Formula One 2009

[stokeriño]

Nevermind the points.. what about this whole new race wins thing?

Does this count as a win for Button or is it half a win ?

They delayed the implementation of the 'most race wins' system until next season, so it doesn't matter.

[Lineker]

That was so confusing but oh so, so good.

[GA!]

I hope this means the Australian and Malaysian GP's are put back to their original times. There's no point in accommodating to the European audiences when the actual racing is nigh-on impossible. I imagine it's quite embarrassing for Formula 1 that they couldn't get past 75% distance for the first time since Australia 1991, considering today's issue could've been easily avoided.

And yes, it would be lovely if Button could win normally once this season.

[maninblack]

It's the first time I've seen a race stopped due to bad weather.

Pretty entertaining, but a friend of mine went to Sepang to watch the race with her boyfriend. She must be right miffed having the race turn out like it did.

[GA!]

For those interested, here is the last time a race was abandoned before 75% of the race was completed. It also holds the record for the shortest race ever.

1991 Australian Grand Prix.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

It's true more than ever now that I completely hate Button. Cant stand him and cant stand the complete nonsense of people acting like he's now some racing god, which he's almost the opposite of.

[hugobomb]

I think it's more people not liking Hamiliton who finally have another British driver winning. Says the man who supports Vettel.

[Farmer Reil]

And yes, it would be lovely if Button could win normally once this season.

He says, after the second race.

[hugobomb]

McLaren will appear before Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, on 29 April to answer charges relating to a breach of the International Sporting Code.

McLaren were found guilty of misleading race stewards following the Australian Grand Prix, which led to Lewis Hamilton being disqualified from the race.

Hamilton was awarded third place before being stripped of his points.

The FIA will hold the extraordinary meeting in Paris where McLaren will be expected to be present.

"McLaren acknowledge receipt of an invitation to appear at an FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on April 29, received this (Tuesday) afternoon," said a McLaren statement.

"We undertake to co-operate fully with all WMSC processes, and welcome the opportunity to work with the FIA in the best interests of Formula 1.

The FIA said McLaren knew it was lying when it told race officials that it had not given Hamilton instructions to let Toyota's Jarno Trulli overtake while the pair were behind the safety car.

We've got to learn from it and we've got to be better in future

Martin Whitmarsh

McLaren team principal

The FIA also claimed that McLaren had made no attempt to rectify its evidence under scrutiny.

The World Council is the body which disqualified McLaren from the constructors' championship and fined them $100m (£67m) for their role in a spy scandal involving Ferrari in 2007.

There is no limit to the action it could take in this instance if it deemed it serious enough.

Hamilton, who issued an emotional public apology after the incident, is expected to escape further censure.

The world champion has said he was ordered to give misleading evidence by sporting director Dave Ryan, who was with him at the hearings.

Row has damaged Hamilton - Brundle

Ryan, who has worked for McLaren for 35 years, has now been sacked.

The two were found guilty of "providing evidence deliberately misleading to the stewards".

Hamilton finished fourth behind Trulli's Toyota, who McLaren accused of breaking F1 rules by overtaking while the field was under the control of the safety car.

Officials initially gave Trulli a 25-second penalty, promoting Hamilton to third after Hamilton and Ryan gave evidence he had not deliberately let the Italian through, and he had not been asked by the team to do so.

But McLaren's radio communication contradicted this - and after reconvening in Malaysia at the end of last week, Hamilton was disqualified from the Australian race and Trulli reinstated to third place.

JONATHAN LEGARD BLOG

The world champion and McLaren boss Whitmarsh have now apologised for the deception - but the damage has been done, with no prospect of repair

Jonathan Legard

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh, whose own job is under scrutiny, has admitted the team made serious errors in their handling of the situation.

He took over from Ron Dennis as team principal only on 1 March and has admitted he did consider resigning at the end of last week.

"It wouldn't be true to say that it (resignation) wasn't (on my mind) because at a time like this, you think about what you got involved with the sport for, and it wasn't for this sort of thing," he said in Malaysia.

"It hasn't been a great experience for me and it wasn't what I started out 20 years ago to experience.

"In the longer term, I can contemplate my future. It's not self-determining.

"It's for the shareholders of this team to take a view and it's ultimately up to them to decide what's best for this team.

"I'm not resigning this weekend. We've made commitments to look at how we arrived at this situation.

"We've got to learn from it and we've got to be better in future."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

McLaren are to answer charges that:

- On 29 March, 2009, told the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix that no instructions were given to Hamilton to allow Jarno Trulli to pass when both cars were behind the safety car, knowing this statement to be untrue.

- Procured its driver, Hamilton to support and confirm this untrue statement to the stewards.

- Although knowing that as a direct result of its untrue statement to the stewards, another driver and a rival team had been unfairly penalised, made no attempt to rectify the situation either by contacting the FIA or otherwise.

- On 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix, (meeting in Malaysia) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past, and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement.

- On 2 April, 2009, at the second stewards' hearing, procured its driver Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the stewards on 29 March, while knowing what he was saying to the stewards was not true.

Looks like McClaren will get thrown out the Construtors race again, while Hamiliton will still be in Drivers title, so the same punishment they got for Spygate. Deserve it too lying bastards, I bet Trulli wanted to lamp Hamiliton after Australia

[Adam]

Hopefully they are rightfully chucked out of the Championship again, ridiculous actions. Hamilton should be chucked out too, he's surely as culpable as Dave Ryan and the whole team, he does have a mind of his own after all.

[Katsuya]

So, diffuser row is set to come to an end tomorrow, as the FIA decide whether or not the cars are legal. Out of sheer interest, here is what would the results would look like for the first two races if the six diffuser cars were thrown out...

AUSTRALIA

1 - Fernando Alonso, Renault

2 - Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso

3 - Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso

4 - Adrian Sutil, Force India

5 - Nick Heidfeld, BMW

6 - Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India

7 - Mark Webber, Red Bull

8 - Sebastien Vettel, Red Bull (by virtue of going round the extra lap with the broken wheel, he beats Kubica)

MALAYSIA

1 - Nick Heidfeld, BMW

2 - Mark Webber, Red Bull

3 - Lewis Hamilton, McLaren

4 - Felipe Massa, Ferrari

5 - Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso

6 - Fernando Alonso, Renault

7 - Nelson Piquet, Renault

8 - Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari

Which would leave the Drivers table looking like this:

1 - Fernando Alonso, 11.5 pts.

2 - Nick Heidfeld, 9 pts.

3 - Sebastien Bourdais, 8 pts.

4 - Sebastien Buemi, 8 pts.

5 - Mark Webber, 6 pts.

6 - Adrian Sutil, 6 pts.

7 - Giancarlo Fisichella, 3 pts.

8 - Lewis Hamilton, 3 pts.

...so...yes. I still doubt that they're going to throw the diffuser cars out or even find it illegal, but this season could get even more interesting/confusing if they do. Plus, Heidfeld would finally have won a race.

[hugobomb]

and the Toro Rosso's are suddenly leading the Construtor's Championship! (I think, didn't bother doing the math)

[Jayzon]

And so the diffuser debate is over, with FIA declaring that the diffusers used by Brawn, Toyota and Williams, are legal.

[hugobomb]

*Ahem*

VETTEL ON POLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's is all

[Adam]

Amazing strategy from Sebastian Vettel, great qualifying session. Good to see Ferrari and McLaren doing relatively poorly again for their standards, and I'm surprised by BMW.

Fernando Alonso could be a massive contender for this race, and right now he's my tip to win from 2nd on the grid. It shows the difference between him and his teammate when he gets onto the front row and Piquet falls in the first session.

[maninblack]

Yay, a Shanghai GP with the safety car leading

Hopefully the weather improves.

EDIT: Piquet screws up again

Edited April 19, 2009 by maninblack

[Katsuya]

For a second I was ready to lead the invasion to Switzerland to get Buemi...but Vettel seems fine.

[Troy Maskell]

For a second I was ready to lead the invasion to Switzerland to get Buemi...but Vettel seems fine.

We in Australia would've considered it poetic justice since Vettel did it to Webber in Japan

[maninblack]

Ahhhh fuck! Sutil!

EDIT: But a well-deserved 1-2 for Red Bull!

Edited April 19, 2009 by maninblack

[Adam]

A brilliant win for Vettel after the perfect qualifying session, very happy for the Red Bull team this morning. Delighted for Webber too, his best ever finish. I'm sure he will be delighted despite being pipped to the post by his teammate. Vettel could be a legend in the making.

Gutted for Sutil, if he'd got on the board Ferrari would've been outright last in the championship. Well done to Buemi as well, he's made a great start to the season.