Adam Cooper F1

Williams and Renault will be back together again in 2012 and 2013, the last two seasons before the new turbo formula.

The team says that “the newly-formed co-operation includes several other exciting business and marketing opportunities, with a view to continuing after the introduction of the new, energy efficient, turbocharged V6 engines in 2014.”

Renault will now have four customers, while Cosworth is left with just Virgin and HRT.

Renault Sport F1 president Bernard Rey, commented, “Renault remains in Formula One to achieve success in a cost efficient way and the partnership with Williams has great potential to add to the results we have notched up over recent years with our other partner teams.

“Williams has recently taken several important steps, both commercially and technically, to update its operations and we feel that this partnership is another important step in its rigorous plan. It reiterates how determined the team is to achieve results, which matches perfectly with our own objectives.

“From 2012 onwards the fact that we will have four partners puts us ahead of other engine manufacturers in terms of market share, but off track it will also enable us to further use Formula One as a marketing platform for our parent company, Renault, to try to bring a bit of this association to our fans and our customers worldwide.

“Of course there’s also a great pride in reviving the Williams-Renault name. Together, we produced racing cars that are recognised for their technical innovation and it is still Renault’s most successful period in F1 to date. It’s a hugely exciting opportunity for both Renault and Williams.”

Frank Williams added: “We are delighted and excited by our new partnership with Renault. This reunites the F1 team with a leading car manufacturer and complements our new relationship with Jaguar. At the same time, we are grateful to Cosworth: they have been a fair and reliable partner both on and off the track for the past two years and we look forward to working with them across our business in the future.

“Our previous relationship with Renault was one of the most successful in Williams’ history but we will not allow ourselves to dwell too much on the past. We must look to the future and continue to re-build our on-track reputation, which I am hopeful that today’s announcement will help us to do.”

The Hispania team has a new majority shareholder in the form of investment group Thesan Capital.

The new owners plan to emphasise the team’s Spanish background and eventually move it to a new base in Spain.

The team said today: “The Spanish investment group will lead the development of Hispania Racing in the upcoming years, maintaining the current team and directors, which is one of the main assets of the company, and will try to develop and search for opportunities to optimize and improve the performance of the team in the upcoming seasons, alongside progressively making the team more Spanish and definitively settling the team in Spain.

“The Thesan Capital team, who consider the acquisition of Hispania Racing as an opportunity to enter a sector with great prospects of growing, will work with the aim of strengthening the strategic management of the group.”

Marussia Virgin has confirmed that it has signed a partnership deal with McLaren Applied Technologies and acquired the base of WRT, the company run by Nick Wirth.

The WRT deal had been in the pipeline for some months, discussions having started while Wirth was still part of the team.

Virgin says the McLaren deal will see it benefit “from access to McLaren facilities, knowledge and capabilities, for example their test rigs and driver-in-the-loop simulator, supply chain experience and CFD and CAE techniques including race strategy tools.”

It adds that the deal “will also see McLaren management and production staff embedded within the team, working in roles permitted by the Concorde Agreement.”

The team says it still has faith in CFD but will also use the McLaren wind tunnel.

Regarding the WRT deal, the team says: “the Banbury premises will continue to be utilised by Marussia Virgin Racing for the next two years, during which time the team will progress its plans to develop a tailor-made new facility more suited to the team’s long-term tenure within the sport and allowing the team to come together under the same roof.”

CEO Andy Webb commented: “We can benefit enormously from McLaren’s far-reaching techniques and capabilities and I have no doubt that this Partnership will see us take the technical steps necessary to make a significant leap forwards.

“In addition, our acquisition of the WRT Formula One business ensures continuity of technical infrastructure for the period ahead, which means that the transition to working with our new technical partner can begin immediately and is not frustrated by logistical considerations. Our three-centre operation has served us well in our formative years but our ambitions for the future will rely on the full might of the team coming together under one roof.”

Pat Symonds has been one of the key influences on the decisions and he retains his role as consultant.

The FIA has interviewed itself on the subject of the new turbo V6 rules, and while these things aren’t always very useful, in this case the Q&A does give a good idea of what the governing body was thinking when it agreed to the proposal put by the teams and engine makers.

This is what it has to say:

The World Motor Sport Council voted on 29 June 2011. What did it decide?

Following consultation with the various Formula One stakeholders and the current Formula One engine manufacturers, the WMSC has ratified the adoption of a V6 turbo engine to be used in Formula One from 2014 onwards. This required changes to the regulations initially adopted by the World Council on 3 June 2011. The full regulations applicable to the 2014 season will be published in due course.

Will a V6 use more fuel, or have inferior economy compared with the original proposal?

No. To push the engineers to develop engine efficiency, the technical regulation imposes a fuel flow control. When evolving the regulation to fit with the manufacturers’ new request this parameter has not been changed. Thus the efficiency requirement will be unchanged.

Why has the rev limit been increased from 12,000rpm to 15,000rpm. Is this purely to enhance the sound of a Formula One car?

No. This parameter has been updated from 12000rpm to 15000 rpm to allow engineers more flexibility in power and energy management. However, as a consequence of the new architecture (V6) and the change in rev-limit, the engine will sound different, but will remain representative of Formula One.

Will the increase in rpm alter fuel consumption?

Absolutely not. As mentioned above, the fuel flow limit will stay the same. The technologies are the same and as a consequence any increase in rpm will constrain the engineers to work harder on reducing friction and gaining on engine efficiency. The challenge will be even bigger than originally planned and will therefore enhance the technological lead of Formula One.

Has the FIA retained the energy recover devices originally intended to be used in conjunction with the I4 engine?

Yes, the concept initially presented is respected. All of the technology intended for the I4 is still present. This new power plant will be a dramatic step forward in both fuel efficiency and in energy management.

Will those manufacturers already engaged in the development of a four-cylinder engine face increased costs now they need to redirect their resources toward designing a V6?

To our knowledge, five manufacturers were working on the proposed 4-cylinder engine. They will all need to adapt their project and this will surely involve some additional costs, depending on how advanced each project was. This evolution has been proposed and supported by all four engine manufacturers currently involved in Formula One.

Why is the introduction of the new generation of engines now being delayed by year?

The decision to delay the introduction until 2014 comes at the request of the four engine manufacturers currently involved in Formula One. Their request for extra time is linked to the change in architecture but also to ensure their projects are more robust (one of the goals of the project is to enhance engine durability to c.4000km)

Will these energy recovery systems and other efficiency devices ultimately influence the development of road cars?

Yes. The clear need for the automotive industry to reduce emissions means energy management will increasingly become a key factor in the development of more efficient powertrains. Kinetic energy recovery is already applied in Formula One and the introduction of exhaust energy recovery will add another technology route to be explored. Formula One will also return to its role as a developer of turbocharger technology. This research will have real-world benefits, contributing valuable knowledge that will be of use to future road car development.
Combustion engine specifications:

1600cc, V6
15000 rpm max
Direct fuel injection up to 500bar
Single turbocharger
Controlled fuel flow

Energy recovery and storage systems specifications:

Kinetic, 120kW on the rear wheels
Exhaust energy recovery linked to the turbocharger

Once again HRT has chosen the British GP for a shake-up of its driver line-up with Red Bull Racing third driver Daniel Ricciardo drafted in from his Toro Rosso test role to replace Narain Karthikeyan.

The Indian is still a team driver, and is expected to at least drive in his home Grand Prix in October.

Last year Sakon Yamamoto became an HRT driver at Silverstone, replacing Bruno Senna and later Karun Chandhok.

The HRT drive will be a perfect opportunity for Ricciardo to showcase his talents after he ran eight Friday morning sessions for STR this year. He had been tipped to replace Jaime Alguersuari or Sebastian Buemi, but clearly Red Bull has decided to spend some extra funds on HRT instead.

It’s also a boost for HRT, whose car has been quicker than the Virgin in some recent races.

A team statement said: “Hispania Racing and Red Bull Racing signed a collaboration deal today which allows young Australian talent Daniel Ricciardo to join the Spanish team as its official driver. The current Formula 1 World Champion team has shown trust in Hispania Racing’s project and has chosen José Ramón Carabante’s team as a support for the formation and development of its driver”.

Team chairman Carabante said: “This agreement is a reward for all the hard work Hispania Racing has shown since we started in Formula 1 last year. We’re proud that the Formula 1 World Champion team has trusted us in their effort of developing their drivers. Let’s hope that this is just the start of a fruitful relationship.”

Ricciardo added: “It’s a dream come true for me – for the first time on an F1 starting grid! I had to pinch myself a couple of times to be sure that it’s real. I’m excited and can hardly wait to drive at Silverstone. It’s a new challenge, a new experience, a new team, but I’m ready and will give of my best in any event.”

After a lengthy debate this afternoon the Austin City Council has endorsed the US GP and approved plans to address the environmental impact of the event. The motion was passed by 5:2.

The result is good news for Circuit of the Americas and the race promoters after their plans had been subject to major criticism in the light of a grant of $25m per year for 10 years from the Major Events Trust Fund, which will cover F1’s sanctioning fee.

While the two councillors who opposed the event emphasised that the money could be better spent elsewhere, others pointed out how much F1 visitors would spend and how much attention the race would bring to Austin.

One councillor – who has no interest in racing and admitted he didn’t even own a car – said “When thousands of people from around the world speak up and say we want to come and spend money in your city, that’s something we’ve got to think about.”

Austin’s mayor Lee Leffingwell pointed out that the funding in effect gave the state a say in the environmental matters pertaining to the race that it otherwise would not have had. He said: “This control was all given to us in return for our sponsorship and taking absolutely no financial risk.”

The intention is to use the track as a centre of research for green technologies.

One intriguing aspect of today’s debate was a discussion of the June 17 date, which is opposed because it’s in Austin’s ‘ozone period.’

Track representatives said they were doing everything they could to get an alternative autumn date, although they stressed that creating the F1 calendar was a complex matter.

The FIA has now formally ratified the decisions taken at the Formula One Commission prior to the European GP. That means a V6 turbo formula will come into force in 2014.

Although the FIA has given no details, the V6 rev limit is expected to be 15,000rpm.

A short statement tonight said: “Following a fax vote by its members, the World Motor Sport Council has ratified the engine regulations recently drawn up in consultation with the main stakeholders in Formula One. The new power plant will be a V6 1.6 turbo unit with energy recovery systems. This new formula will come into effect as from the start of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship season.”

On Sunday this blog asked Stefano Domenicali for his thoughts on the change.

“It was important to see there was an agreement within the constructors and the teams with regard to this new specification of engine,” he said. “I think it’s a step forward in order to make sure we deliver something that has to respect first of all that F1 is the pinnacle of motor sport.

“We need to take care about the comments of the promoters, and the comments of all the stakeholders of F1. I think that this is the first step to make sure that these things will happen very, very soon.”

Pirelli has confirmed that it will bring its soft and hard compounds to Silverstone.

There had been some question of a medium/hard combination being used, but Pirelli has decided to take a punt on the soft, while knowing that it is going to be a bit marginal around Silverstone, where the teams will also take a step into the unknown as they run under the new engine mapping rules.

The presence of the soft is good news for Ferrari, for whom medium/hard would be a nightmare combination. Equally the use of hards – as opposed to medium/softs – will favour Red Bull over the prime stint.

“It’s one of the hardest circuits we face during the year,” said Pirelli’s Paul Hembery.  “Together with Istanbul, Malaysia and going forward somewhere like Spa and Monza for the high speed, and then Suzuka. So it’s one of the big challenges.

“And also being England it’s very variable in terms of weather. This week they were having 30C, today I believe it’s down to about 15C. So again from a tyre maker’s point of view making a compound work in that wide variety of conditions is a big challenge. Hence the reason that also offering the soft compound would allow us to operate well in cooler conditions.

“There have been some comments that maybe working with the hard compound favours teams that have a lot of downforce, that may or may not be true. What I can say is that as a tyre company we also have to look after our interests, and that means in a severe condition such as Silverstone the hard compound gives us a back-up so that we don’t end up in difficulties with the product.”

Germany will see a medium/soft pairing, while Hungary will see the soft/supersoft combination back.

Williams has announced two more key technical appointments as the team attempts to improve its fortunes in the build-up to 2012 and the departure of Sam Michael.

Jason Somerville will take up the role of Head of Aerodynamics on August 15, while Mark Gillan will Chief Operations Engineer from October 1, and will attend the last few races of the season.

Somerville has been at Williams before. He worked on the BMW Le Mans car and then moved into the F1 team in 1999, becoming joint head of aero. He then joined Toyota and subsequently Renault, as Project Leader Aerodynamics.

Gillan started at McLaren as a vehicle dynamicist in 1998,  becoming Principal Operational Aerodynamicist in 2001. He then joined Jaguar as Head of Vehicle Performance and Chief Race and Test Engineer.

He then took up a Professorship at the University of Surrey before moving to Toyota F1 Team as Head of Aerodynamics. He later returned to Surrey as Professor of Vehicle Engineering, but has kept in touch with F1 as an aero consultant.

Frank Williams said: “Williams F1 is looking forward to welcoming Jason and Mark to the team. They bring with them talent, experience and good team skills. We now feel that, together with Mike Coughlan, Jason and Mark can form the right technical leadership to take the team forward as we work our way back to the front of the grid.”

Christian Horner has played down the impact of the blown diffuser regulation change at Silverstone, but admits that no one knows what might happen.

The first stage – the banning of an engine map change between qualifying and the race – had very little impact on the formbook in Valencia last weekend, but the complete ban on using maps from Silverstone onwards is a much bigger change.

“It’s the same regulation clarification for everybody,” said Horner. “But the effect it will have on the others, that’s impossible for us to predict.”

Asked by this blog whether RBR’s role as a pioneer of diffuser blowing might make it harder to take a step back, Horner said: “I don’t think we’ve gone as extreme as others either with the type of air that they’re blowing, or the positioning…  One team [Renault] obviously have built their entire car around it.

“One would have thought it would have a bigger impact for them than some of the others. I think what you’ll see is that the net loss is probably going to be fairly consistent across the front running teams.”

The key is that it’s not just about the overall loss of downforce but balancing the car to make good use of the gases still legally available under acceleration.

“As with all things it’s a matter of balancing the car, so it’s a matter of making sure that we can achieve the kind of balance that we’ve had in the races to date. And hopefully – touch wood – we will be able to do that. We only get to see that in Silverstone.”