2016 Car Launch and Pre-season Testing

Looking at the Aston Martin data, it seems Mercedes is holding the edge over Verstappen, though they are incredibly close, especially when you factor in race conditions.
The Ferrari power unit is really being pushed to its absolute limit right now, so we can probably expect an update coming our way by the time we hit Australia.
Williams is trailing by about half a second, with Red Bull and Toro Rosso sitting right on their heels.
Honestly, that Ferrari engine from back in 2015 feels more robust than what Renault is offering this year; however, Renault is planning a massive upgrade around the time the circuit moves to Canada.
Then you've got the mid-field pack—Force India, Haas, McLaren, and Renault—all looking pretty solid, positioned just ahead of Sauber and Manor.

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/f...-10605748.html

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/0...er-f1-testing/

stormybadger8 said:And why on earth would that be so strange?
STR has a damn good car, and frankly, the drivers too... it's just that last year their engine was absolute garbage.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the STR duo regularly beats even Kimi in races, and pulls off a decent number of wins... too.
After all, the last time STR had an old Ferrari engine like that, Vettel was literally slapping Hamilton and Alonso in the same ☕
And I expect the same from young Verstappen; besides, STR's car and crew are significantly better today than they were back then.😉

No conspiracy theories here, just stating what I see.😉
For the record, the main difference between me and those dedicated red fans (now consisting of Vettel's new crowd) is that I don't get swept up in preseason euphoria by some headline about the greatest car ever built.
But then again, I won't be hit by depression or the urge to go on a massive tirade against their rivals around the second or third race either.
If Vettel had a car capable of fighting Hamilton, he’d surely take the title, but the problem is that he likely won't have such a thing for a long time—at least not at Ferrari.

Unfortunately, Ferrari is in a tough spot these days, and there's no magic wand to fix it.
You're expecting something that has zero theoretical chance of happening unless a miracle occurs.
After a constant decline from 2005 until now, coupled with ten years of total disorganization and a sloppy approach, the team suddenly thinks they can just become the No. 1 team on the grid.
And they think that just because they picked up Alonso and Alonso... that's not going to happen on its own.😉
It wouldn't work even if they had recruited Adrian Newey and all the top mechanics and engineers from Red Bull + Brawn, let alone this current setup.

What nonsense are you talking about, sand? That simply isn't true. First off, Toro Rosso won't even come close to Ferrari, ever—not even if the late Ayrton Senna or Jim Clark rose from the grave to drive that car.

Secondly, you wrote that if Vettel had a car capable of a title, he'd definitely win it!! I took that to mean he would be faster than Hamilton in the same car, and you stated that as a certainty!

Thirdly, saying Sky Sports spreads lies!! Ferrari's competitiveness is a fiction created by the owner, plain and simple.

It's elementary, kid. I already told you: it's elementary. That is the key to everything, you understand?

graniteharbor502 said:Which sportsbook is offering those kind of odds on Vettel? 🍿
I was just looking at the lines from one place (not trying to promote them or anything):
Hamilton 1.6
Rosberg 4
Vettel 4.5
Kimi Raikkonen 41
Alonso 51 and so on.

And the odds for the Constructors' Championship:
Mercedes 1.15
Ferrari 5
Red Bull 23
While this Toro Rosso you're praising so much is sitting at 501.

Just tell me which bookie that is so I can make a killing. If they're predicting things this accurately all season, I'll be retired on a beach by October.

The gap between Hamilton and Rosberg is a bit too wide, and the gap between Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen belongs strictly to Ferrari.

Alright, here are the final comparisons for you guys:

2015
Race Standings
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.792s 2 S
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m23.022s +0.230s 3 S
3. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1m23.063s +0.271s 4 SS
4. Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1m23.262s +0.470s 3 SS
5. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m23.276s +0.484s 3 SS
6. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1m23.469s +0.677s 4 SS
7. Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.023s +1.231s 4 SS
8. Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso-Renault 1m24.191s +1.399s 3 SS
9. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Mercedes 1m24.200s +1.408s 3 SS
10. Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.276s +1.484s 1 SS
11. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso-Renault 1m24.527s +1.735s 4 SS
12. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1m24.638s +1.846s 4 S
13. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m24.939s +2.147s 3 SS
14. Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1m25.113s +2.321s 4 SS
15. Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Honda 1m25.225s +2.433s 3 S
16. Jenson Button McLaren-Honda 1m25.327s +2.535s 4 SS
17. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull-Renault 1m25.947s +3.155s 1 M
18. Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Mercedes 1m26.705s +3.913s 2 S

2016
Driver Team Time Laps
1. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:22.765 (USA) Tag 7
2. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:22.810 (SS) Tag 2
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.022 (S) Tag 5
4. Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:23.110 (SS) Tag 3
5. Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:23.134 (USA) Tag 8
6. Felipe Massa Williams 1:23.193 (S) Tag 7
7. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.229 (USA) Tag 5
8. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:23.382 (USA) Tag 7
9. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:23.525 (USA) Tag 2
10. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:23.622 (S) Tag 6
11. Sergio Perez Force India 1:23.650 (SS) Tag 2
12. Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:23.933 (SS) Tag 6
13. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1:24.293 (USA) Tag 4
14. Jenson Button McLaren 1:24.714 (USA) Tag 8
15. Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:24.735 (S) Tag 5
16. Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:24.760 (S) Tag 7
17. Esteban Celis Force India 1:24.840 (SS) Tag 4
18. Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:24.859 (S) Tag 8
19. Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:24.913 (USA) Tag 7
20. Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:25.031 (S) Tag 8
21. Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team 1:25.255 (S) Tag 8
22. Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team 1:25.522 (S) Tag 8
23. Karun Chandraketu Manor 1:25.899 (USA) Tag 8

Timothy Castillo6 said:Race Standings

Driver Team Time Laps

What a messy, unorganized copy-paste job

Thanks for respecting the forum and its readers—not.

Timothy Castillo6 said:Alright, here are the final comparisons:

2015
Race Standings
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m23.022s +0.230s 3 S

2016
Driver Team Time Laps
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.022 (S) Tag 5

So, basically, Mercedes made zero progress whatsoever over an entire year...🙂
The comparison is solid, I guess. Nothing more to say.🤣

Either they’re just messing with the crew—showing off that they can pull enough mileage for a whole season in just 8 days on a single engine—
or they're proving they can be insanely fast even on the hardest tires, while still being able to clock the exact same time as last year if they felt like it.😁

Sebastian Vettel says the Prancing Horse is absolutely killing it!
http://www.gazzetta.it/Auto/14-03-20...20148323.shtml
Formula 1, Vettel. "At the top with Ferrari: now we just want to win"