F1 season starts

Wow! Just finished watching qualifying. Button qualified 1 and Barichello 2 for Brawn Mercedes. Ferrari, however, are in 8th and 9th while Maclaren, 14th and 15th. Can't wait for tomorrow's Aussie GP!

totally stoked! I waited a long time for this, and this season is going to ROCK!

+1! Should be even better than last season.

KERS is highly interesting. The two types, battery storage and flywheel, and who's using which, if any.

F1 is basically the only reason I have cable TV with Speed.

This is going to be good.

Go Ross!

It's amazing that Brawn has totally transformed the old Honda team. This year is going to flat rock!!!

Or it'll be one team dominating all the others...

I was hoping the racing would be closer.

Anyone have lap times for qualifying?

I'm glad to see a winning team (Brawn) rise from the ashes of the Honda effort. Who would have thought this is what the first race weekend would look like?

Where can I find a KERS system for my car?

in unloaded fuel Q2 the top 4 cars were within 31 thousandths of a second. Unfortunately, in Q3 the Brawns were supposedly on the heaviest fuel load, and Button was 7 hundredths of a second quicker than Vettel in 3rd. (Barrichello was about in the middle of that)

on low fuel loads it looks pretty close, but on a full load of fuel the Brawns seem to manage it quite well.

I sure wish you'd put SPOILER in the thread title if you were going to immediately give results, that would sure help us with DVRs who may not have had time to watch it yet know not to open the file until we do.

There's also that rear diffuser that Brawn GP and I think a couple other teams have that the others are whinning about.

TH, KERS short for hybrid.

SPOILER

this just in....

hamilton to back of grid for gearbox change

then toyota to back of grid for their wing being too flexable (rear)

so hambone is in 18th and toyo is 19 and 20.

and here is the starting order and their starting weights...

1. Jenson Button, Brawn GP, 664.5kg
2. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP, 666.5
3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 657
4. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 650
5. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 657
6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 654
7. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 655.5
8. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 662
9. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 691.5
10. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 680.7
11. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 690.6
12. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 694.1
13. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India 689
14. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 612.5
15. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 675.5
16. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 684.5
17. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 662.5
18. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 655
19. Timo Glock, Toyota, 670
20. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 660

furthermore...

if you dont have SPEED (aka the nascrap channel) you may be able to catch the BBC coverage here http://www.justin.tv/atomic_napalm I am not sure if the race will be on here, but qualifying was last night (and its more "live" then speed, no commercials, less delay then speed)

Apexcarver wrote: SPOILER this just in.... hamilton to back of grid for gearbox change then toyota to back of grid for their wing being too flexable (rear) so hambone is in 18th and toyo is 19 and 20. and here is the starting order and their starting weights... 1. Jenson Button, Brawn GP, 664.5kg 2. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP, 666.5 3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 657 4. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 650 5. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 657 6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 654 7. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 655.5 8. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 662 9. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 691.5 10. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 680.7 11. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 690.6 12. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 694.1 13. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India 689 14. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 612.5 15. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 675.5 16. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 684.5 17. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 662.5 18. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 655 19. Timo Glock, Toyota, 670 20. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 660 furthermore... if you dont have SPEED (aka the nascrap channel) you may be able to catch the BBC coverage here http://www.justin.tv/atomic_napalm I am not sure if the race will be on here, but qualifying was last night (and its more "live" then speed, no commercials, less delay then speed)

Thanks for the info. I had to search around for the qualy results and I am going to check out that link you provided.

im really considering watching BBC coverage over the speed coverage.. they have David Coulthard as a commentator!

I don't understand all the whining about the rear diffuser. The rules clearly allow it. Why did none of the other teams develop the diffuser when they saw it on the Brawn, Toyota and Williams?

because they are protesting it...

the initial result of the protest is that it is legal, however they are appealing that decision.

the appeal will happen after the first 2 races, so they are saying that the results of the first 2 races will be provisional.

so if it is deemed illegal later on brawn, toyo, and williams could be stripped of the win after the fact for having the diffuser.

That appeal has no chance - the argument is that the diffusers are within the technical regulations but violate the "spirit" of the regulations. In other word, why didn't we think of that!

I'm really looking forward to this season, there figures to be close, interesting racing for the first time in years.

I was amazed by the performance of the Brawn GP cars in today's qualifying. I don't think they were out of the top few cars in any qualifying session. I do expect them to do even better over the course of a fuel stint, however, because as you burn off fuel by racing you gradually reduce the weight of the car, and the driver can make minute adjustments to compensate, and thus gradually get accustomed to the reduced weight. if you do one flying lap with a race fuel load, then another with just enough fuel for a warmup lap, a flying lap, and a cooldown lap, that's too big a difference in weight to adjust to, especially if you ran that race fuel load for a while and got accustomed to the increased weight.

that team does sort of materialize the American dream, though. starting with a group of folks who know what they are doing, but nothing material, and rising to the occasion and doing better than just about anyone without the benefit of a crystal ball could have expected. if that isn't the American dream, I don't know what is.

there was also a LOT more humility in the press room afterwords from Jenson and Rubens. never have I seen a modern F1 driver nearly trip over themselves thanking the team. it's a welcome change imho

They didnt really rise form nothing...

If you will remember, last year Honda froze development on the 2008 car and started development of the 2009 car QUITE early.

So the BrawnGP car has more developmental engineering time on it then any other car on the grid.

No, the American dream is for USGPE to win NEXT year

but i do have to admit that i am rooting for brawn, williams, and toyota..

I think if i was to say right now who I'm gonna root for through the season for the championship, its gonna be Barachello. Even as a young guy I want the oldest guy on the grid to get it. He has put in his licks and deserves it!

Maybe this will be the season of the customer teams dominating over the factory teams. In a way, that would be grassroots.

UPDATE!!!

BBC coverage is here http://www.justin.tv/dragons_bar (live coverage, not recording)

WOW! I'm going to bed.

Helluva race.

Is Mark Webber the unluckiest man in F1?

Luke wrote: Is Mark Webber the unluckiest man in F1?

Quite possibly.

This is going to be a very interesting season.

The answer to every question used to be Miata; soon it will be Brawn.

Brawn certainly knows how to engineer a car, it was another great design.

however Newey certainly has a good chassis in the Red Bull too, if they can finish the races....they don't have the "diffuser", and Vettel was still in second for a good portion of the race.