5.2.10

Exactly three months after the last GP the new F1 season got underway on Monday with the first test at Valencia. Between that last race and this first test the F1 world has been turned on its head. Most of the major manufacturers, who in July were set to launch a breakaway series, have gone. Now, as Luca says: "Ferrari is the only car manufacturer left in F1". BMW and Toyota have run away with their tails between their legs, Renault have got rid of a majority shareholding to Luxembourg-based private investment firm Genii Capital. I don't know about you, but the words "Luxembourg-based private investment firm" do not seem to sit easy with those of "F1 team owner" to me. The role of a flashy short-term sponsor somehow seems more appropriate. However, Renault do remain as an engine supplier to the former Benetton/Toleman team and Red Bull/Jaguar/Stewart.

Renault do at least make their own engines in a factory in France unlike Mercedes-Benz whose are made in Northants. Merc have further extended this approach by buying Brawn GP. They've trotted out the usual "Silver Arrows" PR rubbish, apparently even leaving a piece of the carbon tub unpainted in homage to the original. Given their purchase of Brawn and as an engine supplier to another two teams, I think it's probably best now to regard Mercedes as a specialist (British) F1 racing company with a handy cash cow parent (German) making road cars to fund the racing - bit like Enzo used to. I am genuinely pleased for Brawn though.

The BMW-Sauber team has reverted to its former ownership with Peter Sauber's deft hand again on the tiller. He has renewed old connections and secured a supply of Ferrari engines. Because a change of team name is a considerable rigmarole, their new car is a BMW Sauber-Ferrari! How long before Prancing Horse shields start appearing on the side of rusty 318 Bimmers?

If you think that's bizarre, it's nothing compared to what's happening to the former Toyota team. From what I can follow it's been sold to a organization called Stefan GP owned by Serbian multi-millionaire Zoran Stefanovic. They have acquired what would have been the 2010 Toyota car, complete with engine and have recruited Mike Coughlan, the former McLaren Chief Designer at the centre of the "Spygate" affair. Stefan GP do not have a slot on the 2010 grid but there have been reports of them undertaking an independent test programme throughout the year.

Of the four newbies with a grid slot, Virgin Racing is the first to actually launch a car, which happened on Wednesday. It has been produced by Nick Wirth Research, who lately produced the highly successful ALMS Acura sports racing car. The VR-01 has been designed entirely digitally, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for the aero (this being a computer tool which models aerodynamics). All of the teams use this, but backed up by a colossal amount of very expensive wind tunnel testing. This car has had none, this being said to be the digital approach for the digital age and is also compatible with more austere times. Massive respect to Wirth, who is a clever designer, but I'd rather put my money on Adrian Newey's comment that CFD technology will need another 20 years to catch up with wind tunnel knowledge.

To compound this, the car launch was supposed to be shown live via their website but this link never worked through "technical difficulties" and doesn't bode well for their faith in new-fangled CFD. In the subsequent launch video there is no sign of the Virgin boss. I wonder if he was on to the Virgin Media helpline on his mobi: "Hello, hello? My name is Branston, yes B...R...". Behind "Virgin Racing" is a very serious and down-to-earth outfit called Manor Racing, who have been highly successful in lower formulae. At the team's launch, Virgin man Alex Tai was named as Team Principal, he was replaced just a month later by Manor boss John Booth, Tai being moved "to fresh projects".... It certainly looks a very pretty car, if a bit simple compared to some of the others, especially the front wing end plates. I can't wait to see it go!

Of the other new teams, there have been pics of the new "Lotus" being built, the Dallara-built Campos Meta is said to be well on and USF1 have released a video of a nose-cone undergoing a crash test.... There has been much speculation in the media about possible shortages of funding amongst the newbies and which of them will actually turn up to the first GP Bahrain, just over a month away. The web is awash with rumour and counter that Campos & USF1 will not make it. It has been reported that Bernie has said he has doubts about these two and favours Stefan GP, who say they will test at Portimao and have sent a container of kit to Bahrain, just in case. This story has a long way to run....

Five teams actually did make it to Valencia. Unlike previous years none of them took last season's cars. With the change in the regs. there is simply no point, the most important thing was to assess the new narrower front tyres and the affect on the cars and their systems of the huge variation in fuel loads, from 10kg to 160kg, as qualifying will be on minimal fuel and refueling during the race not permitted. Also there's no KERS this year. Ferrari were quickest every day and set the two best times overall. Alonso was a little ahead of Massa, who clearly has not suffered any loss of speed as a result of his accident. So far so good, but the F60 didn't look too bad nearly on, mind you neither did the McLaren, or BMW-Sauber, or indeed anything until the Brawn appeared. Speaking of not appearing, most of the new cars bear more than a passing resemblance to last year's Red Bull, even the Brawn/Merc sadly, but this year's Red Bull wasn't there, Adrian Newey having elected to miss the first test to maximise design time and giving the others no chance of quickly copying anything.

Second quickest were BMW Sauber-Ferrari with nothing to choose between experience and youth in the form of ex McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa and 2009 sensation Kamui Kobayashi. Mercedes GP were next up, with Schuey ahead of Nico Rosberg, who couldn't see out of the car properly. Lewis Hamilton said he was excited about the new McLaren, but Button was decidedly more guarded in his response. It looks like Mercedes/Brawn are not going to stomp everyone into the ground from the word go this year, Ross and Schuey admitting there was work to do especially in terms of adjusting the weight distribution for the new tyres. Ross also said that clearly Ferrari and Sauber have got good cars and that Renault and Williams clearly have issues.

It is indeed very early days and none of the teams will be testing their definitive aero packages, lest the others copy them. Here are the teams best times, averaged over the three days.

Off track, Rubens Barrichello advised Nico Rosberg that he may have to get out of Merc to move on now Schuey is his team mate. Rosberg responded that he wasn't surprised by Rubens' remarks as he spent six years being beaten by Schuey. Norberg Haug added that Rubens' experience at Ferrari had obviously made him "bitter".

Testing resumes next week at Jerez.

Finally, here are the 2010 runners and riders so far: