[Hatari]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Maybe RedBullies are about to announce a Renault supplied/ Mario Illien developed Tag Heuer badged engine in the Adrian Newey RB12.

When asked by the BBC what the engine will be called, Horner responded: “Wait and see what it is called. “It will be something quite good. I don’t think Ron Dennis will be very happy, but he hasn’t been very happy recently.”

Ron's already aware of this I gather..
Source : Red Bull twitter

[Hatari]

And its official. Renault back as a Constructor and team owner.
Things looking good going forward. If Aston enter, all the better.

[jfxavier]

The thing that's got most people to get their thinking caps out after FIA's World Motor Sport Council meeting is the new tyre rules.

Here’s how it will work:

The total number of sets that can be used during practice, qualifying and racing remains at 13 (with teams handing back tyres according to a specific schedule), with Pirelli now nominating two mandatory race sets for each car, with a further set of the softest compound tyres at each event kept for use in Q3 only. However, in a new move, the remaining 10 sets can be chosen by each team.

Teams will also be able to vary the selection between its drivers too.

PRE-RACE TYRE NOMINATIONS AND PREPARATIONS

In consultation with the FIA, Pirelli will decide in advance which three compounds can be used at each race, and communicate this information to the teams.
The total number of sets that can be used during practice, qualifying and racing remains the same as it is currently: 13.
Pirelli will nominate two mandatory race sets for each car. Furthermore, one set of the softer compound will have to be kept for use in Q3 only.
The two mandatory sets chosen by Pirelli can be of two different compounds, from the three that have been nominated for the race weekend. These sets will obviously be identical for each team.
The remaining 10 sets can be chosen by each team, from the three compounds nominated for the race weekend.
The teams will make their choices within a deadline set by Pirelli. They will communicate their choices to the FIA, which will in turn tell Pirelli how many tyres to produce. The choices for each car will remain secret until 2 weeks before the race. If a team does not meet the deadline, the choice will be made by the FIA.
Once the choices for each car have been made, the FIA will continue to assign the tyres randomly via a barcode, as is the case currently.
The choices made by each team can vary for each of its cars: so each driver within a team can have a different allocation.
The tyres will be distinguished by different coloured markings on the sidewalls, as is currently the case.
DURING THE RACE

Teams will still have to give back tyres according to a certain schedule, but they can decide which tyres to give back at the following times:
- One set after the first 40 minutes of FP1
- One set at the end of FP1
- Two sets at the end of FP2
- Two sets at the end of FP3

The two mandatory sets nominated by Pirelli cannot be given back during practice and must be available for use in the race. At least one of these two sets must be used during the race - but the teams can decide which one.

Source : http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-...gulations.html

[myavu]

Red Bull will continue with Renault engines in 2016 and the power-units will be named after the luxury watch brand TAG Heuer

Source: http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/35004203

Cheers!

Vinu

[shyn]

And Scuderia Toro Rosso will be running Ferrari (late-2015 spec) power unit. Yay!
Seeing how Ferrari improved the PU so much, I wouldn't be surprised if the Toro Rossos finish ahead of elder brother Red Bull. Maybe even on par with the customer Mercedes teams (Williams and Force India), seeing how Mercedes doesn't hand out updates as quickly.
What about Manor Marussia? They are switching to Mercedes power, right? 2015 or 2016 spec?
Haas and Sauber will be running 2016-spec Ferrari units. And Ferrari thinks their new power units will not only be on par, but even better than Mercedes.
So should make for a very interesting season! In theory, atleast.

[sajands]

Originally Posted by shyn

What about Manor Marussia? They are switching to Mercedes power, right? 2015 or 2016 spec?
Haas and Sauber will be running 2016-spec Ferrari units. And Ferrari thinks their new power units will not only be on par, but even better than Mercedes.
So should make for a very interesting season! In theory, atleast.

Are Hass and Sauber getting the 2016 spec that should light up the mid filed. It will be interesting to see how Hass will perform on their debut, They have been quietly developing their car with technical partnership with Ferrari and most importantly how much will this benefit Ferrari with their 2016 development as there as been an concern raised by Merc and Red Bulls that Ferrari are making use of the loopholes in the regulations and in the same of technical expertise help to Haas are also working on their 2016 car full time.

-Sajan

[mattyf1]

The podium places next year will be boring again to see the Mercs and Ferrari. What will be interesting is, if Honda gets the straight line speed in par with top contenders then it will be a close call between Williams, Haas and Redbull in the middle position then fights which can bring more excitement during the race..

[mayankk]

In other news :
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/225...ogp-honda.html

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by mattyf1

The podium places next year will be boring again to see the Mercs and Ferrari. What will be interesting is, if Honda gets the straight line speed in par with top contenders then it will be a close call between Williams, Haas and Redbull in the middle position then fights which can bring more excitement during the race..

From the rumors that are floating around, the Honda staff are extremely optimistic about their prospects for next season. The ICE is expected to be on par with everyone else at the start of the season. They also think they have the solution for the MGU-H/K deployment problem.

Of course, around this time last year, Ron Dennis thought that they had a Jewel of an engine. Only time will show the true picture. I must say I would love to see them wipe that grin right off Toto's face, come the pre-season test in 2016.

[mattyf1]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

From the rumors that are floating around, the Honda staff are extremely optimistic about their prospects for next season. The ICE is expected to be on par with everyone else at the start of the season. They also think they have the solution for the MGU-H/K deployment problem.

Of course, around this time last year, Ron Dennis thought that they had a Jewel of an engine. Only time will show the true picture. I must say I would love to see them wipe that grin right off Toto's face, come the pre-season test in 2016.

Oh Yes!! And if Mclaren is back in the winning ways the cry baby Hamilton will have more cribs on his face!! Just cannot wait to see them pass by Mercs.. One day for sure!!

[Octane_Power]

That's really good news (rumors)! Its really sad to see the most talented driver on the grid (Alonso) drive one of the worst cars. It will be fun watching him pass Hamilton, Vettel; he seriously deserves one more WDC!

-Bhargav

[StarrySky]

I would be a positive surprise to see McLaren/Honda up there with the top teams next season. Ferrari/Renault both had issues with the PU in 2014. Ferrari were also rumoured to have ERS issues that needed redesign over the winter. They sure made a big jump during winter but not enough to beat Merc. Renault lost ground to both over last winter. So, while Honda have the potential to make the biggest jump in performance over the winter this year, it remains to be seen if they can match Merc or Ferrari. McLaren/Honda seemed better compared to their immediate competition towards the end of the season. However, they also had fresh engines available after taking the penalties, whereas the competition used old engines.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by mayankk

In other news :
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/225...ogp-honda.html

1) Moto GP was incredible and down to the wire. Massive contrast to F1 off late.

2) Repsol Honda is right up there unlike Mclaren Honda.

3) Alonso is a compulsive fighter.

All things considered he probably has a better chance of winning the title in moto gp!

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

I must say I would love to see them wipe that grin right off Toto's face, come the pre-season test in 2016.

Originally Posted by mattyf1

Oh Yes!! And if Mclaren is back in the winning ways the cry baby Hamilton will have more cribs on his face!! Just cannot wait to see them pass by Mercs.. One day for sure!!

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

That's really good news (rumors)! Its really sad to see the most talented driver on the grid (Alonso) drive one of the worst cars. It will be fun watching him pass Hamilton, Vettel; he seriously deserves one more WDC!

-Bhargav

Absolutely!

Originally Posted by StarrySky

I would be a positive surprise to see McLaren/Honda up there with the top teams next season. Ferrari/Renault both had issues with the PU in 2014. Ferrari were also rumoured to have ERS issues that needed redesign over the winter. They sure made a big jump during winter but not enough to beat Merc. Renault lost ground to both over last winter. So, while Honda have the potential to make the biggest jump in performance over the winter this year, it remains to be seen if they can match Merc or Ferrari. McLaren/Honda seemed better compared to their immediate competition towards the end of the season. However, they also had fresh engines available after taking the penalties, whereas the competition used old engines.

It would be great to see Honda firing on all cylinders from the word go, but there will be a lot of work required by McLaren on the aero/chassis side to be at the top. Feel if they establish themselves as the 3rd best team, they would have done a great job. That will still be a 2 second gain over the winter!

2017 will reset things further and be the year to pursue the title.

McLaren had stated that Honda's timeframe to return to the top was much longer than McLaren's. But after this season's embarrassment, will be counting on how hard their ego would have been hit to ensure they put all the resources in to accelerate to the top.

What an era we are about to enter - 5 top teams with the necessary resources to all fight for the title! Merc, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Renault!

[sourav9385]

Throwing caution to the wind here, and going against the tide.

Yes, it would be great if macca/honda can get their crap sorted by march. However, improving the top end of the engine so that it is 30-35 kmph slower than all the others out there on the straights doesn't seem like a walk in the park. Optimistic engineers or not, truth is that macca/honda have had massive reliability issues throughout 2015, and the car was pretty much the slowest on the grid barring the Marussias. From being the back bencher to challenging the front runners in a matter of 3 months seems like a task that is completely improbable. Even Ferrari weren't able to beat the Mercs anywhere, barring Singapore, and the Mercs will only continue to get stronger till the end! I hope you all can see the size of the mountain that McLaren+Honda have to climb.

So while I certainly hope JB & Eyebrow Man get a car worthy of their talents and fight it out with the front runners, I don't expect it to happen in 2016. Sure, they might be better off than they were in 2015, but it'd be a down right miracle to see them competing with the boys out front.