Season 2009 Review
That the traditional pecking order was overturned - to the point where Button became the first non-Ferrari, McLaren, Williams or Benetton/Renault drivers champ since 1983, and Brawn the first constructors champion outside of the big four since 1978 - was due to the new regulations for 2009, and the fact that once again, as in 1994 and 1998, radical new rules devolved down to a battle between Brawn and Adrian Newey. But, disappointingly, that was just about the only really noticeable impact of the 2009 rules. Yes the cars looked dramatic with their wide front wings and narrow rear wings, but despite the efforts of the Overtaking Working Group, there was still too much aero turbulence which limited passing opportunities. Braking distances remained too short and adjustable front wings served little purpose apart from maximising lap times by a few fractions of a second in qualifying. The return to slicks had no discernable impact either, nor did the gap between compounds which Bridgestone introduced.
But by far the biggest white elephant was KERS. Max Mosley was correct in some areas, but this green initiative will not be amongst his memorable legacies as FIA president. Developing KERS was at odds with cost-cutting in the GFC. KERS added too much weight to make it worthwhile for teams trying to optimise weight distribution. Most teams didn't use it, Renault and BMW abandoned it, and in the end only McLaren and Ferrari used it to artificialise results, and as much for defence as for attack. The story of KERS took a back seat though to four other major off-track controversies that kept the headlines flowing despite no in-season testing. First there was lie-gate and McLaren's attempt to mislead the Melbourne stewards, which saw Ron Dennis and Dave Ryan moved on and Lewis Hamilton chastened. The issue over double diffusers pitted FOTA unity against competitive self-interest and arguably decided both titles. And enough has already been said about Renault and the Singapore crash-gate saga.
The other seismic story was the FOTA breakaway series. Who was a winner out of that? Anyone? Consider the key figures involved on the FOTA side: Luca di Montezemolo has resigned from his role as FOTA head; Flavio Briatore has been banned for life - FIA vendetta, question mark, notwithstanding - and Renault's future remains cloudy; John Howett and Mario Theissen came from two teams, Toyota and BMW, which will not be on the grid in 2010, at least not in the names of those automotive giants. FOTA may have been an association that included 'privateers', but in reality it was driven by manufacturers who were in the sport for commercial reasons. Behind the façade of press releases, behind the altruistic talk, it was all about money and personalities. It was about Bernie Ecclestone and CVC getting what is probably an unfair share of the pie. It was about Mosley's dictatorial and at-times vindictive leadership style. The trigger points, such as the issue of cost cutting, were often things on which both sides actually agreed.
And yet, despite his excesses, Max was right on two fronts. He was right in emphasising cost-cutting, even though his methods - rule changes, standardised parts, two-tiered formulas - were at times ill-founded. He was also right in that governance by the teams and especially the manufacturers was untenable. Self-interest would win the day, and for automotive companies those would be commercial rather than sporting interests. Honda, BMW and Toyota have simply vindicated Max's position. But eventually, in order to quell the revolt, Max had to agree to leave his post as FIA president and not seek re-election. FOTA got their man in the end. But the battle took a bruising toll on the key FOTA figures as well, such that no-one can be sure about the future influence of the organisation. And ultimately, Bernie and CVC still hold the purse-strings, but the blood-letting and settling of personal scores has at least cleared the decks and allowed new personalities - and perhaps a new F1 - to gradually emerge.
To that end, in 2010 USF1, Campos, Virgin GP and Lotus, plus Mercedes in place of Brawn and Sauber in place of BMW means the biggest grid since 1995. And then there's the return of Michael Schumacher, and all the subplots that creates. How will Schumi fare against Hamilton, Button and Fernando Alonso? Schumacher versus Sebastian Vettel is a battle of the old and new guard. Can Schumi and Brawn create more magic? Will Jean Todt's relationship with Michael raise eyebrows now that Todt is FIA chief? There are so many positive and exciting stories but there are still other issues about F1's direction that need to be addressed. The sport continues to move away from its heartland - both in terms of locations and in terms of fan access - and the spectacular opulence of places like Abu Dhabi not only boggles the mind, but shows that almighty dollar hasn't stopped ruling yet. And there are yet more rule changes for 2010, for example with the biggest shake-up of the points system in championship history.
The banning of refuelling in particular will add cost as teams have to arrive at new design concepts, but it does not guarantee any better racing. In fact many fear that this move will reduce the amount of on-track action, as there won't even be pit-stop sequence leapfrogging to speak of. In our 2007 review we suggested that it was the beginning of a new era of F1. That was inaccurate. It was the beginning of a period of transition that may only start to calm down from now on. And just to prove that the convulsions of change haven't finished just yet, witness the state of the drivers market. In the last off-season, Red Bull and Toro Rosso were the only teams to make one driver change each. This off-season, they look like the only teams that might not be revising their line-up. 2009 and onwards is a time when no-one has got everything right on track, and no-one has always been on the right side of the fence off the track, and everyone will keep on adjusting to ever-shifting goalposts.
All in all, 2009 will be remembered as a complex but intriguing year, with the one-off fairytale of Brawn and Button, and other feelgood moments for Rubens Barrichello, Vettel and Mark Webber. There were low points like Felipe Massa's dreadful accident and some severe underachievers, but also some pleasant surprises, from Sebastien Buemi to Force India, from Luca Badoer's sensational(ly hapless) comeback to the banzai-ness of Kamui Kobayashi. F1 simply keeps churning out the headlines.
Here are our team reviews for the season, ranked here according to a rating out of 10 awarded by us. We have taken into consideration their equipment, past form, luck (or lack thereof) and, just as importantly, our initial expectations for 2009.
10. Renault
This was Renault's annus horribilis. It was a far cry from the heady days of 2005 and 2006 when, despite a smaller budget, it defeated McLaren and Ferrari thanks to its technical nous, tight organisation, and well-balanced driving line-up. The team focussed its finite resources on its KERS that was ineffective and only used sparingly, and not on its aero package where the real gains were to be made. The R29 spent the season being undeveloped and unsophisticated - not to mention just plain ugly. The car was a lower-end points scorer at best even in Fernando Alonso's hands, resulting in low fuel strategies to get the Spaniard early track position which were rarely optimal. Neither Nelson Piquet Jr or Romain Grosjean proved good enough to be truly competitive, and so Renault often opted for the other extreme in terms of strategy for the second car - loading it up with fuel at the start - which only added to Piquet and Grosjean's anonymity. One solitary pole and podium and 26 points was a meagre return.
Perhaps Flavio Briatore got too caught up on FOTA matters, which ultimately bit him hard personally and hurt the team. By the end of the season he and Pat Symonds were gone, most of the sponsors had fled, Alonso was off to greener pastures, and the team had suffered the ignominy of the Crashgate scandal on top of the original ban that it was due to face in Valencia. The Renault boardroom was even selling a stake in the team to Genii Capital just to continue in the sport. It was time to start over from scratch.
Prospects for 2010:
9. Toro Rosso Ferrari
Toro Rosso paid a heavy price in 2009 for being the junior team in the Red Bull food chain. The RB5/STR4 chassis was late in arriving anyway, and then had to be modified around-the-clock to fit the Ferrari engine, such that most of the team's pre-season testing - and hence most of its testing full stop - was done with a version of last year's car. Likewise, the revisions to the Red Bull, including a double-deck diffuser and wider nosecone, did not reach Faenza until Hungary. Moreover, Adrian Newey was focussed on the senior team, and not on Toro Rosso's requirements with its Ferrari motor. STR, on the other hand, did not have the financial or technical resources in the factory to develop and finetune in the absence of in-season testing. Dietrich Mateschitz's statements about selling up added instability and diverted attention, whilst the driving force was unable to direct the team technically either, or to regularly maximise the team's potential.
On that front, STR erred in promoting Sebastien Buemi early from the junior program to replace Sebastian Vettel, and so retained Sebastien Bourdais over signing Takuma Sato in the name of stability. Whilst Buemi impressed, he was a rookie who became team leader when the even greener Jaime Alguersuari replaced Bourdais. So much for stability. It was the sight-impaired leading the blind. The overall result was 13 retirements, six caused by accidents, and nothing near replicating the team's 2008 achievements.
Prospects for 2010:
8. BMW Sauber
BMW's decision to forgo its 2008 championship challenge to focus on 2009 will go down as one the most foolish acts of hubris in recent F1 history. Associated with that was the team's boardroom-driven decision to veto an agreement by all the other teams to ditch KERS for this season. This was no doubt influenced by the team's belief that, having shifted attention to 2009 earlier than most, and being the first to get its challenger onto the tracks, it was a step ahead of the rest. How miserably wrong that assumption was. KERS was not as determinative a factor as aerodynamics. The F1.09's package not only gave the Renault R29 a run for its money in the ugly duckling stakes, but it was also basic and ineffective. Front wing endplates were so crucial, and yet BMW's were Neanderthal compared to others. The bulky KERS components, which were dumped early on anyway, only exacerbated the inefficiency of the airflow around the car, especially around the sidepods.
The situation so dispirited Robert Kubica that the team rarely got the best out of him all season. There was a late-season upsurge - the double top-five grid and finishing positions at Spa and Kubica's 2nd at Brazil being the highlights - but it was too late for BMW to start getting the aerodynamics right. And by this stage, BMW had already pulled the pin on its F1 efforts, having been rudely awoken to the fact that the best-laid plans and strategic timelines can oft go awry.
Prospects for 2010:
7. Toyota
Let's make this clear: Toyota did not have a bad season. In fact, it had one of its better years out of its eight in F1. Five podiums, one pole, four other front row starts, and two fastest laps told of a car that was fundamentally right, which explained the team's early season performance. The TF109 featured a double-deck diffuser, was gentle on its tyres, and had a simplistic but effective front-wing package that even attracted envious admiring glances from Adrian Newey. But did Toyota get the fundamentals correct because it understood the regulations, or by chance? The car was wildly unpredictable; the team locked out the front row in Bahrain, but two races later was eliminated in Q1 at Monaco. That fluctuation even showed on single race weekends; Timo Glock scored fastest lap at Valencia having started 14th and finished 13th. Development parts were often discarded because they didn't fit well with the overall package, but late in the season it was fast again in the flyaway rounds.
Throw in the cock-up of running prime tyres in the middle stint in Bahrain, which was the most damning example of Toyota's strategic deficiencies, and you have a team that is so muddled in its approach, so lacking in clear-sightedness and technical direction, that it's no surprise that it hasn't won anything. But that is nothing new - that has been the story for the past eight years. The irony is that head office pulled the plug wondering why the approach didn't work, instead of realising that the approach was all wrong to begin with.
Prospects for 2010:
6. Ferrari
2009 was the year that was going to test Ferrari's technical depth. In the end, Maranello chose not to give us a conclusive answer in that regard. Despite the magnitude of the rule changes leading into the season, Ferrari tried to take as much an a conservative evolutionary path with the F60 as possible, and the result was a car which, whilst not as much of a dog as others at the beginning of the year, was nevertheless far from state-of-the-2009-art. Everything was just above average, but nowhere near great. For example, the KERS package was not as effective as McLaren's but worth persisting with. The belated double-deck diffuser was unable to fully utilise the concept due to the car's gearbox design. Earlier than just about everyone, Ferrari chose not to further develop the F60, practically writing off the year by mid-season or even earlier. Operationally, the team also made some unusual errors, such as the Q1 eliminations in Malaysia and Spain, and choice of monsoon tyres for a light shower at Sepang.
In addition, the team's best performances, at Monaco, Hungary, Spa and Monza, were on atypical tracks or were KERS-assisted. Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa also flattered the car, as the trials of Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella proved. As a result, despite coming 4th in the constructors' title, we never knew if Ferrari fully understood current design concepts, especially in the absence of KERS which will not be used next year, or how to develop this style of car throughout a season. That spells uncertainty for 2010.
Prospects for 2010:
5. Williams Toyota
Undoubtedly, there were disappointments in Williams' 2009 campaign. The FW31 was one of the double-deck diffuser cars at year's start, but failures to capitalise whilst others struggled meant that after Spain, it only had 4.5 points compared to Toyota's 26.5 and Brawn's 68. In the first half of the season, it consistently topped free practice sessions but could not replicate that pace when it mattered. Instead of taking advantage of the new rules to jump back to the top, Williams only ended up 7th in the constructors' title. A big part of that was Kazuki Nakajima's failure to score all season, and his lack of pace which meant that he only made Q3 four times whereas Nico Rosberg only missed it three times. But otherwise there was much to like about what Williams was doing. Yes, it was the only team other than Toro Rosso not to record a podium or a pole, but in Rosberg's hands it was a lot more consistently competitive than all but Brawn and Red Bull, Monza being the only major blip in terms of the team challenging for points.
Development was being kept up, and unlike some recent years, tended to make a positive difference. This was arguably Williams' best year, in terms of regular potential, since 2004 or 2005. Plus, in the midst of the off-track machinations, Williams consistently took the most sensible and apolitical positions. As the manufacturer era started to come to a sudden end, Williams reminded everyone of what it stood for - a no-nonsense independent team getting on with the job, and doing it well.
Prospects for 2010:
4. Force India Mercedes
Vijay Mallya's men could be forgiven for feeling frustrated that, despite producing a car that was fundamentally under two seconds off the pace of the best, as the season began it looked as though it would still be mired at the back. In eras past, two seconds could have separated the first two rows, not the whole grid, especially in years of major rule changes. The VJM02 might have been even closer to the ultimate pace were it not for a late redesign to incorporate the excellent Mercedes engine. But instead of getting dispirited, the Force India crew chipped away at their goal of becoming regular points scorers, with no let-up in development and several significant upgrade packages, notably at Silverstone and Valencia. The result was what would have been the feel-good story of the year had it not been for Brawn's emergence, with Giancarlo Fisichella's pole and should-have-been win at Spa and Adrian Sutil's front-row start and should-have-been podium at Monza.
Those results were especially due to the car's ability to produce very little drag, although overall downforce was still lacking. Nevertheless, Sutil also starred at the Nurburgring and in qualifying at Suzuka and Interlagos. So the team didn't quite become consistent points gatherers, but if you told them before the season began that they would break out of Q1 twelve times, and get into Q3 on three occasions, they would have taken that. The way their season went was a most pleasant surprise.
Prospects for 2010:
3. McLaren Mercedes
2009 was one wild ride for McLaren. Clearly this ranking, which mirrors where the team finished in the constructors' championship, has got nothing to do with how it miserably botched up the new regulations at first. The MP4-24 looked good, but was hideously off the pace with nowhere near sufficient airflow to the back of the car and therefore it was lacking rear downforce. Only an excellent KERS package and Lewis Hamilton flattered the car in Australia and Bahrain, and potentially at Monaco. Even the initial upgrades McLaren were throwing at the car weren't working. But prior to the German GP, the team took a deep breath, worked out the fundamental flaws of the car, and it was virtually transformed overnight. It still wasn't perfect, but allied to KERS and Hamilton's brilliance, the team won in Hungary and Singapore and was more than competitive at tracks as diverse as Valencia, Monza, Interlagos and Abu Dhabi. Given their early-season form, the extent of the turnaround was truly astonishing.
It also gave the team incredible confidence and momentum leading into 2010. And there was a turnaround off the track as well, as something of a culture change was effected. Ron Dennis had already handed the reins to the more humane Martin Whitmarsh before the season began, but he departed more permanently along with Dave Ryan after the disappointing Lie-gate affair, which also served to improve Hamilton's character for the better. The team was unable to get the best out of Heikki Kovalainen, however.
Prospects for 2010:
2. Red Bull Renault
Arguably, Adrian Newey was the man of the year in F1 in 2009. One could suggest that Brawn's success was due to teamwork focussing on the new regulations early and hitting the jackpot, but Red Bull's breakthrough was down to Newey's vision when presented with a clean sheet of paper. The RB5 was somewhat late, but already sophisticated when it hit the track, and it had a unique concept for both the front and the rear of the car, including a pullrod suspension, which maximised airflow. Newey could be forgiven for overlooking the double-deck diffuser due to the doubts about its legality, and the fact that the car was faster than all bar Brawn even without that element shows just how brilliant it was. When the double-deck diffuser was finally introduced, coupled to the Silverstone aero update, the RB5 was the fastest car in the field. The problem was, by that stage it did not just have to beat the Brawn, it also had to contend with the likes of a rejuvenated McLaren.
Except for Monza, the team battled for podiums all season, and was the most regularly competitive outfit. It took six wins, only two fewer than Brawn, including a dominant hat-trick in the last three races. But the team did have its failings. The Renault engines had reliability and horsepower issues. At times strategy failed Sebastian Vettel and pit work cost Mark Webber. The team seemed too willing to let mistakes go and lacked clinical killer instinct. A carefree approach is good for marketing, but doesn't win titles.
Prospects for 2010:
1. Brawn Mercedes
Much has been said about the fairytale nature of the Brawn story, but the facts speak for themselves. A team that hardly existed a month out from the beginning of the season after Honda's departure had just one week of testing in their just-completed car, which also had to incorporate a different engine. Only the bare minimum two chassis were available. And yet that week suggested that the BGP001 was a rocketship. So it proved with the team winning six of the first seven races and eight in total throughout the year. In so doing, Brawn became the first team since 1978 to win the constructors' crown outside of Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Benetton/Renault. The secret was a fundamentally perfect mix of aero grip, thanks to the detailed front-end treatment and double-decker diffuser created by the ex-Super Aguri team of aerodynamicists, and mechanical grip under the guidance of Ross Brawn. Incredible reliability played its part too, with only two DNFs (only one of them mechanical) all season.
It was not perfect, however. Jobs had to shed, sponsorship was poor and the Virgin deal was really quite minor, and either a resource or ideas deficiency meant that the problem of insufficient tyre temperatures was never fully addressed. That left the team stumbling, rather than storming, to the ultimate prize. But with a record of one season for two titles, Brawn GP will hold a very special and unbeatable place in the F1 history books, as well as one of the most remarkable stories in the rich tapestry of the sport to go with it.
Prospects for 2010:
Here are our driver reviews for the season, ranked here according to a rating out of 10 awarded by us. We have taken into consideration their equipment, past form, luck (or lack thereof) and, just as importantly, our initial expectations for 2009.
N/A. Luca Badoer
Ten years after being cruelly denied his rightful place as a Ferrari substitute whilst at his best, Badoer belatedly got his opportunity in Felipe Massa's place. But he was given the worst Ferrari since 1993 and drove like a man who had not sat in the F60 or not raced in anger for a decade. Rob Smedley says he had a deeper technical understanding than Massa or Fisichella, but he was mocked by the press and the majority of fans, and was not helped by a slightly brusque attitude towards both camps. We simply didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So we did both.
N/A. Kamui Kobayashi
Although he was the inaugural GP2 Asia champion, he had done no better than 16th in the GP2 series proper, and we applauded his elevation as Timo Glock's replacement on the basis that here was another hard tryer. What we didn't expect were two awesome passes on Nakajima in Brazil, the fearless duelling with the champion-elect, and the mature drive to points in Abu Dhabi. He showed as much fight as Sato and Katayama at their best, became an instant folk-hero, and secured a 2010 drive with Sauber. Banzai!
23. Nelson Piquet Jr
A smattering of drives in 2008, such as in Germany and Japan, were enough to keep the jury out as to whether Nelson Jr deserved a place in F1 on merit, but by the time Renault finally ran out of patience with him after Hungary this year, the debate was over. He had out-qualified Fernando Alonso once in 28 races, and in 2009 only had one top 10 finish in Bahrain and only made it to Q3 once. Sure, the R29 was poor and Romain Grosjean did no better, but the mediocrity could not be denied. What made it so much worse, and sealed the 'Reject of the Year' title, was an attitude that made him the most unlikeable F1 driver in two decades or more. There was an arrogance, apparent even before he arrived, that never accepted fault, never admitted room for improvement, and always blamed others, as if his name and family connections entitled him to privilege. He blew the whistle on his own unethical role in the Crashgate saga, but even that was out of revenge for his own sacking. Is F1 better without him?
Prospects for 2010: At time of writing, there are some 2010 seats free, but Piquet seems to be in the frame for none of them. He is a persona non grata in the paddock and has sampled a NASCAR truck instead. But he should be warned: NASCAR fans like big-talking American drivers, but Juan-Pablo Montoya's chutzpah annoyed them, too. Rating: 1/10
22. Sebastien Bourdais
Although team bosses often seem cold and ruthless in their driver choices, most are actually astute judges not only of talent, but also of a driver's ability to cope with the unique F1 environment. There is a reason why no other team except Toro Rosso has ever given Sebastien Bourdais the time of day. Until his pre-Hungary sacking, he had only added two more points for two 8th places to his four points from 2008, and Luca Badoer aside he had the worst average grid position of any driver this season. In Sebastian Vettel's absence he was meant to lead the team and show Sebastien Buemi the way, but the Swiss rookie out-qualified him 7 to 2 and impressed in several races whilst the Frenchman was a model of anonymity. He kept not liking the feel of a current F1 car but there is only so long that excuse can be tolerated. The best drivers find a way to adapt their driving style to cars that they aren't quite in sync with. All Bourdais did was cast doubt on his ability and the true worth of his F3000 and four Champ Car titles.
Prospects for 2010: In late-2009, Bourdais was happy to retreat to Superleague, but rightly or wrongly, that series isn't taken seriously by many observers and seems to be a place for washed-up wannabes. Seb could do worse than go back Stateside to Indycars. Fans and team owners there don't seem to care about results in Europe - or lack thereof. Rating: 2/10
21. Kazuki Nakajima
In 2008, Satoru Nakajima's son had a habit of punching above his weight in races and bringing the Williams home in difficult races, even if his ultimate speed left something to be desired. This season, the deficiency in pace was still a problem. In the first part of the season, when the Williams had the advantage of a double-decker diffuser, he did not make Q3 until Monaco. He had a run from Valencia to Suzuka where he was knocked out in Q1 four times out of five, and he only advanced to Q3 four times all season. Not only was he not pushing team-mate Rosberg hard enough, but he wasn't getting race results either. If anything, he went backwards on Sundays and far too often seemed hell-bent on damaging front wings. Bad luck played a part in him not scoring all season, like in Turkey, but on the other hand his poor speed on full tanks at Silverstone was criminal. To fail to score when Rosberg brought home 34.5 points was simply not good enough. What Kobayashi did to him in Brazil symbolised the transfer of Japanese hopes.
Prospects for 2010: It is unlikely that any of the teams with seats remaining for 2010 will want Nakajima's services. But Kazuki's problem is that his career to date has been supported by Toyota and not his surname. Toyota has now left him high and dry and he has too few connections to make an obvious next step. The dole queue beckons. Rating: 3/10
20. Romain Grosjean
It is hard to imagine that this man was the pre-season GP2 favourite as well as Renault's reserve driver. His frightening crash at Monaco dented his confidence and was not a good platform from which to take over Piquet's hotseat in the recalcitrant Renault R29, without any testing, just as the team was about to face its original Valencia suspension, the Crashgate scandal, and the loss of key personnel and sponsors. But it's in trying circumstances that those with the requisite mental fortitude stand up and be counted. Instead, he was knocked out in Q1 in four out of his seven races, collided with Badoer and Button on consecutive first laps at Valencia and Spa, got freaked out by the feeling of his brakes in Singapore, and generally was too fast where he should have slowed, and too slow where he should have been fast. The way he momentarily fought with Button in Brazil, then surrendered meekly to a host of others, epitomised why few were impressed with him. Bonus points though for the mirth caused by crashing at turn 17 in Singapore.
Prospects for 2010: Grosjean was no shoe-in for the second Renault seat in 2010 anyway, but the change in management makes it even more unlikely that he will stay. He is better off either returning to GP2 or racing in a series where the spotlight is off for a little while. Or alternatively he can return to his bank job in Geneva. Rating: 3.5/10
19. Vitantonio Liuzzi
Apart from the fact that he looks better suited to being in a metrosexual fashion catalogue than a Formula 1 cockpit, Tonio remains one of the enigmas of the paddock. His return at Monza for Force India was nothing short of stunning. After well over 18 months with virtually no competitive driving, he made it into Q3 and qualified 7th on a one-stop fuel load, drove clean around the outside of Heikki Kovalainen at the Parabolica, and looked a contender for the podium until his transmission failed. But was that a function of having virtually the best car in the field on the day, on a circuit that is not hugely challenging? In the remaining four rounds, he advanced to Q2 and finished 11th in Brazil, but in the other three was eliminated early in Q1, was off team-mate Sutil's pace, and languished at the tail of the field. Of course Liuzzi, like other substitutes throughout the year, had had no testing but the jury remained out on just how good he is and the doubters were still a long way from being silenced.
Prospects for 2010: In something of a surprise, Liuzzi was confirmed relatively early for a full season with Force India in 2010. He will need to make the most of the opportunity by matching and beating the speedy Sutil as often as possible, and forcing his way into the points in a car that will probably be just outside of the top ten. Rating: 4/10
18. Heikki Kovalainen
After two seasons in which Kovalainen established a reputation as a consistent operator, took his maiden win in Hungary last year, and gained a foothold in one of the top teams, 2009 turned out to be bitterly disappointing. The highlights, including beating Hamilton home in the wet in China, qualifying 7th in Monaco, running 3rd early in Germany, a front row start at Valencia, and a good one-stopping race at Spa, were far outweighed by the lowlights beginning with two first-lap incidents in the opening two events. Several of those high points went sour - crashing out in Monaco, dropping to 8th in Germany, unable to hold onto a podium at Valencia - but worst of all was Monza where he had the grid position and fuel strategy to win on paper, only to squander his chances in the opening laps and only finish 6th. Sure, he had a run of minor points, but at a time when Hamilton was starting to score poles and wins. Whereas Lewis often exceeded the car, Heikki never came close and the gulf between them was horribly exposed.
Prospects for 2010: The Finn never genuinely looked like retaining the second McLaren seat, and now moves to Lotus with Jarno Trulli to form an experienced and dependable but unexciting line-up there. Kovalainen's standing in the paddock will have been badly dented this year, but Trulli is a good yardstick by which to start rebuilding his reputation. Rating: 4/10
17. Jaime Alguersuari
Even if he was the reigning British F3 champion, as the youngest ever F1 driver the Spaniard caused ripples of concern that his age would make him a hazard, especially since he would have no testing prior to his debut. Those fears were largely unfounded. Obviously he was no new Alonso, he did not out-qualify Buemi once in eight attempts, and he was caught up in his fair share of incidents including the collision with Hamilton at Spa, taking the fuel hose with him in Singapore, and the numerous prangs at Suzuka. But he did not look out of his depth, he acquitted himself maturely enough, and his pace was not too shabby either. Making it into Q2 at a daunting driver's track like Suzuka, in the appalling conditions in Brazil, and at the completely new challenge of Abu Dhabi showed that there was decent raw material to work with. He was dovetailing his F1 efforts with a World Series by Renault campaign unlike, say, Grosjean, which was clever. It meant he wasn't putting all of his eggs into the F1 basket just yet.
Prospects for 2010: At the time of writing, Toro Rosso were yet to decide on their second driver alongside Buemi, which shows that Franz Tost and co are not entirely convinced about Alguersuari just yet. That's fair enough. Even if Jaime doesn't get the drive, going back into a junior formula to hone his skills is no bad move at this stage. Rating: 4.5/10
16. Giancarlo Fisichella
This may seem a rather harsh ranking for the man who took pole for Force India at Spa and who, Kimi Raikkonen's KERS aside, would have won the Belgian GP in one of the best drives of the year. Who also drove excellent races at Silverstone and the Nurburgring to finish only a few seconds outside of the points. But yet again, these were isolated highlights which demonstrated all that is frustrating about Giancarlo Fisichella, and which begged the question why he couldn't drive like that all the time. We have been saying it repeatedly, but for a man of his experience and artistry behind the wheel, he should have been guiding Force India's technical direction and showing Adrian Sutil the way. At the end of the season, the Ferrari may have been unfamiliar and tricky, but Raikkonen and Massa could find a way with it and five races was long enough for Fisi to start doing the same. That showed his ultimate problem; he is a driver who waits for things to happen rather than making the car and team work for him.
Prospects for 2010: Fisichella has a Ferrari testing contract and would seem to be taking over from Luca Badoer and Marc Gene in that role. He claims to be hanging out for a race seat nevertheless, but it would be a surprise if any team prefers him over the energy of a younger driver. Giancarlo may well have driven his last Grand Prix. Rating: 5/10
15. Robert Kubica
One can understand Kubica's disappointment that BMW abandoned his legitimate title challenge in 2008 only to serve up the rubbish that was the F1.09. The illusion brought about by his brilliant opening weekend in Melbourne, which ended in that costly 50-50 collision with Sebastian Vettel when a possible win was on the cards, was quickly shattered when his engine failed early in Malaysia and he missed the Q1 cut in China, followed shortly by the disastrous Monaco weekend. As the car stagnated, so did Robert's form. Between Australia and Belgium, only Turkey and Valencia were noteworthy drives. Odd strategic choices including shortish opening stints on some occasions gave Nick Heidfeld the advantage in the intra-team battle. As the BMW improved from Spa onwards, and as the silly season heated up, so the Pole's performances picked up, culminating in that fabulous 2nd place at Interlagos. But when the chips were down earlier in the season, one felt that he was only giving 90%.
Prospects for 2010: No one doubts Kubica's ability. His team let him down in 2009, so he can afford one bad move before his reputation suffers. The way things currently look, a Renault in transition might be that bad move. One hopes that he will be able to surprise. If not, he must find his way into a top team for 2011. Rating: 5/10
14. Adrian Sutil
He may still be a long way off from being the finished product, but the German made some significant improvement in 2009. He remained incident-prone, crashing out from a potential 5th place in China, blocking Mark Webber in qualifying in Bahrain, suffering a big accident in qualifying in Britain due to brake failure, and being involved in collisions in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Singapore, Japan and Brazil, but only the Singapore clash with Nick Heidfeld was entirely his fault. On the plus side, he also remained stupendous in the wet, but it was some of his dry weather performances that caught the eye. He was exceptional at the Nurburgring and in qualifying at Suzuka, and he had his day of days at Monza where he started on the front row, scored fastest lap, and was denied a podium by Kimi Raikkonen's KERS. By the end of the season, he may not necessarily have been high on other teams' shopping lists, but most team bosses would have been giving him more than a second's thought.
Prospects for 2010: 2010 could be a year where Sutil shines and really establishes himself as a permanent fixture on the grid. If the Force India is on the fringes of the top ten, and if Adrian can stay out of incidents and maintain his late-2009 pace, he could find himself being a semi-regular points scorer and his team's undisputed lead driver. Rating: 5.5/10
13. Timo Glock
One needs reminding of how Glock began the season. He started from the pits in Australia but was classified 4th, he was competitive at Sepang and finished 3rd, he drove a magnificent race in Shanghai to claim 7th, and then he started on the front row and led the first stint comfortably in Bahrain. But then came the strategic howler from the pit wall that dropped him to another 7th by race end, and from there, as Toyota's form sagged, so Timo also went into an anonymous midfield funk. Yes there was the odd point here and there, the odd Q3 qualifying performance, the left-field fastest lap in Valencia, and decent race drives in Germany and Hungary, but Glock was not stringing whole race weekends together. That was until Singapore, where out of nowhere he started 6th and claimed a career-best-equalling 2nd. But he followed that up by losing concentration in qualifying in Japan, crashing and injuring his leg. It was symbolic of a season in which he could not sustain intensity or keep his eye on the ball.
Prospects for 2010: Timo has thrown his lot in with Virgin GP for 2010. All the new teams have question marks; Virgin's will be coping with the smallest budget in F1, and a car that depends on CFD rather than wind-tunnel modelling. Glock can't hope for miracles, only the occasional surprise amidst the usual lower-midfield hard slog. Rating: 5.5/10
12. Jarno Trulli
There was some similarity in the way that Trulli and Glock's seasons went, but Jarno had more peaks than his team-mate, and did not have as extended a run of mediocrity as Timo did. The Italian also had a clear edge in qualifying, winning the intra-team qualifying battle against his team-mates (both Glock and Kobayashi) 13-4, appearing in Q3 eleven times, taking pole in Bahrain and recording front-row starts in Belgium and Japan, even if his aura as the qualifying king seemed to fade somewhat. Although his drives in Australia and Japan were right out of the top drawer, and he made the best of the situation in Bahrain, out of his eight points-scoring races he never had more than two in a row, which underscored an inconsistency that we had not seen for several years. He also got caught up in a rather high number of incidents for a driver of his experience, and the way he behaved after his clash with Sutil in Brazil was not only ugly, but seemed like the actions of a grumpy old man starting to go on the wane.
Prospects for 2010: Trulli and Kovalainen at Lotus may not stir anyone's soul, but it will actually be a moderately interesting intra-team battle. It is not clear who will emerge on top, especially if this is Jarno's last posting before he tries something different like NASCAR. Trulli is unlikely to score a large number of points, however. Rating: 6/10
11. Nick Heidfeld
If your life depended on someone to drive at eleven tenths, or pull out a mega lap, or deliver something special, Nick Heidfeld is not your man. Although he finished 2nd in the rain-shortened Sepang race, that was thanks largely to a tyre gamble at just the right moment. Otherwise, he did not really produce anything that you would class as a special drive, like team-mate Kubica's efforts in Australia and Brazil. Mind you, the man from Munchengladbach has produced nothing of the sort ... in living memory. What you do know you're going to get is nothing less than an honest, consistent effort, which contrasted with Kubica's fluctuations this year. Kubica may have had higher highs, but also lower lows. Nick's run of 41 classified finishes was finally snapped by a reckless Sutil in Singapore. In the six races from Monaco to Valencia, Heidfeld finished 11th four times and 10th once, reflecting exactly where his car was at, as did his four points-scoring finishes in the last six races. He was a perfect gauge of where his BMW stood.
Prospects for 2010: Heidfeld looked a shoe-in for the second Mercedes seat until the other Schu returned. That potentially spells bad news as the remaining teams are probably looking for a driver that brings money. It would be unfortunate if Nick can't get a drive because he would be an asset to Sauber or one of the new teams like USF1. Rating: 6/10
10. Sebastien Buemi
A top-ten ranking for Buemi reflects the low expectations just about everyone held for the Swiss rookie when the season began, and how much Sebastien caught the eye as his season progressed. Advancing to Q2 and scoring points on debut was surprising enough, but qualifying 10th and starring in the wet in China left even the most cynical observers impressed. Then came the inevitable dip including his collisions with Bourdais and Piquet in Spain and Monaco respectively, but he had made it to Q2 in both those events as well. In all, Buemi out-qualified Bourdais 7 to 2, and had a perfect 8-0 record over Alguersuari, making Q2 nine times and Q3 on four occasions. He rode out the middle part of the year when the Toro Rosso was uncompetitive, but when the upgrade package arrived for Hungary his form picked up again, culminating in the last three races of the year. At Suzuka his raw pace was staggering, whilst in Brazil and Abu Dhabi his mature drives to points suggested that his rough edges were being refined, and fast.
Prospects for 2010: Next season could prove more difficult for Buemi, in that Toro Rosso won't have the equivalent of the Red Bull at its disposal. Getting into the points might be a struggle, but Sebastien can impress further if he continues to punch above his weight. Having an experienced team-mate would only speed up his development. Rating: 6/10
9. Felipe Massa
This ranking simply reflects the fact that Felipe's season was sadly curtailed and we never got to see how he would have gone in the last seven races. Up to that point, his season fell into two distinct segments. After his championship near-miss in 2008, the first four races saw much effort for zero reward, as Felipe faced the reality that the F60 was not only troublesome but simply not a title contender, and his panicking team made bizarre errors like the backfiring Q1 gamble in Malaysia. But once the Ferrari started to improve a little bit, and Massa came to terms with the fact that he had to make the best of an average situation, his form picked up markedly. He staved off Vettel bravely in Spain and should have been 4th, his exceptional middle stints at Monaco and Silverstone did indeed net 4th places, and he was finally rewarded with a podium at the Nurburgring. At that point he had 22 points to Raikkonen's 10. Given how much Raikkonen impressed thereafter, what could Felipe have done?
Prospects for 2010: Six questions come to mind. Will he be physically ready? Will his accident have lasting psychological effects? Can he carry on his momentum or is he starting from scratch? Will Ferrari give him a race-winning car? How will he handle Alonso as a team-mate? And can he cope with his mentor Schumi racing for Mercedes? Rating: 6.5/10
8. Fernando Alonso
There was no doubt that Alonso extracted as much out of the Renault R29 as humanly possible, even if he did not exceed the car on as many occasions as he could, such was his understandable frustration that after the improvement shown in late-2008, the team dished up such mediocrity on and off the track this season. He only missed Q3 five times which told of his enormous inherent ability, and when the team went really aggressive with strategy, as in China and Hungary, he planted his car on the front row. Often, though - nine times to be precise - he started in the fourth or fifth rows, and not necessarily with a heavy fuel load, which meant that he was scrapping for minor points and vulnerable to rivals running long from just outside the top ten. In the circumstances, eight points finishes was a commendable effort, with the two major highlights being a superb marathon middle stint in Germany and the podium in Singapore which lifted the team's spirits. But was there any doubt that he would be Ferrari-bound in 2010?
Prospects for 2010: After all the crap with McLaren in 2007, and then two years of treading water with Renault, can you imagine how much Fernando would be itching to grab the 2010 season by the throat? A season-long battle with Massa, Button, Hamilton, Schumacher and Vettel would be epic. We just need Ferrari to produce a race-winner. Rating: 6.5/10
7. Kimi Raikkonen
In our season preview, we said that 2009 would be a test of Kimi's reputation and motivation. How true that turned out to be. In the first half of the season, it was easy to make the "coke and ice cream" jokes. Although he was more consistent than Massa in qualifying, and although he scored Ferrari's first points in Bahrain and first front row and podium in Monaco, when Felipe was putting in some sparkling drives in mid-season, The Iceman was being left in the shade. In all, Felipe out-qualified him 6 to 4. But after Massa's accident in Hungary, and Raikkonen had to step up as team leader, as well as to prove his worth to his team and the paddock at large, Kimi was excellent. Four straight podiums in Hungary, Valencia, Belgium and Italy, including his traditional Spa brilliance when Fisichella was quicker, stamped an indelible mark. After ten fastest laps in 2008, in 2009 Kimi had none, which meant he was eking out the results in an inferior car. Would probably have been ranked below Massa, though, if Felipe had a full season.
Prospects for 2010: It now seems a shame that Kimi won't be on the grid in 2010. With Schumacher back, it would have meant that every champion of the last decade would be fighting it out in an all-stars final. But note that Raikkonen will be Red Bull-backed in the WRC, signalling a return in 2011 with Dietrich Mateschitz's team? Rating: 7/10
6. Nico Rosberg
Rosberg's consistency in 2009 was the sign of a driver who had matured and was ready for the next level. With 14 appearances in Q3, only Barrichello and the Red Bull drivers appeared in the last segment of qualifying more times. With 11 points-scoring results, only Vettel and the Brawn drivers recorded more. All of Nico's points finishes were in the region from 4th to 8th, including a run of eight in a row from Spain to Belgium, which was instrumental in driving and keeping up Williams' momentum throughout the year. But whether Nico was becoming a Barrichello-like solid operator, or a driver capable of greatness, was yet to be clarified. The naysayers will point to Melbourne, where the drop-off in his pace on the option tyres was one of the most notable examples of poor tyre management all year. Or to Malaysia, where the lead in the first stint was given up meekly in a single out lap. Or to Singapore, where a sure 2nd and a possible win was thrown away by a rookie's mistake. The platform is there, but where does it lead?
Prospects for 2010: Out of the McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull drivers, Rosberg is the odd man out, with no wins, no poles, and only two podiums and two fastest laps to his name. Instead of being the Mercedes lead driver, he will now be paired with a living legend. 2010 will determine Nico's true standing in F1. Rating: 7/10
5. Rubens Barrichello
This ranking is really by process of elimination. You couldn't rank any lower a man who scored points in 15 out of 17 races, who took two convincing victories at Valencia and Monza (the latter in a straight fight against the eventual champion), and who was in the title hunt right up to Brazil. But at the same time, at no stage did Rubens have any real moments of greatness. The truth is, Rubens was comprehensively out-driven by Button in the first seven races of the year which ultimately determined the championship result. Barrichello never really came to terms with that, or with the poor strategy calls that hurt him at Barcelona and the Nurburgring. His whingeing in Turkey and Germany did nothing to endear him either. And although he became Brawn's lead driver from Britain onwards in terms of regular pace, it was more a case of his performance level remaining steady whilst Button's dropped, and yet Jenson still beat him home in five of those ten events. All in all, it was a pleasant Indian summer for the Brazilian, but little more than that.
Prospects for 2010: Is Rubens' move to Williams driven by ego, by a desire to be a number 1 driver? If so, the satisfaction of that could be wiped out if the Williams is a midfield car, which looks likely, and if Nico Hulkenberg starts out-pacing him. It could hasten his retirement. You know what they say, "Be careful what you wish for ...". Rating: 7/10
4. Mark Webber
Sebastian Vettel may have ended up 14.5 points ahead of Webber, but really there was little to split the Red Bull pair. Webber may have been out-qualified by his team-mate 15 to 2, smashing his qualifying aura, but his worst mishaps, in qualifying in Australia, Bahrain and Britain, and in practice at Suzuka, were pre-race. When it mattered on Sundays, he often had the better of Vettel. In Malaysia, Monaco and Hungary, for instance, he was the one scoring points whilst Sebastian had thrown it away. He was the one pulling off the mega passing moves on Button in China and on Alonso in Spain, and delivering the awesome middle stints in Spain and Turkey. He was the one who dominated at the Nurburgring despite a drive-through penalty, and who took a commanding win in Brazil as well. The five scoreless races from Valencia to Japan that destroyed his title momentum was more the team's fault than his. And Mark did all this carrying an injury. But ultimately, you felt Vettel comfortably had more pace in reserve.
Prospects for 2010: Mark's prospects for 2010 are worrying, however. Against the might of McLaren and Mercedes, and possibly a resurgent Ferrari, if Red Bull can't quite keep pace and Vettel irons out his errors, it is possible to see Mark scrapping only for points in the 5th or 6th territory and finishing around 7th in the championship. Rating: 7.5/10
3. Sebastian Vettel
There was hardly a more impressive sight in 2009 than Sebastian Vettel in full flight. When Webber pulled off something special, you admired the bravery and effort. When Vettel did something other-worldly, you knew you were watching evolving genius. That was the difference between them. Take, for example, the stunning qualifying laps in China and Japan and his complete supremacy in both races, and also his sheer dominance from the front in Britain, and once he got to the lead in Abu Dhabi. Or consider the blinding laps just before pit stops in Bahrain, Germany, Belgium and Brazil that leapt him up the field. All whilst retaining a cheerful and friendly demeanour that made him impossible to dislike. But if he has any burning ambition beneath, which he does, he should know that he ought to have been the champion. Poor starts in Bahrain, Spain, Germany and Hungary which hurt his strategy, and errors in Australia, Malaysia, Monaco, Turkey all cost him points that determined the fate of the title.
Prospects for 2010: For all his ability, the 2010 season will test Vettel's weaknesses. No refuelling means he must improve his starts, and begin passing people on track if the Red Bull is not a dominant car. Having four World Champions in the field, including the man whom Vettel is supposed to succeed, will also challenge Sebastian's confidence. Rating: 7.5/10
2. Lewis Hamilton
5th place and 49 points was Hamilton's lowest place and points haul in his F1 career, and exactly half the points he scored in his championship-winning 2008, but it was arguably his best season to date. Without the advantage and the associated arrogance of a race-winning car, and after his fantastic 4th place in Melbourne was stripped away thanks to the unscrupulous attempt to blindside the stewards, Lewis realised he had to work for his results and adopt a more humble attitude in so doing. He succeeded in both areas. The result was another 4th place in Bahrain in a car that had no right to up that high, and when the McLaren finally started coming good he was ready to exploit it, especially since he was the best exponent of KERS. He won by passing Webber on track in Hungary and by dominating Singapore, took four poles, and fought to the death on his two-stop strategy at Monza. His last lap crash there showed that mistakes were still a part of his game, following his Q1 accident at Monaco and his over-brave start in Germany.
Prospects for 2010: Lewis may need to adjust his style further for the non-refuelling era, and new team-mate Button will be no pushover. Plus he will also have arch-nemesis Alonso in a Ferrari, and the man he would dearly love to race, one M. Schumacher, in a Mercedes. If you aren't salivating at the prospect, what's wrong with you? Rating: 8/10
1. Jenson Button
Brawn's fairytale was also Jenson Button's Cinderella story. He goes from the basement of 'Reject of the Year' in 2008 to the penthouse of World Championship glory and our number one ranking this year. It goes without saying that he set up his year with four poles and six wins from the first seven races. That streak included some outrageously good moments, including his pole lap at Monaco and his relentless race pace in Bahrain, Spain and Turkey, all of which were laced with the self-assuredness of the greats. That same self-confidence disappeared when the Brawn's tyre temperature issues appeared, and his qualifying thereafter was the weakest element of his season. Instead of driving with flair, he kept gritting and forcing his way to points finishes, and Belgium was the only time he missed out whilst no-one was able to challenge him consistently. Along the way his passing manoeuvres, especially in Brazil, quickly went into folklore. Anyone who said he didn't deserve the championship were kidding themselves.
Prospects for 2010: Some might argue that Button has made a foolhardy move to join Lewis Hamilton Racing, a.k.a. McLaren, and is the weakest of the four World Champions on the 2010 grid. They write Jenson off at their peril. The regulations will reward smooth driving and overtaking ability, and Button has both of those qualities in abundance.
Rating: 8.5/10
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