Formula 1 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 5 2009, 09:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Another brilliant race today, motogp may actually struggle to be this exciting in 09. Button was flawless again but in all conditions and on a permanent circuit now it seems clear that Brawn has the best car. Toyota are doing pretty well so far, but besides them nobody else has racked up any significant points.
Thanks for the restating of the obvious!! How 'bout an observation on how the rule changes have created instant drama/controversy and how would that play in MotoGP if this year Rossi & Stoner were no longer competitive and the DORNAsaki (equals Braun, no?) was leading the championship...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mick D @ Apr 5 2009, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Thanks for the restating of the obvious!!

HA! I was simply mentioning it as food for thought, simply because if you asked most people to name championship contenders you'd here Lewis, Massa, Kimi, Kubica, Vettel, Rosberg and so on but none of them have actually got anything significant to show for their seasons. I think more excitement is to come as i am confident at least some of these guys will have their say in the long run.

If the rules stay this way, Button, Barichello, Glock and Trulli will be the only one's able to fight for the championship.

The rest of the field seems to be very even actually. Except for the ever-useless Force India that is.

Filipe, Baby.

STAY COOL!!!


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well I think Rosberg and Vettel have shown pretty good pace but for one reason or another things didn't go their way in this 2 races. I still expect them to be near or on the podium in the next race, unless the diffusers get banned.

I was pretty pissed though at Bernie, this was not a surprise, everyone knew it was likely to happen. Still race was done at 5pm local time when everyone knows it rains heavily in the evenings in Malaysia. But I guess money talks.

I think Button should have been not so happy, this is 5 points that fly away and would have been his racing at 2pm. And he's gotta make as much of the chance he's got now, Brawn is not going to develop as fast as the other big teams.

Kovalainen shouldn't have much trouble to make his engine last 3 GPs, since he's completed about half a lap in 2 races hehehe.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Wander @ Apr 5 2009, 05:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>If the rules stay this way, Button, Barichello, Glock and Trulli will be the only one's able to fight for the championship.

I'm not so sure, Redbull particularly look good and soon enough the teams will all have their version of the diffuser.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Geonerd @ Apr 5 2009, 06:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Filipe, Baby.

STAY COOL!!!

This was pretty funny!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teomolca @ Apr 5 2009, 06:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I think Button should have been not so happy, this is 5 points that fly away and would have been his racing at 2pm. And he's gotta make as much of the chance he's got now, Brawn is not going to develop as fast as the other big teams.

Kovalainen shouldn't have much trouble to make his engine last 3 GPs, since he's completed about half a lap in 2 races hehehe.

I agree, i remain unconvinced that Brawn will be able to maintain the gap between them and the big, well funded teams behind them which are in a position to make bigger leaps forward.

You're right about Kovalinnen too

Did I miss something here? I thought April fools day was the 1st not today

FIA World engine

Just when you thought there wasn't anything more stupid he could say or do ...

Just saw F1 Sepang. I'm not much of a fan of the sport, but I was impressed. Looks like the new rules and the weather conspired to make it an interesting races with actual passing. To bad it was cut short. But I saw enough from Oz and Sepang to make me want to see what happens next. Brawn Virgin is a great story.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Apr 8 2009, 04:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Just saw F1 Sepang. I'm not much of a fan of the sport, but I was impressed. Looks like the new rules and the weather conspired to make it an interesting races with actual passing. To bad it was cut short. But I saw enough from Oz and Sepang to make me want to see what happens next. Brawn Virgin is a great story.

Too bad the Virgin deal is over. It was for two races, at 250K per race.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hayden Fan @ Apr 8 2009, 01:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Too bad the Virgin deal is over. It was for two races, at 250K per race.
Geez, talk about bang for the buck. Two races two wins. If you compare that to what people pay for a 1 minute spot in the superbowl, Virgin got a deal of a lifetime. Genius luck!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teomolca @ Apr 7 2009, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Did I miss something here? I thought April fools day was the 1st not today

FIA World engine

Just when you thought there wasn't anything more stupid he could say or do ...
Isn't there already a series called A1GP?

Max is obviously nostalgic for the formula cosworth days, and I have to say this is when I thought F1 racing was best and closest. Many of the entrants then were private racing teams and I am not sure such teams will ever rise again. I don't think the manufacturers would compete in a one -engine series, so the money in the sport would be much less; I guess bernie et al have already raked off more than their share.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Apr 9 2009, 01:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Isn't there already a series called A1GP?

Max is obviously nostalgic for the formula cosworth days, and I have to say this is when I thought F1 racing was best and closest. Many of the entrants then were private racing teams and I am not sure such teams will ever rise again. I don't think the manufacturers would compete in a one -engine series, so the money in the sport would be much less; I guess bernie et al have already raked off more than their share.

The engine idea is not about A1GP. It is about making engine possible to run in F1, WRC, Sports Cars, Nascar, Indy Car, GP2, F2, Touring Cars.

Max must be snorting lines of Columbia's finest when he had this brilliant idea.

Won't happen as Ferrari has said if any massive engine development changes occur, they'll pull from F1, and if that happens F1 fails, and quickly racing will fall as a whole.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hayden Fan @ Apr 8 2009, 09:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Too bad the Virgin deal is over. It was for two races, at 250K per race.

Have they not signed on for the season now?

The Diiffusers have been declared legal, so that puts that to bed. Now it's catchup time for everyone!

ferrari not happy

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali says the FIA court of appeal's decision to declare Brawn, Williams and Toyota's diffusers legal is a major blow to his squad's chances in the next few races.

As one of the key architects of the protests against the controversial double diffusers, Ferrari had been adamant that the designs contravened the regulations.

It will now have to embark on a major redesign of the F60 in order to accommodate a similar diffuser, but Domenicali warned that Ferrari would face a tough time in the interim.

“Unfortunately this decision forces us to intervene on fundamental areas of the car’s design in order to be able to compete on an equal footing with some of the teams from a point of view of the technical regulations," he said.

"That will take time and money.

"We will now double our efforts to get the team back to the highest level of competitiveness."

Ferrari has had its worst start to a season since 1992, not only lagging behind the 'diffuser gang' and Red Bull on speed, but making several high-profile operational errors.

It has yet to score and languishes at the bottom of the constructors' championship after two races.

Having been confident that Ferrari had interpreted the regulations correctly, Domenicali added that he was keen to understand the basis of the FIA's decision.

“We are waiting to hear the reasons the ICA rejected the appeal," he said.

Maybe it will shut up the idiots who kept proclaiming the FIA and Ferrari were bedmates.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hayden Fan @ Apr 15 2009, 04:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Maybe it will shut up the idiots who kept proclaiming the FIA and Ferrari were bedmates.

I think the Ferrari FIA thing is quite interesting, there is definitely a decent argument for and against the existance of a bias. Not that it really matters, it is how it is so everyone just has to deal with it.

IMO the FIA hasn't changed, Bernie and Maxxx are here to make money, F1 is a bussiness first, a sport second.

If the difusers were banned it would kill Williams and Brawn, they wouldn't make it to the next season, and Toyota who already entertained thoughts of quitting might have a good excuse to leave.
And that would be a catastrophe for Bernie.

It's quite shocking to read that Red Bull had already thought about this difuser but they were told it would be illegal. They have the right to be very angry. Seems very unfair to them.

So now we have an artificially balanced grid where the weakest teams have been given a headstart and should make up for an interesting end of the season with the big ones trying to hunt down the sneaky 3.

hope some day the FOTA has the guts to part ways and make their own rulebook so we don't have to deal with all this crap.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teomolca @ Apr 15 2009, 10:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>IMO the FIA hasn't changed, Bernie and Maxxx are here to make money, F1 is a bussiness first, a sport second.

If the difusers were banned it would kill Williams and Brawn, they wouldn't make it to the next season, and Toyota who already entertained thoughts of quitting might have a good excuse to leave.
And that would be a catastrophe for Bernie.

It's quite shocking to read that Red Bull had already thought about this difuser but they were told it would be illegal. They have the right to be very angry. Seems very unfair to them.

This is another brilliant example of the poor job the FIA are doing. Some teams presented designs and were cleared, while others were told they were illegal. The issue was known for some time but wasn't addressed until the season began and now teams have been thrown onto the back foot.

FOTA needs more power.

Great Qualifying this morning, this race looks even more open than the previous two did! Redbull have looked quick all season, it's ominous for what might happen when they get a new diffuser sorted, Adrian Newey might just do it again. Brawn seem to be still right there, but not comfortable at all, Button should have qualified 3rd. I'll be interested to see the qualifying weights, i'd imagine Alonso is light, nevertheless its nice to see Renault and Mclaren making positive steps, it's a shame Ferrari have taken a step backwards by removing their KERS system