F1 » FIRST PICS: Interim 2009 F1 car.

So you guys are seriously suggesting that all the extra winglets, horns, antlers and dumbo ears of the 2008 F1 cars were attractive??? I love this new simpler look, nice smooth lines, a car with more emphisis on mechanical grip and less about aerodynamics. Quick lesson: to produce downforce you have to disrupt the air flow over the car and it's this disruption or durbulance that prohibits cars following closely behind each other and hence it's difficult to overtake. Less wings, less turbulance, more mechanical grip = more opportunity to follow closely behind the car in front and more opportunity to overtake. All we need now are engines of simular performance and the future looks good.

F1 » Ferrari president: KERS in 2009 'a mistake'.

I will have nothing bad said about the introduction of KERS in F1.... because it''s keeping me very busy (and gamefully employed) at the moment designing KERS test equipment for various manufacturers! I have a lot of respect for Ferrari having worked with them in the past but if they are behind in their development they only have themselves to blame because all the teams were notified of the new regulations at the same time.

MOTOGP » Inside Yamaha's 2008 YZR-M1.

Waz, all the bikes on the grid have traction control BUT only the riders /teams know how systems are configured. Some riders like more intervention from the TC than others. Wayne Gardner (on Eurosport) was saying how he couldn't believe the way Stoner just twisted the throttle to the stop out of every corner... TC in full effect there then, while you look at footage of Pedrosa and the throttle motion is more gradual when exiting a corner indicating he doesn't have as much intervention from the TC. Also although the hardware all the teams use is fairly similar the software is developed by the teams so the systems will work differently and inevitably some will work better than others.

MOTOGP » Inside Yamaha's 2008 YZR-M1.

(cont.) get back some of the specticle that the fans are praying for. I fear that the powers running the sport are not /will not listen to the fans like us so we will have to put up with the mid race battles, which can be very good like laguna, and the boring later laps. Last thing i will say is that i think yamaha's desclosure of their design ideas and development processes is really interesting and shows just how much goes into making a bike competitive these days. i like their open-ness and the way they let the fans know what's going on behind the scenes. I only wish the other manufacturers would give something back to the fans in the same way.

MOTOGP » Inside Yamaha's 2008 YZR-M1.

What you need to remember is that if you had NO rules all that would happen is the company with the biggest R&D budget (HRC) would walk away with the championship. The downside is that at the moment IMHO the rules are not condusive to good racing. The reduced fuel limit as people have said previously are contributing to boring race finishes because all the bikes are in 'lean' mode towards the end so there's no overtaking in the later laps anymore. Like F1 the electronics are detracting from the skill of the riders and the sport suffers as a result. I say let the rider be the traction control and decide when to use more fuel and when to save, get rid of all the electronics and we will (cont.)

F1 » Lewis pledges career to McLaren.

I watched the events at McL headquarters today on television. I hope some of these people accusing Hamilton of being arrogant, spoiled etc. also watched the events today. He came across as a very humble young man, not brash or arrogant at all. and on such an historic day when asked about the US election he showed no bias towards either candidate and said he respected both. I thought it showed a touch of class. Good luck and best of British to you Lewis.

F1 » Massa wins in Brazil, Hamilton champion.

Doodaa & FooAtari, you both talk a lot of sense my friends. He won in spite of the bias of Max and his FIA whipping boys and their thinly veiled attempts to manipulate the outcome of the championship. I would love to see SV at McL with LH. I like Kovi but I was disappointed with his performance over-all. I think SV and LH would push each other to even greater heights and both would improve especially in the McL system of both drivers being equal. Competition breeds success.

F1 » Massa wins in Brazil, Hamilton champion.

lots of people where posting on here that Kovi was a better driver than Hamilton earlier in the season but look at the results over the whole season. Now I can hear all the LH haters shouting, "but lewis is the number 1 and gets special treatment from ron... blah, blah, blah. Yeah and if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle!!! My point is that driving for one of the big two teams carries it's own pressure of expectation. I am sure Vittel is very talented driver but don't take it for granted that he would be able to reproduce those performances week in and week out for one of the big two teams. Remember that LH has been groomed for years to take his place in the McL team.

F1 » Massa wins in Brazil, Hamilton champion.

rob, well said mate. Sir Lewis Hamilton of Stevenage, 2008 Formula 1 World Drivers Champion. Britons, be proud of our new World Champion. Let the rest of the world suck on their sour grapes while we taste the sweet wine of success.

F1 » Hill: It'll be difficult to stop Lewis now.

I for one hope that Hamilton doesn't dominate in the forthcoming years. I hope that he wins but not dominate. I like competition and if the next 10 F1 world championships all go down to the last race of the season I will be a happy man irrespective if Hamilton wins or loses.