F-1 info thread...add your stuff

[bobby]

2009 cars are suprising says an insider
Friday, 07 November 2008
Nov.7 (GMM) Observers will get a "tremendous shock" when the first 2009-specification formula one cars are unveiled, according to a figure close to the development of Renault's next single seater.

Alfonso Martinez, head of the Spanish arm of the technology consulting firm Altran, is working with a group of Madrid-based engineers on aspects of the R29 machine.

Next year, slick tyres and KERS are set to arrive in formula one, but Martinez said the most visually dramatic changes are the result of sweeping aerodynamic limitations.

Bodywork add-ons like flip-ups and winglets have been completely banned, the front wing is bigger, and Williams recently tried a 2009-spec rear wing; dramatically higher and smaller than in 2008.

Referring to the impact of the new bodywork rules, Martinez told the Spanish sports daily Marca: "The shock is going to be tremendous when these cars are seen."

He is not sure the changes will have the desired effect in inspiring more overtaking.

"There continues to be a lot of dirty air in the (car's) wake, although less than before."

xoxoxoo

[Craven Morehead]

(GMM) Honda is expected to announce on Friday morning its shock withdrawal from formula one.

The more than 700 staff at the Japanese team's Brackley (UK) headquarters were informed by bosses Ross Brawn and Nick Fry on Thursday, and fellow teams learned of the decision at the FOTA meeting in Geneva.

A public statement from Tokyo, grappling with news of plummeting sales of road cars, is expected early on Friday, amid rumours the outfit is up for sale and faces complete closure should a buyer not be found by January.

It is understood Honda will take responsibility for any debts, and would hand over the team to a buyer for a nominal price.

The news, amid the global financial crisis, comes after Honda's notable underachievement in the past two years despite one of the biggest budgets in the sport.

It would leave British driver Jenson Button, and his 2008 teammate Rubens Barrichello, without seats for the 2009 season, and scuppers the plans of young hopefuls Bruno Senna and Lucas di Grassi.

The 2009 grid would be reduced to just 18 cars, and spark fears that other manufacturers, whose commitment to formula one was considered perhaps less steadfast than Honda's, could follow suit.

Following the meeting of team bosses in Switzerland, FOTA confirmed in a statement that they "unanimously agreed" to more cost-cutting measures, including a "new low-cost engine" for 2011.

Spokespeople for Honda, and F1's governing body the FIA, declined to comment.

damn, this isn't good

How long will Toyota stay?

[Craven Morehead]

Black day for racing

12/05/08 Cosworth has won the tender to supply a low-cost engine and transmission package in 2010 and beyond, formula one's governing body announced on Friday.

In the wake of Honda's shock departure from the sport, the FIA said in a statement that the news confirmed its fears about the current financial format, and sent a letter to team bosses.

It is revealed that the cost to teams wanting to use the un-badged Cosworth engine option will be $2m euros, plus 5.5 million euros each season.

"The engine will be a current Formula One engine while the transmission will be state-of-the-art Formula One and a joint effort by two companies which already supply transmissions to most of the grid," said Mosley.

"The cost to each team taking up this option will be an up-front payment of £1.68M (€1.97M) and then £5.49M (€6.42M) per season for each of the three years of the supply contract (2010, 2011, 2012). This price is based on four teams signing up and includes full technical support at all races and official tests, plus 30,000 km of testing.

"The annual cost will reduce if more teams take up the option, for example to £4.99M (€5.84M) per team with eight teams. It will further reduce if less than 30,000 km of testing is required. Neither engine nor transmission will be badged."

Teams not wanting to use the standard engine have "the right to build an engine themselves", or a de-tuned version of their current 2.4 liter V8s, but must use a standard transmission supplied by Ricardo Transmissions, a British company. Other engines will not be allowed to have better performance than the standard engine.

Mosley said the measures will help small teams survive, and also pave the way for the replacement of more outgoing manufacturers, "as seems likely" to be necessary.

He wants four teams to sign up the scheme by next Thursday, or the price may go up.

Mercedes wants F1 costs cut by 50 per cent The German carmaker Mercedes says Formula One teams must cut costs by at least 50 percent over the next two years although its own financial position remains solid. Meanwhile Formula One supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, says he knows two parties interested in taking over Honda's interest and is relaxed despite the world financial situation.

Two more teams could pull plug on F1 In the wake of the shock decision by Honda to pull out of Formula One, Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, issued a dire warning yesterday that two more manufacturers could quit the sport as the credit crunch deepens in the coming weeks.

As Formula One was trying to come to terms with the unexpected move by Honda to withdraw from the world’s most expensive and prestigious championship and put its Northamptonshire-based team up for sale with the danger that up to 700 people could lose their jobs, Mosley said that Formula One had better heed this warning or face the consequences.

“The problem is that all I have are rumors and one shouldn’t really work on rumors,” the FIA president said at a hastily arranged press conference, amid suggestions in Japan that Toyota has not ruled out following Honda’s lead. “But I think, as a matter of logic, it is very likely that we will lose another manufacturer or two unless we can demonstrate to them that the present level of expenditure in Formula One is going to cease.

“If we are going to be realistic, we have to assume that all the car manufacturers, when they start cost-cutting, shutting factories and letting people off, will look at Formula One and they will ask themselves the question, ‘Do we want to continue?’ And only they can answer that question, but we can be quite certain that it will be asked.”

Mosley’s comments came on a black day for the sport when the global economic downturn, which has led to car sales plummeting in the United States, hit Formula One where almost none had expected it, as Honda stunned fans and its paddock rivals by confirming that it is selling its team and that it will be wound up if a buyer cannot be found by the start of next season. London Times

[laconic1]

Hmm. I like the idea of the Cosworth spec motor being a (comparatively) low buck option, but I don't like the part where teams that build there own motors will not be allowed to outperform the spec motor. In local short track racing here in the U.S. there is a big ugly debate over crate motors vs. built motors, and which ones should be used and which ones should have advantages over the others. It sounds like this has the potential to be that way, or this could end up being like the Cosworth DFV. Who knows.

[QuasiMondo]

Things are getting antsy with this 'spec engine' nonsense.

Alonso Threatens to Quit Formula 1

[i   click to show 

From Fox Sports News[/i]
Updated: December 4, 2008, 4:58 AM EST 16 comments add thisRSSblogemailPrint
Renault driver Fernando Alonso has threatened to retire from Formula One if standard engines for all teams are introduced.
The FIA has proposed a standard engine for all teams in 2010 to cut costs in the expensive sport, but the idea has met with widespread criticism.
Double world champion Alonso said: "If they approve a single engine that would be the last straw.

"It would be time to start thinking about retirement."

The talented Spaniard is however in favour of the regulations for 2009 which include the return of slick tyres, the introduction of the new kinetic energy recovery system (Kers) and aerodynamic alterations.

He added: "The advantage is that practically everybody is starting from zero.

"Next year I will try to be champion. You can't allow yourself to start the championship without thinking you're going to win.

"My objective is to win the title. It's a very clear objective, although it may have to be altered as the year goes on."

With spec engines getting traction, let's see if he plans to make good on his word.

[bobby]

One more team could follow Honda exit
Economic crunch forcing ''similar thoughts''
07/12/08 14:35






As the shock news of Honda's Formula One departure sinks in, fears that another team could drop off the 2009 grid are rising.

It was thought Japanese rival Toyota could be the most likely to follow the auto making giant out of the paddock, amid an even worse slump in car sales figures in the key US market.

But it is Red Bull, the Austrian energy drinks company, and owner of two teams, that has issued the most worrying statement, declaring it is "not surprised" by Honda's decision.

"Numerous other race teams are having similar thoughts," the Austrian group is quoted as saying by AFP. "The main issue now is whether the reductions in costs all of us must make will come quickly enough to guarantee a sufficient number of teams carrying on."

Even the sport's major players, like 2008 drivers' World Champions McLaren, are feeling the pinch, with team boss Ron Dennis telling The Observer that annual turnover is likely to drop nearly $150m because of the downturn.



"Our budgets come from the advertising budgets of the companies that support us, and inevitably advertising budgets get slashed or, at least are significantly trimmed in times of economic strife," he said.

Ferrari and McLaren's ongoing participation is solid, and Toyota has confirmed its commitment, but all the signs suggest that one more team could go missing ahead of next March's Australian Grand Prix.

Williams' chief executive Adam Parr told The Times that he expects eight teams to line up on the Melbourne grid, down from the current nine following Honda's pullout.

Similarly, Gerhard Berger, the recently departed Toro Rosso co-owner, told Germany's Der Spiegel that "the only question is 'who is next?'"

Asked by the Press Association if he can imagine another team following Honda out the door, FIA President Max Mosley answered "yes."

[bobby]

tests....

oro Rosso remains on top with Buemi
Jerez - Thursday - Test day 3
11/12/08 17:41




Zoom
Buemi fastest on all three days of testing at Jerez

The three-day Jerez tests came to a closet this afternoon with the Toro Rosso Ferrari on top for the third straight day of testing at the Spanish test circuit. In Sunny conditions it was once again STR hopeful Sebastien Buemi at the top of the timesheets, lapping the 4.428km circuit over eight-tenths of a second faster than his Wednesday best.

Buemi, who is almost certainly set to line up with the Italian-based squad next season, completed an impressive 139 laps with a best lap of 1:17.258s coming on his 34th tour of the day.

Backing up the pace of Toro Rosso again was Takuma Sato, battling to secure a drive with the team over incumbant Sebastien Bourdais. Sato, who is aiming to use personal sponsorship to secure the seat for next year, was just over-two tenths slower than Buemi on this occasion.

Once again, the test times mean very little as the seven teams present are working on very different programmes, albeit aimed at the same 2009 targets. As was the case yesterday, the best-of-the-rest behind the dominant Toro Rosso squad were McLaren Mercedes, this time with Heikki Kovalainen behind the wheel of the MP4-23.

Kovalainen followed the trend of Toro Rosso in gaining time on the final day of running for the team, stopping the clocks in 1:18.019s as the Finn put in just under 100 laps for the Woking-based squad.

Regular Ferrari racers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were fourth and fifth fastest respectively ahead of Fernando Alonso in his low-downforce prepared R28.

Nico Rosberg was next up for Williams Toyota at just over two seconds a lap off the ultimate pace as the team continue to evaluate 2009-specification wings on the FW30. Pedro de la Rosa completed the least number of laps of the day, 47, in his McLaren and was eighth best ahead of Robert Kubica and Christian Klien at BMW Sauber.

Klien lost some track time when his F1.08 stopped on circuit with a mechanical problem and it caps off a difficult week of running for the Hinwil-team as at least one of their drivers has propped up the bottom of the timesheets on each day of the three-day test.

It may be mid-December, but Formula One rarely halts and the test teams will be back in action again for the final test of the year next week at both Jerez and the new Portuguese test facility of Algarve Motor Park.

[bobby]

Full List of F1 Changes
The following measures to reduce costs in F1 have been agreed to by the World Motor Sport Council. These proposed changes have the unanimous agreement of the F1 teams, who have played a major role in their development.

Changes for 2009

Engine

-- Engine life to be doubled. Each driver will use a maximum of eight engines for the season, plus four for testing (thus, 20 per team).

-- A limit of 18,000 rpm.

-- No internal retuning. Adjustment to trumpets and injectors only.

-- The three-race (engine life) rule voted on Nov. 5 remains in force.

-- Cost of engines to independent teams will be approximately 50 percent of 2008 prices.

-- Unanimous agreement was reached on a list of proposed changes to the Renault engine for 2009; all other engines will remain unchanged. Comparative testing will not be necessary.

Testing

-- No in-season testing except during race weekend during scheduled practice.

Aerodynamic research

-- No wind tunnel exceeding 60 percent scale and 50 meters per second to be used after Jan. 1, 2009.

-- A formula to balance wind-tunnel-based research against CFD research, if agreed among the teams, will be proposed to the FIA.

Factory activity

-- Factory closures for six weeks per year, to accord with local laws.

Race weekend

-- Manpower to be reduced by means of a number of measures, including sharing information on tires and fuel to eliminate the need for “spotters.”

Sporting spectacle

-- Market research is being conducted to gauge the public reaction to a number of new ideas, including possible changes to qualifying and a proposal for the substitution of medals for points for the drivers. Proposals will be submitted to the FIA when the results of the market research are known.

Note: It is estimated that these changes for 2009 will save the manufacturer teams approximately 30 percent of their budgets compared with 2008, while the savings for independent teams will be even greater.


Changes for 2010
Powertrain

-- Engines will be available to the independent teams for less than e5 million per team per season. These will either come from an independent supplier or be supplied by the manufacturer teams backed by guarantees of continuity.

-- In the case of an independent supplier, the deal will be signed no later than Dec. 20, 2008.

-- This same engine will continue to be used in 2011 and 2012 (thus, no new engine for 2011).

-- Subject to confirmation of practicability, the same transmission will be used by all teams.

Chassis

-- A list of all elements of the chassis will be prepared and a decision made in respect of each element regarding whether or not it will remain a performance differentiator (competitive element).

-- Some elements that remain performance differentiators will be confirmed for the season.

-- Some elements will remain performance differentiators but will use inexpensive materials.

-- Elements that are not performance differentiators will be prescriptive and obtained or manufactured in the most economical possible way.

Race weekend

-- Standardized radio and telemetry systems.

-- Ban on tire warmers.

-- Ban on mechanical purging of tires.

-- Ban on refueling.

-- Possible reduction in race distance or duration (proposal to follow market research).

Factory activity

-- Further restrictions on aerodynamic research.

-- Ban on tire force rigs (other than vertical force rigs).

-- Full analysis of factory facilities with a view to proposing further restrictions on facilities.

Longer term

-- The FIA and the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) will study the possibility of an entirely new powertrain for 2013 based on energy efficiency (obtaining more work from less energy consumed).

-- Rules will be framed to ensure that research and development of such a powertrain would make a real contribution to energy-efficient road transport.

-- An enhanced kinetic-energy recovery system (KERS) is likely to be a very significant element of an energy-efficient powertrain in the future. In the short term, KERS is part of the 2009 regulations but is not compulsory.

-- For 2010, the FOTA is considering proposals for a standard KERS system. The FIA awaits proposals.

[bobby]

The final tests ahead of the new year began today at both Jerez, Spain and Portimao, Portugal.

At the Spanish test venue, three teams and five drivers were in action with Sebastien Buemi picking up from where he left off last week.

As Red Bull Technologies has split its test programme between Red Bull Renault and Toro Rosso Ferrari, Buemi is this week testing with the former having dominated the tests last week with the latter.

Buemi completed 71 laps in the RB4 with a best lap of 1:17.704s recorded on his 64th tour, half a second shy of his own best recorded last Thursday.

Red Bull Renault also ran F3 driver Brendon Hartley today as the New Zealander stands in for regular racer Mark Webber as he recuperates with a broken leg. Harley, who finished third in the British F3 championship this year, completed 83 laps for the team and recorded the third fastest time, 1.8 seconds off the ultimate pace.

BMW Sauber were also in action with Nick Heidfeld and Christian Klien second and fourth fastest respectively in the interim F1.

08 package, while Nico Hulkenberg brought up the bottom of the timesheets for Williams Toyota.

Testing continues on Tuesday.

[QuasiMondo]

Berne Ecclestone hits back at Ferrari head by exposing 'special deal'   click to show 

Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights-holder, launched a stinging attack on Luca di Montezemolo yesterday, effectively telling the Ferrari president to mind his own business, in the wake of the latter’s criticisms of the way Ecclestone is running the sport.

Speaking at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, this week, Di Montezemolo said that Formula One was not being run in what he called a “normal” manner, that the sport did not need a “dictator”, in a remark taken as a reference to Ecclestone, and that teams wanted more of the sport’s vast income and greater transparency from Ecclestone about the extent of that money. “We want to know more about the revenues,” he said.

An angry Ecclestone told The Times that Di Montezemolo should be the last person to be complaining about how much income the teams receive. “The only thing he has not mentioned is the extra money Ferrari get above all the other teams and all the extra things Ferrari have had for years – the ‘general help’ they are considered to have had in Formula One,” Ecclestone said.

It has always been known that Ferrari, whose presence on the grid is regarded as critical to the success and prestige of the championship, are on a special deal with Ecclestone’s company and get more money than their rivals. But Ecclestone put a figure on that for the first time yesterday, something that could be designed to drive a wedge between the Scuderia and the other teams.
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“Ferrari get so much more money than everyone else,” he said. “They know exactly what they get, they are not that stupid, although they are not that bright, either. They get about $80 million (about £54 million) more. When they win the constructors’ championship, which they did this year, they got $80 million more than if McLaren had won it.”

Ecclestone added that the special deal with the Italian sports car manufacturer goes back to the attempt by the teams to form a breakaway championship in 2003, when Ferrari were the first to return to the fold. “They were the only team that broke ranks with the other manufacturers – why did they break ranks?” he said. “That’s where the $80 million comes in. We ‘bought’ Ferrari. We ‘bought’ Ferrari’s loyalty. Our deal with Ferrari was that we ‘bought’ them so they would not go to the others.”

Di Montezemolo’s call for more transparency about the huge annual income of Formula One was interpreted by Ecclestone as a thinly veiled attack on his business ethics. He said that since the first formal deal under which the teams race was signed, in 1981, the so-called Concorde Agreement, they have had the right to examine the finances of the business. “They have the right to send people into the company and search for everything,” Ecclestone said. “Ferrari in particular, more than anybody, from day one, have had the right and they’ve never done it. We have bankers here and we’ve got CVC (CVC Capital Partners, the principal owners of Formula One) checking every single solitary thing. So anybody that starts saying that we’ve done anything wrong, I’ll sue the a*** off them.”

As far as Di Montezemolo’s ambition to wrest more money for the teams from Ecclestone, the 78-year-old billionaire cast doubt on the chances of him agreeing to meeting in the new year to discuss this. Previously he had suggested that the teams should get less income, not more, in the light of the recent cost-cutting deal concluded with the FIA. He had a different idea yesterday. “What he should do, rather than asking for money, with all the extra money Ferrari gets, he should share all that amongst the teams,” Ecclestone said of Di Montezemolo.

The Ferrari president levelled a number of specific charges against Ecclestone, among them the decision to cancel the Canadian Grand Prix, which Di Montezemolo said he had found out about in the newspapers.

Once again the pugilistic Formula One official was having none of it. “The reason the Canadian Grand Prix is finished has been discussed with all the teams, including him, and it was agreed that what Canada was paying was nowhere near enough,” Ecclestone said.

In a final thought, he suggested that the Ferrari president knows less about his company than his own employees. “It’s a shame he’s not in touch with people that seem to run the company as opposed to what he does – work as a press officer,” Ecclestone said.

Bernie Ecclestone hits back at Ferrari head by exposing the team’s ‘special deal’ - Times Online

Choice tidbits:

- The 'special deal' was an extra $80m to Ferrari which F1 paid to persuade them to break ranks with the other constructors who were attempting to make a break from F1.
- Ferrari's accusation that the decision to cancel the Canadian Grand Prix was because the Canadian government was not paying enough money for the 'privilege' of hosting this race.

Clearly Bernie has to go. And I'm not too hot on this preferential treatment they've given to Ferrari either.

[bobby]

Zoom
Plenty of interest, but time is short for Honda

As the Honda Motor Company pushes for a buyer, a list of potential saviours of the Brackley-based Formula One team is becoming ever clearer.

It is already known that Prodrive's David Richards, who ran the Benetton and BAR teams in the past, has travelled to the Middle East for talks with investors.

But another serious candidate is Carlos Slim, a Mexican billionaire who is the second richest man in the world.

68-year-old Slim, who controls the telecommunications company Telmex, gave the game away when he visited the embattled team's UK headquarters last week.

His helicopter, displaying his official crest, was too big to be landed on the helipad, so the team had to clear the car park, the British newspaper The Sun reported.

A takeover by Slim would boost the chances of GP2 driver Bruno Senna, who is backed by the Telmex subsidiary Embratel.



It is also believed that Force India's Vijay Mallya has expressed an interest in the team, as has a Swiss hedge fund and Greek shipping tycoon Achilleas Kallakis.

Team Chief Executive Nick Fry said: "We have had a high level of interest in the team since Honda announced their withdrawal from Formula One."

"Work on the build of our 2009 car continues to ensure our objective of being on the grid at Melbourne in March will be achieved."