Obviously from the last race we were already aware of who was going to be this year’s Driver’s Champion – and indeed Constructor’s Champion. Once again, our congratulations go to Jenson Button and Brawn GP for all of the hard work that they’ve put in to ensure that the team that rose from nowhere became the most talked about, and most successful, of 2009.

How about Abu Dhabi though? The race took place on the new circuit that features 3 very different sections and a wonderful tunnel exit from the pit lane. The scene was set for a race that would go from day into dusk and apparently the facilities were first rate. What about the action though? Well, following qualifying was brisk and Hamilton showed that he continues to have the pace and the skill to bring his car to the front of the pack. Vettel similarly was looking strong, as was Webber.

Unfortunately for Lewis Hamilton, a brake problem on lap 20 saw his race brought to an early halt – leaving Sebastien Vettel to cruise on to a more than deserved victory. Webber then came in second, closely followed by none other than Jenson Button – showing just what a class act he really is to be on the podium.

So, what did you make of this year’s Formula 1 season? There’s of course been a ton of controversy – in fact probably more than I can remember in a long time. Most of it, unfortunately, has been bad for the sport. Everything from ‘crashgate’ through to the racist incidents at a couple of grand prix events took a shine off the sport. Worst of all was the apparent disparity between the technology/car set up of the teams. Whilst some took the opportunity and fitted a rear diffuser, it meant that others simply lagged behind the pack and no doubt meant that Brawn were in an excellent position to take advantage with their superbly set up car.

Next year brings some sweeping changes to F1 – most notably a ban on refuelling during races. The biggest net effect this will have is that cars will start off extremely heavy and drivers will have to manage their tyres and other ‘perishables’ much more carefully. Other than that, we’ll see the KERS system going by the consent of all teams.

So, what other announcements can we expect before the inaugural F1 grand prix in 2010? Well perhaps the biggest will be just where many of the drivers are going to be end up. I’ve heard rumours that we may even be looking at a 1-2 of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton at McLaren. Now wouldn’t that be an interesting team up!

Well, the wait is over. Jenson Button is Formula 1 World Champion of 2009 and Brawn GP are the Constructors’ Champions. Well done to all involved and congratulations to Button. It’s great to have another British champion. Whatever the critics may say, if you have the points, you take the title.

Well, Rubens put in a sterling performance in the final qualifying session of the Brazilian Grand Prix. But is it going to be enough to actually ensure he can fend off Button or not? Only time will tell – but there are some interesting names in the top ten:

1 R Barrichello
2 M Webber
3 A Sutil
4 J Trulli
5 K Raikkonen
6 S Buemi
7 N Rosberg
8 R Kubica
9 K Nakajima
10 F Alonso

I’m certainly looking forward to the race tomorrow.

Qualifying is ongoing at the moment, but shockingly Sebastien Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen were out in Q1. Worse still, Jenson Button is out of Q2, after putting in a poor performance. Heavy rainfall has blighted the weekend session, so no doubt tomorrow is going to be one hell of a race. Button has blamed the tyre choice (not going for inters and sticking with wets) for his position.

The shootout for the top ten spots is now on. More to follow.

Smartest move of the century? Probably yes. In the most recent rumours to hit the sport, there’s a suggestion that a certain Fernando Alonso will be donning the famous red and stepping into some nice new racing boots to take to the wheel of a Ferrari. For my money, he’d be stupid not to. As the ‘star’ driver of Renault, he’ll do his career quite a good favour by stepping away from the now tarnished racing team in favour of one who, though couldn’t produce a decent car this year, has managed to keep its’ nose clean at least.

In other F1 news, it’s been reported that Felipe Massa may be making a return to Ferrari this year. Whilst it may not be completely out of the question, given that he’s only just returning to karting, this seems to be quite unlikely. Simply watching that crash footage again is enough to make me wince. I’d be surprised if a doctor would sign him off to go ahead – though with these racing boys you can’t keep them away from the sport for too long.

Finally, it’s been widely reported that Kimi Raikkonen is likely to be taking the place of a certain Heikki Kovalainen in a McLaren next year. Whilst Kovalainen seems to be a very nice guy and pretty well liked, his just doesn’t seem to put in the consistency when it comes to actual races – unlike his decent qualifying times. Raikkonen should be an excellent match for Lewis Hamilton, as long as he has the fire burning in him to still win. Recent race results in a more competitive Ferrari car suggest he has. I’d like Kovalainen to stay in the sport – he does after all have 22 points this year, which is only 4 behind Alonso.

So, it’s been a bit of a Ferrari fuelled update – but I guess it does take the heat a little off Renault and McLaren!

Lewis Hamilton

Well, what can I say? I did predict the victory and Lewis Hamilton showed just what a class act he was by getting back up to the very top of the game. Conditions remained good throughout the Singapore F1 GP night race, though there was plenty of drama with crashes, penalties and other race events.

Here’s the top ten positions:

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Timo Glock
3. Fernando Alonso
4. Sebastian Vettel
5. Jenson Button
6. Rubens Barrichello
7. Heikki Kovalainen
8. Robert Kubica
9. Kazuki Nakajima
10. Kimi Raikkonen

Worst mistake of the day? Probably Vettel managing to get stung with an (avoidable) penalty by speeding through the pit lane. Not only is this dangerous, but it was a great way to gift Brawn a way to move further up in the points standing. Consequently, Barrichello is now 15 points from Button – with Vettel 25 points away.

Singapore was always going to be a tough one, which it certainly was. Six retirements proved that the course remains tough but exciting and so we do hope it’s going to stay on the race calendar. So is it possible that Hamilton’s latest win will see him on the podium for the world title? Very unlikely I’m afraid, he’d need the leaders to suddenly all drop form. However, it does show his commitment. If only McLaren had started with such a strong car…

The qualifying session was, as always, more than worth watching. The Singapore F1 GP is shaping up to be a cracker tomorrow, so let’s take a quick look at the highlights:

• Due to a lacklustre performance, Jenson Button found himself out in qualy two, in 12th position
• Lewis Hamilton lead the charge significantly throughout, and proved why he’s tipped to win at Singapore
• The Red Bulls showed everyone how to do it, with an aggressive charge from Vettel getting him an assured second place
• Barrichello made a huge error with around 38 seconds to go, smashing up his car at turn 5.  This meant that with his grid penalty due to a gearbox change, it’s likely he’s going to be in 10th

Here’s the top ten qualifying positions:

• Lewis Hamilton
• Sebastien Vettel
• Nico Rosberg
• Mark Webber
• Rubens Barrichello (without grid penalty)
• Fernando Alonso
• Timo Glock
• Nick Heidfeld
• Robert Kubica
• Heikki Kovaleinen

Now, given that Singapore is a street circuit, it’s likely that’s going to really put pressure on the drivers to perform.  Those with a lower skill level, and indeed a slower car, are likely to struggle quite a bit. It’s a circuit that you really do need to be near the front (if not at pole position) to have a good chance of winning.  In this case, I’m quite happy to put my money on Lewis Hamilton.  Go Lewis, give it your all mate!

Of course, this does pose a problem for Jenson Button if he can’t get a handle on his car during the race and Barrichello can improve his performance a little.  His lead could well be further reduced in the World points race.  Let’s see what happens tomorrow.  I for one am very excited!

Some quick thoughts on how the Singapore F1 GP is shaping up so far prior to qualifying…

Whilst free practice doesn’t always tell you much about pace, the fact that Button radioed in to say that he was having grip problems does. Qualifying is to take place in 15 minutes time, but I guess the question is whether the problem will be rectified when Jenson is next on the grid.

I still feel that the title is Button’s to lose – he is still after all in front on points thanks to a staggering 6/7 wins from the first set of GP races. However, if Barrichello can keep some of his car settings up his sleeve, then who knows?

This year has been a tumultuous one for F1 – with more stories, scoops and changes than just about any other sport. It’s certainly living up to being the ‘pinnacle’ of motorsport, though some would argue for all the wrong reasons.

Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have both quit the Renault F1 team, following revelations regarding the actions of Nelson Piquet Jr at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.

For those of you who’ve been living under a rock and missed the story – it basically goes like this. Piquet crashed, resulting in the safety car coming out. This lead to to his teammate, Fernando Alonso, taking the lead and controlling the rest of the race.

A number of figures have stepped out of the woodwork to talk about the industry – some saying that it’s a diabolical situation and if true, is completely disgusting. After all, we’re talking about a driver that could have been killed. Then again, Piquet has to shoulder some of the blame. He could have refused and reported the team for (quite literally) putting his life on the line.

Others (I won’t name them) have said whilst in the limelight that this sort of thing goes on all the time and that people shouldn’t be surprised. Well, doping goes on in olympic sports – but it doesn’t make it any less shocking or upsetting to hear when it’s happened now does it?

Ultimately, it was a sad day for the sport when this whole thing came out, and even worse when it was revealed that there may be a kernel of truth in the whole thing. I think they should just give Button his title now, call this year off and start afresh in 2010.

On a more positive note, I heard that Alain Prost is in the runnings for the Renault F1 top job. They should give it to the man – he’s grounded and as far away from a bs talker as you can get. Oh, and he also won 4 championships in his F1 career…

Rubens Barrichello

Monza certainly lived up to the fearsome reputation for speed this afternoon – though there were several smaller dramas than one big one. There were a couple of accidents in the pit lane (never surprising when this happens given the speed at which these guys work) and sadly Mark Webber was knocked out of the race fairly early on.

Kovaleinen seemed to struggle with his car throughout, despite strategically being positioned to bring home a podium place. How this affects his future remains to be seen, but it’s starting to look unlikely that he’s going to be alongside Lewis Hamilton next year. Nonetheless, a 6th place finish does give him some more points.

What about the final lap? Well, shockingly, the race was finished on a yellow flag with no overtaking due to Hamilton spearing off the track. With Barrichello in the lead and Button second, Hamilton showed his usual aggressive driving strategy and pushed hard. In this case, perhaps it wasn’t the best move as a touch of the grass swung his car off into an impact. His dejected figure was seen walking away, with the accident costing him a good 3rd place.

So, here’s the top 10 finishers from the Formula 1 Monza GP 2009.
1 R Barrichello
2 J Button
3 K Raikkonen
4 A Sutil
5 F Alonso
6 H Kovaleinen
7 N Heidfeld
8 S Vettel
9 G Fischiella
10 K Nakajima

No doubt the whole Brawn camp is very happy. It does make you wonder who will be champion this year, but it’s probably a safe bet that he’ll be a white car.