2016 Car Launch and Pre-season Testing

Thomas Grant53 said:They mentioned they were doing a "fuel systems check."

And why did he just sit there right before the end of the test yesterday?
Maybe they were pushing the fuel system and tank to the absolute limit to see when it would blow, and then things went south... to me, it smells like some kind of 🤔

stormybadger8 said:And why on earth was he just standing there right before the end of the test?
Maybe they were testing the car's fuel system and tank limits—seeing how far it could push before dying—and then something just went sideways... to me, it smells like some kind of 🤔

You're speaking wisdom, Tibi, true wisdom. It wasn't "something like" that; it was exactly that.👍

Ferrari's performance is at the right level, which pleases me. Things are looking good so far.

Jason Campbell70 said:If Rosberg thinks he’s going to dominate in Los Angeles, he’s dreaming. Hamilton's going to clinch that title before he even knows what hit him.

Rosberg being a tenth slower than the fastest lap doesn't mean a damn thing for how the season ends up.

Of course, if Rosberg keeps dominating like this, Hamilton’s title—and the one for Mercedes—is basically a done deal.
And of course, those tenths don't mean a damn thing for the championship. Just like how Rosberg has zero chance of winning it, you’re just as far off—or so does your mom think. 😁

Let’s be real, that mission is a total long shot—especially in a Mercedes. They’d honestly have a better shot at pulling it off in a Manor than they would in the German car. 😬
Look, none of that changes the fact that he’s generally faster than Hamilton in Los Angeles. That track just suits him perfectly—it's like he was born for it.
One single swallow doesn't make spring, but it does say something about how much bite Mercedes actually has at this track. Honestly, you should be looking at Rosberg's times here, not Hamilton's. 😉

Jason Campbell70 said:If Rosberg and Mercedes are running one or two seconds faster per lap in the race sim, then 2016 is just going to be a total rerun of last year.

Unless, like I said, Ferrari isn't playing it close to the chest.
Honestly, that seems pretty unlikely to me.

From what I can see, the German looks like they might actually dominate more this year than last.
And honestly, I don't think Ferrari is hiding anything. If anything, I think we've already seen their absolute ceiling.
Honestly, I don't see anyone even breathing down Mercedes's neck. I'm expecting a dogfight between FI and Williams long before anyone actually challenges the German team.

I wouldn't go as far as calling it a rerun of last season, but I honestly doubt Ferrari can even fight for second place in the standings, let alone have a shot at taking first.

Honestly, Alonso hit the nail on the head... the only ones actually posing a threat to Mercedes right now are McLaren.
It might sound like a reach without all the data, but I’m inclined to agree with him...

mellowtiger83 said:McLaren is actually looking pretty decent, hitting those low 1:26s on mediums... pleasantly surprised, really. They’re carving through the corners nicely. Things are definitely trending upward. It clearly isn't just following that old Honda philosophy anymore... maybe there's something actually happening here.

So, why isn't Ferrari running today?
Running into some issues, or what's the deal?

Matthew Murphy91 said:So why isn't Ferrari running today?
Technical issues or what?

The Americans are busy boiling pasta today while Kimi went to get dressed.😬🤣

I think they had some fuel pump drama. Seems like they messed something up yesterday when they were testing how much the car would die once it ran out of gas...
Honestly, if Vettel was actually pushing the absolute limits on fumes yesterday, then the season is already over...
Because that 1:22.810 Vettel clocked on ultrasofts—if he really did it on empty—isn't all that impressive,
especially when you look at Rosberg's last year's 01:22.792 on supersofts. 😳

I can't help but wonder—is the ultrasoft actually providing any real advantage over the supersoft on a track layout like this one?

stormybadger8 said:.
Honestly, if Vettel was actually redlining it on pure fumes yesterday, then the whole season is basically over already...

Being an F1 fan is just great.

You already know the championship winner—peace of mind until spring 2017

jadeseal7 said:Maybe the ultrasoft isn't actually any better than the supersoft on a track like this?

Maybe they're just lost in the woods...
As if they aren't. 🤦

Yesterday's fastest times...
1. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:22.810 ultrasoft day 2
2. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:23.525 ultrasoft day 2
3. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:23.658 supersoft day 2
4. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:24.298 supersoft day 2

It's pretty damn obvious the ultrasoft is the faster tire, carrying about 0.8 seconds per lap advantage...
For the race, it'll probably be garbage because it'll overheat instantly, but for qualifying—one fast lap—it's the winner, no question.

Anyway, the FI is insanely fast. 😳
Hulk just clocked a 1:23.110 on supersofts!
That's way faster than Vettel's or riccov's times on the exact same rubber. 😉

If the FI is this quick with a decent driver behind the wheel, imagine what the German will do. 😵
The season went to hell before it even started, even before the German stepped on the gas... looks like they made some massive strides with the PU.
Ferrari might be closing in on last year's Mercedes, but this year's version is going to be totally untouchable, even more so than last year...
All in all, feels like we're seeing a repeat of 2014 rather than an improved 2015.

ruggedhawk20 said:Is being an F1 fan even worth the trouble?

Well, you already know how the championship ends, so you can just chill until spring 2017.

🎉
Honestly, it's a joke.😁
If nothing else, I'm at least not wasting my money on an F1 package this season...
I'll stick to watching C4 where it's half replays and half live, and I'm switching over to BTCC on ITV4 instead.😁

stormybadger8 said:🎉
I suppose😁
if nothing else, I won't even bother with the F1 package this season...
I'm strictly watching the C4, where half the F1 coverage is just replays or half-live, so I'm switching entirely over to BTCC and ITV4.😁

That's how it is, man. I switched over to V8 Supercars and NASCAR a long time ago. I just don't care for watching it anymore; honestly, it's becoming unwatchable. Still, habit is habit, so I'm just idling along for now.

Honestly, Tibi, you need to just chill out with all these predictions... you’re putting way too much energy into sessions that don't actually tell us much during testing. If only everyone would run their race simulations with the exact same fuel loads—then we might actually have something meaningful to compare.

Your forecasts are getting a little "out there"—as if FI is suddenly going to be a completely different squad.

I truly cannot fathom the reason for all this defeatism🤷
After all, we have absolutely no way of knowing who is running with a full fuel load and who isn't, nor can we be certain whether they are testing specific technical solutions at this stage.
The only thing we can say with any degree of certainty is that the Americans aren't facing any reliability issues. Meanwhile, after missing out on the afternoon session, Ferrari—with Kimi behind the wheel for the very first time—has managed to clock the fastest time on the medium compound. It seems clear that Ferrari possesses genuine pace; the lingering question, however, remains: what will their reliability look like?

graniteharbor502 said:I really don't see why everyone is being so pessimistic 🤷
We have no clue who’s running on full fuel loads and who isn't—not to mention we don't know if they're testing specific setups or components.
The one thing we do know for sure is that the Americans aren't having any reliability issues. And despite missing out on the afternoon session, Ferrari actually clocked the fastest time on the medium compound during Kimi's first outing. Ferrari definitely has the raw pace—the real question remains whether they can actually finish the race without something breaking.

17:35 Raikkonen just passed Hamilton on track through Turn 1. ☕

😬 😁

stormybadger8 said:I wouldn't call it a carbon copy of last season. Honestly, I think even finishing second will be a stretch for Ferrari; chasing first place? Not happening.

A rerun? Maybe regarding Mercedes and their total dominance.
When one team wins 85% of the races, does it really matter who takes second place?

Who was the runner-up in 1988?
How about 2002?
Or 2004?

I'm curious how many people here could actually answer without hitting Google. 😁

Matthew Murphy91 said:So why isn't Ferrari performing today?
Internal issues?

Italian flair meets organizational skills... 😁

mellowtiger83 said:Exactly, man. I switched over to V8 Supercars and NASCAR ages ago. Honestly, watching this stuff just isn't doing it for me anymore—it’s getting pretty unwatchable. But hey, old habits die hard, so I guess I'll just hibernate through it.

It really grinds my gears seeing those vultures Bernie wants to invest in.🤦
God knows what kind of nonsense they'll cook up just to stay in everyone's good graces. It won't be long before they start pushing some moronic idea like starting the fastest driver from 20th place or some other garbage...

jadeseal7 said:Hey, someone tell Tibi to chill with those predictions... you're overthinking testing sessions that don't mean much. It's not like everyone is running race sims with identical fuel loads so we actually have a fair comparison.

Your theories are totally out there, implying FI will be a different team altogether.

They won't be "different," they'll just be third or fourth... Mercedes No1, Williams No2, Ferrari, or FI No3...

Mark my words, even Manor might start beating not just potentially Honda, but Renault and RB too. 🤣
I wouldn't even be shocked if Newey or even the big boss Matešić decided to walk away from F1 by mid-season...

Mercedes built a beast of a PU—seriously, it's incredibly reliable and clearly gained massive power...
Sure, we can throw out excuses about unknown fuel loads and all that nonsense...
but when Hulk clocks a 1:23.110 in Barcelona—where last year he set the fastest FI time at 1:28.365 during qualifying—then you know Mercedes has cooked up something special. 😳
Because there's no way FI found five seconds just through aero upgrades in a single year...
I mean, if I remember right, they were basically driving a 2014 car in Barcelona last year, but still, this progress is insane...

Williams No2 ?

I see you’ve settled back into your usual routine of endless, repetitive trolling—classic.

Well, we’ll just have to wait until qualifying and the race actually get underway to see how things really shake out.

I believe I have found the perfect solution: let us all unite in supporting Mercedes-Benz, and we shall surely enjoy a magnificent season together... 🙂

Not really 🤣

Look, I’ve been pulling for Sebastian Vettel since 2007. Honestly, 2011 was the most boring season for me, and even 2013 wasn't much better... I actually liked 2009 way more than those years.
Red Bull was never even close to being as dominant as Mercedes-Benz, but my favorite driver was just slapping everyone left and right, which made watching it pretty tedious...
Basically, I think this is the most boring era for Lewis Hamilton's fans too. If it weren't for Toto Wolff and his little puppet show, I bet even Hamilton's own family wouldn't be watching this stuff. 🤣