Official Discussion Thread of the 2009 Formula 1 Season

Q. Your race at Spa was pretty shortlived - it's quite unusual for you to end up watching a grand prix rather than racing in it, isn't it?

Lewis Hamilton: "Yeah, it was a really odd feeling to be stood at the side of the track watching the others come through behind the Safety Car. To be honest, I can't even remember the last time I failed to finish a race ? the reliability of our car has been so phenomenal that it rarely happens ? so it was definitely a feeling I couldn't really get used to.

"It was a pity though, because I love racing at Spa and I was really looking forward to a strong, attacking afternoon. I hadn't had the best of starts and I'd lost a few places, but I was pretty confident that we'd have the car beneath us to help us get back into the points."

Q. How confident are you about the pace of the MP4-24 ahead of the final cluster of races?

LH: "We know we've taken huge steps with the car since the start of the summer, but it's frustrating that we didn't get to see our race pace at Spa on Sunday. But we've got a low-downforce package for Monza and some more upgrades ahead of Singapore, so I think we'll be in the hunt among the frontrunners.

"The most important thing is that we keep learning from this year's car so we can make next year's into a winner."

Q. What are you up to before Monza?

LH: "Back to the factory to debrief from Spa and prepare for Monza before some marketing commitments at Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands for their Young Driver Academy. It was the grand final. I was there to do a demonstration run and I also signed a lot of autographs ? actually, I think I spent about two hours signing autographs! I wanted to make sure I didn't walk away until every single person who wanted an autograph had one!

"Then I'm visiting Brands Hatch on Sunday for the DTM race as a guest of Mercedes-Benz. It's a great day ? I went there last year and was really amazed by how many people were there. Later this month, I'll also be going to the Frankfurt Motor Show, again as a guest of Mercedes-Benz, so it's a pretty busy month."

Q. Monza is the last European race of the season ? are you looking forward to the Santander Italian Grand Prix?

LH: "I think Monza is going to be quite a bit different from in the past because we're not testing there before the race. In previous years, there was always a big test at Monza before the race and that allowed you to get the balance right and, as a driver, to get yourself prepared for the high speeds of the track.

"Now, we'll be arriving 'cold' on Friday morning and it will take a bit of work for everyone to get their cars working properly and just to get used to the lack of downforce that you need to run at Monza. That could have a very interesting effect on the order, particularly if the weather affects running, like it did last year."

Q. What makes Monza special?

LH: "I think all the drivers love Monza ? it's one of the most historic and famous circuits on the calendar, like Spa, Monaco and Silverstone. Winning any of those big four races is a special achievement because, as a driver, you really feel a part of the sport's history because you've seen photographs and old TV footage of those circuits from all those years ago.

Q. You're 45 points behind the championship leader with 50 points remaining on the board. While it's still theoretically possible, are you frustrated not to be in the hunt for the world title this year?

LH: "I know I've been very lucky: for the past two seasons, I've been in with a shot at the championship right until the end of the last race of the season, so, obviously, this year feels a bit different. But it's been fun to just push like crazy and try and get the maximum result from the car at each race, rather than looking at stringing together a more consistent title bid.

"It means we can keep attacking everywhere, and I think that the last five races should be good for us for a lot of different reasons. I might have missed out at Spa, but I really want to win Monza and see how competitive we'll be in the flyaways. The five remaining races are a great mix of circuits and I'm looking forward to all of them.

"But I'll still be going for it, trying to get every single point I can. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not going to put the title out of my mind until I know that it's mathematically impossible."
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CANADA 2008.
 
^ I highly doubt it...
 
Renault pushes Williams to re-join team alliance

Renault reportedly wants Williams to re-enter the Formula One Teams? Association before it agrees to supply the British outfit with engines for next year.

Possibly due to the uncertainty about Toyota's participation beyond the current season, Williams is on the lookout for an alternate engine supply and is believed to be eyeing the Renault deal currently used by Red Bull.

"The engine situation is still a work in progress but I think we are relatively clear on which direction we want to go in," chief executive Adam Parr said.

According to Auto Motor und Sport however, Flavio Briatore has told Sir Frank Williams that he must re-join FOTA before the engine deal is signed.

Williams, whose logo was never removed from the FOTA website and official stationary, was suspended from the body earlier this year because it broke ranks and signed up unconditionally for the 2010 championship amid the FOTA breakaway threat.
Click here to find out more!


Williams said in June: "If you're expelled from school, you don't tend to go back do you?"

It is reported that the similarly suspended Force India has also been invited to re-join FOTA and is likely to do so shortly, while the first of the new F1 teams to ask to join the association is USF1.

However, Auto Motor und Sport reports there is real uncertainty about USF1's plans for 2010, despite signing YouTube's Chad Hurley as a backer. The publication said "only desks and computers" are to be found currently at the outfit's Charlotte base.
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Source

mmm, Williams-Renault is a mouth watering prospect.
 
Fisichella is now a Ferraristi!

Fisichella to race for Ferrari at Monza, reserve role for 2010
Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Force India F1. Formula One World Championship, Rd 12, Belgian Grand Prix, Preparations, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Thursday, 27 August 2009 (L to R): Luca Badoer (ITA) Ferrari with Balbir Singh (IND) Force India F1 Team Physical Trainer. Formula One World Championship, Rd 12, Belgian Grand Prix, Practice Day, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Friday, 28 August 2009 Stefano Domenicali (ITA) Ferrari General Director. Formula One World Championship, Rd 11, European Grand Prix, Qualifying Day, Valencia Spain, Saturday, 22 August 2009 Force India team owner Dr Vijay Mallya with driver and polesitter Giancarlo Fisichella on the grid

Giancarlo Fisichella will race for Ferrari at the remaining five rounds of 2009 after Force India agreed to release him from his contract on Thursday. Fisichella will replace Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer as stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa, starting at next weekend?s Italian Grand Prix. He will then serve as Ferrari's reserve driver in 2010.

Force India have yet to confirm who will take over from Fisichella alongside Adrian Sutil in the team?s number 21 car, though third driver Vitantonio Liuzzi is already being tipped to succeed his fellow Italian.

?We've chosen Fisichella because we can expect him to make a valuable contribution in this final part of the season,? said Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. ?Giancarlo has shown throughout his long career that he's fast and competitive and we are therefore proud to be able to run an Italian driver in our home race.?

Fisichella, who scored Force India?s first-ever pole position, points and podium at last weekend?s Belgian Grand Prix after finishing a close second to Ferrari?s Kimi Raikkonen, commented: ?I am very grateful to (Force India boss) Vijay Mallya for allowing me this opportunity to drive for the Scuderia Ferrari team.

?It is true that it has always been an ambition to do this, and for Vijay to have allowed it to become a reality is very generous. I hope in my turn I have helped Force India grow up and be on the right path to achieve their own ambitions. They are now a very competitive team and I wish them all the very best.?

Badoer was drafted in by Ferrari after Massa fractured his skull in a qualifying accident at July?s Hungarian Grand Prix. However, the 38-year-old Italian struggled to get to grips with the F60 in a race environment, prompting the team to seek an alternative as they chase third place in the constructors? championship.

?We wish to thank Luca Badoer for the team spirit he demonstrated in these circumstances,? added Domenicali. ?It is a shame he was unable to show his true worth in these last two races, tackled under conditions which anyone would have found difficult.?

Mallya said he had made the decision to release his driver for the good of Fisichella and of Formula One racing, and not in exchange for any financial settlement. He also hinted that the 36-year-old?s Ferrari deal extends beyond 2009, suggesting a possible testing role for the Roman next season.

?For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception,? said Mallya. ?No one should stand in the way of this. Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this. A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari for Monza is a positive story for Formula One, which can only help raise the sport's profile in these difficult times.?

Mallya went on to thank Fisichella for his contribution to the team over the past one and a half seasons, but insisted his departure would not have a major impact on Force India?s impressive recent form: ?He has been an integral part of the team and we owe him a great deal for his input behind the scenes and performance out on track - we wish him all the best for the future.

?This sport is a team effort and removing one part, even a major one, will not significantly affect our performance.The competitiveness of the team seen in Belgium was a result of hard work in the factory and wind tunnel and we have further developments coming for the final races, so we are confident this momentum can be sustained.?
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I was reading one of James Allens latest blogs and after reading the final sentence, something occured to me...


It?s a great story and it will provide Fisi with the perfect exit from the sport, he also becomes reserve driver in 2010.. in place of Badoer.
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Massa's accident has in a weird way actually killed 2 guys carreers.
First off there's poor Badoer.
I mean, what was he doing before Hungary? Coming to the races, wearing Ferrari colours, free food, free booze, free ice cream. Doing some testing now and then in January, 2-3 straightline tests during the year. And probably getting pretty good pay to do it. Sounds like a job many would envy.
All of the sudden Massa gets injured and in true Godfather style, he recieves an offer he can't refuse. To actually race for Ferrari.
We are now 2 races later and his services are no longer required. He's been made a laughing stock in front of the entire world and -though Ferrari won't say it- has shamed them. He'll now go back to being a reserve driver and then axxed at the end of the year, never to be heard from again.

And now, there's Fisichella. Again, offered an offer he can't refuse. Basically: ride it out with Force India, see where it brings them next year. With some good development and the new kids on the block, they might be fighting in the (upper-)midfield instead of the back. He could have some more fun racing (like Rubens appears to do), etc. OR, He signs up with Ferrari for 5 races... and retires a Ferrari driver. True, a nice ending to his carreer. But an ending nevertheless.
After these 5 races that's all she wrote for him, after that he'll be replacing poor Badoer and that'll be it.

It's really cool for him that he gets to drive for Ferrari and all that, but in a way... It's sad...
 
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It was bound to end anyway. Why not leave in a bang?
 
Yeah, he was going to retire anyway.
 
He was going to retire soon enough anyway so I think it's only a positive for Fisichella. Far better to end with a drive from Ferrari (starting at Monza of all places) than have his career stick with Force India and... fizzle out :lol:
 
AnGuRuSO said:
DaHitch hasn't considered one thing. What if he kicks Kimi's ass and wins the next five races.
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which is technically impossible for Fisi to do. He is not familiar with the car, not without any testing prior to Monza. It would be silly for him to take unnecessary risk at his first race with Ferrari.
 
Meh. not as if a budget cut will affect them, anyway. They weren't doing THAT good with all the money they threw at F1 in the first place
 
Good one m8.

I really can't understand how they spent the most money in F1 and got no where. It's confusing..
 
Renault summoned by FIA's WMSC

By Jonathan Noble Friday, September 4th 2009, 15:52 GMT

Renault has been summoned to appear before an extraordinary hearing of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council to answer charges that it caused a deliberate crash in last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

The team's representative have been asked to appear at the hearing, which takes place in Paris on September 21.

More to follow.
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Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78321

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Uh oh... shit just got real?
 
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