Paddypower.ie – Formula 1
www.paddypower.ie – Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali admits that the biggest F1 rule changes for 25 years create a "big question mark" for the team going into the 2009 season. New car regulations have been brought in aimed at making overtaking easier and improving the quality of racing. In line with new rules agreed on by the teams to enable more passing, some of the biggest modification to the car are in aerodynamics.
All cars must comply with the new rules, which include aerodynamic modifications making front wings bulkier and rear wings taller and narrower. Slick, untreaded tyres are also being reintroduced after 11 years on grooved tyres, and teams have the option of employing a kinetic energy recovery system (Kers). Kers is just one of several modifications and enhancements, both to the cars and the rule book, designed to make the sport more appealing and increase the amount of overtaking manoeuvres. Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, or KERS, become optional for 2009.
Such systems take waste energy from the car’s braking process, store it and then reuse it to temporarily boost engine power. Ferrari were the first constructor to unveil their new car for 2009, and its F60 model has been run briefly by drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikonen at their Mugello test track. The new regulations also prohibit testing once the season is under way. Ferrari has traditionally tested its cars more than other teams because it has its own circuit.
The F60 is Ferrari’s 55th F1 car since joining the sport in 1950. However, the main issue the sport’s governing body FIA and Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) have addressed this winter is how to make Formula One more cost-efficient and, as Ferrari director Stefano Domenicali recalled, more accessible. Ferrari will begin the defence of their constructor’s title on March 29 with the first Grand Prix of the 2009 motor racing calendar in Melbourne.
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