Pirelli deny rumours of test role for Petrov

F1 Fanatic round-up

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In the round-up: Pirelli’s Paul Hembery denies claims the tyre manufacture will enlist Vitaly Petrov as a test driver.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Paul Hembery on Twitter

“Just to clarify Vitaly [Petrov] is here as a guest. We do not have a test car never mind talking test drivers. So no truth in rumours.”

Petrov expects F1 decision in next week (Reuters)

“I want to stay in F1 because if I lose one year then it will be very difficult to come back and to take some places for 2013. So it is important to stay.”

Q&A with Pedro de la Rosa (Autosport)

“I have no idea who could be or who is going to be [the other HRT driver]. From day one I’ve always said that I don’t care. What I do want is that it is a driver who can work as a team and who is not obsessed with beating his team-mate as his only goal.”

Caterham first to launch 2012 car after images leaked online (BBC)

Gary Anderson: “The Caterham’s nose looks pretty stupid – but everyone’s going to be heading in that direction.”

The art of fibbing (Grand Prix)

“I go to Frank [Williams] and, choosing my moment carefully – after all, he is trying to win the 1982 championship with Keke Rosberg – I explain that [Derek] Daly and I need to write this column and not look stupid. Could he therefore give me an off-the-record heads up on whether or not Daly would be staying? Frank said Daly was looking good for Williams in 1983. At least, that’s what I thought he said. In fact, knowing what I know now, he didn’t say it exactly.”

Manish Pandey on Twitter

“Universal are working very hard for a short iMax release of Senna too.”

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Comment of the day

I think Chalky did the best job at articulating the mass revulsion at the new Caterham:

Oh My, very odd! I’m sure my kids could build something prettier in Lego.

I know they have to go by the FIA regulations, but it’s looks like they split the cars parts up to different teams and they all came into one warehouse and fitted them together without telling each other what they were making.

Normally I now say “Can’t wait to see what XXXXX looks like”, but I’m not sure now.
Chalky

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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64 comments on “Pirelli deny rumours of test role for Petrov”

  1. People should try to avoid thinking that the CT-01 nose looks ugly ‘because of the FIA’. All the FIA have done is written some numbers and dimensions to work within – the nose is really just a shape the teams have created within the dimensions they’re allowed, and an interesting one at that.

    I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the cars from teams who have sported especially high noses lately – like the Sauber, the Force India, and Ferrari…

    1. I bet after all the teams show the 2012 cars, we’ll be saying: “remember when we said the CT-01 was ugly?”

      1. No duck nose from the Woking team:

        http://www.mclaren.com/page/watch-the-launch-of-the-vodafone-mclaren-mercedes-mp4-27-live

        And I guarantee Newey’s challenger is not nearly as ugly as the CT01.

        1. Could be anything under that veil, looks identical to last years prelauch countdown image!

          1. It actually looks quite different to last years, with a much lower nose, and a seemingly tighter back end. Still, could be anything, but I personally don’t think Mclaren will have a “Duck Nose”

          2. Could be anything under that veil

            Indeed. I remember a 3D render of the MP4-26 with a cloth over it last year that made it look as if McLaren had included bodywork that connected the front wing to the sidepods.

        2. @d3v0 @Jake The image shows nothing. They used that same exact CGI picture last year.

          MP4-27
          MP4-26

          1. ^ This ^
            Really funny that people were getting so excited about it yesterday and where commenting on it not spotting its the same as last year.

            Is everyone going mad with anticipation?

          2. Is everyone going mad with anticipation?

            I think everyone is in denial that Caterham’s nose design will be the rule for 2012 rather than the exception, and so they are looking for some vague hope that a team will produce a car without a platypus nose.

          3. @raymondu999 right you are. They later released a similar 3D fly-around version, which did have the MP4-26 underneath, hence the confusion

          4. Nice call on that @raymondu999 I must have missed that particular silouhette last year.

        3. …”unveiled by Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton”

          Has the pecking order changed? ;)

          1. For this year, probably yes. Jenson beat Lewis by 43 points in 2011 so has probably earnt first dibs on a few things like first go in the car etc.

            Or maybe they do it in alphabetical order. Who cares, Jenson and Lewis are a good match and their third year together should be their best yet.

            JB has improved his qualifying and may improve it further. LH has hopefully but band aid on his brain and will be fully on it.

            If the car is quick I predict the Mclaren boys will show the way this year!!

          2. Could just be alphabetical?

    2. @Electrolite

      I don’t really agree, this stepped nose seems to me to be the optimum solution. The FIA wrote the rules to encourage a lower nose however, due to the importance to pushing air under the car it was inevitable that this would happen.

      I think the rules were made… without really considering other options to phrase them, or the consequences.

      1. @mike, its important to remember, that originally the plan was to lower the height of the bulkheads as well, but some of the teams opposed that, so we got stuck with the rule how it is now.

        Not the FIA’s doing, but the FIA and the teams together.

        1. Excellent point @BasCB

          It’s a shame the teams did not agree to a lowered bulkhead.

  2. People might think I’m blind, but take the nose aside, and the CT-01 is not a bad looking thing!

    We’ve seen worse, definetly!

    1. And awful nose could make a beautiful girl ugly.

      1. but it doesn’t convert her into the worst looking girl on earth as some are saying…

        I recall the F310 from 1996 had a much uglier nose. The CT-01 is not that bad!

      2. Hmm not true a crooked nose gives a girl character. Not that I think this car nose looks good.

      3. I dunno, unusal noses on girls have always done something for me. Always like Sarah Jessica Parker, a lot but my mates could never understand it. Go figure as our friends across the pond would say.

        1. You learn so much about people on this site ;D

      4. It’s not just the nose for me though…it’s the sidepods, the airbox, the livery and the way the sponsors look completely littered. Ah well I’ll wait until some better pictures are released. Which reminds me, why haven’t any appeared anywhere yet?

    2. @fer-no65 I agree with you and I also think it’s a matter of taste. I usually strongly disagree with the magazines who publish lists of 10(0) best looking / sexiest persons in the world as well. And, talking about F1, I just like to watch how the shapes of cars change each year.

  3. Was hoping for a nice hi-res silhouette of the MP4-27 in this round-up, ala:

    http://www.mclaren.com/page/watch-the-launch-of-the-vodafone-mclaren-mercedes-mp4-27-live

    But no such luck :( I need a new desktop background

    #fanboi

  4. Pedro de la Rosa: wanting a team mate who “isn’t obsessed in beating their team mate…”
    Considering they’d probably beat you anyway, its for the best mate.
    Maybe HRT should hire Gaston Mazzacane…

    1. He’s free… so they could!

    2. I think it’s a fair comment, HRT need development, consistency and time.

      A driver who is in it for himself rather than the team isn’t going to help them at this stage.

    3. @nackavich Exactly. Whoever gets the 2nd seat will surely have an easier job than most.

      1. Whoever it is, I’m hoping HRT make an announcement soon. Just so that we have something to pass the time until the McLaren launch on Wednesday.

        1. @prisoner-monkeys Let’s just say it’s me. Drama and excitement will unfold!

          1. I knew it, I could feel it

  5. Happy birthday to Stealthman and Weasel Chops!

    sounds like a comedy act or some kind of techno music :P

    1. Lol, or a dynamic duo :)
      Happy birthday guys

    2. Heheh… thanks guys. (I’m Stealthman by the way – changed my name when I got a proper account! :P )

      1. Happy Birthday then @SouthPawRacer, the same to Weasel Chops!

  6. Despite the CT-01’s unorthodox looks, I find this quote from Gary Anderson promising:

    “The main thing that affects the airflow over the car is a relatively primitive piece of engineering, and that’s the area that needs to be optimised. But it is a bolt-on bit, so it can be modified relatively easily.”

    I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the teams show up in Melbourne with a very different nose assembly to the one they debut with.

    1. His talking about the frond wing not the nose.

      1. Yeah, exactly. The nose, the thing that looks ugly, is part of the chassis and it’s not a “bolt-on” bit.

  7. I blame the noses on Newey…

    1. Newey did create a flattened nose on the RB5, but the whole front end was at the same level. The RB5 pioneered the V-channel running the length of the nose, but the lowest point of that channel was still level with the flat nose in front of it. The CT-01, on the other hand, had a visible step down halfway along the nose. The lowest point of the channel – the Naza logo – is higher than the section of nose in front of it, the car’s number.

    2. yes, he does have a rather bug nose doesn’t he ;-)

  8. Williams have released a semi-official spy shot of the FW34.

    1. I’m as keen to see spy shots as anyone, but that doesn’t really tell us much!

      Thanks for posting that image though!

    2. There is a couple more here, haven’t gone through it because I have to go. But I doubt you can see much from it.

    3. The engine looks like the Cosworth

    4. they’re not really spy shots, someone just print screened during the michael johnson interview – also looks like the FW33 (cosworth engine is a giveaway)

    5. This is not FW34. It is FW33 or earlier. How can I tell you say? The light blue you can see on the engine is the Cosworth Head Cover.

      The Renaul engine doesn’t have this blue head cover.

  9. Some Engrish from Turun Sanomat – when translated to English, you get this little gem:

    Another setback for Petrov is that just as the negotiations were critical his manager Oksana Kosatshenko broke his leg.

    1. That is funny!

    2. his leg? Did I miss something? I thought Oksana was a middle-aged blonde female….

      1. I think that’s the point of the joke, it sounds like Oksana broke Vitaly’s leg.

    3. @prisoner-monkeys Yet he decided to hide the fact it’s broken a la Mark Webber so he doesn’t destroy a chance of a seat this year.

  10. It amuses me greatly that in a sport that showcases some of the most incredible technologies and innovation, that combines some of the best minds in mechanics, aerodynamics, computer science amongst many others, that when a new car is launched, the entire discussion is dominated by how “pretty” a car is.

    1. It’s all we have for now;). I’m sure if this thing goes on to win both championships most F1 fanatics won’t mind it being ugly. But we can’t judge performance yet.

    2. @Puffy I doubt that would be the case if there was anything noticeably innovative about the Caterham, or indeed most of the cars that get launched. There was a lot of discussion last year about McLaren’s unusual sidepods, Renault’s exhaust position and so on.

      1. @keithcollantine Yeah I know, was just a little tongue-in-cheek :P

    3. Ha that is true! Mainly because I think the vast majority of people who follow F1 don’t have a clue about what is good aerodynamically and therefore only have the cosmetics to go on. Plus there is that age old saying that “if a car looks pretty – it is normally quick”.

      1. I love thinking about the Aerodynamics, I spent about 20 minutes explaining to my girl friends why the nose has a step and then why that solution was used.

        Needless to say she was very interested :D

        (Also, I’m the luckiest guy alive)

  11. If it’s one thing, my COTD at least teaches me, and hopefully you, to proof read your comment before hitting ‘Submit’.

    I’m sure my kids to build something prettier in Lego.

    I mean, what sort of poor English is that line? :D

    I was cursing it when I read it back and was sort of hoping that Keith wouldn’t then highlight my mistake in the daily round up.

    I shall be more careful in future. At least Firefox spell-checker stops me from the glaring mistakes when I’m using my PC browser.

    N.B: I also understand why there is no ‘Edit’ option on the comments section. It would not be fair to be able to edit a comment in a debate.

    1. @Chalky Actually I usually do, so I have done now :-)

    2. @Chalky well I’ve seen sites where it clearly shows if and when it has been edited. And courtesy would probably to add a line saying ‘edited some spelling mistakes’

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