2014 Car Launches

[Fenderman]

Courtesy of Shoaib Ahmed on facebook

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd....20/1012525_10152153863939568_1302731593_n.jpg

 

[Slyboogy]

Now I know why there was a comment on PlanetF1 saying the McLaren car is the male and the Lotus one is the female

Also, does anyone have more pictures of the Lotus car? I can only find the sideview one that's been posted on here.

 

[sushifiesta]

That's the only image so far, it's an unexpected sneak peak like the Force India and Williams rather than a proper launch with actual pictures rather than renders.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Here's a top view of the Lotus E22, wierder.

 

[The Artist.....]

Is that Lotus nose asymmetrical? Why would one prong be longer than the other? That is an utterly bizarre looking concept though!

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Here's a clue courtesy of ScarbsF1.

 

[The Artist.....]

Ah, so it's a way of sailing an oil tanker through the rule book then... They have a maximum size for the nose tip, and if both parts were the same length, it would violate the rules! Not impressed... I suspect the whole point of this is the same idea as the williams walrus nose- to direct air under the car and into the diffuser!

 

[sushifiesta]

I find it strange that Lotus decided to let that cat out the bag so long before they start testing but even though the noses look weird I'm loving that they all look different. It shows everything that's wrong and everything that's great about F1.

 

[Bushi]

The cars seem to be fine, but those noses are just weird, especially Lotus.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

The innovation is brilliant this year! First race is going to be fun. Red Bull will still win though.

 

[sushifiesta]

This is probably as good a place as any to put this I guess. Caterham have released a short video with the sound of them firing up the Renault engine for the first time:

It's hard to take much from this but it sounds pretty tame when it revs up at the end... Presumably things will sound very different when they're at the track and hopefully better.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

First on-track run of the Mercedes F1 W 05.

 

[sushifiesta]

That one sounds like a racing car at least.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

I knew that Mclaren nose reminded me of something; now I've just realised what it was...

 

[FB]

Maybe Lotus have released those pictures to send all the other teams scurrying off to look at what they have done only to turn up at the first test with a more "normal" nose configuration.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Actually the mid 90's was when the shark noses first came into F1 I think Benetton may have been the first to use them.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Yeah it was in 94 I think, the Benetton looked radically different to the traditional nose to the ground F1 car we had been used to seeing.

 

[The Artist.....]

Hate to argue with you, but shark noses go back a lot further back - to 1961 and Ferrari

http://finemodelcars.com/blog/?p=603

 

[Mephistopheles]

That's fine The Artist..... and seeing how a shark is one the most beautifully slipstreamed animals on the planet and leaves almost zero disturbance in its wake then why shouldn't aerodynamicists copy them...

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

If by 'shark' nose one means the high, straight pointed nose that has been standard until recently, and which I have always hated so much and am glad to see the back of, I believe it was the Tyrrell 019 of 1990 that pioneered the idea.