It stinks a bit doesn't it Fluffs?

I said at the time they had done it deliberately. and all there "punishment" says to me is next time dont get caught. They should AT LEAST have been DQd from Singapore. ITs ridiculous. But Flavio threatening legal action against his ban is crazy - the man is a total moron and he should just get out of F1 and stay out.

Don't forget, Singapore GP this weekend.

At best it is somewhat strange. At worst it down right disgusting.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel clocked the quickest lap of Friday practice for the Singapore Grand Prix as crashes interrupted each session at Marina Bay.

The German lapped in one minute 48.650 seconds in the second session to beat Renault's Fernando Alonso by 0.274secs.

Rubens Barrichello topped the first session ahead of his Brawn team-mate and championship leader Jenson Button.

Renault's Romain Grosjean and then Red Bull's Mark Webber crashed out on the dusty, slippery street circuit.

The first session was stopped for 10 minutes half-way through after Grosjean lost control of his Renault and crashed at Turn 17.

The Frenchman's mishap was laden with irony as it was at the same point where former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to crash last year, the controversial race-fixing incident which saw Renault handed a suspended ban from F1 this week.

Webber, who was third fastest in the first session, was running aggressively at the top of the timesheets around the hour mark of the second when he crashed head on into a wall on the pit straight.

That meant that despite finishing sixth under the lights the Australian, who has faded somewhat from the championship battle in recent races, lost running time and only managed 14 laps.

"It was simply driver error," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told BBC Sport.

Alonso, who won the now-infamous Singapore race in 2008, was fourth fastest in the first session.

Headline practice times are rarely a reliable guide to race form, but practice is important for teams as they attempt to discover their best set-up for qualifying and the race.

The Marina Bay street circuit, which hosted F1's first-ever night race last year, has also been slightly modified so drivers were getting used to the track adjustments.

Along with Grosjean's incident, Kovalainen and Force India's Adrian Sutil also spun in the first session but drivers gained more grip as more rubber went down on the track throughout the day.

The Brawn drivers were first and second in the first session, with Barrichello - who trails Button by 14 points in the drivers' championship with 40 available for the remainder of the season - 0.2secs ahead of the Englishman.

Like many teams coming into the 14th race of 2009, the Brawn cars were running with a moderately updated package - and it appeared to pay dividends earlier in the day for a team fresh from securing a one-two at the Italian GP.

"We had a pretty full-on evening with a busy programme of set-up evaluations and tyre testing," said Button.

"The car feels reasonable and with some more work later tonight, we should be ready for a good weekend."

Renault have a new management structure after the team parted company with boss Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds in the wake of the race-fixing scandal.

Technical director Bob Bell has been promoted to acting team principal and he said it was important to move on from the scandal which had engulfed F1 in recent weeks as they returned to the scene of their wrongdoing.

"It's going to be an interesting weekend for the team," he said. "We're here to do the best job we can as normal, keep our heads down, and put everything that's happened in the past few weeks behind us.

"We've always tried to structure the team so that if people do disappear for whatever reason we can recover.

"Fernando likes this track, he's confident and I think he can do a good job here."

The third and final practice session starts at 1200 BST on Saturday before qualifying takes place at 1500 BST.

Vettel heads Alonso omg they will do owt to win

or was it a head butting which i can understand anyone wanting to head butt Alonso the snake in the grass.....

hello fluffy should be a good race sunday hope jenson gets the win

Hello Mirage, I'm chuckling at the head-butting idea, but I think the reality was that Vettel was AHEAD of Alonso.

As for Button winning? After today's qualifying results, that isn't looking too likely, but there is always the possibility.

Hamilton, Rosberg and Webber make reasonable starts, but Vettel is a bit sluggish and so compromises Webber. Meanwhile Alonso starts really well and makes P3, just!
But Vettel has recovered and nabs it back. Alonso runs out of room and both Webber and Glocck get by.
Unfortunately for Webber his pass of Alonso is deemed illegal and he is told he will have to let Alonso pass him again. As Glock also passed Alonso Webber has to let them both past.

So it's now:-

1. Hamilton
2. Rosberg
3. Vettel
4. Glock
5. Alonso
6. Webber
7. Barrichello
8. Kubica
9. Kovalainen
10. Button

Grossjean is the first retirement on Lap 3

Vettel pits from P3 and exits in P7 just behind Barrichello.

And Rosberg pits from P2 and exits P4 but crossed the white line so might get a penalty, but he's now P7

Webber is now P12 after his pit stop.

Rosberg gets drive through pwnalty.
Heidfeld going slow and drives off track down an escape road.

ACCIDENT!

Debris everywhere, safety car out. lots of people pitting.

So it's now:-

1. Hamilton
2. Rosberg
3. Vettel
4. Glock
5. Alonso
6. Barrichello
7. Kovalainen
8. Button
9. Webber
10. Kubica.

But Rosberg has still to serve that penalty.

Adrian Sutil retires after being the main protagonist of that accident.

Rosberg serves his drive through penalty and resumes in P14.

So it's now:-

1. Hamilton
2. Vettel
3. Glock
4. Alonso
5. Barrichello
6. Kovalainen
7. Button
8. Webber
9. Kubica
10. Nakajima

Sutil it appears has not yet retired, but is having his car repaired! What's the point?
Or is it that subtle difference between A DNF and a 'X' laps adrift?

Sutil is now showing as having retired.

Race might finish after 2 hours rather than the full 61 laps because of the 4 laps behind the safety car,

2nd round of pit stops starting and Vettel's first in.....out in P7.

Torro Rosso are having problems with the fuel rig and Vettel, for Red Bull, has just been handed a Drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

So it's now:-

1. Hamilton
2. Glock
3. Alonso
4. Barrichello
5. Kovalainen
6. Button
7. Vettel
8. Webber
9. Nakajima
10. Kubica

Glock pits and exits P6 (I think)
Hamilton pits and exits P2
Webber's breaks fail and he sails out.
No safety car though, just yellow flags


Order:-

1. Alonso
2. Hamilton
3. Glock

2 more retirements - both Torro Rosso's.

More pit stops.

Order:-

1. Hamilton
2. Glock
3. Alonso
4. Vettel
5. Button
6. Barrichello
7. Kovalainen
8. Kubica
9. Nakajima
10. Raikkonen
11. Rosberg
12. Trulli
13. Fisichella
14. Liuzzi
15. Alguersuari - DNF
16. Buemi - DNF
17. Webber - DNF
18. Sutil - DNF
19. Heidfeld - DNF
20. Grossjean - DNF

Well then, quite an eventful qualifying for Japan. What with all those crashes and Q2 stopped twice and Q3 stopped once and people no longer participating for various reasons and then at the end people getting demoted in their grid position for rule infringements. The most significant of the demotions, I think,  being the Brawn cars being demoted from 5th and 7th to 10th and 12th.

Initial positions after qualifying:-

1	germany	Sebastian Vettel		Red Bull-Renault	1:32.160
2	italy	Jarno Trulli		Toyota	1:32.220
3	great britain	Lewis Hamilton		McLaren-Mercedes	1:32.395
4	germany	Adrian Sutil		Force India-Mercedes	1:32.466
5	brazil	Rubens Barrichello		Brawn-Mercedes	1:32.660
6	germany	Nick Heidfeld		BMW Sauber	1:32.945
7	great britain	Jenson Button		Brawn-Mercedes	1:32.962
8	finland	Kimi Raikkonen		Ferrari	1:32.980
9	finland	Heikki Kovalainen		McLaren-Mercedes	No time
10	switzerland	Sebastien Buemi		Toro Rosso-Ferrari	No time
11	germany	Nico Rosberg		Williams-Toyota	1:31.482
12	spain	Fernando Alonso		Renault	1:31.638
13	poland	Robert Kubica		BMW Sauber	1:32.341
14	germany	Timo Glock		Toyota	No time
15	spain	Jaime Alguersuari		Toro Rosso-Ferrari	No time
16	italy	Giancarlo Fisichella		Ferrari	1:31.704
17	japan	Kazuki Nakajima		Williams-Toyota	1:31.718
18	france	Romain Grosjean		Renault	1:32.073
19	italy	Vitantonio Liuzzi		Force India-Mercedes	1:32.087
20	australia	Mark Webber		Red Bull-Renault	No time

Potential revised grid:-

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Jarno Trulli
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Nick Heidfeld
5. Kimmi Raikkonen
6. Heikki Kovalainen
7. Nico Rosberg
8. Robert Kubica
9. Adrien Sutil
10. Reubens Barrichello
11. Timo Glock
12. Jenson Button
13. Jaime Alguersuari
14. Giancarlo Fisichella
15. Sebastien Buemi
16. Kazuki Nakajima
17. Fernando Alonso
18. Romain Grosjean
19. Vitantonio Liuzzi
20. Mark Webber

It is possible that Kovalainen might have a gear box change, so that would demote him 5 places as well, but I'm not sure if that would be from his original 9th place or from the revised 6th place.

As Webber took no actual part in qualifying he will be starting from the pit lane.

It is rumoured that Glock might not be fit to drive in the race.

Supposedly confirmation of the revised grid will be given at 0200 BST Sunday.

The Japanese GP, Sunday 4th October 2009:-

Programme starts at 0500 BST on BBC1 and the race kicks off at 0600 BST

Latest grid positions (I think):-

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Jarno Trulli
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Nick Heidfeld
5. Kimmi Raikkonen
6. Reubens Barrichello
7. Nico Rosberg
8. Adrien Sutil
9. Robert Kubica
10. Jenson Button
11. Heikki Kovalainen
12. Jaime Alguersuari
13. Sebastien Buemi
14. Giancarlo Fisichella
15. Kazuki Nakajima
16. Fernando Alonso
17. Romain Grosjean
18. Vitantonio Liuzzi
19. Mark Webber (Starting from pit lane)
20. Timo Glock (Not participating - substitute driver disallowed)

Latest:-

Vettel
Truli
Hamilton
Barrichello
Rosberg
Button
Raikkonen
Heidfeld
Kubica
Kovalainen
Fisichella
Sutil
Alguersuari
Alonso
Liuzzi
Nakajima
Grosjean
Webber
Buemi (retired)
Glock (Not participating)

ACCIDENT!!!

9 laps to go, Alguersuari crashes, Debris everywhere, safety car deployed.

Is everyones race over?

Safety car in with four laps to go.
Some cars pitted.

Order now and race result:-

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Jarno Trulli (lost position at the start but regained 2nd place after the 2nd pit stop)
3. Lewis Hamilton (got past Trulli within two corners at the start)
4. Kimmi Raikkonen
5. Nico Rosberg
6. Nick Heidfeld
7. Reubens Barrichello
8. Jenson Button
9. Robert Kubica
10. Fernando Alonso
11. Heikki Kovalainen
12. Giancarlo Fisichella
13. Adrien Sutil (spun)
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi (spun)
15. Kazuki Nakajima (took the long way round some corners)
16. Romain Grosjean (spun a couple of times)
17. Mark Webber (Lots of problems - pitted 3 times within first five laps and 4 or five times altogether)
18. Jaime Alguersuari (crashed)
19. Sebastien Buemi (Retired)
20. Timo Glock (Not participated)

Brazilian Grand Prix

Sao Paulo, 16-18 October 2009

Friday 16
First practice: 1000-1130 (1400-1530 BST)
Second practice: 1400-1530 (1800-1930 BST)

Saturday 17
Third practice: 1100-1200 (1500-1600 BST)
Qualifying: 1400 (1800 BST)

Sunday 18
Race: 1400 (1700 BST)

Had to be out during qualifying, so recorded it, but the stoppages meant that I only saw up to the red flag in Q2. Ironically, if we had known of all the delays I could have seen most of Q2 and all of Q3 when we got home. Hohum.

We had visitors. So had to record the race and watch it later. That incident in the pit lane with Kovalainen's fuel hose and Raikkonen's car setting the fumes alight must have been pretty hairy.

This is not actually an anti-Hamilton post, but...as this is the last race and both championships have already been won, all this race will decide is some of the minor positions in next year's pit lane, so why are the presenters getting so excited when Hamilton produces a 'fastest lap'?

2010 calendar's  not out yet, but I believe the next race is Australia on Sunday 14th March 2010.

Reubens Barrichello will drive for Williams next year.

Just been told Button will drive for Mclaren alongside Hami next year and Raikonnen is taking a year out

I knew Button had signed with McLaren, but I hadn't heard what Raikkonen was going to do.

A year out, could be a dicey decision.

The new season will soon be upon us.

19 races this year, from Bahrain in mid March to Abu Dhabi in mid November.

Bahrain Grand Prix

Sakhir, 12-14 March, 2010

 

Team profile

Jenson Button

Lewis Hamilton

Team profile

Michael Schumacher

Nico Rosberg

Team profile

Sebastian Vettel

Mark Webber

Team profile

Fernando Alonso

Felipe Massa

Team profile

Kamui Kobayashi

Team profile

Rubens Barrichello

Nico Hulkenberg

Team profile

Robert Kubica

Team profile

Adrian Sutil

Vitantonio Liuzzi

Team profile

Sebastien Buemi

Jaime Alguersuari

Team profile

Jarno Trulli

Heikki Kovalainen

Team profile

Timo Glock

Lucas di Grassi

Team profile

Bruno Senna

Team profile

Is it not March yet    Thanks for that post Fluffs. I was getting confused as to who was with who and what else