Formula 1 2008 Post

[Sinner]

Actually with these new aero regulations, it will reduce the amount of downforce. The return of the slick tyres, however, will increase their mechanical grip,offsetting some of the aerodynamic grip loss. The new aero also reduces some of the 'bad' air flow when following another car, thus making it easier toclose-in and overtake. No doubt, they're ugly, but if it improves overtaking, I guess I'm all for it. If you've watched a lot of F1, you'llknow how unstable their cars get when following someone, especially in slower corners...

if Bruno does get a seat next season, it'll be strange seeing the Senna, Rosberg, Piquet and Nakajima names on the grid again...

 

[jpioneer]

 

[Sinner]

^ Lol... not like thats a surpise... BTW, Kimi's interviews in English are pretty dry, as we all know... is it the same when he speaks in Finnish?

Sidenote... Get well Mark...

Red Bull Renault racer Mark Webber has been injured in a cycling accident in Tasmania. His injuries are however not thought to be life threatening.

Webber, 32, was participating in the 'Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge' - a 250KM event that involves kayaking, Trekking and cycling on the Australian island.

The Australian was hit by a car when cycling near to Port Arthur Reuters reports and has 'serious but not life threatening injuries'.

"He was attended at the scene by paramedics attached to the event before being airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital," stated Tasmania Police Sergeant Jon Ford.

ABC Radio reports that he has 'multiple fractures to both arms and legs'.

Webber did not take part in the first post-season test in Barcelona this week with Sebastien Loeb and Sebastian Vettel handling the driving duties for Red Bull. The incident will undoubtedly have an impact on Webber's off-season programme.

 

[curt2121]

^ no apparently. Initially, I thought the deal was that if he had won the WDC, he'd get it, but it appears the deal was that he has to win 3 WDC's... so its 1 down, 2 more to go..
The deal was initially that if Lewis won the Driver's championship and The team also won the constructor's championship, it would be his.Towards the end of the season he went to Ron and basically said "look, this isn't fair, Heikki isn't gonna make it happen" and the deal wasmodified. Although anyone in the know will tell you that that car has been destined to be Lewis' one way or another for quite some time.

Compared to, what I think, is the '88 McLaren...
That is indeed the one and only MP4/4 from 1988 (it's Prost's actually). No other car has demolished the competition like that beast hasand I don't see any car ever doign it again. Probably the greatest of Gordan Murray's works and, with a catalogue like his, that's saying a lot.

on a good note,

to bruno senna being an F1 test driver. his uncle Ayrton Senna was my second favorite driver of all time. I still remember watching the race where he died but I was too young to comprehend what i saw until years later. F1 has come a long way since
Curious to know who your favorite is then? I remember being terrified when Senna wrecked and then crying when they finally announced his death.Two deaths in one weekend, it was just awful. It's still so sad to me that Ayrton had an Austrian flag in his car instead of his usual Brazilian flag tomourn Ratzenberger 's death. That whole weekend was just one giant disaster. I think like 3 or 4 mechanics were hit by a wheel that came loose from one ofthe cars after the race restarted.

I have mixed feelings on the new cars/regulations, but honestly, I'm still trying to process the whole Brazil experience. The beginning of the seasonshould be pretty exciting.

if Bruno does get a seat next season, it'll be strange seeing the Senna, Rosberg, Piquet and Nakajima names on the grid again...
No kidding, it's downright bizarre.

and honestly, it doesn't sound like Bernie is ACTUALLY set on this whole medal thing. He always throws out a lot of things, so I'm not taking it tooseriously yet, especially with things like:

The FOTA would discuss a new format where all cars would be on track at the same time with the same amount of fuel. The slowest driver of the pack would be eliminated after each lap with after 14 laps the six fastest drivers left to fight for pole position.

There are also proposals to include a championship point for the driver who collects the pole, other idea's are to add prize money.

More news on the subject will definitely follow after the FOTA-meeting on 4 December.

 

[jpioneer]

Originally Posted by SinnerP

BTW, Kimi's interviews in English are pretty dry, as we all know... is it the same when he speaks in Finnish?

It is.

 

[high st]

this medal thing sounds corny

why they changing the system now?? last 2 seasons the championship has gone down to the wire. head to head this year and 4 way the year before. F1 aint beenthis exciting in years and they thinking to switch it up to prevent the possibility of further heartbreak on the last day?? thats bull $%*#

 

[Sinner]

Rubens Barrichello has admitted the Ferrari team gave him clear team orders in his years at Ferrari. The Brazilian was Ferrari's second driver and was even threatened to get fired if he wouldn't move over for team mate Schumacher.

Speaking with Brazilian TV show Fantastico Barrichello said: "At the Austrian Grand Prix (2002) I was told over the radio 'Do you know that Michael is behind you? It is important for the championship'. The intensity of my conversation with the team increased with every lap while there were just a few laps to go and then I was told that they would take a closer look at my contract if I wouldn't move over.

"For me it was pretty clear. Take my foot off the pedal or get fired. When I asked Michael (Schumacher) if he knew what was going on he said he had nothing to do with it. But I have documents at home to prove that he was very well aware of everything that took place."

This comes as no surprise, and I don't blame teams for doing it, but it'll be interesting to see what Ruben's has to say about his time at Ferrari,should he write a book about it later on...

In other news... David Coulthard and his fiancee Karen Minier have named their newly-born first son Dayton... another DC...

 

[Sinner]

As expected, Honda Motor Company chief Takeo Fukui in Tokyo confirmed on Friday afternoon that the Japanese manufacturer is withdrawing from formula one ahead of the 2009 season.

He said the decision was taken as a result of the prevailing conditions in the automotive sales sector, including a near-unprecedented decline of more than 30 percent in its biggest market, the United States, last month.

"Honda Motor Co. has come to the conclusion that we will withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season for participation," Fukui stated. "This difficult decision has been made in light of the quickly deteriorating operating environment facing the global auto industry, brought on by the subprime problem in the United States, the deepening credit crisis and the sudden contraction of the world economies."

Fukui also revealed that Honda will not even remain involved in F1 as an engine supplier, despite attempts to sell the Brackley based team as a going concern before the 2009 season commences in late March.

Instead, it is understood that Honda team boss and former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn has arranged that a potential buyer of the Brackley outfit will be powered by 2.4 litre Ferrari V8s. 2008 constructors' world champions Ferrari have the capacity to supply an extra team next year, given the switch of customer partner Force India to Mercedes power.

According to early speculation, one potential buyer of the team could be Dubai International Capital (DIC), which came close to buying Super Aguri when Honda pulled its support for the satellite team earlier this year.


Financial crisis taking its toll...

in other news...

Cosworth has won the tender to supply a low-cost engine and transmission package in 2010 and beyond, Formula One's governing body announced on Friday.

In the wake of Honda's shock departure from the sport, the FIA said in a statement that the news confirmed its fears about the current financial format, and sent a letter to team bosses.

It is revealed that the cost to teams wanting to use the un-badged Cosworth engine option will be $2m euros, plus 5.5 million euros each season.

"The annual cost will reduce if more (than four) teams take up the option," FIA President Max Mosley wrote.

Teams not wanting to use the standard engine have 'the right to build an engine themselves', or a de-tuned version of their current 2. 4 litre V8s, but must use a standard transmission supplied by Ricardo Transmissions, a British company.

Mosley said the measures will help small teams survive, and also pave the way for the replacement of more outgoing manufacturers, 'as seems likely' to be necessary.

He wants four teams to sign up the scheme by next Thursday, or the price may go up.

 

[eddiehouse5]

i've been wondering, if honda can't/ won't afford f1, how can the other teams?

how does ferrari do it? where are they getting the money- they can't sell the amount of cars that honda does, or even toyota for that matter.

 

[ap27]

Originally Posted by eddiehouse5

i've been wondering, if honda can't/ won't afford f1, how can the other teams?

how does ferrari do it? where are they getting the money- they can't sell the amount of cars that honda does, or even toyota for that matter.

Probably more of an issue of return on investment....at this point in time, Honda probably isn't making enough money off of F1 (obviously,their performance has something to do w/ that) and for them to spend a substantial amount of money when they don't get much in return (whether it'sR&D knowledge or revenue) doesn't make sense if the company's not doing well...

A company like Ferrari I can imagine gets more out of the money they put into it because a lot of their business is based off of their reputation as racing carmakers. Not only that, the technology developed in their F1 cars finds its way into their consumer products quicker than other companies because they sellhigh-priced sports cars, and don't need technology to develop and for costs to lessen before putting new tech. into their cars...You can also add the factthat Ferrari probably makes more money than Honda because they win more, and sponsors pay more to get their company associated with the car. Another thing toremember about the small sales volume of Ferrari is that these expensive sports cars are incredibly profitable, so even though they might not be sellingmillions of cars, they're still making a lot of money.

That's just my guess tho on how Ferrari can afford it as opposed to Honda

 

[Sinner]

 

[eddiehouse5]

man, that is ugly

http://www.formula1.com/n...adlines/2008/12/8773.html

no refueling in 2010, and lots of other stuff

 

[briannnnn]

at all these changes.

 

[Sinner]

yeah, while I don't like some of these changes, the fact remains that F1 spends too much money on squeezing out that last tenth of a second... desperatetimes calls for desperate measures...

anyway...

2009:

Engine

• Engine life to be doubled. Each driver will use a maximum of eight engines for the season plus four for testing (thus 20 per team)

• Limit of 18,000rpm

• No internal re-tuning. Adjustment to trumpets and injectors only

• The three-race rule voted on November 5 remains in force

• Cost of engines to independent teams will be approximately 50 per cent of 2008 prices

• Unanimous agreement was reached on a list of proposed changes to the Renault engine for 2009; all other engines will remain unchanged. Comparative testing will not be necessary

Testing

• No in-season testing except during race weekends during scheduled practice

Aerodynamic research

• No wind tunnel exceeding 60 per cent scale and 50 metres-per-second to be used after January 1, 2009

• A formula to balance wind tunnel-based research against CFD research, if agreed between the teams, will be proposed to the FIA

Factory activity

• Factory closures for six weeks per year, to accord with local laws

Race weekend

• Manpower to be reduced by means of a number of measures, including sharing information on tyres and fuel to eliminate the need for 'spotters'

Sporting spectacle

• Market research is being conducted to gauge the public reaction to a number of new ideas, including possible changes to qualifying and a proposal for the substitution of medals for points for the drivers. Proposals will be submitted to the FIA when the results of the market research are known

Note: It is estimated that these changes for 2009 will save the manufacturer teams approximately 30 per cent of their budgets compared to 2008, while the savings for independent teams will be even greater


2010:

Powertrain

• Engines will be available to the independent teams for less than €5 million per team per season. These will either come from an independent supplier or be supplied by the manufacturer teams backed by guarantees of continuity. If an independent supplier, the deal will be signed no later than December 20, 2008

• This same engine will continue to be used in 2011 and 2012 (thus no new engine for 2011)

• Subject to confirmation of practicability, the same transmission will be used by all teams

Chassis

• A list of all elements of the chassis will be prepared and a decision taken in respect of each element as to whether or not it will remain a performance differentiator (competitive element)

• Some elements which remain performance differentiators will be homologated for the season

• Some elements will remain performance differentiators, but use inexpensive materials

• Elements which are not performance differentiators will be prescriptive and be obtained or manufactured in the most economical possible way

Race weekend

• Standardised radio and telemetry systems

• Ban on tyre warmers

• Ban on mechanical purging of tyres

• Ban on re-fuelling

• Possible reduction in race distance or duration (proposal to follow market research)

Factory activity

• Further restrictions on aerodynamic research

• Ban on tyre force rigs (other than vertical force rigs)

• Full analysis of factory facilities with a view to proposing further restrictions on facilities


Longer-term:

The FIA and FOTA will study the possibility of an entirely new powertrain for 2013 based on energy efficiency (obtaining more work from less energy consumed). Rules to be framed so as to ensure that research and development of such a powertrain would make a real contribution to energy-efficient road transport.

An enhanced Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) is likely to be a very significant element of an energy-efficient powertrain in the future. In the short term, KERS is part of the 2009 regulations, but is not compulsory. For 2010 FOTA is considering proposals for a standard KERS system. The FIA awaits proposals.

A number of further amendments were adopted for the 2009 and 2010 Sporting and Technical Regulations.

 

[fire419]

Amazing 2008 season review vid I found. Thought you all might enjoy it, check it out:

PS Nicole

(Cant imbed!!!!)

 

[Sinner]

^ Thx...


Down to the Final Corner from Sovrasterzo on Vimeo.

 

[eddiehouse5]

Down to the Final Corner from Sovrasterzo on Vimeo. sweet video. great find.

 

[brrraptors]

I can see how a lot of these are necessary given the current economic status. It does sadden me a little that a sport known for pushing technologicalboundaries to create innovations featured in production cars years down the road is getting toned down so much. Hopefully these times will pass by and F1 cansomewhat restore that allure which was technological breakthroughs. The higher demand of endurance and reliability on the engine is something i really love, itshouldve been done awhile ago. Stuff like sharing spotters etc etc are meaningful too.

The part about cutting down on wind-tunnel testing irks me big time. CFD just isn't going to match the closer-to-real-world results you get fromwind-tunnel. CFD programs are getting better as I've been using them for 3years now but they're in no way exact. And cutting down on research, I guessi can see its necessisity, but I wish it didnt have to be done.

 

[Sinner]

Another season-review video... this time made by the FIA and shown at the FIA Awards Gala a few days ago... enjoy...

 

[eddiehouse5]

all 2009 launches, to date- will be updated

 

[Sinner]

man, didn't expect to see this thread back...

oh well... here are the new cars thus far...most noticable changes include the wider front wing, narrower rear wing, lack of winglets on the sidepods andslicks...

 

[ap27]

I have a feeling this is the year Toyota is finally a contender...

what do u all think about the KERS systems?...im really looking foward to seeing how drivers use it to gain some speed during different parts of tracks topass, it's literally like using a "boost" button in video games, lol

 

[curt2121]

Originally Posted by amishpimp27

I have a feeling this is the year Toyota is finally a contender...

what do u all think about the KERS systems?...im really looking foward to seeing how drivers use it to gain some speed during different parts of tracks to pass, it's literally like using a "boost" button in video games, lol

It's actually quite a bit more complicated than that. I would really like to elaborate, but I'm under a NDA, so I can't say anything.But rest assured, like the idea or not, KERS will be quite interesting this year. oh, and the early ideas for the next McLaren road car

but sadly, again, I can't make any other comment on that.

 

[beatslim]

NDA? Who do you work for? Bernie?

 

[curt2121]

Originally Posted by BEATSLIM

NDA? Who do you work for? Bernie?

No, don't work for Bernie, although he'd probably get a kickout of that. I actually don't work for anyone in the industry, but I have quite a few ties. It has its perks at times.