Vettel snatches pole from Button – 2009 Turkish Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel took pole for Red Bull at the Turkish Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver snatched pole right at the death from Jenson Button, who will start second. His team-mate Rubens Barrichello will start third, after struggling during Q3 until a last-moment lap. The other Red Bull car driven by Mark Webber will start fourth on the grid, showing that Red Bull are really up for this race. Toyota, after a terrible slump at Monaco, recovered somewhat, with Jarno Trulli qualifying fifth. The two Ferrari cars of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa finished sixth and seventh; they will be disappointed with that, as they would have been hoping to push on from an excellent perforamce at Monaco more. Renault’s Fernando Alonso qualified eighth, and Williams’ Nico Rosberg qualified ninth. BMW Sauber, making a huge improvment, saw their drivers, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, qualify 10th and 11th, respectively.

Meanwhile, McLaren went backwards, rather than forwards: Kovalainen managed 14th, but Hamilton qualified a miserable 16th. Afterwards, Hamilton started talking about next season: a sign of what McLaren have come to.

An extremely chipper Ross Brawn confidently told the BBC that Vettel had less fuel on board, and he was right: Vettel had six less kilograms of fuel in than Button. Although Barrichello has less fuel than Button, Brawn GP have the advantage in their strategy, being able to control the pit stops to more of an extent than Red Bull.

My prediction is, however, still with Vettel, as I believe that he will be able to manage to stay ahead of Brawn through the pit stops; but if you disagree (or agree, for that matter!) please vote on my pole:

http://andrewswitterings.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/who-will-win-this-weekends-turkish-grand-prix

Who will win this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix?

To answer the above question – for me, it’s between two teams – Brawn and Red Bull. I don’t think Ferrari have got enough about them to challenge (yet), but Brawn are struggling here. So my guess will lie with Red Bull. Their car wasn’t suited to the Monaco circuit, and should be much better here. So, I reckon that Sebastian Vettel will win the race – perhaps with Webber second, Button third and Barrichello fourth. What do you think? Please vote on my poll.

Rosberg and Kovalainen top practices on Friday – 2009 Turkish Grand Prix

Rosberg and Kovalainen topped Friday’s practices at the Turkish Grand Prix.

After a first session in which all drivers struggled for grip was briefly red flagged – due to the astro turf being ripped up – Rosberg pipped Hamilton to first place in the dying moments of the session. In the second practice, Kovalainen took first place. Many drivers span during both sessions. Hamilton said that the pace of the McLaren car was “better… than we anticipated”, and a second and a first seem to confirm that view. Meanwhile, championship leader Button was far from happy, complaining about oversteer, twitchiness, rear grip, front grip and hopping. Quite a lot to sort out then? Red Bull will be hoping that their car will do well, possibly in readiness to try to beat Brawn. Although they used the new double-decker diffuser at Monaco, it will be more effective here – meaning that, with Brawn struggling, Red Bull may get a chance to win.

This is the fifth race held in Turkey, and all four previous races have been run from pole position, and by Ferrari. The previous three races have been won by Felipe Massa, but I will be shocked if Ferrari win this race. Although they have made improvements, for roar pace they still seem to be behind both Brawn and Red Bull. We’ll have to see how much they have improved here.

Will it be another Brawn win – or can another team beat them? We’ll find out on Sunday.

Button takes dramatic late pole – 2009 Monaco Grand Prix

After a breathless and frenetic qualifying section at the Formula One 2090 Monaco Grand Prix, I feel like I need a holiday! Hardly a pause in the action. This is how it went:

In the first session, the five cars who went were quite surprising. Both Toyotas went – a team who are currently third in the Constructors’ Championship, and locked out the front row of the grid in Bahrain. Where did it all go wrong? Even if the car is bad in low-speed corners, they should be a bit higher than that, surely? Also in the first session, both BMW Saubercars lost out. Not as much of a surprise as Toyota, and their car hasn’t really been working this season, anyway. The last car to go out? Not a Force India. No. Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 World Champion lost control of the car going into a corner, and then the car twisted round, crashing the left rear tyre against the wall. This was Hamilton’s qualifying session over – and all those people who were predicting a good result were left shocked. Hamilton said that it was a driver error. After coming here with such high hopes, he again will go away disappointed. Worth noting, as well, that Felipe Massa of Ferrari seemed to have a similar problem – although he ended up smashing up his nose, rather than a wheel, meaning that the team could replace the nose and carry on. As suggested on BBC coverage, could it be KERS related? Both incidents seemed to be rather strange, so it is possible, although Hamilton’s looked more like a driver error to me.

In the second part of qualifying, both Force Indias went out. Not a surprise, and I think the team will be pleased that both cars managed to get of Q1. Some progress, at least. Also going out were both Toro Rosso cars, who will, also, be pleased at just getting through Q1. The other car was Renault’s Nelson Piquet. He is my tip for getting the sack first this season – he doesn’t look happy, doesn’t driver well, and hasn’t been getting results. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a question of when, not if.

Into the final session of qualifying – and what a session! Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel seemed to have done a good enough lap, but Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari got quicker and quicker in his laps, and then on his final lap, he took first. However, just behind him, the championship leader, Jenson Button, came in to take pole! Button hadn’t been spectacular – in fact, he struggled in Q2 – but once again, showing the true mark of a champion, he brought out a brilliant lap right at the death. The other drivers were ordered: Raikkonen, Barrichello, Vettel, Massa, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Webber, Alonso and Nakajima. Ferrari and McLaren have both made obvious progress, with both teams having good finishes. Red Bull, I think, will be slightly disappointed with fourth and eighth, as they would have hoped for more.

After the car weights were published, Button’s position looks stronger than ever. He is heavier than all the top 10 apart from Barrichello in third, Alonso in ninth and Nakajima in 10th. Vettel, in particular, is light.

So my prediction is Button – all the way.

Also, don’t forget to vote on my poll -

http://andrewswitterings.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/who-will-win-this-weekends-monaco-grand-prix/

Who will win this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix?

Barrichello and Rosberg take practice sessions – 2009 Monaco Grand Prix

So, after today’s practice sessions at the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix, what can we tell from them?

Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello finished top in the first practice, while Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was second. The McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen finished third and fourth, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen fifth, and Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima and Nico Rosberg sixth and seventh. The championship leader, Brawn GP driver Jenson Button, finished eighth. Of the other teams who are going well, Red Bull only managed 10th and 14th, but the biggest shock was Toyota – managing to take the last two spots. Heavy fuel load, certainly, but 19th and 20th? They’ve got some thinking to do.

In the second practice, Rosberg finished yet another session as top driver, with Hamilton second. The two Brawn cars of Barrichello and Button were third and fourth, and Massa was fifth. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was sixth, Kovalainen seventh, and Raikkonen eighth. Of the other cars, the other Red Bull – driven by Mark Webber – finished 12th, while Toyota once again struggled, finishing 14th and 18th.

Although always dangerous to assign anything to practice sessions, here’s what I think we can glean from these two. Both McLaren and Ferrari seem to have taken steps forward, with their finishes respectively of: McLaren; third, fourth, second, seventh; and Ferrari; second, fifth, fifth, eighth. Toyota appear to have slipped, unless they were carrying extremely heavy fuel loads. Brawn, of course, have remained right up there.

Button wins Spanish Grand Prix as Brawn GP take 1-2

Brawn GP are once again bounding around with champagne – and it’s because of Jenson Button’s victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. And there will be even more champagne, as his team-mate Rubens Barrichello took second.

Button started from pole, with Vettel second, Barrichello third, and Massa fourth. At the start, Barrichello overtook Vettel and Button to take first place, while Massa managed to get past Vettel. Into the first corner, the order was Barrichello, Button, Massa and Vettel, with Mark Webber fifth. Behind them a large crash, involving Jarno Trulli of Toyota, Force India’s Adrian Sutil and both the Toro Rossos of Sebastien Buemi and Sebastien Bourdais, happend. Trulli ran off the road, and then came back on at an odd angle, smashing into Sutil; meanwhile, the Toro Rossos collided with each other. All four cars went out of the race.

Barrichello took out some time over Button before the first pit stop, but after that stop it was obvious that Button was on a two stop strategy, while Barrichello was on a three stopper. Both Raikkonen and Kovalainen retired, as well, both with reliability problems.

Button gained the lead from Barrichello with the second round of pit stops, while Barrichello was behind Massa and Vettel. However, Barrichello pulled out enough of a gap to overtake the pair with his third pit stop. Mark Webber, also on a three-stopper, managed to overtake Massa and Vettel too.

Button crossed the line to win his fourth grand prix, in just five races, with Barrichello in second, and Webber third. Massa, meanwhile, had had a problem with the fueling, which meant, that, to conserve fuel, he had to let Vettel past. He was going so slowly that the lost a sixteen second lead over Fernando Alonso as well, eventually finishing in sixth.

So, what have we learnt from this race? Well, Brawn GP are still very good, while Red Bull are the second best team. This is proved by a 1-2 for Brawn, and a 3-4 for Red Bull today. Ferrari are the most improved team on the grid, even though they only managed sixth and a retirement today. For the other teams; Force India are the worst; Renault are doing okay; Williams are mixing it for some points; BMW Sauber have improved a bit; Toro Rosso are probably the second-worst team; Toyota are also mixing for some points; and McLaren are still sort of just outside of the points finishers.

Overall, my prediction is definitely now that Brawn GP will win both championships. It will be interesting to see whether Brawn and Red Bull will try to fit the KERS system on their cars, as otherwise Ferrari, who are catching them up, will have a large advantage off the start line.

However, my bet is still wholeheartedly on Brawn GP, and on Jenson Button.

Last-gasp Button grabs Spain pole

Here is my report on the qualifying at the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix.

In the first session, both Force Indias went out. Oh what a surprise. The poor team are definitely the worst out there. They’ll be hoping that somebody even worse than them will join next year

Also in the first session, McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen went out. He struggled, while his teammate, Hamilton, looked strong. Will McLaren begin to think of replacing him? McLaren and Ferrari will definitely have their eyes on Sebastian Vettel – give one of their cars, he could become a star.

Toro Rosso seem to be the second-worst team – and Sebastian Bourdais went in the first session. His new teammate, Sebastien Buemi, is the only rookie this season, and Bourdais will be very embarrased that Buemi has out-qualified and out-raced him so far this season.

But, the biggest shock in that first session was Kimi Raikkonen – he went out, and will start 16th on the grid. Oh dear. Ferrari have made exactly the same mistake that they did with Felipe Massa in Malaysia. They thought that Raikkonen had a good enough time, and didn’t bother with another run. Now, his race is totally ruined. They will not be happy. Niether will Raikkonen, as he does not celebrate an annivesary of something – Spain 2008 was his last race win.

In the second session, Toro Rosso’s position as the second-worst team was confirmed as Sebastien Buemi went out. Also going was Lewis Hamilton – out in Q2, and that’s something that’s becoming all to familiar for him. BMW’s Nick Heidfeld also went, but he will be at least a little pleased, as this is better than he has done recently. Nelson Piquet also went out, and his job as an F1 driver is under threat. Reportedly, he will be replaced after Silverstone, and if it is true, it is hardly surprising. Finally, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima also went out. His teammate, Nico Rosberg has out-qualified him at all five races this season, and Nakajima’s name should be also added the list of the drivers who might possibly be replaced.

Into Q3, then. Rubens Barrichello looked strong throughout, and Button seemed to struggle in comparison. However, Vettel of Red Bull snatched pole from Barrichello at the last moment – and then Button, against all probability, came through to take pole! Amazing! Ferrari will also be pleased with Massa’s qualification in fourth, which is a marked improvementi on his previous races.

So, who will win? Please vote on my poll, by clicking http://andrewswitterings.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/who-will-win-this-weekends-spanish-grand-prix/ .

Who will win this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix?

After qualifying, who do you think will win the Spanish Grand Prix? For me, it’s got to be Button – a man on form, with stacks of confidence, leading the championship, and with a great car. Yes, Vettel and Massa both have slightly more fuel on board, but I think that Button should be able to stay ahead of them during the pit stops. Anyway, please vote (and comment!) to tell me your views as well.

Williams take 1-2 in second practice session – 2009 Spanish Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima gave Williams a 1-2 in the second practice session for the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix.

Rosberg “wins” yet another practice session – but, will he improve on his qualifying and race performances? I think not.

Renault’s Fernando Alonso finished third, which was an excellent result for the Renault car – have their improvements let them catch up a bit? The other Renault of Nelson Piquet finished eighth.

The two Brawn GPs of Rubens Barrichello finished fourth and sixth respectively, with Red Bull’s Mark Webber sandwiched in between them. The other Red Bull car of Sebastien Vettel finished seventh.

Ferrari finished 10th and 15th – lower than in the first session – while McLaren were 14th and 15th – hardly the big improvement they were hoping for. Toyota took this session as a test session, both cars running more than 50 laps, and finishing 18th and 19th.

So, after the first two practice sessions, it looks like both BMW Sauber and Renault have made slight advances up the field, while Brawn GP, Red Bull and Toyota remain the favourites. Surprisingly, it doesn’t appear that the Ferrari or McLaren cars have advanced up the field, which I was expecting them too. Hmm. Are they going to give up on this season, and concentrate on 2010 I wonder?