Rossi & Ferrari

Talking about Rossi's secret Ferrari test
Posted by Clement
Date Friday 11:07:35am

Message:
1) It took place at Fiorano (Ferrari's private test track) on April 21st (last Wednesday)

2) They used the short 0.878 mile track

3) MS's best lap was 58''433

4) Valentino did 6 laps, then spun out on the way back to the pits, though the car was fine. After that, he knocked out another 20 laps, finishing with an impressive 59''5... that puts him just a second behind MS!

MS said: "Valentino did it very well. He took his time, but then finished in an impressive way. Without a doubt his karting experience has helped him. He could be very competitive"

A few takeaways:

1) I'm stunned. Is driving an F1 car really that easy? Just from some karting experience, Rossi is only 1 second off MS, who is a 6-time world champion.

2) The reverse wouldn't even be possible. The best national riders (of any country) are several seconds behind Rossi and co. in MotoGP... so for someone who doesn't even ride sport bikes to be this close...

3) The Ferrari F2004 is a dream car.

4) If a "sporting leader" can get that close as a newcomer, imagine what someone with actual experience could do in an F2004...

Anyway, I found an interesting page, worth checking out:
http://www.linksheaven.com/formula1/news.htm

Man, that third point is just nasty

wearyraven41 said:Discussion regarding Rossi's secret Ferrari testing session
Posted by Clement
Date Friday 11:07:35am

Message:
1) It took place at Fiorano (Ferrari's private test track) on April 21st (last Wednesday)

2) They utilized the short 1.413 km circuit

3) MS's best lap time was 58''433

4) Valentino completed 6 laps before spinning out while heading back to the pits—luckily, the car was completely fine. He then managed another 20 laps, finishing with an impressive 59''5... which puts him just one second behind MS!

Well, honestly, it doesn't seem like much of a "secret" test since I actually caught a mention of it on an F1 news site about a week ago. As far as I can tell, no major outlet has officially published the actual results, so you're really just speculating when it comes to these specific times...

By the way, that record seems like a bit of a rough estimate, because even the Sauber cars clock in at around 59''000 on that particular track.

Actually, even if this information turns out to be true, it isn't all that shocking. Is it really so hard to believe that "The Doctor" could hold his own in an F1 car? Personally, I think he absolutely could... though, when it comes to MotoGP, I still have a soft spot for Max Biaggi...

wearyraven41 said:4) If you take a rising star and put them right up against a seasoned veteran driving the Ferrari F2004...

Well, I think we all know how that story ends.😉

And who on earth was responsible for coming up with those "conclusions" in the first place??

Carol Ortiz4 said:And who even came up with those "conclusions" in the first place??

I'm thinking Jean Todt, but I'm not 100% sure...

wearyraven41 said:I think it was Jean Todt, though I can't say for certain...

I have my doubts about that... he isn't usually one to go around making public statements like that.

It happened in Bahrain too—some random rookie pulling up right next to a legendary F1 driver's time

WilliamsF1 had Ralf Schumacher on duty, though it was F1 debutant Scott Dixon that got all the attention, and rightly so, considering that he was only 0.206s off the German's pace, despite never having driven an F1 car before.

But look, even if they aren't F1 drivers, they aren't total amateurs either—these guys have racing in their DNA after years in motorsports... a pro football player wouldn't stand a chance at hitting those kinds of times...🙂

Wait, didn't Rossi end up spinning out in the UK during the WCR last year??

🙂

Jack Kelly5 said:Didn't Rossi crash out during the WCR in Great Britain last year??

🙂

He did, I suppose. But he wasn't actually doing too badly, if you ask me. I think he was maybe three or four seconds back.

Well, it finally happened—Rossi missed out on the podium at the Spanish GP last weekend! It’s only a matter of time before Ferrari falls off the podium this week too.😁

Jack Kelly5 said:Well, it actually happened—Rossi didn't even make the podium at the last Grand Prix in Spain! I suppose it's only a matter of time before the Scuderia falls off the podium this week, too.😁

Haaa 😁 that's a pretty good joke you've got there 😁

Carol Ortiz4 said:Haaa 😁 nice joke there, 😁 I guess

Yeah, honestly, I had a good laugh too 😁

Man, I am going to absolutely love watching MS pull in 180 points this season... mostly just so I can sit back and read the comments from all his haters 😎

Sure, Rossi is incredible, but making the jump to Formula 1 requires a massive adjustment period.
He was only a second off, but that was on a track barely over a mile long that’s clearly sluggish—it felt more like a karting circuit than a Formula 1 track.
On a legitimate Formula 1 circuit, he'd likely be lagging by three to five seconds. That's the kind of gap you see between teams like Minardi and Jordan, yet Rossi was behind the wheel of a Ferrari.

linol3um said:Look, Valentino Rossi is incredible, but moving up to NASCAR isn't something you can just breeze into without a massive adjustment period.
He was only behind by a second, but that was on a track barely over half a mile long—honestly, it felt more like a karting circuit than a professional racing track.
If he were on a real NASCAR track, he’d likely be trailing by 3 to 5 seconds. That's roughly the gap we see between teams like Minardi and Jordan, and remember, Rossi was in a Ford.

Honestly, "the Doctor" should probably stick to motorcycles. This season, he might find himself eating dust behind plenty of riders, not just Max Biaggi.😛 It’s a bit like if a certain young driver jumped over to BAR; I’d bet my bottom dollar he wouldn't even be able to keep pace with Jenson Button, regardless of how much potential he has.😁