Jenson makes it three out of four for 2009 Formula One season

The start was the key as he was able to take advantage of Lewis Hamilton’s sudden arrival between the Toyotas in the run to the first turn to stay high and squeeze around the outside of Sebastian Vettel in Turn One, and into third behind the Toyotas. He just waited for the leaders to pit and then pulled into the front and never really looked back.

Button raced intelligently and fast, waiting his time and only losing the lead for a few laps after his stops on lap 15 and lap 37, before retaking the lead for the last time and never being threatened again by the field.

Button reported the failure of an electrical box in his cockpit that heated him up a bit, but other than that called it one of his best afternoons of racing in his career.

Barrichello decided on a pre-race strategy of three stops that didn’t work out and was disappointed to finish the race in fifth, just ahead of Raikkonen, but was still able to grab Ferrari’s first point of the 2009 Formula One season with his fifth place finish.

Vettel really lost his opportunity in the first run to Turn One, with Hamilton on the right and Button on the left he got squeezed out and stuck behind the leaders, which cost him rubber and speed. He stayed strong through most of the race and was able to race his way past Trulli to take second and continue to show the strength of his resolve and racing skill.

Trulli had a brain freeze and decided to change his tires to primes and lost time, before changing back to super-soft tires and gaining ground to finish third. A disappointing finish considering expectations and qualifying times, so the decision to change tires will certainly be questioned by many.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Jenson Button Wins Again

Formula One pulls into Bahrain

The last two races at Bahrain have seen Ferrari and Felipe Massa come away with a victory at this fast race course that should allow the racers to spend a little more time jockeying for position and doing some amazing racing. Felipe and Ferrari will be hard pressed to win this time though and if the Brazilian is able to pull another rabbit from his hat and beat the field to the finish line, it would be a real magic trick, considering the way his car has been running.

The odds at Bahrain would indicate that Brawn and Jenson Button would be the expected favorite, but then that’s why we run the race, to see what fate and life has dictated. The competition to Button would certainly have to be Red Bull Racing considering their on-two punch at the finish line of Shanghai, but the rest of the field will be looking to see if they can throw a wrench into the betting line.

Toyota’s TF109 and Willams’s FW31 will probably see their diffuser advantage disappear after Bahrain as the rest of the teams get diffusers installed and working properly in their cars in anticipation of catching up and over taking the lead Brawn has taken over the field in the season standings, probably by Barcelona.

Bahrain has a series of hard turns that are hard on the brakes of Formula One cars, add to this the problem of dust on the track in the corners, and tires and traction will be on the mind of the racers and teams as they pull into Bahrain this weekend. Brawn should have the advantage here also as they are generally less aggressive in their use of rubber, but the set up of the cars will be the key as Bahrain is a tough track.

Image: Newcom

Post from: EveryJoe

Formula One Pulls into Bahrain this Weekend

In the women’s 100m hurdles, Dawn Harper of the United States won the Gold Medal, followed by Sally McLellan of Australia for the Silver Medal and Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep for the Bronze. Favorite and two-time indoor champion, Lolo Jones of the United States led the race before stumbling on the 9th hurdle. She ended up finishing seventh.

There was similar drama in the women’s 400m event. Great Britain’s Christine Ohurogu won the Gold Medal, followed by Shericka Williams of Jamaica for the Silver. Sanya Richards of the United States, favorited to win the race, pulled up with a tight hamstring muscle near the end of the race and finished third for the Bronze Medal.

In the men’s 1500m race, Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain took the Gold Medal, followed by Asbel Kipruto of Kenya for the Silver Medal and Nicholas Willis of New Zealand for the Bronze Medal. Ramzi’s win gives the Mideast nation of Bahrain its first ever Gold Medal in track and field.

In the men’s discus event, it was an Eastern European sweep. Estonia’s Gerd Kanter won the Gold Medal. Piotr Malachowski of Poland earned the Silver and Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania took the Bronze Medal.

Finally, in the men’s high jump, Andrey Silnov of Russia won the Gold Medal. Germaine Mason of Great Britain took the Silver Medal and Yaroslav Rybakov of Russia earned the Bronze.

Post from: EveryJoe

Scenes from the Bird’s Nest – August 19