2017 F1 general testing thread

[ForMuLaOne]

McLaren Honda...

...one just need to be objective here. If a team struggles like this during testing, they have substantial flaws in their quality management that need to be sorted out. Same applies for Renault, having had two incidents in basically no time. I understand all the arguments from the " but it´s all new" section but while everyone feels pity for McLaren, Mercedes has covered more than half of the race distance already and Ferrari is just about to do so as well. Both teams have put a comparable amount of engine development into their concepts and they are running JUST FINE. If i was Alonso i would go mad again

[Anthropolyte]

Some classic back and forth on Twitter from Renault and Merc...

[Quantum]

I thought these guys would have the use of the company jet or atleast first class

https://cdn-4.motorsport.com/images/amp ... -costa.jpg

Aldo Costa flying cattle class shows precisely his humility and unassuming nature.
Another feather in his underrated cap I'd say.

[Vasconia]

It seems that Mercedes will make a huge amount of laps during those winters tests too.

A friend of mine has told me that Alonso is not going ot run more today, is this true? I see no references about it. I guess he is joking but its McLaren-Honda so I don´t know what to think.

[mwillems]

Bad start for Mclaren, hopefully they can fix the issue and do 20-30 laps by end of the day. De Ja Vu 2015 all over again, it all started with oil seal that was badly designed

How they didnt see this leak in their maaany hours of Dyno tests!!!

Has it been confirmed as a leak? It seems most likely but could it be sensor issues, problem with the pump or other parts of the system?
Also, and I'm asking because I have no idea, not to poke holes.. But will the dyno test the impact of heat on the system once it is integrated with the McLaren packaging and cooling technology? How accurate is the Honda Dyno at testing sustained corning forces mixed with the vibrations associated with track running and kerbs? It just seems to me that these test are perhaps a bit further away from real world parameters than maybe they should be, since Honda turn up each year with an engine that is very good, in theory.

Or maybe this is just a freak occurrence and won't happen again, and I say that just to give some benefit of the doubt.

[GoranF1]

Honda PU is out already but reports say return to track today unlikely at the moment.

[turbof1]

McLaren Honda...

...one just need to be objective here. If a team struggles like this during testing, they have substantial flaws in their quality management that need to be sorted out. Same applies for Renault, having had two incidents in basically no time. I understand all the arguments from the " but it´s all new" section but while everyone feels pity for McLaren, Mercedes has covered more than half of the race distance already and Ferrari is just about to do so as well. Both teams have put a comparable amount of engine development into their concepts and they are running JUST FINE. If i was Alonso i would go mad again

It is the first day of official testing. Of course you don't want this to happen, but if it does you'd preferable want it to happen on the first day as you can recuperate the lost time still.

Let's just wait what happens next. One single problem is not necessarily a symptom for more. So let's not dramatize this either.

[Silent Storm]

[ncassi22]

Honda PU is out already but reports say return to track today unlikely at the moment.

Reports by whom. On motorsport.com they say they plan to be out again today.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mcla ... ue-877619/

[clipsy1H]

As i said...Red Bull is so bad this year !

BTW: 1:23:370 from Bottas

[Anthropolyte]

Let's just wait what happens next. One single problem is not necessarily a symptom for more. So let's not dramatize this either.

Tend to agree. Yes, the issue appears to be with a fairly integral and vital part of the car - but Red Bull, Renault and Haas have all had problems as well. I think people are jumping to conclusions because it's McLaren.

[Phil]

Let's just wait what happens next. One single problem is not necessarily a symptom for more. So let's not dramatize this either.

It's just not very confidence inspiring. Losing a day or close to it represents more than 10% being lost on this particular venue. Gone. If this were to happen to Mercedes, one would probably be less concerned because people expect them to be strong and having a strong past 3 seasons, they have a solid baseline to evolve their car.

McLaren hasn't. Their car and PU has gone through very dramatic changes. They are the only team running that engine, so any lack of running will hurt more. Some faults and issues just shouldn't happen and we'd hope not to a team that is already on the backfoot trying to close that gap.

[FW17]

Ever since there has been a test ban, McLaren has never had a good winter

[noxroxafox]

Bottas just put a 1:23.169 on the boards, they're going for a new long run

[taperoo2k]

Bad start for Mclaren, hopefully they can fix the issue and do 20-30 laps by end of the day. De Ja Vu 2015 all over again, it all started with oil seal that was badly designed

How they didnt see this leak in their maaany hours of Dyno tests!!!

That's exactly what I was thinking... They blabbered on and on how the engines are on dynos 24/7 and than after an hour of not even serious running they have teething problems... So amateurish from them...

You can run a PU on a dyno 24/7, but once you subject it to being packaged inside an F1 car and then
expose it to the lumps and bumps of a track then you may find issues. Tbh I think we've all become a little too accustomed
to F1 cars being almost bullet proof in terms of reliability. Amateurish ? That's a cheapshot and doesn't take into account that this is an entirely new concept from Honda and that teething issues should be expected, just McLaren's luck it happens to be an oil system issue. As I said better to have this happen on Day One of testing, then near the tail end. I'm sure McLaren and Honda will get the issue sorted and likely reduce the amount of time it takes to remove and replace the PU as the season progresses. I also expect that this isn't the final design specification for the Power Unit that will be used down under.