FORMULA 1 2009

[MIKA27]

Button expects 'tough fight' in China

Jenson Button is expecting a fightback from the rest of the pack during this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.

Brawn GP dominated the opening two races of the season with Button claiming back-to-back victories in Australia and Malaysia, and Rubens Barrichello picking up a podium finish in Melbourne.

Button, though, believes their rivals will be gunning for revenge at the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend.

"After the excitement of the first two races, it has been great to have the chance to relax and reflect for a few days since the dramatic race in Malaysia," Button said.

"I am understandably delighted with how our season has begun. However, we are only two races in and everyone at the team is aware that our competitors will not stand still.

"We fully expect a tough fight from here if we want to continue our early successes."

Team principal Ross Brawn is confident they will put up another good showing after addressing a "few small issues" during the break.

"Whilst there have been no developments to the car, we have taken the opportunity to address a few small issues which arose over the first two races and we are in good shape for the next race in China," Brawn said.

"We are expecting temperatures will be cooler and less humid this year with the race taking place six months earlier. Therefore as was the case in Malaysia, we will need to be prepared for the unexpected as rain has played its part in recent races at the Shanghai International Circuit."

MIKA: I'm looking forward to this race. Whilst I like McLaren and Williams, I really do hope Braun do well again as the 2 drivers are really deserving of a great drive this season after so many years of 'medi-ocre' performance issues with Honda.

[OZCUBAN]

Hi Guys Here Is the latest......

15 Apr 2009

Toyota and Brawn welcome FIA diffuser decision

Toyota and Brawn GP have responded with pleasure to news that the FIA’s International Court of Appeal has declared their rear diffusers legal. Along with Williams, the two teams had been racing under appeal after rivals questioned the legality of their ‘double decker’ designs, despite stewards at March’s Australian Grand Prix authorising their use.

In a statement released after the FIA’s announcement on Wednesday, Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn said: "We are pleased with the decision reached by the International Court of Appeal today. We respect the right of our competitors to query any design or concept used on our cars through the channels available to them.

"The FIA Technical Department, the Stewards at the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix and now five judges at the International Court of Appeal have confirmed our belief that our cars have always strictly complied with the 2009 Technical Regulations. The decision of the International Court of Appeal brings this matter to its conclusion and we look forward to continuing on the track the challenge of what has been a very exciting start to the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship."

Toyota commented: “Toyota Motorsport is pleased to hear the FIA International Court of Appeal has upheld the decision of the Australian Grand Prix stewards concerning the rear diffuser on our car. As we have maintained throughout, our team studied the wording of the new 2009 regulations in precise detail to ensure we interpreted them correctly.

“We also made full use of the consultation procedure with the FIA which was a helpful process to ensure our interpretation of the technical regulations was correct. Therefore we had every confidence that the design of our car would be confirmed as legal, firstly by race stewards in Australia and Malaysia and subsequently by the Court of Appeal.”

Toyota’s chairman and team principal Tadashi Yamashina was equally satisfied with the Court’s decision: "I was confident the Court of Appeal would reach this verdict and I am satisfied with it. It is important to stress we studied the technical regulations in precise detail, consulting the FIA in our process, and never doubted our car complied with them. This has been a challenging period for Formula One and I am pleased this issue is now in the past and we can focus on an exciting season on the track."

Brawn GP, who are currently leading the constructors’ standings on 25 points, and second placed Toyota (16.5), will be back in action on Friday when first practice for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix gets underway in Shanghai.

GO BRAWN

[MIKA27]

Great post OZ.

I knew the diffusers would have been legal and I suspect the likes of Ferrari who were the most vocal against them, would have known they were legal too.

It's almost a sore loser attitude, when things go Ferrari's way, they stay quiet, but now they are having a bad season (Only 2 races in mind you) they jump up and down and protest.

I'm looking forward to this weekends race!

[MIKA27]

Dennis announces he's quitting Formula One

Ron Dennis has ended his 40-year F1 career by standing down as McLaren CEO - and insisted that the decision was his alone.

Earlier today it was reported that Dennis would be leaving F1 in its entirety with the British media claiming that he would be doing so in the hope of lessening McLaren's punishment in their upcoming World Motor Sport Council hearing.

It was also claimed that the decision was made in an attempt to ensure that Anthony Hamilton, who was described as wanting the "prickly and arrogant" Dennis away from Lewis, will keep his son on McLaren's payroll.

And although Dennis shied away from both topics in the McLaren press release, the 61-year-old did take a dig at his old nemesis Max Mosley saying he doubts the FIA President will shed too many tears over his departure.

"I passed the role of team principal of McLaren to Martin Whitmarsh on January 16th, the day of the launch of our new Formula 1 car. That day I was asked many times whether I would attend the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. My answer was "yes". I duly attended it - albeit not as the person in charge of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. It was, I admit, a strange feeling," he stated

"The next race, the Malaysian Grand Prix, I watched on TV in the UK - an activity I found surprisingly easy. I'd expected to be more emotional about it, after an unbroken run of attending so many grands prix for so many years.

"I admit I'm not always easy to get on with. I admit I've always fought hard for McLaren in Formula 1. I doubt if Max Mosley or Bernie Ecclestone will be displeased by my decision. But no-one asked me to do it. It was my decision.

"Equally, I was the architect of today's restructure of the McLaren Group. Again, no-one asked me to do it. It was my decision.

"I feel enormously enthused about the prospects for the McLaren Group and for McLaren Automotive, and have no qualms about leaving Martin to report to the board regarding matters connected with Formula 1."

The restructuring sees Dennis takes the reigns over McLaren Automotive while Martin Whitmarsh will become Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing, which means he will be responsible to the board for the activities of McLaren Racing in addition to his role of team boss of McLaren's F1 team.

Mika: Love him or hate him, I believe Ron is a great team boss who over saw a great deal of McLarens past successes. Ron is old school, it's sad to see him leave.

[MIKA27]

Previews

Williams preview the Chinese GP

Nico Rosberg is hoping for another competitive weekend in China while Kazuki Nakajima is eyeing an improvement in qualifying.

Nico Rosberg: "We may not have finished where we would've like, but it was another strong weekend for us. We qualified well and then taking the lead at the start was great. It was just a shame circumstances didn't go our way as I was looking good for another podium.

"Shanghai's a driver's track. There's a great mix of corners and then there are those two long straights so plenty of overtaking opportunities around the lap which will be good for the racing. Sepang showed that the team seem to have fixed the problem we had last year on these types of circuits so it's now looking like we have consistency. I'm confident that we'll have another competitive weekend in China. Top eight for sure.

"I enjoy visiting Shanghai. Experiencing a different culture is always very interesting and there are some great places to go, like the malls for shopping or the restaurants and bars in the evenings. The fans are also very enthusiastic which is nice!"

Kazuki Nakajima: "Even though I qualified out of the top 10, I was looking to make some progress through the field as I was on a good strategy. Unfortunately, the rain completely compromised that. Starting the race lower down the grid, I was alongside a lot of the KERS car who are able to make better starts so my aim is to improve my qualifying position in China.

"Shanghai is definitely a challenging circuit, but at least I've now had some experience of it so it's not new for me anymore. Last year, we struggled on tracks like China, but now our car is looking quite strong. It's well balanced in the high and low speed corners so I'm hoping we'll go much better there this year and I can score my first points of the season.

"Like Nico, I like this part of the world and for me it's close to home so I get to enjoy something similar to my own culture for a little longer."

[MIKA27]

Previews

Toyota preview the Chinese GP

Having started the season with back-to-back podium finishes, Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock head to Shanghai feeling rather confident about their chances...

Jarno Trulli: "I am really optimistic about the Chinese Grand Prix because we have started the season very strongly. It shows how much progress we have made since last season that in Malaysia I was a little disappointed with fourth because I wanted to finish on the podium and fight for the win. Last year in Malaysia I finished fourth and that was more than we expected. We are second in the Constructors' Championship so it's clear we are one of the top teams and both Timo and I have consistently been fighting at the front which is great. So the goal for me in China is to fight for the podium again and I think we have a really good chance. China is one of those circuits where I have never had much luck and it was the same last year when I was hit from behind at the first corner, so I'm determined to have a better weekend this time."

Timo Glock: "Malaysia was a crazy race but it was a great result for the team and it gives us a lot of confidence for the Chinese Grand Prix. We were really competitive in all conditions which is a good sign because it confirms we were right to be optimistic before the season started. We have had both cars finish in the top four in both races so far this season so we are definitely aiming to challenge for the podium again, but of course it's pretty close so we will have to do another good weekend. It seems strange to be going to China in April because it has always been later in the season; the weather looks like it could be a bit cooler than usual. I quite enjoy racing at Shanghai because it's an interesting track. Last year I went well there and scored points, but I'm hoping to get more than seventh place this weekend, that's for sure."

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis: "Shanghai is a track which offers a very wide range of cornering speeds so you cannot optimise the car just for high-speed or low-speed corners; you have to find a good balance. The unique aspect to the Shanghai track is its very long corners; turn one and turn 13. It is extremely important to get the balance of the car right in turn 13 because it comes out on to the main straight and you want to exit at the highest possible speed. These two corners and the specific lay-out in general are also demanding on tyres so overall Shanghai is quite severe in terms of tyre wear. If you have a compound which is too soft it is likely to have graining issue. So it will be interesting to see how the super soft and medium compound tyres behave this weekend."

[MIKA27]

Previews

Brawn GP preview the Chinese GP

Jenson Button expects another tough fight in China while Rubens Barrichello is looking forward to competing at the front.

Jenson Button: "After the excitement of the first two races, it has been great to have the chance to relax and reflect for a few days since the dramatic race in Malaysia. I am understandably delighted with how our season has begun however we are only two races in and everyone at the team is aware that our competitors will not stand still. We fully expect a tough fight from here if we want to continue our early successes. Looking ahead to next weekend, the Shanghai International Circuit is an enjoyable one for the drivers and a good technical challenge to find the right set-up. I particularly enjoy the high-speed sections and the overtaking opportunities going into the tight right-hander at turn five and at the end of the back straight."

Rubens Barrichello: "It seems strange to be returning to China already but I'm looking forward to the weekend as Shanghai is an impressive facility and the circuit provides an interesting challenge for the drivers. The track holds some good memories for me as I won the first race here in 2004. With the car that we have this year, it is so exciting to be able to return with the opportunity to compete at the front again. The BGP 001 has gone well at the two very different race tracks in Australia and Malaysia so it will be interesting to see how the car performs in Shanghai which is quite a unique circuit. You need to have a very good aerodynamic balance combined with a stable car and good straightline speed to take advantage of the long straights."

Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "It has been an incredible five weeks for the Brawn GP team which began with the first running of our new car at Silverstone on 6 March and concluded with the two successive victories in Australia and Malaysia. Without doubt it has been an intense and hard-working period for everyone involved with the team and they deserve all credit for their commitment. The short break between the two sets of back-to-back flyaway races has been a welcome opportunity for the team to regroup at the factory in Brackley, to assess our performance and to plan ahead for the forthcoming races.

"Whilst there have been no developments to the car, we have taken the opportunity to address a few small issues which arose over the first two races and we are in good shape for the next race in China. We are expecting temperatures will be cooler and less humid this year with the race taking place six months earlier. Therefore as was the case in Malaysia, we will need to be prepared for the unexpected as rain has played its part in recent races at the Shanghai International Circuit."

[OZCUBAN]

Mika: Love him or hate him, I believe Ron is a great team boss who over saw a great deal of McLarens past successes. Ron is old school, it's sad to see him leave.

Hi Mika I could not agree more Ron has been good to the sport and i as one will miss him,I have barracked for a lot of teams over the years, most of the teams ,and some legendary drivers /Mansell/ Senna/ Villaneuve/ And Webber /Button/Hamilton (potential )

I tend not to get to 1 person 1 team I like a lot of aspects to many teams and drivers

BUT I DO ROOT FOR THE UNDERDOG

Can't wait till China..... This could be a permanent Thread/Topic Its getting enough hits (more than i thought to be honest as alot of members are N/American and F-1 Does not as of yet have the same exposure That will change i supect (If Bernie has anything to do with it and also Peter Windsors outfit (2010 i think)

Have fun Fellow rev heads

Oz

[JMN]

Ahhh, Ron Dennis leaves. Aside from what he has done for McLaren and the sport, he has reached the point in his life where he should probably move one. That is what is probably best for the forward momentum of the team. He is over 60, and I would think retire before 70 anyway.

McLaren Auto needs all the help they can get as well. They are trying to bring a host of new technologies and the 250K P11 into a recession world and need to stay afloat in the process.

[JMN]

Okay I just looked up how much it costs to attend an actual race. Who on God's green earth do they think they are fooling? 97 pounds for the grass? 120 for the cliff at monaco? Yeah right. I guess I'll go watch an ALMS or nascar race.

[MIKA27]

Okay I just looked up how much it costs to attend an actual race. Who on God's green earth do they think they are fooling? 97 pounds for the grass? 120 for the cliff at monaco? Yeah right. I guess I'll go watch an ALMS or nascar race.

F1 is an expensive sport, both for the teams and the die-hard fan.

I generally pay every year approximately $450 for a grand stand ticket which gives me access to all 4 days of testing and racing at the Melbourne F1 GP (Moss Stand Row A).

It is a little high but I don't really care, being a fan I guess, it doesn't bother me.

[MIKA27]

Can't wait till China..... This could be a permanent Thread/Topic Its getting enough hits (more than i thought to be honest as alot of members are N/American and F-1 Does not as of yet have the same exposure That will change i supect (If Bernie has anything to do with it and also Peter Windsors outfit (2010 i think)

Have fun Fellow rev heads

Oz

I'd like it if this became a permanet thread.

I guess being such a cool forum on Cigars along with other peoples interests such as cooking, fishing, F1 just to name a few, it's kinda like a 'Boys' (Not excluding the ladies) club. I imagine there'd be a heap of people reading various threads whilst smoking a stogie and just chillin' out.

I'm glad you enjoy the thread as I enjoy hearing and reading views from other F1 fans such as yourself mate.

[MIKA27]

Prac One: Hamilton & his twin-diffuser take P1

Lewis Hamilton set the pace ahead of the two Brawn GP cars as McLaren trailed a new interim twin-diffuser design during Friday's first practice in Shanghai.

The defending World Champion, who has yet to win a race this season, clocked a 1:37.334 to beat Jenson Button by 0.116s while Rubens Barrichello was third fastest, a further 0.1s behind.

Report: Practice got underway in chilly but sunny conditions with the ambient temperature sitting at 16'C while the track temperature was 25'C. Adrian Sutil and Sebastian Vettel were the first two drivers out on track, leading a train of cars as installation laps were completed. One thing to note was that Lewis Hamilton's MP4-24 was sporting the now-approved double-decker diffuser as well as a new design front wing. Team-mate Heikki Kovalainen's car had neither.

Hamilton ventured out 20 minutes into the session to complete the first timed lap of the weekend, a 1:46.814. The reigning World Champion was joined by Seb Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, both of whom went faster on their first laps.

Kimi Raikkonen joined the action, running wide at Turn 14 on his way to third place. Raikkonen went onto improve to first place with team-mate Felipe Massa taking P2 despite appearing to fight with his Ferrari. The Scuderia drivers, though, were soon dropped by Jarno Trulli, however, the Toyota man ran into trouble a few laps later and limped back to the pits.

Massa overhauled Raikkonen while Nico Rosberg, the master of practice so far this season, took second place. Fernando Alonso moved up to fifth ahead of Buemi, Seb Bourdais, Nakajima, Vettel, Nelson Piquet and Hamilton.

Halfway through the session the top eight were: Hamilton, Webber, Trulli, Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen, Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello and Alonso.

Only two drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil had yet to set times, although Fisi came out shortly after the 45-minute mark and clocked a 1:39.445 to go 19th quickest.

Button moved up to first place, taking 0.153s off Hamilton's time, while team-mate Barrichello joined him at the top of the timesheets in second place. Sutil finally set his first lap time, taking 16th place as team-mate Fisichella moved up to 14th.

Hamilton had a moment, almost losing control of his McLaren as the Brit tried to improve his third-placed time and overhaul the Brawns. He did so, taking 0.116s off Button's time.

In sharp contrast, Massa who was also putting in the laps at the same time at Hamilton, was struggling for pace, down in 14th place and over a second off Hamilton's P1 time. Massa, suffering from severe graining to his tyres, also spun his F60 before heading back to the team's garage.

Raikkonen also put in a few laps without much success as the Finn trailed down in 11th place, 0.9s off the pace. Another man expected to be lapping near the front, Robert Kubica, was down in 17th place as he used BMW's KERS for the first time this season.

With 10 minutes left the bulk of the drivers hit the track, hoping to improve their times before the chequered flag fell.

In the end, though, it was Hamilton who finished on top, followed by the two Brawn GP cars and his team-mate Kovalainen. Webber, Trulli, Rosberg and Glock completed the top eight.

Times:

01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:37.334 22 laps

02 J. Button Brawn GP 1:37.450 18 laps

03 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:37.566 19 laps

04 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:37.672 23 laps

05 M. Webber Red Bull 1:37.752 20 laps

06 J. Trulli Toyota 1:37.764 19 laps

07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:37.860 24 laps

08 T. Glock Toyota 1:37.894 21 laps

09 F. Alonso Renault 1:38.089 19 laps

10 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:38.195 24 laps

11 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:38.223 23 laps

12 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:38.274 20 laps

13 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:38.307 26 laps

14 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:38.319 18 laps

15 F. Massa Ferrari 1:38.418 20 laps

16 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:38.456 21 laps

17 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:38.460 19 laps

18 R. Kubica BMW 1:38.463 18 laps

19 K. Nakajima Williams 1:38.730 25 laps

20 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:38.825 20 laps

MIKA: This can really be anyones race. Generally the guys dont push their cars too hard in order to preserve the vehicle. Seeing the likes of Heidfeld at P16 and Massa in P15 does not mean they won't be contenders.

Red bull is also a great contender. I believe the Adrian Newey designed car is one of the best on the track and has strong possibilities of being a winner this season.

I know it's early days, but is it just me or does it seem like some of the top end drivers like Hamilton and Räikkönen are getting a little 'Skittish' and are making alot of small driver errors by going wide on track and almost losing control? I certainly know this season, there are teams who possess top quality vehicles with experienced drivers; Toyota with Trulli, Braun with Barrichello who may be placing some pressure on the more spoilt teams like Ferrari & McLaren.

Enjoy the race.

[MIKA27]

News

Ferrari to have updated aero package at China

Ferrari have "worked hard to address problems" that they encountered during opening two races of the season.

The Scuderia are experiencing their worst start to a Formula One season after Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen failed to pick up any points in Australia and Malaysia.

The team have already announced a reshuffle of their management line-up with team manager Luca Baldisserri to a factory-based role. Chris Dyer will take over Baldisserri's track role at the Chinese GP.

Furthermore, the F60 will have an updated aero package during this weekend's race in Shanghai.

"The team have worked hard to address the problems it encountered, particularly the reliability issues," a statement from Ferrari said.

"The problem with the KERS in Sepang has been fully understood and in terms of performance, putting to one side the diffuser issue, Ferrari accelerated its development programme on the F60, with test driver Marc Gene carrying out an aero test at Vairano last week, evaluating some new components.

"This means there will be some aero updates on the car for the third round of the Championship, including modifications to the front wing, the front wheel flanges and the turning vanes."

MIKA: I think Ferrari need to concentrate on alot more than just their aero this season and also concentrate on the race meets. Ferrari are and have always been the most political team in F1 but with the absence of Shumi and Braun, it seems the team are falling apart. Kimi and Massa are great drivers, albeit, a little reckless (Kimi).

[MIKA27]

Flav: Slow guy & a retiree to decide the title

Flavio Briatore believes the FIA's decision to approve the design of the Diffuser Three's cars means that this year's Drivers' title will be decided between a "driver who was almost retired" and another "good" but slow driver.

Earlier this week, the FIA's Court of Appeal declared the rear diffuser design of the Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams' cars to be legal, leaving their rivals with little choice but to copy the design or risk being left behind. But redesigning their cars will take time and with no testing taking place this season, getting the design up to scratch could also take weeks.

And as such Briatore reckons the FIA have condemned Formula One fans to a season where the title won't be decided by the best drivers. Rather, he says, it will be left to Brawn GP's Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello to fight for the crown.

"The drivers in our teams have been and are World Champions, while the Championship is now fought between a driver who was almost retired and another one who is a good guy but a paracarro (the Italian saying for being as slow as a milepost at the side of a road)," Briatore told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

"I don't know where credibility has ended up with all this. To make up the gap we have to those teams is impossible."

Briatore has also slammed the decision to approve the design based on that fact that it will now cost the seven rival teams millions in order to incorporate it.

"Just when there's talk of setting a budget cap to 30 million, we've spent 15m for KERS and 10m more for the diffusers. We're left with five to travel and to pay the employees."

MIKA: I don't actually have much to say about this guy which says alot about what I think of Flav. One word..... "Tosser!"

[MIKA27]

The Chinese GP, About to commence.

Looking now at the live coverage, it looks as though it will be another wet race for round 3.

56 laps, 16 corners of wet weather racing.

Perhaps Barrichello will do well, he loves the wet weather.....

The Williams boys (Both of them) seem to think it's far too wet and want the safety car to remain out longer.

Also, I wonder if te race will complete and not be cancelled as it was in round 2?

Either way, enjoy the race.

[MIKA27]

Chinese GP: Vettel Claims Red Bull's Debut Win

Sebastian Vettel claimed Red Bull's first-ever grand prix win at Shanghai on Sunday with the team's joy being further compounded by Mark Webber's second placed finish.

Starting from pole position, Vettel's light fuel load was negated by the Safety Car start as the rain hammered the Chinese track. But after nine laps it pitted with the German quickly building up a lead over the chasing pack.

It was one that Vettel would not reliquishing except after pitstops, leaving it to Webber and Brawn GP's Jenson Button to fight for second place. In the end, though, it was Webber who triumphed, handing Red Bull the 1-2.

Button and Rubens Barrichello, though, extended Brawn's lead in the Constructors' Championship while Heikki Kovalainen bagged his first points of the season with his fifth placed finish.

The Finn, though, was largely helped by team-mate Lewis Hamilton's failure to keep it on the track with the reigning World Champ suffering no fewer than three spins on his way to sixth.

Timo Glock and Sebastien Buemi completed the top eight with the latter doing an impressive job in his Toro Rosso.

As for Ferrari it was another race to forget with Kimi Raikkonen finishing in tenth place while Felipe Massa retired.

Results

01 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:57:43.485

02 M. Webber Red Bull + 10.970

03 J. Button Brawn GP + 44.975

04 R.Barrichello Brawn GP + 1:03.704

05 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 1:05.102

06 L. Hamilton McLaren + 1:11.866

07 T. Glock Toyota + 1:14.476

08 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1:16.439

09 F. Alonso Renault + 1:24.309

10 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 1:31.750

11 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1:34.156

12 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:35.834

13 R. Kubica BMW + 1:46.853

14 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 1 laps

15 N. Rosberg Williams + 1 laps

16 N. Piquet jr. Renault + 2 laps

Did not finish

17 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 6 laps

18 K. Nakajima Williams + 13 laps

19 F. Massa Ferrari + 35 laps

20 J. Trulli Toyota + 37 laps

[MIKA27]

Horner: Now imagine if we had the double diffuser

Christian Horner couldn't be happier after Sebastian Vettel claimed Red Bull's maiden grand prix win in Shanghai on Sunday - and warned rivals Red Bull's RB5 still has room to improve.

Red Bull has been arguably the best of the non-diffuser teams in the opening two races of the Championship and put their pace to good use on Sunday when Vettel clinched the race win, leading from pole position.

And team-mate Mark Webber added to Red Bull's joy as he brought his car home in second place, with the RB5s finishing 50seconds ahead of third-placed Jenson Button.

"It's a great result for Red Bull. Their commitment to the sport has been huge," Horner told the BBC.

"We knew we had a good car in the rain. It was very calm on the pit wall. We had a very clear strategy."

Red Bull, though, have yet to add a twin-diffuser to the car, with tech boss Adrian Newey hard at work back in the team's factory designing the team's device.

And with the diffuser known to improve the pace of the cars, Horner fired a warning shot at Red Bull's rivals saying: "Imagine when we get our double diffuser..."

MIKA: An ominous last comment made by Horner.... The car I believe is the strongest on track will be unbeatable if it had the diffuser.

A great race by 3 well deserving drivers, well done.

[MIKA27]

NEXT RACE: April 26

Bahrain International

Length : 5.412

Profile :

Time difference: GMT +3

No of Laps: 57

Race Distance: 308.238 km

Lap Record: 1:30.252 - M Schumacher (2004)

Directions :

The circuit is located in Sakhir in the South of the main island (Bahrain Island).

This island, which makes up 85 per cent of the territory of Bahrain, is 48 km long and 16 km wide. The Bahrain International Circuit is easily accessible by road from various directions. When coming from the Bahrain International Airport, drivers can choose from two major highways and a number of main roads which lead more or less directly to the circuit. Similarly, when coming from Saudi Arabia via the King Fahad Causeway, drivers follow a short highway straight to the circuit.

Address :

Bahrain International Circuit

Sakhir

History :

The Bahrain GP was staged for the first time in 2004.

The circuit at Sakhir has accommodation for 50,000 spectators housed in two fixed grandstands and other temporary ones.

The circuit built specially for the arrival of F1 racing, is almost five and a half kilometres long and boasts an inner track of 2.4km with eight turns and an outer track of 3.66km with 10 turns.

The circuit is designed by renowned specialist Hermann Tilke, who was also responsible for the Sepang circuit in Malaysia and carried out the recent modifications to the Nurburgring and Hockenheim circuits.

[MIKA27]

Massa issues Ferrari rallying cry

Felipe Massa has called for everyone at Ferrari to rally together and drag the team out of their current predicament after failing to finish in the points once again at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday.

An electrical problem meant Massa, who lost out on the world championship to Lewis Hamilton by a single point last year, was unable to finish the race while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen finished 10th.

Ferrari ditched KERS ahead of this weekend's race but will still have plenty of work to do if they are to rescue anything from this season.

Raikkonen yesterday wrote off his title hopes but Massa believes the season can still be salvaged if they act quickly.

"I'm very disappointed and a bit upset but my motivation is still intact," said the Brazilian.

"All of us must work together to get out of this situation. The team is united and there is a real will to turn things around as soon as possible.

"We should quickly be getting some significant aerodynamic developments but it's true we also have to sort out as soon as possible our reliability problems because if we want to win we have to finish races."

Massa had been flying despite the rain today and climbed as high as third before electrical problems in lap 21 ended his race.

"Today I was in a good chance of getting on the podium," he added.

"I was third and lapping in the same time as the leaders, even though I had fuel on board to go for a one stop. Then, without warning, the accelerator would not work and the car went quiet.

"I would say to our fans that they should not give up on us as this is a difficult moment, but the championship is still long."

MIKA: Well, that's motor sport, you can be at the top for several years but eventually you will be at the back end of the grid.... At least Massa (Unlike Kimi) is still hopeful and not giving up. I say this as I'm a Kimi fan but of late, he's lacklustre attitude is having me think twice.

[brian1]

Love the wet races, class always shows in the wet. Vettel is such a talent and will be champion one day and probably many times over. Great to see Red Bull getting some success.

As a Ferrari fan I cant believe how far they have fallen this season, the last time they were pointles this far into the season was in 1981 with Villeneuves and Peroini as drivers. Loving Massa'a positive attitude in spite of everything.

Interesting to see Lewis spin a few times, usually stellar in the rain.

Lookig forward to bahrain next week, usually an uneventful race. Will be interesting to see if Brawns can come back in the dry.

Massa issues Ferrari rallying cry

Felipe Massa has called for everyone at Ferrari to rally together and drag the team out of their current predicament after failing to finish in the points once again at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday.

An electrical problem meant Massa, who lost out on the world championship to Lewis Hamilton by a single point last year, was unable to finish the race while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen finished 10th.

Ferrari ditched KERS ahead of this weekend's race but will still have plenty of work to do if they are to rescue anything from this season.

Raikkonen yesterday wrote off his title hopes but Massa believes the season can still be salvaged if they act quickly.

"I'm very disappointed and a bit upset but my motivation is still intact," said the Brazilian.

"All of us must work together to get out of this situation. The team is united and there is a real will to turn things around as soon as possible.

"We should quickly be getting some significant aerodynamic developments but it's true we also have to sort out as soon as possible our reliability problems because if we want to win we have to finish races."

Massa had been flying despite the rain today and climbed as high as third before electrical problems in lap 21 ended his race.

"Today I was in a good chance of getting on the podium," he added.

"I was third and lapping in the same time as the leaders, even though I had fuel on board to go for a one stop. Then, without warning, the accelerator would not work and the car went quiet.

"I would say to our fans that they should not give up on us as this is a difficult moment, but the championship is still long."

MIKA: Well, that's motor sport, you can be at the top for several years but eventually you will be at the back end of the grid.... At least Massa (Unlike Kimi) is still hopeful and not giving up. I say this as I'm a Kimi fan but of late, he's lacklustre attitude is having me think twice.

[smk819]

Interesting that Felipe was going so fast, the car was set up for a KERS device, and the balance was completly different without it. If Ferrari gets a double difuser, and some reliability they can still make it interesting.

[MIKA27]

Interesting that Felipe was going so fast, the car was set up for a KERS device, and the balance was completly different without it. If Ferrari gets a double difuser, and some reliability they can still make it interesting.

I believe you're right in saying that smk.

BUT...will Ferrari get the double diffuser seeing they were complaining about it's illegality or now that the FIA have stated that is not illegal, will Ferrari now get the diffusers and stop whining and get on with the race/s and perhaps be up there with Braun and Redbull?

It's still a very early season and anything can happen. It takes a leading team only one mistake in any one race and they can suddenly fall behind thus allowing teams such as Ferrari the chance to get in there and be in contention. Ferrari have 2 great drivers but as I have stated in previous posts, Kimi is far too reckless of late, doesn't seem to care much whereas Massa (And I never used to like the guy) now seems to have his game face on since 2008 and in my opinion, is more of an 'overall' driver where he drives and actually thinks.

[MIKA27]

Newey at work on new Red Bull

Red Bull Racing's technical guru Adrian Newey is expecting to burn the midnight oil over the next few weeks as he faces the prospect of redesigning a race-winning car.

Newey missed out on the celebrations of the team's maiden victory in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix as last Wednesday's diffuser ruling forced him into starting work on the concept at their Milton Keynes factory.

As one of four appellants, RBR were unsuccessful in their attempt to overturn a stewards' ruling on the legality of the double-decker component used by Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams in the opening two races in Australia and Malaysia.

That led to Newey opting to remain at home and concentrate on how best to integrate the design into the team's current car.

Despite the one-two finish from Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at a rain-lashed Shanghai, Newey will be ploughing all his energy into designing and implementing the new diffuser.

That, though, is no easy feat as he said: "There is no doubt that a double-diffuser does give performance.

"How much performance depends on how you interpret the regulations and how you adapt it to suit your own car, so that some teams will get more out of it than others.

"It is worth doing for everyone on the grid. Our challenge is to adapt one to work on our car, but as has been speculated, given the design, it's not the easiest task getting it to fit.

"It will certainly involve a lot of work, so we won't have a double-diffuser before Monaco.

"But I see it as another challenge. Unfortunately, it will involve some more late nights.

"That's Formula One: you can't afford to sit around and feel sorry for yourself, you just have to get on with it."

Newey, who designed cars during the 1990s in which Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Mika Hakkinen all became champions, has at least been able to savour a "special" win these past two days.

"I watched the race in my kitchen at home, part of the time with my wife Marigold, but she found it too stressful watching with me and went off to another room," added Newey.

"Later my daughter joined me. Within a few minutes of the finish our neighbours came round and, despite the early hour, we had a celebratory drink.

"It would have been nice to have been in China, but I'm just very pleased for everyone that we got the result we deserved.

"Waking up on a Monday morning with a one-two then always puts a smile on your face.

"The result is a great confidence boost for everyone at the factory - knowing we can finish first and second, and do so from the front, not inheriting the result because of others having problems."

MIKA: Adrian Newey is the Michael Schumacher of Aero dynamics for F1. As stated in the article, he's designed aero packages for many world champions.

My favourite would be for Mika Hakkinens McLaren Mercedes MP4/13 was a racing car that the McLaren Formula One team used during the 1998 Formula 1 season. The dominance of the MP4/13 was displayed in the opening race of the season, the 1998 Australian Grand Prix. Drivers Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard outclassed the competition by leaving every competitor at least a lap behind.

This car won 9 races that season and gave Mika 12 pole positions.

The 1999 season was also a success for Mika with the MP4-14.

[MIKA27]

'McLaren several races away from full competitiveness'

Although McLaren showed marked improvement during the Chinese Grand Prix last week, Lewis Hamilton believes it will take another couple of races before they are fully up to scratch.

After failing to pick up points in Australia following Hamilton's exclusion from the race results, the team bounced back in Malaysia with the World Champion finishing seventh. In China they added another seven points to their total with Heikki Kovalainen and Hamilton ending fifth and sixth respectively.

Hamilton warns that although they are heading in the right direction it could take a fair few races before they are back to their best.

"We seem to have a solid direction within the team - all our upgrades invariably bring a laptime improvement and our direction on set-up and strategy shows what a strong group we still are," Hamilton said.

"I still think we are several races away from being truly competitive but a straightforward race at Bahrain would give us a very good opportunity to accurately assess where we sit among our rivals."

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh confirmed they will make updates to the MP4-24 ahead of this weekend's race and are once again targeting a points finish.

"The points we scored in China were encouraging because they showed that, even without a fully competitive car, we have lost none of our ability to attack over a race weekend and to maximize every opportunity that comes our way," he said.

"Until our package reaches full competitiveness, that must remain our aim for the Bahrain weekend. Once again, we will introduce a series of upgrades to MP4-24 and remain optimistic that they will once again deliver a further performance improvement."