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Official 2006 Formula one Thread
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| trancechaos |
This is it. The Bahrain Grand Prix is finally upon us and the waiting is at an end.
All the questions that have built up over the winter like whether Fernando Alonso can make it a double or if this could finally be Jenson Button's year, will at last be answered.
With the action in Sakhir now less than 48 hours away, ITV Sport's James Allen takes us through this year's field and gives you the inside line on who to cheer and who to jeer...
RENAULT
The world champions start as favourites this year, especially as they had the fastest car at the last race in Shanghai and the new car builds on that impressive base.
But a team is only as strong as its weakest link and in Renault’s case this year that could be internal relations - with Fernando Alonso defecting to McLaren for 2007.
This is Giancarlo Fisichella’s best (and last?) chance to do something special.
What's in: Heikki Kovalainen
What's not: Franck Montagny; Mild Seven (at the end of 2006); Fernando Alonso (at the end of 2006)
JA constructors’ prediction: Champions again.
MCLAREN-MERCEDES
Last year’s runners-up have a gorgeous car, but a frail engine – sound familiar? Mercedes are under pressure as it is now six years since they had the benchmark engine in F1.
Internally, signing Alonso for 2007 has put the cat among the pigeons and both drivers may clear out at season’s end.
Montoya is always worth watching, but if Merc can fix the V8 engine quickly (the key to the season), no-one will catch Raikkonen this year.
What's in: Gary Paffett; Emirates Airline; Vodafone (in 2007)
What's not: Alex Wurz; Adrian Newey; West; Peter Prodromou (later in '06); Nicholas Tombazis
JA constructors' prediction: 3rd
FERRARI
The dark horse for 2006. No longer the dominant force of 2001-04, but on the way back after a stinker last year.
Bridgestone isn’t a match for Michelin yet, but Ferrari know how to win races and push the rules to the limit so they cannot be discounted.
Schumacher’s unique character means that he is still hungry after all these years, while Massa is unlikely to score the kind of points Barrichello used to.
What's in: Felipe Massa; Nicholas Tombazis (designer); Martini
What's not: Rubens Barrichello
JA constructors' prediction: 4th
TOYOTA
The Japanese monolith has shown steady progress since its debut in 2002 and this is the year they need to start winning races.
It could well happen, and they will battle Ferrari hard for the honour of top Bridgestone team.
Ralf Schumacher finished last year strongly, while Jarno Trulli had a good early season which tapered off. Expect both to challenge for regular podiums this year
What's in: Bridgestone
What's not: Michelin; Gustav Brunner
JA constructors' prediction: 5th
WILLIAMSF1 TEAM
Team Willy looked in trouble last year when BMW called for a divorce and some sponsors pulled out, but Sir Frank is F1’s ultimate survivor and if points were awarded for fighting spirit I’d give them the world title right now.
The Cosworth engine looks strong, but the chassis is still not quite there.
Webber could spring some surprises this year, while Rosberg will have his work cut out to live with his pacy team-mate.
What's in: Cosworth; Nico Rosberg; Alex Wurz; Narain Karthikeyan; Jorg Zander (designer); Bridgestone
What's not: BMW; Gary Fisher (designer), Nick Heidfeld; Michelin
JA constructors' prediction: 6th
HONDA
Jenson Button looked very pumped up when I saw him at the Barcelona test and the team is on a real high.
The car is fast, the engine strong and reliable. They will get a lot of podiums this year and surely some wins. And if they win one of the early races, who knows, maybe a tilt at the title could be on?
Rubens has played himself in slowly in testing, but he will have a strong year and will give Jenson a stiff challenge.
What's in: Rubens Barrichello; Honda works status
What's not: Takuma Sato; Willem Toet (designer); Jorg Zander (designer) BAT ownership
JA constructors' prediction: Runners-up
RED BULL RACING
At sixes and sevens as the season gets underway.
The team is trying to stabilise a difficult car while at the same time also building parts for Toro Rosso and integrating 20 new engineers, including Adrian Newey.
Further from the pace of the fastest car than last year and facing tougher midfield competition, points will be harder to find.
A transitional year for the upstart team.
What's in: Adrian Newey; Ferrari engines; Robert Doornbos; Peter Prodromou (later in '06); Shell
What's not: Vitantonio Liuzzi (sort of); Cosworth engines
JA constructors' prediction: 8th
BMW SAUBER
The team has low expectations of its first season since the takeover but could spring some surprises.
BMW has built on Sauber’s strengths while its massive resources have eliminated many of the weaknesses, such as lack of testing.
Heidfeld is still underrated as a driver and should score points and the odd podium.
Jacques Villeneuve has done lots of pre-season testing so will have no excuses, when the racing starts, if the pace is not there.
What's in: BMW ownership; Mario Theissen; Nick Heidfeld; Intel; Robert Kubica
What's not: Felipe Massa; Peter Sauber
JA constructors' prediction: 7th
MF1 RACING
Why did Alex Shnaider buy this team? And what does he want to achieve in F1?
No-one really knows, but he has certainly been good to his word in terms of rebranding the old Jordan package in new colours , even if the logo does look like MFI furniture store.
The team faces stiff competition from Toro Rosso this year.
Both drivers had sound rookie seasons, Albers is probably slightly faster but Monteiro is a consistent finisher.
What's in: Christijan Albers; Markus Winkelhock; Giorgio Mondini; Adrian Sutil
What's not: Narain Karthikeyan
JA constructors' prediction: 10th
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO
Could be at the centre of a political storm if their restricted V10 outperforms the V8s of some bigger teams.
It’s nonsense really to have two different playing fields, but we are stuck with it.
Should be closer to the pace than Minardi were but they don’t give points away in F1 so it will still be a tough year.
Liuzzi hasn’t caught my eye yet, while Speed seems to have pace but may find the races hard going.
What's in: Red Bull; Gerhard Berger; Franz Tost; Vitantonio Liuzzi (sort of); Scott Speed; Neel Jani
What's not: Giancarlo Minardi; Paul Stoddart; Christijan Albers; Robert Doornbos
JA constructors' prediction: 9th
SUPER AGURI
How have Aguri Suzuki and his merry band got two cars to Bahrain in four months?
It’s amazing really, but the triumph of reaching this summit will soon fade into insignificance in the face of the mountain of competition F1 presents.
They will be mobile chicanes until the new car comes (June?) and after that who knows?
Could be pretty frustrating for Sato, but is it better to be in F1 at any price than in another category? Ask him in October…
What's in: Honda engines; Aguri Suzuki; Daniele Audetto; 2002 Arrows chassis
What's not: Nothing yet |
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| starsearcher |
| Get it on!!! :D :D :D |
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| 4-play |
I am dying to see what this season brings upon us! V8 (2.4l) w/o turbos...hmmmm.....
They have revamped the qualifying rounds this time. Should be interesting.
Bring it on. |
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| Orko |
| quote: |
Qualifying
For 2006, the single-lap system used in recent years is replaced be a new three-part, knockout format, with multiple cars on track throughout the qualifying hour, which is split into two 15-minute sessions and a final 20-minute session, with five-minute breaks in between.
Part one: All 22 cars may run laps at any time during the first 15 minutes of the hour. At the end of the first 15 minutes, the six slowest cars drop out and fill the final six grid places.
Part two: After a five-minute break, the times will be reset and the 16 remaining cars then will then run in a second 15-minute session - again they may complete as many laps as they want at any time during that period. At the end of the 15 minutes, the six slowest cars drop out and fill places 11 to 16 on the grid.
Part three: After another five-minute break, the times are reset and the final 20-minute session will feature a shootout between the remaining 10 cars to decide pole position and the starting order for the top 10 grid places. Again, these cars may run as many laps as they wish.
In the first two 15-minute sessions, cars may run any fuel load and drivers knocked out after those sessions may refuel ahead of the race. However, the top-ten drivers must begin the final 20-minute session with the fuel load on which they plan to start the race. They will be weighed before they leave the pits, and whatever fuel they use in the 20 minutes may be replaced at the end of the session.
If a driver is deemed to have stopped unnecessarily on the circuit or impeded another driver during the qualifying session, then his times will be cancelled.
Engines
For 2006, engines are reduced in size from the previous 3-litre V10s to 2.4-litre V8s. The aim is to reduce costs and improve safety. With similar engine speeds, the change is expected to cut peak power by around 200bhp, which in turn is likely to add around three to five seconds to lap times at most circuits. The FIA may allow some teams to use 2005-spec V10s if they do not have access to competitive V8. The FIA will enforce a rev limit on any V10s to ensure performance is comparable with that of a V8.
Tyres
After a season’s absence, tyre changes during races return to Formula One in 2006. The thinking behind this is that the reduced engine size will offset any performance gain. Drivers also have access to slightly more tyres than in 2005 - seven sets of dry-weather, four sets of wet-weather and three sets of extreme-weather. Drivers must make a final choice of dry-weather compound ahead of qualifying.
Weekend schedule
In a slight change to the Grand Prix weekend format, Saturday morning now features a single, one-hour practice session, as opposed to two, 45-minute sessions. It takes place between 1100 and 1200. Qualifying is an hour later than |
Formula 1 website |
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| El Kay Dee |
im stickin to mclaren again this season...
*waits for MUTE and his support for honda* |
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| Orko |
| quote: | Originally posted by El Kay Dee
im stickin to mclaren again this season...
*waits for MUTE and his support for honda* |
Mercedes cannot build reliable engines, they have been proving it for the last 6 years. They should pack their bags, and just leave F1 to the real engineers. |
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| trancechaos |
BAHRAIN GP GRID
Starting grid for Bahrain GP
1. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m31.431s
2. MASSA Ferrari 1m31.478s
3. BUTTON Honda 1m31.549s
4. ALONSO Renault 1m31.702s
5. MONTOYA McLaren 1m32.164s
6. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m32.579s
7. WEBBER Williams 1m33.006s
8. KLIEN Red Bull 1m33.112s
9. FISICHELLA Renault 1m33.496s
10. HEIDFELD BMW 1m33.926s
11. VILLENEUVE BMW 1m32.456s
12. ROSBERG Williams 1m32.620s
13. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m32.850s
14. TRULLI Toyota 1m33.066s
15. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m33.416s
16. SPEED Toro Rosso 1m34.606s
17. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m34.702s
18. ALBERS MF1 1m35.724s
19. MONTEIRO MF1 1m35.900s
20. SATO Super Aguri 1m37.411s
21. IDE Super Aguri 1m40.270s
22. RAIKKONEN McLaren no time |
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| TranceGeek |
watch out for button this year, he'll be on fire early!
GO HONDA!!! |
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| Aitizaz |
im excited about the new season but im not sure i like the new rules....all this chopping and changing of them every year....its like they dont know what they want and they keep changing things around hoping to spring upon the best set of rules...
about this new qualifying...which time decides your position on the grid? is it gonna be your fastest in the session, regardless of the number of laps you took as they say, or is it gonna be your final lap in the session?
also i have a feeling we are gonna see a lot of controversy around this new qualifying system....it seems like its designed to make things more competitive and similar to race conditions (with the new fuel limit system and all the cars driving together) but wasnt Formula 1 only about speed and the sheer thrill of watching and handling it? all these new rules in the recent years are designed to level the playing field and i can understand the logic behind that but in such an elite sport like this they are somewhat ruining the fun..
what do you all think? |
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| trancechaos |
BAHRAIN GP RESULT
Bahrain Grand Prix results - 57 laps
1. ALONSO Renault 57 laps
2. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari +1.2s
3. RAIKKONEN McLaren +19.3s
4. BUTTON BAR +19.9s
5. MONTOYA McLaren +37.0s
6. WEBBER Williams +41.9s
7. ROSBERG Williams +1m03.0s
8. KLIEN Red Bull +1m06.7s
9. COULTHARD Red Bull +1m09.9s
10. MASSA Ferrari +1m15.5s
11. LIUZZI Toro Rosso +1m25.9s
12. HEIDFELD BMW +1 lap
13. SPEED Toro Rosso +1 lap
14. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota +1 lap
15. BARRICHELLO BAR +1 lap
16. TRULLI Toyota +1 lap
17. MONTEIRO Midland +2 laps
18. SATO Super Aguri +4 laps
R. IDE Super Aguri +22 laps
R. VILLENEUVE BMW +28 laps
R. FISICHELLA Renault +36 laps
R. ALBERS Midland +39 laps |
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| Dark_Archonis |
Wow, overall an interesting first race of the season.
Alonso and Renault prove once again there is no *I* in team. Thanks to the good driving skills of Alonso, and the great pitwork of the Renault team, Alonso was able to hold off Schumacher for a victory.
Raikkonen once again shows up why he's the "Flying Finn". He had a blistering pace, going from dead last on the grid to finishing 3rd. Raikkonen said that if he had qualified in the top 5, it's very possible he would have won the race. I tend to agree with him. Raikkonen must have felt relieved his car had no problems, after that horrendous wishbone failure during qualifying. As seems to be the pattern now, the McLaren-Mercedes cars literally seem to fall apart on the track. Whether it be suspension failure, one last year, and now one this year, engine failures, or other problems, The McLaren team seems to have a knack for attracting unreliability. Sure, their aero designs are extreme, their chassis' are wonderful, but the Mercedes engines are not exactly the preferred choice among F1 engines.
If any driver should be watched for, it's Raikkonen.
Button had a weak start, and lost a position or two due to a clutch problem off the line. Barichello meanwhile lost a gear, which severely handicapped him, and guaranteed a dismal finish. Ironic in that Honda tested more than anyone else during the winter. Good finish for Button though. It's about time Honda challenge for the championship: Honda has participated in F1 on and off for several decades now. They are not inexperienced like Toyota, and Honda has no excuse for not getting wins.
Horrible, horrible day for Toyota. Trulli said after the race that everything seemed fine of the car, the balance felt good, but there seemed to be somewhat of a lack of grip. Ralf also ecoed this during qualifying. Trulli said that the harder he pushed, the slower the car seemed to go. The scary part is the Toyota team had no idea what the problem was during the race, and simply used the race as a test session. Personally, I think releasing their 06 car so early was a bad idea, because other teams had a lot of time to refine and perfect their 06 cars. I hope Toyota knows what they are doing. Then again, they are the only major team this year that switched tires. Seeing as Michelin is higly rumoured to bow out of F1 after the 2006 season, we may see a mass exodus of all teams going to Bridgestone in 2007. In that case, there would be a load of problems with some of the other teams trying to adapt to new tires. |
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| Dark_Archonis |
Wow, what a race!
Both Williams cars went out of the race due to reliability issues. One of the Williams had a blown engine. One of the BMW Saubers also experienced a blown engine. There were several blown engines during the race, it was quite a sight to behold. Several other cars retired due to numerous other reliability issues. Then there is Raikonnen who crashed at the beginning of the race.
Renault had a 1-2 finish, their first in F1 in 24 years. Renault showed major domination during the race.
Button in his Honda also had a great race, but Barichello again finished near the end of the pack with an uncompetitive pace.
Toyota improved immensely compared to Bahrain. Ralf went from a starting position of 22nd at the back, and finished the race in 8th. Even more interesting is Ralf managed this on a 3 stop strategy, and was having a bit of pneumatic problems which led to an unplanned 3rd stop. Trulli started 9th, and finished 9th, despite having major problems. Trulli's diffuser broke when someone rear ended him during the first lap, and he drove the whole race with a broken diffuser, trying to cope with understeer, oversteer, and inconsistent grip.
In Ferrari, Massa finished ahead of Schumi, despite starting much farther back on the grid than Schumi. Schumi said that his car could not keep pace, but he did not know why. Sounds similar to what Toyota experienced in Bahrain, which came to be a grip problem, and how the cars interacted with the tires. I wonder if Ferrari has a similar issue to deal with.
All in all, looks like Renault is dominating the season, and Mclaren-Mercedes and Ferrari are viscously fighting for second spot. Both Honda and Ferrari seem to have improved compared with 2005. Toyota has gotten off to a rough start, but are already showing big improvement. It's only been two races folks, so still too early to predict anything. Things may change in the colder races, so it will be interesting.
EDIT: McLaren actually could not maintain race pace. Montoya it seems was running on extremely low downforce due to worries about the engine. Reports from the McLaren camp say higher downforce could have blown Montoya's engine due to stress. Montoya finished 4th about half a minute behind Button.
In terms of reliability, looks like Renault, Toyota, and Honda were tops. |
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