Shanghai is the next stop on the world circus, and yet with only two flyaway races left before the European leg begins, the entire F1 world is overshadowed by imminent decisions from the World Motorsport Council. First up is the diffuser row to be settled by the WMSC tomorrow. Brawn, Toyota and Williams are running a double decker diffuser design which meets the letter of the regulations, but they somewhat defy the intent. While the other teams charge that these diffusers are illegal, Max Mosely rendered his opinion on the…
Read MoreTag: Formula 1
The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back
This Formula 1 Season has seen a number of events that one could call extraordinary. Brawn GP and the little private teams taking it to the big factory funded giants. Some teams up to the same old dirty tactics and a young world champion on the verge of a mid life crisis ten years too early. Yet through all of this, a storm has been brewing in Maranello that few have really focused on and the relationship that brought title after title could finally be over. The world was not ready after 2006 to see…
Read MoreF1 – Malaysia Qualifying Results
The Malaysian Grand Prix weekend brings what many consider the real start to the F1 season, as Melbourne is a bit of an outlier because of the safety cars that it generates. However, with new street circuits at Valencia and Singapore, there seem to be less of these pure tracks left on the calendar. And now with the steward interactions of Australia behind us (maybe for Hamilton & McLaren) we can get on to the business of seeing the true pace of these 2009 specification cars. As with Melbourne, the…
Read MoreF1 – Vettel to Talk with Stewards Again
Sebastian Vettel has been summoned before the stewards at Malaysia. Christian Horner stated the following to Autosport: “Steward advisor Alan Donnelly has asked to have a chat with Sebastian to go through the rationale behind their penalty. I thought the penalty was harsh; we thought it was very much a racing incident – Sebastian was defending his line and the eventual decision depended on what was specifically discussed during the stewards’ hearing. I think Alan wanted to speak to Sebastian about that, to discuss the long and short of it.”…
Read MoreF1 – Hamilton Excluded from Melbourne
Lewis Hamilton was summoned before the race stewards at Malaysia where they have ruled that he and McLaren “acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the Stewards”. This after radio transmissions between the team and the driver were reviewed. Therefore, the stewards have excluded McLaren from the race results. Hamilton has been stripped of his retroactively applied 3rd place finish and Jarno Trulli will retroactively re-assume his 3rd step on the podium. Open Paddock would like to express our extreme…
Read MoreHamilton Summoned by Stewards
As the week goes on, we are given one reminder after another that the FIA prefers to rule F1 as a bloated parliamentary bureaucracy instead of as race directors. Flashback to the Australian GP during the last safety car period. Hamilton passed Jarno Trulli when his car went off course, despite a very respectable effort of starting from pitlane and bringing his car up to 3rd position. Hamilton passed him since he was off circuit, and then later slowed down so much that Jarno thought he was having problems, so…
Read MoreFrantic F1
What Went Wrong
The first round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship has come and gone. The hype is over and what was thought to be a dream has now settled into reality. Jenson Button and Brawn GP are for real and the top teams are left asking themselves what is next. They however should not be the only ones asking that question. The radical rule changes that were put in place for this year’s championship were seen every time a car flashed past the camera. The idea to radically change the…
Read MoreButton Wins, FIA Annoys
The 2009 Australian GP is in the books and the F1 world stands amazed at the efforts of Brawn GP. With Jenson taking the win and Rubens taking 2nd, the team has pulled out to an unexpected early lead in the constructors championship. And while some may contend that Australia isn’t the best test of their true pace, Jenson’s car was pulling away from the field at all stages of the race. Rubens had a bit more trouble though, “It was really tough for me at the start as the…
Read MoreBrawn Storm to Front Row
In what can be called one of the more shocking outcomes in F1, Brawn GP has definitively taken the front row in Melbourne. The Mercedes powered cars ran blistering laps all through practice and set the track alive during Qualifications. Jenson Button took his first pole since Australia in 2006 while teammate Barrichello finished second. Third place went to Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull Racing team. Third place is a splendid result after a terrible Friday practice. The Ferrari’s could only muster the bottom of the top ten and…
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