//:: F1 Focus: Bridgestone F1 Tires

The Slicks and the Grooves

Since BRIDGESTONE introduced four compounds of tire in Formula One in 2007, the international racing competition decided to say bye-bye to grooved dry tires after eleven seasons of use. Formula One now prefers the soft rubbery appearance of slick tires.

The people behind this agreement believe that the removal of grooves can improve the vehicle’s grip on the road. Formula One British driver, Johnny Herbert, commented on the issue of switch.

“Grooved tires have never done anything. They are a gimmick but what they do is lose their grip far quicker than a slick, so that you spin more easily. But at the same time you also travel further when you spin because they have harder compounds than slicks and therefore less grip.”

2005 spec Grooved Tires

To him, the driving speed in grooves is harder compared to slicks. Slicks are easier to handle. Slicks welcome various forms of danger but also give rooms to safety risks. His Stewart-Ford partner, Rubens Barrichello who now drives this 2009 season for Brawn GP also agrees with Herbert.

“In F1, if you throw it around the chance to lose it is 60 percent or more and also there is the safety point of it, because when they changed the tires to grooves they initially lost 60 percent of the front grip and 40 at the rear. So to make the car neutral you have to be on the nose the whole time. Then you take a high-speed corner, always on the nose, and for me it is more dangerous.”

In reference to its regulations and laws, those dry tires used in racing should have an external diameter of 660 mm and 4g in lateral loadings and 5g in longitudinal loadings.

2009 spec slick tires

Yet, those implementations is put into end this 2009. The goal of shifting to slick tires aims only to increase the on-track performance of the racers. The use of slick tires increases the grip resulting to greater speed and impressive lab records.

Hirohide Hamashima, the director of BRIDGESTONE Motorsport Tire Development, said:

"2009 looks like it should be a very exciting season with very big changes to the cars. From our perspective we have changed our allocation strategy so that we can bring non-consecutive allocations to races."

The only disadvantage with the shift is mainly on the the driver’s safety. It’s reported first lap with slick tires are slow and many racers feel they are like mobile chicane. The car’s maneuverability is put into vulnerable position as this can also yield to tragic incidents. Requirements to the use of slick tires are fairly the same. It ranges from hard, medium, soft and super soft.

2009 season

After 11 years of using grooved tired, Slicks made its way back in Formula 1 which put big smiles on the drivers faces. Because also of the new Aero changes in the rules this season which lessen the amount of the downforce of the cars. The slicks would help generate more mechanical grip specially in slow corners.

Contributor: Dean Ryan Martin

Formula 1 tires, Slick Tires, Grooved Tires, Bridgestone Tires //TAGS

//:: I lost the bet! waaaaaaa

A great day for Formula 1 fans! For years, I have never seen an F1 race with the cars so close to each other. The new rules has done it. They have made the cars now run much closer to each other and let's the drivers do more dog fighting on the track rather than driving all alone cause no one can get close to your car because of the aero wake you the cars leave behind...

But anyway ... What a great race for Brawn GP F1 Team and Jenson Button who won the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. November 2008, Jenson received a call that the team he has a contract with "Honda F1 Racing Team" is pulling off out of the Formula One scene. Jenson who thought that his F1 racing career was over, who thought he never be able to drive for 2009 has done a stunning performance today. Brawn GP was even the latest team to release their car and was left with only 8 days in total of testing before the start of the 2009 season. Brawn GP F1 Team! How did you ever pull it off? How did you come up with such a stunningly quick car! Congratulations to Jenson Button and his team mate Rubens Barichello for winning the first to spots (1st and 2nd) of the first round of the Formula 1 season.

It was such a crazy race. Lots of things happened and lots of change in places as lots of overtaking was done in this very race. Great for F1, I should say.

Yeah! I lost the bet! hahahaha I was really hoping for Kimi to ace fight for the win and also Sebastian Vettel who started at 3rd from the start of the race and managed to take the 2nd position away from Rubens Barichello in the first lap of the race. Still! Kubica (BMW) managed to bang wheels with Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)in the 3rd last lap of the race!

Kimi (Ferrari driver) also had a bad day. Slid off and lost control of his car and then slammed the side of his car on the concrete wall. Damaged the car and had to retire from the race.

Nevertheless, I think it's going to be a great F1 season, this. 2009 will be great for Formula 1 as we will be able to see more battles on the track.

Catch the next live stream of the round 2 of the Formula 2009 World Championship!

In 2 weeks time Formula One will be in Sepang, Malaysia for the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Here's some actions shots from the race at The Albert Park Circuit.

Here's a video of Kubica and Vettel crashing into each other

2009 Australian Grand Prix, Formula 1, Brawn GP F1 Team, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel //TAGS

//:: Top 10: Youngest F1 Grand Prix winners

It can take a whole career to make the top step, but this lot were in a real hurry...

1
Sebastian Vettel
21 years 73 Days

When a Scuderia Toro Rosso took the chequered flag at Monza in September 2008. It was remarkable for a number of reasons. Not only was it the first for the unfancied minnows, but Vettel also broke the record for being the youngest winner of a grand prix - at 21 years, 2 months and 11 days. In 2009 however, Sebastian will be racing for the mother team of Toro Rosso, Red Bull!

Sebastian Vettel(Right) on the podium with Gerhard berger (Left)

Sebastian leading Nico Rosberg (Williams) & Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

2
Fernando Alonso
22 Years 26 Days

Alonso burst into the record books when he piloted his Renault R23 to victory at the Hungaroring in 2003. It was the French marque's first win (with their own chassis) for 20 years - the Spaniard largely benefited by Mark Webber holding up the field behind him during the early stages.

Fernando on the podium @ Budapest

Fernando crossing the line first and taking the win

3
Troy Ruttman
22 Years 80 Days

Prior to Alonso, you have to back nearly half a century to find the youngest winner of a world championship race (that's if you count the 1950 to 1960 Indianapolis 500s - which I do). Ruttman inherited the win at Indy 1952 when Bill Vokuvich - 20secs ahead - crashed out nine laps from the end with steering failure.

Troy Ruttman

4
Bruce Mclaren
22 Years 104 Days

It was a close finish at Sebring in 1959. At the wheel of his Cooper, Mclaren "slipstreamed" race leader Jack Brabham (who was running out of fuel) and was followed by Maurice Trintignant too. As they came to the line, Trintignant had a look, but failed to beat McLaren by just 0.6secs.

Bruce Mclaren @ Brands

5
Lewis Hamilton
22 Years 154 Days

Last season Hamilton was the youngest driver since Bruce McLaren to lead the F1 World Championship, but he missed beating the winning record from his team's founder by two months. His first win came in the Canadian GP in 2007 and then he won again - at 22 years, five months and 10 days - at Indianapolis a week later...

Lewis and his MP4-23 (The car he drove in 2008 to take the drivers title)

6
Kimi Raikkonen
23 Years 157 Days

Fast-tracked to Formula 1 from the junior Formula Renault series, the Finn showed us all what he was capable of when he took victory at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix for McLaren. At that stage the fresh-faced Kimi had only seen 23 summers... Kimi moved to Ferrari in 2007 and won the world title with the team.

Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi and his F2007 (Championship winning car in 2007)

Kimi driving in his last McLaren in 2006

7
Robert Kubica
23 Years 184 Days

A year on from Lewis Hamilton's triumph in Canada, Robert Kubica also slotted into the sport's youngest top 10 winners list when he headed BMW Sauber's one-two at Montreal in June 2008. He snuck into seventh, ahead of Jacky Ickx by four days.

Robert's BMW F1 car in 2008

8
Jacky Ickx
23 Years 188 Days

In only his ninth world championship grand prix, Ickx won in the rain of Rouen in 1968. But the race is remembered for the tragic accident that killed Jo Schlesser. Ickx started on wet tyres and led at the end of the first lap. The Ferrari also led for all but one of the following 59 laps, including the most important one: the last..

Jacky Ickx

Jacky Ickx

9
Michael Schumacher
23Years 240Days

He holds most of the major records in the sport, but he's nearly two and a half years down on Sebastian Vettel (dubbed the new Schumi) when it comes to scoring his first grand prix win. The victory came at Spa in 1992 (just a year after his debut) when he was one of the first to opt for the slicks on a drying track.

7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher

Michael taking Zidane for a lap around Magny Cours (France) in his Ferrari FXX

10
Emerson Fittipaldi
23Years 296Days

Following the untimely death of Jochen Rindt at Monza, the young Brazilian Fittipaldi was elevated into the rolse of team leader at Lotus. At Watkins Glen in 1970 he started on the second row, but was slow away. Eventually he chivvied hiw way back up to the front to give the Lotus team a glimmer of hope at the end of their tragic season.

Emerson Fittipaldi

Youngest F1 Winners, Formula 1, Top Ten, Scuderia Ferrari //TAGS

//:: Formula One! 2009 Australian GP

Welcome everyone to the 2009 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. The Albert Park circuit is the circuit where the first round of the Formula 1 2009 championship will be held.

The Albert Park circuit is a temporary race circuit and is normally used as a public road for most of the year. The track is about 5.303 kilometers long. 58 race laps will be fought for this round of the championship and total running of 307.574 kilometers all in all after 58 laps. The lap record holder of this track is Michael Schumacher who clocked 1.24.125 with the Ferrari F2004 during the 2004 Australian Grand Prix.

Let's take a quick look and a lap around the Albert Park circuit with Nico Rosberg of The Williams F1 team.

Watch the Australian GP here LIVE! The qualifying round with be on March 28, 2009 @ 5PM (2PM Philippine Time) and the race day will be on March 29, 2009 @5PM (2PM Philippine Time)

Video Live feed schedule:

March 27, 2009
Fri Practice 1 = 1230 (9:30AM Philippines Standard Time) - 1400 (11:00AM Philippine Standard Time)
Fri Practice 2 = 1630 (1:30PM Philippines Standard Time) - 1800 (3:00PM Philippine Standard Time)

March 28, 2009
Sat Practice = 1400 (11:00AM Philippine Standard Time) - 1500 (12:00Noon Philippine Standard Time)
Qualifying = 1700 (2:00PM Philippine Standard Time)

Mach 29, 2009
Race = 1700 (2:00PM Philippine Standard Time)

Formula 1, Australian GP, 2009 Season, Live Video Feed, Melbourne Australia //TAGS

//:: Photography: Things & Objects around ...

So how do they really do it? Take pictures with very low light and not use a flash. I still can't find the reason why such great photographers don't use the flash in low light shots. Why did they have to invent a flash anyway? And they've always said that if you only know how to find the right combination of angle and light then you could get the perfect shot.

"What on earth are they talking about angle and light!?"

So one late afternoon I got up and took the cam and tried to take some pictures of things around the house without using the flash. Oh boy was it sooooooooooooooo hard! Taking pictures with low light and not use the flash is really hairy! Big thanks that now a days camera's are digital ... just aim and then shoot then if you don't like it erase it and do it again ... hehehehe To be honest it took me a lot of tries to get a picture. At least it's not blurry anymore but still very noisy ... try it for yourself and challenge yourself :) Take pictures in low light without using a flash.

Taken without flash with low light ... waaaaaaaa :( so utterly hard!

Once I got fed up taking pictures which such low light. I decided to stop it. Then the next morning went out to take more pictures and found it a bit easy to take pictures with such good natural light coming from the sun after a very hard night taking very hard shots with very low light.

I've learned a very good lesson after this day. Not to use manual focusing with the lens :D just use manual focusing with the triggers and reference points :)

althonealexis photography, flower, orchids, wood furniture, colorful shots, low light shots //TAGS