By Lemmy Gibson

In case you haven't notice, the world is going through a tough period. For Formula One, this means many of the manufacturer backed teams are in trouble as retail car sales plummet.

Honda is already out. Renault just received a total of 4 billion from the French government to stay in business. BMW and Mercedes rely on sales in the United States to fund their operations. Toyota is declaring its first loss as a company in practically forever. Ferrari...well, it is doing okay. Still, the prospect of a severe change in landscape for Formula One is not just a possibility, it is turning into a probability.

It costs a lot of money to be in Formula One. That goes without saying. Ron Dennis of McLaren was recently quoted saying the top teams in the sport will spend between $200 and $300 million dollars on just the development of their engines and gearboxes. This doesn't include suspension, chassis or aerodynamic work. As a matter of perspective, the entire budget of a NASCAR team couldn't fund the development of a gearbox on a top Formula One team. That is simply staggering.

So, how do the teams pay for it? Well, the privateer teams simply don't. They lose the race before the first day of the weekend. Instead, they try to finish in the points. The more points that can get, the more money the sanctioning body pays them. This allows them to continue racing. Lose out on the points and money and you are soon out of the sport. At best, you end up with a team like Williams that was once a leader in Formula One and now considers it a good year if it can stagger into the middle of the rankings.

For manufacturers, the sales of cars fund the racing teams. That being said, it takes a ton of sales to make up a $300 million or higher budget. The manufactures supplement their investment by gaining sponsorship from third parties. ING, for instance, was sponsoring Renault and will continue to do so through 2009 before stopping. As a primary sponsor, the banking company pays anywhere between $65 and $120 million to the team. That leaves a lot of cost for Renault to handle on its own.

Sales for car makers are not just down. They have plummeted. The figures are staggering and no manufacturer could have planned for this mess. With the stark economic realities in mind, the idea of spending a few hundred million dollars on a Formula One team seems like a lark. Although the races garner huge television audiences, cutting costs is currently far more important than exposure. This could lead to the exodus of manufacturers from Formula One.

Who could go? The obvious two are Toyota and Renault. Renault was just bailed out by the French government. Toyota has spent billions in Formula One for almost no positive results. Unless things turn around economically, it is hard to see these two teams hanging around. After them, BMW and Mercedes will be leaving if sales in the United States stay depressed. 2009 looks like a brutal year in America, so this could be it for both manufacturers.

And what are we left with? Ferrari is solid. McLaren is a solid team, but will be in trouble if they lose Mercedes. The rest of the field? It will be privateers for as far as the eyes can see down the grid. Even if you love Ferrari, it will be painful to watch them finish 1-2 in every race of the season.

By Michael E. Ugulini

The world of Formula 1 racing is one of intense pressure to perform. This pressure permeates throughout all levels of a team. Engineers, mechanics, team principals, team managers, driver trainers, and everyone in the pit crews, as well as logistics support feel this pressure. Of course, the drivers, in the hot seat, both literally and figuratively, feel the pressure more than anyone does.

What are the qualities that an excellent Formula 1 driver must possess? More than one characteristic makes up a premier driver. The best have a host of qualities that make it possible for them to perform at high-speed with focused, precision driving. Here are five I feel are vital to a Formula 1 driver's success:

1. Intense Powers of Concentration

Focusing on the driving at hand at all times, for quality results and safety reasons is essential to Formula 1 success. A momentary lapse in concentration can have unfortunate consequences. The best drivers train their minds to "wander not" so-to-speak, especially when they're far in the lead in the closing stages of a race. They understand being cognizant to all that's happening in front, beside, and behind them is crucial.

Think of it, while driving at high-speed, a driver must contend with weather conditions, radio transmissions from team management, a hot cockpit, G-forces, track surface conditions, and the other drivers whizzing around. Intense powers of concentration to the drive at hand are essential to Formula 1 success.

2. Staying in Optimum Physical Shape

The physical demands of driving a Formula 1 car are many. There are the aforementioned G-forces. These put a strain on the upper torso, the arms, and the neck muscles of a driver. The drivers must deal with dehydration as they often race in hot climates. Confined to tight cockpits, they find their racecar environments get extremely hot. Drivers lose body weight from sweating in these cockpits each race. Drivers need to have strong arm muscles to handle the rigors of car control during races.

3. Foresight

Drivers need to have a vision of what may develop in the race as it progresses. I think back to the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix. During the race, while in the lead, and with the race in its final stint, British driver Jenson Button got on the horn to his team to ask what the lap times were of the other cars on the track. He wanted to gauge his times and position against these cars.

Why was he so concerned? The reason was he didn't want to creep up on slower back markers and be caught in a "traffic jam" on the Monaco circuit. Knowing their times helped him adjust his speed, enough to stay in the lead, and enough to stay well away from those who could impede him significantly and cause trouble up ahead.

4. Knowing When to Go Slower and/or Move Over

Sometimes tactics and strategy must take precedence over speed during certain points in a race. Jenson Button's example as just stated in point three is an example. So is a case where a driver slows and lets another driver pass to avoid a brush up that could possibly put him out of the race.

As Ian Law stated in his "Better Driving" Column in the Toronto Star newspaper on January 9, 2010, "Even at the race track, it's not always the fastest driver who will be around at the finish to collect the accolades. There are times when slowing down is the smartest thing to do."

5. Knowing When to Go for Broke and Make the Right Move at the Right Time

This goes hand in hand with point four; sometimes a driver waits, but then pounces when the time is just right. An excellent Formula 1 driver knows when to take that on-the-edge calculated risk and go-for broke. Of course, he processes information quickly to make these decisions.

His experience and ability to assess situations accurately, combined with confidence in his abilities and knowledge of the track conditions and such assists in making these decisions. The thing is when it's time to make the move, they don't hesitate...they do it. A Formula 1 split-second decision is not for the faint-hearted.

No doubt, these are not the only qualities a dedicated Formula 1 driver must possess. However, these five are essential, and contribute greatly to practice, qualifying, and race day success. The world of Formula racing is a world where the world's best drivers must always be at the top of their game.

By Robin Chung

Gentlemen start your engines. F1 2006 is the most recent formula one game you can currently play on your playstation portable. And like most things you can see it is three years old, still is it any good?

Modes

The game offers plenty of modes for advanced and beginning racers. Quick race is what most people will start with. It simply gives you the option of selecting a driver, circuit and some race conditions. These conditions are things like weather, race length, damage and so forth. There's enough to select which makes the game very easy for beginners to pick up. Time trail is next in the list. This time you select the same conditions but with no other computer cars. So you can drive laps to get to know the circuit as well as fine tune your setup. For an added challenge studio Liverpool, the developers, have added a medal system. Getting a 1.25 in Australia for instance will result in you getting a gold medal. Getting all gold medals can unlock things, mostly old grand prix cars. Championship mode does exactly what it says it does. It simulates the official FIA world championship. Starting in Bahrein and ending in Brazil. Career mode requires some explanation though, unlike the other modes. Here you are a starting driver with three trails with some of the lower teams. You have an agent who informs you about your career and races, there's a newspaper which you can read and the team can contact you via the mailbox. You are required to successfully complete a trail to continue but these trails are easily done if you started your career in the right AI difficulty. A trail can be: drive three consistent laps with a complete time of 4 minutes, or drive a 1.12 within 10 attempts. Once your done your agent will contact you about the results. You can receive a contract for test driver, second driver or first driver. If your a test driver then you have to complete more challenges similar to the trail till the team thinks you're ready. Second and first drivers are the race seats which you should aim at. Now this covers the modes. Obviously more important is the gameplay. So how is it?

Gameplay

Driving a F1 car is not an easy task, and this game simulates it. With everything off hyper concentration is required but you will be awarded for it appropriately. Once you're in your rhythm you will be able to drive consistent laps sometimes within 0,1 seconds of each other. This clearly shows that the game is somewhat realistic. Another great feature is the great difference between the grand prix cars, you will notice this especially in career mode. With the slow teams grip is always lacking as well as top speed. Going from super aguri to Ferrari will be a difference as big as day and night, definitely a plus. Not everything is great though. The game has a awkward annoying penalty system. Going slightly wide can lead to a magical hold limiting your car to 80 mph for a few seconds. This is highly surprising and in contrast with the developers attempt to make the game realistic. Also there seems to be oil on track for 3-4 times each grand prix. In formula one in real life this only happens maybe once every 5 grand prix'. But not only is the amount unrealistic as is the result of driving on it. Driving on it can sometimes not be avoided, in corners, narrow circuits and because of lack of warning for instance, and once you do your car will spin often off the track. And you get a penalty. So 4-5 times per grand prix there is a huge chance of you spinning of track and getting a 7 second penalty. Which means the race is over, or at least the chance of a good result. To make it even worse, the AI cars don't have a problem with the oil and can drive in it without spinning. Not only can they do that, they also ram you off track in curtain corners or go way too slow in others. Overall however the AI is done reasonably well and will give a consistent experience on most tracks.

Graphics, sound, presentation

Graphics on PSP games are hard to review. Some games look clearly better than others but are not as deep or offer less gameplay. Still considering everything I think there's a reason to complain. And it is not because it looks awful because it looks okay. Also the physics and gameplay are great but the F1 game that came before this one looked better. And just because of that you can say that there's a reason to complain. Then there's the sound. I wanted to like it, I wanted to be able to write about the realism and aggressive engine noise. But I can't. The sound is awful, it doesn't sound like a F1 car revving 19000 rpm at all. Instead a hair dryer sounds more like it. Looking past the engine sound though leaves nothing to complain about. The commentary is spot on and the music fits well. Overall the presentation is slightly above average. Great graphics but worse than the game before it and sound that can be described as slightly off.

F1 2006 is the best formula one experience money can buy at the moment for your PlayStation portable system. Aside from slight problems the game does a lot things really right. Especially considering it's from 2006. So buy it if you want a good formula one experience and can life with the outdated drivers,teams and rules.

By Lemmy Gibson

Formula One offers the most technologically advanced form of motor sports. While $300 million dollar budgets make for incredible cars, it doesn't always make for great viewing. That seems about to change.

What is the great debate between NASCAR and F1 fans? NASCAR says F1 is boring because there isn't much passing. F1 fans say that the passing in NASCAR is so easy it doesn't really mean anything. Who is right? It depends entirely on your point of view. While NASCAR isn't going to make any more changes after the massive upheaval of the recent introduction of the Car of Tomorrow, F1 is apparently going to make changes to create more on track excitement.

Certain Formula One races are incredibly exciting. The track at Spa, Belgium offers tons of competitive racing and many places to pass. This is perhaps why it is always near the top of the list of race tracks the drivers like the most. Then there are tracks like Hungary. There is one groove and no passing to speak of. Frankly, it is boring for even the most passionate of Formula One fans.

After years of shrugging their shoulders, the teams and powers that be in Formula One are now focusing on the idea of how to make the races more exciting. They have already taken steps to remove many of the aerodynamic aspects of the cars that were causing problems. What were the problems? The cars were so aerodynamically tuned that when they pulled up behind a car in front of them, they would lose down force and have to back off. This made passing impossible. Drivers are universally reporting that the new regulations haven't helped much with this problem.

The second step being thrashed around is the pathetic KERS system. The idea is to take energy created from the braking process and use it to power the car in short bursts. The KERS is being built from scratch for many millions of dollars. It is optional for 2009, but mandatory in 2010. As Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing said, the KERS doesn't help because the driver being passed will just press it when someone is trying to overtake them.

So, what changes will be put forth to make the racing more exciting? It is difficult to predict because one of the major problems has to do with the new tracks. The newer tracks tend to consist of long sweeping turns, which make passing very difficult. Think about driving your car and trying to pass a slower car in front of you while in a series of snaking curves and you have the idea. Why these tracks were ever allowed to be built is mystifying, but there you are.

Can Formula One spice up the show with more passing and drama? Yes, but one has a feeling that many of the provisions for doing so are going to be goofy at best.

By Dirk Gibson

With the turn of the New Year comes anticipation for the beginning of the racing seasons in NASCAR and Formula One. Both have been hit by tough economic times and made radical changes to lower costs. If you thought the Car of Tomorrow was ugly in NASCAR, you have to get a gander of the new F1 cars.

Formula One doesn't begin racing till late March, but that doesn't stop teams from launching their cars starting in early January. Launching is, of course, just another way to drum up a media event for sponsors to see the new car, take plenty of pictures and publish them in periodicals around the world.

Ferrari is the first team to launch the new car this year. Ferrari has always had a sleek car of deep red, black and some white. Regardless of how your feel about the team, the colors are breathtaking and the cars are beautiful. Well, till now.

The new Ferrari, the F60, reminds one of the joke about the fact a person wasn't hit by the ugly stick, the entire tree fell on them. This is one ugly car. It starts with a front wing that is so wide it extends out to the outer edge of the front wheel. It looks bad, but is made far worse by the fact the back of the car has a wing that is very narrow. Frankly, it looks like the parts from two different cars where mashed together in a Frankenstein design.

Alas, this is not Ferrari's fault. The powers that be in Formula One have mandated new regulations designed to increase passing. The car is a reflection of those regulations and other teams have the same look based on testing photos. Still, the sheer ugliness of the car is compounded by two big concerns.

The first concern has to do with passing. The new design is supposed to make passing easier. If so, it seems an odd design. The vast majority of down force now appears to be on the front wing. As a car pulls up to a slower one, the air will be lost off the front wing. A sudden lack of down force hardly seems to be a tonic to help passing, but perhaps there is another element of the car that compensates for this.

The second concern is the sheer extension of the front wing. Formula one starts from a standing stop. The first corner is always a bang up affair - pun intended. With the new design, it seems impossible that the drivers will be able to see the ends of the wing. Given this, one can expect a bevy of crashes as front wings clip the tires and bodies of other cars. The resulting carbon fiber on the ground should make for plenty of laps behind the safety car.

How will the new car perform during the 2009 season? For the first time in a very long time, nobody really knows. Every team is starting from scratch, so the first race should be very exciting and well worth watching.

By John Thackeray

Whenever Porsche entered races, people where blown away by its performance. The Porsche car usually took first place, and if not first, it was always in the top three. Some races were deemed to be mind-blowing by critics, and Porsche enthusiasts were in their element! It was only a natural progression that the Porsche moved on to Formula One.

Porsche's first entry into Formula One took place in the season of 1961 to 1962. Porsche fans were a little perturbed to say the least. Porsche only managed to achieve one championship win thanks to Dan Gurney at the end of the French Grand Prix in 1962. Porsche did win another race, but it was a non-championship cup. At the end of its first season competing, Porsche retired from Formula 1. They cited that the reason for this was the high cost of their participation in the races. Naturally, this was because they were not winning anything in order to get their money back for the amounts they had invested in their venture.

In 1983 Porsche reentered the world of Formula One. This time, they supplied engines manufactured under the name TAG for the McLaren Team. Luckily for Porsche, TAG was a huge success. The Porsche powered cars won two titles for construction, and in addition to this, three drivers were crowned in championships in the years 1984, 1985 and 1986.

In 1991, Porsche returned as an engine supplier to Formula One. Unfortunately, the results were not as satisfactory as they had been before. Porsche entered their cars under the name Footwork, but failed to score any points. In over half the races they participated in, Porsche even failed to qualify at all! Since this disastrous year, Porsche has not returned to Formula One. There has been much speculation as to why they did not return again. It could very well be because Porsche was a very successful brand with a good reputation. If they continued to participate in Formula One, and experienced these embarrassing failures for the world to see, the Porsche brand would begin to lose its status.

Despite Porsche's failed attempt at a successful entry into Formula One, they still continue to dazzle on the race track. Nowadays, Porsche participates in smaller, more localized races. There are special Porsche races for enthusiasts that are hugely successful. In other larger races, the Porsche is normally modified, but still does well. Unfortunately for Porsche, the only real professional category that they participate in these days is the Porsche Michelin Super Cup. This cup is raced as a support category at the European Formula One.

In retrospect, there can be many thoughts on why Porsche did so badly in Formula One. Logically, it was the wisest decision for them to retire. Porsche is well renowned for its class, sleek lines and powerful engines. The Formula One is one of the biggest marketing campaigns for car manufacturers in the world, and naturally Porsche did not want to be advertised as being failures with less than championship level engines.

By Marcus G McReynolds

Ferrari's Innovative KERS System

Ferrari, who are most likely to be a major title contender this year have tested an innovative KERS system.

The system is unlike any other, placing batteries in the nose of the car as opposed to placing batteries in the center. This is a fantastic idea! It improves the weight distribution tremendously giving better performance and better braking ability.

If KERS is going to work idea's need to happen, and work. It looks as though Ferrari have had difficulty getting the system to work due to transferring power from the from of the car to the rear, but don't write Ferrari off just yet.

I do not believe that KERS will prove to be very advantageous this season buying Ferrari time. Ferrari with it's man power could develop both the 'traditional' system with batteries in the center of the car, and also develop this potentially better system at the same time, especially when testing is banned during the season. The Ferrari enployees need to do something with all that spare time!

I hope to see more innovative ideas like this and I am sure that during the next 2 seasons we will see KERS become an important part of the race car. But I do not expect that to start happening until other teams start thinking out the box like Ferrari have. So far the only one's who have are Williams with the fly-wheel design, which I am not to sure about, I think they will change that within the next year.

Red Light For French Grand Prix?

A few days ago the French government approved the building of a race track 40 miles outside of Paris. Today, just a few days later the government has now decided to not go ahead with the building of the new race track.

The track was originally proposed as part of the French governments economic stimulus package to help create jobs. So what has changed? Well it turns out the environmentalists want the land to continue to be used for farm land. So that would create 0 jobs more than currently, and currently you can bet it provides jobs for no more than 2 people and a tractor. At most. A race track will provide plenty of jobs for the creation, and about 40 or so per year for races. So that makes sense.

You have to start to wonder, with the creation would France get a Formula One race anyway? They dropped it last time, and this time they have already changed their minds before they even have looked at getting it!

Let's keep Formula One out of France and give the race to a more exciting place, somewhere where it will be stable. Potential candidate for this, Rome! I would love to see a race in Rome :)

Why We Could See Alonso At Ferrari In 2009

Bernie Ecclestone has recently commented that we could see the major Formula One teams field 3 cars.

This would be great! The more cars the better!

We will see more drivers racing a fast car, this will allow those who should be in a fast car in one. More overtaking due to the extra cars on the grid (in hope that this goes ahead even if Honda find a buyer). The Formula One Championship will also be wide open with at least 6 drivers with a great chance.

If this happened the question is will Ferrari get Alonso? I bet we will! This would be the opportunity that both Alonso and the Ferrari will be looking for.

Alonso wants to be at Ferrari, and Ferrari want Alonso but have 2 drivers under contract.

With the team being allowed to field 3 drivers this year you can be Alonso has a clause in his Renault contract to allow him to move to Ferrari.

If this happens we shall see Alonso become a 3 time Formula One World Champion!

By Lavana James

The world is a place where greed and speed have predominated, but recently even the gods of pace have acknowledged that they either have to embrace environmentally friendly options or become extinct like the dinosaurs of old.

'Earth Car' gets the Formula 1 ball rolling

Team Honda was the first of the Formula 1 teams who turned talk into tactics and two years ago they opted to make an environmentally conscious statement by branding their cars not with corporate labels but an untarnished and uncorrupted map of planet earth.

Granted, this small contribution to the burgeoning problem of carbon gas emissions didn't do anything practical, other than to constantly remind us of the failings of Formula 1 and FIA bosses to take this challenge to heart.

The motorsport moguls have every intention of becoming the high-tech pioneers and unequivocal leaders in the ongoing battle against climate change, one of the unpleasant facts of life that has the potential to destroy us all.

FIA President, Max Mosley, and company have effectively outlawed any further development on petrol engines and have instead put their formidable financial backing and expertise behind innovative and a more hybrid approach to the development of increased power.

Biofuels a solution

Formula 1 can learn something from the United States where the Indy cars have been running on ethanol for quite some time now and there is plenty of discussion around the possibility of utilising biofuels instead of the dangerously low reserves of fossil fuels left in the world today. Formula 1 racing cars currently burn nearly a litre of fossils fuels per kilometre, an equation that cannot possibly be sustained, even for another season.

KERS could change the face of F1 forever

One of the ideas that has manifested itself in KERS, or kinetic energy recovery systems, is that of harnessing the energy lost during braking by re-using it to boost acceleration. When you consider that racing cars have to brake from speeds of over 200mph to 50mph in 2.5 seconds, then it is a given that an enormous amount of energy is lost through braking and the consequent heat loss associated with braking.

Energy allotments may be introduced

Another idea that looks fit to materialise is that by 2011 each Formula 1 team would be given a parcel of energy for each race on the Formula 1 calendar. This parcel would shrink year by year and the team that wins the race would be the team that has utilised the energy the most efficiently and effectively.

This would mean a major shift from a sport where fuel consumption has always been the major contributing factor, to a sport where the effective energy use of the racing car is paramount.

Team Honda's battle to reduce their carbon footprint

Team Honda have made a concerted effort to reduce their carbon footprint by

- introducing a recycling scheme at the Honda plant

- providing incentives to their work force to cycle or walk to work

- using low energy light bulbs throughout and installing solar panels on the roofs of all the trackside motor homes

- holding video conferences instead of flying to meetings

- turning off all lights and computers at night

It is worth remembering that it's not only the grandstanding gestures that make the difference but a whole range of little ones too.

By Gregg Hall

Formula one will be the best place for the tire manufacturers to prove their supremacy. The companies that provide their tires for formula one racing are the Michelin, bridge stone, Dunlop, Pirelli, Good year, fire stone etc. All of them are leading manufacturer in tires with their research and development growing day by day. Tires are the deciding factors in the Formula one racing. Tires should be used according to the conditions in the racing tracks like hot and wet conditions. Let us have a discussion that will help in gaining some knowledge about the tire types that are used in the racing.

According to the design of the tread there are three variations known as the wet tires, slick tires and the intermediate tires. The wet tire is used in the wet track conditions in which it will remove a large amount of water from the track and allows the car to have a grip on the track. The slick tires are the one that is used in all kinds of race which suit the dry tracks. As the name suggests the intermediate tires have a thread cut that is very much capable of removing the water from the track and also have a considerable grip to the racing surface.

The pressure in side the tire is more important to be considered in racing circuits. If the pressure is low, then the speed of the car is affected along with a possible chance of the car touching the ground. This will result in crashing of the car. If there is more pressure then the grip of the car is very less. The gas that is used in formula one tire is nitrogen gas that is not used for common purposes. The normal pressure that most car company in formula one uses is 1.1 bars.

McLaren formula one team uses the tires that are made by Bridge stone. They use the Potenza model of tires manufactured by them for better grip and durability. Similar kind of tire is used by the Ferrari team also. Most of them use bridge stone model of tires in racing circuit. But they choose the size of the tires according to the suggestions from their technical team. Customized tires are made for each team by bridge stone. The Michelin tires have been faltered in the 2006 season which made a down fall to their business in formula one.

By John Keely

A Formula 1 racing car has nothing in common with an ordinary car. That's because it is no ordinary car. In fact it is extraordinary. And Formula 1 drivers are considered among the most highly conditioned athletes with their bodies in top shape to adapt to the requirements of top flight single seater motor racing.

Certain components of an f1 car are what make the car a winner. Manufacturers such as Toyota, Ferrari, McLaren and Renault are highly involved in the sport. Aerodynamics are important and are key in the success of the car. Brakes are another key element. While the car is all about speed, having good brakes are important as well. A f1 car has often to decelerate in a few seconds from 350 km/h to 70 km/h. During the deceleration a driver is subjected to more than 5G force. The driver of a race car is similar to that of a jet pilot and he must be an ace when it comes to cornering. That is when his skill takes over the power and braun of the car itself.

Race strategy by the drive can make the difference between winning, losing and crashing. Fuel load and tire wear are a couple of things a driver must consider as part of his strategy. The suspension in the car is critical to its performance. It is the suspension that uses the power of the engine, the down force by the wings and aerodynamics.

The start of the race is thrilling as each car tries to get into a position of advantage over the other cars. Every driver and car wants to be first around the first corner. Marshals holding flags are positioned at various points around the track. The flags communicate important messages to the drivers. The drivers also receive messages in the cockpit of their car through a GPS marshalling system that lights up with messages.

The Brawn Grand Prix (Brawn GP) Formula 1 racing team is one of the most popular teams in the circuit. Recently formed, in March of 2009, Ross Brawn was the original technical director of the Honda Racing F1 Team. Using Mercedes Benz engines, the team has won many championships since its inception.

Formula 1 racing is not a sport for the timid and the fans that watch realize the danger involved. There is great respect for the sport, the drivers and the all important pit crew members.

The sport is responsible for much merchandise such as apparel and clothing with logo. Followers of the sport can purchase a polo shirt, cap, tshirt, jacket and other fashion items with racing logos and emblems.