Not true. If anything the trend has been reversed: Ever since we go rid of launch control, traction control and the like the input of the driver has become more important. And now with even less aero to help, standardized electronics and the strategic role of KERS and the option to adjust the front wing per lap the driver is more important than ever in this decade. Yes it is primarily an engineering exercise, but monkey in the fastest car still wouldn't win the race.
I'm in that camp. It's a Mercedes powered Honda car. I read somewhere that this was part of the sale. Lets say they were to buy the team back mid-season, would it still be BrawnGP? or Revert to Honda F1 Racing? Would they keep the Merc powerplant, or put in a Honda one? Exactly, if they were running light, someone would have noticed them refueling every so often. We would have heard of that by now, and we probably would have had pictures or footage of it.
We're at cross purposes here - "Running light" is not in reference to fuel load, but rather an "unballasted" car - Pretty much everyone's done it over the years. However, as I noted above (?), you really are collecting "dodgy" data if you do that, and I believe Ross wants *good*, reliable data - I think he's too smart to play those games. [At least, I *hope* he is.....] Roll on Melbourne: "When the flag drops, the BS stops" Cheers, Ian
Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who lost the 2008 title fight against Hamilton by a single point, admitted surprise that the works Mercedes-powered team is regularly occupying the bottom places on the timesheets. Unofficial word from the Woking based team at the end of the test is that the car's problem has been identified and can be fixed in the run to Melbourne. "They still can improve and they have another test that we don't have so they can find what is wrong, what is not working," Massa said. "For sure it is surprising to see McLaren behind but we need to respect and wait for the first race of the season to have a clear idea about that," he added. McLaren group chairman Ron Dennis this week put a brave face on the MP4-24's problems, but Mercedes' competition boss Norbert Haug is less guarded. "We are far too slow at the moment but are going to work hard to get back to the front," he said in interview with Germany's Deutsche Presse-Agentur. McLaren produced a clear dud... the MP4-18.in 2002, The team struggled, and eventually resolved their issues by continuing to race with a revised MP4-17D. But with all of the rules changes for the 2009 F1 season, they won't get that chance. Yeh For sure!
I remember, before BAR bought Tyrell which became Honda and is now Brawn GP....or was Stewart in there somewhere....anyway, Mika Salo, remember him, was seconds faster than everyone in testing driving a Tyrell......I think they scored 1-point that season.
While Ferrari looks set to be among the teams fighting for victory in Melbourne, its perennial rival McLaren appears unlikely to be one of its main challengers after the Woking squad revealed on Friday that its MP4-24 was not yet fast enough to challenge for wins following troubled recent tests. Domenicali says there had been little to choose between the leading group before Brawn GPs incredibly surprising performance this week and he admits the rescued Brackley outfit is a real threat. "I don't want you to think that I'm avoiding an answer, but it's more difficult than ever to say anything about the levels on the track, he said. Until a couple of days ago there was a great equilibrium between the different teams some expected and some a bit less and then there was Brawn GP's exploit; their performance was incredibly surprising and they have to be watched with care. We think that we're part of the more competitive teams, but there are still many unknown factors to consider: we have to wait for Melbourne to get the answers." Domenicali was also asked to state Ferraris position on the potentially brewing controversy over some teams interpretations of the revised 2009 technical regulations. Renaults Flavio Briatore this week complained that rival teams are flouting the spirit of the rules with controversial diffuser designs, warning that his squad could lodge an official protest against Toyota and Williams in Melbourne. Domenicali says Ferrari itself is confident that it has followed the rule book to the letter and added that the FIA had to clarify the situation should any doubt exist with other teams designs. "We think that we've applied the modified regulations after the works done by the OWG (Overtaking Working Group) together with the FIA to the letter, he said. It might be that others took a different approach: the FIA has to dissipate any doubt; let's hope they'll do it fast and clear." From ITV I highlighted the worrying bit, as usual the FIA hasn't been clear with it's rules by the look of it..
There is the wiggle room for the FIA to hand out post race penalties...And we both know who will get the benefit of that. As Gilles27 once so eloquently put it: The FIA deliberately leaves room for interpretation in their technical rules.
As well as Bernie: I'm pretty sure he put his own pressure on Max last year to reverse the Spa and Fuji results. After all he got his dream finale in Brazil.
While it might be tempting to think that, it should be said there is absolutely no evidence (as far as I am aware) to support such a thought, or indeed the thought that Max intervened in either of those two instances.
Of course there isn't. They'd be foolish to leak such a thing. But I learned a long time ago to judge people by their actions, not their words. And the actions after those two GPs speak a very clear language.
My hope too. And the fact that the FIA changed its own requirements and regulations regarding race stewards tells me that they too are less interested in creating controversy again. BTW: I would still like to know whether there was a 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll or not. The more documentaries I watch about the case the more confused and uncertain I become.
Ok, but Andreas is 100% correct, sorry Ian, but Max making calls like that do nothing to dispel the FIA translation into Ferrari International Assistance ridicule, and because he doesn't care, it's another reason I loath him.
Once again we face the sport vs. business issue. "If you look at it its a barn, if you smell it its a stable". Groucho Marx
I'm not saying the FIA haven't been involved in 'fixing' results, but I wouldn't claim they had been unless some reliable evidence was available. Without that it's no more than rumour and speculation (with the potential to end up in court on the wrong end of a libel suit ).
Gosh I wish somebody would write that book. I bet she has all the answers. But I also bet the divorce m/b-illions will buy her silence.
