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Im hoping we might get to see what the cars are actually going to look like come race day. There seems to be a lot of non race bodywork on display. I presume teams do this to validate CFD. I would have thought they would want as much time as possible with a car very close to race spec.
I think it's because so much has changed this year teams want a shake down test to just check the fundamentals are working and it's all screwed together correctly. As far as I understand the FIA had originally planned just 2 tests (the ones coming up in Bahrain). But the teams wanted more time to test and agreed between themselves and FIA to hire out Barcelona for an extra test.
Progress under pressure. The first Cadillac Formula 1® Team livery is here.
It looks okay but there are positives and negatives to eash side. 😉
Cadillac livery is very poor compared to their striking WEC liveries.
everyone eventually worked out what the sweet spot between running lower ride height and stiffer springs was.
I'm not sure they did TBH, The '25 Ferrari was clearly designed to be run much lower - It actually won a race in that configuration after all. Truoble is, they couldn't stop it from rubbing it's plank (not a euphemism)
That Cadillac livery reminds me of West era MacLarens
Think back to the start of the ground effect era, some cars lost a bunch of time because they got more porpoising compared to others ... everyone eventually worked out what the sweet spot between running lower ride height and stiffer springs was.
It was much more complex than that. Merc designed their first ground effects car to give incredible downforce when it could be run low to the ground, but that just didn't work on most tracks - there simply wasn't a sweet spot to be found. The Red Bull suspension was designed to keep a more stable platform for ground effects and the car was much more consistent on bumpier circuits. The aero was optimized to be run at a higher ride height, the key thing being that the suspension and aero were designed to work together. The other teams had to fundamentally redesign their aero and suspension before they could find any sweet spot.
Well, proper testing is underway and Williams/Sainz are taking it seriously!
interesting sidepods on the new spec audi ...
https://twitter.com/brakeboosted/status/2021496755502948765
...someone had some Playdough for Christmas!! 🤮
Didn't Merc try that sort of concept without much success?
Merc’s were quite different, much smaller, and I would think they would have exacerbated their porpoising woes by giving less support to the floor. The Audi sidepods are still pretty big, just a very different shape to everyone else up front.
Similar with the narrow upright opening but this still has full width sidepods whereas Mercedes tried to virtually do away with them - which worked great in the wind tunnel. Not so well on the track, they still scored more points with that 'dud' ground effect car than in any of the following ground effect seasons though!
Audi are also pushing aero with their rear wing as well - perhaps they're taking the we've got nothing to lose this year so lets try out all our ideas...
It's a very interesting car, the deep waterslides on the sidepods remind me of the 2022 Ferrari mixed with the 'cannons' from the 2024 Redbull.
Nothing to say it will be quick at this stage of course, but it's a statement of intent for sure!
Not sure if Threads links work on here, but I'll give it a try...
Polar opposite of the Audi sidepods!...
I was thinking of this, but it's good to see some different approaches to the new regs again. I expect that within 2 years they'll all coalesce around whatever turns out to work best.
I expect that within 2 years they'll all coalesce around whatever turns out to work best.
whatever Adrian Newey designs. FTFY!
whatever Adrian Newey designs.
I'm half hoping that Newey and Honda build a world-beater and Alonso wins the next three titles and half hoping that the Alonso curse strikes again and this turns out like the McLaren-Honda-Alonso debacle all over again, just because I don't like Stroll Snr.
At this point - that seems unlikely. The Aston was 5 seconds off the pace…
According to reports the Aston was overheating despite having maximum ventilation gills. Also running with restricted top speed again.
Newey has form for packaging cars too tight.
Not a great start considering the team Honda left in the doo doo have built a whole new engine department from scratch and are running reliably and very fast.
According to reports the Aston was overheating despite having maximum ventilation gills. Also running with restricted top speed again.
Who is reporting that? Aston just said it was a data anomaly or something AFAIK, don't think they specified?
Anyway as much as it would be funny as **** to have Alonso stuck in a car with an underperforming Honda engine again, I do feel a bit bad for them.
A GP2 engine would be fine for a rookie, don't want to throw him straight in at the deep end
According to reports the Aston was overheating despite having maximum ventilation gills. Also running with restricted top speed again.
Who is reporting that? Aston just said it was a data anomaly or something AFAIK, don't think they specified?
Anyway as much as it would be funny as **** to have Alonso stuck in a car with an underperforming Honda engine again, I do feel a bit bad for them.
Answering my own question, AMuS were saying it was overheating, so likely to be legit... 😬
It's almost like they want Hamilton to fail......
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari engineer switch detrimental
Due to the way this was timed, it sounds to me like Adami chose to leave rather than the other way round.
Surely the only reason Lewis would choose to change engineers would be if they had managed to convince Bono to move to Italy....
Watch from 20:00 - Ted is reporting they are after Cédric Michel-Grosjean from McLaren. A deal hasn't been done yet...
https://www.skysports.com/f1/video/33726/13506509/teds-bahrain-testing-notebook
Have Alpine been clever with the rear wing or is everybody else right?
You know that awkward white area on the Williams rear wing.....
Anyway as much as it would be funny as **** to have Alonso stuck in a car with an underperforming Honda engine again, I do feel a bit bad for them.
Chatter that Alonso has been getting very salty today!
Unless they're carrying a ton bag of sand that car and engine is way off the pace.
So if the Aston turns out to be not the best car and the redbull is good how does it reflect on Newey if his old team makes a better car without him
Seems Verstappen has joined Hamilton in saying the cars aren’t really in the spirit of F1. All the lift-and-coast, the crazy first-gear cornering, and the ludicrous start procedure that just about everyone on the grid seems to be unimpressed with.
It’s fun watching the engineering race pre-season, but once we get to Melbourne the general vibe from the actual racing could be a car crash. Literally so, if the starts don’t get easier. I’m struggling to get enthused about cars that demand lifting off to recharge a battery. That’s how I drive my wife’s hybrid Jazz, (a car that I hate, after 20 years of happily owning an 04 model), it’s not racing.
Chatter that Alonso has been getting very salty today!
Unless they're carrying a ton bag of sand that car and engine is way off the pace.
Doesn't sound great, not just engine either...
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-makes-aston-martin-so-bad-to-watch-on-track/
Is it bad that I’ve been hoping for years that Stroll Sr’’s “make it rain cash, set concrete goals” strategy would loudly fall flat on its arse?
That last practice start looked a bit of a shambles.
So if the Aston turns out to be not the best car and the redbull is good how does it reflect on Newey if his old team makes a better car without him
It makes him a gifted engineer who needs set boundaries/management otherwise things can get taken too far. Pretty normal stuff
Looked like collapinto hasn't lost his touch 🤦
I just find it funny drivers moaning. Whoever can do it best will still be fastest and will have the best chance of winning.
And I think we could at least see the first race before everyone is up in arms about it.