Bahrain testing 19-22 Feb

[ntukza]

On Thursday, both Mercedes and Ferrari did race-distance simulation runs with Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso. In theory, these should give a better comparison of relative performance than one-off lap times. There are still endless variables - the spec of the engine and chassis, different tyre compounds, whether they met fuel-usage requirements, etc, and the distances were not exactly the same - Alonso did 11 more laps. And there is of course room for user (me) error. But the average lap times are fascinating. Alonso's was 1:42.84; Rosberg's 1:42.65. Less than 0.2secs difference. Alonso said on Thursday that he expected the first race to be "a great competition". On that basis, he's not far wrong. There's a proviso, though. Rosberg's fastest time of the day - a 1:36.965 - came during this period. Alonso didn't get anywhere near that until later." via Adrew Benson

This is the kind of thing I like to hear. Meaningful interpretations of test activities. :munch

[shamim179]

Good first 2 days. Mediocre 3rd day but it could have been worse.

Red Bull are severely hampered this season because of the Renault engine. Unlikely they will be a contender this year. I'm more concerned about Mercedes, McLaren and even the Williams. With Red Bull likely to be out of the equation for this year instead of having just 1 or 2 main competitors last year, this year it might be 3! It's going to be a very difficult season but if our engine is evenly matched with that of the Mercedes-Benz reliability might be the determining factor as to who comes out on top.

[racingbradley]

I read somewhere that Alonso said that our goal is to finsh the race in Melbourne!!!!!

strange...

Not strange at all. :-) No hope of winning if you do not finish the race. ;-)

[Jas]

not much talk about fuel economy at test so far

[radosav]

where exactly is he all over the place? I see only at 0:33 a bit of slide

I've read on other forums quotes of racing journalists from Bahrain track that every car is behaving like that! Even Red Bull with Vettel was running wider race lines because torque was hard to control! They say that it will interesting to see start of the race and first few laps on cold tyres!

[Nero Horse]

I read somewhere that Alonso said that our goal is to finsh the race in Melbourne!!!!!

strange...

"To finish first, you have to first finish." ;-)

[Rob]

They just say it's a mechanical issue, didn't specify what it was :Hmm

:Hmm

Now, i know all teams having teething problems, and to change anything or fix something is taking ALOT longer at the moment. But could RBR trying to do something clever with their packaging and placement of certain components? As we now know what they did with the KERS last few years.

[Jose Lorca]

Button: "We know we are not the quickest"

[Winter]

I've read on other forums quotes of racing journalists from Bahrain track that every car is behaving like that! Even Red Bull with Vettel was running wider race lines because torque was hard to control! They say that it will interesting to see start of the race and first few laps on cold tyres!

This would be a good thing to drivers who are comfortable with oversteer. Nr 7 is one of them :-P

[f300v10]

AMUS reports that Alonso had the fastest top speed on day 2, 336.4 kph (into a slight headwind), which is 22 kph faster than in 2013. The McLaren was second at 330.2. Alonso may have been drafting when the top speed was recorded, but this would seem to indicate the Ferrari power unit is at least close to the Mercedes in peak power.

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/2014er-autos-deutlich-schneller-top-speeds-in-bahrain-22-km-h-hoeher-8087032.html

[Nero Horse]

So, as I understand we had some telemetry issues today?

But otherwise it wasn't a bad day at all and a time of 1:37.4 is quite good compared to others, considering that we lost a bit of track time. So I see absolutely no reason to frown or be pessimistic. These kind of temporary setbacks are quite normal with all these new technologies and gadgets. We can make up for the lost track time tomorrow, it's all good. :thumb

[wisepie]

So many variables make any accurate conclusions impossible at this stage. We just have to let the team do what they need to do and trust their judgement, but we appear to be in reasonable form compared to most others, although we should never under-estimate any of the competition, especially the Merc-powered variety. The heat is on!

[AfterLife]

Is there any news confirming that Marussia's white smoke problem is the same problem that Ferrari had yesterday?
Source would be appreciated if there is any :-)

[Nero Horse]

Does anyone know what tyre compound did Merc and Macca use to set their fastest time and what tyres did we use to set our fastest time? :Hmm

[radosav]

This would be a good thing to drivers who are comfortable with oversteer. Nr 7 is one of them :-P

Well there is oversteer , and there is oversteer !

[Winter]

Is there any news confirming that Marussia's white smoke problem is the same problem that Ferrari had yesterday?
Source would be appreciated if there is any :-)

Fuel mix problem was the reason for Ferraris smoking, or so was said anyway.. And it was fixed pretty fast.
Marussia was on the pit almost whole day, so I doupt the smoke came from same reason. Something really failed in Marussias case would be my guess.

[AfterLife]

Does anyone know what tyre compound did Merc and Macca use to set their fastest time and what tyres did we use to set our fastest time? :Hmm

I read in one of the comments from James Allen latest article that Lewis Hamilton was on soft and Jenson Button was on super soft.

Edit: in latest article James Allen has said that Hamilton was on soft and Button was on super soft.

but who cares really?

[emirBoz]

button was on supersoft

hamilton 1.34.813 on soft
hamilton 1.34.2 on supersoft

[Rishu]

Button: "We know we are not the quickest"

It has to be either Mercedes or Ferrari :-D

[Unbannable II]

AMUS reports that Alonso had the fastest top speed on day 2, 336.4 kph (into a slight headwind), which is 22 kph faster than in 2013. The McLaren was second at 330.2. Alonso may have been drafting when the top speed was recorded, but this would seem to indicate the Ferrari power unit is at least close to the Mercedes in peak power.

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/2014er-autos-deutlich-schneller-top-speeds-in-bahrain-22-km-h-hoeher-8087032.html

This should put the "Down on power" roumors to rest. No way could Alonso clock that speeds if the engine was lacking in horsepower and torgue !!
Great news! :thumb

[Unbannable II]

It has to be either Mercedes or Ferrari :-D

Probably both ;)

[Jose Lorca]

It has to be either Mercedes or Ferrari :-D

He was talking about Mercedes: "We're still lacking a lot of downforce, I think every team is, but compared to the car that was quicker than us today I think it's an area where we are weak at the moment. But the basic aim for us was to get a good car mechanically and a basic aerodynamic car and hopefully build on that through the season, but as much as we can for the first race. Yes, we're in a reasonable position. You'd like to be faster, I think every team except for the Mercedes team would be. When you look at other teams' test days and what they're up to you'd say that we're in reasonable shape."

But I think we are in the same position as Mercedes, because yesterday Alonso on softs was faster in S2 than Magnussen's 1:34.9.

[Rishu]

He was talking about Mercedes: "We're still lacking a lot of downforce, I think every team is, but compared to the car that was quicker than us today I think it's an area where we are weak at the moment. But the basic aim for us was to get a good car mechanically and a basic aerodynamic car and hopefully build on that through the season, but as much as we can for the first race. Yes, we're in a reasonable position. You'd like to be faster, I think every team except for the Mercedes team would be. When you look at other teams' test days and what they're up to you'd say that we're in reasonable shape."

But I think we are in the same position as Mercedes, because yesterday Alonso on softs was faster in S2 than Magnussen's 1:34.9.

It's so difficult to predict where we stand, but it can be safely said that we have a competitive car. Ferrari has fantastic engineering team to make this car work for entire season, just hope that wind tunnel behaves the way we want it to.

[diesel08]

This would be a good thing to drivers who are comfortable with oversteer. Nr 7 is one of them :-P

not ao aure, in day 1-to jerez kimi had a spin ;)

[PURE PASSION]

He was talking about Mercedes: "We're still lacking a lot of downforce, I think every team is, but compared to the car that was quicker than us today I think it's an area where we are weak at the moment. But the basic aim for us was to get a good car mechanically and a basic aerodynamic car and hopefully build on that through the season, but as much as we can for the first race. Yes, we're in a reasonable position. You'd like to be faster, I think every team except for the Mercedes team would be. When you look at other teams' test days and what they're up to you'd say that we're in reasonable shape."

But I think we are in the same position as Mercedes, because yesterday Alonso on softs was faster in S2 than Magnussen's 1:34.9.
Well since the "Alonso is not a worry!!" from Jenson in 2012, i dont really pay any attention on what he says!!!

[Winter]

not ao aure, in day 1-to jerez kimi had a spin ;)

That one happend while breaking I think ;-)

[Unbannable II]

Yeah, brake by wire system wasn't calibrated then.

[tifosi1993]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fL3kkTZi_4

Dat rake angle!! :-E

[evo_spook]

button was on supersoft

hamilton 1.34.813 on soft
hamilton 1.34.2 on supersoft


Incorrect

During his recent run of McLaren with Super Soft was underway (1.34.976 for button was on the supersoft). We now also have confirmation from Pirelli that Hamilton this morning has turned his best time (1.34.263) with the slightly harder soft tires.

[tifosi1993]

Well since the "Alonso is not a worry!!" from Jenson in 2012, i dont really pay any attention on what he says!!!

"It seems Ferrari is 2 second faster than everyone on long runs!" (from JB in 2011)

[f1tomi8]

Fly... :D
http://kepkezelo.com/images/xawklw20rmtl9o3ahvmg.gif

[Katu]

New sutil?

[redsteph]

I have to admit I haven't read a lot of the testing news etc as quite frankly you don't really know what's going on until the first race but the general opinions seem to be that Mercedes are up there and Renault aren't. However no-one is really talking about Ferrari - are they going to the dark (prancing) horse here?

[Tifoso]

I have to admit I haven't read a lot of the testing news etc as quite frankly you don't really know what's going on until the first race but the general opinions seem to be that Mercedes are up there and Renault aren't. However no-one is really talking about Ferrari - are they going to the dark (prancing) horse here?

Nicely done. :-D

It has been so long...Alonso gives us 2-3 tenths...2004, please.

[Alesi1]

Hi guys as most of you fellow obsessed f1 fans, I've been following the testing. I am hoping things are going to go well this year. I have noticed though when Fernando is interviewed, his affect is quite positive, seems to be concealing some underlying contentment. I think they know they have a great base, and are quietly confident. No need to chase lap times. Hoping for a whitewash, I don't mind if the only contest comes from between our drivers, and daylight is third.:-D

[Alonso14]

I have to admit I haven't read a lot of the testing news etc as quite frankly you don't really know what's going on until the first race but the general opinions seem to be that Mercedes are up there and Renault aren't. However no-one is really talking about Ferrari - are they going to the dark (prancing) horse here?

The media have been hyping Mercedes' engine for god knows how long but seeing our performance I'd say that we are pretty equal to them. I find especially funny, though, that Renault's engine was by far the most expensive one (thanks to Red Bull's success).

[Hornet]

I have to admit I haven't read a lot of the testing news etc as quite frankly you don't really know what's going on until the first race but the general opinions seem to be that Mercedes are up there and Renault aren't. However no-one is really talking about Ferrari - are they going to the dark (prancing) horse here?

Base on observations alone, Mercedes does seem to be further along in their program. They have the most mileage, and have started pushing for top lap times in trying to setup the car. Ferrari is not too far behind in terms of mileage, and I don't think our program has quite gotten to the absolute performance testing stage yet. Maybe we do, who knows, but I've yet to see Ferrari setting absolute best time (though Alonso was the fastest in S2).

Note that Mercedes engine also have the best customers lineup, apart from their own team they have McLaren, Force India, Williams, these are all serious contenders. Ferrari only have Sauber as a reliable partner, with Marussia barely got their program running. So we do have extra work to do on our own.

[fronaldo]

Day 4..Kimi out and set 1.38.250...hope we get more mileage today..

[underdog13]

I wonder if this is something they are telling drivers to do this year. That is a technique to avoid "step potential" when exiting a hight voltage situation. you either hop out like a bunny or drag your feet together until your are clear of the fault area. It eliminates you becoming a difference of potential between two different voltages and causing voltage to pass through your body to ground. Thats why they have the green and red lights under the roll hoop camera mount. Red, system is charged and green system is clear and safe.
Fly... :D
http://kepkezelo.com/images/xawklw20rmtl9o3ahvmg.gif

[bondilad]

Red flag - rosberg

[mirafiori]

Anyone awake.:lou

[f1tomi8]

Rb-S duct
http://img4.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Red-Bull-Formel-1-Test-Bahrain-22-Februar-2014-fotoshowBigImage-32aac090-757110.jpg

[giodap]

Anyone awake.:lou

of course...:lou

[mirafiori]

of course...:lou

Morning did you have tea or coffee.

[Scuderia85]

Anyone awake.:lou

Oh yes:lou

[Scuderia85]

Morning did you have tea or coffee.

In sweden we drinking tea:lou

[mirafiori]

Oh yes:lou
Good morning, it feels very quiet on the forum this morning.

[mirafiori]

In sweden we drinking tea:lou

I hope the tea is in a Ferrari cup.

[Rob]

I hope the tea is in a Ferrari cup.

Buongiorno, i have my cup of Kimbo coffee in Ferrari mug.

[f1tomi8]

Source from f1technical.net forum
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14134662/rake.jpg

[Hornet]

Surprise to see Williams put a different Felipe in the car today, lol. Wouldn't it be better for the teams to let their active driver learn the cars first.

[mirafiori]

Seems strange we lose nearly 15 minutes of testing because Rosberg stall's the car in the pit lane due to practice start, surly the other teams should get that time back at the end of the day.

[f1tomi8]

Rosberg delivers a 1:33.662. That's the fastest time of the week so far. on Soft

[Rob]

Source from f1technical.net forum
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14134662/rake.jpg

what we looking at here?

[mirafiori]

Buongiorno, i have my cup of Kimbo coffee in Ferrari mug.

Top Man.

[f1tomi8]

what we looking at here?

rake

[mirafiori]

Rosberg delivers a 1:33.662. That's the fastest time of the week so far

Then on the next lap his first sector time is even quicker then he backs off.

[Hornet]

Anyone knows what tires is Rosberg using?

[Rob]

rake

Thought so, but nothing saying what the pictures were.

[PURE PASSION]

Anyone knows what tires is Rosberg using?

Soft

[Jose Lorca]

The 1.34.810 was on mediums, the 1:33.662 was on softs.

[Rob]

rake

I dont see the need to run alot of rake this year, as blown floors are gone. No way to seal the floor with the new exhausts. If the running more rake than us, not concern.

[tifosi1993]

Source from f1technical.net forum
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14134662/rake.jpg

We can also watch it from the video below, the F14T is running with a aggressive rake angle.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fL3kkTZi_4

[mirafiori]

The 1.34.810 was on mediums, the 1:33.662 was on softs.

Impressive times by Rosberg, yes the track is getting quicker with the extra rubber being laid down, surly at some point today we will hopefully see Kimi do some quick times.

[Forzi]

Rosberg 1m33.662s on softs. Vettel did a 1:32.584 last year in Q3. McLaren did a 1:33:7 on softs.

SO the cars now are already faster here than the McLaren of last year, and a bit over 1 sec slower than the best one.

Scratch that, now it's less than a sec off last year.

[f1tomi8]

Secon quick run by Rosberg: 1:33.283m on soft tyres. Almost 1 second faster than Lewis yesterday.

[mizf1]

Why are we not getting more laps in?

[f1tomi8]

Why are we not getting more laps in?

Qualifying simulation i think.

[Forzi]

Both of those 1:33s were one lap flyers with small improvements. Seems Mercedes are doing some glory runs, might even be as light as it gets which would mean we finally got a true lap time, showing that these cars in Bahrain are just less than one sec slower than last year. So much for the GP2 theories.

[mizf1]

Qualifying simulation i hope.

I hope not, unless with are in the 1.32/133s

[Majki2111]

107% time of Rosberg is 1:39:813.

[Forzi]

107% time of Rosberg is 1:39:813.

So no start for any of the Renault teams :-)

[Majki2111]

So no start for any of the Renault teams :-)Yeah, that's what I tried to say, but I expect that still every team will get into 107%.

[Rishu]

I dont see the need to run alot of rake this year, as blown floors are gone. No way to seal the floor with the new exhausts. If the running more rake than us, not concern.

It helps if your car has plenty of rear downforce. It will help attack corners

[mizf1]

Any know how many laps KIMI done? F1today claims 20 laps but I seen that for a while now.

[Hornet]

It helps if your car has plenty of rear downforce. It will help attack corners

Well the thing is, if the diffuser is too high, more air will leak into it from the side. The low pressure area in the diffuser is supposed to be sucking air from the car's floor in front of it, so you need to minimize the amount of leakage from the side. Blown diffuser allows the diffuser to be higher as the exhaust gas seals the diffuser side.

[Forzi]

Any know how many laps KIMI done? F1today claims 20 laps but I seen that for a while now.

25

[Rishu]

Rake has nothing to do with the exhausts. Rake increases the angle of attack of the diffuser which in theory should give more downforce but you need to have a car that has really good airflow over the diffuser to do this as running rake is a two-way story yes you increase the AoA of the diffuser but that means that the ride height is also higher at the back and higher ride height meaning less downforce so the team has to find the right balance.

If we see Ferrari running this rake angle as standard it's a very very good sign but rake isn't everything ;-)

@Hornet, That's more about it. If you have more DF at the rear, you can optimize so called angle of attack

[mizf1]

25

We should be aiming for at least 100 laps today, get plenty of data for the next test so we can attack performance.

[Frank Dhont]

25


30 laps

http://www.msfree.gr/ms.php?id=31538

[Avantifer12]

I dont see the need to run alot of rake this year, as blown floors are gone. No way to seal the floor with the new exhausts. If the running more rake than us, not concern.

Rake has nothing to do with the exhausts. Rake increases the angle of attack of the diffuser which in theory should give more downforce but you need to have a car that has really good airflow over the diffuser to do this as running rake is a two-way story yes you increase the AoA of the diffuser but that means that the ride height is also higher at the back and higher ride height meaning less downforce so the team has to find the right balance.

If we see Ferrari running this rake angle as standard it's a very very good sign but rake isn't everything ;-)

[tifosi1993]

http://i.imgur.com/xeI5rcx.jpg

[mark p]

Rake has nothing to do with the exhausts. Rake increases the angle of attack of the diffuser which in theory should give more downforce but you need to have a car that has really good airflow over the diffuser to do this as running rake is a two-way story yes you increase the AoA of the diffuser but that means that the ride height is also higher at the back and higher ride height meaning less downforce so the team has to find the right balance.

If we see Ferrari running this rake angle as standard it's a very very good sign but rake isn't everything ;-)

+1 it can be sealed with vortices generated at different place like elements of the front wing.

Just because cars have rake in testing does not mean it's working properly. A team could run huge rake we see thia in pictures and get exited but it may not be sealed and air is spilling out, they maybe getting data on it to see if can get it working. Just because it's on in pictures does not mean any team running it has an advantage at this stage. If you can run it correctly then it would be a good thing though.

[mark p]

Don't know if anyone posted this but BBC reporting Pat Fry saying if Ferrari have to run a race distance tommorrow they could do it no problem. Interview was from yesterday.

[f1tomi8]

http://kepkezelo.com/images/ehyg9dqe75b8x5fw5k3t.jpg

[Alesi1]

Don't know if anyone posted this but BBC reporting Pat Fry saying if Ferrari have to run a race distance tommorrow they could do it no problem. Interview was from yesterday.

That's saying something, given Pat is most pessimistic person in f1!:-)

[Rishu]

Driver cooling should be the official answer :lol

[f1tomi8]

:lol
Driver cooling should be the official answer :lol

[shamim179]

We should still do a race distance regardless of whether we think we can do it or not. We still need to do it!

[f1tomi8]

2 small opening
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhEe6wwCAAAZyyJ.jpg:large

[Hornet]

Interesting place for extra cooling. Wouldn't that reduce the airflow that goes around the sidepod, which is what the high bulkhead and various ugly nose design aims to increase.

[Jas]

VERY CLEVER MERCADES>>>>EXPOLITATION OF THE STARTER HOLE: WORTH A READ: http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/478921/Working_around_the_ban_on_the_starter_motor_hole/

[Jas]

Attempting to further close loopholes in the regulations, the FIA have removed the possibility for teams to gain a substantial aerodynamic benefit from the starter motor hole in the diffuser. A first regulation change in this area was implemented back in 2010 after teams started to create unusually shaped starters, allowing them to make a larger starter hole in the diffuser, and thereby extract more performance from it. Back then, the FIA stepped in, allowing the hole to be no larger than 3500mm². Any other part of the diffuser had to be a continuous shape, a result of the earlier ban on double diffusers.

It has now become clear that further measures were taken by scrapping the starter hole completely, requiring teams to either design a flap in the diffuser that would close itself, or otherwise leave an opening that is not visible from underneath the car or further than 350mm behind the rear wheel centre line. Clearly, most teams have gone for a flap, often metallic, as in Williams' case, enabling the starter engine to still reach the gearbox while complying with the rules in all other situations.

Mercedes on the other hand opted to create a U-shape in the centre of the diffuser. Obviously this still allows airflow through this gap and enhance the diffuser, but the effect is likely to be much less interesting than with the start holes of 2013 and before. In fact, the central starter hole was one of the main reasons why Red Bull's Adrian Newey designed tunnels underneath the RB9's exhaust ramps, as the ramps would otherwise block airflow towards the critical central part of the diffuser.

Note: even though there used to be a regulation proposal to enable F1 cars to start themselves by using the electrical energy stored in the ERS system, the rule was later dropped, requiring the use of a starter motor that brings the crankshaft up to speed before firing up the engine.

PICTURES IN THE LINK ABOVE!

[mark p]

Interesting place for extra cooling. Wouldn't that reduce the airflow that goes around the sidepod, which is what the high bulkhead and various ugly nose design aims to increase.

Remember the 2012 RB nose step design creating a roll of air to smooth air over the nose and help attachment? Could Ferrari use this principle at the spliter but to divert air horizontally in either direction aiding flow round the sidepods and aiding more consistent flow attachment round the sidepods?

[Hornet]

Thanks for sharing. Been wondering why Merc diffuser have that strange U shape

[Jas]

Thanks for sharing. Been wondering why Merc diffuser have that strange U shape

No problem!

[Hornet]

Remember the 2012 RB nose step design creating a roll of air to smooth air over the nose and help attachment? Could Ferrari use this principle at the spliter but to divert air horizontally in either direction aiding flow round the sidepods and aiding more consistent flow attachment round the sidepods?

That's an interesting idea :Hmm That would require having an outlet to release the air, so we should look out for any unusual hole somewhere

[Avantifer12]

Something is certainly going on at the front of the Ferrari. Look at the two (metal?) pieces mounted behind the FW pylons. Ballast? Really weird looking stuff there.

http://www.formule1.nl/media/uploads/media_images/2014-02-22/racepictures_1393063865.91.jpg

[mark p]

Something is certainly going on at the front of the Ferrari. Look at the two (metal?) pieces mounted behind the FW pylons. Ballast? Really weird looking stuff there.

http://www.formule1.nl/media/uploads/media_images/2014-02-22/racepictures_1393063865.91.jpg

They look like sensors not a part but they are doing something at the front or why the sensors? Is this opening on the splitter helping to pull more air through and they are measuring increased air speed under the nose tip?

[Senna4Ever]

2 small opening
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhEe6wwCAAAZyyJ.jpg:large

regarding "and this?"

Haters and bashers already know: of course these are indication LEDs on Kimis car to show on which side Fernando wants to pass :lol
Others say these are just two markers if Kimi had a hard night before to find the middle in the case he sees two ...

[PURE PASSION]

regarding "and this?"

Haters and bashers already know: of course these are indication LEDs on Kimis car to show on which side Fernando wants to pass :lol
Others say these are just two markers if Kimi had a hard night before to find the middle in the case he sees two ...Or they are winning celebration lights!!:-D:-D

[Majki2111]

Just watched video autosport had posted and somebody said Ferrari was hard to drive...:-??:Hmm

[Ste]

Just watched video autosport had posted and somebody said Ferrari was hard to drive...:-??:Hmm
They know, because they're driving it of course.

[Rishu]

Just watched video autosport had posted and somebody said Ferrari was hard to drive...:-??:Hmm

Don't worry as long as that somebody is not Fernando or Kimi

[Majki2111]

Don't worry as long as that somebody is not Fernando or KimiI know that, but it doesn't sounds good that car is oversteering in the exit of slow corner. Lacking downforce because of the basic aero package ? Maybe the last test will sort things out? Does anybody know what is the objective/program for today? Is Ferrari alreeady testing performance 'cause if is, than things don't look good.

[mark p]

Just watched video autosport had posted and somebody said Ferrari was hard to drive...:-??:Hmm

Sensationalism based on historic issues of last few years. If RB or Merc slide nothing is said Ferrari slides and it is hard to drive.

Last year RB showed nothing pre season but everyone said they would be best based on historic performance of previous 4 years. On testing alone they showed not a lot. No doubt Merc look very strong but I think Ferrari are going about setting strong foundations on which to build performance on.

1st races are about finishing then performance will improve on a steady basis. This sounds like the plan from interviews and what has been seen so far. Fingers crossed. Seems a good game plan.

[rico]

Don't worry as long as that somebody is not Fernando or Kimi

Well according to the video Ferrari was tricky to drive and moving around... So it was not just a reader's opinion. We are not doing any long runs because we still try to find a proper set-up. Anyway, it seems Rosberg is doing another race simulation.

[Majki2111]

Anyway not so much to cheer about. Few seconds off the pace. Already started performance testing... Only thing to cheer is one situation where Alonso backed off when he could have been faster than Magnussen and top speed. Alonso was fastest...

[fronaldo]

Why so much negative news today?

[Majki2111]

Ferrari confirming on twitter that is set-up work today, so not looking good IMO.

[anialonso]

Some Good News...!!!

BBC 5 live pit-lane reporter Jennie Gow:
"Ferrari have generally run reliably in pre-season testing so far but they hit problems with Kimi Raikkonen on Friday. They owned up to a failure of the 'data connection with the telemetry', but there were other issues too. Watching from trackside, an engineer from a rival team said fuel was getting into the exhaust on both the works car and the Ferrari-engined Sauber, causing it to misfire. It is a new problem - it was not happening at the first test in Jerez.

"Engineering director Pat Fry said after running on Friday that Ferrari's problems were 'small issues' that took a long time to solve because of the complexity of the cars. And he sounded confident about reliability: 'If you were to say we had to go and do a race distance tomorrow, I don't think it would be a problem.' He added that there were no major upgrades at this test, just parts they were trying to check the correlation between track and wind tunnel."

[fronaldo]

Why not looking good?

[anialonso]

Ferrari confirming on twitter that is set-up work today, so not looking good IMO.

whats not looking good..??

[Majki2111]

Some Good News...!!!So waiting for confirmation on Jerez news...

whats not looking good..??Trackside view of behaving of the car in the exits of slow corners, those little issues and the dime difference when Ferrari already started set-up work.

[Rosso Corsa]

The two triangles on the top of the nose. I think they're just part of a new design of the panel used to access the brake and gas pedals.

[Forzi]

Glenn Freeman (Autosport news editor) talking about Ferrari, he said that when he was watching trackside the car was "moving around so much compared to, say, a Williams or a Mercedes".

Not sure what to think. It's way too early, and he's no expert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aflurrK5LcI

[Majki2111]

Glenn Freeman (Autosport news editor) talking about Ferrari, he said that when he was watching trackside the car was "moving around so much compared to, say, a Williams or a Mercedes".

Not sure what to think. It's way too early, and he's no expert.You don't need to be expert to compare cars behaviour... Fingers crossed for aero update to improve things.

[tifosi1993]

I am not that worried about this handling issues right now. Basically, they are running a Monza style FW in a high DF track like Bahrain, also the overall aero package is pretty basic. Thats why the car looks twitchy on track.

[Forzi]

Must admit, haven't really heard from anyone anything good OR bad about the Ferrari on track. Been rather quiet hasn't it? We seem to be on top of reliability and we got a good lap count. Let's just hope things get sorted.

[Majki2111]

I am not that worried about this handling issues right now. Basically, they are running a Monza style FW in a high DF track like Bahrain, also the overall aero package is pretty basic. Thats why the car looks twitchy on track.It seems logical. Hoping you are right.

[RedPassion]

I am not that worried about this handling issues right now. Basically, they are running a Monza style FW in a high DF track like Bahrain, also the overall aero package is pretty basic. Thats why the car looks twitchy on track.

I think that they are trying to measure the datas from the Basic package to have a better idea about correlation when they bring updates,a slightly different way to work compared with the past

[Ferrari Man]

The more I be listening to outsiders reporting on how the car handles the more I get reminded of pre season testing in 2012.... I am praying Ferrari know they have speed and reliability and all this work is to build a steady foundation for our aero updates.. :pray

[Hornet]

Must admit, haven't really heard from anyone anything good OR bad about the Ferrari on track. Been rather quiet hasn't it? We seem to be on top of reliability and we got a good lap count. Let's just hope things get sorted.

I think the general impression regarding Ferrari at the moment is that we're somewhere in the middle. We haven't shown anything outstanding like Merc, but we also haven't shown anything disastrously bad like Red Bull. So naturally the attention at the moment are all on Merc and Renault.

IMO, as long as we don't grab headlines for the bad reasons, there's nothing to worry about right now.

[f1tomi8]

Fry added there were no major upgrades at this test, just parts they were trying to check the correlation between track and wind tunnel

[OSS EL BOSS]

The two triangles on the top of the nose. I think they're just part of a new design of the panel used to access the brake and gas pedals.

Actually trackside observation tells more than the laptimes do about the performance of the cars during testing.

[OSS EL BOSS]

I just hope that the updates will bring a big improvement and that the Ferrari engine has a power advantage over Mercedes.

[Majki2111]

I think the general impression regarding Ferrari at the moment is that we're somewhere in the middle. We haven't shown anything outstanding like Merc, but we also haven't shown anything disastrously bad like Red Bull. So naturally the attention at the moment are all on Merc and Renault.

IMO, as long as we don't grab headlines for the bad reasons, there's nothing to worry about right now.But on the other hand, you can not compare the times caude you don't know how much power of their engine is being used (for all teams).

[Rosso Corsa]

Actually trackside observation tells more than the laptimes do about the performance of the cars during testing.

Did you mean to quote me? I didn't say anything about performance?

[Rosso Corsa]

But on the other hand, you can not compare the times caude you don't know how much power of their engine is being used (for all teams).

But 10 minutes ago you were saying it doesn't look good for us?

[f1tomi8]

This morning the workload focused on set-up, trying various options, while using different tyre compounds, to be precise the Medium and Soft. There was also time for practice starts, something that has always been a strong point for the Ferrari cars. - See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/set-up-work-practice-starts-kimi#sthash.Ac7gZxTu.dpuf

[Hornet]

But on the other hand, you can not compare the times caude you don't know how much power of their engine is being used (for all teams).

Yeah, that's true so we don't know the performance difference between teams at the moment. Just that among the public, more people are talking about teams like Merc and Red Bull because they are attracting all the attention. Ferrari is just quietly going on with their program.

[Majki2111]

But 10 minutes ago you were saying it doesn't look good for us?I know. That is why I said "on the other hand". That can be still a hope.

Yeah, that's true so we don't know the performance difference between teams at the moment. Just that among the public, more people are talking about teams like Merc and Red Bull because they are attracting all the attention. Ferrari is just quietly going on with their program.That can be good sign and a bad also. Good: Most of other fans doesn't expect a lot of Ferrari, and the teams also. That could be theoretically less pressure on team.
Bad sign: We can not do outstanding things like Mercedes can.

[Kyss4k]

Rosberg is already near to 90 laps by now and fastest of all (even that this has a little meaning)... they are far ahead of everyone else. It's scary.

[OSS EL BOSS]

Did you mean to quote me? I didn't say anything about performance?

No, I really mean what I said, laptimes do not mean so much at this stage but when you hear people talking about how stable the car is in corners, how late the drivers can brake and how early they can go on throttle and so on, then you know you have a good car.
Last year they said that the F138 has poor traction and this was true they also said that the Red Bull and Mercedes cars were the most stable cars and they really were the fastest cars during the season.

[Rosso Corsa]

Last year they said that the F138 has poor traction and this was true they also said that the Red Bull and Mercedes cars were the most stable cars and they really were the fastest cars during the season

During winter testing yes, but when it came to race day, we had the best race car at the first 4 or 5 races last year. Sadly we didn't capitalise on it as the potential to win them all was there, and then things went backwards while others went forwards.

[Kyss4k]

During winter testing yes, but when it came to race day, we had the best race car at the first 4 or 5 races last year. Sadly we didn't capitalise on it as the potential to win them all was there, and then things went backwards while others went forwards.That was because of tyres. Others had faster cars, but had to hold it back. F138 was kind of the tyres so we could push more.

This year, tyres are way more conservative, so teams won't have problems with that again.

[Jose Lorca]

Rosberg's race simulation:

Lap 0: Outlap
Lap 1: Startlap (soft)
Lap 2: 1.39.087
Lap 3: 1.39.2
Lap 4: 1:39.8
Lap 5: 1:41.3
Lap 6: 1:40.4
Lap 7: 1:40.6
Lap 8: 1:40.5
Lap 9: 1:41.2
Lap 10: 1:43.4 (Kimi- overtaking)
Lap 11: 1:42.1
Lap 12: 1:42.2
Lap 13: 1:42.5
Lap 14: 1:42.5
Lap 15: Pit (soft)
Lap 16: Outlap
Lap 17: 1:38.716
Lap 18: 1:39.678
Lap 19: 1:39.767
Lap 20: 1:39.923
Lap 21: 1:39.853
Lap 22: 1:40.904
Lap 23: 1:40.394
Lap 24: 1:40.026
Lap 25: 1:40.418
Lap 26: 1:40.749
Lap 27: 1:41.334
Lap 28: 1:41.613
Lap 29: 1:41.842
Lap 30: Pit (medium)
Lap 31: Outlap
Lap 32: 1:46.233
Lap 33: 1:39.779
Lap 34: 1:39.829
Lap 35: 1:39.808
Lap 36: 1:39.816
Lap 37: 1:39.867
Lap 38: 1:40.681
Lap 39: 1:40.411
Lap 40: 1:40.240
Lap 41: 1:57.323
Lap 42: 2:03.0
Lap 43: Red Flag (inlap)
Lap 44: Outlap
Lap 45: 1:41.031
Lap 46: 1:39.597
Lap 47: 1:39.992
Lap 48: 1:40.933
Lap 49: 1:40.874
Lap 50: 1:40.484
Lap 51: 1:40.918
Lap 52: 1:42.353
Lap 53: 1:42.172
Lap 54: 1:41.841
Lap 55: 1:42.243
Lap 56: 1:42.446
Lap 57: Inlap

[bonzo]

Rosberg is already near to 90 laps by now and fastest of all (even that this has a little meaning)... they are far ahead of everyone else. It's scary.
We cannot but admit that Merc seems formidable and Merc powered Maccas look good too.:Hmm

[OSS EL BOSS]

During winter testing yes, but when it came to race day, we had the best race car at the first 4 or 5 races last year. Sadly we didn't capitalise on it as the potential to win them all was there, and then things went backwards while others went forwards.

True, but the reason for our good race performance was the good tyre management, but it was clear that Red Bull and Mercedes have the fastest cars and the most downforce.

[f1tomi8]

Sensor on the front lower wishbone
http://kepfeltoltes.hu/140222/Kimi-Raeikkoenen-Ferrari-Formel-1-Test-Bahrain-22-Februar-2014-fotoshowBigImage-d5549a2a-757124_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

[Jas]

@Trisagion Apparently Mercedes started brief work on the W05 in 2010. They certainly had something to show in 2012, as it was reported that it was shown to Lewis and he was impressed by what he saw.

[Schumyboy83]

Sensor on the front lower wishbone
http://kepfeltoltes.hu/140222/Kimi-Raeikkoenen-Ferrari-Formel-1-Test-Bahrain-22-Februar-2014-fotoshowBigImage-d5549a2a-757124_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.jpg

The look on the engineers face, LOL

[OSS EL BOSS]

It seems like the Red Bull era has ended and a Mercedes era is about to start :lou

[Jose Lorca]

Kimi out on track with soft tyres, hopefully we'll see some quick laps

[Jas]

Seems to be pitstop practice going on down at Ferrari, while Jenson Button has pitted again after a combined long stint of 16+ laps either side of the Maldonado red flag.

[Ste]

I think I'm going to have to stop following this testing thread because it's 90% full of people saying we're off the pace and how far ahead Mercedes and McLaren are. How we're not doing enough laps or our mechanics should be doing something different to what they are.

The fact of the matter is that nobody here knows anything about our testing program, besides what Ferrari have said, which is that we aren't looking for performance until the final test. You don't know what fuel load Mercedes are running, you don't know what fuel load we are running. You don't know how high our engine is turned up, nor how much percentage of the ERS we are using. We also don't know this about Mercedes or any other team. Yes, doing more mileage is good, but until this test we had only done 200km or so less than Mercedes which is only 40 odd laps. Not much. The Mercedes engine has done more laps because they have an additional team and all four of them have been consistently running, whereas we have three and only one has been consistently running.

You should all try and understand that this is called testing for a reason. Testing the car, testing the tyres, testing airflow, testing calibration, testing electronics, new parts, new staff - everything. One thing I am certain of is that Ferrari make the best engines in the world. We also have two of the best drivers on the grid (one the best outright). They know what they're doing more than you or I, so instead of saying we're doomed and this is going to be another season of disappointment, I suggest you take a leaf out of Pat Fry's book and start being optimistic.

[Ste]

Kimi out on track with soft tyres, hopefully we'll see some quick laps
Do you not listen to what Ferrari have been saying?

We are not focussing on performance until the final test. What about that do you not understand?

Lap Times mean nothing.

[Rosso Corsa]

That was because of tyres. Others had faster cars, but had to hold it back. F138 was kind of the tyres so we could push more.

This year, tyres are way more conservative, so teams won't have problems with that again.

My point was, winter testing suggested one thing, but at the races something else came true. It doesn't matter that it was the tyres. This year it might be fuel, or power... In the end, other teams looked the best in testing, but fell short of Ferrari at the races. Ferrari didn't look great in testing. Who's to say we're not in the same position this year? It's almost impossible.

[bonzo]

It seems like the Red Bull era has ended and a Mercedes era is about to start :lou

And what about Ferrari? The usual second-third again?

[Majki2111]

Do you not listen to what Ferrari have been saying?

We are not focussing on performance until the final test. What about that do you not understand?

Lap Times mean nothing.Where have you read this?

[Rosso Corsa]

Ste's post +1^10

[mirafiori]

Do you not listen to what Ferrari have been saying?

We are not focussing on performance until the final test. What about that do you not understand?

Lap Times mean nothing.

Can also confirm this has been said, so don't panic for now.:thumb

[mark p]

I think I'm going to have to stop following this testing thread because it's 90% full of people saying we're off the pace and how far ahead Mercedes and McLaren are. How we're not doing enough laps or our mechanics should be doing something different to what they are.

The fact of the matter is that nobody here knows anything about our testing program, besides what Ferrari have said, which is that we aren't looking for performance until the final test. You don't know what fuel load Mercedes are running, you don't know what fuel load we are running. You don't know how high our engine is turned up, nor how much percentage of the ERS we are using. We also don't know this about Mercedes or any other team. Yes, doing more mileage is good, but until this test we had only done 200km or so less than Mercedes which is only 40 odd laps. Not much. The Mercedes engine has done more laps because they have an additional team and all four of them have been consistently running, whereas we have three and only one has been consistently running.

You should all try and understand that this is called testing for a reason. Testing the car, testing the tyres, testing airflow, testing calibration, testing electronics, new parts, new staff - everything. One thing I am certain of is that Ferrari make the best engines in the world. We also have two of the best drivers on the grid (one the best outright). They know what they're doing more than you or I, so instead of saying we're doomed and this is going to be another season of disappointment, I suggest you take a leaf out of Pat Fry's book and start being optimistic.

Important to note setup includes working out the 8 fixed gear ratios for the year. If gears suit this track and not elsewhere? You can set gears for slow corners then fast ones for this track to get an idea of monza and monaco but laptime here will be compromised. You need to find the extremes to work out best average gears for all types of track. With new engines and different power delivery last years data is not that relevent. Getting right gears will be a huge focus. Others may test different and just test ratios for this track to then modify things post test?

[anakin]

im getting a little bit worried.
mercedes powered cars are really quick. and ferrari is not even close. I dont want to see a repeat of 2009.
where everyone was speculating that brawn was only going for glory runs to attract sponsors. but by melbourne gp. ferrari engineers was already scratching their heads.

[OSS EL BOSS]

And what about Ferrari? The usual second-third again?

From what we have seen so far, this could be the case.

[Ste]

Where have you read this?
Simone Resta (Deputy Chief Designer) said:


Therefore, chasing performance has not been on the job list. “That will be the next step,” continued Resta. “Now we just want to rack up the kilometres. The final updates for the Australian Grand Prix will arrive at the next test here in Bahrain and that’s when we will also start trying to get the performance out of the car.

http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/resta-were-discovering-f14-t#sthash.t5ELFQbP.dpuf

And, what we're doing at THIS test.


One thing we are focusing on at this test is how the new power train is working and its interaction with the driver. Every new component is being watched carefully, such as the brake by wire system and all the software linked to the car, both of which we have worked on a great deal over the past two weeks.”

[Rosso Corsa]

im getting a little bit worried.
mercedes powered cars are really quick. and ferrari is not even close. I dont want to see a repeat of 2009.
where everyone was speculating that brawn was only going for glory runs to attract sponsors. but by melbourne gp. ferrari engineers was already scratching their heads.

There was no speculation in the paddock that Brawn were glory hunting. There was only speculation on the forums. Everyone in the paddock knew and spoke outright that Brawn had a huge advantage. All of the drivers were saying they couldn't follow Jenson or Rubens into or out of the corners. Nobody in the paddock has said that about anyone this year.

[Hornet]

im getting a little bit worried.
mercedes powered cars are really quick. and ferrari is not even close. I dont want to see a repeat of 2009.
where everyone was speculating that brawn was only going for glory runs to attract sponsors. but by melbourne gp. ferrari engineers was already scratching their heads.

There's no such thing as glory runs in racing. The objective is to go as fast as we can around a track, especially in qualifying. Not like we can put some magic powder in the car make it go faster to attract sponsors

[Ste]

im getting a little bit worried.
mercedes powered cars are really quick. and ferrari is not even close. I dont want to see a repeat of 2009.
where everyone was speculating that brawn was only going for glory runs to attract sponsors. but by melbourne gp. ferrari engineers was already scratching their heads.


From what we have seen so far, this could be the case.

Here is a link for both of you to follow. It's for the Mercedes team who you believe are doing MUCH better than us. Instead of moaning about how poorly you believe we're doing, why don't you head over here and join in with positive people.

http://mercamgf1-fans.com/

[Fer12]

I dont think Ferrari will de proper race sims until they have the upgraded package. before that it makes sense to do a thorough systems check and make sure everything works as it should. when all the Aero bits arrive we can start with all the necessary simulations. This is why i think Ferrari are holding off. The aero on the car looks very basic. It will not be generating the necessary downforce inorder for us to get a realistic idea of the tyre deg, traction issues and so forth. Also since they believe the windtunnel is working properly they are spending all the time to fine tune the details before putting all the parts on the car. So lets wait till the nxt test before coming to any sort of conclusions. The team looks very confident about its packaging.

[Majki2111]

OK. Thanks. So I will wait a little bit longer..

[Jose Lorca]

Do you not listen to what Ferrari have been saying?

We are not focussing on performance until the final test. What about that do you not understand?

Lap Times mean nothing.

Whats your problem, did someone stick a bottle up your *** or something?

Nothing wrong with hoping for quick laps. The team don't need to be specifically focusing on performance to set a quicker lap.

[gjoko-mkd]

Do we run a monkey seat? I don`t thinks so

[Hornet]

Everyone can have their own opinions. Just because we are Ferrari fans doesn't mean we must all believe everything is positive with the team all the time. And of course we do not have to agree with all the opinions we see here. Can't we just let others have their own opinion even if we do not agree? ;-)

[mirafiori]

Whats your problem, did someone stick a bottle up your ass or something?

Nothing wrong with hoping for quick laps. The team don't need to be specifically focusing on performance to set a quicker lap.

Come on calm down remember this is testing,

[OSS EL BOSS]

Here is a link for both of you to follow. It's for the Mercedes team who you believe are doing MUCH better than us. Instead of moaning about how poorly you believe we're doing, why don't you head over here and join in with positive people.

http://mercamgf1-fans.com/

Do I have to post something like "we are the best and Ferrari is going to wipe the floor with all the others" to be a Ferrrari fan or what?
Grow up mate!

[Winter]

"Another stoppage. Rosberg is the only driver who hasn't made it back yet..." Everybody has their own problems at this stage..

[mirafiori]

Rosberg has caused another Red Flag, what is his problem now, fluid bottle running low.

[OSS EL BOSS]

Red flag caused by Rosbergs Mercedes.

[Ste]

Oh my god, Mercedes stopped, they are DOOMED.

[RedPassion]

Oh my god, Mercedes stopped, they are DOOMED.

And Maldonado has 45 LAPS BY NOW,they must be better than RB:rotfl

[mizf1]

To finish first first you have to finish, therefor Melbourne will be a different kind of race (reliability).

[eilfff]

I don't understand one thing. In race simulation of Rosberg you can see that his first laps after stops are more or less on the same level. Well, it's even more - each stint are more or less on the same level. Normally after pit stop cars are faster because of new tyres and less fuel, but not in Rosberg's case. Does it mean that they added fuel after each stop? Or maybe those similar stints are because of specific of the new rules? I don't understand how Rosberg laps aren't really better after each stop.

[Jas]

Oh my god, Mercedes stopped, they are DOOMED.

I have to say you really are patronising, yes people jump to conclusions a bit soon, but my god you let them know it in such a arrogant and sarcastic way! calm down...."it is testing after all". I do not get involved in conflicts on here but sometimes it has o be said. Let people have their view, its an opinion, words like I "hope they do quick laps" isn't that offensive! Lets enjoy the test before the break again! Everyone just calm down!

[OSS EL BOSS]

I don't understand one thing. In race simulation of Rosberg you can see that his first laps after stops are more or less on the same level. Well, it's even more - each stint are more or less on the same level. Normally after pit stop cars are faster because of new tyres and less fuel, but not in Rosberg's case. Does it mean that they added fuel after each stop? Or maybe those similar stints are because of specific of the new rules? I don't understand how Rosberg laps aren't really better after each stop.

Seems to be the case or maybe he had to save fuel.

[shamim179]

We are not focussing on performance because we're still trying to understand our car. We're also checking again to see if track data matches with windtunnel data. Sounds awfully reminiscent of the past! This is the price you pay when you're not totally sure if your windtunnel is working properly.

[RedPassion]

We are not focussing on performance because we're still trying to understand our car. We're also checking again to see if track data matches with windtunnel data. Sounds awfully reminiscent of the past! This is the price you pay when you're not totally sure if your windtunnel is working properly.

The windtunnel is brand new,thats why

[Winter]

We are not focussing on performance because we're still trying to understand our car. We're also checking again to see if track data matches with windtunnel data. Sounds awfully reminiscent of the past! This is the price you pay when you're not totally sure if your windtunnel is working properly.

The wind tunnel is brand new and its very important to get it right. To see how windtunnel results correlates to track results.
If wind tunnel data is correct and you can trust that parts tested with it works same way on track, it helps you very much on inseason development.

And it's easier to compare tunnel/track results with simple aero parts.

[shamim179]

The wind tunnel is brand new and its very important to get it right. To see how windtunnel results correlates to track results.
If wind tunnel data is correct and you can trust that parts tested with it works on track, it helps you very much on inseason development.

Yes, I know. I'm just pointing out that because our windtunnel is new and hasn't been tested for long we're on the backfoot which is inevitably going to shape our testing programme. I just hope it works! You cannot be extremely confident when Fry says we're still checking correlation data. That was the objective of the last test. It s


And it's easier to compare tunnel/track results with simple aero parts.

[Alfa159]

Come on calm down remember this is testing,

The same thing that is said before every other mediocre season.

[PURE PASSION]

In this stage of testing nobody knows nothing!!!!
If you say that from the picture it seems that we are off pace and Merc are way ahead , and somebody else say that we are not sawing anything wet and Merc are almost in 100% , you both are equally right and wrong!!!!
It depends if you optimistic or not in your life!!!!!

[shamim179]

The wind tunnel is brand new and its very important to get it right. To see how windtunnel results correlates to track results.
If wind tunnel data is correct and you can trust that parts tested with it works on track, it helps you very much on inseason development.

Yes, I know. I'm just pointing out that because our windtunnel is new and hasn't been tested for long we're on the backfoot which is inevitably going to shape our testing programme. I just hope it works! You cannot be extremely confident when Fry says we're still checking correlation data. That was the objective of the last test. It seems this 2nd test is effectively an extension of the 1st test.


And it's easier to compare tunnel/track results with simple aero parts.

[mark p]

Mercs race run did not get faster simply due to keeping fuels usage linear? Later stints they have to hold back speed to not run out of fuel so maybe this year stints do not get faster. Maybe like Moto GP where fastest laps are set near the start of the race.

[Ago]

Hi folks... No matter if the season will be good or not, we are Ferrari, everyone in the team will give their best shot and they must know we stand by them....
I'm quite happy with the 8 days testing so far... In 3 weeks from now we will know the grid... All I wish is a Ferrari or two on the 2 first lines... Our drivers will handle the rest :-)

[Winter]

Now sauber caused red flag, hopefully not anything engine related..

[mark p]

Whats todays lap counts?

[Winter]

We also have more basic engine stuff to test than Merc because there are much more cars using Mercedes engines. They get much more engine data per test than us..

[Hermann]

We also have more basic engine stuff to test than Merc because there are much more cars using Mercedes engines. They get much more engine data per test than us..

And that is being called an advantage. Sure if that kind of advantage will also lead to win races, remains to be seen.

[Winter]

Red flag-Kimi.

[Majki2111]

And no sooner are we underway than the seventh red flag of the day arrives - for Kimi Raikkonen this time, who has dropped his Ferrari on the exit of Turn Four.

[anakin]

Raikkonen crash in the last minutes of testing. Lost his nose.

[gvera]

Kimi stopped on track

[Hornet]

Ouch, looks like that's round 2 of winter testing ending then

[stefa]

Whats todays lap counts?

5731

[SinanOzerS]

Well, that's better than some mechanical problems.

[Hornet]

Not too bad then on the lap count

Too bad we lost so much time yesterday

[anakin]

case of pushing too hard????

[fronaldo]

Accident or mechanical problem?

[FerrariF60]

Raikkonen crash in the last minutes of testing. Lost his nose.

it was a crappy looking nose anyways; hopefully Ferrari will bring a better looking and more efficient noze at the next week's test along with more aerodynamic updates and we'll BLITZ everyone with our sheer SPEED....

one ferrari fan can only hope, RIGHT????

[Hermann]

I already said yesterday the car looks hard to drive and twitchy with Fernando, and they still seem to have a problem with the brake system. But lets see what exactly happened first before jumping to conclusions.

And thats it for testing guys.


14:00 No time for a re-start, so that's it from the fourth day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

[bonzo]

I dont think Ferrari will de proper race sims until they have the upgraded package. before that it makes sense to do a thorough systems check and make sure everything works as it should. when all the Aero bits arrive we can start with all the necessary simulations. This is why i think Ferrari are holding off. The aero on the car looks very basic. It will not be generating the necessary downforce inorder for us to get a realistic idea of the tyre deg, traction issues and so forth. Also since they believe the windtunnel is working properly they are spending all the time to fine tune the details before putting all the parts on the car. So lets wait till the nxt test before coming to any sort of conclusions. The team looks very confident about its packaging.

Well, well, the old tune again, let's wait for next test, then let's wait for Melbourne Friday practice, then Satirday practice, then disappointing quali, average race, and ....Stay calm, let's wait for some new parts, ... Endless, isn't it?

[Forzi]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhFVWRECcAE2fFl.jpg

[zike]

[QUOTE=Hermann;826866]I already said yesterday the car looks hard to drive and twitchy with Fernando, and they still seem to have a problem with the brake system. But lets see what exactly happened first before jumping to conclusions.

it does not look good

[FerrariF60]

Well, well, the old tune again, let's wait for next test, then let's wait for Melbourne Friday practice, then Satirday practice, then disappointing quali, average race, and ....Stay calm, let's wait for some new parts, ... Endless, isn't it?

it seems about right of what Ferrari have done in the past; let's hope Ferrari will prove YOU and everyone here wrong by changing the "tune" and actually have a better car, a car that hopefully will be the ONE TO BEAT....

[Hornet]

Looks like a pretty rough impact

5732

[Hermann]

Looks like a pretty rough impact

5732

Ouch.

[bonzo]

Where is the nose?

[bonzo]

Unless we are delibarately hiding some terrific aero parts, we seem to be just reliable and pretty average at performance now that two tests are over.

[fronaldo]

Hmm..pretty nasty crash

[Avantifer12]

Hope the chassis is still intact. Good it happened on the last day on the last lap. If it's damaged the team have time to change it.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhFaTkPCAAA3r6f.jpg:large

[bluesilhouettes]

Crash test.

[Rosso Corsa]

Mercs race run did not get faster simply due to keeping fuels usage linear? Later stints they have to hold back speed to not run out of fuel so maybe this year stints do not get faster. Maybe like Moto GP where fastest laps are set near the start of the race.

Good spot. That's an interesting thought.

[radosav]

Good that crash was at the end of test

[zike]

This is the second time that iceman can not restrain the prancing horse

[AfterLife]

Ouch.

No problem. Variety is always welcomed ;-)

[AfterLife]

Crash test.

Good one. :rotfl

[Winter]

This is the second time that iceman can not restrain the prancing horse

Not seen video on this one, but that Jerez spin was because rear brakes locked. Brake by wire issues.

[Rob]

Good spot. That's an interesting thought.

Or, could start at steady pace, keep times and fuel usage low and then push towards end of the race.

We are standing very good. We have got low'ish D/F on, its not the package we will take to Melbourne, theres few things coming. Merc, i think, and few other people thinking that they WANT media to say they best shape, and will win WDC WCC. Remember, they held a PR day, for all F1 media to show off the engine. Thats why they all think they will win.

We, on the other hand, going through are programmes, fixing few problems, and not focussing on lap times. As they do not mean nothing. Theres no points. We could just go out there with 3 laps worth of fuel, ramp up the engine, do 1 flying lap, get top time and sit in garage rest of tests. Not going to learn anything. If Merc want to run fast, let them. We are doing our stuff, if that means on a long run we pop up the quickest time good. But, its not main goal.

[sachin]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhFaTkPCAAA3r6f.jpg:large[/QUOTE]

:-(

[AfterLife]

Or, could start at steady pace, keep times and fuel usage low and then push towards end of the race.

We are standing very good. We have got low'ish D/F on, its not the package we will take to Melbourne, theres few things coming. Merc, i think, and few other people thinking that they WANT media to say they best shape, and will win WDC WCC. Remember, they held a PR day, for all F1 media to show off the engine. Thats why they all think they will win.

We, on the other hand, going through are programmes, fixing few problems, and not focussing on lap times. As they do not mean nothing. Theres no points. We could just go out there with 3 laps worth of fuel, ramp up the engine, do 1 flying lap, get top time and sit in garage rest of tests. Not going to learn anything. If Merc want to run fast, let them. We are doing our stuff, if that means on a long run we pop up the quickest time good. But, its not main goal.

IMO Mercedes is not showing off. like Ferrari or the other teams they do what they need to do in the tests. I don't know if they are on the pace or not but what is so obvious is that they have confidence in their engine. So they did different homework compare to the other teams.

[Winter]

Or, could start at steady pace, keep times and fuel usage low and then push towards end of the race.

We are standing very good. We have got low'ish D/F on, its not the package we will take to Melbourne, theres few things coming. Merc, i think, and few other people thinking that they WANT media to say they best shape, and will win WDC WCC. Remember, they held a PR day, for all F1 media to show off the engine. Thats why they all think they will win.

We, on the other hand, going through are programmes, fixing few problems, and not focussing on lap times. As they do not mean nothing. Theres no points. We could just go out there with 3 laps worth of fuel, ramp up the engine, do 1 flying lap, get top time and sit in garage rest of tests. Not going to learn anything. If Merc want to run fast, let them. We are doing our stuff, if that means on a long run we pop up the quickest time good. But, its not main goal.

Agree, but I think we would do those flying laps and focus on aero part testing and race simulations if we could.
I think this new windtunnel needs track correlation testing and that is something that other teams doesn't have to do so much.

[hrc5555]

What was RB problem today?
If they don't do a better test next week than we can really write them off for first race! :-D

[Rob]

Agree, but I think we would do those flying laps and focus on aero part testing and race simulations if we could.
I think this new windtunnel needs track correlation testing and that is something that other teams doesn't have to do so much.

We, wanting to test all the software, make sure it all wrongs, and set-ups, etc etc. We still have 4 more days, where im sure, we will see us do low fuel runs, high fuel runs with engine turned up abit more. Right now, reliablity is main main concern.

[bonzo]

We, wanting to test all the software, make sure it all wrongs, and set-ups, etc etc. We still have 4 more days, where im sure, we will see us do low fuel runs, high fuel runs with engine turned up abit more. Right now, reliablity is main main concern.
3 more days

[Rob]

3 more days

4 days.

27th, 28th Feb 1st 2nd March.

[bonzo]

We need 1day just for race simulation which we have not done yet

[Jas]

leaving a bit late it could be said tho, we know how much a minor problem can hamper a schedule! heres hoping no troubles and they get a race sim in next week!

[Winter]

We need 1day just for race simulation which we have not done yet

I think both drivers will do race simulation, but why that should take whole day?

[shamim179]

A better day today. Pity about the crash but we can learn valuable stuff from a crash.

I'm disappointed that we haven't done a race simulation yet despite having a reliable engine. Are we leaving with too much to do in our final test? Either we are hiding good parts or we're in a bit of trouble.

[shamim179]

I'm pretty sure that if Renault didn't have problems Red Bull would have done a race simulation by now. I think we are slightly behind programme probably caused by all that time that we lost yesterday.

[Hornet]

A better day today. Pity about the crash but we can learn valuable stuff from a crash.

I'm disappointed that we haven't done a race simulation yet despite having a reliable engine. Are we leaving with too much to do in our final test? Either we are hiding good parts or we're in a bit of trouble.
Not sure how big is the burden but the Merc engine have 4 reliable teams running them, while Ferrari only have 2 teams doing most of the work with Marussia barely doing any long run.

So I think it's normal that the Merc is further ahead in their reliability testing as far as the power unit is concern. I wouldn't say we're in trouble, but we probably have more work to do, at least when it comes to putting our power unit through it's pace.

[shamim179]

We need 1day just for race simulation which we have not done yet

Half a day is enough for a race simulation but you also have to add in preparation time before and after the sim so it does take a long time.

[Senna4Ever]

Do we know about injury? Kimi hasn't the best back ... and also a small impact with wrong angle might stress the back again ...



We are standing very good. We have got low'ish D/F on,


You sure off? About low'ish D/F? As some comments from visitors there is that the car isn't really stable ...

[khizerk]

I acknowledge that its not all doom and gloom but we are definitely behind Merc/ McLaren. Here is why:

1. We keep on saying we are not concentrating on performance as we are still understanding our systems. Well guess what! They are already concentrating on performance which DOES put them ahead of us. So either they have understood their systems faster than us, or they are able to do performance assessment and system evaluations at the same time. Both scenarios put them ahead of us in the game.

2. Yes part of why they are already in performance evaluation stage could be because of having loads of data from various teams using their engine. Again, this is an excuse for us being BEHIND them in the development race and rather than being an indication of the fact that we are not chasing them.

3. Unless we are doing straight line aero tests or race runs a driver simply will not cruise around on a circuit even during system evaluations. Yes he would not be exactly pushing but he won't be lifting off just for no reason either. So the question comes down to the fact of how much can be gained from setups, a bit of late braking, aggressive throttling on corner exits and parts in the development pipeline. +4 seconds might be a big ask.

[PURE PASSION]

So the RENAULT engine teams dont even bother competing in 2014 championship!!

[eilfff]

Raikkonen: "I was on a kerb and got some fairly massive wheelspin"
"I couldn't catch it anymore and unfortunately it went directly into the wall and damaged the car"

"Things happen so I wouldn't say it's my fault. We improved the settings a lot and it's not too bad, but there's a lot of torque in the car."


"We always want more laps, but today we didn't have any problems"

"Obviously I damaged the car with the crash and there were many red flags, but we did more or less what we wanted to. I don't think it's an issue"

"We could do long runs but the plan was to do something different. In the next test for sure we can do them"

Autosport

[Hornet]

I think racing might get spiced up a little with the additional difficulty in accelerating out of a corner. It's one thing to keep everything in control while doing a normal lap, but when two drivers are fighting closely, I think we'll see more mistake being made. Or in the wets:-D

[ferrari4life]

you guys writing off Red-Bull seem to forget the incredible turn around that McLaren performed on the first race weekend 2 years ago.

there is no certainties in this sport anymore.

[karvyin12]

For many of us who worried about Mercedes posting faster times.... they are running their own program...
source - ESPN F1...
Nico Rosberg is not getting carried away with
Mercedes' promising testing pace on the final
day of this week's running in Bahrain and says
reliability still needs to be worked on.
Rosberg set by far the fastest time of the week
during a qualifying simulation run on Saturday,
with a time nearly 1.7s faster than his nearest
competitor Jenson Button. But with Mercedes
more advanced in its testing programme than
its rivals, Rosberg reckons his competitors are
still running heavier fuel loads.
"We were doing some qualifying-style runs and
for sure the other guys didn't take as much
fuel out as we did, which explains the gaps,"
he said. "It's impossible to know what the
other people were doing with so many tyres
here as well. The feeling is positive and it's
looking quite good, even on pace, but I don't
want to say more than that."
Rosberg went on to complete a race simulation
at the end of the day, but said Mercedes still
has some way to go to ensure the car is
reliable for the opening race in Melbourne.
"It's positive at the moment, and in terms of
reliability I managed to complete the race
distance today and that's good. Nevertheless,
the car did break afterwards so there is still
some way to go. Problems are arising here and
there, which is totally normal, and I think in
comparison to other teams we are good in
terms of reliability. But we need to be 100%
bulletproof by the time we get Melbourne,
which is a massive challenge."
Asked to compare driving his new V6 turbo car
with the V8s of recent years, he added: "We're
quicker on the straights and slower in the
corners. There's a lot less grip in the corners,
so more sliding and that's the main thing. You
can feel that, the loss in downforce."

en.espnf1.com/mercedes/motorsport/story/146363.html

[xpman]

Here's a nice little vid by bbc
Shows nice shot and sound of Ferrari at end and includes also of Williams and Merc

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/26303657

[OSS EL BOSS]

Here's a nice little vid by bbc
Shows nice shot and sound of Ferrari at end and includes also of Williams and Merc

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/26303657

Available to UK users only.

[hrc5555]

you guys writing off Red-Bull seem to forget the incredible turn around that McLaren performed on the first race weekend 2 years ago.

there is no certainties in this sport anymore.


Who did wright off RB??? :-E

[hrc5555]

you guys writing off Red-Bull seem to forget the incredible turn around that McLaren performed on the first race weekend 2 years ago.

there is no certainties in this sport anymore.

If you are refering to my post, I didnt write them off from championship battle! I just said that if they have another bad test like they did twice, than we can write them off for victory in first race in Melbourne. I suppose anybody will agree with this?

[Rob]

Do we know about injury? Kimi hasn't the best back ... and also a small impact with wrong angle might stress the back again ...



You sure off? About low'ish D/F? As some comments from visitors there is that the car isn't really stable ...

None of the cars are that stable at the rear, at the moment.

[radosav]

Who did wright off RB??? :-E
Actually, with their two or three bad test i consider them equal to rest of top teams, i never wrote them of! They are now more on our level!

[AfterLife]

Actually, with their two or three bad test i consider them equal to rest of top teams, i never wrote them of! They are now more on our level!

One thing that always makes RedBull a threat is their massive rate of in season development.

[ferrari4life]

Actually, with their two or three bad test i consider them equal to rest of top teams, i never wrote them of! They are now more on our level!

LOL :-)

[Tifoso]

How do we look, please? :-)

[Rishu]

How do we look, please? :-)

Going by majority of forum, we suck big time. Personally, I think we are looking in decent shape

[radosav]

LOL :-)

If i am not mistaken there is four day test in july where red bull can sort their problems ,plus with last three races are 50 points each... who knows