Young drivers test 2011 (15th-17th)... Official?

When: 15th-17th November
Where: Abu Dhabi


Confirmed drivers (as far as I know):

I'm not sure how much coverage the test will get or how much people care about it but I thought I might as well create a thread to cover the event, keep it all in one place and easy to talk about.

Enjoy

If I've missed out a driver or anything please point it out

 

im interested to see how Bianchi, vegne and Wickens can do. Also Pic who apparently got the seat ahead of wickens at Marussia.

There is rather alot of frenchmen coming into the sport

 

I'm guessing this test will be strangely free from the noise of gargling blown diffusers ...

 

It certainly will be on the Mercedes, they are using the current car but without the blown diffuser and with just the periscope exhaust.

 

another frenchman Nathanael Berthon will take over from Clos in the HRT

 

The times of the morning of the first day in Abu Dhabi:

1. Jean-Eric Vergne - Red Bull Racing - 1:40.707 - 33 laps ​

2. Jules Bianchi - Ferrari - 1:42.632 - 34 laps
3. Oliver Turvey - McLaren - 1:43.502 - 35 laps

4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:43.816 - 47 laps ​

5. Fabio Leimer - Sauber - 1:44.354 - 34 laps

6. Robert Wickens – Lotus Renault GP – 1:44.579 – 29 laps
7. Rodolfo Gonzalez - Team Lotus - 1:45.026 - 44 laps
8. Sam Bird – Mercedes GP – 1:45.564 – 12 laps
9. Max Chilton - Force India - 1:45.714 - 42 laps
10. Dani Clos - HRT - 1:46.922 - 39 laps
11. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs - Virgin - 1:47.292 - 32 laps​

 

According to Autosport, the Williams is also 2012 spec exhausts. They don't mention anyone else using the 2012 spec.

 

Expect Vergne will want to be at least a second faster than Vettel's pole like Ricciardo was last year. Doubt he will be, there's a lot more elements to this year's cars than last year's (DRS, KERS)

 

Full times:

PHP:

Pos  Driver               Team                  Time      Laps
 1.  Jean-Eric Vergne     Red Bull-Renault      1m40.011s   83
 2.  Jules Bianchi        Ferrari               1m40.960s   85
 3.  Robert Wickens       Renault               1m42.217s   78
 4.  Fabio Leimer         Sauber-Ferrari        1m42.331s   67
 5.  Gary Paffett         McLaren-Mercedes      1m42.912s   41
 6.  Max Chilton          Force India-Mercedes  1m43.016s   81
 7.  Valtteri Bottas      Williams-Cosworth     1m43.118s   71
 8.  Oliver Turvey        McLaren-Mercedes      1m43.502s   35
 9.  Sam Bird             Mercedes GP           1m43.548s   51
10.  Rodolfo Gonzalez     Lotus-Renault         1m44.022s   87
11.  Stefano Coletti      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m45.278s   87
12.  Dani Clos            HRT-Cosworth          1m45.329s   68
13.  Charles Pic          Virgin-Cosworth       1m46.930s   30
14.  Adrian Quaife-Hobbs  Virgin-Cosworth       1m47.292s   32

 

From what's being reported, Williams were the only team testing the periscope exhaust:

please log in to view this image

 

I know you cant take much from these tests but Paffet, an experianced hand behind the Mclaren (The 2nd best car of the season) on a track where they were strong being beaten by a Renault and a Sauber? this might say alot about there blown diffuser

 

I don't think those sort of inferences can be made. There are no reports that all the teams were running without EBD's and Renault are heavily reliant on their exhausts (perhaps more than McLaren) and they were quick today.

McLaren were probably running higher fuel loads, possibly with the intention of doing low fuel runs on other days.

 

I wonder how much we'll be able to tell about things from this test, the times seem all over the place as they're trying various things.

 

One thing we can definitely tell, as we could last year...
**** the Red Bull is quick. Surprised Bianchi got that Ferrari within a second.

 

mclaren test drivers 3 seconds off the pace, whats that all about

 

Fuel, new parts, exhaust map, to much lard, who knows

 

These aren't the new cars are they? So how are teams/cars testing designs?

 

Put new, already-designed aero parts on. Collect data+feedback.
Testing the chassis is different, that won't happen till next year probably.

 

Morning times:

PHP:

Pos  Driver               Team                  Time      Laps
 1.  Jean-Eric Vergne     Red Bull-Renault      1m40.188s   17
 2.  Jules Bianchi        Ferrari               1m40.838s   45
 3.  Valtteri Bottas      Williams-Cosworth     1m42.548s   38
 4.  Gary Paffett         McLaren-Mercedes      1m42.645s   23
 5.  Esteban Gutierrez    Sauber-Ferrari        1m43.637s   47
 6.  Sam Bird             Mercedes GP           1m43.734s   43
 7.  Luiz Razia           Lotus-Renault         1m44.323s   44
 8.  Kevin Korjus         Renault               1m44.425s   38
 9.  Kevin Ceccon         Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m44.947s   41
10.  Johnny Cecotto Jr    Force India-Mercedes  1m45.475s   39
11.  Jan Charouz          HRT-Cosworth          1m46.728s   37
12.  Charles Pic          Virgin-Cosworth       1m48.397s   21

Paffett caused a red flag when his car stopped due to loss of oil.

 

Theres always one