2013 Car Reveal & Winter Testing Kickoff

It’s finally time.🙂

I decided to merge these two threads because they feel like two sides of the same coin, don't you think? If the moderators feel differently though, I'm totally fine with that.

The logic here is pretty straightforward: most teams will basically unveil their new rides at one of the testing tracks or just a few days before we hit the asphalt. It makes sense to have everything consolidated in one spot. After all, during those big reveals, we usually just get a glimpse of the basic setup and some fresh paint jobs—and sometimes even less than that!

So, let's get things rolling with the key dates for our three testing blocks, four days each:

02/05 - Test Day 1 - Laguna Seca
02/06 - Test Day 2 - Laguna Seca
02/07 - Test Day 3 - Laguna Seca
02/08 - Test Day 4 - Laguna Seca

02/19 - Test Day 5 - Circuit of the Americas
02/20 - Test Day 6 - Circuit of the Americas
02/21 - Test Day 7 - Circuit of the Americas
02/22 - Test Day 8 - Circuit of the Americas

02/28 - Test Day 9 - Circuit of the Americas
03/01 - Test Day 10 - Circuit of the Americas
03/02 - Test Day 11 - Circuit of the Americas
03/03 - Test Day 12 - Circuit of the Americas

Stolen from darkmarlin16: 😉

Don't expect any massive overhauls to the car designs; just look at the Aston Martin Aramco team for a perfect example:



We're looking at weight balance shifts, an increase in minimum weight—I suspect that means heavier tires—new flex testing for the front wings, beefed-up driver safety cell protection (though I couldn't tell you the specifics), and the end of that Mercedes double DRS trick.
Oh, and they’ve added some cosmetic tweaks to the nose, including an optional "nose carrier" component.

My apologies for the image size; feel free to zoom in. I really need to figure out how to resize these things properly!😳

Alright, we’ve got another date on the calendar, February 3rd. Red Bull is set to pull the curtain back on their RB 9, and they'll be hosting the big reveal right at their home base over in Milton Keynes.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/r...143006287.html

There’s been some talk that they might actually bring back that exhaust setup from the start of last season. The word is that specific design offered the best kind of downforce, but they were just too rushed to get it perfectly dialed in with the rest of the car's aero.

Raymond Anderson4 said:There’s been some talk that they might actually bring back that exhaust setup from the start of last season. The word is that specific design offered the best kind of downforce, but they were just too rushed to get it perfectly dialed in with the rest of the car's aero.

Who?

Look, all I can really tell you is this: 🙂
- honestly, I think you’re gonna be right along with me on this one... 😬

Raymond Anderson4 said:There’s been some talk that they might actually bring back that exhaust setup from the start of last season. The word is that specific design offered the best kind of downforce, but they were just too rushed to get it perfectly dialed in with the rest of the car's aero.

steelmaker83 said:Who?

I’m leaning toward Ferrari—honestly.
I mean, they rolled up last year with that insane exhaust setup—the one that was basically melting the rear tires and the floor, if I remember right.
Last year's car was just way too slow at the start—mostly thanks to that rushed exhaust setup they slapped together at the last minute. Now, who knows what kind of nonsense they’ve cooked up for this season... we'll just have to see if those wind tunnel numbers actually hold up once we hit the track.

I can't quite track down the exact link—some page seems to have vanished from my history—but I distinctly remember stumbling upon an article last year. It mentioned Fry noting that they were actually looking back at that older exhaust design because their simulations and data modeling showed it consistently delivered the best results.
On the McLaren side, that specific setup provided much better rear-end stability and made tire management a whole lot easier.

If you're totally lost, just go back to where you started—back when you weren't exactly breaking any speed records.😁
I’ve got a feeling that if things don't turn around, this might be the final year for Leclerc, Sainz, and maybe even Lewis at Ferrari.😳
I highly doubt Ferrari management is going to sit there and take six years of straight failures in a row...

stormybadger8 said:If you're totally lost, just go back to where you started—back when you weren't exactly breaking any speed records.😁
I’ve got a feeling that if things don't turn around, this might be the final year for Leclerc, Sainz, and maybe even Lewis at Ferrari.😳
I highly doubt Ferrari management is going to sit there and take six years of straight failures in a row...

Let’s be real: when you look at Ferrari—specifically Alonso—he’s been the only one actually making life difficult for Red Bull over the last three years. In two of those seasons, he dragged that championship fight right down to the final corner.

A miss?

Even if there were technical failures with the car, the driver wasn't the problem. You don't fire management just because the machinery fails.

steelmaker83 said:Let’s be real: when you look at Ferrari—specifically Alonso—he’s been the only one actually making life difficult for Red Bull over the last three years. In two of those seasons, he dragged that championship fight right down to the final corner.

A miss?

Even if there were technical failures with the car, the driver wasn't the problem. You don't fire management just because the machinery fails.

What on earth does Alonso’s driving have to do with design failures, wind tunnel issues, or whatever other excuses they're using?😕
And how does his talent justify keeping a crew that can't even build a decent car?😕

Besides, haven't you noticed the pattern over the last five seasons?...
Ferrari fights for the title in even years, then completely falls apart in odd years with a car that can't even touch the frontrunners...
It's obvious: their mid-season development cycle is a mess, and those mistakes clearly haunt them the following year...
That screams "something is broken internally." Money isn't the issue—they've got plenty of that. It's pure incompetence at the organizational level...
If these aren't the kinds of massive failures that warrant firing people, then what is?

And where did you get the idea that Alonso is the only one, and why are we only looking at the last three years?🤷
Direct title battles against Red Bull/Vettel:
Vettel vs Button - 1-1
Vettel vs Alonso - 2-0

Ferrari has always had these stretches where they’re just starving for a championship. They’re usually hovering around the front, but honestly—they feel miles away from actually winning it all.
Schumacher was the last one to truly dominate the sport; since then, it’s been pretty much nothing. Kimi scraped by with a title by a single point, Massa lost it in the final lap, Alonso was stuck behind Petrov, and now he’s spent the whole race sidelined by illness.
Meanwhile, you had Brawn and Button running the show, and then Red Bull and Vettel being absolutely untouchable.
That said, Ferrari has pulled off some decent results over the last five years and only really had one disastrous season. It’s not enough to justify firing the entire management just to start from scratch with a new crew. It is what it is—you just have to hope next season brings something better.

From what I’ve managed to dig up online regarding Ferrari, it looks like they’re following the McLaren playbook this year by splitting their design efforts into two separate camps: one dedicated to the current car and another focusing entirely on the 2014 machine. It all seems to stem from those massive regulation shifts coming our way in 2014.

In a similar vein, because they're currently "remodeling" their own wind tunnel, Ferrari is actually utilizing Toyota's facility over in Cologne.

As for McLaren, they’ve decided to adopt Ferrari’s front suspension design for this season—specifically, that pull-rod setup.
For anyone interested in brushing up on the technical side of things, you can check out the details here: http://scarbsf1.com/blog1/category/pull-rod-suspension/

Nathan Jones98's Ferrari used to be relevant, but their last truly elite car was ages ago.🤷
If my memory serves me right, back when they were running under some different leadership...🤔
It basically means this current crew hasn't built a single legitimately great car. Ever.

And honestly, they’ve had an insane amount of luck just to stay in any kind of title fight... and then they somehow managed to blow it—not once, but multiple times (and I'm talking about the team, not the drivers).

Ever since this "new era" team took over at Ferrari:
Running cars based on the "old foundation"...
2007 - More luck than brains. That title belonged more to the Hamilton/Alonso/Dennis trio than to Ferrari.
2008 - Singapore > Mechanics > Fuel hose > Massa = total disaster.

New regulations, a completely new car designed by this specific group, and where are they?
2009 - Literally nowhere.
2010 - They weren't even fighting for the title because of the car; it was mostly because everyone else choked and made massive mistakes, plus Alonso having a hell of a season.
But that tactic of covering for Webber > Petrov > sitting around waiting for a miracle without doing anything? Total joke.
2011 - Basically non-existent again.
2012 - Once again, the title fight wasn't due to the car being a beast. It was thanks to competitors tripping over themselves (mostly McLaren, but also Red Bull wandering early on, and missed opportunities from Lotus, Mercedes, Williams, and Sauber) combined with Alonso’s best year ever.
In my book, the team is still to blame for losing that title, specifically because of Monza.
If Alonso had just nailed a fast lap in qualifying there, he would've started in the front two, because they actually had the best pace that weekend... instead, the geniuses decided to have him "hold up" Massa in qualifying.
Don't even get me started on the car's development toward the end of the season.

Looking at everything from 2009 to now, Ferrari hasn't actually built a proper, championship-contending car. They just had incredible luck and world-class drivers. And they only got that driver because he happened to end up at McLaren, which is why he moved to them in the first place. Honestly, who's to say Kimi wouldn't have grabbed another title if he'd stayed put?🤷

Plus, from what I hear, they've formed a "parallel team" to work on the 2014 design.
If 2013 turns out to be another train wreck while the 2014 car looks decent, you can bet the crew responsible for the 2013 car will be heading straight to the unemployment line.😳
The only real question left is figuring out which people are on the "2013 car" team and which ones are on the "2014 car" team. 🤷

I’m inclined to agree that Ferrari hasn't actually fielded a truly competitive car in years. You can always tell by how much the weaker driver struggles to compensate for the machine. When you look at the data this season, they haven't just been outclassed by McLaren—who had raw pace but completely botched their strategy—or Red Bull, who have dominated the top spot for years now; they’ve also fallen behind Renault. If Grosjean hadn't spent so much time in the barriers, Renault might have actually climbed significantly higher in the constructors' standings than they did.

William Bennett53 said:I’m inclined to agree that Ferrari hasn't actually fielded a truly competitive car in years. You can always tell by how much the weaker driver struggles to compensate for the machine. When you look at the data this season, they haven't just been outclassed by McLaren—who had raw pace but completely botched their strategy—or Red Bull, who have dominated the top spot for years now; they’ve also fallen behind Renault. If Grosjean hadn't spent so much time in the barriers, Renault might have actually climbed significantly higher in the constructors' standings than they did.

Ever since the old guard—guys like Brown, Toto, and that whole crew—moved on, Ferrari just hasn't been at the top of the food chain.
I wouldn't exactly use Massa as the gold standard for what a teammate should look like, though—there was a massive, night-and-day difference between his first and second halves of the season.

Perhaps you have a point there. I find myself wondering whether that driver's performance fluctuations stem from the car's technical inconsistencies or simply his own mental state...

As for the championship itself, I am hopeful that Massa can carry this recent momentum straight into the new season. 👍

If he does, we would be looking at Red Bull, Ferrari, and Renault all fielding two competitive drivers—though McLaren remains a bit of an enigma, given how much of a question mark Perez still represents.
And then, of course, there is Mercedes... watching that dynamic unfold should be quite fascinating. To be honest, I expect Hamilton to run circles around Rosberg, though that was widely anticipated; even Vettel ran into a wall trying to do the same against him. 🤷

stormybadger8 said:Nathan Jones98's Ferrari used to be relevant, but their last truly elite car was ages ago.🤷
If my memory serves me right, back when they were running under some different leadership...🤔
It basically means this current crew hasn't built a single legitimately great car. Ever.

And honestly, they’ve had an insane amount of luck just to stay in any kind of title fight... and then they somehow managed to blow it—not once, but multiple times (and I'm talking about the team, not the drivers).

Ever since this "new era" team took over at Ferrari:
Running cars based on the "old foundation"...
2007 - More luck than brains. That title belonged more to the Hamilton/Alonso/Dennis trio than to Ferrari.
2008 - Singapore > Mechanics > Fuel hose > Massa = total disaster.

New regulations, a completely new car designed by this specific group, and where are they?
2009 - Literally nowhere.
2010 - They weren't even fighting for the title because of the car; it was mostly because everyone else choked and made massive mistakes, plus Alonso having a hell of a season.
But that tactic of covering for Webber > Petrov > sitting around waiting for a miracle without doing anything? Total joke.
2011 - Basically non-existent again.
2012 - Once again, the title fight wasn't due to the car being a beast. It was thanks to competitors tripping over themselves (mostly McLaren, but also Red Bull wandering early on, and missed opportunities from Lotus, Mercedes, Williams, and Sauber) combined with Alonso’s best year ever.
In my book, the team is still to blame for losing that title, specifically because of Monza.
If Alonso had just nailed a fast lap in qualifying there, he would've started in the front two, because they actually had the best pace that weekend... instead, the geniuses decided to have him "hold up" Massa in qualifying.
Don't even get me started on the car's development toward the end of the season.

Looking at everything from 2009 to now, Ferrari hasn't actually built a proper, championship-contending car. They just had incredible luck and world-class drivers. And they only got that driver because he happened to end up at McLaren, which is why he moved to them in the first place. Honestly, who's to say Kimi wouldn't have grabbed another title if he'd stayed put?🤷

Plus, from what I hear, they've formed a "parallel team" to work on the 2014 design.
If 2013 turns out to be another train wreck while the 2014 car looks decent, you can bet the crew responsible for the 2013 car will be heading straight to the unemployment line.😳
The only real question left is figuring out which people are on the "2013 car" team and which ones are on the "2014 car" team. 🤷

Martin Bester just made the jump over from Williams.

I find myself at the helm of an incredible group of experts—aerodynamicists, CFD specialists, and model designers—as we navigate the entire lifecycle of high-performance aero systems. We tackle everything from those initial, wide-eyed concept designs to rigorous wind tunnel testing and deep-dive data analysis, all leading up to the moment we actually introduce a new aero package to the race car. It’s a massive undertaking, and honestly, I’m just lucky to be steering such a talented crew through the madness.

This is what they were doing over at Williams. I honestly can't tell which Ferrari squad he joined—the one running the "2013 car" or the one stuck with the "2014 car."

While we wait for Joe to find his muse and finally sit down to write his take on how competitive these drivers will be in the upcoming season—which, let’s face it, feels like the end of an era—I figured I’d pass along Mladen Jergović’s latest analysis and predictions:

http://mladenjergovic.com/kako-zaustaviti-vettela