Massa test drove it today, and he himself said it looks and feels like a Formula 3 car.
Gone are the days when Formula1 was a glamor sport.
Idiot Bernie Fossil.
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Massa test drove it today, and he himself said it looks and feels like a Formula 3 car.
Gone are the days when Formula1 was a glamor sport.
Idiot Bernie Fossil.
Kimi Raikkonen admits that 2008 was not his finest of seasons, but at the launch of the new F60 challenger today, the 2007 champion makes clear that he expects to be back in the title hunt this year.
"The last year was not exactly what I wanted but it is in the past now and we try this year again," he said in a video interview. "Of course there is a big question mark how quick the car is and who makes the best car because the rules have changed a lot. I think we are very confident that the car should be very good and we will see that in the next few weeks - how good it is against the others. For sure we try to win both championships but we start testing and then go from there."
The latest generation of Formula One machinery is not particularly attractive with a number of drivers skirting around the issue that the new regulations result in an ugly package. But for Raikkonen, the look is not that important.
"It looks different because of the new regulations but I think after looking at it for a little while you get used to it and for me it looks different but it looks very good," he said. "I'm happy to see it tomorrow on the running at the circuit and see how it goes."
The former champion is well-known for his dislike of Formula One activities away from the track and is looking forward to getting back to racing when the season kicks off in March.
"The racing is the most important thing, the nicest thing for us so it is nice to get back in the car, especially with a new car which is always good fun. It will be very nice to bet back in racing when we start in Melbourne," he concluded.
For once I disagree with him.Quote:
"It looks different because of the new regulations but I think after looking at it for a little while you get used to it and for me it looks different but it looks very good," he said.
It's ugly.
No matter how long you look at it.
Too Right it looks weird a big no no :no:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
Ferrari has confirmed that a decision about whether to use Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems in its newly launched F60 has not yet been taken.
As Felipe Massa on Monday put the first laps on the new car at Mugello, he also marked the Maranello-based outfit's track-debut of the energy-recovery technology.
Ferrari has had a troubled development phase with KERS, developed in conjunction with Magneti-Marelli.
"When we realise that the performance guaranteed by KERS is up to expectations, then it is our task to use it," team boss Stefano Domenicali said.
The team was satisfied with the F60 roll-out, but Brazilian Massa acknowledged to the Italian newspaper La Stampa that a few expected 'little problems' did crop up.
"We used KERS a little at the beginning, gradually increasing the power and so far it has been positive," he said.
Domenicali said he expects KERS to continue to be a challenge for Ferrari, and declined to give a yes or no answer as to whether the system will be fitted to the car in Melbourne in 72 days.
"Reliability played a very heavy burden on us last season, so the first objective is to understand the potential of KERS and then solve all the reliability problems," the Italian explained.
KERS Explained...
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:blink: :blink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
:laugh::laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemmings
It's not really that complicated...
Nope, it's still :blink: :blink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
For the Kimi fans
Ferrari's world champion of 2007 Kimi Raikkonen is an 'unbelievable' character, team boss Stefano Domenicali said on Wednesday.
At the traditional 'Wrooom' ski and media event in the Italian Dolomites, Domenicali was asked about the famous personality of the team's reticent Finnish driver, who carries the nickname 'Iceman' on his helmet.
"Kimi lives in another world; on another planet," he is quoted as saying by the German news agency SID.
Domenicali's point is reinforced by an anecdote of the Italian press following the launch of the new F60 earlier this week.
According to colleagues who attended the Mugello roll-out of the 2009 car, while drivers Felipe Massa, Michael Schumacher, Luca Badoer and Marc Gene conversed in the paddock, 29-year-old Raikkonen was asleep in a car in the carpark.
"Kimi isolates himself," Domenicali confirmed.
"If he feels pressure, then it's only because he has put it on himself."
"Nothing that is coming from the outside affects him at all - and that is unbelievable," he said.
Domenicali said he would never expect Raikkonen to emerge from the winter break and 'has suddenly learned Italian', or is 'suddenly smiling'.
"That is not the way he is," the Italian explained. "But he is completely impatient to drive and win races again."
Explanation of the 2009 Engine Rules.
Drivers can use just eight engines during the coming season. It was previously understood that, as part of the new cost-cutting measures for this year, the original one-engine per two races rule had simply been extended to include a third race per single 2.4 litre V8 unit. This is not necessarily the case.
The rules state: 'Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship season. Should a driver use more than eight engines he will drop ten places on the starting grid at any event during which an additional engine is used.'
Therefore unlike in 2008 this year engines do not need to be used consecutively, meaning that drivers can avoid the risk of using the same engine at arduous power-circuits such as Spa Francorchamps and Monza.
Also crucially, penalties for 'unscheduled engine changes' will not be allocated until a driver has completely exhausted his season's supply of eight power plants.
It means that a driver could theoretically use one engine in qualifying and another for the race, without attracting a penalty.
However, race retirement aside, a single gearbox must be used in four consecutive events.
:laugh::laugh::laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
I also had a good laugh.Quote:
Originally Posted by Duje
It obviously wasn't his kind of party. :laugh:
That's our Kimi! :laugh:
The Toyota T109 Ladies and Gents:
Attachment 23754
Attachment 23755
The McLaren MP4-24
Attachment 23762
Attachment 23763
Attachment 23765
How's this for unfair?
KERS
The MP4-24's KERS device has been developed in collaboration with McLaren and Mercedes- Benz HighPerformanceEngines, which has been developing and refining the system for almost two years.
The device enables the car to recover energy under braking, store the energy for a lap and release it when the driver presses a button on the steering wheel.
Indeed... it's really unfair.... :mad:
Renault R29...
They're the only ones so far who've kept the "sharkfin"..... Interesting.
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Attachment 23919
Imagine this little vehicular beauty pulling up to the passenger pick-up curb at the airport for you and your group. This is the GP Limo and it was created by the mind of Michael Pettipas to give people a small taste of what it is like to be in a race car albeit in limo form. This street legal limo seats 7 people including the driver and if you think it looks fast, imagines it travelling at 300 miles per hour. Not on the city streets people! Pettipas has dreams for the GP Limo to break the street legal speed record of 253 miles per hour during salt flat time trials - sans passengers I’m sure. A ride would set you back about $4500 for 2 laps.
If you do happen to get a ride in the GP Limo, I hope you aren’t heading straight to some important company presentation. Imagine the way your hair would look just on a short interstate trip in this ride.
Engine –Cosworth F1 V10 – 4669 CC 832 HP (Modified from the 2997 cc in F1 spec.)
Suspension – Gearbox from the BMW Sauber 2004 F1 car
Aerodynamics - Curtis Aviation School of Aerodynamics - Fresno, CA.
The new Williams FW31. This thing is even uglier than the Ferrari.
The only car that looks decent so far is, sadly, the McLaren...:o
Attachment 23920
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Attachment 23922
The BMW Sauber F1.09
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Here it is alongside the car from last year.
Attachment 23925
So the McLaren is the best looking car so far?:o:o:o
In my opinion yes. But the BMW doesn't look too bad either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
They all SUCK if you ask me!
They look like the F1 cars from the 80's :mad:
Indeed. Couldn't have said it better myself!Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
I haven't looked at this yet - it's rather nice.... :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
I still don't like Mclaren though.
Still ugly, but at least it sort of resembles an F1 car.
You'll probably find they did something illegal then... the whole point is to change F1 cars into bumper cars in the next 5 years isn't it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
Attachment 23999
(I've only been able to find the Ferrari & the Renault unfortunately)
BMW's Robert Kubica fears Formula 1's new-look, wide front wings could trigger some serious accidents in the heat of battle
The driver can't see the wings from the cockpit
Kubica, who had a near-miraculous escape from a huge crash in Canada in 2007, said after trying out his team's new F1.09 car in Spain on Tuesday that the wings posed particular problems.
They're part of comprehensive aerodynamic changes made so cars can overtake but they're also 400mm wider and lower than previously and the driver can't see them from the cockpit.
Kubica said: "We have to be really careful with this huge front wing, wider than the tyres - not only at the first corner but especially when you think you have overtaken the guy and you close the line.
"Now you can easily take off his wing. This wing is huge and it will go under the car."
Kubica's Montreal crash was caused when he made contact with Jarno Trulli's Toyota
Luciano Burti's Prost penetrated the tyre barriers at Spa in 2001
. The BMW's front wing sheared, the car lifted off and slammed into a concrete wall and cartwheeled across the track.
Kubica also referred to Brazilian Luciano Burti, whose Prost penetrated the tyre barriers at Spa in 2001 after a collision with former Jaguar team mate Eddie Irvine dislodged his car's front wing.
Burti never raced in F1 again.
Kubica said he had narrowly missed cars in 2008 while braking into the first corner and adjusting to the wider wings would make it even harder to avoid impacts, especially in the first few races.
Team mate Nick Heidfeld agreed the change would take time to get used to: "If you've been in F1 for a couple of years you're used to the old wings.
"I could imagine that in situations where you have to act very quickly without a lot of thinking, when the cars are close together like at the start, we might see a few more touches."
Team boss Mario Theissen said BMW was prepared to build more front wings than ever before.
Under the new regulations, the driver can for the first time adjust the front wing up and down from inside the cockpit.
But Kubica downplayed this: "You might change the wing setting during the lap if you have some problems in some sectors but I don't think it's a powerful tool to increase opportunities for overtaking." - Reuters
Lewis Hamilton gave his new McLaren the seal of approval on Wednesday after getting back behind the wheel for the first time since he won the title in November 2008.
However the 24-year-old Briton, who completed 81 laps in the MP4-24 at the Algarve circuit in southern Portugal, warned that his team had its work cut out ahead of the season-opener on March 29.
Hamilton suffered an early setback before lunch when the car stopped on the damp circuit and had to be brought back on a truck.
Attachment 24008
EMBARRASSING SILENCE: McLaren crew recover Lewis Hamilton's MP4-24 after it stopped on the circuit at Portimao during testing. Image: AFP
The team said the car had experienced a "precautionary engine systems shutdown" and Hamilton returned to the track in the afternoon to set the third fastest time
Rosberg was the quickest of those in the new cars
Hamilton's former team mate Fernando Alonso did 86 laps in the new Renault but was slowest of the five drivers.
Williams driver Nico Rosberg was the quickest of those in the new cars, behind 20-year-old Swiss rookie Sebastien Buemi in a 2008 Toro Rosso.
Williams technical director Sam Michael said the Toyota-powered FW31 had shown good reliability, completing more than 670km on its third day on the track .
Timo Glock's first outing in the new Toyota TF109 suffered a setback when an oil pipe became disconnected and set the car on fire.
Robert Kubica had an untroubled day testing the BMW F1.09 in Valencia, eastern Spain, while Felipe Massa completed 104 laps for Ferrari at Mugello in Italy. - Reuters
MAKING YOUR POINT COSTS BIG BUCKS IN F1
January 26, 2009
Formula 1 drivers have delayed signing their super licences for this season's championship after the sport's governing body raised the price.
The super licence, which allows F1 drivers to race, has jumped €400 (around R5200) to €10 400 (around R136 000). FIA said the increase was necessary to cover rising safety costs.
FIA has increased the cost of winning, with each championship point won, rising to €2100. It also issued a compulsory insurance charge of €2720.
It is the second consecutive year that licence costs have increased.
With all of the increases, F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will have to shell out nearly €220 000 to compete this year.
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association said that the Formula One Teams Association would look into the matter in February while FIA president Max Mosley is reportedly ready to consider the matter if drivers reveal their financial records. - Sapa-AP
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
Now that is where a McLaren belongs!!!
2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen has finished his first professional rally in 13th place.
The Finn entered the Arctic Lapland Rally, held at the weekend in his native Finland, with a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000, where he contested a dozen stages and 230 kilometres of timed runs over snow and ice in the polar dimness of the arctic circle.
He finished less than seven minutes behind the winner Juha Salo, and more than seven minutes in front of F1's 1998 and 1999 World Champion Mika Hakkinen, who contested the event with a Mitsubishi Lancer.
Former twice World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm, however, said he is so far unconvinced about Ferrari driver Raikkonen's abilities.
"It's hard to say about Raikkonen yet," the 40-year-old Finn told the News of the World.
"He might be a hell of a driver, but I don't think he can learn to drive (rallies) right off the bat."
Former Sauber and Ferrari driver Mika Salo also raced, but the highest-placed ex-Formula One name was JJ Lehto, who finished the rally ninth and ahead of 28-year-old Raikkonen by a minute.
Attachment 24183......................
I thought you might enjoy that one :laugh::laugh::laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
All they.ve done is modify the covers that Ferrari use... then again more moving parts, more things to go wrong :whistle:Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxide
I wonder what the effect would be after driving over rubber marbles... rubber coated breaks?
They're on slicks this year, so they'll pick up a lot more marbles than they would on grooved tires, but yes, it's going to be interesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by DipShyt
What a moron. He'll make a good partner for Riana
Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone has proposed to give F1's richest teams more freedom to spend vast sums of money.
The scheme, at odds with the current trend for massive cost-cutting in the wake of the departure of Honda, would be in exchange for the manufacturers promising a long-term commitment to the sport he claims.
"If the manufacturers are prepared to make a long-term commitment, say seven to 10 years, we should let them spend what they want to spend, providing they supply engines and gearboxes at an affordable price," the 78-year-old billionaire told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Following the expiry of the binding Concorde Agreement, the sport is currently commercially governed by a memorandum of understanding, which by Ecclestone's own admission is not legally binding.
It is in pressing for teams to commit to a new Concorde that he recently mischievously threatened to reduce, rather than increase, the revenue distributed to the teams.
The Briton hopes his lure of greater freedom for the big teams will entice them to sign up soon, even though recent cost-cutting moves were widely welcomed.
"Whether they will commit to that I don't know. Getting them to agree on anything has always been the problem," Ecclestone said.
"But if they did it would prevent the kind of thing we have seen with Honda because we could sue the arse off them if they left. They wouldn't like that."
Despite his recent suggestions to improve the sport, however, including his rejected 'medals' scoring system, Ecclestone insists he is not interested in succeeding Max Mosley as FIA President.
"Max doesn't get paid. Even if they paid me 10 times what I earn now I wouldn't do it," he laughed.
Photo F1-Live.com
Zoom
Futher mileage pressure for the teams....
Friday practice will no longer be exempt from F1's long-life engine rules, the FIA's Charlie Whiting has clarified.
The engine rules for 2009 have been tweaked, with the mandatory consecutive use of power plants dropped.
Instead, drivers will be limited to eight engines for the entire season and can use them 'as they like'.
In 2008 and previously, the two-race per engine rule did not apply to Fridays. "Now, for 17 races, the eight engines will have to do the three days of each Grand Prix," Whiting said.
"What the teams will do is to have a Friday engine that'll probably do the first four races or something of that nature. They'll then take the engine out and use another one for Saturday and Sunday," he said.
There has also been confusion as to whether, because of the existing 'parc ferme' rules, one engine could be used in qualifying and then exchanged with another for the race.
Whiting confirmed that penalties for engine changes will only occur in 2009 if a driver uses a 'ninth engine'.
What's with all these new crap rules?
Especially with the engines... :glare: