Formula One 2006 starts here!

By Phil Huff
November 30 2005

Formula One 2006 starts this morning at Barcelona, with the rejuvenated BAR Honda team pressing ahead with development of next years car.

Expected to use both the current BAR Honda 007, and the hybrid 'concept' model designated the 078, the team will present their first developments of the new Honda V8 engine, along with an expected look at the aerodynamic changes for the new season.

Barcelona, chosen as it usually mild and dry throughout the winter months, is the most popular test venue for all the teams, and BAR Honda will be joining rivals McLaren, Williams, Toyota, BMW, Red Bull and their new junior team, Scuderia Toro Rosso. Testing will continue for three days, before the team return to Valencia for more testing in early December.

The new season sees a number of significant changes, not least a change of ownership of the team. Now fully owned by Honda, the team is expected to field their cars under the Honda Racing F1 name following the January launch of the 2006 car. Added to that, Takuma Sato is replaced by Ferrari race winner Rubens Barrichello, the Brazilian driver teaming up with existing BAR Honda pilot Jenson Button.

Technically, the biggest challenge is a change from the existing 3.0 litre V10 engines to a smaller, less powerful 2.4 litre V8. The associated problems with V8 engines, most notably regarding excessive vibrations, will take every team a long time to resolve.

Additionally, there's been a number of restrictions on how the engines can be manufactured, with minimum weight requirements, material limits, and other changes effecting fuel systems, electrical systems, engine actuators, and even the 'V' angle itself.

Other changes are being made in the interest of safety, with new rules covering accident recorders, track signal displays - which will see a series of blue and yellow lights appear in drivers cockpits - and a new medical warning system that will alert rescue crews to the severity of any incident.

Along with BAR, other teams to disappear from the grid in one form or another for 2006 are Jordan, Minardi and Sauber, each becoming Midland F1, Scuderia Toro Rosso and BMW-Sauber respectively. There's also the prospect of an 11th team entering the championship, although Super Aguri F1 have yet to formalise a chassis agreement, despite an engine supply contract from Honda. There are no changes to the events in the 2006 calendar, although the running order is slightly different.

The races themselves will feature a number of changes, most dramatically in qualifying. Out goes the old one-lap session on Saturday afternoon, replaced by a complicated hour long session, split into three parts. Featuring a combination of low fuel, knock-out stages, and race fuel runs, the final timing screens could look extraordinary. The races themselves will revert back to a more conventional 'sprint' format, with tyre changes being allowed once more.

We'll be here all year to cover every bit of the action, and we trust you'll be right here with us.

Enjoy the season!