Uncertainty spreads 10 days before the start of the World Cup

There are exactly 10 days left until the start of the 2011 World Cup, and never before have there been so many doubts about various aspects of the new season as this year. Let's try to summarize everything with this piece.

Mobile Wing: there is a risk of chaos
We already talked about it a month and a half ago in this article, and the various series of tests have confirmed the tide of doubts that is descending on the rear Mobile Wing. This year too the FIA ​​has done its best to complicate the lives of the drivers. Until now we have not heard a single person in favor of this unhealthy idea, which moreover (as if that wasn't enough) risks becoming a source of danger for the pilots themselves. It is not clear how it was possible to give birth to such an idea. And above all, what is striking is the bizarre application method that followed the introduction of this new detail. We talk about the zone of use, detection of the gap in the curve before the main straight. It seems like we're talking about a video game, not real Formula 1. We believe the storm that is hitting this solution will lead to a U-turn by the Federation. In 2012 we hope that this solution will be banned, or at least that the parameters of use will be changed. Unless there are no surprises of this kind already in 2011.

Kers: useless already in 2009, what will it be like in 2011?
The return of KERS after the 2009 interlude did not bring with it improvements from the point of view of application, too. The methods of use will be the same as two years ago. About 6/7 seconds per lap. And, given that only some teams will not be equipped with them (for budget reasons, above all), nothing will change from the entertainment point of view. If everyone uses it, the advantages disappear. And, we repeat what has already been said in the past, in a period in which drastic cost reductions are called for, the development of the Kers was to be avoided. But we know well that coherence in the Federation has been lacking for some time. And the teams also have their faults.

Tires: meh..
Pirelli's return to F1 after 20 years risks becoming much more important than it should be. This case has also been addressed in a previous article. The FIA ​​asked for tires that last less to have more pit stops. Pirelli executed. The pilots complain. The new covers wear out far too quickly, they feel like butter. We will practically return to the situation of 2009 with supplies, but even more accentuated. There is a risk of 3/4 pit stops per race, especially on the hottest tracks. Even those with a more 'docile' ride will not have significant advantages, because once the degradation has started there is nothing you can do to stay on the track for one or two more laps.
Furthermore, the choice to color the writing on the tire shoulder risks confusing those watching at home. As we remember, Bridgestone marked the softest compound brought to each GP with a circular green line, regardless of the type of tyre.
Pirelli has instead chosen to mark its four compounds, each with a distinctive colour, exactly like this:

Supersoft – Red | Soft – White | Medium – Blue | Hard – Yellow

Therefore we could have a weekend with tires marked red and blue, one with white and yellow tires and so on. We will therefore have to remember that color

Supersoft – Red | Soft – Yellow | Medium – Green | Hard – Blue

The only two wet compounds, incidentally, will be marked yellow (intermediate) and green (full wet).

There is a risk of great confusion.

Teams: who was really hiding?
Uncertainty reigns among the teams. Those who directly witnessed the tests speak of a Red Bull in very good shape and confident in its performance. Adrian Newey's new jewel seems a worthy successor to the Champion RB6, with the added bonus of greater reliability. And, if we do the math, this detail could kill the World Championship, in light of the points lost by Vettel in 2010 due to technical problems. But let's be careful.

Ferrari is the team that has logged the most kilometers of all in the winter tests. The new Ferrari seemed very reliable, as it was in 2010. The additional factor will be Alonso's anger at having lost the World Championship at the last race. And Felipe? He said he felt better with the Pirellis (after having complained throughout 2010 about the Bridgestones being too hard), we'll see if he can get back into form like in the 2007/2008 two-year period.

Mercedes is an unknown. For the entire duration of the tests the opinions on the new W02 alternated over and over again. The first releases created alarmism in the team. There was talk of times one second higher than Red Bull and Ferrari. The last major update step, expected as a godsend, has instead brought optimism back in the words of Haug, Brawn, Rosberg and Schumacher. The seven-time world champion also had the satisfaction of setting the best time in the latest tests in Barcelona, ​​subsequently expressing optimism for the start of the season.

The Mclaren seems to be the one in the most worrying conditions among the leading cars. The innovative solutions adopted on the new mp4/26 take time to be developed. And, as we know, there is no time due to lack of tests. The car appears to be (yes) about a second slower than the leading cars. We could, therefore, pay for the risk of bringing extreme solutions without the material time to develop them. Hamilton and Button said they were worried, we'll see if over the course of the year in Woking they will be able to patch up a car that has only covered a few kilometers and suffered various technical problems.

Lotus-Renault started its World Championship uphill at the beginning of February, with the accident at the Andora Rally which sidelined Robert Kubica (who is continuing his rehabilitation, we'll talk about it in a few days) for this year . It was therefore necessary to waste time looking for a replacement, which was later found in Nick Heidfeld. It will be his and Petrov's job to bring the new car to the track. But it won't be the same. It is a great shame, in fact, that the innovative solution of the front exhausts cannot be brought to the track by the top driver who, we remember, had concluded the first tests in Valencia with the best time. It will therefore be difficult to assess the actual competitiveness of the R31 without Kubica at the wheel.

Among the other teams, the one that impressed the most was 'our' Toro Rosso, which with the solution of the 'double bottom' under the bellies of the new single-seater set distinct times and showed a good race pace. We'll see if Buemi and Alguersuari will be able to take advantage of these improvements.
Williams also presented a car with an interesting innovation. A very small gearbox-transmission unit that leaves the rear of the new FW33 practically 'naked'. Truly a technical prodigy that could give advantages to Barrichello and Maldonado.
Sauber also showed progress with an overall 'conventional' car. The good time of the rookie Perez in the Barcelona tests was very important, it could be a good sign but we are waiting for Melbourne to see if it was just a flash in the pan.
Force India did not particularly shine, it seems substantially at the same levels as 2010. From a technical point of view, no innovative solutions were seen. The only notable one is the adoption of the split engine air intake, in the Mercedes 2010 style.
Solution also adopted by the new Lotus (the green one, so to speak), which with Trulli and Kovalainen and the adoption of the Renault transmission block seems to have made an important step forward compared to last year. The two drivers said they were satisfied with the improvement of the car in terms of performance, even if there are some flaws to be fixed from a reliability point of view.
Not much to note about the new Virgin, which will probably remain at the back of the pack this year too.

A few words about HRT. It remains the first mobile chicane par excellence. She miraculously managed to bring the 'new' car to Barcelona to present it, but she couldn't turn around because the shock absorbers got stuck in customs. The car is nothing other than the 2010 version (chassis) updated to be able to race in 2011. The sponsors, like last year, are the drivers, the livery is a kind of advertising that attracts sponsors which makes you smile but not too much. This year the limit of 107% in qualifying returns. The car will cover the first meters (maybe) on Friday morning in Melbourne. Do the math.

In general, however, applause for the teams is deserved, because after many years we have finally seen different technical solutions which we hope will diversify performances in some cases.

Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt: someone stop them
The prolonged winter break must have left some without worries, especially in the last three weeks. This is how extravagant proposals have arrived between Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt in recent times. The most incredible it is certainly that of Ecclestone, that is, to artificially wet the tracks during the GPs to create a bit of 'movement', intended as entertainment. But the dangerous thing is that someone agreed. Imagine immense jets of water pouring liters of water onto the asphalt in the middle of a Hungarian GP under the sun, putting the drivers at risk of going off the track. Would this be the show?!
The FIA ​​President, however, just yesterday proposed highlighting the drivers' race numbers more to better distinguish them. Speaking of this, Todt himself also proposed adopting a 'personal' numbering, in MotoGP style. In an F1 that needs many other changes, statements like this leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Ecclestone himself today, among other things, said he was against the motoring revolution of 2013, with 4-cylinder engines and the return of the Turbo. We'll see what will change in two years' time.

Concluding
In short, we are 10 days away from the start of a World Championship that has already lost the first race in Bahrain for the reasons we know. The new regulation leaves large doubts of interpretation, among the teams only Red Bull and Ferrari seem to be at last year's levels. Every day we read proposals that are at least bizarre between Ecclestone and Todt. Let's hope that the 'winter' circus leaves room for the 'natural' one, the one we've been waiting for since mid-November, and won't be seen or heard from again for a while.

Alessandro Secchi
F1Grandprix.it