Australian GP 2009 ( finally! )

[Principessa]

As I'm busy with work and working very hard on the news section of the site, I don't have much time for the forum anymore. I know...I should be ashamed

[vyselegend]

Oh yes you should!

Usually I would be pissed at the FIA for cooking again a bitter recipe, with unfair racing guaranteed. That's "three speed ruling" according to Newey, if we count those with inovative diffusers, those with KERS, and those with nothing...

But as the situation is, unusually, favoring second guns against the big ones, I'm kinda pleased...

I'm looking forward the real eclosion of Williams & Rosberg since for three whole years now, and I've never felt that close to it!

But in the principle it is obviously not very good for the sport. Having teams like FI and Brawn in front of Ferrari Renault etc is fun, but I'm pretty sure 80% of the fans at least doesen't have a clue of what's happening really...

[Giblet]

I am really happy to see WIlliams competitive again.

The past through years since BMW left them, they have been quietly and confidently working on their car.

This 'silver bullet' they have found reminds me of their active suspension.

"Yeah it's not illegal, it should be, but it's not."

This is helping save some F1 teams that have seen better days.

Toyota is now in a more reasonable position to score a win. FIF1 is now setting reasonable midfield pace due to Mercedes engine and more cash from Mallya. Williams is back at the sharp end, and Honda has produced a good car.

All these teams are in F1 right now on a very fragile base.

[ISLAMATRON]

FIF1 is now setting reasonable midfield pace due to Mercedes engine and more cash from Mallya.

I actually think he is putting out less cash now. He's getting the whole drivetrain for about the same price he was paying ferrari for just the engine, He doesnt have to pay Gascoyne or Colin Kolles, and all the other cost cutting inititives, he is smartly getting more for less.

[axle]

You have to laugh at the 7 that didn't go down this route, Sam Michael of Williams is quoted as saying ages ago that he was stunned that only Toyota (no Brawn at the time) had done similarly.

You don't race on morale grounds.

F1 cars are built by engineers who look to gain every legal advantage they can, four times now the FIA have said these diffusers are legal (1. Williams check before going down the route. 2. Max agreed they were "clever". 3. Fia scrutineers passed them before the protest 4. FIA scrutineers passed them after the protest.)

So now for a 5th time they have to seek "clarification" through appeal...all in a bid to get the rules changed to "fix" their own lack of creativity.

I'm utterly appauled at their cry baby tactics.

[Belatti]

"rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men"

[Giblet]

FIF1 is now setting reasonable midfield pace due to Mercedes engine and more cash from Mallya.

I actually think he is putting out less cash now. He's getting the whole drivetrain for about the same price he was paying ferrari for just the engine, He doesnt have to pay Gascoyne or Colin Kolles, and all the other cost cutting inititives, he is smartly getting more for less.

I mean not that the engine package is more money, he said he was going to increase his teams budget this year, in relation to 2008. I think he was going to put in an extra ~$50 mil, if memory serves.

So if the Mercedes engine package is cheaper, then even better.

[Scotracer]

Here are the stint times from FP2 for the major entrants:

Lewis Hamilton

18 P 12:22.957
19 1:40.367
20 1:30.609
21 1:27.813
22 1:27.953
23 1:28.549
24 1:31.827
25 1:28.597
26 1:29.695
27 P 10:46.075

Heikki Kovalainen

25 P 12:46.341
26 1:39.228
27 1:27.802
28 1:28.029
29 1:28.969
30 1:29.266
31 1:29.289
32 1:31.176
33 1:30.609
34 1:31.681
35 1:32.147
36 P

Felipe Massa

9 P 8:36.790
10 1:44.876
11 1:28.027
12 1:27.366
13 1:27.393
14 1:27.064
15 1:27.435
16 1:27.270
17 1:27.825
18 1:27.571
19 P 1:46.712

Kimi Raikkonen

24 P 6:09.917
25 1:37.487
26 1:27.334
27 1:35.639
28 1:27.204
29 1:27.570
30 1:31.302
31 1:29.152
32 1:30.707
33 P

Robert Kubica

18 P 9:28.569
19 1:37.746
20 1:27.398
21 1:28.036
22 1:27.717
23 1:30.019
24 1:28.965
25 1:31.234
26 P 8:58.069

Nick Heidfeld

18 P 5:24.215
19 1:37.985
20 1:28.722
21 1:27.317
22 1:29.691
23 1:27.809
24 1:28.171
25 1:28.754
26 P 5:26.285

Jarno Trulli

11 P 6:04.278
12 1:48.792
13 1:26.351
14 1:26.350
15 P 7:21.371

Nico Rosberg

13 P 6:36.789
14 1:41.846
15 1:26.053
16 1:39.832
17 1:27.183
18 P 9:05.653

Jensen Button

21 P 9:44.348
22 1:51.425
23 1:26.374
24 1:33.109
25 1:30.374
26 1:31.819
27 1:30.865
28 1:27.568
29 1:27.501
30 1:28.431
31 P 6:45.218

Rubens Barrichello

31 P 10:41.018
32 1:43.520
33 1:31.821
34 1:27.281
35 1:30.347
36 1:26.157
37 1:36.000
38 1:30.630
39 P

Analysis:

The two Brawn cars are doing their fastest over 9 & 10 lap stints which are not qualifying runs. Nico Rosberg did his fastest on a short qualifying-type stint. The Ferrari is setting mediocre lap times but on long runs. Jarno Trulli did a fast lap but on a short stint, like Nico.

My pecking order prediction:

BrawnGP
Williams/Toyota/Ferrari
BMW/Red Bull
Mclaren/Renault/Force India
Toro Rosso

[jddh1]

great analysis scotracer. that's the kind that teams do when talking about who's their direct competition and so on

[axle]

Short runs = super soft tyres but not necessarily low fuel. Rosberg has said to the press he wasn't on fumes...

[Scotracer]

Short runs = super soft tyres but not necessarily low fuel. Rosberg has said to the press he wasn't on fumes...

Indeed but the super-softs really are good in that last sector compared to the mediums.

[axle]

Short runs = super soft tyres but not necessarily low fuel. Rosberg has said to the press he wasn't on fumes...

Indeed but the super-softs really are good in that last sector compared to the mediums.

Wasn't denying they didn't help - was just saying don't expect that to be the fastest the Williams and Toyota go...(same for the rest of the field).

[Conceptual]

Button said that he had traffic on both new tire runs, so they don't know for sure how quick they will be in quali runs...

And this boggles my mind:

Q: Fernando, same question to you. How much were you using the front wing adjustor and how much were you using KERS?
FA: Same answer. KERS every lap and the front wing I didn’t touch it today.

Q: Do you think you might use it more in the race?
FA: No.

Would it be better to simply scrap the adjustable wing, and use that weight somewhere else?

This is shaping up to be an utterly amazing season. I just hope that the other 7 teams hurry up with their "new" diffusors, because it looks like it is deffinately the difference between 1-6 and 7-20...

And PS:

Who is this retard? And why is he saying that there is no refueling in '09?

The new Formula One season is about to kick start in Melbourne very soon. What are your expectations for the first race?
Mark Cole: "It's a brave new world with the biggest changes to regulations in three decades, since the end of ground effects, so I'm expecting to see overtaking again, combined with tyre strategy playing a big role now that refuelling has ended."

[DM0407]

"rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men"

Totally agree, if they designed something that "wasn't in the spirit of the rules" then they should have put it in writing. I love how Ferrari (who was running a flex floor a couple years ago) and Red Bull ( who probably thought they had the most innovative rule interpenetration) are the ones whining. Would they be blowing the whistle on themselves had they come up with the design?

As I remember, barge boards, shark gills, and flow conditioners were all not within the "spirit of the rules", but everyone shut up and adapted.

If this appeal is successful then I am done watching F1. I can deal with budget cuts, but not the outlawing of innovation.

[Motley]

Does it look to anyone else that the drivers are sitting alot lower in the cars than they did in the last few years, to keep the COG down now that the KERS is fitted?