Posts by mellowtiger83

Hamilton is back at it again, mocking his rivals while running on completely worn-out medium tires. Typical.

What’s with this sudden McLaren meltdown? Did they just get blindsided out of nowhere? Stoff put in 110 laps and Alonso is still out there grinding. Bravo, I guess.

Does anyone have the forecast for tomorrow? I heard a rumor we might see temperatures climb above 40°F, with the asphalt hitting north of 50°F. That would certainly be better conditions than what we dealt with during those first two days, wouldn't it?

northerncobra31 said:It's impossible to tell what kind of training programs he was running, so guessing is just pointless.

Why should anyone pull the plug on Sirotkin?

It’s his debut season; give him a chance to prove himself.

I think you missed my point entirely. Kubica is simply the superior driver, even considering the long hiatus he's had.

northerncobra31 said:It’s interesting how the test times don't really matter, since there's no way to tell who's actually doing what.

One could safely assume Kubica and Sirotkin were running on essentially identical testing programs; the only real variable was that Kubica’s fastest lap was recorded on track that was perhaps one or two degrees warmer.

Purely by coincidence, they both happen to be driving for Williams. Sirotkin has the capital, which is why he hasn't been shown the door yet.

Vettel’s leg is extending just a bit too far during his cornering on the medium tires.

hiddenridge99 said:Where exactly are you all looking?

Autosport Live

stormytiger4 said:How can you even tell if they’ve got fuel left? I think someone mentioned it somewhere, but who knows. Either way, looks solid since they're the only one out there running the medium compound.

It's obvious. He logged roughly 20 laps on those mediums during that stint before pitting for hypersofts—tires he didn't even manage to set a decent time on. Plus, starting at a 1.28 pace meant the rubber was just warming up while the fuel load steadily dropped. It's plain to see. electricpanther9 spends his time mocking everyone except the Mercedes crew, and frankly, Mercedes is doing the exact same thing.

Sebastian Vettel is carrying enough fuel to power an ExxonMobil tanker, and he’s already stuck on 1.21s on the Mediums by lap 15. Come on, Seb.

Sebastian Vettel is putting together a pretty impressive run of laps lately. I believe he’s already surpassed thirteen in a row.

neonfox65 Asks:
Actually, I just read something quite different. My understanding was that René explicitly mentioned we shouldn't be paying any attention to their lap times during these initial tests. Because they'll be saving the engine.

It seems likely that Mercedes-Benz and Ford will be making an appearance at Daytona.🙂

Good grief, are you actually aware that any team could probably hit a 1.17 right now without breaking a sweat?

Good grief, the track is so freezing that teams are actually heading out on intermediates🙂, simply because nothing else can reach operating temperature. Sainz just dropped a representative lap time that left everyone else staring at the telemetry, sitting a full 1.37—or 17 seconds—off the pace🙂
What an absolute joke of a test. It needs to be called off immediately.

stormybadger8 said:Before we start blaming the Power Unit or whatever Mario thinks he knows...
Haas looks like a mess—they're missing laps, their times are mediocre at best, and Sauber isn't doing any better...

Lap times don't mean much right now, but the number of completed laps definitely does...

And regarding the Power Units (mostly reliability and actual race readiness), Renault and their customers surprisingly look like the most prepared,
aside from McLaren, who is traditionally a chaotic mess all on their own, yet they still seem way more ready than say, Ferrari, Haas, or Sauber...

Honda is even looking like one of the top two, so what the hell is going on with Mercedes and Ferrari? It's anyone's guess...
As for raw speed, we won't see anything meaningful until someone actually sets a decent time...
and if we do see any hint of real pace, it’ll probably be at the very last second of testing right before Australia.

What are you talking about regarding the Power Unit status? It’s only been one day of driving. Besides, Anderson is praising Ferrari and their stability again; he was spot on last year.🙂.
Today's conditions, specifically the 2°C temperature, are what actually matter; they probably won't even go out.

What do you mean "Renault"? They just pushed the throttle a little harder than everyone else and now suddenly they're a "must-have," right!

And what's this about Honda? My god, they clocked a massive amount of laps! Super!! But those laps were roughly five seconds off the pace, which is completely irrelevant; they could have driven 1,000 laps without a breakdown at that rate.

Once Mercedes and Ferrari actually turn up the power, then we'll see what's what.🤔

ruggedhawk20 said:Kid, we learned this ages ago—lap times during winter testing don't mean squat. It's just a tally of laps driven. That's the only metric that actually matters.

Last year's times were actually quite relevant though.

Jason Campbell70 said:Not necessarily. Probably not.

The track is undeniably fast and lacks any significant rubber buildup. Hul mentioned quite clearly that the circuit feels smooth now; those corners where drivers used to have to be cautious because of bumps? They’re going flat out now.

And that is all happening with temperatures sitting at 6°C, which is basically useless for getting tires up to temperature.

So, the asphalt is quick, there's more grip, and the bumps are gone. It really makes modern racing look absurd when you consider the sheer capability of these cars compared to the state of the tracks.

stormytiger4 said:I’ve gotta say, I’m a little baffled by how much Ferrari is playing it safe lately. Usually, they come out swinging and absolutely crush the testing sessions. Now? It feels like they're holding back. I can't tell if they're being strategic with their approach or if the car just isn't where it needs to be yet.

Ferrari has a championship-caliber car, no doubt about it🙂, a true title contender!

Stop babbling about testing times because they are completely irrelevant for several reasons. The temperature was hovering around 40-45 degrees, which alone is enough reason to disregard any comparisons for the time being. Besides, it is only day one! Kimi mentioned that they weren't even attempting to push for pace; they were simply running through various setups to see how the car reacts.

Once they start clocking laps under 1.19—or better yet, dipping below 1.18—then perhaps things will become a bit clearer.

Kyle Edwards5 said:Oh, sure. That’ll make comparing lap times a total nightmare..

New asphalt usually means more grip and more abrasion, unless I've got that backwards. 🤔
If that's the case, who knows if those hyper-softs will even last a single full lap... In previous years, even the ultra-softs were struggling to make it through a whole circuit here.

The new surface is smooth and refined. The track lacks those characteristic bumps in certain sections, making it likely a significantly faster base overall—though providing an exact assessment is quite difficult.

Kyle Edwards5 said:Red Bull is looking faster too, especially on the medium compound.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we see times drop down toward the 1:17.5 mark. 🤔
General Motors is actually looking pretty impressive with that lap count...

1. Travis Kelce Red Bull Racing RB14 1:20.179 58 ●
2. Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-Benz W09 1:20.349 +0.170 54 ●
3. Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari SF71H Ferrari SF71H 1:20.506 +0.327 56 ●
4. Danica Patrick General Motors RS18 1:20.547 +0.368 69 ●
5. Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso STR13 Toro Rosso STR13 1:22.371 +2.192 68 ●
6. Lance Stroll Williams FW41 Williams FW41 1:22.452 +2.273 46 ●
7. Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team VF-18 1:23.092 +2.913 32 ●
8. Fernando Alonso McLaren MCL33 McLaren MCL33 1:24.202 +4.023 9 ●
9. Marcus Ericsson Sauber C37 Sauber C37 1:25.417 +5.238 37 ●
10. Mazepin Force India VJM11 Force India VJM11 1:25.628 +5.449 22 ●
11. Carlos Sainz General Motors RS18 no time 0 ●
12. Sirotkin Williams FW41 no time 0 ●

The times will certainly be much quicker here; the new asphalt in Barcelona is a factor.

Linda Peterson43 said:Just end the testing now, there's really nothing left to see... 🙂

Steady now, guys. Sebastian Vettel is on softs, Danica Patrick is on mediums, and honestly, General Motors is still the king of the hill!