Alvin's Formula One Blog

Sunday 24th May 2009 Star of the Race Jenson Button, BrawnGP, 1st Yeah baby. Button made F1 history on Sunday, not just by winning the fifth race in six starts, though that was impressive enough. Neither was it by sticking his car on pole with a gem of a lap on the heaviest fuel load of the top cars. No, it was driving one of the most exhausting grands prix on the calendar, parking in the wrong place, then sprinting up the start/finish straight to the Grimaldi's royal box (incidentally couldn't quite see the President of the FIA in there...could you?) as though he hadn't even been in the car. In the press conference Raikkonen and Barrichello looked like they'd been put through a Regular Wash on 50C without the spin cycle, while Jenson looked cool. It was an impressive win and yet another race victory where he opened a gap and was able to control the race and adapt his pace to the cars behind him. Five wins from six races is very impressive for ...

Sunday 24th May 2009 Jenson Button goes from strength to strength, while Ferrari finally flex their muscles on the track to justify their off-circuit machismo... We Might As Crown Him The Champ Now... As the PF1 homepage declared in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's race, it is increasingly difficult to believe that Button will not end the season as World Champion. F1 has been turned on its head to the extent that it's difficult just to find a single trenchant reason to suppose he will not succeed Lewis Hamilton. If Bernie had got his way before the campaign and introduced his winner-takes-all system to decide the title then Button could already take the risk of putting his feet up. The five wins Button has claimed from the opening six races of the season is as many as Hamilton secured in the whole of 2008 and only one less than Kimi Raikkonen registered in 2007. Fortunately, Bernie's...

You'd never guessed it but there's a first time for everything. Yesterday's race was the first race in my F1 viewing career that I actually got bored with the race and tuned out halfway. I went into the kitchen with the TV still blaring out the V8 sounds around Monte Carlo, looked out the window and saw pigs flying. The Monaco GP this year started off promising with some overtaking, my favorite was Barrichello's move on Kimi for P2. That was classic and powerful, I was surprised Kimi didn't fight back with his KERS. After that it basically went downhill as the race degraded to a procession. Lewis being stuck behind didn't help either. On top of that, Kovalainnen crashed out so my only hope was Vettel who has car trouble and crashed out too. The BMWs were rubbish, they had no pace at all. I was happy for Force India though as Fisi almost got a point after finishing P9. Well, that's all I have to say about that. See how boring the race was? And to top it all o...

Saturday 23rd May 2009 Lewis Hamilton has taken full responsibility for the mistake that saw him crash out of Q1 for the Monaco GP. The 2008 Monte Carlo winner had looked strong throughout the weekend's practice sessions, finishing in the top seven in all three sessions. But it all came to nought on Saturday afternoon when he lost control of his car at Mirabeau. The ensuing crash into the barriers saw his MP4-24's rear suspension too severely damaged for him to continue, meaning he will start the 78-lap grand prix from 16th place on the grid - and with little hope of bagging any World Championship points. "My race weekend for a win is for sure over," he told the BBC . "I just don't know what I was thinking. I made a mistake. It had been going well all weekend." The Brit took the time to apologise to McLaren for wasting what could have been a golden opportunity to finish on the podium - or...

Saturday 23rd May 2009 Jenson Button reigned supremo around the principality of Monaco as the Brawn GP driver claimed his fourth pole position of the season. After an intensely tight final practice session in the morning, pole position looked as if it could go to any one of seven drivers. But when it came down to the crunch it was Button who proved to be the Monaco Meister as he put his Brawn BGP001 into the P1 slot with a 1:14.902. He edged Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen into second place by just 0.025s as the Ferrari driver put in his best qualifying performance of the season so far. Third place went to Rubens Barrichello with the Brazilian putting an end to Sebastian Vettel's five consecutive top-three grid slots as he relegated the Red Bull racer to fourth place. Felipe Massa qualified in third place ahead of Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen. Meanwhile, it was an afternoon to forget for Kovalainen's McLaren...

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, May 21st 2009, 22:22 GMT Lewis Hamilton says he has emerged from his tumultuous start to the season a stronger man, after admitting the past few weeks have been 'very tough' for him. Having faced troubles with his car on track, and criticism off it for his involvement in the lying controversy, the world champion has deliberately kept a low profile in recent races. But he ended his self-imposed 'exile' in Monaco on Thursday when he sat down with the British press to chat through his feelings. Speaking in a relaxed and friendly manner, no doubt buoyed by the strong on-track performance of his McLaren around the streets of Monte Carlo, Hamilton said he felt he had grown and learned from the events of the past few weeks. "Yes, definitely," he said. "All these experiences I've had. I am not perfect, I am not a politician, I say things wrong every now and then. I'm sure everyone does. ...

Thursday 21st May 2009 Nico Rosberg returned to the slot he has made his own this season, finishing at the top of the timesheets in Thursday's second practice for the Monaco GP. The German clocked a 1:15.446 to lead the way ahead of the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, who put in a stellar performance, often holding down the P1 slot himself. Third place went to the Brawn GP of Rubens Barrichello, who outpaced team-mate Jenson Button while Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel completed the top six. Report: Sebastien Buemi, the two Force Indias and Nelson Piquet Jr were the early starters as they ventured out almost immediately for their installation laps. Meanwhile Mark Webber was left stuck on the sidelines for at least "twenty minutes, half an hour" due to a vibration coming from the back of his car that his mechanics were furiously working to fix. The Aussie, though, insisted it had nothing to do with the double-...

Thursday 21st May 2009 For the first time this season reigning World Champ Lewis Hamilton sees a chance for winning a grand prix after a stellar performance in Thursday's Monaco practices. After a dismal Spanish GP, which saw Hamilton lack the pace needed to finish in the points never mind on the podium, the Brit came to Monte Carlo hoping for a better result as many predicted that the circuit's slow, twisty design would suit the characteristics of the MP4-24. And that proved to be true during Thursday's opening two practices. The McLaren driver posted the third best time in Practice One and went one better later in the afternoon when he finished in second place, two-tenths slower than pace-setter Nico Rosberg. "It definitely gives me a much better fighting chance for this weekend in terms of getting the car a bit further up - but the others looks very strong," said an upbeat Hamilton. "We ju...

Thursday 21st May 2009 Heikki Kovalainen has downplayed the pace that saw himself and team-mate Lewis Hmailton finish in the top four in Thursday's first practice session in Monaco. McLaren headed to Monte Carlo for this weekend's race, confident that the twisty, slow track would suit the characteristics of their MP4-24. And that proved to be true when, on Thursday morning, Hamilton and Kovalainen finished third and fourth on the timesheets, half a second behind pace-setter Rubens Barrichello. But despite their strong early showing, Kovalainen has warned against getting their hopes too high. "I don't think that we should put too many expectations on any weekend," the Finn told Autosport. "We know the car is still not quick enough, but potentially it could be a bit better here than it was in Barcelona. We have a few upgrades again for the car, so let's see where we are tomorrow and go from...

Thursday 21st May 2009 Ferrari and McLaren joined Brawn GP in fighting for the top honours in the opening practice session for the prestigious Monaco GP, but, as to be expected, it was Brawn who triumphed. Rubens Barrichello, who is determined to join his team-mate Jenson Button in the winner column, clocked the fastest time of the session, a 1:17.189 to beat Ferrari's Felipe Massa by 0.310. Third place went Lewis Hamilton, while his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was fourth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. Report: With sunny skies overhead and a track temperature of 30'C greeted the drivers as Nick Heidfeld, Giancarlo Fisichella, Seb Buemi, Adrian Sutil and Seb Vettel got proceedings underway. They were followed out of the rather narrow Monaco pit lane by a train of drivers all putting in their installation laps. Buemi ventured out for the first timed lap of the morning and posted a 1:25.201 around the 3.340km circuit. T...

Wednesday 20th May 2009 The Tax Dodgers GP is here again with all the glitz and glamour that yappy small dogs and women with expensive cosmetic surgery can confer. The Monaco GP is basically the South of France GP that's held about half a kilometre over the border. Walk the circuit and be amazed. It's not so much "cycling round your bathroom" as "cycling round the shower tray". Until the demise of traction control it was a pretty useless sort of race. Great for scenery, great for history, but processional in the extreme. You can be between three and four seconds a lap quicker than the car in front and not get past them on the streets of Monaco. In fact many drivers believe that a GP2 car that starts on pole could keep its F1 rivals at bay. (Let alone a GP3 car) What Monaco loses in places to overtake it gains with its punishingly close barriers ready to derange a rear suspense at the slightest hint of oversteer. And now that the ca...

How can the rules be the same for everyone when Ferrari has veto rights and nobody else does? Wednesday 20th May 2009 Ferrari have made it clear that they won't hesitate to go through with their threat to pull out of Formula One so that they can "compete in races of a calibre worthy of the marque". The Maranello outfit on Wednesday lost its court application for an injunction against the FIA's controversial proposal to introduce a budget cap in next year's Championship. Ferrari, who along with Renault, Toyota and Red Bull have threatened to quit the sport, also gave the first indication that it might take part in another competition. A statement from the team read: 'If it is not possible for all parties to reach agreement, then in line with the decision of the Main Board, taken on 12th May, Ferrari will not enter its cars in a competition that, with the planned scenario in place, would see a wate...

Ferrari - cheaters since 1998 19 May 2009 by Keith Collantine Ferrari has enjoyed much success since gaining its 'technical veto' As revealed on Friday, Ferrari today are attempting to prosecute the FIA in the French courts for, they claim, breaking the terms of their now-infamous 2005 agreement. The outcome of the trial could be crucial for the future of the sport, but most likely it will prove just another chapter in the latest F1 row - which has now transformed from a dispute over the rules into a conflict that asks fundamental questions about how F1 is run and governed. The technical veto The causes of the trial are remarkable enough to begin with. Last week Ferrari admitted to having had a ‘technical veto’ on the F1 rules since 1998 - seven years after Max Mosley was elected president of the FIA. That the sport’s governing body was willing to grant such an unfair concession to one team is shocking even to the most cynical of fans, as it lends credence to allega...

Tuesday 19th May 2009 McLaren are running out of time to prove that they are capable of winning this year's Championship. Five races into the season, defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton finds himself 32 points behind Jenson Button in the Drivers' standings. And with Brawn GP looking like they have no intention of loosening their grip at the top, Hamilton fears that McLaren might have to write off their season if they fail to close the gap in the next couple of races. Hamilton told The Mirror : "Brawn have a Championship-winning car. "It is going to be tough, but the ambition is always to win. "If we've still not scored many points by the time we get to mid-season, we may have to knock it on the head." Source : Planet F1

Hmm it seems that Ferrari have a special arrangement with the FIA where they have veto powers over the technical regulations. Makes one wonder whether all those drivers and constructors trophies that they've won was done with merit or by influencing the regulations to suit their car. Suddenly Schumacher's record doesn't look so great. If that is not cheating, I don't know what is. Saturday 16th May 2009 Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali insists the Scuderia do want to remain in Formula One - but not under Max Mosley's terms. Speaking in the wake of Friday's failed attempt to reach a compromise with the FIA President over his planned £40 million budget cap, Domenicali confirmed that the Scuderia have lodged an injuction against the FIA's 2010 regulations. Ferrari feel that Mosley is weilded too much power in his attempt to force new regulations on the teams without consulting them, especially...

I'm really getting sick of Max and his shit..the latest being the budget cap and the two-tier regulations that go with it. It doesn't make sense. I wouldn't want to compete in a sport where there is two different sets of rules where from the start there is a clear disadvantage for some and advantage for some. Simply, there is no fairness involved. And to think the FIA and Max was touting fair play everywhere they went especially when they hammering McLaren. In the current economic situation budgets definitely have to be reigned in, we can’t be spending 400 million and above forever. A cap is OK but not 40 million at the highest level of motorsports. If that is what it takes to compete in F1, then might as well compete in lower categories or just watch some spec series. Why can’t they just set it at a level that the manufacturers are agreeable to, say 120 million. Then whoever wants to spend that much or not, it’s up to them, if u have it and want to spend it, go ahead. If ...

Well said Sir jackie..woohoo! FIA and Max..up yours! Friday 15th May 2009 Never one to pass up on the chance to have a go at the FIA, Sir Jackie Stewart has slammed motorsport's governing body, saying they have "no business" telling the teams how much they can spend. Formula One is set for arguably its most important day in its history today as the Formula One Teams Assocation takes on Max Mosley. On the one side of the table Mosley and his FIA are determined to press ahead with their budget cap even though it could result in a two-tier Championship, and on the other side the teams, including Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, are threatening to leave the sport if Mosley gets his way. Stewart, a three-times F1 World Champion, has now weighed in on the debate, saying its up to each individual team - and not the FIA - to decide how much money they want to spend. "I agree that there shou...

Friday 15th May 2009 Lewis Hamilton has praised Jenson Button for making a stunning start to the Formula One season and believes his fellow English driver will be having the time of his life. But even though his own chances of world title glory are fading quickly, as Brawn GP's Button races clear in the standings, reigning Champion Hamilton insists he is fully committed to a future with the struggling McLaren team. Button already has 41 points after four wins in five races, while Hamilton is lagging behind in seventh place with a nine-point haul. Hamilton admitted winning the title will become "less of a realistic goal" if McLaren continue to fall behind the pace at the front of the grid. He told the BBC : "I never give up so I have not given up. But, if you look at the Brawn team, they have a Championship-winning car. "They have a huge head start on us. They're a long way ahead. They'...

Friday 15th May 2009 Lewis Hamilton claims he has become disillusioned with F1 and compared the political storms this season to wrongful imprisonment. The 24-year-old has had a turbulent start to his career since his rookie season in 2007, and this year he has been embroiled in the "liargate" affair after being accused of misleading stewards following the Australian Grand Prix. Before that there was the "spy-gate" scandal which led to a £65million fine for McLaren for stealing information from Ferrari, and Hamilton is finding it difficult to accept these brushes with officialdom. To compound Hamilton's woes, McLaren are off the pace this term, and the World Champion was heavily critical of his car during the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona last weekend. "I just feel knocked out by it all," Hamilton told The Times. "It's got to be a similar feeling to anyone who goes to jail...

Wednesday 13th May 2009 So it's High Noon in Place de la Concorde. Or Maranello City. But most probably a nondescript hotel near Heathrow. The two meanest gunslingers are in town for a showdown. The FIA want a £40m budget cap and two tiers. FOTA want no tiers and sensible, phased cost reduction. The stakes are high. Max is staking his FIA presidency on it. If he were to back down now he'd be made to look a shambolic hustler. He's pushed through the budget cap measures at a hastily arranged McLaren disciplinary meeting, ignoring all kinds of protocols and carefully worked out structures. He's even ignoring the veto Ferrari get on all technical regs as set out in the Concorde Agreement. (It was that Ferrari signature that broke up the rival GPWC and allowed Bernie to sell F1 to a venture capitalist.) In return Di Montzemolo is staking Ferrari's F1 future involvement. John Howett of Toyota is also there o...

They have no choice, treading on thin ice. Thursday 14th May 2009 Mercedes Motorsport boss Norbert Haug is refusing to jump on the bandwagon of his Formula One rivals currently on a collision course with FIA President Max Mosley. Renault yesterday joined Ferrari in threatening to withdraw from Formula One unless fundamental changes are made to the recently-announced regulations for next year. Team boss Flavio Briatore and president Bernard Rey both denounced the FIA over their plans to introduce a £40million budget cap that would in turn result in a two-tier F1. Briatore, in particular, also roundly condemned motor sport's world governing body over their lack of governance and failure to consult the teams on a subject of such far-reaching magnitude. Yet whilst Ferrari, Toyota, Renault, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - the latter two teams through owner Dietrich Mateschitz - have all voiced their opposition, Mercedes...

Wednesday 13th May 2009 Renault have today joined forces with Ferrari by confirming their intention to withdraw from the 2010 Formula One world championship unless recently-adopted regulations are revised. Motor sport's world governing body, the FIA, and its president Max Mosley, now face critical showdown talks with all the teams at a Heathrow airport hotel on Friday if they are to save the sport. Renault president Bernard Rey said: "We remain committed to the sport, however we cannot be involved in a championship operating with different sets of rules, and if such rules are put into effect, we will be forced to pull out at the end of this season." Mosley is now under serious pressure to revise the rules announced on April 29 following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council. The proposed £40million budget cap would introduce a two-tier F1, sparking outrage, with five teams now confirming their intention not...

Bernie, you greedy little troll. You have destroyed F1 as much as Max has. So now if the teams leave, which they should because they ARE the show, your money goes with them. Without the teams there is no F1. Wednesday 13th May 2009 In the wake of threats from various teams to withdraw from Formula One if the proposed budget cap is implemented, F1 head honcho Bernie Ecclestone has called for calm. Ferrari yesterday added their voice to a chorus of discontent that includes BMW-Sauber, Toyota and Red Bull regarding the FIA's plans to introduce a £40million budget cap from next year. FIA chief Max Mosley has in the past said that Formula One can survive without the Italian giants, but Ecclestone has now moved to quell such suggestions. "I'm not one to talk about perfect marriages," Ecclestone told The Times , making reference to his recent divorce. "But this is a perfect marriage. Formula One is Ferrar...

In your face Max Mosley. It's about time the teams showed the FIA who really is boss. The FIA is fucking up the sport. The teams are the sport, without them there is no sport. This together with the other big teams to not register for the 2009 season will show FIA their arrogance will kill the sport. Tuesday 12th May 2009 Ferrari have announced that they will withdraw from Formula One if the FIA implements its plan to introduce a budget cap. In a short statement on the team's website, the sport's most famous team said they will not be on the grid in 2010. "We confirm our opposition to the new technical regulations adopted by the FIA and do not intend entering our cars in the 2010 F1 Championship," the statement read. Ferrari are among several teams to have been angered by the FIA's plans to impose a £40million budget cap on teams from next year, and today's move will hugely increase the pre...

The Spanish GP is never a great race because it is very difficult to overtake. This year is no different even with all the changes. Todays' race was normal for Catalunya. The first turn accident was big, looking at Mark Webber's face during the post race interviews tells you that much. Brawn was again unbeatable, nothing new there. Although I was looking at Barrichello winning, there was something about team orders changing Barrichello's strategy compared to Button's. We'll see what that was about a bit later. Ferrari's strategy was good for me. Kimi breaking the car again and the best of all was Massa's car was fueled wrongly and he had to give way to Vettel, if not he would have to push his car to the finish line. In fact he did stop right after the finish line. We'll have to see what the FIA says about that later. Maybe Massa's car will be light at the weigh in later, who knows. Talking about Massa, he basically fucked up Vettel's race by usin...

Too bad for Massa and Ferrari. I'm really enjoying this season. Sunday 10th May 2009 Although we are just five races into the 2009 season, Felipe Massa has already written off his chances of winning the World Championship. Massa, last year's Championship runner-up, scored his first points of season when he finished fifth in the Spanish Grand Prix. The Brazilian, though, is 38 points behind run-away Championship leader Jenson Button, and he doubts whether he will be able close the gap on the Brawn GP driver. When asked if he thought he can still catch Button, Massa told reporters: "In the Championship? No, I don't think so. We need to be realistic. After five races they won four. "Even if we improve massively and we are three or four tenths if front of them they will still score points. So forget it." Ferrari made big improvements at this weekend's race in Barcelona, but Massa believes t...

He got that right. The car is so bad there is no way he can win this year. I do believe that McLaren should focus on next year's car instead. Sunday 10th May 2009 An utterly disconsolate Lewis Hamilton has all-but admitted that he will be unable to retain the World Championship this season. Looking completely crestfallen after finishing out of the points in Barcelona, Hamilton's usual optimism was conspicuous by its absence when he spoke to the BBC. "What can I do? I have not been given a car that enables me to challenge. The car just has no grip. I am driving my socks off but it's just that bad. "Look, of course, as it stands I don't have a car to win the Championship. I want to congratulate [race winner] Jenson [Button] - he ran a good race - I just hope I'm up there competing with him soon." Asked what he thought when Button lapped him on the penultimate race, Hamilton managed to ...

Sunday 10th May 2009 Rubens Barrichello has threatened to quit Formula One if he senses team orders coming into play in his fight for the title with team-mate Jenson Button. For the fourth time in five races this season, Button stood on the top step of the podium, spearheading a Brawn GP one-two at today's Spanish Grand Prix. It was the ninth successive race a driver has won from pole at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, although this was no routine run from start to finish as in the past. Instead, there was an undercurrent of discontent from Barrichello at the prospect Button had been favoured ahead of himself. After being passed by third-on-the-grid Barrichello on the run down to the first corner, Button then spent the first 18 laps behind the Brazilian. When he pitted, he had been informed by his team the lap previously that he was being switched from a three-stop to a two-stop strategy as boss Ross Brawn...