F1 World Championship 2009 Thread

[CrashG]

Bah, just sounds like jealousy to me. The minnows are catching up to the big fish, and the big fish are coming up with excuses now.

Either that or they're just mad because they didn't think of it. :laugh:

[Mike]

I'm in agreement it's not fair to say it's illegal now. The diffuser designs are no secret and have been in use for long enough for the FIA to say they're illegal. If they do make them illegal, it'll screw the teams up with the illegal diffusers as they may not have a backup diffuser and so won't be able to test new designs etc.

[Shibby]

Renault and Ferrari are to run KERS in Aus!!!!!! This will be interesting!

[ViZioN]

Can't wait for the start of the new season. Should be really interesting! :)

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Less than one week to go.

Suggestion: Why don't we start a 'Guess the top 10' thread before each race? Participants get to name the top 10 drivers after the race; the thread is open from, say, Monday before each race until after Friday FP2.

The winner gets an internet cookie for each correct guess.

[san.W10]

Ecclestone: New system certain for 2010

Bernie Ecclestone remains adamant that the 'winner takes all' championship system will be introduced in 2010, despite the change having seemingly been abandoned for this season.

Last Tuesday the FIA World Motor Sport Council voted in favour of the proposal to give the title to the driver with most race victories, which had been advocated by Ecclestone's Formula One Management organisation.

But three days later the Formula One Teams' Association issued a statement questioning the validity of the change on the grounds that any such move so close to the start of the championship must have their unanimous support. The FIA subsequently offered to defer the scoring switch.

Although this was taken as a sign that the scheme would not be implemented, Ecclestone insists it has only been postponed, and will just be put into the 2010 rules sufficiently early that the teams' consent would be unnecessary.

"It will be (introduced) next year," Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It will be supported by the FIA and it will be in the regulations. So when people enter the championship, that's what the regulation will be."

He is convinced that the new system will improve Formula 1's spectacle.

"It's logic - you go to the athletics and you look at the 100 metres, you're not looking at the guy that's second, you're looking at the winner," said Ecclestone. "In most sports people are looking at winners.

"To make any changes when the entries have closed you have to get the unanimous agreement of all the people that have entered. It would appear that some of the teams don't like the idea.

"The whole idea was nothing to do with winning the world championship, the idea was to make sure people raced to win in every race, not to be second or third and collect points."

He added that he also had no doubts that the FIA's budget cap rule would go ahead in 2010 either.

"It is set at ?30 million, it's not (a question) of if it's going to be - it is," he said.

Ecclestone reckons the cap will lead to an influx of new entrants.

"I'm hoping we can get 26 cars, that's how it used to be," he said. "I think one of the engine manufacturers has got four orders already. The thing that disturbs me a bit is that there will have to be pre-qualifying."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73840

[Neil]

Ecclestone: New system certain for 2010

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73840

Yeah I heard Bernie on 5 Live this morning, by next year it will be all forgotten about, Just like the Olympic medals he talked about :rolleyes:

[ahmz]

At first I didn't like the idea, but I've warmed to it a bit.. I'd like to see the teams take aggressive strategies and fight for the win instead of settling for a lower place, it should make the races more exciting.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Teams' boycott threat averted

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that Renault and McLaren threatened to boycott the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in a row over money.

According to a report in The Times, McLaren chairman Ron Dennis and Renault team chief Flavio Briatore vowed not to send their cars to Melbourne if Ecclestone did not pay outstanding money allegedly owed to the teams.

The threat came as the two team representatives, along with Toyota F1 president John Howett, met with Ecclestone last week to discuss the framing of a new Concorde Agreement.

Speaking to The Times, Ecclestone said: "Flavio said, 'we're not going to put our cars on the plane, we're not going to Melbourne. He - Flavio - started it, aided and abetted by Ron Dennis."

Ecclestone countered the threat made by Briatore and Dennis by phoning up his freight organisers saying he wanted to cancel shipment of the cars.

"I picked up the phone to our people that handle all the freight to ask them to cancel the aeroplanes," continued Ecclestone. "They were saying, 'all the Fota-schmota are not going - nobody's going to go.'

"So I said what I'd better do is cancel the aircraft obviously. It costs a fortune to charter those things and almost as much to cancel them."

In the end McLaren and Renault's cars were shipped to Melbourne, and it is not thought Ecclestone paid the outstanding money.

He added: "If they come in here with a gun and hold it to my head, they had better be sure they can f***ing pull the trigger. And they should make sure it's got bullets in it because, if they miss, they better look out."

Source: Autosport

Smells like there's still trouble ahead over this.

[Subject Delta]

Personally I wish Bernie and Max would just retire, they seem to be totally oblivious to what the fans really want, I haven't came across a single person yet who liked the "Wins only" idea, it could end up with us going back to the ferrari total domination years where the championship is over halfway through the season.

The sport is working fine as it is, I don't see why they need to keep making so many changes, it just confuses people.

As for the diffuser row... Hard to comment on their legality but it seems to me the teams always get worked up about something, personally I don't expect the diffusers to be Banned, I expect the other teams to end up using them themselves. Thinking outside the box is supposed to be the essence of Formula 1, and when someone does it the teams that didn't think of it cry foul. Sad really.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

BMW to lodge protest over diffusers

A protest against the diffuser designs on the Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams cars is to be lodged imminently, BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen has confirmed.

With the three teams at the centre of the controversy awaiting news of a possible protest after the cars underwent scrutineering for the Australian Grand Prix on Thursday, Theissen has said his team will complain about the diffuser designs.

"We will lodge a protest against all three teams," explained Theissen when asked by AUTOSPORT about his outfit's position. "We are preparing our protest and we will see what happens.

"It is not for me to decide what is right or wrong. But to me there are definitely different interpretations of the rules and we need clarity as quickly as possible."

It is understood that Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Renault will also join in with the protest, and representatives of the four teams involved in the protest met at the Renault motorhome this afternoon.

Theissen conceded that the need for the diffuser issue to be settled with a protest at the first race of the season was not ideal - but there was no alternative way to settle such disputes over technical issues.

"It is unusual, absolutely, but I think in certain cases it will not be avoidable in the future. That is why we have this opportunity and to me it is not that abnormal to go this route."

BMW Sauber is believed to have evaluated a similar diffuser concept to the three teams as part of its development programme for the F1.09, and would introduce it if the concept was declared legal.

However, Theissen felt that even if other teams copied the diffuser designs, then the three outfits using the concept now would still retain an advantage.

"We are doing all sorts of development," he said. "We have an idea how much of a benefit this will be, but we will not be able to race it next week in Malaysia.

"It will require some preparation time, and it wouldn't end up where the other three teams are now. It would turn into a development race and in our view we would end up finally with ground effect cars."

Source: Autosport

[.mcman]

Diffuser protest becomes official

26 March 2009

The feared protest over the diffusers of three teams has become official, as the 2009 season kicks off to a dramatic start before any cars have actually taken to the Albert Park track. The three cars in question - Brawn, Williams and Toyota - now have their fate in the hands of the event's scrutineers and stewards.

A protest already lodged by the BMW team has been denied following a technicality, which has resulted in another protest being put forward by the Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull Racing teams.

Worries over such an occurrence started for Williams and Toyota during pre-season testing, and were increased when the Brawn cars' first appearance saw them set a rapid pace in Barcelona, and then Jerez. The Australian Grand Prix FIA-appointed stewards will be examining the vehicles involved, although a final decision will come from the governing body itself at, most likely, a later date.

The diffuser assists the rear-end stability of a car, and is the final and lowest device airflow has to contend with when passing through; rivals believe the radical design of the Brawn GP team in particular could yield them a half-second advantage on some tracks.

It's on. :)

[Popcorned1]

Source : http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73915

Stewards clear teams' diffusers

Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota have been given the go-ahead to take part in the Australian Grand Prix after the FIA stewards rejected a protest against the design of their diffusers late on Thursday night. Following more than four hours of presentations and discussions between the stewards and the various teams involved in the dispute, the FIA issued a statement confirming that the stewards believe the cars are legal.

Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull Racing had lodged protests against their rivals because they believed the designs of their diffusers were illegal. BMW Sauber had also been due to join the protest, but their complaint was rejected on a technicality after it was not correctly submitted in time.

It is expected that the teams will appeal against the stewards' decision, which will force the matter to go to a hearing of the FIA's International Court of Appeal.

Such a meeting cannot take place until after the Malaysian Grand Prix, meaning that Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota will unofficially be racing under appeal at this weekend's race in Australia and would likely be subject to another appeal in Sepang.

[ViZioN]

Can't wait for Sunday. I guess that if the other teams think Brawn, Williams and Toyota have an advantage, they'll be opting to use the new diffuser also?

[MightyJordan]

Jesus, they won't let it go, will they? The stewards declared there's nothing wrong with the diffusers, end of. Appealing against the decision isn't going to do anything. Just get out there, stop bitching, and start racing!

[Subject Delta]

This is friggin rediculous and its little surprise to see that Ferrari are involved in the protest, whilst McLaren are not. Also the FIA are not famous for reversing their decisions, so the odds of Ferrari, RBR, and Renault getting anything from their appeals are low. Personally I hope Brawn whoop ferrari royally as over the past few years I have grown weary of their whining.

Glad to see that they have been declared legal though, having 6 cars removed because of illegal bodywork would be really sad

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Virgin to sponsor Brawn GP

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is within hours of confirming its involvement in Formula 1 as a major sponsor of the Brawn GP team.

Following reports that initially appeared in The Times, AUTOSPORT has confirmed that Branson is now en route to Melbourne to confirm that he will become a backer of the Brackley-based team.

Sources say he is so keen to press ahead with the deal that he has cut short a family ski holiday to finalise the deal in person.

Brawn GP has run unbranded so far, sticking to the white, yellow and black corporate colours used in testing so far , but are now poised to unveil a major rebranding exercise.

AUTOSPORT understands that it is possible new colours could be used on the cars as early as this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, where the team are among the favourites for victory.

As The Times reported, Branson is expected to confirm his involvement in a press conference at the Albert Park track this weekend.

Virgin had been linked with the buyout of the former Honda team earlier this year, but Branson admitted the sport needed to change before his Virgin Group got involved.

"I think there are faults that would need to be rectified before we could go into F1," Branson told the BBC.

Source: Autosport

[Subject Delta]

That'd be a big coup for them and would probably at least pretty much guarantee their short term survival in financial terms, and the fact that they have what appears at least to be the benchmark car at the moment (subject to these silly diffuser arguments) will make them attractive to sponsors.

I have a great feeling about Brawn GP, and although I appreciate the Honda guys should take the credit for designing the car it is so refreshing to see the established order being challenged

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

That'd be a big coup for them and would probably at least pretty much guarantee their short term survival in financial terms, and the fact that they have what appears at least to be the benchmark car at the moment (subject to these silly diffuser arguments) will make them attractive to sponsors.

I have a great feeling about Brawn GP, and although I appreciate the Honda guys should take the credit for designing the car it is so refreshing to see the established order being challenged

Barring mechanical problems or driver errors the Brawn cars should be able to win the GP on Sunday.

[Subject Delta]

Agreed, its looking very good for them at the moment. Just 11 mins to FP1... Can't wait to finally see the cars on track for the first time

[Popcorned1]

Williams!

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

Last years mid-field teams are looking really strong in session 1 ! Brawn as good as i thought, had P1/2 at one point.

Btw guys.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/7967177.stm Enjoy ;)

[.mcman]

oh well, "illegal" diffusers = win. Anyway, F1 is back! woohoo! :D Can't wait for the second practice!

[Subject Delta]

Interesting times there. Hard to say if Ferrari where sandbagging or not, but take away Raikkonen's soft tyre assisted time (only one of the front runners to use it I think) and Ferrari don't exactly look like they're gonna be leading the pack away. Brawn look like there is more to come, and their car appeared very well balanced from the onboard shots.

Massa was struggling and never really appeared to have good balance, and Lewis... He appears to be a country mile behind Kovalinen (who actually put the McLaren far ahead of where I thought they'd be). Also surprised by how far Force India are up the time sheets, and how bad Red Bull and Toro Rosso looked (notwithstanding Vettle's hydraulic issue).

This practise session for me has only made the picture in terms of outright speed even more murky but its certainly nice to see so many different teams in the mix.

Edited March 27, 2009 by Frank Fontaine

[sundayx Veteran]

Second session practice times are up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport...one/7967177.stm