Dreaming with the wind

What a race!

Once again Jenson made the right call when it came to the tyres by staying out while others, like his team mate, basically overeracted and lost a lot of time in the pits. And this decision together with the overtaing manoeuvre against Rosberg brought him the lead.

I still don't know why the Safety Car came out. But of course it cost Jenson most of the advantage he had gained by not changing tyres. But he drove a very smooth, controlled race from then on, faster than everyone behind him. Hamilton started to gain a little on him, then Jenson managed to make the gab bigger again. Everything looked under control until the tyres started to give up and Jenson made one of his very few mistakes.
I could hardly watch the last few laps but Jenson made it and is now the first driver to win two races this season.

You know, I admit that Hamilton probably is faster when it comes to pure speed. But that alone doesn't win you races. You have to drive intelligently and look after your tyres and that's where Jenson has a big advantage over his team mate. And that's why Jenson has won two races so far and leads the championship.
How about that after everyone and their mother predicted that Jenson wouldn't stand a chance against Hamilton? Looks like people still tend to underestimate Jenson. Maybe because his driving style is so smooth.

Jenson's start into the season might not be quite as impressive as last year but it's still damn impressive and I'm very happy with how things are going so far.

What an amazing race. Much more action on the track and Jenson's first victory with McLaren. And of course it's especially great to see him beat Hamilton.
I was very sceptic when Jenson changed back to dry tyres so early but it was exactly the right decision. And then his smooth driving style gave him the opportunity to stay on the same tyres to the end. Amazing strategy, amazing driving. Worthy of a world champion.


Source: Motorsport-total.com

Just like last year Jenson gave me a victory as a belated birthday present. Let's hope the season will continue just like last year. *g*

I'm really sorry for Mark. His home gp didn't really go his way.

On completely unrelated news:
Happy 12th birthday to the most amazing cat in the world, my sweet Ronja. &hearts

Look what the DHL guy just delivered:



"I have some terrible news." The voice was blunt.

Fairy tales usually begin with "Once upon a time", but this one, the story of my 2009 Formula 1 world championship season, started with an ominous voicemail message on my mobile phone: "Jenson, please call me. We have to speak immediately."
[...]

I can't believe I'm finally holding this book in my hands. The one with Jenson's name the words "Championship year" together on the title page. Like a definite proof that this season really did happen.

I'll have to get some more work done first before I can start reading but of course I couldn't keep myself from browsing through it a little already and it looks like it's everything I hoped it would be. :-)

(And, by the way, Photobucket's little mobile phone icon totally looks like the TARDIS)

Jenson signed a contract with McLaren.
I'm not happy about this at all. But to be honest, I'm not as shocked as I expected to be, either.
After all the rumours floating around the last few days I did see it coming. I mean, who didn't? Even though I never stopped hoping that Jenson would stay with Brawn (or Mercedes) after all, I think I stopped believing it step by step over the last few days.
But I can't stop wondering why he did it.
I'm sure it wasn't primarily the money. Jenson stayed with Brawn last year. He bought himself out of a Williams contract when he thought that Honda could give him a better future a few years earlier. Why would he choose money over the best option now?
But somehow I can't believe that it was soley the new challenge either. A few weeks ago both, he and Ross Brawn, stated that they wanted to continue working together. Jenson went to hell and back with this team and he's shown such a remarkable loyalty. "McLaren are impressive and seemed like fun" just doesn't sound right, not as the sole reason to go there. Maybe I'm imagining things but a lot of what heard from Mercedes during the last few days sounded like they didn't really want Jenson in the team.
So what I really wanted for him, to stay with Brawn GP who just happen to belong to Mercedes now, could never happen. Because Brawn GP simply doesn't exists any more. Not only because they are called Mercedes now but because they don't feel like "my" team any more. It's like they're just gone, lost their soul, and I'm not sure I even like the new team that took their place.

So, under the circumstances, Jenson might have made the right decision. But it still feels like he made the right decision by choosing the lesser of two evils.
I hope I'm wrong. I hope that he's going to have an amazing time with McLaren and that I'll have to rethink my opinion of them. But at the moment I just can't trust them. Not after what happened with Juancho (or Alonso for that matter).

But if they can still built a race-winning car without Mercedes and if Jenson gets equal treatment I might just laugh about all my current worries in a few months time. That's some big ifs. But I know I'll follow Jenson whereever he goes and I won't give up hope because, really, Jenson's optimism is contagious.

I think it's time to look back on those years I spent keeping my fingers crossed for Jenson and believing in him. The good times and the bad times that all ultimately led to this amazing weekend.

( 5 years of formula 1 from a fangirl's point of view )

So, Jenson Button, World Champion and Brawn GP, Constructors Champion. You really just can't say it often enough. This is a dream and a fairy tale come true.


* For everyone who doesn't speak German: "Knöpfchen" has, from the start, been our nickname for Jenson. It's based on the German translation of his last name.

20:15: Great, so RTL just stopped broadcasting the qualifying. I'll have to switch to Motorsport-total's live ticker. But Vettel is definitely out and if the don't restart Jenson should be 6th with Rubens 5th, right?
By the way, I've been feeling so much better all day after reading and listening to quite some interviews with Ross and Jenson (and Rubens). They all seemed so optimistic and in such a good mood that made it hard to be nervous about this weekend. :-)
20:26: So, new decision in about 4 minutes. It's so weird not to be able to watch what's hapenning.
20:34: And another 10 minutes before they check the track again. This is getting ridiculous. And why doesn't that live ticker update itself. *sighs*
20:40: Awwww:

((c) Rubens, clickable)
20:48: And... another 10 minutes.
21:05: So, after all, restart in five minutes. *keeps fingers crossed for Jenson*
21:24: No! 14th? What is it with Jenson and Q2 lately? Why can he drive fast laps in Q1 and suddenly can't in Q2. *hangs head* It wouldn't be that bad if Rubens hadn't just made it. Gah!
21:27 He was almost a second slower than Rubens!? What the hell?
21:41 See that? That's my good mode leaving. Now Jenson needs a miracle if he want to win the championship tomorrow. How can he be 14th if the car is good enough for pole. This just can't be true. :-(
At least Mark tried to do the job we gave him.
...
5:47 Can't sleep, so I decided to look up the weights. At least Rubens has the lightest car on the grid. Mark's looking really good and Jenson will be able to stay out about 11 laps longer than his team mate. And he's hoping for dry weather. Well, I was thinking rain might be better under those circumstances but let's hope for dry conditions then. Maybe Jenson's anger and frustration will help him tonight. For this race, he's the one with nothing to lose now. It can still work out but it's going to be really difficult. Jenson needs to drive the race of his lifetime and he probably still has to hope for something to go wrong for Rubens or at least everything to go right for Mark (and maybe one or two more of the guys right behind Rubens). Otherwise there won't be a championship decision today. And I really don't know how to make it through another two weeks of uncertainty. Not to mention the last race. Not with the way Jenson's season is going at the moment.

( Supernatural 5x06 )

So, still another half an hour until the second practise. And then another day until qualifying and two until the race. This weekend is going to kill me.

First and foremost: I'm still waiting for any real news on Massa. We do already know that he's conscious which is good news. But it is somehow anounced so cautiously that I rather find it even more worrying.
What a terrible coincidence that Rubens loses such a heavy part and it just happens to hit Massa at such high speed. Damn! That's the things you don't see coming.

The other thing I'm waiting for, regarding the sport, is the fuel loads because I still have this slight hope that things might not be as bad for Jenson as they seem. But if I'm honest I don't really believe that the fuel load will make the quali result look much better. Jenson already said in an interview that this wasn't the plan. Of course he has fuel for about 4 more laps now since they spend most of Q3 checking his car to make sure it was save. But I guess all their plans for the race are pretty much ruined. And unfortunately they weren't as quick as I had hoped for in the first place.
So if Ross Brawn doesn't come up with a truely brilliant plan I'm afraid Jenson's race will basically be over before it started. Then again, sometimes Jenson does some amazing things when you least expect him to. Just think about the very same track 3 years ago.
Hungary. The track I don't like but still the race I was hoping for, that kept me somewhat optimistic over the last few weeks.

Such a perfect start into the season. And now it looks like it's just suddenly falling apart. Like the Bad World is back. If things don't change again very soon I don't have much hope for the championship. Which is probably a rather odd thing to say about a driver who still leads by 21 points. Thing just is, it was 32 points just two races ago and we still have eight races to go. You do the math...
I'm not saying that it's over. But right now it's just not looking good.

Edit: Fuck! That doesn't sound too good:
"Following a complete medical examination it emerged that he had suffered a cut on his forehead, a bone damage of his skull and a brain concussion. These conditions need to be operated on after which he will remain under observation in intensive care."
I really hope everything goes well and he'll get better soon.

Edit2: "Felipe Massa has unergone surgery this afternoon at the AEK hospital in Budapest and the outcome of the procedure was positive. Now, Felipe will remain under observation in intensive care."
It also seems that they're confident that there will be no permanent damage. *is relieved*

Oh, and fuel loads make things look a tiny little bit better, too.

I really shouldn't be that disappointed. Jenson couldn't possibly win every race of the season. Or even finish on the podium every time. And coming in 6th is not a disaster. Far from it.
They had to have a problem or a bit of bad luck sometime. But did it have to be Silverstone of all places? Did it have to be his home GP? *sighs*

At least they know what the problem is and Ruben's 3rd place as well as Jenson's amazing last stint prove that, in general, the car is still quick. Because how much fun where those last few laps? Too bad they weren't enough to get past Rosberg and Massa. And hey, when you look at it that way, the podium was only 5 seconds away in the end.
Jenson pretty much lost that one to the tyres and Trulli's bad start. And the fact that I think of this race as "lost" just shows how spoiled I'm already.

And let's not forget: Congrats to Mark for another podium.

( results )

And now let's leave this race behind us and wait for the German one in three weeks where Jenson will spoil Vettel's party. ;)

I think I've run out of things to say. Jenson and Brawn just leave me speechless.
I know, I'm repeating myself but I still can hardly believe this season is really happening. After all those disappointing and frustrating years.


Source: Motorsport-total.com

( results )

Jenson once again drove a simply perfect race after an obviously more than perfect qualifying yesterday according to Rubens. Rubens did an amazing job as well, especially his start, so another 1-2-finish for them. And even though Mark didn't make it on the podium this time but he had another strong race as well. Just 3.5 more points and he'll pass his teammate in the championship.

And what a sight, Jenson jogging down the straight after the race.

Races: 6
Pole positions: 4
Podiums: 6
Victories: 5
Points: 51 of 55 possible