F1 Madness

Tag: mclaren

  • 2013 Spanish Grand Prix – F1 Technical Round Up – Part 1

    Formula 1’s return to Europe this past weekend signaled the first round of major updates for most teams. Since most teams are based in Europe it makes bringing more substantial updates to the cars much more easier. Not that teams don’t update their cars at the fly-away races, but returning to Europe just makes things a little more easier. Here is a Part 1 of our F1 technical round up of the Spanish Grand Prix.

     Some of the updates were major changes as in the case with McLaren and Toro Rosso. McLaren were somewhat relying on their Barcelona updates to bring them up to pace with Red Bull and Ferrari. Did it work for them? Not so much. Button struggled to make it into Q3 while Perez did slightly better and qualified P9. Their race performance, however, was much better and they finished P9 and P10.

    Lets take a look at some of the teams.

    Ferrari: They had little tweaks here and there with their body work. They brought a new engine cover which features a longer fin at the back and thats slightly lower than theFerrari_AirflowConditioner_Spains one they’re currently using. The rain in FP1 put a spanner in the works for them to test it. They will bring the same engine cover to Montreal. Together with the new engine cover they tested a new longer exhaust outlet with a more shallower angled exhaust. They also tried new sidepod airflow conditioners, similar to Red Bull’s “D” wing airflow conditioner, except the top section extends over the sidepod and attaches to the cockpit. They’ve somewhat kept the original design of the split airflow conditioner, only with this variation, the front section curves over the top of the sidepod and the rear section remains vertical. The purpose of the curved section is to bring the airflow around the outside of the sidepod, over the exhaust and eventually out the diffuser at the back. Both Ferrari drivers ran an additional horizontal cockpit fin ahead of the wing mirrors in addition to the two horizontal airflow conditioners behind the wing mirrors.

     

    Lotus: Lotus came to Catalunya with a new front and rear wing. There were two changes on the front wing. They had a curved vane on the outer part of the end plate. The main deflector vane in the front wing is not slotted. The rear wing features tiny separated vanes on the endplate.

    McLaren SidePods_Spain

    McLaren:McLaren brought along a new front wing. This new wing had one vertical slot on the endplate and a new upper flap.

    They still stuck to the old three element front wing, whereas other teams are using 5-6 element wings. The sidepods have been given a make over. The vertical air flow conditioners are now attached to the edge of the sidepod making it similar to the “D” wing of Red Bull. They have ditched the horizontal airflow conditioner above the sidepods and went with twin vortex generators, similar to what they ran in 2012

     

    MercCockPitWings

    Mercedes: Mercedes have dropped their three horizontal vortex generators on the side of the cockpit and have replaced it with one larger

    wing. The rest of the car remained largely unchanged with most of the changes unseen.

     

    Part 2 to follow soon.

  • Formula 1 Breaking News: McLaren and Honda together again

    Formula 1 Breaking News: McLaren and Honda together again

    Japanese manufacturer Honda has announced its return to Formula 1.

    Honda has not competed in Formula 1 since shutting down its works team at the end of 2008. However, as a result of Formula 1’s planned change to 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines it has announced a ‘joint project’ with McLaren starting in 2015.

    Rumours about a reunion between McLaren and Honda have been making the rounds for quite some time and the manufacturer is believed to be well advanced in the development of their an all-new 1.6 litre V6 turbo Formula 1 engine.

    Ayrton_Senna_1991_MonacoHonda is no stranger to Formula 1 or McLaren and have won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles four times. The Japanese manufacturer’s previous partnership with McLaren stretched from 1988 to 1992. This alliance brought back fond memories for McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh. “Together Honda and McLaren have a great legacy; we formed a uniquely successful partnership that took on and beat the world,” he said. “Together, we created some of the greatest, most iconic Formula 1 moments of all time which are still being talked about today all around the world.”

    Jenson Button, Honda F1 Works team, 2006Jenson Button, a former works Honda driver, was equally chuffed about the announcement.

    “I’m so thrilled and excited about what is not only a fantastic opportunity for the team but also a great development for Formula 1 fans and the sport as a whole,” said the former champion. “I grew up watching McLaren-Honda Formula 1 cars racing and winning around the world – they wrote their own glorious chapter of F1 history.”

    This brings to an end McLaren’s long-standing relationship with German engine maker Mercedes. The Woking based team have been using the Mercedes powerplant since 1995. Gone will be the familiar McLaren Mercedes to replaced, and re-named, McLaren Honda.

    jenson button, McLaren mercedes, 2013, MalaysiaHopefully, the gleaming silver livery of McLaren will still feature prominently as Honda doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to the design of livery – the 2007 ‘earth dreams’ paint scheme being the perfect example.

    Could this be the dynamic step that McLaren so desperately need to get back on track?

  • Breaking News: McLaren and Honda re-unite

    Breaking News: McLaren and Honda re-unite

    Honda has confirmed that it will return to Formula 1 in 2015 as engine supplier to McLaren.

    The Japanese manufacturer has not competed in F1 since shutting its works team at the end of 2008, but has decided to return as a result of the change to 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines.

    It has been known to have been in talks with McLaren for some time and has already made significant progress with design work on its new engine.

    Honda previously supplied McLaren with engines from 1988-1992, winning both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship four times.

    Source: autosport.com
    Photo: Jmex60, cropped/retouched by Morio (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

  • Video: F1 Ted’s Development Corner – Spanish Grand Prix

    Video: F1 Ted’s Development Corner – Spanish Grand Prix

    Ted Kravitz of Sky Sports F1 gives us a brief overview of all the updates that were brought to Barcelona by the teams and focuses on the rather interesting one’s.

  • Spanish F1 Grand Prix FP3 Results Timesheet

    Felipe Massa went fastest during the final practice session in Barcelona this morning. He inched just 0.006 seconds ahead of Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen.

    The biggest losers this session were certainly McLaren who seem to really be struggling despite all the upgrades they brought along to Barcelona so it really seems like it’s back to the drawing board for them.

    Here is the full Spanish F1 Grand Prix FP3 Results Timesheet:

    spanish-gp-fp3-results

  • McLaren Formula One team Q&A with Sergio Perez

    McLaren Formula One team Q&A with Sergio Perez

    Sergio Perez talks to the McLaren Formula One team about his excitement about the start of the European phase of the F1 season; what he’s getting up to at the moment; what it’s like racing for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes; and why he’s named Checo.

    Q. After your strong performance in Bahrain, What are you up to now?

    Checo: After the first four flyaways, there’s a bit of a natural break – like it’s time for everyone to reset and start a new season in Europe. It always feels exciting returning to Europe – almost like the start of the season again! – but it’s also good that there’s a three-week break between Bahrain and Barcelona. That’s a good time to relax because there’s been a lot of travel for the last 10 weeks. We spend huge amounts of time in airports, so it is nice to finally get some time to myself – I’ll be training throughout the whole time, but I’ll also be seeing friends and family. Hopefully, I can get to watch some football, too!

    I’ll also be back to the MTC to prepare for the Spanish Grand Prix. We’ve got some routine engineering meetings before the race, and it’ll be good to catch up with the team before we go racing again.

    Q. Are you looking forward to the European phase of the season?

    Checo: Absolutely! It’s something I’m looking forward to because Europe is really the home of Formula 1 – the circuits have a lot of history. Tracks like Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Monza have been on the calendar since Formula 1 started in 1950 – I think it’s great that we still have those circuits that represent the sport and all its history. We can never lose them.

    Sergio Perez Q&A with McLaren F1 teamQ. Are you enjoying racing for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes?   

    Checo: It has been great getting to know the whole team – the experience has been all I thought it would be, and more. Everyone has treated me so well and I feel like I have settled in great. After a tough start to the season, we are all united to get this team back where it belongs at the front of the grid. Hopefully, we have turned the corner now.

    The MTC is such an amazing place to work. Every time I go in, I’m impressed by what I see – walking along the boulevard, I see all the great cars from history, and it reminds me what it means to be a McLaren driver: to follow in the footsteps of greats like Emerson, Ayrton and Alain Prost. It is an honour.

    I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all of the team’s loyal fans who give us such great support at all of the races. It really motivates me to do my very best every time I step into the car.

    Q. And finally…. why the nickname ‘Checo’?

    Checo: It’s not really that complicated or interesting. In Mexico, where I come from, all Sergios are automatically given the nickname ‘Checo’. Sorry, there’s no story behind it!

     

  • Formula One Young Talent – Sergio Perez

    F1 driver Sergio Perez
    Sergio Perez may have been thrown in the deep end says Reynard Gelderblom.
    Photo: Mclaren.com

    Sergio Perez certainly caused a few Formula One fan’s hearts to skip a few beats during the Bahrain Grand Prix. Reynard Gelderblom sent us his thoughts on how raw, young talent is introduced to front running teams and how we can avoid such hot-headed rough-around-the edges type racing in future.

    A new hope in reckless abandon

    The 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix was for sure a cracker of a race. Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean drove their way to well deserved podium finishes. Paul Di Resta showed great heart and fight – in many ways he was my driver of the day.

    For some teams, it didn’t go as planned: Mercedes didn’t deliver on their qualifying pace and by now I’m sure you’ll get shot for uttering the word “wing” in the Ferrari garage. For others, it almost ended in tears: As if McLaren doesn’t have enough issues with pace to take back to the drawing board, they’ll certainly need to address another issue that came up during the last two races – Sergio Perez.

    Perez showed pace during the early part of the 2012 season and with Lewis Hamilton’s departure, he finally got his rewards when McLaren signed him as replacement. The problem is, since his podium in Monza, he’s gone right off the boil.

    A promising start to the 2012 season was concluded with some silly incidents and fairly mediocre finishes. Things didn’t start off too well at McLaren either. Constantly being outdone by team mate Jenson Button brought on some questions over his head as early as the Malaysian Grand Prix… but wait, it got worse when we got to China.

    In the early stages of the Chinese GP, Raikkonen became the victim of Perez weaving around excessively. Given that the damage was minimal this didn’t end up being too big an issue, but then we got to Bahrain. After having another fairly quiet first half of the race, Perez in the second half can at best be described as an utter lunatic.

    Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a good inter-team mate rivalry but a hot-headed, hammer and nail assault is hardly what you call good sportsmanship. Granted, Perez may be starting to feel the pressure, but there are surely more suitable ways to show that you belong in a top team like McLaren.

    This however does beg the question, how are future prospects being prepared for when they step up to a front running team. Didn’t we see this before? Felipe Massa was certainly a bit rough around the edges when he moved to Ferrari and I’m sure we’ll never forget Romain Grosjean during the early part of 2012. So much time and money is spent on new technology by all the teams each year, but are they making sure that the people they entrust this to are properly prepared to control it?

    Red Bull will certainly claim to have the right answer with the Torro Rosso team, yet we’ve only really seen Vettel progressing to the flagship team. Perhaps this is a good time to reintroduce the third car for Friday’s second free practice session where the third driver gets an opportunity. Maybe it’s time to look at a mentoring system where young guns get to spend some time with former drivers during the race weekend. I’ve never driven an F1 car so I don’t have any real answers, but I do have some valid questions.

    To me, it just looks like we’re taking tomorrow’s talent and tossing them into the deep end – like coins into a wish pond.

     

    By Reynard Gelderblom

    Reynard Gelderblom is the motorsport editor for Street Motion.

    Keep up to date with the latest local motorsport news by following Street Motion on Twitter.

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  • Jenson Button and Sergio Perez clear the air

    Jenson Button and Sergio Perez clear the air

    The air between McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Sergio Perez has reportedly been ‘cleared’ after an aggressive fight between the pair at the Bahrain GP.

    Sergio Perez has taken some time to find his feet at his new team with a less than impressive debut for the McLaren team. But the Mexican’s eyes must have lit up at the prospect of getting one over more established, world champion teammate Jenson Button. A combination of aggressive attempted overtaking manouvres from Perez left team principal Martin Whitmarsh less than comfortable on the pit wall and prompted Button ‘calm him down’ message to the gantry.

    Word clearly didn’t reach Checo as he continued to try and barge his way past Button. In definite show of superiority JB drove his younger teammate off the track. And after all the wheel banging and a bit of lost bodywork the pair seemed to have settled their differences.”Both Jenson and Checo had an opportunity to express their views to us, and then we gave them the team’s position,” said McLaren sporting director Sam Michael.”That position is quite simple: McLaren allows both its drivers to race hard and fair, and in return its drivers must respect that trust and mustn’t let the team down.” “It was a good discussion, and both Jenson and Checo were keen not only to talk the issues through but also to part on good terms,” Michael concluded.

    Even though the drivers have cleared the air after the race it’ll no doubt be filed in the memory for the next time to find each on the track.

  • F1 2013: Teammate Battle

    F1 2013: Teammate Battle

    By definition winning the Formula 1 driver’s world title indicates that, by the end of the season, one of the drivers had outdone his twenty-one counterparts. However, the first man to be beaten is always the teammate.

    Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel v Mark Webber

    Chances are if you beat Sebastian Vettel you’re likely to be close to the championship lead. With several memorable victories Webber has undoubtedly proven that he possesses great talent. However, raking in the big points consistently hasn’t been Webber’s forte. For the Australian to beat his world champion teammate AussieGrit will need to deliver the best season of his career.

    Ferrari: Felipe Massa v Fernando Alonso

    Felipe Massa ended off the 2012 season in the best form he had for quite some time. But if Massa had a solid end to the season Fernando Alonso arguably had the best season of his F1 career. Given their performance in relation to each other it remains highly unlikely that Massa will be able to outrace Alonso for a significant amount of time.

    McLaren: Sergio Perez v Jenson Button

    Sergio Perez has talent, but it is raw talent. McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh even Ron Dennis will try to mould him into a complete racing driver but it will be up to Checo to refine his racing craft.  Since joining McLaren Jenson Button has looked supremely at ease save for a few spells of irregular results. Checo Perez has the speed to beat his teammate but JB has speed, guile and a settled team around him.

    Lotus: Romain Grosjean v Kimi Raikkonen

    Romain Grosjean survived his woeful season to be re-signed by Lotus. Too many incidents has coloured opinion on Grosjean and objective number one for the Frenchman has to be a composed approach to racing. Only then can he consider a tactic on how to beat Kimi Raikkonen. For Raikkonen it will be business as usual; get in the car, drive it fast. He’s not really bothered about beating the guy on the other side of the garage – it’s just about racing as fast as he possibly can. Grosjean may have a slight advantage in qualifying but if the E21 is up to it in 2013 Raikkonen is not going to be an easy man to beat.

    Mercedes: Nico Rosberg v Lewis Hamilton

    Nico Rosberg’s Formula 1 career has been relatively solid but far from spectacular. His first and only victory, to date, in China finally got the monkey off his back but a solitary win won’t mean much when it’s measured against the prolific Lewis Hamilton. For Hamilton there’s a great urge to take Mercedes to the top of the podium and that will be his solitary focus this season. He’s unlikely to be troubled by Nico Rosberg.

    Williams: Pastor Maldonado v Valtteri Bottas

    Venezuelan Maldonado toned down his kamikaze racing style in the second half of the 2012 season but wasn’t pushed by teammate Bruno Senna. It should be different in 2013 with Valterri Bottas. Much has been made of the Finn’s speed in the paddock but he will need to hit the ground running if he is to outperform his teammate.

    Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg v Esteban Guiterrez

    Nico Hulkenberg had a strong comeback with Force India in 2012 but starts this season on a level playing field with Guiterrez. It’s never easy stepping into a new car or a new team. While Hulkenberg should outdo Guiterrez the young Mexican will be especially keen to shake the ‘pay driver’ label.

    Force India: Paul di Resta v Adrian Sutil?

    Scotsman Paul di Resta will drive the VJM06 alongside Adrian Sutil. As is the case for several drivers, this season will be about more than beating their respective teammates, it will be about survival.

    For Daniel Ricciardo & Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso), Charles Pic & Giedo van der Garde(Caterham), Max Chilton & Jules Bianchi (Marussia) beating the teammate will be as important as ensuring a place in Formula 1. As these lower ranked teams, perhaps with the exception of Toro Rosso, struggle to survive these drivers have to be aware that there is always another driver around the corner with a bigger cheque.

     

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  • F1 Testing in Barcelona

    Formula One and @F1_Madness fan, Laura Rocchigiani (@Yzzzma) was lucky enough to go to Barcelona and watch the pre-season F1 testing live. She sent us a few of her photos of the f1 cars heading around the testing track and we must say we are very envious and most impressed!