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Caterham CT01: The first car of the 2012 Formula 1 season

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Caterham CT01
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D he Formula 1 generation 2012 showed up a day earlier than planned . Actually, Caterham didn't want to present its new CT01 until Thursday (January 26th) in the English 'F1 Racing' magazine and at the same time publish the first pictures on the Internet. Since some subscribers got their hands on the magazine earlier, some photos were already circulating on the Internet on Wednesday.

Those responsible for the British team also noticed this. In response to the many questions, there was at least an official picture of the new CT01 for the rest of the media. One day later, more and more photos of the car were shown every hour.

Caterham CT01 with platypus nose

Unfortunately, the first pictures do not reveal much because of the poor resolution and poor illumination. However, some details can already be seen: The most striking feature is certainly the stepped nose, which is reminiscent of a platypus. The first reactions from the fans were - to put it mildly - restrained. The CT01 is not particularly beautiful.

However, the new regulations determine the shape of the snout. The tip may only be 55 centimeters high, the rest of the cockpit is 62.5 centimeters. 'Our challenge was to build the chassis as high as possible in order to get as much clean air as possible under the car. Our solution can now be seen on the CT01,' said Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technology Officer. 'We're the first car this year, so we're sparking some discussion. But I think we'll see these noses on most cars this year.'

Progress thanks to the ban on blowing?

The side pods appear much narrower in the photo than on the previous year's model. The model here was certainly the world champion car from Red Bull. On the side of the engine cover, the outlet openings of the exhaust are clearly visible. According to the new regulations, the position of the tailpipes is precisely specified so that the exhaust gases are no longer allowed to blow onto the diffuser.

'The blowing ban is definitely playing into our cards', Gascoyne is certain. 'We suffered a bit because we didn't have this technology in 2010. We therefore always had to lag behind in 2011. Other teams had a lot more development time here. They simply got a lot more out of this technology. Now we arethe competition in this area neutralized. '

Gascoyne:' KERS a step forward '

Nothing can be seen on the wings. They are from last year. There is something new under the hood, however. In the third year of the racing team, a hybrid system (KERS) will be used for the first time. As with the hydraulics, Caterham relies on finished components from Red Bull.

'End of the last During the season it really threw us back in the fight with the midfield teams, especially in qualifying and then also in the placements in the race, 'said Gasconye about the lack of KERS last year.

Caterham wants to be in midfield

The goal for the new season is clear. You want to fight with the teams in midfield and finally collect your first championship point. 'We have to first wait for the first tests and look at the results, 'Gascoyne curbs optimism.' Until the car hits d he travels, we only have numbers and simulation data to work with. Every team wants to move up in the ranking. We are no different. We finished the last two years in tenth place, which was in line with our goals. But now it's time to take another step forward. '

It is still not entirely clear which driver will be used alongside Heikki Kovalainen. Even though veteran Jarno Trulli has a valid contract However, the most promising candidate is Vitaly Petrov. The Russian could buy his place thanks to sponsorship money. Trulli would then have to be paid out. Adrian Sutil also has an outsider's chance. The decision on the second cockpit should be made next week, when the verdict in the court case against Sutil is spoken.

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