We have to assume Mercedes know what they are doing. It's highly unlikely they'd turn up at the circuit and just play it by ear. They've been bolting new bits onto the car and playing with fine tuning all week so they seem set of the path of perfecting their design philosophy. Id guess that the medium is the most used tyre in a season so I'd assume that's why they're using it so much. It might back fire on them which will improve the show, so I guess we can all be optimistic If they bolt on the ultras next week and muller everyone then it'll put a bit of a downer on race 1. They're thinking of the fans.... or not!
Some stats from Pirelli. Although perhaps the STR lads might be mixed up, not had chance to check myself.
Both very good points. So what exactly is Mercedes testing? the simulation the car the patience of this forum. Doesn't seem like they're giving their car much of a test. They must be hoping it's as bullet-proof as their confidence.
Merc struggled with the harder compounds more than the softer ones last year. It makes sense they'd have focussed development on those weaknesses. I assume they are testing the solutions they've integrated into the design and their effects.
I always thought they struggled more with the softer compounds - their delta improvement always seemed less.
I was thinking of Malaysia specifically and thinking the pattern had continued, but maybe you're right.
When you look back it wasn't that he speed wasn't there over one lap on their softer tyres it was that they couldn't race for long on them. Where Ferrari beat them in Malaysia was that Vettel could run he softer tyre for the same amount of time as the Mercs could manage on the harder compound, and hence they had the faster tyre for longer. Singapore was so bizarre I almost think conspiracy! Haha. They were slow everywhere the Mercs. Can Honda actually get into the ball park tomorrow? Can Ferrari show good reliability on their aggressive power unit? Will Mercedes entire car be deemed illegal and a redesign required? We can all hope but I suspect the silver arrow will prove light years ahead.
Well you all wanted Mercedes to turn the wick up. All i can say now is to congratulate Hamilton on the WDC. Not many drivers get to 4 but he's done it.
McLaren 2.5 seconds faster than Quali last year, and only .5 from Mercs pole time, obviously everyone ahead of them has improved, but that's gotta give Button and Alonso a bit of optimism that points and podiums may be doable this season.
A lot of the commentators seem to think that Merc are miles up the road based on Nico's 1:23 on the soft compared with Vettel's 1:22.8 on the ultra soft. The delta should be approximately 0.8 per compound so that may give the Merc a theoretical ultra soft time of 1:21:400. Nico's run was a quali run 4 or 5 laps and the times were set on different weeks so track conditions will be a variable. Edit: Seeing this Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:23.785 - would indicate that the Ferrari had more fuel - there is no way the Williams is ahead of the Ferrari at this track with their areo philosophy. More intriguingly, Ferrari's best soft-tyre lap from last week was almost identical to the one Bottas has just set. Bottas strengthens his second place on the timesheet as another short burst on softs takes him onto 1:23.572, which is still half a second back on Mercedes' benchmark. This is what Nico thinks. We've just heard from Nico Rosberg after the Mercedes driver completed his morning run and the relief-inducing news for the Silver Arrows' rivals is that Rosberg has confirmed the team were running a qualifying simulation earlier this morning. "It’s very close between Ferrari and us – and another team might be there as well," Rosberg has told Sky Sports News HQ.
I have a funny feeling that Williams may rate a very solid competitor during the early part of the season and assume that is who Rosberg is referring to. They've put some real solid testing in and are beginning to now show their pace- which is also very solid. I doubt he is referring to McLaren Honda as Alonso set his best time today on the softs whereas he is still marginally behind the times set on mediums by Raikonnen and Rosberg. Even so- McLaren seem to have a good car. Everything I have seen of it on track looks excellent. It reminds me a little of Red Bull in 2014- its a beautiful car but it looks underpowered. Hopefully we might see more improvement to come from them this week.
Williams are certainly working their way down through Pirelli's tyre compounds today. After two runs on the softs, Valtteri Bottas jumped a compound to the ultrasofts and, slightly syrprisingly, only found three tenths of a second worth of time to end up still behind Mercedes on 1:23.229. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton continues to run under the radar on medium tyres - although is already up to 40 laps.
150+ laps again for Merc.. Hamilton posting very quick S1 times, on mediums, on long runs and then backs off in S2 and S3... Ominous?
I reckon Ferrari will be up there in terms of pace, but their chances of a title shot will be nullified by reliability issues. You heard it here first. - EMSC Pre-Season Testing 2016
Alonso knocks in a 1:24.7 but not sure what tyre that is on. EDIT: Soft tyre. 1.7s off the Mercedes benchmark set by Rosberg on the same tyre.
