Who Will Win the 2009 F1 Drivers Championship?
June 24, 2009
Last weekend we saw the Red Bull Racing team dominate the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone. Sebastian Vettel started on pole position and this time managed to convert that to a win. His teammate Mark Webber took second spot.
This was the second one-two result for the team in 2009. The 2009 F1 championship leader, Jenson Button could only manage sixth place at his home grand prix.
The win for Vettel was his second of the season after he won the Chinese grand prix. This sees him needed to win another four races to have a chance to match Button for race wins in 2009. This is provided Button does not win again.
Have Red Bull Racing worked themselves into a championship winning position? Will their cars continue the recent domination or will other teams come into their own. Time will tell.
Lets look at the championship situation. Button is out in front with six wins and he has a total of 64 points, Barrichello is on 41 without a race win, Vettel 39 with two wins, Webber 35.5, Trulli 21.5 and Massa 16.
With nine races left in the season you could only see one of the top four winning the championship. With Button so far out in front he would be the raging hot favourite. Vettel of course cannot be ruled out.
On a poll on Formula1.com fans were asked if Red Bull Racing should put all their efforts into getting the championship with Vettel. So far 54.9 per cent say yes. Webber would not be happy with this. He has been quite consistent over recent times but is yet to get his first career win.
If we assume Button does not have another win left in him but he does cruise with third places results then Vettel needs about seven wins to claim the championship. It is a tall order indeed.
It all remains to be seen if Vettel and the Red Bull Racing team continue to lead the pack, and will Button not get another win for the season.
Webber could still win the championship if he hits a purple patch and gets seven or so wins, but how likely is that to happen?
I can’t wait for the next five or so races to see how it all pans out. The next Formula One GP takes place on 12 July in Germany.
Button Does it Again in Turkish F1
June 7, 2009
At the Turkish f1 grand prix it was Sebastian Vettel starting on pole position. Unlike Rubens Barrichello he made a good start to the race and was given a clear track to work with early in the race. Jenson Button also started well as he chased his sixth GP win from seven starts. Barrichello dropped from third to 13th early in the race.
Button before the end of the first lap had taken the lead after a mistake from Vettel as he went wide on turn nine. After taking the lead Button went on to set the fastest lap as he pulled away from his main rival in the race. Early in the race it was Button, Vettel, Webber, Trulli and Rosberg in the top five positions.
Fast forward to ten laps into the race and there was no change at the front. Button was out to over a four second lead from Vettel. Barrichello was now even further back in the field after he lost control of his Brawn GP car. Was Button going to cruise from here and claim another win in a remarkable season so far for the Brit?
After the first pit stops it seemed that Vettel was going for a three stop strategy and would be running on the soft tyres for a short stint, while Button took on more fuel and would need a longer run on the soft tyres. Mark Webber who lead the race for a short period before pitting was unfortunate to come out just behind Robert Kubica after pitting to be in P4.
With Vettel running light for a period while Button had a heavier fuel load the Red Bull driver closed in on Button. He was not however able to get past before going into the pits for his second stop. After this Webber held second but now it was daylight between first and second. Button was close to 20 seconds out in front.
Later in the race Vettel again closed in on Button but did not get much better than seven or so seconds to within Button. After having to have an extra pit stop Vettlel saw his teammate go into second spot. That is how the race ended. Button wins again!!
The story of the day was the error by Vettel on the first lap which allowed Button to take the lead. How it would have been if not for that moment we will never know.
Button has of course now won six of seven grand prix races in his Brawn GP car. After last race I asked has Button already got the championship in the bag. It is even more likely that he is the champion. Of course anything can still happen but it is looking good for the Brit.
In the after race interview Button said his car was the best it has felt all year. Webber was happy to get a equal career best second place. Vettel admitted it was his mistake at turn 9 and 10 on the opening lap. He said the mistake did not make a difference as Button was too quick on the day anyway.
The full list of results is below. The next F1 GP will come in two weeks as Button gets to perform in front of his home fans at the British Grand Prix.
Jenson Button
Mark Webber
Sebastian Vettel
Jarno Trulli
Nico Rosberg
Felipe Massa
Robert Kubica
Timo Glock
Kimi Raikkonen
Fernando Alonso
Nick Heidfeld
Kazuki Nakajima
Lewis Hamilton
Heikki Kovalainen
Sebastien Buemi
Nelson Piquet Jr.
Adrian Sutil
Sebastien Bourdais
Rubens Barrichello
Giancarlo Fisichella
Button Wins F1 Championship?
May 24, 2009
Jenson Button has made the most of pole position at the Monaco F1 grand prix and has converted it into another race win. Button has now won five out of the first six races.
Has Button now done enough to claim the 2009 drivers championship? Even with 11 gps still to race it is hard to see another driver winning six races to get past Button in the drivers championship, so based on that I think you can hand out the title now.
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
Getting back to the race at Monaco we saw Rubens Barrichello complete the 1-2 for Brawn GP. He did this after getting a great start and going past Kimi Raikkonen early in the race. Kimi managed to grab a podium position for the first time this season for Ferrari as he crossed the finish line in third position. Felipe Massa made it a good day for Ferrari by taking P4.
Red Bull had a mixed day. Sebastian Vettel after starting the race in fourth position crashed out on lap 15. Mark Webber was able to move himself from eigth on the grid to grab P5. He was pushing the Ferrari’s by the end of the race but was not able to squeeze past to improve his position.
Lewis Hamilton the 2008 F1 champion had another poor finish and ended the race in P12 although when you look at the fact that he started from 20th position on the grid then perhaps it was a good drive after all.
The drivers championship now sees Button on top with 51 points, Barrichello is second with 35, Vettel third with 23 and his teammate Mark Webber is in fourth position with 19.5 points.
The next race sees the teams travel to Istanbul for the Turkish F1 grand prix on June 5-7.
Three Wins From Four F1 GPs For Button
April 27, 2009
Jenson Button continued the amazing run for the Brawn GP team. He used a great first lap to get into a position to win in Bahrain. He got past his biggest threat in Sebastian Vettel on the outside at turn one. This was the key moment in the race.
Lewis Hamilton helped Button get away early in the race as he slowed Vettel. The Red Bull driver managed to fight his way into second place. Jarno Trulli was dissapointed that he could not convert his pole position into a win but would still have to be happy to take third.
Hamilton took fourth place. He said the Brawn GP car and the Red Bull car were just too fast in the high-speed corners. He was happy the team had made some progress but says there is still some ground to gain before he can challenge for even a podium spot.
Button’s team-mate Rubens Barrichello was in 5th. He said he lost a lot of time behind Piquet after his first pit stop and that pretty much ruined his race.
Kimi Raikkonen got the first points for the season for Ferrari after he took 6th position. He said “in theory, the new package we will have in Barcelona should see us make a good step forward.
Timo Glock took seventh spot and Fernando Alonso took the last of the points in eighth.
Mark Webber did well early on to move up several positions from 18th but then he was held up behind a car with KERS and that was the end of things for him. He completed the race in 11th.
The results from the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix sees Brawn GP leading the constructors championship. They are way out in front on 50, RBR are second with 27.5 and Toyota third with 26.5.
The next F1 GP will take place on May 10 at the Barcelona track.
Red Bull go 1-2 in Chinese F1 GP
April 19, 2009
It was another wet day in Formula One. This time at least the drivers were able to go the distance.
With rain falling at the start we saw the safety car lead out the field. This probably did Mark Webber a favour as so often he manages to get tangled up on the first corner.
The safety car went in at the end of lap 8 and the race was on. Vettel made the most of the clear track and pulled away from Webber, Barrichello, Button, Trulli and Raikkonen.
Vettel managed to keep up the pace and drove a perfect wet weather race to take the chequered flag. Much to my delight and that of Red Bull Mark Webber was able to complete a 1-2 for Red Bull as they took out their first ever F1 grand prix.
Championship leader Jenson Button crossed the line in third position to stay at the front of the drivers championship. Remember it is race wins that decide the champion.
Barrichello took fourth position to make it a fairly good day for Brawn GP.
Sutil must be bitterly disappointed as he crashed out on lap 51 when he was on target to collect some points for the first time ever for Team India. He just appeared to lose control in the wet and crashed heavily into a tyre barrier.
Last years champion Lewis Hamilton was in position six.
Ferrari had another day to forget as Massa failed to complete the race and Raikkonen could only take P10.
A great win for Red Bull. As you would expect Vettel was beaming at the after race interview.
The next F1 grand prix takes place on April 26 in Bahrain. Hopefully the rain in the name will be all that we see.
Button Swims to Back-to-Back F1 Wins
April 6, 2009
Jensen Button surprised all in the Formula One world with his win at the Australian Grand Prix. He showed this was no fluke by backing up and winning the Malaysian Grand Prix in extreme conditions in Kuala Lumpur.
Button only picked up half points for his win as the race could not go the distance after heavy rain swept across the track to stop the cars early. The red flag was shown after 31 laps. It was only the fifth time in Formula One history that half points were awarded.
Button had got off to a poor start dropping to fourth position after a sluggish response once the lights went off. Nico Rosberg made the most of Button’s poor start and raced off in first place. In the early laps you could see the dark clouds rolling in.
As was expected the rain hit the track and fell so hard it was not possible to continue the race. At the time the rain came Button had fought his way back to the front. Out came the safety car and that was the end of the racing.
So Button was first, second place for BMW’s Nick Heidfeld and third place to Toyota’s Timo Glock.
Malaysian F1 GP - Button Takes Pole Again
April 5, 2009
Jensen Button the winner of the opening F1 grand prix in Australia has once again claimed pole position, this time for the Malaysian GP.
The Brawn GP driver set the best time of 1 minute, 35.181 in the final qualifying period. Jarno Trulli was second and Sebastian Vettel in third. Unfortunately for the Red Bull driver he is dropped 10 positions thanks to a penalty handed out by the stewards for his accident late in the Australian GP.
Felipe Massa was the big surprise of the day as he did not even make it past the first qualifying session. He will start from P16 on the grid. Massa and the Ferrari team had egg on their face as they misjudged the pace of the track late in the first session. Massa’s team thought he had a time good enough to move on and kept him in the pits. Massa was fuming as he saw driver after driver move past him.
With penalties handed out to Vettel and Rubens Barrichello (5 positions - gearbox change), Timo Glock will start the Malaysian Formula One GP from third spot, his best ever starting position.
The 2008 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton will look to put the Australian GP debacle behind him as he starts from P12.
The race is set to start at 5.00pm local time. It will be interesting to see if the rain hits the race. Vettel said he is hoping the rain will come as he performs well in wet conditions.
Lewis Hamilton Excluded From Australian F1 GP Results
April 3, 2009
2008 F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has had his result scrubbed from the Australian GP run held last weekend. He was disqualified after a second stewards investigation into an incident between him and Jarno Trulli late in the race.
Hamilton had crossed the line in fourth place but was awarded third place after a 25-second time penalty was given to Trulli for passing the McLaren driver when the safety car was on track.
In the later stages of the race Hamilton had let Trulli pass him as there was confusion over if he was able to go past Trulli around the time of the safety car.
An inquiry was held into the incident, this was then followed up with a second inquiry after new evidence came to light. In the end the stewards said McLaren had mislead them and for that Hamilton was disqualified. Trulli was then elevated to third place.
The grand prix crowd is currently in Malaysia for the second round of the Formula One season which will take place on Sunday.
Jenson Button Wins First F1 GP in 2009
March 29, 2009
Brawn GP was not a name on F1 fans minds a few months ago. In fact they did not even exist. The Honda team decided to pull out of F1 and team Brawn GP was born. Richard Branson got behind the team and now the rest is history.
Jenson Button not long ago thought he was out of a job as a F1 driver, now he is the winner of the first grand prix in 2009 as he took the win after starting from pole. It is really a fairytale beginning for Button and the Brawn GP team as not only did Button win but Rubens Barrichello crossed the line in second to give the team a one-two result.
The Melbourne Grand Prix got off to a dramatic start as several cars tangled on the first corner just after the start. Jenson Button was off to a perfect start as he cleared out to around a four second lead.
Sebastian Vettel was pushing Button for most of the race but an error late in the race saw him have contact with Robert Kubica to ruin a good race for both.
The race ended with the safety car leading the field home. Button’s win was his second grand prix win.
Ferrari had a shocker with both cars out of the points, 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton took fourth place.
What a great start for the 2009 F1 season. The win by Brawn GP was the first time a new team had won on debut since the 50’s.
The Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia;
58 laps; 307.574km;
Weather: Sunny.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button Brawn GP (B) 1h34:15.784
2. Barrichello Brawn GP (B) + 0.807
3. Trulli Toyota (B) + 1.604
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 2.914
5. Glock Toyota (B) + 4.435
6. Alonso Renault (B) + 4.879
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 5.722
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 6.004
9. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 6.298
10. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) + 6.335
11. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 7.085
12. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 7.374
13. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
14. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) + 2 laps
15. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 3 laps
16. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 3 laps
Fastest lap: Rosberg, 1:27.706
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Massa Ferrari (B) 46
Piquet Renault (B) 25
Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 18
Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1
F1 Champion To Be Decided By Wins in 2009
March 29, 2009
In a dramatic change from the past the F1 drivers champion will be decided by the number of race wins in a season.
Points will still be awarded at the end of each race. The points will be used to order the drivers however the champion will be the driver to collect the most wins throughout the 2009 F1 season. The current 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system will stay in place.
If there is a tie for the number of wins then the points come into play.
What do you think of the change to how the Formula One champion will be decided. Leave a comment below.
