Archive for January, 2010
January 31st, 2010 at 11:55pm
Under Racing
2010 Renault R30 and 2009 Renault R29 (click to enlarge)
Renault launched their R30 today and after everyone took a moment to take in their smart new livery a cry went up of “hang on, isn’t that last year’s car?”
They called it the R30 and they spoke of how different it is to the car it replaces – but it certainly isn’t easy to spot the changes. Was this really the R30?
Renault technical director James Allison reckons there’s significant and obvious differences between the R30 and last year’s R29:
It’s very different and even my Mum could tell the exterior differences! The R30 is a considerably more svelte and attractive car than its predecessor. These changes are not made for aesthetic appeal however; they are the result of the intensive aerodynamic development that the R30 has benefited from. Under the skin too the changes are considerable. The largest differences are the result of accommodating the much larger fuel tank for the 2010 rules and re-optimising the car without KERS, but there are hundreds of other improvements across the whole of the vehicle.
James Allison
But look at the studio pictures of the two cars in launch specification and it’s hard to pinpoint where the changes are.
According to Renault, the R30 is 5,050mm long, making it 250mm longer than last year’s car. But looking at this year’s and last year’s Renault side-by-side there seems to be little different in overall length:
2010 Renault R30 and 2009 Renault R29 (click to enlarge)
Images scaled so rear tyre diameters match.
Admittedly, re-sizing the images in this way does not give us a perfect illustration of the differences in size. But the longer wheelbases on 2010-specification cars have been noticeable on the three other cars launched already:
There are visual similarities in the front of the cars as well:
2010 Renault R30 and 2009 Renault R29 (click to enlarge)
Images scaled so front wing dimensions match.
Aside from detail changes on the front wing and brake ducts – which were developed during the course of 2009 – there are few apparent significant changes.
It’s possible that with the changes in livery making some areas of the car appear much darker than before, we’re simply not able to see some of the differences in the R30.
So much for the car in the studio pictures, what about the car that was presented at the track? That too looks similar to the model seen in the studio shots.
Renault have not said that the car presented was an R29 painted to look like the new car. But it’s hard to spot the extra 25cm in length, the added bulk due to the enlarged fuel tank, and the revised aerodynamics Allison talks about.
We may have to wait until Renault’s car takes to the track tomorrow to find out whether this was indeed the R29, an interim car with late-2009 aerodynamics, or a surprisingly conservative-looking R30. What do you think? Place your bets…
2010 F1 car launches
Image (C) Renault/LAT
By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 11:55pm
Under Racing
Vitaly Petrov will become Russia’s first F1 driver
Vitaly Petrov will race for Renault in 2010 and becomes Russia’s first ever F1 driver.
The 25 year-old, who has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons racing in GP2, was announced as the team mate for Robert Kubica by Renault at the launch of their R30 today.
The team also confirmed Jerome D’Ambrosio and Ho-Pin Tung will be its test drivers. The pair are both run by the Gravity management company owned by Gerard Lopez, who bought control of the Renault team over the winter.
Russia’s first F1 driver
Russia is not known for having a thriving national racing scene and Petrov won several races in low-level competitions – including the 2002 Lada Cup.
He pursued his racing career by competing in Formula Renault championships in Europe before moving up to the Euroseries 3000 in 2006. He placed third overall, with one win.
That year he also moved up to GP2, spending the second half of the season with DPR. He joined Campos the following year and remained with them for three seasons, which is unusual for a driver in F1’s feeder series.
Experience has served him well and he achieved better results with each passing season – 13th overall in 2007, seventh in 2008 and second last year.
It’s quite appropriate that Petrov’s F1 drive should be announced at Valencia because both its racing tracks have been kind to him in recent years. He scored his first GP2 win at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in 2007, and won on the street track in 2008 and 2009.
If he’s failed to capture the imagination of those looking for a future F1 star it’s perhaps because he’s not rocketed through the championship the way Lewis Hamilton and last year’s champion Nico Hülkenberg did – though they both benefitted from being born in countries with a much stronger racing heritage than Russia has.
Petrov will be the first Russian to race in F1. However the country has already had an F1 team, in the form of Midland Group, which took over Jordan in 2005 and ran it as Midland F1 in 2006 before selling it to Dutch car manufacturer Spyker.
Vitaly Petrov in GP2 – pictures
Read more: 2010 F1 drivers and teams
Images (C) GP2 Seriez/Alastair Staley, Glenn Dunbar, Charles Coates and Andrew Ferraro.
By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 11:55pm
Under Racing
Renault has gone retro with its 2010 F1 livery
The Renault R30 has been unveiled by the team at Valencia. See the first pictures of the new car below.
Renault R30 launch
As was widely expected, the new livery marks a return to classic Renault yellow and black colours. The team used a similar scheme for its first F1 team from 1977 to 1985.
Since its return to F1 as a full constructor in 2002 Renault’s colour scheme has been largely dictated by sponsors.
Renault has lost 2009 title sponsors ING, who intended to pull out before 2010 but hastened their departure after the Singapore crash scandal. Mutua Madrilena also left the team at the same time.
Renault has also announced Vitaly Petrov will race for the team alongside Robert Kubica and revealed its two reserve drivers for 2010. More here:
Renault R30 launch pictures
Pictures of the R30 at its launch plus some studio images of the new car:
Renault R30 studio video
2010 F1 car launches
Image (C) Renault/LAT
By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 11:55pm
Under Racing
2010 BMW Sauber C29 and 2009 BMW F1.09 (click to enlarge)
The most striking difference between the new BMW Sauber C29 and its predecessor, the BMW F1.09, is the lack of and major sponsors on the new car.
But there are some notable design changes on the new car. Designer Willy Rampf has followed the 2010 trend for high noses and smaller, more sculpted sidepod air intakes. Like the later version of the F1.09, it also has a ’shark fin’ at the back.
Compare the 2009 and 2010 cars below.
Right
2010 BMW Sauber C29 and 2009 BMW F1.09 (click to enlarge)
Images scaled so rear tyre dimensions match.
The longer, higher nose immediately catches the eye, and the wing is now mounted closer to the front wheels instead of from the tip of the nose.
Another distinctive feature is the ’shark fin’ at the back of the car. This was present on the F1.09 at the end of last year as well as on the McLaren MP4-25 launched on Friday.
Like its 2010 rivals the back of the C29 is longer and wider to accommodate the larger fuel tank. The team have also had to cope with a switch to the Ferrari engine and gearbox – even though the car will still be called “BMW Sauber”.
Top
2010 BMW Sauber C29 and 2009 BMW F1.09 (click to enlarge)
Images scaled so front wing dimensions match.
We can also see the trend for high, upswept sidepod air intakes has continued here as well.
The front wing looks similar to the version raced at Abu Dhabi but with some detail changes, notably on the end plates.
Note: Because of the different zooms, angles and focal lengths used a perfectly accurate comparison is not possible.
2010 F1 car launches
Image (C) BMW Sauber
By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 11:55pm
Under Racing
The BMW Sauber C29 has an almost sponsor-free livery
BMW Sauber have revealed their 2010 F1 car.
The car lacks any major sponsors although the team announced several deals into the run-up to the launch, some of which feature on the car. They include Scalp-D, a Japanese shampoo, and watch brand Certina.
Here are the first pictures of the C29.
Although the team is no longer run by BMW the team has retained the name in its title. But the car carries on the model designation used by the Sauber team until 2005, when it raced the C24.
The car is now powered by Ferrari and also uses the Ferrari gearbox.
Technical director Willy Rampf described some of the changes to the car:
The increased length of the fuel tank means the car has grown longer overall. And because they are slimmer, the front tyres will be more heavily worked, requiring weight to be shifted further towards the rear of the car.
An eye-catching feature of the C29 is its highly intricate raised nose. Also very distinctive is an extremely long undercut at the transition from chassis into underbody. These and other aerodynamic measures also help to ensure optimum airflow to the double diffuser. Further changes were required to integrate the Ferrari engine and, in particular, the Ferrari gearbox.
Willy Rampf
BMW have also published the car’s basic specifications including some of its dimensions:
Chassis: Carbon-fibre monocoque
Suspension: Upper and lower wishbones (front and rear), inboard springs and dampers, actuated by pushrods (Sachs Race Engineering)
Brakes: Six-piston brake callipers (Brembo), carbon pads and discs (Brembo, Carbon Industries)
Transmission: Ferrari Seven-speed quick shift gearbox, carbon, longitudinally mounted, carbon-fibre clutch
Chassis electronics: MES
Steering wheel: BMW Sauber F1 Team
Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza
Wheels: OZ
Length: 4,940 mm
Width: 1,800 mm
Height: 1,000 mm
Track width, front: 1,495 mm
Track width, rear: 1,410 mm
Weight: 620 kg (including driver, tank empty)
BMW Sauber launch pictures
More to follow
2010 F1 car launches
Launch images courtesy of Dank on Twitter | Studio images (C) BMW Sauber
By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 09:28pm
Under Racing
Without a doubt, Renault today unveiled a bold choice in livery.
And there is some history with the yellow and black attack scheme, which harkens back to the Renault works team of the late 1970s.
But many of us were holding out hope that the bold Renault move would involve French Racing Blue….
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By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 08:30pm
Under Racing
Robert Kubica will use a new helmet design having switch teams from BMW to Renault in 2010.
The Pole’s helmet is now painted in yellow and black colours to match Renault’s livery.
New team mate Vitaly Petrov also showed off his helmet design at Renault’s launch today. He will use a design much the same as the one he had in GP2 last year, with ‘Russia’ emblazoned across the top of his visor.
Have a look at the Renault drivers’ helmets in the pictures:
Robert Kubica poses with his new helmet for 2010 (click to enlarge)
Renault’s new driver Vitaly Petrov with his helmet (click to enlarge)
By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 07:44pm
Under Racing
It won’t be difficult to find the 2010 Renault Formula 1 car during the grand prixes. And no, not because I expect the cars to be dragging around the back.
Renault unveiled a dynamic livery that is a radical departure from recent Renaults and harkens back to the late 1970s works team. And, in…
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By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 07:03pm
Under Racing
Sauber F1 revealed their 2010 chassis, the C29, today at the Valencia circuit in Spain. The Ferrari-powered car will still retain the full name of BMW Sauber for now said team owner Peter Sauber. One suspects sponsorship is not quite cemented yet hence waiting for the full name of the team to…
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By Mikel
January 31st, 2010 at 07:55am
Under Racing
Renault is expected to announce Vitaly Petrov as the team’s second driver for 2010 when the team reveals its new F1 car.
Will Buxton claims Petrov’s deal with the team will bring them sponsorship worth €10m. It would make him the first Russian driver to compete in Formula 1.
Petrov finished as runner-up in the GP2 championship last year, behind rookie Nico Hülkenberg who will race for Williams this year.
Petrov gradually improved during his three-and-a-half years as a GP2 driver and is the fourth driver from the championship to join F1 this year, along with Bruno Senna and Lucas di Grassi.
If Renault confirm Petrov tomorrow it will leave just two seats unfilled, at US F1 and Campos, and one fewer opportunity for Nick Heidfeld to keep racing in F1.
By Mikel
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