Catch-up Session – Week No. 42
What happened between October 12 and 18, 2009, in Formula 1? Your news site casinoenlignefrance.eu.com offers you an exclusive recap session. The goal is to give you the essentials of F1 news from the past week, all in one article. On the agenda, the recent Brazilian Grand Prix saw Jenson Button and Brawn GP crowned […]
What happened between October 12 and 18, 2009, in Formula 1? Your news site casinoenlignefrance.eu.com offers you an exclusive recap session. The goal is to give you the essentials of F1 news from the past week, all in one article. On the agenda, the recent Brazilian Grand Prix saw Jenson Button and Brawn GP crowned for winning both championships. casinoenlignefrance.eu.com takes a detailed look back at this penultimate race of the 2009 season, during which Mark Webber claimed his second victory of the year. Present in the paddocks at Interlagos to wave the checkered flag, Felipe Massa made headlines again last week. Will his return be at the Abu Dhabi GP in two weeks or in 2010? Finally, the announcement was made official in the middle of last week, the Williams team has decided to part ways with its engine supplier, Toyota, at the end of the season. But what engine will power the Grove team’s FW32? Answers within this article…
Rain, tears, there was a lot of water for this Brazilian Grand Prix!
The 2009 Brazilian race will remain etched in history. From Friday’s practice sessions, the tone was set. Rain was already disrupting the morning and afternoon tests, but each driver managed a good number of laps. Saturday saw the most dramatic situation, with weather forecasts predicting a tropical storm. The third free practice was heavily disrupted and the session lasted only a few minutes. Williams’ drivers Rosberg and Nakajima were the most opportunistic. But that was nothing compared to the afternoon’s qualifying. A true deluge extended the session to nearly three hours, whereas it usually takes just one hour to determine the poleman. After several red flags, various slips, and interminable Q1 and Q2 sessions, Q3 took place in the usual 10 minutes. Previously, several top drivers were bogged down, such as McLaren’s Kovalainen and Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel, who didn’t get past Q1. Jenson Button was only 14th on the starting grid. For the last qualifying session, no fewer than nine teams were represented. Ultimately, it was Rubens Barrichello who emerged victorious in front of his home crowd, followed by Webber and then Sutil, who always excelled in the rain, and finally Trulli. Alonso would start 10th ahead of the incredible Kobayashi for Toyota, replacing Glock who was still recovering from a leg injury. As if by divine intervention, it didn’t rain on Sunday, and the sun alternated with clouds! The race took place in normal conditions, but the Grand Prix was no less interesting with numerous overtakes and an eventful first lap. In fact, three drivers were out after only a few seconds. Trulli and Sutil collided, and Alonso became an unfortunate casualty without any involvement. The safety car was deployed. The battle for victory seemed to be between Webber, Barrichello, and Kubica, but all eyes were on Vettel and, above all, Button. Each time the Briton gained a position, calculations were made to see if he was champion. After a major crash by Nakajima, victory loomed for Webber, followed by Kubica and Barrichello. Unfortunately, the Brazilian suffered a slow puncture and had to pit again. He finished the race in 8th place and lost all hope of the title because Button made a superb comeback to finish 5th. He became the 2009 world champion as Vettel was only 4th. His joy and embraces with his father filled the screens, overshadowing the podium where Webber stood on the top step for the second time this season. Kubica was second and Hamilton third after a well-managed tactical race. Räikkönen and Buemi finished 6th and 7th. It was somewhat less surprising, but Brawn GP was crowned the world champion of constructors. They only needed 0.5 points to win, which they achieved. For the last Grand Prix of the season, interest will focus on the driver’s championship for the vice-champion spot between Vettel and Barrichello, as well as the 5th position between Räikkönen and Hamilton. In the constructors’ championship, it’s the 3rd position up for grabs between Ferrari and McLaren.
The summary of the Brazilian Grand Prix
The Complete Live Coverage of the Brazilian Grand Prix
The latest updates on the Felipe Massa case
While Felipe Massa is slowly but surely returning to the F1 world, it is now certain that he will not participate in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He spent three days in Brazil, in Sao Paulo for this weekend’s Grand Prix, but a return to racing in two weeks in the United Arab Emirates is too premature. The driver and his team, Ferrari, prefer to take it step by step with testing during the off-season, getting to know his new teammate, Alonso, and finally securing his seat for the first 2010 GP in Bahrain. The Brazilian has been away from the tracks for several months, but he still sees and considers himself the same man and, most importantly, the same driver. His initial tests in a F2007 reassure him.
Williams-Toyota, the divorce is finalized
After three years of good and loyal service, Williams has decided not to continue its agreement with Toyota for engine supply. The agreement had been in place since 2007, but it was the Grove-based team that requested not to extend the contract. Nothing now prevents Williams from moving closer to Cosworth. Ultimately, it will be the ‘low-cost’ engine supplier that will take over from Toyota, this is today’s news!
