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Royal racing enters the new season with a new look
Almost everything is ready for the opening of the 60th anniversary Formula 1 car racing championship. It’s been a long time since the championship started so late, when it’s almost April. The fans, who had missed the big prizes during the long winter break, anxiously followed the news coming from the team offices. After the self-liquidation of Honda and several waves of crisis that overwhelmed the world economy, this is not surprising. But big troubles were avoided, and as the start of the season approached, positivity began to dominate the news feeds.Thus, the “Bolshoi Circus” still managed to avoid losses among the defendants. A small study could be written about the search for buyers for the movable and immovable property of the former Honda, but everything was decided in a family way: the Japanese sold the team to their own employee - the magnificent Ross Brawn, whose name is associated with the long-term successes of Ferrari during the times of Michael Schumacher. The Englishman was invited to Honda as the savior of the stable, whose results with each new season increasingly came into conflict with its financing. Last season was supposed to be a transitional one, but the patience of the team owners completely ran out before the end of the season, and the crisis became more of a convenient excuse than a real reason for refusing further support for the project. So the talented engineer literally had to save the team from destruction. The auto giant was pleased to transfer to the new owner all the equipment belonging to the team, the technical base in Berkeley and the staff of 700 people. It goes without saying that the rescued one was given the name of the savior, and thus the “Brown Grand Prix” appeared in the championship.
Almost everyone benefited from this development. Formula 1 has maintained its quantitative composition and, perhaps, even increased its quality. Ross Brawn received a strong team, provided with everything necessary, except, perhaps, sponsors. Honda got rid of a non-core asset, as well as the need to pay penalties and compensation under contracts and obligations. Of course, not everything is so rosy on the horizon of the new stable, but the hardest part is behind us. Interestingly, the Englishman did not change a couple of pilots, preferring to work with the proven Rubens Barrichella and Jenson Button. The only, but very significant change was the new engine supplier. And the Mercedes engines that will power Brown cars this year turned out to be so good that the very first tests carried out by the team in early March caused a real sensation. In Barcelona, where absolutely all the teams gathered, no one could compete with Barrichello. Maybe this is just a little trick on the part of the team to attract additional attention. However, Ross Brawn has repeatedly proven that he is capable of turning an average team into a “dream team”. So the reborn team will have to be reckoned with.
However, before the start, some championship participants still need to prove that their chassis meets the requirements of the changed regulations. And the changes have taken place so serious that we can talk about a completely new stage in the history of Formula 1. Just a short list of all the innovations in sports and technical regulations can easily become the subject of a separate article. Therefore, I will dwell only on the most significant provisions that have already significantly affected the appearance and internal contents of the machines.
Firstly, the parameters of the aerodynamic equipment of the cars have been completely revised. The whole scheme has been simplified, various additional elements are prohibited, the rear wing has become narrower and higher, the front wing has become wider and lower. The driver will be able to adjust the level of downforce using the front wing control element, but no more than twice during one lap. The only part of the aerodynamic package that caused controversy even before the start was the diffuser. When designing it, some teams followed the requirements prescribed in the new regulations to the letter, while others interpreted them in their own way. Among the latter were Williams, Toyota and Brown. They will have to prove the legitimacy of their developments directly in Australia. Interestingly, even if the judges find them illegal, the final decision will still be made only after the second stage in Malaysia.
Another external difference between this season and the past is the slicks. After ten years of using treaded tires, Formula 1 is returning to bald rubber. If the goal of changes in aerodynamics is said to be to reduce downforce, then slicks, on the contrary, are introduced to increase grip. It is precisely this shift in emphasis from aerodynamics to mechanics, according to the authors of the regulations, that should increase the entertainment of racing, since it will make overtaking easier. And if we take into account another innovation - the Kinetic Energy Saving System (KERS), introduced at the insistence of FIA President Max Mosley to demonstrate concern for the environment and allowing the driver to “spur” the car at the right time, at the request of the pilot, then you can estimate how much more difficult it will become to drive new technology.
The sports regulations underwent much less revision, although a revolution almost happened here too. The strange proposal put forward by Bernie Ecclestone to determine the world champion by the number of victories in a season was initially accepted, but then rejected under pressure from disgruntled teams. The “one engine per two races” rule has been abolished. Now teams can use eight engines for one car throughout the championship, changing them at their discretion. Engine speed is limited to 18 thousand per minute. Testing is prohibited and wind tunnel testing is significantly limited from the start of the championship until December 31, 2009, which will allow teams to reduce costs for these rather expensive events.
So, the main features of the upcoming championship have been drawn. And we will get to know little things like lifting the ban on making a pit stop after the safety car, increasing the speed limit in the pit lane, informing fans about the results of weighing cars after qualifying and other things during the season.