The new F1 season is in session and what a season it’s going to be! There are so many rule changes, apparently the most changes that have occurred in any single season ever, during the sport’s history.This should make the racing really interesting. Here are some of the highlights.
Engines
While being very similar to the last seasons, their max revs have been reduced by 1k. Also these engines have to last 3 races, so they have to be more reliable than before.
Aero changes
The new specs for aerodynamics are the biggest changes this season. The cars are smaller now, and have smaller rear wings, shark fins are gone, and the front wings are much bigger and are driver adjustable (6 degrees). However, the tire sizes are still the same as before, which results in too much grip in the front, and not enough in the rear. The overall downforce is much less than 2008 season cars, but there’s more mechanical grip. Drivers can now use curbs, and they can race nose to tail, without driving into oblivion due to lack of downforce. This should make for more passing, and more exciting racing, as can be seen in the first race of the season in Austrailia. There are some teams which are compensating for the smaller wing with better diffuser in the rear (like Brawn GP, Toyota, and Willams), so the lap times are competitive with the 2008 season, but much slower still than the 2004 seasons, where a lot of all-time lap records were set.
KERS
The Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems is a system that captures kinetic energy when the car is braking and uses it to generate electricity. This electricity (200 amps, 400 volts) can then be used to get an 80hp boost for 6.5 seconds during the lap. If this energy is not used during each lap, then it is lost at the end of the lap, and the battery has to be charged with braking again. The system weighs 88 lbs, and only provides 80 hp, so the weight cancels out any horsepower advantage. There are lots of team using it, and lots not using it. BMW for example has one car with it and one car without it. There are some safety issues with having so much electricity in the car in the case of a crash, don’t forget carbon fiber is a good conductor of electricity.
Tires
Unlike the 2008 season, the tire compounds this season are much more different from each other. The super soft tires are very grippy, and they are slicks now. They have 2-3 great laps, and then they degrade and grain. In 10 laps they are pretty much useless; so there are lots more pit stops. The hard compound tires are really hard, they last a long time, and they are difficult to get heat into, and cool down rapidly (when the pace car comes out when there’s a yellow flag, the tires start to get cold and lose grip). This is supposed to make racing more interesting, and close… but the drivers have yet to get a handle of it, as can be evidenced by the crash between Vettle (super softs wearing out) and Kubica (on harder compound tires). This variability is supposed to keep drivers on their toes and make the racing more interesting, read: cause more crashes.
Brawn GP
With the Honda team leaving F1 last season, their old team was bought up by Ross Brawn, and they are doing incredibly well! 
Just a few months ago, where it was thought that Barrichello and Button were done in F1, they got P1 and P2 during qualifying and P1 and P2 at the end of the race! What a story! They also picked up Virgin as a sponsor a few weeks ago. Honda must be kicking itself now. They decided to invest most of their resources in 2008, into the 2009 car, since they were doing so poorly last season. They pulled out of F1, just a few months ago, and now this car is winning races. It’s an amazing car. The rear diffuser on Barrichello’s car was badly damaged within a few seconds of the first lap; then it was damaged even more by getting lots of shunts from the side and front and back, and it still got P2 . Wow.
My thoughts on the season
I’m excited to see that Brawn GP is doing so well! I’m also excited to see my favorite driver Sebastien Vettle in the Red Bull team. It’s unfortunate what happened in the last few laps of the Australia race… I’m also glad to see McLaren doing so poorly . I don’t like the team, or Lewis Hamilton, who’s turned into quite a prick/dick/punk within 2 years in the series. I thought Michael Schumacher was an awesome and gracious sportsman, leader, and manager, and I don’t like prick/dick/punk drivers, like Alonso and Hamilton. I hope Vettle does great this season, and I’m excited to see the Brawn GP team kick some serious ass!
My only issue with these rule changes and standardization is that it makes F1 closer to GP2… and that’s a bad thing. Even with all these regulations designed to slow the cars, the amazing engineering talent employed by all these F1 teams have found more speed!
What are you thoughts on the season? Who is your favorite team? Who is your favorite driver?
- Nazmul
I really enjoyed last weekend’s race!! I am really a fan of Vettle, I almost cried when he apologized over the radio to his team. I feel so bad that he crashed at the end and it was so sad and adorable that he said “i am so sorry”. I think he will do really well this season, even despite the new Ross Brawn team. I am also really a fan of the Ross Brawn team this year, because it is so impressive what they have done and how so much came together at the last moment. Such a cool story, how can you not be a fan? I have soured on Lewis Hamilton for now, I was very happy for him winning last season, but he isn’t the only good driver out there this year. So much excitement to come…who knows what will happen! What a year it will be! I wish i was going to one of the races!!
Great recap of the new rules, Naz. It’s been an exciting season so far (I am still catching up on sleep after staying up to watch the Chinese GP live … 2:30 a.m. where I live
And Brawn GP has just been amazing — from nothing to podiums and wins. I’ve been a Raikkonen follower since his unlucky days at McLaren, so was happy to see him win the 2007 WDC, but this year — all bets are off and the grid is a crazy mixed-up pile.
I agree with Izabel re: Hamilton; I think he’s a talented driver, but the whole pulling over and making Trulli pass was very Schumacher-like (Rascasse-gate, anyone???). And, kind of fun to see the “old guys” up there spraying champagne too (Button/Barrichello).
OPINIONS: One of my complains with all the new reg changes is that even though the removal of all the myriad winglets, swoopy bits and other aero add-ons have made the cars more streamlined looking, I think the shape of the cars now is very clunky — from very, very wide at the front to a tiny, high wing at the back. Maybe it just takes getting used to.
What say ye all?
Tammy,
I heart Kimi too. It sucks that he doing so bad this year, am not sure whats going on with him. I think that Mika Hakkinen is/was the best looking driver ever… (random inappropriate comment), since we are speaking of Fins… hehehhe
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What do you think??…cough…hottie…cough…
I totally think Hamiton is a douche…he didnt used to be, he used to be so sincere and care about racing and his heart was in it. Now he seems like such a fake… do you think so?
I like the way the new cars look, a lot. I think they look even more like a big toy, the wheels are so huge and the cars are small and i love all the new bits, i think they looks cooler than ever. Its SOO fucking sad that they dont get the good camera angles on the cars. They film them at the least exciting angles..even tho they have a million cameras mounted on the cars. I like the angle where it feels like you are in their seat and you can see what they see… they NEVER show that!! Maybe for like 1 second but thats it… it is such a cool perspective and you can really see what the changes look like and feel like. Stupid ass camera ppl!!! We need to go to a race!!! Let’s go!!!!!!!!!!
One day, when i have mucho dinero I am going to follow the F1 peeps around the world to every race. I will document it on DLG, OF COURSE!
. I cant wait!! I am open for donations, btw 
. hehehhehe
Hi Tammy
Thanks for the comment; sorry for the late reply. I’ve been super busy getting ready to launch more screamingtoaster mobile software.
I feel that Kimi doesn’t seem to have much hunger or drive to win… he just seems lazy. I know his car sucks, but so what?
Massa seems nice, but lacks consistency, and sucks in the rain. Last year, with a shitty car, in the pouring rain, Vettel put the car on the podium! Anyway… can’t really respect Kimi… not much of a champion… Not a dick/prick like Hamilton though… It’s great to see the Brawn GP team is doing so well. I’m ecstatic to see that Vettel/Red Bull is doing so well! 
Good season. The McLaren team blows… I don’t like Mercedes or McLaren… never have… That’s too bad that the BMW team is doing so badly…
It’s interesting… the super diffusers are making it just as difficult to pass as before… so the new rule changes seem like a bad joke. KERS is nice… as can be seen in the last race in Bahrain… it’s pretty cool to see KERS and non-KERS cars duel it out
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Take care,
Nazmul.
Sigh.
I look forward to the future when V12’s are acceptable again in F1. Why should that be so difficult?
(That said, for a road car, if money were no object, I’d have Ducati build me a 6 litre desmodromic V12 specifically to fit the next Pagani (Zonda replacement) chassis.)
The day Max Mosley retires/is kicked out will be the day I buy all my friends a round of their most favorite (or always wanted to try) round of drinks.
F1 should always be the pinnacle of the sport/technology, never a compromise or miss-mash of ridiculous rules like the NCAA football bowls to determine an ambiguous champion.
To me, telling F1 they have a “budget cap” is like telling Michelangelo he can only pick four colours for his palette. Pure stupidity. Either you can come up with the funds to play or you can’t.
Ché peccato.
Hi Byron
I agree 100%. The Bernie and Max show is sad. All these gimmics every year. And they keep getting worse. Useless regulation changes, that don’t accomplish anything, especially what their stated goals are. The changes from V12 engines cost a lot money. The current aero regs were supposed to make more passing possible, but super diffusers defeat that… And these endless tire rule/supplier changes, and next year, no re-fueling… All gimmics. They think that using KERS makes these cars more “green”. LOL
. Too funny. All show and no substance, and in the process the sport suffers.
I agree, if people don’t have enough money to run with the big dogs in F1, they should stay out of it. There are so many other racing series that they can join. F1 is being turned into GP2. Which is retarded, since there’s already a GP2 series!
Let’s see what more gimmics are in store in the future
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Take care
Nazmul.