1) Driver of the Year
Trying to stop my urges to give this to Webber is like trying to stop the tide coming in with a spoon that isn't too big, and my objective side is being punched repeatedly in the face by my subjective part. So while they're busy I'll just hurry up and give this one to Jenson Button. Fantastic in the first half of the season and all that, while only about as bad as everyone else in the back half.
2) Team of the Year
Most of the pundits are still drooling over the fairytale that is Brawn GP, but I'm going to go out on a limb that doesn't have a foot attached and give this one to Red Bull. Not only do they employ the best looking driver in the history of wheeled sport but they showed great determination and flexibility throughout the year. They didn't have manufacturer backing last season and had an average (compared to the Merc) engine to compete with, but they also showed some great fight on the development side; it took a lot of guts to go down a completely different path to every other team with their initial design and changing their focus as the double diffuser was made legal was very impressive. Also, the TV directors showed Horner's foot approximately 317 times throughout the season, which is good for my kind.
3) Flop of the Year
It has to be Kazuki Nakajima for me, in a very decent car he picked up no points for the entire year while on the other side of the garage his well groomed teammate was lugging around a giant hat filled with his fourth and fifth places for the year. The only thing Kaz is lugging around are bits of gravel that've flicked into his pockets over the season. How he went from being almost impressive last year to complete toss so quickly is beyond me.
4) Race of the Year
There really weren't many good GPs this year unfortunately, some were solid but not many stood out. For me though, Brazil was the best race of the year, lots of overtaking, a shunt or two, a wino filled rage and a satisfactory 'end' to the season. Of course, the entire thing would've been better if Legard and Brundle knew/cared/mentioned who won the bloody race.
5) Drive of the Year
I can't restrain myself any longer; Mark Webber at the Spanish GP is my drive of the year. Following a lackluster qualifying Mark made an aggressive start and was attacking his teammate Vettel (who qualified three spots further up the grid!) into turn 5. The safety car saved the young German from the onslaught, but gave Alonso a run at Mark after the restart. Webbo put the two time champion on the grass but couldn't stop him from breezing by...so Mark criss-crossed him in the braking zone and had him straight back somehow. What followed was an excellent middle stint on heavy fuel which allowed him to jump Massa and Vettel and pick up a well deserved third place. The fact it was his first race of the season that he could endure without painkillers is a little cherry on top.
6) Fail of the Year
This is a fight between Lewis Hamilton with lie-gate, Lewis Hamilton with bin-it-in-Monaco-wally-gate, Lewis Hamilton with fail-at-Silvy-gate, Lewis Hamilton with final-lap-fail-at-Monza-gate and Luca Badoer in general. Naturally it's negative point to Luca.
7) Quote of the Year
"PUSHING ON A CHARGE THERE!" The psuedo quote by Jonathon Legard which sums up pretty much all of his bubbishness for the year. I'm hoping he continues with the "It's A followed by B, followed by C" poop next season, it will hopefully prompt battle joined with Brundle's foot and Legard's butt.
8) Memory of the Year
Mark Webber's first win. It had to be, with a sensational pole, a drive through and a stunning come back seeing Mark clinch his first victory. That the season didn't quite turn out how I'd hoped will melt away eventually and I'm sure I'll look back on '09 as my happiest F1 season. Less than 12 months before we were receiving reports of the accident trickle in from Tasmania we weren't sure if he'd be walking again let alone racing and winning in the very next season. The nervousness of the final few laps and the orgasmic outbreak of emotion as Mark took the flag is most definately my memory of the year.
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