Malaysia GP Discussion thread

[Valve Bounce]

Well, after starting a thread for the AGP, I thought I'd start one for Malaysia which starts tomorrow.

Go for it.

I'll have my next post soon.

[Valve Bounce]

Well, the second twilight F1 GP is about to begin in KL. I remember KL with fondness. There were drains at the side or some roads which looked like 1 metre deep ditches, and when it rained, these ditches ran full. We used to go riding in the evenings at the Polo Club, (retired race horses), and it was decidedly exciting during the regular evening thunderstorms as we rode through the villages and tin mines.

Sunset is at 7.21pm, so if it is fine, then the only issue is visibility, because on part of the course, cars will be heading directly into the setting sun, just like at Albert Park. If it rains, well.................., anything can happen. Here is the 5 day weather details: http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/48647.html

The good news is that there is only a 60% chance of rain at 5 pm on Sunday, and I suspect that lightning strikes on the cars is low because the cars at that low to the ground and they have rubber tyres.

The bad news is that the spectators might get wet; but then even that is not so bad as the weather is still quite warm.

There is a 70% chance of rain on Saturday, so that will make quals interesting, although, again, there is some bad news as quals might get washed out temporarily and the TV F1 broadcast in England might run into the BBC morning cartoons.

OK, so over to other forummers.

[woody2goody]

Well Valve, I'd like to vent my frustration at this 'twilight' race as Nico Rosberg has this week. The reason: well pushing it forward means that I'm going to miss the end of it due to work!

The normal start time of around 7ish would have been fine, but now, the race starts at 10 and I start work at 11.30! Zealots...

Might phone them up and ask them to swap my shifts :D

[RJL25]

If its a wet race, Vettel, Button, Hamilton would be my big threats... Hopefully Webber will be there too :D

[Valve Bounce]

If its a wet race, Vettel, Button, Hamilton would be my big threats... Hopefully Webber will be there too :D

If it is pissing down, there will be a big prang, the SC will come out, and it could be anybody's race. However, because Brawn is there to manage the strategy of the Brawn during anything out of the norm, I can see the Brawns would have the advantage there.

[Dave B]

The good news is that there is only a 60% chance of rain at 5 pm on Sunday...

There is a 70% chance of rain on Saturday...

When it rains in Malaysia, it really rains. When I went there for the 1999 race we had early-evening rain almost every day: a brief but violent downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning which temporarily brought proceedings to a virtual standstill.

If we're unlucky enough to get a demonstration of this weather while the cars are on track, expect the session to be abandoned or at the very least run under yellow-flag conditions. If it happens during the race, the early evening start time could work against them.

It's going to be very interesting :D

[ozrevhead]

I wonder how KERS and Defusers are going to work in the wet - should be interesting! :D

[Tazio]

Dudes, and dudetts... Lets hook-up in the chat for FP1 today :up:
Bring your Links ;)

[Dave B]

Free practice one suddenly got interesting a few minutes from the end: Kimi's fire extinguisher seemed to trigger itself out on track, meanwhile Piquet - who else? - threw his car into the gravel with what looks like a brake problem or possible puncture.

[Tazio]

Williams 1-2 Brawn 3-4 Ferrari 5-6

[Powered by Cosworth]

Looks like it's KERS related...

Potentially the batteries overheating, getting the fire extinguisher going?

[Tazio]

Lucky for Ferrari it happened in FP1. Max time to repair!
What's the story with KOVY?

[RJL25]

times anyone? Those who got to watch, anything interesting to report? Anyone seem to be struggling? - Piquet doesn't count... hes always struggling!

[RJL25]

Just found the times...

Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired Gap Laps
1 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:36.260 27
2 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:36.305 0.045 25
3 22 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes 1:36.430 0.170 20
4 23 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 1:36.487 0.227 22
5 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:36.561 0.301 21
6 4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:36.646 0.386 18
7 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.699 0.439 16
8 14 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 1:36.703 0.443 23
9 15 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 1:36.747 0.487 25
10 10 Timo Glock Toyota 1:36.980 0.720 27
11 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:36.982 0.722 26
12 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Mercedes 1:37.025 0.765 20
13 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:37.039 0.779 18
14 8 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:37.199 0.939 20
15 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:37.241 0.981 18
16 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:37.395 1.135 12
17 12 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 1:37.634 1.374 22
18 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:37.640 1.380 17
19 11 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:38.022 1.762 19
20 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.483 2.223 7


Seems mostly pretty tight! Would love to know what fuel loads etc everyone is on, Williams where quick in practice in Australia too but couldn't hold that form into quali

[Dave B]

10 minutes into FP2 and it's starting to rain!

...and five minutes later stopped. Just a few drops. Nothing to see here. As you were...

[PSfan]

Free practice one suddenly got interesting a few minutes from the end: Kimi's fire extinguisher seemed to trigger itself out on track, meanwhile Piquet - who else? - threw his car into the gravel with what looks like a brake problem or possible puncture.

Interesting to watch Kimi "Hop" outa the car... Also seems like replacing the steering wheel isn't a high priority when there is a kerrs incident... :p :

[dj_bytedisaster]

Interesting to watch Kimi "Hop" outa the car... Also seems like replacing the steering wheel isn't a high priority when there is a kerrs incident... :p :

Well, the finnish just love their sauna :D

[leopard]

where is pickems? ;)

[christophulus]

Looks like it's KERS related...

Potentially the batteries overheating, getting the fire extinguisher going?


Raikkonen’s session came to a dramatic end, with smoke billowing from his car.
Initially it seemed that the cockpit fire extinguisher had gone off, but when he pitted there was smoke emanating from the rear of the car – and the rancid smell and the masks worn by the mechanics as they proceeded to examine the F60 afterwards pointed to a KERS battery problem.


http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=45441

Bit worrying if that happens in the race..

[ShiftingGears]

Half a second covers the top 11 at the moment. It's really surprising how close the teams are given the different approaches to the rule changes.

[christophulus]

Vettel nearly takes out Heidfeld at the hairpin.

"Looks like he's thought it was Kubica" - Five Live :p . BMWs still struggling badly.

And Raikkonen being told he has a problem with KERS, but still tops the times in a Ferrari 1-2. First time Rosberg hasn't been fastest in practice so far and maybe the Brawns are beatable?

[Powered by Cosworth]

This is a good track for KERS teams, so I can see brawn getting in the top 6 at best

[christophulus]

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:35.707 40
2. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:35.832 + 0.125 38
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:35.954 + 0.247 40
4. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:36.015 + 0.308 39
5. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:36.026 + 0.319 36
6. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:36.161 + 0.454 37
7. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:36.254 + 0.547 31
8. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:36.290 + 0.583 35
9. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:36.397 + 0.690 40
10. Piquet Renault (B) 1:36.401 + 0.694 35
11. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:36.515 + 0.808 30
12. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:36.516 + 0.809 34
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:36.628 + 0.921 32
14. Glock Toyota (B) 1:36.639 + 0.932 29
15. Alonso Renault (B) 1:36.640 + 0.933 20
16. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:36.875 + 1.168 36
17. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:37.267 + 1.560 38
18. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:37.278 + 1.571 30
19. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:37.432 + 1.725 27
20. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:37.930 + 2.223 37

[Dave B]

What gives at BMW? 13th/18th, then 17th/20th from a team that last year had an outside chance of a championship. :s

[ShiftingGears]

What gives at BMW? 13th/18th, then 17th/20th from a team that last year had an outside chance of a championship. :s

I wouldn't make much of the practice times, considering that Kubica could've won the OzGp.

[Ranger]

If it pisses down on Sunday evening then you can't make much of any times this weekend.

It looks like Ferrari and Red Bull are clearly the best non-diffuser teams though.

[christophulus]

Force India's Ian Phillips mentioned on Five Live that Williams & Brawn tend to load up on fuel in the practice sessions, so if true it looks like they're in a good position.

[dj_bytedisaster]

If it pisses down on Sunday evening then you can't make much of any times this weekend.

It looks like Ferrari and Red Bull are clearly the best non-diffuser teams though.

if it pisses down on sunday, we migh have a shortened race at hand. twilight hours+torrential rain=mucho darkness :eek:

[Ranger]

if it pisses down on sunday, we migh have a shortened race at hand. twilight hours+torrential rain=mucho darkness :eek:

Yeah it'll probably be a lottery if that happens, kinda like Surfers Paradise 2002 in ChampCar.

[F1boat]

Ferrari looking good, but if it rains it will be madness. About BMW, they are always sandbagging in Friday, last year and on Oz was the same. Look out for them tomorrow and in Sunday.

[Sleeper]

This is a good track for KERS teams, so I can see brawn getting in the top 6 at best
Not really. KERS will help on the long straights but the numerous high speed corners will demand good balance, giving the advantage to teams running without KERS who can place more balast in better positions.

Brawn were about 5th and 6th after FP2 in Oz, and they were the class of the field come qualy last week. More of the same?

[ozrevhead]

If it pisses down on Sunday evening then you can't make much of any times this weekend.

It looks like Ferrari and Red Bull are clearly the best non-diffuser teams though.
I wonder how the diffusers would go if its p!ssing down with rain

[Daika]

Is this a night or day race?

[Dave B]

Is this a night or day race?
Late afternoon, 5pm local time, the perfect time for storms!

[Dave B]

5-place grid drop for Barrichello following gearbox change.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74204

[RJL25]

I still think those Red Bull racers are specials... once the diffuser thing is sorted out and either everyone has them or no one has them, I think the RB5 will shake out as the quickest car.

[christophulus]

Thought we might need some light relief


In an intensely feverish atmosphere here in Sepang, as the situation around McLaren and Lewis Hamilton ramps up and threatens to spiral out of McLaren’s control, a bit of light relief has been offered by Sebastien Vettel.
The German driver says in the Red Bull press release reviewing today’s track action,
” It’s very hot and no matter how much you prepare, the first outing is a bad surprise. Fortunately I’ve got a bag with dry ice in it, which I put next to my balls, so at least they stay nice and cool.”
Two questions, Seb.
1. What happens if you have a shunt and the bag bursts?
2. Does this reveal which part of your anatomy really does the thinking?




http://allenonf1.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/a-bit-of-light-relief-from-vettel/

[F1boat]

I still think those Red Bull racers are specials... once the diffuser thing is sorted out and either everyone has them or no one has them, I think the RB5 will shake out as the quickest car.

We have to see, but from what we know the Red Bull can not just add the diffusers and for sure I think that their development rate will not be a match for Ferrari, BMW and probably Renault, so we have to wait and see.

[ShiftingGears]

Thought we might need some light relief



http://allenonf1.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/a-bit-of-light-relief-from-vettel/

:laugh:

[Hawkmoon]

5-place grid drop for Barrichello following gearbox change.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74204

Rubens must be getting a bit of deja vu. He's got the fastest thing out there and yet finds himself with all sorts of problems. Seems very reminiscent of the days when his car was red instead of white.

Could also be that Brawn are clearing the way for Button but lets not go there. ;)

[SGWilko]

Rubens must be getting a bit of deja vu. He's got the fastest thing out there and yet finds himself with all sorts of problems. Seems very reminiscent of the days when his car was red instead of white.

Could also be that Brawn are clearing the way for Button but lets not go there. ;)

Turn it in. Didn't Bunsen have to have open heart surgery on his tranny in Oz?

And please, no Queen of the Desert jokes TVM.... ;)

[ioan]

Rubens must be getting a bit of deja vu. He's got the fastest thing out there and yet finds himself with all sorts of problems. Seems very reminiscent of the days when his car was red instead of white.

Could also be that Brawn are clearing the way for Button but lets not go there. ;)

Better now than during the race.

[pettersolberg29]

BMW seem very confident for a car that is 2 seconds off the top per lap.

Is uppose we'll see their real pace in tomorrow's practice and qualifying, but I for one as a BMW fan is a bit worrid that they are falling behind...

[Tazio]

Could also be that Brawn are clearing the way for Button but lets not go there. ;)
If this is true my sig after the season will reflect it Knockee



kTKSWnWIxnM&feature=related

[Valve Bounce]

I still think those Red Bull racers are specials... once the diffuser thing is sorted out and either everyone has them or no one has them, I think the RB5 will shake out as the quickest car.

I wonder who designed them!! :up:

[RJL25]

We have to see, but from what we know the Red Bull can not just add the diffusers and for sure I think that their development rate will not be a match for Ferrari, BMW and probably Renault, so we have to wait and see.

Adrien Newey seems confident of a diffuser design to match the other teams being able to be reasonably easily integrated into the RB5 design. Certainly not as easy as it is for other teams, but still not too much of an issue.

As far as the development rate goes, don't forget that now with the heavy restrictions on testing and wind tunnel work that the faster development rates previously seen by Ferrari and Mclaren will no longer be possible, effectively that element of development has been throttled back and I think that some of the smaller teams like RedBull and Williams will now be able to keep pace with the big boys. Time will tell of course...

[callum122]

Mr. Tazio, had a look at the front nose Renault are running this weekend?? Looks oddly different from the one they launched with :) Hopefully the new nose isn't just a test seeing as it was Friday practice.

[ShiftingGears]

BMW seem very confident for a car that is 2 seconds off the top per lap.

Is uppose we'll see their real pace in tomorrow's practice and qualifying, but I for one as a BMW fan is a bit worrid that they are falling behind...

They could be taking a gamble, and setting up a car for wet conditions.

[Tazio]

Mr. Tazio, had a look at the front nose Renault are running this weekend?? Looks oddly different from the one they launched with :) Hopefully the new nose isn't just a test seeing as it was Friday practice.Have you informed your analyst of this apparition :crazy:

[callum122]

Oh quite startled by the radical front nose! If they race with the new nose shall we say I've won?

[Tazio]

Oh quite startled by the radical front nose! If they race with the new nose shall we say I've won?
I havn't seen this new snozola they are experimenting with. But if they race with it
and not go back to the original version by Spain then of course you will have whipped my @$$

[callum122]

Pre-op:
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/pic.php?imagenum=1&carnum=4013




Post-op:
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=121422&catID=1103-3703

[Tazio]

Pre-op:
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/pic.php?imagenum=1&carnum=4013




Post-op:
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=121422&catID=1103-3703

Scary Movie :eek:

[Tazio]

just viewed practice looked the same to me! Need to do research

[callum122]

just viewed practice looked the same to me! Need to do research

You saying you were able to watch practice? How so?

[ShiftingGears]

Looks like Williams, Toyota, Ferrari and Red Bull are all in it this weekend.

[callum122]

12 cars in the 1min 36's, fantastic stuff!!

[Tazio]

You saying you were able to watch practice? How so?We have links that are secreted out of the UK we exchange them at
http://hyena-hosting.com/chat/phpMyChat.php3?Ver=H&L=english&U=tazio&E=Default&EN=1

Join in for Quali! It's a real kick in the pants!!

[Valve Bounce]

Mr. Tazio, had a look at the front nose Renault are running this weekend?? Looks oddly different from the one they launched with :) Hopefully the new nose isn't just a test seeing as it was Friday practice.

The new nose was designed to match Flavio's nose. Thank you!!

[Valve Bounce]

You saying you were able to watch practice? How so?
GOD!! don't you guys ever listen. If you want to watch the action, go to pino's chat and get the link there.
You'll be able to watch quals!!

[I am evil Homer]

Massa out in Q1....huge error by Ferrari

[ioan]

WTF are Ferrari doing?!
These guys never learn from their mistakes???

McLaren are hitting new lows in ethics and Ferrari in stupidity.

[ArrowsFA1]

Another man in trouble is Piquet. Not making it through surely increases pressure on his place with Renault.

[ArrowsFA1]

WTF are Ferrari doing?!
According to the BBC commentary team Massa & his engineer thought they were safe and didn't want to use up another set of tyres :(

[Dave B]

Piquet did, in fairness, do a good lap. It's just that the track was getting quicker and quicker, so possibly another lap may have got him through.

Ferrari on the other hand clearly made a balls up of massive proportions. It's obvious that they have a decent car this weekend, but they allowed Massa to get knocked out and only just scraped Raikkonen through. Schoolboy error.

[I am evil Homer]

Rob Smedley's made a major balls up there. Williams looking good...not often I feeloptimistic about my team who knows these first few GPs are there real chance for big points.

Piquet...yep.....just not cutting it.

[pino]

Stupid and arrogant strategy by Ferrari again :down:

[ArrowsFA1]

McLaren look like both their cars will struggle to get into Q3.

[ioan]

According to the BBC commentary team Massa & his engineer thought they were safe and didn't want to use up another set of tyres :(

Well, now they have enough tire sets for the race, so they will probably will go with a 5 stops strategy tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised at all after what I saw.

And I think it is a bigger mistake than just by Smedley and Massa cause Raikkonen wasn't out to protect his chances either. This was a high level management mistake and they are lucky that Kimi's time stood.

[I am evil Homer]

Agree Ioan...seems they went for it on the first run felt they had and didn't react to any of the track changes. But why didn't Smedley order Massa back out with 5 mins left whne it was clear the track was getting much quicker?

Eddie Jordan ruins qualifying on BBC with his stupid comments!

[ioan]

Alonso very impressive with that dog of a car. :up:

[I am evil Homer]

Surprised Nick's out too. Great work by Alonso....mark of a great driver.

[Dave B]

McLaren just good old-fashioned slooooow this weekend, both drivers failing to get into Q3. On the plus side we may see one of Lewis' trademark drives through the field, but going on what we've seen so far this weekend I wouldn't bet on it :\

[Dave B]

Alonso very impressive with that dog of a car. :up:
And, according to him, only operating at 90% thanks to his ear infection.

[I am evil Homer]

McLaren just good old-fashioned slooooow this weekend, both drivers failing to get into Q3. On the plus side we may see one of Lewis' trademark drives through the field, but going on what we've seen so far this weekend I wouldn't bet on it :\

A few points maybe possible but no more. The car isn't handling that well and it's too slow....but if anyone can drive through it's Hamilton, I can see Kovi finishing in 10th and no higher.

[ioan]

:eek: Impresive showing by Trulli and Vettel!
Webber was impressive too, pity he made a mistake in the last turn.

[ArrowsFA1]

Brawn & Toyota the pacesetters...who'd have thunk it :D

[ioan]

A few points maybe possible but no more. The car isn't handling that well and it's too slow....but if anyone can drive through it's Hamilton, I can see Kovi finishing in 10th and no higher.

According to Alex Wurz McLaren's setup is a clear sign that they are missing overall aero grip and they are trying to compensate with soft suspension settings in order to get more mechanical grip. This however makes for very bad handling in the fast turns.

[callum122]

Go Button!! Back to back wins coming up!

[VkmSpouge]

Exciting qualifying session. Well done to Jenson Button for getting pole and Jarno Trulli pushed very hard.

Ferrari and Felipe Massa stuffed up, they are going to have a hard time tomorrow.

Fernando Alonso did well to get into the top 10 with an ear infection and lack of running.

[I am evil Homer]

According to Alex Wurz McLaren's setup is a clear sign that they are missing overall aero grip and they are trying to compensate with soft suspension settings in order to get more mechanical grip. This however makes for very bad handling in the fast turns.

Interesting...makes sense. Is Alex commentating on a TV station now?

[Valve Bounce]

WTF are Ferrari doing?!
These guys never learn from their mistakes???

McLaren are hitting new lows in ethics and Ferrari in stupidity.

I thought Ferrari were hitting new highs in stupidity. :d :rotflmao:

[Valve Bounce]

And, according to him, only operating at 90% thanks to his ear infection.

Actually, if Fonzo had an ear infection, it is foolish for him to be racing at all. If he gets Vertigo, he'll have to stop immediately, get out of the car, lie down, and vomit and shyt at the same time. I can attest to that from first hand experience. Only difference, I had to get off the bed and crawl sideways like a crab to the bathroom. :(

[pettersolberg29]

When do car weights come out?

Interesting to see what Toyota did as well as if the BMWs and Ferraris are heavy.

[AndyL]

Actually, if Fonzo had an ear infection, it is foolish for him to be racing at all. If he gets Vertigo, he'll have to stop immediately, get out of the car, lie down, and vomit and shyt at the same time. I can attest to that from first hand experience. Only difference, I had to get off the bed and crawl sideways like a crab to the bathroom. :(

Martin Brundle said something along similar lines... although he didn't say Fernando shouldn't be driving, he said he shouldn't have admitted having an ear infection :D

[AndyL]

When do car weights come out?

Interesting to see what Toyota did as well as if the BMWs and Ferraris are heavy.

I was wondering if Rubens might have been fuelled long too, knowing that he was getting a 5-place penalty, but from his comments afterwards it doesn't sound like it.

[ioan]

Interesting...makes sense. Is Alex commentating on a TV station now?

He's 2nd commentator for the Austrian ORF! It's great to have his insider knowledge about Brawn GP and also about McLaren.

[ioan]

I thought Ferrari were hitting new highs in stupidity. :d :rotflmao:

You lil' bugger! :D ;)

[Triumph]

Well done to Jenson Button on another fantastic pole position. As long as it's either Lewis or Jenson I'll be smiling.

Shame about Lewis Hamilton, but I have my fingers crossed he will do far better than expected in McLaren's 'Pre-Penalty' stage of the weekend (otherwise known as the race).

:-)

[Mauri A]

Shame about Lewis Hamilton

:-)[/QUOTE]
Agreed!

[Tazio]

When do car weights come out?

Interesting to see what Toyota did as well as if the BMWs and Ferraris are heavy.

Grid Qualifying Name Weight Fuel (kg) First stint (laps)
1 1 Jenson Button 660 55 23
2 2 Jarno Trulli 656.5 51.5 21
3 5 Timo Glock 656.5 51.5 21
4 6 Nico Rosberg 656 51 21
5 7 Mark Webber 656 51 21
6 8 Robert Kubica 663 58 24
7 9 Kimi Raikkonen 662.5 57.5 24
8 4 Rubens Barrichello 664.5 59.5 25
9 10 Fernando Alonso 680.5 75.5 31
10 11 Nick Heidfeld 692 87 36
11 12 Kazuki Nakajima 683.4 78.4 32
12 13 Lewis Hamilton 668 63 26
13 3 Sebastian Vettel 647 42 17
14 14 Heikki Kovalainen 688.9 83 35
15 15 Sebastien Bourdais 670.5 65.5 27
16 16 Felipe Massa 689.5 84.5 35
17 17 Nelson Piquet Jnr 681.9 76.9 32
18 18 Giancarlo Fisichella 680.5 75.5 31
19 19 Adrian Sutil 655.5 50.5 21
20 20 Sebastien Buemi 686.5 81.5 34

Interesting That those that made Q3 Rubens, and especially Fred are running heavy!

[RJL25]

Looks like a heck of a fight for the podium tomorrow! Trulli, Glock, Rosberg and Webber all stopping at the same time, and if that wasn't intense enough they will then have the lap 24 stoppers breathing down their necks! Ruebens will need a good start to clear the lap 24 runners because he will be quicker then them, even with a marginally heavier fuel load, but if he gets stuck doing their pace then he'll struggle to overtake any of the lap 21 stoppers.

Seb Vettel was running bloody light! Should probably have taken pole on that basis... 99% sure that would have been the plan anyway

[Ranger]

Looks like a heck of a fight for the podium tomorrow! Trulli, Glock, Rosberg and Webber all stopping at the same time, and if that wasn't intense enough they will then have the lap 24 stopper breathing down their necks!

Seb Vettel was running bloody light! Should probably have taken pole on that basis... 99% sure that would have been the plan anyway

Yes but you're forgetting that he's not any quicker than Webber at all based on the two GP weekends so far...which surprises me.

Better than starting last I suppose!

[pettersolberg29]

From this is it safe to say Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Massa and possibly Buemi will do one-stoppers?

With rain, they could challenge the podium as well.

[Tazio]

Fred decided he was running a 1 stopper going into Q3

[Ranger]

Fred decided he was running a 1 stopper going into Q3

That means doing about half the race on those soft tyres... good luck!

He might get lucky with the rain though.

[RJL25]

That means doing about half the race on those soft tyres... good luck!

He might get lucky with the rain though.

That would be exactly what they are gambling on I would suggest...

[RJL25]

Yes but you're forgetting that he's not any quicker than Webber at all based on the two GP weekends so far...which surprises me.

Why would that surprise you? Webber has always been quicker over a single lap then any of his team mates in the past... I don't see any particular reason for that to change with Vettel.

Vettel is phenominal in the wet, but I think that distracts some people into thinking he is the next Schumacher, personally I think he is the next Massa, very very fast but with a high error rate

[Ranger]

Why would that surprise you? Webber has always been quicker over a single lap then any of his team mates in the past...

I thought the paddock impression was that Vettel was going to blow him out of the water this year... which hasn't been the case in either practice or qualifying at any point over the 2 GP weekends so far. Hopefully they both make it a considerable distance in the race so a solid comparison can be made.

[RJL25]

I thought the paddock impression was that Vettel was going to blow him out of the water this year... which hasn't been the case in either practice or qualifying at any point over the 2 GP weekends so far. Hopefully they both make it a considerable distance in the race so a solid comparison can be made.

Nah, thats been the chat amongst the sports fans on forums like this for sure, but in the paddock I think Mark is fairly well respected. I don't think anyone in the paddock would have been surprised if Vettel was quicker, but there certainly wasn't any expectation that he was going to be quicker. I think everyone thought it was going to be pretty even, which so far I think it has! Very even

[RJL25]

Your right though, we need to see some GP distances to get a better comparison.

Starting on the same row as each other in a GP with a similar fuel load would be the ultimate test! Hopefully next GP...

[pettersolberg29]

Do we know if KERS is added onto those weights? Becasue if it is, kimi was very light! KERS is 30kg-ish, right?

So if Kimi is 662kg, then only 632kg inc. fuel but not KERS which is about 11 laps!! Did anyone work out last week how accuarate the predictions for number of laps before first pit stop were?

[Valve Bounce]

From this is it safe to say Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Massa and possibly Buemi will do one-stoppers?

With rain, they could challenge the podium as well.
Not if the one stoppers have to come in for rain tyres.

[gloomyDAY]

Good morning everyone! I missed qualifying, but it looked like another thriller.
Just waiting for the torrent and then I'll watch it once I get back from work.


Do we know if KERS is added onto those weights? Becasue if it is, kimi was very light! KERS is 30kg-ish, right?

So if Kimi is 662kg, then only 632kg inc. fuel but not KERS which is about 11 laps!! Did anyone work out last week how accuarate the predictions for number of laps before first pit stop were?
I think the weights are all inclusive, KERS & fuel.

What's the grid going to look like for tomorrow?

Okay, see you at the race later tonight!

[callum122]

I finally watched qualifying and Renault have changed that schnoz! My ego is getting excited.

[Tazio]

Liar :p : prove it ;) :rolleyes:

[pettersolberg29]

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/04/04/malaysian-gp-fuel-weights-and-strategies/

Here are the real stratgies - everyone stopping about 4 laps earlier than previously posted.

[callum122]

Mmmm I'm ready to really let some language fly. I have made a mistake, Renault may have launched the R29 with that ugly nose but for some reason I never paid enough attention last week at Albert Park......


So, they definitely HAVE not changed the front nose since Australia. My bad. Just looked over the finer details of our sig bet and could you believe I've already lost it!! :s

[markabilly]

Fred decided he was running a 1 stopper going into Q3


That means doing about half the race on those soft tyres... good luck!

He might get lucky with the rain though.


That would be exactly what they are gambling on I would suggest...

sounds typical of Ferrari strategy of the last couple of years, more guessing and fingercrossing than anything else... :confused: ....hope they have a better weatherman to back that up, than the other pitwall sitters, or else?????

And Massa is just so good in the rain??? NOT!! :eek:
Kimi would do okay, as long as they think about calling him to pull off the dry tires before he crashes out....unlike Spa, when they seemed to think it ain't really raining until they were to wet to think :(

[ioan]

Fred decided he was running a 1 stopper going into Q3

Right thing to, also he didn't do any laps at all knowing that it was useless anyway.

[ioan]

Do we know if KERS is added onto those weights? Becasue if it is, kimi was very light! KERS is 30kg-ish, right?

So if Kimi is 662kg, then only 632kg inc. fuel but not KERS which is about 11 laps!! Did anyone work out last week how accuarate the predictions for number of laps before first pit stop were?

KERS is included in the minimum weight of 605 kgs that every car needs to weigh, driver included, when no fuel is on board.

[ioan]

I think that Massa will go for a long first stint on hard tires, hoping maybe for a SC car or rain, and than function of the track conditions it will be either two shorter stints or a longer one on softs, I'd go for the 2 shorter ones but than who knows what the crappy Ferrari strategist will decide.

[Tazio]

Right thing to, also he didn't do any laps at all knowing that it was useless anyway.Fred is right where I need him in my pickems I've got Massa 8th which I think he may be able to manage!

[pettersolberg29]

I'm still baffled. Surely some knowledgable chap on here can answer my question.

How much does a F1 car weigh? Everywhere I look it says 605kg however does this mean KERS cars weigh 635kg, or is the 30kg of KERS replacing 30kg of the car?

I ask because it seriously affects the strategies of cars suggested by several blogs. For example in Malaysia Heidfeld's car weighs 692kg. Cars should weigh 605kg so this suggests 87kg of fuel which = 30-odd laps. However if KERS isn't added to the total then the car weighs 635kg, so 57kg of fuel which equals 20 laps. Anyone know what's right??

edit: thanks ioan

[ioan]

I'm still baffled. Surely some knowledgable chap on here can answer my question.

How much does a F1 car weigh? Everywhere I look it says 605kg however does this mean KERS cars weigh 635kg, or is the 30kg of KERS replacing 30kg of the car?

I ask because it seriously affects the strategies of cars suggested by several blogs. For example in Malaysia Heidfeld's car weighs 692kg. Cars should weigh 605kg so this suggests 87kg of fuel which = 30-odd laps. However if KERS isn't added to the total then the car weighs 635kg, so 57kg of fuel which equals 20 laps. Anyone know what's right??

edit: thanks ioan

You're welcome!

[Wasted Talent]

I'm still baffled. Surely some knowledgable chap on here can answer my question.

How much does a F1 car weigh? Everywhere I look it says 605kg however does this mean KERS cars weigh 635kg, or is the 30kg of KERS replacing 30kg of the car?

I ask because it seriously affects the strategies of cars suggested by several blogs. For example in Malaysia Heidfeld's car weighs 692kg. Cars should weigh 605kg so this suggests 87kg of fuel which = 30-odd laps. However if KERS isn't added to the total then the car weighs 635kg, so 57kg of fuel which equals 20 laps. Anyone know what's right??

edit: thanks ioan

The assumption is all cars weigh 605kg, with or without KERS. If they run KERS they take out 30kg of low down ballast. So cars weigh same but centre of gravity is slightly higher on KERS cars, and weight distribution probably has to be compromised

WT

[pettersolberg29]

^ Thanks both. Promising to here Heidfeld has 87kg of fuel on board then - has a chance of some points if he's one-stopping.

[Tazio]

I think that Massa will go for a long first stint on hard tires, hoping maybe for a SC car or rain, and than function of the track conditions it will be either two shorter stints or a longer one on softs, I'd go for the 2 shorter ones but than who knows what the crappy Ferrari strategist will decide.
I think Fred Has got the same thing in mind!
He not only saved engine wear by not going out in Q3, he saves super softs.
If the weather gets really neurotic that rubber could come in handy on a drying track.
IMO That Fred is a rather clever fellow! ;)

[Sonic]

MY GOD! Thats one heck of a fuel tank on the Ferrari and the Mac. 35 laps of fuel!?!?!?! :eek:

[AndyL]

Grid Qualifying Name Weight Fuel (kg) First stint (laps)
1 1 Jenson Button 660 55 23
2 2 Jarno Trulli 656.5 51.5 21
3 5 Timo Glock 656.5 51.5 21
4 6 Nico Rosberg 656 51 21
5 7 Mark Webber 656 51 21
6 8 Robert Kubica 663 58 24
7 9 Kimi Raikkonen 662.5 57.5 24
8 4 Rubens Barrichello 664.5 59.5 25
9 10 Fernando Alonso 680.5 75.5 31
10 11 Nick Heidfeld 692 87 36
11 12 Kazuki Nakajima 683.4 78.4 32
12 13 Lewis Hamilton 668 63 26
13 3 Sebastian Vettel 647 42 17
14 14 Heikki Kovalainen 688.9 83 35
15 15 Sebastien Bourdais 670.5 65.5 27
16 16 Felipe Massa 689.5 84.5 35
17 17 Nelson Piquet Jnr 681.9 76.9 32
18 18 Giancarlo Fisichella 680.5 75.5 31
19 19 Adrian Sutil 655.5 50.5 21
20 20 Sebastien Buemi 686.5 81.5 34

Interesting That those that made Q3 Rubens, and especially Fred are running heavy!

:up:
Just one small correction Tazio, the F1 web site has Lewis on 688kg not 668.

[pettersolberg29]

For Sonic:

^ Not quite - more like 30/31

[Tazio]

:up:
Just one small correction Tazio, the F1 web site has Lewis on 688kg not 668.I thought that was very light considering where he is starting from!

[Sonic]

For Sonic:

^ Not quite - more like 30/31

Still - BIG tank.

[jens]

Brawn & Toyota the pacesetters...who'd have thunk it :D

I don't know about Brawn, but Toyota is certainly no surprise to me. ;)
Considering the past I was expecting a lot from the Malaysian GP by Toyota. A podium was almost a must. So far, so good. Trulli shows that the Brawn GP may not be unbeatable at all! Going by times JB and JT were way above everyone else in Q2 and Q3. They could be running away from others in the race if it stays dry. In the wet I wouldn't be surprised to see Glock beating everyone else. :p :

The biggest disappointments so far have been BMW and Ferrari. BMW gave up '08 just to construct an inferior car in 2009... Kubica must be furious about his lost '08 chance. In Ferrari's case it was thought that like 2008 Albert Park's disappointment was a one-off, but struggling on a very different circuit of Sepang is an entirely different matter now. For most of the pre-season Ferrari was the biggest title favourite, but now it seems they have a lot of catch-up work to do - if they successfully manage it at all.

On the other hand Williams has again pleasantly surprised. How well will their tyres last over race distance this time, remains to be seen though. Three DDD-s at the top. :) Vettel was 3rd, but he was also lightest of all. Barrichello is a bit of a disappointment, I expected him to get beaten by Button at Sepang as RB hasn't been particularly impressive there in the past, but not by that much! Hopefully Rubens will be calm in the race this time, while trying to make his way up through the field. :p :

Anyway, I have to admit that the beginning of 2009 reminds me very much the beginning of 2005. Alonso was a new man at the top, Trulli was right behind him in the early season. Red Bull was quick. Now it's Button instead of Alonso. The "big three" of Ferrari, McLaren and Williams all seemed mediocre during the early part of 2005. Now BMW-Sauber has replaced Williams-BMW in that category.

[woody2goody]

Just wondered about the start tomorrow/today lol.

You have Hamilton (P12) ahead of Vettel (P13).

Who will have the advantage off he line, will it be Hamilton, with KERS, but weighing in at 688kg, or Vettel, with no KERS but a car weighing only 647kg?

Can the extra horsepower of KERS nullify the weight disadvantage?

[ozrevhead]

Nice to see RB are the first of the 'legal' cars :D

Mark to kick the defusers to the kerb

[Tazio]

Nice to see RB are the first of the 'legal' cars :D

Mark to kick the defusers to the kerb

The Bandit diffuser teams are going to get their come-up-ance! ;)

[PSfan]

Story on Speedtv suggests that race might be shortened if it runs long:

The point is that with the new 5pm start if the race is slowed by rain or safety cars or an incident, the cars could still be running as the clock moves towards 7pm – and today, and I’m not kidding, it was black by then – we are not going to get the full distance in.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-bad-light-stops-play-in-sepang/

Also have we discussed kerrs in the rain, or at least the benefits of? I can almost see it acting as anti-lock braking in some instances, specially in a wet race...

[F1boat]

Just wondered about the start tomorrow/today lol.

You have Hamilton (P12) ahead of Vettel (P13).

Who will have the advantage off he line, will it be Hamilton, with KERS, but weighing in at 688kg, or Vettel, with no KERS but a car weighing only 647kg?

Can the extra horsepower of KERS nullify the weight disadvantage?

Vettel will clash with Lewis

[DexDexter]

Vettel will clash with Lewis

Webber will clash with somebody or will break down early own, the guy is just so unlucky.

[pettersolberg29]

Rain apparently set for about lap 10 i.e. 15mins in.

[F1boat]

Webber will clash with somebody or will break down early own, the guy is just so unlucky.

Rubens :)

[I am evil Homer]

Kubica out already...

[ioan]

Rain tires on Kimi's Ferrari?!
Man I have a bad feeling about this.

[Daniel]

I see Hamilton and Massa doing well out of this

[Daniel]

the rain hath come

[Daniel]

Red Bull gives you wet speed!

[Daniel]

I thought something was wrong with Hamilton's car. Not going up to the limiter

[veeten]

Is it just me, or does it look like they're a bit slow out there?...

[Daniel]

Excellent pass on Trulli by Rubens!

[veeten]

... and Rubens returns the favor.

[Daniel]

Glock pits for full wets. Glock in a good position now.

[veeten]

What a mess...

[Daniel]

Vettel out. Button in the pits. Glock looking good

[Ghostwalker]

they said on BBc that a huge lightning hit one of the grandstands :eek: :eek:

[veeten]

Vettel spins... and is out.

[veeten]

Safety car... fun time. :p :

[Ghostwalker]

safetety car out

[Daniel]

sc out

[Daniel]

red flag

[Ghostwalker]

red flag!!!!!!!

[Ghostwalker]

there's cars going off all over the place

[veeten]

man, rhis looks like a NASCAR race when the rain falls. :p :

[veeten]

What a Mess!!! :laugh:

[ioan]

So, thanks to Mophead's stupid ideas we get half a race now. Hope he is happy with the quality of the show we will get for the rest of the 2 hours. Effin' idiot.

[Daniel]

I reckon the race is over. Hope not though

[Norwegian Blue]

haha.... 'I need the light visor, i need the visor' 'Felipe baby, we're coming with the visor'

[ioan]

man, rhis looks like a NASCAR race when the rain falls. :p :

:rotflmao:

[AndySpeed]

Mclaren are pitting for a boat ;-)

They'll need it!

[ioan]

We have another 47 minutes of time, I wonder what will they do.

[veeten]

3 laps shy of the half-way point... and they could call this race.

Well, at least there will be bright, sunny skies and warm temps for the IRL race at St. Pere today. :)

[dj_bytedisaster]

The midget strikes again. It'll be pitch dark when/if the rain stops. What a f...ing travesty to shift the race that far back :mad:

[cynisca]

It could be a race with half points because the rain won't stop.

[veeten]

blame it on Global Warming... :p :

[veeten]

and there's Kaz, looking very relaxed, and having a sip of... water. :p :

[Dave B]

Quote of the week from Rob Smedley. Felipe baby! :D

[UltimateDanGTR]

surely they're not going to restart this race. its too wet. shame, if this race had started 1 hour previous we could have had a full race hay bernie.......

[Dave B]

Here's a thought. Under Bernie's stupid "medal" system, how would you deal with a race that hadn't reached 75% distance? Right now it's half-points. How would you award half a win? :\

[cynisca]

The last race with half points was the Australian GP in 1991. Which was won by Ayrton Senna.

[cynisca]

What say your TV broadcasters when the race re-starts?

[UltimateDanGTR]

Here's a thought. Under Bernie's stupid "medal" system, how would you deal with a race that hadn't reached 75% distance? Right now it's half-points. How would you award half a win? :\

easy, someone chops a medal in half and awards it to the winner ;)

[emporer_k]

Here's a thought. Under Bernie's stupid "medal" system, how would you deal with a race that hadn't reached 75% distance? Right now it's half-points. How would you award half a win? :\


Get out an axe and chop the medals in half ?

What a mess we would have had if the most winners system was in place this season like Bernie wanted

[veeten]

Here's a thought. Under Bernie's stupid "medal" system, how would you deal with a race that hadn't reached 75% distance? Right now it's half-points. How would you award half a win? :\

with half a medal?
:p :

[UltimateDanGTR]

wow 3 of us all replied with the same answer all at once. Probably because the answer was obvious.........

[dj_bytedisaster]

Vettel quite lambasted the team in an interview :eek: Reason is that the anti-stall electronics didn't work again.

His funny advice : "Maybe they should just give us a clutch pedal again, that way he don't need to rely on some stupid electronic gizmos, that don't work anyway" :laugh: A typical Vettel :D

[Ghostwalker]

looks like a re-start behind the SC and then keep the SC until they get to 75% race distance.

[pettersolberg29]

What say your TV broadcasters when the race re-starts?

BBC says the race may restart behind the saftey car.

[F1boat]

IMO they will do a few safety car laps to get 75% completed.

[Dave B]

BBC says the race may restart behind the saftey car.

I'm not sure that could work, to get to 75% distance. The FIA have to give 10 minutes' notice for a restart, which would only leave at most about quarter of an hour to do 13 laps under SC conditions. :s

[UltimateDanGTR]

if the race is restarted there will probably be less than 20 mins to go anyway so whats the point? 75% aint gonna happen is it. This race is over.

something tells me the attempt at restarting the race is just to save face for bernie.......

[Dave B]

BBC are reporting that the timing system was stopped though. This makes no sense.

[F1boat]

Why, of why did they move the hour to the evening! I missed the Lemans race for a red-flagged race!

[Dave B]

I'm going to invite the FIA to a brewery and hand them the keys. I guarantee no piss-ups will result.

[cynisca]

It's even too dark to re-start the race, say the drivers.

[UltimateDanGTR]

BBC are reporting that the timing system was stopped though. This makes no sense.

I know thats baffled me as well! god knows whats going on I dont :confused:

[Dave B]

This calls for all the members of FOTA and the GPDA to stand as one and say no more racing today.

[christophulus]

It's a shambles, just as we all expected. Well done Bernie you utter...

I'd rather have got up two hours earlier to watch the full bloody race!

[veeten]

damn, Kimi's car in the garage. Sucks.

[cynisca]

Lap 33:
1. Jenson Button
2. Timo Glock
3. Nick Heidfeld

The standing for the re-start.

[pettersolberg29]

Can't they just go against the rules and give full points? Would any team protest?

[UltimateDanGTR]

I think Kimi and Ferrari have made a sensible decision. Its too dark and dangerous to race, Kimi is perfectly right in that decision. He reminds me of Lauda in that respect.....

[emporer_k]

wow 3 of us all replied with the same answer all at once. Probably because the answer was obvious.........

I can just image having to try and explain at work how a driver can have half a win.

[cynisca]

If I am wrong, correct me.

It's 6.48 PM in Malaysia and there's just 12 minutes to go to reach the 2 hour edge, huh?

[Ghostwalker]

Can't they just go against the rules and give full points? Would any team protest?

probably the teams that have their drivers outside top 8

[ioan]

Here's a thought. Under Bernie's stupid "medal" system, how would you deal with a race that hadn't reached 75% distance? Right now it's half-points. How would you award half a win? :\

He will certainly ask for small and big medals to differentiate.

[veeten]

then, why is Massa still out there?

Kimi was ahead of him and in the points when they had the brain fart of going to full wets in that stop. Several laps later, when the tires became absolutely no good, it rains. Didn't help Massa either, as he still is outside a points finish.

[pettersolberg29]

Race Over

[ShiftingGears]

Race is over

Or not...it seems.

[Dave B]

I hope Bernie's already left the track otherwise he's going to have 30000 Malaysians chasing him down the road.

[ioan]

This was F1 for today.

[Dave B]

They think it's all over, it is now.

[cynisca]

Race is over. Congratulation, Jenson Button.

[ShiftingGears]

If I am wrong, correct me.

It's 6.48 PM in Malaysia and there's just 12 minutes to go to reach the 2 hour edge, huh?

Well the Euro GP in 2007 went at least 5 minutes over the two hour mark. So...

Who knows.

[Ghostwalker]

no restart

[Dave B]

A fine (half a ) victory for Jenson in awful conditions :up:

[cynisca]

They think it's all over, it is now.

And it's two...for Jenson Button. :p

[dj_bytedisaster]

Thanx midget for nothing. The most predictably messed up race ever. It's not that rain is sort of rare at this time of the year and then pushing it far back into the evening. Biggest brain fart ever. :mad:

[F1boat]

Well done, Jenson!

[veeten]

to the crowd I say; Storm the gates! Scream for your money back!
You have been cheated! Cheated, I tell you! :mad:

Don't have the tires to blame for this one, eh Bernie?

[Dave B]

And now the finishing order has been reshuffled on countback - Heidfeld P2 and Webber up to P6!

[Daniel]

Makes sense why it took so long now

[VkmSpouge]

Well done to Jenson Button on his grand prix victory. The way he drove to overhaul Jarno Trulli and Nico Rosberg during the dry pitstops was superb and then he managed to keep it together in the wet.

Timo Glock did superb to grab third place, excellent timing of the tyres by Toyota.

I understand that Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari were gambling with their tyres but why on earth do it while in 5th place and when the track was bone dry?

[yodasarmpit]

Very well done Jenson, great to see Trulli up there along with Glock and Heidfeld getting second.

[Dave B]

Interesting. Lewis wasn't sure if he was 7th of 5th, and when he checked with his team representative was told "officially 7th but we're still looking into it" :?:

[pettersolberg29]

How did Heidfeld get 2nd?!

He was 10th about 1 lap before!

Edit: I see, he only pitted once and stayed on intermediates so caught up while everyone kept pitting.

[Daniel]

I think Lewis should be DQ'ed for that. Liar! :p

[christophulus]

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button Brawn GP (B) 1h10:59.092
2. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 22.722
3. Glock Toyota (B) + 23.513
4. Trulli Toyota (B) + 46.173
5. Barrichello Brawn GP (B) + 47.360
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 52.333
7. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 60.733
8. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 71.576
9. Massa Ferrari (B) + 76.932
10. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 102.164
11. Alonso Renault (B) + 1 lap
12. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 1 lap
13. Piquet Renault (B) + 1 lap
14. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
15. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) + 1 lap
18. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) + 2 lap

[truefan72]

F1/FIA and Stewards are a complete joke in 2009

an utter embarrassment at every level at both races this year.

the level of incompetence, poor thinking and dodgy calls are only matched by their apparent disfunction and confusion on race day.

Didn't watch the Oz GP but decided to get up early to watch this nonsense.
I could go on listing the countless failures by the FIA on this particular day, but have neither the energy nor desire to do so. Back to bed for me.

[christophulus]

Shame for Rosberg but to get half a point out of that is better than nothing. Congrats to Button once more :up:

[pettersolberg29]

I know F1 has enough controversy at the moment but I have to admit I'd love it if the double diffuser teams had all their points taken away as it would give Nick a first ever win!

Already looking forward to China.

[Ranger]

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button Brawn GP (B) 1h10:59.092
2. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 22.722
3. Glock Toyota (B) + 23.513
4. Trulli Toyota (B) + 46.173
5. Barrichello Brawn GP (B) + 47.360
6. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 52.333
7. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 60.733
8. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 71.576
9. Massa Ferrari (B) + 76.932
10. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 102.164
11. Alonso Renault (B) + 1 lap
12. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 1 lap
13. Piquet Renault (B) + 1 lap
14. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
15. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) + 1 lap
18. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) + 2 lap

I was quite surprised that 'das regenmeister' Vettel was the first to spin out... he was not impressive this weekend.

[F1boat]

I know F1 has enough controversy at the moment but I have to admit I'd love it if the double diffuser teams had all their points taken away as it would give Nick a first ever win!

Already looking forward to China.

I think that Nick would not want to win like this. Neither will I :)

[UltimateDanGTR]

not impressive? he qualified 3rd remember (ofcourse thast became 13th). I thought vettel did well until lap 30 or so

[Ranger]

not impressive? he qualified 3rd remember (ofcourse thast became 13th). I thought vettel did well until lap 30 or so

Fuel adjusted, Webber outqualified him.

Vettel looked ominous until he pitted in very early and made little progress from there compared to his team-mate before spinning out.

I have to admit before this season that I thought Seb was going to blitz Webber in the wet, which was not at all the case today. But this was 1 race, we shall see as the season progresses.

[UltimateDanGTR]

hmmm, both Red Bulls were flying through the pack at one stage. I hope both red bull can start getting the results they deserve, they could have had podiums in both GPs so far this year. But knowing Webbers luck who knows what will happen.......

[Ent]

not impressive? he qualified 3rd remember (ofcourse thast became 13th). I thought vettel did well until lap 30 or so

He also had the lightest fuel load in qualifying.

[ioan]

Can't they just go against the rules and give full points?

What?
I hope I misunderstood your question!

[ioan]

F1/FIA and Stewards are a complete joke in 2009

an utter embarrassment at every level at both races this year.

Huh?! :rolleyes:

[ioan]

I was quite surprised that 'das regenmeister' Vettel was the first to spin out... he was not impressive this weekend.

You're not Webber fan by chance, aren't you?!

FYI Vettel qualified 3rd but had to take a pretty unfair 10 grid places penalty.
Also according to the team his spin and retirement was due to a gearbox failure.

[pettersolberg29]

What?
I hope I misunderstood your question!


More of a frustrated mutter than a question.

Obviously they cannot just forget the rules but IMO once past half distance the points should be awarded. Basically I'm just trying to get 8 points for Nick!

[Ranger]

Vettel was outqualified by Webber when fuel was taken into consideration.

He also made considerably less progress than Webber after his first stop.

[dj_bytedisaster]

I wonder what happens if Button loses the championship by less than 5 points - well, at least he'll know where he was robbed 5 points *shrug*

Overall - the second race that FIA screwed up, so maybe China will be the first race that won't be a disgrace.

[ioan]

Vettel was outqualified by Webber when fuel was taken into consideration.

He also made considerably less progress than Webber after his first stop.

Well God Webber is your idol, got it. But from there to bash his team mate it needs some serious bias.

[ioan]

I wonder what happens if Button loses the championship by less than 5 points - well, at least he'll know where he was robbed 5 points *shrug*

Overall - the second race that FIA screwed up, so maybe China will be the first race that won't be a disgrace.

This is due to Bernie not to the FIA.
The FIA did the right thing to stop the race given the conditions, so why blame them?

[Ranger]

You're not Webber fan by chance, aren't you?!

FYI Vettel qualified 3rd but had to take a pretty unfair 10 grid places penalty.


Read my post again.


Fuel adjusted, Webber outqualified him.

Vettel looked ominous until he pitted in very early and made little progress from there compared to his team-mate before spinning out.

And so it's my opinion that he was outdone across the whole weekend by Webber. That's all I'm saying.


Well God Webber is your idol, got it. But from there to bash his team mate it needs some serious bias.

You are the most biased Vettel supporter on this forum who will take none a bad word said against him, true or not, malicious or plain fact.

Don't tell me I'm biased.

[superocean]

FIA just showed how greedy they are today with their Eurocentric thinking. I'm guessing Bernie only cares about $$$ not the racing and the quality of it as a product to fans. Greedy bastadrd should lose tons of $$ to his wife in the divorce. he gives us crap, he should get crap.
This could have been avoided if he scheduled the race earlier and it would have been between the 2 rain sessions.

[Somebody]

I think Kimi and Ferrari have made a sensible decision. Its too dark and dangerous to race, Kimi is perfectly right in that decision. He reminds me of Lauda in that respect.....

Remember, Kimi was out of the points, and even if the race had been restarted he would almost certainly not have gained any, since it would have been under the SC and positions would have been maintained. Not quite Lauda pulling out of a race that would have won him the WDC...

[DexDexter]

Remember, Kimi was out of the points, and even if the race had been restarted he would almost certainly not have gained any, since it would have been under the SC and positions would have been maintained. Not quite Lauda pulling out of a race that would have won him the WDC...

Well, it was a problem with the KERS,it turns out.

[Mauri A]

Remember, Kimi was out of the points, and even if the race had been restarted he would almost certainly not have gained any, since it would have been under the SC and positions would have been maintained. Not quite Lauda pulling out of a race that would have won him the WDC...

Didn´t you see Kimis car in the box? Yellow sign on the top of the car. Kers problem again.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Remember, Kimi was out of the points, and even if the race had been restarted he would almost certainly not have gained any, since it would have been under the SC and positions would have been maintained. Not quite Lauda pulling out of a race that would have won him the WDC...

fair point but they both put safety first. Although Lauda had even more reason to be as safe as possible after the nurburgring. :)

[AndyL]

Overall - the second race that FIA screwed up, so maybe China will be the first race that won't be a disgrace.

We can but hope. Wouldn't it be great to have a race where all the action is on the track.

[UltimateDanGTR]

We can but hope. Wouldn't it be great to have a race where all the action is on the track.

wow your ambitious! :D

[gloomyDAY]

Does Button's dad only own one pink shirt?

[ioan]

Does Button's dad only own one pink shirt?

I would rather say that he has plenty of similar pink shirts! ;)

[Robinho]

would it be better to own a pink shirt and wear it a lot, or, to own a wardrobe full of pink shirts and rotate them regularly?

[SGWilko]

would it be better to own a pink shirt and wear it a lot, or, to own a wardrobe full of pink shirts and rotate them regularly?

I have a habit of wearing out the arm of shirts just above the cuff.... working in IT (dull, I know) that is the part of the arm that rubs on the desk when using the mouse. So I'd have to go for the latter..........

[christophulus]

Does Button's dad only own one pink shirt?

None of them have any buttons above half way up :p

[Valve Bounce]

I am amazed at all the bitching and complaints about rain. Did any of you pay attention to post #2?

Also, Prawns are good in the wet, No?? :p :

[dj_bytedisaster]

Just had a little walk around the google results for "felipe baby stay cool" - it's all over the interweb. Smedley and Baby M. might have produced one of them epic moments :laugh:

[Tazio]

Just had a little walk around the google results for "felipe baby stay cool" - it's all over the interweb. Smedley and Baby M. might have produced one of them epic moments :laugh:
More likely, like-mided Nerds are trying to make something out of nothing!