2005/2006 F1 News and Testing.

[Richard T]

13 seconds!!!

calendar it is then?

the other teams will be at the next race when they finish in Bahrain

 

[1ofaKind]

hehe you know whats going to happen with Super Aguri don't you.

CrashSATO and his team mate will be at the back of the grid. Once everyone is gone they will run side by side and join transformer style to produce a rolling roadblock. The fuel tanks will be large enough to run the entire race and they will win all grand prix's in their 1st year.

 

[rpstewart]

Is there still a 107% rule or is that rule long gone?

That one was removed about the same time as single lap qualifying came in. Just think what the grid would have been like in Melbourne last year with the rain in the middle of qually - there would probably have been fewer starters than at Indy.

There is a new 110% rule however which states that all of a drivers flying laps during the new qualifying sessions must be within 110% of his fastest time or they don't count in the number of laps of fuel the driver gets back after the session. The idea is to prevent cars running really lean on fuel to get more fuel back than they've used.

 

[rpstewart]

And speaking of newer exotic materials here's the Super Aguri on track again...

That's some front suspension setup they've got going. I think it's best described as ....industrial.

 

[Richard T]

That's some front suspension setup they've got going. I think it's best described as ....industrial.

especially designed for Taku

 

[Dutch Guy]

That's some front suspension setup they've got going. I think it's best described as ....industrial.

Maybe the idea is to crash against the rest taking them out so that they are the only cars to finish

 

[Flibster]

That's some front suspension setup they've got going. I think it's best described as ....industrial.

Apparently it's steel underneath all that as well..
No time to create carbon components so they had steel ones made..

So perfect for Sato but heavy as hell - they could be running as little as 20kg of ballast.

To give you an idea - Minardi last year were running around 80kg of ballast and McLaren/Ferrari were around 110kg..

It's a heavy old Hector..

Simon/~Flibster

 

[Flibster]

Engine - Good, Chassis - Very Strong, Honda to be in Strong Position

Honda's works formula one team will travel to Bahrain for the first grand prix of 2006 next month in a 'strong position', according to Nick Fry.

The newly Japanese-owned team has been a standout of the winter period, with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello regularly outpaced only by Renault, and probably trailed by the third best camp, Scuderia Ferrari.

''Testing so far has gone extremely well,'' Fry, the team principal, said at a news conference in Japan.

''The engine performance is good and the chassis performance has been very strong. We will be going to the first race in a strong position.''

Fry admitted that Renault and Honda have their noses in front, but confirmed the major improvement over last year of the scarlet-coloured team from Maranello.

The Briton, also making mention of the Williams-Cosworth pairing, said: ''Ferrari shouldn't be discounted.

''They are in a strong position.''

 

[Flibster]

McLaren and Henkel

Team McLaren Mercedes is pleased to announce that long-term Partner Henkel has extended its Partnership with the team in a new multi-year agreement. The partnership began in 1995 through the Loctite® brand. Henkel will continue to be an Official Supplier, but the Henkel logo has moved to the more visible top position on the rear wing end plate of the two MP4-21 racing cars.

The MP4-21 race cars are strengthened by a broad range of Henkel’s high-strength Loctite® brand adhesives, securing everything from threaded bolts to wiring. Already in the design phase, engineers at McLaren Racing consult with Henkel to determine the best-suited products to meet the distinct demands of any particular application. In all, more than 100 different applications of Henkel products help the car hug the track and withstand immense G-forces, torsion levels, vibrations and shocks. Even the light-weight, sturdy carbon-fibre composite bodywork that makes up 80 percent of the MP4-21 is constructed using Henkel know-how. Here, products such as Henkel’s Frekote® B-15 sealer and Hysol EA9686 film adhesive give the team the flexibility they need in moulding the car’s aerodynamic shapes.

“Through our relationship with Team McLaren Mercedes, Formula One acts as the ideal proving ground for us”, says Jochen Krautter, Executive Vice President, Henkel Technologies. “As world market leader we can put our products to the test at the pinnacle of motor racing and at the same time, demonstrate how they successfully perform even in extreme conditions.”

With Henkel as an Official Supplier, Team McLaren Mercedes can draw on the complete resources of the world’s leading supplier of adhesives, sealants and surface treatment products – with access to some 5,000 to 6,000 Henkel Technologies products used by leading manufacturers across all industries.

“In Formula One racing, having the right technologies and partners is as integral as having the right drivers and team,” explains Team McLaren Mercedes CEO Martin Whitmarsh. “Henkel is a leader in its field and brings to our program a broad range of expertise, new ideas and solutions that help us get an edge on the competition.”

About Henkel - A Driving Force in the Racing World
Around the world, Henkel has an extensive commitment to motor sports. In 2004, the Henkel logo appeared for the first time on the rear wing of the Team McLaren Mercedes racing cars, thereby continuing the technical association with the team, which began in 1995 through the Loctite® brand. As Official Supplier, Henkel provides a wide variety of innovative solutions to the team. More than 100 different applications of Henkel products have been incorporated into the Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 for its challenge in the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship. In North America, Henkel's NASCAR sponsorships include several brands with Roush Racing and driver Carl Edwards. For the three-week, 10,000-kilometer 2006 Dakar Rally Raid through gruelling desert terrain, Henkel provided each racing team with an essential mechanical emergency kit containing a wide range of adhesives, sealants, maintenance products, cleaners and bonding tapes. In addition, a Henkel engineer accompanied the Rally, providing the teams with technical back-up and support at each of the bivouacs.

The Henkel Group, a Fortune Global 500 company, operates in three strategic business areas: Home Care; Personal care; and Adhesives, Sealants and Surface Treatments, which serves the transportation, electronics, aerospace, metal, durable goods, consumer goods, maintenance and repair and packaging industries, and offers a broad range of products for the craftsman and consumer. With brands and technologies, Henkel makes people’s lives easier, better, and more beautiful. 50,000 employees work for the Henkel Group worldwide. People in 125 countries around the world trust in brands and technologies from Henkel – “A Brand like a Friend”.

 

[Flibster]

Turkish F1 operator goes under hammer

The Turkish company which built and operates Istanbul's Formula One circuit will go under the hammer next week and seven companies have expressed an interest, its owners said on Tuesday.

Istanbul's Chambers of Commerce Chairman Murat Yalcintas did not put a price on the 96.99 percent stake in Motor Sporlari Organizasyon (MSO) to be sold but said the firm spent 250 million lira ($192 million) building the Istanbul Park track.

Istanbul's track was well received at its debut last August.

Yalcintas said four foreigners and three locals had expressed their interest, including the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies.

The other two Turkish firms were "mainstays of the Turkish economy", he told a news conference, without giving details.

MSO is currently 70 percent owned by FIYAS, which in turn is owned by the Istanbul Chambers of Commerce (ITO) and the Turkish Union of Chambers and Bourses (TOBB). The rest is held by the Turkish Formula One Association.

In the coming days FIYAS will increase its stake to 96.99 percent, leaving its partners with just 3.01 percent.

On February 27 the tender will open, then a shortlist will be made on March 17 and published on March 22 after Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone's approval. A deal is expected to be signed on April 14.

Yalcintas said FIYAS would continue to run the track if offers were not up to scratch.

"If the offers do not provide the operational vision that we desire or the sufficient financial conditions, FIYAS will continue to operate it," he said.

 

[Duke]

lol Super Aguri, 13 seconds... didn't see that on Max's plan for making F1 more entertaining to watch

 

[Richard T]

lol Super Aguri, 13 seconds... didn't see that on Max's plan for making F1 more entertaining to watch

hehe

the marshalls are gonna get rsi waving them blue flags

 

[Dutch Guy]

they could be running as little as 20kg of ballast.

To give you an idea - Minardi last year were running around 80kg of ballast and McLaren/Ferrari were around 110kg..

What is the disadvantage of that, in both cases the cars are the same weight

Or is it better to make the car as light as possible so you can put the ballast at the bottom of the car lowering the center of gravity?

 

[J1nxy]

hehe

the marshalls are gonna get rsi waving them blue flags

I doubt it as it'll take them so long to get between the marshalling stations that they can go and have a nice relaxing sit down before having to wave the flags again.

Maybe this is a sneeky ploy by make to bring in a really slow team and usethem as the benchmark for everything therefore making everybody else go at their speed.

 

[J1nxy]

What is the disadvantage of that, in both cases the cars are the same weight

Or is it better to make the car as light as possible so you can put the ballast at the bottom of the car lowering the center of gravity?

The basic principle is make every component as light as possible and then as you say move the ballist to the places where is has most advantagous effect on the handling etc. Some of the engine manufactures have been able to make the engine so light they can put a heavier metal base on it to drop the centre of gravity.

 

[Flibster]

What is the disadvantage of that, in both cases the cars are the same weight

Or is it better to make the car as light as possible so you can put the ballast at the bottom of the car lowering the center of gravity?

The ballast usually goes in the floor - lowering the center of gravity substantially.

You an also move it around which can vastly change the handling characteristics fo the car.

Move it forward - more prone to oversteer
Move it backwards - more prone to understeer
etc...

Simon/~Flibster

 

[rpstewart]

What is the disadvantage of that, in both cases the cars are the same weight

Or is it better to make the car as light as possible so you can put the ballast at the bottom of the car lowering the center of gravity?

The advantage of having more ballast to play with is that you can use it to move the CoG forward and back to improve traction or front end grip. With 20Kg then you can't move it very much at all.

EDIT: Beaten

 

[Flibster]

Damn....someone beat me to the 1337 post..

Simon/~Flibster

 

[siztenboots]

What is the disadvantage of that, in both cases the cars are the same weight

Or is it better to make the car as light as possible so you can put the ballast at the bottom of the car lowering the center of gravity?

During pre season testing is used to be common for some of the teams looking to attract sponsor money to run underweight ( 605Kg IIRC minimum weight incl driver on race day ).

 

[siztenboots]

Now I'm not normally one to give hints to Ferrari but...

DROP THE V10'd F2004 CAR FROM TESTING!!! You surely can't learn that much more from it and it's wasting time.

On the plus side...car looks fragile and not that quick...

Honda is looking reliable and fast....Could be Honda's year...
Renault is looking reliable as well - not as fast though...
McLaren are slowly getting more reliable and much faster...

Could Ferrari run the F2004 ( with 2006 aero ) at the first races , do you think ?