Valencia Testing Times

Fernando, while certainly not the most liked driver is guaranteed to drive the car with all he has. He stays focused(for the most part) and I like that.

 

Day three:

Alonso ahead of Massa.

Alonso a full second ahead of the Shue.

...and we haven't even seen Vettel in the revolutionary Red Bull. He'll show that the Kaiser is wearing no clothes...


Nuff said.

 

I never knew you took testing this seriously..

 

How do you know it's revolutionary?

 

I don't think he does, but if he does he shouldn't.

Lets just say the Spanish fans went home happy having seen FA going fastest.

Also Pedro being 2nd fastest in his car lacking some sponsership..

 

It great to see Ferrari doing so well so soon but I believe that we have much more to see from the other teams and maybe Ferrari has fired off thier load prematurely. We have all seen testing before and we have also seen Schumacher and what he can do when the car begins to get his input.

 

True enough.. LOL @ Ferrari has fired off thier load prematurely!!..

 

I read his comments as bearish as well. Of course he could be sandbagging but they were still impressive times. The big X factor that I'm forcing myself to remember (I haven't been watching F1 NEARLY as long as many on here,) is fuel consumption. That should be a very interesting variable.

 

Well this is it Carol, there are to many variables to draw any concrete conclusions IMO, and it can only lead to tears if you to build up to many expectations..

 

I honestly don't think it's gonna be the big deal that some here are projecting - They'll all finish quali' on fumes, so at least that's a level playing field.

For the race, I'm guesstimating the hungry cars will be ~10-20kgs heavier at the start than the "best", and that's not enough to make a difference IMHO.

Now, and Whitmarsh mentioned this, 20-odd cars that are about 160kgs heavier than quali heading into turn 1 on lap 1 could prove "interesting" - I reckon Sunday's warm up might take on a lot more significance than previously though.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Was announced as such by a reputable newspaper.

Well, that's a good question:

I never took it too seriously in the past, but now with very limited testing opportunities, I think we see much more of the real deal than in the past. So instead of accepting or refusing it overall, we need to read between the lines and listen to the comments. Here is what I learned from this week's tests:

- Schumacher still has it.
- Massa still has it.
- Alonso bonds well with the team and is naturally fast.
- Sauber is probably show boating because they are looking for sponsors.
- McLaren is sandbagging: As somebody pointed out, they lead in all 3 sectors, so combine those times for their real strength.
- Renault is in trouble. Just slow.
- Toro Rosso is in deep trouble (slow and unreliable).
- Mercedes is not as fast as they wanted to be. Obvious by 1 second off Ferrari's pace and also by Brawn publicly admitting to it.
- Parfett is useless. Nothing new really.
- The newbies and Williams are all in trouble thanks to the Cosworths.

So Ferrari seems to be doing much better than the rumors indicated. Whether they have the fuel consumption etc where they need it, is another question, but at least the car doesn't seem to suck. Nor the drivers.

As for being happy that Alonso beat the Shue by a second. Well, just look at the beginning of this thread with all the posters going on about "The King" and "The Kaiser". I hope that 1 second advantage by Ferrari shut them up for a while.

 

Since when are you the voice of reason?

Its far too early to know anything. USF1 hasn't shown yet

 

LOL I'am the vice of reason.

Time will tell USF1

I go along with Andreas'sess ^ assesssssment though.

 

HA! Love what I've been reading...

I'm thinkin' a definate butt-kickin' team this year folks! Let's hope we show em' the fast way around the track all year long!

_J

 

He makes quite a bit of sense. Just don't tell him I said so

 

well said...it's good to see the red cars starting relatively well...and Alonso...not too surprising...go get em boy! i'm pretty sure i've lost the bet. ah, it's good to be back from my ban..woohoo!!!

 

Andreas,
Great analysis; agree on all your points. But - Schumi is still the Kaiser to me!

 

All +1

Good luck to Sauber - Not only are they there, but they're hopefully getting sponsors.

True, but it's at a "funny" circuit - They've all said "this place isn't representative" etc Plus, as you noted, I just don't think there's enough time for sandbagging - Maybe they've got a *really* sensitive car.....

Have McLaren "declared" that they're using the 2010 front wing/diffuser combo?

+1

+1

But, 2010 wings & diffuser remain TBA - I think thing's will get clearer next week.... [Same for Ferrari?]

What newbies?

Only Sir Frank ran with the Cossie - Good for him! He's the only one out there (so far) with Mad Max' preferred motor. And he doesn't have big $.....

Cheers,
Ian

 

We use to say that if you're quick on the Catalunya track you have a good car for almost
everywhere.

So i'll wait the Barcelona tests at the end of the month to start and make serious conclusions.

 

Aren't all the newbies eventually running the cossies?

If the Cosworth collapses in the Williams, I'd think it will not survive in any of the other cars either. Might be just a bad motor or might be more than that. We'll see. But if it is systemic to the Cossie, then they're all doomed. Not that I really expected much out of them in the first place.

 

Bernie put all his eggs into the Cosworth Basket.
Be prepared to see amazing improvements on the "frozen" engine.

 

As I remember The Cossie program was Max's baby. Either way if they have major difficulties the FIA will be pressured to make accommodations which won't go down well with the other teams whose engines are "frozen".
Another fine mess Max left.

 

Indeed - But you said "here's what I learned from these tests" - You went on to kind of write off the newbies, due to the lump, and I thought that was a bit premature. No big deal.

Probably true, but one *possible* engine failure over 3 days running with a new package isn't too bad - Particularly given Sir Franks budget right now......

Having said that, I agree, the mess Mad Max left (again) is gonna need some cleaning, and if that gifts the Cossie guys a little more "leeway" to get em in the game, I guess I'm OK with that.....

Cheers,
Ian

 

Indeed, as I said above, "He's the only one out there (so far) with Mad Max' preferred motor. And he doesn't have big $"

Indeed.

[You're just trying to increase Steve's blood pressure again ]

Cheers,
Ian