New Cars for 2015 Season

by dyrewolfe Wed 21 Jan 2015, 1:08 pm

First topic message reminder :

Hey - for once I managed to beat Fernando!

Was just reading the BBC sport pages and came across this:

Williams Reveal Car for F1 2015 Season

New Cars for 2015 Season - Page 3 _80414109_williams'newcar

New Cars for 2015 Season - Page 3 _80414109_williams'newcar

The only obvious changes appear to be to the nose, in line with the new regs. Apparently there have been some significant changes under the skin too. Last season's car came in well under weight and had to run with ballast. They've taken the opportunity to use some of the spare weight allocation.

Symonds said that another focus for Williams with the new car was to seek extra performance from parts that previously had been compromised by the need to be light.

They have been able to do this because the 2014 car was already well under the weight limit and carried ballast to make it legal. In addition, the cars' weight limit has been increased this year to ensure heavier drivers are not forced into losing weight to remain competitive.

Symonds said: "We felt we came up against design barriers in the FW36 and so took the opportunity to remove those barriers for the benefit of the performance.

"The FW36 carried a reasonable amount of ballast, so we were able to make alterations to the design for added performance without the fear of adding excessive mass."

Everyone please feel free to add more as other teams release pics...

by Guest Sun 22 Feb 2015, 6:48 pm

Strange accident hitting the inside wall, on a right hander. Vettel said he was going very slowly & just veered off. Weird.

Anyway, as for Mercedes, the last two days on thise slower tyres has suggested 2015, will be very similar to 2014. Very dominant.

by CaledonianCraig Tue 24 Feb 2015, 2:37 pm

I have my suspicions about Alonso's crash. I base these on the rumours that emerged that he was complaining of dizziness before getting in the car. Now I can't help but feel there is no smoke without fire so surely these rumours are based on something. Now if he were dizzy/disorientated then it would explain his 'weird' (in following Vettel's words) crash where he just inexplicably went off the track at a strange angle. I don't buy into the 'wind' theory or else why weren't there more incidents like this? Another thing that backs up the dizzy theory is the decision to keep Alonso in for so long? Why? If this was race weekend he'd have been released straight away of that I am sure and back in the car the following day. And what were these additional tests doctors said they were carrying out? All very strange but interesting.

by Guest Tue 24 Feb 2015, 2:53 pm

Pretty sure the old airfield conditions at Silverstone produce bigger gusts of wind, than what was evident in Barcelona. You will never know the truth, given it's McLaren. Telling, that he needs further doctor examinations & tests, after the original CT scans were clear.

by Guest Tue 24 Feb 2015, 2:59 pm

I love how this has caused such interest & rumour. I hear people calling it 'gust-gate' or 'wind-gate'. I just hope Fernando is recovering & there isn't some issue.

As for McLaren, it's starting to get worrying now, this up & coming final test is time to start showing some progress, otherwise they might be in serious trouble.

Here's the latest laps/km from testing
New Cars for 2015 Season - Page 3 B-iSCAcIcAAhBVp

New Cars for 2015 Season - Page 3 B-iSCAcIcAAhBVp

by CaledonianCraig Tue 24 Feb 2015, 3:11 pm

Rumours are though that the McLaren has potential - it is a matter of ironing out the teething problems but time is running out for that so much of the coming season may be chiefly about learning about the car and engine and improving as season goes on. McLaren see it like that so they aren't making big noises about what they will achieve this year. I think they are sensible enough to realise their limitations for this year and are looking on this more as a long-term project.

by GSC Tue 24 Feb 2015, 3:29 pm

They are effectively where everyone else was a year ago. It only stands out because its only them this year.

Comparatively, they're ahead of where Renault were

by CaledonianCraig Wed 25 Feb 2015, 6:00 am

I don't think that is any surprise though. They have an engine from a manufacturer reentering F1 so that was always going to take time to bed in. And I'd hazard a guess they'd be delighted to have a season like Renault had last year as, for all their problems, they still won races unlike McLaren.

by GSC Wed 25 Feb 2015, 8:52 am

No Red Bull won rather than McLaren or both Mercedes and Renault engines won.

Why would you compare a team and an engine manufacturer

by Guest Wed 25 Feb 2015, 12:55 pm

CaledonianCraig wrote:I have my suspicions about Alonso's crash

Some rumours suggesting he has some electric shock.

A former Formula 1 official doctor, Gary Hartstein, questioned whether McLaren had provided complete and accurate information about Alonso's condition.

Hartstein wrote on his Twitter account: "Don't know what the story is with this non-accident, with a non-injured driver who spends three days in hospital.

"No doubt there is more to this story than meets the eye. By definition a successful sedation yesterday would require absolutely no recovery per se today.

"A story, which was so banal to not be worth mentioning (driver hits wall, driver concussed, driver hospitalised), gets curiouser and curiouser."

McLaren have so far refused to comment on Hartstein's remarks.

by CaledonianCraig Wed 25 Feb 2015, 12:59 pm

GSC wrote:No Red Bull won rather than McLaren or both Mercedes and Renault engines won.

Why would you compare a team and an engine manufacturer

I did initially put in Red Bull and changed it before posting. In any case the point is McLaren aren't expecting anything other than this being a development season.

by CaledonianCraig Wed 25 Feb 2015, 1:03 pm

LiamB wrote:
CaledonianCraig wrote:I have my suspicions about Alonso's crash

Some rumours suggesting he has some electric shock.

A former Formula 1 official doctor, Gary Hartstein, questioned whether McLaren had provided complete and accurate information about Alonso's condition.

Hartstein wrote on his Twitter account: "Don't know what the story is with this non-accident, with a non-injured driver who spends three days in hospital.

"No doubt there is more to this story than meets the eye. By definition a successful sedation yesterday would require absolutely no recovery per se today.

"A story, which was so banal to not be worth mentioning (driver hits wall, driver concussed, driver hospitalised), gets curiouser and curiouser."

McLaren have so far refused to comment on Hartstein's remarks.

More fuel added to the smouldering fire and spot on too. I mean come on it was not even a high speed collision and if you look at photos of the 'crashed' car you can't even really notice where the impact was it looks so slight yet Alonso undergoes an array of tests and kept in way over the normal amount of time for such a basic impact injury.

by GSC Wed 25 Feb 2015, 1:53 pm

They seem to think they can be challenging by the end of the season. The start will likely be a write off

by dyrewolfe Wed 25 Feb 2015, 2:10 pm

CaledonianCraig wrote:
LiamB wrote:
CaledonianCraig wrote:I have my suspicions about Alonso's crash

Some rumours suggesting he has some electric shock.

A former Formula 1 official doctor, Gary Hartstein, questioned whether McLaren had provided complete and accurate information about Alonso's condition.

Hartstein wrote on his Twitter account: "Don't know what the story is with this non-accident, with a non-injured driver who spends three days in hospital.

"No doubt there is more to this story than meets the eye. By definition a successful sedation yesterday would require absolutely no recovery per se today.

"A story, which was so banal to not be worth mentioning (driver hits wall, driver concussed, driver hospitalised), gets curiouser and curiouser."

McLaren have so far refused to comment on Hartstein's remarks.
More fuel added to the smouldering fire and spot on too. I mean come on it was not even a high speed collision and if you look at photos of the 'crashed' car you can't even really notice where the impact was it looks so slight yet Alonso undergoes an array of tests and kept in way over the normal amount of time for such a basic impact injury.

Does seem very fishy.

If there was little or nothing in the way of impact injuries, you have to suspect Honda's troublesome MGU-K. Maybe Alonso suffered burns from overheating or an electric shock, as someone mentioned earlier.

by dyrewolfe Wed 25 Feb 2015, 2:13 pm

More news to have GSC celebrating...i mean reaching for the Lithium. Wink

Manor Marussia (formerly just Marussia) have named Will Stevens as their first race driver for next season. They are also said to be working on new car design, though they aren't saying if its entirely new or just a modified version of last year's design.

The former Marussia team, now known as Manor Marussia, have named Englishman Will Stevens as their first race driver for the new season.

Manor, who went out of business as Marussia in October but have now come out of administration, say they intend to take part in the first race.

A statement said that the car they will use is "an advanced state of build".

But they did not say whether they were referring to a brand new car or a modified version of last year's model.

Earlier this month the Force India team vetoed Manor's attempt to use a modified 2014 car for the start of this season at a meeting of F1's rule-making strategy group, .

Manor hit back by saying they already had agreement from the strategy group to use that car, following an earlier meeting in January.

New rules for this season to do with safety have rendered 2014 cars illegal this year and there has been no further clarification of the situation since.

Stevens has competed in one grand prix, for the now-defunct Caterham team in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season.

Manor, who have not yet named a second driver, said they intended to take part in the season-opening race in Melbourne, Australia on 15 March.

The team said personnel were working "24-7 towards the air freight despatch date of 6 March".

by Guest Wed 25 Feb 2015, 4:39 pm

Fernando Alonso has left hospital, however, he will the third & final test in Barcelona. Kevin Magnussen will take over.

If Mercedes are dominant, I bet Hamilton wouldn't mind a resurgent McLaren challenging towards the end of the season, taking points off Rosberg.

by GSC Wed 25 Feb 2015, 5:03 pm

This theory again? Benefits neither

by Guest Wed 25 Feb 2015, 5:08 pm

yes it does, as last year proved, hamilton picks up the 25 & rosberg the 18, fully expect deja vu this year. having a mclaren or williams or whoever is the most competitive taking second places of rosberg, ultimately benefits hamilton during a championship, in case he has more DNF's than rosberg. quite bored of your quick posts dismissing theories, because you can't understand them.

by Guest Wed 25 Feb 2015, 5:13 pm

gsc offers nothing, but is quick to dismantle someone else's post. i agree, hamilton even stated it last year around silverstone that he wanted more competition, in order to challenge rosberg during races. i fully understand that theory, of course, they can challenge hamilton too, however, you would feel confident in hamilton beating rosberg during any race.

just glad alonso is back, he's only done 100 laps or so in that mclaren, so Button really needs to start with a bang.

by GSC Wed 25 Feb 2015, 6:26 pm

Dem feels

by dyrewolfe Thu 26 Feb 2015, 12:37 pm

LiamB wrote:gsc offers nothing, but is quick to dismantle someone else's post. i agree, hamilton even stated it last year around silverstone that he wanted more competition, in order to challenge rosberg during races. i fully understand that theory, of course, they can challenge hamilton too, however, you would feel confident in hamilton beating rosberg during any race.

just glad alonso is back, he's only done 100 laps or so in that mclaren, so Button really needs to start with a bang.

Good to hear Alonso is out of hospital. Just hope he's well enough to drive in time for Australia. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing what Magnussen can do in a good car (assuming it lives up to its suspected potential).

I think its in the best interests of the sport if Mercedes do have some serious competition. 1 or 2 horse races are usually only exciting to those who are fans of the team(s). It needs more openness and unpredictability. If Williams can push on from last season and if McLaren and Ferrari can challenge for podiums at least, on a regular basis, we could have the makings of a great season.

Hamilton will obviously want some serious competition, if it can cause Rosberg problems, but don't forget the team will be focused on getting the best for both drivers, as the team benefits more from winning the Constructor's title than it does from one of their drivers winning the championship.

by Guest Thu 26 Feb 2015, 10:07 pm

LiamB wrote:Good to hear Alonso is out of hospital. Just hope he's well enough to drive in time for Australia.

Still questionable, whether or not he will race in Australia apparently. Just seen Crofty on Sky F1, says the paddock think he won't make it. Ron asked the FIA to investigate the incident & apparently Ron hasn't even asked Fernando about the crash. Some reports stating Alono suffered 'retrograde Amnesia' when in the medical centre as he couldn't remember the crash & other incidents etc. Further evidence to suggest Alonso won't make Australia is the fact Magnussen has been given two days of testing, surely JB would just take all four days or do McLaren know Alonso's real condition & want Magnussen up to speed straight away.

Interesting stuff. Also, Force India will test the 2015 car tomorrow

by GSC Thu 26 Feb 2015, 10:09 pm

Big ask to do all 4 days in a F1 car, especially since it isn't segmented into sessions.

Even given McLaren will run about 20 laps in that time

by dyrewolfe Fri 27 Feb 2015, 12:39 pm

I think its fair to assume McLaren will have a few DNFs this season.

As long as they can put in good performances while they are running, at least they'll know they have the makings of a good car. Just a matter of fixing the reliability issues after that (easier said than done).

Its also not helping that the team are being so secretive about Alonso's incident...unless they genuinely don't know what caused it (which woud be highly unusual).

by Guest Fri 27 Feb 2015, 12:51 pm

Mercedes are streets ahead

As for McLaren, 2016 was always going to be the year the team were truly competitive again, not this year.

by Guest Fri 27 Feb 2015, 2:56 pm

McLaren's Fernando Alonso has posted a YouTube message giving an update on his condition after his crash in Barcelona last weekend:

In it, he says: "Hello everyone. as you can see I'm completely fine, I would like to be in the test this week but the doctors' recommendations are to wait a little bit, a couple of days.
"But I will rest this weekend and give you updates next week with progress and see you very soon on the track, and thanks for all the support."

Hopefully, this is now put to bed this story.

Also, Manor Marussia have been named on a 10-team Formula 1 entry list on Friday, subject to conditions that included full compliance with the 2015 technical regulations. Heard a rumour that Ferrari test driver Esteban Gutierrez could be the second driver, along with Will Stevens.

by Guest Fri 27 Feb 2015, 4:59 pm

LiamB wrote:Mercedes are streets ahead

see his 1.22.7?

BBC - "That fastest time by Nico Rosberg on soft tyres - 0.7secs quicker than Williams driver Felipe Massa managed yesterday and 1.2secs ahead of Valtteri Bottas's second fastest lap today - is stunning''.

by Fernando Fri 27 Feb 2015, 9:24 pm

It's not that stunning considering how the track will have rubbered in with the amount of laps done. I expect it's about 0.3/4 faster then Massa on Yesterday's track tbh.

by Guest Sat 28 Feb 2015, 8:03 pm

Mercedes easily still dominant, interesting day today, Ferrari can match the Williams on pace, however, showed a bigger drop off during a long race simulation, in comparison to the Williams. RB are still a ? & McLaren were running the Melbourne spec honda engine, however still didn't look that great.

I think the order is Mercedes / Williams / Ferrari / RB / Lotus / McLaren / Force India

by Fernando Sat 28 Feb 2015, 8:07 pm

I think that Force India will jump Mclaren & Lotus. To come straight out the box and bang in over 200 laps is highly impressive. So could be more to come from them.

by Guest Mon 02 Mar 2015, 11:39 am

Should be a forgone conclusion for Mercedes, another Ham/Ros battle. Hopefully the Williams/Ferrari/RB battle provides excitement, although RB 's 70bhp less power will kill them, no doubt.

FI should start well but the fade due to lack of development & resources.

by Fernando Mon 02 Mar 2015, 12:38 pm

Why Red Bull Why Sad

I liked the Black & white camo it's so much better then this.
New Cars for 2015 Season - Page 3 1425289520

New Cars for 2015 Season - Page 3 1425289571

by dyrewolfe Mon 02 Mar 2015, 3:51 pm

Fernando wrote:Why Red Bull Why I liked the Black & white camo it's so much better then this.

Because those are the colours on their drinks cans?

Of course, they could always have changed the cans to black & white...or done a special F1 edition. Wink

by Fernando Mon 02 Mar 2015, 4:19 pm

dyrewolfe wrote:
Fernando wrote:Why Red Bull Why I liked the Black & white camo it's so much better then this.

Because those are the colours on their drinks cans?

Of course, they could always have changed the cans to black & white...or done a special F1 edition.

Where is the Silver then since the cans are Blue & Silver Whistle

by Guest Mon 02 Mar 2015, 5:32 pm

RB in major transition this year. Renault let them down again & I always thought hiring Kyvat was a sign they knew themselves Mercedes would untouchable this year. Midtable outfit this year is my prediction.

by Fernando Tue 03 Mar 2015, 12:33 pm

Fernando Alonso has pulled out of the Australian GP on Doctor's advice

by GSC Tue 03 Mar 2015, 12:58 pm

K-Swag gonna podium again

by Guest Tue 03 Mar 2015, 2:37 pm

bearing in mind that the McLaren is far from ready to race, no one is going to score points in that car, why take the health risk, on their prized asset? makes sense

by GSC Wed 04 Mar 2015, 5:17 pm

Must admit my motivation for keeping track of F1 is waning. Merc further ahead than last year, Rosberg now becoming Mark Webber ca 2011 onwards, no Alonso to start the season. Hopefully Ferrari have some genuine pace or this could quickly become 2011 only with even less competition.

by Guest Wed 04 Mar 2015, 5:46 pm

2015, will be 2014 all over again for Mercedes, massively dominant.

Fastest testing times per team (soft tyre) over entire test.
1 Nico Rosberg - Mercedes 1:22.792
2 Felipe Massa - Williams-Mercedes 1:23.500
3 Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari 1.23.938

Hopefully the battle for the last podium place can be really competitive. If we've got both Williams/Ferrari & RB's in the mix, could lead to some exciting racing. Shame the title is a two horse race, but it was inevitable.

You might want to come back in 2016 though, GSC

by GSC Wed 04 Mar 2015, 7:50 pm

Yeah hopefully Honda get it right. Red Bull will probably ditch Renault and make their own engines soonish. But the short term looks depressingly dull again.

Sooner or later Bernie will implement some gimmick if it carries on like this, so you may as well get your outrage ready.

by Guest Thu 05 Mar 2015, 8:39 am

Guessing Bernie will complain by Bahrain or Barcelona. Its already been revealed he sent emails around stating that the limited amount of paddock passes should be given to hot females & entertainment stars, much to the displeasure of many of the teams. Guessing Hamilton will keep Rosberg at arms length this year, Rosberg won't or shouldn't have that gifted 25 point lead, he had last year after Australia, that took so much time to claw back.

by Fernando Thu 05 Mar 2015, 10:19 am

Giedo Van Der Gaarde is suing Sauber

by Fernando Thu 05 Mar 2015, 10:39 am

BBC television's 10 live races in 2015
29 March - Malaysia
23 August - Belgium
19 April - Bahrain
27 September - Japan
7 June - Canada
11 October - Russia
5 July - Great Britain
15 November - Brazil
26 July - Hungary
29 November - Abu Dhabi

by Fernando Thu 05 Mar 2015, 9:57 pm

According to several news sites.

Doctor's asked Fernando Alonso, What his name,What he does, What he wants to do in the future

Got the reply, I am Fernando, I drive Karts & want to be an F1 driver

Some speculate he may never drive again.

What i believe is an underlying influence is the need to save weight with the limit being very low, I believe last year an unnamed driver (Sutil?) fainted aswell. So this could be an issue that F1 need to watch carefully.

by Guest Thu 05 Mar 2015, 10:22 pm

Yeah, he thought it was 1995. Quite concerned for him now. Although it's only rumour him never driving again, something is definitely up. If he were unable continue racing, that would be a huge loss for F1.

by CaledonianCraig Fri 06 Mar 2015, 10:41 am

Well it does confirm what I was suspecting that there was more to this than immediately met the eye when the incident first happened. I still find this truly staggering this has come about from a pretty mild collision with the barriers where the car hardly looked damaged at all whereas we have seen drivers climb out of mangled wrecks in better condition.

Wishing Fernando well though and hope he is back in F1 ASAP.

by dyrewolfe Fri 06 Mar 2015, 1:19 pm

John wrote:bearing in mind that the McLaren is far from ready to race, no one is going to score points in that car, why take the health risk, on their prized asset? makes sense

I'll take you up on that.

I'd wager a modest sum that McLaren will have at least one points finish this season...more likely a few (yes even with Button and Magnusson driving). Obviously reliability is going to peg them back but I'd expect them to rack up enough points to finish 5th or 6th in the constructors championship.

by dyrewolfe Fri 06 Mar 2015, 1:29 pm

Fernando wrote:According to several news sites.

Doctor's asked Fernando Alonso, What his name,What he does, What he wants to do in the future

Got the reply, I am Fernando, I drive Karts & want to be an F1 driver

Some speculate he may never drive again.

What i believe is an underlying influence is the need to save weight with the limit being very low, I believe last year an unnamed driver (Sutil?) fainted aswell. So this could be an issue that F1 need to watch carefully.

BBC calls it rather differently, saying Alonso's missing the Australian GP is purely precautionary.

McLaren's Fernando Alonso will miss the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 15 March on medical advice.

Doctors have advised the 33-year-old Spaniard, who crashed in testing on 22 February, not to risk a second concussion by racing in Melbourne.

Alonso tweeted: "It will be tough not to be in Australia, but I understand the recommendations."

The two-time champion's place will be taken by 22-year-old Dane Kevin Magnussen, McLaren's reserve driver.

Magnussen tweeted: "Shame about the circumstance but still I'm so excited to be racing in Melbourne."

Alonso was driving at a speed of 215km/h (133.6mph) when he lost control of his car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

He hit a wall, suffered two blows to his head and was immediately flown to hospital, where he was kept for three nights.

McLaren said a series of medical tests and scans found that the former Ferrari driver had "no medical issue" and was "entirely healthy from neurological and cardiac perspectives alike".

But a team statement said doctors had recommended he should limit his activity "so as to minimise the chances of second impact syndrome".

Second impact syndrome occurs when a patient suffers another concussion before the recovering from the first.

It can result in raised intra-cranial pressure, prolonged coma and can be fatal.

Doctors say recovery from concussion cannot be predicted and that it varies from patient to patient.

In a YouTube post Friday, Alonso said he was "completely fine" and looking forward to getting back in the car "very soon".

McLaren said his doctors were "supportive" of his desire to return in time for the second race of the season in Malaysia on 29 March.

They added he had already restarted his physical training, with the backing of his doctors.

In other news, McLaren expect to struggle for the first few races...but after that, who knows?

McLaren have suffered poor reliability in testing and say they expect to struggle for competitiveness in the first four races of the season.

by Guest Fri 06 Mar 2015, 2:33 pm

dyrewolfe wrote:
John wrote:bearing in mind that the McLaren is far from ready to race, no one is going to score points in that car, why take the health risk, on their prized asset? makes sense

I'll take you up on that.

Yeah, I was talking about Australia, not the whole season. I expect McLaren will easily be fighting for fifth, maybe higher, dependent on how successful the turnaround is & development. I was just stating, no point risking Alonso, when in reality, the Australian race will probably just be a testing session for McLaren.

by Fernando Fri 06 Mar 2015, 4:25 pm

Van der Garde was Sauber reserve driver last year and claims a deal was in place for him to race in 2015. He says Sauber went reneged on that deal when it signed Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson to full-time drives in early November.
A hearing is set for set for the Supreme Court in Victoria on Monday, March 9, just four days before the the first Friday practice session in Melbourne. Sauber has released a statement confirming a Swiss arbitral tribunal had ruled in the Dutchman's favour, but added the ruling was "not yet final".
The statement said: "In a first partial award of a Swiss arbitral tribunal, the application of Mr. van der Garde was upheld, with the tribunal relevantly ordering Sauber to refrain from taking action the effect of which would be to deprive Giedo van der Garde of his entitlement to participate in the 2015 Formula One season as one of Sauber's two nominated race drivers."

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