+++++ 2011 F1 Season Thread +++++

[mandingo]

In the 2010 thread, ViperHorn asked:

In reply to:

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[ViperHorn]

It is a shame that Williams had to go with the driver with the most cash instead of the best driver available. I would look for Nico to go to Red Bull to replace SV when he jumps to Ferrari.

 

[mandingo]

It's interesting. That other seat at Ferrari is starting to look pretty enticing to some folks.

I like Felipe...a LOT, but he seems to think, or at least he's saying publicly that he thinks, that 2011 is not a make or break year for him at Ferrari.

The Link


I think that's probably wrong.

Ferrari is probably more than ready for him to step up his game. When you're a top team you look for both of your drivers to be competitive and for the one who falls behind to pull his weight by scoring the most points possible. In doing so, he'll support the Constructor's Championship fight and take points off the other drivers in the Driver's Championship fight, thus supporting the driver who's still in the hunt. Massa failed miserably in this regard this season.

The Pirellis should help Massa in 2011 given his preference for that style of tire. He did very well, indeed, at the Pirelli test recently in Abu Dhabi, setting the fastest time overall over the two days, iirc, so he'd better turn that into results on the track during races...imho.

 

[ViperHorn]

Felipe has to step-up his driving. After a full year following his accident, I am begining to think he is done. There would be no way they would keep him as a driver if SV's agent actually approached Ferrari. Fred and SV would be some team.

 

[ViperHorn]

The issue in Australia that threatened the Australian GP seems to have been resolved. Link

 

[ViperHorn]

HRT has been put up for sale. Link
If any of you rich guys out there have a spare $100-150 Million that you want to lose here is your chance.

 

[ViperHorn]

Not exactly F1, but take a look at the new Audi R18 Le Mans car Link.
A racing Batmobile cannot be far behind!

 

[mandingo]

2 good articles re: 2013 formula changes...one more general, and one that gets a little into the aero end...ground effects, here we come!


The Link

The Link

I can't help but think those new ground effects cars are gonna look freaking bad ***.

 

[ViperHorn]

The first link contains the following statement:

In reply to:

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[l00p]

That Audi is awesome.

I can contribute to buying a team but refrain as it would tap into my retirement a little bit.

 

[ViperHorn]

Looks like the 2011 season is underway! Link

 

[mandingo]

New car launch dates for 2011:

The Link


Ferrari: 28 January - Maranello, Italy
Renault: 31 January - Valencia, Spain
Sauber: 31 January - Valencia, Spain
Mercedes GP: 1 February - Valencia, Spain
Red Bull: 1 February - Valencia, Spain (still to be confirmed)
Team Lotus: 1 February - Valencia, Spain
Toro Rosso: 1 February - Valencia, Spain
Williams: 1 February - Valencia, Spain
McLaren: 4 February - Berlin, Germany
Force India: 10 February - Jerez, Spain

Still to be confirmed:Hispania Racing
Virgin Racing

 

[ViperHorn]

McLaren in Berlin is the head scratcher.

 

[mandingo]

Fred & Phil go sledding:

 

[mandingo]

2011 Driver lineup:

There's a very comprehensive look at this atThe Link


Also, here are some comparison shots of this year's F150 and last year's F10. At first glance this car looks pretty much like last year's car. They usually do, esp at the rollout. They don't want to give away any secrets until they absolutely have to. On closer inspection, however, you can see quite a few differences:

 

[ViperHorn]

The rear suspension is completely changed and the front wing is the 2010 wing (which will be changed out sometime before the first race). Guess now we know now at least one place Ferrari will be pushing the envelope.

 

[4th]

They've also gone with a higher, Red Bull-like nose and must be directing the exhaust under the car. The side pads are also refined, but there are clearly some elements they haven't shown yet.

 

[mandingo]

Agree with both of you. Also, they were redirecting the exhaust by season's end last year. They just continued that trend this year, probably with some refinement.

I would expect to see substantially different aero bits all around come Bahrain.

Speaking of which, here's the race calendar. Just 6 weeks out now, boys:

March 13 Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir
March 27 Australian Grand Prix Albert Park
April 10 Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang
April 17 Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai *
May 8 Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul
May 22 Spanish Grand Prix Catalunya
May 29 Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo
June 12 Canadian Grand Prix Montreal
June 26 European Grand Prix Valencia
July 10 British Grand Prix Silverstone
July 24 German Grand Prix Nürburgring
July 31 Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring
August 28 Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps
September 11 Italian Grand Prix Monza
September 25 Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay
October 9 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka
October 16 Korean Grand Prix Yeongam
October 30 Indian Grand Prix New Delhi *
November 13 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina
November 27 Brazilian Grand Prix Interlagos


Also, there's a very comprehensive look at the 2011 driver's lineup at The Link . F1fanatic.co.uk . Really an excellent blog.

2 more launches tomorrow, and 5 on Tuesday.

 

[mandingo]

"Senna" Documentary wins at Sundance...

The Link


So maybe we'll get to see it?

 

[mandingo]

Ferrari rear wing in action:

 

[mandingo]

Senna to Lotus Renault?

Via Twitter:

In reply to:

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[mandingo]

...and here's the Sauber C30:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/...res-the-sauber/


I would have posted the photos, but these are very large, high-res photos that would make the thread cumbersome. Just click on the small photos for the high-res shots.


Beautiful, car. imho.

Upon seeing their new car I also see that we can add Mexican cell phone company TelCel and Guatemalan internet provider Claro to that list of new Latin American sponsors.


TelMex
Cuervo
TelCel
Claro
Interproteccion


Wow. They've been cleaning up!

 

[mandingo]

Renault R31 photos...STUNNING car, imho:


The Link

 

[l00p]

******* sexy is what it is! Gawgeous.

A buddy lent me some of his F1 Magazines, some engineering publications of F1 and stuff like that and I am in heaven. I think I am getting a sub to F1 even if it is written in British'ese. I for sure want the edition that has the unveiled new cars.

 

[l00p]

I went looking for the McLaren unveiling of their new car and found this first.

Hook 'em McLaren!!!

 

[mandingo]

At some point soon I'll get around to posting photos of all the cars, but I haven't found the time yet.

However, this morning I woke to the sombering news of the serious injury of one of the sports best:

The Link

The Link

 

[mandingo]

Send a message to Kubica:

The Link

Or if you facebook ...The Link



Also, here's some very good coverage by Dave Doolittle of the Statesman, including video from the car that came right after Kubica's:

The Link

The Link



...and here are some photos of the car right after, impaled on the guardrail:

...and a video from after the crash that clearly shows the hole made by the guardrail. He was lucky to live through this.


The Link

 

[mandingo]

So....here are all the new cars to date:



Force India VJM04:

Marussia Virgin MVR-02:

Mercedes GP Petronas W02:

Sauber C30:

Hispania Racing HRT F-111:

Torro Rosso STR6:

Red Bull RB7:

Team Lotus TL11:

McLaren MP4-26:

Ferrari F150:

Williams FW33:

Renault R31:

 

[LondonOllie]

Not sure if this has been posted on another thread (probably has as it has been out quite a while but I just never got around to posting it here).

For those that are interested & have not seen it before:

Just how fast is an F1 car?

 

[mandingo]

Thanks Ollie. I had posted that in a couple of places, but not here, I think. Really excellent overlay.



Also just found this bit re: Kimi:

The Link


Citroen Boss: Kimi free to return, but probably isn't keen to...

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