Bleacher Report - Articles by Adam Flinn

Button Confirmed at McLaren, Kimi Gone For 2010, and Other Short Stories

Adam Flinn — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:14:14 -0500

In a fairly busy news day for Formula 1, McLaren have confirmed Jenson Button to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton, replacing Heikki Kovalainen to form an all-British team. It will also be the first time where the most recent world champions have been team mates.

And as he has missed out on the McLaren seat, Kimi Raikkonen's manager has announced that the Finn will not be driving in 2010. He will therefore take a sabbatical year, probably do some rallying, and hopefully return to a top team for 2011.

As well as this, there's also a story that a Russian investor has offered to buy out 40% of the Renault team, linking Vitaly Petrov to the second seat alongside Robert Kubica. This could explain why Timo Glock has gone to Manor, while he was the favourite for the position at Renault.

Spa-Francorchamps have also had their racing license renewed, after it was originally suspended because the locals suddenly realized that F1 can be a bit loud.

Donington Park has gone into Administration after its failed attempts to secure the British Grand Prix for 2010.

Luca di Montezemolo has also speculated that he will probably stand down as chairman of FOTA at the end of the year.

Finally, there's a rumor that Michael Schumacher will drive for Mercedes next year.

Mercedes Buys 75 Percent of Brawn, Jenson Button to McLaren for 2010?

Adam Flinn — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:03:11 -0500

Mercedes have bought a 75.1 percent share in Brawn GP and sold their 40 percent holdings in McLaren, Brawn's Web site announced on Monday . The current Brawn shareholders retain a 24.9 percent stake in the team.

The move means that Brawn will be branded as Mercedes Grand Prix for 2010, whilst the company will still supply engines to McLaren and Force India.

Nico Rosberg is expected to be confirmed as a Mercedes driver soon, but there is now much wider discussion on whom world champion Jenson Button will be driving for, with many believing that McLaren is the more favourable option.

With two places available between the teams (Rosberg seems a certainty), the drivers linked with the lucrative seats currently include Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld and Timo Glock. There is also the outside possibility that Heikki Kovalainen will remain at McLaren.

Button's current issue with Brawn/Mercedes is his salary, as discussions seem to have stagnated. However, some believe that McLaren is the more likely to be competitive in 2010, which could also be a factor in Button's decision.

Kimi Raikkonen will only be in Formula One if he can secure a drive that gives him a car capable of winning. But in return for his services, he wants an awful lot of money, which has put McLaren off signing him straight away.

Timo Glock and Nick Heidfeld's nationality could help them in securing a Mercedes drive, although Heidfeld has also been linked to McLaren. Both have seen their former employers leave the sport and are currently without a drive for 2010.

UPDATE: Timo Glock has now signed for Manor GP.

Can Massa and Glock Regain Competitiveness After Their Injuries?

Adam Flinn — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:26:52 -0500

As I am sure you will remember, Felipe Massa and Timo Glock had their 2009 seasons cut short after accidents sidelined them for the rest of the year. Unfortunately for the pair, they both seemed to happen just as they were picking up form.

Massa's accident in Hungary was off the back of his first podium of the year, and five consecutive points finishes, and Glock's crash in Japan had just come after a second place at Singapore in one of the best drives of his career.

But one of the most consistently asked questions, especially with Massa, is how well will they be able to perform after their injury-hit 2009?

For Timo Glock, I don't think there will be any problems. The injury wasn't too serious, and as long as he can find a decent drive, he should be back to full form at the beginning of 2010.

Massa's situation is a bit more complicated. He was lucky to emerge from the crash alive, and it was a good few months before he was back to relative fitness. There have also been some concerns with his eyesight, and even possibly brain damage, but happily there don't seem to be any problems.

Personally, I think he will be absolutely fine. Some people might think that he might be a bit cautious when he gets back behind the wheel, and might not be able to perform as well as he has done in the last couple of seasons.

However, testing should help him get back in the groove, and any anxieties about driving at full speed should quickly disappear.

If we look back in history, there are many examples of drivers coming off the back of injuries, and performing just as they had done before. When Michael Schumacher broke his leg in 1999, he was off for six races. He then decided to win the following five world championships.

Niki Lauda was almost burned to death in 1976, but still came back to just miss out on the championship to James Hunt. He won the 1977 title anyway.

Gerhard Berger missed three races in 1997 due to illness. When he returned to the cockpit, he won his first race in three years.

There doesn't seem to be any reason why either Massa, or Glock can't regain their competitiveness by the time Bahrain 2010 comes along. We will have to wait and see what happens, but I can't see any problems.

Nico Rosberg To Leave Williams Racing Team

Adam Flinn — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0400

Nico Rosberg has confirmed that Abu Dhabi will be his last race for the Williams team, but has stopped short of saying who he will be driving for in 2010.

In his four years with the team, he has scored 75.5 points and two podiums, as well as setting the fastest lap in his first ever F1 race, back at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix.

This season has seen him pick up all of Williams 34.5 points, as well as another fastest lap set at the first race of the season. However, they have yet to finish on the podium in 2009, and haven't been in position to win a race.

Rosberg looks set to replace Rubens Barrichello at Brawn, but there is still a chance he could move to McLaren and take over Heikki Kovalainen's seat. Mercedes have voiced their feelings about a German driver in a Mercedes-powered car, so both options would work well.

If he were to move to Brawn, it is likely that Barrichello will take up the empty seat at Williams. Nico Hulkenburg looks more than likely to replace Kazuki Nakajima in the second Williams, so it could be a brand new line up for the British team in 2010.

Jean Todt Elected As FIA President

Adam Flinn — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:21:35 -0400

Jean Todt has been elected as the successor to Max Mosley as FIA President, ending Mosley's 16-year reign in the position.

Todt received 135 votes, whilst fellow candidate Ari Vatanen received 49.

The Frenchman was always going to be the more likely of the two after receiving Mosley's endorsement early on in his campaign, and the run-up to the election has caused plenty of controversy.

He replaces Mosley after he didn't stand for re-election, in the wake of many of the teams threatening to form a breakaway series if he remained as President.

FOTA have responded to the news by saying that they support the new President, although it is worth remembering that FOTA Chairman Luca di Montezemolo worked with Todt at Ferrari for the majority of the past two decades.

Hopefully, Todt's success will bring an end to the political scandals that have dominated Formula One headlines in recent years, and the focus can be brought back onto the racing.

And let's not have any "Ferrari International Assistance" crap, keep it neutral Mr Todt.

FIA Elections: Ari Vatanen vs Jean Todt

Adam Flinn — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:20:50 -0400

The election for a new FIA President are due to take place on Friday October 23, with Jean Todt and Ari Vatanen both in the running to succeed Max Mosley.

There has been some controversy in the past weeks in regards to the neutrality of the election, with Mosley publicly endorsing Todt's campaign, and supposedly making threats to those who don't vote for the Frenchman.

Vatanen had also started legal action concerning how the FIA elections would be run. However, this has since been dropped following a meeting where the procedures for the election were agreed.

With all of this going on, it is easy to forget about what the candidates plan to do if they are elected. It's also easy to forget that the FIA are involved with a lot more than just Formula 1, and that many motorsport communities will be affected by Friday's result.

Jean Todt

If Todt were to be elected, he would concentrate on three key themes for his FIA presidency:

Affordability and Competition
Innovation and Excellence
Teamwork and Co-operation

This basically refers to a continuation of Mosley's efforts to reduce costs in F1, as well as maintaining safety. As well as this, Todt wishes for strong communication within the FIA, referencing how this method worked successfully at Ferrari for many years.

Todt also has plenty of experience from different disciplines of motor-sport with plenty of success, which can only help his cause.

Ari Vatanen

Vatanen could be considered to be a breath of fresh air if he were to be elected as FIA President, and promises to bring change to the FIA after the leadership of Mosley for the past 16 years.

His motor-sport history is also backed up by his political history, as Vatanen worked as an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) for ten years, with a focus to enhance the image of transport and mobility.

One of Vatanen's aims is to bring unity to the FIA, and to restore harmony to a sport that has suffered numerous political incidents in recent years.

Sadly, the general public doesn't get a say in these elections, but the result will have a big impact on Formula 1 and all other FIA-governed forms of motor-sport. Hopefully it will mean an end to all the scandals that have taken the emphasis off of the racing in recent years.

Whether it's Todt or Vatanen, let's hope Formula 1 can regain some credibility after all the damaging events to motorsport of late.

The Top-Five Races Of The Decade Part 6: Interlagos 2009

Adam Flinn — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:39:20 -0400

This sort of serves me right for writing this series before the end of the decade! Jenson Button drove an amazing race to claim the world championship, and it really was a brilliant spectacle to watch.

Any people who doubted whether he deserved to win the title just have to watch his overtaking manoeuvres on Romain Grosjean, Kazuki Nakajima, Kamui Kobayashi, and Sebastien Buemi. It was great to see Jenson getting on with the job, instead of taking the conservative approach he was planning on before this weekend.

After qualifying, it was looking very dodgy for Button. His main championship opponent, Rubens Barrichello, had stuck his Brawn on pole. Jenson had a lot of inexperienced drivers around him, as well as Sebastian Vettel and two KERS powered McLarens just behind.

However, by the end of the first lap, Button was up into ninth place, after a crash between Jarno Trulli and Adrian Sutil allowed him to make up some ground.

Trulli was very upset with Sutil over the incident, but to me it was more his fault than Adrian's. Sutil was ahead on the track and trying to keep out of Kimi Raikkonen's way, when Jarno touched the grass and speared into the side of the Force India.

Kimi Raikkonen had to pit for a new front wing after bumping into the back of Mark Webber, and Heikki Kovalainen also stopped after being tapped into a spin at the first corner.

However, as Kovalainen exited his pit box, he took the fuel hose with him, spraying petrol all over Raikkonen. A flash fire followed, but luckily no damage was caused and no-one hurt.

The safety car came out and went back in, and Jenson started overtaking. Grosjean had made it up to an impressive eighth, but promptly went to the back as car after car stormed past. To me, he is now looking unlikely to keep his Renault seat for 2010.

Nakajima was next to fall, before Kobayashi held up Button for a fair few laps. In traditional Japanese style, he moved around all over the track, which would eventually lead to a big shunt for his countryman Nakajima as he came out of the pits.

After his first pit-stop, Barrichello found himself stuck in traffic, and overtaken by Vettel. Worse was to come, as this delay allowed Mark Webber and Robert Kubica to jump past once they had made their first pit-stops.

The race and the championship was slipping away from Barrichello, who appeared off the pace in the second stint. Button was still overtaking, as he made a lunge on Sebastien Buemi to move up another place.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen were moving steadily up the field, having taken the opportunity to pit during the safety car period at the start of the race. They had also got the soft tyre out of the way, so could use the optimum prime tyre for the remainder of the race.

The race settled down as the drivers made their second pit-stops, with Heikki Kovalainen getting past Button as the British driver emerged from his last stop. However, Kovalainen would be stopping himself within a handful of laps.

Rubens Barrichello's luckless run at Interlagos continued, as he picked up a puncture towards the end of the race. Hamilton was able to get through, before the Brazilian pitted for fresh rubber at the end of the lap.

Meanwhile, Mark Webber cruised to a well deserved victory, and Robert Kubica took a superb second place to equal BMW's best result of the year. Hamilton and Vettel followed them home in third and fourth.

But it is Jenson Button's fifth place that will be the most remembered aspect of the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, and for the fifth consecutive year, the title has been decided at Interlagos.

Brawn picked up the half point they needed to claim the constructors crown, in a fairytale season for a team that almost didn't take part in 2009.

However, the season isn't over yet, with Abu Dhabi still to go. The fight for second in the standings is covered by just two points, with Vettel and Barrichello both trying to gain the runner-up position.

McLaren and Ferrari are only separated by a point for third place in the constructors, and both teams would very much like to beat the other, in a season where both haven't performed as well as they should have.

Hopefully Abu Dhabi will be a really boring race, so I don't have to write part seven to this five article series...

The Top-Five Races Of The Decade: Hungaroring 2006

Adam Flinn — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:50:15 -0400

The final entry of what I believe to be the top five races of the decade was a tough one. I toyed with the idea of Australia 2002, Brazil 2006 and a few others, but I eventually picked the scene of Jenson Button's first race victory, the 2006 Hungarian GP.

In the run-up to this race, Jacques Villeneuve had left the BMW Sauber team, replaced by Robert Kubica. Juan Pablo Montoya had also left McLaren a few races beforehand, with Pedro De La Rosa standing in for the Colombian.

The weekend started in bizarre fashion, as the two main championship contenders, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, received penalties for incidents that occurred in the practice sessions. A two-second penalty was applied to both of their qualifying times, effectively relegating them to the midfield.

Jenson Button was forced to make an engine change, meaning he would be joining Alonso and Schumacher out of position after a 10-place grid penalty.

Kimi Raikkonen qualified at the front of the grid, accompanied by Felipe Massa. Schumacher started 11th, Button 14th and Alonso 15th.

The race began in wet conditions, making it the first ever Hungarian Grand Prix to be affected by rain. Schumacher had a good start, moving into sixth, but was blown away by Alonso, who rocketed up to third position.

Battling with Giancarlo Fisichella, Schumacher lost his front wing and emerged from the pits a lap down. Button then overtook Schumacher, Fisichella and Massa in the space of a couple of laps.

Soon after his pit-stop, Raikkonen came across the Toro Rosso of Vitantonio Liuzzi, resulting in an impressive crash and an appearance by the safety car. After the customary pit-stops, Alonso found himself leading Button.

However, just after a stop for dry tires, Alonso's wheel detached and sent the Spaniard into the barriers, ending a great drive to move from 15th to the front. Button took over at the front, and the battle for second became the main focus.

Michael Schumacher gambled by staying on the intermediate tire and had jumped up into second place. However, the drivers behind him began to close in.

Schumacher, controversial as ever, jumped the chicane in his efforts to hold onto second, but was eventually passed by De La Rosa. Nick Heidfeld then took the final podium place, banging wheels with the Ferrari in the process.

With two laps to go, Schumacher's damaged suspension put him out of the race. The eventual classifications would give him a point for eighth.

Meanwhile, Jenson Button was unchallenged at the front and cruised to his first win in Formula 1. De La Rosa claimed his best ever result, and Sauber recorded their first podium since the partnership with BMW was formed.

Post-race, Kubica was disqualified after finishing a decent seventh, as his car was deemed to be underweight. Despite pre-race expectations that he could win his first grand prix, Massa could only manage a disappointing seventh after Kubica's disqualification.

One of the most memorable things of this race has to be James Allen's "commentary"— especially his celebratory screaming as Button crossed the line to win.

Who needs neutrality in commentators, eh?

Amazingly, this outburst won ITV a BAFTA.

Well, that ends what I think were the best five races of the last decade:
Silverstone 2003
Suzuka 2005
Nurburgring 2007
Interlagos 2008

Feel free to disagree.

The Top-Five Races of the Decade: Interlagos 2008

Adam Flinn — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:33:21 -0400

The Brazilian Grand Prix of 2008 was a classic example of how rain can completely change the result of a race within just a few laps. However, this time a lot more was riding on the final positions of this race, as there was a championship at stake.

From a personal view, I would say that this is my all-time favourite race in Formula One history. The tension I felt watching it over the final laps was incredible, and even though Felipe Massa missed out on the title, I knew that a championship would never end so dramatically ever again.

Going into the final race of the year, Lewis Hamilton held a seven-point lead over Massa, and it had a touch of deja vu about it. The same race the previous year, Kimi Raikkonen was trailing Hamilton by the same margin.

Raikkonen had pulled it off, so I would imagine Hamilton must have been slightly nervous.

Massa qualified on pole, with Jarno Trulli an unlikely second. Hamilton was fourth, and only needed to finish the race in fifth to take the title. Massa, on the other hand, needed to outscore Lewis by seven points.

A few minutes before the start of the race, the rain began to fall. This caused a 10 minute delay whilst the teams changed the tyres. Robert Kubica decided to gamble by staying with a dry setup, but ultimately had to pit on the formation lap as the gamble backfired.

Once the race got going, Nico Rosberg knocked David Coulthard into Kazuki Nakajima. Both Williams managed to continue, but Coulthard was out of his final Formula One race.

Nelson Piquet Jr. was the next driver to crash out on the same lap. Surprisingly, for a race blighted by rain, these would be the only two retirements of the day.

The safety car came out so the accidents could be cleared. Heikki Kovalainen had dropped to seventh by this point, being passed by Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap.

As the track began to dry, Giancarlo Fisichella was the first to pit for dry tyres. This led to him moving up as high as fifth, before he eventually finished the race in last place.

Hamilton was one of the drivers who found himself stuck behind the slower Fisichella, and it was several laps before he was able to get through. Meanwhile, Massa was extending his lead at the front, setting fastest laps as the track dried.

On lap 20, Trulli and Sebastien Bourdais collided, sending the French driver backwards down the order. Timo Glock got past Fisichella, moving up into sixth position.

Little happened during the middle of the race, but Hamilton held onto fourth place, which was all he needed to win the championship.

However, on lap 63, the rain began to fall once again. Alonso and Hamilton both pitted for intermediate tyres on lap 66, with Massa stopping on the following lap. By lap 67, all of the front-runners were on the intermediate tyre, with the noticeable exception of Glock.

As the rain increased, Hamilton made a mistake, and Sebastian Vettel was able to overtake the British driver. This now meant he was in sixth, and in serious danger of losing the title for the second consecutive year.

It was the final lap, and Hamilton was desperately trying to pass Vettel in the Toro Rosso to get that crucial fifth position. The rain was coming down harder, and Massa crossed the finish line to take the race victory.

Coming into the final corner, Hamilton could not find a way around Vettel. However, there was a Toyota on the wrong tyres just seconds in front...

Timo Glock simply had no grip in these conditions, and Hamilton was able to cruise past into the fifth place that would win him the title. Massa's family were being filmed celebrating, until a Ferrari mechanic explained what had just happened. Understandably, they quickly stopped.

As a Massa fan, the tension I experienced on the last three laps after Vettel had got past Hamilton was unbelievable, and I have to admit I was rather upset at what happened. However, looking back now, it was an extraordinary finish to an extraordinary season.

The BBC have a highlights video on their web site for people in the UK, but I don't know how long it will be there for: BBC Brazil 2008

And the other three races I have reviewed so far:
Silverstone 2003
Suzuka 2005
Nurburgring 2007

The Top-Five Races Of The Decade: Suzuka 2005

Adam Flinn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:04:51 -0400

Part three of the top-five races of the decade, and it goes to the Japanese Grand Prix of 2005, held at Suzuka. A topsy-turvy grid where Ralf Schumacher managed to claim pole position was the basis for one of the most memorable races in recent history, as the top drivers found themselves languishing on the back few rows at the start.

If you would like to read the other two reviews completed so far, here are the links:
Nurburgring 2007
Silverstone 2003

A wet qualifying session resulted in a Toyota at the front for its home race, with decent positions for unlikely drivers Christian Klien and Takuma Sato.

In contrast, Michael Schumacher found himself 14th, Fernando Alonso 16th, Kimi Raikkonen 17th and Juan Pablo Montoya 18th. The eventual top four in the championship were unable to better the seventh row of the grid.

At the start of the race, Giancarlo Fisichella moved past Jenson Button into second, whilst Rubens Barrichello and Sato collided and headed into the gravel trap. Raikkonen made a mistake on the first lap, but Alonso had already made his way into eighth place.

Coming onto the pit straight, Montoya was forced off the track and into the barriers by Jacques Villeneuve, bringing out the safety car for a few laps.

Alonso then cut the chicane overtaking Klien, and in a move similar to the Lewis Hamilton/Kimi Raikkonen incident at the 2008 Belgian GP, retook the place immediately after letting the Austrian back through.

Despite pulling out a noticeable gap over Klien, Alonso had to slow to give back the position, before overtaking him for the third time. Raikkonen also took the opportunity to overtake Klien, who was gradually slipping back as the faster cars moved forward.

The first round of pit-stops came and went, and pole-sitter Ralf Schumacher found himself back in 8th place, with Fisichella moving to the front. Alonso and Raikkonen were closing in on Michael Schumacher, and so came one of the best overtaking moves in Formula 1 history.

Coming up to the 130R corner, the much quicker Alonso simply drove round the outside of the multiple world champion. This is a corner that is taken completely flat, and really should not present an overtaking opportunity.

Despite this, both Raikkonen and Schumacher emerge from their second stops ahead of Alonso, but both eventually overtake the German and close the gap to Mark Webber.

As drivers in front make their pit-stops, Raikkonen finds himself lying in second place, and Fisichella, the man who had been unchallenged up until this point, was suddenly in danger of losing the lead to a driver who qualified fourteen places behind him.

Meanwhile, Alonso has managed to clear both Webber and Jenson Button, and eventually claims the final podium position.

Two laps to go, and Fisichella takes a defensive line at the final chicane, allowing Raikkonen the faster exit and a potential overtake into the first corner. However, the Italian holds him off, and is safe for another lap.

One lap to go, and Fisichella does the same thing again. This time, however, Raikkonen is much closer and coming onto the pit straight to start the final lap. They almost touch, and Fisichella is forced to the inside of the track.

Yet Raikkonen pulls off the second incredible overtake of the day to snatch the lead, and goes on to win one of the most exciting races in history. Alonso claims third, followed by Webber, Button, Coulthard and both Schumachers.

Here's a Youtbe video of Raikkonen overtaking Fisichella on the final lap, with James Allen his excitable annoying self: Raikkonen Overtake

The Top-Five Races Of The Decade: Silverstone 2003

Adam Flinn — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:20:41 -0400

It's probably about time I finished what I started, so here is part two of what I believe to be the best five races of the current decade. If anyone wants to read the first one I did, here's the link: Nurburgring 2007

So, the British Grand Prix of 2003. As it happens, this was the first race I ever attended, and I remember winning a Michelin cap at their stall alongside the pit straight. I was sat overlooking Woodcote corner, and sat back to watch one of the most exciting races of recent history.

Rubens Barrichello had taken pole position, but made a poor start and was passed by Jarno Trulli and Kimi Raikkonen on the first lap. On lap six, David Coulthard's headrest had come off, bringing out the safety car so the debris could be recovered.

Pretty soon, the safety car would be back out again, after a crazy ex-priest decided that running up the hangar straight would be a good idea. This led to a chaotic scene in the pit-lane, as everyone apart from Coulthard and the two Toyota's raced into the pits.

The grid behind the safety car was now shuffled up as many drivers had had to queue up behind their teammates. Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya all found themselves outside of the top ten as a result.

Raikkonen passed Trulli at the restart, then overtook Coulthard later on the same lap to move into third. Barrichello got past a struggling Ralf Schumacher as Raikkonen overtook Olivier Panis into second place.

On lap 27, Barrichello and Montoya made their way past Trulli, before both overtaking Panis on lap 29. Christiano Da Matta lost his lead to Raikkonen on lap 30, as he made his way into the pits.

After the second phase of pit-stops, Raikkonen found himself in the lead with Barrichello chasing him down in second position. Once he had caught up, Rubens put the pressure on before Kimi made a mistake going through Bridge, allowing the Brazilian to move to the front.

Towards the end, Raikkonen made another error and lost second to Montoya, and Michael Schumacher overtook Trulli into fourth. Despite his earlier problems, Coulthard managed to pass Da Matta and Trulli at the end to claim fifth place.

So there you have it, one of the most overtaking-filled races in modern times was all thanks to Neil Horan, a defrocked priest who jumbled up the grid, as well as being rugby-tackled by one of the marshalls.

I don't think there are many other races that would be better to watch live for the first time!

Here's a link to a short highlights video on youtube of the race: Silverstone 2003

The Top-Five Races of the Decade: Nurburgring 2007

Adam Flinn — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:13:16 -0400

With so much crap happening in Formula 1 over recent months, I feel that the racing is being overlooked. With Fuhrer Ecclestone upsetting everyone and Max Mosley winding up the FOTA teams over 2010, it's time to reflect over the last decade while everyone decides if Formula 1 can last another ten years.

And what a decade it has been!

Michael Schumacher finally managed to win the title with Ferrari back in 2000, and it wouldn't be until 2005 that we would get a new champion in Fernando Alonso.

Technical advancements, politics, new drivers, new tracks, new teams; and there is still half a year of it to go!

Therefore, and in no particular order, I am going to look back at what I believe to be the best five races of the decade, and as the Formula 1 circus is currently there, I am going to start off with the European GP of 2007 at the Nurburgring.

For me, this has to be one of the most entertaining starts to any grand prix. As the drivers lined up on the grid, the rain moved in. The cars bashed into each other going round the first lap, and many dived into the pit lane as the rain intensified.

Kimi Raikkonen, who had started on pole and was leading the first lap headed for the pits, but lost control in the pit entrance and skidded back onto the track This forced him to do another lap on the wrong tires.

Marcus Winklehock, in his first and only grand prix, then took the lead after pitting on the warm-up lap in anticipation of the rain.

The rest of the field emerged from the pits with intermediate tires, as the rain wasn't heavy enough for the full wets. Raikkonen finally managed to pit, and Winklehock established a 20-second lead over second-place Felipe Massa.

As lap three began, a river of rain water flowing at turn one caused chaos, and Jenson Button was the first driver to go off.

He was quickly followed by Lewis Hamilton, Adrian Sutil, Nico Rosberg, Scott Speed, Anthony Davidson, and Vitantonio Liuzzi, who gave the safety car a shock by hurtling past backwards into the world's most expensive car park.

Davidson and Hamilton were able to get free, as the drivers were once again forced to pit for the full wet tires as the rain increases. The red flag was eventually shown as the weather has become too torrential, ending one of the most action-packed starts to a grand prix in a very long time!

At the restart, Winklehock lost the lead as the faster cars swarmed past him. He had gambled on more rain and stayed on the full wet tires, but by now, intermediates were more suitable and he eventually retired on lap 15 with a hydraulics problem.

Hamilton also gambled with tires, opting for dry ones. Once again, it proved costly, and he would eventually finish a lap down in ninth.

The rain returned in the closing laps of the race, and having led the majority of it, Felipe Massa found himself with a much quicker Fernando Alonso right behind him. With five laps to go, Alonso forced past with the two making contact, to snatch the win away.

Once the rain had cleared up, the race may not have been as exciting, but for the entertaining start and end of the race, I had to include it in my top five. If you want to watch the start with ITV commentary, there is a link below. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY-4njKv0fU&feature=related

In the Mirrors: British GP

Adam Flinn — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:45:28 -0400

It's been an interesting weekend. The politics rage on, Silverstone could be here for 2010, and Michael Schumacher is the stig. Oh, and a Formula One race took place at some point as well. So lets take a look at what happened near the back.

Once again there was lots of action towards the back of the grid, with BMW and McLaren slipping backwards once more. Not exactly a classic British Grand Prix, and as it's the first one I haven't been to in about five years, I think that was for the best.

Session one of qualifying proved to be dramatic, with Lewis Hamilton being eliminated in 19th position. Despite Adrian Sutil's hefty crash towards the end of the session, ruining any chance Hamilton had of making the top 15, he admitted he probably wouldn't have made it anyway. McLaren still have a lot of work to do with that car.

Both of Force India's cars missed out on session two, which was disappointing as with the numerous upgrades introduced for Silverstone, they were expected to do a bit better. However, it never helps when brake failure sends one of your cars into the wall at about 170 mph.

Both BMW's, Heikki Kovalainen, Nelson Piquet and Felipe Massa all went out in session two—last years pole sitter qualifying in 14th place. I keep saying this, but it really is strange seeing Ferrari's, BMWs, and McLaren's unable to make the top 10.

As the race got underway, Heikki Kovalainen somehow ended up right at the back of the pack, with the rest of the lap passing without incident. Jenson Button slips back to ninth after being held up by Jarno Trulli, which I believe is the furthest down the field he has been this season. Not bad for your worst race of the year.

The main action at the back of the grid came from the battle for 12th place, with Nick Heidfeld at the front of an increasingly long queue. With typical German politeness, Nick refuses a new front wing, meaning that the group is now over 20 seconds behind 11th placed Giancarlo Fisichella.

Despite Heidfeld's problems, Fernando Alonso is simply unable to get past, as his Renault cannot find enough grip to make a decent attempt at an overtake. Kubica and Hamilton have a similar battle just behind them, with similar results.

The pit stops take place, and Hamilton gets close to Heidfeld as he rejoins the track, with the two almost touching as they go round Becketts corner. Lewis takes the place, and is now free to catch Alonso.

Fernando goes wide through Luffield, allowing Hamilton the chance to get alongside down the pit straight. As they fly into Copse, Lewis has the inside line and is able to make the move stick, to the delight of the British fans. However, it doesn't last more than a few laps, as Alonso is able to get back past when Hamilton makes a mistake.

Sebastien Bourdais takes the opportunity to drive into the back of Heikki Kovalainen, leaving debris all over the track and both drivers eventually retiring due to the damage. Personally, I think Kovalainen was to blame, as he was weaving across the track a bit. Doesn't make much difference, both drivers were nowhere.

Towards the end of the race, Hamilton has a spin at Club corner, getting a wheel on the grass and losing control. After his faultless race in the wet here in 2008, it shows his frustration when he can't stay on the road in the dry.

Vettel takes the race win, but nobody cares as the action at the back of the field was much more exciting. Nelson Piquet manages to beat team-mate Alonso in a rare occurrence, and it might save his seat for at least one more race. Hamilton ends up 16th, and Sebastien Buemi's impressive start to the season doesn't help him here, as he finishes last.

It's now two months since McLaren scored any points, as their season appears to get worse and worse. Ferrari have improved a bit, so why can't McLaren? All the teams now have three weeks until the next race, and I'm sure that the order at the back of the grid will be shuffled up again.

It seems to change every race.

In The Mirrors: Turkish GP

Adam Flinn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:24:13 -0400

First of all, I apologise for the very long delay in writing this, it has only been 11 days since the Turkish Grand Prix. Therefore you may have to cast your mind back a bit for this one (Jenson won, remember...)

After the disastrous Monaco races for both Toyota and BMW, the two teams made a decent improvement back towards the front of the grid, reinforcing the point that the rear of the grid seems to be more interesting than the front at the moment. Toro Rosso and Mclaren appear to slip to the back for this one, with Force India still hovering around the last positions.

Qualifying left Nelson Piquet and Lewis Hamilton feeling pretty depressed. I firmly believe that Piquet is very close to losing his Renault drive in the very near future. I predicted that he would be gone by Germany, so you never know, I might be right on this one.

Mclaren appear to be slipping further back, with neither driver having scored any points since Bahrain. Kovalainen managed to out-qualify Hamilton, but could manage no better than 14th place. Unfortunately for Mclaren, I can't see an improvement happening anytime soon.

Moving on to the race, and Rubens Barrichello terrible start means that I can finally write about a Brawn in one of these articles! The main action over the first handful of laps all seemed to involved the Brazilian, with some overtaking and some light crashing into the others.

Despite his point at Monaco, Sebastien Bourdais was consistent throughout the Istanbul race by remaining last for the majority, and shows that Toro Rosso appear to have fallen back, and life without Sebastian Vettel seems to be hurting the Italian team. Buemi couldn't manage much more, only a few places up the road.

Just a quick mention for Robert Kubica, who has finally managed to score his first points of 2009. I thought he would have a shot at the title this year, but all of my championship predictions have gone tits up, so never mind.

Despite his entertaining race, Barrichello achieved Brawn's first racing retirement with a gearbox problem. This means that his team-mate goes 10 points further clear, and the championship is starting to look a bit "Schumacherish".

Good job I'm writing about the back of the grid really, there isn't much different going on at the front right now...

In the Mirrors: Monaco GP

Adam Flinn — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:13:50 -0400

What is going on this year? Forget Jenson for the time being, because the cars at the back of the grid are getting more confusing as each race goes by!

Two races ago, Toyota held the front two grid positions, yet at Monaco they qualified in 19th and 20th (excluding Hamilton's penalty). In Australia, Mario Theissen said Kubica could have won had it not been for the incident with Vettel, and now his cars are lucky to get into session two.

And what is wrong with Lewis Hamilton? McLaren seem to have a competitive car for this weekend at a track where he usually excels, and he shoves it in the barriers, eventually starting in 19th place. A lot is changing in Formula One, and while the media focuses on the dominance of Brawn, it is easy to forget the big name teams fighting it out for 14th place...

The biggest surprise for me this weekend was the substantial drop in performance by the Toyota's. How can you fill the front row of the grid at one race, then four weeks later find yourself right at the back?

I know the grid is only separated by roughly 1.5 seconds, but that is a lot of time to lose in just under a month, and they need to get their act together very quickly to avoid this embarrassment happening again.

BMW also seem to have slipped back again, after Nick Heidfeld's promising seventh place at Spain. This is a team that stopped development of their 2008 car early so they could concentrate on their 2009 attempt, so there really should be no excuses for the former Sauber team.

It's also alarming that Robert Kubica still has no points after six races, and this doesn't look like being solved soon.

It was another miserable afternoon for Lewis Hamilton, making very little progress with his aggressive strategy. He claims to be satisfied after his error on Saturday, but he should have at least been close to getting some points, not finishing 12th out of 15.

Despite this, there is some good news towards the back. Sebastien Bourdais and Giancarlo Fisichella can be very happy with their showings, finishing eighth and ninth.

Whilst Force India may have just missed out on a point, getting both cars into session two of qualy shows that they are taking advantage of other teams misfortunes. Vijay Mallya also has the biggest boat, which is something to be proud of.

With Jenson Button winning everything at the moment, it's nice to have some variety at the back. And with the field separated by such a small amount, I'm sure that plenty of teams will find themselves on the back row at some point this season. Turkey is just a fortnight away, so who knows what will happen. Sutil may even got pole.

Just a quick mention for Nelson Piquet. After being taken out of the race by Sebastien Buemi, he said in an interview that it was a silly mistake coming from an inexperienced driver (or something to that effect). Bit rich coming from him, don't you think?

In The Mirrors: Spanish GP

Adam Flinn — Mon, 11 May 2009 09:51:32 -0400

The start of the European season has arrived and nothing seems to be able to stop Jenson Button at the moment. Ferrari have picked up the pace, but are still embarrassingly unreliable, whilst Mclaren seem to have lost any advantage they had picked up over the past two races. However, it's still very tight at the back of the grid...

Starting off with qualifying, and this time it was Kimi Raikkonen's turn to make the classic Ferrari error of not going for a second run. Why didn't they learn their lesson from Malaysia? Who knows, but it meant that any chance he had of points was now very unlikely.

Both Force Indias lined up on the back row, and it doesn't look like they will be improving any time soon. Heikki Kovalainen proved that the Mclaren has slipped backwards since Bahrain, whilst team-mate Lewis Hamilton didn't achieve much more, starting four places above the Finn.

BMW seem to have made some progress, with Kubica even making the top 10. He may even have qualified higher had the mechanics not confused their left and their right, resulting in the tyres being fitted incorrectly.

Moving onto the race, and a pretty impressive crash in the second corner. Four drivers had to call it a day after Jarno Trulli slid wide in the gravel, collecting Adrian Sutil, whilst the Toro Rosso's ran into each other trying to avoid the accident.

Nelson Piquet, Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton were all fairly lucky to get away without being hit - Hamilton's bad start possibly saving him from getting involved and ending his race.

Once the safety car had done it's work, Kovalainen's Mclaren took the opportunity to pack up, meaning another DNF added to his tally. He was soon followed by fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen, once again showing how unreliable Ferrari's of today have become.

Despite his poor start, Hamilton was working his way up the order with his heavy fuel load, and was looking good for a handful of points. However, his habit of taking too much out of the tyres returned, meaning he could only finish ninth by the end.

Robert Kubica remains pointless for the 2009 season, and despite qualifying behind his team-mate, Nick Heidfeld was able to score a couple of points for the team. Robert can't blame KERS this time as neither car had it, so he needs to get a move on.

Ferrari looked like they were back on form with Felipe Massa running up in fourth place. What could possibly go wrong? Surely they must have put enough fuel in the car to finish the race? Yep, Massa ended up sixth, and was almost taken by Heidfeld after his 1:38 final lap.

Brawn and Red Bull seem to be the front-runners, whilst Force India remain as the back-markers. Ferrari and BMW have improved, Renault remain where they are, and Mclaren have slipped back. Who would have thought this back in January/February?

I would just like to finish with a nice statistic:
Jenson Button has 41 points.
Ferrari, Mclaren, BMW and Renault (The four 'big teams' currently in F1) have a combined total of 33.

A lot can change in a year!

Northwich Victoria: Another Incredible Comeback

Adam Flinn — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:37:58 -0400

Back in February, I wrote an article about Northwich Victoria, pretty much saying that they were the most useless team in the country. They had a list of unique problems that included being locked out of their own stadium, and being sued by a formed manager.

They were welded to the very bottom of the Blue Square Premier, having a pathetic total of 15 points, and were a long way off of safety.

I wrote the first article as a joke, as I thought it was hilarious at how awful they were, and being locked out of your own stadium isn't something that happens everyday. However, after the final quarter of the season, the Vics deserve a second article.

Who could have guessed what was about to happen for the little Cheshire team?

After Dino Maamria had steered the Vics to an incredible comeback to avoid relegation last season, he was fired and replaced by Steve King in late 2008. Under both managers, the team picked up a handful of points, before Steve King would be replaced by Andy Preece.

Things got off to a slow start, but once Preece and the team got going, consistent points and wins started to come Northwich's way. In the final nine games of the season, the Vics scored more points than they had in the first 35. These results meant that Northwich had the best form in the league.

Unfortunately, Preece had arrived a month too late, and it was not enough to avoid being relegated into Conference North. But considering that just a couple of months ago they had 15 points, to finish with 43 was an incredible comeback.

These circumstances bear a remarkable similarity to last season. After Northwich had accumulated the grand total of one point after 11 games, the Vics employed several managers before finally settling with Maamria. Once again towards the end of the season, the Vics had the best form in the league, and they survived relegation.

It seems that Northwich only get going after midseason, and then they can be unstoppable. Winning the last six games of the year, including away to in-form Oxford United, was not through luck. They managed to get within 7seven points of safety, and ended the season in 22nd.

So what will happen next year? Well, the last time the Vics visited Conference North, they won the league and came straight back up, and as long as they keep their current form, there's no reason why this can't happen again.

However, they will need to be consistent from the very start of the season, and make sure they retain the services of current caretaker manager Preece. This will only be the second year in the history of the Conference that Northwich won't be there, so I'm sure they will be back up fairly soon.

In the Mirrors: Bahrain GP

Adam Flinn — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:05:42 -0400

As Team Brawn extend their lead at the top of the championship, it is Ferrari and BMW who are falling further back, with the latter of the two having a horrendous weekend in the desert.

Ferrari finally got a few points, but the prancing horse remains more of a limping donkey.

This weekend's surprise knockout in session one turned out to be Mark Webber, coming off the back of his second place finish in China. Of course it was not his fault, as Adrian Sutil decided to weave his Force India across the track to ruin Mark's lap. A three place grid penalty didn't seem to be a severe enough penalty for this misdemeanour that probably cost Webber about 15 places on the grid.

BMW Sauber were once again in the midfield and looking no closer to getting back to the front. This is the team that halted development of the 2008 car to work on this year's BMW, and looking at how the 2008 championship played out, they are probably regretting this decision hugely.

Nelson Piquet Jr. reached the dizzying heights of session two for the first time this year, and promptly qualified 15th. Ferrari reached the dizzying heights of session three with both cars, their best Saturday in a few weeks.

As the race began, both BMW Sauber and Felipe Massa quickly crashed, ruining their races as all returned to the pits for new noses. On their way back to the pits, the BMW's created a queue of cars that resulted in numerous overtaking manoeuvres, which shuffled up the back of the grid.

As the cars spread out a little, Mark Webber moved his way up the order, and Heikki Kovalainen found himself falling a long way back. Giancarlo Fisichella made his way up to 12th, with a good start by both Force India's.

As the race settled down, the BMW Sauber's found themselves lying right at the back; their early race damage and heavy fuel strategy compromised any chance of a fightback up the grid.

Felipe Massa encountered reliability problems, as his KERS system started acting up, meaning that any chance he had for points were now completely gone. However, Kimi Raikkonen was running in the points, so it's not all bad news at Ferrari.

Kazuki Nakajima pulls into the pits towards the end of the race as Bahrain's only retirement of the day.

Massa forced past Fisichella with a bit of wheel-banging, the winner of the 2007 and 2008 Bahrain GP's now up to an exciting 14th. Fisichella then decided to hold up Jenson Button, who was trying to lap the Italian.

Unbelievably, it takes the two final corners and the pit straight before Button is able to get past. With Sutil getting in the way of Webber in qualifying, Force India was a bit unpopular.

Despite numerous overtaking moves, Mark Webber only made it as far as 11th by the finish, one place behind Nelson Piquet Jr, who completed a race without crashing. Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen both got solid points with under-performing cars, with their teammates both outside of the points.

BMW finish 18th and 19th out of 19, marking the teams worst ever grand prix. However, Nick Heidfeld breaks a record by finishing 25 consecutive grands prix, so its not all bad.

So, Ferrari finally gained a handful of points, BMW has gone substantially backwards, and Mclaren looked like they were getting somewhere. Unfortunately for Mclaren, tomorrow could change their entire season, as the FIA investigates the fiasco that was the Australian GP.

What punishment will they get?

I think they could be banned for a couple of races, along with a hefty fine. After all, they are still on probation from the 2007 scandal, and the $100,000,000 fine that came with it.

The Spanish GP in two weeks should be a major turning point in the season, with several teams bringing new parts. Will Ferrari and BMW be able to improve, or will Brawn continue to run away with it?

In the Mirrors: Chinese GP

Adam Flinn — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:29:59 -0400

In October 2008, Lewis Hamilton won a dreary Chinese Grand Prix, with the two Ferrari's following him home to set up the exciting championship finale that was the Brazilian Grand Prix. Just six months later, all that has changed, and a new order has emerged.

Yes, the order at the back of the grid is very different to that of half a year ago.

Once again, Ferrari struggle to get anywhere. The McLaren's are still off the pace, but seem to be improving. BMW Sauber seem to have gone backwards from their pace in Australia.

But at least Nelson Piquet keeps some continuity by circulating around the back of the pack, with the occasional crash to spice things up.

Lets start with qualifying, and this weeks surprise failure to make session two: Robert Kubica. After eventually deciding against KERS, he only managed to qualify in 18th position, which is surprising considering he was looking good for at least a podium in Australia three weeks ago.

The two Force India's, Sebastien Bourdais and Nelson Piquet joined him on the sidelines, with these four looking like they will be the drivers that will be propping up the grid for the majority of the races this year.

Session two manages to eliminate Timo Glock, who's Toyota wasn't looking as great as it has been in the opening two races. Given recent performances, the other four aren't too much of a surprise.

Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton made the top ten, and didn't make much of an impression. Despite qualifying 10th, a big thumbs up to Sebastien Buemi for a good quality effort, vastly outperforming his team-mate.

The start of the race, and the safety car powers off into an early lead. Rain continues to fall, with several drivers having off-track moments before quickly rejoining.

Sadly, the safety car fails to capitalise on its early lead, and can't pull enough of an advantage over Sebastian Vettel, who quickly retakes the lead when the safety car is ordered to pit.

Jarno Trulli is steadily falling down the order, becoming an easy target for the other drivers. When Robert Kubica stumbles upon the Italian, the two collide, and amazingly the BMW is able to carry on, after stopping for some repairs.

The safety car makes another appearance, and Trulli is unlucky to just miss the pitlane, forcing him to do another lap. During the safety car period, Massa's Ferrari decides that the throttle should be shut down for no particular reason, ending the Brazilian's promising race.

Driver after driver has an off track moment, sliding wide at corners as the rain carries on throughout the length of the race. Nelson Piquet takes out a polystyrene advertising board, and breaking the nose of the Renault.

Towards the end of the race, Adrian Sutil is once again looking set for a decent haul of points for Force India in wet conditions, and once again he retires a short distance from the end. This time, however, it is of his own making.

Despite a good qualifying, Fernando Alonso's strategy doesn't pay off, and he finishes outside of the points. So too does Kimi Raikkonen, who is starting to look like he just doesn't care anymore. The McLaren's have a good race to get a double points finish, with Heikki Kovalainen completing his first racing lap of the year.

With the exception of Force India and Nelson Piquet, the rear of the grid is looking a lot different in 2009. Once Piquet is fired during the course of the season, the order may change again.

It would just be nice if I didn't have to write about Ferrari in these articles...

Formula 1: What if Diffusers are Banned?

Adam Flinn — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:58:49 -0400

I fully expect that the diffusers will be confirmed as being legal, and all the race results up until now will stand. However, I also said that Brawn GP were being overestimated and that Ferrari had a decent shot at the title, so what do I know.

Anyway, here's what the championship table would look like should Toyota, Brawn and Williams be excluded from the last two races:

1) Fernando Alonso 11.5
2) Nick Heidfeld 9
3) Sebastien Buemi 8
4) Sebastien Bourdais 8
5) Mark Webber 6
6) Adrian Sutil 5
7) Giancarlo Fisichella 3
8) Lewis Hamilton 3
9) Felipe Massa 2.5
10) Nelson Piquet 1
11) Sebastian Vettel 1
12) Kimi Raikkonen 0.5

I am incredibly confident that the results of the last two races will remain as they are, but it is interesting to see how a diffuser-less championship looks. Alonso would have won in Australia, with Heidfeld winning Malaysia.

Lewis Hamilton would have won in Australia had he not been disqualified. Sebastien Buemi would have managed second place on his debut, and Force India would have a healthy amount of points.

Ferrari and Mclaren would still be lurking at the bottom of the constructors though, despite three teams being excluded.

In The Mirrors: Malaysian GP

Adam Flinn — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:28:38 -0400

Jenson Button and an enormous downpour may have stolen the headlines from last weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, but as ever there was plenty of excitement further down the field.

Strange tyre strategies, bad tactical qualifying decisions, and some ice cream certainly made the race more interesting, and this was just from Ferrari!

What is going wrong with Ferrari at the moment? They seemed to have a potentially race-winning car based on the practice sessions, and were at least looking on course for a big handful of points. Then qualifying began, and the errors started.

A reasonably poor lap by Felipe Massa left him stranded in the bottom five of session one, as he sat in the garage and watched driver after driver improve their lap-time. After pole position in the two previous races here, Massa would be starting this one from 16th.

Piquet, Sutil, Fisichella, and Buemi joined him at the back, while the two McLarens couldn't do much better and qualified in 13th and 14th place.

As the race began, everyone was considering the threat of rain. In the first lap Heikki Kovalainen managed to have an accident all by himself, meaning that the Finn has still yet to complete a racing lap in 2009.

Robert Kubica's car took the opportunity to pack up after a poor start, with his BMW Sauber calling it a day on lap two.

Mixed weather reports were coming out of the garages, as the clouds grew ever darker on the horizon. Sebastien Buemi managed to knock off his nose, and had to come in for repairs, leaving him at the very back of the field.

After his 10 place grid penalty, Sebastian Vettel climbed back up the order, but struggled to get past Nick Heidfeld, who had the advantage of KERS.

Lewis Hamilton and Massa were slightly further back, but weren't troubling anyone with their heavy fuel loads.

As the first spots of rain began to fall, Kimi Raikkonen was fitted with wet tyres. A brave gamble, but ultimately far too early. It took several more laps for the rain to fall, and by then his tyres were knackered.

When the rain did eventually come, it was not as heavy as everyone thought. Only Timo Glock had chosen the intermediate tyre, and was flying up through the field after finding himself towards the back despite his good grid position.

Following his example, most of the field pitted for intermediate tyres. The next lap, most of the field went in for wet tyres. The rain suddenly intensified, and Sebastian Vettel and Giancarlo Fisichella fell off the track in this extreme weather.

The safety car came out, then the red flag. The drivers parked on the grid. Luca Collajani informed everyone that Raikkonen was completely ready for a restart, as Kimi helped himself to an ice cream in the back of the Ferrari garage, his race overalls taken off.

After many, many, many minutes, the race was declared over, with half points being handed out. A stroppy Massa finished ninth, meaning that Ferrari still have no points after two races, and despite his decent start, Fernando Alonso was classified as 11th.

As I write this, it is 10 days until the Chinese Grand Prix, where hopefully a complete race will occur. Can Ferrari recover some of the intelligence that has been missing recently? Can Brawn continue their brilliant start to the season?

Can Heikki Kovalainen complete a lap?

In the Mirrors: Australian GP

Adam Flinn — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:12:29 -0400

Instead of another article commenting on Jenson Button, here's a chance to look back at the Australian grand Prix, but from the perspective of the drivers lower down the grid, who would have been "in the mirrors" of the other drivers (get it?!).

Looking back to qualifying, I was a tad disappointed that Force India were unable to break into the second session, as their pace in the practice sessions had been reasonable. Both Toro Rosso's also went out, along with Nelson piquet, so there wern't any major surprises here.

Lewis Hamilton would have found it unusual to be among these drivers after his gearbox penalty placed him plum last on the grid, but I think he chose the right strategy to launch himself up the grid, with the soft tyres and light fuel load working well to get him past the Nakajima's and the Fisichella's.

Considering the car, he had a good race to finish third, although he was helped by a cheating Trulli and a spot of light crashing by the other drivers.

The main incident concerning the midfield drivers came from the crash at the first corner, with Heikki Kovalainen knocking Rubens Barrichello into a pile up of several cars. How Barrichello got away with all of his incidents to finish second is beyond me.

Anyway, the crash left Kovalainen with a knackered car, with a few others having to stop for a replacement front nose.

Giancarlo Fisichella provided the comedy moment of the Australian Grand Prix by missing his turning in the pit-lane, and then running down a couple of mechanics as he tried to get into his box. I don't know how me managed to miss the box, but it didn't do any damage to anyone, so we can forgive him for now.

Nelson Piquet had another one of his totally unimpressive grand prix as he managed to spin off after the end of the first safety car period, and I firmly believe, and somewhat hope, that he will be replaced mid-season by someone who can do a better job with this car.

Sebastien Bourdais is another driver who's seat could be looking a bit less certain. He moaned constantly throughout qualifying before starting a miserable 17th, which would have been last had it not been for Hamilton's and the Toyota's penalties.

He may have picked up a point, but rookie teammate Sebastien Buemi managed to get two, and in the process had a very good debut. I'm not sure if he will be able to follow this up during the course of the season, but it was impressive nonetheless.

Out of all the drivers who started towards the rear of the grid, I think the best job was done by Timo Glock. Sure, he had a good car and had qualified in the top ten, but coming through to finish fourth after starting in the pits is pretty impressive, even if he was helped along by the others misfortune.

Well I hope you enjoyed looking towards the other end of the grid, it's nice to give them a bit more coverage. I would like to do this after every race, so if anyone has any suggestions then leave a comment, and I'll try and incorporate it into the Malaysian GP edition.

Toyota Excluded From Qualifying

Adam Flinn — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:29:23 -0400

Both Toyota drivers have been excluded from this mornings qualifying session after an issue with their rear wing being too flexible. Glock had qualified P6 and Trulli P8. I presume they will be starting at the back.

Williams have also lodged a protest against Red Bull and Ferrari, and although the reasons haven't been confirmed, it is understood to be to do with the aerodynamics.

Lewis Hamilton has also had to change his gearbox, and takes a five place drop.

This now means that the grid looks like this:

1: Jenson Button
2: Rubens Barrichello
3: Sebastian Vettel
4: Robert Kubica
5: Nico Rosberg
6: Felipe Massa
7: Kimi Raikkonen
8: Mark Webber
9: Nick Heidfeld
10: Fernando Alonso
11: Kazuki Nakajima
12: Heikki Kovalainen
13: Sebastien Buemi
14: Nelson Piquet Jr
15: Giancarlo Fisichella
16: Adrian Sutil
17: Sebastien Bourdais
18: Lewis Hamilton
DSQ: Timo Glock
DSQ: Jarno Trulli

Roll on Sunday!

13+ Formula One Teams for 2010?

Adam Flinn — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:10:41 -0400

I read somewhere that Bernie Ecclestone reckons that there could be as many as thirteen teams on the Australian starting grid in 2010.

The USF1 (or USGPE as they have been forced to rename themselves) team will most likely be one of the new additions. Maybe Prodrive will pop back onto the radar. At this stage, it's hard to tell.

But is an increased number of teams good for Formula 1?

Cast your mind back to the late 1980s-early 1990s, when small, under-financed teams were set up and then bankrupted within a couple of years or so. Simtek, Forti, Pacific, Coloni, Scuderia Italia, any of these names ring a bell?

They certainly filled up the grid but the majority were hugely underpowered, and had very little success.

With the FIA planned budget caps of £30 million, it gives the potential for more independently run teams to enter the sport, but is it likely that they will be competitive? It's all very well having 26 drivers sat on the grid, but if only a few are competitive, it isn't going to add anything to the races.

Then again, if they are competitive, then you are looking at a very close and exciting season. Personally, I think the more teams the better.

It is always good to see the smaller teams having some success at one race, even if they get no coverage in the other sixteen. I think everyone enjoyed Sato overtaking Alonso at the Canadian GP a couple of years ago.

It will be interesting if there will be three more teams in 2010. I can't quite see there being that many more, especially with Toyota and Renault questionning future involvement in F1, but at least one more would be nice to see.

Jean Todt Toddles Off

Adam Flinn — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:06:00 -0400

Jean Todt has announced his resignation from Ferrari after working for the company since 1993, Luca di Montezemolo confirmed today (Mar. 18).

Todt was a member of the Ferrari 'superteam' that consisted of Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne and himself in the late-1990s-early/mid 2000s, and was the team principal up until the end of 2007, when Stefano Domenicalli took over the role.

During his 15 years as principal, a total of 13 drivers and constructors championships were won under his control. Countless wins, countless points, and countless other things have confirmed his legendary status within the team.

When he joined the team in 1993, Ferrari were going through a rough patch, with them not having won a race since 1990. Although success was not instant, they at least won a couple of races before hiring Michael Schumacher for the 1996 season.

Once Schumacher had established himself at the team, bringing several ex-Benetton employees with him including Ross Brawn, they were at last ready to challenge for the title again in 1997. Todt had managed to make Ferrari successful again.

1997 and 1998 passed without a championship, but 1999 was more successful, as the constructors championship at last returned to Maranello for the first time since 1983. The drivers championship would elude the team for one more year, after Schumacher broke his leg mid-season.

Jean Todt and Ferrari moved into the millennium knowing that only both championships would do, and that is exactly what they got. And the year after that. And the year after that. And the year after that. And the year after that.

However these years were not without controversy. Austria 2002 stands out, as Todt made the call to Rubens Barrichello to let Schumacher past for the win—something that outraged many people in the sport, especially as it was so early in the season.

Around 2004, there were rumours that Todt would take over from Max Mosley after speculation that he would retire as FIA president. However, Todt was happy and stayed at Ferrari, and likewise Mosley retained his position.

When Schumacher announced his retirement in 2006, many thought Todt would also leave.

Brawn had taken a sabbatical, and as we know now wouldn't be returning. However, he stayed for 2007, and two more championships came his way before stepping down as team principal.

For 2008 he remained as the CEO of Ferrari, but today it was announced that he had left the team completely, ending a very successful era for the team. I think that he can look back over the last 16 years knowing that he did a good job to get Ferrari out of the gutter, and back on form again.

Ross, Jense and Rubens: Do They Have a Chance?

Adam Flinn — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:05:50 -0400

As I'm sure you all know by now, Ross Brawn is the new owner of what was the Honda Racing Team, which has subsequently been renamed to Brawn GP.

Both former Honda drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, have been retained for 2009 and the team is busy testing readiness for the start of the new season.

It all sounds normal, happy and positive, but I have doubts with Brawn GP.

When Honda announced that they were pulling out of Formula 1 towards the end of last year, there were numerous rumors about who would buy it.

Before the original deadline in January, Nick Fry claimed to have a dozen serious offers on the table.

This brings me to my first point: If he had that many offers, why did the first deadline come and go?

Several big names were mentioned during the winter of who would come and save the day.

David Richards, Carlos Slim and Richard Branson all had a think about saving the only notable feature in Brackley, but obviously must have turned it down.

For some reason, the man in who had been in front of their nose the whole time comes along and buys the team. It all seems a bit odd to me.

Brawn GP has been testing today (March 9) and have set some decent times.

Now, I know that you can't read too much into testing times, because they aren't running at full power, but still it looks fairly impressive at a glance.

The main thing here is that they have a car, it works, and it isn't a million seconds off the pace of the others.

So, what about money?

Where has Ross Brawn managed to get the financial backing to fund buying and running a Formula 1 team?

Looking at the car, he doesn't seem to have any sponsors, and even throughout his whole career, I can't imagine him having saved up £100 million plus.

There are a lot of unanswered questions in my view and because of that I'm slightly wary about the whole operation.

Whatever happens, best of luck to them.

I have always liked Ross since his Ferrari days and it would be great to see an independent team like this be successful.

Let's just hope they can pull it off.

FOTA: The Formula One Trade Union

Adam Flinn — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:10:42 -0500

FOTA, or the Formula One Team's Association, has been in the news a fair bit recently. It was formed in late July 2008, and has Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo in charge.

Tomorrow (March 5), FOTA will meet up to discuss their vision of Formula One, which will no doubt be targeted at reducing costs. They also claim to be making the sport "compellingly attractive for spectators," but of course the concept of money will always come first.

I'm starting to get a bit worried about FOTA, especially with a character like di Montezemelo at the helm. To me, it seems like that the Formula One teams have created a trade union, and although they seem to be getting along at the minute, how long will it be before they fall out with the FIA?

Once FOTA comes up with something that the FIA doesn't like, there could be a bit of an argument.

It also wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened.

In the early 1980s, FOCA (the equivalent of FOTA), had a falling out with FISA (the equivalent of the FIA), which led to numerous teams boycotting the 1982 San Marino GP, all because they were upset at the disqualification of Nelson Piquet Snr and Keke Rosberg from the Brazilian GP of that year.

So how long can FOTA's happy relationship with the FIA last?

Well with lots of rule changes, FOTA is meeting up to discuss how they want F1 to be in the future. With talks about things such as increasing costs of super licenses, it couldn't be too long.

Let's hope they stay friendly, and that they actually have some good ideas. Felipe Massa wanting a shorter race, as I read here earlier, is not a good idea.

Can Raikkonen Regain Form In 2009?

Adam Flinn — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:37:13 -0500

Kimi Raikkonen hasn't had an easy time of it lately. 2008 saw him fail to capitalise on a strong start to the season, and ultimately he only managed to finish joint-third in the championship with Robert Kubica. On four consecutive occasions he even failed to score a point.

Compare this to his teammate who managed to win six races to Raikkonen's two—a teammate who until last year was considered to be the number two driver to help Raikkonen's championship hopes.

Most of Kimi's problems came in qualifying, where he wasn't able to get close enough to the front to make an impact on the race. He showed his speed with 10 fastest laps, but on too many occasions he made mistakes during the weekend.

Belgium is a good example. He was comfortably leading for the majority of the race, but when the rain came, he simply fell apart. This can be attributed to the car, which both drivers showed was a pig in the rain, but I think he just got impatient after Hamilton got past him, overcooked it, and parked in the wall.

He did have some bad luck during the season as well, though. France should have been an easy win until the exhaust fell off, and he would have got a decent haul of points at Canada had Hamilton consulted his highway code that morning. But then every driver has some bad luck, so his below-par season cannot be down just to that.

So what can he do in 2009? Well, he claims to like the car, which is a good start. The new regulations should also play to his advantage. And he always seems to do well in odd-numbered seasons. '01, '03, '05, and '07 were fairly successful for him, and on that basis 2009 should go just as well.

I'm never quite sure what to make of Kimi. Some seasons he can easily challenge for the title, winning numerous races along the way. Occasionally he storms through the field, and can just accelerate away from everybody.

Yet every so often he can stuff it into a wall, and spend the entire season looking like he just doesn't care anymore. However, you can't knock his driving ability, and as long as he's happy, I'm sure he will be back on form and challenging for the 2009 championship.

So according to my articles, Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica will all win this year's championship.

I bet Nick Heidfeld wins it now...

Can Lewis Hamilton Crank Out Another Championship?

Adam Flinn — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:57:51 -0500

Well, I suppose I better consider Mr Hamilton's championship prospects, considering that he is a prominent feature in Formula 1. Clearly, Lewis Hamilton has been a major success for McLaren, netting them their first championship in almost 10 years, and there's no doubt that he will be contending for the 2009 title.

I make no secret of the fact that I don't particularly like McLaren. Don't ask why, it's just me being immature and bitter. However, they are a successful team who have great respect, and Hamilton is by far their best chance of securing another championship this season.

So, let's look at his career in Formula 1 so far. He has won nine races, had numerous podium finishes, surprisingly only a few fastest laps, and he has accomplished this over the course of just two seasons. It is very easy to overlook the fact that he has only been around since 2007.

To miss the championship by a single point in your debut season must be frustrating, but nevertheless it's impressive. To win the championship by a single point in your second season shows that it can be done and must take a great deal of pressure off of your shoulders.

Lewis had some fantastic races — Silverstone sticks out immediately. Sitting at Copse, I didn't see much of it (for the first corner, it really is an awful place to sit) and I was busy shouting RUBENS! very loudly with my Honda-supporting friend, but any driver who didn't spin off five times in that weather must have had a good day.

Then, of course, races like Canada crop up. How he managed to blame the team for this mishap is beyond me, but that cost him an easy win.

The FIA also decided to crop up from time to time, and made Hamilton's season more difficult. Some, such as the grid penalty at France, were deserved. However, the Belgian penalty was a tad more controversial.

Despite these problems, he emerged from the 2008 campaign victorious. Testing for 2009 seems to be solid for McLaren, although it is unclear what their pace is compared to Ferrari at this stage. All Hamilton has to do is cut out the mistakes that defined particular races of his season, and possibly bribe the FIA a bit, and there's no doubt he could become the 2009 world champion.

I think that makes five drivers that I said will win the championship now.

Can Massa Pull Off the 2009 Championship?

Adam Flinn — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:36:01 -0500

Continuing with my theme of saying that most drivers will win this year's championship, today ,I am looking at Felipe Massa, and his chances of winning the title that he almost won in 2008.

Looking back to 2008, this was the year that Massa became a true championship contender. '06 and '07 were years where he had to play "second fiddle" to his teammate, but with Raikkonen off form Massa assumed the role of title contender in 2008.

Massa showed some great form last year. Races such as Hungary, Valencia, and Brazil showed his great speed, and based on these performances, he would have been a worthy champion. Then again, Malaysia and Silverstone seem to prove the complete opposite.

However, it could be said that Massa excelled because Raikkonen flopped, and Ferrari would have much rather back their higher earning driver if they were in the same situation. Whatever was wrong with Raikkonen in 2008, he's sure to improve for this year.

There have also been reports that Ferrari hasn't had an easy time in testing, and several of their tests have been disrupted by the weather. Their KERS is not ready, although this is now true of many teams.

Despite all of this, Massa has said that he is pleased with the new car, and his testing duties so far. Ferrari seem reasonably confident for 2009, although some of the team has admitted that it is looking like a tough season. Then again, Ferrari always seem to be in contention, so I have no worries about their ability as a team.

I think that Massa has a shot at the title, and I'll be supporting him throughout the season. Add him to the list of Kubica, Alonso, and Vettel that I have said will all win the 2009 championship and we're looking at a fairly good season. Especially as I haven't even considered Hamilton yet.