Let the Magik Begin !!!

It’s a new year and a new season….Welcome to Formula 1 Grand Prix 2009.
Ahhh…..the long days of waiting are over. Hardcore is back and what better way to start the season by introducing a host of changes for the 2009 F1 Grand Prix
Below mentioned would be a bit technical to some of you….but what the Heck…go through it…If you don’t get it, gear up for 27th March 2009 when the first race begins in Australia.

A good number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been introduced by the FIA for the 2009 Formula 1 season. In the case of the Sporting Regulations, the primary aims are increased reliability and further cost reductions (you hear this term everywhere….cost cutting, retrenchment, recession…n the list goes on & on & on ).
In the case of the technical changes, there are three main objectives - reducing the role of aerodynamics in the cars’ performance; Making overtaking easier; And keeping lap times in check.

Tyres
After 10 seasons on grooved tyres, Formula 1 racing returns to slicks in 2009, as part of moves to increase the emphasis on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip. With no grooves, grip will increase by around 20 percent, bringing a significant performance gain. However, that gain will be offset by the vastly reduced down force levels of the revised aerodynamic regulations. The overall effect should be reduced performance through high speed corners.

Drivers will still have the choice of two dry tire compounds and will still have to use both compounds during a race. As before, suppliers Bridgestone will select the two compounds for each race from their four compound range super soft, soft, medium and hard. However, unlike in 2008, they will not select two consecutive compounds, so the difference between ‘harder’ and ‘softer’ at any given race will be far greater. A green band on the sidewall will distinguish the softer compound.

Standard wet weather tyres will now officially be known as 'intermediates', and extreme wet weather tyres will be referred to simply as 'wets'. The latter will feature a green central groove.

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS)
From 2009 teams have the option of employing a KERS to boost their car’s performance. As its name implies, a KERS recovers the (normally wasted) kinetic energy generated by the car’s braking process. This energy is stored using a mechanical flywheel or an electrical battery and then made available to the driver, in set amounts per lap, via a ‘boost button’ on the steering wheel. Under the current regulations the power gain equates to around 80 horsepower, available for just less than seven seconds per lap. This could be worth several tenths of a second in terms of lap time, but the weight and packaging of the system and its impact on the car’s weight distribution also have to be taken into account. ( So that means I can see Kimi back on the top of the Grid….Ferrari 1-2 in every qualifying is more of a reality now )

Engines
In a move designed to boost reliability still further, rev limits will be cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm. Drivers will be limited to eight engines per season, with each team allowed an additional four engines for testing. Once a driver has used up his eight engine allocation, any engine change will incur a 10 place grid penalty (or a move to the back of the grid if made after qualifying) for the event at which the change is made. Just one team Renault has been allowed to make performance modifications to their engine for 2009 in order to help equalize power outputs.

Aerodynamics
Along with slick tyres, this is the biggest area of change for 2009. Down force will be dramatically reduced and the cars ’ bodywork will appear much cleaner, thanks to new dimensional regulations that effectively outlaw extraneous items such as barge boards, winglets, turning vanes and chimneys on most areas of the car.

As well as reducing overall aero performance, the revisions are also designed to increase overtaking by making the car less susceptible to turbulence when closely following another driver. The most obvious changes are to the front and rear wings.

The front wing becomes lower (75mm from 150mm) and wider (up from 1400 to 1800mm the same width as the car) with driver adjustable flaps. Drivers will be allowed to make two wing adjustments per lap, altering the wing angle over a six degree range.

The rear wing becomes taller (up 150mm to bring it level with the top of the engine cover) and narrower (750mm from 1000mm).

Also at the back of the car, the diffuser has been moved rearwards, its leading edge now level with (rather than ahead of) the rear wheel axle line. In addition, the diffuser has been made longer and higher, all changes that will reduce its ability to generate down force.

Testing
From 2009 onwards testing is not allowed during the race season (from the week prior to the first Grand Prix until December 31) and is limited to 15,000 kilometers.

Safety car
The pit lane will now remain open throughout any safety car period, allowing drivers to refuel without penalty. However, to ensure that drivers are not tempted to speed back to the pit lane, a new software system which employs GPS and the cars’ standard ECU has been introduced. When the safety car is deployed, each driver is given a minimum ‘back to pit’ time based on his position on track. If he arrives in the pit lane before that time he will be penalized.

Prerace weights
After qualifying, the FIA will publish the weight at which all cars are expected to start the race, giving spectators an accurate gauge of what fuel load each driver is carrying.

Timings (IST)
Friday Practice 1: 7-8.30 AM
Practice2: 11– 12.30 PM

Saturday Practice: 8.30-9.30 AM
Qualifying: 11.30 Am

Sunday Race day: 10.30 AM

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F1 2008 - Canada Grand Prix Preview

It’s off to the Canadian Grand Prix and the only stop in North America. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a temporary circuit with a combination of street and track racing. As you see by the track pic, it has long fast straights always leading to heavy breaking where great traction and great acceleration are so important.

Aerodynamics
Not much downforce required at this circuit so a low downforce setup is the package of the day. With a top speed of over 320 km/hr drag is a drivers nightmare, but at the same time, some downforce is required to keep the car just stable enough that when under heavy breaking the car doesn’t get away from the drivers. This means a very twitchy car that can be tricky to handle if not smooth and easy with brakes, throttle and steering.

Brakes
One of the two most demanding tracks on breaks. The other of course is the high speeds of Monza. There are serious demands on the brakes in Montreal which include 4 breaking points from over 300 km/hr and 2 from over 250 km/hr. With this in mind, break wear is the biggest concern to the team and monitoring of them is a high priority throughout the race.

Suspension
The combination of chicanes and slow corners require responsiveness and stability and brake locking is an issue in Montreal. Too much break locking at either the front or the rear of the car is serious time lost.

Engine
When looking at the track map, it doesn’t seem that only 60% of the track is at full throttle, but that is exactly what it is. An over heated engine is not an issue, but the demand on the engine in the longest full throttle section of 14 secs is high. The engine has to be strong to respond to 6 full throttle accelerations separated by the chicanes.

Tires
Green is the word for this circuit by virtue of it being temporary so grip levels on Friday morning will be low, but slowly improve throughout the weekend. Because this circuit is not particularly demanding on tires and the surface is fairly smooth, soft and super soft tires will be used.

Rain can always be an issue in Montreal and the high speed nature of the track poses some risk to the driver if putting a tire off track. We remember Robert Kubica last year with his explosive crash. The walls are close on the street section and many a car have wiped against them exiting corners. I do see that happening more than once this year.

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F1 2008 - Monaco Grand Prix Preview

On to Monaco! It’s an insane place to hold an F1 race or any race for that manner, but they do and love it.

This is a max down force and grip track, a very green track for the initial practice session, and very twisty with somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 gear changes for the race. Passing is at a premium in Monaco so qualifying is as important as the race. It is a good bet that the only way to gain position during the race is through attrition.

Aerodynamics
Down force and grip are the words that dominate aerodynamics talk. With so many low speed corners down force has its importance in braking and acceleration. Mechanical grip is the key through these corners much more than down force.

Tires
Monaco is known for a good, easy on tires surface. This along with the low speed cornering makes a tire issue a non issue. The tires from Bridgestone this weekend will be soft and super soft compounds.

Engine
Monaco itself isn’t hard on engines with very little spent at full throttle, but although the track surface is usually smooth, the nature of the roads makes them bumpy, an issue drivers face is over revving of the engine if the wheels leave the ground too much. Taking care of your engine requires a smooth drive with good traction at the very low revs.

Suspension
With the ride height of the car higher than normal due to the bumpy track, teams can play more with suspension which is very important in Monaco. Softer suspension is used to help the car and driver deal with these bumps. Using the anti-roll bars, the suspension can bee loosened to allow more movement of the wheels over the bumps. if teams get this right, their car should be a fairly drivable car.

Steering Angle
Not normally talked about, the steering angle at Monaco becomes important. Front suspension used here is specifically designed for Monaco. This is because of the famous turns like the hairpin at the Grand Hotel and the sharp turn at Rascasse. Using normal steering lock, the car would not be able to negotiate these turns successfully so the angle is 2 times greater than what would be used in Barcelona.

Gearbox
Along with the aerodynamic and suspension requirements for slow speed turning, the gearbox is also greatly altered. Smaller closely spaced gear ratios are necessary for the best acceleration out of these corners. Listening to the car exit a turn you can hear very rapid gear changes; much more rapid than at any other track. With over 4000 gear changes during the race, the gearbox with be punished.

Full throttle: 60%
Brake wear: Medium – Hard
Down force level: High – 10/10
Tire compounds: Soft / Super Soft
Tire usage: MediumAverage speed: 160kph (100mph)

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F1 2008 - Turkish Grand Prix Preview

Let’s proceed to Turkey and on to one of the 2 anti-clockwise circuits on the F1 traveling road show. It is a circuit with a good combination of high speed and low speed corners and once again, passing is at a premium in Turkey. Turn 12 offers the best opportunity to overtake. This hairpin turn is right at the end of the long back straight and heavy breaking to turn 12 at the end offers the classic out breaking turning opportunity.

Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is not quite as critical as in Spain, but is still very important. Turkey is traditionally a medium down force circuit especially in order to carry great speed through the famous turn 8. That’s the most critical area for aerodynamics grip and virtually the rest is a track that relies on mechanical grip, specifically through to turn 5 and 12, 13, and 14.

Tires
Tires are much a part of mechanical grip and in Turkey tires take a beating starting with turn 8. Opposite Spain where the track was hard on the left front, in Turkey the right front gets the most wear. The choice of compounds that Bridgestone are supplying is hard and medium just like in Spain. Previous years saw this race in the middle of the summer with a very hot track surface. Now that the date is in May, track surface is cooler and less demanding on the tires.

Suspension
Being so new, the curbs and pavement are very easy on the car making balance fairly routine (lets c) with a delicate balance between stiff settings for the high speed sections of the track and soft settings for the low speed sections.

Brakes
As I said in the beginning, turn 12 offers the best passing option because of the hard breaking from the long straight leading into it. Good brakes for a late breaking pass are a key. The rest of the circuit is fairly easy on the brakes. This trace however could see some of the same action as Australia with drivers struggling with brakes through high speed turns and I’m sure we will see puffs of burning rubber when drivers find themselves locking their brakes where traction control would have taken over in the past.

Engine
Turn 8 gets mentioned a lot at this circuit along with turn 12. For turn 8, constant good power delivery is important at high revs all through this turn to ensure a fast exit. Low rev to high rev is the key through turn 12. This hairpin will be the hardest on the engine as hard fast acceleration is needed.

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F1 2008 - Spanish Grand Prix Preview

They’re on their way back to Catalunya and this time, let’s race. I don’t know about you, but this little early season break of 3 weeks seems like the off season again. Wondering if Alonso will bail on Renault, if DC will retire, Massa gone from Ferrari…ok, ok enough of that. On to the circuit.

The Catalunya circuit is so well known to F1 drivers because of its history and popularity in testing. The circuit is so popular because it offers just about everything a team would want to test on. Long straights, medium and high speed turns, and a few low speed turns ask a lot of the F1 car and driver as well. Not surprising a lot of testing is done here. Some cars will have a new look with horns and fins and holes in the nose etc. This is the race featuring the biggest upgrades.

Aerodynamics, tires, and suspension are the keys to Catalunya giving the engines a bit of a break. Aerodynamics is a key with high down force. I still think it is a bit unfortunate the chicane was added, lessening the importance of the once demanding high speed sections of the circuit.

The removal of traction control has added a little extra in suspension set up. The cars usually run with stiff front suspension for quick maneuvering and a softer rear end for optimum traction when accelerating out of the slow corners. Given the removal of traction control, suspension set up is even more critical for the gear balance they need.

There has been a lot of talk this past week in testing about tires and how they last on this tire demanding track. The high speed corners and rough surface tear tires apart much faster than normal. The tires Bridgestone are supplying this weekend are a hard and medium compound tire. As in the past, left front will be see the most wear especially from turn 3 and 9. A soft compound here probably wouldn’t last the formation lap.

As I said, this circuit is a break for engines with only 64% of the lap at full throttle and the engine isn’t tested in acceleration from the low rev range on up, but only from mid rev range on up. A blown engine here is a bit of a concern I would think.

This is a circuit I love to hate because of the lack of breaking zones and with that, not much passing. Sure, watching the cars through the high speed corners is cool, but a winning strategy is about qualifying and pit overtaking.

Imp Stats
Full throttle: 64%
Brake wear: Medium
Down force level: High – 8/10
Tire compounds: Medium / Hard
Tire usage: Hard
Average speed: 207kph

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The slip between the cup and the lip

This season is undoubtedly about Standard ECU i.e. no traction control and engine braking. It was so apparent at this past weekend Australian Grand Prix that saw numerous crashes and spins caused by driver error.

What after Massa claiming that this regulation is a step back in terms of safety. Practice, qualifying, and the race were so exciting to watch, seeing car after car after car sliding their way through corners and the drivers using their own skill to get through rather than relying on the car to do it for them.

Although some excitement was lost at the Australian Grand Prix because so few cars remained near the end, I welcomed the return of pure driving skill where a pass is skill, and a spin is driver error. Based on driver interviews over the winter, many drivers entrance into this 2008 season has exposed their apparent naivety and/or refusal to respect a new driving style.

The most well known of the bunch has to be Kimi Raikkonen who had 2 off road excursions simply caused by his over aggression and his lack of attention. His drive through the gravel trap after a high speed entrance into a corner to me is an indication he failed to grasp the full meaning of no driver aids. This despite his off season remarks that the new standard ECU would really not affect him.
On the other hand, Timo Glock’s ‘off‘, again the result of the lack of driver aids could have been a very serious incident. It is time for drivers to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.

I hope this past grand prix is an exception to what will really take place in future races, but if I can take anything away from it, will be that I can be assured of a lot of new excitement and not the usual top 10 leader board every race.

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F1 2008 Preview / Australian Grand Prix Preview

Now that the driver lineups have been determined, the new cars have been launched (the ones that matter, anyway), and with Winter testing complete, the Formula 1 season is ready to begin! I, for one, am looking forward to it. I began watching/paying attention to F1 just after the first GP in 2004, when Schumacher was at his prime and Barrichello was still @ Ferrari and the time when people called Montoya crazy.First, let us tackle the new season. Will Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen win back-to-back constructor and driver's championships? How will McLaren rebound from their controversy filled (on and off the track) 2007 season? Can BMW join the elite and compete for podium finish and victories regularly. How will Renault fair with the return of two time World Champion Fernando Alonso?



The official F1 website has plenty of previews, so I'll just "borrow" them to hit the highlights of the off-season changes
Managing change: what's new for 2008 - Part 1
Managing change: what's new for 2008 - Part 2


Part 1 deals with the new technical regulations, which is highlighted by the banning of electronic control units which is where the traction control came from.Part 2 explains the new sporting regulations. Major changes include gearbox longevity and a tweaking of the qualifying format. Each car must now use the same gearbox for four consecutive races or they will incur a five place penalty on the grid.


2008 Team Preview - Ferrari, BMW, Renault
2008 Team Preview - Williams, Red Bull, Toyota, Toro Rosso
2008 Team Preview - Honda, Super Aguri, Force India, McLaren
2008 Schedule


The Formula 1 season will once again begin in Australia and conclude in Brazil. New race locations in 2008 include Valencia, Spain and Singapore. F1 will also return to Hockenheim, Germany to host the German GP. And lo behold, we have an Indian team in the reckoning. Things didn’t look rosy when we had an Indian @ the helm of a F1 car. Mr.Narain dropped out of Jordan after the 2005 calendar. At this juncture, he must be thinking what if he had stayed on? What if he could have garnered more sponsors for the beleaguered team of his!! Surprise surprise, Mr. Malya may have retained him in the current lineup of drivers for none other than the Indian team which has finally announced its presence in F1 as Force India. Now lets see how well does Force India perform with a billion people back home rooting for it; expecting it to do miracles in its first season. But remember folks, this is not a Ferrari though it has the engine of one; this team will take time to go up the ranks but since Mr. Malya being a great visionary, hope to see them on the podium when India hosts it first F1 in 2010. That’s something which will take the spotlight away from Cricket for sometime.


Australia Preview
Kimi Raikkonen dominated the race last year and Felipe Massa showed strong form as well in climbing through the field after starting shotgun after having mechanical problems during qualifying. It would be hard to pick against Ferrari again this year, but perhaps McLaren will be a bit closer at the beginning of this season than they were at the start of last year. Given Australia's location, this race will start around 10:30AM on Sunday morning for me, so I'll get to watch it.
So that ends my first review for this F1 calendar year

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