2005/2006 F1 News and Testing.

Flibster said:
Please note the high tech ways to seal the chimney in the third shot above. :D

Good innit...

You can tell it's a real rush job though, nothing fits! You could park a bus in tha gap between the airbox and the roll hoop and the chimneys have just been rivited onto the bodywork rather than being a single moulding.
 
J1nxy said:
Not really, its replacing the SLK 55 which has 380 odd. The 6.3 is replacing the 5.5 in the AMG range and is going to also replace the 5.5 Supercharged engine as well. Its meant to be quite tuneable but this is its first outing in a road car. Torque will be down on the supercharged engine but it will meet all the compliance laws etc and doesn't destroy the 7G gearbox like the supercharged one does.
Getting a bit OT here but that engine still looks fairly limp considering BMW can get 500+bhp out of a 5 litre lump.
 
Arc said:
At least their Ferrari are getting plenty of laps done now and are working on reliability.



Yeah but that means a support crew for the DTM car and you have the increased risk of something going wrong. In this case a standard road car with a few extra bits and bobs will always be more reliable than a race car, it'll never be as quick but with a few selective mods it'll perform ok.

Its a fine balance, you want the pack of F1 cars to travel fast enough to retain some heat in the brakes/tyres but not fast enough to cause another accident (although you do end up with people like Montoya/Button doing their best to destroy that argument ;) ).

I was being sarcastic...
 
rpstewart said:
Good innit...

You can tell it's a real rush job though, nothing fits! You could park a bus in tha gap between the airbox and the roll hoop and the chimneys have just been rivited onto the bodywork rather than being a single moulding.


better in F1 than not. I think they have done an amazing job! Do you reckon that some of that bodywork was done at the honda base
 
Personally I'd have prefered they take a year to prepare the car properly. If they fall foul to the 107% rule at most races then surely they would have been better off not there wasting their money when they could have done with more testing and preperation.

Steve
 
J1nxy said:
Personally I'd have prefered they take a year to prepare the car properly. If they fall foul to the 107% rule at most races then surely they would have been better off not there wasting their money when they could have done with more testing and preperation.

Steve

What 107% rule?

It was dropped when the single lap qualifying came in.

Simon/~Flibster
 
Didn't it come back in with the new highly complicated rule set or have I miss read something?? (probably)

But anyway isn't being so far of the pace just pointless? The cost of trucking the team everywhere would have been better spent developing the car.
 
I went to the silverstone test yesterday (got there at 10:30, left at 5:30), incredibly cold (again), there was a bit of snow throughout the day too, but I've finally warmed up again after a good nights sleep :).

It was an incredibly slow day though, Midland did some running in the morning, but not much, they did a bit more in the afternoon with some practice pit stops as well. Super Aguri were apparently meant to be on track by 9am (a bit optimistic) but there was nothing really going with them till after lunch when their second car arrived. Their first lap was at 15:50 (according to pics) so it was a looong wait. In the meantime we listened to a little chat by Tiago Monterio, and saw Winklehock at the back of the midland garage. Then, all our waiting paid off (so to speak) as we saw Yuji Ide and Takuma Sato, and managed to get Sato to sign the only picture I have of him - (A tatty year-old print out of a BAR that I printed when I couldn't find a decent of picture of Button). The Honda V8 did sound rather nice though, but Midland/Jordan never seems to sound as nice as the other cars.

SA must have complete backing by Honda or something, there was a honda race truck there and people with the new honda f1 racing jackets. I wonder if this will benefit them regarding tyre info? The SA sounder better then the Midland so I can only assume its mostly brand new honda stuff under that old body.

Got loads of pics, but most aren't really as good as the ones you've already posted, might upload a few later.
 
Ferrari president confident for season

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said he is confident his team are in good shape for the start of the season - despite recent concerns about reliability.

The team suffered some niggling mechanical problems in testing at Bahrain recently, but di Montezemolo is hopeful that they are now on top of those issues after lengthy runs at Mugello today.

"These days we've been a bit unlucky with the weather, but this morning Schumacher simulated a GP successfully and we hope we can close the preparation for the season in these last two days," he said at the Geneva Motorshow today.

"However, this isn't a county fair. So even though I say we must win, it will always be difficult.

"Regarding Ferrari's reliability, I'm old school: an F1 car must first of all be quick, and then of course, it's important not to break down. So I'm happy the long run test ended successfully."

Di Montezemolo has also proclaimed the high hopes he has for Schumacher to hit back in style - and mocked any suggestions that the seven-times champion was getting too old for F1.

"I expect Schumacher to win the championship, forget about ending his career," he added.

"He looks like a new guy. The way I see him motivated and the way he wants to carry out the tests himself make him look like a young boy. I'm also happy with Massa, who's doing very well."
 
Aero developments for the 248 F1

A brand new nose and wing for Ferrari's 248 F1 is worth up to three tenths of a second per lap, a specialist magazine says.

Auto Motor Und Sport in Germany published photos of the new feature, which has rid the front wing of the little ‘mini wing’, replacing it with a curvy scoop. Also appearing on the Ferrari wing for the first time at Mugello is an extra element, extending from the nose to the top of the end plates.

The magazine said Ferrari's speed boost should put the Maranello based team on a par with Honda, just behind pacesetter Renault.

Technical director Ross Brawn, meanwhile, was quoted as saying that the 248's widely reported clutch problems will be solved.
 
Seiko watches join Honda F1

The Honda Racing F1 Team has announced a new agreement with the Seiko Watch Corporation which extends its existing partnership to cover the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In addition to being the official Team Watch Partner, Seiko have also concluded a personal agreement with Honda Racing F1 Team driver Jenson Button, through which Jenson will endorse Seiko's watches and become an ambassador of the Seiko brand.

Synonymous with precision time-keeping, the partnership with Seiko has been an excellent asset to the Honda Racing F1 Team since the brand entered Formula One with the team in 2005. The new agreement will build on this partnership which has proven an exceptional marketing platform for the Seiko Sportura watch collection. For 2006, the Sportura series will be central to Seiko's marketing campaigns in its major international markets.

The Seiko branding will continue to appear on the Honda Racing F1 Team's clothing, including driver race suits, as part of the team's Racing Revolution livery. In addition, from the 2006 season the Seiko brand will feature on the pit-stop lollipop during Grand Prix weekends and also on Jenson Button's helmet to reflect his personal partnership with Seiko.

Nick Fry, Honda CEO
"I am extremely proud to confirm the extension to our relationship with Seiko for a further two seasons. The association with such a technologically innovative company fits well with the Honda design led philosophy and we are already working on new designs with Seiko for their Sportura range. We are also very pleased to announce the personal sponsorship with Jenson, who is a big fan of the Seiko brand, and I'm sure his presence will prove a valuable marketing tool for Seiko. This is a very exciting time for the team as we prepare for the start of the new F1 season and we look forward to celebrating our on-track successes with Seiko this year."

Shinji Hattori, President and CEO of Seiko Watch Corporation
"We are delighted to renew our agreement with the Honda Racing F1 Team. Both parties share a passion for engineering excellence and we look forward to building our partnership through the development of new products as well as through shared marketing programmes. We wish the team and Jenson Button every success in 2006."
 
Berger doesn't want Bernie's job

Toro Rosso part-owner Gerhard Berger has ruled himself out of the running to one day succeed Bernie Ecclestone as 'F1 supremo'.

Although Bernie, the 75-year-old Englishman, appears in excellent health, relentless speculation puts men like David Richards and Flavio Briatore on a shortlist to steer the pinnacle of motor sport in a post-Ecclestone era.

But 46-year-old Berger, who started 210 grands prix in the 80s and 90s and then was a BMW director until 2003, told the 'Kicker' sports magazine that he cannot see himself in Ecclestone's white shirt.

'It's too big a job for me,' F1's newest team co-owner smiled. 'Anyway, I am of the opinion that Ecclestone and Max Mosley are doing an excellent job.

'And I hope Bernie leads F1 for many years to come.'
 
Bahrain expects grand prix protests

Up to nine separate protests are being planned to coincide with Bahrain's '06-opening grand prix next week.

The 'Gulf Daily News' newspaper said four motorcades, four demonstrations and one rally will take place between next Friday and Sunday - the duration of the third such F1 event in the Arabian Gulf.

The protests, of which at least one will be staged near the Sakhir circuit on race day, will 'demand the release' of men arrested in violent demonstrations in January, the newspaper wrote.

Last week, it was reported that western countries including America and Australia had issued terrorist warnings for Bahrain, advising tourists not to travel to the country.

But one Bahrain activist said: 'We don't want to disturb the events of Formula One.

'We are not going to do anything that's not peaceful.'
 
Honda is most reliable '06 team - study

Honda, an outside tip for championship glory, has been the most reliable formula one team of the 2006 pre-season. While a similar analysis named the Brackley based outfit as the biggest testers, 'Auto Motor Und Sport' now reveals that the Japan-owned camp topped F1's eleven teams in a study of those least likely to break down this year.

With an average of 438 kilometres on a single test day, the German magazine lists Honda ahead of F1 rival and second most reliable team Renault, which clocks up an average 399km.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Toro Rosso - with a development of last year's Red Bull car and a V10 engine - came in third (376km), ahead of BMW (355) and Toyota (294).

Ominously, '05 runner up McLaren is just sixth of the eleven teams, with an average of less than 300km per test day, but Ferrari fared even worse, collecting just 278 km per day to finish eighth.

Williams amassed 280km per winter test day, according to Auto Motor Und Sport, MF1 came next (272), then Red Bull (175) and Super Aguri (173). '

'I feel very comfortable going into the first race,'' Honda's Rubens Barrichello said last
week.
 
MF1 complete second MF16 shakedown

The MF1 Racing team on Tuesday completed the shakedown of the second MF16 car they will take to the Bahrain Grand Prix next week.

Midland team's progress, however, was hindered by the poor weather at the Silverstone circuit, where three drivers were in action for the squad.

Tiago Monteiro was joined by testers Markus Winkelhock and Giorgio Mondini, who completed 11, 12 and 13 laps respectively.

Winkelhock was the quickest of the three with a best time of 1:37.350, ahead of Mondini's 1:44.178. Monteiro did not set a time.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to do much hard running today, as it was freezing cold and actually snowed quite a bit," said Monteiro. "But we did manage to shake down the new car, test out the new gearbox and practice some pit stops and refueling, so it was a pretty useful test.

"As usual, the mechanical components and team members performed flawlessly. Now, everyone is excited and getting ready for the first race in two weeks. Personally, I can say that I'm really looking forward to being in a warm, dry climate again."
 
Theissen explains difference between V10 and V8

The decision to switch from V10 to V8 engines in Formula One was made at the end of 2004, leaving the engine specialists to focus their efforts over 2005 on the new regulations. 2006 sees the culmination of the switch-over phase.

As BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen explains: "The development of a V8 powerplant for Formula One represented a huge challenge for our engineers – especially given the relatively short amount of time at their disposal. The V8 is a totally different concept to the V10. The drop in output is roughly proportional to the 20 percent reduction in displacement. I would therefore expect lap times to climb by an average of one to two seconds. The reduced output on tap for the drivers means the cars will spend significantly more time per lap under peak loads. Reliability is top priority. We can't wait for the serious action to get under way in Bahrain on 12th March. Only then will we get an impression of who's really been doing their homework."

Differences

Although the V8 with the now compulsory cylinder angle of 90 degrees may look like a sawn-off V10, technically it is an entirely separate concept with its own specific requirements. The V8 has a distinct firing sequence and demands a fundamentally different crankshaft design. Whereas a 72-degree offset crankshaft was used in BMW's V10 Formula One engine, V8 powerplants can feature crankshafts with either four throws spaced at 90 degrees or four throws spaced at 180 degrees. Standard production engines are fitted with 90-degree crankshaft variants due to their better dynamic attributes, but a 180-degree crankshaft is favoured in racing car engine design. The improved performance this allows offsets the disadvantages in terms of dynamics.

Indeed, mechanical dynamics and vibrations represent a particularly critical area of development for the new generation of Formula One engines. The V8 units have different firing sequences and intervals from their V10 predecessors, which leads to a totally different situation in terms of vibrations. The V10 entered a critical area in terms of vibrations between 12,000 rpm and 14,000 rpm. However, this was not an issue as the engine did not spend much time in this rev band and smoothed itself out again once the driver stepped up the revs. And, since that was where it spent the majority of its time, vibrations were not a worry. A V8, on the other hand, is not so well off. Its vibration curve enters critical territory later than the V10 – from approximately 16,000 rpm – and continues to climb from there. It is therefore no longer possible to think in terms of getting through a difficult patch and everything will be all right. Now, the problem of constantly increasing vibrations has to be confronted head on. If you don't get a handle on vibrations, they will eat into the service life of the engine and multiply the loads exerted on chassis components. In order to get on top of this problem, the calculation and analysis of each individual engine component has to be totally reliable. However, analysis of the individual components is only part of a bigger challenge. Determining how they work with and against each other in simulations of the overall system is the main task.

Restrictions

Reduced mass should mean less in the way of "bad vibrations". However, the regulations have sensibly nipped any natural tendency among the teams to reach straight for exotic – and expensive – ultra-light materials in the bud. The engineers work with conventional titanium and aluminium alloys, as stipulated in the regulations. The new V8 has to be heavier than its predecessor, even though the 2005 engine had two extra cylinders. This season's powerplants must tip the scales at no less than 95 kilograms. This should include the intake system up to and including the air filter, fuel rail and injectors, ignition coils, sensors and wiring, alternator, coolant pumps and oil pumps. It does not include liquids, exhaust manifolds, heat protection shields, oil tanks, accumulators, heat exchangers and the hydraulic pump.

Added to which, the new regulations stipulate that the engine's centre of gravity must be at least 165 millimetres above the lower edge of the oil sump. The experts had previously managed to lower the ten-cylinder engine's centre of gravity to the benefit of the car's handling. However, the longitudinal and lateral position of the V8's centre of gravity has to be in the geometric centre of the engine (+/-50 millimetres). For the technical commission, checking that everything is in order no longer consists of a simple weighing process. Now, making sure that the rules have been observed involves weighing on two levels and making calculations according to the lever principle.

Previously a closely guarded secret, the dimensions of the cylinder bore are now limited to a maximum 98 millimetres. The gap between the cylinders is also set out in the rulebook – at 106.5 millimetres (+/- 0.2 mm). The central axis of the crankshaft must not lie any less than 58 millimetres above the reference plane.

Another critical change in the regulations is the ban on variable intake systems. Known as "trumpets", these systems could previously be used to optimise the car's torque curve. The fixed duct lengths will now make achieving good engine driveability a more exacting challenge. The teams will have to strike a compromise between maximum power and good driveability. Where the best compromise for the pipe lengths is to be found depends on various factors. The track layout and the weather, for example, both play a role. The teams will favour one set of intake pipe lengths for circuits with long straights – like Monza, Indianapolis and Spa – where power is critical, and a different selection for twistier grand prix tracks such as Budapest and Monaco, where driveability relegates raw power to the back seat. The same applies in wet weather. The air intakes are, by definition, part of the engine and are included in its 95-kilogram maximum overall weight, but they can also be changed up to qualifying.

Joining variable intake systems on the black list are variable exhaust systems and variable valve control systems. The power supply to the engine electrics and electronics is limited to a maximum 17 volts and the fuel pump now has to be mechanically operated. Only an actuator may now be used to activate the throttle valve system. With the exception of the electric auxiliary pumps in the petrol tank, all sub-components must now be driven mechanically and directly via the engine.

The story in numbers

-It takes 3 men 3 days to put together an engine
-200 engines are used for trials, tests and grands prix
-8 million ignitions per race
-1,500 CAD drawings before the engine’s GP debut
-Maximum piston acceleration: 10,000 g
-Maximum piston speed: 40 metres per second
-Average piston speed: 26 metres per second
-A piston accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 0.3 thousandths of a second
-3 tonnes of force is exerted on the connecting rod
-Maximum temperature at exhaust: 950 degrees
-Maximum air temperature in pneumatic system: 250 degrees
 
ashtray_head said:
nice post Simon

Tad complicated that innit?

It's not the easiest thing to understand really is it. :D

Biggest change to the way they drive will be the fixed trumpets...Power could get very peaky now.

Simon/~Flibster
 
Flibster said:
It's not the easiest thing to understand really is it. :D

Biggest change to the way they drive will be the fixed trumpets...Power could get very peaky now.

Simon/~Flibster

might mean that we see some more overtaking???

if someone has gone for a more balanced trumpet they could be able to get the power down earlier and more efficiently as someone else that set up for max power and maybe get along side the said peaky boy?


does that make sense?? :confused:
 
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