2015 Spanish Grand Prix FP 1 & 2 & 3

[KimiBot]

Here we go again!

:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl

[roddick_andy]

Did i hear 16 new upgrades for Ferrari and they are sticking all in?

[fratelliferrari]

Forza Ferrari :ferrarifl

[NenoX]

Did i hear 16 new upgrades for Ferrari and they are sticking all in?

You heard that right

[PURE PASSION]

6345
RBRs new nose job!!!!
And my question is can a change of a couple of inches in the nose can give them a benefit of 0.7-1s as they claim,and we that we change 70% of the car we expect 0.3-0.4s!!!!
I mean that i understand that the nose play major part of the aerodynamics,bur rb allread had a short nose now its just shorter.If we or McLaren make that change i could understand it because its a hole different project!!!

[zamlatuljko]

I just saw Maurizzio wearing od left sleve #27...nice touch!

[SinanOzerS]

What a quiet session that is.

[fmatiasii]

mercs still ahead....so far.

[fratelliferrari]

I just saw Maurizzio wearing od left sleve #27...nice touch!

Can you provide a photo for me? Would like to see it :-D

[F1NAC]

still no new wings

[Sriharsha]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEeH2ZkUMAAFtAJ.jpg:large

[zamlatuljko]

Can you provide a photo for me? Would like to see it :-D

Post it when I found it, it was on tv coverage on 13min...

[zike]

Kimi 1.4 s off Ros??????:Hmm

[PURE PASSION]

So the gap is still there despite the upgrades, or different programs????And did we use the new wings?

[KimiBot]

It`s too early to say anything yet, FP1.

[SinanOzerS]

Calm down guys, you really think Toro Rosso is just 3 tenths behind us ?

[PURE PASSION]

HHmmm!!:Hmm
In his last lap Vet up until S2 ,was only 0.1s behind Ros but then he made some mistakes and backed off!!

[PURE PASSION]

P.S McLaren is all over the place!!!!

[Sriharsha]

HHmmm!!:Hmm
In his last lap Vet up until S2 ,was only 0.1s behind Ros but then he made some mistakes and backed off!!
The wind is catching alot of drivers in that slow twisty section.

[Cale24]

Toro Rosso only 3 tenths down on us? Expect that to change in FP2 :Hmm

[RedRebel40]

anyone seen the FP1? How is the car in onboard shots? Stable/understeering/oversteering?

anyone report please.

[stefa]

Second down.....

[zike]

Second down.....

Yeah, but i read somewhere than Kimi and Vet were in traffic

[Samcar222]

Final chicane is the crucible for us.. Work your magic JA...

[stefa]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEeH2ZkUMAAFtAJ.jpg:large

What is that about?

[NenoX]

anyone who has streams for fp2?

[KimiBot]

http://www.crichd.tv/sky-sports-f1-live-stream.php

[Rob]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEeH2ZkUMAAFtAJ.jpg:large

:bow:thumb

[S1000RR]

What is that about?

Must be for Gilles, crashed on 8-5 on Zolder 33 years ago

[NenoX]

http://www.crichd.tv/sky-sports-f1-live-stream.php

Thanks KimiBot!

[Stormsearcher]

We are still a second behind. So nothing has changed from Pre-season testing, and it looks like some of the reports of Mercs backing off to let the fans think there is a challenge this year and to prevent the FIA from making knee jerk reactionary changes, is true.
Let us at least hope the fight from 3-20 car numbers is good. Otherwise this will be another snooze fest of a season and this time what little resistance NR put up last year, is also absent. :-s

[mark p]

We are still a second behind. So nothing has changed from Pre-season testing, and it looks like some of the reports of Mercs backing off to let the fans think there is a challenge this year and to prevent the FIA from making knee jerk reactionary changes, is true.
Let us at least hope the fight from 3-20 car numbers is good. Otherwise this will be another snooze fest of a season and this time what little resistance NR put up last year, is also absent. :-s

Waiting for this kind of post they seem to follow huge amounts of positive feeling (possibly too much) before a race. This is a strong Merc track where last year the gap to the next best went up 0.4 seconds. If Ferrari can maintain the previous gap it shows an improvement in my opinion. If everyone stayed the same this track would allow Merc to increase the gap by nearly half a second. In future races Ferrari maybe right with them

[Alfa159]

Waiting for this kind of post they seem to follow huge amounts of positive feeling (possibly too much) before a race. This is a strong Merc track where last year the gap to the next best went up 0.4 seconds. If Ferrari can maintain the previous gap it shows an improvement in my opinion. If everyone stayed the same this track would allow Merc to increase the gap by nearly half a second. In future races Ferrari maybe right with them

Every track is a strong Merc track!

[mark p]

Yes thats true I will re phrase....they are even better here relative to other tracks.

[SinanOzerS]

Man. Rosberg is a terrible driver really.

[superwonderboy]

Oh, i really hate these commentators!!!!

[FerrariF60]

Yes thats true I will re phrase....they are even better here relative to other tracks.

well the history tell a tale, tale...whoever is good at Barcelona track, pretty much is good everywhere...
i.e. Red Fools in 2011 were miles away at this track and pretty much ACED every race afterwards...

oh well, it's still early, Ferrari are still trying and analyzing the new bits they brought and i'm pretty sure we're gonna be much better then before...NOT enough to close the gap to Merc but to get a bit closer to them

[mark p]

0.4 off that would not be bad in quali tommorrow on a track Merc gained 0.4 over normal gap to rest this time last year.

[KimiBot]

so they did get data from FP1 and now they are fine tuning,
but both our drivers are still complaining about cars behaviour

[superwonderboy]

Have we compremised mechanical grip with these areo updates or is everyone struggling to get tempreture into the tyres??

[FerrariF60]

Have we compremised mechanical grip with these areo updates or is everyone struggling to get tempreture into the tyres??

everyone BUT Mercedes it seems....

hopefully we can fine tune it properly and gain some good times out of all of these updates

[superwonderboy]

Not looking good on the long runs iether.........;-)

[NenoX]

With all those updates, I won't be surprised that the team are having a hard time to optimize the settings. But we still have FP3 tomorrow to fine tune the settings

[navettel]

Looking at the times.. it's safe to say Hamilton - Ros - Vettel - Rai come Sunday evening.. Boring Snooze fest....

[RedRebel40]

With all those updates, I won't be surprised that the team are having a hard time to optimize the settings.


could be correlation issue between the wind tunnel and the actual car and that the updates will be removed for tomorrow and we will revert back to the Melbourne specifications.

[NenoX]

could be correlation issue between the wind tunnel and the actual car and that the updates will be removed for tomorrow and we will revert back to the Melbourne specifications.

That too, but hopefully that won't be the case tomorrow.

[DelMar]

I think that being only 4 tenths away from Merc at Barcelona is really good. We will be almost there with the next engine update.

[navettel]

but v r 1 second per lap slower in long runs.. wat happened to the pace

[DelMar]

but v r 1 second per lap slower in long runs.. wat happened to the pace
In this track your lap time also depends very much on what car is right in front of you. In the race there won't a Perez in front of Vettel, etc.

[S1000RR]

Vet's racepace is 0.6-0.8 sec slower then Ros:Hmm Let's hope it is still setup work or heavy fuel load

[superwonderboy]

:lol, oh kimi, he is bored again.

[ibanezz]

It looks like Mercedes suffers on mediums :)

[Rob]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEeH2ZkUMAAFtAJ.jpg:large

Well, this day in 1982, F1 world lost Gillles.

[KimiBot]

Button P7

[PURE PASSION]

As it looks it will be hard to reach them!!!Both in short and long runs seems that Mercs have a significant gap!!Lets hope that its just a set fine tunning thing and we will fight them tomorrow and Sunday!!!But for now a low my expectations and hope for the best!!!

[S1000RR]

Hmm Kimi complaining, no front and rear grip and asked if he could come in because he can't do anything with the car.

[stefa]

well the history tell a tale, tale...whoever is good at Barcelona track, pretty much is good everywhere...
i.e. Red Fools in 2011 were miles away at this track and pretty much ACED every race afterwards...

oh well, it's still early, Ferrari are still trying and analyzing the new bits they brought and i'm pretty sure we're gonna be much better then before...NOT enough to close the gap to Merc but to get a bit closer to them

Absolutely true about Barcelona track!!! This one is a mother of all tracks!!!

[stefa]

Must be for Gilles, crashed on 8-5 on Zolder 33 years ago

Yes it is. Thank you!

[Sriharsha]

Vettel: The track was very slippery this afternoon & we were unable to evaluate the contribution of the new aerodynamic package

[f300v10]

Vettel: The track was very slippery this afternoon & we were unable to evaluate the contribution of the new aerodynamic package

He might not be able to feel it, or determine the impact on lap times, but the load cells in the suspension should still be able to measure any changes in aero performance produced by the new package. The engineers will know if it is matching expectations or not.

[stefa]

Any way, I am not feeling down because of a gap to Mercedes even with so many updates on Ferrari. They brought for sure some updates on their already mighty car. So basically they are still in their own league, but we are going in right direction. As said before the season started this year is year of renewal, rising from the ashes... But next one... I expect to call it THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK!!!

[S1000RR]

Vettel: The track was very slippery this afternoon & we were unable to evaluate the contribution of the new aerodynamic package

So we are going to explore the Aero package in FP3 in stead of finetune it?

[Sriharsha]

He might not be able to feel it, or determine the impact on lap times, but the load cells in the suspension should still be able to measure any changes in aero performance produced by the new package. The engineers will know if it is matching expectations or not.
Thats true but also driver need to feel it so that he can see the limit of the car. It should be interesting how it pans out tomorrow as it will be little less cooler than today from what i heard.

[PURE PASSION]

Q: "Seb, what about the upgrades?"
Vettel: "It is hard to say, it was a complicated day. Anyway, seems that the upgrades work"

[Smintlemon]

Vet's racepace is 0.6-0.8 sec slower then Ros:Hmm Let's hope it is still setup work or heavy fuel load

Where did you see it ?

Seb starts on Hard Tires with 1.32.100 and ROS with Medium with 1:31.000
after 17 laps ROS change to Hard with a Laptime of 1.30.900 with about 27 kg lower fuel !!

I Think they are on the same Level in Racepace

[Sriharsha]

Q: "Seb, what about the upgrades?"
Vettel: "It is hard to say, it was a complicated day. Anyway, seems that the upgrades work"

Thats good to hear lets see how Q pans out.

[fronaldo]

Race pace not so good

[Fireblade]

Does anyone have the lap and sector times?

[f300v10]

Does anyone have the lap and sector times?

You can find all lap times here: http://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula-one-world-championship/season-2015/event-timing-information

Sorry but I don't have sector times.

[Smintlemon]

You can find all lap times here: http://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula-one-world-championship/season-2015/event-timing-information

Sorry but I don't have sector times.

Ham. 23.502. 32.595. 30.755
vet. 23.531. 32.909. 30.820
ros. 23.509. 33.185. 30.922
rai. 24.154. 33.697. 31.257

[Smintlemon]

All best sector times !

[Fireblade]

Ham. 23.502. 32.595. 30.755
vet. 23.531. 32.909. 30.820
ros. 23.509. 33.185. 30.922
rai. 24.154. 33.697. 31.257

In spite of the upgrades it looks like the car is still deficient on downforce compared to the Mercs. (Roughly speaking, S2 is the "downforce sector" on this track)

[Black Adder]

I am not worried about the pace over one lap, but clearly today Merc had a better race simulation pace as Ferrari. This was not the case during P2 of the last 3 races. This is not good!

[gjoko-mkd]

Kimi Raikkonen: "It was quite a strange day. The position and lap times were not too bad, but I was not completely happy with the handling of the car. I don't know if it was caused by the wind or by the conditions of the track, but I have been struggling all day. We did not see anything bad with the upgrades we brought here. It's just the feeling that it's not completely right, as if the car was sliding. I feel there's a lot to improve and to gain, in the evening we'll look more into details and see what we can do for the rest of the weekend."


Sebastian Vettel: "I think it's quite straightforward that the Medium are the faster tires, but today it was a bit slippery for all the cars. Grip seems to be very low, nothing abnormal as we've seen it across many years now. When we come from the winter usually in summer the track is quite a bit slower. It always helps when there are cars around and I think everybody covered quite a lot of laps today: of course on Sunday it will improve, but the general conditions will remain the same. They say it is going to be a bit cooler on Sunday and maybe that will help. I think we can improve the cars, but the gap with Mercedes is still there. It was not the best lap today, but I believe that in these conditions it is difficult for everybody. The difference between the two tires compound is quite big on a lap for us, while on the long run it is a lot smaller, but then when you slide so much you can't really extract the performance out of the tires. Today everyone was sliding a lot, so it's not entirely fair to judge the new pieces on the car. But most important, there's nothing wrong with them: they're working as expected so we can hopefully build into that."

[Stormy]

Kimi Raikkonen: "It was quite a strange day. The position and lap times were not too bad, but I was not completely happy with the handling of the car. I don't know if it was caused by the wind or by the conditions of the track, but I have been struggling all day. We did not see anything bad with the upgrades we brought here. It's just the feeling that it's not completely right, as if the car was sliding. I feel there's a lot to improve and to gain, in the evening we'll look more into details and see what we can do for the rest of the weekend."


Sebastian Vettel: "I think it's quite straightforward that the Medium are the faster tires, but today it was a bit slippery for all the cars. Grip seems to be very low, nothing abnormal as we've seen it across many years now. When we come from the winter usually in summer the track is quite a bit slower. It always helps when there are cars around and I think everybody covered quite a lot of laps today: of course on Sunday it will improve, but the general conditions will remain the same. They say it is going to be a bit cooler on Sunday and maybe that will help. I think we can improve the cars, but the gap with Mercedes is still there. It was not the best lap today, but I believe that in these conditions it is difficult for everybody. The difference between the two tires compound is quite big on a lap for us, while on the long run it is a lot smaller, but then when you slide so much you can't really extract the performance out of the tires. Today everyone was sliding a lot, so it's not entirely fair to judge the new pieces on the car. But most important, there's nothing wrong with them: they're working as expected so we can hopefully build into that."
Somehow i think we didn't gain much with these upgrades, but we'll know tomorrow for sure.
Is Mercedes bringing any upgrades in this race?

[gjoko-mkd]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEfGML8WIAAemfD.jpg:large

[Smintlemon]

I am not worried about the pace over one lap, but clearly today Merc had a better race simulation pace as Ferrari. This was not the case during P2 of the last 3 races. This is not good!

Ferrari have the Same racepace as Mercedes !

[zike]

Ferrari have the Same racepace as Mercedes !

no, we do not

[PURE PASSION]

Ferrari have the Same racepace as Mercedes !
Ι'm afraid not,and even worse it looked quite big the gap!!!!:-s
We where running in high 32s and even to 33s and Mercs very low 32s and even on 31s!!!!

[Ed Harley]

I'm a bit worried that either
- track itself was very slippery and windy today
or
- upgrades do not work
or
- upgrades bring need for new setups

If it was just about the track and weather then OK but if the situation emerges from the upgrades then Mercedes will just vanish into horizon. But we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

[f300v10]

Somehow i think we didn't gain much with these upgrades, but we'll know tomorrow for sure.
Is Mercedes bringing any upgrades in this race?

Aldo Costa was quoted as saying there are 30 to 35 details changed on the Merc, and they estimated a gain of .3 per lap. So if Ferrari gained the predicted .4 with their upgrades, the net gain would only be 0.1 sec per lap. No way for us to tell exactly how that all played out as we don't have relevant times for the cars without the upgrades on them.

[Fireblade]

no, we do not

It's hard to tell. Hamilton did not really do a long run, just five or six laps was his long stint. Rosberg did, but it was an odd "long run" - fast lap, slow lap, fast lap, slow lap ...

Probably Mercedes are still faster, but the available numbers don't show it. They may be holding something back for the race.

[mark p]

In spite of the upgrades it looks like the car is still deficient on downforce compared to the Mercs. (Roughly speaking, S2 is the "downforce sector" on this track)

It can be argued the whole track is about aero. In P1 it was s3 where they lost time so looked like traction but P2 it was S2 but S3 very competitive.

This was not a normal Friday with so many new parts they could not just focus on set up they had to check new parts so short on time to make adjustments. They may well get better and better by focusing on setup as they did from pre season to Bahrain with very few changes. Will see on Sunday evening where Ferrari stand.

[mark p]

Ham. 23.502. 32.595. 30.755
vet. 23.531. 32.909. 30.820
ros. 23.509. 33.185. 30.922
rai. 24.154. 33.697. 31.257

These splits put Raikkonen 1.7 behind Vettel but the gap was a lot less.

[Smintlemon]

no, we do not

YES WE DID !!!

in the Race sim Vettel on Hard did his fastest with 1.32.100
Rosberg did his Fastest on Hard in 1.30.900 but after 18 Laps !! so when you add the Fuel ( 0.350 sec/10kg) and 1.55 kg per lap then you see that Rosberg needed 28 kg of fuel. Now applikate this and you see that Rosberg with fully load is not Faster than Vettel. Ok maybe 0.200 of a second but not more.

[Cale24]

Glad there's a test on this same track after the race. Assuming we don't nail down the optimal settings for the updated package tomorrow (assuming its that, plus low grip & windy conditions, that are affecting our ultimate pace) we'll at least have an opportunity to really thoroughly assess it. Circuit will be pretty grippy too, giving a more consistent base to work with.

[Smintlemon]

your right. I take the wrong times.

RAI 23.619 33.123 30.903

[Giallo 550]

This is not as encouraging as I hoped it would be...:Hmm

[PURE PASSION]

Sebastian Vettel Q&A: Ferrari still have pace in hand!!

Ferrari meeting after the free practice !!!
63466347
Come on guys!!Do your magic!!!

[mardyrt]

Anyone has the article on AutoSport about how "Why Ferrari has its work cut out in Spain".
http://www.autosport.com/

I cannot read the article, can anyone post it here? I would like to know what those guys are talking about.
I must say, I am still a little confused/skeptical about our updates. They are giving a little bit of excuses, but its true the track conditions were difficult, on the other hand, track conditions were the same for everyone.
I am just trying to find more information for my own analysis.
I am a little bit disappointed that our package did not give us the results as soon as it was bolted on. If its a good package, then, we would have already seen some little hints about it. Anyway, I am hopeful. So, we will see.

[darkchild]

Got to say, it was a bit risky to bring so many updates in such a short span of time. Maybe it would have been better to do it gradually...They must have been sure in correlation between wind tunnel and real track. We will see if Ferrari does anything overnight with setup because this doesn't look thrilling atm. Then again the entire day was pretty bad for everyone so we will see...

[paolo lalli]

Not the way arrivabene wants an aggressive approach and fingers crossed solid results

[long2ma]

Based on the statements from the drivers, they didn't sound as optimistic as previously after each session. Don't expect too much from this upgrade. The gap to the front can be even more now.

[Winter]

I was a bit surprised that they didn't run at all with old specs car, they must have been very confident that new parts work as expected.

The gap to Mercs seems big right now, but either driver complained about upgrades and there should be much to gain with good set up work. The track should change also as it gets more rubber from GP2 racing, that should help us getting more heat to the tires. I don't think that we are challenging Mercules in pure race pace, but the gap should be smaller than it was in first two FPs.

[Sriharsha]

I was a bit surprised that they didn't run at all with old specs car, they must have been very confident that new parts work as expected.
I think the new parts are working , its just the conditions made it look like it wasn't. Lets see how today pans out and how the race pans out. Wind is main reason yesterday and that is making car very unstable today and tomorrow it will be less windy than friday.

[Winter]

I think the new parts are working , its just the conditions made it look like it wasn't. Lets see how today pans out and how the race pans out. Wind is main reason yesterday and that is making car very unstable today and tomorrow it will be less windy than friday.

Yes and it was not just our cars having troubles with the grip, yesterday even mercedes cars seemed to be off the rail more than once.

[ramesh]

Why Ferrari has its work cut out in Spain
Any hopes of Ferrari making inroads against Mercedes at the Spanish Grand Prix appeared to be dashed on Friday. BEN ANDERSON looks into the reasons behind that outcome

By Ben Anderson
Grand Prix editor


Sebastian Vettel, Spanish GP 2015

The beginning of the European season usually provides the first major skirmish in Formula 1's endless car development war, and with it hope among those who are trailing the competition that they might - with some clever thinking and lots of hard work - close up to, or even overtake, their nearest rivals.

At the front of this year's F1 grid that means Ferrari's ongoing efforts to catch Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel spoke ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix about his hopes that the Scuderia might close the gap with a raft of updates to the SF15-T.

But on the evidence of the first day of running at Barcelona, that hope hasn't become a reality.

The story of Mercedes versus Ferrari so far this season has been highly dependent on specific circuit layouts and conditions. The Maranello outfit is generally quicker at places that are very hot (Malaysia) and on circuits where the emphasis of crucial tyre management is at the rear of the car (Malaysia and Bahrain).
Lewis Hamilton, Spanish GP 2015
Hamilton wasn't always happy, but his car was fast on Friday © LAT

The Mercedes W06 is a slightly faster car overall, and usually increases its edge in cooler weather (pre-season testing, Australia and China) and on front-limited tracks.

Events at the predominantly front-limited Circuit de Catalunya on Friday merely emphasised the trends we've already seen so far in 2015. The first session took place in a relatively frosty 19C, with a track temperature of 30C, and Mercedes was almost a full second faster than Ferrari (on the harder tyre).

Temperatures climbed to 27C (ambient) and as high as 50C (track) for the afternoon session, as teams began using the faster medium tyre, and Mercedes' pure pace edge dropped off as a result - back to the sort of four-tenths gap it has enjoyed at the circuits Ferrari has been stronger at, namely Malaysia and Bahrain.

Of course, we cannot account for fuel loads and engine settings etc. But it's fairly likely that Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will once again engage in a personal battle for pole position here.

Many drivers struggled with the circuit conditions in the afternoon, and Rosberg ended up four tenths adrift of Vettel as a result, but it will likely require a massive underperformance from Rosberg on Saturday for Vettel to have a chance of splitting the Mercedes.

On pure performance at least, it looks like a stalemate at the front of the field in terms of car development.

Single-lap pace ranking

1. Mercedes, 1m26.852s (Hamilton)
2. Ferrari, 1m27.260s (Vettel)
3. Red Bull, 1m27.943s (Kvyat)
4. Toro Rosso, 1m28.017s (Verstappen)
5. McLaren, 1m28.494s (Button)
6. Williams, 1m28.525s (Bottas)
7. Lotus, 1m29.086s (Grosjean)
8. Sauber, 1m29.333s (Nasr)
9. Force India, 1m29.601s (Hulkenberg)
10. Manor, 1m31.929s (Stevens)

Daniel Ricciardo suffered a problematic day on his side of the garage, but Red Bull team-mate Daniil Kvyat arguably enjoyed his cleanest Friday of the season so far in the updated RB11, which featured a new front wing and nose. The result was 'best-of-the-rest' behind Mercedes and Ferrari, which is where Red Bull would expect to be.
Daniil Kvyat, Spanish GP 2015
Revised Red Bull could be in a frantic fight for best of the rest © XPB

However, sister team Toro Rosso (which has brought a new floor and some other small aero tweaks to the STR10) was very close behind, while Williams traditionally makes huge gains from Friday through to Saturday - as it dumps out the fuel and turns up the engine - so you would expect Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa to jump into the gap behind Ferrari come qualifying.

On the face of it, the improving McLaren-Honda alliance appears to have made a big jump forward in Spain. Fernando Alonso came close to making Q3 last time out in Bahrain and Jenson Button's seventh fastest time in FP2 at Barcelona (in a car that features continuous aerodynamic upgrades and a fresh Honda engine for this race) suggested McLaren might be a top-10-shootout certainty here.

However, the 2009 world champion suggested after the session that his MP4-30 still needs to improve in "all areas", and an analysis of each car's long-run pace on the medium tyre (which should be the rubber of choice in Sunday's race) reveals why the Brit is so pessimistic.

Long-run ranking (medium)
Average lap time

1. Mercedes, 1m31.582s (Rosberg)
2. Williams, 1m32.292s (Massa)
3. Ferrari, 1m32.504s (Vettel)
4. Force India, 1m33.178s (Hulkenberg)
5. Red Bull, 1m33.290s (Kvyat)
6. Toro Rosso, 1m33.492s (Sainz)
7. Lotus, 1m33.509s (Maldonado)
8. Sauber, 1m33.738s (Nasr)
9. McLaren, 1m33.961s (Button)
10. Manor, 1m37.891s (Stevens)

The McLaren-Honda was easily the slowest of the midfield contenders over a nine-lap average stint (using Nico Rosberg as the reference).

It's bad news too over at Ferrari, which has usually been closer to Mercedes over longer runs. That was not the case on Friday afternoon in Spain.

Kimi Raikkonen claimed he was simply "wasting laps" and "getting nothing out of this" while he pounded around on the harder tyre (which Pirelli calculated was 1.5s slower than the medium in the heat of the afternoon), but team-mate Vettel's more-meaningful running on the medium will not ease the Finn's discomfort.

"Overall it's fairly straightforward - the medium is the faster tyre, but it was pretty slippery today for all the cars, you saw everyone was a little bit all over the place," explained Vettel.
Kimi Raikkonen, Spanish GP 2015
Raikkonen didn't enjoy his day of practice in the Ferrari SF15-T © LAT

"Unfortunately grip seems to be very low, nothing abnormal. We've seen that across many years now, when you come here in the summer the track is quite a bit slower than in the winter."

But the hot conditions of Friday afternoon, which affected performance so drastically that some cars - namely the Mercedes, the Sauber and the Force India - were actually quicker on harder rubber in the morning than they were on the medium in FP2, are expected to remain for the rest of the weekend.

This usually plays to Ferrari's strengths, but the SF15-T doesn't look as strong here as it has done recently, and the Scuderia may actually be looking over its shoulder at a resurgent Williams, rather than focusing on pressuring Mercedes.

Spanish GP 2015 pace analysis

However, the big caveat here is fuel loads. Vettel's total race run was almost twice as long as Rosberg's, so you would expect the Ferrari to be a bit stronger when it comes to the race itself. That said, Felipe Massa's mightily impressive effort in the updated FW37 was only three laps shorter than Vettel's, which suggest Williams has taken a genuine step forward here.

As Valtteri Bottas said after FP2, "we are very much looking forward rather than backwards". That's bad news for Ferrari given how good the Williams looks over a longer run. Massa was even more impressive on the harder rubber, but that run lasted only five laps (Raikkonen did 13) and occurred on a much lighter fuel load.

Nevertheless, Friday's running indicates that Williams is perhaps finally getting on top of the tyre management difficulties that plagued its form over the first four races. If that translates, it could be a genuine podium contender on Sunday, though it should be noted that Ferrari still appears to retain its advantage on tyre degradation, which should give it a strategic upper hand.

If Ferrari is forced to fight Williams again it will create the conditions for an exclusive battle for victory between Rosberg and Hamilton - the likes of which we haven't seen since the season-opener in Australia.

Hamilton endured a tricky afternoon session in Spain - complaining of a problem with his seat and requiring tweaks to the set-up in order to get comfortable. He trailed his team-mate over longer runs on both types of tyre (on average he was 0.07s slower on the medium and 0.077s adrift on the hard), but only fractionally.
Felipe Massa, Spanish GP 2015
Williams appears to be in better shape that Friday's times suggested © LAT

If he can again translate his single-lap pace advantage into Saturday's qualifying session, it's difficult to see how his team-mate can use that small long-run edge to overturn the deficit. In short, if Rosberg is to claim that first win of 2015 he so desperately needs to spark his title challenge into life, he's going to need to quickly rediscover the magic qualifying touch he possessed last season.

Single-lap pace is certainly not the strength of the Force India VJM08, which continues to trail its midfield rivals in the downforce stakes. Nico Hulkenberg managed a surprisingly rapid longer run on the medium tyre in FP2 though - better than all bar the first three teams.

But it will be difficult to translate that into a good result unless the team can unlock a bit more performance from the car for Saturday's qualifying session - given how difficult it is to overtake on this track.

Fellow Mercedes customer team Lotus has generally been a rock-solid top-10 contender over the first four races, but a rear wing upgrade to the E23 has not produced the desired gains yet, so the Enstone squad may well slip back behind the improved Red Bull and Toro Rosso squads here.

A similar lack of aerodynamic progress afflicts Sauber, which has often been a lower-points contender so far in 2015, but has struggled to stop its rear tyres from overheating in Spain.

On the evidence of Friday, things don't look nearly as rosy as usual for the Ferrari-powered teams. Ferrari has recently been the one turning the screw on Mercedes; now it's time to see how the new-look Scuderia reacts when it is the one on the rack.

[ramesh]

autosport is never in favour of ferrari

[mardyrt]

Ben Anderson is smoking something, Angel dust perhaps!
I was looking at the laps and long run laps were done on Hards. They were ultra consistent.
These are the lap times!!
14:06:25
1:29.394
1:41.523
1:29.085
1:39.511 P
2:05.541 P
11:31.930
1:27.260
1:38.004
1:27.740
1:42.781 P
2:17.064 P
18:32.495 P
2:15.923 P
2:13.857
1:32.429
1:32.109
1:36.637 P
2:06.045
1:32.048
1:32.957
1:32.302
1:32.716
1:32.109
1:32.622
1:32.367
1:32.871
1:38.977
1:32.544
1:32.562
1:32.324
1:33.360
1:31.951
1:32.849
1:33.020
1:32.695
1:41.799 P

What is he saying that Vettel's laps were same as Massas? The fast laps Massa did were on mediums. Vettel did his times on hard tiers, so what is he comparing times to!
He is a Hamilton and Mercedes fanboy and a Ferrari hater.
Come on Ferrari, figure out the updates and lets go win this thing!

[Winter]

I think he is right about Seb doing his long run with mediums not hard tires. Kimi did his with hard tires though..

[qb_marukochan]

imho since vettel won on malaysia. mercedes team paid a lot attention on both kimi and vettel FP 2 long run on china and bahrain ,so they can easily manage theirs advantages on race day. on china and bahrain. ferrari was quicker on long run compare than mercedes, but on race day , boom, mercedes can ook it easily. I think our team knew it, so they must cover it up on yesterday long run.

[zike]

Alonso says Ferrari made "a little step forward" which seems bigger as Williams & Red Bull "underperformed"

Alonso still hurt :-D

[PURE PASSION]

According to Sky Italy, Sebastian Vettel will be on track with the new updates but Kimi Raikkonen not.
Left: Vettel's SF15-T (with new updates)
Right: Raikkonen's
6348
So this is good or bad??:Hmm
i mean its logical to do this thing yesterday and fine tune it today!!!Now whats going on??

[KimiBot]

so, Kimi has some old parts back, and Seb has all new parts, let`s see what is difference

[PURE PASSION]

so, Kimi has some old parts back, and Seb has all new parts, let`s see what is difference

In the first laps in Hards,Kimi is 0.5s faster then Vet!!!!
If they are not trying something different,it looks like the new updates DOESN'T work!!!:-(

[khizerk]

Kimi's half a second faster without the updates. Though it seemed like Vettel did multiple timed laps.

I hope this doesn't imply what it seems to imply!

[LivingHitokiri]

Kimi's half a second faster without the updates. Though it seemed like Vettel did multiple timed laps.

I hope this doesn't imply what it seems to imply!

They both did same laps, actually Kimi did 1 more lap.
Lets wait for teh mediums and see how the new vs old updates are.

[KimiBot]

Kimi's half a second faster without the updates. Though it seemed like Vettel did multiple timed laps.

I hope this doesn't imply what it seems to imply!

well, Seb was behind Ham 0.4 yesterday and now Kimi is 0,5 ahead, so I really hope that this is true, lol

[DelMar]

I think Seb was fractionally faster at the end of S2, so I don't think updates can be that bad to cost 5 tenths in one sector.

[khizerk]

I think Seb was fractionally faster at the end of S2, so I don't think updates can be that bad to cost 5 tenths in one sector.

Also, is that only that sidepod flow conditioner that has been reverted back or everything?

[NenoX]

Sky said, Kimi only has the sidepod upgrade removed. All the other upgrades are bolted onto Kimi's.

[LivingHitokiri]

We seem to lose a lot of time at last sector, almost all the time is lost there.

[KimiBot]

Also, is that only that sidepod flow conditioner that has been reverted back or everything?

one reporter wrote, that Kimi has Bahrain`s aero pack and Sky Sports are saying that some old parts are back, so, who knows

[NenoX]

We seem to lose a lot of time at last sector, almost all the time is lost there.

Yeap! Earlier seb was faster by kimi by .100 before going through the final sector. When the times came out he was half a second down on kimi

[zike]

Yet again we downgraded the car

[f1 alfa]

And top speed?

[f1 alfa]

So the downgrades works well!!!

[KimiBot]

Ricciardo P3 atm, does not look so good for Ferrari

[Mmg]

Ricciardo's time was on mediums

[Rob]

Yet again we downgraded the car

:-ZZ

[PURE PASSION]

Ricciardo P3 atm, does not look so good for Ferrari

He was on mediums!!

[KimiBot]

Ricciardo's time was on mediums

okey, thanks, but it is a good time anyway

[Winter]

So the downgrades works well!!!

Hold your tears until medium tires.

[LivingHitokiri]

okey, thanks, but it is a good time anyway

Not really if you think the mediums are 1.5 seconds faster than hard Ricciardo is missing around 1.3 seconds with mediums to get near us.

[NenoX]

Hold your tears until medium tires.

But we haven't been out since the first few laps. And looks like kimi would be sticking with the old sidepods.

[Rob]

Hold your tears until medium tires.

we dont know what the team is doing at the moment, as in programme to run through. They know alot more than us.

[ALO]

:Hmm

hmm what happened to our progress

[ALO]

Hold your tears until medium tires.

what color are mediums?

[Rob]

what color are mediums?

black.:-G

[KimiBot]

okey, nice lap Seb

[Rob]

what color are mediums?


White :thumb

[LivingHitokiri]

So, the new upgrades seems to work.

[stefa]

SV second at the moment...

[ALO]

so are they letting them go four wheels off like that in that corner?

[SinanOzerS]

Well, 8 tenths of a second difference between Seb and Kim. That must be saying something about our upgrades huh ?

[Kristof_F40]

So, Merc is faster than us in every sector, but Vettel really nailed S2 and both Mercs made mistakes in S3
I think Seb can pressure Merc in qualy and perhaps who new, but Merc still are faster.
Kimi didn't improve in S2 and S3 on mediums... Wonderrinh why

[Rob]

So, the new upgrades seems to work.

same old story, people soon jump up and shout "downgrading" the car.

Best bet, just wait and see how it all plays out.

[Kristof_F40]

It was a wrong setting on Kimi

[LivingHitokiri]

Kimi had the wrong setup.......
So we are in the blind again.

[KimiBot]

Kimi had the wrong setup.......
So we are in the blind again.

lol

[gjoko-mkd]

Stefa,šta su rekli Kimiju preko radija?

Seb`s lap is not to bad for now

[Winter]

we dont know what the team is doing at the moment, as in programme to run through. They know alot more than us.

Exactly.

[DelMar]

I am sure team will pretty much know how many tenths the settings would cost, so it will still be relevant.

[LivingHitokiri]

No matter how much Kimi lost time due to the wrong settings if we take the times of Seb and compare it to merc it is clear that the upgrades are working,at least on mediums .
We really need to wait for qualifying and get clear imagine.

[khizerk]

They've sent Kimi out again. Must be used mediums though?

[KimiBot]

No matter how much Kimi lost time due to the wrong settings if we take the times of Seb and compare it to merc it is clear that the upgrades are working,at least on mediums .
We really need to wait for qualifying and get clear imagine.

maybe Ham had a bad lap, usually he is ahead Nico 0.3-0.5

[Kristof_F40]

is Seb can nail the second sector in qualy, that's are only chance to come close to Merc, that + Mercs not nailing S3, because they are really really good there

[mark p]

They are saying setting meant re charging was happening on hot lap when should just discharge so sounds like ran out of ERS makes sense if S1 was good but S2 and S3 worse than time on hards....ran out of full power?

[Kristof_F40]

No matter how much Kimi lost time due to the wrong settings if we take the times of Seb and compare it to merc it is clear that the upgrades are working,at least on mediums .
We really need to wait for qualifying and get clear imagine.

Seb did a very good lap, both Mercs made mistakes so they have more to gain.. Ofcourse if we can put pressure on them, perhaps they make mistakes again..
However, I think it's more realistic to go for second row, with some luck P2 is possible perhaps..

[Kristof_F40]

They are saying setting meant re charging was happening on hot lap when should just discharge so sounds like ran out of ERS makes sense if S1 was good but S2 and S3 worse than time on hards....ran out of full power?

Yeah, he was probably harvesting instead of releasing full power..

[PURE PASSION]

Why lap times seems to be slower (or in the best case similar) to last year??
This years cars,suppose to be sec and more faster then last year!!!!

[mark p]

And that would be great. Solid 3 and 4, 5 races in know one could dream within 0.5 of Merc and solid 3 and 4 after all the changes and last years performance. This was a year of transition and we were told to expect pain to start with but this has not been the case. They should close on Merc during the year but after 5 races to be right up there is asking a bit much.

On the upgrades the more grip the track and tyres give the more scope to take advantage of increased downforce. Maybe as track is grippier than yesterday they will change sidepod back on Kimis car.

[Winter]

And that would be great. Solid 3 and 4, 5 races in know one could dream within 0.5 of Merc and solid 3 and 4 after all the changes and last years performance. This was a year of transition and we were told to expect pain to start with but this has not been the case. They should close on Merc during the year but after 5 races to be right up there is asking a bit much.

On the upgrades the more grip the track and tyres give the more scope to take advantage of increased downforce. Maybe as track is grippier than yesterday they will change sidepod back on Kimis car.

Would've been very important to get representative lap with mediums for Kimi to know witch parts to use in race. The old pods were half a second faster with hard tires and they had no decent lap with mediums.

[KimiBot]

Would've been very important to get representative lap with mediums for Kimi to know witch parts to use in race. The old pods were half a second faster with hard tires and they had no decent lap with mediums.

mediums should be 1.5 sec faster, and Kimi was only 0.4 sec faster, so we could take 1.1 sec from Kimi`s time to get right time?

[Kristof_F40]

We don't know how good the parts are, but what we do know is that Seb prefered to have them on his car today and Kimi didn't, so I think we just need to leave Kimi's car as it is, are as he likes it.. Perhpas it's not as fast as with the new parts, but if Kimi doesn't like it, we will loose more I think..

[Winter]

We don't know how good the parts are, but what we do know is that Seb prefered to have them on his car today and Kimi didn't, so I think we just need to leave Kimi's car as it is, are as he likes it.. Perhpas it's not as fast as with the new parts, but if Kimi doesn't like it, we will loose more I think..

But if the same .5 would have stayed with mediums, maybe Seb would consider the same parts. Useful info lost there..

[ibanezz]

@Winter Yes it was. We've got new rear wing tonight.

[mark p]

But if the same .5 would have stayed with mediums, maybe Seb would consider the same parts. Useful info lost there..

Maybe Sebs run on hard was nit representitive? The gao between him and others grew when he did laps on medium. So many variables but the team will have all information to hand for the most informed decision.

I thought Kimi ran with everything new just not the re shaped sidepods?

[Kristof_F40]

But if the same .5 would have stayed with mediums, maybe Seb would consider the same parts. Useful info lost there..

Agree,
It was a silly mistake that cost us. What I'm saying is: we shouldn't change to much now based on assumption (data that we don't have, but think there might be) since that could disturb Kimi..

[Winter]

@Winter Yes it was. We've got new rear wing tonight.

I deleted it cause I thought I was totally wrong :lol

[mizf1]

Martin Brundle suggesting the new parts given to Vet over Kimi, 1st driver and 2nd driver. Did they not make parts for both cars?

[mizf1]

Kimi going out again on medium, turning a set of the faster tyres

[NenoX]

Martin Brundle suggesting the new parts given to Vet over Kimi, 1st driver and 2nd driver. Did they not make parts for both cars?

They did, kimi tried the all new package on friday too. He just opted to use the old sidepods this morning

[Ed Harley]

Race engineer:"OK, Kimi, we have a wrong setting".
KR: "Excellent, excellent!"

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rosberg-tops-times-final-f1-practice-104814762--f1.html

[RedRebel40]

Kimi shouldn't drive for Ferrari in 2016. Get Verstappen or Hulkenberg for 2016.

[Ed Harley]

Sure, that'll improve the car.

[subfire91]

:)