The Official 2009 Chinese Grand Prix Thread

[rage2]

Shanghai International Circuit
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Circuit_Shanghai.png/200px-Circuit_Shanghai.png
Laps: 56
Circuit length: 5.451 kilometre (3.387 mi)
Race length: 305.066 km (189.559 mi)
2008 Winner: Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes - 1h 31m 57.403s (199.049 km/h)
2008 Pole Sitter: Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes - 1:36.303
2008 Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes - 1:36.325

TV Schedule (Mountain Time)
Free Practice 2 - Friday April 17rd 12:00am (Speed)
Qualifying - Saturday April 18th 12:00am (Speed, TSN)
Acura Pre-Race - Sunday April 19th 12:30am (Speed)
Race - Sunday April 19th 1:00am (Speed, TSN)

It's been a long 2 weeks since Malaysia, and much has happened in the world of F1 politics.

First off, the protest by the 7 non diffuser teams went to the courts this week, and it was ruled that the 3 diffuser teams (Williams, Toyota, BrawnGP) are completely legal. Now it's up to the teams to catch up with their new diffuser designs. McLaren is bringing an 80% solution this weekend, while Red Bull has sent Adrian Newey back to the factory to work immediately on a double diffuser design. Ferrari needs a lot of work on their rear end to support the double diffuser, so it'll be a few races before we see their debut. Renault claims they have their solution ready for this weekend, but premilinary pics have shown that there's nothing really new with their car.

It looks like it's going to be a pretty dry race this weekend, there's a 30% chance of showers for Sunday, but expected to hit after the race is over. Last week's Malaysian Grand Prix was stopped early due to moosoon like rain conditions, and it was deemed unsafe to continue. Because the race did not complete the full distance required for full points but over 50% for points, all the finishers were awarded 1/2 points.

Tire choice will be critical this weekend. It's expected that the teams will be using the option tire for a very short stint, as the softer tire is not suitable at all for the track. Alonso has stated that the super softs are toast after 1 hot lap, and it's expected that like Australia, the prime hard tires will be several seconds a lap faster in race trim. While this promotes overtaking, Alonso is quoted as saying that it makes the drivers look "stupid". He's also stated that the prime tires are too hard for this track, and has been very vocal in criticizing Bridgestone's tire choice for this weekend.

Once again, I'll be hosting the race at my house this weekend, and if you're not on the email list and would like to attend, PM me your email address. For those that are on the list, I'll send out details again tomorrow.

Go McLaren!!!

[rage2]

Alright boys, FP2 in 90 minutes on SpeedHD!

[EK 2.0]

Forgot to mention that Ron Dennis stepped down...;)

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by EK 2.0
Forgot to mention that Ron Dennis stepped down...;)

:repost: ..... :rofl:

[Inzane]

Originally posted by rage2
Alright boys, FP2 in 90 minutes on SpeedHD!

Speaking of SpeedHD (nevermind that we don't get an "HD" F1 broadcast anyway)... are there any fellow Bell ExpressVu customers here? I'm wondering what happened to Speed HD? I can't even find it in the programming guide anymore. Did Bell drop it from their channel packages? :dunno:

[DannyO]

Originally posted by Inzane


Speaking of SpeedHD (nevermind that we don't get an "HD" F1 broadcast anyway)... are there any fellow Bell ExpressVu customers here? I'm wondering what happened to Speed HD? I can't even find it in the programming guide anymore. Did Bell drop it from their channel packages? :dunno:

I'm watching F1 on SpeedHD right now on Shaw.

[rage2]

Renault doesn't have their new diffuser on. Apparently, it's on Flavio's private plane coming right now and they'll have it installed for tomorrow morning.

[buh_buh]

Bell never had SpeedHD to begin with.

[Vagabond142]

I'll be there sunday morning. :thumbsup:

[scary_perry]

Surprised to see Lew on the pace already.

I'd like to see the diffuser three dominate a little longer.

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by scary_perry
Surprised to see Lew on the pace already.

I'd like to see the diffuser three dominate a little longer.

He's not really on the pace... Yea, he was "quick" in FP1, but he was in 13th in FP2... not what I would call on pace.. Heikki was a bit better but still out of the top 8.

Remember, FP lap times mean very little during the course of the weekend.

[buh_buh]

Hamilton was quickest in FP1, but his FP1 time was 1.7 seconds off the quickest FP2 time.

[scary_perry]

Good.

The only big team I have any affinity for is Renault. Crazy Flavio, big fat old guy who scores with super models. How can you not love him.

I think he ran the all-conquering Lancia rally program of the late 80s and early 90s too.

It's cool watching Brawn's almost sponsorless cars win races. And their day-glo yellow is so lame. They are the ultimate 'run by engineers' 'we don't need any stinking marketing people' team. I love em.

[DJ Lazy]

Lewis' car still looks like a handful still after the updated aero kit... Really looks to be struggling in the corners in sat practice..

haha.. Trulli 1st, Glock 20th in Sat. Practice too... :nut:

[DJ Lazy]

Damn....

Hamilton 3rd in Saturday Practice... Button 4th.

[ryanallan]

I think Glock has gear box problems.

I herd the guys talking about the new Renault diffuser. At least Alonso was running it in Sat practice, but had problems with it which is why he didn't complete many laps.

Its going to be a painful race for Ferrari . ughhh :(

[Mibz]

I missed practice so I don't know if they announced it there, but apparently Renault and Ferrari are both ditching KERS for China.

[That.Guy.S30]

testing is on speed right now.

[Mibz]

Hamilton sets S1 and S3 in Q1 :D

EDIT: Kovi's edging out Massa by 1 thousandth!

EDIT 2: I'm interested to see Alonso's race weight.

[DJ Lazy]

HOLY SHIT!! Vettel, Alonso, Webber.... Wow...
:nut:

[buh_buh]

Vettel and Webber not a surprise at all. Alonso however, is.

[rage2]

Fuck, was so drunk last night, passed out 15 minutes into qualifying. Thanks for getting me home last night kev haha.

I'll do a post qualifying analysis once the F1 pool is closed haha. Don't wanna help any of u guys in it!

[The Cosworth]

i did the same thing. I am downloading it on a torrent to watch before making my picks.

What time are you having people over? Play some RB or something before?

[rage2]

Well I'm watching the flames game tonight, not sure if it's at home or out at a bar. But I'll prob be home shortly after the game's over.

[The Cosworth]

Originally posted by rage2
Well I'm watching the flames game tonight, not sure if it's at home or out at a bar. But I'll prob be home shortly after the game's over.

just text me, i forgot about the game actually. I will probably be going out to watch it after golfing this afternoon.

[scary_perry]

Should be another interesting race.

Although after the pit strategy is revealed I think Brawn will have the edge.

[Mibz]

Yeah, Alonso's pretty light.


1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 644kg
2. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 637
3. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 646.5
4. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP, 661
5. Jenson Button, Brawn GP, 659
6. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 664.5
7. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 650.5
8. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 673.5
9. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 679
10. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 673
11. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 679
12. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 697
13. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 690
14. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 682.7
15. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 690
16. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 697.9
17. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 659
18. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 648
19. Timo Glock, Toyota, 652
20. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 679.5

There's a UFC event tonight as well, which I'm hosting, so I probably won't be there until about 11.

[buh_buh]

I think Flavio forgot to put fuel in Alonso's car... Is anyone really surprised Alonso is that light though? He did this all the time last year. He'll do his 10 lap (probably even less) stint on options then fade the rest of the race. I don't want to get too specific either until after the pool's closed, but BGP is still setting the pace with their fuel load if they can sort out their issues with stops.

[Vagabond142]

So we should show up ~12:15ish for prerace? give peeps time to get home safely from the game/UFC? :)

[rage2]

haha stop giving out hints Kev :). I still got a few changes to go, once I get closer to 6pm our time and review the weather maps one last time. I'm prettty sure I know when it's gonna rain (although I was off by 2 hrs last race).

And ya, I'll prob be watching the flames game at home tonight, don't want a repeat of last night's drunkeness haha. I sent the email out to the list, you guys can come over whenever, just shoot me a txt in case I change my mind and head out to shanks or something for the game.

[buh_buh]

I didn't even say that much you whiner. I didn't give away all my secrets (or just belligerent thoughts, however you want to look at it). I'll post up again at 6.

[ryanallan]

I found these pics interesting. The Brawn cars are the only ones not using any form of turning vane or side pod deflector.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2159/f12009chixp0430.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8085/f12009chixp0431.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6650/f12009chixp0432.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/328/f12009chixp0433.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/6350/f12009chixp0435.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1488/f12009chixp0472.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3562/f12009chixp0473.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2232/f12009chixp0475.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2736/f12009chixp0476.jpg

[ryanallan]

Some more interesting pics. (from f1technical.com - guys post pics from the premimum f1-live.com - its great !)

Renault's new diffuser . Those blue stickers look like temp sensors. The exhaust seems to be blowing at the rear wing's lower section.
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8099/n8x0otaa5fa6iok9eckep.jpg

McLaren's aero updates for China. This front wing looks very complicated :eek:

first their old diffuser
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/3092/diapoa634.jpg

new
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/5017/diapo624.jpg

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/9595/diapoa603.jpg
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/993/diapo105a.jpg

and a shot of Red Bull's current diffuser just for fun. This is the only car where the rear wing extends all the way to the diffuser.
Its going to be interesting how their new diffuser works with their rear end design.
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9210/diapoa633j.jpg

[buh_buh]

I thought I read somewhere RB couldn't implement a new diffuser because of their rear suspension design

[Inzane]

Originally posted by buh_buh
Bell never had SpeedHD to begin with.

Bell had assigned an actual channel number for it last year (it was somewhere in the ~865-879 range, if I recall) and had it grouped in a new channel "package" (which I never had).

But all mention of it has since disappeared.

[buh_buh]

I remember that, and tried going to it but I think it was just black.
I thought I read somewhere they were doing some testing for it, but nothing ever came of it, so they have never broadcast anything on it for Bell.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by buh_buh
I thought I read somewhere RB couldn't implement a new diffuser because of their rear suspension design I read the same thing. The article said they were the loudest protesters of the diffuser because it would be insanely hard for them to adapt their car to the new design.

[Inzane]

Based on qualifying Red Bull sure doesn't look to be hurting at all.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Inzane
Based on qualifying Red Bull sure doesn't look to be hurting at all.
Red bull is fueled a lot lighter. Their single lap pace is still slower than brawn and toyota. Alonso is fueled for 8 laps, even worse.

I'm expecting rain by about lap 40, so the guys fuelled light to use the super softs are gonna have to pit one more time compared to the heavy runners, who won't have to use them if it rains.

In free practice the brawns had the best pace, toyota next and surprisingly Mclaren 3rd. Hamilton and kimis poor qualifying is a result of running out of tires so it's not indicative of their performance. They have the best strategy in case it rains. Hamilton should podium today race, rain or not. If it rains he'll be able to challenge for a win IMO.

[That.Guy.S30]

rain................

[psycoticclown]

Damn it is wet out there... pretty scary to drive in that actually... hydroplaning in a F1?! :eek:

[ryanallan]

rage, is this rain going to pass soon ?

[psycoticclown]

Is that safety car stock?

[ryanallan]

the safety cars in IRL were stock except for racing brembos, BBS wheels. i would imagine the same to be true for the SL's

radar says rain at least for the next 30mins . . .

[That.Guy.S30]

this rain is sweet!!

[Eleanor]

:rofl:

This is hilarious to watch.

[psycoticclown]

Damn, musta been pretty scary driving that SC if it was stock haha. It was pushing pretty hard.

[Errol.]

Who would have thought brawn wins 1 2 first race of the season, and now rbr wins 1 2. and only 3 races in!

[DJ Lazy]

I did pretty damn good in the pool! :D

5/8 with 4 in exact position, and rubens off by 1..


Damn good race.. Congrats to Vettel, Webber and Red Bull!! That's huge!

[Trini]

well done Vettel

[rage2]

Fucking rain fucked EVERYTHING up. Again, I got the rain wrong by 2 hours.

Red Bulls are so strong in the rain. Would've been much different if it started dry...

I only got 24 points. Fuck.

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by rage2
Fucking rain fucked EVERYTHING up. Again, I got the rain wrong by 2 hours.

Red Bulls are so strong in the rain. Would've been much different if it started dry...

I only got 24 points. Fuck.

I think we're tied!! :D

I scored 39.

[DJ Lazy]

The pool has REALLY tighened up... I think its a 3way tie for 1st, and a 3way tie for 2nd... :rofl:

[A2VR6]

Hmm i think i got the lead for now... pretty solid haul... 35 points today!

[The Cosworth]

haha, holy shit. I got zero. That is right ZERO points for this race.

:( I dont know why tho. I had vettel for 4th, so it should be 8 - (4-1) which means I should have gotten 5 points for him. However I got zeros across the board.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by The Cosworth
haha, holy shit. I got zero. That is right ZERO points for this race.

:( I dont know why tho. I had vettel for 4th, so it should be 8 - (4-1) which means I should have gotten 5 points for him. However I got zeros across the board. Pool hasn't updated yet.


Originally posted by DJ Lazy
The pool has REALLY tighened up... I think its a 3way tie for 1st, and a 3way tie for 2nd... :rofl: I certainly hope I'm part of that. I did decently this race.

[Cos]

Originally posted by Mibz
Pool hasn't updated yet.


ah. :banghead:

[Mibz]

OH SNAP! Tied for 1st. WHATCH YALL NIGGAS WAAAAAAAAAANT!?

In before buh_buh's quip about luck.

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by Mibz
OH SNAP! Tied for 1st. WHATCH YALL NIGGAS WAAAAAAAAAANT!?

In before buh_buh's quip about luck.

Yea the top 6 in the pool really bunched together with this race! I should have knew better than to keep alonso, but I doubt I would have replaced him with anyone else that did place, hmm except maybe Heikki.

[lil*tymer]

Cool race, wish i would have been around for the first race in the pool.

[ryanallan]

Ferrari still dosnt have any points . WTF :banghead:

[Mibz]

Originally posted by DJ Lazy


Yea the top 6 in the pool really bunched together with this race! I should have knew better than to keep alonso, but I doubt I would have replaced him with anyone else that did place, hmm except maybe Heikki. Alonso was a better choice than Rosberg. I dunno WTF I was thinking there.

[rage2]

I got owned this round. Fawk haha.

[DJ Lazy]

I had both of them. Lol.


Originally posted by Mibz
Alonso was a better choice than Rosberg. I dunno WTF I was thinking there.

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by ryanallan
Ferrari still dosnt have any points . WTF :banghead: :werd: :(

I still don't know what happened to Massa.

And there's also this: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74644

[rage2]

When they were going slow behind SC, water was getting into the electrical system, and the engine was misfiring. Massa's engine got so bad it just stopped completely. Kimi was complaining of the same thing over the radio, and his problem went away a lap or 2 after the SC came back in and he ran at speed.

[Mibz]

If Ferrari calls 2009 a wash I'm going to have problems. It's hard to laugh at their failures when you know they're not trying. I'll never forget Rage waking up Haysen every time Kimi got passed. LOLed so hard.

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by Mibz
If Ferrari calls 2009 a wash I'm going to have problems. It's hard to laugh at their failures when you know they're not trying. I'll never forget Rage waking up Haysen every time Kimi got passed. LOLed so hard.

Surprised he has a chance to fall back asleep between passes... :rofl: They were fast and frequent....:thumbsup:

[ryanallan]

It seems there are huge rule changes every year now. Next year being the "no refueling during races" change. If a team were to develop a winning car for a giving year, its like they are doomed for the next year.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by ryanallan
It seems there are huge rule changes every year now. Next year being the "no refueling during races" change. If a team were to develop a winning car for a giving year, its like they are doomed for the next year. I don't think that next years changes will have nearly as drastic an effect as this years. No refueling means a bigger fuel tank which ends up taking away some ballast. Rebalancing the cars is, without a doubt, easier than all the aero changes this year had. Tire strategy will change a little (also considering the proposed ban on tire warmers) but I think the cars will be largely more reliable and the drivers will be comfortable with the cars sooner.

I don't think that Ferrari starting 2010 development early will give them anywhere near the kind of advantage that Brawn saw this year. Unless, of course, they discover a loophole that allows them to refuel their car :P

[mischief]

Originally posted by psycoticclown
Is that safety car stock?

The safety car is not a stock SL 65 AMG . Its quite heavily upgraded. The production version of the F1 safety car is the SL 65 Black series.

[rage2]

Originally posted by mischief
The safety car is not a stock SL 65 AMG . Its quite heavily upgraded. The production version of the F1 safety car is the SL 65 Black series.
Negative. It's a SL63 that differs quite a bit from the production SL63 AMG.


The SL63 AMG, as the Official F1 Safety Car, and the C63 AMG Estate, as the Official F1 Medical Car, are to continue to help ensure maximum safety, this time for the 2009 Formula 1 season. AMG, the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz, will be on duty with the two specially prepared high-performance vehicles at all 17 of the new season's Formula 1 races, starting with a first appearance at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (27 to 29 March 2009). The specialists from the AMG PERFORMANCE STUDIO are responsible for the development, production and servicing of the vehicles.

The Official F1 Safety Car is always deployed whenever the safety of a race is threatened by accidents, adverse weather conditions or other hazardous situations. Sitting behind the wheel of the exceptional SL63 AMG will be Bernd Mayländer (Germany, 37 years of age). After receiving instructions from the race management, the former DTM driver must go to the head of the Formula 1 field and safely guide the world's fastest racing drivers around the circuit. Fast lap times are a must for the Safety Car, because otherwise the Formula 1 engines would overheat - and their tyres and brakes would also cool down excessively.

As in 2008, the role of the Official F1 Safety Car is also being fulfilled during this year's new season by the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG. Its distinctive driving dynamics are a basic requirement for its challenging Formula 1 assignment:
the AMG6.3-litre V8 engine has a power output of 386 kW/525 hp, providing acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. A newly developed AMG sport exhaust system with larger pipe diameter and special rear silencers allows the high-revving AMG naturally aspirated engine to breathe even more freely - and gives it an even sportier sound. Outstanding driving dynamics are guaranteed by the newly developed AMGSPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission with column shift, which makes it possible to change gear in just 100 milliseconds.

Special coil-over suspension and cooling measures

Optimum racetrack performance is guaranteed thanks to the specially developed coil-over
suspension, which can be customised to a specific racetrack by means of individual suspension setup configurations. The combination of 3-stage ESP® and rear-axle differential lock with 30 percent locking effect provides optimum traction in all weather conditions. In the interests of reliability even at tropical ambient temperatures, the vehicle incorporates large-size, additional coolers for engine oil, transmission oil, coolant and power steering.

Special cooling measures and heavy-duty composite braking system

The front and rear axles feature 19-inch extra-light AMGforged light-alloy wheels. The 8.5-inch (front) and 9.5-inch (rear) rims are fitted with tyres of size 255/35 and 285/30, respectively. The design of the rims, with their intricately styled double spokes, optimizes both the cooling of the highly stressed braking system and the specially engineered cooling-air flow. Optimum fatigue resistance and best-possible deceleration values are among the self-evident characteristics of the AMGhigh-performance braking system, which is equipped all round with internally ventilated composite brake discs. The front axle is fitted with six-piston fixed callipers and discs of size 390 x 36 millimetres, while the rear axle features four-piston fixed callipers with brake discs of size 360 x 26 millimetres.

220 kilograms lighter than the series-production vehicle thanks to targeted lightweight design measures Thanks to targeted lightweight design measures, the SL63 AMGSafety Car weighs in lighter than its series-production counterpart - and this is despite additional cooling measures, lighting system and communications equipment. The engine bonnet, front and rear aprons, front wings and luggage compartment lid are produced from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic, a material that has been tried and tested in motorsports. Since the Safety Car is always driven with its top up, the vario roof has also been dispensed with. The result is a weight reduction of 220 kilograms, with the Safety Car weighing in at just 1750 kilograms (with a full tank and without occupants).

Apart from its special roof attachments and F1 logos, the SL63 AMG Official F1 Safety Car is distinguished from the standard-production AMG high-performance roadster by a front apron with larger cooling-air openings. A prominent feature at the rear of the vehicle is the modified diffuser insert in the rear apron, which incorporates the active rear-axle cooling, this compensating for temperature peaks in the highly stressed differential housing. The white LED flashlights in the headlamps and tail lamps are always in operation whenever the vehicle is in use and have a neutral signalling function. The number plate with Safety Car lettering on the rear is illuminated by means of almost 700 LEDs and guarantees even greater safety, particularly in rain or darkness.

Interior with undiluted motorsport flair

The inside of the Safety Car is dominated by an atmosphere of undiluted motorsport flair. The workplaces of Bernd Mayländer and his co-driver feature two AMGsports bucket seats with 4-point seatbelts, trim parts in real carbon fibre, black leather appointments and the AMG performance steering wheel with its 365-millimetre steering wheel rim, flat underside and AMGaluminium shift paddles. The centre console is equipped with two monitors to enable the crew of the Safety Car to supervise the action on the racetrack, while the two-way radio system allows them to remain in contact with the race management.

C63 AMG Estate: the Official F1 Medical Car

In addition to the Safety Car, another permanent feature of each Formula 1 race is the C63 AMG Estate Official F1 Medical Car. At the start of every Grand Prix, the high-speed AMGestate car follows the Formula 1 field on the first lap. This is because the first lap represents a critical phase of the race in which the Formula 1 vehicles are especially tightly bunched. In the event of an accident during the race, the Medical Car is the first vehicle on the scene and is able to guarantee the fastest possible emergency treatment.

This C63 AMG Estate has excellent credentials for such a challenging task, where literally every second counts: the high-performance estate vehicle is powered by the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine, which delivers 336 kW/457 hp and 600 Newtonmetres of torque. The AMG sport exhaust system boasts larger pipe diameters and new rear silencers, this resulting in a considerably more distinctive sound that comes out of the two chrome-plated dual tailpipes. In order to guarantee greater reliability, the cooling of coolant, engine oil, transmission oil and power steering has been optimized, this being visible also from the new AMG front apron with its considerably larger cooling-air openings. The power from the engine is transmitted via the AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONIC PLUS, which blips the throttle when changing down for even greater smoothness. Perfect traction is guaranteed by the combination of 3-stage ESP® and differential lock with 35 percent locking effect.

Coil-over suspension and AMG high-performance braking system

An adjustable coil-over suspension and 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels, measuring 8 and 9 inches wide and fitted with tyres of sizes 235/35 (front) and 255/30 (rear), respectively, help to ensure perfect contact with the road. The powerful AMGhigh-performance braking system, with its internally ventilated and perforated composite brake discs on the front axle, guarantees extremely short stopping distances. The Official F1 Medical Car differs from the standard-production C63 AMG Estate with its new AMGfront apron with larger cooling-air openings as well as special brake cooling. The active cooling of the rear-axle differential is integrated into the diffuser insert at the rear. Like the Safety Car, the Medical Car, too, draws attention to its special role on the track through its F1 logos, roof bar and strobe-like LED flashlights at front and rear. Enhanced visibility in darkness or bad weather is ensured by the LED-illuminated number plate with Medical Car lettering on the boot lid tailgate.

The Official F1 Medical Car is driven by racing driver Alan van de Merwe (South Africa). His co-driver is Dr. Gary Hartstein (Belgium), who is the official FIA Grand Prix Chief Medical Officer. Both of them are accommodated in AMGsports bucket seats with 4-point seatbelts, as are the two medical assistants in the rear. Two monitors in the centre console help the crew to supervise the action on the racetrack, while an on-board two-way radio system is responsible for communication with the race management. The functional feel of the interior is marked by black leather appointments and aluminium trim parts. The 365-millimetre AMG performance steering wheel with its flat underside on the steering wheel rim and AMGaluminium shift paddles guarantees perfect control over the vehicle. With its unrivalled volume of 485 litres, the luggage compartment offers ample space for the full complement of emergency equipment, including defibrillator and respirator.

Transfer from motorsport to series production

Both the SL63 AMG Official F1 Safety Car and the C63 AMG Estate Official F1 Medical Car impressively document the transfer from motorsport to series production. With reference to the example of the SL63 AMG, numerous components in the Safety Car are available straight from the factory. The AMGPerformance Package includes, for instance, the 360-millimetre composite disc brakes on the front axle; the rear-axle differential lock; the 19-inch AMG light-alloy forged wheels and the AMG performance steering wheel. The same is true of the Medical Car: the AMG Performance Package for the C63 AMG (saloon and estate models) includes, for example, the composite disc brakes on the front axle, the rear-axle differential lock, the AMG performance suspension and the AMG performance steering wheel in nappa leather/alcantara. The 19-inch AMGlight-alloy wheels are optionally available.

[bashir26]

This is just not Ferrari's year! It will be interesting to see how Bahrain plays out.

[scary_perry]

Haha! I love Ferrari but this season rocks!

Now Aston and Lola are talking about coming back after seeing RB and Brawn dominating the season - and the $30 million Euro cap next year.