Formula 1 News

Le Grand Prix du Canada retiré du calendrier 2009


Le calendrier 2009

29 mars: Australie

5 avril: Malaisie

19 avril: Bahreïn

10 mai: Espagne

24 mai: Monaco

7 juin: Turquie

21 juin: Grande-Bretagne

28 juin: France

12 juillet: Allemagne

26 juillet: Hongrie

23 août: Europe (Valence/ESP)

30 août: Belgique

13 septembre: Italie

27 septembre: Singapour

11 octobre: Japon

18 octobre: Chine

1 novembre: Brésil

15 novembre: Abou Dhabi

Ferrari addresses F60's glitches

Ferrari engineers are addressing a number of technical issues on its new F60 after the team admitted it had some “small problems” during the car’s initial shakedown.

Ferrari became the first team to launch a 2009-spec Formula 1 car on Monday, rolling out a KERS-equipped F60 at Mugello in Italy.

In a meeting on Tuesday, attended by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, the team’s engineers began solving the F60’s glitches as part of the first steps in the car’s development programme.

The F60’s next track appearance will be at the Portimao test circuit in Portugal where it will come face-to-face with the 2009 offerings from McLaren, Renault, Toyota and Williams.
The Scuderia is eager to make the most of its track time before the in-season testing ban restricts development of the new car.

Chief aerodynamicist Nikolas Tombazis believes success will rest on improving the car quickly before the start of the season.

“Many rules, as far as the aerodynamics are concerned, are completely new,” Tombazis said at the Ferrari launch.

“The speed of development will be the main issue.

“Whoever knows how to develop faster will be better than the others.

“We can work on the development in the Fridays at every GP.

“Before the season there's still some good margin and if we're ahead at the first race, it means that we can keep our cool."

Tombazis added that the F60 will not only be much improved by the first race but will also look very different compared to the car that debuted at Mugello.

"The F60 will be very much overhauled for the first GP,” he said.

“We want to resolve all the issues as far as the mechanics and the reliability are concerned.

“We also want to maximise the aerodynamic development.

“I can confirm that also visibly the car will be really different at the first race."

Toyota unveiled the TF109 with an online launch








Toyota has retuned its RXV-09 engine in accordance with the 18,000 rpm limit

One of Toyota's main challenges for 2009 will be coupling a KERS unit to its 2.4 litre V8

The car's design must adapt to the additional grip from the 2009-spec slick tyres


Detail of Toyota's adjustable front wing


Getting the most out of the narrower and taller rear wing will be crucial to success in 2009


Toyota maintain its driver line-up from 2008 with Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock as race drivers and Kamui Kobayashi as the official test driver


The TF109 has a wider front wing and a narrower rear wing to comply with the 2009 aero regulations


The TF109 has smooth bodywork to comply with the 2009 regulations

Nose cone changes to take longer in ‘09

Pedro de la Rosa has warned that the new-for-2009 adjustable front wings will mean that changing nose cones during pit stops will take much longer next season.

Adjustable flaps on the front wing have been made legal this year to allow drivers to compensate for the lack of downforce when following a rival's car and increase the chances of overtaking.

However, the flaps will require some kind of hydraulic or electronic connection between the cockpit and the front wing, which de la Rosa points out will complicate the business of replacing nose cones during the race following accident damage.

“Well the fact that you can change the front flap has its negatives and one of them is that quick nose cone changes in a pit stop will be delayed.”
“You can use a hydraulic system or you can use an electric motor, but whichever you use you still have to connect some type of cables because you’re operating it from the cockpit.

“So it’s going to add a big loss at the pit stops for everyone.”

After testing a BMW with 2009-spec aerodynamics at the end of last year, Nick Heidfeld expressed concerns that the increased width of the front wing may make it more susceptible to damage at the start of races.

However, de la Rosa does not subscribe to Heidfeld’s view and believes that after testing the new-shape cars drivers will get used to their different dimensions.

“I’m not concerned about that,” he said.

“It will take a little bit of getting used to for us in terms of how close can we get to the guy in front, or how much can we use some type of kerbs.

“But at the end of the day it only requires a bit of testing; after a few kilometres it shouldn’t become an issue.”

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 Launch

new 2009 Mclaren mp4/24

BMW F1.09 2009 Formula 1 race car

Renault unveiled its brand new R29

Safety car rules overhauled for 2009



The controversial safety car rules that have been in place for the past two seasons will be scrapped for 2009, with the pit lane to now remain open and drivers instead having to heed a minimum lap time on their return to the pits.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting confirmed the changes to the procedure on Tuesday, announcing that a change would be made in line with the simulations carried out by drivers at the end of several practice sessions last season.

Since being introduced at the start of the 2007 season, the hitherto safety car rules saw the pit lane closed at the start of a full caution period with any car refuelling during this time punished by a drive-through penalty.

The FIA implemented the change to stop drivers racing back to the pit lane, when there was a potential accident on track, in a bid to gain an advantage, but the rule proved increasingly unpopular as drivers were clobbered with a potentially race-wrecking penalty if the pit lane closure came during their refuelling window.

But now after admitting that rule change “was a bad one”, Whiting confirmed the pit lane will revert to being open and a reduced speed will instead be achieved by cars running at an ECU-controlled pace.

Asked if the safety car rules would be changed for 2009, Whiting replied: “Yes.

“The rule introduced in 2007 was a bad one, and we’ve gone back to the 2006 regulations.

“The only difference is we intend to implement a minimum time back to the pits.”

Honda Saved Three Weeks Before Season Starts

The future of Honda's Formula One team has been secured just three weeks before the start of the new season.
The Japanese manufacturer has sold the team to former team principal Ross Brawn.

It will compete in the upcoming world championship under the new name, Brawn GP.

The deal secures the future of British driver Jenson Button and veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.

"The vast experience and knowledge that both drivers bring to our team will prove invaluable as we aim to get up to speed in the shortest possible time to be ready for the first race," Brawn said.

Brawn GP has agreed a deal with Mercedes for a supply of engines in the 2009 F1 season, which gets under way in Australia on March 29.

Hiroshi Oshima, the managing officer of Honda motor sports, said "We are very pleased that we could sell the team to Ross Brawn with whom we have been partaking in the challenges of F1 competition, and are grateful for his decision."

Honda had in December announced it was exiting Formula One in an effort to cut costs during the economic downturn

Protest row sours opening F1 race

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Three teams lodged an official protest against the bodywork on the cars of three rival teams ahead of this weekend's Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari, BMW, Renault and Red Bull entered the formal complaints Thursday after race stewards approved the design of the rear diffuser and attached bodywork on the Williams, Toyota and Brawn cars. BMW team principal Mario Thiessen indicated an intention to protest, but the team did not make the deadline to do so.

The protest was to be heard by race stewards later in the day, leaving uncertainty over the legality of the three affected teams going into Sunday's race and the early rounds of the championship.

Whatever the immediate decision of the stewards, it was likely to be appealed. A hearing via the appeal mechanism of the FIA _the sport's world governing body — was unlikely to be scheduled until after the Malaysian Grand Prix, the second round of the championship.

If the bodywork was deemed illegal, and either of Williams, Toyota or new team Brawn appealed, they would likely race with their present design until the appeal was heard.

New F1 regulations limit the size of the diffuser, and the protesting teams say Williams, Toyota and Brawn have bent the rules by designing bodywork to effectively increase its size.

The diffuser is at the rear of the car's under tray and acts to increase down force, assisting speed, cornering and smooth performance.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner rejected suggestions that this conflict, three days ahead of the season's first GP, had already fractured the much-trumpeted cohesion between teams since the creation of the Formula One Teams' Association.

"This is a sporting and competitive issue, it has nothing to do with the workings of FOTA. It's nothing personal against the teams, it's simply looking to clarify regulations and our interpretations and others has been different," Horner said. "Our purpose in all of this is to establish the clarity of the regulation, because it has significant impact on how we channel our development."

Toyota team principal John Howett said he had no ill will toward the protesting teams, and was confident the Toyota design would be approved.

"It's part of the sport we're in," Howett said. "We have studied the regulations in detail and are very confident we have interpreted them correctly.

"We now just wait for what the stewards or a subsequent court decides."

Should the ultimate decision go in favor of Williams, Toyota and Brawn, other teams would be forced to play catch-up to develop their own bodywork to match.

Horner said his team had done preliminary work to develop rear bodywork in similar fashion, but abandoned it to comply with new F1 rules.

"The cost implications are significant but it depends on how far you want to go with it," Horner said. "We looked at the concept, we looked at it some time ago. We understood it was certainly not within the spirit, or within the regulations. We haven't committed any significant resource to it."

The Red Bull boss said it would be possible for the rival teams to change their bodywork in time for Sunday's race, although the likelihood of appeals meant that was unlikely.

"I don't see any technical reason why it couldn't be done quickly, though the optimizing is something different," Horner said. "It would be possible."

Ferrari vow to quit if rules don't change

Ferrari has upped the stakes in the teams’ standoff with the FIA over budget capping by announcing it will quit Formula 1 in 2010 if the current regulations remain in place.

The sport’s most iconic team has been at loggerheads with the governing body since the optional £40 million budget was ratified earlier this month, with its president Luca di Montezemolo branding the rule, and the potential two-tier system it creates, both unfair and unworkable.

Now following a board meeting in which it revealed yesterday would involve discussions over its Formula 1 future, the team has confirmed that, as the rules currently stand, it won’t be on the grid next season.

"The Board considers that if this is the regulatory framework for Formula 1 in the future, then the reasons underlying Ferrari’s uninterrupted participation in the World Championship over the last 60 years – the only constructor to have taken part ever since its inception in 1950 – would come to a close," a statement read.

"The same rules for all teams, stability of regulations, the continuity of the FOTA’s endeavours to methodically and progressively reduce costs, and governance of Formula 1 are the priorities for the future.

"If these indispensable principles are not respected and if the regulations adopted for 2010 will not change, then Ferrari does not intend to enter its cars in the next Formula 1 World Championship."