FORMULA 1 2009

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GP Turkey 2009:

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GP Great Britain 2009:

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GP Germany 2009

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GP Hungary 2009

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GP Europe 2009:

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Anthony: Kimi Is McLaren's Best Option

Anthony Hamilton has denied reports that his son Lewis Hamilton is against Kimi Raikkonen joining McLaren next season.

Raikkonen is without a 2010 race-seat after being released a year early from Ferrari contract. According to speculation, the Scuderia have agreed to pay Raikkonen either his full salary if he sits out next year's campaign or half if he signs a deal with another Formula One team.

However, his options for next season are limited, even more so by his statement that the only F1 he will race for is McLaren.

But, according to speculation in the British media, current McLaren driver, Hamilton, is not in favour of the Finn rejoining the team that he spent four years from 2003 until heading to Ferrari in 2007.

Hamilton's father, though, has denied these rumours, even going as far as to say that Raikkonen is the best option for McLaren

"First of all I must say that neither Lewis nor I have any influence to the driver situation at McLaren," he told Turun Sanomat.

"But if World Championships are needed, then Kimi is also needed by the team, in my opinion.

"Kimi is the best driver that is available. Lewis and Kimi would surely goad each other in the best way to improve their performances."

Raikkonen, though, is reportedly struggling to close the deal with McLaren as the Finn is demanding more money than the Woking team is willing to pay.

And should he fail to sign on the dotted line, McLaren could yet opt to retain Heikki Kovalainen, a decision that Hamilton Sr is not against.

"If I myself made the choice between Kimi or Heikki, I would take Kimi but I'm not against Heikki continuing," he added.

"We have always liked Heikki. He is a shining team-mate who does his work well. Kimi, however, is such a cool type. In my option he is the best driver that could join Lewis at McLaren next season."

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'Toyota team unlikely to be sold'

John Howett has revealed that Toyota's Formula One team is unlikely to be sold.

Toyota announced on Wednesday that they are withdrawing from Formula One with immediate effect, leaving 550 personnel including Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock and Kamui Kobayashi without a job for next season.

Reports surfaced claiming that the Japanese manufacturer may try to find a buyer for their F1 team or that Howett himself could lead a buy-out.

However, the Toyota team president has ruled out either situation transpiring.

"I think it has already been discussed and rejected," Howett told The Times. "Maybe these ideas can be reopened but, at the moment, it would appear not."

Toyota's demise, though, will play into the hands of the BMW-Sauber team as, having failed to sign the new Concorde Agreement prior to BMW's withdrawal, the team was left needing another outfit to drop out in order to race in next year's Championship.

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Trulli in line for a Lotus race-seat

Lotus are hoping to have their 2010 driver line-up signed and sealed by the end of November with Jarno Trulli coming in as one of the favourites.

Lotus will make their Formula One debut next season having secured a place on the grid as one of the four new entrants. The team's preparations are already well underway, however, they have yet sign either of their two drivers.

Trulli, who is without a race-seat for next year's Championship after Toyota withdrew from the sport, has been in Formula One since 1997, giving the Italian the much-needed experience that Lotus are looking for.

"We are looking for two drivers with experience. We are not looking for pay drivers or new drivers. We think that is very important for the team," technical chief Mike Gascoyne told Autosport.

"What is becoming clear to everyone of the new teams, is that we have gone from last to first of the new teams very rapidly. We are being seen as a serious entity. We have got quite a lot of interest, but we want two experienced drivers there.

"We hope by the end of November. We don't want to be hanging around, we want to be proactive in what we are doing, rather than reactive. That is something we want to tie up pretty soon."

Asked if Trulli was top of the list, Gascoyne said: "He is one of the guys we would like to. Jarno has, over one lap, always been sensational. That is even more important in a new team because you need to know where you are on a Saturday. Jarno can always give you that."

"I've always got on well with Jarno, and know how to work with him. He enjoys working with me too, so he is definitely an option."

But Trulli is not the only experienced driver who could join Lotus, as former F1 Champion Jacques Villeneuve has already had a chat with the team.

"It is nice that we are getting interest from experienced people," Gascoyne said. "There will be a few people who drop off the established teams and we are being seen as the best option after that, which is good."

MIKA: I think giving Jarno Trulli or Jacques Villeneuve a drive on any team is a mistake.

Both are old (As far as F1 is concerned) and both are way out of touch. If one is talking about "Having experienced drivers, sure, both have experience BUt, not the experience to buld on and win a world championship. There are so many newer drivers that are far more deserving as well as potentially talented, give them a drive like KK from Toyota, Nick heidfeld to name a couple.

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Lotus's first car 'pretty much on target'

Lotus's 2010 challenger is coming along "pretty much on target", according to the team's technical chief Mike Gascoyne.

Lotus are one of four new teams that will line-up on the 2010 grid after the FIA opted to extend the field to 26 cars. The other new teams are Campos, Manor GP and USF1.

Preparations for their F1 arrival are well underway with Gascoyne revealing that the team is on target, with plans to shakedown the car for the first time in February.

"Some areas are going well and some other areas are a bit slower. But in general, car-wise, we are pretty much on target," Gascoyne said.

"We started laying up the first chassis last week, which is bang on schedule. That will be in the workshop in the first week of January, so we are on target for a shakedown in the second week of February. That is what we always intended, which was good.

"With the wind tunnel model, we went testing with that in the last week or so, so that programme is up and running and making a lot of progress early on. Technically we are in good shape.

"With employing people, that is all happening. There is just a lot to do. The ancillaries, drivers, contracts, commercial matters, it is that that is snowing us under."

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Jaime hints its himself and Buemi for 2010

Jaime Alguersuari has hinted that both himself and Sebastien Buemi will remain at Toro Rosso next season.

While Buemi started the 2009 Championship as a full-time Toro Rosso driver, Alguersuari was only called up to race at the Hungarian GP after the team dropped the under-performing Sebastien Bourdais.

Alguersuari's introduction to Formula One was anything but prepared as the 19-year-old had not completed even a single lap in a F1 car before taking part in Friday's first practice in Budapest.

And although he never quite matched Buemi in their eight races as team-mates, it appears the Spaniard has done enough to secure a 2010 drive with Toro Rosso.

Speaking about next year's Championship, he told SportSport.es: "There will be six days of pre-season testing that, without a doubt, will give me a good base and we will then see the best Jaime.

"The start of the season will be hard because I don't know the circuits. But at the end of the year I will be good, even better than Sebastien Buemi. This is my hope."

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Webber: Total no-brainer, F1 needs Silverstone

On the day that could mark the deadline for the BRDC to sign a contract with Bernie Ecclestone, Mark Webber has insisted that Formula One must remain at Silverstone.

With plans to move the British Grand Prix to Donington Park having fallen by the wayside due to a lack of finances, the British Racing Drivers' Club are keen to ensure that the grand prix returns to Silverstone next season.

However, the BRDC and Ecclestone has failed to reach an agreement, with finances once again being sticking point.

On Thursday, the F1 supremo handed the BRDC at ultimatum, stating that they had two days to sign or Britain would lose its race.

"They say there is not much between us and them, so they should sign," he told The Guardian. "Maybe they have lost their pen but if they don't find it in the next day or two then that's it."

Two days later, though, and there has been no word on a deal being concluded, with Red Bull racer Webber urging both parties to get the contract signed.

"We have to have the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It's a total no-brainer," he told the BBC Look East. "It's a sensational circuit. And it's always been very well attended."

"I know all the other F1 drivers love coming here. It's got that amazing feel about it in terms of the very, very quick corners. It's a challenging circuit. It's one that is back to the roots of what F1 is all about."

MIKA: It seems to me F1 is losing everything that has made it the sport it is...or...was.

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Parr: The end of manufacturer dominance in F1

Williams' chief executive Adam Parr believes Toyota's withdrawal from Formula One marks the "end of manufacturer dominance" in the sport.

Last week, Toyota announced their immediate withdrawal from the sport, citing economic difficulties as the reason. Added to that team president John Howett revealed that Toyota had already "discussed and rejected' the possibility of selling their Formula One team.

Toyota's demise leaves just three manufacturers in the sport, Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes and Renault, however, the latter's future in Formula One is in doubt with reports claiming that they will leave at the end of next season.

But while manufacturers are walking away from F1, privateer teams are coming to the fore with four new outfits, Lotus, Manor GP, Campos and USF1 joining the fraternity next season.

"This week marked the end of manufacturer dominance in F1 - something that had been growing for a decade," Parr told the Financial Times.

"It's not that manufacturers are not welcome in F1; it's just that the maths doesn't make sense.

"If you spend $750m a year to own an F1 team and come ninth two years in a row, you are going to stop. But for an independent, at times like these you just put your head down and keep going - because you have no choice."

But while Parr speaks of a changing era, McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh insists that F1 has not be "fundamentally changed" by Toyota's withdrawal.

"Now is the time for all the stakeholders in F1 to pull together," Whitmarsh said. "F1 is still a sensible place and still a fascinating sport in which to invest and participate. People should stay calm because F1 has not been fundamentally changed by the announcement.

"If we continue to develop the working relationships between all of the parties we can make F1 better, more sustainable and more attractive to the fans."

MIKA: I think Whitmarsh is right in that F1 can still be a great sport without so many manufacturers but I for one, don't mind the manufacturers as it makes the sport so much more exciting when an independant team can kick serious butt over a bigger team such as Toyota who have spent squillions and really, got nowhere.

One last thing....in order to keep F1 alive, I really wish they can be rid of Bernie Ecclestone who I believe is just a greedy little bloke who doesn't care about the sport as much as he should.

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Kobayashi keen on a Lotus drive

Toyota's withdrawal from F1 may have left Kamui Kobayashi without a 2010 race-seat but the Japanese driver hasn't given up on his Formula One dream.

Kobayashi has two grand prix starts to his name after being called up to replace the injured Timo Glock in the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi races, impressing the Toyota bosses.

And while it appeared as if the Japanese racer would land a drive with Toyota for next year's Championship, the team's demise has left him once again seeking employment.

"Obviously my seat there is gone, I was close to signing the contract for that season only, but with four new teams, and a couple of current ones with no confirmed drivers, there are options, but to the current teams, I am a "risk", which isn't very good for my morale really," he told thef1times.

"I do believe I'll get a seat, if I had to choose a team, I'd choose Lotus. The name is enough really.

"McLaren are out of my league, Ferrari are the same, Renault I'm not sure of, Red Bull are secure, Brawn have Rosberg I think, Williams are done, I do not even know if Sauber will be here next year, Toro Rosso just want the same drivers. I think for me, my options are the four new teams really."

Kobayashi is also getting some assistance from Toyota with the Japanese outfit doing what they can to secure him a race-seat for next season.

"They're working with myself and my agent to help me find a seat, they are doing the same for Kazuki Nakajima as well, Toyota explained to me that they couldn't compete in the sport no longer but will help me in my career as much as possible."

MIKA: I really hope KK gets a drive. It looks as if Lotus may have Jarno, so give KK a drive also and forget Jacques Villeneuve.

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McLaren-Mercedes relationship better than ever

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has once again dismissed speculation that the company's relationship with McLaren is about to come to an end.

There has been strong talk of Mercedes ending their long-standing partnership with McLaren as it looks to increase their role in Brawn GP from engine supplier to part owner.

However, Haug insists the company is committed to the Woking-based outfit, saying the team is stronger than ever.

"There is a very firm decision that we have a long-term commitment with our partner McLaren," said Haug. "Rather than going into speculation, I have to point out that this team works better together than ever before.

"The guys did a remarkable job, we were really quite lost at the beginning of the season and internally we discussed, we need to be there at the home GP at the Nurburgring. We saw what happened.

"It is not like turning a switch and we are there, there was a lot of work and I think what was remarkable for McLaren and the chassis guys, a completely new style was adapted.

"This team was about testing, learning, evaluating, and you saw that when the truck comes to the races and brings the parts on Friday morning and you check and double check and make back-to-back tests there was a lot of work in the garage.

"The way these guys learned to anticipate what will happen, what will be the next tenth of a second and so on, I think this five/six months period was probably the best learning history in the history of McLaren, in the history of our team definitely, and it shows this team is stronger than ever.

"If you compare it to half a year ago, and you do an overlay of all team's performance, then we scored more points in the last seven races. We also lost some, like Monza and Nurburgring. This is a real important statement, this team is probably better than ever."

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Pirelli rule out replacing Bridgestone

Pirelli has ruled out bidding to become Formula One's tyre supplier when Bridgestone leave at the end of next season.

Bridgestone, Formula One's sole tyre supplier, announced earlier this week that they would not be renewing their contract when it expires at the end of 2010.

This has prompted some speculation regarding which company could fill the void as its unlikely that Michelin, who quit F1 in 2006, will return.

However, already Pirelli have taken their name out of the running.

"Pirelli's previous position on F1 hasn't changed," a spokeswoman told Reuters.

"Pirelli prefers to develop tyres for racing that will also be used on the road. Pirelli sponsors Superbike, World Rally Championship and GT2."

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Campos 2010 car passes FIA crash tests

The car of the new F1 team Campos has reportedly already passed the FIA's frontal and lateral crash tests.

"Of the new teams, Campos' car is the most progressed," Bruno Senna, the Spanish outfit's first confirmed driver for 2010, told Brazil's Radio Bandeirantes.

The car is being built by the well-known Italian constructor Dallara.

Senna confirmed: "It has already passed the frontal and lateral crash tests, which are the most important ones."

The 26-year-old said he travelled to Italy on Sunday to see the car and to be fitted for any initial adjustments.

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Ferrari still wants third car for Schumacher

Ferrari is still pushing hard to arrange a third Formula One car for Michael Schumacher to race in 2010.

With BMW and Toyota now departed, Renault thinking about following suit and the famous Italian team scornful of the sport's new entrants, Luca di Montezemolo has renewed his campaign to have the rules changed.

"This is perhaps an opportunity to have a third car for each team," the Ferrari president told Bild newspaper. "I will do everything I can. And naturally we are thinking of Michael Schumacher for our third car."

At the same time, Schumacher - despite calling off his return in Felipe Massa's car in August due to injury - is not ruling out making another bid to come back to the grid.

"Let's put it like this, I do not see a reason why I should confirm or rule out anything," the seven time world champion told Gulf News.

However, Sir Frank Williams doubts the 40-year-old German is serious.

"Not a chance. No," said the Briton, who believes Schumacher decided against returning this year after underestimating his fitness.

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Hi Mika

What a great way to finish of the season,as always great posts,and pics (where do you find the time )

Back to the schumacher thing who knows wether he will be back or not,i have reservations about old champions making a comeback (like the Nigel Mansell episode) sometimes it is better to go out on top and leave it that way rather than tarnish your record just my two cents worth

Cheers Oz

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The best year of my career - Ross Brawn on 2009

Ross Brawn has enjoyed a few classics seasons in his time. After winning six constructors' championships with Ferrari, he took a sabbatical before returning with Honda. But when the Japanese manufacturer decided to bid farewell to Formula One racing at the end of last year, Brawn’s dream of making it back to the top looked over.

Instead of wallowing, the Briton set about using his impressive talents to save the Brackley team. He’d already built a beauty of a car, and having stuck his own name on the two BGP001s, saw his team rise from the ashes to take two titles. It’s the stuff of fairytales. Here he reviews his - and Brawn GP’s - 2009 season…

Q: Ross, so miracles do happen in Formula One racing. From a team that almost didn’t exist a year ago to a double title winner …

Ross Brawn: Well, miracle is not exactly a term at home in Formula One. Our success is a combination of many things. The new regulations had a major effect, and the fact that we’d been working on that car for a long time had a major effect. But what I am probably most proud of is that the introduction of a new engine - the Mercedes engine - at such a late stage didn’t destroy the programme. Ours, and the Mercedes engineers, should be very satisfied with what they’ve achieved without compromising the car too much.

Q: How do you explain the team’s sensational success? Was it down to giving KERS the cold shoulder and generally interpreting the rules more cleverly?

RB: I think that KERS was a major challenge to the teams at the beginning of the season. We saw the two major teams - Ferrari and McLaren - had that challenge and maybe it added to their difficulties at the beginning of the season. Now with the technology maturing it’s worth three or four-tenths of a second - and if KERS were to continue going into next season you would have to have it as an essential ingredient. I think for us we were able to carry over all the advantages we gained from starting the car very early and we didn’t lose that (advantage) over the winter.

Q: Why the midseason lull?

RB: The winter did have an impact. The tremendous effort everybody made over the winter and, to be frank, because we had to ‘resize’ the team in March all had impact. The team rebounded later in the year. I think we made improvements towards the end of the year. We won in Valencia and Monza and Rubens (Barrichello) was on pole in Brazil. My experience is that all teams see ups and downs over a season, but if you are not fighting for the championship they are not so visible. We’ve managed to pull ourselves together again. But yes, there was a dip in form in the middle of the season.

Q: How helpful was it that you had experience of fighting for championships?

RB: It was helpful for me personally, and then it was helpful for the people around to see that there was no need for panic or taking radical actions, but that we should concentrate on working as we had done before. I have never been a believer in setting off fireworks. Sometimes it can work but more often it just creates a lot of confusion. We quietly got on with our plan to put ourselves back where we needed to be. Probably the fact that I’ve been involved in championships which have had those midseason dips was very helpful.

Q: A lot was written about Jenson (Button) not being up to winning titles. Did you always believe that he would pull through?

RB: Yes. I was a little surprised at some of the difficulties that we had in qualifying - for some reason, qualifying didn’t work as we had hoped - but his race performances were exceptional, so he fully deserves the championship and he will be a lot stronger because of this championship. His approach to qualifying and racing has already improved enormously. When you’ve been in Formula One for ten years and won one race and you suddenly find yourself in a completely new situation, that’s not easy to deal with. He was not prepared and has not experienced it before. But you could say that the same goes for Sebastian (Vettel). He also had some odd races. But my guess is that you have to put it down to the fact that these guys had never fought for the championship before. It definitely has an effect.

Q: You and (Brawn GP CEO) Nick Fry gambled when you took over the team. Were there sleepless nights?

RB: I am very lucky that actually I rarely suffer from sleepless nights whilst worrying about work or racing. There were possibly a few times over the winter, but I’m not a person who looks back. Once a decision has been made, let’s get on with it. So once we made the decision to do this, then we were fully committed. The good thing was that we were never going to be in a worse position than we were with Honda closing the team. So whatever came after that, even if it was only an extension of people’s careers for another year, then nothing had been lost. We always made sure we were in a position to stop racing, if we had to, in no worse condition than we were when Honda stopped. Our staff was protected. They would have got all the redundancy that would have come if Honda had closed, so there was no losing situation because it couldn’t get any worse than closing the team. We had nothing to lose and a lot to gain. And we’ve been very fortunate and gained a lot.

Q: Neither of you were entrepreneurs, but as well as running the team you’ve also had to run a business. What was the most difficult part?

RB: From the technical and racing side it’s obviously made no difference. I quite enjoy running a tight budget. That brings a lot of discipline, so that’s not a bad thing. It’s true we are running on a much tighter budget than in the last ten years or so. I think the commercial side is the one that we have to continue to strengthen because that side will be crucial to succeed in the future. Sometimes the commercial or business elements are less controllable than engineering problems. Engineering problems are relatively logical, some of the business activities aren’t. That is probably the area where we still have to learn. But we are putting in place all the things that we need for the future, and our success is quite a big help and catalyst to open doors to find commercial solutions. Luckily now, if we go to a partner or a potential partner as a Brawn GP that has won both championships, it helps enormously.

Q: What lessons can other teams learn from Brawn GP?

RB: I would not want to lecture on what people should learn from us. What I’ve seen is that we can be more economic in our costs without affecting the end results. It would be fair to say that we are a bit of a hybrid at the moment because the investments were made by Honda last year against the expenditure that has been made by Brawn GP this year. But we were able to produce a car, we were able to produce a competitive car, and we’ve produced it at probably half the budget that we had last year. It’s true, there have been certain things that we haven’t been able to do because we haven’t had the budget but those things are not dramatic, and it demonstrates that Formula One could run very effectively with teams spending a lot less than they do now. And I think that all the resource restrictions that the teams have agreed to, when those are in place, nobody looking in from the outside will see the difference. What will be seen from the inside is a healthier Formula One racing, because the costs will be reduced considerably. And probably we are out to demonstrate that.

Q: The FIA has a new President in Jean Todt. You know him very well from your days together at Ferrari, what are you expectations?

RB: Jean takes a very strong team approach to whatever he does and he is the glue that holds the whole thing together. He does recognize in other people their talent, and he uses that talent to achieve the best results. What we are going to see with Jean is that he will probably not be very high profile as a person, but will be the conductor of an orchestra that will contain many people, and help it to move forward. Formula One has been through a fractious period over the last year or two and there was reason for that. The Formula One community is now looking forward to some stability and a quieter time. I have a lot of respect for him. He will do a great job. Max Mosley did a very good job but became controversial over the last two years. Jean will do the job perhaps in a less controversial way.

Q: How will the Brawn GP team look next year? Will it be Brawn-Mercedes?

RB: I could not possibly comment on that.

Q: If you had to judge this year against all the others you’ve spent in the sport, where would you place 2009?

RB: I sometimes say to my wife that we should enjoy those periods because they could be the best of our lives. I said that back in 2000, 2001, 2004. I have had some wonderful periods and you genuinely think that is as good as it gets. When I stopped racing at Ferrari I thought that it had been the pinnacle of my racing career, that it can’t get any better than that. Amazingly I have to say it has and that was something I never expected and something I didn’t plan. It evolved. My Ferrari time is unforgettable and sensational, but what we have achieved this year even surpasses that. It is definitely the highest achievement of my career.

Oz The story of Brawn G.P is truly the Phoenix rising from the ashes.(with Hondas bankrolling till takeover)

I am sure they are a force to be reckoned with and with R.B's guidance I am sure it will be,but next year is a different kettle of fish ,but the top 5 should remain the same

cheers Oz

P.S Roll on Melbourne

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F1 gossip column

Sebastian Vettel has this week given another sign that Red Bull is staying with Renault power for next season. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, meanwhile, reports talks about a takeover of Renault's F1 engine division between the carmaker and Mario Illien.

Everyone in F1 circles knows that Virgin is planning to launch its own Virgin F1 operation in 2010, based on the entry being created at the moment by Manor. Virgin people have been kicking around the paddock for months and seem to be surprised that people have spotted them and figured out what is happening.

Bruno Senna, who will make his Formula 1 debut with new team Campos Racing next year, insists he is not a pay driver.

and

According to Senna, Campos's car has already passed the mandatory frontal and lateral crash tests. "Of the new teams, Campos' car is the most progressed," he told Brazil's Radio Bandeirantes.

Reports in the German press say it is possible David Coulthard is coming out of retirement to race a Mercedes-Benz in the DTM touring car series.

The world's major car manufacturers will return to Formula 1 in the future, according to Brawn team boss Ross Brawn.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner is confident that the outfit will be a contender for the world championship next year despite many expecting the "natural order" to be restored with McLaren and Ferrari at the front.

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F1 gossip column

Reports in the German press say it is possible David Coulthard is coming out of retirement to race a Mercedes-Benz in the DTM touring car series.

Great post Oz.

I'm happy to hear DC is comming back to racing, DTM is a great sport, Mika Hakinnen also raced for Mercedes in DTM. Hope it all works out for DC.

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Google ordered to pay Barrichello $500,000

Google has been ordered to pay Rubens Barrichello $500,000 for hosting fake online profiles on its social network Orkut.

The civil case, which was lodged in July 2006, related to the more than 300 fake profiles under Barrichello's name that appear on Orkut.

On Monday, the Brazilian state's official government gazette, published the outcome of the Sao Paulo court's ruling.

The court deemed that Google, as owner of Orkut, was responsible because it managed the website and established the rules for its use.

Google was ordered to pay Barrichello $500,000, which could yet increase to as much as $700,000 as Google risked a daily fine of $590 until all the profile pages relating to Barrichello were removed.

MIKA: Quite a nice little bonus for the end of season....

Thats probably about the same figure BRAWN GP paid RB for the entire season!

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'Track design to blame for lack of overtaking'

Finally, someone is making sense as Williams' tech director Sam Michael admits it's not the cars, rather it's the tracks, that are preventing overtaking in F1.

This year's Championship saw a whole host of new regulations introduced governing the design of the cars in the hope that Formula One would see more overtaking.

But it didn't happen.

Instead, races turned into boring processions that even the lights, opulence and the longest straight in F1 at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP could do nothing to rectify.

But it's not the cars that are at fault. Rather, Michael says, it's the design of the tracks.

"I think that clearly the (rule) changes made the cars easier to follow, however, there's a lot of work that still needs to be done," he said.

"One of the things that wasn't addressed in the 2009 rule changes was circuit design. If you look at tracks like Barcelona where no one overtakes and take exactly the same cars to tracks like Monza, Hockenheim etc, there's plenty of overtaking. The difference is circuit layout.

"Organisers need to look closer at creating slower speed corners which feed onto straights and at removing chicanes.

"If you look at somewhere like Abu Dhabi, there are some good aspects to the circuit, but there are fundamental mistakes. There wasn't good enough racing there and the organisers need to rectify that before next year.

"You can't keep blaming car design. The FIA are looking into this now and will hopefully solve the problem."

MIKA: Sam makes a very good point here. It really does seem to appear that the "newer" Tilke designed tracks are less conducive to overtaking that some of the older ones.

Tracks that seem to have undulations always seem to produce better racing such as Spa and Interlagos. These are 2 circuits that have big climbs, and lots of undulations. Off cambre corners and challenges throughout seem to bring the best out of the drivers and we see competitive racing.

Yes the circuit design plays a huge part no-doubt and I think it needs to be addressed urgently and particularly for the new circuits that hit the calender.

Having said all that, it is not entirely the circuits which are hampering overtaking.

Many of the "old" circuits don't encourage much overtaking either. Silverstone, Monza, Barcelona. These grand prixs aren't exactly always a spectacle.

I think car design plays a big role as well, and downforce levels need to be massively reduced before we see any real changes.

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Rosberg: 2009 increased my stock in F1

Nico Rosberg says Williams' "decent" 2009 car played a huge role in helping him move on to a team capable of fighting for race wins and World titles.

Rosberg finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship this season, having scored 34.5 points, the total sum of Williams' campaign as he soundly trounced team-mate Kazuki Nakajima.

However, his days at Williams are over with Rosberg confirming his departure prior to the team announcing their 2010 line-up.

And although the German's new team has yet to be revealed, rumours claims he's off to Championship winners Brawn GP next season.

"This season has been an important year for me, because I really saw it as a kind of stepping stone to have the chance to fight for race wins next year and even the Championship," Rosberg told Williams' official podcast.

"And that's worked out fine, because thanks to everyone at Williams I had quite a decent car so I could really put in some good, consistent drives which just increased my value as a driver, so that was important. I'm quite pleased.

"Of course we would've wanted to do better - we didn't get a podium, which was a bit unfortunate because I think we should have had one at least. But anyway these things didn't come together. All in all I think it was a good year."

Next season will be Rosberg's fifth in Formula One, however, the German says he's still learning and improving his trade.

"Experience helps you to use your mind more, which will make me faster on track," Rosberg said. "It's really nice to use your mind and think about things, not only use your talent and go for it.

"Think about and analyse - there's so much you can do with all the switches, there's so much technology that you can use to your benefit to go faster every lap, and that's where I've improved a lot."

[MIKA27]

I find it funny that non-factory teams can survive the financial crisis but not the factory teams. I would think they should just as easily be able to get sponsorship/partners to help cover running costs.

- As do I Megaste. How can the smaller teams survive but not the big teams like say, Force India vs BMW?

I think it says more about commitment than financial situations. They (Honda, Toyota, BMW) pour quick money into the sport with the aim to be world champions within a few years. When things don't go as planned they forget all talk about long term commitment and run away like scared chickens. Personally I never believed too much in Toyota's and BMW's long term commitment, I think they were more in it to position themselves against Honda & Mercedes, respectively. I'm more surprised that Honda pulled out, as they have a traditional racing profile (although most of their road cars sadly defy this...).

- I believe many factory outfits like Toyota, Honda, BMW join F1 for the exposure rather than the sport to sell their product and when they target themselves like Toyota did and stated that they 'Will win a WC within 4 years or fold', well I guess maybe it's best that such short term minded teams don't even join the sport..... One can only imagine how the fans are feeling and even more importantly, the employees of the teams that are pulling out.

Or maybe, given that both Honda & Toyota continue in Indy Cars & Nascar, the ROI is higher in the US? Is the F1 business model catching up with reality, where large coorporations question the benefit of increased exposure in Asia & Middle East vs reduction in Europe?

- One would only assume this could be the case mate.