10th February: Testing results

Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets today, in a rain-soaked session.

The Mercedes driver clocked in a fastest lap of 1:20.927, which was set in the morning, before the rain came out. Timo Glock was the only driver who was completely caught out by this, and could only set 5 laps, at a point where the track was at its wettest. His time was a 1:38.734.

Sebastien Buemi was second fastest (1:21.031), followed by Nico Hulkenberg for Williams (1:22.243). The other drivers, in order, were Fernando Alonso, Kamui Kobayashi, Jenson Button, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Vitaly Petrov, Mark Webber, and Glock.

Mark Webber was the first to bring out the red flags, when he stopped out on track half an hour after the session had started at 9 in the morning. It was described as a “simple component failure”, which later turned out to be an oil leak. However, the fault meant that the engine had to be changed, which stopped him running until 4.45 pm. Then, he only got 3 laps after that, when Rosberg stopped out on track, bringing out the red falgs and ending the session.

Nico Rosberg attributed his fastest lap to a better seating position in the car:

“The car felt very good today,” he said. “Compared to Valencia where I was sitting too low which affected my visibility and the set-up wasn’t perfect, today I felt really comfortable and I could push so it was an enjoyable day and a good start to the test for me.”

The times are as follows:

	Driver	Driver	Team	Car	Fastest lap	Difference	# of laps
1.		N. Rosberg	Mercedes	W01	1.20.927		57
2.		S. Buemi	Toro Rosso	STR5	1.21.031	+0.104	84
3.		N. Hulkenberg	Williams	FW32	1.22.243	+1.136	118
4.		F. Alonso	Ferrari	F10	1.22.895	+1.968	88
5.		K. Kobayashi	BMW Sauber	C25	1.23.287	+2.360	55
6.		J. Button	McLaren	MP4-25	1.24.947	+4.020	68
7.		V. Liuzzi	Force India	VJM03	1.24.968	+4.041	71
8. 9. 10.		V. Petrov M. Webber T. Glock	Renault Red Bull Virgin	R30 RB6 VR-01	1.25.440 1.26.502 1.38.734	+4.513 +5.575 +17.807	27 50 5

Pictures from the test:

February 2nd: Testing results

Felipe Massa has finished top of the timesheets again in Valencia, as the second day of F1 testing concluded.

His best lap of 1m11.722 was faster than Kamui Kobayashi (1m12.056) and Lewis Hamilton (1m12.256). Kubica was much faster today than yesterday, his fastest lap being 2.5 seconds quicker than yesterday’s best. Nico Rosberg was 5th, followed by Rubens Barrichello and Sebastien Buemi. There is no news yet as to if Toro Rosso are still having downforce problems.

Robert Kubica stopped out on track, after just setting his two fastest laps. The red flag was out, and the session did not restart after that. This happened at around 16:00.

Robert Kubica after stopping out on track

Another interesting thing to note is that both Kubica and Buemi put on different helmets today, to test aerodynamic efficiency.

We also saw McLaren’s secret new diffuser, without the use of spy cameras. This picture is included in the photo section.

		Driver	Team	Car	Fastest lap	Difference	# of laps
1.		F. Massa	Ferrari	F10	1.11.722
2.		K. Kobayashi	BMW Sauber	C29	1.12.056	+0.334
3.		L. Hamilton	McLaren	MP4-25	1.12.256	+0.534
4.		R. Kubica	Renault	R30	1.12.426	+0.704
5.		N. Rosberg	Mercedes	W01	1.12.899	+1.177
6.		R. Barrichello	Williams	FW32	1.13.377	+1.655
7.		S. Buemi	Toro Rosso	STR5	1.13.823	+2.101

Photos from today’s test:

February 1st: Testing results

The first day of testing concluded in Valencia today.

We saw the launches of the Williams, Mercedes and Toro Rosso cars. Then, 7 of the teams headed out for testing at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Temperatures were around 12 degrees Celcius.

Felipe Massa finished top of the timesheets today, ahead of Pedro de la Rosa and Michael Schumacher. Massa completed the most laps (102) and set the fastest lap at 1:12.574. Mercedes were the onlt team to run both of its drivers, with Schumacher 3rd (1:12.947) while Rosberg was 4th (1:13.543). Robet Kubica was last, driving for Renault, lapping in a 1:15.000 as a fastest lap, 2.5 seconds slower than Massa.

The only red flag was for Rubens Barrichello, who spun while out on track at around 4.45 pm. Toro Rosso only got 18 laps in with Sebastien Buemi, because of a gearbox problem.

Full testing results:

		Driver	Team	Car	Fastest lap	Difference	# of laps
1.		F. Massa	Ferrari	F10	1:12.574		102
2.		P. de la Rosa	BMW Sauber	C25	1:12.784	+0.210	74
3.		M.Schumacher	Mercedes GP	W01	1:12.947	+0.373	40
4.		N. Rosberg	Mercedes GP	W01	1:13.543	+0.969	39
5.		G. Paffett	McLaren	MP4-25	1:13.846	+1.272	86
6.		R.Barrichello	Williams	FW32	1:14.449	+1.875	75
7.		S. Buemi	Toro Rosso	STR5	1:14.762	+2.188	18
8.		R. Kubica	Renault	R30	1:15.000	+2.426	69

More photos of testing today (more photos in the individual car launches):

Mercedes W01 launched

The new Mercedes W01 car has been launched in Valencia.

The livery was revealed a week ago, in the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart. It’s good, but not great, I feel.

The car itself appears to look quite similar to last year’s Brawn. The main change is the revised nose cone, which is quite lower than other teams. The engine air intake has a very different shape. Also, the car sports last year’s Red Bull raised nose, as copied by Ferrari with their F10.

Otherwise, I’m actually struggling to find differences to last year’s Brawn. Hopefully underneath there are many changes, because at the moment I’m not convinced.

Nico Rosberg drove the car in the morning, before handing it over to Michael Schumacher for the afternoon.

Photos from the launch:

Schumacher sticks with red helmet

Micheal Schumacher's helmet for 2010

Michael Schumacher has said that he is to stick with his red helmet while driving for Mercedes this year.

A red helmet, very similar to the one he used back in 2006, was revealed alongside the new livery of the Mercedes WG01.

The only differences are the Mercedes logo on the top, and the Petronas sponsorship on the visor. Nico Rosberg has made the same changes to his helmet.

2010 Mercedes colour scheme revealed

Mercedes have revealed the colour scheme that they will be using on their 2010 car.

It must be noted, however, that the car in the pictures is just the Brawn BGP001, repainted. The new car, the WG01 (not the RB1 as I previously said), will be revealed on 1st February in Valencia.

The car was unveiled at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart. Drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher were also attending.

Mercedes say this about their colour design:

“The new silver and green livery creates a true marriage between the heritage of the Silver Arrows and the team’s title partner Petronas. The legacy of the Silver Arrows goes back to the 1934 Eifel Race when, on the evening before the event, the white paint was sanded off the Mercedes W25 race car to fulfil weight regulations (750kg formula) and the silver colour of the aluminium surface of the car appeared. This season, with the return of the Silver Arrows, the MGP W01 will shine in silver combined with a flow of iridescent silver and green shading. On the nose and other parts of the car, traces of black carbon fibre are visible – a reminder of the first Silver Arrow of 1934.”

However, this appears to be wrong. There is an article on F1 Fanatic explaining this.

There are quotes from Michael Schumacher:

“Finally the 2010 Formula One season is firing up! I have to say that I am totally committed to this new challenge. This season feels like a re-start for me and I am so motivated. We have a very exciting combination at Mercedes. We have a World Champion team in every sense of the word and I cannot wait to get into the car for the first time in Valencia. I am convinced that Mercedes will be in a very good position to fight for the championships this season and I will definitely give it a go. Driving for Mercedes-Benz again is like the closing of a circle for me as I started my racing driver career with the three-pointed star on my helmet. This is another reason why I cannot wait for the competition to get underway.”

Nico Rosberg:

“You can really feel the successful motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz here at the Museum in Stuttgart and to be part of the new Silver Arrows team and that racing heritage makes me feel extremely proud and motivated. Since joining the team in November, I have spent a lot of time at the factory in Brackley, at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth and here in Stuttgart, which has given me the opportunity to settle in and get to know everyone. I have seen how hard the team is working on the new car and I really can’t wait for the opportunity to drive it for the first time in Valencia next week. I am looking forward to working with everyone at Mercedes and will give it my all to reward their fantastic efforts with good on-track results this season.”

Team principal Ross Brawn:

“It is a privilege to be here at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart today for the official presentation of the Mercedes Formula One Team. With your first look around the Museum, you realise the fantastic racing heritage of Mercedes-Benz and we hope to be able to contribute to those successes going forward. Our team have been working extremely hard throughout last year and over the winter on the development of the MGP W01 and everyone at the team is looking forward to the start of testing in Valencia next week. We have two excellent drivers in Nico and Michael, who will form one of the most exciting and one of the best partnerships on the grid, and with the support of Mercedes-Benz, Aabar, our new title partner Petronas and all of our team partners, everyone is looking forward to the 2010 Formula One season with anticipation.”

Pictures from the event:

Heidfeld joins Mercedes as test driver

Nick Heidfeld

Former BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld has joined Mercedes GP as a test driver. He joins the Germans of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

Mercedes GP, already being referred to as “Team Germany”, will unveil Heidfeld on January 25th. His manager, Andre Theuerzeit, confirmed the move today to German magazine Bild, saying:

“Nick (Heidfeld) will fully concentrate on supporting the team’s main drivers as the team’s test and reserve driver. Nick focused on a seat with one of the top teams but unfortunately we were unable to sign him up.”

As relieved as I am to see him in F1, this is a waste of his talent. Test drivers will get practically no driving time this year thanks to the testing ban, and Nick could have moved to one of the newer teams or Renault instead.

I’m sure Mercedes will be delighted at having an all-German line-up, but it’s a hollow move, as a great talent has been wasted for too long.

Schumacher targeting both titles in 2010

Michael Schumacher in a GP2 car

Michael Schumacher has said that he and the Mercedes GP team are planning to win both world championships this year.

On his personal website, he wrote:

“The constellation we have here is pretty unique – with Ross and his world championship winning team, with the know-how of Mercedes, with the best engine at the moment and we want to use that. We have a clear aim: we want to win the championships. That’s what we will fight for from the beginning. That is my personal standard too.”

Also, he believes that, thanks to his 3-year break, he is stronger than ever before.

“After my retirement at the end of 2006 I was very happy,” he explained. “I felt relieved and free. It was good for me to be quiet for those three years. It really feels as if my batteries have been fully recharged. My energy is back completely. I have really noticed how the prickle has returned and how motivated I am, because I am looking forward to this competition so much.”

Clearly, he is well motivated ahead of this season, but can he do it? The Mercedes car, as we know, has taken all technical information off Brawn, who had started on their 2010 challenger as early as Silverstone (July) 2009. I suppose this all boils down to whether he has the machinery for the job or not.

Schuamcher takes #3 from Rosberg

Michael Schumacher has taken Nico Rosberg’s #3 at Mercedes GP for the upcoming season.

Schumacher said to German newspaper Bild: “Ross [Brawn] knows that I like odd numbers.”

A spokesperson told Reuters: “Michael has a preference for odd numbers. He asked if he could be the odd number and we were happy to accept.”

Utter rubbish, in my opinion. This is Schumacher already trying his old tricks, trying to get a phsychological edge over Rosberg, before the season has even started.

The important thing here is for Nico to not respond to this. Ross Brawn already has shown that he will prefer Schumacher, and Rosberg must accept this.

Mercedes’ driver status is Ross Brawn’s call

Michael Schumacher with Ross Brawn

The Mercedes chief, Dieter Zetsche, has said that it is up to Ross Brawn whether Michael Schumacher will get number one status within the team.

Over his career, Schumacher has had a history of Ross Brawn favouring him over the second driver, most notably Rubens Barrichello. The fact that Schuamcher’s team mates could not compete with him gave him a significant advantage over his career.

In an interview with Gazetto dello Sport, Dieter Zetsche said:

“We have a team manager for this. Ross Brawn is one of the best. If he wasn’t he wouldn’t have won both titles last year, despite his team being in their debut. He will decide and it will be the best for the drivers and the constructor.”

He was then asked how he felt hiring a driver who had been retired for three years. He responded:

“We are convinced that Michael will do well and that he’ll win again. Maybe not immediately, let’s give him some time, but an ace never disappoints. I’ve been impressed by his enthusiasm. Rather than a return, it seems to me like a new debut.”

Michael Schumacher will race in the Mercedes team this year alongside fellow German Nico Rosberg.