With just two weeks to go before the 2013 Formula One season gets underway in Melbourne, the final four-day test took place in Barcelona, with two days of wet weather followed by two days of dry running. This enabled the teams to sample the entire range of 2013 Pirelli tyres and finally provided conditions representative to racing.
Yes this is obvious..Vasconia wrote:I was obviously referring to the official mid-season test made in Mugello. That was an excellent opportunity for Ferrari to indroduce and check some important updates.Nando wrote:I think you might be confusing Mugello with Fiorano.bonjon1979 wrote:Just because they have a track, doesn't mean they're allowed to use it. Ferrari weren't doing any on track tests to improve their car.
I disagree. It would have meant that if Merc were a top team last year and were fighting for the championship. The reality though is that the W03 probably wasn't being seriously worked on for the last 4-5 months of the year, and the W04 was probably being hammered out seriously for all that time. So in reality they've probably made up that difference in the space of 7-8 months, which sounds much more doable, especially with an all new aero team.kilcoo316 wrote:hahaha - I'm an idiot!beelsebob wrote:You suck at subtraction.
Sorry!
That would be a net 2-2.2 second difference in their absolute times over 12 months [assuming all else is equal]. More astoundingly, it would probably equate to a net ~1.5 difference in 3 months (which I have great difficulty in believing - not unless there was a clear fundamental flaw in W03 that is not in the public domain).
I can certainly see that, yes.Given they were around half a sec off in Aus 2012 (in qual) and around a sec a lap off in race... and that the other teams will probably have put around about 1-1.2 second on their cars... then Merc *may* be in-around the pace.
Agreed, there's certainly a question hanging over whether the tyres will degrade in higher temps. That said, I also don't believe all the hype about "if they're doing well at this temp, they won't be in the warm". Then every single team except for Ferrari would be in trouble. More surprisingly, Lotus would be in trouble, which would be especially odd, given that they are the ones who could deal with the hot only last year.***BUT***... it keeps coming back to ambient temperatures for me. They looked great in China last year when it was cold. They look great in Barce this year when it is cold. If it had been 25+degC in Barce this year, then I'd have less trouble believing their runs are representative.
kilcoo316 wrote:
Given they were around half a sec off in Aus 2012 (in qual) and around a sec a lap off in race... and that the other teams will probably have put around about 1-1.2 second on their cars... then Merc *may* be in-around the pace.
kilcoo316 wrote: Agreed, there's certainly a question hanging over whether the tyres will degrade in higher temps. That said, I also don't believe all the hype about "if they're doing well at this temp, they won't be in the warm". Then every single team except for Ferrari would be in trouble. More surprisingly, Lotus would be in trouble, which would be especially odd, given that they are the ones who could deal with the hot only last year.
The way I see it is - on a cold day:beelsebob wrote:Agreed, there's certainly a question hanging over whether the tyres will degrade in higher temps. That said, I also don't believe all the hype about "if they're doing well at this temp, they won't be in the warm". Then every single team except for Ferrari would be in trouble. More surprisingly, Lotus would be in trouble, which would be especially odd, given that they are the ones who could deal with the hot only last year.
That 1-1.2 sec includes the rest of the 2012 season post Australia.Ferraripilot wrote:kilcoo316 wrote:
Given they were around half a sec off in Aus 2012 (in qual) and around a sec a lap off in race... and that the other teams will probably have put around about 1-1.2 second on their cars... then Merc *may* be in-around the pace.
This is false. Fernando himself stated no one has found that kind of time.
kilcoo316 wrote:That 1-1.2 sec includes the rest of the 2012 season post Australia.Ferraripilot wrote:kilcoo316 wrote:
Given they were around half a sec off in Aus 2012 (in qual) and around a sec a lap off in race... and that the other teams will probably have put around about 1-1.2 second on their cars... then Merc *may* be in-around the pace.
This is false. Fernando himself stated no one has found that kind of time.
I would be surprised.Ferraripilot wrote:If Merc aren't within 2-3 tenths of the top contenders I will be surprised.
Yep - but I don't think I can emphasis enough the pace you need to develop at just to stick with the top guys, never mind close in on them.Mika1 wrote:It a big difference between Luc Bigois or Aldo Costa, Bell and Elliot designing the car.
"Mercedes have recorded some head-turning times with the programme they have been operating to," Horner, whose own team will start as favourites for fourth successive constructors' and drivers' titles with triple champion Sebastian Vettel, told reporters on Wednesday.
"Their car looks quick, and with Lewis joining the team they will naturally take a step forward. He is worth lap time, which is why they signed him.
http://www.supersport.com/motorsport/ar ... Id=1824444"Lewis, as we all know, is a world-class driver, and he is going to raise their level, and they will be a factor this year," said Horner.
http://www.crash.net/f1/news/188651/1/v ... mpaign=rss“I finally took the chance to watch some of the other teams for a bit,” he wrote on his personal website, looking back at the Catalunya test. “Nico (Rosberg) had a great final day of testing in his Mercedes, which shows how dangerous he and Lewis will be in the future. But there are a lot of others to keep in mind as well.”
First up I'll hold my hand up, I havent bothered reading the last 10 or so pages so I'm sorry if this has already been brought up.Ferraripilot wrote:kilcoo316 wrote:
Given they were around half a sec off in Aus 2012 (in qual) and around a sec a lap off in race... and that the other teams will probably have put around about 1-1.2 second on their cars... then Merc *may* be in-around the pace.
This is false. Fernando himself stated no one has found that kind of time.
Diminishing returns with these 2013 cars. If Red Bull, Mclaren found more than half a second I would be thoroughly amazed. Their cars just haven't evolved that much since Brazil. What silver bullet did they find buried in their cars, and the answer is they haven't any silver bullet. Their front wings, brake ducts, rear wings, sidepods etc. have not really changed. I obviously have no CFD breakdowns of their cars but I'm also not blind, there's nothing revolutionary there from last year that would yield a full second.
