Most liked posts in thread: F1 - 2009

The regs are easy enough to find but they don't explain the WHY behind all the specs.

Yes, the regs only specify the maximum, but the sidewall height can't practically be much, if any, smaller because (as far as I can tell) of the other requirements for dimensions of chassis, suspension, ground clearance below the legality plank, etc. That's why everyone keeps coming back to the max wheel bead diameter as the key. All else equal, the min sidewall height is constrained by the max wheel bead diameter.....I think.

I think this is why discussions I've seen re the sidewalls have ground down to "Why don't they allow larger diameter wheels?" Either that or we're just very consistently chasing the wrong factor.....and I'll admit that's VERY possible. :crazy:

Here's hoping Matchette answers Nathan's email, either directly or maybe even on the air.

 

Massa had his checkup in Florida yesterday and they decided he'll return to racing in '10.

He needs some plastic surgery ...


... and then some recuperation before he can start training.

 

Hmmm, not sure about the Eddie Munster similarity, though he does seem to be about the same size :lol: and he sounds a little like one of those Wizard of Oz Munchkins....with a Brazilian accent.

Anyway, now that Massa's '09 status is decided, time for the Ferrari gang to pick a replacement. I still say unless they go looking for someone outside the current F1 assemblage it's likely to be Gene. Can't see any real options to pull someone of quality away from another team at this point in the season unless it's a reserve or test driver.

 

I figured you'd get an answer like "because the rules say so" and I was right! Yet again, no answer as to the motive behind the rules.

I think I'll send him another question...I assume you found that email address at the Speed site, yes?

 

Fisichella is switching to Ferrari as of Monza and for the rest of the '09 season. Liuzzi favored as his replacement in the Force India....hope he does well, I enjoyed watching that car hounding Raikkonen at Spa.

Strange words from Mallya re Fisi's switch "The agreement will secure Fisichella's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this." Given Ferrari's expected wealth of drivers for next year, maybe Fisichella is going to be their test driver next season?
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edit: Ferrari say Fisichella will be their reserve driver for '10.

 

Liuzzi gets the empty seat at Force India. Couldn't be better timing for him since it means he gets to run at Monza; his "home" race. Or I suppose it could be worst possible timing if he screws it up....

Renault are putting KERS back in their cars. Based on the rhetoric it looks like it's just for Monza though. Interesting to hear descriptions of ways teams are learning to use it. In this case they're saying it's worth it for the race alone but will be even more helpful for qualifying since it not only helps during each flier, but the driver can also to use a full KERS load on the run up to the timing line as a kick start to each timed lap.

I remember back in the day when there weren't so many standards and regulations....remember way back when the cars didn't all look the same? Any time a team came to a race with some new innovation that made their car more competitive in some way someone else would immediately protest and the rules would usually change within a race or two, outlawing said innovation. Now, in the age of even tighter standards and regulations and a near-spec series F1, we have an innovation only used to advantage by a couple teams and even though it's gradually helping those few teams gain additional advantage over the others, it stays.

It's interesting that in the same year they changed a mass of rules intending to improve overtaking, one of the innovations intended to help in that effort -- namely KERS -- is (other than at starts) being used primarily in a defensive role to hold off otherwise faster cars attempting to pass. Thinking back, I could definitely see such an innovation being outlawed in the past. The difference here? This innovation was introduced by the rule-makers.....

 

See there's a huge problem. I knew they'd taken on a lot of debt and that the outlandish ticket prices, etc, were meant in large part to try to pay it down, but I didn't know it was that bad. $410/year in interest alone?!?! Where the hell did all that debt come from in the first place?

Bernie said ticket prices are going to come down. Of course that's borne of necessity (as ticket sales drop) rather than respect for the fans or interest in the good of F1, and it won't solve the underlying problem. They'll go back to pushing for more revenue generation as soon as they think they can get away with it again.

 

As expected, the finger-pointer alleging Renault's conspiracy at the '08 Singapore GP is Piquet. Claims Symonds and Briatore asked him to crash his car deliberately and then told him exactly when and where on the track to do it.

Here's a majority excerpt from Nelson Piquet's FIA statement revealed (grandprix.com)

 

IF it's true. That's the question....is it true or is this all contrived, borne of Nelson's desire for revenge. I bet they'll have a tough time finding any tangible evidence.

Trivia: If they eventually take Alonso's win away Rosberg will finally have one on his record.

 

More fuel for the crash-gate fire.

Renault engineering boss Pat Symonds evasive during FIA questioning (GMM, F1SA.com)

Of course in this version Piquet suggested it. The catch-22 here for the team is that even though they're pointing fingers in opposite directions, Piquet and Symonds have now both admitted there was talk of a deliberate crash.....

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