2009 European Grand Prix

Still bad sound quality, but Terry and Kevin get to discuss Rubens hamming it up, whitmarsh talking nonsense and a jim’ll fix it letter or two…

What with all the teams having big updates and diffusers, it was kind of expected that this first practice would be yet another shakeup of the already shaky new world order

But it didn’t really happen.

The final result show a glimmer of hope for the disastrous BMW-Sauber season, but it looks, despite a new nose job, that it was just a light fuel run to trick the BMW board into thinking that everything is going ok, honest

Button in his Brawn seems to have the measure of the weekend whereas both McLaren and Ferrari’s changes either haven’t had much effect, or they be hustling…

Pos  Driver       Team                      Time               Laps
 1.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B) 1:21.799            21
 2.  Trulli       Toyota                (B) 1:22.154  + 0.355   30
 3.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B) 1:22.221  + 0.422   24
 4.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B) 1:22.658  + 0.859   14
 5.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B) 1:22.659  + 0.860   24
 6.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B) 1:22.667  + 0.868   26
 7.  Piquet       Renault               (B) 1:22.753  + 0.954   24
 8.  Glock        Toyota                (B) 1:22.828  + 1.029   29
 9.  Massa        Ferrari               (B) 1:22.855  + 1.056   15
10.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B) 1:22.859  + 1.060   24
11.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B) 1:22.873  + 1.074   20
12.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B) 1:22.934  + 1.135   25
13.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B) 1:22.959  + 1.160   24
14.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B) 1:23.077  + 1.278   21
15.  Bourdais     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B) 1:23.088  + 1.289   30
16.  Fisichella   Force India-Mercedes  (B) 1:23.089  + 1.290   25
17.  Alonso       Renault               (B) 1:23.157  + 1.358   18
18.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B) 1:23.185  + 1.386   31
19.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B) 1:23.522  + 1.723   17
20.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B) 1:23.536  + 1.737   19

grandprix.com > McLaren decision

The FIA very sensibly didn’t throw the book, the bell and the candle at McLaren today and took the scapegoating, resigning  and grovelling as victory enough, leaving just a suspended sentence just in case any more blood is found on any more hands.

That penalty is a suspension of the team from three races of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. This will only be applied if further facts emerge regarding the case or if, in the next 12 months, there is a further breach by the team of article 151c of the International Sporting Code.”

Let’s hope they buy some soap…

Glock pushed the Toyota to the top of the list in the final practice for the race and then promptly broke his car. Such is the Toyota way.

The Ferraris and McLarens seem to be more on the pace this weekend, and the Brawns and Red Bulls slightly more off it.

this season might well be shaping up to pretty interesting.

Pos  Driver        Team                  Time              Laps
 1.  Glock         Toyota                1:32.605           16
 2.  Massa         Ferrari               1:32.728 + 0.123   20
 3.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       1:32.906 + 0.301   18
 4.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1:32.975 + 0.370   16
 5.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               1:32.986 + 0.381   18
 6.  Piquet        Renault               1:33.176 + 0.571   19
 7.  Kubica        BMW Sauber            1:33.195 + 0.590   13
 8.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       1:33.302 + 0.697   17
 9.  Trulli        Toyota                1:33.397 + 0.792   19
10.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            1:33.415 + 0.810   14
11.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault      1:33.443 + 0.838   16
12.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      1:33.478 + 0.873   12
13.  Alonso        Renault               1:33.482 + 0.877   13
14.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes  1:33.534 + 0.929   17
15.  Button        Brawn GP-Mercedes     1:33.586 + 0.981   17
16.  Barrichello   Brawn GP-Mercedes     1:33.686 + 1.081   17
17.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:33.720 + 1.115   15
18.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      1:33.726 + 1.121   14
19.  Fisichella    Force India-Mercedes  1:33.962 + 1.357   15
20.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:34.990 + 2.385    7

Button, having had a nasty memory of not being in the lead after first practice, whacked his now totally legal BrawnGP car to the top of the list of cars ordered by lap times in the second practice on the Chinese GP’s second friday practice.

The Red Bull’s also looked strong, despite Ferrari still grumbling in the background that there was no point in any non diffuser car even bothering to turn up and that they were going home, despite never actually doing so.

Rosberg kept up the new tradition of looking great on the friday as the New World Order regained its senses and put Hamilton back down to 13th.

Pos  Driver       Team                  Time              Laps
 1.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        1:35.679           35
 2.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       1:35.704 + 0.025   36
 3.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        1:35.881 + 0.202   35
 4.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      1:36.105 + 0.426   32
 5.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      1:36.167 + 0.488   22
 6.  Trulli       Toyota                1:36.217 + 0.538   42
 7.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       1:36.377 + 0.698   32
 8.  Glock        Toyota                1:36.548 + 0.869   40
 9.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      1:36.674 + 0.995   34
10.  Bourdais     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:36.800 + 1.121   34
11.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1:36.829 + 1.150   30
12.  Massa        Ferrari               1:36.847 + 1.168   34
13.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      1:36.941 + 1.262   28
14.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:37.054 + 1.375   33
15.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1:37.219 + 1.540   34
16.  Piquet       Renault               1:37.273 + 1.594   36
17.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            1:37.491 + 1.812   34
18.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            1:37.544 + 1.865   28
19.  Alonso       Renault               1:37.638 + 1.959   28
20.  Fisichella   Force India-Mercedes  1:37.750 + 2.071   31

Ron Dennis’ parting gift to McLaren F1 was seemingly to bequeath them a new diffuser, and it did the trick with Hamilton topping the timesheets in this first practice for this earlier-than-usual chinese grand prix.

Ferrari are still grumbling to anyone that’ll ask (though less people are indulging them in that kind of polite small talk) that the diffusers have ruined the year, the sport and probably got something to do with all the worlds ills. And they ended up the session in a typically grumbly 11th and 15th, there is talk that they’ll be re-employing Stefan Johannsson and Jean Alesi to remind the team how to lose properly.

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time              Laps
 1.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     1:37.334 +         22
 2.  Button        Brawn GP-Mercedes    1:37.450 + 0.116   18
 3.  Barrichello   Brawn GP-Mercedes    1:37.566 + 0.232   19
 4.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     1:37.672 + 0.338   23
 5.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     1:37.752 + 0.418   20
 6.  Trulli        Toyota               1:37.764 + 0.430   19
 7.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota      1:37.860 + 0.526   24
 8.  Glock         Toyota               1:37.894 + 0.560   21
 9.  Alonso        Renault              1:38.089 + 0.755   19
10.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:38.195 + 0.861   24
11.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:38.223 + 0.889   23
12.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault     1:38.274 + 0.940   20
13.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:38.307 + 0.973   26
14.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes 1:38.319 + 0.985   18
15.  Massa         Ferrari              1:38.418 + 1.084   20
16.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           1:38.456 + 1.122   21
17.  Fisichella    Force India-Mercedes 1:38.460 + 1.126   19
18.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           1:38.463 + 1.129   18
19.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota      1:38.730 + 1.396   25
20.  Piquet        Renault              1:38.825 + 1.491   20

Joe Saward’s Grand Prix Blog > Ron

Ron Dennis has left the Technology Centre.

It’s DEFINITELY not about liegate, and Max Moseley definitely hasn’t been applying the pain. none of that.

For the last 30 years the McLaren team may well have been called Dennis, if only that wasn’t such a shitty name.

Having seen through the tenure of Messrs Senna, Prost, Hakkinen, Raikkonen, Mansell (for two weeks) and Hamilton he is a man who it cannot be denied changed the face of Formula One.

He’s not left in the blaze of glory some may say he deserve, but instead falling on a (non-diffused) sword that some may say he deserves, but the spat between him and Mucky Max seems to be finally over, and the lesser man won, and the one that doesn’t like pain at that.

Lord Sir Ron Dennis OBE MBE CBBC we salute you.

2009 Malaysian Grand Prix

After a series of technical hiccups and lying to the podcasts stewards the edited (and slightly short) Malaysian Grand Prix podcast is finally here.

Sorry for keeping you waiting but stay cool baby as Kevin and Terry discuss the rain, the liegate, the massa and the eddie jordan’s of this world.

This story is getting stranger and stranger.

Now Lewis has come out with a very painful press conference in which he said that he didn’t do nufink guv, it was them big boys what told me to do it…

“I’d like to say sorry to all my fans who have believed in me and supported me for years. I am not a liar. I am not a dishonest person. I am a team player. Every time I have had to do something I have done it. This time it was a huge mistake. I am learning from it. It has had a huge toll for me. It was a lot to deal with. I was in the wrong and I feel I owe it to my fans to let them know that. Like I said I was misled.

We went straight there and while we were waiting I was instructed what to do. I did not have time to think about what I was going to do. I felt awkward and very uncomfortable and I think the stewards could see that. I am not a liar.

“Dave [Ryan] is a great guy and has worked for the team for many years and he is feeling it just as much as the whole team.

“The situation is the worst thing I have experineced in my life. That is why I am here. It is right for me as a human being and a man to tell you exactly what was going on. I am sorry for the embarrassment I have caused to may family and to the team”

This ain’t going away quickly, McLaren are barely out of the spotlight from spygate and now this liegate (I guessed wrong) has taken one of the major McLaren scalps. Is Martin Whitmarsh using this crisis to reshuffle his cabinet?

grandprix.com > McLaren sporting director suspended

though the wheels aren’t literally falling off the McLaren this season, it is starting to feel that the wheels are falling off McLaren.

After the latest saga of Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification from the Australian GP, now surely big enough to be given a -gate suffix, radiogate? ignoringate? the teams sporting director, Dave Ryan, has been susprended.

He’s been with the team for aaaages. So things can’t be good.