Overnight a number of video clips featuring the Red Bull Racing RB8 have been uploaded to YouTube. We’ve assembled them together here in one place for you. Also included are Q&A interviews with the team’s major players.

The image above, captured from the first video, gives one of the best looks yet at Adrian Newey’s answer to the stepped-nose phenomenon seemingly forced upon the teams by the new 2012 regulations. The question is, does that vent/intake do anything meaningful and if so, what?

BMW has today released a statement confirming what we already knew; they will be cutting full factory support from Prodrive for its MINI WRC program. However, Prodrive will continue as a factory-supported privateer team—Dani Sordo in the lead car, with the second car sold on a pay-per-drive basis. They will also continue to build customer MINI WRCs on behalf of BMW.

So, what at first seems like a sorry picture for Prodrive and would seem to put a major dent in the enormous goodwill the return of MINI to the world rally stage has earned may not be so bad.

Prodrive chairman, David Richards, explains, “Fundamentally, the nature of the relationship between Prodrive and MINI will not change,” he said. “We will still be working very closely with them on the test program for the car and, in fact, the development of the car will be enhanced by this news for reasons which will soon become clear. There will be more resource for the development of the MINI, which will further improve the performance of the car in the future.”

BMW will now lend its support to the Motorsport Italia-operated WRC Team MINI Portugal. They will run a two car team in all remaining races in 2012 to will be driven by Portuguese pair Armindo Araújo and co-driver Miguel Ramalho, as well as Brazilian duo Paulo Nobre and co-driver Edu Paula.

Dr Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Business Coordination and Brand Management said: “I am delighted that the future of MINI in the WRC has been secured on a long-term basis

“We remain convinced that the sport of rallying is perfectly suited to our brand. The situation we now find ourselves in means the MINI Motorsport family can, and will, continue to grow on the rally scene. With three podiums from just seven starts in the world championship, the MINI John Cooper Works WRC has already emphatically proven its potential.

“With its great enthusiasm and hard work, the Prodrive team has played a major role in the remarkable sporting success we have achieved on our initial outings with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. On behalf of MINI Motorsport, I would like to thank everyone at Prodrive for their efforts so far and we look forward to working with them in support of our MINI John Cooper Works WRC customers in the future.”

MINI Motorsport to follow new path in the FIA WRC.

06.02.2012

Munich. After Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) finished second on the return of the brand to the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, the direction has now been set for a long-term MINI presence in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC): On Thursday 2 February, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) accepted a two-car manufacturer entry by WRC Team MINI Portugal into the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers. As a consequence MINI will complete the homologation for the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. The WRC Team MINI Portugal – consisting of Armindo Araújo (PT) and his co-driver Miguel Ramalho (PT), as well as Paulo Nobre (BR) and co-driver Edu Paula (BR) – will contest the remaining 12 events of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship.

This long-term homologation ensures that the MINI John Cooper Works WRC can be used in the premier league of rallying, and other series in accordance with FIA regulations, up to and including 2018. The cooperation with Prodrive will be put on a new basis. Prodrive remains responsible for the construction and support of MINI John Cooper Works WRC customer vehicles, and will continue to work with the BMW Group on the further development of the car. The WRC Team, run by Prodrive, will from now on start as a works-supported private team.

“I am delighted that the future of MINI in the WRC has been secured on a long-term basis,” said Dr. Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Business Coordination and Brand Management. “We remain convinced that the sport of rallying is perfectly suited to our brand. The situation we now find ourselves in means the MINI Motorsport family can, and will, continue to grow on the rally scene. With three podiums from just seven starts in the world championship, the MINI John Cooper Works WRC has already emphatically proven its potential. I am confident that our customer teams around the world will continue to thrill MINI fans with this car over the coming years. The FIA was just as interested in the long-term presence of the MINI brand in the WRC as we were, and was actively involved in finding a constructive solution. We are grateful for the good cooperation and the understanding it has shown us.”

Segler added: “With its great enthusiasm and hard work, the Prodrive team has played a major role in the remarkable sporting success we have achieved on our initial outings with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. On behalf of MINI Motorsport, I would like to thank everyone at Prodrive for their efforts so far and we look forward to working with them in support of our MINI John Cooper Works WRC customers in the future.”

Overnight the covers came off the Scuderia Toro Rosso STR7. As has become the norm a ‘platypus’ style nose is featured and on the STR7 it’s one of the more elegant examples we’ve seen to date. Although it doesn’t have an intake/scoop as seen on the sister Red Bull car.

Following the fortunes of Toro Rosso takes on extra impetus this year with 22-year-old Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo securing a full time drive. He is joined by 21-year-old Frenchman Jean Eric Vergne.

The pair have raced against each other in junior categories and this intra-team duel shapes as one of the more fascinating aspects of the 2012 F1 season. It’s widely accepted that this year is essentially a job interview for the plum Red Bull Racing drive if this ends up being Mark Webber’s final year with the team.

Franz Tost, Team Principal, says, “We are looking forward to working with our rookie driver line-up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, both of whom are very talented young drivers.”

Technical Director, Giorgio Ascanelli, explains one of the overlooked regulation changes this year: “One very significant change concerns the front wing. It was announced quite late in the form of an FIA technical directive: concerned by vibration and excessive deflection of the front wing, for 2012, the governing body has drastically reduced the flexibility of the front wing, allowing it to move by only 10mm instead of 20mm when a 100kg load is applied to it. The need for added stiffness means an increase in weight and so we have a large amount of weight added to the nose of the car, which can be problematic in dealing with the regulation regarding the weight distribution of the car.”

More detail can be read below in the full version of the Toro Rosso press release. Of course, there’s more pics, all accessible as 2000px super images and a brief video as well.

Team Principal, Franz Tost gives us his thoughts on the coming season and our new car

“The STR 7 is the third car designed, produced and assembled entirely by Toro Rosso. Over those three years, we have increased our workforce from 160 to 300 and Toro Rosso is now in the most stable and strongest position since it was founded: apart from being up to strength in terms of personnel, we can also work from a sound financial basis, thanks to the support of Red Bull, with further backing from our sponsors, Cepsa, Nova Chemicals and Falcon Private Bank. Everything is therefore in place for us to move forward and reap the benefits of this stability on the race track.

“STR6 was a major step forward in terms of performance compared to the 2010 car, the STR5, therefore I expect to see a further improvement with this year’s car. Last year, we finished eighth in the Constructors’ championship and clearly we want to do better than that this time. It is far too early to make predictions, but looking at the work we have done over the winter, we must set ourselves the target of finishing sixth or at least seventh by the time we pack up in Brazil in November.

“We are looking forward to working with our rookie driver line-up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, both of whom are very talented young drivers. They are extremely committed and motivated and they are well acquainted with the team, having both run with us in Friday morning sessions in 2011. Daniel has the greater experience of the two, having competed in 11 Grands Prix with another team last season, but Jean-Eric also has the right background and apart from running with us in a few Friday sessions, he also tested with Red Bull Racing as recently as Abu Dhabi last year and has spent many useful hours in the simulator.

“Last season produced some exciting battles and even though the championship titles were decided quite early, interest in F1 remained high to the end of the year, as can be seen from television viewing figures. There was plenty of on-track action, partly thanks to the rule changes introduced by the FIA and 2012 should be another thrilling year. I expect Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes will be very close at the front of the field and naturally, as part of the same family, we hope Red Bull Racing will again have the upper hand. No doubt, we will find ourselves fighting with our usual adversaries behind the top four. I am very happy there are 20 races on the calendar and I am looking forward to returning to race in the United States for the first time in many years. It looks like being a great year for Formula 1 and I hope for Scuderia Toro Rosso too.”

Seventh Heaven for Scuderia Toro Rosso?

This will be the seventh year that Scuderia Toro Rosso competes in the Formula 1 World Championship, since the team was created with a view to finding two extra cockpits for the stars of the future coming through the ranks of the Red Bull Junior Driver Programme. Seven years down the road, that is still very much the team’s raison d’etre, with a completely new driver line-up for 2012, featuring Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. Our Frenchman, Jean-Eric, is a genuine Formula 1 rookie, while our Australian with Italian roots, Daniel, has got eleven Grand Prix starts under his belt, having been out on loan to another team for part of the 2011 season. Training youngsters is an area where we have plenty of experience.

Finding sponsors in Formula 1 is never easy and keeping them can be even tougher, therefore it is gratifying that all three partners who came on board in 2011, Falcon Private Bank, Nova Chemicals and Cepsa – in the order in which they joined us – are still with us for a further season.

In terms of personnel and facilities, Scuderia Toro Rosso will still be punching above its weight, compared to the teams it is trying to beat in this year’s championship. However, STR7 is the third car to be designed and built in-house in Faenza, with vital input from the Bicester wind-tunnel crew. So there is an element of stability within the team, which is always a plus.

Stability is also a word one can apply to the technical regulations, with not too many changes and therefore the 2012 car has taken the best elements of the previous year’s machine and moved forward from there. Although Pirelli is making some changes to its tyres for this season, the Italian supplier is a known quantity now, after its 2011 debut, as is the DRS (drag reduction system) which our designers have fine tuned to deliver improved performance this year. Still on the theme of continuity, this is the sixth year that our horsepower comes courtesy of that other Italian outfit which calls itself a Scuderia, namely Ferrari. Time will tell if our seventh year sees Scuderia Toro Rosso in Seventh Heaven in 2012.

CAR TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Official car name: STR7
Engine: Ferrari V8 Type 056
Chassis material: Composite monocoque structure
Bodywork material: Carbon fibre composite
Front suspension: Upper and lower carbon wishbones, torsion bar springs and anti roll bars, Sachs dampers
Rear suspension: Upper and lower carbon wishbones, torsion bar springs and anti roll bars, Sachs dampers
Steering: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Gearbox: Seven-speed hydraulic
Clutch: Sachs Triple-plate pull-type
Calipers: Brembo
Pads and discs: Brembo
Cooling system (radiators, heat exchangers): Scuderia Toro Rosso
Cockpit instrumentation: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Seat belts: OMP
Steering wheel: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Driver’s seat: Carbon fibre construction,moulded to driver’s shape
Extinguisher system: Scuderia Toro Rosso/FEV
Wheels: Advanti Racing
Fuel cell: ATL
Overall weight : 640 kg (including driver and camera)

THE DRIVERS

DANIEL RICCIARDO

Born, 1 July 1989, Perth, Australia

A native of Perth, Red Bull junior Daniel made a name for himself when his racing career bought him to Europe. After a year learning the ropes in Formula Renault Italy, he made his big breakthrough in 2008, winning the Formula Renault West European Cup. From 15 races, Daniel took nine pole positions and eight victories on his way to the title. For 2009 Daniel moved up a class to race in the British Formula 3 Championship and quickly proved that his Formula Renault form wasn’t a flash in the pan. In a spectacular season, the young gun notched seven wins, six pole positions and 13 podium finishes in total, as well as the small detail of wrapping up the title with two rounds to go.

His F3 success earned him a berth at the end-of-season F1 test for rookies and again Daniel duly delivered, leaving the Jerez shoot-out with far and away the best times, after driving for our sister team Red Bull Racing. His consistent pace and intelligent feedback in those tests earned him the ‘super-sub’ role as test and reserve driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing in 2010, while he also found time to take the silver medal position in the Renault 3.5 Championship.

In a career full of big steps, the biggest came in 2011: the Australian was given the job of replacing each of our two race drivers in turn during Fridays Free Practice 1 sessions at the Grands Prix, so the man from Perth was now a regular in the F1 paddock. It got even more serious just after the mid-season: starting from the British Grand Prix he got a full time drive with the Hispania Racing Team, which definitely boosted his experience level. Could 2011 get any better? Answer yes, because a couple of weeks after the end of the season, Daniel was confirmed as a full time race driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2012. “It feels like coming home,” said Ricciardo about returning to the Faenza team on a full time basis.

• 2005 Western Australia Formula Ford Championship
• 2006 Formula BMW Asia – 3rd
• 2007 Formula Renault 2 litre Italy – 6th
• 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 WEC – 1st
• 2009 British Formula 3 Championship – 1st
• 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 Series – 2nd
• Formula 1 – Toro Rosso test driver
• 2011 Formula 1 – Scuderia Toro Rosso – Friday practice driver then full time F1 drive with Hispania Racing from the British GP to the end of the season.
• 2012 Formula 1 driver Scuderia Toro Rosso

JEAN-ERIC VERGNE

Born 25 April 1990, Pontoise, France

When Jean-Eric’s dad first took him karting at age four, it started a lifelong love of the sport that has ended up taking the young Frenchman all the way to F1. In karting, he was French Rotax Max runner-up, second in the European ICA championship and seventh in the world championship, which brought him to the attention of the FFSA (France’s motor sport governing body.) With their backing he moved into single-seaters winning the French Formula Campus championship in 2007.

Coming under Red Bull’s wing, Jean-Eric won rookie honours in both the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and the West European Cup (WEC) in 2008, finishing on the podium four times. He was back for more in both Formulae in 2009 finishing on the top step in Eurocup four times and winning five in the WEC, to finish runner-up overall. For 2010, he moved into the British Formula 3 Championship and just like his 2012 team-mate, he took the title. In 2011, he followed up taking the silver medal position in the Renault 3.5 championship by running in Friday’s Free Practice 1 at three of the last four Grands Prix of the Formula 1 season.

• 2000 – 2006 Karting
• 2004 France Junior Championship- 2nd
• 2005 European Championship – 2nd
• 2006 France Elite Championship – 2nd
• 2007 French Formula Campus – 1st
• 2008 French Formula Renault – 1st
• 2009 European Formula Renault – 2nd
• 2010 British Formula 3 – 1st
• Test drives with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso
• 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 WSR – 2nd
• Friday practice driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 3 Grands Prix
• 2012 Formula 1 with Scuderia Toro Rosso

Technical Director Giorgio Ascanelli explains some of the design elements of the STR7

One of the rule changes for this year that had a significant effect on the design of the car was the need to lower the nose. This is a safety rule put forward by the FIA in order to tune the height of the nose to match the anti-penetration panels which have been applied to the side of the monocoque to protect the driver. The shape of the front end of the car is now less favourable than it was in terms of its aerodynamics.

We also had to contend with a rule change that extended the anti-penetration panels around the car which are now larger, to provide greater protection for the driver: a good move for the drivers, but one with implications on the performance of the car.

The third point relates to the exhausts as the rules now demand we relocate the exhaust exit to a more benign position, which effectively means no low exhaust blowing under the diffuser just ahead of the rear wheel. This has involved moving the exhausts higher, to where they were in 2009, before the new rules regarding bodywork had come out. This rule change has therefore led to the loss of a very high energy stream that will slow the cars down considerably, unless of course someone has come up with something particularly interesting! The exhaust blowing restrictions will effectively reduce the effect by a massive amount, down to about 10% of what it was last year.

Less obvious to the naked eye, another technical directive from the FIA limits very much what you can do to the engine in terms of electronic set-up. I believe it will be very difficult to get any advantage over one’s opponents out of this area as it is now closely monitored.

One very significant change concerns the front wing. It was announced quite late in the form of an FIA technical directive: concerned by vibration and excessive deflection of the front wing, for 2012, the governing body has drastically reduced the flexibility of the front wing, allowing it to move by only 10mm instead of 20mm when a 100kg load is applied to it. The need for added stiffness means an increase in weight and so we have a large amount of weight added to the nose of the car, which can be problematic in dealing with the regulation regarding the weight distribution of the car.

Looking at the design of STR7 in general terms, we could start from the fact that 2011’s STR6 was a good concept, but it did not lend itself well to running a low exhaust and was better with a high one. Therefore it was logical that as the rules have changed in this direction, we should stick with a similar concept for 2012, expanding on the idea and its characteristics. Cooling as always, plays a major part in the design of the car and we have done something which should allow even more of an undercut on the sidepods, aimed at getting a better streamlining of the rear car. In simple terms, we have made a shorter chassis, with a larger distance between the engine and the gearbox, so that the car can be thinner and more streamlined.

We have tried to improve the behaviour of our DRS and we have a new generation of wings aimed at this, hopefully in time for the debut of the car. We have also worked on the braking system, because we wanted to improve its efficiency, both front and rear. On paper it seems to be very strong and we will see what our new drivers will have to say about it.

Chief Engineer Laurent Mekies looks at what we can expect to see on track in 2012

From a sporting regulation point of view, there are not too many changes for 2012, which is good for the fans, as this is a complex sport that can sometimes be hard to follow.

On the tyre front, it’s the second year for Pirelli, so we are not facing a big jump into the unknown, although there are some changes to both compound and shape. Overall, tyre influence on the racing in 2011 was really good and I hope they keep a combination of surprises and aggressive compound choices for the races in such a way that strategy can play an interesting and significant role. As a midfield team, it is in the interests of Scuderia Toro Rosso to have this extra factor to account for during the race. Once again we can expect a very tight midfield group. Last year we had the exciting situation of as many as ten cars within a few tenths of one another, where the slightest thing could mean the difference between a good weekend and a bad one.

DRS is in a pretty stable state and last year it worked quite well in general and improved the racing – it is now an understood effect in which the driver plays a big role. Therefore our new drivers will have to learn how to work with it under race conditions, which is a very different game compared to using it in practice when they activate DRS to get the best lap possible: in the race you can only use it at certain times and sometimes you have to use it in conjunction with KERS to get yourself in an overtaking position. It’s an interesting game and I hope our drivers enjoy it!

With two new drivers, our highest priority is to give them as much mileage as possible before the first race and in practice in the early races of the season, so as to get them up to speed as quickly as possible. This means whatever technical programme we have, it must, when possible include high mileage. Scuderia Toro Rosso has a track record of working with new drivers and it is a known challenge with plenty of positives: the drivers bring enthusiasm, a fresh attitude and new ideas and they are extremely keen to show what they are made of and it is a fantastic motivation for everyone in the team. Both of them have an exceptional speed record and all of us, drivers included, are keen to find out how quick they are in an F1 car! In the past, we have seen that the learning curve is never smooth and it comes with steps in it. So we must be prepared to have a few changes of performance trends, with one driver doing better in one part of the season and another showing an increase in performance at a different point in the year.

The points you score in the early stages of the season will as usual be vital for us: normally, the first few races present a good opportunity for mid-field runners, because there are usually a few more casualties among the very top teams in these opening Grands Prix. So there are big points available in the early races and if you don’t take those opportunities you cannot recover later in the year.

Another aspect of a Grand Prix weekend that continues to have a significant effect on the work cycle is the lack of in-season testing. One has to invest time for future car development, while balancing that against trying to find the perfect set-up for qualifying and the race, all within the four hours of free practice per weekend. When one needs to try dramatically different set-up or evaluate new components for future development, it is a difficult compromise.

As Team Manager, it’s Gianfranco Fantuzzi who keeps an eye on new rules and how the team operates in pit lane

One of the major changes is that we have gone back to a former Safety Car rule, which was dropped a few years back, so that lapped cars can again unlap themselves. The rationale for this is that many times last year, at restarts after the Safety Car had been deployed, we had a situation where many lapped cars were on track among the actual leaders. This created confusion and even some unfair situations with blue flags not being respected. So this return to an old but slightly modified rule, should give the front runners a cleaner restart.

With two new drivers, one of whom has never raced in Formula 1, as team manager this flags up a few concerns: there are a lot of rules, written and unwritten that a new driver has to know in order to deal with qualifying and the race. I have given our two guys a simplified leaner and cleaner version of the rules, leaving out those parts that do not relate to them, so they can learn a synthesis of everything that can affect them. Also included are the unwritten rules, because their expected conduct, for example under yellow or blue flags, is not so clear.

Pit stops can decide your race result and in all honesty, we have to say that last year, our pit stop performance was quite disappointing. Therefore this winter we have adopted a better physical training programme than in the past, taking everyone down to the Formula Medicine centre, not just for a physical check-up but also for a psychological one. The test is aimed at measuring their ability to relax and concentrate. During a race, the whole pit stop procedure lasts around 30 seconds, of which 25 seconds consist of being in a relaxed state and waiting and 5 seconds involve concentration on the actual tasks. The crew has to make the switch from the relaxed status to an alert one and then back again to maximise energy and stay focussed. We have also had some personnel changes and have practiced extensively through the winter, a process which continues through testing and at every race during the season.

Here’s a quick comparison of the last two Red Bull Racing F1 cars, the RB8 and the RB7. We don’t have a lot of comparable pics at this stage, but click on the pic above to launch a 2000px super image.

Despite a poor angle, the change in the nose design is clear to see. In 2012 the front of the nose has had to be lowered to meet new safety regulations, aimed to minimise injury with another driver in the event of a t-bone accident. It’s this which has led to the ‘platypus’ phenomenon we’ve been seeing so far this year.

You can also see the rear end of the RB8 is much neater than the car it replaces, due to changes in exhaust placement specified in this year’s regulations after exhaust blown diffusers were banned.

Red Bull Racing has just unveiled is title-defending RB8 racecar in Jerez. For now we have just two studio images of the most eagerly awaited car in F1. Already we can see the RB8 features the now ubiquitous ‘platypus’ style nose. Click on the pics to view them at 4000px.

The RB8 appears to bring something new to the 2012 nose fad in the form of a small air intake, of sorts, where the nose steps up. Is this an indicator to a further hidden design breakthrough from Adrian Newey?

Probably not, as Newey explains, “The restriction nose height which is a maximum height just in front of the front bulkhead hasn’t really changed the chassis shape very much. We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead, which, in common with many other teams, has led us to I think I’d probably say a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.”

Team Principal Chrisitan Horner says building the RB8 progressed smoothly over the winter break.

“This year’s car build has gone fantastically well, and I think it’s the epitome of continuity, continuity across all areas. I think we’ve designed and built this car in a record amount of time, in a ridiculously short amount of time,” said Horner.

“Adrian’s never famous for his drawings being early, but the design team, the production teams, all the associated departments that go into producing these cars, have delivered, and delivered in a fantastic way. We’ve hit our target of being at the first test so, despite the snow over the latter part of this week, I think we’re in great shape for the first test.”

While Mark Webber gives a bit of an insight into what he’s hoping to find when he tests the RB8 later today.

“The characteristics of the RB8 we’re looking for is a car that’s very driveable which means not only from an engine side, Renault are doing a good job there, but also aerodynamically we need a car that’s functional on all circuits in all temperatures and clearly we need to get the best out of the tyres which was a huge thing last year for everybody,” he said.

Full Q&A interviews with Newey, Horner, Webber and, of course, defending World Champion Sebastian Vettel can also be viewed after the break.

We’ll add more pics from the launch and test sessions in Jerez as they become available. You can download the team’s 2012 press kit (3.0mb PDF) direct from the Red Bull website.

[Studio pics: David Clerihew/Red Bull Content Pool]

RB8 – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

• Chassis: Composite monocoque structure, designed and built in-house, carrying the Renault V8 engine as fully stressed member
• Transmission: Seven-speed gearbox, longitudinally mounted with hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation. AP Racing clutch
• Wheels: OZ Racing, Front: 12.0in x 13in diam., Rear: 13.7in x 13in diam.
• Tyres: Pirelli
• Suspension: Front: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers
  Rear: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers
• Brakes: BBrembo calipers, Brembo carbon discs and pads
• Electronics: FIA (MESL) standard control unit
• Fuel: Total Group

Renault Engine RS 27—2012

• Number of cylinders: 8
  
• Capacity: 2400cc
  
• Max rpm: 18,000rpm
  
• Number of valves: 32
  
• Vee angle: 90 degrees
  
• Power output: Not disclosed
  
• Engine construction: Cylinder block in cast aluminium
  
• Engine management: FIA FIA (MESL) standard control unit TAGTAG 310B
  
• Oil: Total Group
  
• Weight: FIA minimum weight of 95kg

Christian Horner—Team Principal

Four world titles in seven seasons is an impressive achievement. What has been the reason for this?
The main reason for our achievements is teamwork. It’s quite simply the group of people that are here at Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology working as one unit. That’s obviously taken time to evolve, but we’ve evolved quickly. We’re still a young team and to consider the four world titles we’ve won in only seven seasons of competition is something we’re fiercely proud of and determined to add to.

What are the team’s goals now?
The team’s goals are quite simple. It’s to try and defend both titles in the manner (in which) we achieved them. Of course, when you’ve achieved what we have, particularly in 2011, we’ve set a very high standard for ourselves. But, we’re always looking to improve, we’re always looking, in all areas, to try and do better. We can’t control what our opponents do, we’re up against some formidable opponents, but we can only really focus on ourselves and only when we get to Melbourne will we truly know where we sit against our rivals.

How can Sebastian match his 2011 success?
Sebastian’s season in 2011 was quite remarkable. It was a phenomenal year for him, with a record amount of poles, 11 GP victories and only one non-finish – in every other race bar one he was on the podium. So, for him to go better than that is going to be very, very challenging. But, as a driver, he’s still evolving and he’s still getting stronger. We saw that in 2011 and I think we’re only going to see that again in 2012. You forget he’s only 24 years of age and it’s such a young age to have achieved so much. I think that, as he gains experience and as he gains knowledge and matures, he’s getting stronger and stronger.

Do you expect a bigger challenge from rivals this season?
I think on the grid this year we’re going to have six world champions, and McLaren have a strong team, they’ve got strength and depth and two world class drivers. Fernando Alonso: everyone knows his capability, and Ferrari also being a great team. We have Kimi Raikkonen coming back as well; Mercedes also look like they’re going to be competitive, so I think Formula One is set for an exciting year and at Red Bull Racing our goals and objectives are to try and stay ahead of our rivals and build on the success that we have (had) and build on the lessons that we’ve learned in 2011

How will Mark bounce back after a tough season last year?
I think the best tonic for Mark was to finish the year strongly – to win that final race, to go into the season having won the Brazilian GP. I think he’s had a very strong off-season. He’s recharged his batteries, he’s trained hard and he’s come back looking fitter and leaner than ever. He’s in strong shape for the season ahead.

Have there been any problems with building the car this winter?
This year’s car build has gone fantastically well, and I think it’s the epitome of continuity, continuity across all areas. I think we’ve designed and built this car in a record amount of time, in a ridiculously short amount of time. Adrian’s never famous for his drawings being early, but the design team, the production teams, all the associated departments that go into producing these cars, have delivered, and delivered in a fantastic way. We’ve hit our target of being at the first test so, despite the snow over the latter part of this week, I think we’re in great shape for the first test.

Can you describe what that first day of testing is like?
The roll out of a new car is always filled with great anticipation; it’s almost like going back to school for a new school year. Of course, you’re keen to see what your rivals are doing (and) of course they’re looking to protect the secrets of their car also. Pictures are scoured over; we’ll all be looking at what rivals have been doing over the winter. It’s the longest time we spend away from each other, from Brazil to the first race, but we’ll be very much focused on our own performance. We’ll be looking to sign off the first systems checks to make sure the car is performing and working in accordance with how it was designed and get those checks out of the way. We then get into testing proper, because we have a very short amount of time this year – only three tests that are split with only one car between two drivers. It’s a short amount of time and only offers a few days for each driver, before starting on the grid in Melbourne.

Tell us a little about the return of Sébastien Buemi as test driver.
Sébastien is a product of the Red Bull Junior Team, he’s had three years with Toro Rosso and he’s now an experienced grand prix driver. We decided to retain Sébastien as our test and reserve driver as he knows the team well; he’s technically very strong (and) he has that grand prix experience that is wholly relevant. He will be doing a lot of work for us this year on the simulator, conducting our aerodynamic tests and other activities, so it was a logical step for us to take him as a reserve driver – not only for Red Bull Racing but also for our sister team at Toro Rosso.

How will the team cope with such a long, 20-race season?
Twenty races is a tough season. It’s a long year. It’s going to be a challenge – there are a lot of back-to-back races. To start in March and finish in November… but I think with good planning and good preparation it should be manageable. I think it’s going to be an exciting season. Of course there will phases of strength for different teams (and) the most important thing is to be consistent over the full season. So, we will be determined to start strongly in Melbourne and finish strongly in Brazil.

How happy are you with where the team is at now?
I’m very happy with where the team is now. I think that we’ve evolved as a team, as a unit. I think we have tremendous strength and depth and I think that we’ve enjoyed great continuity over the last few years. As we’ve evolved and as departments have worked closely with each other you can see, in the detail of the car and the continuity that we’ve had in our production techniques and our development rate (and) in some of our simulation tools, that (it) all adds up to achieving the kind of team work that we strive for. I think we’re well set for the season ahead. You can never take anything for granted. We certainly don’t underestimate the quality of our opponents, but we’re going into 2012 with a lot of determination to keep the two trophies in their cabinets.

Adrian Newey—Chief Technical Officer

Does recent success add to the pressure to maintain it or lessen it, as you have continuity?
The last few years have been really good, really successful; it’s been an incredible journey to get there. It’s the fourth evolution of the RB5 this year, so obviously the pressure is to try and stay there if we possibly can. It’s a difficult task, we have lost the exhaust technology with the restriction exhaust outlet position that we were able to develop and perhaps be ahead of the pack on in the last couple of years, that led to a big re think over the winter. Whether that will affect us more than other people is difficult to know of course. We designed the RB7, last year’s car, around that exhaust position and were probably the only people to do so, so it may be that we’ve lost more than other people through that. Only time will tell, it will be good to get out to do some testing and to see where we get to.

Do you find that frustrating or more of a challenge?
Regulation restrictions like the lost exhaust are a bit frustrating in truth, because they are exactly that, they are restrictions, they’re not giving new opportunities or revenues particularly, they’re just closing a door. Regulation changes I enjoy, regulation restrictions I rather lament.

How have you coped with the removal of the exhaust blown diffuser for RB8?
RB7 was designed around the exhaust, this year knowing that the exhaust position from last year would be taken away, we’ve had to go back and look at how we developed the car through the last one and two years with the side exit exhaust and try and, if you like, make sure that the routes we had taken that were only suitable for that exhaust position we now had to re-evaluate. Probably one of the key things there is the rear ride height. The exhaust allowed us to run a high rear ride height, it’s much more difficult without that to sustain a high rear height so we have to go back down and have to redevelop the car around that lower ride height.

The other major change is the height of the nose. Did that present difficulties?
The restriction nose height which is a maximum height just in front of the front bulkhead hasn’t really changed the chassis shape very much. We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead, which, in common with many other teams, has led us to I think I’d probably say a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.

Would you say RB8 is still an evolution of RB7 or did you have to rethink many aspects?
I’d say RB8 is the fourth generation of what started with the 2009 car, the RB5.
So I guess this is the great grandson of that car.

Do you simply hate to lose or is the thing that keeps you coming back the process of solving the design puzzle created by the regulations?
I’ve been lucky enough through my career to have had a good amount of success and people often ask will I retire soon or whatever, the answer is that as long as I keep enjoying it then I’d like to keep going. What really fascinates me about it is the technical challenge, the fact that we’ve moved a very high, fast pace, so every two weeks we’re out being evaluated, which if we’re doing well is great, and if we’re doing poorly is painful, so at least you know where you are and you get to see the product of your work very quickly. So I really enjoy working with my colleagues, my fellow engineers here at Milton Keynes, with the drivers of course at the track and it’s a job that has many facets and many varieties that you always get that immediate feedback and that really motivates me about the job.

In Sebastian you’ve got a driver who seems to be getting even better. What do you expect from this season?
I think we have a great driver line up. Sebastian, obviously double World Champion now, I think matured tremendously through last year. In 2010 he drove a great season, showed immense talent and thoroughly deserved to be World Champion at the end of it. It was a rocky year, he was a very young lad, showed incredible determination and ability to learn from his mistakes. Like all people he made mistakes through that year, but he never made them twice and I think that ability to learn from his mistakes and to always be searching and trying to improve really showed in his driving last year. He really made no mistakes last year, he was aggressive when he needed to be, he was patient when he needed to be, he really showed incredible maturity and there is no reason to think that won’t continue.

And in Mark you have a driver with a point to make after a difficult 2011. Do you think Mark will find RB8 an easier task than RB7?
Mark had a rocky ride last year. Through his 2010 he had a very good season and he was unlucky in many ways not to be World Champion at the end of that year. 2011 he initially I think struggled a little bit to understand how to use the Pirelli tyres. It took a little bit of time for him to adapt to them. He’s had a great winter, he’s tremendously fit, he’s really looking forward to the start of the season and I think he’ll be one to look out for this year I hope.

Is part of what keep you coming back the process of evolving this team? Is it still a work in progress?
The team is still a relatively young team, it’s come a long way in a very short period and we had a great deal of success over the last two or three years but we still occasionally show our youth, we still occasionally make mistakes which hopefully is like the swan that looks graceful on the top but there is lot of action going on underneath. So we’re still learning, but I think the fact that we are a young team with tremendous spirit and determination is great, which means that we do learn and we do try to evaluate and to continue to criticise ourselves and see how we can improve. I would hope with the confidence of the last few years and our steady improvement, we can keep maintaining and keep learning.

How do you approach that moment of first dropping the car on track? Are you quietly confident or is there a dread of what other teams will bring?
People often ask just before the new car runs, what’s the expectation for this year and my answer is always, I have absolutely no idea. We know what we have done through the winter, we know how we have developed the car but we have absolutely no idea what everybody else has done, with the regulation changes and restrictions then it’s quite a different game to the end of last year. Have we made as much improvement as others, more, less? It’s impossible to know. There is always trepidation when we start preseason testing and preseason testing itself is very difficult to read from. If we are hopelessly uncompetitive to another team then we will probably realise it, if there’s two or three of us that look broadly similar then it will be very difficult to pick actually who is the quickest out of those. So it won’t be until we get to Melbourne qualifying that we’ll really get more of a feel for it.

Finally, how does the OBE feel?
To be recognised by the Queen with an OBE is very flattering, I’m particularly proud of the fact that it’s for engineering achievements. I think so often engineers in the UK are overlooked and that’s a shame given our proud roots through the Victorian area of developing industry and technology engineering. I feel real pride actually that I’ve been awarded that and a tremendous thank you to everybody who feels that’s been appropriate. I’ve had an enormously enjoyable career and to be recognised as an engineer gives a very good feeling.

Sebastian Vettel—2010/2011 World Champion

Back-to-back titles, the record for pole positions, most laps led, 11 wins last year – what’s your next target?
Oh, we do it again! Obviously, we had a great year, and I think you know we’ll always look back to 2011 and think how special it was, but to be honest, you don’t start the season having, you know, expectations to have the same or similar season again. So we know how special it was and we really enjoyed that but we know how hard it is to be that consistent – always there and nearly every race on the podium – so, you know, the target is to obviously try to do it again and try to get everything out of ourselves, so we’ll see how we get on with the new car, the RB8.

Did you get a chance to enjoy winning another world title?
Yeah, it was obviously, you know, quite busy after the first championship back in 2010, so yeah, in 2011, surely there’s a couple of things you have to do, want to do and you want to give back as well to, you know, people here in the factory, your fans. But after that, around Christmas, it was really time to slow down, back off a little bit and enjoy the peace, have a good rest in order to be prepared for this season. It will be a long and hard season again, but yeah it was really nice to let things sink in and, as I said before, you know, I think it makes you realise how special the season was when you look at the results again and the races itself, and you sum up things a little bit. So, it was a nice eeling and the good thing is, similar to back in 2010, no one can take it away rom you, so it was always stays in your memory.

How did you spend your off-season?
Well, the thing is, many people always imagine the off-season to be as exciting or, you know, busy as the actual season – as in we do crazy things or we live a crazy life. But, to be honest, when you are travelling so much and you are so busy, you enjoy the time you have off really and that’s sitting at home enjoying normal things – watching TV, just not having to do anything. So I think that it was quite important to recharge the batteries, re-fuel the system a little bit, and, yeah, to come back fresh – hopefully fresh enough for this year. So, over Christmas I spent my time home with the family and with friends and then I went skiing a little bit; we had an awful lot of snow this winter so it was quite good. And then, very soon in January, you start to prepare yourself again. You start to work out regularly, so you get back into shape and burn the nnecessary calories and probably the unnecessary weight you might have put n over Christmas.

Are you expecting a bigger, tighter fight this year?
The thing is, at the beginning of last year we didn’t really expect whatever happened last year, so I think it’s the same thing again. It would be wrong to go into this season and expect 2011 to happen again, as in getting into the lead early and having a very big gap to other competitors in the Championship. So I think it will be very, very tight this year and everything else would be a surprise to be honest. Looking at the cars, you know there’s not much room we have left to play (with) for designers and to find something extra. You know, the last two years we have had two big things taken away, the double diffusers, plus, for this year, the system around the blown exhaust. So we are missing that and therefore I think it’s difficult to really create a difference. We’ll see, obviously we hope our car is better than all the others but t will be difficult, and I think the cars will be fairly similar, as in the gaps will e even closer than they have been.

Can you identify any weakness in your game? Are there things you want to work on?
Of course (in) 2011 we were extremely successful and it was a good season, so we did only very few mistakes. But still we sat down during the season and especially after the season and before this season again, trying to identify where we think we can improve, and yeah we got a couple of points. It’s not as if it was a blank sheet, so you would be surprised, and I think you know, we had a couple of pages with things that we can do better, we know we can do better. Of course, there were a lot of things that we did well and we try to keep it up and improve them as well but, as I said, there are a lot of things here and there you know – small things, details, attention to detail – that you can work on that might make a difference on a Sunday. You know we have 20 races, so aybe it helps you only in one out of 20 races, but that might help you to score hat one point more that you might need to be on top at the end, so we’ll see.

What’s it like getting in the new car for the first time?
Obviously, you have a rough idea how the car should look like by what you see in the early stages from the design office, so yes it’s quite exciting to see the full car, everything coming together. So it’s quite a long progress, imagining when we start building the car and to today, where we present it. And again, the most exciting bit is putting it on track and seeing how it feels, so that’s yet to be seen. But (the) first time I jumped into the car for the seat fit – checking the position, checking your pedals, see if everything works – I think it was the same for Mark and myself, we felt extremely comfortable, everything went well and we got our position, comfortable position, fairly quickly. So it didn’t take too long. We had other cars where a little bit here a little bit there, ou know, you always ask for something, but the RB8 was pretty traightforward, so we hope it continues that way.

What do you think about Mr Ecclestone’s hope that you don’t dominate again?
I hope he’s wrong obviously! Its difficult to say. You know, every season we start from zero again and unlike other sports… I don’t know if in tennis, for instance, you’re the number one in the world, there is a certain gap between you and the number two, so you have this cushion and it doesn’t matter if its one year or another year, you still have it, whereas for us it all starts from zero again, zero points, everyone has the same chance and we are all building our new cars. So, until we really put them on track to race each other we don’t really know. So, we’ll see, but I’m as confident as I can be at this point and opefully we will have a good couple of days with the car; a good couple of ays testing to prepare the season well.

Have you thought of a name for the car yet?
Not yet, no name yet! To be honest, last year we found a name I think Wednesday before the first race, in that race week, so we might be a bit earlier this year, but so far, no names. We have a couple of candidates, hot candidates, but nothing is decided yet!

Mark Webber—Seven Times GP Winner

After a period of success, does a car launch come with more or less pressure on the team?
Yes the success of the team in the last few years has been exceptional, so every time we launch a new car there is a lot of anticipation and excitement as you touch on some nerves and expectation. The bar has been set high. We have cleaned up in the last few years, our Constructors’ Championship last year was very dominant. Both drivers are performing near the front and the team is being very reliable, we know that we have to keep working hard. The continuity has been a key factor in that, all of our Partners have been great for us and there is no reason in 2012 we can’t be challenging for top results again.

Are you nervous about giving a car its debut on the test track or is there too much to think about?
I’m very excited about driving the car for the first time, it’s a huge amount of work that has gone into it as always with a new car. The initial running is really about getting as much information as we can, learning what the car strengths are, where some of its weaknesses might be and then we need to work on those very, very quickly. We don’t have much testing before we get to Melbourne and before we know it the winter programme will be over. It is a big responsibility and one that I’m looking forward to.

Last season was tricky for you. What did you take away from 2011?
As you say last year wasn’t an amazing season, but it wasn’t too bad for me. I still managed to finish third in the Drivers’ Championship, not far off second with Jenson there, so it was a great way for me to finish the year with the victory in Brazil and many strong results. We’re always learning as athletes and I’m looking forward to 2012, its got some great opportunities for me. You know the old cliché take each race as it comes but that’s how it will be initially and we’ll go from there.

How much of a boost was the win in Brazil?
The win in Brazil was a great feeling, at this level when you win it’s always very rewarding with the amount of effort that goes in, but when you have the feeling again having the national anthem, all those things that remind you of how unique it is and how important it is to get the most out of yourself and win those grands prix, it’s very, very special.

What are you hoping for from RB8?
The characteristics of the RB8 we’re looking for is a car that’s very driveable which means not only from an engine side, Renault are doing a good job there, but also aerodynamically we need a car that’s functional on all circuits in all temperatures and clearly we need to get the best out of the tyres which was a huge thing last year for everybody. That’s pretty much done now. Everyone knows how the tyres behave, that’s old news. We need to move on and develop the car as best we can without the exhaust affecting the blown diffuser, which was the very powerful thing that the teams used last year. This year that’s changed so that’s going to be a key area of trying to understand the losses we’ve had there.

Will Pirelli’s promise to reduce the performance gap between options help you?
Yes they changed the tyre a little bit this year, but its pretty much old news, the tyres have been around for a while now the teams get on top of that stuff reasonably quickly, and the drivers, I’m talking in the space of a few months to half a year, which is pretty quick, so the teams know what we’re in for so we’ll just get stuck into the racing.

Is 2012 as a chance to lay down a few markers after a tough 2011?
I think off the back of last year many sportsmen or women when you don’t get the most out of a situation you always want to come back and improve and do a better job. The bar has been lifted very, very high in the last few seasons and it’s the challenge I’m looking forward to. I’ve had a really good winter and prepared for the season as best I can so I’m looking forward to the new season, I just cannot wait to get racing. We can talk a lot about it but we need to get on the track.

And finally, what have you been up to over the winter away from Formula One?
I’ve had a great break actually. After Brazil I came back here to Europe and did some stuff in Austria for Red Bull which was good, we did the show run in Milton Keynes, then I did the Tasmanian Challenge which was really enjoyable to see how that went and it was a great race down there and then I could really switch off actually, do a bit of surfing, also got the motorbikes out so had a bit of fun with those. It was really good to spend time with quality people I love being with away from the sport for a while, but I must say that come the middle of January I always get itchy feet to get back into the car again, so it was the perfect balance for me to unwind.

The Sauber C31 has just been unveiled in Jerez and we learn another platypus has been sacrificed at the 2012 F1 altar. Sauber is entering its 20th F1 season and maintains its driving line up from 2011 with Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez. Similarly the relationship with Ferrari as drivetrain supplier remains.

“The Sauber C31-Ferrari boasts a large number of promising new developments, but in other areas it is a systematic further development of last year’s car,” says Team Principal Peter Sauber.

“We’re aiming to start the new season as strongly as we did in 2011, but then also to maintain this level of performance throughout the year,” he added.

“Our goal is to finish regularly in the points so as to put ourselves in a significantly better position in the World Championship.”

Chief Designer Morris is ready to knuckle down and get testing. “The current plan is to launch a fairly basic roll-out version of the car, which was defined quite some time ago. We will then be testing development parts during the upcoming weeks with a late upgrade for the first race on 18th March in Australia. Therefore the car will look quite different in Melbourne compared to the roll-out car,” Morris explained.

More pics of the C31 can be seen after the break.

Sauber F1 Team launches C31 in Jerez

Unveiling & Roll-out

Hinwil/Jerez de la Frontera, 6th February 2012 – Today, Monday, the Sauber F1 Team launches its new car for the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship. Drivers Kamui Kobayashi (25) and Sergio Pérez (22) unveil the Sauber C31-Ferrari at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain, where on Tuesday official Formula One pre-season testing will get underway. For filming purposes the C31 will cover its initial laps today.

Goals & paths

The Sauber F1 Team will enter its 20th season in the FIA Formula One World Championship spearheaded by an unchanged driver line-up. With Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Pérez and reserve driver Esteban Gutiérrez piloting the new Sauber C31-Ferrari, the Swiss outfit will be looking to further improve in 2012. “We’re aiming to start the new season as strongly as we did in 2011, but then also to maintain this level of performance throughout the year,” explains Team Principal Peter Sauber. “Our goal is to finish regularly in the points so as to put ourselves in a significantly better position in the World Championship.”

Only three of their rivals on this year’s grid have been in Formula One longer than Peter Sauber’s team. After an excellent start to 2011, the team’s form fell away mid-way through the season following the decision to cease development of a controversial technology. “The Sauber C31-Ferrari boasts a large number of promising new developments, but in other areas it is a systematic further development of last year’s car,” says Sauber.

“We are looking forward to another season working with our young and talented drivers,” adds the Team Principal. “Kamui will be competing in his third full season in F1. Last year we asked him to take on leadership responsibilities within the team and he has grown into the role. With his rookie season behind him Sergio is now approaching his second season, which is often the most difficult in a driver’s Formula One career. Both drivers have huge potential and will work with the same race engineers as in 2011 to continue developing that promise. Esteban will be competing full-time in GP2 in his second season in the category and has shown – most recently in the November test – that he could also step into the car for a Grand Prix, if required.”

Young & quick

The personable Kamui Kobayashi (25) became an instant favourite of Formula One fans on his arrival in the sport, not least with his daring but fair overtaking moves. “2012 will be not only my third season in Formula One, but also my third with the same team,” says the young Japanese. “We’ve been through a lot together and can benefit from our shared experiences. In my first year with the team we had a bad start but a good second half to the season. The second year was the exact reverse. In our third year together we should be a reliable bet to finish consistently in the points. I’m really looking forward to the new season with the Sauber F1 Team.”

In 2012 Sergio Pérez (22) is setting out to put the lessons from a turbulent but impressive rookie season in 2011 into practice. “My first year in Formula One felt like three years, there were so many new things to take in,” admits the Mexican. “But now I feel like I’ve arrived in Formula One and I’m determined to take a step up in 2012 and achieve better results for the team on a regular basis.”

20-year-old Esteban Gutiérrez will be focusing on the races in the GP2 Series. “At the same time,” says the team’s other Mexican driver, “I’m looking forward to working more with the Sauber F1 Team. I’m learning a lot by being able to experience and analyse the professionalism and intensity of the team’s work from the inside. It’s good preparation for me.”

Fresh & evolutionary

Summarising all the efforts put into developing the new Sauber C31-Ferrari, Chief Designer Matt Morris says: “The C31 is revolutionary where we had fresh ideas, particularly at the rear of the car, and it is an evolution where we knew we could carry over certain approaches. We had to improve on the weaknesses we identified on the C30, but at the same time we wanted to maintain its strengths.”

The engineers opted again to go with a high chassis design. However, according to the new 2012 regulations, the nose cone needs to be lower, which is a safety requirement. As a result, the nose cone has quite a different shape to how it was in the past. The chassis itself shows absolute minimum cross sections all the way to the cockpit.

By an overall tidier design, the front suspension has been optimised for integration with the chassis and the upright. Otherwise it’s a traditional layout with a pushrod and a high-level wishbone.

Packaging was further optimised under the side pods in order to open up more aerodynamic development scope in that area. The cooling layout is based around a similar philosophy to the C30, because that proved to be effective. It helps to get the volume of the coolers forward and allows the design of very compact rear bodywork.

A familiar element of the car is the Ferrari engine, onto which an all-new carbon transmission is bolted – also supplied by Ferrari. The longitudinally mounted transmission is a very tidy, neat unit. The entire rear of the car is much more tightly packaged, helped by the gearbox design, and in addition the engineers have gone in some new directions around the floor at the back of the car. The exhaust tailpipe positions are regulated in 2012, which has had a further effect on how the bodywork design has been set out.

The rear suspension is now a pullrod design. It shows a long pullrod towards the front of the gearbox and wide angled wishbones. This design allows improved packaging of the rear spring and damper elements. Despite the change from pushrod to pullrod, in terms of kinematics the engineers maintained a similar direction to the one they went in for the C30.

Finally, Morris casts a glance at the next steps after the roll-out of the Sauber C31-Ferrari: “The current plan is to launch a fairly basic roll-out version of the car, which was defined quite some time ago. We will then be testing development parts during the upcoming weeks with a late upgrade for the first race on 18th March in Australia. Therefore the car will look quite different in Melbourne compared to the roll-out car.”

A radical evolution

Summarising all the efforts put into developing the new Sauber C31-Ferrari, Chief Designer Morris says: “The C31 is revolutionary where we had fresh ideas, particularly at the rear of the car, and it is an evolution where we knew we could carry over certain approaches. We had to improve on the weaknesses we identified on the C30, but at the same time we wanted to maintain its strengths.”

One of the goals was to increase the scope of the operating envelope compared to its predecessor. “We had established some good directions to go in towards the end of last year with the C30 which we wanted to continue with, particularly some of our DRS developments, and some of the ways we were opting for with the car’s set up in order to improve our qualifying performance without compromising our race pace,” elaborates Morris.

The biggest change coming from the new Technical Regulations is that the exhaust position had to be moved away from the floor, which has required quite a new approach.”

Despite continuity in respect of the tyre supplier, Morris also sees new challenges in this area: “We expect quite different tyre characteristics in 2012. Pirelli is in its second year, so is now beginning to refine its compounds and the tyre’s profile. The compounds generally tend to be heading to slightly softer solutions, slightly more biased to a stronger front tyre than last year. This, of course, changes the way you balance the car.”

Front end

The engineers opted again to go with a high chassis design. However, according to the new 2012 regulations, the nose cone needs to be lower, which is a safety requirement. As a result, the nose cone has quite a different shape to how it was in the past. The chassis itself shows absolute minimum cross sections all the way to the cockpit.

By an overall tidier design, the front suspension has been optimised for integration with the chassis and the upright. Otherwise it’s a traditional layout with a pushrod and a high-level wishbone. The dampers and springs are packaged quite differently compared to the C30 in order to support a new philosophy for the set-up of the front suspension.

The design of the new front wing benefited from directions the engineers were pursuing towards the end of the 2011 season.

Centre section

Packaging was further optimised under the side pods in order to open up more aerodynamic development scope in that area. The cooling layout is based around a similar philosophy to the C30, because that proved to be effective. It helps to get the volume of the coolers forward and allows the design of very compact rear bodywork.

Also with the roll-hoop the engineers were able to use the C30’s design as a good baseline, and managed to improve what was already a lightweight and aerodynamically efficient solution.

The KERS that Ferrari provided in 2011 was very effective. There were no major issues with its operation or reliability. For the new season Ferrari has improved the system even further.

Rear end

A familiar element of the car is the Ferrari engine, onto which an all-new carbon transmission is bolted – also supplied by Ferrari. The longitudinally mounted transmission is a very tidy, neat unit. The entire rear of the car is much more tightly packaged, helped by the gearbox design, and in addition the engineers have gone in some new directions around the floor at the back of the car. The exhaust tailpipe positions are regulated in 2012, which has had a further effect on how the bodywork design has been set out.

The rear suspension is now a pullrod design. It shows a long pullrod towards the front of the gearbox and wide angled wishbones. This design allows improved packaging of the rear spring and damper elements. Despite the change from pushrod to pullrod, in terms of kinematics the engineers maintained a similar direction to the one they went in for the C30.

The rear wing will again manage without a centre pylon. It is mounted to the endplates and the lower wing, and, of course, maintains its DRS capability.

Morris explains: “Because of the new definition in the rules we know that the disadvantages we had last year with a lack of the strong exhaust effect will be less of an issue for us now. As a result we evolved further our directions from C30 regarding the overall aero development of the car.”

Finally, Morris casts a glance at the next steps after the roll-out of the Sauber C31-Ferrari: “The current plan is to launch a fairly basic roll-out version of the car, which was defined quite some time ago. We will then be testing development parts during the upcoming weeks with a late upgrade for the first race on 18th March in Australia. Therefore the car will look quite different in Melbourne compared to the roll-out car.”

Sauber C31-Ferrari technical specifications

Chassis

• Chassis: carbon-fibre monocoque
• Front suspension: upper and lower wishbones, inboard springs and dampers (Sachs Race Engineering) actuated by pushrods
• Rear suspension: upper and lower wishbones, inboard springs and dampers (Sachs Race Engineering) actuated by pullrods
• Brakes: six-piston brake callipers (Brembo), carbon-fibre pads and discs (Brembo)
• Transmission: Ferrari 7-speed quick-shift carbon gearbox, longitudinally mounted, carbon-fibre clutch
• Chassis electronics: MES
• KERS: Ferrari
• Steering wheel: Sauber F1 Team
• Tyres: Pirelli
• Wheels: OZ

Dimensions & weight

• Length: 5,195 mm
  
• width: 1,800 mm
  
• height: 1,000 mm
  
• track width, front: 1,495 mm
  
• track width, rear: 1,410 mm
• Weight: 640 kg (incl. driver, tank empty)

Ferrari 056 engine

• Type: naturally aspirated V8, 90° cylinder angle
  
• Engine block: sand-cast aluminium
  
• Valves / valve train: 32 / pneumatic
  
• Displacement: 2,398 cc
  
• Bore: 98 mm
  
• Weight: > 95 kg
  
• Electronic injection and ignition

The new BMW F10 M5 is about to be released in Australia and soon you’ll be reading reviews around the traps. We’ve not been lucky enough to score a drive just yet but a long-term AUSmotive reader has.

Wayne was invited by BMW to attend a launch event at the Ascari Race Resort in Spain last November and we thought we’d take the opportunity to discover his thoughts on the car. He has plenty of experience with M product over the years, but isn’t wedded to the brand by any means. These are the thoughts of a car enthusiast just like me and you; albeit one with a bit more cash than me and you.

He’s a good sport and we thank Wayne for agreeing to the following Q&A interview. There’s also some first hand videos at the end of the article which complement the text nicely.

1. How did the opportunity for your M5 experience come about?
I was contacted by my dealer one afternoon, I wasn’t expecting it, nor did I know much about it prior to the phone call. I have to say, it was one of those opportunities that you just don’t say no to.

2. You’ve owned some nice cars, were you looking forward to trip?
Yes, very much so. As well as the M5, I was pretty keen on driving at Ascari race track. The 1M was also a big attraction for me. I had a 1M on order, but passed the order to a friend instead. Dumb move and I have regretted it since; even more so after driving it at Ascari!

3. What other M cars have you owned and have they matched the hype?
I have owned or had unfettered access to a number of M cars in the past, but mainly M3s. E36s, E46s, E90 and E92, but never an E30! I have also driven the E39 and E60 M5s on many occasions both on the track and in the mountains, so am well familiar with the handling characteristics of those cars.

Do they match the hype? Well, it depends on what your perception of the hype is. Many (especially younger) car enthusiasts I speak to seem to think that M cars are the best sports cars out there, particularly the M3. And it’s not really the case. M3s are wonderful cars—great value for money—but ultimately if you drive them back to back at the limit with a pure sports car, like any from Porsche’s two door range, you will see where Porsches still shine brighter.

To me, M cars are the best practical sports car out there, and perhaps best in each of the segment they are in. Even the X5M (which I have also had the privilege of owning), you could never really fault it. You could easily call it the best sports SUV out there; yes, even better than the Cayenne Turbo which is too laggy.

4. What characteristics define an M car to you?
Over the years, M cars have changed. This is more evident than ever when we drove the F10 M5. So the characteristics that defined an E36 certainly would not apply to an X5M or the new M5. For example, M cars used to be known for their wonderful high revving engines, but with emission laws around the world, this is no longer possible and we will now see all turbocharged engines in M cars.

If there is one characteristic that really shines through in an M car compared to its direct competitors, it would have to be the chassis balance at the limit. Take AMG’s C63 and E63 as examples against M3s and M5s, you will find that the M car chassis are much better honed when you push them hard.

On the negative side, M cars all tend to have inadequate brakes for the track. They bite well for about 2–3 laps. The M5 was the same, but perhaps that is down to the weight of the car. I don’t know why they just can’t work with AP Racing to come up with a better solution!

5. When you first saw M5 what were your thoughts?
I first saw the M5 at the back of the resort in Seville before they presented it to us that night. I liked the looks of the M5 and, in fact, I was pleasantly surprised by it. I thought it would just be like another M sport 5 series, but the little touches sets it apart. I was also surprised by the beefy 295 rear tyres! I didn’t expect that, but then again these cars are now very big, probably almost as big as the 7 series of last generation? It sure looks big in person, and certainly feel it when you drive the car.

6. What’s it like to be in the M5?
Actually that was one of the disappointment. It feels… just like any other 5 series. We currently have a 7 series as our family car and when you sit in the 7 series it feels special, more upmarket if you like. A base M5 costs more than a base 7 series, but it doesn’t have the extra touches of the 7 that makes it feel that much more exclusive and a nicer place to be. Some would say I am missing the point of an M5, but I guess I see the M5 as a luxury sports limo. Therefore, I expect it to feel a bit more special, instead it felt a bit like sitting in a 520d.

7. What was it like to drive?
Before I went to Seville, I had intentionally not read any of the M5 reviews that were just coming out in the days before I was due to drive the car. So my opinion is totally unbiased and is a bit different from all the glorious reviews I have since read of the new M5.

The reason is very simple, when I drove the car at Ascari, it was very wet. Couple this with a technical track with little opportunity to open up (think more Winton than Phillip Island for the Aussies reading this), the weight of the M5 struggled to keep up with the power and pure physics. The car really was sluggish on change of direction and felt very much like the two ton car that it is. If you are into drifting though, this car will satisfy your need with little issue, especially in the wet!

To make matters worse, we drove the M5 back to back with M3 and 1M, which made the M5 feel even more cumbersome than it perhaps would have been. I walked away from the track with the opinion that I would rather just buy a M3 if I needed a four-door car but still want to track it regularly. Everyone I spoke to that day had the same opinion, including one participant who races in the German VLN race series. The M3 (and 1M too) won the day with lots more fans!

Off the track though, the M5 performed its role much better. In the mountains of Andalucía it was fun, it was quick and there’s little body roll thanks to the active anti-roll bars. However, for those that expect serenity in the cabin, it is a noisy car. I have since read that BMW engineered the noise for “engine sound” in the cabin, but the reality is that this isn’t a nice V8 bellow like say the AMG’s ‘63’ engine. It’s more a muted sort of sound, like many turbo engines. The other noise comes from the diff. It clunks when it disengages, which annoyed me after a while. I recall having similar sort of thing on our DCT equipped M3, but it was never this loud. For a luxury tourer, I think the M5 failed right there. BMW should borrow a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and learn from it. 

8. What were your expectations of the M5 and were they met?
Overall, as a performance car, it did meet my expectations, it’s fast! However, I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be an agile track tool like the 1M or M3. And I did expect it to perform better as a daily (luxury) driver. I think for me, it didn’t live up to my expectations on that front. As I said above, the M5 cabin didn’t feel that special and it is too noisy for my liking. 

9. Tell us three reasons why you would buy a new M5.
1. The torque and power from that engine!
2. It’s a good size for us as a family car and I can still have fun with it.
3. It’s a good looking car.

10. List three reasons why you would not buy a new M5.
1. It’s not as refined as I would have liked it to be and it’s not as sporty as its smaller sibling.
2. Its interior is too similar to any other 5 series.
3. It’s expensive relative to an M3.

BMW M5 at Ascari – Behind the scenes

In the first video below Brian Watts, Global Head of M sales, shows he’s better off sticking to motor cars and leaving the comedy routine behind. Then Wayne shares his thoughts on the new M5 before and after driving it.

Word on the street says this is the new Red Bull Racing RB8 being unloaded at Jerez, where it’s due to be launched tonight (midnight AEDT). Of great interest is discovering if the RB8 will follow the alligator/platypus interpretation of the 2012 regulations, as Caterham, Ferrari, Force India and Lotus have done.

Based on the limited detail you can see in the image above, if the car is indeed the RB8, it appears as though any platypus style nose is more on the conservative side a la the Lotus E20.

Helmut Marko’s words support such a theory too. “Our car is not as ugly as the Ferrari, but it’s also not like the McLaren, which doesn’t have a kink in the nose at all,” Marko told reporters.

“Ours is just a bit smaller and more elegant (than the Ferrari solution),” he added.

We’ll bring you RB8 pics and info later tonight/tomorrow morning.

[Source: Motorsport.com | Pic: F1today.nl | Thanks to Paul for the tip]

UPDATE: Red Bull’s RB8 has now been officially revealed. CLICK HERE for more.

Honda has released a new promo video for the NSX. Pleasingly, it’s not over-produced and there’s no Hollywood style voiceover. There’s lots of old skool footage of the original NSX lapping the Nürburgring Nordschleife before a GT5-style animation of the new NSX concept doing the same. About all we can fault is some of the audio seems a bit out of sync.

The Lotus F1 Team unveiled its 2012 F1 car early this morning. It’s called the E20 and, as you can see, it features the “alligator” style nose we’ve seen already on the Caterham, Ferrari and Force India. We’re not sure if it’s because we’re now getting used to these noses, but the E20′s design doesn’t look too bad.

Of course, 2012 marks a new era for the Lotus F1 Team, which can trace its roots way back Toleman, the team which gave Ayrton Senna his F1 debut. There’s a new name and two new drivers, Kimi Raikonnen and Romain Grosjean. Technical Director, James Allison said: “Romain put in two very promising sessions at the end of last season, having not driven an F1 can for more than a year. He jumped in the car and was immediately competitive with our race drivers at the time, in a quite impressive fashion. I think that has gone a long way to getting him the ride for this year. So we’re looking forward to a strong start with him. Kimi’s recent test in Valencia with the R30 showed that he has lost none of his speed and that he is full of appetite for the season ahead. It is going to be great for us to work with a driver of such clear quality.”

Speaking about his hopes for the E20, Allison is keeping his cards close to his chest. “We’ve worked hard and long on the car. We have tried to react to the regulatory picture as it’s unfolded, but we will only really start to be able to judge how well we have done once we start to run the car in pre-season. Even then we won’t really know until qualifying in Melbourne,” he said.

There’s more pics and detail from Lotus after the break. Towards the end of the material you can also download the team’s 2012 press pack, which is loaded with information, some useful, some not so! You can even relive the launch thanks to a 20 minute video hosted by Jonny Smith from Fifth Gear.

Lotus F1 Team unveils E20 and sets championship targets

Press Release | 05/02/2012

Lotus F1 Team today unveiled its 2012 FIA Formula 1 World Championship challenger, the E20, on its website www.lotusf1team.com at 17:00 CET. Continuing with the evocative black and gold livery, the E20 heralds a new nomenclature to commemorate the twentieth chassis designed at the team’s Enstone base through its Benetton, Renault F1 Team and Lotus Renault GP history.

E20 – new name, new concept

The E20 incorporates ground–up redesigns and optimization of previous Enstone design philosophies. Most notably, the forward facing exhausts of 2011’s R31 have been abandoned, both through regulation and necessity. The E20 also features a ‘step’ on its nose, this layout also being the result of a regulation change.

The front and rear suspension layouts have been substantially revised in the quest for ever- better aerodynamic efficiency whilst the front wing is a continuation of concepts used by the team during recent seasons.

The E20 has been designed utilizing the team’s new 60% scale wind tunnel as well as its enhanced CFD facility, with both resources located on site at Enstone.

Clear Progress

Rexona and CLEAR, two of the world’s biggest personal care brands, are the latest partners to join the Lotus F1 Team. The brands, part of the Unilever portfolio, represent a perfect fit with the high levels of competition and performance associated with Formula 1 as a sport and more specifically with the Lotus F1 Team.

A proud history

This season will see the 500th Grand Prix contested by Lotus F1 Team, including those contested through its previous incarnations of Toleman, Benetton, Renault F1 Team and Lotus Renault GP.

Toleman Motorsport entered Formula 1 in 1981 and started 57 Grands Prix, until in 1986 the team was renamed as Benetton. In this guise 260 races were contested, until in 2002 the team became Renault F1 Team. As Renault F1 Team, 159 Grands Prix were started, with the team becoming Lotus Renault GP for 2011, contesting a further 19 events. The current total of Grands Prix stands at 495.

Driving forwards

Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean and Jérôme D’Ambrosio comprise a strong driver line-up which includes a world champion in Kimi, and two success-hungry hungry young guns in Romain and Jérôme. Kimi returns to Formula 1 eager to put the talents which have won him 18 Grands Prix and a World Championship to good effect in black and gold.

Lotus F1 Team E20 Technical Specifications

Chassis
Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, manufactured by Lotus F1 Team and designed for maximum strength with minimum weight. RS27-2012 V8 engine installed as a fully-stressed member.

Front suspension
Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to a torsion bar and damper units which are mounted inside the front of the monocoque. Aluminium uprights and OZ machined magnesium wheels.

Rear suspension
Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones with pull rod operated torsion springs and transverse-mounted damper units mounted in the top of the gearbox casing. Aluminium uprights and OZ machined magnesium wheels.

Transmission
Seven-speed semi-automatic titanium gearbox with reverse gear. “Quickshift” system in operation to maximise speed of gearshifts.

Fuel system
Kevlar-reinforced rubber fuel cell by ATL.

Cooling system
Separate oil and water radiators located in the car’s sidepods and cooled using airflow from the car’s forward motion.

Electrical
MES-Microsoft Standard Electronic Control Unit.

Braking system
Carbon discs and pads. Calipers by AP Racing.
Master cylinders by AP racing and Brembo.

Cockpit
Removable driver’s seat made of anatomically formed carbon composite, with six-point or eight-point harness seat belt by OMP Racing. Steering wheel integrates gear change, clutch paddles, and rear wing adjuster.

KERS
Motor generator unit driving into front of engine with batteries as an energy store. Motor Generator supplied by Renault Sport F1. Electronic control unit by Magneti-Marelli.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Front track: 1450 mm
Rear track: 1400 mm
Overall length: 5038 mm
Overall height: 950 mm
Overall width: 1800 mm
Overall weight: 640 kg, with driver, cameras and ballast

RS27-2012 Engine Technical Specifications

Configuration: 2.4l V8
No of cylinders: 8
No of valves: 32
Displacement: 2400 cc
Weight: 95 kg
V angle: 90°
RPM: 18,000
Fuel: Total
Oil: Total
Power output: 750 bhp
Spark plugs: Semi surface discharge
Ignition system: High energy inductive
Pistons: Aluminium alloy
Engine block: Aluminium alloy
Crankshaft: Nitrided alloy steel with tungsten alloy counterweights
Connecting rods: Titanium alloy
Throttle system: 8 butterflies

E20: Technical Overview

James Allison: Formula 1 2012 Specification
Lotus F1 Team Technical Director James Allison looks to the season ahead…

How different is 2012 likely to be from 2011?
If you casually flicked through the regulations you’d be forgiven for thinking that there aren’t many differences from last year, however nestling in there are some fairly profound changes. The most notable changes relate to the exhaust. The teams decided around Silverstone in 2011 that we were going to get rid of exhaust blown rear diffusers, and that point alone requires a very different design concept. Recent car designs have been heavily influenced by their rear exhaust configurations, and the intent of the rule is to stop that happening. The rules on the exhaust geometries themselves have been reinforced by some engine operation rules which don’t sit in the technical regulations, but which arrived by Technical Directive quite late last year. The exhaust issue, although agreed in principle at Silverstone, continued to unfold as late as mid-November, so the challenge has been to roll with the punches as the detail emerged over a fairly extended period – trying to make the best of each version of the rules as they’ve come out, whilst trying to anticipate where the end position is going to be. It’s certainly been an area which has preoccupied us and I imagine the rest of the grid too.

How much will the new regulations affect what we see on track?
Last year’s cars had quite a variety of exhaust layouts, with differing levels of success. If the latest rules really have been successful in resetting the power of the exhausts to a much lower level, then that’s an opportunity for a reshuffle of the pack.

What are your feelings on working with two new drivers for 2012?
Romain put in two very promising sessions at the end of last season, having not driven an F1 can for more than a year. He jumped in the car and was immediately competitive with our race drivers at the time, in a quite impressive fashion. I think that has gone a long way to getting him the ride for this year. So we’re looking forward to a strong start with him. Kimi’s recent test in Valencia with the R30 showed that he has lost none of his speed and that he is full of appetite for the season ahead. It is going to be great for us to work with a driver of such clear quality.

What is completely new and what is more familiar on the E20?
Depending on where you look, some parts of the new car are a ground-up redesign and in other areas we have further optimised the best bits of the design philosophy we’ve adopted for several seasons. As far as the exhausts are concerned, our forward exhausts would now be illegal under the new rules and didn’t live up to our expectations in any case. So that part of the car we say goodbye to and welcome in a complete re-design. The front and rear suspension layouts are substantially revised to try and give us better aerodynamic opportunities. The front wing is a continuation of the concepts we have worked on since the 2009 rules were published. The rear wing system, we’ve continued to try to work on having a satisfactory level of rear downforce stability, whilst having a maximum DRS switching potential.

How much help is the team’s enhanced 60% wind tunnel for developing the E20?
The 60% wind tunnel has allowed us to expand dramatically the realism of the tests that we perform in our wind tunnel, so we get the car to more realistic steer and yaw values. Those are pretty fundamental things. That hopefully means that the car will be more tolerant of a wider range of cornering conditions.

How do you expect the E20 to perform?
We’ve worked hard and long on the car. We have tried to react to the regulatory picture as it’s unfolded, but we will only really start to be able to judge how well we have done once we start to run the car in pre-season. Even then we won’t really know until qualifying in Melbourne.

The testing schedule is rather different this year – nothing till February, then three tests followed by an in-season test at Mugello – does this make a difference?
The testing schedule with Mugello later on for this year gives us a fairly clear target mid-season. If there is anything particularly ambitious that we can’t achieve at the start of the year, that is the point to aim for because it’s our one opportunity to get a controlled test of an upgrade, rather than the type of compromised test when you run on a Friday.

There are 20 races scheduled and a test part-way through the year – how much of a challenge is this intensity for the season ahead?
The main challenge of 20 races is finding the stamina to keep up with such a gruelling schedule. We are sized appropriately for the current regulations of test bans and no test teams, and so all of the resources that we have to go racing come from the race team. Those 20 races, which kick-off with three pre-season tests that start in February, then go on to late November. With the exception of a brief window in August, where racing stops for a short while, it’s an unrelenting grind for the guys who are the travelling teams. The challenge is to keep your energy up during what is now a very, very long season.

It’s the second season of Pirelli’s return to F1 – what can we expect from the 2012 rubber?
We ran the new Pirelli tyres in the Abu Dhabi test last year. It’s fairly difficult to draw a clear conclusion, because you are not using your regular drivers and this makes it difficult to see the underlying performance of the tyres. But from what we could tell from our instrumentation the 2012 construction was not substantially different in its performance to the 2011 tyre. It remains to be seen how aggressive or otherwise Pirelli will be with their compounding. I’m not expecting big changes.

2012 will also see the second season of DRS can we expect any changes here?
Many teams, including us, spent a lot of time last year trying to find the right balance between stability and drag step. It will be slightly easier a year on to get that balance right. For the FIA, who have the responsibility of selecting the DRS switching point on the circuit, each track last year was a new venture for them A year on it will be much less of an adventure or the FIA to choose exactly where to put the DRS line for best effect. In places where by common consent overtaking was too easy last year they will make an appropriate adjustment to get a better result in 2012.

What’s new about the E20?

1. No forward blown exhaust – replaced with top exit exhausts
The 2011 generation of blown floors are discarded. For 2012, the exhaust must exit in a prescribed box that is in a similar location to the top exit exhausts of circa 2008. It is also subjected to particular exit angles and diameter as a means of providing further restriction.

2. Lower noses
The nose regulations have changed, so the high-tip nose isn’t allowed for improved safety. The car noses are lowered to 550mm above the reference plane (previously they could be 625mm high). This is to ensure that all parts of the nose are definitely below the height of the cockpit sides in the event of a T-Bone type of crash.

3. Repositioned track-rod
Last year the track rod was aligned with the lower wishbone, now it’s separate.

4. Single apertures for suspension legs
Each suspension leg that emerges from the rear bodywork may have just one aperture. Suspension apertures allow the team a certain amount of aerodynamic development possibilities and from an aerodynamicists point of view, the more apertures the merrier.

5. Captive wheel nuts for quicker pit stops
With no refuelling, the speed of the pit stop is defined by how quickly the tyres can be changed so every saving of a tenth of a second is invaluable. The nuts are now held to the wheels. As an aside, helium is banned for use in the pit stop guns for 2012 – the use of this low density gas enabled the guns to spin up to 30% faster, but it’s very expensive.

6. Panels
To give better protection to the driver in the event that a car T-bones him from the side, the homologated intrusion panel is increased in height to 550mm above the reference plane (the same height as the highest part of the new nose regulation above).

7. FOM cameras
Recent seasons has seen the FOM nose cameras located in a manner clearly aimed at promoting the performance of the front wing rather than to deliver effective TV pictures. Now there is a minimum standard for the field of view of any nose mounted camera. A similar minor change is made to the roll hoop camera location to ensure that a clear picture is not sacrificed on the altar of downforce.

Download

2012 Lotus F1 Team press pack (582kb PDF)

With the official unveilings of new F1 cars taking place it’s a timely reminder that official pre-season testing starts later this week at Jerez, in Spain.

In-season testing returns in 2012, but it has come at the expense of a pre-season slot. That means the teams have less time to prepare before the season kicks off in Australia on 18 March. Although, the in-season test is scheduled after the fourth race, Bahrain, before the teams get stuck into the European races (click here for full 2012 calendar).

Mark Webber will start proceedings for Red Bull in Jerez and let’s hope he has a better and more successful year in 2012.

Official 2012 F1 testing calendar
7–10 February: Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Spain
21–24 February: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
1–4 March: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
1–3 May: Mugello Circuit, Italy

Narain Karthikeyan has officially become the last driver signed for the 2012 Formula One season. The 35-year-old Indian has been signed by HRT where he will join fellow old timer 40-year-old Pedro de la Rosa.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal HRT, is happy to see Karthikeyan back after he started eight races for the team last year. “I am pleased to count with Narain for this season, as he will contribute continuity and stability. He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year. Of the eight Grands Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in,” said Pérez-Sala.

“This is a year in which you could say that the team starts from scratch and everyone’s input will be fundamental,” he added.

Naturally, Karthikeyan is also happy to have secured a full-time gig. “It has taken a lot of hard work to make this happen but I am absolutely elated to feature on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team. I was pleased with our strong performance at the Indian Grand Prix, in front of my passionate home fans and I look forward to building on this result in 2012,” Karthikeyan said.

There’s more from HRT after the break, including a Q&A interview with Narain Karthikeyan.

Narain Karthikeyan completes HRTs lineup for 2012

Madrid, 3rd of February 2012

Spanish outfit HRT F1 announces that Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan, will complete the team’s line up for the 2012 season alongside Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa. These two drivers will contest the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship for the team, which gets underway on March 16th at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia.

The Chennai-born driver will thus compete in his second season with the Spanish squad, with whom he made history at last year’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix, being the only Indian driver on the grid. A strong weekend with a great result ensued with his performance garnering international acknowledgement.

The extension of the relationship between Narain Karthikeyan and HRT F1 Team is based on the principle of continuity contributing to the stability and reliability of the team and, at the same time, offering Narain Karthikeyan the necessary confidence to progress. This progression and teamwork will be vital for the growth and establishment of the renewed HRT F1 Team.

The team will return to action next week at the first official preseason tests, which take place in Jerez, where Pedro de la Rosa will take to the wheel. Narain Karthikeyan will join the team for the second tests in Barcelona, which will be held from the 21st to the 24th of February at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Narain Karthikeyan: “It has taken a lot of hard work to make this happen but I am absolutely elated to feature on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team. I was pleased with our strong performance at the Indian Grand Prix, in front of my passionate home fans and I look forward to building on this result in 2012. I have been training hard since the end of 2011, ensuring I was ready for the rigours of F1 if an opportunity arose. I am delighted to have signed with HRT F1 Team. With the new management, Pedro, and the team, there is definite potential for progress. We need to understand that F1 is new to India, we hosted our first race only last year which was a resounding success. To build on that momentum, an Indian driver will certainly keep the interest engaged throughout the season. I am proud to secure an opportunity to forge a stronger connection between India and Formula 1 once again”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “I am pleased to count with Narain for this season, as he will contribute continuity and stability. He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year. Of the eight Grands Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in. I’m sure that the fact that he will continue to work and drive on a regular basis will help him take a step forward this season. And if he advances, so does the team. This is a year in which you could say that the team starts from scratch and everyone’s input will be fundamental”.

Q&A with Narain Karthikeyan

Madrid, 3rd of February 2012

After being confirmed recently as an official driver for HRT F1 Team for 2012, the Indian driver shares his views on the upcoming season.

Q: It has finally been revealed that you will occupy the last seat available as an official driver, how are you facing this new challenge in Formula 1?
NK: It all really started after the Indian GP, where we had a good performance which led to the belief that I am still competitive to drive in Formula 1. It is no secret how difficult it is to stay in F1 at this time, but I ensured that I was physically and mentally ready for any opportunity that arose. So I can’t wait to get back in the car and return to action once again.

Q: The uncertainty you’ve faced in the period spanning from the end of last season until the moment you’ve been confirmed can’t have been easy to handle. What have you done to keep yourself occupied?
NK: Well, there were more ups and downs than I can remember, positive and negative days – sometimes I just gave up but it was quickly followed by yet another glimmer of hope. It was exhausting mentally, but like the adage goes, all’s well that ends well.
There was plenty to keep me occupied during the winter though, like I said earlier I trained as hard as I would have if my drive was confirmed last season; fitness is critical in F1 and racing in general. Then there were lots of discussions, which meant a lot of travelling – flights, hotel stays and those sorts of things. So I didn’t have a whole lot of time to sit and mull over things, to be honest.

Q: This will be your third season in Formula 1, what targets have you set yourself?
NK: As far as results go, it largely depends on the development of the car, although I must say that things are looking promising. Otherwise, I have no doubts in my ability, I am extremely confident as last year and after the first few races, I drove better than ever. So I’ll be pushing hard no doubt about that. A lot of things change this year even though it is the same team, and I am sure it’ll be for the better. The new management is wholly focused on all-round improvement and from what I have seen – they will do so.

Q: Practically the whole structure is new with respect to 2011, what sensations have the new directors given you?
NK: The team has some very capable and experienced people on-board now, like the new Team Principal Luis Pérez-Sala and my teammate Pedro de la Rosa. So things are definitely changing for the better ever since the new owners have taken over. Saul (Ruiz de Marco, HRT F1 CEO) has a very good approach to what F1 should be, by applying his entrepreneurship experience to the team and I’m sure that it will lead to better things. Everyone knows it is impossible to change things in F1 overnight but we have certainly taken strides in the right direction.

Q: How would you define yourself as a driver?
NK: One thing’s for sure – I never give up. I’m here, against all odds and expectations, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. I have worked incredibly hard, I believe in my ability and know that I am as quick as anyone else out there.

Q: What do you know about and what would you highlight about your teammate Pedro de la Rosa?
NK: My first ever test was with Jaguar in 2001 and I remember Pedro was the team driver at the time. Even though I don’t know him very well, I know that he’s very experienced and from what I’ve seen, has a pleasant personality. We should be getting on well – it is not about trying to beat each other but working harmoniously to help the team progress as a whole. Healthy competition will collectively allow us to get the maximum out of the car and fast-forward the development process. He has a vast amount of developmental experience with a front-running team – so it’ll count a lot for the team in terms of approaching things and making the most out of our resources.

Q: What do you think you can contribute to the team this year?
NK: I am going to push as hard as possible, both inside and outside the cockpit and do whatever it takes to help the team progress in its rejuvenated form. Continuity is important in Formula 1 so I’m sure we’ll hit the ground running this year starting with some actual pre-season testing unlike last season where I first drove the new car on the opening race weekend in Australia. So there is all the incentive for me to ensure that I carry the team forward by delivering results and ensuring that nothing is left on the table as far as performance is concerned.

Q: Coming from a country with not much motorsport tradition, what led you to pursue the dream of making it to Formula 1?
NK: Ever since I started my racing career, I had just one goal in mind – Formula 1. It was definitely an unconventional dream to have, considering we had very little by the way of motorsport in India. Understandably, at the time I failed to realise what an uphill task it was. A more concrete picture emerged when I started racing in Europe, and it was during that time I came to terms with the harsh realities in earnest. We didn’t know the right steps to get to F1, but several setbacks made my resolve only stronger and my perseverance ultimately paid off when I made my debut in 2005.

Q: Last year you made history by becoming the first Indian driver ever to race at the Indian GP. What dreams do you have left to fulfill?
NK: For me, Formula 1 is a continued dream, it is always ultra-competitive and competing at the pinnacle of the sport is what I love. So I am very happy to have the opportunity to continue living my dream and I have every intention to make the best out of it.

Amid the hype and over production of Super Bowl television commercials BMW has released a simple and effective YouTube clip that showcases the company’s history as well as its present. The BMW 1M, with its near 50:50 weight distribution, has been selected to spearhead the message.

Who needs explosions and supermodels?

Audi has chosen a vampire theme for its Super Bowl television commercials. Things start to look a bit grim when the party runs out of blood. But a fresh new night time delivery is on its way, delivered by an Audi, if course. What could possibly go wrong?

Australian automotive sales have started strongly in 2012 with a total of 76,783 sold. That’s an increase of 3199 sales compared to the same month last year.

Sadly, we think, the growth is due in part to the seemingly insatiable appetite the Australian market has for SUVs. In this segment sales were up almost 30% on 2011 figures.

“This is an encouraging January sales result and provides a good start to 2012,” FCAI Chief Executive Ian Chalmers said.

“It is mostly being driven by private and business buyers of SUVs and car rental companies updating their passenger car fleets. The number of private buyers for passenger cars declined by 8.4 per cent compared with this time last year.”

Toyota, Holden and Mazda have started the year as the top three selling marques.

Strong start to new vehicle sales in 2012

3rd February, 2012

The new vehicle market has started the year with a solid result, thanks mostly to Australians’ growing preference for sports utility vehicles (SUVs).

Official VFACTS data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 76,783 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in January (up 4.3 per cent or 3,199 vehicles compared to the same month in 2011).

“This is an encouraging January sales result and provides a good start to 2012,” FCAI Chief Executive Ian Chalmers said.

“It is mostly being driven by private (27.7% or 2,533 more than Jan 2011) and business (32.3% or 2,233 more) buyers of SUVs and car rental companies updating their passenger car fleets (up 55.6% or 583 compared with Jan 2011). The number of private buyers for passenger cars declined by 8.4 per cent (2,314) compared with this time last year,” he said.

Queensland continued the strong sales growth it displayed at the end of last year, with new vehicle sales in that state up by 18.3 per cent or two and a half thousand vehicles compared to the same period in 2011.

Toyota was the best performing brand in January with a market share of 18.3 per cent followed by Holden with 11.8 per cent and then Mazda with an 11 per cent share.

The New Year Starts Strong for Hyundai

Hyundai has recorded its best-ever January sales result since the brand was introduced to Australia in 1986. Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) finished in fourth position overall with 6,513 sales, an increase of 2% over the same period last year, achieving a total market share of 8.5%.

In passenger car sales, Hyundai also ranked fourth for the month with 4,946 vehicles sold, and a market share of 11.6%.

Hyundai was second in the light car segment with a combined market share of 16.4% for i20 and Accent models, third in the small car segment with a combined market share of 13.9% for the i30 and Elantra models and third in the medium car segment with a combined market share of 7% for i45 and i40 Tourer models.

“This is a great way to kick off another busy year for Hyundai just as the new Veloster is about to be launched,” said Damien Meredith, Director of Sales, Hyundai Motor Company Australia. “In 2012, Hyundai plans to respond flexibly to the market and create new opportunities by focusing on quality to achieve qualitative growth.”

In the U.S., Hyundai Motor America (HMA) has again set an all-time monthly sales record with total sales for January of 42,694 vehicles, an increase of 15% January 2012 v. January 2011.

Hyundai Motor Company has seen an overall increase in global sales of 3.5% rising from 310,925 units in January 2011 to 321,757 units in January 2012.

Hyundai’s Australian highlights include:

• iMax ranked second in the People Mover segment, posting a sales result of 181 units and a 19% market share.
• ix35 ranked second in the Small SUV segment, achieving 865 vehicle sales and a market share of 20.6%.
• iLoad ranked second in the Van/CC 2.5-3.5t segment, posting a sales result of 448 units and a 37% market share.

Mazda Posts Record Sales and Market Share

Mazda Australia has smashed its previous January best with 8,479 sales last month, providing it with an 11.0 per cent market share, according to official VFACTS figures released today.

This is an increase of 1,279 new vehicles or 17.8 per cent on last January and in addition to its record market share also makes it Mazda’s fourth best month ever.

There were several star performers across the range with Mazda3, Australia’s best-selling car in 2011, picking up where it left off with 4,045 sales to again top the sales charts.

This is now the third time in the past year that the Mazda3 has found more than 4,000 buyers in a single month.

In the light segment, Mazda2 kept its lead position with 1,624 January sales and its third strongest month ever. This is a 19% increase over the same month last year.

Mazda6 started the new year in style. Recently upgraded with leather upholstery and parking sensors across the range, Mazda6 record 663 sales, its strongest month in over a year.

Also vying for the limelight was CX-7 which secured its best ever result with 1,167 sales to claim second place in the hotly contested Medium SUV segment.

And with the All-New CX-5 about to hit Australian shores, Mazda is optimistic about achieving further SUV sales success.

Mazda Australia managing director, Doug Dickson said, “We are both delighted and humbled by customer acceptance of our whole range during January. While we are quietly confident of a strong year, particularly with the imminent launch of our all-new CX-5, our primary focus will remain on looking after our customers.”

Toyota tops car sales for January

Toyota Australia has kicked-off 2012 with a strong market-leading sales performance despite a severe shortage of its top-selling HiLux.

The company was number one in sales of passenger cars, SUVs and light-commercial vehicles for January.

Toyota sold more than 14,000 vehicles for the month, giving it a lead of more than 55 per cent or 5,000 sales over its nearest rival.

This was despite fewer than 1,100 HiLux being sold – about one-third the normal level – due to lack of supply.

The company said stocks of HiLux utes will improve in coming months with the Thailand factory back to normal production following severe floods in October and November last year.

Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor said the overall result showed the strength of Toyota’s diverse range.

“Camry celebrated the arrival of the new seventh-generation range with sales up 22 per cent on the same month last year,” he said.

“With a new Camry Hybrid due inside two months, the new Camry range is set to extend its 18 consecutive years as Australia’s best-selling medium car.

“Toyota also had strong results with Kluger and Prado taking the top two positions in the large SUV segment and LandCruiser 200 Series continuing its leadership of the upper-large SUV segment,” Mr Callachor said.

“Corolla topped 3,300 sales for the month to be Australia’s second most popular vehicle, while HiAce performed well as the best-selling van and best-selling light bus.

“Even with low supply, HiLux was the most popular 4×2 ute and we expect all HiLux stock to improve in February and beyond.”