SPARKY On The Opposition

By Nicholas Sparkes
January 18 2005

Totally Toyota F1 welcomes Nicholas Sparkes back to the driving seat as we bring you another edition of SPARKY's Corner. This week Nick looks at the opposition.

Wing to win

 

The saying goes that you need a will to win, but maybe the winner could come down to what their nose looks like. No, I’m not talking about Alain Prost’s nose which is 100% non aerodynamic, I’m talking front wings. With the launch of this season’s Sauber and B.A.R, the designers had focused on differently formed front wings to combat the new regulations. Unlike Toyota’s car that looks like any other Formula One car from the last few years, Sauber and B.A.R have gone ‘radical’, a word used to emphasise last season’s Williams BMW. I feel though that journalist’s around the world might had got alittle over excited and left a small deposit in their underpants and using the term ‘radical’ is alittle misleading. I would say they are evolutions of the 2005 regulations, but are nothing as bold as what Williams did last season.

 

So Sauber launched what they feel is ‘a new concept’ of Formula One racing cars, using their state-of-the-art windtunnel to come up with something the opposite to whatever Ferrari are going to launch next month. This was followed up with the top deck front wing, which must be there to improve downforce. Although it looked different, I feel it will be nothing more then a one off with not a massive improvement on the overall downforce, a bit like these mid-wings on the engine cover to help it fly when made airborne. On comparing to Toyota it’s a bit like comparing different Football leagues, Sauber are still an independent team, with their budget nothing like Toyota’s. I can see them being the best non-manufactured team out there, but wins and podiums are along way off, and will only happen if the front running teams go on strike on race day. So have they got the wing to win? Nah…

 

On the other hand there is B.A.R. Their new car must have been designed for 007, as it would look great in any of their action movies. On the track this team is expected to take its first win, with Williams two-timer Jenson Button. Like Sauber they launched a new concept of front wing, but it has a striking remembrance of the front wing used on the Jordan EJ11 and EJ12 with the center dipping down. Unlike Sauber this car as a whole package has the foundations to take its first race victory, and the team are always making steps to improve and with closer links to engine supplier Honda, you can’t afford to rule them out. When put aside Toyota, it is two Japanese Manufacture’s battling it out, but Toyota haven’t got past the podium stage yet, so they would have to really pull their socks up if they are going to challenge B.A.R, which I don’t think will happen this season. But does B.A.R have the wing to win? I’d like to think so.

 

Nicholas Sparkes

18 Jan 2005