Bahrain

Kimi's crash happened with 5 minutes left in the session so it did not compromise their test. Apparently, the numerous red flags during the day affected their plans, compounded by issues from the prior day.

 

The drivers were talking about the speed of the cars after several days of testing, not before they went out.

As far as the speed of the cars, no one is whining now that they look to be capable. Did you miss the post where I said I was thrilled they seem quick? Lol.

 

I think we are all pretty thrilled with the progress. Hopefully the Scuderia will show us something next Fri-Sun.

 

Their aero package has seemed the most basic of all the top teams so far (just look at the FW!) and I think they are holding back. They definitely have something in store. Forza Ferrari

 

Kimi's radio transmission from his crash:

"Mmmmm...........mumble...........mumble....... reckon I can use full throttle here...........mmmmm............mumble.........ahhh sshhh!!!!!t!..............that's not gone so well!.........mumble..............mumble.....................mmmmmm.........guys I think something maybe broken on the car!"

 

Nah! WAY too many words for him!

More like, "ahh ****! Sorry guys!

Cheers,
Ian

 

At this stage if you're not crashin you're not tryin.

 

+1

Least we know he's going balls out!.... I'm also enjoying all their comments about how much torque these things have. With no aids we may just see some good 'sideways' action. OK, as Felipe noted, that's not the fastest way round, but it sure looks fun!

Cheers,
Ian

 

If the new formula puts an increased premium on car control I'll be happy.

 

Another big ol '+1' to that!

I'm also optimistic they've all got a lot more to come yet. I don't think any of them have really turned the wick all the way up as yet.....

Final preseason test starts Thursday - Should be good......

Cheers,
Ian

 

I've read similar reports and all indications are that they will bring their full package next Thursday. They'll be the only team to break up the Mercedes train at the front of the grid, so I'm hoping they'll be in the locomotive position.

 

Indeed! Always want the Scuderia up front!

The boys from Woking are looking pretty good too though. And fer sure, at least right now, the Merc lump looks like the one to have......

Cheers,
Ian

 

Interesting days to be sure.

There were cheaper ways to achieve this but that's old news.

 

Ferrari has the fastest unofficial top speed at 336 km/h, 22 more than 2013 qualis.

 

Kimi crashed in the last minutes so it's not like he compromised anything that day .

 

And you know Kimi is incredibly glad he parted ways with Lotus!

The Ferrari is indeed geared higher. China and Monza will be very good for them. God willing this entire season will be Mercedes vs Ferrari though, just as F1 should be

 

"Mercedes & Renault are not satisfied that the FIA is satisfied." lol.

GMM:
The possible threat of protest is now hanging over next month's season opener in Australia.

We reported a month ago that a dispute was brewing between F1 engine suppliers Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault.

The dispute is about the protective covering on the top of Ferrari's turbo unit, weighing in at a crucial 3 kilograms lighter than the ones fitted on the Mercedes and Ferrari units.
Mercedes and Renault argue that Ferrari's cover needs to be more substantial for safety reasons in the event of a dangerous turbo failure, but Ferrari's explanation was initially accepted by the governing FIA.

Reportedly, Ferrari's setup mitigates the need for a heavier cover because the turbo shuts down at even the slightest sign of failure.

"Mercedes and Renault are not satisfied that the FIA is satisfied," said Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt.

"Either Ferrari builds a stronger cover, or there could be a protest (against the results) in Melbourne," he added.

Another option is also being considered by Renault and Mercedes: copying the Ferrari solution and thereby saving 3 kilograms in crucial car weight.

"The time until homologation on 28 February is however too short," Schmidt explained.

"In the paddock it is now rumoured that Ferrari is strengthening the turbo housing to be on the safe side."

 

--Where do they go from here? After Jerez, Adrian Newey literally went back to his drawing board. After Bahrain, the team may have to do so metaphorically as well. The suggestion from a rival team that the World Champions will introduce a B-spec car for the Spanish GP in May is entirely feasible; the RB10 has all the hallmarks of being a dud.-- WOW!

Lotus
Its first appearance on Wednesday morning aside, the E22 did not feature prominently last week - although that did not stop Technical Director Nick Chester labelling its debut as "encouraging". There were stoppages, but to paraphrase just about any team member asked to comment on a breakdown, "That's what testing's for". Lotus completed 111 laps in total, including 59 on the last day alone. That puts them on a par with Red Bull's best on a single day, despite the World Champions also having Jerez to sort their car. Little wonder, then, that Lotus think they could have the measure of their fellow Renault runners at the start of the season.

The Enstone team might have chosen to plough a lone furrow with the E22's appearance but by the sounds of it, they have been more conservative in the crucial aspect of cooling - something which could stand them in good stead. Factor in a belief that problems they've had with Renault's V6 turbo should be played down, not to mention confidence in the car's performance, then maybe there are signs that Lotus's difficult winter is not now seeming quite so barren.


What we've learnt at Bahrain | Features & Experts | Sky Sports Formula 1

 

Sounds like slower racing and fuel management to me.....

Fuel consumption 'a big challenge' | Formula 1 | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1

 

Anyone know how much more economic the new engines are going to be?

If it's ~30% it'll be right on target and the spectacle will barely be affected.

Do keep in mind that the engines are much smaller, turbo charged, more gears, less drag and the KERS will be allowed to be used for much longer and it packs significantly more power, on top of that that before they had to carry 40-50kg extra for a long, long time.

30% might well be on target...Previously races where run with around 140-150kg of fuel. I'm starting to seriously doubt that the cars will trickle along for half the race in 8th gear not touching the throttle.

Same as the speed issue...this is probably a big over assumption without any thought into it.

 

If Marko and seb cry, the Fia can change the rules. red bull cry is the best way to change the rules for their own good. regards.

 

Well, Button and Rosberg did try race distance simulations and they struggled and this is
testing speed, not like real race speed. So that tells, fuel consumption will be an issue.
Will we see non-fuel stoppages? Maybe so. How it will be managed throughout the race
will be intersting -- maybe there will be very conservative in the beginning when they
have full tanks and the consumption is higher and start to push at the end.

 

I'm not expecting the cars to go full throttle constantly, but I think it'll be relatively close to what we had in the last few years. Cars also drove on lean maps as to not to run out of fuel (how many cars did we see abruptly stop next to the pit after the race finished? Quite a few).

Yes they'll run conservatively after the opening laps, but I still seriously doubt that it's as bad as some say it will be.

 

I agree. I'm thinking the power circuits will be the only places we may see issues.

 

RB up to some dirty tricks?

From GP24/7:
Struggling World Champions Red Bull have denied claims that they are secretly running the troubled Renault-powered RB10 between the two Bahrain tests.

Spaniard Pius Gasso, a respected and reliable Formula 1 source and former racing driver, said that he believes that an RB10 is running at the Idiada facility in Spain, south of Barcelona, ahead of the resumption of official testing later this week in Bahrain.

Gasso even tweeted a link to an audio file of the alleged ‘secret’ testing.

Another source told Speed Week correspondent Matthias Brunner that Red Bull’s Idiada running would be contrary to the tight testing limitations.

“They would only be able to drive at Idiada with a current car if they had declared it a ‘Promotional Event’ as stipulated by the regulations. And the rules say clearly that it would be purely for marketing and PR purposes,” said the source.

A Red Bull spokeswoman said simply: “We are not at Idiada!” (GMM)

Read more Red Bull denies secret test for troubled RB 10 in Spain | Grand Prix 247