Alonso got a free Ferrari FF...I wonder what Massa got... Fernando Alonso Awarded A Ferrari FF For Winning Malaysia GP (MotorAuthority.com)
I'll second that. No need to feel sorry for Felipe though, he got one of these a while back. That should hold him over. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEGo5bviJdc]SRT delivers custom Grand Cherokee SRT8s in Maranello. - YouTube[/ame]
I don't feel sorry for Massa, he had a great run and got to drive for one of the best teams in F1 - historically speaking - and while it's sad that his career was ended by a freak accident , he's still alive, a fate many F1 pilots didn't get to share. I think he knew his career was over last year, and he should have retired then.....I understand the drive, and I understand a racer not wanting to give up. But this year's events are going to put a sad and sorry note to all the great things he did accomplish in the past.
It does seem that the bar to get a new car at Ferrari got a lot lower. I recall Kimi had to win the championship to get one. Now it seems all one has to do is win a race.
It's a heckofa precedent to set. What if things change and he wins more races? More free Ferraris? Definitely makes it look like the folks at Maranello expected a win-less season.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLvRp5g0Ybc]Formula One 1973 Emerson Fittipaldi pit stop - YouTube[/ame] Just for fun, here's a quick comparo. Two wheels above, four wheels below. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW2VSt_VfGM]Sebastian Vettel - Four Second Pit Stop - YouTube[/ame]
A cool video montage from 1950-2009 in less than 7 minutes. I like it for the progression of car styles through the years. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO9_JhiSXIo]History of Formula 1 - YouTube[/ame]
One more cool flashback, this one much more recent: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmBl_XT0BpU]Lewis Hamilton drives Ayrton Senna's McLaren on BBC Top Gear - YouTube[/ame]
Here is a cool video on the McLaren DRS/Fduct [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKUziKDe51A]Mercedes' DRS F-Duct Controversy Continues: The F1 Show - Sky Sports F1 2012 - YouTube[/ame]
Yep, and Ross Braun says it's cheap to build, just a couple carbon tubes...on the other hand integrating it into your car after it's already been designed is another story. He also made a good point about the RRA (Resource Restriction Agreement). Other teams are complaining about how expensive it will be for them to develop a similar system but he wonders where they would get the money to do it if they're already working to the limit of the RRA...
This one is a little confusing. Lotus drops out of F1 sponsorship but Lotus are still in F1... More important I think is the news (to me) about Group Lotus. This is the first I've heard of Group Lotus -- not the F1 team but the sportscar manufacturer -- having "financial uncertainties" and that's a bit worrying. I'm just as surprised to learn of the Lotus F1 team owner considering taking over Group Lotus. I guess I haven't been paying attention. Lotus F1 team committed to name despite end of title sponsor deal (AUTOSPORT.com)
I kinda wonder at the effectiveness of the system. It seems unlikely to me that it could really cause the wing to fully stall. Get closer to stalling perhaps, but I just think that the air that's moved forward wouldn't have the speed or pressure needed to work correctly. Of course, I'm not a physicist nor an aerodynamic engineer.
It also only works in the DRS activation zone during a race -- and even then only if DRS is enabled -- so it's been much more helpful to them in quali when they can use the DRS as much and often as they like.
Just because it changes direction doesn't mean that it loses any of it's force. The tubes are simply acting as a duct and there is no relation of the air speed inside the duct to the direction the car is going. But I agree, doesn't seem to be a whole lot of air there.
A lot, or a little, these guys scramble for every little advantage. If you recall the dorsal fins of the few years back: nobody was quite sure if they offered any advantage, but once one team went to them (Williams I believe), the rest followed for fear of being left behind.