2010 Car Launches

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 25 Jan 2010, 18:52

I'm guessing if this thread isn't made, we'll have a separate thread for each car, which would really be a bit of a mess, so this is probably (hopefully) a good idea.

Pretty self-explanatory really. Post news and discussion on the car launches of the 2010 teams.

For the dates of the launches, see here.

eytl · Post by **eytl** » 28 Jan 2010, 09:46

Well, the Ferrari F10 has been unveiled ... and yep it's got those hideous white wings. And going by the first pic on Autosport it seems to have maintained the design philosophy of the F60 from last year. Hmmm ...

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 28 Jan 2010, 09:54

eytl wrote:Well, the Ferrari F10 has been unveiled ... and yep it's got those hideous white wings. And going by the first pic on Autosport it seems to have maintained the design philosophy of the F60 from last year. Hmmm ...

So now it's going to look just as bad as it handles?

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 28 Jan 2010, 10:07

eytl wrote:Well, the Ferrari F10 has been unveiled ... and yep it's got those hideous white wings. And going by the first pic on Autosport it seems to have maintained the design philosophy of the F60 from last year. Hmmm ...

Not necessarily a bad thing - Spa proved that the aero aspects of the car were not bad, they had problems in the slow stuff and didn't use tyres well. The new weight distribution caused by full tanks will fundamentally alter all that.I don't think this car can be judged on it's appearance. The white wings are horrible though.

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 28 Jan 2010, 10:12

I've just seen the front shot - the nose is very like last years Red Bull

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 28 Jan 2010, 10:23

RB5 nose + BGP-001 lines in the bodywork + MP/4-24 rear wing = Ferrari F60

Once again, the designers resort to apeing one another. That's what I loved about the 2009 launch season - all the cars looked so different. Now it's just a Greatest Hits collection of what the competition did last year.

Post by **mario** » 28 Jan 2010, 10:37

So, the front nose seems to indicate that Ferrari are following the same design philosophy as Red Bull, after trying out those nose cone ridges last year in a few practise sessions. I'm ignoring the wings, because Ferrari have said that they were putting the wings off the F60 on the car, not the wings which the car will actually use.
The sidepods look a bit fatter and higher compared to last year, but it mostly looks like a stretched F60. Overall, I'm kind of disappointed that they haven't been a bit more radical with their design - they seem to be making the same mistake as they did with the F60, and have been over conservative again. On the other hand, it'll be interesting to see how the car looks once they get to Valencia - surely they have kept back a few gubbins and aero tweeks for the test sessions, and I bet those wings will have changed.

Post by **mario** » 28 Jan 2010, 10:40

Captain Hammer wrote:RB5 nose + BGP-001 lines in the bodywork + MP/4-24 rear wing = Ferrari F60

Once again, the designers resort to apeing one another. That's what I loved about the 2009 launch season - all the cars looked so different. Now it's just a Greatest Hits collection of what the competition did last year.

So? Everyone has copied one another for decades - the Lotus 79, for example, was copied by a number of teams the following season. Quite a few design elements over the years 'migrate' from one car to another.

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 28 Jan 2010, 11:30

mario wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:RB5 nose + BGP-001 lines in the bodywork + MP/4-24 rear wing = Ferrari F60

Once again, the designers resort to apeing one another. That's what I loved about the 2009 launch season - all the cars looked so different. Now it's just a Greatest Hits collection of what the competition did last year.

So? Everyone has copied one another for decades - the Lotus 79, for example, was copied by a number of teams the following season. Quite a few design elements over the years 'migrate' from one car to another.

Yeah, but generally the teams that lead the innovation i.e. Brawn and Red Bull last year set the pace, rarely do cars that are derivatives of previous models set the world on fire.

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 28 Jan 2010, 12:08

I don't know anything about that sort of stuff - F1 cars all look the same to me, sadly - but I do think Alonso's helmet colours look really nice with the Ferrari red.

Ahem, I'll get my coat.

lostpin · Post by **lostpin** » 28 Jan 2010, 12:12

Well as for the livery, it's nothing new for Ferrari, they used that red-white wings combination during the 2000-2005 seasons I believe, but instead of Santander it was written Marlboro instead (well at least on race weekends where tobacco wasn't forbidden). The bodywork seems a bit plain again, this is probably just an evolution from the f60 (which is not good at all..

).

eytl · Post by **eytl** » 28 Jan 2010, 12:22

fjackdaw wrote:I do think Alonso's helmet colours look really nice with the Ferrari red.

I was going to say that as well. I think it's good that Alonso hasn't done what he did in 2007 and change his helmet colours. I'm glad he's retained his combo of blue, yellow and red.

jackanderton · Post by **jackanderton** » 28 Jan 2010, 12:48

I generally don't like the look of Ferrari's and even when they were dominating I don't think they were revolutionary in terms of chassis design. I do like this new model though, those side-pods look quite interesting, and it's one of those cars that just looks like it will work well.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 28 Jan 2010, 14:09

It's very nice, IMO. I noticed how the new fuel tank has made the lenght of the car stretch, it's really contrasting compared to last season cars.

elho · Post by **elho** » 28 Jan 2010, 16:47

the new williams

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81104

Tealy · Post by **Tealy** » 28 Jan 2010, 17:03

That Williams looks gorgeous to me. Sadly it won't look quite as nice once all of the sponsors are added to the livery.

danardif1 · Post by **danardif1** » 28 Jan 2010, 17:10

The Williams seems a lot more tightly packaged and shorter than the Ferrari... I really think Ferrari are in a 'brain-drain' phase, as their car just seems to be an evolution on the F60, made longer with minor aero changes... whether they have found something extra with the underfloor aero I don't know, and if the wings they will race will be any more different... what I've seen today is conservatism at Ferrari, which is a big change from the innovations they pioneered (particularly internally and suspension wise) in the F2002 and F2004 in the Brawn/Todt/Byrne era...

Williams have clearly thought that no-refuelling and the implications of that requires a whole new aero concept... Their car was good last year, but they have learned from their flaws and have set about changing that, unlike Ferrari (who still think they are the dog's bollocks...)

Tomorrow we'll see a real contender emerge in Newbury, the MP4-25

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 28 Jan 2010, 17:44

RBS? Thought they were pulling out?

danardif1 · Post by **danardif1** » 28 Jan 2010, 17:48

ADx_Wales wrote:RBS? Thought they were pulling out?

They announced they'd see out their contract, which runs to the end of this year, however I think their trackside sponsorship has now ended...

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 28 Jan 2010, 19:35

elho wrote:the new williams

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81104

High nose, high side pod on both the Ferrari and Williams - welcome to F1 2010, The Clone Wars...

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 28 Jan 2010, 19:36

elho wrote:the new williams

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81104

This front wing is very reminiscent of the mid-90's cars. Very nice in the looks department, let's see if the Cosworth engine is a step in the right direction.

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 28 Jan 2010, 19:38

danardif1 wrote:Williams have clearly thought that no-refuelling and the implications of that requires a whole new aero concept... Their car was good last year, but they have learned from their flaws and have set about changing that, unlike Ferrari (who still think they are the dog's bollocks...)

Disagree - as I mentioned above the aero element of the Ferrari was it's strength last year, not suprising therefore that they've gone for evolution in that area.

Post by **mario** » 28 Jan 2010, 21:04

I will agree that recently Ferrari have been a bit conservative with the design of their cars, particularly in regards the aero package. Noisebox, I would argue that the F60's aerodynamics were flawed to some extent - Ferrari admitted that the gearbox casing was blocking access to the floor for the double deck diffuser channels, hence why they failed to properly integrate a DDD.
And using Spa as an example isn't that representative - Spa is classed as a medium to low downforce track, so the lack of ultimate downforce won't have hurt the F60. If we were to go solely by performance at Spa, then we would conclude that the Force India team had a great car.
However, Ferrari have been very careful with the launch - they have refused to let anybody see the rear of the car, and were covering up the diffuser area. So, they might have skimped on the top and concentrated on the diffuser, where there are likely to be quite a few gains to be made.

As for the Williams car, they said that they were starting from scratch for the FW-32, instead of using the FW-31, and the changes are much clearer. They have also gone down the high nose route, but haven't gone for the Red Bull nose ridges, whilst it looks to me like they have tried to slim down the rear bodywork of the car. They also seem to have abandoned the anvil front splitter under the nose, which might not be a bad thing - whilst it would have been generating a fair bit of downforce, it would have been costing them a lot in terms of drag, and we saw that the FW-31 was often quite slow through the speed traps.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 28 Jan 2010, 21:42

mario wrote:I will agree that recently Ferrari have been a bit conservative with the design of their cars, particularly in regards the aero package. Noisebox, I would argue that the F60's aerodynamics were flawed to some extent - Ferrari admitted that the gearbox casing was blocking access to the floor for the double deck diffuser channels, hence why they failed to properly integrate a DDD.
And using Spa as an example isn't that representative - Spa is classed as a medium to low downforce track, so the lack of ultimate downforce won't have hurt the F60. If we were to go solely by performance at Spa, then we would conclude that the Force India team had a great car.
However, Ferrari have been very careful with the launch - they have refused to let anybody see the rear of the car, and were covering up the diffuser area. So, they might have skimped on the top and concentrated on the diffuser, where there are likely to be quite a few gains to be made.

As for the Williams car, they said that they were starting from scratch for the FW-32, instead of using the FW-31, and the changes are much clearer. They have also gone down the high nose route, but haven't gone for the Red Bull nose ridges, whilst it looks to me like they have tried to slim down the rear bodywork of the car. They also seem to have abandoned the anvil front splitter under the nose, which might not be a bad thing - whilst it would have been generating a fair bit of downforce, it would have been costing them a lot in terms of drag, and we saw that the FW-31 was often quite slow through the speed traps.

They should keep it for the high-downforce tracks such as Monaco, Singapore and Hungary though. They definitely need to test with it so that they learn the balance of it and are able to utilize it when it can be used effectively.

elho · Post by **elho** » 29 Jan 2010, 00:18

comparsion between last year's ferrari and the new one

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 29 Jan 2010, 00:41

RBS are being rescued by the Government still.....so who says they arent supporting F1. lol

TeamTipper · Post by **TeamTipper** » 29 Jan 2010, 02:01

The FW32 looks better than FW31 and now with Cosworth engines instead of the gutless Toyota engines if Cosowrth live up to their old name and not their 2006 name Williams could be back up the front at last.

As for the F10 firstly why is it called the F10 instead of the F61? Secondly to me it hasn't massivly changed which makes not alot of sence as they didnt achvie results last year. Finally now Refulling is banned will ferrari suceed? I remember is that Ferrari use the smallest Fuel tank on the grid which helped weight. But now with the old school one race on fuel tank back on how will the car cope with alot more weight? I just hope they aren't at the back as Massa is a title favorite.
Mercedes GP new car????? SHOCK!!!

Its the same as the sucessful Brawn GP from last year.
It has kept the low noise front wing

Any opinions?

Jordan · Post by **Jordan** » 29 Jan 2010, 03:26

I saw it referred as the F2010, which i'm assuming has been shortened to the F10 until the launch date?

eg

http://ferrarif1forum.com/2009/10/29/exclusive-ferrari-f2010-f61-preview/

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 29 Jan 2010, 08:06

TeamTipper wrote:Mercedes GP new car????? SHOCK!!! Its the same as the sucessful Brawn GP from last year.
It has kept the low noise front wing

I don't think Mercedes have unveiled their car yet, just their livery, which they showcased on the Brawn.

BigG80 · Post by **BigG80** » 29 Jan 2010, 09:26

mario wrote:As for the Williams car, they said that they were starting from scratch for the FW-32, instead of using the FW-31, and the changes are much clearer. They have also gone down the high nose route, but haven't gone for the Red Bull nose ridges, whilst it looks to me like they have tried to slim down the rear bodywork of the car. They also seem to have abandoned the anvil front splitter under the nose, which might not be a bad thing - whilst it would have been generating a fair bit of downforce, it would have been costing them a lot in terms of drag, and we saw that the FW-31 was often quite slow through the speed traps.

Nice one Mario. You see what you've gone and done now?

Every year about this time and throughout testing, I start to get cautiously optimistic that Williams are going to arrest the downward slide and maybe win a Grand Prix or two this season prior to returning to championship winning status within the next couple of years and every year after the third or fourth race, I become resigned to the fact that it won't be this year unless a bizarre accident wipes out the top few teams during a race.

I think you've successfully started the optimism in me already. One picture of the car and reading your analysis and I'm thinking, woo!! Williams are back baby!

Post by **mario** » 29 Jan 2010, 10:36

BigG80 wrote:
mario wrote:As for the Williams car, they said that they were starting from scratch for the FW-32, instead of using the FW-31, and the changes are much clearer. They have also gone down the high nose route, but haven't gone for the Red Bull nose ridges, whilst it looks to me like they have tried to slim down the rear bodywork of the car. They also seem to have abandoned the anvil front splitter under the nose, which might not be a bad thing - whilst it would have been generating a fair bit of downforce, it would have been costing them a lot in terms of drag, and we saw that the FW-31 was often quite slow through the speed traps.

Nice one Mario. You see what you've gone and done now?

Every year about this time and throughout testing, I start to get cautiously optimistic that Williams are going to arrest the downward slide and maybe win a Grand Prix or two this season prior to returning to championship winning status within the next couple of years and every year after the third or fourth race, I become resigned to the fact that it won't be this year unless a bizarre accident wipes out the top few teams during a race.

I think you've successfully started the optimism in me already. One picture of the car and reading your analysis and I'm thinking, woo!! Williams are back baby!

Oh dear - I'm sorry if I've accidentally created elevated expectations. On the other hand, Williams did have a promising season last year, so now that they have two drivers who should be fast enough to score points on a regular basis, I do think that it is not unreasonable to assume that 2010 could be one of their better seasons compared to recent years. As for that elusive win, that I'm not so sure about though.

Teamtipper, firstly the livery launch was using a late season Brawn BGP-001 - the launch of the actual Mercedes 2010 car will be on the 1st Feb, at the Valencia test track. And whilst Ferrari may have used a small tank in recent years, it is said that the Ferrari unit is fairly thirsty, so they might need a larger tank compared to, say, a Renault engined car.

Finally, and to the Mclaren car, which launches today. I would recommend looking this up, because they have kept to their word and have produced a very radical looking car.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 29 Jan 2010, 10:41

I would not want to see this thing in my rear-view:

That's probably themost aggressive design I've seen in a long time.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 29 Jan 2010, 10:52

It seems that longer wheelbases are en vogue this year...

eytl · Post by **eytl** » 29 Jan 2010, 11:14

Just been watching the streaming of the unveiling of the McLaren ...

It looks incredible. Mega engine cover fin and rectangular sidepod openings swooping down so much more aggressively than anything we've seen before.

Slightly disappointed that there has been no change to the colour scheme despite Mercedes selling its stake in the team. So now there's four silver cars on the grid.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 29 Jan 2010, 11:18

eytl wrote:Slightly disappointed that there has been no change to the colour scheme despite Mercedes selling its stake in the team. So now there's four silver cars on the grid.

McLaren will eventually change their livery - probably for 2011 - but because of Mercedes leaving them and buying Brawn on such short notice, they decided to kee the livery constant for the sake of recognition. And it's not like the MGP W01 and the MP4-25 will be difficult to tell apart.

eytl · Post by **eytl** » 29 Jan 2010, 11:20

Captain Hammer wrote:McLaren will eventually change their livery - probably for 2011 - but because of Mercedes leaving them and buying Brawn on such short notice, they decided to kee the livery constant for the sake of recognition.

<F1 Rejects tongue-in-cheek> Utterly pathetic excuse for sheer lack of creativity. </F1 Rejects tongue-in-cheek>

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 Jan 2010, 11:25

eytl wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:McLaren will eventually change their livery - probably for 2011 - but because of Mercedes leaving them and buying Brawn on such short notice, they decided to kee the livery constant for the sake of recognition.

<F1 Rejects tongue-in-cheek> Utterly pathetic excuse for sheer lack of creativity. </F1 Rejects tongue-in-cheek>

If anything I think McLaren could do with losing their recognition... because if they're going to do a "Team Britain", then they might as well copy the A1 Team Britain colorscheme...

eytl · Post by **eytl** » 29 Jan 2010, 11:42

Just noticed the double-deck nosecone on the new McLaren as well. Adds new meaning to the idea of a shark nose! :idea:

And also uber-sophisticated front wing design. Gee, if this thing goes as well as it looks radical ... the difference compared to the Ferrari couldn't be more stark.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 29 Jan 2010, 11:53

Cynon wrote:
eytl wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:McLaren will eventually change their livery - probably for 2011 - but because of Mercedes leaving them and buying Brawn on such short notice, they decided to kee the livery constant for the sake of recognition.

<F1 Rejects tongue-in-cheek> Utterly pathetic excuse for sheer lack of creativity. </F1 Rejects tongue-in-cheek>

If anything I think McLaren could do with losing their recognition... because if they're going to do a "Team Britain", then they might as well copy the A1 Team Britain colorscheme...

I really like the rear wing. The rest of that is blahhh.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 29 Jan 2010, 11:56

thehemogoblin wrote:It seems that longer wheelbases are en vogue this year...

Well, yes. That would be because of the refuelling ban, therefore bigger fuel tanks, and these sit between the engine and the driver, therefore the wheelbase is longer. Hey presto!