Australian GP 2009 ( finally! )

[vasia]

Great race! It was exciting to watch, lots of overtaking and lots of interesting things happening. Brawn did not 'dominate' as much as some people are reporting. In the late stages of the race before the safety car, both Vettel and Kubica were catching up to Button.

I won't make too many predictions as Australia is atypical and thus not representative of what the pecking order really is.

Overall though, Renault struggled just as I thought. Red Bull and BMW were a bit faster than I expected, Brawn was fast as expected. Ferrari I predicted to be a bit faster, so that was a little surprising. Also Mclaren was not that fast as expected. Hamilton's result was thanks to strong driving, good strategy from the team, and quite a bit of luck. If the Vettel/Kubica crash never happened, and if Trulli was never demoted suddenly Hamilton's result would not have looked so hot. Also Hamilton was also very lucky in terms of the safety car timing and not being stuck too much in slow traffic. In terms of raw pace the car itself was slow. Toyota was very strong as expected. Both drivers were stuck in unlucky traffic for a long time, but managed strong finishes. Shame about Trulli's penalty. Late stages of the race before the safety car, both Trulli and Glock were flying. Glock was one of, if not the fastest driver on the super soft tires.

Also surprising was how strong the Brawn car was. Barrichello's car displayed strong pace despite the car being damaged and hit quite a bit. If Barrichello was driving a fragile Red Bull, he likely would have retired due to damage.

Anxious to see Sepang, where the real pecking order of the season will start to emerge.

[The FOZ]

On another note, who found it funny when Fisico missed his pit slot?

Not me, he was one of my driver choices for the F1Technical fantasy league! There was a lot of forehead slapping happening at my house at that moment in time...

[djos]

I just have to say what a disgrace Red Bull are for telling Vettel to continue after his accident. That loose wheel posed a serious danger had it come detached (something that was all too common with the team's 2008 car), and could have seriously if not fatally injured a marshal/spectator. We should always be looking to make the sport safer and feel that Red Bull have lost the respect of at least one F1 fan this weekend - I can't see why more people haven't picked up on this.

Rubbish, the wheel was still tethered (unlike both Kubica's wheels) and the LeMans boys drive around back to the pits with half their car missing and no-one complains!

[andartop]

Brawn did not 'dominate' as much as some people are reporting. In the late stages of the race before the safety car, both Vettel and Kubica were catching up to Button.

I believe Button was just controlling his pace during the closing stages, and never really had to push 100% during the whole race. Rubens' recovery as well was quite astonishing. I'm not saying either of them was not worth it, but I think Brawn GP DID dominate this GP as much as some people are reporting.

[Sawtooth-spike]

I just have to say what a disgrace Red Bull are for telling Vettel to continue after his accident. That loose wheel posed a serious danger had it come detached (something that was all too common with the team's 2008 car), and could have seriously if not fatally injured a marshal/spectator. We should always be looking to make the sport safer and feel that Red Bull have lost the respect of at least one F1 fan this weekend - I can't see why more people haven't picked up on this.

Rubbish, the wheel was still tethered (unlike both Kubica's wheels) and the LeMans boys drive around back to the pits with half their car missing and no-one complains!

Yeah they do, but the drivers have been told that if there car is unfixable, they should pull off the track or they will be black flagged. Well thats what MB said on the BBC.

[vall]

I think Renault indeed struggled in Aus, but it is not their true pace. Remember Alonso made mistake in the quali and fell out of top 10. Then he lost ground at the first corner. If this did not happen, perhaps the outcome could have been different. Piquiet was not doing bad, even though he was heavy. In fact, both Renaults were very heavy. On the other hand, LH very light the first stint, when he made lots of ground. We should indeed wait a few more races to see where things stand.

[freedom_honda]

Brawn did not 'dominate' as much as some people are reporting. In the late stages of the race before the safety car, both Vettel and Kubica were catching up to Button.

I believe Button was just controlling his pace during the closing stages, and never really had to push 100% during the whole race. Rubens' recovery as well was quite astonishing. I'm not saying either of them was not worth it, but I think Brawn GP DID dominate this GP as much as some people are reporting.

Some people said that Brawn told Button not to pushed too hard for obvious political reasons. (court of appeal) If you think about it that might be true, everytime Button got pass that 4s mark with Vettel, he just seems to slow down and the gap just remains the same for the next 10 laps or something. Interesting.

[ben_watkins]

He was also screaming on the radio for Rubens to slow down!

[djos]

He was also screaming on the radio for Rubens to slow down!

That was under yellow as the new SC rules dictate you must not exceed a certain pace under yellow to prevent the drivers blazing around the circuit to get to the pits and gain and advantage.

[vall]

yeas, but look at Rubens. He could not overtake much

[shir0]

Button keeps journos waiting for a good reason
Monday 30th March 2009

Jenson Button is reported to have kept journalists waiting for ten minutes after his victory in Melbourne so that he could enjoy what a family website can only euphemistically describe as an apparently intimate reunion with his girlfriend Jessica Michibata.

In typically breathless terms, The Sun claims that Button, fresh from leading the season-opening race from start to finish, led Michibata away to a 'private room' for 'a special post-race debriefing'.

Button is described as emerging ten minutes later with a 'sly grin' to admit: "It got a bit steamy in there."

hahahaha

ouch 10 mins only?

Formula One drivers aren't trained for endurance, duh.

nah-ah!! [-X not for endurance, my friends...

S P E E D and P R E C I S I O N !!!


talk about a real quickie...

[alexbarwell]

I see BMW are trying to get ahead of the other teams by kick-starting their excuses machine

How many other teams/drivers could have won the race if things had gone a bit differently
"(insert driver of choice) could have won the race if only he had:
a) been able to get in front of all the other cars in ahead of him
b) not thrown it at the scenery
c) worked out what that steering wheel thingy was for
d) not junked his front left on the big concrete wall thing
e) not tried to use the same piece of track as another driver
f) overtaken all the other drivers when the yellow flags/safety car was out
g) avoided playing dodgems with barrichello"

[freedom_honda]

Brawn GP recorded a one-two victory in Melbourne, but it seems the former Honda team could have destroyed rather than simply beaten its competition.

BMW-Sauber figures expressed huge disappointment about Robert Kubica's late crash with Sebastian Vettel last Sunday, insisting the Pole could have raced up to eventual winner Jenson Button and passed him.

"That's interesting," Briton Button, 29, grinned as he reflected on his win in St. Kilda - a beach suburb near Melbourne - before having to jet off to Malaysia.

"I don't think Kubica has any idea about whether I was driving as fast as I could have," he added coyly.

Red Bull's Vettel, seemingly matching his Mercedes-powered rival as he ran second to Button for most of the 58-lap race, suspects the Brawn driver's hint is indeed true.

"I have the feeling they (Brawn) were playing with us," the German told Auto Motor und Sport.


An unnamed Brawn team figure is quoted by Britain's Guardian newspaper as also suggesting the Brackley camp did not display its full pace throughout the 2009 season opening race weekend.

"It is just foolish to just annihilate people all the time," he said. "I think we have a little bit in the bag. We've got good stuff coming and I think we have reason to be confident," he said.

this is just getting more and more interesting. I wonder if Brawn would absolutely dominate after the court of appeal gives the diffuser to green light.

[Rikhart]

I dont think they had that much in reserve, it would make much more sense to keep a confortable (but not shocking) gap, something like 20/30 seconds would be perfect I think. 4 is way too close for comfort.

[Saribro]

Rubbish, the wheel was still tethered (unlike both Kubica's wheels) and the LeMans boys drive around back to the pits with half their car missing and no-one complains!

1) Vettel did not return to the pits, he just kept going behind the safety car.
2) The F1 rules specifically say that you MUST pull over with a damaged car.