Australian GP 2009 ( finally! )

[F1DanBrits]

hydraulique problem

[ISLAMATRON]

what happened with Vettel?

Hydraulics, and driveshaft for webber.... Lokks like NEwey has given birth to another crack baby.

[ISLAMATRON]

The BGP001s rear wing wobbles a lot...

And was it smoke coming out of Hamiltons car? At about 5min left in FP1.

Not smoke, dust from going off track.

[jddh1]

Well, Ferrari was right there.
But it's only FP1, so the track is dirty and we don't know every one's programs. I'll say this though: RBR and especially STR looked dismal.

[Giblet]

Well, hydraulics would not likely be a design problem, more of something else mechanical failing.

Driveshaft might be from exhaust heat though. That is a design issue.

[Deerfield805]

I don't have a live feed. Was there any noticable KERS use? How did the BMWs look?

[majicmeow]

Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired Gap Laps
1 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:26.687
2 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:26.736 0.049
3 4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:26.750 0.063
4 23 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 1:27.226 0.539
5 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.453 0.766
6 22 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes 1:27.467 0.780
7 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:27.642 0.955
8 10 Timo Glock Toyota 1:27.710 1.023
9 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:27.993 1.306
10 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:28.123 1.436
11 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:28.137 1.450
12 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:28.142 1.455
13 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:28.511 1.824
14 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Mercedes 1:28.603 1.916
15 12 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 1:28.785 2.098
16 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.042 2.355
17 14 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 1:29.081 2.394
18 8 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:29.461 2.774
19 11 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 1:29.499 2.812
20 15 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 1:32.784 6.097

[ISLAMATRON]

Kazoo just might be surprise this year, cant he keep it on the track?

Big difference between the 2 McL's & the 2 Renaults... although it did seem Like Lonzo was really struggling to keep it pointed in the right direction.

[Rob W]

...it now looks like significant sponsorship is rolling in (Branson/Virgin).

Pretty much confirmed. I stay near the track and there have been dozens of Virgin people having coffee in middle park... I can't think of any reason why suits would be around if not congratulating themselves on a job well done.

[heosat]

I don't have a live feed. Was there any noticable KERS use? How did the BMWs look?

BMWs looked stable but slow although they did a lot of laps.

The Williams and BrawnGP definitely looked the fastest in terms of their stability and ride. Everyone else looked a bit of a mess.

Hamilton had 3 track excursions!

[Rob W]

By the way - how much will people here be stoked if Williams actually show some results this year? I will for sure.

[Deerfield805]

Williams doing well means keeping Rosberg. Thanks for the info Junior.

[jamsbong]

First practice reveals BrawnGP and Williams capabilities. Kimi is still there. This is great! We are seeing new faces and Ferrari/Mclaren are not dominant at the moment.
Lets see if Toyota can do better 2nd practice. I'm kinda disappointed with RedBull, seems like they are still full of unreliability. Vettel should be in Ferrari or some other top team. what do you all think?

[jddh1]

Hey, I wonder if that blown tire (was it Kazuki) was due to some rear stability problem. I guess by the times probably not, but what if these tires are NOT durable enough if a car goes off track. Looking at all the excursions from the cockpit camera I kinda have a feeling that ppl with have serious problems if they go off-roading.

[F1DanBrits]

anyone know where to get some pics from this session?