Official 2011 Santander Gran Premio de España Chat

Ah, if only I had time to give that request the treatment it deserves...

Here's FF's sleeping Ferrari pics, El_Bando (I presume you still can't see them even with his links?).

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Thanks Genji, oh I look quite the fool now as its covered up =/

 

Is Alonso really as small as he looks in those pictures??? He's a midget in them!

 

It appears his top half is normal size but his lower half is tiny. Like a midget giving a legless person a ride on their shoulders.

 

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery has predicted that the new specification "hard" tyre, which is due to be used for the first time at this weekend's Spanish GP, will lead to teams adopting more "creative strategies" during the race. "The new tyre reduces degradation and improves tyre wear. It's not a huge step over the original hard tyre but it does mean that there is a bigger gap between the soft and the hard tyre, which will definitely make things even more interesting on race day," said Hembery.
I'm a bit slow today -why will it be more interesting? If the harder tyre merely lasts longer, then teams should try to keep softer ones back, and there will be fewer pitstops. The softer will still be quicker !!
More interesting? don't get it.

 

I think the harder tyre is also slower than it used to be, so there'll be a greater gap in lap times too?

I think thats what it means anyway!

 

Could be! So harder last longer but are slower (ahem .. sounds like me in old age !!) therefore teams will want to do fewer laps on them?
a bit contradictory.

 

I guess teams then need to balance how many laps they can manage with the remaining softs they have, against how much damage spending too long on the slower hards could do to their race. But equally, as Gascoyne has been quoted as saying, with not a lot of data on the new tyres, a lot of it will be on the spot calls, so we'll see. I imagine all the frontrunners will naturally be on the softs from Q3, with a few midfield teams choosing softs too? Who knows?

 

Apologies for the double post, but I felt this merited a separate mention:

With regards the tyres the teams use in Q3, how is it decided which they must start on for the race? For example if you set your fastest lap on the softs, but then do a quick pitstop during the session and send them out for a lap on hards (maybe just an out/in lap), which tyres must they start the race on? Does anyone know?

 

It's the tyres you set your fastest lap on. Unless it's wet of course.

 

ABS - correct.
Small difference at Catalunya to previous 2 circuits - its 66 laps at approx 1min 24 secs. Perhaps a little better margin to pit when tyres are shot?

 

Everything after midget Alonso should be a new thread, eh? First run of a new tyre compound is worth it ne.

 

Alonso and his personal pit crew?

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Ultra-nerd Alonso corrects Mansell's blatant error on the advantage of racing in a home grand prix:

Ultra-secretive Webber says the spartan Red Bull team has no updates for the Spanish GP:

On Autosport.

 

'It appears his top half is normal size but his lower half is tiny.'

Oh dear, is that what the girls say about Fernando?

 

New McLaren exhaust:

http://yfrog.com/z/gyyy3zehj

 

Oi jersey! where did you get that picture of me and my mates?

 

I'm so excited about this weekend because of all the upgrades everyone is bringing but I just know, in my heart of hearts, that Red Bull are just going to go, "lol, vroom."

 

Mark says no upgrades in Spain for the RB7 http://www.planetf1.com/driver/18227/6940717/Thursday-s-FIA-press-conference

 

I would think the new exhaust system Vettel trashed in Turkey would need to be tested at least.