Raikkonen returns to F1

[Creag]

Should be fun watching Shumi and Kimi fighting it out for top 10 finishes :erm:

I look forward to the day when it's more than that or both should be retiring permanently. Schumi is definitely my favourite all time driver, but if he's not challenging for top 5 regularly, then he should call it a day.

Lotus will be changing to Caterham right?
Vettels still going to beat them all

Although i think Mercedes and Shumi will wake up in 2012

If Vettel is going to dominate again, just where is the fun in that?

I sure hope Merc and Schumi come good in 2012. They have floundered for too long now.

Great news. Its gonna be an awesome season next year.

And hopefully it will bring some of its lost support.

 

[JerryMungo]

I sure hope Merc and Schumi come good in 2012. They have floundered for too long now.

Who else thinks that Brawn's honda purchase / break-away / sudden success is starting to look like an FIA PR exercise. Very convenient to catapult the team to the top overnight and generate support. Merc fell for it hook line and sinker apparently.

 

[web]

Who else thinks that Brawn's honda purchase / break-away / sudden success is starting to look like an FIA PR exercise. Very convenient to catapult the team to the top overnight and generate support. Merc fell for it hook line and sinker apparently.

Your tinfoil hat must be beeeg hey ? Does it cover your eyes as well as your ears ?

 

[JerryMungo]

Your tinfoil hat must be beeeg hey ? Does it cover your eyes as well as your ears ?

Nope, perhaps you can explain their overnight success --> failure, considering they have a 7 times WC racing for them. Or are Button and Barichello that much better than MS?

 

[web]

Nope Button and Barichello are not that much better than MS, that year was all down to the double diffuser, the rules had just changed and they got the formula right, it happens. Mclaren in 1998 same thing they came out at the beginning of the season and thrashed everything in site by a country mile. That's why normally when there are huge rule changes the season seems to always have one very dominant team.

 

[Deezil]

Nope, perhaps you can explain their overnight success --> failure, considering they have a 7 times WC racing for them. Or are Button and Barichello that much better than MS?

Not overnight exactly ... what web said above plus Honda realised their 2008 chassis was a dud and stopped development on it pretty early in the season to concentrate on the development of the 2009 car which means they were actually months ahead of the big boys. When Honda pulled the plug in December 2008, Ross Brawn simply slapped his name on an already well developed platform as he was the one who realised the double diffuser loophole would give them a tremendous advantage ... by the time McLaren / Ferrari caught up (2nd half of 2009) Button was already so far ahead he couldn't really be caught.

The rest is history (and unfortunately no conspiracies either)

 

[killadoob]

Nope, perhaps you can explain their overnight success --> failure, considering they have a 7 times WC racing for them. Or are Button and Barichello that much better than MS?

Very simple, they designed a better car. Remember the double defuser issue? All they did was take the rule and interpret it better than anyone else.

If i recall they only dominated half the season and then fell well behind.

It was overnight success purely based on a sneaky design . Much like the redbull blower this season, although looking at webber i doubt redbull would have more than two or three race wins without vettel so the car could not have been that far ahead.

 

[JerryMungo]

Nope Button and Barichello are not that much better than MS, that year was all down to the double diffuser, the rules had just changed and they got the formula right, it happens. Mclaren in 1998 same thing they came out at the beginning of the season and thrashed everything in site by a country mile. That's why normally when there are huge rule changes the season seems to always have one very dominant team.

Right. Who approved the double diffuser? They had a great interest in seeing Brawn's team stay in F1.

 

[JerryMungo]

Very simple, they designed a better car. Remember the double defuser issue? All they did was take the rule and interpret it better than anyone else.

If i recall they only dominated half the season and then fell well behind.

It was overnight success purely based on a sneaky design . Much like the redbull blower this season, although looking at webber i doubt redbull would have more than two or three race wins without vettel so the car could not have been that far ahead.

I know about the rule etc, the point is the FIA can go either way on alot of issues but decide based on the 'good of the sport' as they interpret it. It's nothing new.

 

[killadoob]

I know about the rule etc, the point is the FIA can go either way on alot of issues but decide based on the 'good of the sport' as they interpret it. It's nothing new.

Not at all as much as i like a conspiracy the FIA themselves were not clued on the issue and thus had no recourse when the issue appeared. Better design within the rules.

 

[JerryMungo]

I still find it curious that Brawn warned them in advance that he had a loophole and was left to do his thing.