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Merc's been having gearbox issues, McLaren electronics.

Exactly. No-one has been immune to issues this winter which means Australia should be a total lottery. Probably won't be though.

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BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

Last time a slow driver got a point was Indianapolis 2004 (excluding Indianapolis 2005) when a lot of people got in trouble and the slowest driver of that year managed to get a point.

[youtubeidiot]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4_LCNvrv1s[/youtubeidiot]

I find it surprising the teams have such problems this year. I can't recall that there where so many problems shifting from the V10's to the V8's.
I'm sure a V6 Turbo is quite different compared to a V8 and V10 thus a more difficult transition but Turbo's aren't new either.

Another issue that might not have been mentioned yet: how many engines do they have this season?

I wonder how often they'll have to hand out penalties for engine changes.

I think Williams has a big chance to win. They seemed to be pretty reliable in testing and they are fast.

Maybe it has something to do with testing days, which are significantly less nowadays. And back in the days engines didn't had to last 4 races, so reliability plays a major factor?

There are probably a lot of factors for this. Like Fish88 said there is the limited testing. Also with the V10->V8 they didn't have to worry about "new" technology like ERS. Also adding a turbo to the engine isn't something they have done on a recent F1 engine until now.

The hardest part seems to be integrating the everything into the car. It's quite likely everything runs quite smooth on the testbenches Renault has.

What will be different and already experienced in Melbourne is us being able to actually hear the tyres squealing every time a driver locks a wheel(s)

In several videos of winter testings it was possible to hear it and it's quite strange to me and I'll have to get used to it(not bad imo, just strange)

Initially, I loved the sound of the new engines. I still love their pitch, specially the Ferrari one, but they are really incredibly silent. When the driver is off the throttle, it's really strange. I can see why so many people hated their sounds.(not only members as Toto or alex but Button and Hulk made really clear how they miss the V8's sound)

new ways of preventing drivers to go off track and gaining an advantage?

Grosjean and Maldonado would still be able to collect those poles with their double-tip noses.

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"Indy doesn't give you a second chance. You have to earn it."

You can even hear the tyres grip especially at the entry and mid-corner. Something I only know from endurance racing with these silent engines. It's really weird, so I'm curious also how the cars will sound onboard, since they will be able to put more sensitive mics on the car.

They get 5 of everything engine wise. So if one of the ers systems breaks they can change it without changing everything else. Ted did an interview on the notebook about it with the torro rosso chief. He expects it to get complicated working out who was what left towards the end of the season.

Lol, that will be messy

So if a team is concerned about their engine lasting, they'll skip all practice sessions, do one Q1 run and then race. Guess from Silverstone onwards no one's driving in FPs due to saving engines.

There's six different components in the power unit and you can change them and swap them each five times. If you use a sixth version of anything, you get a 10 place grid drop. Then if any of the remaining five parts are replaced for a sixth time, it's a five place grid drop. Same for the seventh time you use anything. If you need to replace an entire power unit, you must start from the pit lane.

So, nice and clear

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Grosjean said the cars are so silent that, while driving, they can hear the wind now from their cockpits

This is why I watch F1 : Webbers 5th place in Melbourne 2002, Sato's 5th place in Suzuka 2002, Baumgartners 8th place in Indy 2004, Fisi's pole and second place in Spa 2009, those are the stories that matter to me and I'll remember those forever. Sheer, true and real happiness like you won the championship. Emotion in sports is one of the most beautiful things in the world !

Sato overtaking Alonso in the Super Aguri at Canada 2007....good tast. And a point to boot.

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RIP Birmingham Wheels: here's some of the crash videos I recorded when it was there:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaKIE ... 5t9d5PvoHA

Twitter:

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Super Aguri

Real racin