I remember de Angelis (just) - but didn't know he played piano!

Ah but we elderly Bags remember....

x

A very good result for the sport, a nice mix of points to keep the pot boiling.

Re. F1 pianists - Francois Cevert was pretty good.

I remember Damon Hill's band playing at several British Grand Prix...

Hunt the Shunt played trumpet.

It's an all Toyota front row for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Good chance for Toyota to get their first ever win like Red Bull did last weekend.

Car Expert

4 wins out of 5 for Jenson Button now

Car Expert

It's Monaco this weekend

Car Expert

Best Grand Prix track of the season

Button's on pole!

Well, who can stop Jenson Button now?...

No-one it seems...

It's a good job this 'winner takes all' points system wasn't introduced this year otherwise the championship could've potentially been over by Hungary (late July)...

Car Expert

6 out of 7 for Button

Car Expert

It's the British Grand Prix this weekend - but the last one at Silverstone for the foreseeable future

Can Button join the elite group of British drivers containing the likes of Mansell, Hill, Herbert, Coulthard and Hamilton in winning at Silverstone? Surely nothing can stop him

Car Expert

Didn't he go last year too?

Will Button make it 7 out of 8?...

Two of my friends are going to Silverstone at the weekend. They're leaving early too. One of them also has a music theory exam (G5) on Saturday, and revision to do for an exam on Monday... busy life! And it's the other one's 18th birthday.

Button will have a little bit of a challenge to win his home Grand Prix now...

What do people think of all this politics swimming around F1 at the moment, with talk of breakaway series and suchlike? I really don't think two separate Formula 1s will be viable...

It seems to have become a personal issue as well now. If the split goes ahead, it may become like the Football League - the big boys will represent the Premier Group (but they can't call themselves F1) and the minnows will be the rest. The real F1 would be cheaper to join and operate, and maybe doing well in that would attract enough sponsors for them to apply to join the big boys.

I feel sorry for the drivers as it seems to be the constructors who are doing all the talking. Maybe they will go on strike in they are not happy with the outcome!

Vettel wins...still only two winners of Grand Prix this season...

Good result for the sport.

Regarding the politics. Don't blame Max - He has done, and continues to do, a great job for the FIA and for Formula one.
Don't blame Bernie - He has built Formula One up to what it is today.
I'm sure that the two of them will ensure that a deal is brokered, though it may take a little while as some pretty big egos are involved.

First pole position for Webber for the German Grand Prix. Good performance by Hamilton as well to get 5th, and of course Sutil for claiming 7th. I assume the rain in Q2 played a part in that (I of course didn't watch it as I was travelling back home from holiday).

Car Expert

Just turned the coverage on. They are predicting rain again...

Webber wins his first Grand Prix...

Not sure Rubens Barrichello was entirely happy with the outcome, judging by his post-race interview...

Alonso's on pole after a chaotic qualifying session at Hungary.

Hope Massa is fit enough to race tomorrow (he never has much luck there)...

Car Expert

And here I am IN Hungary and with a day off tomorrow...

Nope, Massa won't be racing tomorrow...

Car Expert

Go on...watch the Grand Prix C....

Hamilton wins his first GP of the season

Car Expert

Renault are banned for the next race. Apparantly they allowed Alonso to race with a loose tyre. Supposedly Alonso may race for Ferrari as they are a may short, as long as his contract allows so.

I understand why they issued a ban. Someone I knew at my previous school died from being hit with a loose tyre during a Formula 2 race.

We need Bernie to negotiate Fernando into the Ferrari seat for Valencia - assuming Massa is not fit in time, although I hope he is. Maybe the Renault appeal will succeed, though I'm not holding my breath. Today's result was good for F1, closing up the drivers and constructors championships nicely.

Well, two big F1 stories have emerged today:

BMW are to pull out of F1 at the end of the season after not achieving their target of an F1 title within three years. We had Honda pull out last year and now BMW. Hope Toyota don't follow suit as well...

And the man who will replace Felipe Massa for the European Grand Prix... Michael Schumacher

This means out of the 18 drivers for the next GP six of them will be German - Schumacher, Heidfeld, Sutil, Rosberg, Vettel and Glock.

Never thought we'd see him in the same race as Lewis Hamilton

Car Expert

I saw that

Wonder if he's still got the necessary skill/speed to finish high up the standings?...

There was no other option really. Ferrari's test drivers (Gene and Badoer) have been out of competitive F1 racing longer than Schumacher has. Renault probably wouldn't have let Alonso go to Ferrari for one race. Bourdais (even though he's raced a Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso) isn't a consistent points finisher and has never been on the podium. And then there was this other guy who was Formula 3 champion last year, but that's far too risky. And Coulthard was linked as well I think, but I'm sure if he was asked he would want to stick to his role as a Red Bull consultant and of course as a BBC pundit.

Let's hope he passes all those stringent medical tests, and then we'll be able to see him up against the likes of Button, Hamilton and Vettel. This is practically a carbon copy of Lance Armstrong in cycling - win seven titles, retire in 2006 and then shock everyone by making a return to their respective sport three years later...

Car Expert

Very interesting

Sadly, Michael Schumacher has admitted defeat in his battle to get fit. The neck injuries he sustained motorbike racing were too severe, and his neck would've been at risk driving an F1 car...

Giancarlo Fisichella... yes Fisichella is on pole for the Belgian Grand Prix

But Button can only manage 14th

Car Expert

I had a feeling Button wouldn't be great in Spa, but Barrichello in 4th must be a worry for him...

Both Brits crashed out on the first lap

And Force India claim their first ever points in F1! Fisichella to Ferrari? That would be interesting...

Car Expert

Am I right that technically any of the top 8 can still win? Surely that hasn't happened very often in F1 history

Trulli with 22.5 points is highly unlikely to win it (although he still can)

It's still a four-way battle realistically, although Red Bull will probably soon start to look over their shoulder as Raikkonen is about the same distance behind Webber as he is to Button...

Car Expert

I don't think my blood pressure could cope with another end of season the same as last year! Although I can see it being between more than two this season!

If Brawn have a significantly better weekend than Red Bull in Monza, I think it'll effectively be a two horse race. The other way round, and things will be very interesting!

Four other drivers, yes, can mathematically win the Championship, but I really can't see any of them winning it...

Fisichella has taken the Ferrari drive for the rest of the season. Luca Badoer did do his best, but I think this is a good move by Ferrari...

Badoer had to be replaced eventually, he just wasn't competitive enough.

Fisichella will also be Ferrari's test driver for 2010.

Car Expert

is it me or are all the new people emerging into F1 just flopping and being replaced for beng useless?

Luca Badoer raced in the late 90s

We have also had some new stars in the last few years such as Vettel...

The problem for drivers such as Alguersuari and Badoer is that in-season testing is banned. So their first proper drive in a 2009 F1 car is during free practice, which therefore explains why they have both been backmarkers in the last two or three races because it takes time to get used to an F1 car. Compare that to Buemi (who scored on his debut), he was able to test the car before the season started, therefore he was able to be more competitive. Then again, Grosjean hasn't faired too badly in the Renault...

I still don't agree with the fact that Bourdais got sacked halfway through the season. As for Piquet, he hasn't been able to mix it with the front runners very often in a car capable of doing so, so he had to be replaced.And early 90s - his first race was in 1993 for Lola - his best finish was 7th, which these days would've been 2 points scored...

Car Expert

Oh gosh yes, he did, didn't he? '93...think that was Prost's last championship win, if I remember rightly...

Button's championship hopes are looking much better now

Car Expert

Yes, but I really wouldn't rule Barrichello out of the running...