Yep, agreed - "When the flag drops the BS stops"....... OTOH, Brawn were pretty dominant in testing before last season. They're not in the business of sandbagging any more with the limited running. Lets see where they are come Wednesday evening.
that's what i was thinking. we all said the same thing about meaningless times, then look what happened!
As I've posted earlier! . I've watched F1 for too many years now to get any hopes up from any of the testing before ther first race of the season, especially the first test.
With such limited testing, I'd be surprised to learn there was anyone that isn't progressively testing the limits of pace. I'm sure times will continue to improve but believe that's more of a natural progression than intentional reservation. I think most ( clearly Ferrari and Sauber) found some early pace and then actually "tested" (some laps) in the pursuit of something other than pure speed. It seemed to me that Merc, perhaps becuase of the split seat time, seems to have focused solely on settings/pace with no purely probitive endeavors.
You guys can say all you want about the insignificance of the times posted in the testing sessions, especially the first session, and you are absolutely right. All I know is that I am literally bouncing up and down in my chair at work today, because 2010 F1 is underway! I AM SO PUMPED! haha.
If I recall, several components of the F60 were found to be illegal within weeks of the first grand prix in Melbourne and Ferrari had to rush a redesign. It should be interesting to see how fast the McLaren is once they put their big guns behind the wheel.
Considering how limited testing is these days, it seems really silly that McLaren wasted precious time putting Paffett in the car at all.
Unofficial times from today's running: 1. Massa Ferrari 1:12.574 2. de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1:12.784 3. M.Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:12.947 4. Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:13.543 5. Paffett McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.846 6. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:14.449 7. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.762 8. Kubica Renault 1:15.000 http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/247206/ The article above talks about Schuey's first test in the new car. I'll just post the link so you guys can read it if you want because this is a thread for times.
*Awesome* - Always good to hear 'em again! Couple of comments: - It appears only Mclaren & Ferrari are running the (stupid looking) pitot tube - A little surprised no one else is doing the same. - Those rear tires look *way* narrower than last year.... If you've got understeer now I reckon you're in for a long season.... Thanks for the link, cheers, Ian
Could not agree more. Up until recently the teams could use their regular and test drivers to pound out mile after mile of testing. Once that option was removed, it totally altered the significance of these testing days. I agree with others that I am surprised that teams such as McLaren are not getting seat time for their regular drivers to familiarize themselves with the current cars...OTOH, their loss is the tifosi's gain
I dunno - could "argue" that either way - Today was really not a lot more than shakedown/systems testing - May as well let him do that prior to the big guns arriving tomorrow (?) It'll be interesting to see what they do - Maybe Paffett is the man! Cheers, Ian
As I said, I could go either way on this - Should one of their guys get hurt at least he's driven the friggin' thing! - Unlike our buddy Jamie - He'd never even driven one until his first race.... There's a Q&A at Autosport where he says *everything* last season was no more than a test for him. Cheers, Ian
Surprised to see that USF1 is not running. I was expecting a surprise showing by them, at the top of the time sheets...
Sorry but this is BIG BUSINESS and there is no room for "Nice". Millions on the line here and this guy stole $15M from us to just sit around and take advantage of Ferrari generosity. Not to mention that he had a hand in designing one of the ugliest road cars to come out of Maranello for a while (The California). No love lost here..
+1 Absolutely, the one benefit of limited testing is that sandbagging is a waste of time, and time is precious now. However, as you said - Wednesday is the first day to talk about the actual times. Not today.
Okay. Who decided to place the Ferrari team under the billboard of a MERCEDES DEALER??? Image Unavailable, Please Login
That's why I hate fanatics The guy brought back victory and glory at Ferrari after years of misery , 5 titles (excuse him that's nothing), developing nothing less than the enzo or the fantastic 430 scuderia..he just deserves every penny ferrari gave him. as for the helmet no one cares if it's red, after all Alonso is bringing at ferrari a blue an yellow helmet, the colors renault was wearing when they defeated ferrari.
Don't you know that in life it's all about "What have you done for me lately". What he did he was rewarded handsomely for. I don't feel sorry for him or care about what he did 10 years ago. it's all about respect. Can you imagine the call - Hey Stefano how are you? I'm calling to let you know that since you guys can't run a third car next year I have decided to join Ross over at his new team. Thanks for allowing me to make in excess of $500 Million over the years and for some great memories and for building me a house on the Fioriano track so that I can be close to my family....etc etc. etc..but I gotta go. Can you tell Luca for me? Ciao paesano.
So because you have been successful somewhere means that your life is done and you can't achieve a new challenge ? just thank the guy for what he have done, and let him choose what to do in his life. damn!
+1 I don't honestly believe someone would rather MS sit out than do what he loves. Ferrari didn't have a seat for him, end of story. Let the man move on and do as he wishes. He will always be remembered for what he did with Ferrari; for many years MS was Ferrari. Those times are over; they ended when MS was "forced out" for Kimi. There is no reason begrudge MS for taking a side gig with Ferrari developing road cars. Don't forget who offered him the job. Ferrari benefitted as much as MS did with the partnership. If he can come back at his age and be successful, the more power to him. I wish him luck and hope he succeeds. Mark
With all that drivel about the Kaiser I cant wait for the real men to take on the wheel: Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso. Until then I enjoy Massa ahead of the Mercedes. Hahaha.
