https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-state-of-the-early-2022-f1-pecking-order-as-barcelona-testing-ends/8498725/ The ‘frontrunners’ so far The headline results of the Barcelona test have a group of legendary squads apparently leading the way, with all four not only showing strong pace – and all insisting there is much more to come – but fine reliability to boot. The question though seems to be if this a clear top four, always with the potential to grow to include more squads come qualifying in Bahrain as F1 hopes, or if two are indeed clear of the rest as it was before… Ferrari topped the second day and has produced what appears to be a very consistent machine in the corners. Its on-track running was essentially bulletproof as it managed the biggest lap count of all the teams. Carlos Sainz Jr said Ferrari is “nowhere near to the limit of the car or finding where the performance is” and that “with my car just by adding fuel or taking out fuel I can go three or four seconds faster or slower”. But what is clear is that the F1-75 has impressed rival teams – and certainly not just because of its superb livery, which has been well received in the paddock (as has, on a sartorial note, the decision to clothe the Scuderia’s team members in black trousers for the first time in a generation). Ferrari topped the second day and has produced what appears to be a very consistent machine in the corners One possible negative assessment for Ferrari was how loud its car was sounding across the three days, suggesting its engine may have been turned up more compared to other teams – most notably Red Bull, which was cutting its way around Barcelona at a far quieter level than any other car. Ferrari was edged out in the one lap stakes by McLaren, as Charles Leclerc’s 1m19.689s on the C3s on the second afternoon came in just 0.121s behind Lando Norris’s effort on the C4s from the opening day. McLaren is likewise looking compliant and predictable for its drivers through the corners. But it was notable how often McLaren was dousing the MCL36 in flow-viz aero tracing paint. This could of course be down to the team opting to use fluorescent yellow as opposed to the white variety used, for example, at Mercedes, but the team was keen to downplay its potential during launch season as a result of its new windtunnel still being constructed at its Woking base. Correlating what it has been testing in Toyota’s Cologne facility will have been high on the team’s priority list this week. Plus, Norris lost time when he stopped at the pit exit during the opening afternoon and had to be recovered by his mechanics. Image Unavailable, Please Login Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, with aero paint applied Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images “The competition is looking very tight between the teams,” said McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl. “There doesn’t appear to be any clear leader or backmarker at this stage, even though there are a wide range of philosophies and solutions up and down the grid.” At the top of the times come, shockingly, Red Bull and Mercedes. Their rivals had insisted the 2021 frontrunners would retain elements of what made them so successful last year, in terms of race team operations and the knowledge of what it takes to win, but visually at least they are again looking very strong on track. Both the RB18 and the W13 are rotating through corner entry so fast and so much more stable than any of the other cars. Red Bull also appears to have held its cards closer to its chest, by leaving it until late in the final afternoon before fitting the C4s for a short performance run for Sergio Perez. His 1m19.556s came in 0.418s slower than Lewis Hamilton’s test-best, and behind Russell’s effort on the C5s at the end of the morning session during the flurry of fast times the red flags interrupted, but this must be viewed in the context the slightly harder compound difference (and the C2 and C3 tyres were operating best in the cool, for Barcelona, conditions this week) and the sense that both teams were carrying a decent amount of fuel. “We will consolidate some things that we have learnt here before Bahrain,” said Red Bull head of race engineering, Guillaume Rocquelin. “But it is more considerate than a big step.” That is an interesting note to strike. The Red Bull design does appear to be rather more complex than the Mercedes – especially around the sidepods, but also considering the push-rod, pull-rod differences across the RB18’s rear and front suspensions. There is a lesson from 2019 that is worth remembering – when Mercedes returned for a second test at Barcelona with essentially a different car, such was the development progress added to the early design that it had produced for the opening running. Such a drastic change would inevitably be more difficult in the cost cap era, but nothing can be ruled out in terms of either of these super-teams arriving in Bahrain with something different. Image Unavailable, Please Login Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13 Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images At Mercedes, Hamilton explained that it “definitely had some obstacles to overcome”, but nothing that impacted its reliability, as it finished second on 393 laps. The seven-time world champion conducted a race run on the final afternoon, with times that did bounce around as he went through the compounds from C4-C2 – in what Mercedes called a “tyre sweep”. But the most notable aspect of this run was Hamilton repeatedly locking his left-front wheel at the Turn 5 downhill left as the stints edged towards their conclusion. Verstappen was having a similar issue on the opening morning at the same corner, which suggests, somewhat unsurprisingly at this stage, finding a handling sweetspot is tricky with these machines. And this is the kicker. Everything completed in Spain – the flying laps, the long runs – it all must be considered within the porpoising problem that has enthralled the paddock this week. In testing, cars can be arranged to set competitive times with set-ups that may not be legal during race weekends – but reengineering back to a point where they are fast and compliant is the goal On the final afternoon, the Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari were all bouncing wildly approaching the Turn 1 braking zone – with Sainz’s car doing so most dramatically. In testing, cars can be arranged to set competitive times with set-ups that may not be legal during race weekends – but reengineering back to a point where they are fast and compliant is the goal. That’s not to suggest anything untoward was going on this week, but it reinforces how much time there is to find for the teams that solve the challenge best and fastest. As Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto put it, “the ones that will get there sooner will have an advantage at the start of the season”. Image Unavailable, Please Login Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75 Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
We mistake the base then a major refinement as 2 individual cars. It was not of course. Its easy to say that when it is just a refinement to the aero structures = floor, wings etc. Not sure how a new complete sidepod would have time now, to be included in a package for Bahrain. Certainly it is possible but that entails a major aero rework as the front wing would also need to be adjusted for the continuous flow desired. Optimise front suspension again and on...... I suspect the 'base' car for most has been validated and now we will see the developments to offset porpoise and other issues encountered.
Another team by team assessment after Spain 'shakedown' or test lol https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/33375109/reasons-hope-concern-f1-10-teams-first-test
Right. It took them two years to make these new cars and some people expect another new car in two weeks. Just a monocoque takes months, not to mention the crash tests required.
Agree But perhaps Mercedes managed to bypass the budget cap in some ways ? I won’t never underestimate their Machiavellianism..
I found this about tire wear now with new compounds for this test/shakeddown - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/60522496 There are also mixed signals regarding the tyres. In theory, Pirelli has produced a more durable design that will allow drivers to push much closer to the limit in races, rather than having to lap seconds off the pace to keep temperatures under control and reach optimum stint lengths. This should also allow drivers to follow other cars closely without the tyres overheating and forcing them to back off. Image Unavailable, Please Login Pirelli has supplied tyres in F1 since 2011 But Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll was withering about the new tyres on Friday. "For me, the behaviour has been very similar to in the past," the Canadian said. "From what I've felt on the long run, they overheat, they degrade, do the same things that the tyres have been doing in previous years." Not everyone was so negative, though. Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas said the tyres "have been feeling a bit better than I was expecting". And Ferrari's Carlos Sainz said: "I did quite a bit of testing last year and it looked like they are suiting well the new generation of cars. It looked like they at least allowed you to push bit more on them and a bit less overheating, a bit less degradation. "It is still a tyre that degrades and overheats. But the scale - I feel like it's a bit better and the work done seems to start to pay off a bit."
What's crazy to me, 20 years ago we had 2 tyre manufacturers that both seemed capable of making tyres with good grip and pretty damn decent life, yet allowing close following. How many times did we see drivers come into the pit for refuel put kept on the same set of tyres or only changed the rears? Pirelli keeps changing their tyre behavior but remarkably keep missing the mark in what's needed. They either make tyres that fall apart before their predicted end, or they make tyres that last so long the drivers can do an entire race of mediums, taking any strategy out of it.
Lucky team! McLaren: No clear answer for MCL36’s lack of porpoising in F1 test McLaren does not have a clear explanation as to why it escaped much of the porpoising problem that blighted others in Formula 1’s first pre-season test this week.
Maybe has something to do with the fact that they’re not running 1000 hp and they weight like 40% more?
I think they are testing the tires on non specification cars. Using last years cars is not the car they will be mounted on. No simulation will be perfect. Possibly they can adjust the construction or compounds a bit before the season progresses too far now? Certainly Bahrain is going to use what has been used for the first test. Pirelli have a difficult job translating what the FIA and teams want into a tire. Im certain this cannot be easy. Lack of in-season testing is a big loss for this as well.
Good point RE weight. Power is more or less the same (2004 was near enough 1000hp as well). The current weight is insane.
Auto correct slipped in the “not” in my original message, so yes, weight and power. About hp: in 2004 weren’t they at around 20,000 rpm? With the engines now running at roughly half that speed, this implies the torque is almost double!
yeah, 20K RPM barrier was broken by Williams I believe in 2004. Also add batteries in there for even more torque...and the turbos.
BMW was first to hit 19,000 in 2002. In 2003 supposedly Ferrari got up there as well. 2004 they dialed back the RPM's because engines had to last a full weekend. 20,000 was hit in 2006 with the V8s. As for the torque, even though modern cars have a lot more, the cars were geared much higher (numerically) and so they had torque multiplication. Also with the deployment strategies in modern cars, teams rarely use maximum power out of the corners during the race. In any case, teams are putting maximum power to the ground at the limit of the tire's adhesion. The big power V10s had the aid of traction control to help them at least.
