With the season only 4 races old, it looks like there are only 3 teams capable of fighting for the title this year.  Ferrari, McLaren  Mercedes and  the new powerhouse, BMW Sauber. While those teams will inject as much money as is required to wring out as much speed as possible from their current cars, the rest of the pack will be concentrating on next years models. The difference between Formula One and virtually all other racing series is that each team must build its own car based on a set of technical regulations provided by the International Automobile Federation; the sport’s governing body, rather than simply buying a ready made car.

 

The 2009 rules radically change the car’s aerodynamic, reducing the down force, or aerodynamic grip, by as much as 50% and therefore putting the emphasis on mechanical grip.  For the first time in a decade, cars will use slick tyres which have neither treads nor grooves ---   This gives more mechanical grip and therefore allows the drivers to trail cars without losing aerodynamic load.  This makes for far more cat and mouse driving manoeuvres which is adds to the excitement...

The other main rule change introduces the revolutionary Kinetic Energy System, or KERS. This is a form of hybrid devise allowing the drivers re-use energy and save on fuel. KERS doesn’t store as much energy as a traditional hybrid system, but it only weighs 55 pounds and the limited energy storage capacity is well suited for Formula-style racing. The biggest difference between KERS and a regular battery-electric hybrid is that KERS stores recovered waste energy in a rotating flywheel. Instead of converting waste energy into electricity and than back into useful energy again with an electric motor, KERS simply transfers the kinetic energy to a ~5kg flywheel in the F1 car’s transmission. The energy stored in the flywheel can then be used by the driver by pushing a “boost” button.

These changes are part of the overall intention of the FIA to make F1 more cost-efficient, road relevant and environmentally friendly.

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