From Zero To Hero

Setelah dua tahun saya nonton Formula One tanpa bisa lagi menyatu dengan aksi di lintasan jet darat itu sejak pensiunnya Michael Schumacher, akhirnya saya bisa kembali merasakan gregetnya nonton Formula One sambil komat-kamit mendoakan pembalap pujaan saya.Tapi hari minggu kemarin ketika musim balap Formula One 2009 dimulai, semangat dalam menonton F1 kembali hinggap ke seluruh sendi dan aliran darah saya (cieileh...)

Sejak dulu saya memang sudah ngefans Jenson Button dan setelah kepergian Michael, sebenarnya saya berharap karir Jenson bersinar dan dapat menjadi juara dunia dari Inggris yang berikutnya setelah Damon Hill pada tahun 1996 tapi apa mau dikata, karir Jenson malah hampir saja nyungsep. Blundernya di akhir tahun 2004 yang ribut mau pindah ke Williams padahal dia lagi bersinar dan lagi bagus-bagusnya seakan masa depannya tengah cerah bersinar bersama BAR Honda di bawah asuhan David Richards. Buttongate I, begitu kasusnya diberi tajuk dalam headline-headline berita seputar Formula One. Eh, setelah Buttongate I, seperti sebuah film, ia malah membuat sekuelnya, Buttongate II. Waktu dia akhirnya bisa pindah ke Williams, sekarang dia malah ngotot pengen tetap di Honda. Bikin gemes aja deh tingkah Button waktu itu. Akibatnya, dia harus merogoh koceknya demi membayar sanksi dari Sir Frank Williams karena ia dianggap mempermainkan kontrak.

Setelah itu, karir Jenson seperti lenyap ditelan bumi. Si Wonder Boy, begitu julukan Jenson ketika ia muncul pertama kali di Formula One bersama Williams tenggelam di tengah hiruk pikuk gemerlapnya berita anak baru McLaren yang juga rekan senegaranya, Lewis Hamilton dan akhirnya Lewis yang berhasil mengakhiri masa panjang penantian rakyat Inggris yang menanti munculnya juara dunia dari Inggris (apalagi kebanyakan tim Formula One bermarkas di Inggris tapi masak pembalapnya malah melempem semua?)

Setelah kasus Buttongate, sepertinya tak ada tim yang mau melirik Jenson. Mungkin takut, Jenson tak bisa menghargai kontrak. Jadi ketika Honda pada penghujung tahun lalu mengumumkan mengundurkan diri dari ajang Formula One, nasib Jenson makin suram dan tak jelas.

Beruntung, Ross Brawn yang sejak musim lalu sudah bergabung bersama tim pabrikan Jepang itu akhirnya membeli tim yang kemudian diberi tajuk Brawn GP.

Selanjutnya, di GP pembuka kemarin, Brawn GP tampil memukau dan Jenson pun menjuarai GP untuk kedua kalinya. Dan saya harap itu bukan kemenangan terakhir Jenson karena saya berharap Jenson benar-benar akan meraih gelar dunianya yang pertama, kedua, ketiga, keempat .... Mungkin tak sebanyak gelar dunia Michael tapi saya harap Jenson benar-benar bisa jadi juara dunia mengingat untuk meraih juara saja ia harus melalui seratus Grand Prix dan begitu banyak jalan berliku yang telah dilaluinya.

Siapa sangka, Brawn GP, tim yang baru beberapa bulan dibentuk malah bersinar secerah matahari belakangan hari ini yang semakin terik akibat pemanasan global atau istilah internasionalnya, global warming. Mesin Mercedes yang menjadi dapur pacunya begitu padu dengan mobil Brawn GP yang didominasi warna putih dan selintasan warna hijau muda (yang seperti goresan stabilo). Malahan McLaren Mercedes yang menjadi tim pabrikan Mercedes seperti kehilangan tajinya, beruntung Lewis Hamilton masih bisa finish keempat setelah Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) yang berada di posisi kedua dan tengah seru-serunya mengejar Button malah bertabrakan (atau sepertinya ditabrak) Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) yang berada di belakang Vettel dan berambisi ingin merebut posisi Vettel. Akhirnya keduanya malah gagal finish padahal balapan hanya menyisakan beberapa lap saja. Hamilton yang setelah race posisinya dinaikkan ke tempat ketiga setelah Trulli yang berada di tempat ketiga didiskualifikasi setelah dilaporkan Hamilton Trulli melanggar regulasi tapi belakangan malah poin Hamilton dan McLaren yang dihapus oleh FIA karena ternyata setelah dilakukan pengecekan ulang, Hamilton berbohong. Malangnya Hamilton .... Yang lebih menyedihkan adalah tim kuda jingkrak Ferrari yang sepertinya kecapekan berjingkrak. Felipe Massa gagal menyelesaikan balapan dan Kimi Raikkonen harus finish paling buncit setelah melakukan pit stop tambahan setelah menabrak dinding di lap ke-44.

Brawn GP memang fenomenal seperti perjalanan karir balap Jenson Button, sang pembalapnya. Mungkin terlalu dini tapi saya tak pernah berhenti berharap Jenson Button menjadi juara dunia Formula One berikutnya!!!

Australian GP - Button's Quote

Source: www.grandprix.com

Australian GP - Saturday - Team Quotes
Jenson Button (1st, 1:26.202): "To put the car on pole at our debut race is a fantastic achievement and I have to give so much credit to Ross, Nick and everyone at the factory in Brackley. The last four months have been incredibly tough for the team and to go from a situation where you don't even know if you are going to be racing to achieving pole at the first race of the season is just incredible. Tomorrow is obviously the most important day of the weekend and there is a lot of work to be achieved to come away with a successful result however we have to remember where we have been and really enjoy this moment."

Australian GP - Sunday - Team Quotes
Jenson Button (1st): "What an amazing day! This is just a fairytale ending to the first race of our career together at Brawn GP. It may have looked like an easy victory but it really wasn't easy at all out there today but we brought the car home and that's all that matters. This win is for me, my family and my team. It's been a traumatic few months and I want to say a massive thank you to them all for being so strong and never losing belief. This weekend we have achieved everything that we deserve for all of our hard work over the past few months. And what's so exciting is that there is so much more to come from myself and from this team. I can't wait to get to Malaysia!"

Australian GP - Sunday - Press Conference

Source: www.grandprix.com

29 MARCH 2009
1. Jenson BUTTON (Brawn GP), 1h34m15.784s

TV UNILATERALS

Q: Jenson, mayhem in front of you perhaps and certainly the mayhem behind you showed how much things could have gone wrong for you today. But from where we sat it looked like a beautiful day at the races.

Jenson BUTTON: I think it always looks easier than it is. The first few laps of the race were great for me and I could settle into a pace, but then when the safety car came out I struggled massively to get heat into the tyres. The car was hitting the ground and just before the safety car pulled in I flat-spotted the tyre pretty severely. I was struggling quite a bit with vibration and with the poor light as well. Being in the front it should be easy, but it was not easy at all. I tell you that. But an amazing day. Some people might say it is a pity it finished under the safety car, but I don't care. I won the race today and that is all I care about. I have got to say a massive thank you to everyone for this. It has been a traumatic few months for all of us, as I have said already, but I can't put it out there how tough it has been, so I have got to say thank you to the whole team. But also to my family for being so strong as it has been difficult.

Q: Jenson, you said the light was getting bad and the temperature was dropping and after your second pit stop you are emerging on the softer of the two Bridgestone tyres and the pressure is on with Robert Kubica on the hard tyre.

Button: You know, I really made a mistake in my pit stop and it was frustrating. I was in second gear when I came into the box and the neutral didn't work. It only works in first gear but I was just confused with Massa in front and that lost us a hell of a lot of time, so they just about got the nozzle on after they had done the tyres. That cost me five or six seconds which was a mistake but the good thing was we came out on top anyway with that. There is something to come from me and something to come from the team as well. I made it difficult for us today but we got there.

Q: What were the conditions like right at the end with the shade and the drop in temperatures?

Button: It was really difficult. It is strange for such an open circuit, you could not see the exit of the corners at all. I used a visor that was slightly tinted and that was the correct thing to do. But with the glare from the sun and the change in light from the trees it was so difficult. It was so easy to put a wheel wrong and the problem was the bad light was always on the most difficult corners, so it made it tough and on the prime tyre also we were struggling for heat. I just couldn't get any heat in the tyres in the second stint.

Q: Jenson, at the 1954 French Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio led a one-two for Mercedes. That was the last time a team making its debut had a one-two finish. You did that today with a Mercedes engine behind you. Your emotions and your thoughts at the end of this momentous occasion?

Button: It is not just for me, but for the whole team. This is a fairy tale ending really to the first race of our career together and I hope that we can continue this way and I know we are going to fight to keep this car competitive and with the limited resources we have to keep it at the front. The whole team has done a good job and this has got to continue as this is where I think we deserve to be and we have worked very hard for this. So thank you very much to the team and bring on Malaysia.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Jenson, someone is going to pinch you in a moment and you are going to wake up.

Button: I said on the radio to my engineer 'can you please pinch me next time round.' It was at the start of the race after five laps when I had a five second lead or something, but yes, a special moment.

Q: Can you believe being on pole in a brand new car and now winning as well?

Button: Yeah, I mean Rubens made it sort of easy for me on the first timed lap when I was able to pull out four or five seconds in the first couple of laps. That was nice and I just settled into a nice rhythm. I was keeping Vettel's times in check, just knowing what he was doing and just trying to pace myself. It was all looking reasonably good and then we got the first safety car and I massively struggled to get heat into the tyres. That is something we have not had an issue with before, but I was really struggling with the car bottoming and when I braked to start again when the safety car came in I locked the front left up and had a massive flat spot. It made the next stint very difficult, especially with the poor light, as I couldn't see any of the corner exits and we were able to plough on and still put reasonably good lap times in. On my last stop I overshot the box a little bit and they couldn't get the hose on for about four or five seconds, so that lost us more time. It wasn't my best race I must say but I still won, so I am chuffed to bits. I know there is more room for improvement from myself and from team which is the exciting thing. I think it is just being out of practice for so long and not doing that much testing over the winter.

Q: What about that final stint and especially with Robert Kubica on the harder tyres?

Button: I actually wasn't worried. I knew when I came out in front of Vettel that I would be fine as I knew that we could look after the tyre. The thing with the last stint was not to push and try and see what was the best time I could do. I was purposely driving very slowly for what pace I think we could do to look after the tyres. I wasn't turning in aggressively to any corners. I think I could have been in the mid 1.28's but we were taking an easy route to stop the graining because as soon as that graining starts you see what happens as Vettel lost a massive amount of time behind me and I was able to just plough on doing my mid 1.29's when he was in the 1.30's, so I wasn't worried once I was out in front of Vettel and I knew we could bring it home from there.

Q: And your thoughts about Ross Brawn and everything he has done?

Button: You don't find Ross speechless very often but the last 15 minutes I would be surprised if he said a word. When we saw him when we went up to the podium he had nothing to say. The big bear was just there speechless. It was good to see as it was a very emotional day for him as it is for us as well.

Q: And in one week's time Malaysia?

Button: I'm all for it. I cannot wait. It is a circuit I really enjoy and hopefully we can iron out some of the problems we had here. It is going to be a good race I think. It is never as easy as you think it is going to be and today was reasonably tough and the pace of Vettel was pretty strong. And with the safety cars it does mix up everything. Fair play to Rubens and Jarno, they did a great job to finish second and third. Some of it I am sure was the safety car and it makes it tough. Even though I am on pole, in first position, it is still not an easy place to be.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Mark Fogarty - Auto Action) Jenson, two things. Firstly, now that you've finally got that second win, any chance of shaving off the beard?

Button: I quite like it and my girlfriend likes it and that's what matters to me, Fogarty!

Q: (Mark Fogarty - Auto Action) On the strength of today's performance, is it now a realistic prospect that the World Championship could be a two horse race between you and Rubens? Is this a modern version of Senna versus Prost in '88?

Button: I hope it is. I hope that we are quick all season and I hope that we have an advantage all season, but I don't think that's going to be the case. I think that you're right, that we're both going to be very competitive and pushing each other very hard if you look at the last few years that we've been teammates. But I have a feeling that other teams are going to be on us very quickly, and when we get to a different type of circuit, maybe in Malaysia, some other cars which weren't so competitive here will be. Vettel's pace surprised me a little bit. I didn't think they were quite as quick as they were today when we watched them in practice but their pace seemed to be good. So it's not a walkaway victory for sure, and it's never going to be easy for us over the next few races, but you're right that we will be competitive together and we're both in the same position here with a good car, so there's no reason why we shouldn't be fighting at the front.

Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Jenson, you've scored more points in one race today than you have in the past two years. Does that pretty much sum up how bad the past two years have been?

Button: The past two years put together? Yes, it does really. It's quite true. That's pretty rubbish isn't it? Wow! Yeah, it does. The last two years have been very tough, for both of us. To drive that car we had last season, it was a handful. Every corner we got to we didn't know what was going to really happen. So it was a beast, but that's what we had to deal with. We knew that there were some very talented people in the team. We just haven't produced the car that I think we expected to last season, but we've put all our work into this car and you can see that we can produce a good car as we have in the past, and now the important thing is to just keep improving it and our updates throughout the season I hope are going to be enough to keep us strong.

Q: (Ron Reed - Herald Sun) Jenson, what, if any, conversations have you had with Richard Branson in the last 24 hours or so?

Button: I haven't spoken to him really. We've obviously been doing our own thing, getting on with work, so we haven't spoken.

Q: (Bob McKenzie - The Daily Express) Jenson, two things: first of all, what was your feeling when the safety car came out, just at the end? Did you think that's ruined the spectacular blaze over the line or did you know then that you're going to win it? And secondly, is this a sort of poke in the eye for people who doubted your talent over the years? You always said you needed the right car?

Button: First of all, when the safety car came out I wasn't thinking 'I'm going to cross the finish line with the safety car out.' It was 'oh dear, another safety car.' But when I crossed the line I'd won the race, I crossed the line first, it doesn't matter how it's done. The safety car wasn't on the track then anyway, it had already come in, but it's the same emotion, exactly the same emotion because you've won the race and in spectacular fashion, I think even though we had the safety car out. What was the second question? This win is for me and for the team and that's what I care about. I don't need to poke anyone in the eye about what they've said about me in the past. There have been a lot of positive comments in the past and those are the ones that you obviously enjoy. If there are going to be negative comments, I have no reason to poke anyone in the eye for any reason. I'm just happy to be here and I've worked bloody hard to be here.

Q: (Livio Orrichio - O Estado do Sao Paulo) To all of you, do you think the FIA can change the result of this race; what do you think about that?

Button: That's nothing that we can change as drivers. We're here to put on a show and also to get the best out of the equipment on offer and that's exactly what we've done this weekend, and we will continue to do so over the next few races or for the whole of the season, and we have to see what happens. At the moment, I'm enjoying this victory because it is a victory and I think it should stand for sure.

Q: (Richard Williams - The Guardian) Jenson, did you know at the first test that this kind of thing was going to be possible, and if you did, what are the qualities of the car that make it different and make you feel so comfortable?

Button: When I drove it at Barcelona, after four laps I felt that the car was competitive, and also when I got out of the car and looked at the timing board, I realised that we were competitive. For me some of it is to do with the tyres which I think suit this car well. When I drove last year's car with the slick tyres the car seemed to be reasonably good. We have made some massive steps forward with the car for sure. I would say that mechanically we have improved a lot since last season, so it's better in the low speed corners, some of it again is helped by the slicks. Aerodynamically I think we are strong, I'm sure there is still room for improvement there and I think Mercedes have done a great job with the engine, the driveability of the engine has been good from the word go. There have obviously been some points which we needed to improve with the engine and the driveability but to be able to do that in six or seven days is impressive. So it's not just one thing, it is the whole package which is good, but I still don't think we're getting the best out of it yet.

Australian GP - Saturday - Qualifying Session Results

Source: www.grandprix.com

1. Jenson Button (Britain, Brawn GP-Mercedes) 1:26.202
2. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil, Brawn GP-Mercedes) 1:26.505
3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany,Red Bull-Renault) 1:26.830
4. Robert Kubica (Poland, BMW Sauber) 1:26.914
5. Nico Rosberg (Germany, Williams-Toyota) 1:26.973
6. Timo Glock (Germany, Toyota) 1:26.975
7. Felipe Massa (Brazil, Ferrari) 1:27.033
8. Jarno Trulli (Italy, Toyota) 1:27.127
9. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Ferrari) 1:27.163
10. Mark Webber (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 1:27.246
11. Nick Heidfeld (Germany, BMW Sauber) 1:25.504
12. Fernando Alonso (Spain, Renault) 1:25.605
13. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan, Williams-Toyota) 1:25.607
14. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland, McLaren-Mercedes) 1:25.726
15. Lewis Hamilton (Britain, McLaren-Mercedes) No Time
16. Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 1:26.508
17. Nelson Piquet (Brazil, Renault) 1:26.598
18. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy, Force India-Mercedes) 1:26.677
19. Adrian Sutil (Germany, Force India-Mercedes) 1:26.742
20. Sebastien Bourdais (France, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 1:26.964

Kubica: Brawns were impossible to catch

Source: www.autosport.com

By Simon Strang
Saturday, March 28th 2009, 07:43 GMT

Robert Kubica believes the Brawn team, whose drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello start the Australian Grand Prix from first and second on the grid, was 'impossible' to match during qualifying in Melbourne.

The BMW driver, who qualified fourth for Sunday's race, told the BBC he could have placed one position higher, ahead of Sebastien Vettel, but that the Mercedes-powered Brawn BGP 001s were simply out of reach.

"Looking at the situation, some of the cars are very strong, like Brawn, Toyota and Williams," he said. "I'm additionally not running KERS, which is for sure not an advantage if you don't have it so...

"But anyway I think Brawn was impossible to catch but third was possible," he added.
The Pole's challenge came alive in qualifying after a relatively quiet build-up through the free practice sessions at Albert Park, and Kubica ended the top ten shoot-out convinced he should be starting the race from third on the grid.

"I did a very good run in Q2 which got me already easy into Q3, that's why in Q3 we were quite confident," he explained.

"But in the last run, when I went out on new tyres, Nico [Rosberg] went wide at Turn 14 and he put a lot of dust on the track. I lost out their massively, my tyres were dirty and the next two or three corners were a disaster unfortunately."

Button leads all-Brawn front row in Oz

Source: www.autosport.com
By Matt Beer
Saturday, March 28th 2009, 07:03 GMT

Jenson Button took his first pole position in three years at the Australian Grand Prix, as Brawn GP utterly dominated qualifying on its debut.

Rubens Barrichello led Button in a Brawn one-two in both Q1 and Q2, with a clear margin over their rivals in each session.

But in the pole position shoot-out it was Button who emerged on top, beating Barrichello to first place by 0.305 seconds.

Button had taken provisional pole by half a second on his first run, before being briefly deposed by his teammate, but he was able to redress the balance moments later.

Although Brawn GP is effectively a renamed Honda operation, it is officially classed as a new team - which makes today's result the first time a new entrant has taken pole for its debut since the factory Mercedes-Benz team in the 1954 French GP.

The grid line-up was strikingly different to the previous season's form, with Red Bull and Williams among Brawn's main rivals, Ferrari near the foot of the top ten, and the McLarens 14th and 15th.

Sebastian Vettel jumped to third for Red Bull with his last lap, with Robert Kubica taking fourth in the BMW-Sauber.

Practice pace-setter Nico Rosberg only managed fifth for Williams, ahead of Toyota's Timo Glock and Felipe Massa in the best of the Ferraris.

Jarno Trulli put the second Toyota in eighth, with Kimi Raikkonen back in ninth place.

Home favourite Mark Webber had been third on the provisional grid following his first run in Q3, only to be pushed back to 10th by the end of the session.
As expected, McLaren was unable to challenge for top ten spots. Hamilton did not even get to run in Q2 after a drivetrain problem at the end of Q1, leaving him 15th. teammate Heikki Kovalainen had a trouble-free session but it made little difference to his result, the Finn managing only 14th on the grid.

Renault's lack of pace in practice continued through to qualifying. Fernando Alonso looked unlikely to reach the top ten even before he slid over the grass at the penultimate corner on his final Q2 run. The former champion will start 12th, between BMW's Nick Heidfeld and Williams's Kazuki Nakajima, who could not replicate his strong practice form when it counted.

All of the big names made it through the first segment - despite a number of scares as the track constantly picked up speed as it cleaned following the support events, leading to wild movement on the timing screens as early benchmark times were quickly shuffled right to the back.

Both BMWs, Massa, Trulli and Kovalainen all languished outside the top 15 cut-off at various stages before improving on their final laps.

Sebastien Buemi was knocked out at the first hurdle in his maiden F1 qualifying session - but he did manage to out-qualify his much more experienced Toro Rosso teammate Sebastien Bourdais, who was 0.4s slower than the GP2 graduate and will start last.

Despite its promising practice form, Force India again failed to get beyond Q1. Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil took 18th and 19th, behind Renault's Nelson Piquet, who continued to struggle.

Di Angkot

Dua hari yang lalu ketika saya pulang kerja, omprengan (angkot) yang saya naiki tengah berhenti untuk menaikkan penumpang, kami dikejutkan oleh suara bentakan seorang pria, kontan kami semua menoleh, seorang bapak bertubuh besar berdiri di samping angkot,tapi ia bukan tengah memaki pengemudi angkot yang berhenti kurang ke pinggir melainkan tengah memaki seorang pengendara motor (yang persis di samping angkot sepertinya ingin menyalip angkot tapi ia langsung mengerem dan berhenti tepat di belakang bapak yang semula ingin menyebrang)

Si bapak menjerit-jerit pada si pengendara motor, "hargai pejalan kaki," suara baritonnya menggelegar dan gelegar itu didengar kami, yang berada di dalam angkot. Si Pengendara motor menanggapi gelegar si bapak dengan tenang, kami tak dapat menangkap suaranya meski ia telah membuka helmnya, kelihatannya ia mempersilakan bapak itu menyebrang saja tapi bapak itu sudah kepalang sewot dan urat lehernya sudah telanjur tegang. Selanjutnya saya tak tahu apa yang terjadi karena angkot yang saya naiki sudah beranjak dari tempat kejadian.

Tiga hari sebelumnya saya juga mengalami hal yang jauh lebih menengangkan. Lagi-lagi angkot yang saya naiki, berhenti seenaknya untuk mencari penumpang dan membuat jalan di belakangnya macet. Akibat perbuatannya itu, truk di belakangnya hampir bertabrakan dengan angkot lain yang ingin menyalip juga untuk berebut penumpang. Tapi herannya, si kenek truk bukan ribut dengan supir angkot yang kunaiki malah beradu mulut dengan supir angkot yang ingin menyalip itu. Mungkin supir angkot itu yang mengucapkan kata-kata yang membuat si kenek truk naik darah sehingga si kenek menarik-narik tangan lewat jendela angkot karena si supir angkot bertahan di dalam angkotnya (takut juga rupanya dengan murka si kenek yang badannya besar itu).

Nah, di tengah kemelut pertengkaran kenek truk dengan supir angkot, tiba-tiba kami dikejutkan oleh sebuah suara benturan yang keras. Ketika kami menoleh, sebuah sepeda motor sudah terjatuh setelah menabrak truk yang tengah melintas dari arah berlawanan. Sementara si pengemudi motor itu tergeletak di dekat motornya. Kejadian tabrakan itu terjadi persis di samping angkot yang kunaiki (yang berhenti seenaknya, menyebabkan kemacetan hingga mengakibatkan kecelakaan).

Rupanya si pengendara motor terlalu asyik menonton pertarungan antara kenek truk (bukan truk yang menabraknya) dengan supir angkot yang kelihatannya memang nyolotin sampai-sampai tak memperhatikan truk yang tengah melaju ke arahnya.

Yang bikin saya gregetan, si supir angkot yang saya naiki (yang menurut saya merupakan biang semua masalah sore itu) malah memperkeruh suasana ketika kenek truk ingin menghajar supir truk (yang pastinya salah satu koleganya juga), tapi ia malah menjerit-jerit mengompori kenek truk agar menghajar rekan seprofesinya itu.

Setelah ada motor yang bertabrakan dengan truk, si supir angkot yang saya naiki itu baru bungkam dan dengan tenangnya ngeloyor pergi meningalkan keruwetan di belakangnya.Dan jantung saya masih berdebar keras hingga saya tiba di rumah. Saya prihatin dengan kejadian yang menimpa si pengendara motor. Di samping itu saya gemas sekali, si biang masalah (supir truk yang kunaiki) malah terbebas dari semua belenggu masalah yang diciptakannya.

Catatan yang saya bawa untuk saya renungkan kemudian, kalau saja semua orang bertindak bijaksana dengan menegedepankan kepentingan bersama kejadian tragis itu tak perlu terjadi, bukan?

Ujicoba di Jerez Brawn GP Kembali Memukau

Sumber: www.detiksport.com

Reky Herling Kalumata - detiksport
Jerez - Rubens Barrichello bersama Brawn GP masih menunjukkan performa memuaskan. Sementara Fernando Alonso sempat mengalami tabrakan di hari pertama ujicoba di Jerez.

Setelah tampil memukau saat ujicoba di Barcelona pekan lalu, Brawn GP kembali membuat hasil memuaskan. Barrichello mencatat waktu lap tercepat yaitu 1 menit dan 19.236 detik di hari pertama ujicoba di sirkuit Jerez, Spanyol, Minggu (15/3/2009).

Barrichello menyelesaikan 102 lap di ujicoba terakhir F1 ini sebelum bersiap menghadapi GP pembuka di Australia, 29 Maret nanti. Mantan pembalap Ferrari ini mengalahkan Fernando Alonso dengan terpaut 0,683 detik.

Namun, ini menjadi ujicoba terberat bagi Alonso setelah pembalap Renault ini mengalami kecelakaan di tikungan 8 usai menjalani empat lap. Pembalap Spanyol ini tidak dapat kembali ke trek hingga jam terakhir sesi tes pagi ini.

Alonso akhirnya hanya dapat melakukan 33 lap dan mencatat waktu terbaiknya di saat sesi selanjutnya. Pembalap Renaulut ii pun mengakui bahwa kejadian tersebut membuat cara menyetirnya menjadi rusak.

"Sayang sekali saya membuat kesalahan pagi ini dimana ini sangat disayanngkan diama kami kehilangan banyak waktu di trek. Namun itu bisa terjadi saat ujicoba ketiak Anda mencoba hingga batas mobil," aku Alonso seperti dilansir Auto Sport.

Sementara tes driver Williams Nico Hulkenberg berada di posisi ketiga setelah 0,118 detik lebih lambat dari Alonso. Pada ujicoba besok, McLaren akan tampil bersama Lewis Hamilton dan Heikki Kovalainen hingga Kamis nanti.

Hasil Ujicoba di Jerez:

1. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:19.236
2. Alonso Renault (B) 1:19.819
3. Hulkenberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:20.013

Button Mulai dari Awal Lagi

Sumber: www.detiksport.com

Reky Herling Kalumata - detiksport

Barcelona - Jenson Button sudah tidak sabar untuk kembali berlaga di Formula 1 musim ini. Pembalap Inggris ini mengakui bahwa dia merasa seperti baru memulai lagi membangun karirnya.

Karir Button memang tampak terhenti sudah setelah Honda menyatakan mundur dan menjual tim pada Desember lalu. Namun jalan kembali terbuka bagi pembalap berusia 29 tahun ini setelah Honda diakuisi dan berubah menjadi tim Brawn GP.

Button masih tetap dipertahankan meskipun gajinya dipotong. Namun itu semua sudah tidaklah terlalu dipersoalkan olehnya karena yang penting baginya adalah tetap dapat melanjutkan karirnya di Formula 1 ini.

"Kami semua mesti membuat pengorbanan. Anda mungkin berkata 'Anda adalah pembalap F1, Anda bekerja untuk mendapatkan uang dan sedikit di antara kami bekerja untuk mendapatkan sedikit uang'," ungkap Button seperti dilansir Reuters.

"Ini situasi yang sangat berbeda daripada tahun yang lalu. Namun itu semua tak berarti apa-apa bagi saya karena saya ingin balapan. Saya masih berusia 29 tahun, masih kecil di mata saya dan masih banyak yang harus dibuktikan di F1," ujarnya.

Bersama tim Brawn GP, Button pun mencoba untuk memulai kembali mengejar impiannya di F1 yang belum dicapainya. "Saya merasa seperti anak kecil lagi, kembali masuk ke mobil F1 sangat menyenangkan," tukasnya.

"Ini seperti di tahun 2000 lagi namun dengan sembilan tahun pengalaman, ini merupakan posisi yang sempurna untuk bisa masuk. Saya memiliki pengalaman namun saya haus untuk meraih hasil," tegas Button.

Q & A with Ross Brawn

Source: www.autosport.com

Q. Congratulations Ross on your acquisition of the former Honda Racing F1 Team and a positive outcome after the uncertainty of the past few months.
Ross Brawn: It has been a challenging few months for the team, certainly, but I am very pleased that we have finally reached a successful conclusion and the future of the team has been secured.

Q. Tell us about the Brawn GP Formula One Team. Who owns the team and how will it be structured?
RB: I would like to start by saying that it is a great shame that we are no longer able to continue with Honda Motor Company, having worked together for so long. Following Honda's decision to withdraw, we needed to find a way to secure as many jobs as possible, ensure the team's continued participation in Formula One and make best use of the state of the art facilities that we are fortunate to have here in Brackley. Quite simply, I have purchased the team from Honda. As the owner I will continue to be supported by the incumbent management team, who have worked closely with me throughout the sale process and will continue to do so in the future.

Q. It appears that there were a number of options available to Honda, from closing the team down to accepting an offer from one of the various third parties who have been mentioned. Why did Honda choose this route?
RB: Honda wanted to make every effort possible to secure the future of the team. Closing down the team was always a last resort. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment on the options available to Honda. Suffice to say that the Honda board recommended and approved this route and I'm obviously very pleased that they reached that conclusion.I would like to take this opportunity to thank Honda for their fantastic co-operation and support - particularly those members of the senior management who were closely involved with concluding our agreement - and for the faith they have demonstrated in myself and our team.

Q. As you say it has been a challenging period. How is team morale?
RB: There is no denying this has been a difficult time for everyone at our Brackley base, but I am immensely proud of the great spirit and fortitude that I have witnessed in the factory over the course of the past few months. The process of designing and manufacturing our new car, which has continued concurrent with the efforts being made to secure the team, has been reasonably straightforward. That is particularly pleasing given that our car was designed around a different engine and both the chassis and gearbox have been modified to accommodate the new engine. Our first test with the new car, though much later than we would have liked, will be an emotional moment for everyone in the team I'm sure.

Q. Tell us about your new partnership with Mercedes-Benz.
RB: We are very fortunate to have secured an engine supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz and our new car, the BGP 001, will be powered by the 2.4 litre Mercedes-Benz FO108W Formula One engine. I would like to express our appreciation for their support over the past few months and we look forward to working with them as we seek to maximise the development and testing of the BGP 001 car in advance of the first race.

Q. Your driver line-up remains unchanged. Presumably continuity of drivers is going
to be crucial to you with such limited time with which to prepare for the new season?
RB: We are very fortunate to have two experienced drivers in Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. They will enable us to hit the ground running when we test for the first time in Barcelona next week. After four years as teammates, their experience with our team in Brackley, our systems and our engineers, will prove a real asset. Jenson and Rubens have always had a great relationship and we expect to see them pushing each other hard over the season to get the best performance from the car and drive forward its development. Both drivers are extremely motivated having trained hard over the winter to ensure that they were in the best possible physical condition. We look forward to their first thoughts on the BGP 001 at next week's Barcelona Test.

Q. Tell us about your testing programme in advance of the first race of the season?
RB: We have conducted an initial shakedown of the car at Silverstone today and both the car and team are now heading to Barcelona where we will participate in the full team test at the Circuit de Catalunya on 9- 12 March. Later next week we will head down to Jerez in Spain for a further three day test on 15-17 March. We obviously have a significant test programme to work through and this will require our full focus.

Q. Realistically, how tough is it going to be getting up to speed given that the other teams have had a substantial head start?
RB: The biggest hurdle we faced was being in a position to race in Melbourne and we will now be able to achieve that target. Initially we may experience some reliability issues resulting from the lack of track testing but we feel we have a good car and we hope that our performance will be respectable. We are confident in the fundamental design principle of our car and look forward to the opportunity to develop it further as the season progresses.

Q. What are your expectations for Melbourne in three weeks' time?
RB: The debut race weekend with 20 brand new cars is always difficult to predict and on this occasion I'm not even going to try. What I know we can take away from Melbourne is an enormous sense of pride and achievement at having already met and overcome our biggest challenge.

Q. Finally, what can you tell us about the striking new livery of the BGP 001?
RB: We are very pleased with the new livery, which was designed for simplicity to reflect our current position at the inception of Brawn GP. Black and white seemed a natural place to start and the fluorescent yellow gives it a more striking touch of visibility. It's very different to any other car on the grid.