Countdown To F1 2009: Issue Two

Welcome to Countdown to F1 2009. This issue is a summary of all the pre-season news from Nov. 17 to Nov. 23.

Featured Story

Barcelona Test Review

Formula One teams have began to prepare for the 2009 already, with the first days of testing taking place earlier this week, from Nov. 17-19.

The test was a chance for teams to test out the new KERS system or Bridgestone’s new slick tyres as well as Toro Rosso and Honda taking the test as an opportunity to evaluate 2009 race seat candidates.

BMW Sauber were eager to get going and hit the track early on the 17th with new style wings, which must be used by all cars in 2009. The front wing must be wider and the rear narrower to decrease problems with balance when in the turbulent air of another car.

Both Toro Rosso contenders put themselves at the top of the timesheets, Sato setting the fastest lap with Buemi close behind. Experienced tester Alex Wurz was able to put up the third fastest time but Honda hopefuls Senna and Di Grassi were over four seconds off of pace setter Sato.

Sebastian Loeb showed his talent in single-seaters, setting the eighth fastest time. BMW used their head, and ran on grooved tyres at all times, in the hope of recognising the effects of the new wings.

McLaren and Ferrari removed all aerodynamic add-ons to simulate 2009 levels of down force on a 2008 model. McLaren also ran a KERS system on the car of De La Rosa.

During day two of testing, Red Bull-based teams dominated. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap in his Red Bull, whilst all three Toro Rosso hopefuls trailed the German.

Takuma Sato seems to be hungry to get back into F1. He set the fastest time on Monday and beat rival Sebastian Buemi on Tuesday by a good two-tenths of a second. Bourdais was sandwiched between the pair.

McLaren ran a KERS system on the car of Gary Paffett, whilst regular tester Pedro de la Rosa moved down the pitlane to test a Force India for the remaining two days. This has caused many rumours to surface, the most notable being that De La Rosa could be looking at a race seat with Force India in 2009.

Force India have insisted that the test doesn’t mean the Spaniard is looking at a race seat. Di Grassi was the slowest of the Honda’s again whilst Jenson Button who helped analyse a new front wing.

On the final day, Vettel put himself in P1 again, with Bourdais showing Toro Rosso why he should keep his race seat by setting the second fastest time. Buemi stuck his Toro Rosso third, and with Sato only testing on two days, Buemi feels confident he has done enough to earn himself a 2009 race seat.

Bruno Senna was the driver who impressed the most, though. He set a faster lap time than fellow Brazilian Lucas Di Grassi could manage the previous day, and he was only three tenths off the pace of experienced driver Jenson Button.

Piquet, Hulkenburg, Heidfeld, and Klein were all running 2009-spec wings, whilst McLaren tester Paffett was concentrating on testing a KERS system.

It is interesting to note that Toyota were not present at this test; however, from the previous issue, we know the team is will test at Bahrain in the near future.

To see images from the test click here.

Testing time sheets for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.

World Rally Champion gets to grip with an F1 car.

YouTube video of the test.

Testing News

Di Grassi pleased with test despite times

Lucas Di Grassi has asked people not to judge him on his first day of testing with Honda. The Brazilian finished bottom of the time sheets on the first day of testing but insisted that he was still getting to grips with the Honda and argued that he had less favourable track conditions than Bruno Senna.

Di Grassi was out on track in the morning, whilst Bruno had the afternoon on the circuit when the track was cleaner. It is evident that Di Grassi was correct in what he said, as on day two he managed to knock three seconds off his time from the previous day.

Although Senna’s best time was six tenths faster, Lucas was pleased with his test overall and had interesting things to say about the slick tyre. He reported, “The slick tyre has much more grip and compared with the grooved tyre is easier to drive and more consistent over a run.”

Senna hails ‘special’ test

Bruno Senna admitted that his first laps in a modern F1 car were very special.

Senna was in the car for half a day on Monday and returned for a full day on Wednesday where he hopes to prove to the Honda crew that he is a better bet for the 2009 than Barrichello and GP2 rival Di Grassi.

Senna quoted, “A great, great day for me and I am incredibly grateful to the Honda team for making it possible.”

Vettel pleased with debut test

Sebastian Vettel was pleased with his first major RBR test, the German revealed on Wednesday.

After taking over from guest driver and World Rally Champion, Sebastian Loeb, Vettel shot straight to the top of the time sheets in Barcelona.

He ran on slick tyres for the majority of the time, as Red Bull prepares to bounce back from a disappointing 2008 campaign, where Vettel’s former team, Toro Rosso, just beat them in the Constructors Championship.

MotoGP champ shines in a Ferrari

2008 MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi tested for Scuderia Ferrari on Thursday this week.

The Italian did a 1:22.5 lap time of the Mugello circuit, only 1.5 seconds shy of Ferrari’s experienced tester Luca Badoer.

Rossi hinted at a possible exchange from two wheels to four as he believes with a lot of hard work and effort, he could become a Formula One driver.

See Rossi at the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car here.

Team News

Williams have been warned

Nico Rosberg has warned the Williams team that he will look for a new drive if things don’t improve by the middle of next season.

Rosberg, who has been with Williams since 2006, started off the 2008 season in style with a podium in Australia but results got worse over the course of the year, with second place in Singapore being an exception.

Rosberg put the ball into Williams’ court by saying, “If Williams are not running well by then, then I must look at going elsewhere. I must also think of my career.”

McLaren could be very interested in the German if Heikki Kovalainen has a similar 2009 season; there was rumour that Nico would join McLaren after Alonso departed so there is no doubt that McLaren would say yes to Rosberg.

Lauda expects ‘strong’ BMW

Three time world champion Niki Lauda believes BMW can challenge McLaren and Ferrari in 2009.

Although BMW only won one race in 2008 compared to the eight of Ferrari and McLaren’s six, the Hinwil-based team started to concentrate on 2009 a lot earlier than the top two and were still in the running for the Drivers’ Championship at Shanghai.

The former world champ said, “BMW Sauber had a very strong package at some races, and were able to translate the performance and reliability of the car (combined with their drivers' skills) into results on the racetrack.”

If Lauda is correct and BMW are genuine contenders for both championships, 2009 could be very interesting indeed.

Brawn demands patience over decision

Honda technical director Ross Brawn has asked Formula One fans to be patient as they decide their 2009 driver line-up.

Although two seats are available, reports are that it is only a matter of time before Brit Jenson Button signs a new contract. Rubens Barrichello could maintain his seat but either Bruno Senna or Lucas Di Grassi is expected to partner Button.

Brawn stated, “We took the opportunity to evaluate the emerging talents of Lucas Di Grassi and Bruno Senna. We will now take some time to carefully consider our findings from this test before reaching any further conclusions.”

Teams discuss new qualifying format

Formula 1 qualifying could have a new format for the 2009 season after FOTA put forward an interesting proposition.

The proposal suggests that all the drivers take to the track at the same time with the same fuel loads, with the slowest driver being disqualified until just six remain. Those six would then pit new tyres and fight for pole position.

Also, FOTA have suggested that points should be rewarded to the man on pole.

Driver News

Kubica expects very little change; Klein labels car ugly

Robert Kubica has predicted that 2009 cars will not turn out much different than 2008 machinery despite major aerodynamic changes.

Cars will lose a lot of downforce in 2009 but slick tyres are expected to provide lots more grip, especially in slower corners.

Kubica has therefore suggested that the net effect of the two rule changes will be minor. “I don’t think there will be too big a difference between the 2009 and 2008 cars,” the Pole stated.

Along with test driver Klein, Kubica labelled the 2009 car ugly, although Kubica was glad he had more vision from his wing mirrors.

If the car wins races for Kubica and maybe even championships, I doubt that the pair will be worried about the appearance.

Sutil is safe, according to manager

Manager of Adrian Sutil, Manfred Zimmermann, has played down speculation that the German’s race seat is on the line.

There is heavy suspicion that McLaren could influence the driver line up at Force India now that the two teams are partners.

However, “There is no reason for us to believe that Adrian's place is anything other than safe,” Zimmermann stated earlier this week.

Sutil has also been for a 2009 seat fitting at the Force India Silverstone factory, suggesting his seat is safe.

Sutil’s team mate, Giancarlo Fisichella, has also insisted that his future at Force India is safe despite speculation that McLaren are lining de la Rosa up a race seat at Force India.

Mark Webber breaks his leg

Red Bull driver Mark Webber has broken his leg whilst riding a bicycle at a charity event.

He is suspected to have multiple fractures to both his arms and legs that will put him out of action for two months. Luckily the new F1 season doesn’t start until March.

Webber collided with a Nissan X-Trail but Tasmania Police say, “He suffered a broken leg and other injuries and is reported to be in a stable condition.”

The Australian has already had surgery on his injuries and is said to be in good shape.

Buemi expects a nice Christmas gift

Swiss driver Sebastian Buemi is hoping to hear from Toro Rosso soon as to whether he has got himself a race seat for next season.

Buemi tested on all three days but was slower than rivals Sato and Bourdais, a fact that could prove critical when Toro Rosso make their decision.

Buemi told Autosport “We expect a decision soon. For the team it's really important to make a decision and to try to have a test before Christmas with the proper drivers for next year.”

Sato sits and waits

Takuma Sato will have to wait to find out if Toro Rosso will accept him as a 2009 driver but the former Honda racer is confident he has done enough to impress.

Sato admitted that it would be a “dream” to drive for Toro Rosso and he isn’t worried about competition.

He completed 200 laps in one and a half days and is positive that the Italian team will appreciate the data he has provided them with by rewarding him with a drive.

Bourdais: I wasn’t reapplying for my job

Sebastian Bourdais has revealed that he believes he wasn’t part of the Toro Rosso shoot out at Barcelona earlier this week.

He said that he was providing the team with critical data needed for 2009 development.

The Frenchman said, “I am not here for a shootout. I am here as a reference to the team because they know me quite well, and whatever they are trying, in the end it is mainly tyre comparison stuff, tyre usage.”

Button looking forward to 2009

Jenson Button admitted that he is looking forward to the 2009 season after two days of testing earlier this week.

Button ran a modified RA108 at Catalunya and enjoyed working with the 2009 specifications.

“It's nice to be back in a car that I enjoy driving,” said the Honda driver.

Just For Fun!

After the massive feature on this week’s Barcelona test, I have decided to base this week’s quiz on Test Drivers.

Remember the quiz is optional but fun! The prize is my Pick of the Day to the winner’s next article on the Bleacher Report F1 page.

1. Who tested for McLaren-Honda in 1990 and later went on to race for Toyota?

2. What season were test drivers officially introduced?

3. Luca Badoer is well known for his testing with Ferrari but which team did he make his Formula One racing debut with?

4. Marc Gene is also a Ferrari tester, but which team did both Gene and Badoer use to drive for and what year?

5. Who tested for McLaren in 1996 and what country did he come from?