Grid for Australlian GP

Final Qualifying

Saturday, 28 March 2009

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/results/7919662.stm

Go Jenson! shame about Hamilton, Race is tommorow!

Discuss the sport and who you want to win!

Hamilton is last. He has been punished.

Deceptioning results from both Ferrari and McLaren.

yeah, both had bad qualifying sessions, i think they will both improve as the season goes on though, at least Jenson Button did well though, its allways good to have a brit at the top!

Go Jenson!

Damn, I used to make these threads!

Anyway, that was really something different, I knew Brawn was supposed to do well, but I certainly didn't expect this. Certainly will be interesting to see this "new F1" since nor Ferrari, nor McLaren nor Renault appear to be doing well. McLaren is specially sucky, I hope they can get better.
Vettel as usual is driving wonderfully

Why did they penalize Hamilton? I couldn't find it. And what happened to the Toyotas? They appeared last in my newspaper starting grid

EDIT: Nevermind, I found it. Hamilton changed gearbox. And this is what happened to Toyota:

BREAKING NEWS: Toyota excluded from qualifying for running 'flexible wings'

Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli have been stripped of their grid positions for the Australian Grand Prix for a flexible wing infringement.

Glock had qualified sixth on the grid, with Jarno Trulli two places further behind, for their Toyota team at Albert Park.

However, following post-qualifying technical inspections by the FIA, it was found that the team's rear wing elements were in breach of the rules.

A statement issued by the FIA said: "The Stewards have received a report from the Technical Delegate that the upper rear wing elements of cars No. 9 and 10 are showing extreme flexibility in contravention of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

"The Stewards have heard the explanation from a representative of Panasonic Toyota Racing and have examined the cars in question.

"The Stewards concur with the opinion of the Technical Delegate and find the cars contravene the requirements of Article 3.15 of the 2009 Formula One Technical Regulations.

"It is the Stewards decision that cars number 9 and 10 be excluded from the Qualifying Session Official classification."

Article 3.15 of the technical regulations states that wings must not have 'any degree of freedom' and 'remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car.'

The results mean that Trulli and Glock will start the race from the back of the grid.

Toyota said it will not appeal the decision.

AUTOSPORT

Yeah Brawn was fantastic, I'm sitting on turn 12, a 220 km/h right hander, best spot of the track i reckon..

Barrichello flew straight across the ripple strip with sparks flying from the bottom of the car in P3, they almost made it to the fastest time ever on Albert Park made in 2004 by Michael Schumacher.

Pity the McLarens didn't have the pace.. It's clear that the diffusers are making the biggest difference between the pack.. I for one think it's fantastic for the sport that the grid is so bunched up in terms of lap times..

Anyone in Melbourne wanting to hang out with the McLaren pit crew, come to The Sebel (formally Carlton Crest) Toyota stay there too :P

I reckon Lewis Hamilton will not finish in the top three this year. I also reckon BBC's coverage will horrid. I reckon Ferrari will struggle this year.

So Brawn 1,2 and Hamilton from 18th to 4th.. What do you guys think?

Enjoy the race?

Poor Kubica.
Hamilton most likely was the luckiest guy on the race. Six drivers could have ended ahead of him but broke on the way.

Well, that was some excellent race. Plenty of crashes, overtaking, in all, everything a race should have.
Brawn were totally solid, even with Barrichello's screwup in the start, Button drove superbly, he didn't make a single mistake. Poor Vettel and Kubica, they had raced very well, Kubica tried to overtake him too soon, and Vettel in the end made a mistake and took the two out when he had been already overtaken.

Hamilton deserves kudos. Even though he had luck (as did Alonso, Barrichello, Buemi, Rosberg, Bourdais, etc etc etc), he managed to stay away from trouble, he had a car thast clearly was slow and it's not up to what a McLaren should be, yet he managed to get a podium. Yes, he wouldn't have gotten it if the race weren't so accidented, buyt he also wouldn't have succeded if he wasn't such a good driver. He now has 6 points, a good difference over the Ferraris and BMWs. I wonder if Brawn will keep this up to challenge for the title, or they'll be back to a common team after the season gets underway and the teams get more accustomed to the new rules

It makes me so happy to see Ferrari fail like this