Recession sets into F1 car launches.

Recession seems to have brought out innovative ways of cost cutting on the F1 circuit. Four F1 teams launched their new cars without the usual fanfare, grandeur and media bytes. The formula1 news doing the roundsis that it was Toyota first who launched TF109 on the internet in a radical move to reduce the costs incurred in launching the car. Through internet they not only saved some moolah but also involved fans in the car launch.

Even a heavyweight like McLaren launched its car in a simple function. A couple of days ago, the British team launched the new car without much fanfare at their factory in Woking, England. A McLaren spokesman admitted the launch was a low-key event. “We had always planned to be so. There was no intention of staging a lavish launch. It was simply convenient to launch at Woking,” he said. The new Mclaren car was tested at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Pedro de la Rosa had the honour of being the first McLaren driver to take it for a spin during a private test at the track in Portugal.

Renault and Williams were the other two teams who launched their new cars. The French team launched their car at the Algarve Motor Park circuit in southern Portugal where the car, R29, was undergoing testing. Renault boss Flavio Briatore was present with the drivers and sections of the media to complete the formality. Renault had planned a grand launch at the Le Castellet circuit in southern France. However, as a part of austerity measure, the venue was shifted. The unveiling itself was a simple affair. It was the same case for Williams which launched their new car, FW 31 in the same manner at the same circuit. But it has not affected the formula1 games