F1

I am a big fan of F1. Have been for a long time. Been following it even before Cable TV came about and gave us the chance to watch it live. I know, being a firm supporter of Mother Earth, it is something I ought not to be a fan of. But this, I guess, is the one thing I do. In a way, they do improve the technology that all vehicles in the streets depend on. I've always been impressed with the technology involved in those cars. And I make it a point to understand as much of it as I can. The tires, the engines, the little buttons on the steering wheel. The rule and regulations that the FIA keep tweaking every year. Some good, some downright ridiculous. Bernie Ecclestone, the president and CEO of Formula One Management, tries what he can to introduce these rules if only to make the sport a bit more entertaining for the fans. He is like the 'godfather' of F1. Yet there are people in the industry that don't quite like him very much. This year for example, there is the new KERS system. This Kinetic Energy Recovery System basically is like a booster that recovers energy from the constant braking a car does in a lap and stores it. Then as and when the driver feels it seems fit, he presses on a button on his steering wheel to give him a boost of about 80 hp for a maximum of 6.67 secs for a lap. He doesn't necessarily needs to use up the entire 6.67 secs at one go, he can use as much, or in this case, as little of it as he needs. Amazing! This means more overtaking and even faster turns! It's very much like those power boosters thingy you use when you play one of those car racing games at the arcade. Another new( well sort of ) thing this year is the front and rear wings. The front ones are lower and broader and the rear ones are narrower. All this to, once again, increase the possibility to overtake, reducing the 'bad' air that comes from the car in front. Honestly, those F1 cars look damn ugly this year because of those funny wings. In fact, those front wings on the BMW Sauber, look like they can carry a beer crate on each end. Like a coaster. Then we have the much debated diffuser situation. Ok that case has been settled, in fact just a couple of days back. That diffuser is somewhere at the rear undercarriage of the car. It increases air extraction from the bottom of the car, meaning it helps the car suck itself to the ground. Better grip, means faster speed, means once again(everybody say together now!) more overtaking! Yeeeah! Three teams have been using it and they've done very well for the first two races. Brawn, Toyota and Williams got it designed into their car. So the rest of the teams started crying foul, saying it was illegal. FIA’s International Court of Appeal then stepped in and they have now declared it legal. So this means the rest of the teams now look stupid and have to play catch up. Well, with all the excitement going on in barely two races, (I say barely cos the Malaysia race got stopped halfway. Pity those fans who went. Like watch half a movie, then leave. "OOii ! What happened at the end of that Titanic movie? Got sink or not?" Cookoo..) I can't wait for the rest of the season. Sure more drama to come. Already Lewis Hamilton being called a big time liar.... His team manager Dave Ryan got the sack...Ferrari boss crying like a baby because of that diffuser gizmo thingy.... Stay tuned. I know I will.