Ot: Formula One

TalkSport said he did 65 laps

 

Doe is really matter.... really.

 

rosberg pounding laps but vettel quickest so far again.

more fun at testing

 

stop there

 

It's actually looking like the gap between the Mercs and the RBs and Fezzas might come down a lot as they are all flying around (laps done, not fast laps)

New RB looks great, really like the livery / colours with added neon

Fezza livery is nice but don't like the design of the car as much

Merc looks great with extra black and still looks like the winning and most complete car

Like the new Manor colours as well,very retro, they pop real nice, seems like they are hoping to break the midfield as well

Williams very similar to last year, also very retro, looks like they've made incremental progress from last year

More of the same from Force India and Sauber in looks and performance I'd guess

Too many plain black/dark cars though, McLaren, Renault, Toro Rosso

The Haas is a bit ugly in colour, I mean, it's a car with a colour scheme based on industrial tooling, car itself looks well designed though and Grosjean will go well in it

Glad Maldonado won't be on the grid this season

 

thye are all on different tyres as well.

so far rosbery has been on mediums and todays time from ferrari was on ultra softs. yesterday it was super soft.

the times for ferrari and mercedes on mediums were close. mercedes shading it.

I think With the amount of laps being pounded out this mercedes seems indeed to be an evolution of their car form last year and only time will tell if that favours rosberg or if hamilton wasn't bothered at the end.

The ferrari sems quick but thats relative at this point before a marcedes hot lap to prove a point. They've run a bit more today than yesterday suggesting they are pushing up the wick slowly.

I think williams are going to be left behind if the engine gap is closed this year. RB i'm not sure about yet. we will see about engine power.

Mcclaren report no running out of boost down the straight so they should be midpack at worst. They've run reliably But the honda guy just got the bullet suggesting its well down on power

 

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doesn't say which tyres though

 

Think the RBs were the only chargers to use Ultra Softs before the lunch break. Looks like most teams will be switching to them very soon after they resume

 

Ferrari new time was ultras. Yesterday's fastest was supers.

from BBC:

"Plenty of you chatting about the impact these new ultra-soft purple tyres are having.

As far as I'm aware, only Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari and Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull have been round on them, which is why they're out in front.

Are those tyres alone enough to inflict such low times? Probably not, but this is only testing remember - and the first rule of testing is to never read too much into testing.

(The second rule of testing is to take your shoes off at the door because I've just Hoovered)."

 

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final table

vettel did 126 laps so ferrari are up to speed. raikkonen comes in now.

I don't think we've learned much of anything yet in terms of speed. I'm not sure we've really seen cars pushed, we are seeing regualr running to assess the usual stuff but theres prob 2 seconds in everyone and we will see.

 

First time you'll see the truly fast boys show their hand pace-wise is Q3 in Australia, whoever makes it through to that

 

what's the lap record for that track?

 

1minute 21 and such in 2008 by KimI.

Cars are a lot different since then.

I think everyone will drop 1.5 to 2seconds off their time by end of second test.

You can't know who had low fuel on board or who had freshest tyres from the times this week.

What we can say is the ultra soft spot are 0.8seconds faster that supers and supers 0.5 faster than medium at Barcelona.

I think Mercedes will have about 0.3s over ferrari and Williams will be way behind in first race.

 

next test starts tomorrow.

do we think mercedes will ramp it up right off or keep it under wraps?

 

will only show fast pace in aussie quali mate

 

Testing latest
Posted at14:04
1. Nico Rosberg 1:23.022 82 laps

2. Kimi Raikkonen 1:24.836 47 laps

3. Fernando Alonso 1:25.252 50 laps

4. Valtteri Bottas 1:25.255 76 laps

5. Max Verstappen 1:25.356 70 laps

6. Nico Hulkenberg 1:25.954 63 laps

7. Kevin Magnussen 1:26.070 58 laps

8. Daniil Kvyat 1:26.227 22 laps

9. Esteban Gutierrez 1:26.661 23 laps

10. Felipe Nasr 1:26.923 50 laps

11. Rio Haryanto 1:30.481 9 laps

12. Lewis Hamilton No time 3 laps


It seems they are doing race simulations with pit stops and hamilton is out now.

That 1:23 dead seems to indicate to me that there's quite a bit left in the case. I'd say 0.3secons over ferrar on ultras if i am right.

 

so the test has continued and the cars have continued to pound round.

Mercedes have not touched the ultras in either test so far.

They have in the main used mediums. They were on the ultras in the tyre test with last years car so i'd be wondering if they think they don't need more info

As it stands the mercedes is close enough on times to the ferrari on like for like and on medium tyres compared to ultras on ferrari.... well it seems the mercedes should be out in fornt on first day... and be rock solid

what i don't know is how far ahead.. 0.3s? 0.5s? 1s?

 

Bernie will have asked the Mercs to stay off the super softs until the first race so that there's actually an audience to watch it. If they went on them now we'd all see it's a foregone conclusion: Merc 1-2s all year long. At least this way it looks like a red or blue car might edge it in a few races, but that's bullshit as only way it'll happen is if the Mercs have mech failures like last season. Fortunately for them as you say they're pounding it and will have improved in those areas from last season.

 

bernie must've put sugar in the merc petrol tank today as well then.

hamilton just stopped on track.

times:

1. Sebastian Vettel 1:22.852 37 laps (SS)

2. Carlos Sainz 1:23.471 46 laps (SS)

3. Sergio Perez 1:23.849 34 laps (SS)

4. Lewis Hamilton 1:24.133 52 laps (M)

5. Daniel Ricciardo 1:24.549 48 laps (S)

6. Jenson Button 1:24.714 38 laps (US)

7. Romain Grosjean 1:25.255 40 laps (S)

8. Jolyon Palmer 1:25.505 18 laps (S)

9. Felipe Massa 1:25.696 63 laps (M)

10. Marcus Ericsson 1:26.823 44 laps (M)

Bascially vettel just put in a time in supersoft that was as fast as raikkonen did on ultras

medium, soft, super soft, ultra soft

seems to be at least 0.5s between tyes but ultras looked 0.8second faster.

Seems to me ferrari have a bit in the bag here and all.

Seems if mercedes are out on their own in front ferrari will be second place by a long way from the rest.

I still think there might be only a few tenths in it in first race.

 

Major war of words about to start on the halo

Hamilton waded in earlier lambasting it as ugly and he'd not drive with it or would take it off. says F1 is all over the place

then this

"“In principal, I agree it doesn’t look very nice. It’s not the picture you are used to for Formula 1 for a long time. But equally if it helps increase the safety and helps saving lives… There would be at least two drivers in the last four years that I remember would still be around, Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson, if we had this type of system. I think it can be as ugly as possible - nothing justifies not having these guys around any more.” Vettel.

I think mr hamilton just took one on the chin there.