2008 Formula 1 Season Thread

The shark fin is really taking off...
 
It's a bit late reply, I know, but for the fuel issue above...

It isn't about reducing the total amount of fuel used in F1 which, as mentioned, is reasonably tiny. Hell, hauling the Macca motorhome to a race propably takes very nearly as much fuel than the team's two cars burn during a gp weekend, if not more. The aim for the reduction in fuel consumption and increase in efficiency is there so that the development done in F1 has more relation to road car development. On that regard I think the direction is exactly right, and it's a direction which will give the manufacturers more for their money and hence give them incentive to stay.

I'm more worried about the cost reduction and easing overtaking moves. Both are good goals in theory, but FIA has a tendency to cock things like those up and the likelyhood of the teams coming up with a good solution to those is about as high as the rate FIA makes good decisions.
 
I love it...makes it look even more aggressive...and to me I dont give a damn how it looks, if it makes the car go faster it's all good...

It seems to be working:

Unofficial Tuesday times from Hockenheim:
1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:15.483
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:15.803
3. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:16.099
4. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:16.516
5. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:16.522
6. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:16.570
7. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:16.593
8. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 1:16.856
9. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:17.361
10. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:17.825
 
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Donington outlines planned changes

Thursday, 10 July 2008 17:34

Donington Park CEO Simon Gillett has outlined how the circuit plans to transform itself into the new home of the British Grand Prix from 2010 ? a challenge he insists it will meet.

As the dust settles following last week?s shock announcement that the British round of the championship will switch from its traditional home at Silverstone to Donington in two years? time, attention has now turned to how the Leicestershire track will carry out its promised ?100 million revamp.

Joint CEO Gillett had already acknowledged that the 2.5-mile circuit would have to be altered to accommodate F1 cars, while also vowing to retain its iconic sections such as the Craner Curves.

Gillett has now revealed that the changes include the creation of a half-mile infield loop linking the Melbourne hairpin with the current start/finish straight to extend the lap.

?Off the Melbourne loop, instead of going around Goddards corner and 180 degrees onto the start/finish straight, you?ll go straight on and do a half-mile loop before going back onto the start/finish straight,? he told Autosportmagazine.

The magazine reports that the track changes, which will be overseen by F1?s resident designer Hermann Tilke, could also include the bypassing of the chicane at the end of the back straight to create a longer run to the tight Melbourne hairpin.

In addition, the pit and paddock complex ? which in its present guise is too small to house modern-day F1 teams, trucks and equipment ? would be moved and a new complex built on the inside of the back straight.

Another hurdle that will need to be cleared before the parkland circuit is ready to host the 2010 event is access to the venue, with just a single-lane road connecting it to the M1 motorway and the yearly MotoGP event already beset by heavy traffic jams.

And while a Silverstone-style bypass has been mooted, Gillett says extensive park and ride schemes will be in operation to manage the traffic flow.

?We have acquired the right to a lot of new sites as well within walking distance, which means we don?t bring everyone into the Park,? he said.

?There?s going to be a lot of park-and-ride and park-and-walk so were not bringing them all into one place.?

While the proposals have yet to reach the planning officers at the local council, Gillett has said the track?s master plan will be unveiled soon and that work will start on the upgrades in the autumn.

?We close the circuit [every year] from October to March expect for testing, and we?re going to be doing the same this year,? he told the magazine.

?During that period we?re going to be doing all the works that need to be done to the track to bring us up to FIA standard.?

However uncertainly remains over how the ambitious project will be financed.

The circuit initially said in a statement last week that the funding would be led by a private investor, before Gillett suggested to ITV Sport over the British GP weekend that it would come from a debenture scheme, or long-term bond.

Gillet, though, insists that the transformation of Donington will come off as promised.

?You don?t enter a contract with Bernie Ecclestone without thinking about it long and hard,? he said.

?We are ready.?
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Source

I can't say that I am filled with confidence that it will be ready in time.
 
I hope they keep the final corner for the bikes though... It's great to see them try to maneuver their way around it.. Especially when it's wet!!
 
Devon said:
I can't say that I am filled with confidence that it will be ready in time.
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Likewise - that's a lot of work to get done in a short time. And I'm guessing if it's not ready Bernie gets to achieve his goal of yanking the British GP off the calendar.
 
Devon said:
Source

I can't say that I am filled with confidence that it will be ready in time.
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They started building the Hungaroring in October in 1985 and the first Hungarian Grand Prix took place in August in 1986.
So Donington can be ready for 2010...
 
*waits patiently for a GP to come to the East Coast. somewhere. anywhere.*
 
Joc? said:
They started building the Hungaroring in October in 1985 and the first Hungarian Grand Prix took place in August in 1986.
So Donington can be ready for 2010...
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Yeah but this is Britain, not some civilised country - something will go wrong, my bet is the building company will go bust, often happens.
 
And the requiremts for circuits in terms of safety are crazy compared to in the 80s
 
Also, it's one thing to build a new circuit entirely from the ground up, but a bit more complicated when you're having to make alterations which involve demolishing existing infrastructure in order to ensure the circuit meets all the requirements. Then, being Britain, all the OH & S criteria needs to be fulfilled making sure that everyone is wearing hi-vis jackets, and that bulldozers will only operate between the times of 10am and 2pm, lest it upsets someone in, oh I dont know...Cornwall. The little nest of mice tucked away in the corner of the grandstand must be safely relocated 200 km away and all builders must ensure to balance their workload with a four hour break for every hour of work done.
 
Long and closely-spaced breaks are the key to great success.

(which is what happens on construction sites everywhere in this world unless there's someone with a gun behind you...)
 
Briatore spotting in the Mediterranean

Briatore spotting in the Mediterranean

Playboy Flavio Briatore and his gigantic gut have recently been spotted in the Mediterranean on his honeymoon with his gold digging whore model "wife".

The man's 57 and she's 26. I find it funny when women claim that they're actually with a man because the "love" him. I'd like to see her be with him when he's making $15/h.

eg-honeymoon-01.jpg


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eg-honeymoon-08.jpg


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eg-honeymoon-05.jpg


Actual Article said:
Pictured here are Flavio Briatore and Elisabetta Gregoraci on their honeymoon in Tavolara, Sardinia.

You may know the 57-year-old Flavio Briatore as the managing director of the Renault Formula One team. A man who?s net worth is estimated at $150 million and a man who once had a fling with Heidi Klum.

You may know Elisa-what?s-her-name as a model who was born in 1980.
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/Had no idea where to post this. I didn't want to start a new thread seeing as how tame the F1 sub-forum is.
 
Flab, you are my idol.

Go you good thing.
 
It's unlikely they'll be using it for Hockenheim but I would expect it for Hungary. I don't know...I don't mind it on the McLaren, it looks almost right. It complements the angles and curves on the car. But then again, I am one of the only people on Earth who actually likes the MP4-10...thus my opinion is now worthless :p.
 
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