Countdown to F1 2009: Issue One

Welcome the first issue of Countdown to F1 2009. This issue is a summary of all the pre-season news from Nov. 9-16. The issues will be split into five pages and the key is as follows:

·         Page 1: Featured Story

·         Page 2: Testing News

·         Page 3: Team News

·         Page 4: Driver News

·         Page 5: Quiz

FEATURED STORY

GP2 stars to test for Honda

Lucas Di Grassi and Bruno Senna will test for Honda Racing from Nov. 17-19.

Both young Brazilian drivers are looking to break into Formula One after successful 2008 GP2 campaigns, where Senna finished second and Di Grassi ended the season third.

Lucas has already tested a Formula One car with Renault and he was a candidate for a race seat until Flavio Briatore announced his unchanged lineup for 2009.

Also testing at Catalunya is the nephew of the great Ayrton Senna, Bruno. After showing great potential in GP2 last season, winning two races and finishing second in the final standings, the young Brazilian is the favourite to replace veteran Rubens Barrichello, should Honda drop him from the team.

Senna will also test for STR, although he has revealed that Honda would be a great place to launch his F1 career. “I think it's the perfect opportunity for me to join Formula 1.”

Honda chief Nick Fry hinted at a new driver entering F1 with Honda. “I think it is important that we bring some fresh blood into F1. There are some good guys out there, and we want to try them out.”

It could turn out that both drivers get a race seat, as Jenson Button has revealed he has yet to sign a contract. “I haven't signed anything, but they (Honda) know how I feel. Hopefully we'll sort something out soon.”

Whoever gets the seat, they are likely to be both young and Brazilian as new fuel supplier to Honda, Petronas, have demanded that particular specification for a driver as part of a new deal with the Brackley-based squad.

TESTING NEWS

Van der Garde to test with Renault

Giedo van der Garde has earned a test of the Renault R28. He has been awarded the test for winning the Formula Renault 3.5 series. Van der Garde, who has already tested for Spyker and Force India, will test from Nov. 17-19.

He is also competing in the GP2 Asia series at present and if he does well, he could see himself in a GP2 championship car in 2009.

A notable winner of the Formula Renault 3.5 series is Robert Kubica, and Van der Garde hopes he can follow in the footsteps of the Grand Prix winner.

Sato wants seconds at Toro Rosso

The much-improved Toro Rosso team are giving Takuma Sato another testing day later this month. Sato will test the STR3 for a second time at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Hoping to break back into Formula One after having to withdraw, along with the whole Super Aguri team, early in the 2008 season, Sato is looking likely to take the spare seat at Toro Rosso in 2009.

Sebastian Bourdais still hasn’t been confirmed for 2009, so it is possible that Toro Rosso could be eyeing an all-new lineup for the new season.

Ferrari head to the desert

Ferrari has opted to test their 2009 challenger at the Sakhir circuit in preparation for the new season. Toyota also plans to test in Bahrain in December, and they will return in February for six days of pre season testing alongside the Maranello outfit.

Arch rivals to the Scuderia, McLaren Mercedes, are planning to test at the new Algarve Circuit in December along with Honda. The Algarve circuit will also hold the last round of the 2009 GP2 championship.

Alonso likely to miss 2008 tests

Former world champion Fernando Alonso probably won’t test a Renault F1 car until the team begins developing the 2009 challenger, although there is a slight possibility he will test in December.

With most competitive drivers, Alonso will spend the winter with friends and family, and return to the cockpit in January.

Wurz continues to work

Austrian driver Alex Wurz confirmed that he will continue to test for Honda Racing as they attempt to improve radically in the 2009 season.

Wurz left Williams F1 near the end of the 2007 season and started to test for Honda in 2008. He will also be Honda’s reserve driver in 2009.

TEAM NEWS

Force India makes a new friend

After splitting with Ferrari at the end of 2008, Force India have partnered up with McLaren Mercedes in what is described as a “long-term deal.” Mercedes Benz will provide engines and McLaren will provide a KERS system, gearbox and hydraulic system.

Force India founder and Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya was very pleased with the new deal. “We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines.”

Despite rumours, a full chassis provided by McLaren is not included in the deal, although the VJM02 is expected to look very similar to the MP4-24. Finally, it is interesting to note that Mercedes could finally have their German driver racing their engines, in the shape of the young and talented Adrian Sutil.

Williams expect Nakajima to shine

Williams' chief operations engineer Rod Nelson has revealed that he expects Kazuki Nakajima to have a strong 2009 campaign.

Nakajima was fairly successful in 2008, finishing in the points five times.

Nelson stated, “Certainly if you look at the last few races, he's raised his game considerably through the season, and we start off with a higher platform for next year.”

DRIVER NEWS

Paul Di Resta is eager for ’09 drive

Paul Di Resta hopes to be in a race seat for 2009. After testing with McLaren last month, the Scotsman has been linked with a Force India drive because of the new partnership between the teams. 

Di Resta wants to follow in the footsteps of World Champion Lewis Hamilton and rising star Sebastian Vettel and break numerous Formula One records. “Lewis has made it, and so too has Vettel, who I beat comfortably to the Euro F3 championship in 2006. If they can do it, I certainly know I can, too.”

A 2009 Formula One drive is very possible. With McLaren now having a say in the Force India camp and Vijay Mallya saying that he would be “hard pressed to ignore their advice [on drivers]”, Di Resta could find himself in a Force India next season if all goes well.

Piquet promises better performance

After being given a second chance by Renault, Nelson Piquet has promised to up his game in 2009. He admitted his rookie season had fallen short of expectations and he was out-qualified by his team mate at EVERY grand prix.

He has built a high wall to climb but Piquet is confident he can achieve his goal. “This year, I wanted to be in the top 10; I finished 12th.. In 2009, I'd like to be top six in the championship. I’m confident we can be on the podium regularly.”

This suggests that he is confident with Renault’s pre-season progress and implies that former world champion Alonso could be challenging for a title sooner than expected.

F1 2009: Return of the JPM?

Toro Rosso revealed that they asked former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya to consider returning to F1 to replace Sebastian Vettel, although the Colombian didn’t even consider the offer. Franz Tost stated, “Unfortunately, he no longer wants to be in Formula One.”

Tost also mentioned that he offered Nelson Piquet a race seat before he was confirmed for 2009 by Renault.

Who will get the race seats at Toro Rosso? It’s expected to be two of the following: Sebastian Bourdais, Sebastian Buemi, Takuma Sato, Bruno Senna and Rubens Barrichello. It is expected, however, that Senna and Barrichello will focus more on getting a race seat at Honda than STR.

Kubica concerned about KERS

BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica is worried that ‘heavier’ drivers’ like himself and Mark Webber will be at a disadvantage next season.

Taller drivers could end up being penalised in 2009 because of the introduction of the KERS technology. It is a very heavy system, which of course adds weight to the car, but the minimum weight of an F1 car has stayed the same.

Kubica is 185cm tall and had a serious diet during the build up to the 2008 season to get closer to the weight of Nick Heidfeld, his team mate.

The Pole told F1’s official website, “The KERS issue is a concern for all the "heavy" drivers like me.”

No series switch for Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello has stated the he will retire from all forms of motor sport if he fails to secure a race seat for 2009.

His career looks likely to end with Honda chief Nick Fry wanting “fresh blood” in F1 and giving a test to young guns Bruno Senna and Lucas Di Grassi. The fact that Barrichello won’t be present at the Barcelona test next week puts his drive in further doubt.

Barrichello said, “Either I stay in F1, or I won't race.”

JUST FOR FUN!

Here is an optional quiz for our readers to participate in. This week’s quiz is based on National Anthems. Answers to questions two and three don’t need to be exact, but must the answer must be reasonable and I won’t accept 91 as an answer for question three.

1.       Which national anthem has been played the most times in Formula One (drivers and constructors)?

2.       How many times has the Italian National Anthem been played in Formula One (drivers and constructors)?

3.       How many times has the German National Anthem been played in Formula One (drivers only)?

4.       For which drivers has the Belgian National Anthem been played for?

5.       Which country has the greatest Driver: Win ratio?

Please leave your answers in your comment or post them to my message board.

The prize awarded to the first person with all five correct answers will be my Pick of the Day for their next article and there is no time limit on the prize.

Although there are no pictures in this article, I would like to send my thanks to Adam Poole who gave me help and advice on how to insert pictures.

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