monza gorilla 1 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Yes, that time was done on less fuel than I've got in my Zippo. No doubt. But it's easy to focus on the headline banzai lap instead of looking at the race simulation times. High 20s and low 21s is still very quick, but closer to BMW and Ferrari. And of course they do have tyre degradation problems to sort out before they get to Oz. More interesting, people round these parts don't seem able to comprehend that Woking could construct a lemon. Well, they can, and have done before. As have every other team at some time or another. As to why it's easy to swap from a Honda engine to a McMerc unit, well the FIA have kindly enforced minimum dims and weights. And since everyone tries to get down to those figures it's no surprise that they all end up about the same size and shape, no? Makes it less of a problem to switch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Medilloni 6 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Of course. They're almost certainly quicker than I thought they'd be but you can never read much into raw testing times. They were 2.5s/lap faster than McLaren but that's less than the difference between a given car running on fumes and the same car full to the brim. If you consider all the other settings McLaren might not be optimising at this stage, it becomes clear that BGP aren't necessarily all that fast. But they might be. True Muzza, though whether they are light or not, Button's race sim yesterday was made up of exceptionally competitive times throughout (on par with Massa's race sim), here they are: source: http://ellincedelpaddock.com/racesimbutton.pdf Miercoles, 11 de marzo de 2009. 10:26 amVuelta 1: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Max Mosley 2 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Yup, those race simulation times are much more interesting than the fastest lap charts I'd seen. They do look impressive. Still, as you say there are lots of variables we don't know about. For example they could just run without any ballast in testing if they want to impress some sponsors quickly. It's going to be fun to see how they do in Melbourne - probably it will be quite a bit better than I'd expected. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Brawn is, above all, a master strategist. He needs his car to be awesome if he wants to get some serious sponsorship to keep the BGP dream alive. He does not need to win in Oz, he needs to show the sponsorships that the car is worth investing in NOW, when it is easier to deliver good results than in actual race. My guess is that BGP will not be that impressive come the actual season, but they certainly had done miracles, all things considered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AleHop 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Who would say the are running with the "same" engine as McLaren. It would be great to see Button up there but BGP is done too well too soon to believe. Either they've freed restrictions on the engine or are running with some illegal pieces or the car's weight is below minimums. There should be something off. Of course, the great news would be if this was not the case. Wouldn't that make for an upset of the season at the last minute... I'd say so but... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jean Todt 4 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 http://www.crash.net/formula+one/news/1439...s_downfall.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pabloh20 1 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Brawn is, above all, a master strategist. He needs his car to be awesome if he wants to get some serious sponsorship to keep the BGP dream alive.He does not need to win in Oz, he needs to show the sponsorships that the car is worth investing in NOW, when it is easier to deliver good results than in actual race. My guess is that BGP will not be that impressive come the actual season, but they certainly had done miracles, all things considered. Indeed, Sir. Mind you, it is possible that they have struck lucky and have a car that works well. Just as it's possible that the championship winning team from the previous season can produce a lemon the next season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Max Mosley 2 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 http://www.crash.net/formula+one/news/1439...s_downfall.html Wonder what Andr Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AleHop 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 I think Flavio said they were as fast as Ferrari but Alonso said there were 4 teams ahead and De la Rosa said Renault were better than he'd expected... Is Flavito looking for sponsors? Is Alonso too sincere as usually? Is De la Rosa hiding anything? BTW Alonso's car blew up this afternoon and now I feel a smell of lemon all around... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Argento Reloaded 1 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 "The question is not how fast the car is, but how rule-compliment is"- Sir Flavio Cheating von Benetton Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FormulaSP 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/03/12/...-fastest-again/ I hope they are for real! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Alonso said to the Spanish press at the Circuit de Catalunya: "It's hard to judge right now, but Toyota, Ferrari, BMW or Brawn are very fast. The competition is very tough and everybody is working well, with a good progression."It's obvious that there are three or four teams ahead of the rest. Ferrari, Brawn, or BMW are, right now, unreachable. "We have to think that finishing fifth here (at the test track), with one car per team, means being 10th in a race. There are three or four teams ahead of us. Even so, it's not all about winning in Melbourne because the championship is very long." Alonso believes that Brawn GP benefited from switching its efforts to 2009 earlier than the rest. The Spaniard said: "It's not normal that they are so quick in their first tests. The truth is that they have a car that Honda began working on in 2007 to use in 2009. And that's evident in its design, because it's a very elaborate car, with different shapes than the rest." Source All I can say is...ouch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 But, again, bring it on. I think it would be great if BGP leaves all others in the dust..I'd love to see that ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AleHop 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Yes, it's all about winning in Melbourne because this season is different and no team will be able to start like Renault did last year and yet win a couple of races in the end. Are you serious? Did you Andr Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
5P33D3V1L 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Have BGP disclosed the buyout fee? I hear Honda sold the team for Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jem of the Shire 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Today's testing has increased my excitement levels 300% for Saturday 29th march - Button WDC, the dream lives on!!!!!!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
5P33D3V1L 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Brawn GP are defintely not going to be a back marker this season, but lack of funds may dent their development rate compared to other teams. Melbourne will be a complete lottery as the track isnt really a proper track either, its more like a street circuit so all this testing on good technical circuits could count for nothing. Have to wait til practice sessions start. I really do believe there are going to be some big suprises. I cant help but think Mclaren arent going to be that competitive this season, like they were in 2006, yes they could be sand bagging but not once have they shown any real pace. Ferrari, Toyota and BMW look much more impressive, maybe even Red Bull. Its going to be incredibly close. There hasn't been a pre season winter testing like this in a while! Not one team is standing out as a clear leader! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grabthaw the Hammerslayer 4 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Today's testing has increased my excitement levels 300% Today's testing has increased my excrement levels 300%! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jenson_Rules 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Today's testing has increased my interest back to 2006 levels! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dribbler 6 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 This sort of reminds me of a bunch of lads ogling over a lady. They wonder whether she gives head, how good the quality of the head and how dirty she could be. It turns out she is boring. It's still nice to think that she could be that dirty though. The Brawn will be a nun. But there is a chance it may be a nun with a gun, now wouldn't that be fun? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maure 1 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 As to why it's easy to swap from a Honda engine to a McMerc unit, well the FIA have kindly enforced minimum dims and weights. And since everyone tries to get down to those figures it's no surprise that they all end up about the same size and shape, no? Makes it less of a problem to switch. Yep. But it is worse than that. Since they just got the Mercedes engine, they could have as well got _any_ other engine. The point being that one should question if BGP times would always be as quick even if they had put it an engine from Ferrari, Renault, BMW, or Toyota. It seems a bit preposterous. If Brawn is capable of building a car that can fly ahead of everone else regardless of the engine, he is not a genius, he is a lesser god. On a different topic, I just read an article on Kimi's quotes: http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/11721/510/ Nothing new but fun stuff anyway. A couple quips that made me chuckle: The helmet has a special meaning for many drivers. How important is it to you? - It protects my head. Do you have any special rituals when the helmet is concerned like many have? - I wipe it so that I can see better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 Yep. But it is worse than that.Since they just got the Mercedes engine, they could have as well got _any_ other engine. The point being that one should question if BGP times would always be as quick even if they had put it an engine from Ferrari, Renault, BMW, or Toyota. It seems a bit preposterous. If Brawn is capable of building a car that can fly ahead of everone else regardless of the engine, he is not a genius, he is a lesser god. On a different topic, I just read an article on Kimi's quotes: http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/11721/510/ Nothing new but fun stuff anyway. A couple quips that made me chuckle: The helmet has a special meaning for many drivers. How important is it to you? - It protects my head. Do you have any special rituals when the helmet is concerned like many have? - I wipe it so that I can see better. Indeed. The kimi quotes are good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AleHop 0 Report post Posted March 12, 2009 The helmet has a special meaning for many drivers. How important is it to you? - It protects my head.Do you have any special rituals when the helmet is concerned like many have? - I wipe it so that I can see better. Thank you very much. Kimi's great but he's to smash Massa in 2009. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freaky2 1 Report post Posted March 13, 2009 Hahah, I read the whole lot of Kimi quotes and there are a lot of great ones. Thanks Maure! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonkers 0 Report post Posted March 13, 2009 Never mind mid field top of the list twice at Barcelona cracked last year's pole position speed not bad for out of the box Brawny baby done it again mind you its taken at least 18 months. bonkers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites