BMW-Sauber are doggedly sticking to their Arian colour scheme for another year as the F1.09 was launched in a suitable low-key fashion.

The all-white front wing makes it the worst for looking unwieldingly massive and the anotherf1podcast technical analysis team (that’s me) can’t help but wonder quite how many of these will get knocked off throughout the season.

KERS worries mean they are not sure if they’ll be using it for the season opener mainly for weight issues, Kubica has offered to amputate his nose to save precious tonnage

Hullo all,

as the off-season gets to nearly be the on-season and all the teams (except Honda) are launching their cars, we’d like to be in on the action by launching this all new website.

From now on we’re not just a shonky once in a while podcast place but now we’re a place for second-hand news, funny comments on that news, stolen pictures, race reports with times copied down off ceefax andshonky podcasts once in a while.

So come and have a look round, leave a comment or two, sign up to the rss feed and become our friend on facebook

Ta

Terry and Kevin
x

As the launch season carries on Renault proved that last years paint job wasn’t the ugliest they could manage.

The R29 also keeps the the sharks fin aerodynamics of the R28 and has painted its front and rear wings red, hoping the optical illusion the garish colour clashes cause will detract from how silly they look.

It’s failed two FIA crash tests, but now they are making it out of carbon fibre, admitting that the weight gained by using eggshells just wasn’t worth it.

It’s January, so that means its time for some nostalgic optimism for Sir Frank Williams’ outfit.

The launch was another low-key one, in fact, so low-key they just left it on a kerb outside a school and waited for kids to upload photos from their phones to facebook.

The talking point (and cause for the optimism) this year is the KERS (pronounced KERS) system, in that they’ve gone for is the only one of all the teams that isn’t using electrics, but a ruddy flywheel.

This is much lighter, and as the heaviness is what’s pissing off all the other teams, Williams might shoot up the ranks a bit

I don’t pretend to understand the technicals but all the other teams have gone for little (or big) batteries to store the energy - but Williams - as you’d hope from a good old fashioned racing team are doing it all with oily rags and breathing in through the teeth.

The spinning flywheel stores the energy for release at will very much like an elastic band wrapped round two biros, which incidentally is exactly what the old honda team are planning for 2009.

Fingers cross for Sir Frank and the boys, they need a good 2009

Mr Sir Lord Ron Dennis has announced he is standing down as CEO of McLaren F1.

After seemingly delaying the move after the spygate furore he waited until Lewis Hamilton had won the wotsit and the 2009 car had been launched.

Martin Whitmarsh will now properly take the helm, but will Ron stand back nicely, or like an over protective parent will he be calling the baby sitters every 20minutes just to check everything is ok?