F1 is surely going to make it to the grid and the mercurial Italian Jarno Trulli is being linked with the team. Among others who has been linked includes former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Christian Klien and Japanese rookie Kamui Kobayashi, who impressed everyone with his drives in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
Campos has brought the Senna name back to F1 by signing in Bruno Senna the nephew of legendary Ayrton Senna while Pedro de la Rosa was expected to take the other seat but talks have not been that fruitful and even Nelsinho Piquet may have a chance for a seat due to his good financial backings. No one has a clue on who will be signed for Manor GP and USF1, but we can rule out some famous American drivers like Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti for USF1, while experienced drivers like Anthony Davidson and Alexander Wurz will be on the radar for these teams.
Nothing is certain till the Bahrain GP of 2010 where we will actually know which teams makes it and which drivers manages to have a spot on the grid.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Over the Curbs Awards - II
Over the Curbs awards enter the 2nd season and though it was fun giving the awards last season and deciding on a few things was very tough, but at the beginning of this season, I though it should easy given that Jenson Button and Brawn during their Cinderella run were reaching immortality but as the season picked up we saw good performances from a variety of teams and drivers.
Once again it is going to be fun in naming a few drivers and teams but then this year was marked with controversy off-track that it managed to take the sheen of an exciting season. Need to go back into the F1 record books and actually look when the last time 2 non-works team fought for the title were. It should be a very interesting research.
Driver of the Season – Jenson Button
Team of the Season – Brawn GP/Red Bull Racing
The Next Big Thing - Sebastian Vettel
Most Improved Driver – Nico Rosberg
Most Improved Team – Force India
Race of the Season – Belgian Grand Prix
Best Grand Prix – Belgian Grand Prix
Worst Grand Prix – Malaysian Grand Prix
Rookie of the season – Kamui Kobayshi
Most disappointing driver of the Season – Heikki Kovalainen
Most disappointing team of the Season – BMW Sauber
Lucky to be in F1 (for the season) - Nelson Piquet Jr
Veteran of the Season – Rubens Barrichello
Comeback of the Season – Mark Webber
JV of the Season - Nelson Piquet Jr
(For the driver who talks utter nonsense like how JV used to do it in his racing days)
Most missed Driver – Felipe Massa
Least missed Driver - Nelson Piquet Jr
Once again it is going to be fun in naming a few drivers and teams but then this year was marked with controversy off-track that it managed to take the sheen of an exciting season. Need to go back into the F1 record books and actually look when the last time 2 non-works team fought for the title were. It should be a very interesting research.
Driver of the Season – Jenson Button
Team of the Season – Brawn GP/Red Bull Racing
The Next Big Thing - Sebastian Vettel
Most Improved Driver – Nico Rosberg
Most Improved Team – Force India
Race of the Season – Belgian Grand Prix
Best Grand Prix – Belgian Grand Prix
Worst Grand Prix – Malaysian Grand Prix
Rookie of the season – Kamui Kobayshi
Most disappointing driver of the Season – Heikki Kovalainen
Most disappointing team of the Season – BMW Sauber
Lucky to be in F1 (for the season) - Nelson Piquet Jr
Veteran of the Season – Rubens Barrichello
Comeback of the Season – Mark Webber
JV of the Season - Nelson Piquet Jr
(For the driver who talks utter nonsense like how JV used to do it in his racing days)
Most missed Driver – Felipe Massa
Least missed Driver - Nelson Piquet Jr
Friday, October 30, 2009
Abu Dhabi GP Preview: The Spectacle descends on to the Emirates!
Jenson Button and Brawn GP may have wrapped up the Championship at Interlagos but there is still more important battle to be fought on track apart from the grand debut of the 1st ever Abu Dhabi GP at the Yes Marina Circuit which is not only the 2nd grand prix in the Middle East but this race is the first twilight race in F1’s history and this race would want to be the Monaco of the East.
Though Button can relax his teammate Barrichello is locked into a fierce battle for the 2nd place in the driver’s championship with Red Bull’s Vettel. Though Vettel leads only by 2 points, this seesaw battle has seen both drivers swapping places nearly at the end of each race so anything can happen and both cars are evenly matched at this circuit which has one the longest straight lines in F1. Brawn though may have won the Championships is yet to secure Button’s signature for the next season and if things do get hostile after yet another contract talk deadlock, McLaren may once again have the #1 car on the gird.
Though both Brawn and McLaren looks strong in practice Red Bull is not too far off and both Webber and Vettel will be looking for a strong showing during the race but McLaren with KERS will have a slight edge over rest of the field. Hamilton for the first time in his career is going into the last race without having the pressure of having to win the championship. He will be the favourite going into the race and he would want to finish 2009 on a high. His only condolence could be finishing ahead of Kimi who can actually race with Hamilton at McLaren for the next season. Heikki Kovalainen did not make the most of his chances at McLaren and it is certain that he would not race for them for 2010 but he would want to leave the team at a high.
Ferrari may have given up on the season but both its drivers will be pumped up for what could be both men’s last race. Kimi though may still end up with a race seat but teammate Fisi has signed on as a tester for the team and though he may still drive for one of the teams but unless Sauber gets an entry, the Ferrari powered team may have Fisi behind the wheels for them. It is highly important in terms of ego for Ferrari as they are behind McLaren by just a point and Ferrari would want to finish ahead of their arch rivals while Kimi too would want to finish ahead of Hamilton who also happens to lead Kimi by a point. Fisi will be hoping for some good luck as though he may be living a dream, but his departure from Force India was just when the team went through a surge and at times were on par with the likes of even McLaren and Brawn.
BMW Sauber will have mixed feelings going into this race as this is the last race for the BMW team. Though the team has supplied engines to the likes of Brabham in the 80’s and Williams during the early part of this decade, but apart from this season, ever since BMW took over Sauber, the team has been a force to reckon with and till last season, it overtook Williams and joined the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Renault as the new big 4 of F1. Though Kubica has secured a drive, his teammate Nick Heidfeld is yet to secure a drive and he has been linked to every other team with a vacant spot and he definitely would like to end his Sauber career a team with which he has driven for most of his career in both the BMW and the Petronas avatars.
Toyota has had a last minute revival and though Trulli had an intense battle with Force India’s Sutil outside the track, the team will be hoping for a good show on a track which is fast paced and which could help them but everyone will be looking at Kamui Kobayashi who has the speed and the driving skills to become the next Sato a highly entertaining gutsy driver though may not be consistent always but would not mind banging wheels with anyone on the track. Another good show here may seal a seat with Toyota for the next season.
Williams will have a wholesome change for 2010 as not only have they announced a new engine partnership with Cosworth but also will have a total new driver line-up for the next year. They are most likely to filed veteran Brazilian Barrichello and rookie German protégé Hülkenberg who is managed by Weber the same guy who did manager Schumacher during his glory days. Frank Williams has already given hints that Rosberg would drive for a Mercedes powered team and that could be only one of the 2 between Brawn and McLaren.
Alonso is very emotional about having his last race for Renault and this time it could actually be his last race for the French team as he would want to retire from the sport with Ferrari but then Kimi said the same thing and he could infact be making a dramatic comeback for 2010 with McLaren but Alonso doing once again with Renault may not happen. Teammate Romain Grosjean needs to drive his best ever he has drive so far if he has to retain his Renault seat for 2010.
Both STR and Force India are strong but Force India with more experienced drivers seem to be in a better position to score points while STR thought maybe in reckoning but the drivers at times make errors to just throw a race from point scoring positions and on a new technically challenging track, they need to be at their best.
Abu Dhabi GP has made tall claims on wanting to be the Monaco of the East but with a twilight race and a brilliantly designed track, they may end up having that distinction if they race turned out to be “Any One Can Win” race. Yes Marina circuit is a great addition to the F1 calendar and this track will definitely separate the talented drivers from the rest.
Abu Dhabi GP Top 8 Predictions:
1. Sebastien Vettel
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Jenson Button
4. Mark Webber
5. Rubens Barrichello
6. Kimi Räikkönen
7. Heikki Kovalainen
8. Sebastien Buemi
Though Button can relax his teammate Barrichello is locked into a fierce battle for the 2nd place in the driver’s championship with Red Bull’s Vettel. Though Vettel leads only by 2 points, this seesaw battle has seen both drivers swapping places nearly at the end of each race so anything can happen and both cars are evenly matched at this circuit which has one the longest straight lines in F1. Brawn though may have won the Championships is yet to secure Button’s signature for the next season and if things do get hostile after yet another contract talk deadlock, McLaren may once again have the #1 car on the gird.
Though both Brawn and McLaren looks strong in practice Red Bull is not too far off and both Webber and Vettel will be looking for a strong showing during the race but McLaren with KERS will have a slight edge over rest of the field. Hamilton for the first time in his career is going into the last race without having the pressure of having to win the championship. He will be the favourite going into the race and he would want to finish 2009 on a high. His only condolence could be finishing ahead of Kimi who can actually race with Hamilton at McLaren for the next season. Heikki Kovalainen did not make the most of his chances at McLaren and it is certain that he would not race for them for 2010 but he would want to leave the team at a high.
Ferrari may have given up on the season but both its drivers will be pumped up for what could be both men’s last race. Kimi though may still end up with a race seat but teammate Fisi has signed on as a tester for the team and though he may still drive for one of the teams but unless Sauber gets an entry, the Ferrari powered team may have Fisi behind the wheels for them. It is highly important in terms of ego for Ferrari as they are behind McLaren by just a point and Ferrari would want to finish ahead of their arch rivals while Kimi too would want to finish ahead of Hamilton who also happens to lead Kimi by a point. Fisi will be hoping for some good luck as though he may be living a dream, but his departure from Force India was just when the team went through a surge and at times were on par with the likes of even McLaren and Brawn.
BMW Sauber will have mixed feelings going into this race as this is the last race for the BMW team. Though the team has supplied engines to the likes of Brabham in the 80’s and Williams during the early part of this decade, but apart from this season, ever since BMW took over Sauber, the team has been a force to reckon with and till last season, it overtook Williams and joined the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Renault as the new big 4 of F1. Though Kubica has secured a drive, his teammate Nick Heidfeld is yet to secure a drive and he has been linked to every other team with a vacant spot and he definitely would like to end his Sauber career a team with which he has driven for most of his career in both the BMW and the Petronas avatars.
Toyota has had a last minute revival and though Trulli had an intense battle with Force India’s Sutil outside the track, the team will be hoping for a good show on a track which is fast paced and which could help them but everyone will be looking at Kamui Kobayashi who has the speed and the driving skills to become the next Sato a highly entertaining gutsy driver though may not be consistent always but would not mind banging wheels with anyone on the track. Another good show here may seal a seat with Toyota for the next season.
Williams will have a wholesome change for 2010 as not only have they announced a new engine partnership with Cosworth but also will have a total new driver line-up for the next year. They are most likely to filed veteran Brazilian Barrichello and rookie German protégé Hülkenberg who is managed by Weber the same guy who did manager Schumacher during his glory days. Frank Williams has already given hints that Rosberg would drive for a Mercedes powered team and that could be only one of the 2 between Brawn and McLaren.
Alonso is very emotional about having his last race for Renault and this time it could actually be his last race for the French team as he would want to retire from the sport with Ferrari but then Kimi said the same thing and he could infact be making a dramatic comeback for 2010 with McLaren but Alonso doing once again with Renault may not happen. Teammate Romain Grosjean needs to drive his best ever he has drive so far if he has to retain his Renault seat for 2010.
Both STR and Force India are strong but Force India with more experienced drivers seem to be in a better position to score points while STR thought maybe in reckoning but the drivers at times make errors to just throw a race from point scoring positions and on a new technically challenging track, they need to be at their best.
Abu Dhabi GP has made tall claims on wanting to be the Monaco of the East but with a twilight race and a brilliantly designed track, they may end up having that distinction if they race turned out to be “Any One Can Win” race. Yes Marina circuit is a great addition to the F1 calendar and this track will definitely separate the talented drivers from the rest.
Abu Dhabi GP Top 8 Predictions:
1. Sebastien Vettel
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Jenson Button
4. Mark Webber
5. Rubens Barrichello
6. Kimi Räikkönen
7. Heikki Kovalainen
8. Sebastien Buemi
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jenson Button: A True World Champion
Jenson Button finally won his first F1 World Championship in his 10th season and his perseverance with the then Honda team finally paid off as Brawn dominated the season and helped him win the crown in style. Though there were lot of criticism that he was helped by driving a car which was better than any other car on the grid but unlike Hill’s win in 1996, the Brawn during the 2nd half of the season was not the best car on the grid. The likes of Red Bull and McLaren had improved a lot and at times even better than Brawn. Also the likes of Ferrari, Toyota and even Williams were nearly matching and in some circuits better than Brawn.
Rubens Barrichello his teammate who clearly was the better driver among the 2 in the 2nd half of the season should once again be unlucky to finish either 2nd or 3rd which used to be a norm during Schumacher and Ferrari’s dominance during the first half of this decade. Barrichello had the same car as Button, but he did not capitalize on the superiority of the car during the first half of the season and this result was key in Button winning the championship. Keke Rosberg won the title in 1982 by winning one race but he was consistent through the season and so far Button till the Brazilian GP has scored points in all races expect for the Belgian GP where he had to retire. You may not need to win the most races to win the championship but Button actually has won 6 out of the 16 races held so far and at one stage had won 6 out of the 7 possible races.
Thanks to a superlative first half where he had capitalized on the performance of Brawn, Jenson did not have to pull off a dare devil drive for the championship and all he had to do was to keep scoring points while his rivals took points off each other and he also benefitted from the revival of notable McLaren and to an lesser extend of that of Ferrari. Button has been in F1 long enough and though he started as a hot-shot rookie in Williams, he had been through a string of teams which includes Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda and finally Brawn. The thing about Button was that he stuck around with BAR/Honda/Brawn for long enough and he had faith in them and it did pay off this year.
He won his first race during the 2006 season at the rain infested Hungarian GP and at one stage before that had the distinction of being the driver with most points without a win but now Nick Heidfeld has this distinction. Though he is a sort of playboy outside the track and does manage to attract some unwanted media attention, the wisest decision he made was to get off a Williams contract and he spend an estimated $30 million to buy off it and well to look back at things now, it could be one the best decisions he took in his career as Brawn looks all set to become a Mercedes backed works team post the 2012 season while Williams continues to languish in the mid-card since BMW pulled off its backing for the team.
Button has already said that he does not want to be a one hit champion and though his future for 2010 looks uncertain, he is most likely to continue in the Brawn team but don’t be too shocked or surprised if he drives for McLaren or even Toyota. Jenson Button has transformed himself from a rookie playboy racer to an elder statesman on the grid and though winning the title again may not be an easy task as both Ferrari and McLaren will be strong next season while Red Bull seems to get better every year. Also we just cannot discount either Renault or even Williams who can cause some trouble for the big teams. Button is a worthy champion and unlike his predecessor Jacques Villeneuve, Button should not blindly go after money and should drive for a team which can provide him with a car to fight for World Championships.
Rubens Barrichello his teammate who clearly was the better driver among the 2 in the 2nd half of the season should once again be unlucky to finish either 2nd or 3rd which used to be a norm during Schumacher and Ferrari’s dominance during the first half of this decade. Barrichello had the same car as Button, but he did not capitalize on the superiority of the car during the first half of the season and this result was key in Button winning the championship. Keke Rosberg won the title in 1982 by winning one race but he was consistent through the season and so far Button till the Brazilian GP has scored points in all races expect for the Belgian GP where he had to retire. You may not need to win the most races to win the championship but Button actually has won 6 out of the 16 races held so far and at one stage had won 6 out of the 7 possible races.
Thanks to a superlative first half where he had capitalized on the performance of Brawn, Jenson did not have to pull off a dare devil drive for the championship and all he had to do was to keep scoring points while his rivals took points off each other and he also benefitted from the revival of notable McLaren and to an lesser extend of that of Ferrari. Button has been in F1 long enough and though he started as a hot-shot rookie in Williams, he had been through a string of teams which includes Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda and finally Brawn. The thing about Button was that he stuck around with BAR/Honda/Brawn for long enough and he had faith in them and it did pay off this year.
He won his first race during the 2006 season at the rain infested Hungarian GP and at one stage before that had the distinction of being the driver with most points without a win but now Nick Heidfeld has this distinction. Though he is a sort of playboy outside the track and does manage to attract some unwanted media attention, the wisest decision he made was to get off a Williams contract and he spend an estimated $30 million to buy off it and well to look back at things now, it could be one the best decisions he took in his career as Brawn looks all set to become a Mercedes backed works team post the 2012 season while Williams continues to languish in the mid-card since BMW pulled off its backing for the team.
Button has already said that he does not want to be a one hit champion and though his future for 2010 looks uncertain, he is most likely to continue in the Brawn team but don’t be too shocked or surprised if he drives for McLaren or even Toyota. Jenson Button has transformed himself from a rookie playboy racer to an elder statesman on the grid and though winning the title again may not be an easy task as both Ferrari and McLaren will be strong next season while Red Bull seems to get better every year. Also we just cannot discount either Renault or even Williams who can cause some trouble for the big teams. Button is a worthy champion and unlike his predecessor Jacques Villeneuve, Button should not blindly go after money and should drive for a team which can provide him with a car to fight for World Championships.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Brazilian GP Review: Button and Brawn wins the 2009 Championships!
It was truly a Cinderella story as Jenson Button drove a flawless raced backed by aggressive strategy by the Brawn GP team to win his first driver’s championship. Brawn GP also sealed the constructor’s championship and it was a dream run for the team who at the beginning of the season after Honda pulled out was not even sure if it would make it to the grid but now they are on top of the F1 world. McLaren sure would have rued the fact that the decision to allow Mercedes to supply to Brawn has surely backfired in the long run as Mercedes wants to make Brawn GP its work team post 2012.
Among the contenders though Barrichello managed pole and led the race during the start, the safety car did him no favours and his Interlagos jinx continued as he managed to come only 8th and thereby lost all hope of taking the fight to the Yes Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. He may yet again finish the season as the runner-up but Vettel after a stunning race, managed to finish 4th and now he leads Barrichello by 2 points. Though the season maybe over in terms of bigger prizes but the runner-up spot for the driver’s championship is wide open and it will be an interesting tussle between Vettel and Barrichello.
Though Brawn and Button have hogged all the limelight with their championship wins, Red Bull’s Mark Webber has a very good race and won his 2nd race of his career. Ever since his win in Germany, his form has tapered and due to a variety of reasons he has not been at his best but it was good to see Webber back in form with a superb performance in Brazil. Red Bull may have finished runner-up but they did take the fight to the Brawn’s and if not for the last of consistency from the Renault engines, they may have ended up winning both the titles.
The first lap saw some crazy action as Trulli caused a crash which took out both Sutil and Alonso. Though it was deemed a racing incident, Trulli nearly came to blows with Sutil and now faces a penalty for his conduct. Heikki Kovalainen was not only involved in some incidents on track but also McLaren failed to get the fuel rig out of his car which nearly cause a major calamity in the pits. Kimi’s car was nearly torched and the race turned out to be highly unlucky for the Finnish driver who actually had a chance for a win but a bump with Webber at the first lap ruled out any chance of a win and he managed to salvage a 6th place finish.
Lewis Hamilton and McLaren after a disastrous qualifying drove one of his best races and he managed to put the ghosts of his previous Brazilian GP behind him and managed to finish 3rd. Though the season is lost for the team, they still would want to finish ahead of Ferrari in both the driver’s and constructor’s championship. Kubica came 2nd and though his car was nowhere near the pace of Red Bulls or McLarens, backed by solid strategy and very consistent driving, he showed that he is one of the most talented guys on the grid and with a good car; we can expect lot more from him.
Toro Rosso finally scored points with Sébastien Buemi coming in 7th. The last time he scored points was during the Chinese GP while STR after Monaco is scoring some points. It was good to see the team score points and do well as their back of the grid rivals Force India have just taken off and been way quicker than the Italian based team.
Kamui Kobayashi after making his F1 debut and with just one race behind him may already be the rookie of the year as it was an amazing debut for the Japanese driver as not only did he go wheel to wheel with the likes of Button but also showed no nervousness as he clearly deserves a Toyota drive for the next season and he did deserve to finish in points during the race. Kobayashi is easily the best Japanese driver currently in F1 and after Sato is the best talent to come off Japan.
It was an amazing Brazilian GP and yet again a new champion was crowned in Interlagos. It was also good to see Massa back in the pits and hopefully during the 2010 Brazilian GP, he will be fighting for the championship once again. Brawn and Button will have a major party of the Abu Dhabi GP while both Barrichello and Vettel were worthy challengers for the crown.
Among the contenders though Barrichello managed pole and led the race during the start, the safety car did him no favours and his Interlagos jinx continued as he managed to come only 8th and thereby lost all hope of taking the fight to the Yes Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. He may yet again finish the season as the runner-up but Vettel after a stunning race, managed to finish 4th and now he leads Barrichello by 2 points. Though the season maybe over in terms of bigger prizes but the runner-up spot for the driver’s championship is wide open and it will be an interesting tussle between Vettel and Barrichello.
Though Brawn and Button have hogged all the limelight with their championship wins, Red Bull’s Mark Webber has a very good race and won his 2nd race of his career. Ever since his win in Germany, his form has tapered and due to a variety of reasons he has not been at his best but it was good to see Webber back in form with a superb performance in Brazil. Red Bull may have finished runner-up but they did take the fight to the Brawn’s and if not for the last of consistency from the Renault engines, they may have ended up winning both the titles.
The first lap saw some crazy action as Trulli caused a crash which took out both Sutil and Alonso. Though it was deemed a racing incident, Trulli nearly came to blows with Sutil and now faces a penalty for his conduct. Heikki Kovalainen was not only involved in some incidents on track but also McLaren failed to get the fuel rig out of his car which nearly cause a major calamity in the pits. Kimi’s car was nearly torched and the race turned out to be highly unlucky for the Finnish driver who actually had a chance for a win but a bump with Webber at the first lap ruled out any chance of a win and he managed to salvage a 6th place finish.
Lewis Hamilton and McLaren after a disastrous qualifying drove one of his best races and he managed to put the ghosts of his previous Brazilian GP behind him and managed to finish 3rd. Though the season is lost for the team, they still would want to finish ahead of Ferrari in both the driver’s and constructor’s championship. Kubica came 2nd and though his car was nowhere near the pace of Red Bulls or McLarens, backed by solid strategy and very consistent driving, he showed that he is one of the most talented guys on the grid and with a good car; we can expect lot more from him.
Toro Rosso finally scored points with Sébastien Buemi coming in 7th. The last time he scored points was during the Chinese GP while STR after Monaco is scoring some points. It was good to see the team score points and do well as their back of the grid rivals Force India have just taken off and been way quicker than the Italian based team.
Kamui Kobayashi after making his F1 debut and with just one race behind him may already be the rookie of the year as it was an amazing debut for the Japanese driver as not only did he go wheel to wheel with the likes of Button but also showed no nervousness as he clearly deserves a Toyota drive for the next season and he did deserve to finish in points during the race. Kobayashi is easily the best Japanese driver currently in F1 and after Sato is the best talent to come off Japan.
It was an amazing Brazilian GP and yet again a new champion was crowned in Interlagos. It was also good to see Massa back in the pits and hopefully during the 2010 Brazilian GP, he will be fighting for the championship once again. Brawn and Button will have a major party of the Abu Dhabi GP while both Barrichello and Vettel were worthy challengers for the crown.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Brazilian GP Preview: Will Vettel and Barrichello do the Brazilian Job?
Sebastian Vettel going into the Brazilian GP looks like the only man who stands between Button and the World Championship but don’t discount Barrichello who despite his very poor record at Interlagos, can still snatch the title at the last minute from his teammate Button. Rain is also predicted and if anything goes by, then looking at last year’s race, well even with some bit of rain can turn a race topsy turvy. If it does rain, it could be another race where Vettel will expect to dominate while rivals Button and Barrichello will be dreading the rain.
Jenson Button will be keep to seal the title in Brazil as Abu Dhabi is a brand new track and anything can happen while Vettel who does not have any new engines will be giving his best and among the 3 drivers still in contention for the title, he is the one with nothing to lose and if can pull a Kimi and managed to snatch the title, he will the youngest world champion in the history of the sport. Brawn needs to back one driver and if they continue to back both the drivers and if it becomes too close heading to Abu Dhabi, things may just turn ugly.
Ferrari has stopped their focus on the 2009 car and with Alonso joining Massa, Kimi would like to end his Ferrari career on a high while FIsi though has signed on as a test driver for the 2010 season, he may actually race for a Ferrari powered team which will be Sauber if they manage to make it to the grid. We do not know where Kimi is heading next season but we do know that Ferrari will begin a rejuvenated campaign for the next season with Alonso and Massa forming one of the strongest driver’s line-up in recent times.
McLaren has been strong and though the team is not in contention for any championships, both Hamilton and McLaren would like to finish ahead of Ferrari. Heikki Kovalainen may still find a chance in McLaren if he manages some phenomenal drive for the last 2 races of the season. It is very interested to see who will partner Hamilton for the next season and McLaren does have some very good options.
Toyota managed to finish on the podium for the last 2 races and the team may not have signed a big name yet but another strong performance in Brazil could help the team in landing a big name for the 2010 season. Though the team has not categorically ruled out Trulli and Glock but with Glock ruled out for the race, Trulli will be leading the Toyota charge with rookie Kamui Kobayashi, who will be making his F1 debut.
Williams seem to have recovered and now after ending their relationship with Toyota may have an all new driver’s line-up with Rosberg most likely moving to Brawn while Nakajima who managed to have a seat in Williams thanks to Toyota. The best bet for Williams to score points will be from Rosberg once again while BMW a team which may not be on the grid for the next season will be hoping once again to score some points. Though BMW will be leaving the sport, Sauber with a Ferrari engine should make it to the gird for 2010.
Force India after the highs of Spa and Monza have failed to live up to expectations will be hoping to finish the season on a high while STR after some early season points seem to finally have a car which can get them some points provided their rookie drivers get it for them.
The last 2 seasons have seen heart breaking and pulsating races and all signs point to another nervy and edgy Brazilian GP.
Brazilian GP Top 8 Predictions:
1. Sebastien Vettel
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Mark Webber
4. Jarno Trulli
5. Kimi Raikkonen
6. Jenson Button
7. Rubens Barrichello
8. Adrian Sutil
Jenson Button will be keep to seal the title in Brazil as Abu Dhabi is a brand new track and anything can happen while Vettel who does not have any new engines will be giving his best and among the 3 drivers still in contention for the title, he is the one with nothing to lose and if can pull a Kimi and managed to snatch the title, he will the youngest world champion in the history of the sport. Brawn needs to back one driver and if they continue to back both the drivers and if it becomes too close heading to Abu Dhabi, things may just turn ugly.
Ferrari has stopped their focus on the 2009 car and with Alonso joining Massa, Kimi would like to end his Ferrari career on a high while FIsi though has signed on as a test driver for the 2010 season, he may actually race for a Ferrari powered team which will be Sauber if they manage to make it to the grid. We do not know where Kimi is heading next season but we do know that Ferrari will begin a rejuvenated campaign for the next season with Alonso and Massa forming one of the strongest driver’s line-up in recent times.
McLaren has been strong and though the team is not in contention for any championships, both Hamilton and McLaren would like to finish ahead of Ferrari. Heikki Kovalainen may still find a chance in McLaren if he manages some phenomenal drive for the last 2 races of the season. It is very interested to see who will partner Hamilton for the next season and McLaren does have some very good options.
Toyota managed to finish on the podium for the last 2 races and the team may not have signed a big name yet but another strong performance in Brazil could help the team in landing a big name for the 2010 season. Though the team has not categorically ruled out Trulli and Glock but with Glock ruled out for the race, Trulli will be leading the Toyota charge with rookie Kamui Kobayashi, who will be making his F1 debut.
Williams seem to have recovered and now after ending their relationship with Toyota may have an all new driver’s line-up with Rosberg most likely moving to Brawn while Nakajima who managed to have a seat in Williams thanks to Toyota. The best bet for Williams to score points will be from Rosberg once again while BMW a team which may not be on the grid for the next season will be hoping once again to score some points. Though BMW will be leaving the sport, Sauber with a Ferrari engine should make it to the gird for 2010.
Force India after the highs of Spa and Monza have failed to live up to expectations will be hoping to finish the season on a high while STR after some early season points seem to finally have a car which can get them some points provided their rookie drivers get it for them.
The last 2 seasons have seen heart breaking and pulsating races and all signs point to another nervy and edgy Brazilian GP.
Brazilian GP Top 8 Predictions:
1. Sebastien Vettel
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Mark Webber
4. Jarno Trulli
5. Kimi Raikkonen
6. Jenson Button
7. Rubens Barrichello
8. Adrian Sutil
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