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Junkie Jabber - The Latest Formula 1 News From F1 Junkie
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Friday, 17 April 2009 |
2009
CHINESE GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE ANALYSIS
Shanghai,
Friday April 17
HEIKKI
KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-03
P1
programme
23
laps – 1m37.672s (4th)
Heikki
ran a couple of installs on the option tyre before beginning his day’s
running, using the prime to notch up three further runs (five laps/1m37.672s
best; five laps/1m38.173s and
four laps/1m37.716s). He
completed a comparison between the old and new front-wing specs although
reported a persistent issue with the hydraulic flap system, which
compromised his consistency. “I’m very impressed by the performance
upgrades for this race,” he said afterwards. “We still need to do more
work to find the best balance, but our car definitely feels more stable
here.”
P2
programme
34
laps – 1m36.674s (9th)
As
with most Friday afternoons, the team ran a tyre comparison programme,
particularly looking at the stint-life of the super-soft Bridgestone option,
which is expected to be more marginal here than at other circuits. Heikki
started the session on primes, running a five-lap stint (1m38.219s)
and a longer eight-lap run on a heavier fuel-load (1m37.918s).
Towards the end of the session, he did a 10-lap run on options, setting a 1m39.130s
best and being impressed by the tyre’s consistency. He ended the day with
a couple of quick laps, setting his best time of the day with a 1m36.674s.
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-04
P1
programme
22
laps – 1m37.334s (1st)
Lewis
started the session using the new six-plane front wing and immediately
reported an improvement in the front-end. “The car instantly felt a bit
better,” he said. “I can definitely feel more stability and downforce
from the front.” After two initial install laps, Lewis completed three
shorter runs (four laps/1m37.603s;
three laps/1m37.334s and four
laps 1m37.838s). “We’ve
definitely made a step forward for this race,” he concluded. “The car
feels much stronger through the corners and I think we’ve got a very
positive baseline for the rest of the weekend.”
P2
programme
22
laps – 1m36.941s (13th)
Between-session
bodywork changes to the car meant Lewis began P2 a little later than planned
as the team turned their focus towards tyre evaluations over longer stints.
Lewis did three runs, starting with a shorter five-lap stint on primes (1m36.941s)
before testing the super-soft option tyre: seven laps/1m37.341s
and nine laps/1m37.283s which
showcased the limited life of the softer rubber. “My first run on the
options felt quite consistent,” he said, “The drop-off definitely feels
manageable. This was a good day, although we still need to work on
MP4-24’s medium- and high-speed balance.”
MARTIN
WHITMARSH – team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“The
team, both at the track and back in the factory, has done a fantastic job to
get these bodywork upgrades to
Shanghai
– and initial analysis would suggest that they have contributed to a
slight uplift in our overall competitiveness. We are still working on
MP4-24’s overall balance, but nonetheless concluded some productive tyre
evaluation work. Heikki’s day was compromised by a hydraulic system
problem which failed to adjust his front wing flaps correctly, a fault that
distracted both him and his engineers from their regular programme.”
NORBERT
HAUG – vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Seeing
Lewis in P1 after this morning’s session brought back some good memories
– although we are aware that the team’s package is not yet competitive.
Still, the improvements we have made to the car – which are particularly
relentless at the moment – should see us making another encouraging step
forward. Sunday’s race will be greatly influenced by the performance over
a stint of the Bridgestone super-soft, but our consistency on both tyres
looks quite okay at this early stage of the weekend.”
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Thursday, 16 April 2009 |
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McLaren
restructures Group to create independent McLaren Automotive company
16
April 2009: At a press conference held this morning at the McLaren Technology
Centre in
Woking
, Surrey (UK), McLaren Group Chairman Ron Dennis announced a major restructuring
of the McLaren Group.
McLaren
has for more than two years been engaged in a programme to develop a range of
pure McLaren sports cars that will build on the great successes of the McLaren
F1 and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. As part of this plan, it is intended that
McLaren Automotive, currently one of a number of companies within the McLaren
Group, will become an independent company later this year. The launch date for
the first model in the new range of McLaren sports cars will be in 2011.
McLaren
Automotive is intending to raise fresh equity in addition to the existing
investment in the business to complete the development of the planned vehicle
programmes. It has appointed Credit Suisse as its financial advisor, to
facilitate this process.
Ron
Dennis said: "With planned additional investment in the company of £250
million, proposals in place for a new McLaren car production facility in the
UK
, and the potential for up to 800 skilled jobs, McLaren Automotive’s expansion
will represent a significant investment in the
UK
automotive industry."
A
number of organisational changes have also been announced today, which are
designed to facilitate the next stage of McLaren’s corporate development:
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On June 1st 2009 Richard Lapthorne will be appointed Non Executive
Chairman of the McLaren Group and a Non Executive Director of McLaren
Automotive.
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As Executive Chairman of McLaren Automotive, Ron Dennis will lead the growth of
the new sports car business. As of today, Ron Dennis has handed his
responsibility as Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing to Martin Whitmarsh,
who will be responsible to the board for the activities of McLaren Racing in
addition to his role of Team Principal of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.
Richard
Lapthorne said: "This is a very exciting time to be joining the McLaren
Group and to be working closely with Ron and his team on McLaren Automotive’s
expansion into the sports car market. It’s a rare opportunity to be involved
at a key stage in the development of a British sports car company of an entirely
new sort, especially one that has such a great racing pedigree and such a
world-class reputation as McLaren.”
Reflecting
on his life in Formula 1, Ron Dennis concluded by saying: “I passed the role
of Team Principal of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to Martin Whitmarsh on January 16th,
the day of the launch of our new Formula 1 car. That day I was asked many times
whether I would attend the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. My answer was “yes”.
I duly attended it – albeit not as the person in charge of Vodafone McLaren
Mercedes. It was, I admit, a strange feeling.
“The
next race, the Malaysian Grand Prix, I watched on TV in the
UK
– an activity I found surprisingly easy. I’d expected to be more emotional
about it, after an unbroken run of attending so many grands prix for so many
years.
“I
admit I’m not always easy to get on with. I admit I’ve always fought hard
for McLaren in Formula 1. I doubt if Max Mosley or Bernie Ecclestone will be
displeased by my decision. But no-one asked me to do it. It was my decision.
“Equally,
I was the architect of today’s restructure of the McLaren Group. Again, no-one
asked me to do it. It was my decision.
“I
feel enormously enthused about the prospects for the McLaren Group and for
McLaren Automotive, and have no qualms about leaving Martin to report to the
board regarding matters connected with Formula 1.”
Notes:
- The
McLaren Group comprises McLaren Automotive, McLaren Racing, McLaren
Marketing, McLaren Electronic Systems, McLaren Applied Technologies and
Absolute Taste.
- The
shareholding of the McLaren Group is as follows: Daimler (Mercedes-Benz)
40%; Bahraini Mumtalakat Holding Company 30%; Tag Group (Mansour Ojjeh) 15%;
Ron Dennis 15%
- From
1993 until 1998, McLaren Cars (the forerunner to McLaren Automotive)
designed and manufactured the iconic McLaren F1 super sports car. McLaren
Automotive has successfully designed and manufactured the Mercedes-Benz SLR
McLaren range of premium sports cars over the past six years, and will
continue to do so until the end of 2009.
- Richard
Lapthorne is Chairman of Cable and Wireless plc. Recently he was
also Chairman of Morse plc and of the private equity owned fashion retailer
New Look. His career started with Unilever where in 18 years he worked
in the
UK
,
Paris
,
Holland
and
Africa
. He then moved to Courtaulds plc as Group Financial Controller,
becoming Finance Director in 1986 as well as Chairman of the US Group.
He joined British Aerospace plc in July 1992 and was a key member of the
management team responsible for transforming the company into
Europe
’s leading aerospace and defence company. He retired as Vice Chairman in
1999. He started his non-executive career with Amersham International plc in
1989, becoming Chairman from 1996 until 2003. He has held a number of
other directorships including Robert Fleming, the merchant bank, Oasis
International Leasing in
Abu Dhabi
, Chairman of Avecia (spun off from Astra Zeneca), Chairman of TI Automotive
(spun off from Smiths Group), Chairman of Tunstall and Chairman of Arlington
Securities. Between 1999 and 2004 he served on the Navy Board. He led
the Working Age project in 2000. He is a current member of the HMRC large
business advisory board. He is the Queen’s Trustee at the Royal Botanic
Gardens,
Kew
.
- Ron
Dennis has been a pioneering force within motorsport since he began his
career 42 years ago. In 1966 he joined the Cooper Racing Car Company and
progressed to join the Brabham Racing team where in 1968 he was appointed to
the position of Chief Mechanic to Sir Jack Brabham. Three years later Ron
launched his own company, Rondel Racing, which won races in the Formula 2
Championship. During the 1970s he ran a number of highly successful teams,
mainly concentrating on Formula 2 but also competing with distinction in the
Procar Championship. In 1980 Ron’s most recent company, Project Four,
merged with Team McLaren Ltd to form McLaren Racing. This was to be the
catalyst for the great success and diversification that McLaren has enjoyed
to date. Since 1980, McLaren has won seven Constructors’ World
Championships and ten Drivers’ World Championships. In 1989 Ron co-founded
McLaren Cars, which designed and manufactured the revolutionary F1 road car
of 1994; now renamed McLaren Automotive, the company produces the
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sports car on behalf of Daimler. Ron's
entrepreneurial skills have seen the McLaren Group grow and diversify. It
currently encompasses McLaren Automotive, McLaren Electronic Systems,
McLaren Applied Technologies, McLaren Marketing and Absolute Taste, all in
addition to the flagship, McLaren Racing and its Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Formula 1 team. During the year 2000 Ron was honoured with a CBE for
services to motorsport. In 2001 he was presented with a BRDC Gold Medal in
recognition for his contribution to motorsport. He was also awarded an Hon
DTech from De Montfort University in 1996, an Hon DSc from
City
University
(
London
) in 1997 and, in 2000, an Hon DSc from the
University
of
Surrey
. In January 2009 Ron announced that he would pass the role of Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes Team Principal to Martin Whitmarsh.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 April 2009 )
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Wednesday, 15 April 2009 |
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| BrawnGP's historic first and second place finishes at
Melbourn was upheld by FIA in court today! |
The FIA dealt a huge blow to the non diffuser teams today by
essentially legalizing the two-tiered dufusers that were used by Toyota,
BrawnGP, and WilliamsF1.
Toyota released this statement:
"we had every confidence that the design of our car would be
confirmed as legal"
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Here is the FULL FIA RELEASE:
The FIA International Court of Appeal has decided to deny the appeals
submitted against decisions numbered 16 to 24 taken by the Panel of the
Stewards on 26 March at the 2009 Grand Prix of Australia and counting towards
the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Based on the arguments heard and evidence before it, the Court has concluded
that the Stewards were correct to find that the cars in question comply with
the applicable regulations.
Full reasons for this decision will be provided in due course.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 August 2009 )
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Tuesday, 14 April 2009 |
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CHINESE
GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
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Lewis
Hamilton
“I
really enjoy racing in
Shanghai
– the track is a good blend of fast and slow stuff and it throws up a few
nice challenges for the drivers. Finding the right set-up is important, you need
speed and balance through the high-speed corners but decent mechanical grip for
the hairpins. We got it spot-on last year, and while I don’t expect us to
enjoy that sort of performance advantage this season, I think we’re all
looking forward to a good showing. Hopefully, some of the upgrades we’ve added
to MP4-24 for this race will have a benefit: it would be very encouraging if we
could qualify a little further up the grid and be regularly challenging for
points.”
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Heikki
Kovalainen
“The
best corners on the Shanghai International Circuit are Turns Six and Seven –
the fast, sweeping left- and right-handers. The left is almost flat in sixth
before you shift down a gear and change direction at very high speed. It’s
difficult to find the ideal set-up because of the variety of different corners:
there’s some heavy braking, fast esses and high-speed changes of direction,
which require a good aero package, and some slower corners where mechanical grip
is important. It’s all about compromise – it’s a real challenge for the
drivers and the engineers. But at least you can overtake – mainly into Turns
Four, 10 and 13 – so I hope we’ll see some great racing this weekend.”
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Martin
Whitmarsh, team principal Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“We
have reasons to be both disappointed and optimistic about our performance in the
opening races of the 2009 season: disappointed because we do not yet possess the
necessary technical package to enable us to fight with the leaders, but
optimistic that our rate of progress is sufficiently rapid that we should be
able to fight for points finishes on a regular basis. This weekend’s race will
see a number of new components introduced to MP4-24, and while we do not expect
them to radically transform the car’s potential, they should move us a little
closer to the front than we saw in the opening two races.”
Norbert
Haug, vice-president Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Last
year, Lewis drove an excellent race on this challenging circuit and won. For
this year’s Chinese Grand Prix, it has to be our target to start further up
the grid than was the case in the first two grands prix. Those two races showed
that points-finishes or even podiums were possible, even when the basic speed
was not good enough. The team has developed further technical and aerodynamic
improvements which should enable us to make another small step forward.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 April 2009 )
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Tuesday, 14 April 2009 |
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WILLIAMS F1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
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At a Glance
When Friday
April 17 to Sunday April 19, 2009
Where Shanghai
International Circuit, China
Round 3
of 17
Standings N
Rosberg 3.5 pts (7th), K Nakajima 0 (15th), AT&T Williams 3.5pts (5th)
China Hot Topics
Judgement day for the diffuser: Tuesday 14th at the ICA in Paris
Will Williams convert competitiveness into some decent points?
Will Brawn retain their dominance in Shanghai?
Race Data
Practice 1: 10:00 - 11:30
Friday
Practice 2: 14:00 -15:30
Practice 3: 11:00 - 12:00
Saturday
Qualifying: 14:00 - 15:00
Sunday Race:
15:00
Lap Distance 5.451km
Laps 56
Distance 305.066km/h
Shanghai International Circuit in a nutshell
A standard two-stop race, although Timo Glock proved last season
that a one-stop strategy can be converted into
a points finish. Long stints demand a great deal of finesse
because certain parts of the track, notably turn two
which doubles back on itself, place tremendous lateral loads on
the left-hand tyres. The race traditionally takes
place during the European autumn but unfamiliar weather might be
a factor this year because it has been brought
forward to April.
Talking Technical
Car dynamics
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s
corners expressed in degrees. The higher the
average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s
configuration and the greater propensity for
understeer to compromise lap time. At Shanghai, the average turn
angle is 133.690,
against a season average of
1100 ,
ranking it as the circuit with the second
highest average turn
angle across the Championship. As a
consequence of the circuit’s physical layout, an understeering
car balance will have a high
punitive effect on lap
time.
The end of straight (EOS) speed at Shanghai was 306kp/h
in 2008. Shanghai ranks
as having the 7th fastest
EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the
wing level typically selected to optimise the
downforce/drag ratio. As the average speed around Shanghai is
the 13th fastest
of any of the tracks, a
compromise is required.
Pitlane & refuelling strategy
The pitlane length and profile (i.e. corners in the pitlane
entry) contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel
strategy. The pitlane loss at Shanghai is approximately 23
seconds, the 6th
most penalising pitlane
in the
Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around
the Shanghai circuit requires 2.55kg
of fuel
against an average of 2.42kg
per 5km across all
circuits this season, making the circuit the 4th
least demanding
track of the year in terms of fuel consumption.
Safety car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is
the likelihood of safety car deployments, which
are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of
clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while
recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the
character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start
of the race. Since the race debuted on the calendar in 2004,
there have been 2 safety
car deployments in China,
both in 2005, making it statistically unlikely that the circuit’s
character will induce safety car periods. The first two
races of this season have already seen 3
safety car periods,
however, so anything is possible!
Temperature, pressure & humidity
It is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at
Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of
engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine
and aerodynamic performance during the
season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the
final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air
density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic
performance and cooling. The losses can come
close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real
impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of
the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most
significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked
to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if
races are run at the same time each year, the
factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is
elevation. Like half the
races on the calendar,
Shanghai is close to sea level, just 10m
above, and has an average
pressure (1,014 mbar),
so engine power will
be good. A change for 2009 is that the race has been moved from
October to April. Ambient temperatures are
therefore expected to be cooler which will have an influence on
the tyres.
What the Drivers Say
Standing back from Sepang – Reflections from a rain-drenched
Malaysia
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Nico “We may not have finished where we would’ve like, but
it was another strong weekend for us. We
qualified well and then taking the lead at the start was great.
It was just a shame circumstances didn't go our
way as I was looking good for another podium.”
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Kazuki “Even though I qualified out of the top ten, I was
looking to make some progress through the field as I
was on a good strategy. Unfortunately, the rain completely
compromised that. Starting the race lower down the
grid, I was alongside a lot of the KERS car who are able to make
better starts so my aim is to improve my
qualifying position in China.”
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On the Shanghai track
Kazuki “Shanghai is definitely a challenging circuit, but at
least I’ve now had some experience of it so it’s not
new for me anymore. Last year, we struggled on tracks like
China, but now our car is looking quite strong. It’s
well balanced in the high and low speed corners so I’m hoping
we’ll go much better there this year and I can
score my first points of the season.”
Nico “Shanghai’s a driver’s track. There’s a great mix
of corners and then there are those two long straights
so plenty of overtaking opportunities around the lap which will
be good for the racing. Sepang showed that the
team seem to have fixed the problem we had last year on these
types of circuits so it’s now looking like we have
consistency. I’m confident that we’ll have another
competitive weekend in China. Top eight for sure.”
On China
Nico “I enjoy visiting Shanghai. Experiencing a different
culture is always very interesting and there are some
great places to go, like the malls for shopping or the
restaurants and bars in the evenings. The fans are also very
enthusiastic which is nice!”
Kazuki “Like Nico, I like this part of the world and for me it’s
close to home so I get to enjoy something similar
to my own culture for a little longer.”
On the break between Sepang and Shanghai
Kazuki “First I have a PR day at Suzuka for Toyota. I love
Suzuka. It’s such an iconic track so to go back is
special for me. I won’t get to drive it though. If I want to
go round it, it will have to be on foot! I haven’t been home
for four months now so I’m then going to my parents’ to
spend a week with my family before flying to China.”
Nico “I went to Bali last year and loved it so I’m heading
back there with my girlfriend and trainer. I’m lucky in
that this job allows me to do things like that. I’ll obviously
be keeping up my training, but we will be spending time
in the mountains so it’ll be a cultural trip too. My camera
will be making the trip and I hope to add to my portfolio
with some shots of the locals, the rice fields and the great
views! Among other things, I will be mountain-biking
near the top of one of the volcanoes which will be cool!”
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The historical perspective from China – Nico Rosberg becomes
the first F1 driver to drive in China
“An interesting side note ahead of next weekend’s Chinese
Grand Prix in Shanghai is that in 2006 I became the
first person ever to drive a Formula One car through the centre
of a Chinese city. The streets were closed off in
the Pearl River Newtown area of the city and I was able to do
some pretty impressive speeds in my FW28 race
car……Read the full story at www.attwilliams.com
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 April 2009 )
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 |
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2008 World Champion Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified
from the Australian GP.
Hamilton, who finished the race in fourth place and had been awarded third
place based on an incident involving the third place finisher, Yarno Trulli.
Trulli was penalized 25 seconds for passing Hamilton during the safety car
period, thus dropping Trulli from 3rd to 12th place. As it turns out, the
stewards penalized Trulli, who claimed he thought Hamilton had slowed down due
to a mechanical problem, thus making the pass legally. This was
contradicted by McLaren who told the Stewards that they did not intentionally
let Jarno pass them. It has come out that McLaren team radio clearly tells
Hamilton to let Trulli pass. Due to this new information, Mclaren and Hamilton
have been dq'd from the race.
Here is the official statement from McLaren Mercedes about the Hamilton
Aussie GP Situation:
"The FIA Stewards have reviewed their decision of Sunday 29th March 2009, and have excluded Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from the results of the 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes understands that the Stewards made their decision on the basis of reviewing radio transmissions between the driver and the Team.
The Team mistakenly believed that the radio transmissions had been reviewed by the FIA on Sunday 29th March 2009, and consequently did not believe it was necessary to discuss them with the Stewards on that date.
Nonetheless, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team now regrets that it did not do so, accepts the Stewards' decision and will not appeal."
In my humble opinion, It appears tthat McLaren always gets the short end of
the stick. I also don't understand why the STEWARDS rely on driver
interviews when the VIDEO of the event clearly shows what JARNO TRULLI did was
not illegal. F1 needs to have internal discussion and investigations prior
to going public on anything. This entire situation was avoidable. I
am happy for Jarno, he deserves third.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 03 April 2009 )
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