Viewing Thread:
"The 2009 F1 Season"

This is my little place where I get to chat to myself about the new F1 season.

I'll update this main post with new car pictures later and a link to my super detailed and ultra long preview post.

For all the launch pictures: Click Here

Ferrari - Click Here

Toyota - Click Here

McLaren - Click Here

Renault - Click Here

Williams - Click Here

BMW - Click Here

Red Bull - Click Here

Force India - Click Here

Brawn GP - Click Here

Toro Rosso - Click Here

Force India are releasing their car this weekend. That'll leave only Toro Rosso and Honda.

Certainly welcome to the sport. I'd back a Virgin branded team.

So, one of the bidders for the Honda team is Beardy Branson's Virgin company. Seeing as Honda are willing to sell for £1 as long as they are giving assurances of a long stay in the sport, it could be interesting.

World champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace for McLaren as Formula One's teams continued pre-season testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain.

The MP4-24 was the fastest of the 2009 specification cars as Hamilton completed 93 laps, setting a fastest time of one minute 20.737 seconds.

"I'm very encouraged by what I felt," said Hamilton. "The car feels strong, very similar to last year's car."

More cost cutting measures on their way for 2010 in an attempt to get a bidder to take the Honda team long term. The technical aspects are official yet but they want budgets slashed to a quarter of what the top teams were spending in 2008.

Also rumours of an American team joining in 2010. It could force an American race back onto the calendar but I doubt it.

And if the changes aren't hard enough to keep up with, there are reports of the French wanting to get back into F1 by fasttracking a Paris track and someone wants an F1 track around the streets of Rome.

Also, Renault has questioned the legality of the Williams and Toyota cars on the back of Toyota's questioning of the Ferrari car.

I think it's good that they've now decided that drivers can use the pits again during the beginning of a Safety Car situation, it almost decided the outcome of some races recently.

All these changes are hard to keep up with, but it keeps the teams and drivers on their toes!

New safety car rules announced. When the safety car is dispatched, the drivers press a button and a minimum lap time is displayed.

You're right, YH, Kubica is yet another one that looks like he could provide the right stuff.

Could be an interesting year.

It's been no secret that Toyota have been looking for a way out seeing as they've not really threatened the front of the field on a consistent basis. That could be put down to hiring an uninspired Ralf Schumacher, Trulli that seems to disappear in races and a car with poor race pace.

Another poor season and with the economic crisis rumbling on, I can see them pulling out and, to be honest, they only have themselves to blame.

The new regs, in theory, should balance the teams out but, in reality, you really only get 1 or 2 teams that make a good job of it and everyone plays catch up. I'd love to be proved wrong though just to have a crazy season where it's anyones title to win.