F1 2015 - F1

Steve · Jan 3, 2015

Hulkenberg says cars now harder to drive (racer.com)

Saturday, 03 January 2015

Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg believes that the latest Formula 1 cars are harder to drive because they offer less margin for error than the pre-2014 machines.

New regulations for 2014 reduced downforce, particularly at the rear of the car thanks to the loss of exhaust blowing, as well as introducing a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine package that produced more power than the old 2.4-liter V8s.

"It's been a bit challenging," Hulkenberg said when asked about the difficulties of adapting his driving style. "It's harder because you can't push as hard anymore.

"With the downforce [in 2013] you could push easily and there was a safety margin when you overdid it that saved you. Now when you overdrive a bit, it's a lot easier to overdo it and lose the whole lap, although maybe that was just because our car was very peaky."

Although there was some criticism of the new power units, Hulkenberg believes that it is only the lack of noise compared to the old engines that lets them down.

"The engines are good and, driveability-wise the Mercedes engine has been awesome," said Hulkenberg. "They have lots of power; the only struggle really is to put the power on the ground with the loss of downforce.

"What I personally miss is the noise and the sound, but otherwise the engines actually have more power than we used to have."
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Steve · Jan 5, 2015

Mercedes and McLaren to change colours in 2015 (grandprix247.com)

5 January, 2015

At least two top teams will enter the 2015 Formula 1 world championship season with fundamentally different colour schemes, it has emerged.

El Mundo Deportivo reports that new reigning champions Mercedes intend to switch from silver to a striking mirror-like chrome paint-job this year.

The report said the special chrome paint for the 2015 livery is called â€˜Kromoâ€™, and will also be supplied to wheel supplier OZ for the title-defending W06 raced by world champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

The same Spanish sports newspaper reports that with Mercedes stepping up its iconic silver look, Woking based McLaren is tipped for a complete livery U-turn in 2015.

McLaren turned silver in 1997, at the height of its works collaboration with Mercedes, but now the famous British team is kicking off its new era with Honda.

El Mundo Deportivo reported: â€œHonda does not want [McLaren] to continue with silver because it is a colour immediately associated with Mercedes and the â€˜Silver Arrowsâ€™.

â€œThere are rumours the car could be orange (as shown above), McLarenâ€™s traditional colour, for testing. But it could also be white, in a double-tribute: to Honda and also because McLarenâ€™s first F1 car was that colourâ€ in 1966.

â€œThe final choice could depend largely on whether McLaren has a major sponsor in 2015 or not,â€ the report added.
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goaljnky · Jan 5, 2015

Love the orange. But I could live with the white/red of the years past.

mrntd · Jan 5, 2015

How about red, white and orange

Crashton · Jan 5, 2015

That orange looks so good!

Steve · Jan 5, 2015

I really like the orange...so I expect them to go with something else.

To me the bothersome part is Merc's plan for chrome. I think that's taking the silver arrows theme a bit too far but then I'm a chromophobe so no surprise I'm against it.

Angib · Jan 5, 2015

The orange would look good on TV too. All too often graphic artists seem to design racing car liveries to look good close up under studio lighting - or maybe it's just looking good on a really big monitor. A lot of those designs look like 'random stickers and colours' on TV. Given the sponsors' real audience, TV viewers, I'm amazed they don't notice.

Steve · Jan 5, 2015

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVs7W2LvBuI"]F1 2015 Nose Rules - Craig Scarborough explains - YouTube[/ame]

daviday · Jan 5, 2015

I think the orange is pretty bad ass too. Hopefully whatever they decide on looks good on tv. Steve what car is that a picture of?

Nathan · Jan 5, 2015

Nathan · Jan 5, 2015

This is a fun interview.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_MYHtVArD8"]Daniel Ricciardo Interview Parts 1 & 2 "Sunday Night" 28/9/14 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 5, 2015

daviday said: ↑

I think the orange is pretty bad ass too. Hopefully whatever they decide on looks good on tv. Steve what car is that a picture of?
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2006 McLaren, pre-season with an "interim" livery: McLaren debuts 2006 MP4-21

Steve · Jan 6, 2015

I think "annoyed" must be an understatement.....

Honda annoyed about F1 engine freeze snub (grandprix247.com)

6 January, 2015

Honda is reportedly annoyed it has been left out of the relaxation of the Formula 1 engine freeze for 2015, which significantly benefits Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes but not them.

After Ferrari and Renault championed a loophole in the regulations, the governing FIAâ€™s Charlie Whiting clarified that while existing manufacturers can now modify their turbo V6s during the 2015 season, Honda cannot.

That is because the rules explicitly mark out a February 28 homologation deadline for new engine makers.

And â€œAs the existing manufacturers were obliged to homologate their power units by 28 February 2014, it would seem fair and equitable to ask a new manufacturer to homologate their power unit before February 28 2015,â€ Whiting said.

We reported last weekend that, at the most recent Strategy Group meeting, McLaren boss Ron Dennis expressed his â€œconcernâ€ that the clarification discriminates against the British teamâ€™s new works engine supplier.

And a senior source at Honda has now admitted the Japanese marque is â€œannoyedâ€.

The BBC added that McLaren-Honda has been in contact with the FIA about the matter, and will meet with the governing body next week. So far, the pressâ€™ reaction to the â€˜unfreezeâ€™ situation has been mixed.

Reporting for Brazilâ€™s Globo, correspondent Livio Oricchio said he expects Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button to â€œprobably have to watch their opponents fight for the top placesâ€ this year.

â€œHonda have to fight against competitors who not only have a year of experience with their power units, but now have the possibility to make them even better as the season progresses,â€ he added.

But as report in Autosprint noted: â€œIt is also true that Honda had a year of extra time to design its engine, taking advantage of the experience of what its opponents had to go through in 2014.

â€œThis will have impacted certain technical choices (made by Honda) such as the position of the turbine and the compressor.â€

Writing in the Spanish daily AS, Raul Romojaro said: â€œIt remains to be seen whether McLaren-Honda will lodge some sort of appeal or seek consultation on Whitingâ€™s interpretation.

â€œIn any case, their first objective must be to take advantage of their current absolute freedo of development until March,â€ he added.
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mrntd · Jan 6, 2015

Alonzo has got to be pissed. Although Honda did have a long time to develop the engine and make changes after seeing everyone else's.

daviday · Jan 6, 2015

From the F1 website RE Power Unit and KERS

Power Unit and ERS

A Formula One carâ€™s power unit consists of a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engine which operates in conjunction with an Energy Recovery System (ERS). The engine must have six cylinders in a 90-degree formation, with two inlet and two exhaust valves per cylinder and a single turbocharger. They are rev-limited to 15,000rpm, have a fuel flow limit of 100 kilograms/hour and produce around 600bhp. They must also have a single tailpipe exhaust.

The other part of the power unit - ERS - provides an additional 160bhp or so per lap via two clever motor generator units (MGU) that convert mechanical and heat energy to electrical energy and vice versa.

The first MGU (known as MGU-K, where the K stands for kinetic) converts kinetic energy generated under braking into electricity. Under acceleration 120kW of this electricity, which is stored in batteries in the Energy Store (ES), can then be used to power the MGU-K which is connected to the crankshaft of the engine and in turn helps propel the car.

The second MGU (known as MGU-H, where the H stands for heat), is connected to the turbocharger and converts heat energy from exhaust gases into electrical energy. The energy can then be used to power the MGU-K or be retained in the ES for subsequent use. In total, ERS has twice the power of the pre-2014 KERS (120kW compared to 60kW, a maximum of 4MJ per lap compared to 0.4MJ per lap) and provide it for nearly ten times as long (approximately 33 seconds per lap as opposed to six).

For safety, each car is fitted with ERS status lights which warn marshals and mechanics of the carâ€™s electrical safety status when it is stopped or in the pits. If the car is safe, the lights - which are situated on the roll hoop and the rear tail lamp - will glow green; if not, they glow red. The lights must remain on for 15 minutes after the power unit has been switched off.

The overall weight of the power unit must be a minimum of 145kg. The ES must be installed wholly within the survival cell and must weigh between 20kg and 25kg.

The materials used in the manufacture of the engine and its components are strictly controlled by the regulations. The crankcase and cylinder block must be made of cast or wrought aluminium alloys - the use of composite materials is not allowed. The crankshaft and camshafts must be made from an iron-based alloy, pistons from an aluminium alloy and valves from alloys based on iron, nickel, cobalt or titanium.

Formula One cars do not have their own, onboard starting systems. Separate starting devices may be used to start engines in the pits and on the grid. If the engine is fitted with an anti-stall device, this must be set to cut the engine within ten seconds in the event of an accident.
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Steve · Jan 6, 2015

Surprise!! Or not.....

Updated FIA calendar quietly removes Korean GP (MotorSportsTalk)

Tony DiZinno | Dec 24, 2014, 11:00 AM EST

The updated FIA 2015 International Sporting Calendar was released on Tuesday, and features one notable but perhaps unsurprising omission.

VIEW THE CALENDAR HERE.

The Korean Grand Prix, added to the calendar at this monthâ€™s earlier World Motor Sport Council meeting, has been removed from the list of Grands Prix. It had been listed for May 3.

However, while the Korean race itself isnâ€™t listed, the banner above the F1 calendar still lists â€œ21 competitionsâ€ â€“ implying that Korea would still be there.

This is either a typo in it not removing the 21 and moving it down to 20, or an inadvertent oversight by the FIA in taking a race off the schedule that was not meant to be taken off.

Either way, 21 vs. 20 races is the interesting number as it relates to F1â€™s number of power units each car can use over the season.

At only four units, for five races apiece, 20 is the perfect number â€“ 21 threw a monkey wrench into that theory when Korea was announced.

The Korean race, as it was, appeared a bit of an albatross anyway. There were doubts by many key paddock insiders and reporters who thought the race had about a snowballâ€™s chance of going off â€“ either at the Korean International Circuit in Mokpo or a potential new event, a street race, in Seoul.

Hereâ€™s more from Joe Saward on why Korea seemed an unlikely prospect for 2015 at the time it was announced.
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Steve · Jan 6, 2015

It's crazy this even needs to be considered but I think the new Superlicense rules make it almost a necessity. Still, a fascinating concept.

Two new teams developing 2016 F1 cars (Racecar-Engineering.com)

By Sam // January 6, 2015

Two new constructors are developing cars to the 2016 Formula 1 technical regulations it has been revealed, but neither of them intends to race in the world championship. Instead by designing and building cars that are fully compliant with the 2016 rules both groups intend to offer a low cost route for drivers wanting get enough mileage in a grand prix car to get a Super Licence. The ambitious Perrinn company, based in the Yorkshire Dales region of England has already announced its project (pictured here) and Racecar Engineering has confirmed that there is also a second design in development elsewhere in Europe, but that project has yet to be made public.

The 2016 Super Licence regulations require a driver to clock up at least 300km in a Formula 1 car built after 2011. Currently this tends to mean that drivers must pay teams very large sums of money to drive what the FIA calls â€˜Previous Carsâ€™ essentially an otherwise obsolete V8 powered design. The mileage can be accumulated using a 2014 or 2015 design, (â€˜Current Carsâ€™ in FIA parlance) but the cost of the power units is thought to be prohibitive, leaving young drivers few opportunities to get up to the required mileage without a substantial financial outlay.

Testing restrictions mean that teams are generally unwilling to use up their already restricted track time with current cars on getting young drivers super licences.

The two new projects aim to offer a lower cost way to achieve the mileage required by the Super Licence rules, by building a â€˜Current Carâ€™ and not entering it into the championship. â€˜This is not an official Formula 1 car, instead it is a car fully designed to the Formula 1 technical regulationsâ€™ Nicolas Perrin, who believes the Super Licence cars can be built up to a rolling chassis for a fraction of the cost of other teams cars. â€˜We are not a Formula 1 entrant and we have no intention of being one. It means we have a lot of potential, we could be an engine manufacturer or technology testbed, young drivers could use our car to get a Super Licence or to get up to speed with modern F1.â€™

The FIA regulations specifically allow this approach, stating that the cars used must be designed and built in order to comply with the 2014, 2015 or 2016 Formula One Technical Regulations, however the rules do not state that the cars be built by Formula 1 entrants or indeed have ever been used in the Formula 1 World Championship.

Without the demands of competition the development and operation of these cars is thought to be significantly cheaper. Staffing levels are substantially reduced, lead times for component manufacture can be increased and the â€˜development warâ€™ is ignored, all of these and many other factors which also come into play cut costs substantially.

Both of the new designs are expected to shakedown in late 2015 or early 2016.
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Full article w/ a couple renderings here.

Nathan · Jan 6, 2015

Hell of a track day car too...

mrntd · Jan 7, 2015

Maybe Haas can use one of these upgraded with the Ferrari parts.

Steve · Jan 14, 2015

Here's an aspect of F1 costs I'd not heard of. Note it's an FIA fee, doesn't go to Bernie, et al.

Mercedes pays record F1 entry fee for 2015 season (grandprix247.com)

14 January, 2015

Reigning world champions, Mercedes is paying the highest ever Formula 1 entry fee to contest the 2015 world championship.

The German team may have triumphantly dominated last yearâ€™s titles, but one unpleasant consequence is a hefty FIA bill to the tune of almost $5 million.

The cost of merely entering the world championship was changed in recent years, when instead of a flat fee teams were also asked to pay per point scored in the previous season.

But the cost just got even higher. Last year, the flat fee was $508,000, while now it is $516,000, Auto Motor und Sport reported.

And the variable performance element of the entry cost has also gone up for 2015, with each point now costing teams $5,161, up from $5,080 just a year ago.

The champion team, meanwhile, now pays a hefty $6,194 per point scored, meaning that Mercedesâ€™ bill for simply entering the 2015 world championship is nearly $4.9 million.

It is significantly more than the $2.6 million entry fee payable by runner-up Red Bull. But the good news for Mercedes is that the teamâ€™s official prize money haul has also significantly increased, after receiving $87 million for finishing the 2013 championship as runner-up.

The 2014 prize for winning the constructorsâ€™ title, on the other hand, is a cool $102 million, the German report added.

In addition to Mercedes and Red Bullâ€™s nearly $8 million in fees, the FIA will receive a further combined total of almost $16 million from the other teams on the 2015 grid.

As it is likely Caterham and Marussia will not be in Melbourne or beyond, however, the governing body will ultimately lose their extra million in fees.
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