Formula 1 - 2013 Season

[UniversalTruth]

To me it doesn't make sense. So many years with Michael and they achieved nothing and now suddenly out of thin air, magically, they are fast. WTH? Why? Does anyone have a reasonable explanation?
Or F1 proves to be a circus with predetermined scenario...

I really hope it's just an illusion and Ham is a balloon which will explode as soon as the races begin.

 

[DJ12]

There's no mystery, they made changes to staff and processes.

 

[Bludd]

To me it doesn't make sense. So many years with Michael and they achieved nothing and now suddenly out of thin air, magically, they are fast. WTH? Why? Does anyone have a reasonable explanation?
Or F1 proves to be a circus with predetermined scenario...

I really hope it's just an illusion and Ham is a balloon which will explode as soon as the races begin.

As we all know working has never yielded any results in the history of mankind.

 

[Bludd]

Yeah I know, but his time was still 1.2 seconds faster than his pole time at Barcelona last year (and he was excluded because of low fuel), and 2.3 seconds faster than Rosberg's qualifying time. This car is fast.

Don't forget that the tyres this year are softer than last year's. Also, using DRS everywhere is not disallowed in testing as it will be in quali.

 

[Pete]

Also, using DRS everywhere is not disallowed in testing as it will be in quali.

Why did it take so long for this to happen? It seems so logical. Though, as little as I know about F1, I don't even know how it'll affect quali pace. Will it just limit the aero development the lagging teams have to catch up on? Heck, is Mercedes' double DRS still legal?

 

[Kaotik]

Why did it take so long for this to happen? It seems so logical. Though, as little as I know about F1, I don't even know how it'll affect quali pace. Will it just limit the aero development the lagging teams have to catch up on? Heck, is Mercedes' double DRS still legal?

Considering that Lotus is still trying to get their "double DRS" working, I think it is still legal.

 

[Bludd]

Why did it take so long for this to happen? It seems so logical. Though, as little as I know about F1, I don't even know how it'll affect quali pace. Will it just limit the aero development the lagging teams have to catch up on? Heck, is Mercedes' double DRS still legal?

Considering that Lotus is still trying to get their "double DRS" working, I think it is still legal.

Actually, the device called "DDRS" is illegal; all secondary usage of the DRS flap opening is not allowed. This means the Mercedes thing where they routed air to the front wing to stall it is illegal because the DRS flap opened to reveal a hole. The same is with the Red Bull system, they had a hole which was revealed but the air did only go down to blow the beam-wing.

The Lotus system which has been called a DRD (drag-reduction device) does not use the action of using the DRS as an activation, it is a fluidic switch which is supposed to react to air-pressure or -speed or something. It is a passive system, no driver interaction and thus it is allowed.

 

[Bludd]

Why did it take so long for this to happen? It seems so logical. Though, as little as I know about F1, I don't even know how it'll affect quali pace.

It will affect quali pace for sure, especially for Red Bull as their DRS was only tuned for quali. Vettel has shown us he is the most daring user of DRS out of a corner, usually going on DRS much earlier than anyone else.

 

[UniversalTruth]

This was because only his car allowed such high levels of downforce, so he was able to use it without concern about stability problems.

 

[Bludd]

This was because only his car allowed such high levels of downforce, so he was able to use it without concern about stability problems.

Webber couldn't do it as early as Vettel so it isn't just about the car.

 

[Kaotik]

Yeah I know, but his time was still 1.2 seconds faster than his pole time at Barcelona last year (and he was excluded because of low fuel), and 2.3 seconds faster than Rosberg's qualifying time. This car is fast.

Rosberg did even faster lap today.

 

[jimbo75]

Yeah it's interesting to say the least. They aren't all sandbagging that's for sure, I reckon Alonso's pace is the true pace of the Ferrari also.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21649816

 

[wishiknew]

As a Mercedes team fan, them finally using flow viz, sensors and measuring devices was the biggest advance.

 

[Jwm]

Merc might be better, but we have seen this before from them and then nothing. So I think McLaren, RBR, and Ferrari will be up top with Lotus improving.

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[jimbo75]

From what I recall about 2012 pre-season testing, Lotus (especially Grosjean) were strong and Ferrari were poor. I can't really remember Mercedes doing anything that stood out.

 

[Kaotik]

Merc might be better, but we have seen this before from them and then nothing. So I think McLaren, RBR, and Ferrari will be up top with Lotus improving.

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You do realize that car-wise Lotus team already performed Top3 level, better than McLaren, last season despite the fact that McLaren was the fastest car out there for big portion of the season. The only reason they didn't end up above McLaren in the constructors championship was Crashjean failing to finish half the races due his own mistakes.

But yeah, Lotus improving means Kimi will be 2nd or win the championship

 

[Phil]

No one seems concerned by it though, I guess they are.hoping Mercedes went for a glory low fuel run. However Anderson said that no other team had come close even with a fuel corrected time before lunch

It wasn't that much of "low fuel run" as he did 7 consecutive laps after he did that time (compared to Rosberg yesterday who did just one run).

One should factor in though that it is still reasonably cold there and that means more downforce and more power. I think it's safe to say however that despite the quicker tyres of this year, the Mercedes looks to be a fair bit quicker than last years car, though how fast in relation to the front runners is anyones guess still...

 

[Kaotik]

Hamilton did emphasize that his time was on really light load, and IIRC it was 5 lap run, not 7?

"Fuel corrected" is a bad term since you can't know how much fuel car has, it could have fuel for 5, 10, 20 or howevermany laps when driving 5. Only thing we know is that Hamilton at least said he was on light load

 

[Phil]

Hamilton did emphasize that his time was on really light load, and IIRC it was 5 lap run, not 7?

"Fuel corrected" is a bad term since you can't know how much fuel car has, it could have fuel for 5, 10, 20 or howevermany laps when driving 5. Only thing we know is that Hamilton at least said he was on light load

Yeah, I stand corrected, it was indeed 5 lap run. I was actually thinking of his lap on the medium compound tyres when he set a 1.20.8xx time, which was (I stand corrected) also a 5 lap run.

As for Hamiltons comments - do you have a link or a source? Simply being "light" on fuel can mean anything. What we do know however is that if he manages another 4 laps after his quick lap, that he has at least that much fuel on board, and how much fuel for an extra lap amounts to roughly a known time quantity. Thus we can deduct from that how much quicker he potentially could be, assuming qualifying conditions and just enough fuel to complete one or two qualifying laps.

 

[Kaotik]

Yeah, I stand corrected, it was indeed 5 lap run. I was actually thinking of his lap on the medium compound tyres when he set a 1.20.8xx time, which was (I stand corrected) also a 5 lap run.

As for Hamiltons comments - do you have a link or a source? Simply being "light" on fuel can mean anything. What we do know however is that if he manages another 4 laps after his quick lap, that he has at least that much fuel on board, and how much fuel for an extra lap amounts to roughly a known time quantity. Thus we can deduct from that how much quicker he potentially could be, assuming qualifying conditions and just enough fuel to complete one or two qualifying laps.

Was there 4 laps after the quick lap? (didn't actually check)
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1...y-down-Mercedes-Day-Three-Barcelona-test-pace

"But again you don't know what people are doing. Fuel loads make such a big difference: you take ten kilos out of the car and you gain three tenths of a second. We tended to be on the light load, and others on heavy load today doing longer runs, so it really doesn't show much.