Jerez Test 7th-10th Feb 2012 - news and pics

[Silent Bob]

Testing or not testing... i would feel somehow encouraged if we climbed to the top of timesheets in the near future... I miss 2002 and 2004. Everybody knew who was the boss out there...

Wasn't the F2002 a real dog in testing until the very last test day, when Ferrari had the track all to themselves and finally fitted the new Bridgestones... all of a sudden lapped the track 2 sec faster than the top test time? There were a lot of real worried people back then as well.
As for myself, it is definitely too early to start to panic... but I do like to hear (and expect to hear) comments that pertain to how the car drives... if it handles well, turns good, brakes good etc and thus have some reassurances that they haven't gone down the wrong path.. this should happen in the next test for sure.
Funny enough, with EBD gone, this might have been the year to evolve the car we had, rather than go all radical. Just hope it works... another season behind RB and Mclaren, don't even want to think about it. But at least with a completely new car there should be lots of room for development.

[OSS EL BOSS]

It was a very risky decition to use pull-rod suspension at the front, and that is the aggressive approach they have taken.

[Tony]

Wasn't the F2002 a real dog in testing until the very last test day, when Ferrari had the track all to themselves and finally fitted the new Bridgestones... all of a sudden lapped the track 2 sec faster than the top test time? There were a lot of real worried people back then as well.
As for myself, it is definitely too early to start to panic... but I do like to hear (and expect to hear) comments that pertain to how the car drives... if it handles well, turns good, brakes good etc and thus have some reassurances that they haven't gone down the wrong path.. this should happen in the next test for sure.
Funny enough, with EBD gone, this might have been the year to evolve the car we had, rather than go all radical. Just hope it works... another season behind RB and Mclaren, don't even want to think about it. But at least with a completely new car there should be lots of room for development.

It could be worse, you could be a habs fan ;)

[Tifoso]

That's a first from me eh :p

Betting on it would be like winning the lottery

[Tony]

LOL!

[Rob]

Massa: “A lot of work ahead of us, but the F2012 shows plenty of potential”.


Jerez de la Frontera, 8 February – Felipe Massa has seen so much in his life that these two days of testing that apparently have not exactly been up to much, at least if you look at the time sheets, are not enough to scare him. Today, like yesterday, Felipe is a long way off the top of the times, seventh, 1”893 off Michael Schumacher who was fastest today. But it was not enough to wipe away his trademark smile.

“These two days have been different to usual, at least compared to what we’ve been used to at the start of previous years,” explained the Brazilian when he met with journalists. “This car is packed with elements that need plenty of fine tuning and they are different to what we had on previous cars. We concentrated on setting up a lot of specific points and there is still a lot to do: as usual, some things work the way they should, others less so. For example, I did a lot of laps at constant speed to gather information on the aerodynamics and on the general handling, because we need to be sure of the direction in which we need to go on the development front.”

Some aspects have been positive, as Felipe explained: “We made some set-up changes from yesterday to today and the results this produced were what we had expected. It’s important that this happened, as it means the car is reacting in the right way. Obviously, there is still a lot to do, maybe more than we had expected before we started, but we are definitely not scared of hard work!

“I think the F2012 could well suit my driving style better than the previous car: for example, there is much less understeer,” continued Felipe. “It’s only a case of working on it calmly and with concentration and that’s what we will continue to do over the next few days when Fernando drives. I think this car has great potential, also taking into account the point we are at now. Is this the ugliest Ferrari I’ve ever driven? I don’t know, as from the cockpit you can’t see the front wing and therefore not the step either: but definitely from the outside, it’s not the prettiest…”

http://www.ferrari.com/English/Formu...potential.aspx

[diesel08]

"Felipe Massa looked very good late in the day, when he was finally able to string some laps together (prior to that, Ferrari were in telemetry mode: out-lap, in-lap, out-lap, in-lap). The new Ferrari gave the impression of being fast on both slow and fast corners – and I say “gave the impression” because Felipe appeared to be driving well within the car’s limits at every given moment. And he was doing so with a nice, taut entry phase, just as he used to have in the good old days. No reason to be anything but positive about Ferrari at this early stage of the day." PeterWindsor

[Red is Best]

"Felipe Massa looked very good late in the day, when he was finally able to string some laps together (prior to that, Ferrari were in telemetry mode: out-lap, in-lap, out-lap, in-lap). The new Ferrari gave the impression of being fast on both slow and fast corners – and I say “gave the impression” because Felipe appeared to be driving well within the car’s limits at every given moment. And he was doing so with a nice, taut entry phase, just as he used to have in the good old days. No reason to be anything but positive about Ferrari at this early stage of the day." PeterWindsor

Great news.

[Hermann]

"Felipe Massa looked very good late in the day, when he was finally able to string some laps together (prior to that, Ferrari were in telemetry mode: out-lap, in-lap, out-lap, in-lap). The new Ferrari gave the impression of being fast on both slow and fast corners – and I say “gave the impression” because Felipe appeared to be driving well within the car’s limits at every given moment. And he was doing so with a nice, taut entry phase, just as he used to have in the good old days. No reason to be anything but positive about Ferrari at this early stage of the day." PeterWindsor

Thats Windsor trying some reverse jinxing on Ferrari

[Tifoso]

"Felipe Massa looked very good late in the day, when he was finally able to string some laps together (prior to that, Ferrari were in telemetry mode: out-lap, in-lap, out-lap, in-lap). The new Ferrari gave the impression of being fast on both slow and fast corners – and I say “gave the impression” because Felipe appeared to be driving well within the car’s limits at every given moment. And he was doing so with a nice, taut entry phase, just as he used to have in the good old days. No reason to be anything but positive about Ferrari at this early stage of the day." PeterWindsor

I value Windsor's analyses very much.

[NanoTheQuickest]

I'm pretty sure we know what our car is capable of, we have correlation between wind tunnel and track DATA, we also have the best simulator out there. So, if DATA is accurate = our simulation will also be accurate. The only thing to do now is to put the virtual into real and there are no reason why it should not work. Possible complications with the unknowns the real world throws at us all the time is a certainty, but no mountain is unclimbable!!!

[Butterfly]

It was a very risky decition to use pull-rod suspension at the front, and that is the aggressive approach they have taken.

Yes, but the analysis done said the new front suspension had the same behavior as the old system, so maybe it's Felipe's driving style (again).

Fernando can drive it if it has four wheels. All it needs is better tyre management, and he, himself, said it's lightyears ahead of the 150 Italia on that.

Relax people, Fernando will deliver. Felipe won't, but that's not the point.

[GrndLkNatv]

Damn!!! She is beautiful. Looks like something from outer space

My buddy Diego won't have a problem with the mirror test this year!

[REDARMYSOJA]

Yes, but the analysis done said the new front suspension had the same behavior as the old system, so maybe it's Felipe's driving style (again).

Fernando can drive it if it has four wheels. All it needs is better tyre management, and he, himself, said it's lightyears ahead of the 150 Italia on that.

Relax people, Fernando will deliver. Felipe won't, but that's not the point.

God will be in the car tomorrow so we'll see.

[scuderiafan]

14271781.jpg

[Rob]

14271781.jpg

exactly mate.

[GrndLkNatv]

I think this is all about common sense.. First off, Filippo, Michele, Carlo, Andrea, and the rest of the guys are learning how to setup the car which is completely different than years previous cars so they are learning the car at the same time Felipe is learning to drive it, Pat, Paolo and the guys are getting their measurements and they are all working off each test in the order they need to! They have to work down this progression of tests to understand the car, teach the guys how to set it up, verify the wind tunnel measurements are correct, get to know the car. This is 80% new car this year, unlike years previous where the basics were all the same so thinking anything other than the fact that the team is figuring out the car, is mere speculation at best!!!! Pat, Nikolas, nor anyone else on the team can tell you the potential of this car this early in the game. They know what their engineering work says, but right now they are verifying their engineering work.

[Rob]

I think this is all about common sense.. First off, Filippo, Michele, Carlo, Andrea, and the rest of the guys are learning how to setup the car which is completely different than years previous cars so they are learning the car at the same time Felipe is learning to drive it, Pat, Paolo and the guys are getting their measurements and they are all working off each test in the order they need to! They have to work down this progression of tests to understand the car, teach the guys how to set it up, verify the wind tunnel measurements are correct, get to know the car. This is 80% new car this year, unlike years previous where the basics were all the same so thinking anything other than the fact that the team is figuring out the car, is mere speculation at best!!!! Pat, Nikolas, nor anyone else on the team can tell you the potential of this car this early in the game. They know what their engineering work says, but right now they are verifying their engineering work.

well said.

[NanoTheQuickest]

I think this is all about common sense.. First off, Filippo, Michele, Carlo, Andrea, and the rest of the guys are learning how to setup the car which is completely different than years previous cars so they are learning the car at the same time Felipe is learning to drive it, Pat, Paolo and the guys are getting their measurements and they are all working off each test in the order they need to! They have to work down this progression of tests to understand the car, teach the guys how to set it up, verify the wind tunnel measurements are correct, get to know the car. This is 80% new car this year, unlike years previous where the basics were all the same so thinking anything other than the fact that the team is figuring out the car, is mere speculation at best!!!! Pat, Nikolas, nor anyone else on the team can tell you the potential of this car this early in the game. They know what their engineering work says, but right now they are verifying their engineering work.

That's right!

[Butterfly]

Still, I hope they got the front suspension right, because you can't change that afterwards...

[scuderiafan]

and anyone who is going crazy having read that AMuS article, well that entire article seemed to have been made by a long-time Ferrari hater. the writer was pretty much saying that Ferrari were PR speaking, and their car was a dog and they know it, crisis mode, sack everyone DEFCON 1 b*******. funnily enough, i bet they probably loved what Schumi did today, and they will call the W03 a winner, just like last year, and the year before that.

no need for that drivel, it just makes you angrier.

[Rob]

and anyone who is going crazy having read that AMuS article, well that entire article seemed to have been made by a long-time Ferrari hater. the writer was pretty much saying that Ferrari were PR speaking, and their car was a dog and they know it, crisis mode, sack everyone DEFCON 1 b*******. funnily enough, i bet they probably loved what Schumi did today, and they will call the W03 a winner, just like last year, and the year before that.

no need for that drivel, it just makes you angrier.

havent even seen it or read it. Not interested. Dont care what they write or print. Its a long way to go as yet. Its testing, as said few times. We will get to understand this car and then they will stop and admire our car, instead of try to write us off and bashing our car and team.

[GrndLkNatv]

It's all just common sense... It's standard engineering practice..... You created a model on paper, you built the model, you are now verifying it's systems and behavior, then once it's reliable and consistent, you tune it for performance...

[scuderiafan]

havent even seen it or read it. Not interested. Dont care what they write or print. Its a long way to go as yet. Its testing, as said few times. We will get to understand this car and then they will stop and admire our car, instead of try to write us off and bashing our car and team.

i remember after first day, 2011, many thought Reno and Merc were title challengers.

i am actually astonished that after 2 DAYS!!!! people have written off the most changed car of 2012
this is the car that has the steepest learning curve, and it was faster than McLaren today. fair enough some trackside observers thought it was sluggish, but they were experimenting, and who know what kind of tyre/condition of tyre they had, setup, different stages of refinement of parts (pullrod being new compared to other who have had it a year or more) compared to others. Felipe did a completely different program to others, but don't let Facts get in the way of a good old fashioned Ferrari putdown.

also, the Ferrari seemed better in the afternoon. let's see what it does tomorrow.

[Ste]

Our car is pants.

Either Raikkonen or Schumacher will be champion.

We should start working on our 2014 car now because we know next years will be rubbish too.

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

Our car is pants.

Either Raikkonen or Schumacher will be champion.

We should start working on our 2014 car now because we know next years will be rubbish too.

[FrankAlfa]

LOL, 2014, LOL. Good one!

Lets all remember that this is a newborn "Race Horse" it takes a few weeks for the baby to become a Stallion!

Il Cavallino Rampante!

Ciao.

Forza Ferrari!!!!

[Suzie]

God will be in the car tomorrow so we'll see.

Should have given him all 4 days.

[F1NAC]

i didn't see massa on white stripe tires ? Only on silver (Hards) ? Webber and Button were on medium , is that right ?

[diesel08]

Our car is pants.

Either Raikkonen or Schumacher will be champion.

We should start working on our 2014 car now because we know next years will be rubbish too.


@Ste Gyrlis-don't talk like this!
The Ferrari improves in Jerez
Massa: "What potential!"
Milano, 08 February 2012

The second day of testing finished with the German ahead of everyone but using the 2011 car. In the afternoon Felipe Massa tried the soft tyres and was the only driver to improve: "We are doing fundamental work for the future. This car has some great qualities"

Felipe Massa improved in the afternoon. Epa
Slowly, but surely the Ferrari is improving. Yes, you need to be patient, at least listening to the men from Maranello, as the F2012 is still an unexplored planet. The change is too great to think about matching the best lap times and so the second day of testing continued with an obscure (for the public) collection of data on the car's handling, but using the same compounds.

MASSA IMPROVING — When there was just an hour left of testing, Felipe Massa tried out the Pirelli with the yellow markings - the ones that identify the soft compounds - and his times gradually improved to 1:20.454. Felipe was the only driver from one of the top teams to improve his times in the afternoon, which was characterised by a strong, troublesome easterly wind. The wind kept the temperature low (it dropped to almost 12°C and 22°C on the track). But he was still slower than not just Webber, but also Ricciardo, who had an excellent drive with the Toro Rosso, and the two Force India drivers - Bianchi and Di Resta - who took turns behind the wheel. But Felipe was still faster than Button, who, even though he too used the soft tyres, was much slower as he was engaged in distance testing. Like Webber and Michael Schumacher, who was once more the fastest driver on the day and who also completed a massive 132 laps with the Mercedes 2011. For the German team, which still does not have its new car, the priority in these tests was to try out the new tyres.

CONFIDENCE — "This Ferrari has enormous potential". Massa is convinced of it after carrying out the first tests of the season in Jerez, but he also knows that he and Fernando Alonso, who will replace him behind the wheel tomorrow, will need to be very patient. Because the decision taken by Pat Fry - to break with the past by creating a very different car, with extreme solutions - has opened up a whole new world that is still to be explored. And that is precisely what the drivers have to do in these tests. "Of course it's always great to have the fastest times, but we are carrying out a particular type of work, very different from last year - explained the Ferrari driver -: I can't even remember how many laps I completed in these two days at slow speeds to collect information on the aerodynamics, the chassis, the suspension and obviously the tyres. We had to do this because we've broken with the past and the car is very different from that in 2011 or 2010". And even though it looked like the Brazilian was struggling at times to control the car out on the track, he was positive. "There is a lot of work to be done, perhaps more than we expected, but they have been positive days because we have explored many different avenues and different ideas". After Schumi, who was driving the 2011 Mercedes, the best time in a car that will be on the track in Melbourne was obtained by Mark Webber, who - albeit with the necessary caution - left Jerez a happy man: "We seem to be okay, well prepared, although there is obviously always a bit of tension because until Melbourne you don't know exactly where you are".