are u sure? coz i tot they are red and black...

Shuhei Nakamoto's appointment as Senior Technical Director has been pinpointed as the cause of Honda's shocking performance at the season-opening Australian GP.
Both of the team's cars were hampered by a crippling lack of grip around Albert Park, with team principal Nick Fry acknowledging afterwards that "we have an aerodynamic problem."

While Fry continues to speak bullishly about the team rectifying their flaws to be "up there with Renault and BMW by the start of the European season", turnarounds on such a scale are a rare occurrence in F1. Moreover, team personnel reportedly have lost confidence in the ability of their Japanese Technical Director to deliver a competitive car.
'We have it on good authority that an increasing number of Honda techies now firmly believe it was a mistake to replace Geoff Willis with Shuhei Nakamoto as technical director last July [it was actually in June]. It was, after all, the developments instigated by Willis - not Nakamoto - that resulted in Jenson Button outscoring every other driver in the last six races of 2006,' claims F1 Racing Magazine.
Although Honda predicted a slow start to the season in Australia, they had not expected to be so far adrift of the lead runners. While the Brackley-based outfit had realised since the advent of winter testing that they would be out-paced by the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, it hadn't contemplated being outpaced by Super Aguri - who were, of course, using the Willis-inspired RA106 to embarrass their 'A' team in Melbourne.
Nakamoto has not gone on record to explain why the R107 was so uncompetitive - Engineering Director Jacky Eeckelaert was the sole technical voice to speak on the team's press releases from Australia - while Willis has not yet returned to F1 since walking out on the team a day after he was demoted to focus on 'aerodynamic development'.
Honda refused to appoint a replacement for Willis following his exit, appointing Mariano Alperin-Bruvera to head the aerodynamics group using the team's new wind tunnel, and the upshot appears to have been a major malfunction with the aerodynamic construction of this year's charger.
To compound matters, Fry's pledge that the team would "work flat-out [in the wind tunnel] to find a fix" may only expand their shortcomings. ITV reporter Ted Kravitz quoted one unnamed Technical Director in his post-Australian GP report musing whether the tunnel had been 'incorrectly calibrated when it was rushed into service last year, as he found it inconceivable that a team of professional aerodynamicists could do such a bad job.'

Felipe Massa insists he will bounce back from his disappointing Australian GP, which saw him finish sixth after starting from the back of the grid.


Massa was one of the favourites to win the season-opening race after impressing during winter testing and again in Friday's practice. However, a gearbox problem and a subsequent engine change had the Brazilian starting the grand prix from the very back of the grid.


Massa, however, drove a mature and strong race to finish in sixth place, while his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen claimed the victory from pole position.


"After the Australian GP, I was told that a lot of the media wrote I drove a very good race from the back of the grid to finish in the points in sixth place," Massa said.


"But while I agree that the race itself was good, I was not so happy with the outcome of the weekend, because of the circumstances that prevented me qualifying properly the previous day.


"But in the end I had a good Australian Grand Prix, a good race and that is encouraging for the next few rounds of the championship.


"There was no doubt that I was competitive in Melbourne from the first laps on track on Friday. Everything was set for me to get a great result."


The Ferrari driver also reckons he could have given his team-mate a good fight for the victory had he started from the front of the grid.


"If I had started from the front, it could definitely have been a very competitive race between me and Kimi, especially if I'd made two stops, starting on the right tyres and being in optimum conditions in every way," he said. "I am sure it would have been a very good race for me."


The Brazilian is now focusing his attention on the second race of the season, the Malaysian Grand Prix, where he hopes to claim his first victory of the year.


"I just have to think ahead," he added. "(There is) a fresh chance in the next race at Sepang and (I am) looking forward to being at the front."

Kimi have this experience fighting for the championship with world champions, Schumi. He knows how to handle pressure well, after years at McLaren, he has learned everything he needs to and is prepare to fight for championships.

Massa is still learning to be consistent, trying to win as many races as possible. and most importantly, he hasn't been in the position to really fight for a championship before thus lack the experience.

If Ferrari were to fight for the driver's title, Kimi is their only hope against Alonso. If Kimi can't deliver, I don't think massa can either, he'll lose out to Alonso in terms of experience and other stuff such as keeping himself compose in harder times.

He will drive the test car at the MAlaysian GP
@pilotHans: They are arriving most likely on sunday

wow...he started from grid no 5? result 3rd ...  also set the fastest lap!! 

(eh? that race Alex Yoong finished at 7th?)

Any1 is going to BMW's Pit Lane Park ???

Cocaine has been found at one of the hotels used by Formula One drivers for the recent Australian Grand Prix.

The country's national broadcaster ABC said organisers for the event, as well as organisers of the World Swimming Championships that was also held recently in Melbourne, had been informed of the discovery at the Parkview Hotel.

The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) had tested bags that were found at the hotel last Tuesday.

F1's governing body, the FIA, took a tough stance on cocaine use earlier this year when GT 

driver Luca Moro was suspended for two years after failing a urine test. 


The last single seater driver sanctioned by the FIA, meanwhile, was Tomas Enge in 2002. He had his F3000 title stripped after testing positive for cannabis.

E.A.
Source GMM

what the drug for in F1 ??

whoa... that's some shocking news. i hope it's not kimi partying until gila and left some evidence behind

Maybe it has nothing to do with F1 at all?
The drugs were found at the place they stayed, which means, nothing. There are other ppl that went there to get a room other than the F1 fraternity

Maybe it has nothing to do with F1 at all?
The drugs were found at the place they stayed, which means, nothing. There are other ppl that went there to get a room other than the F1 fraternity

Bridgestone under pressure for not having effective means of distinguishing the two rubber compounds in use at each race.
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=38779
To me its not an big issue

But personally I prefer Michelin