I don't understand the reasoning of requiring cars to run BOTH tire compounds in a race....

I guess the performance difference is so small no teams would run the soft compound, but then like you say maybe they should make a better soft compound.

If anything, the soft compound rule at least adds strategy to the overall race. It's a bit of a guessing game to see which teams run the soft compound first or last.

Let's face it, in a season when one guy is running away with it before the halfway mark, I'll take all the strategy I can get.

The one rule I wish they didn't have was limiting the number of engines and gearboxes. Teams should be able to go balls to the wall and not suffer any kind of penalty if engines blow or gearboxes need replacing. When was the last time we saw any kind of mechanical failure in terms of an engine blowout?

As for the broadcasting, don't get me started on TSN.

We don't get any kind of pre-race show or post-race discussion are gone as well. Now we get race, podium, interviews (which are usually cut-off part way through) so they can run Sportcentre. Seriously, it's bloody 730am on a Sunday, do you REALLY need to show Sportscentre that badly???

I would more than happily trade the BBC announcers for the SPEED announcers if it means we get to see pre-race grid walks and full post-race interviews again.

+1 Last year we had pre-race show and that was pretty damn cool! but the interviews would be cut off entirely or mid-way through if they pass their allotted time slot. For what? like Eff-1 mentioned, for Sportscenter..seriously..? Do they really need to replay Sportscenter 5-7x in a row during the night and into the morning?

Fucking pisses me off, hence I usually switch to SPEED now cause I sure as hell ain't supporting TSN's broadcast. Also the split-screens are a fucking JOKE! Okay in Sepang, when the drivers are all sitting on the grid waiting if the race is still on or not, that's alright...but they do it for other races as well when the race is still going on...WOW..

The tire rule makes a one-stop strategy even less useful now. Who knows how it will end up next year?! (no in-race refuelling next year). If there's a case where the difference in tires is HUGE, it might make a 3stopper a viable strategy.

though I'll watch the rest of the season, I don't think it will be super competitive unless it rains a lot. Brawn is just so fast and Button is doing a brilliant job in extracting what he can out of the car. RBR's car just isn't as good and I think the only way that can be made up is if the gods decide to piss all over Europe.

The thing with the split screen is that when ITV used to broadcast the race, they have commercial breaks and TSN would follow along when ITV would break. The BBC does NOT have commercial breaks, so therefore, TSN either has to cut out directly or do the split screen like they are now.

I know that with Turkey, when they did the split screen there happened to be some passing happening on the track, but that's just coincidence...

I haven't watched a Speed presentation for a while, so I don't know how they handle commercials? Can't stand the Speed broadcasters though....although, Lee McKenzie needs to go back to journalism school, she was crap on Sky with the A1GP and she's crap on the Beeb with F1......wish they'd hired Louise Goodman (although Lee is much better looking than Louise!)......also miss Ted Kravitz!!

This year's 2-compound rule is worse than last year's because Bridgestone is skipping 1 compound between... Eg: They bring a supersoft and a medium to a race (skipping soft) and then bring a soft and a hard to the next race (skipping medium). The only exception was the Monaco race.

If Button wins the championship.....the equilvalent in other sports would be;

LA Clippers win the NBA championship
Detriot Lions win the superbowl

I don't think there is even a hockey team bad enough.....

Not quite. Let's not forget that Honda has invested like half a billion dollars into the team. Brawn GP = Honda GP, just with a different name.

Oh and that hockey team would be the Maple Leafs ;)

Button is a great driver (as shown in 2004), he just never had a good car (other than in 2004). Look at where Rubens is compare to Jenson, it's almost like history is repeating itself. :lol

I think giving the teams the choice, rather than making both compounds mandatory presents even more opportunity for strategy development.

Back in the earlier days of F1 when there were multiple tire compounds the teams were able to make a choice: Run softer tires for quicker lap times, or harder tires for longevity.
I think iBridgestone is shitting the bed with soft tires that are hardly worth the pit stop to run them.

The last big engine blowout was Kubica in Monaco, granted that was only in practice.

Well one other big difference is that they use Mercedes and not Honda engines...

Yes, but so is McLaren ;)

I wonder if their performance would have been better or worse if they were still under Honda, with Honda engines.

I wonder about Brawn's performance with a Honda engine too. Look at RBR -- they're using Renault. Renault doesn't have their aero figured out and they suck.

How about Toro Rosso? They're using Ferrari engines but IIRC it's the same car as RBR. Now I know their drivers aren't top tier, but they haven't looked at all competitive.

finally, lest we think that Mercedes engines are the end all and be-all, Force India uses 'em too... I suppose overall, Brawn has top aero and a "good enough" engine. I can't help but think the lower rev limit reduces the differences between the engines as well.

Probably pretty much the same. Engines are so rev limited now, they hardly matter. It all comes down to a better aerodynamic design than everyone else (Red Bull is close, and compare them to Renault). Under Honda, that would have been the same.

On the other hand, RB5 and STR4 are practically identical, so there is more to it than just the aero package.

But I don't consider the engines to be very important, at least in terms of performance. Reliability might be another issue.

Screw them all....I want Murray Walker back!!! :cry:

I also want James Hunt back too, but too bad he had to have that somewhat fatal heart attack.

agree on that. i like Button much better than Hamilton but it's just me. :p

Yeah, Button doesn't run his mouth like Hamilton.

That's because Button is older and more experienced.....Button knows what it's like to drive a shit car in F1 while Hamilton is just getting that experience now!

I wonder if Mclaren are regretting letting Adrian Newey go to Red Bull now?

Massa is also getting nice cars but he doesn't act like Hamilton. Much more friendly imo.

^ Hamilton can be arrogant, but can you blame him?...he is like 22yrs old and was driving the best car, everyone is calling him the man, and he is dating a pussy cat doll..........it's like a young hockey player who wins his first stanley cup when he is 19yrs old, they just think it is easy.....

that's right. I can't blame him, but I don't have to like him either. :p
I still think he got lucky for last year. Massa deserve the title more than he does. imo.

Massa is a hothead. And what makes Massa worse than Hamilton is that he lets his emotions affect his on-track performance.