Formula 1 in 2009
 

Any F1 fans? What are your thoughts/opinions on the rule changes for 2009?

I just saw a nice video that explained some of the major rule changes. The cars look ugly as sin but if it makes F1 even more exciting then its fine by me.

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I like the "new look", much more unique!
Slicks, "hello slip and slide"! Hit a patch of oil or water, oooops!
Press a button and get an additional 82 hp, I want that on my family car!

I love all motorsport out there. F109 is definitely going to be interesting. I don't care for the new wings but if they promote closer racing I'm all for them. And damn it's good to have slicks back!

Good to have slicks back, and the new aerodynamics of the 2009 should make Formula racing more exciting, but the cars are hideous. I think the 07/08 seasons had the best looking "modern" Formula racing cars:

Here's Super Aguri F1's SA08A from '08

http://v4admin.sportnetwork.net/uplo...1205529753.jpg

The new cars look silly to me, and I hate the new medals system Bernie wants to incorporate next season. Personally, I find the most entertainment out of watching the "little" teams(anything other than McLaren, SFM, and BMW) racing their hearts out just to get 1 point each and every race. With medals, if you can only receive gold, silver, or bronze, who the heck do you think is going to win a drivers/constructors championship? Ferrari, McLaren, or BMW. Probably in that order too. What about teams like Force India and Torro Rosso? That's why I loved Super Aguri Honda, I am a fan of Aguri Suzuki, Takuma Sato, and Anthony Davidson. Also a fan of Adrian Sutil and yes, I was IRATE when Kimi Raikkonen crashed into his car in Monaco last year.

I dunno, I thought that the cars were pretty exciting and competitive last season, and didn't need any changes, but whatever, I'm not the head of the FIA, Ferrari is. Or is that Max Mosley? ;) I can say though, I don't think Formula 1 can ever reproduce the excitement of the turbo monsters of the 80s, like this Lotus 97T, driven by the late, great Aryton Senna(check sig):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/...4b0644a2_b.jpg

Glad I searched for a thread like this before duplicating it!

Yes, I'm an F1 fan - and obviously Lewis Hamilton is my man (sob sob - he's got work to do this year!).

I just watched qualifying live (out of bed at 5am :yawn:) and it's so good to see BrawnGP up there at the top - just shows what you can do with a good team.

I have to agree with nearly everyone else here that the new aero rules have transformed the cars overnight from a flock of beautiful swans into a batch of fugly dodos. :shakes head:. Those front & rear wings are nothing short of disgusting. Having said that, the BrawnGP car looks quite good in those colours.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g7...GP-test-01.jpg


...and finally, as a Brit I need to say WELL DONE to Jenson Button on his pole position - It's about time his luck changed. Can't wait for tomorrow morning!

I'm looking forward to the start of the race! The green light, new cars, different tires! "What will be the out come in the first turn?"

What's not to love about F1? Always associated with the jet set, and the exotic.

<-----huge F1 fan

This year is going to be such a change from years past. I can't wait for the Australia race. Quali. was awesome. I am glad to see that with all the restrictions for 09, the cars are still as fast as last year....and in Brawn GP's case, even faster.

+1! I'm also a huge F1 fan. I have a lithograph of Ayrton Senna driving a McLaren-Honda hanging on my wall right in front of me as I type this. It's autographed by Ron Dennis and Emerson Fittipaldi too! Speaking of Honda, I bet those corporate wonks feel like complete fools for pulling out after Brawn F1's performance in qualifying! And I have to say, it'd be fantastic to see Rubens get a real shot at winning a championship after all his years in F1, not to mention the BS he had to endure at Ferrari.

Oh btw, dad --
It's called NOS! ;) I had it on my Maxima, it was a blast! (No pun intended.)

I like F1..if the new car makes for more passing then I am all for it ...

Wow, those cars look strange... I think the past two years definately look better from an easthetic point of view, but these designs are about performance, not looks.

I've been somewhat of a closet F1 fan growing up. Not sure why, but I was always mesmerized by F1 racing while I had no interest in nascar. I think it's because it wasn't all left turns.

These changes look to make F1 more exciting, and give drivers a few more options when it comes to passing or blocking. Should prove to be interesting, especially in close races. I don't think the cars themselves will ever grow on me though lol

Well, the first race of the season has just happened.

I won't spoil it for you, I'll just say that if you like F1, it's well worth watching.

I'm excited to see the action as I have only started noticing F-1 in the past few years. Pretty impressive.

the race was great .. I hope to see a lot more like that one ..

Agreed!

WHY DOES KUBICA ALWAYS GET THE SHAFT IN AUSTRALIAN GP!!!:shakes head: He is one of my favorite drivers, and I think as far as pure talent and consistency, he is one of the best on the grid.

VERY proud of Brawn though, it was great to see a new team take pole in qualifying and then to go on to take one-two on the podium is awesome. That's one of the main reasons I watch F1, is for the underdog teams. And it was good to see Toyota on the podium again, since we now have no other Japanese teams to root for. Maybe Brawn, since they were formed from the ashes of Honda, and Jenson has been driving in a Honda seat 03' back to the B.A.R. days.

Anyways, its good to see Formula 1 again, regardless of how the cars look , or how different everything is this season. Great to stay up until 2am to watch races on TV again..:icon14: Lets see if Brawn-MB can take this momentum into Malaysia.

Kubica (you're right, he's an excellent driver) was at least 50% to blame for that one - he gave Vettel nowhere to go, so he was the master of his own demise.

As for Toyota - their podium place didn't last long, did it! I'm amazed and delighted that Hamilton managed to get 3rd - but not surprised, based on his performances over the last 2 years.

Very true, but sometimes in motor racing you have to be a cocky bastard and drive aggressively at times to push your way to the top. But it was partly his fault, and I think Vettel's penalty was a bit harsh. 10 spots? That's a little bit much.


Yeah, I know man...You're right. Still nice to see them up there for a change; that is, before Max and the powers that be have to make sure either a McLaren or Ferrari is in the top three each GP.

:icon18: I'm not sure that Ron Dennis/Lewis/the McLaren team would recognise that one!

- Ferrari I'd agree with!

Yeah, you're probably right. I just can't help feeling there is some favoritism towards the top teams. Unless of course, you're Lewis Hamilton and you've just passed Kimi Raikkonen in the wet fair and square and then been penalized for it. :icon17:

I really do like McLaren though, and I like Lewis(check avatar), but it always feels like FIA always finds a way screw the little guys. I was so happy when Toro Rosso won at Spa Last year, and very pleased when Brawn won last weekend's GP; feels good to have smaller teams beat the Ferrari/McLaren machine every now and then. As a matter of fact I wish their were even more teams on the grid, but who knows if that will ever happen again. But now we just need Adrian Sutil to get a podium spot this year at Monaco: revenge for getting the shaft at the hands of a Ferrari last season. :tup:

WTF???? Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Oz GP??? :bs:
Hamilton disqualified from Aussie GP results - Planet-F1 News - from planet-f1.com

Something just makes me not like that guy ...

Makes you wonder what the heck the FIA stewards are smoking.... I'm kinda pissed off that they keep playing this yoyo game.

At first I thought this must be an April Fool joke!

Makes you wonder what was said on the radio between Lewis and his team.

It will be revealed soon - if it's not out there already.

Listen for yourself.

Thanks for that Namir - The whole thing is a farce. :shakes head:

Bleah.... lets hope he catches up this weekend at Malaysia Sepang.

And after the race is the further clarification on the diffuser issue, which I'm sure will be another drama!

Whoever in McLaren decided to be 'economical with the truth' made a very bad decision - but now they need to move on and kick some *** in Malaysia and beyond.

So, Malaysia here we go - My money's on Jenson for back-to-back wins. (I have now put the official Chubbs hex on him - as a result of which he will crash off at the first corner)

Evil thoughts!!

It's been raining here in Singapore the whole morning, so I wonder if the rain clouds will hit Sepang during the race.

Anyways, we'd find out soon!

Come on Lewis! :icon17:

Rain's predicted right at the start - should make it interesting!

and I'm with you - Lewis is my man, but it's a hope not a prediction.

Gah... not the way a race should end but it was quite exciting never the less.
I thought Kimi's early wet tyre change was an extremely risky choice....

Yea, Ferrari messed up that call on Kimi's tires big time. Short but exciting race. Funny not to see Ferrari or Mercedes in the top 5 of constructors points. Going to be a unique year for sure.

Decent article: Formula One Double Deck Diffuser Explained

Was a good race today. I was shocked to see Kimi do as well as he did, but very happy at the same time. Kind of wanted Toyota to get the win. Can't wait to see how the teams stack up in Spain with the new diffusers and other parts.

Renault Confirms F1 Quit Threat :eekdance:

Hospital: Massa remains in life-threatening state

1 hour, 53 minutes ago

Hungary (AP)—Ferrari driver Felipe Massa remained in “life-threatening” but stable condition on Sunday following surgery on multiple skull fractures.

Peter Bazso, the AEK hospital medical director, told reporters that Massa would be kept sedated until Monday, but will be woken up periodically during that time.

When asked whether Massa’s life remained in danger, Bazso answered: “Yes, of course.”

Bazso said doctors were able to “remove the broken bones and stabilize the area,” procedures required to treat “an open skull fracture and a contusion” that Massa received during a crash in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.

He did not speculate how long it would take Massa to recover, or whether there would be any long-term effects of the injury.


“At the moment, we have to overcome this life-threatening condition,” Bazso said, adding that a CT scan revealed “expected results after an operation of this type.”

Massa’s parents and wife arrived at the hospital Sunday after flying in from Brazil, and doctors woke Massa temporarily to check on his condition and so that he could see his family.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali and several Ferrari staff were also on hand to support Massa’s family, which included pregnant wife Anna Rafaela.

During Sunday’s race, Ferrari’s garage displayed a banner reading “Forza Felipe Siamo Con Te”—or “Be Strong Felipe, We Are With You.”

“Yesterday was a quite sad day, (and) to not see Felipe with us today,” said race winner Lewis Hamilton, who beat Massa by a single point in the 2008 title race following a battle that stretched to the final corner of the final lap of the season. “We miss him and wish him well and wish him a speedy recovery.”

The spring from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP car bounced into Massa’s helmet as the 28-year-old driver reached speeds of about 120 mph. The impact concussed Massa, who plowed into the protective tire barrier.

Massa, who finished runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the F1 championship last year, underwent surgery around 4:20 p.m. local time Saturday, about an hour after being airlifted to the hospital. He was conscious at the time.

The impact of the rear suspension part, believed to be made of steel, damaged the left side of Massa’s helmet, ripping out the visor and leaving a long gash in its side. Blood was seen on Massa’s left brow.

The crash came less than a week after Henry Surtees, the son of former F1 champion John Surtees, died in similar circumstances an F2 race last Sunday. Surtees was struck in the head by a tire from another car, causing him to lose consciousness and drive into a barrier.

Another mechanical failure occurred in Sunday’s race, when pole-sitter Fernando Alonso was forced to retire after losing a tire on the 13th lap.

Governing body FIA was expected to launch an investigation into Massa’s crash after several drivers and team principals called for safety measures to be re-examined.

No F1 driver has died on the track since three-time champion and fellow Brazilian Ayrton Senna’s crash at Imola 15 years ago.

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/pgSto...&photo=9852984

Hoping he recovers fully - a very nice man.

The accident involving Massa was unbelievable. I know a similar event happened recently but getting hit in the head with a spring is a one in a million shot. Hope he fully recovers soon.