First look at what an F1 car will look like next season
The first F1 team to show off their 2009 front and rear wings? Step up, Williams. Formula 3 star Jonathan Kennard shook down a Williams FW30 chassis fitted with new wings at Kemble airfield this week.
The team tested a 2009-style rear wing at Barcelona in September, but this was the first glimpse of their new-look front wing.
Although it’s not the highest-quality picture, we like what we see - especially the tall rear wing, which harks back to a different era in F1. The new rules for 2009, which require teams to simplify the design of aero parts, will certainly result in better-looking cars than we saw in 2008 (remember this monstrosity).
Ferrari won the constructors’ championship, but does that mean they were the best team in 2008? No, it doesn’t. In fact, given the massive resources at the Scuderia’s disposal, you might even argue that they underperformed - with the best car on the grid, and two of the best drivers, perhaps they should have won the driver’s title too, as well as winning the constructors title by a bigger margin.
Looking down the grid, we find teams that punched above their weight, admirably: Toro Rosso had a wonderful season, outperforming the senior Red Bull outfit. BMW Sauber were remarkably consistent and could have done even better, had they not decided to switch focus to their 2009 car halfway through the campaign. Renault started slowly but finished stronger than anyone, while Toyota had a solid year too.
Anyway, a few names to conjure with there. What say you?
Gridcrasher rates each driver based on their performance in 2008
Kazuki Nakajima (Williams)
Best finish: 6th (Australia) Best qualifying: 11th (Europe) Total points: 9
The story of his season: Poor in qualifying, solid in races - that sums up Kazuki’s first full F1 season. It’s difficult to judge his true pace and potential, given that he has been burdened with a relatively poor car, but for a rookie he has shown a useful ability to stay on the road in difficult conditions. His fine drive at Monaco, on a very treacherous track, was a sign that he has a bright future.
It’s official, sort of: Ferrari is one of the most iconic brands in the UK. The company has been voted one of the Top 20 ‘CoolBrands’, in an annual survey to determine who’s hip and who’s square.
The Scuderia charts at number 13, higher than any other F1 manufacturer. The only other F1 team to make the 55-brand shortlist is Williams, who become the first dedicated F1 team ever to be awarded the ‘CoolBrand’ button badge - the Ferrari brand encompasses much more than just F1.
Ferrari, cool - surely some mistake? Any time Gridcrasher has been to a grand prix, Ferrari’s fans have stood out as easily the least cool. And isn’t the brand considered a bit vulgar and tacky these days, especially when compared with hip young things like Red Bull?
Which F1 team is really the coolest? Vote after the click or leave a comment (or both)…
Promise not to tell anyone, but Nico Rosberg (the most brattish driver on the grid?) really, really doesn’t want to drive for Williams in 2009, even though he has just signed up to do exactly that. The reason? It’s quite simple: Rosberg, a young man blessed with a freakish surfeit of self-confidence, sees himself as a future world champion who should be driving for Ferrari or McLaren. Instead, he’s destined to spend 2009 stuck at the back of the grid in a crappy Williams.
Rosberg isn’t the only one who’s thoroughly pissed off with the situation. The German media, who would quite like another German F1 world champ (especially one who is photogenic and outpsoken), is doing its bit to free Nico from the tyranny of a seat in a Williams…
Williams’ recent good from seems to have convinced boss Frank Williams that he is onto a winner. The team has moved to sign Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima for next season to allow him and Rosberg to continue in tandem. Rosberg was already committed to Williams for 2009 from the contract he signed last winter.
“I am delighted we are able to maintain continuity with our drivers going into 2009,” said Frank Williams. “Nico Rosberg continues to be one of the most capable drivers in the sport. Kazuki is getting stronger all the time and has more to offer and Nico Hulkenberg is developing well.”
Nakajima impressed the team with his points finishes in Australia, Spain, Monaco, Britain and Singapore, while Rosberg’s recent return to form has reassured the team that they have the right formula.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg chew the fat before Saturday’s qualifying session. In a spooky coincidence, Fernando Alonso lurks in the background - Alonso, Rosberg and Lewis finished 1-2-3 in Sunday’s race.
Williams driver Nico Rosberg has been spending a lot of time in darkened rooms in the run up to the Singapore Grand Prix. The 23-year-old has been playing the Singapore race simulator with the lights off to get conditions as close as possible to those he can expect to race in on Sunday evening. Here is one of the laps he completed - a bit untidy close to the barriers at one point if you ask us!
