F1 2016 pre-season testing

[Lucky]

[ferkan]

14 kmh down, they need to cut that deficit to a third of that.

17...and I am a bit sad with this gap.

Yea, I just think Honda will get on top of the problems they seem to have judging by every other series they have been to. Putting young engineers to design V8 is something entirely different to designing these beasts.

[ChrisF1]

Dare we point out that the Williams was consistently faster in a straight line than the Mercedes, but was not a better car?

Or should I point to "This is testing and people are keeping their cards close to their chest"

I'm not confident either way, but I wouldn't be making judgements already.

[Gridlock]

As I understand it this isn't the 2016 engine anyway, just bits of it, so it might as well be going 450kph for all it matters.

[Vasconia]

Problems with McLaren right now, its seems that was some smoke....51 laps its not a disaster but today is not being such a good day.

[ferkan]

Dare we point out that the Williams was consistently faster in a straight line than the Mercedes, but was not a better car?

Or should I point to "This is testing and people are keeping their cards close to their chest"

I'm not confident either way, but I wouldn't be making judgements already.

They will be ~2 seconds of the pace in Melbourne qualis me thinks.

[gandharva]

Are there more detailed speed trap/gps numbers? I couldn't find anything so far...

[Lucky]

[Thunder]

AMuS thinks it was a Hydraulic Leak. https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/702503868266053632

[dot235]

Dare we point out that the Williams was consistently faster in a straight line than the Mercedes, but was not a better car?

Or should I point to "This is testing and people are keeping their cards close to their chest"

I'm not confident either way, but I wouldn't be making judgements already.

They will be ~2 seconds of the pace in Melbourne qualis me thinks.

Me agrees. Sounds about right all things considered.

[Silent Storm]

"Up at Turns 1-3 again. Interesting watching Sainz chase Hamilton with both on the medium tyre. Sainz has gradually lost ground and doesn't accelerate as well out of Turn 2 but otherwise the STR again looks a decent chassis.

There is not much to choose between them on corner entry, though the Merc is obviously travelling a bit faster when it gets there...

The works Merc and Ferrari are noticeably faster than others under acceleration up the hill from Turn 1 to Turn 3, but it's difficult to split them. The 2015 Ferrari engined STR is next best, a step ahead of the works Renault and the similarly-powered Red Bull RB12"
Ben Anderson

From Autosport.

[ChrisDanger]

Does anyone know what "mishap" was referred to by the below? https://twitter.com/F1/status/702503253276119045

[PhillipM]

Crashing into the gravel trap I'd imagine.

[Gridlock]

He tried going into a corner back end first.

[dot235]

"Up at Turns 1-3 again. Interesting watching Sainz chase Hamilton with both on the medium tyre. Sainz has gradually lost ground and doesn't accelerate as well out of Turn 2 but otherwise the STR again looks a decent chassis.

There is not much to choose between them on corner entry, though the Merc is obviously travelling a bit faster when it gets there...

The works Merc and Ferrari are noticeably faster than others under acceleration up the hill from Turn 1 to Turn 3, but it's difficult to split them. The 2015 Ferrari engined STR is next best, a step ahead of the works Renault and the similarly-powered Red Bull RB12"
Ben Anderson

From Autosport.

Very interesting. So can we safely conclude that 2015 Ferrari EPU is quite substantially more powerful than 2016 Renault EPU?
I'am quite surprised if that's the case, considering the very decent 2014 season they had. Was expecting 2015 to be a temporary setback for them. But to be genuinely behind by more than 1 year in engine development is no joke.

I'am sure that can't be true, but how it looks like, is that 2016 EPU is barely if any better than their 2014 EPU.