10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview - Australia

[Super Tourer]

10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview – Australia.


Last years result.

1 M.Schumacher Ferrari 58 1:24'15.757
2 R.Barrichello Ferrari 58 1:24'29.362 13.605
3 Fernando Alonso Renault 58 1:24'50.430 34.673
4 Ralf Schumacher Williams/BMW 58 1:25'16.180 1'00.423
5 J.P.Montoya Williams/BMW 58 1:25'24.293 1'08.536
6 Jenson Button BAR/Honda 58 1:25'26.355 1'10.598
7 Jarno Trulli Renault 57 1:24'16.785 1 Lap
8 David Coulthard McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:24'21.176 1 Lap
9 Takuma Sato BAR/Honda 57 1:24'44.971 1 Lap
10 G.Fisichella Sauber/Petronas 57 1:25'22.074 1 Lap
11 Christian Klien Jaguar/Cosworth 56 1:24'34.124 2 Laps
12 C.da Matta Toyota 56 1:24'41.762 2 Laps
13 Olivier Panis Toyota 56 1:25'22.928 2 Laps
14 Giorgio Pantano Jordan/Ford 55 1:24'16.656 3 Laps

Fastest lap:Michael Schumacher - 1:24.125


Retirements

Felipe Massa Sauber/Petronas 44 Laps Engine
Nick Heidfeld Jordan/Ford 43 Laps Clutch
Gianmaria Bruni Minardi/Cosworth 43 Laps Not classified
Mark Webber Jaguar/Cosworth 29 Laps Gearbox
Z.Baumgartner Minardi/Cosworth 13 Laps Engine
(Kimi Räikkönen McLaren/Mercedes 9 Laps Engine



2004 Starting Grid

1 M.Schumacher Ferrari 1'24.408 - -
2 R.Barrichello Ferrari 1'24.482 0.074
3 J.P.Montoya Williams/BMW 1'24.998
4 Jenson Button BAR/Honda 1'24.998
5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1'25.699
6 Mark Webber Jaguar/Cosworth 1'25.805 1
7 Takuma Sato BAR/Honda 1'25.851
8 Ralf Schumacher Williams/BMW 1'25.925
9 Jarno Trulli Renault 1'26.290
10 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren/Mercedes 1'26.297
11 Felipe Massa Sauber/Petronas 1'27.065
12 David Coulthard McLaren/Mercedes 1'27.294
13 C.da Matta Toyota 1'27.823
14 G.Fisichella Sauber/Petronas 1'27.845
15 Nick Heidfeld Jordan/Ford 1'28.178
16 Giorgio Pantano Jordan/Ford 1'30.140
17 Z.Baumgartner Minardi/Cosworth 1'30.681
18 Olivier Panis Toyota - NT
19 Christian Klien Jaguar/Cosworth - NT
20 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi/Cosworth - NT


2004 Race Review

http://www.grandprix.com/race/r714racereport.html


Recent Winners

2004 -Michael Schumacher - Ferrari
2003- David Coulthard – McLaren
2002 -Michael Schumacher - Ferrari
2001-Michael Schumacher - Ferrari
2000 -Michael Schumacher – Ferrari

Recent Pole Sitters

2004 - Michael Schumacher - Ferrari
2003 - Michael Schumacher - Ferrari
2002- Rubens Barrichello – Ferrari
2001 - Michael Schumacher – Ferrari
2000 –Mika Hakkinen – McLaren


Facts and Stats – Australian GP

Michael Schumacher is the only driver to have won the Australian GP more than twice.

Of the current line up only DC has won the race twice in the past

Ayrton Senna was on pole 6 times for the Australian GP – but won only two of them.

Thierry Boutsen scored 1 of his 3 Grand Prix wins in the 1989 race.

Kimi Raikkonen scored his first ever podium here in 2002.

The 1999 race marked Damon Hill’s 100th GP start, Jacques Villeneuve’s 50th GP start and Eddie Irvine’s 1st Grand Prix win.

1996 – Jacques Villeneuve scored his first F1 podium place in this race.

2005 is the 21st Australian Grand Prix – Of the previous 20 races - 11 were held at Adelaide and 9 at Melbourne.


Official race website
http://cars.grandprix.com.au/

[Super Tourer]

Looking ahead to the 2005 race.

After the most hectic off-season I can remember for a number of years, we head off to Australia for the start of another packed calendar of races.

This time last year, we were hoping that the close finish to the 2003 season would provide equally close racing for the 2004 encounter. It proved to be another Ferrari romp, helped in no small part by a lack of effective and consistent opposition from the leading teams.

This year though it looks as if it will be a lot closer at the front. Due to the new rules on the cars and tyres, winter testing has been very hard to call. At face value, Renault and McLaren look to be in the strongest position. Ferrari are notorious for not really showing their hand in pre-season ‘open’ testing, only a fool would write them off as likely race winners, even though they will start the year with a modified 2004 car.

Speaking of the cars, as the various threads we have run on the subject show – there are a lot of changes this year. Most noticeably the new aero rules, the plan of which was to reduce aero capacity by around 25%, this has seen the front wing height increase and the rear wing upper elements move forward from the end plates – this has led to teams running different shape rear end plates.

One of the key areas to be cut back is the diffuser, this has always been considered one of the most vital parts of the modern F1 car, as it produces downforce but no drag – so whatever you extract from the diffuser is ‘money in the bank’ – leaving the designers to trade off downforce v drag with the wings – we have seen a number of new types of front wing run already – from BAR’s deep scoop, through to Ferrari’s ‘chin piece’ and Saubers ‘plane’ wing.

Tyres have dominated F1 in recent years and been a major contributor to the fall in lap times that the FIA is trying to reign in. During 2003 we saw the championship battle ebb and flow with the fortunes of the tyre makers in differing conditions. For 2005 tyres will still be a major factor in that they will have to last a lot longer! Under the new regs a set of tyres must last through qualifying and the entire race distance, so we will only see routine fuel stops this year.

Looking after tyres will be key and reward the smooth drivers. Button is rated as having an almost Prost like smoothness at the wheel, so in theory should benefit from the new regs. How someone like Massa, with his more dramatic approach to driving will fare, should be interesting to see.

Engines now have to last two race weekends instead of one. The previous switch to the one engine rule produced some impressive levels of reliability, which equally proved the doom-monger’s wrong who insisted that the parc ferme rules limiting tinkering time would compromise the cars.

In fact it didn’t prove to be the case, and for 2005 we have heard engine manufacturers talk of similar or even increased power levels on 2004 despite the engines having to last twice as long. The only manufacturer we have seen with several engine failures in testing has been Honda.

This rule, was of course, part of Max Mosleys costs cutting proposals. I don’t think that anyone actually believes it has saved a dollar, the increased test and R&D costs to get the engines to last longer whilst maintaining power levels, will out weight the physical costs of producing less engines – what it has done is to free up capacity, enabling manufacturers to supply other teams if they wish to.

After several puncture related accidents last year one of the safety improvements for 2005 is to have vulnerable carbon fibre parts of the car (like front wing end plates and suspension parts) coated in kevlar to try and reduce puncture inducing shards.

The 2005 cars are also subject to more stringent side impact testing, and the protective collar around the cockpit has also been increased.

Going back to pre-season testing in 2004, BAR were sweeping all before them on the time sheets, despite much scepticism that this would not be repeated in the races they went on to have their best ever season. They have run a similar test program this winter with the concept car, but been much quieter in terms of times set. The team was happy with the last test, but enter the season as a bit of an unknown quantity, but with the team with the most to lose.

Their arch rival (in showroom terms) Toyota, has seemingly thrown everything at 2005. They were the first to launch a 2005 spec car, at the presentation Mike Gascoyne told the assembled media that most of what they were seeing would be ‘scrap’ by Melbourne. True to his word, Toyota unveiled a heavily re-worked car for the later part of winter testing. The driver’s have rated it as a step up from the previous model, but times have been a bit inconclusive.

Everything is in place for Toyota 2005, and top brass has made it clear that the excuse book is empty and a podium is expected in order to gain their continued enthusiasm for F1. The driver line up is certainly far and away their best since entering F1. There is possibly a question mark on the consistency of both drivers, but both were ready for a change of scene and are fast on their day.

Red Bull Racing (nee Jaguar) have fared well in winter testing, having looked at some of the data, they have set some good times on long runs so they could be in much better shape than many people think. Sir Frank Williams has singled them out to surprise a few people; he doesn’t owe RBR any favours so we must take his words at face value. DC looks more relaxed and settled as a definite team leader and will be out to remind us that he can still cut it in F1.

If the WCC was awarded for looks then Sauber would be in contention; their 2005 car looks one of the most pleasing to the eye. They were another team to discover an apparent glitch in the design of the car and have tried various mechanical and aero changes to get to the root of it. Massa has set some reasonable times in occasion but JV has apparently struggled to adapt to the car, his many supporters will be hoping that this is not a bad omen for his 2005 campaign.

Eddie Jordan left F1 stage right, in articles since his departure he has said he feared bankruptcy would be the result of struggling to stay in F1. In the end, EJ’s much vaunted fightbacks never materialised and the team was consigned to a hand to mouth existence. Eddie Jordan brought an irreverence and rock n roll element to F1, his team will always be remember for trying to have fun in the deadly serious world of F1. It is kind of fitting that the new owners (Midland) will not seek to replicate Jordan’s image or roots, no one could.

The Midland Jordan appears to be a slightly revised EJ14 reworked to accommodate Toyota’s engine and the 2005 regulations, in general testing the car has been pretty slow and has probably given Minardi some hope that they might not occupy their usual back of the grid slots. Midland make no bones about the fact that 2005 will be a purely’ show up’ year as all their plans have been about 2006, and the car designed and built by Dallara.

Down at Minardi Paul Stoddart has spent most of the winter representing the teams against the FIA. They start the year with essentially a 2004 car running to some of the 2005 regs, their new car (the first actual new car for about 3 years) will be ‘radical’ and will debut at Imola. Minardi has a pretty handy line up this year, if the new car is reasonable they could well finish ahead of Midland Jordan despite Midland's Toyota engines.

So, to the Melbourne winner, the stats say Ferrari, but of course after the last few years they pretty much read like that for every race. I favour McLaren and Renault to continue their testing pace into Melbourne

A quick word on the politics, a lot of the off season has been about the offer pitching from both BE and the GPWC to the F1 teams. It has ebbed and flowed over winter with offer and counter offer, almost like a tennis match, in which case the ball looks to be currently in Bernie E’s court. It will almost be an unofficial championship running alongside the main event, but with a much bigger overall prize – the future of F1.



Weekend timetable for the race.

(All times are local time)

Friday 4th March

1st Practice –11.00 to 12.00
2nd Practice – 14:00 to 15:00

Saturday 5th March

1st Practice – 09:00 to 09:45
2nd Practice –10:15 to 11:00
Saturday qualifying – 13:00

Sunday 6th March

Sunday qualifying 10:00
Race – 14:00 local time (03:00 UK time)

UK is 11 hours behind local time.

Live Timing
http://www.formula1.com/race/livetiming/732.html

Circuit Map
http://www.formula1.com/race/circuitmap/732.html


UK TV Schedule - ITV

Qualifying - Saturday March 5 - 12.55-14.45

Race LIVE - Sunday March 6 - 01.55-05.10


Race repeat - Sunday March 6 - 15.00-17.30

Highlights - Sunday March 6 - 00.05-01.10

Highlights on ITV2 - Monday March 7 - 01.00-01.50

http://www.itv-f1.com/TVSchedule.aspx

(please check times with your TV guide before recording the race!)

[Kicking-back]

Thorougly comprehensive job as ever, Super Tourer.

One addition - Qualifying is live on ITV at 0130.

[RWC]

A stunning job ST!
I love a good well written story,something that we don't see many of these days

[Gabrio]

Great summary ST!!!

[Pitstop]

Splendid preview ST, you should be writing for The Times.

[EERO]

Originally Posted by Super Tourer

10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview – Australia.


...Recent Pole Sitters


2000 –Kimi Raikkonen – McLaren

Really?


Otherwiswe an excellent summary, Super T.

[Super Tourer]

Originally Posted by EERO

Really?


Otherwiswe an excellent summary, Super T.

Quite right - it was Hakkinen - edited - apologies!

[Knowlesy]

Better than the Guardians preview anyways!

[ASCII Man]

I wish I had the patience to write like that...
Nice one, dude!

[Cyntech]

I remember that race that Thierry Boutsen won... Adelaide, in a downpour. Senna was winning and ran up the back of someone and totalled his car, remember Bergers ferrari being lifted onto a truck too...

[moggie]

If only it really was that exciting