Position Driver Team Time # of laps 1 Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.106 75 2 Ricciardo Red Bull 1:24.641 22 3 Ericsson Sauber 1:24.804 30 4 Bottas Williams 1:25.167 9 5 Vettel Ferrari 1:25.764 9 6 Sainz jr. Toro Rosso 1:26.081 20 7 Alonso McLaren 1:40.738 6
Vettel's gone quickest and Ericsson second. Have Ferrari improved their engine by more than we realised? As this is pre-season testing the answer is... we don't really know. Rosberg completed twice as many laps as anyone else, so Mercedes seem to have been going for longer stints. One thing we know for sure is it's been a bad start for the McLaren-Honda partnership. Alonso completed 6 laps and went 15 seconds slower than the next slowest car (Sainz).
Simtek wrote:One thing we know for sure is it's been a bad start for the McLaren-Honda partnership. Alonso completed 6 laps and went 15 seconds slower than the next slowest car (Sainz).
I'm fairly sure McLaren were just shaking down the car today and completing the tasks that they wanted to do at the Abu Dhabi test back in November. The real acid test is the next couple of days.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
Simtek wrote:One thing we know for sure is it's been a bad start for the McLaren-Honda partnership. Alonso completed 6 laps and went 15 seconds slower than the next slowest car (Sainz).
I'm fairly sure McLaren were just shaking down the car today and completing the tasks that they wanted to do at the Abu Dhabi test back in November. The real acid test is the next couple of days.
They said on their Twitter that they were trying to sort out some kind of problem with the car.
Simtek wrote:Vettel's gone quickest and Ericsson second. Have Ferrari improved their engine by more than we realised? As this is pre-season testing the answer is... we don't really know. Rosberg completed twice as many laps as anyone else, so Mercedes seem to have been going for longer stints. One thing we know for sure is it's been a bad start for the McLaren-Honda partnership. Alonso completed 6 laps and went 15 seconds slower than the next slowest car (Sainz).
Rosberg's best lap appears to have come at the start of a fairly lengthy stint, and it is indeed the case that Mercedes have focussed mostly on long stints (I believe that Rosberg did a 42 lap stint at one point, and several stints in the order of 20 odd laps), as well as aero calibration runs.
If anything, I would say that the most ominous thing for their rivals was that Mercedes looked very comfortable about racking up such long stints - Rosberg managed to cover more than two race distances today and more than twice the number of laps of the next two drivers combined, with very consistent pace and no signs of trouble. Reliability was one of the few weak areas of Mercedes in 2014, and today would seem to hint that they've worked pretty hard in that area.
As for McLaren, well, their performance was kind of to be expected given that the test in Abu Dhabi was also troublesome. The suggestion from the team is that their issues are down to sensor problems with their power unit, which has caused problems with the energy recovery systems storing and releasing energy, but they do seem to be beginning to get a grip on it. We did see some other teams hit problems too - Red Bull had issues earlier on, for example - so teething issues on the first day are not unexpected: if they are still in the same position by the end of the tests, though, that might be the point where a few more concerns start to surface.
On another note, some of you might have noticed that Lotus were also conspicuously missing from the track - they have announced that, due to problems during construction of their new chassis, they may not hit the track until Tuesday. http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/02/01/l ... n-tuesday/
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
Classical jumping the gun move: Vettel tops the first test of the season and immediately Autosport runs a story analysing if Vettel got his mojo back. They just couldn't wait for, oh I don't know, the first couple of races?
Colin Kolles on F111, 2011 HRT challenger: The car doesn't look too bad; it looks like a modern F1 car.
According to F1Today, Red Bull don't have enough spare parts. It could explain why Kvyat is only doing installation laps without a front wing. Has it been more of a race to the clock to get the car ready than expected?
tBone wrote:According to F1Today, Red Bull don't have enough spare parts. It could explain why Kvyat is only doing installation laps without a front wing. Has it been more of a race to the clock to get the car ready than expected?
Yeah, its a bit strange that. I read earlier that the wing had been broken in 'an off' but that it didn't really matter as the work they were doing today wouldn't be affected. Firstly, surely the handling of the car would be quite different without the front wing and secondly, despite it being early in the season, surely they should have spare front wings as they're one of the most vulnerable parts?
Following the 1st day of testing i wrote some (completely ridiculous i'm sure) predictions about team performance in 2015. I didn't really want to create a "navel-gazing" thread so i'll post the stuff here. I'm sure it's almost offensively innacurate, but writing predictions based on actual evidence is no fun at all.
Worst-to-best pecking order for 2015.
Sauber - 9th
Bottom of the pile. No underdogs to cover for them, so no surprise there. They are probably the earliest to design this car and with few resources to quicken the development pace, so that means all their bits and pieces will be basic and unrefined. Not because of a lack of talent but because of the lack of cash. The fact that they went for softer tyres and attacked the lap times on the most meaningless of test to me says they are flattering their sponsors and trying to get more backing. It's of course to early to tell but this could even be Sauber's final year. Which is preferable to a prolonged slow death.
Lotus - 8th
They hit the reset button on their car and built a completely conventional one this time. Could be fundamentally good, but it's new and their resources are very limited so they're starting from scratch. The mercedes engine will provide no meaningfull benefits because they have to go throgh the pains of adapting to it, Renault's improved engine coupled with continuity would have probably lead to the same overall performance, the Merc badged powerplant will increase in cost this year as a result of manufacturers getting away with their loophole abuse and improving engines during the year (you didnt think that was free? Only for the works team...).
Second year into the hybrid era and Lotus are essentially back to square one. The fact Grosjean was trying to get out of the team until late 2014 tells you all about how much faith he has. Lotus will fight with Force India, good luck getting any kind of a good result this year.
Oh and i almost didn't mention that their car isn't to be assembled until day 3 of the test. While the team meander around and do nothing during days 1 & 2. Well played...
Force India - 7th
Props to the good doc for fighting the good fight last year. Unfortunately they lost (but it saved Button so not all is bad). They pushed development of last year's car well into the territory that only teams chasing championships should venture into. Time spent on the 2014 car is time NOT spent on the 2015 one. The result is that they aren't ready for the 1st test and given their budget, and weakness is likely to be a long term one. Now, if the development they've done last year can carry-over into 2015, then they might clobber Toro Rosso and Lotus, and if McLaren drop the ball (about the only thing they're still doing consistently these day) we might see a repeat of their war last year.
Toro Rosso - 6th
Fighting words, and i belive them. Their 2015 challenger is probably the best one they've ever built. It's still limited and is probably going to lose performance to reliability. Their drivers are good, but i just can't shake the feeling that on a bad day Red Bull clinches 2nd in WCC and on a good day Toro Rosso clinches... well, further down the order than 2nd at least. Slightly improved from 2014 is still not much.
McLaren nth
This is only token since their sheer eagerness NOT to embarras themselves can deliver a Toro Rosso/Force India beating performance even in a shopping trolley. That would be about it, but there's Alonso behind the wheel and that automatically guarantees 5th place as a minimum these days. Otherwise i'd stick them in a sack with TR, FI and Lotus.
Nobody knows where they are. Lowest possible is fighting the two previously mentioned teams and whining about how they dont get to develop at the same rate as other engine. Highest possible is some podiums. I really don't belive the hype and don't think they'll get their act together until after the summer break. They are already targeting a major update (aero & engine) for that time frame and honestly, all they should care about is their development for 2016/2017. Any good result they achieve is just a bonus.
Ferrari - 4th
The Scuderia may be showboating and running low fuel but Vettel is looking for his killer instinct and the kind of mojo that had him stomping his authority on things. 1st day of 1st test is meaningless of course, but psychologically important for him. He hasn't been near threatening since 2013, and this was Vettel trying to be deadly and imperial. And just at the right time he needed to do it too, as his new team will appreciate that kind of performance, low fuel or not.
The car seems decent though still a bit off the pace. If Vettel outdrives it it might be the spur they've needed and would do them well in 2016. 2015, i don't see them threatening 2nd in the championship very much.
Williams - 3rd
This team is keeping quiet. They have converted some of their low-drag aero into more downforce which is a sensible move because it was their lack of downforce that kept them from beating Red Bull. Well that and Ricciardo, but nobody saw that one coming.
The nose change has hurt them a bit, but since that was basically the only major change it would be sensible to assume that the evolution of their car will be at least nearly as good and certainly not much worse. Enjoy the fight at the top. Worst they should do is 4th, but if miracles happen and RB screw up, they might chase Mercedes.
Red Bull - 2nd
Untill proven otherwise, unless Red Bull are abducted by aliens, they are serious competition. It simply doesn't get worse than what early 2014 had in store for them, yet at the end of it all, they were comfortably second. Sure Newey's genius saved them, but it also lead to a TON of headaches and reliability issues.
Of course luck can also be bad luck, but most likely they are heading straight for their second straight second in the WDC.
Mercedes - 1st
If they lost any 'seconds per lap' advantage they had, it's safe to assume they sacrificed it for reliabilty which was the only way they were going to lose. Their engine development is expecting to generate about 50hp to help with the deficit anyway.
The FIA can institute a rule that Hamilton must be paranoid after every other session held on an odd date, and that Rosberg must puncture the tyres of any car of his choice during a race no less than 3 times throughout the year, and they're still winning it.
- I'm mostly basing this based on how i perceive/expect the cars to perform, not really so much the drivers. Toro Rosso and McLaren have potential in the driver department in particular.
Leyton House wrote:Sauber - found out painting your car like an HRT will make it go like one.
Sublime_FA11C wrote:Following the 1st day of testing i wrote some (completely ridiculous i'm sure) predictions about team performance in 2015. I didn't really want to create a "navel-gazing" thread so i'll post the stuff here. I'm sure it's almost offensively innacurate, but writing predictions based on actual evidence is no fun at all.
Worst-to-best pecking order for 2015.
Sauber - 9th Lotus - 8th Force India - 7th Toro Rosso - 6th McLaren nth Ferrari - 4th Williams - 3rd Red Bull - 2nd Mercedes - 1st
I wouldn't put Red Bull this high yet. I know their pre-season wasn't good as well last year, but I feel like their chassis is far from race-ready. The lack of spare parts, as well as the fact that only McLaren and Lotus have done fewer laps, contribute to that feeling.
Sauber seems quite reliable so far and they will be able to acquire some good data so far. Force India haven't driven an inch yet, so there might be a chance that Sauber will beat Force India in the first couple of races. If it's not on raw speed, it may be on reliability. That may yield some crucial points for them.
If 2014 was to teach us anything about Red Bull, it's to never never never never never write them off as a threat in any capacity until at least the first race is done.
Sebastian Vettel wrote:If I was good at losing I wouldn't be in Formula 1.
Position Driver Team Time 1. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:20.984 2. Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:21.867 3. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:22.319 4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:22.490 5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.106 6. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:23.338 7. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:24.167 8. Carlos Sainz jr. Toro Rosso 1:25.327 9. Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:25.802 10. Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:40.738 11. Jenson Button McLaren 1:54.655 12. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull no time
Position Team Day 1 Day 2 Total # of laps 1. Mercedes 157 91 248 2. Sauber 73 88 161 3. Ferrari 60 88 148 4. Williams 73 61 134 5. Toro Rosso 46 73 119 6. Red Bull 35 18 53 7. Lotus 0 41 41 8. McLaren 6 6 12
It shows that Mercedes really seem to have it already under control. They've driven the most laps on both days and both drivers were able to do consistent lap times. Also, it quite surprises me how Sauber are able to cover quite some distance with solid times as well. Lotus seem to have had an unexpectedly good day today without last years' problems. The pace isn't quite there yet, but it seems they'll be more competitive than last year, in my opinion.
I know preseason testing means bupkiss but the fact that Lotus missed the first day and a half and still has run nearly 4 times the laps of Mclaren has got to be disheartening.
Professional Historian/Retired Drag Racer/Whiskey Enthusiast
"He makes the move on the outside, and knowing George as we do, he's probably on the radio right now telling the team how great he is." - James Hinchcliffe on George Russell
Wallio wrote:I know preseason testing means bupkiss but the fact that Lotus missed the first day and a half and still has run nearly 4 times the laps of Mclaren has got to be disheartening.
Not really. It still is more than what Lotus did and more than half what Red Bull managed in whole first four days last season.
Colin Kolles on F111, 2011 HRT challenger: The car doesn't look too bad; it looks like a modern F1 car.
tBone wrote:According to F1Today, Red Bull don't have enough spare parts. It could explain why Kvyat is only doing installation laps without a front wing. Has it been more of a race to the clock to get the car ready than expected?
Yeah, its a bit strange that. I read earlier that the wing had been broken in 'an off' but that it didn't really matter as the work they were doing today wouldn't be affected. Firstly, surely the handling of the car would be quite different without the front wing and secondly, despite it being early in the season, surely they should have spare front wings as they're one of the most vulnerable parts?
Odd.
I would, likewise, have thought that Red Bull would have thought of bringing spare wings - even if the team did not use them for testing, they could still be used for other activities, such as practise pit stops for their mechanics. As it is, it seems that Red Bull basically sent Kvyat out mostly to test different engine map settings and for practise starts, since trying any aero tests or assessing tyre performance would be meaningless in that scenario.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
I enjoyed how all the journos on Twitter were jacking off furiously when the wing was first taken off only for Red Bull to come back with such a pathetic reason.
Wallio wrote:I know preseason testing means bupkiss but the fact that Lotus missed the first day and a half and still has run nearly 4 times the laps of Mclaren has got to be disheartening.
Not really. It still is more than what Lotus did and more than half what Red Bull managed in whole first four days last season.
That's right, but Red Bull had Adrian Newey magic and Lotus had a dreadful season.
Wallio wrote:I know preseason testing means bupkiss but the fact that Lotus missed the first day and a half and still has run nearly 4 times the laps of Mclaren has got to be disheartening.
Not really. It still is more than what Lotus did and more than half what Red Bull managed in whole first four days last season.
That's right, but Red Bull had Adrian Newey magic and Lotus had a dreadful season.
Well, yes, but McLaren has Prodromou. And Alonso. There! (They will probably be in the midfield). I like the rear of this year's car in comparison to last year. It looks better packaged.
Colin Kolles on F111, 2011 HRT challenger: The car doesn't look too bad; it looks like a modern F1 car.
Day 3 and Mercedes are (currently) topping the timesheets, which really looks ominous. They've had a few reliability issues but they look ready to go straight out of the box, almost as if this the end of the 3rd test not the 1st. Short and long run pace is good and no one else has had the consistency to match them.
McLaren on the other hand are beginning to look like the Renault powered teams last season, they've called it a day already.
watka wrote:Day 3 and Mercedes are (currently) topping the timesheets, which really looks ominous. They've had a few reliability issues but they look ready to go straight out of the box, almost as if this the end of the 3rd test not the 1st. Short and long run pace is good and no one else has had the consistency to match them.
McLaren on the other hand are beginning to look like the Renault powered teams last season, they've called it a day already.
Nothing unexpected in both cases. We already know that chances of another Mercedes domination this incoming season are high. Let's hope for some surprises and that they get pegged back somewhat in order for a closer 2016. This takes me to the second point. True that McLaren have been having some issues, but the whole package is brand new. If they manage to double their laps tally tomorrow, it will have been a better test than Renault last season. There is also a plus. Apparently the car is looking fast and when the car was running (track was damp), it was running quite close to Mercedes despite their probable differences in fuel weight and within other people lap times (who weren't doing longer runs). Remember though that this car is completely new and has barely run. That must be encouraging.
Colin Kolles on F111, 2011 HRT challenger: The car doesn't look too bad; it looks like a modern F1 car.
