Superthread: 2010 Launch Cars and Pre-Season Testing

BoardsRanger

frostie500 wrote: »

I should probably add that it started raining inside the first hour so the times are skewed by that as a result. Webber had an oil leak as well that caused a red flag

Think it was Rosberg who brought out the red flag. Its a shame that there is so much rain forecasted for this test- would have been nice to see some fast times set.

zeris

BoardsRanger wrote: »

Think it was Rosberg who brought out the red flag. Its a shame that there is so much rain forecasted for this test- would have been nice to see some fast times set.

They both did. Webber earlier with an oil leak and Rosberg near the end with some mechanical error.

Slutmonkey57b

frostie500 wrote: »

I should probably add that it started raining inside the first hour so the times are skewed by that as a result. Webber had an oil leak as well that caused a red flag

Another great season of technical failures and pit crew mistakes ahead for RBR!

EvilMonkey

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

Another great season of technical failures and pit crew mistakes ahead for RBR!

That's what pre season testing is for!

G-Money

I'm not sure why, but I really hope the new teams do well, especially Virgin. I hope they're not seconds off the pace and fail to qualify for the races (I don't know if they still have that 107% rule or whatever the figure was).

Slutmonkey57b

EvilMonkey wrote: »

That's what pre season testing is for!

Well seeing as they haven't spent the extra week or so developing new ideas for the car, they should have started earlier! And Webber true to form has been disgracefully honest and admitted the oil leak was a small problem they then made a mess of and wasted half a day's running.

Red Bull's biggest competition this year isn't the other teams, it's their own lack of reliability and basic "mechanics doing their job" part of the operation. Can't wait to see their pit stops this year, when everyone is expecting it to be done in ~3 seconds, they were evidently under too much pressure last year at 3 or 4 times that.

vincenzolorenzo

Not a fan of Red Bull then Slutmonkey?!?!:D

Oblomov

The official line:


Virgin stopped testing at Jerez on Thursday following a front wing failure. In better weather conditions at the Spanish circuit, the red flags waved when the wing aboard Timo Glock's VR-01 single seater came off.

EvilMonkey

I think we could have < 2.5 sec stops by the end of the season. There should be plenty of mistakes with the pressure on the all the wheel changers instead of 2 men with a fuel rig.

Slutmonkey57b

vincenzolorenzo wrote: »

Not a fan of Red Bull then Slutmonkey?!?!:D

The team are great, I like them a lot, but they need to sort out "bits falling off the car mid-race" "electronics crapping out when you hit a kerb" "reliable engines suddenly failing due to installation issues" "pit crew not knowing what's going on around them" and that sort of thing before they'll live up to their potential. They should have won the season last year, but didn't due to throwing away points, positions, and time. Although that sort of thing makes for more entertaining racing.

projectmayhem

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

The team are great, I like them a lot, but they need to sort out "bits falling off the car mid-race" "electronics crapping out when you hit a kerb" "reliable engines suddenly failing due to installation issues" "pit crew not knowing what's going on around them" and that sort of thing before they'll live up to their potential. They should have won the season last year, but didn't due to throwing away points, positions, and time. Although that sort of thing makes for more entertaining racing.

This is why RBR is an amazing team. I know that's contradictionary, but this is exactly what Ferrari used to be - and look at them now a few years ago!

I'm a fan of RBR because they're kind of the little team that could. They've got the talent both in the cars and behind the pit wall. They just need to sort out the niggly bits. Remember, they're still a young team with enough money to shake things up. They're still the cheeky little bugger to other teams, just like Jordan was all those years ago. Except this time I think RBR could win some titles once they sort out a few bits 'n pieces.

Slutmonkey57b

Oh not, RBR are nothing like 80's Ferrari. Red Bull can spot talent, whereas Ferrari were happy to poach John Barnard and then let the monkeys change all his drawings. And they're not arrogant. Or Whingy. Or arrogant. But RBR are a little too "zany" for taste. Wooooo look at us we're mad, we are, wooooo.

I'm almsot sick Mercedes took over Brawn, they were going to be my team to follow. Now I'm not sure where to look. Might follow McLaren in the hope Button beats Hamilton and annoys a load of people as a result.

Oblomov

RBR are the marketing man dream, seeking to knock the established teams and rock the boat. literally and enjoy themselves..... they sell an energy drink. Any other form of persona would be counter to the image required.

Drink Red Bull and enjoy.... the buzz....and Obviously, it works.

zeris

EvilMonkey wrote: »

I think we could have < 2.5 sec stops by the end of the season. There should be plenty of mistakes with the pressure on the all the wheel changers instead of 2 men with a fuel rig.

I vaguely remember in a F1 magazine showing Benetton doing a pitstop in 3 point something seconds during a race and that was just before refuelling was re-introduced. The magazine claimed it was the fastest pitstop in a race.

It would be impressive to shave off more than 25% on than number.

vincenzolorenzo

Yeah I remember reading in one of Steve matchett's books that the record pitstop time was around the 3s mark. He was on the Bennetton pit crew for a good few years. <2.5s does sound extremely fast but i'd say it could be achievable alright

G-Money

Not sure if it's the colour scheme or what, but I agree in that the car looks 'basic'. Seems to have a lot of sort of straight edges and the like, around the barge boards, front wing end plates and the end of the engine cover where it meets the suspension.

The paint job still looks great though.

vincenzolorenzo

yeah the lotus is fairly basic looking alright isn't it. Especially around the sidepods. not much sculpting like we've come to expect over the last couple of years. In fairness though its some achievement for them to have a car built at this stage seeing as they were so late starting. USF1 announced they were going into F1 ages and ages ago and they still can't cobble a car together :rolleyes:

Frank Bullitt

I do like the Lotus, not sure that its basic really,still looks the job though

zeris

The Lotus does have a complicated enough front wing and also the far front splitter/keel.

Frank Bullitt

I think if anything its a good base to build off,nice job

Jules.Winnfield

I think the lotus looks pretty good. There's a few good looking cars this year. The Renault and the Virgin are particularly pleasing to the eye. Lets hope now that they have the speed to match the looks.

Would also love to see the rest of the new teams make it to the grid this coming season and despite popular believe, I think USF1 will be there.

joesoap007

its a nice clean looking car

G-Money

Am I the only one who's not mad keen on the Renault R30? I mean the shape is infinitely better that the ox that was last years car, but I'm not blown away by it.

So far I like the following cars: Virgin, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull. Although I'm slightly disappointed the Red Bull car wasn't even better looking than last years car :pac:

Slutmonkey57b

Virgin, Mclaren and.... eh, I don't see a lot of diffference in the rest of the field. The Renault just looks - flat, like last year's car.

Grim.

Nick Fry out of merc \o/

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=39949



Edit:seems pitpass removed the story and nick fry is still part of the merc team

matty145

dont care what it looks like as long as its faster than last years car it should be alonso behind the wheel

RayM

Grim. wrote: »

Nick Fry out of merc \o/

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=39949

Excellent. Not having to look at his stupid, gormless face or listen to his irritating whine is yet another reason to look forward to this season.

EvilMonkey

Grim. wrote: »

Nick Fry out of merc \o/

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=39949



Edit:seems pitpass removed the story and nick fry is still part of the merc team

lol at pitpass

USF1 home for sale?

Formula 1 Race Shop - Five-year NNN lease 33,690 Sq. Ft. in immaculate condition. 100% air conditioned and heated. $620,000 in building renovations by tenant in 2009. Leased through June 2014. 9.1% cap rate.

http://www.charlottecpe.com/propertyView.cfm?PID=21321

G-Money

How sad is it that I'm literally gagging for the test session to start this week.

It will be interesting to see how Lotus get on and if they've a better first week than Virgin had last week.

Grim.

todays test times

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 22.593s 103 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 23.017s 72 laps
3. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m 23.204s 72 laps
4. Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 23.322s 79 laps
5. Pedro de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1m 23.367s 77 laps
6. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m 23.803s 111 laps
7. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 24.272s 28 laps
8. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m 25.088s 76 laps
9. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m 26.237s 59 laps
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 27.320s 109 laps
11. Fairuz Fauzy Lotus-Cosworth 1m 31.848s 76 laps
12. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 32.417s 10 laps

Grim.

rumors of VW taking over the campos team

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/a-good-story-from-spain/

G-Money

Looks like USF1 is on the brink of collapse. This is from SpeedTV - the crowd that Peter Windsor (one of the teams founders) worked for.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-is-windsors-usf1-finally-dream-over/

G-Money

grandmaster wrote: »

Looks like USF1 is on the brink of collapse. This is from SpeedTV - the crowd that Peter Windsor (one of the teams founders) worked for.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-is-windsors-usf1-finally-dream-over/

Apparently they've also cancelled their crash tests and put their base in Charlotte up for sale.

Defo not good signs.

smooch71

grandmaster wrote: »

Apparently they've also cancelled their crash tests and put their base in Charlotte up for sale.

Defo not good signs.

Chad Hurley (You Tube founder) has pulled out of sponsoring them and they've told Jose Marie Lopez that his services are no longer required.

Stefan GP are primed and ready to step onto the gap, with the services of one Jax Villanoo.

I still think it's a crying shame that Lola or Prodrive weren't given a shot at this.

amacachi

If I had as much cash to throw around as USF1's now ex-sponsor I'd have a race team in pretty much every series. :pac:
Sad to see, but hopefully if they are gone common sense will win out and Stefan Grand Prix will be allowed step in. They must be fairly financially stable if they've gotten to now without even having a place on the grid.

G-Money

You'd have to wonder about the planning that went into USF1, Campos and even Donnington after seeing them hit troubles, although it seems like Campos may be saved.

I'm no businessman but when these enterprises fall on their face, it makes you wonder did they have everything thought out fully. It sort of gives the impression the whole thing was built on hope and luck rather than facts and figures and a thourough feasibility study of whether they can realistically achieve their goals.

I agree that it's a shame that Prodrive got snubbed as you imagine they'd have had a car out testing by now. It's mad that Stefan GP seems to be almost ready to go. Apparently the car is built and will begin testing in the next week or two. Although I read a good report that the FIA will not want to rush things too much and risk safety becoming an issue and both them and Stefan looking stupid.

amacachi

grandmaster wrote: »

I agree that it's a shame that Prodrive got snubbed as you imagine they'd have had a car out testing by now. It's mad that Stefan GP seems to be almost ready to go. Apparently the car is built and will begin testing in the next week or two. Although I read a good report that the FIA will not want to rush things too much and risk safety becoming an issue and both them and Stefan looking stupid.

Well if USF1 still hadn't crash-tested their car then there's still time, get them into the test centre now says I!

frostie500

grandmaster wrote: »

You'd have to wonder about the planning that went into USF1, Campos and even Donnington after seeing them hit troubles, although it seems like Campos may be saved.

I'm no businessman but when these enterprises fall on their face, it makes you wonder did they have everything thought out fully. It sort of gives the impression the whole thing was built on hope and luck rather than facts and figures and a thourough feasibility study of whether they can realistically achieve their goals

The one thing that I would say in defence of USF1 and Campos is that they made their pitches for entry into F1 when Mosley had said there would be a budget cap of $40 million. Those teams went looking for potential investors with that figure in mind(a little in excess of that due to the leasing of properties etc.) but viewing it that the FIA had given them a guarantee of the budget cap. When the cap failed to materialise they had to go back to their investors and say 'Yeah, actually the $40 you said you'd put up for the team is a tiny fraction of what we now need. Can I have an extra $X million so we can go racing?' Obviously their investors have said that they wouldn't give them any more cash and the teams are in dire straits.

Its worth mentioning that Manor and Lotus have substantial backing from airline companies and people that understand the value of motorsport sponsorship. Virgin obviously sponsored Brawn last year but Fernadez' Air Asia company has long been a sponsor of lower class racing in Asia and motorcycle racing. Its probable that the Youtube founder felt that he was doing pretty well without the need to spend his money on a race team and Peter Windsor clearly couldn't find anyone else in the States willing to invest in F1 rather than Indy or NASCAR

amacachi

frostie500 wrote: »

The one thing that I would say in defence of USF1 and Campos is that they made their pitches for entry into F1 when Mosley had said there would be a budget cap of $40 million. Those teams went looking for potential investors with that figure in mind(a little in excess of that due to the leasing of properties etc.) but viewing it that the FIA had given them a guarantee of the budget cap. When the cap failed to materialise they had to go back to their investors and say 'Yeah, actually the $40 you said you'd put up for the team is a tiny fraction of what we now need. Can I have an extra $X million so we can go racing?' Obviously their investors have said that they wouldn't give them any more cash and the teams are in dire straits.

Its worth mentioning that Manor and Lotus have substantial backing from airline companies and people that understand the value of motorsport sponsorship. Virgin obviously sponsored Brawn last year but Fernadez' Air Asia company has long been a sponsor of lower class racing in Asia and motorcycle racing. Its probable that the Youtube founder felt that he was doing pretty well without the need to spend his money on a race team and Peter Windsor clearly couldn't find anyone else in the States willing to invest in F1 rather than Indy or NASCAR

Aye, tis a fair point.

Grim.

USF1 Team

The US F1 Team web server is down
and is being repaired as this is
written. We are not gone, as many
have reported. More news soon.

from usf1 twitter

recyclebin

I see Villeneuve could be back if Stefan GP get a place on the grid this year. I know he would bring a lot of experience but he's hardly going to be that quick. His best days are well behind him.

rua1972

At least i will have a favorite driver again. Until Raikkonnen returns to F1, if he returns that is.

Jules.Winnfield

Quote from USF1 wiki:

"On 20 February 2010, Ken Anderson said that the team were asking the FIA if it could miss the first four races of the season and show up at the Spanish Grand Prix. He said the FIA were working with him to see what the team could do. Furthermore Anderson said that Peter Windsor is still in the project, and that Chad Hurley remains with the team. He also weighed up the fact that López could take his money to rival team Campos Meta but he hoped he'd stay with US F1"

I know that wikipedia's information can be suspect at times but I reckon theres a lot of truth in this. I hope now that Stefan GP has kept up the development and they can fill the spot. Still tho as Smooch71 said its a pity it isn't Lola or Prodrive

joesoap007

recyclebin wrote: »

I see Villeneuve could be back if Stefan GP get a place on the grid this year. I know he would bring a lot of experience but he's hardly going to be that quick. His best days are well behind him.

would be good to have a another world champ on the grid,but he said he wasing talking to the team about that,,what was link beween them anyway

G-Money

Ferrari aren't backwards about coming forwards:

http://www.ferrari.com/English/News/Pages/100222_GR_Per_chi_suona_la_campana.aspx

IM0

grandmaster wrote: »

Ferrari aren't backwards about coming forwards:

http://www.ferrari.com/English/News/Pages/100222_GR_Per_chi_suona_la_campana.aspx

what has that got to do with Ferrari, only thing I can see id its on *their* site

G-Money

me@ucd wrote: »

what has that got to do with Ferrari, only thing I can see id its on *their* site

???

vectra

me@ucd wrote: »

what has that got to do with Ferrari, only thing I can see id its on *their* site

Press slams Ferrari attacks
http://en.espnf1.com/ferrari/motorsport/story/9421.html

Ferrari criticises new teams and FIA

The Ferrari team has condemned Formula 1's newest teams as well as Max Mosley, former head of sporting governing body the FIA, after witnessing the loss of four major car manufacturers from F1 since the end of 2008. The message came in the form of a Monday statement released on the website of the Maranello team.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/formula-1-news/228725/ferrari-criticises-new-teams-and-fia/

It seems they have plenty to do with it

G-Money

I don't know if they're using a new style of paint on the McLaren, but I love how shiny it looks in photo's. I think the shape of the car is really good.

The Williams car also looks like a good design, IMHO anyway.

frostie500

Can't say I disagree with Ferrari as I've said in another thread, but the manner in which they did this is pretty crazy and to be honest I wouldn't be too surprised to see them brought before the FIA for an explanation. This column on the site has consistently been used by the team as a mechanism to chastise at the FIA and to be honest I think its very unprofessional of the team to do this. If they are so pissed off with the governing body why have they never gone through with their plans for breakaway series and why has FOTA not shown any tangible benefit for fans in nearly two year? The team should take a long hard look at themselves before constantly and consistently making statements that damage the series that they have decided to continue to support. Noone put a gun to their head and said stay in F1, by deciding to stay in the series these statements damage F1 and therefore damage Ferrari.