By Lemmy Gibson

The Formula One season is now one third complete following the Monaco Grand Prix. As expected, the season has been one full of chaos and controversy.

After massive changes to the rules and regulations for Formula One, the 2009 season promised to be an interesting one. Well, it has fallen flat. After three straight seasons of intense tight championships, the 2009 season was over before it began and has made a farce out of the efforts of FIA chief Max Mosley to make the sport more competitive.

Jenson Button and Brawn GP have risen from the ashes of Honda and wiped out the field. Using a controversial double diffuser, the team has only really been challenged in the rain. The team is so dominant that the mercurial Ross Brawn has resulted to his old tactics of filling up the car with more fuel than others to make it look slower compared to the other cars in the field during qualifying.

If there has been one highlight to the season, it is that passing is a bit easier. That being said, most fans enthusiasm for this is misguided. The passing is taking place in the middle to rear of the field. How this is exciting is beyond me, but it is what it is as the announcers lamely try to make a pass for 11th position seem exciting.

Team of the Year

Brawn GP is clearly the team of the year. Honda almost folded the team and it was Ross Brawn that saved it with his investors. One of the major players at Ferrari during the Schumacher years, he has proven to be every bit as brilliant with his own team. It must be difficult for Ferrari fans to look down the pit lane at Brawn GP and wonder how Ferrari possibly let him get away. It was a mistake that will haunt Ferrari for years and years.

Driver of the Year

Jenson Button is the undisputed winner. Yes, he has the best car, but he is driving the wheels off of it as well. He senses his opportunity and is grasping it ever so tightly as Schumacher or Alonso did when their opportunities arose. This is no more apparent than when Button is compared to Rubens Barrichello, his teammate. Jenson has finished ahead of Barrichello in every race and now has a 15 point lead over him. Unless Jenson gets hurt, the Driver's Championship is his.

Poor Performance of the Year

Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes were running neck and neck for this award, but things have changed. McLaren is still a mess, but is at least keeping its current pace. To the surprise of many, Ferrari has rebounded and now may be the second best car in the field. Regardless, my award for poor performance of the year goes to another team.

BMW is the biggest disappointment in Formula One this year. The team had a plan to progress over the years and had followed it. The 2009 rules and regulations, however, have proved too much for the team. They are arguably now the worst team on the track with their starting grid positions behind Force India at Monaco. What a disaster. Given the economy, it would not surprise anyone to see BMW decide to save some money and leave Formula One after 2010.

2009 has proven to be a disappointment after three years of championships that went down to the last race. Both championships in the 2009 season are already won for all intensive purposes. Expect to see decreased attendance in the stands and lower television ratings given the economy and an uncompetitive season.

By Dirk Gibson

The 2009 season in Formula One has been nothing less than stunning. The reason? The days of domination by McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari appear to be over. Or are they? The FIA will decide that very issue on April 14 when it takes on and rules on the diffuser issue.

The 2009 Formula One season has been revolutionary because of massive rule changes made to contain costs. Faced with a major economic downturn, the FIA sought to pass rules and regulations that would keep costs to a minimum. This, of course, basically returned all of the teams to the same starting point when it came to car design. While Ferrari and McLaren concentrated their resources on winning the 2008 season constructor and drivers championships, less competitive teams had the opportunity to start working on the 2009 regulations early.

Honda is the classic example of this situation. The team began working on the 2009 car at the outset of 2008. It was a case of their 2008 car being so horribly bad that there was really no reason to spend even a dollar trying to make it any better. This effectively gave the team a one-year head start over teams like Ferrari and McLaren. It also gave the team extra time to consider the finer points of the rules, loopholes in those rules, and how they could be used to their advantage.

After two races in the 2009 championship, we can see how this early development period is playing out. The normally competitive Ferrari and McLaren teams are riding around at the back of the pack. The Honda team, now called Brawn GP, is not only finally competitive but actually is completely dominant. In addition to Brawn GP, we see teams like Toyota and Williams also being much more competitive than they normally would be.

One area that is being highlighted as a cause for the difference between the teams is the diffuser found at the bottom rear end of the car. Brawn, Toyota and Williams all have very unique designs when it comes to the diffuser at the back of the car. Many of the larger teams feel that these unique designs violate the spirit of the rules on diffuser design. What is entirely clear is that the diffusers definitely make the three cars much faster. The FIA will make a ruling on April 14th in regard to the legality of the new diffuser designs.

The FIA ruling on the diffuser issue is going to be a major turning point in the 2009 season. If the FIA decides the diffusers are legal, then it seems as though Ferrari and McLaren will have no chance of making a comeback in 2009. They will simply be too far behind. Even if they attempt to design their own unique diffusers, they will be so far behind in points that equaling the competitiveness of Brawn will make no difference. On the other hand, if the FIA rules the diffusers are illegal, then we have complete and total chaos. If Brawn, Toyota and Williams must go to a more traditional diffuser design, it would appear that the leading team in the pack is not Ferrari or McLaren, but Red Bull.

The 2009 Formula One season has been given credit for revitalizing the sport. If the FIA rules the diffusers in question are legal on April 14, the revitalization will continue. If not, it could be a big setback for the sport. All and all, I believe it is better to let the smaller teams be allowed to be creative with the dollars they have rather than just have another season with Ferrari and McLaren dominating the proceedings. Hopefully the FIA will agree.

By Lemmy Gibson

The news that an American Formula One team will be launched in late February has led to some interesting rumors. Why? The team will not be racing until the 2010 Formula One season, but it is going to have two American drivers. Guess whose name has surfaced?

The allure of bringing Danica Patrick to Formula One has to be huge for the new American team known as USF1. Whether the team is serious about approach Patrick is questionable considering they haven't even officially launched yet. Throw in the fact that one of the owners is Peter Windsor, a person intimately familiar with how marketing works, and one can hardly doubt that the team isn't doing everything it can to build up publicity for its launch.

Amidst all the rumor mongering regarding Patrick going to Formula One is one forgotten issue. Nobody seems to be really discussing whether she is ready to take on the Formula One machine. It is a huge marketing opportunity for her that would bring her untold riches in sponsorships, but most Americans have been ground up and spit out when they take on Formula One. One needs only look at Michael Andretti to see how poorly things can go.

To be a success in Formula One, a driver needs three things - talent, tough skin and the ability to deal with pressure. So, does Danica Patrick have these three things? Let's take a look.

Talent

Although she has won only one race, it seems fairly clear that Patrick has the talent to drive. There are no ovals in Formula One, so there would be a learning curve for the circuits. Given her strong marketing potential, one would think the USF1 team would be prepared to give her a few years at least to get the hang of it.

Tough Skin

Formula One is a men's game for better or worse. Snide comments and criticisms would not come up occasionally, they would come up all the time. One can picture a few butt grabs and the like from Flavio Briatorie of Renault! Danica has shown a tough skin breaking into Indy Car, but Formula One is an entirely different game. It is hard to know if she could handle it until she was in the game.

Dealing with Pressure

A female Formula One driver would have sponsorships that would make Michael Jordon envious. Patrick would be the only game in town for sponsors looking to appeal to a huge female audience around the world. She would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, but that money would come with pressure to succeed. This will be difficult because the USF1 team will need three to five years to develop before it has any hope of competing, even if it ever does. Privateer teams cannot keep up with the manufacturers in Formula One. They simply don't have the money. Whether sponsors and fans would understand this and give Patrick a break is hard to know.

Can Danica Patrick make it in Formula One? Contrary to what most gurus are saying, I think she can. The primary reason is she has a lot of fight in her. When having confrontations with other drivers in the IRL/Indy Car, she stands her ground. She would need to do that in Formula One as well. She probably could, but one has to wonder if she would want to deal with the aggravation.

Perhaps we'll know the answer in 2010.

By Brenda Williams

Insurance companies have spent millions of dollars in research to determine which types of drivers and cars pose the most financial risks. Based on these results, they have come up with a formula that determines how much a particular driver is charged in premiums. While this formula is only fully known to insurance companies, it's quite obvious that some cars and people are less expensive to insure than others. In this article, we will discuss the particular attributes of car which make it more expensive then another, to insure. Premium amounts are typically based on how expensive the car is, the size of the car, whether or not it is targeted by thieves and whether or not it can do extensive damage to another car.

Cars that have less value (cost), will be cheaper to insure than cars that are more expensive. This is because it will cost the insurance companies less money to replace parts or to replace the entire car if it is totaled or stolen.

The size of the car is also an important part of the insurance cost equation. If a car is too small or too big, then the insurance will be higher. This is because bigger cars can do more damage to other cars in crashes. If the crash it is the driver's fault with the bigger car, then the insurance will likely have to shell out quite a bit of cash. Cars that are too small have the opposite problem. They are often damaged more and the occupants more likely to suffer from crash related injuries. The least expensive cars to insure are those that are mid-sized. Therefore, if long term costs are an issue for you, be sure to purchase a mid-sized automobile.

Whether or not a car is typically targeted by thieves is another component to calculating your insurance rates. If your car is likely to be stolen, then insurance companies assume more risk in insuring you and subsequently, force you to pay more in premiums. Keep this is mind, when you are looking for your next car.

Insurance companies have a pretty elaborate formula when it comes to deciding who will pay what, for their policies. Owners of cars that have to pay the least amount of money for insurance are typically those that have mid sized cars and have vehicles that are not targeted by thieves. If an individual is interested in cutting back on how much they pay for insurance, they will need to consider these things when it is time to make a purchase.

Insurance companies are all about assessing risk. If they view you as a financial risk, they will make sure that you pay more. This may seem unfair, however, insurance companies have done numerous studies and have come up with a profile on what types of drivers and cars get into the most accidents and will likely cost them more money. These individuals will end up paying more then someone that does not exhibit these characteristics. Therefore, try to stay away form high powered cars, cars that are extremely large and that can do major damage to other cars on the road, cars that are too small and that are likely to be damaged greatly if in a crash. Also, remember, the less expensive the car is, the less you will probably have to pay for insurance, unless of course, the car is small.

If you have any questions, be sure to contact your insurance sales person and they will be able to help you get the best priced policy available.

By Ted Tweedale

When I first visited the Perfect Wealth Formula website in August of 2007, it had a type of banner on the top of the page that caught my attention! It said "Warning" this is not MLM, or,...and then named quite a few of the 2-up programs that I was familiar with. It also said "no passing up your sales to some sponsor and that you would be able to keep 100% of your money!

Well, I must admit, this was definitely an attention getter because I wasn't interested in any more MLM's or any of those 2-up programs. The question I had was... could this really be the truth?

So my quest for the real truth began. I started to research this Perfect Wealth Formula and the man behind it, Jason Pearson.

Well the truth is, after doing a lot of research on this business opportunity and speaking to numerous members, and not finding anything negative about the program or Jason Pearson, I decided to make a purchase and find out for myself what this Perfect Wealth Formula, really had to offer. Now don't get me wrong I did find negative articles and blogs but they were negative for only one reason...they were trying to sell me on another program, and it was usally a 1 or 2up program to boot!

Let me give you a better understanding about what they really had to offer.

As you may already know, any and every business opportunity has to have up to date products that are professionally put together in order to compete in the online market place. There are too many programs out there that say they have excellant products only to find out later (after they have your money) all they really have are a lot of outdated ebooks you can find anywhere online, virtually for free. This is the most important factor and has a major impact on the people that decide to join.

So here's the nuts and bolts of how this Perfect Wealth Formula works. The Perfect Wealth Formula is a 2-tier affiliate program with lucrative commission payouts.

Once you are a member of the PWF you are now an affiliate which allows you to resell the program at two different levels, a "Bronze" for $697, or a "Silver" for $1697. At the Bronze level $400 goes directly to you, $100 goes to the person you signed up under and the remaining $197 goes to Perfect Wealth Formula. For signing up someone as a "Silver" member, $1000 goes directly to you, $200 goes to the person you signed up under and $497 goes to the Perfect Wealth Formula. I personally like this type of payout structure because it ads up quickly into a substantial residual income. Another feature of the opportunity is the flexibility to use any major payment processor you want on your sign up page. It's very important to offer your visitors different ways to pay to increase your sales.

This is my opinion about the Perfect Wealth Formula.

After paying my $1697 to come in at the "Silver" level I had some really high expectations. I set up my login and password to quickly get inside the members area and check out the products. The signing up process was simple. The way Perfect Wealth Formula lays it out makes is really easy for anyone to get started, just fill in the blanks and in no time you are ready to do business on your own.

I have to admit that I was impressed with the quality of the products. The member's area was loaded with marketing information I had never seen before. It also had video tutorials that answered all of those "what next" questions so many of us are faced with when starting an online business. This is the only marketing program I've ever looked at that actually teaches someone step by step how to market online. But it doesn't end there. The back office had so much information that I had never seen offered anywhere, at any price! After reading everything and viewing the video tutorials I knew I this marketing program was undervalued because they could have charged a lot more and it still would have been a bargain! This " Power House Marketing System", truly delivers!

Let me explain a little about those 2up programs, and why most of their members fail miserably. Once you join, it's your job to sell the program to two other victims and then pass your money...almost $2000 up to your sponsor. I don't know about you but when I started I didn't have that kind of money to give away. If you manage to make a third sale you get to keep the proceeds and the person you duped now has to send you their first two sales. And on and on it goes until saturation sets in and the people on the bottom can't give away a membership, much less sell it!

NOW PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to what I have to say next, because this is why these 1-up and 2-up programs never last! In 99.999% of these programs there is one factor that's missing, and this is why these programs die out, and the majority of the members never make it! That factor is Residual Income and without it you will never be able to really make serious money online! This is the main reason I was so attracted to the Perfect Wealth Formula, those residual bonuses of $100 and $200.

You see, with those 2-up programs once you send your sponsor those first sales, they won't make another penny off you (no residual money at all), so they could care less about your success. In fact, now you're just more competition... so they hope you fail!!! Sure...they promise you "training" and "support" but it's all a lot of hype just to suck you in! Just think about it, do you think one car dealer helps another car dealer sell vehicles? Of course they don't, they are competing against one another for sales!

Here is my opinion about this business opportunity.

I think that Perfect Wealth Formula is the most professional program I have ever researched, and in my opinion, it will spread across the internet and create wealth for may people. If someone is a complete "newbie" (someone with no internet experience) they make it so to get set up. You don't need any experience to get into this program and . The step by step training and the video tutorials were professional and show exactly how to utilize this opportunity and start making profits quickly. PWF is my the business opportunity for 2008, and the quicker someone get's into this business, the more income you will generate. The key to success in any new business venture, is timing.

After reviewing numerous programs, I found only one that beats all those MLM's, Gifting programs , all the 1up and 2up programs like Roadmap To Riches, Passport To Wealth, EDC Gold, Liberty, Emerald Passport, Predator, and Coastal hands down! The Perfect Wealth Formula and the Powerhouse Marketing System allows you to generate immediate cash starting from your first sale! No more passing up your hard earned money! This is the only program I found that had real training with a powerful marketing system that teaches you step by step how and where to advertise and really answers all of those "What Next" questions we're all faced with when starting a new business. If you are truly concerned about changing your financial future, you owe it to yourself to find out how to really go about doing it!

Finding the right person to join the Perfect Wealth Formula with is somewhat tedious. I even tried to join under one of the so called heavy hitters but he wouldn't even return a phone call. Even his autoresponder letters said to "contact one of his guys" or "one of my guys will get back to you." I have always found that prople want that "personal touch" that only a real leader can will give. I offer a "take you by hand" approach to help you make money with this program right away. I have years of sales and marketing experience and believe that in order for me to be sucessful, you have to become successful.

By Dirk Gibson

Ferrari has been forced with the prospects of finding a driver smack dab in the middle of the 2009 Formula One season. After looking around at the available drivers, the team has looked inward and settled on the iconic Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher is the iconic F1 driver that won an astounding seven driver's championships during his reign in Formula One. He was first victorious twice at Benetton where he teamed with the likes of characters like Ross Brawn to take an independent team to victory. He then made a big money move to the iconic team of Formula One - Ferrari. Ferrari was in shambles, but Schumacher brought in his own people such as Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and a host of engineers. Before you knew it, Ferrari was not only competitive, they were dominant and Schumacher was collecting championships like they grew on trees.

Schumacher retired at the end of the 2006 season. The circumstances of his retirement have always been hotly debated. For all the world, it looks like he and his people were pushed out the door at Ferrari in a power struggle. Although Schumacher remained a consultant, the likes of Byrne, Brawn and Jean Todt moved on. It is rather ironic that now it is Schumacher coming in to attempt to save the day for the team given the fractured skull suffered by Felipe Massa in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The return of Schumacher is being hailed as something akin to the return of the chosen one. The media is debating whether he will be able to win right away in the Ferrari. Such discussions are laughable. The issue is not so much Schumacher as it is the Ferrari car. The 2009 car hasn't challenged for wins all year. It simply is not fast enough and does not handle well enough. Putting a different driver, even of the quality of Schumacher, does not change these problems. People need to simply enjoy the fact he is back and recognize that a bad car is a bad car is a bad car.

Formula One has become a bit because of the lack of personalities. The return of Schumacher will certainly spice things up. I can hardly wait for the first time he comes up on Rubens Barichello and runs him off the road!

By Nickolove Lovemore

The Grand Prix Formula One race at Fuji Speedway, Japan, the first in 30 years, was a lesson in mastery and a thrilling race that will probably be talked about and analysed by fans for years to come. It was particularly sweet for Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) who, with his win, opened up a 12 point lead over his nearest rival and team mate Fernando Alonso.

Heavy rain that hardly abated throughout the duration of the race made the racing track so treacherous that the race started behind the safety car. The incessant downpour made the track a living thing whose surface was continually changing.

Mist obscured sections of the track so that even the commentators had difficulty in seeing the action clearly. The driver's helmets were foggy. Their side mirrors were rendered useless and they could hardly see what was in front of them.

A Formula One driver has to use his senses of sight, hearing and touch when driving. Yet even bringing these senses to a heightened state of awareness was often to no avail. These exceptionally skilled and conditioned drivers were often just along for the ride as their cars even though equipped with Bridgestone's extreme wet tyres still couldn't shift enough water to enable their deep treads to get a grip on the slippery surface.

All of the drivers experienced moments when their car aquaplaned and they were rendered passengers trapped inside their technical masterpieces. Aquaplaning caused Alonso to crash out at Turn 6 leaving a trial of debris across the track. The collision brought out the safety car for a second time. And, for Alonso, any thoughts of breaking that elusive 100-point barrier were put on hold.

It was something that Hamilton said after the race which he admitted felt like the longest race of his life that made me reflect on the subject of mastery. He had never driven in wet conditions before and it was a tribute to his natural talent a racing driver how well he drove during that dramatic race. It was like watching a master-class although even he was not to escape unscathed. Robert Kubica (BMW) side-whacked him and his car spun off the track. It was a tense moment and a relief to see him steer the car back onto the track again.

Fortunately, although Hamilton said he could hear an ominous vibration in his car which persisted throughout the remainder of the race, any damage that was caused was not serious enough to force him to make a premature departure from the race. So what was it he said?

"The last few laps the team were telling me to slow down as I was a second faster than anyone else but I was going as slow, really, as I felt comfortable doing."

For a non-racing driver hurtling along at speeds in excess of 100 mph in such wet conditions where you often cannot even see the other drivers would seem suicidal. But for Hamilton it was a thrill. You could see it in his face afterwards, not simply because he won the event but because, in so doing, he had passed another test and demonstrated his prowess as a racing driver. Team Manager, Ron Dennis, said over the radio:

"So we can tick off racing in the wet, then?"

David Coulthard (Red Bull) sums up this particular Grand Prix experience beautifully and honestly:

"That was very, very difficult. It's a crazy thing to be a racing driver. On the one hand you're scared, but on the other you're having the time of your life because every moment you're right on the edge even on the straights."

When you become a master at something it becomes easy. Hamilton has not only mastered Formula One racing but he has also conquered his mindset. It is this that enables him to give outstanding performances under the most demanding of conditions. There were some drivers who felt that the race should not have been held at all. That's up for debate but a true champion likes to be tested.

When you achieve mastery, creating outstanding performances time and time again and achieving outstanding results will become the norm. It will seem effortless. You will find that to perform at anything less than this level will actually be more demanding. You too will not want to slow down.

By Marius Benade

With all testing now complete, the Formula 1 racing teams head to Australia for the season opener on 18 March at Albert Park. Who will be ready to fight for the top honor? Who will wear the crown at the end of the 2007 Formula 1 season?

Let us start by looking at the Formula 1 racing teams that performed well during winter testing. The last week of testing certainly belonged to the scarlet Ferrari at the hands of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. Ferrari topped the time sheets in most sessions in the last week of testing in Bahrain where most teams were in action and some comparisons can be made. Mclaren was a close second with both Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton doing well. Other teams showing promise was Renault and BMW. Is this an accurate reflection of the strength of the teams?

Winter testing in the past has very seldom been a very good barometer to establish the leaders of the field. This year however we have something more to help us. Since the engines used for the last two races of last year, are the engines that must be used for the next four years. In the final round at Brazil the Ferrari power plant certainly had the pace to keep ahead. Renault on the other hand had no pressure, therefore not using all the grunt available. Kimi Raikkonen was a contender as well and finished among the front runners. And who knows what can happen if Honda actually finishes a race.

The word in the paddock is that Ferrari should have the advantage over most other teams as a result of their long-term relationship with the sole tire supplier, Bridgestone. Is there more than meets the eye with this relationship? Why would Ferrari opt for a longer wheelbase in the 2007 car when most, if not all other teams, are opting for a shorter wheelbase?

Traditionally the Australian Grand Prix, or the first Grand Prix of the season for that matter, was not the best outing for Ferrari. Renault has performed much better at the season opener in the last few seasons and Mclaren frankly disappointed at the start of the last few seasons. Will Renault continue with another good start to the season? The question however remains, do they have a driver capable of winning a championship.

So let us turn to the drivers for the 2007 Formula 1 racing season. Let us start with the current world champion, Fernando Alonso. Will he be able to outgun his renowned, but much less experienced team mate Lewis Hamilton? During winter testing Alonso seemed to have an edge, when he was at a session that is.

At the Ferrari camp it was Felipe Masse who dominated the testing sessions. Massa has been a part of the Ferrari team a few years now and is ready to step up and make the most of his opportunities. Never underestimate the Flying Fin though. He is always faster at qualifying sessions and during the race, saving the best when it is needed.

Renault probably has one of the best cars for the season, but their driver line up will have to prove themselves. Giancarlo Fisichella has not been able to keep up with Alonso in the last few seasons, and starting his twelfth season in Formula 1, has not lived up to his reputation. His team mate Heikki Kovalainen will have to at least beat Fisichella to assure a future in Formula1 racing.

Now that we have covered the big three for the 2007 Formula 1 racing Season, are there any other drivers that have a chance. Robert Kubica must be one of the drivers that stand an outside chance of getting a few points from the big guns. BMW has shown promise during the winter program, and Kubica impressed a few team managers last season.

Jenson Button was lucky to get his first win last year, but can the taste of victory improve his run. Both the Japanese car maker teams must see this season as the make or break season. Both Toyota and Honda need to score well this season to justify the backing from the East.

From the rest of the teams I don’t expect too much competition. Both Red Bull teams need another year or two to settle in.

So who will win the 2007 Formula 1 racing championship? I think Massa will be the chosen one, but only time will tell… only time will tell.

By Marvyn H

The FIA (the governing body of motorsport) has made quite a few changes to the technical regulations of F1 cars. Some of these will be in effect as early as the start of the 2006 season and the rest will only come into play in 2008.

Here are some of the more interesting specs that have changed:
It was decided last night (Monday 24th Ocober) at a meeting of the Formula One Commission in London that the qualifying format for Formula One is changing for next season and the changing of tyres during races will be allowed again. They are also considering a radical change in the rear-wing design which might be brought in as early as 2007.

The new qualifying is going to work as follows:

A 3 phase qualifying knockout with the 5 slowest cars after 15 minutes dropping out. 5 more cars will drop out in the next 15 minutes and the remaining cars will compete in a 20 minute session for the top positions on the grid.

Qualifying has been changed a lot in recent years to try and get better exposure for smaller teams and at the same time mix the grid up to allow for more overtaking during a race.

The new split rear wing (called the Centre Downwash Generating Wing) has been designed to allow closer following and therefore more passing opportunities as well. A step in the right direction as recent changes to the cars and especially aerodynamics have been mostly to slow the cars down instead of increase entertainment.

The weight of the entire vehicle, including the driver, must now not be less than 550kg. This has been decreased from 605kg.

The engines have been down-sized to 2.4 litre V8 motors with 4 valves per cylinder. The minimum number of gears for these cars is 4 and the maximum is 7. The wheel width at the front of all cars must be between 390mm and 450mm with the width at the rear being between 490mm and 505mm. The overall weight of the engine must be at least 95kg.

The FIA have given a concession to manufacturers and teams not ready with their new engines saying they will allow them to use other engines (such as the V10 engines currently being used) with the performance decreased; obviously this will be controlled by the FIA and no-one else.

All cars must now be fitted with a starter which the driver must be capable of using to start the engine from his seated position. This should cut out some of those embarrasing failed starts to GP's for some drivers.

From 2008 the FIA will choose 1 tyre manufacturer to supply all the teams. This is a dramatic change and should increase the excitement value by levelling the playing field a bit; it's a real pity they could only get this in from 2008.

Pit to car telemetry will be prohibited so the team will not be able to fix any gremlins from the pit-wall and all voice radio communication must be open and accessible to both the FIA and the broadcasters.

No competitor can carry out more than 30,000km of testing during a year.

Some interesting changes here, I sincerely hope it increases the competitiveness and excitement of this sport because it needs it.

By Marvyn H

Date - Sunday October 16 - Shanghai, China - Fernando Alonso won the Chinese F1 Grand Prix and in doing so has won the constructor's title for Renault after de-throning Michael Schumacher of the driver's championship in September.

Renault finished the season on 191 points with Mclaren-Mercedes coming in second on 182. The past season, 2005, was the longest ever in Formula One history with 19 races and added to this is the fact that Fernando Alonso is the youngest ever FOrmula One World Champion; and guess who his team boss, Flavio Briatore, used to manage? The recently disappointing Michael Schumacher when he used to race for Benetton at the very start of his F1 career, of course. Indeed I have to add that the only sensible explanation for his bad form is the car his driving at the moment which cannot be doing any good for his motivation or confidence. Makes one think about how good a team boss and talent-spotter Flavio Briatore is.

The victory in Shanghai was the 7th for Alonso but this only equalled the number of wins for second place finisher in the race as well as the driver's championship, Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso won this championship because the Renault was that much more reliable and consistent than the Mclaren-Mercedes but Alonso added, "I am a little bit frustrated that I only won seven races...I think the car had the potential to win 10 or 11." Who would have thought a French car would be more reliable than a Merc? And I have no doubt in my mind that this form in Formula One has translated into a worldwide sales increase for Renault.

The race in Shanghai was definitely incident filled with no shortage of entertainment. The Safety Car had to be called out twice; on lap 30 for Narain Karthikeyan's accident in turn 13 in his Jordan, which had a few flames flicking about and also earlier, believe it or not, for 6 laps while marshalls fixed a drain cover that had come loose and ultimately ended Juan Pablo Montoya's race.

Michael Schumacher's race also ended early after he first collided with Felipe Massa in his Sauber on the way to the starting grid and then spinning off while following the Safety Car.

Jordan is no more, at least not in F1. The team has been bought by the Russian-born Canadian billionaire Alex Shnaider and will be called Midland from next year onwards. This was their 250th grand prix race in Formula One.

BAR is also out and the outfit will now be wholly owned by Honda and Sauber has been bought by BMW who were previously the engine partners of Williams.