2nd Winter test, Barcelona 2013

[Massimo]

autosportlive Three course cars, a truck, a smaller truck and people with Red Bull blankets are on the scene. #F1

Nothing wrong with that Red Bull, it's a "stop the engine, stop the engine, carefully practiced worried faces, Vettel throwing gloves" simulation, to keep their special FIA dispensations for the unreliable Renault engine.

[shamim179]

I think Alonso needs to put in a slower 1st lap when he does a long run (>10 laps). That will give a more accurate picture into how the tyres are behaving performance wise lap after lap. I think he and the team are exploring the limits of the car and tyres or that he hasn't got to the grips of these tyres yet?

[shamim179]

ALO looking much more consistent this time.

RAI on a long run?

[SashAlex]

The pinnacle of the motorsport where drivers have to nurse some crap tyres during races instead of pushing everything to the limits. The pinnacle of the motorsport that has kept the engines frozen for 8 years and seems to kill even more the best thing about F1 next year with which will be imho, some weird sounding toys charged by turbo in comparison to what we've had in the past. And this year we'll have even less durable tyres(Damn you, Pirelli!) that will punish the quickest drivers out there and encourage the average likes of Button, Perez etc.

Sometimes I just hate those who rule the world motorsport.

[ferrari1.8t]

autosportlive The Mercedes is running medium tyres, while Alonso is out on hards for Ferrari and lapping in 1m27s. #F1

[Hornet]

I think warming up the tyres will be this year generally easier. As I remember Pirelli promised to deliver faster-warming up but also faster-wear off tyres for this season...

Exactly. So far it seems like they managed just that.

I'm not a fan of the faster wear thing though

[Massimo]

Check out Alonso! This is what counts, he's doing one of the most consistent and impressive longruns i have seen today, on the hard tyres.
Ferrari looks mighty good!

[NickEice]

Pirelli is damned if they do and damned if they don't. We went from tires that degraded too much at the beginning of the season to not enough at the end of the season. What do you want them to do?! It is so hard to please some people. This is the current formula. We need to deal with it. I am sure the cold winter testing also doesn't help the cause as it is not indicative of the weather we will see this year.

From an entertainment standpoint do we want procession races with one overtake? I don't think that is good for business. This is good for F1 long term, and we want to enjoy the sport we love long term. The engineers will quickly understand the tires and half way through the season we will have the same lack of degradation we saw in 2012, but no one will come out and tell say good job to Pirelli when that is the case.

[NickEice]

Last 8 laps of a 10 lap stint with an increase of 7 tenths. Not too bad.

[NickEice]

We also don't know what the engines will sound like in 2014 so that is pure speculation. I am excited for 2014. A brand new formula should see lots of differing concepts up and down the paddock and some interesting racing with brand new looking cars.

[Massimo]

Last 8 laps of a 10 lap stint with an increase of 7 tenths. Not too bad.

Had a quick check, nobody did a 10 lap stint ending with a 1:28.1 sec. not even close.

[NickEice]

Fernando has also done one meaningful lap in the 1:30's today. Everyone else has quite a handful from the 1:30's to 1:32's

[NickEice]

Red Flag, session over. 76 laps, not too bad considering how few we did this morning.

[Massimo]

Fernando has also done one meaningful lap in the 1:30's today. Everyone else has quite a handful from the 1:30's to 1:32's

When you compare Vettel's run (9 laps) to Alonso, you get this:
Vettel starts with an 1:28.3 and finishes with an 1:30.2
Alonso starts with an 1:27.4 and finishes with an 1:28.1

[SashAlex]

Pirelli is damned if they do and damned if they don't. We went from tires that degraded too much at the beginning of the season to not enough at the end of the season. What do you want them to do?! It is so hard to please some people. This is the current formula. We need to deal with it. I am sure the cold winter testing also doesn't help the cause as it is not indicative of the weather we will see this year.

From an entertainment standpoint do we want procession races with one overtake? I don't think that is good for business. This is good for F1 long term, and we want to enjoy the sport we love long term. The engineers will quickly understand the tires and half way through the season we will have the same lack of degradation we saw in 2012, but no one will come out and tell say good job to Pirelli when that is the case.

Yeah. Yeah.

The almighty tyres are the saviours of the spectacle and fun. There is DRS to aid the overtakings nowadays, easily breezing your car past the other. The problem in the past weren't the tyres, but the dirty air coming from the car that was in front, as the cars were more aerodinamically complex, so it was being difficult to follow it and overtake, yet there were overtakings.

I'm not calling for tyres that will allow one pit-stop, but for ones that a driver could burn for 15 constant high paced laps and not 15-20 nursing ones.

[Marino]

We also don't know what the engines will sound like in 2014 so that is pure speculation. I am excited for 2014. A brand new formula should see lots of differing concepts up and down the paddock and some interesting racing with brand new looking cars.

I agree. I drive a turbo'ed Subaru and am looking forward to the new forced induction engines.
The current engine freeze was CR$P, it hamstrung Ferrari and turned F1 into a CFD championship.
Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines.

[Grillo]

Some people are impossible to please and others are happy no matter what they throw at them. That's life!

Problem last year was Pirelli changing their policy mid season. Conservative or not it should not change ad-hoc during the season.

[NickEice]

I'm not calling for tyres that will allow one pit-stop, but for ones that a driver could burn for 15 constant high paced laps and not 15-20 nursing ones.

If a tire can do 15 constant high speed laps then it will be able to do 1 stop in a race. Unless they make a magic drop off at 15 laps.

You can't ban refueling and have a low deg tire. One or the other.

[Hornet]

Pirelli is damned if they do and damned if they don't. We went from tires that degraded too much at the beginning of the season to not enough at the end of the season. What do you want them to do?! It is so hard to please some people. This is the current formula. We need to deal with it. I am sure the cold winter testing also doesn't help the cause as it is not indicative of the weather we will see this year.

From an entertainment standpoint do we want procession races with one overtake? I don't think that is good for business. This is good for F1 long term, and we want to enjoy the sport we love long term. The engineers will quickly understand the tires and half way through the season we will have the same lack of degradation we saw in 2012, but no one will come out and tell say good job to Pirelli when that is the case.

This is sports, not American Idol. The problem is not with the tires. It never was. Overtaking was due to the aerodynamic issue of relying on the front wing. The tires are fine, Pirelli didn't have to screw everything up again.

Overtaking a car because his tires are toast is not overtaking, its merely passing a moving obstacle. That's not racing.

[Rishu]

You can't ban refueling and have a low deg tire. One or the other.

+1

[NickEice]

Pirelli was asked to make the tire with these characteristics. Blame upper management in F1, not Pirelli.

Racing is being smart and utilizing what is given to you. If you can't manage your tires because you have an on/off switch for a right foot rather than use your brain that's your problem. If your team cannot pit you at the proper time (Montreal 2012) then that is a strategy error, and another part of what makes the spectacle of F1 great. It's not just the racing. It's the updates at the factory, its the pit stops, its the strategy, its the sound of the cars for that hour and half of TV greatness, and of course it's the drivers and how precise and intelligent they are.

[medeni73]

I'm not sure but I always thought that Pirelli does what Charlie says. _Why would they care what sort of tyre to make? Its told to them to make such tyres to make it more interesting...

NickEice was faster :)

[Tifoso]

Pirelli is an Inter sponsor. Ferrari is a Juventus linked team. You figure it out

[NickEice]

I'm not sure but I always thought that Pirelli does what Charlie says. _Why would they care what sort of tyre to make? Its told to them to make such tyres to make it more interesting...

NickEice was faster :)

Haha, thanks Medeni. Just seems that Pirelli gets trashed a lot when they are just a pawn in the game of F1.

[NickEice]

Pirelli is an Inter sponsor. Ferrari is a Juventus linked team. You figure it out

FORZA NAPOLI!!!

[Massimo]

Collector is the part of the exhaust where four tubes put into the one main tube.

Grazie amico!

[ferrari1.8t]

ESPN F1 ✔ @ESPNF1
Perez: "We always have a lot of degradation but not this much ... It's a bit of a worry, but we're still learning" #F1

ESPN F1 ✔ @ESPNF1
Perez: "If it's still this bad in Melbourne we'll need ten stops to get through the race" #F1

Even the drivers are concerned with the rapid degradation...

[Massimo]

Pirelli is an Inter sponsor. Ferrari is a Juventus linked team. You figure it out

Yep, rumour has it, Lapo will take Luca's place as Ferrari president

[Kyss4k]

Haha, thanks Medeni. Just seems that Pirelli gets trashed a lot when they are just a pawn in the game of F1.

That's why Bridgestone left. They knew, that if they would make less durable tires based on what FIA wants, people would blame them, just like it's happening now with Pirelli. Smart move by them to leave F1 back then.

[stefa]

Nothing wrong with that Red Bull, it's a "stop the engine, stop the engine, carefully practiced worried faces, Vettel throwing gloves" simulation, to keep their special FIA dispensations for the unreliable Renault engine.

Right! That also need to be practiced!