Spanish GP 2009 - Circuit de Catalunya

[jonathan189]

Great race from Massa. Not the first time he's been let down by a pitstop error.

The suggestion that Brawn fixed it for Button is nonsense. Anyone watching the race could see that Rubens' third stint was surprisingly slow, and that he had the chance to win it if he'd gone faster.

[timbo]

and that he had the chance to win it if he'd gone faster.

Question is - had he?

[Sinbinner X]

Brawn controls the race like a master chess player. If your #1 driver could pull further away in point you would make sure it would happen. I don't believe that Rubens had any car failure issues like he said he did in the press conf. Ferrari is just not in tune with using strategy while not on pole.

[Saribro]

Invasion of the conspiracy nuts?

[PNSD]

Any suggestion that Brawn fixed this so that JB could finish first is complete tosh.

As we approached the window for the first pit stops, it became apparent that Jenson would come out directly behind Nico Rosberg if we went with his planned three-stop strategy. We therefore made the decision to switch Jenson onto a two-stop strategy to ensure that he could run in clean air. Rubens was going extremely quickly at the front at that time and his three-stop strategy was clearly the quickest option for him. Unfortunately his tyres did not perform well after his second stop which compromised his pace and ultimately cost him the race.

Rosberg was always going to be a player, we knew this yesterday after seeing the wieghts. What Brawn did do was secure a 1-2 rather than a 1-3. Which would have most likley happened had JB stayed on the three stopper. We saw Webber was not far behind Rubens after their stops, and so count in a Jenson who would have lost time behind a slower Williams, and I bet it works out that Webber would have been in front of Jenson.

For some reason the 3rd stint for Rubens was slow. Im not sure how the team could have fixed that . He was still on for the win until that stint and the oddly slow times.

edit - Also, to compare:

Mansell in 1992 won the first 5 races.

Shumacher in 2004 won the first 5 races.

Shumacher in 2002 won 4 out of the first 5 races.

Button in 2009 won 4 out of the first 5 races.

Championship talks are still too early, we have seen there is much chance for Ferrari to get up there, and RedBull are quick, even quicker, we dont know yet. This will be an interesting year for Brawn, but they are doing everything they can to get the points whilst they still can!

[jamsbong]

Well done to Brawn again, his flexible strategy and fast car combination secured the 1-2 win for them.

I'm kinda disappointed to see that Vettel was stuck behind Massa throughout the race. Clearly he is faster. I would have thought the teams would fill him up a lot longer on the first stop so that he can catch up when Massa pits second time round.

When Massa came in the same time as Vettel (in the first pitstop), it is clear that Red bull should have made to call to fill him up heavy. Webber did that strategy and the results shows.

If Webber or Vettel had more room to drive fast, there could be a chance that they would challenge Brawns.

[PlatinumZealot]

They screwed Rubens over meng for that Damn Button.. It's a good thing I only watched the last thirteen laps, I realized the race was a snooze fest.

[ringo]

Any suggestion that Brawn fixed this so that JB could finish first is complete tosh.

As we approached the window for the first pit stops, it became apparent that Jenson would come out directly behind Nico Rosberg if we went with his planned three-stop strategy. We therefore made the decision to switch Jenson onto a two-stop strategy to ensure that he could run in clean air. Rubens was going extremely quickly at the front at that time and his three-stop strategy was clearly the quickest option for him. Unfortunately his tyres did not perform well after his second stop which compromised his pace and ultimately cost him the race.

Rosberg was always going to be a player, we knew this yesterday after seeing the wieghts. What Brawn did do was secure a 1-2 rather than a 1-3. Which would have most likley happened had JB stayed on the three stopper. We saw Webber was not far behind Rubens after their stops, and so count in a Jenson who would have lost time behind a slower Williams, and I bet it works out that Webber would have been in front of Jenson.

For some reason the 3rd stint for Rubens was slow. Im not sure how the team could have fixed that . He was still on for the win until that stint and the oddly slow times.

edit - Also, to compare:

Mansell in 1992 won the first 5 races.

Shumacher in 2004 won the first 5 races.

Shumacher in 2002 won 4 out of the first 5 races.

Button in 2009 won 4 out of the first 5 races.

Championship talks are still too early, we have seen there is much chance for Ferrari to get up there, and RedBull are quick, even quicker, we dont know yet. This will be an interesting year for Brawn, but they are doing everything they can to get the points whilst they still can!

Is it safe to say brawn are constructors champions? because honestly, i don't really see another team out smarting this guy in terms of strategy. It seems the 2 brawn cars will always be in the top 6.

[Chaparral]

Was Ruben's compromised in the race by the team I dont know but from whats reported in GPweek he would appear to think so - have a read for yourself heres the link.

http://mag.gpweek.com/

Good drive by our guy Webber again - wonder will he pull off the P1 podium in Monaco - would be nice to see he does well there.

[ben_watkins]

Rubens has threatend to quit if team orders were in operation..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 043243.stm

"If I get the slightest sniff of the fact that they have favoured Jenson, I will hang up my helmet tomorrow," he told United States channel SpeedTV.

[PNSD]

They screwed Rubens over meng for that Damn Button.. It's a good thing I only watched the last thirteen laps, I realized the race was a snooze fest.

Im sorry but having only watched the last 13 laps how can you possibly come to the conclusion Rubens was screwed over?

[DaveKillens]

For anyone who has any leaning towards any conspiracy theory, what happened at Spain adds a lot of fuel. First off, we're talking about Brawn here, a man who was part of the (ruthless) team that guided Schumacher to his incredible success in Ferrari. And their mantra was simple.. make one driver the favorite, and back him to the hilt. It was a successful formula, and I'm sure one Brawn is very familiar with. My concerns started when Button pitted, one lap ahead of Barrichello. Button took on a lot of fuel, and it was immeidately apparent he was going for a two-stopper. Reubens was never informed of this change in strategy until well after he had completed his own pit stop. His team had almost an entire lap to react and adjust, but instead they told Reubens nothing, and allowed the first stop to go on, which was for a relatively small amount of fuel. That immediately locked Reubens into the three stop strategy. Game over, right then and there.

As far as Reubens quitting if he suspects team orders? Huh? Wake up and smell the roses.. because he isn't leaving anything. To be rescued from forced retirement to suddenly doing what you love .. race Formula One.. and not only that, but in a VERY competitive car.. naw, he isn't going anywhere. Not until he has one last chance to realize a special dream.. to win at his home track.

Did Brawn "adjust" the finishing order to make sure the driver's points leader got maximum points? I believe so.

Great drives by many drivers, despite the carnage. Ferrari finally got it right, and wrong. What happened during Kimi's qualifying was a repeat of a previous blunder. Unacceptable, someone at Ferrari may have been demoted over that. For Massa, he got the best of what he had. Even at the end, when they had major fuel quantity issues, the team held together, made the right decision, and brought Massa home. Low on fuel, hounded by a competitor, so much bad things could have happened. They could have run out of fuuel on the track, or been forced to pit again. But instead slowed down and crossed the finish line.
The red Bulls were very quick, either could have won with a better qualifying position and better strategy.

Alonso never had a chance to win, but he made his fans happy. He finished ahead of his nemesis, Hamilton, that's all that mattered.

[RH1300S]

I don't buy the conspiracy theory...........

According to Ross Brawn - the 3 stopper should have won Rubens the race and the only reason it didn't was that RB was running below pace in one stint.

Simples...........

Jense was put onto a two stopper to avoid bringing him out in traffic.

Don't forget - JB was on pole and was expected to hit the front and scamper away to make a nice gap to pit with.

Rubens had a great start and screwed that plan - they needed a re-think. Keeping Rubens on the three stopper seems logical to me.

Personally I think that Rubens needs to get his head back together. He may or may not have the speed to beat Jenson - but he certainly won't win anything while he's looking for excuses

HOWEVER.............I wouldn't want to play poker with Ross Brawn, he may not have been entirely truthful. And YES I do believe he is quite capable of keeping a very close eye on the championship - even at this stage of the game. He realises that the Drivers Championship is the one that counts most and he also realises that Rubens is the closest competitor at the moment (until Red Bull get a GP where their plans work out )

[WhiteBlue]

Well said Dave Killens. Sounds very reasonable to me. I thought Rubens was mainly after a drive for 2010 but a shot at winning Brazil must be special to him as well at what is undoubtedly the end of his carreer.

[NormanBates]

very interesting first and last laps of what was, otherwise, a pretty boring race, IMO

I tend to think that brawn screwed rubbens' win willingly, in fact I think almost anybody in F1 would have done just that, but for sure in a more obvious way (and it's not probable that I'm overstating brawn's strategic ability)

I think they made him pit and come out with very low fuel but behind slower cars, which is exactly what they actively avoided with button

by the way, do after-race weights get published anywhere? apart from the fact that massa could be disqualified, I'd like to know how much an F60b weights with absolutely no fuel (some weeks ago I pondered the wondered whether any team had thought of running a lighter car and finishing the race with 15-20kg of fuel onboard in order to get to the 605kg limit: it would screw the weight distribution a little bit, but should make them faster in the middle section of a race - and for what I read in the regulations they would only get disqualified if the car stopped in the middle of the race in a moment when it carried little fuel, which is a "did not finish" anyway - goes against the spirit of the rules but who cares now)