2009 British Formula 1 Grand Prix

[TechZ]

Santander British Grand Prix

Race info:

Date- 19th to 21st June 2009
Laps - 60
Circuit length - 5.141 km (3.194 mi)
Race length - 308.355 km (191.604 mi)
Number of times held - 63

Official site: link | formula1

Questions: (thanks Devon)

1) Who will take Pole and who will win the Race?
2) Will all existing 2009 teams be granted a license for the 2010 season on June 12?
3) Which of the new teams to put forward applications for 2010 would you like to see on the grid next year?
4) Which GPs won't Button win this year?
5) Will Donington be ready for next years British GP?
6) Will either Fisi, Sutil, Piquet or Nakajima score a point this season?
7) With news teams in 2010, which new drivers would you like to see next year?

Map:

[zephyrus17]

Here's hoping for a tiny bit of rain. That would spice things up a bit

[Matsu]

Originally Posted by zephyrus17

Here's hoping for a tiny bit of rain. That would spice things up a bit

Yeah seriously. A change is needed, it's getting a bit boring. Hope Toyota and Ferrari could improve a bit and make the competition tighter.

[Xeon SX]

I think somebody should just collide with Brawns, or at least hit their noses.

[MP4/14]

Originally Posted by zephyrus17

Here's hoping for a tiny bit of rain. That would spice things up a bit

Originally Posted by Matsu

Yeah seriously. A change is needed, it's getting a bit boring. Hope Toyota and Ferrari could improve a bit and make the competition tighter.

I think you are forgetting Jenson won his first GP in the wet and that his driving style suits the conditions. The Red Bulls are quick sure but wet conditions can throw up anything and they both could easily be out after the first corner.

Something weird has got to happen for Jenson to lose a GP.

[Loz]

I dunno why there is alot of hostility towards Brawn/Jenson? It's refreshing to see someone other than Ferrari/McLaren winning/in the news.

[MP4/14]

Originally Posted by Loz

I dunno why there is alot of hostility towards Brawn/Jenson? It's refreshing to see someone other than Ferrari/McLaren winning/in the news.

A new F1 fan? It gets boring having one person win all the time. And jenson is winning all the time. Therefore I dont want him to win lol.

[Loz]

I've been watching F1 since the mid 90's, pretty much when Ferrari/McLaren won everything.

Anyway, as a Brit, I'd like to see a likeable Brit do well. And after the 2 horrid seasons Jenson went through, it's nice to see him do well.

[MP4/14]

2009 Santander British Grand Prix

Silverstone
Race Date:21st June 2009

Number of Laps: 60
Circuit Length: 5.141 km
Race Distance: 308.355 km

Lap Record: 1:18.739 - M Schumacher (2004, Ferrari)
Pole Record: K. Raikkonen - 1'18''233 (2004, McLaren)

Silverstone was opened as a World War Two airfield in 1943. Once the war had ended in 1945 Britain was left with a number of redundant airfields but without a major race track, Donington Park was still a military vehicle storage depot, Brooklands had been sold off, Crystal Palace was in a state of disrepair and Brands Hatch was still under-developed.

It would share the British round of the series with Aintree in the 1950s, and then Brands Hatch in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, before becoming the race’s sole home from 1987.

When the Formula One World Championship was started in 1950, Silverstone held the very first round, won by Guiseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo. In 1951 the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) was handed the lease by the RAC, and huge modifications were made. The pits were moved to the straight between Woodcote and Copse, from the Farm straight where they had originally been, and a short circuit was built within the larger circuit, cutting from Becketts corner to Woodcote.

Since then, Britain is one of just two nations, the other being Italy, to have enjoyed an unbroken presence on the Formula One calendar. This rare distinction alone makes the British Grand Prix special and sadly for the last time this year.

From 1955 the British Grand Prix swapped venues between Aintree and Silverstone, but with the advent of the 1960s, Aintree fell out of favour and the race was switched between Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

In 1971 the BRDC bought the entire 720 acre plot on which Silverstone sits and went about redeveloping the track. New pits were built and a chicane was erected at Woodcote which provided close finishes and great overtaking opportunities.

In 1987, with speeds at the circuit reaching astounding levels, a corner was built before Woodcote, and in 1992 a new complex of corners was created between Farm and Woodcote.

In recent years various upgrades have been made to the track's facilities. A racing school now exists at the circuit and with government funding a new bypass has been built, greatly improving access to the once notoriously out-of-the-way venue.


TIMETABLE (AUS)

Fri 19 June 2009

Friday Practice 1 19:00 - 20:30
Friday Practice 2 23:00 - 00:30

Sat 20 June 2009

Saturday Practice 19:00 - 20:00
Qualifying 22:00

Sun 21 June 2009

Race 22:00


USELESS INFO

* Silverstone – named after the early English word for “wooded” area
* Maggots – named after Maggots Moor
* Becketts Corner & Chapel Curve – gave their names to the ruins of the Chapel of Thomas à Beckett
* Hangar Straight - named after two aircraft hangars that originally stood next to the straight
* Stowe Corner - derives from the famous Stowe School to the south of the circuit
* Club Corner - named after the RAC club in Pall Mall
* Abbey Curve - near the site of the ancient Luffield Abbey
* Woodcote - named after the location of the RAC club in Surrey

* Three teams – McLaren, Ferrari and Williams – have won 31 of the last 34 British GPs. Only Benetton in 1995 and Renault in 1983 and 2006 have broken the trio's vice-like grip on proceedings. McLaren and Ferrari have 5 and 4 victories respectively in the last ten years.

* Ferrari, Williams and McLaren all scored their maiden Grand Prix victories in Britain, in 1951, 1979 and 1981 respectively.

* Alain Prost and Jim Clark hold the joint record for British Grand Prix victories with five apiece.

* Alain Prost, not Nigel Mansell, was the most successful driver at the British GP during the '80s. Prost won in '83, '85 and '89, whereas Red 5 only finished first twice - in '86 and '87.

* Jim Clark also holds the record for most poles, with five to Stirling Moss' four. Amazingly, from 14 starts and despite a record 66 poles, the most successful ever F1 driver, Michael Schumacher, has only been on pole for the British GP once, back in 2001.

* Eleven Britons have won the British Grand Prix - Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, John Watson, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert, David Coulthard and Lewis Hamilton.

* Four-time British Grand Prix winner Nigel Mansell retains the record of scoring the most fastest laps during the event. He did it seven years in a row between 1986 and 1992. Impressively, this period included both Brands Hatch and Silverstone races, with Mansell driving for Williams, then Ferrari and then Williams again.

PAST RESULTS

Year Driver Constructor

2008 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2007 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
2006 Fernando Alonso Renault
2005 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari
2002 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2001 Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes
2000 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes
1999 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes
1998 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
1997 Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault
1996 Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault
1995 Johnny Herbert Benetton-Renault
1994 Damon Hill Williams-Renault
1993 Alain Prost Williams-Renault
1992 Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault
1991 Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault
1990 Alain Prost Ferrari


TECH STUFF

The engines are under prolonged load and indeed, the full throttle percentage per lap jumped by 12 percent between 2005 and 2006. Sixty-seven percent of Silverstone is driven at full throttle and drivers make an average of 34 gearshifts per lap.


While the less-grippy tyres used in 2007 and 2008 has seen that figure decrease, the slick tyres will make a welcome comeback. It still makes this a tough track for every part of the car. Corners range from 180mph (290km/h) sweepers to the long, slow complex at the end of the lap - and the car must also cope with the bumpy surface and capricious, gusting winds. One word to describe Silverstone? Selective, for both cars and drivers. Time for some of the technical needs they need to plan for to get the most out of the cars this weekend.

Aerodynamics:

Downforce levels at Silverstone are medium-high - the same as those used one week ago in Magny-Cours. The downforce is required for the quick corners in the opening part of the lap, and the relatively short straights and short braking zones mean that any deficit in straight-line speed is unlikely to see competitors overtaking you. The lack of heavy braking also means they run some of the smallest brake ducts of the year to optimise aerodynamic performance.

Ride:

Ride is an important characteristic at Silverstone, where maintaining consistent aerodynamic performance is so critical for performance in the quick corners. The surface is quite bumpy, and nowhere more so than under braking for Turn Eight, where the uneven surface can unsettle the car. The drivers also tend to drift out onto the kerbs exiting the quick corners in order to take the fastest line, which can make the circuit seem bumpier than it is.

Suspension:

They run the cars with a forward mechanical balance at this circuit - essentially, with a stiff front end and softer rear end. The stiff front gives the car a good change of direction in the high and slow speed corners, while the softer rear end gives better grip under traction, exiting Turns Nine, 11 and 16 in particular.

Ambient conditions:

As a former airfield, Silverstone is inevitably exposed to the wind - and this can have a big impact on car performance. Gusting wind alters the aerodynamic balance of the car and makes handling unpredictable, particularly in the high-speed corners. The driver must be able to judge the direction and strength of the wind, and adjust his driving accordingly. We saw at the recent testing the implications of this when a sudden wind gust put Fisi hard into the Becketts barriers at close to 300kph

Engine:

Silverstone remains one of the harder circuits in terms of the demands it places on the engine, which also needs to be responsive at high revs as the drivers take the quick corners on either full or partial throttle. In terms of cooling, teams have already tested at this circuit last week, and are well-prepared for every eventuality.

Strategy:

Fuel consumption is high at Silverstone, as is the time penalty for carrying extra fuel weight. This means that it is a circuit where strategies rarely vary from the norm, as two extra laps of fuel, for example, could cost nearly two tenths per lap. Expect to see most teams running a ‘standard’ strategy of two stops, which are generally slightly forward-biased for the front-runners in order to ensure good grid position and clean air in which to race in the early stages. With overtaking a difficult task at this circuit, track position is all important.


Memorable British Grand Prix moments:

1969 - Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt had an almighty battle for the lead at Silverstone. The pair spent much of the race trading places, often a number of times per lap. Unfortunately the battle was cut short when Rindt was forced to pit with a loose rear wing on his Lotus 49. This left Stewart’s Matra MS80 with a free run to the flag.

1973 - Jody Scheckter’s colossal accident at the end of the opening lap triggered a major rethink of the high-speed Woodcote corner. It had been the most challenging corner at Silverstone, not to mention the site of some spectacular four-wheeled drifts, but when the drivers returned in 1975 a chicane was in place to bring speeds down a little.

1976 - Brands Hatch played host to one of the most controversial British Grands Prix, with James Hunt at the centre of the squabble. After a first-lap incident involving the Englishman, the race was red-flagged with the organisers unsure if they should let Hunt’s hastily repaired McLaren take the restart. Facing a mutiny from the home crowd they erred on the side of caution, allowing Hunt to restart the race on his way to an eventual win. A post-race protest from Ferrari was thrown out, but two months later, as the title chase heated up, Hunt’s win was annulled.

1987 - One of the most iconic pieces of footage from Silverstone came in the closing stages on the 1987 British Grand Prix. Nelson Piquet’s Williams had led for much of the afternoon, but with two laps remaining the sister Williams of Nigel Mansell lined him up coming out of Chapel. Cheered on by the partisan crowd, Mansell tucked up behind Piquet, feinted left and – as the Brazilian moved to cover him – threw his car up the inside into Stowe and grabbed the lead.

1991 - Mansell demonstrated his gift for showmanship when, after a dominant win, he stopped on the slowing down lap to offer the out-of-fuel Ayrton Senna a lift back to the pits. An hour earlier the pair had waged a heated battle for the lead, with Mansell disabling his rev-limiter to get the necessary power to pass Senna.

1998 - After starting on a damp track, heavy rain provided a spectacle as nearly half the field spun off. Mika Hakkinen led until a safety car was deployed, allowing Michael Schumacher to close up behind him in the Ferrari. Schumacher quickly took the lead at the restart and looked set for a win until he was issued with a stop-go penalty for passing Alex Wurz under yellow flags. However, the race stewards deliberated over the decision for too long, allowing Schumacher to take the penalty on the very last lap and win the race in the pit lane.

2003 - It was a manic and slightly surreal grand prix that gave Rubens Barrichello the greatest win of his career. The moment a protesting Irish priest took to the circuit, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be a normal grand prix. The lead changed hands six times with Cristiano da Matta heading the field for Toyota. But it was the battle between Raikkonen and Barrichello that was the highlight of the day. The Brazilian passed Raikkonen with a spectacular move up the inside at Bridge Corner.

[Jocó]

Originally Posted by MP4/14

* Ferrari, Williams and McLaren all scored their maiden Grand Prix victories in Britain, in 1951, 1979 and 1981 respectively.

What?

[lagunengrune36]

Barrichello is gonna get the pole and race win.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the race.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by lagunengrune36

Barrichello is gonna get the pole and race win.

I don't think so.

My money is with Jenson. He really likes the layout of the circuit and have always shown good results.

[Richmondgal]

Anyone wanna come up with the questions?

[vikiradTG2007]

Originally Posted by Jocó

What?

I agree on the "What?" on the last one. McLaren as we know it (McLaren International, the MP4 cars) did win its first GP in 1981 at Silverstone thanks to John Watson, but McLaren as a team won several races and championships before '81.

[MP4/14]

As far as I understand it is first time at the British GP. I'll have to double check.

[Jocó]

Originally Posted by vikiradTG2007

I agree on the "What?" on the last one. McLaren as we know it (McLaren International, the MP4 cars) did win its first GP in 1981 at Silverstone thanks to John Watson, but McLaren as a team won several races and championships before '81.

Yeah I also meant McLaren

[TechZ]

Questions added.

[stevanford1]

Originally Posted by TechZ

1) Who will take Pole and who will win the Race?
2) Will all existing 2009 teams be granted a license for the 2010 season on June 12?
3) Which of the new teams to put forward applications for 2010 would you like to see on the grid next year?
4) Which GPs won't Button win this year?
5) Will Donington be ready for next years British GP?
6) Will either Fisi, Sutil, Piquet or Nakajima score a point this season?
7) With news teams in 2010, which new drivers would you like to see next year?

1) Button.
2) No.
3) Lola.
4) No idea.
5) Yes.
6) Nakajima probably.
7) Bruno Senna.

[vikiradTG2007]

1) Who will take Pole and who will win the Race?

Pole: Button, Race win: Rubinho. He's a Silverstone specialist.

2) Will all existing 2009 teams be granted a license for the 2010 season on June 12?

Insiders said that F1 is gearing itself for the biggest shock in its history, so my answer is no.

3) Which of the new teams to put forward applications for 2010 would you like to see on the grid next year?

Prodrive and Epsilon Euskadi.

4) Which GPs won't Button win this year?

This one, Monza, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

5) Will Donington be ready for next years British GP?

It won't be ready for the 2110 British GP, let alone the 2010 one.

6) Will either Fisi, Sutil, Piquet or Nakajima score a point this season?

Nakajima will score, Piquet might score, Fisi and Sutil won't.

7) With news teams in 2010, which new drivers would you like to see next year?

Nico Hulkenberg and Adam Carroll.

[Vambeer]

1) Pole will go to Button but race win will go to Trulli i think (don't know why but he seems like a good outsider)

2) Don't think so, no

3) Prodrive and Lola

4) Silverstone, Monza, Brazil and maybe Abu Dhabi

5) Last i've read they are very close, so yes

6) Nakajima for sure and maybe Piquet Jr

7) Last year i was impressed by Grosjean, this year by Petrov so, those two.
P.S. I would like to see Filippi too cause his kinda kamikazi and careless, just for the fun of it