F1 2019 Pre-Season Testing Thread

[matt_b]

Given that this is the last time LEC will drive the car until Melbourne and the lack of running I would think hes doing low fuel runs and set up work this morning then a race sim this afternoon.

[F1Krof]

You're making it very complicated. What are you talking about two concepts?

Just last week they were struggling, now they must have two cars already? Does not work like that.

[turbof1]

My bet is that if the rumors about balance problems are true they are just trying now some different configurations to find one which is the best one, and start the development race through the season from it.

The time period between the car hitting the track and the new parts being bolted on is too short to be just a reaction what's going on, on the track. Either they knew much longer about the flaws, or the new parts aren't a reaction and just a planned package to be introduced this week.

[TimmTurbo]

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It could very well be is that the current car is nothing more than a further developed version of last week's.
[/quote]

I think thats the case, they are just not that divergent enough to be independent approaches

[Big Mangalhit]

If we forget fuel for the moment, with Hamilton doing an 18.0 , that translates to a 1.16.0 with the use of the softest tyre,

has anyone gone faster with just a tyre correction ?

So i suppose lec lap translates to a 15,2 with your correction? that would be mental

[Sevach]

That's not going to happen. No matter how big Mercedes is, the regulatory allocation of CFD and windtunnel time is way too limited to support 4 concepts. Mercedes is trying things out, the point of testing, before committing one way or the other.

Not only that, but things like more sculpted sidepods look like an improvement outright, little reason to run the old model unless you need bigger radiators.

Barge boards got more complex, more horizontal elements pushing air towards the floor, what tracks would benefit the simpler concept exactly????

The FW is another can of worms because i didn't understand what they were doing with inwash endplates to start with...

[GrandAxe]

Maybe I'm wrong (will neither be the first or last time), and this is a revolutionary idea, but the cars are constantly evolving and I just don't see how you can constantly evolve multiple cars without hindering the development of all of them.

Do you bring four cars to each weekend and halve the Practice time each will get, just so you can check that evolutionary developments work on each car? Which car do you prioritise for the finite wind tunnel usage? Or do you focus exclusively on your general concept and only put resources into the outlier concept on the relevant weekends? In which case, would anyone feel confident if their team turned up to Monaco with the car they used during the first test, months before? Or the car that's been evolving every minute since then? And bear in mind that all the other teams are making their main car faster whilst Mercedes are spending time on their outlier-spec. It just seems to have limited benefits compared to the costs required.

True, it would be more difficult to maintain 2+ concepts. But it is telling that they have successfully produced two aero and two suspension concepts in the same period as the other top teams (Ferrari and Red Bull, as well as others with deep pockets e.g. McLaren) have been able to produce just one of each.

Which could have come at the expense of refining one concept or the other. Maybe they also kept developing while they already produced one set of parts to get the car going on track while they could develop further. It could very well be is that the current car is nothing more than a further developed version of last week's.

I doubt that the weeks car is a development of last weeks. Because, in separate interviews, both Toto Wolff and Christian Horner estimated that it would take months for Merc to be able to develop their car to the Alfa Remeo / Ferrari concept.

[Justthatek]

Taken from another forum.

Last week's W10 was apparently based on development that ended earlier last year. It was tested as their safer option and a fall-back plan.

This week's W10 with the completely different package is the more aggressive build. I still think that Ferrari is the team to beat unless Merc has been doing some serious sandbagging, but from what I've seen/read it's unlikely. I don't think that Merc are having a crisis, just that they've changed up their development a lot.

No one really knows until Melbourne though

Seems plausible to me.

[GPR-A]

I still think that Ferrari is the team to beat unless Merc has been doing some serious sandbagging, but from what I've seen/read it's unlikely. I don't think that Merc are having a crisis, just that they've changed up their development a lot.

That, is what is available on every other tabloid. For as long as Toto thinks that Ferrari are strong, the world is a good place.

[Tzk]

I second that. Merc probably tried the base concept and wanted to see if it matches their expectation. It sort of did concept wise, but not performance wise. That's why they brought the improved parts, that weren't ready for the first week of testing., but for the second. I also suspect that they even refined these parts a bit more with the base/safe option ready in time for testing. You can go all-in time wise, if you got another basic option ready to test.

Merc shows how it's done, Williams how you shouldn't do it

[FittingMechanics]

Mercedes can create one highly developed concept or two mediocre ones. I'm sure they went with one concept, with perhaps early variant of it being manufactured as a fallback option if more advanced version is not ready.

[KiLLu12258]

The other teams will come with a big update to the first Race, Mercedes is a bit erlier. I think there is nothing mysterious behind it. The parts just were not ready for the first week.

The advantage is now that they can test it before melbourne. But if Mercedes is behind Ferrari at the moment i think they have big problem now, ferrari car looks really clean and have a lot more place to add things, mercedes more looks like a car after the big spain update.. more "finished"

Do you guys think the same?

[Big Mangalhit]

I second that. Merc probably tried the base concept and wanted to see if it matches their expectation. It sort of did concept wise, but not performance wise. That's why they brought the improved parts, that weren't ready for the first week of testing., but for the second. I also suspect that they even refined these parts a bit more with the base/safe option ready in time for testing. You can go all-in time wise, if you got another basic option ready to test.

Merc shows how it's done, Williams how you shouldn't do it

Yeah Williams suck when will they start doing things like Mercedes /s

[GPR-A]

Interesting Stat.

Link -> Pirelli reveals gaps between F1’s 2019 compounds
Pirelli's tyre gap estimate:
C1 to C2: 0.8 – 1.0 seconds
C2 to C3: 0.7 seconds
C3 to C4: 0.6 seconds
C4 to C5: 0.6 seconds

In essence,
From C1 to C5 - 2.3 Seconds
From C2 to C5 - 1.9 Seconds
From C3 to C5 - 1.2 Seconds

Leclerc did a 1m16.231 on C5.
Hamilton did a 1m18.097 on C2.
Using the above difference, Hamilton could have a potential 1m16.1xx on C5, which matches his pole time from last year.
It was a nine lap run on C2 when Hamilton did that 1m18.097. So far, I assume neither Mercedes nor Ferrari have switched on the quali mode on their PU.
I willing to bet a high 1m14.xxx to be pole time this year. More like, 1m14.8xx.

[godlameroso]

No one will break 16's I would be very surprised to see a 15 this test.