Formula One ( F1 )

However I doubt it will hinder them too much. They'll probably just turn the hole into a slot, like Sauber's interpretation.

I have mental images of a bloke with a dremel at Red Bull HQ.

Would have loved to have seen that smarmy bastard Horner's face when that verdict came through.

To be honest I don't think he would have been that affected by it. Since Red Bull have started being competitive, they have been very good at being just on that fine line between what is legal and what isn't, there have been a number of complaints made against them over the years and the FIA have found in their favour in the past. Statistically speaking this had to happen at some point, Horner would have known this, and probably had a plan b ready to go. It may not be as effective as the now illegal plan a but with the brains they have at he factory it won't be a last minute bodge.

He's got Adrian Newey, whoever employs him tends to have the best car- on the edge of legality seems to be the fastest place to be.

^^ and ^ I agree. Still wished I could have seen Horner's irritating face.

Anyway, Montreal this weekend, being threatened by Anonymous - reason for concern? Genuine threats?
They've already cancelled the 'Open Day'.

I doubt the hole/slot will make much of a difference. They'll just use the Ferrari/Sauber style slot.

With regards to McLaren seemingly suffering a lack of power. They have the same engine as the Mercedes but are usually at the opposite end of the speed trap rankings. Most likely because Mercedes rely more on mechanical grip (hence the troubles with making the tyres last) so can sacrifice a bit of aero for speed. But all of the engines are so close (not sure about the Cosworth) that it makes little to no difference in terms of speed and reliability.

I had noticed that very few engines go pop these days.

I know that they're built with more reliability in mind, but you'd expect one or two magnesium parts to fry given that they're revving to 18k.

Honda had theirs to a reliable 25,000 rpm apparently, 18,000 is childs play (maybe).

Jesus. What does the Lovejoy Mobile go to?

6,800 rpm.

To rev beyond that needs a) a bigger turbine and b) a better intake manifold.

This is Hussein Hollands engine- rev limit is 8,000 rpm.

With regards to McLaren seemingly suffering a lack of power. They have the same engine as the Mercedes but are usually at the opposite end of the speed trap rankings. Most likely because Mercedes rely more on mechanical grip (hence the troubles with making the tyres last) so can sacrifice a bit of aero for speed. But all of the engines are so close (not sure about the Cosworth) that it makes little to no difference in terms of speed and reliability.

It's the whole package that determines the top speed, but I wonder if engine suppliers have to provide the same spec to all their customers? I'd be surprised if McLaren didn't get the same as Mercedes. Mercedes also have their trick rear wing which helps top speed when the DRS is open.

3 of the 4 suppliers have teams all through the field whereas neither of Cosworth's two teams are competitive - although Toro Rosso (Ferrari) and Caterham (Renault) aren't exactly mixing it at the front.

^ This.

The Cosworth engine is a bit of a boat anchor compared to the other power plants on the grid. It suffers a big 'hole' in the torque curve, loses power over the course of the race weekend, was at least 5kg heavier than the Renault engine and physically significantly larger, so much so that you could see the difference when put side by side with the Renault engine. In a word, the Cosworth is shit.

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In a word, the Cosworth is underdeveloped.

ftfy, it's a new budget engine which hasn't been through the same phases of evolution as the others.

I think it's fair to describe the Cosworth engine as shit. Look at Williams, who stuck with them since 2006, and as soon as they change to Renault engines, their fortunes change dramatically.

I like Cosworth, and their history. But at the moment, they just cannot compete in F1.

At least they made it back into F1 - Porsche tried a few years ago and realized just how far behind everyone else they really were.

It's the whole package that determines the top speed, but I wonder if engine suppliers have to provide the same spec to all their customers? I'd be surprised if McLaren didn't get the same as Mercedes. Mercedes also have their trick rear wing which helps top speed when the DRS is open.

3 of the 4 suppliers have teams all through the field whereas neither of Cosworth's two teams are competitive - although Toro Rosso (Ferrari) and Caterham (Renault) aren't exactly mixing it at the front.

I'd be incredibly surprised if it wasn't in the contract that the engines they buy have to be the same as the engines that the manufacturer use for their team. And since development has been frozen, there's no difference in upgrades either.

It's true that the Mercedes front wing DRS helps with the top speed, but since they've come into F1 they have always been much higher up in the speed traps than their race performance would suggest. Force India have a similar trent.

I still find it hard to write off the Cosworth completely without some solid data. Caterham haven't jumped that far forward despite going from Cosworth power to Renault power. The same engine used by Red Bull, Lotus and Williams. One has won 2 GPs this year, another has won 1, and the other is looking likely to win some before the end of the season. While F1 is a sport about chasing thousandths of a second, the difference between a good aero setup and a bad one is astronomically larger than a good engine and a bad one. If a team is doing badly it's almost certainly down to a bad aero package than anything else.

Good point.

I think it's fair to describe the Cosworth engine as shit. Look at Williams, who stuck with them since 2006, and as soon as they change to Renault engines, their fortunes change dramatically.

I like Cosworth, and their history. But at the moment, they just cannot compete in F1.

It isn't as simple as a new engine though is it? The back room staff at Williams changed radically between the start of last season and the start of this one to give all the credit to the Renault engine is a gross over simplification of what has gone on.

I haven't done a PhD in the shenanigans that have went on at Williams, so I suppose without enough material to support my hypothesis, it would always be fair to call it a gross over simplification. I thank you profusely for your correction.

Well I can tell you exactly what went on at Williams. Although Bobbo is largely correct the change to the Renault engine was/is a massive influence on the upturn in performance. Getting rid of Sam Michael was definitely another major factor and the others were the hiring of Mike Coughlan, Mark Gillan and also Jason Summerville as head of Aero in place of Jon Tomlinson. Everything started to work properly after those changes. Their Achillies heel now is their drivers.

Well I can tell you exactly what went on at Williams. Although Bobbo is largely correct the change to the Renault engine was/is a massive influence on the upturn in performance. Getting rid of Sam Michael was definitely another major factor and the others were the hiring of Mike Coughlan, Mark Gillan and also Jason Summerville as head of Aero in place of Jon Tomlinson. Everything started to work properly after those changes. Their Achillies heel now is their drivers.

Agree - but don't forget Ed Wood & Dickie

Aye, they're both proper awesome guys, great at what they do.

I take it this is old news?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_Wn1EFLa2C8

Not even a week old.
Pretty nice. Annoying editing though, I'd prefer to see a decent picture of it than that video