I have been hooked onto Formula-1 racing since last 8 years. What initially started off as a 'Oh what the heck, nothing better to watch on TV, let me see what F1 is all about' has now developed into a complete passion. Last Season has been fantastic and current one is proving even better!
Initially my one and only favorite driver used to be Schumi. Then it was Kimi when he joined Ferrari and ofcourse won the Drivers Championship. Last year changed lot of that. Saw lot of character from lot of drivers and suddenly found that its not just one driver I was rooting for but for the intense competition amongst 5-6 of the best of the best. Alonso, Sebastian, Mark Webber, Jenson and all-so-unanimously hated Lewis Hamiton. Lewis is a fanstastic driver by the way. I have not seen a more aggresive driver on the track than him in last few years. He is the new 'rain-master' and one of the fastest guys out on track. Only thing that pulls him down is over-aggression, lack of respect for other drivers and trying to always project himself as a super-star.
To an outsider it may appear 'what is the fun in watching cars go around the track for 1.5 hrs'. The thing that attracts me most is that Formula 1 is technologically the most advanced sport on earth... nothing even comes close. Driver plays very important part however the amount of team-work thats involved is just amazing to see. It needs about 22 guys working all to perfection to switch tyres and do quick fix on a car under 4 seconds when the car pulls in for pit-stop. There are a 1000 sensors on the car relaying information back to Engineers who monitor every bit of it from tyre pressure, tyre temparature, condition of brakes, fuel load etc. On board, the steering wheel is nothing short of amazing. It allows the driver to adjust braking between front and rear tyres, fuel-air mixture, amount of engine oil, 7-speed gear shift, radio communication, adjusting angle of front and rear-wings.
BTW, a Formula 1 Car operates pretty much on same principle as that of an aeroplane except that everything is applied in reverse. So while the wings of an aeroplane are designed to create lot pressure on the top, the wings of formula 1 create low-pressure under as a result the air above pushes the car down (also called as Aerodynamic Down-force) and provides stability to the car as it negotiate corners at high-speeds. The down-force prevents the car from sliding and makes it kissing the ground.
This season they brought a new rule called DRS (Drag Reduction System) and brought back KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). DRS allows the driver to open the rear-wing in certain segment of racing track (always the longest straight patch). On straights, the car can do with less downforce and when the wing is opened, it reduces aerodynamic drag allowing the car to go faster. When can it be used? This rule has been introduced to increase overtaking oppurtunities during the race. DRS can be used by trailing car when it is under 1 second of the car in front. KERS is another great tool available to drivers. Whenever the drivers apply brakes, the kinetic energy is converted into electrical and available to driver as 90BHP boost at the touch of a button. So typically when the car behind is under 1 second and the driver is entering DRS Zone, he uses KERS to get additonal power to speed ahead and prevent an overtake.
I can go on and on about Formula 1 but I guess this should be good enough intro and hopefully wouldn entice interest in anyone reading this blog :)
For the current season, I have put my dollar on Sebastian.