Barcelona Testing: Day 1

//The following is a featured article from guest contributor Jamey Price, Jamey Price Photography, an American sports photojournalist on his first Formula 1 project.  You can read more about Jamey and his passion for his work in our feature: Intro to an American F1 Photojournalist - Jamey Price.

Feb 21, 2012

After a long travel day Sunday and Monday, I finally arrived in the sleepy town of Montmeló which lies just north of Barcelona. With the sound of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" playing in my dreams, I woke bright and early to pick up media credentials and get to the press centre Tuesday morning.

Mercedes launched it's 2012 contender close to 830a. Dubbed the W03, which like most of its competitors has the unique 2012 spec "broken nose" look. Despite early hesitations, they don't look as bad in real life. And thankfully the cars still sound tremendous.

After the Mercedes launch, where Michael and Nico arrived in the new AMG Mercedes, I headed to the end of the pitlane to shoot pit exit photos.

Now, contrary to what you may have ever read on other F1 blogs, the business of F1 photography is neither cushy nor easy. Though being a diehard F1 fan myself, it is a long hard days work with nearly no break and no food or drink and as I write this, I'm completely exhausted. If you're doing your job right, you simply won't have time for anything but picture making. I walked the inside and outside perimeter of the track twice today looking for photo spots I found pleasing and engaging to viewers, and as always, looking for the best light and maybe something unique.

The 2012 spec cars, though unique looking, are still very much F1 cars. It is still and incredible sight and sound to see a modern F1 car power away from the pitlane. One moment they sit in front of you a roaring machine ready to release its energy. The next, it's several hundred yards away and seeming only got there in the bling of an eye. It's something that photos not video can properly convey. You'll simply have to experience it for yourself in Austin this November.

My day wrapped up shooting the cars coming into the last 3 turns. The light was stunning and I seemed to be the only photographer in sight. I have no idea why. Following the last session of the day, I joined the World champions for a few minutes of pitstop practice before retuning to the media centre to upload the last batch of photos from the day.

Tomorrow's challenge will be doing something different than today. I don't like seeing myself take the same images but I have a few tricks of my sleeve. Well see if it works.

Taking It To The Airwaves

Last week we had the pleasure of joining Alex Franco, a.k.a Digitz from the Mix 94.7 JB & Sandy morning show, to talk about Formula 1 and Austin on "3 Guys Sports Show."

// Listen to the show here

The 3 Guys Sports Show airs at 10:00AM Sunday mornings on Austin's 96.3 FM & 1370 AM. Our UK friend Liam gave us the heads up that fellow overseas listeners could tune in via KJCE 1370 on the TuneIn Radio app (Cheers!). The show is hosted by Alex, Brandon Wark (Iowa Hawkeye Superfan) & Chris Sanchez (Pride of Westwood High) and their goal is to recap the week in sports with the heart, passion and views of the everyday sports fan and share them on their show.

We met Alex back in August 2011 at the Austin Infiniti dealership (he's their Radio Spokesperson) when the Red Bull Racing demo car arrived in Austin. While a decent-sized group waited at the dealership, curious Austinites tweeted reports of the 2005 RB1 chassis (with the Cosworth V10 and the 2009 aero package) travelling down Austin's main highway - MoPac - and shocking many Austinites! Since then, we've run into Alex on the F1 social scene as he is another Austinite excited and informed about F1's arrival this November.

Alex had a very cool Red Bull Racing jacket (see pic below). He shared an insider tip that we think is genius: he ordered F1 merchandise from Red Bull Racing via Milton Keynes but his order took almost a month to arrive. He gave up and decided to check out the Infiniti USA website, which is where he ended up ordering his RBR jacket from; it arrived much quicker, cheaper and in better condition by ordering via Infiniti USA. Here's the Infiniti page for ordering official Red Bull Racing merchandise.

Be sure to check out the 3 Guys Sports Show via their website, Facebook page or follow them on Twitter! 

Alex Franco, aka "Digitz," sporting his Red Bull Racing jacket after recording with Kerri and Kevin for 3 Guys Sports Show on Talk Radio 1370

FTW! Introducing the Williams FW34

In the wee hours of the morning (in Austin, at least), Williams F1 Team revealed their car for the 2012 Formula One season: the Williams Renault FW34. Check it out:

Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado pose with the new Williams FW34 Renault. Photo: Andrew Ferraro/Williams F1

// The Car

The 2012 F1 season marks the team's 35th year competing in the sport, but it's far from "business as usual." Williams has rejoined forces with Renault for the first time since 1997 and is hoping to add to their previous partnership's 63 race wins, 4 Drivers' and 5 Constructors' titles. The Renault engine is a V8 power unit "renowned for its drivability, flexibility and durability." As a result of revised FIA technical regulations, this year's contender uses less than 5% of the parts from last year's FW33 and features the dropped nose at the front of the car.

A new Technical Director, Mike Coughlan, is behind the design and development direction of the FW34 and is excited to race:

“We are really looking forward to this season and from a personal perspective I can't wait to get the FW34 on to the race track. The factory has worked extremely hard over the winter to ensure that the car met its design, build and rig test targets and we start testing with the car prepared to a high standard. We’ve worked in close co-operation with all of our partners to achieve that, including Renault Sport F1. In the run-up to Australia, we will be working hard with our exciting new driver line-up to ensure that we maximise and unlock the full potential of the FW34. It is imperative that we demonstrate a continuous improvement in our performance and deliver results throughout the season.”

// The Drivers

Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas return to the line up, as Driver and Official Reserve Driver, respectively, and they are joined by Driver Bruno Senna after a consideredable winter evaluation process. All three competitors are excited about the FW34, team synergy and opportunities for the 2012 season. Maldonado is excited for his home country of Venezuela and hopes to give them good results as a thank you for their continued support. Vottas is looking forward to driving one practice session at 15 races in order to give him a better understanding of the car outside of the factory. And Senna added:

“I’m very excited to be back in action with the Williams F1 Team in Jerez. This is my ever first pre-season testing programme since I started in Formula One two years ago. I’m really motivated and looking forward to working hard and with everyone in the team. I hope we have a successful month testing and developing the car so we arrive in Melbourne as well prepared as possible.”

Williams F1 Team will join their competitors during winter testing in Jerez, Spain this week. Maldonado will drive Tuesday and Wednesday and Senna will be behind the wheel Thursday and Friday.

// The Partners

In addition to new car, new engine, new driver and new technical direction, Williams is also excited to expand their partnerships with some names even Americans will recognize, including Gillette and Head & Shoulders. Will we will see any commercials of Bruno stepping out of the shower and shaking a full head of hair? I can picture it now...

Hitting even closer to home, Williams continues to develop their partnership with native Texan Michael Johnson. Johnson is a retired American sprinter who still holds Olympic records in sprinting in addition to four Olympic gold metals and eight world championship gold medals. Last month, Williams F1 Team announced their partnership with Johnson's company, Michael Johnson Performance, which focuses on training top athletes in all sports. His performance center is located about 250 miles north of Circuit of The Americas (outside Dallas, Texas) but he has been spending time with the Williams team gearing up for a promising 2012 season. 

When Matt Jones, Head of Williams F1 Team's Marketing Services, visited Austin last month, it was evident that Williams is aligning a winning attitude with a dedication to excellence. You can sense Sir Frank Williams' excitement from today's launch:

“One could say that looking at the Williams F1 Team today we are off to a truly fresh start. We have a new car, new driver line up, new engine and new senior personnel. We also have a number of new partners who have joined the team in the past few months. I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome them formally and sincerely wish that they have an enjoyable and, most importantly, a valuable experience with us. The team has had a good winter at the factory and we feel ready and strong for the fight.”

Michael Johnson, Sir Frank Williams, Chairman and Team Principal, Williams F1, with Adam Parr, CEO, Williams F1. Photo: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

But that's not it. Williams just activated a new application on Facebook that allows YOU to discover in-depth info on the FW34, technical videos, un-released stats and facts, driver interviews and more. Via this app, they'll reveal exclusive content and give you a chance to win a personalized signed image and framed print from Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna:

• Feb. 7 - Tech changes
• Feb. 10 - Engine & exhaust
• Feb. 14 - Chassis & aerodynamic parts
• Feb. 18 - Tires/tyres
• Feb. 23 - Transmission & suspension
• Feb. 27 - Cockpit & drivers
• Mar. 1 - DRS & KERS
• Mar. 5 - Pitstops
• Mar. 9 - Final Reveal

Kudos to Williams for creatively keeping fans engaged; it will have us coming back for more. Go check it out on their Williams F1 Team Facebook page.

Red Bull Racing Reveals Title Defender

The 2012 Red Bull Racing RB8 is released this morning. Image by Red Bull Racing

This morning, Red Bull released a video of some media of their 2012 car, the RB8, to a worldwide audience.  Coming off of another championship winning season, all eyes are on the title defenders as they release their design to the world wide motorsport press.

The initial photos of the car The media is flowing out now, but so far, the released photos are in the gallery and we're studying the content to see what the Milton Keynes based team have prepared for the 2012 season.

For now, here's some beauty shots of the car for your viewing pleasure:

//UPDATE 01

The design of the 2012 RB8 car looks to be very competitive. Red Bull's chief designer Adrian Newey is known for his aerodynamic design features, creating a distinctive advantage over the rest of the field and translating into wins. Constant bending (not breaking) of the rules is an essential part of the sport, testing the cleverness of designers to solve a dynamic set of rules evolving every year. Aerodynamics are largely still a highly secretive part of the industry and kept under close guard, so design solutions aren't completely proven until they hit the track in pre-season testing.

Like other cars released last week, the new regulations on exhaust flow have allowed teams to tighten-up the rear end of the car, delivering a much tighter waist than previous years.  Additionally, the front nose of the car has also managed the 2012 height requirements by using a stepped nose (nicknamed the 'platypus nose').  The Red Bull's nose is not quite as smooth as the McLaren or Lotus, but also not quite as extreme as the Ferrari or Force India.  At this point, the effectiveness of the nose design is all still speculation, but results should be developing in the next few hours as journalists bring back the news from Jerez, Spain.  We'll keep things updated as this news begins to flow...

 

Lotus E20 Emerges

Jérôme d’Ambrosio, Romain Grosjean, Eric Boullier and Kimi Räikkönen proudly present the Lotus E20

Lotus had a rough morning today as millions of fans around the world tuned in to see the live launch of the 2012 car, dubbed the E20. But the information now emerging makes the technical difficulties seem trivial given what looks to be a very promising design with great potential for the 2012 season.

Lotus is receiving well-deserved praise from the F1 community for developing a very good looking car, and we share the sentiment. The now common platypus nose was mitigated well by the Lotus team, and the overall shape of the car is quite pleasing. We'll see how the new design translates to performance on the track beginning with testing on Tuesday in Jerez, Spain.

Backed by two championship winning drivers for 2012 - former F1 champ Kimi Räikkönen and GP2 Champ Romain Grosjean - Lotus' new driver lineup could help propel the team into a top tier finish, elevating the Lotus brand into the spotlight.  Kimi's return to the sport has drawn attention to the team as many hope to see the 'Flying Finn' back on the podium this season. The hope is for both drivers' experience to translate team synergy into points, providing serious competition across the F1 grid.

Lotus published a video on their YouTube Channel, which includes a twenty minute presentation of the launch and interviews with many of the key players in the team: Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean, reserve driver Jérôme d’Ambrosio, and team principal Eric Boullier. It offers great insight into the team's operations and a rare glimpse at the magnitude of the operations of an F1 constructor; be sure to check it out.

The website refresh is also live, including more press releases, media and fan interaction. Many of the teams are implementing more web-based and social media efforts for real time fan interaction - which we LOVE. Since Americans rely largely on the internet for our live F1 news and entertainment, we hope F1 teams continue to pursue and develop this channel for fans.