Is it just me, or is the Marussia the best looking car so far? Nose notwithstanding. Weird. More pics here http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/01/30/marussia-mr03-first-pictures/
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfOTY2aHDaU]F1 2014 Testing Jerez - Halfway Report - YouTube[/ame]
Red Bull managed to run a grand total of 3 laps today. I haven't read details but given none of the 3 were recorded as timed I assume none were full laps and all ran pit out to pit in like installation laps. Of the other Renault powered teams, Lotus isn't there and Caterham ran 10 laps with no recorded time (no idea what their problem is). But since Torro Rosso managed 30 laps maybe Renault are getting on top of their initial problem and the remaining trouble is due to component packaging choices made by the team designers? I read Horner and Newey hit the road back to the factory. Pundits are guessing it's because they're more concerned about fixing some fundamental aspect of design ahead of the next test than they are about the way this test will finish up tomorrow.
They aren't saying just what the problem is - naturally, neither Renault nor Red Bull want to give anything away about their respective unique configurations - but "Adrian has gone back to the drawing board" seems to me like a sign there's a significant design and/or layout issue. Ricciardo says no quick fix for Red Bull (autosport.com)
Pretty much all the Renault cars have had trouble so far. It's something to do with the new ERS as I understand it. Which makes sense really, since Red Bull was constantly having KERS issues last year, and a couple alternator failures the year before that. Electronics are not Renault's strong points. Full Disclosure - I used to own a 1984 Renault Alliance back in college, and I had to change the alternator in that thing several times before it had a complete electrical meltdown. I may be a bit biased on my opinion of French wiring.
From an Autosport article quoting Rod Nelson (Williams chief test and support engineer) on the McLaren rear suspension aero: This tiny pic shows that "dogleg" shape better than any other I've seen. Once you've seen it, it's easier to see in less vertical shots.
Really nice analysis on the McLaren suspension. A closer look at McLaren's butterfly suspension - F1technical.net
Here's a nice series of observations on each car from what we can see so far. Interestingly he seems to think that Caterham's design is for reliability rather than speed. With the testing running the way it is, he might be right. That might mean they could get a point in the first few races. F1 2014 Car Reveals - YouTube
Yes me thinks things are going to be very interesting this season...... From motorsports: Jan.31 (GMM) Amid world champion Red Bull's testing nightmare at Jerez, bigwigs Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko and the visiting team owner Dietrich Mateschitz all departed southern Spain on Thursday. While rival Mercedes and Ferrari-powered teams have managed to collect dozens upon dozens of early pre-season laps, the tally amassed by Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in the troubled RB10 numbers unlucky 13. "Adrian has gone back to the drawing board, definitely," team newcomer Daniel Ricciardo, on duty on Thursday, said. Red Bull had initially pointed the finger at engine supplier Renault, and the French marque duly admitted it has had problems with all of its customer teams, including Toro Rosso and Caterham. But Marko confessed before departing on Thursday that the latest problems are also Red Bull's making. Paddock rumours suggest Newey has pushed his famously tight packaging too close to the limit in a new era where cooling is a major hurdle. "I guess now there's only so much he (Newey) can do at the track and I think he's pretty happy working at his office in Milton Keynes," added Ricciardo. Red Bull is expected to try to get the RB10 running on Friday, the final day of the Jerez test, but the real attention will be ensuring the car is in working order for the crucial final two tests, in Bahrain. "I think the break before Bahrain is going to help the team a lot," said Ricciardo. "Even if tomorrow doesn't go to plan, we still won't be worried. "Time is still on our side. Even if we go to Melbourne with whatever (issues), it's a long season. These guys know how to win and I'm sure we'll sort it out," he added. Undoubtedly, Ricciardo is putting his characteristically-smiling tilt on serious trouble for Red Bull. There are rumours that, before Newey left, he had a "heated" exchange with Renault's Rob White -- each accusing the other of being most to blame for the situation. And Red Bull's culpability seemed clearer on Thursday, when sister team Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne said a Renault fix had given the new STR9 a "massive step forward" overnight. Bernie Ecclestone, nonetheless angry at the Jerez testing 'farce', sees some upside to the situation. "The good thing is that the season could be extremely interesting -- really unpredictable, and that is the exciting thing," he told the Daily Mail. Williams' Felipe Massa agrees that the 2014 revolution has given F1 a total shakeup. "As I drove around, you could see these major differences between the cars," the Brazilian is quoted by Finland's MTV3. "I'm not talking about performance, I mean how the cars are braking and how they're coming out of the corners. It seems as though there are three categories of cars on one track -- Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault. Even the sound is different," he explained.
BIG take-aways for me from that article. 1 - Bernie sees a farce?!?! Hey, Bernie, this is testing. Have you forgotten what it was like centuries ago when you were actually involved in the sport you now consider just a show and money-making venture? This is what happens when you make huge changes to the formula, stepped up a few notches by forcing bleeding-edge tech into the mix. 2 - Massa's comment about how the different engines come with very different character...this pleases me greatly! :yesnod:
Bernie probably only sees it as a farce because he's so sweet on Red Bull and Vettel, and so far they've not had a good couple of days.
Bernie sez that there was "no one" on the track. New F1 rules have created a “total farce,” says Ecclestone | Adam Cooper's F1 Blog Bernie is full of it. Because no one but Red Bull counts for him. The sooner he's ousted the better. :mad5: Renault admit "litany of issues" with Energy F1 - F1 Fanatic
Glad to see Massa did well for Williams. I really want him to come out the other end of his Ferrari contract whole and in good shape.
I agree that Bernie needs to go. But he's the one complaining about the drop in viewer ship and wants the double points rule in even more races because he says Red Bull dominated too much. Not so many years ago you would have had Ferrari in there instead of Red Bull. Bernie doesn't care about one team over another he only cares about money and ratings. If he can generate ratings by generating controversy he will.
True but it is also true that he is constantly monitoring who registers highest on the Kissbernie'sass-O-meter......