Thursday, 1 January 2009
Monday, 29 December 2008
What was the blunder of the year?
Every driver and team screwed up at some stage in 2008, but what was the most egregious error? You tell us...
Brawn still optimistic for Honda rescue
Brawn still optimistic for Honda rescue
Ross Brawn says there has still been a "huge amount" of interest in team after dismissing Carlos Slim takeover talk.
Ross Brawn says there has still been a "huge amount" of interest in team after dismissing Carlos Slim takeover talk.
Louise Goodman's men of the year
Louise Goodman's men of the year
Louise picks the people who brightened up the paddock as well as starred on the track in 2008.
Louise picks the people who brightened up the paddock as well as starred on the track in 2008.
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Lewis Hamilton
| World Championships | 1 |
| Grand Prix Starts | 35 |
| Grand Prix Wins | 9 |
| Pole Positions | 13 |
| Nationality | British |
History
The 30th Formula One World Champion was the youngest ever, taking the title in the most dramatic fashion - approaching the last corner of the last lap of the last race of one of the most scintillating seasons in history. The sensational triumph of the sport's first black driver, in only his second year at the pinnacle of motorsport, was a welcome human interest story that focused unprecedented international attention on Formula One racing. His prodigious talent and pleasing personality made Lewis Hamilton an inspirational role model and ideal ambassador for his profession.Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton was born into a mixed race family on
7 January 1985, in Stevenage, a quiet English town north of London. His father Anthony, whose parents immigrated from Grenada in the West Indies in the 1950's, and his mother Carmen divorced when Lewis was about two years old. He lived with Carmen until he was 10 then moved in with Anthony, his wife Linda and their three-year-old son Nicolas. Remaining close to his mother, Lewis also formed a strong bond with his stepmother and credits them both with contributing to the caring, considerate side of his nature. He finds the cheerful bravery of his stepbrother, who suffers from cerebral palsy, inspirational. "I only have to think of Nic to feel motivated and put a smile on my face." His steely ambition and iron resolve come from the head of the family. "Even though he always told me to be courteous and polite, my focus and determination comes from, and has always been driven by, my dad."
Anthony Hamilton, his mentor and manager, worked day and night for years (at one time he held three different jobs) to further his son's racing career, which effectively began when eight-year-old Lewis was given a well-used go-kart that cost nearly as much as the family's modest monthly income. Soon the Hamiltons - Anthony, Linda, Nic and Lewis - were a fixture at karting events and the boy racer, wearing the familiar yellow helmet chosen by an anxious Anthony to better keep track of his speedy progress in crowded kart fields, began winning races and championships.
In 1995, a 10-year-old kart champion, wearing a borrowed suit and shoes, picked up two trophies at a motorsport awards ceremony in London. Brandishing an autograph book prepared by his father, he approached Ron Dennis, boss of the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. "I said 'Hello Mr. Dennis, I'm Lewis Hamilton and one day I'd like to race for your team.' I asked him for his autograph and his phone number. He put them in my book and also wrote 'Call me in nine years.'"
The call was made just three years later and it was the Hamilton household's telephone that rang. It was Ron Dennis who presented Anthony with an offer to financially support his son's career for the foreseeable future, with the proviso that Lewis should keep working hard at school. Lewis: "I just went upstairs to my room and got on with my homework. It was so unbelievable. I struggled to take it in."
While the family's financial struggle was over it put extra pressure on McLaren's teenage protege to meet ever higher expectations. As well as having to respond to envious critics who claimed he should be winning all the time, given his funding, it was imperative that Lewis continually prove himself worthy of his benefactor's investment. The need to achieve undoubtedly accelerated his progress through motorsport's ranks. After winning eight championships in six years of kart racing, he went on to win three major single-seater titles, the most prestigious of which was the GP2 championship, where in 2006 he took five victories from 21 starts. But it was the young British charger's several spirited comeback performances, from the back of the pack to the podium, that particularly prompted McLaren to promote him to the Formula One team.
Certainly he was well prepared, though no one was prepared for the astonishing ease with which the precocious youngster stormed through the 2007 season. Consistently out-performing his celebrated team mate Fernando Alonso (who had won the first of his two driving titles, with Renault, when he was just 24), Lewis Hamilton barged onto the podium a dozen times, won four races, led the championship for five months and lost it by merely a single point in the final race to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Their new recruit's dazzling debut was the only bright spot in a turbulent year for McLaren, whose two drivers became bitter adversaries. Their feud, exacerbated by Alonso's resentment of the British-based team's apparent focus on an English upstart he had presumed would be his understudy, culminated in the slighted Spaniard's angry departure from a team already troubled by a notorious 'spy scandal'. Found guilty of possessing Ferrari technical secrets, McLaren was fined $100 million and stripped of all its constructors' points.
On assuming the role of team leader in 2008 (when Alonso returned to Renault) the boy wonder became even more of a marked man. En route to carving out five victories and scything his way to the podium on six other occasions, he incurred the wrath of several overtaken rivals who accused him of arrogance and dangerous driving. Hamilton insisted his hard-earned self-belief was wrongly interpreted and that his driving was firm but fair. But it wasn't without flaw and a combination of miscues and mishaps meant the championship was far from a foregone conclusion prior to the final Grand Prix, in Brazil. There, if Hamilton failed to finish at least fifth, Ferrari's Felipe Massa could take the title by winning his home race.
The grand finale, on a serpentine Interlagos circuit made more treacherous by rain, produced arguably the most thrilling climax in the annals of any sport. Local hero Massa mastered the chaotic conditions perfectly, crossing the finish line first and scoring the points necessary to become champion - which he was for the
38.907 seconds that passed before his title rival took the chequered flag in the fifth place he needed to finish on top of the world. With this final flourish, having overtaken another car with about 300 meters to go, Lewis Hamilton, aged 23 years and 300 days, became the youngest World Champion.
"Shoot!" he exclaimed while celebrating tearfully with his nearest and dearest, among them his glamorous girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, a singer with the Pussycat Dolls. "I'm ecstatic, very emotional, very thankful for my family, my team and everyone who has supported me in this fairy-tale story."
FIA Formula One World Drivers Champions 1950 - 2008
FIA Formula One World Drivers Champions 1950 - 2008
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
2009 season changes
2009 season changes
A number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been made by the FIA for the 2009 Formula One season. In the case of the Sporting Regulations, the primary aims are increased reliability and further cost reductions. 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 One 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 downforce levels of the revised aerodynamic regulations (see below). The overall effect should be reduced performance through high-speed corners. Drivers will still have the choice of two dry tyre compounds and will still have to use both compounds during a race.
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 under 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.
Engines
In a move designed to boost reliability still further, rev limits will be cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm and drivers must now use the same engine for three, rather than two, consecutive events. Teams will be limited to eight engines per season - eight for each race driver and an additional four for testing. Just one team - Renault - has been allowed to make performance modifications to their engine for 2009 in order to help equalise power outputs.
Aerodynamics
Along with slick tyres, this is the biggest area of change for 2009. Downforce 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.
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 downforce.
Testing
From 2009 onwards testing is not allowed during the race season.
McLaren lead Ferrari at maiden Algarve test
McLaren lead Ferrari at maiden Algarve test
McLaren were the early leaders as this week’s three-day test got underway at Portugal’s Algarve Motor Park on Monday. With Red Bull, Williams and BMW Sauber all testing at the Spanish circuit of Jerez, Ferrari were the only other team in action at the new 4.7-kilometre Portuguese track.
Despite strong winds hampering his progress, McLaren tester Gary Paffett managed to cover 63 laps and clocked a fastest time of 1m 31.788s. Paffett spent most of the day running in the team’s KERS-equipped interim car, putting further mileage on the electrical unit and the 2009-spec front wing. Fellow test driver Pedro de la Rosa will be in action for the outfit on Tuesday.
Felipe Massa, meanwhile, took charge of the Ferrari and clocked a best time of 1m 32.926s. Massa concentrated his attentions on an engine endurance test, but managed just 36 laps before finishing ahead of schedule because he was feeling unwell. Testing continues at Portimao on Tuesday.
Unofficial Monday times from Portimao:
1. Gary Paffett, McLaren, 1:31.788
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:32.926
Monday, 8 December 2008
Australian Time Table 2009
| Fri 27 March 2009 | |
|---|---|
| Friday Practice 1 | (Thu) 23:00 - (Fri) 00:30 |
| Friday Practice 2 | 03:00 - 04:30 |
| Sat 28 March 2009 | |
|---|---|
| Saturday Practice | 00:00 - 01:00 |
| Qualifying | 03:00 |
| Sun 29 March 2009 | |
|---|---|
| Race | 05:00 |
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
2009 Formula 1 Teams
McLaren Mercades
BMW Sauber
Toro Rosso
Renault
Force India
Ferrari
Red Bull Racing
Honda
Williams
Toyota
BMW Sauber
Toro Rosso
Renault
Force India
Ferrari
Red Bull Racing
Honda
Williams
Toyota
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