Italy 2009
AFTER FORCE INDIA DRIVER GIANCARLO FISICHELLA'S EXCEPTIONAL DRIVE AT SPA A FORTNIGHT AGO, HE ACHIEVED HIS LIFELONG DREAM TO DRIVE FOR FERRARI WHEN HE WAS INVITED TO DEPUTISE FOR THE INJURED FELIPE MASSA FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON. HE WAS RELEASED BY FORCE INDIA AND HIS SEAT THERE WAS TAKEN BY THEIR RESERVE DRIVER, VITANTONIO LIUZZI.
RED BULL ARE NOW VERY COMPROMISED BY THE NUMBER OF ENGINE FAILURES - ONLY 8 ENGINES PER SEASON PER DRIVER OTHERWISE A 10-PLACE GRID DROP - AND THIS IS RESTRICTING THEIR SET-UP TIME IN THE FREE PRACTICE SESSIONS AS THEY SEEK TO PRESERVE THEIR LAST REMAINING ENGINES.
BRAWN WERE BACK TO THEIR BRILLIANT BEST, WHICH MIGHT NOT BE TOO APPARENT FROM THEIR 5TH AND 6TH PLACES ON THE GRID BUT THEY HAD OPTED FOR A ONE-STOP STRATEGY WHEREAS THE CARS AHEAD OF THEM WERE ON 2-STOPS. ROSS BRAWN SAID THAT THIS WAS PERFECT BECAUSE ALL THE COMPETITIVE KERS-EQUIPPED CARS WERE AHEAD OF THEM AND THUS THE BRAWNS AVOIDED BEING ATTACKED FROM BEHIND BY THE FAST-STARTING KERS CARS.
LEWIS HAMILTON TOOK POLE AND TRIED HIS HARDEST TO MAKE THE 2-STOPS WORK BUT HE WAS NEVER ABLE TO GAIN A SUFFICIENT ADVANTAGE AND AFTER THE FINAL STOP HE CAME OUT BEHIND THE 2 BRAWN CARS WITH RUBENS BARRICHELLO IN THE LEAD FOLLOWED BY JENSON BUTTON.
ON THE LAST LAP, HE TRIED JUST THAT BIT TOO HARD TO CATCH JENSON AND SPUN OFF AND HAD TO RETIRE. THIS GIFTED 3RD PLACE TO KIMI RAIKKONEN WHO, FOR THE SECOND RACE RUNNING, HAD TO FIGHT OFF THE ATTENTIONS OF A FORCE INDIA CAR. THIS TIME IT WAS ADRIAN SUTIL, WHO HAD ALMOST TAKEN POLE, AND HE STUCK TO KIMI LIKE GLUE FOR THE WHOLE RACE.
SO BRAWN COMPLETED YET ANOTHER 1-2 FINISH, THIS TIME WITH RUBENS THE WINNER AND REDUCING JENSON'S LEAD NOW TO 14 POINTS WITH 4 RACES LEFT BUT THE RED BULLS HAD A DISASTROUS DAY.
ONLY SEBASTIAN VETTEL PICKED UP A SOLITARY POINT AND HE ONLY TOOK THAT AS A RESULT OF HAMILTON'S MISHAP. MARK WEBBER RETIRED ON LAP ONE AFTER CONTACT FROM ROBERT KUBICA. THEY ARE NOW MOST UNLIKELY TO FEATURE IN EITHER CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE FROM NOW ON.
AND GIANACARLO AND VITANTONIO? VITANTONIO QUALIFIED 7TH AND WAS DRIVING WELL DURING THE RACE WHEN A GEARBOX FAILURE CAUSED HIM TO RETIRE. HE HAD AT LEAST DRIVEN THE CAR MANY MONTHS AGO WHEREAS GIANCARLO WAS HAVING TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE KERS SYSTEM ON THE FERRARI. HE QUALIFIED 14TH BUT ALMOST MADE IT INTO THE POINTS IN 9TH.
THE FORCE INDIA CARS HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED RECENTLY, THANKS TO THEIR LATEST AERO PACKAGE AND THE MERCEDES ENGINE, AND IN MANY WAYS THEIR STORY THIS SEASON IS ALMOST AS BIG A FAIRY TALE AS BRAWN GP.
STARTING GRID
| | | |
| 1.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 2.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
| 3.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 4.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 5.
|
Rubens Barrichello
|
| 6.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 7.
|
Vitantonio Liuzzi
|
| 8.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 9.
|
Sebastian Vettel
|
| 10.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 11.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 12.
|
Romain Grosjean
|
| 13.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 14.
|
Giancarlo Fisichella
|
| 15.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 16.
|
Timo Glock
|
| 17.
|
Kazuki Nakajima
|
| 18.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 19.
|
Sebastien Buemi
|
| 20.
|
Jaime Alguersari
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Rubens Barrichello
|
| 2.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 3.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 4.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
| 5.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 6.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 7.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 8.
|
Sebastian Vettel
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers :
| |
| Jenson Button
|
80
|
| Rubens Barrichello
|
66
|
| Sebastian Vettel
|
54
|
| Mark Webber
|
51.5
|
| Kimi Raikkonen
|
40
|
| Nico Rosberg
|
30.5
|
| Lewis Hamilton
|
27
|
| Jarno Trulli
|
22.5
|
Constructors :
|
| Brawn GP
|
146
|
| Red Bull Racing
|
105.5
|
| Ferrari
|
62
|
| McLaren
|
47
|
| Toyota
|
38.5
|
| Williams
|
30.5
|
| BMW
|
20
|
| =Renault
|
20
|
| Force India
|
13
|
| Scuderia Toro Rosso
|
5
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
14th September 2009
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