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[stonemonkey]

I'm glad the BBC has only got highlights, I don't have 3 hours to watch cars shuffle behind a safety car.

I'm busy all weekend, so I'll have to record the BBC Highlights and watch them in the evening. Keeping away from the sports headlines will be a bitch...

One of the last races I was at my mates, BBC were only showing the highlights later, the results came up on CBBC that the kids were watching.

Not sure where I'm going to be this weekend, might be going skiing.

[spankyham]

[LiamCatterson]

Spank, stop torturing us The wait is taking FOREVER

[1Lemon]

I do like how the garages are in previous WCC order. So red bull at the front will be struggling to finish races and Williams at the back will be winning them

[spankyham]

Interesting that Pat seems to think some teams may not even start

 wrote:">Australian GP – Time to go racing

Melbourne, 11 March – This weekend’s Australian Grand Prix is the most eagerly anticipated race for a very long time. If the sport had become a bit predictable in recent years, then this season is the antidote: never mind whose going to win Round 1 in Melbourne, the bigger question is who is going to finish, or perhaps even start?



During winter testing, the emphasis was very much on reliability, but now it’s time to go racing so, ready or not, the teams have to consider the practicalities of getting through a Grand Prix weekend. “On the mechanical side, there’s a huge increase in complexity, so just working out the best way to build the car, change parts, rebuild it and how to be best prepared in Melbourne is a major task” – says to http://www.ferrari.com the Scuderia’s Engineering Director, Pat Fry. “Through the tests we worked 24 hours a day, running shifts to ensure the car was ready, but once we get to Melbourne we are more restricted by the rules regarding what we can actually do and how many hours we are allowed to work.”

Fry reckons the whole face of an F1 weekend is about to change. “In the past, the reliability of Formula 1 cars has been incredible, but this year, their sheer complexity means it will be challenged, particularly in qualifying and the race.” While these initial concerns with reliability will dominate the early races, the actual management of the new powertrain is going to be an interesting new puzzle for engineers and also the drivers. “In some races, we will be fuel limited and we will have to work out the best way to save fuel,” explains Fry. “Effectively we will be balancing electrical energy against fuel consumption and it’s our job to work out what the best combination is for the race.” And once the teams get on top of that, there are all the other “traditional” factors such as aero performance and tyre management that haven’t just gone away.

The one area where Scuderia Ferrari has no concerns is in the men who sit at the wheel. Fernando Alonso and his new team-mate Kimi Raikkonen have three world titles and three Melbourne victories between them.


Video from this article available >>here<<.

[What's Burning?]

We may see cars overheat in the installation lap.

[Hammer278]

We may see cars overheat in the installation lap.

Let's not forget both Hondas (I think, and Anthony Davidson was driving) blowing up on the FIRST lap in a Msian GP...I think back in 2002.

[Nin-Chin]

It was 2005, both of them blew up on the second lap.

[Hammer278]

2005? I remember DC was still in a McLaren when this happened....unless my memory is all twisted up.

[1Lemon]

It wasn't 2002 I know that much.

[Denthúl]

It was 2005.

[LewEngBridewell]

It was 2005.

Yup, I remember it well.

Davidson only stood in for Alex Yoong back in 2002, and that was Minardi.

[myownalias]

I didn't even realise Melbourne was this weekend until I read this thread!

I've been so busy with life that I hadn't really followed anything upto now... guess that I should get prepared to watch the race live on Sky Sports on my new 60in TV!

I think a Mercedes will win but I'd love to see Williams continue their testing form into Melbourne and take the win...

[LewEngBridewell]

I didn't even realise Melbourne was this weekend until I read this thread!

I've been so busy with life that I hadn't really followed anything upto now... guess that I should get prepared to watch the race live on Sky Sports on my new 60in TV!

I think a Mercedes will win but I'd love to see Williams continue their testing form into Melbourne and take the win...

I've been really busy too, so this season opener has come round really quickly for me.

Looking forward to it though.

[f1boy]

It could be chaos on Sunday is we see a 50% failure rate. Safety cars galore and a few very unhappy drivers.

If the Renault engine'd cars are 2 months behind everyone else, then they have no chance of catching up before the European season kicks off, as the first 4 races are fly away's.