2017 F1 general testing thread

Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
epo
epo
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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WaikeCU wrote:
PhillipM wrote:Mclaren have been this bad in the first test before and then scared the hell out of people come Australia - start to worry if they're still the same in the second test.
Last time I remembered they sort of turned it around was back in 2011. Absolutely nowhere in Winter testing, but then emerged with a Red Bull diffuser and lots of other updates in Albert Park and become second fastest of the grid.
But it was a different team back then, since it has evolved in a team with no future at all. They will again struggle to pass TR this year if not get beaten and only be faster then Haas and Sauber and Renault. And Honda, well they should have given the engine to a second team but most likely wanted that engine..

Alonso should have gone to Mercedes instead of another hopeless year at McLaren. Hopefully he will next year move to Mercedes, Alonso - Hamilton battles at Mercedes will be fun to watch.

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Morteza
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."~William Shakespeare

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FrukostScones
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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one word: pathetic.

let's see if the glitch is coming back after lunch, or if BOT isn't such a primmadonna. If BOT wil drive in the wet it is crystal clear who's idea this non-running was.

Imagine you came to see him drive.
Finishing races is important, but racing is more important.

PhillipM
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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If there wasn't a glitch why bother making anything up? They could just sit in the garage either way. Or just send Bottas out instead and run Hamilton in the afternoon

bonjon1979
bonjon1979
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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Anthropolyte wrote:
bonjon1979 wrote: What are Mclaren's hopes?

Going by testing they're clearly not going to be winning any races this year. Is 4th place even at all likely? On the pace shown and reliability concerns in this test one would have to say that points finishes would be what they're hoping/aiming for?

I'm not trying to be controversial, I just don't quite get where they think they are right now and what will be a successful season for them.
The bolded section above is where everything falls down when trying to make predictions. You may be absolutely right in your assumptions, but you may equally be completely wrong. McLaren have stated from the outset that their aim for 2017 is to "look respectable" this year. It's not completely beyond the realms of possibility, particularly later in the year as the engine and chassis are refined.
I'm not sure everything falls down. Mclaren in I think it was 2011 had a horrendous testing period. This was due to the exhaust which was an ancillary rather than a fundamental component. They could put quite a simple solution on it which they copied from Red Bull and found that it worked incredibly well.

This case, we are seeing in testing some serious issues with the Mclaren Honda partnership which have echoes of previous seasons where they've failed to impress in testing and then gone on to be unimpressive in the races. I think it's a far less logical approach to say 'it's just testing it has nothing to do with cars will be when the racing starts' then to suggest that performance or lack thereof in testing gives us an indication into the fortunes of a particular team as evidenced by previous years.

I think that at this stage Mclaren will be happy to be getting into the points but I'm not sure how sustainable that is for a brand like theirs which claims to be at the cutting edge of racing. It will get to a point where they have to look at becoming a customer to get some respectability back in the hope of getting with an engine partner for 2020.

ALO_Power
ALO_Power
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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bonjon1979 wrote:Taken from a translation by a poster on autosport; "Kinky masta". Apologies if already posted but some interesting trackside insight from Pedro de la Rosa.

...
Awesome post. Thanks a lot for sharing. We can obviously see why Alonso is Alonso 8) . As for drawing conclusions, I'll say it's too early for every team. Generally, making predictions in such a complex sport is rather silly. Honda will bring a new P.U next week (probably Australia spec) plus hopefully aero upgrades for McLaren. So far the car is still running with the base and simple floor and diffuser. I guess they're trying to gather data and understand their base package so far while doing laps more conservatively to ensure mileage. (don't forget they're 2 days behind in program) I don't think they've done a representative lap so far. Conservative is a must, after potentially losing 2 days you must ensure a good amount of mileage instead of pushing just for few laps. Let's see where they will end up. (as for the grip stuff, I think it's just Alonso doing his thing despite the car is not "ready")
Last edited by turbof1 on 02 Mar 2017, 15:15, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Shortened the quote on request of mobile device user

bonjon1979
bonjon1979
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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ALO_Power wrote:
bonjon1979 wrote:Taken from a translation by a poster on autosport; "Kinky masta". Apologies if already posted but some interesting trackside insight from Pedro de la Rosa.

Awesome post. Thanks a lot for sharing. We can obviously see why Alonso is Alonso 8) . As for drawing conclusions, I'll say it's too early for every team. Generally, making predictions in such a complex sport is rather silly. Honda will bring a new P.U next week (probably Australia spec) plus hopefully aero upgrades for McLaren. So far the car is still running with the base and simple floor and diffuser. I guess they're trying to gather data and understand their base package so far while doing laps more conservatively to ensure mileage. (don't forget they're 2 days behind in program) I don't think they've done a representative lap so far. Conservative is a must, after potentially losing 2 days you must ensure a good amount of mileage instead of pushing just for few laps. Let's see where they will end up. (as for the grip stuff, I think it's just Alonso doing his thing despite the car is not "ready")
I hope you're right. Alonso deserves to end his career on a high.
Last edited by turbof1 on 02 Mar 2017, 15:15, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Shortened the quote on request of mobile device user


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adrianjordan
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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Favourite driver: Lando Norris
Favourite team: McLaren

Turned down the chance to meet Vettel at Silverstone in 2007. He was a test driver at the time and I didn't think it was worth queuing!! 🤦🏻‍♂️

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Unc1eM0nty
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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FrukostScones wrote: Imagine you came to see him drive.
Didn't know you were such a fan :wink:

I doubt very much that they'd let Lewis get away with a stunt like that, testing is far too expensive and time sensitive for a team to waste half a day like that, maybe he could have gone out for the last 30 mins but what's the point - not enough time get a feel for the conditions.

e30ernest
e30ernest
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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If they are "faking" a fault, I wonder if it would be to hide certain flow patterns around their (Merc and Red Bull) car that spray might give away rather than driver laziness? Or is that unlikely?

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FrukostScones
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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Unc1eM0nty wrote:
FrukostScones wrote: Imagine you came to see him drive.
Didn't know you were such a fan :wink:

I doubt very much that they'd let Lewis get away with a stunt like that, testing is far too expensive and time sensitive for a team to waste half a day like that, maybe he could have gone out for the last 30 mins but what's the point - not enough time get a feel for the conditions.
definitely hope to see him, would be dissapointed with only BOT.
Finishing races is important, but racing is more important.

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WaikeCU
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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Maybe it could be just a morning of systems check and evaluation of the car. Who knows they haven't checked the car thoroughly through testing and just let it run lap after lap, day after day just to see when it could break down. So they now found a reason to check everything and compare it with day 1 when the car hit the track.

BosF1
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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This afternoon of wet-testing seems utter useless as everybody is waiting for the track to dry apparently.

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FrukostScones
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Re: 2017 F1 Pre-season testing February 27 - March 2/ March 7-10

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BosF1 wrote:This afternoon of wet-testing seems utter useless as everybody is waiting for the track to dry apparently.
alledegly Merc asked for it

http://directo.soymotor.com/
a pista se ha vuelto a regar a petición de Mercedes. Pirelli se encarga de los gastos del proceso y ayer vertió 100.000 litros de agua por la noche, 200.000 esta mañana y 200.000 más esta tarde. La empresa que se encarga de mojar el circuito es la compañía catalana Emtrane, S.L..
AMUS reports the same:

http://ticker.auto-motor-und-sport.de/
Im Fahrerlager erzählt die Konkurrenz, dass die Tanklaster in der Mittagspause nur auf Initiative von Mercedes auf die Strecke geschickt wurden. Ein Elektronik-Problem hatte verhindert, dass der Silberpfeil in der Früh Daten auf feuchter Strecke sammeln konnte.
Finishing races is important, but racing is more important.