Ferrari unveil F2005

[iGav]

And it looks remarkably like the F2004M

First impressions... that's one hell of a hooter isn't it and the F2004M 'chin-wing' remains, which is abit of a surprise, I was expecting a bit more of an elegant solution for the new car.

The sidepods look to have a significant undercut, so it'll be interesting to see how tightly compact the car is around the rear.

So far though, it looks to be evolutionary more than revolutionary, but I remember last years launch of the F2004 and the first impressions people had of that... then look what happened over the season.

More to follow...

[iGav]

Here's a better picture, it's freakishly similar to the F2004M infact.

More to follow.

[edesignuk]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 2005 constructors champions

[kettle]

Originally Posted by iGav

Here's a better picture, it's freakishly similar to the F2004M infact.

More to follow.

Considering the success of the last one, I'm glad that it does possess more than a passing resemblance. It shows that all the money spent in wind tunnels must actually be coming to a focus. Also helps me predict that other cars based on last years technology might be a little bit closer to the top end guys which won't be a bad thing considering how dire the racing has become over the past few years.

oh yeah, I also hope the wheels drop off at every opportunity that jinx has to strike.

[iGav]

now this is a better angle...

looks rather simple and elegant from that view, monster rear wing though!

lots of images on F1 Live... rinky dink link

proper hi-res images should be up on Ferrari's site once everything calms down a little.

[virividox]

woo hooo go ferrari!!!

[AmigoMac]

This is getting hot... Looking forward for a no-boring season (I may hope) , yes, it looks great and winner...

[iGav]

Having a closer tommy gander at the rear of the car, there's a couple of striking features.

Firstly look where the exhausts are not only are they fully intergrated into the aero, but they also 'exhaust' mid-way down the engine cover I'm thinking there's some interesting design and engineering gone into the layout under the bodywork judging by their location.

The 2nd dramatic feature can be seen from the rear of the car, look at how narrow it is... incredible

Considering the position of the exhausts, knowing that they've got a new ultra compact carbon/titanium gearbox in there and the narrowness of the rear, looks like they've shifted the engine and gearbox into an almost true mid-layout.

Certainly more impressive than the first pictures had suggested

[bartelby]

Originally Posted by AmigoMac

This is getting hot... Looking forward for a no-boring season (I may hope) , yes, it looks great and winner...

Best not watch F1 then!

I was a big F1 fan, but once the other teams weren't allowed to overtake Ferraris, unless they had advanced written approval from Mr Brawn and race stewards, I stopped taking much notice of it.

MotoGP / 250's / 125's /World SuperBkie and British SuperBike are far better, more overtaking in 3 laps, of any of their races, than the entire F1 season.

MotoGP may be dominated by Rossi, but at least he's not a smug git like Schumacher!

[gwuMACaddict]

i suppose i'd drive it...

[Lacero]

Where can i buy, and what's the gas mileage like?

[brap]

Originally Posted by Lacero

Where can i buy, and what's the gas mileage like?

Not "How much"?

[AmigoMac]

Originally Posted by brap

Not "How much"?

Peanuts

BTW, I don't care about Ferrari too much, this year I want to compare

JPM - KR (Mercedes)
RS - JT (Toyota)
MW - NH (BMW)

[MOFS]

Originally Posted by Lacero

Where can i buy, and what's the gas mileage like?

About $200million. Excluding road tax, insurance and petrol, of course.

MPG. Average race about 90mins at 140mph - 210miles. Fuelled twice during an average race - 20 seconds at 10 litres per second - 200 litres per race. So thats 1.05miles per litre.A litre is about 2 pints - 1/4 of a gallon - so that works out at about 0.25 miles per gallon. Not something you want to take down to the shops, tho' I wished I worked for the same company as Mr Schumacher - thats some company car!

PS: I knew you were joking - just putting my maths into use to find out something I've always been interested in!

[anonymous161]

Actually, isn't that closer to 4 miles per gallon?

Well this is what we have all been waiting for isn't it.
At first it looks like more of the same but the devil is in the details.
And the devil is in red.
I must agree with iGav, I thought that chin wing would go away. I like that the sidepod chimneys are gone, becoming vertical winglets instead. The cooling looks to have been revised dramatically and the powertrain consolidated quite a bit. I wonder if that new carbon gearbox has the seamless shift technology that BAR are excited about?
The rear end package is very elegant, much more so that even the MP4-20.

I think it looks good, just deceptively similar to the F2004.

[iGav]

Originally Posted by bartelby

MotoGP / 250's / 125's /World SuperBkie and British SuperBike are far better, more overtaking in 3 laps, of any of their races, than the entire F1 season.

I'm not a subscriber of lots of overtaking automatically = good racing, just look at NASCAR But in F1's defence, lack of overtaking isn't necessarily the problem, look at Spa and Monza for example, both were crammed with close racing and a boatload of overtaking. The biggest problem is teams like Williams and McLaren unable to take the race to Ferrari because they make silly errors in the designs of their car (Walrus nose) or they waste time developing 4 cars over 2 seasons, or they fail to capitalise when they do have an advantage (mid-season '03 for example).

I've never really been a big fan of motorbike racing, I did tune into Moto GP for some races a few years ago because of all the hype it was receiving, but the races I caught were just as poor as some of the F1 races because Rossi (like Schu) just made them dull through pure excellence, superb performances but not necessarily great racing.

I did make the effort to watch Moto GP this season because of the hype of Rossi doing a Schu and going to a lesser team, he had a stunning season this year... but outside of Rossi and Gibernau there were times when it was as processional as any F1 race, and no amount of bigging up changes that.

Originally Posted by bartelby

MotoGP may be dominated by Rossi, but at least he's not a smug git like Schumacher!

I honestly still don't see where Schumacher gets that reputation the same with claims that he's arrogant.

But judging by some of the comments I've read that Rossi has made, I'd question the suggestion that he's not a 'smug git'.

But, if anyone does have the right to be smug or arrogant, then surely it's multiple World Champions like Schumacher and Rossi unlike people like Button for example... heheheh

[iGav]

Originally Posted by AmigoMac

JPM - KR (Mercedes)
RS - JT (Toyota)
MW - NH (BMW)

I'll go with...

Kimi
Trulli

And I'll take a risk and say Heidfeld will edge Webber (but it'll be close)

How's about yourself... ?

Originally Posted by anonymous161

I like that the sidepod chimneys are gone, becoming vertical winglets instead.

Well spotted that man didn't notice that at all. It's interesting that there does seem to be a significant lack of cooling in the general pod and rear area, remember the F2003-GA with it's 'Shark Gills', and the F2004 with it's occasional huge chimneys, the rear of the F2005 just looks very clean, simple, uncluttered, a completely different solution to the Williams for example.

Originally Posted by anonymous161

I wonder if that new carbon gearbox has the seamless shift technology that BAR are excited about?

I believe it will, Brawn has said that the biggest reason for it's relatively late arrival is the new gearbox, Ferrari have consistantly had the quickest shifts, there's a quote somewhere from Brawn or Byrne that such was they're shifting speed advantage that over the course of a race, they'd gain multiple seconds over other teams from that alone.

[anonymous161]

Ferrari seem to love that nose profile. What is this, the fourth car with that nose? Its become a signature.
I read that Aldo Costa, not Byrne, was actually in charge of this car. So this will be the first test to see the sucessors of today's Ferrari team can carry on the torch.
I like how Brawn and Byrne both called this the best Ferrari ever. Like they would tell us, "er, yeah, this one is probably better than the F399 but not quite in F2003-GA territory."


As far as 1-2 driver rivalries, if it were a moaning contest, I would take Juan over Kimi and Ralph over Trulli for sure. I hope the new Williams boys don't have that in common with their predecessors.
I'm sorry but I think Heidfeld is over rated, but BMW wanted him there so maybe they will help him out in the power department.

[bartelby]

Link

[Don't panic]

Originally Posted by bartelby

link

heheheh, that's funny. they'll probably implement those next year.

the new car seems pretty slick, but they all do. i'm curious to see how it will compare to the mclarens.

It's a bit off topic, but I have one question that is bugging me about the one-engine-two-races rule (which i don't think makes much sense). How much better is an engine developed (or set up) for one race than one developed for two races? If it is significantly better, are we going to see a lot of sudden retirements at the end of one race that didn't go that well so you can start the next race with a new engine? Or use a one-race engine and go all-out with it. Since you have an advantage, you perform better. If the engine blows, you get a new one next race, if it doesn't, you most likely did better than you would have, and since it won't last the next race, you change it in the next qualif (and take the 10 slots penalty). I can see these kind of "strategy" being used by the mid-low teams, where some points here and there are better then a consistent 12-15 placement

[MOFS]

Originally Posted by anonymous161

Actually, isn't that closer to 4 miles per gallon?

Um...yeah...my biggie. Hey whats that over there?[runs away quickly before anyone can catch him]

Yeah - Ferrari looks sweet - I think Ross Brawn and his team are the biggest innovators in the sport. While Renault seem to have refined their sidepods, if the smaller tail and exhausts built into the chassis work, we're gonna see a lot of Ferrari copies on the grid come July!

[AmigoMac]

Originally Posted by iGav

I'll go with...

Kimi
Trulli

And I'll take a risk and say Heidfeld will edge Webber (but it'll be close)

How's about yourself... ?

JPM (After the first 3 races), Kimi will be much better the first races I guess...

Trulli

I haven't decided about BMW ... they both have the pace, I think it will be more a Psychological game ... Webber likes that.

[bartelby]

"Contrary to widespread belief, Ferrari has decided to withhold its consent for Formula One tail-enders Minardi to race its old car in this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has maintained since last season that the delay in formulating a new rules package for 2005 would mean that his team would fail to comply with the regulations until its definitive 2005 machine came on stream at Imola next month, and eight of the remaining nine teams have said that they would be happy for him to run his 2004-spec car until that time. Ferrari, however, has refused to sign the waiver that would allow the ex-pat Australian to field two entries in his homeland this weekend.

Ironically, Ferrari is also starting the season with a version of last year's car, but has the resources to modify the F2004 in accordance with the heavily revised rules package that stipulates, amongst other things, a reduction in aerodynamics and engines now need to last for two whole race weekends."


What possible reason do they really have to do this, do they feel threatened by Minardi?
I really believe that Ferrari are trying to make F1 a one make series!
I used to think the break away series was a bad idea but now I've changed my mind.
Ferrari were the main team pushing for the GPWC (or whatever it's called) in the beginning, now they are only one of 2 teams who have not signed up. Is this due to the fact that they will now get more money than ever because they signed to the Concorde agreement until 2012?

EDIT: Is this fair and 'Sporting':

• Ferrari are guaranteed $67m (£34.8m) every year - an estimated 15-20% of their budget - before any money is distributed to the other teams.
• Ferrari have absolute veto over all changes agreed by the other teams, even if the other teams agree unanimously.
• Ferrari would get more of F1's commercial revenue if they finished last than any other team would if they won the world championship.


I hope the GPWC goes ahead without them, I can do without their whining and whinging. If I never see those egomaniacs Brawn, Schumacher and DiMontezemelo again I'll be a happy man.

The main person I feel sorry for is Rubens, I swear he's got a clause in his contract that says he's not allowed to over take Schumy.

[MOFS]

Originally Posted by bartelby

"Contrary to widespread belief, Ferrari has decided to withhold its consent for Formula One tail-enders Minardi to race its old car in this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has maintained since last season that the delay in formulating a new rules package for 2005 would mean that his team would fail to comply with the regulations until its definitive 2005 machine came on stream at Imola next month, and eight of the remaining nine teams have said that they would be happy for him to run his 2004-spec car until that time. Ferrari, however, has refused to sign the waiver that would allow the ex-pat Australian to field two entries in his homeland this weekend.

Ironically, Ferrari is also starting the season with a version of last year's car, but has the resources to modify the F2004 in accordance with the heavily revised rules package that stipulates, amongst other things, a reduction in aerodynamics and engines now need to last for two whole race weekends."


What possible reason do they really have to do this, do they feel threatened by Minardi?
I really believe that Ferrari are trying to make F1 a one make series!
I used to think the break away series was a bad idea but now I've changed my mind.
Ferrari were the main team pushing for the GPWC (or whatever it's called) in the beginning, now they are only one of 2 teams who have not signed up. Is this due to the fact that they will now get more money than ever because they signed to the Concorde agreement until 2012?

EDIT: Is this fair and 'Sporting':

• Ferrari are guaranteed $67m (£34.8m) every year - an estimated 15-20% of their budget - before any money is distributed to the other teams.
• Ferrari have absolute veto over all changes agreed by the other teams, even if the other teams agree unanimously.
• Ferrari would get more of F1's commercial revenue if they finished last than any other team would if they won the world championship.


I hope the GPWC goes ahead without them, I can do without their whining and whinging. If I never see those egomaniacs Brawn, Schumacher and DiMontezemelo again I'll be a happy man.

Well Schumacher will probably retire after this year, and Brawn wants to move back to Britain, so F1 magazine predict Brawn going to Mclaren in exchange for Kimi.

As far as the GPWC goes, one thing already would make it very difficult for the teams: Silverstone. Bernie is in charge of it, so could stop GPs being held there, and possibly even stop the teams testing there, including Williams, Mclaren, BAR, Jordan and Red Bull. They'll all sign - once they get more money from the deal and decide they're on an equal footing with Ferrari.

The main person I feel sorry for is Rubens, I swear he's got a clause in his contract that says he's not allowed to over take Schumy.

Has Ralf always had that clause in his contract?

[anonymous161]

There seems to be some dispute over whether or not Minardi will be able to race. For starters, even Paul Stoddart admits that no one has actually asked Ferrari if they are ok with Minardi using the PS04. Second, Ferrari (and the FIA) maintain that only the FIA has say over whether any car is legal to race or not and no matter what "good faith" agreement the 10 teams come to, the scrutineers on Friday have the final say for the weekend. Besides, even if the cars were determined to be illegal, Minardi could file an appeal and probably be able to race (most likely losing any points the would earn, ha!) for the first few races until the PS05 (which is up to spec) is ready at Imola.

Hate Ferrari all you want, but any team that was number one would want to be paid like they were number one and I don't think anyone agrees that "also-rans" should be entitled to the same amount of revenues as the teams that are competitive. Since each team is in business, what incentive is there to spend money on development and race if they still get the same pay check as the team that just shows up with pay drivers to run around the track?