Official: Testing Thread

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<table class="tableizer-table">
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow"><th>P</th><th>Driver</th><th>Team</th><th>Time</th><th>Laps</th></tr> <tr><td>1</td><td> Alonso</td><td>Ferrari</td><td> 1m18.877s</td><td>39</td></tr> <tr><td>2</td><td> Vergne</td><td>Toro Rosso</td><td> 1m19.597s +0.720</td><td>80</td></tr> <tr><td>3</td><td> Vettel</td><td>Red Bull</td><td> 1m19.606s +0.729</td><td>50</td></tr> <tr><td>4</td><td> Hamilton</td><td>McLaren</td><td> 1m19.640s +0.763</td><td>86</td></tr> <tr><td>5</td><td> Grosjean</td><td>Lotus</td><td> 1m19.729s +0.852</td><td>95</td></tr> <tr><td>6</td><td> Kobayashi</td><td>Sauber</td><td> 1m19.834s +0.957</td><td>76</td></tr> <tr><td>7</td><td> Hulkenberg</td><td>Force India</td><td> 1m19.977s +1.100</td><td>90</td></tr> <tr><td>8</td><td> Senna</td><td>Williams</td><td> 1m20.132s +1.255</td><td>125</td></tr> <tr><td>9</td><td> Trulli</td><td>Caterham</td><td> 1m22.198s +3.321</td><td>117</td></tr></table>

 

You can't look into it, you can't look into it...
BUT...
Caterham.

 

Interesting that Force India have completed more laps than Red Bull, Ferrari and Sauber, despite losing a whole day because of Bianchi's crash.

 

To be fair those 3 have had big problems to. Sauber had drivetrain problem, Ferrari had hydraulic problem and Red Bull electrics. Saying that Ferrari seemed to do little running today despite having no major issues.

 

I think I read that Ferrari did only 2 timed laps at all after 11am. The rest were pit to pit.

 

i thought caterham were looking good with kovaleinen at the wheel... sure its trulli doing it...

 

From Adam Cooper:

Interesting Pirelli facts, longest runs this week were hard 26, medium 27, soft 20... And there were 294 sets in total at the track!


Hardly monumentally long runs on the tyres but not bad for a first attempt on a cold rough track.

 

Why oh why oh why? I know we're told to take less notice of Best Before dates nowadays but keeping Trulli on with so many other options available is just ridiculous. Surely Heikki has the required experience, what does Jarno do that someone else couldn't do better?

 

I'm suffering withdrawal already. It's like a small drink after you've been dry for a few months. I've got the DTs already.

 

It's one long intermittent tease for the next month. I just want to see what they've really got - no glory runs and no teabagging

 

LOL!!! Sandbagging will always be Teabagging to me from now on...

 

Up late looking at the times and reports of how the cars look round the track but anyone think lotus could beat 4th or better??

 

I don't know what to make of them to be frank. because of Williams last year, i don't know whether to take these lotus times seriously, or think that they've just lowly fueled the car, in an attempt to attract sponsors (Toro Rosso in 2010)

 

Part of me really thinks that there was a lot of attracting media attention for Lotus this week. Having the car and Kimi on top of the sheets was bound to get the team a metric butt-load of coverage, but who knows.... Maybe the car is solid and Kimi is back on top of his game. The cynic in me say's that's not the case. No telling though.

 

I'm going to agree with the cynic in you. I could understand the new merc being a rocket ship (we finally get to see it soon) as they worked on it since the middle of last season, and have a budget bigger than jupiter (they've obviously found loopholes in the Resource agreement) whereas Lotus haven't spent so long and don't have an astronomical budget. Methinks it's a PR gig.

 

Part of me thinks Merc could be the dark horse of the season... They have been awful quiet and holding off on testing. It really makes me wonder if they have something up their sleeve that they don't want anybody else to see just yet.

 

Quite likely. They certainly have the resource to be able to put out a 2012 car if they'd felt like it. On the other hand, if they have some radical innovation and a lot of confidence in it, they may steal a march by keeping the cat in the bag as long as possible.

I am sure EMSC should be happy at this prospect. Then again, it may come to nought of course&#8230;

 

I both love and hate winter testing all at the same time. It's a much needed dose of F1 but also so much speculation, cat and mouse and trying to read between the lines. It makes me want to bite my thumbs off.

 

+1

 

I think I'll make my 1000th post on not606 a monumental one by saying 5 simple words....

Is it F1 time yet?