2015 Spanish Grand Prix - Circuit de Catalunya - 8-10 May

[Moose]

I would say braking is no different the muscle groups needed for a leg press machine:

I don't think so.. it comes more from the calves.. at least this is the case with brake pedals from normale road cars.

Except that your driving position in a normal road car is very different from your position in an F1 car.

[godlameroso]

It's going to be hot race day, 26-27℃ with 55℃ track temperature. Furthermore it's a very high degradation track, particularly the left side and front left especially.

Mercedes just has the best corner entry and by consequence corner exit. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a fast or corner. If there's heavy trail braking and a tricky entry, Mercedes is faster.

Meteorologist?

National predictions states 23º, but predictions for more than 3 days are usually not reliable, so yours is a bold statement

Just got a little inside info, I trust my source very much. 3c difference isn't really much. Most weather reports don't include ground convection in their temperature models.

[f1316]

Still, interesting point re high track temperatures + high degradation. I'm loathe to oversimplify, but the picture so far seems to indicate this could be beneficial to Ferrari; it also means that it's a very different set of circumstances than during testing, when it was quite cool.

[SiLo]

Track temp won't be too high. And I'm sure Merc will have enough pace in hand to not worry about Ferrari doing a longer stint.

[PlatinumZealot]

Still, interesting point re high track temperatures + high degradation. I'm loathe to oversimplify, but the picture so far seems to indicate this could be beneficial to Ferrari; it also means that it's a very different set of circumstances than during testing, when it was quite cool.

Fortunately for Mercedes, but unfortunate for Rosberg and Ferrari, overtaking is almost impossible on this track.

[Hobbs04]

So third sector is always a good indicator of Monaco esqe speed. I wonder how McLaren will fair.

[atanatizante]

IIRC this group : Kimi + Allison + Lotus did very well back in 2012&2013 both in Bahrain and Spain, isn't it?
So where there's a front or rear tyre limited track Kimi should have to do well, methinks, knowing his tyre preserving skills and these 2015 tyres that resembles more with 2012 ones ...

[iotar__]

IIRC this group : Kimi + Allison + Lotus did very well back in 2012&2013 both in Bahrain and Spain, isn't it?
So where there's a front or rear tyre limited track Kimi should have to do well, methinks, knowing his tyre preserving skills and these 2015 tyres that resembles more with 2012 ones ...

Disagree about:
- Raikkonen doing particularly well in Bahrain 12-13 and Barcelona 2013,
- tyres resemblance (they are very different) and grouping
- (from some earlier posts) drawing conclusions from third sector about Monaco or anything else. Last season (without checking circumstances) Ricciardo - Bottas: 29.989 - 30.292 but in Monaco Williams was rather slow, Grosjean 8th 30.525 in Monaco 14th, Toro Rosso slow in Spain but top ten in Monaco etc.
Agree that:
- it's a good track overall for Raikkonen but what does it mean, beating Vettel especially in Q? Challenging Merc which I think are favourites here? It can happen but I wouldn't bet a lot on it, on a two stopper with hard-medium in Barcelona options are limited. O-O-P? Reading teams' quotes they are all targeting someone and nothing ever happens [-o<. The only constant is 100 posts analysing FP2 pace.

[atanatizante]

IIRC this group : Kimi + Allison + Lotus did very well back in 2012&2013 both in Bahrain and Spain, isn't it?
So where there's a front or rear tyre limited track Kimi should have to do well, methinks, knowing his tyre preserving skills and these 2015 tyres that resembles more with 2012 ones ...

Disagree about:
- Raikkonen doing particularly well in Bahrain 12-13 and Barcelona 2013,
- tyres resemblance (they are very different) and grouping
- (from some earlier posts) drawing conclusions from third sector about Monaco or anything else. Last season (without checking circumstances) Ricciardo - Bottas: 29.989 - 30.292 but in Monaco Williams was rather slow, Grosjean 8th 30.525 in Monaco 14th, Toro Rosso slow in Spain but top ten in Monaco etc.
Agree that:
- it's a good track overall for Raikkonen but what does it mean, beating Vettel especially in Q? Challenging Merc which I think are favourites here? It can happen but I wouldn't bet a lot on it, on a two stopper with hard-medium in Barcelona options are limited. O-O-P? Reading teams' quotes they are all targeting someone and nothing ever happens [-o<. The only constant is 100 posts analysing FP2 pace.

Methinks we just see a past and copy Bahrain race, with front runners Merc drivers doing an OOP strategy and Kimi could manage to do an OPO one, but this time with better knowledge hence fortune coz he will beat Seb in qualy ending in 3rd spot on the starting grid ...

[Miguel]

It's going to be hot race day, 26-27℃ with 55℃ track temperature. Furthermore it's a very high degradation track, particularly the left side and front left especially.

Mercedes just has the best corner entry and by consequence corner exit. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a fast or corner. If there's heavy trail braking and a tricky entry, Mercedes is faster.

Meteorologist?

National predictions states 23º, but predictions for more than 3 days are usually not reliable, so yours is a bold statement

I'll take temperature predictions on 7-10 days without issue. I mean, there will be some fluctuations, but are likely to be small. It's rain that's much less reliable.

[BanMeToo]

It depends on where geographically you are talking... some areas of the world have more or less predictable weather.

[giantfan10]

Track temp won't be too high. And I'm sure Merc will have enough pace in hand to not worry about Ferrari doing a longer stint.

reading some of these posts you would think mercedes has finished 1-2 in every race this season.
let me say this .. the person that starts on pole has a distinct advantage in this formula .... thats the only person with pace in hand.
somebody needs to get the memo to rosberg to tell him that he needs to use some of that pace he has in reserve lol

[f1316]

Track temp won't be too high. And I'm sure Merc will have enough pace in hand to not worry about Ferrari doing a longer stint.

reading some of these posts you would think mercedes has finished 1-2 in every race this season.
let me say this .. the person that starts on pole has a distinct advantage in this formula .... thats the only person with pace in hand.
somebody needs to get the memo to rosberg to tell him that he needs to use some of that pace he has in reserve lol

Yes, not quite sure why there's a pervading feeling that Mercedes still has a big advantage; they have an advantage but it's getting smaller race by race seemingly.

With the updates all teams are bringing, it's perfectly possible the advantage will increase, but just as possible it will decrease, and the rumours about Ferrari's package are that it is quite significant.

So I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a raikkonen victory on pure race pace, from a second place grid slot.

[GPR-A duplicate2]

let me say this .. the person that starts on pole has a distinct advantage in this formula .... thats the only person with pace in hand.

No, it's not. If the chasing pack has no clue how to go for attack, that automatically does not translate into THE FORMULA ALLOWS POLESTER TO WIN. It's nothing new that, tyres get affected in turbulent air while chasing, but it's been that way for a long time now. Nico hasn't managed to overtake Lewis once, in the last 2 and half years on a race day. So, he can't be the benchmark to assess if overtaking POLESTER is possible or not. Ferraris does not have the pace to do it either. That is the reality of the situation.

Yes, not quite sure why there's a pervading feeling that Mercedes still has a big advantage; they have an advantage but it's getting smaller race by race seemingly.

Whether the advantage is fading or not, you never know. For as long as a Merc is winning, they have some advantage.

[giantfan10]

let me say this .. the person that starts on pole has a distinct advantage in this formula .... thats the only person with pace in hand.

No, it's not. If the chasing pack has no clue how to go for attack, that automatically does not translate into THE FORMULA ALLOWS POLESTER TO WIN. It's nothing new that, tyres get affected in turbulent air while chasing, but it's been that way for a long time now. Nico hasn't managed to overtake Lewis once, in the last 2 and half years on a race day. So, he can't be the benchmark to assess if overtaking POLESTER is possible or not. Ferraris does not have the pace to do it either. That is the reality of the situation.

sure looked like ferrari had the pace in malaysia... and bahrain when they forced mercedes into running a compromissed setup.
no its not new that tires get affected by turbulent air ... what is new is how much they are being affected by turbulent air...
you have an agenda obviously.. and i dont have the time or patience to argue with you..."the chasing pack has no clue how to attack"? really? the car on pole has an advantage.. clean air and can up or lower their pace to match whoever is behind... they have an advantage and thats a fact...Period you can go elsewhere with the rosberg/ hamilton nonsense