Bench Racing: 2009 Formula One Thread

Hi UncleMark. Glad you stopped lurking



F1 going the way of Champ Car and IRL to a spec car

2010 begins a new set of homologation rules that will run through to the 2012 season. When these were first proposed the FIA called for proposals for a spec engine and the defecation hit the rotary oscillator. Teams sponsor and fans did not like the idea. The FIA was concerned that F1 was becoming too dependent on factories and with the changing economics that the factories would exit. Those against did not want a spec engine for all teams. The compromise is Cosworth is an approved engine supplier. New teams were pressured into using their engines in part so that CosworthÔÇÖs engine operation would be a viable business. Teams can use other engines as long as they meet the homologation rules. Cosworth was not the only company to submit a proposal to the FIA to build an engine so there are companies out there willing to get into the game if you are willing to pay them. McLaren has been rumored to be looking into building their F1 engines. BMW has left F1 before only to come back as an engine supplier at a later date. I am not overly concerned that F1 would become a single engine spec series. For the 2010 season there will be Cosworth, Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault engines.

Rules ÔÇô

Too many too few just right; it is a matter of perspective and what you are measuring. I agree that sometimes the punishments have seemed excessive or down right dumb. The FIA writes the rules but they are agreed on by the teams.

There is a major change that may help your concern and mine. Starting in 2010 the race cops ÔÇô the race stewards are going to change. Former drivers will be included in the race steward teams. They will be involved with training stewards and be part of the race stewards for each race. The goal is to bring some racing common sense to the enforcement team. In the past stewards were very knowledgeable about the rules but rarely had serious racing experience especially at this level.

I look for improvement next year. It will not be perfect but I think it is heading in the right direction.

Rev Limiters

They are kicking in at 18,000 RPMs if I recall properly, increasing engine life and saving teams money. It is as simple as that. I loved the V12 engine days and the sound, but hated the high number of DNFs due to engine failure. My feeling is they have hit the maximum point for saving and maintaining and exciting power plant.

Points

I have read a couple of reports that the point system may not change for 2010 and this does not surprise me. The teams did not have a chance to vote their approval (2/3 would be need I believe) or disapproval before they were put in place. There may not be enough time to meet the notice requirements etc.

I didnÔÇÖt see the proposed changes as being that big a deal rather as a math exercise to adjust the existing points system. If you sit down and play with them the reward ratio is about the same. Some writers have gone through the past championships to see if there would have been any changes in outcome, I think there was one year in 20 or something like that.

The major reason for the adjustment was the increase in grid size; more cars, more points and more points paying positions.

Stoopid

F1 has an incredible capacity to shoot themselves in the foot but they are not stupid. 2010 should be a good race season.

It is not clear if Lunch with Luca took place or there was an extended phone call between Ferrari Chairman Luca Di Montezemolo and Michael Schumacher. Either way Montezemolo is the first person with direct contact with Schumacher to confirm his intent saying Schumacher “seems to have it in his head to go and race in Formula 1 with Mercedes.”

I beg the forgiveness of Italians in the membership or readers of this piece for using a predictable stereotype but the context of the above quote is worthy of a dark Mafia Godfather movie sequence. Montezemolo is not talking of the seven time world champion, former Ferrari driver and icon turned consultant in this quote. No the person he refers to is Michael Schumacher’s identical twin.

In a surreal post on Ferrari.com titled The Schumacher Twins Montezemolo describes two Michael Schumachers. The first is the man he and we know. The second is the identical twin who has it in his head to go racing for Mercedes.

As the post unfolds I the image of a ‘loving’ godfather and his favorite captain meeting talking of the future and then embracing at the end and parting. The captain gets into his red 458 Italia to drive across the Alps to attend a similar meeting in Germany. The godfather heads into another room to meet with waiting family members and discuss the latest member/captain of the Ferrari Family, Fernando Alonso who the godfather describes as ”the right driver at the right time.”

After his brief speech Montezemolo the godfather walks across the room to embrace Alonso. As they do the godfather whispers two words, Schumacher Mercedes, into Alonso’s ear and the new member of the Ferrari Family understands what he must do to become a ‘made man.’

Cut to Michael Schumacher leaving the villa and getting into his Ferrari 458 Italia and driving off into the mountains toward a meeting in Stuttgart with ALL the powers in the Mercedes family.

Cut to Stuttgart glass walled office in the Daimler tower of Dr Dieter Zetsche, the CEO of Daimler AG.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche to most of us is the affable guy with the walrus mustache and the pleasant German accented English that tried to sell us on the idea of Chrysler and Mercedes being a match in the US. He showed up touting the Chrysler product on our televisions in their ads. He was reading a script then. He wrote the script that had Mercedes divesting itself of the American venture and keeping some prime holdings in the process. He is the one that is writing the Mercedes GP script now not the one we have seen in the various reports recently.

Not the script that had
- Mercedes GP looking for German drivers to man a German team bringing back memories of the thirties when Mercedes raced in Grand Prix Racing.
- Mercedes signing a multi year multi million dollar sponsorship deal with someone who did not have the authority to broker such a deal.
- Michael Schumacher ready to sign a multi million euro one year deal without making certain he is healthy enough to drive in F1 and win.
- Fellow CEO and Chairman of Fiat and Ferrari calling him and asking in colorful terms what the ---- his under bosses at Mercedes were doing recruiting his Captain, his made man, his driver Michael Schumacher.

No those script writers are leaving the room as we enter. We are invited by that affable man with the walrus mustache and the pleasant German accented English to sit down. He smiles as he explains.

“It’s nice after so many years now without a German driver Nico Rosberg is driving for us. This is a great thing.

…We are struggling to announce a second driver. Who the second driver is, we will probably not know until next year.”

With that we it is made clear, in a very congenial but clear way, that our meeting with the affable walrus mustachioed man is over and so is my imaginary movie sequence.

Be clear that Norbert Haug may be the head of F1 racing for Mercedes and Mercedes GP but Dr. Dieter Zetsche is in charge. There is more than you want to know lurking behind the good doctors mustachioed smile. There will be no driver announcement until he is satisfied. No matter what Bernie Ecclestone, pundits like Eddie Jordan, friends or even Michael Schumacher says there will be no driver decision until the affable man with the walrus mustache is satisfied.


Schumi if you read this. Stop in Hinwil and talk with Peter Sauber. He’s Swiss so he is neutral (yeah right but sort of), he has no mustache but has a big smile and loves good cigars. Sit down with him and work something out. Otherwise I am afraid this is not going to turn out well. These godfather type movies always have a way of killing off the good guys.

Your windmill fighting tifosi, Mika

Where will you spend the Twelve Days of Christmas and what will you be doing?

For many of us the time will be spent with family and friends renewing family bonds friendships and maybe engaging in some of our favorite sports. If this is your plan you will be in good company sharing your plan with Michael Schumacher.

British newspaper The Mirror says Schumi will be heading to the Middle East, either Abu Dhabi or Bahrain, for his twelve days. HeÔÇÖll be renewing his acquaintance with Ross Brawn and some other former team members and engaging in motorsport. The on track tests in the flesh test needed to confirm that Schumi is indeed fit to drive and thus perform on a contract are coming together.

The testing ban will be worked around by using a GP2 car. Ferrari has used a 2007 F1 car in its on track work with Massa. The use of the ÔÇÖ07 is allowed under the current rules. Mercedes GP/Brawn GP is so new it does not have such a car and thus must use something else. GP 2 cars are capable of speeds that would have put them the back of ÔÇÖ09 F1 grid. This is fast enough to meet the needs of what is being tested here, SchumiÔÇÖs neck.

My plans for the twelve days are very similar but they include a bit of head scratching courtesy of Bernie Ecclestone.

Ecclestone has confirmed that a multi year deal with promoters has been reached to hold a GP on the streets of Rome. The contract has an option for a further five years and Ecclestone says the track layout is impressive, taking the cars close to the Vatican. ÔÇ£Every time there is an overtaking maneuver, weÔÇÖre going to put the black smoke up.ÔÇØ I will no doubt watch several of them when they take place but still wonder why they will in the first place.

The second reason to head scratch is USF1. Ecclestone, in an article from The TimesOnline he reveals:

ÔÇ£The Formula One commercial rights-holder revealed that he expects two of the four new teams with sanctioned grid slots for next season ÔÇö Campos F1 and USF1 ÔÇö not to make it. ÔÇ£I think the people we expected to perform will and those that we thought wouldnÔÇÖt, wonÔÇÖt,ÔÇØ he said. Ecclestone expects 24 cars to start the opening race in Bahrain in MarchÔÇØ

Campos was always portrayed as the weak sister of the four new 2010 teams; therefore there should be no huge surprise with them. They continue to develop and could finally make an appearance in 2011. This may be more an economic / lack of sponsorship story than the inability to actually build and race the car if they had the money story.

I will spare you the rant on USF1, SpeedTV, Peter Windsor and more and leave it at being disappointed.

BernieÔÇÖs math in his math in closing line of the quote opens all sorts of speculation and head scratching. With two teams expected to drop from the 13 team one would expect 22 cars not 24. Who will bring the two extra cars?

The most likely candidate in the news is Stephan GP assuming they are able to pull together the continuing negotiations to acquire ToyotaÔÇÖs car design. Others are out their also. Prodrive was in the thick of the hunt and continues to want to race. Can they field their car? A long shot dark horse is Lola. Lola was part of the original applicants for the new 2010 grid slots. Some reports have had them continuing their car development.

If any of these teams can in fact put a car on the grid in March they will have won points with me for being able to pull together a racing program (no matter how flawed); something that USF1 with almost two years to do it apparently is unable to do. Oops I am beginning to rant.

Schumacher has penned the deal with Mercedes according Bild.de. Over the coarse of his career Bild has been used to leak things by Schumi and his handlers.

Reuters has picked up the Bild story and the BBC is confident enough in the report that they are running with the story on their site.

The official announcement could come as early as tomorrow.

It is official, as posted on the yet renamed website of Mercedes GP, Michael Schumacher joins Mercedes GP Petronas.

Reuters.com
Schumacher to make F1 comeback with Mercedes

Schumacher wants record eight title.

Ferrari.com

Schumacher ÔÇô a competitor to beat

Maranello, 23 December 2009 ÔÇô Ferrari fans all over the world received the news today of Schumacher having signed a contract with Mercedes GP and flooded the Ferrari website requesting an opinion regarding the matter. ÔÇ£What we have to say regarding Schumacher has been said by Chairman Montezemolo last week on the occasion of the traditional well-wishing with the Italian and international press,ÔÇØ a Scuderia spokesman said. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre giving our warm wishes to Michael: as of today he is our competitor and weÔÇÖll give it our all to beat him as we do with all the others.ÔÇØ


bbc.co.uk: Reactions to SchumacherÔÇÖs return


Be careful what you wish for. You just may get it.

Shell Ferrari video

I did not read the whole thread, but I did a search and did not find this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6gcwIt5nSM

Use good speakers!

Cheers, happy holiday
Len S

SkyRider said:

I did not read the whole thread, but I did a search and did not find this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6gcwIt5nSM

Use good speakers!

Cheers, happy holiday
Len S

Click to expand...

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet! I knew there's a reason why I like Shell gas!