2016 Car Launch and Pre-season Testing

Speed traps are just speed traps, aren't they? It is nearly impossible to account for how hard each driver was pushing their limits or exactly how much fuel was sitting in the tank at any given moment. Besides, when you look at the actual gap between the two Mercedes drivers, it amounts to barely 6.2 miles/h
anyway.

graniteharbor502 said:A speed trap is just a speed trap—it doesn't tell you the whole story. You have no idea how hard someone was pushing or exactly how much fuel they were hauling around in the tank. Besides, the gap between the two Mercedes drivers is barely even 6.2 miles/h
.

Honestly, I think we should take all these testing numbers and lap times with a massive grain of salt.

A guy tells me they burned through about 25 days of R&D just working on that nose design.

To be fair, I suppose the whole point of this testing session was to see how that nose and the S-duct actually play together, along with a few other variables.
That’s why they didn't bother ordering any supersofts or ultrasofts. They stuck to mediums and a couple of softs—which they didn't even touch, really—since the main objective here was pure durability.

Jerry Moore61 said:My buddy tells me they burned through about 25 days in R&D just working on that nose design.

Basically, the whole point was to see how that nose and S-duct combo would play out during testing—plus a few other bits.
That’s why they didn't even bother ordering supersofts or ultrasofts. They just grabbed some mediums and a couple of softs they didn't even touch, since durability was the big goal here.

I think your buddy might need to find a new career path.

Leaking info this blatant during preseason is straight-up scandalous.

You can take the guy out of the gutter, but you can never take the gutter out of the guy.

stormybadger8 said:Why are you so sure that matters?
I mean, obviously Ferrari is better already—nobody is actually arguing that point...

The real question is just how much better Mercedes is, because that's where the catch is...
See, Ferrari might be a full second faster than their car from last year, but if Mercedes also finds a whole second compared to their old machine, then the dominance stays exactly the same as last season.😉

Plus...
Check out yesterday's speed trap results:
1 Nasr 210 miles/h
2 Lewis Hamilton 210 miles/h
3 Felipe Massa 208 miles/h
4 Hulkenberg 207 miles/h
5 Haryanto 207 miles/h
6 Magnussen 207 miles/h
7 Grosjean 206 miles/h
8 Kimi Raikkonen 206 miles/h
9 Nico Rosberg 204 miles/h
10 Sainz 203 miles/h
11 Kvyat 200 miles/h
12 Button 199 miles/h

Hmm, since when is some kid at Manor faster than the guys at Ferrari in the speed trap?🤔
To me, this whole thing smells like The Bear developed a much better PU than Ferrari, and as far as the actual chassis goes, they're almost certainly way ahead anyway.
Because of that, I honestly don't see how Ferrari could even catch up to Mercedes, let alone overtake them...

🤦

Tibi, you're having a total meltdown here. Mercedes and Ferrari almost never have the highest top speeds on the straights because they carry so much more downforce. A team like Manor—just like STR or Williams 2014—is going to show up with the biggest speed trap numbers because they lack downforce, making that low-drag setup their easiest way to make up ground on tracks where straight-line speed is king. Besides, being just 1-2 km/h slower in the speed trap actually translates to having about 10-15hp less. Plus, Ferrari is getting an update ready for Australia and the following test, just like Haas mentioned. Honestly, Mercedes can just absolutely crush Ferrari when it comes to the chassis and aero; there really isn't any comparison anymore.

stormybadger8 said:Who on earth is this kid 😲
?
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/124...t-at-barcelona
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/me...w-nose-675584/



How is that nose even staying attached? What kind of mechanism is holding it together? 😵
And it's even harder to wrap my head around how they passed the crash tests with that thing. Is it actually sturdy enough? 🤔

Tibidragi, don't you remember we were debating something almost identical to this just four years ago?

ruggedhawk20 said:I think your buddy finally grew up enough to realize he needs to pack his bags.

This kind of blatant leaking during the preseason is an absolute disgrace.

A man can leave America, but you can never truly leave the mentality of the old country behind.

I can't speak to whether he’ll get fired, but let’s be real—this info is basically common knowledge at this point.
Besides, he knows perfectly well he isn't dropping any bombshells here. It's not like I'm going to call Ford with a tip. 🤣

I guess this nose on the Mercedes-Benz is just what the FIA wants them to build... maybe they're trying to bake certain things into the regulations... but honestly, it looks pretty stunning right now. It seems like everyone is obsessed with weird shapes, blades, and all sorts of oddities this season, which is always interesting to watch. You can really tell they're hitting the limits of what these rules allow, so now they're just fighting over the tiniest little details.

Also, what do you guys think about Hass? I feel like they could actually become a solid mid-field contender quite quickly, especially since they’re finally looking like a team that won't be stuck at the back of the pack for years on end.

I have a quick question here... perhaps someone can clarify things for me...

Is it actually permitted for teams to bring two cars out for testing?

It seems quite strange to me that a team like McLaren would lose an entire day of testing just because they couldn't fix a single technical issue...

Couldn't Alonso have simply jumped into Button's car instead? All they would have needed was a seat adjustment and maybe a few minor tweaks. An F1 team capable of swapping out an entire engine in two hours should be able to handle that in no time at all.

Thank you.

stormybadger8 said:Last year's Ford 🤣

Now, if we look at this through some wild lens, could it possibly mean last year's engine was actually superior to this season's Mercedes or Ferrari units? I mean, what are the odds? We're talking a statistical impossibility—basically zero percent chance.
It’s much more likely that since McLaren is running last year's chassis and engine, they’re absolutely pushing that hardware to its absolute limit just to stay competitive, while everyone else is essentially cruising through their sessions in a relaxed "test mode."

Just to clarify the current setup: STR and McLaren are sticking with last year's power unit, whereas Ferrari and supposedly Hass are running this year's spec. 😉

As far as I understand, McLaren will be using the same engine architecture as Ferrari throughout this season (though they might lag behind on the latest updates), but honestly, I'm not entirely sure which specific engine version they've brought out for testing right now.

Joshua Hill19 said:I have a quick question here... perhaps someone might be able to provide some clarity...

Is it actually permitted for teams to bring two cars out for testing purposes?

It seems somewhat peculiar to me that a top-tier outfit like McLaren would lose an entire day of valuable testing simply because they couldn't resolve a single technical failure...

Couldn't they have just had him hop into Button's car and call it a day? Surely, all that would have required was a seat adjustment and perhaps a few minor tweaks to the cockpit setup... wouldn't you agree? An American racing crew capable of swapping out an entire engine in under two hours should, in theory, be able to handle such a task in no time at all...

Thanks

According to the regulations, each team is restricted to using only one car for testing:

Testing can only take place with one car per team at FIA-approved sites and cannot take place outside of the USA without the agreement of a majority of the states.

graniteharbor502 said:under the current regulations, teams are only permitted to run one car during testing:

That would imply only one vehicle is allowed on the track at any given time
which constitutes testing with just one unit

Does this mean if a car breaks down, they aren't allowed to use a backup?

Joshua Hill19 said:that would imply there is a specific moment where only one car is permitted on the track at any given time
and they are conducting tests using just a single vehicle

does this mean that if a car breaks down, you aren't allowed to run tests with a backup?

not quite; rather, it is that each team is restricted to utilizing only one car during the same day

Joshua Hill19 said:That would imply that at any given moment, there's only one car allowed on the track
so they're basically testing with just a single unit

Does that mean if one breaks down, you aren't even allowed to test with a spare?

I’m fairly certain during these early preseason tests, teams only have a single chassis ready to go. In other words, if they wreck one, there isn't even a second car in existence... (even if the rules actually permitted having a backup)

On topic... I won't get into lap times, but I'm honestly a bit let down by how few laps Ford put in. It seems like every year, they just drag their feet during these tests🤔

Ted mentions that the engineers out on the grid are whispering that Ford is running about two-tenths slower than Mercedes-Benz during race conditions, and they're trailing by a full three-tenths when it comes to qualifying lap times.

ruggedhawk20 said:Looks like this guy finally grew up enough to get fired.

Leaking info this brazenly during the preseason is a total disgrace.

You can take a guy out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the guy.

So what's the point? You're just calling out a Honda engineer who already slipped up a few times on the F1 technical forum regarding this year's Power Unit 🤣

What are we looking at here?
http://video.gazzetta.it/formula-1-l...9-4a1b16cab93d
Formula 1: That Mercedes flash just absolutely broke the internet

🤷

Insider reports suggest Ferrari is lagging by about two-tenths in race pace and three-tenths during qualifying. These are the smart folks over at Autosport talking, people who actually know their stuff, and it aligns perfectly with my own lofty predictions. The dominance won't be quite as overwhelming; Ferrari is closing the gap, though they aren't even running their full specification yet. You know what that implies? It means my greatness will eventually witness a direct showdown between the two premier drivers. We all know exactly who those two protagonists are, so there is no need for me to waste any digital ink naming them.

mellowtiger83 said:So my view would be focused on the head-to-head battle between the two top drivers...

Even Lewis Hamilton won't be far behind!

granitestag15 said:Even Hamilton won't be far behind!

Alright, alright. It’s been a while since I’ve had a laugh like that. Anthony, you really are a master provocateur, aren't you? Always have been.🙏