-Formula 1 - Season 2011

[genius83]

@Blackeye117
Yes Testing could be available on livestream but most likely in Spanish commentary.

@UK
I think a system can only be categorised as passive if it is been adjusted in the pitstop like what Ferrari was doing last year otherwise all other systems will be deemed active.

So, Senna afterall joins Lotus Renault:o.

[Blackeye117]

Thank you ....Genius ..... commentry .. no problem .... but at what time ? thanks

[UncleKracker]

@genius83

Yeah finally they, Renault, are putting all the pieces together. The livery, now adding the Senna name to their line up. Going to great lengths to attract sponsorship.

Are you sure there will be a live stream? Kindly post a link if you come across one. My understanding is, it will only be live timing.

Okay, got your PM. Will do so accordingly.

[m_waqas]

wow.. things are happening quite fast.. and thanks guys for keeping us posted..

i see Uncle-K is very active these days ... may be because 'our bhabi' is at her maika (parents' house) ...

that gala video was great and i certainly liked what was there to be liked but it also triggered a tinge of pain inside me by seeing that damned final race ...

i like the new Lotus.. Renault not so :S ...

PS: btw, did i tell u guys that i was in Ferrari World (AbuDhabi) last week ... its one HELL of a place.,. another world totally... enjoyed the experience.. and the hangover is not over yet :S ... that might explain my absence (if anyone noticed) and i m still comatose because of that ride which had speed of 240 km/h.. i felt sick instantly and my head was spinning out of control... awesome experience... and of course i loved the beach near BurjAlArab - birds on the seaside (hint hint ) ...

got to see Ferrari F1 cars up close first time in my life.. plus all other ferraris California, Italia, 430, 599, Scaligiatii (don't knw how to spell :$) ... strangely Enzo was missing :S ... i didn't even spot it on roads during my whole trip... even saw Bugatti man, getting parked inside a hotel...

[m_waqas]

Adjustable wings idea is cool but the circumstances and do's and dont's regarding its use are pathetic :S ...

F1’s great unknown: How will adjustable wings work?

The first test of the 2011 season is only two days away and soon we will all learn a lot more about how the biggest rule change for this year, the adjustable rear wing, is going to affect the racing.

^ nice article.. excerpts here for quick understanding,..

" The purpose is to create more overtaking, clearly,...

The simple concept of this change is a pivot in the rear wing which allows it (rear adjustable wing) to open up a gap from 10mm to 50mm, thereby shedding downforce and increasing straight line speed – rather like the F Duct did last year.

Engineers I’ve spoken to say that a system that is correctly used by a driver should be worth over 0.5 sec a lap.

But unlike the F Duct (which is now banned) it cannot be used anywhere on the track during the race. It can only be used after the first two laps and then only in a pre-determined section of track and only then by a car which is within a second of the car in front. And this is where things get a little more vague and are still under discussion.

The driver will be notified by a light in the cockpit and he will move the wing using a control on the steering wheel. The driver can manually return the wing to its normal level or hitting the brakes will achieve the same result. If the system fails, it defaults to the high downforce setting.

The car in front will not be allowed to use his wing to defend. This sense of feeling like a sitting duck might lead some drivers wanting to ‘weave’ to block or shake off a tow,...

According to Fernando Alonso, “The only difficulty…will be buttons on the steering wheel and a very short time you have to make some decisions, to react to buttons and still drive the car, so in some of the cases in wet races, poor visibility, things like that, we need to check.” "

^ as u can get the gist.. usage rules are pathetic :S ...

reading thru Kubica's interview, he doesn't sound much excited and hopeful :S ...

i m happy for Senna and Grojeans both..

[genius83]

Renault to give junior drivers F1 mileage
Renault plans to give its academy drivers Formula 1 mileage in older-spec cars this season.

Renault: Long development time a boost
Renault believes a long development time for its new car, allied to some radical concepts under the skin, are key factors in boosting its hopes of a return to winning ways in 2011.

Boullier plays down driver tensions
Renault team boss Eric Boullier says he has no concerns about Vitaly Petrov's suggestion that team-mate Robert Kubica had been 'closed' towards him - and that Petrov should not expect any help from the more experienced Pole.

Schumacher believes he is a genuine challenger
Michael Schumacher said he thought it was "logical" for Fernando Alonso to recently nominate him as the major challenger for the 2011 title.

@m_waqas
I was thinking of where you were but then the thread was quite until the Ferrari launch and I am the only one updating the topic so assumed that you would return when the launches start.

Now you were in Ferrari F1 world and there is no thread or pics from your visit.

@Blackeye117
The testing starts at around 2 PM and before it 4 teams launches their cars. RedBull, Mercedes, Williams and Toro Rosso.

@UK
I think there may be some livestream do check the link posted in the starting post.

[m_waqas]

@steve..
lolz.. u knw i m not the show-off kind ... and to be honest i didn't have my camera with me.. my friend took many pics from whom i can borrow but nothing on my own :S ... i was there just for the change of air and m glad that i decided to visit it.. i made that trip on a second to last day of my departure and was very unplanned.. i m / was least interested in taking pics.. i was just ogling at my surroundings (hint hint ) and got very relaxed by my trip...

one thing i forgot to mention,.. i also drove in a simulator (H)... not an F1 car sim but F40 Modena.. that sim was great ...

James Allen on the Ferrari launch

Have they done enough? Is the new Ferrari, revealed today, a potent enough weapon for the Scuderia to win back a world title it hasn’t had held since 2007?

It’s a political tie-up; Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is currently one of Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi’s harshest critics and he spoke today of Ferrari being a rallying point for the unity of Italy at a time when “everyone is against everyone” in the country.

[UncleKracker]

New cars from Lotus, Sauber and Renault break cover
Today was a busy day of launches in Valencia, with three teams pulling the wraps off their cars.
Lotus was the first, launching the car via an online web magazine called Lotus Pages. Mid morning it was the turn of the now heavily Mexican influenced Sauber team and soon after that of Renault, with a car the team themselves are describing as super aggressive.

Ferrari feel pressure to unseat Red Bull
Pressure comes with the job when you work for Ferrari, and there was no hiding from expectation on Friday when they became the first Formula 1 team to unveil their 2011 car.
Asked if he felt an "obligation" to win, technical director Aldo Costa replied simply: "Yes."
Chief designer Nikolas Tombazis said he was "quite optimistic about this car and how it will go during the season".

[U]Driver line-up for first test of 2011[/U]

<table class="thin"><tbody><tr><td>Team</td><td>Car</td><td>Tuesday 1st</td><td>Wednesday 2nd</td><td>Thursday 3rd</td></tr><tr><td>Red Bull</td><td>RB7</td><td>Sebastian Vettel</td><td>Sebastian Vettel (am)
Mark Webber (pm)</td><td>Mark Webber</td></tr><tr><td>McLaren</td><td>MP4-25</td><td>Gary Paffett</td><td>Lewis Hamilton</td><td>Jenson Button</td></tr><tr><td>Ferrari</td><td>F150</td><td>Fernando Alonso</td><td>Fernando Alonso</td><td>Felipe Massa</td></tr><tr><td>Mercedes</td><td>W02</td><td>Nico Rosberg (am)
Michael Schumacher (pm)</td><td>TBC</td><td>TBC</td></tr><tr><td>Renault</td><td>R31</td><td>Vitaly Petrov</td><td>Robert Kubica</td><td>Robert Kubica</td></tr><tr><td>Williams</td><td>FW33</td><td>Rubens Barrichello</td><td>Rubens Barrichello (am)
Pastor Maldonado (pm)</td><td>Pastor Maldonado</td></tr><tr><td>Force India</td><td>VJM03</td><td>Nico Hülkenberg (am)
Paul di Resta (pm)</td><td>Paul di Resta</td><td>Adrian Sutil</td></tr><tr><td>Sauber</td><td>C30</td><td>Kamui Kobayashi</td><td>Sergio Perez</td><td>Sergio Perez</td></tr><tr><td>Toro Rosso</td><td>STR6</td><td>Jaime Alguersuari</td><td>Jaime Alguersuari (am)
Sebastien Buemi (pm)</td><td>Sebastien Buemi</td></tr><tr><td>Lotus</td><td>TL11</td><td>None</td><td>Heikki Kovalainen</td><td>Jarno Trulli</td></tr><tr><td>HRT</td><td>F110</td><td>TBC</td><td>TBC</td><td>TBC</td></tr><tr><td>Virgin</td><td>VR-01</td><td>Jerome d’Ambrosio</td><td>Jerome d’Ambrosio</td><td>Timo Glock</td></tr></tbody></table>

@m_waqas

I was fearing the worst given your, umm lets say habits:P Good to know you are safe and had a good time.

I have heard quite a lot of negative things about Ferrari world, starting from things like spelling Raikkonen's name wrong to other stuff but do share your experience with us more and can we have a picture of you on the roller coaster:)

@genius83

Doubt anyone would be streaming the test but I'll keep checking.
On a different note, do we actually want to see his pictures? I mean, we know the condition he'd be in, right? Him in a sandwich of two:-#:-# Those pictures can't be posted here i think:S

[UncleKracker]

Red Bull RB7

Red Bull Racing reveals its new RB7 at Valencia
World champion team Red Bull Racing has unveiled the car with which it will attempt to defend its titles in 2011 - the Adrian Newey-designed, Renault-powered RB7 chassis.

Horner says Red Bull confident, not arrogant
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says last year's titles have given the team confidence to do better, but he claimed the world champion squad will still be humble in its approach. The Milton Keynes-based team enjoyed a great 2010 season and went on to win the first titles in its short history.

Vettel: Red Bull needs a step forward
World champion Sebastian Vettel believes Red Bull will need to take another step forward this season in order to retain the crowns won last year. Vettel became the youngest ever world champion last season after charging to the top with victory in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Webber going 'head on' to win title
Mark Webber says he is determined to improve his performance during the 2011 season after missing out on the title last year. The Australian led the championship for much of the second half of the season, but ended up finishing in third position behind Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

[UncleKracker]

Mercedes W02

Mercedes launches its 2011 contender
Mercedes has officially launched its new MGP W02 chassis at Valencia ahead of the start of official 2011 testing this morning.
The team issued a head-on 'teaser' image of the car to the media over the weekend, but has now fully taken the wraps off the new design.

Mercedes confident of strong 2011
Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn is confident his team will enjoy a stronger 2011 season after a difficult campaign last year. The team took both titles under the Brawn GP name in 2009, but failed to defend its crown last year, as its car did not prove strong enough to fight for races victories.

[mani1]

so whats the verdict? which car looks the most innovative, fastest and most likely to win the championship?

[UncleKracker]

Williams FW33

Williams unveils FW33 interim colours
Williams has released images of its new Cosworth-powered FW33 2011 challenger which is set to join several other new cars when testing begins in Valencia today.

Williams aims to close gap to front
Frank Williams says his team is hopeful the new FW33 car unveiled on Tuesday will help the British squad take a step closer to the leading outfits in 2011. Williams finished the 2010 season in sixth position, its best result since 2007, but was still unable to fight for podiums finishes and is now aiming to take another step forward.

[Blackeye117]

All the Cars Are looking Awsome .... they'll look brilliant in Hd ... for sure

[UncleKracker]

Toro Rosso STR6

Toro Rosso presents its 2011 design
Scuderia Toro Rosso became the latest team to launch its 2011 Formula 1 car when it presented the STR6 to the media at Valencia this morning.
Red Bull's junior outfit unveiled its new car shortly after its world title-winning senior sibling had launched the RB7 further up the pitlane.

[UncleKracker]

Valencia test- day one. Times at lunch break.

<table class="text_small" width="100%" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td height="20" align="center">1</td> <td align="left"> Alonso</td><td align="center">Ferrari</td><td align="left"> 1m14.718s</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td height="20" align="center">2</td> <td align="left"> Vettel</td><td align="center">Red Bull</td><td align="left"> 1m14.921s +0.203</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td height="20" align="center">3</td> <td align="left"> Hulkenberg</td><td align="center">Force India</td><td align="left"> 1m15.615s +0.897</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td height="20" align="center">4</td> <td align="left"> Kobayashi</td><td align="center">Sauber</td><td align="left"> 1m15.831s +1.113</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td height="20" align="center">5</td> <td align="left"> Paffett</td><td align="center">McLaren</td><td align="left"> 1m16.256s +1.538</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td height="20" align="center">6</td> <td align="left"> D'Ambrosio</td><td align="center">Virgin</td><td align="left"> 1m16.398s +1.680</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td height="20" align="center">7</td> <td align="left"> Alguersuari</td><td align="center">Toro Rosso</td><td align="left"> 1m18.260s +3.542</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td height="20" align="center">8</td> <td align="left"> Karthikeyan</td><td align="center">HRT</td><td align="left"> 1m18.650s +3.932</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td height="20" align="center">9</td> <td align="left"> Barrichello</td><td align="center">Williams</td><td align="left"> 1m18.714s +3.996</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td height="20" align="center">10</td> <td align="left"> Rosberg</td><td align="center">Mercedes</td><td align="left"> 1m19.930s +5.212</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td height="20" align="center">11</td> <td align="left"> Petrov</td><td align="center">Renault</td><td align="left"> 1m20.633s +5.915</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Blackeye117]

Sauber C30 moveable rear wing in action

//youtu.be/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYnUZHjl2Xs&feature=youtu.be

[genius83]

Allianz in new deal with Mercedes
Car insurance firm and long-time Formula 1 sponsor Allianz will become a partner of the Mercedes GP team this year.

Newey says RBR's KERS must work
Red Bull's technical chief Adrian Newey believes it is crucial that his team gets its KERS working properly in 2011 if it's not to lose out to its rivals.

Vettel happy in his role at Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel said that he is very happy at Red Bull and has dismissed speculation that he may be tempted to join Ferrari in the next few years.

Alguersuari says 2011 a 'key' season
Jaime Alguersuari says the 2011 season will be "key" for him, as Toro Rosso eyes a step forward with its new STR6.

Toro Rosso targets eighth with STR6
Toro Rosso's technical director Giorgio Ascanelli says his team is aiming to finish in eighth place in this year's championship.

Mercedes plans to hire reserve driver
Mercedes GP is planning to hire a reserve driver for the 2011 season, but has denied having approached Nico Hulkenberg for the role.

Schumacher tipped to deliver in 2011
Michael Schumacher is being tipped to deliver a much better season for Mercedes GP in 2011 - following the difficulties he faced during his Formula 1 comeback campaign last year.

Ricciardo aiming for 2012 STR race seat
Daniel Ricciardo says he hopes that he can translate his new Friday testing role with Scuderia Toro Rosso into a fulltime race seat in 2012.

Drivers 'need time' with wing - Rosberg
Nico Rosberg believes the adjustable rear wing concept will take a lot of getting used to for drivers, but is still in favour of the device and thinks it will be positive for Formula 1.

Rosberg delighted with new Mercedes
Nico Rosberg says he gained a very good first impression of the Mercedes W02 on its debut at Valencia this morning, and is confident that the team is set for major progress in 2011.

[genius83]

Vettel fastest in first test of 2011
World champion Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time on the opening day of Formula 1 pre-season testing at Valencia.

[U]<font color='magenta'>Valencia PreSeason Testing </font>[/U]
[U]<font color='darkslategray'>Day 1</font>[/U]
Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault*     1m13.769s            93
 2.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m13.938s  + 0.169s  71
 3.  Gary Paffett        McLaren-Mercedes      1m14.292s  + 0.523s  91
 4.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m14.461s  + 0.692s  28
 5.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari*              1m14.553s  + 0.784s  97
 6.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari*       1m15.621s  + 1.852s  68
 7.  Jerome D'Ambrosio   Virgin-Cosworth       1m16.003s  + 2.234s  71
 8.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault*              1m16.351s  + 2.582s  28
 9.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes*             1m16.450s  + 2.681s  15
10.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari*   1m17.214s  + 3.445s  19
11.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth*    1m17.335s  + 3.566s  77
12.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m18.020s  + 4.251s  45
13.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes*             1m19.930s  + 6.161s  9
[I]* 2011 car[/I]

[Blackeye117]

Good Job Alonso ..... 97 laps..... good

[m_waqas]

i see all cars were being launched in a hurry and without much hoopla :S .. except for Ferrari..

anyway.. can somebody provide the overlay picture of Ferrari over RBR ??.. like eddie provided for 09, 10 and 11 ferraris...

RB7's nose looks different from all other cars..

so whats the verdict? which car looks the most innovative, fastest and most likely to win the championship?
to me its either Lotus or Merc... waiting for Mclaren.. that can be good too...

Valencia test- day one. Times at lunch break.

<table class="text_small" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td align="center" height="20">1</td> <td align="left"> Alonso</td><td align="center">Ferrari</td><td align="left"> 1m14.718s</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center" height="20">2</td> <td align="left"> Vettel</td><td align="center">Red Bull</td><td align="left"> 1m14.921s +0.203</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td align="center" height="20">3</td> <td align="left"> Hulkenberg</td><td align="center">Force India</td><td align="left"> 1m15.615s +0.897</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center" height="20">4</td> <td align="left"> Kobayashi</td><td align="center">Sauber</td><td align="left"> 1m15.831s +1.113</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td align="center" height="20">5</td> <td align="left"> Paffett</td><td align="center">McLaren</td><td align="left"> 1m16.256s +1.538</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center" height="20">6</td> <td align="left"> D'Ambrosio</td><td align="center">Virgin</td><td align="left"> 1m16.398s +1.680</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td align="center" height="20">7</td> <td align="left"> Alguersuari</td><td align="center">Toro Rosso</td><td align="left"> 1m18.260s +3.542</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center" height="20">8</td> <td align="left"> Karthikeyan</td><td align="center">HRT</td><td align="left"> 1m18.650s +3.932</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td align="center" height="20">9</td> <td align="left"> Barrichello</td><td align="center">Williams</td><td align="left"> 1m18.714s +3.996</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td align="center" height="20">10</td> <td align="left"> Rosberg</td><td align="center">Mercedes</td><td align="left"> 1m19.930s +5.212</td></tr> <tr bgcolor="#eaeaea"><td align="center" height="20">11</td> <td align="left"> Petrov</td><td align="center">Renault</td><td align="left"> 1m20.633s +5.915</td></tr></tbody></table>

HULK in Force India ??..