2016 Car Launch and Pre-season Testing

swiftmaker12 said:I was actually making sense before they completely screwed up the idea of new qualifying sessions...

New qualifying isn't happening. 😁
Bernie says there's no way it happens before the US Grand Prix because FOM isn't ready for the headache—timing issues and all that nonsense...

And if you read between the lines, it means nothing for the rest of this season either. They'll just claim mid-season rule changes are too much of a hassle later on...

stormybadger8 said:New qualifying sessions aren't happening 😁
Bernie mentioned it's off the table before the US Grand Prix—apparently FOM isn't ready for the shift, citing timing measurement issues and whatnot...

If you read between the lines, though, this likely means nothing for the rest of this season either. It’ll probably be argued later that you can't just drop a change like that mid-season....

Give me a break... I feel like I need a clone just to keep up with all these increasingly vague pieces of Formula 1 news.......

It doesn't make sense anymore.....

Classic Bernie behavior... in a world where all the money has already been divvied up, they're just tossing out scraps for everyone else to fight over....

It's actually sunny here in Germany right now—just waiting for my wife to get home from work so we can head out.....
Maybe we'll even pick up some actual meat so we aren't just fighting over scraps ourselves....

stormybadger8 said:New qualifying sessions are off the table 😁
Bernie Ecclestone claims it isn't even an option before the US Grand Prix because Formula One Management simply isn't ready for it—timing issues, technicalities, the usual excuses...

If you actually read between the lines, though, this means nothing is changing this season at all. It will eventually become a convenient excuse to claim such a shift can't be implemented mid-season...

Lewis Hamilton put them under pressure 😁 🤣just like I told you before, Bernie Ecclestone is the one pulling all the strings here.

swiftmaker12 said:Your eyesight seems to be failing you lately!
If you’d just give my previous post another read... I specifically mentioned that Sebastian Vettel was driving well beyond the car's actual capabilities
.

I know exactly what you wrote, and I have to say—I think you've missed the mark on this one.

jadeseal7 said:I hear what you're saying, but I think you've missed the mark here.

If that's the case, how do you explain the massive gap between Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel?

When Mercedes-Benz has both drivers consistently on the podium...
it proves the car is top-tier—especially considering even an average driver like Rosberg 2 was fighting for titles back then.

Once one driver starts completely outclassing the other, it's a clear sign that the car requires a truly fearless driver to extract its full potential.

swiftmaker12 said:So, how do you explain such a massive gap between Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel?

With Mercedes-Benz, both drivers end up on the podium equally often...
which really proves the car is top-tier—I mean, even a middle-of-the-pack driver like Rosberg 2 was fighting for the championship back then...

Whenever you see one driver completely dominating their teammate, it’s a clear sign that the car can only reach its full potential if the person behind the wheel actually has the guts to push it...

That's just not the case—Kimi was simply performing two seasons below his own standard. Let's not get carried away with those mythic narratives, shall we? Regardless, Ferrari was undeniably the second-best car on the grid. The fact that Kimi was struggling against Valtteri Bottas just to secure fourth place tells you everything you need to know: Kimi underperformed, while Sebastian Vettel drove exactly what the car was capable of, proving once again that Ferrari truly was the second-best machine out there.

There's no need to spin these fairy tales about "impossible" car handling or any other nonsense—I've had quite enough of hearing similar excuses regarding Alonso.

jadeseal7 said:It isn't some mystery; Kimi has been performing two seasons below his own standard. Let’s move past these delusional myths. Regardless, the Ferrari was clearly the second-best car on the grid. The simple fact that Kimi was fighting Valtteri Bottas just for fourth place proves he underperformed. Sebastian Vettel drove exactly as expected, proving the Ferrari truly was the second-fastest machine out there.

There is no need to spin fairy tales about impossible cockpit extractions or any other nonsense. I have had quite enough of listening to people drone on about Fernando Alonso.

Exactly! "The only one capable of pulling off the impossible is Lewis Hamilton," 👍 someone might say!

Vettel maintained an incredibly high level throughout the season. To be blunt, the truth lies somewhere between your perspective and the ramblings of swiftmaker12. As for Kimi driving below his level—well, even a child knows that.

Furthermore, it is common knowledge at Ferrari that one driver is always significantly ahead of the other. First it was Michael Schumacher, then Fernando Alonso, and now Sebastian Vettel. The other guys at Ferrari are essentially just test drivers who receive zero attention from the crew. Therefore, Vettel’s dominance comes as no surprise, at least to me.

In my opinion, Kimi didn't just underperform over the last two seasons—it's more that he's been overrated from the very beginning.

I honestly feel like mellowtiger83 does a fantastic job analyzing the sport from both a technical and competitive standpoint, at least until he starts talking about Lewis Hamilton—that’s when he turns into this overly critical version of tibija. 😁
sorry Mario, I just had to say it. 😁

William Bennett53 said:In my view, mellowtiger83 provides an excellent assessment of the sport from a technical and competitive standpoint. This holds true, however, until he begins discussing Lewis Hamilton, at which point he morphs into a certain version of tibija. 😁
sorry Mario, I had to. 😁

No problem, friend. I am aware of it. I admit it. Perhaps half of it is forgiven simply because I am being a total fanboy. 😁

Lewis Hamilton has the raw speed, sure, but he tends to crumble a bit when the pressure really starts to mount—he just doesn't seem to have that mental edge. On the other hand, Sebastian Vettel is incredibly quick, yet he possesses a much stronger psychological grit than Lewis, which is exactly what gives him the upper hand during those intense, nail-biting title fights.

mellowtiger83 said:Exactly! If anyone could actually pull off the impossible, it’d be Lewis Hamilton👍 I'd say!

Total lie☕
Perpetual motion doesn't exist, and neither does some magical driver who can squeeze more than 100% out of a car... 100% is the hard ceiling. There's nothing mystical about it.
Honestly, the drivers who have massive swings in their results are just bad. They aren't even coming close to what the car is capable of...
Sure, a car might be better or worse on certain tracks, but it can't be so bad that it qualifies 10th one week and then wins the next, or jump from being a top-tier contender to being a mid-pack car overnight...
What people sell as a "superstar" driver pulling 120% is actually the exact opposite. It's usually a driver operating at maybe 80% of the car's potential, who occasionally jumps to 90% or hits 100% for a moment...
And that creates this chronically fake picture of what that car is actually capable of...
If that happens once, fine—it's an anomaly, great strategy, a chaotic race, or pure luck... but if it keeps happening, it's just the result of inconsistent driving.

The fact is, Sebastian Vettel drove a nearly perfect season last year, mostly because, let's be real, it wasn't quite perfect.

Meanwhile, Kimi Räikkönen has been driving way below his level for ages. We're talking since early 2008, and unfortunately, nothing significant has changed in any season since. The only difference is whether he was slightly less bad or a little more bad...
In 2012, he had a car that was legitimately title-contending, yet he wasn't even close. Same story in 2008...
Basically, it feels like after winning the title in 2007, he just checked out mentally. Like, "Okay, I got the championship, now I'm going to cash the checks and mess around."

I don't see any other explanation. He clearly knows how to do it, but he's obviously choosing not to... so he just doesn't want to.

jadeseal7 said:It’s not about luck—Kimi has been performing well below his own standard for two seasons now. Let's skip the fairy tales. Regardless, the Ferrari was easily the second-best car on the grid. The fact that Kimi was fighting Valtteri Bottas just for fourth place tells you everything—it shows Kimi underperformed, while Sebastian Vettel drove exactly what the car was capable of, proving the Ferrari really was the second-best machine out there.

Stop trying to spin stories about being stuck in the cockpit or whatever other nonsense—I've had enough of hearing people make excuses for Alonso.

Where are you coming from? You're talking nonsense again—just spinning myths instead of sticking to reality...

Kimi has been at the exact same level for ten years; he either doesn't know how to go faster or simply can't extract what the car is capable of—which is pretty much what you admitted in your first point...

Sebastian Vettel drove more than enough—he was pushing the car beyond its physical limits, which explains why he made those mistakes in the first place...

If you want an example of a driver who constantly pushes past the car's actual capabilities—leading to all those crashes and DNFs—look at Pastor Maldonado.

stormybadger8 said:A total fabrication ☕
Perpetual motion doesn't exist—and by the same token, neither does a driver capable of squeezing more than 100% out of a car. The absolute ceiling is 100%, plain and simple; there’s nothing mystical or impossible about it.
In my view, the drivers who show massive fluctuations in their results are actually poor performers—they aren't even coming close to extracting what the car is truly capable of.
Sure, a car might be better or worse on certain tracks, but it can't be so mediocre that it qualifies in, say, 10th place and then suddenly wins, or go from being a title contender to just a mid-pack machine overnight.
What gets marketed as some "superstar" driver pulling 120% is actually the exact opposite: it's a driver operating at maybe 80% of the car's potential, who occasionally jumps to 90% or hits 100% for a brief moment.
That creates a chronically false impression of what the car is actually capable of doing.
If that happens once, it's an anomaly—maybe great strategy, a chaotic race, or just pure luck. But if it happens repeatedly, it's just a symptom of inconsistent driving—ranging from good to mediocre to bad.

The reality is that Sebastian Vettel drove an almost perfect season last year—almost, because let's be honest, it wasn't entirely flawless.

As for Kimi, he's been driving well below his level for a very long time now—we're talking since the start of 2008—and unfortunately, nothing significant has changed in any season since. The only difference is whether he was slightly less bad or slightly more bad.
In the end, even when he had a car in 2012 that was legitimately championship-capable, he wasn't even close. It was the same story back in 2008.
Honestly, it feels to me like after winning the title in 2007, he just checked out mentally—thinking, "I've finally won it all, so now I'm going to collect my paycheck and just enjoy the ride."

I don't see any other explanation. He clearly has the ability—he knows how to drive—so if he isn't doing it, he simply chooses not to.

Let me clarify this for the uninitiated:

A car has its physical limits, whereas drivers are the ones who push past them...
A car doesn't take a corner at 235 mph instead of 200, nor does it brake 100 meters before a turn instead of 150.
When robots take over, things will change, but for now, drivers are the ones pushing those boundaries.

As far as the machinery goes, a car could theoretically take a corner without braking at all...
The car doesn't know anything about brakes or centrifugal force.

Kimi is clearly a driver who stays well within the car's physical limits; he doesn't take risks, and for the last decade, he's basically been driving like he's ready for retirement.

Sebastian Vettel is the one who pushes beyond the car's physical limits. That means he (and truly the only one of this generation) can take any car beyond its natural threshold and achieve results others can only dream of.

In any head-to-head battle between today's top Formula 1 drivers in the same team, Vettel would walk away with the most wins and the most titles.

swiftmaker12 said:Maldonado is basically the guy who constantly pushes his car way past its actual limits—which explains why he’s always crashing or dropping out of races...

The guy's an idiot.

swiftmaker12 said:Allow me to clarify things for the uninitiated:

The car possesses inherent physical limits, whereas the drivers are the ones who seem to lack them entirely...
A car isn't going to take a corner at 235 mph instead of 200, nor will it brake 100 meters early instead of 150 meters before the turn....
When robots eventually take over, the conversation will change, but for now, the drivers are the ones pushing those boundaries...

As for the machine itself, a car can technically navigate a curve without even braking....
What does a car know about brakes or centrifugal force anyway...

Lewis Hamilton is an obvious example of a driver who operates below the car's physical limits; he doesn't take risks, he’s just been coasting toward retirement for the last decade.....

Sebastian Vettel is the one driving beyond the car's physical limits. This means he—and truly the only one of this generation—could take any car beyond its natural capacity and achieve results others can only dream of....

In any potential duel or three-way battle between today's best NASCAR drivers within the same team, Vettel would walk away with the most wins and championships.....

Is that so?

If I were to consult a NASCAR encyclopedia, how would you explain the anomaly known as Daniel Ricciardo? It is merely a rhetorical question, much like how a colleague, or a friend, might ask someone at Boeing.

I suspect Maldonado isn't constantly wrecking cars because he’s driving above them; rather, it's because he's pushing himself far beyond his own limits.

William Bennett53 said:I mean, I don't think Maldonado is constantly wrecking cars just because he's driving faster than the machinery can handle; it's more like he's pushing way past his own actual limit.

Yeah, I'm with you on that one. 🙏

Interesting...

http://www.thisisf1.com/2016/02/29/f...d-top-stints/?

Longest stints per tire type

• COMPOUND DRIVER TEAM LAPS
  Ultrasoft Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 7
  Supersoft Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 8
  Soft Valtteri Bottas Williams 17
  Medium Kevin Magnussen Renault 30
  Hard Valtteri Bottas Williams 26

The Williams car put in some serious mileage during those first tests, but weirdly enough, they aren't even showing up on this list for the longer stints on the harder compounds...