Support NeoGAF

[Ark]

ScarbsF1 twiitter has some rumours about the Mercedes Barcelona upgrade with front exit exhaust, new sidepods, cooling & crash structures.

It would tie in with an earlier rumour from him that a top team was looking to get changes to its crash structure signed off mid-season.

I'd like to see Rosberg win a race this season. But I'm just hoping McLaren get their two upgrade packages working this weekend.

 

[S. L.]

I'd like to see Rosberg win a race this season. But I'm just hoping McLaren get their two upgrade packages working this weekend.

you know how it will end

 

[Ark]

you know how it will end

You know, if we can get 19/20 of those GIFs from each driver that wins this season, it will be a glorious season.

 

[AcridMeat]

I refuse to believe Vettel actually imprinted his finger like that.

Sutil done, fine by me. He has been lackluster since last season. Hulkenberg is an improvement anyway.

 

[Shaneus]

Fucking hell.

Mark Webber is headed into a backseat role for the rest of the 2011 world championship.

That is the controversial suggestion of Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, who denies the Australian driver is already set to be Sebastian Vettel's 'number 2' this season.

"We do not have any team orders," energy drink company Red Bull's Motor Racing Consultant Marko told Germany's Sport Bild.

"But it's a fact that, generally since Silverstone 2010, Mark has been three-tenths of a second slower than Sebastian," he said.

"That's too slow to be able to win with his own steam. But if as in Turkey he races at a high level, he can take important points away from the others," added Marko.

Awesome attitude.

 

[S. L.]

Fucking hell.

Awesome attitude.

it's true thou
he can't touch Vettel on any level this season

 

[Ark]

He still has 15 races to prove us wrong.

he can't touch Vettel on any level this season

No one can

EDIT:

Am I the only person who would like to see Sutil replaced by the Hulk?

 

[brotkasten]

Fucking hell.

Awesome attitude.

Bwahaha.

I'm sure Barichello and Massa will welcome him to the B-Drivers club.

 

[AcridMeat]

Am I the only person who would like to see Sutil replaced by the Hulk?

Sutil done, fine by me. He has been lackluster since last season. Hulkenberg is an improvement anyway.

.

 

[Shaneus]

it's true thou
he can't touch Vettel on any level this season

Yeah, I know. It just sucks that such a good driver is put in such a shit position.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Little change little changes, no movement on engines yet though.

Ground effect dropped.
18" wheels & low profile tyres dropped till 2014 at earliest.
Shorter & lower front noses, back to 150cm wide & 1650cm long.
Bargeboard restrictions.
Monza style rear wing (shallow rear wing?)

BBC with more info and possible pic

Shame about ground effects, I was anticipating a field that looks slightly like this in 2013.

 

[Leunam]

Am I the only person who would like to see Sutil replaced by the Hulk?

Hell no. I like Sutil because he can be very consistent and is good enough to deliver a solid performance given what he has, but he hasn't done much since around Korea last year. I'd like to see Hulkenberg with a drive as long as he can still bring the Hulk Smash here and there.

 

[Ark]

Hell no. I like Sutil because he can be very consistent and is good enough to deliver a solid performance given what he has, but he hasn't done much since around Korea last year. I'd like to see Hulkenberg with a drive as long as he can still bring the Hulk Smash here and there.

Is it possible to hit more people in one race than Sutil at Korea last year? Haha

I think Sutil's had his time. Sure he's consistent, but at the end of the day, it was Fisi who put it on pole at Spa, and Fisi who finished second(?) in 2009 (Although I don't remember the lead-up very well, so I don't know if Sutil had problems).

 

[S. L.]

you guys are giving Sutil too much shit,
he drove consistently fast and reliable and is imo one big reason why
Force India managed to establish themselves as a solid midfielder team

 

[S. L.]

Newey on Senna

Adrian Newey, the man who designed the cars that have made Red Bull a dominant force in Formula One, has spoken for the first time about how close he came to leaving the sport after the 1994 death of Ayrton Senna in one of his cars.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian, Newey revealed how badly he was affected when Senna was killed while leading the San Marino Grand Prix in a Williams car.

"The little hair I had all fell out in the aftermath," Newey said. ...*snip*

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/may/16/adrian-newey-ayrton-senna-death?

 

[mclaren777]

Eric Lux, chief executive of Genii Capital which owns the Renault F1 team, issued the following statement through Swiss legal firm Lalive:

In the view of the recent events which occurred in Shanghai on April 17th, Mr Eric Lux has decided to file a criminal complaint against Mr Adrian Sutil for physical assault and grievous bodily harm.

As soon as the complaint is registered, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the team Force India will be notified.

Furthermore, please note that Mr Eric Lux does not exclude commencing an action against any other persons involved in this matter.

 

[DrM]

Eric Lux, chief executive of Genii Capital which owns the Renault F1 team, issued the following statement through Swiss legal firm Lalive:

Hm, why did he wait for almost 5 weeks to press charges against Sutil?

 

[Psychotext]

Hm, why did he wait for almost 5 weeks to press charges against Sutil?

Sutil's "owners" were likely offering him a ton of money not to press charges. Apparently not enough money.

 

[DrM]

Sutil's "owners" were likely offering him a ton of money not to press charges. Apparently not enough money.

Yeah, he wanted 14 million € or something like that.

 

[itsgreen]

Thursday May 19th
10:00 - 12:00 Formula One Pit Lane Visit
16:00 - 19:00 Formula One Pit Lane Visit

Friday May 20th
08:45 - 09:15 GP3 Free Practice 1
09:15 - 09:45 Formula One Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
10:00 - 11:30 Formula One Free Practice 1
11:55 - 12:25 GP2 Free Practice
12:45 - 13:20 Mini Challenge Qualifying Session
13:30 - 13:45 Formula One Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
14:00 - 15:30 Formula One Free Practice 2
15:55 - 16:25 GP2 Qualifying Session
16:50 - 17:20 GP3 Free Practice 2
17:45 - 18:30 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Free Practice

Saturday May 21st
08:00 - 08:30 Formula One Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
08:45 - 09:15 GP3 Qualifying Session
09:45 - 10:10 Mini Challenge Race 1
11:00 - 12:00 Formula One Free Practice 3
12:25 - 12:55 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Qualifying Session
13:00 - 13:45 Formula One Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
14:00 - 15:00 Formula One Qualifying Session
15:40 - 16:40 GP2 Race 1
17:20 - 17:50 GP3 Race 1

Sunday May 22nd
08:30 - 08:55 Mini Challenge Race 2
09:25 - 09:55 GP3 Race 2
10:35 - 11:20 GP2 Race 2
11:45 - 12:15 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Race
12:25 - 13:15 Formula One Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
12:30 Formula One Drivers Track Parade
12:45 - 13:15 Formula One Grid Presentation
13:10 - 13:20 Formula One Track Inspectation
13:30 Formula One Pit Lane Open
13:45 Formula One Pit Lane Closes
13:46 Formula One Anthems
14:00 - 16:00 Formula One Race

Full timetable for the weekend via http://formula1news.com/article/329/Complete-weekend-timetable-Barcelona/

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Yeah, he wanted 14 million € or something like that.

Shittt.

I'd get stabbed by an F1 driver if I got 10+ mil.

 

[Seanspeed]

Limit on exhaust blown diffusers - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91475

Essentially, the throttle will be limited to 10% maximum when the drivers aren't on the gas pedal(under braking and through corners). This means that the off-throttle 'overrun' effect we've been seeing(AND hearing) since last year will be gone and there's many that think this overrun trick has been whats been giving Red Bull such a great qualifying advantage.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out. I just sincerely hope this wasn't done in order to limit Red Bull's success for the sake of a closer championship.

 

[S. L.]

Will be interesting to see how it turns out. I just sincerely hope this wasn't done in order to limit Red Bull's success for the sake of a closer championship.

of course it was, why else would they create a regulation like that? thou it's not only limited to RBR

 

[Lucius86]

Shittt.

I'd get stabbed by an F1 driver if I got 10+ mil.

I say we go to a night club together and start throwing drinks and spitting on Alonso - if he doesn't bite, we can just cut each other up and say it was Fernando. Quids in, and Alonso is banished from F1. What could possibly go wrong??

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

The fact that if I ever encountered Alonso in real life his smug face would probably make me gut him, rather than the other way around!

 

[navanman]

Limit on exhaust blown diffusers - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91475

Essentially, the throttle will be limited to 10% maximum when the drivers aren't on the gas pedal(under braking and through corners). This means that the off-throttle 'overrun' effect we've been seeing(AND hearing) since last year will be gone and there's many that think this overrun trick has been whats been giving Red Bull such a great qualifying advantage.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out. I just sincerely hope this wasn't done in order to limit Red Bull's success for the sake of a closer championship.

This is the biggest news of the year so far. Its gonna fuck up all the teams, it just a question of which ones it does it the most to.
It broke as a rumour on twitter this morning and if official now.

 

[Lucius86]

This is the biggest news of the year so far. Its gonna fuck up all the teams, it just a question of which ones it does it the most to.
It broke as a rumour on twitter this morning and if official now.

Yeah, I bet the folks over at RBR cannot be too happy about this.

But then again, anyone at the front will probably be upset. I bet the HRTs, Virgin & Lotus' are happy though!

 

[navanman]

Formula 1's competitive order at the front of the field could be thrown on its head in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix with the FIA having made a major change to the exhaust blown diffuser regulations, AUTOSPORT has learned.

With the design and execution of blown diffusers being viewed as a key area of the 2011 development race, teams have been pushing hard with their concepts to try and eek out any competitive advantage they can.

One aspect that has been worked on a lot is in ensuring that a flow of exhaust gases keep pumping through the diffuser, to help increase downforce, even when the throttle is not in use.

But now, on the back of some teams expending huge effort in tweaking engine modes to help gain performance in this area, the FIA has acted and decided to clamp down on what they are up to.

High level sources have revealed that the FIA has written to teams informing them that from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix they will no longer be allowed to continue flowing gases through the engine when the driver is not on the throttle.

It is understood the directive to the teams tells them that, under braking, the throttle input can now be no larger than 10 per cent of its maximum. Some outfits had been gaining aerodynamic benefit from keeping the throttle flow at 100 per cent under braking.

To push this regulation change through, the FIA has deemed that throttle use will be allowed only for the purpose of increasing torque, not for 'aerodynamic performance'.

This effectively means that any team found to be using off-throttle blown diffusers could be in breach of the famous Article 3.15 of the technical regulations that outlaws moveable aerodynamic devices.

The change in regulations is set to hurt every team running a blown diffuser - although some may be hurt more than others.

Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn said: "It will affect all the teams. These staccato exhausts you hear, I don't think you are going to hear them anymore.

"The teams have all been developing their engine management systems to get the maximum advantage from the exhausts, and the FIA want to push us in a different direction now so there will be changes there.

"I've no idea what will be the outcome there, but it has forced all the teams to have a fresh look at what they are doing in terms of engine strategies."

However, with McLaren having recently hinted that it viewed off-throttle engine maps as a key to Red Bull Racing's qualifying form, the change in regulations could mean the reigning world champion team is one of the worst hit.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT about the impact of the change in rules, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said: "I think that it is going to have an affect with all teams that have been utilising it.

"That appears to be 90 per cent of the grid, if you look at how many teams are running blown diffusers. It is not something unique to this year, it is something that started last year, so Barcelona will clearly show what effect this will have."

When asked if he thought the rules change had come about as the result of a complaint from a rival team to try and slow Red Bull Racing down, Horner said: "It is inevitable and the unfortunate consequence of success."

Brawn with reasonable response & Horner with the conspiracy theory..

Autosport

 

[Seanspeed]

Brawn with reasonable response & Horner with the conspiracy theory..

Autosport

You think its just a coincidence that Brawn's team wont be one of the bigger teams affected, while its quite likely Horner's team is gonna be ones who suffer the most from this sudden rule change?

 

[Lucius86]

You think its just a coincidence that Brawn's team wont be one of the bigger teams affected, while its quite likely Horner's team is gonna be ones who suffer the most from this sudden rule change?

It's all a CONSPIRACY!

 

[DrM]

This can hamper several incoming 'big' updates from teams

 

[Deadman]

Dont see how the sport is improved by that change.

 

[navanman]

You think its just a coincidence that Brawn's team wont be one of the bigger teams affected, while its quite likely Horner's team is gonna be ones who suffer the most from this sudden rule change?

Its rumoured that RBR use the exhaust to maintain the low pressure area of their high ride height rear end/diffuser. If they can't use this off throttle they will lose that constant downforce area and then entry and exit speed from corners.

 

[DrM]

Ok, gents, place your bets, who will suffer the most because of this?
a) RBR
b) Mclaren
c) Ferrari
d) Mercedes
e) Renault
f) Other

 

[Leunam]

This can hamper several incoming 'big' updates from teams

Yep.

Sauber plans to introduce a major update to its car for the Spanish Grand Prix, which it hopes will help it continue its fight for regular points scoring finishes.

The new developments will include further experimentation of the 2011-style blown diffuser, which a number of outfits are trying to get on to their cars as soon as possible.

Technical director James Key said: "We'll have a new, quite significant aero package on the car, which will be a completely new front wing, updates to the front and rear brake ducts, new bodywork, new devices around the floor leading edge and under the chassis, and we'll be testing the new exhaust system again.

I'm curious when this was handed down.

 

[navanman]

Dont see how the sport is improved by that change.

Rule changes are rarely ever brought in to improve the sport.
Ferrari flexible barge board, Renault mass damper, Mercedes/McLaren beryllium engine changes.

I'm curious when this was handed down.

Rumoured Charlie Whiting gave the teams this new technical directive last week.

 

[olore]

Beryllium engines? Elaborate please

 

[itsgreen]

Rule changes are rarely ever brought in to improve the sport.
Ferrari flexible barge board, Renault mass damper, Mercedes/McLaren beryllium engine changes.


Rumoured Charlie Whiting gave the teams this new technical directive last week.

Technically it isn't a rule change but more of clarification.

They say that throttle can only be used to increase torque and not used as a aerodynamic device.

 

[navanman]

Beryllium engines? Elaborate please

Back in 98,99 when McLaren dominated, one of the key factors was the amazing power from the Mercedes engine. One of the key factors behind this was an beryllium alloy for the pistons.
It was rumoured that Ferrari lobbied the FIA to get it banned and in late 99 it was, with a full ban in 2001. After this for many years, the McLaren Mercedes used to self destruct when Kimi was dualing with Schumacher.

 

[gutterboy44]

I have been playing some F1 2011 again to get me ready for this weekend. Been a great season so far. I cannot wait for Montreal this year. Has been an awesome race year after year but I am really excited at how this one could play out. Oh yeah, and sweet sweet Molson Dry. Mmmmmm

 

[Psychotext]

That's fucking idiocy. You can't bring in a change like that in-season. Some cars will have been aerodynamically designed around those principals from day one and it's not the sort of thing you can just alter some wings to deal with. They had the entire of the off season to decide on it (after all, it was used last year too) but it's clear this is a knee jerk reaction to how the results have turned out so far.

Fucking FIA.

 

[Adam Scott Aukerman]

That's fucking idiocy. You can't bring in a change like that in-season. Some cars will have been aerodynamically designed around those principals from day one and it's not the sort of thing you can just alter some wings to deal with. They had the entire of the off season to decide on it (after all, it was used last year too) but it's clear this is a knee jerk reaction to how the results have turned out so far.

Fucking FIA.

It's just part of the sport. The regulations, and their interpretations, continually evolve.

 

[avaya]

Apparently Red Bull could be fucked in qualifying now.

I agree with the ban, never thought they should be legal in the first place, clear breach.

Back in 98,99 when McLaren dominated, one of the key factors was the amazing power from the Mercedes engine. One of the key factors behind this was an beryllium alloy for the pistons.
It was rumoured that Ferrari lobbied the FIA to get it banned and in late 99 it was, with a full ban in 2001. After this for many years, the McLaren Mercedes used to self destruct when Kimi was dualing with Schumacher.

I think 98 had little to do with the Berlyium employed by Mercedes. 1998 the Bridgestone's just straight out ROCKED, the bulk of the speed was from the tyres. They were lapping seconds a lap faster. Goodyear closed but Bridgestone's were just beasting.

 

[operon]

going to be amazing this weekend

 

[Leunam]

I hope they ask they drivers how they feel about the change.

 

[marvelharvey]

from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix they will no longer be allowed to continue flowing gases through the engine when the driver is not on the throttle.

That's a bit short notice, practice starts in 60ish hours.

 

[avaya]

Shorter and lower front noses! YES! YES! YES!

Post-2008 cars are fucking hideous, hideous monstrosities. Bring back the low nose riders. Thank god.They should also ban those atrocious engine covers.

EDIT: Banning the big rear wing as well? FUCKING YES! Oh shit. I haven't been this happy with the rules in ages.

Bring back V10's, scrap endurance gearboxes/engines, allow a T-car, bring back warm-up, no more parc-ferme. I'd literally cry. Cry tears of joy. Pre-2003 rules with DRS, would be amazing.

 

[brotkasten]

Shorter and lower front noses! YES! YES! YES!

Post-2008 cars are fucking hideous, hideous monstrosities. Bring back the low nose riders. Thank god.They should also ban those atrocious engine covers.

EDIT: Banning the big rear wing as well? FUCKING YES! Oh shit. I haven't been this happy with the rules in ages.

Bring back V10's, scrap endurance gearboxes/engines, allow a T-car, bring back warm-up, no more parc-ferme. I'd literally cry. Cry tears of joy. Pre-2003 rules with DRS, would be amazing.

Only post-2008 cars? McLaren managed to build a hideous car before that.

Ewww ... How much I hated the dolphin nose.

 

[itsgreen]

Shorter and lower front noses! YES! YES! YES!

Post-2008 cars are fucking hideous, hideous monstrosities. Bring back the low nose riders. Thank god.They should also ban those atrocious engine covers.

EDIT: Banning the big rear wing as well? FUCKING YES! Oh shit. I haven't been this happy with the rules in ages.

Bring back V10's, scrap endurance gearboxes/engines, allow a T-car, bring back warm-up, no more parc-ferme. I'd literally cry. Cry tears of joy. Pre-2003 rules with DRS, would be amazing.

Yeah T-Car and Warm-up would be great. Driver changes after qualifying should also be possible...

 

[avaya]

Only post-2008 cars? McLaren managed to build a hideous car before that.

Ewww ... How much I hated the dolphin nose.

That looks like a product of years of technology (Ferrari tech even lol). Compare it to the silver turd they run now, which looks like a cheap toy.

My main gripe is with the change in the front wing, rear wing and engine covers.