2013 Car Reveal & Winter Testing Kickoff

stormybadger8 said:And why on earth would they ban it?😕
That Williams bodywork is basically just a cutout in the floor, which is perfectly legal.😳
So what's the issue? If a hole in the floor is fine, then this should be too.🤷

If the design is truly identical, where's the issue? Even if Williams just cuts a hole in the floor... 😬

stormybadger8 said:And why on earth would they ban it?😕
That Williams bodywork is basically just a cutout in the floor, which is perfectly legal.😳
So what's the issue? If a hole in the floor is fine, then this should be too.🤷

To reiterate:

Jason Campbell70 said:The exhaust is likely legal. It's just that if they don't crack down on this, we'll see an influx of similar setups. Things would spiral out of control quickly, and that's clearly something the FIA—with Charlie Whiting leading the charge—wants to avoid.

redheron12 said:If the design is truly identical, where's the issue? Even if Williams just cuts a hole in the floor... 😬

They already have.😉
Their exhaust has had that slot since day one...
Which makes all this whining about bans pretty weird.
If the FIA steps in now, there's going to be a massive blowout because they'll clearly be playing favorites for Ferrari (and everyone else using a slotted design 😬), allowing them to do practically the exact same thing they're blocking Williams from doing.🤦

And if they ban it, they have to ban the slot too.😳
Anything else is just a total farce.☕

He'll end up siding with Ferrari. Typical. 😢

So, anyway... Photos from day two of testing in Austin..

Mercedes is playing around with exhaust chemistry. Meanwhile, Ferrari? They’re running a ridiculously small rake.

shadowstag10 said:
"Lotus is a true racing outfit. Their focus remains strictly on the track rather than getting bogged down by external distractions, which is a rarity in this sport. There is significantly less internal politics here compared to other teams, and that is precisely why I find being part of this organization so rewarding. Our only real hurdle is that our budget isn't quite as massive as some of the powerhouse teams. Ultimately, though, what matters most is that everyone is giving their absolute best and making the most of the resources we have at our disposal."

🙏 🙏 🙏

http://www.formula1.com/en/latest/news/raikkonen-we-can-fight-for-the-title/

Well, who wouldn't want him on their side? 🤷

William Bennett53 said:shadowstag10 said:
"Lotus is a true racing outfit. Their focus remains strictly on the track rather than getting bogged down by external distractions, which is a rarity in this sport. There is significantly less internal politics here compared to other teams, and that is precisely why I find being part of this organization so rewarding. Our only real hurdle is that our budget isn't quite as massive as some of the powerhouse teams. Ultimately, though, what matters most is that everyone is giving their absolute best and making the most of the resources we have at our disposal."

🙏 🙏 🙏

http://www.formula1.com/en/latest/news/raikkonen-we-can-fight-for-the-title/

Well, who wouldn't want him on their side? 🤷

I was actually digging through that interview earlier today. This is exactly his speed—a more laid-back vibe combined with a car that actually has the potential to deliver results.🙂

This is such a fantastic read regarding Williams and their recent testing sessions:

http://en.espnf1.com/williams/motors...ry/101112.html

William Bennett53 said:shadowstag10 said:
"Lotus is a true racing outfit. Their focus remains strictly on the track rather than getting bogged down by external distractions, which is a rarity in this sport. There is significantly less internal politics here compared to other teams, and that is precisely why I find being part of this organization so rewarding. Our only real hurdle is that our budget isn't quite as massive as some of the powerhouse teams. Ultimately, though, what matters most is that everyone is giving their absolute best and making the most of the resources we have at our disposal."

🙏 🙏 🙏

http://www.formula1.com/en/latest/news/raikkonen-we-can-fight-for-the-title/

Well, who wouldn't want him on their side? 🤷

Think they'll pull it off and beat both McLarens again?

Amanda Kelly said:Think they'll pull it off and beat both McLarens again?

If I had my way, he’d be leading the entire field, which would naturally put him ahead of both McLarens. 😁

But let's be realistic: simply repeating a third-place finish individually, while simultaneously improving the team's overall standing, would strike me as a stellar achievement. It really doesn't matter who takes the top two spots.

Amanda Kelly said:Think they'll pull it off and beat both McLarens again?

Not happening. The Lotus car is actually legit this year—they took last year's solid foundation and actually added some real upgrades. Unlike last season when they found that crack in the chassis and had to redesign everything from scratch.

Then you've got Kimi—fast, steady, reliable as hell.

On the flip side, you have Button, who's decent, consistent, and reliable, versus Sergio Perez, who’s fast one minute and then just totally inconsistent and unreliable the next.

And the car itself? It's good, but the team keeps making bigger and bigger moronic mistakes every single year.

Ever since Dennis left and stopped running things with an iron fist, this whole outfit has been circling the drain. Zero discipline. And Withmarsh? Total clown who hasn't a clue what he's doing. Hands down the worst Team Principal I've ever seen—just absolute garbage.

ruggedhawk20 said:Not happening. The Lotus car is actually legit this year—they took last year's solid foundation and actually added some real upgrades. Unlike last season when they found that crack in the chassis and had to redesign everything from scratch.

Then you've got Kimi—fast, steady, reliable as hell.

On the flip side, you have Button, who's decent, consistent, and reliable, versus Sergio Perez, who’s fast one minute and then just totally inconsistent and unreliable the next.

And the car itself? It's good, but the team keeps making bigger and bigger moronic mistakes every single year.

Ever since Dennis left and stopped running things with an iron fist, this whole outfit has been circling the drain. Zero discipline. And Withmarsh? Total clown who hasn't a clue what he's doing. Hands down the worst Team Principal I've ever seen—just absolute garbage.

...and Grosjean is going to tear up the track 😍

shadowtrucker said:...and Grosjean is going to tear up the track 😍

Don't even mess around with this team. 🙂

Honestly, Grosjean is just missing that tiny bit of mental composure needed to really dominate. In my opinion, he’s just one step away from greatness, but that last little piece of the puzzle isn't there yet.
He’s definitely got the speed, but he’s missing the reliability and the stability to actually back it up. Everyone else is making strides right now, so I don't see why he couldn't catch up too.
Honestly, I’m starting to fear the Lotus more than the McLaren.

shadowtrucker said:...and Grosjean is going to tear up the track 😍

Honestly, if Grosjean could just stay consistent, he’d be eating Kimi's lunch out there. Kimi was definitely playing second fiddle early this season—but yeah, if Grosjean keeps killing it in qualifying like he does against Kimi, then starts pulling those moves on the track, he'll basically be clearing the way for Kimi to take the win...

Amanda Kelly said:Don't even mess around with this team. 🙂

Honestly, Grosjean is just missing that tiny bit of mental composure needed to really dominate. In my opinion, he’s just one step away from greatness, but that last little piece of the puzzle isn't there yet.
He’s definitely got the speed, but he’s missing the reliability and the stability to actually back it up. Everyone else is making strides right now, so I don't see why he couldn't catch up too.
Honestly, I’m starting to fear the Lotus more than the McLaren.

Man, I've been saying this for months—that Lotus car is absolute garbage. Just total junk. This year is basically a dead heat between Red Bull and "Lotus."

Look at him right here—on mediums, sitting 0.3 behind Ferrari after grinding out 119 laps, the most of anyone.

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps Tyre
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.875s 97 Soft
2. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1m22.160s +0.285 91 Soft
3. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1m22.188s +0.313 119 Medium
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.611s +0.736 108 Soft
5. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m22.675s +0.800 79 Soft
6. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m22.826s +0.951 68 Hard
7. Jenson Button McLaren 1m22.840s +0.965 71 Soft
8. Adrian Sutil Force India 1m22.877s +1.002 78 Soft
9. Mark Webber Red Bull 1m23.024s +1.149 108 Medium
10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1m23.366s +1.491 106 Soft
11. Max Chilton Marussia 1m25.690s +3.815 58 Soft
12. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m26.177s +4.302 93 Soft

And Williams is a disaster. Bottas is nearly a second back on hards.

But hey, that's what I've been preaching. The real surprises this season are "Lotus," Williams, and Sauber at Monza.

The guys at Sauber basically gambled everything to build a car specifically for Monza.

Reminds me of when they were BMW back in 2008. Too bad it rained, otherwise they would've absolutely swept Monza.

Jenson Button admits McLaren is struggling to wrap their heads around the new car

Jenson Button has admitted that McLaren is having a hard time understanding their 2013 machine and finding any kind of consistent pace.
.....

"It's been very tricky to understand where the car is," he said.

"At times the car feels good, at other times it doesn't.
......

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105661

And the actual racing hasn't even kicked off yet. 😂

Young Sergio is also noting some unexpectedly high tire wear.

"It's extreme. It's very, very difficult the degradation - it's a big surprise," Perez told reporters.

"Normally we see in winter testing a lot of degradation, but never this much. We are going to have sometimes cold races like here, so it's a bit of a worry, but we are still learning about the tyres and once we go racing I hope things can change with the tyres."

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/...ona-unexpected

Is it the new Pirellis, or the new MP4-28?
Maybe it's both.

Jason Campbell70 said:

Jenson Button admits McLaren is struggling to wrap their heads around the new car

Jenson Button has admitted that McLaren is having a hard time understanding their 2013 machine and finding any kind of consistent pace.
.....

"It's been very tricky to understand where the car is," he said.

"At times the car feels good, at other times it doesn't.
......

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105661

And the actual racing hasn't even kicked off yet. 😂

Young Sergio is also noting some unexpectedly high tire wear.

"It's extreme. It's very, very difficult the degradation - it's a big surprise," Perez told reporters.

"Normally we see in winter testing a lot of degradation, but never this much. We are going to have sometimes cold races like here, so it's a bit of a worry, but we are still learning about the tyres and once we go racing I hope things can change with the tyres."

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/...ona-unexpected

Is it the new Pirellis, or the new MP4-28?
Maybe it's both.

So, Button’s probably looking at another repeat of that first half of 2012. Sure, if you say so. Let him grab a win in Australia just to throw everyone off their game.
Man, that actually gave me a good laugh. 😂

Amanda Kelly said:Don't even mess around with this team. 🙂

Honestly, Grosjean is just missing that tiny bit of mental composure needed to really dominate. In my opinion, he’s just one step away from greatness, but that last little piece of the puzzle isn't there yet.
He’s definitely got the speed, but he’s missing the reliability and the stability to actually back it up. Everyone else is making strides right now, so I don't see why he couldn't catch up too.
Honestly, I’m starting to fear the Lotus more than the McLaren.

I'm not worried about McLaren at all. Alonso proved a few times last season that he can outdrive Button, even when the car isn't performing perfectly.
It's Vettel and Lotus that have me concerned... plus, I suspect Hamilton will have a solid package right out of the gate this year.

Jason Campbell70 said:

Jenson Button admits McLaren is struggling to wrap their heads around the new car

Jenson Button has admitted that McLaren is having a hard time understanding their 2013 machine and finding any kind of consistent pace.
.....

"It's been very tricky to understand where the car is," he said.

"At times the car feels good, at other times it doesn't.
......

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105661

And the actual racing hasn't even kicked off yet. 😂

Young Sergio is also noting some unexpectedly high tire wear.

"It's extreme. It's very, very difficult the degradation - it's a big surprise," Perez told reporters.

"Normally we see in winter testing a lot of degradation, but never this much. We are going to have sometimes cold races like here, so it's a bit of a worry, but we are still learning about the tyres and once we go racing I hope things can change with the tyres."

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/...ona-unexpected

Is it the new Pirellis, or the new MP4-28?
Maybe it's both.

What can I say? His balance is mediocre at best. Based on how much he complained during testing, I can only imagine what his radio transmissions sounded like. 😁

Amanda Kelly said:Don't even mess around with this team. 🙂

Honestly, Grosjean is just missing that tiny bit of mental composure needed to really dominate. In my opinion, he’s just one step away from greatness, but that last little piece of the puzzle isn't there yet.
He’s definitely got the speed, but he’s missing the reliability and the stability to actually back it up. Everyone else is making strides right now, so I don't see why he couldn't catch up too.
Honestly, I’m starting to fear the Lotus more than the McLaren.

blah, I doubt we'll ever see the same guy again
I'm not so sure the flaws he carries are actually fixable

Mark even mentioned that they should probably introduce an extra starting slot just for him 🤣😁
We'll know if Mark won't pull it off 😳

ruggedhawk20 said:Man, I've been saying this for months—that Lotus car is absolute garbage. Just total junk. This year is basically a dead heat between Red Bull and "Lotus."

Look at him right here—on mediums, sitting 0.3 behind Ferrari after grinding out 119 laps, the most of anyone.

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps Tyre
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m21.875s 97 Soft
2. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1m22.160s +0.285 91 Soft
3. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1m22.188s +0.313 119 Medium
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.611s +0.736 108 Soft
5. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1m22.675s +0.800 79 Soft
6. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m22.826s +0.951 68 Hard
7. Jenson Button McLaren 1m22.840s +0.965 71 Soft
8. Adrian Sutil Force India 1m22.877s +1.002 78 Soft
9. Mark Webber Red Bull 1m23.024s +1.149 108 Medium
10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1m23.366s +1.491 106 Soft
11. Max Chilton Marussia 1m25.690s +3.815 58 Soft
12. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m26.177s +4.302 93 Soft

And Williams is a disaster. Bottas is nearly a second back on hards.

But hey, that's what I've been preaching. The real surprises this season are "Lotus," Williams, and Sauber at Monza.

The guys at Sauber basically gambled everything to build a car specifically for Monza.

Reminds me of when they were BMW back in 2008. Too bad it rained, otherwise they would've absolutely swept Monza.

Lauda was highlighting how good Lotus was all through last season.
Yeah, the same Lauda you claim is constantly talking nonsense and doesn't have a clue about anything.
☕

Jason Campbell70 said:

Jenson Button admits McLaren is struggling to wrap their heads around the new car

Jenson Button has admitted that McLaren is having a hard time understanding their 2013 machine and finding any kind of consistent pace.
.....

"It's been very tricky to understand where the car is," he said.

"At times the car feels good, at other times it doesn't.
......

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105661

And the actual racing hasn't even kicked off yet. 😂

Young Sergio is also noting some unexpectedly high tire wear.

"It's extreme. It's very, very difficult the degradation - it's a big surprise," Perez told reporters.

"Normally we see in winter testing a lot of degradation, but never this much. We are going to have sometimes cold races like here, so it's a bit of a worry, but we are still learning about the tyres and once we go racing I hope things can change with the tyres."

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/...ona-unexpected

Is it the new Pirellis, or the new MP4-28?
Maybe it's both.

Given how radically different the front suspension on the new MP4-28 is compared to last year's MP4-27, wouldn't you say that a significant portion of the credit actually belongs to the new chassis?

Jerry Rogers6 said:blah, I doubt we'll ever see the same guy again
I'm not so sure the flaws he carries are actually fixable

Mark even mentioned that they should probably introduce an extra starting slot just for him 🤣😁
We'll know if Mark won't pull it off 😳

Lauda was highlighting how good Lotus was all through last season.
Yeah, the same Lauda you claim is constantly talking nonsense and doesn't have a clue about anything.
☕

Niki Lauda.
When it comes to the accuracy of these forecasts and analyses, where do they actually stand? Honestly, they’re about on par with Gary Anderson's.
Then again, Gary Anderson actually has a track record. He’s handled car design before and he’s certainly seen some success. Doesn't that count for something?
Did Lauda ever actually get a single prediction right? Not that I can recall. 😁

An undercover engineer from Ford 🤣