F1: 2009 Malaysian GP

[tidus1203]

While magaling naman si JB para sakin the best driver in the field is still Fernando Alonso. If only he can have a good car again...

[Horsepower]

Yeah, Alonso is good. Would've been perfect if he doesn't whine like a girl. heheheh

[BoyFerrari]

Virgin GP?? Parang ang pangit pakingan. From what I heard Mr. Branson is interested in acquiring an F1 team not just sponsoring it. That means either he starts a new team or (heaven forbid) buys Brawn GP.

Actually, it was just a rumor that Branson wanted to buy the Honda Team after he was contacted by Bernie if he was interested to bid for it. When he came into the picture, he learned that there was already a management buyout in the works, courtesy of Ross Brawn. So instead of bidding for Honda altogether, he just decided to pay as a sponsor "for the time being" to see if the car will go the distance. Branson said that if Brawn will keep on winning races, he might decide to buy the title sponsorship and call it Virgin GP. So Branson is still in the "wait-and-see" mode right now.

Being a title sponsor is much cheaper, than paying for the entire team and running it yourself. And besides, Branson is busy right now with his Virgin Space Hotel project.

Also, Branson is not really on a shopping mode for an F1 Team. Otherwise, he should have snatched the ProDrive Team early on, or preempt the USF1 Team in 2010. But all is not lost. After this season, Red Bull will be putting Torro Rosso up for sale.

By the way, "Virgin GP" may not be as bad as it sounds. In the 90's, Michael Schumacher became a world champion for the Benetton Team. Imagine driving a car that was better known for fashion wear and lingerie.

It could be that his talents were under appreciated because of all the mediocre cars he was getting and that his time only really shone with cars like the Brawn.

Put Lewis Hamilton on a Force India car during his rookie year, I'm not sure if he will be as popular as he is now.

[BoyFerrari]

While other teams were waiting for two hours under the rain for the possible restart of the race...

They could not have been waiting under the rain for a restart for 2 hours. The FIA rules mandate that a grand prix cannot run for more than 2 hours.

[BoyFerrari]

JB is one of the better drivers in the rain.... Remember when he won 1st place, I think in 2006, in one of the GPs in Europe under heavy rain?...

Jenson Button's first grand prix win on the Honda car, was just a lucky break. Because everyone else crashed out.

[Monseratto]

Remember Honda engines won a total of five World Championship, including all 3 for the late great Ayrton Senna.

Honda May Rue Formula One Exit as Brawn GP Secures Another Win

April 6 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co. may have been too hasty in quitting Formula One, according to Bernie Ecclestone.

Facing slumping global sales, the No. 2 Japanese carmaker sold its F-1 operations for an undisclosed sum to former team principal Ross Brawn a month ago to save 20 billion yen ($200 million) a year.

While Honda counted just one victory from 53 races in three years, the Brawn GP team has won both Grands Prix this season through driver Jenson Button, including yesterday’s rain- shortened Malaysian Grand Prix.

“They’d spent an awful lot of money, hadn’t gotten anywhere and probably didn’t realize the potential,” said Ecclestone, who runs Formula One’s commercial operations, in an interview in Kuala Lumpur. “I’m sure if they had, they wouldn’t have gone because all this would’ve been Honda otherwise.”

Brawn isn’t so sure. The Briton, who has engineered the transformation after Honda hired him 17 months ago, said the automaker had reasons beyond finance for dropping out. Tokyo- based Honda forecast profit will plunge 87 percent this fiscal year to 80 billion yen as vehicle sales in the U.S. in February fell to the lowest level since December 1981.

“I’m sure they were very frustrated at having to withdraw,” Brawn, 54, said in an interview. “I’ve had many notes from senior people at Honda, so they are frustrated because obviously the team has moved forward, but it was a necessity for their business.”

Honda motor spokeswoman Tomoko Uchida declined to comment.

‘Open Doors’

Following the victories in Australia and Malaysia, Brawn said he has changed his focus from survival -- he laid off 270 employees last week, about one third of the payroll -- to building on the successes.

Richard Branson’s Virgin Group Ltd. agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to display its logo on the cars last week, while other “well-known” companies are considering endorsing the team, Brawn said, without disclosing details.

“Obviously the results of the team were great because they’ve enabled us to open up a lot of doors,” said Brawn, who helped Michael Schumacher secure seven world championships at Benetton and Ferrari.

There is one source of concern. Rivals including Ferrari contend that Brawn GP’s cars have illegal diffusers and are appealing rulings by race stewards that backed the team. The appeal will be held in Paris this month and, if upheld, could see Brawn GP stripped of its wins.

“We’ll have to see what happens with the court of appeal, but what they’ve done for now is good obviously,” the 78-year- old Ecclestone added.

Rubens Barrichello, Button’s teammate, was runner-up in Australia and was fifth yesterday to stay second in the driver standings. The Brackley, England-based team is 8 ½ points ahead of Toyota in the constructors’ championship, a scenario Honda may not have thought possible after finishing fourth, eighth and ninth in the past three seasons.

“It’s a pity that they’re not part of it,” Brawn added.

[jeff1101]

Jenson Button's first grand prix win on the Honda car, was just a lucky break. Because everyone else crashed out.

Well he'd still be good in my book if (as you mentioned) everybody else crashed and he didn't.

[CVT]

Well he'd still be good in my book if (as you mentioned) everybody else crashed and he didn't.

BoyFerrari and jeff1101,- Bros.,- I like the way that you both said it.....

However, I am not taking it away from JB.....

7808:spam:

[BoyFerrari]

Remember Honda engines won a total of five World Championship, including all 3 for the late great Ayrton Senna.

Remember also that Cosworth engines have won more grand prix titles than Honda, including the one that made Michael Schumacher a world champion for Benetton. And where is Cosworth now? Kicked out in the dust.

That's how it is in Formula 1. If your useful value has already been siphoned, you get thrown away if you don't keep performing at the top level. There is no love lost for Cosworth. There is no love lost for Honda.

Bernie is just being melodramatic, because all he thinks about is money. He believes that a car manufacturer can better sustain a team in the long run, compared to private individual financing.

[BoyFerrari]

BoyFerrari and jeff1101,- Bros.,- I like the way that you both said it.....

However, I am not taking it away from JB.....

7808:spam:

Yes, of course. Crashes are part of the race. A win is a win. Come to think of it, even Michael Schumacher won the 2005 Indianapolis Grand Prix when there were just 6 Bridgestone cars on the grid (4 of them were backmarkers). Selecting the correct tyres, is also part of the race. It was not Michael's fault that the opponents brought the wrong Michelin tyres for the race, right?? But a win is a win. Hollowed win, but still a win on the record books.

[overdrayv]

Thanks for reminding, bro.....

I just realized,- it was already a long time ago.... I believe that it was the time when he was torn between McLaren and Honda................... Long wait for JB....

7808:spam:

rather, it was Williams & Honda.

[jeff1101]

Seems like poor Hamilton is considering his options after the liar gate affair and the less than stellar performance of Mclaren (not to mention Ferrari) this season.

From TotalF1

Anthony Hamilton is reportedly considering whether he should advise his son Lewis to leave McLaren.

In the wake of the 'liargate' scandal, which saw the near-tearful World Champion offer a grovelling public apology on Friday in Sepang after admitting he misled Australian GP stewards upon the instruction of McLaren's Sporting Director Dave Ryan, The Daily Mail claims that 'Hamilton's future with McLaren is on a knife-edge'.

'Hamilton Snr is understood to be pondering whether to turn his back on McLaren, the team who supported Lewis through the ranks at an estimated cost of £5million, and switch to rivals less prone to shooting themselves in the foot,' the newspaper reports.

'The biggest stumbling block to engineering an escape route concerns where to place Lewis.

'Ferrari are favourites, if he can wriggle out of his five-year contract worth £75m, but they are currently as slow as McLaren. He is into his second year of the deal but various get-out clauses could cut his stay short.'

Is it just me or shouldnt drivers actively help improve a cars performance by contributing necessary inputs to engineers and such? I know Alonso does this (as well as Schumacher of course).

Any Tom, Dick and Harry whose a good driver can sit in a great car and excel in races but it takes sublime talent to start with a mediocre car and make it great. (By of course doing the proper setup and tuning, a job not necessarily reserved just for the engineers).

Im not a judge of character,but if your team is hurting and they desperately need you, wouldnt it be a bad time to bail?

[BoyFerrari]

I hope these F1 circus clowns would get on with it and move on with their lives. It's not like someone from the pits radioed Rubens to slow down so Schumacher can win the race. Geez, man. But all these telenovela may be good a sideshow to entertain the crowd while we wait for the next GP venue.

So Hamilton wants to leave the team? Good! So we can put Bruno Senna in. Hamilton can go to Renault and replace Nelson Piquet Junior. Maybe he can find good company with Fernando Alonso's loving arms (before Renault declares a bankcruptcy by the end of the season).

There is no shortage of talent in F1 (although there are also a lot of duds that need to get the boot -- like Champ Car King Bourdais, Piquet, The Lawnmower Man, and Sutil). Why not re-sign Takuma Sato? We always need a bowling ball down there at Turn One. Nakajima is too tame for a Japanese. We need someone who does the hara-kiri while that funny Honda nippongo song plays in the background.

[jeff1101]

So Hamilton wants to leave the team? Good! So we can put Bruno Senna in. Hamilton can go to Renault and replace Nelson Piquet Junior. Maybe he can find good company with Fernando Alonso's loving arms (before Renault declares a bankcruptcy by the end of the season).

I feel the same way, Ferrari should kick out Raikkonen since he's more trouble that he's worth. Can't win the Championship even when he had the best car in the field (in the McLaren).

Ferrari is actively wooing Alonso to join them in 2011 and is finding a way to boot out Raikkonen.

From F1-live.com

As far as Italian sports fans are concerned, Ferrari made the right choice in signing Fernando Alonso for the future.

Speculation suggests that the Spaniard has inked a deal to move to the Maranello team either in 2011 or (depending on Kimi Raikkonen) even next year.

A survey conducted by La Gazzetta dello Sport claims the 27-year-old is the driver most Italian fans want Ferrari to put into a red car.

Alonso captured nearly 42 percent of the total vote, ahead of Robert Kubica (24.6%), Felipe Massa (16.8%) and Kimi Raikkonen (8.9%).
Click here to find out more!


Of the five drivers cited, Lewis Hamilton netted the lowest percentage of the vote, with 8.2 percent.

But then I think Alonso is thinking twice about this and I don't know if that will help any because even Ferrari plainly sucks right now...

[jeff1101]

Well anyway, the substance of my argument about this issue was about the suggestion that perhaps Honda is kicking themselves now, for selling the team. My point was, evenif Brawn GP will eventually become world champions this season, I guess Honda would still have made the logical decision to abandon Formula One. They spend more than $100 million running the team, with little profit from it. And there is no assurance that Brawn GP would have still made the podiums today if it were using a Honda engine at the back.

Logical or not if Brawn has anything to say about it, Honda "is" kicking themselves at the moment. (Well, I may have taken liberties with the word "frustrated". So lets just say it as Kicking themselves, "figuratively")

From F1-live.com

Honda is "frustrated" to have abandoned Formula One on the eve of almost guaranteed success, new team owner Ross Brawn insists.

The Briton is now leading the Brackley-based camp following a management buyout, having bought it from the struggling Honda Motor Co. for a symbolic 1 British pound.

"I'm sure they were very frustrated at having to withdraw," Brawn, 54, told the Bloomberg news agency.

"I've had many notes from senior people at Honda, so they are frustrated because obviously the team has moved forward, but it was a necessity for their business."

The team netted embarrassing results in the last two years, but during 2008 invested millions of Honda dollars setting the groundwork for the current BGP 001 chassis.

With Mercedes power, the 'Brawn GP' car collected both poles and both wins from the opening two Grand Prix of 2009.


F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is surprised the Japanese manufacturer did not realise it had overseen the design of a winning car before pulling out.

"They'd spent an awful lot of money, hadn't gotten anywhere and probably didn't realise the potential," he said last weekend in Malaysia.

"I'm sure if they had, they wouldn't have gone because all this would have been Honda otherwise."

A Honda spokeswoman declined to comment.

[rst619]

a little OT but up to the Malaysian GP pala e tigas pa din ang mukha ni Hamilton sa pagsisinungaling re: Trulli incident. Kahit pinarinig na sa kanya ang audio recordings todo deny pa din. Para palang si GMA to, may tape evidence na, tigas mukha pa din sa pagmamalinis

what little respect I had for Hamilton all went down the drain. I hope they get banned for several races para magtanda

[jeff1101]

It seems even Michael Schumacher is taking some heat from Ferrari since he was in part to blame for the decision to switch to full wet tires for Kimi Raikkonnen when as yet the track was still dry. ( Which resulted with Raikkonen who already was 20 seconds off from the leaders to fall back another 20 seconds)

Which goes to show even a great driver does not automatically qualify you as a good team manager.

from F1-live.com

A Ferrari spokesman has confirmed that Michael Schumacher will not be travelling with the team to the forthcoming Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 40-year-old seven time world champion, on duty as an advisor to the Italian team at the opening two races of 2009, faced immense public criticism for his apparent role in strategic blunders.

Ferrari figures got together for a post-Sepang 'crisis meeting' at Maranello earlier this week, but Schumacher was not present.

It now emerges that the team will do without the services of the most successful driver in F1 history for rounds three and four of the current championship.

"He will not be at those races," the spokesman is quoted as saying by Germany's Sport Bild.

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo said after the Tuesday meeting that he is determined the team should not become a laughing stock.


"I made the point that I don't want to find us on some sort of TV comedy video programme after each race," he insisted.

Marc Surer, the former Swiss F1 driver and regular commentary pundit, told a German language newspaper that Ferrari should not employ Schumacher if he is only a part-time advisor.

"You can only become part of the process of being a racing team if you are there all the time. But Schumacher is only a semi-advisor, and that is no solution," he told the Basler Zeitung..

[jeff1101]

It seems even Michael Schumacher is taking some heat from Ferrari since he was in part to blame for the decision to switch to full wet tires for Kimi Raikkonnen when as yet the track was still dry. ( Which resulted with Raikkonen who already was 20 seconds off from the leaders to fall back another 20 seconds)

Which goes to show even a great driver does not automatically qualify you as a good team manager.

from F1-live.com

A Ferrari spokesman has confirmed that Michael Schumacher will not be travelling with the team to the forthcoming Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 40-year-old seven time world champion, on duty as an advisor to the Italian team at the opening two races of 2009, faced immense public criticism for his apparent role in strategic blunders.

Ferrari figures got together for a post-Sepang 'crisis meeting' at Maranello earlier this week, but Schumacher was not present.

It now emerges that the team will do without the services of the most successful driver in F1 history for rounds three and four of the current championship.

"He will not be at those races," the spokesman is quoted as saying by Germany's Sport Bild.

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo said after the Tuesday meeting that he is determined the team should not become a laughing stock.


"I made the point that I don't want to find us on some sort of TV comedy video programme after each race," he insisted.

Marc Surer, the former Swiss F1 driver and regular commentary pundit, told a German language newspaper that Ferrari should not employ Schumacher if he is only a part-time advisor.

"You can only become part of the process of being a racing team if you are there all the time. But Schumacher is only a semi-advisor, and that is no solution," he told the Basler Zeitung..

[CVT]

It was indeed a strategic blunder.....

You cannot bet on the weather.....

7808:spam: