A few quotes from Petrov: Petrov - "It was a positive day. We are not bad and were not from mechanical problems. We did a great job and we have not pushed yet. Tomorrow we will go to the maximum" Petrov confirmed Along with Nico Rosberg that the tires are better than expected. "That surprised us a bit. The only problem is now heating up the tires, because it was pretty cool."
Great analysis cosicave! I watched all of practice 1, and the first hour of practice 2 (before falling asleep). Some things I noticed: One thing I was paying particular attention to was the moveable rear wing and it's use, and Vettel, Webber and Alonso were able to activate the rear wing very early on the exit of the corner - in that sense, they were a league of their own. Massa and Rosberg also activated earlier than most, but nowhere near as early as the three i've mentioned above. I'm not entirely convinced that Red Bull are dominant - Alonso looks like he match whatever they can do. The Ferrari looked very strong and well planted through the corners - in Alonso's hands. I think Alonso will have no problems pushing the limits of the car come qualifying, and those Pirelli's look like they were made for Alonso. On the other hand Massa seems very uncomfortable with the set up and they tyres. I was really disappionted to see a lot of what I saw last season: Alonso comfortably quicker then Massa. McLaren looked strong as well, and it might have overtaken a few midfield teams. Still don't think it's as good as RB, Ferrari and Mercedes, but today's practice has convinced me that points are very possibly for both drivers.
I respect him for his achievements, sure, but I'm not a fan of him. I always thought his moral compass was a little skewed. My main reason fir disliking him was, as El Bando, I was a Hill fan, but also the incident where he tried to go and punch DC after a collision when DC was a backmarker (Spa 1998?) in a wet race.
I noticed Vettel was really quick to get the rear wing stalled on the exit of turn two. I think RBR looked quickest, followed by Ferrari then McLaren then Mercedes. Merc were beasting the speed traps, I might get some cash on Rosberg to win in Montreal and Monza.
Vettel was amazing, and for most of the session I thought Red Bull are the best. But with about 15 mintues remaining in Practice 1, they started showing Alonso onboard. I can't believe Croft and Hamilton missed this, especially as they were talking about the Ferrari steering wheel, but on the top left of the steering wheel there is a small red light that comes on when the rear wing is activated. From the onboard shots it was clear that Alonso was able to use to system just as early as Vettel.
I have to say I didn't notice the light on the steering wheel either. The suspense is killing me, even after qualifying we're not really going to know where everyone stands because it's going to be less important this season.
With regards to the steering wheel, I've known about the Ferrari steering wheel and all it's controls for a while now, so I was specifically looking at the light when they showed Alonso onboard.
What a show in practice! Still I have no idea which team has the fastest outright pace, although with that, we need to know who can manage the tyres... It could go to either type of driver.
This managing the tyres thing is likely to be a myth. It's been well reported that drivers are unlikely to be able to have any control over the degradation of the Pirelli's. Where the driver becomes crucial is their ability to feel the point where they are about to rapidly drop off and as such getting their ass into the pits quick. Those that brave it and stay out could find themselves lose around 4 seconds if they are not careful.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0108x5k/Formula_1_2011_The_Australian_Grand_Prix_Practice_One/ Go to 1.21.45 and you can see the little red light.
Finally on the internet!!! Well Mclaren have surprised me by setting the fastest time with Jenson a little bit quicker than Lewis and the Red Bulls and Ferraris probably holding back a bit. Qualifying should be great!!
The McLarens have really thrown a curve ball with their times. They all seem pretty closely packed, I still think RBR have their noses in front but it will probably come down to who deals with the degradation best.
Didn't they finish 1st and 2nd in Practice 2 last year as well? I guess that's not really relevant, but I wouldn't read too much into the fastest lap times. The important thing is that McLaren look good - the car looked quite stable, so big difference from the stuff that was said in testing. I am really surprised, well done McLaren! EDIT: Found a vid showing Hamilton onboard. Looks promising for McLaren: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpyhVjvbz4A
I thought the Ferrari looked a little difficult to handle and moreso after watching the onboard from Hamilton - that was like watching Button drive it. I guess the more that wing is used the less stable the car will be. Was Hamilton even using it in that clip?
Is that a hint of front wing flex I detect on the McLaren? Nothing compared to the Red Bull which was flapping about like a diving board. They've definitely come a long way since Barcelona (I don't mean geographically), the car looks planted now. It looks like the gambles have paid off for Mercedes and McLaren, it could've gone horribly wrong if they didn't get those first updates rate.
