2009 Formula One Season Official Thread

[Jack_Bauer]

The FIA have today announced that the 13th garage in the F1 paddock will go to Lotus...

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BMW-Sauber will get 14th place (ie first backup team) should another spot potentially open up (Renault perhaps?), contingent on them finding the necessary funding to resurrect the team.

[twinspark]

I'm not too happy about how all the new teams entering the series for 2010 were supposedly forced to use the Cosworth engine, but the combination Lotus-Cosworth doesn't sound too bad. I just wonder what the rest of the non-approved applicants will think of this.

[fpv_gtho]

The EU could still have something to say about the FIA's insistance on the Cosworths, although USF1 were rumoured to be in talks with Toyota anyway.

[faksta]

What about a 28 car field?

BMW Sauber’s hopes of staying on the grid next season received a boost on Tuesday after BMW confirmed it has reached agreement on the sale of the team. The German car maker is pulling out of Formula One racing at the end of 2009.

Qadbak Investments Ltd, a Swiss-based foundation which represents the interests of certain Middle East and European based families, has agreed to purchase the team, based in Hinwil, Switzerland. Qadbak´s interest in the team will be represented by Lionel Fischer, a Swiss national.

“BMW wishes Qadbak and the Sauber Team every success for the 2010 season and beyond,” said BMW in an official statement announcing the deal.

The recent uncertainty surrounding BMW Sauber’s future means they do not have a confirmed entry for next season. However, the FIA has said it will be pressing for a 14-team field in 2010, with BMW Sauber guaranteed the final slot if the necessary rule changes can be agreed.

(from F1 official website)

[faksta]

Now how is that? Biatore and Symonds are fired.

The Renault Formula One team issued the following press release on Wednesday:

The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.

Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009, the team will not make any further comment.

[Ferrer]

Wow, that's worse tha a soap opera. Is anyone actually interested in the racing anymore...

[pimento]

Coming soon.. F1: The Movie. All the off track action!

[RacingManiac]

Grand Prix did a pretty good job of adding melodrama to the racing.....lol

Nelson Piquet Jr.(or Sr. for that matter) didn't help his future prospect with this parting shot though....now we know him as slow, as well as a blackmailing whistle blower....

[cmcpokey]

Flavio out of F1? WTF? although I expect he will show up in one of the new teams coming out next year.

[Wouter Melissen]

Flavio out of F1? WTF? although I expect he will show up in one of the new teams coming out next year.

I doubt he'll be back. This is a very serious offense.

[ringle]

I doubt he'll be back. This is a very serious offense.

Mike Gascoyne has now returned.

[Chernaudi]

I don't know how the FIA will handle any penalties for the Renault team orders deal, but Mike Coughlin and Nigel Stempany ultimatly weren't kicked out of F1 due to their cheating allegations/McLaren spygate activities, though Stempany has only been involved with the FIA GT1 series as co-owner of the Gigawave team, and Coughlin has fallen off the map-maybe the teams themselves are enforcing their own penalties for them, no?

[fpv_gtho]

I don't know how the FIA will handle any penalties for the Renault team orders deal, but Mike Coughlin and Nigel Stempany ultimatly weren't kicked out of F1 due to their cheating allegations/McLaren spygate activities, though Stempany has only been involved with the FIA GT1 series as co-owner of the Gigawave team, and Coughlin has fallen off the map-maybe the teams themselves are enforcing their own penalties for them, no?

Which makes it likely Briattore and Symonds are only leaving to reduce any possible penalties hurled at Renault. Symonds had already been offered immunity by the FIA as Piquet jr had, but seemed to reject it.

[csl177]

Which makes it likely Briattore and Symonds are only leaving to reduce any possible penalties hurled at Renault. Symonds had already been offered immunity by the FIA as Piquet jr had, but seemed to reject it.

That occured to me as well... paid to be a fall guy so the team can avoid penalties? The entire matter raises another issue:
2008 season points. Did anything related to Singapore change the final outcome? Further, that's two very unpleasant
bits of recent F1 history with Alonso squarely in the middle.

EDIT: Just read this at Racer... an interesting timeline of events, statements from the players involved.

http://www.racer.com/Analysis-How-Re...rticle/149113/

[RacingManiac]

I sorta doubt Alonso is directly involve in this one(other than driving to his pit strategy), certainly less than I think even the Spygate, although there was no doubt that he benefited because of it.

It could have had an effect on the championship, in that Massa could've won the race if he had pitted at his window and the crew weren't rushed under safety car pit window, but with the stop-light system they had you never know....And with WDC being won by a single point the champion could've been different.

Lots of what ifs there....