1302 replies to this topic

[DrDickAction]

:sad:

The red actually kind of hid how ugly the wings were. The white just highlights it.

[_R_]

what is going on around that front suspension area paint wise?
weird reflections or some weird botchy camo motif?

[Nacho]

Fred driving for promotional event at Paul Ricard


lets all cross our fingers that livery looks nothing like that for the new car

That doesn't look like an 08 Spec car. ...

[DrDickAction]

That doesn't look like an 08 Spec car. ...

F60...fred was driving the f60 for a commercial shoot. Masser is getting the f2008 in a test.

[Nacho]

F60...fred was driving the f60 for a commercial shoot. Masser is getting the f2008 in a test.

I thought that all the current drivers were banned from driving the 09 cars.

Oh, and Autosport is saying that is the 2010 livery for Ferrari.

Alonso tests '09 Ferrari with new livery

Fernando Alonso drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time when he took part in the shooting of a commercial that revealed the Italian's squad new colours for the 2010 season.

Alonso took to the Paul Ricard circuit in last year's F60 car, but the car sported a new livery with the Santander branding very visible on both the front and the rear wings, as well as on the car's mirrors.

The Spanish banking giant signed a five-year deal with the Maranello-based squad last year, coinciding with Alonso's arrival at the team to replace Kimi Raikkonen.

The short run at the French circuit was Alonso's first with his new team before the two-time champion begins proper work with the 2010 car at Valencia next month.

Ferrari's new challenger will be officially unveiled on 28 January.

[_R_]

I thought that all the current drivers were banned from driving the 09 cars.

if i remember correctly, for promotional stuff it's okay... like doing those demos in the streets of XXXXXX city, and doing photo/video shoots. i think they have to use "demo" tires as well

[DrDickAction]

if i remember correctly, for promotional stuff it's okay... like doing those demos in the streets of XXXXXX city, and doing photo/video shoots. i think they have to use "demo" tires as well

this.

[vietlol]

The McLaren Mercedes F1 Team has signed John Iley as its new head of aerodynamics. Iley left the Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari during the 2009 season and had the same position at the Maranello-based outfit. He has been replaced by Marco de Luca at the red team.

[Nacho]

if i remember correctly, for promotional stuff it's okay... like doing those demos in the streets of XXXXXX city, and doing photo/video shoots. i think they have to use "demo" tires as well

Hrm. I suppose that makes sense.

Although it seems like all the current drivers have been in GP2 or old cars lately for their testing. Ferrari, especially, could just claim 'PR" and run their cars all day. :x

[vietlol]

It wasnt actually a test and they have to use demo tyres. Afaik they arent even allowed to run up the mileage too much on these 'tests'.

[Shi]

Schumacher confirmed for switching to #3

oh yeah

[_R_]

Five problems F1 designers face in 2010
22 January 2010 by Keith Collantine

F1 cars will weigh almost 100kg more at the start of a race this year compared to last.

That presents a host of challenges to F1 designers such as brake wear, ride height, weight distribution and tyre wear. Any team which doesn’t get a grip of the problems will find themselves playing catch-up like McLaren did in 2009.

We’ll find out what their solutions are when the 2010 F1 car launches start next week. How might they try to solve them?

The starting point for most of the challenges facing F1 designers this year is the banning of refuelling. Instead of having cars weighing up to 660-700kg at the start of a race and 605kg at the end, that variation will be more like 800kg to 620kg.

That has major repercussions for the design of the cars in several key areas:

Brakes
Brakes will take an even greater pounding in 2010 as drivers will have to brake harder and longer in their fuel-heavy cars. And designers will have to get it right straight from the off as the first race of the season is at Bahrain, one of the toughest tracks for brake wear.

F1’s most notorious brake-buster – the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal – will be back later in 2010. And teams will return to Abu Dhabi where higher than expected brake wear caused problems for McLaren and Red Bull in 2009.

And they’ve got to cope with all that using brakes which are the same size as those they had last year:

11.3.2 All discs must have a maximum thickness of 28mm and a maximum outside diameter of 278mm.
FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations 2010

In the second half of last season – particularly after the Surtees and Massa accidents – we saw the stewards crack down on teams to prevent them from running cars that were damaged or dangerous. We saw this in their reaction to Fernando Alonso losing a wheel during the Hungarian Grand Prix, and BMW being ordered to replace Robert Kubica’s damaged front wing at Monza.

When Mark Webber crashed with brake failure at Singapore, it was shortly after the team had warned him on the radio that he had a brake problem and should return to the pits. Teams who do not take that precaution next year are likely to face the wrath of the stewards.

Ride heights
Teams will have to watch their plank wear at bumpy tracks

Heavy fuel weights at the start of a race present another problem for designers. For optimum performance the cars need to run as low to the ground as possible. But as the fuel weight decreases the cars will ride higher because there will be less mass pushing down on their suspension springs.

In the last two seasons when refuelling was not allowed in F1 – 1992 and 1993 – many teams solved this problem using active suspension technology, which could be programmed to compensate for the ever-decreasingly fuel load by gradually reducing the ride height.

But two clauses in the 2010 rules prevent those kind of systems from being used:

10.2.2 Any powered device which is capable of altering the configuration or affecting the performance of any part of the suspension system is forbidden.
10.2.3 No adjustment may be made to the suspension system while the car is in motion.
FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations 2010

The regulations appear not to rule out teams designing mechanical systems to adjust ride height during pit stops, but that may prove too complicated and time-consuming to achieve.

As has been the case since 1994, teams which run their cars too low are at risk of wearing down their skid blocks (also known as ‘planks’). This year will be the first season they’ve had to keep their plank wear in check while refuelling has not been allowed.

If you see pictures of cars in the pits without their nose cones on you may spot laser ride height sensors being used by the teams to check their compliance with the rules – especially during the forthcoming pre-season tests.


Fuel consumption
The Cosworth CA2010 engines Williams and four other teams will use

With refuelling banned the teams now have to fit an entire race-worth of fuel into their car. As Dominic Harlow of Force India explained recently, they begin by looking at the track which is the most demanding in terms of fuel consumption.

A rough calculation using Williams’ fuel consumption figures from last year suggests that will be the Singapore Grand Prix – 61 laps each using 2.533kg of fuel needing 154.5kg of fuel. But the real picture is more complicated than that.

To begin with, that figure of 2.533kg per lap will increase in 2010 because the minimum weight of the cars has gone up by 15kg to 620kg. Also, the cars will consume fuel at a faster rate at the beginning of the race due to the extra weight of fuel on board. That means they will need even more fuel in the tank to begin with.

Then we have to factor in the varying fuel consumption rates of different engines. Williams used the comparatively thirsty Toyota engine last year – this year they will have Cosworth engines whose performance is an unknown quantity. The FW32 is the first Cosworth-powered car we’ll get a look at, and the size of its back end compared to its rivals could give us an indication of how thirsty Cosworth’s CA2010 is.

The other engine users face the challenge of adapting their engines as to achieve better fuel economy within the strict engine freeze rules. This is a particular challenge for Mercedes and Ferrari, whose fuel consumption in 2009 was much higher than the likes of Renault (see this post on Gavin’s blog for more).


Weight distribution
The reduction in front tyre width combined with the enlargement of the fuel tanks means some tough calls have to be made on weight distribution.

Front tyres will be 25mm narrower in 2010 compared to last year. So while in 2009 designers aimed to move weight distribution forward, this year they’re likely to try to move it rearward.

This may also lead to a reversal in the trend towards shorter wheelbases we saw last year.

Bridgestone will be supplying more durable tyres in 2010 to cope with the increased wear.


Rear packaging
Red Bull had the quickest car at the end of 2009

One of the biggest technical stories of 2009 was the controversial double diffusers. Teams will be able to run them again in 2010 – but are looking to ban them in 2011.

They offer such a valuable increase in downforce it’s unlikely any teams will race without them this year. But the air flow around the rear of the car will be compromised by the enlarged fuel tanks which will require the radiators to be re-positioned and enlarged. Ferrari have already confirmed they will integrate the oil tank for their car within the gearbox case to give more room for the fuel tank.

Last year the Red Bull RB5 had low, tightly-sculpted side pods and pull road rear suspension. It will be harder to pull off that arrangement while meeting the demands imposed by the diffuser and the larger fuel tank. But if any designer is likely to spring a surprise it’s Adrian Newey. The team have already admitted the RB6 will not appear at the first test while it fine-tunes what could be the most radical design on the pit lane.

One other potentially significant change here is that no team will be running KERS. McLaren and Ferrari potentially have more to gain in this area compared to their 2009 designs which still had KERS installations at the end of last season.

interesting ready, i thought about some of those problems, but others just didn't even come to mind at all...

[Nacho]

US F1 set to announce Lopez

By Matt Beer Saturday, January 23rd 2010, 09:35 GMT

Team US F1 is set to announce Jose Maria Lopez as its first driver for its maiden Formula 1 campaign at a press event in Argentina on Monday.

Lopez, a former Renault test driver, revealed several months ago that he had secured a US F1 seat provided he found the necessary funding. The 26-year-old's spokesman Miguel Mattos confirmed to Reuters that the deal was now complete.

"Everything has been agreed and the official announcement will be made on Monday," Mattos told the news agency.

AUTOSPORT understands that grand prix winner Carlos Reutemann, a close friend of US F1 boss Peter Windsor and now a leading politician in Argentina, has been instrumental in putting the funding package together for Lopez, who will receive a degree of government backing alongside other Argentinian sponsors.

Once part of Renault's driver development programme, Lopez raced in Formula 3000 and GP2 between 2004 and 2006, taking a victory for DAMS at Catalunya in 2005.

He subsequently returned to race in Argentina, and has just claimed back to back titles in the domestic TC2000 series as well as winning last year's TopRace V6 championship and finishing as runner-up in the Turismo Carretera series. Lopez also had a handful of races in Europe in 2008 as part of the ACA Argentina Ferrari project in the FIA GT Championship.

EPSN is guesing on the 2nd driver, saying

The identity of US F1's second driver is still unknown, although Briton James Rossiter has been linked to the position.

[vietlol]

a tin-top driver who hasnt raced single seaters since 2006, awesome choice

[Redliner]

USFail1

Good job for making your first season a total mockery.

[_R_]

Nick Heidfeld looks set to be a Mercedes reserve driver this season after failing to secure a race seat.

He had originally been in contention for a race drive at the team but was beaten to the post by Michael Schuamcher. Since then he has been exploring options elsewhere, but with Renault being the only viable option left for a non-paying driver, his manager has said he will settle for a test role at Mercedes.

"Nick wants to concentrate fully on his job as test driver and support the regular drivers with his experience," Heidfeld's manager Andre Theuerzeit told Auto Bild. "Nick had focused on having a [race] cockpit with the top teams, but their decisions were rather late. So we've gone for another opportunity."

Theuerzeit added that the contract wasn't yet finalised, but reports suggest an announcement will be made at the team's launch in Stuttgart on Monday.

well at least he's still in F1

[Shi]

wtf... Heidfeld's a much better driver than some of the guys on the grid

[DrDickAction]

well at least he's still in F1

wtf... Heidfeld's a much better driver than some of the guys on the grid

true and true

Well, if PDL can be dusted off, so can Nick. Still sad though

[Nacho]

well at least he's still in F1

TEAM GERMANY, ASSEMBLE!

[MrHahn]

TEAM GERMANY, ASSEMBLE!

Return of the blitzkrieg!

[Redliner]

I think that's pretty jacked up...the glam and beauty of F1 is cool sometimes and can add a new dimension to it all, but stories like this just makes me sad. A clear indication that money > talent in today's racing world

Poor Nick...

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/81048

Teams agree to points system tweak

By Jonathan Noble

Monday, January 25th 2010, 11:36 GMT

Formula 1 has edged closer to a further overhaul of its points structure for the 2010 season after teams approved a new system that will offer greater rewards for winning, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

Just more than one month after the old 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system was replaced with a MotoGP-type format (25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1), sources have revealed a meeting of F1 think tank the Sporting Working Group in London on Friday approved a further overhaul to reward more for race wins.

Rather than there being a five points different between first and second, teams agreed to expand that difference to seven points - with further tweaks to the points taking place lower down the order.

The new points structure approved by the SWG is: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.

The matter still needs to be approved by next month's meeting of the Formula 1 Commission before the FIA World Motor Sport Council can put it into the 2010 regulations, but this is likely to be a formality with teams already having voted in favour of the changes.

Although yet another change to the regulations is not ideal for F1, especially after such fanfare in December at the first amendment, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner is adamant that the sport should always be ready to put its hands up if it thinks things are wrong.

He also believed a greater points gap between first and second would provide greater motivation for drivers to fight harder for the win.

"I think you should never be afraid of change so long as it is a change for the better," he told AUTOSPORT ahead of the SWG meeting.

"And I think that what the points are trying to be designed to do are first of all - to generate a pecking order perhaps lower down in the top ten - so that with the points going down to 10th place there is reward for a top ten finish.

"But I think also one of the factors that Bernie is keen to look at is perhaps having a heavier weight between first, second and third, so there is more emphasis that rather than drivers cruising and collecting points, that they have to go for it.

"It is not because drivers don't want to take the risk, but if the points difference between a win and second is two points it is not the end of the world, whereas if it is a significant number then it adds motivation for the drivers to push each other very hard."

AUTOSPORT understands that the SWG also discussed the idea of awarding points for pole position or fastest lap, but neither of these concepts were agreed.

The SWG also talked at length about the possibility of introducing a rule that would force drivers to make two mandatory pit stops during a race, but this was not approved either. F1 drivers will therefore only need to make a single pit-stop in 2010 so as to ensure that they run on both types of tyres made available.

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

http://goodbye.toyot...om/goodbye.html

[_R_]

at least we're just having a points change instead of handing out medals
freaking xbox 360 achievements and shit

[Redliner]

http://goodbye.toyot...om/goodbye.html

Did anyone notice the picture in the top right?