Don't forget Massa, he's one damn good F1 driver. Lost the title to Lewis by 1 point and that's not accounting for crash-gate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Triumph
Ferrari have two very gifted drivers as well as McLaren. :)
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Don't forget Massa, he's one damn good F1 driver. Lost the title to Lewis by 1 point and that's not accounting for crash-gate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Triumph
Ferrari have two very gifted drivers as well as McLaren. :)
On the other hand Alonso has driven rubbish since 2007, the cars have moved on since then too as well as Fernando being a rather emotional fellow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodster
I haven't read anywhere that there is concern about the Ferrari's long runs. Mclaren - if I recall in the daily test reports were mentioned as being the best on the long runs and Jenson is VERY happy with his long runs.
And Williams have been running their Cosworths at lower than 18,000 rpm in order to test reliability.
The reality is that at this stage we have no idea who will be the best in race configuration because nobody has anything near their race set-up yet, nor the parts that will be on the cars at Sakhir and definitely we have no idea if ANYONE has dialled in a good enough set up that will allow their drivers to run quickly throughout a race without being concerned about tyre wear.
Anderson mentioned in last week's Autosport that he thinks there is going to be trouble when all the teams have revealed their diffusers - to date only Virgin has not been shy about their car's derrier! :D
Lewis correct when he said last week that the true pecking order will only be known after Q1 at Sakhir.
"Monster fast" - then why was it not quickest this week?Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic
The Brawn which really WAS "monster fast" was NEVER headed.
No car seems to have problems - diffuser problems - but we also do not know how anyone was running, fuel or set-up wise.
St. Devote, the concern of Ferrari it seems are short runs and not long runs. And about monster fast, as Alonso said, no car is that. It seems that we are back in 2008 - cars with very close performance to each other. Mercedes runs heavy, Ferrari dominated Valencia, McLaren Jerez and Red Bull and Renault seem competitive. I doubted the dream season, but it seems to be happening!
Yes, the Ferrari is the car to beat in race trim. Heavy with fuel, while not ultimately as quick as the McLaren, it looks after the tyres better. So, what McLaren may gain in initial pace off the line, Ferrari can make up for in longevity of the tyres towards the end of the stint.
The only posible flaw in the otherwise bulletproof Ferrari is fuel economy.
Potentially, rivals can run less fuel at the start.
But testing has shown that the Ferrari is not only quick, its reliable too. The main players have a lot to fear - with a fired up Alonso and a rejuvenated, determined Massa......
Also, as alluded to earlier, qually pace is a potential issue as the car cannot work the tyres initially....
At this stage with the Catalunya test not even done I think proper evaluation of where the teams are is not possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
Especially evaluating tyres and so on. Racing conditions are very different and I have seen nothing to indicate such superiority by any team.
The cars are not even in their final form never mind race set-up.
And again if Ferrari are so much to "fear" why did Mclaren finish another test at the top of the times? Ferrari playing games? The best game in town is to arrive at Sakhir with your car having been consistently the quickest in the tests.
On twitter that 1.18.8 that Jenson achieved after saying he feels extremely confortable in the car had the Mclaren folks extremely excited - I do not think they were expecting that!
However, Catalunya is going to be the first track that everyone can evaluate their current car compared to last - and Jense in particular is for the forst time going to be in a position to compare it to the BGP 01.
For me, Valencia and Jerez have been all about checking the car systems and settling in the drivers, getting the teams in synch. Next week in Catalunya its going to become the real deal.
Mclaren are going to, sometime during the test, put the MP4-25 into near race trim for the first time.
Adrian Newey is the don of the current aero regs - the Red Bull and the Mclaren are the most radical of the front-runners according to Gary Anderson in Autosport.
If the RB 06 really works, with its attempt to gain the best of both worlds with its rear suspension set-up different from everyone else and its diffuser, it is going to be a problem for others.
And Mclaren too with its evolved diffuser and tweaked unusual suspension at the rear.
I think that Red Bull and Mclaren are going to make the early running but Alonso in the Ferrari is going to be their best "part" - Catalunya however is going to be the best indicator yet.
by your analogy, we can expect Ferrari to start sixth/seventh and come through the pack to win. (in a race or 2)Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
I know its Ferrari, but i dont care, that sounds like exciting racing! I hope you are correct. :D
Or Mclaren are just faster anyway. that would be nice :D
Not if Ferrari run multi lap qually runs to get the tyres up to speed. But then, they have to start the race on those tyres......Quote:
Originally Posted by UltimateDanGTR
Catch 22
Rubens has the Star of David painted atop his helmet - on the front since joining Williams is an advert for the energy drink associated with Williams: HELL.
I guess he has all the bases now covered? :-]
Hahahah!Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint Devote