Posted April 26, 2009 good race another win for button If someone told him when the honda team was in trouble that he will win 3 out of the first 4 races next season he would have laughed. He seems to be loving every second of it ferrari finally got some points which is good to see...i wouldnt count them out yet with improvements i think they will be back amoung the top guys soon enough Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 26, 2009 Knew there would be a bit of Trulli-training in there - Vettel and Hamilton seemed to spend half their race behind him. At least Vettel got him in the last stops. Without Trulli (and Hamilton in the first phase) to slow him down, we could have seen a bit of wheel to wheel from Button and Vettel, but nevermind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 26, 2009 Kimi did great today! Finally Ferrari are off the mark! Wahoo!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 27, 2009 Start of the race was fantastic, 3 wide racing into corners is exactly what F1 needs. Shame it became a bit of a procession after 10 laps or so, overtaking still isn't quite there yet, definitely an improvement on recent years though. Was a shame Vettel couldn't get past Hamilton or Trulli, I think he was on for the win had he managed it. Toyota strategy really let them down and Button just picked up the pieces and a well deserved win. I think the Red Bull could well be the one to take the fight to Brawn, they're fast even before getting a new diffuser, when they do I think Vettel has to be a favourite for the title. Still loving this season, best in years imo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 27, 2009 Thats the problem for Red Bull though - the reason they are fast is because they have a different style of rear wing, which they need to completely redesign for the new diffuser. So the gain the diffuser will bring them is lessened, compared to the others. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 27, 2009 Isn't it their Pull-Rod suspension that causes the problem? They seemed to be saying they were well on the way with a new diffuser when questioned in Bahrain so I'm not sure how much of a problem it is. The key thing is that with being one of the best cars anyway they only need slight improvements rather than the huge ones needed by the liked of Ferrari. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 27, 2009 Yeah it's not their rear wing, it's the design of the rear end of their car: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74680 Newey, however, decided not to travel to China in order to focus on the new floor, but he admits it will be a challenge to make it work properly given the car's rear suspension design. "The unique feature of the Red Bull cars is the pullrod rear suspension, which is a good solution when you don't have a double-diffuser. But getting it to work with the diffuser will be more difficult. We won't have a double-diffuser before Monaco. "It will certainly involve a lot of work," he added. "The challenge now is to try and integrate the new diffuser into the rest of the car. But I don't regard it as a shame, I see it as another challenge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 27, 2009 Well my mates dad does a lot of wind tunnel testing and he said that Red Bull submitted a diffuser to be tested on thursday or something (which is hardly surprising though I doubt they'll have fully developed one and be using it until Monaco. On another note, I'm fed up of grand Prix's in Asia. China is bad enough but yesterdays race was terrible :| Seriously, not overtaking, very stop and go track and for a track that holds the smallest capacity of any of the circuit (50,000) it's a joke that it wasn't even half filled for the race (qualy was worse!). I bet you a revamped Imola, Jerez, Silverstone or Montreal would easily fill up double that. Bernie you're a joke. Edit: I'm also fed up of the following: 'Right, here is Button, coming down the hill..HE'S REALLY ON A CHARGE NOW! What's his lap gonna be? 1:35:500...wow he's really on charge! Button, from Rubens, from Vettel from Hamilton. So thats BRAWN, from Brawn, from Red Bull and Mclaren. Button coming up to the right hander, he's turning, turning right...and now left! He's on a charge now!' Eugh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) 'Right, here is Button, coming down the hill..HE'S REALLY ON A CHARGE NOW! What's his lap gonna be? 1:35:500...wow he's really on charge! Button, from Rubens, from Vettel from Hamilton. So thats BRAWN, from Brawn, from Red Bull and Mclaren. Button coming up to the right hander, he's turning, turning right...and now left! He's on a charge now!' Eugh. ROFL!I could literally hear him saying it as I was reading that! His final 2 laps for Vettels win last week were insane, I don't think he took a breath as he narrated EVERY single move and corner! As much as I love Brundle, I've been thinking about switching to 5Live for commentary recently! I love their work in practice. And yes, al these Eastern tracks suck! There's Abu Dhabi to come [which may actually be good], then we've got India and possibly Korea [i mean seriously... Korea... WTF!!] to look forward to! ... add to that we're probaby gonna loose the British GP and... Edited April 28, 2009 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 28, 2009 I wouldn't even mind so much if the tracks they keep coming up with weren't so dull - and it's not just eastern tracks. China and Bahrain aren't great, Valencia and the Hungary are cures for insomnia. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) Watching them back to back, China and Bahrain seemed SO similar! I honestly can't believe we've gotta put up with Valencia for another 6/7 years or whatever, and no doubt it'll get an extention after that! I mean seriously what were they thinking when they designed it, because someone SERIOUSLY fucked up big time! There are NO nice views other than the overhead shot. All you can see from onboard is barriers, fencing and tall buildings. And there's NO overtaking. I mean COME ON! I miss Canada, Austria, old Germany [changed for Bernies marketing purposes], REALLY gonna miss Silverstone even if Donnington is an ok alternative should it go through. Bernie needs to go, simple as! because it seems FOTA actually know the importance of the keeping the classic tracks! Edited April 28, 2009 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 28, 2009 Abu Dhabi is gonna be bollocks btw, has anyone seen the track layout? Pretty much no fast speed corners, just straights 90 degree or more turns ever time. Bleh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 29, 2009 Not sure if this has been posted before but here is a little game I've been playing for a few weeks: New Star GP It's an old school top down style Grand Prix game based on the 2009 season. Names have been changed but you can edit them back to the correct ones. Might be of interest to a few of you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 29, 2009 Looks like Mclaren escaped severe punishment, so long as they play nice for 12 months. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8024661.stm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 29, 2009 Given their track record it wouldn't surprise me at all if they do end up serving the ban, I'm actually quite surprised they weren't banned immediately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 29, 2009 Oh well, guess it's ok to try and get another team punished with penalties and lie your way into the points! Go for it teams!! If the team with the worst reputation can get away with it, you'll all have no trouble! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 29, 2009 http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090429101712.shtml The recent swine flu epidemic will bar all spectators from the Race track, that kinda sucks in some respects. No crowd support from the sidelines. Will be pretty lonely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 29, 2009 That does suck! But does the GP even want to go to Catalunya if there's a high reporting there? I know I'd be a bit weary! Either way guess it will feel like a VERY different race for Alonso! Maybe this'll mean he won't put a teaspoon of fuel in his car for Q3?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 29, 2009 http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090429101712.shtml The recent swine flu epidemic will bar all spectators from the Race track, that kinda sucks in some respects. No crowd support from the sidelines. Will be pretty lonely. Yes, it'll be exactly like the Chinese or Malaysian GPs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 1, 2009 FIA increases minimum car weight for 2010 http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74954 Refuelling ban confirmed for next season http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74948 That last article also says Tyre Blankets are banned from 2010, which is quite frankly stupid! When this was talked about last year alot of drivers/teams complained saying that it could be extrememly dangerous to just send cars out on cold tyres because when you exit the pits against cars already up to full speed on heated tyres, the speed difference will be massive and could lead to braking accidents etc... They also said, if you're looking to save costs, something as simple as tyre blankets really isn't the place to look, because frankly it's hardly an expence anyway, and driver safety is more important. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 1, 2009 So in order to save costs the FIA are trying to compromise driver safety? What retards they are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 1, 2009 I'm very much in favour of all of this, costs have too high for too long. I oppose the two-tier system but I hope that the teams can all agree to compete under the cap anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 1, 2009 Yeah I don't agree with this two-tier system either, though to be honest I'm finding it a little difficult to understand the full situation and just what exactly each tier is entitled to. But surely you can't agree with cutting tyre blankets, it's hardly an expense! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 1, 2009 The blankets cost approximately £2200 per set So that would be £550 pounds each approximately. So this two teir system gives them the option to either follow a budget cap with more technical freedom or just stick to having an unlimited budget with less? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) I'm sure the drivers would be happier cutting their million pound salaries by a measely £2000, than being involved in a potentially avoidable racing accident! Cutting costs just for the sake of cutting costs is stupid, I'm sure there are much better ways/solutions. EDIT: Summary of the two tiers... http://msnsport.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12433_5259076,00.html Formula One is poised to become a 26-car championship next season, with a £40million budget cap for each team. Following Wednesday's meeting of the World Motor Sports Council in Paris, it was agreed the maximum number of cars permitted to enter would be increased to 26, two for each team. After announcing a £30million cap in mid-March, the WMSC has now increased that figure by a further £10million, with the formation of a new costs commission to police the regulation. The additional £10million also allows the current teams a further degree of leeway, although they may still feel it does not go far enough. Teams, though, will still have freedom of choice as to whether to be governed by the cap. However, those that opt out face certain restrictions. Any team operating within the budget will be allowed to use movable front and rear wings and, most crucially, an engine not subject to a rev limit. Those teams will also be allowed unlimited out-of-season track testing, with no restrictions on the scale and speed of wind-tunnel testing. A further 'start-up bonus' for the new teams is that, as commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone has agreed to offer participation fees and expenses to the new teams. I'd be happy to seeing 26 cars on the grid, however regarding the budget cap... Really not sure this is healthy for the sport, I'm not sure so much ambiguity and leeway is gonna work, there's the potential for a damaging ammount of differences between the cars. The teams are already expressing their dislike... Ferrari warns budget cap may hurt F1 http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74969 Mallya cautious on FIA's new rules http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74956 Williams also against two-tier series http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74955 McLaren reluctant about two-tier series http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74953 Thankfully it seems due to the concorde agreement the teams have to agree to these potential changes. Also FOTA are meeting next week, so I'm sure ALOT will be discussed! I also think F1 is in danger of becoming WAY to complicated, and only the die hard fans will have any chance of keeping track of things. Edited May 1, 2009 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
