2009 Formula 1 Pre-Season Thread

Plus the engines will be leveled over the winter...
Allegedly.

Colin Kolles and Mike Gascoyne have parted company with Force India in a major management reshuffle that has taken place ahead of an announcement about their future technical plans early next week.
He was the team's greatest asset.

One shipment of premium-quality fail is on its way, first class, to a Dr. V. Mallaya, somewhere in India.
 
In short the grid is going to be far more spaced out at the start of 2009, but who will be where and how quickly the laggards catch up is hard to tell!

You're right, it's difficult to tell. You can't always look to the big teams to lead the way, look at Ferrari in 2005 with the rule changes. Ferrari with their huge budget wouldn't have won a race that year if it wasn't for the Indy fiasco. Renault, with their comparatively small budget was the class of the field, and Alonso took them to back to back titles.
 
I wonder what Gascoyne will do next. 5 years ago he was at Renault, then went to Toyota, then to Spyker which became Force India. His F1 career seems to go quite downhill...
 
He's gonna go and run a scuba diving school.



At least, that's what Rory Byrne wanted to do after leaving Benetton and before being called to join Ferrari. Gazza should follow that example but go all the way with it.
 
I wonder what Gascoyne will do next. 5 years ago he was at Renault, then went to Toyota, then to Spyker which became Force India. His F1 career seems to go quite downhill...

Safety car?:p
 
The BBC was considering hiring Eddie Jordan for a team boss-oriented view of F1.

People at the Beeb, if you're reading, Gascoyne could be just as good or even better in that role.
 
Seems formula1.com has got it's facts slightly twisted... Either that or they are allowing Force India to use V10's next year... BTW - Force India announced they will be in partnership with McMerc next year...

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8667.html

Force India will use Mercedes-Benz engines and McLaren gearboxes from next season following the confirmation of a new technical partnership. It comes after last week?s news that Ferrari had agreed to end their engine supply deal with the team a year early.

Force India?s 2009 car, the VJM02, will run engines supplied by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, the first time Mercedes has supplied a chassis constructor other than McLaren.

Its V10 will be mated to McLaren Racing gearboxes and hydraulic systems supplied by McLaren Applied Technologies, who will also provide Force India with operational support and a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) currently being developed by McLaren and Mercedes. Additionally, Force India will have access to the McLaren Group's network of bespoke suppliers.
 
Yeah, noticed that too...they just made a mistake...
 
Seems formula1.com has got it's facts slightly twisted... Either that or they are allowing Force India to use V10's next year... BTW - Force India announced they will be in partnership with McMerc next year...

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/11/8667.html

Force India will use Mercedes-Benz engines and McLaren gearboxes from next season following the confirmation of a new technical partnership. It comes after last week?s news that Ferrari had agreed to end their engine supply deal with the team a year early.

Force India?s 2009 car, the VJM02, will run engines supplied by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, the first time Mercedes has supplied a chassis constructor other than McLaren.

Its V10 will be mated to McLaren Racing gearboxes and hydraulic systems supplied by McLaren Applied Technologies, who will also provide Force India with operational support and a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) currently being developed by McLaren and Mercedes. Additionally, Force India will have access to the McLaren Group's network of bespoke suppliers.

Are they allowed to share the gearbox, hydraulics and KERS. I thought it was only the engine.
 
Montezemolo critical of KERS
12 November 2008

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has spoken out against the introduction of the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) in F1 next season. The Italian says the systems are too expensive and he doesn't believe they'll be very useful at all for improving road cars.

"The future looks very complicated with these new regulations," di Montezemolo told Autosprint. "We feel introducing KERS this year was already a mistake, even though we're supportive of F1 being a technology proving ground. However, the energy recovery systems for our race cars will be very different from road car systems."

"The costs are very high," he added. "We've studied proposals with FOTA to meet the FIA's fair requests regarding spending cuts and the engine costs should be halved next year compared with 2008."

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/11/12/montezemolo-critical-of-kers/

That ususally translates into something along the lines of "How the f*** do you get this shit to work?" ;)
 
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/11/12/montezemolo-critical-of-kers/

That ususally translates into something along the lines of "How the f*** do you get this shit to work?" ;)

He has a point. It is the newest most pointless feature being introduced to F1 cars. I mean the system is only allowed to give you at most 30 hp? at the cost of extra weight, why? Is 30 hp really going to make that significant of a difference in a car that has 800+ hp?

LOL I'm willing to bet that Ferrari will be clever enough to come up with a way that the car will appear to have KERS but it won't even work... :lol:
 
30bhp will mean about 5kph extra straight line speed.

And with long straights, that might be crucial to get alongside and steal the inside of the corner.
 
Williams reveal 2009 wing package

By Matt Beer Wednesday, November 12th 2008, 17:24 GMT

Jonathan Kennard tests the 2009-style Williams wings at KembleWilliams have become the first team to reveal what the 2009-specification front wings will look like after Jonathan Kennard shook down an FW30 chassis fitted with the new-style front and rear wings at the Kemble airfield today.

The team had previously trialled a 2009-style rear wing at Barcelona in September, but today's run was the first time that the revised front wing had been displayed. Most teams are expected to try parts modified for the 2009 regulations in next week's Barcelona sessions.

Under next year's radically different aerodynamic rules, the wings have been simplified with most of the current additional protrusions removed. The front wing is lower and wider, and drivers will be able to make a limited number of wing angle adjustments from the cockpit. The rear wing has been made narrower and taller.

The aim is to improve the quality of the racing by allowing drivers to follow each other more closely in fast corners.

The definitive versions of the 2009 cars will also have different diffusers, slick tyres and kinetic energy recovery systems, and will no longer feature extra aerodynamic devices on the central bodywork.

Kennard's straightline test today was the former Formula 3 front-runner's first run in a Formula One car, and he expressed his gratitude to the team afterwards.

"It has been a good day today and great to be able to drive the new-spec Formula One car for the first time," he said.

"I would like to extend my thanks to Sir Frank (Williams) and the team for the opportunity. I enjoyed working through the test programme and assisting the team with their preparations for the 2009 season."


And the image... (this is the highest-res photo so far: )

1226510785.jpg
 
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Isn't it 80bhp? I read somewhere it was...

Anyway, it is quite stupid I must agree, but it is the way it is and it could become a performance differentiator...

EDIT:

That is distgusting:

1226510785.jpg
 
We all say it looks horrible, and it's a shame for F1, but by the time the Australian GP reaches its 2nd lap, we'll find that we've got used to it and we don't care how ugly it looks. <_<
 
i don't think its so bad..:blink:? whats wrong with it, its not like some of those crazy one viki posts from the begone era's. Or the bunny ears and elephant tusk things..

are those sidepod winglets that funnel air away from the rear tires going to be there in 2009? I was under the impression no extra aero was allowed next season?
 
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