F1 2010 talk / results etc ..all in here

[RayfieldsWRX]

It's there now.

[Weasel 555]

US F1 Team announced today that they have signed the former Renault F1 Team test driver, Jose Maria "Pechito" Lopez (26), to race with them in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Lopez will be the 24th Argentine* to race in Formula One, sustaining a heritage that began sixty years ago when Juan Manuel Fangio and Froilan "Pepe" Gonzalez took the F1 world by storm.

usgpe.com/-announces-jose-maria-lopez-as-driver-for-2010

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[Weasel 555]

With nearly all the seats accounted for and the first group test at Valencia (scheduled for February 1) fast approaching, the time has come once again, boys and girls, for the unveiling of the 2010 F1 cars.

A couple of months ago, it looked like all the teams would get together under the auspices of the Formula One Teams Association to unveil their cars in one massive exposition concurrent with the Valencia test session, but that won't come to fruition. Several teams are expected to debut there still, while others are doing their own thing once again. And Ferrari is first among them.

Unveiled at the team's headquarters in Maranello, the new F10 is the chariot with which Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will be contending for the championship against other top-rated challengers from Mercedes GP, McLaren and Red Bull, to say nothing of the other ten teams on the grid. The latest Prancing Horse – whose Santander-dominated red and white livery we saw a few days ago – is the product of several months of development, as the Scuderia stopped development of last year's car half-way through the season after realizing it was way off pace and concentrated on this year's car instead.

You can have a look at the initial batch of photos in the gallery below, but don't expect to see much of the rear end of the car. Ferrari kept its diffuser design – of the double design that caused controversy last year but won't be banned until next – hidden from prying eyes for the time being. Stay tuned for the more as the teams roll out their latest.

click: autoblog.com/ferrari-leads-the-way-with-the-new-f10/



--->Gallery: autoblog.com/gallery/2010-scuderia-ferrari-f10/

[SD_GR]

Not a fan of the white in the livery. Nice big nose though. I wonder if all those canards and winglets are really "just so." I remember a Brawn losing parts of its front wing last year and they decided to leave it out there, as the car was either unaffected or in fact may have been quicker (!), and would hate to be the guy that signed off on a multi-million-€ work order for nose work only to see that sort of thing happen.

Know what else? I miss numbers on F1 cars. I miss seeing a "28" prominently displayed on a Ferrari. Sure everyone knows who is who and there are technically still numbers, but I miss the old scheme.

Good luck to Fiatrrari in 2010.

[Weasel 555]

Fernando Alonso has stressed that he and new Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa have put the past behind them and will work together to drag a slightly lame Prancing Horse back to the top step of the podium in 2010.

The two drivers had a series of on-track run-ins in 2007 that led to cross words and a feeling of unease amongst observers when they were paired together for the coming season, but Alonso - who also endured a fractious relationship with McLaren and team-mate Lewis Hamilton in 2007 - insists that he and Massa will be focused on a single goal this year.

"Felipe and I both race for Ferrari, and it is important that a red car wins," he maintained, "I've always had strong team-mates and I never had any problems with them. I have a great relation to all of them and it won't be different with Felipe.We'll both give it our all to improve our performance, we'll both give 100 per cent."

read more: crash.net/f1/news/156371/1/alonso_ive_never_had_problems_with_team-mates.html

[cavallino333]

Livery is not much different from last year (or most years before that) just has a white from spoiler this time and santander instead of Marlboro.

The twin ridges on the front nose cone are kind of interesting, I noticed those were quite prominent on last years redbull.

[SD_GR]

Alonso's statement that he's been in teams with another top driver and did not have any problems previously, if said honestly from his perspective, leads me to believe he needs serious evaluation from a mental health professional.

Also, Alonso doesn't seem to be wearing a watch. I find it surprising that, say, Festina hasn't thrown some money at him.

[cavallino333]

Alonso's statement that he's been in teams with another top driver and did not have any problems previously, if said honestly from his perspective, leads me to believe he needs serious evaluation from a mental health professional.

Also, Alonso doesn't seem to be wearing a watch. I find it surprising that, say, Festina hasn't thrown some money at him.

I don't know why he doesn't have a watch but I think he has a contract/deal with Viceroy watches. I don't know why when even Barichello could pull a contract with AP Alonso just gets some generic cheapo brand. Maybe they paid more?

The picture of Alonso looks weird though like it's a photoshop or something?

[SD_GR]

I can't really visualize him smiling for a shared shot... Barichello gets AP money? Wow.

[cavallino333]

I can't really visualize him smiling for a shared shot... Barichello gets AP money? Wow.

I heard he might have a new watch sponsor this season but he did up until last season as far as I know. He and Massa had the best watch contracts.

[Weasel 555]

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team today revealed its brand new MP4-25 chassis - the car in which reigning world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton will contest the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Unveiled at Vodafone UK's stunning headquarters in Newbury, the 2010 car looks noticeably different from last year's race-winning MP4-24. MP4-25 features a radical aerodynamic overhaul and a significantly larger fuel tank to take full advantage of this year's new regulations, and its design team is confident it has explored every possible avenue to maximise the car's performance.

Horsepower once again comes from our friends in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz's FO 108X V8 subtly improves upon an engine that has become the benchmark in Formula 1, winning the last two drivers' world championships.

The team kicks off its 2010 campaign with a stunning driver pairing: 2009 world champion Jenson Button and 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton. It is the first time since 1989 - when it ran Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna - that the team has fielded a joint-world champion driver line-up, and marks the first time in Formula 1 history that the sport's two most recent world champions have been partnered together.



Gallery pics from: racecar-engineering.com/sgallery/mclaren-mp4-25.html

read more: mclaren.com/latestnews=407

autoblog gallery: autoblog.com/gallery/2010-mclaren-mp4-25/#2

[Ying]

That's an impressive car for sure. From the multi-winged nose to the intake integrating into the rear wing it should be an aerodynamic work of art. I'll be interested to see what it can do.

[RayfieldsWRX]

It somehow hadn't registered with me that Button and Hamilton will be teammates this year. Michael/Nico at Mercedes, Phillipe/Fernando at Ferrari, and this team should make for an interesting year.

[binjoau]

I do love all forms of motorsport but to be honest F1 needs some dramatic changes if it is going to keep people interested. Its becoming a bit boring, I would honestly rather watch BTCC or even Moto GP where there is some serious action!

Just my 2

[RayfieldsWRX]

Formula 1 is still the most watched racing series in the world, as far as I know. They do indeed struggle to get American audiences interested.