F1 2010 Racing League

Hey guys. I was thinking that setting up a racing league on F1 2010 would be cool. There of course would be a few rules but it should be fun. I have an Xbox so I'm afraid I can only play Xbox players so if your interested leave your gamer-tags down in the comment section and i will get back to you all on it with full details later.

Updating Things

So the news we have just lost the Bahrain GP and have to wait another 2 weeks for 2011 to get underway doesnt have to be that bad. I have recently updated my YouTube channel and uploaded a few more videos you should all check out. Here are the links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVakwXusVa4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAkIe6eH490
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMc247dzR1g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfG4r-dxfZc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXgpGeJT8is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCwmFmWIfNk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgNlBmKTWQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB9o2vqjHH4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKH-e-ohRe8
Also subscribe to my channel to get updates on videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jack22evans?feature=mhum


In other news i have created a Facebook page and a Twitter account just for the blog. They can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/JEs-F1-Blog/195099700509314?sk=wall&filter=2
http://twitter.com/#!/JEsF1Blog
So make sure you follow and like those. As ever make sure you follow the blog itself and spread the word please. Lets make this blog grow. Thanks Guys!!

Getting to grips with 2011 Part 1 (Tyres)

The change in tyres has been the biggest regulation change this year. Bridgestone decided to pull out of F1 and as we know Pirelli have now taking their place as the sole tyre manufacturer.

The rules about how many sets of tyres each team has hasn’t changed, they all still get 11 sets of slicks, 4 sets of intermediates and three sets of full wets. Also like last year there are four different slick tyre compounds of which two (the two compounds are decided by Pirelli) are brought to each race. They are the hard, medium, soft and super soft. What is different about the compounds is the way we the audience can tell which tyre a team is using. Bridgestone last year had a green stripe round the rim of the softer tyre so we could see what tyre a driver was on. This year however Pirelli are set to introduce a much more colourful method. On the side of each tyre are the words "Pirelli P Zero" and the colour of these words will be different for each compound. The super soft compound will feature red lettering, the soft white, the medium blue and the hard yellow. It is also reported that the intermediate tyres will have a red sidewall and the full wets will have a yellow sidewall.

For each race weekend each driver is allowed to use 2 sets of the harder tyre (referred to as the prime) and 1 set of the softer tyre (referred to as the option). One set of the prime tyres has to be handed back before practise 2 and the remaining of the three tyres after practise 2. For the rest of the weekend the drivers are free to use the rest of the 8 sets however they want but must use both compounds in the race at least once unless they have used a non-slick tyre in the race. The drivers who set a time in Q3 will as they had to last year start the race on the tyres they set their best lap on.

After the mainly one stop race scenario last year Pirelli have announced they will design their tyres to wear out quicker to produce more pit stops and add a greater strategic element. This has seemed to have worked as every driver has been complaining about the tyres wear rates. They have found that they go off extremely quickly especially the rear tyres which is to be expected as they are subjected to 750 horse power. This factor could play into certain driver’s hands like Jensen button for example and harm other drivers like Lewis Hamilton. But Hamilton may not have to fear that much from these tyres as each compound is harder than the same Bridgestone compound but they wear out quicker. This is a weird scenario and drivers who are good a putting heat in their tyres like Hamilton may have an advantage on the colder of days and those like Button who are not good at warming them up may be slower.

I think the tyres are the things that are going to throw up the biggest challenge for the teams. Changing from one manufacturer to another is not an easy feat. If we look back into the past we see that McLaren have a good record with changing tyres. In 2006 McLaren raced with Michelins and won no races but the next year they went onto the Bridgestone’s as Michelin pulled out and then got 8 wins and would have got the constructors title had they not been thrown out. So McLaren may have an advantage but they may not. We will never know till we get to Bahrain……….. Well if we are allowed to go. ;)

As ever follow the blog and tell your friends. Thanks guys.

Why Heidfeld Was The Best Choice

So, quick Nick will replace Kubica for his recovery period. To me this was Reno’s best bet of a strong competitor and a reliable team leader. Nick has worked with Robert as his team mate for the whole of the 07, 08, 09 and a bit of the 06 F1 season so he knows how Robert works in a team and can pick up exactly where he left off. Heidfeld was also the most experienced driver out of the ones Reno had at their disposal and with such high hopes with the R31 they want consistency to help with their constructers points especially if Vitaly does what he did last year. Nick is also very fast as the name quick Nick suggests. He had a great 07 championship regularly mixing it with the McLarens and Ferraris and had some great races in 08 like Silverstone and Spa. But there is one problem I see with Heidfeld and that is what if he does a Jensen Button. It’s not that hard to believe as we know of his skill and with Reno very confident with their 2011 challenger what will they do if he wins the championship. They will not replace Kubica for love nor money but they may consider swapping Vitaly for Nick if he amazes the critics….

Jérôme d'Ambrosio

Jérôme d'Ambrosio is a 25 year old from Belgium. He has raced in cars since 2003, his notable finished have been a third place in the 2005 Formula Renault 2.0 Italia Winter Series, a second place in the 2008 to 2009 GP2 Asia series and has won both the 2003 Formula Renault 1.6 Belgium series and the 2007 International Formula Master series. He will be racing under the number 25 for Virgin Racing in the 2011 F1 season. He has had some F1 experience after being Virgin's third driver in 2010 and doing quite a few friday sessions for the team. I think that Jérôme will struggle a bit in the first few races, but I also think he will come good towards the end of the season. I also think he will do a much better job than Di Grassi did last year.

Pre Season Features...

Right, sorry for the delay on a post. We have 26 days till the season starts and I have an idea of how we could past the time. When we get to 24 days away from the start I will start doing driver posts. One a day for every driver entering the 2011 championship. If you have any ideas of features I can do just comment below and I will do them if I like them.

HRT's F111

Images:

Aerodynamics:

Well it looks the same except with a new front wing and shark fin but i don't expect to see just those changes by Bahrain as Colin Kolles has promised us.

Livery:

Amazing.... It is one of the best looking liveries I've seen this year. It just looks so much like F1 due to the bright colours and checkered flag. Even the ads for sponsers look good.

My Prediction:

Unlike the livery I think the car will be the slowest on the grid. They had the slowest one last year and I can't really see much changing I'm afraid as the other new teams have shown some real positive changes the only thing positive HRT have really done is get a great livery.

Interesting Features:

The ads on the livery seem quite interesting..  I wonder how long they will stay there.

Force India's VJM04

Images:

Aerodynamics:

Well the first thing you notice is the roll loop is like the 2011 Lotus and 2010 Mercedes. Then when looking closer you can see a very intricate front wing and under cut side pods. Also the turning vanes look weird as they have a box at the bottom of them.

Livery:

I absolutely love this livery, it has the same colours as last year but the design is much better there are sections where the colours are pixelated which makes it look very fast indeed.

My Prediction:

I reckon this car will be in the same position as Reno where last year and where I predicted team lotus would be. Constantly scoring points and occasional podiums.

Interesting Features:

Well the so called banned roll loop is interesting as there supposed to be illegal. 

Virgin's MVR-02

Images:

Aerodynamics:
The MVR-02 has the lowest nose of the 2011 cars and a very complex front wing. This car has very different front and back ends from last years car but the middle seems to be similar. It looks like a good car very pointy and sharp.

Livery:
The livery look a lot better than last year, I love the white nose and the white lines down the car. It's not the best design but very good none the less.

My prediction:
I reckon the MVR-02 will be the just at the tail end of the mid field teams and scoring some points.

Interesting Features:
The low nose is very interesting as all the other cars have much higher nose's, have Virgin found something the others haven't.

Good Week-Bad Week

Good Week-

F1 Fans-After months of waiting finally all us F1 fans had something to read and talk about with all car launches and the start of testing. It seemed like a very long winter but all F1 fans may have even more good weeks to come with the season with have in prospect.

Moveable Rear Wing-It's been a very good week for this new device as after the first test most of the drivers have said they back the rear wing after getting there first taste of the device. Also the FIA have decided on where and when the rear wing will be aloud to use which has also been backed by drivers and teams.

McLaren-It's been a very good week for the Woking boys. Everyone thought there idea of not attending the first test with the mp4-26 was wrong but when they launched there car in Berlin everyone started raving about it. Many people myself included beleive that the mp4-26 will be a serious contender.

Bad Week-

Robert Kubica-An extremely horrid week for the pole with his rally crash that nearly severed his right hand off. With the severity of the crash Kubica could be out for the entire season which is not good for him especially if that lotus-Reno turns out to be a winner.

Ferrari-Ferrari where brimmed with confidence when they launched there car but after seeing the radical designs of there competitors a question mark has been laid over the F150.

Shout Out To F1 Spy

Hey guys i'd just like to give a big shout out to the F1 Spy boys who have advertised my blog on twitter and facebook. Thanks guys. Why don't the rest of you follow the on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/official_f1spy and on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/F1-Spy/156396174389179 and also there blog http://f1-spy.blogspot.com/ .

McLaren MP4-26

Finally we have the MP4-26....

Images:

Aerodynamics:
Well this is a very radical design we have here and I'm pleased to say that I love the shape of the McLaren. So lets start from the front and go backwards. The nose is higher, the side pods have been shaped like a U, there's a big vent just behind the air box and the side are very extremely shaped.

Livery:
It's the same livery we've had since 2007 but that's not a complaint as I very much like it but I would like there to be some red on the edge of the engine cover.

My Prediction:
I really think we could be looking at the championship winning car here. I know it's a bit early to say that but from looking at it, it just looks like an incredibly fast car and we all know the capabilities of the drivers behind it's wheel.

Interesting Features:
Well there's a lot here. The first is the unusual L shaped side pods which is supposed to get more clean air to the rear wing, the big vent behind the air box which I have no idea what it does and finally is the exhaust which McLaren are very secretive with as they used fake plastic ones in the launch.

Remember to follow...

Hamilton Hinting To Completely New Car????

Right, from reading the news after the second test yesterday I noticed something Hamilton said that none of the reporters seemed to have noticed. While in a Q&A session Hamilton said "Our car looks different to others and I hope it reflects on its performance. Ferrari and Red Bull look more like an evolution of last year's car." is this hamilton giving us a hint to what the car will look like or just trying to throw another thing in there to lead us of the path McLaren are actually on? Maybe or maybe not. All I can say is I'm looking very much forward to the launch tomorrow as it is rumored McLaren have Reno's front exhaust system and Toro Rosso's split floor among other cool innovations. You can watch the McLaren launch on their website tomorrow at 11 am UK time. As ever remember to follow the blog by clicking the button at the side and follow me on twitter @jack22evans.

A competition (sort of)

So it's been a few days and I've got 13 followers which is great. So this is what I'm offering in order to get me more followers I will send all my followers a complete formula 1 race each time I get to to 50 followers mark. So when I get 50 followers I will send those 50 people the 2007 Australian GP and when I get 100 I will send all of then the 2007 Malaysian GP, and then when I get 150 I will send them all the 2007 Bahrain GP and so on so forth. I have copies of all the races in the 2007,2008,2010 and hopefully soon 2009 as well so invite your friends to get your gift :). Thanks guys.

R31 Exhausts

Right I didn't notice this when I first saw the car but the R31 exhausts exit out the front of the car next to the start of the side pods. Here they are:

Image from www.autosport.com

The idea of this is similar to the blown diffusers but instead of giving just the diffuser extra downforce it gives the side pods and rear wing more. This could turn out to be a great idea, will people be forced to copy it as it could work so well, or will Reno have to scrap it as it could cause too many heat problems.

Comment on what you think and subscribe if you haven't. Also follow me on twitter and subscribe to my YouTube channel.  Both usernames are jack22evans

Toro Rosso's STR 6

Images:

Aerodynamics:
Well what can i say they haven't really given us the best of photos but what i can say is that they don't have a shark fin anymore, but I'm sure there are a few more changes.

Livery:
I have never really liked the Toro Rosso livery and to see them not changes just makes me like it even less. There colour choices are just too dark and bland for my liking.

My Prediction:
I'm afraid to say I really doubt the capabilities of this car. Ever since Toro Rosso stopped receiving Red Bulls cars I think they've just gone backwards.

Interesting Features:
Well I doubt there are any of these too, it seems like a very ordinary car.

Williams's FW33

Images:

Aerodynamics:

Yet another high nose. But looking at the rest of the car it does look very good. It seems very tightly packaged and very lowly slung. It sorts of looks like a dart, very pointy and sharp, rather cool in fact.

Livery:
Well this is not the livery that Williams will be using this season so i don't think i need to review it.

My Prediction:
Well i think this Williams will be like most of the others, a good solid car that can regularly score points but not really as quick as we want them to be.

Interesting Features:
Well I can't see any but they may have some hidden on put on the car at a later date.

Last car of the day the STR6.

Mercedes's MGP W02

Images:

Aerodynamics:
Well where to start. The only thing I can see that looks the same is the front wing but I'm sure that will change by Bahrain. So to the rest of the car they have finally got rid of that old airbox and have a conventional one, it has a very pointy nose, very sculpted side pods and just all together looks a lot more aggressive and a lot more grip. It also looks like it should suit Michael a lot more.

Livery:
Well the changes to the livery are there is a lot more green and more shiny silver which makes the car look a hell of allot better and more aggressive. It is just allot better than that old, dull W01.

My Prediction:
Well after seeing this I think is going to be a big surprise and a championship contender. We could see and 8 times world champion or maybe a new one.

Interesting Features:
Well I can't see any but there may be...

Next the Williams FW33

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Red Bull's RB7

RB7 next....

Images:

All images from http://www.autosport.com/

Aerodynamics:
Well the only differences I can see is a higher nose, new engine cover and new rear wing. All together a bit of a disappointment but looks like a good package.

Livery:
The livery hasn't changed much either but looks as good as ever, well except for the total logo on the rear wing which is a bit out of place and just spoils it i think.

My Prediction:
Well i think i can safely predict that this RB7 will be fighting for the championship but I think it will not as dominant as last year.

Interesting Features:
Well the only thing that i can see interesting is the engine cover. The RB7 is the only car so far to still have a shark fin engine cover. Could this be a way to get more speed?

Next I'll do the Mercedes but for the mean time follow the blog in the follow section on the side and follow me on twitter and subscribe to me on YouTube both are @jack22evans