KL-racer's F1 Management:2008 ROTY PODIUM UP!

[Miguel98]

ProDrive will use KERS for 09.

[KL-racer]

Round 13 Spa

So, we are off to the legendary Spa, where the Engine power plays a bigger role than usual here. Despite the length of the lap, it’s still a true driver’s test. And now we know that Toyota and Prodrive are using KERS for 2009, will more teams follow suit?

Qualifying results

1 Lewis Hamilton 1:52.228
2 Robert Kubica +0.133
3 Sebastian Vettel +0.165
4 Felipe Massa +0.225
5 Ralf Schumacher +0.307
6 Nick Heidfeld +0.318
7 Timo Glock +0.360
8 Michael Schumacher +0.524
9 Fernando Alonso +0.618
10 Kimi Raikkonen +0.670
11 Pedro De la Rosa +0.755
12 Jarno Trulli +0.800
13 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.945
14 Rubens Barrichello +1.340
15 Heikki Kovalainen +1.618
16 Jenson Button +1.872
17 Nico Rosberg +1.923
18 Sebastien Bourdais +1.925
19 Christian Klien +2.014
20 David Coulthard +2.151
21 Andre Lotterer +2.156
22 Nicolas Lapierre +2.458
23 Bruno Senna +3.732
24 Sakon Yamamoto +3.954
25 Giedo Van der Garde +4.042
26 JR Hildebrand +4.074

Race Summary

On Lap 2, Kimi and Alonso crashed out at Eau Rouge, Kimi was checked and he is cleared to race at Monza, but Alonso was a different story, he will have to sit out the next two races due to concussion like symptoms. During the first part of the race, Eau Rouge was also the sight of three near-misses, with Button, Kovalainen and Vettel going off there and rejoining the track successfully before the first batch of pit stops. On Lap 21, Lotterer retired due to a loose front-right wheel. Meanwhile, JR Hildebrand retired on Lap 32 with transmission failure, and a few laps later, M. Schumacher retired with transmission problems as well. In the end, Nick Heidfeld, finally scored that elusive first win for his F1 career. Kubica and Massa rounds off the podium.

Race Results
1 Nick Heidfeld 1:28:04.354
2 Robert Kubica +3.144
3 Felipe Massa +5.829
4 Lewis Hamilton +18.413
5 Timo Glock +19.240
6 Pedro De La Rosa +36.865
7 Rubens Barrichello +1:24.087
8 Ralf Schumacher +1:28.895
9 Jarno Trulli +1:44.014
10 Christian Klien +1:50.220
11 Jenson Button +1:56.785
12 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
13 Giancarlo Fisichella 1 lap
14 Nicolas Lapierre 1 lap
15 Sebastian Vettel 1 lap
16 Sebastien Bourdais 1 lap
17 David Coulthard 1 lap
18 Giedo Van der Garde 1 lap
19 Bruno Senna 1 lap
20 Sakon Yamamoto 1 lap
21 Heikki Kovalainen 2 laps
DNF Michael Schumacher Transmission
DNF JR Hildebrand Transmission
DNF Andre Lotterer Loose Wheel
DNF Kimi Raikkonen Accident
DNF Fernando Alonso Accident

ROTR: Eau Rouge, this corner usually causes accidents, but one massive accident and three separate close calls during the race itself, makes us wonder if this is a result of the cars being too fast, or the corner itself?

Paddock news:

FIA: “Air restrictors and the banning of Engine upgrades will be enforced from 2009 onwards.”

This idea was thrown around for some time now, but after the Kimi and Alonso collision, the FIA has decided to require the use of air restrictors for 2009 onwards. The statement reads, “After a full and complete analysis of the crash at Spa, we have decided that putting air restrictors on the V8’S and banning all engine power upgrades for 2009 onwards was the most effective actions to take as a response to this crash.”

KERS can be upgraded throughout the season

A couple days later, the FIA released another statement about the possibility of upgrading the KERS units. The FIA has approved the KERS power as an eligible upgrade area for 2009 onwards, essentially replacing the Engine power upgrade area.

Adrian Sutil: “I will make the most of this chance to impress the paddock”

After the Alonso injury, Adrian Sutil will take over his place for the next two races. Regarding the fight for the team’s title, “I will make the most of this opportunity given to me, to help the team in every way possible.” As of now, Renault has fallen to third in the team’s standings.

As a remainder, the final in-season test is coming up next. So post your final batch of upgrade plans!

[Normal32]

McLaren will put double focus on Engine Power. And yes we will put KERS into the 2009 season.

Edit: We will skip if possible

[Peteroli34]

Honda will do a double focus on race pace and announce that our 2009 car will be equipped with Kers

[W12]

Williams will put double focus on Race Pace.

We will also be using KERS next year.

[Miguel98]

Prodrive will want a double engine upgrade for the next test.

[TheFlyingCaterham]

Super Aguri will skip the test so we can save up money for next season.

[Klon]

Super Aguri will skip the test so we can save up money for next season.

If that is an option, Toyota will do the same. Otherwise we want a double focus on race pace.

[good_Ralf]

Red Bull will put double focus on qualifying pace. And we will be using KERS for 2009.

[Collieafc]

Force India will go for a race pace and quali upgrade and will also partake in kers for next season

[KL-racer]

In-season test #3: Spa

So, with only five teams deciding to bring upgrades for the stretch run, this ought to be intriguing to see if any of the five teams last-ditch upgrade plans worked or not?

The times

1 Lewis Hamilton 1:52.087
2 Robert Kubica +0.044
3 Sebastian Vettel +0.358
4 Felipe Massa +0.392
5 Timo Glock +0.416
6 Ralf Schumacher +0.449
7 Nick Heidfeld +0.538
8 Michael Schumacher +0.588
9 Kimi Raikkonen +0.769
10 Pedro De La Rosa +0.802
11 Jarno Trulli +0.807
12 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.862
13 Jenson Button +1.291
14 Rubens Barrichello +1.612
15 Nico Rosberg +1.756
16 Heikki Kovalainen +1.758
17 Andre Lotterer +1.877
18 David Coulthard +2.013
19 Sebastian Bourdais +2.066
20 Christian Klien +2.207
21 Adrian Sutil +2.462
22 Nicolas Lapierre +2.647
23 Bruno Senna +3.902
24 Sakon Yamamoto +3.958
25 JR Hildebrand +4.078
26 Giedo Van der Garde +4.168

Force India are one of the five teams hoping that this move pays off, so far, it’s a little improvement. But is that enough to keep their position in the team’s title?

Meanwhile, Red Bull are hoping that their last-ditch upgrades can get that elusive point soon, which would be a big help in terms of FIA prize money.

The next round from Monza will be posted soon.

[KL-racer]

Round 14 Monza

So, we are off to the Tifosi’s backyard, Monza. Adrian Sutil will make his Renault debut and the battles for the team’s title are getting tense all over the place.

Qualifying results

1 Pedro De La Rosa 1:24.234
2 Lewis Hamilton +0.040
3 Michael Schumacher +0.134
4 Robert Kubica +0.541
5 Ralf Schumacher +0.638
6 Felipe Massa +0.777
7 Sebastian Vettel +0.914
8 Kimi Raikkonen +0.999
9 Nick Heidfeld +1.003
10 Rubens Barrichello +1.006
11 Giancarlo Fisichella +1.083
12 Jarno Trulli +1.177
13 Timo Glock +1.376
14 Sebastien Bourdais +1.498
15 David Coulthard +1.502
16 Adrian Sutil +1.540
17 Jenson Button +1.634
18 Heikki Kovalainen +1.679
19 Nico Rosberg +1.719
20 Andre Lotterer +1.955
21 Christian Klien +1.997
22 Nicolas Lapierre +2.316
23 Bruno Senna +2.545
24 Giedo Van der Garde +2.588
25 JR Hildebrand +3.539
26 Sakon Yamamoto +4.050

Sutil starts in 16th, which on this high-speed track is okay at best. Meanwhile, the battle between MSR and Red Bull continues to be as intense as the battle in the front of the pack.

Race Summary

On lap 1, Turn 1, championship leader Heidfeld was the unlucky victim of a pileup, a rarity that both wings were damaged but somehow he made it back to pit lane. On lap 40, Vettel retired from a solid 5th with a Transmission failure. A few laps later, Heikki’s Engine blew up on the front straight. De la Rosa looked like a sure winner until his engine let go with three laps left to go. And the Tifosi went crazy and Ferrari managed to hang on for a 1-2 finish on home soil.

Race Results

1 Michael Schumacher 1:17:30.735
2 Lewis Hamilton +1.065
3 Robert Kubica +12.411
4 Felipe Massa +23.119
5 Ralf Schumacher +42.786
6 Rubens Barrichello +56.430
7 Kimi Raikkonen +59.176
8 Giancarlo Fisichella +1:02.925
9 Timo Glock +1:04.617
10 Jarno Trulli +1:06.595
11 Sebasiten Bourdais +1:20.277
12 Nick Heidfeld +1:25.438
13 Adrian Sutil 1 lap
14 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
15 Christian Klien 1 lap
16 Jenson Button 1 lap
17 David Coulthard 1 lap
18 Nicolas Lapierre 1 lap
19 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
20 Giedo Van der Garde 1 lap
21 Bruno Senna 1 lap
22 JR Hildebrand 2 laps
23 Sakon Yamamoto 2 laps
DNF Pedro De La Rosa Engine
DNF Heikki Kovalainen Engine
DNF Sebastian Vettel Transmission

ROTR: No one

The next race from Istanbul will be coming in a couple days or so.

[KL-racer]

Round 15 Istanbul

After Ferrari finished 1-2 at Monza. We are off to Istanbul, let’s see if this race will prove to be a little more interesting in terms of DNF’S.

Qualifying results

1 Robert Kubica 1:29.249
2 Lewis Hamilton +0.020
3 Michael Schumacher +0.232
4 Sebastian Vettel +0.272
5 Felipe Massa +0.311
6 Nick Heidfeld +0.481
7 Pedro De La Rosa +0.516
8 Ralf Schumacher +0.568
9 Kimi Raikkonen +0.702
10 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.826
11 Timo Glock +0.926
12 Jenson Button +0.954
13 Jarno Trulli +1.006
14 Heikki Kovalainen +1.047
15 Nico Rosberg +1.133
16 Sebastien Bourdais +1.268
17 Rubens Barrichello +1.347
18 David Coulthard +1.355
19 Christian Klien +1.564
20 Andre Lotterer +1.643
21 Adrian Sutil +1.993
22 Nicolas Lapierre +2.645
23 Bruno Senna +2.903
24 JR Hildebrand +3.124
25 Giedo Van der Garde +3.288
26 Sakon Yamamoto +3.324

Race Summary

On Lap 5, Bruno Senna retired with a koose right-rear wheel. On Lap 11, Bourdais had to change his front wing after contact with Sutil. On the next lap, Kimi had a brake problem from 7th but was able to make it back for repairs. On Lap 25, Hamilton also started to have brake issues from 3rd but unlike Kimi, he had to retire down the back stretch. On the next lap, Massa retired from 5th due to a right-rear suspension failure. On Lap 33, Bourdais retired with a blown engine. Robert Kubica managed to win the race with a 20 second gap over Michael Schumacher. Vettel comes in 3rd.

Race Results

1 Robert Kubica 1:37:50.528
2 Michael Schumacher +20.296
3 Sebastian Vettel +25.236
4 Timo Glock +31.560
5 Giancarlo Fisichella +32.914
6 Nick Heidfeld +41.124
7 Pedro De La Rosa +46.428
8 Ralf Schumacher +55.157
9 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
10 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
11 Kimi Raikkonen 1 lap
12 Jarno Trulli 1 lap
13 Heikki Kovalainen 1 lap
14 Jenson Button 1 lap
15 David Coulthard 1 lap
16 Adrian Sutil 1 lap
17 Christian Klien 1 lap
18 Nicolas Lapierre 1 lap
19 Andre Lotterer 2 laps
20 JR Hildebrand 2 laps
21 Sakon Yamamoto 2 laps
22 Giedo Van der garde 2 laps
DNF Sebastien Bourdais Engine
DNF Felipe Massa Suspension
DNF Lewis Hamilton Brakes
DNF Bruno Senna Loose Wheel

ROTR: Adrian Sutil, for being that slow in a near top-flight car.

As a remainder, the Young Drivers test will be next. Just in case you forgot and/or need a refresher on the rules, here they are

1. No upgrades can be performed during this time
2. Every team must participate in this test
3. Every team must select two real-life drivers that meet the following criteria
a. Must be at least 18 years old as of 1/1/2009, but no older than 25 as of 1/1/2009
b. Must have NO F1 race experience in this alternate universe, but prior testing experience in F1 is acceptable.
c. Must be racing in a representative racing series. The FIA prefers GP2, Indycar, DTM and ALMS. Other racing series that can be acceptable include SUPER GT (if the driver is racing in the GT500 category), and any F3 series or something similar to that category (if the driver selected meets all of the above criteria AND has shown some amazing results to justify a test appearance).
4. Drivers are first come first serve and the amounts that they bring to your team will be done via RNG, from 1-10. So, the most amount of money that you could gain from this would be $2 million.
5. If you don’t respond within the next 3 days, the drivers would be selected for you. However, you will still get your money from them.

So, with the guidelines out of the way, time to post your YDT selections!

[roblo97]

Ferrari would like to please run Karun Chandhok on the first day and Daniel Ricciardo on the second day.
We will also be running KERS in 2009.

[Miguel98]

Prodrive will run in the YDT in the first day Kamui Kobayashi, and in the second day Valtteri Bottas.

[Normal32]

For the YDT:
Jaime Alguersuari (1st day)
Jules Bianchi (2nd day)

[Peteroli34]

Honda YDT Line up

Day 1 - Nico Hulkenberg
Day 2 - Sergio Perez

[W12]

Day 1: Sebastien Buemi
Day 2: Romain Grosjean

[RedEyes504]

BMW-Sauber will run Alvaro Parente (Day 1) & Javier Villa (Day 2)

[Klon]

Toyota will test the following two drivers:

Day 1 - José Luis Riffo
Day 2 - Kazuya Oshima

[Ice1Racing]

Carlin would like Markus Niemela for day 1 and Christian Bakkerud for day 2

[Collieafc]

If Force India are allowed to do so, we would like to run our test driver Kobayashi for the second day (We are willing to lend Kamui to Prodrive for the first day free of charge)
For the first day we would like to take Stefano Coletti as our young driver

[KL-racer]

YDT 2008

The YDT was a two day affair at Catalunya. All 13 teams participated on both days. The vast majority of the teams focused on evaluating young talent, while others with money issues used this test session to gain some much needed financial breathing room for next season. Either way, it’s beneficial for all parties involved, so let’s see who’s going to be the top rookie for 2009.

Day 1:

1 Alvaro Parente (Sauber-BMW) 1:23.617
2 Sebastien Buemi (Williams-Renault) 1:23.703
3 Jaime Algersauri (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:23.844
4 Jerome D Ambrosio (Renault) 1:24.186
5 Nico Hulkenberg (Honda) 1:24.399
6 Karun Chandhok (Ferrari) 1:24.407
7 Kamui Kobayashi (Prodrive-Ferrari) 1:24.581
8 Stefano Coletti (Force India-Mercedes) 1:24.659
9 Andy Soucek (Red Bull-Honda) 1:24.934
10 Yelmer Buurman (MSR-Spyker) 1:25.020
11 Jose Luis Riffo (Toyota) 1:25.373
12 Adrian Valles (Super Aguri-Cosworth) 1:26.332
13 Markus Niemela (Carlin-BMW) 1:26.858

The biggest surprise on Day 1, was F3 Euro Series Champion Nico Hulkenberg recording the fifth fastest time in the Honda. Sauber-BMW recorded the fasetest time on Day 1 with Parente, but Buemi was so close in the Williams-Renault. Meanwhile, Super Aguri can celebrate not being the slowest car in the field for once.

Day 2
1 Javier Villa (Sauber-BMW) 1:23.048
2 Romain Grosjean (Williams-Renault) 1:23.527
3 Luca Filippi (Red Bull-Honda) 1:23.963
4 Daniel Riccardo (Ferrari) 1:23.964
5 Kazuya Oshima (Toyota) 1:24.103
6 Kamui Kobayashi (Force India-Mercedes) 1:24.403
7 Davide Valsecchi (Renault) 1:24.703
8 Jules Bianchi (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:24.761
9 Roldan Rodriguez (MSR-Spyker) 1:24.848
10 Sergio Perez (Honda) 1:25.668
11 Vatteri Bottas (Prodrive-Ferrari) 1:25.852
12 Marko Asmer (Super Aguri-Cosworth) 1:26.158
13 Christian Bakkerud (Carlin-BMW) 1:27.042

Once Again, Sauber-BMW topped the timesheets, this time with Javier Villa. Williams-Renault came in second again, this time with Romain Grosjean. The biggest surprise was in 3rd, with Luca Filippi in the Red Bull-Honda, as they try to figure out who’s driving for them next season. Riccardo wasn’t that bad for Ferrari, same could be said for Oshima for Toyota. For the latter, he might be a longshot for the vacant #2 seat at Toyota, after DC retires at the end of this season. Perez and Bottas kind of had a rough time getting used to F1 equipment for the first time ever. Once again, Super Aguri wasn’t the last car on the time sheets, which can be a big victory for them, if Ross Brawn was indeed successful in terms of buying out the team.

I would add the money from the YDT before I post the next round of the season, which should come in the next couple of days.

[KL-racer]

Round 16: Singapore Street circuit

Okay, so we are off to the brand new night race at Singapore. This track, tend to favor extreme downforce similar to Monaco, but the lap is much longer and taxing on the driver! So who will master this brand-new street circuit, especially with an intense 4-way driver’s championship taking place!

1 Robert Kubica 1:54.986
2 Sebastian Vettel +0.326
3 Timo Glock +0.328
4 Lewis Hamilton +0.422
5 Felipe Massa +0.459
6 Nick Heidfeld +0.608
7 Michael Schumacher +0.651
8 Kimi Raikkonen +0.690
9 Jarno Trulli +0.728
10 Fernando Alonso +0.830
11 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.833
12 Pedro De La Rosa +0.973
13 Ralf Schumacher +1.013
14 Rubens Barrichello +1.441
15 Andre Lotterer +1.480
16 Jenson Button +1.566
17 Nico Rosberg +1.567
18 Heikki Kovalainen +1.708
19 Sebastien Bourdais +1.847
20 Christian Klien +2.116
21 David Coulthard +2.169
22 Nicolas Lapierre +2.395
23 Bruno Senna +3.269
24 Sakon Yamamoto +3.548
25 JR Hildebrand +3.722
26 Giedo Van der Garde +3.811

Among the four likely championship contenders, Kubica who is 7 points behind the points leader starts from Pole. Hamilton starts from 4th, Heidfeld starts 6th and the Points leader himself, M. Schumacher starts from 7th.

Race Summary

Vettel suffered a right-front puncture on lap 3. Lap 11, De La Rosa had a suspension failure, and Fisichella spun out of turn 3 and dropped all the way down to 21st. On Lap 21, Ralf Schumacher retired with electrical issues. On Lap 30, Button retired with electrical problems as well. On lap 54, M. Schumacher suffered an engine failure while running 7th. In the end, the race did reach the full distance just as the two hour limit went into effect. So it was Kubica that won the race, with Heidfeld 2nd, Glock 3rd and Hamilton 4th. Massa gets a solid 5th, Kimi managed a tough earned 6th. Finally, Alonso salvages a single point for 8th.

Race Results:
1 Robert Kubica 2:01:04.795
2 Nick Heidfeld +19.854
3 Timo Glock +31.084
4 Lewis Hamilton +41.943
5 Felipe Massa +48.560
6 Kimi Raikkonen +52.416
7 Jarno Trulli +1:07.217
8 Fernando Alonso +1:13.790
9 Giancarlo Fisichella +1:37.363
10 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
11 Sebastien Bourdais 1 lap
12 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
13 Heikki Kovalainen 1 lap
14 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
15 Nicolas Lapierre 1 lap
16 David Coulthard 1 lap
17 Christian Klien 1 lap
18 Sakon Yamamoto 2 laps
19 Bruno Senna 2 laps
20 JR Hildebrand 2 laps
21 Giedo Van der Garde 2 laps
DNF Michael Schumacher Engine
DNF Jenson Button Electrical
DNF Ralf Schumacher Electrical
DNF Pedro de La Rosa Suspension
DNF Sebastian Vettel Puncture

ROTR: The lengthy nature of the track! When the two-hour limit was reached for the first time ever in this series, and the race itself was pretty boring to boot. It makes me wonder, did they made it too long to begin with?

The next race from Suzuka will be posted within the next couple days.

[Ice1Racing]

Carlin would like to replce van der Garde with Markus Niemela for the last two races

[KL-racer]

Round 17 Suzuka

Oh boy, this season has been better than I thought, hence the faster than usual pace of the stretch run!

So, with just two races left, Robert Kubica in the Renault powered Williams is leading the Driver’s championship by 3 points over Michael Schumacher who is seeking his record-extending 8th title, and his first since 2004. One point behind M. Schumacher is Nick Heidfeld, who like Kubica is seeking his first title, in the Sauber-BMW. Finally, Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari still has a chance to win a title in his second season of F1. Over in the team’s standings, it’s down to Ferrari and Sauber-BMW with Ferrari having an 11 point advantage as we head to Suzuka. And by the way, Markus Niemela will indeed replace VDG for the final two races, after a somewhat impressive YDT for Carlin.

Qualifying results

1 Pedro De La Rosa 1:37.126
2 Lewis Hamilton +0.209
3 Fernando Alonso +0.297
4 Robert Kubica +0.331
5 Felipe Massa +0.477
6 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.478
7 Michael Schumacher +0.549
8 Kimi Raikkonen +0.573
9 Jarno Trulli +0.682
10 TImo Glock +0.785
11 Nick Heidfeld +0.821
12 Rubens Barrichello +0.827
13 Sebastian Vettel +1.131
14 Heikki Kovalainen +1.265
15 Sebastien Bourdais +1.299
16 Jenson Button +1.309
17 Nico Rosberg +1.394
18 Ralf Schumacher +1.535
19 David Coulthard +1.645
20 Andre Lotterer +1.795
21 Christian Klien +1.889
22 Nicolas Lapierre +2.756
23 Bruno Senna +3.278
24 JR Hildebrand +3.801
25 Sakon Yamamoto +3.976
26 Markus Niemela +4.034

DLR will start from pole besides Championship contender Hamilton. Kubica, the points leader will start 4th, while M. Schumacher starts 7th and Heidfeld starts 11th.

Race Summary

On Lap 12, Glock had to retire the Sauber with an engine problem. On Lap 16, Hamilton was forced to DNF the Ferrari from 3rd with transmission issues. On Lap 19, DLR was forced to DNF as well this time from 2nd with an engine failure. On lap 26, Klien had Transmission dramas from 18th. On Lap 35, Yamamoto was forced to retire the Super Aguri with yet another transmission related issue. On Lap 41, Heikki had to retire the Carlin with suspension damage. On Lap 44, M. Schumacher who had struggled all afternoon, finally was forced to DNF with Transmisison issues while running outside of the points in 14th. On Lap 46, Button was forced to DNF with a puncture. To make Red Bull’s day worse, the other one in Nico’s hands failed with 6 laps left to go with an engine failure. With one lap left, Massa was forced to stop on the run to 130R but he was classified as 16th and out of the points. In the end, Robert Kubica had a decisive win over Alonso and Fisichella finally gets his first podium of the season. Heidfeld salvages 4th. Meanwhile, in somewhat of a miracle, Bourdais finally gets MSR on the board with a 7th place finish!

Race Results
1 Robert Kubica 1:29:24.143
2 Fernando Alonso +7.462
3 Giancarlo Fisichella +18.909
4 Nick Heidfeld +24.843
5 Kimi Raikkonen +25.057
6 Jarno Trulli +29.839
7 Sebastien Bourdais +54.242
8 Rubens Barrichello +54.989
9 Sebastian Vettel +1:06.315
10 Andre Lotterer +1:25.006
11 Ralf Schumacher +1:38.613
12 David Coulthard 1 lap
13 Nicolas Lapierre 1 lap
14 JR Hildebrand 1 lap
15 Bruno Senna 1 lap
16 Felipe Massa 2 laps (DNF on track with Engine issue)
17 Markus Niemela 2 laps
DNF Nico Rosberg Engine
DNF Jenson Button Puncture
DNF Michael Schumacher Transmission
DNF Heikki Kovalainen Suspension
DNF Sakon Yamamoto Transmission
DNF Christian Klien Transmission
DNF Pedro De La Rosa Engine
DNF Lewis Hamilton Transmission
DNF Timo Glock Engine

ROTR: Michael Schumacher, struggled all race long, eventually ended up with a big DNF due to transmission dramas and with that his hopes for a record extending 8th championship ended up short again!

So, here’s the clinch situations for both championships heading into the final round in Brazil, coming tomorrow!

For the driver’s title

Robert Kubica needs just a 7th place finish or better and he becomes the new WDC.

Nick Heidfeld needs to win the final race at Interlagos AND Kubica must score NO Points either through a DNF or finishing 9th or worse, then Heidfeld will be your new WDC.

For the team’s championship, it’s basically a battle between Ferrari and Sauber-BMW for this one. Ferrari leads Sauber-BMW by 6 pts. So, keep that in mind!

[Collieafc]

Vettel to Toyota?
In what looks like the first shots of the F1 silly season, News has emerged that the first move for the new season may be Force India's Sebastian Vettel to the rising Toyota team. Its been known for some time that Force India have been underwhelmed by the young Germans performance thus far, despite his recent upturn in form, whilst Toyota have been on the hunt to tempt a driver with top team experience for several seasons. Both Toyota and FI bigwigs have been seen in negotions over the last races, along with Vettel at the Toyota motorhome at the Suzuka GP further fuelling the rumour mill.

The fine details of the contracts have been kept under wraps but Autosport understands that it is believed Toyota will "Buy out" Vettels second year with FI with the option of favourable rates on Toyota's engines should FI wish to change supplier. This also means that FI will need to find a new lead driver, though Massa is tipped to be rewarded with an extended stay and will be the favourite for the upcoming vacency.

Nether Force India or Toyota were available for comment on the issue

[KL-racer]

The Final Round: Brazil

Well, this is it, the final round of 2008. You know the clinch situations by now, so let’s get to the action.

Qualifying results

1 Robert Kubica 1:16.141
2 Jarno Trulli +0.087
3 Felipe Massa +0.226
4 Michael Schumacher +0.267
5 Fernando Alonso +0.306
6 Lewis Hamilton +0.309
7 Kimi Raikkonen +0.341
8 Pedro De La Rosa +0.342
9 Sebastian Vettel +0.345
10 Nick Heidfeld +0.402
11 Timo Glock +0.469
12 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.531
13 Rubens Barrichello +0.736
14 Ralf Schumacher +0.744
15 Jenson Button +0.930
16 Nico Rosberg +1.007
17 Heikki Kovalainen +1.094
18 Andre Lotterer +1.099
19 Sebastien Bourdais +1.102
20 Christian Klien +1.141
21 David Coulthard +1.148
22 Nicolas Lapierre +1.697
23 Bruno Senna +2.322
24 JR Hildebrand +2.878
25 Sakon Yamamoto +3.146
26 Markus Niemela +3.547

Things are looking rather gloomy for Heidfeld, he starts 10th but Kubica will start from Pole.

Race Summary:

On lap 1, turn 1, Lapierre suffered front wing damage. On Lap 10, Button’s nightmare season ended with a DNF. On Lap 23, Bruno Senna DNF’ed as well. On Lap 32, Massa also retired in front of his home fans. On lap 38, De la Rosa DNF from 7th. On Lap 47, Fisichella was forced to retire while running 9th. Close to the end of the race, Rosberg retired as well with engine dramas. In the end, Kubica got the win and the WDC, with Trulli 2nd, and Heidfeld 3rd. With M. Schumacher failing to pass Vettel for 8th, and forcing a tiebreak for the Team’s title, Sauber-BMW managed to come from behind to win it by a single point.

Race Results

1 Robert Kubica 1:27:24.129
2 Jarno Trulli +5.108
3 Nick Heidfeld +24.009
4 Timo Glock +35.467
5 Lewis Hamilton +46.028
6 Fernando Alonso +54.235
7 Kimi Raikkonen +1:00.321
8 Sebastien Vettel +1:06.725
9 Michael Schumacher +1:08.963
10 Rubens Barrichello +1:20.895
11 Sebastien Bourdais 1 lap
12 Heikki Kovalainen 1 lap
13 Ralf Schumacher 1 lap
14 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
15 David Coulthard 1 lap
16 Chrsitian Klien 1 lap
17 Nicolas Lapierre 1 lap
18 JR Hildebrand 2 lap
19 Sakon Yamamoto 3 laps
20 Markus Niemela 4 laps
DNF Nico Rosberg Engine
DNF Giancarlo Fisichella Suspension
DNF Pedro De La Rosa Suspension
DNF Felipe Massa Transmission
DNF Bruno Senna Engine
DNF Jenson Button Water Leak

ROTR: Markus Niemela, was way off the pace at certain points of the race

Final Driver’s Standings

Kubica 95 pts
Heidfeld 82 pts
M. Schumacher 72 pts
Hamilton 71 pts
Glock 62 pts
Alonso 57 pts
Raikkonen 55 pts
Massa 44 pts
De la Rosa 42 pts
R. Schumacher 33 pts
Vettel 29 pts
Trulli 22 pts
Fisichella 15 pts
Barrichello 8 pts
Di Grassi 4 pts
Webber 4 pts
Klien 3 pts
Kovalainen 2 pts
Bourdais 2 pts


Final Team’s Standings

1 Sauber-BMW 144 pts
2 Ferrari 143 pts
3 Williams-Renault 110 pts
4 Renault 99 pts
5 Force India-Mercedes 73 pts
6 McLaren-Mercedes 67 pts
7 Toyota 33 pts
8 Prodrive-Ferrari 22 pts
9 Honda 7 pts
10 MSR-Spyker 2 pts
11 Carlin-BMW 2 pts
12 Red Bull-Honda 0 pts (best finish 9th x2)
13 Super Aguri-Cosworth 0 pts (best finish 13th x1)

Paddock News:

Michael Schumacher to leave Ferrari?

After missing out on the WDC at Suzuka, then failing to take back the team’s title for Ferrari at Interlagos and with Ross Brawn leaving no matter what to buy out Super Aguri. Michael Schumacher has decided that after a dozen years at Ferrari, he will actually consider leaving the team if the other teams show enough interest in signing him. If he does leave, which team will take the massive gamble on him, is anyone’s guess at this point.

FIA preparing for a massive expansion in teams for 2009 not 2010 as many would expect, final details are set to be released at a later time.

Before the year’s end award’s ceremony, the FIA has announced that they have accepted many new entries throughout the second half of this season as a response of the season being better than expected. According to the FIA, the talks are mostly finished and they need to iron out the final details of this expansion for 2009. It’s yet to be known how many teams are being added, but early rumors indicate that it will be 7 teams.

David Coulthard announces his racing retirement

Well, as expected, DC has announced his racing retirement and will work with the BBC for 2009 onwards as a race commentator. Regarding the decision, DC said “that I am thankful that I had a long enough F1 career to call it quits.”

With this season over, it’s time for you guys to nominate your ROTY podium. Post it up! Of Course, I will post my selections at a later time!

[Miguel98]

WE GRABBED A PODIUM THIS YEAR

[Collieafc]

From an egotistical view, Vettel is my ROTY - meant to lead the team but got trounced by a driver who had been out the game for a period of time last year.

I would also add Ferrari as a contender. Why? two world class drivers, one (Hamilton) was constantly let down in the first half of the year while Schumacher slipped away badly in the second half - meaning BMW managed to take the constructors title that should have had Marenello stamped all over it.

And Renault for going from champions to 4th - what happened?

[KL-racer]

Reject of the Year 2008

So, after a couple days of debating with myself on who should make the ROTY podium, let’s first start with the ones that just missed making it on the podium!

David Coulthard: In his final season of F1, didn’t impress at Toyota all that much, by scoring absolutely nothing! The main reason why he didn’t made it was that there were more epic failures by better teams.

Red Bull-Honda: Despite swaying both Button AND Rosberg to join them at the beginning of the season, they didn’t score any points, mostly thanks to unreliability from the change of engine supplier. Could had made it to 3rd, but there were just too many better candidates for this podium.

MSR-Spyker: They barely managed to hang on to 10th by their skin of their teeth! Otherwise, the reason why they didn’t make it to the podium is that they got screwed over by the Driver's RNG which forced them to lower their expectations anyway!

McLaren’s #2 driver carrousel: Once again, McLaren failed to find a #2 driver that can score consistent points! This could be #3 on the podium as well but there wasn’t enough room to put them on!

So, here’s my ROTY podium, and I think Collieafc summed this up well, but here’s the order that I would put them in!

3rd Ferrari: Well, simply put they should had the team’s title easily if they had better luck, and not to mention they were going all in this season anyway! Now it’s back to the drawing board after losing out on their goal by just a single point!

2nd: Renault: Most of you are probably wondering what happened to Renault in the first place. First off, the driver stat recalculation has a lot to do with it, and second off the fact that Alonso missed a couple races due to injury was just horrendous for their own self-esteem! Finally, I still have no word on whether they will use KERS for 2009.

1st: Sebastian Vettel: I have to admit that as a #1 driver being outscored by your teammate who came back from injury in 2007 is embarrassing enough, but when you have a $9 million dollar contract for next season and your team is willing to trade you to Toyota for exchange for an Engine discount? That’s more than enough to deserve ROTY!

The thread for the 2009 season will be opened soon. I just need to double check everything first before doing so!