How F1 Big Picture Covers a Grand Prix Weekend

Last year, we introduced an F1 Big Picture format for the week leading up to a Grand Prix event. It probably slipped under the radar, as we made that age old rookie mistake of not telling anyone about it. Now that we have this new-fangled blog section of F1 Minute, it’s about time I told you what we’re up to.

Instead of the usual news coverage that F1 Big Picture illustrates, the race build up begins on the Tuesday ahead of a race. The format goes something like this:

Day	Subject	Brazil 2009
Tuesday	History	Taking the Title
Wednesday	Last Year	New Colours for Final Send Off
Thursday	Atmosphere	Downtown São Paulo
Friday	Free Practice	The Lesser Spotted Seb
Saturday	Qualifying	A Qualified Disaster
Sunday	Race	2009 World Champions

We fully intend to keep this format up, and hope that you enjoy our coverage of each and every Grand Prix this year.

Kobayashi Focusing on Doing His Best

Kamui Kobayashi prepares for a run in the Toyota during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend in 2009. Kobayashi looked as though he would be a sure signing for Toyota, but since their decision to leave, he has now been snapped up by the former BMW team, Sauber. Kobayashi can’t wait to get driving in F1 full time.

Credit: Toyota Corporation GmbH

11-Dec-09: FIA Confirm Calendar and Points System

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Hello and welcome, this is F1 Minute for the 11th December.

The FIA have been busy today with a World Motorsport Council meeting to discuss many things including the 2010 F1 season. Some interesting things came out of it, including the fact that the potential points system we discussed yesterday has been introduced with a win worth 25, and points all the way down to 10th place. Also, Abu Dhabi got their way and have been handed the final grid slot on the calendar, with Brazil moving up to be the penultimate Grand Prix.

Another key point was the stewarding process, with a permanent panel of three stewards, including experienced ex-F1 drivers, to attend each race, alongside national stewards. There will no longer be a non-voting Chairman, ie. Alan Donnelly, but each group of stewards will elect a Chairman at each race.

That’s all for today, have a great weekend and join me on Monday for another F1 Minute.

Rounding Off the Season?

The Yas Marina hotel awaiting it’s next opportunity to light up a Formula 1 session. CEO of the circuit Richard Cregan has requested that the FIA rethink the 2010 calendar, and give the season finale back to the Abu Dhabi circuit, rather than Brazil.

Credit: Yas Marina Circuit

09-Dec-09: Abu Dhabi Request Final 2010 Grid Slot

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 9th December 2009.

Organisers of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have appealed to the FIA for yet another calendar change that would see them granted the final race of the year once more. Initially, they had the last calendar slot, but then Brazil was given the November 14th season closing position instead. CEO Richard Cregan said: “The final meeting is this week and we will know after that where we are on the calendar. Fingers crossed we will get the last race but I don’t know what the situation will be. I think that either way we are going to be happy.”

Elsewhere, the Motorsport Business Forum in Monaco has many top F1 personnel talking about the sport and how it can improve. Today they were talking about media, and Lotus chief Tony Fernandes said: “I look at the future of where F1 could go if managed correctly. It is a massive sport that is as yet untapped. We haven’t touched the whole world yet, through online. I left the music business because it didn’t want to embrace the internet…”

That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

The End of the Line

This week we are telling the story of Jenson Button’s in 2009, from its humblest beginnings to the championship winning weekend. The Brawn team celebrate as Jenson crosses the line in fifth place at the Brazilian GP. Brawn picked up the constructors championship, whilst Button secured the drivers title.

Credit: Brawn GP

Force India – Tonio – ‘Now we have to look forward to Abu Dhabi’

For Tonio Liuzzi the Brazilian GP turned into a difficult weekend after a qualifying crash in the atrocious conditions of Q2 left him in 15th place. Unfortunately as a result of the accident he had to change his gearbox, and the subsequent penalty put him to the very back. When the safety car came out shortly after the start the team carried out pit stops on successive laps so that he ran one slow lap on the less favoured option tyre.

Thereafter he worked his way up to 12th place, which became 11th when Heikki Kovalainen was penalised. We spoke to Tonio about Brazil and the upcoming season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Q: After the incident in qualifying you had to start from the back. How difficult was that?

It was a tough weekend because we had to start from behind after a positive Friday. After the accident in qualifying we knew that we would have a really long Sunday. In the dry our car was not as competitive as in the rain, and that’s why we were really upset that we couldn’t maximise everything in qualifying, because we could have been easily in Q3 and in a good position for the race.

Q: Do you know what happened when you crashed?

I was just a passenger. I would love to know what happened! I had big aquaplaning in a place where usually you don’t have it because we’re in seventh gear and at nearly 300kph. Usually the downforce squeezes you on the ground and you never have aquaplaning. I was even following the ‘rails’ created by Kimi Raikkonen to be 100% safe. But suddenly I lost control of the car, I lost the rear. I was completely flat out, I didn’t touch the brakes or the steering wheel, and I became a passenger.

Q: How frustrating was it knowing that, as Adrian proved, the car was fast in the wet?

It was a pretty unlucky situation, and that’s why I was upset, because we could have been in a strong position. It was difficult to release the cars for qualifying in those conditions, but when you see a green light you have to try, and that’s what happened. The team did a really good job to rebuild the car properly for Sunday.

Q: The first lap was quite spectacular. How did it go for you?

It was a bit of a crazy race. Everybody tries hard in the first corner, and a lot of things happened. We went for a big gamble with the strategy. We were already P13 after the first lap, but we tried to use up the soft tyres, and that’s why we did a double stop in the first two laps. We think it was the right decision in the end, because on Friday we struggled a lot with the soft tyres.

Q: How did things go after that?

When it didn’t rain in the race we knew it would be a really tough for us because we didn’t look as competitive on Friday in dry conditions. That’s why I was hoping for rain in the race. We expected some showers after the middle, but it didn’t happen. When you start so far behind it’s always difficult to aim for points. But we’re pretty happy about the way it went. We had a good race with the Ferraris and Toro Rossos, and we had a good pace. We couldn’t achieve more starting from that far behind. We finished in a decent position, and now we have to look forward to Abu Dhabi, and scoring some points there. For sure it’s not going to be easy, because a lot of teams are making developments, but we’ll keep on trying.

Q: Have you sampled Abu Dhabi in the simulator yet?

Yes we did a couple of hours, and I’ll do some more this week. I think it’s an interesting circuit. In a way I don’t think it’s a really challenging one, even though there are two long straights where you might be able to overtake. There are not really special challenging corners. The pit exit will be the most challenging thing during the race!

Jenson Pays Tribute to the Team at Brawn GP

Jenson Button made an emotional return to Brawn GP’s factory in Brackley today to pay tribute to the team which won the 2009 FIA Formula One Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships in Brazil on Sunday.

After a hectic forty-eight hours following Sunday’s race which saw Jenson fly back from Brazil on team-mate Rubens Barrichello’s plane and go straight to Bluewater Shopping Centre for a fan and media appearance, Jenson’s priority was to get to the factory and speak to his team.

Champagne glass in hand and in front of his six race-winning trophies from the 2009 season, Jenson led a toast to the team’s successes, gave his own heartfelt thanks for the team’s contribution to his Drivers’ title and paid tribute to those people who were no longer with the team after the difficult winter.

Entering the auditorium at the factory to the sound of his post-race ‘We are the Champions’ radio rendition Jenson received a resounding welcome from the 450 staff gathered to congratulate him.

Jenson said: “That’s why I didn’t have a voice for two days after the race! I’m really here today to say a massive well done and thank you to everyone at the team. We’ve worked so hard for these achievements for so many years. Some of us were here from the beginning back in 1998 and I arrived halfway through our journey in 2003 but everyone has put so much work in. I know that there have been a lot of very difficult times and over the winter there were times when we didn’t think that we would be here at all. It’s very sad that not everyone can be here who worked on this fantastic car. But the team had to become smaller to continue and together we produced a car that has been exceptional this season.

To be able to achieve the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championships in our first year, especially after such a difficult winter, is an amazing achievement. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. The first few races were magnificent. It looked like it was a walk in the park but it really wasn’t. Then we had some difficult races, especially myself but also as a team where we struggled. But we fought back hard and when we needed to improve the car, you guys did it. Rubens gave us two more wins in Valencia and Monza at an important time to boost our morale and prove just how quick the car was. We have a great leader, a fantastic leader, in Ross. The Big Bear can’t be here today but I know that when he gets back, he’ll be celebrating with you!

We proved in Brazil last weekend that we deserve these Championships. We’ve fought so hard and a Championship season is about achieving the results when you need to. We’ve had some difficult races but we always did the best job that we could. So we should raise our glasses as the new Formula One World Champions of 2009. We’ve done what we set out to achieve. It really is going to take some time to sink that we are there. Celebrating our victories here with you today means so much to me and we are really going to enjoy this moment. Thank you so very much for your amazing contribution to our successes.”

Brazilian Grand Prix Debrief – Q+A with Kamui Kobayashi

How much notice did you have that you would be racing in Brazil? Were you well prepared?
I was told almost a week before while I was in Japan for a fan event so I had a few days to prepare. That was more time than I had in Suzuka when I had less than two hours to get ready for practice! I felt quite well prepared when practice started because I had worked hard with the team in the previous few days to confirm everything. And the experience at Suzuka was quite helpful as well because at least I had the chance to get a feel for the car as it is now, because it has changed and improved a lot since my last tests with it in February.

Were you excited or nervous when you heard the news?
I was definitely excited but not really nervous. As a racing driver you have to be confident otherwise you make more mistakes; and I am confident. I knew the weekend would be a big challenge, probably the biggest challenge I have had in motorsport, but there was no reason to be nervous. I really believe that if you are going to be successful in anything, you have to be confident so that’s how I approached the weekend.

How did you learn the track?
I had a basic knowledge of the lay-out from playing video games but that doesn’t help a lot; basically I was starting from scratch. The first thing I did when I got to Interlagos on Wednesday was to take a scooter around the track for a few laps just to understand more about each corner. Still, it doesn’t replace the experience of driving properly around the track so really I was learning the track on Friday. Even though it is a short track, it is a difficult one to learn so I tried different lines and different braking, that kind of thing, to find what was best.

Did the conditions cause a problem?
Ideally I wanted to have plenty of time on a dry track to really understand the tyres and push as hard as possible but the rain made that difficult. It would have been easier for me to have had some reference to how the track is in completely dry conditions. Still, our pace in the wet was pretty good.

How would you describe your first Formula 1 qualifying session?
Difficult! I think for all drivers it was hard because there was so much water on the track and the car was aquaplaning lots. A few drivers had accidents which shows how tough it was and I was a little concerned about the conditions; my priority was to just not make a mistake. But on top of that there was a very long delay so we had to keep concentration and really focus for almost three hours. It was tough for everyone but the team made the right choices when conditions were changing so I was on track at the right time and with the right tyres.

Were you happy to qualify in 11th?
In the end 11th was a really good result for my first qualifying session in Formula 1 so I was pleased with it. It would have been a perfect result to get into the top 10 but I knew that would be really difficult for my first Grand Prix. Still, I was a little frustrated to miss out on Q3 because I made a small mistake right at the end of Q2 on the intermediates; I was so close to the top 10 and I think I could have made it without that.

How did it feel to sit on the Formula 1 grid for the first time?
It was an amazing feeling because that has been my ambition since I was a little kid. To sit there and have Fernando Alonso just next to me and the world championship leader just behind me on the grid was a bit of a surprise but definitely a good feeling.

How was the race in general?
It was a tough race for a few reasons. It was longer than I am used to so it was physically demanding but also there are lots of new things to experience for me in terms of Formula 1; race pit stops, the way the car behaviour evolves during the race and managing the two different tyre compounds. I can still improve but I learnt a lot in this race.

What about the fight with Jenson Button?
I was trying really hard to keep him behind as I was running in the top six so I knew there was a chance of points. It wasn’t easy; he was very fast and I was driving the track in hot weather for the first time. Obviously he was fighting for the championship so I was careful not to cause a big problem but at the same time this race was a huge opportunity for me and I wanted to finish as high as possible so I fought hard for the position. I think it was exciting for the fans and I enjoyed it too.

Were you happy to finish in the top 10?
Overall I am pleased to finish my debut and in the top 10 as well because these were difficult circumstances. However, after the first lap I was in sixth so I had an opportunity to score points; in a way I am a bit disappointed that I didn’t do that. But I struggled a bit with the car balance after the first pit stops so I lost a bit of time and that dropped me out of the points. That was probably just a result of my inexperience over a Grand Prix distance; everything was new to me this weekend. In the end I think finishing in the top 10 on my debut was a good result, so I am pretty happy.

How did the team react?
The team were really supportive all weekend and they helped me a lot to adapt to the situation. I think they were happy with the result and with my performance. I had quite an exciting race with a few battles against other drivers so probably that made the race quite interesting for everyone!

Has this given you more of a taste for Formula 1?
I definitely enjoyed the experience and I think I got better and better throughout the weekend. Of course it would be great to race again in Formula 1 but that’s not for me to decide. We’ll see what happens and I’ll be ready for any opportunity.

Force India – Race – Brazilian GP

The Force India Formula One Team could not capitalise on its strong qualifying performance in today’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Adrian Sutil had started from a superb third position but was involved in a first-lap incident that eliminated him on the spot.

Tonio Liuzzi had a tough event, fighting yet again with Fisichella throughout the race to finish in 12th position.

Adrian Sutil car 20, VJM02/01
DNF Accident Lap 1

Tonio Liuzzi car 21, VJM02/04
12th +71.388secs

Adrian Sutil car 20

The start was fine, I lost one position as Kimi overtook me on the outside. It was fine for the next corner but then Kimi hit Webber and lost his front wing. I was following him through the corner but then suddenly I got hit in the rear and lost control of the car. Trulli was there on the outside trying to go round. It was a really stupid maneouvre as there was no space and I couldn’t see him at all. At that point it wasn’t worth it and it ended my race far too early on as I went over into the gravel. Jarno was furious and said it was my mistake but I just told him what had happened to me. But it’s over and now he’s just got to deal with it.

Tonio Liuzzi car 21

It was a long race, starting from last on the grid after the gearbox change yesterday. We made a change to the soft tyres in the safety car period, using them for just one lap to get them out of the way as we felt we couldn’t do longer stints with them. On the harder compound in the first stint I had a good pace but we struggled a lot with oversteer on the second so I couldn’t get past Giancarlo. Then at the end I had a brake problem, which compromised the race but at least we finished this difficult Grand Prix, which was important. We had hoped for rain as we seemed to be very competitive in those conditions but that’s how it is – now we can just look forward to Abu Dhabi.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal

Firstly congratulations to Jenson Button and Brawn GP for winning their first-ever world titles. Their performance this season has been quite staggering and they thoroughly deserve this success. For Force India, for sure we had expected much more from this race. Adrian did an amazing job in qualifying and we were confident we could have picked up another few points, but unfortunately he was just a victim of the accident. He deserved much more. Tonio’s race was always going to be tough after yesterday’s crash but he picked up another race finish – again by tailing home a Ferrari! We are all now really looking forward to Abu Dhabi. The car’s working well, the drivers are confident and hopefully the track should suit us pretty well.

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