//:: __ :://: //:: My God! It's so ugly! "2009 F1 Preparations"

Today is the first testing day for all the teams in formula 1 in preparation for the up coming 2009 season. Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, is the venue where teams will be testing their 2009 spec cars. Teams will be testing their interim cars with the new aero package, the KERS system, and the comeback of the sticky slick tires. Now! I know people have been waiting for this day. For them also to see how the new rules will shape the cars looks. Forget the KERS for now, coz we can't really see it. Let's look at how the rules shapes it up ... so first "noticeably" it's the much lower and much wider front wing and the much taller and much narrower rear wing of the car. As you will see here below, the BMW Sauber first outing with their test mule ....

My God! It's soooo ugly! Now I'm not saying this because this is not really my team. But this is to show you a closer idea to what the 2009 cars will look like. Now I know the front wings will be more fluid and we will see lots more changes in the fluidity and the angles of those wings at the start of the season. It will also have some sort of mechanism on it to change the angle of the wing via the steering wheel controls. But oh my! Would you just look at it! The good side about this new aero rules in formula 1 is. It's gonna lose all the winglets, meaning there will be less drag and so it will be much faster in the straights. Because it will lose downforce for loosing the wings, it will be slower in the corners. But! With the comeback of the slick tires drivers can still me aggressive in the corners thanks to added mechanical grip from those sticky sticky slick tires.

The other teams have not yet used their interim car. They are still using the 2008 aero package and probably just testing their KERS system. Which is a lesser obviously development for the eyes of everyone. Some of the teams are also testing to evaluate drivers for the 2009 season.

Honda, Williams, Red Bull, Force Inda, Renault, Mclaren and Ferrari also fielded the circuit to test and evaluate tires, the KERS and their drivers for the coming season. 5 time World-Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb is testing for Red Bull as a price for his success' in WRC. The Italian Valentino Rossi, MotoGP great who they call "The Dr." will also be testing for the Italian team for the 2nd time!

Pictures from the 1st day of testing at Circuit de Catalunya

Ferrari's test driver Luca Badoer testing slicks