Alright Guys got some links up thanks to our beautiful sennista

http://www.formula1.com/race/

http://www.formula1.com/

This is going to be a thread where we are going to review on the 2006 start and whats happening etc etc.

~ Woggy

Cant wait to go, gotta luv the F1, i get corp passes every year through work, its the best

Im going to the grand prix aswell this year, got my tickets

also additional websites or for further information visit

www.grandprix.com.au

http://cars.grandprix.com.au

thanks louks

Omg this is soooo my topic......Formula 1 kicks ass....watch for more posts from moiiii....



FIA vow to resolve engine 'equivalency' worry
Reining in Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Cosworth V10



STR to run the 3.0 litre Cosworth V8 in '06

The FIA has reportedly promised to adjust the thorny issue of V10 equivalency prior to the season opener this year.

Sources close to the Midland-owned MF1 team say that the FIA has guaranteed that Scuderia Toro Rosso's performance-limited engine will not outpace its V8-powered rivals, according to a fan website.

The news follows reports that Silverstone-based MF1, STR's main rival in 2005 in Paul Stoddart's Minardi guise, showed in a study that the current restrictions leave the V10 with a massive 80-100 BHP more grunt than the carmakers' V8s, including MF1's customer Toyota power plant.

“The FIA has promised to redress the issue prior to the start of the season,” the team source told the Midland F1 Online fan site. “So we'll see what happens.”

Source GMM
CAPSIS International

Mark Webber has hinted that he could commit to Williams team beyond 2006.

Last year the Australian driver nearly switched from Jaguar to Renault, but ultimately plumped for Williams, for whom countryman Alan Jones won the 1980 championship.

Webber is still under Flavio Briatore's management umbrella and along with Heikki Kovalainen is a potential candidate for a seat at Renault. Webber tested for the Enstone based team (then Benetton) in 2001.

The blue and yellow camp could be a better bet for the gritty pilot, as Sir Frank Williams's Oxfordshire squad has lost manufacturer support.

"It's my absolute desire that we overcome those dramas and get Williams back to the front this year, and beyond," Webber told Australian Motorsport News.

Mentioning Renault, Webber only suggested that Fernando Alonso's 2007 switch to McLaren Mercedes 'raises further questions' about the carmaker's future in F1.

"The bottom line is it's my desire if at all possible to be at Williams well beyond this year."

E.A.
Source GMM

Michael Schumacher is being linked with a move from Ferrari to Toyota. The seven time world champion's manager, Willi Weber, is quoted in the German Bild newspaper as openly embracing the possibility, just days after 37-year-old Schumacher warned that he could quit Ferrari if the next scarlet racer is not competitive.

Michael's brother, Ralf, currently drives for Cologne based Toyota, even if he is no longer managed by 63-year-old Weber.

Schumacher left open a 'one per cent' likelihood that he would switch teams at the end of this year in his Der Spiegel interview. Weber explained: “He did that because, in F1, there are always surprises. Even though McLaren have signed Alonso for 2007, there is still a big player on the market.”

F1's biggest player, with an estimated annual budget of now more than $500 million, is the Japanese carmaker. It is also perhaps the only F1 player able to meet Michael's wage demands.

Weber concurred with his champion charge that much depends on the pace of Ferrari's 2006 challenger. “We will see how the season starts,” the German explained, “before making a decision in the summer.”

He even went so far as to insist that having both Schumacher brothers at a single team is no longer a problem. Previously, he ruled out the scenario because - no matter what - one of his pair would be a loser.

“I no longer look after Ralf,” he said, “so it's no longer a problem.”



Latest test times:

Jerez* - 10/01/2006
1 . M. Schumacher - Ferrari F2004 V8 - 1:18.020 (+ 0.000 ) - 82 laps
2 . R. Zonta - Toyota TF106 V8 - 1:19.348 (+ 1.328 ) - 66 laps
3 . F. Alonso - Renault R25 V10 - 1:19.866 (+ 1.846 ) - 59 laps
4 . R. Schumacher - Toyota TF106 V8 - 1:19.866 (+ 1.846 ) - 61 laps
5 . L. Badoer - Ferrari F2005 V10 - 1:20.091 (+ 2.071 ) - 63 laps
6 . G. Fisichella - Renault R26 V8 - 1:20.555 (+ 2.535 ) - 39 laps
7 . D. Coulthard - Red Bull Ferrari RB2 - 1:21.986 (+ 3.966 ) - 31 laps.

* Times courtesy of Circuito de Jerez

Although the grumbles are now generally getting quieter, there is still some serious opposition to the dawning of Formula One's less powerful V8 era.

McLaren Mercedes tester Pedro de la Rosa, from the beginning, has been staunchly opposed to the ridding of V10 grunt. The Spaniard worries that both drivers and spectators have been robbed of something special.

"F1 has to remain at the pinnacle," de la Rosa told Marca. "All we are doing with the V8s is offering drivers and fans less."

For the man at the wheel, de la Rosa says driving a 750hp V8 is 'much simpler' than the highest-spec 950 horse power monsters of late 2005.

After driving a rev-limited V10 at Jerez on Wednesday, he added: "Physically, V8 is easier."

"Young drivers, who are coming into Formula One today, have a much simpler task. It's like saying to a marathon runner, 'Run each kilometre in 3min 20s rather than 3m 15s'."

At the Madonna di Campiglio press event, however, Ferrari counterpart Marc Gene - to test at Jerez on Thursday - played down the gravity of the V8 problem.

"I don't think it will force people to change their driving style and I don't think the fans will notice a difference..."


Latest test times:

Jerez* - 12/01/2006
1 . P. de la Rosa - McLaren Mercedes MP4-20B V10 - 1:16.732 (+ 0.000 ) - 65 laps
2 . R. Barrichello - Honda V10 - 1:16.732 (+ 0.000 ) - 51 laps
3 . M. Gene - Ferrari - 1:18.566 (+ 1.834 ) - 95 laps
4 . F. Alonso - Renault R26 V8 - 1:18.706 (+ 1.974 ) - 72 laps
5 . M. Webber - Williams Cosworth V8 - 1:18.838 (+ 2.106 ) - 40 laps
6 . R. Zonta - Toyota TF106 V8 - 1:18.916 (+ 2.184 ) - 89 laps
7 . N. Rosberg - Williams Cosworth V8 - 1:19.048 (+ 2.316 ) - 49 laps
8 . A. Davidson - Honda - 1:19.084 (+ 2.352 ) - 106 laps
9 . J. Trulli - Toyota TF106 V8 - 1:19.164 (+ 2.432 ) - 97 laps
10 . G. Fisichella - Renault R25 V10 - 1:19.462 (+ 2.730 ) - 78 laps
11 . G. Paffett - McLaren Mercedes MP4-20B V10 - 1:19.606 (+ 2.874 ) - 87 laps
12 . N. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber V8 - 1:20.148 (+ 3.416 ) - 79 laps
13 . S. Speed - Scuderia Toro Rosso RB1 V10 - 1:21.035 (+ 4.303 ) - 64 laps
14 . C. Klien - Red Bull Ferrari RB2 - 1:21.469 (+ 4.737 ) - 44 laps

* Times courtesy of Circuito de Jerez

Toyota Motorsport Tecnical Director Engine Luca Marmorini talks of the new 2.4 litre V8 RVX-06 powerplant.

When did you start on the V8 project?
"When we had to decide our plan for the V8 we wanted to be able to test the engine in the car before the 2005 summer break. That was our target. Typically when you have a brand new engine you need roughly eight months for design and production and a further four months of development on the dyno. So eight months before February 2005, the planned date for the first dyno test, we started the design of the engine. After a while the FIA changed some dimensional constraints in the regulations, so we had to adapt our design around a fixed bore spacing, crankshaft height and some limitations like this. We had to start again, and instead of February, we moved to March. On 21 March, we fired it up."

How did the first track tests go?
"The first engine went in the interim car in July in Jerez. At the time we had to respect the agreement that said we could not run with more than two cars, so the V8 could only run when one of the V10 cars stopped. There was not a lot of time, but it was enough for us to do some tests and learn. We covered something like 1000kms over several days. It was just a very quick test, but we could already do some modifications during the August test ban, and we went back at the end of September with the first step, and we ran again for two days. Then there was the October ban, and at the end of November we were ready with what we called a raceable version of the engine."



How much has been carried over from the V10?
"As a philosophy we decided not to modify any working parts from the V10 unless it brought a clear performance benefit, or was an important modification. The 2.4-litre has the same unit displacement, so we carried over most of the internal parts. Some parts even have the same drawings as the V10. In this way we could focus on the new things of the V8, which means the dynamic behaviour. Toyota has a lot of experience in V8s from the USA, but we had not revved a V8 to 19,000rpm, so we had to focus on the new challenges. I think that was the right decision. If we had at the same time too many unknowns, including some problems we could have avoided, we could have compromised our development. If you could open the V8 and open the V10 and see them close you will understand that they've come from the same group of people, the same know-how."

What has changed most since that test in July?
"All the hydraulic system, the installation in the car, was done according to our experience with the V10. At that very first test in July we had big problems with the car systems because of this new vibrating machine. If the hydraulics start to fail, then you cannot use the throttle, so we had to modify everything. The V10 also vibrated, but our system was tuned to a certain level. The V8 was different, and we had to adjust mountings and so on. When we ran the TF106 in November we didn't have a single stop due to the engine installation, so we could focus on engine reliability and performance. On top of this the engine used in July was an engine that could not fit the 2006 car, so we had to apply some minor modifications to fit the new gearbox. But it's the same engine in terms of key components and internal parts."

For the first time there's a minimum weight regulation of 95kgs. How did you adjust to that constraint?
"Let's put it this way. If you weighed the engine that ran on the dyno in March 2005, it was much more of a Formula 1 engine than the engine we're running now, in terms of weight. The internal parts are the same, but the one that ran in March was done with 2005 technology, thin wall castings and so on, so it was very light. To give you an example, the V10 we raced in 2005 could not fulfil the new regulations for the V8! So we had to add weight. We put material on castings, as there's no chance now to have thin wall castings where we don't need them. At the same time we integrated the functions of the engine to be sure that we could also collect weight for functional parts."

How closely have you worked with the chassis team?
"An F1 engine is a part of the car. An engine is not good if it's not well introduced into the car. You never win in this way. When we start a new engine we are sitting with the chassis people, and a lot of the input on the specifications of the new engine have come from chassis. Chassis design also takes into account the engine's working conditions. We've done a lot of modifications of the engine, trying to help the car. The engine is a big spacer, and the exhausts are a big volume, around which the aero people have to design a good car. So we are always in contact with them to try to help them design a better car, and at the same time we have to design a car that is cooling enough. Doing everything under the same roof is a huge benefit."

Latest test times:

Valencia* - 31/01/2006
1 . R. Barrichello - Honda RA106 - 1:19.399 (+ 0.000 ) - 60 laps
2 . A. Davidson - Honda RA106 - 1:19.996 (+ 0.597 ) - 64 laps
3 . M. Schumacher - Ferrari F2004/248 F1 - 1:20.358 (+ 0.959 ) - 88 laps
4 . K. Raikkonen - McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 - 1:21.194 (+ 1.795 ) - 25 laps
5 . M. Webber - Williams Cosworth FW28 - 1:22.388 (+ 2.989 ) - 77 laps
6 . C. Klien - Red Bull Ferrari RB2 - 1:22.599 (+ 3.200 ) - 42 laps
7 . G. Paffett - McLaren Mercedes MP4-20B - 1:23.836 (+ 4.437 ) - 42 laps
8 . N. Rosberg - Williams Cosworth FW27C - 1:23.936 (+ 4.537 ) - 75 laps.

* Times courtesy of Williams Cosworth

He might be the reigning world champion, but Fernando Alonso does not think he should be regarded as the 'reference' for his rivals.

That privilege, the 24-year-old Spaniard insisted, belongs only to Michael Schumacher, the most successful Grand Prix driver in history.

Alonso said: "If Ferrari turn out in races to be as good as they seem in testing, then Michael is definitely the favourite for 2006."

Interestingly leaving Renault's 2005 challenger McLaren out of the equation, Fernando said the 'best teams' of the winter have been Renault, Honda and Ferrari.

"At least for the moment, these three teams are in front," he said.

Alonso also admitted that teams on Michelin tyres, like Renault, had been caught up by the Bridgestone shod camps, including Ferrari.

He said the axing of the one tyre per race rule had worked in Bridgestone's favour.

"Last year, we had a fantastic tyre for the whole race, so we have perhaps lost this advantage."

But although Renault's new R26 looks almost identical to the 2005 predecessor, it has leapt ahead in technical advancements for the new season. For one, the gearbox has shifted from six to seven speed, and is now made entirely of titanium.

In addition, the cooling system is more advanced, allowing for smaller radiators and side pods.

Source GMM
CAPSIS International

Latest lap times:(including times by Valentino Rossi in a Ferrari)

Valencia - 1/02/06
1. F. Alonso - Renault R26 - 1'11"229 (+0"000) - 47 laps
2. M. Schumacher - Ferrari F2004/248 F1 - 1'11"821 (+0"592) - 73 laps
3. J.P. Montoya - McLaren Mercedes MP4/21 - 1'11"978 (+0"749) - 68 laps
4. J. Button - Honda RA106 - 1'11"998 (+0"769) - 85 laps
5. R. Barrichello - Honda RA106 -1'12"063 (+0"834) - 115 laps
6. J. Villeneuve - BMW Sauber F1.06 - 1'12"628 (+1"399) - 72 laps
7. R. Zonta - Toyota TF106 - 1'12"668 (+1"439) - 78 laps
8. V. Rossi - Ferrari F2004 V10 - 1'12"863 (+1"634) - 49 laps
9. D. Coulthard - Red Bull Ferrari RB2 - 1'12"891 (+1"662) - 37 laps
10. A. Wurz - Williams Cosworth FW27C - 1'12"930 (+1"701) - 83 laps
11. G. Paffett - McLaren Mercedes MP4/20 V10 - 1'12"937 (+1"708) - 115 laps
12. M. Webber - Williams Cosworth FW28 - 1'13"021 (+1"792) - 72 laps
13. J. Trulli - Toyota TF106 - 1'13"075 (+1"846) - 108 laps
14. R. Kubica - BMW Sauber C24B - 1'13"472 (+2"243) - 64 laps
15. H. Kovalainen - Renault R26 - 1'13"679 (+2"450) - 26 laps

The MP4-21 is going to mop the floor with everyone.

This will be a good year

If you've been following the winter testing like me you will have noticed several things.

1) Unless Ferrari can improve massively during the season, they stand little chance at winning WDC or WCC.
Also Fillippe Massa won't be as helpful to the team as Barrichello (Borangotang as he is affectionately known.) He wont be as suportive to Schumacher, but if that makes much difference is questionable.

2) Renault are probably the class act, great reliability, consistently fast chassis (clear by 0.3-0.5 seconds to its nearest rival.

3) That nearest rival is Honda, they're doing quite well and will hopefully be a force through the season.

4) McLaren started off rough, bad reliability and slow. Recently they have been close to Honda and Renault, but not close enough to win. They will start of well and collect good points as they probably have the best driver combination of Renault and Honda. There chassis is excellent, but engine has a long way to go.
They will probably finish on the podium regularly with one driver, with the other one getting best of the rest.

Narrowed down, Fisichella and Barrichello are not match for Juan-Pablo Montoya
and Raikkonen is the better driver out of Button and Alonso in raw speed.
But he hasn't the car that both those drivers have, will be great to see what he can do during the race.

5) Super Aguri are going to be even slower than Minardi ever were.

I am looking forward to a great 3way fight to victory this year and hopefully the MP4-21 can do what the MP4-20 couldn't.
Also, part time watchers of F1. They are V8s now, 2.4ltr V8s revving up to 22,000rpm pumping out mid to high 700bhp allegedly.

Here is to a great season of F1 !!

Yes...and Toyota...my team..

will be down the pack as well...

got massive reliability out of their engine....but no speed.

Barichello actually has beaten Button in a few tests... interesting. They could have been on different programmes, so it's not worth reading into.

But Barrichello v Button is a teamup I will enjoy watching.

See if Schumachers ex-bitch still remembers how to race

Normally team mates in testing test different components..

one would be testing tyres while the other would be testing set up etc etc...


come real season i would expect team mates to be running close together...

From what I read they were both testiing reliabily over race-distance, but they might have been focusing on different elements that can fail or running different setups on the chassis.
You never know in F1 what they are testing, very hush hush.



I can't stand Judas Button after he wormed his way out of a contract with Williams, I hope Barrichello smashes him to pieces.

Puffet at McLaren is testing a new nose on the MP4-20, while the 21 is running with the ant-easter nose.
Hopefully the Benz engine is more reliable than last years engine (which failed 8 times.)
The 21 is a good car (because it has a few key Greek engineers behind the scene) Podromou & Tombazis
they will defect to Redbull though, at least I think they will.

This should be another good year of F1, namely because Ferrari look slow in testing.

Honda, an outside tip for championship glory, has been the most reliable formula one team of the 2006 pre-season.

While a similar analysis named the Brackley based outfit as the biggest testers, 'Auto Motor Und Sport' now reveals that the Japan-owned camp topped F1's eleven teams in a study of those least likely to break down this year.

With an average of 438 kilometres on a single test day, the German magazine lists Honda ahead of F1 rival and second most reliable team Renault, which clocks up an average 399km.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Toro Rosso - with a development of last year's Red Bull car and a V10 engine - came in third (376km), ahead of BMW (355) and Toyota (294).

Ominously, '05 runner up McLaren is just sixth of the eleven teams, with an average of less than 300km per test day, but Ferrari fared even worse, collecting just 278 km per day to finish eighth.

Williams amassed 280km per winter test day, according to Auto Motor Und Sport, MF1 came next (272), then Red Bull (175) and Super Aguri (173).

''I feel very comfortable going into the first race,'' Honda's Rubens Barrichello said last week.

Qualifying has been completed for the first race of the season in Bahrain.

already drama...


Raikonnen had a suspension failure in qualifying and will start from the back of the grid...


while the 2 ferraris occupy the front row.

World champion Alonso will start from 4th.

2006 Bahrain Grand Prix - Sakhir - Starting Grid Positions


1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari
2. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari
3. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda
4. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault
5. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) McLaren
6. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda
7. Mark Webber (Australia) Williams - Cosworth
8. Christian Klien (Austria) Red Bull - Ferrari
9. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault
10. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber
11. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BMW Sauber
12. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams - Cosworth
13. David Coulthard (Britain) Red Bull - Ferrari
14. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Toro Rosso - Cosworth
16. Scott Speed (U.S.) Toro Rosso - Cosworth
17. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota
18. Christijan Albers (Netherlands) Midland - Toyota
19. Tiago Monteiro (Portugal) Midland - Toyota
20. Takuma Sato (Japan) Super Aguri - Honda
21. Yuji Ide (Japan) Super Aguri - Honda
22. Kimi Räikkönen (Finland) McLaren

I think the Ferraris are running light, we will see them pit for fuel early.
Also the Bridgestones seem to have a slight advantage on qualifying runs.

Come race I doubt Ferrari can win (and hope they cant also)

Should be a good race though.

Raikkonen is heavy fueled, but must make his way through a lot of traffic... maybe overtaken is actually easy this year? or maybe the aero is too excessive still.. can't wait!!!

Raikonnen had plenty of practise coming from the back of the grid last season

He had so much practice I think that's why he will leave.