Formula One Season 2009 chat

[Cheese]

This year though it is to do with the driver aswell. Well more than in resent years anyway.

[Fordy]

but hamilton is the best and he could get no where near them because of one small part

[Cheese]

but hamilton is the best and he could get no where near them because of one small part

I know what your saying but it's like putting you in a AC Cobra and having Lewis in a reliant robin. You'll always win.

The cars are now alot more closer competitivly than in recent years. which is what i was trying to point out.

[Reverend Gooner]

It's true, the time difference between cars is the smallest it has been for ages. Although the intent to slow down the cars has failed i think as they seem to be going faster than ever.

As for Hamilton's first practice i doubt it was fuel. They said on the commentary a few times that McLaren don't mess with fuel in practice that much. I think it is down to the fact that China is a track McLaren are very good at and also if you watched Hamilton all the way through his lap times were all over the place, some were mid, some were below the chart but the good ones he posted were really good compared to others.

Many cars were having problems with their set ups and drivers kept locking up at the second to last turn. The second session saw the mistakes of other being wiped out a bit more and McLaren were back down.

It is still good progress for McLaren though.

[Cheese]

Half a second between the top 14 cars, Red Bull look shit hot at the moment.

Bring on Q3.

[SE13]

I was watching that last bit of qualifying, frantic to say the least!

[Cheese]

Third Practice
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Position Country Driver Car number Team Fastest Lap
1 germany Nico Rosberg 16 Williams-Toyota 1:36.133
2 italy Jarno Trulli 9 Toyota 1:36.272
3 great britain Lewis Hamilton 1 McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.330
4 great britain Jenson Button 22 Brawn-Mercedes 1:36.463
5 brazil Nelson Piquet Jr 8 Renault 1:36.464
6 brazil Felipe Massa 3 Ferrari 1:36.528
7 finland Heikki Kovalainen 2 McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.547
8 japan Kazuki Nakajima 17 Williams-Toyota 1:36.560
9 finland Kimi Raikkonen 4 Ferrari 1:36.568
10 brazil Rubens Barrichello 23 Brawn-Mercedes 1:36.642
11 germany Nick Heidfeld 6 BMW Sauber 1:36.702
12 poland Robert Kubica 5 BMW Sauber 1:36.742
13 switzerland Sebastien Buemi 12 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:36.742
14 france Sebastien Bourdais 11 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:36.843
15 australia Mark Webber 14 Red Bull-Renault 1:37.330
16 germany Sebastian Vettel 15 Red Bull-Renault 1:37.349
17 germany Adrian Sutil 20 Force India-Mercedes 1:37.534
18 italy Giancarlo Fisichella 21 Force India-Mercedes 1:37.732
19 spain Fernando Alonso 7 Renault 1:38.003
20 germany Timo Glock 10 Toyota 1:39.110

[Cheese]

Qualifying
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Position Country Driver Car number Team Qualifying time
1 germany Sebastian Vettel 15 Red Bull-Renault 1:36.184
2 spain Fernando Alonso 7 Renault 1:36.381
3 australia Mark Webber 14 Red Bull-Renault 1:36.466
4 brazil Rubens Barrichello 23 Brawn-Mercedes 1:36.493
5 great britain Jenson Button 22 Brawn-Mercedes 1:36.532
6 italy Jarno Trulli 9 Toyota 1:36.835
7 germany Nico Rosberg 16 Williams-Toyota 1:37.397
8 finland Kimi Raikkonen 4 Ferrari 1:38.089
9 great britain Lewis Hamilton 1 McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.595
10 switzerland Sebastien Buemi 12 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:39.321
11 germany Nick Heidfeld 6 BMW Sauber 1:35.975
12 finland Heikki Kovalainen 2 McLaren-Mercedes 1:36.032
13 brazil Felipe Massa 3 Ferrari 1:36.033
14 germany Timo Glock 10 Toyota 1:36.066
15 japan Kazuki Nakajima 17 Williams-Toyota 1:36.193
16 france Sebastien Bourdais 11 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:36.906
17 brazil Nelson Piquet Jr 8 Renault 1:36.908
18 poland Robert Kubica 5 BMW Sauber 1:36.966
19 germany Adrian Sutil 20 Force India-Mercedes 1:37.669
20 italy Giancarlo Fisichella 21 Force India-Mercedes 1:37.672

[Reverend Gooner]

The fuel weights tell a completely different story about who is fastest to that line up. It still puts Vettel as the fastest but Barrichello and Button follow. Alonso goes from 2nd to 9th.

Alonso is due in after 8 or 9 laps.
Vettel and Webber after 10
Brawns after about 18
Raikonnen and Hamilton are on long first stints 20-24 laps

[Cheese]

Wet race

Like you said the feul does tell a different story, as much as l'd like all cars to qualify on the same fuel, at least this way the front row is more unpredictable.

They've just said safety car start....

[Reverend Gooner]

If this gets called off i am going to be pissed off

[Cheese]

It should be ok to race...
The cars work better going quick in the wet.

I like how, at the start of the race, Ferrari warned Massa if he spun under the safety car he's not allowed to overtake... Whats he do? Goes wide. haha.

[Younggooner08]

And here they go . . . . no more safety car

[SE13]

It must be about time for the pit stops.... Who's going to benefit from the original tactics?

[Cheese]

No bias from me but Lewis is f***ing brilliant in the wet.