for F1 fans

[Wyvern]

3 maybe 4 will be on FOX

Haven't done it but "racing123" and even the official sites do live timing and 123 have coverage delayed by an hour

link to speed live timing
http://www.speedtv.com/formula-1-racecast/

http://www.speedtv.com/programs/streaming-on-speedcom/

[sammyg2]

1 day, 2 hours, 18 minutes until practice session 1.

[jjone20]

Can anyone explain the exhaust changes that some teams are tinkering with, i.e. forward venting?

[BRPORSCHE]

Jjone...Before I answer that question I need to ask you a question:

Do you know what is a blown diffuser?

If yes; then you will know that they have been outlawed this season and the teams have found new and exciting ways to channel the exhaust gases under the car to create more "suction" to the road.

[Wyvern]

Interesting read on some of the exhausts here ..

Formula 1

[jjone20]

Thanks. I'm an F1 fan (since the USGP days at Watkins Glen), but some of the technical changes have gotten by me. Using the exhaust gasses to improve aero effect got my attention though. Very interesting stuff.

[sammyg2]

Pirelli believe the introduction of faster-wearing tyres to the sport should make strategy and tactics a major factor in deciding Sunday's Australian GP.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has directed Pirelli - which replaces Bridgestone as the official F1 tyre manufacturer from this season after a 20-year absence - to create a compound that will force two to three pit stops per race and create the tyre degradation that will result in cars traveling at different speeds and therefore fostering more overtaking.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told AP on Thursday that the Italian manufacturer has clear instructions to reintroduce some "movement and spectacle" to the sport.

While faster-wearing tyres had been met with a mixed response from drivers and teams, Hembery said they had the potential to take F1 back to the years when a good strategy had the ability to beat a good car.

"It would be fantastic for the sport if maybe some of the teams not normally in the top four come up with a strategy that allows them to get on the podium, and maybe cause a mini upset," he said.

"People in the last few years have forgotten that strategy was an integral part of the sport.

"If you take the example of Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn (at Ferrari), they were the experts almost at race strategy, and won many a race because of a good call and coming in for either a fuel stop or tyre change, and those are factors that will become important again."

Teams tried the new tyres during preseason testing, and opinions ranged from World Champion Sebastian Vettel's prediction they will add excitement to the race, to that of his Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz who described them as a "catastrophe."

While the durability of Bridgestone's tyres - even the soft compounds were capable of doing an entire race - had reduced the role of tire strategy, some critics had said the new Pirelli rubber had lurched in the other direction to where it may be too important.

"Clearly change is often something that causes people to maybe get excited, but at the end of the day what we've said to them is 'look everybody has the same, somebody on Sunday will be on top of the podium as the first winner on Pirelli tyres in 20 years, drinking champagne and very happy.' So they have to be sure they're the ones," Hembery said.

What makes this year different to the Schumacher-Brawn era at Ferrari is the absence of refueling, which makes the number and timing of pit stops entirely about tyre strategy.

Hembery said teams preparing for Sunday's race will decide between a two-stop or perhaps a three-stop strategy. They will also need to decide whether to spend more time on the softer 'option' tyre or the harder 'prime' tyre for longer - "balancing absolute performance with the ability to stay on the track longer."

"They're also going to have to understand the evolution of the track over the weekend, which is something that is an unknown for most of them because testing was done in very cold weather and with relatively small numbers of cars," he said.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso agreed, saying the new tyres could also herald a new era for F1.

"For sure there is a new way of doing the races in terms of strategy," Alonso said. "So let's say a new Formula One is starting here in Melbourne in terms of the strategy point of view. We need to learn from here all the new things for the coming races.

"We need to be very concentrated, very focused on strategy because it can play a big part in the result of the race. On the other hand, qualifying has a little bit less value than last year."

Melbourne's Albert Park track - which hosts the season-opening race after the Bahrain GP was canceled due to civil unrest - was not Pirelli's ideal first race back in F1.

"We would have liked to have gone to Bahrain to be perfectly honest," Hembery said. "We've done a lot of testing there and have a lot of data, and it's a very good representative circuit for a tyre maker in the sense that it can be hot but it can also be very abrasive.

"Melbourne brings a lot of factors. The conditions can change rapidly here. It's an event where you could have 20 degrees (Celsius) and rain, up to almost 40 degrees track temperature. It's very challenging from that point of view."

Melbourne is forecast to have cool and cloudy weather over the race weekend, with the chance of occasional showers.

[lisa_spyder]

Well the boys come out to play today...weather forecast is a bit iffy though; scattered showers and only 18 degrees (C)...tomorrow, isolated morning showers and a top temp of 20 and raceday morning cloud with a top of 21...let's hope the forecast is right and we don't get rain....

[tevake]

I don't Know, Lisa a little rain really throws an interesting element into a race. But then I am a Hamilton fan and love seeing him drive in the rain. Do I hear hisses in the back round :-)
We here in the US get very little F1 news in the off season. So speed's coverage of the first practice tonight will be something of a update for us, Yahoo!!!
Its going to be great to see how the strategies play out with the new tires.

Cheers Richard

[Neilk]

Looking forward to the new season!

[lisa_spyder]

As long as we don't get buckets of rain...had a stack here this week already so let's hope the forecast is right .

Can't wait...but we're not going this year. My chosen day always to go is Friday (today)....first outing for the F1s and lots of good support racing; plus we can move around the National pits fairly easily. But work is getting in the way so no Friday at Albert Park

Sunday we have a 70th birthday lunch to attend....but the birthday boy is a racer himself (still races a Formula Ford and is bloody quick) so there will be big screens set up everywhere so we can watch the race whilst enjoying a very fine spread in luxurious surroundings....my kind of 'Sunday' .

[imcarthur]

A 2 AM live start here means I watch a replay at noon. So make sure you start a new thread with any results & do the spoiler thing in the title . . . please.

Some rain would be good. Just not too much.

Ian

[Super_Dave_D]

I just noticed a new iPhone app.

[lisa_spyder]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

A 2 AM live start here means I watch a replay at noon. So make sure you start a new thread with any results & do the spoiler thing in the title . . . please.

Some rain would be good. Just not too much.

Ian

Need to find another Aussie my dear...I'll be lunching, drinking, racewatching, swapping tall stories, drinking some more...then going out for dinner, drinking, swapping tall stories again etc...I will not be a reliable source ...aaaaah life is so tough at the moment...(well it is, just not on this Sunday ).

[imcarthur]

Enjoy, Lisa. My son spent 2 yrs at his company's hdqrs in Melbourne. He came back an avid bar-b-quer. Still doesn't drink, though . . . (as I am about to dive into my 1st of rum & coke of the evening). He saw both F1s while he was there.

Ian

[BRPORSCHE]

live feed:

FORMULA ONE - F1: Live! Formula One Video Streaming

[Scott Watkins]

Maybe a stupid question, but here goes.

Can someone please explain to me Speed now claiming F1 is in HD? I thought it has been advertised and broadcast in HD for the last couple of seasons or so?
Thanks.

[Joe Ricard]

Couple cans of XXXX for me during the race would be great. But I will have to settle on crappy american beer.

[lisa_spyder]

Here you go...to keep you happy til race time...you have GOT to see this...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/599162-jensen-button-does-lap-mt-panorama-bathurst-awesome.html

[GH85Carrera]

Speed is now broadcasting in full 1080p. It looks awesome and sounds great in surround sound. We watched the practice 2 tonight. WOW