Niki Lauda has added to the widespread criticism of Ferrari as the team struggles to regain its form of the last decade. The three-time world champion, who won two of his titles with Maranello, was typically politically incorrect as he derided the “spaghetti culture” of the Italian squad.

The Austrian was asked about the differences between the glory years of 2000-2007 and now, and gave his forthright opinion. He highlighted the loss of the group of people who are generally considered to have masterminded Ferrari´s success.

“In those days, Ross, because he is English, was the ideal bridge between the Italians, with their spaghetti culture, and Schumacher, with his German efficiency.”

“Now the Italians are running it all. Does it work? It could be chaos. That’s the problem,” Lauda is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.

It is thought Lauda is referring to a very political and bureaucratic side of the Ferrari team that is a well-documented part of the great marque´s history. Lauda himself left the team because he was dissatisfied with the internal strife, and other greats such as Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell have also decried the management style of the team.

Today´s management set-up in the modern era of F1 is a much more professional arrangement but it is clear that Ferrari will need to work hard to improve and banish the doubters.

By Hugh Podmore on Tuesday, April 21, 2009

An outlandish and laughable report in a Spanish newspaper claims that Renault were dealt an unofficial penalty in Shanghai to punish team boss Flavio Briatore for his outspoken stance on the FIA split-diffuser decision.

The Chinese Grand Prix started under the safety car due to heavy rain and stayed out for a full eight laps as the deluge continued.

Fernando Alonso, who used a light fuel load to qualify on the front row, used the opportunity to fuel longer into the race, but the Spaniard was left in limbo at the back of the field when the safety car pulled in on the same lap to get the race started.

The Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos has speculated that the decision to bring the safety car in on the same lap as Alonso’s pit stop was an attempt by race director Charlie Whiting to disrupt the Spaniard’s race.

The newspaper goes on to speculate that the Renault team were being punished for team principal Flavio Briatore’s outspoken stance on the FIA ”double-deck” diffuser decision, which his team lost.

Renault have denied the rumours and Alonso confirms that he and the team were just unlucky [see separate story HERE].

“I think it’s one of those days when you take decisions at the wrong moment and everything seems to turn against you,” said the double world champion.

“We thought that the safety car would be out for the next 10 or 15 laps so we came in to get fuel and at the same time the safety car came in so we found ourselves starting the race last.

“We were on the first row on the grid and all of a sudden we were last so this was the end of our race.”

Indeed, it is very unlikely that Whiting singled out Alonso for specific punishment on the track.

A random penalty of this nature without prior notice would be without precedent. It would not be within the rules, as team penalties must go through the correct channels.

A less paranoid explanation for the Spaniard’s difficulties yesterday would be a simple strategic error from the team, who decided to short-fuel the Spanish ace. Renault have fuelled Alonso light before to jump him up the grid in qualifying, even if then his race suffers.

By Hugh Podmore

Red Bull Racing is reported to be in the midst of an internal row following the use of the British national anthem for the team on the podium in China.

The team races under an Austrian licence and is owned by Austrian Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, and the choice of the British anthem angered motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

“I am disappointed because we have a Austrian licence but no Austrian anthem was played,” Marko was quoted by Eurosport as saying. “Probably the Chinese do not have it.”

But the team evolved from Jaguar Racing, its previous incarnation, and Stewart Racing before that, both quintessentially British teams. The team is based in Milton Keynes and will have retained a large number of mostly British mechanics, whose reward was to hear their anthem played on the podium.

The present management structure comprises Christian Horner, Adrian Newey and Geoff Willis, all British-born. The dispute is likely to continue.

By Hugh Podmore

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has called for calm following another point-less race for the Italian marque. The team are suffering their worst start to a world championship for 27 years and rumours are flying about what or who is to blame. But the phlegmatic boss is looking forward to a range of improvements to the F60 that will be premiered when the F1 circus comes to Europe.

“I think for sure we will see after Spain where we are. In that period we will see really what can be the situation, so when we come back to Europe basically,” said Domenicali.

“I think we have to wait. We need to stay cool. It is not easy, I know, but we need to stay cool because there are too many things that can change very quickly,” the Italian explained.

Observers are predicting that the dominance as a constructor the Prancing Horse has enjoyed in the modern era is coming to an end. After the departure or marginalisation of the dream team of Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne it was said that Ferrari would no longer be the force it was. Many in the paddock were surprised the team continued to be successful, but ascribed the success to the long-term programme put into place by the previous structure. Some of the aforementioned dream team continue to exert influence over management.

The prospects for Ferrari this season depend on the success of their technical revisions due in Barcelona. If the parts do not make a wholesale difference, it is thought that the squad will write off 2009 and concentrate on the development of their 2010 challenger. Where this would leave Kimi Raikkonen is an interesting question, as the Finn faces a make-or-break season to convince his critics he still has the appetite for the sport. His lacklustre race in China yesterday, in which he offered no more than token resistance to his competitors, will not have earned the Finn any credit.

By Hugh Podmore

Brawn GP can expect a close fight with Red Bull Racing throughout the season if Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix is anything to go by.

The Brackley-based outfit currently lead the championship following back-to-back wins in Australia and Malaysia, but the team conceded that they were no match for the Red Bull drivers in Shanghai today, after they dominated the race in the wet.

Despite running considerably more fuel than the Red Bull cars, neither Jenson Button or Rubens Barrichello had the pace to keep up with them as Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line some forty seconds ahead of Button in third place.

“A very difficult race today and I am so pleased that we got both cars to the end of 56 laps and scored as many points as possible,” reflected Button. “The conditions were pretty crazy with rivers of water all over the circuit which changed every time you encountered them.”

“The last turn particularly was like a lake and you just couldn’t brake for the corner. I struggled with the car aquaplaning and the tyres shuddering as we couldn’t get the temperatures high enough to make them work properly.”

“Mark Webber and I had a good fight for a few laps but I just couldn’t stay with him. However to finish the race today is an achievement in itself and to be on the podium is fantastic. We couldn’t have beaten the Red Bulls and congratulations to Sebastian and Mark on a great result.”

With only half points awarded to Jenson Button at the abandoned Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang, Sebastian Vettel now sits just eleven points behind the Briton in the drivers championship.

Worringly for Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing have yet to attach a split-diffuser to their car which could yeild a significant advantage in laptime.

Team principal Ross Brawn alluded to a closely fought season with the Milton-Keynes based outfit, and hopes that their dominance in China will prove to be a one-off in the rain.

“Another dramatic race today to continue what is turning out to be a very exciting 2009 Formula One season,” he said. “Jenson and Rubens did an excellent job to bring the cars home in the difficult conditions which combined with a solid team performance over the whole weekend enabled us to score as many points as possible.”

“We had a good strategy with both drivers fuelled long for their first stints which allowed us to bridge the gap to the leaders.”

“However on similar fuel, Vettel and Webber were then able to pull away. Congratulations to Red Bull for their one-two performance today. We know from Australia what a fantastic feeling that achievement is and I’m sure they will enjoy every minute of it.”

By Chris Hayes

Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton somehow walked away from Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix with championship points to his name, despite treacherous conditions and several spins.

The British driver knows it could be several races before he can challenge at the front of the grid with McLaren playing catch-up to their rival teams.

But that didn’t stop him attacking the rain-hit Shanghai International Circuit with impunity has he bounced back from several off-track excursions to take sixth place.

The McLaren driver was aggressive from the start pulling off some impressive passes on Kimi Raikkonen and Jarno Trulli to get up to fifth.

“It was almost too difficult to drive at the beginning of the race,” he said. “But I found a good pace and had some fun in the opening laps, but unfortunately I destroyed my tyres quite early on.”

Then came a spin at the exit of Turn 10 which dropped him to tenth place. A resilient fight back saw him re-pass teammate Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli to run eighth.

After the second safety car period Hamilton was forced to re-pass Kimi Raikkonen again, this timing using the outside of Turn 7 to take fourth place. A second spin after his first pit stop dropped him to fifth place behind teamamte Heikki Kovalainen and a further mistake at Turn 16 dropped him to seventh.

“I made a few too many mistakes today,” said Hamilton, eventually taking sixth place at the chequered flag when Adrian Sutil crashed his Force India. “It was very slippery and my front-left tyre was finished long before the end but I still gave it my best. This afternoon was a real struggle but I’m glad I got some points for the team.”

Heikki Kovalainen in the sister McLaren enjoyed an altogether more consistent day battling his way through the field and benefiting from others mistakes to take fifth place.

“The visibility was unbelievably poor – especially during the first few laps after the Safety Car came in,” the Finn said. “But our pace was good and, during the last laps of the race, I could get close to Rubens – just not enough to start an attack. Our strategy was spot on: finishing higher than fifth was not possible today and I’m very pleased to have scored four solid points without making a single mistake – despite some massive moments!”

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh concedes that the team still have a lot of work to do catch the Brawn GP and Red Bull drivers.

“We were never going to be able to live with the Red Bulls or the Brawns today, which is why we chose a one-stop strategy,” he said. “The track was wet throughout the race, and the longer stints that our strategy dictated inevitably caused more wet-tyre wear than that experienced by the two-stoppers; but, despite the challenges posed by that extra wet-tyre wear, our drivers both coped very well.”

So, overall, an encouraging result: getting two cars into the points shows that we’re making good progress, but there’s more to come and we’re working flat-out to develop the improvements that will deliver it.”

By Chris Hayes on Sunday, April 19, 2009

A dream weekend for Red Bull Racing as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber recorded a maiden one-two finish for the Milton Keynes squad. Vettel was in dominant form, unchallenged for most of the race, whereas Mark Webber was pushed hard by Jenson Button, before finally securing Second in the closing laps by passing the Brit.

Sebastian Vettel - 1st: “It’s unbelievable – I’m so, so happy. Ten laps from the end I tried to control the gap between me and the car behind and adapt my pace. I was trying to have everything under control, but it was difficult. At some points I was trying to bring the car home, but that meant I lost focus, so then I just tried to take it corner by corner, not looking too far ahead. On the last two laps I backed off a bit, as I didn’t want to risk aquaplaning on the water at the side of the track. And then… well it’s just fantastic. Winning my second race, one with Toro Rosso and one with Red Bull, makes me extremely happy and I hope we can continue working in this direction! I’m extremely proud and happy. I’m so happy to have won the race, it was an enormous and great job by the whole of Red Bull. I want to say a massive thank you to them all, everyone has worked so hard, so thanks to the team and also to Red Bull. Greetings to Austria!”

Mark Webber - 2nd:“It’s such an incredible day for the team – you have no idea what the guys went through last night. We were absolutely shitting ourselves that the cars wouldn’t finish the race because everytime we ran yesterday, they stopped. So, it’s incredible to get the cars home and to get maximum points. This comes after the near misses in Australia for Sebastian and for myself in Malaysia. It’s a great day for the team in Milton Keynes, well done and thank you to them, and also to everyone in Austria. It was a challenging race at times! It was hard to follow the cars in the beginning due to the spray, but then further into the race, it started to settle a bit. After the second safety car stint, I had a good scrap with Jenson. On my official lap at the front, I couldn’t believe how clear it was - I thought ‘Oh my God, it’s beautiful!’ I then pushed like hell to make up as much time as possible – it was fantastic. When Jenson re-passed me, I was very keen to try win the race, so I passed him around Turn seven as I knew he wouldn’t know I would be there, it was one of the best moves of my career. I’m happy today!”

Christian Horner:“A great result for the team and Red Bull. It’s testimony to all the effort and hard work that Red Bull and Mr Mateschitz has committed to Formula One. I want to thank Red Bull and everyone in Milton Keynes, who have worked so hard for this. It’s just an unbelievable result. We’ve got a great car, a great team, great drivers, a single diffuser and we have a double one to come, so we’re looking good. The whole team and company can be very proud of this moment.”

Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support:“What a result, we have a magic pair of drivers. Sebastian and Mark are very strong, very cool, and it’s a pleasure to work with them. On behalf of all the Renault team, I would like to say that we are very proud to work with them both and be part of this Red Bull F1 adventure. I was also like to thank all the guys back at the factories in Milton Keynes, Viry and Mecachrome.”

By Ewan Marshall on Sunday, April 19, 2009

Jenson Button stormed to his second pole position of the season in Sepang as Brawn GP continue to lead the way in Formula One.

The British driver set a searing pace in the closing stages of qualifying for Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, seeing off pressure from Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to take the top spot with a lap of 1m 35.181.

“This one is more special than Melbourne,” enthused an elated Button after the session. “It’s not easy to get pole, but to get two on the trot - I’ve never achieved that in my Formula One career. It’s a great feeling.”

“The car clearly works well on different types of circuit. I expected the competition to be tough here but qualifying showed the car was ok.”

Jarno Trulli, the man at the centre of the Hamilton-McLaren Australian GP row, planted his Toyota on the front row the grid in an impressive showing for the Cologne-based outfit. His teammate Timo Glock also progressed into the top ten shoot-out and lines up in fifth place.

Sebastian Vettel was third for Red Bull Racing but will drop ten places after he was held responsible for the incident with Robert Kubica at the end of last week’s Australian Grand Prix. The German driver admitted he was frustrated about the affair.

“I have the penalty and there is nothing I can do,” he rued after qualifying. I just have to focus on what we are here for. It’s a shame because the car’s performance was good throughout qualifying which was good to see. But it’s a shame to start tenth tomorrow. It will be a tough race. Personally I am hoping for rain!”

Button’s teammate Rubens Barrichello, who qualified fourth, will also take a grid penalty tomorrow after making a precautionary gearbox change.

Timo Glock affirmed Toyota’s pace around the Sepang circuit lining up in fifth place ahead of Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber).

Kimi Raikkonen was lucky to take part in the top ten shoot-out at all after Ferrari, seemingly happy that their drivers had done enough to progress, elected not to send Raikkonen and Massa out on final runs in Q1. But a flurry of activity in the closing stages of the session - in which Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and the BMW Sauber’s of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld lifted themselves out of the drop-out zone with late flyers - saw Massa demoted to sixteenth, while Raikkonen just scraped through.

The Finn went on to post the ninth fastest time ahead of Renault’s Fernando Alonso.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s nightmare weekend continued and translated onto the track. Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen were both knocked out of the second qualifying session and will line up for Sunday’s race in thirteenth and fourteenth place respectively.

Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:35.058 1:33.784 1:35.181
2. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:34.745 1:33.990 1:35.273
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:34.935 1:34.276 1:35.518
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:34.681 1:34.387 1:35.651
5. Glock Toyota (B) 1:34.907 1:34.258 1:35.690
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:35.083 1:34.547 1:35.750
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:35.027 1:34.222 1:35.797
8. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:35.166 1:34.562 1:36.106
9. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:35.476 1:34.456 1:36.170
10. Alonso Renault (B) 1:35.260 1:34.706 1:37.659
11. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:35.110 1:34.769
12. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:35.341 1:34.788
13. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:35.280 1:34.905
14. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:35.023 1:34.924
15. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:35.507 1:35.431
16. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:35.642
17. Piquet Renault (B) 1:35.708
18. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:35.908
19. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:35.951
20. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:36.107

By Chrish

Jenson Button was delighted with his second consecutive pole of the season in Sepang describing it as being even more significant than his P1 slot in Melbourne.

The British driver clocked an impressive 1m 35.181 around the Sepang International Circuit, re-affirming the pace of the new Brawn GP team, and putting him comfortably clear of Jarno Trulli and Sebastian Vettel for Toyota and Red Bull.

“This one is more special than Melbourne,” Button said. “It’s not easy to get pole, but to get two on the trot - I’ve never achieved that in my Formula One career. It’s a great feeling.”

“The car clearly works well on different types of circuit. I expected the competition to be tough here but qualifying showed the car was ok.

“Yesterday I was really struggling with the balance of the car. We changed the setup overnight and its improved a lot. I’m feeling pretty comfortable and excited for tomorrow.”

By Chrish

Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets in the final practice session ahead of what could be a wet qualifying session for the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.

With much of the attention this weekend focussed on Lewis Hamilton and McLaren for their disqualification in last week’s Australian Grand Prix, it was over to Rosberg and Red Bull’s Mark Webber to remind fans of the new pecking order shaping the sport, while Ferrari also showed improvement.

Against the backdrop of overcast conditions - which risk developing into thundery showers for qualifying - Brawn GP quickly reasserted their dominance with Jenson Button leading teammate Rubens Barrichello at the top of the timesheets on a 1:38.601.

Button’s time was quickly beaten by Rosberg and Webber while Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen also briefly held the top spot for Ferrari showing improvement for the Scuderia.

BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld was the first driver on the softer compound tyres going quickest on a 1:37.026, but that was quickly beaten by Jenson Button, also on the soft tyres, before a flurry of activity in the last few minutes saw the times tumble at the top.

Nico Rosberg vaulted into P1 on a 1:35.940 with Mark Webber lapping to within a tenth of the German to go second quickest ahead of Felipe Massa and the Toyota’s of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock.

Sebastian Vettel paced seventh quickest for Red Bull Racing ahead of Kimi Raikkonen who seemed altogether more comfortable with the handling of his Ferrari F60.

The Brawn pairing eventually wound up in ninth and tenth but have yet to show their true pace.
McLaren lived up to their prediction that they would struggle at the “aero”-favouring Sepang International Circuit. Lewis Hamilton languished at the bottom of the timesheets in the early stages before improving on the softer tyres. He would up twelfth quickest while the best teamamte Heikki Kovalainen could manage was thirteenth.

1. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:35.940 19

2. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:36.048 + 0.108 13

3. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:36.089 + 0.149 13

4. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:36.132 + 0.192 21

5. Glock Toyota (B) 1:36.189 + 0.249 22

6. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:36.194 + 0.254 14

7. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:36.322 + 0.382 14

8. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:36.325 + 0.385 18

9. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:36.519 + 0.579 19

10. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:36.541 + 0.601 17

11. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:36.563 + 0.623 18

12. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:36.657 + 0.717 15

13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:36.742 + 0.802 13

14. Alonso Renault (B) 1:37.004 + 1.064 16

15. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:37.026 + 1.086 18

16. Piquet Renault (B) 1:37.032 + 1.092 18

17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:37.118 + 1.178 18

18. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:37.282 + 1.342 17

19. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:37.322 + 1.382 16

20. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:37.398 + 1.458 19

By Chrish

McLaren in the docks again as furore over Hamilton’s disqualification reaches fever pitch in Sepang.

McLaren face being taken before the World Motorsport Council - where they could be hit with a range of sanctions - after the FIA deemed that they mislead stewards in the enquiry that followed the Australian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton was promoted to third place in Melbourne after the FIA demoted Jarno Trulli to twelfth place for overtaking the McLaren driver under safety car conditions.

But on Thursday Hamilton and his McLaren team were disqualified from the race in light of new evidence. Team radio communications revealed that Hamilton had been ordered by his team to slow down and let Trulli pass, something both he and McLaren denied in the post-race hearing.

Hamilton has since apologised for his actions, while McLaren’s sporting director Dave Ryan, who accompanied Hamilton, has been suspended by the team.

The FIA are continuing their investigation and have not ruled out referring the incident to the World Motorsport Council, where FIA President Max Mosley will be given a say on a range of possible sanctions - including throwing McLaren out of the championship, as he did in 2007 after the spy scandal.

“We recognise Lewis’ efforts to set the record straight. It would appear he was put in an impossible position,” an FIA spokesman said.

“We are now awaiting reports from the FIA observer and stewards before consideration can be given to further investigation of the team’s conduct. We cannot rule out the matter being referred to the World Motor Sport Council.”

It is not the first time that McLaren have been before the sport’s supreme governing body. In 2007 they were thrown out of the constructors championship and docked with a £50 million fine for their involvement in the spy scandal.

Fernando Alonso, who fell out with the team over the row, has fuelled the recent controversy further by claiming that it is not the first time the team have lied to the stewards.

“Of course it reminded me of 2007,” Alonso told the Spanish press, pointing to the Hungarian Grand Prix when he delayed Lewis Hamilton in the pitlane in qualifying.

“It’s not the first time they go to see the stewards. It’s not the first time they lie to the stewards and, sooner or later, they had to be punished. Of course there I lost the championship by a point and in Hungary they played a bad trick on me.”

“I read about it on Thursday in the hotel, because I was there all day. I turned the computer on and I read it. Every time there are decisions taken against other teams you don’t care too much and in this case it didn’t change the result for me, so it didn’t affect me too much.”

By Chrish

The two Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa this afternoon topped the Malaysian free practice timesheets. Raikkonen set the fastest time, followed by his team-mate Massa and the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. Williams’ Nico Rosberg was fourth fastest.

Ferrari have suggested that the Sepang circuit might suit their F60 car better than Melbourne last week and being fastest on Friday seems to be a statement of intent from the Maranello squad. The two Brawn GP cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello failed to blitz the opposition in the same way they did in Australia, emerging 6th and 7th fastest respectively, but their true pace will be confirmed tomorrow.

The complete times were:
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:35.707 40
2. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:35.832 + 0.125 38
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:35.954 + 0.247 40
4. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:36.015 + 0.308 39
5. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:36.026 + 0.319 36
6. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:36.161 + 0.454 37
7. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:36.254 + 0.547 31
8. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:36.290 + 0.583 35
9. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:36.397 + 0.690 40
10. Piquet Renault (B) 1:36.401 + 0.694 35
11. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:36.515 + 0.808 30
12. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:36.516 + 0.809 34
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:36.628 + 0.921 32
14. Glock Toyota (B) 1:36.639 + 0.932 29
15. Alonso Renault (B) 1:36.640 + 0.933 20
16. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:36.875 + 1.168 36
17. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:37.267 + 1.560 38
18. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:37.278 + 1.571 30
19. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:37.432 + 1.725 27
20. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:37.930 + 2.223 37

By Hugh Podmore

Lewis Hamilton has been stripped of his third place in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after the FIA ruled that his McLaren team “deliberately mislead” stewards in a post-race enquiry.

Hamilton was awarded third place after the race last weekend after Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was penalised for passing under the Safety Car. However Trulli has now been reinstated to third place after the sport’s governing body said that Hamilton and McLaren had deliberately mislead the stewards at the hearing on March 29.

On Thursday, Hamilton was summoned before the race stewards again to discuss a “new element” of evidence. It is currently unclear as to what this evidence was however it is thought to be radio communications between Hamilton and the team.

By Forumula1.net

Lewis Hamilton´s third place finish in Australia - awarded to him after stewards penalised Toyota´s Jarno Trulli - is again under question as the FIA reopen the issue.

Under safety car conditions, Trulli made a mistake and went off the track and Hamilton had no choice but to pass him, the world champion told Speed TV. Trulli then illegally re-passed Hamilton, for which act he was penalised and demoted from the podium position.

But stewards are investigating new evidence which has come to light. The new evidence - thought to be previously unheard McLaren radio traffic - raises the possibility that the team told Hamilton to slow and let Trulli by.

After the race, Trulli explained the events from his point of view.

“When the safety car came out towards the end of the race, Lewis Hamilton passed me but soon after he suddenly slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road,” he said.

“I thought he had a problem so I overtook him as there was nothing else I could do.”

If the new enquiry finds that the McLaren team withheld evidence, the consequences could be serious, as failing to produce key evidence in such a case clearly contravenes sporting regulations.

Hamilton and Trulli have both been summoned to appear in front of three race stewards today in Malaysia to explain the story. They, together with Australian GP race stewards, will reconstruct the sequence of events for the FIA panel.

By Hugh Podmore

Kimi Raikkonen this week watched his new steed, the F60, be born. In the wake of this, it was announced that he would take the number 3 and Felipe Massa the number 4, in defiance of convention regarding the previous year’s championship standings. Stefano Domenicali, the team principal, then publicly called for a return of the ‘old’ Kimi. Strange times indeed. But what is clear to most F1 fans is that the upcoming year holds all sorts of questions for the 2007 world champion.

Is the number change Ferrari’s acknowledgement of Raikkonen as number one? Will Kimi return to the pinnacle, unchallenged as the raw fastest in F1? Was it just the tyre-heat issue that slowed him? Will he dispose of Massa next year?

Or will it be the year in which Massa exploits Kimi’s apparent disinterest? How many more votes of confidence from the Ferrari hierarchy does the Finn need? How much does he want to ‘do’ F1 after having won the world championship?

In so far as Raikkonen is a private man and does not give much away in interviews, it is difficult to predict the answers to these questions. Many believe, however, that he is one of the greatest drivers ever, and certainly one of the fastest. They cite his speed at Sauber and McLaren, and the probability of his winning the 2005 world championship with McLaren had it not been for their reliability problems. His win from 17th on the grid at Suzuka in 2005 is widely considered one of the best races ever. Fans of the Finn argue that his speed is not open to debate.

But critics would counter that his motivation, however, is in doubt. After winning the 2007 championship through consistency rather than show, many wondered if Kimi would remember the comment he is reported to have made when at McLaren. ‘I don’t like F1. I like the driving, but not everything else. I think one world championship will be enough.’
His ice-racing, his gorilla suits and his alleged passion for Absolut and Marlboros, while delighting the lads, was hardly the image of a 21st century sports icon.

2008 was by all accounts disappointing. It was reported that he found the F2008 a difficult beast, recalcitrant with its tyres. It certainly suited Felipe Massa more. Prior to their association at Ferrari, few F1 aficionados would have drawn comparisons between the Brazilian and the Finn. Raikkonen was considered the natural, the fastest; Massa the learner who could dominate if conditions were right and he kept his head. 2008 changed that perception, showing all that the car can be the master of the drivers in this day and age. Massa’s improvement cannot be discounted either.

So where to for Raikkonen now? 2009 is a make or break season for one of the world’s most highly paid sportsmen. Alonso, it is an open secret, is waiting in the wings. Raikkonen is the star driver who brought Ferrari glory in 2007. Massa is the new darling who failed narrowly in 2008. If Raikkonen cannot resurrect his previous form, he will in all likelihood be ousted at the end of the year. But he will also have disappointed a lot of his fans, who saw in him the inspiring characteristics of the romantic heroes of old.

By Hugh Podmore on Friday, January 16, 2009

Toyota motorsport president John Howett has implied that his bosses expect results from their investments this season. Following the online launch of the TF109, the Cologne-based team’s latest effort, Howett spoke of how the future of the team depended on F1’s value for money in 2009.

‘Commercially this team has a very strong future. The key issue is whether Formula One continues to deliver the value and return on investment that Toyota expects,’ the Englishman is quoted as saying by autosport.com.

The ambiguous nature of his words signify Howett’s support for the cost-cutting measures agreed on in December, but also puts pressure on his team to deliver results in the upcoming season. Howett added that everybody at the team was ready to show improvement on the track.

‘The new regulations pose an extra challenge but at the same time offer an opportunity. We have everything we need to win; we have some exceptionally talented people and huge motivation to succeed so now it is down to us to actually make it happen’.

Howett remains confident that the cost reduction agreements of December have preserved the technical innovation side of the sport.

‘If…too many standard components are forced into the system, Formula One could become just another racing series. That would leave it as only a sponsorship opportunity and I believe interest would drop rapidly. But FOTA has achieved significant cost reductions while retaining the DNA of Formula One’.

By Hugh Podmore on Thursday, January 15, 2009

Toyota today launched their new car in an online unveiling ceremony. The Japanese marque, which has been the subject of frenzied debate in recent months following its record $1bn loss and the withdrawal of main rival Honda from F1, nevertheless appeared optimistic about the future.

In 2008, Toyota enjoyed a marked improvement over previous campaigns. The team finished fifth in the constructors’ championship overall, beating its Japanese rival Honda comprehensively. Drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock were consistently threatening the big teams, and Trulli celebrated a podium finish.

“I expect Toyota to be competitive again,” said Trulli at the launch of the TF109. “Beyond that I cannot say; we will have to wait and see what the first few races hold.

“I am a very confident person and I am always optimistic so again this season I have high hopes, but I know from my experience that whatever I say in the winter doesn’t really count for much when the season starts - the important thing is what we do on the track.

“I hope I can fight for Toyota’s first victory; that is my dream. Formula One is extremely competitive at the moment so I expect this season to be exciting and very interesting; I am looking forward to it.”

The TF109 appears to be following the 2009 trend for high rear wings and wide front wings, following the new aerodynamic regulations intended to create more overtaking. The team’s colour scheme has remained consistent with its previous cars.

In their years in F1, Toyota have developed something of a reputation for financial profligacy, a dangerous trait in difficult economic times. However, they remain a team capable of reacting well to drastic rule changes, and could be a dark horse for 2009.

Trulli said: “It is a big change and whenever you make a change like this, it is impossible to predict how it will affect each team. Toyota has the capability to adapt to these regulations as well or better than any other team so I am hoping it will give us a good opportunity.’

TF109 In Pictures:

By Hugh Podmore on Thursday, January 15, 2009

Felipe Massa yesterday shook the new Ferrari F60 down at the Italian team’s Mugello test track. He seemed pleased with the two laps he did, and expressed surprise at the car’s size.

He said: “I expected it to be big, but it’s small like a Formula Three car. I expected it to (have) huge (front) wings like they were 10 years ago.

“The new F60 seems tiny, very compact and cute. I feel emotional but I’m also happy to take it out on track for the first time.”

Speculation was rife, however, that the Ferrari machine that comes to the grid at the first race in Australia will differ hugely from today’s version. The car will have at least two major updates and will be constantly reviewed before it is raced.

The designer of the car, Nikolas Tombazis, emphasised that the speed at which Ferrari can develop the car will be key for the season ahead.

‘Many rules, as far as the aerodynamics are concerned, are completely new. The speed of development will be the main issue. Whoever knows how to develop faster will be better than the others. We can work on the development in the Fridays at every GP. Before the season there’s still some good margin. And if we’re ahead at the first race, it means that we can keep our cool,’ he told the official F1 website.

It is still unknown whether Ferrari will run its KERS facility. Like other teams, the Maranello concern will be weighing up the pros and cons of the untried system, which may provide performance advantage, but is likely to be unreliable.

Tombazis hinted that Ferrari would be prepared to run KERS in Melbourne, saying that the design team had worked extensively around the system. ‘Obviously the KERS ‘nuisance’ is remarkable. We’re talking about more than 30 kg of weight. We’ve done a lot of developmental work to insert the system and compensate for it.’

By Hugh Podmore on Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Ferrari welcomed in a new era of Formula One today with the launch of their 2009 challenger, the F60.

Besides marking the start of the Scuderia’s campaign to beat McLaren to the 2009 F1 World Championship, it was also a striking demonstration of the impact that sweeping regulation changes have had on car design. Forumula1.net takes a peek.

Both Ferrari race drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have spoken of their optimism for 2009 following the launch of the new Ferrari F60 today. Speaking to the official F1 website, Massa talked of how his 2008 experience has made him stronger and how he will fight harder for the upcoming season’s crown.

“If you look at my career from the start to now, every year I feel stronger,” he said. “I think after so much experience over these six years, I feel stronger and I feel more experienced, especially after last year, with how difficult the championship was. I think you learn, and that makes me ready and even more experienced for this year.”

Massa was also moved to talk of his emotional connection with the Italian marque, with whom he starts his fourth season.

“When you race for Ferrari and you debut the car for the first time on the track it’s always quite an important and emotional day,” explained the Brazilian to Ferrari’s official website. “It’s the second time in my career I’ve debuted the car for the first time and I am very proud.

“I was expecting quite a big car, like it was ten years ago for example, but when I got here the car is very small and compact, especially in the rear. It looks good and hopefully will be as quick as it looks like it.”

Raikkonen, in typically blunt fashion, said that the new car’s different looks needed a little getting used to.

“(The car) looks different because of the new regulations, but I think after you look at it for a little while you get used to it. For me it looks different but very good, and I’m looking forward to running in it at the circuit tomorrow to see how it goes.”

The Finn, whose performances were occasionally uncharacteristically mediocre in 2008, promised improvement. He is widely thought to be fighting for his seat for 2010, and said that he was intending to fight for the drivers’ crown again himself.

“Last year was not exactly what I wanted but it’s in the past,” he explained. “Of course there’s a big question mark about who has the best car because the rules have changed a lot. But we are very confident the car should be very good and we should see in the next few weeks how good it is against the others. For sure we’ll try to win both championships.’’

By Hugh Podmore on Monday, January 12, 2009

Ferrari were first to usher in a new era of Formula One today with the launch of their 2009 challenger, the F60, in Mugello. Forumula1.net’s Dan Barnes looks back on the highs and lows of 2008 and assesses the Scuderia’s chances of title glory one year on.

The Ferrari F2008 may have had superior pace, but a lack of reliability allied to fudged pit stops and erroneous decisions ultimately cost Ferrari the drivers’ title.

The F2008’s strengths lied in its raw race pace. The Ferrari was estimated to have the most powerful engine on the grid with an advantage over the midfield of around 25 BHP. However, the Ferrari power plant was incredibly unreliable. It failed spectacularly in Australia for both Kimi and Felipe and then later in the season at Hungary and Valencia.

Problems generating heat into their tyres compromised Ferrari in qualifying but it meant that the F2008 had a blistering race pace and looked after its tyres over the course of a race stint tremendously well. Take Hungary. McLaren locked out the front row but Felipe Massa’s race pace was superior to the silver cars allowing the Brazilian to dominate the race until a cruel engine blow three laps from the chequered flag.

Ferrari also seemed to have an advantage at the race start compared to its competitors. That allowed their drivers to challenge early on in a race and gain positions off the grid.

But for all the strengths of the F2008 there were weaknesses too in both the car and the operation of the team at races.

The F2008 had poor engine reliability which cost the team valuable points. There was also the broken exhaust in Magny-Cours which slowed Kimi Raikkonen considerably handing the win to Massa.

A prevalent theme for Ferrari in 2008 was the litany of pit stop errors which marred the teams campaign. The problems were the result of human error from the misuse of the pit stop light system costing Massa the win in Singapore and wrecking havoc with his race in Valencia.

Ferrari also suffered from a more anonymous refuelling problem in Silverstone and Montreal where Massa was misfuelled, severely compromising his qualifying and race respectively. The Ferrari pit wall also made questionable decisions at times during racing situations; most notably in Silverstone where they chose to leave Kimi on his used Intermediates at the first round of pit stops because their forecast showed no more rain. This forecast was wrong and oblivious to all other teams they proceeded to put on a new pair of intermediate tyres which compromised Kimi’s race.

Silverstone highlighted Ferrari’s wet weather ineptitude throughout most of the season, with similarly poor results in the wet races at Monza and Spa. Only by the very end of the season after intensive testing in Mugello did the Scuderia seem to have reasonable wet weather performance as demonstrated in Sao Paulo.

Despite the sweeping rule changes for 2009 not all of the Ferrari’s work in 2008 is defunct. Although engines are now required to last three races and are limited to 18,000 RPM the engines will remain relatively the same with only minor tweaks to improve reliability and costs allowed under the engine freeze.

Ferrari have it seems been exhaustively testing its engines over long runs in pre-season testing having identified it as a key weakness of the 2008 package. Also remedied for the 2009 season is the Ferrari pit light system which now has fail-safes built in to prevent human error of the system whilst in manual mode. The decision making process is also an area the Scuderia should have focused on.

Stefano Domenicali readily identified the weaknesses of Ferrari in 2008 when speaking at the end of season party at Maranello in December: “We didn’t lose the championship in Brazil but before, when we had problems with reliability and made mistakes. We have to analyse the causes, with tranquillity but decisively, to be sure that it will not happen again in the next year.”

If Ferrari can rectify these mistakes they have won half the battle.

The other half of the challenge in 2009 is adapting to the new rules including; slicks, new aero regulations and KERS. KERS has been discussed regularly by Aldo Costa who has sounded anything but confident when discussing KERS, noting in late December “We are late with the KERS. We prepared a hybrid F1 car to test it, but the system isn’t ready. In February we’ll understand how to go to the first grand prix.” In contrast we have heard little about the progress made on slicks or the aero package from Ferrari with the first real indicator of performance likely to come on January 20th when testing commences at Jerez.

So whilst the launch of the Ferrari F2009 at Mugello reveals little about the Scuderia’s competitiveness in 2009 it offers the chance to enjoy the first glimpse at what a completed 2009 car will look like. For anything more than aesthetics I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until Melbourne to find how well Ferrari has adapted to the new rules and if it has ironed out its 2008 gremlins.

By Christopher Hayes on Monday, January 12, 2009