Bernie Suggests Two Tier Tech Rules Will Go…

Bernie Ecclestone has taken the step of suggesting that the two tier technical regulations, the main problem manufacturers have with the budget caps will be abolished and one set of rules printed.

The idea was that those under the cap would have greater technical freedom.  Toyota’s John Howett believed teams in the cap could gain 3-5 seconds per lap on those out of it.

Manufacturers and big spenders were not impressed with this idea, and Bernie has finally agreed.

“I think the most important thing that upset everybody is the two-tier technical system, and I think it’s been agreed that we shouldn’t have that, we should just have one set of regulations,” he said.

“I think everybody is more or less happy with the budget cap, it’s just a case of how much. I don’t know if that means it will be higher or lower, it’s a case of sorting that out.”

It does beg the question though.  If there aren’t 2 levels of technical regulation, why would you opt into the cap? There appears to be no other advantage?!  Maybe its just Bernie rebuilding the bridges Max Mosley keeps burning.

Bernard - Trying to patch things up...

Ferrari – Taking KERS Off The Car Has Made It Worse

It doesn’t seem to matter what Ferrari do at the moment, their chances seem to be going from bad to worse.  To say Enzo Ferrari would be turning in his grave is an understatement.

What would the master say if he saw the absolute disarray his team were in?  I can imagine heads would certainly be rolling.

Felipe Massa has told reporters after practice that the Ferrari F60 is indeed no worse than before at the loss of KERS.  Ferrari removed the device in the hope of better reliability, but it seems the Scuderia has literally no pace, and without a fancy diffuser system they are lagging towards the back.

“Here we are also running without KERS and as a result, we are losing even more performance, in addition to not having as much aerodynamic downforce as the best cars,” Massa told Autosport.

“Our fight for the championship is ever more compromised.

“We must try and push as hard as possible on the development of the car, but we know it will be very hard to catch up. The only recipe for getting out of this difficulty is to work.”

Raikkonen this morning, struggling for pace without KERS

Massa Says It’s Not Too Late For Title Fightback Despite Ferrari’s Worst Start in Over 15 Years

Felipe Massa, one of last seasons main title contenders, has claimed it is not too late for a Ferrari fightback despite one of the worst starts for the Scuderia in years.

The last time the team failed to score any points in the first two rounds of the F1 season was back in 1992, when Ferrari were stuck in their slump of form which had nearly destroyed them through the 1980’s.  Back then it was Jean Alesi, Nicola Larini and Ivan Capelli driving the number 27 and 28 Ferrari FA92A’s on goodyear tyres.

The slump they had ended when Michael Schumacher joined the team in 1996, and title successes came between 2000 and 2004.  Kimi Raikkonen hit the big time in 2007, but with the new regulations Ferrari have lost their edge.  This week’s ruling in favour of the two tier diffusers will not help the Italian’s charge.

“For sure it won’t be easy,” said Massa in China. “We need to work very hard, we have some teams which have a different car. It won’t be so easy to catch them but I think it can be possible.

“I hope it won’t be so late. I hope it will be in good time to fight for the championship still or to win some races. But anyway we will not give up. We work very hard and I believe we can improve the car a lot.”

Expectations are high, Italian newspapers and magazines are screaming for blood.  A management reshuffle is just the tip of the iceberg for this teams problems right now.

Kubica To Run KERS But Ferrari Drop It In Shanghai

Robert Kubica has declared he is going to try out the Kinetic Energy Recovery System – KERS – in his BMW Sauber during th firday practice sessions as an evaluation to performance gains.

The Polish driver has so far declined to use the system this season as he feels with his height and weight it would prove too much of a disadvantage.

Team mate Nick Heidfeld has been running the system, with some success.  KERS has recieved widespread criticism from the drivers and teams that have been running it.

“We will have to test and see,” said Kubica in Shanghai on Thursday. “For sure we have seen this from our view, especially in Malaysia but also in Australia, it was an advantage.

“Of course running on my car there are some disadvantages that are bigger than for the other [drivers], but I hope still the advantage will be bigger than the disadvantage, but we will see.”

Scuderia Ferrari have also announced that they will be dropping the use of the KERS system in Shanghai after major reliability scares during the Malaysian GP weekend.

The Italian team are still looking to score their first points of the 2009 campaign.

Spy-Gate Saga Finally Ends In Italian Courtroom

The Spy-Gate saga which rocked F1 throughout the 2007 season where it was discovered that McLaren Mercedes designers and staff had conspired to steal information from rivals Ferrari has finally ended in a court room in Italy.

Mike Coughlan, Nigel Stepney and many others were involved in the case which recieved front page headlines around the world and damaged the image of some of the best designers in F1.  Stepney had been in the Ferrari family and suffered a lot from Italian’s who saw him as a traitor.  It was Coughlan’s fault that the world found out when he sent his wife to a photocopying shop with thousands of pages of material marked “Confidential, Ferrari”.

The court had a ‘nolo-condere’ (no contest) between the lawyers, and a judge ordered fines to be handed out.  Mike Coughlan must pay 180,000Euros, whereas others must pay 150,000Euros.

A McLaren spokesman said: “The proceedings in Italy were merely the officialising of what had been proposed long before, namely the ‘nolo contendere’ agreement. A line has finally been drawn under this matter.”

Ferrari Modify Exhaust Design

Scuderia Ferrari have reported that they have modified their exhaust design in the wake of other teams criticising and claiming that they contravened rules.

The 2009 season sees the regulations dramatically changed, and it was alleged that the Ferrari tailpipes were slightly too long and protruded out of the bodywork too far.

Toyota, Williams and McLaren all believed the design to be illegal and took their concerns up with the FIA.  Toyota and Williams themselves are now in ‘hot water’ over their rear diffuser design.

A Maranello source claimed that the pipes were now muich more flush with the body, and that the team were certain nothing else on the car contravened any regulations.

The teams exhausts pre-modification

Ecclestone To Ask Big Teams To Field 3 Cars

Bernie Ecclestone has spoken of a major plan he may implement in the wake of teams such as Honda pulling out of F1.

The F1 ruler Ecclestone is contractually bound to have a field of at least 18 cars, a position we now find ourselves in.  With the world financial crisis setting in, more independent teams such as Williams in danger of going out of business; it could leave the entireity of F1 in jepoardy.

Thus, Ecclestone wants the big teams who are financially stable, such as Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren and BMW Sauber to field 3 cars to ‘make up the numbers’.

“If the manufacturers supply engines to other people, they can run three cars themselves.” Ecclestone told DPA

“It is better to have 20 cars on the grid, whether they are in the hands of manufacturers or in private hands, that doesn’t make any difference,” he added.

Big teams like Scuderia Ferrari could be forced to field 3 cars. It may give test drivers, and young drivers a shot at an F1 seat.

F1 Would Only Miss Ferrari – Bernie

Bernie Ecclestone has made shock claims in the wake of Honda’s decision to leave F1.

The old man of F1 claims that the only team he, and indeed the sport would miss is Ferrari.  Ferrari are the only team that remain in F1 that have been there right from the start (1950 Monaco GP), and have competed in every single season since then.

It will fuel the fire that the FIA favour Ferrari, especially after Toyota have made claims that the F60 has illegal exhaust pipes – we await judgement on that statement.

“It’s bad for me to say this,” Ecclestone told the Financial Times,

“But the only team we would really say we would miss is Ferrari.”

Ferrari Launch Their 2009 Car The F60

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro have become the first team of 2009 to launch their new car, named the F60.

The car is completly different to their 2008 challenger thanks to the swathes of new rules and regulations brought in for the new season.

The car has a wide front wing, with sculpted tops.  It also has fancy inward facing end plates.  The car also features interesting wing mirror mountings on aerodynamic sidepieces, which are bolted into the main floor.  The car is also dominated by a very narrow rear with which maintains the sloping back endplates.

Ferrari hope the new car can bring them 2009 title success.

“As you can see the car is not an evolution of last year’s car,” said technical director Aldo Costa.

“It’s a completely new car, starting from a white piece of paper. Fundamentally the biggest changes come from the new rules from an aerodynamic point of view and the introduction of new technology, which is the KERS system.

“Because of that we had to start work pretty early and to review the main concept of the car, so it was a very very intense and long job.”

Front 3/4

From Above

Front

Side

F60 with Felipe Massa

F60 with Kimi Raikkonen

F60 with Marc Gene, Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Luca Badoer

F60 with all Senior Staff and drivers

Ferrari Preparing B-Spec Car In Case KERS Is Not Ready For Melbourne

Scuderia Ferrari chiefs have admitted that they are preparing a B-Spec 2009 car for the possibility that their Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will not be ready for the new season opener in Melbourne.

The Italian team have made no excuse they they are late starting work with their system.  McLaren, BMW Sauber and Honda had all taken to the track with systems, but these are highly unlikely to be final editions.

Ferrari’s technical director Aldo Costa told Gazzetta dello Sport: “The objective is to arrive at the first race with a functioning and competitive KERS, but we also have a B plan: not a different car but a version without KERS.”

Engine chief Gilles Simon added: “We are late with the KERS. We prepared a hybrid F1 car to test it, but the system isn’t ready. In February we’ll understand how to go to the first grand prix.”