2020 Barcelona Testng: Feb. 19th - 21st & Feb. 26th - 28th

Right now, Red Bull is a better organisation that Ferrari.
Their management is more focused, their car usually pretty good, and the Honda engine near the top now.
Verstappen could be the one to take the fight to Mercedes this year.

 

Motivated as Vettel might be, his results are not optimal. Its about an experienced team mate for Charles. We need neither Kimi or Vettel at this point yet. Until we can get Ricci Id take Kimi over Vettel anyday. An overpaid, over rated under performing Vettel is useless

 

Would do the sport of F1 well if Max was the main challenger. I want Charles but this is not appearing so far. We may be surprised by Ferrari yet.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148383/red-bull-multilink-2020-suspension-design

While Mercedes' dual-axis steering system turned heads in the Barcelona Formula 1 paddock, Red Bull unveiled a front suspension change it hopes will eradicate its deficit in slow-speed corners.

While plenty of developments, such as the snorkel change on the nose, are obvious on the Red Bull, the bold revision of its suspension layout is much more hidden.

Last year's RB15 featured a multi-link upper wishbone solution that many assumed had been abandoned when the RB16 was unveiled without it.

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But a closer look at the RB16 at Barcelona revealed Red Bull has instead switched its concept, as Giorgio Piola's image illustrates, using a multi-link lower wishbone instead (#1), with the rear leg mounted lower down (#2) than the front leg (#3).

The front leg of the lower wishbone has a novelty of its own too.

Not only is it mounted extremely high on the chassis, affording Red Bull the opportunity to slim the bottom of the bulkhead, it's also a single element that passes from one side of the car to the other through the bulkhead (red arrow).

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Red Bull has also paid attention to the forward leg of the upper wishbone, which now features the cricket bat styling on the fairing (white arrow).

It's a feature that has been employed at the rear of cars in the past and is a geometrical anomaly used for aerodynamic purposes.

The layout has a weight-saving benefit, but also helps force airflow down towards the floor and bargeboards to improve the flow around the sidepods.

Asked by Autosport about that design philosophy, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "The Mercedes were good in that low-speed performance last year and that's one area that we needed to improve.

"I think that we have made steps - and of course, this is just the start of a process, and the car will evolve from this point onwards."

Red Bull has also revamped its rear suspension for 2020, opting for a much higher upright extension, whilst also raising the lower wishbone to the centreline of the wheel too.

This puts the lower wishbone inline with the driveshaft fairing behind in order that they can work together to improve airflow in the region.

The main gains of this will come from a clearer pathway for the airflow over the floor into the coke bottle region.

The team has also looked to maximise the performance of the winglets on the brake duct assembly, totally revamping their design, with a new clearer path available to the lower winglet stack.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148379/could-mercedes-das-breach-parc-ferme-rules

Mercedes' dual-axis steering system could still be challenged as a breach of Formula 1's parc ferme regulations despite being given the all-clear by the FIA.

The device, which allows Mercedes' drivers to adjust the toe angle of the front wheels by pushing or pulling the steering wheel, has grabbed the attention of rival teams.

Most understand why it is allowed by F1's 2020 technical regulations, but there appears to be question mark over whether it complies with F1's rules that limit what teams can change after the start of qualifying at grands prix.

Renault's sporting director Alan Permane said: "We don't know what it is doing.

"James Allison [Mercedes technical director] and his men have done something clever, and undoubtedly they think there is plenty of lap time in it.

"I'm sure they've been through it with probably Nikolas [Tombazis], the FIA and his guys and are happy it's legal. I agree.

"There's probably a parc ferme question mark over it, but I suspect that the detail lies in is it a steering system or is it suspension system?

"The two in the technical regs are defined differently and that's where the detail is."

F1's sporting regulations dictate that a car is under parc ferme conditions from the moment it leaves the pitlane during qualifying until the start of the race.

Article 34.6 of the rules adds: "A competitor may not modify any part on the car or make changes to the set-up of the suspension whilst the car is being held under parc ferme conditions.

"In the case of a breach of this article the relevant driver must start the race from the pitlane and follow the procedures laid out in Article 36.2.

"In order that the scrutineers may be completely satisfied that no alterations have been made to the suspension systems or aerodynamic configuration of the car [with the exception of the front wing] whilst in pre-race parc ferme, it must be clear from physical inspection that changes cannot be made without the use of tools."

It could be argued that being able to alter the toe angle of the front wheels through the movement of the steering wheel does not fully comply with this, although much will depend on what defines a suspension system.

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Asked about a potential parc ferme rules issue, F1 race director Michael Masi declined to elaborate on the specifics of the Mercedes case.

"We don't discuss individual teams' technical elements," he said.

"When we've got a query from a team, we deal with them on a one-on-one basis. So that's all I'm going to say.

"I know you are looking for a headline but I'm probably not going to provide one for you.

 

Kimi, Vettel and Ricci are all has beens...in various states of being past their prime and over the hill...but all has beens. Leclerc could win the title tomorrow, in a Mercedes or a Red Bull. He doesn't need an experienced team mate, he needs a team that has good management and can build a winning car. Ferrari appears to fail on both counts. Ricci might want to jump to Alfa or Haas or Williams and get another couple of years out of the sport. Vettel and Kimi should open a combination ice cream parlor/go kart track.

I expect that RB and McLaren might try to catch up and create their own version of the Mercedes DAS system. I think DAS will show up on Racing Point to make them best of the rest. I expect Ferrari and Renault to cry foul and use it as the excuse for why they aren't faster. It's easier to be a complaining loser than to be a fighter. Haas, Williams, Torro Rosso, and Alfa Romeo are just place markers to keep the audience amused until the leaders complete another lap.

Even qualifying doesn't interest me at this point. I'll just record the races and scan through them later to see if anything worth watching actually happens.

 

Ricciardo could move there, but we don't know yet if he is high on the list at the Scuderia.
They surely need a good driver to replace Vettel hopefully, but would they recruit the Australian?
After his stint at Renault, Ricciardo will have high financial expectations, and that's what blocked his recruitment a few years ago, I read.

 

With no titles he will make less than Vettel. That would be a welcome change and improvement lol

 

I agree about Raikkonen and Vettel not being at their sharpest anymore, but I don't see that being the case for Ricciardo .
I thing he could deliver good performance providing he can get out of the Renault situation, and get himself a decent drive.
Yes, Leclerc (like Verstappen) could win the title , but teams need to have 2 regular point-scoring drivers, so the choice of Number 2 is important.

 

Let’s see where Ferrari is in Melbourne. That said, I don’t see any reason to get my hopes up.

 

Unfortunately under Article 1 technical regulation definitions there is no description which clearly identifies this ie steering, so without a proper definition who decides? The FIA !

1.13 Sprung suspension :
The means whereby all complete wheels are suspended from the unit comprising the survival cell/power unit/gearbox by a spring medium.

No such clause for steering

 

Is Monza included in Ferrari's plan of 15 new launches between 2019-2022? Or is it considered 2018?

 

I'm sorry, please ignore the post. I can't delete it now. I had several tabs open in my browser. And somehow I've posted it in the wrong thread. It was supposed to be in another thread.

 

https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-first-sign-of-how-much-ferraris-holding-back/

 

That's a good analysis by Mark Hughes.

 

Let's hope its true

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148392/mercedes-was-forced-to-change-engine-during-test

Mercedes was forced to change an engine during the opening Formula 1 pre-season test at Barcelona.

Valtteri Bottas and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton were fastest overall, and topped the times on two of the three days, as the new W11 proved to be immediately fast.

That performance was in contrast to that of main rival Ferrari, which had a low-key week at Barcelona that included Sebastian Vettel suffering an engine problem on the final morning of the test.


But while Mercedes appeared to run without drama, Autosport has learned that the electrical problem that stopped Bottas on the second day of testing was more terminal than original indicated and was actually an issue with the power unit, which had to be replaced.

Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell admitted over the winter that its development had not been without drama.

"[There's] lots going on in Brixworth, lots of improvements across the whole power unit, on the ERS side, on the internal combustion engine side," said Cowell.

"As ever, [we're] fighting a few little issues as we pull everything together.

"So lots of work going into building the right spec, getting it long-runned, and then providing power units to the teams so that they can fire up their cars - I think you've spotted one that's fired up already."

Williams rookie Nicholas Latifi also lost track time on Friday when his Mercedes power unit required changing.

Ferrari and Mercedes were not the only manufacturers to change engines, as Honda also had to make a precautionary change on the second day when a problem was detected on Alex Albon's power unit.

 

Hope won't help....
The Italians sandbagging? Forget about it. They like to party. They are absolutely nowhere. Really, if there would be something to be proud about, they wouldn't be able to keep it one second to themselves.
Even if Mercedes seems already victorious now, they 've been sandbagging since the beginning of the Barcelona tests.

 

Now come on, this is ridiculous. Ferrari is Italian, so they can't sandbag?

 

Not looking good.

Mercedes: new trick rear-suspension, Das, new Ferrari inspired sidepods
Red Bull: new nose aero-device, much improved Honda engine, new multi-link front suspension
Ferrari: new shade of red

 

This week will tell us what is real for Ferrari capability and others in comparison. If they were not accessing full or near full PU potential then we must assess after this week.

 

I think unless they’ve found another 100bhp during the winter it won’t be enough anyway. Ferrari just doesn’t have the budget Mercedes or Red Bull/Honda have anymore. Bring on 2021 and budget caps!

 

Mercedes walkover coming in 3-2-1....

 

....yup, that extra $100m really doesn't go that far these days....

 

...or coming in 1-2-3 if you prefer, with Stroll in the wall...