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[subzero9285]

 

[DrM]

Kovalainen: Scrap blue flags

Source

What a terrible idea.

Indeed. Or he still thinks that he is driving a Mclaren this season :lol

Nico is predicting podium finish for Australia, car should be much better on that track. (Source)

New rumor: Deutsche post / DHL in talks with Mercedes for sponsorship.

 

[moojito]

Ted Kravitz behind the scenes at the Bahrain Grand Prix

This is a fairly interesting summary of how the teams got on:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8572060.stm

While Red Bull will be annoyed about the engine, they cannot criticise it too much - Renault has gone a long way to improving the power before homologation took place on 1 March, while remaining the most fuel-efficient engine on the grid.

Williams technical director Sam Michael confirmed the Renault as best in this area, followed by Mercedes and Cosworth, with Ferrari the thirstiest. That means the Red Bulls started the race with 10kg less fuel than the Ferraris.

That would have been worth nearly 0.4 seconds a lap in the early stages of the race around the extended Bahrain track. Averaging out at 0.2secs per lap, reckoned Michael, Renault's fuel efficiency would have given Red Bull a 9.8-second advantage on Ferrari over the whole race distance.

No wonder eventual winner Fernando Alonso was waiting until the last 10 laps to mount an attack. At any other stage of the race, it would not have been a fair fight, as Vettel would have been significantly lighter on fuel.

We should bear this in mind in the inevitable debates about the first race being boring.

Had Vettel not had his problem, we would likely have enjoyed a fight for the lead between Alonso, who had been nursing his tyres throughout the race, and Vettel, with his rear tyres starting to fade. The fuel would have equalised, so performance would have been similar.

It would have been rather exciting.

 

[DrM]

:lol :lol @ Bernie
McLaren buys back Mercedes stake

McLaren has bought back the majority of Mercedes-Benz's stake in its Formula 1 team.

The German manufacturer owned 40 per cent of McLaren's F1 operation prior to taking over Brawn GP.

Mercedes denied at the time that the deal would mean the end of its relationship with McLaren, but admitted that the partnership, which is currently agreed until the end of 2011, would change.

McLaren said back in November that it planned to buy back the shares from Mercedes and team boss Martin Whitmarsh said today that the McLaren Group has regained a significant portion of the stake.

"I think it is about 11 per cent that is still owned by Mercedes, but it's not an important or significant number," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

McLaren Automotive chairman and former team boss Ron Dennis owns 15 per cent of the team, as does Saudi businessman Mansour Ojjeh, with a further 30 per cent belonging to Bahrain company Mumtalakat.

Autosport

 

[Reno7728]

Monza to keep Formula 1's Italian Grand Prix

The Italian Grand Prix will remain at Monza until 2016 after a deal between Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the historic track's managers.
There had been uncertainty over the circuit's future amid rumours of a new Grand Prix through the streets of Rome.
But Ecclestone has signed off a four-year extension to a contract which was due to expire in 2012.
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is one of F1's most famous venues, having first hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1922.
Last year's race was won by Rubens Barrichello, with the Brazilian heading team-mate Jenson Button in a Brawn GP one-two.
The 2010 edition - the 14th in F1's 19-race schedule for this year - takes place on Sunday, 12 September.

 

[subzero9285]

Monza to keep Formula 1's Italian Grand Prix

At least Bernie's doing something right for once, the likes of Monza, Monaco, Spa, Suzuka etc have to preserved well into the future.

 

[TylerD]

At least Bernie's doing something right for once, the likes of Monza, Monaco, Spa, Suzuka etc have to preserved well into the future.

This, and rebuild Hockenheim to its former glory please.

 

[subzero9285]

McLaren officially launch the MP4-12C

After five years of preparation, the Formula 1 team McLaren is formally launching its road car division on Thursday. For Ron Dennis, who took over the racing team 30 years ago and ran it till last year, it is the culmination of a long-held dream of bringing together F1 technology with efficient manufacturing and a nous for business.

"The way a great orchestra plays, there's a conductor," Mr Dennis explains in an exclusive interview with the BBC News website.

"I see myself as the conductor.

"It's a role that people perceive, but it isn't the person making the noise."

Instead, the noise is made by the marque's main ambassadors, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, two of the world's best Formula 1 racing drivers.

"We are exposing our brand through going motor racing," Mr Dennis says.

"It shows off our technology.

"We make no secret of the fact that we want to take technology that we've developed in F1 and bring that into our production cars."

Close to home

McLaren is already the biggest employer in Woking, the Surrey town where Mr Dennis grew up, and the construction of its £40m car factory will create at least 300 more jobs in the town. The company has already worked out plans for a string of sportscar models it will launch over the next 12 years, with the first hitting the road in 2011. For Mr Dennis, this fulfils another of his life-long ambitions, namely to create work close to home - as it happened, for others as well as for himself.

"My father, who was a director of a food company, commuted every day of his life to London," Mr Dennis recalls.

"At an early age, I can remember thinking that a daily commute of three hours, which is how long it took him, was a phenomenal waste of time, and if I was ever fortunate enough to live close to work then I would do so.

"As I grew older, there were greater benefits to that than just saving of time. It meant I could have breakfast and supper with my children as they grew up, which was a big plus, as that didn't happen in my time because my father was commuting."

Swiss watch

With all the excitement around this Formula 1 season, the McLaren's new road car, the MP4-12C, is eagerly awaited well beyond Woking, however. Hitherto, only about 20 journalists have seen it in the flesh and it has been driven by none of us. Though with its dramatically reduced weight when compared with its main rivals, and its relatively small but powerful engine, Mr Dennis hopes it will be seen as the motor industry's equivalent of an expensive Swiss watch. And he is convinced that demand for the car will be strong.

"We've looked into the absolute soul of the customer, not just their demographic profile, but really what people respond to in this segment," he says.

"We are in a world where there is an ability to express your personality and your personal achievements by owning efficient products and well designed products.

"So you can accurately tell the time for £2, but if you have an appreciation of craftsmanship, of style, of brand values, you can sit comfortably with a watch that costs £100,000."

Mr Dennis hopes to attract customers fascinated with McLaren's performance in the Grand Prix races. Since 1966 the team has won one in four of the races it has completed and in 53% of the races it has been on the podium.

"But when we talk about performance, we aren't just talking about acceleration, deceleration, cornering and top speed," he says.

"We're talking about aerodynamics efficiencies, of weight, of manufacturing technologies, about trying to reduce the labour intensity of a product such as this, and we're talking about low carbon-dioxide emissions."

Long-term survival

The automotive division is not merely an attempt to capitalise on a strong brand created by the racing division, however. It has also come about out of necessity, Mr Dennis insists.

"Formula 1 will absorb any money you throw at it," he says.

"The economics of a Formula 1 team is precarious at best."

So McLaren has taken great strides in recent years to diversify its business.

In addition to the racing and automotive divisions, it also includes an electronics business that supplies the entire Formula 1 field as well as control systems for the next generation of civil aviation engines. McLaren's applied technologies business, meanwhile, is working with the health care industry to develop a body monitoring system that is being used by British canoeists, cyclists and rowers ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games. Mr Dennis says such diversification, combined with tight cost controls, are vital to ensure the group's long-term survival.

"Since McLaren first stepped into the pit lane in 1966, 109 Formula 1 teams have come and gone, and the only two teams that have been going are Ferrari and ourselves.

"I don't want to be number 110."

Source

Stats

McLaren MP4-12C
McLaren's new roadcar, MP4-12C
Price: about £150,000
Engine: 3.8 litre V8 twin-turbo
CO2 emissions: 300g/km
0 – 200 km/h under 10 sec
200 – 0 km/h under 5 sec
100 – 0 km/h under 3 sec / 30m; less than seven car lengths
V-max over 200 mph
¼ mile around 11 sec
CO2 under 300g/km
Lightest dry weight around 1300kgs

• Standard composite brake system of forged aluminium and cast iron is lighter than the optional carbon-ceramic brake system, saving five kilos
  
• Low-weight Lithium-Ion battery saves 10kgs
  
• Lightweight magnesium structural beam supports the dashboard
  
• Small, twin-turbocharged V8 engine delivers 600PS from 3.8-litre capacity
  
• Rear mounted engine cooling radiators minimise the pipework, the fluids contained within them, and therefore weight. They were also mounted in car line to minimise vehicle width and weight.
  
• Hexagonal aluminium wiring saves four kilos over circular wiring.
  
• Brake Steer aids balance and grip through fast corners either acting as a safety control or an aid to performance on the track
  
• The Airbrake increases downforce and therefore grip at speed and moves the centre of pressure rearwards under heavy braking
  
• Proactive Chassis Control negates the requirement for mechanical anti-roll bars and distributes damper control hydraulically between wheels and axles resulting in minimal roll at high speed combined with compliant suspension articulation in a straight line and over uneven road surfaces

"Whitmarsh was speaking today at the launch of McLaren's MP4-12C sportscar, which he hopes can compete against Ferraris in the GT racing world. He has spoken to Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo about future competition between the two in sportscars.

"Our message there was: 'We want to race with you [Ferrari]. Where are you going to go? Why don't we go together?'"

Bring it on!

Full car launch video
Lewis and Jenson test the MP4-12C

 

[subzero9285]

Briatore welcomes first son

Flavio Briatore's first son has been born and named Falco Nathan, according to the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 59-year-old Italian, who recently ruled out returning to Formula One despite overturning his lifetime ban for the Singapore race-fixing scandal, was reportedly present for the birth at 8am in Nice.

Falco weighs a healthy 4.1kg, and Briatore's 30-year-old wife Elisabetta Gregoraci, a wonder-bra model, is reportedly also well.

It is Briatore's second child, the first being a 5-year-old girl called Leni whose mother is the supermodel Heidi Klum. In 2009 Leni was adopted by Klum's husband Seal, the British musician.

FIA president Jean Todt said in Bahrain last weekend that F1 has not heard the last of the so-called crashgate saga.

"We cannot forget a car was purposely crashed at the Singapore GP in 2008, and it cannot be without consequences," said the Frenchman.

Briatore also recently stepped down as chairman of Queens Park Rangers.

Source

Congrats to him and his wife.

 

[subzero9285]

Williams VW rumours surface

"We are stronger with a manufacturer than as a private team. No question," 67-year-old Williams is quoted as saying.

"And of course we have an affinity with Germany. I remember well, quite early on, we went to the races with VW buses -- we sometimes even slept in them!" he added.

"German cars are great," Williams continued. "With Mercedes, Brawn won the title last year, and with McLaren in the previous year. And now they (Mercedes) are up there with their own team."

Williams, now powered by engines supplied by the British independent company Cosworth, last won a race in 2004 with works BMW power.

The team has also won titles in the past amid works relationships with the carmakers Honda and Renault.

Said VW's motor racing representative Hans-Joachim Stuck: "At the moment F1 is not a topic for us. If, however, the conditions change, we would have to think about it."

Volkswagen is openly keen on the FIA's proposal to instigate 'world engine' regulations from 2013.

Former F1 driver Stuck agreed that rules of that type would result in "huge savings".

Source

 

[Massa]

More teams told to alter diffusers

Source

Saw it reported on a local website that Mercedes and Renault are the two teams.

 

[CurlySaysX]

Mark webber, great start to the oz gp.
theage.com.au/sport/motorsport/webber-transport-truck-involved-in-pileup-20100319-qkyh.html?autostart=1

 

[DrM]

Saw it reported on a local website that Mercedes and Renault are the two teams.

Mercedes needs to alter starter hole on the diffuser - some reports suggest that it is slightly too big.

 

[subzero9285]

Schumacher: I was faster than Rosberg

Although the German is struggling with the Mercedes car's tendency to understeer, and the narrower front Bridgestone tyres, he is expecting to get up to speed in the forthcoming races.

After trailing his teammate Nico Rosberg's pace by a few tenths all weekend in Bahrain, Schumacher finished less than four seconds behind the 24-year-old at the chequered flag.

And he said during an interview with France's Auto Hebdo: "I take a little personal satisfaction at being at the same pace as Nico in the race.

"And I was significantly faster than him in the fastest laps -- three hundredths!" he joked.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Webber hoping to beat Vettel

"Sebastian is pretty solid and had an impressive season last year, but there were certain parts of that year when it was very close between us.

"I hope it's as close again this season - if we continue to push each other than in turn helps the team. This time I hope it's in my favour at the end of the season. Nothing is easy is ever given to you but I'm going to give it a crack."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Coulthard's DTM move soured by Mercedes/Red Bull

According to one Red Bull insider, David Coulthard's DTM career "could have been the shortest of all time".

The Scottish veteran has tested a Mercedes C-class car of the German touring car series and is linked with a race seat in 2010.

But Germany's Auto Motor und Sport says the move may have been soured by the diminishing relationship between Mercedes and Red Bull.

Reports this week have the two brands at loggerheads over F1 engines, and 38-year-old Coulthard is still a regular in the Red Bull garages at grands prix.

The magazine said Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz is also unhappy about Mercedes' new deal to promote the Monster energy drink in Formula One.

Emulating Red Bull's tactic of using alliances with extreme sports to promote its brand, Monster is now seen as the market leader's major competitor.

Source

 

[DrM]

FIA closes rear diffuser loophole

McLaren, Mercedes GP and at least two other teams will have to make modifications to their diffuser designs in time for the Australian Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT has learned, after the FIA told them that it is clamping down on a loophole being used by the outfits.

Discussions took place between the FIA and representatives from four teams over the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix weekend about the size of starter motor holes in their diffusers.

The size of their starter motor holes was believed to be excessively wide, which, although not in breach of the regulations, was reckoned to be going against the spirit of the rules.

F1's technical regulations state that a hole can exist in the diffuser to allow access for an engine starter motor - although there are no strict dimensions laid down.

Article 3.12.7 states: "A single break in the surface is permitted solely to allow the minimum required access for the device referred to in Article 5.15. [supposed to refer to starter motor, although this is Article 5.16]."

There is no specific definition of what the 'minimum' size is though - so some teams have been using exotically shaped starter motors to allow themselves to feature wide-shaped holes in the diffusers. This concept was pioneered by Brawn GP in 2009.

Such a hole in the diffuser helps create another tunnel for air to flow through - which as well as helping to produce more downforce, also ensures such downforce is more consistent throughout a lap - especially under braking, when the rear of the car rises up and the airflow can stall.

The FIA inspected the diffuser designs in Bahrain and promised to issue a clarification about the matter after the weekend had finished.

AUTOSPORT understands that the FIA has duly sent a note to all teams, laying down strict dimensions for not only a maximum diameter for the holes but also for a maximum projected area.

It is believed that McLaren, Mercedes and two other teams - believed to be Renault and Force India - will now have to make modifications to their diffuser designs in this area prior to the next race in Melbourne.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said in Bahrain last weekend that his team was one of many that was under investigation over the matter.

"There are holes in the diffuser for the starter, the hole in ours is no bigger than the one on the championship winning car last year," he said. "And also no bigger than it is on about four other cars."

Autosport

Another wild rumor: because of this diffuser 'saga', Mercedes did not use their final 'uber diffuser' in Bahrain

 

[AndyD]

FIA closes rear diffuser loophole

Autosport

Another wild rumor: because of this diffuser 'saga', Mercedes did not use their final 'uber diffuser' in Bahrain

I am not sure its fair to give 1 week notice on this kind of stuff. Let alone that there is no testing allowed for a new solution. On top of the fact that it was previously inspected and let to pass.

 

[moojito]

Hmm, they can give a week's notice for this, but telling everyone to stop twice in a race is something that'll have to wait til' next year?

 

[Pimpwerx]

FIA closes rear diffuser loophole

Autosport

Another wild rumor: because of this diffuser 'saga', Mercedes did not use their final 'uber diffuser' in Bahrain

Yet they let Brawn exploit the DD loophole all last year, despite way more teams complaining. This is so stupid. Had Ferrari been one of the teams, would they change this? PEACE.

 

[Dilly]

Yet they let Brawn exploit the DD loophole all last year, despite way more teams complaining. This is so stupid. Had Ferrari been one of the teams, would they change this? PEACE.

Yes.

 

[DrM]

They need to resize starter hole or bring it into 'accepted' levels. Nothing major, teams can easily fix that in several days. But again, stupid decision by FIA, they should prepare regulations for this before this season.

Some teams could protest this.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

The lack of refuelling has once again further decreased the likelihood of overtaking, the aerodynamics are and always have been the issue. A very dull race, considering the quality of drivers in the field.

 

[AndyD]

They need to resize starter hole or bring it into 'accepted' levels. Nothing major, teams can easily fix that in several days. But again, stupid decision by FIA, they should prepare regulations for this before this season.

Some teams could protest this.

There is no such thing as "accepted" levels before this clarification. I thought teams had to unanimously approve all changes to the rules.

 

[DrM]

There is no such thing as "accepted" levels before this clarification. I thought teams had to unanimously approve all changes to the rules.

Teams did, FIA did not :lol
This is almost as obscure as this:
Teams agree --> 1+1 =2
FIA is saying --> 1+1 = 3

FIA is right, teams are not :lol

Renault allowed to make engine changes

Renault has been given approval to make a 'large' number of improvements to its engines for cost and reliability reasons, AUTOSPORT has learned, even though the FIA has ruled out any form of power equalisation for this year.

The French car manufacturer wrote to the FIA in the build-up to the season requesting a number of changes be made to its power unit - amid some suggestions that the FIA could even equalise engine performance for 2010.

This comes after Renault's customer partner Red Bull Racing openly felt it was unfair that not all engines were equal despite an engine freeze.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said: "I think the problem is if you don't allow some development, then you freeze in an advantage for one team or a disadvantage for another.

"So there has to be a balancing of that, otherwise we will end up with Mercedes-powered cars winning all the races - which I think is not good for F1. And other manufacturers may choose to leave F1 off of the back of that.

"The engine isn't supposed to be a key performance differentiator and therefore hopefully the ruling body will balance out somewhat the differences there at the moment."

AUTOSPORT understands that the FIA decided against any move towards 'equalisation' because it felt there was not enough evidence to suggest there was a big performance difference between the various power units.

However, Renault has been told that it can make a number of changes to its engine for cost and reliability reasons - with all its requests in this area being approved by the FIA.

It is understood that further changes that were requested, which would have helped improve Renault's fuel consumption, were rejected because these were purely for performance reasons - and not on the 'fair' basis of the other changes that are open to all car makers

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said about the changes: "Like every manufacturer here, we have some allowance to fit our engine and have a better integration with the chassis.

"So, I think, out of the requests that were requested - some of them were quite tricky so the FIA was not positive, but I think most of them have been approved."

Autosport
Bitter tears from Mercedes and Ferrari in 3,2,1....

 

[AndyD]

Teams did, FIA did not :lol
This is almost as obscure as this:
Teams agree --> 1+1 =2
FIA is saying --> 1+1 = 3

FIA is right, teams are not :lol

What I meant is that the rule said a hole is allowed to access starter motors. With no specs on the size or shape. So the teams took the letter of the law and did their thing. Now the FIA is changing/narrowing the rules because some teams played to the letter of the law.

Its the same as the diffuser last year. Except last year they said its within the rules, so the teams without added it later. Now they are saying its outside the rules, so the teams with have to remove it.

Its more of an inconsistency thing than anything. But then its the FIA, and inconsistency is not a surprise.

 

[DrM]

AndyD, you are correct. And worst, some teams presented their diffusor designs to FIA during winter break, all OK from FIA and they implemented it on their cars. And now, after the first race, this. Same story every year

 

[subzero9285]

Red Bull continue to whine

Red Bull continues to rail against the supposed horsepower advantage enjoyed at present by its rivals with Mercedes engines.

After several engine problems last year, the Renault powered team attempted to switch to Mercedes for 2010, but according to Helmut Marko was vetoed not only by the marque's Brackley based works team but also by McLaren.

Instead, Red Bull has applied to the FIA to allow Renault to improve the performance of its engine, but the governing body has declined, insisting that it is instead up to the best engine makers to agree to de-tune their power plants.

"We have 3.5 to 4 per cent less power than Mercedes," Red Bull's team boss Christian Horner told Germany's Auto Bild Motorsport.

He claims there is a 2 per cent performance difference allowed by FIA statutes, adding that Mercedes
is "refusing to consent to the equalisation".

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Lauda kisses Schumacher's arse

"It was a perfect performance. You can hardly start any better. He ran very little over the winter, due to test restrictions, and got into a modified car he had never driven before, so it was simply impossible for him to clock a qualification lap at the push of a button.

"I'd suppose he needs about three races to get back up to the same level he was at. When you take all that into account, he did a superb qualification lap, even compared to Nico who was only three-tenths faster. My guess is that in Kuala Lumpur he will have regained that ability to switch on for a fast lap that every permanent driver has to have."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Williams keen on keeping Hulkenberg

"Nico is our big star.

"He has won every other series that he has done, and the only other driver to have done this is Lewis Hamilton. That says everything," said the Briton.

Williams referred to a statement recently by Hulkenberg's famous manager Willi Weber, who said his young charge is at the Oxfordshire based team as a springboard to Ferrari or McLaren.

"It is up to me that they don't snatch him away," said Williams.

"I found it very unprofessional that Weber is saying he (Hulkenberg) will be with Ferrari in 2013. Anyway, I hope Nico is with us for a very long time.

"I have put an experienced driver - Rubens - by his side, so that he can learn as much as possible," he added.

Apparently also responding to Weber's recent comments, 22-year-old Hulkenberg said it is "utter rubbish" that he is already thinking about his next move in F1.

"I want to win races with Williams -- as soon as possible," he said.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

New teams invited to apply for 2011 place

The FIA has decided to open a new selection process to identify a candidate team to fill any vacancy that may exist in the FIA Formula One World Championship at the start of the 2011 season. The FIA may also identify one or more possible 'reserve' entrants to fill such vacancies.

This selection process will be open to all candidates capable of participating in the Championship for 2011 and 2012. The overall long-term interests of the Championship will determine which candidates are selected.

The precise terms of this selection process, together with the applicable selection criteria, deadlines, legal requirements and other conditions, will be communicated to candidates who have registered a formal expression of interest with the FIA's Secretariat before 5pm CET Thursday 15th April 2010, together with an administration fee of €1,000. The application process will commence at that time with those who have registered an expression of interest before this deadline (late applicants will be admitted only at the FIA's discretion). This fee is non-refundable, although it will be offset against the application fee, which the FIA will require from those submitting full applications.

All applicants will be expected to undergo thorough due diligence. By way of indication only, the applicable selection criteria will include:

(a) the technical ability and resources of the team;

(b) the ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation;

(c) the team's experience and human resources;

(d) the FIA's assessment of the value that the candidate may bring to the Championship as a whole.

The timing of this process will depend on the candidates' responses. However, by way of indication only, the FIA anticipates that full applications will need to be submitted by the end of June, followed by due diligence leading to a decision in July 2010.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Wrong thread.

 

[Pimpwerx]

I wish they brought back testing. I mean, have costs really dropped that much? F1 is that much more boring in-between races with no testing, and I'm not convinced this is gonna help smaller teams become competitive at all. PEACE.

 

[avaya]

Yet they let Brawn exploit the DD loophole all last year, despite way more teams complaining. This is so stupid. Had Ferrari been one of the teams, would they change this? PEACE.

People forget that Jean Todt is a little fucking legend. He will always do what is right from his point of view. He fought tooth and nail for Ferrari when he was there, he had eviscerated Ron Dennis so completely that you had to feel sorry for him.

Now he is at the FIA they start making sensible decisions. Ron Dennis is even back at the races now. Ex-drivers as stewards, closing blatent exploitation of the rules.

Last year everyone knew it was illegal. The Nazi used the issue to try and split the teams.

 

[Pimpwerx]

People forget that Jean Todt is a little fucking legend. He will always do what is right from his point of view. He fought tooth and nail for Ferrari when he was there, he had eviscerated Ron Dennis so completely that you had to feel sorry for him.

Now he is at the FIA they start making sensible decisions. Ron Dennis is even back at the races now. Ex-drivers as stewards, closing blatent exploitation of the rules.

Last year everyone knew it was illegal. The Nazi used the issue to try and split the teams.

I like Todt, and yeah, I noted that Prost was one of the Stewards in Bahrain and was very pleased. But I just want some consistency. Maybe we'll get some from now on, but this just kinda sucks since obviously it affects the team I like. ;P PEACE.

 

[avaya]

Agree I think it is potentially awful for the season. I want Mercedes and even McLaren to catch up because I want to see Lewis fighting. Ferrari will crush Red Bull over the season, a red wash is very threatening at the moment. It will not be enjoyable.

 

[DrM]

Agree I think it is potentially awful for the season. I want Mercedes and even McLaren to catch up because I want to see Lewis fighting. Ferrari will crush Red Bull over the season, a red wash is very threatening at the moment. It will not be enjoyable.

Even with this diffuser modification (which is really not that big, like some crazy people on AS forum are trying to show :lol ) Mclaren and Mercedes will catch up.Maybe already in Australia --> great preview on Williams website

And pre-Melbourne quotes from Mercedes:

Nico Rosberg
"The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne has always been a successful race for me. I have been in the points for my last three races and had my first podium finish there in 2008 when I finished third. Melbourne is a great city so I really enjoy visiting and the Albert Park street circuit is exciting. It's quite a challenging track as the public roads are always dirty to begin with and there are a lot of bumps to negotiate. With the change in the time of the race last year, the low sun was one of the most difficult things due to the late afternoon start."

Michael Schumacher
"Australia has always been one of the highlights on the Formula One calendar and this has never changed for me in all my years of competing. As in previous times, I arrived on the continent quite early and have spent some nice days training, adapting and relaxing in order to be fit and rested for the race weekend. I have a lot of good memories from Melbourne and most of the time, we saw interesting races there. I am very happy with the outcome of the season opener in Bahrain. Sixth position was good for me, especially considering how few times I have driven an F1 car since my retirement. I am sure that Melbourne will help me to get into the rhythm even more and I am looking forward to it."

Ross Brawn
"The team did a good job in Bahrain but we accept that we were not competitive enough and that we have work to do to close the gap to the leaders. I was very pleased with the performance of Nico and Michael and the way that they worked together to provide clear and consistent feedback to develop the car over the weekend. Whilst our car is fundamentally strong, we have a development plan in place for the next few races which should bring the required performance improvements to compete at the front. Looking ahead to the next two races, the Australian Grand Prix is always a popular race with the teams and the fans so we hope to see a more exciting race at Albert Park next weekend. We then head to Malaysia for the home race of our title partner PETRONAS. With an exciting programme of activities scheduled at the PETRONAS Pit Pulse fan zone in Kuala Lumpur, it will be a busy and enjoyable fortnight for the team."

Norbert Haug
"The forthcoming Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park is the first of two races within eight days. The layout of the traditional race track in Melbourne, which will host its 15th Formula One World Championship race since 1996, is quite different to Bahrain where the season-opener took place. I expect quite a challenging race for us. The base of our car is good and the team is working hard and focused to achieve the next development steps. It will take some time to close the gap but we will definitely close it sooner rather than later. Our spirit is first-class and the whole team is looking forward to the race weekend in Melbourne."

 

[Pimpwerx]

I saw this video of the 2006 Turkish race in either GP2 or Formula Renault. It's Lewis Hamilton banging wheels with the likes of Glock, Piquet and DiGrassi en route to winning a championship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbjRFd205qo

He spun on lap 2, did a most dangerous rejoin, but then proceeded to own the field up to 2nd and a championship. I'd never seen it before, but his fight with Glock is some Arnoux-Gilles wheel-banging insta-classic action.

This video just highlights to me that it's gotta be the brakes as much as the aero. Braking zones are so short, that you can't really do drastic late-braking maneuvers like these and not cause a wreck. Couldn't the FIA produce a standard brake rotor? It's not like the brake tech has any practical commuter applications right now. PEACE.

 

[S. L.]

I saw this video of the 2006 Turkish race in either GP2 or Formula Renault. It's Lewis Hamilton banging wheels with the likes of Glock, Piquet and DiGrassi en route to winning a championship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbjRFd205qo

He spun on lap 2, did a most dangerous rejoin, but then proceeded to own the field up to 2nd and a championship. I'd never seen it before, but his fight with Glock is some Arnoux-Gilles wheel-banging insta-classic action.

This video just highlights to me that it's gotta be the brakes as much as the aero. Braking zones are so short, that you can't really do drastic late-braking maneuvers like these and not cause a wreck. Couldn't the FIA produce a standard brake rotor? It's not like the brake tech has any practical commuter applications right now. PEACE.

the Glock / Hamilton battle is insanely awesome

 

[DieH@rd]

f1racemanager.com has a bonus question, check it guys. If you answer correctly you get 4mil!

My question was about 2006th Australian race...

 

[yoda_is_god029]

f1racemanager.com has a bonus question, check it guys. If you answer correctly you get 4mil!

My question was about 2006th Australian race - removed answer -

way to give everyone the answer.

I'm pretty sure it's the same question for everyone.

 

[StoOgE]

Hooray, Time Warner just gave me Speed TV in HD.

I know that the races aren't in HD this year, but they are in whatever PAL is natively which is better than 480p.. and will at least be widescreen.

 

[scarybore]

way to give everyone the answer.

I'm pretty sure it's the same question for everyone.

Yeah got the same question, nothing that google/wikipedia won't help with but in the end this is a competition. :lol

I know that the races aren't in HD this year, but they are in whatever PAL is natively which is better than 480p.. and will at least be widescreen.

The whole no F1 in HD thing is retarded, and I say that as someone who doesn't even have a HDTV! I bloody hate Bernie.

 

[Chris R]

Hooray, Time Warner just gave me Speed TV in HD.

I know that the races aren't in HD this year, but they are in whatever PAL is natively which is better than 480p.. and will at least be widescreen.

It looks good enough for now. Might as well shoot for Full HD aka 1080p (hell maybe even 3d) when F1 goes HD.

 

[RdN]

Yeah got the same question, nothing that google/wikipedia won't help with but in the end this is a competition. :lol



The whole no F1 in HD thing is retarded, and I say that as someone who doesn't even have a HDTV! I bloody hate Bernie.

Yeah.. It's 2010.. about time the races are in HD.

 

[DieH@rd]

Ok i edited the answer from my previous post.

 

[subzero9285]

FOTA survey results: Schumacher most famous F1 driver

The first results of the latest Formula One fan survey have emerged.

The survey was launched in early February with the backing of Formula One Management and the teams association FOTA.

"We would like to thank all those who took part and completed the survey. The results will be published and used by FOTA to help it decide what changes need to be made to make F1 better for fans," reads the front page of the survey website.

It is believed that more than 90,000 fans answered the survey.

Full results have not yet been published, but it has emerged that Michael Schumacher was nominated as the best-known F1 driver with 19.5 per cent of the vote.

Next-best was Fernando Alonso with 9.7 per cent, followed by Kimi Raikkonen, even though the Finn has switched for 2010 to world rallying.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Hamilton: Red Bull way faster than anyone else

"The Red Bull is ridiculously faster than anyone else's car," Hamilton told the British media. "It's insane. The downforce they had on their car last year was at some points just about double what we had.

"Even at the end of the year they had so much more than us, even though we had won a couple of grands prix.

"They have both got the fastest car by quite a big step. They should be quite a lot further ahead in general."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Massa: Not really

Felipe Massa does not agree with Lewis Hamilton that Red Bull's car is "ridiculously" faster than the rest of the 2010 field.

"In testing, the Red Bull might not have been the quickest car in terms of lap times, but I had noticed their pace over the longer runs had been very strong, so its speed in Bahrain qualifying was not a surprise.

"Overall, we were very similar and that reinforces the need to try and improve our car at every race through the season," said the Brazilian.

Massa believes Ferrari was even quicker in Bahrain than Red Bull on the harder of the two Bridgestone tyres.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Minor upgrades expected for the MP4-25

"Coming just a fortnight after the opening race in Bahrain, there's been only minimal time to add developments to the MP4-25," Whitmarsh explained, "but we've got a number of smaller components which we expect to add to the car ahead of the race.

"We've had the chance to reflect upon it and I believe that our start to the season has been mostly encouraging. Our race pace in Bahrain looked respectable - we had the fastest car for much of the second half of the race - and I think we now have a clearer idea of how to set the car up over a Grand Prix weekend.

"Of course, we're under no illusions that the opposition will be tough and we expect a fantastic battle in Melbourne this weekend.

"The Australian Grand Prix organisers put on a fantastic event and it's an event I always look forward to with huge enthusiasm. I hope that we can put on a great show for everyone."

Source