Barcelona GP 2009 10/05/2009 As races at Barcelona go, this one held rather more than the usual amount of interest. Felipe Massa's good start to enter the first corner ahead of the two Red Bulls was the pivotal point in the race, ensuring that Barrichello and Button would be able to build a lead and remain in control thereafter; the apparently inexplicable difference in pit strategies between the two Brawn drivers gave us something to talk about too. And the accident at turn 2 added to the fun, immediately putting Trulli, the two Toro Rossos and Sutil out of the race while elevating the lucky ones above their grid status.It's that man Button again!Just as expected, Massa's KERS capability enabled him to get amongst the cars ahead of him at the start; what we had not counted on, however, was Barrichello's surge from second into first spot which effectively put him beyond the Ferrari's reach. Button was out of danger too at the entry to turn 1 and so the Brawns were now insulated against the Red Bull threat. Not that the Ferrari was that much slower than the Brawns - Massa drove an excellent first stint to remain in touch with the leaders.But there can be no doubt that he held back the Red Bulls sufficiently for their heavier fuel strategy to be negated. Without Massa's intervention, Vettel would almost certainly have been able to stay very close to Button and then overtake him when the Brawn went in for its first stop. Given the decision to run Barrichello on a three-stop strategy, that would have been enough for Vettel to take the race, perhaps even for a Red Bull one-two.It was the Brawn strategy that became the most controversial subject of the race. Was the team really going for a three-stopper for both drivers until it was decided to change Button to two stops so that Rosberg could not get in his way? Or was it collusion to ensure that the driver in the lead of the championship, Button, collect the maximum points, rather than his team mate? There is no doubt that it looked as though the team were backing Button but that is largely because Barrichello's strategy did not work as planned, mainly due to his third set of tires being below par. In the end, it depends on our personal preference as to how we see it: if you think Ross is a Machiavellian mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes, it was quite intentional; if you prefer to think that it was an even-handed choice left for Rubens to decide, it was just bad luck on his part.Personally, I incline towards the first view - it just makes more sense that the team should prefer to have Button winning now that he has established a good lead. It may be cynical but, at this stage of the season, Brawn GP need one of their drivers to become unassailable in the championship before allowing a general free for all. That was the philosophy when Ross was at Ferrari and it makes sense that he should continue with it now. It works, doesn't it?Whatever we may think, the result stands: another one-two finish for Brawn GP, with Button in first, Barrichello second. From a team point of view, it does not get any better. The Brawn BGP 001 remains the car to beat, the drivers are not squabbling (yet) and that man Ross gives them the best chance of outwitting any challengers.In contrast, it is hard not to feel sympathy for the man who had the most influence on the race, Felipe Massa. One can understand only too well his frustration on being told to slow down towards the end; he had worked magnificently to keep the Ferrari in a potential podium-winning place and then was defeated by crafty pit stop timing from Webber and a miscalculation of fuel for his last stint. His radio conversation with Rob Smedley will go down as a quote of the year: "Slow down? How can I slow down when I'm trying to defend my place?" He deserved better than sixth place and the team has only itself to blame for yet another blunder.As for Red Bull, they must see their three-four finish as an underachievement, given the prevailing hopes for another Vettel win. As Webber said in the post race press conference, however, at least they are still pulling away from the pack. They will have other chances to put one over Brawn GP, I'm sure.Fernando Alonso had his usual spirited race, at one point getting the better of a ding-dong battle with Webber, but the Renault was not really up to the task on this circuit and he was lucky to finish fifth. Team mate Piquet was completely anonymous, however, coming home a lap down in 12th.Nick Heidfeld had a lucky start to the race, emerging from the second corner accident several places above his grid position and ahead of Kubica, but thereafter he drove a solid race, generally setting faster times than his team mate and fending off all Raikkonen's attempts to get past. Seventh was reasonable reward for Nick's efforts and it keeps the scores ticking over until BMW can acquire their own magical fix of a double diffuser.The Williams boys were slightly disappointing, Rosberg having a boring race to hold station more or less and Nakajima having to pit under the safety car and out of contention thereafter. That was better than Toyota managed, however, with Trulli out in the accident and Glock on a strategy that dropped him down the order as the race progressed.McLaren had a pretty dire race in spite of Hamilton lifting the car beyond its true capabilities. Not even he was able to get it into the points, however, and yet another Kovalainen retirement merely underlined a miserable weekend for the team.At first sight, Force India appear to have had a poor race as well but there are signs of hope. For one thing, Fisichella set the eighth fastest race lap, proving that the car is better than its lack of points suggests. Whether the team can persuade Giancarlo to do such times more consistently I do not know but it might be worth letting Liuzzi have a go for a change.By the standards of yesteryear, this Spanish GP was scintillating in incident and interest but it was still Barcelona and pretty tame after the early races this season. Perhaps we are becoming spoiled by all the action and upheaval this year and expect too much of circuits like Barcelona as a result. But next on the agenda is Monaco and that is worth it for the atmosphere alone!
Clive
Alianora La Canta In mitigation, Giancarlo would have done considerably better had he not needed four pit stops in order to complete the race (despite switching from a three-stop to a two-stop intended plan at the end of the first lap) due to a refuelling problem. Even Michael Schumacher could not have overcome a two-pit-stop disadvantage... Still, it was not the most sparkling race Force India's ever done. Date Added: 10/05/2009
Clive I was not aware that Force India had a refuelling problem - it explains a lot. Sooner or later luck has to be on their side surely... Date Added: 10/05/2009
K2san Three questions...I was watching the race on the dutch rtl and they had the FOA material displayed on the start of Massa. The battery of kers was red and stayed red; like it was njot used by Massa during the start; can you confirm this because In was really wondering about this. Is the rinfo provided to the TV stations correct?On Rubens vs Button: the lap times from heavy fueled Button were faster or equal to the ones of Rubens on a lighter fuel load. Could it not have been a performance issue vs real team orders?Last one. The Red Bull cars look like performing slightly better in qualifying and the miss out wins or possible wins due to slower cars for them Why don´t they qualify lighter and change race strategy accordingly. It just doesn't make sense to me to stick with a non winning strategy?Just wondering... Date Added: 10/05/2009
Clive K2san: I don't have any definitive answer on the TV KERS display but what I can tell you is this:Although all TV stations get the same FOM broadcast, the amount shown does vary slightly from one station to another because of different commercial breaks and so on. On SpeedTV, I do not recall seeing Massa's display at the start but we saw Raikkonen's later in the race and it seemed that he was not using KERS at all. After his retirement from the race, however, he was asked about this and claimed to have used KERS throughout the race, there being no problem with it. So it may be that the TV displays are not always accurate - which would not surprise me, to be honest.Turning to your other questions, Rubens was actually on a heavier fuel load than Button at the start yet seemed quite capable of putting up lap times equal to his team mate in the first stint. Indeed, he set fastest race lap in that period and so I doubt that it was a performance issue that led the team to put him on a three-stop strategy. I have no doubt that the idea was to give Rubens a light fuel load from the first stop onwards and the best chance of setting quick lap times, but it backfired somewhat because Button proved capable of being fast enough to maintain the gap even on a considerably heavier load.Red Bull have tried both strategies and they haven't worked for them so far. Previously, they have fuelled light, obviously hoping to establish an early lead, this time they went heavier, hoping to do to Brawn what Brawn had done to them in the races to date (run longer in the first stint and leap frog to the front through the pit stops). The reason it hasn't worked so far is partly luck (they haven't been getting the breaks) and partly that they are overestimating the performance of the RB5 in race trim. It qualifies well, as you say, but seems less convincing in the race, a fact exaggerated by the Brawn being exactly the other way around (it's quicker in race trim than in qualy). I like the teams' latest strategy, especially the idea of equal fuel loads for both drivers, and would expect the ploy to work in future races. Massa spoiled their chances this time but he won't always be able to get in the way! Date Added: 10/05/2009
Steve Ellis Vettel was scuppered by poor strategy again! Red Bull is starting to look like Toyota when it comes to strategy. They need to put Vettel light so he doesn't get overhauled by a KERS car and spend all day behind one. How long will Red Bull take to figure this out? Two races in a row lost. Yes I know they tried it once or twice, but they need to stick with it. Obviously the heavier fuel load isnt' working.As for Barrichello, I'm leaning towards the view that he was just too slow to make the change in fuel strategy work. I see he is complaining about how his race was ruined. Brawn claims in theory it should have been quicker. I can't see Schumacher not making such a change work. I think this is the end of the line for Rubens. I hope he goes out gracefully. I think he always fancied himself a bit better then he is. Lets face it, he couldn't even take Stewart's only win. Would that have happened to a top driver? Date Added: 10/05/2009
Clive Interesting thought, about both Red Bull and Toyota needing better strategy. That would figure, given their recent arrival in the game of lead runner strategies. And they are up against the guy who invented the game, too.I wouldn't be too hard on Red Bull on that score however - they haven't blundered in quite the same way that Toyota has. Given time, they will get it right. And I am very glad they thought hard about Webber's strategy too, realising that they had two players in the game. ;)To be fair to Barrichello, to be less than Schumacher does not make him useless. Ruthless the guy may have been but he was also pretty handy behind the wheel. Rubens still has his part to play, even if it reminds him rather painfully of his years at Ferrari. A reliable number 2 who still gives his all is a valuable asset to any team. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Steve Ellis Well I never claimed Rubens was usless! Yes it's no shame to be not as good as a driver as Schumacher but I can't help but remember all of Rubens comments about how he was as good as Schumacher if only Ferrari would let him show his stuff. It seems Rubens has no desire to play second fiddle anymore so that's why I believe this is the end of the line for him. He does have a part to play but I don't believe it holds any interest for him. Playing second fiddle to Michael all those years no doubt has worn on him and he's apparently not going to do it again.Yes Brawn is a master strategist, the best in the business imo. But that doesn't mean Red Bull shouldn't up their game. They had no business losing two races in such a similar fashion. Congrats to Webber too. He drove a fine race and took advantage of the situation. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Mr Soap They were having issues with the KERS graphics, either that or Hamilton, Massa and Raikkonen all had failed KERS systems.Overall, it was about what you'd expect from Barcelona. I remember 3 proper overtaking moves in the entire race. Hamilton on Piquet, Alonso on Webber and Webber on Alonso. (Off the start has more to do with how well you can start than how well you can fight for position, and Vettel/Alonso on Massa doesn't really count, for obvious reasons)And more Button winning. I'm getting rapidly tired of this season. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive Steve: Oh, I don't blame Rubens for all those wishful statements about his Ferrari days. A driver has to believe he's the best or he loses the motivation to keep trying. And, if the wins don't come, the book of excuses is very long, I believe!It doesn't have to be the end of the line for Rubens either - Patrese made most of his career as a reliable number 2 and I think Rubens is big enough to accept that Button is just quicker than he is. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive Mr Soap: I agree about Barcelona but three overtaking moves is about three more than we usually see in the Spanish GP!As regards Button winning, however, I sat with gritted teeth, enduring the endless Schumacher years, so a season of domination by another driver still feels like a rest to me. Let him have his time in the sun, say I. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Steve Ellis CliveAccording to comments I read, Rubens has thrown down the gaunlet about not playing second fiddle to Button. Thus I do think this will be Barrichello's last year and he will not be doing a Patrese. I can't see Ross doing anything but backing Button now which will lead to Rubens departure at the end of the year. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive Steve: Funnily enough, I agree. Rubens has had a good innings and this would be a great year to end on. It's all downhill from there. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Timbo As Clive says, I'm glad Red Bull remembered they have a second driver! According to James Allen, there were a lot of long faces in the Red Bull garage, despite Webber's third place.Webber's starting to show himself as the master of the ballsy overtake when the chips are down - witness his around-the-outside-through-a-wall-of-spray move on Button in China, and his race defining re-take of Alonso yesterday. I read a comment somewhere wondering if Vettel has made an overtaking move. It's an interesting question, as his two wins have come from pole in the rain, when all the cars behind him are at a relative disadvantage due to the spray. He is undoubtedly a stellar qualifier, but are there question marks over his race craft? Relatively poor starts have cost him greatly this year, and he's had more than one race ruined being stuck behind KERS cars for lengthy periods. Additionally, his clumsy defence of position (and Kubica's equally clumsy attempted pass) cost him a podium in Melbourne. It'll be interesting watch Vettel develop over the course of the year. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Lee I am looking forward to monaco as the lower speed of the circuit will make the double diffusers less effective, I wonder if webber will get a win there?Great drive by the brawn drivers and another unbelievably stupid weekend for Ferrari.@K2sanThe KERS graphics seemed to be a little broken, if you looked closely you could see that they were switched on by the yellow outline of the battery symbol but the power level of the battery seemed to remain full. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive Timbo: Mateschitz's teams do seem to play favourites a lot. It has been most obvious with Toro Rosso but Red Bull are displaying the same symptoms now. It's a shortsighted policy as it means you discourage the second driver and can limit the team's chances as a result.Webber, however, is not the kind to lie down in the face of the Vettel adulation and he will fight to prove that he is at least as good as der Seb. This was always going to be the most interesting driver combination of the season and it has not been decided yet by a long way! Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive Lee: Before Barcelona, it seemed to be the consensus that the RB5 would have the edge over the BGP 001 at Monaco but, since the race, I have seen some commentators say that the Brawn will be better suited to the tight confines of the municipality. I suspect that we might see another car entirely spring to the front as the track is so different from those we have been to so far.In the early days of Ron Dennis' tenure at McLaren, John Watson used to surprise everyone with his amazing performances on street circuits and there is a chance that the MP4-24 in Hamilton's hands might suddenly come good in Monaco. Lewis is always awesome (in the genuine meaning of the word) at threading the barriers and the car is known to handle well but lack downforce. That sounds like a pretty good recipe for Monaco to me. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Timbo Clive: I think you're right about Red Bull/STR driver favouritsm. They played a lovely game of mental disintegration with Scott Speed didn't they? Helmut Marko certainly seems to play favourites. Craig Lowndes (a very handy Australian touring car driver) went to Europe to drive for him in F3000 in 1997 at Tom Walkinshaw's behest - partnering Montoya. Apparently he'd miss practice sessions because the mechanics would leave his car in pieces to work on JPM's... Date Added: 11/05/2009
Steven Roy First I have to say interesting thoughts on Hamilton at Monaco. As you know Clive I have never doubted his ability but I hadn't even considered the possibility of him winning at Monaco. I would love to see it happening. Strangely enough my second choice would be Raikkonen just to shut Eddie Jordan's face.On board radio from Kimi on the parade lap before the start said he had KERS problems but there also seemed to be graphics problems on all KERS cars.I find it amazing that so many people not only believe the Brawn company line but are indignant as to any suggestion that he would deliberately shuffle his drivers. Barrichello was clearly faster for much of the weekend and there was no sign at any stage of the race that Button was so much faster. I fail to understand why Barrichello's second stint was so short or how when you have two such similar drivers that 3 stints on soft tyres only takes you 3 laps further than a 2 stop when the whole point is to stay off the hard tyre for as long as possible.It is also interesting that the only other cars who did not do a two stop strategy were the last two finishers. I am sure that Brawn planned 2 and 3 stop strategies for both car and that the A option was the 3 stopper which would have been used had they got stuck behind Massa at the start. However in clear air the 2 stopper was clearly faster. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive Timbo: I have to agree that STR made a complete mess of Scott Speed while he was with the team - he was disliked from the first yet still proved himself better than Liuzzi in the end. Ancient history now but it still rankles.I had not heard that story about Helmut Marko. Interesting stuff and thanks for recounting it. Date Added: 11/05/2009
Clive Steven: Fortunately, I do not have to listen to Eddie Jordan's nonsense over here in the States. :DIn mitigation of Brawn's strategy, I do believe the story that Barrichello's third set of soft tyres was poor - Rubens himself said so. And it was made pretty clear on the team radio what was required of Rubens once Button had been switched to plan B. "It's up to you now, Rubens," they told him. He still had a good chance of winning but the third stint put an end to that. Date Added: 11/05/2009
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