Mumbai’s Favourite Playlist

On the 23rd of October, 2009, Hindustan Times, in it’s special supplement, HT café gave, an article listing “Mumbai’s Favourite Playlist” giving a line up of top 100 English tracks that have been playing in the city (and perhaps in India’s other metropolises too). I don’t know how far would one agree with this list but the list had some of the all time great English Songs ever, agreed.

Here is the line up: (according to htcafé 23rd October, 2009)

Summer Of ‘69 – Bryan Adams

Hotel California – Eagles

November Rain / Sweet Child Of Mine – Guns ‘N’ Roses

Winds Of Change – Scorpions

Zombie – Cranberries

Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd

Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton

YMCA – The Village People

Roadhouse Blues – The Doors

American Pie – Don McLean

That Thing You Do – Fountains Of Wayne

Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

It’s My Life – Bon Jovi

Loosing My Religion – REM

We Will Rock You – Queen

We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel

Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd

Every Breathe You Take – The Police

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Rolling Stones

Nothing Else Matters – Metallica

La Bamba – Los Lobos

Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor

Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen

Pretty Women – Roy Orbison

I Want To Break Free – Queen

Billie Jean – Michael Jackson

More Than Words – Extreme

Staying Alive – Bee Gees

Sacrifice – Elton John

Beat It – Michael Jackson

Sultana Of Swing – Dire Straits

Don’t Speak – No Doubt

Everybody Hearts – REM

We Are The Champions – Queen

Hard Day’s Night – The Beatles

Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Thriller – Michael Jackson

La Bamba – Ritchie Valens

Paradise (Original title: “Another Day In Paradise”) – Phil Collins

With Or Without You – U2

What’s Going On – For Non-Blondes

Cecilia – Simon And Garfunkel

Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin

River Of Dreams – Billy Joel

You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate

Jeremy – Perl Jam

Sweet Dreams – Eurhythmics

Mama I’m Coming Home – Ozzie Osbourne

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynrd

La Isla Bonita – Modonna

I Feel Good – James Brown

What If God Was One Of Us – Joan Osbourne

I Will Do Anything For Love – Meatloaf

Simply The Best – Tina Turner

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cindy Lauper

Walk Like An Egyptian – Bangles

Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

Leaving On a Jet Plane – John Denver

Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice

California Dreaming – Mamas And Papas

Proud Mary – CCR

What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

Right Here Waiting For You – Richard Marx

D.I.S.C.O. – Ottawan

Lady In Red – Chris De Burgh

Riders On The Storm – The Doors

Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley

Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye

Imagine – John Lennon

Where The Streets Have No Name – U2

Take It Easy – Eagles

I Want It That Away – Backstreet Boys

Bittersweet Symphony – Verve

Living On The Edge – Aerosmith

Lean On Me – Bill Withers

Wonderwall – Oasis

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

Iris – Goo Goo Dolls

Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas

Uptown Girl – Billie Joel

Highway To Hell – AC/DC

I Love Rock And Roll – Joan Jett

Like A Prayer – Madonna

Love Is All Around – The Troggs

Somebody To Love – Jefferson Airplane

Smooth Operator – Sade

Unchained Melody – Air Supply

Light My Fire – The Doors

Gimme Hope, Joanna – Eddy Grant

Black Or White – Michael Jackson

Mama Mia – ABBA

Red Red Wine – UB40

I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder

Always – Bon Jovi

Words – Boyzone

Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

Heaven – Bryan Adams

Gangsters Paradise – Coolio

This list has some of the most outstanding songs ever, surprised to find a lot of songs here that I thought were rare

On the 23rd of October, 2009, Hindustan Times, in it’s supplement, HT café gave, an article listing “Mumbai’s Favourite Playlist” giving a line up of top 100 English tracks that have been playing in the city (and perhaps in India’s other metropolises too). These are the top requested songs in Mumbai

Here is the line up: (according to htcafé 23rd October, 2009)

1. Summer Of ‘69 – Bryan Adams
2. Hotel California – Eagles
3. November Rain / Sweet Child Of Mine – Guns ‘N’ Roses
4. Winds Of Change – Scorpions
5. Zombie – Cranberries
6. Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd
7. Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
8. YMCA – The Village People
9. Roadhouse Blues – The Doors
10. American Pie – Don McLean
11. That Thing You Do – Fountains Of Wayne
12. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
13. Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple
14. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
15. It’s My Life – Bon Jovi
16. Loosing My Religion – REM
17. We Will Rock You – Queen
18. We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel
19. Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd
20. Every Breathe You Take – The Police
21. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Rolling Stones
22. Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
23. La Bamba – Los Lobos
24. Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
25. Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen
26. Pretty Women – Roy Orbison
27. I Want To Break Free – Queen
28. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
29. More Than Words – Extreme
30. Staying Alive – Bee Gees
31. Sacrifice – Elton John
32. Beat It – Michael Jackson
33. Sultana Of Swing – Dire Straits
34. Don’t Speak – No Doubt
35. Everybody Hearts – REM
36. We Are The Champions – Queen
37. Hard Day’s Night – The Beatles
38. Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
39. Thriller – Michael Jackson
40. La Bamba – Ritchie Valens
41. Paradise (Original title: “Another Day In Paradise”) – Phil Collins
42. With Or Without You – U2
43. What’s Going On – For Non-Blondes
44. Cecilia – Simon And Garfunkel
45. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin
46. River Of Dreams – Billy Joel
47. You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
48. Jeremy – Perl Jam
49. Sweet Dreams – Eurhythmics
50. Mama I’m Coming Home – Ozzie Osbourne
51. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynrd
52. La Isla Bonita – Modonna
53. I Feel Good – James Brown
54. What If God Was One Of Us – Joan Osbourne
55. I Will Do Anything For Love – Meatloaf
56. Simply The Best – Tina Turner
57. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cindy Lauper
58. Walk Like An Egyptian – Bangles
59. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
60. Leaving On a Jet Plane – John Denver
61. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
62. California Dreaming – Mamas And Papas
63. Proud Mary – CCR
64. What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
65. Right Here Waiting For You – Richard Marx
66. D.I.S.C.O. – Ottawan
67. Lady In Red – Chris De Burgh
68. Riders On The Storm – The Doors
69. Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley
70. Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
71. Imagine – John Lennon
72. Where The Streets Have No Name – U2
73. Take It Easy – Eagles
74. I Want It That Away – Backstreet Boys
75. Bittersweet Symphony – Verve
76. Living On The Edge – Aerosmith
77. Lean On Me – Bill Withers
78. Wonderwall – Oasis
79. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
80. Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
81. Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas
82. Uptown Girl – Billie Joel
83. Highway To Hell – AC/DC
84. I Love Rock And Roll – Joan Jett
85. Like A Prayer – Madonna
86. Love Is All Around – The Troggs
87. Somebody To Love – Jefferson Airplane
88. Smooth Operator – Sade
89. Unchained Melody – Air Supply
90. Light My Fire – The Doors
91. Gimme Hope, Joanna – Eddy Grant
92. Black Or White – Michael Jackson
93. Mama Mia – ABBA
94. Red Red Wine – UB40
95. I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder
96. Always – Bon Jovi
97. Words – Boyzone
98. Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers
99. Heaven – Bryan Adams
100. Gangsters Paradise – Coolio

This list has some of the most outstanding songs ever, surprised to find a lot of songs here that I thought were rare

Its time to be Good :)

Yesterday, some of my friends on Twitter started a unique campaign to lighten up Diwali – the festival of lights. Every tweet with the hashcode #DeepWish would contribute a certain amount from those who wish to join in to a charity called Goonj that works for educating the girl child.

What started as Rs. 0.25/- per tweet grew to Rs. 51/- per tweet and growing. This initiative started by @anaggh quickly caught up with the Twitterati and there have been over 380 tweets wishing Happy Diwali #DeepWish

Here is a list of Twitterati who contributed towards this noble cause. (Updated)

• @anaggh Rs 1.00
• @aneebunee Rs 1.00
• @atulkarmarkar Rs 2.50
• @Ankit_A Rs 1.00
• @akisaxena Rs 3.00
• @chiefsanjay Rs 1.00
• @b50 Rs 1.00
• @deepakshenoy Rs 2.00
• @dhempe Rs 1.00
• @fartfree Rs 1.00
• @gagrin Rs 1.00
• @gkjohn Rs 1.00
• @gopinathmm Rs 1.00
• @hp_livelife Rs 2.00
• @iamshishir Rs 2.00
• @krist0ph3r Rs 1.00
• @knayam Rs 0.50
• @limeIce Rs 3.00
• @mloclam Rs 1.00
• @mihirlakhani Rs 0.50
• @nichetechie Rs 1.50
• @nihang Rs 2.00
• @pramodscom Rs 3.00
• @PreetChandhoke Rs 5.00
• @prolificd Rs 1.25
• @prashantsolanki Rs 0.50
• @rak35h Rs 3.00
• @realin Rs 1.00
• @s4sukhdeep Rs 0.50
• @shamz911 Rs 3.00
• @shayonpal Rs 3.00
• @simple_sy Rs 1.00
• @sizzler_chetan Rs 1.00
• @sudhiru Rs 1.00
• @sumagambs Rs 1.00
• @trakin Rs 1.00
• @thinkerwrites Rs 1.00
• @unitechy Rs 0.50
• @virajj Rs 3.00
• @v_shakthi Rs 1.00
• @wlsuch Rs 1.00
• @yashesh Rs 1.00

TOTAL Rs. 63.75/-

You wish to contribute too, please send an email to me and I will get things done.

Thank you and wish you a very Happy Diwali

Read more on #DeepWish

• http://www.anaggh.com/2009/10/17/diwali-putting-money-where-your-mouth-is.html
• http://bombaydiaries.bombayaddict.com/2009/10/deepwish-tweets.html
• http://www.atulkarmarkar.com/deepwish-diwali-wishes-from-twitter-to-goonj/
• http://www.prolificdyslexic.com/blog/?p=476
• http://www.chetanbhawani.com/2009/10/deepwish/
• http://www.twmonline.net/2009/10/trying-to-make-difference-this-diwali.html

UPDATE:

And we’re done. #DeepWish is closed. 42 people, 476 tweets x Rs 63.75/tweet = Rs 30, 345. !! Plus some beautiful people who gave some lump some of Rs. 23, 072. The Total Rs. 53, 417/-

To Tweet, or Not to Tweet

I am on Twitter as @mloclam and here is a small poem that I found online to talk about twitter

To tweet, or not to tweet: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous gossip,
Or to take arms against a sea of bloggers,
And by opposing end them? To unplug: to sleep thy computer;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural tweets
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To unplug, to sleep thy computer;
To sleep: perchance to interface: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of thy computer what interfacing may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal voicemail,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long half-life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time-outs,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spams
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his blog make
With a barebones server? who would post bear,
To grunt and tweet under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after twitter,
The undiscover’d website from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have followed
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of multiple entries,
And enterprises of great pitch and postings
With this regard their followers turn awry,
And lose the need of twitter…

Revisiting: 10 things to do before I turn 30

Last year I wrote about 10 things to do before I turn 30, so here I am re-visiting it again.

Here are the 10 thigns again and my comments below in italics

1. Work for myself

Still far far away from this, wonder when I’ll get close

2. Drive a car

Learnt to ride a two-wheeler, I have a Learning License and ready to be tested for a pukka license.

3. Learn French, Spanish, German

Thought of starting this and then left in between, lack of dedicated time..

4. Get lost in a country where I don’t speak the language (a real wild one )

Wild one, not sure if this will see light.

5. Do a Parachute jump from a plane

Same here, wild one.. hehe

6. Make a bet I couldn’t afford to lose

Looking for some one to bet, anyone interested?

7. Get in the habit of excersising. Every Single Day.

Started gymming, but couldn’t continue, laziness and wordload creeping in.

8. See the world

Yeah, gonna do this some day

9. Learn to play a musical instrument with some expertise

Waiting in the wings…

10. Get Married

In about 2-3 years from now

Let me know if you can play a part in helping me getting these things done

Problems Galore!!

Some of the major problems that India faces

1. Over-Population
2. Water shortage in most parts of the country
3. The standard of education in government schools
4. High cost of real estate in urban india
5. A ’slow’ and ‘overburdened’ legal system
6. Bad (pot holed) Roads
7. The absence of a pan indian attitude to Hindi
8. Communalism and divisive politics
9. Low wages/rewards to the army
10. Unemployability of youth
11. Lack of jobs which pay decent wages.
12. High cost / unavailability of electricity
13. Farmer suicides & debt
14. Inability to produce Olympic calibre sportsmen
15. Border disputes with China and Pakistan
16. Terrorists (internal)
17. Terrorists (external)
18. A poorly equipped police force
19. Corruption in government
20. Poor pay for nurses, teachers, police, armed forces
21. Lack of healthcare in rural india
22. Noise pollution in cities
23. Environmental pollution
24. Open sewage drains
25. Open garbage bins
26. Slums (not slum dwellers)
27. Apathy in public service bodies, like the passport office, ration shop, government hospitals, rtos, electricity office, water supply board, city development authorities.
28. Domestic violence, child labour, single woman, safety of ladies, economic issues of elderly people, corruption in municipal corporation…

Can we try to tackle these problems and emerge as a better India?

Contact

This is fun game that I have been playing with my colleagues while coming back home from work and it’s called “contact”. Here is how it goes.

Name of the Game: Contact

Number of Participants: More than 3

Type of Game: Anywhere you like

Game Play: So we got three players, lets name them A, B and C. A thinks of a word in his mind and B and C have to guess the word one letter at a time by giving clues to stump A, but C should be able to guess / “contact” the word. B and C start the countdown to the word. In the meanwhile, A tries to guess the new word. Once the countdown is complete and A cannot guess the new word, he has to spell out the second alphabet of the original word he had thought. And then the same cycle continues.

Example: A chooses a target word of “elephant” and announces to the players the first letter is “e” B mentally guesses the target word to be “eskimo,” and asks “I live in an igloo?”  A correctly respond to the guess by saying “It’s not an eskimo” Play continues with the next player making a guess. Or A incorrectly responds to the guess by saying something like “It’s not an elephant” (or any word beginning with “e” that is not eskimo) or fails to respond. If B and C successfully make contact, ie, successfully guess the word “eskimo” correctly after the countdown, A reveals the second letter of the target word to be “l”. Play continues with players making guesses using words that begin with “el”

Gear up for Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation

So 53 villages along with four municipal councils of Vasai, Navghar-Manickpur, Virar and Nallasopara from the Vasai-Virar subsection are all set to be merged as a Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC).

Here is the notification: http://maharashtra.gov.in/data/gr/marathi/2009/07/03/20090707181255001.pdf

Formed nearly three years after it issued a notification announcing its intent to form such a civic body, the VVMC is the 23rd municipal corporation in Maharashtra.

Kishor Barde has been appointed as the first Municipal Commissioner of the VVMC. The VVMC is expected to be headquartered at Virar.

The state had issued a notification on July 3, 2009 that the municipal councils of Nallasopara, Virar, Navghar-Manickpur and Vasai along with 53 adjoining villages would be merged to create the new municipal corporation of Vasai-Virar.

Forty-nine of the 53 village panchayats that have unanimously objected to the merger, have now launched an agitation for their villages to be left alone. Regional leaders of Vasai-Virar cutting across all party lines have joined the campaign to save the villages, last remaining green belts of the Vasai, from urbanisation that is eminent after being merged into the municipal corporation.

Not So Secret Ballot After All

Chaos reigned when I told the polling officer that I want to vote for no one in the list of the candidates listed. She simply said that I could not do like that. I told her that there is a provision provided to do just that and its Section 49-O. She asked the Booth in-charge for help, but the Booth in-charge too did not have a clue on what this section was. This chaos went on for almost 10 minutes on the correct process to handle situations like this. Finally the representative from the Election Commission was summoned and he calmly asked the Booth in-charge to get my signature on  the sheet and add in that I am not voting for the candidates that are listed in there and then himself sign the sheet.

With this drama happening in the polling booth, almost all of the people who stood behind me to cast their votes came to know about my choice, which is not the ideal scenario for something that’s known as a ‘Secret Ballot’

I feel that the best possible way to get out of such situations is for the Election Commission to introduce a button on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) saying ‘None Of The Above’ . This will maintain the feature of ‘Secret Ballot’ and yet get to exercise the option of not voting for any of the candidates listed in the sheets.

Get Out and Vote!

Voting is a right which has been given by our Constitution and is very crucial for existence of a democratic set up. Unfortunately, half of the country’s population does not participate in this process. This is really a very sad approach on the part of the citizens. In some countries people are literally dying to be able to cast a ballot and make a difference. So my request to all of the concerned citizens to vote in the upcoming elections at any cost.

There are several other reasons to vote:

• You should believe that every single vote counts. Governments have fallen and candidates have lost by one vote. So dont’t feel that your vote does not matters.
• By voting you get the choice to choose the leaders. You decide whom do you want to lead.
• Through voting you can express your opinion. Many of us want to convey what we feel about particular policy or how things should be. Voting is the best way to do that.
• By voting you ensure that the candidate is made accountable to the public.
• Voting is your national duty. If you vote then it shows that you are respecting the constitution of India.
• If you get out to vote on election day, you can set right example for people around you. Let everyone know that you care enough about your homeland.
• If you don’t vote you really have no right to complain about government decisions/policies you don’t like.
• If you feel that each candidate is worst/corrupt/not eligible for vote. Go ahead and make use of 49-o and say “I Vote Nobody”. Else select best from worst.
• The entire election process is based on ceratin arithemetics/calculations. After all it is just a number game. But if the voting percentage increases then let me tell you that only deserving candidates will be elected. It is only when we fail to vote, wrong people are elected.

This time around there are maximum number of young voters. Our past generation might not have voted but this generation needs to change the few things. A democracy is of no use when the government is of the people, for the people but not by the people.

There are few important topics looming over India which will decide our future. And the result of these policies will be inherited by the coming generation. The economic reforms, getting more digitalized, global warming, environment, fuel consumption, infrastructure, security, national integrity etc. It is very easy to be unconcerned about your right to vote and take a “whatever, who cares” kind of attitude about it. If you don’t vote, you effectively blow away your ability to have any influence as to how these issues should be sorted or how these issues will play out in future.

You will have to decide what you want to give to your coming generation. If you are taking voting for granted then just check out internet to find how many people have fought/died to get this weapon in several other countries.

Remember, People who don’t participate in political and democratic process are punished to be governed by the dumb.

You will have to vote this time. It is your right, responsibility and a weapon which you are being given. Now, Go out and Vote!!

F1 – 2009

Well what do you know, the 2009 F1 season is just three days away, thought that I should get myself up to date with what’s happening in the world of F1

First up the Season Calander

Round    Date                                    Event                                         Circuit

1.   27-29 March 2009       Australian Grand Prix            Albert Park, Mebourne
2.  3-5 April 2009             Malaysian Grand Prix             Sepang International Circuit
3. 17-19 April 2009         Chinese Grand Prix                 Shanghai International Circuit
4. 24-26 April 2009         Bahrain Grand Prix                 Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
5. 8-10 May 2009            Spanish Grand Prix Montmelo, Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
6. 21-24 May 2009          Monaco Grand Prix                Monte-Carlo
7.  5-7 June 2009              Turkish Grand Prix                 Istanbul Park
8. 19-21 June 2009          British Grand Prix                   Silverstone
9. 10-12 July 2009          German Grand Prix                 Nürburgring
10. 24-26 July 2009          Hungarian Grand                    Prix Hungaroring
11. 21-23 August 2009     European Grand Prix              Valencia Street Circuit
12. 28-30 August 2009     Belgian Grand Prix                 Spa-Francorchamps
13. 11-13 September 2009 Italian Grand Prix                  Autodromo Nazionale Monza
14. 25-27 September 2009 Singapore Grand Prix            Singapore Street Circuit (night race)
15. 2-4 October 2009        Japanese Grand Prix               Suzuka
16. 16-18 October 2009    Brazilian Grand Prix               Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Sao Paulo
17. 30 October – 1 November 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Island

Then we have the teams and the drivers

McLaren-Mercedes

Race drivers
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Heikki Kovalainen
Test drivers
Pedro de la Rosa
Gary Paffett

Scuderia Ferrari

Race drivers
3. Felipe Massa
4. Kimi Raikkonen
Test drivers
Luca Badoer
Marc Gené

BMW Sauber F1 Team

Race drivers
5. Robert Kubica
6. Nick Heidfeld
Test drivers
Christian Klien 

Renault F1 Team

Race drivers
7. Fernando Alonso
8. Nelson Piquet Jnr.
Test drivers
Romain Grosjean

Toyota Racing

Race drivers
9. Jarno Trulli
10. Timo Glock
Test drivers
Kamui Kobayashi

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Race drivers
11. Sebastien Bourdais
12. Sebastien Buemi
Test drivers
Brendon Hartley

Red Bull Racing

Race drivers
14. Mark Webber
15. Sebastian Vettel
Test drivers
Brendon Hartley

Williams

Race drivers
16. Nico Rosberg
17. Kazuki Nakajima
Test drivers
Nico Hülkenberg

Force India F1 Team

Race drivers
18. Adrian Sutil
19. Giancarlo Fisichella
Test drivers
Vitantonio Liuzzi

Brawn GP

Race drivers
20. Jenson Button
21. Rubens Barrichello
Test drivers
TBC

Rules, rules and more rules 

Sporting

Drivers can only use eight engines during the (17-race) season. If they have to use a ninth engine they will have a ten-pace grid penalty at the first race where they use it, and further similar penalties will follow if additional engines are used.

The pit lane speed limit in qualifying and the race has been raised from 80kph (49.7mph) to 100kph (62.1mph).

All teams must declare the starting weights of their cars within two hours of qualifying finishing.

If a race starts behind the safety car, drivers must start the race on wet weather tyres.

The rules on what a team can do to a car which is starting the race from the pit lane have been changed – teams can now make changes to “improve driver comfort” and the driver may do a reconnaissance lap.

The rule preventing drivers from being able to pit during a safety car until permitted to do so has been scrapped.

The FIA will now appoint three stewards per race (instead of two), one of which will not have a vote. It may also appoint an advisor as it did in 2008 (Alan Donnelly).

The teams cannot do more than 15,000km of testing and may not test between the first race of the season and the last day of the year. There are two major exceptions: teams can do up to eight days of straight-line aerodynamics testing, and after the last race of the season they have three days in which they may test young drivers.

NB. Distribution of points remains the same as in 2008 (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1) despite the FIA’s recent attempt to introduce a system where the driver with the most wins would become world champion.

Technical

Grooved tyres have been replaced by slicks. The tyres known as ’standard wets’ last year are now called ‘intermediates’ and ‘extreme wets’ are called ‘wets’. At each race the softer of the two dry compounds available and the wet weather tyres will be marked with green rings.

Teams may use Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) but it is not compulsory and they may run KERS and non-KERS cars at different races. KERS may give them a power boost of up to 400 kilojoules per lap which roughly equals 82bhp for 6.6 seconds, though the power could be used in different ways. If a driver abandons their cars its KERS must be switched off. KERS may be charged before the start of the race.

Engines may not exceed 18,000rpm (reduced from 19,000).

The cars’ front wings may be adjusted while the car is moving a maximum of twice per lap by a maximum of six degrees.

There are new restrictions on the aerodynamic shape of the cars: front wings may now be wider, rear wings are narrower and taller, and many of the winglets and flip-ups that used to be on the cars have been banned. Diffusers are more tightly limited in size and shape.

The cars must now have four onboard camera housings instead of two, so hopefully we should see more interested TV pictures this year!