The Veterans Alternative Championship

[Ferrim]

It's going to be Rubens, Michael and Giancarlo then.

[James1978]

2005 (part 2)

The Michelin fiasco at Indianapolis meant only the Ferrari drivers took part in the race and Schumacher won from his annoyed teammate after a frought battle - they now jointly led 54 each with Schumi ahead having more wins.

The next four races were dominated by Schumacher and Fisichella who started to challenge - they each scored two wins and two 2nds up to the summer break after Hungary, but Fisi was still 24 points behind the lead Ferrari, Barrichello kept on picking up points and was still only 14 points behind despite now being a proper number 2 driver, while Coulthard was beginning to fade - even though he was still ahead of Fisichella, his car was MUCH slower.

After a costly retirement by Schumacher in Turkey, four drivers were all within 14 points again. Fisichella then won the class at his home race in Monza, with the Ferraris behind him.

Spa really mixed things up - Fisichella, Coulthard and crucially Schumacher all crashed out and Barrichello benefitted to take the win - he was now only a single point behind his teammate, Fisi was 12 behind and Coulthard's chances were all but over.

Schumacher managed to sneak in front of Fisichella in Brazil with Barrichello suffering from his home curse - not only was he beated by his teammate he had Fisichella between them. It now looked an in-house fight but Fisichella had other ideas, he won the class at Suzuka to keep himself in it as Schumacher finished behind Coulthard - and with Barrichello 4th, it was Schumacher 114, Barrichello 108 and Fisichella 104 but with both Fisichella and Schumacher having 7 wins each, a win by him in China and a retirement for Schumacher would have him ahead on countback.

Schumacher had a complete disaster in China and spun out early - Fisichella was in the lead which would give him 114 points and Ferrari's hope rested with the number 2 to step up - 2nd in the class would give him the title but 3rd wouldn't as he only had two wins. Barrichello was running 2nd towards the end which would have been good enough but the Bridgestone tyres which Ferrari had were not as good as the Michelins for the no tyre stops rule they had that year - consequently Barrichello fell behing both Coulthard and Villeneuve and even a drive-through penatly for Fisichella couldn't stop him taking the win - and the title!!!!

Final standings:

Giancarlo Fisichella 114 (8 wins - AUS ESP GBR GER TUR ITA JPN CHN)
Michael Schumacher 114 (7 wins - RSM MON CAN USA FRA HUN BRA)
Rubens Barrichello 113 (2 wins - EUR BEL)
David Coulthard 95 (1 win - MAL)
Jacques Villeneuve 81 (2 2nd)
Pedro De La Rosa 10 (1 win - BRN)

Barrichello shot himself in the foot by retiring due to handling difficulties in Malaysia - one more lap completed would have had him classfied and 3rd in the class as Fisichella and Villeneuve had retired!! Also De La Rosa's cameo appearance in Bahrain cost Barrichello 2 crucial points - Schumacher and Fisichella retired there so it didn't affect them!!

[James1978]

2006

Michael Schumacher 149 (12 wins - BRN RSM EUR ESP GBR CAN USA FRA GER TUR ITA CHN BRA)
Giancarlo Fisichella 127 (3 wins - MAL AUS JPN, 10 2nd)
Rubens Barrichello 89 (3 2nd, 6 3rd)
David Coulthard 65 (1 win - MON, 1 2nd, 1 3rd)
Jarno Trulli 65 (1 2nd, 3 3rd)
Jacques Villeneuve 42 (1 2nd, 2 3rd)
Pedro De La Rosa 41 (1 win - HUN)

Much shorter this one and inevitable really. The points system that year with a small gap between 1st and 2nd makes it look closer than it really was.

The series lost Jacques Villeneuve mid-season (he scored only ONE Veterans win in Japan 2004 oddly enough) but gained De La Rosa.

This of course will be Schumacher's last season for a while too, but next year his brother will be eligible, and also joining will be Alexander Wurz who signs to race with Williams have been a tester for several seasons.

[James1978]

2007

Giancarlo Fisichella 117 (6 wins - AUS MAL MON FRA GBR TUR, 5 2nd)
Jarno Trulli 90 (3 wins - BRN USA BRA, 4 2nd)
Rubens Barrichello 83 (1 win - ITA, 1 2nd, 6 3rd)
David Coulthard 76 (3 wins - ESP JPN CHN, 3 2nd, 2 3rd)
Alexander Wurz 76 (2 wins - CAN EUR, 1 2nd, 5 3rd)
Ralf Schumacher 71 (2 wins - HUN BEL, 3 2nd, 1 3rd)

This really was all about Fisi having a great 1st half of the year (74 points from a possible 90 from the first 9 races), and even though he wasn't very good in the 2nd half, he had a good enough lead for nobody to seriously challenger him.

He could even have had a hat-trick pf titles as Schumacher got very close to being eliminated from 2006 - that must have been a massive conflict for Fisichella - while he had to support his teammate Alonso for the main title, quietly he'd have wanted Schuamcher to win the main title so he could have the Veterans!!!!

All 6 eligible drivers win races but I guess this shows how much Ralf Schumacher well and truly sucked a**e in his later days by coming last

We lose Ralf and Wurz next year but gain Mark Webber in the (yet to be great) Red Bull as he turns 32. So Toyota this year (in having both drivers eligible) becomes Red Bull next year!!!

[Shadaza]

2007


Rubens Barrichello 83 (1 win - ITA, 1 2nd, 6 3rd)
David Coulthard 76 (3 wins - ESP JPN CHN, 3 2nd, 2 3rd)
Alexander Wurz 76 (2 wins - CAN EUR, 1 2nd, 5 3rd)
Ralf Schumacher 71 (2 wins - HUN BEL, 3 2nd, 1 3rd)

Coulthard, Wurz and Schumacher should hang their heads in shame for being beaten by that POS Honda.

[James1978]

2007


Rubens Barrichello 83 (1 win - ITA, 1 2nd, 6 3rd)
David Coulthard 76 (3 wins - ESP JPN CHN, 3 2nd, 2 3rd)
Alexander Wurz 76 (2 wins - CAN EUR, 1 2nd, 5 3rd)
Ralf Schumacher 71 (2 wins - HUN BEL, 3 2nd, 1 3rd)

Coulthard, Wurz and Schumacher should hang their heads in shame for being beaten by that POS Honda.

Reliability. Rubens only had two retirements and finishing guaranteed you at least 3 points with only six drivers eligible!! Coulthard had 7 retirements!!!!

[James1978]

2008

Jarno Trulli 130 (8 wins - MAL BRN FRA GER HUN EUR JPN BRA)
Mark Webber 123 (5 wins - ESP TUR MON BEL ITA)
David Coulthard 91 (3 wins - CAN SIN CHN)
Rubens Barrichello 78 (1 win - GBR)
Giancarlo Fisichella 60 (1 2nd, 3 3rd)

No finishers in Australia.

Not a vintage year at all. Trulli won Toyota's second Veterans championship almost by default, though Webber got fairly close by much-improved reliability from Red Bull and easily beat his teammate. Recent double champs Barrichello and Fisichella had no chance at all in the worst two cars in the field!

Coulthard retired from F1 with 16 Veterans' wins but no championship.

Next year we get the introduction of........drumroll...........Nick Heidfeld!!!

[James1978]

2009

Rubens Barrichello 129 (6 wins - AUS ESP MON EUR ITA SIN, 6 2nd, 4 3rd*)
Mark Webber 115.5 (7 wins - CHN TUR GBR GER HUN BRA ABU, 3 2nd, 1 3rd)
Nick Heidfeld 89 (1 win - MAL*, 3 2nd, 7 3rd)
Jarno Trulli 84 (2 wins - BRN JPN, 5 2nd*, 1 3rd)
Giancarlo Fisichella 84 (1 win - BEL, 4 3rd)
Luca Badoer 7 (1 5th, 1 6th)

Very close fight for the first two-thirds of the season between Barrichello and Webber - retirements for Webber in Italy and Singapore and coming in at the back in Japan handed it to Rubens on a plate, but he was wonderfully consistent, look how many more non-win podiums barrichello had than Webber. Three other drivers win races when the lead two mess up including a superb performance for Fisichella in Belgium getting Force India's first win.

Nick Heidfeld is really unlucky STILL - he doesn't have a full-length win to his name yet with Malaysia stopped early. And worse still he doesn't get a seat for the start of the 2010 season!!

And quietly sneaking in at the rear is the cameo appearance of Luca Badoer at Ferrari - he unrejectifies himself think to Trulli retiring and clearing out a place in front at Spa.

2010 promises to be good - defending world champion Jenson Button will become the youngest-ever Veterans' driver at 30 having started back in 2000, and 2006 Veterans' Champion Michael Schumacher makes a comeback!!

[James1978]

2010

Mark Webber 363 (9 wins - MAL ESP MON GBR HUN BEL SIN JPN BRA)
Jenson Button 350 (8 wins - AUS CHN TUR CAN EUR GER ITA ABU)
Michael Schumacher 267 (2 wins - BRN KOR, 3 2nd, 7 3rd)
Rubens Barrichello 227 (3 2nd, 3 3rd)
Jarno Trulli 103 (1 3rd, 2 4th)
Pedro De La Rosa 90 (1 2nd, 2 3rd)
Nick Heidfeld 52 (2 3rd)

I thought Webber would walk this but Button kept it close - so much so that if Webber had been a bit careless in Abu Dhabi and not finished he'd have lost the Veterans title. Between them they won all but two races - Schumacher's highlight was winning on his return in Bahrain.

2011 sees another big name join the series - Fernando Alonso who was another very young debutant back in 2001!

[James1978]

2011 (After Hungarian GP)

Fernando Alonso 203 (5 wins - AUS MON EUR GBR GER)
Mark Webber 203 (2 wins - CHN TUR)
Jenson Button 181 (4 wins - MAL ESP CAN HUN)
Nick Heidfeld 101 (1 2nd, 1 3rd)
Michael Schumacher 94 (2 3rd)
Rubens Barrichello 78 (2 4th)
Jarno Trulli 50 (1 5th)
Narain Karthikeyan 28 (2 7th)
Pedro De La Rosa 10 (1 5th)

This is turning out to be a great 3-way battle. It's almost as though the three of them got together and decided The Finger is running away with the main championship, let Lewis and Felipe have their own private scraps, let's us three have a great battle for something meaningful.

And yes - Renault fired Heidfeld after this race when in this he was ahead of Schumacher in the standings. Go home Eric Boullier.

Updates to come!!!

[James1978]

I just want to get this thing finished now......so

2011(part 2)

In Belgium, Renault were for unhappy with Hedifeld's performances so he had to leave F1 with sadly only one half-points Veterans' win to his name, so Schumacher was going to be an unchallenged 4th, but it was now all about the top 3.

Webber finally managed to beat all comers from McLaren and Ferrari in Belgium to take the lead in the championship, but he expensively crashed out at Monza where the crowd's favourite Alonso took the lead in the championship; having finished 2nd to Button it was now Alonso 236, Webber 228 and a closing Button on 224.

The top 3 dominated again in Singapore (with Vettel now running away with the main race and Hamilton and Massa getting iunto scrapes ALL the time by now!), and after Button won from Webber then Alonso, 5 points separated the three of them. Button decisivley won overall in Japan giving him the championship lead from Alonso, but just as Webber looked as though he was starting to lag behind, he them won the class in Korea. Also due to 3 retirements in the last 6 races, Schumacher was only one point ahead of his beloved former teammate Barrichello! (That would be as close as he would get though, with Schumacher following the top 3 home in India and Abu Dhabi).

Another class win for Button in India looked decisive; 2nd in the class in each of the last two races would guarantee the championship, and that's exactly what he did - by coming 2nd to Alonso in Abu Dhabi and then to Webber in Brazil - with Red Bull being class of the firld in Brazil, even 3rd behind Alonso would have done the job! And Barrichello had a nice send-off by beating home Schumacher in last ever race at home!! (Not to mention a massive 35 Veterans' wins since 2003)!!!!!

Final standings:

Jenson Button 353 ( 8 wins - MAL ESP CAN HUN ITA SIN JPN IND)
Fernando Alonso 342 (6 wins - AUS MON EUR GBR GER ABU)
Mark Webber 341 (5 wins - CHN TUR BEL KOR BRA)
Michael Schumacher 167 (3 3rd, 7 4th)
Rubens Barrichello 164 (6 4th, 6 5th)
Jarno Trulli 110 (4 5th, 5 6th)
Nick Heidfeld 101 (1 2nd, 1 3rd)
Narain Karthikeyan 36 (1 6th, 2 7th)
Pedro De la Rosa 10 (1 5th)

[James1978]

2012 (After Spanish GP)

Fernando Alonso 95 (2 wins - MAL ESP, 3 3rd)
Mark Webber 84 (4 2nd)
Jenson Button 83 (2 wins - AUS CHN)
Kimi Raikkonen 80 (1 win - BRN, 1 2nd)
Felipe Massa 42 (2 4th)
Pedro De La Rosa 28 (2 6th)
Michael Schumacher 22 (1 4th)
Narain Karthikeyan 14 (1 7th)

Looking VERY interesting, last year it was a 3-way battle, this has all the makings of being 4-way if Kimi can keep doing the biz. And at De La Rosa being ahead of Schumacher!!!!

[QuickYoda41]

De La Rosa being ahead of Schumacher!!!!

Keep it up, Pedro!

[James1978]

A quick update before Canada!!

Monaco result:

1. Mark Webber
2. Fernando Alonso
3. Felipe Massa
4. Kimi Raikkonen
5. Narain Karthikeyan
6. Jenson Button (as he was still classified)

Retirements for Schumacher and De La Rosa, means that the standings are:

Alonso 113 (2 wins)
Webber 109 (1 win, 4 2nd)
Raikkonen 92 (1 win)
Button 91 (2 wins)
Massa 57 (1 3rd)
De La Rosa 28 (2 6th)
Karthikeyan 24 (1 5th)
Schumacher 22 (1 4th)

BOTH HRTs now ahead of Schumacher!!!!

(OK it probably won't last but it's great to enjoy it while it does)!!!

[James1978]

Update before Belgium:

Alonso 224 (5 wins)
Webber 186 (2 wins)
Raikkonen 177 (2 wins)
Button 152 (2 wins)
Massa 110 (2 3rd)
Schumacher 59 (1 3rd)
De La Rosa 54 (3 6th)
Karthikeyan 36 (1 5th)

No more updates probably until it's known who the real champion is, as there is a good chance it will be a driver who will have to be eliminated from this as a result!

[James1978]

As it tunred out, nobody had to be eliminated - these are the final results!

2012

Fernando Alonso 371 (8 wins - MAL ESP CAN EUR GER ITA IND USA)
Kimi Raikkonen 307 (3 wins - BRN HUN ABU)
Jenson Button 290 (5 wins - AUS CHN BEL SIN BRA)
Mark Webber 281 (3 wins - MON GBR KOR)
Felipe Massa 252 (1 win - JPN)
Michael Schumacher 137 (1 3rd)
Pedro De La Rosa (1 5th)
Narain Karthikeyan 70 (1 5th)

It was easily Alonso's but Raikkonen would have easily won if Alonso had been eliminated by winning the real championship - by finishing every race he had much more to gain.

With Schumacher retiring and possibly no HRT on the grid next year, this championship could be down to just 5 drivers, albeit all of them possibly have a chance of winning - even Massa if he keeps up his late-season form and doesn't always have to defer to his teammate.

Kovalainen would turn 32 next year but he might not get a seat!

[James1978]

With the news about HRT, we are down to just 5 drivers next year! (Unless Kovalainen keeps his seat at Caterham).

Even more scary is that only one of them (Webber) will be older than me - when he retires I'll be older than all the drivers on the grid!!

[James1978]

Now we have the full 2013 line-up, only 5 drivers confirmed for this championship - Webber, Alonso, Massa, Button and Raikkonen. Should be a good fight especially if Massa can keep up his improved form from the latter part of 2012. 10 points guaranteed for being classified so reliability is paramount.

The next oldest driver with a drive is Sutil, but to get him in I'd have to lower the age limit to 30, then Nico Rosberg will have had 10 years in the sport in 2016!!