2008 Barcelona Testing Thread (17 Nov - 19 Nov)

[freedom_honda]

im starting to get used to the new front wing. but that rear wing just doesnt work.

[meves]

I'm loving all these interim cars they're nothing like I expected, it'l be interesting to see the refinements come along over the next few months. I'm especially keen on the Ferrari bulge which looks like they went Ikea and had some issues following the fitting instructions.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.ph ... catID=3663

[Belatti]

Yes, F1 has been weird in the past:


At least, this 80tesse image doesn´t look that bad...



Now, just a thought...




With all the forbiden thousand aero devices I think we have past now the aero age.

Can happen that many aerodynamicists will be fired from F1 teams?

Like active suspension or TC, when will we see those F1 developments in the streets?

Just some thoughts...

[delsando]

It's confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa will be conducting tests for a Force India Tuesday and Wednaesday. This will be very beneficial for Team FI, in terms of technical feedback.

[Belatti]

It's confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa will be conducting tests for a Force India Tuesday and Wednaesday. This will be very beneficial for Team FI, in terms of technical feedback.

Yes, the only problem being that FI wont have the new chasis until february/march because the engine change deal was late and now they will have to start many things from scratch

[freedom_honda]

"The car has more drag, so it is a bit slower on the straight." Robert Kubica

i thought with all the aero bits gone the new cars should have LESS drag not more?

[delsando]

"The car has more drag, so it is a bit slower on the straight." Robert Kubica

i thought with all the aero bits gone the new cars should have LESS drag not more?

I think it because of the high nose, and the boxy end plates, that tend to cause majority of drag.

[meves]

I would guess it's the rear wing that now they are running has a lot larger elements and is a lot more vertical.

Is the Force India still running hte Ferrari engine? If so that will be interesting for Mclaren to see what the characteristics of the Ferrari engine are like.

Nice quotes from Klein and Kubica

"It's sexy isn't it," Klien joked when asked about his opinion of car new car. "For me it's the worst looking F1 car I've ever seen. It just doesn't look like it fits, with big wings and everything. But we will get used to it and a lot of things will change.


"The Polish driver said: "We all agree that it is not the best looking car, but fortunately from the inside it looks better than the outside."

[Project Four]

It's confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa will be conducting tests for a Force India Tuesday and Wednaesday. This will be very beneficial for Team FI, in terms of technical feedback.

And for the Mclaren Mercedes engine guys

[myurr]

It's confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa will be conducting tests for a Force India Tuesday and Wednaesday. This will be very beneficial for Team FI, in terms of technical feedback.

And for the Mclaren Mercedes engine guys

Do F1 teams keep used engines or send them back to the supplier? Could that Ferrari unit end up being set to Mercedes by FI?

[mx_tifoso]

I suspect some teams will have to change the design of the sidepods, the engine cover, or likely both in order to package the system.

Yes, there were reports of this having to be done earlier in the year, mainly due to new plumbing of the cooling devices and anything that comes along with KERS. I believe it was Ross Brawn, or someone from Ferrari who mentioned it.

And again, yes, Force India are still running Ferrari engines, this will be the last event in which they do so. As they are not planning on testing again until late winter, when the new chassis and engine package is ready.

I believe that the manufactures reclaim their engines from their customers, since the engines have to be analyzed, inspected, worked on, etc. And after 2007, I doubt McLaren wants to have anything that belongs to Ferrari.

That was a great post 'andartop'!

[DaveKillens]

Do F1 teams keep used engines or send them back to the supplier? Could that Ferrari unit end up being set to Mercedes by FI?

The Ferrari engine in the Force India car belongs to Ferrari. I'm 99% certain that Force India personnell are not allowed to dissasemble the engine, and at the end of today's test, there is a Ferrari truck waiting to pick up that engine and whisk it back to the Ferrari factory.

[i70q7m7ghw]

What is the purpose of those two... extrusions behind where the front wing attaches to the nose. They look like they should have something hanging off them, like the mini barge boards we are used to seeing... but they just end abruptly...



Also, what's tapped on the bottom of the nose in this pic



I worry about those front wings, they will surely put an end to wheel to wheel contact, the wings are wider than the rest of the car!

[Conceptual]

Do F1 teams keep used engines or send them back to the supplier? Could that Ferrari unit end up being set to Mercedes by FI?

The Ferrari engine in the Force India car belongs to Ferrari. I'm 99% certain that Force India personnell are not allowed to dissasemble the engine, and at the end of today's test, there is a Ferrari truck waiting to pick up that engine and whisk it back to the Ferrari factory.

What a crock that is...lol

It shouldnt be that big of a deal to lower the engine supply from 25M/yr to 5M/yr if all they are doing is RENTING the engines! So, you pay that much just to use it, and then give it back. What do they do if they want to do a demo run with last years cars, like most other teams do? Do Red Bull give back the Renault engines as well? How do they run older cars at media events if they don't have the engines for them?

[Metar]

My bet would be just asking the supplier for a used engine? They already use used engines for Friday testing - hence why Renault blew up quite a few on Fridays this season - so I don't see a problem as far as shows are concerned.

And as for renting... you do have to remember, it's not really renting. Use that engine for two GPs, and it's done. It's like renting out a can of coke - you can re-fill it, but it's no longer useful. That "renting" is a cost-saver for constructors as well - remember that they don't need personnel to handle the engine. I'd guess it's more of a security issue - manufacturers don't want the constructor to tinker around with their engine, not to find a competitive edge, nor to gain knowledge and perhaps sell it to others, or build his own.