Formula One 2009

[Adam]

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 :/

How can they stop him leaving the pit lane? They quickly get across the pit lane to their technical area on the wall and radio to Alonso not to leave the pit lane as they've fucked it up. It appears they did not instruct Alonso to stop once they had realised the failure on the wheel, and decided to try and get him back round to the pits to get a tyre change (which he did do, but after the wheel had come off causing untold amounts of danger). They should have instructed him to pull off the circuit immediately, and they didn't. Alonso thought he had a puncture, which is exactly what Martin Brundle said the moment he noticed the wheel problem. He said 'he will think he's got a puncture' and apparently he did indeed radio in after the first couple of turns saying he thought he had a puncture. There's no two ways of looking at this decision, it is a fair one.

[erperro]

If you look back in time, the same thing happened to Alonso in Hungaroring in 2006.

[Katsuya]

The news coming through at the moment is that Massa can move his limbs, but can't speak right now and has "damage" to his left eye...let's hope that it's nothing too serious, and especially nothing that puts his future racing career in jeopardy...

ETA: This, of course, puts the Ferrari race seat up for grabs. The obvious answer would be to put Luca Badoer or Marc Gene in the seat. The dream answer would be to put Michael Schumacher in the seat. The possible answer would be that Fernando Alonso is going to be driving a Ferrari car around Valencia in a month...

Edited July 27, 2009 by Katsuya

[Rich]

On the Massa front here is a post accident picture if people havent seen it. You can clearly see the detached visor and the damage to the helemt caused by the gouging effect of the spring. You can also see that his left eye was closed up very quicky in the region where the front of skull fracture is likely to have occured. In summary: OUCH.

[Adam]

Yeah I saw tht picture in the paper on sunday, pretty nasty.

They're talking about Schumacher returning to replace him, I wouldn't want to see that. Teams have these reserve drivers, the seat should go to Gene or Badoer.

[GA!]

They're talking about Schumacher returning to replace him, I wouldn't want to see that. Teams have these reserve drivers, the seat should go to Gene or Badoer.

Balls to that, it would be amazing to see Michael Schumacher return for a few races. It's not as if it'll damage his legacy, he is statistically the greatest driver of all time, and he'll be more effective than either of the test drivers despite his age. Plus I loved his occasional heel turns.

[Katsuya]

Niki Lauda was saying that Schumacher is the only way for Ferrari to go: he said that Gene and Badoer haven't raced in forever, and even when they did they were shit (true), and Bourdais "can drive. I can drive."

Personally, I'd love to see Lauda vs. Hamilton >_>...but really: there is a very realistic chance right now that we'll see Schumacher vs. Hamilton and Schumacher vs. Vettel. That alone = awesomeness.

[stokeriño]

I hope that Schumacher takes up the spot. And I hope that he automatically replaces Massa in my Fantasy F1 team.

[Adam]

I don't give a toss about his legacy, he could come back permanently to drive for Force India and it wouldn't damage it, the guy is the most successful F1 driver of all time.

However, I have never liked Michael Schumacher, and he got a neck injury in a motorbike crash earlier this year. Plus he's 40 years old. His time has passed, and he probably isn't fit enough to race for half a season in an F1 car anyway. I know Gene and Badoer haven't raced in 'forever' (three years I think for Gene? Not that long) but both men have been in the F1 cars of Ferrari for years now, testing. Plus, teams employ reserve drivers for exactly this reason, to step in when one of the main drivers for the team is forced out of action or sacked.

Plus, if he came back, the entire focus of everyone would just be 'oh my god, it's Michael Schumacher. How will he fare now he's back? Lets talk about him all day!', and I don't wanna see that, I wanna see them talking about Button, Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Alonso...the guys that are here now and will be here next year, the guys that are fighting for the F1 title.

Edited July 28, 2009 by AdamDRFC

[maninblack]

I don't give a toss about his legacy, he could come back permanently to drive for Force India and it wouldn't damage it, the guy is the most successful F1 driver of all time.

However, I have never liked Michael Schumacher, and he got a neck injury in a motorbike crash earlier this year. Plus he's 40 years old. His time has passed, and he probably isn't fit enough to race for half a season in an F1 car anyway. I know Gene and Badoer haven't raced in 'forever' (three years I think for Gene? Not that long) but both men have been in the F1 cars of Ferrari for years now, testing. Plus, teams employ reserve drivers for exactly this reason, to step in when one of the main drivers for the team is forced out of action or sacked.

Plus, if he came back, the entire focus of everyone would just be 'oh my god, it's Michael Schumacher. How will he fare now he's back? Lets talk about him all day!', and I don't wanna see that, I wanna see them talking about Button, Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Alonso...the guys that are here now and will be here next year, the guys that are fighting for the F1 title.

My inner fan would really like to see Schumi back, winning races and scoring podiums for the remainder of the season.

But regardless of how much Ferrari would want to downplay it, if they go ahead and convince Schumi to take over Massa's seat, it is going to be overhyped, with Schumacher likely not being able to live up to expectations of winning at least one race or scoring a podium finish.

And even though his legacy as (arguably) F1's greatest driver is secure, people are still going to talk about "how he shouldn't have come back" because he can't deliver at the same level as he's used to. I don't really want that happening to him; it'll be like watching Michael Jordan's final season, doing his best but just not being able to match the play of his younger opponents.

I'm conflicted. Good for Ferrari for being willing to go to a proven commodity to try and salvage their season, but Schumacher would likely be hailed as a has-been if he can't score a podium, let alone win a GP.

EDIT: Whoa, speculation that BMW may leave Formula 1 after this season.

EDIT 2: BMW have made it official.

BMW has announced it is to quit Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season, as AUTOSPORT predicted last night.

The news was confirmed at a press conference in Munich this morning, and comes on the back of a disappointing campaign for the outfit.

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the BMW board, said: "Of course this was a difficult decsion for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realingment."

BMW will continue its other motorsport activities outside of F1.

Nelson Piquet, Jr. will likely be future-endeavored before the next race, after saying Briatore "doesn't understand s*** about F1".

A war of words between Renault boss Flavio Briatore and Nelson Piquet has increased speculation that the Brazilian driver is unlikely to finish the season with the team.

Piquet admitted ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix that his place at the team was in doubt, with rumours having already suggested he could have been absent from the Hungaroring race, where the Brazilian qualified in 15th and finished in 12th.

Speaking to Autosprint magazine, Briatore said he expected more from Piquet and was critical of the driver for "opening the book of excuses" for his lack of results.

"I've always been fair with my drivers," Briatore was quoted as saying by Autosprint. "I expected more from Piquet because this is his second year with a full-time drive. He's done less testing compared to Alonso, but Webber as well tested less than Vettel because of his broken leg, but look where he is now.

"When a driver lacks results, he opens the book of excuses and begins: the fault is the weather's, a spectator's sunglasses, a spin on the straight, this and that...

"It's not true that there's a technical difference of seven tenths between Alonso's and Piquet's car. If that was true, we'd have a car capable of winning the title, and that unfortunately isn't the case. The technical difference has always been minimal and never longer than one race."

Piquet, who is yet to score a point this season, was critical of his team boss, saying he only thinks about money.

The Brazilian driver claimed Briatore, who left Sunday's race before it was over after Fernando Alonso had retired, has no respect for him.

"Flavio is a business man, but he doesn't understand s*** about F1," Piquet was quoted as saying by the Italian magazine. "He's my manager, but in his role of team boss he doesn't respect me.

"He only thinks about money, at how much money he can pocket in everything he's involved, he's a man with no friends. Every day everyone asks me what's going on, so why should I always keep quiet?

"Webber has been in F1 since 2001, he started in a different era, when testing wasn't limited. He's probably done more than 20,000 kms in testing, so it's not a fair comparison. Now the situation is more difficult for a driver with little experience.

"And besides that, I have to fight against Briatore and Alonso himself, who is a fantastic driver. When I wasn't competitive in qualifying, I was the first to own up to it. But if Briatore doesn't understand that, what can I do?"

Edited July 29, 2009 by maninblack

[Adam]

So, is the BMW pull-out gonna lead to one of those other new teams coming in? The FIA were clear they'd have 13 teams regardless of whether that was 10 current teams and 3 new ones.

That's unless the BMW pull-out means Sauber will be staying? That would be awesome, I loved the old Sauber Petronas team, but I think BMW bought up Peter Sauber completely, didn't they?

[Adam]

Sorry to double post, but...

Schumacher makes shock F1 return

Michael Schumacher will make a shock return to Formula 1 to replace injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

The seven-time world champion, 40, retired at the end of 2006 but has agreed to drive at the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 23 August.

Schumacher will stand in for Massa, who fractured his skull at the Hungarian GP, for as long as he is sidelined.

The German, who is a Ferrari advisor, said: "For team loyalty reasons I can't ignore this unfortunate situation." "

His spokesman Sabine Kehm told the BBC on Tuesday that although Schumacher was not willing to make a full-time return to F1 he would not rule out standing in for Massa.

Now, the German racing legend has decided to come out of retirement and make a sensational return despite admitting: "It is true that the Formula 1 chapter has long been closed for me.

"The most important thing first: thank God, all news concerning Felipe is positive, and I wish him all the best again.

"This afternoon I met with team principal Stefano Domenicali and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe.

"As the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge."

The German racing legend has not driven an F1 car since April 2008 and now has just over three weeks to prepare himself for Valencia.

The ban on in-season testing means Schumacher will not be able to turn a wheel of the 2009 specification Ferrari before first practice on Friday 21 August.

However, the team have chosen Schumacher ahead of test drivers Marc Gene and Luca Badoer to drive for Ferrari whilst Massa continues to recuperate.

"Ferrari intends to entrust Michael Schumacher with Felipe Massa's car for as long as the Brazilian driver is not able to race," a statement said.

"Michael Schumacher has shown his willingness and in the next few days he will undergo a specific programme of preparation at the end of which it will be possible to confirm his participation in the championship starting with the European Grand Prix."

Schumacher will undergo an intensive training programme to determine whether he is fit enough to return to the rigours of F1 racing.

Since retiring the German has occasionally taken part in motorcycle events but in February he suffered neck and back injuries in a bike accident.

Those injuries could affect his ability to drive an F1 car which places huge pressures on the neck because of the varying G-forces.

Massa could be out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a fractured skull sustained when a spring from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn hit him on the helmet when he was travelling at more than 160mph during qualifying in Hungary on Saturday.

The Brazilian is due to leave intensive care and is making progress, though there is also concern about damage to his left eye.

Schumacher is close to Massa, who was his team-mate in his final season, and has taken a close interest in the Brazilian's career.

BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator David Croft believes Schumacher is coming back because of his close relationship with the Brazilian.

"I think he's coming back because it is to replace Felipe Massa, temporarily. He is very close to Felipe, they've had a great relationship over the years," Croft told 5 Live.

"I think it's his way of doing something to help Felipe, and doing something to help Ferrari at the same time, because if you look at the alternatives Ferrari had, they weren't really alternatives.

"Who else is there who could come into Ferrari and hit the ground running, who knows the car, who knows the team, who could give them a podium?

"The European Grand Prix, which was not one we were looking forward to at the start of this year, has now got a real spice to it.

"Lewis Hamilton against Michael Schumacher for the first time ever? Jenson Button up against Michael Schumacher? How will Kimi Raikkonen respond? It's going to be fascinating."

I don't like this at all, but if the BBC do something other than focus entirely on Schumacher for the Valencia race weekend I might be able to tolerate it. People are already being stupid by saying they hope he realises he still loves it and comes back to win the title next year. That would be absolutely shite.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Unfortunately I get the feeling that if he became apart of the F1 Ferrari team for a prolonged period of time we'll see another horrific crash sometime soon.

It may seem like a brilliant decision for the casual fan, but for a sport relying on lightning fast reflexes he'll either do badly all round, be inconsistent, or endanger every single car on the track.

[Adam]

Unfortunately I get the feeling that if he became apart of the F1 Ferrari team for a prolonged period of time we'll see another horrific crash sometime soon.

It may seem like a brilliant decision for the casual fan, but for a sport relying on lightning fast reflexes he'll either do badly all round, be inconsistent, or endanger every single car on the track.

I'm sure if you talk to Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, they'll tell you he was already good at that when he had lightning-fast reflexes.

[hugobomb]

Unfortunately I get the feeling that if he became apart of the F1 Ferrari team for a prolonged period of time we'll see another horrific crash sometime soon.

It may seem like a brilliant decision for the casual fan, but for a sport relying on lightning fast reflexes he'll either do badly all round, be inconsistent, or endanger every single car on the track.

I'm sure if you talk to Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, they'll tell you he was already good at that because he had lightning-fast reflexes.

Fixed . And his unrivaled ability to stop in the middle of a track just after getting pole to make sure nobody else could beat his time. Yes he only did it once but that's once more than anyone else.

[NotoriousGTT]

I cant believe the negitivity for the return of arguably the greatest driver F1 has ever known.

It honestly wouldn't surprise me to see him stick that motor in the top 5 and grab a podium in a fortnights time and make everyone eat their words.

[Adam]

He can win every race between now and the end of the season, I won't be eating my words. I've always hated him and I always will, and I wouldn't call him the greatest driver of all time. He's definitely up there for sure, and he is undoubtedly the most successful F1 driver of all time, but the best? You have to remember five of his world titles came whilst he drove for a Ferrari team that was streets ahead of the competition, except for McLaren and for one or two seasons Williams.

[METALMAN]

The Stig is returning to F1!

[Emperor DC]

Oh god, it's going to be his show now. This will be interesting in Valencia and turn annoying shortly thereafter. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of his.

[maninblack]

He can win every race between now and the end of the season, I won't be eating my words. I've always hated him and I always will, and I wouldn't call him the greatest driver of all time. He's definitely up there for sure, and he is undoubtedly the most successful F1 driver of all time, but the best? You have to remember five of his world titles came whilst he drove for a Ferrari team that was streets ahead of the competition, except for McLaren and for one or two seasons Williams.

If that's the argument, it's the fault of the other teams for not being able to actually provide competition to Ferrari.