SHOCKER! Hamilton join Brawn GP

Plenty of morans in this thread. And yes, 'moran' is spelt like that on purpose

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Ollie Moran and Niall Moran are two of Limerick's best players these days...Niall got 9 points last Sunday actually, playing lovely hurling.

here was the Toro Rosso April Fools' announcement - quite ingenious!


"Toro Rosso tricked journalists by posting a release in the media centre saying the team will run with the optional kinetic energy recovery system (Kers) this weekend. Not all the teams and drivers used Kers - which gives drivers an extra boost of power for seven seconds per lap - in Australia, and the pros and cons of using the innovation is a hot topic in F1 circles.

Toro Rosso took advantage to play a prank, as their media release explains. "In the interests of maximising car reliability in high temperatures and humidity usually encountered in Malaysia, the Kers system will not actually use the recovered energy to boost engine power in the usual fashion.

"Instead the teams plan to use Kers as a sophisticated DCA (Driver Cooling Aid). Energy recovered under braking is used to drive a refrigeration unit to chill down the cool store. This is connected into a special driver suit, so when the driver presses the Kers button cold liquid is circulated around his suit reducing his body temperature. Studies have shown that an increase in core body temperature of just one degree can reduce driver performance by as much as 23%."

Toro Rosso's press officer revealed the media release had caught out more than a few seasoned journos. But by the time the drivers finish Sunday's physically draining race, they might well wish F1 inventors would take Toro Rosso's idea seriously. The Renault team seem pretty determined to turn things around in Sepang judging by the music blasting out of their garage. Fernando Alonso finished fifth in Melbourne and Nelson Piquet, who was spotted bravely running in Sepang's steamy 35C temperatures on Wednesday, crashed out.

The team have now turned to The Stone Roses for some inspiration, playing "I Am The Resurrection" to gee up team spirits. The Mole cannot fathom what the thinking was behind the choice of the next tune; "Whippin' Piccadilly" by long-forgotten Mercury Music Prize winners Gomez.

McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen also raised a few eyebrows when he decided to walk the Sepang track when the sun was at its height. It seems it is not just mad dogs and Englishmen who go out in the midday sun but Finnish motor racing drivers too."

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X (@ed24f1)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2009 04:28PM by SchueyFan.

I know this story was an April Fool's joke...but it got me thinking of a fairly trivial question that you guys might want to get your teeth round while we wait for the next race.

If a current world champion leaves a team halway through the season for another team....does he take the number 1 with him or does he leave it with his replacement?

So, say Hamilton swapped with Barrichello...would Barrichello take the number 1 and Hamilton the number 23...or do Brawn GP become 1 and 2 and McLaren 22 and 23 (again!) (Or maybe Barrichello would do a Hill and take on number 0?!)

Just a thought!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2009 04:56PM by Gord_on_wheels.

interesting question, i suppose McLaren would have #0 and #2, and Brawn #1 and #22.

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X (@ed24f1)

Would Ferrari not have 0 & 2 due to winning constructors?

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yes, but i doubt they would change any other teams during the season unless they had to. i doubt ferrari would care either.

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X (@ed24f1)

I suspect Hamilton would get 23, and that McLaren would race with 0 and 2. (I don't think you can change numbers during the season, but a non-WC can't race with number 1.) But maybe SchueyFan is right that Hamilton could take #1 with him.

the closest to precedent i could think of would be when lauda missed the European GP in 85. John Watson stood in for him and he raced with #1 on the car.

[grandprixarchives.wordpress.com]


I guess if it happened now and for more than just 1 race, the 2 teams would just swap numbers.

I would suppose that Macca would get 0 and 2 and Hamilton would take 1, while his team-mate would have his current no. They would avoid changing numbers as much as pos. It just shows, the number system still hasn't been fully sorted (unless there are regulation which cover this that no one has brought up) but at least it's a hell of a lot better than it was pre-1996.

Ronnie Peterson ran all 1974 season with the number 1 in his car...

maybe so, but i can't see them allowing that today tbh

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X (@ed24f1)

This was because a regular number system was only debuted in 1974 and it was ordered completely by the previous years Constructors' Championship, which Lotus had won, so they were given #1 and #2. It was only from the next year that the situation we know where the driver who won the previous championship carried the no.1 came into place. However, until 1996, they effectively still worked off the 1973 Constructors' Champ, with the numbers swapping according to who the champion driver was and what team he drove for, which is why Tyrell had #3 and #4 until 1995. It was all pretty complicated.

On the flip side, it made 27 on a ferrari, 26 on a ligier and 12 on a lotus pretty well known sights.

And had they continued past 1995 with the system...Alesi would have kept his 27 on a Benenetton, Villeneuve would have had a 9 on his Williams in 97, Ferrari would have then had 9 and 10 in 98...although they probably would have had the 27 and 28 back and Benetton would have taken the 9 and 10.

It got complicated because tradition dictated some of the numbers.

I remember an idea of them going back to it one year (2001 i think) but Sauber protested because they were due to have the 7 and 8 and were excited about having single digits on their cars...not sure how true that is though!

Although, bizzarely, a lucky number to have on recent form is number 22!

Indeed, and the iconic number 27 of course went to McLaren in 1990 when Prost switched to Ferrari, taking with him #1.

I heard that thing about Sauber alright...I can't imagine they'd have ever switched it back though, the new system is so easy compared to the old one.

HAMILTON FEARS FOR FUTURE

World champion will go if McLaren are banned



LEWIS HAMILTON is ready to quit McLaren if his team is banned from races over the Liargate scandal.
Britain's F1 world champion is still furious after being ordered to lie to stewards following the season's opening Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren face being kicked out of the constructors' championship for the second time in 18 months when they appear before motor sport chiefs in Paris on April 29.

But they could also be banned from several of this season's remaining races altogether - which would wreck Hamilton's chances of defending his crown.

McLaren's engine suppliers Mercedes are also livid their name has been tarnished again and could offer Hamilton an escape route at Jenson Button's Brawn GP - which are also powered by the German car giants.

Mercedes sporting boss Norbert Haug declared: "This is certainly not creating the right image. If it would not be bearable then we need to sit down in Stuttgart and take our decision."

Hamilton was forced into making a grovelling apology and has a moral clause in his contract allowing him to quit the team if his image as a sportsman is tarnished.

And a senior F1 source declared: "Lewis' future hangs on what happens to McLaren at the World Motor Sport Council hearing.If McLaren are kicked out of the constructors' championship at least Lewis can still race as he did in 2007 when the team were booted out over the Ferrari spying scandal.

"But if McLaren are banned from several races, which could very well happen, then that would give Lewis's father and manager, Anthony, the excuse to pull him out of there.

"The only question mark is where he could go at short notice. Brawn GP is the one team that has been mentioned and the fact that they also use Mercedes engines is key.

"There is no question of Button being released as he is leading the championship, but his team-mate Rubens Barrichello could be paid off quite easily."

And Mercedes, which owns a 40 per cent stake in McLaren, could launch a takeover bid or switch their backing to Brawn GP.

Haug added: "Lewis had a very hard time from Thursday till Sunday in Malaysia. The subject hit him hard but he is an honest person. When such a thing happens, all possible thoughts go through one's head."

But Hamilton could still find it difficult getting out of his £75million five-year contract - with only Ferrari able to offer a similar deal.

Brawn would not be able to match his salary demands even if they offered a competitive car, with Button having romped to victory in the opening two races.

And British motor racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart asked: "Is Ross Brawn seriously going to take Lewis on instead of Barrichello? Rubens is very experienced in the setting up of the car, Lewis is not.

"And Ross needs that knowledge right now because of the ban on in-season testing."


Taken from a british sunday newspaper.....news of the world heh adds a bit of fuel to our thoughts lol

Wtf, the golden boy of ron, along side with loyal mclaren employee who started to messed up, bring down repupation of team in even more grave danger, he should regret it very well, he can't just walk away on that mclaren..@#$%& black

2 Hot 2 Handle.

MS-


KR -



"You must always pick the worst car and the worst team on the grid, to be the best."
—Fangio

That's horrific what you just said...

sh33pst3r Wrote:
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> That's horrific what you just said...


On same level with his sig, so nothing new..

Kimi, so, Massa Fernando Sebastian is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?

His sigs hilarious because of how crap the videos are. The Kimi one even has an accident that took place 3 years before Kimi was in F1.

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