F1 Testing 2012 - Week 1, Jerez

I've switched over the last two years I preffer JB. I still think LH is out right faster. But JB has stepped up his game and at a fair few rmtracks last year was pretty much identical tines.
 
Really nice pics Alex.

Have to say the front of the Lotus looks much better than that Ferrari. :)

McLaren is of course the best looking as it doesn't have a silly nose.

Glad you like them :) I agree I like the McLaren best so far. I wouldn't be surprised if they change it come Australia though.
 
I take the cop out tactic of being a 'McLaren' fan, :D

Actually, I'm a fan of all the British drivers and teams, but McLaren get most of my attention by conveniently combining the 2 top British drivers with the top British team.
 
I've switched over the last two years I preffer JB. I still think LH is out right faster. But JB has stepped up his game and at a fair few rmtracks last year was pretty much identical tines.

i think some people might lose out a bit now EBD is gone, it suited some peoples driving styles and hurt others
 
who do you think it'll switch in favour to?
I'm not convinced there will be any significant change, but if anything it'll lean towards JB.
 
i think some people might lose out a bit now EBD is gone, it suited some peoples driving styles and hurt others

I think the 'driving styles' argument is a massively inaccurate and over used excuse.

Do you seriously believe that the top drivers in the world are unable to adapt their driving style to fit the characteristics of the car?
 
I think it will affect the team rather than individual drivers. The pack in general will be closer due to EBD going now imo.
 
I think the 'driving styles' argument is a massively inaccurate and over used excuse.

Do you seriously believe that the top drivers in the world are unable to adapt their driving style to fit the characteristics of the car?

It's not that they are unable to adapt but in a sport where the absolute limits of capability, both man and machine, are being pushed I don't think it's so hard to believe that you'd get a noticeable difference when someone is driving a car that naturally behaves in tune with the way they love to drive versus one they need to work harder with to get the performance.
 
Kenai, by definition, if you are a top driver, you will always be able to adapt to the F1 car you are driving. We have seen this time and time again, with great drivers, when the rules change, the top drivers remain at the top and the average drivers remain average.

I'm sure that there are cases, but off the top of my head, I cannot remember seeing a great driver, suddenly lose his pace after a major rule change.

...and if a "top" driver does lose his pace after a rule change, then I would question whether or not he is in fact a "top" driver.
 
Just a reminder that this was a FAKE interview in a BS article which was removed from autosport not long after it was put up.

Just to clarify, are you saying that that interview was completely faked and made up? If this is the case, surely Autosport could be sued? Remember, this is a big magazine. This isn't some magazine being run in someone's bedroom with a readership of 10/month.

Normally what tends to happen in the press is that when stories are "sexed up", they take a true story and then jazz it up. They don't just completely fabricate it from start to finish.

If I remember correctly, they quoted a McLaren employee saying those things, also stating his name. Is there a person of that name actually working for McLaren?

I remember linking to that article in one of my posts, but I can't find that post. Damnit.
 
Kenai, by definition, if you are a top driver, you will always be able to adapt to the F1 car you are driving. We have seen this time and time again, with great drivers, when the rules change, the top drivers remain at the top and the average drivers remain average.

I'm sure that there are cases, but off the top of my head, I cannot remember seeing a great driver, suddenly lose his pace after a major rule change.

...and if a "top" driver does lose his pace after a rule change, then I would question whether or not he is in fact a "top" driver.

I'm not saying they can't adapt, i'm saying it's natural that someone would perform better when driving a car that suits their natural style versus one that doesn't.

By 'noticeable' I don't mean, 'goes from being the best to utter garbage overnight'. Nor am I saying that top drivers suddenly become average, or that average drivers suddenly become amazing. You're arguing against points I haven't even made.

I think it's a complete fallacy to believe that a driver can perform completely equally at all times regardless of the car and they do not have preferred styles that work better in some cars.

edit - I think Jenson Button is a good example - give him a car that he really enjoys driving and he'll do fabulous things with it, if it drives like he drives, he's fantastic. Give him a car that's not quite how he likes it and he'll still put in very good times and performances (by no means average) but his driving is not the same as it is when he has a more 'suited' car.
 
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who do you think it'll switch in favour to?
I'm not convinced there will be any significant change, but if anything it'll lean towards JB.
i think with no ebd and stronger rear tyres it will suit the more agressive cornering techniques.

the people who arent used to correcting the car much while cornering and rely on the massive downforce from the ebd to keep a nice tidy line will probably loose out but i doubt it will be much.

webber apparently wasnt a fan of the EBD so it will be interesting to see if hes closer to vettle this year, i think hamilton will have a slight edge on button but i doubt there will be much in it
 
yeah Mclaren have already won.......

anyways, I don't think they will change the nose to a 'step' simply because they have always had a low nose and at the end of last season you could argue that mclaren were the number 1 team.....or atleast close to it. :)
 
I'd say it was quite obvious that different rules and regs even tyre compounds have a slight effect on whose actually the fastest and how much they can get out of car.

If not you could take it to the highest end and say MS should win in anything on four wheels if he's that adaptable ;)

Some drivers have adapted better than others, some never will or incredibly slowly. Having cars that run well within themselves and much more carefully managed pace and tyre nursing has clearly helped someone like JB over Hamilton. Now it's just down to Hamilton adapting or hoping for the tyres to come his way slightly.

The mclaren battle is the thing I'm most interested in this year.
 
They had possibly the fastest car Kerming, but Red Bull certainly had a far better team of guys and girls calling the shots!
 
yeah Mclaren have already won.......

anyways, I don't think they will change the nose to a 'step' simply because they have always had a low nose and at the end of last season you could argue that mclaren were the number 1 team.....or atleast close to it. :)

They wouldn't need to change the nose to get the "step", they'd need to change the monocoque.
 
The tyres should favour more aggressive drivers this year.

The compounds this year are lasting longer yet retaining/improving performance with less blistering. The new profile also has provided better tyre warming characteristics, supposedly more even across the tyre.

Apparently there's much less tyre shrapnel this year too which will also aid overtaking.
 
edit - I think Jenson Button is a good example - give him a car that he really enjoys driving and he'll do fabulous things with it, if it drives like he drives, he's fantastic. Give him a car that's not quite how he likes it and he'll still put in very good times and performances (by no means average) but his driving is not the same as it is when he has a more 'suited' car.

OK, I will give you J.Button.

Give me 2 other top drivers from the last 10 years who fit this characteristic (ie. can go from great to average, just because the car isn't ideally suited to their style).

For me Button is the exception rather than the rule. Most, if not all top drivers (Button, excepted) must be able to adapt. From memory JV (former WDC), is the only other top driver who suffered. Every other top driver has adapted and remained competitive, no matter what the rules.
 
The compounds this year are lasting longer yet retaining/improving performance with less blistering. The new profile also has provided better tyre warming characteristics, supposedly more even across the tyre.

What you have just described, is the Bridgestone tyres of 2010. And those tyres were terrible (from the perspective of a racing spectacle).

It got to a stage where a driver could actually compete the entire race on a single set of tyres. But to satisfy the rules, we would have the farcical situation of a driver coming in on the penultimate/last lap to change to the other compound of tyre.

Are you sure that Pirelli are heading in this direction? It was widely publicised last year that Pirelli were specifically asked to develop tyres which would not last long and would fall off a cliff, forcing the driver to change tyres.
 
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