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

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

Alonso reigns supreme in Singapore

Double world champion gives Singapore’s Marina Bay a christening to remember after winning dramatic inaugural night race;

Ferrari incompetence in the pits puts Hamilton in pole position for the title.

He said he needed a miracle. And on lap 15 it came, his team-mate ironically the bearer.

When Nelson Piquet threw his Renault into the wall, bringing out the safety car, any chance of a straight forward outcome to the inaugural Singapore race was lost as the Marina Bay circuit opened its gates to a flood of spectacle and drama.

Prior to Piquet’s collision it was a distinctly less complex picture that had begun to emerge under the night lights. Felipe Massa led Lewis Hamilton and the rest of the field through the first corner without major incident - a knock between Heikki Kovalainen and Robert Kubica excluded - and had begun to build up a sizable cushion over his championship protagonist.

By Lap 12 Hamilton was beginning to struggle to keep the Brazilian in sight and had the added concern of Kimi Raikkonen steaming up onto his gearbox.

“I started well, but then my rear tyres faded and, although we had good pace, I wasn’t in a position to challenge Felipe ahead of me,” explained Hamilton.

Alonso, who qualified fifteenth after being hit with a fuel problem in qualifying, was on a short first stint and pitted for fuel early on Lap 13. That dropped him to the rear of the field and appeared to mark the end of his race.

Then all hell broke loose under the night sky. The Piquet-induced safety car bunched up the field right in the middle of the pit-stop window. Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica were among those to get caught out and were forced to stop for fuel while the pitlane was closed, later taking their respective ten second penalties.

The rest of the field waited patiently behind the safety car and Massa led the charge into the pitlane the moment it re-opened leaving Rosberg (yet to take his drive-through penalty) leading the one-stoppers of Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fissichella, and the short-stinting Fernando Alonso. The Red Bull cars of Mark Webber and David Coulthard were also in the mix behind Alonso having also stopped early in the race.

That was the moment that it all begun to unravel for poor old Felipe Massa. Ferrari’s controversial semi-automatic pit-release signal gave the Brazilian the green light to leave the pitlane before the refuelling hose had been detached. The Ferrari driver carried the hose down the pitlane, much to the delight of the McLaren mechanics, before stopping and waiting for it to be de-attached.

“When he came in, we had a problem with the fuel rig, we had a problem with our refuelling system,” Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley explained to German broadcaster Premiere. “He saw the green light and he correctly left the pit box, but it shouldn’t have been a green light, so it was a failure of the team and not of him.”

“And, for that, he had to stop at the end of the pit lane, and then we sent the guys up an they pulled the fuel nozzle out and then he got a drive-through penalty and then he got a puncture. So, what could go wrong, did go wrong.”

“Unfortunately, it’s just one of them things, everything always happens at the worst possible time, that’s why you’ve just got to be 100 percent waterproof with all your reliability and today we weren’t. Today we were useless.”

The incident was almost identical to Ferrari’s pit-lane faux-pas in Valencia, only this time the stewards were less sympathetic and docked Massa with a drive through penalty on the grounds of “unsafe” release. Game over. The Brazilian was dropped to the rear of the field. A spin at Turn 18 with ten laps to go sealed his fate.

The debacle also dashed Raikkonen’s Singaporean hopes. The Finn had been forced to queue behind Massa in the pits and bore the brunt of Ferrari’s bungle as much as the Brazilian himself. Unlike Massa though, Raikkonen recovered to fifth and was sitting pretty when the safety car re-remerged in the closing stages. That was until he dropped his Ferrari into the wall with only four laps remaining.

Zero points for Ferrari and advantage McLaren in the constructors’ championship for the first time this season.

Lewis Hamilton emerged from his pit-stop behind the trail of one-stoppers and short-stinters, three places behind Alonso in the provisional lead, but behind a much slower David Coulthard.

“During my first pit stop I lost a bit of time because everybody came in due to the Safety Car period,” said the McLaren driver. “After that I was unfortunately stuck behind David and although I was clearly faster it was really difficult to overtake him.”

The McLaren driver, sensing the opportunity presented by Massa’s demise, made little impression on the Red Bull car and it wasn’t until Lap 41 that he leapfrogged Coulthard, by which point Alonso and second place man Nico Rosberg were out of reach.

The final safety car period provided Hamilton with a chance to pass Rosberg for extra points, but by then the Briton appeared happy to just bring his car home in the points; he settled for third.

“After the second re-start, I tried to stay as close as possible behind Nico; however, I didn’t want to take chances - particularly as the Ferraris were outside the points. Also, this is not a track where overtaking is easy.”

Toyota’s Timo Glock managed to claw his way up to fourth having pushed hard after his first stop to leap frog his one-stopping team mate Jarno Trulli and the Red Bull duo. Sebastian Vettel finished fifth ahead of Nick Heidfeld, David Coulthard and Kazuki Nakajima.

But the day undoubtedly belonged to Fernando Alonso. The double world champion had showed impressive pace throughout the weekend, and in a strange quirk of fate it was his qualifying misfortune that enabled to triumph by virtue of a strategy selection based on his fifteenth place grid slot. The win is Alonso’s twentieth and the first in over a year.

“Fantastic! First podium of the season and the first victory,” enthused Alonso after the race. “I’m extremely happy, I can’t believe it.”

“I think I need a couple of races to realise that we won a race; it seems impossible. Here we’ve been competitive; we had bad luck in qualifying, but great luck in the race. The safety car helped me a lot and I was able to win the race.”

“We chose to do a very short first stint, recognising that in fifteenth place you can’t overtake.”

“So we tried something very different: very short first sting and try to make as many positions at the start, and we would see from there. It was very lucky. The pace was there all through the race and we were always able to pull out a gap to the cars behind us.”

By Christopher Hayes on Sunday, September 28, 2008

The podium in the 15th race of 2008 Formula One Worldchampionship was taken by Fernando Alonso (Renault) - 1st, Nico Roseberg (Williams-Toyota) - 2nd and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) -3rd.

Today's race was the first race in Singapore and the first ever night race in the history of Formula 1.

The race had started with Felipe Massa in pole position and he was being considered by everyone as the top contender for today's race, but things went sour for him after a pit-stop incident. He started off after a pit stop while the fuel rig had not yet been removed.

The hose came off from its mooring spitting a lot of fuel into the air. Massa lost a lot of time and managed to rejoin the race at the 18th position. By the time he finished the race, he had manged to come up to the 13th position.

The fate of the Indian team, Force India, drivers was not very good in today's race also.

Giancarlo Fisichella completed the race in the 14 position while Adrian Sutil the other driver of Force India team had to drop out of the race in the 49th lap.

After the first night race, Lewis Hamilton is leading the championship chart with 84 points, followed by Felipe Massa with 77 points. In the constructors standings table, McLaren- Mercedes is at the top with 135 point, while Ferrari is behind by only 1 point at 134.