The Official Testing Thread

[Jem of the Shire 0]

whinge, whinge, whinge, whinge, whinge. Button is doing well in testing and you still find something to sulk about...

Butter my arse

See we're fighting already!

[monza gorilla 1]

Butter my arse

See we're fighting already!

What a disturbing thought that is!

[cristiano84 0]

McLaren seem to be raising their game,Renault are still at the top..so for me the updated likely '06 classification now is:

1.RENAULT

2.FERRARI

3.HONDA

4.MCLAREN

5.SAUBER

6.TOYOTA

7.WILLIAMS

8.RED BULL

9.TORO ROSSO

10.MF1

11.SUPER AGURI

[Null 0]

about .5 slower than Nick, but the report mentions Nick was doing both long and short runs, whilst JV was working on setup and tyre work, so that may explain abit of the gap

Not really since nick was also working on the set up and the tyres but anyway - testing times aren't representative of the races.

[pumpdoc 2]

What a disturbing thought that is!

Indeed, indeed........................

[Jem of the Shire 0]

I used 'butter my arse' as a quote from the legendary Alan Partridge

[monza gorilla 1]

Aha. I see. It's still disturbing though.

[Jenson_Rules 0]

indeed it is!

[Jem of the Shire 0]

well u can butter my doll's arse if u prefer

[ben_3001 0]

about .5 slower than Nick, but the report mentions Nick was doing both long and short runs, whilst JV was working on setup and tyre work, so that may explain abit of the gap

Not really since nick was also working on the set up and the tyres but anyway - testing times aren't representative of the races.

Well actually JV was setting up a new blank car and NH had the pre ste-up car they had been working on for a couple weeks now. Plus JV was trying to figure out a specific set-up for Bahrain. Today the times were more reprentative

____________________________________________________________________________

1 P. de la Rosa McLaren 01:17.451 123

2 G. Fisichella Renault 01:17.479 76

3 M. Webber Williams 01:17.767 104

4 J. Button Honda 01:17.990 118

5 J. Villeneuve BMW 01:18.179 75

6 N. Heidfeld BMW 01:18.278 63

7 H. Kovalainen Renault 01:18.542 45

8 N. Rosberg Williams 01:18.843 60

9 K. R

[cavallino 2]

Fizzy

[Senna 0]

article:

DE LA ROSA TOPS JEREZ TIMES

ITV

Pedro de la Rosa set the pace in testing at Jerez on Thursday driving the hybrid McLaren with a restricted Mercedes V10 engine.

The Spaniard's lap time of 1m17.451s ensured that, for once, a Renault R26 was not at the top of the time sheets.

No matter, because Giancarlo Fisichella was just .018s slower in the first of the V8-powered 2006-spec machines, despite having to share a rear wing with Renault's test driver Heikki Kovalainen.

The Finn suffered a rear-wing failure on Wednesday and a lack of parts meant the pair was forced to share during Thursday's running.

Mark Webber impressed mightily in the new Williams-Cosworth FW28 to go third quickest.

Jenson Button was the sole representative for Honda in fourth ahead of the consistently quick BMW drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld.

Kovalainen was seventh quickest, Nico Rosberg eighth.

Kimi Raikkonen was ninth quickest, having taken over from Juan Pablo Montoya, testing Mercedes latest evolution of its V8 engine.

But the Finn lost time when he was forced to sit out the afternoon session with a gearbox problem and an engine oil leak.

Scuderia Toro Rosso unleashed its new racer, the STR-1, on Thursday. The new car, in the hands of Vitantonio Liuzzi, bore a striking resemblance to last year's Red Bull.

Liuzzi managed over 70 laps in the new machine fitted with a restricted V10 engine, only suffering one minor technical fault.

[ben_3001 0]

From another forum with no source unfortunatly

The first day of the test in Jerez was OK - not as good as I thought though," JV said.

"We mainly worked on the tyres but we didn't do a good job on the set-up. We will be working on it tonight with the engineers and tomorrow should be OK. I am happy with how things are currently going, the car feels good and the V8s are incredibly powerful."

"Also, it's much easier to start the year with people you already know, everything is going smoothly and all the people in the factory are doing a fantastic job."

"We should have a much better season this year so I am really positive about that. The cars are extremely quick in corners and we are almost doing the same lap times as last year..."

"The good thing is that we rely a bit less on electronics and this is something I appreciate."

This is amazing news. Explains his "slow" times yesterday but also shows that the car should clock in even better times since today was only OK day for JV....I'm sure both him and NH will be able to get the car even faster!

Like the little bit on electronics to! Last years Sauber was way too electronic and they were badly set which killed JV.....some drivers like Massa didn't really bother them since they pretty much jump in pre-set cars and drive.....JV feels better with no electronics so it good! He seems to be really liking this car! Hehe a funny note, MW didn't like BMW's work because it didn't have enough electronics

[YHR 0]

For us JV fans it doesn't get much better then this. JV is showing he is as consistantly as fast as NH,(quick Nick) and the BMW engine is strong. The chassis is predicatable with respect to set up. i.e It does what you think it will when you make a change.

Jv is extremely excited about what is transpiring. I haven't heard him like this in a long time. He was reserved about every BAR chassis that was released, and on one occasion was very critical of it. Remember this car was designed by Sauber, as a starting platform. Many new aero bits will be be added throughout the year, and JV knows that this car can get faster to keep up with the cars ahead. A well earned podium is a distinct possibility for this team.

Some very good work is being done by JV and NH. The team is motivated. There is a reason BMW has a 2007 seat wide open. If the team succeeds and works well together, JV will be given a chance to continue the work. Some will say this is way to early to say. I like making bold claims early on. It makes the season a lot of fun. It will be either fireworks or cannon Founder for YHR this year.

lets see, I have said

BMW will finish Fourth

JV will out qualify NH 2-1

JV has a ride with BMW in 2007

ahhh what the hell.

JV on the podium in 2006.

[SIDEPOD 0]

Testing Headaches!

Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld were fifth and sixth for BMW Sauber although the day didn't pass without problems for both drivers. Villeneuve completed his scheduled Bahrain tyre option evaluation, but just before the end of the day a cooling system problem caused by a foreign object forced him to stop testing. Team-mate Heidfeld was less than a tenth of a second behind although the German saw his day come to an early end with a fuel system problem which prevented him completing his testing programme.

Heikki Kovalainen posted the seventh quickest time ahead of Nico Rosberg, who overcame technical problems with his car to go eighth fastest.

"Today Mark and Nico continued tyre testing and set-up work on the FW28s," technical director Sam Michael said. "We had a problem with the steering rack hydraulics on Nico's car in the morning, which, unfortunately, delayed the programme while we changed it. Otherwise, we are making steady progress on reliability and set-up items. Tomorrow, Mark and Alex will be driving and will conclude the Jerez test."

Kimi Raikkonen found himself off the pace in ninth place but car problems meant the Finn was limited to just 40 laps

[spitfire 0]

Things have looked quite positive for the BMW team this week. I hope they have a good season.

I am not at all surprised to see the Williams/Cosworth match working too. Cosworth knows tons about V8's

What I am surprised by is the Str, they have to be happy with the first run of that car.

I want to know if Toyota are sandbagging Ralph did over 100 laps was only 1 tenth quicker than the Str.

If they are not sandbagging then Ralph better hope the new aero package due next week comes with a jet pack attached to it!!

[YHR 0]

Things have looked quite positive for the BMW team this week. I hope they have a good season.

I am not at all surprised to see the Williams/Cosworth match working too. Cosworth knows tons about V8's

What I am surprised by is the Str, they have to be happy with the first run of that car.

I want to know if Toyota are sandbagging Ralph did over 100 laps was only 1 tenth quicker than the Str.

If they are not sandbagging then Ralph better hope the new aero package due next week comes with a jet pack attached to it!!

Agreed. Aero packages won't find seconds. Maybe Toyota threw away all the engineering that was stolen and are starting over!!!!!!!!!

[nojvnof1 0]

I disagree, with less power due to the V8's, aero efficiency is a major factor in determining how successful a team is. On testing, Webber looks to have done a very good time, but it's still Honda and Renault on top. As for BMW, they once again look very good. JV set a quicker lap than Nick, only just, however Nick didn't get through his whole setup program whilst JV was also halted by a problem late in the day. Only minor problems so they should be fine for tomorrow. Kubica will be in the car instead of Jacques tomorrow so it will be interesting to see how he goes in the F1.06.

Oh, those comments from JV that Ben_3001 posted were from www.jv-world.com for those who wanted the source.

[YHR 0]

I disagree, with less power due to the V8's, aero efficiency is a major factor in determining how successful a team is. On testing, Webber looks to have done a very good time, but it's still Honda and Renault on top. As for BMW, they once again look very good. JV set a quicker lap than Nick, only just, however Nick didn't get through his whole setup program whilst JV was also halted by a problem late in the day. Only minor problems so they should be fine for tomorrow. Kubica will be in the car instead of Jacques tomorrow so it will be interesting to see how he goes in the F1.06.

Oh, those comments from JV that Ben_3001 posted were from www.jv-world.com for those who wanted the source.

You really think a team can pull seconds out of the hat with Aero Parts???? I don't.

[nojvnof1 0]

yeah I do, especially due to the new rules. Of course, the aero package alone won't find all the time, but the aero package will significantly help the overall performance of the car in order to gain that time, if that makes any sense

[Jenson_Rules 0]

its testing in bahrain next week apparently for Honda. And JB has been quoted as to saying its there when they realise their potential and if he can win races this year!

[Null 0]

BMW will finish Fourth

JV will out qualify NH 2-1

JV has a ride with BMW in 2007

ahhh what the hell.

JV on the podium in 2006

Please stop making silly judgments on testing - the times mean nothing other than BMW themselves are doing a good job. Your "predictions" (well, the first two at least) will come back to haunt you.

[YHR 0]

Please stop making silly judgments on testing - the times mean nothing other than BMW themselves are doing a good job. Your "predictions" (well, the first two at least) will come back to haunt you.

You are right, but what fun is it to predict the obvious. The bolder the prediction, the more gratifying the result.

[Senna 0]

It does indeed look close between JV and NH. The JVians might be rightly anticipating a good season for themselves.

Jerez: Renault drivers dominate

PF1

Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen ensured Renault claimed the 1-2 at Jerez on Day Four of the Spanish test.

Testing got off to a very damp start after overnight rain. However, the sun came out and the track dried enough for dry

weather tyres for most of the day.

Fisichella, who focused his efforts on set-up evaluation, clocked a 1:17.763 during his 76 laps to beat Kovalainen to the P1 slot by 0.107 seconds.

"We had another interesting day, in spite of the fact that the track was wet this morning. I was very pleased with the car in wet conditions, and then concentrated on set-up development," said Fisi.

"I am pleased with the times today, and I think we have completed an important part of our winter work this week. We now need to maintain a good rhythm, and work hard, because the first race is coming up fast."

Kimi Raikkonen, who was driving McLaren's 2006 challenger that was fitted with the newly revised Mercedes V8 engine, claimed third place, while Pedro de la Rosa, who took over from him after lunch, was fifth.

De la Rosa's day - and more importantly Mercedes' day wasn't without problems, though, as the Spaniard's engine blew late in the afternoon.

Nick Heidfeld slotted in between the two McLaren drivers, while the Woking based team's test driver, Gary Paffett, was sixth fastest.

Robert Kubica and Tiago Monteiro completed the top eight.

Times

01 G. Fisichella Renault 1:17.763 76 laps

02 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:17.870 59 laps

03 K. R

[YHR 0]

Day after day the BMW's are showing how consistant their speed is, and as importantly, they have had incredible reliability. This is indeed shaping up to be a wide open season. The fact that the V8 Sauber is as quick as last years V10 says BMW has a good car, and that pace has got them a lot closer to the front then I imagined they would be.

They have to be the surprise of testing so far, consistantly finishing just slightly behind the Renaults and Honda's.