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The Formula 1 Thread

Nick_L

By Nick_L
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Bruciebabie

Bruciebabie

Posted
Posted
The should replace the wheel covers with spikes.

Williams did a lot of aero research on the wheelcovers.

They effect they have on the airflow prevents the car behind getting closer.

So they are a severe hinderance to overtaking.

C&P

Williams’ technical chief Sam Michael said in July that studies have shown that the covers have “quite an adverse effect on the following car”.

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Bruciebabie

Bruciebabie

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I think they've all got cars now. Even the yanks annouced they'd hired a lock up in spain to put it in the other day. How much track time they'll see in Oz next year is another thing.

We have 4 new teams. US thingy, Lotus, Campos, Manor/Virgin.

Obviously they will be back markers because they lack the storehouse of heritage and knowledge that the existing teams have accumulated.

However there are several things working their way.

1) All F1 engines are being "equalised" so they are becoming just a plug in part that you pay a contract for.

2) Max reduced the costs of F1 enormously. As we have seen this year it is more difficult to spend your way to the front.

3) The testing ban likewise gives the little guys a chance.

4) Lots of top, experienced F1 people have been made redundant by the big teams. Many of these are going to the new teams. Giving them instant knowledge and experience.

5) The design rules are pretty stable. Copy this year's Red Bull (as most of the established teams will) next season and you will be close to the money.

6) The grid is much closer together these days because everyone has the key knowledge of how to do it. This will rub off on the new teams.

7) With 4 new teams there is a bigger chance of someone coming up with a breakthrough like the double diffuser.

The big problem I see is finding 26 drivers that are good enough.

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Sidewaysbob

Sidewaysbob

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I think the drivers are going to be the biggest factor too. With USFoff saying they're not going to employ two rookie americans now, they obviously realise that they're going to need 2 drivers who understand "european" racing and can bring circuit knowledge with them.

I still think the top teams will be upfront. Take this year double diffuser. Mclaren had a new underfloor and rear end after 4 races was it. Force india's turned up half way throught the season. Mclaren were painting areo paint for half the season and UV aero paint for the rest. They've had a test team runnign with the main tema this year, sending back aero information during friday practice. Okay so man power next year is going to be cut but the big boys have already got the cream of the crop and know what they're trying to achieve. The New boys have to figure aout their cars and then start to make them go faster.

I'll be really suprised if any of the new boys are in the top 10 for most of the season. Baring obvious random acts of FIA Vengance and places like Monaco which are lotteries.

Don't get me wrong, i welcome the new boys, i still just think they're the wrong new boys. England does motorsport better than anyone else, so why didn't Lola and Prodrive get places. Lola had a working F1 car back in March.

Wurth is Max's big mate

Compos are ex F3 boys with a resonable if unexciting pedagree

USFoff are there for the american market

Lotus there because BMW screwed up. But Gasgoyne knows his onions and can put a team together if not take them to the big prize.

BMW, by alll accounts the chaps thats bought that gig is a right shaddy son of a gn. With dodgy deals all over the shop. Thoough he's not too dodgy for the FA to take him apparently, he's a director at some 2 bit 4th division club or other.

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bigbrick

bigbrick

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we know the outcome already though, the USF1 effort will be a waste of everyone's time and the american audience will cry foul before switching back over to watch NASCAR turn left.

i remember how loads of american fans were up in arms over Scott Speed being booted from STR. to them, everything is a slight on the USA.

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marsh

marsh

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BMW, by alll accounts the chaps thats bought that gig is a right shaddy son of a gn. With dodgy deals all over the shop. Thoough he's not too dodgy for the FA to take him apparently, he's a director at some 2 bit 4th division club or other.

I smell essence of Andrea Moda F1...... :unsure:

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marsh

marsh

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Nah, FIA's random act of ban hammer won't stand for that type of shit anymore? they'll be sticking a 101% rule in as soon as the 28th slot is taken.

Bastard Todts first rule of F1: ban any car that qualifies 27th or 28th as long as it's not ferrari. If it is Ferrari add 25 seconds to any random team to ensure random act of ban is completed.

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Bruciebabie

Bruciebabie

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Nah, FIA's random act of ban hammer won't stand for that type of shit anymore? they'll be sticking a 101% rule in as soon as the 28th slot is taken.

Bastard Todts first rule of F1: ban any car that qualifies 27th or 28th as long as it's not ferrari. If it is Ferrari add 25 seconds to any random team to ensure random act of ban is completed.

Todt isn't exactly best friends with Ferrari these days.

Also the FIA limits the grid, testing, qualifying, everything to 13 teams of two cars each. A physical limit imposed by pit availability, especially at Monaco.

If a vacancy for a team appears then the FIA invite applications and do due process. They then choose the new team according to their own criteria.

When BMW dropped out they chose Lotus.

If Toyota drop out it could be BMW phoenix, but possibly not.

There is a move to go to 14 teams, but everyone would have to agree, including the circuits.

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Hackign

Hackign

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the intersting thing with Senna, is that there are no current F1 teams willing to take him on. After being blown out by Brawn after Honda pulled out, he's had a couple of middling runs in sports cars and not a lot else. He's hung around the F1 pits but no one want to talk to him it would seem. Williams have even picked up Hulkenburger instead.

Which i do find suprising. Even force india feel they don't need the money the name would bring with it.

Senna isn't bringing any sponsorship afaik. Oh and Hulkenburg has been the Williams test driver for the past two seasons or so. I've heard he's also crashed the car twice on his outlaps.

Oh and Senna came within 0.3 seconds of Button when testing in November 2008 on his first test session.

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dam_aks

dam_aks

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Senna is definitely fast. In fact, he is very fast and an entertaining racer too, some of his GP2 performances last year were stunners. He's just massively inexperienced, 99.9% of other drivers have been doing it their whole lives and he started a few years ago. Actually, you could say his weakness (and it's a rather big one) is also what makes him so interesting, imagine what will happen in a few seasons time providing he keeps a seat...

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Sidewaysbob

Sidewaysbob

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Well if you’re part of the F1 circus, be it part of the FIA, one of the teams or some random celebrity wondering around in a bemused way. Then Yas marina is the greatest feat of motor racing circuit building ever and is just superb and lovely and great and wonderful and … a really really dull Herman Tilke track. It looks great, and has all the elements of a good track. But it’s just another race around the docks. Considering that only 2 cars dropped out of the race, the tracks looked empty for most of the race. I fell asleep at during the middle part of it once Hamilton stopped it was all over bar the shouting.

Button and Webber tried to make the last 10 laps interesting but once again, if the car in front doesn’t want to be passed then there isn’t much the car behind car do.

So Vettel wins a pretty easy race. Hamilton had nailed pole and looked set to drive off in to the distance. But then fate intervened when a rear brake problem meant he couldn’t drive away from Vettel and had to retire eventually. He looked, up to that point, like he had the circuit sorted, he was fast where it counted and smooth when he need to be. With nothing to really challenge the drivers he showed that talent and balls can still make a difference. Vettel get's a good win to end the season and can look forward to next year with a good car and a good team.

Vettel doesn’t really challenge other drivers, his wins have come after good pit work and a bit of luck. When Button was behind Webber he was ducking around trying to put Webber off line and snatch the place. Vettel, just sorts of sits back 1.5 seconds behind the leader and waits until he can pass in the pits. He’s blindingly fast when the cars underneath him, but he doesn’t fight for places. Still you have to be at the front to have a chance of winning and he’s done that this year, but for a little more reliability he could have been the new champion.

Webber, makes it the fourth Redbull 1-2 of the season. He’s still not going to win a world championship in my opinion. But he’s shown this year that he could come very close. He doesn’t have any luck, and he’s a bit feisty off the line. In Brazil, Germany and now here in Abu Dhabi, he tagged a driver on the first lap, defending a racing line or defending the corner, he always seems to be the one taking front wing end plates off other drivers. In Germany he got a drive through for waving around off the line but still won the race. Here he said he was expecting to hit Barrichello, suggesting that Barrichello is the one hitting him. Still he was there to pick up the pieces and considering that he had his legs rebuilt before the season had started, i think he can look back at this year and be proud of what he achieved.

The New World champion bring it home in third. Button get’s his moment of glory on the podium for the last race. I've not really got a lot to add to what i wrote last race, he's battled hard in a year when there were lots of winners. No one really dominated and Button took the opportunities when they presented themselves. He rode his luck and was consistent the two things that make a championship winning season. Also, once again, the driver that won the first race of the year, has won the world championship. Remember that next year, always worth a punt.

Barrichello up next in 4th, he's signed up for Williams for next year in what has to be his last year, He'll clear 300 GPs next year, that's some going. He has to be one of the factors in Brawns success this year. He's been around long enough to be able to dial a car into a circuit and make it work right out of the box. That's what has helped Button do the job this year. He wasn't fast enough when it counted but could string a win together when other came up short.

Heidfeld comes home 5th in a race he was apparently in. He's this weeks, "was he racing?" driver. The word on the street is he's going to go to McLaren next year, if Kimi insists on demanding a gazillion Euros for his services next year. He used to be Mercedes boy when he was in GP2 and was promised a seat at McLaren years ago. So i hope he gets the seat. I think he's a good consistent driver that could push Lewis.

Holy Moly if it isn't a new Favorite Japanese nutter. Kobayashi keeps it all together and pops up in 6th spot. Well done to him. He over took the new World Champion, in a pretty good move, then didn't fall asleep like Trulli normally does. Apparently he's got a seat with Toyota next year, which i think we can all agree is a good thing. Whilst nitwits like Alberkerky, Bodour and Grojean have turned up and failed utterly, Banzi Kobayashi has arrived and shown then what the word racing driver actually means. If Toyota can build a decent car next (or a car at all) then he could be something to spice up the racing next year. Defiantly the rookie of the year.

Trulli makes it to 7th, dull. HE didn't try and hit anyone this time.

8th for Buemi. not a bad result but not very exciting.

9th For Rosberg. He'll probably be in the Brawn next year and about time too. Williams was never going to deliver the results. Okay he went to sleep at the start of the season, but he just needs Brawn to knock him into shape and teach him how to win. Brawn did it to Button, he'll do it for Rosberg. Once again Williams started well but failed to deliver.

10th for Kubica who will be happy to have a seat with Renault next year, new start new team.

So the curtain comes down on the 2009. We’ve got a new team and a new name at the top of the heap. Brawn have done a great job this year after Honda pulled the plug hours before the season started. He picked the team up and took it all the way which has to feel pretty special for him. All those years he directed Schumacher to win after win at Ferrari, and now it's his name on the silverware.

It's been a good season, not much over taking granted, but you've never been sure who's going to be on pole, get the fastest lap or win. The top tens have been mixed up with no team dominating. let's hope it's more of the same next year ..... with a bit more over taking.

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Bruciebabie

Bruciebabie

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Good stuff sidewaysbob, thank you.

The Red Bull has been the car of the year, fastest at most race weekends, another Newey gem. The team, and especially the drivers, failed to convert this into enough points.

Brawn weren't the fastest car very often. But their drivers used their speed and experience, allied to Ross's guile, to eke out the points, even when things were going badly. Overtaker of the year was Button, by miles.

Toyota had it at the beginning of the season, then failed to keep up. Managing the team at meetings in Japan will never work. F1 is too fast moving for that.

Williams seem to be a bridsemaid team now, destined never to go that final yard.

Overall a brilliant season. Mostly the result of McLaren and Ferrari both getting it so wrong.

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CouldBeWorse

CouldBeWorse

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I still don't see the point of having no refuelling if the drivers still have to use both types of tyre. Next year will be the same as this year but with shorter pit stops.

As we've seen, anyone expecting anything massively different will be deluding themselves.

Less races decided by fuel tactics? No starting light to get that early pace etc. Evens up the field a little more but yeah as you said ain't gonna change much.

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Halkyon

Halkyon

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I really hope the limited aero changes, the stock engines and the equal fuel loads mean that races will be excitingly close and not just a qualifying-order train - right now I can't really see which is more likely.

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SteveH

SteveH

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It will be interesting to see what Button can do next year without Barrichello by his side to help setup a car. Several times I heard it mentioned Button was struggling and so used Ruben's setup for qualifying.

Why did Barrichello go? Did he want to leave, or did Brawn want him to go? Seems strange considering he really did push Button all the way. Apart from being slightly dodgy at the start of the season of course.

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marsh

marsh

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yeah, he whinged he was being knobled, then Ross said he was dog slow and he shopuld pick his toys up from around the pram.

I also imagine Mercedes had a word, they want a german driving their engine it would seem.

And a team their about to buy a huge chunk of, which if I'm honest I don't really understand.

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