Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) OK so the new year brings the start of the new season and just as importantly, a new thread!! Let's check out this years runners and riders... In New Championship Order: McLaren - Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton Mercedes - Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg Red Bull - Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber Ferrari - Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa BMW Sauber - Kamui Kobayashi, Pedro de la Rosa Williams - Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg Renault - Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov Force India - Adrian Sutil, Vitantonio Liuzzi Toro Rosso - Sebastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari Campos Meta - Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok Lotus F1 - Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen Virgin Racing - Timo Glock, Lucas di Grassi March 14 Bahrain March 28 Austrailia April 4 Malaysia April 18 China May 9 Spain May 16 Monaco May 30 Turkey June 13 Canada June 27 Europe (Valencia) July 11 Great Britain July 25 Germany August 1 Hungary August 29 Belgium September 12 Italy September 26 Singapore October 10 Japan October 24 South Korea November 7 Brazil November 14 Abu Dhabi No Refuelling, yet tyre changes remain. New Points system: 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1 Fuel Tank Capacity has almost doubled from 120 litres to 235 litres, meaning the cars will be wider at the back. The Cars Minimum Weight has increased from 605kg to 620kg. Slimmer Front Tyres KERS is expected to have been mutually declined by all teams, however it is still within the rules to use the device, so one or two teams (with the strongest rumour being Williams), may yet choose to include it, or atleast allow for its use within their car design. For some reason the Double Decker Diffuser remains for 2010. South Korea will be the new addition on the calander this year, with the race being held at the newly built Yeongam Circuit... The first day of Winter Testing is February 1st at the Valencia test circuit. As always, post away with all your thoughts on the new season and all the latest news as we get it... And yes I will also be using this thread to bore some of you with all this years news on Kimi Raikkonen as he enters into his first season in the WRC! Edited April 19, 2010 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 5, 2010 Really looking forward to this season. I would argue that all of the top 4 teams will have a car capable of winning and the majority of the drivers in those cars are damn good and capable of doing the business with them. My early money is on Alonso and Ferrari to take both titles, but as always I'll wait to see some testing before making an absolute prediction. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 5, 2010 Wow. The top 4 teams (obviously including RBR in there, especially with Vettel) are going to be incredibly close together no doubt. Can't wait to see the Ferrari's this year especially with Massa and Alonso, two very passionate and exciting drivers (not that Kimi wasn't, but Alonso suits Ferrari more than Kimi ever did tbh). Ross Brawn said that they stopped developing last years Brawn car after the Turkish grand prix as they had such a lead over the other cars (though in late summer they did put a few more things on due to a poor run of form) so I'd expect Scumacher and Rosberg to definately be in contention. And then ofc, there is Mclaren and I can honestly say I have no idea how it's gonna turn out between Jenson and Lewis. Lewis is very quick but makes mistakes and doesn't conserve his tyres aswell (he tends to adopt the Senna approach of 'Overtake now, think later) whereas Jenson is more of a Prost in that he can save his tyres and put in the quick laps when he needs to. Most importantly though, with 2 top drivers in the team (the same situation as Ferrari) we can no doubt expect them to take points off each other, so it makes you wonder if the teams will pick one driver over the other if it gets to a point where driver A is 20-30 points ahead of driver B. In that regard I think vettel and Schumacher are in with the best chance of the title; they are stronger than their team mates and won't be losing points to them. Also, the points system...ARGHH it's gonna do my head in for ages it is! Seems to silly to increase the points like they have, i mean 25 for the winner is a bit of stretch! Eugh at another Tilke track, looks awful it does. That makes 7 Tilke tracks on the calender i think, with the only one that really provides good racing being Malaysia which was cut short this year due to the late start time Anyone know when the first cars are set to be unveiled? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) My early money would go on Lewis, or Vettel but Red Bull seriously need to have better luck with their engines! Hopefully Vettel FTW! Anyone know when the first cars are set to be unveiled?The previously planned 'joint launch' was going to take place towards the end of Jan, so I'd imagine around then for the teams that have cars ready by then. The first week of testing starts on Feb 1st, so I'd imagine most teams will want to be able to bring their new cars to that. Another question, Anyone know how the 4 new teams are given their numbers? I just put them alphbetically in the list above, but are they just randomly assigned or were they chosen in a specific order? Edited January 5, 2010 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 5, 2010 And then ofc, there is Mclaren and I can honestly say I have no idea how it's gonna turn out between Jenson and Lewis. I'd actually say thats the easiest of all the top teams to call. Lewis will beat Jenson easily. Another question, Anyone know how the 4 new teams are given their numbers? I just put them alphbetically in the list above, but are they just randomly assigned or were they chosen in a specific order? I would think your right going by alphabetical order. Who knows how they decide anything in F1 though, not much of it makes sense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 5, 2010 I hope other teams can join that mix with the pre-top 4 teams Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 5, 2010 I have nothing to add, so I'll just post this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) ^haha, Be really interesting to see what Force India come up with this year... will they continue on in genuinely great form or be back in the mid-pack? They definately shouldn't be anywhere near the back as in earlier seasons. Be nice to see Williams taking another step forward aswell. Hopefully Rubens can get a few podiums. Edited January 5, 2010 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 6, 2010 ^haha, Be really interesting to see what Force India come up with this year... will they continue on in genuinely great form or be back in the mid-pack? They definately shouldn't be anywhere near the back as in earlier seasons. Be nice to see Williams taking another step forward aswell. Hopefully Rubens can get a few podiums. Well tbh Williams would have done A LOT better last year if they hadn't had Nakajima. Rosberg got them ALL of their points and considering they were one of the only teams to start the season with the double diffuser it's a shame they couldn't put more points on the board... Anyone else thinking USF1 and Campos arent even gonna make it to the grid? USF1 haven't even announced a lineup so far and we havent really heard much from Campos either. Manor/Lotus/Glocks team look like the most promising of all the teams coming in and I wouldn't be surprised to see them do well. Also WHY THE HELL HASNT HEIDFELD GOT A SEAT YET?!?!?!?!?!?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 7, 2010 Anyone else thinking USF1 and Campos arent even gonna make it to the grid? USF1 haven't even announced a lineup so far and we havent really heard much from Campos either. Manor/Lotus/Glocks team look like the most promising of all the teams coming in and I wouldn't be surprised to see them do well. Also WHY THE HELL HASNT HEIDFELD GOT A SEAT YET?!?!?!?!?!?! USF1 said this the other day... Team US F1 silence was deliberate Team US F1 sporting director Peter Windsor says his outfit's plans to enter Formula 1 are fully on schedule - even though it has kept out of the spotlight compared to its fellow new members of the grand prix community. While Campos, Lotus and Virgin Racing have begun announcing drivers, sponsors and their full plans for 2010, US F1 has been working away in private getting its preparations sorted. And although that has prompted some to doubt that the team will make it onto the grid in time for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Windsor has now broken the team's silence on its new official website. "A number of people have asked me why we’ve been relatively quiet over the past six months or so," he wrote on the website. "My answer is twofold - one, while the F1 politics were sorting themselves out there was very little that we could do or say. "We’re all in the entertainment business we call F1 and there seemed little or no point in adding to the situation from the perspective of a new team. "Second, since August, we have been building our "house". Literally. We gutted the ex-Hall of Fame Racing/Joe Gibbs NASCAR shop, re-painted it, re-floored it, re-wired it, re-lit it and re-designed it. In three weeks. That’s what you can do in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the economic impact of the motorsports industry approaches $6 billion per year. Ask and you will receive. Brilliant. "And then, once we had a building (and even before we had one), we began to design parts and to hire our team. Again we were building. People wanted to know what was "going on." We replied that we were "putting together the team." It’s a bit like building a new house. You don’t invite all your neighbours and family around to see it at least until you’ve got the living room almost done, or a few plates in the kitchen." Team US F1 is expected to confirm its driver line-up in January. Though whether that's just a cover story and they are struggling, we'll have to wait and see! Yeah Heidfeld just got screwed over really! He'll get a drive but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up back at BMW Sauber, or again as Kubica's team mate at Renault... who said the other day they ideally want a second driver who can push/match Kubica. And Nick's that guy! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK, so F1 has now fallen 2 years behind where it should be in terms of aero development... http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80766 Double diffusers set for Formula 1 ban Formula 1 teams are closing in on a move to ban double diffusers in a bid to cut downforce and slow the cars down from the start of the 2011 season, AUTOSPORT can reveal. The introduction of double diffusers into F1 caused huge controversy at the start of last season, when rivals protested the concept that was used to great effect by Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota in the opening races of the campaign. The matter eventually went to the FIA International Court of Appeal, where the double diffuser was deemed fully legal and other teams had to revise the rear end of their cars to make the most of the extra downforce the design produced. However, with downforce and car speeds having increased since then - and the diffuser designs getting increasingly more complicated - sources have revealed that moves are now afoot to change the F1 regulations to outlaw them completely. On the back of predictions that the downforce levels of cars will this season potentially go beyond what they were at the end of 2008, teams have decided to take action. AUTOSPORT understands that technical chiefs discussed reducing downforce levels in a meeting of FOTA's Technical Regulations Working Group (TRWG) late last year, and agreed that the rules should be changed to effectively outlaw double diffusers. The teams want to create regulations that require the floor to be a continuous section if taken through a longitudinal or lateral plane - which if achieved will get rid of the 'slots' in the floor that have made the double diffuser concept work. It is understood that efforts are now being made to sort out the wording of the regulations to ensure that there are no loopholes that will allow anyone to continue using a double diffuser. Once the wording of the rules has been sorted, it will then be put to the FIA's official Technical Working Group for ratification prior to going through the channels required for it to get put into the 2011 regulations. It is estimated that the reduction in downforce caused by the double diffuser ban would result in the cars being slowed by around one second per lap. Lotus' chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne confirmed to AUTOSPORT that the move was being made, and it was one he supported. "I think it is exactly right," he said. "It is what we should do, and it is what both FOTA and the FIA are looking at for 2011. I think it is very sensible and very easy to do – just tighten up the regulations and it is done." Gascoyne did not believe that the double diffuser ban would have that big an impact in terms of helping overtaking, though. When asked if he felt the widespread use of double diffusers in F1 had hindered overtaking, Gascoyne said: "I don't think there was a reduction in overtaking, but the changes to improve overtaking didn't help. And in fact, if you look at the numbers, it was never going to. "But if you look at it carefully, what the [F1 teams'] aero group set out to achieve it actually did, and if you take the diffuser away it will do exactly what it said on the tin. Unfortunately that will never help you overtake anyone." Although the majority of teams support the move, some outfits are unhappy about the double diffuser ban because it will mean an expensive redesign of the entire rear end of the car, including the gearbox and rear suspension, for 2011. F1 baffles me, it just seems no-one has any common sense at times, or is interested in working towards a common goal! At this rate we'll never get back to having overtaking in the sport! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 7, 2010 Snip Well I'm glad that double deck diffusers could be banned but how anyone can say they don't contribute is beyond me. Watch the '09 Aussie GP again and it's blatantly obvious that the cars could overtake much better. Would have prefereed the ban for this season, but I guess you cant have everything... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 7, 2010 Great interview with Kimi for Red Bull magazine, those interested, one of his best... http://en.redbulletin.com/articles/kimi/ Are you a good co-driver? No. I’ve been co-driver to Tommi Mäkinen [four- time World Rally Champion] once. I have complete confidence in him, but I wouldn’t want to repeat the experience. Maybe I’ll sit alongside Loeb during a test. I don’t think he’d do the same for me. The car wasn’t bad. It just didn’t have enough grip. It was hard to drive but I liked the 09 Ferrari more than the 08. I didn’t cope too badly. But it made Fisichella age 10 years in two races! Gonna miss him! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 7, 2010 Kimi is hilarious, one of the only drivers who says what's on his mind. Love it. About time on the double diffuser! The Aussie 09 race was bloody fantastic, lots of cars looked like they were hard to control and the difference between the tyre compounds really showed in that race. It annoys me how aerodynamically dependant F1 cars are nowadays; call me old but i liked it when drivers couldn't take Eau Rouge and 130R flat out and it was a true test of skill when it came to who could make time up on those complexes...You only see guys lift off the gas on those corners when they're in dirty air :/ Also why the hell is bahrain holding the opening race? It's a muslim country so most people work on Sundays, THE GRANDSTANDS ARE GONNA BE EMPTY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) ^ Yeah I agree, Bahrain's an aweful opener. Australia's great because it's really celebrated by the Aussies, there's a fantastic atmosphere and they just love sport, you can really sense the excitement of a new season. Personally I also like getting up in the middle of the night to kick start the new year with somethig different! I think Abu Dhabi's a pretty rubbish close to the season aswell tbh! Visually exciting (meh... perhaps), by not race exciting, it should be Brazil every year. Edited January 7, 2010 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 7, 2010 ^ Yeah I agree, Bahrain's an aweful opener. Australia's great because it's really celebrated by the Aussies, there's a fantastic atmosphere and they just love sport, you can really sense the excitement of a new season. Personally I also like getting up in the middle of the night to kick start the new year with somethig different! I think Abu Dhabi's a pretty rubbish close to the season aswell tbh! Visually exciting (meh... perhaps), by not race exciting, it should be Brazil every year. Abu dhabi is a complete joke! Hate it hate it hate it. Hell, Imola was rubbish for modern f1 cars in terms of overtaking but the sheer atmosphere made it a legendary track. Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Valencia lack any sort of magic at all I also hate how Tilke seems to make really crappy inner sections of the track and then just puts some MASSIVE straights to aid overtaking, when the inner sections cause the cars to bunch up and by the time they get to straights the car infront pulls ahead (the hairpin before the Abu Dhabi straight is the biggest culprit). Tracks need to flow like Interlagos; the final uphill sector leads for some great overtaking into turn 1 and even then you see the guy doing the overtaking having to defend it straight away! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 8, 2010 USF1 news... US F1 car to make Alabama debut http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80776 The US F1 team will run its car for the first time at the Barber Motorsport Park in Alabama next month. Windsor said the team is allowed to carry out three testing sessions in the US, but will then fly to Spain to join its rivals. He added that US F1 is on the verge of announcing its drivers for the upcoming season. "We are very close to announcing our drivers," he said. "We've been talking to some great racing drivers over the last couple of months - and it is very difficult choosing from the good drivers that are around. I honestly have no idea what drivers they may announce, there's a good list out there of talent without a drive for next year, and I'm sure they've also had a word with a few from the US. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 8, 2010 USF1 are my bet to be the strongest of the new teams, and I really do hope they are successful - if a team outside of Europe can make it in F1 then there's nothing to stop other overseas squads having similar ideas and helping spread F1's appeal. The speculation around their drivers is hilarious because it could be almost anyone with or qualifies for a FIA Super License who hasn't been signed. Sato & Wurz? Villeneuve & Davidson? Montoya & Busch? Any two random Indycar drivers you care to mention? Heck, throw a dart at the drivers registry for Pennsylvania and see what comes up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 8, 2010 ^ haha yeah exactly, it could literally be anyone! Heck, bring back the other Brother!... *though that really would be a waste of everyones time* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 9, 2010 Tbh as much as I love Davidson I would much rather he didn't get the drive simply because having him on radio 5 commentary means I don't have to listen to the bastard Legard. Besides there was an interview with Davidson recently and he said the only reason he didn't have a drive for next season is that as most of the teams now aren't big manufacturers they all want pay drivers and unfortunately he doesn't have £5million to give to a team Honestly, maybe i'm sounding like a prick here but does anyone else find it ridiculous that these teams are getting into F1? I mean, fair play to manor in getting Glock and Lotus in getting Heikki and Jarno but seriously, this is supposed to be the worlds greatest motorsport, yet we've only got Mercedes and Ferrari at the helm of it really. Renault have already sold 70% of their share in the team, you get drivers having to PAY to drive for teams and it's just so annoying. I'm reading up on autosport about how the Campos team are ALREADY up for sale (seriously WTF) and it makes you wonder if the only reason Max considered them was to use them as pawns against FOTA... Midland, Spyker, Super Aguri...I bet you Campos will be added to that list fairly soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 12, 2010 Fernando makes his Ferrarri debut, at Ferrari's annual winter ski thing... Oh noes, I'm sensing more white on the Ferrari's this year, judging by the 2010 race suits. I really don't like that on their cars design, t'is why the '07 car was one of the most beautiful Ferrari's ever IMO! Also, http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80809 Red Bull to skip opening pre-season test Red Bull Racing is to skip the first of the official pre-season Formula 1 tests next month, It has decided to wait until the second test at Jerez the following week to run its new Renault-engined RB6 for the first time - which will leave it with just 12 test days before the opening race of the season in Bahrain on March 14. Red Bull Racing's move, which it says is designed to give it more time in the wind tunnel, marks a repeat of what the team did in 2009 - when it also missed the first test. Horner claimed that the move would give chief technical officer Adrian Newey an extra nine days of design and production time for the car that it hopes will help it win the world title in 2010. "It's to optimise the time in the wind tunnel as much as possible," said Horner. "Obviously the car is much more of an evolution of the 2009 car rather than the clean sheet of regulations that we had for last season. "But even so, with the refuelling change, we've opted to give our designers as much time as possible." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 12, 2010 Fernando makes his Ferrarri debut, at Ferrari's annual winter ski thing... Oh noes, I'm sensing more white on the Ferrari's this year, judging by the 2010 race suits. I really don't like that on their cars design, t'is why the '07 car was one of the most beautiful Ferrari's ever IMO! Also, Agree on the car front, the more red the better. I love the look of those tops though, I'd be tempted to pay the extortionate price of Ferrari merchandise if they start selling them to the public. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 12, 2010 ^ Yeah they are quite nice, though the Santander logo ruins them somewhat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 13, 2010 (edited) Haha, the breakdown continues... it seems someone's been playing too much Mario Kart... http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/13012010/2/ecclestone-proposes-grand-prix-shortcuts.html Ecclestone proposes grand prix shortcuts Bernie Ecclestone wants to introduce "shortcuts" on race tracks to boost entertainment and allow the top drivers to do more overtaking, the Formula One supremo said on Wednesday. The idea, which has yet to garner support from teams, would be another radical change to the sport with nothing similar ever having been adopted. "I've tried to push the teams with a number of proposals. Imagine a shortcut which a driver can use five times every race. It would stop people getting stuck behind others. It would be good for TV," Also, good for Sutil!! : peace: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/12012010/23/sutil-safety-push-made-modern-f1-tracks-boring.html Sutil: Safety push has made modern F1 tracks 'boring' With controversial comments that are likely to earn him a disapproving glare from the FIA, Force India F1 star Adrian Sutil has branded the modern genre of grand prix circuits ‘too safe’ and ‘boring’ – as he cited the speed, danger and thrill as the chief attractions of racing at the very highest level. Earlier this year, respected leading designers Adrian Newey (Red Bull Racing) and Sam Michael (Williams) suggested the governing body might want to look more at the layout of the circuits when it comes to assessing how the show can be spiced up in F1, rather than almost routinely pointing the finger of blame at car aerodynamics [see separate story – click here]. There has also been a significant degree of criticism of the so-called ‘Tilkedromes’ – tracks penned by German architect Hermann Tilke, including the current grand prix venues in Malaysia, Bahrain, China, Turkey, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Valencia, with the latter having been widely panned for producing some of the most monotonous races in recent memory during its two seasons in use to-date. Sutil’s contention is that drivers should be more readily consulted on proposed circuit layouts, and his somewhat maverick attitude in an age in which safety is perceived as king – with, thankfully, no fatalities in the top flight since Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994 – is likely to generate considerable cause for debate. “Abu Dhabi was one of the most perfect circuits I have driven on, and the most boring as well,” the young German – noted for his fearless approach on-track – is quoted as having said by Sports Illustrated. “It was just straight and really, really boring – but I probably cannot say anything bad about it for it’s safe, like all modern circuits should be. “I think it’s time to involve more drivers in this work, because we want fast corners as that’s where F1 cars are so good. The majority of the drivers feel this way. Of course there are a few who like it the way it is, safe. There will always be different opinions about it, but most of them would say there can be some changes in the circuits. “Everyone loves driving because there is thrill in it. If it was not dangerous, maybe not so many drivers would be doing it. Maybe there are certain risks in it, but if you don’t take those risks, it would get boring. Circuits are getting too safe and driving is not so nice anymore. Personally speaking, I’m just not getting that thrill. “There is a wall in the corner and you have got to take it easy or you would ram into it. Formula 1 is dangerously fast and is all about speed; that’s why it’s interesting, and we should keep it like that. Of course it is good to be safe and you need to look for improvement in drivers’ safety, but F1 did so much for safety that these cars are highly-developed and I feel really safe.” Sutil added that he hopes designers of the track that is due to host the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in 2011 will take into account his concerns and make it a stern challenge for all competitors – and therefore, by extension, an edge-of-the-seat spectacle for fans. “We should concentrate on putting up a really good circuit in Delhi,” affirmed the 28-year-old. “Hopefully they will get the information from drivers that they want, and I hope they put in some really exciting corners.” Couldn't agree with him more!! Raikkonen completes first Citroen test http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80847 Edited January 13, 2010 by Retro_Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 16, 2010 I've added a 2010 Car Launch category to the first post in the thread, which I've added some team announced dates to and will be updating it as we get more. Also... Alonso's new 'Ferrari' Helmet: Far more Blue than I was expecting, I know he likes to stick with the blue and yellow of his home town, but he had the opportunity for much more red given the spanish flag of course. He says he hope this is his last ever helmet design, wanting to finish his career with Ferrari. Someone on Autosports photoshopped it into last years Ferrari... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 16, 2010 I like the helmet, not really fan of them matching the car as they're quite helpful at identifying drivers when they clash a little. I can't wait for the new cars to start being launched, seems like only yesterday the season was finishing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
