F109 Countdown: Toyota

Toyota:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 2nd (Timo Glock at the Hungarian Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 56
Championship Position: 5th
2009 Drivers: Jarno Trulli & Timo Glock

Last year Toyota finally looked to have turned a corner. After an impressive 2005 season, the Japanese giant has been in the doldrums. Hopes are high that they might actually achieve something this year.

They haven’t been shy about talking up the TF109. Granted, that probably isn’t anything new for Toyota who have talked the talk, but rarely walked the walk. More often than not, early promise has faded into mid-field obscurity.

In 2008, the team appeared to buck the trend. A podium a piece for their drivers was bolstered by a season long ability to score points. Only five times last year did Toyota not have at least one of their drivers in the points. At this stage, Toyota needs to perform. With Honda’s pullout, many eyes rest on Toyota as the next to pull the plug. Recently, the team has stated that they were close to a similar decision.

Toyota is entering its eight year of Formula One. Yet, we still wait for them to do something noteworthy. Pole positions and podiums are all well and good, but everyone remembers the winners. Given the success Toyota has found in Nascar, I’m surprised they haven’t focused more of their efforts on that side of the Atlantic.

Like the majority of teams, Toyota has chosen to retain both Trulli and Glock. I figured Trulli was on the chopping block at the start of last year. Instead, the Italian shocked everyone with some great early season runs. It was the sort of performances that we rarely see from him. Too often, he goes to sleep mid-race, showing only glimpses of the raw speed he has.

Then I realised, his contract was up at the end of 2008. It seemed like once he was more or less assured to stay with the team, the old Jarno returned. Maybe Toyota needs to threaten him with the sack before every race to get the most out of him.

With Timo Glock, Toyota has an aspiring star that has the potential to make it big. His early season struggles were soon forgotten as he found his feet at the top level. By the end of the season, he was regularly beating his vastly experienced team-mate. His podium at Hungary was not a case of good fortune, but on the skill of the German.

If Toyota has a car that is competitive, maybe, just maybe, they will finally break their duck and win that first race. It’s time to put up, or shut up.

Medals in sheeps clothing

The old saying goes, ‘good things comes to those who wait’. Well, the Formula One community has waited, and what we got was a slap with a raw fish. But I suppose, that isn’t anything new.

We have a new way of determining the winner of the Formula One title – by wins. So, basically, it’s Bernie’s gimmicky medal plan, without the medals. Honestly, I don’t know what to think of it. I’m just shaking my head in complete disbelief that sport which is seen as the pinnacle of motorsport is reducing itself to this.

I was full of hope for the FOTA proposal for the points would go through. Their idea was to reintroduce a larger gap between the points offered for the highest positions. Honestly, that system should never have been dumped. Sure, Michael Schumacher broke it when he won the season by France one year.

But the biggest complaint I have always had about the current system was that it encouraged drivers to settle. If you are in second, sure why push for first when you are only gaining two points. Second issue was that if someone built up a safe lead, they could spend the second half of the season taking it easy since the ability to gain points was small given the points structure. At least with the old four point gap, you had reason to hunt someone down rather than play it safe and save the engine.

But no, apparently alls we deserve is Bernie’s system with a wash of paint off it. Don’t get me wrong, I think wins are valuable. But what is the point in someone bothering to race from the back for points when these ultimately don’t matter at all in the championship hunt, unless there is a tie for wins.

My biggest concern is, with this points system, coupled by the testing ban, could lead to the field stringed out and we end up with one dominant car. Technically, someone could actually win the title by mid-season. All that it will take is nine straight victories. This is as bad a decision as it was to change the points system a few years ago. People need to learn that if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it for the sake of it.

F109 Countdown: Toro Rosso

In a slight change from the norm, I am running the next team preview early. The main reason for which is that the FIA are planning to vote on a potential new points system (yah!) and don’t fancy being kyboshed with doing two articles later.

Toro Rosso:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 1st (Sebastian Vettel at the Italian Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 39
Championship Position: 6th
2009 Drivers: Sébastien Bourdais & Sebastian Buemi

Toro Rosso defied all expectations last year. This is the Red Bull junior team. It was supposed to show flashes of brilliance, but at the end of the day the main Red Bull squad was supposed to be top dog. It’s like a sibling rivalry. No matter what happened, the older sibling is usually expected to come out on top.

The team started last year with a hybrid of their older car, choosing to delay the introduction of their 2008 challenger. Usually, this is a bad sign, leaving a team lagging in the development race. Once again, Toro Rosso bucked the trend. The STR3 in the capable of hands of Vettel scored points regularly. It wasn’t even a case of just there by circumstance. It was there on raw speed.

And to think, this was the team that this time last year, was up for sale. Since then, the team has publically been taken off the market, although Red Bull owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, is willing to listen to the right offer. After the performance of the team last year, I’m surprised that more elements of the Toro Rosso team weren’t moved over to the main Red Bull squad to improve it.

Can they produce the same last year? That is going to be a tough one. Despite sharing common traits with the Red Bull car design, their challenger was launched a month later. Running with a hybrid car is all fine and dandy, but you don’t pick up the same data as with the actual car. I don’t think it was an ideal situation to leave Bourdais hanging as long as they did as well.

The former Champ Car champion is given another chance to impress this season. All in all, it was a wise decision. I always feel a team can benefit from sort of continuity on the driver front. His end of season performances merited another shot. Granted, he only scored points in one of them, but he put that car in the last session of qualifying the same as Vettel.

It makes this season make or break for the Frenchman. He has to turn promising speed into consistent points. I feel he has a better chance than his would-be replacement, Takuma Sato. The Japanese drive has shown flashes of speed in the past. Unfortunately, he also brings flashes of head pains to mechanics that have to repair the car.

The team continue their adoration of anyone with the name ‘Sebastian’ with replacing Vettel with GP2 series driver Buemi. The Swiss driver finished sixth last year, but won two races. Prior to Christmas, he headed the field in testing, although as I have said many times before, I don’t put much stock in times until we get to the real racing.

What would concern me about him is that he did finish sixth in GP2. There were five other drivers ahead of him, none which will be on the Formula One grid this year for varying circumstances. It definitely makes me wonder if he will make the grade.

I envisage a tough year for the team. I doubt they will reach the highs of last year. If they level out and find consistency which brings them points, it will be a good result for the team that used to spend all their time rooted to the rear of the field.

F109 Countdown: Red Bull

Red Bull:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 3rd (David Coulthard at the Canadian Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 29
Championship Position: 7th
2009 Drivers: Mark Webber & Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull promised much last year, but failed to deliver. It was all looking rosey when the team scored points finish in the first seven races of the year. There definitely seemed to be a realistic shot that they could challenge for fourth.

But as the second half of the season begun, results dried up for the sports energy drink backed squad. They would go on to score in only four of the remaining races.

What compounded their slide down the table was the improvements in the sister Toro Rosso team. It was they who picked up Red Bull’s first victory in the sport. It was the little team that used to be Minardi that brought the Red Bull name to prominence in the sport. I’m sure there were many sick looking individuals in the main squad camp as Toro Rosso stole the headlines as the season headed towards its finish.

Blame was put on the engine; with Red Bull team members stating the Ferrari powered Toro Rosso got more power as the season went on. It was a statement that always perplexed me, since engine development was on a freeze. Regardless, it was their fault. It was Red Bull who decided to send their Ferrari contract over to Toro Rosso in favour of a shiny Renault one.

With egg on their face, they will be out with a lot to prove. Like a number of contenders, they pumped development time into the 09 challenger early. Red Bull, along with BMW, was amongst the first to test the KERS system.

In Mark Webber, they have an established veteran that can put the car in top ten in qualifying. What you get from him in the race can be a bit of a mystery. Now that all the hype and furore over his ability has died down, we are just left with a competent driver who can do is job well on the day.

His pre-season has been disrupted by a broken leg, suffered in an off-season event. Not the ideal way to kick off a brand new era of the sport. But credit to the Aussie for battling back to fitness in great time to get some miles in the car.

I feel that Australian has never truly been tested by a team-mate. At least, until this year. In just Jaguar years, he had in-experienced or just plain not quick drivers which easily dispatched. Coulthard provided more of a challenge, but had already peaked. In Vettel, Mark Webber has a shining star of the future to deal with.

The performance of Sebastian Vettel was a joy to behold last year. He put that Toro Rosso in places it shouldn’t have been. The young German crowned a fantastic year with pole position and victory at Italy in a simply masterful performance.

His reward was a promotion to the main team. Although, some might see it as a demotion, given the performance of Toro Rosso in the end of last year. If the Red Bull car is even somewhat competitive, I expect Vettel to be in the thick of it. I really expect him to put Webber into the shade. Another win? Why not. The boy has the talent to do it. He could very easily add to his tally. Vettel is one man to keep your eyes glued on for the forthcoming season.

F109 Countdown: Williams

Williams Fact File:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 2nd (Nico Rosberg at the Singapore Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 26
Championship Position: 8th
2009 Drivers: Nico Rosberg & Kazuki Nakajima

Depending on how you look at the 2009 campaign for Williams, it can be classed a hit and miss year for the independent team. Compared to their ’08 season, they picked up an additional podium and finished five points shy of the previous year’s total. Yet, they find themselves eight the constructor’s championship, down from fourth.

The year was a perfect example of every team around them making a leap in one direction, while Williams only took a step.

Pre-season buzz was massive for the team last year and after Rosberg’s podium, people thought more of the same and even a win was on the cards. From there, the season fell away despite another podium for Rosberg in the action packed Singapore Grand Prix.

The car plainly wasn’t quick. That is evident from the fact that both drivers had two retirements each last year. It wasn’t a case like others, such as Red Bull, where positions were lost due to mechanical issues.

It was an easy decision for them to give up early and start work on this year’s car. But is it enough? According to reports after the cost cutting, it was claimed that Williams may not have survived without the cuts. The basis is still there for a good team. Even with manufacturer support, they outclassed Toyota in 2008, which they had an engine deal with.

Even with the cuts, the future is no less clear for the team. Major sponsor RBS will be pulling the plug as the banks exit Formula One. Fortunately for the team, they will honour the contract until the end of next year, giving them find to a replacement.

Like Force India, no doubt the team will be looking for those early races to set the marker down and capitalise on the mistakes of others. It will be interesting to see how well the team has adapted to the new regulations and whether a sustained season long competitively is possible for Williams.

Like many teams, they retain both drivers. Unless there is a change in fortune, I’d expect this to be Rosberg’s last with the team. I have to give credit to him sticking it out this year to learn his trade. He has shown a lot of loyalty to the team, whereas as lesser person might have jumped ship at the first opportunity. I only hope that he hasn’t missed the boat as they say and we don’t get to see what he has learned. I still rate Rosberg as a massive talent for the future.

Team-mate Nakajima has gone a long way to shaking off that ‘pay-driver’ tag that he was given on his arrival. Granted, he holds the tags for a different reason compared to the likes of Pedro Diniz or Tarso Marques did. Nakajima didn’t bring sponsorship, just lowered the engine bill.

Similar to fellow countryman, Takuma Sato, Nakajima showed some great pace with some silly errors through his first full season. Unlike Sato, it looked like Nakajima learned from it. By the end of the season, I felt like he earned his place in Formula One. He was deserving of a second year, even if it was already a certainty given his Toyota connections. He scored just short of half of the total that Rosberg did. By all accounts, not a bad first season for the Japanese.

F109 Countdown: Brawn Grand Prix

Day of the F109 Countdown looks at Brawn Grand Prix. After a season of uncertainty, pundits claim the former Honda team could be about to make a big splash.

Brawn GP Fact File:
2008 Results (as Honda Racing)
Best Finish: 3rd (Rubens Barrichello at the British Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 14
Championship Position: 9th
2009 Drivers: Jenson Button & Rubens Barrichello

Where Brawn GP stand is likely to remain a mystery until we get to Melbourne. So far, they have been more than happy to make a big splash. Their debut week of playing with others saw them rule the roost.

I just don’t believe we will see that when the real racing starts.

Testing, even Friday practice, always has to be taken with a pinch of salt. When it comes to this team, even more so. How many pre-season tests have we seen this time in its former guises shoot to the top of the standings and set the pace, only to disappear when the real racing started? It has happened enough times that their results definitely warrant questioning.

A number of observers have guessed that Brawn is running low fuel and ballast in their cars in an attempt to attract attention of sponsors. On the bright side, at least Brawn has the sense not to look for a gimmicky sponsor like the failed ‘Earth Dream’ concept.

Others have decided to talk up Brawn’s pace, which is a bit of a strange tactic. Maybe they are setting the team up for a bigger fall and deflecting the attention away from their own work.

If the car was going to be that good, I don’t think Honda would have pulled the plug. After investing so much time, effort and most importantly, money in the development of this car, it would just be a piss poor business decision. You give up half way through the year and work on this car, only to pull out. Don’t forget, this was the team that seriously tried to court Fernando Alonso to join their ranks for this season. To me, the Honda pull-out screamed that the car wasn’t right and they wanted to cut their losses.

Imagine if Brawn went on and were competitive. I think that would be a serious case of eggs on the face for Honda. Sure, we are in a recession, but everyone is affected by it. I would definitely think there was less to lose on a potentially championship contending campaign, than one rooted to the rear.

That been said, I raised my eyebrows with others at the speed of the car in the past few tests. I never thought it would be that easy for an engine power plant to fit in another car. For all the song and dance about manufacturers concerning standardised engines, I find it somewhat ironic.

The team retains both Button and Barrichello. Strangely enough, it was the Brazilian’s seat on the line over the winter. While both had a season to forget about, I always found it strange that it wasn’t Button on the chopping block. Given the Brit’s sizable wage packet, he was poor value for money against the veteran Barrichello last year.

Rubens came home with eleven of the teams fourteen points. Button has suffered a landslide fall from grace. With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, the spotlight if off him, which given recent seasons, probably isn’t a bad thing!

I think, if given the right car, Button can still deliver. I’m surprised there wasn’t more talk about him moving when Honda pulled the plug. The lack of talk perhaps an indicator of just how far his stock has fallen in recent years.

The decision to retain both was the best decision for the team. While they don’t have the financial clout as they have had previously, running a rookie driver who would pay for a drive would be detrimental for a team that needs to get the most out of their car. The delay in the driver decision left Bruno Senna the odd man out, scrambling for a competitive drive in a series.

As I said at the start, gauging Brawn can only be done once we get the season started. Who knows, the pace might actually be credible.

F109 Countdown: Force India

This is the first of a ten part instalment of ‘The Chequered Flags’ Formula One season preview. Unlike last year, I’m adopting at a one a day style release, spending more time discussing the movers and shakers for the upcoming season. I will be starting from the back upwards, meaning that Force India will be the first time under the microscope.

Force India Fact File:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 10th (Giancarlo Fisichella at the Spanish Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 0
Championship Position: 10th
2009 Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella & Adrian Sutil

It has been such a shame to see how the fortunes of the former Jordan Grand Prix team have gone in recent years. The team has changed owners more times than the ex-girlfriend used to change outfits before out on the town. In Doctor Vijay Mallya, the team have appeared to found someone who is in it for the long haul.

Or, at least until the money dries up.

Like those before him, he has grand plans for the former racing winning team. Idealism and hope are sometimes misplaced amongst the corporate glares in the Formula One paddock these days. Of course, while it is great to see such traits, that doesn’t automatically mean success in the long term.

The recent rule changes offer Force India the best opportunity to close up the gap on their rivals. I’m surprised how late the introduction of their 2009 car has been. Given that they have been banking on the new regulations, I expected them to have pulled a Honda and ditched the 2008 development in favour of the 2009 car.

Much hope is placed on the VJM02. Pre-season testing is always a rough gauge. We won’t know until Melbourne just how good they are going to be. We will find out whether the internal shuffling, which saw Mike Gascoyne depart the team, is the answer to the problems, or keeps them rooted to the rear of the field.

Along with a change in personnel, the team has switched engine suppliers for the new season. Force India move from Ferrari to rivals Mercedes. A major decision in the change was due to Mercedes willing to provide support with the KERS system, something Ferrari themselves have struggled with.

The team should be aiming for early season points, with a decision not to run the controversial KERS system. During pre-season, many teams have had issues with the system. Force India could stand to benefit if they manifest during the race.

Retaining both Fisichella and Sutil should turn out to be a sound choice by Force India. In Fisichella, they have a veteran driver who will be of great benefit to the development of the new car. The boat may have long sailed for Fisichella to stamp his name in Formula One folklore, but he is still capable of a good job for the small team. If the field is going to be as close as many predict, he could be in with a shout of points in the early season.

I feel that Adrian Sutil retains the seat more so because a need for continuity is useful, rather than his skill behind his wheel. Last year, I stated that 2008 was a big year for the German. Many regard Fisichella as washed-up. Sutil needed to beat him to cement his place as a potential talent.

While he improved from a shambolic start to the year, there wasn’t any spark in there that makes you think that he will last long in the sport. I bet he’s regretting not making more of a song and dance about that potential Toyota drive now. Unless he shows a vast improvement, I doubt we will see Adrian Sutil beyond the end of the upcoming season.

2009 F1 Preview

My 2009 season preview for Formula One will be starting in the coming days. Unlike previous years, where I did teams in bulk, I will be taking one day per team for this season. This way, I feel I can be more in depth with a ten day countdown, rather than a three day one.

Brains or Brawn?

After weeks of haggling and false reports that a deal was done, a solution is finally official. Brawn GP is born.

I am shaking my head at this one and as to why Ross Brawn is jumping into the deep end. No doubt, the man is intelligence. But this decision is anything but. I get the feeling that all his years of fine work with Schumacher are going to go down the drain, leaving his reputation in tatters.

This new team have all the hallmarks of being the ‘Super Aguri’ of 2009. All that time and money spent on developing a ‘contender’ for 2009 is out the window. They have zero testing done. I’m sure there are going to be design issues with switching out a Honda power plant for a Mercedes. Sponsors are needed. In short, it is going to be another year of struggle.

The whole situation has disaster written all over it. Many may be lamenting that Bruno Senna has been given the short shift, losing out to Barrichello for the second seat. It may be a blessing in disguise for the nephew of the legendary Ayrton. His reputation and confidence won’t plummet by driving for an ailing team.

Logically, it would have made more sense for a big time investor to come in. Short term, the team will struggle but long term, there is potential. The biggest question that will be answered in time is whether Brawn can survive short-term to reap any benefits.

Snake Eyes

Las Vegas, the betting capital of the world definitely threw up more than its fair share of curve balls over the Nascar weekend. I wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a full-moon over Nevada at the weekend. It was just one of those weekends where there was an abnormal amount of issues cropping up.

It all started early into the weekend with Toyota having major issues with their engines. Five of their cars, including pole sitter Kyle Busch had to go to the back due to engine changes. Five engine changes definitely work’s against the law of averages when it comes to mechanical issues.

The strange circumstances continued in the Nationwide race. I managed to see highlights of the event, and it just seemed that nobody wanted to win. Crashes, mistakes and pit-road violations all contributed to a topsy-turvy event, one that Greg Biffle won in the end.

After watching the highlights, I thought to myself – The first thing the Cup guys are going to be told on Sunday is watch your pit road speed. With the amount of penalties handed out for the offense in the Nationwide race, it felt like a no-brainer.

Obviously, someone never sent out the memo on Sunday.

Once again, errors on and off the pit road played a part in proceedings. What made the event all the more strange is that we saw uncharacteristic like errors from the likes of champion Jimmie Johnson. You just don’t expect it. If this was Daytona, I would hazard a guess that maybe with the testing ban, there is some sub-conscious nerves with the lack of driving. But this was the third race of the year, which more or less cancels out that theory.

While Toyota for the most part solved their engine issues, Sunday saw the Roush-Yates engines go up to kibosh. Three of their five cars went up in smoke. Matt Kenseth’s attempt to win three in a row was over before the race had made it past the first few laps. Carl Edwards erupted as he started the last lap, while Ragan’s blew in the middle.

As if all that wasn’t enough, pole-sitter Kyle Busch, sent to the back, charged his way through the field and took victory at his home race. It is the first time that Busch has won at his home race. The victory was Joe Gibbs and Toyota’s first at a venue that Roush and Hendrick have dominated in recent years. As if that wasn’t enough, Busch’s victory was the first time a pole-sitter had won (which he is officially classed as).

Not a bad day’s work for Wild Thing. He won from the pole and won from starting at the rear. I don’t think there are many who can stake that claim.

The weekend just goes to show you, anything can happen in Las Vegas.