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Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems were introduced this year as a way of making the sport of Formula One greener, more applicable to every-day motorists and to add to the spectacle of the sport through the re-distribution of the saved energy. However, few teams have adopted the technology and those that have are slowly ceasing its use on their cars. BMW today have announced they want to concentrate on car development rather than KERS development. Was KERS ever a good idea? Continue Reading…

Unlike the current reigning world champion, Jenson Button is not afraid of competing in other sports during the racing season, and it has been announced that the current 2009 title leader will participate in the London Triathlon later this year. Jenson, who turned 29 earlier in the year, will endure a 1500 metre swim, a 40km bike ride before topping it all off with a 10km run around the Docklands area of the UK’s capital. Continue Reading…

As in life, Formula One is often unfair. A talent may be overlooked, or a silly incident not of his creation can lead to a driver retiring from a great position in a race. Occasionally, these moments define a career and a driver fails to make it into a top team, or fails to win if already in a competitive car. While those fans who understand the sport may recognise the efforts and skill, the record books will tell a different tale. Does the current grid of 20 pilots contain any of these so close yet so far drivers? Continue Reading…

Having been pointed towards a great photo for this week’s Caption Contest, I happened across some rather bizarre shots of the Formula One drivers arriving in Bahrain on Thursday. I find it interesting to see the drivers looking relaxed and carefree as they wander into the paddock, all dressed in their usual clothes with little sign of sponsor’s logos and the rest (okay, maybe a few logos). But what did strike me, and what made the following set of photos bizarre, is the range of sunglasses these wealthy athletes chose to put on their faces… Continue Reading…

Do you remember when all-and-his-mother were saying how good Lewis Hamilton will be for Formula One, that the young Briton will inspire countless others, become a great role-model and help lift the sport to new highs? Well to a degree, I feel Hamilton has achieved this goal put on him by others, but I also feel that some of the McLaren driver’s rivals are doing a far better job of raising Formula One’s global profile amid controversy and gloomy forecasts. Continue Reading…

There’s being a Formula One fan, and then there’s being a Formula One fan. And it would seem that Christine from Sidepodcast has taken being a fan to a whole new level. You see, Felipe Massa is yet to score a point in 2009, and his team hasn’t been doing much to improve thus far, Ferrari enduring the worse start to a season since 1981. If Felipe or Kimi don’t manage a top-eight finish tomorrow, it will be the Scuderia’s worse ever start to a championship campaign since their debut as a constructor in 1955. But fear not Ferrari fans, because Christine has a good luck message for the young Brazilian… Continue Reading…

The Kinetic Energy Recovery System that has been introduced in 2009 is causing controversy again as Flavio Briatore admits that the Formula One Teams Association is looking at getting it banned from 2010 onwards. Currently the device is only optional and although it adds a substantial boost of power for short periods, the system also weighs a lot and has resulted in many drivers losing weight in order to not be impeded by running the device. However, only a few teams are running the technology and already Ferrari have removed it from both, and now one of their cars. Continue Reading…

Something slightly quirky that came out of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend was the fact that eventual race winner Sebastian Vettel names his cars. This all came about when a photo was released showing a make-shift sticker placed across the bridge of Vettel’s steering wheel. The words read ‘Kate’s Dirty Sister’ and was only seen on Vettel’s Red Bull. A few questions buzzed around the Internet and an answer didn’t come my way until Martin Brundle started his usual grid walk and managed to catch Sebastian slightly off-guard… Continue Reading…

As the top three finishers stood proudly on the podium, Sebastian Vettel took delight in mouthing the words to the German national anthem. Vettel took Red Bull’s maiden win earlier today, just as he did for Scuderia Toro Rosso last year at Monza. In Italy, the race organisers played the Italian anthem for the Italian team, even though they are owned by Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz and funded by his energy drinks company, Red Bull. However, in China today, the organisers played the British national anthem for Red Bull, which has caused some confusion… Continue Reading…

BMW have announced that Robert Kubica will be given a KERS-fitted car on Friday when he takes part in free practice for the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai circuit. The Polish driver has been forced to run a non-KERS car so far this season because the added weight negates the advantage from the added boost in horsepower. However, BMW have been working hard at shedding some pounds from the F1.09 and the team will evaluate its effectiveness on Friday. Continue Reading…