Alonso hopes to shine

Alonso aims for 'big points' at home grand prix


Fernando Alonso is looking forward to show his home crowd the best possible performance. The Spaniard realises it won't be easy to fight for a podium finish but aims for points in this Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya.

"It's always very special to race in Spain and I'm lucky to have two races at home this year in Barcelona and Valencia," Alonso said looking ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. "Seeing the support of the fans always gives me a boost and I just hope that I can make them happy and have a strong weekend. It will be difficult to fight for the podium, but hopefully we can qualify well and score some big points in the race."

Even though the team has completed a lot of miles already at Circuit de Catalunya Alonso believes there is plenty of work left for the team to work on in the free practice sessions. He explained: "We tested there in February, but obviously we have developed the car a lot since then so we will need to work on the set-up during free practice. We are still missing some performance at the moment but the team has really improved the car already this season so we are certainly moving in the right direction. Hopefully we can take another step forward this weekend."

Ferrari is against

Ferrari against budget cap


The Ferrari team has hit out at the FIA's proposals for a budget cap, which would see those teams wishing to follow a new, less restricted set of regulations be limited to spending no more than £40m from next season onwards.

In a statement released by the Italian team on Friday, the Scuderia explained how it was chiefly against the optional scheme as it strives to maintain the 'untouched values of this sport'.

'As the only team to have taken part in every F1 World Championship since its inception in 1950 up to the present day, Ferrari strongly believes that this sport should maintain its principles of being at the cutting edge in terms of research, with the teams thus taking part in a sporting and technical contest,' the statement read.

'Ferrari, along with all the other teams in FOTA (Formula One Teams' Association), has, for some time now, felt the urgent need for a significant reduction in costs as from this year, and believes that the future of this sport requires stability of the regulations and the gradual achievement over the next two to three years of a cost-profit balance which would allow current teams to remain in the sport while at the same time encouraging the arrival of new ones.'

The FIA-suggested system would give teams the option of running with the budget cap plus greater technical freedom (including a significantly more powerful KERS unit) or, alternatively, abiding by current, more restricted technical rules but with no set spending limit.

'This is the position Ferrari wants to underline today,' the statement concluded, 'in the interests of the sport without looking to cause pointless controversy which would be harmful to all those involved in this sport.' The team's view follows mixed opinions from Force India plus McLaren and Williams' disagreement with running a two-tier championship.

2010 is tuff on f1 teams

The full statement from the FIA:
2010 FIA Formula One World Championship

Applications to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship are to be submitted to the FIA during the period 22-29 May 2009. Teams must state in their application whether they wish to compete under cost-cap regulations.

The maximum number of cars permitted to enter the Championship has been increased to 26, two being entered by each competitor.

The FIA will publish the list of cars and drivers accepted on 12 June 2009, having first notified unsuccessful applicants.

Cost Cap Regulations

From 2010, all teams will have the option to compete with cars built and operated within a stringent cost cap.

The cost cap for 2010 will be £40m per annum*. This figure will cover all team expenditure except:

Marketing and hospitality;
Remuneration for test or race drivers, including any young driver programmes;
Fines or penalties imposed by the FIA;
Engine costs (for 2010 only);
Any expenditure which the team can demonstrate has no influence on its performance in the Championship;
Dividends (including any tax thereon) paid from profits relating to participation in the Championship.
* For the purposes of these Regulations, the financial year is 1 January to 31 December.

A new Costs Commission is being set up to monitor and enforce these cost-cap financial regulations. The Costs Commission will consist of a Chairman and two other Commissioners, appointed by the WMSC for terms of three years.

One Commissioner should be a finance expert and the other should have high level experience in motor sport. The Chairman should have appropriate experience and standing in motor sport or sports governance. All members of the Costs Commission shall be independent of all teams.

In addition to the payments which it already makes to the top ten teams in the Championship, Formula One Management, the commercial rights holder, has agreed to offer participation fees and expenses to the new teams. This includes an annual payment of US$10 million to each team plus free transportation of two chassis and freight up to 10,000 kg in weight (not including the two chassis) as well as 20 air tickets (economy class) for each round trip for events held outside Europe.

To be eligible for this, each new team must qualify as a “Constructor” and demonstrate that it has the necessary facilities, financial resources and technical competence to compete effectively in Formula One.

To enable these cars to compete with those from teams which are not subject to cost constraints, the cost-capped cars will be allowed greater technical freedom.

The principal technical freedoms allowed are:

1. Movable wings, front and rear.
2. An engine which is not subject to a rev limit.

The teams will also be allowed unlimited out-of-season track testing with no restrictions on the scale and speed of wind tunnel testing.

Changes applicable to all teams

It was confirmed that from 2010, refuelling during a race will be forbidden in order to save the costs of transporting refuelling equipment and increase the incentive for engine builders to improve fuel economy (to save weight).

It was also confirmed that tyre blankets will be banned and that the ban on other tyre-heating devices will be maintained.

Full details plus information on further amendments to the 2010 Sporting and Technical Regulations will be available shortly on www.fia.com.

By exception, if supported by the Safety Commission, the FIA WMSC may approve the issue of the Formula One Super Licence to persons judged by the Council to have met the intent of the qualification process.

2009 F1 RULES

A number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been made by the FIA for the 2009 Formula One season. In the case of the Sporting Regulations, the primary aims are increased reliability and further cost reductions. In the case of the technical changes, there are three main objectives - reducing the role of aerodynamics in the cars’ performance; making overtaking easier; and keeping lap times in check.

Tyres
After 10 seasons on grooved tyres, Formula One racing returns to slicks in 2009, as part of moves to increase the emphasis on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip. With no grooves, grip will increase by around 20 percent, bringing a significant performance gain. However, that gain will be offset by the vastly reduced downforce levels of the revised aerodynamic regulations (see below). The overall effect should be reduced performance through high-speed corners.

Drivers will still have the choice of two dry tyre compounds and will still have to use both compounds during a race. As before, suppliers Bridgestone will select the two compounds for each race from their four-compound range - super-soft, soft, medium and hard. However, unlike in 2008, they will not select two consecutive compounds, so the difference between ‘harder’ and ‘softer’ at any given race will be far greater. A green band on the sidewall will distinguish the softer compound.

Standard wet-weather tyres will now officially be known as 'intermediates', and extreme wet-weather tyres will be referred to simply as 'wets'. The latter will feature a green central groove.

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS)
From 2009 teams have the option of employing a KERS to boost their car’s performance. As its name implies, a KERS recovers the (normally wasted) kinetic energy generated by the car’s braking process. This energy is stored using a mechanical flywheel or an electrical battery and then made available to the driver, in set amounts per lap, via a ‘boost button’ on the steering wheel. Under the current regulations the power gain equates to around 80 horsepower, available for just under seven seconds per lap. This could be worth several tenths of a second in terms of lap time, but the weight and packaging of the system - and its impact on the car’s weight distribution - also have to be taken into account.

Engines
In a move designed to boost reliability still further, rev limits will be cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm. Drivers will be limited to eight engines per season, with each team allowed an additional four engines for testing. Once a driver has used up his eight-engine allocation, any engine change will incur a 10-place grid penalty (or a move to the back of the grid if made after qualifying) for the event at which the change is made. Just one team - Renault - has been allowed to make performance modifications to their engine for 2009 in order to help equalise power outputs.

Aerodynamics
Along with slick tyres, this is the biggest area of change for 2009. Downforce will be dramatically reduced and the cars’ bodywork will appear much cleaner, thanks to new dimensional regulations that effectively outlaw extraneous items such as barge boards, winglets, turning vanes and chimneys on most areas of the car.

As well as reducing overall aero performance, the revisions are also designed to increase overtaking by making the car less susceptible to turbulence when closely following another driver. The most obvious changes are to the front and rear wings.

The front wing becomes lower (75mm from 150mm) and wider (up from 1400 to 1800mm - the same width as the car) with driver-adjustable flaps. Drivers will be allowed to make two wing adjustments per lap, altering the wing angle over a six-degree range.

The rear wing becomes taller (up 150mm to bring it level with the top of the engine cover) and narrower (750mm from 1000mm).

Also at the back of the car, the diffuser has been moved rearwards, its leading edge now level with (rather than ahead of) the rear-wheel axle line. In addition, the diffuser has been made longer and higher, all changes that will reduce its ability to generate downforce.

Testing
From 2009 onwards testing is not allowed during the race season (from the week prior to the first Grand Prix until December 31) and is limited to 15,000 kilometres.

Safety car
The pit lane will now remain open throughout any safety-car period, allowing drivers to refuel without penalty. However, to ensure that drivers are not tempted to speed back to the pit lane, a new software system which employs GPS and the cars’ standard ECU has been introduced. When the safety car is deployed, each driver is given a minimum ‘back to pit’ time based on his position on track. If he arrives in the pit lane before that time he will be penalised.

Pre-race weights
After qualifying, the FIA will publish the weight at which all cars are expected to start the race, giving spectators an accurate gauge of what fuel load each driver is carrying.

Goodbye Ferrari

Todt says 'goodbye' to Ferrari

Former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt is to step down from the Italian manufacturer with immediate effect; since retiring from the role of F1 Team Principal in 2007, the Frenchman has still been part of the Board of Directors as well as holding other smaller positions within the company

At the board of directors meeting on Tuesday the announcement was made by President Luca di Montezemolo, who subsequently thanked Todt on behalf of the everyone at Ferrari, for the major contribution he has made to the success of the Scuderia over the years and commitment and dedication he has shown in all positions he has held since arriving at Maranello in 1993. Mr Todt's appointments at Ferrari included those of GES Director, CEO and member of the Board of Directors.

"Jean Todt has been one of the leading protagonists of the Ferrari story over the last 15 years," said Montezemolo. "Skill and passion have always characterised his work and have won him my personal respect and affection, that of the company as a whole and of the prancing horse enthusiasts everywhere. I would like to wish him the very best for the future, which I hope will prove extremely satisfying both personally and professionally.

"All of these years we've spent together - victories and tough times included - have forged a link between Jean Todt and Ferrari that will never be broken."

Cost CAP

Mosley explains 2010 cost cap

The FIA's Tuesday meeting in Paris confirmed what is the most radical shakeup of the sporting rules in Formula 1 history; the governing body, as well as introducing a wide range of technical regulations for next year, has made a number of modifications to start in 2009, chiefly that the driver with most wins to his name will be crowded champion

The FIA's two principal targets are as follows: to significantly reduce the overall running costs of the sport as well as improving the Formula 1 show for the public. With the loss of Honda at the end of last year, this only stressed that - coupled with the current economic crisis - the sport must reduce costs in order for it to be sustainable; these sentiments were echoed by Virgin boss Richard Branson, who was linked as a possible buyer of the squad in February.

FIA logo

Starting next season, teams will be presented with the option of either developing their car under the current rules, or be given technical freedom with the sacrifice of a £30m (€33m, €42m) budget cut per year. "It has been carefully costed," FIA President Max Mosley said following the meeting. "The cars will be changed much less during the season because teams will not be able to spend on minute advantages like a $1,200 wheel nut which is only used once. From the grandstands or television though they won't look or sound any less 'Formula One' than the current, ultra-expensive cars. Teams with technical freedom (and the budget cap) will be interesting to watch too because they will be able to run special features when teams who stay on the current rules (with bigger budgets) will be confined as to what they can do.

Many people feel a budget cap would take away the true spirit of Formula 1, although Mosley is adamant that the changes would be for the better: "Keith Duckworth (part-founder of Cosworth engines) once said 'an engineer is someone who can do for one dollar what any idiot can do for a hundred dollars'; these rules will encourage clever engineering - success will come to teams with the best ideas, not only the teams with the most money."

The budget cap would include everything involved in the running of the team, minus motorhomes and any fines which could occur during the season. Engines, which are currently subject to a development freeze, have also come under scrutiny since Tuesday's meeting. "The engine will still comply with the current rules except there would be no rev limiters and no freezes on development," Mosley confirmed.

Add-ons such as special wheel nuts will not feature for cost-capped teams

Accusations have already been made stating that, with the likes of more powerful engines and more aero-efficient cars, those teams with technical freedom will be presented with a large advantage, to which Mosley responded: "We will make sure these advantages do no more than balance the disadvantages the cost-capped teams will have, because of their very restricted budgets. The other teams will have stable technical regulations for which we understand the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) intend to provide guarantees of continuing participation until 2012, confirmed by the major car manufacturers - the FIA has a lot of experience in performance adjustment and equivalence."

"There is no reason why cost-capped teams could not win races," Mosley concluded. "The massive and highly organised unlimited-expenditure teams are perhaps likely to do a better job of going racing - they will have the most expensive race engineers and tacticians, not to mention the top-earning drivers. However, racing is - and should be - unpredictable."

F1 helmets

kimi in 2008

Helmets

One of the most important safety devices in Formula One racing is the driver's helmet. Although its fundamental shape may look very similar to those worn by drivers in the 1980s and even the 1970s, the underlying design and construction technology has changed radically over the years.

As late as 1985 a typical Formula One helmet weighed around 2kg. That amount increased dramatically under high-G cornering or deceleration, adding to the risk of 'whiplash' type injuries in big accidents. As head and neck trauma has been identified as the greatest single risk of injury to race drivers, helmet manufacturers place the greatest importance on reducing the mass of helmets, while increasing their strength and resistance to impacts.

Current Formula One helmets are massively strong, and also considerably lighter, now weighing approximately 1.25 kg. Helmets are constructed from several separate layers, offering a combination of strength and flexibility (vital to absorb the force of large impacts). The outer shell has two layers, typically fibre-reinforced resin over carbon fibre. Under that comes a layer formed of vastly strong plastic, the same material used in many bullet-proof vests. Then there is a softer, deformable layer made from a plastic based on polystyrene, covered with the flame-proof material used in racing overalls and gloves.

The visor will be made of a special clear polycarbonate, combining excellent impact protection with flame resistance and excellent visibility. Most drivers use tinted visors, the insides of which are coated with anti-fogging chemicals to prevent them misting up, particularly in wet conditions. Several transparent tear-off strips are attached to the outside. As the visor picks up dirt during the course of the race, the driver can remove these to clear his vision.

In recent seasons the actual shape of helmets has gradually evolved, as more aerodynamically efficient shapes are brought into use. Sitting directly below the main engine air intake, helmets are increasingly shaped to assist in the process of reducing drag in this notoriously high-turbulence aerodynamic area. The modern designs also reduce the lift produced by more traditionally shaped helmets - which can be anything up to 15 kg at racing speeds.

The helmet design must also provide ventilation for the driver. This is achieved through the use of various small air intakes. To prevent small particles of track debris entering the helmet these intakes are equipped with special filters.

Despite the cutting edge materials used in their construction Formula One helmets are still painted by hand, an incredibly skilled job requiring hundreds of hours of work for more complicated patterns and designs. And most drivers will go through several helmets during the course of a season.

As you would expect, the FIA have strict ‘super helmet’ requirements for Formula One racing. To gain approval for Grand Prix use, a helmet design must pass a number of tests, covering factors such as crush and penetration resistance and surface friction. It must also work correctly in conjunction with the mandatory HANS (Head and Neck Support) device.