Formula One 2009

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

There will be stupid backlash from people who don't understand the sport against Cavendish and Wiggins soon anyway.

Probably David Millar as well (though the media aren't interested in him despite being in some awesome form these last couple of years).

YAY BRITAIN MAKES A TOUR DE FRANCE TEAM! WE'S SOOO GOOD ON THE TRACK THE TEAM'S GONNA WIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE AND BE THE BESTEST TEAM EVAAHHHHH!

Whaaaa? Cavendish, Wiggins and Millar aren't going to join Team GB Juggernaut?!?!?!?! They're unpatriotic scumbags!

Or perhaps that's because Millar's involved in the running of the Garmin team and is the happiest he's ever been...Garmin's manager won't sell Wiggins' contract because he's just coming into the form and ability of his life (and Wiggins is actually HAPPY at Garmin which is one of the best, and most well run teams in the Pro Peloton).....And Columbia have built a team around Cavendish to ensure him as many wins as possible as the most talented and exciting sprinter in the world.

The media won't be happy though because they want all the Brits in the same team so that it's easy to "get behind the lads". It's not like international football or rugby....These are squad teams like Champions League football. These guys are in the best teams to suit their skills, ability and style of riding. They shouldn't go to a British team which is made up mostly of younger guys who still need a few years of grooming before any real success.

Also I'd imagine that the GB Sky team won't be one of the main Tour teams and therefore signing for them will mean the possibility of missing out on many of the main events throughout the season.

Also, Cavendish is hardly a British media darling (he's too focussed and moody and not at all "plucky". If he loses he doesn't shrug his shoulders and smiles. He's angry and driven and frustrated.....He's awesome. Totally unlike how British sports stars tend to be)....

Also Wiggins isn't really very outspoken. He's a quiet lad. Cyclists tend to be because they're fully aware of the team working hard around them, and the fact that they train and ride for so many hours each day.

Anyway back to F1....Yay Jenson. Keep it together man. This won't go down as a "classic" season although it's been really entertaining and much more so than the parades of the recent past. But still a season win is a season win and Jenson's name in the history books will annoy some people so it'd be great.

[Vector]

Since there's been no mention of it on here yet, here's what was announced earlier today, in regards to deciding who, out of three teams in consideration, would take the remaining spot on the grid, following BMW Sauber's withdrawal a few months ago.

(Taken from BBC Formula 1 website - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8256295.stm, Source - FIA.com )

Lotus will return to F1 in 2010

Lotus are to return to Formula 1 next season for the first time since 1994.

The Malaysian-funded outfit have been awarded the final grid spot and join Campos GP, Manor and US F1 as one of four new teams for 2010.

The FIA has given current team BMW Sauber "14th place" for next season, meaning they are now first reserves.

However, motorsport's governing body says it will "consult urgently" with the 10 existing teams to expand the grid from 13 to 14 teams for 2010.

"The FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams," read an FIA statement released on Tuesday.

"It will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010."

The Lotus team will be initially based in Norfolk, though its future design, research and development, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia's Sepang International circuit.

In its new incarnation the team is a partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs.

It will be led by team principal Tony Fernandes, the founder of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, which owns the Air Asia airline.

Mike Gascoyne - who has 20 years experience in the sport after working with Jordan, Renault, Toyota, and most recently Force India - returns to F1 as the team's technical director.

"We are not just a small new team, we have the possibilities to be a very substantial team," Gascoyne told BBC Sport. "And the FIA recognise that, combined with the name and that we're also a team based outside Europe.

"When you look at the calendar now, the centre of F1 is changing. With all that's happening in the sport, this is a very good news story for F1.

"Next year will be a huge challenge… we will be releasing the car late, and that has reliability aspects. But we'll target being the best of the new cars on the grid and I would hope by mid-season we are challenging the bottom rung of the current teams. That's achievable."

Lotus has reached an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

"The team will announce its two drivers by October 31 2009. Currently six local and international drivers have been selected," said a statement from the Malaysian Government.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak added: "This is not only a dream, it is a reality. Malaysia is part of Formula 1 and we are determined to do our best to make our mark in this arena.

"I believe this is a meaningful development that will boost Malaysia's image."

Just three hours after the Lotus return was confirmed by the FIA on Tuesday, BMW Sauber revealed Swiss-based Qadbak Investments had agreed to buy its team.

The German car manufacturer, which took over Sauber in 2005, had said it would withdraw from F1 at the end of July, citing "current developments in motorsport" as the reason for their decision.

BMW was the second major manufacturer to announce it was leaving the sport after Honda's withdrawal eight months earlier.

But the FIA said it had received an "impressive application" from the team despite the uncertainties over its future ownership.

BMW Sauber's reserve slot means they can fill any vacancy that might occur between now and the start of the 2010 championship.

The organisation behind the new Lotus team have bought the rights to the name Team Lotus - which competed in F1 from 1958 through to 1994 - and have been awarded BMW's place, also pushing out Spanish outfit Epsilon Euskadi, following an intensive selection and due diligence process conducted by the FIA.

The team won seven constructors' crowns and six drivers' championships, including wins by Britons Jim Clark and Graham Hill, during their golden era in the 1960s and '70s.

Three-time world champion, the late Ayrton Senna, drove for Lotus for three seasons between 1985 and 1987 - although the team enjoyed limited success during that period.

Lotus withdrew from F1 in 1994 because of financial pressures but remains the fourth most successful constructor of all time.

I think it'll be interesting to see the Lotus name return to the grid (especially when I was hoping for it to be selected as one of the three new teams in the first place ), and we might see the Sauber team staying on for next year, depending on whether or not all existing teams give approval to allow the grid to be extended to 28 cars instead of 26.

Edited September 15, 2009 by Vector

[hugobomb]

Surely with next year's grid havnig 26/28 cars on it they'll have to have more points places. 8 paying positions for 20 cars is fine, but you can't having 18/20 getting bugger all. I'd say have 10 or 12 points places with 15 for first.

Edited September 15, 2009 by Hugobombski

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 would work.

[Adam]

Yeah I think that points system would work well, especially as I've always felt the winner should return to having more than a 2 point gain on 2nd place. Also happy that Lotus are back and the BMW team is essentially staying, shame it doesn't look like they're returning to the Sauber name, always liked that team.

[GA!]

26/28 cars on the grid will be a major clusterfuck. Should make for some interesting first laps of the race next season.

[Vector]

@AdamDRFC: From checking the BMW Sauber site (after reading news about it online), it makes mention of BMW wishing "Qadbak and the Sauber Team every success for the 2010 season and beyond", so you never know, the Sauber name might remain. But I guess we'll have to wait and see what name the team will definitely go under.

And I'm a bit mixed at the moment in regards to changing the points system, and I understand the reasoning for expanding it due to the grid increasing to 26/28, though I will agree that the winner should have more than a two point gain against a 2nd placed driver. I wouldn't be against the points system expanding to the top ten if need be, but I guess my only issue with changing it to accomodate the expanded grid is that I recall there was around a similar number of cars on the grid during the 80s and 90s, with no refuelling until '94 as well as points only for just the top 6 throughout it all. To those who watched Formula One during the 80s-90s, did the points system work out ok during that time, or was this not at all the case?

Edited September 15, 2009 by Vector

[hackerjack]

Personally I think the Litespeed GP/Lotus F1 thing is sickening.

First of all, they are not and never will be Lotus in any way shape or form, that marquee died years ago and reviving it reeks of desperation, I gererally don't care whether the team use the name or not but I do care about the idiots at the BBC and every other media outlet pretending it is the same thing just like they tried to do with Mercedes and Jaguar. And just to show this is not a rant because they are Malaysian I would hate to seeProDrive run as Aston Martin for the same reason.

Secondly this basically condemns hundreds of BMW F1 employees to being out of a job come the winter as no-one will go near to buying them as a going concern without guarenteed F1 grid slots (does anyone believe the other teams will agree to a 14th team next year? Didn't think so). Basically the FIA have just aided a well targetted shot into the gonads of one of F1's more interesting and innovative teams. Remember that BMW F1 are not BMW, they predate BMW's involvement by some distance having run as sauber since 1993 with many of the current employees having served the entire time with the team. They were a team tht regularly punched above their weight with only slightly more resourses than perrenial backmarkes like Minardi and Arrows and launched the careers of Heinz-Harold Frentze, Kimi Riakkonnen, Filipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld (I know he raced for Prost before but that car was awful).

The best that BMW F1 employees can now hope for is that they end up selling the facilities, parts and car designs for 2010 so that they can at least get a decent redundancy package. Great way to treat people that eh?

[hackerjack]

@AdamDRFC: From checking the BMW Sauber site (after reading news about it online), it makes mention of BMW wishing "Qadbak and the Sauber Team every success for the 2010 season and beyond", so you never know, the Sauber name might remain. But I guess we'll have to wait and see what name the team will definitely go under.

And I'm a bit mixed at the moment in regards to changing the points system, and I understand the reasoning for expanding it due to the grid increasing to 26/28, though I will agree that the winner should have more than a two point gain against a 2nd placed driver. I wouldn't be against the points system expanding to the top ten if need be, but I guess my only issue with changing it to accomodate the expanded grid is that I recall there was around a similar number of cars on the grid during the 80s and 90s, with no refuelling until '94 as well as points only for just the top 6 throughout it all. To those who watched Formula One during the 80s-90s, did the points system work out ok during that time, or was this not at all the case?

Things were different back then, a grid of 26 was needed just to ensure you got 12 finishers due to unreliability of both cars and drivers, backmarkers regularly ended up 3 or 4 laps behind in some cases and I remember some races during the early 1990's where the leader lapped everyone up to 3rd or 4th place.

Points starting at 25 for 1st down to 1 for 10th or 12th would make sense to me given the current levels of reliability with 26 cars on the starting grid.

[Vector]

Ok, I just came across this in another forum as it seems to have just been announced, and then checked the Renault F1 Team website to validate it. Picked up by Autosport, seemed to have gotten a mention on BBC (radio?) and likely more once it's picked up (EDIT: Now it's mentioned on the BBC website).

Source: http://www.ing-renaultf1.com/en/_2009/team/index.php#/team/newsdesk/communiques/

ING Renault F1 Team Statement – 16 September 2009

The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.

Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009, the team will not make any further comment.

Edited September 16, 2009 by Vector

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I was a big fan of Sauber back in the day. Groovy little Swiss team. That was when my favourite driver was Frentzen and he was sneaking into the top 6, grabbing a few points here and there for the team. They were a really good second tier team then and had some gorgeous cars.

[GA!]

I'm amazed, given what's coming out, Piquet was capable of crashing the car. He fucked up just about everything else during his stint.

With Briatore gone, Symonds gone, and Alonso inevitably off to Ferrari - I hope Renault are kicked out of the championship and BMW put their in place. Any punishment other than that could be damaging to the sport.

[LUKIE]

In regards to points. You have to remember that getting points garners you funding from the FIA. The BEST thing they ever did for the sport, was increase the points earning spots from 6 to 8. I think it would be a logical step to up it to 10-12 aswell.

The problem with Formula 1, especially in the early to mid 90's, was that if you were a new team, you were effectively fucked for your entire F1 career, as it was nigh on impossible to build a new car to make it to the top 6 unless miracles happen.

[Crybaby Bunting]

I'm disgusted that this allegation has been proven true, he could easily have caused a severe accident and the team should be kicked out of F1 for at LEAST a season.

I thought that it was just a case of one team overreacting about losing a race due to an accident... but this is sickening when the team won't even dispute it for fear of getting into even more trouble thanks to the stonewall nature of this decision.

[hackerjack]

Well I may end up looking an idiot for saying BMW wont get sold now, we'll wait and see.

Briatore leaving does make it seem that Renault have already decided he is guilty, however it could also be that they think he is untenable even if proven inocent after all this, especially with their corporate image to protect.

Don't be surprised if he isn't banned to see him back at another team though, he still carries a lot of power what with his driver management thing.

[Adam]

Shocking stuff, Briatore is synonymous with Renault F1 and this pretty much confirms that the allegations are true. I can really see Renault leaving the championship now with Symonds gone as well, and Alonso seemingly bound for Ferrari. I know he got given immunity by the FIA but I can see Nelson Piquet finding it hard to get a seat for next season.

[maninblack]

Well I may end up looking an idiot for saying BMW wont get sold now, we'll wait and see.

Briatore leaving does make it seem that Renault have already decided he is guilty, however it could also be that they think he is untenable even if proven inocent after all this, especially with their corporate image to protect.

Don't be surprised if he isn't banned to see him back at another team though, he still carries a lot of power what with his driver management thing.

Wonder if the FIA can legally (or at least unofficially) blacklist Briatore from participating in F1 in any capacity, including managing drivers.

[hackerjack]

I wouldn't have thought so legally.

[maninblack]

I worry for Ferrari if and when Alonso moves there. First the McLaren spy scandal and now Renault's race-fixing <.<

[hackerjack]

I worry for Ferrari if and when Alonso moves there. First the McLaren spy scandal and now Renault's race-fixing <.<

They're Ferrari, they are the shiny shovel in the shit-moving business, f all sticks.

Most manufactureres wouldn't touch controversy with a bargepole because of the negative publicity, but Ferrari are Italian for christs sake this is a country that elects Silvio Berlusconi, if they hired Briatore, Alonso and that ex-McLaren guy it would probably increase their Merchandise sales!

Edited September 21, 2009 by hackerjack