Motors The Official bit-tech F1 2010 Thread - Post season washup

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/

So if you use iPlayer to watch live programmes you need a licence, if you only watch on-demand programmes then you don't. Quite how they can enforce that I don't know, I doubt they have contact with the ISPs to check.

 

Balls to that!! Im covered anyway lol. Seems if you put anything online "for free download" it should be fair game rather than all these "rules" lol. Back to the topic at hand........

 

TV coverage aside - Testing Session 3 at Jerez begin today. It marks the penultimate set of tests, and the second at Jerez.
Weather forecast says "Rain - possibly lots of it", so expect a couple of wet fast runs, possibly somee longer runs, and timesheets to mean absolutely squat if there's even a 10 minute window without rain.

Live Commentary link for Day 1

edit: ...aaaand we're off. Link is running now.

 

Apparently the Campos Meta is supposed to be launched today...I doubt that will be happening.

 

What is the situation with Campos? Are they skint or not?

 

noone Knows...they say they're on schedule... much like USF1, then... I have my doubts that they'll be racing.
We might see Bernie ermm.. *cough* Stefan GP after all... and with that, possibly a Villeneuve comeback

 

Apparently they've been having issues securing the finances (surprise surprise) but that's as far has been reported.

Dallara are building the chassis, they're on schedule and have passed the crash tests but are being held up by factors "beyond their control"...sounds like they haven't been paid.

 

As I said - like USF1 then.

On a different note - Considering Lewis's horrible best time so far:

7 Di Resta Force India 1m33.459s +3.132
8 Fauzy Lotus 1m35.777s +5.450
9 Hamilton McLaren 1m39.121s +8.794

That lotus doesn't seem all that rubbish... but it is, of course very early to tell...

 

Track is drying out nicely and the times are a'tumblin - Hamilton currently 2 seconds clear of the field but still 5sec off the best of last week.

 

As much as i want to see as many cars on the grid this year, i think with the time left before the season starts its about time campos and USF1 stand up and tell us exactly where they are/arent. If 1 of them isnt going to make the start of the season then so be it, give the place to stefan and be done with it. Dont drag it all the way to the first race week and then pull out!

 

ta - couldn't agree more. it'd only be fair to Stefan to let them have at least one testing session. but the way it looks right now, My money is on Campos not making it, sadly. It's been too damn quiet on that front, where we're hearing stories of USF1 way more regularly.

Back to testing - It's interesting to see how close the two newcomer teams are to each other, even though it's VERY hard to tell anything with the weather coming and going like that.
Here's hoping for stable weather in next week's testing

 

Well it looks like there should be a fair amount of dry running this afternoon, which will help.

 

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5955410,00.html I'd be very surprised if this was true!

 

Hmmmm - watch this space. Although I could see them running the team as SEAT rather than VW...

 

VW in F1 - that'd be interesting... the livery would look boring though...
But yeah... call me sceptical - until someone confirms that, I am not convinced.

 

I can't imagine someone as big as VW buying a new team and running around at the back of the field for a season. Would be interesting though, Audi F1 maybe?

 

Thinking about, I can't see it happening. The thing is, a major motor manufacturer won't be happy to trundle around at the back of the field and be tied to using Cosworth power, rather than using their own unit.

Audi would be good fit if it happens - they have the race heritage, and we know that they can build a peach of an engine (even if it does burn diesel)

Sooo - money to race this year under the regs as is, using a Cossie, with the understanding that the team is bought, rebranded and re-engined for 2011? Hmmmmmmm.

 

The only trouble I have with that is why would VW go to the trouble of buying a team which in itself is brand new? Would they not have the resources and experience to just form their own team?

 

Audi would be a No-Go... I am sure of that.
As for other manufacturers... VAG MAYBE under the SEAT name, but Doubtful.
The Cossie engine being a show stopper there.

 

Audi (i.e. VAG) have invested far too much money into other forms of motorsport (i.e. the Le Mans series) to bother with F1. Plus, it wouldn't suit their company image either.

DSG - useless in F1. Diesel - useless in F1.