For years, the Formula One winter testing new cars and diligently for years, the tests also something of Kremlin astrology.
After looking at the cards can not most teams. One must not forget that the tests are not covered by the FIA sovereignty and accordingly can make the team what they want. There is no weight limit, so you can also make the car a little easier, if you wish. What were some teams in the past ever be happy. It does not, of course, when you get out of the car takes 50 kilos, but some clammy team has taken this already ran on one or another sponsor. This year does not seem to be the case. On the contrary - the test times were too slow.
The fact that this year was mainly the tire wear eye was already clear. Because of the Nachtankverbots cars are much more difficult. How difficult is not so clear, because when it comes to tank size you are very closed. Last year, the starting weights ranged from a conservative first stint at around 645 pounds. Since you will still have to pack this year, the 15 pounds on it, the drivers have become more severe, and sometimes even 150-170 kg for the fuel. Makes a launch mass of approximately 750 to 760kg. Up to the fuel drove as far down is that you are traveling with a medium-duty trucks, so it will take something.
This primarily means that the tires have to withstand in the first stint, the greatest burden. Whose tire graining is suffering under, can ride right into the pits. Therefore, in Jerez and Barcelona were driven mainly long runs. They tried to get out the vote on how long you are traveling with the speed which tire. The problem: first, it was never really hot in Spain, on the other Bridgestone tires offers even to different on different routes. While many teams have comparable figures for last year, but funnily enough it will benefit more the backbenchers, who were often on the road anyway with a brim full tank cars.
So you looked at the days are not good times, where it was once dry. End of the test may go some teams seemed to have their pants down, but the times we forget completely. No one in the end, only partially shown, what can the new chassis. Of course I do not sure because I do not know the weights of the team, but I have the times from last year.
And they looked like this:
On the last day in Barcelona, Barrichello drove 1:18.926 min at 2009, a similar weather conditions and the same path length. The fastest cars without the double diffuser was min at 1:20.576 and was driven by Vettel. The fastest time this year stood at 1:20.472 min. It may be that was the end of the flagpole.
There are certainly a few changes this year that make the car slower. First, the front tires have become narrower (20 mm), on the other cars are made longer and the weight distribution has changed. But these changes are likely to account for a quality car in the trim little more than a second, even if you are very generous. One must also remember that car over the last year have become much faster. Brawn could establish itself despite the limited budget of around one second. So this year should MercedesGP can go 17er times. So at least in theory.
One can probably assume that the fast times were not driving with empty tank. But if any turn in a fairly similar weights were traveling, one can at least do a little comparison.
And as you can see that you're probably relatively close together. Ferrari and McLaren made especially for the long runs at an extremely good impression. This is followed by Mercedes and Red Bull, the latter had been a massive problem with the stability of her car. Are difficult to clean, Williams and Force India. Clean looked extremely well, but since it was assumed that one has made a little show. The time differences between de la Rosa and Kobayashi were sometimes very large. The same goes for Force India, while Williams made a good impression overall.
In the backbench is doing little. Both Virgin and Lotus hung around 4.5 seconds behind the leader. This is something very bitter, and above all very much. One can imagine that as "rolling chicanes" fast in the races in the way. I had expected the gap is not as great, but rather estimated at 2 seconds. And in Campos, probably soon be called Hispania Racing Team (HRT), the gap should be even more powerful.
How well I know about which team, next week comes at a great season preview, but really it is the first to see if the quality is going on in Bahrain.
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"This means in particular that the tires have to withstand in the first stint, the greatest burden. Whose tire graining is suffering under, can ride right into the pits. "
Right. , And because the changes in the Aerodynamics While the cars made ugly, but brought no improvement when it comes to overtaking, the driver will probably still need to "tactical" drive. No good prospects in an exciting race. At least one team probably will not again be hands down superior, so that the World Cup at least on the issues paper would be "more exciting" than last year.