BMW Sauber launches F1.09 at Valencia
Click above for high-res image gallery of the BMW Sauber F1.09
When it rains, it pours. Formula One racing fans spend most of the year watching the same crop of cars running around in circles, until the off season when all the teams unveil their new cars in the same two-week window of time. So after Ferrari, Toyota, McLaren, Williams and Renault have uncovered their 2009 challengers, with Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Force India not expected to unveil their new cars until next month, and with Honda's F1 future still in limbo, the BMW Sauber team have become the latest to join the party.
Called, simply enough, the F1.09, this will be the car in which Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, with the support of perennial test driver Christian Klein, will take on the rest of the field in the coming season. Its form is dictated by the same new aero regulations as its competitors, with BMW's own battery-based Kinetic Energy Recovery System installed underneath. Several teams have stated that, given the short timeframe they had to develop the hybrid system, they may delay its implementation, and Sauber's troubled gestation process was well publicized. Notably absent, meanwhile, from the car's livery this year is longtime sponsor Credit Suisse, the banking giant that cited a change in marketing strategies as its reason for not renewing its sponsorship. BMW Sauber unveiled the F1.09 on Tuesday morning at the test track in Valencia, Spain, which you can see in the high-resolution image gallery below.
Gallery: BMW Sauber F1.09
[Source: BMW Motorsport]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ken_aisin 2:29PM (1/20/2009)
I don't think I'll spend too much time watching F1 this year. The new rear wings and the ultra-wide front wings are soring my eyes....
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Jared 4:10PM (1/20/2009)
The front wings are Very interesting this season. It seems some teams want to divert air out to the sides of the car with straight box shaped ends on the front wings..... Except for Toyota that puts a slight curve in it to channel some air upwards. Take a look at all the pictures.
I can't wait to start watching F1 this year. Less downforce + slicks = FUN wet races!
Along with the big wings that might send people to the pits more often.
I see a bright future. But that's me.
ken_aisin 5:30PM (1/20/2009)
The eyesoring wings are not the real reason why I'm tired of F1.
I'm tired of all these stupid arbitrary changes being made by Bernie and FIA year after year. For example, they got rid of slicks in 1998 saying that grooved tires would "promote driver skill and provide a better spectacle", and now they are bringing it back. Shouldn't they apologize for getting rid of slicks in the first place?
Another example is the qualifying session which changes almost every year. They say that they are making changes to the qualifying session to increase viewership. To be honest, I don't watch the qualifying on Saturday anymore because it's no longer fun to watch without a consistent format. I only stick with the race on Sunday now.
F1 is always talking about cost cutting. I think the best way to cut cost is to eliminate all these wings. Teams invest way too much money on wind tunnels and super computers to simulate the effectiveness of the wings. Some experts even say that F1's aerodynamic technology are possibly even more advanced then those of airplane manufacturers. But how often are we seeing these aerodynamic technology being passed down to the consumer level?? On the other hand, the one thing that I'm looking forward to in the 2009 season is the KERS implementation. It is something that might eventually be passed down to consumer cars. The flywheel system in the new Williams looks promising, and is worth investing because it is a technology they can sell to car manufacturers for profit. Money should have never gone to wings, they should have gone to engines, suspensions, chassis, and something such as KERS because these can be passed down to he consumer level to generate profits for the teams or manufacturers.
Jared 8:19PM (1/20/2009)
+1
I agree.
I also think more technology (especially aerodynamics) should be passed down to the consumer level QUICKER. Technology has been consistantly filtering down to the consumer level from all types of racing, from dual clutch tranny's, to lightweight composites. The problem is it takes ~10 years for technology they are just now implementing into the sport to get to us...
Mike 3:06PM (1/20/2009)
What in the world?! How do those very non-aero looking boxes on the ends of the front wing improve air flow?
The gills on both wings and the swoopy haunches that make up the side intakes are very interesting...I'm looking forward to hearing from Walter Riedl about these new designs and the KERS system.
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Temple 4:14PM (1/20/2009)
It has a close resemblance to the the Renault R29 with the "whale" nose.
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AZZO45b 8:36AM (1/21/2009)
Except the BMW's nose has a bit more form... the Renault nose looks like Lego produced it!!!
Dan 8:10AM (1/21/2009)
His name is Christian Klien.
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