Live pre season testing

Fast_ian · Mar 7, 2016

IamRobG said: ↑

I think it'll be interesting.
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+1

As already noted, a new season is always a wonderful thing - Hope springs eternal.

Im actually looking forward to McLaren moving up in the world. They're showing promise in their pace and speed. I think they'll be more on par with williams this season.
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That's a big ask given how how badly they sucked last year! If they can get ahead of Sauber and the like I'll be impressed.

Cheers,
Ian

scudF1 · Mar 7, 2016

Less than two weeks away boys!!! I can't wait!!!

Fast_ian · Mar 7, 2016

scudF1 said: ↑

Less than two weeks away boys!!! I can't wait!!!
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+1

Should add '& girls' though.... Don't forget Isobel!

(Seems we lost Carol a year or so back, but it's not just the boys here! )

Cheers,
Ian

gt4me · Mar 7, 2016

Agree, for all the moaning about F1 I'm still really excited at the start of a new season.

IamRobG · Mar 7, 2016

Fast_ian said: ↑

+1

As already noted, a new season is always a wonderful thing - Hope springs eternal.

That's a big ask given how how badly they sucked last year! If they can get ahead of Sauber and the like I'll be impressed.

Cheers,
Ian
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Lets rephrase that...

I'm excited to see what happens, however if Merc win Australia by 45 seconds, i'll probably lose all excitement. I'll still watch every race just like i do with every other series, but i'll complain while i do it.

DF1 · Mar 7, 2016

gt4me said: ↑

Agree, for all the moaning about F1 I'm still really excited at the start of a new season.
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+1 always happy for the new season!

Remy Zero · Mar 7, 2016

10/11 days time.

crinoid · Mar 7, 2016

The season may very well come to a battle between Rosberg and Vettel for the Championship.

freshmeat · Mar 7, 2016

From ESPN

Could Mercedes' dominance of the V6 turbo era finally be under threat? Testing often presents a distorted picture of the season to come, but if two weeks at the Circuit de Catalunya taught us anything it's that Ferrari has made another big step over the winter.

The Italian team has been making fast progress since it was shuffled down the order by new regulations in 2014. That season it struggled to break out of the midfield and, on average, qualified 1.22s off the dominant Mercedes at the front of the field. The mistakes of 2014, specifically on the power unit side, were addressed the following year, halving the average qualifying gap to Mercedes to 0.67s over the 2015 season. This year it was the turn of Maranello's chassis department to make big changes and it looks entirely possible that a similar gain has been found ahead of the 2016 season. Mercedes, quite understandably, is worried.

"They have been very quick for sure," Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg said after the final day of testing. "All the teams have their strategists so we know more or less what fuel the other teams are running and they know our fuel. So we know more or less where we are compared to Ferrari -- which is why I say for sure it is close. But we are not sure if we are ahead or behind."

All lap times in testing are best analysed with caution due to varying fuel loads and track conditions, but at the final test Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen offered lap times that begged for a comparison. The times were set on different days -- Rosberg's on day one when track temperatures were warmer and Raikkonen's on the slightly cooler day three -- but both were set on soft tyres and relatively low fuel. They were split by 0.013s ... in Ferrari's favour.

The two teams ran very different testing programmes this winter, with Mercedes refraining from using the ultra-soft or super-soft tyres during both weeks, instead focusing on a staple run-plan of heavy fuel and medium tyres. The world champions did, however, conduct a couple of quick qualifying simulations on soft tyres, and it was during the first of these on Tuesday morning that Rosberg set his soft-tyre benchmark of 1:23.022. But just to underline how rough a guide these lap times provide, Lewis Hamilton was 0.6s off Rosberg on his qualifying simulation the following morning -- a gap bigger than we have ever seen in a competitive qualifying session between the two team-mates over the last two years.

"We were doing qualifying practice this morning," Rosberg explained after his 1:23.022. "It's all the more enjoyable, to take the car to the limit. We took some fuel out for once and it was nice for me to get in to it and to be able to push some more, so we put down some lap times and it was a good feeling."

Ferrari was more eager to experiment on low fuel over the two weeks and indulged in a number of quick laps on Pirelli's two softest compounds to set the outright fastest laps in both tests. Those ultra-soft laps stole the headlines, but it was Raikkonen's lap on soft tyres on Thursday morning -- a 1:23.009 -- that has been used for our comparison and hints at the battle brewing at the front of the field. For Raikkonen, however, it was still not perfect. "In many ways we could have done faster lap times if we wanted to," he said afterwards. "But I think it was one of the best days that we managed to do."

Flying laps are one thing, but points and championships are won on Sunday afternoons over longer runs with heavy fuel loads. Analysis of the race simulations tips the balance back towards Mercedes, but not by the margins seen in races over the last two years. What's more, the Circuit de Catalunya has been one of Mercedes' happiest hunting grounds in the V6 turbo era, with gaps of over 45 seconds to their nearest rivals over a race distance in both 2014 and 2015. On different types of circuits, the long runs seen in testing could put Ferrari even closer to Mercedes.

However, in terms of pure mileage there was only one winner this winter. Mercedes completed 1,294 laps, which is more than 19 race distances and the equivalent of two return trips from its factory in Brackley, Northamptonshire to the Circuit de Catalunya outside Barcelona. Aside from the obvious reliability advantage the W07 Hybrid appears to have, all that track time offered more data and more set-up time that could be crucial to unlocking the very best from its car at the opening races. Ferrari by comparison completed 13 race distances and would have pulled up short at the Clement Ferrand circuit in central France on the second of its Brackley to Barcelona runs.

But even if Ferrari's improvements do not extend to race-winning pace at a circuit as aero-sensitive as the Circuit de Catalunya, the one-lap pace exhibited still represents a step forward. Ferrari's deficit since 2014 has always been bigger in qualifying than races and the early signs are that it has reduced that gap significantly.

Anticipation ahead of the first qualifying session of the 2016 season in Melbourne a week on Saturday is high. Let's just hope it extends to Sunday morning once the true one-lap pace of the W07 Hybrid and SF16-H has been revealed.
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subirg · Mar 8, 2016

Fast_ian said: ↑

The current time sheets tell us different......

OK, it's just testing, but experience tells me they *all* try & go quickly at some point. There's really no point in being out there otherwise.

It's possible Merc ran on full tanks the whole time, but I very much doubt it. Even they need/want to learn what their car does in different configurations.

Cheers,
Ian
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Re Merc running on full tanks 'the whole time' - we know that's not the case as they ran full race length simulations with no fuel stops We know enough from all the data and observations to know that Merc have not taken a step back, but have taken a step forwards both in terms of performance and reliability. For the others to get close, it presumes that they have taken an even bigger step forwards in both performance and reliability. This is not impossible, but it is unlikely. In less than 2 weeks time we will have the answer. All we can do now is hope...

DF1 · Mar 8, 2016

My thoughts exactly here. They never, Mercedes, showed their true pace. They really didnt need to. Melbourne will be interesting!

Taffin: Mercedes playing cards close to their chest - PlanetF1 : PlanetF1

classic308 · Mar 8, 2016

MB will start year strongest but I have faith that Ferrari will close the gap.

Aircon · Sep 7, 2017

Testing over, now the real thing starts.
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Fast_ian · Mar 14, 2016

Aircon said: ↑

Testing over, now the real thing starts.
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Indeed.

Is that your shot?

"Pix or it didn't happen" of course.

We'll live vicariously thru you........

Enjoy, cheers,
Ian

Aircon · Mar 14, 2016

Fast_ian said: ↑

Indeed.

Is that your shot?

"Pix or it didn't happen" of course.

We'll live vicariously thru you........

Enjoy, cheers,
Ian
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nah...I don't think I'll even be going at all this year. I have friends who are, though, and I'll be sure to post any interesting photos they take.

subirg · Mar 15, 2016

Any news on mclarens supposed upgrades for Melbourne? Will they have an improved PU vs the configs they used in testing?

nsxrebel · Mar 15, 2016

subirg said: ↑

Any news on mclarens supposed upgrades for Melbourne? Will they have an improved PU vs the configs they used in testing?
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They used two different PU configs during testing, and they are bringing more upgrades to Melbourne I believe.

PSk · Mar 16, 2016

nsxrebel said: ↑

They used two different PU configs during testing, and they are bringing more upgrades to Melbourne I believe.
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and a Civic ... just in case
Pete

nsxrebel · Mar 16, 2016

PSk said: ↑

and a Civic Type-R ... just in case
Pete
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Fix'd

Fast_ian · Mar 16, 2016

PSk said: ↑

and a Civic ... just in case
Pete
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Very good!

Cheers,
Ian

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