April 18, 2009

Sebastian Vettel grabbed Red Bull's first pole position when he clocked a late fastest lap to top the times in a gripping qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old German, who joined the team from sister outfit Toro Rosso after earning his first career win at last year's Italian Grand Prix, went out late and nailed it in the final seconds.

Resurgent two-times world champion Fernando Alonso from Spain took second for Renault in a car fitted overnight with new floor parts and a new diffuser, his team having worked until 5am to complete the job.

"I am very, very happy," Vettel said, a popular driver in the paddock who combines a cheeky sense of humour with a serious approach to racing.

"For me, this is unbelievable. We had a few problems with the car this morning and we were running a bit late like we did in Melbourne.

"But it seems the less I run in free practice, the better I am in qualifying. This is great."

Australian Mark Webber was third in the second Red Bull ahead of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in the leading Brawn, with his teammate Briton Jenson Button fifth after taking pole in Australia and Malaysia.

Italian Jarno Trulli took sixth place for Toyota with German Nico Rosberg seventh for Williams and Finn Kimi Raikkonen eighth for Ferrari.

Defending world champion Briton Lewis Hamilton was ninth for McLaren Mercedes while Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi took 10th for Toro Rosso.

On a bright day with sunshine, qualifying began with a familiar 2009 story as the two Brawn car roared to the top of the timesheets.

But Q1 was a less happy mini-session for the BMW Sauber team and the luckless Robert Kubica from Poland who failed to make the cut.

He was 18th fastest and a weekend of experiments with KERS continued disappointingly.

Also out went the two Force Indias of German Adrian Sutil and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, along with Brazilian Nelson Piquet of Renault and Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais of Toro Rosso.

In Q2, there was more confirmation that the field was tightening up and some improvements at Ferrari and Renault as the two Red Bulls topped the times.

Vettel was quickest with teammate Webber second ahead of Barrichello and Button, third and fourth. All of the cars were running with the lightest possible fuel loads.

This session saw Kubica's BMW teammate German Nick Heidfeld fail to make the cut as he qualified 11th ahead of Finn Heikki Kovalainen in his McLaren Mercedes.

Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari will start 13th, German Timo Glock in a Toyota was 14th and Japan's Kazuki Nakajima in a Williams was 15th quickest.

Starting grid1st row
Sebastian Vettel (GER/Red Bull-Renault)
Fernando Alonso (ESP/Renault)
2nd row
Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull-Renault)
Rubens Barrichello (BRA/Brawn-Mercedes)
3rd row
Jenson Button (GBR/Brawn-Mercedes)
Jarno Trulli (ITA/Toyota)
4th row
Nico Rosberg (GER/Williams-Toyota)
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari)
5th row
Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes)
Sebastien Buemi (SUI/Toro Rosso-Ferrari)
6th row
Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW Sauber)
Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/McLaren-Mercedes)
7th row
Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari)
Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/Williams-Toyota)
8th row
Sebastien Bourdais (FRA/Toro Rosso-Ferrari)
Nelson Piquet Jr (BRA/Renault)
9th row
Robert Kubica (POL/BMW Sauber)
Adrian Sutil (GER/Force India-Mercedes)
10th row
Timo Glock (GER/Toyota)
Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/Force India-Mercedes)

Glock was handed a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox and starts from the last row.

China F1 GP

F1 China GP Quinella 19/04 - Quinella
Odds updated at 22:19:45
First and Second in any order 17:00 Sun 19 Apr 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
32071 Button/Barrichello 3.25 $
32072 Button/Raikkonen 34.00 $
32073 Button/Massa 67.00 $
32074 Button/Kubica 81.00 $
32075 Button/Hamilton 23.00 $
32076 Button/Alonso 10.00 $
32077 Button/Trulli 19.00 $
32078 Button/Rosberg 26.00 $
32079 Button/Glock 67.00 $
32080 Barrichello/Raikkonen 51.00 $
32081 Barrichello/Massa 101.00 $
32082 Barrichello/Kubica 126.00 $
32083 Barrichello/Hamilton 34.00 $
32084 Barrichello/Alonso 17.00 $
32085 Barrichello/Trulli 31.00 $
32086 Barrichello/Rosberg 41.00 $
32087 Barrichello/Glock 101.00 $
32088 Raikkonen/Massa 51.00 $
32089 Raikkonen/Kubica 401.00 $
32090 Raikkonen/Hamilton 151.00 $
32091 Raikkonen/Alonso 81.00 $
32092 Raikkonen/Trulli 151.00 $
32093 Raikkonen/Rosberg 251.00 $
32094 Raikkonen/Glock 401.00 $
32095 Massa/Kubica 501.00 $
32096 Massa/Hamilton 301.00 $
32097 Massa/Alonso 151.00 $
32098 Massa/Trulli 301.00 $
32099 Massa/Rosberg 401.00 $
32100 Massa/Glock 501.00 $
32101 Kubica/Hamilton 401.00 $
32102 Kubica/Alonso 201.00 $
32103 Kubica/Trulli 401.00 $
32104 Kubica/Rosberg 501.00 $
32105 Kubica/Glock 501.00 $
32106 Hamilton/Alonso 51.00 $
32107 Hamilton/Trulli 101.00 $
32108 Hamilton/Rosberg 126.00 $
32109 Hamilton/Glock 301.00 $
32110 Alonso/Trulli 41.00 $
32111 Alonso/Rosberg 67.00 $
32112 Alonso/Glock 151.00 $
32113 Trulli/Rosberg 126.00 $
32114 Trulli/Glock 51.00 $
32115 Rosberg/Glock 401.00 $
32116 Combinations Not Quoted 1.25 $


F1 China GP Winner 19/04 - Winner
Odds updated at 22:12:15
Pays on Podium (over the Line) Position 17:00 Sun 19 Apr 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
32017 BUTTON Jenson 3.25 $
32014 VETTEL Sebastien 4.00 $
32018 BARRICHELLO Rubens 5.00 $
32007 ALONSO Fernando 8.00 $
32013 WEBBER Mark 9.00 $
32009 TRULLI Jarno 15.00 $
32001 HAMILTON Lewis 17.00 $
32015 ROSBERG Nico 21.00 $
32003 RAIKKONEN Kimi 26.00 $
32010 GLOCK Timo 51.00 $
32004 MASSA Felipe 51.00 $
32006 HEIDFELD Nick 67.00 $
32005 KUBICA Robert 67.00 $
32002 KOVALAINEN Heikki 81.00 $
32011 BUEMI Sebastien 151.00 $
32016 NAKAJIMA Kazuki 151.00 $
32008 PIQUET Nelsinho 201.00 $
32012 BORDAIS Sebastien 401.00 $
32020 FISICHELLA Giancarlo 751.00 $
32019 SUTIL Adrian 751.00 $


F1 China GP Top 3 19/04 - Top 3
Odds updated at 21:01:24
Pays on Podium (over the Line) Position 17:00 Sun 19 Apr 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
32034 VETTEL Sebastien 1.50 $
32037 BUTTON Jenson 1.55 $
32038 BARRICHELLO Rubens 1.70 $
32027 ALONSO Fernando 2.50 $
32033 WEBBER Mark 2.50 $
32029 TRULLI Jarno 3.00 $
32021 HAMILTON Lewis 4.00 $
32035 ROSBERG Nico 4.00 $
32023 RAIKKONEN Kimi 6.00 $
32030 GLOCK Timo 11.00 $
32026 HEIDFELD Nick 11.00 $
32024 MASSA Felipe 11.00 $
32025 KUBICA Robert 13.00 $
32022 KOVALAINEN Heikki 17.00 $
32031 BUEMI Sebastien 26.00 $
32036 NAKAJIMA Kazuki 31.00 $
32028 PIQUET Nelsinho 51.00 $
32032 BORDAIS Sebastien 61.00 $
32040 FISICHELLA Giancarlo 81.00 $
32039 SUTIL Adrian 101.00 $


F1 China GP Top 8 19/04 - Top 8
Odds updated at 20:56:27
Pays on Podium (over the Line) Position 17:00 Sun 19 Apr 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
32057 BUTTON Jenson 1.22 $
32058 BARRICHELLO Rubens 1.25 $
32047 ALONSO Fernando 1.33 $
32049 TRULLI Jarno 1.35 $
32054 VETTEL Sebastien 1.35 $
32041 HAMILTON Lewis 1.40 $
32053 WEBBER Mark 1.40 $
32043 RAIKKONEN Kimi 1.50 $
32055 ROSBERG Nico 1.60 $
32046 HEIDFELD Nick 2.10 $
32042 KOVALAINEN Heikki 2.10 $
32044 MASSA Felipe 2.25 $
32051 BUEMI Sebastien 2.50 $
32050 GLOCK Timo 3.00 $
32045 KUBICA Robert 3.00 $
32056 NAKAJIMA Kazuki 3.50 $
32048 PIQUET Nelsinho 6.00 $
32052 BORDAIS Sebastien 7.00 $
32059 SUTIL Adrian 9.00 $
32060 FISICHELLA Giancarlo 10.00 $

^ Top
F1 China GP Winning Team 19/04 - Winning Team
Odds updated at 18:53:46
Team of winning car 17:00 Sun 19 Apr 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
32069 Brawn 2.25 $
32067 Red Bull 2.50 $
32064 Renault 7.50 $
32065 Toyota 11.00 $
32068 Williams 13.00 $
32062 Ferrari 17.00 $
32061 McLaren 19.00 $
32063 BMW Sauber 31.00 $
32066 Toro Rosso 101.00 $
32070 Force India 251.00 $

April 19, 2009

Sebastian Vettel won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of Australian teammate Mark Webber, handing Red Bull Racing their first Formula One victory.

Webber achieved his best ever result in Formula One by finishing second in a rain-soaked race in Shanghai.

Championship leading Briton Jenson Button finished third for the Brawn GP team ahead of his teammate, veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.

After qualifying third-fastest, Webber - who had to recover from a broken leg in the off-season - finished almost 11 seconds behind his teammate to achieve only his third podium placing in seven years in Formula One.

He finished third at the Nurburgring in the German Grand Prix in 2007 and achieved the same result in Monaco in 2005 when racing for Williams.

"They were tough conditions so it's extremely rewarding," Webber said, celebrating the result with his father, who flew in from Australia to join him.

"It's the best result of my career and I'm hoping to go one step better in the future.

"But it's an incredible result for Red Bull ... it means a huge amount to us all.

"I like to share my results with the team. Our team has been through a lot, a lot of results slipped through our fingers."

The second placing moved him to fifth on the 2009 drivers standings, 11.5 points behind leader Button, who commended Red Bull after the race.

"We couldn't challenge these two guys today, who were immensely quick,'' Button conceded.

After finishing 13th in the season opener in Melbourne and sixth in Malaysia, Webber is now in a strong position to enjoy his best season in the sport after many frustrating campaigns.

His German teammate Vettel, the 21-year-old who claimed his maiden win for the Toro Rosso team in similar weather at last year's Italian Grand Prix, dominated from pole position in Shanghai.

It endorsed his status as the sport's new young rising star - his pole and victory at Monza last year made him the youngest driver in F1 history to achieve such feats.

"I am extremely happy," Vettel said after the race. "The team did a really, really good job in preparing the car.

"We found the problem. That speaks for the quality of the team."

There were encouraging signs that McLaren are starting to find their feet with Finn Heikki Kovalainen and defending world champion Briton Lewis Hamilton finishing fifth and sixth.

Germany's Timo Glock was seventh for Toyota and Swiss rookie Sebastien Buemi, just 20, came home eighth to claim the final point for Toro Rosso.

But Ferrari again failed to score for the third time this season -- now their worst start to a racing year since 1981.

Brazilian Felipe Massa retired with mechanical problems and Finn Kimi Raikkonen came in a midfield position without threatening to pick up any points.

And there was disappointment for Force India which looked on course for its first ever Formula One point with Adrian Sutil in sixth with five laps to go, but the German lost control of his car and crashed out.

The race was started under a safety car and there were two further spells of safety car intervention due to the dreadful weather and a spate of accidents and collisions.

The championship continues in Bahrain next weekend.

F1GP - Chinese Grand Prix
Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired

1 15 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 01:57:43.4850
2 14 Mark Webber Red Bull 01:57:54.4550
3 20 Jenson Button Brawn 01:58:28.4600
4 21 Rubens Barrichello Brawn 01:58:47.1890
5 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 01:58:48.5870
6 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 01:58:55.3510
7 10 Timo Glock Toyota 01:58:57.9610
8 12 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 01:58:59.9240
9 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 01:59:07.7940
10 4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 01:59:15.2350
11 11 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso 01:59:17.6410
12 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 01:59:19.3190
13 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 01:59:30.3380
14 19 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India +1 Lap
15 16 Nico Rosberg Williams +1 Lap
16 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault +1 Lap
17 18 Adrian Sutil Force India DNF
18 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota DNF
19 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams DNF
20 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari DNF


F1 Drivers Ladder
Driver Team Pts

1 Jenson Button (GBR) Brawn 21
2 Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Brawn 15
3 Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull 10
4 Timo Glock (GER) Toyota 10
5 Mark Webber (AUS) Red Bull 9.5
6 Jarno Trulli (ITA) Toyota 8.5
7 Nick Heidfeld (GER) BMW Sauber 4
8 Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault 4
9 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) McLaren 4
10 Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren 4
11 Nico Rosberg (GER) Williams 3.5
12 Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso 3
13 Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) Toro Rosso 1
14 Robert Kubica (POL) BMW Sauber 0
14 Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India 0
14 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Force India 0
14 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari 0
14 Felipe Massa (BRA) Ferrari 0
14 Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA) Renault 0
14 Kazuki Nakajima (JAP) Williams 0


Team Pts

1 Brawn 36
2 Renault 19.5
2 Red Bull 19.5
2 Toyota 18.5
4 McLaren 8
5 BMW Sauber 4
5 Toro Rosso 4
8 Williams 3.5
9 Ferrari 0
9 Force India 0

April 26, 2009

Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber says his Bahrain Grand Prix has been "screwed" following an incident in qualifying on Saturday.

Webber was blocked by German Adrian Sutil approaching the final corner of his flying last lap in the day's opening qualifying session.

Sutil claimed innocence but was judged by stewards to have "unnecessarily impeded another driver" and penalised three grid places, relegating him from 16th to 19th.

"I didn't know Mark Webber was on a flying lap. I was trying to leave space for Alonso, there was a little misunderstanding," Sutil said.

It meant Webber, who was left with the 19th fastest time from an earlier lap, will start in 18th on the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver was fuming after the qualifying session.

"It was the worst corner to be nailed on and, for me, it is an absolute disaster," Webber, who finished second in last week's Chinese Grand Prix, said.

Force India driver Sutil later apologised to Webber for his role in the incident.

"It was a big confusion. I thought he was just on an 'out-lap' so it is my fault," he said.

"I am going to see him now, absolutely, to say sorry."

The day was a much better one for Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who claimed pole position with a scorching final lap in the third qualifying session.

The Italian veteran will line-up alongside Toyota teammate Timo Glock in a one-two for the Japanese manufacturer.

Webber's teammate Sebastian Vettel, who won the Chinese GP, will start third, with championship leader Jenson Button of Brawn GP in fourth position.

For Trulli, it was the fourth pole of his career.

Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton was fifth for McLaren Mercedes ahead of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in the second Brawn, two-times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Renault and Brazilian Felipe Massa, for Ferrari.

German Nico Rosberg was ninth for Williams and Finn Kimi Raikkonen 10th for Ferrari, a result that gives the team a chance of ending their worst start to a season since 1981.

On another bone dry and very hot day, the air temperature was 38 degrees Celsius and the track temperature was 51 degrees as qualifying began and the drama unfolded.

In the opening part of the session, the McLaren Mercedes were swiftly out and into their rhythm using the super-soft tyres while others - notably Brawn and Toyota - were more cautious in their choice of rubber - a recipe that ensured last-minute tension as they pushed for a time in the closing minutes.

In the scorching conditions it was predicted that the drivers would lose two or even three kilos in weight during the session through dehydration.

The McLarens were overhauled by the two Toyotas as the session unfolded and then Vettel, the 21-year-old German who won last Sunday's maiden victory for Red Bull in China.


Bahrain GP Grid
1. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota
2. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota
3. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull
4. Jenson Button, Britain, Brawn GP
5. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren
6. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Brawn GP
7. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault
8. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari
9. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams
10. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari
11. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren
12. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams
13. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW Sauber
14. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW Sauber
15. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault
16. Sebastien Buemi, Switzerland, Toro Rosso
17. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India
18. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull
19. x-Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India
20. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso

x-denotes penalised three grid places for blocking another driver in qualifying.

April 27, 2009

Jenson Button has consolidated his lead in this year's title race with a masterful triumph for Brawn GP in a closely-contested and supremely-tactical Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old, who won in Australia and Malaysia and finished third in last weekend's rain-soaked race in China, came home 7.2 seconds ahead of German Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, the victor in China.

A delighted Button, who had set off from fourth on the grid, said: "Phew! That was a tough race, not at all easy. The team did a brilliant job. We haven't had the pace here that we showed we had at the first two races so it was important in other ways.

"For me, the first pit stop was very important and luckily I made it work thanks to getting into third place at the end of the first lap. From there on, it was tough, but it was really enjoyable. A more satisfying win than any other because it proves we are here to stay now."

Vettel said: "This is a good point for the team. I was very surprised when Lewis (Hamilton) came up beside me on the first lap and later on I just did not have the tyres to attack and do any better."

Italian Jarno Trulli, who started from pole for Toyota, finished third ahead of defending world champion Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello of Brawn.

In sixth was Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who finally claimed points for Ferrari, so ending their hugely-disappointing start to this season and avoiding the ignominy of recording their worst start in history.

Trulli said: "I'm a little bit disappointed. I wanted to get the first win for Toyota. We had a long second stint on hard tyres. Then eventually, Sebastian took the position after the last stop. He was on hard tyres, so I pushed, but I couldn't get past him."

Hamilton, having completed his best race so far this year, said: "I'm delighted, considering we started fifth. We had a great start, but it was so hard to keep up with the Red Bull and the Toyotas and Brawn. It was impossible. We've got to keep pushing but this is good for the team."

Button's win, conjured up by team chief Ross Brawn who produced a commanding strategy from the pit wall, confirmed his place at the top of the drivers world championship with 31 points, 12 points clear of teammate Barrichello.

This was the first 'normal' dry race of 2009 after three contests overshadowed by the use of safety cars and rainstorms and proved how fast the leading teams - Brawn and Red Bull and Toyota - are this season.

Created out of the ruins of the defunct Honda outfit, Brawn are on top of the constructors title race with a clear advantage of 50 points to Red Bull's 27.5.

On a bone dry and very hot day, with the air temperature reaching 37 degrees and the track at 51-degrees Celsius, the race was preceded by concerns on the grid that many of the cars may find the heat too much.

Brawn in particular were worried by their fluid temperatures and sections of the Brawn cars' bodywork were cut away at the rear before the race, according to Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo was a nervous figure in the team garage and he remained in the shade while rock music stars Eric Clapton and Robert Plant rubbed shoulders with HRH the Crown Prince of Bahrain on a crowded pre-race grid.

Williams team founder Sir Frank Williams was also present for the first time at a race this season and also the Virgin head Sir Richard Branson, a major sponsor of the Brawn team.

When the lights went out Trulli led into the first corner with Hamilton, making good use of his KERS, wriggling through from fifth to take third.

The champion then briefly snatched second on the opening lap, but ran wide and slipped back to third before being relegated to fourth when he was out-braked superbly by Button at the first turn of the second lap.

Button had the lead after lap 11 but when he and Hamilton pitted after 15 laps Vettel took over in front with Raikkonen, at this stage, lying second.

Vettel then pitted and Raikkonen followed after 22 laps, leaving Button out in front and stretching his lead.

After 37 laps, Button, Trulli and Hamilton all pitted together leaving Vettel out in front.

Vettel returned ahead of Trulli after his second stop but Button, out in front again, was not to be denied his moment in the sun.

F1GP - Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix

Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired
1 20 Jenson Button Brawn 01:31:48.1820
2 15 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 01:31:55.3690
3 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota 01:31:57.3520
4 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 01:32:10.2780
5 21 Rubens Barrichello Brawn 01:32:25.9610
6 4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 01:32:30.2390
7 10 Timo Glock Toyota 01:32:31.0620
8 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 01:32:40.9570
9 16 Nico Rosberg Williams 01:32:46.3800
10 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault 01:32:53.3310
11 14 Mark Webber Red Bull 01:32:55.8230
12 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 01:33:06.0060
13 11 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso 01:33:06.9870
14 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari +1 Lap
15 19 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India +1 Lap
16 18 Adrian Sutil Force India +1 Lap
17 12 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso +1 Lap
18 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber +1 Lap
19 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber +1 Lap
20 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams DNF

Overall StandingsDrivers
1. Jenson Button (GBR) 31.0pts
2. Rubens Barrichello (BRA) 19.0
3. Sebastian Vettel (GER) 18.0
4. Jarno Trulli (ITA) 14.5,
5. Timo Glock (GER) 12.0
6. Mark Webber (AUS) 9.5
7. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 9.0
8. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 5.0
9. Nick Heidfeld (GER) 4.0
10. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) 4.0
11. Nico Rosberg (GER) 3.5
12. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) 3.0
13. Sebastien Buemi (SUI) 3.0
14. Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) 1.0

Constructors
1. Brawn 50.0pts
2. Red Bull 27.5
3. Toyota 26.5
4. McLaren 13.0
5. Renault 5.0
6. BMW Sauber 4.0
7. Toro Rosso 4.0
8. Williams 3.5
9. Ferrari 3.0

April 29, 2009

McLaren were on Wednesday handed a suspended three-race ban for bringing the sport into disrepute, announced motorsport's governing body, the FIA.

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes-backed British-based team were in the dock on five counts of misleading stewards at the season-opening race in Melbourne.

The FIA said in a statement that, at an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, McLaren had "admitted five charges of breaching article 151c of the International Sporting Code relating to events at the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix".

"Having regard to the open and honest way in which McLaren Team Principal, Mr Martin Whitmarsh, addressed the WMSC and the change in culture which he made clear has taken place in his organisation, the WMSC decided to suspend the application of the penalty it deems appropriate," the FIA said.

"That penalty is a suspension of the team from three races of the FIA Formula One 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."

In Melbourne, Toyota's Jarno Trulli slid off the track when the safety car was out and was passed by Hamilton who then let the Italian re-overtake.

The stewards in Australia promoted Hamilton to third, ruling that Trulli had illegally overtaken the world champion after being told by Hamilton and McLaren's sporting director Dave Ryan that there had been no instructions to let Trulli pass.

At a second meeting Hamilton and Ryan stuck to their story, only for it to later emerge that Hamilton had in fact let Trulli pass, on instructions from his team.

The fall-out for McLaren has already been extensive, with the widely respected Ryan sacked, and Ron Dennis stepping aside as team boss, to be replaced by Whitmarsh.

Hamilton, who issued a public apology after the incident, has escaped punishment from the FIA.

The Briton, whose title defence has got off to a wretched start, has harvested just nine points from the first four races of the season, 22 points adrift of his compatriot Jenson Button of the Brawn team.

The next race is the Spanish Grand Prix on May 10.

May 09, 2009

Ferrari F1 ace Kimi Raikkonen says he could quit the sport over controversial plans to introduce a budget cap and a two-tier championship.

The sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA), has announced it plans to impose a voluntary cap in 2010 - a decision that has created serious unrest among the teams.

It is believed they are planning to boycott a May 29 deadline for entries to be made for next year's championship as they press for further discussions.

Raikkonen, whose contract expires in 2010, says if the proposals are carried through it may drive him out of F1.

“This is not F1 anymore. That's why there is a question mark. We'll see what happens,'' the Finn said in a BBC interview.

“There are a lot of question marks and nobody seems to know what kind of rules we are going to get,'' said Raikkonen, who won the world championship in 2007.

He added: “I'm happy where I am now, I have a contract for next year then it's more or less my decision what I want to do.

“We'll see how it goes and how F1 is going. There are a lot of question marks. Nobody seems to know what kind of rules we are going to get.

“I will definitely finish my contract but I'm not in a hurry and we'll wait and see.''

When asked if Ferrari would still contest F1 if a budget cap were introduced, Raikkonen said: “I don't know. There are a lot of question marks and I'm not the guy to answer those.''

“There needs to be a reasonable budget for everybody,'' he added.

“It would be nice to get close racing; we are getting there now but it still needs to improve.

“But it's hard to put the bigger and smaller teams on the same level as it's very difficult to make everybody happy.''

May 09, 2009

Championship leader Jenson Button grabbed pole position for the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix in his Brawn GP with a dramatic last-gasp final lap in a thrilling qualifying session.

Button, who has won three of the four races this year, clocked a time of 1min 20.527sec in the third qualifying session to claim the No.1 spot on the grid ahead of German Sebastian Vettel, in a Red Bull.

Mark Webber was fifth in the other Red Bull, the Australian having run second fastest in both earlier sessions.

As fellow Briton and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton failed to make the last 10 cut for the third qualifying session, Button's third pole so far this year proved that he and Brawn remain the outfit to beat in the 66-lap race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Vettel, 21, who has emerged this season as a champion of the future, was second ahead of Button's Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa.

Massa's Ferrari team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, made a shock early exit when he was knocked out in the first part of the session .

Sixth fastest was German Timo Glock followed by Toyota team-mate Italian Jarno Trulli.

Two-times champion Fernando Alonso of Spain was eighth for Renault ahead of German Nico Rosberg in a Williams and Poland's Robert Kubica in a BMW Sauber.


Starting grid

1. Jenson Button (ENG/BRA)

2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/RBR)

3. Rubens Barrichello (BRA/BRA)

4. Felipe Massa (BRA/FER)

5. Mark Webber (AUS/RBR)

6. Timo Glock (GER/TOY)

7. Jarno Trulli (ITA/TOY)

8. Fernando Alonso (ESP/REN)

9. Nico Rosberg (GER/WIL)

10. Robert Kubica (POL/BMW)

11. Kazuki Nakajima (JPN/WIL)

12. Nelson Piquet (BRA/REN)

13. Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW)

14. Lewis Hamilton (ENG/MLA)

15. Sebastien Buemi (SUI/TOR)

16. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/FER)

17. Sebastien Bourdais (FRA/TOR)

18. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/MLA)

19. Adrian Sutil (GER/FOR)

20. Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/FOR)

May 11, 2009

Jenson Button won his fourth Formula One race of the season by taking the Spanish Grand Prix as Australia's Mark Webber claimed his second podium finish of the year.

Button's two-stop strategy proved decisive as he became the ninth straight winner from pole position at the Circuit de Catalunya, even after Brawn teammate Rubens Barrichello, the eventual runner-up, overtook him out of the start.

"I crossed the line first and this is a race where I didn't really think I was going to," Button said.

Barrichello's extra pit stop allowed Button to make up the difference, and the Briton won by 13 seconds to extend his championship lead over his teammate to 14 points after five races.

"I had the race in my hands and I was quite surprised when they told me they were switching Jenson to two (stops)," Barrichello said. "I would like to understand why they changed that."

Webber finished third ahead of Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel, who trails Button by 18 points in third overall.

Webber improved to fourth place, 25.5 points behind the leader.

Webber overtook Vettel in the closing laps after Vettel had finally passed Felipe Massa with four laps remaining following a battle between the two drivers throughout the 66-lap race.

Massa would eventually finish sixth - behind Renault's Fernando Alonso - as Ferrari remained without a podium finish for its longest opening period of a season since 1993.

F1GP - Spanish Grand PrixPos No Driver Team Time/Retired
1 20 Jenson Button Brawn 01:37:19.2020
2 21 Rubens Barrichello Brawn 01:37:32.2580
3 14 Mark Webber Red Bull 01:37:33.1260
4 15 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 01:37:38.1430
5 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 01:38:02.3680
6 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 01:38:10.0290
7 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 01:38:11.5140
8 16 Nico Rosberg Williams 01:38:24.4130
9 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren +1 Lap
10 10 Timo Glock Toyota +1 Lap
11 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber +1 Lap
12 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault +1 Lap
13 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams +1 Lap
14 19 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India +1 Lap
15 4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari DNF
16 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren DNF
17 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota DNF
18 12 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso DNF
19 11 Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso DNF
20 18 Adrian Sutil Force India DNF

brawn are getting all the luck,,i think vettel has had the car to win the last 2 races but has been either held up or unable to pass and botched his start in spain....reckon webber is a strong bet to win monaco if he gets through qualy unscathed.