Discuss the sport you love with other motorsport fans
Does anyone else think the back on the Mercedes looks like its been badly sprayed on by a two year old? The livery in general is pretty poo tbh. They could have done something SO much nicer.
Has anybody noticed that the R30 is basically the R29?
I think the Mercedes liver looks fine on the MGP W01, and in general I quite like the look of the MGP W01...Provided I'm not looking at the engine cover. What possessed them to spray that random black splodge on there?
Can anyone shed light on why McLaren were using Paffat?
I think the Mercedes liver looks fine on the MGP W01, and in general I quite like the look of the MGP W01...Provided I'm not looking at the engine cover. What possessed them to spray that random black splodge on there?
Can anyone shed light on why McLaren were using Paffat?
It was a positive start for Ferrari. There have been rumours about the aero figures being poor and a B spec car being prepared. But my sources suggest that what has happened is that they recruited a new head of aerodynamics from Toyota in December and he brought a solution for a radical new diffuser with a hole the size of a sheet of A3 paper! It’s worth a lot in extra downforce and so Ferrari may well be building an update package around it, possibly for the first race if they can build it in time.
I think the Mercedes liver looks fine on the MGP W01, and in general I quite like the look of the MGP W01...Provided I'm not looking at the engine cover. What possessed them to spray that random black splodge on there?
I think i wouldn't have such a problem with it if they didn't use that gradient/very slight fade effect on the black. If it was night & day between the black and silver i think it would actually look a lot better - and not look like a bad spraypaint job.
Barrichello delighted at first day back
By Jonathan Noble Monday, February 1st 2010, 20:08 GMT
Rubens Barrichello sees every reason why he and Williams should be confident for achieving success this season after a promising first day of action together in Valencia.
Despite a balance issue and having his day's running cut short by a throttle problem, Barrichello was hugely upbeat about the potential he has seen at his new team after experiencing the FW32 for the first time.
"It is the first day at school," said the very relaxed Barrichello after testing had finished. "I enjoyed being out there with them. You look at the times and say, 'wow, we are almost two seconds faster than a Ferrari' and you can wish that you had that time, but to be honest with you - you cannot predict much nowadays.
"If you take 10kg of fuel, or full tanks, you are talking about almost four seconds - so it is going to be dead easy for someone to get a sponsor and say that the car is faster in a way.
"We do have a balance problem with these new tyres. We are having some understeer on the car, so with that amount of fuel we were running, and the lack of balance, I kind of liked the day. We were struggling a bit too much with the understeer, but just trying to dial it out. It was a very good first day."
Barrichello believes his experience will be key to helping drive Williams forwards this year as it seeks its first race win since 2004.
"You have got to aim for the best," said Barrichello. "I am a person who keeps my feet on the ground. I am a hard worker so if the car is capable of doing good, I will do good. If the car is capable of doing regular positions and then improving, then that is where I am going to be. It all depends on what the car is capable of doing.
"I am up to it. I am very motivated. And my experience will count – so I am going to give them all the feedback possible for us to be winners. But if that is going to be the case then we have to wait and see. It is too unpredictable."
Barrichello was also encouraged by the early signs from the Cosworth engine, which was having its first track running.
"For the first day it was very good," he said. "We could quite clearly say that we were not running on our limits, because it was the first day out of the dyno running on the track. So we are not running on full power and there is lots to be gained.
"So I am keeping myself fairly open and my feet on the ground. There is lots to be gained from the car and from the engine as well. So far we ran reliably. We did have a small technical issue with the throttle late on, which stopped the engine, and it was too late to make a change and go again. But it was good."
Ferrari's Felipe Massa is optimistic about his chances in 2010 after setting fastest time on the first day of official winter testing in Valencia.
"It has more grip than the 2009 car," he said. "When you have more grip you also have much more fun driving.
"I ran some 100 laps but I could have gone for 200. No physical problems."
It went beyond expectations," said Massa. "From what we have seen we are going in the right direction, but of course we know there is still a lot of work to do.
"You cannot judge the performance on the first day, you only have a feeling and the feeling is very positive."
And this year's cars are much longer because of the bigger fuel tanks required because of the ban on mid-race refuelling.
"When you look in the rear view mirrors and you realise how far away the rear wheels are compared to what they used to be," said Massa.
"We have to be careful when we overtake another car not to pull back too sharply."
Massa's new team-mate Fernando Alonso will take over on Tuesday and Wednesday to complete the driving duties for Ferrari to conclude the three-day test.
See our F1 related articles too!
