2017 F1 general testing thread

[iotar__]

I mean, don't all drivers love as much grip and downforce as possible? What makes Vettel unique then? Genuinely confused.

It is probably rather the other way round. Seb loses disproportionally with cars that are not glued to the track. In the last years where the cars had significantly less downforce he never found a driving style that was really fast and let the tyres stay in the window. He often made them overcook in the races. The tyre/car combination favored drivers that found their lap time by late braking (Lewis) and early straightening the car and accelerating early out of the turns rather than fast sweeping turning which overloaded and overheated the tyres due to cars sliding too much.

- Bizarre excuse that makes no sense, OK to even start to judge it: who else was driving those Red Bulls glued to the track? Webber and no one else. Can't benefit if you don't drive them and dominant car really helps. It's not even blown diffuser, I'm disappointed. BTW wasn't (oversimplifying) Webber 'better' at high speed tracks?
- why would late braking be more important with lower downforce? Higher straight speed and lower corner? That's not enough. BTW why can't you be good at high speed and late braking at the same time? Oh yeah 'style'

"late braking (Lewis) and early straightening the car and accelerating early out of the turns rather than fast sweeping turning which overloaded and overheated the tyres due to cars sliding too much"

What kind of a corner combination is that? If it's "fast sweeping corner" there can't be that much braking, if it's low/mid there can't be fast sweeping. What about for example Monaco, what's the excuse there? Surely not some made up sliding and overheating (why?) since there's basically one line. Other variables throughout the years: - tyres (changing), - weight, - last but not least downforce.

Now why isn't this type of pseudo scientific style nonsense downvoted to hell ? Especially since it's based on 2 days of testing, lack of competition, wishful thinking and mojo?

[henra]

- why would late braking be more important with lower downforce? Higher straight speed and lower corner? That's not enough.

Might be worth wiping the foam off your mouth and trying to understand what I wrote.
Late braking gives you a certain lap time benefit. You can try to achieve the same by carrying more speed through the turns. With a low down force car and fragile tyres the latter approach will faster overheat the tyres. That will make you suffer over a race distance while not being faster over a single lap.

BTW why can't you be good at high speed and late braking at the same time? Oh yeah 'style'

"late braking (Lewis) and early straightening the car and accelerating early out of the turns rather than fast sweeping turning which overloaded and overheated the tyres due to cars sliding too much"

There are different ways to try and achieve best laptime: A more pointy style with late braking sharp turn (smaller radius) and trying to accelerate earlier or run a more 'rounded' style carrying more speed through the turn. The latter requiring earlier braking and not being able to accelerate as early as in the first approach.
You can't do both at the same time. And all drivers have minute differences between those two extremes and what suits them. That said it is never black or white but there are usually tendencies/preferences.

Now why isn't this type of pseudo scientific style nonsense downvoted to hell ? Especially since it's based on 2 days of testing, lack of competition, wishful thinking and mojo?

Driving style and comments on that is always un-scientific.
It is not based on two days of testing but rather on following F1 for >25 years.

[dans79]

Now why isn't this type of pseudo scientific style nonsense downvoted to hell ?

I ask myself that exact same question 99% of the time when I read your posts!

[Wass85]

I know these cars are quick but watching the onboard footage of Hamilton is underwhelming for me. The sound of the V8's and V10's made them appear much quicker to me.

[Sevach]

[dans79]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdpwYPfIgig

steering input looks really similar to last year.

[Sevach]

these look pretty decent.

Lewis Hamilton’s third stint, 24 laps on soft tyres.

OUT; 1m22.216s PB; 1m22.720s; 1m22.909s; 1m23.538s; 1m23.392s; 1m23.218s; 1m24.635s; 1m23.137s; 1m23.438s; 1m23.252s; 1m23.733s; 1m23.778s; 1m23.727s; 1m23.679s; 1m23.682s; 1m23.791s; 1m23.602s; 1m23.822s; 1m24.078s; 1m24.027s; 1m24.337s; 1m24.837s; IN.

For a final stint on a 2 stopper he must've had about 35 kilos fuel when he started.

[Giblet]

I know these cars are quick but watching the onboard footage of Hamilton is underwhelming for me. The sound of the V8's and V10's made them appear much quicker to me.

Well we're in our 4th year now away from V8s and the V10 over a decade.

This is testing for 2017, time to move on.

[Wass85]

I know these cars are quick but watching the onboard footage of Hamilton is underwhelming for me. The sound of the V8's and V10's made them appear much quicker to me.

Well we're in our 4th year now away from V8s and the V10 over a decade.

This is testing for 2017, time to move on.

I moved on after the first year in fact I loved the sound of the 2014 cars in their own way. I can't wait to see the onboard footage of a qualifying lap with these machines, they are going to be mind blowing.

[clipsy1H]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdpwYPfIgig

such a fail sync in this video, if you stop it exactly when 2017 car hit the start finish line you'll see that 2016 car is way back from that point of the track.
So in terms of a real head to head is such a big fail because in real time if you want to see some inputs it's hard to do that because care aren't on a same point of a track so when you look at 2016 is for a difference or so video is already gone.
It's clear that 2017 is over 2016 almost in all aspects.

[Juzh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdpwYPfIgig

A proper side by side:

[Wass85]

It would be interesting to know how much later Hamilton is able to brake in this year's car, I'm guessing they won't be the best on the anchors with all that weight?

[basti313]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdpwYPfIgig

Hmmmpf...I do not like these comparison windows. The big differentiator with the V6T engine was the power oversteer. You can see it in the 2016 video very well. On the 2017 video it looks just like foot down and go...not a single correction on the corner exit.

[dans79]

Hmmmpf...I do not like these comparison windows. The big differentiator with the V6T engine was the power oversteer. You can see it in the 2016 video very well. On the 2017 video it looks just like foot down and go...not a single correction on the corner exit.

2016 was a pole lap, 2017 was one lap out of a multi lap testing run. I'm sure we will see ragged looking laps when they really start putting the hammer down.

[Juzh]

Vettel does not very happy, does he?