2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

[phil1993]

Williams pleased with team's progress

Frank Williams has said he is impressed with the progress made by his team this year, but that it still has to take another step before it can win races.

Williams has not won since 2004, when Juan Pablo Montoya won the Brazilian Grand Prix on his final appearance for the outfit, but has claimed top five finishes in the past four races. Despite being sixth in the constructor's standings, Williams is just 14.5 points off third-placed Ferrari.

"The team has done very well," said Williams when asked by AUTOSPORT what he made of its form so far this season. "It's edifying to see the technical progress of the car, which has got quicker and quicker.

"The trick is to get even closer to the front so that we have a real chance of winning. That's what gets us out of bed in the morning."

Williams also paid tribute to driver Nico Rosberg's contribution. The German has scored points in eight out of 10 races this year, including fourth places in the last two races at the Nurburgring and Hungaroring, and Williams believes that the interest other teams are showing in signing him is a reflection of his ability.

"In a way, it's great news because it tells us that we've got a very good driver," said Williams. "But, of course, we've got to keep him. But it's good to know that lots of people want him.

"He just keeps getting better and better, and really knows what he wants to do. He never indicates that he's lost with the car and most of his practice sessions are just a straight line upwards in terms of improvement."

Williams added that he is happy with Kazuki Nakajima's progress despite the Japanese having failed to score a point this season.

"Kazuki is in his second season and is still very young," said Williams. "He's better than people give him credit for because he's very brave and is frightened of nobody.

"He's still got some way to go, but he has not disappointed me."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77560

Nice to see a team boss so positive and kind about a driver rather than lash out at them

[Ali]

This could be interesting development:

Bernie Ecclestone was unwilling to release the prize money and TV money due to Honda for 2008, some €35 million, but the team received it this week, on signature of the new Concorde Agreement. This provides a timely boost to their coffers as they attempt to keep up with the Red Bull cars.

[TwistedArmco]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77560

Nice to see a team boss so positive and kind about a driver rather than lash out at them

Ha, maybe Flav can take lessons on driver-TP relations from Frank. He's a cold, ruthless guy, but not one without honour and a genuine fairness.

[phil1993]

Just thinking, if The Brawns favour higher temperatures, then they have the advantage over the remaining races as all races bar Spa and possibly Monza should be held in pretty hot conditions...

[Tom Vandenhove]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2CTm0ao ... re=related


how do I use the youtube codes ?

[phil1993]

Domenicalli: New rules haven't worked

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes Formula 1 must do better in the future when it comes to making regulation changes, after claiming this year's new car rules aimed to boost overtaking have been a failure.

A major aerodynamic revamp was introduced at the start of this year with a view to improve the racing and making passing easier.

However, although the rules have shaken up the grid and allowed fresh winners, the on-track battles have not been hugely improved - and overtaking is still as difficult as it has been in the past.

Domenicali believes that the lessons of this year are proof that when it comes to making changes in the future, it is important more effort is made to ensure that they are a success.

"I think the 2009 regulations were changed in order to have better overtaking, that was the main principle," Domenicali told the Shell.com/Ferrari website in a video interview.

"I have to say that if you look at the races, that objective was not really achieved so far. So that means that when there is a change of regulation, before doing something it's very important we really need to make sure that what we want to achieve in terms of objectives is really achieved.

"The objective that was achieved was the fact that we had a different grid, different cars were more competitive and this is for sure the only thing I can say on the new regulation."

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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77616

Without sounding too Anti-Ferrari, they did say the same thing in 2005 when the rules didn't work for them but I think they'll be back with a monster of a car next year that will dominate in the hands of whichever driver they have.

[fclen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2CTm0ao ... re=related


how do I use the youtube codes ?

Use:

[youtube][/youtube]

like this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2CTm0aoOMc[/youtube]

[Tom Vandenhove]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2CTm0ao ... re=related


how do I use the youtube codes ?

Use:

[youtube][/youtube]

like this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2CTm0aoOMc[/youtube]

yeah i did but it was not working Anyway,

Brawn and Force India back in action
10 August 2009

The Brawn GP and Force India teams reopened their factories on Monday morning after taking their compulsory two-week summer break. Both outfits will now continue full development on their cars before heading to Valencia for the European Grand Prix next weekend.

With current Formula One rules stating that all teams must fully close factories and cease any development for a fortnight during the four-week break between the Hungarian and European Grands Prix, Brawn and Force India - whose factories are based at Brackley and Silverstone respectively - elected to close immediately after the race in Budapest whereas the other eight teams have one week remaining.

The closed period permitted only administration work at team bases, with absolutely all activities brought to a halt on the development side. The next two-week period will be particularly vital for Brawn, which is striving to retain its championship lead with seven Grands Prix remaining.

The Force India drivers have also been enjoying holidays, meantime, with Adrian Sutil enjoying a trip to his Swiss home before travelling to Bali and Indonesia whereas team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella has travelled to Corsica from Sardinia, where his boat is moored.

[phil1993]

Grosjean poised to replace Piquet

Romain Grosjean is on standby to replace Nelson Piquet at Renault for the European Grand Prix should the team overturn its exclusion from the next event on the calendar, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Renault is facing an FIA International Court of Appeal hearing in Paris on Monday against its one-race ban for allowing Fernando Alonso to return to the track at the Hungarian Grand Prix with his front right wheel not fully attached.

Until the outcome of that hearing is known, Renault is unable to confirm its plans for the next race - even though it has already informed Nelson Piquet that he will not drive for them any more.

Grosjean currently lies second in the GP2 standings behind Nico Hulkenberg.

Should Renault succeed in having the punishment reduced, perhaps to a major fine, then Grosjean is top of the list to be slotted in alongside Fernando Alonso from the European GP.

AUTOSPORT understands that Grosjean has already had a seat-fitting at Renault's Enstone factory for the R29, and has conducted practice starts during straight line testing.

Piquet's departure from Renault came after a disappointing second season for the team, where he failed to score any points up until the Hungarian GP.

After being informed that he had been dropped, Piquet launched a scathing attack on team boss Flavio Briatore - who he labelled as his "executioner" in a statement.

Plans are already underway for Grosjean to be replaced at the Barwa Addax team in GP2 by Davide Valsecchi

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77622

[Tom Vandenhove]

Thanks for posting that news report phil

Bourdais hoping to return to F1

11 August 2009
After being dropped by Scuderia Toro Rosso, Sébastien Bourdais hopes to make a comeback to Formula One with one of the new teams on the grid next year. Three new outfits are currently in the line-up although a fourth is also highly likely to be seen after the departure of manufacturer BMW from the sport.

With Toro Rosso having decided to replace Bourdais with Jaime Alguersuari, the Frenchman is left without a seat for 2010 but insists that he will not cease his quest to locate one. "I aspire to find a place in F1," he told France's L'Équipe. "Since there are no (in-season) tests, I can be attractive to new teams."

With Campos, Manor and USF1 all lined up to join the grid, the BMW-Sauber outfit is also searching for a new buyer. "Heidfeld and Kubica will also be on the market," Bourdais continued, admitting that this could make the quest more difficult. "Some new teams will like this, for technical abilities, but without the money…the climate makes quite a difference."

If the worst comes to the worst and Bourdais does not return to F1, where does the 30-year-old see himself racing next year? "I am under contract with Peugeot until the end of the year," he explained of his duties in the Le Mans team. "For next year? They seemed quite happy with my work at Le Mans this year. In the United States I've always had a contact with my team (Newman-Haas) but the problem is that they need money to drive the car; it takes five million (dollars) - not easy to find in these times."

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http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/08/11/bourdais-hoping-to-return-to-f1/

[phil1993]

I think he'd be good for USF1

[Tom Vandenhove]

I think he'd be good for USF1

Yeah. He knows a lot of US people from ChampCar

[Earth]

Lets go to the Indycars Bourdais, Formula 1 isnt good for you

[Tom Vandenhove]

Lets go to the Indycars Bourdais, Formula 1 isnt good for you

i agree with you Earth. But Bourdais says that "it's too expensive" ...

[Tom Vandenhove]

10-place penalty 'inevitable' for Vettel

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner admits that the chances are high of Sebastian Vettel receiving a ten-place grid penalty for an engine chance later this season. The German lost two Renault powerplants in Valencia at the weekend and now has the same number remaining for the rest of the season before penalties will begin to kick in.

With each driver able to make use of eight engines over the course of a Grand Prix season from 2009 onwards, Vettel's disastrous weekend in Spain engine blows in both final practice on Saturday and in Sunday's race, meaning that only two remain for use before a 10-place grid penalty is incurred for use of a ninth unit.

"Four engine failures with Vettel (in 2009) - it's almost inevitable that we will have an engine penalty somewhere, which is very frustrating," Horner told the press in the aftermath of Sunday's European Grand Prix. "We will just need to manage that and think strategically about the right time to take that penalty."

Valencia marked a miserable weekend for the Milton Keynes team, which scored no World Championship points with either of its two cars for the first time since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

"It was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be," Horner admitted. "In terms of a fuel rig failure, two engine failures and no points for either car, it's far harder than we expected - it's hopefully a blip; we've had a lot of momentum with us and this was always a track that was going to suit the Brawns."

Vettel now sits fourth in the Drivers' standings on 47 points, 25 behind championship leader Jenson Button with six Grands Prix remaining.

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http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/08/24/10-place-penalty-inevitable-for-vettel/