Lotus = In - BMW = out

Following an intensive selection and due diligence process, the FIA has awarded the 13th entry in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to the new Lotus team.

The FIA also received an impressive application from the BMW Sauber team. As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid.

In addition, the FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams. The FIA will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010.

Detailed below is information about the new team that has been confirmed to compete in the championship from next year, joining fellow newcomers Manor Grand Prix, Team US and Campos Meta.

Company Name: 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd

Team Name: Lotus F1 Team

Country: Malaysia

Team Principal: Tony Fernandes

A partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs, 1Malaysia F1 Team returns the Lotus name as a constructor to Formula One for the first time since 1994. The team will initially be based at the RTN facility in Norfolk, UK, some 10 miles from the Lotus Cars factory. A 50,000 square foot fully equipped facility, RTN was built by Toyota for its initial Formula One programme and then used by Bentley for its successful Le Mans programme.

The team’s future design, R&D, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

Team Principal Tony Fernandes is the founder and CEO of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team’s Technical Director Mike Gascoyne has over 20 years of experience in Formula One having previously performed the same role for the Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan Formula One teams.

As part of its application to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the team has agreed an engine supply deal with Cosworth and a wide variety of technical partnerships including Xtrac and FondTech.

The team is understood to already have a shortlist of six drivers, including both Malaysian and international names, and an announcement confirming their line-up is expected in late October. Oh dear, they aren't going to bring back Alex Yoong are they?

Shumi Comeback 2009 = not gonna happen

Michael Schumacher has revealed he won’t return to Formula One racing at the European Grand Prix later this month. Schumacher had planned to replace the injured Felipe Massa for Ferrari at the Valencia race, but has been forced to cancel his comeback due to pain in his neck, which was caused by a motorcycle accident earlier this year.

“Yesterday evening, I had to inform Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo and team principal Stefano Domenicali that unfortunately I'm not able to step in for Felipe,” explained the seven-time world champion in a statement on his official website. “I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible, however, much to my regret it didn't work out.”

USF1 Granted entry for 2010 Formula One Season

USF1 is one of three new teams that will line-up on the grid next season and the team is already attracting attention from drivers around the world seeking a move into Formula One.

But with the team adamant that they want American drivers, USF1 is already turning away hopefuls, even those willing to pay a staggering amount to race in F1. Is it possible that USF1 have enough financing to set up their freshman effort, develop a completely new chassis, and be competitive enough to justify a long term commitment?

No, while it should be acknowledged that drivers with pre-existing sponsor cash will be needed, USF1 insists that those drivers be American.

"We've been offered well over three-quarters of our racing budget by two drivers already, neither of whom have raced in Formula One but both have won races in GP2," Windsor told Sports Illustrated.. "Both of them have massive sponsorship they can bring us from their home country. Ken and I have got to be very strong, look one another in the eye and say, 'No, we're not gong to accept that money, we're not going to hire those guys because we're going to remain true to our convictions.'

"This team is about helping young Americans (drivers) as much as it is about anything else." But, those drivers are going to have to adjust to the European tracks, be well know enough to attract team sponsors, and be talented enough help develop the car against an aggressive schedule. There are many names that come to mind, Marco Andretti, Scott Speed, Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick... Jacques Villenenuve. But, Andretti lacks talent, Speed has already been thrown out of F1, Patrick is going to be too costly (and will probably end up making $$$ in Nascar soon) and Villenenuve is, well, Villenenuve. Meaning, my money is he'll drive part of the year and possibly teamed with Rahal. Let's see how this settles out. 

New Lotus Europa - this one's a type 46 Series 1A

Well, it's true, we've gone and purchased another Europa. 

This one's a 1967 type 46, Series 1A. And, there isn't anything that it don't need!

But, that's what you get for $100. And no, that's not a typo.

See some photos.

German GP - Hamilton WFT!

Short post here - but the start of the race saw Lewis Hamilton wildly overtake all starters, thanks to KERS... then completely loose it and collide with poll sitter and eventual winner Mark Webber.

Hamilton then pitted for adjustments and new tires and then asked his team if he could just sit the rest of the race out. His excuse was to "save the car". My question is, since when does a reigning world champion not get back in the fight - particularly after nearly putting themselves and nearly the leaders out of the race. What happened to Press On Regardless, 10/10ths, and fighting till the end. Remember Shui's final race - Gilles pushing on harder after a spin - what of that? It's a disgrace.

F1: Siverstone

This weekend is Silverstone, home of the British GP... for now.

In 2008 Donington was awarded hosting of the race, starting in 2010, however, given the current legal proceedings against the circuit's leaseholders, Donington may not be ready for 2010. And, once again the British GP is in jeopardy; Ecclestone in his infinite wisdom has determined that should Donington fail, Silverstone would not be eligible to host in 2010. It's no secret the both Ecclestone and Mosley detest the British GP, which is confusing giving that it is usually dramatic, well attended, and pulls huge home crowd attendance records.  

Why is the British GP a constant source of frustration and why is it's spot on the calendar always in question? The British GP is the oldest continuously staged Formula One World Championship Grands Prix and was actually the first race of the first ever official World Championship - from time to time it has been the fastest circuit on the calendar and British fans supporting British drivers are perhaps second only to the Tifosi (who focus their adoration on a single team and not a nationality). 

And those things may be at the root of why the British GP is constantly in flux, because it too is quintessentially British and we couldn't really imagine it any other way.  The Brits love their motor racing and fans will flock to the race regardless of where the GP is held, if it is held. This year they've outsold the 90K available seats for Saturday's qualifying (compare with Turkey's 30K attendance over the 3 days race weekend).  Are the local fans afraid that this will be the F1 race on their soil in the near future?

BING: Bing Is Not Google

So, I have been playing with Bing for a few days and I'll come right out and say it. It's not half bad. Shocking, for a MS product, really. But, it got me thinking, what's Microsoft's game with Bing. Are they really going after Google? Is MS going to again try to step outside it's core competence to take on an industry leader and fail miserably. It's not that Bing is bad, but its not Google (Bing Is Not Google). 

And I think that Microsoft knows this, which might explain their ad campaign. Bing's primary position is first to distance itself from Google by calling the product a Decision Engine, not a search engine... and then to denigrate "search" and by taking it to the furthest degree of uselessness, "search overload syndrome". Which might be fine, but in typical MS fashion they've also tried to game change "search" by introducing too many features in its initial launch... substituting ease of use and good UX for quantity and infinite options.

You see, Bing seeks to be more than a search engine, heck, even more than a Decision Engine. It wants to be a full-life product that redefines how you interact with the web. It starts by replacing results organization based on popularity/credibility with categorical/heirarchical arrangements. Similarly, instead of just searching and reporting links, for example with air travel, Bing establishes that it can help you find the best travel prices and the best destinations and can even predict when the prices are going to be optimal for purchase. Looking for a digital camera?, Bing wants to drive you, not to web pages and stores with products, but rather to pull the results and let users compare and shop directly within Bing.

And, admittedly all this sounds rather nice - except we know that Microsoft is behind Bing and... and that just seems weird. 

Google has built its reputation based on simplicity and immediately obvious user experiences... backed up by good technology and well thought out design. The best parts of Bing are lifted from Google's search methodology. The most noticeable parts to Bing are improvements like video previews and infinite scrolling VS pagination on image searches. But those are UX tweaks, not something to base a new product on... particularly one pitched against such an established leader. Google obfuscates the technology to simplify the user experience; in typical MS fashion Bing add features ,  All of which goes a long way to explain the Bing product brand position and Microsoft challenging them on marketing positions and not functionality. 

We'll have to see where this one nets out, but I have a feeling that in the end Google will update some of their functionality, Bing won't capture a significant part of the market share, and Microsoft will be out a lot of coin. The winners? Well, as much as Bing is a good product that won't turn "search" on it's head, the television brand marketing campaign is pretty decent, even if the overall concept is frustratingly simple. Congrats to JWT for getting away with it.

2010 FIA Formula One Shake Up

Last year when the FIA announced their massive rule changes for 2009 things looks set to really shake up the established order of things. And, as we enter the end of the first trimester of the season, I'd say that the predictions were correct. 

Now, recently the FIA has announced  a planned budget cap to take effect for the 2010 season. For established teams this means neutering their ability to outspend the young upstarts... which has typically worked. But, a change like this spending cap , especially coming so quickly on the heals of a major rules shake up, could destabilize the established order of things permanently. For young hopefuls the budget cap represents a dropping of the red velvet rope to a club that they've long since we denied entry. Could new teams establish entry into the exclusive world of Formula One and make a big enough impact to run to the front? And for sponsors, since budget caps mean a limit on spending, will this open up a new breed of sponsor to international exposure? Are we about to see a return of the privateer to the pinnacle of motorsport?

Following the completion of the applications process for teams to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the following teams have been confirmed.

SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO

RED BULL RACING

AT&T WILLIAMS

FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

CAMPOS GRAND PRIX

MANOR GRAND PRIX 

TEAM US F1 

VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES* / McLAREN MERCEDES

BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM* / BMW SAUBER

RENAULT F1 TEAM* / RENAULT

PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING* / TOYOTA

BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM* / BRAWN TBA 

*These five teams have submitted conditional entries which the FIA has invited them to lift following further discussions to be concluded not later than close of business on Friday 19 June.

The maximum number of cars permitted to enter the 2010 Championship has been increased to 26, two being entered by each competitor. Pending completion of the discussions referred to above, further due diligence is currently taking place on other potential entries. And those people are:

Windsor/Anderson - USF1

Prodrive

Lola

Litespeed

Campos Meta 1

Epsilon Euskadi 

Formtech

Superfund

N.Technology

Jenson Button - 6th Win of the Season

Jenson Button made it six victories in seven races as he stormed away from his only serious challengers - the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel during the GP Turkey in Istanbul on Sunday afternoon. Over the short haul, probably only Trulli's Toyota and Rosberg's Williams could have possibly held pace with the leading RBR and Brawn squads. 

Notably off the pace was professional sidekick Rubens Barrichello. Rubeno's miserable afternoon included unnecessarily tangling with Kovalainen, a spin, nose damage after a collision with Sutil, and thankfully retiring after 47 laps. The GP world is talking about the retirement as the first noticeable chink in Brawn's reliability but I think they just asked him to pull over and stop embarrassing himself.

Go ahead, get your Twitter on and check out the coverage from both Jalopnik's & Brawn GP's live micro/bloggin'. I wonder how the FIA will try to stifle such unregulated coverage! 

Stay tuned - we're heading to Maggots, Woodcote, and the Hangar Straight;  Silverstone is next.

Get Your Lotus Europa Shirt!

Get your Lotus Europa tee shirt!

There are three to choose from:

Lotus 47-GT cutaway drawing

Eurostyle Europa logo on the front

Blueprint-style 4 views on the front.

All shirts have the Lotus logo on the back.

From Zazzle.com - 24 styles to choose from, in 11 different colors.

Round 7 Turkish Grand Prix | Watch the Kerbs

*** UPDATE ***

Qualifying is complete:

Sebastian Vettel | RBR-Renault | 1:28.316

Jenson Button | Brawn-Mercedes | 1:28.421

Rubens Barrichello | Brawn-Mercedes | 1:28.579

What to Watch - the Kerbs:

As a relatively new facility the track surface at Istanbul is in good condition and the kerbs are not especially aggressive, which makes it quite straightforward to find a stable car balance. The team will seek a compromise between stiffer settings for the high-speed part of the lap to give a good change of direction, and softer settings for the low-speed section, particularly the final few corners to ensure good mechanical grip. The stewards and Monaco were relatively lax on the F1 drivers kerb cutting - in stark contrast to their treatment of the lower formula drivers on the same day. Different town, different stewards but the rumor is that all teams (especially Ferrari) have been warned that 4-Off penalties will be handed out if drivers cut the kerbs to excess. The ruling is that at least one tire must remain within contact of the road surface. It'll be interesting to see if the less aggressive kerbs in Turkey exacerbate the attack angles or just make the rules harder to enforce.

Creativity and Technology Conference

The CaT conference was held yesterday, June 3, in New York City, gathering together creativity professionals and tech-side development companies for a discussion of furthering creativity through technology.

Organized by Creativity Magazine, the event consisted of presentations, discussions and A-list creative case studies, as well as a (kind of lame) gallery of tech products from some of the sponsors (names w/held to ensure that I get to go back again next year).

NYT = most relevant discussion point: how the Grey Lady is using technology to re-imagine the news experience and developing for the future. The NYT is actively embracing new media technology and distribution platforms - while a lot of dead tree media naively follow their established and dying roots.

Ben Palmer = best all around presenter. Ben has an answer or an insight on most everything, but not in a arrogant way - more like genuine, learned, and persuasive. I'm not sure that I've ever heard anyone disagree so respectfully and yet still get the point through that he thinks your perspective is seriously fucked.

Augmented Reality = most hyped technology. It seemed that most of the discussions mentioned AR in some fashion or another. The NYTs had the most practical application suggestion when they talked about pointing your iPhone's camera at a real estate classified in a printed copy of the Times and being able to take a AR tour of the building for sale, within the iPhone's display. There were also a lot of poor uses of the technology mentioned - like pointing your webcam at a print ad or print out and seeing 3D model animate. 

More Links:

Full wrap up

Ad Age: Mobile Apps

Ad Age & NYTimes 

- This article has a terrible title and isn't at all what the talk was about - although most of the article is a pretty decent recap

Flat out on the streets of Monte Carlo!

**UPDATE**

The race was fantastic - not a single safety car period, which is certainly a first for this street course. The Brawns were never seriously challenged however fantastic tire strategy by Ferrari kept them in the hunt all weekend. Qualifying, if they replay it on Speed, should not be missed. 

Monaco
01	J.Button	1:40:44.282
02	R.Barrichello	+7.6 secs
03	K.Räikkönen	+13.4 secs

The Monaco Grand Prix, Round six of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, is widely considered to be the most prestigious motorsport event in the world, only really rivaled by the Monte Carlo Rally and Le Mans. Set around the spectacular harbor backdrop of Monte Carlo, the race winds around the barrier-lined streets of the Principality, providing a fantastic spectacle of speed and noise for the thousands of fans who pack the grandstands and viewing areas.

The 3.340km (2.075 mile) street track is the slowest circuit of the year with the cars averaging speeds of just 160kph (100mph) throughout the 78-lap race. From a technical point of view, the weekend will see the cars running with maximum aerodynamic downforce to take full advantage of the low speed corners. With its twisty narrow streets, frequent elevation changes and the famous tunnel, Monaco is a unique race venue which provides a challenge for man and machine.

Monaco may be the most unique race on the Formula 1 calendar, but for the engineers the challenge remains the same: fine-tuning the car to achieve maximum performance around the demanding street circuit. It's an unforgiving place, the twisty streets require an unusual set-up and total commitment from the driver. As a street course, the track usually offers low grip in the early part of the weekend, but come Sunday, the track will be nicely rubbered-in and will continue to improve until the final lap of the Grand Prix. The new regulations particularly wide front wings and KERS could make for a chaotic few laps at the start of the race. 

Rule Change Analysis ::: Diffusers

As previously mentioned, the 2009 rules changes were meant to be game changers, a technical shake up intent on leveling the playing field if only by clearing the board and making everyone start from a fresh sheet of paper. 

At its heart, one of the key tools the regulations employ is reducing the effect of aero wake on following cars - so that cars can travel closer with less loss of downforce... all of which should allow for more passing at the entry or exit of corners and overall tighter grids. And, by looking at the cars you can see the wildly increased front wings vastly out proportioning the scaled down rear wings. But, what you can't see are the diffusers - and that's where some of the real technical gains have clawed back performance gains from losses suffered by the new regulations.

Brawn GP have a cunning interpretation of the rules, one that allows for greater diffuser efficiency by employing more complex rear sections that actually incorporate suspension, floor, and rear crash structures to create  a double decker diffuser. And, because great minds think alike Toyota and Williams also debuted similar twin floor concepts. 

Diffusers Explained:

1.The key role of the diffuser on a modern racecar is to accelerate the flow of air under the car, creating an area of low pressure, thus increasing downforce. Meaning, the shaped piece of bodywork at the rear of the car draws the air out from under the car sucking it to the track, creating aerodynamic grip.

2.How's it work: the air passing under the wing has further to travel than the air passing over the top surface. This causes the air under the wing to accelerate, resulting in a drop in air pressure, this creates a difference in pressure between the upper and lower surfaces. This difference essentially means the wing is pushed down by the higer pressure above, generating what is known as downforce.

3. With this in mind, the role of the diffuser on a racing car is to speed the airflow up underneath the car, reducing its pressure, creating a greater difference in pressure between the upper and lower surfaces of the car. This means more downforce and aerodyamic grip, allowing the car to corner faster.

These rules are not unique to the so called "Double Decker" diffusers, they apply to all teams' interpretations of the regulations and have been in use since Lotus started the ground effects movement. But, given their greater efficiency are double decker diffusers the killer app for F1 2009? In a word, "NO". Were it that simple, Toyota would have considerably more than 26 points and Williams would be placed higher than 8th in the Constructors Standings. 

NKOTB, Brawn GP are dominant

So, I've been remiss. We are already 5 races into the 2009 F1 Season and nary a blog post since Aug of last year. A number of things transpired to cancel my trip to Watkins Glen last year and shipwrights disease  set in. Let's see if I can remedy that...

F1 Recap: it's now post-Race #5, the circus is back in Europa, and Brawn are in the lead. Wha?" Don't know who Brawn is? 

Well, to sum it up, Brawn is formerly Honda, now powered by Mercedes, and purchased by Michael Schumacher's former Technical Director (at Benetton & Ferrari) Ross Brawn for a dollar (or some such nonsense). Spoiled-brat-turned-golden-boy, Jenson Button is 4-for-5 in a completely unprecedented, unforeseen championship lead. Team mate Rubens Barrichello is, typically for RB, second to his team mate but still an impressive second in the championship. Remember, these folks were the 9th placed team in 2008, 8th in 2007, and 4th in 2006... so they've been sliding backward for some time. Of course, Brawn has a history of technical and strategic wizardry and rules revisions for 2009 were intended to be game changers... 

Over the next bit of posts I'll explore some of the changes in those rules, some of the advantages that Brawn GP have achieved, and try to remind you that although Brawn have command over the season thus far, every race has been well contested and we've not seen the in-race, runaway dominance of previous seasons. 

We're now into the European leg of the F1 season, typically this is where the largest technical advances are introduced - stay tuned.

Vintage Racing: Lime Rock Park VS Watkins Glen

Times are tough, people. Choices have to be made and the decisions aren't always easy. Especially when deciding which of the two vintage races to attend over the next two weekends. Sure, we could hit 'em both, but for the sake of this exercise, let's say we can't.

Lime Rock Park: Rolex Vintage Festival
150 cars entered for the weekend
$45 a day, per person. Kids, don't know.
Might get a couple lunch time laps IF there are enough Lotus owners to qualify

On Track: they won't send me an entry list, but last year it was mostly stuff I have very little interest in. There will be no large bore formula cars, no GTP or CanAm cars, and very sports racers of interest. We've already established that there won't be any Lotus 47s or 23s.

Watkins Glen: US Vintage Grand Prix
650 cars entered for the weekend
$45 for the weekend. Kids free
For an extra $20 you can get laps on track, the autocross event, and the Gelnkhana old course laps!

On Track: F-5000 reunion / Triumph is the featured marque / 29 different Lotus cars entered

For now, the plan is to hit the US Vintage GP. We're going in convoy with a handful of other Lotus owners (2 Elans, 1 Sport 190) and a Porsche GT3 (to follow behind and pick up whatever falls off the Lotus). We'll report back with photos when we return.

And yes, LRP is the photo on the left. LRP is set in a beautiful valley in NW Connecticut. The photo on the right is The Glen... which sits atop a windblown hill in a decidedly less picturesque area of New York State. Aesthetic don't count in this debate.

Phil Hill 1927 - 2008 - American's Formula One Champion.

Sad, but true - the news is that Phil Hill, the first American to win a Formula One World Drivers Championship, passed away at 10:30 this morning. Hill was 81 years old and lived a long and competitive life - including winning the LeMans 24 race ('58 & '62) and was a prolific automotive journalist that contributed volumes of text to Road & Track. At a time when too many racers expired at the wheel, Phil Hill pushed on, made history, and lived to tell about it.

Got something to say, a memory, or a kind word to his family?
http://www.philhill.com/remember_2.html

He will be missed - especially for his contribution to "doing the donut" (hint, it's 28 seconds in).

Adding disk brakes to your Europa? Where is the ideal placement?

Recently the question of ideal caliper placement has been bandied about, at least in highly nuanced Europa modifying community. Factors like suspension location, rim diameter, and cooling notwithstanding, there are other, more physics-minded calculations to be taken into account. Which is why I'm never surprised to see some AutoZone hopped up Civic handling poorly. It is amazing the amount of time/money spent on ill though out modifications purchased out of the backs of car magazines.

Now, onto selecting the location for our Europa's rear calipers.

The following is from Dave/2560. Lets say that the caliper friction center is 6" from the axle center, the tire is 24" diameter, and the braking action is capable of 1G of deceleration. If the caliper were at 270° 1G of stopping torque would add 2G of down force on the bearings (Total:3G) AND 1G deceleration (pressure on the front of the bearings)(Grand total: 3.16G at 200°). However, if it were mounted at 90°, the 2G down is now up giving a total of 1G up (added to 1G deceleration, that is 1.4G at 315°). But remember that the 2G force is always 90° from the mounted position and the 1G of deceleration is always pushing the tire to the rear (pressure on the front of the bearings). To neutralize the deceleration force on the bearings the caliper should be at the 150° position. This would also bring the 90° positions excess G force down by 1. This seems to be the ideal position.

Now, try to find a caliper that will bleed properly in that position!

F1 Coverage: Street racing Valencia style

Monaco seems to be first to mind when thinking about temporary street races in Formula One - certainly more so than the US Grand Prix when it was run though the backyards of old people in Arizona. However, Valencia has little in common with the Principality... only that they are both high priced locales and run their circuits to blast along high priced waterfronts. You see, for every tight 1st and 2nd gear corners at Monaco there are long straights, wide corners, and generous braking zone with which to set up a pass or overtake before the corner. F1 officials suggest that Valencia's average speed over the lap will be around 140 mph. Compared with Monaco's 96 mph the difference is staggering.

Of course, like Monaco, this is a temporary circuit run on public roads - so dramatic shifts in camber, changes in road surface, negligible run off areas, and the ever-present concrete barriers that line the circuit threaten DNF in a very real way. .

Opening practice for the Valencia-hosted European Grand Prix starts Friday, August 22.

The Chapman Strut...

... is not a McPherson Strut.

Of course, neither is a McPherson strut (because some FIAT engineer named Fornaca actually invented it in the 20's). But, that's another story.

A Chapman Strut, is however quite similar, and being a strut designed by Chapman it is one device that performs multiple tasks - namely shock absorbing and wheel location. Unlike a McPherson strut, Chapman's strut is located at the rear of a car and is statically mounted so that it exhibits no influence in wheel deflection or toe. As such it resists high lateral forces amazingly well for its light weight... although it has disadvantages in terms of height and side-load.

Lotus first used the Chapman strut on their Formula 2 car, the Lotus 12. The 12 is historically regarded as a failure in terms of championship points - and it was. However, the 12 should be noted as pioneering a number of significant innovations:
- 5 speed indirect gearbox
- magnesium "wobbly" wheels
- spaceframe chassis