1381 replies to this topic

[Robert]

[Robert]

finally

Yeah it's good news but it seems a bit overly complicated don'.....nevermind this is F1 my bad.

[Skyliner]

Thanks for all the pics Yonson!

[Nacho]

you mean this one?? http://cgi.ebay.com/...1QQcmdZViewItem

i LOVE that helmet

Wait, weren't people bitching about being self-important when Lewis had the diamond helmet at Monaco?

[_R_]

Wait, weren't people bitching about being self-important when Lewis had the diamond helmet at Monaco?

Dunno why, McLaren drivers for the past couple years have had some sort of diamonds either on the car or the helmet... (didn't JPM bin it and loose some diamond on the nose cone?)
I guessing you're thinking it's when he asked for a matching ring or something from the sponsor that had given him a diamond studded watch or some other piece of jewelery...

[mads]

Dunno why, McLaren drivers for the past couple years have had some sort of diamonds either on the car or the helmet... (didn't JPM bin it and loose some diamond on the nose cone?)
I guessing you're thinking it's when he asked for a matching ring or something from the sponsor that had given him a diamond studded watch or some other piece of jewelery...

steinmetz(sp?) Is one of mclarens sponsors and they always do that kind of thing for Monaco, A few years ago they gave kimi and ice car, with a functioning diamond steerwheel for his car.

[kngrsll]

Wait, weren't people bitching about being self-important when Lewis had the diamond helmet at Monaco?

i have no idea... i just like the girls and the boat in the back. gemstones dont do much for me

[kngrsll]

Dunno why, McLaren drivers for the past couple years have had some sort of diamonds either on the car or the helmet... (didn't JPM bin it and loose some diamond on the nose cone?)
I guessing you're thinking it's when he asked for a matching ring or something from the sponsor that had given him a diamond studded watch or some other piece of jewelery...

that was for a movie, Oceans 11 or 12. It was on the nose cone of a Jaguar. I forget who was driving, Klein maybe?

quick search reveals: http://www.guardian....ormulaone.sport

[Nacho]

Dunno why, McLaren drivers for the past couple years have had some sort of diamonds either on the car or the helmet... (didn't JPM bin it and loose some diamond on the nose cone?)
I guessing you're thinking it's when he asked for a matching ring or something from the sponsor that had given him a diamond studded watch or some other piece of jewelery...

No, it was definitely the helmet.

I forgot if it was online, or one of my local lewis-hating friends.

[Nacho]

I predict Friday practice will be even more boring

Friday practice will no longer be exempt from F1's long-life engine rules, the FIA's Charlie Whiting has clarified.

The engine rules for 2009 have been tweaked, with the mandatory consecutive use of power plants dropped.

Instead, drivers will be limited to eight engines for the entire season and can use them 'as they like'.

In 2008 and previously, the two-race per engine rule did not apply to Fridays. "Now, for 17 races, the eight engines will have to do the three days of each Grand Prix," Whiting said.

"What the teams will do is to have a Friday engine that'll probably do the first four races or something of that nature. They'll then take the engine out and use another one for Saturday and Sunday," he said.


There has also been confusion as to whether, because of the existing 'parc ferme' rules, one engine could be used in qualifying and then exchanged with another for the race.

Whiting confirmed that penalties for engine changes will only occur in 2009 if a driver uses a 'ninth engine'.

[Robert]

I predict Friday practice will be even more boring

You've got to be kidding me. "ok, take her out for 35 laps but don't push it and don't use kers under any circumstances."
just keeps getting better.

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

Rome street race proposed for F1

By Michele Lostia and Matt Beer Wednesday, January 28th 2009, 13:43 GMT

Superbike World Championship promoter Maurizio Flammini is pushing for a Rome street race to be added to the Formula One calendar by 2011.

Flammini says he discussed the proposal with Bernie Ecclestone when they met at the Ferrari ski event earlier this month.

"Together we reflected on how much street circuit Grands Prix represent an interesting opportunity for the growth of F1, as it happened last year with Valencia and Singapore," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Being a Roman myself, I feel Rome can give a lot to and get a lot from F1."

He proposes that international investors would finance the project, and hopes it can come to fruition as soon as possible.

"Our hypothesis is to be ready for 2011, but we wouldn't mind for it to occur earlier than that," said Flammini.

"The Flammini Group can give absolute guarantees quality-wise, but we are yet to find the approval from the mayor and from the presidents of the region and of the province."

Rome's deputy mayor Mauro Cutrufo has given the plan a cautious welcome.

"It is a very interesting proposal and would be very useful for the city," he told Reuters.

not another parade venue..

[_R_]

not another parade venue..

Monaco... that's good enough...
Valencia was a borefest and Singapore looked pretty, but that was pretty much it... stop with the street tracks....

[_R_]

The opening test of Renault's 2009 car did not proceed as planned for the French team, according to Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell.

Although the Portimao test was badly marred by the weather last week, it is suggested that Renault struggled with the early performance of the new R29.

The aerodynamics of the unique-looking racer is apparently the culprit, and at the end of the only dry day in Portugal last week, Fernando Alonso was easily the slowest of the four new cars.

The Motorsport Aktuell claims are backed up by suggestions last week in the Spanish press, where Alonso was said to have complained bitterly about the car's low-speed handling.

The Spaniard did not make his concerns public, as he told the sports daily Marca: "The main thing is that there were no technical problems; the times are not important."

Marca said Alonso will only turn his attention to performance at the last two tests, beginning at Jerez, prior to the start of the season in Australia.

"Hopefully we can make some good progress with the performance of the car there," the 27-year-old driver said.

[yonson]

Monaco... that's good enough...
Valencia was a borefest and Singapore looked pretty, but that was pretty much it... stop with the street tracks....

[DrDickAction]

No, it was definitely the helmet.

I forgot if it was online, or one of my local lewis-hating friends.

must not have been online...I think most of us do a quick google before we really go off on a rant

[Redliner]

As far as helmets go, I love Kimi's designs:

[mads]

kimi, nick, and heikki probably have the coolest helmets

[Redliner]

Formula 1’s governing body has published an analysis of how Bernie Ecclestone’s proposed medal system would have changed the outcome of past world championships.
For months Ecclestone has been pressing for the present points structure to be scrapped in favour of awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three finishers in each race, with the world championship going to the driver with the most golds.
The sport’s commercial boss believes the current system offers too little reward for winning and needs to be overhauled to incentivise risk-taking and overtaking instead of ‘percentage’ driving for points.

However, Ecclestone’s alternative has met considerable resistance – much to his frustration – and the FIA has said it will need to test the idea’s popularity with fans before changing the status quo.
The analysis it published on Friday shows that a medal system would have resulted in a different world champion in 13 of 59 years, while the top three would have been altered on 37 occasions. Three ‘new’ drivers would have been champions were the medal system to be applied retrospectively: Stirling Moss in 1958, Didier Pironi in 1982 and Felipe Massa last year.

Two of the main gainers would be Jim Clark, who would have won four titles instead of two by virtue of winning the most races in 1964 and 1967; and Nigel Mansell, who would have added the 1986 and 1987 titles to his 1992 triumph. Alain Prost would join Juan Manuel Fangio as a five-time champion, but through a quite different route to the four he actually claimed: he would lose his 1986 and 1989 crowns but gain the 1981, 1983 and 1984 titles.

Ayrton Senna would have beaten Prost to the ’89 title, giving him four consecutive titles in 1988-91.
The biggest loser would be Nelson Piquet, who would have been stripped of all three of his world championships.
Niki Lauda would see his tally reduced from three to one, although had a medal system been in operation in 1977 he would almost certainly not have walked away from Ferrari before the end of the season.
The overall effect would be to reduce the number of world champions, concentrating the titles in a smaller group but rewarding the truly dominant drivers of their era.

The FIA study found that the medal system would, by and large, have had little impact on the duration of world championship battles.
In 14 of the 59 years the title would have been sewn up earlier – notably in 1996 and 2004 (when Michael Schumacher would have been crowned champion after just 11 of 18 races) – while eight title battles would have lasted longer and 37 would have been unaffected.
Overall there would have been one extra final race title showdown – with five lost (1955, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000) but six gained (1977, 1979, 1980, 1990, 1991, 2005).
The FIA analysis notes that the Brabham team would have lost the titles it won with Piquet under Ecclestone’s ownership.

If they change the system, do they not realize that they would undermine the entire F1 World Championship for the past 50+ years? Fans will then question, "well which was truly the best driver during that era?"

And why're they trying to push for a single dominant driver of the era? Wasn't the last points change a direct challenge to Schumacher's string of WDCs?

Bernie needs to just stop mucking w/ the rules Atleast I'm entertained by the fact that Piquet would've lost all 3 WDCs

[kngrsll]

i was curious how that would have effected the outcomes... not sure how i feel about it though.

[DrDickAction]

Atleast I'm entertained by the fact that Piquet would've lost all 3 WDCs

i was curious how that would have effected the outcomes... not sure how i feel about it though.

I'm in the same boat. Passing is good, fighting for a win is good. Will the medals result in more of those? Maybe...I guess. Don't really know until you try it,

And still not sure why he's not just pushing for 10,7,5 pts for podium and eliminate the point for 8th...especially with 4 less teams than this point last year.

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

look who was at the 2009 arctic rally:
http://www.formula1....r/2009/370.html


if kimi were at mclaren ron would have said "no fucking way" to letting kimi do something like this.. how does ferrari handle it? they gave him a S2000-spec fiat grande punto abarth car and said "enjoy yourself".

and just FYI:
both mikas were in Lancer ESs

[yonson]

look who was at the 2009 arctic rally:
http://www.formula1....r/2009/370.html


if kimi were at mclaren ron would have said "no fucking way" to letting kimi do something like this.. how does ferrari handle it? they gave him a S2000-spec fiat grande punto abarth car and said "enjoy yourself".

and just FYI:
both mikas were in Lancer ESs

[_R_]

look who was at the 2009 arctic rally:
http://www.formula1....r/2009/370.html


if kimi were at mclaren ron would have said "no fucking way" to letting kimi do something like this.. how does ferrari handle it? they gave him a S2000-spec fiat grande punto abarth car and said "enjoy yourself".

and just FYI:
both mikas were in Lancer ESs

guess they don't want another situation where someone in a gorilla suit riding in a snow mobile race

[Skyliner]

At least the possibility of Toyota and William's rear diffusers being illegal shows Toyota is trying to innovate/cheat.