GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: J.Clark on January 25, 2014, 01:58:33 PM
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I don't see a thread started yet that would be dedicated to the pre-season testing sessions. I propose this one be where results, time sheets, questions and discussion of the test sessions be posted. I have been a member of other forums in which this was done and it made comparison and progress of various drivers/teams relatively simple without having to jump between threads to do that.
I am truly looking forward to this season. I don't like the idea of the V-6, but then, I wasn't happy with the move to V-8s, nor when they put the V-10s in replacing the V-12s. It will still be racing though and while much of it will be different because of the changes, that fact alone may shake things up a bit and that will be good for the sport in my opinion.
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Good idea keeping testing chat to one thread.
Regardless of who comes out of the testing feeling more positive, I'm looking forward to hearing a) how much slower the cars are than last year, and b) exactly where that time is lost. I only hope it's not more than 2 seconds a lap, or they'll be getting dangerously close to GP2 times, which would be awful.
I don't think that will happen, but testing should provide some answers and all sorts of other interest. Bring it on, it's been AGES since we've heard a car on track.
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Renault says their engine has met their most optimistic projections and produces enough power that they expect lap times to be very similar to last year.
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Renault says their engine has met their most optimistic projections and produces enough power that they expect lap times to be very similar to last year.
Oh that is good news - sounds like a bullish thing to report, in all the right ways (pardon the pun). I read about downforce reductions and potential wheelspinning that may also reduce lap times, but we'll wait and see. I am positively chomping at the bit.
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We are now only a few days away from it.
Here is the schedule:
Date Circuit
1 28-31 January Jerez
2 19-22 February Bahrain
3- 27 February – 2 March Bahrain
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Day 2 report from my photographer pal:
Much the same again today I'm afraid! Red Bull did three laps and cooked itself, Toro Rosso haven't run at all. Mercedes and McLaren seem to have hit the ground running, but Renault are in the sh*t at the moment by the looks of it.
Ferrari have been running well, but have now ground to a halt.
Very boring to say the least!
More when I get it.
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The RBR engine blew?
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Here are the times from day 2:
1. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1min 24.165secs
2. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari 1min 24.812secs
3. Valtteri Bottas Finland Williams-Mercedes 1min 25.344secs
4. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1min 25.588secs
5. Sergio Perez Mexico Force India-Mercedes 1min 28.376secs
6. Esteban Gutierrez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari 1min 33.270secs
7. Marcus Ericsson Sweden Caterham-Renault 1min 37.975secs
8. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 1min 38.320secs
The times are down somewhat from day 1 (yesterday), but still well off of the pace of the first test last season when Massa had his Ferrari on top of the sheets at 1:17 something on first day. I realize that we are dealing with an entirely different car, especially with the engine/ERS and all, but this car appears to be very slow by comparison to the V-8. Kimi was on top yesterday and was a full 10+ seconds slower than Massa's pace last season in the same test session. Today they are closing in, but still a full 7 seconds slower than the first day last year.
I imagine the different power plant and changes in downforce have had a significant impact (aside from being just plain ugly on most cars). With that in mind however, I would have thought that someone would give the new car a run at the limit on day two so I hope that this not indicative of the performance we can expect.
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I'm not bored in the least :). Unreliability at last :D. This could make the first race very hard to predict if it continues.
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The RBR engine blew?
Don't think so, but a serious enough issue for a lot of head scratching I think.
The lap times are worrying. The lack of laps is worrying. The lack of healthy cars is worrying. The drivers must be aghast at this, having already had to rein in their potential last year because of the chocolate tyres. If they can't properly get going in testing then the start of the season will be a big anticlimax, with slow cars beating one another on reliability alone. Yeesh.
I hope they get on top of this before Melbourne, and it's early days, but if top teams are struggling to get anywhere near decent lap times then we could be in for a disappointing season. <sad face>
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I watched Ted's notebook from Day 1 (haven't managed to find Day 2 yet) and he is obviously on Cos's side with regards to the little motors. Said he hasn't had to put in his earplugs yet, and spent about 1/4 of his show holding his mic out as a car went by and chuckling that it isn't all that bad.
All the new systems on the car, plus the new engines, new aero and 9 short days to test (maybe in Bahrain they'll turn the lights on and let them go 24hrs?). It seems to be winding up for a royal cluster-F. I like the idea of less reliability, but when most teams are running 10-15 laps in two days of testing, there are a lot of issues to sort out in a relatively short amount of time, especially if they need to be sorted out at the factory.
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Day three:
Another late start from RBR - not out of the garage until 11am, then from BBC:
"...No sooner had Daniel Ricciardo been waved away from the pitlane, smoke emanated from the back of the RB10 and it came to a stop on the track."
More recently Ricciardo has completed three laps 'without a hitch'. Whoopee!
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Times from Jerez for day 3:
1. Kevin Magnussen Denmark McLaren-Mercedes 1min 23.276
2. Felipe Massa Brazil Williams-Mercedes 1min 23.700
3. Lewis Hamilton Britain Mercedes-Mercedes 1min 23.952
4. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1min 25.030
5. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 1min 25.495
6. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Force India-Mercedes 1min 26.096
7. Jean-Eric Vergne France STR-Renault 1min 29.915
8. Adrian Sutil Germany Sauber-Ferrari 1min 30.161
Max Chilton BritainMarussia-Ferrari No Time
Robin Frijns Netherlands Caterham-Renault No Time
Daniel Ricciardo Australia Red Bull-Renault No Time
Things are picking up it appears.
Looking at the times from today, realizing of course that "it is only testing" an interesting thought came to mind. If Williams should return to a top contender this season, giving Massa a quick car, he could have Alonso behind him again and I doubt Frank Williams would say anything like, "Fernando is faster than you, do you understand?
:DD :yahoo: :tease:
Red Bull having trouble still with fires. I hope it is an omen. I am relatively sure that Newy will get it all sorted out, but the problems are costing them a lot of testing time/laps and perhaps that will stunt their progress to give some of the other teams a jump-start in the opening races. I wouldn't mind seeing Vettel struggle a bit to get himself into the running for the WDC this season. I am a Ferrari fan, and have been for about 50 years, and in spit of that, I don't like seeing dominance by any team/driver - not even when it was Ferrari.
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Thanks for the report J...
I'm sure there's a reason Jens couldn't get more than 2sec behind Magnussen...but if there isn't a reason, and Kevin stays at the pointy end of that teammate battle, at the very least Whitmarsh will be justified in dumping Perez.
RBR woes I view with a bit of a smirk (again, they are my team, but just rather see them struggle a bit at the beginning of the season). Didn't some of the teams make cutouts a few years ago when they had cooling issues? Time to get the dremel tool out and start hacking away at bodywork. I think RBR needs to do their bodywork fix back at the factory before Bahrain, but in the mean time need to get some laps in and check out other issues of the aero and suspension and car balance and...well, get on it boys!
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Thanks for the report J...
I'm sure there's a reason Jens couldn't get more than 2sec behind Magnussen...but if there isn't a reason, and Kevin stays at the pointy end of that teammate battle, at the very least Whitmarsh will be justified in dumping Perez.
The simple answer is that Wednesday was designated the wet running day so all the cars will have been set up for that, and the track had bowsers sprinkling the track at certain times. Jens did put slicks on to do his best time but he will still have had a wet set up and a colder than usual track.
It's also difficult to know where anyone really is as all the engine makers appear to have been limiting the revs to 13,000. This could also explain the comments about lack of the usual F1 ear shattering noise.
Now I can hear you all asking:- if Red Bull and Renault are having trouble at 13k revs what's gonna happen when they turn the wick up? Just :DntKnw: Just :DntKnw:
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Very interesting Ted's Notebook (Day Three) on Sky F1 last night. Lots of techy info about the drive units, new steering wheel controls, how the Ers is applied etc, recommended if you can find it somewhere.
And on a funnier note, here's a couple of pictures of Ted Kravitz and Caterham nerd #1 discussing the Caterham and Lotus noses, using Ted's lunch of a banana and a packet of raisins as props. TV gold!
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Funny - I like it.
On a more serious note . . .
I am fairly sure that RBR will figure it all out, but it is a good thing in my mind that they have experienced some difficulty. They closed up shop early today because of more problems. As the final day comes to a close, Red Bull will leave with only 21 laps of testing under their belts.
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Compilation of times:
1. Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.276 162 laps
2. Massa Williams-Mercedes 1:23.700 133 laps
3. Hamilton Mercedes 1:23.952 121 laps
4. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:24.165secs 83 laps
5. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:24.812 78 laps
6. Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1:25.344 42 laps
7. Alonso Ferrari 1:25.495 173 laps
8. Rosberg Mercedes 1min 25.588secs 188 laps
9. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:26.096 17 laps
10. Perez Force India-Mercedes 1:28.376 48 laps
11. Juncadella Force India-Mercedes 1:29.457 81 laps
12. Vergne STR-Renault 1:29.915 45 laps
13. Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1:30.161 103 laps
14. Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1:32.222 25 laps
15. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:33.270 60 laps
16. Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1:37.975 12 laps
17. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:38.320 11 laps
18. Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1:43.193 54 laps
19. Kvyat STR-Renault 1:44.016 9 laps
20. Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1:45.374 10 laps
21. Chilton Marussia-Ferrari No Time 5 laps
22. Frijns Caterham-Renault No Time 10 laps
Combined lap counts – Driver:
1. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 188 laps
2. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 173 laps
3. Kevin Magnussen Denmark McLaren-Mercedes 162 laps
4. Felipe Massa Brazil Williams-Mercedes 133 laps
5. Lewis Hamilton Britain Mercedes-Mercedes 121 laps
6. Adrian Sutil Germany Sauber-Ferrari 103 laps
7. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 83 laps
8. Daniel Juncadella Spain Force India-Mercedes 81 laps
9. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari 78 laps
10. Esteban Gutierrez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari 60 laps
11. Kamui Kobayashi Japan Caterham-Renault 54 laps
12. Sergio Perez Mexico Force India-Mercedes 48 laps
13. Jean-Eric Vergne France STR-Renault 45 laps
14. Valtteri Bottas Finland Williams-Mercedes 42 laps
15. Jules Bianchi France Marussia-Ferrari 25 laps
16. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Force India-Mercedes 17 laps
17. Marcus Ericsson Sweden Caterham-Renault 12 laps
18. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 11 laps
19. Daniel Ricciardo Australia Red Bull-Renault 10 laps
20. Robin Frijns Netherlands Caterham-Renault 10 laps
21. Daniil Kvyat Russia STR-Renault 9 laps
22. Max Chilton Britain Marussia-Ferrari 5 laps
Combined lap counts – Team:
1. Mercedes 309 laps
2. Ferrari 251 laps
3. McLaren 245 laps
4. Williams 175 laps
5. Sauber 163 laps
6. Force India 146 laps
7. Caterham 76 laps
8. Toro Rosso 54 laps
9. Marussia 30 laps
10. Red Bull Racing 21 laps
Combined lap counts – Engine:
1. Mercedes 875
2. Ferrari 444
3. Renault 151
Massa rose to the top in the damp, nearly a second ahead of Alonso's Ferrari. Williams looks good at this point, but I think they looked good last season at this point, or perhaps it was two years ago - can't quite remember.
Of course, one can't get too awfully excited about things at this point - it is just testing and not knowing what specifics are involved in what each team are working on means that nothing means much beyond reliability for some and unreliability for others. Furthermore, as was mentioned before, the revs are currently limited to 13,000 and the likelihood of engines coming apart increase with the revs.
After this first session however, it appears that Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams and McLaren are the best bets so far.
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Magnussen still top of the heap, and I bet Alonso is fairly furious that Kimi beat him in Spain.
I know, I know, it's testing and we have no idea what program who was on, but it's something to chew on.
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Im chewing' I'm chewing'… Got any toothpicks???
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The highlight for me is seeing Marussia (whose car arrived late to the test) still manage to complete more laps than Red Bull. Still, Red Bull have managed twenty more laps than Lotus, who I think will be the team with the most problems at this rate, owing to having missed this vital chance to identify reliability problems, especially given that they use the Renault engine.
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Interesting point, given that those teams with a Renault engine seemed to suffer more than their share of problems related to their engines.
It also seems that the teams with Mercs had the least amount of engine related problems.
I think we could see a season with a lot of engine failures though. New engines, with a lot of add-ons to do with the ERS and having to manage fuel more closely.
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Here's a view of Jerez by someone who was there:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/01/31/turn-two/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+f1fanatic+%28F1+Fanatic+-+The+Formula+1+Blog%29 (http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/01/31/turn-two/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+f1fanatic+%28F1+Fanatic+-+The+Formula+1+Blog%29)
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Red Bull's woes continue. According to the BBC, Vettel's car broke down after just thirteen laps today in Bahrain. Ferrari are looking good on short runs, with Merecedes looking strong all round. McLaren also appear to be going better this year.
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Timesheet for day 1:
1. Hulkenberg Force India 1min 36.880secs 78 laps
2. Alonso Ferrari 1min 37.879secs 64 laps
3. Hamilton Mercedes 1min 37.908secs 74 laps
4. Magnussen McLaren 1min 38.295secs 81 laps
5. Vettel Red Bull 1min 40.224secs 14 laps
6. Sutil Sauber 1min 40.443secs 82 laps
7. Frijns Caterham 1min 42.534secs 68 laps
8. Kvyat STR 1min 44.346secs 5 laps
9. Grosjean Lotus 1min 44.832secs 8 laps
9. Massa Williams No time 5 laps
10. Bianchi Marussia No time 3 laps
Not only Red Bull suffering with Renaults.
I haven't found anything on why Williams on had 5 laps with no time posted.
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It appears that RBR still have cooling problems but some of Vettel's 14laps were very quick.
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Massively encouraging: the fastest lap in Bahrain in 2013 was 1:36.961, from Vettel. Hulk is quicker today.
If that means that fears of slow cars tho year have been overstated, I'm hugely relieved. Hopefully that's the case, and there's not a sting in the tail, like a chicane that's been removed or something. :DntKnw:
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Well RBR are still running (and very quickly); Torro Rosso are one of the teams with the most laps completed; Lotus is running; Caterham is running - Renault must be very relieved!
The Williams is going incredibly well. I really hope they have a great year.
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I know different tyres are being used but I wonder if the 5second gap between the top teams is something to worry about?
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At least some teams are up to speed and we'll
have to see how the engines sound with
on board race views.
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1) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:34.263
2) Jenson Button (McLaren) 1:34.976
3) Felipe Massa (Williams) 1:37.066
4) Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber) 1:37.180
5) Sergio Perez (Force India) 1:37.367
6) Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:37.476
7) Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1:38.974
8) Pastor Maldonado (Lotus) 1:39.642
9) Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1:40.781
10) Marcus Ericsson (Caterham) 1:42.130
11) Max Chilton (Marussia) 1:46.672
These results would seem to suggest Mercedes power is the only way to go but the Renaults have been running reliably and they are currently mapped to give approx. 150bhp less than Mercedes & Ferrari so they could still spring some surprises.
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Kobe says Renault engine problems are handicapping the team:
http://www.racer.com/index.php/indycar/51-f1/101327-kobayashi-renault-can-t-compete#!Rosberg_Bahrain_testing (http://www.racer.com/index.php/indycar/51-f1/101327-kobayashi-renault-can-t-compete#!Rosberg_Bahrain_testing)
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Renault says their problems are behind them. We shall see. In a way, I hope so, even if it means Red Bull will be better.
I don't think we can conclude anything about power units just yet. Perhaps we will see more teams truly seeing what they can get from the cars next week in the second Bahrain test. Right now they are most likely more concerned with understanding the car and the limits regarding endurance, fuel consumption rates, how to best utilize the power units' ERS and so on. Hamilton as much as said in an interview that they are trying to break the car.
Ferrari too have been running well, completing a lot of laps and setting some respectable times in the process. Only a fool would write them off in testing.
I think the time sheets from tomorrow may have more of an indication too, as I recon several teams may attempt some hot laps to see what they have learned over past week, coupled with the results from Jerez.
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Day 4 of session 2 time sheet:
1. Rosberg Mercedes 1min 33.283secs 89 laps
2. Button McLaren 1min 34.957secs 66 laps
3. Raikkonen Ferrari 1min 36.718secs 81 laps
4. Nasr Williams 1min 37.569secs 87 laps
5. Maldonado Lotus 1min 38.707secs 59 laps
6. Perez Force India 1min 39.258secs 19 laps
7. Ricciardo Red Bull 1min 39.837secs 15 laps
8. Vergne STR 1min 40.472secs 19 laps
9. Kobyashi Sauber 1min 43.027secs 17 laps
10. Ericsson Caterham 1min 45.094secs 4 laps
11. Sutil Sauber No time 7 laps
12. Bianchi Marussiai No time 5 laps
Mercedes and Ferrari powered cars continue to put in more laps in general. Next week will be critical for a few of those who should be at the pointy end of the spear, such as Red Bull. Learning curve, or not, Vettel and Ricciardo can't be too awfully happy with the track time they are getting and the seeming relative lack of pace.
Williams seems to be hanging near the top - good.
Hopefully, next week we will see what the cars truly have in the way of performance on a comparative basis.
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I do not wish to interject politics, for lack of a better word, into all of this, but I find it somewhat interesting that several years ago, when Michael Schumacher and Ferrari were on top and Michael crashed during pre-season testing. The Ferrari/Michael haters were all over it with negative and inflammatory comments. I am glad they are not part of this forum, for the record.
Yesterday, Kimi crashed in Bahrain. I haven't seen any comments from Ferrari over the cause yet. This video doesn't show us the beginning of it, but the car is truly a wreck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCwsg3l7SU4
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Results of time/laps by team and laps by power plant:
This week’s unofficial aggregate test times from Bahrain
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m 33.283s, 174 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m 34.263s, 141 laps
3. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, 1m 34.910s, 127 laps
4. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1m 34.957s, 169 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1m 36.445s, 137 laps
6. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1m 36.516s, 161 laps
7. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1m 36.718s, 126 laps
8. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1m 37.066s, 65 laps
9. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1m 37.180s, 151 laps
10. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 37.328s, 171 laps
11. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1m 37.367s, 76 laps
12. Felipe Nasr, Williams, 1m 37.569s, 87 laps
13. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1m 38.707s, 85 laps
14. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1m 38.974s, 57 laps
15. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1m 39.837s, 43 laps
16. Kamui Kobayashi, Caterham, 1m 39.855s, 83 laps
17. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1m 40.224s, 73 laps
18. Adrian Sutil, Sauber, 1m 40.443s, 89 laps
19. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1m 40.472s, 77 laps
20. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1m 41.670s, 26 laps
21. Marcus Ericsson, Caterham, 1m 42.130s, 102 laps
22. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1m 42.511s, 21 laps
23. Robin Frijns, Caterham, 1m 42.534s, 68 laps
24. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, no time, 8 laps
Total laps run - by team (power unit, where different):
1. Williams (Mercedes), 323
2. Mercedes, 315
3. McLaren (Mercedes), 296
4. Ferrari, 287
5. Caterham (Renault), 253
6. Sauber (Ferrari), 240
7. Force India (Mercedes), 213
8. Toro Rosso (Renault), 134
9. Red Bull (Renault), 116
10. Lotus (Renault), 111
11. Marussia (Ferrari), 29
Total laps run - by power unit:
1. Mercedes, 1147 (4 teams)
2. Renault, 614 (4 teams)
3. Ferrari, 556 (3 teams)
Mercedes powered cars should, by the above results, have an advantage going into the first part of the season due to the shear number of laps run. They are nearly double that of both Renault and Ferrari, which, factory teams aside, seemed to struggle in this area.
I don't think we can take too much away from it based upon the time sheets though. I find it very difficult to believe that Nico, Lewis and Jense were in cars that are actually 2 seconds faster than everyone else. Next week will likely be more telling as teams begin in earnest with race preparations and attempting to extract maximum performance from the cars. I could be wrong, but I believe most of the set up variations will be put to the track in the up-coming final test session. I may be mistaken, but I think the rev limits will be up to 15k rpm as well for this test. They may have been at 15k this past week, but I don't remember seeing anything on that.
I don't like the sound, but I am ready to go racing anyway.
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We do have Michael haters on here J.Clark, but they are also F1 fans and none of them are happy with what happened to Michael recently.
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We do have Michael haters on here J.Clark, but they are also F1 fans and none of them are happy with what happened to Michael recently.
:good:
Plus we all love Kimi...that wreck sounded pretty nasty, and the car was a mess, but glad Kimi is alright.
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I've read that Kimi says the shunt was his fault. Good to hear that he's alright and good on him for explaining. I'm glad it wasn't a failure in the car.
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For those of us who have been missing F1 action here's a brief vid look at most cars on day 4 at first Bahrain test. Also includes a brief explanation at the end from kimi about his shunt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNcZQpSmizs&feature=youtu.be
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Red Bull won't be happy with that performance that's for certain. I'm sure that they will be quicker in Melbourne, but they don't look to be challenging for the very front end of the grid at the moment.
The small teams, as always, seem to have been hit hardest by the rule change. Marussia have hardly completed any laps at all, and Kobayashi is on the record with his concerns for Caterham.
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Here we go - final four days of testing before race 1.
Time sheet:
1. Perez Force India 1min 35.290secs 105 laps
2. Bottas Williams 1min 36.184secs 128 laps
3. Raikkonen Ferrari 1min 36.432secs 54 laps
4. Rosberg Mercedes 1min 36.624secs 89 laps
5. Sutil Sauber 1min 37.700secs 89 laps
6. Magnussen McLaren 1min 37.825secs 109 laps
7. Ricciardo Red Bull 1min 37.908secs 39 laps
8. Chilton Marussia 1min 38.610secs 44 laps
9. Kvyat STR 1min 39.242secs 55 laps
10. Maldonado Lotut 1min 40.599secs 31 laps
11. Kobyashi Caterham 1min 42.285secs 19 laps
Mercedes still looks to be on top of everything with laps run and times as well.
Force-India and Williams look fairly impressive. They look as good as Red Bull look poor and struggling. Ferrari looks to be pretty strong too. Of course, there are still three days of this final test session remaining, and while much could change in those days, it is encouraging for the mid-field teams like Williams to have spent the morning practicing pit stops and doing race simulation in the afternoon session.
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Something occurred to me while watching the video of testing. The easiest way to tell the Red Bulls from the Torro Rossos is that the Torros have Red Bull in large letters on the side pods. The Red Bulls don't have Red Bull on them. :confused:
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Surprise surprise:
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer Andrew Benson:
"Renault has issued a statement regarding the request for an extension of the engine homologation deadline that is being discussed at the F1 strategy group this morning. It says: 'Renault is providing the reference Power Unit and appropriate supplementary material to the FIA, as per today's homologation deadline.
"There is a background request from some teams for alternative proposals (as will be discussed by the strategy group today) that regard some parts and components. However, the basic requirements of the homologation deadline will be delivered today as mandated by the FIA.' Renault declined to provide details of the proposals, or which parts they applied to."
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Exactly how will it impact the Renault powered teams, if the FIA accepts/declines the request? I think that is an interesting discussion to have and I am not sure I fully understand the implications at this point. Also interesting is that this request is coming so late in the development of the cars for the 2014 season.
Here are the morning times for day 2: Times at 1300 local time: Perez (1:35.570 / 33 laps), Alonso (1:35.634 / 45), Button (1:36.901 / 20), Bianchi (1:38.198 / 33), Hamilton (1:39.041 / 61), Massa (1:39.323 / 43), Vergne (1:39.756 / 30), Gutierrez (1:40.428 / 41), Ricciardo (1:40.867 / 15), Maldonado (1:41.762 / 24), Ericsson (1:42.516 / 22).
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Times at day's end:
1. Perez Force India 1min 35.570secs 108 laps
2. Alonso Ferrari 1min 35.634secs 122 laps
3. Ricciardo Red Bull 1min 35.743secs 66 laps
4. Massa Williams 1min 36.507secs 103 laps
5. Button McLaren 1min 36.901secs 52 laps
6. Bianchi Marussia 1min 38.092secs 75 laps
7.Hamilton Mercedes 1min 39.041secs 89 laps
8. Vergne STR 1min 39.636secs 61 laps
9. Gutierrez Sauber 1min 39.976secs 106 laps
10. Maldonado Lotus 1min 41.613secs 31 laps
11. Ericsson Caterham 1min 42.516secs 55 laps
Red Bull finish today looking a little better perhaps, but the majority of the Renault powered cars are well down the ladder.
Ferrari is looking pretty good.
Force-India is looking great for now.
Williams and McLaren are both doing fairly well and could be contenders by the looks of it so far.
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Morning times have Massa and Williams at the top.
His time was in the 1:37s, which is not equal to the 1:35s set by Mercedes, but hopefully they will get closer.
Vettel's woes continued and I read that he didn't complete his installation lap in his first trip out of the pits and on the second, he stopped in the pit lane and had to help push the car back.
I think he will be hard pressed to win another title this season.
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Ah, not to worry, RBR is just bluffing...right Vintly? :crazy: :crazy:
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:DD :DD That is funny.
Time sheet for day 3 of the final test:
1. Massa Williams 1min 33.258secs 99 laps
2. Rosberg Mercedes 1min 33.484secs 103 laps
3. Kimi Ferrari 1min 35.426secs 87 laps
4. Magnussen McLaren1min 35.894secs 88 laps
5. Kvyat Toro Rosso 1min 36.113secs 81 laps
6. Hulkenberg Force India 1min 36.205secs 115 laps
7. Bianchi Marussia 1min 37.087secs 78 laps
8. Ericsson Caterham 1min 38.083secs 117 laps
9. Grosjean Lotus 1min 42.166secs 33 laps
10. Sutil Sauber No time
11. Vettel Red Bull No time
Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, in that order for the power units.
Red Bull is truly in crisis - garage door was reportedly shut most of the day.
The true pace of the cars is beginning to show now I think. Massa and Rosberg are nearly two seconds quicker than previous days' top times, regardless of who set them.
It would be very wrong to make any predictions at this point. I would personally find it very interesting if Williams had a race winning car this season and Massa ended up WDC, beating Alonso in his Ferrari :yahoo:
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I wish! It's undeniably awful, extremely concerning and appallingly abject in the extreme. Which is also terribly exciting - will they / won't they?
I've championed Red Bull and Lotus this year - the two teams with the fewest test laps - brilliant.
One more test day to go, but I don't think we'll see any giant steps from the Bulls tomorrow.
EEK!
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Well, when it ran (yesterday), it was quick so I guess you can take that from at least one of the test sessions. :DntKnw:
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Pre-season testing is done.
Red Bull did keep the car running today with a fair amount of laps under their belt for the day.
Final Times...
1. L. Hamilton Mercedes Grand Prix 01:33.278 69
2. V. Bottas Williams 01:33.987 108
3. F. Alonso Ferrari 01:34.280 74
4. N. Hulkenberg Force India F1 01:35.577 74
5. J. Vergne Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:35.701 74
6. A. Sutil Sauber 01:36.467 91
7. M. Chilton Marussia 01:36.835 61
8. E. Gutiérrez Sauber 01:37.303 86
9. S. Vettel Red Bull 01:37.468 77
10. J. Button McLaren 01:38.111 22
11. K. Kobayashi Caterham 01:38.391 106
12. R. Grosjean Lotus Renault 01:39.302 32
Realizing we don't know what any of them were doing, fuel loads, tire wear and so on, Massa emerges with the top time for the week and Bottas was second today behind Hamilton.
It looks like the top three starting off will likely be Mercedes, Williams and Ferrari; although, neither Alonso nor Kimi got close to the times set by the former two.
It will be fun watch Vettel having to actually work for points.
DVR set for practice, qualifying and the race . . .
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The DNF predictions are gonna be hilarious this year. 8 red flags today on the last chance before Melbourne's Friday practice - amazing.
I wouldn't be surprised if Williams romp it in Melbourne. That would be great.
It will be fun watch Vettel having to actually work for points.
Oi! He always works! But yes, it will be fun to watch him battle.
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Yes it would!
Here are the combined times from the week.
Bahrain F1 test 2: Combined results
1. Massa Williams 1min 33.258
2. Hamilton Mercedes 1min 33.278
3. Rosberg Mercedes 1min 33.484
4. Bottas Williams 1min 33.987
5. Alonso Ferrari 1min 34.280
6. Perez Force India 1min 35.290
7. Raikkonen Ferrari 1min 35.426
8. Hulkenberg Force India 1min 35.577
9. Vergne STR 1min 35.701
10. Ricciardo Red Bull 1min 35.743
11. Magnussen McLaren 1min 35.895
12. Kvyat STR 1min 36.113
13. Sutil Sauber 1min 36.467
14. Chilton Marussia 1min 36.835
15. Button McLaren 1min 36.901
16. Bianchi Marussia 1min 37.087
17. Gutierrez Sauber 1min 37.303
18. Vettel Red Bull 1min 37.468
19. Ericsson Caterham 1min 38.083
20. Kobyashi Caterham 1min 38.391
21. Grosjean Lotus 1min 39.302
22. Maldonado Lotus 1min 40.599
Comparative laps times - Bahrain Grand Prix 2013:
Pole position:
Rosberg Mercedes 1min 32.330
Fastest (race) lap:
Vettel Red Bull 1min 36.961
It looks like fears over the cars being much slower were for nothing. I think, just as has seemed to always be the case, the engineers will find a way to keep the cars as fast or faster than before the changes to the rules. :good: 8)
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I was just looking over some of the data from Bahrain.
It hit me for the first time that Williams - both of them - were faster than both Ferrari factory cars, by a full second. Alonso's best was set on the same day as Massa's best.
Accepting that it is JUST testing, Williams could be the first non-factory team to win a title in either category since Ferrari's run of total domination over a decade ago. Actually, Williams was the last non-factory team to do that with Hill back in the mid-1990s if memory serves.
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Accepting that it is JUST testing, Williams could be the first non-factory team to win a title in either category since Ferrari's run of total domination over a decade ago. Actually, Williams was the last non-factory team to do that with Hill back in the mid-1990s if memory serves.
I know that the definition of 'Factory Team' is a little hazy, but I'm pretty sure that RBR isn't owned by Renault, and clearly don't work closely with the engine development team.
That aside, Brawn was definitely not a 'Factory Team', as it was a Honda chassis with a Mercedes engine slapped in!
However, I am looking forward to a changing of the guard, even if it is going back to the 'old guard'. (Although I would be delighted to see Caterham win, I'm hardly hopeful)
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Accepting that it is JUST testing, Williams could be the first non-factory team to win a title in either category since Ferrari's run of total domination over a decade ago. Actually, Williams was the last non-factory team to do that with Hill back in the mid-1990s if memory serves.
I know that the definition of 'Factory Team' is a little hazy, but I'm pretty sure that RBR isn't owned by Renault, and clearly don't work closely with the engine development team.
That aside, Brawn was definitely not a 'Factory Team', as it was a Honda chassis with a Mercedes engine slapped in!
However, I am looking forward to a changing of the guard, even if it is going back to the 'old guard'. (Although I would be delighted to see Caterham win, I'm hardly hopeful)
I think the only true factory teams are Mercedes and
Ferrari.IMO to be a factory team you have to build chassis
and engine
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Ferrari and Merc are the only two true factory teams these days.
True Jericoke, I forgot about Brawn's success as a privateer.
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I've really enjoyed winter testing. What a refreshing change to see the teams having to come to terms with their cars not being bullet proof the instant that they hit the tracks, and actually having to find solutions to these problems. This really does throw some much needed spice into predictions for Melbourne.
I'd love to write Vettel off, but that's too dangerous. The Red Bull clearly has the pace when it's running, according to drivers from other teams, so I don't think that getting up to speed will be their problem. The difficulty will be finishing the race. The most laps they've achieved consecutively is something around twenty I read today, which doesn't bode well for finishing in Melbourne. Vettel 0 laps-engine would be a delightful way for the season to start for me :D.
Mercedes should be favourites, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Williams could have a genuine chance of a podium finish, or even a win, should their reliability hold while others have problems.
I can't read Ferrari at the moment. Are they sandbagging a bit, or is their engine a bit lacking? The reports from testing seem inconclusive.
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It could be a repeat of 2008 with Hamilton and Massa, just in different teams.
And the view of Williams new livery is here:
http://www.crash.net/f1/news/200860/1/first-look-martini-returns-with-williams-f1.html
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That predominantly white car reminds me of the 1993 Minardi. I hope that Williams does cause an upset in the early races. They've gone to a lot of trouble to overhaul their technical department, and I like their mixture of youth and experience on the driver front.
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Ha...so, it wasn't just a bunch of rumours and Martini are Williams title sponsor. I love the new Williams. Like it much better than the dark blue cars of the past couple of years. Reminds me a bit of the Stewart Racing with the stripes instead of tartan swooping up the body. And it must be said that Williams has, by squaring off their nose a bit, the best looking of the Goon noses.
As a non-Massa fan, I would much rather see different drivers in the car (Di Resta?), but can appreciate his joy in the thought of perhaps wagging his rear wing at the front of a Ferrari a few times or more this coming season.
I really hope Williams does well this year, and then I can pull out the Williams beer glass I have stashed in the back of the cupboard. Really, if Claire Williams has pulled this all off under her watch, what a wonderful way to celebrate the Father - Daughter handoff.
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Red Bull may be in more trouble than we thought. They have asked Toro Rosso to share "Brake by Wire" technology with the A team.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20140305/F1/140309923?utm_source=DailyRacing20140306&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=article8&utm_content=20140305-Formula-One-champion-Red-Bull-Racing-asks-Scuderia-Toro-Rosso-for-help&utm_campaign=awDailyRacing (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20140305/F1/140309923?utm_source=DailyRacing20140306&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=article8&utm_content=20140305-Formula-One-champion-Red-Bull-Racing-asks-Scuderia-Toro-Rosso-for-help&utm_campaign=awDailyRacing)
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Red Bull may be in more trouble than we thought. They have asked Toro Rosso to share "Brake by Wire" technology with the A team.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20140305/F1/140309923?utm_source=DailyRacing20140306&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=article8&utm_content=20140305-Formula-One-champion-Red-Bull-Racing-asks-Scuderia-Toro-Rosso-for-help&utm_campaign=awDailyRacing (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20140305/F1/140309923?utm_source=DailyRacing20140306&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=article8&utm_content=20140305-Formula-One-champion-Red-Bull-Racing-asks-Scuderia-Toro-Rosso-for-help&utm_campaign=awDailyRacing)
I'd have thought they would share as much as legally possible to a) keep costs down and b) why would you intentionally handicap one of your teams if you own two?
Although I suppose having twice as much test mileage is a good way to go too. Still don't know why Ferrari doesn't run a USA based B team.
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Still don't know why Ferrari doesn't run a USA based B team.
Because it's against the rules to own/have 2 teams in the championship, like in most other major sports championships. Can't see McLaren, Mercedes or Williams sitting still if Ferrari got themselves a B team. :nono:
Torro Rosso is supposed to be kept at arms length from the main Red Bull team. ::) Seems the vice versa doesn't apply. :D