KL-racer's F1 2009 ROTY Podium FINALLY UP!

[RedEyes504]

Race Pace and KERS for BMW Sauber

[Collieafc]

To save scrolling, qualifying and race pace upgrades (If only 1, then qualifying)

[Dom_Wings]

Qualifying and Race Pace for Manor.

[Peteroli34]

Honda will work on Aero and Racepace

[Normal32]

Double KERS for McLaren

[Miguel98]

Doube reliability for Prodrive.

[Ice1Racing]

Qualifying and KERS for Carlin

[Klon]

Qualifying pace and KERS for Toyota

[FantometteBR]

DAMS will prove Qualifying and Race Pace

[Rabbi Gordon]

Euskadi will go for qualifying pace and KERS.

[KL-racer]

In-season test #1: Catalunya

So, I haven’t forgotten this series, I’m just busy with work-related things. So, here’s the test results from Catalunya.

1 Michael Schumacher 1:20.647
2 Felipe Massa +0.444
3 Lewis Hamilton +0.841
4 Sebastian Vettel +0.924
5 Heikki Kovalainen +1.044
6 Nico Rosberg +1.079
7 Nick Heidfeld +1.230
8 Andre Lotterer +1.361
9 Kaz Nakajima +1.396
10 Christian Klien +1.403
11 Jenson Button +1.433
12 Mark Webber +1.556
13 Kimi Raikkonen +1.557
14 Rubens Barrichello +1.591
15 Fernando Alonso +1.596
16 Robert Kubica +1.598
17 Ralf Schumacher +1.635
18 Pedro De La Rosa +1.869
19 Adrian Sutil +1.923
20 Kazuya Oshima +1.957
21 Timo Glock +1.961
22 Davide Valsecchi +1.989
23 Vitaly Petrov +2.077
24 Giorgio Pantano +2.080
25 Kamui Kobayashi +2.109
26 Luca Filippi 2.198
27 Jarno Trulli +2.352
28 Giancarlo Fisichella +2.353
29 Giedo Van der Garde +2.353
30 Karun Chandhok +2.438
31 Romain Grosjean +2.478
32 Bruno Senna +2.486
33 Sebastien Bourdais +2.598
34 Pastor Maldonado +2.708
35 Nico Hulkenberg +2.837
36 Narain Karthikeyan +2.999
37 Javier Villa +3.106
38 Mike Conway +3.919
39 Jose Maria Lopez +4.194
40 James Rossiter +4.628

The next Round from the Valencia Street circuit will be up this weekend, let’s hope!

[KL-racer]

Round 6 Valencia Street Circuit

Okay, so we remain in Spain for the next race of the season. This time, it’s from the streets of Valencia for the European GP. Let’s see if Ferrari’s perfect season continues or will it end this time around?

Pre-Q Results

1 Mark Webber 1:46.725
2 Luca Filippi +0.028
3 Giorgio Pantano +0.073
4 Kaz Nakajima +0.123
5 Davide Valsecchi +0.163
6 Giedo Van der Garde +0.252
7 Kazuya Oshima +0.659
8 Pastor Maldonado +0.704
DNPQ
9 Pedro De La Rosa +0.745
10 Jarno Trulli +0.751
11 Romain Grosjean +0.821
12 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.867
13 Narain Karthikeyan +0.901
14 Javier Villa +0.907
15 Vitaly Petrov +0.916
16 Karun Chandhok +1.111
17 Sebastien Bourdais +1.456
18 Mike Conway +1.742
19 Jose Maria Lopez +2.367
20 James Rossiter +2.453

Okay, both Manors, Both Caterhams, Both Esukadi’s, one red bull and one Lola made it through.

Qualifying Results

1 Felipe Massa 1:45.054
2 Michael Schumacher +0.085
3 Lewis Hamilton +0.793
4 Nick Heidfeld +1.074
5 Christian Klien +1.080
6 Heikki Kovalainen +1.122
7 Jenson Button +1.339
8 Kamui Kobayashi +1.379
9 Sebastian Vettel +1.495
10 Mark Webber +1.502
11 Andre Lotterer +1.533
12 Nico Rosberg +1.540
13 Giorgio Pantano +1.578
14 Rubens Barrichello +1.704
15 Ralf Schumacher +1.835
16 Kaz Nakajima +1.864
17 Davide Valsecchi +1.866
18 Giedo Van der Garde +1.867
19 Adrian Sutil +1.870
20 Kazuya Oshima +1.872
21 Nico Hulkenberg +1.951
22 Luca Filippi +1.995
23 Robert Kubica +2.032
24 Bruno Senna +2.248
25 Timo Glock +2.326
26 Kimi Raikkonen +2.332
DNQ
27 Pastor Maldonado +2.366
28 Fernando Alonso +2.369

Yes, that’s not a typo, Alonso actually DNQ’ed! The other unlucky victim was Pastor Maldonado. At least Kimi barely made into the race to give McLaren a silver lining. Webber will start 10th, hoping for more points. Same goes for Pantano who would start 13th. This race ought to be interesting!

Race Summary

On Lap 3, Nakajima’s day ended early after a puncture and actually performing above expectations throughout the weekend. On lap 9, Senna’s day was also cut short with a water leak. On Lap 23, Rosberg retired from 13th due to a water leak. On Lap 26, Ralf Schumacher’s day was also cut short while running 10th. On Lap 38, Vettel was also forced to retire from 7th due to a KERS Failure. At the end of the day, M. Schumacher takes the victory with Massa in 2nd and Hamilton scores third.

Race Results

1 Michael Schumacher 1:36:41.302
2 Felipe Massa +11.953
3 Lewis Hamilton +51.558
4 Nick Heidfeld +59.403
5 Christian Klien +1:12.349
6 Jenson Button 1 lap
7 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
8 Mark Webber 1 lap
9 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
10 Kamui Kobayashi 1 lap
11 Giorgio Pantano 1 lap
12 Davide Valsecchi 1 lap
13 Kazuya Oshima 1 lap
14 Heikki Kovalainen 2 laps
15 Nico Hulkenberg 2 laps
16 Adrian Sutil 2 laps
17 Robert Kubica 2 laps
18 Luca Filippi 2 laps
19 Giedo Van der Garde 2 laps
20 Timo Glock 2 laps
21 Kimi Raikkonen 2 laps
DNF Sebastian Vettel KERS
DNF Ralf Schumahcer Transmission
DNF Nico Rosberg Water Leak
DNF Bruno Senna Water Leak
DNF Kaz Nakajima Puncture

ROTR: Toyota, Double-DNF while both cars in the points, disappointing. A special Honorable Mention goes to Alonso for DNQ’ing.

The next round is from Canada, so after a few days, it should be up!

[Dom_Wings]

Mark, you legend!!!!

Pastor got thru PQ, but his luck run out in the Q

[KL-racer]

Round 7 Canada

Alright, so we are off to Circuit Giles Villeneuve in Montreal. A challenging circuit with the now infamous wall of champions. Who will conquer this track that is also a challenge on the brakes?

Pre-Q Results

1 Giedo Van der Garde 1:21.954
2 Giorgio Pantano +0.169
3 Kaz Nakajima +0.394
4 Luca Filippi +0.433
5 Mark Webber +0.522
6 Kazuya Oshima +1.006
7 Vitaly Petrov +1.013
8 Davide Valsecchi +1.047
DNPQ
9 Pastor Maldonado +1.141
10 Pedro De La Rosa +1.265
11 Romain Grosjean +1.272
12 Javier Villa +1.316
13 Narain Karthikeyan +1.401
14 Karun Chandhok +1.445
15 Giancarlo Fisichella +1.539
16 Jarno Trulli +1.544
17 Mike Conway +1.757
18 Sebastien Bourdais +2.018
19 James Rossiter +3.215
20 Jose Maria Lopez +3.262

Qualifying Results

1 Felipe Massa 1:20.631
2 Michael Schumacher +0.090
3 Lewis Hamilton +0.797
4 Heikki Kovalainen +1.090
5 Nick Heidfeld +1.141
6 Christian Kilen +1.145
7 Jenson Button +1.322
8 Kamui Kobayashi +1.409
9 Sebastian Vettel +1.498
10 Andre Lotterer +1.628
11 Mark Webber +1.711
12 Nico Rosberg +1.713
13 Giorgio Pantano +1.713
14 Rubens Barrichello +1.844
15 Davide Valsecchi +1.849
16 Giedo Van der Garde +1.933
17 Ralf Schumacher +1.935
18 Kaz Nakajima +1.941
19 Adrian Sutil +1.981
20 Nico Hulkenberg +2.019
21 Kazuya Oshima +2.023
22 Luca Filippi +2.025
23 Robert Kubica +2.160
24 Vitaly Petrov +2.298
25 Timo Glock +2.466
26 Bruno Senna +2.499
27 Kimi Raikkonen +2.503
28 Fernando Alonso +2.503

Just when you think McLaren couldn’t do much worse, both of their cars DNQ’ed! Maybe a massive fire sale is on the way in the near future?

Race Summary

Our first retirement after a rather pedestrian 50 or so laps happened on Lap 53 when Petrov became the first one to do so. However, before that moment there was some hotly contested battles all over the track. On Lap 56, Ralf Schumacher DNF’ed for yet another race. On lap 59, M. Schumacher suffered a relatively rare Ferrari engine blowup. In addition, Kamui Kobayashi also retired. On lap 64, Kaz Nakajima also retired after running with some promise. In the end, the perfect season for Ferrari is still alive, with Massa taking the checkered flag a full minute over Klien and Heidfeld.

Race Results

1 Felipe Massa 1:36:06.976
2 Christian Klien +1:03.119
3 Nick Heidfeld +1.07.796
4 Lewis Hamilton +1.08.635
5 Heikki Kovalainen 1 lap
6 Jenson Button 1 lap
7 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
8 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
9 Mark Webber 1 lap
10 Giorgio Pantano 1 lap
11 Sebastian Vettel 1 lap
12 Nico Hulkenberg 1 lap
13 Robert Kubica 1 lap
14 Davide Valsecchi 1 lap
15 Giedo Van der Garde 1 lap
16 Luca Filippi 1 lap
17 Adrian Sutil 1 lap
18 Rubens Barrichello 2 laps
19 TImo Glock 2 laps
20 Kazuya Oshima 2 laps
21 Bruno Senna 2 laps
DNF Kaz Nakajima Engine
DNF Michael Schumacher Engine
DNF Kamui Kobayashi Engine
DNF Ralf Schumacher Water Leak
DNF Vitaly Petrov Engine

ROTR: McLaren for both cars happened to DNQ. Obviously, they are pissed off!

Paddock News:

McLaren: We are looking at every possible option

After the public disappointment of having both cars DNQ’ing. The team admitted that they are busy on their smartphones trying to plan for 2010. After the Canadian GP, there was a rumor flying around that Kimi Raikkonen is possibly going to Red Bull after the British GP. McLaren hasn’t addressed the rumor directly yet.

Silverstone’s new proposed layout for 2010 doesn’t exist on Grandprix2.de, British GP’S Future in serious doubt

And speaking of the British GP, I just realized that the 2010-present layout of Silverstone does not exist as a download for Grand Prix 2 at this point of time, which is causing some serious concerns about the British GP’S place on the calendar for 2010. Donnington Park is being considered as a possibility, but the current layout is not considered adequate for a modern GP circuit. So, it seems possible that there will be no British GP in 2010, which is a big disservice to the F1 teams based in the UK if it is indeed the case. If it’s not Donnington Park than the next option to replace Silverstone will be the newly purposed Yeongham circuit in South Korea which is just finished its planning stages and about to receive approval for its construction.

Group Lotus: We are working overtime to be in F1 in some capacity next year

Meanwhile, the lotus name might be in F1 in some capacity for 2010. Early rumors are suggesting that the Renault works team is the most likely candidate to be sold to Group Lotus. Of Course, talks are still ongoing at the moment.

In the meantime, the next round from Silverstone will be posted by next weekend.

[Rabbi Gordon]

Yay!
Giorgio scores another point, while Giedo also shows some nice pace in Pre-qualifying and qualifying.

Is it possible to offer a driver a contract extension mid-season or I have to wait until the silly season?

[KL-racer]

Round 8 Silverstone

First off, to answer Rabbi Gordon’s question about driver signings. No, you can’t resign your current drivers to new contracts in the middle of a season. You must wait until after the season is over to do this.

Next order of business, with the future of the British GP in the air, Silverstone needs to produce one final classic race to save GP racing in the UK. Will the fans get it? Furthermore, can McLaren rebound before the new Pre-Q list gets released for the third quarter of the season?

Pre-Q results

1 Giorgio Pantano 1:25.010
2 Kaz Nakajima +0.208
3 Mark Webber +0.455
4 Davide Valsecchi +0.724
5 Pedro De La Rosa +0.729
6 Vitaly Petrov +0.770
7 Luca Filippi +0.893
8 Giedo Van der Garde +0.931
DNPQ
9 Romain Grosjean +1.062
10 Pastor Maldonado +1.175
11 Kazuya Oshima +1.213
12 Narain Karthikeyan +1.216
13 Giancarlo Fisichella +1.218
14 Jarno Trulli +1.503
15 Karun Chandhok +1.777
16 Sebastien Bourdais +1.858
17 Javier Villa +1.911
18 Mike Conway +2.627
19 Jose Maria Lopez +2.956
20 James Rossiter +3.319

Qualifying results

1 Michael Schumacher 1:23.800
2 Felipe Massa +0.278
3 Lewis Hamilton +0.647
4 Ralf Schumacher +0.728
5 Heikki Kovalainen +0.811
6 Nick Heidfeld +0.888
7 Sebastien Vettel +1.052
8 Nico Rosberg +1.128
9 Jenson Button +1.173
10 Giorgio Pantano +1.413
11 Robert Kubica +1.502
12 Rubens Barrichello +1.541
13 Pedro De La Rosa +1.613
14 Christian Kilen +1.696
15 Giedo Van der Garde +1.697
16 Timo Glock +1.707
17 Andre Lotterer +1.778
18 Kimi Raikkonen +1.828
19 Kaz Nakajima +1.986
20 Kamui Kobayashi +2.061
21 Davide Valsecchi +2.064
22 Vitaly Petrov +2.064
23 Mark Webber +2.101
24 Fernando Alonso +2.103
25 Luca Filippi +2.109
26 Adrian Sutil +2.305
DNQ
27 Bruno Senna +2.387
28 Nico Hulkenberg +2.866

Race Summary

On Lap 4, Rosberg retired from 6th. On Lap 11, Ralf Schumacher retired from 3rd with Engine failure. On Lap 22, the other Toyota of Vettel also was parked. On Lap 25, Kimi retired the McLaren. On Lap 28, Van der Garde stopped with Transmission failure while running in the top 10. On lap 36, Sutil retired the Carlin. On Lap 50, Heidfeld retired while running 5th. On the final lap, Hamilton suffered a rare DNF while in 3rd. In the end, it’s 8 races and 8 wins for Ferrari. Also, Renault is finally on the scoreboard this season with a 9th by DLR. Kubica finally gets Williams some desperate points for 8th.

1 Michael Schumacher 1:28:58.073
2 Felipe Massa +1.389
3 Jenson Button +46.747
4 Heikki Kovalainen +50.611
5 Christian Klein +1:06.141
6 Rubens Barrichello +1:26.712
7 Giorgio Pantano 1 lap
8 Robert Kubica 1 lap
9 Pedro De La Rosa 1 lap
10 Mark Webber 1 lap
11 Timo Glock 1 lap
12 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
13 Davide Valsecchi 1 lap
14 VItaly Petrov 1 lap
15 Kamui Kobayashi 1 lap
16 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
17 Luca FIlippi 1 laps
18 Lewis Hamilton 2 laps (stopped on track)
19 Kaz Nakajima 3 laps
DNF Nick Heidfeld Engine
DNF Adrian Sutil Engine
DNF Giedo Van der Garde Transmission
DNF Kimi Raikkonen Water Leak
DNF Sebastian Vettel Transmisison
DNF Ralf Schumacher Engine
DNF Nico Rosberg Engine

ROTR: Hamilton's engine, so much for that reliability of the Force India, he was literally crying that he actually DNF’ed while running 3rd on the final lap of his home race.

Paddock News:

Donnington Park agrees to host the 2010 British GP

After extensive back and forth talks between the two sides. Donnington Park will indeed host the 2010 British GP.

The Valencia Street circuit is removed from the 2010 race calendar, replaced by South Korea’s Yeongham circuit

After two OK years, the FIA has made the tough decision to cut the Valencia Street Circuit’s deal shorter than originally planned. Replacing this race will be the Yeongham circuit in South Korea, which is in the early construction stages.

The new Pre-Q list will take effect for the next 4 races, and like last time, the bottom 10 teams in the team’s standings will make up this list. The next round will hopefully be posted by next weekend.

[Collieafc]

A DNF at both Hamilton and Force Indias home race is simply unacceptable. To counter this, we wish to perform a reliability upgrade at the next team testing session, with race pace also performed if allowed

[novitopoli]

Our last money on a Race pace upgrade.

[FantometteBR]

If DAMS has cash, race pace update

[Dom_Wings]

Manor goes for quali pace and aero.

[KL-racer]

Round 9 Hungary

First things first, thanks to the select few people that posted their upgrade plans in advance. These upgrades will be taken in effect after the race at Spa, which is Round 10.

Next thing will be the new Pre-Q list for the next four rounds of 2009. The 10 unlucky teams that have to fight it out in Pre-Q are

Williams (despite scoring points at Silverstone, it just was too little too late for this famous team), Renault, MSR, Red Bull, Lola, DAMS, Manor (barely missed the cut to escape pre-q, 2 more points and they would had escaped), Caterham, Campos, and US F1

As for the next round on the calendar, it’s one of these tracks that downforce will be maxed out and overtaking will be at a premium!

So, let’s see who gets out of Pre-Q this time around!

Pre-Q Results

1 Robert Kubica 1:18.232
2 Mark Webber +0.313
3 Jarno Trulli +0.638
4 Timo Glock +0.680
5 Luca Filippi +0.718
6 Kaz Nakajima +0.916
7 Davide Valsecchi +0.993
8 Pedro De La Rosa +1.077
DNPQ
9 Giancarlo Fisichella +1.191
10 Javier Villa +1.239
11 Romain Grosjean +1.353
12 Kazuya Oshima +1.360
13 Pastor Maldonado +1.473
14 VItaly Petrov +1.631
15 Sebastien Bourdais +1.673
16 Narain Karthikeyan +1.993
17 Karun Chandhok +1.996
18 Mike Conway +2.677
19 Jose Maria Lopez +3.197
20 James Rossiter +3.318

Both Williams happened to make through, Both Caterhams made it through as well. The rest of the advances are pretty usual, but Villa being 10th in the session for Campos was a minor surprise, especially considering that the Campos had no KERS to begin with!

Qualifying Results

1 Felipe Massa 1:17.263
2 Michael Schuamcher +0.002
3 Nick Heidfeld +0.570
4 Lewis Hamilton +0.721
5 Jenson Button +0.812
6 Heikki Kovalainen +0.929
7 Robert Kubica +0.995
8 Fernando Alonso +1.288
9 Mark Webber +1.321
10 Ralf Schumacher +1.361
11 Andre Lotterer +1.362
12 Rubens Barrichello +1.366
13 Jarno Trulli +1.400
14 Sebastian Vettel +1.402
15 Kimi Raikkonen +1.408
16 Christian Klien +1.474
17 Kamui Kobayashi +1.485
18 Nico Rosberg +1.519
19 Kaz Nakajima +1.611
20 TImo Glock +1.680
21 Giedo Van der Garde +1.716
22 Luca Filippi +1.720
23 Pedro De La Rosa +1.934
24 Giorgio Pantano +2.001
25 Adrian Sutil +2.125
26 Bruno Senna +2.360
DNQ
27 Davide Valsecchi +2.568
28 Nico Hulkenberg +2.765

Race Summary

It was a fairly standard start without any problems. Our first DNF came on Lap 14 with VDG’s transmission failed down the front straight. Lap 20, M. Schumacher’s engine let go from the lead, allowing Massa to take it over. Lap 32, Senna crashed out down the front straight. On Lap 35, Glock retired as well with Engine failure. On lap 54, Ralf Schumacher also crashed out at the same spot as Bruno. On Lap 66, Webber retired with suspension damage. A few laps later, Kimi retried with an Engine issue. Five laps to go, Pantano retired with a KERS failure. With two laps Lotterer, DNF’ed while running in the points. In the end, it’s Massa keeping Ferrari’s potential perfect season alive. Heidfeld settled for 2nd and Hamilton had a solid bounce back race to finish 3rd. Further down the order, Kubica makes it back to back races that he scored points in. Finally, Caterham has finally done something that eluded them in real life, score a point in a race, courtesy of Luca Filippi!

Race Results

1 Felipe Massa 1:45:55.053
2 Nick Heidfeld +27.516
3 Lewis Hamilton +1:00.263
4 Jenson Button 1 lap
5 Heikki Kovalainen 1 lap
6 Robert Kubcia 1 lap
7 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
8 Christian Klien 1 lap
9 Kamui Kobayashi 1 lap
10 Luca FIlippi 1 lap
11 Sebastian Vettel 1 lap
12 Kaz Nakajima 1 lap
13 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
14 Pedro De La Rosa 1 lap
15 Jarno Trulli 1 lap
16 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
17 Adrian Sutil 3 laps
DNF Andre Lotterer Engine
DNF Giorgio Pantano KERS
DNF Kimi Raikkonen Engine
DNF Mark Webber Suspension
DNF Ralf Schumacher Accident
DNF Timo Glock Engine
DNF Bruno Senna Accident
DNF Michael Schumacher Engine
DNF GIedo Van der Garde Transmission

Paddock News

FIA: “KERS will be required for 2010”

With all but two teams opting to use KERS for 2009, the FIA has decided to make KERS a mandatory requirement for 2010 onwards.

Spyker: “We are still on the fence for the 2010 season”

Meanwhile, over at MSR. Spyker, their engine supplier has recently announced that they are on the fence for continuing into 2010 supplying their engines to MSR or to cut their losses. So far, their pace has been way off on most circuits and they haven’t scored a point yet season. In addition, rumors are starting to pop up that Stefan GP, are looking to buy out MSR for 2010 onwards.

Renault engine department: “We are still committed to F1 for the long term”

After the race was over, Renault has announced that they will continue to supply engines for 2010 at the worst case. The best case for us though is that we will weather through the struggles with coping with the air restrictors and the sealed HP specs of the engine itself. As long as we are needed from a customer engine standpoint, we will stay put.

Group Lotus close to a buy-out deal with Renault for the 2010 season

Meanwhile, the Renault works team is very close to be bought out by Group Lotus. The deal is around 85-90% done according to reports, they are still working out the final minor details before they will make it official, which should be within the next 2-3 races.

The next round from Spa should be posted in a few days at the most. And if you haven’t posted your upgrade plans for the second in-season test, which will be after the round at Spa you can do that now.

[AdrianBelmonte_]

Qualifying pace for Campos

[KL-racer]

Round 10 Spa

Well, we are off to the longest circuit on this calendar in terms of length, Spa. The biggest question coming into this round is can anybody stop Ferrari? So far, nine races, and nine wins for Ferrari. Will today bring more the same or will the perfect season end?

Pre-Q Results

1 Mark Webber 1:52.005
2 Kaz Nakajima +0.526
3 Robert Kubica +0.731
4 Luca Filippi +0.849
5 Timo Glock +0.902
6 Davide Valsecchi +1.014
7 Kazuya Oshima +1.224
8 Vitaly Petrov +1.255
DNPQ
9 Giancarlo Fisichella +1.264
10 Pastor Maldonado +1.546
11 Karun Chandhok +1.579
12 Pedro De La Rosa +1.633
13 Romain Grosjean +1.634
14 Jarno Trulli +1.719
15 Narain Karthikeyan +1.799
16 Javier Villa +2.450
17 Sebastien Bourdais +2.497
18 Mike Conway +2.648
19 Jose Maria Lopez +4.580
20 James Rossiter +4.693

Qualifying

1 Michael Schumacher 1:50.122
2 Felipe Massa +0.124
3 Jenson Button +1.182
4 Nick Heidfeld +1.472
5 Lewis Hamilton +1.481
6 Heikki Kovalainen +1.805
7 Andre Lotterer +1.848
8 Christian Klien +2.005
9 Rubens Barrichello +2.080
10 Nico Rosberg +2.410
11 Kamui Kobayashi +2.413
12 Sebastian Vettel +2.453
13 Giedo Van der Garde +2.495
14 Robert Kubica +2.574
15 Ralf Schumacher +2.653
16 Luca FIlippi +2.653
17 Giorgio Pantano +2.705
18 Kaz Nakajima +2.786
19 Mark Webber +2.787
20 Fernando Alonso +2.809
21 Kimi Raikkonen +2.869
22 Vitaly Petrov +3.143
23 Adrian Sutil +3.181
24 Bruno Senna +3.232
25 TImo Glock +3.271
26 Davide Valsecchi +3.424
DNQ
27 Nico Hulkenberg +3.545
28 Kazuya Oshima +3.755

Race Summary

On lap 6, it’s Felipe Massa’s turn to be the first DNF of a race. On Lap 8, Nakajima crashed out at the bus stop chicane. On Lap 15, Rosberg suffered another DNF in the Sauber. On lap 33, Valsecchi DNF’ed the Caterham with a loose wheel. With three laps left, Hamilton retired from 2nd, the engine let him down. In the end, Ferrari’s perfect season continues on, and both Prodrive drivers are on the podium! Heikki barely missed out being there, he had to settle for 4th and both Epsilon’s got points. Finally, Filippi somehow managed to score the Caterham in back to back races.

1 Michael Schumacher 1:26:27.895
2 Jenson Button +1:11.515
3 Andre Lotterer +1:31.525
4 Heikki Kovalainen +1:32.863
5 Christian Klien +1:45.096
6 Rubens Barrichello +1:50.274
7 GIedo Van der Garde +1:56.998
8 Luca Filippi 1 lap
9 Giorgio Pantano 1 lap
10 Ralf Schumacher 1 lap
11 Vitaly Petrov 1 lap
12 Nick Heidfeld 1 lap
13 Sebastian Vettel 1 lap
14 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
15 Robert Kubica 1 lap
16 Bruno Senna 1 lap
17 Mark Webber 1 lap
18 Kamui Kobayashi 1 lap
19 Adrian Sutil 1 lap
20 TImo Glock 1 lap
21 Kimi Raikkonen 2 laps
DNF Lewis Hamilton Engine
DNF Davide Valsecchi Loose wheel
DNF Nico Rosberg Water Leak
DNF Kaz Nakajima Accident
DNF Felipe Massa Transmission

Paddock News:

Fans divided regarding if Ferrari accomplishing a Perfect season is good or bad for the sport

With the perfect season still a possibility with 6 races left, the comment sections of every article about Ferrari is starting to be a debate about whether a perfect season is good, in the sense of the historical record books, or is it bad in the sense of lack of competition.

The fans that say it’s good often state is a history making occurrence if it does happen. However, the opposition says it’s bad for the entertainment value of the sport on TV, and if it does happen, something needs to be done to slow Ferrari for next season. The FIA has said it’s highly doubtful that there would be any additional changes in the rules for 2010, besides making KERS mandatory.

Then again, a lot can happen from now until the end of this season, especially among the teams trying to stay in the top 10 so they can avoid Pre-Q altogether. So, this season isn’t exactly a yawn fest.

In terms of when the second in-season test will take place, I will hopefully do it on Black Friday sometime!

[Ice1Racing]

Carlin would like a race & qualifying pace upgrade

[FantometteBR]

So close....

[Rabbi Gordon]

Race pace for a really content Epsilon Euskadi.

Great drive for Giedo, he made all of us forget how he paid for the ride. My personal god Giorgio is continuing on with rock solid performances.

[Miguel98]

Prodrive want a reliability upgrade

[KL-racer]

In-Season test #2: Spa

Hello guys, hopefully you are enjoying your black Friday. Just in case, you haven’t noticed I went ahead and performed the upgrades, and in the process, Carlin needed a pay-driver, thankfully there was Ho-Pin Tung available, he signed on as a reserve for the remainder of the season. Here’s the second in-season test results from Spa

1 Felipe Massa 1:50.116
2 Michael Schumacher +0.138
3 Heikki Kovalainen +0.869
4 Lewis Hamilton +1.071
5 Nick Heidfeld +1.439
6 Christian Klien +1.607
7 Kaz Nakajima +1.802
8 Kamui Kobayashi +2.056
9 Jenson Button +2.059
10 Rubens Barrichello +2.261
11 Adrian Sutil +2.294
12 Sebasitan Vettel +2.332
13 Andre Lotterer +2.377
14 Nico Rosberg +2.453
15 Mark Webber +2.464
16 Giorgio Pantano +2.584
17 Kazuya Oshima +2.585
18 Davide Valsecchi +2.663
19 Fernando Alonso +2.786
20 Vitaly Petrov +2.821
21 Luca Filippi +2.912
22 Kimi Raikkonen +2.983
23 Ralf Schumacher +3.022
24 Pedro De La Rosa +3.112
25 Nico Hulkenberg +3.120
26 Romain Grosjean +3.151
27 Karun Chandhok +3.236
28 Robert Kubica +3.273
29 Giedo Van der Garde +3.283
30 Bruno Senna +3.431
31 Pastor Maldonado +3.597
32 Giancarlo Fisichella +3.641
33 Timo Glock +3.642
34 Narain Karthikeyan +3.726
35 Jarno Trulli +4.056
36 Sebastien Bourdais +4.222
37 Javier Villa +4.260
38 Mike Conway +5.152
39 Jose Maria Lopez +6.297
40 James Rossiter +6.863

The next round from Monza will be posted soon.

[KL-racer]

Round 11 Monza

Alright, with a perfect season still possible, Ferrari heads home to Monza. This time, Ferrari are hoping to avoid losing the perfect season on their home turf. As historians will recall in 1988, McLaren-Honda’s perfect season ended at Monza and Ferrari won the race. Could someone else win a race for once, or will the perfect season continue?

Pre-Q results

1 Luca Filippi 1:24.608
2 Davide Valsecchi +0.087
3 Mark Webber +0.125
4 Kaz Nakajima +0.281
5 Robert Kubica +0.286
6 Timo Glock +0.817
7 Javier Villa +0.859
8 Pastor Maldonado +0.911
DNPQ
9 Pedro de La Rosa +0.985
10 Jarno Trulli +0.989
11 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.991
12 Vitaly Petrov +1.065
13 Romain Grosjean +1.068
14 Narain Karthikeyan +1.075
15 Kazuya Oshima +1.149
16 Karun Chandhok +1.482
17 Mike Conway +1.809
18 Sebastien Bourdais +1.855
19 Jose Maria Lopez +2.756
20 James Rossiter +2.804

A lot of surprises here, both Caterham’s on top of the Pre-Q sheet was shocking. Both Williams-Renaults did made it through, despite Renault’s struggles with top-end speed. But none of us were expecting the KERS-Less Campos-Ferrari of Javier Villa to make it through, especially considering it’s the highest speed track on the calendar.

Qualifying Results

1 Michael Schumacher 1:22.908
2 Felipe Massa +0.124
3 Lewis Hamilton +0.830
4 Nick Heidfeld +0.837
5 Heikki Kovalainen +0.877
6 Ralf Schumacher +1.316
7 Nico Rosberg +1.319
8 Jenson Button +1.324
9 Kamui Kobayashi +1.444
10 Giorgio Pantano +1.445
11 Mark Webber +1.492
12 GIedo Van der Garde +1.528
13 Christian Klien +1.609
14 Luca Filippi +1.609
15 Rubens Barrichello +1.615
16 Andre Lotterer +1.741
17 Bruno Senna +1.747
18 Adrian Sutil +1.897
19 Sebastian Vettel +1.901
20 Kimi Raikkonen +2.025
21 Fernando Alonso +2.148
22 Davide Valsecchi +2.232
23 Pastor Maldonado +2.478
24 Kaz Nakajima +2.559
25 Robert Kubica +2.686
26 Nico Hulkenberg +2.730
DNQ
27 Javier Villa +2.924
28 TImo Glock +2.974

Well, so much hype for maybe Campos would make it on the grid for the first time this season. However, it wasn’t meant to be, Villa missed making it on the grid by less than 0.2 seconds.

Race Summary

On Lap 5, Filippi was forced to DNF due to a puncture On lap 8, Rosberg suffered yet another engine-related DNF. Lap 15, Michael Schumacher DNF’ed due to an engine problem. Lap 20, Nakajima failed to finish another race due to an engine issue. On Lap 31, VDG had a puncture. On lap 39, Vettel DNF’ed to suspension failure. On lap 47, Kubica DNF’ed with a puncture. In the end, Massa won another race. Ralf Schumacher finished 2nd and 15 much needed points for Toyota. Heikki rounds off the Podium.

Race Results

1 Felipe Massa 1:16:21.041
2 Ralf Schumacher +54.950
3 Heikki Kovalainen +57.779
4 Lewis Hamilton +58.229
5 Nick Heidfeld +58.817
6 Kamui Kobayashi +1:04.438
7 Jenson Button +1:06.474
8 Giorgio Pantano +1:12.549
9 Mark Webber +1:17.156
10 Christian Klien +1:18.490
11 Rubens Barrichello +1:25.101
12 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
13 Davide Valsecchi 1 lap
14 Kimi Raikkonen 1 lap
15 Adrian Sutil 1 lap
16 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
17 Nico Hulkenberg 1 lap
18 Pastor Maldonado 2 laps
19 Bruno Senna 2 laps
DNF Robert Kubcia Puncture
DNF Sebastian Vettel Suspension
DNF GIedo Van der Garde Puncture
DNF Kaz Nakajima Engine
DNF Michael Schumacher Engine
DNF Nico Rosberg Engine
DNF Luca FIlippi Puncture

Paddock News

Adrian Campos: “Very proud that Villa almost made onto the grid!”

Despite having no KERS system, Adrian Campos was celebrating like crazy that their Ferrari powered car driven by Javier Villa almost made on a race grid for the first time this season. Said Campos, after Qualifying was done, “It’s a shame that we couldn’t be on the grid for Monza but this is like a huge victory for us. Finally managing to participate in proper Qualifying with one car was huge for us in terms of moving forward.”

Jaime Algersauri to sign with Campos?

Fresh off the big moral victory at Monza, talks are starting to convince Jaime Algersauri to sign for the final five races of the season. Early reports indicate that he has to bring $2 million to the team for the deal to get done. He would replace Mike Conway, if it's successful. No statement was released about this rumor yet.

[AdrianBelmonte_]

We confirm that Jaime Alguersuari will drive for Campos for the final 5 races of the season substituting Mike Conway

Also, we are about to make an aero update in our car

[KL-racer]

Round 12: Singapore

Hi there, we are off to the final five flyaway races of the season. We start our stretch run from Singapore, when a long 2 hours from the drivers and a max-downforce setting on the car is needed to win. Just in case you haven’t noticed in the opening post, Jaime Algersauri will indeed make his debut for Campos replacing Mike Conway.

Pre-Q Results

1 Mark Webber 1:43.786
2 Kaz Nakajima +0.250
3 Luca Filippi +0.839
4 Robert Kubica +0.910
5 Kazuya Oshima +1.033
6 Vitaly Petrov +1.035
7 Davide Valsecchi +1.081
8 Narain Karthikeyan +1.205
DNPQ
9 Timo Glock +1.251
10 Karun Chandhok +1.284
11 Pastor Maldonado +1.330
12 Romain Grosjean +1.376
13 Giancarlo Fisichella +1.494
14 Pedro De La Rosa +1.746
15 Jarno Trulli +1.831
16 Jaime Algersauri +2.211
17 Sebastien Bourdais +2.413
18 Javier Villa +2.457
19 Jose Maria Lopez +4.129
20 James Rossiter +4.299

One big surprise occurred, Narain Karthikeyan finally made it out of Pre-Q for the first time this season. Other headlines include Timo Glock’s miserable luck, and give major kudos for Jaime Algersauri who outqualified Villa in the Campos.

Qualifying results

1 Felipe Massa 1:42.234
2 Michael Schumacher +0.162
3 Lewis Hamilton +1.074
4 Heikki Kovalainen +1.134
5 Ralf Schumacher +1.544
6 Giorgio Pantano +1.620
7 Nick Heidfeld +1.708
8 Jenson Button +1.710
9 Kaz Nakajima +1.805
10 Christian Klien +1.835
11 Kamui Kobayashi +1.843
12 Giedo Van der Garde +1.875
13 Rubens Barrichello +1.920
14 Luca Filippi +1.966
15 Nico Rosberg +2.083
16 Bruno Senna +2.179
17 Sebastian Vettel +2.256
18 Andre Lotterer +2.337
19 Adrian Sutil +2.419
20 Robert Kubica +2.552
21 Davide Valsecchi +2.640
22 Vitaly Petrov +2.838
23 Kimi Raikkonen +2.917
24 Fernando Alonso +2.917
25 Kazuya Oshima +2.923
26 Narain Karthikeyan +2.927
DNQ
27 Mark Webber +3.050
28 Nico Hulkenberg +3.174

Narain Karthikeyan making it on the grid at the expense of Mark Webber was a complete shocking event. McLaren-Renault are hoping not to be regulated to Pre-Q when this race is finished. Both of them will start on Row 12.

Race Summary

On Lap 10, Kubica’s nightmarish season continues on, with yet another DNF due to a puncutre. A couple laps later, Petrov retired the DAMS after showing some promise early on. On lap 15, Klien suffered suspension damage. On the next lap, both Toyota’s retired with engine dramas at different places on the track. On Lap 19, Karthikeyan’s first race outling of 2009, fell a little bit short, suspension damage ended his race. On Lap 31, Kobayashi retired with an gearbox failure. Just as this happened, Massa started having engine issues as well, but ultimately he made it back to the pits safely and took an extra pit stop to restart the ECU successfully, he came out in 4th. On Lap 38, Nakajima retired from 10th due to gearbox issues.

In the end, Michael Schumacher picked up the slack for Ferrari and continued the chase for the perfect season. Hamilton came in 2nd and Massa rebounded to take 3rd.

Race Results

1 Michael Schumacher 1:51:09.513
2 Lewis Hamilton +39.603
3 Felipe Massa +47.959
4 Heikki Kovalainen +56.831
5 Nick Heidfeld +1:17.315
6 Jenson Button +1:20.386
7 Giorgio Pantano +1:36.319
8 Rubens Barrichello +1:41.421
9 Giedo Van der Garde +1:43.286
10 Luca Filippi +1:44.754
11 Bruno Senna 1 lap
12 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
13 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
14 Davide Valsecchi 1 lap
15 Adrian Sutil 1 lap
16 Kazuya Oshima 1 lap
17 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
18 Kimi Raikkonen 1 lap
DNF Kaz Nakajima Transmission
DNF Kamui Kobayashi Transmission
DNF Narain Karthikeyan Suspension
DNF Ralf Schumacher Engine
DNF Sebastian Vettel Water leak
DNF Christian Klien Suspension
DNF Vitaly Petrov Engine
DNF Robert Kubica Puncture

The next round is from Suzuka and will come in a couple days. Finally, It looks like there will be no changes to the pre-q list for the final four races. Which is good news for McLaren because they are still 10th in the team’s standings.

[KL-racer]

Round 13 Suzuka

After updating the standings, it happened to be that there were no changes made to the Pre-Q lists for the final four races. So, the Pre-Q list will still be Williams, Renault, MSR, Red Bull, Lola, DAMS, Manor, Caterham, Campos and USF1 until the end of this season.

So, we are off to Suzuka and the Japanese GP, which is highly regarded as a driver’s favorite on the calendar. And by the way now I'm on winter break from my work, this series should be going by a lot faster now.

Pre-Q results

1 Mark Webber 1:37.559
2 Robert Kubica +0.247
3 Luca Filippi +0.249
4 Kaz Nakajima +0.442
5 Davide Valsecchi +0.478
6 Timo Glock +0.764
7 Jarno Trulli +0.950
8 Pedro De La Rosa +1.072
DNPQ
9 Giancarlo Fisichella +1.076
10 Pastor Maldonado +1.079
11 Javier Villa +1.163
12 Romain Grosjean +1.166
13 Kazuya Oshima +1.278
14 Vitaly Petrov +1.475
15 Narain Karthikeyan +1.520
16 Karun Chandhok +1.836
17 Jaime Algersauri +1.871
18 Sebastien Bourdais +1.959
19 Jose Maria Lopez +3.239
20 James Rossiter +3.346

Qualifying results

1 Michael Schumacher 1:35.768
2 Felipe Massa +0.196
3 Heikki Kovalainen +0.798
4 Lewis Hamilton +0.951
5 Ralf Schumacher +1.274
6 Jenson Button +1.354
7 Nick Heidfeld +1.386
8 Christian Klien +1.551
9 Nico Rosberg +1.555
10 Giorgio Pantano +1.673
11 Mark Webber +1.677
12 Rubens Barrichello +1.789
13 Kamui Kobayashi +1.796
14 Giedo Van der Garde +1.831
15 Sebastian Vettel +1.950
16 Luca Filippi +2.024
17 Andre Lotterer +2.042
18 Kaz Nakajima +2.141
19 Bruno Senna +2.223
20 Fernando Alonso +2.310
21 Kimi Raikkonen +2.313
22 Adrian Sutil +2.343
23 Robert Kubica +2.357
24 Timo Glock +2.545
25 Jarno Trulli +2.704
26 Davide Valsecchi +2.788
DNQ
27 Nico Hulkenberg +3.151
28 Pedro De La Rosa +3.303

Race Summary

On Lap 8, Kubica DNF’ed. On Lap 19, M. Schumacher retired with an engine failure from the lead. On Lap 25, Heikki and Adrian Sutil both DNF’ed at different points of the track On Lap 36, VDG crashed out while running in the points. On Lap 44, Lotterer’s day was done with an engine problem from 11th. Meanwhile, over the last few laps of the race, Massa and Hamilton had an epic fight for the race win while trying to lap the slower traffic. Hamilton got close enough on a few occasions but in the end the perfect season continues on for Ferrari.

Race Results

1 Felipe Massa 1:28:50.583
2 Lewis Hamilton +1.284
3 Nick Heidfeld +23.107
4 Jenson Button +26.534
5 Nico Rosberg +37.072
6 Christian Klien +38.076
7 Kamui Kobaysahi +51.197
8 Giorgio Pantano +1:10.753
9 Ralf Schumacher +1:11.470
10 Luca Filippi +1:15.856
11 Mark Webber +1:16.258
12 Sebastian Vettel +1:18.815
13 Kaz Nakajima +1:28.146
14 Bruno Senna 1 lap
15 Davide Valsecchi 1 lap
16 Jarno Trulli 1 lap
17 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
18 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
19 Kimi Raikkonen 1 lap
20 Timo Glock 2 laps
DNF Andre Lotterer Engine
DNF Giedo Van der Garde Accident
DNF Heikki Kovalainen Transmission
DNF Adrian Sutil Puncture
DNF Michael Schumacher Engine
DNF Robert Kubica Engine

The next round from Interlagos will be posted tomorrow.

[Collieafc]

Although Massa may have been the winner, Force India are delighted with this result - this is the first time this season that a Ferrari has been challenged for the win and our position was earned in merit by both Hamilton and the team and shows the progress we have made this season. Hamilton also remains the only driver to see the chequered flag on the same lap as the Ferrari's. We would like to recognise and praise the good work by both driver and team. We have also taken note of Kobayashi's recent good performances and the progression he has made since the start of the year as he successfully completes his first full season

[KL-racer]

Round 14 Interlagos

3 races left for Ferrari to achieve what eluded the 1988 McLaren team - a perfect season. Can someone anyone stop them? Maybe Lewis Hamilton and the Force India might be the one to ruin the history? The next stop on the calendar is Interlagos, another classic driver’s challenge. And on another note, if Massa has at least a 51-point lead over his teammate Michael Schumacher after this race, Massa would clinch the driver’s championship. And doing it on his home GP, will make it extra special for him!

Pre-Q Results

1 Mark Webber 1:16.145
2 Kaz Nakajima +0.089
3 Pedro De La Rosa +0.444
4 Vitaly Petrov +0.461
5 Kazuya Oshima +0.484
6 Robert Kubica +0.489
7 Davide Valsecchi +0.524
8 Timo Glock +0.714
DNPQ
9 Luca Filippi +0.723
10 Karun Chandhok +0.839
11 Romain Grosjean +0.911
12 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.917
13 Pastor Maldonado +1.041
14 Jarno Trulli +1.077
15 Sebastien Bourdais +1.280
16 Narain Karthikeyan +1.347
17 Javier Villa +1.556
18 Jaime Algersauri +1.596
19 Jose Maria Lopez +2.631
20 James Rossiter +3.070

Qualifying results

1 Michael Schumacher 1:15.074
2 Felipe Massa +0.083
3 Ralf Schumacher +0.439
4 Lewis Hamilton +0.470
5 Heikki Kovalainen +0.474
6 Jenson Button +0.603
7 Nick Heidfeld +0.671
8 Nico Rosberg +0.831
9 Sebastian Vettel +0.875
10 Giorgio Pantano +1.109
11 Pedro De La Rosa +1.118
12 Rubens Barrichello +1.190
13 Robert Kubica +1.307
14 Andre Lotterer +1.308
15 Christian Klien +1.319
16 Mark Weebber +1.357
17 Timo Glock +1.433
18 Giedo Van der Garde +1.439
19 Kimi Raikkonen +1.507
20 Kaz Nakajima +1.624
21 Vitaly Petrov +1.634
22 Fernando Alonso +1.673
23 Kamui Kobayashi +1.703
24 Adrian Sutil +1.836
25 Bruno Senna +2.029
26 Kazuya Oshima +2.067
DNQ
27 Davide Valsecchi +2.118
28 Nico Hulkenberg +2.429

Race Summary

Alonso and Heidfeld didn’t even make it up to the first round of pit stops, they both DNF’ed with gearbox issues. On lap 26, Kimi also DNF’ed the other Mclaren due to a puncture. On lap 48, Michael Schumacher collided with a lapped car and required an extra pit stop for repairs, pretty much sealing his fate on forcing the driver’s championship to the next race, if Massa can just stay put in his current position. On Lap 59, Nakajima DNF’ed. With just six laps left, Lotterer retired the Prodrive. In the end, Massa won the race, and with it the driver’s title, something that he still hasn’t done in reality. Hamilton once again has to settle for second. Button rounds off the podium.

Race Results
1 Felipe Massa 1:34:31.263
2 Lewis Hamilton +4.658
3 Jenson Button +11.435
4 Ralf Schumacher +23.600
5 Nico Rosberg +39.855
6 Heikki Kovalainen +43.450
7 Sebastian Vettel +48.344
8 Michael Schumacher +1:04.676
9 Giorgio Pantano +1:14.440
10 Christian Klien +1:17.343
11 Giedo Van der Garde 1 lap
12 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
13 Mark Webber 1 lap
14 Pedro De La Rosa 1 lap
15 Timo Glock 1 lap
16 Vitaly Petrov 1 lap
17 Kamui Kobayashi 1 lap
18 Robert Kubica 1 lap
19 Adrian Sutil 1 lap
20 Kazuya Oshima 1 lap
21 Bruno Senna 1 lap
DNF Andre Lotterer Engine
DNF Kaz Nakajima Loose wheel
DNF Kimi Raikkonen Puncture
DNF Fernando Alonso Transmission
DNF Nick Heidfeld Transmission

Paddock News:

Michael Schumacher to test the open market after this season.

After officially losing out yet again to claim his record-extending eighth title. Michael Schumacher has openly announced that he will test the open market after the season is over.

The Group Lotus deal to buy out Renault is official!

After weeks of speculation, Group Lotus has indeed been successful in buying the Renault Works team. It’s yet to be known that the new management will keep using Renault engines or look for a different supplier for 2010.

Mercedes AMG successful in buying out MSR-Spyker. Spyker are still considering suppling one team for 2010.

After only two teams, Force India and Prodrive ended up using Mercedes engines for 2009, Mercedes jumped at the opportunity to buy out an existing team for 2010 and make it their own works team. That team happened to be MSR-Spyker. This also means that Spyker will be hunting down for a new team that they can supply their engines to for 2010.

The next race is from Bahrain, it would be posted in a day or two.

[Klon]

Toyota pulls out of Formula 1

Toyota has announced that it is to pull out of Formula 1 with immediate effect.

The Japanese car company revealed its surprise decision in a news conference in Tokyo today following an earlier board meeting. It said the current economic situation had prompted its departure.

"Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it plans to withdraw from the FIA Formula 1 world championship at the end of the 2009 season," said a Toyota statement.

"TMC, which had viewed its participation in F1 as contributing to the prosperity of automotive culture, remained dedicated to competing at the pinnacle of motor sports even in the face of the abrupt economic changes that started last year.

"However, when considering TMC's motorsports actitives next year and beyond from a comprehensive mid-term viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities, TMC decided to withdraw from F1"

OT: I have decided to depart from this game at the end of the season. Thanks for your effort, kl-racer.

[KL-racer]

Round 15 Bahrain

Alright, with Toyota and Klon officially call it quits after this season, we are off to Bahrain. There's only two races left to go, will Ferrari make it 15 for 15 or will this be the race that Lewis Hamilton finally crashes the party? In the meantime, all of the other spots in the team’s championship are still wide open.

Pre-Q results

1 Mark Webber 1:32.837
2 Kaz Nakajima +0.002
3 Pedro De La Rosa +0.282
4 Robert Kubcia +0.360
5 Davide Valsecchi +0.436
6 Vitaly Petrov +0.487
7 Kazuya Oshima +0.522
8 Luca Filippi +0.655
DNPQ
9 Timo Glock +0.760
10 Karun Chandhok +0.764
11 Romain Grosjean +0.811
12 Pastor Maldonado +0.885
13 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.937
14 Jarno Trulli +1.006
15 Narain Karthikeyan +1.206
16 Sebastien Bourdais +1.292
17 Javier Villa +1.520
18 Jaime Algersauri +1.579
19 Jose Maria Lopez +2.739
20 James Rossiter +3.218

Qualifying Result

1 Michael Schumacher 1:31.346
2 Felipe Massa +0.087
3 Jenson Button +0.806
4 Nick Heidfeld +0.812
5 Lewis Hamilton +0.928
6 Heikki Kovalainen +0.928
7 Andre Lotterer +1.333
8 Chrisitan Klien +1.522
9 Kamui Kobayashi +1.529
10 Robert Kubica +1.529
11 Nico Rosberg +1.538
12 Rubens Barrichello +1.607
13 Sebastian Vettel +1.613
14 Giedo Van der Garde +1.687
15 Ralf Schumacher +1.690
16 Mark Webber +1.691
17 Luca Filippi +1.777
18 Kimi Raikkonen +1.811
19 Fernando Alonso +1.849
20 Giorgio Pantano +1.893
21 Kaz Nakajima +1.933
22 VItaly Petrov +1.937
23 Adrian Sutil +2.018
24 Pedro De La Rosa +2.262
25 Bruno Senna +2.304
26 Kazuya Oshima +2.409
DNQ
27 Davide Valsecchi +2.537
28 Nico Hulkenberg +2.774

Race Summary

On Lap 5, Hamilton got off track and spun damaging his front wing as he tried to rejoin the track. He was forced to drop all the way to last place after a pit stop for repairs. On Lap 8, R. Schumacher retired with a gearbox issue. On Lap 10, Sutil DNF’ed due to a gearbox issue of his own. On Lap 26, VDG retried with gearbox dramas. On Lap 29, Michael Schumacher retired yet again, this time the transmission failed. On Lap 34, Bruno Senna had a puncture and was forced to retire the car. On Lap 36, Petrov DNF’ed with engine failure. With just four laps left, Filippi was just inside the points when the Engine let go. In the end, Massa scores yet another win for Ferrari. Which means there’s one more race between Ferrari and the perfect season!

1 Felipe Massa 1:39:23.702
2 Nick Heidfeld +43.385
3 Heikki Kovalainen +1:15.182
4 Jenson Button +1:19.120
5 Lewis Hamilton 1 lap
6 Christain Klien 1 lap
7 Nico Rosberg 1 lap
8 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
9 Robert Kubica 1 lap
10 Giorgio Pantano 1 lap
11 Sebastian Vettel 1 lap
12 Mark Webber 1 lap
13 Kimi Raikkonen 1 lap
14 Kamui Kobayashi 1 lap
15 Kaz Nakajima 1 lap
16 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
17 Andre Lotterer 1 lap
18 Kazuya Oshima 2 laps
19 Pedro De La Rosa 2 laps
DNF Luca Filippi Engine
DNF Vitaly Petrov Engine
DNF Bruno Senna Puncture
DNF Michael Schumacher Transmission
DNF Giedo Van der Garde Transmission
DNF Adrian Sutil Transmission
DNF Ralf Schumacher Transmission

Paddock News:

Spyker to also withdraw from F1 after this season

After agreeing to let MSR being bought out by Mercedes AMG. Spyker was in conversations with Red Bull Racing before talks fell through regarding their engine quality. Hence, Spyker will also withdraw from F1 after this season. Which means there’s only six engine suppliers at best case for 2010.

Future of Honda, BMW and Renault as engine suppliers still in question for 2010.

Also coming out of the paddock, Honda and BMW are still on the fence for its F1 commitment for 2010 and beyond. Renault is also considering downsizing their operation to two teams for 2010, if they decide to stay in the sport.

FIA: “No matter what happens, we want a bare minimum of 13 teams contesting at all times”

The FIA has come out and said that “We as a sport can’t afford anything less than a full 26 car grid at all times.” Regarding KERS being mandatory, the FIA has stated “Yes, we know that KERS being mandatory for next season will probably add costs in the short-term but this technology is relevant and needs to be used for the long-term.”

Due to these recent events, I feel that the final in-season test should be cancelled to address any concerns you guys might have regarding next season. Instead the season finale will be posted tomorrow. In the meantime, comment away about any concerns you have. Of course, you can also post your comments after the season finale as well.

[FantometteBR]

Well, just waiting to see what might happen for the next season

[KL-racer]

The Season Finale: Abu Dubai

Okay, one race left to run. Will Ferrari finally accomplish history, or will another team, Sauber-BMW, Force India, or maybe even Prodrive ruin the biggest celebrations ever convinced at this brand new track? Will Toyota go out on a high note? How about Campos, will they finally get on a starting grid this season? Let’s figure it out!

Pre-Q Results

1 Robert Kubica 1:45.225
2 Mark Webber +0.068
3 Timo Glock +0.148
4 Kaz Nakajima +0.380
5 Luca Filippi +0.496
6 Kazuya Oshima +0.639
7 Davide Valsecchi +0.643
8 Jarno Trulli +0.646
DNPQ
9 Giancarlo Fisichella +0.650
10 Vitaly Petrov +0.652
11 Pedro De La Rosa +0.877
12 Karun Chandhok +0.957
13 Romain Grosjean +1.046
14 Pastor Maldonado +1.083
15 Jaime Algersauri +1.186
16 Sebastien Bourdais +1.229
17 Narain Karthikeyan +1.268
18 Javier Villa +1.495
19 Jose Maria Lopez +2.500
20 James Rossiter +2.580

Guess US F1 and Campos failed to make a single starting grid this season.

Qualifying results

1 Felipe Massa 1:44.135
2 Michael Schumacher +0.075
3 Lewis Hamilton +0.463
4 Heikki Kovalainen +0.738
5 Jenson Button +0.849
6 Nico Rosberg +0.962
7 Nick Heidfeld +1.051
8 Sebastian Vettel +1.202
9 Timo Glock +1.202
10 Kamui Kobayashi +1.316
11 Christian Klien +1.350
12 Ralf Schumacher +1.353
13 Robert Kubica +1.363
14 Rubens Barrichello +1.389
15 Jarno Trulli +1.399
16 Mark Webber +1.427
17 Luca Filippi +1.467
18 Andre Lotterer +1.516
19 Kimi Raikkonen +1.582
20 Davide Valsecchi +1.618
21 Fernando Alonso +1.620
22 Bruno Senna +1.623
23 Giorgio Pantano +1.698
24 Adrian Sutil +1.782
25 Giedo Van der Garde +2.012
26 Kazuya Oshima +2.043
DNQ
27 Kaz Nakajima +2.095
28 Nico Hulkenberg +2.393

Many headlines here, can Glock get his first points in the final round of the season? How about Trulli in MSR’S final race? Will McLaren-Renault successfully defend their 10th place in the team’s standings when the season is over? All these questions will be answered, let’s go race

Race Summary

On Lap 5, Glock’s nightmare season comes to a smoky end, engine failure was the issue. On Lap 16, Sutil retired round off a pointless season for him. On Lap 25, Lotterer’s final race of the year came to an early end. On Lap 39, Rosberg was running well until the engine failed him. In the end, Michael Schumacher got the race win and with it the Perfect season is officially complete! Hamilton was 2nd again but he had to hold off Massa for the final few laps to get it.

Race Result

1 Michael Schumacher 1:44:21.754
2 Lewis Hamilton +25.278
3 Felipe Massa +25.476
4 Nick Heidfeld +1:05.703
5 Jenson Button +1:07.777
6 Heikki Kovalainen 1 lap
7 Kamui Kobayashi 1 lap
8 Ralf Schumacher 1 lap
9 Chrsitian Klien 1 lap
10 Robert Kubica 1 lap
11 Luca Filippi 1 lap
12 Davide Valsecchi 1 lap
13 Sebastian Vettel 1 lap
14 Rubens Barrichello 1 lap
15 Fernando Alonso 1 lap
16 Giorgio Pantano 2 laps
17 Bruno Senna 2 laps
18 Giedo Van der Garde 2 laps
19 Mark Webber 2 laps
20 Kimi Raikkonen 2 laps
21 Kazuya Oshima 3 laps
22 Jarno Trulli 3 laps
DNF Nico Rosberg Engine
DNF Andre Lotterer Oil Leak
DNF Adrian Sutil Engine
DNF Timo Glock Engine

So, here’s the final standings for both championships

Final Driver’s standings

Massa 250
M. Schumacher 178
Hamilton 153
Heidfeld 129
Button 102
Kovalainen 81
Klien 65
R. Schumacher 40
Rosberg 33
Lotterer 31
Kobayashi 26
Pantano 22
Barrichello 22
Kubica 15
Alonso 11
Webber 10
Vettel 9
Van der Garde 8
Filippi 6
Raikkonen 4
Petrov 2
De la Rosa 2
Nakajima 1

Final Teams Standings

1 Ferrari 428
2 Force India-Mercedes 179
3 Sauber-BMW 162
4 Prodrive-Mercedes 133
5 Carlin-BMW 81
6 Honda 65
7 Toyota 49
8 Epsilon Esukadi-BMW 30
9 Brawn GP-Honda 19
10 McLaren-Renault 15
11 Williams-Renault 15
12 Manor-Toyota 10
13 Caterham-Honda 6
14 DAMS-Cosworth 2
15 Renault 2
16 Lola-Cosworth 1
17 Red Bull-Toyota 0
18 MSR-Spyker 0
19 Campos-Ferrari 0
20 USF1-Cosworth 0

Paddock News:

Stefan GP is approved for entry in 2010.

With Toyota officially leaving the sport, as a result of this, one team slot has opened up. It so happened to be Stefan GP. Based in Serbia, the team will properly design their own chassis in-house along with help from some disgruntled ex-Toyota staff. It’s yet to be known which engine supplier they will use for the upcoming season. Their budget will be $32 million with KERS already being purchased by the team.

So, with this yawn fest of a season finally over. It’s time for everyone’s favorite time of year, the ROTY podium. Feel free to post your podiums here!

[TheFlyingCaterham]

So I'm still in charge of Brawn despite being inactive for 3 months? Alrighty then....

Welp, I have no complaints about 9th. Hopefully the team can get even further up the standings in 2010

[Collieafc]

For my reject nominations:

Renault (Team): I nominated then for ROTY last year from going from champions to 4th - but thats NOTHING compares to this! 2 seasons to go from a top team to failing to pre-qualify, DO I need to say more? In fact I do as it leads to my next nomination...

The "Big 4" minus Ferrari: The Renault team have been mentioned above, but McLaren and Williams also earn this - McLaren have Alonso and Raikkonnen, 2 of the best drivers on the grid and yet only barely escaped pre-q whilst Williams have reigning champion Kubica fighting it out with the likes of USF1 (More on them later). Meanwile, Epsilon, a brand new team and smaller budget lands as many points as McLaren and Williams COMBINED.The reason I didnt nominate the drivers is that theres a common theme in this...

Renault (Engine): The Renault engine powered 3 of the big 4...to abject failure, misery and humiliation. The fact that 3 top drivers with multiple titles between them were either in or very close to pre-qualification sessions pretty much handed the title (In hindsight) to Ferrari before a wheel was even turned and ensuring a Marenello walkover, and leaving Force India to think they dodged not just a bullet but a nuclear missile when they lost out on the engines.The only real upside is that it promoted newer teams such as Force india, Prodrive and Carlin into positions they would normally have had to fight hard to get close to, meaning that we could be in for an ultra competitive 2010. In addition it opened the door to Epsilon Esukadi to show how to manage a team on a budget to the rest of the grid

USF1: All of the above not withstanding, you cant beat a bit of general failure - and USF1 had that in spades, getting nowhere close to coming out of Pre-Q (Or even out of the botton 4 of Pre-Q). One can only hope with the drop out of several teams that USF1 get closer to qualifying, if only by virtue of less teams competing... (THat said, they still got closer to the grid than their real life counterparts!

And finally, a driver nomination of Adrian Sutil: It would be fair to say Carlin earned 5th place despite Sutil driving for them, not because of him. Kovalainen didnt so much beat him as bury him alive and the fact Carlin took in Ho-Pin Tung to replace Sutil says it all. Both may have been classed as pay drivers but Tung at least made no pretenses about it. In the end Tung brought in more money than Sutil so by that definition Sutil was the worse driver and very much an ROTY candidate