official F1 World Championship 2011 Thread

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

With the car launches and the first tests starting early next week it's time to start the official Formula 1 World Championship 2011 thread.

Technical and rule changes for 2011

The 'F-duct' is gone. Instead KERS makes a return. A new addition is the adjustable rear wing, which is designed as a replacement for the F-duct. From Wikipedia:

In a similar system to the KERS regulator used in 2009, the adjustable rear wing would only be available under certain conditions; namely, drivers will only be able to use it when they are within one second of the car in front, but it would not be usable within the first two laps of a race except in the case of an early safety car. Furthermore, the drivers will only be able to use the adjustable wing on a designated area of the circuit, to be decided by race director Charlie Whiting.

Pirelli replaces Bridgestone as tyre supplier for Formula 1.

The 107% rule returns, which means that a car slower than 107% of the pole time does not qualify for the race.

Driver and team changes

For the start at the season at least we will have two teams running under the Lotus banner - the former Renault GP as well as the Lotus team which entered F1 in 2010. The naming dispute is supposed to be resolved in March.

There are no new teams this year. Most drivers from 2010 have kept their cockpit as well. Most driver changes are down to the previous driver not having enough money to pay for a drive; as an example look at Nico Hülkenberg who despite a good season for Williams last year has been relegated to 3rd driver for Force India and replaced at Williams by Pastor Madonaldo. A rather worrying trend in my opinion.

Favourites for 2011?

In my opinion it's too early to tell yet which teams or drivers will be the front runners this year. I do expect improvements from certain teams like Mercedes GP, Lotus Renault GP or Sauber Ferrari; I refuse to make any predictions before the first race however. Feel free to vote for your favourites in the topic poll though.

Here's to another great Formula 1 season in 2011!

[enigma-penguin Veteran]

I know it's way to early to call but my expected top contending teams for the year look to be;

1) Mclaren

2) Ferrari

3) RBR

4) Mercedes

5) Lotus-Renault

Given that we're only a few days out from both the first car launches and the 1st practice test, it should be interesting to see how everything pans out. I'm sorta hoping Ricciardo lives up to the promise he showed in the rookie runs at the end of last year, as another young driver paired with Vettel after Webber is gone might be ideal for pacing.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

We don't know much yet, but we do know what this year's Ferrari will be called:

Ferrari?s new Formula 1 car to be called F150

Maranello, 25 January ? F150: that?s the name of the new car which will compete in this year?s Formula 1 World Championship and which Ferrari will unveil this coming Friday at Maranello, as part of an event which will be broadcast live on RAI 2 and on Ferrari.com.

The choice of name stems from Ferrari?s desire to pay tribute to this year?s one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Unification of Italy. The placement of the ?Tricolore? Italian flag as part of the car livery will therefore have even more significance in 2011.

?Ferrari is an expression of Italian excellence, talent and creativity,? declared President Luca di Montezemolo. ?All the men and women who put so much effort and passion into their work at Maranello share the pride and responsibility of representing our country around the world and it is in this spirit that we chose to dedicate this car to an event that is so important for the whole of Italy.?

The news was announced in advance this afternoon, to the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, who expressed his appreciation of the initiative. He also took the opportunity to wish the Scuderia the best of luck for the forthcoming season.

Source: Ferrari website

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Eve of Ferrari F150 ?premiere?

Maranello, 27 January ? Feverish preparations are taking place in Maranello on the eve of the presentation of the new Formula 1 car with which Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro will take part for the 62nd time in the World Championship. Attending the presentation ceremony, in a marquee erected inside the factory will be the FIAT President John Elkann and its Managing Director Sergio Marchionne, as well as representatives of the Scuderia?s partners, including the President of Santander Bank Emilio Botin and the President of Brembo Alberto Bombassei.

Late in the afternoon, the ritual of applying the final touches to the livery took place, under the watchful eyes of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, who arrived in Maranello shortly after lunchtime.

The new Ferrari F150 will be revealed tomorrow at 10 o?clock and it can be seen with live streaming on the web at www.ferrarif150.com. Highlights, interviews and other content relating to the car will be available at the same address, once the presentation ceremony is over. The only technical requirement to view this is the installation on a computer of the Flash Player 10 plug-in.

The event will be broadcast live on RAI 2 from 9.45 to 11.00 and on Rai Sport 1 from 9.45 to 11.15. A link up through the internet site means that visitors to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the theme park dedicated to the Prancing Horse marque on Yas Island, will also be able to follow the ceremony. Over one hundred accredited media from thirteen countries will attend the event.

If the weather is good enough, some promotional filming linked to the new livery, will take place in the afternoon at the Fiorano track, with Fernando Alonso at the wheel. The next day it will be Felipe Massa?s turn, when the backdrop at the company?s private test track, will be provided by fans from the Scuderia Ferrari Club. However, the real debut for the F150 takes place next Tuesday, 1st February at the Ricardo Tormo circuit at Cheste, near Valencia, when the first official test session gets underway. The test schedule sees Alonso driving on the first two days, while Thursday it will be Felipe who slips into the cockpit of the new car.

Source: Ferrari website

[Subject Delta]

My gut feeling is that Red Bull will still be the team to beat, although I expect McLaren and Ferrari to push them a lot harder in qualifying this season. I still foresee Mercedes being about half a second off in pace.

[what]

My gut feeling is that Red Bull will still be the team to beat, although I expect McLaren and Ferrari to push them a lot harder in qualifying this season. I still foresee Mercedes being about half a second off in pace.

I think Mercedes will be up there with the best teams this year. In 2009, they were working on the Brawn GP car right until the end of the season to make sure Button became champion, so development on the 2010 car didn't start until much later. Last year, Ross Brawn realised pretty quickly that they weren't going to catch up and started work on this years car in June. I think that will give them a sufficient boost at the start of the season. I wouldn't mind seeing Schumacher on the top step again.

[Subject Delta]

I think Mercedes will be up there with the best teams this year. In 2009, they were working on the Brawn GP car right until the end of the season to make sure Button became champion, so development on the 2010 car didn't start until much later. Last year, Ross Brawn realised pretty quickly that they weren't going to catch up and started work on this years car in June. I think that will give them a sufficient boost at the start of the season. I wouldn't mind seeing Schumacher on the top step again.

Personally I don't like him, never really had.

To be honest, the tactic of ceasing development to work on the next car can sometimes be hit, and sometimes be miss. I am not sure that fact alone will be of great help. Aerodynamically Mercedes could have got a bit of a head start, but when it comes to working the car to suit the new rubber I feel they will have less of an advantage, so it's going to be a bit hit and miss for me. Signs where promising for Ferrari though, their car seemed to initially take to the pirelli rubber very well.

[what]

Personally I don't like him, never really had.

To be honest, the tactic of ceasing development to work on the next car can sometimes be hit, and sometimes be miss. I am not sure that fact alone will be of great help. Aerodynamically Mercedes could have got a bit of a head start, but when it comes to working the car to suit the new rubber I feel they will have less of an advantage, so it's going to be a bit hit and miss for me. Signs where promising for Ferrari though, their car seemed to initially take to the pirelli rubber very well.

I think the point is, any advantage they get from early development will be better than if they left it until right at the end of the season to begin developing the car as they did last year. As far as we know, they've spent the longest time working on it, so they theoretically have the jump on everyone else. Whether that turns into positive results remains to be seen.

[Subject Delta]

I think the point is, any advantage they get from early development will be better than if they left it until right at the end of the season to begin developing the car as they did last year. As far as we know, they've spent the longest time working on it, so they theoretically have the jump on everyone else. Whether that turns into positive results remains to be seen.

Theoretically, yes, but when it was done during 2007 their 2008 car was still crap (back when they where Honda of course). Just a game of wait and see I guess, just a gut feeling of mine that they will still be a bit off the pace :p

[what]

EDIT: nvm

[.mcman]

F150 launch is live now at http://www.ferrari.com/F150/

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Some images of the F150:

[simonlang]

the first few seconds i thought they would present the old car. i cant see too many differences. the sidepods look fat and the nose is fugly as hell.

but i hope it still will be fast :yes:

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

F10 vs F150:

[Subject Delta]

Looks as if they have utilised Red Bull's high nose design, and low sculpted sidepods. And although these images don't show it, the rear of the cars looks a lot cleaner without the double diffuser and exhaust blown diffuser.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Looks as if they have utilised Red Bull's high nose design, and low sculpted sidepods. And although these images don't show it, the rear of the cars looks a lot cleaner without the double diffuser and exhaust blown diffuser.

Former McLaren aerodynamicist Pat Fry now works for Ferrari.

Video of Alonso driving the F150:

[Subject Delta]

Yeah, I know he does, the car doesn't look to me like it's been inspired by McLaren's design, I think personally it looks more similar to Red Bull's

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Yeah, I know he does, the car doesn't look to me like it's been inspired by McLaren's design, I think personally it looks more similar to Red Bull's

Hmm, I don't know. To me the nose, side pods and airbox of the F150 look McLaren-esque.

[Subject Delta]

To me, when you look at it, you can see that the nose is a little flatter and less rounded than the McLaren design, it also appears to have that slight curve that Red Bull put onto the nose of their car. As for the airbox, it looks a little more rounded than the McLaren design to me, hard to say for sure

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Digital rendering of the Mercedes GP W02:

Source: Mercedes GP website

[MightyJordan]

Less than six weeks to go. :)

Obviously, like last year, I'm rooting for Jenson Button and McLaren. :p But also like last year, I won't be disappointed if Red Bull win. They are technically a British team. :)

[Subject Delta]

Looks as if they're copying the Red Bull front end design as well. A trend I expect to be repeated across all of the field.

[enigma-penguin Veteran]

The other option?:

Team Lotus unveils the new T128

Team Lotus has unveiled its T128 2011 Formula 1 car - a significantly more aggressive design than its 2010 contender, and a machine the squad hopes will propel it firmly into the midfield and points contention.

The T128 will not appear in public until Wednesday, when it joins the second day of the Valencia test. But Lotus chose to reveal images of the car in a special edition of its Team Lotus Notes online magazine.

Lotus had always admitted that last year's T127 was a deliberately conservative machine built simply to get the team onto the grid in a very limited timescale, rather than with outright performance in mind. It halted development on the 2010 car early in the season to focus on the 2011 design, which is more in line with modern F1 practice, and features Renault V8 power and transmission systems from Red Bull.

The images released so far suggest the car features a more intricate front wing design, sharply sculpted sidepods, as well as a more conventional higher nose, and an airbox and roll hoop reminiscent of the 2010 Mercedes, suggesting Lotus has found a way around the rules that appeared to have outlawed such 'blade' designs.

The team's chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne is confident that Lotus has achieved everything it wanted to with the T128.

"I think that basically this car looks like a frontrunning car in every area," he said. "We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that's very achievable."

The car launch comes with the Lotus naming rights dispute still very much alive, and Tony Fernandes' squad had chosen to continue with the traditional Lotus type numbering system by choosing T128 for its car, rather than the TL11 title that was initially announced.

Fernandes said it was a relief to be able to focus on the new car after a winter of legal disputes with Renault's new title sponsor Group Lotus.

"There has been so much has focus off-track it's a thrill to be able to get back to talking about racing," Fernandes admitted.

"The launch of the T128 is a big step forward for Team Lotus and I want to thank the whole team for the amount of hard work that has already gone into T128, and I want to thank Renault and Red Bull Technology for their tremendous support in helping us make this step forward and for being such great team partners."

Full launch PDF:

http://cdn.skive.co.uk/TLN_LaunchIssue.pdf

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

The Team Lotus car looks good. It should in theory be able to race other midfield teams like Williams/STR/FI. Too early to tell yet though.

I really like the British Racing Green livery. One of the sexier F1 liveries of the past years.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

The Sauber C30: