F1: Chinese Grand Prix

[Bob Beamesderfer]

To start with, diffusers like Honda's have been ruled legal:

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21363.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Kurt Rahn]

To start with, diffusers like Honda's have been ruled legal:
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21363.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yes! I love the upheaval so far this season! Talk about shaking things up.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

To start with, diffusers like Honda's have been ruled legal:

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21363.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NICE!!!! Now Ferrari has to spend $30mil to catch up!

[Ramy Mattar]

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/4/9175.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

it will be an interesting season, i was going to be upset if they had decided otherwise.

this weekend i don't have my cable TV (switching services), any advise where can i watch it online? even if i have to pay?

[Steve Ekstrand]

Crazy season....

I gotta think McLaren and Ferrari comeback. But three straight races working out of a container box is rough to make a comeback. Those teams are working 24/7 for changes that really won't be implemented til race 4. That's a lot of ground to give up at the start.

If Brawn GP can design a multi-tier difusser, I think Ferrari and McLaren can too. And I doubt it takes $30million.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

And I doubt it takes $30million.

That's coming from the horse's (pun-intended) mouth from Ferrari top-dog Luca D. And you know how those Eye-tallions like to be drama queens. I'm sure it costs less.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

You can bet bigger money than Luca's price tag—was $20m a couple of weeks ago—that the big-money teams without one has been developing a new diffuser just in case.

But this is where the limits on wind tunnel, CFD and testing don't make sense. If the rules are going make racing into a guessing game, how does that keep F1 at the pinnacle of motorsport? The proposed budget cap is less than some automakers spend on developing a completely new model.

[Chuck Fowler]

wish they would release the transcript. i'd love to hear the no arguments...
ferrari: " but they beat us with a HONDA chassis!"

mclaren: "and one of OUR motors!"

[Kristoffer Gjevre]

Drivers hit out at China tyre selection
http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/12243/900/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So do you prefere F1 to be a show based on manipulating things or real racing with the best available tires?
I think it is stupid to require the teams to use both compounds in the race, and even worse when one compound is almost unsusable.
I hated it in Australia (even though it made it interesting at the end of the race) and it looks to be worse in China...
Hopefully the teams will have figured out how to deal with it and it will not be too much of an issue.

How about do the same for autox - you can run with 3 R compound tires and 1 street tire, you decide where to run it (front/rear/left/right)...
Or, 2 laps with R compound and 1 with street tries, times are combined...

[Kurt Rahn]

Drivers hit out at China tyre selection
http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/12243/900/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So do you prefere F1 to be a show based on manipulating things or real racing with the best available tires?
I think it is stupid to require the teams to use both compounds in the race, and even worse when one compound is almost unsusable.
I hated it in Australia (even though it made it interesting at the end of the race) and it looks to be worse in China...
Hopefully the teams will have figured out how to deal with it and it will not be too much of an issue.

How about do the same for autox - you can run with 3 R compound tires and 1 street tire, you decide where to run it (front/rear/left/right)...
Or, 2 laps with R compound and 1 with street tries, times are combined...

Generally with rules, I'm fine with just about anything as long as all participants are subject to the same set. It brings out strategy and creativity. BTW, I like your idea for 3 Rs and 1 street, BTW...that'd be fun!

[Sebastian Rios]

I grew up not knowing a single other Sebastian, then Skid Row came out and that sucked, then the Little Mermaid came out, that was even worse.
Now I have the most popular name in Fomula 1!

Hey Red Bull...Sub me in for that hack Mark Webber, we'll be nothing but Sebs!

[Kristoffer Gjevre]

I grew up not knowing a single other Sebastian, then Skid Row came out and that sucked, then the Little Mermaid came out, that was even worse.
Now I have the most popular name in Fomula 1!

Hey Red Bull...Sub me in for that hack Mark Webber, we'll be nothing but Sebs!

And almost the same name as the worlds best driver: Sébastien Loeb
And I say that as a Petter Solberg fan!
There is a short but interesting article on him in the latest print AutoWeek (but not on the web site... yet?)

[Bob Beamesderfer]

I grew up not knowing a single other Sebastian, then Skid Row came out and that sucked, then the Little Mermaid came out, that was even worse.
Now I have the most popular name in Fomula 1!

Hey Red Bull...Sub me in for that hack Mark Webber, we'll be nothing but Sebs!

Bourdais! Vettel! Rios! FTMFW!!!

[Sebastian Rios]

And almost the same name as the worlds best driver: Sébastien Loeb
And I say that as a Petter Solberg fan!
There is a short but interesting article on him in the latest print AutoWeek (but not on the web site... yet?)

Funny Story: So there I was, pretty new to the autocross thing and not really knowing a lot of folks yet. It was a warm day at Hollywood Park and I was in the shade by the motorhome, within earshot of Renee talking with some of the ladies.
I hear: "Yeah, his name is Sebastian, he is one helluva good driver, and he is so handsome with that brown hair and boyish good looks."
I thinking wow, I must have really made an impression!
Then I hear "He does that Rally, I think he drives a citron or citroen or however you say it."
That's when I realized she was talking about Loeb....

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

Seb Vettel
Seb Bourdais
Seb Bueme
Seb Loeb
Seb Rios

It's an OVERLOAD!!!

[Aaron Goldsmith]

Seb Vettel
Seb Bourdais
Seb Bueme
Seb Loeb
Seb Rios

It's an OVERLOAD!!!

Come on Gio, use thier full first names
Seabass Vettel
Seabass Bourdais
Seabass Bueme
Seabass Loeb
Seabass Rios

[Kurt Rahn]

Wow! I love this season so far! What absolute upheaval. Brawn (nee ex Honda) taking the first two races, and going 3-4 in the third, and Red Bull (no previous wins) coming in 1-2 in the third as well. Button and Webber who have talent but not much to show for it, a good driver who was "washed up" and expected to retire, and a young buck, all finally getting a good horse under them. And Ferrari, McLaren and BMW getting their lunch handed to them. We finally have post-Schumi budding stars in Hamilton, Vettel and Buemi (who knew?) This is so much fun! It'll be nice to have a completely dry race in Bahrain to get another feel for how everyone runs when it's not pouring, but I'm loving how it's going so far. And it's gonna be fascinating to see what the teams can do to upgrade once the races are back home in Europe. Bernie and Nazi Boy have gotta be loving this.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Ferrari is utter disarray not seen since the early '90s. The diffuser ruling will have several teams chasing technology before they can chase competitors.

Glock, starting in the pit lane and works his way up to earn points.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

Ferrari is utter disarray not seen since the early '90s.

How the MIGHTY have fallen! Rome is burning! }:) }:)

[Jeff Shyu]

i think kimi's statement re: championship out of reach is fairly telling.. add to the fact that the team isn't slamming him for saying it.

watching friday practice, it was very obvious that the prancing ponies are not sorted out. kimi and massa's hands were sawing left and right around so many corners, whereas you watch the redbull / brawn cars go through the same corners with much less drama.

if i saw that last year, i would have sworn someone repainted the cars to the opposite teams colors overnight.

the season is long, and ferrari has very deep pockets. They certainly don't look good right now, but i wouldn't count them out quite yet. lets see what they can do once they're back on "home turf" instead of fedex'ing body parts.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

lets see what they can do once they're back on "home turf" instead of fedex'ing body parts.

They'll do nothing. What happened when they were on home turf last year? Got spanked IN THE RAIN by the same KID, who won for the first time there and who just won this last race...IN THE RAIN. Let's just install sprinkler systems on all F1 tracks

[Jeff Shyu]

we'll see.

ferrari didn't win all those races in the past from having bad drivers/engineer/team. whether you like em or not, they've got top notch people working for em. so while they're in the dumps right now, if there's 1 team that COULD pull it out, it'd be Ferrari.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

they've got top notch people working for em.

Arrogance and disarray is their downfall. Jean Todt (Frenchman), Ross Brawn (Brit) were outsiders who whipped that team into shape. Now it's all in-house Italians and their machiavellian ways and the "too many chefs in the kitchen" attitude will cause them to languish. It'll take 4-5 races to get their diffusers (who's to say you need one) race-ready. Look at Red Bull. No diffusers, no KERS. Just driving talent (not to take away from the Ferrari drivers).

[Kurt Rahn]

we'll see.

ferrari didn't win all those races in the past from having bad drivers/engineer/team. whether you like em or not, they've got top notch people working for em. so while they're in the dumps right now, if there's 1 team that COULD pull it out, it'd be Ferrari.

Well, basically from when I started watching F1 in the early 80s until Schumi came to Ferrari, they were mid-packers at best. I think the team they brought in with Schumi was special, and now we're seeing it slowly fall apart. However, I'd love to see what Alonso could do with that car. He seems to almost will his seemingly outmatched Renault around to much better finishes than he should.

[Mako Koiwai]

What do I have to do to get my DVR (TimeWarner) to not turn off before the interviews?

I wish Apple would start making DVR's!