PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium;
44 laps; 308.052km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
 1.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)  1h23:50.995
 2.  Fisichella    Force India-Mercedes  (B)  +     0.939
 3.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +     3.875
 4.  Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)  +     9.966
 5.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +    11.276
 6.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    32.763
 7.  Barrichello   Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  +    35.461
 8.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       (B)  +    36.208
 9.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +    36.959
10.  Glock         Toyota                (B)  +    41.490
11.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes  (B)  +    42.636
12.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +    46.106
13.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       (B)  +    54.241
14.  Badoer        Ferrari               (B)  +  1:38.177

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:47.263

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                      On lap
Alonso        Renault               (B)    27
Trulli        Toyota                (B)    22
Button        Brawn-Mercedes        (B)    1
Grosjean      Renault               (B)    1
Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)    1
Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)    1

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

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Brawn do however seem to be struggling, not only with pace and tyre issues but safety as it was a spring from Rubens’ car that sadly hit Felipe Massa on the head during the end of Saturday’s Q2. This accident seemed to unsettle Barrichello and with his focus for that weekend clearly with his friend Felipe he had a disappointing race finishing 10th.

A mixed race for Red Bull with Vettel retiring due to suspension damage caused by his tussle with Raikkonen and Webber managing to hang onto the back of the KERS cars and bring his home in 3rd. The Australian confirming his place as a title rival for his team mate & the Brawn GP team.

Raikkonen put in a brilliant effort in Hungary. With another amazing start, he looked like the fearless Kimi of old. He went from 7th to 4th at the first corner, fighting wheel to wheel with Vettel, Hamilton & Webber! He managed to hold on to 2nd place in the final stages of the GP, even though Webber was closing in. 

He looked after his tyres and pushed as hard as he could but couldn’t quite match the McLaren of Hamilton. Kimi’s result also put Ferrari into 3rd position in the constructors, although the teams thoughts were clearly with Massa as they all dedicated this result to him. Lets hope the fire has returned and we’ll see Kimi fighting in F1 again for the next year or so at least, before he thinks of moving over to WRC. After all no matter how impressive his debut is at Rally Finland, he’s won’t get a top seat in a top team for 2010 and thats what he’ll be after. He’ll only be in it to win!

Nico Rosberg put in another impressive performance in his williams, finishing 4th again. He’s having a very consistent year and Williams will be desperate to keep hold of him.

Shockingly hours after the race we learn that Renault are to be excluded from the forthcoming European GP, for releasing Alonso without warning him his wheel wasn’t fitted correctly.  Something that will outrage not only the team & its drivers (although Piquet doesn’t look like he’ll be around!) but more importantly the thousands of Alonso fans who’ll have bought tickets for this 2nd Spanish race. It seems a little harsh as its a knee jerk reaction to Massa’s Q2 incident and the unfortunate accident in F2 which sadly took the life of young Henry Surtees. 

So after an unusually exciting and eventful race weekend in Hungary (without the need for any rain) and great return to form, here’s hoping Kimi can: hold on to this positive momentum, ignore the Schumi returning to Ferrari hype and get a good result in Valencia. 

Most of all though we wish Massa a speedy recovery. Forza Felipe & Go Kimi!

Jemela Coventry

GoKimi Team

Results
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:38:23.876
02 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 11.529
03 M. Webber Red Bull + 16.886
04 N. Rosberg Williams + 26.967
05 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 34.392
06 T. Glock Toyota + 35.237
07 J. Button Brawn GP + 55.088
08 J. Trulli Toyota + 1:08.172
09 K. Nakajima Williams + 1:08.774
10 R. Barrichello Brawn GP + 1:09.256
11 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:10.600
12 N.Piquet Renault + 1:11.500
13 R. Kubica BMW + 1:14.000
14 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 1 laps
15 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
16 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
Did not finish
17 S. Vettel Red Bull + 41 laps
18 F. Alonso Renault + 55 laps
19 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 69 laps

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

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Sadly for Kimi, his misfortune continued as he only managed 10th today when the chequered flag fell. I guess it was always going to be a disappointing day with a ‘double diffuserless’ and KERS free Ferrari not only struggling to maintain pace but it also has very unstable reliability. Kimi suffered from engine power issues and Massa was forced to retire with electrical problems. On the plus side both drivers did show good pace during some periods of the race. Massa was in 3rd when he ground to a holt and Raikkonen was matching the race leaders pace after his pit stop until he got stuck behind Nico. Maybe all is not lost but the upgrades due in Spain do seem to be make or break.

Lewis Hamilton however was on the other side of fortune. He certainly was very lucky to finish and in the points, after numerous adventures off the track. He admitted his race was awful, complaining  afterwards about the graining on his tires but wasn’t sure if it was the tires or his driving style to blame - so we’ll leave that decision up to you!

Luck didn’t come into it for Vettel though. His drive was flawless in treacherous conditions. For the last year or so press and pundits alike, have been calling Vettel the next big thing (or Baby Schumi). Surely he must have earned a place in the record books already after this win. After all he won Toro Rosso’s first victory last year and has now gone and on to claim Red Bull’s first ever win too!

The championship standings look awful for Kimi and Ferrari.  In fact never-mind it being the worst start for the team for 20 something years, it could have been even more embarrassing if Sutil hadn’t crashed out of the points as they’d have been the only team to not have scored a thing in 2009 so far. Lets hope Kimi can finally get some solid points on the board in Bahrain next week.

So 3 races in - Button and Brawn still top the tables but for how long. Vettel and Red Bull must have them worried in all honesty, as they scored a 1-2 without KERS or a ‘double decker’ in sight and with Newey working on an upgrade back at base. Looks like its going to be a long and exciting F1 season - here’s hoping!

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Chinese Grand Prix

Shanghai International Circuit, China;

56 laps; 305.066km;

Weather: Wet.

Classified:

Results
01 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:57:43.485
02 M. Webber Red Bull + 10.970
03 J. Button Brawn GP + 44.975
04 R. Barrichello Brawn GP + 1:03.704
05 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 1:05.102
06 L. Hamilton McLaren + 1:11.866
07 T. Glock Toyota + 1:14.476
08 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1:16.439
09 F. Alonso Renault + 1:24.309
10 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 1:31.750
11 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1:34.156
12 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:35.834
13 R. Kubica BMW + 1:46.853
14 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 1 laps
15 N. Rosberg Williams + 1 laps
16 N. Piquet jr. Renault + 2 laps
Did not finish
17 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 6 laps
18 K. Nakajima Williams + 13 laps
19 F. Massa Ferrari + 35 laps
20 J. Trulli Toyota + 37 laps

All timing unofficial

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Hamilton however also looks in with a shot in qualifying tomorrow as he’s cars new diffuser seems to have given him some much needed additional speed. The Brit finished the first free practice on top.

Rosberg took that role in FP2, continuing with his impressive Friday form. Kimi Raikkonen however looks to have another tough weekend ahead of him, with his KERS less car proving as slow and challenging we all feared it would be. He finished the day fourteenth overall.

It looks like tomorrow will be a close at the front in Q3 - lets just hope the Kimster makes it through to the top ten shot out to be in with a chance of a much needed points finish on Sunday.

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

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

All Timing Unofficial

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Perhaps the only surprise was that it was the Williams’ of Rosberg and not one of the two Brawn GP drivers that topped the timesheet in Free Practice 1 and 2. Williams seemed to have the upper hand with Nakajima also running strong in both sessions. Even more scarily for their rivals though, was the fact that both cars set their times on the harder of the two new slick compounds which Bridgestone has made available to the teams in Australia. 

Kimi Raikkonen who was one of the first cars to hit the track for a timed lap this season and finished third fastest for Ferrari in session 1. He had dominated the top slot for much of the 90 minutes. Unfortunately with the cooler track temperatures due to the later start time, session two was a different story with Kimi struggling to make it to 11th and running of the circuit more than once. It looks like the 2007 champion may have a lot of work to do to make it through to Q3 tomorrow.

Frustratingly for the fans (both at the circuit and those who were up in the early hours to watch ) it was a very quiet start  with almost no running at all in the first 30 minutes of opening practice, apart the initial installation laps and some needed running for this year’s sole rookie Sebastien Buemi. Session Two provided more action but it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season.

Sadly it will be the FIA’s new engine rules to blame , with the drivers only able to use eight engines during this season’s 17 events, that now includes Fridays sessions. The teams must focus on conserving these engines so as to not fall fowl of this rule and receive any hefty 10 place grid plenatlies. 

Many of the drivers had moments during these practice sessions (including Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen & Hamilton), as they struggled to match the pace of the seemingly new order of top teams (Williams, Toyota & Brawn GP).

The only real incidents  however where a puncture for Nakajima in FP1 , while Red Bull’s  Vettel stopped early-on on-track with a hydraulic problem in FP1 and then spun in FP2  after putting a wheel on the grass whilst braking for Turn 4. 

Free Practice One Times

Pos  Driver       Team                      Time              Laps
 1.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B) 1:26.687           19
 2.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B) 1:26.736 + 0.049   21
 3.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B) 1:26.750 + 0.063   24
 4.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B) 1:27.226 + 0.539   21
 5.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B) 1:27.453 + 0.766   15
 6.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B) 1:27.467 + 0.780   12
 7.  Massa        Ferrari               (B) 1:27.642 + 0.955   24
 8.  Glock        Toyota                (B) 1:27.710 + 1.023   24
 9.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B) 1:27.993 + 1.306   20
10.  Alonso       Renault               (B) 1:28.123 + 1.436   16
11.  Heidfeld     BMW Sauber            (B) 1:28.137 + 1.450   20
12.  Trulli       Toyota                (B) 1:28.142 + 1.455   21
13.  Kubica       BMW Sauber            (B) 1:28.511 + 1.824   22
14.  Fisichella   Force India-Mercedes  (B) 1:28.603 + 1.916   16
15.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B) 1:28.785 + 2.098   27
16.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B) 1:29.042 + 2.355   18
17.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B) 1:29.081 + 2.394    7
18.  Piquet       Renault               (B) 1:29.461 + 2.774   25
19.  Bourdais     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B) 1:29.499 + 2.812   21
20.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B) 1:32.784 + 6.097    4

Free Practice Two Times

Pos  Driver       Team                       Time              Laps
 1.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:26.053            36
 2.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:26.157  + 0.104   38
 3.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:26.350  + 0.297   42
 4.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:26.370  + 0.317   30
 5.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:26.374  + 0.321   38
 6.  Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:26.443  + 0.390   42
 7.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:26.560  + 0.507   33
 8.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:26.740  + 0.687   19
 9.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:27.040  + 0.987   29
10.  Massa        Ferrari               (B)  1:27.064  + 1.011   35
11.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:27.204  + 1.151   32
12.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:27.232  + 1.179   28
13.  Fisichella   Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:27.282  + 1.229   32
14.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:27.317  + 1.264   34
15.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:27.398  + 1.345   36
16.  Bourdais     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:27.479  + 1.426   36
17.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:27.802  + 1.749   35
18.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:27.813  + 1.760   31
19.  Piquet       Renault               (B)  1:27.828  + 1.775   35
20.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:28.076  + 2.023   33

All timing unofficial

Jemela Coventry - GoKimi Team

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New Rule Changes

Personally I think these are the most exciting thing about this new season, despite my hope that we will see a renewed Kimi respond to everyone who’s criticised his every race from Monaco onwards last season!  The 2009 cars are majorly different to the 2008 predecessors, and each team has interpreted the new rules differently.  Here is a whistle stop tour of the new rules:

Rear wing - This is one of the major changes for 2009, and has been introduced in an attempt to improve overtaking on the track, rather than in the pitlane, something which has been heavily criticised by Bernie Ecclestone.  The rear wing is now smaller in width by some 25 cm, but slightly higher by 15cm.  

Front wing - is now much lower on the car and also 40 cm wider than the 2008 car

Appendages -The extra bits of bodywork on a car have been removed, the infamous barge boards which caused Ferrari so much bother in 1999 are now gone, as well as winglets, chimneys and the ‘bull horns’

Tyres - are no longer grooved.  Thank the lord!!  Those of you who have followed F1 prior to the introduction of grooved tyres in 1998 will know how fantastic the racing was with these tyres! If you don’t already know, or haven’t followed F1 for very long, look up F1 prior to 1998 to see what the racing was like.  Research has suggested that slick tyres yield 20 % extra grip than grooved tyres.  

Testing - In season testing banned.  The only testing that will now occur is in race weekend practice sessions.

Engines - They must now last for three races as opposed to two

KERS - I’m not the oracle on this subject, as I don’t know a great deal about it, and its not compulsory (at least for Australia anyway).  It’s widely speculated that only a couple of teams will use the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) in Melbourne, and here’s why.  The design and materials it uses add weight to the car, and as you know weight is a very important issue, regularly scruitinised in Formula One, and there has been some debate about drivers being forced to lose weight because of the KERS being introduced to this seasons cars.  The idea behind this system though, is that it will take some of the energy lost in the decelaration process, and convert it into energy used to ‘boost’ speed.  Complicated!!!

Pitlane speed limit - This has also been increased to 100 km/h, which Lewis Hamilton will be happy about, as long as he remembers to spot a red light!!! 

The Teams and Drivers

Many teams remain largely unchanged from their line ups in 2008. Only David Coulthard retired last year, which meant his spot at Red Bull was assumed by the 2008 Italian Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel, and his seat has been taken up by Sebastien Buemi who joins yet another Sebastien…Sebastien Bourdais. My my Torro Rosso love their Sebastiens’!!!

Here is my team by team preview:

McLaren-Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton: 

The 2008 World Champion starts the season with the number he has always wanted on his McLaren.  From the moment he walked up to Ron Dennis as an 11 year old boy and asked for his support, to last season’s exciting and dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix, his number one aim has been to be World Champion.  Now that its been achieved, Lewis can retire gracefully!!!!  

Only kidding, although 2009 will be a different ball game to the last two seasons for Lewis.  The 2009 winter testing programme has been worrying for many at McLaren, and many have questioned their lack of pace (Lewis spent the majority of the penultimate week of testing setting times nearly 2 seconds slower than a car that had begun its testing only that week).  The McLaren team also spent a great deal of winter testing with a 2008 rear wing.  What 2009 will bring for Lewis, only time will tell?

Heikki Kovalainen: 

Heikki inherited a win in Hungary last year after Felipe Massa’s unfortunate engine blow 2 laps from the end.  Despite this fortune, the Finn was largely as underwhelming as some of the media conceived his compatriot to be.  It seemed that he couldn’t get a handle of how the car worked, and an early season mid race crash in Spain (from which he left the circuit on a stretcher) would have done little to alleviate his confidence to perform in a championship challenging car.

There is no doubting that Heikki is a very talented and fast driver, however he needs to work harder and work with his teammate on comparisons of their car if he is to challenge Lewis in the team this year.

Ferrari

Felipe Massa: 

The Brazilian was very nearly the World Champion in 2008, missing out by one point.  Massa was arguably Ferrari’s strongest driver of 2008, regularly leaving his teammate in the shadows in terms of race performance.  Massa also won 6 races as opposed to his teammate’s 2.  This is something Massa will be hoping to maintain in 2009, in order to keep up his ‘number one’ status in the team, and respond to the critics who believe that he is an inconsistent driver.  There is no doubting that Massa is talented, a fantastic victory in Turkey proved that, however Massa is under pressure to prove that he can take that consistency in the dry into his performances in wet circumstances.  With Malaysia just around the corner, and conditions regularly wet in April, Massa will want to put his five spins in appauling circumstances at Silverstone behind him.

Kimi Raikkonen: 

Needs to prove a lot of people wrong.  The pressure is on Kimi immediately, the doubts of many media critics have produced many stories over the winter linking Spaniard Fernando Alonso, to Kimi’s seat in 2010.  Recent reports have also suggested that Kimi is under pressure from his bosses at Ferrari to put in a better performance in 2009, or his seat will almost certainly be taken by Alonso, despite the Finn having a contract till the end of 2010.  Despite a wobbly few races and under par performances in the middle part of 2008, Kimi was regaining some of his old form in Belgium, and by Japan and Brazil he was back to the Kimi we all know and love.  On his day, the 2007 World Champion is the one of the fastest, if not THE fastest driver in Formula One, scoring 10 fastest laps in the 2008 season, at least carrying some victory over from the 2007 season.  (Kimi won the DHL fastest man of the year award in 2007 and 2008 for scoring the highest number of fastest laps during a season.)  Here’s hoping that Kimi can improve his performances in 2009 to prove that he still has the motivation to be World Champion.

BMW Sauber

Robert Kubica:  

The Pole is the first person from his country to win a Formula One race, and his victory in last year’s Canadian Grand Prix was well deserved.  Kubica is probably the most consistent of last years drivers, and out of all those challenging for the title, he was the only one who didn’t make a major mistake.  His reliability record is also one of the most impeccable in Formula One, in 40 race starts, Kubica has only retired with reliability issues twice.  Perhaps the biggest mistake for Kubica last season was BMW’s decision to focus on the rule changes for this season, and therefore lack of backing to improve last season’s car to really mount a challenge for the World Title.  Many were skeptical this was a good decision, lets hope for Kubica and Heidfeld’s case, it has paid off and BMW maintain a competitive strong standard from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

Nick Heidfeld: 

Nick Heidfeld enters his tenth season in Formula One, still winless.  With 152 races underneath him, Nick Heidfeld is one of the most experienced drivers in Formula One.  However despite his experience, with newer more exciting drivers, such as Vettel, teammate Kubica and Buemi, Heidfeld’s position in Formula One could be under threat, unless along with his teammate he can mount a strong challenge for the title.

Renault

Fernando Alonso:  

Double World Champion of 2005 and 2006, Alonso returned to Renault in 2008, on the back of one of his toughest season’s in Formula One so far.  Alonso had partnered Brit Lewis Hamilton in a team which had supported the latter of the two drivers since he was 11 years old.  The likely result in a competitive Alonso, was his open disgust at his superiority over a novice not being realised by his colleagues at McLaren, who supported both drivers in a championship challenge.  Moving back to Renault was perhaps one of the best things Alonso could have done, realising that the 2008 car was perhaps one of the poorest on the grid, Renault pooled efforts into their 2009 car, and gradually improved their 2008 car, which resulted in two consecutive victories for Alonso (Singapore and Japan.)  Therefore the momentum is with Alonso to be one of the strongest competitors of 2009, could a third title be on the cards?

Nelson Piquet Jnr: 

I’m hoping Piquet Jnr will be out to prove that he is worthy of a seat in Formula One.  He had a largely underwhelming debut season in Formula One, and many were calling for him to be replaced in the Renault team.  However, he has not, his commitment to the team has been rewarded, and the hope is that the Brazilian will prove that he has what it takes to be a good, regular point scoring driver.

Toyota

Jarno Trulli: 

Is one of the Formula One veteran’s on the grid this year.  Toyota have looked strong in winter testing, and look one of the teams likeliest to score a race victory in Melbourne.  Jarno will be hoping it is him, who will be the one to win, and therefore add to his one victory scored for Renault in Monaco.

Timo Glock: 

It is yet to be proven that Glock has been forgiven by the Brazilian contingency who celebrated Felipe Massa’s shortlived title glory at last season’s title showdown.  Despite that however, Glock is one of the hottest talent’s on the grid this season.  After a podium in Hungary last year, Glock will be hoping to add to that in his second full season in F1, with a victory.

Toro Rosso-Ferrari

Sebastien Bourdais:  

His talent is yet to come to light in Formula One, again a largely underwhelming driver, despite his experience and success in junior formulae and in the American Indycar series.  Bourdais was largely outshone by a teammate who is more than 10 years his junior in 2009, and will be hoping Buemi, the only newcomer this year, won’t be one to do the same.

Sebastien Buemi:  

An unknown quantity to those, who like me, don’t follow the GP2 series as well as I would like to (that’s out of superstition more than anything). I’m informed that Buemi tested for parent team Red Bull, so hopefully his testing experience will help him in his first season.

Red Bull-Renault

Mark Webber:  

Has had a troubled off season!  Whilst particpating in the Mark Webber Challenge in Tasmania on a bike, he collided with another vehicle - as a result Webber broke his leg very badly and is lucky to even be able to participate in Australia.  However, participating he is, and as he has a new teammate he will be hoping to show that he is just as exciting and competitive as Vettel.

Sebasian Vettel: 

The exciting young German (nicknamed ‘Baby Schumi’) was one of 7 race winners in 2008, and is worthy replacement for retiree David Coulthard joining from junior team Torro Rosso.  As a result of his amazing victory from pole position in Monza last year, many are expecting big things of Vettel, and he’s quite a master in wet conditions.  No wonder many compare him to Michael Schumacher.

Williams-Toyota

Nico Rosberg:  

Wants Williams to be much more competitive in 2009, the German is entering his third season with the team having not really had a shining 2008 season.  The signs look good for Rosberg, Williams have been consistent and fast in ‘winter’ testing and look to be one of the stronger midfield teams along with Toyota in 2009.

Kazuki Nakajima: 

Is perhaps one of the clumsiest drivers on the grid. Despite this he contributed to Williams’ cause last year by scoring 8 points, and will be hoping to improve on this in 2009, with higher points finishes and perhaps even a podium.

Force India

Giancarlo Fisichella: 

This is Fisichella’s 14th season in Formula One, and the Italian will be out to prove a point, after a point-less 2008 season.

Adrian Sutil: 

Will also be hoping to score points for his team, and improve on qualifying performance, after spending a large majority of the season 2008, not even getting past Qualifying One.

Brawn GP

Jenson Button:

Starting the season as favourite to win the opening race?  Enough said!!!

Rubens Barrichello: 

The most experienced driver in Formula One, and a race winner to boot, Rubens will be hoping he can take advantage of Brawn GP scintilating pre-season pace, despite just 2 weeks of testing all winter!!

Carly Durrington

(Gokimi forum member - cazzy4kimicozheizfit)

This year sees the return of slick tyres, as well as a huge reduction in the amount of aerodynamic parts allowed - meaning we should see F1 go back to its roots with nail-biting overtaking manoeuvres – hopefully spelling an end to the ‘overtaking fear’ shown at the end of last season. But the biggest question of all is who will adapt to the changes best? The Melbourne GP could spell boom or bust for this year’s line-up, as an in-season testing ban will halt those slow out of the blocks and benefit those capable of charging for victory.

BMW may be an obvious tip for the win with competitive testing times, a car that’s been in development from mid 2008 and a true title contender in the shape of Robert Kubica. However, the introduction of KERS could play a key role; will BMW’s keen development be a help or a hindrance? Will the weight play into the hands of tiny Heidfeld, or disadvantage the larger Kubica? How many of the teams will actually run the KERS system? It may be compulsory in 2010, but the short development time and high risks are putting teams off already.

These radical changes, however, may not be playing into the hands of McLaren. The new aero packages in particular could prove a problem for McLaren and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton – whose get out of jail free cards may have (hopefully!) run out. With much of their winter spent fiddling with the rear wing and seeing the MP4-24 covered in luminous green paint, unconvincing testing times and various pessimistic team reports would suggest the Woking-based team are lacking in pace. Despite this, Heikki Kovalainen insists there’s nothing to worry about – here’s hoping 2009 will see the Finn showing the speed we all know he has.

Kovalainen is of course not the only Finn we’re hoping does well – Kimi Raikkonen has shown competitive times and is insisting he’s ready for the fight, despite Ferrari’s lack of development time due to 2008’s close title chase. Last season showed a return of the Iceman’s bad luck, sparking more suspicions of his disinterest – but Raikkonen has praised the F60 and we look forward to seeing the Iceman diminishing the critics’ repetitive and brainless remarks once again.

One team who have certainly diminished any criticism is Brawn GP – the rescued Honda team who, with almost zero testing time, have left the F1 world flabbergasted by consistently topping the time sheets with last year’s drivers, Barrichello and Button. Rumour has is that Brawn GP have been artificially quick, running underweight cars, but the team insist their pace is genuine – only time will tell whether they’ll be this year’s shock contenders.

The mid field is certainly shaping up to be an interesting battle. Red Bull see the return of Mark Webber after an off-season injury, along side the up and coming Vettel – a sure front runner of the future. Renault showed elements of getting back to their best in 2008, with Fernando Alonso scoring more points than anyone during the tail the end of the season. Yet it remains to be seen whether Piquet can prove himself as more than a liability. The same could be said for Williams’ Nakajima – who’s teammate, Rosberg, often threatens a breakthrough, but is yet to show whether he has the talent to do more than just threaten. Torro Rosso were without doubt threatening last year, but will ‘the Sebastiens’ be able to cause more upsets than just confusing the commentators? Toyota could cause a few upsets too – the strong team line up is steadily progressing forward .Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Force India; who may show the odd glimmer of hope, but seem unable to hold onto it. That being said, Melbourne’s first corner might be a white-knuckle ride!

This may all shape up to a close-knit season – thank god the new points system has been abolished as quick as it arrived! That is until next year – hopefully by then the teams will have kicked some sense into the madmen who came up with the ‘winner takes all’ idea. However, not all the new rules are so bad. Plans to make F1 drivers more accessible to fans include compulsory interviews after a driver retires from a race – that could provide some controversial moments from our favourite Finn if bad luck strikes!

Needless to say, Melbourne should not be a disappointment – that first win is crucial. A possibility for all teams to shock and surprise, first corner battles, full on overtaking and comical interviews - fingers crossed, at least!

Sarah Peacock
(Gokimi forum member - kimi_the_icesnail)

Jonathan Legard

So which current driver’s getting this big build-up for the new season? “He’s one of the most naturally talented racing drivers you’ve ever seen. More so than Lewis Hamilton, more so than Michael Schumacher.”

Aha, Fernando Alonso, you say. When I tell you that the compliment came from a former McLaren insider, you may want to revise that answer. But keep the Alonso name in mind.

Red Bull’s rising star Sebastian Vettel? No. BMW Sauber’s highly rated Robert Kubica? No. The answer is Kimi Raikkonen.

Given the Finn’s fall from grace after his 2007 championship success, you can understand why Alonso is relevant.

Raikkonen can inspire and infuriate in equal measure, inside and outside Ferrari, and his performances last season reflect the arguments which bedevil the team’s current pairing of Raikkonen with Felipe Massa.

The two of them are not strong enough, the doubters say, to match the gold standard set by Michael Schumacher. His successors suffer from too many limitations which Alonso, for example, does not share.

Alonso to Ferrari has become a familiar storyline, with the strongest - and very credible - report last Christmas in the much respected Italian paper, Gazzetto dello Sport, that the Spaniard had already struck a deal to join Ferrari in 2011 - with an option for 2010 should a vacancy arise.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (3) Posts

slicks are back (yay- at long last!), the controversial KERS offers potential for overtaking but perhaps unknown dangers, reduced testing which could end some teams prospects before the season starts (especially with the new 3 race engine rule),radically revised aero packages as well as the ever continuing cost cutting and enforced budget caps.

These are the biggest set of rule changes in the sports history, particularly for the teams designers interpreting the new aerodynamic regulations. As Paddy Lowe from McLaren explains - “Almost everything - the front and rear wings, the diffuser, floor and bodywork - is affected. I don’t think there’s ever been that level of change.”

Interestingly as I write this, today there is now talk of the FOTA requesting a change to the points system increasing the reward for a win to 12 points with second place earning 9 points (third would get 7, fourth would get 5, fifth 4, sixth 3, seventh 2 and eighth 1 point.) . Will this 3 point difference be enough to encourage the drivers to go for the win rather than settle for second? I think it just might be.

It remains to be seen whether any of these changes will actually bring more excitement and overtaking. Lets hope so as the costs involved in their development seem a little anti cost cutting to me, so fingers crossed its all worth it!

Its a pretty daunting task predicting how the drivers will fair in 2009. All the winter tests have been fairly evenly balanced but with so many new elements to test, we probably won’t know exactly what the teams will have to offer until the lights go green in Oz.What we are really interested in though is how Kimi perform? One thing I know for sure is that  the real Kimi will be back this year! Many pundits and fans alike continue to write him off claiming he’s lost the ‘drive’ to perform at a top level and branding him disinterested even lazy but we’ve heard this all before and I don’t buy it!  

He’s happy with the F60 (although it was reported today he was suffering from back pain caused by his seat but Ferrari are seeking a solution) and committed to Ferrari and the sport until the end of 2010. He’s a much more relaxed guy these days and seems to have the freedom to be himself at Ferrari. How anyone could doubt his want to race after he’s taken part in two of Finland’s famous Arctic Lapland Rallies during the off season is beyond me. Maybe its time the press more on from last year, lay off Kimi and let his driving to the talking. 

Personally I really can’t wait for Melbourne, its been a long off season with much promised for 2009. I just hope all of these rule changes bring the excitement we are all hoping for. Here’s to some great racing - GoKimi!

Jemela Coventry

GoKimi Admin Team