F1 2009

[lhooq]

Who else is excited for this season? Brawn/Honda is a pretty incredible story so far, but we'll have to wait and see whether they have what it takes to win races. McLaren seem to be in big trouble, but I'm in the ABF (anyone but Ferrari) camp, so Brawn or BMW (would love to see Kubica take the championship) are fine with me.

Ten hours left until Friday practice...

 

[ThomasoAIK]

Williams are looking good after fridays practice and brawn to.

But the new car looks awful with the wide frontwings and puny little backwing.

 

[xpress]

I'm really upset with the start of the season... The diffuser issue that has everyone talking leads to a completely unfair advantage...

Three or four races in, it will be a completely different starting grid on race day.

 

[Joffrey]

Very excited.

- I'm happy that Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello both have competitive cars.
- I'm also very happy for Williams (when they were on top I wasn't a fan, but they're recent struggles and their current drivers has me rooting for them).
- It should be very interesting to see how Lewis Hamilton handles an uncompetitive car [for now].
- I wonder how the downturn will affect race attendance in the European races (especially Spain has normally been sold out, and England too).
- I'm actually not upset about the diffuser issue. The race stewards and FIA both have deemed it legal, so everything is mostly fine. Hopefully the court of appeals does not reverse the decision. It's nice to see some innovation back in F1.
- The cars look amazing, IMO. I'm used to the wings which are the only downside.

 

[Smartalox]

It was interesting to see Brawn first and second Sunday. Hamilton did all right, moving up from 13th to 4th with a few good passes along the way.

I was interested to see that the KERS could only be recharged once a lap. I guess that it helps to level the playing field for the non-KERS equipped cars, but unlimited use might open up some passing potential in the corners.

I'll be interested to see what happens the first time it rains, though!

 

[Joffrey]

KERS recharges every time they brake. But they only have 7 seconds of energy to release.

It's the movable front wing flap that they can only activate once a lap.

 

[jefe]

Originally Posted by Smartalox

Hamilton did all right, moving up from 13th to 4th with a few good passes along the way.

I was interested to see that the KERS could only be recharged once a lap. I guess that it helps to level the playing field for the non-KERS equipped cars, but unlimited use might open up some passing potential in the corners.

I'll be interested to see what happens the first time it rains, though!

Originally Posted by Jodum5

KERS recharges every time they brake. But they only have 7 seconds of energy to release.

Hamilton was 18th to 4th... then third following the penalty on Trulli.

And KERS is only once per lap. The regeneration of the charge is continuous, but it can only be used for a total of 7 seconds per lap.

Great race though. To add the multi-level diffuser to the cars that don't currently have it (anything other than williams, toyota and brawn), they have to redesign the housing for the gearbox, which is complicated further by a limit on testing and windtunnel time this season.

 

[Treen]

The race and qualifying were both the most exciting I think I've ever seen. I'm happy about Button and the Brawn team because I'm British and have been a fan for a while.

However, I don't think that this race is a good predictor of what's to come: so much has changed and I think, given time, the more established teams will get their acts together leading to yet another year dominated by Ferrari and McLaren.

 

[Joffrey]

Pretty amusing issue with the diffusers. I hope Williams uses the advantage they have to put together some decent results this season. If they can't there's no hope for them.

 

[GentlemanJim]

Does anyone know how likely Brawn are too stay ahead of the pack? Presumably the wealthier teams will be able to adjust to the new rules and regain their dominance. But when?

 

[lhooq]

I think that, technically, the big teams could do it in time for Malaysia. However, as someone mentioned upthread, the changes that would need to be made to the cars could end up decreasing performance overall, so without testing and limited wind tunnel use, it's going to be a risk for any team to try it.

My other impression is that many teams are still holding out, hoping that the appeal on April 14 finds the Williams/Toyota/Brawn diffuser illegal. If Ferrari/McLaren/BMW used the modified diffuser, they would be seriously undermining their arguments that it's against the spirit of the regulations.

 

[xpress]

So Lewis was promoted to third...
And now he is DISQUALIFIED!

"The disqualification centres around that Jarno Trulli overtake. Jarno went off the track while the safetly car was out, and Lewis passed him.
The confusion begins when Trulli then repassed Lewis – was he let through, or did he overtake? It would appear that McLaren told Lewis over the radio to let him pass, but then told stewards after the race that Trulli overtook."

So essentially they have been disqualified because McLaren lied...

As a huge Hamilton fan.. this sucks!

 

[Joffrey]

Hamilton and McLaren brought this on themselves. The FIA published the transcripts of the Radio communication between him and the team and they did infact lie to the stewards. Though a great driver, Lewis Hamilton is a twit. His team is pretty daft too.