Valencia circuit today was scene of two team launches.
Before noon BMW Sauber presented C29 car powered with Ferrari engines.The new C29, which sports a shark fin similar to the one used by McLaren in its new car, will be driven by Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi. Sauber's car retains similar colours to those used during the BMW era, but with more white space due to the lack of sponsors.
Team Principal, Peter Sauber said:
"The last few months have been very intense for us. First we had to battle to secure the survival of the team and then we focused on putting a strong set-up in place for the future. The technical preparation of the 2010 car has continued uninterrupted and according to plan since the spring of 2009, despite all the turmoil. We have a long tradition of bringing together an up-and-coming youngster and an experienced campaigner as a driver combination and it's an approach that has brought us a lot of success.
"Pedro has been working at the highest level technically for many years and for a top team, and we can benefit as a team from this experience. Young Kamui also has a lot to offer us, and last year he impressed me particularly in Abu Dhabi."
Afternoon was reserved for the Renault Formula 1 team and its 2010 car-R30. Renault confirmed Vitaly Petrov as its second driver. The new R30 was unveiled by first Russian in F1,Petrov, and his team-mate Robert Kubica, driver line-up of the French squad this year.The R30 was presented with Renault's new colours, yellow and black, following the exit of ING as main sponsor in the middle of last season. It also incorporates a similar shark fin engine cover, as those seen in the new McLaren and Sauber cars.
Team Principal, Eric Boulier said:
"The start of a new Formula 1 season is always a time of great anticipation. For Renault, this is particularly true of the 2010 season as we begin a new era for the team. With a new structure in place, new drivers, and new colours, there is a lot to be excited about and a lot to look forward to in the year ahead.
"Setting objectives is never easy, but it's clear that we have high ambitions for 2010 as we aim to take Renault back to the front of the grid. However, this is not going to happen overnight and our ambition is to make this journey one step at a time. The R30 should be a competitive, strong and reliable car and we've opted for an aggressive development strategy. The factories in Enstone and Viry have been working flat-out during the long winter months to ensure that we begin the new season in the best shape possible. These factories have been successful in the past and they haven't forgotten how to win in Formula 1."
McLaren MP4-25 was unveiled at Vodafone UK's headquarters in Newbury. New car retains the silver colour of recent years, despite engine partner Mercedes-Benz's switch of focus to its own 'Silver Arrows' outfit. The car features a high shark-fin engine cover running up to the rear wing.
Martin Whitmarsh on launch cheremony said:
"It was Alexander Graham Bell who said preparation is key to success and we have prepared for this season more comprehensively than ever before. As team principal I am honoured to represent this great team, but I am one small part of a group of dedicated and fantastic people. A great team and a competitive car can only succeed with the best drivers. Neither of our drivers need much of an introduction because between them they have won the past two world championships. We are thrilled this year to have Lewis and Jenson represent the team on track. Both drivers are winners and they want to win this year.
"Every year of F1 racing throws up a unique set of regulation challenges, and 2010 is no exception. We have designed a car that exploits the double diffuser concept. We look forward to an exciting championship with many new and notable faces and at least one older one. We remain proud partners of Mercedes-Benz, but we must be at our best to beat the works team.""Our goal is clear and we aim to win."
REFUELLING
The biggest change for the 2010 season is the banning of refuelling during races for the first time since 1993. Pit stops will not become a thing of the past, however, as drivers still have to use both dry-weather tyre compounds during a Grand Prix. Of course, those stops will now be much quicker, quite possibly under four seconds.The change requires cars to possess a much larger fuel tank - up from around 80 litres to something nearer 250 - and has a major effect on race strategy, with drivers having to pay more attention to tyre and brake conservation. To accommodate the bigger tank, the cars are likely to feature wider rear bodywork and a longer wheelbase. As a result, the weight distribution will be quite different to that of a 2009 car.POINTS SYSTEM
In place of the previous structure, which saw the top eight drivers scoring 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively, from 2010 the top ten finishers in a Grand Prix score points. The change has been introduced as a result of the expanded grid of 13 teams. Under the new system, the race winner takes 25 points, with 18 and 15 being awarded for second and third places respectively. The next seven finishers will score 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 point respectively.WEIGHT
The minimum weight of the car has been raised from 605kg to 620kg. The initial thinking behind this was to offset the disadvantage faced by taller, heavier drivers in KERS-equipped cars (the additional weight of the KERS system meant they were left with less flexibility in terms of weight distribution than their lighter rivals). By mutual agreement, however, teams are now not expected to run KERS in 2010.NARROWER FRONT TYRESWhen slick tyres returned to Formula One racing in 2009, the tyre size remained unchanged. In terms of contact area, this meant that the fronts gained proportionally more grip than the rears. This has been addressed for 2010, with front tyre width reduced from 270mm to 245mm, thus helping to bring back a better grip balance. Also, the ban on refuelling means cars will be around 100kg heavier at the start of a race than in 2009, so Bridgestone will use slightly harder tyre compounds to compensate. Top ten starters must begin the race on the same tyres they set their best qualifying lap on.NO WHEEL FAIRINGSTeams are no longer allowed to use the wheel rim covers that became so commonplace in 2009. Their removal means one less thing to go wrong when pit crews are trying to change of set of tyres in less than four seconds, and could also aid overtaking by making the airflow immediately behind cars less turbulent.MORE TEAMS
Thirteen teams - 26 cars - will feature on the grid in 2010. This means a slight alteration to the knockout qualifying session, which will now see eight drivers (as opposed to five) eliminated in Q1 and Q2, leaving ten to fight it out for pole in Q3. The ban on refuelling means that cars will qualify on low fuel in all three phases of the session.TESTING
If a team declares that one of their current race drivers is to be substituted by a driver who has not participated in an F1 race in the two previous calendar years, one day of track testing will now be permitted, on an approved circuit not being used for a Grand Prix in the current season. This is to avoid scenarios such as that seen in 2009 when Jaime Alguersuari made his Formula One debut with Toro Rosso having only previously driven an F1 car in straight-line testing.In another minor change, teams will be allowed six rather than eight days of straight-line aero testing per season. They will also have the option of substituting any of these days for four hours of wind tunnel testing with a full-scale (rather than the normal 60 percent-scale) model.
