2012 Car Launches thread

[AndreaModa]

That article that Solarcold posted has been taken down by the looks of things, as I get a 403 Forbidden error

Ditto.

I did as well at first, though the link he posted goes straight to the image anyway, it's not a webpage.

[Stramala]

That article that Solarcold posted has been taken down by the looks of things, as I get a 403 Forbidden error

Not taken down. Hotlinking is disabled so it gives you that error if you are directed there via another site. Hit refresh and it will appear.

[mario]

That article that Solarcold posted has been taken down by the looks of things, as I get a 403 Forbidden error

Not taken down. Hotlinking is disabled so it gives you that error if you are directed there via another site. Hit refresh and it will appear.

If it is the one that I believe has been posted elsewhere, you're probably in for some disappointing news - the picture that has been shown is the white and gold F111 that the team used in Jerez for tyre data acquisition, as GwilymJJames has pointed out in his post.

[DanielPT]

And with Maldonado topping this morning session, we enter in step 5 of the Williams cycle.

[jackanderton]

What's that, Patrick Head appearring naked with 'sublimedirectory.com' painted on his torso in lipstick to raise £250?

[DanielPT]

What's that, Patrick Head appearring naked with 'sublimedirectory.com' painted on his torso in lipstick to raise £250?

If Patrick Head was still there, yep, it should have been that.

[Wallio]

richardsf1.com/2010/06/30/top-10-serious...

Not sure if anyone has posted this, but it puts the noses in perspective a bit. Problem is I love all 10 of thoses designs. That ferrari at the bottom with its x-wings? love it! To me thats what F1 is all about. It doesn't have to look good, hell it doesn't even have to look like a car, just go really really fast.

Childish? yes, but to me the pre-2009 cars with all their flip ups and wings were awesome. Even parked they looked like they were moving. And everything on there was for speed, no luxurys.

JMO. Stone away

[dr-baker]

richardsf1.com/2010/06/30/top-10-serious...

Not sure if anyone has posted this, but it puts the noses in perspective a bit. Problem i I love all 10 of thoses designs. That ferrai at the bottom with its x-wings? love it! To me thats what F1 is all about. It doesn't have to look good, hell it doesn't even have to look like a car, just go really really fast.

Childish? yes, but to me the pre-2009 cars with all they're flip ups and wings were awesome. Even parked they looked like they were moving. And everything on there was for speed, no luxurys.

JMO. Stone away

I certainly do not have a problem with the shark fins that are number 2 on that list...

[Wallio]

richardsf1.com/2010/06/30/top-10-serious...

Not sure if anyone has posted this, but it puts the noses in perspective a bit. Problem i I love all 10 of thoses designs. That ferrai at the bottom with its x-wings? love it! To me thats what F1 is all about. It doesn't have to look good, hell it doesn't even have to look like a car, just go really really fast.

Childish? yes, but to me the pre-2009 cars with all they're flip ups and wings were awesome. Even parked they looked like they were moving. And everything on there was for speed, no luxurys.

JMO. Stone away

I certainly do not have a problem with the shark fins that are number 2 on that list...

And they weren't really even an F1 thing. '93/'94 Lolas and Penskes in CART ran them first (albeit smaller versions) for superspeedways.

[nome66]

i know this thread is irrelevant now, but i realized something.
why don't the teams just use some noses from 2009? they were pretty low, and probably up to the height standards this year anyways.
just look at these for instance



and of course Brawn, which is now Mercedes AMG

[Wizzie]

i know this thread is irrelevant now, but i realized something.
why don't the teams just use some noses from 2009? they were pretty low, and probably up to the height standards this year anyways.

The world of Aerodynamics, just like technology, marches on my friend. The reason many teams want the higher noses is because it helps them control airflow under the car (plus, a straight switch to a low nose would require a fundamental redesign of the entire front end of the car compared to last year)

[mario]

i know this thread is irrelevant now, but i realized something.
why don't the teams just use some noses from 2009? they were pretty low, and probably up to the height standards this year anyways.

The world of Aerodynamics, just like technology, marches on my friend. The reason many teams want the higher noses is because it helps them control airflow under the car (plus, a straight switch to a low nose would require a fundamental redesign of the entire front end of the car compared to last year)

According to Charlie Whiting that particular point was raised by the teams almost immediately - the FIA's original plan was to lower the front section of the survival cell from 625mm to 550mm above the step plane, which was their way of ensuring that the nose section would be lower than the side crash protection structures if a car was T-boned. Their complaint was lowering the entire survival cell would require a substantial change in design for all of the teams, and not just in terms of aerodynamics - the front suspension geometry would have to change considerably, and the change would force all of the teams into a more substantial redesign of the safety cell than they liked.

The teams eventually persuaded the FIA to accept a compromise situation where only the front crash section (i.e. the nose cone) would be lowered to 550mm whilst the survival cell would stay at 625mm; the FIA was content that the nose tip had been lowered, even if Whiting himself said that the cars "all look like ducks though...". So, had the teams not protested and overturned the decision, the FIA's original plans probably would have resulted in something closer to a 2009 style nose (the resultant designs might have been similar to the type of nose the RB5 used from the British GP onwards).

[RealRacingRoots]

Would this be a cool spot to place car development pics and analysis during the season?

[Stramala]

Would this be a cool spot to place car development pics and analysis during the season?

If I don't save this Hispania themed thread, no-one will!

SENSE HAS PREVAILED!