The Official F1 2009 Thread

[E30Kaiser]

wow nick is a lot shorter than I thought when i actually have some normal people to compare him to.

[Hick]

New Force India entry

[YAN-3]

look at teh 2 cars side by side. last years and this years. the new car looks like its from 1980s. 08 car was sexy compared to this brick of a F1 car

[Fel]

I like the new one.

The old car had a lot more going on with the body, which makes it look "cool" and "futuristic"... but I think the new car looks like... an F1 car.

[TDE30]

Well, lest we forget, this is why the new aero regulations were adopted. 2008 cars were getting very radical in their aero design and were nearly breaching the old regulations (particularly with the movable aero devices.) This really halts any and all aero advancement, but it also levels the playing field and puts the focus more on the driver than anything else.

It's not the Formula One we all once knew and loved (and the cars are f'in hideous,) but it will be interesting to see how this soon-to-be spec series does this season.

[tg318is]

^ ohhhhh yeh. when side by side new cars look old as.

[Hick]

The BMW is a 'bad' example of a traditional F1 car. If you we to look at any team from last year, BMW sauber had the most winglets, bardge boards, 'dumbo' ears, etc. Doesnt make for a good looking car, but i want to see what a team can come up with with less regulations. The idea of the series is to go as fast as you can, and a spec series is not going to work.

[TDE30]

I agree about the last sentence, the objective of each race is to perform as well as you can while keeping reliability firmly in mind. But the sad truth is, if Formula One were made into a "spec-type" series it would save money. Of course we all know that saving money has seemed to be the FIA's prime objective since ~2005. So, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it turn out that way, I mean we're already halfway there (aero restrictions, in-season testing ban, tires, ECU's, transmissions (starting in 2010,) and engine freeze also set to take place in 2010.) The FIA is making it as brutally clear as possible that they are trying to halt the advancement (in any way) of Formula One cars.

[z31maniac]

Max Mosley is about to try to implement what I said months ago.

Cost cap. Let the teams spend it how they will.

[ethreezy90]

i wish kimi was still on mclaren with coulthard. that was a great driver combo too bad their cars blew nuts when they raced together. watch out for alonso this year.

[z31maniac]

watch out for alonso this year.

qft

[Hick]

i hate to admit that im actually starting to like Alonso.

Anyway, an idea that popped into my head while watching the 24 at Daytona. I wonder if the 09 cars can used KERS to start the engine if they stall on course.

[Jon325i]

The '09 BMW/Sauber car recently wrapped up 4 days of testing at Valencia. Team reports "clockwork reliability" during this shakedown session. Personally, I don't try to read too much into this since last year BMW started out strong but then lost some of their momentum in the second half of the season. However, they did finish in a solid 3rd place for constructors. Maybe this year they will remain a more constant threat to the top two teams on the grid.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-bmw-runs-faultlessly-in-valencia/

Jon

[z31maniac]

i hate to admit that im actually starting to like Alonso.

Anyway, an idea that popped into my head while watching the 24 at Daytona. I wonder if the 09 cars can used KERS to start the engine if they still on course.

I started liking him last year and seriously disliking Hamilton.

That's an interesting question.

[Irish1]

I've always liked Alonso: he's cranky, a charismatic pure racer who wants to win. He'd be a perfect fit in the Ferrari team, but he'd miss Briatore's support and the Ferrari politics might wear him down. He was never appropriate for McLaren: he's a passionate Latin, not a politician. He's also a great tester and a great communicator: it's no surprise Renault started to come back into form at the middle of last season. I'd love for him to be in the group for the World Championship next year. Raikonnen, Hamilton, Alonso, maybe Massa: a great group to be racing hard against each other.