Fernando Alonso Wins Big in Bahrain

It was a 1-2 finish for Ferrari last week, with Spanish Ace Fernando Alonso leading the rest of the drivers to the finish line. Though Alonso started third in the grid, he certainly put the pressure on pole sitter Sebastian Vettel. The Red Bull driver kept both Ferrari drivers (Alonso and Felipe Massa) at bay during the early stages when they were on super-soft Bridgestone tires. But after switching to harder compounds at around Lap 16 or 17, Alonso started to close in on Vettel.

Vettel’s time began slipping noticeably. Then it all became clear come Lap 34. The Red Bull suffered from technical problems, which were later identified as spark plug failure. Massa and Alonso then passed Vettel without problems. Later on, Alonso would overtake his own teammate after running incredibly quick laps. Once Alonso had grabbed the lead from Massa, there was no one else who could challenge him.

Massa stayed behind Alonso, conserving his fuel. It was a good move for Massa, since a temperature issue in his cockpit required him to stop pushing too hard. Vettel, who was still running third, was then challenged by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 world champ pushed past the German driver at the circuit’s main straight in Lap 38.

Poor Vettel encountered more problems as Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg started putting the pressure on him. But the Red Bull driver held on to fourth place while Rosberg took fifth. Rosberg’s teammate, seven-time world champ Michael Schumacher advanced from seventh place to finish sixth. But it wasn’t an easy drive for Schumi, especially with 2009 champion Jenson Button hot on his heels.

Button, who started eighth, went on to finish seventh for the race. While Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber followed to finish at eighth place. Force India also got is first couple of points for this year, with Vitantonio Liuzzi’s ninth place finish. Then, taking the final point for the race was Button’s ex-Honda and Brawn teammate, Rubens Barrichello, for Williams.

There was a bit of drama going on at the start of the race when Webber’s car sputtered clouds of oil as he sped through Turn One. Renault and Force India drivers Robert Kubica and Adrian Sutil ran straight into the oil and their rides spun. The good news is that both drivers were able to finish 11^th and 12^th.

Ending the race at 13^th place was Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari. Alguersuari was followed by rookie Niko Hulkenberg (Williams) who also survived a wild spin during the almost 2-hour long drive.

Also making a great impression on their debut race was the Lotus team. Heikki Kovalainen showed everyone just how reliable a driver he was, finishing at 15^th. While teammate, Jarno Trulli’s ailing Lotus rolled on to 17^th place. Finishing between the Lotus drivers was Sebastien Buemi in his Toro Rosso.

As usual, we have our retirements. The BMW-Saubers, HRTs, Virgins, and Vitaly Petrov’s Renault all failed to finish the race. While it would’ve been exciting to watch the late, great Ayrton Senna’s nephew, HRT driver Bruno Senna in the same circuit as Ayrton’s rival, Schumacher—it didn’t happen. Senna’s ride ate its engine. Senna’s teammate, Karun Chandhok crashed his HRT on Lap 2.

The Virgins driven by Lucas di Grassi and Timo Glock also suffered from mechanical problems. While what would’ve been a great run for Vitaly Petrov was cut short after the Renault was discovered to have suspension problems.

All in all, it was an exciting race. And I for one, am looking forward to the Australian Grand Prix next week.

Source: Formula1.com

Images: Telegraph.co.uk (Photo Credit: AP)

We’ve got some new names joining the Formula One drivers’ lineup this season. To help you out with who’s in what team these days, here’s a list of the 24 drivers you’ll be seeing this year.

As you can see from our list, we’ve also got three new teams joining F1. Originally, there were four teams: Hispania Racing, Virgin Racing, the US F1 Team, and Lotus Racing (who managed to enter after BMW Sauber pulled out). But the US F1 Team dropped out after it stopped working on its car.

Sauber, then decided to reenter, still bearing the “BMW” name. Because there was room for one more team, the FIA allowed Sauber to reenter.

2009 Drivers Missing from the List:

Okay, so they’re not exactly missing. But some of the 2009 drivers did fail to secure regular seats for this season. First up, we have Giancarlo Fisichella. Fisico joined Ferrari as the replacement driver for the injured Massa. Now that Massa’s back in action, Fisico takes the backseat as the team’s third driver.

Nick Heidfeld, who’s one of my personal favorites, wasn’t able to find a team on time. But he did land himself the “reserve driver” role for Mercedes GP.

Kazuki Nakajima, who had a lackluster run last year is rumored to be joining the Stefan Grand Prix. Unfortunately, the Serbian outfit didn’t make the cut this year.

Romain Grosjean, who was running with Renault last year, wasn’t able to get a contract. Siad contract was awarded to Vitaly Petrov instead.

Lastly, we have another personal favorite, Kimi Räikkönen. After not finding his idea of the right team for this coming season, Räikkönen opted to join the Citroen Junior Team for the 2010 World Rally Championship.

Source: Formula1.com, Wikipedia

Image: TopNews.In

James Key

From being one of the most overlooked teams in Formula One, Force India is now making waves in the sport. While the Silverstone-based team is yet to win a single race or championship, the team did earn its first pole and points (with a second-place finish) last year.

True, it takes more than one man to change things at the Force India camp, but it’s safe to assume that the team’s technical director, James Key, did play a pivotal role in making the team more competitive.

Key, however, feels that he has done all he can to help Force India out. Hence, his decision to leave the team. After 12 years with Force India, Key must have mulled things over before deciding to “move on to other opportunities”. Other opportunities being: replacing BMW Sauber’s long-term tech director Willy Rampf.

Willy Rampf

Yep folks, it’s official. Right at the heels of Key’s announcement that he’s leaving Force India, Formula1.com broke the news that Key will be taking Rampf’s place in the BMW Sauber team.

But don’t worry Force India fans, the team already has a solution to this issue. Stepping up, or rather (maybe) sideways to take over Key’s job temporarily is the team’s design director, Mark Smith.

And as for bad blood between Key and his former team? Well, there seems to be none. In fact, Force India team principal and chairman Dr. Vijay Mallya wishes Key all the possible success in the future. Key returns the good vibes, wishing his former team and future rival team only the best.

As for Rampf, well, the 56-year-old engineer has been planning on leaving for a while now. Sauber says goodbye to him with only the fondest memories and the best words possible. After spending 10 years with the team, Rampf will be handing over the baton to James Key in April.

Source: Formula1.com

Images: En.RedBulletin.com, UltimaCurva.com

Jaime Alguersuari

Formula1.com reports that Toro Rosso replacement driver Jaime Alguersuari will be staying onboard with Red Bull’s sister team. Alguersuari will be racing full-time with Sebastien Buemi as his teammate. If you’d remember, Alguersuari was Sebastien Bourdais’ replacement, after Bourdais was let go by Toro Rosso.

Alguersuari’s F1 debut last year (July) made him the youngest driver in Formula One history. He was only 19 at that time. His best finish was a 14^th placer at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost is pretty happy with Alguersuari’s performance last year. According to Tost:

“Considering that he [Alguersuari] made his debut only halfway through 2009, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with no prior testing, he did a good job, making steady progress throughout the second half of the year, with a mature approach considering he’s still only 19 years old.”

+++

Pedro Dela Rosa

Also finding a full-time ride in Formula 1 is 38-year-old Pedro Dela Rosa. Dela Rosa will be partnered with Kamui Kobayashi, and will be racing for BMW Sauber. Dela Rosa is actually a pretty experienced F1 driver. With 71 GP starts and having spent seven years as McLaren’s test driver, Dela Rosa is definitely one of the drivers to watch out for in the 2010 Formula One Season.

BMW Sauber team principal Peter Sauber seems pretty happy having Dela Rosa onboard, saying:

“Pedro has spent many years working for a top team at the highest technical level…We as a team stand to gain from his experience, and the same goes for young Kamui. The combination of a seasoned racer and an up-and-coming young driver has repeatedly proved a fruitful one.”

Source: Formula1.com

Images: Formula1blogger.com, Zimbio.com (Denis Doyle, Getty Images Europe)

Kamui Kobayashi

A lot of things happened in Formula One last year. And because I wasn’t around to give you guys a blow-by-blow account of the going-ons in the sport, I’ll give you a brief recap of what happened since my last post.

First up, we have news about Kamui Kobayashi. The talented Japanese driver has recently signed up with BMW Sauber for next season. Kobayashi is a former Toyota test driver. He replaced Timo Glock in the last few races after Glock’s injury.

***

This brings us to our next piece of news, which is that BMW Sauber will be back for 2010! After BMW announced that the car brand will be pulling out of the motorsport competition next year, the brand decided to sell its team back to Sauber.

Throughout the negotiations between BMW and Sauber, the F1 team didn’t have a confirmed slot for the 2010 Formula One Season. But when Toyota backed out of the series, the FIA decided to give Toyota’s slot to the BMW Sauber team.

***

No doubt the BMW Sauber team is happy to find a slot for next season, but the same can’t be said about the team’s former driver, Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld, who’s known as one of the most consistent F1 drivers today, is yet to find a confirmed drive for the coming season.

Though rumors circulated last December that Mercedes was considering signing Heidfeld for next year, the team released its lineup, and Heidfeld just wasn’t one of the drivers in the list.

(Personally, I’m hoping Heidfeld will find a ride for next season. He’s always been one of my favorite drivers.)

***

Michael Schumacher

Which brings us to our next juicy tidbit…Seven-Time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher is set to make his F1 comeback next year!

You read right. The Mercedes F1 team didn’t sign Heidfeld because they got Schumi to say “Yes.” to racing alongside Nico Rosberg.

***

Renault is also making a lot of changes for the coming F1 season. After selling a large stake in their team to Genii Capital, the team appointed its new team principal—Eric Boullier. Boullier is taking over Bob Bell, who temporarily acted as team principal after Flavio Briatore left back in September.

Boullier has a pretty impressive resume that includes being team principal for A1 GP Series team, Team France, and acting as managing director for Team DAMS back in ’03.

***

Flavio Briatore

The highly-controversial former-Renault team boss Flavio Briatore, also received good news at the start of the year when the French court, Tribunal de Grand Instance, decided to overturn the FIA ban against Briatore. The ban given to Renault’s former executive director of engineering Pat Symonds has also been overturned.

Briatore was banned indefinitely from participating in any FIA-sanctioned sport, while Symonds was banned from F1 for five years.

Both Renault bosses were handed penalties for participating in the now-infamous 2008 Singapore GP Race Fixing Scandal.

Briatore contested the decision by questioning the FIA’s authority to hand out those penalties even if Briatore and Symonds weren’t FIA license holders. The court ruled in favor of Briatore’s camp, since both Briatore and Symonds weren’t subject to FIA rules.

Right now, the FIA is considering appealing the decision.

Source: Formula1.com

Images: WorldCarFans.com, Topnews.in, Guardian.co.uk

Tadashi Yamashina Breaks Down in Tokyo Conference

Toyota is the latest automaker to wave goodbye to Formula One. Formula1.com and Telegraph.co.uk report that just this Wednesday, Toyota president Akio Toyoda held a press conference at Tokyo, announcing the automaker’s decision to withdraw from F1.

In a statement released by the Japanese auto manufacturer, Toyota said:

Toyota Drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock

“However, when considering TMC’s motor-sports activities next year and beyond from a comprehensive midterm viewpoint reflecting the current severe economic realities, TMC decided to withdraw from F1.”

The statement continued with:

“TMC views its time in F1 – in which teams put forth their best efforts to fiercely compete at racing’s highest level – as an irreplaceable experience that provided an opportunity to develop both human resources and its R&D operations… TMC expresses its deepest appreciation to its F1 fans and others for their warm support.

“TMC also wants to express its heartfelt gratitude to all Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers to date and to all Toyota Motorsport GmbH employees who have helped make the team’s achievements possible…TMC intends to do its best to find a solution for those parties who will be affected by any inconvenience this decision may cause.”

In a heartbreaking scene at the press conference held in Tokyo, Akio Toyoda apologized to Toyota fans for his decision to pull out of the sport. Telegraph.co.uk reports that Toyoda said:

“It was a tough decision because we are betraying the expectations of fans… I apologize to our fans from the bottom of my heart. I made the decision myself.”

Toyota's Third Driver: Kamui Kobayashi

Toyoda’s decision seemed to be set in stone after he also ruled out the possibility of supplying other teams with engines, saying: “In terms of Formula One, we will make a complete withdrawal.”

Meanwhile, Toyota F1 team principal Tadashi Yamashina broke down in tears during the interview. The impact of this decision will be great, especially for new F1 talent Kamui Kobayashi. Kobayashi stood in for Timo Glock, who’s injured right now. His very impressive performance in the last two races was done in hopes that Toyota would pick him up as their new driver for the 2010 season.

Fellow Japanese F1 driver, Kazuki Nakajima was also recently let-go by Williams. To possibly soothe the effect of Toyota’s pull out, Yamashina who was in tears, promised to do his best to find F1 seats for both Kobayashi and Nakajima.

Right now, it’s unclear as to whether Bernie Ecclestone would be suing Toyota for breach of contact. The news of Toyota’s F1 withdrawal comes just months after the team signed the Concorde Agreement which binds them to F1 until 2012.

In case the ex-Toyota F1 team fails to secure a buyer for next season, there’s going to be five empty spots for new teams by next year. Right now, ex-BMW Sauber still hasn’t found a buyer as well.

Will Formula 1 be the same without Toyota and BMW? I’m guessing it wouldn’t be. Though I’ll keep my fingers crossed in hopes that both the Toyota and BMW teams will find a buyer before the start of the 2010 season.

Source: Formula1.com, Telegraph.Co.UK

Images: i.Telegraph.co.UK, Guardian.co.UK, Zimbio.com

Vettel: Number 1 at Abu Dhabi GP!

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) may have been fastest at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifyings, but a braking problem stopped him from finishing the race. This was good news for Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who was tailing the McLaren from the get-go. After spectacular driving from the Red Bull driver, Vettel went on to win the Yas Marinas race, cementing his second-place position in drivers’ standings this year.

It was a good start for Hamilton who established a 1.4-second gap between him and Vettel by the 17^th lap. Last year’s F1 Champ headed for a quick pitstop while Vettel continued driving until Lap 20. With Hamilton temporarily out of the circuit, Vettel established a considerable lead but faced quite a challenge when Lewis exited the pits. Unfortunately for Lewis, his excellent driving just wasn’t enough once trouble with his brakes started. Soon after that, Hamilton was out of the race.

Formula1.com reports that Hamilton’s car was suffering from excessive wear on the rear brake pads at the right side of the car. This forced McLaren to pull out its number one driver at the final race of the 2009 Formula One Season.

With Hamilton out of the picture, Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber was free to move on to second place. Following the two Red Bulls were the two Brawn drivers, F1 World Champion Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

At the start of the race, Barrichello was successful in overtaking his teammate. He was running fine until he clipped the left rear wheel of Webber’s car. Damage on Barrichello’s ride resulted in understeer that allowed Button to overtake him.

Fantastic Red Bull 1-2 Finish

But Webber wasn’t ready to give up second place. In a brilliant maneuver, the Red Bull driver hogged the inside line, forcing Button to take the outer lane. It was really exciting racing between those two, with Webber finishing just 0.6 seconds ahead of Button.

At the back of the grid, the race was pretty humdrum. Nick Heidfeld finished BMW Sauber’s final F1 race with a great fifth place finish. He was followed by Toyota’s über-talented new find, Kamui Kobayashi who ended the race a place ahead of his teammate Jarno Trulli. Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi overcame a hard challenge and a brush with Robert Kubica, letting Buemi finish at eighth.

Kubica spun after contact with Buemi, landing him at tenth behind Williams’ Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen went from 18^th to 11^th, a place ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen who took 12^th. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) then went on to take 13^th place with single-stop Fernando Alonso (Renault) following him. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) finished the list of unlapped drivers in the Abu Dhabi GP. At 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th place respectively were Giancarlo Fisichella (Ferrari), Adrian Sutil (Force India), and Romain Grosjean (Renault).

Aside from Hamilton, Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari also failed to finish the race. His car stopped on the track after he mistakenly pulled up at Vettel’s Red Bull pit instead of his own.

Source: Formula1.com

Images: Guardian.Co.UK, SMH.com.Au

Kubica Jumps to Renault for 2010 F1 Season!

The Polish driver is very excited about his move. According to Kubica:

“I am very happy I will be joining Renault in the 2010 season…I feel I have a special connection with this team because in 2005 I won the World Series by Renault. This gave me the chance to test with the team in Barcelona, which led to my debut in Formula One.

“I share with Renault a strong winning mentality and feel comfortable with their friendly and open attitude. I’m highly motivated and optimistic that together we can be at the front of the grid next year and hopefully fighting for the world title,” Kubica added.

The new team principal for Renault, Bob Bell, also shares the team’s enthusiasm over Kubica’s move, saying:

“We are very excited to have signed Robert with the Renault F1 Team starting next season. Ever since Robert made his Grand Prix debut in 2006, he has been on our radar as one of the most naturally talented drivers of his generation and he has delivered on that promise so it’s great to have secured him in one of our cars next season. Renault has high ambitions and hopes for the future of the team and we feel that Robert can play a big role in fulfilling them.”

BMW Sauber Boss: Mario Theissen

“I’m very thankful to those responsible in the BMW Sauber F1 Team for giving me the chance to get a Formula One cockpit…I think I justified the belief in me by delivering good results.

“In 2008 I managed to get the first pole position in Bahrain and the first win in Canada. Both will remain unforgettable moments for me. For 2010 I will have a new challenge. I wish everybody I worked with at the BMW Sauber F1 Team all the best for the future. I’m sure the future of our paths will cross in Formula One.”

Current motorsport director for BMW, Mario Theissen, is also thankful for all that Kubica has done for the team.

“Robert played an important role for us—and we certainly did the same for him,” Theissen said. “He joined us in 2006 as a test driver with no Formula One experience, and then we promoted him to be one of our team’s drivers during that season.

“He never let us down and, with our first pole position in 2008 at Bahrain and first victory the same year in Canada, he set milestones in the history of our team. We are grateful for his strong and constant performances and wish him all the best for his future.”

Source: Formula1.com

Images: Newzar.Wordpress.com, 16Valvulas.Wordpress.com

Nick Heidfeld's First DNF in 35 Races

Immediately after the news of BMW’s pull-out this season, BMW Sauber driver, Nick Heidfeld, seemed determined to drive as well as he could until the end of the season.

Being one of the most dependable and consistent drivers on track this 2009 Formula One Season, it was a sad sight to see Heidfeld suffer his first DNF in 35 races.

Heidfeld’s DNF had to do with a collision with Force India’s Adrian Sutil. Sutil was trying to overtake Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) during Lap 19. During his efforts, Sutil’s car spun out of control, but the Force India driver was quick to regain control over his vehicle. In an effort to regain his place in the pack, he moved straight into Heidfeld’s path. The BMW Sauber couldn’t avoid colliding with the nose of Sutil’s car. This led to immediate suspension damage for Heidfeld, while Sutil attempted to stay on the race until he was forced to retire a few laps later.

Because of Sutil’s move, the FIA fined the Force India driver $20,000. He was also reprimanded for the unsafe maneuver he did in front of Heidfeld.

Meanwhile, Heidfeld was visibly disappointed over the collision that took place.

According to Formula1.com, the German driver had this to say about the incident:

“For me it was clearly Adrian Sutil’s fault…Obviously I saw it from the inside and later also on TV. He had spun backwards and then just drove back onto the track and straight into my car. That’s something you just can’t do. I had no chance to avoid this accident. I was last with a lot of fuel on board.

“The speed at the back of the pack was very low and, therefore, I started to save fuel very early on as overtaking was impossible anyway. Although my chances were far from promising today, it is still annoying not to finish because of a stupid incident.”

Sutil was quick to admit that he was indeed at fault. According to Adrian: “Nick came around the corner and hit my front wing as I was stuck in the corner. I didn’t see him coming as I was on the move already and couldn’t react to it, but I’m sorry for it. It was a race incident.”

Source: Formula1.com

Image: GPEuropa.net

Raikkonen, Fisichella, and Vettel

It was an exciting race weekend over at Spa-Francorchamps, when Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) defied all expectations by securing pole position last Saturday. And while Fisico may not have won the Belgian Grand Prix, it was Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) who beat the Italian driver by starting at 6^th place and clinching the victory, Force India had cause to celebrate after Fisico earned the first points for the young F1 team.

Podium Finish for Giancarlo, Kimi, and Sebastian

Meanwhile, season points frontrunner, Jenson Button (Brawn) failed to add on to his points when his race ended quickly on the first lap. Button’s car was clipped from the back by Romain Grosjean’s Renault, causing the British driver to spin out. In a separate incident that happened right after Button’s spin, Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren suffered the same fate as Button’s car. While running, Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) accidentally came into contact with Hamilton’s car while Alguersuari was trying to avoid Button and Grosjean. All four drivers involved in the melee were forced to head back to the pits.

Pole Position and Second-Place Finish--Fisico Really Has Something to Smile About :)

Mark Webber (Red Bull) on the other hand, had a promising start. Unfortunately, the Australian was given a drive-through penalty after an unsafe release from the pit stop almost pushed Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) straight into a pit wall. Webber ended up finishing at ninth place.

Jarno Trulli (Toyota) who qualified second for the 2009 Formula 1 ING Belgian Grand Prix, failed to finish the race after a series of unfortunate events. First, the front nose of his car was damaged after a collision with Heidfeld. Then, he had a bad refueling session that caused him to lose a lot of time. Laps later, Trulli was forced to retire due to a braking problem.

Another racer who had a promising race but wasn’t so lucky? Fernando Alonso. The Renault driver could have finished with points, had he not had a brush with Adrian Sutil (Force India). While the contact was light, the damage to Alonso’s car was pretty big. His left front wheel had been damaged. And it really didn’t help matters when he had what Formula1.com describes as a “disastrously long pit stop on Lap 24”. Right after running a single lap after the long pit stop, Alonso had to call it a day when the team realized that the damaged front wheel simply could not be secured properly.

Source: Formula1.com

Images: iTelegraph.co.uk,