Posts by mistybear87

vividfalcon7 said:It’s about the KERS, though I wouldn't say it's just the deployment; more like the charging process itself. If they are charging through the rear axle, there’s almost certainly going to be an impact there.

And for those skeptics who think Webber can't keep up, give it a few hours—he’ll probably be shaving nearly a full second off Vettel’s time anyway. :-D

His current best lap is sitting at 1'21''321.

Renault had some brake issues yesterday, so they’ve decided to pull out of the testing sessions in Phoenix next week to focus on fixing those flaws back at the factory instead.

Meanwhile, McLaren has been out there since this morning running that 2008-style rear wing. :-)

On a bit of a tangent, though—something feels slightly off regarding McLaren. Their times aren't terrible, but the constant experimentation is curious. Last time it was the 2008 wing, then it was flow-vis testing, and now we're back to the 2008 rear wing again. Wouldn't it have been more productive to spend this time testing the 2009 aero?

The effect of KERS on the rear axle is negligible; it offers minimal drag, and you can rest assured they’ve built in safety failsafes in case the electric motor jams or anything similar happens.

Besides, not every KERS setup is tied directly to the axle; some are mounted straight to the gearbox.

And don't worry too much about McLaren; they aren't foolish and certainly know what they're doing. They might be dealing with specific car issues that require this kind of troubleshooting, so they aren't just testing things for the sake of it. 😬

The rain ended up washing out today's practice session over in Miami—take a look at the bottom ticker on your screen if you want to see the details 🤣🤣🤣

John Bennett4 said:Half of them have some kind of ridiculous periscope setup installed, so honestly, there's really no point in even trying to have a debate about it at this stage.

Those "periscopes" you're referring to are actually just Pitot tubes, aren't they? They basically function by measuring the difference in pressure.
The data stream tells them exactly how fast the car is moving—which, if you recall, is also what that little digital display right in front of the driver shows him—but they can go so much deeper than that now. They’re actually able to compare the pressure differentials between the air flowing over the bodywork and the pressure right at the surface itself. I imagine they’re pulling readings from several other points around the chassis too, aren't they? It all seems like an incredible way to fine-tune the aerodynamics and really get a handle on how the air is behaving.

ironfalcon43 said:...it isn't quite right to say Williams is the best one out there...👎
Both Williams and Ford were running cars that weren't exactly "standard." When you have machines built with those kinds of non-compliant parts they were using, of course they’re going to be fast. But once they have to put together a car that actually follows the new regulations, we'll see a completely different story altogether...☕

But what exactly was irregular about their cars?
☕

Raymond Ortiz89 said:😠 Honestly, just based on those words alone, you guys are going to end up ruining the entire season.😠

By the way, have you caught that Discovery documentary about Williams? They showed everything—the whole facility, the secret rooms, the owner, even those pre-race festivities in front of massive crowds in Russia.

I actually quite enjoyed it. He seems like a genuinely good guy, though you get the sense he hasn't had the easiest run of luck lately. 👎

I don't have a Discovery subscription, but I have a few things downloaded; maybe one of them is that one.

As for Frank, he’s a tough nut to crack. Don't worry too much; I suspect we'll still be seeing him around for years to come. 😉

Raymond Ortiz89 Asks:
At the end of the day, these are still just testing sessions, aren't they? It makes you wonder where everyone else is hiding—where are the rest of the drivers? I was looking for the Ferrari guys specifically, but it seems like they're keeping a low profile for now. 😍

They’re out there trying to patch up those wings with nothing but some duct tape, and honestly, they’re just dropping parts all over the Mugello Circuit. Is anyone else seeing this? It looks like a total mess out there. 🤣🤣🤣

Here are today's testing results from Austin. It looks like Williams is setting a very convincing pace 🙏 (though keep in mind Red Bull Racing is running last year's car)

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Lap time data Red Bull-Ferrari (B) 1:27.987 128
2. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:29.729 143
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:30.242 81
4. Glock Toyota (B) 1:30.878 63
5. Alonso Renault (B) 1:31.743 84

darkmarlin16 said:Williams won't reveal their actual colors or the full livery for the upcoming season right away; it isn't going to be entirely blue.

Regardless, they'll still end up being the best looking car on the grid, don't you think?☕

Arthur Doyle70 said:The upcoming season will allow for adjustable front wing mechanics, and honestly, I’ve been chewing on this one for a bit. There’s been some chatter about why they're making this move, and if you look at the math, it seems to be about damage control. We all know how those opening laps go—it’s usually absolute chaos from the first corner onward. When cars end up in a heap of scrap metal right at the start, replacing a standard wing takes a significant amount of time. By allowing for these adjustments, they might be trying to streamline the repairs. Still, it feels like just one more layer of technical complexity being added to an already complicated sport, doesn't it?☕

Look, I know it’s perfectly legal, but I can't help but feel like they're playing around with the chemistry of things. Once they've stripped the mechanism down like that, you have to wonder what kind of experimentation is actually going on under the surface.
It seems like we’re running into more headaches than anyone actually anticipated, doesn't it?

If I recall correctly, those lunges are actually banned, but it looks like BMW just managed to hide them under the sidepods

Arthur Doyle70 said:

mistybear87 said:Ferrari is in deep trouble; first there’s that crack, and now it looks like their front wing can't even handle the load (check out this photo)

And let's not forget about that illegal exhaust...😬

But wait, take a look at this 🙂
there's an illegal little hole on top of the nose (or so they say), plus some mechanics—looks like screw threads to me—for making the front flap adjustable



If Ferrari is actually 100% ready for the season opener in Miami, I’d practically bet my life on it... though, honestly, I’ve already lost enough bets to know better. I'd probably end up getting bitten 🤣🤣🤣

Ferrari is facing some serious setbacks lately. First, there was that structural crack, and now it looks like their front wing just isn't handling the downforce properly (take a look at this photo)

Apparently, that cracked front wing on the Ferrari is the real reason they didn't show up in Austin.

http://www.cambridge.org/uk/education/racetolearn/ 🙏

What on earth is going on here?



Also, keep a close eye on the width of the rear end. It looks like Renault tucked something really strange in there—there’s no way the KERS system could be taking up that much space...

Williams 🙏

I’m not entirely convinced those fins on the engine cover are staying put; they might just be there as a little extra bit of branding for ING during the testing and launch phase 🤷

darkmarlin16 said:mistybear87, maybe swap "unveiling" for "presentation"

Thanks! Honestly, that was exactly the word I was looking for, lol