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[Rainbow L33T]

http://www.formula1.com/news/2758.html


Both Schum and Rubens seem pleased with the car,let's hope it turns out well.Rubens did have engine problems in testing though,so we'll have to see how the car will do with the new rules.

Let's also hope that Bridgestone can keep the pace.

 

[tedtropy]

I'm selling my Protege now for the down payment.

 

[mrklaw]

Good news. Ferrari have been piss-poor so far. Now we have the potential of a 1 second per lap improvement according to Brawn, and potential unreliability - the reliability of the current Ferrari is getting boring

 

[Pimpwerx]

Yeah, saw this coming since Melbourne. The F2004-M is a dog compared to the competition. It was fine in Melbourne, but in Sepang, Michelin destroyed BStone, and the F2004-M didn't help worth squat. The F2005 will be a step up, but will it catch the Renaults? I'm doubtful. I think Michelin is gonna play the biggest role this season. It all looks like 2003 all over again to me. PEACE.

 

[Bat]

It's not the car, it's the Bridgestones. If Ferrari was running Michelins, they'd probably still be among the fastest cars, even with the F2004. Bridgestone simply can't compete with Michelin's 9 teams worth of a racing data.

 

[Pimpwerx]

In other F1-related news:

Source: F1-Live

Red Bull Racing and Williams started their testing work today in Barcelona.

Neel Jani and Scott Speed had the opportunity to test with Red Bull, the latest experiencing F1 for the first time. The American driver was impressive, finishing with the fastest time of the day at the wheel of last year's car.

Barcelona - 24/03/05
1. S. Speed - Red Bull Cosworth - 1'16"122 (+0"000) - 39 laps
2. N. Heidfeld - BMW Williams FW27 - 1'16"674 (+0"552) - 121 laps
3. A. Pizzonia - BMW Williams FW27 - 1'17"160 (+1"038) - 111 laps
4. N. Jani - Red Bull Cosworth - 1'18"037 (+1"915) - 51 laps

Impressive, especially for a yank. Regardless of fuel load he was on, it's amazing to see an American at the head of any F1 chart. Scott Speed @ Ferrari next year. :lol PEACE.

 

[Shinobi]

It's not the car, it's the Bridgestones. If Ferrari was running Michelins, they'd probably still be among the fastest cars, even with the F2004. Bridgestone simply can't compete with Michelin's 9 teams worth of a racing data.

That's my impression...considering how dominant the F-2004 was last year, I have a hard time believing that it's become nothing but an ordinary piece of kit in a matter of months. It's very easy to believe though that Michelin has kicked Bridgestone's ass up and down the runway. Some of the stories out there seem to confirm this...Michelin doing a ton more testing in the winter then Bridgestone, and the recent squabbling between Ferrari and Bridgestone heads that was reported a couple weeks ago. Christ, Toyota and Red Bull have beaten Ferrari this year...you can't tell me that's all due to the car.

 

[ElyrionX]

Can someone please explain to me why the tires are such a huge factor?

 

[Timbuktu]

Maybe because tires are where the car touches the ground and if you don't have enough grip it changes how you go around bends, how you corner etc. Still Ferrari have always used Bridgestone and they still won most races in the 2004 season, now they can only be 7th or 8th? It can't just be the tires, the competition has improved and Ferrari was arragont to think they could pull it off with an old car.

 

[Bat]

Can someone please explain to me why the tires are such a huge factor?

It's a fundamental fact of all cars that the tires (which is the only thing in contact with the road) is more important than almost anything else. Even on a Honda Accord or something, putting a good set of low profile tires can increase performance by upwards of 30%....it's really a huge difference. Compounding that fact is that in F1 the chasis are so tightly regulated that any difference between them, usually taking the form of different aerodynamics, is minimal compared to the importance of the tires.

In essence, mechanical grip (mostly tires) is much more powerful than aerodynamic grip (downforce etc.) so any small difference in tire quality can eclipse and variation in actual car performance.

Maybe because tires are where the car touches the ground and if you don't have enough grip it changes how you go around bends, how you corner etc. Still Ferrari have always used Bridgestone and they still won most races in the 2004 season, now they can only be 7th or 8th? It can't just be the tires, the competition has improved and Ferrari was arragont to think they could pull it off with an old car.

That's erroneous logic. The tires aren't constant....each manufacturer is developing them all offseason, as well. Now, since Michelin has WAY more teams giving them testing data and different tire compounds, the general perception is that it was always just a matter of time before they overtook Bridgestone's.

And the fact that the gap between the top runner and Ferrari is so huge this year just supports that. At most, cars (not tires) get fast by a second each year, so Ferrari's (relative) huge drop in performance cannot be attributed simply to car/engine, it really has to be tires.

Ferrari is arrogrant because they thought they could go it alone with their own tire manufacturer. But not because they are using their old car the opening races (which they've done for years now)....that's a pretty sounds strategy IMO.

 

[celestial body]

A new family of Bridgestone's is debuting with the F2005. The cars' lower demand on its tyres allow more aggressive compounds to be used, BS pressed heavily for an early debut of the F2005 even though some components are overheating at the moment.

Whether it'll be enough to close the gap to the front-runners remains to be seen and I doubt we'll see them much improved at Bahrain; Imola is a better chance.

 

[speedpop]

Best of luck too them.

 

[Shinobi]

That's erroneous logic. The tires aren't constant....each manufacturer is developing them all offseason, as well. Now, since Michelin has WAY more teams giving them testing data and different tire compounds, the general perception is that it was always just a matter of time before they overtook Bridgestone's.

And the fact that the gap between the top runner and Ferrari is so huge this year just supports that. At most, cars (not tires) get fast by a second each year, so Ferrari's (relative) huge drop in performance cannot be attributed simply to car/engine, it really has to be tires.

Ferrari is arrogrant because they thought they could go it alone with their own tire manufacturer. But not because they are using their old car the opening races (which they've done for years now)....that's a pretty sounds strategy IMO.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. I think Tim forgets just how dominant the F-2004 was last year...it kicked the bejesus out of everybody, and both championships were over before July. The idea that the other teams have produced cars that have made up a four or five second difference compared to last year is simply ridiculous. Red Bull wasn't even fully organized until December for Christ's sake, and were a underperforming mark last year. Yet they finished what, 4th and 7th in Australia? No way was that all the car.

Furthermore, Bridgestone technical director Hirohide Hamashima admitted earlier in the week that they're the ones responsible for Ferrari's lack of pace.

"Even if the entire package is important, the reason for such a negative result in this race is undoubtedly down to our tyres," the tyre manufacturer's technical director Hirohide Hamashima told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The potential over a flying lap was absolutely not satisfying.

"There are no mitigating factors: it was a big lesson."

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=32364

Why the big improvement on Michelin's end? Well, they play a huge role in auto racing around the world, being the dominant tire supplier in American Le Mans, Moto GP and the World Rally Championship, which gives them a mountain of data to work with. They're easily the #1 overall tire maker in the world for auto racing, and those fruits are likely now being bourne in F1, which is obviously the crown jewel of motorsports.