FORUMula1.com

[gdh]

Finally the season is kicking off. Lots of laps especially from Hamilton, lookng fwd to seeing how the teams progress.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lewis ... 75010/?s=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[darwin dali]

What winter? At this rate of climate change, I look forward to drinking Pinot Noir from Alaska!

Oh darn! Then we would have to put up with Sarah Palin as the spokeswoman for Alaskan wines

[sagi58]

woohoo... winter testing...
the 2016 season is just around the corner...
as is the Spring...
I think even the geese are back!!

[sagi58]

Results: Barcelona test one, day one:

1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1m24.939s, 69 laps
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m25.409s +0.470s, 156 laps
3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1m26.044s +1.105s, 87 laps
4 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m26.091s +1.152s, 80 laps
5 Alfonso Celis Force India 1m26.298s +1.359s, 58 laps
6 Jenson Button McLaren 1m26.735s +1.796s, 84 laps
7 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1m27.180s +2.241s, 55 laps
8 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1m27.555s +2.616s, 88 laps
9 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1m28.292s +3.353s, 54 laps
10 Romain Grosjean Haas 1m28.399s +3.460s, 31 laps
11 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1m29.356s +4.417s, 37 laps

[gdh]

Tuesday morning test times:

Day 2 morning results, agan nice to see all teams getting some decent lap numbers in esp McLaren and Merc. Not concerned about times a this point.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:22.810 46
2 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:23.525 58
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:24.867 81
4 Sergio Perez Force India 1:25.692 48
5 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:25.734 49
6 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:25.872 56
7 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:25.925 36
8 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:26.189 41
9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:26.931 32
10 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:27.198 71
11 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:27.346 59

[sagi58]

...Not concerned about times a this point...

Good point!! Something to keep in mind, as there is no telling
what variables are factoring into the numbers.

[sagi58]

Final times - Hulkenberg tops day three

All tyres medium unless otherwise stated.

Nico Hulkenberg 1:23.110 (99 laps) - super-soft tyres
Romain Grosjean 1:25.874 (82) - soft
Kimi Raikkonen 1:25.977 (78)
Kevin Magnussen 1:26.014 (111) - soft
Nico Rosberg 1:26.084 (74)
Carlos Sainz 1:26.239 (161)
Felipe Nasr 1:26.392 (115) - soft
Lewis Hamilton 1:26.421 (88)
Daniil Kvyat 1:26.497 (74)
Felipe Massa 1:26.712 (109)
Jenson Button 1:26.919 (51)
Rio Haryanto 1:28.249 (78)

[gdh]

Engine problems returned to McLaren, Button must have had a deja vu feeling seeing the smoke in his mirrors. Ferrari had a fuel pump malfunction in the morning session, Haas some software glitches, Merc just keeps piling up the laps. 3.5 weeks to go until Australia.

[sagi58]

Barcelona Formula 1 test one reaction: what we and the teams have learned so far

Formula 1 winter testing has reached the halfway stage and there are only four more days for the teams to develop their designs before its time to ship off to Melbourne and the first race.

So with testing time at a premium, most teams spent the first test discovering the reliability limits of their new cars, and few squads focused on pushing performance levels.

It looks like Mercedes and Ferrari have both taken a significant step, with the rest of the field probably further away than at the end of last season. But with freer reign on the areas engine manufacturers can work on, there is a better chance for Renault and Honda powered cars to make gains during the season.

Here are some things we have learned and the reactions of all the teams from the first test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Tyres

It looks like there are around two seconds in the tyre range between medium and the new ultra soft. Ultra to Supersoft is about 0.5s; Super soft to Soft 0.6s; Soft to Medium about 0.8s. The softer tyres are not particularly suited to Barcelona and the ultra soft was there only for drivers to get a general feel for it.

Apart from the introduction of the ultra soft, not much has changed in the Pirelli range from 2015 to this year.

about the teams...

[gdh]

By this time in 3 weeks everyone won't have to speculate on which team is faster due to tire differences, fuel load etc. I'm glad that there is some decent press coverage of these testing sessions, it has felt like a very long break. I tried watching NASCAR this afternoon, made it a few minutes before I went outside to watch the ice melt on the driveway.

[sagi58]

...made it a few minutes before I went outside to watch the ice melt on the driveway.

And, we're getting all sorts of snow/rain/sleet this next couple of days,
so that should keep you busy until Australia!!

[gdh]

Friends of mine are playing at the ACC tmw, only fitting that we're tetting another storm as Roger says that he always gets sick when they play Toronto. We were dwntn today, told them that we'd see them at their late Apr show when the weather should be much better.

[sagi58]

Basketball friends?

[gdh]

Music - The Who.

More testing today, what happened to Hamilton's car? I hope that McLaren Honda can find the power and reliability to be competitive this season. Looks like Bernie has abandoned the alternative qualifying process for this season.

[sagi58]

The Who? Next question is... Who are you?