Yeh I agree. The compounds are a step softer this year, and Pirelli claimed a circa 2 second delta from last year. Factor in last years development from the Spain GP to the end of the season, plus the off season development you would expect a 16 flat on the softest compound. So unless the track surface is negatively affecting them we should be somewhere near a 17 flat on a conservative quali run.
Mercedes dont sound very confident in their interviews. Maybe they are genuinely worried their car isnt up to scratch with Red Bull and Ferrari..... Or could be a big bluff
Funny that, because Lauda has been quoted this morning as saying Ferrari have slipped back behind RB?
Ferrari just seem very calm and doing their own thing - Sebs lap again today was on a decent stint - but you would expect Lauda to have all the info to make that comment.
Will Buxton is peddling the idea that Ferrari have found a way to have a sort of double diffuser. Bound to be pictures of it appearing soon if so. Vettel into the 1.17s now....
Ok so if its bone dry empty on fuel this is what we have: Out Lap 17:913 17:664 17:710 18:006 In Lap Followed by Out Lap 17:297 Cool Down 17:182 In Lap Edit: I would have said that was a full on quali run until Gasly in a HONDA just put in 17:805 EDIT: He jumped the chicane
Interesting that they've decided to go for it. Red Bull and Mercedes holding back. All the Ferrari PU cars were doing PBs together, testing a new Q3 mode?
Possibly - would make sense for references purposes. Ricardo indicated he did a quali run and then race sim yesterday. Merc still referring to them as the stronger car - was it a bluff to get Ferrari to bolt? Pirelli claiming deltas as follows: Medium to soft 6/10ths Then soft down is 2/10ths per compound - not as much as the hoped. Might be more with warmer track temps. Edit: RB doing higher fuel runs than yesterday - apparently.
TBH Any way you cut it vettel pounded out another 150 odd laps today and pounded in an unoffical lap record which is 1.5 seconds faster than the fastest form last year.. which is in keeping with what hyper softs etc etc are meant to deliver we can say from that ferrari are no worse than last year and prob faster.... and mercedes are just doing their thing and going nowhere near the hypers yet lets see what they chose to do here. I think theres a 1:16.5 in this test and prob lower.
2 race distances from McLaren today, ironing out the niggles, which is what testing is for. Everyone seems to be putting a lot of laps down, which is good, though I won't take anything from it until Q3 in 2 weeks time.
This is something Lewis said after testing today. If they are running high fuel with the times they are doing, i think they are in a great position. But I am praying for Ferrari and Red Bull to be right up there...And yes, I am saying a little prayer for McLaren too. Can anyone tell me what's going on at Williams? I cant figure them out as yet. Lewis Hamilton: “It matters where we are in qualifying, in Q3 in the first race when everyone's on low fuel. “For example, for us we’ve not been on low fuel yet so I have no idea where the car can go.
whats low fuel... if hamilton is saying he had say 50% load on mediums and was fastest yesterday then ok... what was vettel on there setting that time
