Adam Cooper F1

The Lotus E20 sees the end of the front exhaust concept

Lotus technical director James Allison is the man behind the new E20. Here’s some interesting insight from him provided by the team.

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.

The Lotus E20 was revealed online today

Lotus has shown the first images of the Lotus E20, the car with which Kimi Raikkonen will make his comeback this season.

The 20th car from the Enstone factory – hence its name – it has been overseen by technical director James Allison.

The car has a stepped nose, albeit not as dramatic as those seen on other cars launched thus far.

Dutchman Giedo van der Garde has been named as reserve driver for Caterham.

The GP2 veteran, who has been associated with Renault and McLaren young driver programmes in the past, had been a contender for an HRT race seat. He will do some Friday FP1 sessions with Caterham.

Tony Fernandes said: “He is a very exciting prospect that we have been monitoring since the early days of our team, and we are all looking forward to seeing how he can help us develop throughout the season as we take our next steps towards the established midfield teams ahead.

“His performances in GP2, particularly in 2011, mark Giedo out as one of motorsport’s brightest prospects, and securing him as Reserve Driver is a real coup for our team. I am sure he will flourish on and off track, and we wish him all the best as he takes the next step into Formula 1 with us.”

Giedo van der Garde said: “The team is fresh, with some fantastic people here. Tony Fernandes is extremely ambitious and he has brought in a lot of very good people in to help grow this team for future success. I’m looking forward to learning and moving forward with the team, in and out of the car.

“It’s great for Holland that we again have a Dutch driver who is connected to Formula 1. Being the only Dutch driver now is very good for the sport in Holland, as the interest was perhaps on the decline since the Verstappen years, however I hope to generate the same excitement for my country and really bring Formula 1 to them.

“I feel that the team as a whole is very ambitious. They appear to be very positive people and I think they are building up, growing and developing very quickly. I think this year they will be strong contenders! We’ll see after the test but I really have a feeling that it’s a big family here and they are pushing very hard to move up the grid.

“I feel very strong now, I’m fit, and I’m mentally ready. Of course I’ve spent a lot of time driving with guys who are now in Formula 1 and I feel I’m ready for this. I’d like to thank McGregor and everybody who has supported me in my career and for helping me take this next exciting step.”

Sauber technical director James Key has left the team to take up a new job in the UK.

Key, who previously had a similar role at Force India, played a big part in the rebuilding of Sauber after its split with BMW.

His departure comes just three days before the launch of the new car. The team says that its development will be led by the department heads for Aerodynamics, Design, Performance and Operations.”

Key is highly rated by his peers, and it will be interesting to see where he ends up.

“I’ve enjoyed the past two years working at the Sauber F1 Team,” said Key. “It has been a very intense and interesting time, in which we had to manage the transition from a much larger team to a smaller one, and everybody handled that very well. I think the team is now well set for the future and I wish it the very best. I have been offered a new role back in the UK, which I decided to accept.”

Team boss Peter Sauber: “A qualified team shares the overall technical responsibility. This structure has proved to work well at other racing outfits. Over a period of almost two years, James has accomplished a lot for our team.

“Especially in the difficult transition period from a manufacturer team into a private enterprise, he contributed significantly to ensure the team regained stability. We would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best for his future.”

Di Resta gave the VJM05 its first installation laps this morning

Paul Di Resta has given the new Force India VJM05 its first installation laps at Silverstone, after its launch this morning.

Heading into the new season Di Resta says he’s happy with the way the new car has turned out, having had more input into it than he had with its predecessor.

“It’s looking quite good, the seat fit went very smoothly, very comfortably,” said Di Resta. “The issues I had last year were obviously considered in the design, and I think as in any second year as part of a team, that’s the sort of thing that becomes a bit easier. Things start to develop around your input. I wouldn’t say the cockpit was tight last year, but I just couldn’t get low enough in the car, where I wanted to be.”

“The target is just to go forward really, from where we left off at the end of last year. We’ve got to start a bit stronger than we did last year – that will be a key. There’s a bit of a different philosophy again, we’ve developed something that we’ve tried last year, but didn’t go quite as well we hoped. We strongly believe now that it’s the way forward. I’m not going to say what is it, but you’ll see it as soon as the car hits the track!”

Di Resta says he feels stronger than this time last year.

“I’ve been training as hard as I ever have, really putting a big push on for the last few weeks. As I said I’m getting myself into that routine and just pushing the body to another level. For some reason my life is just a lot more stable – it just lets you concentrate on the bits you need to as and when they come in.

“The other benefit is I have a year under my belt. Whether it’s making decisions on travel arrangements or just analysing your time, you can really see what you didn’t like last year and what affected you, and just put it right.”

He says he’s looking forward to working with Nico Hulkenberg.

“Obviously Nico was already part of the team last year. I’ve known him a lot of years, and I’m sure we will work together. At the same time you do have that bit of competitive nature, and you bounce off each other and push the team to that little bit of an extra step. But we have to respect each other, because we’re representing Sahara Force India.”

Ferrari’s new car was unveiled online today after snow forced the cancellation of the official launch.

The car is to be called the F2012, although its internal code number is 633. The project has been led for the first time by British technical director Pat Fry. Like other cars seen so far, it has a dramatic stepped nose.

Launching the car, the team gave an interesting detailed description of its development:

“Practically every area of the car has been fundamentally revised, starting with the suspension layout. Both the front and rear feature pull-rods, aimed at favouring aerodynamic performance and lowering the centre of gravity. The front wing is derived from the one introduced on the 150º Italia in the final part of its racing life and has been evolved from there. Further evolutions are planned in this area for the opening races of the season.

“The nose has a step in it that is not aesthetically pleasing. With the requirement from the regulations to lower the front part, this was a way of raising the bottom part of the chassis as much as possible for aerodynamic reasons. The sides have been redesigned, through modifications to the side impact structures, the repositioning of the radiators and revisions to all aerodynamic elements.

“The lower part of the rear of the car is much narrower and more tapered, a feature achieved partly through a new gearbox casing and a relocation of some mechanical components. In recent years, the area of exhausts has been crucial in terms of car performance and much effort was expended on this front, based on changes to the regulations introduced this year.

“The rear wing is conceptually similar to the one used in 2011, but every detail of it has been revised and it is now more efficient. Naturally, it is still fitted with DRS (a drag reduction system,) which is operated hydraulically. The front and rear air intakes for the brakes have been redesigned and work was carried out in collaboration with Brembo to optimise the braking system.

“The engine in the F2012 is an evolution of the one that powered last year’s car, which is inevitable given that the technical regulations forbid any modification to internal components aimed at increasing performance. Furthermore, much effort has gone into improving its installation in the new chassis, so as not to penalise the aerodynamics of the car.”

Here's the new Sahara Force India - with another interesting nose

Sahara Force India has revealed its new VJM05 at Silverstone today, and the car has another distinctive nose.

It’s the second car produced under technical director Andy Green. The team operates an alternating system of Project Leaders, and the VJM05 is thus the responsibility of Akio Haga, Ian Hall having overseen last year’s car.

For a fourth year the team is using a Mercedes engine and a gearbox supplied by McLaren Applied Technologies.

“I would say that the car looks a lot more refined than previous cars produced here,” said Green. “It does a look a lot racier and a lot more purposeful. You can start to see the aerodynamic concepts coming through now. It looks quite a bit different to the previous years, which is good.

“And so far the performance in the tunnel has been extremely encouraging, so we’re reasonably happy with where it sits. It’s just that unknown of where everyone else is – and we won’t know that until Melbourne.

“The nose height regulation has led to the biggest visual change in the car, and then there’s the exhaust regulation. The rest of it is very subtle.”

Narain Karthikeyan has been confirmed for the second HRT seat, alongside Pedro de la Rosa.

The Indian told this writer at his home race that he was hopeful of finding sponsorship for 2012 – given the boost in interest that weekend – and he appears to have done just that.

The team, which is clearly in urgent need of funding said that he was re-hired on the basis of “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.” So now we know…

Karthikeyan won’t drive until the second test at Barcelona at the end of this month, although it’s not clear whether the 2012 car will be ready by then.

Karthikeyan said: “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”.

Team boss Luis Perez Sala added: “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”.

McLaren’s technical team say that the new MP4-27 has little in common with its predecessor – with only a few elements of the fuel system carried over.

The team is hoping that it gets off to a much better start than in 2011, when it had a disastrous winter testing programme.

“Our main objectives for the 2012 season were to optimise downforce despite the changes to the blown floor, and to improve our understanding and utilisation of the Pirelli tyres, which were new to us last year,” said technical director Paddy Lowe.

“One of the more satisfying challenges was being able to develop and expand our knowledge of the Pirelli tyres. It’s our second season with Pirelli – 2011 was very much a learning year. We have used our experience from the past 12 months to design the car’s layout, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics around improved tyre utilisation.”

Meanwhile director of engineering Tim Goss confirmed that the car is very different.

“Although you can’t see it, there’s a lot on this car that’s changed,” said Goss. “However, this year has seen more of an evolutionary set of rules, so there’s less of the unpredictability that comes from balancing resources between seasons during a time of greater regulatory change.

“I think the most obvious change is the loss of the U-shaped sidepod, which we pioneered on last year’s car. We reverted to a more conventional sidepod shape for this season because the U-shape was less suited to the new exhaust geometry restrictions.

“For 2012, the exhaust tailpipes now have to exit along the U-channel – so that particular feature was no longer really viable due to the new geometry restrictions. As a result, we decided to adopt a different approach to the way we feed the rear of the car. We have cleaned up the roll-hoop area and now have much tighter rear bodywork.”

Inevitably the new exhaust rules have made a big difference.

“The regulations around the exhausts are very prescriptive: the exhausts must now exit within a very tight space at the rear of the car in order to minimise their aerodynamic influence.

“The final 100mm of the exhausts must be cylindrical – so they can no longer be oval, or flattened – and must be sited at a particular vertical and horizontal angle – between 10 and 30 degrees upwards. That’s to direct the exhaust exit away from the floor.

“In previous years, the exhausts exited directly into the rear corner of the floor; we can’t do that anymore so, as you’d expect, that changes the flow characteristics at the rear of the car. The knock-on effect is that all of the aerodynamic devices at the rear of the car have had to be re-designed.”

The new McLaren looks pretty good - and has a 'normal' nose

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton unveiled the McLaren MP4-27 in Woking this morning, and both drivers were in upbeat mood as they saw the car in the flesh.

The car doesn’t not have the ugly stepped nose seen on the Caterham and expected to be a feature of other cars in 2012.

“With the regulations remaining relatively stable, we’ve really been able to focus on the detail with this year’s car,” said Button. “I still think we had a very fast package last year – it was very strong in certain areas – and our race pace was almost always fantastic, but we’re hoping for a further step forwards in 2012. With Mercedes-Benz, I think we also had the best overall engine and KERS Hybrid package in the pitlane.

“We were also able to continuously develop throughout the year to match Red Bull – and that shows that we have the knowledge, effort and resources to sustain our efforts across the course of a whole season, which can be crucial.

“I know that the whole team is extremely proud of the MP4-27. It may look like a direct evolution of last year’s car, but we’ve analysed every area of performance over the winter and the whole car has benefited from lots of fresh thinking and new ideas in every area. I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel in Spain next week.

“I know that everyone will be watching us very closely to see what progress we make during the pre-season tests, but I genuinely believe we have every reason to feel optimistic about the progress we’ve made and our competitiveness this year.”

“I’ve been keenly following the development of MP4-27 over the winter and I’ve been really encouraged by the results and the data that the engineers have been showing me,” said Hamilton.

“I think we already had a very strong base to build upon: Jenson and I won six races with MP4-26 last year and I think we’ve been able to retain all the strengths and the reliability of that design while also incorporating lots of improvements and new ideas into the new car.

“Of course, the biggest changes for 2012 are the modifications to the exhaust regulations – that will reduce the downforce and grip that we had last year, but it just puts the emphasis on the designers to try and claw some of that back in other areas.”