I don't know if there are any F1 fans on here, but I find this season's races extraordinary. The Spanish GP is the fourth race and Jenson Button--of all people--has come through to win 3 of the first 4 races. His Brawn GP teammate, Rubens Barricello, is second in the Driver's Championship and was unlucky not to have won today. All this from a team that was on the brink of extinction just a few months ago. While the Brawn 001 uses a customer Mercedes V-8, it's incredible where these yellow-and-white cars have come from!

Red Bull racing has also made tremendous strides and are in the chamionship hunt as well. Sebastian Vettel looks to be following in his countryman's (Schumacher's) footsteps and Mark Webber has made a great comeback from an off-season training accident. Meanwhile, those two powerhouses, Ferrari and McLaren, are really struggling. It'll be interesting to see how the 'haves' and 'have-nots' fare this year. The new F1 regs have really shaken up the world order.

I have followed F1 since 1987 and for a while it got really boring ( teams that had the cash got all the advantages). This year is different, it reminds me of the late 80s early 90s where there was differant teams competing and not only 2, if I have to pick the best years in F1 I would have to say late 80s (Senna and Prost era) small engines big turbos and crazy drivers.But yes I have to agree that this year is a real good one so far and we'll see who can hang on and who will fall.

bundy26 wrote:I have followed F1 since 1987 and for a while it got really boring ( teams that had the cash got all the advantages). This year is different, it reminds me of the late 80s early 90s where there was differant teams competing and not only 2, if I have to pick the best years in F1 I would have to say late 80s (Senna and Prost era) small engines big turbos and crazy drivers.But yes I have to agree that this year is a real good one so far and we'll see who can hang on and who will fall.

Funding always makes a difference in racing. That said, Brawn GP has done an amazing job in coming up with a great car from the R&D that Honda F1 started. I hope their early success this year not only ensures sufficent funding for effectively continuing their challenge, but for the years ahead. Will Ross Brawn's legacy continue on? I hope so.

After driving a R35 on the same track (Estoril) that Senna almost ran Prost into the front straight wall, it brought back some memories! Racing drivers can be volitile and now drivers like Lewis Hamilton are having to drive their hearts out for 9th or 10th place! How the defending champion handles McLaren's fall from grace will also be a compelling story.

2009 could also be the last year that F1, as we know it, might exist. Ferrari has issued a public statement saying it will withdraw from the series if the FIA persists in capping expenses starting in 2010. I expect to see a big fight in the back boardrooms on this topic. The FIA proposed $40M per year cap would not include engine costs (leases capped at $5M year for customer teams) or driver retainers, but really put the brakes on to unrestrained spending.

Problem is, the established teams like Ferrari have already invested heavily in fixed expenses like CAD/CAM manurfacturing, full-scale wind tunnels and other huge projects. Now the FIA wants to "level the playing field" and these investments will have to go dark. Can anybody imagine a F1 race without Ferrari, McLaren/Mercedes, Toyota, Renault and BMW? Even a newcomer like Red Bull is considering a withdrawl! The battle lines have been drawn...

As of the conclusion of the Monaco GP (congrats to Jensen Button, Rubens Barrichello and Brawn GP), it looks like a compromise to the budget issue is near. Both the FIA and the F1 constructors look to have a higher cap for 2010 and implent the $40M cap for 2011 and beyond. But there's also talk that some manurfacturers won't stay in F1 next year (Toyota? BMW?). One thing is clear: the face of moden F1 racing is changing before our eyes.

The pendulum swings the opposite way! Now , the F1 Constructors Assoc (FOCA) want to use the next week to negotiate with the FIA. The FIA has drawn a line in the sand and is insisting that they set the rules (especially for the budget cap) for F1. The FOCA teams have filed conditional entries for 2010, but insist they will not enter if their conditions are not met. Bye , bye to Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Toyota and Renault? Can F1 survive without factory teams?

Huge news- The Formula One Manufactuers Association (FOCA) has announced on the eve of the '09 British GP they will sanction their own series for 2010. This, after the FIA proposed a last minure compromise, Get ready for as many fireworks off the track as on it! The FOCA-FIA war is ON!

The politics this season are crazy! I can't believe the situation that Mosley and FOTA have managed to create.

Mosley is crazy to think that he can tell the teams to sign up unconditionally and that then they would talk about it afterward. While I don't agree with the idea of a breakaway series and what it may do to the sport, I think that Mosely's refusal to bargain and hardball tactics left the teams with little to no other option.

It will be interesting to see what happens in tomorrow's meeting and if Mosley is still the president come tomorrow night. The only thing that I do know, is if FOTA's series comes to Montreal, I'll be buying tickets the day they go on sale!

I'd agree that Mosley's strong arm tactics may backfire on him. Certainly seems that his bluff has been called and we'll see (shortly) if this high stakes p0ker game continues to escalate.

Hard to believe the Canadian and U.S. GPs were both off the F1 calendar. I think you'll have some company in line for a F1 race in Montreal!

Mosley won't be going for reelection, and has been sacked of his F1 duties as well. Hopefully this signals a change in the right direction and other people that have been exploiting their power take note.

I guess this is at least a promising start.

OK--cards are on the table and FOCA has essentially won. Rather than a FIA-mandated financial cap, the teams recommendations for cost reductions will be adopted. FOCA will recommit to F1 until 2012 and FIA will continue to sanction the series. Mosley will essentially step down at the end of the year and "technical assistance" will be given to the three new teams coming in next year.

Incredible- after an agreement to the FIA/FOCA dispute was negotiated, Max Mosley has warned that unless FOCA apologizes for "inaccurate statements" about him being a "dictator" and the nature of the agreement, he may negate it. As the most visible spokesperson for the FIA, Mosley has made this very personal. His public display for what appears to be personal slights threaten to take F1 back to open warfare.