Gianluca Gasparini Guest Blogger
If someone told you some months ago that the first 2009 F1 race would have seen a newborn team dominating, Ferrari in big trouble, and a very spectacular race you would probably end up with a big laugh. Actually, this is what happened in Melbourne last Sunday.
Jenson Button takes the first race of the season
The biggest surprise of all was the BrawnGP cars coming home with a 1-2 thanks to Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. People from Honda decided, at the end of last year, to close the team, which was then subsequently saved by Ross Brawn and Pat Fry. They had worked on the new car for several months and they knew that it was good. So, expect some harakiri in the Tokyo head-quarters soon… The other star of the race was Lewis Hamilton: the world champion is driving a McLaren really slow, as for now, but he brought it on the podium with a third place. An impressive job, really.
On the other side, Ferrari was the big disappointment: neither Massa nor Raikkonen finished the race and the car seemed quite hard on tires and not so fast generally. Anyway, Melbourne is a particular track so Sunday in Malaysia we can find a different order. Maybe.
On the table remains the big question mark about the protest filed by Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault against BrawnGP, Toyota and Williams regarding the rear diffuser. The 14th of April, in Paris, the governing body (FIA) will decide about it. If they will find the cars regular it will be a major blow for a lot of teams. Modifying the cars will require a lot of work, time and money. On the contrary, if FIA will state that Brawn, Toyota and Williams are not in the rules everything is there to see. But it’s too easy to say that the car of Button and Barrichello shines only for the diffuser. It’s a very good package and it will last at the top anyway.
For more information on Formula 1 Racing check out the following links:
http://www.gazzetta.it/Motori/Formula1/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm
GIANLUCA GASPARINI, is an Italian journalist based in Milan. He works for La Gazzetta dello Sport, covering mainly F1 and motorbikes. Mr. Gasparini wrote a book with the double amputee driver Alex Zanardi, published in the US (My Sweetest Victory, Bentley)
F1 would be so much more exciting if they would create more opportunities for passing.
on the button, go Jenson!
anyone seen the F1 coverage on Versus? How is it?