multi21

Given this bootleg film, it's highly unlikely Ron Dennis would invite him back as a McLaren driver Whine Pablo is truly embracing the NASCAR lifestyle.

A.Wayne

F1


Each new Formula One season sees a raft of major and minor regulation updates, aimed at achieving a range of different objectives - and 2008 is no different. Some have been well publicised, such as the ban on traction control, others less so, such as the loss of qualifying’s ‘fuel burn’ phase.

In a bid to analyse their impact, the Renault team guide us through the primary changes in the first of a two-part feature…

Technical Regulations, Article 5; Sporting Regulations, Article 28.5
"As in 2007, only homologated engines may be used in the 2008 championship. For the new season, the homologation perimeter has been widened to include all elements included in Articles 5.4 and 5.17 of the Technical Regulations. Items included in Article 5.17 can be changed without penalty, but only with components of an identical design. The duration of the engine homologation period is likely to be five years, and competitors will now be able to make their first engine change during the season without a grid penalty being imposed. However, this change may only be made in the event of a genuine failure."
IMPACT: The extension of the homologation perimeter is a logical step onwards from the homologation phase that began in 2007. Homologating engine ancillaries in addition to the V8 itself prevents teams from diverting significant spend into areas of very small return, such as the development of improved fuel pumps. The ‘free’ first engine change is a significant change to the rules, but cannot be exploited as a ‘joker’ owing to the fact that it must be as a result of a genuine technical failure.


Technical Regulations, Article 8.2
"8.2 Control electronics:
8.2.1 All components of the engine and gearbox, including clutch, differential and all associated actuators must be controlled by an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which has been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to a specification determined by the FIA. The ECU may only be used with FIA approved software and may only be connected to the control system wiring loom, sensors and actuators in an manner specified by the FIA."
IMPACT: The introduction of the Microsoft-MES SECU (Standard Electronic Control Unit) marks a significant change for the ING Renault F1 Team, which previously used the Magneti-Marelli Step 11. In technical terms, the SECU is about half as powerful as the outgoing system, with a quarter of the memory. The SECU package is composed of six units, with a weight gain of over 35 percent compared to the previous system. The introduction of the SECU eliminates a number of control systems, including traction control and EBS (engine braking system). In total, the loss of these systems will cost up to 0.4s per lap.


Technical Regulations, Article 13.1.1
"A revised cockpit entry template for 2008 gives greater lateral driver head protection
compared to the design used in 2007. The upper edge of the chassis side now sits 655mm above the reference plane (roughly 20mm above the highest point in 2007) and maintains this maximum height along a length of 270mm. The resulting head protection is more substantial than in previous years."
IMPACT: The new head protection was introduced to reduce the risk of driver injury in the event of one car passing over another, following an incident at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix. This change has led the team to pay particular attention to the question of inboard or outboard placement of the mirrors, to ensure maximum visibility. This modification to the rules is a further example of the FIA drive to maintain Formula One at the pinnacle of motor sport and automotive safety.


Technical Regulations, Article 15.1
"A list of permitted materials may be found in the Appendix to these regulations."
IMPACT: The materials restrictions in force from 2008 means that the cars must be built from a list of approved materials. This eliminates some of the more exotic and expensive materials that were being used in small quantities by some teams, without forcing constructors into retrograde steps in technology. This restriction has been designed to prevent the diversion of spend into areas of diminishing return, as restrictions are imposed elsewhere in the regulations.


Technical Regulations, Article 19.4.5
"19.4.5 A minimum of 5.75 percent (m/m) of the fuel must comprise oxygenates derived from biological sources. The percentage that each component is considered to originate from a biological source is calculated from the relative proportion of the molecular weight contributed by the biological starting material."
IMPACT: Formula One fuel has been strictly regulated since 1993, when the FIA imposed unleaded fuel that had to meet the Euro 95 standard applied to pump fuel for normal road cars. Prior to 1992, Formula One racing had used leaded fuel with very high octane ratings for maximum power. Since specifying the use of ‘pump fuel’, the FIA’s has ensured Formula One racing operates in advance of standards in force for production cars. The introduction of a small percentage of bio-fuels anticipates 2010 road car norms.

mitch236

So for the engine swap teams get one free pass for the entire season? Do they have to use the free pass or can they save it up for the end of the season?

I find it interesting that the new ECU package weighs more and does less! Way to go Microsoft!!!

Flying Finn

You can change the engine as many time as you want but only when there's a failure (i.e. not after the quali "just becasue" since the quali engine was totally differently tuned etc.).
I guess now they could really tune the engine up (but then again with McLaren ECUs?) and blow it up after the last run by mis shifting or something...

mitch236

When I read this, I thought it implied that only one engine change per season. Am I reading this wrong?

Flying Finn

One of us is reading it wrong because I thought it implied that you can change engines more than once per season without being penalized.
For sure you won't get me to bet which way it is!

A.Wayne

It appears you are allowed 1 engine change with no penalties. You will be penalized for everyone after that , as before. Most drivers really only suffer 1 catastrophic failure per , if it had happened to be at critical time , in the past you where penalized for it , now you get a happy hour pass....

mitch236

So only one for the whole season? That opens the door for some gut wrenching decisions should an engine fail early in the season.

A.Wayne

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, February 20th 2008, 16:21 GMT

Felipe Massa at BarcelonaFelipe Massa topped the times on a damp third day of testing at Barcelona in Spain on Wednesday, despite a minor off in the morning.

Teams had hoped for improved weather conditions but rain in the morning ensured the track would be damp for the entire day.

Massa, running revised aerodynamics on the Ferrari, set a lap that was six tenths of a second faster than Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber, whose RB4 continued to lead the chasing pack of cars.

It was not all plain sailing for Massa, however, after he slid off the track at Turn 12 just before midday. There was no damage to the car, however, and the Brazilian was able to resume testing shortly afterwards.

Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer was third fastest, ahead of David Coulthard in the Red Bull Racing car and Fernando Alonso in the Renault.

Nico Rosberg ended up sixth quickest overall, with his Williams team deciding to make the most of the poor track conditions to practice pi stops.

The German completed around 20 stops over the day, as well as completing long runs, with teammate Kazuki Nakajima also putting in some pitstop practice earlier in the day.

Toyota's Timo Glock brought out the second red flag of the day when he went off the track at Turn 1 shortly after 4pm. His car kissed the barriers on the left-hand side of the circuit, but without major damage.

"That was only half a day's work for me today because the morning was too wet for us to gain anything from testing," said Glock. "In the afternoon we did some running in the wet conditions - first on heavy wet tyres, changing to standard wet tyres.

"The track conditions changed quite a lot as the track dried out but not enough. It was difficult to draw conclusions but we found a similar picture to the dry which will help us define where we concentrate our work. We have a few more days of testing to work out how to move forward so we will push hard."

McLaren had been due to run today but decided not to waste their mileage because of the weather.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:30.673 46
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:31.213 43
3. Badoer Ferrari (B) 1:31.288 33
4. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:31.654 44
5. Alonso Renault (B) 1:31.731 28
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:31.963 97
7. Glock Toyota (B) 1:32.407 33
8. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:32.571 47
9. Hulkenberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:33.102 53
10. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) no time 33
11. Piquet Renault (B) no time 1

A.Wayne

Vodafone has overtaken Marlboro as the most visible sponsor in Formula One, a report has found.

The British mobile operator was ranked fourth in the table in 2006, when represented on the Ferrari livery, but tripled its exposure and climbed to top spot with its new title sponsorship of the Mercedes-powered team.

The media-watch business Margaux Matrix also found that four more McLaren sponsors featured in the top-10 of 2007, while Ferrari's Marlboro backing was relocated to second place.

The only other Ferrari sponsor in the top ten was Shell (fourth), while McLaren's Mercedes-Benz, Hugo Boss, Mobil 1 and newcomer Aigo all featured.

Renault sponsor Elf, meanwhile, dropped out of the top ten, as only new title sponsor ING made the 2007 list (eighth) for the dethroned world champions.

Apart from common tyre supplier Bridgestone, energy drink Red Bull - with its two Formula One teams - was the only other non-McLaren or Ferrari brand in the ten.

A.Wayne

By Pablo Elizalde Thursday, February 21st 2008, 15:16 GMT

The Renault F1 team have announced Mutua Madrilena has signed a two-year partnership agreement with the French squad.

The Spanish insurance company returns to Renault after a year sponsoring the McLaren team and Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, now back at Renault.

Mutua Madrilena said at the time of leaving McLaren that its decision was not linked with Alonso's exit.

"We are happy to see the reunion of what has proved to be a solid and dynamic partnership," said team boss Flavio Briatore.

"We want to build on the success of our close relationship with Mutua Madrilena as we strive to reach even greater heights in the years ahead.

"They join a solid base of partners, confirming the team's positive outlook, and I am sure we will enjoy a successful future together."

Mutua Madrilena President Ignacio Garralda added: "The partnership with the ING Renault F1 Team is a logical extension of our company's strategic approach and one of the most effective ways to communicate with the public.

"We began our involvement in Formula One with this team, so we feel at home, and confident that the continuity of this relationship will help bring success for both organisations."

A.Wayne

Heikki Kovalainen admits he was not ready for Formula One twelve months ago, but has now set his sights on beating his highly rated new team-mate, Lewis Hamilton.

The Finn had an appalling debut Grand Prix in Melbourne last year with Renault, but will return to Australia one year on hoping to give title protagonist Hamilton a run for his money at McLaren.

"I will do everything I can to beat him," Kovalainen is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. "I don't think I was physically and mentally ready last year. I hadn't prepared well enough. But I've already changed things to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Kovalainen insists that he is fully comfortable at the wheel of his new mount, the Mercedes-powered MP4-23; a car with which Hamilton is hoping to improve on his runner-up spot in the 2007 drivers' championship.

"I'll be turning up for the first Grand Prix in Melbourne in a car I feel fully comfortable in and know exactly how to set up," he said.

"The increased confidence should enable me to have a good race," the Finn added.

A.Wayne

Managing change: what’s new for 2008 - Part Two

It is not just the technical regulations that have changed for 2008. There have also been some important revisions to the sporting regulations - revisions that could have a major effect on the outcome of races this season.

In the second of a two-part feature, Renault analyse the likely impact of a shortened Q3 qualifying session, the new four-race gearbox requirement, and more…

Sporting Regulations, Article 22.1
22.1 a) Testing shall be considered any track running time undertaken by a competitor entered in the Championship with the exception of:
i) promotional or demonstration events carried out using tyres provided specifically for this purpose by the appointed supplier;
ii) young driver training, any such driver having not competed in an F1 World
Championship Event in the preceding 24 months nor tested a Formula One car on more than four days in the same 24 month period.
IMPACT: Exempting young driver evaluations from the annual limit on testing mileage removes one of the barriers to new drivers entering the sport; the difficulty of giving young drivers F1 seat time was an unintended consequence of last year’s blanket testing restrictions. Renault have already put this clause to good use, evaluating Alvaro Parente as his prize for winning the 2007 World Series by Renault. Teams are limited to a total of 350km during these evaluation days.

Sporting Regulations, Article 28.1
28.1 Each competitor may have no more than two cars available for use at any one time during an Event. Any partially assembled survival cell will be deemed to be a car in this context if it is fitted with an engine, any front suspension, bodywork, radiators, oil tanks or heat exchangers.
IMPACT: This regulation means the disappearance of spare cars from the team garages. This is a logical move towards greater cost-efficiency in an era of nearly flawless reliability up and down the pit-lane. Teams will likely take one less chassis to the races than in previous years (in most cases, a total of three in 2008, compared to four previously).

Sporting Regulations, Article 28.6
28.6 a) Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four consecutive Events in which his team competes. Should a driver use a replacement gearbox he will drop five places on the starting grid at that Event each time a further gearbox is used. Unless the driver fails to finish the race (see below) the gearbox fitted to the car at the end of the Event must remain in it for three further Events. Any driver who failed to finish the race at the first, second or third of the four Events for reasons beyond the control of the team or driver, may start the following Event with a different gearbox without a penalty being incurred.
d) At the second, third and fourth Events seals may be broken once, under supervision and at any time prior to the start of the qualifying practice session, for the sole purpose of changing gear ratios and dog rings (excluding final drives or reduction gears). Gear ratios and dog rings (excluding final drives or reduction gears) may also be changed under supervision for others of identical specification at any time during an Event provided the FIA technical delegate is satisfied there is evident physical damage to the parts in question and that such changes are not being carried out on a systematic basis.
IMPACT: Following the successful, phased introduction of long-life engines since 2004, the “long-life principle” has now been extended to include gearboxes. Each gearbox must last a total of four ‘events’ (an event comprising Saturday and Sunday of a GP weekend), a significant step over the unrestricted situation of 2007. Renault has worked hard to ensure the necessary levels of reliability without compromising the speed of its “quickshift” mechanism. Ratios can still be changed once each weekend, in order to match them to the requirements of the circuit.

Sporting Regulations, Article 29.1
29.1 b) Fuel may not be added to nor removed from any car eligible to take part in Q3 between the start of Q3 and the start of the race (…)
IMPACT: With refuelling no longer allowed between the end of qualifying and the race, the format more closely resembles that which was introduced in 2003, which saw single lap qualifying with cars carrying their fuel load for the first race stint. The change will naturally lead teams to run shorter stints at the start of the race, as pioneered by Renault in 2003; where ‘rearward-biased’ strategies were the norm in 2007, ‘forward-biased’ strategies are more likely in 2008.

Sporting Regulations, Article 33
33) QUALIFYING PRACTICE
33.1 The qualifying practice session will take place on the day before the race from 14.00 to 15.00. The session will be run as follows:
a) From 14.00 to 14.20 (Q1) all cars will be permitted on the track and at the end of this period the slowest seven cars will be prohibited from taking any further part in the session. Lap times achieved by the seventeen remaining cars will then be deleted.
b) From 14.27 to 14.42 (Q2) the seventeen remaining cars will be permitted on the track and at the end of this period the slowest seven cars will be prohibited from taking any further part in the session. Lap times achieved by the ten remaining cars will then be deleted.
c) From 14.50 to 15.00 (Q3) the ten remaining cars will be permitted on the track. The above procedure is based upon a Championship entry of 24 cars. If 22 cars are entered only six cars will be excluded after Q1 and Q2.
IMPACT: The move to the 20/15/10 format for knockout qualifying will, when combined with Article 29.1, eliminate the wasteful fuel burning laps at the start of the third and final round. The new format will serve to further increase the tension of the exciting knockout format, with ever-decreasing time in each round to set a competitive time. The elimination of post-qualifying refuelling will also likely spell the end of cars waiting at the end of the pit-lane for the lights to go green, as there is no longer pressure to complete the maximum possible number of laps for the purpose of claiming ‘fuel credits’, as was the case in 2007.

mitch236

So for Q1 and 2 the teams are allowed to play with fuel? At least that's what I read into what was said.

Flying Finn

That's how it's been before but no there's no refueling after Q3 which naturally removes the stupid fuel burning laps they did in previous season(s).