2009 F1 Car Launches

I cant see how this panel could be just reflecting the light
if it were then it would most likely be bent towards the end where it meets the engine cover. And also, as you can see in this image here, the connecting line of the fin and the engine cover is too distinctive, which suggests a change in material, or of course a change in opacity

And look at this here. If it were a reflection then it should have the shiny characteristics of other reflections on the car, similar to a mirror. But this one is too faded which pretty much points to translucency

20090121-kia31hdiw7na9b1wesa7266e4p.jpg


Oh and im making these images using Skitch
anyone on a mac should download it. Very handy. Takes 10 seconds and uploads with a click, and just gives you a link :)
 
The BMW has some cool little details (shark gills along the floor, bumps on the side of the front wing, etc.) Simple liveries look quite good on these cars too. :)

Quick Nick's new, green "Q" helmet is both cheesy and badass:

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/an/anonymous/2009/01/20/diapo_149_000.jpg
 
I'll offer up another angle of this translucent thing (pun intended).

The fin doesn't seem like it takes any type of heavy loading (relative to what the rest of the chassis sees), so it may not need the fiber reinforcement. The resin used in the carbon fiber is usually considerably lower in density than the carbon fibers themselves. Therefore, a fin made out of just the resin would probably be about 15% lighter, obviously dependent on the original fiber volume fraction. You could then relocate that extra weight somewhere lower on the car for a lower center of gravity.

As far as the pictures go, i'm leaning towards it being solid. But could it make sense for it to be transparent from an engineering standpoint? Definitely.
 
The 09 cars have really grown on me. Finally a Toyota I don't want to throw up after looking at... The Ferrari's nose leaves a little to be desired, but otherwise a good looking car. Something about the Mclaren just seems off to the eye.

The Williams....stunner of the bunch IMO. And the BMW looks pretty snazzy with that livery too...

But can I just say...the Renault is probably the ugliest looking thing I've seen. Ever. Their liveries since ING came on board have just been absolutely terrible... And the nose on that thing...holy crap. It needs to be banned. Hopefully they keep on not passing their crash tests and have to change that nose because...well, it's a crime against humanity.
 
ja404 said:
I'll offer up another angle of this translucent thing (pun intended).

The fin doesn't seem like it takes any type of heavy loading (relative to what the rest of the chassis sees), so it may not need the fiber reinforcement. The resin used in the carbon fiber is usually considerably lower in density than the carbon fibers themselves. Therefore, a fin made out of just the resin would probably be about 15% lighter, obviously dependent on the original fiber volume fraction. You could then relocate that extra weight somewhere lower on the car for a lower center of gravity.

As far as the pictures go, i'm leaning towards it being solid. But could it make sense for it to be transparent from an engineering standpoint? Definitely.
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I've got it. McLaren are experimenting with invisibility polymers so they can add on all aero furniture of 2008 without anyone noticing! :ph34r:
 
Geez, we're still going on about whether or not the McLaren fin is translucent? It's not - if it was you'd see the signage from the other side reversed, but you don't.
 
Here's something interesting
Ferrari has illegal exhaust pipes and a manky front wing

f2009top.jpg


Scuderia Ferrari chose to unveil its new car for the 2009 F1 season before anyone else, so while other teams were assuredly tweaking their designs up until the last minute, Ferrari's was already out on the track. And now it seems there are some problems with the F60's design.

For starters, the exhausts are being reported as illegal. While the other cars revealed so far have inboard exhaust pipes, the Ferrari's protrude from the bodywork in contravention of new aerodynamic regulations. On top of that, Ferrari seems to be having trouble with its new jumbo front wing, which could explain why, with Fiorano snowed in, the team opted to run test laps at its own Mugello track instead of Algarve in Portugal where the rest of the teams are testing, presumably to be closer to the factory. An organization as large and streamlined as Ferrari should have no trouble fixing these problems before the start of the season, which hasn't even kicked off yet. Looks like this is going to be another one of those seasons.
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AshDav said:
And also, as you can see in this image here, the connecting line of the fin and the engine cover is too distinctive, which suggests a change in material, or of course a change in opacity
Click to expand...

Or just the fact that the engine cover is very curved and rounded, and the fin suddenly is straight and plane.

If it was translucent, we would see parts of the writing from the other side of the fin, but we don't. Carbon Fibre isn't translucent either, as pointed out a million times before.
 
mclarensmps said:
It has come to my attention (days late) that the fin on the engine cover of the McLaren is translucent (they say transparent in the thread I found this out on, but transparent would mean fully see through, like glass, which it is not - however, it is semi see through). There is debate going on about whether it is or isn't, what do you guys think?

Attention to detail is what I lack :p
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Well has their been any conclusion on that thread?
 
AshDav said:
Here's something interesting
Ferrari has illegal exhaust pipes and a manky front wing
Click to expand...

AarheadC said:
Leave it to Ferrari to ignore the rules. This isn't the first time they've done something like this. :rolleyes:
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I don't see the big deal - they're testing, so they can run whatever they want - whether it's of any benefit to their racing performance is something only Ferrari know.
 
Elvis313 said:
And brittle as hell.
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Well that all depends on the resin used. Straight epoxy? Yea that fin would probably be gone before the end of the first lap. There are definitely tougher polymers out there though.
 
First view of the McLaren from the front:

07UUT4X0KBNLA80MTZS3K0QJFYIO_450.jpg
 
Trulli:
"There is a massive drop in downforce and grip," he said. "In the conditions it was very difficult to get temperature in the tyres. It was really hard for everyone out there and it was nearly impossible to drive. This is the first feeling!"
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Glock:
In the morning, on a wet track, I felt pretty comfortable and it was easy to drive; there were no real problems.
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Lol :p Hmmm...
 
Trulli has driven nothing but F1 for a decade and Timo has driven 3 different series and several configurations of cars within that time. I'm not surprised Timo adapts to such significant changes faster than Jarno...
 
Assuming Trulli wasn't trying to play down or Glock trying to play up the car's capability.
 
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