Formula 1 - 2009 Season

[Gerry]

Ferrari tried your suggestion for Australia, and it didn't work. They were kind of saved by the first safety car.

Well, I think the Ferrari strategy failed because they over-estimated how long they could stay out on the super-softs. I think they'd probably fueled for 15 laps but then found their super-softs degrading earlier than expected. I guess they were reluctant to compromise their fuel strategy and didn't bring their cars in early enough for a tyre change.

On the flipside, Williams failed by using the opposite strategy. Rosberg's third stint was a disaster as he destroyed his tyres setting the fastest lap late on.

 

[Bludd]

Well, I think the Ferrari strategy failed because they over-estimated how long they could stay out on the super-softs. I think they'd probably fueled for 15 laps but then found their super-softs degrading earlier than expected. I guess they were reluctant to compromise their fuel strategy and didn't bring their cars in early enough for a tyre change.

On the flipside, Williams failed by using the opposite strategy. Rosberg's third stint was a disaster as he destroyed his tyres setting the fastest lap late on.

Yeah, it's a compromise, but I think the set-up of the car is crucial.

Anyway, I can't wait for the racing to start. Less politics, more racing, that's the ticket!

 

[Kaotik]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74204

Barrichello got 5 place penalty for Malaysia from changing gearbox

 

[Gerry]

Yeah, it's a compromise, but I think the set-up of the car is crucial.

Anyway, I can't wait for the racing to start. Less politics, more racing, that's the ticket!

And indeed the way the car is driven. No doubt Rosberg should have conserved his tyres better - lost himself a podium position because of that.

I expect qualifying to be incredibly close again. Last week saw a ridiculously small margin of error. It should be interesting.

 

[catisfit]

Ferrari tried your suggestion for Australia, and it didn't work. They were kind of saved by the first safety car.

Well, I think the Ferrari strategy failed because they over-estimated how long they could stay out on the super-softs. I think they'd probably fueled for 15 laps but then found their super-softs degrading earlier than expected. I guess they were reluctant to compromise their fuel strategy and didn't bring their cars in early enough for a tyre change.

Kubica also did the same (and was fueled even lighter than the Ferraris in the first stint) and it worked out just fine for him (until lap 56 )

As for being reluctant to compromise their fuel strategy, they actually switched Massa to a three stop, but Nakajima's safety car well and truly ruined that. It was a hell of a gamble at Albert Part and it didn't pay off.

Raikkonen continued on his two stop strategy and was 5.4s behind Kubica and 10.1s ahead of Barrichello when Kubica and Raikkonen pitted for the last time on lap 39, so the strategy looked pretty good for 4th and maybe 3rd with Vettel's struggles (until Raikkonen spun into the wall).

It's swings and roundabouts; had Red Bull taken heed of the problems people were having on the super-softs at the start of the race, they wouldn't have left Vettel with 13 laps to run on those tyres at the end and he would have taken 2nd place comfortably. Three more laps of fuel at his first stop is all it would have required.

And indeed the way the car is driven. No doubt Rosberg should have conserved his tyres better - lost himself a podium position because of that.

Williams gave Rosberg 14 laps on the soft tyres, even worse than Vettel, and then told him to push so that they could pass Barrichello when he pitted. He set the fastest lap of the race and did indeed pass Barrichello, but 14 laps would have been a struggle taking it easy, let alone flat out. Another case of a team not altering their strategy based on events unfolding in the Grand Prix causing them to miss out at the end.

 

[chavvdarrr]

Bridgestone offers four compounds: super-soft, soft, medium and hard.

In previous years consecutive compounds have been used for the prime and the option tyres. Bridgestone was criticised for this because there usually was a tiny gap in performance between the prime and the option at a given GP. Thus Bridgestone have decided it will bring non-consecutive compounds this year. As you saw in Australia, the super-soft (option tyre) was significantly faster over a single lap than the medium (prime tyre), but it lost performance after 5 laps or so while the prime was more consistently fast. This is why Kubica was such a threat before the crash.

http://www.f1technical.net/news/11664

The drivers seem to think it's a good idea:
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090402191529_2.shtml

I like it too. PS: I updated my post after you quoted it, Gerry.

If teams must use not the best available tyres, but 2 diffrent, let theses be th2 2 best options.
Whats next? Intentionally braking a tyre in order to make it more interesting?
Or a rule that teams must race with intermedia on dry and slicks on rain?!

 

[pocketmoon66]

2nd practice:
11. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 0,808 30

Whats KERS worth per lap ? Hami ran without it for 2nd P.

 

[Bludd]

If teams must use not the best available tyres, but 2 diffrent, let theses be th2 2 best options.
Whats next? Intentionally braking a tyre in order to make it more interesting?
Or a rule that teams must race with intermedia on dry and slicks on rain?!

Read the link, Bridgestone are bringing one fast tyre that heats up quickly but isn't very durable, and one that heats up more slowly but is very consistent and durable.

Last year the difference between the prime and option wasn't great at all, this year it's much greater.

 

[Kaotik]

Whats KERS worth per lap ? Hami ran without it for 2nd P.

Depending on track etc, I remember seeing somewhere "optimum numbers" being around 0.3-0.5 sec, but usually lower

 

[Davros]

heres a question did alonso ever apoologise for cheating ?

Im quite disapointed with f1 journalists, when alonso was caught i dont remember a single one of them asking him the hard questions and it will no doubt be the same with hamilton, and witmarsh's statement they just accepted that

 

[Rurouni]

heres a question did alonso ever apoologise for cheating ?

Im quite disapointed with f1 journalists, when alonso was caught i dont remember a single one of them asking him the hard questions and it will no doubt be the same with hamilton, and witmarsh's statement they just accepted that

Which one? I don't recall any stupid lying incident besides Hamilton - Mclaren one back in Melbourne...

I do spot some driver actually do some unsporting behavior, but usually they try to not violate the rule, just push or bend it a litte.

I never much a fan of Alonso though... (or Hamilton...)... I like Button the best, so for the past years I have lost a bit of enthusiasm watching F1. At every race I always hope Honda would work miracles and suddenly make the car competitive

 

[Bludd]

heres a question did alonso ever apoologise for cheating ?

Im quite disapointed with f1 journalists, when alonso was caught i dont remember a single one of them asking him the hard questions and it will no doubt be the same with hamilton, and witmarsh's statement they just accepted that

What incident are you talking about? The Hungary incident in 2007? Please elaborate.

Anyway, the qualifying was good. Massa and Ferrari missing out and starting in P16, overconfident not going out again on new tyres.

Button vs. Trulli, Trulli is spectacular over a single lap but he can fall asleep in the race, we'll see what happens. Toyota needs to get a win, they've been in F1 so long now without a win.

If it rains tomorrow, the race may be stopped.

 

[Bludd]

This is an interesting piece on the strained relationship between Lewis Hamilton and McLaren.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6037246.ece

also here's an opinion piece by Martin Brundle
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6036074.ece

Ed Gorman discusses Martin Whitmarsh in his blog
http://timesonline.typepad.com/formula_one/2009/04/a-very-awkward-question-for-martin-whitmarsh.html

 

[Rurouni]

Congrats for JB and the Brawn GP team... the car looks good on wet track...
Ferrari once again have made a stupid call by putting wet tires on a dry track...

 

[Davros]

@bludd the alonso cheating at mclaren incident

I would love a journalist to say to alonso "Being a known cheater whats your opinion on lewis lying to the stewards"

 

[Kaotik]

Congrats for JB and the Brawn GP team... the car looks good on wet track...
Ferrari once again have made a stupid call by putting wet tires on a dry track...

It was a gamble and they lost it, but had it succeeded Kimi would have ended probably first
It was raining just a bit when he entered the pits, usually in Malaysia the rain comes really quick and heavy when it starts, so they gambled it would do it this time too, but it didn't, not fast enough anyway

 

[Kaotik]

Brawn might be in trouble for more than just the controversial diffusor
Ferrari had to modify their exhaust pipes due other teams complaining on them being illegal (came out ~15cm from the hull), while the rules say they need to be covered properly by the hull.
Brawn, according to photo by spanish magazine Marca says, used exhaust pipes that came out about 10cm from the hull in Australian GP, but they had modified them in Malaysia to be legal for sure.
If this thing goes to marshals, it might mean disqualifying Brawns from Australian GP results

edit: (the picture has last years tires, so this might be false news, just reporting what was posted on f1 news site in finland)

edit2: systran translation of the marca website image text:
This image corresponds to the re-fuelling simulation that realized the mechanics of Brawn Saturday 28 of March in Melbourne. Brawn mounted old woman tires of the last season, for that reason they are bordered, not to wear away the new ones of this season, a habitual practice that in the morning do all the escuderías during Saturday before the session of qualification.

edit3:
comparison shot from malaysia:

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Doubt it will a problem as I'm sure this is pretty hard to miss for the stewards. Plus the whole Ferrari thing was blown up as Ferrari up front already stated they would be using some 2008 parts but the some apes on the interwebz cant seem to read and made a whole deal out of it.

 

[infinity4]

I don't understand the thing with hamilton. Did trulli went off the track 'during' safety car period? If so LH shouldn't be allowed to get third!

 

[Kaotik]

I don't understand the thing with hamilton. Did trulli went off the track 'during' safety car period? If so LH shouldn't be allowed to get third!

Yes, Hamilton was allowed to go past him and third.
The problems came when Hamilton slowed down and let Trulli back in front of him, and then lied about it (said he didn't slow down to let him pass) to stewards

If he would have just stayed in front of Trulli and not slowed down, everything would have been fine.