F1 2009 Season discussion/development thread

If it were me, I would be doing heaps of simulator work (providing of course that the new car setups are available the simulator), getting myself used to how the new car handles.

I would also be telling me my agent to try and find me an alternate drive for 2009, just in case things dont work out. I would also be telling him to find me a competitive drive for 2010, just in case 2009 goes totally pear-shaped.

To say that a driver has nothing to do is quite simply ridiculous, as there is always something you could be doing, as a sportsman, to improve yourself. Going out to another country, far away from your base and hanging out with some floozey isnt one of them.

Bizarrely, he seems quite committed to his own fitness (not a bad thing), but he doesnt seem to committed to being fast in the car. To me, he has lost interest, probably as a result of driving at the back of the grid.

I'm beginning to think that you guys think that driving an F1 car is simply about getting in the car on race weekend and going as fast as you can. In the 1970s, you could do this and get away with it, but in 2009, you have to be DAMN good and work DAMN hard to win races.
 
So your assuming he has done nothing else based solely on the fact he has a new girlfriend?

To me it seems like you are reading far too much into this, and combining it with your dislike of the man.
 
sunama said:
If it were me, I would be doing heaps of simulator work (providing of course that the new car setups are available the simulator), getting myself used to how the new car handles.

I would also be telling me my agent to try and find me an alternate drive for 2009, just in case things dont work out. I would also be telling him to find me a competitive drive for 2010, just in case 2009 goes totally pear-shaped.

To say that a driver has nothing to do is quite simply ridiculous, as there is always something you could be doing, as a sportsman, to improve yourself. Going out to another country, far away from your base and hanging out with some floozey isnt one of them.

Bizarrely, he seems quite committed to his own fitness (not a bad thing), but he doesnt seem to committed to being fast in the car. To me, he has lost interest, probably as a result of driving at the back of the grid.

I'm beginning to think that you guys think that driving an F1 car is simply about getting in the car on race weekend and going as fast as you can. In the 1970s, you could do this and get away with it, but in 2009, you have to be DAMN good and work DAMN hard to win races.
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I don't think we know anything like enough about him and what he gets up to on a day by day basis to say anything about his commitment/motivation etc.

The fact that he's remained in F1 for a good length of time and people who know know dramatically more about the sport and its drivers that we do, choose to pay him (over someone else) millions of quid should tell us he's doing something right!
 
sunama said:
It shows that he isnt taking his predicament seriously.
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Why does it?

sunama said:
He is having a high old time in sunny climes, where the rest of his team is worrying about their jobs are are therefore (hopefully) making provisions to deal with a situation of being laid off, should it happen.
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Oh, come on sunama!

Stop me if I'm wrong, but the Sun only showed pictures of this girl didn't they? There's a non-current pic of the two together from MyBookFaceBo or whatever social networking site they use, a shot of Button on the podium somewhere, and two of this girl. So how is it that you reach your conclusion about Button's journeyman status from that?

sunama said:
Button seems totally relaxed. He just doesnt give a damn.
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And you'd know that, being completely aware of every single thought he has....

sunama said:
This is exactly what would be expected of a journeyman - if his team goes down the pan, in part due to his own lack of ability to push the car to its limit, he wont give a damn as he doesnt have any real interest in F1.
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Again....

sunama said:
This is why I would love him to go up against Hamilton, as he would get humiliated.
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Define "humiliated".

If you mean beaten, then yes - I expect he would. Hamilton has a talent that doesn't come along all that often. I can name a bunch of drivers over the years who I'd consider to be equally talented or better, but there aren't many out there right now who make that list. If you mean finish 7th* versus a champion team-mate, then no - I think he might do slightly better than that with a car that rates better than "apocalyptically bad".

* - This is how ******* up the points system is right now. Heikki finished on the podium just three times - a win, a second and a third. He failed to score in 7 rounds. Of those non-podium finishes, there were two 4ths, three 5ths, a 7th and an 8th. Under any sensible points system he'd have been utterly crucified. Under this system, he somehow ended up with 53 points.

Fifty. *******. Three.

Dear God, please zap the stupid out of the FIA and get the points system changed. Kind regards, JRS.

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clv101 said:
The fact that he's remained in F1 for a good length of time and people who know know dramatically more about the sport and its drivers that we do, choose to pay him (over someone else) millions of quid should tell us he's doing something right!
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I already tried that argument clv. I can't really be arsed to go back and check, but I'm pretty sure he just ignored it.
 
clv101 said:
I don't think we know anything like enough about him and what he gets up to on a day by day basis to say anything about his commitment/motivation etc.

The fact that he's remained in F1 for a good length of time and people who know know dramatically more about the sport and its drivers that we do, choose to pay him (over someone else) millions of quid should tell us he's doing something right!
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So, the fact that a team like Honda decide to pay him large sums of money (which they do...after all, Button is one of the highest paid F1 drivers), should mean that we accept he is a good driver? Button was outscored by Barrichello in 2008. He was also outqualified by Barrichello. Barrichello beat him. Plain and simple. Barrichello is a guy who is in the twilight of his career with his best years behind him. Barrichello is a guy who was comprehensively beaten by MS.

Button has remained in F1 for a while because he used to be good. Up until he was improving, along with his car, he seemed on an upward curve. He seemed committed. But that was some time ago. A sportsman cannot be rated based on what he did 2 years ago.

I'm sorry, but all because a few people decide to pay Button lots of money for driving their cars at the back of the grid, doesnt mean he is a good driver. Put him alongside a good driver (ie. better than Barrichello) and the difference in speed/performance will be even more dramatic.

To even suggest that Button is amongst the top guys in F1 is just plain lunacy. Over the last 18 months, it would appear he has lost all his motivation and is now just picking up a pay cheque, which for an average sportsman is fine, but average isnt good enough to even get close to Hamilton or Alonso.
 
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When does the calendar become "official"?

I have Platinum A for Silverstone weekend and them off to Italy for a break on the Wednesday after. If they move the GP that could screw me up!
 
Are we button bashing again? You guys should go play Street Figher ;) :P

Who's to say F1 drivers aren't allowed to have time off before the new season? It was reported in a **** rag after all, so who knows what the real dates of the story are.

Nobody can comment on buttons driving over the past two seasons, plain and simple. The cars been rubbish, they've said all along they're just making up numbers and that they were working on the coming seasons car, so why should we expect anything of the team at this time?

Button is a great sportsman, he always tells it like it is, he doesn't have celebrity fits like some of the "top" drivers and back in the BAR days he was racing wheel to wheel with the great drivers of that time in a fairly young car.

He hasn't had the chance to mature into a team and at Honda he is doing exactly that, the problem now is that Honda has a big ? over its head and there's nothing he can do about it. Who knows what he gets up to during the season down time, who's to say he hasn't spent hours and hours in a simulator? Maybe he's so good he doesn't need to? You can't really make a judgement until the season starts, he's in a car and he puts some racing milage on it.
 
Dup said:
Who's to say F1 drivers aren't allowed to have time off before the new season? It was reported in a **** rag after all,
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Hey. I love that paper. The Daily Star is the better though. ;)

Dup said:
Nobody can comment on buttons driving over the past two seasons, plain and simple. The cars been rubbish, they've said all along they're just making up numbers and that they were working on the coming seasons car, so why should we expect anything of the team at this time?
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A top line driver would make sure he gets the most out of even the worst car. Alonso's car wasnt great and rather than sulking, he and his team improved the car, moved forward and managed to get 2 wins out of it. In comparison his team-mate, was outqualified 100% of the time. Alonso totally dominated. This is how you distinguish yourself as a top sportsman.

With regards to the car: every year Honda make the same promise of developing next year's car. In 2009, if they manage to race, they will be at the mid-back of the grid and will then once again concentrate on the following year's car. Its what they do. Even Ross Brawn arrived and began lying through his teeth, stating that in 2008, their car would be very good. After the much anticipated "upgrades", Honda were once again at the back of the grid, at which point, once again, Honda decided to concentrate on next year's car.

A top line driver like Alonso, Hamilton and in particular Senna would not have tolerated this or hung around in such a poor performing team. The top sportsman usually gravitate towards the best teams. EG. Ronaldo to Man Utd, Kaka to AC Milan, Alonso to Ferrari (eventually).

Dup said:
Button is a great sportsman, he always tells it like it is, he doesn't have celebrity fits like some of the "top" drivers and back in the BAR days he was racing wheel to wheel with the great drivers of that time in a fairly young car.
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Since when, Alonso has moved onto bigger and better things. And rather than remaining static has improved to become the most decorated driver in F1 today.

Button can 'tell it like it is' all day long...it still doesnt hide the fact that over the last 18 months he has gone downhill, culminating with him getting beat by the oldest man of the sport. Thats embarrassing. Barrichello would not have shown up Alonso or Hamilton.

Dup said:
He hasn't had the chance to mature into a team ...
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Yes he has. He has had many years now. Barrichello arrived in the team and has shown Button up for what he is and Barrichello isnt exactly a top line driver.
 
A top line driver like Alonso, Hamilton and in particular Senna would not have tolerated this or hung around in such a poor performing team. The top sportsman usually gravitate towards the best teams.
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He did do this, remember the contractural dispute between Williams/Honda? At that point BAR/Honda were poised for better things, certainly better than were Williams seemed to be heading. With Hindsight though... :)

Yes he has. He has had many years now. Barrichello arrived in the team and has shown Button up for what he is and Barrichello isnt exactly a top line driver.
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Disagree, Barichello is still a top driver. His marketability, and age go against him hugely for obvious reasons. The fact that Barrichello didn't achieve much either with the 2008 Honda says something. (Very good drive/perception in the '08 British grand prix, thats for sure, little to do with the car) At least Alonso had some sort of a competitive car with the Renault.
 
Nodirection said:
He did do this, remember the contractural dispute between Williams/Honda? At that point BAR/Honda were poised for better things, certainly better than were Williams seemed to be heading. With Hindsight though... :)
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And at no point have I ever said Button wasn't decent (and motivated) in 2004-2006. When he was up and coming, he was pretty decent and didnt do too badly against Alonso. It is in the last 18-20 months that he has just given up. He is the closest thing F1 has to Eddie Irvine right now.
 
PinkFloyd said:
What else could he actually be doing right now.
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Keeping Sharp, where he learnt his trade ;)

Button-VS-Frijns.jpg


Button7.jpg
 
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