Formula 1 - 2009 Season

[DJ12]

So Ferrari have a chance of actually winning a race this season after all.

 

[RobertR1]

This is too awesome! I don't even care where he finishes. Just nice to see him back on the grid. Ofcourse I hope he does extremely well and Ferrari use the current time off to make the car a bit more competitive. Exciting stuff!

 

[Dave Baumann]

You have to wonder if Eccelstone dabbled here. On the day BMW drops a bomshell you get the story of the most successful GP driver returning to the cockpit... alongside Kimi... competing for the first time against Hamilton... with Button struggling to retain to WC hopes... It is a pretty fascinating turn of events and irrespective of whether you love or loathe Schumi its one you have to turn on and watch.

Bernie will overturn the Renault decision next.

 

[Bludd]

Ferrari has confirmed that Schumacher will be driving in Massa's place

And you said he wouldn't. Hah. I knew they'd overlook Gene and Badoer and Bourdais.

 

[Kaotik]

And you said he wouldn't. Hah. I knew they'd overlook Gene and Badoer and Bourdais.

Yeah, I thought his manager knew what he was talking about

 

[Bludd]

Yeah, I thought his manager knew what he was talking about

Heh, he was 200% sure Michael wouldn't drive. I take that as proof that he is bonkers.

 

[Kaotik]

Heh, he was 200% sure Michael wouldn't drive. I take that as proof that he is bonkers.

That one was actually already second separate time he was denying any possibility of Michael driving
edit:
On a finnish site, there's a new news piece where Willi Weber tells that he was trying to prevent Schumacher from returning.
Here's a translation of his words by me
"I actually tried to make him give it up. The problem is what people are waiting. When Schumacher goes back to the car, people want to see him win. The decision was however in the end in his own hands. Just like the quitting decision was" Weber told Der Tagesspiegel magazine

The news article also mentions that Weber wasn't any part of the actual negotiations, but that Michael, Domenicali and di Montezemolo had a private discussion about his return

 

[Dave Baumann]

Hehe, I said as much

Williams has refused to rule out the possibility the team might overlook the self-imposed Formula One Teams' Association ban next year and race KERS.

The manufacturer-dominated alliance has agreed not to fit the systems to their cars next year. However that is just a separate gentleman's agreement, as the regulations continue to permit its use next year.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

F1 future safe after agreement signed

The future of Formula One has been secured after the FIA and the 12 teams signed a new Concorde Agreement to safeguard the sport until 2012.

The agreement ended threats of a breakaway series after weeks of negotiations between the FIA and the Formula One Teams Association.

The document, which outlines how Formula One is run and its revenues are distributed, was signed late on Friday.

"Following approval by the World Motor Sport Council, late last night FIA president Max Mosley (pictured) signed the 2009 Concorde Agreement, heralding a renewed period of stability for the FIA Formula One World Championship," an FIA statement read.

"In addition, as agreed in Paris on 24 June 2009, the teams have entered into a resource restriction agreement, which aims to return expenditure to the levels that prevailed in the early 1990s."

The statement added the document features a "slightly revised set of stable sporting and technical regulations (to apply from 2010)."

BMW Sauber, who on Wednesday announced their decision to withdraw from F1 at the end of the season, are the only team not to have signed the agreement.

Next season's new teams US F1, Campos Meta and Manor Grand Prix are among the 12 to have signed.

The sport's future was originally at risk following an objection by FOTA to a budget cap which they felt could lead to a two-tier series with the teams agreeing to the cap being allowed greater technical freedom.

This dispute was averted following a meeting in Paris only for the FOTA teams to walk out of another meeting on July 8 where they had been told they had no voting rights for future proposals as they had not fully entered for 2010.

News Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/01082009/58/f1-future-safe-agreement-signed.html

 

[Bludd]

So Piquet is officially gone from Renault

While it is entertaining to see Briatore getting a good kicking, it is more interesting to try to figure out what happens next and a Brazilian newspaper called Estado de Sao Paulo may have the solution. It is reporting that Nelson Piquet Sr is in talks with BMW and Peter Sauber to take a stake in the team and move Nelson Jr there for the final races of the year. The newspaper says that the team would become known as Sauber-Piquet and that engines would come from Ferrari. This would be a good way to solve the BMW problem and Nelson’s troubles at Renault. If the Piquet Family is not a strong enough brand name to raise funding for F1 then no-one is going to save the day.

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/so-piquet-got-fired/

 

[DJ12]

Surely Nelson can see "Nelsinho" is not that good.

Anyway, Brawn.... Naughty boy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/8183053.stm

 

[DJ12]

Ferrari in hilarious bitter rant when they don't get their own way shocker.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8184424.stm

 

[_xxx_]

What's hilarious about that? The only person being truly bitter here is Mr. Frank Williams.

 

[DJ12]

Really, who knew sticking to the rules was being bitter (Also the Red Bull teams also said no lets not forget).

Anyway it's hilarious the way they've spat their dummy out now they haven't got their way. Long may it continue.

 

[Bludd]

Ferrari are acting like babies.

 

[Gubbi]

Still, ridiculous not to let a new driver test the car before race-day. While it might not be a big problem for Schumacher, not letting Jaime Alguersuari try the car before race day is not exactly sound safety practise. F1 is too wound up in red tape, IMHO.

Cheers

 

[DJ12]

No it's not, whats to stop Ferrari or Toro Roso whacking on loads of upgrades while the drivers are "getting used to the car"

I am 100% sure thats what Ferrari would've done.

 

[_xxx_]

What's to stop them doing that without the drivers? You can hardly do anything of relevance in one day anyway.

 

[Phil]

What's to stop them doing that without the drivers? You can hardly do anything of relevance in one day anyway.

I might add, especially with a driver that hasn't driven the car yet, even if he is as experienced as Schumacher. Reality is - he hasn't driven an F1 car for some time, let alone in this season, so how valuable could his feedback be, if not for his own sole benefit of getting up to speed and preparing for his own good?

 

[DJ12]

Come off it now, Schumacher would improve the car more in one day than they've managed all season.

Anyway, he has driven an F1 car plenty just lately, just not this years car.