1218 replies to this topic

[F.M.]

I couldn't wait any longer, so here it is! The official 2009 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix thread!

Discussing the preparations, free practices, qualifying and race day can be done here! As well as all the other stuff related to the Australian GP.

Please keep the diffuser debacle etc. to their respective threads.

[F.M.]

Someone knows the press schedule?

[Francesc]

Thursday March 26, 1500 hours local time (0400 GMT) :
Jenson Button (Brawn GP), Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull).

Friday March 27, 1830 hours local time (0730 GMT) :
Fernando Alonso (Renault), Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) and Mark Webber (Red Bull).

[fnz]

Have there been any modifications to the track compared to last year (like resurfacing, ...)?

[aditya-now]

Originally posted by F.M.
I couldn't wait any longer, so here it is! The official 2009 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix thread!

Hey F.M., you are an "official" for ING?
Or "official" for the Australian GP?
Or "official" for the Atlas F1 BB?

;)

[F.M.]

Originally posted by fnz
Have there been any modifications to the track compared to last year (like resurfacing, ...)?

Just some minor modifications. After the crash of Glock last year they have 'flattened the verge on the exit of turn-12'. The kerbs and artificial grass have also been extended at the exit of the chicane, and a similar change has been made at turn 6

[nickponty]

Any photos from Melbourne yet??

[FlashMaster]

Originally posted by nickponty
Any photos from Melbourne yet??

Just a few

http://www.motorspor...p?c=0901aus&d=1

[wewantourdarbyback]

Is this officially official?

[Owen]

Originally posted by wewantourdarbyback
Is this officially official?

Not officially, no.

[dank]

Originally posted by wewantourdarbyback
Is this officially official?

I love Internet forum threads that have 'OFFICIAL!!!' in the title. What makes a thread unofficial for example?!

[krapmeister]

I heard on the tv that after 4pm on friday you can buy tickets at the gate for $30.

I thought I might leave work a bit earlier and head down for free practice and the V8's but I can't find anything on the GP website about it.

Anyone in Melbourne heard this as well?

[F.M.]

Aah cut the official crap It just give the thread a bit more status

[wewantourdarbyback]

Originally posted by F.M.
Aah cut the official crap It just give the thread a bit more status

Officially

[Dalek Caan]

It's the first race, and already Kimi is being excused from doing official media junkets. Maybe all drivers should pretend they are mute and then they could relax like Kimi rather than speaking to the press.

[dank]

Ten News Australian Grand Prix video:

[Clatter]

Originally posted by Dalek Caan
It's the first race, and already Kimi is being excused from doing official media junkets. Maybe all drivers should pretend they are mute and then they could relax like Kimi rather than speaking to the press.

It's the first race, there are 20 drivers, and only 8 slots. Not really fair to start slagging the driver off just because his name wasnt drawn out of the pot. I'm sure he will be scheduled for future races.

[aditya-now]

Originally posted by F.M.
Aah cut the official crap It just give the thread a bit more status

"crap" is a very official statement. I am honoured to deal with an official like your noble self.

[aditya-now]

[SchumiBoy]

Originally posted by krapmeister
I heard on the tv that after 4pm on friday you can buy tickets at the gate for $30.

I thought I might leave work a bit earlier and head down for free practice and the V8's but I can't find anything on the GP website about it.

Anyone in Melbourne heard this as well?

http://premium.f1-li...e/diapo_092.jpg

[PLAYLIFE]

[Ruud de la Rosa]

Originally posted by Dalek Caan
It's the first race, and already Kimi is being excused from doing official media junkets. Maybe all drivers should pretend they are mute and then they could relax like Kimi rather than speaking to the press.

instead of who? I think it is a great choice of drivers.

[Atreiu]

Originally posted by dank


I love Internet forum threads that have 'OFFICIAL!!!' in the title. What makes a thread unofficial for example?!

The lack of any official certification.

It`s good, now we can center our comments here, if it doesn`t become too long by the time the race is over.

[Owen]

Originally posted by PLAYLIFE

Wow they really lost a lot of weight on that McLaren.

[Slick]

Not to take things further off topic, but, official on Atlas means the one that got there first, all following threads will either be deleted or merged with the "official" thread.

I hope that clarifies what "official" means here

[stormshadow]

Originally posted by Slick
Not to take things further off topic, but, official on Atlas means the one that got there first, all following threads will either be deleted or merged with the "official" thread.

I hope that clarifies what "official" means here

This coming from an Atlas official we'll take it to be the the last official word.

[stormshadow]

Originally posted by Dalek Caan
It's the first race, and already Kimi is being excused from doing official media junkets. Maybe all drivers should pretend they are mute and then they could relax like Kimi rather than speaking to the press.

I thought u'd be relieved he's not doing a press conference!

[Mauseri]

Originally posted by Dalek Caan
It's the first race, and already Kimi is being excused from doing official media junkets. Maybe all drivers should pretend they are mute and then they could relax like Kimi rather than speaking to the press.

Some other drivers, like Hamilton, love speaking about themselves to the press. Stick with that!

[stevvy1986]

Originally posted by Dalek Caan
It's the first race, and already Kimi is being excused from doing official media junkets. Maybe all drivers should pretend they are mute and then they could relax like Kimi rather than speaking to the press.

he'll still be doing interviews, just not in the official press conference-its pretty much random for every race, unless theres a home driver for that race (eg Webber is Australian, it's the Australian GP, hence he's in there, just as JB and LH will be for Britain, Rubens, Nelson and Felipe will be for Brazil, etc etc etc)

[Beej]

Originally posted by PLAYLIFE

Look at all of the new transparent bits on the new Mclaren

[gerry nassar]

For those in Melbourne...

Kimi and Massa will be in a driver parade and appearance at the City Square in Swanston St 10.30am Thursday morning.

Lewis Hamilton will be at the Tag Heur party at Crown Casino at around 7pm.

F1 driver autograph sessions (all teams) will take place at the track throughout the day on Thursday only.

--------------------------------

Other tidbits...

Tonight a number of the drivers played in a poker tournament at Crown Casino.

Earlier in the day Lewis Hamilton visited (bush fire) burns victims in hospital.

I went to the track today as they had an open day for certain ticket holders and there were driver interviews (BMW, Williams and FI drivers) and the two seater minardi (2 of them) driving around (driven by Cameron Mconville and Zolt Baumgartner). Pits were open to take pics of the mechanics at work. Will try and post them tomorrow.

[mursuka80]

I have to work saturday,so i will miss Qualy Really excited!!!

[PassWind]

Originally posted by F.M.
Aah cut the official crap It just give the thread a bit more status

Use "The Most Auspicious" next time that should give it the kick it needs, official is so Max Spanker.

[Dalek Caan]

Originally posted by gerry nassar
For those in Melbourne...



Earlier in the day Lewis Hamilton visited (bush fire) burns victims in hospital.

Nothing else has changed, I see. Lewis still faking the PR fluff on behalf of Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes-Benz..

lol, seriously though, it is getting exciting when we look at the drivers already in Melbourne.

[BugTomek]

Originally posted by SchumiBoy
http://premium.f1-li...e/diapo_092.jpg

The Who live?? pretty cool!

[Turn 1]

I dont know when these google images were taken but zoom into turn 3 and strangely it look like theres tarmac run-off, has there ever been tarmac run-off there, or do you think they were just re-doing the gravel trap at the time the pics were taken. I can't get my head around it.

http://live.autospor...ntary.php/id/70

[Atreiu]

Originally posted by Turn 1
I dont know when these google images were taken but zoom into turn 3 and strangely it look like theres tarmac run-off, has there ever been tarmac run-off there, or do you think they were just re-doing the gravel trap at the time the pics were taken. I can't get my head around it.

http://live.autospor...ntary.php/id/70

I was under the impression they only had the gravel for the race, the rest of the year they took it off and used the space as a parking lot.

I wish they used the faster S instead of the fast chincane (where Glock spun off last year) at turns 11/12.

[MinT]

Originally posted by Dalek Caan


Nothing else has changed, I see. Lewis still faking the PR fluff on behalf of Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes-Benz..

Yeah - like none of the other drivers are obliged contractually to do any pr "fluff"

[big x]

Originally posted by Dalek Caan


Nothing else has changed, I see. Lewis still faking the PR fluff on behalf of Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes-Benz..

Yes indeed, your trolling has become tiresome.....

[mclarensmps]

I'm excited

[raiseyourfistfor]

Is BBC gonna air the first practice live on the internet?

[Red Rocket]

Originally posted by PLAYLIFE

Oh my God! They forgot the rest of the car.

[dank]

Originally posted by raiseyourfistfor
Is BBC gonna air the first practice live on the internet?

Yes all practice sessions will be online: http://news.bbc.co.u...one/7755219.stm

[raiseyourfistfor]

Is it available only for UK residents?

[gerry nassar]

Originally posted by Atreiu


I was under the impression they only had the gravel for the race, the rest of the year they took it off and used the space as a parking lot.

I wish they used the faster S instead of the fast chincane (where Glock spun off last year) at turns 11/12.

Yes gravel is there only for the race. That section is concrete during the year. The exit of turn 3 into 4 is actaually a car park and is the only part of the track that doesnt use the normal road as it has speed humps and a roundabout. About 100ms run through car park area before getting back on track in the treeline corners.

[F.M.]

PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Gentlemen, what are your feelings going into the new season?
Jenson BUTTON: I have not slept that much this week, I must say. It is great to be here to start with for me. It is great to be here in Melbourne for the first race. That was the first goal. It is nice to be here and secondly we are in a much better position than most people thought, so it is nice to be here starting the season on a positive note.
Q: Is it a massive excitement. Your father says he is having to take tranquilizers.
JB: I think a bottle of red normally does it. My father does talk a lot. He is very excited at the moment. I don’t know, it is difficult. For everyone else they have been testing for quite a bit of the winter, but for us it has been condensed down to the last two weeks. We have been flat out with testing and simulator work, so it has all been quite busy the last couple of weeks. As I said it is good to be here and it is good to see the team with a very positive attitude. We have gone through a very hard time this winter but they have stayed strong and we’ve proved it with the reliability in testing and getting the car out.
Q: Sebastian, for you a new team as well?
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, a slightly new team. Obviously looking forward to the season. We had quite a strong winter, I’d say with a lot of work going on. I think our car looks very nice but we have to prove it is one of the best on the circuit still, but let’s see. Right now for everyone it is the same situation as you don’t know exactly where you are, it is a bit of guessing right now, but we focus on ourselves. I think we are in a good position, so we will see but definitely looking forward.
Q: Felipe, a certain amount of unfinished business, I suspect, is your way of looking at the new season.
Felipe MASSA: Well, it depends. We finished the business last year with one point behind but we finished. Now we need to start another one from zero. I hope with a very competitive car like we had last year, but maybe slightly more reliable and a very efficient team. That was what we were doing in the winter, trying to work 100 per cent in every detail, not to lose any point, so I hope.
Q: Is it excitement or anxiety?
FM: What happened in last year’s championship is finished. Everybody starts from zero now. We have 20 drivers fighting, so until the point that you see maybe you have two, three, five or more fighting for the championship. Now everybody is in the same position. For sure, some people are a bit more competitive. Some people are not, depends. But everybody starts from zero. We need to take everything we learned in the past, but we need to work very hard because we know the championship is long and everybody is in the same boat now.
Q: Robert, your feelings coming into the new season?
Robert KUBICA: As always the winter has been very important to try and analyze and to get knowledge about the new components on the car as the regulation change has been quite big. There was a lot to understand, tyres, aerodynamics, KERS. Yeah, looking forward. Finally we will get a clearer picture where we are compared to our competitors and we will see.
Q: Are you excited about the new season?
RK: Yes, as always. It is a new season and like I said it is always good after a six month break to start again. Testing is important but the races are what we like.
Q: There have been changes in the regulations with KERS and other things like slick tyres. What are the things that have affected you most as drivers, personally? Sebastian, perhaps you can start?
SV: Regarding the wide front wing we will see in turn one on Sunday. Other than that I think the biggest change was going to slick tyres and reducing the aerodynamics. Obviously driving is still very similar. If you look at the outside shape of the car you are surprised that it is that closed from the inside from a feeling’s point of view, so not a lot has changed turning left. The car still turns left, so that is important. But I think there is a bit less grip all around, a bit less stability, so you just have less grip, less stability. But I think everyone gets used to it quite quickly. As regards the slick tyres I would say we all have some knowledge, some fresher and some maybe a bit longer ago but it should not be a problem. They seemed to be quite easy to handle but it is always the tyres. They make the contact to the ground, so we will see.
JB: For me it has been the tyres. I really like the way the tyres work compared to the grooves, especially the front of the car, as obviously the surface area is more affected at the front than the rear going from grooves to slicks. I am enjoying driving the tyres. As soon as I drove them last year I found a benefit that suits my style a bit more, so I am happy with that change. Aerodynamically it is obviously different but we have gained so much grip having slick tyres in a way it balances itself out.
RK: As Jenson and Sebastian mentioned, tyres and aerodynamics. I found the grip level quite balanced. Of course through some mid-speed range corners you get more from the slick tyres and in the other corners you are a bit slower because of the aerodynamic loss. But all in all I think lap time is quite similar and as Jenson mentioned the front tyres are quite powerful. KERS was a big topic during the winter and we will see.
Q: How much are you able to notice the KERS benefit and equally the difference with the movable front wing?
RK: I think the front wing we didn’t play with at all, very little during the winter. Of course it depends from car to car as you can adjust one flap, so it will have a bigger or smaller influence depending on the cars. That’s not a big topic to really discuss.
FM: For sure it is a big change compared to last year. We have so many things to work on the car. The KERS and the front wing which it is not necessary to change, just when you are following somebody, so you can change whenever you like once a lap, so you can use it for set up as well. For sure the tyres were a big difference, aerodynamically we lost a lot of downforce compared to last year. At least we lost at Ferrari, I don’t know about the other teams. My car is like that. I feel a big difference to drive especially with the old tyres. With the new tyres you have the grip, so you can be aggressive, you can brake strong and try to bring the car, as we were doing last year. In terms of turning you can be aggressive but with the old tyres the car is sliding much more. It is a little bit different to drive and you need to be smoother than last year, at least in my car.
Q: Jenson, you have been through a roller-coaster of emotions but you always seemed to believe you had a drive. Tell us about the atmosphere within the team.
JB: First of all there was not really an option not to believe. When I found out last November it was obviously a big shock. You can get as down as you like but it doesn’t change anything, so I was keeping in contact with the team all the way through the winter. Some days were good, some days weren’t. But finally we have had a good outcome.
Q: And the atmosphere within the team? [/b]
JB: [/b] It is as good as you can imagine. But when I went there in November, the day after I found out that we might not be racing this year, the atmosphere was already good. I walked into the factory feeling a little bit down, but chatting to all the different departments expecting a few upset people and no positivity, but there was. They were all going about their business like they had been before the announcement and they knew they were building something that was good. They have done a great job and that pleases me no end. It is great to be a part of that as they have put their heart and soul into producing a car for this year.
Q: Sebastian, in a way same sort of thing. Same family but a different team. Is it very different.
SV: It is a different team, yes. We have the same parent, that is quite special, but still the team is different. I think every team has its own way and its own philosophy. It was basically the same when I came from BMW to Toro Rosso. Of course it is different and you have to adapt. Some things you like and some things you don’t like. When you don’t like something then you just open your mouth and tell them what you don’t like. You talk about it and then you see where you go. I had enough time already at the end of last year, so basically the Monday after Brazil I was already a Red Bull driver. I did all the winter tests and I got a bit more time as Mark had his accident last November. That all helped me in a way to get well known in the factory and to the car and the working procedures of the team. Hopefully we used all our tests at the beginning of this year and this winter with the new car to prepare for this season as in the season there will be no more testing, so that’s it for this year testing-wise.
Q: Now, for the two in the front row, where do you feel your cars and teams are in the hierarchy as we go into the new season?
FM: Difficult. The picture from the winter, at least, is that Brawn is better than anybody, so maybe we need to fight each other (BMW and Ferrari) for third place. I hope not.
RK: I think we have been kept waiting for an answer for quite a long time already. We’ve been asked the same question since February, so let’s keep waiting for another two days and we will see.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) Jenson, are you not worried that everything that’s been put into this car isn’t about to be wrecked by a protest which we understand is going to be filed this evening or later on today and that that could just trash the whole thing?
JB: Well, first of all, it’s not something that I have any control over personally, and secondly, I think the best person to speak to about that is Ross.
Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) But for you personally, it would be a huge disappointment, wouldn’t it, if the car turns out to be illegal?
JB: You’ve said it yourself. It doesn’t change anything for me. I can’t do anything about it. It’s down to Ross and whoever else is involved.
Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) Speaking of the new rules, for you all, do you think we’ll see more overtaking this year?
SV: I don’t know. Let’s see. It’s difficult to say. Obviously it’s only my second full season in Formula One but I remember that at the beginning of last year people were going crazy: now, without traction control, the cars will spin off and there will be much more overtaking. I think it was more interesting than the years before. We saw the cars sliding a bit more here and there but in the end, overtaking was still difficult and I think you have to understand, at least that’s my feeling, it’s already difficult to pass another car in Formula Three because of the downforce. Well, in Formula One I think the cars have a bit more downforce than in Formula Three. Obviously, I think we made some steps to help overtaking but we have to prove it on the circuit and not prove it in winter testing, just following another car for half a lap and ‘do I get a feeling now or not?’ We have to prove it in racing, so we still have to wait and see. In testing, it’s not the case that you follow another car and you feel nothing anymore and if you’re faster you just pass. You still feel that you lose grip all around, some cars maybe more at the front, some cars more at the rear. It depends on the car, but you still lose downforce, so you still lose grip and that makes it tough to overtake. How tough? That needs to be answered in the next races.
JB: On the two circuits that we’ve tested on, there’s never been any overtaking anyway really. Barcelona and Jerez are very difficult for overtaking. I probably followed two cars in testing at Barcelona. I didn’t try and overtake… you’re on different strategies and what-have-you so… you’re not going to take the risk in practice either. I felt that I could follow a little bit closer but it wasn’t enough to make a move around Barcelona. Hopefully it’s going to be different at somewhere like this and when we go onto the next few races where there are opportunities to overtake. Hopefully there will be more of them.
RK: I think KERS can have a big influence, if you have it on board or not, so I think this is the main key. I’m not expecting more overtaking due to the aerodynamic changes, just maybe if some cars in front of you are not using KERS and you have additional power, then it might be a bit easier, but it’s still quite difficult, I think.
FM: I think the same, same feeling. As Robert said, if you have KERS and you are a couple of tenths behind the guy in front, then KERS can be a help but I don’t know how it’s going to improve the situation compared to last year. If it improves five or ten percent, that’s already a big improvement.
JB: One of the bigger problems is if you don’t have KERS and you are behind a car that does have KERS, you’re not going to be able to get past, that’s one weakness of not having KERS.
Q: (Mick Warner – Herald Sun) Jenson, do you or the other drivers have a view on racing in twilight here in Melbourne?
JB: There’s still going to be light left, isn’t there? I’m hoping. We have got a bright car. For us it doesn’t really make any difference. Dinner reservations are going to be difficult but apart from that, there’s no real difference. For us we can get up later on Sunday morning which is nice. I don’t know what difference it makes for you guys but for us it doesn’t change anything. As long as there’s still some temperature, that’s it.
FM: As long as I will have visibility it’s OK.
Q: (Ken Sparkes – Fairfax Radio News) Jenson, the big buzz is for Brawn all the way down the pits. Have you felt that pressure, that all of a sudden you could be race favourite?
JB: It’s not a pressure, definitely not, it’s a nice feeling. We’ve done seven days of testing, I’ve driven the car for three days which normally wouldn’t be enough. We’ve been reliable-ish, so we’ve been able to get quite a bit done in that time. I feel comfortable in the car, I feel that I’ve made it quite personal to myself which is good, but we’re coming here with an open mind, for sure. Testing is one thing and for sure we’ve been reasonably reliable and we’ve done some good lap times, but in 2006 we had a quick car in testing and we got to the first race and we got blown away by the Ferraris, so you never know until you turn a wheel here. I have a feeling we’re not going to be slow but how quick, we have to wait and see for that one.
Q: (Jonathan Legard – BBC) Robert, what’s going to make your mind up, or the team’s mind up, about who uses it, and if you use it what sort of difference it could make to you?
RK: I think it’s already official that I don’t run KERS here. Nick will run it here. The team will decide race-by-race in the future and driver-by-driver, so we will see.
Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Jenson, you say ‘talk to Ross’, presumably you have spoken to him. Can you just give us an insight into what he has told you about the car? You must believe from speaking with him that the car you will be driving this weekend is legal?
JB: For sure. Yup. I’ve said all I have to say on the subject.
Q: (James Allen – Financial Times) Jenson, it’s quite hard to categorise exactly where you are, because it’s an independent team with a customer engine and yet it’s got top team facilities. It’s a team that nearly didn’t make it and yet when it puts the car on the track it’s mind-blowingly fast. We all want to think of you as an underdog and yet in some ways you’re a favourite. Do you feel that kind of mixed feeling yourself and does the team feel that way?
JB: I understand what you’re saying, for sure. We should be the underdogs, for sure, being a private team with a customer engine, but looking at the testing times, we’re not, but the testing that we had – seven days – it was so valuable to us. We’re not going to plod around slowly. We have to see what the car can do and we have to get the maximum out of it, push the car to the limit, so we can find the limit. So we don’t really have a choice in the matter. I don’t know if we are the favourites or what but it’s nice knowing that we have a competitive car and as I said, we don’t know how competitive it is but for me, all I know is that it’s great to drive and I feel that I can really work with it and the changes that I make, make a difference, good or bad, so I’m happy with what we have.
Q: Felipe, McLaren are insisting that they are not as competitive as they used to be. Do you think they are sandbagging, could it be a kind of tactics?
FM: I have no idea, so you need to ask them. I work for Ferrari, I don’t work for McLaren. For sure, it is strange to see McLaren at the back. The only thing I can think for myself is that they are a respected team, so we need to respect them for what they did in the past. That’s the only idea I have, so I have no idea where they are going to be. I have no idea where I am going to be on the grid, so that’s why I cannot answer for McLaren.
Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Jenson, over this difficult winter did you know that the new car was going to be so super-quick, and do you think that this perceived level of performance is going to be sustainable from such a small team over the season and beyond this season?
JB: I knew it was going in the right direction, for sure. I spent a lot of time with the team at the end of the year, and obviously we started focusing on our car reasonably early, as you could see from our performances towards the end of last season. That’s one of the reasons why I was hanging on in there, hoping that the car would be raced in 2009, because for me it was strong and I think some of this is the reason why everyone’s kept their head strong and kept focused on the job in hand because they knew that they were going in the right direction and they knew that they had a good car or the makings of a good car.
Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Do you think you can sustain it throughout the season?
JB: It’s all guesswork, for sure, and we really don’t know what’s going to happen even in qualifying and the race on Sunday. That’s something that I hope happens, that we can sustain our performance, whatever it’s going to be. Yeah, that’s got to be the aim. We’re here this weekend, hoping that we can do the whole season. We haven’t come to Melbourne to just do the first two or three races, we’re here for the championship, so we’ve got to hope that we can complete it.
Q: (Heinz Prüller – ORF) Gentlemen, can I ask each one of you how many kilometres you tested during the winter and how much testing the team did in kilometres or miles or days?
JB: Mine’s actually quite easy. I think I did about seven…
FM: I read it somewhere but I have no idea where.
JB: I did about 1800 kilometres.
Q: (Jon McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Felipe, just wondering your response to reports this morning in England in which Lewis Hamilton said he would give thought to driving for another team. Obviously that would lead one to suspect that he might have Ferrari in mind. How would you feel about driving alongside Lewis and your thoughts about what he’s said?
FM: Well, I drove alongside Michael. I drive alongside Kimi, so… I heard for many years already that Fernando will come. He’s just another one, so I don’t care. Valentino Rossi as well. Maybe my father will drive for Ferrari next year. We don’t know.

[krapmeister]

Well I've got my $30 friday 'after work' ticket

I work in Fitzroy (otherside of the CBD from Albert Park) and I could hear some F1 cars screaming around this morning - I assumed it was the 2 seaters as I could hear a couple on the track at once.

Looking forward to getting down there and seeing how ugly the 09 cars look like in reallife lol...

[F.M.]

Melbourne’s Albert Park - an F1 set-up guide
Melbourne's Albert Park is a stop-start mixture of temporary street course and a purpose-built track. This means the circuit includes an interesting variety of corners with unusual geometry and a constantly evolving track surface. Setting up the car is therefore a challenge, which is further complicated by the fact that most of the 16 corners are really quite different and by the addition of moveable aerodynamics and KERS for 2009. Renault explain how they plan to ready the R29 for racing…

Aerodynamics
Melbourne is on a par with the aerodynamic demands of Silverstone or Sepang and therefore requires a medium to high downforce set-up. With the introduction of moveable front wings, the drivers will be able to change the angle of their front wing by six degrees twice per lap (once to change to the new angle, and the second time to return to the original setting) which could be used to help balance the car between two corners or to aid following another car closely. The circuit features a few critical high-speed corners, such as the fast fourth gear open chicane that forms Turns 11 and 12, which is perhaps the most challenging part of the lap.

Renault driver Fernando Alonso explains: "You have to be so precise through this section. We take these corners at over 200 km/h and the approach to turn 11 is tough as your view is channelled by the concrete walls and you don't see the apex until late. If you make a mistake in turn 11, you lose position for turn 12 and that can ruin your lap time."

By using a higher downforce set-up, the drivers will hope to get good traction on the exit of the slower corners, which is important for carrying good speed onto the straights.

Suspension
Melbourne has a number of chicanes where a responsive car with a good change of direction is critical. The suspension therefore has to be relatively stiff to achieve this, but at the same time the car needs to be soft enough to use the curbs and have good stability under braking. An optimum set-up therefore demands a compromise, dovetailing hard and soft settings accordingly.

Brakes
Albert Park is a demanding circuit on brakes with six major braking zones demanding stops from over 300 km/h. It is not the severity of the braking, but the frequency that makes an efficient brake cooling solution a priority during the race. The track surface can be bumpy in the braking zones, but nothing too significant and a soft enough car should be able to ride the bumps without locking up under braking.

Tyres
The temporary nature of Albert Park means the track is 'green' and dusty at first and gradually improves over the weekend. With the re-introduction of slicks this year, the team will pay careful attention during free practice to the behaviour of the super-soft and medium compounds that Bridgestone will bring to this race - both of which must be used during the race. The high track temperatures that we usually experience in Melbourne will play a role in determining which compound is preferred by the drivers.

Engine Performance
Melbourne offers a good test for engines with the V8s operating at full throttle for 66 percent of the lap. However, the secret of a good lap time depends not on peak power, but on good torque to help launch the car out of the slow corners that connect the succession of straights. This is particularly true of turns 14, 15 and 16, which are all tight, tricky corners, as driver Nelson Piquet explains:

"The car wants to understeer in the final part of the lap and so that can make it difficult to get on the power early. Having KERS this year might make a difference as we may be able to use it to help our acceleration out of these low-speed corners or if we are trying to gain or defend a position. Either way it should help improve our lap times."

[RoutariEnjinu]

Originally posted by F.M.
PRESS CONFERENCE

[...]

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/73914

6x 'for sure'


Who wants to place bets on the FS count for the next conference?

I wager 4x







Q. (Ed Gorman - The Times) Jenson, are you not worried that everything that's been put into this car isn't about to be wrecked by a protest which we understand is going to be filed this evening or later on today and that that could just trash the whole thing?

JB: Well, first of all, it's not something that I have any control over personally, and secondly, I think the best person to speak to about that is Ross.

Q. (Ed Gorman - The Times) But for you personally, it would be a huge disappointment, wouldn't it, if the car turns out to be illegal?

JB: You've said it yourself. It doesn't change anything for me. I can't do anything about it. It's down to Ross and whoever else is involved.






BUTTON DEVASTATED AT PROSPECT OF DIFFUSER PROTEST.

"I can't do anything about it" said a distraught Button.