well if they are competitive i'm sure mercedes will back them with enough cash to keep up the development

was it? i thought i read that brawn had stopped working on the bgp 001 once he got a huge lead. the exception was a couple weeks when rbr caught up and was within striking distance....or was that spin?

I think Brawn was quoted saying the race for the championship last year towards the end set back this year's car in the wind tunnel about a week or so.

While i do give you the fact that they got caught up by the end of the season they surely had enough in the tank to win races given the talent in the seat.

I also agree with your argument that Merc is not in the same league as Mclaren and Ferrari.. ...in terms of bloated spending. However, they are well in the same league in all other aspects in my opinion.

Please keep in mind that this is one of the primary reasons Merc went for them in the first place.. Yes they dont have all these employees and such but at the same time they dont have this massive payroll to cover at the end of the month. All the painful personell cuts have been made already and they will just have to make do with the manpower they presently have. I dont think Merc will balk at spending on development over the course of the championship at higher levels than last year but they had NO INTENTION of purchasing or spending money in an operation the size of Ferrari or Maclaren. They are looking for a lean well run team and value for money.

Basically they want the essentials of a large scale racing team (Mclaren/Ferrari/Honda/Toyota/Old Renault) .. without the fat (Sauber although a tad too lean) .. Technology and talent wise i think Merc are on the right track. If their car was woefully inadequate (Badly designed) and they couldnt identify the problem and rectify it quickly then i would agree with you more but i cannot at this moment. It just requires the present staff to put a little more productivity in to get the same result than the "larger" teams who have loads more manpower with the resultant larger budget.

According the Brawn the design and engineering offices (different from manufacturing offices) were not affected when they reduced staffing levels.
black magic obviously thinks it's about manufacturing parts, but certainly all established teams have enough manufacturing capability to bring new parts to both cars at each race. Certainly the big teams, including Mercedes, have tremendous manufacturing capability (where did you think all the Honda millions were going).
And if Mercedes temporarily need more manufacturing staff, like now when there's a peak in parts manufacturing, they can hire temps (which I believe they are doing).

With homologated front, side, rear crash structures as of this year, teams will not even be able to use all that manufacturing capability as it makes redesigned tubs and new gearboxes during the season a thing of the past.
And if you have the technology for high strength composites, you can even race one tub throughout the year (like Jenson did last year).

Money is no worry. After Ferrari, Mercedes is the best funded team I believe. McLaren is no longer the cash rich team it used to be since the Mercedes withdrawal and Santander reducing their commitment considerably and moving to Ferrari.

Does anybody have a number on how much honda have invested into their F1 effort after their BAR takeover towards the end of 2005?

From Planet-f1 forum:
"I have just heard on good authority that Mercesdes will be testing tomorrow at Rockingham!!! Aparently they are carrying out a shake down test of their new Diffuser (super or not)for the first Grand Prix.
Now... I thought that was everybody done and no more testing, cars being shipped off and all.... but aparently they are aloud to do 100 miles! Do know any specfics but, be sure if an F1 car sparks it's engine into life I will know as I work 200 meters away from the track!
If this does prove to be true i will be down there with camera (If aloud in) to report back with any findings."

This is straight line test we were talking about.

Didn't realise Planet-F1 was still considered as a reliable source of news.

There were other sources suggesting this test. I think it is plausible, because MGP will want answers for some questions they have. Who will drive?

Maybe Nick

Skip work.....you shall be this thread's Oracle for the day. Please take loads of pictures and try to get as much visuals as you can!

If they do the test, will be one the official drivers, because they can make comparison?
From Scarbs in f1technical forum: "Just to add to the Bahrain update, I heard from an industry insider that a higher (dare I say say Red Bull-like) nose, has been investigated and might be an option."
The post in Planet F1 is not mine. His name is Hewitt.

If they havent reached their mileage limits I don't believe there is any reason why a team cannot organise a full test if they wanted. AFAIK there is no limit on what mileage they can do during a straightline test.

http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_an...gulations/8692/

I wonder if that full scale model test also means they can run the tunnel at full speed.

These testing restrictions are getting more ridiculous by the minute.


Cooper

Absolutely.

I don't understand how they investigate they high nose now, they have to do it when they was designing the car. They was surprise to see other use it? RBR nose was the best last year. And MGP didn't check it out? Because Scarbs is positive that we will see new nose on the car maybe not for the Bahrain ,but for some next race. So many changes speak to me that they were not sure how to design the car. But this is why the tests are.
My mistake with the name.

Scarps?

http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/Mercede...in-Bahrain.html

any news on the straight-line test ?

From the same poster on the PF1 boards:

I am happy they are testing. Will help for the first race. Good security there, hope no leaks. This have to be the third car, because other two have to be in Bahrain already.

Not sure. According to f1total



Could be a last shakedown before the cars flying to Bahrain following night.

Rosberg: I'm on par with Schumacher! Rosberg sure sounds confident.

Understatement

Not the first time I have seen such statements from a Schumacher teammate at the start of a season.

Exactly, i remember Rubens telling those every season back then

sounds like "this is my year"

Why do you guys just focus on this Nico's words? Does the title cause it? We all know what media like, don't we? Why don't you notice Nico rejected Schumi's rumour about struggling car? Do you hope he says that he is slower than Schumi? I think any driver won't say that if he want to do something in F1.

Nico R. is evaluating car from different perspective. Maybe this is best what he ever had, whereas Michael, while he see the same situation, but realises another potential due to his experience. On the other hand, we might need to wait another three races to get to the bottom of this. For now I am disregarding Michael's age as the factor behind this; it's too soon for that.

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-...ik-1770637.html

The best article from AMuS this winter.
Now it´s clear why Michael was so much slower than Hamilton especially at the end of his first stint within his race simulation.
Michael did the first stint with the soft compound, Hamilton with medium (Ross Brawn says the soft compound was too soft for Barcelona).
The situation changed after the first pitstop when Hamilton used the soft tyres and Michael the medium compound ("After that (tyre change), he (Hamilton) looked not that outstanding anymore"; Ross)

It also says that the main problem for Mercedes are balance issues. Depending on the turns, the car goes from understeering to oversteering or vice versa which leads to a higher tyre wear, especially at the front. The new aero package should improve the situation.

There are also a few other interesting quotes left in that article, maybe someone wants to translate the whole thing.

http://twitter.com/rockinghamuk
As you have guessed, we had the delightful Mercedes Grand Prix & Mr Schumacher with us today. We've really enjoyed their visit about 2 hours ago

That's classy from Schumacher. He always wants to do everything by himself, unlike some other drivers who just show up and demand that the car be ready.

Despite all efforts made in past few years to screw F1, this is gonna be a season to remember.

Any twitter pics of the Rockingham test?

Just a sloppy translation of the Bild interview. Rosberg said, “Ich will auf jeden Fall auf Augenhöhe mit Michael sein und dieses Jahr Rennen gewinnen.“. That means, he wants to be on his level, not that he will be.

Schumi respektiert mich jetzt mehr als vorher

The only pics from the test are this: http://img528.yfrog.com/i/87l.jpg/ and http://img168.yfrog.com/i/tmx.jpg/
From f1technical forum: "I´ve heard the team is very pleased with the result of todays test
The main target for Bahrain is to sort out some balance issues, which hampered the drivers especially on high fuel load. If the drivers have more confidence in the car, it should extract a few more tenths over the long runs, additional to the time gain of the new aero/mechanical package."
And, as usual there is no word from MGP.

Apparently they were doing video shoots at Rockingham as well.
http://img6.yfrog.com/i/p1w.jpg/

So, was it Schumi driving yesterday?

Brawn: Mercedes behind with preparations

Mind games from Ross...we've seen what he's done with Ferrari over the years.

Recycled article from other sources...nothing new really

MS is bullish about first race in Bahrein. I wouldn't say they are behind. Maybe behind their plan, but for sure not behind the other top teams.

Bahrain GP: Mercedes GP preview

The much-anticipated 2010 Formula One Season gets underway in Bahrain next week and marks the return of a Mercedes-Benz works team to the sport for the first time in 55 years. The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team go into the season with the prestige of being the current Constructors' World Champions, led by Team Principal Ross Brawn, and with one of the most exciting driver line-ups on the grid as seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher returns to the sport to partner the talented Nico Rosberg.

Bahrain International Circuit Stats

Circuit Length: 6.299 km
Race Distance: 308.405 km
Number of Laps: 49

Full Throttle: 65%
Brake Wear: Hard
Tyre Compounds: Super Soft / Medium
Downforce Level: Medium/High 8/10
Tyre Usage: Medium
Average Speed: 205kph (127mph)

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

"Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas. The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get underway in Bahrain. It's funny to think that I will be competing in Formula One again when just a few months ago, I would have declined the opportunity categorically. But sometimes things change and the right circumstances come together. I feel fresher than I have for many years. I am perfectly prepared physically and most importantly, my energy is back completely. When I retired from racing in 2006, my batteries were simply empty. Now they are totally recharged and I am ready for the challenge. It is the competition at the highest level that only Formula One offers which has provided the temptation for me. It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It's important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there."

NICO ROSBERG

"The build-up to a new Formula One season is always an exciting time, particularly when you have a new team to settle into and a brand new car to get used to. It has been a really nice process integrating into MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel very much at home here already. Our pre-season testing programme has gone pretty well in February. We did have some concerns that we were not able to find the right direction to extract the maximum potential from the car but by working hard, we were able to find our way and ended testing on a high. We also have a good upgrade coming for Bahrain which should develop the car further and so I am quite optimistic that we will do well. Bahrain is a track which I really enjoy so it should be a good start to the season all in all."

ROSS BRAWN

"Everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is proud to be representing the rich motorsport pedigree of Mercedes-Benz as we start the season as the first Mercedes works team for over half a century. In addition, knowing that we go into the new season as the reigning World Champions gives the team confidence and a fierce pride to defend our position. However this is a new season and a new challenge. We had a strong pre-season testing programme with the MGP W01 but we are not quite reached the level of preparation that we would have liked prior to Bahrain. The car shows promise and we have a strong development programme planned for the season but there is a lot of hard work ahead to ensure that we will be in the fight for the title. I am very pleased with how our new drivers Michael and Nico have settled into the team and developed a close working relationship. They have really pushed the development of the car throughout testing and they will push each other to achieve better results on the race track. This season should be a fantastic one for the fans with so many talented drivers competing and what is likely to be a very close fight for the title between the top teams and that can only be good for our sport."

NORBERT HAUG

"The Bahrain Grand Prix as the first race of the 2010 Formula One season marks the beginning of a new era for Mercedes-Benz. 55 years after the last race of the Silver Arrows works team, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS will start to continue this tradition. In preparation for our first season, we have covered over 6300 kilometres during 15 test days from 1 to 28 February. Judging our competitiveness for the first couple of races, my impression is that we are not quite where we want to be and I would not see our team in the role of favourites. Having said that, I am fully convinced that the whole team and our drivers Nico and Michael are fully prepared to get on top of our job and fulfill our targets which are winning races and fighting for world championships."

-source: mercedes gp

The fellow on the planet F1 forum reports an 0.8 second gain in laptime of the new package. Pretty huge IF true.

Is The Fellow more reliable than The Dude? The Dude may be conservative but he has repeatedly shown himself to be closer to the mark compared to both The Guy and The Person. Frankly, until and unless there is more information from Mercedes themselves, I'd still put my trust in what The Dude said.

Well The Fellow ™, was the original source for The Test ™ that was performed at Rockingham and was proven accurate. That said, even he is skeptical about the reported 0.8s time gain (loss?). Perhaps The Fellow's ™ source is, in fact, The Person ™? I guess the world will never know....

Yeah.

From http://twitter.com/rockinghamuk: "Cries of ...."is it both cars now??!" from the office. Nice." There were two drivers(not only Schumi)? I think they were doing some promo work , but also shakedown of the two new chassis for Bahrain. About 0,8s(don't know if true), they can easily measure difference if one car was with Barcelona configuration and other with Bahrain configuration. Two sources suggested they were happy with results. Lets hope.