:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
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:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
OVERALL TIMES FROM THE 3 DAYS (not including Paffett)
1. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari ................ 1m 11.470
2. Felipe Massa - Ferrari ................ +0.252
3. Kamui Kobayashi - Sauber Ferrari ................ +0.586
4. Pedro de la Rosa - Sauber Ferrari ................ +0.624
5. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes ................ +0.786
6. Robert Kubica - Renault ................ +0.956
7. Michael Schumacher - Mercedes ................ +0.968
8. Jaime Alguersuari - Toro Rosso Ferrari ................ +1.106
9. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes ................ +1.429
10. Jenson Button - McLaren Mercedes ................ +1.451
11. Vitaly Petrov - Renault ................ +1.627
12. Rubens Barrichello - Williams Cosworth ................ +1.907
13. Niko Hulkenberg - Williams Cosworth ................ +2.199
14. Sebastien Buemi - Toro Rosso Ferrari ................ +2.353
Whether or not this is a decent preview of what to expect from each team this season, it might lead us closer to knowing who's better of the team-mates. I won't stir more s**t by commenting on Ferrari but certainly, there's a considerable difference in the times between Hamilton/Button, Kubica/Petrov and Alguersuari/Buemi. Would it be wise to suggest that these pairs of drivers were running wildly different strategies (not counting setups, which will obviously be different to varying extents). I'm not sure what to read into Renault or Toro Rosso's pairing just yet. But, with McLaren, Hamilton and Button's driving style are so contrasting that I think it will take Button quite a few races before he feels entirely comfortable with his new car and expect Hamilton to have the upper hand on him for that reason. Hopefully, in the second half of the year, Jenson will take the reigns if he fits in nicely to the team.
Another factor testing cannot show is the engine weights. With the engine rules as they are, teams could adjust for fuel but this season it has changed.
The Ferrari is around 15kgs heavier than the Renault while the Mercedes is around 8kgs or so.
It noticeable how sensitive Mclaren are to equality - running Paffet on the first day.
Without a double diffuser Red Bull were quickest in 2009 and the have the lightest engine. As we see everyone so far had essentially copied the idea of Adrian Newey.
I am sure all the top teams are perhaps a little uneasy over what RB will unveil next week.
And with a driver like Sebastian "Mansell" in the seat it is not out of the question that the real shock awaits in Jerez.
Lets face it, the best driver out there is Schumi.
He is that way because he is the only driver that has proven ability to adapt and change during a race.
No matter what Mercedes say about their speed after the Valencia test it is a short term issue.
The real issue is the race and the strategy. Schumi-Brawn won many races and some of them just phenomenal where he did NOT have the quickest car.
Ross Brawn said a while ago that he is looking forward to the season with the new strategies that will have to be used. EVERYONE should worry,
We will see if any of the drivers today are able to match the great German driver. If any do, they are young enough to become heir apparent as motor racing's benchmark when Schumi FINALLY retires.
I was sorry to see Schumacher retire in 2006, but he left us with that amazing pass on Kimi at Interlagos.
I am delighted that he has returned because I now see that this is a seriously taken step by him and he does nothing by half-measure.
When a driver like Schumi has one of his days and just stamps his authority on the grand prix, it is a time when I'd say loyalties to any driver or team goes bythe wayside for those who are in love with motor racing - and we just enjoy watching the heroic sublime ability that we are lucky to be witnessing.
Those of us who saw Schumi through the years ought to reflect how fortunate we were. I think the battles of the 1980's and Schumacher is something no future genaration will again witness. Similar to the days of the Great Mercedes and terrifying circuits.
Massa and Alonso are way out there. Lets hope the others will be closer come race time.
People can be so pathetic at times. He has a lot of friends over at Ferrari. What does he do, just ignore them cause he wears different overalls now? That would be rude, wouldnt it? I dont see how having lunch with his friends at Ferrari is a problem. Cant he socialize?Quote:
Originally Posted by truefan72
St. Devote, the cool thing is that all top teams look formidable - at least on paper. Merc has the best combo ever, Michael and Ross, RBR has Newey and while I don't rate Vettel that much, with a car made by Newey, sometimes simply a good driver is enough. But Ferrari and McLaren are the all-time best in this sport and they have brilliant drivers as well.
And Ferrari do have better food than Mercedes, that's 100% certain. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by 555-04Q2
It seems that Autosport hates Michael. The interview at the presentation of Mercedes with Michael was pathetic.
After the launch of Virgin VR01 2 days back,car completed its maiden run today at Silverstone track.
Timo Glock was the first to drive the new VR01: The1st among the new teams to launch their car.
The car has been designed without any wind tunnel testing and this test will give the team a chance to see whether the car is behaving the same way as tested ib computer simulations.
The team will continue testing tomorrow at Stowe circuit where Lucas Di Grassi will drive the car for the first time.
Never understood the point of running at stowe - never get higher than 4th/5th gear
Anyway - good to see the new boys running.
Looks like the weather might not play ball for the next test;
...early weather forecasts for Jerez suggest that rain could blight some, if not all of the four day test - which could severely limit useful track time
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81289
Could be a right pain for Red Bull, Force India & Virgin.
Very rational post Henners, as you say the top three (probably 4 once RBR hits the track are all much for muchness when fuel loads, and in McLarens case especially, lack of real 2010 parts is taken into account. Behind them we seem to have a tight fight between Renault, saube and Williams for best of the rest - gonna be a GREAT season!
Indeed Henners me ole mucker....Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
The important thing for Ferrari is...Quote:
Originally Posted by James Allen
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Originally Posted by James Allen
I heard that rainstorms can ruin the tests at Jerez.
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Originally Posted by F1boat
If there is a large volume of rain then it shall be a big blow for teams who had decided to opt out of the first test Valencia which was held recently.
According to a report published in Telegraph,Companies House has threaten to dissolve Vijay Mallya's Force India team.
http://www.f1indiablog.in/2010/02/fo...companies.html
It may spice things, however so, let the rain hit teh track :)Quote:
Originally Posted by f1indiablog
It will be pointless, you learn nothing about the car in the wet.Quote:
Originally Posted by F1boat
You learn how it behaves in the wet when its wet.Quote:
Originally Posted by wedge
Indeed. A wet test can be very useful.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
profound words indeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
With a high probability that there will be 1 or 2 wet races, testing in the wet might prove useful.
Me personally, I don't care much for wet races, and feel that F1 should structure the calendar around minimizing that possibility. But It will continue and thus testing for it seems worthwhile.
Sandbagging? So I guess some teams are so sure of their pace before they even tested the car that they have absolutely no interest in seeing how fast it can actually go and instead they'd rather see how the car is actually going to behave if for no reason it will get fat or get full of sand? That makes sense actually if we consider that the first race is in Bahrain.
I think that´s why Rosberg IRC was down 1.5 cm at the end of the day... the sand started spreading under his a$$ and filling the crack.
It would be nice to see a good battle between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso if the Ferrari and McLaren turn out to be well matched.
I wouldn't be surprised to see reliability problems playing their part with Ferrari's season, more so than with the McLaren.
:)
So true. Pity you did not expand your post to point out your reasons, although I totally agree with your view.Quote:
Originally Posted by wedge
The car's behavior in the wet depends very much on the surface of the track, cross falls, drainage, ambient temperatures, and basically how much water there is on the track and of course, the tyres being used.
The only advantage I can see is how different tyre patterns will affect traction, but we aren't going to get to test that, are we.
So basically, yeah! it is pointless to test in the wet.
I disagree that the magazine "hates" him.Quote:
Originally Posted by F1boat
A recent article by Mark Hughes was excellent. It explains Schumi technically and does not gloss over his "faultline" but at the same time mentions it within context of his great ability and achievements.
They think they have always been fair and truthful.
Hamilton and Alonso have been there and done that. There would be nothing special in that. In fact this season a Mclaren versus Ferrari [yawn] battle would be disappointing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Triumph
The focus which is going to suck all the proverbial air out of the room is Michael Schumacher versus the rest.
Until proven otherwise Schumi and Brawn during a race have to be a concern to everyone - you see, unlike the rest of the grid, Schumi does NOT have to have the quickest car to win.
This is off the thread..
We here in South Asia are fed up of the Star Sports F1 coverage..
Can any1 suggest the alternative?
he usually does,Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint Devote
funny enough the majority of his victories came when he had not just the quickest car, but a car that was ahead of all others by a country mile.
If by quickest car you mean the Brawn advantage over others at year's beginning then that is a place he is well accustomed to being. If by quickest you mean like the RB5 being slightly quicker than the competition but yet still somewhat of parity in the field, then I'm guessing that MSC will share the spoils with the likes of Vettel, Weber, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Button, probably Rosberg, and potentially a Sauber or Force India.
Its a different world for MSC now and he will have to perform without having an absolute dominant car...and we all know how that went in 2005/2006. I hope he is very competitive and outside of me wanting to see Hamilton win the WDC, I hope this year produces multiple winners and every race potentially being won by any given driver...or at least a field of 8-10 drivers
truefan, in 2006 Michael drove very well. He really lost the championship, but he was very close to Alonso, way closer than Raikkonen in 2005 for example. Also for me is very funny when they say that Ferrari enjoyed domination between 2000 -2004. Actually 2002 and 2004 were very dominant, 2000 and 2003 were extremely close and 2001 between the two extremes. Michael drove very well in all these seasons and in previous ones as well, like 1998 for example and 1997 - one accident can not make me forget Monte Carlo for example.
Even in 2005, which was likely the worst season in Michael's career, he finished third in the championship, in front of Montoya (with a McLaren) and Fisichella (in the WCC winner Renault).
So to try to devalue Michael's success for me is immature.
Then maybe only Noble. He seems to have the tact of an elephant in a museum for rare Chinese porcelain. His interviews with Lewis and Jenson were are awful as the one with Michael.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint Devote
Please do.Quote:
Originally Posted by henners88
Otherwise it's just an empty threat, a gutless thing to say.
Oh, you mean gutless, as in posting foul mouthed insulting messages by PM to folk who dare to have a different opinion?Quote:
Originally Posted by tamburello
JA- Ferrari were running lower fuel than McLaren all week and the "feeling" is that McLaren are maybe faster. Just sums up how unpredictable the order is right now.
"Close analysis of the lap times shows that Alonso was slightly faster than Massa at this first test, based on estimated, fuel corrected times. Alonso ran mainly 2009 levels of fuel, whereas Massa also spent a little time running the heavier 2010 fuel loads. Massa had two days to Alonso’s one. Both drivers reported a positive feeling with the car and it seems responsive to changes. It also seems to look after its tyres quite well.
Although Ferrari had faster lap times, McLaren ran more fuel all week and the feeling is that the McLaren may be a shade faster at this point."
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2010/0...g-as-expected/
Some say that the 1st pre-season test can give a true indication of a cars pace and cite last years times by Brawn as an example but the new rules for this season means we have a far greater difference in teams testing programs due to the greater variation of fuel loads, too great imo to glean any meaningful indication of true pace.
Dear God no.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint Devote
Mark Hughes did an interview with Anthony Davidson a year or so ago and hyped him (he needs all the help he can get) to a great degree into a better driver than he really was. As 'authoritative' and technically minded Mark Hughes is he had the temerity to bring up and applaud the Monza test session where Ant posted a quicker time than Schumi without taking into account of variables like fuel weights.
The same Hughes who thought nothing of Vettel and has now suddenly jumped on the 'Vettel is gifted/special' bandwagon.
The track conditions are constantly changing. You learn nothing about the car because the lap times will be less consistant, constantly having to adapt to the conditions via driving style.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
No, gutless as is never admits when proven wrong and never backs up empty words.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
Oh, and a different opinion isn't just a different opinion when it's an outright lie. when it's that, then insults are deserved.
Somebody's got the take up the mantle of you know who. :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko
Where did you learn that?Quote:
Originally Posted by tamburello
I'm keen to see the reply to this one. No doubt a moron Brit at Silverstone told him.....Quote:
Originally Posted by DexDexter
Quote:
Originally Posted by DexDexter
No, it wasn't, it was from somebody who didn't suffer fools or liars.Quote:
Originally Posted by SGWilko