Formula 1 - 2009 Season

[Bludd]

On a side note. It was 15 years ago today that Ayrton Senna died whilst driving his Williams.

Long live Ayrton!

Joe Saward on Senna

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/fifteen-years-ago-2/

 

[Bludd]

I'm reading the 2010 technical regulations showing alterations (in pink)

http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-publi...-2010 F1 TECHNICAL REGULATIONS 30-04-2009.pdf

The engines will be 2400 cc naturally aspirated V8s, it's just that the cost-regulated teams will not be limited to 18000 RPM.

There's KERS changes too for the cost-regulated teams: unlimited power in and 120 kW out, compared to 60 kW in and out for the spending teams, maximum 800 kJ expended per lap compared to 400 kJ.

KERS may not be operated at speeds over 300 km/h.

What about these two:

Article 9.1 no transmission system may permit more than two wheels to be driven. This article does not apply to cost-regulated teams.
Article 9.9.1 The KERS must connect at any point in the rear wheel drivetrain before the differential. The restriction to only the rear wheel drivetrain will not apply to Cost-Regulated Teams.

4WD F1, anyone?

 

[Bludd]

Now for the sporting regulations

http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-publi...1-2010 F1 SPORTING REGULATIONS 30-04-2009.pdf

The penalty dropped a driver a fixed number of positions in the next race has been changed to "any number of positions".

Unlimited testing, no limits to size of model in wind tunnel and speeds higher than 50 m/s are allowed for the cost-regulated teams.

The weight publishing regulation is gone, since there won't be any refuelling in the race.

The cost-regulated teams have no limit on amount of engines used in a season, engines don't have to last a number of events and the same with transmissions.

For 26 cars: lose 8 cars in Q1, 8 further cars in Q2 and the last 10 will do the Q3 shoot-out
For 24 cars: lose 7 etc
For 22 cars: lose 6 etc

New is also that if the race is red-flagged, the elapsed time in which the race remains suspended will be added to the maximum two-hour limit. This must mean that if the race is suspended for half an hour, it will still run out all the laps provided it does so within 2h30m from when the race started?

 

[Rurouni]

If a team choose to use a new engine for every race, then all that engine must be included in the budget cap or not? how about the unlimited testing? Is it unlimited in a sense that the limit is only within the budget cap?

I predict that lots of team that initially try to get within the budget cap but eventually exceeds it when moving into the later races. And once you broke the budget cap, that means that your broke it for the rest of the races... It's really not a problem if all the team choose the budget cap route, but if it going to be mixed, then it could potentially bring lots of problem.

Btw, I don't have any patience reading the PDF that Bludd posted... so if this stuff have been explained in those PDF, would anyone care to enlighten me...

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

4WD F1, anyone?

Lotus did that, didnt really work. Though that was long ago. Still I dont think we will see a return of 4wd. Lots of extra weight in a place where you are already working with very delicate margins. Besides that, I doubt that on modern cars you can actually get the drive train all the way up to the front wheels. The tank would be in the way, KERS would be in the way, and with the high nose cars you cant even run the drive train in the bodywork.

As far as the cap goes, I dont think it is going to work. It either has to be everyone or no one. Besides that your just waiting for something like a team first entering unbudgetted and using all their money to develop the rule free budget cap car for next year and than just run that to happen.

 

[V3]

There's KERS changes too for the cost-regulated teams: unlimited power in and 120 kW out, compared to 60 kW in and out for the spending teams, maximum 800 kJ expended per lap compared to 400 kJ.

What is it currently ?

 

[V3]

If a team choose to use a new engine for every race, then all that engine must be included in the budget cap or not? how about the unlimited testing? Is it unlimited in a sense that the limit is only within the budget cap?

I predict that lots of team that initially try to get within the budget cap but eventually exceeds it when moving into the later races. And once you broke the budget cap, that means that your broke it for the rest of the races... It's really not a problem if all the team choose the budget cap route, but if it going to be mixed, then it could potentially bring lots of problem.

Btw, I don't have any patience reading the PDF that Bludd posted... so if this stuff have been explained in those PDF, would anyone care to enlighten me...

I think Bludd mentioned that engine are excluded from the budget cap, at least for 2010.

I don't quite understand this budget cap. So if a team stays within budget for several races, then they ran out of money. then what ?

 

[Bludd]

Btw, I don't have any patience reading the PDF that Bludd posted... so if this stuff have been explained in those PDF, would anyone care to enlighten me...

I didn't read them completely either, I just looked for changes. They are in pink, just scroll and stop and read everything in pink.

Lotus did that, didnt really work. Though that was long ago. Still I dont think we will see a return of 4wd. Lots of extra weight in a place where you are already working with very delicate margins. Besides that, I doubt that on modern cars you can actually get the drive train all the way up to the front wheels. The tank would be in the way, KERS would be in the way, and with the high nose cars you cant even run the drive train in the bodywork.

You could put small electric motors at the front, or something. I just think it's interesting that they've opened the regs on this. You have £40 million and spend it on developing a new 4WD system and then go racing on the marketing budget. Hah

What is it currently ?

Max 60 kW in or out, 400 kJ per lap.

 

[Mendel]

I don't quite understand this budget cap. So if a team stays within budget for several races, then they ran out of money. then what ?

I don't think there's any official word on that but there are many possible ways you could punish for this.

For example, add 1kg to minimum weight of the cars of the infringing team for every 1 million they went out of budget. Keep this extra ballast for next season

or

If the budget was broken very late in the previous season...
Reduce 1% of points from every race of the season for every 1 million that the team went out of budget.


Just my $0.02

 

[Mendel]

I'm not sure if there's been any talk about how the KERS teams use their KERS during qualifying.

Basically, if I'm not mistaken, the KERS could be used suchly that it brings double benefit for one lap...

Just use all of the KERS of the slow lap before the fast lap in the beginning of the starting straight before the fast lap begins, that way you get higher starting speed for the lap and that should be beneficial in making a good lap. Also you would still have the full KERS charge for the remainder of the lap because it resets at the starting line which is usually after the acceleration part of the main straight where you use the KERS.

 

[infinity4]

http://www.onestopstrategy.com/dail...-FIA+revives+'winner+takes+all'+for+2010.html

Medal scoring system confirmed.

Can anyone explain to me what people say by two tiered championship? is this like two divisions of separate races?

 

[Bludd]

http://www.onestopstrategy.com/dailyf1news/nieuw/article/7560-FIA+revives+%27winner+takes+all%27+for+2010.html

Medal scoring system confirmed.

Sporting regs still say driver's title will be awarded for most amount of wins and ties will be solved with point count. No mention of medals.

http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-publi...1-2010 F1 SPORTING REGULATIONS 30-04-2009.pdf

This is not a surprise either. Mosley said they would defer it to 2010, they have and it's here. It's a little bit naughty to not highlight it in pink, but since they were part of the 2009 regulations until the teams protested due to the system being implemented late in 2008.

Can anyone explain to me what people say by two tiered championship? is this like two divisions of separate races?

No, they mean some of the cars run under the cost-cutting regulations while some don't. It's like Le Mans where you have the LMP cars running at the same time as the GT cars but where in Le Mans you have separate classes for the cars built to different regulations, in F1 there's only one result.

 

[chavvdarrr]

F1 is dying.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

F1 is dying.

Yep FIA is the antichrist. Imo the technological race is just as exciting as the racing on track and the halted engine development already ruins the sport and WTF is FIA trying to tell companies how much they can pay salaries... Those should definately be excluded from any caps. Having said that the races have been relatively interesting this season, but I still think that FIA and Bernie are worst mofos on the planet.

 

[Bludd]

To be honest, I think the endless refinement which simply costs money is not as exciting as more open regulations. I don't understand the implications of the bodywork changes in 2010, though.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Yeah. Though in some way I agree to a budget cap. F1 is different than lets say soccer. Nobody cares with soccer if a few teams are able to dominate because they have all the money. Besides that its always possible to for smaller teams to do a stunt once in a while because its all human. F1 is different. If you are slower you dont have a chance. Yes, if the others screw up but how often does that happen? So I can understand that they want to try and get everyone closer. But they are capping in the wrong place (well, ofcourse with the new rules not anymore, but what can you do for 40m?). Cap the aero shit, not the cool thing, the engines.

 

[Tahir2]

Been an exciting season thus far... the shakeup has been good. Imagine another season of McLaren and Ferrari domination.. it would have been quite boring and predictable.

However.. too much fiddling may indeed be the death of F1.

 

[RobertR1]

At some point they need to stop disturbing the sport. These yearly massive overhauls are getting somewhat ridiculous. They seem to be at a good balance now and can just do minor tweaks but why they insist on massive overhauls, I'll never understand.

 

[DJ12]

McLaren or Ferrari will still end up winning the Drivers and Constructors championship.

 

[Bludd]

Fernando Alonso and Renault beat them twice in a row. It is very much possible.