[kristloken]

This is gold, not exactly a great advertisment for a transatlantic airline though

Mistakes happen, fair dos. We all know that these new teams did well to have anything on the grid at Bahrain and they will all have problems. I say get off their back and let them get on with it, don't see the point in complaining about the lack of F1 teams and then bitching about every new team who gives it a go.

[Olphander]

"It has become clear during pre-season testing and our debut race in Bahrain that our fuel tank capacity is marginal and if not addressed there is the possibility that fuel pick-up could become an issue in certain circumstances." Nick Wirth

A candidate for one of those Plain English Campaign awards. What did he do, get lessons from Ron Dennis?

[TobaccoNUE]

"It has become clear during pre-season testing and our debut race in Bahrain that our fuel tank capacity is marginal and if not addressed there is the possibility that fuel pick-up could become an issue in certain circumstances." Nick Wirth

A candidate for one of those Plain English Campaign awards. What did he do, get lessons from Ron Dennis?

Nothing wrong with that quote.

[erroxiainsona]

The new chassis rules do allow for re-homologation during the season, but only on the grounds of safety. I suppose that a dead car on track can be a safety issue. Perhaps not. But VR got permission to change nonetheless.

I guess, for the next few races, that VR will be praying for SC yellows. They usually get a SC deployment in Melbourne, no?

[gariharlj]

"It has become clear during pre-season testing and our debut race in Bahrain that our fuel tank capacity is marginal and if not addressed there is the possibility that fuel pick-up could become an issue in certain circumstances." Nick Wirth

A candidate for one of those Plain English Campaign awards. What did he do, get lessons from Ron Dennis?

I've seen worse, but I agree "there is the possibility that fuel pick-up could become an issue" is a bit of a round-about way of saying we might run out of petrol

[kristloken]

The new chassis rules do allow for re-homologation during the season, but only on the grounds of safety. I suppose that a dead car on track can be a safety issue. Perhaps not. But VR got permission to change nonetheless.

I guess, for the next few races, that VR will be praying for SC yellows. They usually get a SC deployment in Melbourne, no?

I'm sure that if Virgin end up retiring because of a lack of fuel then they'd be delighted to have got that far.

[tyclislavaify]

It would have been an epic fail if a Virgin car ran out of fuel during a race.

[Olphander]

Nothing wrong with that quote.

No, indeed, except that he should have said probability rather than possibility

[standaman]

Designing a car entirely with CFD is new.

Are you kidding me or you just don't know what CFD is about?
Once and for all you can not design a car only using CFD. CFD is only used for simulating the airflow over the car, that's it.
Much more is needed to produce a car.

[simmons latex mattress]

Fun to see someone offering us such entertainment!

Well, maybe they thought their car was going to be so unreliable that they won't finish the races anyway? But actually the situation is not the end of the world - they are going to be lapped in GP's so many times that they don't need cover all those 305 race km's and will be forced to finish earlier anyway.

[MizzDaizzy]

Id have loved to be a fly on the wall when they realised.

[xanonlinexan]

how about - they always knew it would be tight, but realised they'd be lucky to make the finish of the 1st few races anyway. instead using them as extended tests this then allows them to put into practice what they learn whilst developing a mkII chassis which they would not be able to build if they didn't have a "reliability" problem

[8Zgkdeee]

jens actually has a good point - if Virgin are lapped about 3 or 4 times in Melbourne then maybe they would be able to finish?

For the people who know more than me - when was the last time a driver ran out of fuel because they didn't judge it properly? Last year I know that Heidfeld retired because he ran out of fuel due to a pump failure, but has a team ever just misjudged the amount needed?

[kristloken]

jens actually has a good point - if Virgin are lapped about 3 or 4 times in Melbourne then maybe they would be able to finish?

For the people who know more than me - when was the last time a driver ran out of fuel because they didn't judge it properly? Last year I know that heidfeld retired because he ran out of fuel due to a pump failure, but has a team ever just misjudged the amount needed?

Massa came pretty close didn't he? Were it not for the computer gubbins then he wouldn't have made it.

[standaman]

Massa came pretty close didn't he? Were it not for the computer gubbins then he wouldn't have made it.

If you are referring to last season's Spanish GP than the reality was that the car had more than enough fuel in the tank but the device in the tank was broken and thus showing less fuel was on board.
And the clowns at Ferrari never thought about double checking by simply weighing the refueling equipment before and after the pit stop.

[TobaccoNUE]

No, indeed, except that he should have said probability rather than possibility

No.

He was referring that with the original fuel tank some race circuits will further compromise fuel consumption. Albert Park incorporates heavy braking and acceleration which burdens fuel consumption and Wirth has been entirely correct with his use of the English language.

[MFSSCW2c]

Nothing wrong with that quote.

Saying "fuel pick-up might become an issue" is not the same thing as "there might be no fuel to pick up". The former says there IS fuel, it just isn't usable (shades of BAR 2005). The latter says there isn't any fuel full-stop.

Since the problem appears to be the latter rather than the former, then there IS something seriously circumlocutious about the quote...

[Zarekylin75]

Pathetic that this is an issue. So now the teams have to ask F1's permission to change minor details on their car? Are you no longer allowed to improve your car during the season?

[MFSSCW2c]

Pathetic that this is an issue. So now the teams have to ask F1's permission to change minor details on their car?

It isn't a minor detail - they need, basically, a B-spec car (a whole new chassis, with a longer wheelbase and all the new bodywork that implies) in order to fit the new fuel tank in.

To put that in context, Brawn only manufactured three physical chassis for the whole year last year. B-spec cars are rare, and unheard of amongst bottom-feeders like Virgin.

[TobaccoNUE]

Saying "fuel pick-up might become an issue" is not the same thing as "there might be no fuel to pick up". The former says there IS fuel, it just isn't usable (shades of BAR 2005). The latter says there isn't any fuel full-stop.

Since the problem appears to be the latter rather than the former, then there IS something seriously circumlocutious about the quote...

You missed out: "in some certain circumstances"