2013 Car Reveal & Winter Testing Kickoff

This is an excellent piece detailing how Ferrari is mapping out their progress through these testing sessions:
http://www.blogf1.it/2013/02/06/ferr...test-di-jerez/
Google Translate:

During these initial winter tests in Austin, the team from Maranello is focusing strictly on gathering mechanical and aerodynamic data to compare against wind tunnel and simulator results, rather than chasing outright speed. The true potential of the Ferrari won't be revealed until we hit the tracks near Barcelona.

The folks back at headquarters are telling everyone to ignore the early alarmism, and for now, they have good reason to be calm. During this session in Texas, the Scuderia is running a program that isn't focused on raw performance yet, so while the lap times might not look sensational, they aren't a cause for concern either.

Back during the car's unveiling, the lead designers emphasized that these opening tests are vital for validating the core foundation of the project before they commit to a specific development path.

Throughout this current session, the F138 is essentially being "clothed" in sensors and fluorescent paint. The goal is to verify if the data gathered in the wind tunnels in Germany actually translates to the real car. Yesterday, Felipe completed sixty-four laps at a steady pace, primarily to validate the F138's aerodynamic profile.

It’s not just about downforce, though. Massa has already provided early insights into the chassis structure and the Coanda-effect exhaust positioning. He noted that the 138 feels significantly more balanced, stable, and offers much better traction than last year's model. These checks will continue throughout the Texas testing, though Pedro De la Rosa, who takes over the F138 tomorrow, will have a very different objective.

The Spaniard's job is to compare the physical car's behavior against the "virtual" F138 produced by the advanced simulators in Maranello. The data he collects will be crucial for the engineering team led by Simone, especially since they can't rely solely on track time to drive development.

Once we move on to the Barcelona tests with Fernando Alonso behind the wheel, we'll finally see what the F138 is truly capable of. By then, the car will feature significant changes—both visible parts like the wings and sidepods, and internal components. For now, Ferrari fans should just enjoy the sound of that V8 and wait for the Spanish tests to judge where the team actually stands in the championship hunt.

Someone was asking about the tire compounds available:

wet-intermediate-super soft-soft-medium-hard

Since we’re on the subject of tires, is it actually true that this year's compounds are heavier
by about 2 kg compared to last season?
Is that why they bumped up the minimum car weight to 642 kg?

I’m thinking they’re actually weighing in at more than half a kilo—so, like, 0.5 * 4 = 2 kg

an increase from 640 to 642

Drew Bennett68 said:Someone was asking about the tire compounds available:

wet-intermediate-super soft-soft-medium-hard

Intermediates for wet tracks. 😉

Jason Campbell70 said:Intermediates for wet tracks. 😉

😳

William Bennett53 said:But does the car even need to be dominant? Not necessarily. Last year, McLaren was arguably the fastest on the grid most of the time, yet it wasn't Button's car, and the team was too busy tripping over their own feet with internal politics. If they could just manage their own egos—and assuming they aren't complete idiots, which I hope is true—and if the car were actually tuned to suit his driving style, Button could be a much more serious title contender than he was last season, even without total dominance. At least, that's my take.

No chance. Or, to put it more politely, I personally don't buy it.
I think the 2012 standings were more a result of Jenson's luck than anything McLaren did.

Jenson needs speed, sure, but he also needs a car that actually behaves itself.
The 2012 McLaren was fast, but it was temperamental. The performance swings were massive. To me, that came down to how they dialed in the setup for specific tracks and conditions. By the time spring rolled around, you’d constantly hear Jenson complaining over the radio about how the car was handling. Some might say he was whining, but he had a point.

Lewis, on the other hand, is a much tougher driver. He could wrestle a difficult car and still make it work.
That two-point gap at the end of the season is a complete illusion. In reality, Lewis should have been fighting for the championship until the final race, whereas Jenson ended up exactly where he belonged. Lewis just got hit by bad luck and external factors. Those DNFs killed his chances. But look at the qualifying results: Lewis was consistently in the top three, while Jenson was often stuck mid-pack.

Jenson needs a scalpel; Lewis can win with any sharp knife you put in his hand.

For Jenson to win a title, he absolutely needs a car capable of pole position.
He wouldn't have won the 2012 title in Vettel’s car, and he would’ve been worse off in Alonso’s. "Just my opinion."
Does he have a shot at 2013? Sure, he does. He just needs a car that’s both fast and predictable.
When it comes to drivers, whether it’s Vettel, Alonso, or Kimi, they’re all only going to win if the car is significantly faster than the rest.

Regardless, I like the guy. He’s easily one of the top three drivers on the grid.

Everything checks out, Amanda Kelly, absolutely everything...
But honestly, what’s actually bugging me is just how fast and aggressive this car feels...
I think this might be the first time they've built a car strictly tailored to Button's specific preferences. There's zero doubt it's fast, but that's exactly why it could go either way...

stormybadger8 said:Everything checks out, Amanda Kelly, absolutely everything...
But honestly, what’s actually bugging me is just how fast and aggressive this car feels...
I think this might be the first time they've built a car strictly tailored to Button's specific preferences. There's zero doubt it's fast, but that's exactly why it could go either way...

It is an interesting way to look at it: personally, I'm not worried at all. In fact, if the championship contenders can't be drivers from Renault or Sauber, then a McLaren/Button pairing is actually the combination I'd be most excited to see. 😁

It’s pretty obvious—last year Button was constantly fighting the car's balance while Hamilton was just absolutely tearing it up. He's always complaining about how the car handles.
This season the car should be dialed in for him, but honestly, the whole setup feels a bit lackluster to me.
It would be legendary if Kimi actually snatched a title. That would be the dream. But yeah, looking at this Lotus, I don't see it happening. Though, hey, if Perez and Button totally blow it this year, maybe McLaren will reconsider bringing Kimi back into the fold. 😁

Nathan Jones98 said:It’s pretty obvious—last year Button was constantly fighting the car's balance while Hamilton was just absolutely tearing it up. He's always complaining about how the car handles.
This season the car should be dialed in for him, but honestly, the whole setup feels a bit lackluster to me.
It would be legendary if Kimi actually snatched a title. That would be the dream. But yeah, looking at this Lotus, I don't see it happening. Though, hey, if Perez and Button totally blow it this year, maybe McLaren will reconsider bringing Kimi back into the fold. 😁

I’m not totally sure, honestly. Last year, whenever Button actually nailed his car setup, he was noticeably faster than Hamilton. I still vividly remember that whole "Twitter meltdown" too—Hamilton was pretty pissed after Button absolutely smoked him in qualifying at Spa.
If he can pull something like this off consistently, he’s going to be a serious threat. The best part about Button is that he doesn't crack under pressure—at least, I've never seen him fold when things get intense.

Nathan Jones98 said:It’s pretty obvious—last year Button was constantly fighting the car's balance while Hamilton was just absolutely tearing it up. He's always complaining about how the car handles.
This season the car should be dialed in for him, but honestly, the whole setup feels a bit lackluster to me.
It would be legendary if Kimi actually snatched a title. That would be the dream. But yeah, looking at this Lotus, I don't see it happening. Though, hey, if Perez and Button totally blow it this year, maybe McLaren will reconsider bringing Kimi back into the fold. 😁

It’s hard to say anything smart after only two days of testing, but honestly? It looks like the Lotus could actually be a serious contender.😳

Look, testing times don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but you can't ignore the numbers. Grosjean clocked the third-fastest lap yesterday—his best performance in the last four sessions at Barber Motorsports Park since 2010. On top of that, the Lotus looks like it’s already about two-tenths faster than last year's car. Not bad.
All things considered, this Lotus looks like a legitimate contender. Honestly, seeing Kimi take a title with them isn't some wild pipe dream—he's actually one of the frontrunners for it.😳

Maybe those glory days were just an optical illusion. Maybe they only won because of fancy tire compounds, fuel loads, or whatever other nonsense they throw at us. Whatever. It looks like they managed to build a damn good car again anyway.

Looks like the whining against the Great
has already kicked off.

stormybadger8 said:I’m not totally sure, honestly. Last year, whenever Button actually nailed his car setup, he was noticeably faster than Hamilton. I still vividly remember that whole "Twitter meltdown" too—Hamilton was pretty pissed after Button absolutely smoked him in qualifying at Spa.
If he can pull something like this off consistently, he’s going to be a serious threat. The best part about Button is that he doesn't crack under pressure—at least, I've never seen him fold when things get intense.

It’s hard to say anything smart after only two days of testing, but honestly? It looks like the Lotus could actually be a serious contender.😳

Look, testing times don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but you can't ignore the numbers. Grosjean clocked the third-fastest lap yesterday—his best performance in the last four sessions at Barber Motorsports Park since 2010. On top of that, the Lotus looks like it’s already about two-tenths faster than last year's car. Not bad.
All things considered, this Lotus looks like a legitimate contender. Honestly, seeing Kimi take a title with them isn't some wild pipe dream—he's actually one of the frontrunners for it.😳

Maybe those glory days were just an optical illusion. Maybe they only won because of fancy tire compounds, fuel loads, or whatever other nonsense they throw at us. Whatever. It looks like they managed to build a damn good car again anyway.

The competition is just too fierce. Yeah, they had that consistency last year—mostly thanks to Kimi—but I don't see them fighting for the top spot. They'll probably end up hovering around 3rd or 4th place again.

Holy crap—we finally broke the barrier! Our first sub 1m18s lap of the week just dropped, courtesy of Felipe Massa tearing up the track in that Ferrari. He’s absolutely flying with a blistering 1m17.879s.

👋

That’s an interesting thought... if Massa is showing that kind of pace, does that mean Alonso could be even faster?

Frank Collins85 said:That’s an interesting thought... if Massa is showing that kind of pace, does that mean Alonso could be even faster?

Sure. And Alonso is definitely faster than you.☕

Even if this whole round of layoffs is just window dressing, it’s still interesting to watch

Mercedes really turned up the heat today... we're already at 123 laps.
It seems those rumors about them pushing toward the 300-lap mark during these final two days of testing might actually be on the money.

To be fair, I know there was some chatter going around about those orange tires, but they’re basically just the replacement for those silver ones that were barely visible before.

I know, I know, this sounds totally ridiculous now that everything’s been laid out, but seriously... 😁

Not like this color actually makes it any easier to see 😁