2013 Car Reveal & Winter Testing Kickoff

Here’s the testing schedule for Austin:

http://www.circuitdeaustin.com/index.php?id=200

ruggedhawk20 said:Red Bull just can't—and shouldn't—let them mess with their branding like this. They're still the new kids on the F1 block and need to nail that constant brand presence—otherwise, they've got zero identity. And Vettel's dealing with the exact same thing. Since he's running the number 1, he needs a signature helmet design or at least a consistent pattern. What he's doing right now is just awful—like, seriously bad for his brand. Your helmet is the first thing people use to ID a driver. He needs some kind of damn icon that stays there—something synonymous with him. A finger, maybe? Just slap a stylized finger on both sides of the helmet. Fine, change the colors if you want, but at least keep the finger there every single time.

Absolutely.
And all of this just adds to that completely bloodless image Vettel has.
Let’s get back on track.

The Ferrari F138. A significant machine? Perhaps. It was certainly a departure from what came before. How much does technical evolution actually matter when you're staring down the grid? One has to wonder if the chassis truly lived up to the ambition behind it. Just a machine, really. But a fascinating one.
Is this the most beautiful livery I've seen since I started following Formula 1? Honestly, it might be.
Alright, I see a lot of people are digging this, but personally? Not so much.
Too much black. Especially around the exhaust and the rear end. Then there’s that white—it just jumps out at you. Too much contrast?





Wheelbase looks nearly identical. Sidepods? Almost exactly the same.
I’d say Ferrari just recycled last year's monocoque.

We’re seeing even more than last year, which can only be a good sign. Let's hope Ferrari actually manages to capitalize on all these rule changes. That "modesty panel" option? It’s been integrated into the design quite effectively—specifically regarding the nose height.
The front suspension geometry looks remarkably similar to last year's setup. Almost identical, wouldn't you say?
Yeah, still sticking with the pullrod setup.

The chassis design feels incredibly similar to the F2012. Almost identical, really. Is it just me?
Sidepod shapes look incredibly similar. The air intake design for the radiators? Almost identical to the F2012. Even the position of the central inlet—it’s basically a mirror image. And the secondary inlet follows that same pattern. Is it just a coincidence? Or are we looking at the exact same blueprint?
We heard it all through last season, didn't we? Constant talk about needing to redesign the radiator setup and tweak its positioning. All that chatter about aerodynamic inefficiency and blah, blah, blah.
Thanks, Gary. Just like with the pull rods, you hit the nail on the head once again. Straight to the point.

The exhaust is showing signs of exactly what we saw earlier. Is it starting to follow that pattern? Last year in America.I expect to see some changes here, much like what we’ll likely see with the front and rear wings.

The rear end has seen some massive changes. Truly. Just look at it.

The new gearbox is lower and more compact. Reminds me of how Williams has looked over the last couple of seasons. Makes you wonder if they've finally found the right packaging?
New suspension mounting points. A different rear geometry compared to the F2012. And those half-shafts? They're tucked away under aerodynamic fairings now. Is this the key to better airflow?
It’s clear they put a lot of work into that rear end.
Regarding the rear wing, there's an interesting detail involving the endplates.
At first glance, it looks like those endplates are designed to create a low-pressure zone behind the rear of the car. The goal? To pull more air through the diffuser and boost the overall efficiency of the rear wing. Simple enough, right?
Roughly like a monkey seat.
It'll be interesting to see if they stick with those endplate designs once pre-season testing wraps up. Will they actually hold their ground?

All things considered, it’s just an evolution of last year’s car.
Last season, our biggest headache was the lack of traction coming out of those slow corners. Can we finally move past that? I’m hoping the updated rear suspension and the new gearbox configuration will finally sort it out.
We'll see.

Nice job breaking down the engine specs. 👍
Just gotta say though—that bit about the radiator isn't quite hitting the mark; they actually tweaked the angle on that thing.

Check out this clip where they point out the differences—you can see the exact spot with the radiator at the 30-second mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5qnQ9dQ4fM

shadowstag10 said:Nice job breaking down the engine specs. 👍
Just gotta say though—that bit about the radiator isn't quite hitting the mark; they actually tweaked the angle on that thing.

Check out this clip where they point out the differences—you can see the exact spot with the radiator at the 30-second mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5qnQ9dQ4fM

I don't buy what Marc is selling. 😁
The sidepods are far too similar—practically identical—for there to be any meaningful difference in the radiators.

We'll know for sure once the cover comes off. 😁

That was an excellent breakdown of the situation. 🙏 🙏

McLaren MP4-28.
The McLaren crew really put in the work here. 🙏


A completely new monocoque. The most obvious change? That front end.
The nose sits higher now. We all saw how much pace they gained last season by raising it up.

The front suspension is entirely new, too.

They’ve gone back to a pullrod setup, reminiscent of the F2012 or F138. I wonder if anyone else will take a page out of Ferrari's book? 😁
Interesting detail on the brake cooling inlets.
They're angled toward the rear of the front wing.
Regarding those front brake ducts... it’s honestly surprising no one else copied Ferrari's design.

Once again, they've redesigned the engine cooling inlets:


Now the inlets have a "cutaway" look—narrower at the bottom. It's what most other teams are doing. A big departure from last year's rectangular inlets.

Also, a clear nod to Red Bull with those "hidden" driveshafts:


Compared to the MP4-27, the difference in rear suspension geometry and execution is striking.


And there's a bit of a shark fin on the rear, too. 😁

Hey
That Mercedes looks like a bullet—hands down the tightest car I've seen yet. I’ve been saying all along they were just missing one thing: a world-class driver. Well, they finally got one. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if Lewis walks away with the championship :-).
And all this talk about tradition and history? Who cares! Does a name matter? We aren't living in the old days anymore, and we sure as hell aren't listening to some local news anchor from the 80s. It's not like we need some retired legend signing with Ferrari to make it official!
As for Red Bull... yeah, right. They won't last long. But who gives a damn? Last time Ferrari actually snagged a title, if I recall correctly, Kimi was behind the wheel :-).
Red Bull are marketing geniuses. Everything people nitpick as a "weakness" is just a win in my book for what they've pulled off. Did anyone actually think they'd be triple champions when they first showed up? Were they any different from a backmarker like Haas back in the day? And what's this crap about Vettel's helmet design? Are you kidding me?
Did it matter what shirt Tarantino was wearing when he shot Pulp Fiction? Or what underwear a legendary striker wore when he crushed it at the World Cup?
It doesn't matter. Once the first race kicks off in Australia, that's all that's gonna matter. Remember Jenson Button's season? Did anyone actually see him coming? Where was all that "history" and "big names" then?
Look, we've got it all. People can say whatever they want, but we've got Vettel as a three-time champ in a car that looks absolutely killer, regardless of his helmet style, backed by a top-tier crew because they *are* multi-time champs. And we've got at least five absolute killers ready to knock him off his throne.
Forget the teams, the history, the helmets, the announcers, or the tracks. It's about those five hungry drivers who will do anything to take the crown! Four of them have already done it! I'm looking forward to an epic season.
Later

ruggedhawk20 said:don't even start. Vettel is a top-tier driver and a totally legitimate three-time world champ. You don't stumble into three straight titles by accident—not even once, let alone three times in a row. And Rosberg's title wasn't luck either—it was pure consistency, smart driving, and just grinding out points. Sure, others were crashing and wrecking their cars—but Rosberg wasn't—and that's just part of the game. Or at least, it used to be. Rosberg played it safe—and he won!

But back to Vettel—if Vettel sucks, then Webber would've been a three-time champ. He wasn't. End of story.

I'm not stirring the pot, nor did I claim Vettel wasn't a deserved champion. I was simply pointing out how consistently he underestimates Alonso.

He's the only driver who actually applied pressure and kept the championship interesting during those last three dominant Red Bull seasons.

As for the idea that you can't win three titles by accident? Go ask Nelson Piquet Sr...

Amanda Kelly said:They ran a BlackBerry ad. 😁
I know you aren't supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth,
but you could easily read into this as them saying they won't last much longer.

It’s an unavoidable connection, really.🙂

steelmaker83 said:lol, Alonso just happened to be inches away from the title twice due to pure luck, and the third time he actually posed a serious threat.

That guy is something else.

As for Sebastian, I’ll just say enjoy it while it lasts. It won't be much longer, and whether he ever does it again is a different question entirely.

🙂

Do you actually have any evidence for these claims? The season hasn't even kicked off yet and you're already whining and crying... just like all that noise about Alonso and Ferrari back in 2013...

What they’ve done to Ferrari is nothing short of a tragedy; I honestly find it impossible to believe that this is the same crew I spent my entire life rooting for... 🤮

steelmaker83 said:I'm not stirring the pot, nor did I claim Vettel wasn't a deserved champion. I was simply pointing out how consistently he underestimates Alonso.

He's the only driver who actually applied pressure and kept the championship interesting during those last three dominant Red Bull seasons.

As for the idea that you can't win three titles by accident? Go ask Nelson Piquet Sr...

Where on earth did you get the idea that anyone is underestimating Alonso?
In this whole mess, Alonso is the least likely person to be blamed for why he wasn't a serious threat... that's squarely on Ferrari's shoulders.☕

Sure, that Ferrari was incredibly reliable, which let them scoop up everything everyone else messed up... but in my book, that's not exactly top-tier strategy, especially when the team's whole vibe is basically "let's just hope someone else's engine blows up."
You're supposed to work hard and be fast enough to win when your team actually has a good day, not sit around praying for everyone else to screw up...
And God help us when that's the actual driver's mindset. When the bosses and engineers start relying on luck instead of doing their jobs, I don't even know what to call it.

Championships aren't won by collective whining, chanting, and playing nice within the garage. They're won through the grind of the entire team and brilliant ideas from elite individuals...

Edit:
Has any testing stream or satellite broadcast popped up this season?
Or are we still stuck with zero track footage?😢

Here come the new rides:

I mean, I’m pretty sure they didn't even bother with live streams for the pre-season testing last year—certainly not for the stuff happening over in Phoenix—and honestly, I wouldn't bet the house on the other sessions either. 🤷

http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/549

Don't be such a spoiled brat, just read the updates. 😬

stormybadger8 said:Where on earth did you get the idea that anyone is underestimating Alonso?
In this whole mess, Alonso is the least likely person to be blamed for why he wasn't a serious threat... that's squarely on Ferrari's shoulders.☕

Sure, that Ferrari was incredibly reliable, which let them scoop up everything everyone else messed up... but in my book, that's not exactly top-tier strategy, especially when the team's whole vibe is basically "let's just hope someone else's engine blows up."
You're supposed to work hard and be fast enough to win when your team actually has a good day, not sit around praying for everyone else to screw up...
And God help us when that's the actual driver's mindset. When the bosses and engineers start relying on luck instead of doing their jobs, I don't even know what to call it.

Championships aren't won by collective whining, chanting, and playing nice within the garage. They're won through the grind of the entire team and brilliant ideas from elite individuals...

Edit:
Has any testing stream or satellite broadcast popped up this season?
Or are we still stuck with zero track footage?😢

Fine, then he was uncompetitive.

And I don't follow your logic about Ferrari having a "wait for the neighbor to fail" tactic. They clearly didn't build the fastest car; Red Bull obviously figured that out in the second half of the season.

Ferrari isn't some opportunistic outfit waiting around a corner for results to happen. You aren't always going to be the fastest, but that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't win; you just use whatever tactical edge you have available.

It’s not like Ferrari doesn't want to build a car that's faster than the rest of the field.

Rebecca Fox4 said:🙂

Do you actually have any evidence for these claims? The season hasn't even kicked off yet and you're already whining and crying... just like all that noise about Alonso and Ferrari back in 2013...

What they’ve done to Ferrari is nothing short of a tragedy; I honestly find it impossible to believe that this is the same crew I spent my entire life rooting for... 🤮

Whining? Crying?

What exactly is bothering you?

Every streak eventually ends. This one will too.

The Caterham looks sharp. That front wing is actually quite creative for them; it’s nice to see they put in some genuine effort instead of just obsessively copying everyone else.

As for Marussia, it’s already pretty obvious they’re stuck at the back of the pack. In my opinion, that nose design is a mess... and the sidepods and coke bottle shape don't look any better.

I might be making a bit of a fool of myself here, but... 😵

Everyone keeps bringing up the pull rod suspension. Could someone give me a more detailed breakdown? I’m trying to wrap my head around the main difference between a pull rod and that other setup—I can't even remember the name... 🙈

What exactly are we talking about here? 🙈 🙈

Maybe you could weigh in, Jason Campbell70? Or anyone else feeling generous?

http://www1.skysports.com/formula1/g...stops-on-track
McLaren is already hitting some bumps in the road. They're dealing with a fuel pump issue.
As of right now, there's no word on when they might actually get back out there.

Rebecca Fox4's steering wheel with all those buttons😂

fadedwalker18 said:I might be making a bit of a fool of myself here, but... 😵

Everyone keeps bringing up the pull rod suspension. Could someone give me a more detailed breakdown? I’m trying to wrap my head around the main difference between a pull rod and that other setup—I can't even remember the name... 🙈

What exactly are we talking about here? 🙈 🙈

Maybe you could weigh in, Jason Campbell70? Or anyone else feeling generous?

pull-rod vs. push-rod

http://scarbsf1.com/blog1/2013/01/30...es-and-trends/

If you scroll down, there's a simple visual explanation right there.