F1 F1 - 2013

Steve · Feb 5, 2013

I'm not a big fan of the new Red Bull purple.

Their new nose is different than the others too, not like last year's break but not the full vanity panel thing either. At first I thought it was just the yellow tip but I've changed my mind. I didn't see the problem with the broken noses, still don't, but this one looks a little odd to me, a bit bulbous even.

minimark · Feb 5, 2013

Say it ain't so, loved the livery they had....

Zapski · Feb 6, 2013

Not a good day for Mercedes yesterday. Lewis crashed and Niko "caught fire" (but really had an electrical issue)

BBC Sport - Lewis Hamilton crashes Mercedes during testing in Jerez

Lewis Hamilton's first day of testing for his new Mercedes team got off to a bad start when he crashed after 15 laps because of a braking problem.

The 2008 world champion lost control at the end of the back straight at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.

Hamilton was unhurt after ploughing across a gravel trap into a tyre wall.

The team were unable to fix the car in time to run again, continuing a troubled start to their 2013 campaign.

On the first day of testing on Tuesday, Hamilton's team-mate Nico Rosberg managed only 11 laps before his running was ended by an electrical problem in the wiring loom.

The car was pictured with flames coming from it but these were caused by unburnt fuel in the exhausts after the engine shut off as a precaution.

Mercedes said Hamilton's car lost rear brake pressure. He managed to slow the car using the front brakes but could not avoid the barrier.

The problem was traced to the hydraulic brake line connecting to the right-rear caliper. The impact with the barrier also damaged the front left corner - the suspension and associated aerodynamic parts).

Hamilton had just set what at the time was the second fastest lap of the day when he crashed.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said the team decided to end their running for the day to ensure they had got to the bottom of the problems.

Hamilton, 28, signed a three-year contract with Mercedes in September having spent his entire F1 career at McLaren since his debut in 2007.
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Crashton · Feb 6, 2013

goaljnky said: ↑

RB9 RHYTHM OF THE FACTORY - YouTube
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Great video..... :biggrin5:

Steve · Feb 6, 2013

A little video of Hamilton's off.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-Jqs9Ng4uI]ACCIDENTE LEWIS HAMILTON MERCEDES F1 EN JEREZ. ESPAÃ‘A. MIERCOLES 6 DE FEBRERO DE 2013. 6/2/2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 6, 2013

Pirelli has done a great job, says Button (GPUpdate.net)

6 February 2013

Jenson Button has praised Pirelli for doing 'a great job' with its new tyre compounds, explaining that the company's target of increasing temperature operating windows has beeen accomplished. The McLaren driver, who topped the opening day of pre-season testing at Jerez, says optimal lap times are now much easier to achieve.

"It will be tricky again in terms of laps and degradation, but Pirelli has done a great job getting a wider range for the tyres," Button told the official Formula 1 website after driving the MP4-28 for the first time. "One thing that I have noticed - you are able to go fast immediately, even on lap one. That is something that we couldn’t do last year."

Button also mentioned the high level of degradation he experienced on Tuesday, with Pirelli vowing to remove the possibility of one-stop races throughout the 2013 season.

"When I ran the Super Soft doing some basic installations I was graining the tyres after one lap, so yes, this compound deserves the name Super Soft!" he added. "We also ran the Medium and Hard tyres and it’s a different feeling compared to last year."

Button, who has brought his motorhome to the Circuit de Jerez for the duration of the test, will be back behind the wheel of McLaren's latest design on Wednesday.
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Steve · Feb 6, 2013

People were surprised at Button's lap time yesterday, including Button and I saw a quote from Massa as well calling it (1:18.86) incredible. Today Grosjean went faster (1:18.22).

Are these times really "incredible" or has the bar been raised by everyone this year? No way to know at this point, it's only the second pre-season test. At the McLaren launch one of the bigs claimed they were already sure prior to testing that their 2013 car would start the season faster than their 2012 car. Should be interesting.

Steve · Feb 6, 2013

Given the changes coming in 2014 and all the stories and discussion I almost think we should have started an F1 - 2014 thread a while back.

Formula 1 teams want early test of 2014 V6 turbo engines (AutoSport.com)

By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, February 6th 2013, 14:16 GMT

Formula 1 teams are pushing for an early test of the 2014 V6 turbo engines, amid fears just three pre-season tests next year may not be enough.

Under F1's current test restrictions, the new engines will not be able to run in cars until next February - which means there would be just a few weeks to sort out any reliability gremlins before the first race of the season.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said: "There is some useful discussion going on about the challenge we all face with the 2014 engines.

"You can imagine from an engine supplier's point of view, starting in February with a new engine with a race in March, in our case supplying three teams, is a pretty big challenge.

"We are looking at ways we can ease that, but it is too early to say what solutions we can find.

"I think everyone is sympathetic to the need to see if there is a better solution, perhaps for the beginning of 2014 only.

"I don't anticipate any testing of engines this year but perhaps the 2014 test programme can be anticipated by some degree to help the engine suppliers cope with a pretty massive challenge."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said his outfit would be open to an early test. He reckons it would make financial sense to head off any issues promptly.

"I think in many respects it would make sense, but then again it is not something [Red Bull supplier] Renault is crying out for," Horner said.

"There are obviously associated costs with that [test] but ultimately it is probably a good investment in terms of knowing the engines are reliable by the time you get to the first race."

Lotus technical director James Allison is confident, however, that if no extra test is arranged then there will be enough time to get cars and power units reliable for the first race.

"From the reliability point of view, can you be ready in three tests? Yes," he said.

"Dynos are quite good at telling you whether the engine is reliable, and they are quite good at making gearboxes reliable - and that is the majority of the drivetrain.

"The only open point would be whether you are going to produce a car that has enough cooling. That is a fair challenge in 2014.

"But windtunnels are not bad either, so most of the things that would be necessary to put the car on the ground and make it work are there, and the testing would be about getting performance."
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Steve · Feb 7, 2013

It's just testing so no one should be paying too much attention to details other than reliability or lack thereof. For reference I checked on the Jerez lap times from last year and the quickest was Rosberg (1m 17.613s) ... but that was driving the 2011 Merc so it doesn't count. Quickest lap in a then new 2012 chassis was Grosjean's 1m 18.419s.

Massa quickest on third day at Jerez (GPUpdate.net)

7 February 2013

Ferrariâ€™s Felipe Massa set the pace on the penultimate pre-season test day at Jerez, producing a time of 1:17.879 at the wheel of the F138. The Brazilian led Mercedes rival Nico Rosberg - who completed a mammoth total of 148 laps - by 0.887 seconds, while reigning Champion Sebastian Vettel marked his return in third.

Much chillier conditions greeted the Formula 1 fraternity at the gates of the Jerez circuit on Thursday morning, with the air and track temperatures taking a significant amount of time to reach a meagre 10Â°C (10Â°F). Massa was the early pace-setter as the session got underway, being usurped only breifly by the F1 W04 of Rosberg. The latter recovered his team's lost ground with a series of long-distance stints, completing more than two and a half Grand Prix distances in his new car.

Vettel had a quiet first day at the Spanish venue, much like Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber's introduction to the RB9 chassis earlier in the week. The German completed two long and consistent high fuel runs at the end of the day to end on a total of 102 laps. He wound up just ahead of fourth place man Kimi RÃ¤ikkÃ¶nen, who ran through aero runs early on before a clutch issue curtailed his running in the afternoon.

Aside from the former title winners, there were a number of returning names at Jerez on Thursday. Toro Rosso's Jean-Ã‰ric Vergne was one of them, finishing the day fifth fastest after signalling a brief red flag period when his STR8 stopped at the end of the pit lane. However, the biggest drama of the day came when Force India development driver James Rossiter (sixth) collided with the team's front jackman upon returning to the pits. Luckily, nobody was injured as a result of the accident.

Jenson Button (seventh) was back in the cockpit for McLaren this morning, taking over from Sergio PÃ©rez. Massa had described the McLaren driver's time as 'incredible' on the opening day, but the tables were turned this afternoon. Esteban GutiÃ©rrez (eighth) made his first appearance of the week for Sauber, racking up 110 laps with a focus on brake materials and cooling methods. He was trailed by Marussia's Max Chilton, who bounced back from his Tuesday crash to finish within 3.5 seconds of Massa.

Valtteri Bottas, Charles Pic and Paul di Resta brought up the rear of the field, the final two drivers both suffering issues. Pic stopped at Turn 2 with a technical gremlin just before the lunch break, while di Resta was unable to complete more than 7 laps after taking over from Rossiter - the Scot's car being sidelined with an exhaust problem.

Pre-season testing continues at the Circuito de Jerez at 9am local time (GMT +1) on Friday and can be followed via the GPUpdate.net Live Report feature
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Massa: Button's lap time still incredible (GPUpdate.net)

7 February 2013

Despite posting the fastest lap of the week at the Circuito de Jerez on Thursday, Felipe Massa's thoughts were firmly focused on the time McLaren rival Jenson Button was able to deliver at the very start of the pre-season test in southern Spain.

Massa, who clocked a 1:17.879 on the Soft Pirelli compound this morning, believes the 1:18.861 set by his McLaren rival was more impressive due to the unfavourable track conditions and the fact that Button was using a set of Hard tyres.

"I still believe his lap was incredible," said Massa. "On Hard tyres, on the first day, on a dirty track; I still believe it was a quick lap time. I didnâ€™t have the car to do this lap time on the first day. We didnâ€™t even try, I need to work for the lap time."

Reflecting on his first three days of pre-season testing at Jerez, Massa insisted that although he is feeling comfortable at the wheel of the new F138, his feet are firmly on the ground.

"It's going in the direction that I was hoping, but the races are where it counts," he added. "It's always nice but it doesn't count so much (in the tests). Our feet are on the ground and we need to work 100 percent to improve the car for the first race."

Ferrari development driver Pedro de la Rosa will make his testing debut for the Italian team on Friday, taking to the Jerez circuit to gather data for its simulator in Maranello.
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USNADrs · Feb 7, 2013

Steve said: ↑

I'm not a big fan of the new Red Bull purple.

Their new nose is different than the others too, not like last year's break but not the full vanity panel thing either. At first I thought it was just the yellow tip but I've changed my mind. I didn't see the problem with the broken noses, still don't, but this one looks a little odd to me, a bit bulbous even.

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I LOVE the new Red Bull Purple.

Steve · Feb 8, 2013

It's an eventful testing season so far. Today (day 4, final day at Jerez) the Ferrari caught fire, no details yet on what caused it.

Ferrari catches fire as de la Rosa debuts (GPUpdate.net)

8 February 2013

Ferrari's new car caught fire just two laps into Pedro de la Rosa's Friday testing programme at Jerez. The Spaniard, who is correlating the F138 with its simulator version, ground to a halt in a ploom of smoke between Turns 7 and 8.

"Difficult start of the day for De La Rosa: F138 stopped on track after the second installation lap," Ferrari, which completed the opening three days of pre-season testing at Jerez with Felipe Massa, explained via Twitter after the technical gremlin hit.

Following the incident, which occurred at around 10.10am local time (GMT +1), de la Rosa's car was placed under plastic sheeting and recovered to the pit lane on a flatbed truck. The Ferrari mechanics were quick to unload it, putting up Scuderia red barriers outside the garage before working to diagnose the cause of the fire.

The Italian outfit has not yet confirmed if de la Rosa will be back out on-track later today. If the problem cannot be rectified in time, the second gathering at the Circuit de Catalunya from 19-22 February will be the team's next chance to complete mileage.
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mrntd · Feb 8, 2013

I'm mixed on the Red Bull color. But at least with the new color and TR only having the Bull it will easier to tell them apart when moving fast.

I think both the TR and the Red Bull have a bit of Jimmy Durante going.

I saw an interesting article on an F1 tech site on how last year's Red Bull nose bends at speed. Passes the wing tests. Got to love innovative engineers. No it's not cheating. They aren't breaking the rules and hiding it. In every race series engineers try to find the advantage others don't with in the rules.

Minidave · Feb 8, 2013

A "ploom" of smoke?

Jeebus, spelling and grammar in the media are just going to crap. Every article I read on Autoblog has the same issues......

Crashton · Feb 8, 2013

Maybe English is the writer's second language???

Back on topic....

Man them new Ferrari's are HOT! :ihih:

Steve · Feb 9, 2013

Kovalainen lost his seat for 2013. Here's a suggestion, follow in RÃ¤ikkÃ¶nen's footsteps...apparently he has a gift.

Kankkunen tells Kovalainen: try rally (iRallylive.com)

09.02.2013 17:49

Four-times World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen is telling Finland F1 star Heikki Kovalainen to go for rally action at the highest level, after working with the driver at his Kuusamo ice-driving school.

With Kovalainen's future F1 plans open, Kankkunen says the Finn should copy Kimi RÃ¤ikkÃ¶nen, who drove in WRC for 2 seasons.

Kankkunen, who won 23 WRC events, is quoted on a Finnish website:

"I see rally as a very viable alternative for Heikki, even though he has a number of other possibilities as a driver, such as track-driving DTM and Le Mans Series. I've been driving with Heikki on the Kuusamo ice. He drives very nicely. He has a gift."

Kankkunen is quoted on Iltalehti.fi saying Kovalainen should go in at the top, directly to WRC.
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Nathan · Feb 10, 2013

Now available for Kindle

Pocket F1 Handbook: Guide to the 2013 Grand Prix Season

Pocket F1 Handbook: Guide to the 2013 Grand Prix Season: Christine Blachford: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

I picked one up, have yet to read it all but from the few pages I have read so far it looks good, has lots of info and is well written.

Zapski · Feb 11, 2013

This is a real shame, and I wish the best for DC and his family.

BBC News - David Coulthard's sister Lynsay Jackson found dead at her home

David Coulthard's sister Lynsay Jackson found dead at her home
The sister of former Formula One driver David Coulthard has been found dead at her home in the south of Scotland.

Police said they were not treating Lynsay Jackson's death as suspicious.

The 35-year-old was found in her home in the village of Crossmichael, Kirkcudbrightshire, on Saturday morning.

Mrs Jackson was married with an eight-month-old daughter. She used to run the David Coulthard Museum in Twynholm, as well as his fan club.

David Coulthard appeared on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen earlier, and it is believed the news was broken to him after the programme.

Their mother and father are said to be flying home from a holiday in Australia.

A Dumfries and Galloway Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that a 35-year-old woman was found dead in her home today in Crossmichael.

"Our inquiries into her death are ongoing at this time, but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report is being prepared for the procurator fiscal."

Coulthard made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grand Prix before retiring from the sport several years ago. He has since provided race commentary for the BBC.
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Crashton · Feb 11, 2013

Sad news.....

Steve · Feb 11, 2013

Bernie Ecclestone Tries To Dodge U.S. Bribery Lawsuit (MotorAuthority.com)

by Kurt Ernst | Feb 11, 2013

If youâ€™ve followed the Bernie Ecclestone F1 bribery case over the past two years, you know that it has more intrigue than a John le CarrÃ© spy novel. In fact, the only thing thatâ€™s clear about the case is this: money changed hands that shouldnâ€™t have.

In November of 2005, an American private equity firm named Bluewaters offered to pay $1 billion for a 47.2-percent stake in F1. The shares were being sold by a German company called BayernLB, which employed Gerhard Gribkowsky as its chief risk officer.

As Autoweek explains, Bernie Ecclestone paid $44 million to Gribkowsky, but hereâ€™s where details really get murky. In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. by Bluewaters, itâ€™s alleged that the money was paid as a bribe by Ecclestone, who wanted Gribkowsky to sell the BayernLB shares to CVC Capital Partners, for less money than Bluewaters offered.

Ecclestone admits to paying the money, but claims it was extortion on the part of Gribkowsky, who threatened to lie to tax authorities in the U.K. about the status of a trust established by Ecclestone. The F1 czar alleges that paying the bribe was easier and less financially impactive than risking an investigation by authorities.

Last summer, a Munich court sentenced Gribkowsky to eight years in prison on bribery charges, although this is neither a statement for nor a statement against Ecclestone. While itâ€™s clear that Gribkowsky accepted a bribe from Ecclestone, the real reason for that payment remains murky.

In the caseâ€™s latest development, Ecclestone is now claiming that heâ€™s not governed by U.S. law, as he doesnâ€™t reside in the U.S., owns no real estate here, has no business offices on these shores and employs only attorneys defending the lawsuit. We suppose that his daughterâ€™s $85 million California mansion is in her own name, not dadâ€™s.

If thatâ€™s not enough, Ecclestone claims that the events prompting Bluewatersâ€™ suit occurred in Europe and the Middle East, and that no money changed hands through New York banks. In other words, Ecclestone is counting himself out of the Bluewaters lawsuit, even if the plaintiff is counting him in.

The Bluewater lawsuit isnâ€™t the only legal matter on Ecclestoneâ€™s plater these days, either. Another former F1 investor, Constantin Media, has filed suit against Gribkowsky and Ecclestone in the London High Court, and itâ€™s unlikely that Ecclestone can make the same claims about not being governed by British law.

Donâ€™t expect a resolution any time soon, as the original case has been ongoing since 2011. When paying a $44 million bribe sounds like a reasonable thing to do, chances are that you can fund your attorneys for a long, long time.
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craigcog · Feb 12, 2013

Zapski said: ↑

I think that this belongs here...

McLAREN TOONED Episode 12 A GLITCH TO FAR (FULL HD) - YouTube
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Hilarious :cornut:

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