Lotus Renault Has Tough Decisions Ahead

Lotus Renault has some tough decisions ahead with the loss of primary driver Robert Kubica. After sustaining major injuries in a rally car race late last week, his 2011 F1 season is in jeopardy and possibly his career. Rumors have circulated about a possible loss of a hand among other items as Renault keeps the information close to the vest. Best wishes to Robert and his family.

As they say the show must go on, and with Bahrain right around the corner Lotus Renault has some tough decisions. They currently have Bruno Senna under contract as the teams 3rd driver. His family tree doesn't need explaining as his uncle Ayrton Senna was one of, if not the all time greatest driver in F1. But there may be another candidate who lost their ride for this season from Williams F1. Nico Hulkenberg should get some consideration for that slot. He's F1 proven and was able to grab a pole last season over the big boys like Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

Lotus Renault should be thinking about bringing Hulkenberg in for a test as soon as Jerez to see if it's a match. The worst that could happen is he ends up as a test driver for the team.

We will keep our eye on the story as it develops and do our best to bring you the news when it happens.

Virgin F1 Reveals 2011 MVR-02

Virgin F1 Racing 2011 entry is entirely engineered by computer using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics).  This is the 2nd year Virgin has used this method.

Not much to say on this version of the Formula 1 racer by Virgin. She looks pretty basic, no radical designs here. How reliable the machine is will be the true test.

The side air ducts on the MVR-02 seem a bit small. This may or may not cause cooling issues when the car hits warm weather. Timo Glock and Jerome D'Ambrosio will pilot the MVR-02 this season.

2011 McLaren MP4-26 Revealed

The MP4-26 was revealed in Berlin on Feb 4th. The car has yet to be on track, they are scheduled to test at the Jerez circuit in Spain begining on Feb 10.

Let me start off by saying in my opinion this is the best looking chassis so far. It is interesting that the two most refined designs are both Mercedes powered yet look nothing alike.

Please visit the McLaren web site where they have built a 3D simulation of the car. At F1.com they have even more pictures that are available only to the F1.com site.

The most telling feature of this car are the amount of cooling intakes the car has for its various components. They are placed and designed with genius. From head on you can see the natural channel the air will take through, around and under the car. I am very interested to see if the channels design affects cars behind it in drafting and on track racing.

Mercedes GP Petronas Unveils

Mercedes GP Petronas entry for the 2011 Formula one season. The MGP W02 Silver Arrow will be piloted by M. Schumacher and N. Rosberg.

Nico takes a press photo before taking the MGP W02 on track. This years cockpit encloses the driver more than last season perhaps aiding air flow and safety.

Significant changes to the side air ducts are more reminiscent of the Brawn GP car that won in its inaugural season crafted by Ross Brawn.

The nose of the car is now flat, and raised creating quite a bit of separation from the front wing. There is an oval shaped opening on the nose it seems to for some sort of air flow.

Ferrari Unveils 2011 F150 for F1

Ferrari has unveiled the new 2011 F150 they will race in the Formula One Championship series this year. Noticably different are the new Pirelli tires. Pirelli is now the official tire of F1.

Head on you can see the beauty of this racer. The detail to the front wing to guide the air through, around and over the chassis is amazing.

Ferrari seems to be adding more and more white to their cars. There was a time that the Ferrari F1 team used a red and black color scheme for drivers like Alain Prost.

The birds eye view reveals just how sleak teh nose of the car is, then transforming to an elongated heart shape to capture as much air as they can from the side ducts.

New for this season is the flag of Italy on the rear wing of the F150. Ferrari is using the flag to commemorate the unifaction of Italy 150 years ago. The car is quite the work of art. The question is will she be fast enough to out run Red Bull, Mercedes McLaren and Mercedes GP Petronas for the title in 2011. Time will tell.

Ferrari to launch 2011 car on January 28

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali revealed the launch would take place at their Maranello base. The team - and the new car - will then journey to Spain to take part in the first official test of the year, which will get underway at the Valencia circuit from February 1-3.

Ferrari is said to be focusing on aerodynamics as one of the many major improvements to the chassis for 2011. After seeing what Red Bull did for Vettel and Webber they don't want Alonso to have to rely on pure power and skill to take the field.

F1 Changes 2011

Image via Wikipedia2011 Formula 1 changes.... Pirelli, Kers and no more F -ducts. Will it be Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren or Mercedes to the podium.  Formula 1™ - The Official F1™ Website