F1 - 2012

goaljnky · Jan 23, 2012

That's too bad. I was looking forward to having it properly explained on the Matchett's corner.

Steve · Jan 23, 2012

I'd like to know if it's something that could be transferred to road cars. Sounds like it could be helpful, not so much because of aero effects but in terms of the original claims about improving stability for braking.

Minidave · Jan 23, 2012

Article 10.2.3 says: "No adjustment may be made to the suspension system while the car is in motion."

I thought they had adjustable anti-sway bars?

Steve · Jan 25, 2012

Barrichello Sets IndyCar Test In Florida (formula-one.speedtv.com)

Robin Miller | Posted January 25, 2012 | Indianapolis, IN

The most experienced driver in Formula One history is going to test an IndyCar next week in Sebring, Fla. but itâ€™s not known whether or not Rubens Barrichello is serious about a full-time ride in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR series.

SPEED has learned that the 40-year-old Brazilian is driving one of KV Racing Technologyâ€™s cars alongside countryman and good friend Tony Kanaan next Tuesday and Wednesday in Florida.

Co-owner Jimmy Vasser, team manager Mark Johnson and Kanaan could not be reached for comment but Barrichelloâ€™s debut in an IndyCar was confirmed by a source close to the Indy-based team.

A 19-year veteran of Formula One with 322 starts, 11 wins and a pair of runner-up finishes in the World Championship, Barrichello was not retained by Frank Williams following the 2011 season.

The chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, Rubens became the first driver to ever reach 300 F1 starts in 2010. His last victory came at the Italian Grand Prix in 2009 for Brawn Racing.
Nigel Mansell was also 40 years old when he left F1 for CART in 1993, where he captured the championship.

Kanaan finished fifth in the 2011 point standings for KV Racing, which is planning to run three cars with Chevrolet power this year.
Click to expand...

goaljnky · Jan 25, 2012

That might not be a bad move for Rubens.

minimark · Jan 25, 2012

..not bad at all and could be very good for Indycar as well!

Nathan · Jan 25, 2012

Interesting as I recently read an article where Barrichello promised the Mrs. he would not race on ovals.

minimark · Jan 25, 2012

Now now he would not be the first driver to comfort his wife until.........

Minidave · Jan 25, 2012

Indycar is moving away from ovals - sure there will still be some (like indy! :biggrin5, but they're trying to become more of a road racing organization.

Steve · Jan 26, 2012

Caterham is the first team to reveal its 2012 car. Limited pics have been available but they're pretty lousy and I've been waiting for better stuff...never mind that...

The official shots from Caterham are useless as they seem designed to hide the ugliness as much as possible and the revealing pics are lousy because they're leaked photos taken of pages from an as yet unreleased magazine.

As one site put it, "Caterham's F1 challenger for the 2012 season is starting off with a broken nose."

Apparently the new regs limit the height of the nose and dictate inclusion of something up top to cover the upper mounts for the front suspension.

I'm starting to get a mental image from that report the new Ferrari has a "dolphin" nose.

And everyone complained about the big front wings...

Steve · Jan 26, 2012

Quick Nick found himself a new gig.

Heidfeld Set To Join Rebellion: F1 refugee to drive Lola-Toyota at Sebring, Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans... (auto-racing.speedtv.com)

John Dagys | Posted January 26, 2012 | Daytona Beach, FL

While his Formula One hopes may have faded, Nick Heidfeld is poised to make a switch to sports car racing for 2012. Team sources have indicated to SPEED.com that the 34-year-old has signed with Rebellion Racing for a partial season in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Heidfeld will pilot one of the Anglo-Swiss squadâ€™s Lola B12/60 Toyotas at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Six Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Last week, the team confirmed its WEC participation with drivers Neel Jani, Nicolas Prost, Andrea Belicchi and Harold Primat for the eight-round global championship.

Having spent the last 12 years in F1 with a variety of teams, including Prost, Sauber and Williams, Heidfeld was replaced by Bruno Senna mid-season at Renault, putting the German on the sidelines and questions looming over his 2012 plans.

While rumors had him taking up DTM, potentially with BMW, the Bavarian manufacturer completed its six-driver lineup earlier this month.

An official announcement of Heidfeldâ€™s signing is expected to come on Feb. 2, when the teamâ€™s WEC entries will be likely be confirmed by the ACO.
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Steve · Jan 27, 2012

Nathan said: ↑

Interesting as I recently read an article where Barrichello promised the Mrs. he would not race on ovals.
Click to expand...

Rubens to break promise with Indy test (planetf1.com)

Thursday 26th January 2012

Rubens Barrichello is reportedly set to test an IndyCar next week, which could yet lead to him breaking a promise he made to his wife.

Last year, when it was still not known whether his F1 career was over or not, Barrichello was adamant that IndyCars would not be in his future.

"I think at first I won't look for anything," he said at the time.

"Perhaps I'll just enjoy my family for a year. After that I believe my passion for speed will not allow me to stand still.

"For sure I will not race on the American ovals - I have promised that to my wife and I will honour that."

However, the Brazilian is now reportedly set to perhaps take the first step towards breaking that promise after agreeing an IndyCar test with KV Racing Technology.

According to The Associated Press, anonymous sources have revealed that the 39-year-old will be behind the wheel of the new Dallara DW12 chassis at the Sebring International Raceway for two days next week.

The report, though, did add that the test does not mean Barrichello will be making the move into IndyCars.
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minimark · Jan 27, 2012

PISST Ruebens......... Rolex?!

Steve · Jan 27, 2012

No big revelations in this one. If I wasn't a big Mario Andretti fan I probably wouldn't even post it but he is a smart guy with a lot of experience and it shows.

GPUpdate pre-season feelings: Mario Andretti (GPUpdate.net)

27 January 2012

In a special series of articles running up to the new season, GPUpdate.net has assembled an exclusive panel of guests. We hear the good, the bad, the expectations and predictions ahead of the sportâ€™s most eagerly-anticipated year. Let us begin with Mario Andretti: Indy 500 winner, Daytona 500 winner and F1 World Champion of 1978.

Mario, 2012 promises to be fantastic! Just how thoroughly will you be watching and do you expect more dramas than in 2011?

I follow Formula 1 very closely and look forward to every event, for sure. It is always going to be the height of my interests in motorsport and I thought it was another very interesting season last year, no question. Like everyone else, I think when it is dominated by one driver it seems to be a little bit too predictable, but there were some revelations. For instance, I assessed that Jenson Button would probably have a tough time with Lewis Hamilton and it turned out to be the other way round this time. The way I put it was that it was going to be tough for number twos such as Mark Webber, which it was, but I also picked Jenson and that was totally wrong! But I like the surprises, itâ€™s good for the sport.

From a British point of view, Lewis Hamiltonâ€™s 2011 was up and down both on and off the track. Did you ever have such problems in your own career?

Well, when you are doing something so demanding, emotions play. I feel that one of the assets in my career was a very stable family life; my wife was rock solid, she took care of that end well and was always supportive. I didnâ€™t have to bring a trophy home to get the same welcome â€“ I got exactly the same kiss and everything, whether I had a trophy in my hands or not. To me, that was key to keeping my head where it needed to be without being distracted. Personal relationships can be devastating sometimes and it is bound to affect your performance. I think it is tough enough even if you are able to concentrate on your job 100 percent, but if you are only doing it at 85 or 90 percent then you are missing something. When results donâ€™t come, frustration sets in and then of course that is when mistakes are obviously made because you are forcing things. So it is kind of a snowballing effect.

Whatâ€™s your opinion on driver aids like KERS and DRS?

Well, it is somewhat artificial - especially the way that it is regulated. With the way it is allowed to be used, it seems like the driver you are trying to overtake is naked (laughs)! You know, he cannot really defend himself because if you block you get penalised. So it is a bit artificial. I like the KERS better than DRS in that sense. But, you know, nobody has the real answer for how to create more overtaking, so you cannot fault any suggestions for trying these sorts of things. So you can take it or leave it. Some people would probably prefer not to see that but you still have to put yourself in a proper position to even take advantage of KERS, so the driver still has to do it correctly. All in all, I would like to think that they should keep these systems in place.

You drove for some legendary teams, notably Lotus when you won the title. How do you feel when names such as Williams are struggling nowadays?

I would love to see Williams pick up somewhat, it was sad to see their incredible drop in performance, vis a vis the second and third tier teams. Itâ€™s an emotional thing, to see that; I know that Patrick Head is bowing out but old Frank (Williams) is still soldiering on, which is great to see. Itâ€™s a tough one, it really is (laughs)! What snowballs are the negatives. When you donâ€™t have the performance to show for, then not too many people are too keen to spend a lot of money and sponsor you, so it takes its toll. But what drives every train is a headline driver. And I mean a real headliner. Barrichello was very solid and experienced and everything else, but they just need a superstar. So itâ€™s a cart and horse type of thing. But you never knowâ€¦there could always be a surprise there.

For Williamsâ€™ sake, itâ€™s a shame they didnâ€™t sign Kimi RÃ¤ikkÃ¶nenâ€¦

Yes, that is true. I think that would have really sparked some incredible interest which is what they needed - something like that which would really jolt everyone. I agree with you, I think that could have made a big difference there.

On a lighter noteâ€¦we are returning to the USA this year! But why has Formula 1 never really caught on in America?

I canâ€™t say it never caught on because I think it was quite popular and stable at Watkins Glen, for several years. It is just that, once they left that venue, it became a temporary thing. I think it was really quite good for a couple of years at Long Beach because it was something new - at a time when street events were disappearing in Europe, all of a sudden it started here and was extremely successful. But it became too expensive and just didnâ€™t work out economically, so it just disappeared and so happened to the rest of themâ€¦Detroit, Phoenix and every other one that was a temporary event. Itâ€™s a shame. Having said that, I think if this thing in Texas happens â€“ if they construct the facility and ultimately achieve what they want to achieve â€“ then at least you would have a world-standard facility in place which I think could hopefully make a difference in stability. With Austin and New York on the schedule I just hope that it all comes to fruition, I really do. As a real fan of Formula 1, I love to see it successful in this country and I think it would be good for the US but also good for Formula 1. The United States needs to have Formula 1 and I think F1 needs the US.

Is it a good idea to re-introduce F1 with a brand-new, purpose-built facility? Would a street race be better?

Thatâ€™s a tough one. It dependsâ€¦I looked at the layout at New York (for 2013) and my first take on that was, â€˜Actually, this is really good!â€™ 3.2 miles in length and, looking at the features of the track, itâ€™s really, really good. I have no doubt they will pull that one off, quite honestly; knowing the people involved there I feel very, very confident â€“ I really do â€“ that that one is going to come off. I know that Bernie Ecclestone has been really, really wanting to be in the proximity of New York City. Well, he got it and I think that could really develop into something very, very interesting and I hope it does for many reasons. Itâ€™s even close to my home, I can drive there (laughs)! Thatâ€™s a good reason for me!

Sorry to put you on the spot, but we have to ask:
Who will win the 2012 world titles?

(Laughs) Well, you would go for the obvious! But I just donâ€™t like to venture into some of those predictions, Iâ€™ve been burned before. Specifically, I donâ€™t have just one individual or one team. I like to see the top teams all get their share and, like all the other fans, I obviously like to see a bit of a mix. Iâ€™d like to see a resurgence of Ferrari, that is always good and always very strong for motor racing and Formula 1 â€“ and I think youâ€™re going to see that.

Mario Andretti was speaking exclusively to GPUpdate.net in Pennsylvania

Next time: John Watson, former Grand Prix winner and championship runner-up
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Steve · Jan 27, 2012

This is how Williams makes the press these days.

Williams job is the pits for Johnson as Olympic legend helps out mechanics (dailymail.co.uk)

By Simon Cass | Last updated at 10:00 PM on 26th January 2012

Dressed in a shirt bearing the logos of his sports training company and Williams, you could easily be forgiven Michael Johnson's tie up with the Formula One team is just another corporate branding exercise.

But the Olympic legend and his team of sports boffins have devised a training programme for a bunch of mechanics designed to shave valuable hundredths of a second off pit-stop times.

When asked how long this arrangement will run Johnson is forceful.

'We'll be going until it gets done,' he says. 'Until it gets done.'

Enough to strike fear into the toughest mechanic, as Ben Howard, who has spent three years removing the front left wheel of a Williams as fast as he is able, explains.
'Everybody was excited, but a little bit apprehensive as well. Michael trains top-level sportspeople but we're not professional athletes so there was some nervousness as to what he might make us do!'

Johnson and his team have identified three areas where they feel they help Williams move them up from seventh in the pit-stop rankings, 1.1 seconds down on the average time set by 2011 table toppers Red Bull.

Programmes to improve overall fitness and sensory ability will be implemented, but it is the area of biomechanics, the physics of sport, where Johnson feels the biggest gains can be made.

'There is a lot of movement going on by all three people (changing each wheel),' says Johnson. 'So what we do is try and make that movement more efficient and quicker.'
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minimark · Jan 27, 2012

....yawn, Sprint Cups been doing this for years.

Steve · Jan 27, 2012

Not really where Williams ought to be focusing time or effort right now.

minimark · Jan 27, 2012

That might be said but you might also consider how many stops during a race there is... What is 5 seconds at speed on the track and how much would you pay for those 5 seconds at every race. A championship team leaves no stone unturned, I was just surprised that they already weren't doing it.

Minidave · Jan 28, 2012

I know how Vettel's team does it so fast, they drink Red Bull!

"gives you wings", right"? :biggrin5:

Steve · Jan 29, 2012

Jenson Button getting back in shape for the '12 season. Gotta work on those all-important neck muscles.

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