It's time to get ready for F1 2011!

In this thread, you can find the announcements of when each team plans to launch their new car - and make sure to check back here on the day to see the challengers to Vettel and Red Bull!

Scuderia Ferrari: Friday, 28th January
Lotus Renault: Monday, 31st January
Sauber: Monday, 31st January
Team Lotus: Monday, 31st January
Red Bull Racing: Tuesday, 1st February
Mercedes Grand Prix: Tuesday, 1st February
Williams: Tuesday, 1st February
Scuderia Toro Rosso: Tuesday, 1st February
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: Friday, 4th February
Virgin Racing: Monday, 7th February
Force India: Tuesday, 8th February
Hispania Racing Team: TBA

SAUBER ANNOUNCES 2011 CAR LAUNCH DATE

The Sauber team has become the first Formula 1 outfit to announce the launch date for its 2011 challenger, which will be unveiled on 31st January.

The Swiss squad said on Friday it will present the Ferrari-powered C30 car at the Valencia circuit.

Official testing will kick off the following day at the Spanish circuit.

SOURCE: Autosport

Wouldn't Telmex be Sauber's title sponser now anyway? :?kipi19

They've not been announced as a title sponsor.

As for the name, they're currently recognised by the FIA as "Sauber F1 Team-Ferrari".

TORO ROSSO REVEALS NEW CAR LAUNCH DATE

Scuderia Toro Rosso will unveil its challenger for the 2011 season on February 1st, the Faenza-based squad announced on Friday.

The event, which will take place at the Valencia circuit, will coincide with the start of the winter testing at the Spanish track.

Toro Rosso is the second team to officially confirm its launch date, with Sauber having announced it will unveil its car on the last day of January.

SOURCE: Autosport

2011 Ferrari passes crash tests

Ferrari's 2011 chassis has passed a sequence of crucial crash tests, according to Italian media reports.

The mandatory monocoque tests reportedly took place under FIA guidelines and in the presence of an official observer at the CSI technical facility in Bollate, near Milan. The reports cited rumours that the outcome of the tests was a relief to Ferrari's Aldo Costa-led design team, due to fundamental differences between the F10 and its successor.

A key difference, said the reports, is in the new monocoque's actual construction and composite materials, which are more extreme for 2011. Ferrari's crash test chief Davide Terletti reportedly investigated a crack that opened on the surface of the monocoque, but the detail was not enough to cause the chassis to fail the tests.

The reports said other parts of the 2011 car will be crash tested shortly.

SOURCE: espnf1.com

Ferrari will launch their new F1 car in the final week of January, before the first pre-season test in Valencia, which starts on 1 February. Next Monday sees the start of the team's traditional media event at Madonna di Campiglio in the Italian Dolomites, attended by drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa and team principal Stefano Domenicali.
Full story: Ferrari

BBC F1 Gossip Column

Renault to unveil 2011 livery at ASI

The Renault F1 team will unveil its Lotus-sponsored livery at the AUTOSPORT International Show, ahead of the launch of the 2011 car on January 31.

The expected black and gold design will make its first public appearance on January 13 at the AUTOSPORT show in Birmingham.

The 2011-spec car will make its first appearance the day before pre-season testing begins at Valencia.

Renault team owner Genii sold a stake in the team to Group Lotus last month, in a deal due to run until the end of 2017. Renault will remain as engine supplier to the team.

SOURCE: Autosport.com

Force India to begin testing with old car

Force India is to wait until the second Formula 1 pre-season test to launch its new car, with the outfit set to run its 2010-challenger at the opening Valencia run out.

Although the majority of outfits are expected to have their 2011 contenders ready for Valencia, which runs from February 1-3, Force India will join Virgin Racing in waiting until the following Jerez test to reveal its new car.

Force India's Otmar Szafnauer told Reuters: "We've carefully considered our plans for the start of the season and the introduction of the new Force India, the VJM04.

"The team will participate in all four pre-season tests and we will use the VJM03 for the first test in Valencia before the VJM04 makes its test debut in Jerez the following week."

The Jerez test runs from February 10-13.

Although most teams believe it vital to get their 2011 car ready as early as possible so as to get a better understanding of how they work with the new Pirelli tyres, Szafnauer believes that the extra time in preparing its cars will be a benefit to Force India's overall pace.

"Starting a test later with the new car gives us a couple of weeks more wind tunnel time when we are at our most productive to get the parts released for the new car," Szafnauer said.

"There is always a trade-off between running the car early and getting increased information for the aero department and we believe it will work to our advantage, given our size and resources."

Force India has not yet confirmed either of its drivers for 2011, though Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil are favourite to land the two seats - despite Vitantonio Liuzzi holding a firm contract with the team.

SOURCE: Autosport.com

McLaren plans interim car for first test

McLaren is set to use an interim car for the first Formula 1 test of 2011 at Valencia, AUTOSPORT understands, after announcing on Friday that its launch will be held in Berlin on February 4.

The first official test of the year takes place at Valencia from February 1-3, but McLaren will not unveil its new MP4-26 until the day after that test finishes.

AUTOSPORT understands that the launch is not simply a colour-scheme unveiling - but will be the actual first public appearance of the new car.

McLaren has declined to comment on its intentions for the first test at Valencia, but sources suggest the team is looking at using an updated version of the MP4-25 for the test - rather than its 2011 model.

It is understood that the car that will run at Valencia will likely be a modified hybrid of the current MP4-25, but fitted with aerodynamic developments and updates from the 2011 car.

Such a move would allow the team a few extra days of development time in the wind tunnel. Using a well-known platform will also ensure that McLaren should be able to complete plenty of mileage to gain data on how Pirelli's 2011 rubber interacts with the cars.

Tim Goss, chief engineer of McLaren's 2010 car, told AUTOSPORT last month that the outfit was upbeat about the progress being made with the new car.

"It's looking very good," Goss said. "We can't say much about it at the moment, but Doug [McKiernan, chief aerodynamicist] and his team have done a great job of creating the aerodynamic platform for the car, and it is looking good."

McLaren is not the only team that is choosing not to run its 2011 car in Valencia - with Force India, Virgin Racing and HRT all having so far confirmed that they will only run 2010 models for the first test.

World champion Red Bull Racing, which missed the first test last year, is making a big push to get its car ready for Valencia so it can understand better how the Pirellis work on the actual 2011 challenger.

SOURCE: Autosport.com

FERRARI REVEAL LAUNCH DATE

Ferrari will unveil its 2011 car in Maranello on January 28, the team has announced.

The Italian outfit has said for several weeks that the new car would be launched in the final week of January, and team principal Stefano Domenicali finally confirmed the new date during this week's Wrooom media event in Italy.

Ferrari's launch date means it will be the first team to unveil its car - ahead of the first F1 test of the season in Valencia from February 1.

SOURCE: Autosport

Was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time today, managed to walk past the Renault Lotus stand at the autosport show just as they were about to get started on the livery reveal and managed to see David Croft, Jean Alesi and Vitaly Petrov as well as getting a good look at the new livery. The guy standing next to me was even kind enough to show me the pictures on his phone that he had taken at the Renault christmas party which had the car in it's new livery while we were waiting for the reveal.

Was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time today, managed to walk past the Renault Lotus stand at the autosport show just as they were about to get started on the livery reveal and managed to see David Croft, Jean Alesi and Vitaly Petrov as well as getting a good look at the new livery. The guy standing next to me was even kind enough to show me the pictures on his phone that he had taken at the Renault christmas party which had the car in it's new livery while we were waiting for the reveal.Racky_rules

This with your thingy? Gah, I'm terrible at remembering this stuff, wondering how you've been there whilst it's the business days. Oh well, my turn to visit on Saturday - I'll get some more pics for you folks!

RENAULT REVEALS FINAL COLOUR SCHEME

Renault has revealed its definitive 2011 black-and-gold colour scheme, as it embarks on a new era with title sponsor Lotus.

Following the tie-up with the sports car manufacturer last year, amid plans for Lotus to become shareholders in the team, Renault is switching to the colours that were made famous by the British marque during the late 1970's and early 1980's.

The colour scheme, which has been painted on to one of last year's Renault R30s, has been tweaked slightly from the version that was released by the team at the end of last year.

The public unveiling of the colour scheme will be made by Renault driver Vitaly Petrov this afternoon at the AUTOSPORT International Show, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC.

Renault's new 2011 car, the R31, will be launched in Valencia on January 31 - the day before official pre-season testing begins.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has viewed his company's sponsorship of Renault this season as just as the first step in a more serious F1 involvement in the next few years - which could include a total takeover of the outfit.

"We follow the same Lotus strategy we apply in every single motor racing activity we have decided to enter," he told AUTOSPORT last year. "We first of all, just act as a sponsor and maybe a shareholder, but we leave the things as they are today. They are good as they are today - Renault is an exceptional name, we keep the name as it is, and the chassis will be called a Renault.

"So we stay as it is for the next two years. And what the future brings, with maybe a new Concorde Agreement, we will see. But for the moment we act as a sponsor, we have the influence as a shareholder and this is good for us as it is."

SOURCE: Autosport

[QUOTE="Racky_rules"]Was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time today, managed to walk past the Renault Lotus stand at the autosport show just as they were about to get started on the livery reveal and managed to see David Croft, Jean Alesi and Vitaly Petrov as well as getting a good look at the new livery. The guy standing next to me was even kind enough to show me the pictures on his phone that he had taken at the Renault christmas party which had the car in it's new livery while we were waiting for the reveal.Redders1989

This with your thingy? Gah, I'm terrible at remembering this stuff, wondering how you've been there whilst it's the business days. Oh well, my turn to visit on Saturday - I'll get some more pics for you folks!

Yeah this is part of the formula student team, although getting into the trade isn't that hard and is slightly cheaper but you miss out on most of the famous faces. I would have got some photos but the stand was packed and I had a lot of things to still see this afternoon.

Yeah this is part of the formula student team...Racky_rules

That's the one - always knew I had a three-second... something or other...

MERCEDES REVEALS NEW CAR LAUNCH DATE

Mercedes GP has announced that it will unveil its new car at the start of testing at the Valencia circuit next month.

The team said the new MGP W02, with which it will compete in the 2011 season, will make its track debut on the opening day of testing on 1 February.

Mercedes, which took over 2009 champion team Brawn GP last year, finished the 2010 championship in fourth position.

SOURCE: Autosport

RENAULT REVEALS FINAL COLOUR SCHEME

Renault has revealed its definitive 2011 black-and-gold colour scheme, as it embarks on a new era with title sponsor Lotus.

Following the tie-up with the sports car manufacturer last year, amid plans for Lotus to become shareholders in the team, Renault is switching to the colours that were made famous by the British marque during the late 1970's and early 1980's.

The colour scheme, which has been painted on to one of last year's Renault R30s, has been tweaked slightly from the version that was released by the team at the end of last year.

The public unveiling of the colour scheme will be made by Renault driver Vitaly Petrov this afternoon at the AUTOSPORT International Show, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC.

Renault's new 2011 car, the R31, will be launched in Valencia on January 31 - the day before official pre-season testing begins.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has viewed his company's sponsorship of Renault this season as just as the first step in a more serious F1 involvement in the next few years - which could include a total takeover of the outfit.

"We follow the same Lotus strategy we apply in every single motor racing activity we have decided to enter," he told AUTOSPORT last year. "We first of all, just act as a sponsor and maybe a shareholder, but we leave the things as they are today. They are good as they are today - Renault is an exceptional name, we keep the name as it is, and the chassis will be called a Renault.

"So we stay as it is for the next two years. And what the future brings, with maybe a new Concorde Agreement, we will see. But for the moment we act as a sponsor, we have the influence as a shareholder and this is good for us as it is."

SOURCE: Autosport

Redders1989

Mmmmm. I love it!

You do? Well then...

...Here's a video of it I took when I was at the AUTOSPORT International 2011!

WILLIAMS CONFIRMS FW33 FOR VALENCIA

The Williams team has confirmed that its new car will make its track debut on the opening day of testing at the start of next month.

The British squad said on Tuesday that it will definitely run with the Cosworth-powered FW33 on 1 February, when F1 testing will kick off at the Valencia circuit.

Rubens Barrichello will undertake the first day and a half of testing duties, while team-mate Pastor Maldonado will take over on Wednesday afternoon for the remainder of the session.

The car will run with an interim livery, and an official launch will be announced at a later date.

SOURCE: Autosport

RED BULL CONFIRMS RB7 LAUNCH DATE

Red Bull Racing will unveil its new RB7 shortly before the first official test of 2011 kicks off in Valencia next month.

The reigning world champions announced via their Twitter feed on Thursday that the car will be rolled-out to the media and public on the morning of the first test on February 1.

The team wrote via its redbullf1spy feed: "You heard it here first. The RB7 will be launched at 8.30am on February 1. In Valencia. In the pit lane. Quietly excited..."

Four other teams are due to launch their cars on that day - with Mercedes GP, Williams, Scuderia Toro Rosso and Lotus all set to pull the covers off their 2011 challengers then.

Ferrari, Sauber and Renault will be launching beforehand, but will run their cars for the first time at that test too.

SOURCE: Autosport

VIRGIN REVEALS NEW CAR LAUNCH DATE

The Virgin Racing team will unveil its new car in London in February, the outfit announced on Friday.

Virgin said the new MVR-02 will be unveiled to the media in London on 7 February, meaning the team is set to run with its old car in the first testing session at Valencia.

Testing kicks off in Spain on 1 February.

SOURCE: Autosport

HRT AIMS TO RUN NEW CAR IN BAHRAIN TEST

The Hispania Racing team is hoping to be able to run its new car in the final test of the pre-season in Bahrain, ahead of the start of the 2011 season.

The team said on Tuesday that it will start winter testing with last year's car, with the hope that it can have its new challenger ready for the Bahrain test on 3 March, ten days ahead of the start of the season there.

"The 2010 car will be utilized at the first tests, and as soon as the 2011 car is ready, we will implement it," said team boss Colin Kolles.

"The plan is to use the 2011 car at the Bahrain test. The 2011 car will be a completely new car, and will be called F111."

Kolles said the car is being designed by his own team together with "several groups of engineers".

"At the moment, there are approximately 40 designers finalizing the first spec, under the leadership of Geoff Willis as Technical Director and Paul White as Chief Designer," he said.

Hispania was unable to do any testing ahead of its racing debut last year, its car running for the first time in the opening practice session in Bahrain.

Kolles said that even though the team is running with the old car, the first tests of the year will be important.

"Last year we didn't have the opportunity to do the tests, and this new season we are able to give our drivers the opportunity to do more millage and to get used to the Pirelli tyres. So, yes, the Spanish tests are very important for us."

Kolles said the team is yet to decide on who will partner Narain Karthikeyan this year, but claimed there will "several announcements" from Hispania over the new weeks.

"In the next few days there will be several announcements. The second driver has not been decided yet, because we have to make sure that we are making the best choice. We are making progress in all areas which is positive, working very hard, and the results will be shown and be announced very soon."

SOURCE: Autosport

LOTUS TO UNVEIL NEW CAR ONLINE

Team Lotus will launch its new TL11 car online early on the morning of Monday January 31 - ahead of its first test at Valencia on the Wednesday.

The team has announced that the car will be revealed to the public via its online magazine Team Lotus Notes. The issue, which will be available here, will be released at 5am GMT on Monday.

Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen are then scheduled to test the first chassis at Valencia on Wednesday - with the team electing to skip the first day of the test in lieu of a private test where it can conduct on-track filming on the Friday.

SOURCE: Autosport

Is the Hispania F111 called that because it can do up to 111 miles per an hour? Or perhaps this is the speed it takes for it to be able to go back in time and unhook all the competitions tyres before the race start thus being able to pull away whilst having a dog in the back which laughs whilst the driver with his large hat can stroke his pointy curled mustache. Then they realise once they have got around the first corner putting that oil slick, that pushes them somehow to last place, was a mistake?

D. Dastardly I think the drivers name is. But hey, he brings in sponsorship money from some random company called Acme, allthough I have no idea what they make?

NEW VIRGIN TO BE REVEALED AT BBC TV CENTRE

Virgin Racing has announced that it will unveil its new Formula 1 car at BBC Television Centre on February 7.

The team had pencilled in a launch for London on that date, but it has now confirmed the location as the famous television studios.

Virgin has stuck to its original plan to use an interim car for the first test in Valencia, with the MVR-02 scheduled to run for the first time at Jerez on February 10.

SOURCE: Autosport

.:: FERRARI F150TH ITALIA ::.

The Stats
NAME: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro (ITA)
NUMBERS: 5, 6
DRIVERS: Fernando Alonso (ESP), Felipe Massa (BRZ)
TEST DRIVERS: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA), Jules Bianchi (FRA), Marc Gene (ESP)
2010 SEASON: 3rd Place, 5 Wins, 396 points.

Ferrari became the first team to unveil its 2011 car when it pulled the covers off its new F150 at Maranello on Friday.

With the Italian outfit eager to make up for the final-race heartbreak that cost it the world title in Abu Dhabi last year, the team's designers have delivered an aggressive design.

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is well aware that the team lost vital ground in the early stages of last year, so he is keen for the F150 to be competitive from the off.

Speaking to the media earlier this month, he said: "For 2011 our goals are very clear, that we are aiming to win both the titles, constructors' and drivers' titles, this must be the goal of our team.

"And so the expectations, that of being able to have a car competitive from the start, a reliable car, a strong car, and I have to say that we've seen this last year.

"If you're not perfect within such a competitive environment, with opponents that are so strong with teams, which also varied numerically, then it becomes difficult to win."

Although there is early morning fog in Maranello, the team hopes the weather clears to give Fernando Alonso the first chance to try the car at its Fiorano test track on Friday afternoon for some promotional filming.

Felipe Massa is due to shake down the car further on Saturday, before its first proper test at Valencia next Tuesday.

SOURCE: Autosport

FERRARI F150 VIDEO

An all new challenger for 2011 although featuring a 2010 front wing for now. Given the shift in aerodynamic grip due to the outlawing of the double decked diffuser the entire design of the car has to be rethought from front to back. To reflect this, Ferrari has introduced an even higher nose reminescent of the Sauber C29 and a corresponding higher cockpit and chassis. This has freed up more area for a reprofiled splitter with a negative effect on the cars centre of gravity.  

To offset the disadvantous change to the CoG the KERS batteries are reported to be sitting INSIDE the fuel cell at the lowest and most central point of the car. Speaking of KERS and fuel cells; the sidepods have been completely revised with the openings being shorter and wider with the profile sitting lower than last years F10. The new sidepods also sport very little undercutting, in years gone by this was more important for feeding the diffuser but Ferrari obviously feel there is more to be gained by making the fuel cell marginally wider and therefore reduce the length of the wheelbase slightly.   

The biggest talking point around the new F150 revolves around the cars back end. The cars exhaust exit low down as they did from Valencia onward last year and presumably blow over the top face of the diffuser. At present the possibility of blowing the exhaust through the diffuser as Red Bull did last year is slim. There are ways of doing it - for example there is a 50mm free area on the outside of the rear wing endplates that could be exploited to blow into the diffuser OR you could direct the exhaust to blow through the starter hole in the centre of the diffuser. The problem with the second solution is the convoluted nature of the exhausts at that point and the required hole of the starter is both small AND will require a hole through the exhaust to allow the starter motor to pass into the gearbox which will cause power losses and present a potential fire hazard.  

The rear wing is all new and features Ferrari's first attempt at an adjustable rear wing. The centre connecter as a hinge and will change the angle of the rear wing's upper plane once a lap at a predetermined place of the circuit, when the chasing car is within a second of the leading car. The FIA really have out done themselves with this one (sarcasm). The endplates from the rear wing run right the way down to the top of the diffuser which effectively lengthens the diffusers exit enhancing it's effectiveness.   

A very conservative approach from Ferrari at the minute but who knows what will change come Bahrain. Since 2007 Ferrari have produced cars that are visually uncomplicated and refined and, where possible, the car has been something of an evolution of it's predesessor yet still maintained a competitive placing on the grid. I see this year being no different, Ferrari should be up the front - WCC material? We wont know until the cars are setting representative times in testing.

Mercedes reveals first look at new W02

The team is one of several that has eschewed a full-scale launch this year in favour of making a low-key track debut when testing resumes after the winter ban. But Mercedes has issued a head-on computer-generated image of the car as an early hint of its look.

The picture suggests a more traditional airbox design for the 2011 car and a higher nose, while the livery receives subtle alterations with additional green highlighting for main sponsor Petronas and a slightly different silver for the main colour scheme.

After a disappointing return to works team status in 2010, when its programme was hampered by the restructuring that predecessor team Brawn had to undergo while also chasing the 2009 title, Mercedes switched all its attention to its 2011 design early last season. It hopes to have eradicated the issues that left the W01 slightly off the pace from the outset as well as giving itself more time to get to grips with this year's rule changes than its '10 title-chasing rivals will have had.

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher stay on as the driver line-up for a second year.

SOURCE: Autosport.com

.:: TEAM LOTUS T128 ::.

The Stats
NAME: 1Malaysia Team Lotus (MAL)
NUMBERS: 20, 21
DRIVERS: Jarno Trulli (ITA), Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)
TEST DRIVERS: TBA
2010 SEASON: 10th place, 1 x 12th place, 0 points.

Team Lotus has unveiled its T128 2011 Formula 1 car - a significantly more aggressive design than its 2010 contender, and a machine the squad hopes will propel it firmly into the midfield and points contention.

The T128 will not appear in public until Wednesday, when it joins the second day of the Valencia test. But Lotus chose to reveal images of the car in a special edition of its Team Lotus Notes online magazine.

Lotus had always admitted that last year's T127 was a deliberately conservative machine built simply to get the team onto the grid in a very limited timescale, rather than with outright performance in mind. It halted development on the 2010 car early in the season to focus on the 2011 design, which is more in line with modern F1 practice, and features Renault V8 power and transmission systems from Red Bull.

The images released so far suggest the car features a more intricate front wing design, sharply sculpted sidepods, as well as a more conventional higher nose, and an airbox and roll hoop reminiscent of the 2010 Mercedes, suggesting Lotus has found a way around the rules that appeared to have outlawed such 'blade' designs.

The team's chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne is confident that Lotus has achieved everything it wanted to with the T128.

"I think that basically this car looks like a frontrunning car in every area," he said. "We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that's very achievable."

The car launch comes with the Lotus naming rights dispute still very much alive, and Tony Fernandes' squad had chosen to continue with the traditional Lotus type numbering system by choosing T128 for its car, rather than the TL11 title that was initially announced.

Fernandes said it was a relief to be able to focus on the new car after a winter of legal disputes with Renault's new title sponsor Group Lotus.

"There has been so much has focus off-track it's a thrill to be able to get back to talking about racing," Fernandes admitted.

"The launch of the T128 is a big step forward for Team Lotus and I want to thank the whole team for the amount of hard work that has already gone into T128, and I want to thank Renault and Red Bull Technology for their tremendous support in helping us make this step forward and for being such great team partners."

SOURCE: Autosport

.:: SAUBER C30 ::.

The Stats
NAME: Sauber F1 Team
NUMBERS: 16, 17
DRIVERS: Kamui Kobayashi (JPN), Sergio Perez (MEX)
TEST DRIVERS: Esteban Gutierrez (MEX)
2010 SEASON: 8th place, 1 x 6th place, 44 points.

Sauber has unveiled the new C30 that it hopes will bring it a step forward in pace and deliver the improved reliability that it needs to become a more regular points scorer.

The Swiss outfit pulled the covers off its Ferrari-powered car at the Valencia circuit on Monday morning - with the car featuring what is now a standard high nose in F1 and a more slender rear end compared to last year's challenger.

Technical director James Key said: "Our aim in the development of the Sauber C30-Ferrari has been to build on the strengths of the C29 and to eliminate its weak points.

"In addition, it is also important for us to go into winter testing with a car we understand, and we have worked hard on ensuring the characteristics of the car are heading in a direction we believe in. There will be much to learn about the new Pirelli tyres and in this respect we want to ensure there are no surprises with the way the car is handling."

Key said that one of the primary targets for the outfit was to have a car that would be predictable from the start - because there remains so much uncertainty about how the new Pirelli tyres will fare.

"In order to take a step forward in 2011, we were already systematically tackling the C29's weaknesses over the last season - and we've made progress. The insights we gleaned were taken into account when the concept for the new C30 was being drawn up.

"Since some of the changes decreed by the regulations - particularly regarding the tyres - can only be analysed out on track, it was important for us to build, firstly, a fundamentally predictable car and, secondly, one that would provide sufficient flexibility to respond to ongoing findings at the track and during further development stages."

The new C30 features a fully integrated blown diffuser, and the team has been able to sculpt the sidepods more aggressively through fitting its radiators more vertically.

Sauber has also opted to use a single mounting for its rear-wing, rather than the twin-mounting arrangement it used on the C29.

Team principal Peter Sauber said he hoped the C30 would help the team make progress in the areas where it was lacking last year.

"We want to finish in the points regularly and clearly improve our position in the FIA Formula 1 constructors' world championship," he said. "2010 marked the 41st year of our company history and one of the most difficult.

"Never before had we faced such reliability problems, but we managed to overcome them in the second half of the season. We implemented some well-considered structural changes. The appointment of James Key as Technical Director already bore fruit last season, and he is now in charge of development of the Sauber C30-Ferrari.

"At the same time, we have managed to secure our business foundation for the 2011 season. In these economically straitened times that is something we can be proud of too."

Sauber has confirmed that the KERS units it will use in 2011 will be provided by Ferrari.

SOURCE: Autosport

ED: Second and third photos provided by Sergio Perez's Facebook fan page.

.:: LOTUS RENAULT R31 ::.

The Stats
NAME: Lotus Renault Grand Prix (GBR)
NUMBERS: 9, 10
DRIVERS: Robert Kubica (POL), Vitaly Petrov (RUS)
TEST DRIVERS: Bruno Senna (BRZ), Romain Grosjean (FRA), Jan Charouz (CZE), Ho-Pin Tung (CHI) & Fairuz Fauzy (MAL)
2010 SEASON: 5th place, 3 podiums, 163 points.

Renault has unveiled its new R31 challenger to the press in Valencia's pitlane, ahead of the three-day pre-season test which begins at the Spanish venue tomorrow.

The car, which carries black and gold livery following its deal with Lotus Group, is the fourth 2011 car to have been launched this week.

The car was fired up for the first time at the team's Enstone factory last week, and Vitaly Petrov is schedule to drive the car for the first time on Tuesday before Robert Kubica takes over for the last two days.

Renault has opted for a pull-rod suspension for the rear end, with the structure under car above the tea tray that appears quite radical compared to rival cars.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT earlier in the month, the team's technical director James Allison described the development direction Renault has taken as 'brave' adding: "Anyone who follows the sport will have seen that words like aggressive [and] brave are being bandied around across several of the teams this year for their solutions.

"I believe that we have chosen a direction that is really on the brave end of brave."

The team also revealed that former HRT driver Bruno Senna will join Romain Grosjean, Jan Charouz, Ho-Ping Tung and Fairuz Fauzy as part of the team's test and reserve driving strength.

SOURCE: Autosport

First of all, Suaber have sponsors, huzzah! However I would love to see the team go back to the blue colours rather than the white car as it just looks a little bland.

I do hope the Team Lotus out scores Renault Lotus, just for the lol's that will bring.

However I would love to see the team go back to the blue colours rather than the white car as it just looks a little bland.Garfield360UK

Glad to see I'm not the only one thinking that. I get why they did it last year, but with no ties to BMW anymore I was hoping they'd go back to the traditional livery now.