Jenson Button doubts other teams will be pushing too hard to rush a Mercedes-style ‘double-DRS’ to their 2012 package.

The F-duct-style concept is, so far, the highest profile innovation of the season.

So with the FIA declaring it fully legal, and Nico Rosberg breaking through with his maiden pole and win in Shanghai last weekend, it seems a no-brainer that the other teams will now be following suit.

But McLaren’s Button doesn’t think so.

“I really don’t think it’s giving them that much — I think they’re just quick,” he is quoted by the BBC.

“From all our simulations, we don’t think it’s a massive margin at all. It’s a great invention on their part, but our DRS system is very good so I don’t think it’s giving them much over us.

“Obviously nothing in the race and in qualifying it’s minimal,” said Button.

His teammate Lewis Hamilton thinks the fastest cars so far are the Mercedes, the McLaren and the Red Bull.

“The Mercedes I think is now the quickest — particularly over one lap,” said the 2008 world champion.

“Not sure they are quickest in race pace. I think the Red Bull is probably the quickest in race pace. We have shown we have good qualifying pace and race pace.

“We are there or thereabouts and we have as good an opportunity as anyone.”

 Even the formula one teams do not trust end-of-day testing timesheets as a guide to the sport’s likely pecking order.
That is the claim of HRT’s chief engineer Toni Cuquerella, in the context of Force India and Sauber setting Wednesday’s pace at Barcelona, and the grandee Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes runners spread further down the order.

So while a full-tanks race simulation versus a qualifying run could make an obvious 4 or 5 second per lap difference, the games being played in pre-season testing are more complex, he explained.

“In Jerez or Montmelo, let’s say, all you need is to pop 30 kilos more fuel in and your times are increased by a second on average,” the Spaniard is quoted by El Pais newspaper.

“In that case, all you have to do (as a team) is refer to your time and add the second. The problem is that only they know that they are doing it,” said Cuquerella.

“That’s why no one trusts anyone,” he added.

HRT is not running at this week’s Barcelona test.

Polyphony Digtial has today fully revealed the “X1 Prototype”, a project in conjunction with Red Bull Racing.

All races that exist in today’s world are restricted by regulations. However the X1 is a machine born from a fantastic “what if” dream of Polyphony; “What would the fastest racing car on Earth, free of any and all regulations look like?”

Initially the X1 prototype was a single seater, canopied prototype wing car with covered front wheels. The performance brought about by the 1500ps direct injection V6 Twin Turbo would have been spectacular as is, with a top speed of 400km/h and a maximum lateral acceleration of 6G. But this concept showed an even greater advancement through the help of Red Bull Racing, who became a partner in this project.

Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer, the genius aerodynamicist Adrian Newey proposed that “Fan Car” technology, a dream that he had held to himself over the years be added to the X1 Prototype.

A “fan car” is a vehicle having a fan mechanism which forces the air out from underneath the car, to reduce air pressure under the car’s floor. The resulting suction draws the car to the ground surface and creates a massive amount of downforce. And because it can create downforce regardless of the vehicle’s current speed, it dramatically raises it’s cornering speed even in low speed corners.

The incredible ability of fan cars has already been proven in history. The Chaparral 2J fan car entered in the 1970 Can-Nam series was so fast that it was banned after just 1 season. Even in the F1, the BT46B fan car entered in 1978 by Brabham dominated the opening round of the series with extreme speed, and was banned just after that single race.

With this proposal from Mr. Newey, the machine was transformed with a large fan added to the rear end of the body. With additional advice regarding the shapes of the front and rear wings and rear diffuser, its aerodynamics became even further refined. As a result, the X1 prototype attained an astonishing level of performance, reaching a top speed of over 450km/h, with a maximum lateral acceleration reaching up to 8.75G. This is a performance level that is at the very limits of what a normal human body can withstand.

The driver who performed the shakedown test of the machine in Gran Turismo 5, was the world famous Sebastian Vettel. In his very first run on the Suzuka Circuit, he shortened the record time of the course by over 20 seconds. And in the test drive on the Nurburgring GP Course, he marked a record time of 1 minute 4 seconds, drawing out the incredible potential of the X1 Prototype.

This is the dream of the fastest racing car on land, brought to life through the collaboration between Polyphony and Red Bull. Witness for yourself the power of the X1 through the in-game “X1 Challenge”, the first driving lesson ever in Gran Turismo to be performed by a top professional driver.

Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer at Red Bull Racing

The results were thrilling. X1 is about evolution. Delivering the optimum combination of tested technologies in a single integrated design. This would be the future of racing were we not bound by regulations, but one that is achievable today. And as Sebastian has shown, it is about devastating speed coupled with real handling control. Today thanks to PlayStation®3 and Gran Turismo we can test drive the future.

Kazunori Yamauchi, President, Polyphony Digital Inc and creator of the Gran Turismo series

X1 sees the marriage of virtual and real worlds as we explore the boundaries of our technology and aesthetic senses. The X1 Prototype Project has been motivated by curiosity and passion, powerful forces that brought together the best the world has to offer in design, physics simulation, racing car product technology and driving.

X1 Downforce Specifications

Lets try calculating the cornering G’s of the X1 at 300km/h from the total tire load and coefficient of friction for the tires.

The total load on the X1′s tires at 300km/h is 1142.7kgf at the front tires, and 1432kgf at the rear tires. The coefficient of friction for the tires isμ=1.97. From these conditions, the maximum cornering force that the tires can exhibit can be determined to be 5073kgf. Dividing this by the wet weight of the X1 of 615kg comes to be 8.25, which is the maximum cornering G of the X1.

8.25G greatly exceeds the G’s felt during the launch of the Space Shuttle, and is roughly the same as that of a jet fighter plane at full afterburner. It is a figure at the very limits of what a human body can withstand.

Test Calculation: Cornering G at 300km/h
Total Tire Load: 2575.6kgf (Front Wheel 1142.7kgf+Rear Wheel 1432.9kgf)
Coefficient of Friction of Tires: μ=1.97 (baseμ=2.16, model calculates an efficiency reduction to 91.5% under high load)
Cornering force that can be exhibited by tires: 5073.9kgf
Cornering G: 8.25G (= 5073.9kgf / 615kg)

Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/110102929262/red-bull-x1-prototype-revealed-for-gran-turismo-5-video#ixzz13tUTExBi

F1 drivers and engineers canvassed Karun Chandhok for his impression of this weekend’s new grand prix venue in Korea, the Indian has revealed.

Chandhok, 26, contested the first half of 2010 with the HRT team, and was later deployed by Red Bull to the new – then incomplete – Yeongam layout for a demonstration in an F1 car.

So, as the only driver in the world to have completed real laps in Korea, Chandhok revealed to Reuters that title contenders Mark Webber and Jenson Button have asked him about the circuit’s nuances.

“You’d expect people to be calling, really,” said Chandhok, who is not travelling to Korea this week.

The report said technical people from various teams, and his former teammate Bruno Senna, also asked Chandhok questions about his laps in Korea.

“To be fair, a lot of people have very good simulators and they have a lot of faith in their simulators and simulation software,” he explained.

“I think a lot of them tend to believe that more than anything else.”

But he said Australian Webber spoke to him about Korea.

“Obviously he was very curious to see what I thought about the place and what the circuit was like,” said Chandhok.

And a more recent discussion was with Button.

“We were chatting about this and that and he was quite curious about Korea,” added the Indian, revealing that the McLaren driver asked him about the camber of the corners.

“I think some of that stuff is not so apparent until you get there. So he had questions about that sort of stuff,” said Chandhok.

50,000 tyres will be produced for F1 in 2011

Pirelli, present since 1960, celebrates 50 years’ activity in Turkey

Pirelli today inaugurated the “Factory of Champions” at Izmit, the plant where the group will produce tyres for all the Formula One teams for the 3-year period 2011-2013. The Izmit facility, which this year celebrates 50 years’ activity, has housed the Motorsport tyre production line since 2007 and, in synergy with the Research and Development centre in Milan, will become the heart of Pirelli’s Formula One activities.

Producing 8 million tyres for cars, trucks and motorsport each year, Izmit is the Pirelli factory with the greatest unit output of all. The group has invested 140 million euros there over the last 10 years and plans to invest a further 30 million euros in 2011 to support expansion in Turkey and nearby emerging markets.

The Formula One tyre division was inaugurated with a press conference at the plant with the participation of Nihat Ergun, Turkey’s Minister for Industry and Commerce, Gianpaolo Scarante, Ambassador of Italy in Turkey, Marco Tronchetti Provera, Chairman and CEO of the Pirelli Group, Francesco Gori, CEO of Pirelli Tyre, Andrea Pirondini, CEO of Turk Pirelli Lastikleri and Metin Ar, Chairman of Turk Pirelli Lastikleri.

Pirelli in Turkey

Inaugurated in 1960, the Izmit facility produces tyres for the car and industrial segments, as well as Motorsport. It supplies key European markets (including Turkey, ltaly, Germany, France, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, United Kingdom) and the Middle East, as well as car makers such as Mercedes, Jaguar, Fiat and Renault. The facility, which also houses a steel cord factory in its 25th year of activity, covers an area of 340,000 square metres and employs 1,800 people.

Pirelli expects 2010 revenue in Turkey of over 500 million euros, an increase of over 25% compared with 2009, and will strengthen its position further with new investments of 30 million euros in 2011, having already invested 140 million euros in the last 10 years.

Turkey and Formula One

With the launch of the Formula One division, Pirelli has broadened its offering of automobile sports tyres. In 2011, the Company will produce a total of 200,000 competition tyres, 50,000 of these for Formula One and 70,000 for the GP2 and GP3 championships, for which Pirelli is the sole supplier. The remainder will go to the 60 international automobile road and track competitions for which the Milan-based tyre maker is the exclusive supplier, as well as prestigious single brand championships such as the Ferrari Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Trofeo Maserati. In total, Pirelli’s automotive sports range counts 200 types of racing tyres, including rally tyres.

Formula One tyres will be produced exclusively at the Izmit plant on the basis of simulation models, compounds and structures developed by Pirelli Research and Development, which counts over 1,000 engineers and technicians. The Formula One line, which covers an area of 15,000 square metres, will run the most advanced sports tyre production machinery.

The Izmit facility, in synergy with Pirelli’s centre for the preparation of sports tyres in Burton on Trent (United Kingdom), will also be the centre of all Formula One logistics activities.

First tests

The new PZero Formula One tyres, developed on the basis of Pirelli’s extensive experience in road and track automobile competitions, have been tested, beginning in mid-August, with success on tracks in Mugello (Italy), Le Castellet (France) and Jerez (Spain) and have recently undergone new tests on the Monza (Italy) circuit. In Mugello and Le Castellet, structures and profiles were tested to guarantee maximum adaptability, continuity and homogeneity of tyre performance. In Jerez and Monza, testing focused on optimization of the compounds, of which there will be six: four “slicks” for dry conditions, one rain tyre and one intermediate for light rain.

Track testing was done on a Toyota TF 109, used in last season’s Grand Prix, driven in Jerez by Germany’s Nick Heidfeld. Final testing is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in November after the Grand Prix.

“The tests went beyond my own expectations and I believe Pirelli is at a good point in the development of the tyres,” said Heidfeld. “The Pirelli team, to whom I think I gave some useful advice, has from the beginning been on the right track in terms of supplying all Teams with reliable and safe tyres to ensure a great show and enable each driver to express their own driving style”.

Formula One and sustainability

In line with the Pirelli Group’s Green Performance strategy, aimed at developing products and solutions that combine maximum performance and safety with respect for the environment, Formula One production was also inspired by criteria of environmental sustainability. In particular, as in all Pirelli competition tyres, the compounds for the PZero are free of highly aromatic oils. Further, the processes used in Izmit are based on energy and water efficiency and the reduction of dangerous emissions like carbon dioxide. Special attention has been given to the re-utilization of production remnants and used tyres. The waste handling protocol calls for the recycling of used F1 tyres for either the generation of new primary material or energy production. Pirelli’s attention to the issue of sustainability is also shown by its recent confirmation in the Dow Jones Sustainability STOXX and Dow Jones Sustainability World indices, where the Company has been the leading company in the “Autoparts and Tires” sector for four consecutive years.

Pirelli’s 50 years in Turkey

The inauguration of the Formula One division coincides with celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Turk Pirelli’s activities which will include, among other things, a photographic exhibition which opened yesterday at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace. The collection of images recounts the history of the Company’s industrial presence in Turkey and its technological evolution. The official opening was attended by local authorities and leading exponents of Turkey’s business and cultural communities, including the director Ferzan Ozpetek and singer Sezene Aksu

James Key at Sauber in April this year, the successor to the longtime technical director Willy Rampf started. The 38-year-old Briton came from Force India, where he helped decisively while to shape the Indians from the backbench to the midfield team. Key is the youngest head of technology in Formula 1, also one of the most respected. The engineer is thus arrived at its destination, that he had already put into early childhood.

“Even with ten years ago I wanted to Formula 1 cars I have always loved,” said Key, who was brought up by his father at the race track. “He made me the first time brought to a motorsport event. This was a rally and I was four or five years old. When I was nine, we have visited a formula race and from then on everything was clear,” said the Sauber man with a smile .
Formula 1 is the early target

“For me the goal was clearly defined,” says Key his professional planning dar. It is the Year 1982nd In Chelmsford native, some motorized vehicles are styled for now. “I’ve been working on things that might be relevant to a possible career in motorsport,” laughs the father of three. “There was no concrete plan, but it is a clear direction.”

“The sport was generally interesting for me. Above all, the cars. It was the heyday of Senna and Prost in F1, but at the same time were also in the technical field great inventions shown. Monocoque and other things found their way. The technology- aspect then moved more and more into the foreground. In the area of the engines was still happening a lot. I found it very interesting what different approaches, it was there. ”

“As was said in other countries about the duel against Senna, Prost or Mansell Piquet stood against, in Britain, often in the technology focus,” the Sauber technical director explains the advantages of living in Britain. Even then reported in specialized magazines on the latest developments in semi-automatic gearboxes or aerodynamics. These reports raise the interest of the student’s time in particular.

Following the example of his father (a technician in the petrochemical industry) also proposes the Filius an after school an engineering career. Even during the engineering studies at the University of Nottingham contacts are to Lotus. “We need to collect first experiences at an early stage. Many people work part or as a racing mechanic data engineer for small teams. Since you can not earn much money, but even more important to gain experience.”
Important experience with Lotus

“I was lucky that I found shelter while studying at Lotus. So I was very close to it once in motor sport,” says Key, in the British tradition of the brand must now participate in the GT2 project. He meets the wind tunnel, the simulation tools, and many other key elements. “I was an engineer in the GT project in Le Mans work. Of course that was an important experience.”

“I have had in which no important role, but you get to know the exact scene and has insight into all processes. Besides, my name by this sudden in the environment known. This is of course always important,” the 38-year-old says of his first steps on the big stage racing. “Then there was a nice coincidence. Just when I was finished with the study, has been in design a good site free – I was available. I could enter as a junior engineer at once.”

Half of F1′s competing teams are opposed to proposals to relax the current ban on in-season testing.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that while the opposition of low-budget newcomers Lotus, Virgin and HRT was expected, also Force India, Sauber and Williams want the current restrictions to remain in place.

“We would have to re-establish a separate test team,” said Peter Sauber, “which is an unnecessary expense.”

Williams’ technical director Sam Michael added: “The current system guarantees equality of opportunity.”

And Force India’s Otmar Szafnauer confirmed: “We are opposed to changing the current test rules.”

He said the F-duct and the blown diffuser are examples of the test restrictions equalising the race for development in today’s formula one.

“Formerly the test teams would have run frantically and within two races been on the same level as the teams that invented the technology.

“Now, the season is half gone and Ferrari and Red Bull are still not as good as McLaren with the F-duct.

“But our system works at least as well as the others.  This was possible only because there is virtually no opportunity for testing.  It’s about the quality of the engineers,” added Szafnauer, Force India’s chief operating officer.

He denied the big teams’ claims that the ban has simply shifted resources from the test track to expensive simulation technology.

“They (simulators) are tools that you either have or you can survive without.  Everyone has a wind tunnel, CFD and chassis test benches.”

And Szafnauer also rejects the big teams’ argument that more testing is needed for the development of young drivers.

“Whoever wants to test young drivers can do the same as Force India,” he said, referring to the use of Scottish rookie Paul di Resta in some Friday practice sessions.

“Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren could also sacrifice Friday practice as we do, if it is so important to them to give opportunities to young drivers,” added Szafnauer.

Mercedes’ Ross Brawn said he is not in favour of a return to the days of endless testing.

“We have to find a good balance,” said the Briton.  “For example, we should not go back to having extra teams for testing.”

According to simulations done by Sauber, Silverstone is not set to become the fastest circuit on the formula one calendar.

When the British track’s new Arena layout was launched, organisers indicated that Monza could lose its mantle as the F1 venue with the highest average speed.

While actually adding more slow bends to the layout, the new half-mile Arena section is indeed due to make Silverstone faster on average.

But to investigate the claim that Monza could be knocked off the perch as F1′s fastest, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport commissioned a study with the help of the Swiss team Sauber.

A simulation lap of the revised layout processed by Sauber’s famous Albert II supercomputer projected a laptime of 1.31.0, resulting in an average speed of 233.4kph.

Monza’s average speed is about 248kph.

The Sauber simulation, however, shows that the new right-hander at the abolished Abbey chicane will be taken at 279kph, followed by a 281kph left sweep, making it the fastest chicane on the calendar.

(GMM)

After two double victories in a row, the McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button tip lies in the Formula 1 World Championship, but Sebastian Vettel wants a new car in Valencia back to the place in the sun. “We can be back in front after the next Grand Prix,” said Vettel’s team boss Christian Horner before the Grand Prix of Europe. The bulls want to “keep up with the new R-bay system and without problems in reliability even local hero Fernando Alonso at bay.

The confidence in the camp of Red Bull is based on several pillars. On the one copied from the “inventor” McLaren F-shaft system, which is not satisfactory after a test in the free practice in Istanbul for the first time in the race and used in the simulation is to represent a time savings of three tenths per lap. “We hope an ordinary leap forward,” Horner said in the journal ‘Speedweek’.
was distributed to the other, the team hopes that repeat the transmission problems of Montréal and the defect is not the devil, who followed the team and especially since the start of the season Vettel. “Yes, we had defects, but every mistake only once. We are all the quirks to the bottom left. It’s just incredible bad luck, which happens especially in Sebastian this year, everything,” said Horner.

At the very least, the Heppenheim, which is before the ninth of 19 World Championship races in the championship behind Hamilton (109 pixels), Button (106), Webber (103) and Alonso (94) with 90 points in fifth for Valencia to be transmission probably can not change. The new device has “lost a bit of oil,” Horner gives as reason that Vettel was in the final stage in Canada are clearly lying in fourth place from the gas, “he can use it again in Valencia. Team-mate Webber, who lost by Vettel finished fifth behind the championship leader, had lost in Montréal by an unscheduled gearbox change shortly before the race five starting slots.

The Aussie, who recently was quickly four times in a row in qualifying wants to beat Vettel in Valencia again. “That he can create. For if he was behind it, it’s because of a defect, as in Turkey, due to a driving error like in Montreal or he was beaten only a tenth of a second,” said Horner.

imagine Despite the current benefit, the McLaren drivers not in security: “It’s a surprise that the Red Bulls are not in leadership. They were at every race so fast, but we have more made of it,” said defending champion button that as Webber and Hamilton this year has already celebrated two victories. Hamilton also sees its first championship lead since winning the title in November 2008 “not granted” on.
The Mercedes team with Nico Rosberg and world champion Michael Schumacher, who is the first time since 2004 on an unfamiliar route hopes in Valencia placements at less concerned with the tires and thus better. Meanwhile, Alonso is Ferrari’s home race at a comprehensive revised version of the B-F10 available, which also has an R-bay system and has taken some of the bonds in the aerodynamics of Red Bull. With the new car he was allowed to drive even at short film, Alonso will now shine on home soil – and to inspire both the Spanish and the Italian fans.

“The Italian mentality, and the Spanish are similar, and the habits of life. We both also have the same passion for the race,” Alonso describes in the ‘Sport Bild’, why he feels so comfortable at Ferrari. “We might have to say: There are two grown together, which somehow belong together forever. I have the impression that the people enjoy this combination in the world. Especially in Spain and Italy, the mood is downright enthusiastic about it. It makes me proud.”

The competition between the development departments of the Grand Prix teams will be played with the same intensity as the position of duels on the track. Indeed, the pressure to succeed, under the working Formula 1 specialists in recent years grown more and more: Who wants to stay competitive and at the top, must evolve continuously. The cars are compared to the season opener in Bahrain has become consistently faster by about one second.

“The racing teams have realized that the incessant development is during the season just as important as the conceptual design of the next car,” said James Allison, Technical Director at Renault. “Today we hold for our R30 to each Grand Prix, a new package ready parts, whose size is roughly equivalent to those improvements we have introduced in the past, every third or fourth race.”
“We are there but no exception. Every team that wants to stay at the top, must rise to this challenge. This means for our colleagues in the workshops that they have to work so hard, and at such a high time pressure than ever before . The new front wing, which will celebrate its debut in Valencia, provides an ideal example of this: He is already the eighth variant, which comes this year for use – in the ninth race of the season! ”

But where does this escalation? A major factor provided by the new technical regulations, which came at the beginning of last year in force, so is still relatively young, always – and therefore much room for improvement, provides the enabling virtually every week important development steps. This applies in particular to the aerodynamics. Furthermore: Since modifications of the engine are not allowed to search for possibilities for improvement focused almost exclusively on the chassis of the cars.
“As further develop all vehicles on the grid with incredibly high speed, always, we need to bring any improvement found immediately able to use in order to remain competitive,” says Allison. “Previously, we have combined the optimization of a package, which is then flowed into a stage of evolution of the car. This we can not allow today. Each Grand Prix that you wait means lost performance.”

“The heavy workload meets each individual,” said Allison. “The workshop is constantly under the high pressure, constantly develop and produce new parts and need. We are therefore constantly faced with the difficult task of finding a healthy balance between major stages of development and reasonable workload.”

It seems almost an irony of fate that this once again increased rates of development associated with the prohibition of testing during the season goes. But while earlier, thousands of miles on the Grand Prix circuit in Barcelona have been scrubbed to run the team today in the central simulation computer at full speed to check for new parts and votes for their usefulness.
“Thanks to this advanced tools we can use the advantage that we bring some modifications on the track, set with an accuracy that is different from the real output by less than 0.5 percent,” said Allison. “For mechanical parts, we rely on computer simulations, whose results are then verified on test stands. With special durability testing arrangements, we can expose those individual components of loads and forces that occur in the context of a Grand Prix.”

Besides the incessant improvement of the current Grand Prix racer to run the latest from the beginning of summer and work on for next year seater. “We stand every time a difficult compromise on how much we already want to invest in the future without losing its competitiveness in the current season,” says Allison.

Early simulations show that next year’s formula one cars will be about two seconds slower per lap.

Last year, teams including Brawn, Williams and Toyota stunned their rivals by designing cars with the controversial rear aerodynamic concept.

Once the FIA declared the concept legal at the end of a bitter dispute, all the other teams hurriedly introduced double diffusers and then based their 2010 cars on an even more developed understanding of the concept.

But for 2011 the conventional diffusers will return, and it is hoped that in conjunction with the major aerodynamic rule changes introduced for 2009, the double diffuser ban will slow the cars and make overtaking easier.

It is exactly one year ago that Red Bull – not one of the original diffuser teams – introduced its first double diffuser at Monaco.

“If you compare where it’s evolved to today, it’s just monumental,” team boss Christian Horner said in the Principality in 2010.

He revealed that “basic simulation” shows a lap time loss “in the region of two seconds, maybe more” for the non-diffuser cars of 2011.

“It will be a big change and it’s going to be an interesting challenge,” Horner added.

“Engineers tend to be creative people and I’m sure they’ll claw back some of that (laptime loss), but it’s certainly a significant reduction in downforce for next year.”

(GMM)

With a completely dry Jerez circuit, all the cars are now unveiling in dry.  However, during the morning, the times started to drop.  Button, Alonso and Webber are competing to clock the fastest lap.  McLaren is currently leading at the top of the timesheet with 1:20.394 – a second faster than the best time we have seen in Jerez up to now.

A mechanical failure of Webber, just after 12:00 PM, affected the Red Bull program and caused the red flag of the fifth day.  On the other hand, Di Grassi did not arrive to the party on time, because by the beginning of the morning he had not finished a complete lap and is again 11 seconds behind the best time.  Lotus is the only racing team that has not timed to this moment, but hopes its gearbox problem is solved and his pilot is determined to take the track this evening.

Williams has begun its box stop testing, and reports point out that Hulkenberg will do a simulation race this evening if the sky remains so clear.

Everything is trouble-free with Mercedes:  Schumacher arrived late to the circuit, and ran few laps.  At lunch time, Toro Rosso had completed most of the laps (64) while Kobayashi in the Sauber the least (6).  This is contrary to the announcement made that said that the racing team was waiting for good weather to run many miles.

MORNING TIMES
.1. Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:20.394 (50 laps)
.2. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:21.684 (46)
.3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:21.771 (72)
.4. Robert Kubica (Renault) 1:21.915 (49)
.5. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:21.919 (37)
.6. Adrian Sutil (Force Inidia) 1:21.985 (39)
.7. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 1:22.973 (64)
.8. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:23.634 (77)
.9. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 1:25.818 (6)
10. Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus) 1:26.327 (20)
11. Lucas di Grassi (Virgin) 1:31.670 (22)

The Technical Director of Sauber, Willy Rampf has played down the relevance of the good times that the team got at the tests in Valencia.
Sauber was the second fastest team during the three days, with its pilots Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa who established lapping times very similar to the Ferraris’. However, for Rampf, it’s still too soon to know if the car is as competitive as times suggest.
“That is even harder to evaluate this year than in the previous ones,” he said. “All I can say is that our car is giving the expected performance based on our simulations and measurements in the wind tunnel. The tremendously different fuel load makes it impossible to make an absolute comparison with the other teams’ cars.”
He added that the relationship between the new drivers and the team is going extremely well.
“The two pilots are new in the team and we are about to meet the rest, but, the work relationship between drivers and team has had a good beginning. It’s clear that Pedro has great experience which gives him an wonderful base of technical knowledge that is very valuable for all who are involved. Kamui rapidly receives his impressions through him, which means he can give the engineers the necessary information to perform the necessary changes. Together, pilots and engineers are already working productively.”
Rampf explained they will do small modifications to the car’s engine to cover this week’s tests at Jerez, mostly at exhaust level. Sauber will be one of the teams doing tests as of next Wednesday with Red Bull, Force India and Virgin, all of them making their 2010 debut in the group test.

Shell and Ferrari are working hard these last weeks to solve the inflection point represented by the weight-fuel ratio:  “It’s true that this year fuel consumption is essential, not only with relation to the engine but to the race’s strategy.  We’re working very hard with Shell and are on the right track to solve it, but it will of course be another clear sport fighting area, “Domenicali said.
The thing is that it’s a terrible problem, because with this year’s new norm, less consumption gives you the option to design a gigantic tank this year but a bit smaller that the rivals’, and the design of the new tank is adapted to the single-seated chassis’ development.
There are less than 15 days for the presentation and for Massa to try the Ferrari out in Cheste.  There, the result will have to be seen.  In addition, it’s well known in the F1 that the Mercedes’ engine uses around 10 liters less than the rest.
In the past, consumption was not so relevant, but now that the cars cannot rest and you race out with all the fuel that’s possible, the less consumption engine will cover the same distance with less kilos of fuel, . Now, 10 kilos, either be it of tank size mass or of gas, usually mean three or four tenths of advantage in time per lap.
Under this premise, from the moment the race starts, lap to lap, the  single-seated with less consumption can have a very significant initial advantage.  This is the reason why Ferrari has devoted itself to solve this concern, substituting a Gilles Simon for Luca Marmorini, who returns to the team with the target of trying to reduce this extra weight in 10 or a 15%.
Once this problem has been overcome, there’s still the limitation of the frozen engines by regulation since the 2008 season.  Ferrari’s improvements are limited.  A difficulty is that the inlet manifolds can be touched, the exhausts a bit, liquids, electronics, but not the engine’s block.
“The first goal for the new car is to gain reliability.  With this purpose we have developed a simulation program and of engine power of which we expect great results to lessen the problems experimented the last two years,” Domenicali declared.
In the Schumacher era, Ferrari did not damage one single propellant for several years, and the only one it did in Japan in 2006, caused Schumacher to loose the title, precisely against Alonso.  The Renault R25 and R26 of the Spaniard turned the propellant’s reliability into one of the clues to win titles.  This will be the season’s technical clue, as Fernando Alonso himself confessed.