SeVeN » F1

The Spanish Grand Prix 2010

SeVeN — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:16:29 +0000

It was a Red Bull 1 – 2 for qualifying and all bets were on a Red Bull 1 – 2 for the finish of the race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. It shoulda, woulda, coulda, but was not meant to be and Red Bull had to settle for a 1 – 3 finish. Mark Webber had no problems taking his lead from start to checkered flag without incident. But once again, his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, suffered from unreliability issues with his RB6. Vettel had to wait for traffic to clear during his pit stop which put him behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. To make matters even worse, he then suffered a brake failure. Vettel was then forced to limp his car around the track for the remaining 12 laps. Luckily the gap between Vettel and fifth place Schumacher was a substantial one and he was able to maintain his position. A delaminated brake disc turned out to be the culprit.

Lewis Hamilton experienced the largest set-back of the race. Lewis suffered a deflation in his left front tire during his penultimate lap which sent him sailing into the tire wall, ending his race. Had Hamilton finished the race he would have been just one point shy of his teammate, Jenson Button, in the championship points standing. With Hamilton out, Alonso was able to capture second place to a cheering Spanish crowd. Sebastian Vettel managed a podium finish in third.

It was a frustrating race for Jenson Button. His pit stop was slowed due to a dragging clutch which sent him back onto the track behind Michael Schumacher. Even though Button was in a faster car, Schumi didn’t give the Brit any opportunity to get by. Michael Schumacher finished the race in fourth, his best result thus far for the season and Jenson Button claimed fifth.

With five races now completed, the top three contenders for the championship title are Jenson Button with 70 points, followed by Fernando Alonso with 67 and Sebastian Vettel with 60 points. However, with 14 races still to be had, a clear cut winner has yet to be determined. It’s still anyone’s race.

Formula 1 Heads to Europe

SeVeN — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:47:24 +0000

It will have been three weeks by the time the next Formula 1 race gets underway in Barcelona, Spain. This will be the home country race for Fernando Alonso, Jaime Alguersuari, and newcomer, Pedro de la Rosa. For Fernando Alonso it will be his first Spanish Grand Prix driving for Ferrari. This alone should make the Spanish F1 fans happy. And the fact that Alonso and Hamilton are currently tied with 49 championship points apiece should make for an exciting duel from the former Mclaren rivals. It is also the first race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for Jaime Alguersuari who started mid season last year. Alguersuari scored his first Formula 1 points in Malaysia by coming in ninth place ahead of countryman Fernado Alonso who finished 13th. The race in Barcelona will also be the first for Pedro de la Rosa driving for Sauber. De la Rosa has yet to score any championship points. His best finish thus far has been 12th position in Melbourne. The Melbourne race was also the first race he successfully completed, beating out his teammate, Kamui Kobayashi, who has yet to finish a race with an intact race car.

The news has been rather quiet during this lull in racing. Most of the news centered around the F1 personnel battling the ash of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Ross Brawn was among one of the few lucky souls who managed to get out of Shanghai immediately and relatively painlessly. Mark Webber, on the other hand, spent 44 hours traveling by various modes of transportation and managed to lose his passport along the way. The Virgin Racing team was so delayed in getting their equipment back to home base that they were only able to fit one of their cars, that of Timo Glock, with a new chassis.

Teams usually use this lengthy period in between races to add new bits onto the cars and make major adjustments. One driver who will be the beneficiary of a major overhaul is Michael Schumacher. Mercedes have increased the car’s wheelbase in an attempt to improve weight distribution. Ferrari will be trying out their new F-duct system in Spain and Fisichella has been out on the track testing the new aerodynamics. Red Bull’s Mark Webber has stated in an interview that Red Bull will not have the F-duct or J-switch available to them for the Spanish Grand Prix, while the Sauber team has also been testing out theirs. Most of the other teams have also made upgrades to their aero packages that they will be unveiling in Spain.

Bahrain Friday Free Practice

SeVeN — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:30:57 +0000

Friday’s free practice sessions were quite interesting to watch. It was the first time to view the cars going around the track. Due to the ban on refueling the cars are much longer than they were last year and, quite frankly, look a bit squirrelly on the track. It appears that most, if not all, of the teams are struggling with setting the ride heights. This was most obvious as cars were going around turn #6 where there is a bit of a bump on the track. All of the cars have been having problems with bottoming out at that section. Getting the ride height correct will definitely prove to be a challenge as cars will be much heavier at the start of the race with full tanks of fuel than they will be towards the end of the race. Apparently, Red Bull may have some sort of on-board height adjustment that the drivers can initiate, but I haven’t been able to verify this information as of yet.

Tire wear was also an issue for some of the teams. Under full fuel the rear tires have been going much quicker than expected. The tire allotment has been decreased this season, so drivers who can take care of their tires will definitely have an advantage. Although, the same can be said about fuel consumption; the drivers with the most finesse will most likely be the ones at the head of the pack. Lewis Hamilton, for instance, likes to throw that McLaren around the track and is a fairly aggressive driver. He was also one of the drivers pulling into the pit complaining of severe tire wear.

Sunday’s race in Bahrain will be tough for the engineers to get right since there is no historical data available for the new section of track that has been added this year. There is a good chance of having a car or two actually run out of fuel during the race. The rules also require that each car finish with at least 1 litre of fuel still on board for testing.

And, as I stated in my last post, Formula 1 racing is not without its controversies. Last year was the season of the “Double Diffusers” which can now be seen on all of the cars. This year is starting off to be the season of the “McLaren Left-Knee Vent”. The engineers at McLaren have added a vent on the nose close to the driver that allows air to flow into the cockpit and out through the floor of the car. There is a lever located by the driver’s left knee that allows the driver to open and close this vent. When closed the turbulent air created by this vent can actually stall out the rear wing, decreasing the amount of down-force on the car. Whether or not this will give the cars any speed advantage remains to be seen and, admittedly, it does not appear to be as large of a controversy as the diffusers were. We will most likely have to wait till the end of Sunday’s race to find out if any other teams will be filing complaints to the race officials. Renault appears to be the loudest objector so far. Red Bull’s Christian Horner brought up the vent a few weeks ago and has stated that they would most likely not be protesting McLaren’s vent. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Red Bulls sporting a similar gadget by race four or five.

Nico Rosberg managed the fastest lap time in his Mercedes by the end of Friday’s second free practice. There definitely wasn’t a runaway leader and it was impossible to know what fuel loads other cars were running. The true test will be during qualifying. I would also like to send a shout out to the Hispania Racing Team. They were able to do what USF1 could not; from story board to the grid in Bahrain in 6 months. Everyone loves an underdog and it would be marvelous to see both cars cross the finish line on Sunday.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

SeVeN — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:09:15 +0000

The kick-off for the 2010 Formula 1 season officially began today with Friday practice on the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain. Qualifying will be on Saturday and the season’s first race on Sunday.

Live coverage will once again be provided by the BBC with commentators Jake Humphrey, David Coulthard, Eddie Jordan, Jonathan Legard, and (my favorite) Martin Brundle. Being an avid fan of Formula 1 racing in the states does require a bit of creativity in order to watch the races. Thankfully, the Internets is a wonderful provider and, although the races are no longer live when I am able to watch them, I can still enjoy the excellent coverage provided by the BBC.

Three new teams have made it onto the grid; Virgin Racing, Lotus, and Hispania Racing. Hispania Racing was saved at the last minute and this Friday’s practice will be the first time that the team and its two rookie drivers will have the opportunity of testing out their new car. There has been a little grumbling from some of the more established teams in regards to all of the new drivers and the lack of proper preparation of the new teams. There are concerns that the pace of these cars may become a hindrance. In fact, the new teams are so far off the pace of the other cars that Lotus, Virgin and HRT could end up being little more than moving chicanes.

An interesting side note for this year:
Richard Branson (of Virgin Racing and Virgin Airlines fame) has a bet with Tony Fernandes (Lotus and AirAsia). The two have agreed that the loser of this season’s racing will don a stewardess uniform and work on the winner’s airline for one full day.

What has become of USF1? Citing financial difficulties, Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson have pulled out of Formula 1 racing this season. They had petitioned the FIA to keep their slot open for the 2011 season, however, this request has been denied. It is also possible that USF1 may receive a penalty for not holding up their end of the bargain. Meanwhile, Stefan GP, the Serbian backed team who bought up Toyota, has also been denied entrance onto the grid.

Formula 1 is not without its politics, controversies and surprises. With the ban on refueling, the reappearance of Michael Schumacher, and no runaway leader, this season should be an exciting one.

Formula 1 2010 Driver Lineup (Updated)

SeVeN — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:54:38 +0000

I thought that I had waited long enough before posting the 2010 season driver lineup. One of the new teams, Hispania Racing, has “miracled” their way onto the grid. Also, Sauber’s team has been finalized. So, here is take two for the driver lineup:

Mclaren: Jensen Button – #1 Lewis Hamilton – #2	Mercedes GP: Michael Schumacher – #3 Nico Rosberg – #4
Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel – #5 Mark Webber – #6	Ferrari: Felipe Massa – #7 Fernando Alonso – #8
Williams: Rubens Barrichello – #9 Nico Hulkenberg – #10	Renault: Robert Kubica – #11 Vitaly Petrov – #12
Force India: Adrian Sutil – #13 Vitantonio Liuzzi – #14	Toro Rosso: Sebastien Buemi – #15 Jaime Alguersuari – #17
Lotus: Heikki Kovalainen – #18 Jarno Trulli – #19	Hispania Racing: Karun Chandhok – #20 Bruno Senna – #21
BMW Sauber: Pedro de la Rosa – #22 Kamui Kobayashi – #23	Virgin: Timo Glock – #24 Lucas di Grassi – #25

Formula One Teams 2010 ~ Hispania Racing

SeVeN — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:12:50 +0000

With the Bahrain Grand Prix starting next weekend, a new team has slid into place on the grid. Hispania Racing, formerly Campos Meta, had struggled with financial difficulties and looked as if they would be a no show. However, a last minute deal saw the team purchased by Spanish businessman Jose Ramon Carabante. Although, the team has missed out on all pre-season testing, they are prepared to make it to the grid in Bahrain.

Hispania Racing Team – Spain

Drivers:
Bruno Senna – Brazil
Karun Chandhok – India

Team Principal:
Colin Kolles

Technical Specifications:
The chassis for the Hispania challenger was built by Dallara and the car will be powered by a Cosworth engine.

Formula 1 2010 Driver Lineup

SeVeN — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:24:08 +0000

Pre-season testing has officially come to a close as the clock continues to countdown the remaining days until the first Grand Prix in Bahrain, March 14th. Two of the new start up teams, having run into financial difficulties, are still scrambling to make their debut appearances. Although it appears that Campos Meta has been saved, US F1′s future still remains in serious doubt. Meanwhile, Stefan GP is still making waves and hoping to gain FIA acceptance and be on the grid in Bahrain.

Here is the driver lineup and car numbers for all of the confirmed teams:

Mclaren: Jensen Button – #1 Lewis Hamilton – #2	Mercedes GP: Michael Schumacher – #3 Nico Rosberg – #4
Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel – #5 Mark Webber – #6	Ferrari: Felipe Massa – #7 Fernando Alonso – #8
Williams: Rubens Barrichello – #9 Nico Hulkenberg – #10	Renault: Robert Kubica – #11 Vitaly Petrov – #12
Force India: Adrian Sutil – #13 Vitantonio Liuzzi – #14	Toro Rosso: Sebastien Buemi – #15 Jaime Alguersuari – #17
Lotus: Heikki Kovalainen – #18 Jarno Trulli – #19	Virgin: Timo Glock – #24 Lucas di Grassi – #25

Formula One Teams 2010 ~ Lotus

SeVeN — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:20:17 +0000

Technically this is not a new Formula 1 team. Lotus was one of the top F1 teams during the 1950′s thru the 1970′s; winning 7 constructors championships and 6 drivers championships during that period. The company began to struggle in the 80′s after the death of Colin Chapman, Lotus Engineering’s founder, of a heart attack in 1982. Poor car designs followed by mounting debts eventually saw the end of the Lotus era. The team’s last race was in Australia in 1994. The Lotus name is back for 2010 under new management with the full support of Chapman’s family and sporting the ever familiar green and yellow.

Lotus Racing – Malaysia
Drivers:
Heikki Kovalainen – Finland
Jarno Trulli – Italy

Team Principal:
Tony Fernandes

Technical Specifications:

Engine: Cosworth V8 CA2010
Chassis material: Carbon fibre
Dampers: Panske
Gearbox: X-Trac
Clutch: AP Carbon Multi Plate
Wheels: BBS to Lotus spec

F1 & the 2010 Rear Diffusers

SeVeN — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:37:03 +0000

Last year’s Formula 1 season began with a huge controversy over rear diffusers. Namely over three teams, Brawn, Williams and Toyota, who had interpreted the regulations in a manner differently from the rest of the grid. The advantages that the “Diffuser Gang” were getting from their set-ups was quite noticeable during the final days of testing. When I say noticeable I mean that the double-diffuser cars were posting half a second faster times. Formula 1 racing is measured in hundredths and thousandths of a second. Therefore, half a second is a massive advantage.

Without getting into too much tech-speak, the rear diffuser on an F1 car separates the air flowing under the car to reduce drag and increase downforce. Reduced drag and increased downforce equates a faster and more stable car on the track.

Naturally, the other teams cried foul and much of the beginning of the 2009 season was spent discussing rear diffusers and how exactly the FIA regulations were worded. At the end of all of the meetings it was decided that Brawn, Williams and Toyota were not in fault of the rules, causing the other teams to frantically re-modify their cars for the new diffusers. Not a simple or inexpensive feat to pull off.

Formula 1 is not without its politics and its controversies and it will be interesting to see what the start of this season will bring. So, for a bit of fun, I have attempted to collect photos of the current challengers’ rear diffusers for comparison:

Ferrari F10	McLaren MP4	Mercedes MGPW01
Red Bull RB6	Renault R30	BMW Sauber C29
Toro Rosso STR5	Virgin Racing VR01	Williams FW32

Interview w/ Red Bull’s Christian Horner

SeVeN — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:37:05 +0000

The drizzle in evidence for most of Wednesday at Jerez wasn’t the ideal weather in which to debut their new car, but Red Bull are feeling pretty pleased with their RB6. Team principal Christian Horner can certainly see a lot of potential in the Adrian Newey-penned challenger, especially as most of the field are running 2010 cars that have been heavily influenced by its predecessor, the RB5…

Q: Christian, people are expecting miracles from the RB6. How is it in reality?
Christian Horner: The RB6 is an evolution of the RB5, which I believe was the best chassis in Formula One last year. Adrian and his design team have done a fantastic job over the winter. They’ve made some good steps, but it is still too early to know what the other teams have done. We are focused on our own performance and we are very encouraged by the progress that we’ve made.

Q: You opted for more time in the wind tunnel rather than take the car to the first test. Was that a wise decision, considering the weather on Wednesday?
CH: Last year, taking more time in R&D served us very well, considering the reliability of the car. And when you take into account that we have stayed with basically the same people – engineers, drivers, engine partner – we are better taking more R&D time, because the steps the teams are making are quite large at the moment to start the season in the best possible shape. It was a tactic that worked very well for us in 2009 and we are very happy with our decision this year.

Q: What can you say about the car after one day of running?
CH: Well, the first two tests are basically to understand the tyres and to put reliability and mileage on the car. The most critical test will be the last test in Barcelona because that is where all the teams will use their race updates, so that’s where we are focusing on.

Q: Mark Webber and not Sebastian Vettel had the honour of taking the car out of the pits for the first time on Wednesday. Why?
CH: There is nothing specific behind that. Mark did the shakedown last year, when he struggled to get into the car, so we thought that it would be nice for him to do it this year so he’ll be able to get into the car without needing anybody to help him. Otherwise we’ve split the testing equally between the drivers.

Q: Webber had some issues with the car on Wednesday morning. Is it something serious?
CH: He had a small issue and turned the engine off as a precaution. He had a small oil leak, but the car completed more laps than anybody else during the morning running. We’re very encouraged with what we’ve seen so far.

Q: What about the engine? Are you happy with what you’ve got?
CH: We have a very good relationship with Renault. They support us very well, which was a key aspect of why we renewed the agreement for this year. The key issue with the engine is that we currently have an engine freeze. The advantage of that is the reduction in costs; the disadvantage is that if you have disparity between the engine performances then you freeze an advantage or a disadvantage. When the engine freeze was introduced it was on the understanding that the performance differential should be plus or minus one percent, so there wouldn’t be big differences and the engine would not be a key performance differentiator. Obviously each engine has its own characteristics, but it would not be a key performance differentiator. But what we now see is that there is a significant difference between one engine and the rest of them. As the chassis converge in performance, as the regulations stay stable, the engine will become a more predominant factor, and I don’t think it will be a healthy situation to have one dominate all the races.

Q: How closely did you watch your competitors at the first test in Valencia?
CH: We were obviously keeping an eye on what the others were doing, of course, but we have been pretty much focused on our own performance. Sure there’ve been some interesting bits and pieces – how teams have applied the new regulations. I must say the size of the diffuser seems to have grown significantly over the winter!

Q: Have you seen anybody who has pushed the rules too far? Any surprises?
CH: It was flattering to see that several cars have been influenced by last year’s RB5, but it is difficult to convert this into performance, due to the different fuel loads that others might be running on. You have a range of 10 to 170 kilos. Regarding any surprises I would say that there is nothing our engineers and designers haven’t already looked at. It was reassuring to see evolution rather than anything too radical.

Q: If you could have three wishes for 2010, what would they be?
CH: One would be to win the constructors’ championship, one would be to win the drivers’ championship and the third one would be… what would the third one be? Oh, to beat Bernie (Ecclestone) at backgammon!

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