The Pre-Season Thread: launches, tests and all the rest!

[Ataxia]

Figured I'd open this now since we're just days away from the first launches! Here's the launch schedule thus far:

Sauber: 20th Feb
Renault: 21st Feb
Force India: 22nd Feb
Mercedes: 23rd Feb
Ferrari: 24th Feb
McLaren: 24th Feb
Red Bull: 26th Feb
Toro Rosso: 26th Feb
Haas: 26th Feb
Williams: TBA


There's also been a few bits and pieces in the news:

- James Allison will join Mercedes to take the technical director role vacated by Paddy Lowe.
- Pascal Wehrlein's been ruled out of the first pre-season test after sustaining an injury in the Race of Champions. Antonio Giovinazzi will drive in lieu of Wehrlein for Sauber in Barcelona.

[CoopsII]

I take it all the launches are the now standard cover-pulled-from-car-outside-garage-um-here-it-is-then-we-hope-it-doesn't-break-down-when-we-start-it-um-thanks-for-coming sort of affairs? I actually prefer them to all those showy ones from days of yore.

[WeirdKerr]

Is it March yet?

[mario]

I take it all the launches are the now standard cover-pulled-from-car-outside-garage-um-here-it-is-then-we-hope-it-doesn't-break-down-when-we-start-it-um-thanks-for-coming sort of affairs? I actually prefer them to all those showy ones from days of yore.

The majority look like they are effectively along those lines - most teams have arranged for their cars to be unveiled at a circuit (for example, Sauber are in Barcelona) so they can unveil it in the pit lane and then immediately head into a shakedown session, which is probably not surprising given the reasonably large changes to the cars this season.

The only teams that look like they might have a more elaborate show event would be Renault and McLaren, and in both instances it is not surprising - both of those teams are keen to rebuild their public image (particularly the latter in light of Ron's dismissal), so it is not surprising that they are opting for larger events.

[dr-baker]

Is it March yet?

I don't think there's been a March in F1 for around 25 years...

[pi314159]

Williams have released images of the FW40.

First things I notice:

-Only a small fin, unlike the Manor wind tunnel model
-The tight rear packaging, typical for Williams
-Larger airbox
-Did the nosecone change at all?

[yannicksamlad]

looks like they've hidden the bargeboard in the shadows. Reading around it seems that bargeboards are going to be important from now on . Still got a lump on the nose, disappointingly. Visually the rear wing is a nice change for the better, but overall- doesnt look much different . But then it is dark in that place

[Miguel98]

It's a pile of shite, and honestly, makes the FIA - or confirms, rather - that they are idiots. The car is virtually a 2016 car except for the rear portion of the car. Of course, it'll be faster. But it's not better looking.



Hell, the 2015 Williams looked much better in my opinion.

[Rob Dylan]

They're exactly the same

[UncreativeUsername37]

Honestly the first thing I thought was "look at that front wing, this is why we have DRS", which everyone already knew was going to happen. It looks a bit futury, and it's far from ugly, but to an extent I agree with Miguel98.

[Aislabie]

That front wing has HOW many tiers of aero?

[pasta_maldonado]

That front wing has HOW many tiers of aero?

Exactly. Sure the rules answer we need is limiting the number of front wing elements to 2 or 3?

[Ataxia]

That front wing has HOW many tiers of aero?

Shorter wing chord lengths help to keep the airflow attached across a wing, meaning you can run more extreme wing camber collectively compared to just one or two flaps. It also helps you manage your vortex structures more effectively as you reduce the chance of the wing stalling.

If you have just one flap at a high angle, the airflow's just gonna say "lol no" and drift away from the underside, meaning your downforce output and flow elsewhere is terrible. Modern front wings must direct flow to the places where you need it more effectively, and with the larger track width it will have to work harder to direct vorticity around the tyres.

It's a pile of shite, and honestly, makes the FIA - or confirms, rather - that they are idiots. The car is virtually a 2016 car except for the rear portion of the car. Of course, it'll be faster. But it's not better looking.

What were you expecting? The new regs never advertised that much of a departure from the previous ruleset, just slightly different shaped components. Teams aren't going to radically change their development path just for the sake of "looking a bit more futuristic".

Regardless, the picture hides a lot. We'll have a FAR better idea of the effect of the new regulations when we see the real thing instead of a rendering.

Anyway, I'm glad teams are controlling their wheel wake/squirt with the curved RWEPs, they look pretty cool. Sidepods look tidy also.

[CoopsII]

My attention to F1 isn't what it was but I was sure we were told to expect radically different cars this season? Fatter tyres etc. Or was that supposed to be next season?

[Ataxia]

My attention to F1 isn't what it was but I was sure we were told to expect radically different cars this season? Fatter tyres etc. Or was that supposed to be next season?

You'll notice the difference out on-track.

[mario]

That front wing has HOW many tiers of aero?

Shorter wing chord lengths help to keep the airflow attached across a wing, meaning you can run more extreme wing camber collectively compared to just one or two flaps. It also helps you manage your vortex structures more effectively as you reduce the chance of the wing stalling.

If you have just one flap at a high angle, the airflow's just gonna say "lol no" and drift away from the underside, meaning your downforce output and flow elsewhere is terrible. Modern front wings must direct flow to the places where you need it more effectively, and with the larger track width it will have to work harder to direct vorticity around the tyres.

It's a pile of shite, and honestly, makes the FIA - or confirms, rather - that they are idiots. The car is virtually a 2016 car except for the rear portion of the car. Of course, it'll be faster. But it's not better looking.

What were you expecting? The new regs never advertised that much of a departure from the previous ruleset, just slightly different shaped components. Teams aren't going to radically change their development path just for the sake of "looking a bit more futuristic".

Regardless, the picture hides a lot. We'll have a FAR better idea of the effect of the new regulations when we see the real thing instead of a rendering.

Anyway, I'm glad teams are controlling their wheel wake/squirt with the curved RWEPs, they look pretty cool. Sidepods look tidy also.

I do agree that, whilst there has been an expectation of wildly different cars for 2017, a lot of teams will probably introduce an initial car that is more of an evolution of their 2016 cars.

Mind you, the initial feeling is that Williams probably have deliberately modified the renders to make the cars look a lot more like the 2016 car than is likely to be the case, with the teams likely to hold back on at least some of their aero components until later on in the testing season.

The area around the bargeboards, for example, is extremely simplified when compared to the 2016 cars (despite the stricter regulations for the 2016 cars on aero elements in that area), suggesting that Williams are hiding something; similarly, the floor of the car looks like it has had most of the aero elements removed from it as an intentional act. Ataxia is right that we probably won't see huge differences, but at the same time Williams are probably intentionally exaggerating the resemblance to their 2016 car.

[razta]

ok.. I did this the other night on 3D Studio max.. followed the regs (Article 3).. and guess what.. nearly all the cars will look 90% the same..
https://albrodpulf1.wordpress.com/2016/ ... la-1-2017/




1. wider pirellis (they measure the tread width up from 245 to 305) and wider track (longer suspension arms etc)
2. longer nose to compensate for the wider front wing with the 12.5° sweep back.


Seriously.. all these "Renders" by these so-called artists were/are crap, cos they hyped it up so much.. it's not funny.. the FIA are very tight with the regs this year.. Smedley pointed it out too

[razta]

yeah.. basically.. same, but different

[razta]

[Nuppiz]

Now that's a sexy livery. Reminds me of the 1996 Ligier, in fact...

[Rob Dylan]

Looks quite nice, but I suppose I'll reserve my judgment for them all until they're on the track. It's at least nice to see they kept some colour instead of reverting to the pre-Nasr battleship grey...

[madmark1974]

So ... did anyone forecast the return of the 'shark fin'?

[Bobby Doorknobs]

So ... did anyone forecast the return of the 'shark fin'?

They did actually (can't remember where I saw it though). The stillborn Manor has one, in fact.

I must say I think I'm rediscovering some of my liking for modern F1. I probably won't be getting up early for Australia, but I'm still curious to see what these new cars are like. Interest may or may not drop off again after that...

[Aislabie]

Gorgeous livery, absentee sponsors and a year-old engine.

[DanielPT]

I quite like this Sauber. Too bad that, given the financial plight last year, they will end up at the back. It also looks cooler and meaner than the Williams.

[Ataxia]

That's friggin' gorgeous and I'm delighted they've gone back to a metallic blue.

Also, that air intake is insanely aggressive; that whole area of the car looks like a shark with its mouth wide open, waiting to catch its prey (or at least try to get into Q2).

[solarcold]

Gorgeous livery, absentee sponsors and a year-old engine.

That's basically what we, as GP Rejects, love in F1 cars.
Awesome livery, Sauber has far surpassed my expectations. I was expecting boring crap, and what we got was a sleek and classy paintjob.

[AdrianBelmonte_]

I like it, but for this season i have the "i hate them, no matter how well the car looks or how bad they do" mood i have right after Brazil last year, it won't be easy for me to look at that car, i'll always think that car shouldn't exist, despite looking good, sorry

[pasta_maldonado]

Wow. Gorgeous livery, in my opinion far far better looking car, and this is only the first launch. The dangerous thing is I feel a pang of optimism now about the upcoming season...

[Nessafox]

I really like this livery!

The car defenitely looks more agressive than the somewhat conservative looking Williams. We'll see if Sauber got it right or not. Altough i think it's unlikely Sauber will do better than maximum 9th in the constructors standings, normally fighting with the likes of Haas and Toro Rosso. The lack of sponsors is worrying though.

[UncreativeUsername37]

So I agree with everyone else, that livery is amazing. The white parts are kind of ugly without any sponsors, though.

[FullMetalJack]

Now where have I seen a livery like that before?

[This Could Be You]

Now where have I seen a livery like that before?

It seems as if the omens for this car to be anything other than rejectful aren't looking good based on the (admittedly pretty good) livery...





(it's interesting also to note that all three of these cars have more sponsors, even though two of the teams (Hesketh and Pacific) running them were on their last legs at the time.

[Nuppiz]

Now where have I seen a livery like that before?

It seems as if the omens for this car to be anything other than rejectful aren't looking good based on the (admittedly pretty good) livery...

(it's interesting also to note that all three of these cars have more sponsors, even though two of the teams (Hesketh and Pacific) running them were on their last legs at the time.

Don't forget this one:

[CoopsII]

Now where have I seen a livery like that before?

<sigh> Such beauty.

And yes, the Sauber looks lovely too.

[FullMetalJack]

Now where have I seen a livery like that before?

It seems as if the omens for this car to be anything other than rejectful aren't looking good based on the (admittedly pretty good) livery...

(it's interesting also to note that all three of these cars have more sponsors, even though two of the teams (Hesketh and Pacific) running them were on their last legs at the time.

Don't forget this one:

The Rial was far too good looking to be an adequate comparison.

I do like the Sauber though.

[Ducktanian]

Add me to the list of people singing the praises of the new Sauber livery.

Hopefully this won't be the last livery.

[mario]

That's friggin' gorgeous and I'm delighted they've gone back to a metallic blue.

Also, that air intake is insanely aggressive; that whole area of the car looks like a shark with its mouth wide open, waiting to catch its prey (or at least try to get into Q2).

The air intake is one of the bigger surprises of this car, and there have been a fair few comparisons with Caterham's implementation of the blade air intake.

I have to say that Sauber do seem to be hiding less than Williams were with their teaser pics, and there certainly are some interesting design elements towards the rear of the floor and the way in which they have sculpted the sidepods, along with the interaction between the front of the floor and the bargeboards.

Mind you, a lot of people have been commenting that it does bear a quite strong resemblance to Ligier's of past, though I'd say that the comparisons with Hesketh and Pacific are rather apt - let's hope that it isn't a sign of their impending performance in 2017.

[Wallio]

Love the Sauber, while nt nearly as radical as the FIA claimed, you can clearly see a massive change in the airbox, sidepods, both wings, etc.

The Williams is just last years car with a fatter nosecone and wing. Sad that they threw in the towel already, but so it goes.

[tommykl]

Love the Sauber, while nt nearly as radical as the FIA claimed, you can clearly see a massive change in the airbox, sidepods, both wings, etc.

The Williams is just last years car with a fatter nosecone and wing. Sad that they threw in the towel already, but so it goes.

Williams have made it clear that the image they presented was just a 3D render for the time being and that the actual launch would only take place on the 25th. As many people have theorised, it's probable that Williams were presenting a car halfway between 2016 and 2017 spec. I have a feeling the car we'll be shown on the 25th will be very different.