Virgin's new F1 racer designed like no other

BY ALAN BALDWIN

Virgin Racing celebrated an early victory as the first all-new Formula One team to present a 2010 car, unveiling a machine designed like no other.

The British-based team have opted for an entirely digital approach, relying on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) rather than the familiar but expensive testing of scale models in a wind tunnel.

"The car just looks amazing," said Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi, standing in front of the gleaming red and black liveried VR-01 in a photographic studio before the formal online presentation.

Germany's Timo Glock, who will kick off a two-day shakedown at Silverstone tonight (NZ time) before joining other teams in testing at Jerez in Spain next week, agreed.

"The first reaction... is that it's a really nice car," the former Toyota driver told Reuters.

"I think we have some good ideas on the car. For me, it's a solid base to start for us to go testing. The design is already pretty good and now we have to sort out the speed.

"The real unique stuff will come in the season or later on in the year, but now for us it is important that the car is here and ready," Glock added.

"That's where the team did just a great job. The mechanics have been working 24 hours the last couple of days.

Team principal John Booth, who secured the entry as Manor Grand Prix before partnering with Richard Branson's Virgin Group as one of four new teams this season, said it was "the culmination of a very emotional journey.

"I am immensely proud... I am blown away. When it rolled out of the workshop yesterday in all its glory, it was a very special moment."

CRASH TESTS

Technical director Nick Wirth said putting together a team and designing a new car from scratch in a tight timeframe had been an "epic task."

"The other fantastic thing, which isn't obvious today, is that when we unloaded the truck yesterday, I had a telephone call with the news that we had passed our final major crash test so the car is now completely homologated and ready to go," he told Reuters.

"So it's just an amazing job that everyone has done to get it to this point, on time and on budget."

Wirth said he had absolute belief in the digital design process and the opportunity "to demonstrate that this could be the way for the future of F1."

While some of the new cars, such as the McLaren and Sauber, have a dorsal fin running from the engine cover, the Cosworth-powered Virgin tapers down with no central strut supporting the rear wing.

The front is more raised than the 2009 cars, in line with other new designs, with the driver also sitting higher in the cockpit.

Wirth promised constant updates throughout the season once the car was running reliably.

"We are a serious racing team with serious ambitions, so we aren't going to try to run before we can walk," he said.

"We fully expect to encounter issues along the way. CFD is an approximation as is scale model testing. In both cases, it is only when you hit the track that you can really appreciate the effect of factors that are tricky to model with any technology."

- Reuters