2010-11 Silly Season

[R.?]

Rumours are that Peter Sauber is disappointed at Pedro de La Rosa and the time it is taking for him to get up to speed. Therefore these rumours suggest that Luca Filippi, who has driven a few seasons in GP2 taking some wins, is set to replace him in the near future as the Italian is rumoured to have 10 million Euros of sponsorship money. Or, the team might be going with Pastor Maldonado who also has a few sponsors that might fill the blank space on the C29

That's the point, the 10 million dollar sponsorship. Why els should he race with two rookies? And given the performance of the car, De la Rosa isn't doing a bad job, it looks to me. Sauber does need an experienced driver to develop the car. De la Rosa is perfect, as a McLaren testdriver he spend years developing cars. But on the other hand, Sauber needs money. Also to develop the car. And they can't have both, it seems.

[R.?]

By the way, speaking of the silly season already, what about Kimi Raikkonen. He hasn't been mentioned a lot. I really hope he will return to F1 as he is a great driver. There are rumours he will be replacing Mark Webber at Red Bull. It will be fascinating to see Raikkonen in a fast car as the Red Bull is.

[phil1993]

Raikkonen and Grosjean will be in Monaco. I expect the silly season to heat up a bit this week.

[MP4/4#12]

Autosport (Print version) reporting that factions inside Ferrari want Robert Kubica to replace Felipe Massa for 2011.

Great news, Kubica would do well at Ferrari !

[phil1993]

F-Duct banned for 2011

Spoiler:

Formula 1 teams have voted in favour of a ban on F-Ducts for next season, after teams rejected a plea by McLaren not to outlaw the blown wing concept.

McLaren stole a march on the opposition at the start of this season by introducing the F-Duct onto its car - which provides a straight-line speed advantage through drivers diverting air to help stall the rear wing.

Rivals teams have worked hard to try and copy the system, but have found difficulties incorporating it because chassis have to be homologated for this season.

Although Sauber, Ferrari, Williams and Mercedes GP have managed to run blown rear wings already, a majority of teams were concerned that designs could get out of control for next season – both on cost and safety grounds.

During the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) meeting in Barcelona on Sunday morning the matter was brought up, and the majority of teams voted in favour of it being outlawed for 2011, even though McLaren tried to convince teams not to ban it.

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner, whose team is still looking into the concept, thought that safety aspects were a big concern.

"It is a clever piece of engineering and hats off to the guys who invented it, but some of the solutions this weekend look a bit marginal when you see drivers driving with finger tips and no hands," he explained. "So I think there is a safety issue and a cost issue to take into account."

Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry told AUTOSPORT that he supported the ban on F-Ducts because the designs brought little to the sport.

"I personally think that it is sensible to nip in the bud technologies that, on the face of it, don't really have a relevance for use outside of F1," he said.

"By the end of the year I know we, and I am sure most of the other teams, will have an F-Duct on their car and that neutralises the advantage of having it.

"The engineers have already come up with ideas for next year that are zany in the extreme, and it is difficult to see how they would be used elsewhere. Plus they would be expensive."

He added: "I know it is disappointing for those who invent these ideas, but I think what people have to get used to is, like the double diffuser idea, they may be fairly short lived.

"You get your pay back for the year when you have got it and other people haven't - and if it isn't a useful technology then it comes off.

"What we should be encouraging is stuff that we can be using elsewhere, and I am personally a big proponent of KERS because of that."

FOTA agreed earlier this season to outlaw double diffusers as well for next season because of fears that the designs were getting out of control, and they did little to improve the racing.

Code: Select all

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83502

[R.?]

I expected nothing els. It's a clever piece of design. I feel sorry for McLaren. They are the one who got the F-duct working well. Now it's banned for next year. Last year they got the KERS working good and it got banned for this year.

[Moominpappa]

I expected nothing els. It's a clever piece of design. I feel sorry for McLaren. They are the one who got the F-duct working well. Now it's banned for next year. Last year they got the KERS working good and it got banned for this year.

Sounds logical way to save the money.

[R.?]

I'm sure you're right. It does save money to ban all these expensive things. But here's the point. All the teams are developing the F-duct this year. So it will cost them money. Next year it's banned, but they have already spent the money this year. So maybe it doesn't save that much. But I think it's due to saftey as well. I say Alonso turning in the last corner with one hand to have the other hand covering their F-duct. With these speeds, the driver should be able to have both his hands on the wheel.

[Moominpappa]

I'm sure you're right. It does save money to ban all these expensive things. But here's the point. All the teams are developing the F-duct this year. So it will cost them money. Next year it's banned, but they have already spent the money this year. So maybe it doesn't save that much. But I think it's due to saftey as well. I say Alonso turning in the last corner with one hand to have the other hand covering their F-duct. With these speeds, the driver should be able to have both his hands on the wheel.

I was only joking these "money save rules".

[ish678]

Surely there is a way for them to moderate the way the device is used so that it isn't unsafe? Because it seems horribly unfair on McLaren, who seem to have a safe device, for it to then be banned. Maybe the way the device is implemented and not the device itself should be scrutinised? Because it seems like every new innovation being introduced is just being shot down.

Obviously I have no idea how it could be moderated but then I don't work for the FIA.

[François]

From what I understand, it's going to be banned because it is against the "spirit" of the regulations, only legal because of a loophole. It was the same issue with double diffusers last year: it was fairly obvious to everyone that the rules aimed at reducing aero grip and shifting the focus towards mechanical grip; no wonder that a device giving you MORE downforce than a 2008 car was frowned upon.

[R.?]

The double diffuser is banned as well for next year. But I don't understand why they haven't banned it from this year. Anyway, about the F-duct, I think it's good they are going to bann in. Althought I find it a very clever piece of design. But like I said, its sad for McLaren. They got it working good and now it's banned. Like the KERS last year.

[Moominpappa]

The double diffuser is banned as well for next year. But I don't understand why they haven't banned it from this year. Anyway, about the F-duct, I think it's good they are going to bann in. Althought I find it a very clever piece of design. But like I said, its sad for McLaren. They got it working good and now it's banned. Like the KERS last year.

I remember the third pedal in 1998(?). It was allowed by FIA but banned soon, because McLaren was very fast and in my mind Bernie wanted that Schumi and Ferrari will win the WDC.

[R.?]

Was that the brake pedal, on order to break the right side harder then the left side? I remember McLaren had that system at Interlagos. And yeah it was banned. But also, this was a clever piece of design.

[phil1993]

Red Bull deny Raikkonen 2011 contract

Spoiler: