Williams 'skate fins' legal – Michael

Despite the banning for 2009 of winglets and other bodywork appendages, Williams' new FW31 hit the Jerez test track on Sunday featuring the prominent 'skate fins' on the cockpit sides.

The large vertical fins are reminiscent of last year's engine cover 'horns', which because of the aerodynamic rules changes for 2009 are no longer seen on the cars.

But despite suggestions the surfboard-style Williams fins may be illegal, Technical Director Sam Michael explained: "In the area of the head restraint, the 75 millimetre radius (bodywork) rule does not apply."

The Australian clarified to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that the fins are not downforce-producing, but rather ‘flow aids’.

Michael said BMW Sauber has already dabbled with a similar concept and that it is likely "others will follow suit."

Also evident from recent test appearances is that Toyota is staying with the so-nicknamed 'shark fin' engine cover concept for the new TF109.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International
Vertical wings alongside the cockpit area

 

With the Ross Brawn-led management buyout said to have been approved by Honda's Tokyo board, speculation about the Brackley-based team's new name is now rife.

We reported last week that the neutral 'Brackley F1' was a frontrunner, but another likely alternative has now emerged.

Although reference to a specific individual was thought unlikely, due to the several officials (and therefore shareholders) involved in the buyout, the team may in fact use Principal Ross Brawn's name, rumours suggest.

The internet domain brawnracing.com and similar iterations have reportedly been registered in recent days by Caroline McGrory, who has been the Honda team's legal counsel for some years.

The latest rumours, meanwhile, suggest that the airline Emirates may be lined up as a 2009 title sponsor.

Also whispered is that while former Chief Executive Nick Fry is no longer leading the buyout, he may still be involved in the team's new guise, although not as Chief Executive.

There had been suggestions that the team might make it to Jerez this week for the penultimate group test of the pre-season, but the session kicked off on Sunday without Honda.

At a recent media gathering, however, Williams' Adam Parr indicated he believes the team's survival is likely.

"The fact that they are still talking is important because if Honda wasn't faced with any serious opportunity then they would have called it a day," the Grove team's Chief Executive said, referring to recent events.

"So the fact that we are four weeks away from the start of the season and they are still making kit must mean that Honda are taking the proposals very seriously,” he added.

Source: GMM
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Tonio Liuzzi could race at the famous Le Mans 24 hour event this year. The 27-year-old Italian is already active in the Middle Eastern-based touring car series Speedcar, as the workload of a Formula One test driver throttles back even further due to the new restrictions.

Liuzzi will travel the entire 2009 calendar as Force India's reserve driver, but his only taste of the VJM02 is likely to be a short Silverstone shakedown prior to Melbourne.

After that, the in-season test ban comes into force, and testers for most F1 teams will instead be active in other racing categories.

"Of course I will try to have a look round to try and keep racing without taking my focus away from F1, as this is for sure my main thing," Liuzzi, a veteran of 39 Grand Prix for Red Bull's F1 teams, said.

"I want to keep my racing experience going and that's why I am looking at projects such as the Le Mans 24 hours. The plan is still fluid for now, but for sure I will try many categories that can keep me racing at a top level," he added.

Source: GMM
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Max Mosley has admitted that capping the budgets of Formula One teams would be a tidy way to slash costs.

The FIA President will present radical cost-cutting proposals for ratification to the World Motor Sport Council next month, after the FOTA team alliance separately reveals its own vision for the future of the sport at a Geneva press conference.

Mosley, intent on bringing down budgets to a 'fraction' of their current massive scale amid the global recession, hinted that this could be done in one of two fundamentally different ways.

"The costs must be contained radically, by limiting the technical possibilities," he said. "Or perhaps we turn the principle around: allow technical freedom and limit the budgets," the Briton told the German weekly Der Spiegel.

The World Motor Sport Council meets on March 17th. The FOTA press conference is scheduled for March 5th.

Source: GMM
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As testing resumed today at Jerez, Pedro de la Rosa joined the McLaren Mercedes test team today to evaluate compounds and casings for Bridgestone's 2010-spec rubber.

Next year's tyres will be different as they will no longer be pre-heated in blankets and must also sustain cars running with heavier fuel-loads due to the ban on refuelling.

While the team conducted some work using blankets, the prime runs were done without pre-heating, providing Bridgestone with useful data for next season.

Despite the day’s session being punctuated by several red flags, the team completed 94 laps before an oil pressure sensor brought de la Rosa's MP4-24 to a premature halt out on the circuit with just 10 minutes of the session remaining.

"Running without tyre blankets makes it harder to get heat into the tyre - but that’s the objective for next year and that’s why Bridgestone will supply the teams with different compounds," de la Rosa explained. "We managed a lot of laps today and the work with the tyres was very positive."

De la Rosa was seventh fastest of the eight on track today with a best time of 1:21.831s, 2.8s off the ultimate pace.

E.A. © CAPSIS International

 

great thread, thanks for sharing!

 

I think if F1 allowed customers cars, the extreme budget of cars would go down.

I know it's like outlawed and all. But if you provided teams with a car and base aero package and let them do the testing. Limit them to a customer's championship, and the driver's. Things would be said and done.

Unlike CART, I think Constructors would be limited to two customers. But make teams like STR, RBR, etc that aren't directly factory related count as customers.

Opinions?

 

I don't think it'd make sense to have a separate championship for customer cars. That would dilute the number of teams competing for the overall constructors championship and therefore make the spread of points even more exaggerated. Besides, if you set up a secondary championship for customer cars, how would you decide what counts as a customer car? Basically, Force India, RBR, STR, Renault, and Williams would all technically qualify as customer cars (chassis from one company, engine from another) which would only leave Ferrari, McLaren, BMW, and Toyota left in the regular championship.