Robert Kubica – Renault F1 2010

It has been announced that the current Renault F1 driver Robert Kubica has signed a contract to race with the team for a further two-years.

The Polish driver is currently running in sixth place in the championship for Renault after qualifying within the top ten every race this season.

Despite rumours that Kubica would be leaving the team for Ferrari or Red Bull Racing he had no intention of moving-on and confirmed that he is totally committed to the team.

There is still no confirmation of who will partner Kubica in the 2011 championship as the 2010 rookie driver Vitaly Petrov is under consideration while rumours that the team are hoping to secure the former driver Kimi Raikkonen persist.

The Japanese Grand Prix 2009

The Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel, dominated the Japanese Grand Prix yesterday after qualifying in pole position.

Vettel lined-up on the grid ahead of the Toyota of Jarno Trulli and Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren, but as the lights changed it was Hamilton that moved into the second place spot, using his KERS to get ahead of Trulli. The German Red Bull driver had been fastest in all the qualifying sessions and has now kept his dream alive of being the 2009 World Champion.

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button, started in seventh place on the grid but after a terrible start was down in twelfth place behind the Ferrari of Giancarlo Fisichella.

Trulli managed to pass the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton in his final pit stop, taking a well deserved second position for the Toyota team.

In fourth place was Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari followed by the Williams of Nico Rosberg after Nick Heidfeld was held up in the pits when a wheel nut on his BMW Sauber stuck.

Rubens Barrichello crossed the line in seventh place for the Brawn GP team followed by his team-mate Jenson Button in eighth.

Just as the race looked to be a foregone conclusion, the Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari spun exiting the 130º right-hand corner on lap 44.  The safety car was deployed closing the gap as the cars bunched up behind until it came in on lap 49.

Robert Kubica took the ninth position in the second BMW Sauber followed by Fernando Alonso in the Renault in tenth place after starting in sixteenth place.

Sebastien Buemi was the only other retirement in the race after coming to a halt in his Toro Rosso on the starting grid and retiring shortly afterwards with a clutch problem.

Second Toyota driver Timo Glock did not start the race after a huge crash during the Saturday qualifying session left him with a 5cm cut on his lower leg which had been stitched at the local hospital.

Here are the results;

1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 53 laps 1hr 28m 20.443s
2. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +00m 04.8s
3. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 06.4s
4. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 07.9s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota +00m 08.7s
6. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber +00m 09.5s
7. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes +00m 10.6s
8. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes +00m 11.4s

all results unofficial

Fernando Alonso

It has been confirmed today that Fernando Alonso will race alongside Felipe Massa after signing a three-year deal with the Ferrari team from next season.

The Spanish driver will replace Kimi Raikkonen, who is believed to be going to the McLaren team in place of Heikki Kovalainen with Giancarlo Fisichella taking the role of reserve driver.

A statement issued today read;

“We are very proud to welcome to our team another winning driver, who has demonstrated his amazing talent by winning two world championships in his career to date.  Of course, we wish to thank Kimi for everything he has done during his time with Ferrari. In his first year with us he managed to win the drivers’ title, thus making his contribution to Ferrari’s history, and he played a vital role in our taking of the constructors’ title in 2007 and 2008.

Even during a difficult season like this one, he has demonstrated his great talent, with several good results, including a great win at Spa. We are sure that we can share more good times together in the final three races of this season.”

The announcement was said to have been released earlier than was intended due to the mounting rumours surrounding the Alonso move.

Raikkonen said of his departure;

“With common consent, we have agreed to terminate the contract binding me to Ferrari to the end of 2010, one year ahead of schedule.   I am very sad to be leaving a team with which I have spent three fantastic years, during which time I won plenty of races. Together, we have won 50% of the world titles in that period and I managed to take the Drivers’ title in 2007, thus achieving the target I had set myself at the start of my career.

I have always felt at home with everyone here and I will have many happy memories of my time with the team.”

Meanwhile, Felipe Massa has been back on track for the first time since suffering his horrendous injuries at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.  The Brazilian driver donned his Ferrari overalls as he took to the circuit for a karting event in Brazil.

Massa will continue with his karting laps over the next few days before flying back to the team headquarters to use the Ferrari static simulator.

Lewis Hamilton's Second Win Of 2009

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, crossed the line to take the chequered flag yesterday at the Singapore Grand Prix after dominating the race.

Timo Glock in the Toyota took the second step of the podium almost ten-seconds behind the McLaren followed by Fernando Alonso in the Renault for third.

As the race got underway, Hamilton kept his place from pole position as he led the drivers into the first corner, with Nico Rosberg in the Williams slotting into second ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull, while Timo Glock moved up to fourth place from sixth on the grid.

Rosberg stayed on the tail of Hamilton until his first pit stop on lap 19 but was given a penalty for his actions on exiting the pits when he slid across the white line.  A harsh decision by race control left the Williams driver with a drive-through-penalty for crossing the line, losing his chance of finishing in the top three.

Vettel then began to chase down the McLaren driver, however, as the Red Bull driver took his second scheduled stop he was found guilty of speeding in the pit lane and was also given a drive-through-penalty but still managed to finish the race in fourth position.

The two Brawn GP drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, finished in fifth and sixth place after a terrible qualifying session left Barrichello in fifth and Button down in twelfth.  Button managed to jump ahead of his team-mate in his final stop, despite suffering from a brake problem until the end of the race, which leaves him 15 points ahead in the championship standings as they head to the Japan round.

Romain Grosjean retired his Renault on lap 4 after suffering from brake problems since the qualifying session, and on lap 21  it was Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber who was out of the race after being clipped by a spinning Force India driven by Adrian Sutil.  The safety car was deployed as Sutil managed to rejoin the race and the marshalls attempted to clear the track of debris.

As the drivers headed to the pits while the safety car was on track, Jaime Alguersuari in the Toro Rosso, went to leave his pit garage with the fuel hose still attached, pulling over a couple of his team which were fortunately uninjured, but later retired from the race with gearbox failure.

Not a good day for Mark Webber in the second Red Bull after running wide and going off circuit on lap 1 and then later spinning across the track before retiring with front right brake failure.  A similar problem also put the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi out of race.

Here are the results;

1. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 61 laps 1hr 56m 06.337s
2. Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota +00m 09.6s
3. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +00m 16.6s
4. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault +00m 20.2s
5. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes +00m 30.0s
6. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes +00m 31.8s
7. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +00m 36.1s
8. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber +00m 55.0s

all results unofficial

The Italian Grand Prix 2009

The Brawn GP driver Rubens Barrichello took the chequered flag yesterday ahead of team-mate Jenson Button at the Italian Grand Prix.

At the start of the race it was pole man Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren that led the field into the first corner followed by Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari and Adrian Sutil in the Force India in third, after qualifying in second place.

Both of the Brawn GP drivers passed the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen on the first lap as Mark Webber in the Red Bull Racing car went off into the gravel trap at the second chicane, after being clipped by the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica.  Kubica was called into the pits on lap 9 to have his front wing replaced while running in ninth position while Webber was out of the race.

Tonio Liuzzi, who has replaced Giancarlo Fisichella in the Force India cockpit, was the next man to pass Kovalainen who was running on a heavy fuel load for his one-stop of the day.

By the second lap Hamilton was leading Raikkonen, Sutil, Barrichello, Button, Liuzzi, Kovalainen and Alonso, but by lap 4, Alonso’s Renault had also passed the McLaren of Kovalainen.

Lewis Hamilton came in for his first pit stop on lap 15, with a 17 second lead on Rubens Barrichello, not nearly enough as the two Brawn GP cars were on a one-stop strategy.

On lap 16, the BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica retired his car to the garage, while Adrian Sutil in the Force India came in for his first pit-stop on lap 18.  Kimi Raikkonen entered the pits from the lead on lap 20 and rejoined just behind the Renault of Fernando Alonso in sixth place.

On lap 21, Jaime Alguersari retired his Toro Rosso as Barrichello led the Italian Grand Prix ahead of his team-mate Button, Hamilton, Liuzzi, Raikkonen, who has passed Alonso, Sutil and Kovalainen.

On lap 23, the Force India car of Tonio Liuzzi developed a problem and was seen crawling around the track until he parked it at the side of the track and retired from the race, a great shame after an impressive drive from Liuzzi.

Alonso pitted the Renault on lap 27 as Barrichello increased the gap from Hamilton to 14 seconds while Button made his first and only pit stop on the following lap.  Barrichello entered the pits from the lead on lap 28 and rejoined ahead of Button leaving Hamilton up front until his next stop.

Hamilton took his final stop on lap 35, with only a 16 second gap on Barrichello and rejoined behind Button. Raikkonen pitted on lap 38 along with the Force India of Sutil, who got it all wrong on his approach to his box and clipped one of his crew.  Raikkonen exited the pits ahead of Sutil and was now running in fourth place behind race leader Barrichello, Button and Hamilton.

Hamilton began to pick up the pace and was chasing down second placed man Button while Sutil was all over the back of Button again.

Vettel went off track on lap 43, taking the Red Bull Racing car through the gravel at the second Lesmo while on lap 47, Button set his fastest lap as he desperately tried to shake off the approaching McLaren of Hamilton.

On lap 48, Jarno Trulli in the Toyota made contact with the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima into the first chicane, causing him to nearly collect his team-mate Timo Glock as he battled to stay on track, taking a trip through the gravel at the second chicane.

On lap 51, Kovalainen seemed to find the extra speed he’d been looking for and was chasing the Renault of Alonso as Hamilton continued to put the pressure on second placed man Button.

On lap 52, it was all over for the reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who got it all wrong at the exit to the second Lesmo, putting his McLaren into the wall.  The safety car was deployed as Barrichello crossed the line to take his second victory of the season followed by his team-mate Button in second and Ferrari driver KimiRaikkonen in third.

Force India driver Adrian Sutil finished in fourth place followed by Alonso in fifth, Kovalainen in sixth, Nick Heidfeld for the BMW Sauber team in seventh, Vettel in eighth, Giancarlo Fisichella in his first drive for the Ferrari team in ninth and the Williams of Nakajima completing the top ten drivers of the day.

Here are the results;

1. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes 53 laps 1h 16m 21.706s
2. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes +2.8s
3. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari +30.6s
4. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +31.1s
5. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +59.1
6. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +60.6s
7. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber +82.4s
8. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault +85.4s

all times unofficial

Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari 2009

Kimi Raikkonen took the win yesterday at the Belgian Grand Prix, for the first time this season for the Ferrari team in an incident packed race.

Giancarlo Fisichella set pole position in an amazing qualifying session yesterday in the Force India while team-mate Adrian Sutil qualified in eleventh.  The Toyota of Jarno Trulli was in second place on the grid with an impressive Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber alongside him in third.

Rubens Barrichello set third fastest time for the Brawn GP team while his team-mate, championship leader Jenson Button could only manage fourteenth.  Second BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica was in fifth followed by the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen in sixth and Timo Glock in the second Toyota.

Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel is in eighth ahead of team-mate Mark Webber in ninth and the Williams of Nico Rosberg in tenth.  In eleventh was Sutil followed by the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton and the Renault of Fernando Alonso in thirteenth place.

Button was in fourteenth ahead of Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren and the two Toro Rosso’s of Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari in sixteenth and seventeenth places respectively.  The second Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima was in eighteenth place followed by Romain Grosjean in the second Renault and Ferrari replacement driver Luca Badoer on the final grid spot.

As the race got underway, Raikkonen took to the outside of the pack and slotted into second place while behind him Jenson Button got tagged by the rookie driver Roman Grosjean, which put him into a spin and also caught out the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton and Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari.  The safety car was out on track while the track was cleared of cars and debris.

Rubens Barrichello had a terrible start, going from fourth place on the grid to the back of the field in the Brawn GP car while his team-mate Button was now out of the race.

Fisichella led the race followed by Raikkonen, Kubica, Glock, Webber, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Vettel, Alonso, Kovalainen, Nakajima, Badoer, Trulli, Barichello and Sutil, with the final two having already pitted.

The safety car was in on lap 5 as Raikkonen lined-up the Force India and passed Fisichella on the run-up to Les Coombes to take the lead.  Vettel passed the Williams of Rosberg for seventh place as Barrichello was on the move, taking the Ferrari of Badoer for thirteenth place before passing the Williams of Nakajima on the following lap for twelfth.

The BMW Sauber of Kubica came  into the pits on lap 13 along with the Toyota of Timo Glock, moving Mark Webber, the Red Bull driver into third position.  Glock had a terrible pit stop, losing valuable seconds after suffering a problem with the fuel rig, rejoining the race in thirteenth place.

On lap 15, both Raikkonen in the Ferrari and Fisichella in the Force India took their first pit stops, followed by Heidfeld and Webber.  Webber exited the pit lane directly in front of  Heidfeld but was given a drive through penalty for the move.

On lap 17, race leader Sebastian Vettel pitted from the lead, leaving Rosberg at the front followed by Raikkonen and Fisichella.  Vettel rejoined in eighth place as Rosberg took his first stop and Webber entered the pits to serve his penalty.

Trulli had a disastrous race and was then held-up in the pit stop, ending any chances of scoring any points in this race, retiring the Toyota on the following lap.

Raikkonen led in the Ferrari followed by Fisichella, less than a second behind and Alonso in the Renault in third, until he pitted on lap 25.  The team struggled to get the front wheel onto the car after damage was discovered from the incident with Sutil at the start of the race when the two cars touched wheels.  Alonso rejoined the race in fourteenth place, on lap 27 he pitted the Renault and retired from the race.

Kovalainen pitted the McLaren on lap 27 while running in fourth place and rejoins in front of Buemi.  Sutil pitted on the following lap as the GP Brawn car of Barrichello rejoined in front of the Williams of Nakajima.

On lap 31, Kubica took his final stop from third, he’s followed by Buemi, Raikkonen and Fisichella.  Raikkonen stayed ahead of the Force India driver as they exited the pits, while Vettel leads the race in the Red Bull.

Nick Heidfeld pitted on lap 33, followed by Glock and Rosberg.  Vettel was still leading the race with Raikkonen and Fisichella right with him.

Webber pitted the Red Bull on lap 35 and rejoined ahead of Glock but behind the Williams of Rosberg.  Vettel pitted on the same lap as he battled for position with Kubica, the Red Bull driver managed to get ahead in his pit stop and rejoined in third place.

Raikkonen led the race, with Fisichella less than a second behind, followed by Vettel, Kubica, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Barrichello and Rosberg.

On lap 38, Sebastian Vettel was on a charge and set the fastest lap of the race,  he continued to take half-a-second a lap out of the leading two, but would not have enough laps left to pass them.

On lap 40, Heidfeld caught-up with his BMW Sauber team-mate Kubica while Barrichello was on the tail of Kovalainen, for sixth place.  Moments later, smoke was seen coming from the rear of Barrichello’s Ferrari, he was radioed by his team and told that it was just an oil leak and to carry on.

Raikkonen took the victory ahead of Fisichella and Vettel in third.  Kubica finished in fourth followed by Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Rosber, Webber and Glock.

Here are the results;

1. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari 44 laps 1hr 23m 50.995s
2. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Mercedes +0.9s
3. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault +3.8s
4. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber +9.9s
5. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber +11.2s
6. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +32.7s
7. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes +35.4s
8. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota +36.2s

9. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +36.9s
10. Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota +41.4s
11. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +42.6s
12. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari +46.1s
13. Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota +54.2s
14. Luca Badoer Italy Ferrari-Ferrari +98.1s

Rtd. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota 26 laps completed
Rtd. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault 21 laps completed
Rtd. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes 0 laps completed
Rtd. Romain Grosjean France Renault-Renault 0 laps completed
Rtd. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 0 laps completed
Rtd. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari 0 laps completed

Fastest lap:

Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 1m 47.263s

all times unofficial

Hamilton Cutting The Chicane at Spa 2008

The teams and drivers of the Formula One series, were packing up their equipment on Sunday evening and heading for the Spa-Francorchamps circuit for this weekends Belgian Grand Prix.

Known for it’s unpredictable weather patterns, the circuit is a favourite amongst drivers with it’s fast curves and long straights.  While one part of the track can be totally dry, rain can begin to fall on another section leaving the tyre selection a nightmare.

Brawn GP driver Rubens Barrichello, crossed the line at the European Grand Prix last week, to claim his first win in five years.  Despite the rumours that Barrichello, 37,  will retire at the end of the season, the Brazilian very much wants to continue and is still aiming to win the championship.

The Brawn GP team are adamant that there will be no team orders after Barrichello’s victory, despite carrying a heavier fuel-load than his team-mate.  Jenson Button and Rubens are separated by only 18 points on the leader board with Jenson acknowledging that his team-mate will now be even keener for wins after last weekend.

Red bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel, still intends to give it his all and has vowed not to give up his chances of winning the championship.  Vettel retired from the European Grand Prix after blowing another engine, leaving him with 5 retirements this season in just 11 rounds.  However, there is still 60 points up for grabs and Vettel feels that he is still in the running.

The Toyota team are looking forward to the race this weekend, with Jarno Trulli saying;

“Spa is a fantastic track and definitely my favourite in F1.  It is a real driver’s circuit and that suits me perfectly. There is almost every type of corner, so all the way around the lap you are challenged and I love that. Every time you drive around Spa it is amazing but I have to say it was special to get pole position there a few years ago.”

Team-mate Timo Glock confirmed his love of the circuit and said;

“Along with Monaco, Spa is my favourite circuit.  To drive a Formula 1 car around it is a fantastic experience and it’s one of the best feelings you can have in this sport. It’s one of those circuits you dream about racing on when you are growing up; it’s just a very impressive track.

Even though I really enjoy the circuit, I have some frustrating memories of the place; being taken out by another driver on the warm-up lap in 2007 and being penalised last year when I did one of the best final laps of my career to get into the points. That was all down to bad luck so I am due a change!”

The BMW Sauber team are expected to be running with a medium-downforce specification at this weekends meeting, and their cars will be featuring special wings.  Nick Heidfeld is running in 13th place in the championship with his team-mate Robert Kubica, right behind in 14th place.

Lewis Hamilton claimed the win at the Belgian Grand Prix last year for the McLaren team, however, after the race the British driver was demoted to third after it was deemed that he had gained an unfair advantage after cutting the chicane as he battled with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, both started on the front row at Valencia and are keen to continue although Hamilton claimed that they have not got the best car at the moment.

Fernando Alonso feels that the Belgian circuit is the greatest challenge of the year and intends to push the Renault to it’s limit.  His new team-mate Romain Grosjean, won his GP2 feature race at the track last year and is eager to push to get closer to Alonso’s times.

Adrian Sutil, Force India driver, confirmed that the cars new aero package has given the team a great boost and is aiming for another top ten finish.  His team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, has driven at the circuit many times and recalled his first time at the track for the Jordan team, where he finished second to Mika Hakkinen in 1997.

The Ferrari team have confirmed, that for the second time, Luca Badoer will be in the driving seat as a replacement for the Brazilian driver Felipe Massa.  After struggling to get to grips with the F60 at the Valencia circuit, Badoer qualified in last place and finished the weekend in 17th, while Kimi Raikkonen made it onto the podium.

Badoer was given four speeding fines in the pit lane in Friday’s practice session and incurred a drive-through penalty during the race on Sunday for crossing the white line on the pit lane exit.  The team have put last weekend down as Badoer’s learning weekend, seeing him improving the more track time he got and have given him the second drive to prove himself.

Williams driver Nico Rosberg, thinks that the Spa circuit will suit their car perfectly with it’s strong aero package for the quick corners.  His team-mate Kazuki Nakajima, was disappointed with their results in 2008 but feels that the weather made it difficult for everyone.

This weekend, rain is expected at the circuit although race day is expected to be overcast but dry.

Rubens Barrichello – European Grand Prix – Valencia 2009

The Brawn GP driver Rubens Barrichello, claimed the win at the European Grand Prix in Valencia yesterday, 2 seconds ahead of pole man Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren.

With Barrichello running on a heavy fuel-load from third on the grid behind the two McLarens, it was expected to be a race of  strategies, and one which paid off for the Brazilian driver after a problem with a tyre on the car of Hamilton caused a delay of several seconds on his final pit-stops.

As the race got underway, Kimi Raikkonen moved his Ferrari up into fourth position after starting from sixth on the grid while the Brawn GP car of Jenson Button, lost places at the first corner. Button got a good start as the lights went out and headed into the first corner alongside Sebastien Vettel but backed off seeing four cars slip past him.  Button then passed Mark Webber but the move was seen as having gained an unfair advantage by cutting the chicane and he was advised to let Webber back in front.

Hamilton led the pack followed by Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren, ahead of Barrichello, Raikkonen, Vettel in the Red Bull Racing car, Nico Rosberg in the Williams, Fernando Alonso in the Renault and Button in eighth.

Sebastien Buemi suffered a damaged front wing on the Scuderia Toro , after a coming together with Timo Glock in the Toyota and had to return to the pits for a replacement.  Jarno Trulli in the second Toyota also had an incident on the first lap with newcomer Romain Grosjean in the Renault but both drivers continued. Grosjean had a huge spin on lap 10 but again managed to continue without problem.

Hamilton went in for his first pit stop on lap 17 along with Vettel, who had suffered a problem with refueling and Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber. On lap 18, Kovalianen and Alonso entered the pits as Vettel returned after a very slow lap, to once again try to take on fuel.

Barrichello was now leading the race as Raikkonen and Button took their first pit stops on lap 20 and on lap 21 the Brazilian entered the pits for his stop followed by Rosberg.

Barrichello rejoined in front of the McLaren of Kovalainen, moving him into second place and closer to the leading man.

Sebastien Vettel’s race was over on lap 24 as he stopped on the side of the track with smoke coming from the Red Bull engine, a disaster for the German driver who is currently running at third in the championship.

On lap 32, Luca Badoer, the replacement driver for the recuperating Felipe Massa in the Ferrari,  was given a drive through penalty after crossing the white line when he exited the pits, which he took on the following lap.

By lap 35, Barrichello had recorded the fastest lap of the race as he got his head down to close the gap between himself and the McLaren of Hamilton.  He needed to be closer to the British driver if he had any hope of jumping him in the next round of pit stops.

Hamilton made his second pit stop on lap 38 but what a disaster, it appeared that the front left tyre was not ready, losing valuable seconds for the McLaren driver as Barrichello set another fastest lap on track.  Kovalainen then entered the pits for his second stop on the following lap.

On lap 40, Kazuki Nakajima in the second Williams car suffered a left rear puncture and struggled back to the pits which he had left only a few minutes earlier on a scheduled stop.

Barrichello came in for his second stop on lap 41 and rejoined the track in front of Hamilton, while Raikkonen and Kubica entered the pits.

On lap 43, Button, Rosberg and Webber took their second stops with Button and Rosberg both managing to rejoin ahead of Webber.  Sebastien Buemi suffered a spin in his ToroRosso on lap 44 after struggling with what was left of his brakes, finally retiring from the race.

By lap 45, Barrichello had increased the lead between himself and Hamilton, to 6 seconds with Raikkonen up to third place after passing Kovalainen in the second stop.  Rosberg was in fifth in the Williams followed by the Renault of Alonso, Button and Kubica.

Barrichello, wearing a crash helmet in support of his fellow Brazilian Felipe Massa, took the tenth victory of his career and his first win since 2004, moving him up to second place in the championship and only 18 points behind his team-mate Jenson Button.

The Formula One teams and drivers now head to the Spa Francorchamps circuit for next weekends Belgian Grand Prix.

Here are the results:

1. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Brawn-Mercedes 57 laps 1hr 35m 51.289s
2. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +2.3s
3. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari +15.9s
4. Heikki Kovalainen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +20.0s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota +20.8s
6. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault +27.7s
7. Jenson Button Britain Brawn-Mercedes +34.9s
8. Robert Kubica Poland BMW Sauber +36.6s

9. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +44.9s
10. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +47.9s
11. Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW Sauber +48.8s
12. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Force India-Mercedes +63.6s
13. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +64.5s
14. Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota +86.5s
15. Romain Grosjean France Renault-Renault +91.7s
16. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
17. Luca Badoer Italy Ferrari-Ferrari +1 lap
18. Kazuki Nakajima Japan Williams-Toyota +3 laps

Rtd. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari +16 laps
Rtd. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 23 laps completed (engine)

Fastest lap:

Timo Glock Germany Toyota-Toyota 1m 38.683s

Kimi Raikkonen was quickest in the morning practice session with a fastest lap time of 1:26.461 and Lewis Hamilton took the afternoon session with a 1:26.559.

The afternoon session is normally the time the teams put aside for race preperation so lap times are not taken too much into account.

Mark Webber was the second fastest in the afternoon session for the Red Bull Renault team but team mate David Coulthard suffered engine problems in the morning session and ended the afternoon session getting towed back to the pits by the safety car with another mechanical problem although he still ended the day the fifth fastest.

Felipe Massa was the third fastest man in the Ferrari after surviving a big spin exiting the fast turn 12 ahead of the second McLaren driver, Heikki Kovalainen, Coulthard and Raikkonen.

Toyota driver, Jarno Trulli was a promising seventh place despite spinning out late on in the session after putting his left rear tyre on the grass, while team mate Timo Glock on his debut claimed a respectable tenth place.

Williams did not get off to a great start after the FW30 seemed prone to rear brake lock ups and over-steer but seemed to pick up some pace in the second session with Nico Rosberg taking eighth slot while team mate Kazuki Nakajima came in sixteenth.

Force India Ferrari driver Giancarlo Fisichella was an impressive ninth fastest while second driver, Adrian Sutil had a few off track moments and came in seventeenth.

Jenson Button in the Honda was in eleventh with Rubens Barrichello in fourteenth. The BMW Sauber team who many are considering to be the dark horse of the season, seemed a little of pace today with Nick Heidfeld in twelfth and Robert Kubica in sixteenth.

Fernando Alonso in the Renault could only manage thirteenth place while team mate Nelson Piquet on his debut came in at nineteenth out of the twenty two runners.

The two Toro Rosso drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais were in eighteenth and twentieth places respectively with the final two runners being Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson for the Super Aguri team.

The McLaren driver, Heikki Kovalainen seems to be lacking confidence in himself at the moment and said that his goal is not to go for pole position or to even to fight for a top position and said “Hopefully towards the end of the season I can fight for the top positions and if things go well, even early on. But for the moment the priority is just to start better than last year and not aim for pole.” His team mate, Lewis Hamilton feels that his only real rival is that of the reigning World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen. He has apparently rejected the speculation that the life of a racing driver is tougher in the second year and said “I have always found that in every category my second year has always been, I wouldn’t say easier, but twice as strong. Going into the year I have no doubts that I will be stronger.”

The Ferrari team have the number one driver and reigning World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, who took the pole position and won the Australian Grand Prix of 2007.  He will be driving alongside the Brazilian driver, Felipe Massa. Raikkonen says he can’t wait for the season to start, especially with the F2008 which he feels is a much stronger car and says “I’m really satisfied with how the tests went. We have a strong, fast, competitive and reliable package. We should be there fighting for victories in every race and in the end for the two Championships.” Felipe Massa, who got married over the winter break, feels that the winter testing went well and said “I was happy with the car right from the very start through to the end as the various new developments came on stream over the winter months. However, Massa has not always had such good luck in Melbourne after failing to finish the first lap in 2006 and then having a problem in qualifying last year, but seems much more optimistic about the coming season.

The Williams team return with Nico Rosberg, which will be in his third season with them alongside Kazuki Nakajima making his debut in Formula 1 after testing for the team in 2007. The new Williams car, the FW30 has proved to be consistent over the winter testing and seems to be a big improvement on the 2007 model. Nico Rosberg said “I believe that we will have a solid race this weekend and will look to bring home some points. Reliability-wise, it will be challenging to achieve our target of 100% this season, but we’re in good shape.” Kazuki Nakajima has said that he is really excited and can’t wait to get the season underway.

The Honda team have Jenson Button and his team mate Rubens Barrichello, but the car has not been so hot in the testing sessions over the winter months. Jenson has ruled out scoring points in the first race of the season but is optimistic after apparent aerodynamic improvements at subsequent private Jerez session. Rubens said “In my 16 years of Formula One, I never had an improvement as big as I had last week.”

The Red Bull team have the veteran driver David Coulthard alongside Mark Webber. The car is said to be intrinsically more reliable and the team feels they have made good progress over the winter testing. However, the team is still far from where they want to be but feel they are in for a more competitive year and are determined to give it there best shot.

The Toyota team have a new driver line-up of Timo Glock who has joined Jarno Trulli in the 2008 car, the TF108. It will be the 12th Australian Grand Prix for Jarno but the 1st for Timo and the team is said to be excited and optimistic, with a strong points finish planned for the weekend ahead. Trulli said “I am always excited by the start of a new season and this year I am probably more motivated than ever. This years car is a big improvement; it is very different to the TF107 and we have a lot of potential to continue the improvement we have seen in testing. I am totally focused on getting a strong result this weekend and I think we have a good chance to score points.”

The Renault team consists of a new line-up with Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet. Alonso said “The team was far behind in 2007 and it would have been impossible to overcome that gap this winter. The other teams have also progressed and so it will certainly take a little time to reach a higher level, but I am convinced that we have the potential to get there. The team has shown in the past that they know how to produce a winning car; we just need to continue our efforts and to make sure we don’t lose ground.” Nelson Piquet has said “I still don’t feel like a race driver yet because I have only been doing testing. I think that I am ready, and above all I am looking forward to the start of the season. I have worked all my life to get here, and it is a great feeling to be starting my first race in Melbourne. I’m conscious that I have a lot to prove this year, but I am determined to do my best.”

The Force India team is India’s first ever Formula One team and driving for them are Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil. Last year the Spyker team were bought by Dr. Vijay Mallya and Jan and Michiel Mol. The team are aiming to make strong progress throughout the season and have the veteran driver Fisichella, who won the Australian Grand Prix back in 2005. Sutil said that “You can see that the team is better structured this year, and everything seems to be going in the right direction, there is more budget, and we can develop the parts we wanted to last year, but couldn’t because of resources.”

The Super Aguri team have now reached an agreement with Magma securing its future in Formula 1 and continuing as planned with the drivers, Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson. Sato said “Our winter preparation has not been as comprehensive as we had wished; however we always get over these difficulties and keep pushing forward with our fighting spirit.

The BMW Sauber team have Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld and the team insists that the target of beating Ferrari and McLaren to the number 1 spot on the podium this year at least once still stands. Kubica, however had said that this is “impossible”. He went onto say “My own goal is to drive as fast as possible and make the most of the car; which could be finishing sixth or winning the race. I will make sure I give everything I can and then we will see where we are. Every driver wants to win, but I know that it might not happen this year, or next year, or ever. I hope that I can win some time, but if I cannot, then that’s life.”

The Toro Rosso team has Sébastien Bourdais and Sebastian Vettel driving for them. Bourdais is making his debut in F1 although he is the multiple Champ Car titleholder. Bourdais said “I will do my best, prove that I deserve my place in Formula One, and we would like to mark points as often as possible of course. But we have to be realistic, it won’t happen every week-end.” He said of his new team mate “He’s very quick.”