well boys and girls, the 2015 unveilings are under way.


Force India dropped their new livery in Mexico City. I think it looks really, really good.

Let's hope all the noses look better this year. Especially Ferrari's.

Sauber's new livery...it will certainly stand out!


The Ferrari nose:

I was just about to post about how much I like the new Sauber (and Ferrari).

http://www.f1colours.com is a great site for this stuff.

Yeah, I like the new Sauber, too. Their old livery was just boring.

The cars look great, wish they'd go back to the 2006-2013 engine formula though.
Get your predictions ready; driver and constructor. Let's post them the week before Australia.

The absolute ineptitude of Indycar is confounding. They've already lost a scheduled 2015 race and it just happens to be the first of the season. I would love to see a compelling and viable open wheel series here, but those guys just can't seem to get out of their own way.

Those clowns at Indycar just made Brian Barnhardt race director again. Completely mystifying.

Merc/Hammy double again

Hammy actually got even better as the season went on. I think if he keeps his focus unlike his younger days then he'll repeat. Also, I have to believe Merc's reliability will be much better this year.

Upon further review, the Ferrari still looks like an anteater.

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Mercedes are getting more reliable. Nico Rosberg set the tone for the four-day test with his opening day tally of 157 laps. In all, Mercedes notched up the most laps of anyone with 516 308 of which Rosberg completed in his two days in the car. Sebastian Vettel admitted some 'lap envy'.

McLaren made a stuttering start. In marked contrast the new McLaren-Honda partnership got off to a poor start with Alonso and Button completing just 12 laps across the opening two days. In total they managed 79 laps, the equivalent of most teams' single day running. Eric Boullier was hoping that after their first day problems that they would be able to put in 60 laps in one day, but a whole raft of engine problems including oil leaks and failing fuel pumps made them pack up early.

There was a positive reaction to Red Bull's new camouflage livery that they rolled out in Spain. Christian Horner told reporters it had been inspired by a Sebastian Vettel helmet design from last season and made it difficult for other teams to spot innovative tweaks to the bodywork. A new official livery will be unveiled before Melbourne.

Ferrari had a very encouraging first test ending the week with the fastest time of all set by Kimi Raikkonen on Wednesday afternoon. The SF-15T was fastest on three of the four days and it was another Ferrari-engined car, the Sauber of Felipe Nasr in Banco do Brasil colours, that took the glory on Tuesday.

Sauber were accused of putting in low-fuel runs on soft tyres to get some cheap publicity at the top of the timesheets. On Day Four they tries running with so little in the tank that they ran out of fuel and brought out a red flag, later tweeting that it was caused by 'taking fuel out for a fuel check'.

Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Marcus Ericsson (who had tested last year's Sauber in Abu Dhabi) and Pastor Maldonado all said their cars felt better than last year's model. Lewis Hamilton said his W06 felt the same as the W05.

Renault suffered from limited running of their new engine unit thanks to worries about what they call "a stupid part" of the engine. The part in question is a small metallic shaft that is an integral part of the Renault ERS water pump. Renault's managing director Cyril Abiteboul revealed that it had failed in dyno testing at the Paris factory last week and so teams had to limit their stints in case it failed out on the track.

Daniil Kvyat got the unofficial 'Mr Stupid' hat. On Monday morning Daniil Kvyat ran off the track during an early installation lap damaging the only front wing that the team had built for its new RB11. And so all serious running came to an end. The Red Bull team had decided to build the car very late and it had only just passed the crash tests in time. Christian Horner decided to save a bit of face by sending Kvyat out without a front wing for a few laps, presumably to simulate what an opening lap might be like when he hits Sergio Perez or Marcus Ericsson.

Lotus arrived at the circuit late and only managed to get the car out on Day Two. However their first forays with a Mercedes engine yielded 41 laps and a very happy Venezuelan: "We ran with a lot of fuel, we didn't touch the set-up, but the car seems to be consistent, quite reactive, easy to feel, the sensations are good." Said Pastor Maldonado. It's a good first day."

Force India missed the test as well because they hadn't got their car ready, preferring to go straight to Barcelona on February 19th. But on Day Three of the test they revealed that it might not even be ready until the final test of the season.

FH

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Strange things afoot in Barcelona.

Alonso's eerie crash

very weird stuff indeed. Alonso has finally been released from the hospital after 3 days. that's a lot for just a concussion. i'm not surprised he can't test now knowing what we do about concussions. but, 3 days in the hospital is another matter.

Poking around the Other Sports board for the first time ever and just saw this thread. I'm fairly new to F1 and started following toward the end of last year.

Seems Mercedes is still going to be the frontrunner and it'll be a dogfight between Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull after that. Sounds like Lotus might have a shot at mixing it up with the big dogs with their new Merc powerplant and Sauber had some decent testing days so I could see those two and STR having some good finishes.

I know they'll be awful no matter what, but I'm really rooting for Manor-Marussia to get back on the grid. A fuller grid is good for the sport. Can't wait for Haas to join next year.

Looking forward to the new season. Getting Dish at the house and I'm hoping I can set up the recording for Melbourne as soon as I get home.

a bowhunter and a new F1 fan. i like it. welcome friend. i ended a hunt early this year to get back and hook up the satellite at camp so i could see Hammy win it in Abu Dhabi.

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McLaren have confirmed that Fernando Alonso won't race in the season-opening Australian GP following his accident in Barcelona.
The Spaniard crashed his McLaren MP4-30 into the wall at the exit of Turn 3 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and was airlifted to hospital where it was revealed that he suffered a concussion, resulting in him spending three nights in hospital.

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http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/34741/Alonso-out-of-Australian-GP

i still think there has to be more to this story unless it is just one of those weird concussion deals that doesn't seem to go away like Sydney Crosby had.

This is probably stating the obvious, but I don't think he's ever recovered from that Barrichello spring hit to the head. 2009? 10?

That was Felipe Massa, wasn't it?

Yes. There goes my F1 credibility.
I have no idea what's wrong with Alonso.
Except that he's a McLaren pilot and it's going to be a long season for them.

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That was Felipe Massa, wasn't it?

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yep, it was Massa who by the way is driving very well in testing.

As much as I'd like to see Hammy pull the double, I think Rosbery pips him this year.

Hammy's driving has always been mental. Last year, his life was squared away and it showed.

The story about Alonso waking up and thinking it was 1995 is truly frightening.

Fearless prediction time from the guy who confuses Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.

Mercedes wins the constructors title again, but not quite so comfortably this time. Nico and Lewis fight it out like last year and generally just don't play nice. And why should they? Nico will take the high road and Lewis will pout.

Mercedes' internecine driver's battles will open the door for the most consistent and arguably most talented driver on the grid, Daniel Ricciardo, to win the drivers championship.

Neither Mercedes or RBR tipped their hand during testing. Both have substantially more than shown. MB will be faster but I think RBR has made significant strides.

Kimi gets it right this year but just doesn't have the car.

Ricciardo wins his home Grand Prix.

Fun story lines and watches for 2015:

Marussia's on the grid, can they stay there all season?

Seb and Ferrari. I read an article that basically said he can race from the front but not the middle. This will be most interesting to me.

Kvyat. A young, talented driver in the second seat of the second team. He will be fun to watch.

Ferrari. The most storied franchise in all of motorsports. Why are they so far behind?

Williams. I want to believe, but I just can't.

Lotus. The cars look good, but the future doesn't. I keep reading about financial issues (They couldn't pay Kimi). I'm not real good at this whole wwwdot stuff or I'd post pictures of their cars from the '70's. Those John Player cars were just beautiful.

McLaren. Even a stoned out of his mind James Hunt couldn't save this season.

10 teams, 20 seats. There needs to be more. Come on Bernie una$$ some of that money. What
about a modified revenue sharing plan?

Now leave me alone. I know what I'm doing.

well, we are nearing the start of the season. who's excited? midnight start time i believe.

WDC - Hamilton again, this time comfortably, as Mercedes will have fixed their reliability problems that cost him points last season.
WCC - Mercedes, but closer than last season

RBR will close the gap some, and Ricciardo will challenge Nico for 2nd.

So ready. Been a long wait from the Rolex 24 to now.

Any predictions I make will miss by a mile. I'm just rooting for Williams to somehow get a win.

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So ready. Been a long wait from the Rolex 24 to now.

Any predictions I make will miss by a mile. I'm just rooting for Williams to somehow get a win.

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That's why I only made 2, and one is a pretty safe bet (WCC). RBR is pretty solid in second, Manor-Marussia is dead last. Other than that, who the hell knows?

I agree, though, that McLaren will really struggle this year.

Meanwhile...

Bianchi's still in a coma

This exchange from this morning's driver presser had me chuckling:

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Q: Lewis, any pearls of wisdom? You were five years older than Max, I think, when you made your debut. Is that right? Twenty-two?
LH: Possibly. I've only just realised, I'm the oldest driver here, the first time. I've kind of only just realised it.
Jeez. (To Max) You were born in '97?
MV: Yup.
LH: Jeez. I signed my first contract with McLaren in '97. Bloody 'ell. I don't really have any words of wisdom for you.

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This whole Sauber/Van der Garde story is bizarre. A court tells Sauber that they have to let him race, but he's not in the car this weekend because he didn't get his Superlicense renewed in time due to not having a contract?

On the actual racing front, it looks like Mercedes is dominant again, as Nico and Lewis are well in front of the field in FP1 and FP2.

FP1:

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1. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:29.557
2. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:29.586
3. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 1:30.748
4. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:31.014
5. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 1:31.029
6. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:31.067
7. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 1:31.188
8. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:31.310
9. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Lotus - Mercedes 1:31.451
10. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) RedBull - Renault 1:31.570
11. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) RedBull - Renault 1:32.073
12. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 1:32.247
13. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1:32.261
14. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1:34.542
15. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) McLaren 1:34.785
16. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus - Mercedes 2:17.782
17. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber - Ferrari No Time
18. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) Sauber - Ferrari No Time
19. Will Stevens (Britain) Marussia - Ferrari No Time
20. Roberto Merhi (Spain) Marussia - Ferrari No Time

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FP2:

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1. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:27.697
2. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:27.797
3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 1:28.412
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:28.842
5. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 1:29.265
6. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) RedBull - Renault 1:30.016
7. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:30.071
8. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Lotus - Mercedes 1:30.104
9. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus - Mercedes 1:30.205
10. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1:30.473
11. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) Sauber - Ferrari 1:30.755
12. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 1:30.980
13. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1:31.387
14. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:31.395
15. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber - Ferrari 1:32.303
16. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) McLaren 1:33.289
17. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) RedBull - Renault No Time
18. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes No Time
19. Will Stevens (Britain) Marussia - Ferrari No Time
20. Roberto Merhi (Spain) Marussia - Ferrari No Time

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RBR is almost a full 3 secs off the Mercedes pace. I'm feeling pretty smart about right now. Those Ferraris are looking sporty.

So nice to watch qualifying again with my morning cup of coffee!

Lewis was flying today. It is already obvious Merc will be the favorite this year, but it looks like Ferrari may have finally worked out some of the bugs in their cars. Vettel and Raikkonen both had a good showing in qualifying.

On another note, I was happy to make Carmen Jorda's acquaintance this morning.

Holy cow Hammy was fast. Glad to see Ferrari is back in it. Crazy that Toro Rosso is nearly as fast as their big brother. McLaren as a back marker is terrible to see.

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Mercedes wins the constructors title again, but not quite so comfortably this time. Nico and Lewis fight it out like last year and generally just don't play nice. And why should they? Nico will take the high road and Lewis will pout

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really? I get that Hamilton is kind of a tool, but man I thought rosberg came across as a total crybaby last year. And it didn't help that he completely wet the bed on multiple occasions when Hamilton applied the pressure. ain't nothing "high road" about what happened in Belgium either.

Hammy is awesome. F the haters.