The teams are slowly releasing their latest challengers to the 2008 Calendar. An exciting time, where we get to see numerous advancements in automotive technology. Through the winter months we see test dates in Jerez, Valencia, Mugello, etc... The teams are all working hard to prepare their newest chassis's for the pinnacle of racing...FORMULA ONE!

Last year was a rocky yet brilliant season. We saw the rise of a future star, rookie Lewis Hamilton (whom I don't care for ). We saw the fall of Mclaren through the spygate scandal with Ferrari. We saw Kimi Raikonnen win his first World Drivers Championship (hell yes )!

This year things will remain pretty similar with the cars. Many of last years rules apply but there are some new ones to take into consideration.
-Standard ECU for all manufacturers
-No TCS (read traction control)
-Must use 5.5% biofuel mix

As well as a slew of other details that I wont bore you with.

We will also see a new track on the calendar this year. Singapore will host their first grand prix. And whats this?? ITS A NIGHT RACE! Thats right, you read it correctly. For the first time in F1 history there will be a night race.

I will take the time to post some of the new cars from their unveiling's over the past couple of weeks. Notice some of the radical changes to the side pod's, their wing lets, and engine covers.

Ferrari F2008

Mclaren MP 4/23

BMW F1.08


That is a photo from the latest test. Notice how radical the front wing and nose cone changes are to that of the car present for their launch.

Renault R28

Honda RA108

Red Bull RB4


Another pic from testing. Notice the radical design of the engine cover!

Toyota TF108

Those are the only teams so far to have an official release. I will add the rest of the teams as soon as they launch.

I really hope to generate some interest in this sport through MA. I encourage you guys to ask questions, and look for things online. Its a really interesting world to discover.

Some great sites:
http://www.itv-f1.com/Home.aspx
http://grandprix.com
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/
http://www.f1technical.net/
http://www.visionf1.com/ (this is a site where upon race completion you can watch an automated remake of the race in real time, or speed it up and slow it down.)

The 2008 Calendar 9 months and 18 Events
March 16th -Melbourne, Australian Grand Prix
March 23rd -Sepang, Malaysian Grand Prix
April 6th -Sakhir, Grand Prix of Bahrain
April 27th -Barcelona, Spanish Grand Prix
May 11th -Istanbul, Turkish Grand Prix
May 25th -Monaco, Grand Prix of Monaco
June 8th -Montreal, Canadian Grand Prix
June 22nd -Magny-Cours, French Grand Prix
July 6th -Silverstone, British Grand Prix
July 20th -Hockenheim, German Grand Prix
August 3rd -Hungaroring, Hungarian Grand Prix
August 24th -Valencia, European Grand Prix
September 7th -Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian Grand Prix
September 14th -Monza, Italian Grand Prix
September 28th -Singapore, Singapore Grand Prix
October 12th -Fuji Speedway, Japanese Grand Prix
October 19th -Shanghai, Chinese Grand Prix
November 2nd -Interlagos, Brazilian Grand Prix

Many of you may want to know how the hell you can actually watch a race. Well they air on Speed. Four races out of the calendar air on FOX. The airing schedule has not been released yet but I will try to post it as soon as it comes out. If you don't have a DVR box be prepared to either stay up until 4 AM to watch a race, or wake up at 6AM to watch another. The live airing of the race is always the best.

Thanks for looking. Please feel free to ask questions, I will try my best to answer them or guide you towards one elsewhere.

Here is to 2008 (Kimi ftmfw again!)

Ferrari
-Kimi Raikkonen
-Felipe Massa

BMW Sauber
-Nick Heidfeld
-Robert Kubica

Renault
-Fernando Alonso
-Nelson Piquet Jr.*

Williams-Toyota
-Nico Rosberg
-Kazuki Nakajima*

Red Bull-Renault
-David Coulthard
-Mark Webber

Toyota
-Jarno Trulli
-Timo Glock*

Toro Rosso-Ferrari
-Sebastian Bourdais*
-Sebastian Vettel

Honda
-Jensen Button
-Rubens Barrichello

Super Aguri-Honda
-Takuma Sato
-Anthony Davidson

McLaren-Mercedes
-Lewis Hamilton
-Heikki Kovalainen

Force India F1-Ferrari*
-Adrian Sutil
-Giancarlo Fisichella

Bodywork and Dimensions
What’s the skinny?:
-Article 3.3; The overall width of the car, including complete wheels, must not exceed 1800mm (previously 2000mm) with the steered wheels in the straight ahead position. Overall width will be measured when the car is fitted with tires inflated to 1.4 bar.
-Article 3.4.1; Bodywork width ahead of the rear wheel center line must not exceed 1400mm. (previously 1600mm)
These regulations were in effect in 2007.

An effort to stop cut tires:
-Article 3.4.2; The top and forward edges of the lateral extremities of any bodywork forward of the front wheels must be at least 10mm thick with a radius of at least 5mm. Providing it is include at an angle less than 60 degrees to the car center line, the forward edge of any horizontal part of the bodywork in these areas need not comply with these requirements.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Effort to control the spread of debris on track:
-Article 3.4.3; The outer skins of the front wing endplates and any turning vanes in the vicinity of the front wheels (and any similarly vulnerable bodywork parts in this area), must be made predominantly from materials which are included for the specific purpose of containing debris. The FIA must be satisfied that all such parts are constructed in order to achieve the stated objective.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

A little more skinny:
-Article 3.5.1; Overall bodywork width behind the rear wheel center line must not exceed 1000mm. (previously 2000mm!)
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Getting short:
-Article 3.6; No part of the bodywork may be more than 950mm above the reference plane. (previously 970mm)
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Weight
Wait a tick, I thought you were getting skinnier!:
-Article 4.1; The weight of the car must not be less than 605kg at all times during the Event. (previously 550kg)
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Engine
Oh my, I can fix stuff!?!
-Article 5.17; The following parts are not part of the homologated engine and may be changed without penalty: Clutch, Clutch basket, Throttle actuator, hydraulics and mechanical linkage, Trumpet tray, Hydraulic pumps, Ignition coils, Injection system, Engine electronic boxes (ECU’s, power modules, control boxes), Alternators, Fuel filters, Fuel pumps, Oil filters, Oil tank systems, Oil scavenging pumps, Oil supply pumps, Oil air separators, Water pumps, Pneumatic bottles, regulators, pumps and pipes for valve actuation, Exhaust systems, Electronic sensors, Cables, Hoses, Screws related to the auxiliaries mentioned above, Electrical looms, and Spark plugs.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Clutch Control
Sorry Renault, no more ripping starts
-Article 9.2.4; Designs or systems which in addition to typical inherent hydraulic and mechanical properties are designed to, or have the effect of, adjusting or otherwise influencing the amount, or rate, of engagement being demanded by the FIA ECU, are not permitted.
This regulation is new for 2008.

Traction Control
Massa better hope it doesn’t rain!
-Article 9.3; No car may be equipped with a system or device which is capable of preventing the driven wheels from spinning under power or of compensating for excessive throttle demand by the driver. Any device or system which notifies the driver of the onset of wheel spin is not permitted.
This regulation is new for 2008.

Clutch Disengagement
Let’s actually get that “N” button to work:
-Article 9.4; All cars must be fitted with a means of disengaging the clutch for a minimum of fifteen minutes in the event of the car coming to rest with the engine stopped. This system must be in working order throughout the Event even if the main hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical systems on the car have failed.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Gearboxes
Sporting Regulation 87a: Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four consecutive Events in which his team competes. Should a driver use a replacement gearbox he will he will drop five places on the starting grid at that Event each time a further gearbox is used.
This regulation is new for 2008.

Gear Ratios
No fancy materials or dinky little gears:
-Article 9.6.2; No forward gear ration pair may be less than 12mm wide, less than 85mm between centers, and less than 600g in weight.
-Article 9.6.3; Gear ratios must be made from steel.
These regulations are new for 2008.

Reverse Gear
Hey, I can back up!!!!
-Article 9.7; All cars must have a reverse gear operable any time during the Event by the driver when the engine is running.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Torque Transfer Systems
No soup for you:
-Articles 9.8.1 and 9.8.2; Don’t bother, it’s not allowed in any way, shape, or form so stop asking.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Brake System
Let me get this straight. Not only do you want me to put on some poundage, you want me to shrink the disks too!?!
-Article 11.3.2; All discs must have a maximum thickness of 28mm and a maximum outside diameter of 278mm. (previously 28mm / 300mm) That’s 11 inch brakes people!
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Wheels and Tires
Oh that’s just great! You’re gonna make me fat, shrink my discs, AND shrink my wheels!?! Why don’t you just require me to haul an elephant around the track!?!
-Article 12.4.1; Complete wheel width must lie between 305 and 355mm (previously 345 and 365mm) when fitted to the front of the car and between 365 and 380mm (previously 440 and 460mm) when fitted to the rear.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Sittin’ on dubs
-Article 12.4.2; Complete wheel diameter must not exceed 660mm (previously 640mm) when fitted with dry-weather tires or 670mm (previously 710mm) when fitted with wet-weather tires.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Woohoo, look at those sidewalls!
-Article 12.4.4; Wheel bead diameter must lie between 328 and 332mm (previously 354 and 358mm)
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Supply of Tires
Hey now, without these blankets, the tire guy’s gonna be bored!
-Article 12.5.1; All tyres must be used as supplied by the manufacturer, any modification or treatment such as cutting, grooving. This applies to dry, wet and extreme-weather tyres.
This regulation is new for 2008. Pre-heating part has been removed.

Specification of Tires
Man, you’ve got a sole supplier, why can’t we lose these hideous grooves?
-Article 12.6.2; Each front dry-weather tire, when new, must incorporate 4 grooves….furthermore, the tread width of the front tires must not exceed 270mm.
-Article 12.6.3; Each rear dry-weather tire, when new, must incorporate 4 grooves.
These regulations are new for 2008.

At least I get a say in something!
-Article 12.6.6; Tire specifications will be determined by the FIA no later than 1 September of the previous season. Once determined in this way, the specification of the tires will not be changed during the Championship season without the agreement of all competing teams.
This regulation is new for 2008.

Survival Cell Specifications
Oh I see, you made me heavier, shrunk my wheels and brakes, made my tires less grippy and smaller, because I’m gonna be surrounded by armor!
-Article 15.4.7; “Add 16 layers of Zylon and 2 layers of carbon at least 6.2mm thick after you build the cell to 2007 specs.”
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Impact Testing
Crash dummies get to have all the fun!
-Article 16.2; Frontal test…velocity impact of 15 meters/second (previously 14m/s)….peak deceleration over the first 60kJ energy absorption will not exceed 20g, average peak deceleration will not exceed 10g (previously 5g)
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

My back and my masseuse thank you:
-Article 16.4; Rear test….velocity impact of 11 meters/second (previously 15 m/s)….peak deceleration over the first 225mm of deformation does not exceed 20g (previously average not above 40g)….maximum deceleration does not exceed 20g (previously 60g) for more than 15ms.
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Location and fitting of camera equipment
Honda’s areo team thanks you, they need all the help they can get
-Article 20.3.1; All cars must be equipped with five positions (down from 6)
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Ever wonder what it’s like to look in a wiggling mirror at 300kph?
-Drawing 6; Camera locations are:
1 the mirrors facing rearward
2 above the front wing on the side of the nose
3 on the left and right side of the air box level with the intake
4 the traditional spot above the air box
5 on top of the car just in front of the windscreen
This regulation was in effect in 2007.

Qualifying
Back of the grid instead of a 10 spot penalty for engine changes:
-Sporting Regulation 86c; Should a driver use a replacement engine after the qualifying practice session he will be required to start the relevant race from the back of the starting grid in accordance with Article 130.
This regulation is new for 2008.

No more fuel burn off periods in Q3:
-Sporting Regulation 115c; From 14.45 to 15.00 (Q3) the ten remaining cars will be permitted on the track.
This regulation is new for 2008.

|Marcus Leitch Photography|Fotograff|

How long have you been into F1 Marc?

I agree that we wont see big improvements since the RA108 was already built before he got there. But his strategies are what I'm really interested in.

I've been getting into F1 over the past couple seasons, mostly keeping track of honda and super aguri

|Marcus Leitch Photography|Fotograff|

East Coast All Stars® Founding Member - "Get Like Me"

"The man who cannot endure to have his errors and shortcomings brought to the surface and made known, but tries to hide them, is unfit to walk the highway of truth."

Does anyone know why Super Aguri is cutting back on testing?

|Marcus Leitch Photography|Fotograff|

|Marcus Leitch Photography|Fotograff|

I think Takuma Sato is an idiot and doesn't deserve to be in F1 period, let alone in a team made just for him... But let me say, I thought it was capital A awesome when he passed Alonso last season.

Either way they have to get a lot of money together and within 2 years they HAVE to have their own chassis constructed or they are pinched no matter what.

I like the idea of customer cars coming back but it just wont happen in time to save Aguri.

And if all goes well, I should be in Montreal for the race in June

Giancarlo was pretty fast in the Force India in both sessions.

Webber seems fast in his RB4.

Here is to what should be a crazy season

|Marcus Leitch Photography|Fotograff|

However he and is sitting at p5 in Q2 right now... So lets see if they can hang on!

"Give me Liberty, or give me Death!"
-Patrick Henry

Ron Paul 08

Here is to Malaysia next weekend

|Marcus Leitch Photography|Fotograff|