F1 Testing 2010

My last word on this off-topic tangent:

Lewis Hamilton - 52 starts, 3 fastest laps (5.77%)
Sebastian Vettel - 43 starts, 3 fastest laps (6.98%)
Fernando Alonso - 139 starts, 13 fastest laps (9.35%)
Felipe Massa - 114 starts, 12 fastest laps (10.53%)
Michael Schumacher - 249 starts, 76 fastest laps (30.52%)

Now, I've never claimed to be any mathematical genius. But the way I see it, 5.77% is a low number. And those other four numbers are higher. Also goes to show just how much speed Massa has actually shown over the years.
 
Probably best to rephrase it that mclaren look good with fuel on board and getting on fresh rubber at the end of a tank showed they have got some raw pace in the car too...
 
ill eat a shoe if torro rosso , sauber and force india are faster than ferrari and mercedes gp

the drivers dont even know whos fastest yet so i dont see how some motorsport observer would.

Probably best to rephrase it that mclaren look good with fuel on board and getting on fresh rubber at the end of a tank showed they have got some raw pace in the car too...
most the regular top teams probably arent even using the bahrain aero package yet we all know they like to keep suprises for the 1st gp
 
most the regular top teams probably arent even using the bahrain aero package yet we all know they like to keep suprises for the 1st gp

Everyone said this last year - Brawn are just showboating, running underweight to attract sponsors etc etc... McLaren will be right on the pace in the 1st race, they're just sandbagging.

But the first race was just like the testing times. The fast testing teams were still fast, and those that were slow were still slow.
 
In direct response to sunama.

These are interesting stats because they're proportionate to races entered.

Most Fastest Laps in a Season:

driver/year/entries/fastest laps/percentage
1 Michael Schumacher 2004 18 10 55.55%
Kimi Räikkönen 2005 19 10 52.63%
Kimi Räikkönen 2008 18 10 55.55%

4 Mika Häkkinen 2000 17 9 52.94%

5 Nigel Mansell 1992 16 8 50.00%
Michael Schumacher 1994 16 8 50.00%
Michael Schumacher 1995 17 8 47.05%

8 Nelson Piquet 1986 16 7 43.75%
Alain Prost 1988 16 7 43.75%
Michael Schumacher 2002 17 7 41.17%

Total Fastest Laps

driver/fastest laps/race starts/percentage
1 Michael Schumacher 76 248 30.64%
2 Alain Prost 41 199 20.60%
3 Kimi Räikkönen 35 156 22.44%
4 Nigel Mansell 30 187 16.04%
5 Jim Clark 28 72 38.88%
6 Mika Häkkinen 25 161 15.52%
7 Niki Lauda 24 171 14.03%
8 Juan Manuel Fangio 23 51 45.09%
Nelson Piquet 23 204 11.27%
10 Gerhard Berger 21 210 10%

LOL where does Button feature in this, about 200th :D:D
 
Everyone said this last year - Brawn are just showboating, running underweight to attract sponsors etc etc... McLaren will be right on the pace in the 1st race, they're just sandbagging.

But the first race was just like the testing times. The fast testing teams were still fast, and those that were slow were still slow.

so torro rosso , sauber and force india are going to be battling it out with mclaren whilst ferrari , red bull and mercedes battle it out in the mid field/rear?
 
ill eat a shoe if torro rosso , sauber and force india are faster than ferrari and mercedes gp

the drivers dont even know whos fastest yet so i dont see how some motorsport observer would.

most the regular top teams probably arent even using the bahrain aero package yet we all know they like to keep suprises for the 1st gp

+1
 
In simple onlooker terms, it appears to me that the Cosworth engine looks to be on the pace and reliable... which is good, seen as almost half the grid are using them...
 
Just read a small tidbit that sadly i havent got a link too at the moment that suggests the reason for mclarens death-mobile attachments behind the front wheels was to measure the differences in the adjustable wheel base they have set up on the front suspension, supposedly it can be moved back and forth around 10cm to better suit each course.

If it is true, and iam 50/50 on it, is that within the rules? iam not suggestion the suspension and wheels can move during a race but wouldnt that alter the the cars crash test results from one race to the next?
 
Just read a small tidbit that sadly i havent got a link too at the moment that suggests the reason for mclarens death-mobile attachments behind the front wheels was to measure the differences in the adjustable wheel base they have set up on the front suspension, supposedly it can be moved back and forth around 10cm to better suit each course.

If it is true, and iam 50/50 on it, is that within the rules? iam not suggestion the suspension and wheels can move during a race but wouldnt that alter the the cars crash test results from one race to the next?

Completely legal.
The crash structures that are tested are the nose, sidepods, roll hoop and rear. Changing the wheelbase will have no effect on the crash tests.
 
Everyone said this last year - Brawn are just showboating, running underweight to attract sponsors etc etc... McLaren will be right on the pace in the 1st race, they're just sandbagging.

Too right. There simply isn't any reason why any team would sandbag and go slow, on purpose, unless they are so far ahead of the rest of the field, that they are embarrassed or feel very comfortable that they have the fastest car on track and hence don't actually need to test their car on the limit.

One of the most important reasons to test the car is when it is on the limit. Perhaps CSI could shed some light on this subject and what other reasons a team might have to drive slowly, on purpose, in every single test session.

Cant see where in that you are getting McLaren are pace setters.

The Ferrari finished top of the time sheets, in test1.
The McLaren finished top of the time sheets, in test2.

I make that 1 a piece and they showing themselves as the pace-setters (at this early stage).
 
So did the Toro Rosso and the BMW -Sauber, my statement remains the same.As for driving slowly, teams have to run different setups to see how the cars will perform on different tracks allowing for weight,wing level. Do you seriously believe that they would be just gathering data for how the car performs at Jerez?
 
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So did the Toro Rosso and the BMW -Sauber, my statement remains the same.

On the final day of testing, when all the teams were putting together their glory runs, Ferrari and McLaren are the teams which finished on top - not Sauber, BMW or Torro Rosso.

As for driving slowly, teams have to run different setups to see how the cars will perform on different tracks allowing for weight,wing level. Do you seriously believe that they would be just gathering data for how the car performs at Jerez?

The teams will indeed try different setups, but surely the drivers are not instructed to drive slowly on any particular setups? That would be a total waste of time. The idea is to put the car near the limit on a give setup, to get true data, which reflects the speed(s) that the car will be doing during races. Correct?
 
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