First Look at MGP W01 in Valencia

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS 2010 car, the MGP W01, made its debut in Valencia this morning with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg unveiling the teams challenger for the new season.

On the first day of Formula One winter testing, the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS garage doors opened at 08:50am for the new car to make its entrance in front of the assembled photographers and camera crews.

Michael, Nico and Team Principal Ross Brawn posed for photos with the new Silver Arrow in its silver and green livery before the car went back into the garage to prepare for the start of the test session at 10:00am.

Nico will be the first of the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS drivers to try out the new car with Michael taking over later today.

Check back on the website later for the first reports from Valencia.

Keeping Things Under Wraps

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton pull back the covers on the brand new MP4-25, during a launch ceremony held at Vodafone Headquarters in Newbury, UK. The pair refused to be drawn on media questioning relating to any inter-team rivalry, and both appeared relaxed and comfortable in front of the assembled crowd.

Credit: mclaren.com

Sauber Confirm Launch Date for New Car

Sauber plan their launch, whilst Bernie welcomes Briatore.

Today is the 6th January 2010 and this is F1 Minute.

Good news to start with, the ex-BMW team Sauber have confirmed the launch of their 2010 car – it will take place at Valencia on the 31st January, which is the day before the first test of the year. They are the first team to announce a launch date, I hope we’ll hear more from the others now.

Back to the unpleasant Briatore business unfortunately, the Italian has suggested that he will be taking legal action against the Piquet father and son duo, saying “The bad that has been done to me won’t be forgotten in one day.” He also has another go at Max Mosley while he’s at it. Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone would be ready to welcome Flav back to the paddock with open arms, saying: “He was a great character in F1 but I am not sure if that’s what he wants to do now. I think he will move on from that.

That’s all for today, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

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The Mask of Zoran

The Toyota TF108 hides under it’s blanket ahead of the 2008 launch. The team pulled out of F1 this year, but owner of Stefan GP, Zoran Stefanovich, has been to visit the factory in Cologne and apparently is very impressed with what he sees.

Credit: Toyota Motorsport GmbH

New Season, New Car – The new VJM02 takes to the track

The Force India Formula One Team’s 2009 challenger, the VJM02, will make its track debut today at the Circuit de Jerez, southern Spain, with Giancarlo Fisichella at the wheel.

The VJM02 represents a radical departure from the design ethos of its predecessor, the VJM01. This year’s contender will incorporate a Mercedes-Benz V8 engine and McLaren gearbox, thanks to a new partnership forged in November 2008 between McLaren, Mercedes and Silverstone-based Force India. Fundamental changes in the technical regulations, meanwhile, have led to a major overhaul of aerodynamics, the optional addition of KERS and a compulsory return to ungrooved ‘slick’ Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal of Force India, is confident this year’s challenger will be the one to bring increased success to his young team after a frustrating points-free debut season, ‘To be brutally honest, I would not be happy if we didn’t show some much improved, and much needed, performance this season.

‘What we really set out to do over the winter was to put in place structures, procedures and partnerships that would give improvement, but crucially, no excuses. By using the same drivetrain as another team, Force India now has a high-level benchmark of its own performance. If performance relative to McLaren – the 2008 championship winning team – is low, there are only a reduced number of variables that need to be analysed and understood.’

Dr Mallya’s aspirations are resolutely clear: ‘I would like to see a strong start, rising to points mid-season and a definite improvement in qualifying. Regular points finishes should be the aim.’

The VJM02 has been designed in-house at the team’s UK facility by a tight-knit unit led by design director Mark Smith and technical director James Key, who have in turn been supported by a small team spear-headed by 2009 project leader Ian Hall.

In addition to the various challenges in interpreting a brand new set of technical regulations, the team has also condensed its development into just five months: the period between the McLaren deal being signed in November and the start of the season. It’s been no mean feat to get everything ready, particularly with the team not turning a wheel between its last test in November and the debut of the new car – almost 100 days.

Design director Mark Smith explains the challenge the team has faced, ‘When we confirmed the partnership on 10 November 2008 we had to adapt our plans fairly significantly. It’s not just a case of getting the new parts and installing them; when we changed the gearbox, it had slightly different suspension mountings and when we changed the rear suspension there was a necessary change on the front.

‘Normally you would have started in August, so we have had to compress everything into five months. Everyone has really worked hard to make it work and we’ve got a potentially better package, so the change has been a positive rather than a negative.’

This year, Dr Mallya will be hoping the positives far outweigh those negatives: ‘This is the year we have to deliver. We are not here to make up the numbers, I want to be pushing all the way.’

Giancarlo Fisichella will complete testing duties today and 2nd March, with Adrian Sutil getting his hands on the VJM02 for the two final days of the test.

09-Feb-09: Red Bull Launch RB5 at Jerez

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Today is the 9th February 2009 and you’re listening to F1 Minute.

Red Bull revealed the RB5 today at Jerez with both Webber and Vettel there to pull the covers off. The car has a very slim nose that is higher than those we have seen before, has bargeboards around the sidepods and a front wing with plenty of aerodynamic design. As mentioned, Webber was there and revealed he had surgery on Thursday which wasn’t unexpected but was a little bit of a setback. Meanwhile, Vettel got behind the wheel for a spin round Jerez, but managed only 14 laps before stopping on track. The car had gearbox problems, and Red Bull decided to stop rather than risk continuing and breaking the new machinery. Vettel admitted it’s too early to say anything about the car itself.

Elsewhere, it’s about time I mentioned USF1. I’ve been avoiding the subject as it wasn’t clear what was true, but it seems like a brand new American team could be on the cards, thanks to Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

ING Renault F1 Team R29 Launch – New timing

As the test session at the Algarve Motor Park is now due to start on Monday the 19th of January, we have been obliged to modify our programme for the official presentation of the R29 as follow:

Monday 19/01

08:30 Photocall in front of the ING Renault F1 Team garage – Car reveal

09:00 – 17:00 Testing session

17:30 – 19:00 Media interviews in the AIA VIP Lounge with the ING Renault F1 Team drivers and management.

Accreditations to this test session and to our official launch should be requested to the Algarve Motor Park press office.

The ING Renault F1 Team brings forward the launch date of the R29

The ING Renault F1 Team has decided to bring forward the official launch of its new car, the R29, to
Monday the 19th of January 2009.

The presentation of the car will now take place at the new Algarve Motor Park in the south of Portugal from 16h00 to 18h00, with the R29 making its debut at the same track the following day in the hands of the team’s race drivers, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet.

The presentation of the car will include the traditional press conferences with Flavio Briatore and the drivers. There are also plans for a technical briefing with Bob Bell, Technical Director of chassis operations, and Rob White, Deputy Managing Director of engine operations, to explain the approach and design philosophy used in the conception of the ING Renault F1 Team’s new challenger.

This presentation will be open to all journalists with media accreditation for the testing session to take place at the Algarve Motor Park from the 20th to the 22nd of January, meaning that television and radio can record in accordance with FOM rights.

The press pack and photos of the new car will be uploaded to our media site in parallel with the presentation on the car at the following address: http://www.ing-renaultf1.com/en/media/ from 16h00 on Monday the 19th of January.

The press conferences with team personnel will take place in a circuit enclosure (probably close to the media centre) with the precise locations confirmed in early January by the ING Renault F1 Team press office.

TF109 to be unveiled on 15 January

Panasonic Toyota Racing can today confirm that the new TF109 car and the team’s 2009 livery will break cover for the first time on 15 January 2009.

However, to emphasise its commitment to overall cost reduction in Formula 1, the team will not proceed with its traditional pre-season event programme.

Studio images of the TF109 in its new 2009 livery will be made available to the media exclusively on www.toyota-f1-world.com on 15 January.

In addition, the 2009 press pack, which will include exclusive interviews with the team’s drivers and top management as well as features and information on the team in 2009, will also be released on 15 January via www.toyota-f1-world.com.

All interested media are advised to register on www.toyota-f1-world.com in advance of 15 January in order to ensure immediate access.

Panasonic Toyota Racing will begin its 2009 pre-season testing with the TF109 on 20 January, the opening day of a three-day test at the new Algarve Motor Park in Portugal.

This will be the first opportunity for the media to discuss the TF109 and the 2009 season with drivers Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli, as well as selected team personnel.

Video footage of the TF109 on track, as well as comprehensive rights-free photography, will be available to the media in week five of 2009.