I'm assuming that the Mercedes has a fair bit left under the bonnet for quali but what do we make of the Ferrari good work? Any reason behind the improvement? Is China a high speed cornere track for the first phalf of the lap? McLaren disappointingly slow and I thought they would lead the chasing pack but it seems they might have a similar situation to Malaysia?
They're always quick in FP1-2 some guy on Autosport had a list in where Alonso and Kimi fared in practice in the 3 previous GP's and they were in the same positions as today and always being in the top 3. Mercedes and Red Bull sandbag until FP3-Qualifying, Ferrari are glory hunting so by past results it's nothing to write home about in my opinion.
I'm tipping Fernando to split the two Merc's in quali but fall away in the race by 20 odd seconds or so.
Fair point Would love to see a multi-team battle F1 has been dire now for 13 straight races since Vettel started his streak and Mercedes got a head start for 2014. Hope we can see some challengers before not too long but I am not hopeful.
We probably wont have a battle for the win with another team until Spain-Canada as it will be dominated by the two obvious drivers. But the fight for 3rd should be much more interesting with Red Bull, McLaren, Force India and Williams fighting for it.
China is a front-limited circuit, good for Ferrari Ferrari have a new front wing, rear wing, brake ducts, blown wheel nut and the slimmer launch-spec sidepods All Ferrari teams have a new PU this weekend. Looking at the speed traps, Ferrari have made progress in this area FP2 should have been a Mercedes 1-2, but Rosberg wasn't happy with the balance on the soft tyre
Thanks Forza This is where I'm really trying to learn F1 this season- I will ask a number of questions that will sound silly to some of the more advanced guys on here so apologies if you shake your head at whatever I ask . So here is the first... "Front-Limited"- How do I define that in laymans terms?
Seb saying Mercedes are heavily sandbagging: http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.co...ects-mercedes-of-sandbagging-during-practice/
'Front limited' is a short-hand description of lap time being limited by the front end of the car. In this case, cornering and braking (most of which is done at the front of the car) are the primary limiting factors. It can come about for a number of reasons: for example, circuit characteristics may tend to cause higher degradation (wear rates) for the front tyres* than the rear. It may help to consider the following comparison between front and rear wheel drive road cars (or indeed, 4x4s from different manufacturers): Find a suitable place such as a disused airfield or skid-pan. Drive each car in a circle, gradually building up speed until reaching the limit of grip. Different cars will usually give up (be limited in their ability to stick to a given circle) at different speeds and in different ways. For example, a Subaru Impreza or similar – which has phenomenal grip due to a combination of weight distribution, suspension and transmission of power delivery – will eventually 'give up' at the front before the rear when under power. This is because the whole car is eventually pushed (by the rear) beyond the influence of the front end. That said, driving technique and car set up (particularly with adjustable differentials, such as with Nissan's Skylines and GT-Rs) can be adapted to compensate to some extent, but the car is ultimately 'front limited' in terms of what it can achieve under acceleration on a given road surface. Oddly enough though, it can become rear limited under braking, where the extra pressure on the front (and corresponding lack of it at the rear) provides extra grip (cornering and braking potential) at the front, whilst reducing it at the rear. And if a circuit demands a greater focus upon one aspect or another, it is this which limits what can be achieved over a lap. Ultimately, there is a limit to what can be achieved, and one factor will find its 'limit' before the others; thus a circuit is said to be limited by whichever factor is weakest (most important to work on in order to improve lap time).- - - o0o - - - *Indeed, it can often be the case that due to the nature of the circuit just one of the four tyres experiences a significantly higher wear rate, once again limiting what can be done.
Serious? He drove a brilliant last race on a 2 stop and was knackered by the safety car and then his retirement and scored 23 points in the previous races an average of 4th place. It's clearly behind the Mercs and Williams and on a par with the rejuvenated Red Bull.
I cant believe Lewis setting the quickest time while having issues with his car. EPIC. Love how DR is usurping the No1 spot at Red Bull which is confirming what I have always thought , any decent driver would give problems to the the 4xwdc. I just wish Webber had gone sooner.
Honda engines aren't "exclusive to McLaren" but it seems they want to keep the project small at the moment. http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2014/04/honda-rule-out-customer-teams-for-2015/
Did you see the reaction of the guy on the pitfall when Maldonado crashed on his way to the pit entry? That was priceless. I wish I could find it to post here...priceless..lol. Maldonado says penalties will destroy f1? Lol. They better be careful..he may destroy F1 all on his own. The guy is driving at like snail's pace and runs off the road playing with his steering. Hey guy you have to learn how to multitask or you will kill somebody out there. Well I guess he was doing a crash test for the twin tusks...maybe the twin tusks failed in the last race when he came out the pits and harpooned the other car...so maybe he decided to do another test..this time on the pit entry wall. I hope he never qualify between second and fifth or that's will be the end of the race at the first corner.
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