mitch236

Much better paint scheme! Whoever came up with last year's graphics should be canned!

Flying Finn

Maybe but even more so the responsible person for the car itself should be canned!

A.Wayne

Finn,
Interesting to read the previous article regarding TC and launch control , as per our discussion , as i said finny , i know that sound , they where testing it in the earlier videos posted .....

Flying Finn

I agree and strange that it's Trulli who's moaning, wasn't it Toyota (ot least one of them) that sounded like TC was on..?

A.Wayne

Yes the toyota ironically was the most obvious one , Hmmm this makes sense for truilli's trepidation , if toyota is experimenting with a system, then he must fear others must be doing so too, hence his comments. He must feel as if it will soon be impossible to police. THE FIA system controls and monitor the ecu and then they spy on other functions as to wheel speed F/R , TPS position , for driver input etc.... the key is not the ecu but fooling the spy .... Teams will still be able to develop a kind of launch system that will assist them getting of the line as they can map engine power as output vs speed vs G's........In testing at the track or on race weekends the driver can test the mapping effectiveness by switching engine maps with differing parameters........
Based on the article i had posted earlier on the ecu, it is not open source code , so the teams will have to work with the fixed parameters involved, of course the company with this source code is Mclaren Hmmmmm.........

A.Wayne

Honda's new team principal Ross Brawn has clearly had his influence in the newest Honda. The knowledge he gathered at Ferrari particularly shows in the sidepod area. Marked in the image are the cut upper edge of the barge boards. Behind the bargeboard and also pointed out is the strong and simple leading edge at the bottom of the sidepod. Honda is however not following the outboard mirror style which appears not to be very favourable due to the higher edges of the cockpits. The RA108 also follows the Ferrari and Renault trend to simplify the sidepod panel and reduce its size.

mitch236

Well we all knew that teams would be working on ways around the spy to get a launch control sort of thing, it is now apparent that Trulli is really worried that Toyota is behind the others in figuring out what will work. It is interesting that you guys picked up on Toyota as I'm sure all the scruts also picked this up and therefore maybe Toyota is back to the drawing board so to speak.

I really can't wait for the first start of the season to see what shakes out. I can't imagine how the teams will get around launch control without getting caught but that's why I'm here and not working for a team.

Flying Finn

It sucks though as I'm afraid it will be another fiasco as it was before when FIA could not control who had TC and who didn't.

These guys are pretty clever, I have no doubt they can some how do something with the brakes going around the ECU and prevent tyres slipping...

A.Wayne

The ceremony was attended by Renault President and CEO Carlos Ghosn, along with 500 media and VIP guests from around the world, including Michel Tilmant, Chairman of the Executive Board of ING Group, the team announced its determination to return to the front of the F1 field in 2008, thanks to a combination of aggressive design concepts in the new car, and the talents of the sport’s only active double world champion, Fernando Alonso, allied to rookie Nelson Piquet.

ING Renault F1 Team President Bernard Rey explained that the team had set itself demanding targets for the new season. “We expect to see the team back in its normal place, fighting at the front of the field,” explained Rey. “This is the target the team has set for the new car. On the technical side, everybody has worked hard to overcome the problems encountered last year. On the driver front, Fernando Alonso’s return was an important boost. There is optimism inside the team and within Renault.”

Rey also reinforced the value of the Formula 1 programme to the Renault Group, as a pillar of the company’s global sales and marketing strategies. “Formula 1 is a powerful tool for building brand awareness in non-traditional markets, and Renault’s sales outside Western Europe grew by 16.5% in 2007” he concluded. “Our status as a leading team demonstrates Renault can build vehicles that deliver performance, reliability and high technology. From an overall perspective, Formula 1 is a meaningful and profitable investment for Renault.”

R28: blending new solutions and proven technology
The ING Renault F1 Team’s hopes for the 2008 reason rest on the all-new Renault F1 R28. The car ran for the first time last week in Valencia, on Monday 21 January. During the four-day test, the car completed over 1500 km, indicating strong early reliability in spite of numerous changes to the 2008 technical regulations, including the introduction of the Standard ECU and long-life gearboxes. The team also made encouraging progress with set-up and performance development, allowing the car’s debut to be judged as promising.

The new car represents a shift in design philosophy from its predecessor, in order to extract optimum performance from the Bridgestone tyres that all competitors have used since the start of 2007. The new car features revised weight distribution and a new aerodynamic concept to match, which has been enabled by the introduction of a “zero-keel” front suspension mounting. The monocoque and bodywork to improve the packaging of the car’s mechanical systems while under the skin, the SECU and new gearbox represent the biggest changes. As with all new designs, the team has worked hard to improve stiffness and remove weight throughout the car, to provide maximum set-up adjustability from circuit to circuit.

Technical Director Bob Bell labelled the car “much less evolutionary” than its predecessor, continuing: “2007 was a very poor year by our standards. For 2008, there are high expectations inside and outside the team, and it is down to us to give the drivers a competitive car. We have put the problems from 2007 behind us and in terms of the car design, we have looked at the problem afresh. The team pushed very hard in all areas, and particularly on the aerodynamics. The front end of the car has come in for special attention with a brand new front wing and the front suspension. The rear end has also been heavily reworked, and we haven’t neglected the basics. The car ran reliably in its first test, and we made encouraging progress on performance development last week. We are confident that the advances we have seen in the wind tunnel will be reflected on track.”

The car will once again be powered by the RS27 V8 engine, which remains substantially the same as last year’s unit, given the engine homologation rules currently in force. Engine ancillaries must be homologated by the first race of the year, while the team has also had a heavy workload adapting to the demands of the SECU.

“The transition to the SECU was a big workload, and remains so,” explained Deputy Managing Director (Engines), Rob White. “The unit itself is the most obvious change for the new season, but there are many new software tools and programmes that accompany it. We have had to adapt to them all, and learn how to get the most from them. While we are not allowed to develop the engine itself, there remains much to do to assure its reliability in-car performance. These V8’s remain complicated and sophisticated, and we must be vigilant about component supply and quality, and concerning changes in the way the engine is used in the car. We are determined to return to the front, and we have worked tirelessly towards this goal for many months.”



Back to the future
The ING Renault F1 Team’s race drivers for 2008 will be double world champion Fernando Alonso and rookie Nelson Piquet. Alonso returns ‘home’ to the team where he won his two world titles after a sabbatical season with rivals McLaren-Mercedes, and has already reacclimatised to life at Renault. He has tested twice with the team this month, setting fastest time at the recent Jerez test with the old R27, before beginning the initial on-track development of the R28 last week in Valencia. The Spaniard scored 15 of his 19 career wins with Renault, and is the only man to have finished in the world championship top three over the past three seasons.

“The entire team is absolutely determined to get back to the top, they are pushing very hard and that is a big motivation for me,” commented the 26 year old Spaniard. “First and foremost, I am a racer, and I obviously want to win. I will do my maximum to make that happen, and I know that is what is expected from me. Some people have suggested that I have unfinished business from 2007, but that’s not the way I look at it. I am preparing for this season the same way I always have done: by concentrating on my job. My first feeling with the car was good and the team is working incredibly hard. It looks encouraging at the moment.”

Nelson Piquet will partner Alonso in his debut Formula 1 season, as another famous name returns to the sport. While Nelsinho may carry a famous name, he is determined to make his own mark in F1, and to build on the experience he gained last year as test driver for the ING Renault F1 Team. The 2006 GP2 series runner-up was also the youngest ever British F3 champion during his junior career, and the 22 year old Brazilian will now look to confirm his potential at the highest level.

“Melbourne still seems a long way off to me,” commented Nelsinho. “We have a lot of work to do beforehand, and I am focused on the next test sessions and our development programme. That will help me improve my physical condition too, because driving is always the best preparation; and I can continue learning to make sure I am ready for my first Grand Prix. My aim this year is to get the maximum out of the package, and to do a good job for the team. There will be a lot to learn and I not underestimating the challenge of Formula 1.”

The race driver pairing will be aided in their test and development work by third driver Lucas di Grassi, runner-up in the 2007 GP2 series championship, and test driver Romain Grosjean, who will also compete in the 2008 GP2 series with ART Grand Prix. 23 year old Brazilian di Grassi will conduct the majority of the team’s development work alongside Fernando and Nelsinho, while Grosjean will get his first taste of F1 at a number of tests during the year. The 21 year old Swiss-born Frenchman has already made a flying start to his season in GP2, taking a double victory in the opening rounds of the GP2 Asia championship last weekend.

A stronger team at every level
The ING Renault F1 Team enters the 2008 season in rude health, following substantial technology investments by Renault SA during 2007 and the acquisition of new commercial partners for 2008. The CFD centre of excellence is currently under construction at Enstone, and will be operational by the second half of 2008. The facility will provide cutting-edge development resources for the team and also for the development of more efficient road cars in future Renault ranges. Coupled to a stable technical team with a proven track record, the outlook for the new season is positive.

“We have the strength in depth to overcome our disappointments,” concluded Managing Director Flavio Briatore. “Renault has invested for the future at Enstone, especially with the new CFD Centre, which gives us the stability we need to move forward. The new car is a change in direction for the team, and we have been aggressive with the concept. When you add in Fernando’s ability to lead the team on the track, it is a powerful combination. Remember, in 2007 we finished third in the championship with a bad car, that we did not develop for half of the season. For 2008, we have a good car – and a world champion driver. The situation looks promising.”

A.Wayne

On Renault R28

Similar to Honda's totally different strategy, Renault had to do something very different to get back on form. The French team have gotten rid of their V-keel and instead designed a low nose that allowed the team to hold on to their almost horizontal frontal wishbones. As a comparison, the RA108 is on top with the R28 on the bottom. It is clear that the nose of the Renault is substantially longer and also lower between the front wheels. Metric markings are added, using the Renault front wheelnut as a reference. While the lower wishbones connected to the chassis lower than the wheel nut on the R28, Honda has them attached higher, at least as high as the nut itself. As a result, Renault have a potentially better suspension geometry. That was most likely the aim of the French team as it will allow them to adapt better to the Bridgestones after their tyre struggle last year.

A.Wayne

The R28, Renault's 2008 contender, was presented today at the team's communications headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt, on the banks of the Seine in south-west Paris. Bellow you can find the technical specifications of the R28.

Renault F1 R28 Technical Specifications

Chassis: Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, manufactured by the
Renault F1 Team and designed for maximum strength and stiffness with minimum weight.
RS27 V8 engine installed as a fully-stressed member.
Front suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to a torsion bar and damper units which are mounted at the front of the monocoque. Zero-keel design for front suspension mounting in order to optimise front end aerodynamic performance.
Rear suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operating vertically-mounted torsion bars and horizontally-mounted damper units mounted on the top of the gearbox casing.
Transmission: Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with one reverse gear. “Quickshift” system in operation to maximise speed of gearshifts.
Fuel system: Kevlar-reinforced rubber fuel cell by ATL.
Cooling system: Separate oil and water radiators located in the car's sidepods and cooled using airflow from the car's forward motion
Electrical: MES-Microsoft standard Electronic Control Unit.
Braking system: Carbon discs and pads (Hitco); calipers by AP Racing.
Cockpit: Removable driver’s seat made of anatomically formed carbon composite, with six-point harness seat belt. Steering wheel integrates gear change and clutch paddles.

Car dimensions and weight
Front: track 1450 mm
Rear: track 1400 mm
Overall length: 4800 mm
Overall height: 950 mm
Overall width: 1800 mm
Overall weight: 605 kg, with driver, camera and ballast


Renault F1 RS27 Technical Specifications
Capacity: 2400 cc
Architecture: 90° V8
Weight: 95 kg
Max rpm: 19,000 rpm
Spark plugs: Champion
ECU: MES SECU
Fuel: Elf
Oil: Elf
Battery: Renault F1 Team

Identical specification RS27 engines will be supplied to the ING Renault F1 Team and to Red Bull Racing for the 2008 season.

A.Wayne

A modern bespoke wind tunnel is a necessity rather than a luxury in Formula 1. Such is the intensity of competition at motorsport’s top level, that a 10 percent improvement in the complex and highly-sophisticated relationship between downforce and drag on the wings of a Formula 1 car will translate into a one-second improvement in lap time.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has a fully enclosed wind tunnel at the McLaren Technology Centre, which has been built exclusively for the team’s use and has been operational since 2001. The building is an acoustically sealed block with two walls linked to the structure by rubber mounts to minimise noise break-out and vibration.

The 145 metre tunnel, in the shape of a rectangular circuit is located within the building and the air is driven by a giant fan which is four metres in diameter and rotates at up to 600 rpm.

Operation
Once air is circulating in the tunnel, it goes through a whole series of conditioning processes to ensure that by the time it reaches the test chamber it is flowing steadily and uniformly, guaranteeing consistent and accurate results.


After first being slowed down, simply by being fed into a wider section of the tunnel, it then enters the stilling chamber, where a mesh screen takes out some of the turbulence.

Next, it is forced through a honeycomb to straighten it out after which two further screens remove any remaining turbulence.

From the stilling chamber it flows into the contraction chamber where it is compressed to increase the velocity and iron out any boundary layer effects before it enters the test cell in pristine condition.

Aerodynamic Testing
As well as testing new development parts for the cars, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes also maps its aerodynamics in the tunnel.

Different wing angles and set-ups are needed for different race tracks and all have to be tested, with tables of aerodynamic data built up for the race team’s use. They relate to a myriad of changeable areas – flap, angles, rear wing angles, cooling options, brake ducts, bodywork exits and so on.

The 50% scale model of the car which is used in the wind tunnel is made from carbon fibre and modelling block and is attached to a support strut, through which it is connected to a mechanism that can control its pitch and ride height to an accuracy of 0.01mm.

Creating an aerodynamic map to be used to develop the settings for each race allows the precise balance between drag and downforce to be determined according to which circuit the car is being prepared for.

Facts & Figures

* Using 400 tonnes of steel between 8-10mm thick, the wind tunnel’s construction was the equivalent of building a fairly large ship.
* It is 145 metres long and six metres square at its widest point.
* The air is driven round by a giant fan, four metres in diameter, which rotates at up to 600rpm.
* The fan sucks in air from outside in such volume and at such a rate (15 cubic metres per second) that if the building were sealed, the walls would implode.

Source McLaren

A.Wayne

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, February 12th 2008, 16:33 GMT

Lewis Hamilton at JerezLewis Hamilton and Pedro de la Rosa led the way for McLaren on the first official day of testing at Jerez in Spain on Tuesday.

With the focus returning to on-track work, following the racism controversies of Barcelona earlier this month, the pair worked through a full programme to end the day a few tenths clear of Robert Kubica's BMW Sauber.

Kazuki Nakajima proved that Williams' front wing problems from Barcelona were well behind them as he set the fourth quickest time, while Nelson Piquet Jr ended up fifth quickest - having spent some of the day practicing pitstops.

Nick Heidfeld was sixth quickest, but he had a far from smooth day as he stalled at the exit of the pits just before lunch before suffering other niggling problems.

Mark Webber, whose Red Bull Racing RB4 continued to feature the 'Shark Fin' engine cover, ended up seventh overall - having recovered from a bit of chaos in the morning when the track officials delayed opening the circuit because a worker was in a dangerous position.

Cars wait for the lights to change at the end of the pitlane The cars were all heading for the pit exit at 9am when the lights went red because the worker, helping out with improvements to the run-off area at the last corner ahead of this weekend's MotoGP test, was seen walking on the track.

Webber stalled his engine when he stopped, while other cars had to be pulled back to their garage for the five minute delay to the start of proceedings.

Sebastian Vettel, who was ninth fastest, brought out a red flag at 3.45pm when he went off at Turn 10, while the other red flag was caused by Alexander Wurz who went off at the first corner at 11.21am.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:19.102 89
2. de la Rosa McLaren-Merecedes (B) 1:19.287 88
3. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:19.539 91
4. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:19.601 93
5. Piquet Renault (B) 1:19.660 120
6. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:19.958 94
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:20.013 113
8. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:20.029 125
9. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:20.105 53
10. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:20.176 111
11. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:20.418 82
12. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:21.133 71
13. di Grassi Renault (B) 1:21.200 92
14. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:21.400 90
15. Liuzzi Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:21.553 103
16. Wurz Honda (B) 1:21.950 86

A.Wayne

F1 humor : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oew7V...eature=related

ltc

The paddock was a happier place with Eddie Jordan......