F1 09/10 Thread

[Maidenhead Red]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm

The diffuser is all good then...

[Gelbfüßler]

Good!

[Batch]

FIA in sensible decision shocker!

[Summerof69]

The lawyer for Ferrari called Brawn 'a person of supreme arrogance.'

Pot...Kettle...Black !!!

[Gelbfüßler]

FIA in sensible decision shocker!

Just goes to show there's a first time for everything!

With the ban on testing during the season it'll be interesting to see if any of the teams use the Chinese Grand Prix as a "testing weekend" for a new diffuser. Could also make this season interesting with the more succesfull teams of recent seasons effectively playing catch-up, and with the rules on the diffuser now clarified, it could be anyone who wins the title (hopefully Jenson).

[Barry Scott]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/default.stm

The diffuser is all good then...

That's fucking ace.

I've always liked Button and with the man who part-masterminded Schumacher's god like status and Ferrari's rise from the ashes, at the helm of Brawn GP, my enthusiasm for F1 has been reignited.

Not since Schumacher retired have i been able to get properly in to F1. All i've ever really cared about (within F1) is Ferrari, but Kimi and Massa are not very exciting. In fact, they're sleep inducing. So the Button-Brawn thing is a breath of fresh air.

[Ben Wah Balls]

I've only been able to get into again since Schumacher retired. Schumacher's cheating ruined the sport for years, most overrated driver in F1 history and so boring to watch them rig the races for him. Much more interesting now he's gone. This is great news for Button and it would be good to see him win since he's one of the most underrated drivers due to having terrible cars for the last few seasons.

[Barry Scott]

I've only been able to get into again since Schumacher retired. Schumacher's cheating ruined the sport for years, most overrated driver in F1 history and so boring to watch them rig the races for him.

My sister would try to stab you for saying that. She's still got pictures of him in her house. She also started crying and was lost for words when she met him. I think she still gets upset about it now. I mean imagine it, meeting an idol for the first time and just breaking down and not saying a word. 

[Dazzza]

I’m not really anything but an occasionally interested observer in F1 and a huge fan of the Natzi whipping chap in charge, Max Moseley.  I’m interested though what any genuine fans actually feel about the sport this season?

I’ve met one or two F1 obsessives of the sort that “support” a team like a football club and buy all the branded tat and I can only describe them as freaks of nature.  That aside I’ve always thought of the sport as prestigious with a glorious, relatively unblemished and important history.  But this season it really does appear to me to be descending into an utter farce in terms of its overall organisation and legislation.

On top of the farce this season overall the sport seems to be in a huge decadency.  There seems to be fewer and fewer teams each year and it seems to be a sport led purely by its financial dick rather than in accordance to any sense of tradition or competition.  The fees that are charged to host a race, if correct, are blood curdling and all it points to is a commercial event available to the highest bidder.

Can anyone see it lasting in it’s current format beyond the next few years?

[Summerof69]

I see Ron Dennis has now quit McLaren...

[Batch]

edit: Reading the article he is continuing with McLaren's non-F1 stuff.

Not a surprise he has quit F1, Bernie and the Nazi seem to have fallen out with him and it must be taking a toll. F1 isn't what it was for him.

Big loss for McLaren F1  and F1 IMHO, Denis was McLaren F1. maybe the FIA will stop the McLaren witch hunt now (after liegate concludes).

[ghanimah]

I presume now given that and 'Lewisgate' (sorry I couldn't resist) Hamilton might now be more likely to leave McLaren

[Gelbfüßler]

I'm by no means a 'genuine fan', but this is my take:

I’m not really anything but an occasionally interested observer in F1 and a huge fan of the Natzi whipping chap in charge, Max Moseley.  I’m interested though what any genuine fans actually feel about the sport this season?

I’ve met one or two F1 obsessives of the sort that “support” a team like a football club and buy all the branded tat and I can only describe them as freaks of nature.  That aside I’ve always thought of the sport as prestigious with a glorious, relatively unblemished and important history.  But this season it really does appear to me to be descending into an utter farce in terms of its overall organisation and legislation. There's been a major overhaul in the technical regulations for this season, so there's bound to be some grey areas in the rules. Some teams exploited these areas, other teams (70%) got jealous that they didn't think to do it and cried. The teams have had these rules for ages, if they weren't sure on something they should've asked, this whole fiasco is as much the teams' fault as the FIA's in my opinion. The rules have been clarified now, so should hopefully be farce over. Also, as far as I'm aware cheating has always been against the rules, which is exactly what conning stewards to gain an advantage is. Excluding drivers from races after the event has happened for years, and I think it's the fairest way to do it in a lot of cases.

On top of the farce this season overall the sport seems to be in a huge decadency.  There seems to be fewer and fewer teams each year There's been about 10 teams on the grid for as long as I can remember, and there are a lot more 'manufacturer' teams now than there used to be and it seems to be a sport led purely by its financial dick rather than in accordance to any sense of tradition or competition I'd agree with this, and it is a shame, but I'd also say this seems to be the way of the pinnicle of most major sports.  The fees that are charged to host a race, if correct, are blood curdling and all it points to is a commercial event available to the highest bidder. This seems to be the way, and is also a shame, but this seems to be the only way to settle who gets a grand prix and who doesn't.

Can anyone see it lasting in it’s current format beyond the next few years? With the recent emphasis on cost-cutting and recent rule changes I think it will be fine.

[Batch]

The teams have had these rules for ages, if they weren't sure on something they should've asked,

Here's the thing, Renault claim they asked and were told it was a no no. Toyota claim they asked and were told it's OK.  One assumes there were major differences between the design approaches taken.

[Gelbfüßler]

Here's the thing, Renault claim they asked and were told it was a no no. Toyota claim they asked and were told it's OK.  One assumes there were major differences between the design approaches taken.

If this is the case, then the FIA should've got rid of this grey area as soon as they realised it existed (presume they asked the FIA last season or during the close season) and the teams involved should have pushed for a black and white decision. I haven't read too much about the issue in all honesty, as it seems to be the same old thing where the big teams moan about anything they possibly can if they aren't fastest.

The idea I'd got was that the 3 teams had exploited some uncertainty in the rules, and then not long before the start of this season some of the other teams had complained because they had interpreted the rules differently, and that the approach 'the diffuser 3' had taken went completely against the whole ethos of the rule changes (i.e. to significantly reduce downforce).

So Renault are claiming they thought of using split level diffuser but were told they weren't allowed? It can't be a case of two different answers from the FIA to the exact same question surely - or I will cry.