Red Bull RB4 2008

Benetton B192 1992

Lotus 98T 1986

McLaren M23 1974

Lotus 49 1967

Maserati 250F 1959

How F1 cars work — DRS.

How F1 cars work — suspension.

How F1 cars work — driver fitting.

How F1 cars work — steering wheel

Changes to the 2013 sporting and technical regulations for Formula One are minor but important. They include:

Weight: Due to changes in their structure, Pirelli’s 2013 tyres are around 2kg heavier per set than in 2012, hence the car’s minimum weight limit has been increased by the same amount, from 640 to 642kg. As a consequence, the weight-distribution requirement has also been revised to minimum figures of 292kg:343kg front to rear, leaving teams 7kg to play with.

Stepped Noses: To mask the step in the car’s nose (thought unattractive by many), teams are now allowed to place a non-structural ‘vanity panel’ over this area, the shape of which is strictly controlled by the regulations.

Front Wing Tests: To prevent them flexing, front wings now face a tougher deflection test, with a 1,000N (100kg) load applied at two different points on both the longitudinal and transverse axes. The amount the wing may deflect has been reduced from 20mm to 10mm.

Load & Crash Tests: More severe load tests for the roll structure have been introduced and the crash test requirements modified.

Survival Cell: The side load test for the survival cell is more severe too, and it must be applied to all chassis produced by a team, rather than to a single example.

DRS: Active “double DRS” systems – where the DRS activation mechanism is utilised for other purposes – are no longer allowed (only passive solutions are now considered legal). Also, DRS usage is now limited to the DRS zones in all sessions (previously it could be used anywhere during free practice and qualifying).

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/02/19/f1-2013-rule-changes/feed/ 0 01071 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/02/19/video-nbc-sports-f1-2013-preview/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/02/19/video-nbc-sports-f1-2013-preview/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:41:27 +0000 Glenn Manishin http://f1-grandprix.com/?p=34476 The new home for Formula One on American television previews the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.

Drivers Mark Webber of Australia and Sebastian Vettel of Germany reveal the new car during the Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB9 launch on February 3, 2013 in Milton Keynes, England.

F1 takes enormous amounts of capital and it’s just not around that much any more. Despite a resource restriction agreement that is designed to level the playing field and allow smaller teams to remain financially solvent (whether or not competitive), the gap between the sport’s leading organizations and grid backmarkers is as large as ever.

The signs of this situation are evident. Marussia, which started back in 2010 as Virgin, released Timo Glock in favor of yet another sponsored “pay driver,” who basically purchased the seat. Caterham let Heikki Kovalainen go in favor of a second paid seat alongside Charles Pic.

Paying for F1 drives is not new, going all the way back to Juan Manuel Fangio’s backing by the Argentine government of Juan Péron in the 1950s. But this time it feels different. The difference is that the F1 grid is shrinking, looking today like a far cry from the halcyon era of the early 1990s, when “pre-qualifying” was required to whittle the field to a “mere” 26 cars for Saturday qualifications. Former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari, yet another casualty of the paid driver trend, complains that ”F1 has become an auction.”

For some years now, there have been whispers in Formula 1 that all was not well financially with some of the teams. Finally, one of the most senior figures in the sport has put a public voice to them. McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says “of the 11 teams, seven of them are in survival strategy.”

Formula 1 teams showing signs of money problems | BBC Sport.

This helps explain, in part, the relentless pursuit in recent seasons of new venues in developing nations (China, India, etc.) where government-subsidized circuits and rising consumer demand are hoped to help attract new commercial sponsors to the sport. But it is unsettling at best and scary at worst. With the advent of sporting regulation changes requiring engines, transmissions and other vital car parts to last for many races, the demise of special qualifying tires, spare cars and in-season testing, the basic parameters of F1 are shockingly different from its historical roots. Some see these as making competition better; others, like this author, see them as a threat to the fundamental nature of F1 as the epitome of automobile technology and engineering.

Yes, Formula 1 has in the past been most profligate in the area of spending. Rumors have it that Ferrari in its dominant Schumacher era was spending US$100 million a year on tires alone. Honda allegedly spent $1 billion during 2008 on the design of its 2009 car. (Ironically following Honda’s last-minute withdrawal from the sport at the end of 2008, the car they had designed for 2009 won both the drivers and constructors championships under the badge of Brawn GP.) And McLaren International’s yearly budget is said to reach nearly $300 million even today.

In some ways, the sport’s governing bodies are hurting themselves. In 2014, the current V8 engine specification is set to be abandoned in favor of new 1.6-liter turbo V6s. That may help the optics of F1, much like KERS has with its recent adoption by major auto companies for road cars as an efficiency and mileage-enhancing technology, yet the uncertainty and costs of switching formulas acts at cross-purposes to the goal of limiting capital budgets. Red Bull’s Christian Horner reportedly thinks 2014 is “going to be a risk for everyone,” in that “there could be more focus on economy than absolute performance.” It will undoubtedly cost a lot more to buy the new engines and even more to redesign chasses to work well with the smaller powerplant.

Whether that improves “the show” remains to be seen. In the mean time, debate continues to rage over the exclusion of privateers and so-called “customer cars,” which deprives the sport of the sort of small outfits that 40 years ago helped fill out the grid and launched the careers of such legends as Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart. Way back in 2003, then FIA chief Max Mosley warned that Formula One couldn’t rely on manufacturer teams alone and needed to become more accessible for independents.

Felipe Massa of Brazil and Ferrari drives during Formula One winter testing at Circuito de Jerez on February 5, 2013 in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Yet as we speak, the F1 teams are launching new cars and have returned from the 2013 season’s first official testing session at Jerez. There were many races in 2012 where the top 10 cars all qualified within 1s of each other. Overtaking, enhanced with DRS, is back big time. And everyone still chases the Adrian Newey-designed Red Bulls, despite signs that the Austrian team is no longer the technical wizard it was just two years ago.

Are you ready for some racing? Let’s hope the sport survives its financial troubles with its soul intact. See you in Melbourne.

Kimi Räikkönen drove his Lotus-Renault to victory at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, giving Lotus F1 its first Grand Prix win since 1987 and the Iceman his first post-comeback win (since Belgium in 2009). The victory was overshadowed, however, by a masterful race from Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, fighting sensationally through the field from last place to third. Vettel leads Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who placed second, by 10 points heading into the season’s final two races, in Austin (United States) and São Paulo (Brazil).

Vettel, who had to start from the pit lane due to a fuel irregularity and finally set the fastest lap of what he called a ‘crazy race’, now has 255 points to Alonso’s 245 and can clinch a third successive title in Austin, Texas, in two weeks if results go his way. “I went to see Sebastian before the race and he said ‘I’ll see you on the podium,’” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner of a race in which Vettel’s run of four successive wins come to an end but added considerably to his reputation as a true champion. “I think it’s one of the best of his career. He really went for it. To go from pit lane to podium is phenomenal.”

Official race edit highlights of the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix. Courtesy of FormulaOneExpert via YouTube.

SUZUKA, JAPAN – OCTOBER 05: Michael Schumacher of Germany and Mercedes GP attends the drivers briefing following practice for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit on October 5, 2012 in Suzuka, Japan.

Michael Schumacherconfirmed in a press conference what aficionados already knew — that he’ll retire from Formula 1 at the end of this season.

Photo by Peter Hovis.

Courtesy of F!Archives.com.

In the 1990 U.S. Grand Prix, a street race in Phoenix, Arizona, Ayrton Senna (McLaren MP4/5B) had to come from behind after young French driver Jean Alesi almost stole the season’s opening event in what would have been a major upset for his relatively under-funded Tyrrell team. Senna took an 8s win over Alesi, who scored his first podium finish, with Belgian Thierry Boutsen finishing 3rd in a Williams FW13B. Photo courtesy of Peter Hovis.

Photo by Peter Hovis from the 1990 U.S. Grand Prix paddock.

Lewis Hamilton swept to pole position for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday in an all-McLaren front row with teammate Jenson Button lining up alongside him. It was McLaren’s 3rd successive pole, and 23rd of Hamilton’s career, and left the two Britons perfectly placed for a 3rd win in a row after their 3rd one-two in qualifying this season.

Having led both second and third practice, Hamilton maintained his strong form to set a 1m24.010s at the start of Q3. That proved unbeatable, and Button eventually joined him up front with a lap 0.123s slower.