The 2009 F1 New Cars Thread!

aidan_dunne

Okay, seeing as we've now had five teams officially unveil their new machines for the 2009 season, I thought I'd create a thread where we can discuss in one place the relative merits, good points and bad points of the new cars.

Best looking car (of an admitedly bad crop! ) so far for me is the Williams. I know what we've seen unveiled today is not the final livery but I can't understand why they'd want to change it before Melbourne, it looks fine to me as it is and compliments the shape of the car well. I just hope the final livery they use looks as good, if not better.

Next best looking car, the McLaren.

In 3rd place, it's a tie between the Ferrari and Toyota. I can't believe Ferrari, with all their sense of Italian style and who usually design things of beauty, seem to have gotten things sooooooo wrong this time around. The Toyota would have been placed ahead of the Ferrari for me here........ just! Except they went and spoilt it all by insisting on changing the initial design shown at last weeks launch by fitting one of those shark-fin/anvil engine covers during the test session at the Algarve track today. Which means that they'll probably be running it during the races this year as well. That brings them down level with Ferrari for me.

Worst looking car so far, without a shadow of a doubt, the Renault. Anvil engine cover....... minus points there straight away. Big, square, concrete-block looking nose....... more minus points. To add insult to injury, a livery that looks like it was designed by a four-year old with a packet of Crayolas. Horrible, horrible looking machine. Renault had better be hoping for their sakes this year that the old saying, "If it goes as good as it looks, then it's going to be a winner", proves to be completely false otherwise they're going to be right royally screwed! :rolleyes:

So, those are my opinions so far, what do the rest of you think on what we've seen so far?

vectra

aidan_dunne wrote: »

I can't believe Ferrari, with all their sense of Italian style and who usually design things of beauty, seem to have gotten things sooooooo wrong this time around. The

How in the name of good god can you sit there and say that Ferrari have got it sooooooo wrong when they havent tested properly yet??

Do you know something their engineers and design team are unaware of?? :rolleyes:

kaizersoze

vectra wrote: »

How in the name of good god can you sit there and say that Ferrari have got it sooooooo wrong when they havent tested properly yet??

Do you know something their engineers and design team are unaware of?? :rolleyes:

I presume he's talking about the looks/aesthetics af the various machines rather the track performance (or lack of).
You only need a pair of eyes (with at least one working) and an opinion to discuss that and not an engineering degree.

I must have a closer look at the new cars. Only had a flick through a few photos.

aidan_dunne

vectra wrote: »

How in the name of good god can you sit there and say that Ferrari have got it sooooooo wrong when they havent tested properly yet??

Do you know something their engineers and design team are unaware of?? :rolleyes:

As kaizersoze said, I was talking about the Ferrari in terms of it's looks rather than it's performance. Re-read what I wrote and you'll pick up more clearly what I meant!

No doubt, performance-wise, the Ferrari will probably be a fast car and a strong contender for race wins and the championship, I'm sure. After all, they're hardly going to forget how to be successful overnight. But that doesn't mean the car necessarily looks good (though, if it's winning all the time I'm sure Ferrari and the tifosi will consider it the most beautiful machine ever created! ). Let's face it, there's plenty of examples over the years of completely ugly looking cars turning out to be successful race and championship winners! As they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and, unfortunately, for me this years Ferrari is far from one of their most beautiful creations ever!

vectra

aidan_dunne wrote: »

As kaizersoze said, I was talking about the Ferrari in terms of it's looks rather than it's performance. Re-read what I wrote and you'll pick up more clearly what I meant!

No doubt, performance-wise, the Ferrari will probably be a fast car and a strong contender for race wins and the championship, I'm sure. After all, they're hardly going to forget how to be successful overnight. But that doesn't mean the car necessarily looks good (though, if it's winning all the time I'm sure Ferrari and the tifosi will consider it the most beautiful machine ever created! ). Let's face it, there's plenty of examples over the years of completely ugly looking cars turning out to be successful race and championship winners! As they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and, unfortunately, for me this years Ferrari is far from one of their most beautiful creations ever!

Well.
to be fair to each team
They are al ugly in a sence
But isnt it the ugliness of them that is supposed to bring enjoyment for the fans back into the sport

Cookie_Monster

@ kaizersoze + aidan_dunne

Vetra has a point though. It doesn't matter really what the cars look like. The design and hence look is due to performance (aerodynamics and drag) and regulation, not an attempt to have the best looking car:rolleyes:.

vincenzolorenzo

Do you really think the ferrari is horrible??? I have to admit its the best i've seen so far. The only thing i don't like about it is the fins they've added at the front of the sidepod. Toyota have done the same. Apart from that i think the ferrari is very sleek looking, nice lines, lovely sculpting around the gearbox and best of all its front wing isn't as 'snow-ploughy' as some of the others. Of course the problem with all the cars is that the wings are about twice as big as they should be. They look completely out of proportion.

You're right about the renault, the nose looks awful. On the plus side though at least the livery is an improvement. The 07 livery was probably the worst in the last 10 years and last years wasn't much better. Don't really like the nose on the toyota either, very high, like a 2000 car. The williams and mclaren are nice looking too alright but i'd still put the ferrari ahead of them. My top 3 at the moment are probably:
1. Ferrari
2. Williams
3. McLaren
Of course it won't matter at all once the serious testing/racing season gets underway. All we'll worry about then is who's quickest.

namloc1980

I must say I really like the design of the new cars, much cleaner looking than previous year's cars with the bits of aero and stuff hanging off them. OK the rear wing will take some getting used to but overall I like the new cars. Looking forward to the new season!!

G-Money

I think the Williams car looks the nicest, closely followed by the McLaren. I think the Ferrari looks ok too. I'm not so fussed on the Toyota and BMW and the nose of the Renault looks hideous. Although I kind of like the way the sides are sculped towards the rear wing.

I have to say I'm not sure I like how wide the front wings are, but maybe they will look a bit different before Melbourne.

I agree with a previous poster that the Williams livery looks good as is. Having said that, in the current issue of F1 Racing they take a look at what they call Williams best F1 car, the FW19 which is the one Villeneuve won his world title with. I still think the Rothmans livery they had back then was really good.

Just can't wait to see these cars racing on track!

donkey826

well i cant wait to for the start of the season

i think robert kubica would be great in a top car like mclaren or ferrari he is so close i think with the rite car he could really do damage with the rite mount.

but i really want massa to win this year if kubica cant do it

and as for the new front wing i think it is just terrible looking but then again it will do the job my fear is if it comes wheel to wheel it will be a little easier to lose it than if it were the older one

oneofakind32

The new reb bull is on the way and apparently its a looker!

Expectations about the appearance of Red Bull's 2009 car are rising, as the team prepares to launch the RB5 next Monday.

Despite the questionable aesthetics of this year's bodywork regulations, Australian driver Mark Webber recently said the Milton Keynes-based squad is to buck the trend by revealing a 'beautiful' car.

"(The RB5 is) perhaps the most beautiful of the 2009 class, which under the new regulations was pretty difficult," he said.

Helmut Marko, the motor racing advisor to Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz, confirmed Webber's claim about the shape of the Adrian Newey-penned single seater.


He is quoted as saying by the Austrian news agency APA: "Our car will look different to the majority of the others that have been presented so far."

Ahead of the last major technical changes in 1998, Newey designed the championship-winning McLaren.

Marko admits that fundamental rule changes can be an opportunity for unusual shifts of performance in F1. "We are relatively confident," he added.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

Also news came out that Red Bull (the soft drinks company) had continued growth in 2008, which means they are in a position which allows them to keep on there 2 teams.
Rumors are circulating that Nick Fry and Ross Brawn are set to take over the Honda F1 team and there is also news that an american based team is being set up with a view to competing in 2010 (usf1.com). There may well be 20 cars on the grid in 2009 afterall with the possibility of 22 in 2010.

Oblomov

All the grumbles about looks, aesthetics, beauty will be forgotten as soon as the serious stuff starts..

Ferrari are having problems, Williams don't want to admit to anything, Renaullt are carrying out extensive 'straight' line aerodynamic testing and Torro Psso have annouced Bourdais is in the team for 2009 and Sato manager is complaining it's all about money.

So, nothing has really changed... jsut low profile intros of the new cars....... can you imagine.. cars wheeled out of the garages in Portugal ... in the wet... no big fanfare no dolly birds and in the pi***** rain....

OK so the moneys, not wot it used to be.. LOL

vincenzolorenzo

http://www.itv-f1.com/photo.aspx?im_id=52259

So what do ye think of the new red bull??? Webber wasn't lying last week when he said it was a looker was he?! Its definitely my favourite car so far anyway. Lovely lines all round and the front end looks so much lighter and more delicate than all the other ones. It looks like they trimmed off as much carbon as they could from the front wing, doesn't look as snow-ploughy sa some of the other offerings at all. Could be some issues with front wings breaking off though maybe? Anyway, its a savage looking car, no two ways about it

Oblomov

Check out:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/2/8915.html

The front end appears to have everything hanging on a very thin and fragile looking nose section.

The height of the nose section and the working angle of the front suspension arms seems to high. The top section of the nose cone with the concave shape leading up to the cockpit aperture seems to be an attempt to assist downforce rather than a clean line and less resistance. The gap between the front wings and the nose section raises the question of controlling the mass of air moving across without being utilised. The turbulence created by the front wing appears to be allowed to continued along the body without specific direction.

Looks, hell, does it go any faster? Will it go round corners quicker?

I'll take dynamics against looks any time.

Oblomov

From the new model launch.... better shot of the front end.

rua1972

http://www.formula1.com/gallery/other/2009/383.html

Williams in racing livery, i think it's the best one yet. Simple clean lines and a very nice colour. With the frontspoiler being mainly black it doesn't look very big, every team should do this.

RayM

The Williams looks great. Stylish and uncluttered, it reminds me of the classic Rothmans livery of the mid-90s. I really hope it goes as well as it looks.

I see Force India are giving Renault a run for their money in the ugliness stakes.

Oblomov

Despite the banning for 2009 of winglets and other bodywork appendages, Williams' new FW31 hit the Jerez test track on Sunday featuring the prominent 'skate fins' on the cockpit sides.
The large vertical fins are reminiscent of last year's engine cover 'horns', which because of the aerodynamic rules changes for 2009 are no longer seen on the cars.

But despite suggestions the surfboard-style Williams fins may be illegal, technical director Sam Michael explained: "In the area of the head restraint, the 75 millimetre radius (bodywork) rule does not apply."

The Australian clarified to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that the fins are not downforce-producing, but rather "flow aids".

Michael said BMW-Sauber has already dabbled with a similar concept and that it is likely "others will follow suit".

Also evident from recent test appearances is that Toyota is staying with the so-nicknamed 'shark fin' engine cover concept for the new TF109 single seater.

EvilMonkey

Oblomov wrote: »

Despite the banning for 2009 of winglets and other bodywork appendages, Williams' new FW31 hit the Jerez test track on Sunday featuring the prominent 'skate fins' on the cockpit sides.
The large vertical fins are reminiscent of last year's engine cover 'horns', which because of the aerodynamic rules changes for 2009 are no longer seen on the cars.

They look crap. I hope they don't become the norm, on the other hand its good to see the teams being innovative in what they can do within the new rules.