2017 Pre-season testing

[Sakae 0]

Why?

I've never understood objectives of such strategy, and always suspected it is more of PR tool (we are better than your stop watch is telling you), than anything of practical use. The team, methinks, needs to establish their performance baseline, formulate countermeasures, and balance those with planned developments. The only way to get it is to let it fly on full throttle.

Pre-season testing dates (Barcelona)
February 27 to March 2
March 7-10

[Emmcee 0]

A positive so far is hulkenberg has stated that these cars this year are really going to push the drivers limits as he prepares to race the fastest f1 cars he has ever raced.

[Sakae 0]

Pre-season calendar.

[Sakae 0]

Vettel crushed into a barrier at Fiorano during wet track testing. He has lost control, as car seemingly lost traction on warm up lap. Drivers criticized the warm-up characteristics of last year's Pirelli wets, and it might be big question mark how much better, if at all, it is going to be this year. It could have been driver's error as well, however from video on the internet his car (modified F15) appears to flick as they do when tires are cold without adhesion. Seb incurred some bruisers but hopefully will be OK.

AMuS is reporting that ambient temperatures were about 5 deg. C, and tires extremely cold. Car was smashed pretty good.

Car for lack of spare parts couldn't be repaired, so it is over for Fiorano wet test. Expected feedback from Vettel - I am guessing - is, we need warm up blankets back, or a different tire characteristics. I can't see driving 10 laps in the race behind a safety car anyone will like much. Seb procured some bruises, but otherwise is fine.

Anyone wants to predict how many cars in average will be finishing races this year?

[Insider 0]

It is interesting considering the alleged increase in speed the 2017 spec cars will have.  Warming up the tyres will be a huge issue but just who will be able to handle these quick new 'beasts' overall will be key. Personally, I think you can count them on one hand. Alonso, Massa, Verstappen, Hamilton and Ricci. The possibles are perhaps Vettel, Bottas, Perez and the Hulk. The rest may struggle. Button, a veteran of the big lump era is around if the learning curve is too steep for Stoffy. I certainly see a pile of carbon wreckage at the first few races for sure. It's a whole new ball game and the simulators will have been working overtime. Pirelli will certainly have to up their game. 

[Sakae 0]

F1 Rule changes refresher in nutshell.

Scanning internet yields nothing more than confusion and disagreements. From data sheets made available to Pirelli in support of their development (Hemb.) feedback we received - some teams seems very close in performance, some others will not be. (Very clever answer).

[Sakae 0]

1	Vettel	Ferrari		1m22.791s
2	Bottas	Mercedes		1m23.169s
3	Perez	Force India		1m23.835s
4	Massa	Williams		1m25.879s
5	Hulkenberg	Renault		1m26.319s
6	Magnussen	Haas		1m26.404s
7	Sainz	Toro Rosso		1m26.726s
8	Ericsson	Sauber		1m27.710s
9	Ricciardo	Red Bull		1m28.712s
	Hamilton	Mercedes		No time
	Alonso	McLaren		No time

Last updated: 12:21

 

 

[Sakae 0]

1	Massa	Williams		1m22.727s
2	Vettel	Ferrari		1m22.791s
3	Bottas	Mercedes		1m23.169s
4	Hamilton	Mercedes		1m23.398s
5	Perez	Force India		1m23.709s
6	Sainz	Toro Rosso		1m25.206s
7	Magnussen	Haas		1m25.260s
8	Hulkenberg	Renault		1m25.966s
9	Ericsson	Sauber		1m26.865s
10	Ricciardo	Red Bull		1m27.881s
	Alonso	McLaren		No time

Last updated: 15:21

Massa on soft tires. Vettel's time was on medium this morning.

 

[Sakae 0]

RBR might be done for today. First sensor, now battery.  Sounds like Vettel's nightmare of 2014.

[Sakae 0]

1 Hamilton Mercedes 1m21.765s

2 Massa Williams 1m22.076s

3 Vettel Ferrari 1m22.236s

Vettel's time on medium towards end of their useable cycle, whereas Massa and Hamilton on fresh soft ones.

 

 

[Sakae 0]

Seb > 100 laps and 283 km/hr top on the list (for now).

 

 

[Sakae 0]

1	Hamilton	Mercedes		1m21.765s
2	Vettel	Ferrari		1m21.878s
3	Massa	Williams		1m22.076s
4	Magnussen	Haas		1m22.894s
5	Ricciardo	Red Bull		1m22.926s
6	Bottas	Mercedes		1m23.169s
7	Perez	Force India		1m23.709s
8	Sainz	Toro Rosso		1m24.494s
9	Hulkenberg	Renault		1m24.784s
10	Alonso	McLaren		1m24.852s
11	Ericsson	Sauber		1m26.841s

Last updated: 17:57

 

Seb was whole day on a medium grade tire, Hamilton on soft.

Haas - impressive result in dying minute.

Renault, Honda... they need time to iron out quirks after massive changes to their PU system. Not all is lost (yet) IMO anyway.

 

Ferrari - one driver 128 laps.

Mercedes - combined for two drivers 152 laps.

 

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Seb also switched to hard for a stint and was quite fast on those, impressive consecutive laptimes!!!

[BradSpeedMan 6]

128 laps. Great stuff, it might be rigorous but they will be well prepared

[Sakae 0]

I can only guess what Lauda and Totto are talking about over dinner.

[Sakae 0]

	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Tyre	Laps
1	L. Hamilton	Mercedes	1:21.765			73
2	S. Vettel	Ferrari	1:21.878	0.113		128
3	F. Massa	Williams	1:22.076	0.311		103
4	K. Magnussen	Haas	1:23.894	1.129		51
6	D. Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:22.926	1.161		50
5	V. Bottas	Mercedes	1:23.169	1.404		79
7	S. Perez	Force India	1:23.709	1.944		39
8	C. Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:24.494	2.729		51
9	N. Hülkenberg	Renault	1:24.784	3.019		57
10	F. Alonso	McLaren	1:24.852	3.087		29
11	M. Ericsson	Sauber	1:26.841	5.076		72

 

(Table) Courtesy - motosport.com

Bottas v. Hamilton - work in progress, but rather depressing by the end of first day. Surely track temp changed, but still, gap is little more than it should (or could) have been.

Afternoon Hamilton 0.113 on softs over Vettel on medium, morning Bottas 0.378 adrift to Vettel, while also on softs.

 

Looks like only Mercedes, Williams and Ferrari had a reasonable first day. Bottas claimed that they did not care about speed, but I find hard to believe that. We have another 7 days to go.

[Emmcee 0]

Thanks for posting the results, Iam looking at the cars side on and its going to take a lot less time to feel "normal" watching these cars compared to the shakeup in 2009. I think it took me half a season before I didn't realise how ugly those cars were.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

1 hour ago, Emmcee said:

Thanks for posting the results, Iam looking at the cars side on and its going to take a lot less time to feel "normal" watching these cars compared to the shakeup in 2009. I think it took me half a season before I didn't realise how ugly those cars were.

They really need to ban those shark fins! It does'nt even help with earo, or little help at all. All it helps with is with o vertaking

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Plus I actually liked the facts that the teams have come up witg different solutions... the way it should be. Different solutions to sidepods, wheelbases, bargeboard etc. The championship is going to be determined with development, which RBR excels at I feel

[Massa 0]

About one-tenth off the track record in 2008 (this configuration debuted then), which, being winter testing rather than qualifying is pretty impressive.

As for the new car aesthetics, I love everything EXCEPT the noses.  Those noses on all but the Mercedes and Toro Rosso are godawful.  I hope the Mercedes dominates just so people copy the snout. ?

[Quiet One 15]

Stop this farce! F1 is not the aesthetic sport it used to be anymore. Bring back the beauty of yore!

 

 

[radical-one 0]

Ferrari impressive, McLaren not good start

[BradSpeedMan 6]

1 hour ago, Quiet One said:

Stop this farce! F1 is not the aesthetic sport it used to be anymore. Bring back the beauty of yore!

 

 

Just becoz Mclaren had another off-day (what's new)... does'nt mean you have to drag us down to the low depths of depression. Thank you very much for your valuable contribution

[Emmcee 0]

6 hours ago, BradSpeedMan said:

They really need to ban those shark fins! It does'nt even help with earo, or little help at all. All it helps with is with o vertaking

Well I was watching a ted kravitz pit interview and apparently the fia could be looking into banning the shark fins and the t wings some teams are running.

[Sakae 0]

9 hours ago, BradSpeedMan said:

Plus I actually liked the facts that the teams have come up witg different solutions... the way it should be. Different solutions to sidepods, wheelbases, bargeboard etc. The championship is going to be determined with development, which RBR excels at I feel

That's generally accepted explanation why Ferrari slid backwards last year. After promising start a few organizational changes and broken development were credited with disaster that followed, ending with P3 instead P1.