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[EwanM]

The excitement is beginning to mount. The 2009 Formula One Season is only weeks away and as the launches of Ferrari, Mclaren and Toyota have shown, all bets are off.

Tomorrow it is the turn of both Renault and Williams. Both launches will take place at the newly built Algarve circuit, near Portimao in Portugal. As last weeks launches of shown, the events tomorrow will be a more sobre affair, following in footsteps of the strive for cutting costs.

So what will we learn from tomorrow's launches? An interesting consequence of the new regulations is that each team appear to have interpreted them differently. So expect the Williams and Renault to not only considerably differ from each other, but from the previous car launches.

Certainly this is a step into the unknown for all of the teams this season, but for Williams and Renault a few targets must be met this season. Not only must Williams attempt to regain the ground it lost to the likes of Torro Rosso last season, it must also produce a competitive car which will help secure Nico Rosberg's future. During the end of last season Nico revealed that Williams had to show significant progress for him to remain at the team. Many F1 fans all over the world, with me included, will be hoping that the FW31 will help launch the team further forward in its quest to reclaim some of success of its former glory.

As for Renault, the question must be: can they carry over the momentum from the end of last season? They also must deliver if they are to have any chance of retaining the double World Champion, Fernando Alonso. Whether a deal with Ferrari in 2010 is true or not, the Spaniard know's that Renault are his only option for the foreseeable future to challenge for the title.

And what about the other two drivers? Kazuki Nakajima will be hoping to build on his respectable debut season. Maybe even trying to catch the eye of his major backers Toyota. For Piquet, it is a case of survival. A repeat of his 2008 season, even with a shock result like in Hockenheim last year, will not be enough and he will be out of Formula One.

Tomorrow will be interesting...

[McLaren Fan]

A pretty good writing style you have. Glasgow University loyal.

[7UpJordan]

The excitement is beginning to mount. The 2009 Formula One Season is only weeks away and as the launches of Ferrari, Mclaren and Toyota have shown, all bets are off.

Tomorrow it is the turn of both Renault and Williams. Both launches will take place at the newly built Algarve circuit, near Portimao in Portugal. As last weeks launches of shown, the events tomorrow will be a more sobre affair, following in footsteps of the strive for cutting costs.

So what will we learn from tomorrow's launches? An interesting consequence of the new regulations is that each team appear to have interpreted them differently. So expect the Williams and Renault to not only considerably differ from each other, but from the previous car launches.

Certainly this is a step into the unknown for all of the teams this season, but for Williams and Renault a few targets must be met this season. Not only must Williams attempt to regain the ground it lost to the likes of Torro Rosso last season, it must also produce a competitive car which will help secure Nico Rosberg's future. During the end of last season Nico revealed that Williams had to show significant progress for him to remain at the team. Many F1 fans all over the world, with me included, will be hoping that the FW31 will help launch the team further forward in its quest to reclaim some of success of its former glory.

As for Renault, the question must be: can they carry over the momentum from the end of last season? They also must deliver if they are to have any chance of retaining the double World Champion, Fernando Alonso. Whether a deal with Ferrari in 2010 is true or not, the Spaniard know's that Renault are his only option for the foreseeable future to challenge for the title.

And what about the other two drivers? Kazuki Nakajima will be hoping to build on his respectable debut season. Maybe even trying to catch the eye of his major backers Toyota. For Piquet, it is a case of survival. A repeat of his 2008 season, even with a shock result like in Hockenheim last year, will not be enough and he will be out of Formula One.

Tomorrow will be interesting...

There's hardly any question that the FW31 will be another good looking car, but this year I really, really, really, really do hope it is as quick as it looks and there's no more of this "the car sucks at aero-reliant circuits" rubbish from last year. And please Nico don't keep saying "this track should suit our car".

The one thing that I know that does bode well for Williams is firstly that one of the other main faults with the FW30 was that the car wasn't developed as much, just like BMW, and the other being that when the FW30 was in low downforce configuration or at a track like Monaco, it was very fast and on similar pace to the BMW's. If Williams can sneak a win this year it will be at Monaco, remember Nico's Q2 time was only 0.1 seconds slower than Massa's time, and he qualified 6th in Q3 with a full tank of fuel.

I really hope Nakajima steps up his game in qualifying because he has been quite solid during a race and has left Piquet to do all the crashing that so many people predicted Nakajima to do. Whilst Nakajima is primarily at Williams so they get free Toyota engines, Sir Frank also said that he chose him because he looked a good prospect as well. With Williams being rumoured to be preparing to switch to the new FIA spec Cosworths for 2010, would Sir Frank stick to his word and keep Nakajima no matter how he performs next year? I think that could also depend on if Rosberg stays or goes. And if Rosberg does go, I hope that Hulkenberg is good enough to replace him before Sir Frank hastily puts him in the FW32.

But let's not think about that, despite 2008 not being so good Williams turned it all around in 2007 when they had an even worse 2006. They can do it again, and I really hope they do too.

The same would apply to Renault too, the writing is pretty much on the wall already that Alonso will go to Ferrari at some point, but how soon? That could depend a lot on the R29.

Alonso is in my opinion the best driver in the current field, and he had a major impact on the R28's development last year. He turned it from a car struggling to break into the top 10 into a back-to-back race winner. But this success also came from Alonso's skill because Piquet was without a doubt the worst driver last year and will probably also go down in the record books having obtained the flukiest podium finish in F1 history. Spin the clocks back 10 years and Piquet's podium would have been the equivalent of Ricardo Rosset getting on the podium! (providing he didn't get his car stuck between any barries along the way! )

[EwanM]

Well... all I can say to that is bullsh*t!



Nah! Only joking. Good issues raised there 7up, especially with the cosworth rumours floating about. I think this is a big year for Williams, despite disappointing results, I do think Williams made alot of progress last season, continuing on from the previous seasons. As you've alluded to many times, William's screwed up a little bit with their aero design last year. With a blank canvas there is nothing to say that this season will be so disappointing. There are still a raft of very good people at Williams and I hope it works out. Nico to win maybe... Monaco

Does anyone know the time of both the launches? Wouldn't it be funny if they do them at exactly the same time, just next door to each other

[7UpJordan]

Does anyone know the time of both the launches? Wouldn't it be funny if they do them at exactly the same time, just next door to each other

The FW31 is launched at 8:10am local time. And then it's over to Hulkenberg to take the car out for a shake-down. Williams will be running an interim winter testing livery once again and the final livery will be revealed bit by bit at successive test sessions until the end of February when the 2009 livery is fully revealed.

[EwanM]

Does anyone know the time of both the launches? Wouldn't it be funny if they do them at exactly the same time, just next door to each other

The FW31 is launched at 8:10am local time. And then it's over to Hulkenberg to take the car out for a shake-down. Williams will be running an interim winter testing livery once again and the final livery will be revealed bit by bit at successive test sessions until the end of February when the 2009 livery is fully revealed.

Awesome... something to get up for on my day off

Any new sponsors?

[7UpJordan]

Does anyone know the time of both the launches? Wouldn't it be funny if they do them at exactly the same time, just next door to each other

The FW31 is launched at 8:10am local time. And then it's over to Hulkenberg to take the car out for a shake-down. Williams will be running an interim winter testing livery once again and the final livery will be revealed bit by bit at successive test sessions until the end of February when the 2009 livery is fully revealed.

Awesome... something to get up for on my day off

Any new sponsors?

Not that I know of for definate, apart from the odd rumour that Saudia were making a comeback, but Philips electronics and Ranstad have greatly increased their sponsorship and will take up more room on the car. So that will make up for the hole that Lenovo's departure has left behind.

[EwanM]

Does anyone know the time of both the launches? Wouldn't it be funny if they do them at exactly the same time, just next door to each other

The FW31 is launched at 8:10am local time. And then it's over to Hulkenberg to take the car out for a shake-down. Williams will be running an interim winter testing livery once again and the final livery will be revealed bit by bit at successive test sessions until the end of February when the 2009 livery is fully revealed.

Awesome... something to get up for on my day off

Any new sponsors?

Not that I know of for definate, apart from the odd rumour that Saudia were making a comeback, but Philips electronics and Ranstad have greatly increased their sponsorship and will take up more room on the car. So that will make up for the hole that Lenovo's departure has left behind.

As long as they keep their sleek Dark Blue colour im sure it is going to look good.
Maybe we'll get more Yellow on the Renault tommrow... doubt it ING

[Gert]

I have this nasty feeling that the Williams is in "pre-season testing" livery 'cos they haven't got any money from their sponsors yet.

[bud]

Williams did the same thing last year having an interim livery



the new R29 looks stunning

[rev]

...Renault R29 and Williams FW31 in testing.




Renualt R29 '..oh dear lord'

[iPod]

I really like the Renault's new Livery, but the nose cone makes it look like a Formula 3 car. What about that Williams, though! Jesus. Its absolutely beautiful. I have to admit, I do prefer the "first spec" nose. Still, I'm actually liking most of the '09 cars. Apart from the Toyota.

[Jabberwocky]

an interesting rear of the side pod on the renault... The williams looks very mundane, looks about as developed as the Toyota.

[EwanM]

The Williams is looking good.
What a fat front wing on that Renault though. The first thing I thought about when I seen their new colour scheme was Frosties and Tony the Tiger.

[McLaren Fan]

The Williams looks very good. The nose is okay from the front and pretty nice form the side. It reminds me a little of Benetton's cars in the mid-1990s, particularly the B195. The front-wing itself looks very good. In fact, the whole car looks pretty good.

The Renault looks interesting. The updated livery is not too bad. The red on the rear-wing sets it off. I can tolerate them sticking with the shark-tail, but the nose is absolutely awful