**~~ FORMULA 1 2011 ~~**

satusembilan · Post time 27-6-2011 07:58 PM

FIA’s Whiting explains engine mapping change

From the upcoming British Grand Prix, Formula 1 teams will no longer be able to make use of advanced engine mapping settings to reap lap time gains in qualifying. FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting explains what this means for post-qualifying Parc Fermé conditions and why the modifications have been put forward.

“The teams are not allowed to make any changes with a computer that they plug in. The drivers are still allowed to change things from the steering wheel, but the single ECU (Electronic Control Unit) only supports fine adjustments from the steering wheel,” Whiting begins.

“In very general terms, anything that can be done from the wheel is okay; anything they need to connect a computer for is not.

“We are on the verge of issuing a note to the teams to give them a list of things that they can change when they connect their computers, but that will be a very limited list.

“A team can't have a base map in the ECU that is only good for a few laps. If you want to use it, you have to use it for the whole race.

“There isn't anything to prevent them from exploiting the use of their exhaust gasses – providing those exhaust gasses are there for the genuine reason of engine combustion.”

When asked if all teams will be equally affected by the changes, Whiting replied:

“It is not for us to say whether or not one team will be penalised more than another. If depends how extreme they're going. I've certainly seen evidence of maps from a number of teams that are extreme.”

Whiting also explained why the ban will be imposed for the British Grand Prix onwards, with Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner having questioned why 2012 would not have been a more suitable option.

“Our argument is that there is a strong case to suggest they (blown diffusers) are illegal,” Whiting continued. “Ultimately, the stewards will decide.”

satusembilan · Post time 27-6-2011 07:59 PM

konspirasi...

weta_studio · Post time 28-6-2011 10:18 AM

Reply 500# big_sky

lama dah tukar ke valencia..tu pun sbb contract ada lagi baki byk..

lepas contract abis maybe tukar litar lain..

valencia trek bosan..bagi aku la..byk2 race F1..trak valencia je aku tak tgk langsung

satusembilan · Post time 28-6-2011 02:58 PM

katanya litar jalanraya kat Rome pun dalam perancangan bernie kan?

penggali · Post time 30-6-2011 08:11 PM

Ada kemungkinan Valencia akan jadi litar tunggal untuk perlumbaan F1 di sepanyol dan Litar Catalunya akan hanya dijadikan winter testing track dan tidak akan menjadi sebahagian dari kalendar perlumbaan F1.

Tujuannya supaya lebih banyak litar baru boleh dibawa masuk dengan menghadkan 1 negara hanya akan menganjurkan 1 perlumbaan. antara litar yang kini sedang dipertimbangankan ialah litar di Mexico dan Argentina.

satusembilan · Post time 30-6-2011 08:17 PM

Ecclestone: Vettel’s success “more noteworthy” than Schumacher’s

Bernie Ecclestone believes Sebastian Vettel’s success in F1 is even more impressive than Michael Schumacher’s was a decade ago.

Ecclestone believes Vettel faces tougher opposition today than Schumacher did.

In an interview on the official Formula 1 website Ecclestone said: “The competition Sebastian is facing is much bigger than that confronted by Michael. That makes Seb’s wins even more noteworthy.

“I don’t see a reason why there shouldn’t be a Red Bull era just as Ferrari had theirs with Michael.”

He denied Vettel’s dominance has made the season boring, saying: “Sebastian is in a similar position as Michael.

“Sebastian is the best right now and that’s why he is dominating, and that’s what makes it so interesting for the fans, because every race weekend starts with a big question mark – who will be able to beat Vettel? That’s why fans tune in.”

satusembilan · Post time 2-7-2011 02:22 PM

British Grand Prix: Did you know?

This year’s British Grand Prix marks a significant event for Silverstone, as 24 Formula 1 cars set off from The Silverstone Wing for the first time next Sunday. But did you know that the Northamptonshire track is set to become the UK’s largest Fast Food outlet for a weekend? Neither did we…

DID YOU KNOW?

- With three large halls, a conference facility, business centre and a 100-seat auditorium, the Silverstone Wing has also been designed to accommodate conferences, product launches and experiential events and will be the largest covered exhibition space between London and Birmingham. It cost 28 million pounds, which was within budget.

- The Wing itself measures 390 metres in length

- The build programme, from start to finish, was 54 weeks (the end of April 2010 to May 2011)

- Total man hours in the construction phase of the project reached 395,000

- Over 200 personnel worked on the site at any one time

- The height of the ‘blade’ measures 30 metres

- The roof area spans 9,700 square metres

- 1,200 tonnes of steel has been erected in and around the building

Approximate floor space for ‘functional areas’:

- 41 garages covering 6,200 square metres
- Media Centre covers 2,780 square metres
- Spectator and hospitality zones cover 8,200 square metres
- Race Control covers 950 square metres

- Silverstone’s Grand Prix Circuit is 3.66 miles (5.89km) in length

- The circuit is 750m longer than the old Grand Prix Circuit (previous length 3.194 miles / 5.14km), adding approximately 4 seconds to an F1 lap time

- Silverstone invested more than £5 million in the new circuit

- Away from the track, a number of improvements have been made to spectator viewing areas. In addition to constructing elevated viewing banks, existing grandstands and fence lines have been moved to bring fans closer to the action

- Width of circuit: 14.5 to 17 metres

- Longest straight: Hangar Straight - 770 metres

- The 2010 fastest lap was set by Fernando Alonso with a record of 1:30.874s and an average speed of 233.373kph (145.012mph)

- Maggotts Corner is still the fastest turn on the Grand Prix Circuit at Silverstone

GENERAL FACTS:

- There will be 24 giant screens at Silverstone, based around the circuit, showing the F1 action throughout the weekend

- Over 28,000 fans will camp at the event, with 11,500 in the official Silverstone campsite

- A highly sophisticated Traffic Management system is implemented for the British Grand Prix, converting the A43 dual carriageway into a six lane one-way system. In terms of access, Silverstone is now one of the easiest circuits in the world to get in and out of

- The amount of TV cable laid out around Silverstone for the British Grand Prix would stretch from Dover to Calais and back

- The F1 drivers will complete a total of 306.332km (190.346mph) during the race on Sunday in just 1 hour and 24 minutes (without the appearance of the Safety Car)

CATERING STATS:

- An estimated 20,000 bottles of mineral water, 10,000 bottles of wine and 6,000 bottles of champagne will be consumed over the British Grand Prix weekend

-50,000 hot drinks will be purchased from the fast food stalls on Sunday and 10,000 litres of tomato sauce will be used

- With 2,500 staff running the fast food and beverage operation, The British Grand Prix will be the biggest ‘fast food’ operation in the UK

- 15,000 meals will be served in hospitality

satusembilan · Post time 4-7-2011 08:20 PM

Virgin announces technical link-up with McLaren

Virgin Racing has announced a technical partnership with McLaren, which includes the use of its Woking wind tunnel. This follows the recent ousting of Nick Wirth, whose research outfit has developed cars only by use of computer technology.

Since joining Formula 1 at the start of 2010, the John Booth-run team has designed its cars by using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), with no wind tunnels being used at any stage of production.

It has also been confirmed on Monday that the team has acquired the Formula 1 business of WRT - its former technical partner - in Banbury, which becomes a long-term facility for the squad. Furthermore, Virgin will continue to receive input from Pat Symonds, former Technical Director of Renault.

“When we undertook our detailed review of the team in the first half of 2011, it was clear that our bold ambitions for the future would need to be matched with some equally bold steps towards achieving them,” says Andy Webb, CEO of Virgin Racing.

“I am delighted that, in a relatively short space of time, we are now in the fantastic position of being able to make these two very important announcements, which will enable us to make some dramatic strides forward with immediate effect.

“With Pat Symonds’ continued involvement in the technical programme, we are confident that we have made all the right moves towards a successful future for Marussia Virgin Racing and we now head into one of the most important events for our team, the British Grand Prix, with renewed confidence and a great deal of excitement about the future.”

The move has also been welcomed by McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh.

“These properties are state-of-the-art and we confidently therefore expect Virgin Racing to derive significant benefits from them,” he says of the Woking Technology Centre.

“During the period in which we were agreeing this deal, our experience of dealing with Andy and his team was extremely positive and we recognise that he and his colleagues are very serious about making developments that will lift the competitiveness of their cars over the coming months and years. We wish them well.”

satusembilan · Post time 5-7-2011 11:27 AM

Williams and Renault reunite for 2012

Williams has officially confirmed that it will be reuniting with Renault from the start of 2012. The team-engine partnership marks the resurrection of a famed title-winning combination, last seen on-track for Jacques Villeneuve’s triumphant 1997 campaign.

Williams’ fresh link-up with the French manufacturer will allow the Grove-based team to use title-winning engines for the next two seasons, with an option remaining open for when the 1.6-litre V6 era begins in 2014. Monday’s announcement also verifies that Cosworth will part ways with Williams, which has been powered by the British company since Toyota departed the sport at the end of 2009.

“We are delighted and excited by our new partnership with Renault,” says Team Principal and founder Sir Frank Williams. “This reunites the F1 team with a leading car manufacturer and complements our new relationship with Jaguar (supercar project). At the same time, we are grateful to Cosworth; they have been a fair and reliable partner both on and off the track for the past two years and we look forward to working with them across our business in the future.

“Our previous relationship with Renault was one of the most successful in Williams’ history but we will not allow ourselves to dwell too much on the past. We must look to the future and continue to re-build our on-track reputation, which I am hopeful that today’s announcement will help us to do.”

Williams and Renault were first together between 1989 and 1997, enjoying no less than four Drivers’ (Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve) and five Constructors’ Championship titles. With a total of nine team crowns to its name, Williams still sits second only to Ferrari in the all-time records.

The Renault partnership marks the beginning of a new era for Williams, which is also in the process of reshuffling its internal departments, with ex McLaren member Mike Coughlan already set to take over as Technical Director for next year.

“Renault remains in Formula 1 to achieve success in a cost efficient way and the partnership with Williams has great potential to add to the results we have notched up over recent years with our other partner teams,” adds Bernard Rey, President of Renault Sport F1.

“Williams has recently taken several important steps, both commercially and technically, to update its operations and we feel that this partnership is another important step in its rigorous plan. It reiterates how determined the team is to achieve results, which matches perfectly with our own objectives.”

At present, any single engine manufacturer is constricted to supplying no more than three teams. With Champions Red Bull Racing, Lotus Renault GP and Team Lotus on-board, the addition of Williams would bring Renault’s total to four.