F1 2006

[DEeRaY]

Well at time of post it was 29d 17h and counting towards the start of the Bahrain GP
Definatly time to start getting in the mood for F1 action

Check out the rule changes for this season

Qualifying
For 2006, the single-lap system used in recent years is replaced be a new three-part, knockout format, with multiple cars on track throughout the qualifying hour, which is split into two 15-minute sessions and a final 20-minute session, with five-minute breaks in between.

Part one: All 22 cars may run laps at any time during the first 15 minutes of the hour. At the end of the first 15 minutes, the six slowest cars drop out and fill the final six grid places.

Part two: After a five-minute break, the times will be reset and the 16 remaining cars then will then run in a second 15-minute session - again they may complete as many laps as they want at any time during that period. At the end of the 15 minutes, the six slowest cars drop out and fill places 11 to 16 on the grid.

Part three: After another five-minute break, the times are reset and the final 20-minute session will feature a shootout between the remaining 10 cars to decide pole position and the starting order for the top 10 grid places. Again, these cars may run as many laps as they wish.

In the first two 15-minute sessions, cars may run any fuel load and drivers knocked out after those sessions may refuel ahead of the race. However, the top-ten drivers must begin the final 20-minute session with the fuel load on which they plan to start the race. They will be weighed before they leave the pits, and whatever fuel they use in the 20 minutes may be replaced at the end of the session.

If a driver is deemed to have stopped unnecessarily on the circuit or impeded another driver during the qualifying session, then his times will be cancelled.

Engines
For 2006, engines are reduced in size from the previous 3-litre V10s to 2.4-litre V8s. The aim is to reduce costs and improve safety. With similar engine speeds, the change is expected to cut peak power by around 200bhp, which in turn is likely to add around three to five seconds to lap times at most circuits. The FIA may allow some teams to use 2005-spec V10s if they do not have access to competitive V8. The FIA will enforce a rev limit on any V10s to ensure performance is comparable with that of a V8.

Tyres
After a season’s absence, tyre changes during races return to Formula One in 2006. The thinking behind this is that the reduced engine size will offset any performance gain. Drivers also have access to slightly more tyres than in 2005 - seven sets of dry-weather, four sets of wet-weather and three sets of extreme-weather. Drivers must make a final choice of dry-weather compound ahead of qualifying.

Weekend schedule
In a slight change to the Grand Prix weekend format, Saturday morning now features a single, one-hour practice session, as opposed to two, 45-minute sessions. It takes place between 1100 and 1200. Qualifying is an hour later than before, commencing at 1400.

I liked last years format of qualifying but this format might make for a few suprises
And its also good that they brought tyre changes back

Edit: Added Poll - Kronos

[Kronos]

I really don't like the Engine cut.

F1 is supposed to be the pinacle of motorsport, but they keep trying to make it "More affordable".

I like the rest of the rule changes, but that one just bothers me.

PS. Time flies. It's now only 29d 16h 42m & 30seconds to go

[Kronos]

Did y'all hear that there will be no Belgian GP this year? 8O

They need more time to upgrade the track, and therefore will not be ready to host the GP
Damn. I really love Spa

http://www.formula1.com/news/3984.html

[Mal]

I recall a while back when they changed the rules of engines form V12 to a V10. This really hampered Ferrari in particular due to the extra vibrations produced by the lower number of cylinders. The reduction in capacity and cylinders will result in a new development challenge to the teams and may not be a bad thing. This will encourage teams to design more efficient V8 Engines and as seen in the road going M5 (V10) may encourage this technology to filter down to the public quicker. It will be interesting to view the difference the V8 makes to the car.

It is still the pinical of engineering as these V8s will be optimised to the limit.

[DEeRaY]

Engine rule change was tougher on Renault

The change to V8 engines for 2006 was tougher on Renault than other teams, Renault's technical director Bob Bell has claimed, as his outfit had to change the v-angle of its engine as well as the number of cylinders.

"The engine group had a harder transition to make than our competitors for 2006, as Renault had to change the v-angle of engine as well as switching to the V8," Bell said. "A deliberate decision was taken to maximise the design and dyno testing phases of the project, which meant we were reliable and competitive as soon as we hit the track. The team at Viry deserves enormous credit for the job it has done so far."

Despite the challenge the Renault engine has been very reliable in testing and the team is among the most productive on track.

"It is something I am very pleased about, and I know Rob White (engine technical director) and his team in Viry are as well," Bell added.



HAHAHA i love it! GO MCLAREN!!!!
EDIT: Kronos, please will u add a poll to this
'Will Renault win the title again?'
options
No, Ferrari will win the title
No, McLaren will win the title
Yes
No, Another team will win the title

[simmy]

TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES UNVEILS UNIQUE LIVERY

Woking, Great Britain, Friday 10th February 2006: The Team McLaren Mercedes Formula One team has revealed a unique new car livery which will adorn the team's cars in the future.

The new livery has an innovative surface coating, which achieves a high level of reflectivity. The technology used was perfected by McLaren during the past six months and is completely new to Formula One.

"A lot of research and months of work have gone into creating this unique chrome finish," explained McLaren Marketing Managing Director Ekrem Sami. "We are always looking at innovative ways to allow our sponsor partners to differentiate their brands from the competition through their partnership with the team and this unique livery is designed to be extremely photogenic. Team McLaren Mercedes had the highest audited 'Share of TV Voice' in 2005 - and we hope that this new identity will contribute to us retaining that status."

"When we created our previous livery in the mid nineties we established what we believed then was an innovative and groundbreaking new identity for McLaren Mercedes," continued Sami. "What we have launched today is as revolutionary and we hope it will be the foundation of the team's livery for many years to come."

The team can look back on a lot of success during the nine years of the former livery. At the very first race after its introduction in Melbourne in 1997 the team won and since then it has taken nearly 30 per cent of all Grands Prix victories.

The team took the opportunity to show the new livery to McLaren Group and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines employees this evening. Two of the Groups better known personalities, drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, were both impressed with their cars' 'new clothes'.

"I have only seen illustrations of the new livery until now but they do it no justice," said Kimi. "It looks fantastic and should create a bit of a stir when we drive it on tracks around the world. If we can make the car as fast as it looks then we will be in good shape."

"Wow," said Juan Pablo. "What a beautiful looking car. I have obviously been testing the MP4- 21 quite a bit already but seeing the car like this is something else."

TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES MP4-21

MP4-21 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Did y'all hear that there will be no Belgian GP this year? 8O

They should come race in Durban :biggrin:

[RuadRauFlessa]

They should come race in Durban :biggrin:

Nahhh, durbs is a waste of time no one there can drive in any case. They should come to Kaylami

And again they manage to desighn the ugliest car on the track. And if it rides like it looks there is no reason for Arrows to worry.

[Kronos]

@Ruad, stop mocking other people's religions

I'm gonna start deleting these hate speech posts

Nahhh, durbs is a waste of time no one there can drive in any case. They should come to Kaylami

Says the one who still doesn't have his license

[RuadRauFlessa]

@Ruad, stop mocking other people's religions

I'm gonna start deleting these hate speech posts

Nahhh, durbs is a waste of time no one there can drive in any case. They should come to Kaylami

Says the one who still doesn't have his license

[DEeRaY]

:Drool: oooh, theres the winning car this year guys... take a good look

[simmy]

They should come race in Durban :biggrin:

Nahhh, durbs is a waste of time no one there can drive in any case. They should come to Kaylami

And again they manage to desighn the ugliest car on the track. And if it rides like it looks there is no reason for Arrows to worry.

intro to JayZ's Take Over-
...eish, supose to be flaming knocking on my door?
...i'll rip you like Jamin did 1gor! ONE!
(ref: Da Rap game thread)

Kronos, big up

[Kronos]

:Drool: oooh, theres the winning car this year guys... take a good look

Yeah, it's got no. 3 on it too, which means it's Kimi's car, so it is definately the winning car.

@simmy, Big up my brudda from anudda mudda

[Screeper]

Couple more pics
Looks reeeeaal shiny

[RuadRauFlessa]

Like I said looks sloooooow

[jPm]

Letz all hope Mclaren can do well this year, because renault,ferrari and bmw look very strong in testing!!!

The mclaren team have not looked totally out of it, but have had alot of engine failures,so lets all hope for the best for them

[RuadRauFlessa]

Something to check out

[RuadRauFlessa]

McLaren still using V10 Looks like it

De la Rosa, charged with Michelin tyre work in the older McLaren, was the busiest man on track, completing a mammoth 124 laps. In contrast, Kimi Raikkonen in the new MP4-21 managed only 41, the Finn confined to the garage throughout the afternoon due to gearbox problems and an engine oil leak.

[Kronos]

OK Ruad, the Joke's worn out now...

McLaren have done testing with the V10 to test the rest of the car. ie. the Aero, tyres, gearbox, etc...

You know a car is not just made up of the engine.

[RuadRauFlessa]

OK Ruad, the Joke's worn out now...

Waht joke

Anyway just to prove I am not choosing sides I thought I'd give through this piece of interesting info:

Ever since its first outing in December, the Ferrari-powered machine has struggled to disperse the heat generated by its new V8, forcing the team to restrict the car to a limited number of laps at a time.

Looks like the new Ferrari v8 has some heat problems. Will make things rather interesting.

[Azriel]

Cool F1 Site

Take a look at the BMW F1 Racing site, looks impressive, the car that is!

[RuadRauFlessa]

Take a look at the BMW F1 Racing site, looks impressive, the car that is!

No cool, looks like a <SP> strait jacket </SP>. And that just makes another ugly BMW to add to the never ending list of ugly BMW designs.

[Mal]

Hey okes, did u notice the sponser on the side pod of that mclaren....."keep on walking"! ROFL!!!!!! Ag shame!

[jPm]

Mclaren need to do something about their engine!!!!the first thing kimi said when he jumped out of the new car was that the engine is underpowered!!!

BMW and FERRARI are miles ahead in engine technology, and mercedes should wake their case up if they want to become world champions!!

[Mal]

Its a whole new engine design running V8s! should be very interesting! There will prob be more vibration to deal with.

[RuadRauFlessa]

Its a whole new engine design running V8s! should be very interesting! There will prob be more vibration to deal with.

True that and that the Ferrari engines are running way hot.