2016 launch schedule

[Kyss4k]

As we are getting close to seeing all the cars in their "beauty", the lack of this classic thread does seem quite disturbing. So here it is, hopefully the teams will give us something to discuss.

3 Feb	Renault (livery)	Online (1.15pm CET)
17 Feb	Red Bull livery launch	London
19 Feb 14:00 CET	Ferrari	Online
21 Feb	McLaren	Online
22 Feb	Mercedes	Barcelona (8:15am CET)
21 Feb	Haas F1	Online (14:00 CET)
22 Feb	Red Bull	Barcelona
22 Feb	Williams	Barcelona
22 Feb	Manor Racing	Barcelona
01 Mar	Sauber	Barcelona

So far only Renault gave us something to look at, which was their old car with new livery, which will change, so... pointless reveal but still, it looks nice, so why not to start with it:

[Ste]

Red Bull livery spied before launch.

[Ste]

Some rumours about McLaren

According Motorsport Italia: 'McLaren has serious doubts about the reliability of the new engine equipped with a larger turbo'

According Motorsport Italia: 'Even the MP4-31 aerodynamic data are below the expected'

AccordingMotorsport_IT in #McLaren have serious doubts about the reliability of the new engine and get to km engine could lead 2015

OMG !!!! AccordingMotorsport_IT in #McLaren are considering going to the first engine tests in 2015 it.motorsport.com/f1/news/mclare...

To summarise. The rumours are that McLaren are doubting the new engine with larger turbo, their aero numbers are below what they expected and they might be going to the first test/s with the 2015 engine.

[TigerKing]

Red Bull livery spied before launch.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CbbXOv9VAAAZ1-r.jpg

It's ugly and bland without Infiniti. Also, I notice AT&T; wonder why they're interested in a dying team.

[Ste]

Red Bull 2016 livery

[Kyss4k]

The livery is interesting. Kinda trip down memory lane. And is it me, or it has a matte finish?

[durden]

And is it me, or it has a matte finish?

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Winter]

That RedBull looks dull to me, like Toro Rossos from recent years.

[bkircher]

From other websites, their front wing is pretty interesting with how it connects to the nose.

[Ste]

From other websites, their front wing is pretty interesting with how it connects to the nose.

It's last years car...

[Tifoso]

The Red Bull looks like the HotWheels model of the Red Bull.

[mizf1]

As we are getting close to seeing all the cars in their "beauty", the lack of this classic thread does seem quite disturbing. So here it is, hopefully the teams will give us something to discuss.

3 Feb	Renault (livery)	Online (1.15pm (CET))
17 Feb	Red Bull livery launch	London
19 Feb 14:00 CET	Ferrari	Online
21 Feb	McLaren	Online
22 Feb	Haas F1	Barcelona
22 Feb	Red Bull	Barcelona
22 Feb	Williams	Barcelona(TBC)
22 Feb	Manor Racing	Barcelona(TBC)
01 Mar	Sauber	Barcelona

So far only Renault gave us something to look at, which was their old car with new livery, which will change, so... pointless reveal but still, it looks nice, so why not to start with it:
https://www.formula1.com/content/fom...640.medium.jpg

When do Mercedes launch.

[Kyss4k]

When do Mercedes launch.

Thanks mate, somehow I did not include them... looks like they won't be important this season I added the date.

[chris.gotfunk]

And is it me, or it has a matte finish?

Makes me wonder if the matte finish is similar to the type of paint used on stealth aircraft that helps dissipate heat since we know AN likes to tightly package the aero and might help (even if a tiny bit) help reduce the heat created... just a thought. I don't know if that stuff weighs more than normal paint either.

[abbottcostello]

Don't like the RB livery at all! Looked at the pics on motorsport.com & their driver's suits look awful to me, as well. Like a camo effect with bulls all over it!
Goes right along with my total dislike of the team in general. Gotta love Horner's comment "that's how we roll"... trying to make lemonade out of the lemons they've been served.

[Rob]

Makes me wonder if the matte finish is similar to the type of paint used on stealth aircraft that helps dissipate heat since we know AN likes to tightly package the aero and might help (even if a tiny bit) help reduce the heat created... just a thought. I don't know if that stuff weighs more than normal paint either.

Early Stealth paint was called Iron ball, and is still very highly classified paint, make up. The early stuff was used on Have Blue project and then refined to use on the F-117, newer stuff was used on B2. But over the years the make up has got better with understanding. There is Stealth paint out there that absorbs radar and dissipates it into the atmosphere as heat, but that is not true stealth. Thingkthat is Nano paint. Not Stealth really.

When i was paint spraying, the company was approached by a certain F1 team back in 2011, about making a paint that could be applied to the rear floor to help absorb and dissipate the heat from the exhausts. I cannt say anything more on that, or what team, but we done it. Matte paint, any paint, will weigh something. But if applied correctly, to about 10 microns, (human hair or so) the weight would be next to nothing.

[Rob]

Don't like the RB livery at all! Looked at the pics on motorsport.com & their driver's suits look awful to me, as well. Like a camo effect with bulls all over it!
Goes right along with my total dislike of the team in general. Gotta love Horner's comment "that's how we roll"... trying to make lemonade out of the lemons they've been served.

the driver suits, dont mind, sort of clever . But the car, looks bland. I would like to see them run in testing the black and white "camo" livery.

[abbottcostello]

the driver suits, dont mind, sort of clever . But the car, looks bland. I would like to see them run in testing the black and white "camo" livery.

I really liked that camo livery they ran in testing last year,too (or was it 2 years ago???). Maybe it was just bad picture I saw, but Ricciardo looked bad, Danil's looked more subdued, definitely less lighting where he stood at opposite end of the car though.

[Rob]

I really liked that camo livery they ran in testing last year,too (or was it 2 years ago???). Maybe it was just bad picture I saw, but Ricciardo looked bad, Danil's looked more subdued, definitely less lighting where he stood at opposite end of the car though.

that was couple years ago, really clever. Be nice to see them run that in the season.

I know suits not great or give that "ka-chow" but i like them, in a weird way..

[WS6TransAm01]

RBR car looks retro, not sure I dig it.

[Kyss4k]

It's different. I like it. Their livery was getting out of hands and was overcomplicated in recent years. This is quite a breath of fresh air in my view.

[Rob]

Ricciardo told to shed weight before F1 season

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he has been told by his Red Bull bosses to lose weight ahead of the start of the Formula 1 season, as his team pushes the limits with its new car.

Having already lost three kilograms since the end of last year, the Australian says he has been requested to lose even more before the F1 opener in Melbourne.

"I am 3kg down and I have another 2kg to go from where I ended last year – with a bit of Christmas on it!" said Ricciardo, speaking at the team's livery launch in London this week.

Weight saving

When asked by Motorsport.com about why there had been such a big push for him to lose weight, Ricciardo confirmed that there had been orders from his team.

"It is not fun losing weight, but if I thought it would be a real challenge or whatever for sure I would not have got the weight off," he said.

"But I know I can do it and hopefully get myself there. It is not only weight I put on over Christmas, because I didn't put 5kg on.

"But we are quite tight with the weight of the car and we have been advised to be a bit leaner than last year. So it will be more like 2014 for us now."

Rules on limit

Back in 2014, for the start of the new turbo V6 regulations, drivers were forced to slim down as teams felt it was one area that savings could be made to the weight of the car - which is measured with the driver onboard.

Following complaints, and to prevent drivers risking falling ill through excessive weight loss, for 2015 the minimum car weight was pushed up by 10kg to 701kg.

However, with Red Bull pushing their design to the limits in a bid to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, the issue of driver weight has popped up again.

When asked if the situation was becoming unacceptable again, Ricciardo said: "It depends on the team and how heavy they have built the car.

"For us, this year, it is on a fine-line. And it is about management. If I can get down to 67-68kg and still be healthy then it's okay. But it is starting to get on the low side.

"I wouldn't want to drop below that and still perform at the level we do. It is a challenge – but it has made me more interested in nutrition and things I can learn with my training.

"I'm learning abut my body and trying to be more efficient, not only through training but also in the car – which could help me out."

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ri...season-674185/

[ferrari1.8t]

http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/...never-dream-of

Red Bull took risks with 2016 car others 'would never dream of'

Christian Horner says Red Bull has taken risks with its car this season that its rivals would not have contemplated, but the team is still braced for a slow start to the year.

Red Bull launched its new livery on its 2015 car at an event in London on Wednesday ahead of the track debut of its 2016 car at the first test on Monday. The team is renowned for building some of the best chassis in recent years and Horner said it is still pushing the boundaries in the current regulations.

"We've got our heads down and hope to create surprises later on in the year," Horner said when asked about the team's prospects for 2016. "We know that the first half of the year is different. For example, Toro Rosso has bolted in 0.8 seconds into their car through a different power unit -- that is a significant amount of performance. We are hoping to make similar gains throughout the year but obviously the chassis is going to have to prop that up.

"The team morale is really strong despite the lateness of engine decisions and everyone got their heads down to make a competitive car for this year. They pushed to the wire. We hadn't done any crash tests until Monday this week and completed them all in three days. The last one about an hour ago. We take risks which other teams would never dream of. That is our DNA and the competitive drive."

Red Bull's main weakness last year was its Renault engine, but Horner is more optimistic this season with its TAG-Heuer-badged power unit.

"We've had some constructive discussions with Renault over the months and they seem to be acting on some of them. They've embraced Mario Illien, made changes to their technical infrastructure and got quality personnel involved now like Bob Bell. I think change will start to be addressed there. That is going to take time. We are going to keep an open mind, certainly through the first half of the year."

Horner said Red Bull still has the ability to surprise its rivals this year.

"I think most teams have probably written Red Bull off for this year. We are fighters and focused on getting ourselves into a competitive position and I think it would be foolhardy to write a team off with the calibre of people Red Bull has."

RedBull looking to "interpret" the rules differently again I wonder what they have come up with....

[FerrariF60]

ONE more sleep guys.....whooooooo the wait is almost over....

[Ste]

[darkchild]

Here we are boys and girls, one more sleep and new Ferrari will be upon us. Hopefully everyone at Maranello worked their butts of and finally, after 8 years, impress us with beautiful, aggressive and bold F1 car.

I'm not prepared to be dissapointed so they better deliver.

[chris.gotfunk]

Early Stealth paint was called Iron ball, and is still very highly classified paint, make up. The early stuff was used on Have Blue project and then refined to use on the F-117, newer stuff was used on B2. But over the years the make up has got better with understanding. There is Stealth paint out there that absorbs radar and dissipates it into the atmosphere as heat, but that is not true stealth. Thingkthat is Nano paint. Not Stealth really.

When i was paint spraying, the company was approached by a certain F1 team back in 2011, about making a paint that could be applied to the rear floor to help absorb and dissipate the heat from the exhausts. I cannt say anything more on that, or what team, but we done it. Matte paint, any paint, will weigh something. But if applied correctly, to about 10 microns, (human hair or so) the weight would be next to nothing.

That is very interesting. I appreciate the response. One of my co-workers actually worked on the Have Blue project. I enjoy listening to the stories he can share. My technical knowledge of the paint is severely lacking, so I appreciate the insight.

[mizf1]

I have not been this excited for a car launch in a very long time, probably because i'm expecting good things.

Lets remember that the actual launch car will not be the one that actually races as Ferrari will want to keep their cards close to their chest. Therefore I wouldn't be suprised if todays launch car features any of the following from last year
nose/front wing
Rear wing
Diffuser covered or blanked off

[TigerKing]

Ricciardo told to shed weight before F1 season

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he has been told by his Red Bull bosses to lose weight ahead of the start of the Formula 1 season, as his team pushes the limits with its new car.

Having already lost three kilograms since the end of last year, the Australian says he has been requested to lose even more before the F1 opener in Melbourne.

"I am 3kg down and I have another 2kg to go from where I ended last year – with a bit of Christmas on it!" said Ricciardo, speaking at the team's livery launch in London this week.

Weight saving

When asked by Motorsport.com about why there had been such a big push for him to lose weight, Ricciardo confirmed that there had been orders from his team.

"It is not fun losing weight, but if I thought it would be a real challenge or whatever for sure I would not have got the weight off," he said.

"But I know I can do it and hopefully get myself there. It is not only weight I put on over Christmas, because I didn't put 5kg on.

"But we are quite tight with the weight of the car and we have been advised to be a bit leaner than last year. So it will be more like 2014 for us now."

Rules on limit

Back in 2014, for the start of the new turbo V6 regulations, drivers were forced to slim down as teams felt it was one area that savings could be made to the weight of the car - which is measured with the driver onboard.

Following complaints, and to prevent drivers risking falling ill through excessive weight loss, for 2015 the minimum car weight was pushed up by 10kg to 701kg.

However, with Red Bull pushing their design to the limits in a bid to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, the issue of driver weight has popped up again.

When asked if the situation was becoming unacceptable again, Ricciardo said: "It depends on the team and how heavy they have built the car.

"For us, this year, it is on a fine-line. And it is about management. If I can get down to 67-68kg and still be healthy then it's okay. But it is starting to get on the low side.

"I wouldn't want to drop below that and still perform at the level we do. It is a challenge – but it has made me more interested in nutrition and things I can learn with my training.

"I'm learning abut my body and trying to be more efficient, not only through training but also in the car – which could help me out."

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ri...season-674185/

This is kind of ridiculous. Bigger guys can't starve themselves to compete against smaller ones!

[Cemz85]

How long longer for the ferrari launch?