What’s going on in the F1 racing world this week?  Read on to learn about some of the biggest names and biggest happenings.

•    Rumours that Lewis Hamilton may leave McLaren have been at the top of all F1 news stories this week.  Many report that Hamilton was upset with his team’s handing of the controversy that led to his disqualification at the Malaysian Grand Prix.  However, most believe that Hamilton won’t leave the team.

•    Other controversy in the F1 world concerns the diffusers that the Toyota, Williams, and Brawn cars are using.  Some other teams have filed a complaint with the F1 organisation over these diffusers, but many, including retired F1 racer David Coulthard, believe that the FIA will rule these diffusers legal.

•    Here’s a bit of good news: ticket sales at the Singapore Grand Prix went, unlike last year, very smoothly.  Last year, the entire ticket system crashed during the first two days of ticket sales.  This year, after some redesigning, everything went very smoothly.

•    While no one wants to see an F1 racer crash, it’s good to know that if anyone does spin out of control during the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, a large team of medical professionals will be on hand.  Over 150 medical experts will be standing by along with ten ambulances, three extrication vehicles, and six intervention cars.  Two helicopters would also be ready to air-lift any serious injuries to medical facilities.

•    Retired three time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda and his wife, Brigit, are expecting their fourth child.  Lauda is 60; his wife, a former stewardess who worked on one of Lauda’s airlines, is 30.

•    Despite their win at the Australian Grand Prix, Brawn GP announced that they’re cutting 270 jobs from their factory in England due to the economic recession.

Many exciting things have gone on this week in the F1 world, including a shocking disqualification!

•    Current F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, recently honoured by the Queen, has been disqualified from the Australian Grand Prix.  According to sources, he gave some misleading evidence to a few of the race stewards.  This evidence concerned the race in Melbourne last weekend in which Jarno Trulli passed Hamilton during a safety car period, which is a breach of F1 regulations.  However, it appears Hamilton’s statements have been contradicted by other facts, leading him to be disqualified.

•    But that wasn’t the only newsworthy event from the Melbourne Grand Prix.  Brawn GP, the brand new kid in the F1 world, shocked us all when Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello finished first and second.  The two are two of the oldest drivers currently active in F1 racing.

•    Driver Fernando Alonso spent the Melbourne race battling an ear infection, and he has had a few days off since the race.  However, the Renault driver says he’s ready to hit the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend and has high hopes his team will pull it together.

•    Alonso may not get a chance to race in Malaysia, however.  Nico Rosberg has recently added his name to the list of those concerned about the Malaysian Grand Prix being run late in the evening.  Racing at twilight opens up new risks that daytime racing doesn’t have, plus there’s always the chance that a monsoon will blow in.  Alonso himself had difficulty with the setting sun’s glare in afternoon practices in Melbourne.

Following the FIA’s approval for the Brawn GP name earlier this week, the team has been confirmed as an official Formula One racing team.  The team name, originally Honda Racing, was changed to Brawn GP after Ross Brawn purchased it earlier this year.  While they’ve been planning to race in the 2009 F1 series, they had to officially be approved by the F1 governing body.  Now that they have approved the name change, there’s nothing holding Brawn GP back from entering the race.  They are, however, being viewed as a new entry in the F1 world championship although, since the entry fee had already been paid when the team was under the Honda name, that fee is being waved for Brawn.

On Thursday, Brawn GP once again put up the fastest time in F1 testing.  This impressive feat has the F1 world taking note: Ferrari even dubbed Brawn GP as the surprise contender for the Formula One championship.  The time record was set by Rubens Barichello on the Catalunya Circuit in Barcelona, Spain.  His record of one minute and 18.926 seconds comes a day after his teammate Jenson Button set his own record.  The Brawn GP team only recently confirmed that it would participate in the season following its buyout by Brawn.  F1 fans around the world are suddenly taking note of the team, and many believe that none of the other F1 teams can match Barichello’s time.  Brawn GP will compete in the Australian Grand Prix and, unlike last year in which the team was consistently ranked very low, they’re expecting a win.