Formula One 2005 season thread

[jarmo]

Teams/drivers:

Ferrari: #1 Michael Schumacher (GER), #2 Rubens Barrichello (BRA)
BAR: #3 Jenson Button (ENG), #4 Takuma Sato (JAP)
Renault: #5 Fernando Alonso (ESP), #6 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Williams: #7 Mark Webber (AUS), #8 Nick Heidfeld (GER)
McLaren: #9 Kimi Räikkönen (FIN), #10 Juan Pablo Montoya (COL)
Sauber: #11 Jacques Villeneuve (CAN), #12 Felipe Massa (BRA)
Red Bull: #14 David Coulthard (SCO), #15 Christian Klien (AUT)
Toyota: #16 Jarno Trulli (ITA), #17 Ralf Schumacher (GER)
Jordan: #18 Tiago Monteiro (POR), #19 Narain Karthikeyan (IND)
Minardi: #20 Christijan Albers (NED), #21 Patrick Friesacher (AUT)



GP calendar:


March 6: Australia
March 20: Malaysia
April 3: Bahrain
April 24: San Marino
May 8: Spain
May 22: Monaco
May 29: Europe
June 12: Canada
June 19: USA
July 3: France
July 10: Great Britain
July 24: Germany
July 31: Hungary
August 21: Turkey
September 04: Italy
September 11: Belgium
September 25: Brazil
October 09: Japan
October 16: China






/jarmo

[jarmo]

RED BULL ARE NEW JAGUAR OWNERS



Ford have confirmed the sale of the Jaguar F1 team to energy drinks company Red Bull.

The deal comes on the deadline day for entries for the 2005 F1 world championship.

Ford vice-president Richard Parry-Jones said: "Today marks the passing of an era.

“After over 35 years in the sport, deciding to exit F1 was a very tough decision for us to make.

"During that time we have experienced the highs and lows of the sport that we have also left a legacy of victories and championships won by some of the most famous drivers and teams in the sports history.”

Tony Purnell will continue as team principal and engines will be supplied by Cosworth.

Ford have sold the engine company to Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, the co-owners of the ChampCar racing series (see separate story).

Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz was delighted with the deal.

He said: "We are really looking forward to our first Formula 1 season with Jaguar.

"The team has shown its class in a 2004 season that was anything but easy and stood out due to its cohesion.

Not only does the ownership of this team represent the high point of our involvement in motor racing, it is also the logical and final step in the process we started with the Red Bull Junior programme, where we identify, advise and promote young talent through the different formula from karting to the very pinnacle - Formula 1."

http://www.itv-f1.com




/jarmo

[Cocaine__tongue]

Who do you think will win this season??. Shumacher is my easy pick.
Alonso will come second (a bit of patriotism  ).

[jarmo]

Kimi Räikkönen.

No, not biased at all.

It's just a dream, McLaren will fuck up again I'm sure.....




/jarmo

[Cocaine__tongue]

who knows.....with the new rules each engine will have to last a lot longer, so the "A" teams from the last couple of years (ferrari, BMW, mercedes and renault) will start almost from 0. maybe in 2005 kimi will be the man to beat.

[jarmo]

Considering how long the Mercedes engines lasted this year, I'm skeptical.


/jarmo

[Voodoochild]

Barrichello will win!! I'm pretty sure about this! 
Damn, it sucks to have only this guy from Brasil with real chances... I miss Senna really bad 

Oh.. what will happen with Sauber? Could Red Bull be in two teams?

[Drew]

Jacques Villeneuve.

He was one heck of a racer in CART. I always hoped he'd have just as much success in Formula 1.

[Cocaine__tongue]

Jacques Villeneuve.

He was one heck of a racer in CART. I always hoped he'd have just as much success in Formula 1.

Well, winning  a formula 1 title is quite some big success. Maybe not as much as the one he enjoyed during his Cart racing, but it's still a big success.

[Drew]

Well, winning  a formula 1 title is quite some big success. Maybe not as much as the one he enjoyed during his Cart racing, but it's still a big success.

It's a big success. I was hoping he'd have some of the same kind of domination in F1 that he had for several years in CART. Different league, better talent of competition now.

[Jessica]

Went to race of champions in paris this afternoon....Loeb, swartz, shumacker, alesi and many more..i'll post some piccies soon.

[jarmo]

And who won when everybody drove similar cars?

Heikki Kovalainen..... Yes, he's Finnish, what did you expect? 



ITV F1 columnist Heikki Kovalainen has won the Race of Champions in Paris.

The Finn saw off the challenges of Michael Schumacher and WRC hotshot Sebastien Loeb to clinch the title of ‘Champion of Champions’.

Kovalainen ousted Schumacher in the semi-final before beating Loeb in the final.

He said: “It's just incredible. It was such good fun.”

British interest ended early with David Coulthard losing out to Kovalainen. Colin McRae beat Mattias Ekstrom but was docked 10 seconds for a shunt early in the race.

http://www.itv-f1.com



/jarmo

[Jessica]

Photos are being uploaded ..soon...and that finish guy was damn good, he looked so happ too.

[mr self destruct]

I really think Heikki Kovalainen could be a very good driver choice for some team, for example Williams.
I think he's got the potential.


ps.  I went to same school for a year with him

[jarmo]

WHAT'S NEW FOR 2005?
 
Formula 1 will be a very different sport when the teams line up for the first race of the year in Melbourne on March 6.

This winter has seen a raft of new regulations – perhaps the biggest overhaul of the rule book since – oooh – 2003.

Here’s your cut-out-and-keep guide to the new season. But beware – some things, such as the qualifying format, may change again!

Qualifying

The 2005 grid will be decided by two qualifying sessions, one on Saturday afternoon and a second on Sunday morning.

The single-lap format introduced in 2003 remains – but the twist is that the grid will be decided by adding together a driver’s times from both sessions.

Cars will run with low fuel levels in the Saturday session, going out in reverse order from their finishing positions at the previous race.

On Sunday, the running order will be decided by the results of the previous day’s session, with the fastest car going last.

The decision to use aggregate times from both sessions means that a driver’s raw pace on empty tanks will now contribute to their position on the grid. This means that race strategy will arguably have less influence on the make-up of the grid than it did before.

Tyres

Put simply, drivers will have to use the same set of tyres for qualifying and the entire race distance.

A tyre can only be changed if it is punctured or damaged.

As in previous seasons, drivers will choose from two tyre compounds after Friday practice.

However, once this choice is made, they will only be allocated three more sets – one for Saturday morning practice, one for qualifying and the race and an additional set in case of a puncture or accident damage.

Needless to say, 2005-spec rubber will have to be much harder than in previous seasons, while drivers will have to conserve their tyres. This should benefit smoother drivers such as Jenson Button.

Aerodynamics

The FIA have tweaked these rules in a bid to reduce downforce. The most noticeable of these changes are to the front and rear wings.

Front wings must now be higher, while rear wing elements must now be further forward on the car. The FIA has also clamped down on rear diffusers.

While the FIA hoped that these measures would reduce downforce by around a quarter, in reality the teams are already beginning to nibble away at this performance deficit.

Engines

Engines must now last for two full race weekends, as opposed to one in 2004. That means a driver is unlikely to clock up anywhere near as much mileage in practice.

As in 2004, a driver changes engine ahead of qualifying, they will drop 10 places on the grid. Should an engine be changed between qualifying and the race, they will be sent to the very back.

If an engine is changed, the driver must use that particular power unit for the whole of the rest of the weekend and the next race.

But if a driver retires with an engine failure during a race, they will not be penalised at the following event.

 
http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=31974



Wonder how many teams will have reliable enough engines to last two races.



/jarmo

[Pryor Murphy]

I hope that Schumacher will have his lowest, baddest, poorest, weakest and the most humiliating season, he has ever encountered.

[aRs]

Schumacher go to still winner... 
Good Times, Ayrton Senna...lol 

[IzzyDutch]

Here are the new cars (except Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi):

http://www.rtl.nl/sport/rtlgp/home/launches2005.xml

[Drew]

Here are the new cars (except Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi):

http://www.rtl.nl/sport/rtlgp/home/launches2005.xml

Sweet! Thankyou for the link IzzyDutch.

The Toyota TF105 and Williams FW27 cars look amazing.

[Cocaine__tongue]

From the tests the teams have had so far, it looks as renault and mclaren mercedes have the best cars. but  sadly for alonso, i'm sure ferrari will still be the best when the season starts.