McLaren tops Ferrari for 3rd

I'll take 3rd in the constructors

t is still a very good spot considering that the Brwans had effectively wrapped up that title in Turkey and that the RBR's had two drivers finishing high in the points consistently. What Mclaren did was an outstanding comeback for a team that looked DOA in Australia. As to ferrari finishing 4th, thats' Kimi's gift to team.

Considering where both teams where at the start of the year, you would have thought Toyota and Williams would have easily been ahead of them, especially toyota.

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Originally Posted by truefan72

Considering where both teams where at the start of the year, you would have thought Toyota and Williams would have easily been ahead of them, especially toyota.

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I am still quite shocked that BMW overtook Williams. Quite humiliating, IMO.

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Originally Posted by jens

Besides the loss of Massa, the cock-ups in the beginning of the season are what probably have cost Ferrari that P3.

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If they had Felipe for the 2nd half of the season Ferrari would have probably hold 3rd place by a huge margin over McLaren, so no, the cock-ups at the beginning of the season weren't the decisive factor over having only one driver for half a season.

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Originally Posted by F1boat

I am still quite shocked that BMW overtook Williams. Quite humiliating, IMO.

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That's good news.

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Originally Posted by ioan

If they had Felipe for the 2nd half of the season Ferrari would have probably hold 3rd place by a huge margin over McLaren, so no, the cock-ups at the beginning of the season weren't the decisive factor over having only one driver for half a season.

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Totally.

If Ferrari had replaced Massa with a decent driver, or if Massa hadn't been injured in the first place, it is reasonable to assume that Ferrari would've comfortably beaten McLaren to 3rd.

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Originally Posted by F1boat

I am still quite shocked that BMW overtook Williams. Quite humiliating, IMO.

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which seems all the more baffling why they would exit the sport. The nutters at BMW HQ had to realize that it is a year long racing series and not some stock portfolio to be measured quarterly. That decision might have come right from the top lead by folks who could care less about racing.

I'd be interested to know if BMW racing lost money on their F1 team in 2009. They did rack up some decent points by seasons end, which means a higher payout from F1.

To me their exit announcement was a complete shock and seemed to come out of nowhere.

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Originally Posted by BeansBeansBeans

Totally.

If Ferrari had replaced Massa with a decent driver, or if Massa hadn't been injured in the first place, it is reasonable to assume that Ferrari would've comfortably beaten McLaren to 3rd.

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exactly,

I know the car was difficult to drive, but Bader and fisi were not the answer.

i would have put Sato, Klien or Davidson in that car, all drivers adept at driving complicated cars. :|

In fairness to Ferrari, Fisichella's drive at Spa pointed to him being reasonably successful in the Ferrari. I don't think anybody really expected him to score no points in 4 races. Sure, the Badoer decision was a bad one but that also came after their first choice (Schumi) pulled out.

I think their lack of a young driver program is where they deserve most criticism. Most of the teams can call on a young, hungry driver to step in at a moments notice. Ferrari have no such driver available to them. That meant that they were effectively a 1 car team for the last seven races of the season and it's why they will wear numbers 7 & 8 next year and not 5 & 6.

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Originally Posted by jens

Besides the loss of Massa, the cock-ups in the beginning of the season are what probably have cost Ferrari that P3.

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Badoer and Fisi failing to score ONE sixth place in 7 races was the reason they lost it. Embarrassing.

How does the constructors championship position thing work when a team leaves the sport. As I understand it the monies are paid in installments in the following season. Presumably whoever takes over the franchise of that team will get the cash? Thus increasing the potential sale price.