Saving motors is more like it ..megz wrote:Whitmarsh says Hamilton wont go out in interest to save tyres "they so desperately need" yet admitted 30seconds before they expect a dry quali and race....
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Kimi Raikkonen can thank his KERS device for winning the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps this year. He had trouble fending off Fisichella all through the race but managed to get past him with KERS power. Vettel meanwhile is third, both here as well as in the championship.
Saving motors is more like it ..megz wrote:Whitmarsh says Hamilton wont go out in interest to save tyres "they so desperately need" yet admitted 30seconds before they expect a dry quali and race....
All their tires are given back to BS after the FPs, then they get their race allocation... no tire you have on Friday will be run in Qual or Race. Probly saving engine millage, or saving tires for more FP3 running.Roland Ehnström wrote:If it's a dry race they don't need to test in rain. If it's a wet race they need to save rain tires for the race. So they stay in the box either way. Simple logic.megz wrote:Whitmarsh says Hamilton wont go out in interest to save tyres "they so desperately need" yet admitted 30seconds before they expect a dry quali and race....
KERS gives, about 80hpJamesS wrote:Lewis was consistently slow(er) than others in S2 in FP2 (he set his fastest time 0.8s slower in S2 than the 2nd place man, but still came top), but then made up all the time in S1 and S3. What gives?
Marc Surer explained it during FP1. The slicks are to be given back. But the wet tires (heavy wets and "intermediates") are limited to the entire weekend. If I understood him correctly they only have 3 sets of heavy wets and 4 sets of "intermediates". Whitmarsh is absolutely correct when he says they cannot afford to waste them.megz wrote:Whitmarsh says Hamilton wont go out in interest to save tyres "they so desperately need" yet admitted 30seconds before they expect a dry quali and race....
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BMW Sauber F1 Team - Belgian Grand Prix - Free Practice
28.08.2009
Press Release
Weather: unsettled, rain in the first session, 15-18°C Air, 17-33°C Track
Spa-Francorchamps (BE). Changeable weather conditions are the norm at Spa: After the first 90 minutes of free practice for the Belgian Grand Prix were wet, the track was dry for the afternoon’s session, and there was even some sunshine. The BMW Sauber F1 Team managed to compress the usual Friday programme into the second session and all in all enjoyed a trouble free day.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.09-08 / BMW P86/9
1st Free Practice: 9th, 1:53.650 min / 2nd Free Practice: 8th, 1:47.578 min
“The conditions today were quite changeable. We started the first practice session on dry tyres, but it started to rain pretty soon as actually we were only able to do one timed lap on dry tyres at the start of the session. We took advantage of the weather conditions and did a couple of laps on full wet tyres just to see how the car behaved in case of rain. We had to squeeze quite a lot into the second free practice session, and on top of that we evaluated the tyres and worked on the set-up. It was quite difficult as we had to cram several things into a very tight programme. We even had to mix several evaluations in one run. We also have a couple of new components on the car.”
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.09-07 / BMW P86/9
1st Free Practice: 14th, 2:05.614 min / 2nd Free Practice: 16th, 1:48.017 min
“It was quite okay. In the first session the rain disrupted our programme. In the afternoon we made the usual tyre compound comparisons, with a somewhat surprising result as I found the harder compound the better one.”
Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
“In the afternoon we concentrated mostly on the tyre comparisons, after we failed to gather any relevant information on the dry tyres in the morning. We still have quite a lot of work to do on the set-up of the car, because it is particularly important for the drivers to feel confident on this demanding track. The second sector, with its quick corners, is the most important one and this is what we have to focus on. Once again the field is very close with 18 cars classified within one second.” Code: Select all
Objectives P1
• Analysis of new mechanical components
• Mechanical set-up work
Objectives P2
• Performance evaluations with low and high fuel loads
• Tyre comparisons
Conclusions – Rod Nelson, Chief Operations Engineer
“As Valencia is a street circuit we found that the grip level increased throughout the sessions, particularly in the second session when people started running the new tyres. As usual on a Friday, we concentrated on a combination of car set-up work and also some homework for the race with some long runs on both types of tyre. The circuit was in fairly good condition at the end of the session and the weather looks like it will remain pretty hot and humid all weekend.”
Nico Rosberg
Runs P1: 1 install (new prime), 6 (scrubbed prime), 4 (scrubbed prime), 5 (scrubbed prime)
Runs P2: 2 (scrubbed prime), 11 (new prime), 11 (new option), 4 (new option), 3 (scrubbed option)
“I had a difficult start in the morning because the tyres grained straightaway. I was then left with a grained set for the remainder of the session which meant I didn’t learn much at all. The afternoon was much better as we managed a good tyre test so we now have much more information for Sunday. We also made some positive set-up changes and have a good handle on which way to go with the car. In general, it was ok today. Performance-wise, we are not quite where we want to be so we have some further analysis to do ahead of tomorrow, but that should help us improve. We will wait and see.”
Kazuki Nakajima
Runs P1: 1 install (new prime), 7 (scrubbed prime), 6 (scrubbed prime), 5 (scrubbed prime)
Runs P2: 3 (scrubbed prime), 9 (new option), 9 (new prime), 3 (new option), 1 (scrubbed option)
“I think it was a good day for us. We seem to have good long run pace and, even on the new tyres, our times were decent on the short runs as well. The track was fairly green at the start of the day, but improved throughout the two sessions and will continue to do so for tomorrow’s qualifying, which I’m really looking forward to.”
Practice Results
Top Three DriversPosition Driver & Lap Time (Session 1) Driver & Lap Time (Session 2)
1 R Barrichello 1:42.460 F Alonso 1:39.404
2 H Kovalainen 1:42.636 J Button 1:40.178
3 L Hamilton 1:42.654 R Barrichello 1:40.209
AT&T Williams ClassificationDriver Chassis & Engine 1st Session Laptime 2nd Session Laptime
N Rosberg FW31-03 / H453 1:43.746 (14th) 1:40.385 (4th)
K Nakajima FW31-04 / H469 1:43.225 (7th) 1:40.503 (5th)
Practice Conditions Session 1 Session 2
Weather Hot and sunny Hot and sunny
Track Temp 28 - 37C 44 - 50C
Air Temp 25 - 27C 28 - 30C
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Belgian Grand Prix - Free Practice Round-Up
28.08.2009
Panasonic Toyota Racing was back on track again today just five days after the European Grand Prix, with the first practice sessions at Spa-Francorchamps. The classic track, venue for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, is located just over an hour's drive from the team's technical centre in Cologne, Germany and the weekend started positively for the local team. Spa is famed for changeable weather and that reputation was enhanced in first practice when clouds gathered and rain fell a few minutes in. By that time Jarno Trulli had already set a flying lap, unlike team-mate Timo Glock. With no improvement in conditions, both drivers took to the track later in the session on wet Bridgestone Potenza tyres, gathering information about the TF109's handling in rain. By virtue of his early lap on a dry track, Jarno was fastest but Timo's only timed laps came in the wet, leaving him down the order. Afternoon sun dried the track for second practice, allowing both drivers to concentrate on evaluating the revised front and rear wings which the team is using at Spa as part of its low-downforce aerodynamic package. In addition, comparison runs between the medium and soft tyres were carried out with Timo ending the day an impressive second fastest and Jarno also in the top eight.
Jarno Trulli - Car 9, Chassis TF109-06
1st Practice: 1st, 1m 49.675s, 13 laps
2nd Practice: 7th, 1m 47.559s (+0.358s), 33 laps
"It was a good Friday for us. Obviously there is still work to do to get the most out of the car and I need to find a bit more grip at the rear end but all in all I am very happy with the results today. I have a good feeling from the car so I hope it will be a competitive weekend for us. The track was wet this morning which meant we couldn't do all of the tests we had planned but we did some laps to better understand the car in those conditions. In the afternoon, when it was dry, the track just got quicker and quicker. I was working mainly on race pace today, getting the car set-up in race trim so we have a good balance for Sunday, and it seems to be reacting well."
Timo Glock - Car 10, Chassis TF109-05
1st Practice: 18th, 2m 06.331s (+16.656s), 15 laps
2nd Practice: 2nd, 1m 47.217s (+0.016s), 29 laps
"Whenever you come back to Spa it is a nice experience to do your first laps of the weekend and that was the case again today. It's a great circuit and very satisfying for a driver, especially when you have a competitive car. It's hard to draw any conclusions from the wet session this morning but I am pleased to be second in the afternoon; that is very encouraging. The car felt pretty good and the lap times show that. Still, there are a couple of areas to improve so we will work on those before qualifying and try to find the perfect aerodynamic balance. I am happy with how things went today and I'm interested to see where we are tomorrow."
Dieter Gass - Chief Engineer Race and Test
"Overall it has been a positive day for us. It was a bit unfortunate that the first session was disrupted by wet conditions because dry weather is forecast for the rest of the weekend, so we lost some time to work on the car. In the afternoon we were mainly concentrating on assessing the revised aerodynamic package we have brought to this race. We also looked at the tyres and both specifications seem to be behaving okay. We anticipated some warm-up issues but that doesn't seem to be the case. In general we are quite happy with what we have seen so far so we are looking forward with optimism to the rest of the weekend."
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FRIDAY PRACTICE
LEWIS HAMILTONMP4-24-05
P1 programme
4 laps No time (20th)
P2 programme
29 laps 1m47.201s (1st)
Lewis and his engineers opted to sit out the majority of this morning’s wet session, instead completing a series of installation laps to evaluate a number of minor new components for this weekend’s race. As a result, he finished the session at the bottom of the timesheets without setting a laptime.
The morning’s curtailed running placed greater emphasis onto the afternoon session, and the team quickly worked through its morning set-up work before beginning a tyre analysis programme. With a large number of variables to assess – and a few minor niggles, such as a broken component within the cockpit hampering running – Lewis and his engineers will spend the evening properly examining the full potential of MP4-24’s performance ahead of P3 and qualifying tomorrow.
Nonetheless, Lewis was pleased with the overall pace of the car today – the first proper test of the upgraded package at a high-speed circuit – and finished the day fastest overall.
“I’m happier today than I expected,” he said. “We don’t have as much downforce as some of the other teams, so we’re not as quick as we’d like to be, especially in the middle sector. Fortunately, however, we have KERS and can use it to our advantage in the first and third sectors.
“The car didn’t feel fantastic today – but we only really had one session to find a set-up so we’ve got some changes to make overnight. Still, this is a massive improvement compared with Turkey or Silverstone, and we look competitive, which is important, so we’re not unhappy.”
HEIKKI KOVALAINENMP4-24-03
P1 programme
11 laps 1m53.838s (8th)
P2 programme
33 laps 1m47.743s (12th)
Heikki waited until the track was properly damp before beginning his morning programme on Bridgestone wet-compound tyres. He completed limited running, briefly running wide onto the Turn Eight gravel, but set the eighth-fastest time of the morning session.
Like his team-mate, Heikki crammed two sessions’ worth of work into this afternoon, busily working through set-up changes before beginning a lengthy long-run programme to evaluate the tyres. He completed two long runs this afternoon: nine laps on Primes (1m48.321s best), nine laps on Options (1m47.974s).
“I think slower speed corners suit our car better than high-speed stuff,” Heikki said. “So I guess we are still losing a bit of time in the high-speed corners compared to the fastest cars. But we’ve definitely made some good improvements in this area and the car feels positive to drive and seems to be working quite well around here.
“We’re in the hunt again, which is encouraging, and we’re working on a strong strategy for the race. We should be able to fight for a good starting position in qualifying tomorrow.”
MARTIN WHITMARSHTeam principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“As always at Spa, the weather played a prominent role in our preparations for the race – but the local micro-climate is one of the idiosyncrasies of the place, and the reason why it so often throws up an unusual result. As an example, this morning’s rainfall initially looked like a passing shower but ended up rendering much of P1 useless for practical evaluation.
“Into this afternoon’s practice, the blue skies enabled us to complete some more meaningful running as we crammed a busy set-up evaluation and a tyre analysis programme into a single session. The lack of running means there’s still scope for further improvement, and there’s plenty of work to be done overnight, but we end the first day reasonably encouraged by the speed of our overall package.”
NORBERT HAUGVice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Today was a positive start to our weekend. Having said that, the top 10 is only separated by 0.4s and there are 18 cars – including the top two in the world championship in 17th and 18th spots – within less than a second of each other. This shows just how mega-competitive Formula 1 is these days and today was probably the Friday with the closest lap times in the history of this demanding traditional 7km circuit.
“However, things will probably look different tomorrow. I’m definitely not expecting the four guys fighting for the world championship to be in positions four, 10, 17 and 18 on the grid.
“Neither Lewis nor Heikki have been completely happy with the set-ups of their cars so there will be some work to be done before tomorrow. But, all in all, Spa has started off better than I would have expected, and everybody in the team has been working flat out to make sure we are continuing in that direction.”
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GP Belgium: Friday Practice
28 | 08 | 09
In the morning Mark was 17th fastest with a best time of 2:06.181 after 15 laps, while Seb did not record a time. This afternoon Mark was 4th quickest recording a time of 1:47.329 over 31 laps, Seb was 10th fastest after 25 laps with a time of 1:47.602.
Car 14 Mark Webber
1st Practice P17, 2nd Practice P4
“I think that’s the most we could have hoped for during today’s session. You always expect to lose a session in Spa due to the changeable weather conditions and that was the case this morning. We had a pretty productive afternoon with plenty to go through. We didn’t always move in the right direction, but that’s not always a bad thing as we learn from it. So, that’s today and now we’ll put it all in focus for tomorrow – not a bad start for us.”
First Practice Session
Position: 17, Best Time: 2:06.181, Laps: 6, Chassis No. 3
Second Practice Session
Position: 4, Best Time: 1:47.329, Laps: 37, Chassis No. 3
Car 15 Sebastian Vettel
1st Practice 19, 2nd Practice P10
“We didn’t have so much running time today, especially in the morning, but that was actually quite good for us. We knew we would face a difficult Friday as we don’t have that much mileage available because of my engine situation, so it was a little bit lucky to have the rain this morning. In the afternoon, I felt comfortable with the car, we didn’t have any problems and I’m quite happy with the performance. We need to see exactly where we are tomorrow, but I think it’s been a good start to the weekend. I love this circuit, it has excellent corners and is a lot of fun.”
First Practice Session
Position: 19, Best Time: No time, Laps: 1, Chassis No. 1
Second Practice Session
Position: 10, Best Time 1:47.602, Laps: 24, Chassis No. 1
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2009 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - PRACTICEPosted: Friday 28 August 2009 at 16:21The infamous Spa weather lived up to expectations today with the first of the practice sessions for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix taking place in very different conditions as Brawn GP’s Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello took to the race track again just five days after the European Grand Prix in Valencia.
The first practice session this morning began on a dry track but was interrupted after just thirty minutes by a rain shower which sent all the cars back into the pits. As the rain intensified over the remaining hour of the session, Jenson and Rubens went out on the Bridgestone Potenza wet tyres to get some valuable wet weather track time ahead of the weekend.
By contrast, the afternoon practice session proved fine and dry, enabling the team to make good progress with the planned Friday programme. With the focus on aerodynamic, downforce and tyre comparisons, Jenson and Rubens collected some useful data to help refine the set-up of the car overnight ahead of Saturday’s qualifying hour.
RESULTS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2
Jenson Button 22 BGP 001-02 18 laps 01:50.283 P2 34 laps 01:48.125 P17
Rubens Barrichello 23 BGP 001-03 18 laps 01:52.321 P6 37 laps 01:48.130 P18
Weather Rain in the morning, dry and sunny afternoon
Temperatures Air: 14-18°C Track: 16-34°C
JENSON BUTTON
“It was a tough session this morning as we weren’t able to get much done apart from some wet running at the end. However that experience is good here just in case it rains over the weekend which is always possible at Spa. The second session this afternoon was much more useful. We worked through a few aero and downforce comparisons as well as looking at the tyres. We collected a lot of information but obviously at the moment we’re not as quick as we would like to be. There are a few areas that we do need to improve on with the balance but the potential is there to do that ahead of qualifying.”
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
“We got through a lot of work today which sets the weekend up nicely. There is still some way to go to realise the full potential of the car but as always on a Friday, the lap times don’t tell the whole story. It was pretty useful to get some wet running in this morning just in case the weather plays a part in qualifying or the race. The car doesn’t feel as competitive as it did in Valencia last weekend but we’re going to be in a good position to fight hard in qualifying tomorrow.”
ROSS BRAWN
“A good start to the weekend and we were able to achieve much of our planned testing programme despite the interruptions from the weather this morning. We’re not experiencing any issues with tyre temperatures so far which is positive and it’s good to see our hard work in this area starting to pay dividends. There is still some way to go to maximise the set-up of the car to the requirements of both drivers so it will be a busy hour of practice tomorrow morning to get ready for qualifying.”
It wouldn't surprise me if you're seeing some engine conservation going on at Red Bull.StrFerrari4Ever wrote:Interesting to see those Sector times ISLAMATRON Red Bull in the first sector are clearly down to many cars but in the second sector all 4 of their cars are competetive and they need to improve the final sector but hey it's Friday so will see tommorow and on Saturday