Archive for 'launches'

Feb201003

Rob

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Virgin launch the CFD car

Today Virgin launched their car online on their website, the CFD only – no windtunnel – designed car will hit the track later in the week and they will become the first new team to put some real miles on the car.
The car designed by Wirth Research was set to be unveiled on the teams website but it seems that release had been delayed for a while and that we all had to wait, not the best start for a team that has relyed on it computational expertise to design the car. Hopefully the systems are engineered by different people.
The car itself looks somewhat smoother than the other cars, and it’s striking red and black colours with more flat surfaces, we’ll have to see what it runs like tomorrow.
With the driving partnership of Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi they’ll be hoping for some problem free days of running to [...]

Feb201001

Rob

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Mercedes take the wraps off

Mercedes finally took the wraps of their first works car for years at the start of the Valencia test. It sports the colour scheme that was on the car for the team launch but was unveiled to much less fanfare at the test and has already completed it’s first shake down.
The testing duties on the first day fall to both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher though Rosberg drove the car initially. I guess getting an up to date driver to take the car out first makes sense though it surprises me that Schumacher wasn’t behind the wheel – perhaps things are more equal at Mercedes than we give them credit for.
With only Red Bull absent from the test we should see some comparative times even if they don’t mean a lot, we’ll see if some are really struggling with the new cars at least, remember the Brawn always looked quick [...]

Feb201001

Rob

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Williams launch their 2010 challenger

Williams took the covers off their new car today during the first F1 test of the year, with drivers Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg set to drive the car they have experience and promise and they should have the experience as a team to cope with all the rule changes and make the best out of them.
The new car retains the colours of previous years and seems to fit snugly in the mould of the 2010 cars with a higher nose and an elongated wheel base that accommodates the fuel tank.
In Rubens who’s testing the car they have got one of the most consistent drivers on the grid and he’ll serve them well this season, I have a feeling that they will bring home more results than they did last year as Nico Hulkenberg had a habit of getting results too.
What to expect from Williams this year? Well I think [...]

Feb201001

Rob

0

Toro Rosso go!

Toro Rosso pull the covers off their car and show it before the first test gets underway. It seems that they have an unstoppable enthusiasm that even Red Bull can’t match as it becomes a serious contender.
I’m not sure what to say about the new car given that it looks very similar to all the others but it does have a distinctive nose that doesn’t run as high as the Sauber.
With the same driver pairing as the end of last season in Jaime Alguersuari and Vitantonio Liuzzi they keep some level of experience and can move forward swiftly without drivers having to learn anything about the tracks and/or the team. I don’t expect this paring to set the world alight but they should do a solid job for Toro Rosso and will probably bring home some points given the new scoring system.
I wonder what the Red Bull will be [...]

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