Based on what you have seen so far of the 2011 cars in testing, what would you say the pecking order is? I would say: Red Bull Ferrari (very close to RB) Renault Williams Mercedes Sauber McLaren Torro Rosso Force India Lotus Virgin
my view is after this week Ferrari Red Bull Renault Mercedes Mclaren Williams STR Sauber Force India Lotus HRT (even with old car) Virgin
I would say: Ferrari RedBull Renault Sauber Mercedes Mclaren Williams TorroRosso ForceIndia Lotus Hrt Virgin
Ferrari and Red Bull Renault Williams, Mercedes and McLaren That's roughly what I expect the pecking order to be come Melbourne based on what we've seen so far.
The last test will show us more with big upgrades for teams before the first race at (and thank god the rightful first GP) Austrailia
I'm really looking forward to the Ferrari and Mercedes upgrades. Ferrari are usually quiet when it comes to developments, but Costa and Fry keep going on about how this update will change most of the visual aspects on the car. I really want to see some good innovations from Ferrari this year - something others will be trying to copy.
I think all the major teams will have a new front wing for the first race. Probably revised exhausts and diffusers for a few as well. The problem with Mercedes approach of holding loads back is that if their car doesn't perform as expected, they'll have to keep taking bits off, putting bits back on, to try and find out which its work and which bits don't and which combinations work best. The standard procedure is usually to apply one thing at a time, but if Merc are holding back until the first race they won't have time to do this.
after the first few tests I predict a few revised ARW's in the next test. and as most teams have conservative body designs and were working on reliability and the insides of the car, there will be some interesting aero revisions.
James Allen says: - Ferrari and Red Bull are close on race pace - Feeling from engineers is that RB is 4 tenths faster then Ferrari - Fernando Alonso is the strongest driver in the field over a race distance. - Lewis Hamilton is eating up the tyres more quickly than many drivers - Tyres designed for a higher working range of temperature. - Gap between the supersoft and the medium tyres is too great - Gap between soft and the hard tyres is 8/10ths - In cool conditions, the soft lasts 12 laps, the hard lasts 20-22 laps. - Mercedes behind Renault in the pecking order - Williams and Torro Rosso strong than last year - Force India under pressure - Lotus have closed the gaps to the midfield - Virgin haven't closed the gap http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/02/barcelona-test-day-4-massa-shows-qualifying-pace/
I haven't got a clue what to think. Going by testing and the times that have been set, I'm not making any assumptions cause it's likely to change again come FP1 in Australia. To change the subject, it's funny how everything is happening, and all the big stories are coming in now, without the actual season starting!
