- 25 Mar 09, 17:47#96900
Written by George Katinger · March 24, 2009
With the opening of the F1 campaign in Melbourne this coming Sunday one of, if not the single most controversial F1 season will begin. The off season between Lewis Hamilton’s heart stopping championship finish in Brazil (sorry Felipe) and this Sunday’s kick off race has seen the damndest assortment of changes and controversies I can ever remember.
And Max and Bernie, ever the consummate politicians and showmen they are, saved the best for last. Declaring a 30 million Euro cap on team expenditures starting in 2010 as well as having the driver’s championship decided by the driver with the most wins, regardless of points scored. Both items dropped on the teams less than two weeks from the first race. Thankfully the driver’s championship scoring has been reversed to the same points system as last year.
Bernie and Max have taken the economic troubles of the world and are using that as a pretext for drop kicking the teams in their collective FOTA crotch and in no uncertain terms declaring war in the struggle for the sporting soul of F1, and who will be in charge. How this one turns out is anybody’s guess, but based on the past I can’t see ten different teams maintaining the unity they will need to win this struggle. Their only response is to leave and form their own series, or cave into Max and Bernie’s clever plan for maintaining their power positions.
But we’ll come back to all of that at the end, I promise. What came between Brazil 2008 and last week was in and of itself breathtaking in its scope and sweep.
1. Regulation and racing changes that brought back slicks, radically altered aero rules, and introduced optional KERS devices. Aero rules also allow adjustable front wings, up to six degrees, twice per lap.
2. Voluntary team reductions in budgets by 50% or so.
3. Elimination of in-season testing of any kind.
4. The limitation of using eight engines per car for the season, including reducing maximum engine revs from 19,500 RPM to 18,000 RPM.
5. Raising pit lane speed from 80kph to 100kph. So much for safety concerns, eh Max?
6. Elimination of penalties for pitting under safety car periods. (Thank you!!!)
7. The use of three stewards (two voting) at races. Is Alan Donnelly still involved??
Most of this was followed by the early December announcement from Honda that they were immediately withdrawing from F1 and the teams assets were for sale to the most responsible party available. Enter Ross Brawn. And Brawn GP’s amazing performance with only one week’s worth of testing, no sponsorship, and a Mercedes Benz engine that couldn’t power the McLaren or Force India’s cars anywhere near the top of the time sheets. Stunning, really.
The real kicker to racing performance (including Brawn GP) is the brewing controversy over the technical regulations description and interpretation of the rear diffusers this year. Can’t say I understand the nuts and bolts of it, but Toyota, Williams and Brawn GP have a design that may controvert the spirit if not the letter of what’s allowable. Based on the whining coming from Renault (what else from Flava-Flav?) McLaren, and Ferrari, those three have markedly better lap times, and the diffuser design allegedly has a large role. No doubt if one or more of those cars podiums this weekend (come on Jenson!) there will be an immediate protest filed. And the outcome will change the competitive nature of what we were all hoping for relative to the same old Ferrari-McLaren domination show with a little BMW thrown in for diversion.
And then there is the strange case of the new USF1 Grand Prix team formed by Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson. Oops, did I write USF!? I meant to say USGPE, in as much as that ever helpful FIA and rights holder Bernie Ecclestone won’t allow anyone to us the term “F1” in their name without “team” following. Anyone heard anything positive from this group since their overt and flashy Speedtv announcement? Other than their excuse us, our name is USGPE, not USF1 statement? I didn’t think so.
So besides the actual racing, what’s the big story prior to Friday practice in Melbourne? It’s got to be the diffuser hullabaloo caused by the teams who didn’t opt to go radical and went conservative on the rules interpretation. The most intriguing part of this story is that the aero regulation changes fronted by the FOTA technical working group was chaired by….wait for it….Ross Brawn. Who would be in a better position to understand the intent of the regulation and how far a team could stretch the envelope than a guy who not only helped develop the regulation but also chaired the committee?
The best part of the controversy is that teams like Red Bull have vowed to appeal the three teams use of an “illegal” diffuser, and that will ultimately play into the hands of Max and his minion Bernie. Max and the FIA will now be in the enviable position to decide who they will assist or punish after the first race. Assuming the controversial diffuser creates a huge advantage, in what direction will Max steer his decision?
In prior years there is no doubt that he would have sided on any decision that gave Ferrari an advantage, his record amply shows that. But in the new world economic reality Spanky just may be looking to break up FOTA’s unity and support the small budget teams innovative engineering solutions. Take that Luca and Martin!
Closing with Mad Max’s 2010 based 30 million Euro annual budget limitations, what are Bernie and Max’s ultimate goals?
1. Stop the teams from asking for more of the rights holders (Bernie and FOM) share of income, as their costs will be radically reduced.
2. Sow discontent amongst the teams to shatter any potential break away series.
3. Disillusion the car manufacturer’s to the point they abandon F1 and return the sport to independent teams who seek engines and components from sources and build their own cars within a restricted budget. Smaller teams but more of them.
Strangest start of any season within my memory, but I have to admit looking forward to it with greater anticipation than I can ever recall.
Thank you Max and Bernie! Just when I think you guys can’t cloud or confuse the sport any more than you have, you manage to exceed my expectations.
http://www.fastmachines.com/f1/2009-f1- ... pse-begin/
I didn't know the pit lane speed increased...
With the opening of the F1 campaign in Melbourne this coming Sunday one of, if not the single most controversial F1 season will begin. The off season between Lewis Hamilton’s heart stopping championship finish in Brazil (sorry Felipe) and this Sunday’s kick off race has seen the damndest assortment of changes and controversies I can ever remember.
And Max and Bernie, ever the consummate politicians and showmen they are, saved the best for last. Declaring a 30 million Euro cap on team expenditures starting in 2010 as well as having the driver’s championship decided by the driver with the most wins, regardless of points scored. Both items dropped on the teams less than two weeks from the first race. Thankfully the driver’s championship scoring has been reversed to the same points system as last year.
Bernie and Max have taken the economic troubles of the world and are using that as a pretext for drop kicking the teams in their collective FOTA crotch and in no uncertain terms declaring war in the struggle for the sporting soul of F1, and who will be in charge. How this one turns out is anybody’s guess, but based on the past I can’t see ten different teams maintaining the unity they will need to win this struggle. Their only response is to leave and form their own series, or cave into Max and Bernie’s clever plan for maintaining their power positions.
But we’ll come back to all of that at the end, I promise. What came between Brazil 2008 and last week was in and of itself breathtaking in its scope and sweep.
1. Regulation and racing changes that brought back slicks, radically altered aero rules, and introduced optional KERS devices. Aero rules also allow adjustable front wings, up to six degrees, twice per lap.
2. Voluntary team reductions in budgets by 50% or so.
3. Elimination of in-season testing of any kind.
4. The limitation of using eight engines per car for the season, including reducing maximum engine revs from 19,500 RPM to 18,000 RPM.
5. Raising pit lane speed from 80kph to 100kph. So much for safety concerns, eh Max?
6. Elimination of penalties for pitting under safety car periods. (Thank you!!!)
7. The use of three stewards (two voting) at races. Is Alan Donnelly still involved??
Most of this was followed by the early December announcement from Honda that they were immediately withdrawing from F1 and the teams assets were for sale to the most responsible party available. Enter Ross Brawn. And Brawn GP’s amazing performance with only one week’s worth of testing, no sponsorship, and a Mercedes Benz engine that couldn’t power the McLaren or Force India’s cars anywhere near the top of the time sheets. Stunning, really.
The real kicker to racing performance (including Brawn GP) is the brewing controversy over the technical regulations description and interpretation of the rear diffusers this year. Can’t say I understand the nuts and bolts of it, but Toyota, Williams and Brawn GP have a design that may controvert the spirit if not the letter of what’s allowable. Based on the whining coming from Renault (what else from Flava-Flav?) McLaren, and Ferrari, those three have markedly better lap times, and the diffuser design allegedly has a large role. No doubt if one or more of those cars podiums this weekend (come on Jenson!) there will be an immediate protest filed. And the outcome will change the competitive nature of what we were all hoping for relative to the same old Ferrari-McLaren domination show with a little BMW thrown in for diversion.
And then there is the strange case of the new USF1 Grand Prix team formed by Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson. Oops, did I write USF!? I meant to say USGPE, in as much as that ever helpful FIA and rights holder Bernie Ecclestone won’t allow anyone to us the term “F1” in their name without “team” following. Anyone heard anything positive from this group since their overt and flashy Speedtv announcement? Other than their excuse us, our name is USGPE, not USF1 statement? I didn’t think so.
So besides the actual racing, what’s the big story prior to Friday practice in Melbourne? It’s got to be the diffuser hullabaloo caused by the teams who didn’t opt to go radical and went conservative on the rules interpretation. The most intriguing part of this story is that the aero regulation changes fronted by the FOTA technical working group was chaired by….wait for it….Ross Brawn. Who would be in a better position to understand the intent of the regulation and how far a team could stretch the envelope than a guy who not only helped develop the regulation but also chaired the committee?
The best part of the controversy is that teams like Red Bull have vowed to appeal the three teams use of an “illegal” diffuser, and that will ultimately play into the hands of Max and his minion Bernie. Max and the FIA will now be in the enviable position to decide who they will assist or punish after the first race. Assuming the controversial diffuser creates a huge advantage, in what direction will Max steer his decision?
In prior years there is no doubt that he would have sided on any decision that gave Ferrari an advantage, his record amply shows that. But in the new world economic reality Spanky just may be looking to break up FOTA’s unity and support the small budget teams innovative engineering solutions. Take that Luca and Martin!
Closing with Mad Max’s 2010 based 30 million Euro annual budget limitations, what are Bernie and Max’s ultimate goals?
1. Stop the teams from asking for more of the rights holders (Bernie and FOM) share of income, as their costs will be radically reduced.
2. Sow discontent amongst the teams to shatter any potential break away series.
3. Disillusion the car manufacturer’s to the point they abandon F1 and return the sport to independent teams who seek engines and components from sources and build their own cars within a restricted budget. Smaller teams but more of them.
Strangest start of any season within my memory, but I have to admit looking forward to it with greater anticipation than I can ever recall.
Thank you Max and Bernie! Just when I think you guys can’t cloud or confuse the sport any more than you have, you manage to exceed my expectations.
http://www.fastmachines.com/f1/2009-f1- ... pse-begin/
I didn't know the pit lane speed increased...
- By darwin dali