2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by TwistedArmco » 24 Aug 2009, 22:45

I think Martin Brundle raised this in commentary; why not put Piquet in the Ferrari? He's no competative threat to Massa's seat, but at least has driven an F1 car recently. Then he can be easily dumped at the end of the season, or sold off to someone like Manor (Piquet/Carroll, GP2 all-stars :D ).
No, I'm not calmer. Just more jaded.

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by JoostLamers » 24 Aug 2009, 23:20

There are so many better alternatives than to put Badoer in the car...
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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by Tom Vandenhove » 25 Aug 2009, 07:02

joostlamers wrote:There are so many better alternatives than to put Badoer in the car...
Yeah. Don't put money in a second car .... Without BAD, ( :p ) ferrari would score the same couple of points :lol:

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by Tom Vandenhove » 25 Aug 2009, 09:43

Red Bull set to make engine decision
Spoiler:
By Jonathan Noble and Gerhard Kuntschik Tuesday, August 25th 2009, 09:27 GMT

Red Bull Racing has revealed it will decide within a matter of days which engine it will run with in Formula 1 next year, with it hinting that Renault reliability issues could well sway it to switch to Mercedes-Benz.

As AUTOSPORT exclusively revealed in April, Red Bull Racing has been chasing a Mercedes-Benz deal for 2010, and its hopes of a deal were boosted earlier this year when F1's rules were changed to allow manufacturers to supply up to four teams.

And although it appeared over the summer break that Renault was back in the frame at Red Bull following a major push about the French company's commitment to customers for next year, two engine failures for Sebastian Vettel in Valencia may well prove influential on the final decision.

Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed on Tuesday that the team was now at the point where it would have to make a decision - with designs for the teams' RB6 already underway.

"Regarding the preparation for next year's car we have to sort this out by the end of August, thus within the next few days," he explained. "This is the last issue to decide in a big strategy.

"We have had our drivers' contracts extended. Moreover, all team personnel at the highest and next higher level are basically committed to us until 2012. That means we have continuity and stability within the team for the next few years".

He added: "There are good arguments for extending the Renault contract and there are good ones for a switch to Mercedes.

"Of course there are facts that cannot be ignored, be it the four engine failures Sebastian had this year, with two occurring the last weekend. The six Mercedes drivers had none this year."

Marko also said that he had no qualms about the quality of Mercedes-Benz engines being compromised by it supplying four teams – McLaren, Brawn GP, Force India and Red Bull - in the event of it concluding a deal.

"I am convinced they have the capacity to provide engines for four teams," he explained.

Red Bull Racing is locked in a title battle with Brawn, and Marko was optimistic that its struggles in Valencia were not unexpected – with him hopeful that tracks coming up on the calendar would favour the team's RB5.

"Trackwise, we expect to be strong once more in Spa, Monza, Suzuka and perhaps Sao Paulo. Abu Dhabi is new to everyone, so let's wait and see. We definitely knew before coming to Valencia that this will be our toughest race in the second half of the season."

And Marko has ruled out the use of KERS – even though the team said at the weekend it would evaluate its introduction on a race-by-race basis until the end of the season.

"We will not use KERS this season or next," he said. "To introduce it right now (in the title fight) would bear too much risk. Teams are free to use KERS in 2010 again as the FIA laid down, however there is an agreement within FOTA not to use it and we will follow this agreement".

Code: Select all

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77985
:(

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by phil1993 » 25 Aug 2009, 09:49

Mercedes > Renault, therefore its the logical option

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by shailf1 » 25 Aug 2009, 09:50

Tom Vandenhove wrote:Red Bull set to make engine decision
Spoiler:
By Jonathan Noble and Gerhard Kuntschik Tuesday, August 25th 2009, 09:27 GMT

Red Bull Racing has revealed it will decide within a matter of days which engine it will run with in Formula 1 next year, with it hinting that Renault reliability issues could well sway it to switch to Mercedes-Benz.

As AUTOSPORT exclusively revealed in April, Red Bull Racing has been chasing a Mercedes-Benz deal for 2010, and its hopes of a deal were boosted earlier this year when F1's rules were changed to allow manufacturers to supply up to four teams.

And although it appeared over the summer break that Renault was back in the frame at Red Bull following a major push about the French company's commitment to customers for next year, two engine failures for Sebastian Vettel in Valencia may well prove influential on the final decision.

Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed on Tuesday that the team was now at the point where it would have to make a decision - with designs for the teams' RB6 already underway.

"Regarding the preparation for next year's car we have to sort this out by the end of August, thus within the next few days," he explained. "This is the last issue to decide in a big strategy.

"We have had our drivers' contracts extended. Moreover, all team personnel at the highest and next higher level are basically committed to us until 2012. That means we have continuity and stability within the team for the next few years".

He added: "There are good arguments for extending the Renault contract and there are good ones for a switch to Mercedes.

"Of course there are facts that cannot be ignored, be it the four engine failures Sebastian had this year, with two occurring the last weekend. The six Mercedes drivers had none this year."

Marko also said that he had no qualms about the quality of Mercedes-Benz engines being compromised by it supplying four teams – McLaren, Brawn GP, Force India and Red Bull - in the event of it concluding a deal.

"I am convinced they have the capacity to provide engines for four teams," he explained.

Red Bull Racing is locked in a title battle with Brawn, and Marko was optimistic that its struggles in Valencia were not unexpected – with him hopeful that tracks coming up on the calendar would favour the team's RB5.

"Trackwise, we expect to be strong once more in Spa, Monza, Suzuka and perhaps Sao Paulo. Abu Dhabi is new to everyone, so let's wait and see. We definitely knew before coming to Valencia that this will be our toughest race in the second half of the season."

And Marko has ruled out the use of KERS – even though the team said at the weekend it would evaluate its introduction on a race-by-race basis until the end of the season.

"We will not use KERS this season or next," he said. "To introduce it right now (in the title fight) would bear too much risk. Teams are free to use KERS in 2010 again as the FIA laid down, however there is an agreement within FOTA not to use it and we will follow this agreement".

Code: Select all

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77985
:(
Everybody is after Mercedes. I hope they return to their 2005 reliability position.. :p

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by Tom Vandenhove » 25 Aug 2009, 10:00

Red Bull Mercedes ... cmon, be serious. Red Bull Renault sounds much better :p

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by JoostLamers » 25 Aug 2009, 10:11

Tom Vandenhove wrote:Red Bull Mercedes ... cmon, be serious. Red Bull Renault sounds much better :p
And much crappier :lol:
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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by Tom Vandenhove » 25 Aug 2009, 10:41

I hate you Joost :p

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by shailf1 » 31 Aug 2009, 18:14

Ferrari to work on young driver programme
During an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali admitted it is Ferrari's fault it is currently effectively a one-car operation led by Kimi Raikkonen following the injury sustained in Hungary by Felipe Massa.

Contrary to many other major teams which run a young drivers programme with the aim of eventually selecting and promoting them to Formula One, Ferrari has no such structure in place.

With Felipe Massa taken out of the medium-term picture by his head wound, the Italian team could not fall back on younger talent and offer them an opportunity behind the wheel of a Ferrari F60.

Instead, Michael Schumacher was asked to step in after nearly three years of retirement, but could not because of a neck injury. Long-time Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer was then given the race seat, but after a decade away from active Grand Prix participation, his last-place results might see him replaced after only two races.

Although the team's other test driver, the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Marc Gene, is a possibility, speculation is also running high that Force India driver Giancarlo Fisichella might be temporarily brought aboard.

Other names are circulating as well, but it all comes down to the lack of a Ferrari young drivers programme to count on.

"Yes, that is a weak point of ours," Domenicali commented to Die Welt, referring to the team's need to turn to the struggling Badoer.

"In the last years Ferrari missed the opportunity to install a young driver programme, but we are going to work on that," the Italian announced.

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by shailf1 » 01 Sep 2009, 13:58

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78239

US F1 applies to enter FOTA

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, September 1st 2009, 12:49 GMT

Team US F1 has become the first of the new outfits to formally apply to join the Formula One Teams' Association, AUTOSPORT has learned.

FOTA currently consists of eight of the current teams, with Williams and Force India having been suspended from the organisation following their decision to lodge entries to the 2010 championship amid the summer threats of a breakaway series.

F1's three new teams - US F1, Campos Grand Prix and Manor Grand Prix - have now all been told that they are welcome to join FOTA and have been informed about the procedures by which they can become members.

AUTOSPORT understands US F1 is the first outfit to formally accept the invitation and request membership - with its application due to be examined by FOTA's executive committee at the Italian Grand Prix.

Discussions between FOTA and Williams and Force India are also ongoing about their future positions. Force India COO Simon Roberts said after the Belgian Grand Prix that he would discuss the matter with team owner Vijay Mallya soon.

"I think we've been invited back in," he told AUTOSPORT. "I talked to Vijay earlier. We have participated whenever we can. We complied with all of the shutdown restrictions and we're quite happy with that.

"To be honest, we've been really busy. Before the shutdown it was fine because we knew what was happening, but we've been struggling to pick it back up. Now we've had this result we can relax a bit, discuss it with Vijay and take up that offer."

Williams' position appears to be slightly different, with the team admitting that it was not a given that it would rejoin FOTA.

Team boss Frank Williams told AUTOSPORT about his outfit's relationship with FOTA: "It is a little arms' length but it is not hostile.

"We had a difficulty because we chose to sign (our 2010 entry) early, and in truth, we signed the Concorde Agreement early. That is because most of our sponsors' condition is that we are a member of the official FIA F1 world championship and the promoters' Concorde Agreement."

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by shailf1 » 01 Sep 2009, 19:58

Ferrari to work on fuel economy
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has highlighted fuel economy as an aspect of its performance the Maranello squad needs to improve, after it was shown up on that score by Force India last weekend.

Kimi Raikkonen delivered the Scuderia’s first win of the 2009 campaign at Spa, but was pushed all the way by Giancarlo Fisichella.

One of the surprising aspects of their duel was that how far Fisichella was able to stretch his first fuel load; the Force India started the race 7kg lighter than the Ferrari yet the two cars pitted together on lap 14.

It appeared to be a case of Fisichella’s Mercedes-powered VJM02 being particularly efficient rather than the Ferrari being uniquely thirsty, since BMW’s Nick Heidfeld and Red Bull’s Mark Webber also pitted on lap 14 despite starting the race with 7-10kg more fuel than the polesitter.

Nevertheless, Domenicali readily admitted that Ferrari needs to improve in this area.

“This is a point that we need to work on, and understand how different teams are doing with fuel saving and fuel consumption,” he said.

“Other teams are maybe doing a better job so we need to understand exactly why.

“It is a point that has made a difference, and can make a difference for the future.”

Domenicali said it would be particularly vital to have an economical car next season, when in-race refuelling will be banned and fuel will account for a large proportion of the car’s weight when running with full tanks.

“Looking ahead to next year, fuel saving and fuel consumption is one of the most important elements because that kind of difference in terms of kilos can be a big difference at the end of the race,” he said.

“So for sure it’s a point that we need to work very hard to understand.”

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by Tom Vandenhove » 02 Sep 2009, 19:04

According to race express (dutch) Alonso and Raikkonen are swapped ...

Raikkonen to Renault, Alonso to Ferrari :blink: You gotta be kidding me ...

http://www.racexpress.nl/index.php?nav= ... &nid=17960
(article in dutch)

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2009: Fisi to Ferrari, retires after 2009

Post by phil1993 » 03 Sep 2009, 15:23

Giancarlo Fisichella to retire at the end of the 2009 season
He will become Ferrari's official test driver
Giancarlo Fisichella says he cannot believe how his life has been transformed in the past week after being officially confirmed as a Ferrari driver for the remainder of 2009.

The Italian will race alongside Kimi Raikkonen for the rest of the season before becoming Ferrari's official reserve driver in 2010.

Speaking at Maranello on Thursday, having met team principal Stefano Domenicali and other Ferrari personnel to discuss plans for the Italian Grand Prix, Fisichella was clearly overjoyed at the turn of events - which comes almost 14 years after he tested a Ferrari 412 T2 on September 27, 1995 at Fiorano.

"I'm in seventh heaven," Fisichella told the official Ferrari website. "I still can't believe it - that the dream of my life comes true, and I want to thank Ferrari and Chairman Luca di Montezemolo.

"Over the last week some really incredible things happened to me: the pole position and then second place at Spa and now I'm called by Ferrari to race the last five races of the season for them.

"I'll give my best to recompense the Scuderia for this great opportunity they gave me: I know that it won't be easy, but I'll give it everything to gain the best possible results."

Domenicali said he had thought long and hard before opting for Fisichella, and were keen for the Italian to have a long-term relationship with the team.

"We chose Giancarlo, because we think that he can make a significant contribution in terms of points during the finale of this uncertain season," he explained.

"Furthermore we considered what could be his role inside the team in the near future, also taking this year's experiences into account. He will be the reserve driver in 2010.

"I want to thank Vijay Mallya and Force India F1 for giving Giancarlo the possibility to cancel his contract in such a happy moment for the team, allowing him to crown his dream as a driver.

"Now we have to concentrate on Monza, an event we really care for in a very special way: we know that it will be difficult to keep the performance level we had over the last Grands Prix, but we'll give our best to entertain our fans and I hope there will be lots of them at the track to support us."

Fisichella's appointment comes at the expense of Luca Badoer, who failed to shine during his two-race outing for the team. Although happy about his own position, Fisichella expressed some sympathy for the plight of his fellow Italian.

"I want to say that I'm very sorry for Luca," said Fisichella. "I know how much he cared to race in Monza behind the wheel of a Ferrari, because this is the best thing that can happen to an Italian driver, to drive a red car in front of our fans."

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Re: 2009 Season Discussions: Line-ups, News and Miscellaneous

Post by AzShadow » 03 Sep 2009, 15:38

In other words, does this mean that Badoer will be completely sacked? I don't understand what Ferrari would do with three test drivers considering how little testing there will be for them with the restrictions in place.
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