yeah they will all have t wings by next week. i think they should be completely gone as should shark fin. hamilton went fastest today but time is unimpressive based on last year so what did we learn from it compared to everyone else?
Not a lot really. Obviously the Merc is going to be the favourite, but Bouiller was saying that the Medium was the better tyre for the conditions, even though they thought the softer compounds would be better. Don’t know whether that’s true but Merc always excel in low grip cold temp and fire up the harder compounds better than others. Pretty sure Ferrari were quieter in the first test aswell last year. Might be wrong.
ferrari were top at the end of both tests but this year has been totally disrupted so who knows whats going on i thibk we can say honda have improved hugely in ability to run. everyone looked.decent in reliability and the top 3 ran lots of laps with no issues
I think Bottas was fastest on the first test with a 1:19:705, but I wasn’t really referring to times per say. It was only in the 2nd test when we saw their long run pace that we knew they were quick. Honda look much better which is good. McLaren still seem circumspect to me, don’t believe their pace and I think they have a few niggles to iron out. RB worry me a little, no doubt they hav3 a good car but I just hope for everyone’s sake Horners not right about Mercs 1000bhp engine! Good read http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...hat-did-we-learn-in-the-first-week-of-testing
Haas and Force India worry me a little. Why so little mileage? Haas could be down to Ferrari switching their attention to Sauber Alfa. Force India suffering from worries about Mr boss man? Neither a great situation. Honda have got it right, whilst McLaren are still overheating. Was is 100% Honda's fault these last 3 years? Remember 2014? Red bull constantly catching fire in testing whilst caterham and Toro Rosso pounded out the laps?
I think part of the McHonda issue was that McL specified the PU package size to fit their aero design. That made things just too tight and compounded reliability issues. I think TR are almost just a test bed for RB next year and as such they have said to Honda make the PU you think is best for reliability and future power and we will fit the bodywork round it. They have not put pressure on Honda and as such Honda have had breathing space to do things the way they wanted and not to fit in a restrictive space. I am pleased that Honda have so many laps under their belt during the first test as it gives them masses of data and an intact set of components to analyse. I also believe that McL couldn't have stuck with Honda as it would just have destroyed the company. Had they had more issues in 2018, changing pu supplier would be megga difficult mid year and they could have had some nasty legal issues. So by negotiating the swap between TR (Renault & Honda) both companies saved face to a certain degree and it gives RB a year to see how Honda do. Plus I can imagine RB wanting to help Honda achieve big things. Cant wait for the season, not that Merc will have any real competition but the places behind them might be fun.
The only thing I can truly say visually right now is that Mercedes and Ferrari just look to have more power. Just the sound and visual impressions. The Ferrari also looks PLANTED compared to anyone else. That thing has some downforce.
To have a realistic chance of beating Merc in either of the championships hinges on two factors. 1. Can you get the jump on them in the fly aways 2. Will Merc fight each other (Nico/Lewis) One thing Merc have demonstrated year on year in their domination period is that they have a PU advantage in some way shape of form, what makes them deadly is their ability to out develop the competition, whilst having the resources to work on the following years car.
Merc has the power circuits to itself, IMO what will decide the championship is how many points the rest take off each other on the more chassis tracks. Reliability may also play a factor, Mercedes may have got more power from their engine, but maybe the others have traded power for better reliability.
We will have to wait, but this then opens up the debate we had least year over penalties and drivers. There will come a point when your engine advantage outweighs the penalties taken.
Renault is already plotting penalties, with the engines so held back these days to make them last I think taking 2 big penalties would be an advantage overall. If you have a bad quali come mid-late season I can see taking a new PU being a must.
Hate to post this but Carlos Sainz describes Mercedes and Ferrari as “on another level” in the piece below: http://m.f1reader.com/news/sainz-mercedes-power-is-a-little-scary-190728 Il be looking for clues of their dominance this week. Visually they looked a big step ahead of anyone else last week IMO.
Obviously I'd rather there be 3 or 4 teams genuinely challenging, but if were honest with ourselves there is rarely more than two driver in with a shout and they are often team mates. I would be ecstatic if Ferrari are a genuine contender again this year, and would prefer RB to be in from the beginning or not at all. I'm sure were all just hoping that The Merc isn't up the road on everyone, especially as there was a report on Bottas being "unlikely" to attempt to challenge on the basis of securing a contract ahead of Riccardo and Ocon for the following year.
