This should be a nice season for Indycar... Less ovals, more women on the grid...

I'm excited for the season opener on the streets of São Paulo this weekend... Pay attention to Ana Beatriz...
She's a great driver, I hope she can get the funding to race the whole season...

The races in Curitiba showed this will probably be a very competitive year... Even without the Ladas and most of the BMWs, WTCC is still a fun category to follow, especially if you have the opportunity to go to any of the events.
I'd bet on the Chevys for the titles...

During the race in Curitiba the announcer said something about a Latin American team entering WTCC in 2011... with an Argentinian and a Brazilian (most likely Cacá Bueno) as drivers...
Should be interesting... but I hope they don't just rent a BMW or a SEAT...

Did anybody hear any rumor about any other manufacturer joining in next year? (I think I read somewhere about some interest from WV... I'm really not sure though...)

This years Independent's Trophy should be much more interesting than the manufacturer's.

I'm going to be at the race on sunday. I just hope it doesn't rain.

I'm betting on the TDI Seats, Curitiba is 900m above sea level and their turbo diesel engines should suffer less from the altitude. BMW has done some tests here this year though.

I just read in a journalist's blog that Lada will announce their withdrawal from WTCC this week...
link (in portuguese): http://colunistas.ig.com.br/vi ... ins/2010/01/18/lada-inha/

I know the Lada pull out won't be as big of a hit to the competition as the Seat's... but if it turns out to be true, can we say WTCC is a dead category?

Quote from de Souza :

Hm just saw Di Grassi will be driving for Manor. Great news, he's probably the best young brazilian (yes, I know we're lacking... that's the price of not having local motorsport anymore).

Looking forward to 2010.

An announcement will be made next week, possibly on thursday...

http://esporte.ig.com.br/grand ... +f1+em+2010++9230571.html
(in portuguese)

Yup... No Kimi for Mercedes...

It's weird, after it was made official that Raikonnen wasn't going to be in F1 for then 2010 season there have been some reports that his signing with Mercedes is imminent...

link: (in portuguese)
http://esporte.ig.com.br/grand ... a+jornalista+9125594.html

Maybe there's some truth to it...

Hi everyone,
Just to clarify some doubts about the time of the race...
Some parts of Brazil go into daylight savings time this weekend, including São Paulo...

edit: The Race will actually be at 1300 (São Paulo time)! so it should be at the same time of the day for everyone outside of Brasil...

Last edited by bahilsom, Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:51.

Today Monza was good to Brazilian drivers...

The Formula BMW race was won by Felipe Nasr

On GP2 there was even a 1-2 with Luiz Razia 1st and Lucas di Grassi 2nd...

WTF! Briatore said today on the press conference that Nelsinho "was living with an older man", insinuating that he's gay... These people have gone nuts...

Maybe this older man was Max Mosley... :uglyhamme

Quote from bahilsom :

apparently the Piquets and some big shot F1 guys are interested in taking Briatore down... and that must not be so hard to do or need any kind of set up, I guess...

I got this from a twitt by the reporter Vanessa Ruiz:
(original in portuguese)
"Vcs não estão entendendo. Os Piquet, junto com figurões da #F1, estão dispostos a derrubar Briatore. E não precisam inventar histórias..."

which could be translated as:

"You are not understanding. The Piquets, with some big shot F1 guys, are willing to take Briatore down. And they don't need to make things up..."

reading some twitts from Brazilian pilots and press people is always interesting...

apparently the Piquets and some big shot F1 guys are interested in taking Briatore down... and that must not be so hard to do or need any kind of set up, I guess...

also... (off-topic)

based on the mood on twitter:
I would bet on Alonso driving for Ferrari before the end of the year... possibly starting in Monza...
his Renault seat could go to GP2 pilot Lucas di Grassi...

Apparently there's something big going on backstage in F1...
There are rumors of an investigation about last years Singapore Grand Prix...

there is a suspicion that Flavio Briatore ordered Nelsinho Piquet to crash so that Alonso could benefit from the subsequent safety car...

I heard that today during the Brazilian F1 official broadcast, and they have been know for saying a fair amount of bs, but there is some other evidence:

- Antonio Pizzonia (Brazilian, former f1 pilot and a friend of Nelsinho's) said on twitter that Piquet Jr. told him that "a bomb was about to explode in F1 this sunday or monday" and after they said something about it on tv, he twitted again saying: "stand by, this is only the beginning"...

- It is also being said that Piquet Sr. was going to every race this year "not because he wanted to be there every race, but because he had to because of some weird things going on..." (not his words and probably not exactly what they said on tv this morning... but it's pretty close)

We'll see what happens, I guess...

ps: apparently FIA confirmed there's an investigation about last year...

Quote from Töki (HUN) :

Vettel should have left him gone IMO. Tyres were gone, Kubica was much more faster anyway.

I agree... But Kubica could have managed it better...

I think this new tyre selection (with more difference between soft and hard tyres available for each round) could make things even more interesting.. (haven't it already?)
The teams just have to learn how to deal with it...

wow... what a lack of intelligence from Kubicas part... Vettel's tires were gone already...

I was there this time... Getting wet and all...

It was fun, but I think it almost always is when you watch it in person...
The Seat team made it look almost like a joke though...

The thing is that Curitiba is located 900m above sea level and that apparently makes it even worse for the non turbo cars. I read somewhere Farfus saying that because of the altitude the bmw engines lost about 10% of their power...

Also, I think being fwd cars, the Seat might benefit from slippery conditions. (I'm not sure on this one )

So it begins... I guess...

From pitpass.com:
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php ... item.php?fes_art_id=36685

Quote :

While it has yet to be officially confirmed, our sources at Brackley have informed us that at tonight's emergency meeting, the Honda F1 team's workforce was advised that the Japanese manufacturer is withdrawing from F1.

I hope the team finds a way to survive...
What will happen next, huh?