The 2015 Launch Thread

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 21 Jan 2015, 19:33

James1978 wrote:I think the Force India livery looks like a tribute to Checo. It's fundamentally a cross between the liveries of the 3 teams he's driven for (Sauber, McLaren, FI). There's definite elements of recent Saubers there!

Yeah, like half of the sponsors...

This livery looks very KTM-ish, but that's not a bad thing. Not at all.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 21 Jan 2015, 19:41

One thing I do like about the West Force India is that th front wing is naked carbon. More teams should run that, at least as an accent.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 21 Jan 2015, 20:25

Finally, the first good Force India livery. I never liked the green and orange of previous seasons

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 21 Jan 2015, 20:27

Force India is not silver! It's a good livery, but like others have said, it looks like a McLaren. But if McLaren do red and white, it'll all be fine, I guess... I'll get used to it after two races either way anyway.

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 21 Jan 2015, 21:06

go_Rubens wrote:One last thing to say is the FIA still messed up the regs. Their goal was to remove the anteater. Well, they ended up creating tiny ones. How hard could it be to make a rule where the maximum angle between the nose tip and the sides connecting the nose with the main plane of the wing is say, 45 degrees, for example, or mandate that the nose could be say, narrower, instead of always insisting the nose before the tip be 300mm wide? I already figured out before the pics of the incomplete Marussia that teams would find a way to incorporate an anteater and benefit. Great job FIA.

True. It's another case of FIA dicking around with the rules.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 21 Jan 2015, 21:15

DanielPT wrote:
go_Rubens wrote:One last thing to say is the FIA still messed up the regs. Their goal was to remove the anteater. Well, they ended up creating tiny ones. How hard could it be to make a rule where the maximum angle between the nose tip and the sides connecting the nose with the main plane of the wing is say, 45 degrees, for example, or mandate that the nose could be say, narrower, instead of always insisting the nose before the tip be 300mm wide? I already figured out before the pics of the incomplete Marussia that teams would find a way to incorporate an anteater and benefit. Great job FIA.

True. It's another case of FIA dicking around with the rules.

Yes, they made a right balls of it.

Post by **Frogfoot9013** » 21 Jan 2015, 21:15

DanielPT wrote:True. It's another case of FIA dicking around with the rules.

I see what you did there.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 22 Jan 2015, 04:15

I wonder how McLaren feel about the Force India livery? Silver and black with orange highlights is a very specific combination of colours, and while the VJM08 and MP4-29 are different enough that they would hardly be mistaken for one another, the new livery on the VJM08 marks the biggest departure from Force India's orange-white-green theme since their burgundy and white test livery. Moreover, there is no apparent reason for the move to incorporate silver in the design - sure, it's stylish, but it's not associated with any of the team's existing sponsors, all of whom appear on the car in white or black rather than their own colours.

Ultimately, changes in the livery are Force India's perogative. If they go for black and silver with orange highlights and McLaren don't like it, that's McLaren's problem and there is very little that they can do about it. But given that we have never really had two teams competing with such similar liveries (except Red Bull and Toro Rosso, but they're owned by the same company, so we can overlook that), I can't help but wonder if Force India approached McLaren about their livery plans before committing to the new design.

tBone · Post by **tBone** » 22 Jan 2015, 09:37

Captain Hammer wrote:we have never really had two teams competing with such similar liveries

1990 Life, Ferrari and Scuderia Italia liveries really look similar in my opinion.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 22 Jan 2015, 10:29

Captain Hammer wrote: Moreover, there is no apparent reason for the move to incorporate silver in the design - sure, it's stylish, but it's not associated with any of the team's existing sponsors, all of whom appear on the car in white or black rather than their own colours.

BUT it is associated with their engine supplier...

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 22 Jan 2015, 10:31

tBone wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:we have never really had two teams competing with such similar liveries

1990 Life, Ferrari and Scuderia Italia liveries really look similar in my opinion.

I always mistook the Dallara F189 for a Ferrari up until the day my father dismissed my nonsense in true tifosi fashion: " Don't be silly! A true Ferrari doesn't have any white other than the numbers". And it was true back then because other than a short stint in the 70s the Ferrari's had been all red. In my defence I was 6.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 22 Jan 2015, 11:13

DanielPT wrote:
tBone wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:we have never really had two teams competing with such similar liveries

1990 Life, Ferrari and Scuderia Italia liveries really look similar in my opinion.

I always mistook the Dallara F189 for a Ferrari up until the day my father dismissed my nonsense in true tifosi fashion: " Don't be silly! A true Ferrari doesn't have any white other than the numbers". And it was true back then because other than a short stint in the 70s the Ferrari's had been all red. In my defence I was 6.

The Ferrari F93A went for the "Scuderia Italia" look.

watka · Post by **watka** » 22 Jan 2015, 13:38

The Williams isn't much of a departure livery wise from last year, so its not a surprise. Not a fan of Force India's though. Black and gray/white/silver (I don't know what colour it is but its dull) with just the tiny strip of orange which only serves to emphasise the lack of colour. Would have looked a whole lot better is it was all black (ala the original Sauber) with an orange strand, which would have at least been clearer. Better still, stick with the colours that the team is intrinsically related to (even if they have no realistic intention to ever run the team from India); green, white and orange.

Glad to see that the appendages have gotten smaller, although last year the noses didn't bother me too much once I'd got used to them so I'm not raging that they are still there. It does make a bit of a fool out of the FIA though as they were trying to eliminate them completely.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 22 Jan 2015, 16:49

I just saw the Force India livery. Ouuaaahhh, silver?? Strange, but I like it! The livery is a bit reminiscent of Orange Arrows. It's too bad they removed the green altogether though. I think they could've done with just a tiny lick of green paint alongside the orange stripe. Glad they kept it in the overalls though.

good_Ralf · Post by **good_Ralf** » 22 Jan 2015, 18:13

Kind of reminds me of the Midland/Spyker livery at the end of 2006.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 22 Jan 2015, 18:21

See, it's Force India paying tribute to their earlier history. I now expect the 2016 car to be yellow, the 2017 car to be an appalling mish-mash of random colours, and the 2018 car to be green and capable of snapping anorak-hood elastic at a hundred paces.

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 22 Jan 2015, 18:41

Am I the only one who wishes Force India would go back to their 2012 livery? It was striking, colourful, not obnoxious and separate from their peers. I think it was 2014 when they started their black-silver style with bits of orange in it, and I think it's ugly as all hell.

AdrianBelmonte_ · Post by **AdrianBelmonte_** » 22 Jan 2015, 18:57

Rob Dylan wrote:Am I the only one who wishes Force India would go back to their 2012 livery? It was striking, colourful, not obnoxious and separate from their peers. I think it was 2014 when they started their black-silver style with bits of orange in it, and I think it's ugly as all hell.

This car had black and orange and it's amazing

The problem is on livery designers in Force India, and obviously not on the colour scheme

Ah, and i don't consider the 2014 FI livery ugly, it's okay, not amazing, but not ugly

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 22 Jan 2015, 23:21

Sauber haven't given a launch date, but rumours abound that they're already in trouble, with the sponsor packages from Ericsson and Nasr being used to pay off debts and development of the C34 stalling when they ran out of materials.

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 22 Jan 2015, 23:45

Captain Hammer wrote:Sauber haven't given a launch date, but rumours abound that they're already in trouble, with the sponsor packages from Ericsson and Nasr being used to pay off debts and development of the C34 stalling when they ran out of materials.

There is always someone struggling of for cash in F1. Now it is their turn unfortunately. I hope the former plucky midfielders make it. And lets not forget that Enstone is not swimming in wealth either.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 23 Jan 2015, 00:58

If the rumors of Sauber's financial problems as posted by the Captain are true, then I really can't see a turnaround for them unless the car is good to great. Even then, money's still likely to be a lingering issue.

The only problem now is without Marussia amd Caterham, the other midfield teams are going to have more money problems, as likely the majority of FOM prize money will end up with the teams that need it the least. There will always be a team in last place, but I have to wonder if the departure of Marussia and Caterham have played a hand in the potential downfall of one of Lotus or Sauber. I can't help but think FOM won't deal with the money adequately.

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 23 Jan 2015, 11:33

AdrianBelmonte_ wrote:This car had black and orange and it's amazing
(img)

The problem is on livery designers in Force India, and obviously not on the colour scheme

Ah, and i don't consider the 2014 FI livery ugly, it's okay, not amazing, but not ugly

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder I guess, and this beholder ain't impressed

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 23 Jan 2015, 12:33

Simtek wrote:
Shizuka wrote:Grosjean just posted on his Facebook that the Lotus launch will be on February 1.

I can't seem to find the Facebook post in question.

Sorry for the late reply!
https://www.facebook.com/RomainGrosjean ... 2954587526

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 23 Jan 2015, 12:39

Shizuka wrote:
Simtek wrote:
Shizuka wrote:Grosjean just posted on his Facebook that the Lotus launch will be on February 1.

I can't seem to find the Facebook post in question.

Sorry for the late reply!
https://www.facebook.com/RomainGrosjean ... 2954587526

Looks like I was following the wrong Facebook page!

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 23 Jan 2015, 12:58

Or I was

We'll see more about it anyway in the next days.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 23 Jan 2015, 15:51

Captain Hammer wrote:Sauber haven't given a launch date, but rumours abound that they're already in trouble, with the sponsor packages from Ericsson and Nasr being used to pay off debts and development of the C34 stalling when they ran out of materials.

James Allen noted that NEC, which was Sauber's largest backer, is now on the Force McLaren.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 23 Jan 2015, 21:16

Wallio wrote:James Allen noted that NEC, which was Sauber's largest backer, is now on the Force McLaren.

So did everybody else. But it's known that Felipe Nasr brings sponsorship from Banco do Brasil, and it's believed that between him and Ericsson, the team has a €40 million sponsor package this year.

Row Man Gross-Gene · Post by **Row Man Gross-Gene** » 23 Jan 2015, 21:45

Captain Hammer wrote:
Wallio wrote:James Allen noted that NEC, which was Sauber's largest backer, is now on the Force McLaren.

So did everybody else. But it's known that Felipe Nasr brings sponsorship from Banco do Brasil, and it's believed that between him and Ericsson, the team has a €40 million sponsor package this year.

Honestly, that doesn't sound like enough to get them much development this year. Do they have any other revenue streams?

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 23 Jan 2015, 22:08

Row Man Gross-Gene wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
Wallio wrote:James Allen noted that NEC, which was Sauber's largest backer, is now on the Force McLaren.

So did everybody else. But it's known that Felipe Nasr brings sponsorship from Banco do Brasil, and it's believed that between him and Ericsson, the team has a €40 million sponsor package this year.

Honestly, that doesn't sound like enough to get them much development this year. Do they have any other revenue streams?

There's coming 10th last year, that should get them a few cents.

Post by **mario** » 23 Jan 2015, 22:18

Row Man Gross-Gene wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
Wallio wrote:James Allen noted that NEC, which was Sauber's largest backer, is now on the Force McLaren.

So did everybody else. But it's known that Felipe Nasr brings sponsorship from Banco do Brasil, and it's believed that between him and Ericsson, the team has a €40 million sponsor package this year.

Honestly, that doesn't sound like enough to get them much development this year. Do they have any other revenue streams?

It's also worth remembering that Sauber have lost the Telcel and Telmex sponsorship from Gutierrez (and there seems to have been another minor sponsor, Interproteccion, which was associated with Gutierrez too), which will partially offset any gains they might have made from Ericsson and Nasr.

At the moment, Sauber have precious few sponsors - the only sponsors listed on their website are Banco do Brasil, Oerlikon, Emil Frey and Certina - and it would appear that the other three sponsors are probably fairly minor in comparison to Banco do Brasil.

Another problem is the fact that, having fallen down to 10th place in the WCC in 2014, any payments they'd receive from FOM would be reduced compared to what they've had in the past. Sauber were reportedly pushing FOM in an attempt to get them to hand over the money that would have gone to Marussia for 9th in the WCC over to them instead, arguing that, as Marussia have effectively ceased to exist, Sauber is now promoted to their position in the WCC - however, it seems that the other teams have argued that instead Marussia's money should be split between all the teams, and it looks like FOM are going with them.

Now, with the Concorde Agreement being private it is hard to tell how much that has set Sauber back by, but it is plausible that they have lost something in the order of $15 million in revenue from FOM from sliding back in the WCC.

andrew · Post by **andrew** » 23 Jan 2015, 22:27

I imagine sauber will launch at the first test like most other cars. Force india will use the 2014 car at the first test as their 2015 machine won't be ready. Remember what happened to lotus when they did this last year?

Post by **Ataxia** » 23 Jan 2015, 23:13

andrew wrote:I imagine sauber will launch at the first test like most other cars. Force india will use the 2014 car at the first test as their 2015 machine won't be ready. Remember what happened to lotus when they did this last year?

Yes, but that was after a massive rule change. Force India are actually running some 2015-spec pieces, whereas Lotus had to get used to a new engine formula and an entirely new car.

Post by **mario** » 25 Jan 2015, 15:58

Ataxia wrote:
andrew wrote:I imagine sauber will launch at the first test like most other cars. Force india will use the 2014 car at the first test as their 2015 machine won't be ready. Remember what happened to lotus when they did this last year?

Yes, but that was after a massive rule change. Force India are actually running some 2015-spec pieces, whereas Lotus had to get used to a new engine formula and an entirely new car.

And it did not help that the Renault power plant was also the one with the greatest number of issues in pre-season testing - the Renault powered teams did the least mileage of all teams in pre-season testing last year, and Lotus's late start meant that they were the worst off of all teams last year. Even if Lotus had not postponed their testing, they would probably have still struggled to make much headway or racked up many more laps given those problems.

By comparison, the rule changes for 2015 are more of a subtle evolution, so Force India can still gain representative information about the 2015 spec tyres and engines from their 2014 car - equally, the first test at Jerez is probably the one they can most afford to skip given that the circuit and ambient conditions are the least representative test venue.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 25 Jan 2015, 19:16

Simtek wrote:
Shizuka wrote:Sorry for the late reply!
https://www.facebook.com/RomainGrosjean ... 2954587526

Looks like I was following the wrong Facebook page!

Despite the word "Official" in the title, it is anything but. The same page purported a fan designed livery was the official livery for 2015.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 25 Jan 2015, 21:37

Biscione wrote:
Simtek wrote:
Shizuka wrote:Sorry for the late reply!
https://www.facebook.com/RomainGrosjean ... 2954587526

Looks like I was following the wrong Facebook page!

Despite the word "Official" in the title, it is anything but. The same page purported a fan designed livery was the official livery for 2015.

Yes, upon further investigation it appears that the "official" page lacks the little tick that usually accompanies official pages. The page that I already follow does have that tick and does not have that little piece of (what is false, for all we know) information, which I failed to previously notice (then again I scarcely use Facebook). It doesn't matter anyway, I removed it after seeing all the launch dates that were published on the official F1 website, which I can be sure is definitely official.

tBone · Post by **tBone** » 26 Jan 2015, 12:12

New Ferrari, new confusing name: SF15-T. Nevertheless, I hope it will be a nice looking, fast car. Ferrari just belongs at the top.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 26 Jan 2015, 12:26

tBone wrote:New Ferrari, new confusing name: SF15-T. Nevertheless, I hope it will be a nice looking, fast car. Ferrari just belongs at the top.

List updated with the new name. Typical Ferrari inconsistency.

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 26 Jan 2015, 12:45

tBone wrote:New Ferrari, new confusing name: SF15-T. Nevertheless, I hope it will be a nice looking, fast car. Ferrari just belongs at the top.

I see that the S mean Scuderia. It means slow too. Foresight?

watka · Post by **watka** » 26 Jan 2015, 13:22

DanielPT wrote:
tBone wrote:New Ferrari, new confusing name: SF15-T. Nevertheless, I hope it will be a nice looking, fast car. Ferrari just belongs at the top.

I see that the S mean Scuderia. It means slow too. Foresight?

The F could mean fast. This car doesn't know what it is!

tBone · Post by **tBone** » 26 Jan 2015, 13:47

watka wrote:
DanielPT wrote:
tBone wrote:New Ferrari, new confusing name: SF15-T. Nevertheless, I hope it will be a nice looking, fast car. Ferrari just belongs at the top.

I see that the S mean Scuderia. It means slow too. Foresight?

The F could mean fast. This car doesn't know what it is!

Or does SF mean Sebastian Fettel? Italian chaotic management, remember?