Brawn

[DaGaffer]

I bet there are a few Honda execs feeling like silly bastards today...

 

[Trem]

Explain.

 

[Jaberwocky]

Button just got poll.

 

[Kryten]

Indeed. Could be a very good race to look forward to. Button on Pole, Barrichello on 2nd. That's gotta be a damned impressive car, they're not bad drivers by any counts but there's far better drivers in what really should have been superior cars.

You know, a year ago I was saying Brawn would have a magical influence on Honda when he joined, however I was also thinking a) the change wouldn't be overnight and b) it would improve their standing somewhat. I certainly didn't think it'd be making them dominate a whole seasons testing period and putting 2 cars on the front row of the grid on the first race

 

[Trem]

Bah, thought it was going to be something interesting.

 

[JingleBells]

I can't help thinking that the result of tomorrows race will be decided by some court though due to this diffuser row

 

[throdgrain]

Bah, thought it was going to be something interesting.

I thought it was about that horrible sandwich stuff

 

[Aph3x]

I think the diffuser row is just sour grapes from the other teams for not thinking of the idea themselves. Williams, Brawn and Toyota have thought a way around a problem that others have not, so they have spat there dummies out and gone stomping off to complain.
Happens everytime a constructor thinks of an ingenious way around a problem, Maclaren did it a few years ago when they came up with there anti lock brakes, other teams appealed and lost so ended up making their own versions. Same thing will happen here.

 

[Dukat]

I thought it was about that horrible sandwich stuff

That would have been interesting!

 

[Kryten]

Yup. Mclaren aren't in a position to moan as they're supplying Brawn with the juice. Besides which I think they're trying fairly hard to keep out of such disputes for fairly obvious reasons.

Branson is feeling rather pleased, certainly enough so to say "Aren't I a jammy bastard!" or words to those effect on live TV this morning

 

[kirennia]

I can't help thinking that the result of tomorrows race will be decided by some court though due to this diffuser row

It's been cleared so any results which happen for I think the next 2 races will stick, even if the cars are found to be illegal.

That said though, both of the toyotas have just been demoted to the back of the grid for an overflexing back wing design so will have to change the thing overnight.

Hamilton is also demoted from 13th to 18th because of a changed gearbox.

Looks like it'll be a good race with the current standings... more then anything I'm looking forward to seeing how KERS is going to have a hand off the line, especially with the ferraris.

The point with KERS I think is that it's a new technology so it's not going to herald any great performance yet but as soon as it does, those teams with it on may well start to gain over those who don't have in-race testing advantages with it. Looks like it's shaping up to be a good season

 

[old.user4556]

I bet that's got the ricers and vtec fanboys furious.

 

[ECA]

The problem with KERS is that it costs weight.

Extra weight along with the boost will cause faster tyre deteoration along with worse handling due to the weight and progressively worse handling due to tyre detereoration.

Simply put, KERS cars are going to pull away early in the race and have an advantage, but will be slower at the end.

It's going to make racing more exciting simply because there will be more variables.
Whether anyone continues to use it depends on whether the trade off works in their favour and we wont see that until OMG LIKE 12HOURSFROMNOWOMGOMGOMG.

 

[caLLous]

Spoiler

Yeah KERS didn't seem so world-changing after all. Good race, well done Brawn.. and Lewis as well, 18th to 4th ain't bad at all.

And I <3 the lack of breaks and The Chain. The red button stuff was pretty slick as well.

 

[JingleBells]

Spoiler

The Rubens Barichello School of Driving:

As practised by Vettel & Kubica:

 

[ECA]

He's been playing way too much on his PS3/xbox60

 

[Chilly]

I feel bad as well. I layed button @ 11 and now the **** has come right in. I'll just let it ride and trade out when he inevitably cocks it up.

 

[Jupitus]

I feel bad as well. I layed button @ 11 and now the **** has come right in. I'll just let it ride and trade out when he inevitably cocks it up.

Cut out now - they're well ahead of the curve on dev this season and Branson's gonna be putting up some cash for more dev... I think they'll be up there and JB showed he can handle the pressure today.

 

[Chilly]

But he's not a very good driver. Theres only so much technnology can do imo. I'll leave it until after malaysia to trade out.

 

[Ch3tan]

This is what bugs me about f1. It is hard to judge who the best driver really is. It always seems to come down to whose car is better, and which team has managed to work the best within the rule changes that year.

 

[DaGaffer]

But he's not a very good driver. Theres only so much technnology can do imo. I'll leave it until after malaysia to trade out.

Actually Button is an excellent driver. There was a good analysis by Martin Brundle in the Sunday Times yesterday about the car v. driver impact on success.

 

[Jupitus]

Putting Button out in the same car as Rubens gives a reasonable perspective and Button outpaced him in qualifying and then set the pace during the race. I'd be interested to see comparative best laps of the 2 to compare, but I bet they'd be very very close which also then takes away the variable of Reubens level of fitness or age.

I'm not particularly a Button fan, to be fair, but I do think he drove an excellent race and got a well deserved win.

As the season shapes up then it's only natural the other teams will make progress... for me the real question is whether Brawn GP can continue with what has already been a massive effort to tweak things and keep an advantage. I would expect that McClaren were at the drawing boards looking at diffusers not only when they were asking the stewards in Melbourne, but a while before as soon as they got drift of the differences in pace between teams.

Good drive by Hamilton too, keeping it on the road and making some nice progress through the field. His critics would have been betting on him losing his cool and stacking it somewhere, I bet.

All in all a great opener, it's back on the Beeb with The Chain as the theme, Brundle is still doing grid walks and the ads have gone - I'm looking forward to the rest of the season

 

[russell]

Mr Russell is over the moon and convinced that it is a sign that his race season will be very successful

 

[old.user4556]

Is it in HD?

 

[Jupitus]

Is it in HD?

Ooo good point, I forgot to check as Mrs J just Sky recorded this one for me from Beeb1....

 

[Krazeh]

Is it in HD?

No, all the footage comes from Formula 1 Management who haven't upgraded to HD yet.

 

[Kryten]

It'd cost Ecclestone money. The blokes broke, he can't afford top of the range kit like that...