FORMULA 1 2009

[MIKA27]

Heidfeld frustrated by poor perception

Nick Heidfeld admits he is puzzled by his low standing in the eyes of much of the racing world.

With his BMW-Sauber teammate Robert Kubica assured of a drive with Renault next year, Heidfeld's position is more tenuous with the German revealing he has only 'a few options' for the 2010 season.

Kubica has partnered Heidfeld at BMW since midway through the 2006 season and while the Pole outshone his colleague in 2008, Heidfeld scored more points in 2007 and currently lies six points ahead of Kubica in the Driver's Championship.

"In terms of the public perception, I am behind drivers who are not as good as me," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"In 2007 I was faster than Robert and I am again now. But everyone talks only of 2008," he said.

"I would have thought logic would prevail in Formula One, but unfortunately your image is not only the result of numbers," he bemoaned.

MIKA: I must admit, I'm a huge Heidfeld fan.

Nick Heidfeld has the same qualities that I liked in Ralph Schumacher in that they both prove that you dont always have to win a podium to be ahead of your team mate provided you are consistantly scoring points.

With BMW in 2007, Heidfeld saw his team take leaps up the order as they proved to be the third best team on the F1 grid. Two podium finishes and only three races outside the points helped him to fifth place in the Drivers' Championship, a remarkable improvement on the previous year's results.

The team and Nicks results continued in 2008 with Heidfeld bagging four podium finishes on his way to sixth place in the standings. However, it could have been better for Heidfeld if he hadn't struggled during qualifying, coming up short compared to his team-mate Robert Kubica.

This 2009 season has NH at 15 points compared to RK's 9 points and only 2 races left for this season.

In my opinion, NH is a far better driver than Kubica.

[MIKA27]

Vettel: Button is getting a bit weaker

Sebastian Vettel is hoping to keep his World Championship dream alive at Interlagos weekend, saying he has to cash in since Jenson Button has "weakened a little bit".

Button hasn't won a race since the Turkish Grand Prix in June. The Brit, though, still enjoys a 14-point lead over team-mate Rubens Barrichello while Vettel is a further two points behind.

Although Button can wrap up the Title at the Brazilian Grand Prix by finishing on the podium, Vettel has promised not to give up until it's mathematically over.

"I have nothing to lose and will attack," he told German press agency DPA. "Jenson is getting a bit weaker, maybe that is our chance."

"It is my aim and my dream to win the Formula One Championship. I will fight until the end and not give up. Kimi showed us two years ago what is possible."

Vettel also refuses to get involved in a psychological warfare as things heat up, saying "I am only looking at our team. I will do my thing and then we will see."

MIKA: FACT....Vettel scoring a 2nd and a win in the next two races will earn him the championship, if Jensen scores 1 point or less, he would need two wins if Jensen manages to score 3.

[OZCUBAN]

ALL I can say is

Come on Jenson

[MIKA27]

ALL I can say is

Come on Jenson

OOOOH!!!!

For once OZ, I'll clash and hope Vettel or Barrichello win!

[MIKA27]

Hamilton: 2010 will see the best in the best

Lewis Hamilton is predicting that next year's Championship will prove to be the best that Formula One has seen in a while - a welcome assessment given this year's tedium.

Although 2009 has offered an exciting battle between the Brawn GP and Red Bull drivers in the standings, the on-track action has been generally underwhelming with grands prix often appearing to be a procession rather than a race.

Nor has the sport been boosted by some of their top drivers, such as Fernando Alonso and to an extent Kimi Raikkonen and Hamilton himself, being stuck in cars that failed to live up the standards that their talents warrant.

Next year, though, should be different.

While the sport will see new regulations such as a ban on refuelling, Alonso is off to Ferrari while Raikkonen is rumoured to be moving to McLaren where he will partner Hamilton.

Those changes, to name a few, could, according to Hamilton, offer the best season F1 fans have witnessed in years.

"Next year is going to be a really exciting year," the out-going World Champion told the Daily Star.

"It could be that the fastest drivers will be in the fastest cars and we will have a real Championship on our hands, the best for a while."

MIKA: I don't completely agree with Hamilton, in that yes, next year the season will be exciting as is each and every year, especially when top drivers make a move to a new team.

As far as saying this year hasn't been that exciting, I beg to differ.

Yes, the politics at the start of the '09 season was really negative to the sport, but with the top 2 teams not performing as well as previous years and allowing a variety of teams to 'Mix it up' and bag some valuable points, I truly believe this season, politics aside, has been one of the best in years.

[OZCUBAN]

DITO

As for Button/ Barrichello deserves the fruits of a long career Sorry but i do not like Vettel he is quick for sure, but I detect a air of arrogance about him,maybe I am wrong, time will tell.

Cheers Oz

[MIKA27]

Button: I am the World Champion!

An emotional Jenson Button was only capable of stating the factually obvious after clinching the 2009 title in Brazil: "I am the World Champion, baby!"

With a little luck on his side, the Brawn driver produced a storming charge through the midfield to collect the points that guaranteed him the championship. Button now becomes the 10th British driver to claim motor sport's greatest prize, inheriting the crown from last year's winner Lewis Hamilton.

"That was such an awesome race!" he beamed. "I made it happen and that deserved it that race. It was such a great race and I really enjoyed it. For me, it was the perfect way to win it.

"Twenty-one years ago I jumped in a car and I loved winning. I never expected to be world champion in F1 but we've done it today."

The race, which also saw Brawn crowned the Constructors' Champions for 2009, resulted in the normally-calm Ross Brawn breaking down in tears.

Once he had recovered his composure, Brawn paid tribute both to his championship driver and the team personnel he had to make redundant six months ago.

"Jenson is a fantastic racer and had a great race. We've lost a little bit of pace in the car compared to some of our rivals over the second half of the season, but he's stuck with it and deserves it."

Brawn then added: "I have to say to all of those that couldn't be with us because of when had to resize the team that my thanks goes out to them because they worked so hard."

"I hope they can be very proud with what they achieved for the team because they've been a part of everything we've done."

MIKA: Bummer in that I missed this race seeing it was on so early in the morning. Normally, I would have stayed up and watched it but the Brazilian GP is my least favourite race and I really didn't think JB would have won the crown until the end..... CONGRATULATIONS anyway even if he only won it in a mathematical sense.

I know I sound like a broken record, but whilst he did win the first 5 races, the remainder of the season, it seems as if JB crossed his fingers and hoped for the best because the rest of his form the remainder of the year has been quite poor as far as I'm concerned. I'm not as excited about JB being world champion as compared if it were Rubens or Webber who REALLY WANTED to win and not have it handed to them on a platter...so to speak.

But....That's motor sport.

[MIKA27]

Webber: Red Bull have every reason to be proud

Jenson Button's World title victory may have taken the focus away from Mark Webber but the Brazilian GP winner says he still has every reason to be proud of his Red Bull team.

Webber claimed the race win at the Interlagos circuit in a faultless drive from second place on the grid. It was only the Australian's second Formula One win and ensures that no matter what happens in the season-ending Abu Dhabi race, he will finish the season fourth in the Drivers' standings.

As for his team, Red Bull are guaranteed second place in the Constructors' race, a feat that Webber says they should be proud of even though they lost the titles to Brawn GP.

"It's a fantastic day for the team to win again confirming second in the Constructors' for us. It was not good enough to win the Championship but we have done ourselves proud," he said.

"I want to thank Renault because the engines were very good, and it was not an easy environment for them."

The Australian also praised newly crowned F1 Champion, Button, who drove arguably his best race of the campaign to clinch the title.

"Jenson I think deserves the championship," Webber said. "He drove very well in the early part of the season. It was not easy to have error-free weekends.

"He has driven very well. Brawn had some strengths and weaknesses, but JB did a good job so I want to congratulate him."

As for his race, Webber says he knew he had a really good chance of winning after building up a lead over Rubens Barrichello and Robert Kubica ahead of his first pit stop.

However, that didn't prevent a few doubts from creeping in when Kubica, who finished the race in second place, closed up on him in the middle stint.

"You never know in the first stint. We knew Rubens was a bit shorter and Robert was a bit shorter, and when they pitted I knew I had a good gap for the second stint. I just cleared JB in the second stint, which was good.

"Then I was quite comfortable, but I was a bit panicky with Robert closing in on me in the second stint. The guys said he was a bit shorter, but I was asking a few questions."

MIKA: I'm more excited about Webbers win than JB's accomplishment. I'm not even a Webber fan, but I always admire drivers who 'Fight' for every race even when the odds are against them and in this case, Webber wasn't in contention of the Drivers championship but he still treated the race as if it were for the title.

[Buch0]

Go AUSSIE Go

[MIKA27]

McLaren fined, Heikki gets retrospective penalty

McLaren have been handed a fine and Heikki Kovalainen slapped with a retrospective penalty following Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Kovalainen left the pits with his fuel hose still attached to his car. Fuel sprayed out and the droplets caught fire right in front Kimi Raikkonen who was also about to exit the pits.

The Woking team were hit with a $50 000 fine by stewards after the race for releasing the Finn unsafely from the pits.

Kovalainen himself was handed a 25-second retrospective penalty which sees him drop from ninth to 12th in the race results.

MIKA: Whilst this is clearly the pit crews fault, this is not good for Kovalainens career at McLaren. I truly believe he will go and Kimi return.

[MIKA27]

Kimi: I was engulfed in flames and blinded

Kimi Raikkonen has shed some light on his fiery trip to the pits at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver damaged his front wing during a first-lap collision and was forced to pit. The real drama, though, was yet to unfold.

Just as he started to exit the pit lane, Heikki Kovalainen moved in front of him with his fuel hose still attached to his car. Fuel sprayed out and the droplets caught fire right in front of the Finn.

Raikkonen revealed after the race that some drops of petrol ended up in his eye.

"What happened on the first lap ruined my race. First I was hit at the first corner, then when trying to pass Webber, I was hit and lost the front wing," he said.

"At the pit stop, I ended up with some drops of petrol in my eye, from the fuel line stuck on Kovalainen's car and then I was engulfed in flames and blinded.

"I was going to stop, but luckily the flames soon went out. Even now, my eyes are still burning, but I'm alright."

[MIKA27]

Barrichello: I've proven I'm still alive

Despite losing the World title to team-mate Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello says this season has proven there's still life in the old dog.

In his 17th season in Formula One, Barrichello came closer than ever before to being crowned World Championship, taking the fight to Button all the way to the penultimate race of the season in Brazil.

It was an impressive showing from a driver, who many believed would not even make this year's grid.

"I've said before that people put flowers on my coffin at the beginning of the year, and I was back, driving a fantastic car and I was so, so up for it." Barrichello said.

"I've got to really thank God for the situation I've had for the year. It was a great car to drive all year.

"I'm pleased for Jenson as a friend and as a great Champion, and if I didn't win, he should have won it, so well done to him."

The Brazilian also acknowledged that it was flying start to the season that ensured that, come the end of it, the Brit would be crowned Champion.

"Jenson won it, and he deserved to do it, but he won it on the first six races, and I think the second half of the Championship was mine," said Barrichello.

"It was a true fight and I fought really hard, but in a time of the championship when we didn't have the performance of that grade anymore. So it was a big fight and I kept going, kept myself alive, and I'm really pleased."

But despite not winning the Drivers' title, Barrichello played a huge role in helping his team, Brawn GP, to the Constructors' trophy, a serious feat given their pre-season trials and tribulations.

"They've been superb, and I think Ross was able to get everyone together, to give speeches to prepare them, and they were really well prepared," he said.

"It's a hell of a team and it deserves to win. We will have a good night together because I feel the constructors' title is part of me as well and I'm happy for that."

MIKA: I highlighted a section in that article in green as it really sounds like a typical Rubens moment where he is defeated but still feels the need to whine about it and justify that he should be the winner and it's not fair, the team favour Jb, JB only won because of the first 5 races, I was better and more consistant....... He needs a Kleenex!

[MIKA27]

Button already plotting his title defence

Newly-crowned F1 World Champion Jenson Button has vowed to defend his title with Brawn and prove he is no "one-hit wonder".

The 29-year-old became the 10th Briton to win the F1 title on Sunday when his fifth-placed finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix was enough to open an unassailable lead over his rivals with just the final race in Abu Dhabi to come.

Button is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal to remain with Brawn, but with the title now won he has indicated he will sign a new deal and stay loyal to them team that has sensationally risen out of the ashes of Honda's decision to pull out of the sport last December.

"This team is not a one-hit wonder. And neither am I," Button said.

"It's great to win the World Championship and every person that's done it will tell you that. But to be able to defend it is exceptional. No British driver has ever won back to back titles - so that's an ambition."

On his future, Button added: "I would like to stay with Brawn. The team might have changed names and it might have shrunk in size but I love the atmosphere of this team and the way that we all pull together in the difficult times - and we've been through a lot of difficult times in the past."

Button said it had always been his and the team's intention to wait until after the title was decided before sitting down to discuss a new deal.

"We've been waiting until now to discuss the future. It's the perfect thing to do," he added.

"It's not about the money. I want to be with a team that can win. I have become World Champion with a team that nobody ever thought would win the Championship, especially in their first year but there are many things that we need to talk about.

"We've achieved so much together, we respect each other very much and it's just that the talks haven't taken place; that's it, really."

MIKA: Again, well done to JB BUT, he won't win another title again, not in his dreams.

After 10 years of racing JB's Grand Totals are surmised:

Seasons: 10

Points: 321

Races: 169

Poles: 7

Wins: 7

Podiums: 23

Points finishes: 76

Fastest laps: 2

This just shows JB's luck this season where 5 of his 7 wins over the past 10 years has been achieved this season alone.

JB's form the last half of the season has been questionable to say the least and cruising in the WC isn't really 'Grabbing the title in both arms' compared to previous years where quite often we see several drivers fighting tooth and nail, taking risks in the hope they can clinch the title.

I'm really very happy for Brawn GP, Ross Brawn is a genious and the entire team should be pleased.

[MIKA27]

Schumi refuses to rule out F1 return

Michael Schumacher has refused to rule out the possibility of making a return to F1, revealing that his neck injury is on the mend.

Earlier this season, Ferrari fans let out a cheer as the Scuderia announced that Schumacher would replace the injured Felipe Massa in the European GP.

However, that joy soon turned to disappointment when it was revealed that the neck injury he had sustained in a motorbike accident earlier in the year meant it was not possible for him to race.

But with that injury finally healing, Schumacher says he could yet make a brief comeback.

"From now to the end of the year, my neck injury will be healed to the point where I could drive again," the seven-time World Champion said in an interview with Der Speigel magazine.

"I have nothing to prove to anyone, not even myself. I still slightly regret having retired three years ago but there's no reason whatsoever for me to definitively announce that I will not come back.

"The life I lead makes me happy but who knows that will happen a few months or a year down the line?"

MIKA: Now this would be a welcome return to F1!!!

[MIKA27]

Toyota continue their pursuit of Raikkonen

Toyota are continuing in their pursuit of Kimi Raikkonen with team president John Howett revealing that they have offered the Finn a contract for next season.

Raikkonen is without a 2010 race-seat after agreeing to part ways with Ferrari a year earlier than expect, earning the 2007 World Champion a hefty pay-off.

Subsequent rumours have linked him to a possible move to McLaren while Toyota have also expressed an interest. In fact, Howett says they've even put an offer on the table.

"We don't play too many games. We put on the table what we can afford and what we think is a serious offer in the current market," he told Reuters.

"I think genuinely we could work well with him, give him a car that's quick.

"We have had very good relationships with Scandinavian drivers in the rallying times that enjoy life and it works very well, so we could cope with it as a team."

As for existing drivers, Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, neither driver is assured of a deal for next season. Howett did, however, admit that the team has made Trulli an offer, although they not sure if he will accept.

"With both drivers we are still maintaining a degree of discussion," said Howett.

"We have put an offer on the table with Jarno, I think that he himself is not dissatisfied with the financial offer, the bottom line to some extent is certain issues on the contract and I don't think they are negotiable from our side.

"He may well be in the car next year but it's not at all clear."

Another option available to the team is Kamui Kobayashi, who made his debut in Brazil, replacing the injured Glock.

"I thought he defended well, he retook Jenson," said Howett. "He's fearless and did a good job to get past Fisichella.

"He was a bit off the pace overall but it was very impressive. You have to say we have to give him serious consideration but still pace-wise he was a bit slow so we have to see."

MIKA: This is quite interesting as for some reason I had a dream Kimi was driving a Toyota next season!?

It will be interesting to see who Kimi heads off to, McLaren or Toyota?

As for trulli staying on rather than Glock, I personally think Timo Glock has far out driven Trulli and would be more deserving of a seat/contract with Toyota for 2010.

Kamui Kobayashi did drive extremely well if a little recklessly as is the trend with most Japanese drivers such as Takuma. In saying this, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him drive and hold off a few of the more experienced F1 drivers, could potentially be an up and commer. Not necessarily WC standard, but a good contender for points and podiums.

[MIKA27]

Trulli fined after Sutil altercation

Jarno Trulli has been slapped with a fine for his aggressive altercation with Adrian Sutil during Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Trulli and Sutil were ordered to appear before the stewards following their first-lap collision, which forced both as well as Fernando Alonso out of the race.

The Force India driver was boxed in and Trulli tried to fight round the outside of but failed and crashed into the side of Sutil's car.

The Italian was quite upset with Sutil after the incident and he was seen pushing the German on television.

The stewards, though, found it was just a racing incident but decided to fine Trulli $10 000 and officially reprimanded him for his behaviour as it was a breach of the sporting rules.

MIKA: Good decision. Trulli is often reckless and considering he made a statement during the televised race to BBC comentators stating he did nothing wrong, I beg to differ and on watching the incident, it is clear Sutil had done nothing wrong.

[strayvector]

JB's form the last half of the season has been questionable to say the least and cruising in the WC isn't really 'Grabbing the title in both arms' compared to previous years where quite often we see several drivers fighting tooth and nail, taking risks in the hope they can clinch the title.

I'm really very happy for Brawn GP, Ross Brawn is a genious and the entire team should be pleased.

You can't fault his form on Sunday though. He was a man on fire in Brazil. Those early passes he executed took guts.

[OZCUBAN]

You can't fault his form on Sunday though. He was a man on fire in Brazil. Those early passes he executed took guts.

Yes I wholeheartedly agree

best I have seen him drive in some time ,answered his critics i would say,usually Jensons got a super smooth style,but he proved to me that he can be a Racer that can throw the thing around

Cheers Oz

[OZCUBAN]

'We pushed Brawn as hard as we could'

By Mark Webber

Red Bull F1 driver

Jenson Button has driven well all season and his championship-winning race in Brazil was further testament to that - he just nailed it.

It was exactly the drive that he wanted and needed, especially after a disappointing qualifying performance put him under even more pressure on Sunday.

But he delivered very well, so all credit to him.

The scoreboard never lies. He has got the most points and he is the champion. He is a deserving champion too - if he doesn't deserve it then I don't know who else does.

The big difference between Jenson and some of the other drivers is his smoothness. He is probably one of the smoothest drivers on the grid. It is very rare to see him sawing away at the wheel.

To be honest Jenson has done it pretty comfortably in the end, and so has the Brawn team

I am not saying that is what won him the championship, but that smoothness behind the wheel is certainly the thing that is synonymous with Jenson.

I am also pleased for Ross Brawn. I know Ross reasonably well and he is clearly a benchmark for a lot of people in Formula 1.

He is a great competitor and has been involved in a lot of successful operations. He knows the industry well and knows what he needs to do to get results.

All credit to him and what he has done - he is a special guy for motorsport.

I think you learn a lot in life and in F1 through adversity, and all of the guys at Brawn have certainly been through a fair bit of that.

When it is all coming easy and everything is blowing along nicely you are not tested as much. You learn more about yourself as a character when you are on the back foot.

Lewis Hamilton falls into that category this year, and everything that Jenson has been through in the past has helped him achieve his success this season.

It has helped me this year, too. I have had some tough seasons and I had a difficult start to this year with the injuries I had.

But you always have to remember that there is always someone worse off than you, so you want to make the most of it.

I am disappointed that my championship bid faded, but as always you need to put a whole season together.

There is absolutely no reason at all why I can't fight for the championship next season

We had a non-points scoring finish in Melbourne and a couple of ninth-place finishes in Valencia and Spa, where we got a drive-through penalty.

Lots of little things turn into big things and that is how you lose a championship.

It was the same for my team-mate Sebastian Vettel. He had a few crashes here and there and the odd failure. That is enough for us not to be in the hunt.

To be honest Jenson has done it pretty comfortably in the end and so has the Brawn team.

We pushed them as hard as we could. It was not a Ferrari-type whitewash; Brawn were under pressure. But we have learnt a lot from this season and we need to take all of that into next year.

There have been a lot of firsts for me this year as well, I got my first race win, so it's good to get that out of the way, and it was nice to grab another one in Brazil.

The biggest lesson I have learnt from this season is you need to cut out the little things. You need to make each session count and really put it together across the season.

OK I am not 21, but I am not 40 either, so all of this will help me going forward into next year.

Our hope for 2010 has to be to go for the championships. There is only one more position that this team can get, so that is what we have to aim for. We need to keep improving.

Up until Singapore there were only a couple of points between Sebastian and I so there is absolutely no reason at all why I can't fight for the championship next season.

I thought I had a very good weekend in Brazil, I just needed another race weekend like that under my belt this season.

I had a lot of good races in the early and the middle part of the championship, but we were not quick enough in some races like Valencia and Monza.

I then had a failure at Singapore and I made a mistake at Suzuka, so that cost us points.

So I needed a solid weekend and it was a fantastic comeback for the team and for myself. We had a smooth weekend, qualifying was very difficult but then we nailed the race.

We knew we were heavier on fuel in qualifying than Rubens Barrichello's Brawn and we also knew from our information from Friday practice that we had a good car.

So we had every reason to be confident going into the race. The grands prix are never given to you, but we knew we had a good chance to have a crack at it.

I thought Sunday's race was the best of the season. Interlagos always has this ability to throw up a great race and you have Turn One, which has always been a very famous overtaking spot.

We had Jarno Trulli and Adrian Sutil putting the boxing gloves on, as well as Kimi Raikkonen's little fire. Well, Heikki Kovalainen's fire and Kimi going through it.

Throw in two Japanese guys getting into each other, Hamilton's one-stopper and Jenson clinching the championship and you have got yourself a race.

But I was happy to see none of it and just have my own afternoon at the front.

Incidents like the one with Jarno and Adrian can happen in F1, it is in the heat of the situation.

It wasn't too serious, people can do that, just have a little discussion about things, it is fine.

They probably could have spoken about it behind the barrier, but they were still standing out there on the track.

A lot of the human side has been taken out of F1, but every now and again it comes back in, and that is good to see.

Abu Dhabi is next up, and it is important for us to go out with a bang.

It's a non-championship race now that everything is settled, but it is another grand prix and another great opportunity.

It is the inaugural event so it is going to be special and I want to be at the front.

Mark Webber was talking to BBC Sport's Chris Whyatt.

Story from BBC SPORT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi...one/8318366.stm

Published: 2009/10/21 14:13:41 GMT

© BBC MMIX

[OZCUBAN]

Branson coy on Virgin F1 future

Sir Richard Branson says he will decide the future of his Virgin brand in Formula 1 after the final race of the season next month.

Virgin has this season sponsored Brawn, who won the drivers' and constructors' titles in Brazil on Sunday.

But it is widely believed within F1 that Virgin has already done a deal to become the title sponsor of the new Manor team in 2010.

Branson told 5 Live he was "absolutely delighted to get involved" with Brawn.

Brawn insiders have told BBC Sport that the team already have a title sponsorship deal for 2010 but would not reveal the identity of the company involved.

Branson joined forces with the Ross Brawn-led team just before March's season opener in Australia.

But with Brawn's Jenson Button winning the drivers' championship, the team is likely to ask for more money.

"We will make a decision after Abu Dhabi, which is the final race of the season," Branson told BBC Radio 5 live.

The Brawn team raced as Honda last season but secured their survival only at the beginning of March following Honda's decision to quit F1 because of the global financial crisis.

As well as the partnership with Virgin, Brawn GP also attracted sponsorship on a race-by-race basis, breaking away from the tradition of season-long deals.

Their car ran for the first time only in March but quickly emerged as the fastest in F1.

"We were absolutely delighted to get involved with them when they didn't have any money before the Melbourne race," added Branson.

"It enabled them to prove that they had a great car and great drivers and they've obviously gone on to fantastic things.

"It was the perfect relationship. Virgin loves to support an underdog but they are now one of the most expensive teams out there and certainly not underdogs any more.

"But we will make an announcement in the next month but at the moment we just want to celebrate a magnificent season with the Brawn team, Jenson and Rubens Barrichello, who did fantastically also."

Branson admitted to being totally surprised at Brawn's success this season, and recalled how he flew to Australia to put Virgin stickers on the car before the opening race of the 2009 campaign.

"I don't think in our wildest dreams we thought this would happen. I knew they had a good car, as I happened to know one of the test drivers," explained Branson.

"But when I got on a plane to Melbourne with some Virgin stickers in my bag, having just shaken hands and given them some money, the last thing I expected was a first and second in the championship race."

I think one thing people have overlooked is the fact that Honda wrote out a cheque for £120m so the team didn't go bust

Sir Richard Branson

Branson also felt that Honda should take some of the credit for Brawn's success, despite their decision to pull out of F1 at the start of the season.

"I think one thing people have overlooked is the fact that Honda wrote out a cheque for £120m so the team didn't go bust," stated Branson.

"There are many people who would have just pulled out and saved that money and they have got no credit for that.

"If you turn the clock back 12 months then it was a horror story for the car industry and really good car makers like Honda and they had to make a tough decision.

"But they developed the car and they deserve some credit but I doubt they'll get a lot despite behaving in a very gentlemanly way."

Oz I hope that the Virgin brand stays with the Brawn team i think it would be good for all concerned ,but maybe he has a cheaper option with the manor team, but they are not world champions Drivers and Constructors

Cheers Oz

[MIKA27]

Oz I hope that the Virgin brand stays with the Brawn team i think it would be good for all concerned ,but maybe he has a cheaper option with the manor team, but they are not world champions Drivers and Constructors

Cheers Oz

Perfectly said Oz.

Its actually weird than Richard Branson wouldn't stay with Brawn GP considering he has added a championship winning F1 team to his already successful brand!?

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen: McLaren is my only option

Kimi Raikkonen may have just given McLaren the upper hands in negotiations after revealing that the Woking team is his "only" option to remain in F1.

Raikkonen is without a race-seat for next year's Championship having agreed to part ways with Ferrari a year earlier than expected.

And although Toyota have made it clear they want the former World Champ, Raikkonen says he's only interested in racing for McLaren.

"Toyota has not even been discussed," Raikkonen told Finland's MTV3. "If I want to drive (F1) cars, then McLaren in the only option. I should know the situation in the next few days."

The Finn was also asked about his future in Thursday's Abu Dhabi press conference, where he confirmed that leaving F1 for rallying is a possibility.

"Basically I have a few different options and we will see what is the best one overall and then make my decision," he said.

However, Raikkonen could also opt for a year on the sidelines, revealing that too is available to him.

"I can if I want. I can do whatever I want, but like I said before, I haven't made my decision what I want to do yet."

MIKA: With the millions of Euros he has earnt in his years of F1, I'm sure he wouldn't have to work another day of his life.

[MIKA27]

'Schumi will be fit for the RoC'

Michael Schumacher will be fit enough to compete in this year's Race of Champions, according to the event organisers.

After a brief stay at London's Wembley Stadium, the RoC moves to China this year with the competition running over two days.

The first day features the RoC Nations Cup where Schumacher will team up with Sebastian Vettel for Germany while Day Two is the individual knock-out competition where one driver will be crowned the Champion of all Champions.

There are some concerns, though, about Schumacher's fitness as the seven-time F1 World Champion was forced to cancel his F1 return due to a neck injury.

However, the RoC's organisers are confident he will compete.

"Michael is in very good shape and will be physically ready for the race," organisers told China Daily.

"He is practising and still has the ability to find top form before races. As long as there is a circuit, he is able to drive and win."

[MIKA27]

NEXT RACE - 1st November

Grand Prix of United Arab Emirates

Yas Marina

Length : 5.5

Profile :

No. of laps: 56

Race Distance: 309 km

Lap Record: n/a

History :

The United Arab Emirates is the latest country to be added to the Formula One calendar, with the race set to take place in the capital city, Abu Dhabi.

A new circuit means state-of-the-art facilties and a track designed by F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke.

The track features a Monaco-style harbour front section using public roads, and another section similar to the Eau Rouge corner of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The circuit has three planned grandstand areas and will have part of its pit lane exit run underneath the track

[MIKA27]

Vettel: If only the season had run longer

Sebastian Vettel reckons Red Bull could have had a better shot at the World title if the season was a few races longer as his RB5 is just "getting quicker."

Vettel claimed victory in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, literally racing into the sunset on the track and metaphorically in the Championship, securing the runner-up position behind Jenson Button.

But had the season been a race or three longer, Vettel reckons Red Bull could have given Brawn GP more of a run given that his RB5 keeps getting better.

"The car was fantastic, it worked brilliantly on both tyres. it was a pleasure to sit in the car," the German driver said. "To sum up the season: up and down. The car is getting quicker - it's a shame the season is ending."

As for his race, Vettel - who started second on the grid - was able to take the lead off Lewis Hamilton having run longer in the opening stint. Sadly the battle between the two came to an early conclusion as the McLaren driver retired two laps later.

"I stayed close enough early on (to Hamilton), and knowing I was a little bit heavier, that was the secret, to stay with him," said Vettel.

"I did enough to get past him. Unfortunately he had to retire, but it was still a fantastic race."

The German is now looking ahead to next season, confident that Red Bull can learn from their mistakes and come back even stronger.

"It would be very good to continue like that," he said. "Now we face a long winter, especially for all us drivers, there's long break with no testing. Back in England, back in the factory, the guys are pushing very hard. The cars do not change much until next year but you cannot refuel, so it is a bit unknown.

"This season was very special, I remember a couple of years back those two were driving and I was watching. Hopefully the next one will be as exciting as this one. I'm definitely looking forward.

"We had a very, very good season, some positive but some things we did wrong. It is not a shame, we just need to know and understand why that happened and come back next year."

His team-mate Mark Webber finished in second place, handing Red Bull their fourth 1-2 result of the season. It was a great showing from the Australian, who came under enormous pressure from Button in the final five laps.

"At the end there, I had not much of a feeling on the option - I was quite slow on that tyre," explained Webber.

"I thought it was going to be quite a fight at the end. I had to make sure I was accurate on braking points. We had a good, clean fight."

Team boss Christian Horner was full of praise for his two drivers, despite those heart-stopping final laps.

"The last couple of laps, our hearts were in our mouths on the pit wall. Mark did a brilliant job though and hung in there," he said.

As for Red Bull's season, Horner admits it would have been a bit better if the team had started with the double-decker diffuser controversially used by their Brawn GP rivals.

"We've had a brilliant year, but the bottom line is we lost too much ground at the beginning of the year with the double diffuser."