adminFORMULA 1 teams start their on-track preparations for the 2014 world championship at this week’s first pre-season test at Jerez in Spain.
All teams bar Lotus will run their new cars as they face the biggest set of rule changes for a generation.Turbo engines are being used for the first time since 1988 and there will be greater use of energy recovery – or hybrid – technology than ever before.
A number of new cars will also appear publicly for the first time today. Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, Force India, Lotus and Sauber have already released images of their cars, while Toro Rosso launched theirs yesterday.
World champions Red Bull and runners-up Mercedes – the two favourites ahead of the new season – will reveal their cars today before starting testing, along with backmarkers Marussia and Caterham.
Lotus, who last week lost their team principal Eric Boullier to McLaren, are missing this test after failing to get their car ready in time.
Their new car will appear at the second pre-season test in Bahrain from 19-22 February.
This week’s four days of running in Spain will be a journey of discovery for the teams, who have to learn how to run cars that are very different from those that have been used in recent seasons.
Alongside the new engines, a series of changes to the chassis rules mean the cars look very different, too. The demands of the new engines, which will accelerate much more strongly than the 2.4-litre V8s that have been used since 2006, mean Pirelli is also supplying harder tyres.
Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen said: “In the dry the cars will be a bit more tricky to drive, with less downforce and harder tyres. Dry or wet, we expect to be sliding around a bit more with the new cars than, say, last year.”
The new chassis rules, which require lower noses for safety reasons along with a number of other aerodynamic changes, have led to unusual-looking cars, with unattractive nose sections.
But aesthetics will be the least of the teams’ worries in Jerez from today. The complexity of the new engines, which feature two motor-generator units linked to a battery for energy recovery, mean reliability will be the first concern.
Ferrari technical director James Allison has said he believes reliability will be “absolutely fundamental” in terms of deciding the championship – more important than aerodynamic or engine performance. – BBC Sport
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