Button does first lap of Bathurst in an F1 car

Duke · 22 Mar 2011 at 16:16

Epic.

Pics - http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/03/22/button-drives-lap-bathurst-mclaren/

JRS · 22 Mar 2011 at 16:26

Would be great if they could hold the GP there instead of at Melbourne, Mt Panorama is such a great race circuit

Skeeter · 22 Mar 2011 at 17:06

Would need a massive overhaul to meet F1 standards, and in doing so they would probubly ruin the track.

All the walls would go for a start.

PinkFloyd · 22 Mar 2011 at 19:11

Pretty awesome photos. Would be cool to have the F1 there

With regards to the walls having to go to meet F1 standards, its got me thinking - how does Monaco get away with it?

LizardKing · 22 Mar 2011 at 21:25

Bathurst was a great track in GPL, very challenging.
Surely not much more dangerous than the street circuits.

FrankJH · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:11

PinkFloyd said:
Pretty awesome photos. Would be cool to have the F1 there

With regards to the walls having to go to meet F1 standards, its got me thinking - how does Monaco get away with it?

Monaco gets away with it because its a classic track and has always been the same (and impossible to change majority of it to start with)

There would be uproar from the sponsors as well as the teams if Monaco was taken off the calendar (even if the pits are a major PITA)

I really love Melbourne as a circuit, one of my favourite events of the year (not saying the Bathurst circuit is worse, its just not Melbourne)

alex24 · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:16

That's cool. My first thought was one of ride height - I wonder how high they had to run the car. I doubt the lap was anywhere near the speed an F1 could get round the track.

FrankJH · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:24

alexhull24 said:
That's cool. My first thought was one of ride height - I wonder how high they had to run the car. I doubt the lap was anywhere near the speed an F1 could get round the track.

The fact that JB (or the V8 driver) both went round within a second of each other told me JB took it easy (not to mention its probably his race car for the weekend lol)

No discredit meant to the other driver

alex24 · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:28

FrankJH said:
No discredit meant to the other driver

I think he can stand on his own as being pretty good.....Craig Lowndes on wikipedia. Should know the place with his eyes shut.

Kevin Clark · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:28

Button 1.48 f1
Button 2.18 v8

Lowndes 1.49.4 f1
Lowndes 2.12 v8

Shows how much it helps to know the track.

FrankJH · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:37

alexhull24 said:
I think he can stand on his own as being pretty good.....Craig Lowndes on wikipedia. Should know the place with his eyes shut.

Not disputing that - but he isnt an f1 pro so no way he would be able to get the most out of the car as JB would , in an even fight , thats all I was meaning

Kevin Clark said:
Button 1.48 f1
Button 2.18 v8

Lowndes 1.49.4 f1
Lowndes 2.12 v8

Shows how much it helps to know the track.

V8's are probably more suited to the track , and set up more exactly, so Lowndes (knowing the circuit like the back of his hand) can more easily get the max out of it in one lap

alex24 · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:40

FrankJH said:
Not disputing that - but he isnt an f1 pro so no way he would be able to get the most out of the car as JB would , in an even fight , thats all I was meaning

Naturally, I was agreeing with you, just highlighting he's a bit of a Bathurst expert and a successful one at that if you don't follow the V8s. Kevin's post above makes a great demonstration of that, still pretty respectable.

Fr0dders · 22 Mar 2011 at 22:55

alexhull24 said:
I think he can stand on his own as being pretty good.....Craig Lowndes on wikipedia. Should know the place with his eyes shut.

combination of both i think.

Button taking it easy and Lowndes knowing the track like the back of his hand.

Plus of course it will help Lowndes isn't exactly a bad driver

Shimmy · 22 Mar 2011 at 23:21

FrankJH said:
The fact that JB (or the V8 driver) both went round within a second of each other told me JB took it easy (not to mention its probably his race car for the weekend lol)

No discredit meant to the other driver

It was a 2008 McLaren they used at Bathurst.

Kevin Clark · 23 Mar 2011 at 00:03

FrankJH · 23 Mar 2011 at 10:49

Shimmy said:
It was a 2008 McLaren they used at Bathurst.

Thats surprising in one sense , but I guess Vodafone can afford the shipping costs etc

Dunks · 24 Mar 2011 at 10:17

FrankJH said:
Thats surprising in one sense , but I guess Vodafone can afford the shipping costs etc

It's not that surprising, you think they would (even if they'd be allowed?) use the MP4-26?

FrankJH · 24 Mar 2011 at 11:17

Dunks said:
It's not that surprising, you think they would (even if they'd be allowed?) use the MP4-26?

McLaren can run whatever they want surely - its not an F1 event, or anything other than promotion for Vodafone (given the number of hoardings around the track with their advertising)

I thought it would / could be a combo MP4-25/26 without much issue

pingwing · 24 Mar 2011 at 15:09

WOW! Melbourne is one of my most liked tracks of the season (always lots of fun to see them going round it) but that track HAS to be on the F1 calender. I know safety spec's would try and tame it a bit but anything with that much undulation, a long narrow back straight at the top of the hill and a massive downward S really has to be some where to go! (bit like a longer Leguna Seca)

Ill make it my mission in life to have F1 there...

Zip · 26 Mar 2011 at 10:52

Skeeter said:
Would need a massive overhaul to meet F1 standards, and in doing so they would probubly ruin the track.

All the walls would go for a start.

Good luck removing the walls on the track for a star. they would have to completely remove huge chunks of the hill

Why would they have to remove the walls anyway? There are plenty of Street circuits with them? :confused:

And Bathurst has plenty of other run off points on the real fast sections of track.

Should still bring in back to Adelaide TBH