Anybody see the Australian Grand Prix?

Hi all,

Just wondering if anybody else watched the Australian Grand Prix, and has any opinions on the rule changes with F1 (i.e. no more changing tyres during a race, and engines having to last 2 races).

I see the teams are already using loopholes in the rules to their advantage; everybody who didn't finish the race gets new engines without penalty - which prompted BAR to bring both their cars in early.

Hopefully in the next GP the weather will not affect qualifying so we'll get a much more true picture of the effect the rule changes have made...

At least Michael Schumacher didn't win but yeah,looks like BAR is ahead of everyone going into the Malaysian GP with the new engines.

Originally posted by jonbeckett73
Hi all,

Just wondering if anybody else watched the Australian Grand Prix, and has any opinions on the rule changes with F1 (i.e. no more changing tyres during a race, and engines having to last 2 races).

I see the teams are already using loopholes in the rules to their advantage; everybody who didn't finish the race gets new engines without penal ...[text shortened]... ct qualifying so we'll get a much more true picture of the effect the rule changes have made...

The rain in qualifying ruined it as it put most of the decent drivers too far back.
Alsonso did well, though.

I was wondering on the way into work this morning if Ferrari will lean on the FIA to get the rules changed.

The new format doesn't suit Schumacher at all... Ross Brawn admitted in an interview I read that the team expect Barichello to do better than Schuey with the new rules because of his driving style.

It showed up at the weekend, didn't it - Schumacher was going nowhere in comparison with the leaders, and it wasn't like he was stuck in traffic either.

Mind you - Ferrari will have nobody to race soon anyway, and it's totally their own fault. If Formula One didn't have the ludicrious "unanimous" voting system, it's very possible that Ferrari would have been ejected years ago by the other teams.

p.s. nice try by Schumacher to get the safety car out when he refused to get out of his car in the gravel-trap.... about typical of him really.

Originally posted by jonbeckett73
It showed up at the weekend, didn't it - Schumacher was going nowhere in comparison with the leaders, and it wasn't like he was stuck in traffic either.