In a little under a week F1 teams will begin revealing their cars to the public. Ferrari will be leading the charge, with the fairy bread and punch hitting the tables next Thursday. Within two weeks we’ll know what the majority of the grid will look like for the first race on the 2010 calendar (Bahrain, 14 March).
While the technical regulations for 2010 don’t differ too greatly from 2009 one big change is the lack of in-race refuelling for the 2010 season. The preview above, courtesy of The Guardian, gives a brief rundown of the changes to expect and how the larger fuel tank, basically double the size of the 2009 cars, will affect other aspects of F1 car design.
The right hand column of the graphic also holds some very interesting information in the form of fuel consumption data from the 2009 season. While its true all engine manufacturers will be preparing engines with 2010 regs in mind it is notable that Renault used around 2.4kg of fuel per lap, on average, compared to more than 2.55kg/lap for the Toro Rosso. Just behind Renault in the fuel consumption race were McLaren and Red Bull Racing.
For a larger version of the image above you can click on the link below which links directly to a 104kb PDF. More information on the launch of 2010 cars by F1 teams can be read at Formula1.com.
Meanwhile, Jaime Alguersuari has had his 2010 race seat with Toro Rosso confirmed. A full list of confirmed drivers is available on The Guardian website.
[Source: The Guardian | Thanks to Wes for the tip]
Current launch line-up at a glance:
January 28 – Ferrari, Maranello, Italy
January 29 – McLaren, Newbury, UK
January 31 – Sauber/Renault, Valencia, Spain
February 1 – Mercedes GP/Williams, Valencia, Spain
February 10 – Red Bull/Force India, Jerez, Spain
Early February – USF1, Barber Motorsport Park, Alabama, USA
February 12 – Lotus
(Dates courtesy of Formula1.com)