2010 F1

[Shevon]

Yes i cant wait for this season. should be the most interesting in a few years. just hope lewis is a bigger contenter this year.

[4agze]

Originally Posted by NESW20

my DVR is simply amazing for helping me catch every minute of practice, qualifying, and the races. i love being able to do replays myself, and backing up to hear the commentators.

David Hobbs is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why don't you like the no-refueling rule? i kinda like it.

-Mike

Fueling adds to the drama of pit action

[e10rice]

well the first test is underway and Ferrari looks strong. They lead both the morning and afternoon sessions. Strong showing considering they are already considering a B spec car for later this year. Micheal was also in action posting the third fastest time. Pedro De La Rosa post the second fastest time for BMW Sauber. This could very be an interesting year. Hopefully USF1 comes ready to play later this month.

[Axel]

from Autocar.co.uk

Michael Schumacher has returned to Formula One action for the first time in more than three years on the first day of winter testing in Valencia.
After less than 20 laps, Schumacher was already faster than his Mercedes GP team mate Nico Rosberg and ended the day more than half a second quicker than Rosberg. Schumacher finished the day third out of eight runners and less than four tenths of a second slower than Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Of the 13 teams on this year’s grid, seven took part today in Spain.

Updated with more than 50 pics: see 2010's F1 cars in action in Valencia - including Schumacher's return
Alan Henry blog: The F1 2010 season starts today

Teams have been banned from testing since last November’s race in Abu Dhabi and they have 41 days to prepare for the new season, which kicks off in Bahrain on 14 March.

Renault, Toro Rosso and Sauber all showed off their new cars in the past 24 hours and were at today’s test. Ferrari, Williams, Mercedes and McLaren, who revealed their cars last week, also ran.

Mercedes W01 F1 car revealed
Renault F1 shows new colours
Sauber's sponsorless F1 car
Toro Rosso F1 car unveiled
McLaren launches new F1 car
Ferrari launches 2010 F1 car

Force India and Red Bull have both opted out of this test and will instead run later this month in Jerez and Barcelona. New teams Campos, Lotus, US F1 and Virgin Racing are all expected to test by the end of this month.
Keep checking back to autocar.co.uk today to see latest pictures of the class of 2010 in action for the first time.

Unofficial times from today's running:
1. Massa Ferrari 1:12.574
2. de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1:12.784
3. M.Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:12.947
4. Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:13.543
5. Paffett McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.846
6. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:14.449
7. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.762
8. Kubica Renault 1:15.000

[Axel]

The 2010 F1 season starts today!

Alan Henry

The 2010 F1 season starts today! A three day official test kicks off this morning at the old Valencia circuit to be followed by stints at Jerez (10-13 February and 17-20 February) and finally Barcelona(25-28 February).

It’s going to be an electrifying year. Truly Mercedes today officially unveiled their W01 in preparation for Michael Schumacher’s first serious tilt in a contemporary, state-of-the-art Grand Prix car since 2006, the long-awaited new Williams-Cosworth will break cover in the hands of Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg and young Vitaly Petrov – runner-up to Hulkenberg in last year’s GP2 championship – will become the first ever Russian F1 driver when he takes to the track in the new Renault R30.



Renault F1 shows its colours
Mercedes WO1 F1 car revealed
Sauber's sponsorless F1 car

Petrov’s presence on the grid is surely calculated to accelerate the possibility of a Russian Grand Prix soon being added to the schedule. Bernie Ecclestone has been talking to various potential promoters in both Moscow and St Petersberg over the past few years and Petrov is determined to play his part in being a catalyst to make the big event happen .

"This is what I tried to do a long time ago, so when I was driving in GP2 I always tried to get the TV and newspapers to say 'come on, we're Russia, we're a big country, we must have a Formula One grand prix. It has to be,'" he said. "So now I'm here maybe they'll wake up and try to do something."

He also hopes more Russian companies will become involved in the sport. Although Petrov is believed to have substantial sponsorship behind him, he said it had all been raised via family and management connections.

Asked for his views as to whether he felt major Russian sponsorship was likely to follow him into the sport, Petrov replied: "They must now, they must wake up because we came here without any sponsors, without any help to be in Formula One - with just my father, my manager and my father's friends. Nobody else. Now they will see us in Formula One and that will change something."

Yet amidst all the excitement of new faces in F1 places, Valencia today will be the scene of one man’s personal and very touching victory over adversity. Felipe Massa, now hopefully as fresh as a daisy after making a remarkable recovery from those dreadful head injuries sustained in Hungary last year, will be back in a Ferrari F1 car ready to take on the world.

Of all the personal triumphs represented by the start of a new world championship season, as far as 2010 is concerned, this one of surely the greatest.

[Axel]

eyecandy from Jalopnik... click for larger images
Andreas Gursky's Formula One Pattern Recognition





Whatever the words, whatever the money, what Gursky can do is spot visually interesting patterns in man-made landscapes, photograph them, then photoshop them until they become slightly unreal yet recognizable.

Said photoshopping appears to sometimes involve the use of the color balance tool: it took me repeated glances at F1 Boxenstopp I, shown above, to realize that the yellow team in the top left corner is in fact Scuderia Ferrari with a yellow cast and not a rebirth with modern machinery of Ecurie Francorchamps, a racing team which campaigned Ferraris across the 50s, 60s and 70s painted with various amounts of Belgian racing yellow.

[NESW20]

Originally Posted by 4agze

Fueling adds to the drama of pit action

there will be plenty of drama with tire changes. i'm content with a MUCH MUCH safer pit environment. look what happened last year when Kovaleinen (IIRC) pulled away with the fuel hose attached and Kimi pulled out behind him. flash fire!

also, you don't have to worry about running out of fuel during the race if there is a fueling rig problem.

i'd prefer to see more action on-track, not in the pits.

-Mike

[e10rice]

Well Massa dominated the time sheets again today. No one was in a half second of him at the final lap times. One more day of testing tomorrow.

Unofficial Tuesday test times from Valencia:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:11.722, 124 Laps
2. Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber, 1:12.056, 96 Laps
3. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:12.256, 108 Laps
4. Robert Kubica, Renault, 1:12.426, 119 Laps
5. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:12.899, 119 Laps
6. Rubens Barrichello, Williams, 1:13.377, 102 Laps
7. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso, 1:13.823, 107 Laps

[4agze]

whats Williams engine for 2010? last year 2009 was toyota

[e10rice]

Williams F1 is running Cosworth engines this season along with most of the new teams.

[4agze]

Originally Posted by e10rice

Williams F1 is running Cosworth engines this season along with most of the new teams.

wow cosworth is back can't wait, Lotus & USF1 hope they'll do good this year

[e10rice]

Originally Posted by 4agze

wow cosworth is back can't wait, Lotus & USF1 hope they'll do good this year

Yep their back. Hopefully they'll but together a strong package for the teams to use. It's almost lop sided in the amount of teams using them, and the amount of data their gonna be getting back after every test and race.

[Matador]

The "TF110" might actually make it to the grid.......

[e10rice]

It might.....and its a big might. Stefan GP is still holding on to the notion that if one of the new teams doesnt make it to the first race that they'll be able to get it cleared through the FIA to let them race (using the TF110). They sent a shipping container to Bahrain with parts to prove their ready. We'll see how it pans out.

Ferrari again leads the day so far. Their the only team that has reach below the 1:12.000 line. Heres the times at the half way point today.

Pos. Driver Car Best Time Laps
1 Fernando Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.599 55
2 Pedro de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.094 28
3 Michael Schumacher Mercedes MGP W01 1:12.438 30
4 Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 37
5 Jenson Button Mclaren MP4-25 1:13.498 23
6 Nico Hulkenberg Williams FW32 1:13.669 72
7 Vitaly Petrov Renault R30 1:14.009 29