Drivers’ championship standings
|
Driver |
Points |
1 |
Jenson Button |
84 |
2 |
Rubens Barrichello |
69 |
3 |
Sebastian Vettel |
59 |
4 |
Mark Webber |
51.5 |
5 |
Kimi Raikkonen |
40 |
6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
37 |
7 |
Nico Rosberg |
30.5 |
8 |
Fernando Alonso |
26 |
9 |
Timo Glock |
24 |
10 |
Jarno Trulli |
22.5 |
11 |
Felipe Massa |
22 |
12 |
Heikki Kovalainen |
22 |
13 |
Nick Heidfeld |
12 |
14 |
Robert Kubica |
9 |
15 |
Giancarlo Fisichella |
8 |
16 |
Adrian Sutil |
5 |
17 |
Sebastien Buemi |
3 |
18 |
Sebastien Bourdais |
2 |
19 |
Romain Grosjean |
0 |
20 |
Vitantonio Liuzzi |
0 |
21 |
Nelson Piquet Jnr |
0 |
22 |
Luca Badoer |
0 |
23 |
Kazuki Nakajima |
0 |
24 |
Jaime Alguersuari |
0 |
Constructors’ championship standings
|
Driver |
Points |
1 |
Brawn |
153 |
2 |
Red Bull |
110.5 |
3 |
Ferrari |
62 |
4 |
McLaren |
59 |
5 |
Toyota |
46.5 |
6 |
Williams |
30.5 |
7 |
Renault |
26 |
8 |
BMW |
21 |
9 |
Force India |
13 |
10 |
Toro Rosso |
5 |
Klon
27th September 2009, 15:08
Okay, this championship is over…
SonyJunkie
27th September 2009, 15:13
I want Button to win the championship, but I feel he’s not really trying and he’s going to luck into it!!
He just not showing he deserves it, qualifying is just shocking!
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 21:15
A championship is more than winning every race. Have you forgotten all the excitement and disbelief at the beginning of the season, when it appeared Button could do no wrong and the title would be wrapped up by Monza?
Think of it this way: if Button won because he won six of the last seven races, instead of the first seven races, then it would have been much more exciting. It’s just the way it turns out sometimes.
steph90
27th September 2009, 15:20
Love F1 but when looking at championship can’t wait until it’s over and can move on until next season. In championship terms this season has been poor in my opinion.
Lynn
27th September 2009, 17:33
steph90, I was thinking just the same, will be pleased when it’s all over. Have to admit I have’nt followed it so closely this year and I have been a fan for 20 years. I too think the championship this season is poor as well as all the other goings on. Hope next year is better. Want some tight battles with the top drivers. Something like 2007/2008. Don’t care for Alonso much, but I want him and Lewis in the mix.
John H
27th September 2009, 18:06
Agreed. Some people say that it’s been fantastic, but I just don’t feel as into it as previous years.
I think you need that little bit spice, such as the rivalry between McLaren and Ferrari… it’s all got a little bit too friendly!
Bigbadderboom
27th September 2009, 20:02
Agreed John H, not a big fan of the FOTA love in, it’s all a bit creepy really. Gives me that sicky feeling I got again today when Alonso and Hamilton shock hands!!
Seriousley though we need some deep felt confrontation. I think we are in for a traet in 2010, I have a feeling it maybe a bit of a warzone.
mp4-19b
28th September 2009, 6:48
Is my comment awaiting moderation? I didn’t make any controversial remark. I was in total agreement with Bigbadderboom!!
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 21:19
Does a season have to have a McLaren-Ferrari rivalry to be exciting? Personally I think seeing privateer teams like Brawn and Red Bull at the front has been fantastic, I think F1 needed a bit of a shake-up like that.
Ned Flanders
27th September 2009, 22:23
Well it’s been a nice novelty to see a championship fought between 2 comparitively small teams and drivers (excluding Vettel) who are unlikely to ever get such a good chance to be champion in their career.
But on the whole I agree, Mclaren v Ferrari, Hamilton v Alonso title battles are way more intense, and at least you get the impression that the winners really are the best in the business.
It’s hard to believe that Button would be a truly worthy champion as he scrapes points here and there, rides his luck and crawls towards the line
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 21:22
Vettel isn’t that tall, is he?
I think he’s a great driver, but I concede he needs the car to suit him in order to show his speed. Hamilton or Alonso could set fastest laps in any old truck.
StrFerrari4Ever
27th September 2009, 15:52
I absolutely agree with you steph90 I want it to just finish so the teams work on their cars and we start afresh in March 10′.
I just want someone other than Button to win I’m still not convinced he deserves the title fully but if he wins oh well he won’t keep the title for 2010 thats for sure.
Elliott
27th September 2009, 16:17
I swear, everyone who has been saying they have lost their interest in Button’s run for championship sure have forgotten the first part of the season. Sure he’s had a slump, but overall he’s been in the points almost every race. He’s been the dominate figure through, barely losing his lead, which is still 15 points.
adz2193
27th September 2009, 16:44
Its a shame that nobody else has had the luck and consistency to challenge Button. Brawn deserve the WCC for sure but Jenson has got away with a run of awful races while his team-mate continues to get held back with gearbox and anti-stall issues. Disappointing.
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 21:25
It wasn’t Button’s fault for making hay while the sun shines, nor that Barrichello couldn’t perform during Brawn’s dominance in the early season.
Yes it’s a shame that the championship isn’t building up to a huge crescendo at the final race, but it’s better than watching Schuey wrap things up early like he did in 2002 and 2004. Has everyone forgotten how boring that was?
antonyob
27th September 2009, 17:07
Plenty of drivers have won the wdc without winning more than a single race in a season so if Button wins he will deserve it 100%. Its been a great season, so many different winners, Force India going from the back to the front, ditto Mclaren, Ferrari, Toyota, Williams..in fact almost everyone has had a strong race or 3. Winning a championship this year is special as no car is dominating in the Ferrari/Mclaren sense. Anyone wishing it to be over is either not a fan or barmy or both!
…However, Singapore & Valencia look great but are dull dull dull. drop em.
beneboy
28th September 2009, 22:47
I’d agree with all of that.
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 21:27
I’d agree too. Except that I would say Toyota haven’t been improving from the back of the field to the front… more like they’ve been yo-yoing all over the shop :)
Steph90
27th September 2009, 19:00
Agreed STR, I’ll miss F1 when it’s over but I will not miss this championship season. I may not rate Button highly but I would give this championship fight a lot more credit if it didn’t come down to just strategy and reliability.
antonyob
27th September 2009, 19:26
The racing needs to be good, ie plenty of battles. The sport lives or dies by that. Strategy is interesting but its not thrilling. You can do as many kers type devices as you like to help the cars but its the tracks that need changing not the cars.
beneboy
28th September 2009, 23:17
I’ll have to disagree with that though.
There are many changes that could be made to the cars that would make racing on almost any track exciting again.
Watch any video of a pre-wing era race and you’ll be hard pressed to find a boring one, these days the opposite is true. Even great tracks like Spa and Silverstone need a bit of rain or a safety car period to liven them up sometimes and the fault lies entirely with the cars and their reliance on aerodynamic grip.
People can bang on about strategy all they want but the only reason anyone talks about that is because the racing is so uneventful these days, other than the first lap and the pit-stops you’re lucky to see more than a handful of overtaking attempts in any race.
Jackie Stewart probably overtook more cars in a single season than Schumacher did in his entire F1 career.
I’ve fallen asleep several times while watching F1 GP’s at the Circuit de Catalunya but other series races I’ve seen there have been brilliant.
Monaco used to be great, even in the dry, because the cars used to slide around the corners inches behind each other and even when there wasn’t much overtaking it was still brilliant seeing the drivers racing the circuit, these days a dry Monaco can be a tedious affair as the drivers just end up in a procession with no-one able to even get close to the car in front unless they make a mistake. It all end up looking like a Scalextric race with everyone running in the same groove.
Current levels of aerodynamic grip makes the cars too easy to drive, too hard to catch and almost impossible to overtake. I’d get rid of the front wings and vastly reduce the rear wings and then allow the teams far more freedom with the engines, suspension & tyres.
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 21:32
Spot on there. The aero is to blame for the cars not being able to get close, especially around fast bends. However F1 is all about the fantastic aero and high cornering speeds, and we’ve been putting up with it for so long, it’s unlikely to change massively. The new regs for 2009 are supposed to be the biggest rules shake-up for a decade, yet the teams have clawed back 80-85% of last year’s downforce. That reminds me, will the double-diffuser loophole be closed for next year?
gwenouille
27th September 2009, 20:17
I disagree with most of you…
I liked this season. I followed it more than the previous ones. Button was royal at the start of the season, and he keeps bringing points when things get worse.
We see nice qualifying sessions, tense racing, clever strategies… Spectacular overtakings are scarce OK, but it’s mostly down to the track I guess not the machunes and the pilots. And this won’t get better next year.
Prisoner Monkeys
27th September 2009, 23:59
Button extends his lead. That’s what I like to see.
TT
28th September 2009, 2:59
Sorry I agree with Steph on this one. Racing has no way been as good as 2008. Button has won this championship by running away with the first half, and benefiting from everyone else’s misfortunes since then. I like the guy but hes not a great champion, this will be his only championship for sure. Cant wait till March, but how can I survive the off season. :(
Nitpicker
30th September 2009, 21:35
At least Button’s kept his head when his rivals have been making mistakes and losing points-scoring opportunities. Picking up consistent points is not that exciting but it’s what makes a championship.
wong chin kong
28th September 2009, 3:00
I like this F1 season full of surprises. The season started with near complete Brawn domination of the first seven races, Button win six. Everyone heaped full praises on the genius of Brawn, the smoothness of Button driving, Rubens solid partner for Button. This is because Brawns had the lead time on development of the car-the double diffuser. Then other teams added the diffuser to their car and began to challenge the Brawn effectively.Tyre warming issue hampered Brawn cars and their progress back-pedalled. KERS came into prominence, began to give advantage to drivers to overtake and win races, Ferrari and Mclaren. The Force India team springing back to life in the later stage of the season added to the interest. But the sad thing in the second half was Massa being hit by the spring from Rubens car. Expect to see him next year in action. The last three races would still be exciting, Ruben fighting for his life trying for the WDC, Lewis displaying his full driving skills of a champion and Button awake from his long slumber.
antonyob
28th September 2009, 9:12
There are very few GREAT champions. Lewis has the potential & Alonso will certainly be if he wins the title with Ferrari but the rest are merely exceptional drivers. The most telling comment about Button was from the beebs much derided Legard who suggested he needed everything to be working perfectly to be at his own best and then he is almost imperious. Great drivers should alway be able to hustle a car above its weight. Lewis can, Alonso can (check out their team mates performace if you want to be sure).
So hes no great but so what; he will join one of only 7 or so Britains and only 40 odd drivers to ever win the WDC. Thats pretty select company.
Comparing it to 2008 is an excercise in futility, theres never been a season ending like 2008.
pitt layne
28th September 2009, 11:23
I think an important aspect of aligning the right driver with the right team needs discussion. It seems a driver’s nationality/ personality aligns better with similar management. For example, Ferrari’s results changed when they got Brawn, Byrne and Schu. The previous “spagetti” culture had a hard time with lasting results, even when they had Prost. Now that the British regime at Ferrari has passed, we are seeing something of the old ways in effect. Perhaps, Kimi’s cool doesn’t mesh well with the current regime. An Italian/ Latin mentality may well do the trick with Alonso’s signing. Just as Kimi’s assumed Mclaren signing seems to suit that marriage. That template of observation can be applied to any of the pairings down pitlane.
adz2193
28th September 2009, 19:30
The disappointing thing for me is the championship battle between Brawn and Red Bull, despite the two teams barely catching a glimpse of each other on the track. Jenson is going to be the luckiest world champion in many years and he’s only going to win it because absolutely nothing has gone against him.
antonyob
29th September 2009, 9:44
beneboy
i agree in principle but in practice if you told them no wings the engineers would find the downforce somewhere else. Even if you said you can only use mechanical grip they would utilise something like engine mounts or suspension arms to grab some downforce. So if you change the tracks you circumvent any engineer cleverness.
There was a golden era of racing, not a pure age by any stretch but before Cooper, Chapman & Senna changed mindsets of teams & drivers we had v12 front engined beautiful bullets driven over the limits by gentleman racers. Thats certainly more appealing than watching a monosyllabic 21 yr old drive an inverted wing round a railtrack.
beneboy
29th September 2009, 18:31
There’s nothing wrong with using aerodynamic grip, it is just that the way it is currently used with wings, specifically the front wing, is what makes overtaking so difficult.
Unless the front wing is able to get a smooth flow of air over it then the performance is drastically reduced, the amount of grip generated by engine mounts and other similar “cheats” the teams would come up with would be minimal in comparison and therefore would suffer a lot less performance loss when not in optimal air flow so would not hamper overtaking attempts in the same way.
Venturi’s and other under floor aero methods to produce ground effect are virtually unaffected when following another car and by keeping the central “plank” you can eliminate the risk associated with the car bottoming out along the whole width of the floor.
I know it’s never going to happen, it’s just a hopeless dream.
I also think it would be a lot more sensible as the teams have to develop new cars all of the time already whereas building a new track is a major project costing hundreds of millions of dollars and taking several years, you’d still end up with the same problems we’ve got now unless you make a sprinkler system compulsory for all new tracks :-)