It is not true that small teams equipped with Cosworth engines next year will enjoy an unfair technical advantage.
That is the insistence of Williams' Patrick Head, amid a recent controversy between FOTA teams and the FIA about formula one's mandatory 18,000rpm rev limit.
The FIA is proposing that, with Cosworth returning to F1 in 2010 as a supplier of cut-price engines to independent teams, the British engine maker be allowed to run with unlimited revs.
Cosworth last raced in F1 with Williams in 2006, when its 2.4 litre V8 on occasion surpassed the 20,000rpm barrier.
But while a 2,000rpm bonus might seem like a huge advantage for new entrants US F1, Campos and Manor next year, Head insists other drawbacks of the Cosworth will more than offset the benefit.
The Briton insists F1's FOTA teams should have "no fear" of the four-year-old Cosworth, while FIA president Max Mosley worries that with a rev-limit, the engine will be sorely off the pace.
"The (2006) Cosworth engine uses clearly more fuel than the current engines," Head is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport. "The cars will have to carry 15 kilograms more (fuel) for a race distance.
"That means half a second on the lap time and higher tyre wear," he added.
Just for clarification: Are you guys planing to use this topic for only driver line-up news or all news related to 2010? Apparantly we have one other topic about 2010 season, albeit it also contains Mosley and FOTA war. What do you suggest?
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying" -Woody Allen
Manor unsure how new rules affect plans Manor Grand Prix team principal John Booth believes it is too soon to know whether the new cost-cutting regulations agreed between the FIA and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) last week will affect his team's plans to compete in the 2010 Formula 1 world championship. Manor was one of three teams, including USF1 and Campos, to receive an entry for next year and all three entered under the terms of the FIA's original £40m budget cap plan, which has now been replaced by FOTA-proposed cost-cutting regulations. But according to Booth, until the FIA and all the teams have agreed and signed a new Concorde Agreement and locked the regulations in place, it is impossible to know where his new outfit stands.
Spoiler:
"Honestly I don't know," he told AUTOSPORT. "Every time you think you've got it sorted out it all changes again, it's like walking on quicksand.
"But until we see what the Concorde agreement is, if they ever sign it, then we'll comment."
Booth remains confident that Manor will be on the F1 grid next season, but admitted that the lack of a budget cap made things more complicated.
"It makes it more difficult of course, but I think we can just about manage it," he said. "It just depends what the target is in two years time, what 1990's levels were. Honestly, it's almost impossible to comment.
"It's great that all the cars are going to race in one championship," he added. "But I can't really comment on the agreement until I know what it is - it was very broad wasn't it?"
Asked if he would have entered a team in F1 had he known that it would be competing to 2009 rules he replied: "Probably not. But are they sticking to the 2009 rules? No refuelling is quite important.
"Until we see the exact rules, all of us are just guessing."
The new Campos Meta team due to enter Formula One next year hope to announce one of their drivers in Valencia next month, team boss Adrian Campos said.
The Spaniard told Autosport that the Cosworth-engined car, designed by Italy's Dallara, was also progressing well.
"The model will be in the wind tunnel for the first time next week," he said. "We have set up a company called Dallara-Campos to build the cars in a new factory. We are recruiting 200 people.
"I hope to announce one driver at the European Grand Prix in (Valencia in) August," added the former Minardi driver.
Spanish-based Campos Meta are one of three new teams due to make their debuts next season, the others being USF1 and Manor Grand Prix.
Gian Paolo Dallara told the online GP Week magazine that his company had started designing the car three months ago, despite the 2010 regulations being uncertain due to a standoff between existing teams and the governing FIA.
"We plan to have the initial designs ready in October in order to have our first tests in January 2010," he added.
"We would have liked to test in 2009 but we will not be ready in time."
Does it really matter? It will be a mediocre line up for a team that'll be near or at the back next season. Next season could have the 3 new teams much slower than everyone else, it could be very embarassing.
swca92 wrote:Does it really matter? It will be a mediocre line up for a team that'll be near or at the back next season. Next season could have the 3 new teams much slower than everyone else, it could be very embarassing.
You think we will have another set of teams similar to "Spyker , Midland and Minardi" ? i'm not so sure about it i think one of them will be in the top 14-15 .. but still ur right ... unless suddenly Jean Todt decided to join some1 or some1 famous in their design and team leading joined them still , i think even if those 3 teams were lacking pace we will see a fight in the rear between those 3 teams , Toro Rosso (in case they kept the same Red Bull design with different engine and later updates) alongside a suffering team and of course no to forget Nelson Piquet will join them
swca92 wrote:Who said that? Remember Ralf Schumacher saying "I'll definitely be in F1 next year" and he then goes to DTM and admitted he was lying?
Ralf was very mediocre driver though. Heidfeld isn't so bad, but he's never really been in the spotlight either. I'm sure that some midfield team or the new teams would like to have him instead of some average rookie, at least if the pay isn't too high.
Red Bull still considering engine switch
Team eye Mercedes as Renault replacement
Even at the apparent conclusion of the FIA-FOTA war, it seems Red Bull is still on the market for a new engine supplier for next season.
Earlier this year, the fact that Christian Horner openly mused not signing another customer contract with Renault was believed to be based on speculation that some carmakers may not be on next year's grid.
"Who knows what engine manufacturers are still going to be there in 2010?" the Red Bull boss said in April.
As the FOTA war ended late in June, however, part of the peace agreement was the manufacturers' commitment to F1 at least until the end of 2012.
"So in the past, if somebody was worried, maybe after Honda left or somebody else, not now," Luca di Montezemolo said.
But it seems Red Bull Racing, whose Renault contract runs out this year, is still considering switching to Mercedes power.
Horner told the latest edition of Germany's Auto Bild: "The Mercedes engine is good, but there is no time pressure.
"Brawn demonstrated that it is possible to change engine even at a late stage," the Briton added.
Source : F1live.com
So The Austrian base is still looking forward for another challenge with the top teams ... let's hope everything goes well and we see a Ferrari-McLaren-Brawn-BMW-Red Bull fight lol
Heidfeld isn't so bad, but he's never really been in the spotlight either. I'm sure that some midfield team or the new teams would like to have him instead of some average rookie, at least if the pay isn't too high.
