The T127 was launched in London, with drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen lifting the covers with the help of test driver Fairuz Fauzy. The entry into Formula One wasn’t quite so easy though, as the squad were only awarded a grid slot after BMW announced their withdrawal partway through 2009. This has meant that the car has been hurriedly designed and built, and although the squad boasts some experienced talent behind the scenes, the timing could have been a lot better for the new team.

Tony Fernandes is the name that will be most associated with the Lotus F1 project, a Malaysian entrepreneur who has founded many companies, most notable to Formula One was recent Williams sponsor AirAsia. Interestingly though, while Fernandes has been key to getting everything at Lotus up and running, he intends to step down from his team principal role as soon as he can, suggesting this may happen during the 2010 campaign. Mike Gascoyne, a well-known and successful technical director, has been drafted in and with the Briton comes a wealth of knowledge and experience of running a Formula One squad.

Of all the new teams, Lotus boast the most experienced line-up as well, having confirmed Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen soon after the 2009 season closed. Trulli will bring with him the knowledge of developing a chassis, something he did reasonably well recently with the Toyota. His race craft though can be a little inconsistent. Kovalainen is still a bit of a mystery to most; a driver who can turn the wick up when needed, but all too often gets left behind by his team mate. Perhaps it is unfair to say that though, the Finn’s most recent partner being Lewis Hamilton. It is fair to say that Kovalainen’s time at McLaren is not generally regarded as a highlight in the driver’s career, despite a victory in 2008.

The car itself sport’s a modern twist on the classic Lotus livery, utilising the green and yellow of the company’s logo. The colour scheme works well though and it is great to see dark green return to the sport – the Jaguars always looked good with their livery. Like the Jags though, a good livery does not make a good car. The front section of the T127 is fairly straight-forward, with a high nose and one of the more interesting front wings. The wing on the T127 appears to be one of the more complex designs seen thus far in the pre-season launches. The remainder of the machine appears similar to most, the sidepods are perhaps not as shapely as the RB6, and the engine cover currently does not feature a shark-fin.

With the name comes a lot of expectation for Lotus. Although the team may have strong Malaysian roots, Lotus was and will always be synonymous with Britain, and despite the sad demise of the former team, one will always remember the glory days of the ’60s and ’70s. The great successes won’t happen overnight, but if the squad can stay around for long enough, they may just be able to recapture the magic of the lost era of Formula One.

Lotus’s car designation system refers to the word Type, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 127. Hence, T127. It should be noted though that I am assuming this. The most recent Lotus to have been built was, I believe, the 109, which raced in 1994. However, incrementing up the number to 2010 brings us to 125.

Note the blue wheelnuts on the right side.

Note the red wheelnuts on the left side.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Lotus T127

The sixth car to come from Red Bull Racing is once again designed by legendary aerodynamicist, Adrian Newey. Mr Newey has penned some of the sport’s greatest cars, helping Williams and McLaren to find championship winning success. While the Briton may be known for his uncompromising attention to detail and performance, it is these factors that make his cars so fast and efficient. The momentum may have taken a while to get going at Red Bull, but now Newey has found his groove, there can be little doubt that this will continue.

The RB6 was launched with little fanfare at the Jerez circuit in Spain, like so many others being unveiled ahead of a group test. Following the success of the previous RB5 chassis, the world’s media were particularly interested in seeing what would come of the 2009 successor. In fact, most of the grid was looking to see what would come of the new car, with so many teams adopting similar ideas that were incorporated into the RB5.

The front section has followed the traits of many others, with a higher nose that suggests, along with the stability in the rules, that the teams are clawing back much of the downforce that had been lost last year. The raised nose helps make the front section appear slimmer and narrower, more pronounced in the new Virgin VR-01, although perhaps helped visually by the colour scheme used.

The nose rises to the suspension mounts before falling slightly towards the cockpit, again something a few other teams have adopted. Of course, the dip on the top of the monocoque is present, partially down to the mounts that attach to the chassis at the same point, although made more extreme by Newey presumably for aerodynamic gain. The highly-sculptured sidepods flow rearwards over the engine cover which, like for the past few years, incorporates a shark-fin which helps with stability under braking. The car, unlike the RB5 one year ago, features a double-diffuser from the offset.

Red Bull Racing have retained both their drivers for 2010, an obvious move considering how well they both performed in 2009. This puts the squad at an immediate advantage over Ferrari (who have replaced Kimi Raikkonen with Fernando Alonso), McLaren (who have replaced Heikki Kovalainen with Jenson Button) and Mercedes (formerly Brawn, who have replaced both drivers). Maintaining this consistency between campaigns will help the car’s development as both drivers will have intimate knowledge of how the RB5 performed and also of how the designers and engineers work.

This year will be important for Red Bull Racing as they have to continue their momentum and challenge for the titles. 2009 saw some controversy over the rules which initially hampered their efforts, but with little changes over the winter, Horner’s team need to hit the ground running and stamp their new-found authority over their rivals.

Red Bull Racing’s car designation system refers to the initials of the parent team name and parent company, Red Bull, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 6. Hence, RB6.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Red Bull Racing RB6

It would be great for all if Vijay Mallya’s squad can continue their form over the winter and into the new season, but this is a tall order. The Silverstone-based team are up against the well-funded Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull squads. However, if one thing can be learned from last season, it is that you should never rule out the smaller outfits, and more importantly, the talented people who work for them.

Force India continue their relationship with McLaren and Mercedes-Benz, the power plant proving to be worthy of its place in the back of many cars on the grid. Even Red Bull Racing were after a Norbert Haug-looking signature on a contract. But the association with McLaren also provides a gearbox and technical support, which has undoubtedly helped the squad push forward and ahead of the midfield.

The third car from Force India (the second designed under complete control of Mallya) is an evolution of the 2009 VJM02, although the team insist they have made big strides with the rear, developing the diffuser being a key area. The externals show a higher nose and shark-fin engine cover, a revised front wing, smaller and curvier sidepods and no Newey-dip.

The livery adorning the car is pretty much identical to last year’s, which is no bad thing – I quite like the green and orange mix and depicts the team’s Indian roots. In terms of sponsors, it is always good to see a variety of logos on the car, especially as Force India are one of the lesser-funded teams. Unfortunately, it is also worthy of note that most of the companies shown on the car’s bodywork are owned by or related in one way or another to Vijay Mallya. Still, money is money, as they say.

Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi continue to pilot the Force India, and while consistency can prove helpful in team stability and chassis development, one has to start considering whether Sutil is worthy of his contract. In 2009, Giancarlo Fisichella finally found his groove with the VJM02 and started to show some promise with the car. And although Sutil had some flashes of brilliance, he all-too-often binned it.

Sitting opposite the German is former Red Bull racer Vitantonio Liuzzi – a driver whom I’ve often presumed fashion took precedence over race craft. While Liuzzi maybe a hit with the fans, his results haven’t always been quite so enlightening. However, having only driven a handful of races in 2009, Liuzzi could be given the benefit of the doubt, and retaining a full-time drive in 2010, the Italian driver whom so many speak highly of will be under the spotlight. 2010 will his time to shine, if he can.

It would be a great story if Force India can maintain their momentum from last year and take the challenge to the big four. I fear though that when all the teams get underway in Bahrain, Mallya’s squad will be back in the midfield again.

Force India’s car designation system refers to the initial of the original three team owner’s forenames, Vijay Mallya, Jan Mol and Michel Mol, the final number being an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 3. Hence, VJM03.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Force India VJM03

Wanting to standout from their rivals, Virgin announced their car would be launched exclusively online to an audience of anticipated Internet users. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go without a hitch, or rather, it just didn’t happen. However, the car was eventually seen and has been billed as having been completely designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics. In a crude way of explaining, the car has been designed solely by computers. The VR-01 has not seen a wind tunnel, nor has it been penned out on a giant piece of pale blue paper.

Designing a car based solely on CFD is quite a risk, and although teams do obviously utilise computers in the design and development of their cars, Virgin are the first to go down this route 100%, ignoring the craft of pen and paper that has guided so many other designers to producing world championship winning machines. How this will translate to the race tracks is obviously yet to be fully seen, but without doubt, designer Nick Wirth is breaking new ground with the VR-01.

The car itself is certainly quite striking, painted in a red and black colour scheme with contrasting tattoo-like patterns flowing over the bodywork. Virgin have taken up some advertising space on the front and rear wings, sidepods and monocoque bridge. Elsewhere on the car other sponsor’s logos can be seen, which is encouraging for such a new team. It would seem as though they have even managed to retain financial services company FxPro in the sport by taking on their sponsorship after BMW pulled the plug last year.

The VR-01 has possibly the smallest sidepods on the grid thus far, and also the most pointed nose. The front view is impressive in not really looking like any other car that has so far been launched, although a Newey-dip is clear to see. The front nose has quite a pronounced curve to it as the line moves backwards towards the cockpit and all things said and done, it looks to be the prettiest so far.

Testing hasn’t gone quite as well as the team would have liked though, and despite passing all the crash tests, Timo Glock lost his front wing while charging around Jerez earlier in the month. Front wing failures are quite serious in Formula One, and many drivers have suffered an impact because, once fallen from its mounts, the wing can lodge itself under the front wheels, raising the car from the ground and removing any effect of steering and braking. Glock thankfully suffered no impact and cruised back to the pitlane, but the team were forced to halt their test due to a lack of spare parts and the need to understand why the part failed. The team stated they would be modifying the mounts before sending a driver out in the car again.

Virgin’s car designation system refers to the initials of the team name, Virgin Racing, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, starts at the beginning. Hence, VR-01.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Virgin VR-01

The car is actually quite different to its predecessor, and although it sports the familiar traits that many other teams are adopting – the higher nose, smaller sidepods, longer wheelbase – the car is apparently a clean-sheet design, and therefore quite a departure from the FW31 that we saw in 2009.

Whenever a car is said to be a clean-sheet design, I always worry. I think this stems from when Ferrari gave Michael Schumacher a radical new car for his maiden season with the team back in 1996. I can remember Schumacher, while testing the 1995 car, saying that he was surprised it didn’t win the championship. Of course, the clean-sheet F310 that followed was a disaster.

The livery hasn’t changed at the moment, still covered in the dark blue and white that makes Williams’s cars look simply beautiful. Also of note is the inclusion of sponsor’s logos, the team having not been dragged through the mud in 2009 and seemingly coping well with the financial crisis that has hit so many other competitors.

The only possible cat among the pigeons at Williams is an all-new driver line-up for the squad. Although admittedly, Rubens Barrichello will surely be an asset to the team, bringing with him many years of experience. Barrichello may be the most experienced driver on the grid (in terms of race starts), but with the return of his old adversary Michael Schumacher, is no longer the oldest.

Partnering Rubens is a young talent who is hotly tipped for great success in Formula One. Nico Hulkenberg joined Williams last year in a testing role, and following the departure of fellow countryman Nico Rosberg to Mercedes, and also the departure of Toyota meaning a farewell to Kazuki Nakajima, the German pilot has been given a promotion. And the timing works well, as Hulkenberg took the GP2 title in 2009, winning with a comfortable margin of 25 points over Vitaly Petrov, who himself is driving a Formula One car this year with Renault.

The driver pairing seems strong then, with the old master teaching the young pretender how it’s all done. The car has been running well in pre-season testing and a move back to Cosworth for the engine supply brings memories of former glories for the team.

Williams’s car designation system refers to the initials of the team’s founder and co-owner, Frank Williams, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 32. Hence, FW32.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Williams FW32

Scuderia Toro Rosso have had to increase their workforce ahead of 2010 to accommodate the fact that they are designing and building the car themselves, and this, we all presumed, would result in something a little different. Unusually though, the new car looks strikingly similar to the RB6, including all the little details that have made Adrian Newey – the designer of many championship winning cars over the years – a well-respected car designer.

So similar are the two cars in fact, that the studio photos released by the teams seem to have intentionally shown the cars from different angles. Not that I am in any way cynical, mind. But aside from the fact that the two machines bear an uncanny resemblance, the STR5 does look to be an interesting car. Of course, the RB5 was generally regarded as one of the best chassis in 2009, if not the best over the course of the whole year. The car sports a revised front wing and nose, sidepods and shark-fin engine cover.

The livery has seen a minor make-over, the first in quite some time. The front of the STR5 has more red on it, with flowing gold lines stretching over the moncoque and around the cockpit. The red bull maintains his place on the engine cover, as does the Red Bull Cola sponsorship. Again though, Scuderia Toro Rosso are relying on funding from the parent company, as very few other sponsors can be seen adorning the car.

Scuderia Toro Rosso have retained their driver pairing for another year, partnering Sebastien Buemi with Jaime Alguersuari. Buemi did quite well in 2009 and certainly performed better than I was expecting. Collecting points in his first race (albeit thanks to Lewis Hamilton) and also picking up a few more in China, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, the young Swiss pilot deserved to keep his seat at the Red Bull junior team.

Jaime Alguersuari too did reasonably well when you consider he joined the team partway through the year and had previously never driven a Formula One car around a circuit. Although points failed to come his way, and only three race finishes are marked on his record from eight attempts, the fact the Spaniard didn’t do anything particularly outrageous is impressive unto itself.

It will be interesting to see how the RB STR5 stacks up against its rivals, and whether the young driver pairing can be mature enough to become solid and reliable racers. The chassis, if indeed different to Red Bull’s, will have to be developed differently and this in itself will present many challenges to the team. The engine is solid though, the Ferrari 056 proving reliable and worthy of winning races. I think the Faenza-based team are going to have their work cut out though if they want to beat rival team Force India. Instead, I fear Scuderia Toro Rosso are going to be charging around with the newcomers to the sport.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s car designation system refers to the initials of the team name, STR, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 5. Hence, STR5.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Scuderia Toro Rosso STR5

Following one of the sport’s greatest championship stories, that of Honda being resurrected as Brawn and taking both titles, comes possibly another as it was learned late last year that Ross Brawn had sold his team to Mercedes. Brawn insisted that he would continue in his roll as team principal, and so the rollercoaster ride of Brawn post-Ferrari continues.

The link to the technical director has certainly helped the transition as well, with the man almost certainly being a draw to Michael Schumacher. Despite turning 41 earlier in the year, Schumacher still has the motor sport bug in him and a return during 2009 seemed possible, the seven-times world champion testing a 2007 Ferrari. However, a neck injury sustained from a motorbike accident ended the dream for last year, but that didn’t stop the German driver. Shortly after the announcement that Mercedes would be taking over the team, Michael Schumacher was announced as the lead driver alongside fellow countryman Nico Rosberg. BMW-refugee Nick Heidfeld completes the all-German line-up as the squad’s test and reserve driver.

This isn’t the first time Mercedes have taken on the challenge of Formula One though, for the company threw some money at the sport back in 1954 and 1955. The W196 car was very successful and Juan Manuel Fangio took eight victories from twelve attempts. Fangio only retired the once and Sir Stirling Moss also took a famous first win at Silverstone in ‘55, the story being that Fangio only needed P2 to secure the championship and deliberately let Moss pass on the final lap. To this day, even Moss himself doesn’t know if this is true or not, the five-times Argentine champion passing away in 1995.

Of course with such a long and illustrious history in the motor industry and motor sport, I could discuss Mercedes-Benz from now until the end of my time, but for now at least, the marque has returned and a new silver arrows will adorn the race tracks of the world in an attempt to repeat last year’s phenomenal success.

The Mercedes livery was unveiled separately to the car itself, an event at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart providing the backdrop to the silver colour scheme hiding the Brawn BGP-001 underneath. The car itself was finally shown to the world in early February at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit as the first group test of the year got underway. Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg took the wraps off the MGP-W01 before heading out for a few shake-down laps.

The 2010 challenger is an evolution of the championship winning Brawn from the year previous, and features a few Red Bull-esque flourishes. Interestingly, the front wing appears to have been changed very little, but the nose has certainly undergone some work. Having been narrowed and raised slightly, the front of the car is more shapely and as the line builds up and over the monocoque, the Newey-dip is there for all to see. Also drawing attention is the downward slant of the top of the car before it rises again towards the cockpit. Again, this is very reminiscent of the RB5, the car that challenged Brawn the most last time around.

The sidepods have grown in size slightly and the air-intake above the driver’s helmet is quite the work of art, looking more likely to at home on a fighter jet than a Formula One car. The rear wing looks to have been left alone and Brawn’s double diffuser is missing, the rules now banning such a device from the 2010 machines*.

The silver livery is welcomed but only as a reminder of the team’s past. If it wasn’t for the silver-finished W196s that charged around the circuits of old, one would have to seriously question the choice of colour for the MGP-W01. Whereas McLaren seem to have found a very successful way of presenting their car in silver, Mercedes’s looks dull and uninspiring. Only the little amounts red from the few sponsor’s logos and the pale Petronas blue break up the monotony of the colour scheme.

Of course, Mercedes are going to be well talked about this year, if not for the car’s performance then for Michael Schumacher’s. The multiple world champion should run well in the car and if he can keep himself out of trouble for long enough, it would seem there is little reason why further wins could not be added to the already record-breaking list. In the second seat sits a driver who has either just made the greatest move of his career, or the worse. In order for this venture to be a success for Nico Rosberg, he simply has to stamp his authority all over Schumacher. Failing to do so could mean years of obscurity, second places and bad press. Just ask Rubens Barrichello…

Mercedes’s car designation system refers to the team’s name, Mercedes Grand Prix, and the W refers to the team’s heritage, where previous versions were simply named Wagen (German for car). The final numbers are incremental, and as this is the first wagen in quite a while, it has been designated 01. Hence, MGP-W01.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Mercedes MGP-W01

Launched on the same day as the Renault R30, the C29 was unveiled at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit just as the first group test got underway. The car looks quite different to its predecessor, the F1.09, sporting like most others a longer wheelbase, higher and tighter nose as well as an updated livery. However, along with the official name of the team, many of the traits that were associated with BMW have remained. Officially going by the name of BMW Sauber, just as they did before, the team are running close to the wind as the engine that will power the C29 comes from Ferrari. While the name may be fixed, Ferrari cannot be especially happy with this, although the two manufacturers are not exactly in direct competition with each other.

The other trait that has followed over from years previous is the livery. It seems odd that the one thing the team could have done to help mark out the difference between the squad’s past and present was not utilised to its best. Instead of changing the visual appearance of the car, Sauber have instead opted for a similar livery, using dark blue and white with flashes of red. Certainly the shade of the blue has been adjusted and is much darker than that used by BMW (it’s almost black), and although a lack of sponsors means a colour scheme can perhaps wait, it should be noted that Brawn changed their war paint after Honda sold the team. Unfortunately though, we are once again subjected to the rather dull livery that I had hoped would be assigned to the history books.

Looking at the car, it is quite different to BMWs of the past, and it also looks quite simple with very few flourishes. BMW reduced their spending on the team last year, and perhaps this is reflected in the apparent simplicity of the car, but having said that, it could just be the blandness of the colour scheme that hides the little details that usually set apart the differences between the cars.

Like the Renault R30, the Sauber C29 sports a wide nose that has been raised up from the front wing, which now includes some extra carbon fibre in a bid to channel the air around and over the car more efficiently. The nose is, like so many others, shallower and thus gives the appearance of tightness and compactness. There is no Newey-dip on the top of the monocoque and the sidepods are perhaps the smallest I have seen so far of all the new challengers to have been launched. Although the car may be non-Newey at the front though, Sauber have added a shark-fin to the engine cover, which devoid of sponsors, stands out like a sore thumb in its brilliant white finish.

To be honest, the car doesn’t look special, but then the overall pace of a Formula One machine is rarely decided by the way it appears. It will be interesting to see how the C29 performs with a different engine to before, and the choice of drivers will also be something I will discuss as the season gets underway. Pedro De La Rosa is an old hand who knows how to develop a car. The Spaniard spent many years at McLaren testing their challengers, but in terms of outright racing experience, the 38 year old has only competed in 72 grands prix.

Although it is great for De La Rosa to be back in a race seat, I fear his younger team mate may show him up and prove to be the catalyst for Pedro’s retirement. Kamui Kobayashi impressed in 2009, despite only taking part in two races. His aggressive style and lack of fear marked him out among fans and the other drivers, and the young Japanese pilot is someone worth watching. We may have lost the likable Kazuki Nakajima from the grid, but we’ve gained the crazy Kobayashi in return.

Sauber’s car designation system refers to Peter Sauber’s wife, Christine, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 29. Hence, C29. The numbering system was carried over from sports cars to Formula One, Sauber only building one race car each year. Interestingly, the last Sauber to compete in Formula One was the C24 in 2005, but instead of picking up where the numbering system left, Sauber has decided to continue the numbers in the team’s absence and so the 2010 car presumes the designation had continued during the BMW period.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Sauber C29

Perhaps then, 2010 will mark a new chapter in Renault’s history, with promoted personnel at the Enstone-based team and two new drivers taking to the cockpits. BMW-refugee Robert Kubica will take to the first R30 while rookie Vitaly Petrov will debut in the second. With a new team boss at the helm as well as new investors taking over much of the ownership of the squad, Renault need to put the past behind them and move forward.

Upon first glance at Renault’s 2010 challenger, the most striking and obvious difference is the livery. Erm, it’s yellow. Very yellow. The team, lacking in sponsors following the mass walk-out last year, have decided to return to the colour scheme of old and have coated the R30 in the team’s classic war paint. Combined with the black the new car is reminiscent of the originals, dating back to 1977. The team, to mark their 30th anniversary in 2007, did paint a modern RenaultF1 in similar colours, and the scheme was much applauded the world over. It would seem as though the team were listening.

The new livery adorning the R30 though, has divided fans this time around. Although striking, the inclusion of fuel partner Total’s red on the mirrors and front and rear wings makes the car seem a little odd. One thing is for certain though, the machine will stand out among the others, just as they always seem to. And I have to be honest and say the livery is far, far better than the vomit-inducing R29 scheme. The least said about that the better, I think.

Moving on to the actual machine, the R30 seems quite different. The front section has seen a lot of work and like so many others that have been launched over the past month or so, the nose is more compact, rides higher than before and seems much tighter. The front view does indicate a wide nose though, which is similar to its predecessor. Like the McLaren MP4-25, the bridge section that goes over the top of the monocoque and towards the cockpit has no Newey-dip, and also in similar fashion to the McLaren, the engine cover sports a shark-fin.

The sidepods have been made a little smaller and show the distinct cut-away that they and McLaren had last year, in essence shaping the driver’s right sidepod into a number 7 shape (and obviously reversed for the right). And although it is hard to tell from the studio photographs supplied by Renault, the car doesn’t appear to be much longer. The Ferrari and McLaren before it definitely appeared to have a longer wheelbase, probably to accommodate the increased size of the fuel tank. If the R30 isn’t as long as it’s rivals, this would indicate an efficient engine, meaning the car can run with less fuel, and therefore should be faster. Although it is likely that all machines will be brought up to the minimum weight with ballast, the more ballast there is to play with, the more optimum the setup can be.

Regarding the drivers, Robert Kubica should be a safe bet although the Polish pilot does have a different style to those who steered Renault’s previous machines. Kubica is happy with a car that he can wrestle into the corners, and although Alonso before him was okay with a darting back-end, Kubica’s driving nature is still something the team will have to work into the car and the way it handles.

On the other side of the garage sits a rookie, and for the first time in his career, Kubica will have to take on the experienced team leader role. Vitaly Petrov comes to Formula One with a less than impressive record, only taking 3rd in the 2008 winter’s GP2 Asia series which was immediately followed by a 2nd place in the 2009 summer’s GP2 series. Petrov claimed a couple of poles and couple of wins but was soundly beaten by Nico Hulkenberg, who also finds himself in Formula One this year, with the Williams team.

One further thought I should add here, is that Renault didn’t really confirm Petrov as the team’s second driver until after the car was launched and the drivers paraded around in front of it. This implies the team were still debating who should get the second seat right up until the final moment, which is further backed up by the fact that Petrov is wearing unnamed overalls. Unlike Kubica who was confirmed late last year, Vitaly noticeably doesn’t have his name embroidered on his race suit. I wonder if Renault are still debating this issue…?

Renault’s car designation system refers to the team name, Renault, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 30. Hence, R30.

It’s worth mentioning here that Petrov is just as, if not slightly taller than Kubica. And Robert is one of the sport’s tallest drivers. Which begs the question, how did Renault create what appears to be one of the shorter cars with two of the tallest drivers?

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Renault R30

An interesting difference between the launch of the 25 and most others before it, is that the wraps were taken off not in McLaren’s impressive Technical Centre in Surrey, but instead at the UK headquarters of its primary sponsor, Vodafone. Although not a million miles from Woking, Newbury seemed a bit of an anti-climax, and one can read into this that the team didn’t want to be surrounded by their history and instead wanted the 2010 challenger to be born away from all this – a fresh new beginning, perhaps.

Either way, the choice of venue for the launch is irrelevant, and what really matters is the car itself. Like the Ferrari before it, the MP4-25 sports a longer wheelbase, a revised nose and front wing, tighter sidepods and an impressive engine cover that makes full use of the popular shark-fin design, first introduced by Adrian Newey to the Red Bull Racing RB4.

The tiny sidepods indicate McLaren have again got the cooling sorted, and many times in the recent past we have seen the car wait on the grid or in a gravel trap for extended periods of time with the engine still running. Normally, a Formula One car – which is designed to be moving and sucking up air – would overheat in a matter of seconds of being stationary, but for some reason, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have this issue sorted.

The engine cover is perhaps the most pronounced difference between this and McLaren’s previous cars. The team did once try the shark-fin cover, running a version of it around Hockenheim in 2008, but alas it did not make it to the final race car. However, for 2010 the team have adopted the device with gusto and combined with the additional length of the car, the shark-fin looks impressively huge, swooping over the rear of the car and heading towards the rear wing.

The front nose is a little higher than we saw on the MP4-24, and the whole section appears much tighter and less bulbous. There isn’t much in the way of a Newey-dip as we have seen from other teams, and looking at the side view of the car, the exhausts appear to be more on the side of the engine cover, as opposed to on the top as placed on the 25’s predecessors. Thinking out aloud for a moment, this may help with getting heat into the rear tyres, although most drivers who complain of cold rubber are usually having trouble with the front pair, a Formula One car being rear-wheel driven.

The car’s livery remains pretty much the same as before, utilising the silver/chrome finish that makes McLarens so distinctive among their rivals. The splashes of red indicating the ongoing relationship with Vodafone and the black separation line which was incorporated into the team’s logo many years ago when West took over from Marlboro as title sponsors before leaving the sport when tobacco advertising was banned.

All in all, the MP4-25 looks good, has the sport’s two most celebrated drivers piloting it this year and should – in theory – be a challenger for the titles.

McLaren’s car designation system refers to the team’s original names, which depending on which story you believe, either refers to McLaren Project 4, or Marlboro Project 4. These initials are followed by an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 25. Hence, MP4-25.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: McLaren MP4-25

All eyes descended on the F10 because, after a fairly torrid year in 2009, the team are hoping to readdress the balance and return to the top. The F10 is Ferrari’s 56th single seater race car and was designed by Aldo Costa. In comparison to its predecessor, the F60, the F10 appears longer, possibly to help with the larger fuel tank needed due to the prohibition of refuelling during grands prix.

Perhaps the most notable change is the livery, which heralds back to a time when Marlboro adorned the cars. When tobacco advertising was outlawed, all other teams looked elsewhere for sponsorship, but Ferrari continued with their relationship with Philip Morris, and the barcode became infamous, flanked over the engine cover and rear wing. In time, the level of promotion decreased as did the amount of whitespace. In 2007, Ferrari made a final change in the tone of the red and the Ferrari cars had pretty much returned to their traditional deep red shade. However, with Fernando Alonso joining the team, Santander are now a major sponsor of the team, and with their corporate colours being red and white, the F10 has seen Ferrari adopt more white in the livery again, and perhaps a change towards Rosso Corsa once again.*

Personally, I do not like the new livery and feel that Ferrari, a team so synonymous with the sport and the traditions that go with it, should remain red. Simply, red. However, the livery doesn’t make the car go faster, so what else appears different on the new challenger. Well, aside from the length, the front end has received a fair amount of work, with the nose and wing undergoing some cosmetic surgery. The nose appears to have a Newey-dip in it as the line moves back towards the monocoque, and the front wing has received some extra bits to help channel air towards all the right places.

The sidepods appear to be slightly smaller than what we saw on the F60, but in comparison to others that have since launched, Ferrari are still not quite as efficient in the cooling department. Smaller, tighter air-intakes imply a car that is working well with its cooling, and McLaren are perhaps among the best at achieving this. Aside from this though, it is clear the F10 is an evolution of the F60 and was not designed from scratch. This usually means a steady improvement in performance and suggests that the F60 was running well towards the end of the 2009 season. And looking at Kimi Raikkonen’s results from last year, most of his haul were collected in the latter half, adding weight to the theory that the F10 should run well this year. The only possible fly in the ointment is if a team takes the other approach – a clean-slate design – and gets it spot on from the word go. But then, how often does that happen…?

Ferrari’s car designation system refers to the team name, Ferrari, and a year-based numbering system that for 2010, is 10. Hence, F10. Last year, the car was named in honour of the company’s 60th anniversary of motor sport competition and was titled the F60. Previous to that, the cars were generally designated by the letter F and the year in full, hence F2008. Ferrari are the sport’s oldest team though, and they have used many different designation systems over the years.

*It is hard to tell the shade from the studio shots supplied, but it does appear a little brighter than the F2008 and F60.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Ferrari F10

Image © BMW AG.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #91

Similar to the Red Bull RB5, the STR4 was produced by Red Bull Technologies and built at the team’s Faenza base in Italy. There is a running joke in Formula One that both Red Bulls and Toro Rossos are essentially the same, but Giorgio Ascanelli was insistent at the launch to point out that the two cars are in fact quite different.

Being powered by the Italian Ferrari engine, the car has to be different from the Renault-powered RB5, and the difference in power plant has knock-on effects throughout the car. However, visually they are similar with the livery only marking the two out after a casual glance.

However, with any F1 car, the packaging revolves around an engine and peculiarities from the drivers and, as we run a different engine to our sister team, it involves a different fuel system and fuel tank. Therefore, ours is completely different to the Red Bull Racing car and is designed here by us. Giorgio Ascanelli.

Ascanelli continued to point out all the differences between the two cars, which can be read in more detail on the team’s official website.

Scuderia Toro Rosso enjoyed a rather successful 2008 campaign, winning the Italian Grand Prix after taking pole position. Aside from this, the team also scored at many other races and finished the year ahead of their parent team. However, repeating this success in 2009 will be difficult.

The 2008 season was good in terms of our on-track performance, which, it’s fair to say, exceeded our expectations, with our biggest ever haul of points, a pole position and a win. It’s going to be tough to live up to that this year.

Therefore our target has to be to leave every race track on a Sunday night, knowing we have done the best job we could. The results will then depend on how everyone else has done. Franz Tost.

Images © Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: STR Unveil Car Number Four

Images © Brawn GP Ltd.

Original article by BlogF1.

Brawn BGP 001 Debuts At Silverstone

The change in style for team brings the colours of the VJM02 closer to those used on the flag of India, using the white, green and orange to good effect. The overalls also have been updated and show a nice splash of orange across the front. The team also have extra logos on the car, but these are not newly enticed companies, rather than more of Vijay Mallya’s empire receiving some extra publicity.

For 2009, Mallya has stepped up his direct involvement with the team, taking on more responsibility of the day-to-day running. Last year he let Mike Gascoyne go after the pair decided that they didn’t agree with the future direction of the squad. While this was almost certainly a sizable loss for the team, having the owner around more could prove to be a good motivator.

This year will also see Force India with a different engine supplier. The squad signed a deal with McLaren and Mercedes-Benz which although meant waving goodbye to Ferrari, saw a shipment of engines, gearboxes and KERS components arrive at the Silverstone factory. Having a more complete package as well as technical expertise will undoubtedly boost the team. Whether or not it can be converted into decent results is still an unknown, but Adrian Sutil has looked fairly quick in the past, and Giancarlo Fisichella has enough experience to help with the development of the car.

The new car will take part in the Jerez test this upcoming week where both Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil should get a chance to drive the new VJM02.

Images © Sutton/Force India F1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: Force India VJM02 Makes Track Debut

Empii also pointed out in the comments yesterday that the nose of the car looks a little different as well. Previously, the front of the nose had been lower and broader, but in the photographs released on Thursday, the nose is a little slimmer and now much higher. The front wing has also had some work done to it. The end plates have been altered, as has the curvature of the bottom part of the wing.

Images © WilliamsF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Williams Reveal Final 2009 Livery

The livery was actually leaked over a week ago when F1Today.nl showed a picture of the Williams parked up in a garage with a different colour scheme to the one being used on the test car. It is unknown when Williams were intending to unveil the new livery, but thanks to their own sponsor, it would appear to have been leaked a little earlier than planned.

Images © Williams/Allianz SE.

Original article by BlogF1.

Is This The 2009 Williams FW31 Livery?

The car looks sleek and follows the new regulations of narrow rear wing and low, wide front wing. The nose appears quite high, unlike the Ferrari and McLaren counterparts, but like Ferrari the team have opted to put the mirrors out wide, connecting them to the sidepod rather than the monocoque. Last season, Red Bull famously debuted the famous shark fin cover, although the launch vehicle seen today didn’t have one. Toyota have tested one though, so Red Bull may still have that part waiting in the wings.

With a dark livery the car actually looks reasonably attractive and will hopefully bring Red Bull Racing closer to the front of the grid. The squad will be eventually be using Renault’s KERS system, although the development across all teams in this area seems to have slowed a little. But after a fairly unimpressive 2008 campaign, the Milton Keynes based team will need every advantage they can get to close the gap to the front runners.

Images © Red Bull Racing.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: Red Bull Racing Unveil The RB5

However, this post is less about the team’s entry in the record books, and more about the liveries. From 1999 onwards, when BAR first competed, to the last race ran as Honda in 2008. These are the liveries that adorned the cars from Brackley…

1999 – Dual Livery Sparks Controversy

Even before a BAR had been driven in anger, the team were called up before the World Motor Sport Council to explain their actions. The reason for such an occasion centred around the team’s livery presented to the media at the car’s launch. Due to BAT wanting to promote two cigarette brands, one car was coloured red and white, the other blue and yellow.

Unfortunately for BAR, this went against the rules which state both cars must be liveried very similar or identical. The way around this for BAR was to create the zip-livery, whereby one side of the BAR 01 was painted in the colours of Lucky Strike, and the other was painted in the colours of 555 (a zip was placed along the centre to separate the two designs). Needless to say, it was atrocious.

2000 – A More Subdued Livery

BAR dropped the dual livery in 2000 in favour of a more traditional look, opting to promote the Lucky Strike brand. BAT’s 555 brand is more favourable in Asian countries, and as Formula One raced more in Europe at the time, it seemed like the sensible option. Thus, the BAR 02 took on a predominantly white look, with the red circle of Lucky Strike in the sidepod.

The silver flourishes from the BAR 01 were carried over to the second car, this time on the air intake and the lower part of the engine cover. The livery was, in my opinion, a huge improvement over its predecessor. 2000 was also the first time Honda became involved with the team, initially as an engine supplier.

2001 – Setting The Livery Standard

In 2001, BAR set a standard for their future liveries to work by, removing the silver and adding in the khaki and black also featured within the Lucky Strike brand. The car remained largely white and following Jordan’s lead, the team would often change the words of their tobacco sponsor for races that didn’t allow cigarette advertising. “Look Alike” became a popular phrase, used to replace “Luck Strike”.

2002 – Continuing The Theme

The BAR 04 saw little change in the livery. The basic design remained the same and the only differences of note are the orange mirrors courtesy of sponsorship requirements and the slight alteration to the Lucky Strike red circle. Instead of the circle being solid as it was before, the company introduced white bars across one half of it. I’m not sure if this was a company-wide change or just done for the Formula One team. You can just about see the difference in the second photograph.

2003 – Adjusting The Standard

In 2003, the team made a few more changes to the livery, but it largely had the same feel to it from before. More black was introduced on the front wing, and the engine cover took on the red and khaki from the Lucky Strike brand. Honda started to adorn the rear wing with their logo and while “Look Alike” remained, “Lookies” also started to appear on the nose section (“Lookies” being a parody of “Luckies”). During the winter off-season, the team also ran an all-black interim livery on the test car.

2004 – Bar Code Additions

A bar code, or BAR code, was added to the 2004 livery, along with more black on the engine cover, dividing the part into three colours now, with the red and khaki. The bar code featured on the sidepods and included the year, the driver’s initials and the words “BAR CODE”. The rear wing also started to have the words “Don’t Walk” emblazoned on the back of it. The “Look Alike” phrase had been replaced with “Look Left” on the right sidepod cover, and “Look Right” on the left.

During winter testing, BAR ran a black livery.

In Spain, the team ran a livery which included more black on the side.

In Italy, the team ran a livery depicting the driver outlined on the side of the monocoque.

In China, the team promoted BAT’s 555 brand, changing the cars to blue and yellow.

2005 – The Final BAR

The khaki was replaced with black on the BAR 06, and the bar code on the sidepod was made a little smaller, perhaps mainly because of the curved nature of the part on the car. The mirrors changed to black and the rear wing continued to tell following drivers not to walk.

2006 – Honda Take Over

The first Honda, named the RA106, continued BAR’s livery design as the team were still sponsored by BAT and the Lucky Strike brand. The red circle logo received some overdue attention though and was spiced up for the 2006 season. Khaki made a return on the engine cover, the part now displaying four colours. At races that didn’t allow tobacco advertising, the team copied McLaren and used the driver’s forenames on the cars, Rubens and Jenson. “Racing Revolution” became a new catchphrase on the car, circling the Lucky Strike logo and featuring in much of the team’s branded paraphernalia.

The team ran a special livery at the Istanbul Grand Prix, dedicated to their sponsorship with Petrol Ofisi.

In China, the team promoted BAT’s 555 brand, changing the cars to blue and yellow.

2007 – The Earth Car

A lot of fuss was made of the 2007 livery, set to cover the Honda RA107. Much speculation spread around the motor sport fraternity and when it was finally unveiled at the Natural History Museum in London, people were divided the world over. The reason for the interest was down to the team no longer being sponsored by BAT – thus, the design was about to change.

I think most didn’t like it, but the scheme did have its fans. Using a graphic of the world, very similar to Google Earth’s (but not actually Google’s), the car was pretty much sponsor-free. Instead, the team promoted green causes and even got people to sign up to make a pledge towards reducing their carbon footprint in exchange for getting your name printed on the chassis. The names were very small, but “Oliver White – BlogF1″ is on that car somewhere. The team also ran an all-black testing livery over the winter.

2008 – Earth Evolved

With a general mockery made of the Earth car and its flawed green appeal, the design was toned down for 2008. Gone was the all-covering earth design and the RA108 reverted to a much more white livery. The Earth graphic was still included, but substantially less in your face. The RA108 also featured flourishes of red once again, a homage to the teams Japanese roots. Stripes were incorporated (along with other teams as well – it must have been the year of the stripe?) and the car’s design was a lot more edgier.

Unfortunately, the team were less than successful and after the season climax, it was announced the squad were to withdraw from the sport. The hunt is on for a buyer, but failing to find one will mean the team being disbanded. Ladies and gentlemen, the last Honda. For now, anyway.

In the previous livery posts, there were comments made about teams not really needing to spend a great deal on their graphic designers who come up with the liveries. Perhaps these were due to Toyota never really making any substantial changes to their liveries and Renault changing, but for the worse each and every time. However, BAR spent a fair amount of time on their liveries, designing more than their fair share of one-offs over the years. If any team deserves an award to trying, perhaps BAR should stand up and collect it.

Images © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

BAR’s & Honda’s Livery Development: 1999 – 2008

The F1.09 sports the new narrow rear wing mounted higher than previous, and an adjustable front wing that sits lower and is much wider. The bodywork features no winglets or flick-ups, although the yellow warning sticker for the KERS sticks out like a sore thumb.

Last year BMW did well and won their first race, courtesy of Robert Kubica. Nick Heidfeld had a more troubled season but still managed to haul in a bounty of points which ultimately left the team just behind Ferrari and McLaren. Kubica was in the title hunt right up to the final few races and the Hinwil-based team will want to improve on this for 2009.

Last year we saw that working together we can achieve good result. For the first half of the season, we were title contenders. We were leading the drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships at certain points of the season.

Everyone remembers how it finished, and we will try to repeat the first half of the season and finish better than last year. Robert Kubica.

One of the problems the team faced during the last campaign was keeping up with the development. BMW started the season strongly, but gradually slipped off the pace. This caused some heavy criticism from Kubica, who was very outspoken about the direction the team was taking. However, with a ban on in-season testing now in place, the rate of development from the top teams will slow a little, and this could play right into the hands of BMW.

Developing a new Formula One car is always exciting, but this time there was something even more special about it. We really were starting from scratch.

First and foremost, the switch from grooved tyres to slicks means more grip, of course, but it also moves the balance of forces further forward: removing the grooves gives the front tyres proportionally a greater contact area and more grip than the rear tyres.

Because the car differs so significantly from its predecessor, we already started work on the first concept studies in February – two months earlier than normal and before the F1.08 had even started its first race. Willy Rampf.

BMW were also one of the first teams to test a KERS system, and just prior to Christmas, it was said that the squad were at such an advanced stage with the technology, they were even testing out differing strategies with it.

At BMW we have always used the Formula One project as a technology laboratory for series production. With KERS this approach takes on a whole new dimension. Formula One will reposition itself and undergo a change of image, allowing the sport to take significant strides forward in terms of public acceptance. Mario Theissen.

However, at the launch of the F1.09, team boss Mario Theissen did admit that the system may not be ready in time for Australia. And if BMW are now saying they may not have KERS ready in time, where does that leave Ferrari who have been saying the same for a while now!?

Looking back to when we started more than a year ago on KERS, that time was pure research. Then we went through a stage I would call pre-development. Now we are in the development stage.

We are still not ready to race, but if I look at what progress we have made in last 12 months, it’s amazing. We have learned so much.

We are still pushing hard. We are not ready yet. I am sure we will be ready at some point, I don’t know whether we will be ready for Melbourne. Mario Theissen.

And finally, just a quick note to say that Nick Heidfeld has dramatically changed his helmet design. Although Alonso has also altered his, the difference wasn’t enough to warrant a note in yesterday’s post. But as Heidfeld’s is substantially different (green), I added a photo below.

Photos © BMW AG.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: BMW Take The Wraps Off The F1.09

This isn’t Renault’s first foray in Formula One, the French car manufacturer having raced between 1977 and 1986. In the mid-eighties, the marque took a step back from the sport although they did supply world championship winning engines to Williams and Benetton. In 2002, Renault purchased the Benetton team from the Italian family and returned to the sport in the guise you see today.

Early Liveries
1977 RS01 & 2007 R27 ‘30th Anniversary’ Edition

The original livery consisted mainly of Renault’s yellow with only hints of white and black as contrast. With fewer sponsors to keep happy, the cars remained fairly clean looking with only two brands really visible: Renault and partner company Elf.

When Renault’s Formula One team reached the grand age of 30, the team produced an exquisite livery based around the original colour scheme, but molded onto the modern R27. With a return of the black combined with the yellow, it is a great shame this livery and car combination (R27) never raced.

Renault R22
2002

Upon Renault’s return to the grid, the company purchased the Benetton operation and over a period of two years, transformed the team into Renault. The squad were sponsored by Mild Seven, which is where the blue comes from. However, wanting to incorporate the traditional yellow of Renault, a darker shade of blue was also introduced to break up the contrast between the colours. The R22 had a white front wing, which looked a little out of place and was soon re-coloured. The livery was simple, yet very effective, and the colours soon became synonymous with the team thanks to a driver who was yet to drive for them. The red flash on the tip of the nose was to help identify between the team mates; one car had it, the other didn’t.

Renault R23
2003

Very little changed with the 2003 livery, the team still being sponsored by Mild Seven and therefore carrying the blue. The white front wing remained and future world champion Fernando Alonso was brought on board. The reason why the Mild Seven blue would outlast the sponsorship deal was its closeness to the colours of Alonso’s home town of Oviedo. As if by fate, the flag of Oviedo almost exactly matches the blue and yellow of RenaultF1, and the colours would remain with the team while Alonso was winning world championships, even though the cigarette brand would eventually be forced to part company with the squad.

Renault R24
2004

A minor overhaul of the team’s livery happened in 2004, with the front wing finally being matched up to the rest of the car. With Renault becoming more comfortable with Formula One and popularity rising, as well as the imminent loss of Mild Seven, more of Renault’s yellow was incorporated, particularly at the front of the car where the yellow is extended into the darker blue which is now more pronounced. Sponsorship by Telefonica also added to the darker blue at the rear of the car on the wing. It should be noted that the photos of the R24 look a little washed out, but in reality the blue remained unchanged as far as I am aware.

Renault R25
2005

Very little changed for 2005 with the exception that Renault and Alonso would finally win the championships. Fernando Alonso took on the mantle of having his camera and nose painted red, which went well with the rouge in his helmet design. A few more sponsors clutter up the design, especially on the side of the nose as it curves back to the monocoque.

Renault R26
2006

Erm… spot the difference, anyone!?

I absolutely love this photo, hence its inclusion.

Renault R27
2007 Interim Livery

Before the team overhauled their livery prior to the 2007 season, they ran Giancarlo Fisichella in the new car with a sort of in between livery. It was much darker than normal, successfully eradicating the Mild Seven blue but retaining the Renault yellow. Many thought this was the final 2007 livery, which resulted in a surprise when the ING look was unveiled a few months later.

Renault R27
2007

With Fernando Alonso no longer driving for the team, and Mild Seven now just a memory, the team completely overhauled the livery. New title sponsor ING had their corporate colours of white, blue and orange integrated with Renault’s yellow and the result was lambasted by fans the world over. It seemed messy and without structure, although I have to admit, I actually quite liked it. The yellow remained, of course, as did the dark blue, although slightly altered for ING. Combined with the snug design of the car, I thought the livery worked well, but I’m well aware I am in the minority on this one!

Renault R28
2008

No change as far as I can see (aside from mirror and vanes colour), and to prove it, I’ve put the two overhead shots close together for your viewing pleasure. Or not, if you didn’t like this livery.

Renault R29
2009

Woah! Renault! Sorry, I’m still in shock…

No wonder Flavio’s wearing sunglasses!

Photo Credits:
- RS01 is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0.
- R29 © RenaultF1/LAT Photographic.
- All studio shots are © RenaultF1.
- All other photos shamelessly stolen from various sites around the Internet. Please get in contact if this poses an issue – BlogF1 is more than happy to acknowledge copyright (if proven) or remove images if requested.

Original article by BlogF1.

Renault’s Livery Development: 2002 – 2009

With the new regulations comes an adherence to no aerodynamic winglets adorning the bodies of the cars, the intention being to reduce grip and therefore improve racing. Whether or not this will work remains to be seen, but Renault believe the shark fin engine cover is within the rules. I think they’re right as the part doesn’t generate downforce, instead the augmented cover provides stability under braking and entering corners.

Also top of the talking list at Renault’s end of the pitlane was the striking new livery. Renault have incorporated more of their company colours into the mix and eradicated the dark blue that we saw on the R27 and R28. With title sponsor’s ING orange and a base colour of white, the new red of Total makes the livery stand out. The nose section of the car has also caused a bit of stir, perhaps because of it’s colour the front appears to be quite chunky.

Despite the looks though, Fernando Alonso will be hoping that the R29 can carry on where the R28 left off, the Spaniard having won two races last year in a car that really wasn’t near the overall pace of the McLaren and Ferrari. With two world championships in his pocket though, Alonso knows how to develop and nurture a car into a winning machine.

Photos © RenaultF1/LAT Photographic.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: Renault Unveil R29 & New Livery

Williams haven’t won a championship in many years, the last drivers title claimed by the private team being from Jacques Villeneuve in 1997. Since then, the once successful team has slowly slid down the grid as Frank Williams suffered problems with engines and finances. However, still managing to keep the outfit going, Williams and other co-owner Patrick Head will be hoping the new regulations will see them progress up the field as others face troubles of their own.

The team have invested in the future of Formula One by becoming part owners of a hybrid technology company, Automotive Hybrid Technology, which has since been renamed to incorporate Williams’s name and a move to the Grove factory has allowed the development of the only in-house KERS system to be built. With this advantage over the troubled Ferrari/Magneti-Marelli system (who also supply Scuderia Toro Rosso), it could be that Williams finally start to make inroads into the gap that separates them from the top of the grid.

Photos © WilliamsF1/LAT Photographic.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: Williams Showcase The FW31

Although McLaren have been on a winning streak in recent seasons, they are yet to reclaim the constructors title, last won in 1998 when Mika Hakkinen also took his first of two drivers titles. Since then the McLaren cars have been mostly winners, but reliability issues in the early-to-mid 2000s plagued the team. However, 2007 marked a changed in fortune and with Lewis Hamilton arriving to replace the outgoing Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren’s confidence grew.

Hamilton’s dream was realised last season when in a nail-biting finale to the season, the young Briton took the drivers title by passing Timo Glock at the penultimate corner and earning that one vital extra point. Carrying the number 1 on the front of his car this year, Hamilton will be hoping for a chance to take a second title. However, at the launch Lewis seemed more appealed by the looks of it.

This is the first time I’ve seen it fully put together and it looks beautiful. The team manages to always put together a stunning car and it’s great to see the final outcome of the work that has gone on. Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton also spoke of the emotion of seeing the completed package for the first time and the chassis bearing the number 1 on the front and sides.

The arrival of a new car is always an emotional moment for any racing driver – and the unveiling of MP4-24 is even more special for me, not only because the car looks absolutely stunning but also because it carries the number one. I believe this year’s World Championship is open, given the new rule changes and that’s a great prospect for every Formula 1 fan. Personally, I’m hoping for another successful season and the chance to once again fight for the title – until the final race if necessary, but preferably before. Lewis Hamilton.

Team boss Ron Dennis described the new McLaren (in typical Ron-speak) as “a car correctly conceptualised”, and highlighted the increased amount of work needed to develop the MP4-24 due top the change in regulations for the 2009 season.

Extensive rule changes require extensive amount of work – these are the biggest rules changes we have seen in 15 years.

That requires the technologists in our organisation, they are not just engineers but scientist with high qualifications, to go back to a plain piece of paper and conceptualising what the fundamental requirement are for the regulations.

It is there you can get it wrong because if you get it wrong no amount of development can sort it out. What you see in the MP4-24 is a car correctly conceptualised.

As ever, we exist to win and our target remains the successful acquisition of both this year’s Drivers’ and Constructors’ world titles. Ron Dennis.

With McLaren believed to be ahead of Ferrari with the development of KERS, 2009 could be the year that the Woking-squad take back the constructors championship. But that will remain an unknown at least until the car makes its first run next week at the Portimao test. Experienced test driver Pedro De La Rosa will conduct the first two day’s of testing in Portugal next week where the challenger will undergo its first shakedown alongside three other teams.

Photos © McLaren.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: McLaren Present The MP4-24

Toyota TF101
Test Car

Toyota’s development car – also called the AM01 – never raced, but it was used to evaluate drivers for the debut of the team in Formula One in 2002. Out of all the following liveries, this test car was probably the most distinctive. Bland and mundane, yes. But at least it stands out among the others.

Toyota TF102
2002

The first sight of Toyota’s splash livery. Predominantly white with red diagonal distressed stripes; one across the nose, and two each symmetrically spreading up past the centre monocoque and over the exhausts. Note the front wing end-plates. The left one is white, the right one is red (it’s more obvious in the TF103 pictures).

Toyota TF103
2003

The only difference I can see is the lack of red circle in the middle of the drivers headrest. I always presumed it symbolised the Nisshoki (the flag of Japan), and it made a return the following year.

Toyota TF104
2004

Only a subtle change for 2004; the return of the Nisshoki and a slight alteration in the edging and styling of the stripes. Also, the mirrors matched the front wing end-plates; red mirror on the right, white on the left.

Toyota TF105
2005

The 2005 car featured more red over the sidepods, but because of this it lost its striped appearance.

Toyota TF106
2006

The stripe over the nose has been narrowed. And I think that is about it for changes in 2006.

Toyota TF107
2007

The nose stripe was widened for 2007, and with added sponsorship from Kingfisher, the sidepods took on a slightly more formal look. Also, the front wing end-plates are now both the same colour – white.

Toyota TF108
2008

2008 marked the biggest change in Toyota’s livery, with the edging of the stripes changing to a more ‘dripped’ look as opposed to the previous ’splashed’. The front element in the front wing has also been changed to white – an improvement in my opinion.

Toyota TF109
2009

The 2008 trend didn’t last long though as 2009 saw a return to the diagonal stripe, although the splashes over the sidepods are no longer symmetrical, instead they have touches of white streaked around to see a return of the distressed look.

If I had to choose a favourite, it would be difficult to decide based on livery alone. Bringing the shape, style and flow of the car into it makes it easier though; it’s between the TF106 and the TF108, and as the 108 performed better, I guess it’s probably the better of the eight that raced. In my mind, anyway.

So should Toyota continue with the red and white splash, or should they do something radical next year and change their livery? What do you think? Do you like it? Is it still fresh to you? Or is it dated and boring?

Photos © Toyota Motorsport Gmbh

Original article by BlogF1.

Toyota’s Livery Development: 2002 – 2009

Jarno Trulli, who has driven for Toyota since the final two races of the 2004 campaign, spoke of optimism over the new car, and although cautious not to get too carried away, hopes the level of improvement we saw from the team in 2008 will continue into the new season.

I am a very confident person and I am always optimistic so again this season I have high hopes, but I know from my experience that whatever I say in the winter doesn’t really count for much when the season starts – the important thing is what we do on the track. Jarno Trulli.

Trulli also turned his attention to the aim of winning his team’s maiden victory, having been already beaten by the younger and much less funded Scuderia Toro Rosso last year. Fellow manufacturers Honda and Renault have also won races in their recent guises, putting the well-funded Toyota effort to shame somewhat.

We have established the foundations and I believe we can build a winning team. In 2008 we made a huge improvement and took a big step in the right direction so I hope now this year we can be a top team. I am confident in my own ability so if I am given a competitive car I know I can deliver the results. Jarno Trulli.

Needless to say, Trulli was in an optimistic and vibrant mood today. Although as soon as the car hits the track at the upcoming test session, I’m sure he will likely be found sulking in the back of the garage, such is the standard of the experienced Italian driver these days. While hopeful of continued progress though, Trulli was also keen to point out the dramatic changes in technical regulations means judging performance at the moment is very hard.

It is a big change and whenever you make a change like this, it is impossible to predict how it will affect each team.

You can say I am cautiously optimistic. One thing is for sure, there will be bigger gaps between teams next season and bigger fluctuations in performance. Jarno Trulli.

Although it needs to be added, the gaps won’t be that large behind the Trulli-train.

The team bosses weren’t so cautious as Trulli though, stating quite clearly that they want to be fighting for victory. This time last year there was some doubt over the future of the team as the manufacturer chiefs were growing weary of seeing money plowed into the squad with very little results to show. In 2008, the team managed two podiums and a fifth place standing in the constructors championship. The difference between grabbing two podiums and winning is huge though, and Toyota might do well to tone down their goal to something more achievable, like top six qualifying results and regular podiums.

Our target this year is to try to win the first race for Toyota in Formula One. When I took over as Chairman and Team Principal in 2007 I stated my task for the first year would be to observe, for the second year it would be to improve and for the third year and beyond it would be to succeed. This is my third season so it is very clear for me – I want to see us win a race. Tadashi Yamashina, Team Principal.

Toyota also spoke of a “very strong future” at their launch, and announced the extension of title sponsor Panasonic until the end of 2012.

Photos © Toyota Motorsport Gmbh.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: Toyota Unveil The TF109

As with many of the cars we will see in the coming weeks, the F60 sports a low and wide front wing and ending at the rear with a higher but much narrower wing. The bodywork is much cleaner than in previous years owing to the fact that all the extra winglets have now been banned. And unlike what we saw in testing, the sidepods are symmetrical, with no huge vent on the right. This was possibly due to the team mounting the KERS on a 2008-spec. car.

It’s a completely new car, starting from a white piece of paper. Fundamentally the biggest changes come from the new rules from an aerodynamic point of view and the introduction of new technology, which is the KERS system. Aldo Costa.

The team spoke to the press and a feeling of confidence was said to have been in the air, despite the team worried about the introduction of their KERS system before the first race in Australia in March. Felipe Massa also suggested that it is hard to judge the competitiveness of the other teams due to the shake-up in the technical regulations.

It’s difficult to say what the most difficult car to beat will be. We expect McLaren to be very competitive, maybe BMW, who are working really hard and growing a lot year by year.

Maybe Renault and maybe we can have some other team who can show great performance as well. So it’s quite difficult to say but for sure we are working really hard and hopefully it will be us. Felipe Massa.

Regarding the look of the F60, Massa said he was surprised at how compact it was, stating that he thought it would be bigger like the Formula One cars from mid-nineties.

I’m quite surprised because I expected a big car like it was 10 years go. But the car is very, very small, very compact, the rear end especially. It looks pretty nice, it looks pretty good and hopefully it will be as quick as it looks. Felipe Massa.

Team mate Kimi Raikkonen was eager to put 2008 behind him and was looking for to the year with fresh motivation and optimism.

Last year was not exactly what I wanted but that is in the past now and we will try again this year. Of course it is a big question mark how good the car will be because the rules have changed a lot.

But we are very confident that the car should be very good and we will see in the next few weeks how good it is against the others. For sure we’ll try to win the world championships, but we’ll see how it is and we’ll go from there. Kimi Raikkonen.

Felipe Massa then took the new Ferrari F60 out on to the Mugello tarmac for a shakedown, testing the systems to ensure they actually work before any stresses are put through the machine. The Maranello team will be present at four different circuits before the 2009 season kicks off in Melbourne in March, putting the F60 through its paces at Jerez, Circuit de Catalunya, the new Portimao track as well as visiting Bahrain.

Images © Ferrari Spa.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: Ferrari Unveil F60

The new car, VJM02, is under construction. It will have a McLaren gearbox and Mercedes engine, which is a big change from VJM01. We are going to unveil it at Jerez in early March. Vijay Mallya.

Mallya is confident his team can progress into the midfield this year, having failed to score any points in the 2008 campaign. At times, the Silverstone-based squad looked good for one or two points, but it would seem circumstances conspired against them, most notably the incident involving Kimi Raikkonen at Monaco. However, with a more complete package from McLaren and Mercedes, the car should run better than previously, although the midfield is a whole different ball game. In 2008, the laptimes between the middle group of cars were very close and tightly packed. While some might say that makes it easier to progress, others say it makes it easier to fall behind.

We will have a six day test which I think is enough. Besides, the facilities at our Silverstone factory are quite up to the mark and I think we will be ready for the first race. Vijay Mallya.

Either way, Mallya is not overly concerned that his team will be among the last to launch, having explained that Force India will test for six days prior to shipping the cars out to Australia.

Original article by BlogF1.

Force India VJM02 To Be Launched In March

Ferrari will reveal their 2009 machine early, as is typical for Maranello. The Italian squad’s launches have been relatively understated of recent years and this season will be no different. Previously, the car would be photographed in the team’s studios, and the car would be shook down at one of the local circuits with limited press available to note down quotes. Ferrari are planning on letting Felipe Massa complete a few installation laps at Fiorano on January 12th.

Toyota will be next up on January 15th, rolling their TF109 out just 24 hours prior to McLaren’s unveiling of their MP4-24. Renault and Williams are due to take the wraps off their new machines on January 19th while BMW will launch the F1.09 the following day on the 20th. Scuderia Toro Rosso will likely use the Red Bull RB5, which will be shown to the press on February 9th at the Jerez test. STR may have to wait awhile before they receive their new car, although probably not as long as they did in 2008 due to the significant changes in the rules. Force India will also have to wait a while before they can get hold of a new motor as the Silverstone-based team work hard at incorporating the Mercedes V8 power plant.

Regarding the tests, the teams are due to descend on Jerez once again on January 20th for a four day run, the day after the Renault and Williams launches, and the same day as the BMW unveiling. It is expected that four of the teams will test in Spain, while the other four will use the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal (Force India may not run). It is expected that Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Toyota will test at the Portimao circuit.

The second big test of 2009 will commence on February 10th, using the facilities at Jerez again. It is expected that all teams will be present, although the future of Honda still remains unknown. The running at Jerez will once again be four days, although last year the teams only managed limited running due to thick fog on the track in the mornings.

Original article by BlogF1.

New Car Launches & Testing Sessions For 2009

Tomorrow the reigns will be handed over to team Sebastian Vettel who will spend another day testing and developing the new car. Vettel was also in the headlines today though for a slightly different reason. The young driver, who has impressed many in his short time spent in F1 so far, has been tipped for a promotion to Red Bull Racing next season. Helmut Marko of Red Bull stated as much earlier today when asked by Autosport if the move is going to happen:

I think so, yes. He’s a special one and he is very developed for his age. He can be very aggressive in the car but he’s also technical and well trained. Helmut Marko.

STR co-owner and former grand prix winner Gerhard Berger wasn’t so blunt, erring to the vague, non-committal type of answer, but giving clear indication that the company is at least considering it.

For the next three years he has a contract with Red Bull, not Red Bull Racing. But I don’t know where he’ll be next year. Gerhard Berger.

I’ll post more about the new STR after the times have been set at the end of the day, but for now, here are a few pictures.

Update: And now it’s all over. Sebastien Bourdais crashed the new STR3 heavily at Circuit de Catalunya this afternoon. The French driver is fine and was able to walk away from the accident, which saw Seb leave the track at T9 and clout the barrier. The car however, didn’t do so well in the incident and it is now unlikely the team will be able to continue the test tomorrow with Vettel. Team boss Franz Tost ruled out mechanical failure and just said:

He simply went too fast.

Looking at initial images of the aftermath, it would appear that while the impacted side is pretty much destroyed, the right side is unscathed, suggesting the problems that dogged the RB4 in Australia and Malaysia have not been carried over to the STR3.

Original article by BlogF1.

Scuderia Toro Rosso Unveil 2008 Car