By Lemmy Gibson

The Formula One season is now one third complete following the Monaco Grand Prix. As expected, the season has been one full of chaos and controversy.

After massive changes to the rules and regulations for Formula One, the 2009 season promised to be an interesting one. Well, it has fallen flat. After three straight seasons of intense tight championships, the 2009 season was over before it began and has made a farce out of the efforts of FIA chief Max Mosley to make the sport more competitive.

Jenson Button and Brawn GP have risen from the ashes of Honda and wiped out the field. Using a controversial double diffuser, the team has only really been challenged in the rain. The team is so dominant that the mercurial Ross Brawn has resulted to his old tactics of filling up the car with more fuel than others to make it look slower compared to the other cars in the field during qualifying.

If there has been one highlight to the season, it is that passing is a bit easier. That being said, most fans enthusiasm for this is misguided. The passing is taking place in the middle to rear of the field. How this is exciting is beyond me, but it is what it is as the announcers lamely try to make a pass for 11th position seem exciting.

Team of the Year

Brawn GP is clearly the team of the year. Honda almost folded the team and it was Ross Brawn that saved it with his investors. One of the major players at Ferrari during the Schumacher years, he has proven to be every bit as brilliant with his own team. It must be difficult for Ferrari fans to look down the pit lane at Brawn GP and wonder how Ferrari possibly let him get away. It was a mistake that will haunt Ferrari for years and years.

Driver of the Year

Jenson Button is the undisputed winner. Yes, he has the best car, but he is driving the wheels off of it as well. He senses his opportunity and is grasping it ever so tightly as Schumacher or Alonso did when their opportunities arose. This is no more apparent than when Button is compared to Rubens Barrichello, his teammate. Jenson has finished ahead of Barrichello in every race and now has a 15 point lead over him. Unless Jenson gets hurt, the Driver's Championship is his.

Poor Performance of the Year

Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes were running neck and neck for this award, but things have changed. McLaren is still a mess, but is at least keeping its current pace. To the surprise of many, Ferrari has rebounded and now may be the second best car in the field. Regardless, my award for poor performance of the year goes to another team.

BMW is the biggest disappointment in Formula One this year. The team had a plan to progress over the years and had followed it. The 2009 rules and regulations, however, have proved too much for the team. They are arguably now the worst team on the track with their starting grid positions behind Force India at Monaco. What a disaster. Given the economy, it would not surprise anyone to see BMW decide to save some money and leave Formula One after 2010.

2009 has proven to be a disappointment after three years of championships that went down to the last race. Both championships in the 2009 season are already won for all intensive purposes. Expect to see decreased attendance in the stands and lower television ratings given the economy and an uncompetitive season.

By Dirk Gibson

With the conclusion of the nail biting Brazilian Grand Prix, the 2008 Formula One Season has come to an end. For the second season in a row, it was an absolute cliff hanger.

The Championships were a mixed bag between the two heated rivals in the sport. McLaren has taken the Driver's Championship through Lewis Hamilton by one point over Felipe Massa of Ferrari. In a flip of sorts, Ferrari prevailed in the Constructor's Championship over McLaren by 21 points. From the expressions of team members, it was clear the Driver's Championship was the big prize.

Both championships were up for grabs going into the final race, which made for exciting racing. The Driver's Championship was considered the more competitive contest and it proved as much as Lewis Hamilton staggered home in 5th to win the title by one point. He will find particular joy in such a narrow win given the fact he lost the 2007 title by one point.

The Constructor's Championship went to Ferrari by a wide margin, primarily due to the serious shortcomings of Heikki Kovalainen, the second driver for McLaren, who failed to not only out point either Ferrari driver, but either BMW driver as well. It has been announced that Kovalainen will return to McLaren next year, but one has to wonder if that decision will be given a second look because he is a definite weak link.

The Return of the King Award clearly goes to Fernando Alonso. Having done serious damage to his reputation given the McLaren fiasco, the little Spaniard re-established his driving reputation by developing a weak Renault car into a competitive car that he not only took to the podium, but won twice with even though the car was clearly weaker than McLaren and Ferrari.

The Future Is Here Driver award goes to Sebastian Vettel. Here is all you need to know. He drives for Toro Rosso. Before being renamed, it was better known as Minardi. Minardi was one of the worst cars in the history of Formula One, always finishing dead last in nearly every race. Notwithstanding all this, Sebastian Vettel gave the big boys a run for their money and even won the Italian Grand Prix at historic Monza. It is only a matter of time before a top team snaps him up and he begins winning championships.

The Woeful Driver of the Year Award is awarded to a clear winner again - Kimi Raikkonen. After winning the Driver's Championship in dramatic fashion in 2007, Kimi was pathetic. His lack of apparent interest was so obvious that many thought he would retire at the end of this season. A contract extension has been announced by Ferrari, but you really have to wonder if something will happen in the offseason. Kimi should be ashamed for disgracing the title of Champion. Yes, he was that bad.

The Worst Team of the Year Awards was uncompetitive, just like the "winner." Honda is our champion and the home office in Japan must wonder why it is spending millions a year on a car that can barely beat fans driving to the races, much less other F1 cars. The cars were consistently slow and twitchy. The team is so bad that despite trying to lure Fernando Alonso with truck loads of money, he has apparently begged off. There is some hope with Ross Brawn, formerly of Ferrari, now running the operation, but one cannot imagine the team being seriously competitive for at least two to three more years.

The Big Four? Formula One has long been dominated by McLaren and Ferrari. Starting in 2009, the big two may become the big four. BMW made major advances this year and won its first race at Canada. The Fernando Alonso and Renault combination was also looking very feisty by the end of the year. With an offseason of development, both could become serious contenders and make the 2009 season even more chaotic.