F1 new format

[Royal Flush]

Excellent nice to see a character at the top, what the sport needs!

[TightEnd]

why do we think Vettel was pinged a penalty and not Kubica?

looked like a 50-50% blame thing to me

p.s great race, rule changes look encouraging for the sport as a spectacle

[KarmaDope]

why do we think Vettel was pinged a penalty and not Kubica?

I'm guessing it was because he stayed out for 2 laps with a wheel hanging off his car, which is definitely against regulations. Brundle and Legard kept going on about it so I'm assuming that was why.

[gatso]

can't see any way that vettel's pen is just for the crash. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7970504.stm

I've watched it about 10 times and can't see beyond it being 50/50

[gatso]

ok, I obviously know nothing. vettel's accepted the blame and apologised

[KarmaDope]

ok, I obviously know nothing. vettel's accepted the blame and apologised

+1.

[KarmaDope]

A thought I've just had.

Even with all the technical regulation changes in F1 since, say, the early 1990's, you could say the battles have been simple. Benetton vs Williams from 1992-1997ish, then McLaren vs Ferrari from then on (with Renault making it a triumverate in 2005 + 2006).

Now, from today, it appears that the 2 fastest teams are Brawn and Red Bull with BMW and Ferrari close behind.

What's the factors? Simple. Ross Brawn vs Adrian Newey. Brawn was at Benetton then followed Schumacher to Ferrari. Newey was at Williams then moved to McLaren from 1997 onwards. Now Brawn runs his team and Newey designed the Red Bull car! So even with all the technical changes - the title battles haven't really changed. Brawn's team vs Newey's team. So I wouldn't be surprised to see Red Bull and Brawn battle for the Constructors Championship this year.

[fatshaft]

A thought I've just had.

Even with all the technical regulation changes in F1 since, say, the early 1990's, you could say the battles have been simple. Benetton vs Williams from 1992-1997ish, then McLaren vs Ferrari from then on (with Renault making it a triumverate in 2005 + 2006).

Now, from today, it appears that the 2 fastest teams are Brawn and Red Bull with BMW and Ferrari close behind.

What's the factors? Simple. Ross Brawn vs Adrian Newey. Brawn was at Benetton then followed Schumacher to Ferrari. Newey was at Williams then moved to McLaren from 1997 onwards. Now Brawn runs his team and Newey designed the Red Bull car! So even with all the technical changes - the title battles haven't really changed. Brawn's team vs Newey's team. So I wouldn't be surprised to see Red Bull and Brawn battle for the Constructors Championship this year.

It's the reason I don't rate Schumacher particularly highly. I think Brawn is the brains and talent behind his success.

[TightEnd]

Interesting article



Brawn GP could have won even more emphatically on its debut in Australia had it wanted to, a team insider has claimed.

Jenson Button led home Rubens Barrichello in a remarkable 1-2 for the reborn team, which in its previous incarnation of Honda was a tail-end straggler throughout 2007 and 2008.

Button pulled out a four-second lead on the opening lap, but thereafter Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel pegged the margin and the Briton almost lost the lead with a tardy final pit stop.

However, a ‘senior source’ within Brawn GP has told the Guardian the team chose not to show its full hand and had speed in reserve.

“I think, basically, that if someone is two-tenths off us they can feasibly win the race but, if we’re half a second in front, which is probably where we are at the moment, although we don’t necessarily look like that, it is just foolish to just annihilate people all the time,” he said.

“I think we have a little bit in the bag.

“We’ve got good stuff coming and I think we have reason to be confident.”

Brawn is one of three teams at the centre of controversy over its rear diffuser design, which rivals believe unfairly confers a big performance advantage.

But the team source suggested the BGP001’s superiority could not be explained by a single facet.

“The visual bits are not really the performance drivers; it’s all the surfaces you can’t see that give you the real performance,” he said.

“One of the good things about the Brawn car is that competitors will look at all of it and say, ‘That’s the bit that’s making it fast.’

“But it is not necessarily one thing; they could be focusing on something that is not really a big performance driver.”

Honda’s withdrawal meant the team had to hastily adapt its original car to accommodate a Mercedes engine and did not begin track testing until a rescue deal was completed in March.

But having decided to write off the 2008 season, the design group had nailed down the car concept several months earlier than any other team.

The Guardian’s source said the Brackley-based squad had realised its car’s potential early in the winter.

“We were looking at everybody else’s times asking why were they all so slow,” he said.

“Our research was telling us we would be the quickest car.”

He also dismissed the notion that Brawn would be left behind by the established top teams later in the season.

“We’ve still got a lot in the bag,” he said.

“The other teams will come back at us very hard over the season, but, long-term, Brawn will be a force in the top three – certainly while these regulations are stable and the budget cap remains.”

[cia260895]

was surprised to see Raikkonen,massa and hamilton  quoted @ 6-1 so soon though,

[TheChipPrince]

Hamilton now disqualified, F1 is really becoming the sporting equivalent of Newcastle utd...

[AndrewT]

One way to cut down on the costs of F1 is to simply get rid of the cars and the racing, and simply hold some sort of lottery to decide the results.

Oh, it appears that's what they're doing.

[cia260895]

farcical just farcical and shambolic

[Tuffster]

Bernie for the next QM of RSG??

[boldie]

http://www.sportinglife.com/formula1/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=formula1/09/04/03/AUTO_McLaren_2nd_Lead.html

he very quickly shifted the blame here "I was misled", "He told me to withold info".. etc.

yuck