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[Lucius86]

Thanks, some nice ones there.

Agreed, I have Button pointing his finger out after victory as my work desktop

 

[Timbuktu]

So if Button isn't the 'worst champion ever', then who is? Rosberg's dad?

 

[Templar Wizard]

The guy just gets way too much grief. He weaves to break a tow and everyone is shouting he should get a drivethrough penalty, while we have fucking Webber ramming into everyone and everything in Australia and he doesn't get to hear a single word. The racing out of the pitlane was questionable, but everyone is only biting on Hamilton, because he's the supposed rash one. Nice wordchoice by Vettel too ("I don't know why he was so keen to touch me."), while you can clearly see him creeping up to the right, pushing Hamilton out of the lane. It was fair, but Hamilton should have backed of a bit earlier when Vettel started pushing though. Then again, that's racing. I'm glad we have the drivers among the stewards now as we get to see way less stupid and useless penalties than for example 2008/2009.

Also, Button outperforming everyone is more a testament to the ridiculousness of the statement of him being the worst champion ever than anything else. If you ask me, the only ones beaten soundly in the first part of the season is RBR and nobody else as they should have had 4 racewins.

nice selective viewpoint.
bolded where it all started to go wrong, thats NOT racing, the white lines are there for a reason. Hamilton is super talented but he needs to screw his head on.

Webber hardly ran into everyone in Australia, he did make some overtaking attempts that didnt turn out like he wanted. Thats Racing

 

[Jinjo]

nice selective viewpoint.
bolded where it all started to go wrong, thats NOT racing, the white lines are there for a reason. Hamilton is super talented but he needs to screw his head on.

Webber hardly ran into everyone in Australia, he did make some overtaking attempts that didnt turn out like he wanted. Thats Racing

They were released near simultaneously. Hamilton was in the right of slotting in next to him. There was nothing to prevent that. He should've yielded a second earlier than he did, but otherwise fair game. You're still in the middle of a race.

You can say what you like about Hamilton but I've rarely seen him drive into someone on the racetrack during an overtaking maneuver in the fashion of say Mr. Webber.

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

They were released near simultaneously. Hamilton was in the right of slotting in next to him. There was nothing to prevent that. He should've yielded a second earlier than he did, but otherwise fair game. You're still in the middle of a race.

You can say what you like about Hamilton but I've rarely seen him drive into someone on the racetrack during an overtaking maneuver in the fashion of say Mr. Webber.

Teams have the obligation to prevent that.

 

[Templar Wizard]

you dont remember him blasting into the back of alonso recently?
fuck me, how could i forget: into Kimi in the pitlane at the canadian GP????

 

[Pterion]

you dont remember him blasting into the back of alonso recently?
fuck me, how could i forget: into Kimi in the pitlane at the canadian GP????

and?

Nice wordchoice by Vettel too ("I don't know why he was so keen to touch me."), while you can clearly see him creeping up to the right, pushing Hamilton out of the lane.

We'll all get to see Vettel's nasty side as the pressure increases during the season. Finger kid might be more ruthless than young MS. I also wasn't particularly impressed with him pushing Hamilton into Webber during the restart, but that's just me I guess.

 

[Jinjo]

Teams have the obligation to prevent that.

That was quite impossible in this case wasn't it? They went over and over the footage in the red button forum on the BBC and it shows a near simultaneous release.

you dont remember him blasting into the back of alonso recently?
fuck me, how could i forget: into Kimi in the pitlane at the canadian GP????

I was speaking overtaking maneuvres, everyone has to admit the Canada 2008 incidence was absolutely dumb. :lol I honestly can't recall the Alonso moment you're referring too. Or if you mean the starting accident in Australia? That was Button.

 

[Pterion]

I was speaking overtaking maneuvres, everyone has to admit the Canada 2008 incidence was absolutely dumb. :lol I honestly can't recall the Alonso moment you're referring too. Or if you mean the starting accident in Australia? That was Button.

Nah, bahrain 2008 I think.

And it always amuses me when people don't seem to remember that Rosberg did the exact same thing that same day in Canada. But hey, Hamilton is involved...

m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&warned=True&client=mv-google&hl=en-GB&v=jTyQL59_m2c

kekekekeke

 

[mrklaw]

They were released near simultaneously. Hamilton was in the right of slotting in next to him. There was nothing to prevent that. He should've yielded a second earlier than he did, but otherwise fair game. You're still in the middle of a race.

You can say what you like about Hamilton but I've rarely seen him drive into someone on the racetrack during an overtaking maneuver in the fashion of say Mr. Webber.

The exit to the pits I'd consider a racing incident. both were released so close to each other that you can't blame the pit for releasing Hamilton. Likewise, although you can suggest Hamilton should have backed off because Vettel was slightly ahead of him, you can also suggest Vettel should have backed off when he saw Hamilton coming out from his pits.


I'm surprised the two 'racing into the pits' incidents weren't investigated. Hamiton/Vettel and Alonso/Massa. Are you allowed to race into the narrow pitlane like that? they could easily have crashed and blocked the pit entrance.

 

[CurlySaysX]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTyQL59_m2c

 

[Jinjo]

Nah, bahrain 2008 I think.

And it always amuses me when people don't seem to remember that Rosberg did the exact same thing that same day in Canada. But hey, not the first time...

Yeah Bahrain 2008 was the last run-in between Alonso and Hamilton, but I presumed he tried to suggest something more recent. Guess not.

Spot on with the fact that Rosberg did not get any shit for that same pitlane accident, it apparently was all Hamilton. Not really.

 

[Templar Wizard]

Yeah Bahrain 2008 was the last run-in between Alonso and Hamilton, but I presumed he tried to suggest something more recent. Guess not.

Spot on with the fact that Rosberg did not get any shit for that same pitlane accident, it apparently was all Hamilton. Not really.

lmao! you fucking idiot

isnt the example enough? the facts are these, you are all trying to explain Hammy as being picked on, but he does his fair share of scrapes and he is getting more cautions than other drivers because he seems to be going in with both feet.

open your eyes SON.

 

[blanky]

lmao! you fucking idiot

isnt the example enough? the facts are these, you are all trying to explain Hammy as being picked on, but he does his fair share of scrapes and he is getting more cautions than other drivers because he seems to be going in with both feet.

open your eyes SON.

Despite either opinions of the guy, he's the only source of entertainment and fun in F1 lately. If he fucks up in quali he'll plow through the field. Shit is so boring now in the dry that if it weren't for him we'd fall asleep.

 

[Templar Wizard]

yes you are right, because Alonso and Vettel provide Zero entertainment and overtaking.

 

[Dead Man]

Despite either opinions of the guy, he's the only source of entertainment and fun in F1 lately. If he fucks up in quali he'll plow through the field. Shit is so boring now in the dry that if it weren't for him we'd fall asleep.

Even with Hammy being a dick, races in the dry are boring. And there need to be a consistent set of rules for all the drivers, not a special 'leave him alone, he's exciting' rule for Hamilton.

 

[Pimpwerx]

yes you are right, because Alonso and Vettel provide Zero entertainment and overtaking.

There are different degrees of awesome. Hamilton is currently on another level. PEACE.

 

[h3ro]

Despite either opinions of the guy, he's the only source of entertainment and fun in F1 lately. If he fucks up in quali he'll plow through the field. Shit is so boring now in the dry that if it weren't for him we'd fall asleep.

I think Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel are equally awesome charging through the back of the grid. We need all three.

I think with more seasoning, Alonso is the driver that Lewis will most resemble in the future. Absolutely ruthless and aggressive but more calculated and better at adapting to race conditions/race craft.

As a Tifosi, I have to say that I LOVED Fernando's move on Felipe. I'm tired of seeing our races screwed because Felipe is gunshy about overtaking. Michael (the real Schumi, not the version we have now) would have done the exact same thing. That ruthlessness is what Ferrari have been missing since Schumi/Todt/Brawn left.

I just don't know about Felipe anymore. He's a nice guy, but the fact that he's a nice guy and team player comes up in every discussion regarding his value to the team versus his ability to race, overtake and develop cars is worrying. Look at where the two Ferrari's ended up. Alonso had a drive through for a jumped start, got stuck behind Felipe (before that awesome move) and still finished 5 positions ahead of him.

I hope Ferrari brings some serious updates for Fernando in Spain. They'll need a good result to keep the Maccas and Red Bulls with in range in both championships.

 

[Pterion]

yes you are right, because Alonso and Vettel provide Zero entertainment and overtaking.

Alonso is entertaining during the race. Can't really say the same for Vettel (yea, he's fast, but running at the front alone isn't really exciting). He's not exactly in the top overtakers out there, but it could be that the Redbull qualifies well and isn't great in dirty air. Maybe...)

There are different degrees of awesome. Hamilton is currently on another level. PEACE.

Pretty much.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Even with Hammy being a dick, races in the dry are boring. And there need to be a consistent set of rules for all the drivers, not a special 'leave him alone, he's exciting' rule for Hamilton.

He makes more attempts, and he's way more scrutinized. The combination leads to more penalties. But he's not an unsafe driver. The hit on Alonso is the first time I can remember in a while that he's nerfed someone off. The hit on Webber was one part Vettel, one part Button. The inside car really dictates positioning there, and there's no reason a car should be inside when they should be restarting single-file.

The change in stewards rules and the removal of Max has resulted in rulings that make sense. Lewis' reprimand this weekend wasn't for the hit on Alonso, I thought it was the pitlane release. It's hard to blast a guy when he's racing and the team releases him into another car's path. Instincts might kick in there. The reprimand is more for the team, since the drivers don't control when they're released and can't see shit. The team held him for like 2 seconds to let a Renault by earlier, so I had no idea why they wanted to force the issue with Vettel. Lewis ended up having to do the job on track himself anyway.

Lewis doesn't pull dirty moves like Webber and others do, where they outbrake themselves into a corner and then opt to take the other car off with them rather than concede the move. He races hard, but fair. If someone puts a wheel to him, you don't hear him whining about it. He can give as good as he gets. He's not god behind the wheel, but he's crazy talented and crazy fun to watch because he at least makes attempts.

Alonso and Vettel are both also extremely talented and fun to watch. They're not as aggressive as Lewis, so not quite as exciting. Lewis may mellow out someday, or maybe he'll remain F1's Paul Tracy forever. Whatever the case, I tune in on weekends for him now. PEACE.

EDIT: Why are we even talking about Lewis still when Button had the biggest bonehead move of the race and actually cost a couple guys their race? This is what I mean that he's more scrutinized. You'd think Lewis was a terror this weekend when really he was the most exciting guy on track. Button causes a smash-up in foul conditions and seemingly not a word is uttered his way other than congrats.

 

[DrM]

When will Webber retire? He is such mediocre driver, from whiner ('OMG he pushed me off track') to 'too much Carmageddon' mode :lol

 

[h3ro]

EDIT: Why are we even talking about Lewis still when Button had the biggest bonehead move of the race and actually cost a couple guys their race? This is what I mean that he's more scrutinized. You'd think Lewis was a terror this weekend when really he was the most exciting guy on track. Button causes a smash-up in foul conditions and seemingly not a word is uttered his way other than congrats.

Agreed. If Lewis or Fernando pulled that shit, they'd be ridiculed and chastised to no end. Jenson is the current British media sensation, so he doesn't get the hate (I was surprised how easy Brundle was on him) Imagine if Lewis or Rosberg lost a wing, or got rear ended and lost their gearbox because of him coasting in Neutral through the apex of the hairpin.

 

[Pterion]

When will Webber retire? He is such mediocre driver, from whiner ('OMG he pushed me off track') to 'too much Carmageddon' mode :lol

He'll be replaced by Raikkonen next year, hopefully!

 

[Pimpwerx]

I think Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel are equally awesome charging through the back of the grid. We need all three.

I think with more seasoning, Alonso is the driver that Lewis will most resemble in the future. Absolutely ruthless and aggressive but more calculated and better at adapting to race conditions/race craft.

As a Tifosi, I have to say that I LOVED Fernando's move on Felipe. I'm tired of seeing our races screwed because Felipe is gunshy about overtaking. Michael (the real Schumi, not the version we have now) would have done the exact same thing. That ruthlessness is what Ferrari have been missing since Schumi/Todt/Brawn left.

I just don't know about Felipe anymore. He's a nice guy, but the fact that he's a nice guy and team player comes up in every discussion regarding his value to the team versus his ability to race, overtake and develop cars is worrying. Look at where the two Ferrari's ended up. Alonso had a drive through for a jumped start, got stuck behind Felipe (before that awesome move) and still finished 5 positions ahead of him.

I hope Ferrari brings some serious updates for Fernando in Spain. They'll need a good result to keep the Maccas and Red Bulls with in range in both championships.

I agree Lewis should and hopefully will become more like Alonso in race management. His car control is so good he just needs to temper it with some more thought. He's a bright kid, so he should learn from Jenson's decisions the last few races. It's totally the tortoise and the hare scenario right now.

As for Felipe, I don't know. I think it's more the accident. True, Michael would have overtaken Felipe too, and Alonso did the right thing. But I think Felipe does a good job with car development. I just don't think he did much development last year due to the accident. It was down to a bored and exiting Kimi (who was probably out of the R&D loop) and the wonder twins of Luca and Fisi. Fonso only got there for winter testing, and the test ban pretty much meant the same for Felipe. I'm not surprised the car is a bit off where they'd hope to be, but it's not a dog either.

Who would Ferrari put in that seat, if not Felipe? Massa gives them a good duo for car development and points scoring. If they keep Alonso, they could never match him with Lewis or Vettel. You'd want someone good, but subordinate. That leaves Webber, Felipe or Button. Button is doing fine at McLaren and Webber is not better than Felipe. I think Ferrari is good to go, honestly. PEACE.

 

[Britprog]

I looked up the Alonso Hamilton incident in Bahrain 2008.

IMO It was a racing incident, Alonso was slower coming out of a corner and when Hamilton accelerated he hit him, he didn't have time to react.

I remember Martin Brundle thinking that Alonso break tested Hamilton, but this was disproved with telemetry.

IMO using this incident as an example of Hamilton “doing a Webber” would be wrong.

 

[Pterion]

so he should learn from Jenson's decisions the last few races.

I kind of disagree. Button gambled twice and it paid off. Great for him, but it could have turned horribly wrong.

1) In Australia, he was already in trouble after a few laps. Overtaken left and right, his only chance of getting a decent finish was to gamble on an early pitstop. Would he have done it if he were in the top 3? Doubtful imo.

2) In China, he took a decision that was against the norm (Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton aren't exactly rookie drivers who can't handle a car on slicks in the wet). It's almost as if he didn't want to play the same game as everyone else, maybe knowing that his chances aren't the greatest in a straight fight with the other top dogs.

Button, no matter how great of a thinker he is, can not predict weather. In that sense, he was fairly lucky that 2 bold decisions paid off big time. I suspect that next time weather affects a race, some of the top contenders may actually follow whichever decision Button takes, if he remains a serious threat for the WDC. :lol


Man, feels good to talk about F1.

 

[h3ro]

I don't think Felipe has the temperament to be a no. 1 driver. His emotions get the better of him and he sometimes is completely off the pace for no reason. Last year, we put it down to the car being a dog because Kimi would be similarly off the pace. That's because Kimi didn't give a crap. Funny thing is, that exact quality is what helped Kimi through out his career, he just drove the shit off of the cars and took whatever came from the race.

I think a team of Fernando and Felipe is ok because you need to have a solid no. 2 driver, not a no. 1 masquerading as a team player. Wait until Jenson wins a few more races and see how happy Lewis will be then. It's not going to be pretty.

You're right, you need a subordinate no. 2 which Felipe is. I just hope Ferrari do the right thing and not let 'Nando get bottled up behind him anymore. If getting the most points for the team is the goal, then the driver that will be able to advance the furthest up the grid or win the race needs to be up front. Felipe = Rubens 2.0

Also, I can't wait for Kimi to be back in the Red Bull. A fast car that tends to be fragile? That has Kimi written all over it. Dude was my favorite driver back in his Macca days and brought me over to Ferrari. Should be a 3x World Champ.

 

[Jinjo]

lmao! you fucking idiot

isnt the example enough? the facts are these, you are all trying to explain Hammy as being picked on, but he does his fair share of scrapes and he is getting more cautions than other drivers because he seems to be going in with both feet.

open your eyes SON.

I state that I've rarely seen Hamilton plow in the side of someone in an overtaking maneuver like Webber often has. He may seem ruthless, but his overtakes are calculated to precision. When you "try" to dismiss my argument by bringing up Canada 08 or a poor example of an overtake (which it wasn't - see Britprog's post) in race more than 2 years ago I can pretty much conclude that you have had difficulty in finding another example in those 2 years. Which means my point pretty much stands that Hamilton has rarely gone wrong in his many overtaking maneuvers.

Also I love Button in the McLaren. He's what the team needs. Hamilton is ALWAYS on fire. He has difficulty taking a step back and think for a moment (which is also what I like about Hamilton). Button brings the calm and because of that he made some excellent strategy calls with the team. Sure one of them may have been grounded in: "well fuck this is not going well, let's take this risk", but hey, when it works? :lol

I agree on Fernando bringing Ferrari back to life, as great as Kimi is he is too laid back. Kimi in the Red Bull next year and Webber out would be awesome, though. Give him a fast car and he's king (when he can make himself give a shit :lol ).

 

[h3ro]

BREAKING: Luca di Montezemolo reportedly stepping down from Fiat

Fiat has called a last-minute unscheduled press conference for 4 pm CET today, where it is understood that Fiat Group Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo will announce that he is leaving the company. At this time, no official reason has been given for Montezemolo's departure, but it's being reported that he may be mulling a move into politics, possibly to form a new Italian centrist party. Going speculation also has it that Montezemolo will be replaced by current group vice-chairman John Elkann.

Oh snap.

I wonder who takes over for him, it's going to be weird not having him be the big boss at Ferrari. Elkann taking over is just pure speculation.

 

[megateto]

BREAKING: Luca di Montezemolo reportedly stepping down from Fiat



Oh snap.

I wonder who takes over for him, it's going to be weird not having him be the big boss at Ferrari. Elkann taking over is just pure speculation.

Spanish press reported that Luca will remain as the Ferrari top man, while one of Agnelli's grandson will be Fiat's big boss.

 

[AcridMeat]

I dream of an Alonso/Kubica Ferrari team.

 

[navanman]

F1 moving back towards the 80s with return of turbo engine?

According to highly reliable Pitpass sources, F1's powers that be are seriously considering a switch to 1.5 litre powerplants in 2013 together with the return of turbochargers.

For many, the turbocharged era (1977 - 1988) was one of the greatest in the history of the sport, the ultra-fast machines, widely considered the most powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars in the history of motorsport, truly helping the sport to live up to its 'pinnacle of motorsport' tag.

However, as the 1,100 bhp monsters looked set to raise lap speeds ever higher, assisted by the increasing influence of aerodynamics, the FIA first sought to limit the power before finally banning the turbochargers for 1989.

Twenty-one years later, however, with an eye on environmental issues, the teams and engine manufacturers have been discussing the possibility of returning to the 1.5 litre formula complete with turbos, or "boosters" as some would have them known.

It's believed that such a move would not only bring a number of (currently hesitant) sponsors on board, but could also lead to manufacturers entering the series, Audi being the first name that spring to mind.

When Virgin was linked with a buy-out of the Honda F1 team at the end of 2008, it was the sport's failure to genuinely deal with green issues, especially biofuels, that caused Richard Branson to get cold feet, though he subsequently bought into the Manor Grand Prix team. Nonetheless, the Englishman has said that the sport must genuinely address environmental issues.

Our sources claim that one of the ideas currently on the table for 2013 is for 1.5 litre, straight-four, turbocharged engines, using half as much fuel as at present, but with as many KERS variables as possible. Indeed, our source says that the current talk of the return of KERS in 2011 - initially rejected by the teams before a 180 degree turnaround - is "only half the story".

However, while most are supporting of the idea, including manufacturers not currently in F1, some, mainly Ferrari are not.

Contacted by Pitpass, one insider admitted: "A number of possible engine configurations are being looked at but all at a sensitive stage. (There is a) big push for current units to remain (for cost reasons) but the FIA is keen on a step change in technology."

First introduced by Renault in 1977, initially the systems were highly unreliable, the French manufacturer having to endure a year of failures before finally finishing a race. In the years that followed, more and more teams tried the devices but it was in 1983 when, in the eyes of many, the turbo era truly began.

Ferrari keen on 1.5 turbo engines if new technologies and green push allowed:

Formula 1's likely switch to smaller turbocharged engines from 2013 must include the introduction of cutting-edge fuel efficiency technology too, claims Ferrari's CEO Amedeo Felisa.

With teams closing in on plans to use 670bhp 1.5-litre turbocharged engines from 2013, Felisa believes the sport should be even bolder in embracing the latest knowledge - and pursue the more economical Gasoline Direct Injection concept.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT's sister publication Autocar at the Beijing Motor Show on Friday, Felisa says that F1 could improve its relevance to the road car industry by adopting such engines.

"If F1 has to develop something helpful for real driving conditions, then the best solution is for an engine that is turbocharged and GDI," said Felisa. "That is what we would support.

"It is the best solution for driving efficiency and utilisation of the engine in a positive way."

Earlier this week, Mercedes Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug said he too expected smaller power units to be adopted - but urged caution for those who thought it would be possible to make the sport totally 'green'.

"The fascinating thing about Formula 1 is it's fast, it's loud, it's on the limit," he told AUTOSPORT. "We can discuss green initiatives, but Formula 1 needs to be technically driven. If you fly from Europe to Japan on a 747, you would use more fuel than an entire F1 season. We need to see the whole picture.

"We need to be mindful that we are building the cleanest cars we can. The engine will be downsized in 2013 because the fuel consumption has to go down, and we need to cut carbon emissions. But we must not think that a 700bhp engine is going to be the greenest car ever, because that's not great."

 

[navanman]

Looks like 2 more possible contenders for 2011 tyre supply have expressed an interest. Copper-Avon & Pirelli along with Michelin are in discussions for 2011 supply, with the condition of using 18" wheels though.

Pirelli's has approved a feasibility study into returning to the F1 arena it left at the end of the 1991 season with 42 victories to its name.

FIA president Jean Todt said in Bahrain that there was more than one option available when it came to replacing Bridgestone, which is pulling out of F1 at the end of this season after being sole tyre supplier for four seasons.

Other companies to have tabled an interest include Michelin, which withdrew from F1 at the end of 2006 and did not tender for the sole supply deal, saying that it was only interested in F1 if there was competition. The French company has now signalled interest in a return but is understood to want better commercial terms than previously and a rule structure allowing it to demonstrate tyre efficiency.

Avon Cooper has also pitched for the F1 business, while Pirelli, which won the first GP of the modern world championship at Silverstone in May 1950, is evaluating a return for the first time since 1991, when it scored the last of its victories in Canada. Nelson Piquet famously took full advantage in his Benetton after Nigel Mansell lost his engine when the software was believed to have stopped the car on the final lap as Mansell let the revs drop while waving to the crowd!

Goodyear is the most successful F1 tyre company ever, with 368 wins; with Bridgestone on 125; Michelin, 102; Dunlop, 83; Firestone, 49; Pirelli, 42; Continental & Englebert 10.

The F1 world is waiting to discover what tyres the cars will be running on next year. An announcement is expected soon. As tipped here two weeks ago ago, Cooper has joined Michelin in expressing interest in supplying F1 tyres next year.

But while Michelin enjoyed championship success in both its previous F1 appearances, Cooper has not supplied tyres in F1 before. Its Avon brand has, but it never enjoyed an F1 race win.

Find out more about F1’s tyre wars below.
The tyre wars in numbers

The chart below shows which tyre manufacturers have won races in the world championship:

The Goodyear generation

Goodyear became F1's most successful tyre supplier in 1976

Tyre technology in F1 really took off with the advent of slick tyres, first used at the Spanish Grand Prix in 1971.

The arrival of American tyre manufacturers Goodyear and Firestone squeezed out Dunlop, who had enjoyed several years as the dominant force. But soon after that Firestone were gone too.

By the mid-seventies a set of Goodyears was the thing to have, but that began to change when Michelin first entered the sport in 1977.

They supplied tyres to the new Renault team, which is best remembered for introducing 1.5-litre turbo engines. But with them came another innovation, courtesy of Michelin: the radial tyre.

By the early eighties Goodyear saw the writing on the wall and committed to producing radial tyres. Michelin enjoyed the peak of its success in 1984 with McLaren – and then abruptly quit the sport.

Pirelli bow out

Nelson Piquet scored the last win for Pirelli at Montreal in 1991

That left just Goodyear and Pirelli to supply the entire grid. Well, almost: Toleman, having fallen out with both companies at various stages, couldn’t get a tyre deal until it bought a contract with Pirelli off a rival team.

Goodyear resumed their position of near-total dominance: the only race a Pirelli car won in 1985 was at a swelteringly hot Paul Ricard. Having done all their pre-season testing at Kyalami in South Africa their tyres were good in extremely hot conditions and useless everywhere else.

Pirelli gave up at the end of 1991, having beaten Goodyear just three times in 210 races since 1985. They are rumoured to be considering another F1 comeback, but there were similar rumours in 2006.

Bridgestone arrived to end Goodyear’s monopoly in 1997. At the end of the year the FIA banned slicks, imposing the use of grooved tyres to reduce cornering speeds. Uninteresting in pursuing what it saw as a technological dead-end, Goodyear left F1 at the end of 1998.

It brought to a close 45 years of uninterrupted participation in F1, in which it had won at least one race every year since 1965. Goodyear tyres have still won more than twice as many races as any other constructor, despite them now being absent from the sport for more than a decade. There is no indication as yet they might be interested in a return.

Bridgestone vs Michelin

Michelin tyres on Alonso's Renault after the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix

After Goodyear’s departure Bridgestone didn’t remain the sole tyre supplier for long as Michelin returned in 2001. And they were quickly back to winning ways – a Michelin-shod Williams won the fourth round of the season at Imola.

Perhaps alarmed at Michelin’s immediate success, Bridgestone reacted by pursuing a uniquely close technical collaboration with Ferrari in 2002, despite also supplying several other teams that year. Bridgestone technicians went to work at Maranello and their Ferrari counterparts headed to Japan, all in the pursuit of a superior combination of tyre dynamics and suspension configuration.

The results were devastating. Ferrari’s F2002 was almost untouchable – Michael Schumacher finished every race on the podium in 2002.

When Michelin hit back in 2003 they had their first of two bruising clashes with the FIA. Late in 2003 a change in the tyre rules forced Michelin to change their tyre construction, handing the initiative to Bridgestone, who following the rules change won 18 of the next 21 races.

Another change to the tyre rules came in 2005, forcing teams to run the entire race without changing tyres, and this resulted in Michelin enjoying a near-perfect season.

The only race they failed to win was in Indianapolis, where they discovered their tyres couldn’t run through the unique, fast, banked turn 13. While the FIA refused to accept a compromise solution that would have allowed the Michelin teams to participate, the race was contested by just the Bridgestone teams, which by now numbered just Ferrari plus Jordan and Minardi.

The FIA reversed the ‘no tyre change’ rule for 2006 but for the second year running the championships went to a Michelin-shod team and driver. But with the sport’s governing body preparing to introduce a single tyre supplier from 2008, Michelin left once more, and Bridgestone has been F1’s single tyre supplier from 2007.
A new tyre war?

Michelin’s two previous appearances in F1 show they aren’t interested in making up the numbers in any sense: not as a single supplier for the entire grid, and not as runner-up to someone else.

It’s true that Avon are the only manufacturer to have supplied tyres in F1 but never won a race – but I don’t think that’s an especially telling statistics. Their only two appearances came on a handful of occasions in the fifties, and as supplier to a few back-of-the-grid teams in the early eighties.

For F1, there are clear dangers in going back to a tyre war. It could push costs up to unacceptable levels, especially for the new teams.

And it would almost certainly increase the performance difference between the cars. As we saw with Bridgestone in the early 2000s, if one tyre manufacture finds an easier route to success by collaborating closely with one team at the expense of all the others, then we’re in for a very one-sided championship.

 

[navanman]

Lotus's upgrade plans for the Spanish Grand Prix will face minimal disruption, despite the recent volcano-caused travel chaos, claims technical chief Mike Gascoyne.

The Hingham-based team is scheduled to introduce a major revamp to its car for the next race in Barcelona, but its hopes of a straightforward introduction were thrown into doubt because of the delays in getting equipment back to Europe.

However, with team owner Tony Fernandes having chartered one of his Air Asia planes to fly the team and other F1 personnel back to Europe on Wednesday night, and the freight due to arrive on Thursday, Gascoyne is confident there is plenty of time before Spain to get his cars ready.

"Firstly I want to say thanks, on behalf of the whole team, to Tony and Air Asia for literally taking us under their wings and getting us home so quickly," said Gascoyne. "With their help, we've faced minimal disruption to our travel plans, and have minimised the impact it could have had on our ability to work to our pre-Barcelona timetable. It was a great effort from everyone in Malaysia to help us out.

"We will go through our normal procedures to unpack all the freight that's arrived from China and will then turn our attention to applying the Barcelona update package to both cars. All in all, we're just glad to be home and able to focus on our jobs again, rather than worrying about the forces of nature."

Source

Reb Bull prototype in-board mirrors:

With the forthcoming ban on outboard mirrors, teams are using the chance to have the driver and car together to size up their new solution. Here we can see Red Bull have made up a Stereo Lithographed – Rapid Prototype mirror. It’s been taped to the cockpit so the drivers can judge its position, ready for the monocoque modification and final production mirror housing to be ready for the Spanish GP.

 

[navanman]

Today is the 25 anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s first win in Formula 1.

Despite atrocious conditions, which F1 cars would not be allowed to race in today, the Brazilian dominated and won by more than a minute.
Senna on pole

Senna’ first race for Lotus at home in Brazil ended in retirement with an engine problem.

The fault continued to dog the team when they arrived at Estoril in Portugal for the second round of the championship. Senna had to switch to the spare car during practice until that one stopped with a clutch problem, further hindering his preparations for the race.

He shrugged off these problem to top both qualifying sessions, beating Alain Prost to pole position and out-qualifying team mate Elio de Angelis by 1.1 seconds. It was the first time Senna had ever started a race from pole position – another 64 would soon follow

Crashes and Spins:
As rain began to fall before to race started Brian Hart, who had built engines for Toleman the year before, told anyone who would listen that Senna was going to run away with the race.

Sure enough, Senna led the field away on a damp track. No-one threatened him for the lead in the opening laps and behind him there was chaos.

Keke Rosberg stalled his Williams on the grid and one by one the cars dodged around him. Jonathan Palmer failed to swerve quickly enough and clipped the FW10 with his Zakspeed. Palmer was out with broken suspension, but Rosberg managed to get going and re-join the race.

Ferrari newcomer Stefan Johansson had a baptism of fire. Riccardo Patrese knocked him into a spin just a few laps into the race. Then Johansson spun on his own, damaging his front wing. Later he pitted to have his sticking front-left brake un-jammed.

For some drivers the abject conditions were too much – particularly those on Pirellis. Both Ligier drivers and Nelson Piquet all retired because their Pirelli wet weather tyres were hopelessly uncompetitive. Piquet made so many pit stops he even changed into a dry pair of overalls during one of them.
Too wet to race – but they did:

As the rain started to fall more heavily, Senna pulled further away from the chasing de Angelis and Prost. Occasionally the McLaren driver moved to pass the Lotus, but de Angelis kept him at bay.

By half-race distance the rain was at its worst, forming deep pools on the track. The drivers struggled to keep their cars under control on the straights. But 25 years ago there were no safety cars and the race carried on – in spite of danger to drivers and marshals that would be completely unacceptable today.

By now Rosberg’s race was over. The lumpy power delivery of his Honda turbo engine caught him out at the Parabolica, his Williams snapped out of control and hit the barrier. The steering wheel spun in his hands, breaking his thumb. The car finally came to a halt at the exit of the fast turn that led the cars onto the main straight.

A team of marshals worked to push the stricken car from the racing line clear. With another car parked up at the inside of the turn from another accident, oncoming drivers had to weave through the wreckage with very poor visibility.

On lap 30, while chasing de Angelis down the main straight, Prost’s McLaren snapped out of control. It spun down the straight and rear-ended the barrier. Prost climbed out of his cockpit and retired.

While this was going on Senna had his hands out of the cockpit, waving at the race organisers and urging them to stop the race because of the atrocious conditions.

This had more than a hint of irony about it – Prost had done the exact same thing at Monaco the year before in similar conditions while Senna was bearing down on him. On that occasions the organisers took a controversial decision to stop the race and thereby hand victory to Prost.

This time the race kept going. But still Senna pulled away inexorably, drawing further ahead of the chasing pack with every lap.

Perfect win
Senna’s drive was relentless. Only in the closing stages did he ease up the pace, by which time he had lapped almost everybody. De Angelis wasn’t able to make it a one-two for the team – he was passed by Michele Alboreto and Patrick Tambay and finished fourth.

Nigel Mansell took fifth after an eventful race. Like Rosberg, he’d been caught out by the Honda’s power delivery, hitting a barrier on his way to the grid. This was his second crash of the weekend having been hit by Eddie Cheever in a bizarre incident during practice.

He had to start from the pit lane after repairs to his car, but battled through the field to take two points for fifth place. He was busy fighting off Stefan Bellof’s Tyrrell as they crossed the line, and lost control of his car on the straight, hitting the barriers once again.

Fortunately he missed the crowd of Lotus mechanics who had broken onto the track to celebrate with Senna while cars charged past in plumes of spray.

His maiden victory could not have been more emphatic. He took pole position, set fastest lap, led every lap and won the race. Alboreto was the only other driver to complete the race distance of 67 laps – shortened from 70 under the two-hour time limit – and even Mansell in fifth place was two laps behind.

While commentators rushed to heap praise on Senna, the man himself insisted it had not been a perfect drive. But years later he described it as being more special than even one of his most celebrated victories:

The big danger was that the conditions changed all the time. Sometimes the rain was very heavy, sometimes not.

I couldn’t see anything behind me. It was difficult even to keep the car in a straight line sometimes, and for sure the race should have been stopped.

Once I nearly spun in front of the pits, like Prost, and I was lucky to stay on the road. People think I made no mistakes but that’s not true – I’ve no idea how many times I went off! Once I had all four wheels on the grass, totally out of control, but the car came back onto the circuit.

People later said that my win in the wet at Donington in ‘93 was my greatest performance. No way! I had traction control OK, I didn’t make any real mistakes, but the car was so much easier to drive. It was a good win, sure, but compared with Estoril ‘85 it was nothing, really.
Ayrton Senna

 

[navanman]

Red Bull says no rush over F-Duct:

Red Bull Racing will only bring its version of the F-Duct to the Spanish Grand Prix if the team is convinced that it will deliver a performance boost to the team.

With Ferrari, Mercedes GP and Williams already beginning track testing of the McLaren-pioneered concept that helps stall the rear wing for a straight-line speed boost, Red Bull Racing has provisionally pencilled in the next race in Barcelona for trying out its version.

However, with the team already enjoying a speed advantage over its rivals and clear favourite for victory at the Spanish GP, the outfit may opt to hold back on bringing it onto the car until the Turkish GP - with the F-Duct being of no real advantage in Monaco.

Team principal Christian Horner told AUTOSPORT about his team's plans for the F-Duct: "Let's wait and see what happens.

"Like all components, we will only introduce them to the car when they have a tangible benefit. The guys are obviously working flat out on our own version, but we are not going to rush something that is under developed."

Ferrari tried out parts of the blown-wing concept on Fernando Alonso's car in Chinese GP practice, but it was not a fully working version that featured any duct from the cockpit.

Mercedes GP and Williams also tried out passive versions in China, with the teams likely to bring further evolutions in time for the Spanish GP.

Toro Rosso rules out F-Duct system:

Scuderia Toro Rosso's technical director Giorgio Ascanelli has ruled out introducing an F-Duct system in the near future.

The Italian said his team would rather focus its resources on other areas that will help the Faenza-based squad improve its performance even more.

"That's because if I have ten euros in my pocket and I'm hungry, I buy two sandwiches with it instead of three grams of caviar," Ascanelli told Autosprint magazine.

"Maybe we'd be able to find some advantages after five months of development, but in that same time span we can improve even more by developing other parts of the car.

"That kind of system is no good for those who, like us, began to get the wind tunnel to work properly only in November."

Ascanelli also said that early indications suggest the system only works well in clean air, but does not help much when it comes to overtaking.

"I dare not comment on that. But judging from what we have seen in these early races, it looks to be that way," he said.

 

[navanman]

James Allen take on emerging tyre situation:

There has been quite a bit of movement in recent weeks regarding the acquisition of a new tyre supplier for next season.

Bridgestone have announced their intention to pull out and despite lengthy negotiations, revolving around them being paid to supply tyres and also receiving added value from other PR activities, it seems that they are inclined to stick to that position.

Michelin entered the frame with a radical proposal to change the wheel rim size and open the competition up to other suppliers – to reintroduce an element of competition.

This got Cooper Avon and more recently Pirelli interested in looking again at F1. When I spoke to Pirelli before Christmas they said that it was unlikely that they would do it, but the proposed change to an 18″ rim from the current 13″, seems to have sparked their interest. This makes for a more relevant tyre for all the manufacturers, something more akin to what they use in other competitions and closer in resemblance to a road tyre. It is cheaper and more green.

Also if F1 were to commit to moving to the 18″ rims it would open the sport up to a greater number of potential suppliers and reduce the risk of being stuck or forced into poor commercial conditions, as has happened since the sport went to the single control tyre.

” There’s nothing yet, and it’s not a small task, but there is something worth evaluating, ” said the Pirelli president Marco Provera on Wednesday.

Since Michelin proposed the idea, for which it is looking for a payment of around £50 million, the arrival on the scene of Avon and Pirelli, potentially doing the job for less has changed the game. It weakens Michelin’s bargaining position slightly. Pirelli has long links to Bernie Ecclestone, who wants to put F1 in as strong position as possible.

It’s quite a step backwards for the sport to go from teams getting a free supply of tyres and the tyre supplier also spending a lot of money on its activation programme around the F1 involvement, to all the teams having to pay for their tyres. Bridgestone have been investing $100 million a year. A sport on F1’s level shouldn’t really have to do that, it should have tyre suppliers falling over themselves to have the F1 endorsement.

The sport itself, rather than the teams, could pay for the tyres, without which the cars won’t work, either in cash or part cash, with contra deals for trackside advertising, but somehow it is hard to imagine that happening.

However there are many positives from the potential switch to more road relevant tyres. For a start it is something new and presents fresh challenges. Speaking to some of the F1 engineers, their feeling is that ironically the low profile tyre will give a lot less grip than the current tyres, which will look like balloons in comparison. This would probably help with overtaking. The likelihood is that it will probably save some fuel, which is a useful environmental story. It is quite exciting for the designers as it will give some performance back via better suspension design.

Furthermore if the teams could increase the size of the brake discs they could save a lot
of cost longer term.

It is already quite late for making a decision on suppliers for 2011, but if the move to 18″ is to go ahead it needs to be made very soon, as the cars will have to be redesigned quite significantly. The suspension and particularly the aerodynamics change quite significantly. Pirelli have indicated that 2012 might be a more sensible date to bring the change in.

The next few weeks will be quite telling.

 

[DrM]

Mosley hits out at Montezemolo, Ferrari

Luca di Montezemolo is a weak character and his team would not be winning races using the same budget as its rivals, according to former FIA president Max Mosley.

The former FIA president criticised di Montezemolo, the current Ferrari president, in an interview that appears in the May edition of F1 Racing on sale today.

Mosley said: "Luca is very, very good with people and he's certainly a very personable, pleasant person, but, in my opinion, he's also a very weak character so he's easily led."

Mosley's comments came after a number of revelations he made when responding to an F1 Racing reader's question on whether the FIA favoured Ferrari.

"We never did favour Ferrari, although there was this perception that we did. You could go to Ferrari and they would be completely honest and open with you; most of the other teams wouldn't do that."

However, Mosley admits that the FIA had handled the events of the Malaysian GP in 1999 incorrectly, when Ferrari was nearly thrown out of the race for barge board irregularities.

"They were legal if they were at a slight angle to the chassis and illegal if they were vertical," Mosley said. "I think that they were probably vertical, but we took them off to look at them, and then Ferrari [said], 'No, they were at a slight angle', and they got off on that basis.

"We should have impounded the entire car, but you live and learn and we would never make that mistake again."

He also claimed that Ferrari was "not prepared to take on the other teams on an equal basis," saying the Maranello squad would "fail" if it used the same budget as its rivals.

"Between January and May in 2008, we had a series of meetings and everyone was agreed on the cost-cap and the methodology - but Ferrari were always against it," said Mosley. "I think it's because they know that if they had the same amount of money to spend as the other teams, they would fail."

Mosley said that any animosity directed towards him by fans during his tenure as FIA president was as a result of misconceptions.

"If the fans really understood the issues, I don't think they would be against me, because everything I've ever done has always been done with a view to keeping Formula 1 going and stopping it collapsing," said Mosley. "It's a much more fragile structure than people realise."

Source

 

[DrM]

McLaren: Success down to work rate

McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton believe their team's success this year is the result of the supreme effort their outfit has made behind the scenes in the early part of the season.

With Button leading the drivers' championship and McLaren at the top of the constructors' championship, the Woking-based team has left rivals Red Bull Racing and Ferrari wondering why they have not been able to maximise their speed potential.

But reigning champion Button believes there has been no magic to McLaren's start to the year.

"Make no mistake, it's been achieved through hard work," Button wrote on his official website on Thursday. "We got here because every one in the McLaren Mercedes team has been working for this every single day.

"I first got in the car in February, and it really hasn't stopped since then - whether it's been at the tests, at the races, on the track or off it, we've all been working like crazy to get to the front - and I think our current position in both championships is well and truly deserved.

"We've not got everything right - but the fact that we've admitted that, and just got on and learned from it, has been a very valuable experience. And we're not relaxing now we might have some difficulties getting the people, the cars and the freight home before Barcelona, but that won't stop the efforts we're making to be even more competitive when we return to Europe."

Hamilton also believes that McLaren's efforts this year are also being helped because of the work ethic instilled in team members throughout 2009 when they had to recover from a disastrous start to the campaign.

"I know how much we've worked to get a result like this," Hamilton wrote on his website. "I remember saying last year that the victories we earned in 2009 would feel even sweeter because we'd had to work so hard for them - and the same's really true of this one-two: it's something that's been building for, well, ever since the start of last year really.

"And it feels like the team is really firing on all cylinders - everybody in this team, every single last person, is working better than ever to get us these results, and it's really starting to pay off.

"The atmosphere within the team is fantastic - we are a strong group now, and we know what it takes to win more races. We are hungry for it. China was good - but we want more of those results because they always make us feel so good."

Although Hamilton has seen team-mate Button win two races while he has yet to open his account, he thinks the pair are helping push McLaren on to new heights this season.

"Jenson's a great driver and we can really learn from each other," he said. "That's what I think has really helped us to develop this car into a front runner. We've got a lot of experience between us but we're both always learning - and I still think this car can get better.

"We have a lot of developments in the pipeline; we've got quite a few changes for Barcelona and I think we can be right up there. We still really need to focus on our qualifying pace: we made some improvements in China, but there's still a way to go. We'll get there though.

"Most of all, I know I can win races in this car - the car still feels so planted, more than any Formula 1 car I've driven, and I'm sure those victories will come."

Source
Q&A with Jenson
Q&A with Lewis

Petrov must be the creepiest driver on the grid...just look at him :lol

 

[navanman]

Already speculated and hinted at recently, but confirmed today that Mercedes will increase the wheelbase of the W01 to help with chronic weight distribution issues & understeer.

Mercedes hopes the longer wheelbase car it plans to introduce at the Spanish Grand Prix will help it get a grip on the weight distribution issues that it has encountered so far this season.

The Brackley-based outfit is set to introduce a major aerodynamic upgrade to its W01 for next month's race at Barcelona, and will also lengthen the wheelbase of the car.

Team principal Ross Brawn has revealed that the motivation for making the major wheelbase change has been prompted by the fact the team miscalculated the weight distribution needs for the 2010 tyres.

"The problem is not actually the wheelbase per se, it is the weight distribution," Brawn said about the motivation for the change. "We got the weight distribution wrong.

"When we got to test these tyres we realised we didn't have the correct weight distribution and we went to the limit with what we could achieve with this car. It is not the wheelbase as such, it is the weight distribution that is not what we wanted it.

"The tyres changed quite a bit... and we didn't have the opportunity to test these tyres, and we didn't have as good a guess of what was required as some of the other teams. So we will have a modification to the car at Barcelona which will give us a better range for the weight distribution that we can achieve."

As well as helping with the overall handling of the car, the weight distribution changes may well help iron out some of the understeer tendencies that have left Michael Schumacher struggling on his F1 return.

Brawn also said that Mercedes will likely introduce a fully working version of an F-duct in the next few events, having begun experimenting with a blown rear-wing in China last weekend.

"McLaren's system, which is driver operated, is quite complicated to get to work properly," said Brawn. "McLaren conceived that car to accommodate the system, and it is not so easy to put it onto [other] cars.

"What we had in China was a simple, passive system. It is not driver operated, so it is not as effective as the McLaren system.

"We are still working on a proper system that we will have at Barcelona or Istanbul. It is complicated to get to work properly, but our aerodynamicists are working on it."

Source

Petrov has scary eyes, very evil looking, he needs a decent haircut too.

Mockups of current cars with 18" low profile tyres:

 

[Steppenwolf]

I would love to see F1 go back to 1.5 litre turbos. 670 hp seems a bit low tho. Isn't it around 700 right now? And with turbos you don't have that power al the time.

I would prefer something like 850 hp but cars with drasticaly reduced downforce and weaker brakes as today. That would make the skill of the driver so much more important again.

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

Nico Rosberg is not expecting to maintain his early advantage over team-mate Michael Schumacher all season - admitting that he never thought he would be able to deliver such strong form.

The German has out-qualified and out-raced Schumacher in the first four races of the year - a feat that few people expected him to achieve.

But despite the early season form, Rosberg says he is taking nothing for granted in terms of how the rest of the year will pan out.

"I'm happy to be ahead of him but I don't know how long it will last," Rosberg told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I would have been content to be at his level. Now I hope I can carry on fighting with him."

Rosberg has also reiterated how much he is enjoying working with Schumacher, having confessed to having some reservations about what life would be like alongside the seven-time champion.

"People probably have the wrong opinion on Michael," he said. "I myself thought that it wouldn't be a good thing to have him as team-mate, when instead I'm positively surprised about it."


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83113

and here's a vid of FIA Gala 2005.. it was the only one missing from my collection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfEj7dTNmNc

 

[AndyD]

Petrov must be the creepiest driver on the grid...just look at him :lol

Him and his manager too. I saw a short interview with her. She is extra creepy.

 

[TylerD]

and here's a vid of FIA Gala 2005.. it was the only one missing from my collection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfEj7dTNmNc

Do you have a link list to all of them in good quality? F1 compilation videos are some of my favorite things to watch

 

[DrM]

I just hate this 3 week break...

Schumacher to switch chassis for Spain

Michael Schumacher will enjoy a switch of chassis for the Spanish Grand Prix, as Mercedes GP continues its efforts to help the seven-time world champion find more speed.

As well as introducing a raft of updates to the W01 for the Barcelona race next month, which includes lengthening the wheelbase, team principal Ross Brawn has also revealed that Schumacher will no longer be using the chassis that he had for the first four races of the season.

"It's not a new chassis per se, it's a chassis we used in testing," Brawn was quoted as saying by Reuters on Monday.

"The one he had got damaged during the first few races and we repaired it as best we could at the races. But now we are back at base we are going to re-introduce the test chassis and he will be using that in Barcelona."

Schumacher has been out-qualified and out-raced by team-mate Nico Rosberg in the first four rounds of the season, having struggled to get himself comfortable with the understeer characteristics of the Mercedes GP car.

The team hopes, however, that the raft of revisions introduced in Spain will tweak the car's handling more to his liking.

Source

McLaren not satisified with MP4-25 speed

Martin Whitmarsh insists that McLaren cannot be satisfied with the speed of its car, despite leading the world championship standings heading into the start of the European season.

Although the Woking-based outfit has made the most of the opportunities that have come its way in the first four races, with Jenson Button's two victories helping him lead the drivers' standings, team principal Whitmarsh thinks there is plenty of work to do to extract more pace from the MP4-25.

"There is no secret that we will keep pushing," said Whitmarsh, who is well aware that Red Bull has secured pole position at every race so far.

"We have a new package that we are bringing for Barcelona and for every race we have demonstrated over the years that we can improve the car, race on race, and that is what we have got to do.

"All the teams will be doing that and we just have to do it at a quicker rate. We are closer than we have been, we are not satisfied with the car, and we have to improve it and have to make it quicker."

Whitmarsh also admitted that his team was left slightly frustrated by the way Formula 1's ride-height control controversy panned out - having been given the go-ahead to develop its own version prior to the FIA outlawing it after the Malaysian Grand Prix.

"It was understood some time ago by previous rulings that you could not have specific parts that move in relation to the sprung mass which have influence on the aerodynamics of the car," he said.

"From that we were given that you could not have parts in the suspension system that moved the ride height, but we sensed that maybe some teams were taking advantage of that capability, quite possibility legitimately. We enquired with the FIA and we were surprised when we were told that such systems were legal.

"On the basis of that, we started to develop such systems and we intended to have such a system in China. Then, before the race, we were told that the FIA had reconsidered that position and that such systems were no longer legal - so we had wasted a bit of time.

"We are not trying to be critical of the FIA, because in fairness Charlie [Whiting] and the FIA have 12 teams diligently pestering them trying to get rulings, twists and turns in the regulations and interpretations, but I was surprised when we had a positive ruling, and delighted because we are about creative engineering and we enjoy those sort of challenges.

"So it was shame we could not introduce it, it would have given us a little bit of an advantage but we couldn't do it, so we move on. That is the nature of it. The FIA has to make difficult decisions. It can always do things better, but it would have been nice if we had had a clear no at the outset but we didn't."

Despite being forced to abandon its suspension plans, Whitmarsh says there is still plenty of scope for McLaren to bring more pace to its current car.

"We can generate more downforce, we can bring on more aerodynamic efficiency, we can make is less sensitive, we can make it lighter, we can do all those things. That is our job and that is what we enjoy chasing and pursuing.

"If every now and again the regulations throw up an unexpected opportunity, we will jump on it. This [ride-height affair] momentarily threw one up, we jumped on it but ultimately couldn't exploit it."

Source

 

[Chris R]

Anyone else see the report that KERS might be back in 2011 after all? http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8650454.stm

 

[h3ro]

Williams is keen to get KERS back because they spent a boatload developing their flywheel based system and need to get some sort of use out of it.

 

[DrM]

Williams is keen to get KERS back because they spent a boatload developing their flywheel based system and need to get some sort of use out of it.

They tried to introduced it into several brands of road cars. But all is quiet on that front.

Also, another great Scarbs post on his blog about Mercedes problems and possible upgrades for Barcelona race

Can Schumi find the answer?

Michael Schumacher's comeback has been a disaster so far - but can a new chassis and a change to an ill-designed wheelbase really be the solution to his problems?

Mercedes have suggested Schumacher's struggles may not all be down to his 'race rustiness' by revealing he has been driving a "damaged car" for several races and that the fundamental design of their W01 machine is neither optimised to this season's rules nor suited to his style.

The first issue is a surprisingly common one. Formula One cars are far from robust and even an over heavy kerb rattle could put things out of line, sometimes causing delamination of the carbon fibre chassis construction and alteration in the stiffness of the car.

Schumacher has had a few incidents, and according to Mercedes something has caused his car's baseline to shift from that currently being raced by his more successful team-mate Nico Rosberg - and because it happened in the fly-away races, the capacity was not there to correct it fully.

The fact that Brawn says Schumacher has been losing speed in "odd places" and in "not the difficult corners, but the technically simple ones" perhaps backs up the team's theory, but equally teams have been known to change the chassis for a driver to appease his concern, rather than truly believing there is a difference.

The major change for Schumacher, in truth, will come with the longer wheelbase, which will be brought in for the next race in Barcelona.

Tyre changes have caused teams to be a bit hit and miss with wheelbase in the last couple of seasons. Last year, Brawn actually predicted the effect of switching from grooved tyres to slicks accurately and it was the rival teams, like Red Bull and McLaren, who were forced to alter their wheelbases during the season to compensate.

This time, it is Brawn's team who have got it wrong. And as with their rivals last year, the knock-on effects could be something that leaves them playing catch-up all season.

The new narrower front tyres reduce the amount of mechanical front-end grip they can deliver, meaning the car needs to generate more front-end grip through downforce. Brawn expected Bridgestone to develop a tyre with a softer sidewall, which would have provided greater grip, but they did not - and now Mercedes simply doesn't have enough downforce to counter that.

For Schumacher, this is a big problem.

"Michael needs to be able to lean heavily on the front of the car to make his driving style work," Brawn explained after China. He needs a very responsive car that changes direction sharply, not one that wallows and is tough to turn in.

It appears he may have tried to compensate for this in China by scuffing the rear tyres, reducing their grip and altering the balance between front and rear - but this just resulted in an overall lack of grip and a significant lack of traction in slow corners. This is also proof that he is still building an understanding of the tyres, which are very different to the ones he used last time he was racing.

Fundamentally, the length of the wheelbase determines the weight balance of the car, and when it is incorrectly balanced the car will not only perform poorly it will also wear its tyres more.

In Barcelona, Schumacher will not only get his hands on a chassis that is back in optimum condition (he will use the one he used in pre-season testing) but also a car that is much more suited to his driving style.

But it's not as easy as all that.

Due to the homologation rules, Mercedes cannot alter their chassis so the wheelbase change will have to be done by altering the suspension geometry to move the front wheels further forward - and while this should go some way to solving the balance problems, whether there is enough movement available remains to be seen.

Additionally, it could have knock-on effects on the car's aerodynamics. The front wheels are obstructive lumps to the airflow and if they are moved significantly far forward, closer to the unique droopy nose on the car, it could choke the airflow in this area and call for a complete front-end re-design.

So while the new wheelbase car should address the imbalance between Schumacher and his team-mate, it could still be a while before the re-design pushes Mercedes closer to the opposition up in front.

Source

 

[sportzhead]

Just want to say F1 cars are some of the most beautiful things in this world. If I was filthy rich I would start a team just to be around them 24/7.

 

[Templar Wizard]

no need to start a team, just land 30k here and its yours:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...page/1/postcode/sw193rq/radius/1500?logcode=p