2009 Formula One season
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| 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship season | |
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The 2009 Formula One season will be the 60th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It will be the second season under the new Concorde Agreement. As it stands, there are a total of seven teams (plus Prodrive that will debut in the 2009 season) signed up to compete in the championship through an agreement with Formula One Management (reduced from eight following Super Aguri's pull out of the 2008 season), while the other three major manufacturers in the Grand Prix Manufacturers’ Association (GPMA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix to compete in the 2008 season.
Teams
Teams Signed with FOM
GPMA Manufactures
New Teams
Teams and drivers
| Team | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Tyre | No | Driver | Test driver(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
|
Ferrari | F2009 | Ferrari | B |  Felipe Massa
|
TBA | |
 Kimi Räikkönen
| |||||||
 BMW Sauber F1 Team
|
BMW Sauber | F1.09 | BMW | B | Nick Heidfeld
|
TBA | |
 Robert Kubica
| |||||||
 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
|
McLaren | MP4-24 | Mercedes | B | Lewis Hamilton
|
TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
| AT&T Williams
|
Williams | FW31 | Toyota | B | Nico Rosberg
|
TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
 Panasonic Toyota Racing
|
Toyota | TF109 | Toyota | B | Jarno Trulli
|
TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
 Red Bull Racing
|
Red Bull | RB5 | TBA | B | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
 ING Renault F1 Team
|
Renault | R29 | Renault | B |  Fernando Alonso
|
TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
| Honda Racing F1 Team
|
Honda | RA109 | Honda | B | Jenson Button
|
TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
| Scuderia Toro Rosso
|
Toro Rosso | TBA | TBA | B | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
 Force India F1 Team
|
Force India | TBA | TBA | B | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | |||||||
| Prodrive F1
|
TBA | TBA | TBA | B | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA |
2009 Race Schedule
Calendar Changes
- On February 3, 2007, it was announced that a new race in Abu Dhabi known as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be added to the 2009 calendar as part of Formula One's expansion in the Middle East. The race will take place at the Yas Island Circuit which is currently being built on Yas Island by the construction company Aldar. On April 10, 2008, the organisers have been told that the Grand Prix will take place in October 2009.
- After being dropped in 2007 to the Fuji Speedway, the Suzuka Circuit will return to host the Japanese Grand Prix in 2009. The race will then alternate between the two circuits.
- After the 2006 United States Grand Prix, Bernie Ecclestone and Ron Dennis announced the possibility of a new Grand Prix in South Korea entering in 2009. It has now been revealed though that the Korean Grand Prix will take place from 2010 at the soon-to-be built Korean International Circuit. In addition to this, India has been confirmed on the Grand Prix calendar in 2010 with the Indian Grand Prix taking place in Delhi.
Rumours
- The organizers of the Malaysian Grand Prix revealed on January 22 their interest to host Formula One's second night race in 2009. On February 13 the Sepang International Circuit confirmed it was in discussions about securing a floodlighting system.
- Tony George confirmed that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was in discussion with Bernie Ecclestone about its return to Formula One in 2009 to host the United States Grand Prix again after being dropped after 2007. George had also confirmed that the speedway is underway of searching a title sponsor to guarantee the financial viability of the race.
- Bernie Ecclestone announced that a Russian Grand Prix could be a reality, although the location is yet unknown.
- On 12 May 2008 Bernie Ecclestone confirmed the 2008 French Grand Prix as the last race to be held at Magny Cours and as a result the French Grand Prix may be dropped from the 2009 F1 calendar and possibly return at a location in Paris in 2010.
Speculated 2009 race schedule
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Changes
Rule changes
On 22 December 2006, the FIA released the technical regulations for the 2009 season.
- Along with changes to bodywork, vehicle weight and tyre size, the document includes details of a "Kinetic Energy Recovery System", or KERS. This is a regenerative brake device that is designed to recover some of the vehicle's kinetic energy that is normally dissipated as heat during braking. The recovered energy could be stored electrically, in a battery or supercapacitor, or mechanically, in a flywheel, for use as a source of additional accelerative power at the driver's discretion.
- There will also be a cap on team budgets starting in the 2009 season.
Broadcasting changes
- The BBC regain coverage of Formula One in the United Kingdom after losing it to ITV in 1996. The deal will last for 5 years and includes TV, radio and online coverage rights.
Possible Changes
Possible Rule Changes
- The rule that forces the authorities to close the pit lane when a safety car is deployed may be abolished by the start of the 2009 season. This follows actions from Rubens Barrichello in Australia, and Nick Heidfeld in Spain, needing to pit otherwise they would run out of fuel. Both drivers got a 10 second stop-and-go penalty, and it is this that Heidfeld wants abolished.
Rumours
Rumoured regulation changes
- After being banned since 1998, Formula One tyre supplier Bridgestone wants slick tyres to return in 2009.
- Tyre-warming blankets will be banned.
Rumoured driver changes
- During an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, Fernando Alonso revealed that he could leave Renault at the end of the 2008 season if he wished. This comes after Renault started the 2008 season uncompetitively.
- Felipe Massa will leave Ferrari after performing poorly at the beginning of 2008.
- Italian magazine Autosprint said that Sebastian Vettel will replace Massa at Ferrari and that Michael Schumacher is helping in negotiations. However during an interview with ITV, Vettel's team boss Gerhard Berger had said that the reports are rubbish and that the German will stay at Toro Rosso for the next three years. Massa's dominant victory over his team-mate Kimi Räikkönen and BMW's Robert Kubica in Bahrain is silencing speculation.
- Dutch driver Robert Doornbos has a sponsorship with Red Bull, and because he has no seat in any series, there is rumoured he could replace poor performing Scottish David Coulthard. The German revelation Sebastian Vettel also makes chances to drive that seat. If the last would happen, rumours say that the nephew of the late Ayrton Senna, Bruno, could land in the Toro Rosso seat next to Bourdais.
- Tonio Liuzzi could land in a Force India seat. Technical director Mike Gascoyne said this, as his way to tell the drivers that they must perform better.
- Marco Andretti, grandson of the famous Mario Andretti, could switch places with Rubens Barrichello at the beginning of 2009, because Honda, his engine partner and Barrichello's team, would like to see this.
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