Current Driver Standings
1. Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes) 85
2. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn-Mercedes) 71
3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 69
4. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 51.5
5. Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) 45
Mark Webber, who had all kinds of mechanical problems and had to take several pit stops in Japan, nevertheless came up with the fastest lap time in the race, a clear indication that when those Red Bull cars are fit, they have a chance to be dominant. And why not? As I'm writing this, I'm drinking Red Bull, but I guess that's another matter. Webber had the fastest time in Friday's first practice session for the race, and he was pretty closely followed by a Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello, and then by Webber's teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who won with ease at Suzaka and has to be considered a prime contender for this race.
Then, Fernando Alonso of Spain, who is still racing for the Renault team but will be in a Ferrari next season, grabbed the best time for the second practice session, and perhaps a little bit surprisingly, another Red Bull guy, Sebastian Buemi, the youngster who races with the Toro Rosso team, was second there.
I don't think there is any question that we are expecting Barrichello, who is running out of races in order to catch Brawn GP teammate Jenson Button for the drivers title, to go all out in this one in front of his countrymen. of course, he has to win this race, or get close to it, while Button finishes out of the money. Button didn't have a bad practice time in the second session, placing fifth.
Vettel is still a dangerous guy, because he is just two points behind Barrichello and can also make a major advance here. Of course, he is also hoping for a finish by Button that is out of the points, and I don't know if that is likely, since Button has been shut out only in the Belgian Grand Prix, where he had to retire from the race. However, after grabbing 61 points in the first seven races of the season, he only has 24 points in the eight races since.
Even though the consensus opinion is that Ferrari is holding off on much improvement and technical work on its car, anticipating the arrival of Alosno and the return of Felipe Massa next season, it will be hard to keep Kimi Raikonnen off the podium. He has battled for four top three finishes in the last six races, and is head of defending champion Lewis Hamilton in the drivers standings. Of course, he’s the guy who is making about $3 million per race, so he had better be worth it somehow.
Barrichello has stirred up a little controversy this week by suggesting that the Ferrari team will experience some personality conflicts next year between Alonso and Massi, and he also was somewhat dismissive of the abilities of Raikonnen, who is going to be the odd man out at Ferrari. Where Barrichello lands next year is anyone's guess, but he can extend the drama by taking the checkered flag. He has been pretty hot in the second half, and much the best between the two Brawn drivers. However, I just wonder if the Brawn people want him to win so badly, since he could be in the Williams camp next year. Somehow I think he gets screwed.
Here's my podium:
SEBASTAIN VETTEL
LEWIS HAMILTON
MARK WEBBER
The rest of the top eight:
KIMI RAIKKONEN
JENSON BUTTON
NICO ROSBERG
ADRIAN SUTIL
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
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