Formula 1

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.

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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

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Originally Posted by DipShyt

Lewis Hamilton gave his new McLaren......

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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

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......................

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Originally Posted by Noxide

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Now that is where a McLaren belongs!!!

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I thought you might enjoy that one :laugh::laugh::laugh:

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Originally Posted by Noxide

Attachment 24183

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All they.ve done is modify the covers that Ferrari use... then again more moving parts, more things to go wrong :whistle:

I wonder what the effect would be after driving over rubber marbles... rubber coated breaks?

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Originally Posted by DipShyt

I wonder what the effect would be after driving over rubber marbles... rubber coated breaks?

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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.

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
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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: