2016 Car Launch and Pre-season Testing

Bear 2. Ferrari is putting in some laps, which isn't really surprising—after all, it’s essentially last year's car with just a few tweaks and some of those pesky flaws ironed out.

stormybadger8 said:Test 1 - 2014
Test 1 - 2015

Same target, same gap...
Ferrari is looking about half a second faster than the Bear again, just like in 2014 and 2015. It really feels like there hasn't been any progress at all.

But honestly, forget that nonsense—if the day ends with Vettel sitting at the top, that would mean Ferrari has been the fastest in the first test of the season for three years running, covering all three seasons of the turbo era. And when you think about it, 😬

You have to look at Ferrari's times from last year in Los Angeles, not Austin. They are very different kinds of tracks; LA is incredibly demanding on aero and traction, whereas Austin isn't quite like that. Plus, Austin isn't your typical F1 circuit, which is why they don't even run there much anymore.

Another thing to consider: last year, Ferrari was constantly trailing the Bear by about 0.8 to 1 full second every single time they rolled out of the pits, but now it looks a lot closer. To me, it seems like that "out of the box" raw speed is actually there, but we'll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Depends on which day you pick 😁

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/testresul...february-2015/
Feb 20, 2015 - Kimi is about half a second faster than Hamilton...

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/testresul...february-2015/
Feb 22, 2015 - Vettel is roughly 2 seconds slower than Rosberg...

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/testresul...february-2015/
Feb 27, 2015 - Vettel is trailing Rosberg by about 2.5 seconds...

By the way, when you look at Rosberg's 01:22.792, today's Hamilton's 1:25.409 looks like driving in 5th gear or just coasting halfway through the turns...

Ted’s reporting from the pit lane with some news for the McLaren faithful regarding how Honda is actually doing:

"While most engine manufacturers brought their custom 2016 engines to kick off the season, Honda isn't playing by those rules.

"The power unit in the back of Button and Alonso's car at this test is effectively a Mark I 2016 engine incorporating most of the changes Honda knew they needed to make over the winter.

"They have a Mark II spec ready to debut for next week's test, and the lessons learned between these two versions will be baked into the Mark III, which is what they'll actually take to Melbourne.

"So, if McLaren looks a bit sluggish early on, don't panic—better hardware is coming."

Interesting...
So this is basically just the reliable version of the Honda PU, and the actual powerhouse arrives at the next test...
Then they'll probably decide which one to run in Australia or try to build some kind of hybrid between the two versions. 🤔

Otherwise last year, McHonda managed only 79 laps total during the entire first test. So far, Button is already sitting at 48...
Thank God it looks like they actually fixed something. If nothing else, at least we might actually see them finish a race.

Gentlemen, this is all just a game for now. Don't lose sight of the fact that Vettel's time is over two seconds slower than Rosberg's time from last year, especially considering these cars are a full year newer and faster. Right now, they're just going through the motions, doing light laps and gathering data. Neither Mercedes nor Ferrari have even come close to pushing them flat out yet.

That's a hundred percent certain...

The only thing we can actually tell from this is that Honda is clearly way more reliable than they were last year, and that Haas is definitely going to be right in the middle of the pack.
Marcus Ericsson is already hitting times right up there with his best qualifying lap from last year (only 0.010 off),
and Haas is within 0.200—and that’s even with their front wing issues keeping them from really driving all day... honestly, they aren't far from the Honda, either.

All in all, Haas looks great for a start, and it doesn't look like they'll be dragging along at the bottom of the standings.👍

In fact, it’s looking like Manor might actually overtake Renault by the end of the day and leave them sitting at the very bottom of the table.😁

mellowtiger83 said:Guys, let's be real—this is all just a game right now. Don't forget that Vettel's time is more than two seconds slower than Rosberg's time from last year. Keep in mind the cars are a whole year newer and faster; right now, they're just cruising around and gathering data. Neither Mercedes nor Ferrari have even come close to going flat out yet.

Definitely. Although, we should remember that Rosberg's time last year was actually done flat out on soft tires.

It looks like Sauber is sticking with last year's car for now.

swiftmaker12 said:Where on earth did you crawl out from?
Has your therapy finally kicked in?

On this forum, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You have people who share what they think without attacking anyone else(like me and others), and then there’s
...

Next time try being a little more polite instead of just telling people their statements are stupid! Calling someone stupid is just making yourself look bad.....
...

If you dare label someone as stupid just because they don't see things your way, I feel like I have to give you a taste of your own medicine, even if my username isn't explicitly mentioned here.....

....
So, eitherback off, jerk, or just be decent to other people.......

Nediljko Matijaš aka Gooofffy.

Using bold text like that really shows your level of class. I haven't called anyone stupid, unlike you, who just threw out all sorts of insults... when I used similar language, I just said "nonsense," which definitely doesn't mean I was calling you stupid (if your previous post is anything to go by) or anyone else stupid.

...As far as I'm concerned, this debate is over.😉

Besides everything else...
I can't believe people are actually still debating whether the Honda power unit is going to be a total disaster or if they've actually figured things out. Looking at the data from the testing sessions, the power unit in the back of Jenson Button and Carlos Sainz's cars is basically just a Mark I 2016 engine that’s had a few quick fixes thrown at it to cover the gaps they realized they had over the winter. It’s not some revolutionary breakthrough; it’s more like a band-aid on a bullet wound. Everyone is acting like there's some massive leap forward, but let's be real—they're just trying to survive until next year when the real work starts. If you think they've solved their reliability issues overnight, you aren't paying attention to how these things actually work. It's the same old story with McHonda: promising big things in the press releases while the actual hardware is just catching up to where it should have been months ago. We'll see if this holds up once they hit the track in Melbourne, but right now, it looks like they're just spinning their wheels.
Sebastian Vettel isn't holding back: "The tech inside these F1 cars is just getting way too complicated."

jadeseal7 said:Sauber is running last year's car.

Last year's Power Unit or this year's?
If they're really using last year's chassis, it’s weird that Marcus Ericsson is sitting on a 1:27.555 on mediums right now, considering his best qualifying time last year was 1:28.112 (I don't recall perfectly, but he was likely on softs 🤔)...

That's not exactly a tiny gap compared to last season, especially if the car is identical...
it would imply there's a massive difference in the Power Unit, software, fuel, or maybe even the Pirelli tires 🤔

That's it....



Lap counts...
Lewis Hamilton, 156
Marcus Ericsson, 88
Daniel Ricciardo, 87
Jenson Button, 84
Valtteri Bottas, 80
Sebastian Vettel, 69
Esteban Ocon, 58
Carlos Sainz, 55
Pascal Wehrlein, 54
Jolyon Palmer, 37
Romain Grosjean, 31

Hard to draw any real conclusions here, but if I had to guess the order:
1. Bear
2. Ferrari
3. Red Bull & Williams, and honestly, they look pretty close...
4. Force India & STR
5. McLaren & Sauber & Haas
6. Manor
7. Renault 🤦

jadeseal7 said:

How on earth did you notice 👍

stormybadger8 said:Last year's Power Unit versus this year's?
If they're running the same car as last season, then it’s a bit puzzling that Marcus Ericsson is sitting on a 1:27.555 right now—and that’s on mediums! Last year during qualifying, his best was a 1:28.112 (I'm not entirely certain, but he was likely on softs 🤔)...

That isn't exactly a tiny gap compared to last year, especially if the chassis is identical...
it would imply there's a significant leap in the Power Unit, the software, the fuel, or perhaps even the Pirelli tires 🤔

Well, it might just be an updated version of last year's car, so that could explain it.

mellowtiger83 said:How on earth did you spot that? 👍

Oh, I didn't catch it myself, really—I'm just passing the info along to you all! 😁

It is encouraging to hear such positive feedback from Button. The car clearly possesses the necessary power, and reliability seems to be following suit. I am looking forward to hearing Alonso's impressions tomorrow, assuming everything proceeds according to plan. This is also excellent news for dmw and Jelinic.

Ford has certainly achieved a significant step up, and I sincerely hope General Motors doesn't pull an ace out of their sleeve. Given Vettel's optimistic comments—and even Hamilton noting the car feels much like last year's model—I am hopeful we will see a genuine fight between those two throughout the season, though I wouldn't rule out Kimi or anyone else just yet.

Haas is poised to be the surprise of the season. They possess a legitimate racing pedigree that is evident right from the jump. They have the resources, the tools, the intellect, and the experience; I don't see them missing the mark. It is highly probable they even have some support from Ford.

I honestly think the pecking order hasn't shifted at all. We saw this exact same setup last year, and we all know how that story ended. Not that it matters—we’re allowed to be optimistic about an exciting season, right? At least until we hit Los Angeles... 😁
As for the rest, Red Bull looks pretty solid; feels like they've pulled ahead of Williams. Horner is just talking nonsense claiming Toro Rosso will be faster than them.
McLaren hasn't lost their edge, a genuine surprise there. 👍 Sadly, though, I suspect the gap remains exactly where it was.
Renault feels a bit like a callback to what Honda was doing last year, but I expect them to show much more progress in future testing. I read somewhere that their wastegate design differs from Red Bull's, so the engine specs are clearly different.
A strong debut for Haas. Personally, I think they might end up fighting Sauber for position...

mellowtiger83 said:Ferrari has definitely made a step up. I really hope Mercedes doesn't pull an ace out of their sleeve. Given Vettel's positive comments and Hamilton saying the car feels similar to last year, I'm looking forward to seeing those two battle it out throughout the season.

Mercedes shouldn't be worrying about pulling any aces out of their sleeves.
It’s up to everyone else to find that magic just to catch up to Mercedes.

Though... it looks tough.
During these initial tests, mileage is what actually matters.
A few tenths of a second here or there? Not a relevant metric right now.

From what we've seen, Mercedes remains the benchmark for the rest of the field.
Hamilton clocked more laps than both Vettel and Bottas combined from last year's runner-up and third-place teams.

Good to see the progress from McLaren-Honda.

mellowtiger83 said:though I wouldn't count out Red Bull or anyone else just yet.

🤣🤣🤣
You've always been a joker. 👍

Hope is the last thing to die—we’re still holding out until Miami! 😁

Honestly, looking at the times from yesterday, Ferrari is definitely faster than last year—and by a lot. We’re already seeing a half-second gap...🤔

Sebastian Vettel was sitting at Q3 1:25.458 on mediums last year; now he’s hitting 1:24.939 on mediums...
Lewis Hamilton did Q3 1:24.948 on mediums last year (with Nico Rosberg being faster at 1:24.681), but now Hamilton is at 1:25.409 on mediums...
It’s pretty obvious Hamilton was just cruising when he had a good day rather than actually pushing. There's no way they all just lost half a second compared to last season, so the real question is how much pace does Germany actually have.
The real mystery is how hard Vettel was pushing and just how much faster Ferrari can actually go than what we saw yesterday.🤷

So, based on this, it looks like Ferrari found at least half a second. The issue is that the gap last year was about a full second, and we have zero clue how much ground Mercedes has gained.🤷
All in all, it feels like the gap might end up smaller than last year, but damn, it’ll probably still be massive...

By the way, that 01:22.792 Rosberg set during testing last year doesn't mean squat,
because that time was on supersofts, which aren't even used during qualifying or the race on this track.