Sunday Race Day – Raikkonen & Massa Out (Updates posted)
Full race report can be read here
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button Brawn GP (B) 1h34:15.784
2. Barrichello Brawn GP (B) + 0.807
3. Trulli Toyota (B) + 1.604
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 2.914
5. Glock Toyota (B) + 4.435
6. Alonso Renault (B) + 4.879
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 5.722
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 6.004
9. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 6.298
10. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) + 6.335
11. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 7.085
12. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 7.374
13. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
14. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) + 2 laps
15. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 3 laps
16. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 3 laps
Fastest lap: Rosberg, 1:27.706Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Massa Ferrari (B) 46
Piquet Renault (B) 25
Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 18
Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1
Breaking News & Quotes – Updated:
Kubica says Vettel ‘too optimistic’
Vettel receives grid penalty for Malaysia
Trulli penalised, Hamilton gets third
Bridgestone Tyre Quotes
Brawn speechless after debut win
Trulli’s third place under investigation
Button hails ‘fairytale’ result
Vettel: Kubica clash stupid racing accident
Sunday Ferrari Team Quotes – Kimi: "When I ended up in the wall
it was my mistake. A shame as, given what happened later, I could have
finished second…Definitely the main problem was in managing the tyres, but
we also need to improve our overall performance."
Q&A with Domenicali – "First of all, with regard to Felipe we had an upright that was broken
on the left hand side. So, it is a mechanical failure. We do not yet
understand what has happened. With regard to Kimi, because we
had a doubt on the differential, just a doubt, and because the race was
already finished we told him to bring the car in as there was no need
to queue there for nothing…"
Download: Race Photos & Videos – Apologies if there are problems downloading, please try again later.
1. Race Start Live 2. Barrichello hits Kimi 3. Kimi’s spin 4. Vettel and Kubica 5. Race Finish
http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Race/Aus.Race.start.avi http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Race/Aus.Race.Barrichello.Kimi.avi http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Race/Aus.Race.Raikkonen.Spin.avi http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Race/Aus.Race.Vettel.Kubica.avi http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedgrid.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Race/Aus.Race.Button.Win.avi
For some videos, you may need to install this codec.
Funny double-interview with Kimi & Lewis | Post-Race Kimi interview
http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedrow.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Misc/InterviewRaikkonen-Hamilton.wmv http://cid-a01a464bbc0e816c.skydrive.live.com/embedrow.aspx/Public/F12009/Australia/Race/Post-raceinterview.wmv
Courtesy of TaniaS
What an opening race that was! Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed it and shared in the joy of many to see the podium ceremony, especially the little chat The Bs’ had in the back. Yes – as I’m sure you’re waiting to hear, I am disappointed with how Kimi’s race turned out but I was prepared and expected this as a possible outcome. What I didn’t expect though was Kimi to throw it away while in 5th place. Having not crashed disastrously, he damaged his front wing enough and called it a day with 3 laps to go. Earlier, Massa had a reliability problem, as feared with the F60, and also retired. But Kimi was in good position to score some points which adds to the frustration of his retirement. I assume he just dropped it, as a few others did today. Anyway, Ferrari were looking good to leave with a bunch of points but it didn’t happen. Now, they know what to do and there’s no point in whinging or despairing and I’m sure they’ve already been working hard back at base for the next races. They weren’t good enough to compete for the win today, nor was Kimi good enough to hold ground when he could and should have. Kimi’s the driver I support and while I can criticise how his race ended, I believe he was doing a good job nonetheless so I hope he’s taken a lot from today – he did a better job than Massa with the strategy which is a good thing. A podium was possible as I thought, seeing as how the drama unfolded but with that said, it is early days and the teams are getting to grips with these machines and so are the drivers. Vettel and Kubica’s messy accident proves that.
That battle for second place was brilliant. Not only did BMW not look anywhere good enough to challenge for higher positions, there was Kubica suddenly making it work and hounded a very strong Vettel in his Red Bull. Credit to the lads, they did a great job throughout the race to even make the win harder to achieve for Brawn GP. But I so expected accidents like that to happen. Yes, others had managed to overtake and pass neatly in the very same corners as Vettel and Kubica fought through but this was a much closer battle. The big front wings are tapped slightly and off they go. Poor Kubica and Vettel ended their races in tears. Kimi’s start was good but could have been better. He didn’t manage to jump anyone but later during the lap, the run up against Kubica was fantastic – Kimi was probably less than 2cms away from the wall when side by side with Kubica. This Pole is a very tough racer, as we’ve seen at Fuji last year. They’re similar drivers too, in race craft. I’m sure Kubica will be over today and ready to fight again, as will be Kimi. Vettel’s accident with Kubica was complicated, I can’t really blame either driver. Vettel didn’t seem to know Kubica was coming on the left-side into the corner, Kubica was too aggressive and they touched. It’s racing, people, racing! And I loved it! Haha. I do feel slightely embarrassed that the pit-lane starting Toyotas and a slow back-grid McLaren finished better than the Ferraris though. Williams could have had a great day as Rosberg was driving well, but it doesn’t always work out.
Button’s drive was amazing and he thoroughly deserves his victory, for keeping it clean and quick on track and handling the threat Vettel and Kubica posed. Well done Brawn GP (and Honda!) During the opening laps, Button was flying off with it and the race did look set for a bore in the front. But as ever, F1 can bring surprises! The start wasn’t too messy, accept for Kovalainen being punctured and damaged and then having to retire. Webber also getting damaged. Barrichello’s anti-stall was hilarious to see but he who laughs last laughs best indeed and he got back into second place in the end. Nakajima’s accident was strange, it seemed he just dropped it out of the corner too. There were enough battles to keep me interested all the way through and while I’m convinced the changed F1 cars have brought tighter competition between all teams (apart from Brawn GP), overtaking is still yet to be proved to be easier for the drivers. And I don’t mean with the use of the KERS. This isn’t Mario Kart. Buemi had a great debut race and he scored a point! Well done, Kimi did exactly the same on his debut F1 race. But one other driver I’m impressed with today is Lewis Hamilton. I wanted to see how he dealt with a slow car, and while it didn’t look as slow as it did yesterday, he drove a very good race starting from the back and that’s down to experience he’s had a few times I’m sure. I hadn’t expected McLaren to finish in the points at all, granted there was a bit of luck involved but that’s racing – you’ve got to be there in the first place to take that luck. McLaren will be very relieved! Ferrari very disappointed! Oh the irony a day can show.
Kimi will be back! He did it last year at Malaysia after a bad Australia! We still believe in you Kimi, we understand the sport – we’ve followed it with you for a long time. So, whatever happened, whatever problems (if any) that you had, you can win again. This season is a whole big fat learning game with these cars and after watching today’s race, I now believe a lot will actually change as we progress through the races.
Update – After reading Kimi’s comments, finally released hours after the race, it’s obvious that tyre management is still the main hinderance of Kimi’s potential and he has also admitted his mistake by spinning off in the race. He knows what’s going on and is working hard at it I’m sure, it’s just not as easy to do as people are making it – I do not respect so called fans who tend to bring irrelevant issues such as his motivation or salary or contract or even Alonso replacing him into this subject when regarding his performance. I’m fed up with it. It makes no difference whatsoever and if people really think Ferrari are more concerned about Kimi’s seat than the performance of the cars themselves then that’s not a very logical approach to racing. Leave Kimi alone. He’s doing his job just like the rest of the team. And they fail and succeed TOGETHER.
Note
Kimi Raikkonen – DNF: "When I ended up in the wall
it was my mistake. A shame as, given what happened later, I could have
finished second. We lost valuable points but we will try and make up
for it starting right away in Malaysia. There, we will get a clearer
picture of the situation because this circuit is not very indicative of
performance. The KERS worked well at the start, but there was not much
room to go anywhere. If we did not think it gave an advantage, we would
not use it. Definitely the main problem was in managing the tyres, but
we also need to improve our overall performance."
Q. What happened in the race?
Kimi Raikkonen:
It was my mistake to hit the wall, it was just sudden but I spun.
Looking afterwards we would probably have finished second, and it is a
shame.
Q. And for the championship it is a very bad start?
KR: Yes, but there is not much you can do. We try to do
better at the next race but definitely one of the hardest races I have
done in a while.
Q. What do you think about the challenge of Brawn Grand Prix?
KR: I haven’t seen their laptimes but it looks like they won
it pretty easily. This circuit is different compared to the others. We
sometimes see that we have a hard time here but when we go to more
normal circuit it seems to turn out pretty okay. Let’s wait and see
until the next race, and see what we can do and then make more
decisions. It is a shame that I went off. We lost some valuable points,
but that is racing.
Q. Brawn GP won without KERS. How did you find it?
KR: It worked well at the start. There was just no space to
go as I got a good start, but there were too many cars in front so I
could not use it. Like I said before, we would not use it if it was not
a help for us so it was working okay.
Q. Could you explain to us the strategy about using the softer tyres at the beginning when it was hotter?
KR: Well, because we have difficulties with the hard tyres to
get them working. In that kind of case, we need to wait and wait and
not push – so it was going to be difficult. When we go out from the pit
lane with the new tyres it is going to be okay, but for us for sure it
was a better choice to take the soft tyre.
Q. How was the performance, as you said after qualifying you thought your race pace would be better?
KR: I don’t have a really clear picture. I haven’t seen the
lap times that everybody was doing, as I was behind (Robert) Kubica and
he was pulling away a little bit. But I think he was pretty fast any
how. I don’t know where we are on speed, I haven’t had time to look,
but for sure we are not where we want to be. We still have some work to
do but we will see what we can do at the next races.
Q. When you spun did you have a problem with the differential, or was it after that?
KR: I don’t know. I hit the wall quite hard after I spun, so
I just suddenly lost the rear end and it is tricky with those tyres. I
don’t know – it was probably my mistake. It is just a shame.
Q. Massa said on Saturday that the championship could be finished
quite early with the pace of the Ross Brawn. What do you say about that?
KR: I don’t know. It is only one race, so let’s see what happens.
Q. Chris Dyer thought something might have broken at the back of your car. What happened there?
KR: I don’t know. I went as normal as always in the corner,
and then suddenly I just completely lost the rear. Probably it was my
mistake. I wouldn’t put it to anything else, but it is funny how there
was no warning. Usually you feel something if there is a bit of wheel
spin but it just went and there was nothing I could do. I just tried to
avoid the wall, but I couldn’t.
Q. How was the pace otherwise?
KR: It was a shame as we could probably have finished second
in the end, but the speed on hard tyres – Kubica was pulling away a
little bit, but then I think he did the fastest lap, so I haven’t had
time to see at all what the others were doing. For sure we still have
work to do, but this circuit is not normal compared to other normal
circuit we have seen. We have had a hard time here before and then it
is okay when we go to normal circuits. Hopefully that will turn out to
be the same this year.
Q. How were the tyres working?
KR: Both tyres were quite difficult. The soft is pretty good
from the beginning but then it goes away a lot, and the hard one is
quite tricky. You lose the grip sometimes and it is not easy to use for
us. Like I said, it was for sure a difficult race – it taught us a lot
but maybe it is going to be different when we go to normal circuits
like Malaysia.
Q. How do you see Brawn GP?
KR: If they are 1-2 in qualifying and 1-2 in the race then
they are pretty strong – but we saw that already in testing, so it is
not a surprise.
Q. How long will it take to catch them?
KR: We will see how is it in the next race. It all depends on
the rules, what the rules are going to be in the future, there are a
lot of question marks about what you are allowed to do and what not. So
let’s wait and see.
FUCK ISRAEL 
I read Raikko must be very frustrated, not even knowing what exactly went wrong. problems seem to prop up suddenly after a seemingly ‘smooth’ testing. What went wrong? anyway, just walk through this nightmare and keep on flying(given a fast and reliable Ferrari hopefully).Thanks to Saima, nice work!
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Hi Saima. That last ‘updated’ section is exactly what was needed. I can say u stole my sentiments. I was very upset with many Kimi fans talking about Kimi last time in Australia, Alonso taking his seat, his performance under radar etc. Thanks for this post…
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Correct me If I´m wrong, but i think that the BIG problem is Kers, the winners of the race and the best times in the tests and quali were the teams that did not used KERS system.. so it will probably be the weight of KERS in the cars.. managing 30 kilos more, and the distribution of that into the car must be something technically difficult…. furthermore.. really KERS did not represented a great advantage for overtaking..we saw that in the moment that the safetycar went out and the ferrari´s could not overtake anyone,, and so on.. ferrari still have serious problems with the temperature of the tyres.. so they should do an exhaustive investigation of what is going wrong with that. I´m quite sad haha.. I thought it will be diferent for ferrar´s this time.. they must been quite dissapointed….I think… every car every one must have the same tools at the beginning.. running in equal conditions… that did not happened..so we have this results.. I´s sorry for KIMI.. was his mistake.. but I´m sure thy will get rid of the realiability problems..the bright side.. the joy of Jenson.. a great performance after all.. quite surprising for me..
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I am a bit disappointed about Kimi, but that’s racing. It’s only race one of a long season, there’s ages to go yet. I thought it was a great way to start the season, and if Kimi can’t win I’m happy to see Button do it instead! I don’t think they could utilize the KERS properly in Oz, the straights aren’t that long. I want to see how they get on with it on Sepang’s 2 long striaghts, that should be good!
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Yes, Kimi himself stated that Australia isn’t the best circuit to indicate or evaluate problems, being also the first race. Long ways to go yet! Hopefully not too late…
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Great as usual sweetie! Glad to see that not everyone thinks this race means the end of the world….and I agree with Nicki, if Kimi can´t do it, (Seb can´t do it), then Jenson is da man!!! He deserves it so much after struggling for so many years.Keep flying KIMI!!! There´s still a looong way to go, this is just the beginning! Let´s wait and see….that´s my motto this year!
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i follow you girls! sad but we will see other ones!!and next very soon! Keep flying Kimi
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Great review as usual Saima, especially the "update" part. Yes, we Raikkos are a bit disappointed with the results, but it was good to know that Kimi/Ferrari took them positively. Kimi admitted his mistake and Ferrari shared their bit with Stefano & Luca talked about struggling with the tyres and strategies. Ferrari has to do something before it’s too late, don’t repeat the same problem in 2008.I was also very upset like S.M. Hasan when the fans criticise Kimi about his motivation, etc. It’s not fair to Kimi, he’s more frustrated than all of his fans. It’s just the 1st race, and as he said, we’ll see in Sepang and hope he wins like he did in 2008.Keep flying Kimi!!!
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Thank you!Whatever happened with Kimi’s spin, which was rather odd, they’ll be working hard to make sure it won’t happen again. And for that to happen, the car needs to be improved. Then, and only then we can really criticise Kimi’s performances. It’s unfair to blame him already this season. Malaysia will be difficult again I assume, but Ferrari and Kimi would have learnt a lot from Australia, regarding the tyres and KERS.
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In fact, I’m not surprised at the outcome. I think that Kimi did good job in the race. Kimi ran seven laps more than Massa in the second stint,the strategies between Kimi and Massa are different. Before the F60 hit the wall ,Kimi looks pretty good.Although the final result let me down,I know Kimi did all that he can do.The car in the circuit like Melbourne doesn’t performance well,maybe the circuit really doesn’t suit F60.Now I just hope Ferrari can resolve the problem with F60. The KERS and diffuser affect the races a lot. I won’t give up,and I know Kimi won’t,too. I’m looking forward to next race,and I have faith in Kimi.
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Well said Julia! We say to Kimi to keep flying so we will keep the faith too. haha…
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i recommend you guys to watch the double interview between kimi n lewis…kimi seemed to be in a good mood, n he was funny! soooooo cute! he just keep it cool n humble, as usual.. that’s why i love him! with regard to lewis, i think he was just boasting around about himself n he’s quite arrogant too…well, we raikkos just wanna see kimi the way he is n that’s why we love him so much!KEEP FLYING KIMI!
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I want to say that people have been saying it was the differental that caused Kimi to spin, then he retired because of the differental on lap 55. Kimi said it was his fault but he did the same in Monza 07, he said it was his mistake when it clearly wasn’t to protect the team. It doesn’t make the race much better. Now it’s more bad reliablilty.
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Yeah Charlie, I’ve seen plenty of the discussion about it being due to the differential. But whatever happened, it’s still not good enough and it’ll take time to fix. Reliability was my main concern for the F60 even before the race and so we were proved right to be concerned. The positive out of all this is that Kimi’s not driving that horrid F2008, the car which he was clearly unhappy in during the end of last season. But Ferrari were fighting till the end for the titles with that car so they’re behind with the F60, as McLaren are. These new cars are not an evolution of the previous, di Montezemolo reminded us: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74116People continue to attack Kimi based on last season’s performance. That’s not logical. Whatever happened last Sunday happened because of the present time, not the past (Kimi with the F2008). The F60 is better to handle for Kimi – yes, well he’s said so. But it has it’s own different challenges too. It’s not perfect and neither will the drivers be able to perform well therefore!
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