R3 2009 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) 19 April 2009

Red Bull expect 'big day' after 'last-minute' Vettel pole

Red Bull Racing is expecting 'a big day' in its Formula 1 history in tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix, after Sebastian Vettel left it late to lead the team to its maiden pole position in the top flight by just under two tenths of a second – a result the German described as 'unbelievable'.

Both Vettel and team-mate Mark Webber were bang on the leading pace from the word 'go' in qualifying in Shanghai, belying a troubled FP3 session that had seen them complete just 15 laps between them as a result of driveshaft issues. On low fuel loads for the first time in Q2, the pair wound up first and second respectively – and in the closing stages of Q3 looked set to do the same, only for a meteoric effort from former double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso in the Renault to split the two energy drinks-backed machines right at the close.

All-the-more impressive was the fact that Vettel pulled off his pole position feat despite only venturing out for a single run in the top ten shoot-out due to his practice woes, whilst most of his rivals benefitted from two – consequently putting him under considerable pressure to produce. He did so to perfection.



“I'm very, very happy,” enthused the 21-year-old, already the sport's youngest-ever grand prix-winner and a man who similarly stormed to the top spot on the starting grid for Scuderia Toro Rosso in Monza last year. “It's unbelievable, and it was a bit last-minute! I only had one run in each qualifying session but, as you can see, you don't need more!

“It wasn't easy; we had a problem with the car and had to run as little as possible. The car was really quick, though; Mark had two runs in each session and was always up there, so I didn't have any concerns. Still, if you have only one lap, you can't make any mistakes.

“I'm really happy – we made it to pole position in the end! This morning wasn't ideal, but it seems the less I run in the morning, the better it is in qualifying! A big thanks to the mechanics, who have been working very, very hard, basically all night, and thanks to all the team back in Milton Keynes too. We made it! I'm looking forward to tomorrow; it's a long race and there's a long way to go, but we have the best starting position.”

Webber will begin the grand prix from directly behind his team-mate in third, just under three tenths adrift and – as with Vettel – marking the Australian's highest starting position since last year's Italian Grand Prix. The New South Wales native admitted that the gaps in the times had taken him a touch by surprise, but he acknowledged that it was an 'incredible' outcome nonetheless – particularly given that only a matter of months ago he was laid up in hospital with a badly broken right leg.

“What a result!” the 32-year-old remarked. “The work that's gone into this from the team, especially over the last few weeks, has been incredible. It would have been good to have both cars on the front row, but Fernando did a great job.

“I was expecting to be a little bit tighter in the end, but we'll see how the fuel loads pan out tomorrow. We've done a good job. Q2 was strong for us and the car is behaving well, with a lot of grip. I'm doing what I can to give the youngster (Vettel) a hard time; we're pushing each other hard and it's working very well!”

Vettel's Pole Lap Video...



Pole Positions
1 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso Renault
3 Mark Webber RBR-Renault
4 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes
5 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes
6 Jarno Trulli Toyota
7 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota
8 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari
9 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
10 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari

02 2009 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur)

Malaysian GP washed out by Rain

The red flag thrown to halt proceedings at Sepang proved to be the final event of the Malaysian Grand Prix, as ongoing torrential rain prevented the remaining runners from taking a restart. The race started in dry conditions, defying most predictions, but the rain eventually came just short of 20 laps, prompting most of the field to pit for full Bridgestone wet tyres within the next two or three tours.

The expected downpour took longer to come, however, and Timo Glock showed the intermediates were the way to go initially, scything through the field. Just as his rivals decided to follow suit, though, the German pitted for full wets, anticipating what was to become a veritable monsoon. Again, the remainder of the field stopped for suitable rubber, with Jenson Button, who had made a poor start, rejoining in the lead, having picked off Fernando Alonso, Jarno Trulli and Nico Rosberg - either on track or as the result of pit-stops - before the conditions degenerated to the point where racing was absolutely impossible.

With just 31 of the scheduled 56 laps in the books, half points will be awarded, but Button will be credited with his - and Brawn GP's - second win of the 2009 season. Behind the Briton, Glock, Nick Heidfeld, Trulli, Rubens Barrichello, Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg and Mark Webber stand to score, although the order may yet be reshuffled according to the point at which the stewards decide to take the result.


F1 » Malaysian Grand Prix – Race results
1. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes 31 laps 1hr 91m 35.181s
2. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber +0m 22.7s
3. Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota +0m 23.5s
4. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +0m 46.1s
5. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes +0m 47.3s
6. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +0m 52.3s
7. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +0m 60.7s
8. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota +0m 71.5s

9. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +0m 76.9s
10. Sebastien Bourdais France Toro Rosso-Ferrari
11. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault
12. Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota
13. Nelson Piquet Jr Brazil Renault-Renault
14. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari
15. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault
16. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari
17. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes
18. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Mercedes

Rtd Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber 1 lap completed
Rtd Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 0 laps completed



Button: Malaysia F1 pole 'more special' than Oz

Jenson Button has described securing the top spot in qualifying for this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix as 'even more special' than when he did so for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne seven days ago – as after more than 150 appearances in Formula 1, the British star has finally registered back-to-back pole positions to bring his career total up to five.

Having swept all before him Down Under, Button did so again in Sepang, as Brawn GP's early-season supremacy in the top flight shows few signs of easing up. However, he did not have it quite all his own way in Kuala Lumpur, after being unhappy with the balance of his Mercedes-powered BGP 001 during practice, having to stave off a sustained threat from the Toyota of Jarno Trulli and lapping 'only' seventh-quickest in Q1. He would not lay that far down the timing screens for long.

“Achieving pole position today in Malaysia is possibly even more special than last week in Australia,” the 29-year-old enthused, after narrowly pipping Trulli by just under a tenth of a second. “It's not easy to get one pole, but two successive poles is just fantastic and it's a first for me in my Formula 1 career. It's a great feeling and proves that our car works well on different types of circuit.

“We were really struggling with the balance yesterday and I had a lot of rear locking; however, we made some changes to the car overnight which really improved it for today and it felt really good throughout qualifying. It's a big turnaround, and I have to say thank you to the team for their hard work in such tough conditions. They did a fantastic job. We are hoping that the rain stays away tomorrow, but you just never know at this circuit and we will be working hard tonight to make sure we are prepared for all eventualities.”

Unfortunately for the team, this time around Rubens Barrichello in the sister Virgin-backed entry was unable to join Button on the front row, having to take a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change the previous day. That notwithstanding, the experienced Brazilian was never quite on the Briton's stunning pace, even if he did snatch P1 in the one phase of qualifying in which his team-mate failed to do so, maintaining Brawn GP's uninterrupted 2009 qualifying hegemony.

“It was a good qualifying session for the team today,” reflected the 36-year-old, who admitted to having grappled with understeer en route to fourth spot, what becomes eighth with his penalty taken into account. “Well done to Jenson once again as he had the pace to put the car on pole.

“Unfortunately on my side of the garage, the car developed understeer in qualifying and we were not able to resolve the problem. However, we know the performance of the car in race conditions is strong, and I will be aiming to score as many points as possible tomorrow before I can start chasing for my own pole positions and wins.”

“It was a great qualifying performance from Jenson and the team today,” summarised team principal Ross Brawn, “particularly as we had some issues with the balance of the car in yesterday's practice sessions. At the start of qualifying there was a distinct possibility of rain, so we went out early in Q1 to bank some dry running and from there it was a busy session with the track evolving incredibly quickly.

“Rubens was struggling for grip under braking which resulted in understeer, and he was never completely happy with the balance of his car. With the replacement of his gearbox, this puts him further back on the grid than we would have hoped; however, his experience will stand him in good stead in the race.

“Jenson was much happier with the balance, which reflects in his second pole of the season after an excellent lap. It was an incredibly close session, and with the prospect of rain in the race tomorrow, we should be in for a very eventful and exciting Malaysian Grand Prix.”


McLaren confirms Ryan 'suspension'

McLaren has moved swiftly to react to spreading rumours concerning the future of sporting director Dave Ryan, following suggestions that he was to fall on his sword as a result of Lewis Hamilton's exclusion from the Australian Grand Prix.

Ryan and Hamilton appeared at the original post-race stewards' enquiry to give their side of the story regarding the incident that saw Jarno Trulli pick up a 25-second time penalty for allegedly passing the McLaren while the field was neutralised behind the race's final safety car. The Italian had already ceded third spot by running off the road on the previous lap, but Hamilton appeared to slow to let him retake the position.

The subsequent debate has centred on whether Trulli overtook Hamilton illegally - something the Toyota driver denies - or simply reacted to being allowed to pass. Hamilton apparently told one post-race media interviewed that he had moved over and handed the place back under instruction from his team, but neither he nor Ryan disclosed the same fact to the stewards' hearing.

Only when the interview and McLaren's pit-to-car radio transcripts [see separate story – click here], came to light was the truth of the matter revealed, leading to the stewards to determine that Ryan and Hamilton has been 'deliberately misleading', stripping the Briton of any place in the official results, and reinstating Trulli to third place [see separate story – click here].

The FIA has not stopped there either, suggesting that, while Hamilton will be allowed to contest this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, further sanctions could follow.

When Ryan did not appear in his usual position in the McLaren pit during free practice in Malaysia, team CEO Martin Whitmarsh confirmed that the veteran engineer would play no further part in the weekend's activities, having been 'suspended from his position as sporting director' but admitted that it had been a tough decision to take.

"In my 20-odd years working for McLaren, I doubt if I've met a more dedicated individual than Davey," he pointed out, "He's been an integral part of McLaren since 1974 and has played a crucial role in the team's many world championship successes since that time.

“However, his role in the events of last Sunday, particularly his dealings with the FIA stewards, has caused serious repercussions for the team, for which we apologise. Therefore, I suspended him this morning and he has accepted this.”

Whitmarsh will undoubtedly face further questions in Friday afternoon's official FIA press conference at Sepang, although whether he chooses to reveal any further details remains to be seen.

01 2009 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne)

Jenson Button's moment of glory....after Vettel and Kubica crashed into each other and out of the race in the final few minutes of the race....


Toyota’s Jarno Trulli has lost his third place in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after stewards penalized him for passing under the safety car in the closing laps.

Trulli ran off road near the end of the race, thus losing a place to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, but then repassed the world champion once he had rejoined the circuit.

The Italian was given a 10-second stop-go penalty as a result, but since the offence occurred within the final five laps that was translated into a 25-second penalty added to his race time. He thus drops to 12th.

"I can't say how disappointed I am to finish third but have the result questioned," he said. "When the safety car came out towards the end of the race Lewis passed me but soon after he suddenly slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. I thought he had a problem so I overtook him as there was nothing else I could do."

FINAL RACE RESULTS
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Pts
1 22 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes 58 1:34:15.784 1 10
2 23 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 58 +0.8 secs 2 8
3 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota 58 +1.6 secs 20 6
4 10 Timo Glock Toyota 58 +4.4 secs 19 5
5 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 58 +4.8 secs 10 4
6 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 58 +5.7 secs 5 3
7 12 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 58 +6.0 secs 13 2
8 11 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 58 +6.2 secs 17 1
9 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 58 +6.3 secs 16
10 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 58 +7.0 secs 9
11 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Mercedes 58 +7.3 secs 15
12 14 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 57 +1 Lap 8
13 15 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 56 Accident 3
14 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 55 Accident 4
15 4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 55 Differential 7
Ret 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 45 Suspension 6
Ret 8 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 24 Spin 14
Ret 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 17 Accident 11
Ret 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 0 Accident damage 12
DSQ 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58 +2.9 secs 18


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A Preview of the coming Australian Grand Prix


New Rules for 2009

There are some significant changes made for the new season of F1 racing. Some are extremely controversial and may not be welcome by the teams. Among the significant changes are:

Drivers' championship decider:
The drivers' championship will be given to the driver with the most race wins for the season. If two or more drivers have the same total of wins, the title goes to the driver with the highest points.

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS)
Teams now have the option of employing KERS to boost their car’s performance. KERS recovers the kinetic energy generated by the car’s braking system. This energy is stored using a mechanical flywheel or an electrical battery and then made available to the driver, via a boost button on the steering wheel. Under the current system the power gain equates to around 80 horsepower, available for just under seven seconds per lap. This could be worth several tenths of a second in terms of lap time gained, but the weight and packaging of the system - and its impact on the car’s weight distribution and aerodynamic also need to be taken into account.

Tyres
From grooved tyres, Formula One racing returns to slicks this year, as part of moves to increase the emphasis on mechanical rather than aerodynamic gripping. Grip will increase by around 20 percent with slick tyres, bringing a significant performance gain. However, this is offset by the vastly reduced down-force levels of the new aerodynamic regulations. The overall effect should be reduced performance through high-speed corners. This could work against McClaren whose cars are good at corners.

Unlike in 2008, drivers will not select two consecutive compounds, so the difference between ‘harder’ and ‘softer’ at any given race will be far greater now. A green band on the sidewall will indicate the softer compound.

Engines
In a attempt to boost reliability still further, rev limits is cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm. Drivers will be limited to eight engines per season, with additional four engines for testing. Once a driver has used up his eight-engine allocation, any engine change will incur a 10-place grid penalty, or a move to the back of the grid if made after qualifying, for the event at which the change is made.

Aerodynamics
This is one of the biggest area of change for 2009. Downforce will be dramatically reduced and the cars’ bodywork will appear much cleaner, thanks to new dimension regulations that outlaw extraneous items such as barge boards, winglets, turning vanes and chimneys on most parts of the car.

The revisions are also designed to increase overtaking by making the car less susceptible to turbulence when closely following another car. The most obvious changes are to the front and rear wings dimensions.

The front wing is lower (75mm from 150mm) and wider (up from 1400 to 1800mm - the same width as the car) with driver-adjustable flaps. Drivers are allowed to make two wing adjustments per lap, altering the wing angle over a six-degree range.

The rear wing is now taller (up 150mm to bring it level with the top of the engine cover) and narrower (750mm from 1000mm).

Also behind the car, the diffuser has been moved rearwards, its leading edge now level with (rather than ahead of) the rear-wheel axle line. Also, the diffuser has been made longer and higher, changes that will reduce its ability to generate downforce.

Testing
Testing is not allowed during the race season (from the week prior to the first Grand Prix until December 31) and is limited to 15,000 kilometres.

Safety car
The pit lane will now remain open during any safety-car period, drivers can now refuel without penalty. However, to ensure that cars are not tempted to speed back to the pit lane, a new software system which employs GPS and the cars’ standard ECU has been introduced. When the safety car is out there, each driver is given a minimum ‘back to pit’ time based on his position on the track. If he arrives in the pit lane before that time he will be penalised.

New Turn Names for F1 Racing Track in Singapore

New corner names for Singapore Grand Prix circuit Three of the corners on the Marina Bay Street Circuit, host of the Singapore Grand Prix, are to sport new names following a competition created by race organisers in conjunction with the Singapore newspaper, Today.

Turn 1 will become known as ‘Sheares’, relating to the Benjamin Sheares Bridge which towers over the track at that point. The bridge - and now the corner - takes its name from Singapore's second President, who led the development of the island state from 1971 until his death in 1981.

Turn 7, the scene of some of the most spectacular overtaking moves during the inaugural 2008 night race, will now be called ‘Memorial’, due to its proximity to the imposing monument honouring civilian World War II victims.

Finally, the triple-apex Turn 10, which last year claimed Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella among its victims, will now be named after Singapore’s most famous cocktail, the ‘Singapore Sling’. The drink is said to have been invented by Ngiam Tong Boon at the Long Bar in the nearby Raffles Hotel. The cocktail or sling is made up from a mix of gin, cherry brandy and Benedictine.

“Just like any icon, the corner has to be treated with respect” said Colin Syn, deputy chairman of the Singapore Grand Prix and one of the competition judges. “Drivers have to be careful here, but it can serve as a slingshot if they tackle it well.

“I guess after the exploits of some drivers last year, there could be jokes about a Wallbanger, but we chose to name the turn after the Singapore Sling because it is known internationally and fans everywhere can relate to it instantly.”

The 'It's Your Turn' competition received close to 1,800 entries from as far afield as Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Canada. The panel of judges took into account names that were punchy, have a strong local connection and are easy to pronounce.

2008 Brazil F1 Grand Prix

Hamilton's championship winning moments...


This year's preview


Last year starting....