Posted on 08/05/2009 7:57:45 PM PDT by Chode
This will be a general purpose thread for F1 news and pings that really don't require a thread of their own.
Renault’s F1 concept car...cleaner aero design in the future?
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/129105
I was a little disappointed that Andrea Moda was not included in this list. But then again, that team was such a farce that maybe it isn’t really “lost” after all.
i still think the enclosed cockpit is a baaad idea...
without AC they will fry on the hot weather circuits and God forbid if they ever get trapped inside and can’t get out in a crash
that said it looks cool as hell, like a fighter
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/indycar-series-news/352688/alonso-completes-indy-500-orientation/
Alonso completes Indy 500 orientation
3 May 2017 – Fernando Alonso turned the first oval laps in his career this morning, completing the Rookie Orientation Programme at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of the 101st Indianapolis 500 later this month.
Taking to the track in an orange McLaren-branded IndyCar, the two-time Formula 1 World Drivers Champion breezed through the three stages of the programme in just 50 laps, with only his first couple of times around the speedway falling outside of the required average speeds.
“He did great, it was perfect” team owner Michael Andretti said regarding the 57-minute completion of the programme. “He’s the real deal.”
The three-stage orientation forces drivers to increase their lap speeds gradually, completing set numbers of laps within certain windows between 200mph and up to (and then above) 215mph. By the end of the day, he was consistently running in the low 220s.
Alonso started his day on the pit wall as his future Andretti Autosport team-mate Marco Andretti shook down his car for around ten laps. Marco, the grandson of 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti and son of Michael, has been racing in the 500 since 2006 and adjusted Alonso’s McLaren into what he described as a race day setup.
The Spaniard finally climbed into the car after 75 minutes, with worldwide viewership across multiple platforms peaking around 500,000, according to IndyCar.
Under the watchful eye of Michael Andretti and McLaren CEO Zak Brown, Alonso’s lap speeds quickly increased from an opening lap of 199.595mph to a steady string of average speeds in the 206 to 209 range.
Brown noted before the test that Alonso has watched over 25 past Indianapolis 500s in the last couple of weeks, including watching a full race from Ed Carpenter’s on-board camera, to get a better idea of what to expect. He also ran some laps on Honda’s simulator, but he said that wouldn’t fully prepare him compared to being in the car.
With weather threatening to cancel any afternoon running, Alonso worked through Phase One in roughly 25 minutes, which required ten laps run in the 205 to 210mph range. He immediately put in a 213.852 before pitting for the first time.
Finding no difficulty in hitting his marks or launching away from the pit stall, he then graduated through Phase Two, which requires 15 laps between 210 and 215 mph. A consistent string of 219mph laps easily moved him through Phase Three before coming in for a team debrief.
Speaking with Michael and Marco Andretti, Brown and a team of engineers, Alonso was content with his first runs, asking the team to trim out the downforce ahead of his next stint. The team obliged, opting to skip lunch because of the threat of rain, which eventually diminished.
Occasionally flirting with the white line at the bottom of the track, the 32-time Grand Prix winner looked comfortable in the car despite a couple of subtle wobbles in Turn 1. He gradually allowed the car to fade closer to the wall throughout the morning after leaving a comfortable cushion on corner exit earlier in the day.
After a short break just past midday, the orange McLaren was back on track, setting a fastest lap of 222.548mph. Every few laps he would be called in to make adjustments, consistently running in the low 220s before climbing out of the car around 13:30 local time (GMT-4). He had completed 88 laps at that point, which is just short of half-distance for the 200-lap race.
Alonso will now turn his attention back to Formula 1 while the IndyCar field competes on the IMS road course on May 13-—the same date as the Alonso’s home Grand Prix in Spain. He should be back in Indiana the following Monday, as practice begins for the Indy 500 with qualifications coming the next weekend.
The difference between Indy 500 contenders and the guys who drive around is how close they are willing to get to those concrete walls.
where the marbles live...
Those marbles kept JR Hildebrand’s face off the Borg Warner Trophy.
yup, and he’s not alone
...glad that’s over with,hope he does well
Qualifying and practice
It was interesting to watch, lot of information and stories.
Good luck to Alonzo and Honda!
now if Honda would just get off it’s ass and built a competitive F1 engine
I suspect that the short learning curve for new (or returning) teams is so steep, that it mitigates against the recent entries.
Honda and Haas have impressed me, and I look forward to them competing with Mercs and Ferraris one day.
As an aside, re Red Bull, I want them to win, even if it means ditching (cough, cough, wheeze) Renault.
yup, i just want to see a tighter season,
these blow outs don’t help viewership and nowhere near as exciting as when you don’t know who’s gonna win let alone win the crown
Can’t get link to work.
damn, i’m running FireFox 14.? on XP and it’s just .MP4
is your firewall/anti virus blocking it?
good stuff...
Guy Martin vs David Coulthard at Silverstone - Speed F1 Special
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tlxG1-aWtI
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