Official Discussion Thread of the 2009 Formula 1 Season

Brawn calls for test ban exemption
Friday, 07 August 2009 00:00

Ross Brawn has called for Formula 1's in-season testing ban to be relaxed in order to give young drivers some meaningful mileage before they embark on their first grands prix.

Nineteen-year-old Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari became the youngest competitor in the sport?s history when he made his debut for Toro Rosso at last month?s Hungarian GP, and went into the race weekend having never previously driven an F1 car around a circuit.

His case, and the fact that Michael Schumacher is being denied the opportunity to test Ferrari?s 2009 car ahead of his planned F1 return in Valencia, have prompted suggestions that the current blanket ban is too all-encompassing.

Brawn believes the rules need to be modified to allow rookies to get comfortable with F1 machinery ahead of their debuts if they have had no prior testing.

?I think we always need to always take into account the complex nature of Formula 1,? said the team boss in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

?We need to do it in a way that the driver ? and I?m referring in particular to beginners ? has the chance to test the car before the race weekend, so that he can drive it with the necessary comfort."

Although Alguersuari delivered a thoroughly competent performance which belied the lurid headlines about his inexperience posing a danger to fellow drivers, Brawn argues that such outcomes cannot be relied upon when rookies are thrown in at the deep end.

?Alguersuari did an excellent job in Hungary, but we shouldn?t have to hope that it always turns out that way,? he said.

?There are problems related to safety which we need to discuss and I?m sure we?ll find an answer.?

While there have been plenty of examples of inexperienced but talented young drivers adapting successfully to F1, the likes of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa at least had the benefit of a winter?s testing, and Sebastian Vettel had seven outings on grand prix Fridays as BMW?s third driver before making his race debut at Indianapolis in 2007.
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50mil a year?! That's a freaking ton of money... Probably from the profits gained from mining...

And I do support the testing. If they want it to be a comination of the pre-2009 testing and now, maybe it should just apply to drivers who have less than 1 year with the team.
 
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Ask the Expert - Ferrari?s Kimi Raikkonen

What record did Finnish ice hockey team the Espoo Blues set during the 2007/2008 season? How many Grands Prix did James Hunt win during his Formula One career? How many times has Kaj Lindstrom competed in Rally Finland? And when did snowboarding become an Olympic sport?

These are just some of the questions we thought Ferrari?s Kimi Raikkonen would take in his stride after he agreed to be the latest participant in our personal trivia test, ?Ask the Expert?...

Q: Just after you started in Formula One racing, which of your fellow drivers was quoted as saying ?I am not afraid of Kimi, but he is definitely one of the strongest rivals I have come up against??
Kimi Raikkonen: Michael.
Correct - it was indeed Raikkonen?s predecessor at Ferrari, Michael Schumacher.

Q: You were born in 1979. Which driver and which team took the F1 title that year?
KR: Hunt?
Incorrect - it was Jody Scheckter and Ferrari.

Q: How many races did Marcus Ericsson win for your Raikkonen Robertson Formula Three team this year?
KR: He clinched two wins.
Correct

Q: You won the Formula Renault series in 2000. Can you remember by how many points?
KR: 56.
Correct - Raikkonen scored 316 to Ryan Daziel?s 260.

Q: You?re a fan of Finnish ice hockey team, the Espoo Blues. During the 07/08 season they set a new team record. What was it?
KR: 12 wins in a row.
Correct

Q: On your Formula One debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, you crossed the line seventh but were classified sixth. Why?
KR: Wasn?t it Panis who got a time penalty?
Correct - following the race, BAR?s Olivier Panis was handed a 25-second time penalty for a yellow flag infringement.

Q: Why was the 2003 European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring so special for you?
KR: My first pole position.
Correct

Q: How many world rally championship events has Marcus Gronholm won?
KR: 25?
Incorrect - it?s actually 30.

Q: If the newspapers are to be believed, who is the only other sportsman to top your earnings?
KR: Tiger Woods.
Correct

Q: You made your World Rally Championship debut recently at Rally Finland. Who won the rally last year?
KR: Loeb
Correct - it was Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena.

Q: In 1998 another Raikkonen made headlines in Finland. What for?
KR: I think his first name was Ville. But no idea what he did.
Call us generous but we think that deserves half a point - Ville Raikkonen won a bronze medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics for the sprint event in the Biathlon.

Q: You drove Rally Finland alongside Tommi Makinen's former co-driver Kaj Lindstrom. How many times had Lindstrom previously competed in Rally Finland?
KR: Ten times?
Correct

Q: In 2008 Finland?s postal service celebrated your world championship by issuing a special sheet of stamps. They were released as part of a series to commemorate the postal service?s birthday, but which birthday?
KR: I don?t know.
Incorrect - it was the service?s 370th birthday.

Q: One of your favourite charities is SOS Children?s Village Finland. In which district did the charity set up its first village back in 1965?
KR: In Tapiola.
Correct

Q: You?re a firm fan of Walz Hardcore motorcycles. How long did it take to build your bespoke Iceman II bike?
KR: I think nobody has the right answer for that. I guess that normally it takes one year, but I got mine in 10 months.
Correct

Q: You have been known to use the pseudonym ?James Hunt? when entering non-F1 events. How many Grands Prix did Hunt win during his F1 career?
KR: Ten.
Correct

Q: You are one of eight Finns to have competed in Formula One racing. How many of the other seven can you name?
KR: Heikki, both Mikas, Keke, JJ, Kinnunen. One is missing, right. I have no idea who that was.
Correct on six counts - it was indeed Mika Hakkinen, Leo Kinnunen, Heikki Kovalainen, JJ Lehto, Keke Rosberg and Mika Salo. The driver Raikkonen couldn?t remember was Mikko Kozarowitzky.

Q: You are a keen snowboarder. When did snowboarding become an Olympic sport?
KR: 1998.
Correct

Q: Only one other Finn has raced for Ferrari - Mika Salo. What was his best result for the team?
KR: Second in Hockenheim in ?99.
Correct - at the German Grand Prix, deputising for Michael Schumacher.

Q: You have set the fastest race lap an amazing 35 times during your F1 career. Only two men have bettered that total. Can you name them?
KR: Michael and Prost.
Correct - Michael Schumacher (76) and Alain Prost (41).

Final score: 22.5 points from a possible 28
Ask the Expert rating: 80%

Current leader board:
1. Heikki Kovalainen - 86%
2. Mark Webber - 84%
3= Lewis Hamilton - 80%
3= Kimi Raikkonen - 80%
5. Kazuki Nakajima - 73%
6. Sebastien Buemi - 72%
7. Robert Kubica - 70%
8. Jenson Button - 69%
9. Giancarlo Fisichella - 68%
10. Nico Rosberg - 66%
11= Sebastian Vettel - 64%
11= Rubens Barrichello - 64%
13= Jarno Trulli - 58%
13= Timo Glock - 58%
15. Nick Heidfeld - 57%
16. Adrian Sutil - 54%

More drivers coming soon.
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Tied with Lewis... :think:
 
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Foiled again!

I wondered why I couldn't see it around. Didn't realise it was that old.
 
You're right, it is strange. How the hell does a golfer earn more than those poor, underpaid F1 drivers?
 
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090811112214.shtml

Ferrari is set to announce its multiple-year sponsorship agreement with the Spanish bank Santander next month, according to the sports newspaper Marca.

The deal has been one of F1's worst-kept secrets for more than a year but will finally be confirmed officially ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

It had been rumoured that Fernando Alonso, despite being under contract with Renault until the end of the 2010 season, might also be unveiled as a Ferrari driver for next year at Monza. However Marca believes that this announcement may now be scheduled for the end of the season at the earliest.

Banco Santander, whose chief Emilio Botin openly admires the talents of countryman Alonso, currently advertises primarily on the rearward-facing elements of McLaren's rear wing. Alonso is backed by the Santander subsidiary Universia.
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What is this Santander? They're doing pretty well in this global economic 'crisis'.
 
If you don't speak Portuguese, this is quite funny :p

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUhu529ZSDU[/YOUTUBE]
 
So I've finished watching the 2005 season and noticed how the drivers complain about the lack of ability to follow a car because of the front wing being so inefficient. Then I see on another forum I visit that they think taking away the low front wings and using last years front wing will help... I think that people really need to shut up about how terrible these front wings are.
 
Well, I think none of these aero tweaks will do anything, because dirty air is dirty air. If you want easy overtaking, you need to ban wings. And nobody wants that.
 
What F1 needs for overtaking is big engines and minimal aero devices. So just stick a V10 in this years cars and we should be in for good racing.
 
Topgearfanatic said:
What F1 needs for overtaking is big engines and minimal aero devices. So just stick a V10 in this years cars and we should be in for good racing.
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Except this years cars produce 90% of the downforce they had last year. So all you've done is put a big engine in the car.
 
Button's Bugatti Veyron up for sale

12 August 2009

A third-hand Bugatti Veyron, currently owned by championship leader Jenson Button, has been put up for sale in Auto Trader magazine. The 'hyper car', which reaches top speeds of 253mph (407kph), yields an incredible 987 brake horse power and is on offer for the discounted price of just under ?900,000?

Translating to ?1.04m or US$1.47m, the all-black Volkswagen-made vehicle has racked up little more than 1,500 miles so far with its horsepower output being approximately 200 more than the Brawn GP-Mercedes BGP001 which Button drives on the race track.

The car is up for sale at Steve Hurn Specialist Cars in Suffolk's Stowmarket and is therefore no longer part of the Englishman's collection, which includes a Brawn-owned Mercedes C63 and Ferrari Enzo amongst others such as a city run-around Smart.


Interested in purchasing the Veyron? Details on the car can be found here
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Is Button going to sponsor Brawn next year? :p
 
I didn't know that Button has a Veyron...

@vikirad Yeah, the guy used to do nothing else than pound around Fiorano in the early 2000s...
 
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