Formula One 2009

[Adam]

What a horrible weekend this has been. Felipe's crash was bad, and eerily similar to Senna's in 1994. Here's hoping he makes a full recovery. I doubt he'll be racing again for a while, would be ace to see Badoer in the seat as he is old as hell now and has been with Ferrari for nearly a decade I believe, probably longer if you discount that year he had with Minardi.

Hamilton would not have won this race if it weren't for incompetent pit stop crews. Alonso must be gutted, I didn't think he'd win but for his race to end like that was rubbish-the flying wheel a week after Surtees' death was scary to see for a moment as well. Webber as well was screwed a bit by the fuel nozzle problem. It would've been great for Kimi to win it for Massa, but ah well.

Disappointed to see Hamilton winning again but he did drive a very good race today, it's a tough circuit. Brawn have got to do something soon, they were lucky that Vettel had that bad start and then had a technical failure. Webber closed slightly on Button though-if he beats Vettel in Valencia I think he'll be given the team leader spot and title push from Red Bull for the rest of the season.

Alguersuari was crap, I think he's a bit too young tbh. His qualifying time was way down on everyone elses and his race was pretty mediocre too, but he finished ahead of Buemi at least. Piquet must be dropped now, he is poor. I cannot believe he and Nakajima still have race seats after 10 rounds of the championship.

And yeah, if Massa had died prior to the race it would have still gone ahead-remember that Senna died the day after Ratzenburger died in qualifying, and Barrichello was nearly killed as well.

Edited July 26, 2009 by AdamDRFC

[Sandars]

Renault have been suspended from the next Grand Prix in Valencia after a wheel from Fernando Alonso's car came loose at the Hungaroring on Sunday.

The pit crew failed to attach Alonso's right front wheel correctly and it bounced across the track.

Race stewards ruled that Renault released Alonso from a pit stop knowing the wheel was not properly secured and then failed to tell the driver.

Renault seem certain to appeal against the decision.

Should it stand, the ban would apply to the whole team and would deny Alonso the chance to race in front of his home fans at the European Grand Prix on 23 August.

Having started on pole, the Spanish double world champion was leading the Hungarian Grand Prix when he came in for his first stop on lap 11.

However, he was released before the right front wheel had been fully attached and it worked its way loose on turn nine, bouncing alarmingly across the track.

The stewards said Renault's pit crew "knowingly released car number seven from the pit stop position without one of the retaining devices for the wheel-nuts being securely in position, this being an indication that the wheel itself may not have been properly secured."

They also determined that "being aware of this, Renault failed to take any action to prevent the car from leaving the pit lane... and failed to inform the driver of this problem or to advise him to take appropriate action given the circumstances, even though the driver contacted the team by radio believing he had a puncture."

The incident came amid heightened concern about safety in motorsport.

A week ago, 18-year-old Formula Two driver Henry Surtees was killed when he was struck by a loose wheel during a race.

On Saturday, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by a part which came off Rubens Barrichello's car during qualifying at the Hungaroring.

[Adam]

Good, I hope that decision is upheld. My heart stopped when I saw that wheel come off of Alonso's car and bounce up in the air, thinking back to Surtees. Thankfully he was in a position where it just bounced off the track straight away, but it could have been different. I noticed in the slow-mo replay that it came off the car and then bounced up off the bit behind it on the car, it could have gone anywhere, seriously dangerous.

And that reminds me, did Raikkonen get a penalty for that starting-grid contact? They said they'd be investigating it after the race.

[IzzyX]

Anyone think Formula One is getting a little more dangerous? Some close fucking calls during the race.

[Katsuya]

Would explain why Flav was in such a hurry to get out of the place before the race was over. Probably thought he'd let everyone else deal with it. I think if anyone is to blame though, it's Alonso: if you're a driver, and you know that wheel is going to come off, you don't travel quicker than a snail's pace and you pull off the track if it seriously looks like it's going to fall off...which he seemed to do neither of.

Although...I don't know if a ban is fair. It seems a little bit extreme, and Vettel didn't get a penalty for driving an entire lap with a wheel hanging off in Melbourne. Besides, the exact same thing happened to them in Hungary in 2005 (which I pointed out to my dad when it happened) and all that happened then was that he slid off the track, so it was kind of just...a little bit more of an extreme kind of that. Also, if the penalty is for not telling Alonso that he's got a wheel missing...I'm pretty sure we should give Fernando the benefit of the doubt and think he might have noticed it himself. Any other race, it would have been a slap on the wrist, but because of Surtees and Massa, this is being hyped up a lot...

[Crybaby Bunting]

Am I the only one who thinks that he would be concentrating more on the actual track ahead of him and that he might have just assumed things were fit and proper?

I know that if he had a pang of uncertainty he'd have stopped the car, but he might have thought that he would make it to the next pit stop... it is a race after all ¬_¬

[erperro]

He said he noticed the wheel was f***** when he took the first turn. Alguersuari wasn't crap, this Friday was the first time he sat on an F1 car, and today just finished right before his partner.

[Rich]

What a horrible weekend this has been. Felipe's crash was bad, and eerily similar to Senna's in 1994. Here's hoping he makes a full recovery. I doubt he'll be racing again for a while, would be ace to see Badoer in the seat as he is old as hell now and has been with Ferrari for nearly a decade I believe, probably longer if you discount that year he had with Minardi.

Hamilton would not have won this race if it weren't for incompetent pit stop crews. Alonso must be gutted, I didn't think he'd win but for his race to end like that was rubbish-the flying wheel a week after Surtees' death was scary to see for a moment as well. Webber as well was screwed a bit by the fuel nozzle problem. It would've been great for Kimi to win it for Massa, but ah well.

Alguersuari was crap, I think he's a bit too young tbh. His qualifying time was way down on everyone elses and his race was pretty mediocre too, but he finished ahead of Buemi at least. Piquet must be dropped now, he is poor. I cannot believe he and Nakajima still have race seats after 10 rounds of the championship.

Massa's crash was not really that similar to Senna's, the impact to the head iss about the most similar thing about it but the rest of the inident wasn't that similar, Senna's accident was caused by either a lack of downforce due to the tiny gap between the car and the ground, it leveling and skidding of in to the wall. Or the steering column breaking and him therefore slamming in to the wall. The scariness of the inicdent however when Massa wasn't moving was reminiscent though. I would like to see Badoer get a chance though .

I still think Hamilton would have won regardless of pit stops, Webber's didn't really affect his poistion, even if it was perfect he wouldn't have finished above Hamilton, and Alonso's pace, or lack there of, when associated with his low fuel load would have likely have meant a podium would have been his best possible result. Today was all about Hamilton.

Alguesuari was excellent for his experience level and considering his car failure during qualifying, I agree with Nelson he hasn't done enough to deserve his drive, but Nakajima has been impressive at times, to day he was just a whisker away from points which is impressive in a field that includes 2 Brawns, 2 Red Bulls and the resurrgent Ferrari and Mclaren teams, not to mention Renault and Toyota, getting points this season its such a battle.

Anyone think Formula One is getting a little more dangerous? Some close fucking calls during the race.

I don't think it is getting more dangerous its just the isuue of safety safety seems to have stagnated as it tends to every few years, I think that F1 is very safe compared to 20 years ago and even safer than 10 years ago, but to keep it in the format of open wheel open cockpit single seater racing there is, unfortunately an element of risk to the racing, which makes it more exciting to an extent but the Massa incident is horrendous.

[Katsuya]

Alguersuari wasn't crap; he was about 5-6 seconds down on the car ahead of him for the first half of the race, so that's pretty good going for your first ever race. Plus, his qualifying time was like... .4 down on Kubica, a considerably more experienced driver who last year was racing for the title. So...yeah. Not all that bad for Jaime.

Oh, and Nakajima won't be leaving Williams any time soon this season, because he's the reason for the Toyota engine, me thinks. Plus, he's not *that* bad, he just always seems to have unfortunate pit stops that end up dropping him way down compared with everyone else - which cannot all be his fault.

[METALMAN]

Anyone think Formula One is getting a little more dangerous? Some close fucking calls during the race.

I don't think it is getting more dangerous its just the isuue of safety safety seems to have stagnated as it tends to every few years, I think that F1 is very safe compared to 20 years ago and even safer than 10 years ago, but to keep it in the format of open wheel open cockpit single seater racing there is, unfortunately an element of risk to the racing, which makes it more exciting to an extent but the Massa incident is horrendous.

Oh yeah most definitely. There's obviously an element of risk involved but that's nothing compared to a few years ago when deaths during races were relatively commonplace. I mean it's been some time since there has been a Jim Clark or an Ayrton Senna thankfully. In fact Senna was the last if I remember correctly, although Ralf Schumacher had a fairly close shave a couple of years ago I think.

[Rich]

Anyone think Formula One is getting a little more dangerous? Some close fucking calls during the race.

I don't think it is getting more dangerous its just the isuue of safety safety seems to have stagnated as it tends to every few years, I think that F1 is very safe compared to 20 years ago and even safer than 10 years ago, but to keep it in the format of open wheel open cockpit single seater racing there is, unfortunately an element of risk to the racing, which makes it more exciting to an extent but the Massa incident is horrendous.

Oh yeah most definitely. There's obviously an element of risk involved but that's nothing compared to a few years ago when deaths during races were relatively commonplace. I mean it's been some time since there has been a Jim Clark or an Ayrton Senna thankfully. In fact Senna was the last if I remember correctly, although Ralf Schumacher had a fairly close shave a couple of years ago I think.

You are right, Kubica had a close one in Canada in 2007 as well I think. I seem to remember being able to see his feet post accident as well

[Jayzon]

I believe that Formula 1 cars are now safer than ever, and Massa's accident was just a case of extremely bad luck.

Ralf Schumacher had fractures in two of his vertebrae, so that certainly was a close shave. But other than that, Massa's crash was the closest anyone has come to actually dying in a race since Imola '94.

[Adam]

On the Nakajima front, he has no points yet this season whilst his teammate is a consistent points scorer, proving that it isn't his car. He's had a fair few driver-error related retirements in his time in F1, and he even ran over a member of his pit crew on his debut. I don't dislike the man at all, but I don't think he deserves an F1 drive. He's slipped from points positions several times this season, and I don't think all of them can be put down to pit stop troubles, although once or twice that has been the case.

As for Alguersuari, I know it's his first race and all, but the fact he's been brought in to replace a sacked guy seems to suggest they think he'll do better than him, and he didn't show that this weekend. I think Bourdais was unfairly dropped as he is driving for one of the worst two teams on the grid and he did manage to score 4 points.

[Sam]

That ban on Renault is incredibly harsh, wheels come off in F1 it happens from time to time you can't just ban a team because of it. I understand why because of current circumstances but motorsport is a dangerous sport and the drivers know this, hopefully the appeal will be successful because it will be interesting to see where Renault really are at.

[TheArsenal]

It is not harsh at all. It's incredibly deserved.

From BBC.co.uk reporting the three things Renault did wrong.

The stewards said Renault's pit crew "knowingly released car number seven from the pit stop position without one of the retaining devices for the wheel-nuts being securely in position, this being an indication that the wheel itself may not have been properly secured."

They also determined that "being aware of this, Renault failed to take any action to prevent the car from leaving the pit lane... and failed to inform the driver of this problem or to advise him to take appropriate action given the circumstances, even though the driver contacted the team by radio believing he had a puncture."

The incident came amid heightened concern about safety in motorsport.

A week ago, 18-year-old Formula 2 driver Henry Surtees - the son of former F1 champion John Surtees - was killed when he was struck by a loose wheel during a race.

So a week ago, someone dies when they are hit by a loose wheel coming off in a race, and Renault KNOWINGLY send out a driver with a loose wheel, fail to stop him leaving the pit lane, and then fail to get him to stop or slow down or pull over when he radios in saying something is wrong with that tyre.

F1 is dangerous, but when your doing things that KNOWINGLY puts the lives of other drivers at risk then you deserve at least a one race suspension.

Edited July 26, 2009 by TheArsenal

[Adam]

Totally correct, the bottom line is that they knowingly endangered every single driver on that race track, including Alonso. The wheel could have come off at any time, it could have come off and bounced up behind the back of the car just as one of the other cars was coming round to pass Alonso, as he came out in 9th and subsequently dropped to the back. They were lucky that it came off, hit the front of his car and flew away into a wall on a grass trap.

[maninblack]

As for Alguersuari, I know it's his first race and all, but the fact he's been brought in to replace a sacked guy seems to suggest they think he'll do better than him, and he didn't show that this weekend. I think Bourdais was unfairly dropped as he is driving for one of the worst two teams on the grid and he did manage to score 4 points.

Perhaps it was unfair, but Bourdais didn't exactly prove his critics wrong, and recent public statements the team made regarding him weren't exactly supportive. If Toro Rosso weren't willing to publicly support the guy, it may have been a lousier situation for him behind the scenes. It was probably better for him to leave a bad situation.

Through no fault of his own, Alguersuari's got a lower bar to hurdle (i.e., Bournais' performance). He finished the race ahead of his partner on his first F1 GP, so he's gonna be considered a good pick. His performance will likely have some influence on Renault's decision on whether to keep Piquet, Jr.

Edited July 27, 2009 by maninblack

[Sam]

It's unfair because it's a mistake, I highly doubt Renault released him knowing that is wasn't on properly as they were in with a chance of scoring some points this weekend, pitstops are done so quickly that I'm surprised more mistakes don't occur in them. The lollipop man releases him and I doubt he knew that the tyre hadn't been put on properly. Also how exactly do you make a car not leave the pit lane? Once they're past your garage they can't exatcly do anything. The only criticism that can be made is they failed to tell Alonso the problem, it's all very harsh whilst understandable in the context of what has gone on it seems human error is now a punishable offence :/

[Rich]

As for Alguersuari, I know it's his first race and all, but the fact he's been brought in to replace a sacked guy seems to suggest they think he'll do better than him, and he didn't show that this weekend. I think Bourdais was unfairly dropped as he is driving for one of the worst two teams on the grid and he did manage to score 4 points.

Perhaps it was unfair, but Bourdais didn't exactly prove his critics wrong, and recent public statements the team made regarding him weren't exactly supportive. If Toro Rosso weren't willing to publicly support the guy, it may have been a lousier situation for him behind the scenes. It was probably better for him to leave a bad situation.

Through no fault of his own, Alguersuari's got a lower bar to hurdle (i.e., Bournais' performance). He finished the race ahead of his partner on his first F1 GP, so he's gonna be considered a good pick. His performance will likely have some influence on Renault's decision on whether to keep Piquet, Jr.

I mostly agree with you Bourdais had a season and a half to prove himself and as an ex-champcar champion expectations were higher than his less illustrious team mates who tended to be youngsters. In 2008 his team mate the young and inexperienced Sebastein Vettel constantly out performed him and won a race in the Torro Rosso last season. This year he hardly out shone Sebastein Buemi who himslef doesn't quite look like the prospect that Vettel did, Bourdais just hasn't lived up to expectations at all.

But to say that Torro Rosso's decision will affect Renault's over Piquet Jr is myopic at best. Over the entire 60 Season history of F1 racing teams have never had any qualms about switching drivwers when its needed, in fact 2008 was the first season where the set of drivers that started the first race were exactly the same all the way through the season, with the exception of Super Aguri who pulled out after their financial troubles. Also to suggest Flavio Briattore will be timid about his decision making is laughable, he is one of the most most, if the most bullish team principle in the paddock.

[Katsuya]

It should be pointed out that Bourdais' two points came from the clusterfuck of an Australian GP, and then finishing thirty seconds after everyone else in Monaco. So he didn't really set the world alight in that respect...

Also, Lewis' win looks hilarious in the standings table. So far, his season has gone:

DSQ - 7th - 6th - 4th - 9th - 12th - 13th - 16th - 18th - 1st

Oh, and also...Rosberg is doing an amazing job so far. Fifth place in the overall standings, and in the past five races he's gone 6th - 5th - 5th - 4th - 4th. Probably is part of the reason that this season is being so tough on Nakajima, too, because he's really just shining so much right now. The rumour is that he's going to BMW next season (which implies that Kubica or Heidfeld is going), and I just hope that the BMW is much better than it is this year, because if you give him a good car I'm sure he's going to be threatening for the title...