.:: 2009 Brazilian GP Thread ::.

2009 BRAZILIAN GP

Welcome to the 2009 Brazilian GP Thread. cjek and mjk1 will keep the thread updated with the latest times as they happen.

RANDOM FACT

Of the current Formula One circuits (which excludes the new Yas Marina circuit), Interlagos is one of only two circuits in which Mark Webber has never scored at (the other being Singapore).

POINTS OF DISCUSSION

1. The stage is set - can Jenson Button win the World Championship this weekend?
2. With possibly the greatest ends to a GP in history, where does last year's event stand for you in your all-time greatest F1 memories?
3. This weekend, Felipe Massa will wave the chequered flag, but he did have hopes he could return in Abu Dhabi - was it always going to be too much to ask for?
4. By the time we arrive in Abu Dhabi, we'll know who the next FIA President will be. But who do you want it to be, and why - Todt or Vatanen?
5. How well do you think Kamui Kobayashi will do in his first GP weekend?

SCHEDULE FOR WEEKEND

Friday 16
First practice: 1000-1130 (1400-1530 BST)
Second practice: 1400-1530 (1800-1930 BST)

Saturday 17
Third practice: 1100-1200 (1500-1600 BST)
Qualifying: 1400 (1800 BST)

Sunday 18
Race: 1400 (1700 BST)

WEEKEND WEATHER

FRIDAY: Light Rain, Max 17 deg. cent.
SATURDAY: Heavy Rain Shower, Max 18 deg. cent.
SUNDAY: Drizzle, Max 21 deg. cent.

PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

THURSDAY: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), Jenson Button (Brawn GP) & Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP). 2PM BST.

FRIDAY: Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) & Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren). 7PM BST.

BBC PRESENTS THE BRAZILIAN GP

PREVIOUS SESSIONS
Friday Practice 1
Friday Practice 2
Qualifying
Race
Forum (Unavailable)

Vettel, Button, or Barrichello?

A reminder to our good friends of the UK, qualifying is on BBC Two this weekend.Redders1989

Mathematically that's a given, whether Button wins the title in Brazil or not is down to how he and his competitors fare.

Last years Brazil GP ending was certainly right up there with Kimi and Lewis battling at Spa, Kimi getting his title, Schumi retiring... there are many good moments.

He shouldn't risk it, but should he be ready and healthy for the challenge he can't do much worse than Fisi surely?

I predict Todt will take the presidency, I'd be happy with that, he seems alot less corrupt than Max and having been fully involved in F1 at a management level he will know what it is the teams want and need.

He'll struggle to get to grips with the car, perform worse than Trulli and may cause an accident. i.e. He will be for Toyota what Nakajima is for Williams.

Kips Bite

As I'm doing the history of F1 in the GP weekends to come, I thought i'd take a mention to say that by my knowledge that Jackie Stewart was the last British driver to succeed a British world champion, that person being Graham Hill, Could we be about to see this happen again?

With it a bit hard to maybe start this history thing this late in the season and with an epic title battle that looks to be imminently solved at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil, for a slight fact for anyone that didn't know, the Interlagos circuit that we know it today was only started to be used in 1990, before that the cars would race along the original 4.9miles long circuit, it got shorter of the years as well as being hosted at the Jacarepaguá circuit in Rio De Janiero.

Jenson looks like he can take the title here in Brazil only needing to score 6 points more than Barrichello to take the title, but with Sebastian Vettel only 2 points behind Barrichello, Vettel has to make sure he is super agressive this weekend and leave Interlagos with a 2nd or a win to keep his title chances, if Barrichello and Vettel fail in their objectives, Jenson is Champion.

It fails to surprise me the amount of cynics in F1 or in any sport for that matter, as soon as something starts to go wrong, its a shocker and its all about huddling together and making the best out of it and getting back on top, but if you look at how the season has progressed, the first 6 races out 7, he won. Now how can you falter that, scoring 61 points of the 65 availible to him at that point, he was flawless, but Barrichello at that point failed to take the chances that were offered to him with a fantastic car.

Now, move to Silverstone, Red Bull = Flawless, Brawn were suddenly not as quick, their rivals had caught up, but yet everyone suddenly thinks and makes out there is a crisis, no, we know Brawn don't carry the dosh the big teams do, So its no surprise at all that they were caught up in the end. Now with Jenson scoring in every race he has finished with all the teams picking up, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull, and even the rest of the field picking off the points, its not helped his cause to get winning again, but instead it helps him to stop Webber, Barrichello and Vettel picking off the big points, and its showing that Button is driving his socks off to keep himself in contention by scoring the points he has need to, to keep him going to win that coveted title thats just sitting right in front of him.

I expect the title to be solved here, will need something big for it not to happen i think. With Brawn GP needing only half a point due the half points awarded in Malaysia, its all but sealed for Brawn if they are consistent.

Enjoy the race everybody!

Kip :)

THE RED LIGHT

The time has come to push the Button.

Chance two of three appears to be the best chance of them he'll have. Button has to finish 5 points behind Barrichello and/or 7 behind Vettel in order to take the fight to the final round in Abu Dhabi - the pressure is all on the challengers to Jenson's lead. Here's how the situation plays out for each driver:

1st Place: Jenson Button (Brawn GP, GBR) will be World Champion if:
- He finishes 3rd or higher;
- He finishes 4th or higher and Barrichello doesn't win;
- He finishes 7th or higher, Barrichello finishes 3rd or lower and Vettel fails to win;
- He finishes 8th or higher, Barrichello finishes 4th or lower and Vettel is 3rd or lower;
- He doesn't score, Barrichello finishes 5th or lower and Vettel is 3rd or lower.

2nd Place: Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP, BRA) will remain in contention if:
- He wins and Button finishes 4th or lower;
- He finishes 2nd or higher and Button finishes 6th or lower;
- He finishes 3rd or higher and Button finishes 8th or lower;
- He finishes 4th or higher and Button fails to score.

3rd Place: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull, GER) will remain in contention if:
- He wins and Button finishes 6th or lower;
- He finishes 2nd or higher and Button finishes 8th or lower.

The cards really do fall in Jenson's favour right now - Vettel has to take either of the top two steps to remain in contention, and Barrichello can only afford to be 4th if he doesn't make the podium - of which he's never done better than 3rd at home.

Vettel's Red Bull may not be up to the challenge of the stop/start nature of the Interlagos circuit, but that won't stop him from doing his absolute best here - if it wasn't for Glock struggling on the final lap last year, Vettel would've been the man who denied Hamilton the World Championship. Of course though that was a wet/dry/wet race, and Brazil could throw anything at the drivers - 2006 and 2007 were scorching races, whereas 2003 and 2008 were nightmares of wet races. Whatever the conditions though, Vettel's going to have to out-perform that Red Bull like never before.

As for Barrichello, the picture is more different - he can afford to be down in 4th if Button doesn't score, but in his 16 visits home he's only ever finished 4th or higher on two occasions - 4th in 1994, and 3rd in 2004. Whilst the Brawn should be stronger in Brazil, one has to question how he'll be able to fight the likes of McLaren and Ferrari that should be near the front as well, alongside the ever-strong Alonso who has been on the podium for the past 4 years here. The initial thought then is that Barrichello could struggle to get the position he needs, and as long as Button's pushing himself in to the points, it gets even more difficult for the Brazilian. Barrichello has only once pulled back the points he needs now in a single race this year (Valencia), and that weekend was the only weekend in which Button can be blamed for not doing as good as he should. Otherwise, with exceptions to a three-pointer in Silverstone, Barrichello has only cut Button's lead by 1 or 2 points when he's finished in front - and finishing ahead of Button has only happened 5 times out of 15 this year - just 1/3 of the races completed to date. Looking at the statistics, Barrichello needs a miracle like Vettel needs a mathematical miracle.

So, in my opinion, don't expect the title fight to go to the final race for the 4th consecutive year - Jenson Button should take the title this weekend, with only some disaster likely to deny him this weekend. How the organisers of the Abu Dhabi race must be hoping Button doesn't do it though.

Timo Glock is still injured, so Kamui Kobayashi will make his GP debut this weekend. In all honesty, I've not seen the guy race before so I don't know what to expect of him, but in the wet conditions of Japan practice he did a good job - how it would've translated on a dry track is still something we're not aware of, and thus will be something we'll find out in Interlagos.

Interesting to see that when Toro Rosso had a sniff of being competitive in Japan, Buemi and Alguersuari messed it up big time - especially Jaime, who destroyed two cars. Odd to see Buemi struggling though, given he's been a point scorer in both Australia and China at the start of the year and showed a wise head on young shoulders. On the other hand, they are the two youngest drivers in the field, so one could still put it down to rookie errors. So long as they are ironed out for the future, the sky is still the limit for both of these individuals.

Hamilton's weekend will be one to watch with interest. He's struggled here in Brazil before - and not by his own fault in some cases - but a 7th and 5th places, both in World Title deciding races don't appear good on paper for the outgoing champion. However, the pressure is off, no World Title to worry about, and he's just looking to get a decent result. If he gets a good result this weekend, it will question Hamilton's ability under the most immense pressure that he could possibly be put under - his McLaren still isn't as dominant as the 2007 or 2008 car, but if he can pull off a better result this weekend then those heads will be turning.

If there's anyone that loves this circuit more than Alonso though, it has to be Raikkonen. With exceptions to 2006, he's been on the podium every year since 2003 and has scored at every race in Brazil since that year. Given the form he's been on recently, I'll be surprised if he's not on the podium again this year. The only downside that Kimi faces is that the McLaren will be stronger at the circuit than the Ferrari - something that may not be so much of a problem for him next year. Or will it?

So what can we expect from this weekend? For one, if Button does win the title, not the exhilarating rollercoaster ride we've had the past two years, but expect tears - tears of joy, tears of sadness - oh, and for Brawn to finally become Constructors Champions of 2009.

Classic Brazilian GP's... no 2003, but the final action of 2008 chaos was a guarantee.

1982 | 1989 | 1993 | 1994 | 2008

Extended Highlights

1982

A reminder to our good friends of the UK, qualifying is on BBC Two this weekend.Redders1989

Believe this man! He wants to make you miss Qualifying! MWAHAHAHA!

...In all seriousness though, BBC pulled a switch which I wasn't aware of. It's actually on BBC One, and not Two, so disregard my initial comment :)

2009 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix- Interlagos- Friday Practice 1

PRACTICE 2

Pos  Driver       Team                       Time              Laps
 1.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:12.314            27
 2.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:12.357  + 0.043   45
 3.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:12.459  + 0.145   38
 4.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:12.514  + 0.200   41
 5.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:12.523  + 0.209   45
 6.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:12.605  + 0.291   37
 7.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:12.611  + 0.297   45
 8.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:12.633  + 0.319   42
 9.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:12.720  + 0.406   35
10.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:12.749  + 0.435   39
11.  Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:12.806  + 0.492   27
12.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:12.862  + 0.548   39
13.  Kobayashi    Toyota                (B)  1:12.869  + 0.555   40
14.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:12.929  + 0.615   41
15.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:12.948  + 0.634   38
16.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:12.950  + 0.636   36
17.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:12.992  + 0.678   39
18.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:13.026  + 0.712   42
19.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:13.041  + 0.727   40
20.  Fisichella   Ferrari               (B)  1:13.275  + 0.961   38

AUTOSPORT 

No running for Practice 3?

A wet morning in Sao Paulo. Word is that a tropical storm is blowing in ready for P3Jonathon Noble on Twitter

Pracice 3 has been delayed as the medical helicopter is not operational - The sessions won't remain 60 minutes, but will just start as usual when the green light is given.

The Safety Car just did a lap, and it was throwing up tonnes of spray itself.

Replays of 15 minutes ago show massive rivers around the circuit, especially the kerb of turn 4 - not even visible as it was underwater.

UPDATE: Another heavy deluge of rain expected in 10 minutes - remember Malaysia? Probably gonna see that again if you're watching right now.

An 18-minute session has been stopped after 13 due to a shunt in to the barriers for Romain Grosjean. Alonso and Raikkonen also had offs.

PRACTICE 3

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time              Laps
 1.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota      (B)   1:23.182 +         9
 2.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota      (B)   1:23.832 + 0.650   7
 3.  Button        Brawn GP-Mercedes    (B)   1:24.122 + 0.940   6
 4.  Alonso        Renault              (B)   1:24.125 + 0.943   5
 5.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes (B)   1:24.149 + 0.967   4
 6.  Grosjean      Renault              (B)   1:24.389 + 1.207   5
 7.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)   1:24.443 + 1.261   5
 8.  Trulli        Toyota               (B)   1:24.859 + 1.677   5
 9.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           (B)   1:24.867 + 1.685   5
10.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     (B)   1:25.440 + 2.258   5
11.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              (B)   1:25.508 + 2.326   4
12.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     (B)   1:25.685 + 2.503   5
13.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)   1:26.224 + 3.042   6
14.  Barrichello   Brawn GP-Mercedes    (B)   1:26.530 + 3.348   4
15.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault     (B)   1:27.047 + 3.865   4
16.  Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes (B)   1:27.341 + 4.159   4
17.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     (B)   1:27.798 + 4.616   4
18.  Fisichella    Ferrari              (B)   1:29.285 + 6.103   4
19.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           (B)   1:29.895 + 6.713   3
20.  Kobayashi     Toyota               (B)   1:30.259 + 7.077   4

All timing unofficial
AUTOSPORT

WTF!!!??? I come home from work, spend time with the family, give my son his bath and get him ready for bed and then want to sit down and watch Q2 and Q3 and......

That was the strangest quali sessions i have ever seen!!

Funny how they re-started Q1 and Q2 twice, and both times the rain eased off for 2 minutes each time!!

Is it still rain/showers for tomorrow??  A lot of drama tomorrow me-thinks :)

POST-QUALIFYING CAR WEIGHTS - BRAZIL

Pos Driver Weight (kg)
1. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 650.5
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 656.0
3. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 656.5
4. Trulli Toyota 658.5
5. Raikkonen Ferrari 651.5
6. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 659.0
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 657.0
8. Kubica BMW-Sauber 656.0
9. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 664.0
10. Alonso Renault 652.0
11. Kobayashi Toyota 671.5*
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 671.5*
13. Grosjean Renault 677.2*
14. Button Brawn-Mercedes 672.0*
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 680.0*
16. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 683.5*
17. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 656.5*
18. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 661.0*
19. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 650.5*
20. Fisichella Ferrari 683.5*

* Declared weight

SOURCE: Autosport

Gearbox change caps off a bad day for Liuzzi

Tonio Liuzzi will move to the very rear of the grid after crashSOing heavily during Interlagos qualifying on Saturday. The Italian actually recorded 15th place on the grid in his Force India before aquaplaning on the pit straight.

He visited the medical centre for a mandatory check but was not hurt in the impact, but an unscheduled gearbox change and subsequent penalty drops him to the back of the pack. While Liuzzi is left frustrated, team-mate Adrian Sutil starts third.

"I am really disappointed and frustrated that the qualifying ended in the way it did as I was pretty convinced I could have got into Q3 and done well - as Adrian has shown today we were very much on it," he said.

"I am sorry for the team as we could have achieved more but I was a passenger at that stage and couldn't do anything when the car caught that puddle."

SOURCE: F1-live.com

After Saturday's heavy rain, conditions have improved in Sao Paulo, though there is still a strong likelihood that showers will at some stage affect this afternoon's event, which could see both Brawn and Jenson Button crowned champions. Temperatures are expected to reach 25 degrees Celsius.Official F1 Website

Yay! :D

2009 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix- Interlagos- Race

Well done to Jenson Button and Brawn GP, a fantastic season for them.

This is a MILLION times better than when Hamilton won last year!

Jenson Button... WORLD CHAMPION! :D :D :D :D :D

"It's really amazing... after the last few races I've had this makes up for it. It was a totally awesome race, I'm world champion!

"It's 21 years since I first raced a kart. I love winning, I never expected to be world champion in F1, because you think racing drivers in F1 are different from you. But I did it today."

Jenson Button, 2009 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion

---------------------------

"We made hard work of it over the second half of the year, but we've done it, and it's very special. It's going to take a while to set in.

"As for Jenson, he's a fantastic racer and on the day he had a great race. He knew what he had to do.

"We've lost a little bit of pace in the car compared to some of our rivals over the second half of the season, but he's stuck with it and deserves everything he's got."

"The work they [everyone] did over the winter was sensational, and I have to say to all of those that couldn't be with us because we had to resize the team, my thanks goes out to them because they worked so hard.

"I hope they can be very proud with what they achieved for the team because they've been a part of everything we've done."

Ross Brawn, Team Boss of Brawn GP, 2009 FIA Formula One World Constructors Champion

---------------------------

Jenson I think deserves the championship... he drove very well in the early part of the season. It was not easy to have error-free weekends.

"He has driven very well. Brawn had some strengths and weaknesses, but JB did a good job so I want to congratulate him."

Mark Webber, Red Bull, 4th in Drivers Championship

---------------------------

"...congratulations to Jenson, a great job from him and a great season."

Lewis Hamilton, 2008 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion

---------------------------

"I'm pleased for Jenson as a friend and as a great champion, and if I didn't win, he should have won it, so well done to him."

Rubens Barrichello, Button's teammate at Brawn GP

---------------------------

"Jenson knew what he had to do today and he just went out and did it, and I think it shows that he is a worthy champion.

"That first stint today, overtaking under those circumstances when he had everything to lose, really showed his true mettle.

"Jenson's taken a lot of bullet wounds over the last few years, and when you get into that situation and you've got the bruises, then it makes it much easier to handle the success.

"He's just remained the same, he's remained focused, and he's gone about it in a very intelligent way. And it's a situation where it would have been easy to blow the whole thing and he took it sensibly and did what he needed to do and he got there.

"Jenson doesn't surprise me at all... it sounds like I'm married to him but we've been together for a long time now and I've always felt that he could do it.

"I think he's just demonstrated to everyone what he can do, and the doubters who said he couldn't overtake or he wasn't aggressive enough, hopefully they're now eating humble pie."

Nick Fry, CEO of Brawn GP

---------------------------

"I want to send my warmest congratulations to Jenson Button for clinching the Formula One drivers' championship today in Brazil, on the same circuit that Lewis Hamilton won the drivers' championship last year. We can be proud that Jenson is the 10th British driver to win the title. His performances over the season with the new Brawn team have excited Formula One fans in Britain and across the world, and we look forward to his continuing success in the seasons ahead."

Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain

---------------------------

"He did a perfect job in all this driving forwards and backwards to be a real good world champion. There's nothing more to say about it. Nobody asks in the end how you come to be a world champion - I did it by half a point once, but it doesn't matter. Just to be a world champion is the difficult part and he's done it."

Niki Lauda, 1975, 1977 & 1984 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion

---------------------------

"Jenson's done a fantastic job. He was out of a job over Christmas, and really he didn't know that this season was going to happen. He's been there through all the pain and I'm really delighted for him."

Damon Hill, 1996 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion

---------------------------

"Brawn have done an amazing job and Ross a master. But it takes a driver to get the job done at the end of the day, and Jenson did it. Well done to him."

Sir Jackie Stewart, 1969, 1971 & 1973 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion

---------------------------

"Well, he's not world champion until the end of November when the FIA announce it. He's got enough points, if everything else is alright, to be world champion and he deserves it too. He did a good job. All the question marks from the last few races, in my opinion, now have disappeared."

Bernie Ecclestone, F1 Supremo

---------------------------

"Jenson has done a fantastic job and we are all delighted for him. For those of us who have followed his career as he came through the ranks of UK motor sport, it was always clear that he had the makings of a future world champion. The team have obviously given him the right equipment this year and he has delivered spectacularly. For the UK to enjoy back-to-back F1 world championships is a wonderful boost for the sport."

Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive

---------------------------

"Congratulations to Jenson Button and the Brawn. Ten months ago these guys were in danger of having no future in Formula 1. Today, they all achieved the biggest reward possible for all their hard work and effort. Well done guys - you wrote a fairytale story this season. Jenson is a worthy successor to Lewis Hamilton as F1 world champion."

Norbert Haug, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

BARRICHELLO LENDS BUTTON HIS PLANE

Newly crowned world champion Jenson Button will be allowed to celebrate his title with his team, friends and family in Brazil on Sunday night - after Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello generously laid on his private jet to take the Briton back home on Monday morning.

Button had originally been scheduled to fly to London on the Sunday night British Airways flight out of Sao Paulo, but that plan was thrown into doubt with the scheduled aircraft suffering technical problems.

And although there remains the chance that the flight will still be able to leave, Button has been allowed to stay in Brazil on Sunday night thanks to the generosity of his team-mate.

Even though Barrichello suffered the disappointment of seeing his own title ambitions end with an eighth place in the race, he told Button that he would fly him and his entourage out of Brazil in his own private jet on Monday morning - ready for the new world champion's first public appearances in the UK from Tuesday.

Button is due to appear at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on Tuesday afternoon for a sponsorship event on behalf of Virgin Media.

SOURCE: Autosport

DotD: Jenson Button
SotD: Jenson Button

Need I say anymore?

Jenson Button's career in F1

DotD: Webber, who controlled the race nicely, in addition to setting the fastest lap.

SotD: Button, for finally clinching his Championship.

DotD: Mark Webber, he was totally in control and faultless in taking his second ever victory. Also set the fastest lap.

SotD: Jenson Button, winning the world title with a fantastic drive involving some daring overtaking moves and in a style which proved that he is a worthy champion.

Well first off, congratulation to Brawn GP and Jenson Button on winning the 2009 WDC AND WCC!! Even though it lasted almost the entire season, Button pretty much had the championship in the bag after his cracking start to the season :lol:

But damn after qualifying the race looked set to be really exciting. But after the beginning it seemed to become fairly boring with a lot of hard to pass drivers in front of him taking themselves out, Trulli Train, Alonso :lol:

Anyone else think Button was kind of getting agitated behind Kobayashi (who did an great job for his F1 debut) when he radioed to the team about Kobayashi being all over the place? He kind of redeemed himself when he threw it in there on him for the pass. Again Rubens has terrible luck at home strikes again, guy can never seem to catch a break .Congrats to Webber too for a great win and Kubica bringing the BMW home 2nd.

Even though the championship are both wrapped up, I'm still excited to see the new track and there is still a tough battle for 3rd in the WCC between Mclaren and Ferrari.

DotD: Robert Kubica as that cat should not be capable of doing so well

SotD: Kimi Raikkonen given most doubt his mentality yet he carried on with fuel in his eyes and got into the points

special mention to Jenson Button who not only won the world championship but drove an excellent race and overtook more cars than everyone else even though he had a title in the balance

Redders, it looks like our hope for Button to be WDC are gone :/TannerRules

How wrong were we :D

DotD: Very close between all three podium finishers. Webber was utterly faultless all day and dominated once poor Barrichello had gone, Kubica in an uncompetitive BMW dragging it to 2nd, and Hamilton driving an excellent tactical race from the back of the grid - the sort of thing he might have struggled with in the past.

SotD: Brawn GP in general - the team for clinching the constructors', Jenson for winning the drivers' and the ever-unlucky Rubens graciously accepting defeat and lending Jenson his plane.

Also a mention for Kobayashi - he eventually ran out of steam and was probably at fault for the Nakajima incident - but to keep the soon-to-be-crowned champion behind you for 20 laps, on a track you can overtake on - but as a rookie, if he can do anything like as well as the first stint of that race he'll surely have a Toyota drive next season.

Kobayashi was driving like a man possessed!!!  I think he told nakajima that there should only be 1 japanese driver in the championship by taking him out of the race!!

Also thought Trulli squaring upto Sutil was quite funny, calm down Jarno, Adrian is about a foot taller than you!

Must of thought the bigger they are........:D

Kips After Race Bite

Well, look what we have now, A Brawn driver in Jenson Button taking the WDC, and the semi-new Brawn team taking the WCC in their first year, My hats go off to Jenson and Ross Brawn and all the team at Brackley for doing such a tremedous job over the year.

The start of the race... I just don't know really what to say after that, it was pure chaos, after the first corner incident Vettel and Fisichella come together, then Trulli, Sutil, Raikkonen and Alonso all have accidents by turns 4-6, it was madness, I see in my eyes Sutil did no wrong in defending his position against Trulli, He had seen that Raikkonen was having problems from the tap against Webber's Red Bull and backed off to find space to avoid any possible debris, Trulli was pushing hard and I agree that he may feel Sutil pushed him off the road, but it was Jarno's decision to go on the outside and on the grass as he lost control he hit the wall, and Sutil on the grass who in turn wiped out Alonso who was the innocent party in all of it.

Then Heikki and Kimi come in the pits and Heikki pulls an exact version of Massa's incident at Singapore in 2008 and take the furl hose with him, this time with fuel leaking out and gets into the path of Raikkonen's Ferrari, with not so great consequences and is rumoured to have got fuel in his eyes after that Incident, so it shows that his 6th place finish was a great feat considering how much pain he may of been in.

After these incidents and the Safety Car, Button was 9th from 14th, what a great start, The rest is history, Kobayashi defended superbly and kept Button on his toes, but in the end experience prevailed and took him through.

Rubens' terrible Sao Paulo luck continued and eventually took away all hope with that puncture with less than 10 leps to go after Hamilton's pass, Barrichello's hopes were fading in 4th place at the time, but the after hearing he has a puncture over the radio, I'm sure his heart sank in that cockpit, But superb sportsman ship when after the race he was the first to congratulate Jenson on winning the title, This I feel shows how good friends and team-mates they really are and I'm happy to of seen that, I can only hope that they will get along well next year whether Rubens is at the team or not.

What a championship its been this year, I'm sure you will all agree we can only hope for this on track spectacle of F1 is to continue into 2010 (but maybe with a lil more overtaking);)

Yours truly

Kip :)