I went ahead and merged these two topics.

Wow, i was not expecting it, but saw it on the new last night about Schumies return. I'm of the same thoughts as OldJoe, only a couple of years younger. He was my favorite driver as a youngster, since before i could say his name, as i used to call him Michael Shoemaker. He was one of the greatest drivers ever, and his last two seasons battling Alonso were nailbiting seasons. The races where he returns will feature 4 world champions on the same grid, that is truly epic, however, i doubt he will be winning races, he has been out of the car for too long, and aded to that, the Ferarri is not what it once was.

It will be good to see him back, just a shame he won't place very high while driving the car Ferrari have at the moment. I just hope it won't taint his legacy, as he is bound to be worse than he was during his glory days.

The thing is, it's still unknown wether or not Massa will be returning to F1 at all, ever. His injury to his eye may have totally killed his career, even if it hasn't killed him. No doubt he would still stay around F1 in a non-driving role, but i think there is a high possiblity of him not Driving an F1 car again. This leads into all kinda of issues (not counting the loss of a much loved driver):

 

 

 

- how long would Schumi stay if Massa was never to return?

 

- would he be able to get a non-driving job?

 

- if he didn't get a non-driving job, in all seriousness, would he be entittled to claim some kind of compensation for his injury?

 

 

 

 

 

In other news, BMW have announced they won't be in involved in F1 next year, anybody know what team will be replacing them, and what will happen to their driver, both of who are actually very good drivers, but have had terible cars to drive this season.

Im suprised they choose Schumacher to replace Massa in the first place, they have two perfectly good Test Drivers that could have replaced him, especially Badoer. I doubt Schumacher will race to the end of the season but who knows.

 

 

 

And BMW leaving doesn't really effect anything, there are 3 new teams next year so thats still 24 cars on the grid. Kubica will definatly get a drive next year, future F1 champion imo.

Well... No Schumacher.

 

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/8/9731.html

 

It would have been really nice to him again (no matter how he'd perform). But, that neck injury is still haunting.

 

Luca Badoer will race instead: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/8/9732.html

 

 

 

I was also wondering if a mod perhaps could change the title to F1 Season 2009?

That is such a shame, the next race will be a big letdown for me, not worth the 4 weeks wait. Valencia is a rubbish circuit imo, race builders try to make more exitement by making street circuits to emulate Monaco, but it doesen't work. Monaco is half the track, and half off-track, with the historical venue etc. With these new street circuits, over-taking is almost impossible, and they don't have the atmosphere to make them exiting. I almost fell asleep during last year's GP at Valencia.

 

 

 

Schumi was the main thing drawing me to that GP, now it will just be incredibly bland imo.

 

 

 

And i'd change the title, but i don't mod here.

Its a shame, i was really looking forward to Hamilton Vs Schumacher.

 

 

 

Still, the rest of the season should be good. Sadly i don't think Button will last at the top.

(Changed the topic to general F1 Talk)

 

 

 

 

 

As i said before the race, Valencia is a bit of a boring track. It's designed so poorly, and allows for absouletely no overtaking. If it hadn't been Rubans challenging for the lead, i probably would have fallen asleep this year aswell. So glad he won, he's deserved it after around 5 years with no wins, and he really had the pace.

It was more of a McLaren threw it away than Barrichello winning it because if they hadn't messed up in the pits chances are Rubens wouldn't have been able to pass Hamilton. Fantastic to see Kimi get on the podium for a second race in a row though Badoer needs to be dropped though, Ferrari need the points to stay ahead of McLaren and Toyota.

Oh dang, I missed the race.

I still think Rubens would have had a good chance of winning even if Hamilton's tyres were ready. He was around 4 seconds behind before the pitstops, and about 4 seconds ahead after. He was doing fastest lap after fastest lap in between then, and i think the tyre problem only lost him around 4 seconds as his stop ended up around 12 seconds. Which means they would have ended up almost side by side after Reubens would have come out, which could have been interesting.

Gah missed the race. Was watching the premiership instead.

 

Nice for Barrichello tho!

Barrichello won again. Button 2nd, Mr.Brawn must be a happy man.

 

Hamilton, i think he could have taken it a bit easier but instead he went off.

Barrichello won again. Button 2nd, Mr.Brawn must be a happy man.

 

Hamilton, i think he could have taken it a bit easier but instead he went off.

I hate to say, but i did chuckle a bit inside when hamilton went off, i've never been a fan of him, and it was totally his fault him losing it.

 

 

 

The brawns are back, Button might still have a fight on his hands.

 

 

 

Second week in a row that a Ferarri's been pushed along by the Force india, it's just impossible to pass with KERS, can't wait untill they scrap it.

 

 

 

Not sure wether or not i'm looking forward to the Signapore GP, its a track just like Velencia, made to be good like Monaco, but is trash, with no overtaking.

I hate to say, but i did chuckle a bit inside when hamilton went off, i've never been a fan of him, and it was totally his fault him losing it.

 

 

 

The brawns are back, Button might still have a fight on his hands.

 

 

 

Second week in a row that a Ferarri's been pushed along by the Force india, it's just impossible to pass with KERS, can't wait untill they scrap it.

 

 

 

Not sure wether or not i'm looking forward to the Signapore GP, its a track just like Velencia, made to be good like Monaco, but is trash, with no overtaking.

Controversy Controversy Controversy.

 

 

 

Heres the Report from the bbc news site:

 

 

 

[hide=]Flavio Briatore has left his position as boss of the Renault team after they decided not to contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

 

 

 

Executive director of engineering Pat Symonds has also left the team.

 

 

 

Renault were summoned by governing body, the FIA, after Nelson Piquet Jr claimed he had been asked to crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso's race.

 

 

 

An FIA spokesperson confirmed a World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris on Monday would go ahead.

 

 

 

Renault have been called to answer charges that they "conspired with Nelson Piquet Jr to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso".

 

 

 

The hearing will attempt to attribute responsibility for the Singapore "crash-gate" despite the departure of Briatore and Symonds.

 

 

 

 

 

Briatore has lost his job over the Singapore race-fix charge

 

The FIA could still impose sanctions if Renault are found guilty, including excluding the team from the championship, although that must be considered unlikely given the two people Piquet said were responsible have now left the team.

 

 

 

When asked for his thoughts on Briatore's demise, Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said: "Well, I feel sorry for him actually.

 

 

 

"Obviously, I am surprised at what has happened, and I am taken by surprise today that they've decided to walk away."

 

 

 

Piquet crashed in Singapore two laps after Alonso had come in for a routine pit stop.

 

 

 

That meant that when race officials sent out the safety car to clear up the debris from Piquet's car, Alonso was alone among the front-runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres.

 

 

 

Renault's double world champion went on to take the chequered flag at Formula 1's inaugural night race and claim his first victory in two years.

 

 

 

At the time, Piquet attributed the crash to a simple error, but after being dropped by the team after July's Hungary GP the race-fixing allegations emerged.

 

 

 

The Brazilian has since testified to the FIA that he was instructed by Briatore and Symonds when and where to crash.

 

 

 

Renault's response was to accuse the 24-year-old and his father Nelson Piquet of false allegations and blackmail, going as far as saying they would begin legal action against them.

 

 

 

But on Wednesday the team said in a statement they would "not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix".

 

 

 

ANDREW BENSON'S BLOG

 

F1 has long been notorious for its skewed sense of morality, and it appears that may be what has led to this latest scandal

 

 

 

The statement added: "The team also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team."

 

 

 

BBC pundit and former team boss Eddie Jordan said he was surprised by Renault's announcement but believes it was effectively an admission of guilt.

 

 

 

"Suggesting they are not going to contest the allegations is in itself an admission," Jordan told the BBC.

 

 

 

"I don't know what goes on in teams, and certainly in the Jordan team you would contemplate all sorts of things, but you certainly couldn't contemplate that."

 

 

 

It remains to be seen whether this latest controversy, and the exit of Briatore and Symonds, will affect Renault's decision to stay in Formula 1.

 

 

 

Briatore had denied speculation that the French team's future was under threat and the team have signed a new Concorde Agreement to stay in F1 until 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

Symonds was Michael Schumacher's race engineer in the 1990s

 

But this latest controversy, coupled with a decline in cars sales, could yet have repercussions for the staff of around 700, who are are employed at the team's headquarters in Enstone, in Oxfordshire, and Viry-Chatillon in Paris.

 

 

 

Former grand prix winner John Watson told the BBC: "The fact that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left the team was the only solution to Renault.

 

 

 

"A company on the scale of Renault, a world-scale motor company could not afford to have a scandal of this magnitude rattling around in the boardroom."

 

 

 

As it is, Renault's statement appears to end the F1 career of two of the sport's best-known protagonists.

 

 

 

Briatore became Benetton team principal in 1988 and when Renault bought Benetton in 2000 to run under its own moniker, the 59-year-old Italian was chosen to lead the team.

 

 

 

Symonds started his F1 career in 1981 at the Toleman team, which morphed into Benetton and Renault, and worked his way though the ranks to become executive director of engineering in 2001.

 

 

 

Briatore was also heavily involved in the teams' association Fota, as it sought to reach an agreement on the future of the sport with the FIA this season.[/hide]

 

 

 

 

 

That means that they did fix the race? If they are stepping down, they must be guilty, because if not they would surely want to put their case to the courts. I'm so dissapointed, but i'm glad to see cheaters out of F1. I hope they can find anybody else involved and swiftly get them out of the sport aswell.

A spring went flying to the side of his head.. If he wasn't wearing a helmet........

 

 

 

He should be racing again soon though

the only thing that has gotten me into F1 again this season is that the chain is the theme tune again.

Button sealed the title. Finished in 5th, Vettel 4th and Barrichello 8th. :thumbsup:

Well he finally won. Took his time getting the final points to seal it. He deserved it after his performance in the first half of the season, even though he slipped away at the back end. It was a shame to see Barrichello do so poorly after a great start.

 

I guess Abu Dhabi will just be a straight fight between everybody, now that the titles have been decided, everybody just wants the last win.

So the season is concluded! Awesome race at Abu Dhabi.

Those last few laps had my heart pounding. Me and my dad sat there on the edge of our seats. Another lap and Jenson would have had Webber.

 

I have to admit, of all the modern Circuits, that place is one of the best. That, Bahrain and Istanbul are how organisers should build modern circuits, not wannabe Monaco's like Singapore and Valencia.

 

Its a shame we now have to wait around 200 days for the next GP.

^ +1

Abu Dhabi without a doubt one of, if not, THE best looking and high-tech tracks out there. :)