2008 Formula One Thread

[Squonk]

wow.. mclaren number 23

I had missed that. Yeah, that sure does look out of place...

 

[Malcster]

At least they've painted it a different colour.

What with all the spygate stuff from last year i was half expecting it to be red

As with Ferrari, McLaren have said final aero package won't come till much closer to first race in March, im looking forward to them all rediscovering there limits with no traction control, especially in the wet

 

[R.Youden]

Interesting little detail on the McLaren airbox:

Also if you compare the Ferrari F2007 at Brazil to the F2008 at launch:

There ain't much difference between the two...

 

[R.Youden]

Just found this on the Mclaren steering wheel:

"TC Off" Hmmmm........

 

[iGav]

"TC Off" Hmmmm........

Once a cheater always a cheater...

But it's straightforwardphotoshopfookover isn't it?

 

[c-Row]

Just found this on the Mclaren steering wheel:

"Drinks"?

 

[R.Youden]

"Drinks"?

Oh yeah the drinks button is very important. At Honda we used to have a windscreen whipper pump connected to the button to inject fluid into the drivers mouth. No expense spared there!

 

[SpookTheHamster]

Just found this on the Mclaren steering wheel:

"TC Off" Hmmmm........

Sure the wheel isn't just carried over from the old car for the time being?

 

[R.Youden]

Sure the wheel isn't just carried over from the old car for the time being?

Well it shouldn't be. With the new McLaren electronics systems they should have a new wheel. What I guess is they havn't got it finished and they can get away with showing the car with an old wheel as it looks like a standard McLaren wheel. This is one of the big advantages for McLaren with the new standard electronics. They don't have to totally redesign everything, all the other teams need to design new wheels, housing brackets for the units, cooling systems, harness layouts. McLaren get a big advantage with this.

 

[TheChillPill]

That is definitely last year's wheel - I actually have one of them on display in my office, and it's identical to that.

 

[R.Youden]

I quite like the knobs on the McLaren wheel where the number is visible through a cut-out. The other buttons can easily be mapped to any setting that the driver likes. All that happens is the labels are moved and remapped. Each driver will have his own data set which is loaded onto the car with a corresponding data mapping. From what I can remember Taku and Jenson had the buttons at completely different locations, very complicated when a driver changes cars or goes to the T-car, they have to ensure the correct data set.

 

[iGav]

Engine freeze shortened to five years.

with provisional engine regulations due to be presented to the teams within the next two years.

And potentially budget caps too... though it's difficult to see how they can be implemented without the risk of potential infractions... no matter how great or small... for example would a team that strayed over the cap by a £10 be subject to the same punishment as one that strays over by £10,000,000?

 

[pachyderm]

new BMW

 

[pachyderm]

Toyota TF108

 

[pachyderm]

Red Bull RB4

 

[pachyderm]

Ferrari: Raikkonen, Massa

McLaren: Hamilton, Kovelainen

BMW: Heidfeld, Kubica

Renault: Alonso, Piquet

Williams: Rosberg, Nakajima

Red Bull: Webber, Coulthard

Toyota: Trulli, Glock

Honda: Button, Barrichello

Super Aguri: TBA, TBA

Toro Rosso: Vettel, Bourdais

Force India: Sutil, Fisichella

Currently unconfirmed seats:

Super Aguri

 

[c-Row]

I really hope Heidfeld can keep up his great performance of last year. Oh, and the new BMW can hopefully take on Ferrari and McLaren.

 

[Brianstorm91]

You know who I'm rooting for

 

[pachyderm]

I really hope Heidfeld can keep up his great performance of last year. Oh, and the new BMW can hopefully take on Ferrari and McLaren.

me too.

and jarno, poor little jarno...

 

[xUKHCx]

Want calendars are people using to keep track of this season.

The best one I found is this one. Shame apple messed up iCal a bit it is less user friendly.

 

[iGav]

Two observations.

F1 cars whose dominant colour is white, look really... dull.

And

That RB4 looks like a pastiche of every other F1 car.

 

[iGav]

McLaren extend Hamilton's contract.

Unsurprising really.

Though quite why one would wish to stay with a team of serial cheaters with a reputation that potentially taints ones achievements is beyond me.

Should've gone to the team that epitomises honesty and integrity...

 

[pachyderm]

Two observations.

F1 cars whose dominant colour is white, look really... dull.

And

That RB4 looks like a pastiche of every other F1 car.

i like a white car or all one color.

and for me most F1 cars look very similar ...

 

[TheChillPill]

When I heard Williams were showcasing their milestones with 6 different liveries during testing, I really hoped they would bring back the livery on the FW14 - one of the best looking cars in modern F1 history (IMO)

 

[pachyderm]

When I heard Williams were showcasing their milestones with 6 different liveries during testing, I really hoped they would bring back the livery on the FW14 - one of the best looking cars in modern F1 history (IMO)

i agree.

On Monday, to inaugurate the start of Williams' thirtieth year of Formula One racing, the Williams F1 team will unveil the first of six winter test liveries designed to celebrate a sequence of landmarks that will take place when the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship gets underway in March later this year.


As the two FW29B interim cars rolled out this morning at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit to start the team's preparation and testing for 2008, the car livery will include references to the company's 30th year of racing and its 500th entry in a Formula One Grand Prix, a milestone that will be recorded at the Turkish Grand Prix this season. In addition, the team will record its 50,000 racing lap during the forthcoming year, potentially during the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona assuming both FW30s demonstrate a complete finishing record to this point in the season.

In addition to these company milestones, the Monaco Grand Prix will be Frank Williams' 600th Formula One Grand Prix as an entrant, and with a personal record that will span 39 years (and only 23 races missed in almost four decades), he will become the sport's longest enduring entrant, surpassing the record of the legendary Enzo Ferrari.

The team will release its second winter livery at the Valencia test next week, which is also scheduled to be the first run for the team's 2008 racecar, the FW30, which will make its track debut on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. In total, six themed liveries will be run across the two month winter testing campaign in Spain prior to the team's full racing colours being released prior to the season's inaugural race in Melbourne, Australia on March 16, 2008.