Be Excellent To Each Other

They could do it like a roller coaster/rally hybrid - the straights have those chain drag launch things (but faster, and with a torque clutch - really big battery? Oh dear, you over-torque the chain and it goes slack), then you only have KERS and aerodynamic efficiency to get between them. Start the cars at 1 minute intervals. If you catch someone up, do you overtake or slipstream? If you hit a drag with energy left, do you blast past for speed points, or recharge? Points for the most and fastest laps.

How about a scalextric strip on the straight bit to fast charge them?

The teams are free to use less wing aren't they? The amount they choose to use is the one that gives the best lap time.

Or that. Especially as a coaster drag wouldn't actually work.

Not only that, the driver has real-time control of the front wing now.

Only limited control on the front wing, mind. They're only allowed to change it twice a lap.

Arbitrary? Yes.

What was the idea behind allowing moveable front wings?

To make overtaking easier by allowing cars to make up for the loss of downforce when following a car.

It has to be said that so far the "more overtaking" changes seem to be working. I'm not sure, but it feels like a lot more compared to last season. Is there a count anywhere?

It does certainly seem that way although maybe things will settle into a more predictable pattern as the season continues. Whatever the case I've really enjoyed both races so far.

The dodgy diffusers are legal

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/4/9175.html

Good news, I reckon. Any other decision might have made me lose interest in F1 forever.

Cars that turn into robots... that's the answer.

Would they have the time to incorporate those new rules in time for the next race?

If you're a Decepticon, shouldn't planes that turn into robots be the answer?

I would give ENERGON CUBES to watch that.

I would love to see that, it'd bring a whole new dimension to racing.

I wonder what kind of odds you would have got at the start of the season on Button being Champ by the end of the season

It does make me laugh that apparently the Ferrari lawyer accused Brawn of being arrogant in the hearing. Yeah? Those grapes are tart aren't they.

I think, assuming that the bigger teams go great guns developing new aero packages, that we might, just might, be in for a vintage season.

Damn. I don't even have to be here anymore.

GREAT SCOTT!

Rumor: Ron Dennis has quit. Hunting for a source...

Oh my.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 001425.stm

Yeah, he'd already sort of stepped down at the end of last season, hadn't he? I expect that McLaren won't now be the force they once were.

Poor Lewis. Never mind. I bet my uncle a tenner that Hamilton wouldn't win the championship this year.
Money in the bank.

Hamilton defects to Brawn to partner Button for 2011. You heard it here first.

Agreed. he'd have a better chance in one of their pushchairs. Wouldn't have to change wheels in the wet either.

That's Maclaren, isn't it?

It's almost like I did it on purpose.

Most people don't realise the distinction, and for the same reason end up asking me if they can have fries with that.

Malc

Oh, right.

Perambulator, if you don't mind. We didn't control half the fucking world at one point to let things go to pot, now, did we?

But they're not. Kids lay down in prams, face front in a pushchCAN WE GET BACK TO THE F1, PLEASE?

I've got £5 on Barrichello for the next one.

Well, I don't pretend to know that, I like the word. A lot.



I'd certainly consider him as a viable prospect, yes.

Hamilton fastest in first practice.

Interesting.

Practice is always a little bit bacon briefcase as they say but it's worth pointing out while everyone else was bitching, McLaren got off their arse and have turned up here with a rear end that looks a lot like Brawn's solution and works a lot like Toyota's.

Ham Bag? Gammon Sack? Nope. Don't get it

As in "About as much use as a". Was coined to describe testing times.

They got Alan Partridge to come up with that.

Motor racing types are weird, for instance why do they always say "for sure" instead of just "yes"?

Because of the amount of people who have English as a second language that work in F1. "For sure" is a common European saying, and because it gets said so much in English (English is the 'language' of F1, it's not uncommon for a Italian Engineer to be talking to an Italian Driver in English) the actual English-speaking people start to say it to.

Should be known as the Steve McLaren effect.

Heh, another Mclaren.

There's a bit of a tendency for the people involved to act like Ace Rimmer / Capt. Flashadder though.

It's from a bloke on SA but the BBC actually used it during the practice coverage in Australia when someone texted it in.

Stunticons.

All F1 races should be done in the rain. This is awesome!

It's not bad, is it?

Looking interesting with 7 to go.

I had horrible visions of things happening when Sutil's tyre bounced across the track past the heads of a few drivers. Could have been a fatal accident there.

Quote of the day from the Guardians lap by lap coverage

"It's like driving through a sea of Ferraris tears."

And that's the main thing

I'll not miss a second of this season while Ferrari are so shit. It's lovely to see them with no points.

Fun so far! Brrrm brrrm slooosh spin oh noes brrrrm brrrrm "Not since Argentinia 1981!" brrrm brrrm swish swish swish *crunch!* brrrmmm brrrrmmmm "Oh Buttons!" brrrrm slosh brrrrrm!