2010 F1 testing: February 3rd

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Schumacher is back on track for Mercedes today

Much of the world’s media will be focused on Michael Schumacher’s return to test for Mercedes again today.

Meanwhile two other world champions will get their first official runs with their new teams – Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari F10 and Jenson Button driving the McLaren MP4-25. Join us for day three of testing below.

Testing notes

As we head into day three of testing the outward signs are that Ferrari have the upper hand so far.

Felipe Massa has been fastest on both of the two testing days so far and he’s racked up over 100km more in the F10 than any other car.

As ever it’s worth remembering we know little of the comparative fuel loads and set-ups being used. But so far it looks safe to say the F10 is not the turkey its predecessor was and Rubens Barrichello said he thought the car “seemed very good”.

But encouragingly, for those hoping for a closely-fought championship, several of the other teams were able to set times within a few tenths of a second of Massa’s.

We’ve seen some teams, including McLaren and Renault, using green ‘flow vis’ paint to suss out if their aerodynamics are working as expected.

Today’s testing line-up

McLaren MP4-25Jenson Button*
Mercedes W01Michael Schumacher
Ferrari F10Fernando Alonso*
Williams FW32Nico Hulkenberg*
BMW Sauber C29Pedro de la Rosa
Renault R30 – Vitaly Petrov*
Toro Rosso STR5Jaime Alguersuari*

*First appearance in testing this year

Timing and other resources

The following sites have live information from the test:

Autosport
Motor 21
F1 Today
Live GP
La Sexta
The F1

If you know of any others, please post details in the comments.

Several drivers, teams and journalists are providing updates from the track. If you’re on Twitter and would like to follow them you can find links to their accounts in the F1 Twitter directory.

You can find details of future F1 tests in the F1 Fanatic Google Calendar.

Testing so far

The tables below shows how many laps and how much distance have been logged by each driver, car model and engine prior to today’s test:

Drivers’ test mileages

Driver Total laps Total distance (km)
Felipe Massa 227 909.135
Robert Kubica 188 752.94
Rubens Barrichello 177 708.885
Nico Rosberg 158 632.79
Sebastien Buemi 125 500.625
Lewis Hamilton 108 432.54
Kamui Kobayashi 96 384.48
Gary Paffett 86 344.43
Pedro de la Rosa 74 296.37
Michael Schumacher 40 160.2

Car test mileages

Model Total laps Total distance (km)
F10 227 909.135
W01 198 792.99
MP4-25 194 776.97
R30 188 752.94
FW32 177 708.885
C29 170 680.85
STR5 125 500.625

Engine test mileages

Engine Total laps Total distance (km)
Ferrari 522 2090.61
Mercedes 392 1569.96
Renault 188 752.94
Cosworth 177 708.885

The track

The teams remain at the Ricardo Tormo road course just outside Valencia in Spain (not the street track which is the venue for the European Grand Prix).

The weather is expected to remain dry with temperatures around 14-16C.


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2010 F1 testing

Image (C) Mercedes

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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311 comments on “2010 F1 testing: February 3rd”

  1. I take it massa is back from the accident after doing that many laps. Good for him!

    1. Yeah is really good for him,thanks to Ferrari for giving him more time on track.

  2. Why oh why does Michael still use that Ferrari era red helmet? He really should go back to the classic one he had before that.

    1. yes, but that red helmet has become a bit of a classic in it’s own right, and it does give a nice contrast to the grey of the car

    2. Just don’t forget he is has many beliefs, like those of the odd numbers, and he probably associates it with his best time on F1, just note that he won 5 of his 7 World Championships with that colour scheme, which he debuted at Monaco back there in the unforgettable 2000 season

      1. Does anyone apart from me pooh-pooh that odd numbers superstitious Shumi stuff? I thought it was because if he gets the odd member he’s the lower number and therefore feels more like the team leader he’s always been. Am I too cynical?

        1. I have my doubts. As Vee put it the other day:

          He will also reveal that he has a special form of OCD that means he just has to brake-test any drivers that are behind him, and cannot stop himself from driving straight into anyone who has just overtaken him. He also has a strong superstition for getting to choose his own parking space, and will park his Mercedes car in Race Control, where he can literally control the race by tampering with the timing system.

          1. Har-de-har. Hope I don’t offend anyone on a personal level, but all superstitions are stupid. If Mercedes want to go with superstition as the deciding factor for their drivers’ numbers it just reflects poorly on them.

          2. Mouse_Nightshirt
            3rd February 2010, 9:16

            @ Maciek:

            Either that or they’re listening to the expensive 7 time world champion they’ve hired.

          3. And so does Hamilton, with a wider quota of cynism and hypocrisy

          4. Slightly surprised at you Keith for quoting that, thought you had a less biased view of Schumacher.

            Michael has only ever raced one F1 car with an even number and that was the Jordan 191 that didn’t last a lap.

            Maciek you may find superstition stupid and I may not be a superstitious person but you can’t deny the psychological effect it can have on people who strongly believe in such things.

            Superstition in sport is not something confined to Michael Schumacher.

            To be honest I don’t really care, it makes sense that Schumacher has number 3, and if Rosberg is not superstitious then it will matter little to him. He knows it won’t effect his driving and he would do well to take a similar approach to Irvine or Massa with regards to being Schumacher’s team mate. There’s no point in fighting it and causing unnecessary friction when he might only be in the sport for a year and Rosberg stands to not only learn a lot but inherit the team leadership after Michael leaves (if he can’t make a claim for it during the season that is).

            Given Schumacher’s experience and record I think any team would feel inclined to give him what he required and that’s understandable.

        2. Far too cynical. Don’t you have any lucky pants?!

        3. I really think Rosberg should have fought it. Michael will be trying everything he can to get the psychological edge, Rosberg should have got in an early blow and told him to stick it.

          1. I hope Nico got something worthwile out of giving up his number.

            I don’t know about F1 but here in the states, ball players usually pay a hefty ransom to buy their favourite numbers off teammates when they switch teams.

            Players that have had the same number their entire carrier have paid thousands of dollars to other players when they switch teams in order to keep their favoured number.

            Does anyone know what price, if any Schumi paid to get #3?

          2. None. It’s the teams choice.

  3. looking forward to seeing alonso and button in their new cars, be interesting to see how many laps each one of them does compared to their teammate.

    1. will it?!?!?
      why?

      maybe they will do tyre work and big fuel load testing with an extra sand bad in the boot.
      Or maybe they will do qually sims…

      and how that relates to the team mates prior work is ….

      1. will it?!?!?
        yes.

        why?

        Because i will find it interesting, and no amount “the times don’t matter blah blah blah’ will take away from the fact, that i, personally, will find it interesting. end of.
        There is also the fact that massa is making a come back. To see a high number of laps completed by him is good, because as a fan, that gives me hope that maybe he will be back to his best this year. time will tell. I will find the number of laps alonso do will be interesting, because he is adjusting to a whole new team, new car, steering wheel, brakes, personal, so will he do the same as masa to ‘get use the new environment’, or will it be a quick shake down, pull in etc. There is nothing to scientific about it, just a personal interest. If it does not interest you… then good for you.

        1. Massa is not in the same league as Schumi, Lewis, Alonso, I dont know why so many people follow him, hes totally overrated, he often drops it under no pressure, and only has pace when hes really pushing, in midfield he just ambles along.

          Of course Im glad hes back, and hope he has the same level as before his accident.

          These tests are interesting, but any comparisons of any stats are quite tricky for so many variables.

          1. I’m going to be predictable and jump in because I find this argument isn’t that strong but only because there’s no point making any assumptions at all about Massa because of the accident.
            He also is yet to go up to Alonso in the same equipment and he might just keep up, he might not either.
            Pre-Hungary Massa though was in the top tier I believe. He made the F60 look alright, beat Kimi two years running, he’s making fewer mistakes (sorry but in 08 both he and Hamilton made plenty of errors so that isn’t an exclusive ‘Massa’ trait), he can put in awesome stints what makes Smedley compare him to Schumi and he pushed Hamilton all the way for the title and at times pushed Schumi in 06.
            He isn’t as brash as Hamilton but that’s because he has a different style.
            Oh also China 09 qualified 13th and raced up to a podium position.
            2007 he made a mess of a lot of the year but he still showed some spark like Nurburgring which agve a hint of what he really could deliver. He’s matured way beyond then just as it would be a bit pointless saying Vettel was always going to make mistakes like Monaco and Hamilton hasn’t grown at all. Most drivers need time to mature, some are more error prone but generally the errors get cut out as they develop.
            I know I’m a Massa fan so I’m likely to argue for him but time and again he’s proved himself to be an excellent driver, top tier in my view or just below it for some others.
            He does have a problem with making mistakes and I suspect at times he’ll prove he can be quicker than Alonso but Alonso should win because he will be more consistent.
            But as I say we can’t make any real judgements about the Massa we have now because of the accident.
            It’s his early days and 07 I think makes him judged in a more negative light. He isn’t perfect but Massa seems to get -not negative criticism persay -but just a lot of disregard as those he’s only there to fill up the numbers.

          2. I have to agree Massa is not a top tier driver, and how he got the ferrari gig is beyond me. Only reason I see was he was a good lacky!

            as it HG
            “to see how many laps each one of them does compared to their teammate”
            This is what you said…I still fail to see why. What are you going to compare????

            yes it’s good to see cars on track again but to start rating and comparing is well stupid…wait until at least test#2 for goodness sake!
            Or here’s a kicker wait untill there are the majority of teams testing!

            I never diverted from that

          3. be interested in the whole testing program, be interested in hoe each team goes about it, be interested in the whole mechanics of how a car is born on a screen and is then rolled out on the track and what each team does to get ready for the season…last of all start making excel spread sheets on lap times.

            To even compare a lap on day 1 to a lap on day 1.5or 2 or 3 of a GP weekend is just plain stupid never mind in the seasons 1st test/shake down.

            Lets just forget the cars are brand new and have zero track data for setups and how no one has driven them yet…lets just focus on the weather/temp/how the tracks rubbered in, what levels of fuel are they on, are they adding extra weight, are they on softs or hards are they new old scrubbed or well worn, is ti this years ddd and wings is it last years……
            Do you see or can you understand why this fanboi enthusiasm is getting old so quick.

            Enjoy test for …what it is….testing

          4. AP I failed to see why Hamilton got a Mclaren drive so early, why Kimi had such a small CV and got into F1 in the first place but these guys spot talent. It isn’t how they get there it’s what they do with it once they are there

          5. I generally agree with Steph.

            Massa did not have the same impact that Schumacher, Hamilton, Alonso had when they first came into F1 but he has consistently improved year on year which I think pretty respectable. Maybe you could say there is a tier with Massa, Raikkonen & Vettel, the guys who look like they can step up. Remember Massa did very well against Schumacher particularly in Turkey.

  4. Prisoner Monkeys
    3rd February 2010, 1:08

    I’m interested to see what sort of program Renault put Vitaly Petrov through. He’s never driven the car before, so I imagine they won’t be looking to get complete data from him. I wouldn’t be too surprised if they try and do two full race distance runs with him. The need him to get expeirence with the car under all conditions, and as the final day for the week, time is of the essence.

    I also find it a bit odd tht Virgin are launching their car at the same time as tsting begins, given that today will be the debut of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, ont to mention Schumacher returning to the circuit. But Virgina re releasing their car online, so maybe they figure since all the dedicated fans will be on the internet discussing testing, the car will also be talked-about.

    1. You’re probably right on the last point, only so much you can say about testing after all :P

  5. ‘the F10 is not the turkey its predecessor was and Rubens Barrichello said he thought the car �seemed very good�.’

    keith don’t you mean Massa said that?

    1. No he doesn’t. Barrichello posted on Twitter today that the Ferrari seems very good.

      1. kk. it is confusing.

        1. If Prost got fired for calling the Ferrari a truck, I doubt Ferrari would be happy with Massa if he called it a turkey :)

  6. Guys, it’s just tests! We will see what they can at Bahrain.

    1. Burn the heretic! :)

  7. Jhonnie Siggie
    3rd February 2010, 3:01

    I know we shouldnt read too much into the times but is it a coincidence that the top 2 cars both have Ferrari engines?

    1. Giuliano Vilela
      3rd February 2010, 3:49

      It’s been reported by a few that the Mercedes engine has a better top speed, so I wouldn’t read too much on that.

    2. Yes, almost certainly coincidence.

  8. Inc0mmunicado
    3rd February 2010, 3:39

    How bout a white helmet and suit for the schu…err i mean the stig!

  9. Today we will see how Alonso & Button compare with their teammates.I do know they may have different fuel loads & even separate setting,but still some track action is better than none.

    1. Nick Somebody
      3rd February 2010, 5:12

      It’s better to go second. more rubber on the track, a better setup has been found and you know the time you need to beat for the media to think you are doing a good job.

      I predict that Button will be faster than Lewis tomorrow, and that 60% of the tabloids will report that as significant. 30% of normal media outlets will report it as significant and 6% of F1 journalists will report as significant.

      :-)

      1. You’re way too generous. I’d put those figures at 100%, 100% and 99%.

        1. Agree. Everyone in the media wants to poke a stick in McLaren and see who stings first. Makes good copy…

          1. Yeah but a lot of fans (casual ones) will swallow it up which allows such British-Mclaren hysteria. Have to love British attitude they want to beat the German squad, are very proud of the full British line up but can’t wait to see just which of their drivers fail so they can have a go.

        2. Ha ha, soooo true!

        3. and add that to 99.9999% here too.

  10. It seens prety obvious from the tests so far that Ferrari has the upper hand and i strongly believe they have tested the car with full load of fuel on the first day and yesterday with less fuel to make all checks!
    Alonso will have a go in the car today and i bet he�ll be fast from the begining: first he�s in his home soil (Spain) with lots of his fans and secondly, he�s fired up to beat Shumacher for the third time!
    I always have been a Shumacher fan, but his comeback have created me many doubts, not on the physical side, because all seens to be ok with that but on the psichological side, his initial demands for number 3 not 4, the sudden change of plans to put Shumacher on the first day os tests, like always, he likes to be the star in the garage and more will come!
    To the guys who are predicting Hamilton-Jenson or Massa-Alonso problems in the garage, instead i will put my money in Shumacher-Rosberg.

    1. Penelope Pitstop
      3rd February 2010, 11:09

      Well, I’m hoping there’s conflict among all three pairings! For one thing, it’ll make for better story-lines. And there’s also the possibility that all those drivers will be so preoccupied with battling their own teammates that Vettel will be able to run away with the Championship (which would mean that I’d win the bet I’ve got going with my brothers and my boyfriend!).

    2. they were fastest in the 1st test last year…
      so what does this mean…NOTHING

  11. Looking forward to seeing Alonso back in the driver’s seat.

    Also looking forward to Vigin Racing’s launch online today at 10am UK time.

  12. Predictably the top 3 teams perform very well in the testing so far in general (speed, reliability, photogenic ability). can’t wait to see how Red Bull will perform, the way their car will look. just a bit worried about the renault engine perfrormance would effect their overall speed too much

    1. I have a suspicion that Red Bull will clean up this year. We will see.

    2. I was a bit worried about the Renault power, but if it does run very lean, then maybe we’ll see some races won by the most efficient drive rather than the out-right quickest car… ah the good old days! Fingers crossed anyway

  13. Hi, live update on test is found on this page as well. It can be translated from google and works really fine : http://www.f1-direct.com/include/livegp/we/temp/essais.php

    Moreover I was really happy with your website in full, the high-resolution pics from Valencia test were great and the coverage, the news and the blog is really cool. Thanks

    1. Here here, this site is really excellent

  14. No need to use the translator if you use the autosport link.. it’s in plain english.. :)

    I think that there is a lot for the media to focus on today.. Shumi.. Button getting his first laps in the macca.. but I think by far the biggest buzz will be Fernando getting his first laps in the Ferrari.. I can’t wait to see the pictures..
    I’m also glad that he’s gone back to the blue on his helmet.. although I thought it was a precursor for his Ferrari days I never liked the red lid..

    The Virgin launch will be of interest as well… man it’s great having the wheels rolling again!! :)

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      3rd February 2010, 7:20

      but I think by far the biggest buzz will be Fernando getting his first laps in the Ferrari
      Meh.

      While no doubt very good at what he does, I also think Fernando Alonso is over-rated, particualrly by the Spanish press.

      1. CounterStrike
        3rd February 2010, 7:38

        PM, how wrong you are. Alonso is the only man on this planet to have beaten Schumi apart from Hakkinen,Prost,Senna,Mansell,Villeneuve,Patrese,Coulthard,Hill,Raikkonen,Irvine & the rest.

        Also no other driver can bring 0.6 sec advantage over to a new team like he does.

        And the Spanish media are amongst the best in the world. They are particularly known for unbiased reporting. Their reporting during the feud with McLaren & Hamilton was absolutely exemplary & totally fair.

        I’d say Alonso is heavily underrated, just like Gaston Mazzacane. Both are champion drivers & deserve a lot more credit.

        1. You sure are a trusty reference on objectivity.

        2. And so does the british press really unbiased towards hamilton.

        3. Prisoner Monkeys
          3rd February 2010, 9:00

          Okay, the fact that you’re praising Mazzacane means pretty much everything you say is inadmissable. Seriously, can anyone (except you) even remember that guy?

          1. Mouse_Nightshirt
            3rd February 2010, 9:19

            Yup. Good ol’ Gaston. Or rather not so good ol’ Gaston…

          2. You do know that hes being sarcastic right??

      2. Fernando over rated?

  15. I agree, Alonso is the best driver at the moment and he knows how to beat Shumacher!
    Great to see the motors rolling again and next week i�ll be in Spain to wacth more action!
    I�ll keep you guys posted with any good comment.

    1. CounterStrike
      3rd February 2010, 8:09

      Well beating Schumacher isn’t that difficult as its made out to be. Two things if you want to beat him:-

      1) Make sure you are not driving for the same team as Schumi.

      2) Ensure you play even dirtier than him.

      The Title is yours :D

      1. Nurse Ratched where’s that Shock Cart??

    2. Alonso is the best?

      Except for being comprehensively beaten by his rookie team mate in 2007 you mean?

  16. So we are waiting to see what happens today.
    Times, laps, etc.
    Alonso vs Button vs Schumacher

  17. The lap record set in 2008 is 1.08 something. In my opinion I would imagine the 2010 cars are of comparable speed if not faster. Is this true? or were the 08 models far quicker.

    1. Im not entirely sure but I think the lap record was set in 2006 by Ant in a Honda..Maybe someone can confirm..

    2. The lap record was set in 2006 by Anthony Davidson in a Honda. On the basis that the fastest cars in 2009 were generally slower than the fastest cars in 2006, it’s safe to assume 2010 cars will also be slower than in 2006.

  18. Looking forward to seeing the Hulk in F1 for the first time. Wonder how he’ll stack up against wily ole Rubens.

  19. Rest easy, AP, this post makes no reference to testing times!
    An article in the German motorsport-total.com yesterday had Gerhard Berger pointing out that the test ban takes away one of Schumacher’s old advantages: Namely that (especially with Ferrari, on their own track) he could and would spend hours and days pounding around, making improvements, learning more about the car. So when he got to the race, he already had something on most others.

    This reminded me of a story from the online karting magazine tkartweb about the F1 drivers getting together at Lonato last summer for a couple of days of karting. Some (i.e. Piquet) just hopped in the karts and drove. Schumacher, naturally, tinkered and modified and constantly changed things (including mounting the steering wheel upside down) to get a few hundredths better.

    But the better story was about Timo Glock, the normal guy of F1. All of the other drivers were working with the factory kart teams, had various new chassis and motors, etc., and hung out in the secure area away from the crowds. Glock DRIVES down from Germany in an old Mercedes transporter, pitches an awning in the public parking lot, pulls out a beatup old Maranello chassis with a motor that had dozens of hours on it, and hits the track. When the Maranello factory finally heard about this, they rushed to Logano to assist – and promised Timo a new package to use next time.

    1. More respect for Timo then, to show up with his own kart…

  20. Prisoner Monkeys
    3rd February 2010, 9:01

    I have it on good authority that Ferrari have set their fastest times on super-soft tyres. I don’t know tyre data for anyone else except Renault, who apaprently haven’t touched anything but the hardest compounds. One has to wonder if they’re not going to arm Petrov with a set, suck his fuel tank dry and send him out to set some quick laps with the intention of making Moscow pay attention and net some sponsor roubles.

    It’s what I’d do.

    1. hmm, i guess that explains why renault are slower atm. must be doing heavy fuel load/hard tyre runs only.

  21. VenturiEffect
    3rd February 2010, 9:09

    live timing and comments on this italian blog

    http://www.blogf1.it

  22. Virginracing.com is a nice site – but there’s not a word on there about the launch event today. Strange.

    I hope the rumor holds and the car is black. The old UOP Shadow has always been one of my favorite looking cars.

    And I like the contrast: Schumacher and Rosberg pose in suits (Hugo Boss, I’ll bet) and scarves at the Mercedes launch. The Virgin site has Timo Glock in a dime-store cotton hoodie and a leather biker’s jacket.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      3rd February 2010, 9:15

      Di Grassi said it is to be black. I think that qualifies as more than a rumour, so I expect red and white to be worked in as well. Black will probably be predominant, though.

      1. Is the launch supposed to be at 10 CET or GMT?

        1. it’s in 30 minutes, which means it’s at 10 GMT I think

      2. HA… Black with red and white highlights? Sounds like another Minardi Team, probably not what they would want to be know as, but most likely what they will become :( hope not, coz i think Timo Glock hasn’t showed us what his made of yet.

        Too Early to Judge who will be the Quickest at Bahrain, but Alonso will definitely be 1st or 2nd in practice 3 if Ferrari continue to use similar fuel loads to that of what Massa had been running.

        The cars that have been released so far, here is what I’m Predicting For Bahrain

        1st MercedesGP – The car looks like an angry RB5 at the front and something from Star Wars at the back, like the intake is Darth Vader’s Mask or something. The car just looks like it is another masterpiece of engineering from Ross Brawn.

        2nd Ferrari – They gave up half way through 2009 to start work on this car so you cant help but think they must have done a good job, it looks very conservative but sometimes that can be very good, like a volkswagen golf is always constantly refined to be the ultimate small car. But instead its the Ferrari. Only Thing that worries me is the people working at Ferrari now aren’t the same people as when they won the WC with Schumacher.

        3rd Mclaren – Yeah I’ve just named the Big names.. But the new Mclaren looks like they have taken a Big Gamble in the design, which might pay off like the RB5, or it could be a rust bucket, but if it is a rust bucket they have two WC to get them points.

        4th Sauber – A lot of Support from BMW went into designing this car, so even if Sauber have had some concerning moments, this car is no slug and hasn’t been rushed into production, I expect this car to be competitive for consistent points in each race

        5th Torro Rosso – Torro Rosso just improved the successful STR4 with minor changes, not screwing around with the formula too much.

        6th Williams – eh.. Not the car that will put Williams on the podium, but not a dog of a car either. I have gone cold on Williams, they just haven’t been able to meet their standards from previous years, but this year could be one step up towards becoming a big contender again, but not this year I’m sad too say. And for the love of god, Get a better Livery!!! Plain White and Blue is so boring, bring back the winfeld or cannon style.

        7th Renault – This car may have a neat Livery, but the design is.. horrible? Like the 2009 cars at the start of the year, very basic. Most of the other cars have got all of the similar improvements they made on their 2009 car incorporated into the 2010 car, like the STR5 wide front nose (used towards the last few races). But the renault looks like it didn’t learn its lesson from last year.. and to top it off, they have a new team leader which might lead into beginners mistakes. But the Renault Engine should be three thumbs up, Renault have always had fantastic engines, and this year the renault engine might have great fuel consumption meaning lower fuel weight during the race, unlike the mercedes engine, which last year was the hot pick but how will it retain high performance and a low fuel consumption?

        I expect the RB6 to be hot property, Possibly another Redbull vs Brawn for 2010? Schumacher vs Vettel? and the Lotus to be the best of the new comers

        Thats my intake on the cars released so far.

        2010 is gonna be a ripper of a season!

  23. Button’s had his first run in the McLaren: http://twitpic.com/115g08

    1. Anyone know if the Virgin Racing launch can be watched anywhere?
      Their website isn’t particularly helpful at the moment.

  24. 1. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:13.038 3 pit
    2. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:14.889 +1.851 5 pit

  25. 1 de la Rosa Sauber 1m12.293s
    2 Schumacher Mercedes 1m14.889s +2.596
    3 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m15.250s +2.957
    4 Hulkenberg Williams 1m17.723s +5.43
    5 Petrov Renault 1m21.312s +9.019
    6 Button McLaren 1m32.980s +20.687

  26. Sauber is looking quick again tod………..oops.

  27. OMG! Button is 20 sec per lap slower than de la Rosa. In the first race, he’ll be lapped DOZENS of times! :-)

    1. lol

      disaster!!!!!!

    2. What was Massa’s best time?

  28. I figured we would have a lot more comments today with Alonso and shumi on track.

    1. … and Button as well :P

  29. Fernando is finally on track… :)

    1. 1:16.356 first lap…

  30. Interestingly, Schumi had lunch at the Ferrari garage yesterday. Here are some of his comments from yesterday: “Naturally, it’s a strange sensation, seeing my old car on the track and not sitting in it. But it was good to see my ‘brother’ in the car and I’ve enjoyed seeing my friends down at Ferrari this week.”

    Wonder how Ralf feels about this :D :D :D

  31. Spanish fans must be loving this!
    1 de la Rosa Sauber 1m12.293s
    2 Alonso Ferrari 1m12.667s +0.374
    3 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m13.527s +1.234
    4 Schumacher Mercedes 1m14.889s +2.596
    5 Hulkenberg Williams 1m17.723s +5.43
    6 Petrov Renault 1m21.312s +9.019
    7 Button McLaren 1m32.980s +20.687
    Updated: 09:48 GMT

  32. Fernando Alonso am�liore encore ses temps 1.12.567

    1. 09:53 Alonso continues his promising early run with a new benchmark of 1m11.905s.

      But still slower than Massa yesterday

  33. Wooow Fernando

  34. Okay testing is cool.. but I don’t get it.. Virgin car launch should start in 5 minutes.. and there’s no lifesign on their website…

    1. 1 Alonso Ferrari 1m11.905s
      2 de la Rosa Sauber 1m12.293s +0.388
      3 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m12.576s +0.671
      4 Schumacher Mercedes 1m13.686s +1.781
      5 Petrov Renault 1m17.425s +5.520
      6 Hulkenberg Williams 1m17.723s +5.818
      7 Button McLaren 1m32.980s +21.075

  35. Is Button getting his seat redone in the box? What is keeping him from getting out there.

  36. 1 Alonso Ferrari 1m11.905s
    2 de la Rosa Sauber 1m12.294s +0.389
    3 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m12.576s +0.670
    4 Schumacher Mercedes 1m14.594s +2.689
    5 Hulkenberg Williams 1m17.723s +5.818
    6 Petrov Renault 1m21.312s +9.407
    7 Button McLaren 1m32.980s +21.075

  37. Thank you Felipe for the data… light fuel or not that was impressive… :) under 2 tenths off Massa in what… 8 runs?

  38. It appears, that De la Rosa and H�lkenberg had some clash on track, that’s why De la Rosa stopped!
    (from blog eddstrawF1 on JA on F1 Tweets)

    1. This was confirmed on http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/173:
      “09:57 Sauber technical director Willy Rampf tells our man Edd Straw there was a clash between Pedro de la Rosa and Nico Hulkenberg, which caused the red flag earlier.”

    1. Wrong one:
      http://twitter.com/VirginRacing
      is the real deal

      1. The link I gave was posted on autosport. A bit confused now

        1. “running a littkle bit late at the momment …Everything is fine…watch for update!!!! Modern Technology…LOL”

          That’s what the twitter account on the first link just said O_o

          1. Obviously they edited the post :) “LLive launch running a little bit late at the momment …Everything is fine…watch for update!!!! Modern Technology…”

    2. I am waiting as well, nothing going on for now!

  39. Morning Chaps.
    Any word on that live blog Keith?

    Common Button his sleeping.

  40. checking out the Virgin site but no sign of the launch… I have Fernando’s first seven lap times if anybodies interested… :)

    1. yes, please show them. Did he do a run like Schumacher did on Monday?

      1. 1- 1:16.356
        2- 1:14.554
        3- 1:13.646
        4- 1:13.006
        5- 1:12.667
        6- 1:12.160
        7- 1:11.905

        There might of been a couple slower laps in there but these came up pretty quick..

    2. i’m interested :D

  41. Stefan GP sabotaged Virgin launch anyone? ;)

    “Look Bernie, they launch 10 minutes late. Can we race now?”

      1. VR launch is more than 10 minutes late… come on Richard Branson, show us that fully-digital without wind-tunnel testing car… or else Tony Fernandes will make you dress in an air stewardess dress tomorrow!

        1. Prisoner Monkeys
          3rd February 2010, 10:19

          It seems to be a tech problem. Mercedes and McLaren were inundated with hits fr their launches; they may have an unexpectedly-high volume of traffic.

          1. It now says: “Will bring you the lauch as soon as possible……..”

        2. Looking at di grassi and glock with there vauge beards and detirmined expresions hopping to see this damn car is really starting to get on my nerves.

          1. LOL… TG & LdG’s beard & moust… some girls really get crazy over men of such facial hair :P

        3. Is the launch available only for people from Britain?

          1. No – anyone can stare at the picture of Timo and LdiG hitting the refresh button.

          2. perhaps it’s on purpose…a lot of people refreshing the website means a lot of ad views, which brings lots of money…

          3. ack… this must be a pretty cheeky thing to pop-in! or perhaps they would prefer the fans and viewers to have a close look at their drivers to recognise them deeply… pfft

        4. more than 10 minutes late…. just like virgintrains then!

          1. swear the VR cars… they would be at the end of the grid this year! curiosity kills the cat! c’mon Richard Branson… speed up and break the Virginity of that VR-01 hello…

          2. “Due to technical hitch launch not live via website….” <– Virgin Racing on Twitter… What a shame.

          3. yea… shame shame boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

  42. the virgin is nervous. yes please bwells!

    1. it’s the first time…

      1. very good… 8)

    2. RT F1_updates JOB AD: WANTED Web Administrator : Urgent vacancy to be filled. Call 1-800-VIRGIN RACING

      1. latest from Virgin (http://twitter.com/virginf1racing):
        Due to technical hitch launch not live via website….

        and
        The VR-01 is the first of a new breed of race car designed entirely in the digital domain using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics).

  43. Not much going on right now, H�lkenberg did some laps as well as Petrov. Now Schumacher is going out there. De la Rosa did quit a good lap after being repaired as well. Button still not moving.

    1.F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.905 14
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.293 +0.388 6
    3. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +0.671 19
    4. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:13.686 +1.781 13
    5. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:14.708 +2.803 17
    6. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:15.240 +3.335 15
    7. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:32.980 +21.075 3

    1. WILL SOMEONE PLEASE KNOCK THAT DAMN FERRARI OF THE TOP SPOT.

      it was supposed to have aero problems.

      I know it was an installation lap but will Button please improve on 21.075 now?

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        3rd February 2010, 10:30

        No, it was RUMOURED to have aero problems.

        Also, it’s believed they’re on supersoft tyres – which the other teams haven’t touched yet.

        1. i know but as a mclaren fan, fully aware of the fallicies of trusting the early lap times I’m desperate to see red and silver.

          McLaren for ever. Three days would be more than I could take.

  44. HounslowBusGarage
    3rd February 2010, 10:23

    Curious. My post at 9.30 was in reply to Sumedh’s post which has now disappeared and my 9.30 post is appearing after several later posts (latest 10.19). Don’t understand.

    1. yeah i get that too. keith look here!

    2. After I posted my comment, it appeared, but after 15 minutes or so, the comment was present alongwith a side-note (Your comment is awaiting moderation) and now its gone.

      I guess, Keith is saying we should just stick to the topic, which is F1 testing.

  45. The fact that there was no teaser announcement or any other information about the virtual launch on the run up suggests that their web site issues started well before 10 am. I wonder what they use for a web content management system?

    1. Hope its not by same author as their car design software.

      1. Spot on salty

  46. at this pace Fernando would be passing Jenson every 7 laps!!
    so kidding… lol

  47. Force India announce launch.. Feb 9.. online as well.. hope it works!!

  48. Schumacher improved, but still not faster than either De la Rosa or Alonso.
    M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.450 +0.545 21

    1. Buttons racing style now so smooth he dosn’t actually move, virgin consider hiring him on the spot for simularities in style.

      1. Also if anyone fancies boosting my ego an following me on twitter for witticisms on btoh cricket and F1, although F1 way more than cricket.

        sign up here http://twitter.com/Scrib3d

        1. Done. More the merrier.

      2. I had a similar comment prepared.
        What is holding them up.

  49. Do they use the same car for all 3 days of testing or does each driver drive their own car..Meaning all the changes from yesterday had to be dont on Buttons car for today?

  50. lol

    virginf1racing: Due to technical hitch launch not live via website….
    virginf1racing: The VR-01 is the first of a new breed of race car designed entirely in the digital domain using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics).

    translated: ‘ok it doesn’t work, but Ooooo! look at all them pretty curves’

    1. Since Virgin obviously have such digital mastery, I doubley look forward to seeing the vitual car on the track

  51. What’s happening with Button has he finished for the day?

  52. De la Rosa had his car repaired and is going again.

    1. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.905 14
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.117 +0.212 8
    3. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.450 +0.545 21
    4. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +0.671 28
    5. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:14.410 +2.505 32
    6. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:15.240 +3.335 15
    7. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:32.980 +21.075 3

  53. I wonder if the online launch was a ploy to drive up web hits..
    I see on their twitter page I see the web link up 7 times on the front page.. I wonder if he’ll announce a big record web hits at our expense.. :)

  54. According to the tweets, they’ve called off the Virgin virtual launch — in other words, they can’t even post a photo to their web site. They’d have been better off setting up an account on Blogger.

  55. Good god! Button moved!!

  56. Some news on Button:

    McLaren on Button, via eddstrawF1: “It’s his first run, so we’re getting him comfortable and running a slightly longer checklist than we had with Gary and Lewis”
    (from Autosport live)

  57. Button just went on track. Lets see how he will be doing.

  58. http://twitter.com/Scrib3d

    got trapped on the bottm of the last page. IGNORE EGOTISTICAL GRAB FOR FOLLOWERS. but srsly feel free to follow.

    Button needs to get comfortable… It’s an F1 car not a sofa. Times awasting WHENS HE GONNA DO SOME LAPS????

    1. Why didn’t they do that at the factory on Friday or Saturday?

      Still…

  59. Button leaves the pits for some more laps….

    1. first time round: Button 1:16.263

      1. Button positivley roaring into life by going faster than a rookie in a renault.

        Apoligies for being critical but as an english sporting fan you learn to be critical and bitter so you don’t get hurt by things like hope.

    2. Button is now improving lap after lap,
      1:15.114 after 8 laps

    3. did 1:14.147 after 10 laps

      1. Okay that is actually better huh?

        WOOO fowards ze Button.

        now to take Alonso.

        1. He is already getting below 1.14 after 12 laps: 1:13.783.
          Still to get quicker if he wants to get Alonso (or Lewis)

          1. Button still two seconds slower then Alonso.

            yay.

  60. Magnificent Geoffrey
    3rd February 2010, 10:49

    This is ‘Virgin’ F1 remember, you can’t blame them for launching their debut car slowly and gently.

  61. are merc using the aero paint now too?? That car seems to change looks with different lights… :)

  62. Autosport website seems to have collapsed. Probably disruntled Virgin launchers looking for pics…

  63. Now Alonso did a 1:11.837 on a 19 lap stint.

  64. Do they use the same car for all 3 test. Or does each driver has his own car. Meaning all the changes from the previous day has to be done on it

    1. They use the same car

  65. Testing times at 12:00 local time:
    1. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.709 26
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.094 +0.385 15
    3. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.450 +0.741 21
    4. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +0.867 37
    5. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:13.783 +2.074 12
    6. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:14.410 +2.701 33
    7. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:14.707 +2.998 21

  66. Alonso 1:11:835

  67. The delay and all just giving the fans some very bad impressions about them. Ambitious but rubbish

  68. alonso

    1:11.599!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  69. fernando alonso clocks 1:11.599s

  70. Alonso bettered his own time. Looks like Torro Rosso is going pretty good as well, maybe Alguersuari is fired up by more than 15.000 fans present?

    1. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.599 29
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.094 +0.495 15
    3. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.438 +0.839 28
    4. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +0.977 37
    5. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:13.783 +2.184 12
    6. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:14.226 +2.627 43
    7. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:14.707 +3.108 21

  71. Keith, Twitter.JamesAllenonf1.com is a really good place for all the good f1 stuff on twitter and is good for testing, maybe you could link it in the article

  72. According to Sara Holt, there was a damage all over De la Rosas car: “The Sauber mechanics have fixed the damage to De la Rosa’s car, repairing the floor, front wing and engine cover. “

  73. Alonso now actually going a bit to fast for his own good.
    Button still polishing his nails and adding pillows.

    I’m off for a couple of hours heres to button comming to life while im gone.

    Ta ta testing fans.

  74. Petrov just improved his time to 1:14.009, coming close to the 1.14 mark

  75. bets on brandson wearing a stewardess’s uniform come end of season!

  76. Alonso’s on track now

  77. Button must be having some issues with the car anyone have a scooby to what is going on?

    1. He (Button) has just went back on track.

  78. Alonso is now constantly lapping between 1.12.00 and 1.12.6

    1. where do you get the lap times?

  79. Button getting faster: 1:13.544

  80. cheer up everyone button just did a 1:13.783, thats only 2.2 secs of alonso’s time.
    Some of the comments over the last few days have been incredible. We all know that this is the first test but so many here think every team is out trying the new car for the first time and only Ferrari are out with zero fuel and underweight cars etc. How about they got last year right after Massa’s crash and have been hard at work. The engine looks good with them and sauber and they may well have a slight jump on the rest. Plenty of work for all still to do.

    1. I think it’s clear that Ferrari and by the looks of it Sauber have good pace, but I’m still worried that the Ferrari engine is going to be really thirsty as it was last year meaning Ferrari will be heavier during the races.

  81. latest times:

    1 Alonso Ferrari 1m11.599s
    2 de la Rosa Sauber 1m12.094s +0.495
    3 Schumacher Mercedes 1m12.438s +0.839
    4 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m12.576s +0.977
    5 Button McLaren 1m13.498s +1.899
    6 Petrov Renault 1m14.009s +2.410
    7 Hulkenberg Williams 1m14.121s +2.522

  82. Just because the Ferrari seems to be going well here, doesn’t mean to say that it’s going to go well when they’ve left this ‘Go-Kart’ track.

    Valencia is really not a great place to be testing F1 cars. It’s a bit like trying to sail a aircraft carrier up the Thames!

    1. CounterStrike
      3rd February 2010, 13:48

      Good point VXR. Jerez or Barca would give us a better indication. Shame they don’t test at Silverstone or Paul Ricard anymore.

  83. This looks interesting. Does Button need to air his feet?

  84. Craig Scarborough has a lot of interesting drawings and pictures on his Twitter account.
    http://twitpic.com/110tr2

    1. all pics: http://twitpic.com/photos/ScarbsF1
      He answered a question I had (indirectly) about that funnel at the back of the Macca above the rear light. exhaust for oil cooler.

  85. Even though i might be the only one following this right now, here are the times and laps:

    1. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.599 56
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.094 +0.495 28
    3. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.438 +0.839 30
    4. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +0.977 37
    5. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:13.498 +1.899 23
    6. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:13.669 +2.070 72
    7. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:14.009 +2.410 29

    Alonso is doing some laps, he just did 11 laps arount 1.12. H�lkenberg did most laps up to now. De la Rosa and Alguersuari went for lunch some time ago. We haven’t seen Schumacher for a long time.

  86. Button is on the track and Schumacher joins him.

  87. Heyy..really…what is that vent for in front of the driver…cooling???….or for any extra downforce?…i mean…are they channeling it into their monstrous diffuser??

  88. the-muffin-man
    3rd February 2010, 12:47

    Nice to see a 2010 car with some sponsorship on it!!!

    1. the-muffin-man
      3rd February 2010, 12:52

      Sorry that should have been on the VR launch thread!

  89. Alonso went faster still. Button improved as well, but did only 33 laps.

    1. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.470 61
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.094 +0.624 28
    3. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.438 +0.968 40
    4. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +1.106 37
    5. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:12.951 +1.481 33
    6. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:13.669 +2.199 72 pit
    7. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:14.009 +2.539 29

  90. captain caveman
    3rd February 2010, 12:55

    i am also looking at some different sites to gain the new lap times, but does anyone know what length of stints alonso is doing… just trying to figure out if they are short to medium or medium to long stints on fuel and therefor weight etc

  91. Just watching on TV and the Ferrari has what looks like a 1 meter solid black post sticking vertically out of the airbox.

    What’s that ?

  92. Captain Caveman
    3rd February 2010, 12:58

    @ ianhaycox i am assuming live video streaming but from which site are you watching it. thanks

    1. http://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/livestream/

      They had a quick report about MSC and showed some cars lapping.

  93. not sure abiut the legality of the Mclaren side body work directly behind and on top of side pods….it’s not in the ‘free’ zone so there whould be allowed any cutouts or gills
    http://www.f1today.nl/fotos/dtmghrqm5.jpg

    1. umm typing fail above…
      so there whould be allowed any cutouts or gills

      should read
      …there “shouldn’t be allowed any…

  94. Captain Caveman
    3rd February 2010, 13:06

    answered my own question…. 12:57
    Alonso has completed an eight-lap run which included the fastest time of the week. Although some of his previous stints have been in the region of 18 according to some sites

    1. Alonso was pretty much doing 1.12. laps during the last long stint as well

  95. Alonso doing both short and long stints…but he’s setting the best times during those short stints…(a little obvious :) )

    1. But he did do another couple of laps after he did his best time.

  96. Alonso is going bloody fast.
    I really whish McLaren would do something overly amazing..

    1. My gut feeling said that Red Bull will do something overly amazing… can’t wait until next week when all the top echelons participate in Jerez

      1. Seeing as absolutley everybody has copied the Redbull this year i hope they do produce a classy car.

        That said I find Vettle’s driving so boring and overtaking free I don’t really care if he does.

        I want Hamilton Alonso and Schumacher at the front.

        Three drivers you know you can be realied upon for fireworks.

  97. I try not to take testing times seriously, but seeing Ferrari fastest every day has me worried. :( I hope McLaren has been sandbagging a bit.

    1. It’s hard not to take these times seriously with Ferrari 0.5 seconds faster AT LEAST EVERY DAY.

      I mean if we could at least go faster then Sauber I’d be alright.

      1. fantasticplanet
        3rd February 2010, 14:25

        agreed

  98. who is in Mercedes wearing BLACK helmet

    1. That is Schumacher trying a new Schubert helmet type. Mentioned it earlier as well.

  99. Alonso, Schumacher and H�lkenberg are all doing long runs (15+) and are lapping in the 1.16s

    1. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.470 75
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.094 +0.624 28
    3. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.438 +0.968 57
    4. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +1.106 37
    5. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:12.951 +1.481 33
    6. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:13.669 +2.199 76
    7. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:14.009 +2.539 29

  100. Petrovs time is not updated, it should be 1m13.902s +2.432

    1. 1:13.889 for Petrov

  101. according to eddstrawF1
    “Hulkeberg has come in. Looks like he did a practice first few laps with racing start. Get a feel for the car on heavy tanks.”

  102. I’d like to see the cars do a few racing simulations.

    An compare the times over a race distance. That would give us an idea of the cars performance.

  103. Ferrari is looking very very strong and with Alonso in the driver’s seet it can only get faster..

  104. fantasticplanet
    3rd February 2010, 14:22

    So, as of now the ferrari cars seem a bit faster. I’m sorry mclaren, hamilton, and button fans but there is no conceivable situation where they have ~500km of data where they wouldn’t run the cars on their fastest setting, stop making excuses for your team. I like Mclaren too.

    So, for argument’s sake, let’s say they’re doing benchmark tests to compare their cars. That the teams are testing aero equipment against the cfd and windtunnel figures. They’re most likely starting with late 2009 aero packages then changing out the parts/set ups to compare the new parts: benchmark testing. Let’s say again that they’re not using all the parts in conjunction and are testing them separately to get independent figures for each part and if they match what the computer models suggested. Then lets say they’re combining them to work in conjunction, eventually, to see how the figures add up in unison. Let’s also say that they’re testing these aero figures across different downforce settings, fuel levels and tire types. That’s a lot of testing.

    So, one possibility is that the teams are testing these cars not at full open throttle, basically, not at their quickest. Now what would that accomplish? If they could accurately gauge their cars top performance, they wouldn’t be at Valencia, now would they?

    Another possibility people are suggesting is that teams are not testing new aero parts as to keep them from prying eyes. That would mean those teams would have to have the utmost confidence in said parts and since some have brought out the high vis paint, I don’t believe that’s the case.

    They are using all their new parts and probably using them together so at the very least what we can undeniably conclude is that as of now, with this much testing complete, the ferrari is generally the fastest and rightly so, they started development before anyone else.

    I’ll admit, last year was a bit of an aberration as budgets did not weigh too heavily and the new spec made for a rather weird development. They also eliminated the KERS system completely, so now there’s none of that to factor in. I think the marquee teams are hedging their bets this season and trying to keep their cars at least on the pace in the worst case scenario.

    That being said, it seems the cars are pretty close as of now, and with future development- it’s anyone’s race; that’s assuming the teams will improve upon their respective car’s deficiencies.

  105. is there anywhere last years testing times can be viewed for all tests? i’ve been looking on the net for most of the day and cant find anything.

    thanks.

  106. Alonso in the 1:16s and 1:17s now…. full fuel maybe

  107. if u remember last season williams were allways fastest in free practice but could never deliver in the race, this is only the first test, at a track that does not suit mclarens longer wheel base over ferraris,we will only no the real pace of the cars once the season starts.

    1. True, but not in the winter testing. as far i can remember Red Bull and Brawn are the two teams that almost consistently topping the list in the winter test

  108. Alonso
    1.16.148
    1.16.673

    same as most teams when they ‘reportedly’ ran full tanks but who knows… certainly not any quicker….

  109. if im right in saying longer wheel base cars are more suited for tracks with long sweeping corners,and short wheel base cars suited for shorter sharper corners,over the course of a season i think more tracks suit a long wheel bace car as more track have long sweeping corners thats wher the mclaren will realy shine

    1. fantasticplanet
      3rd February 2010, 14:53

      Someone on f1technical matched the photos based on rims then again on the airbox and found the ferrari to be possibly a smidgen longer than the macca.

      1. fantasticplanet
        3rd February 2010, 14:53

        … Just saying..

  110. the cars longer but wheel base shorter

    1. fantasticplanet
      3rd February 2010, 15:02

      I was talking about the wheelbase…

  111. can any one tell me are thay using last years tyers because the front tyers dont look any thiner than the back which thay should be

    1. This years, you can’t really tell by (most of) the picutres

  112. are thay using 2009 spec tyers because the front tyers in 2010 should be thinner at the front and dont apeer to be can anyone answer this

    1. fantasticplanet
      3rd February 2010, 15:06

      http://twitpic.com/111dba, compare to photos, you will see the diff.

  113. Ed Straw wonders, what Alonso can do with a low fuel load, as his best lap was definitely not ultra-light

  114. Am I right
    F. Alonso 1:11.470

  115. looks like Button and Alonso, as well as Alguersari are giving it their last spins

  116. Latest Update

    1. F. Alonso (Ferrari) 1:11.470
    2. P. Mart�nez de la Rosa (BMW Sauber) 1:12.094
    3. M. Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:12.438
    4. J. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 1:12.576
    5. J. Button (McLaren) 1:12.951
    6. V. Petrov (Renault) 1:13.582
    7. N. Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:13.669

  117. That Ferrari has done a lot of 1:12’s

  118. Getting Slightly worried by the lack of pace of McLaren! However i dont know if we can take anything from these tests? As i thought shortly after the ferrari launch there were rumors that they were developing a b spec of there car as they thought it might have been a bit on the slow side?

    Could BMW sauber turn out to be a brawn GP story?

    1. Getting Slightly worried by the lack of pace of McLaren!

      Lewis managed okay yesterday.

  119. As i said on my previous comments, Alonso rules in Spain!
    In just 7 laps have made what others cannot do in 150 laps.
    Regarding Button, he was lucky last year, it�s over, now you get areality check, what he really worths!
    Button is a nice guy, but never was a top driver and i guess that was the reason why Hamilton wanted him on his side, take that as a chalenge now.
    To the guys who think Massa is not a top driver i must say that he�ll prove himself this year with a 1-2 places on the grid.

    1. Being 1 or 2 on the grid is all very well, but it doesn’t win you any points.

      1. wouldn’t you get 25 or 18??… lol

  120. Schumacher finished for the day.
    I’d like to see Button sneak a 1:12.4 in but don’t think he will… its only testing after all.

  121. Hulkenberg on heavy loads and already did 2 racedistances today.
    Seems that Williams is going for the long run and doesnt want to blend into doing fast laps like Ferrari have been doing the past 3 days.

  122. Button is “racing” with Alonso now on track, bet they want to thank the 36.000 paying fans that turned up today!

    1. Awesome stuff,hope that don’t end in tears!!!

  123. 01 — Alonso — 1:11.470 — — Day 3
    02 — F. Massa — 1:11.772 — 0.302 — Day 2
    03 — K. Kobayashi — 1:12.056 — 0.586 — Day 2
    04 — PM de la Rosa — 1:12.094 — 0.624 — Day 3
    05 — L. Hamilton — 1:12.256 — 0.786 — Day 2
    06 — R. Kubica — 1:12.426 — 0.956 — Day 2
    07 — M. Schumacher — 1:12.438 — 0.968 — Day 3
    08 — F. Massa — 1:12.574 — 1.104 — Day 1
    09 — Alguersuari — 1:12.576 — 1.106 — Day 3
    10 — PM de la Rosa — 1:12.784 — 1.314 — Day 1
    11 — N. Rosberg — 1:12.889 — 1.419 — Day 2
    12 — M. Schumacher — 1:12.947 — 1.477 — Day 1
    13 — J. Button — 1:12.951 — 1.481 — Day 3
    14 — R. Barrichello — 1:13.377 — 1.907 — Day 2
    15 — N. Rosberg — 1:13.543 — 2.073 — Day 1
    16 — Hulkenberg — 1:13.669 — 2.199 — Day 3
    17 — S. Buemi — 1:13.823 — 2.353 — Day 2
    18 — G. Paffett — 1:13.846 — 2.376 — Day 1
    19 — Petrov — 1:14.009 — 2.539 — Day 3
    20 — R. Barrichello — 1:14.449 — 2.979 — Day 1
    21 — R. Kubica — 1:14.762 — 3.292 — Day 1
    22 — S. Buemi — 1:16.333 — 4.863 — Day 1

    not updated from earlier in the day but all days bests together. ;-)

  124. racing report:

    15:27 And Alonso gets ahead of Button as the Briton backs off
    15:26 The crowd is loving this. It’s their own little GP
    15:11 Button joins Alonso on track. Meanwhile, Schumacher has officially finished testing for the day
    15:19 Fireworks set off in the grandstands as Alonso chases Button’s McLaren
    NobleF1 Alonso is right underneath Button’s rear wing.
    15:20 Looks like Alonso and Button have their own private little race now.
    NobleF1 Button still ahead as they complete another lap. I sense drivers with some pride at stake here
    15:21 The “race” is over as Alonso returns to the pits
    15:23 Alonso didn’t come into the pits. He just backed off to get some clean air
    15:25 Alonso set to be right behind Button in a few minutes once again.
    15:27 And Alonso gets ahead of Button as the Briton backs off
    15:28 Alonso now pits and Button is the only man left on track

    1. Awesome stuff

  125. Any idea when the session will finish?

    1. in 20 minutes

  126. 17:00 local time

  127. Button back in the pits

  128. Schumacher not making a lot of laps like some of the others. Does he still have physical/neck issues?

    1. I read several reports, that his day ended early because of a “little hydraulic leak”

  129. Schumacher has confirmed that a “little hydraulic leak” has ended his day early from Autosports.

    1. Schumacher: “I wouldn’t expect to be winning right from the beginning. It wasn’t something that I was aiming for and expecting to be the case. But we need to be strong enough on development.”
      AUTOSPORTS

  130. From Twitter

    sarahholtf1: Just survived another Michael Schumacher media melee. He says he doesn’t expect to be winning races straight away but is pretty happy

    Combined with what Ross Brawn said earlier car we begin to conclude that the Merc is somewhat off the pace?

    1. The car still runs a lot of old parts. Here http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81246 it says, they do not have their new Diffusor and front wing.

      But this car is defenitely not going to win 6 of the first 7 races of the year.

  131. Latest

    1 Alonso Ferrari 1m11.470s
    2 de la Rosa Sauber 1m12.094s
    3 Schumacher Mercedes 1m12.438s
    4 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1m12.576s
    5 Button McLaren 1m12.951s
    6 Petrov Renault 1m13.097s
    7 Hulkenberg Williams 1m13.669s

    1. The test is over in Valencia,next up Jerez 10th -13th February.

      1. well its silverstone tomorrow… and then jerez :)

  132. So that was is for today:

    1. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:11.470 125
    2. P. de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:12.094 +0.624 79
    3. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:12.438 +0.968 82
    4. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:12.576 +1.106 96
    5. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:12.951 +1.481 82
    6. V. Petrov Renault R30 1:13.097 +1.627 74
    7. N. H�lkenberg Williams FW32 1:13.669 +2.199 126

    I liked the “racing” between Button and Alonso at the end, as well as all Spanish drivers getting out at the end.

  133. The amount of laps is reported differently for some drivers on f1-direct.com (Alonso 127, DlRosa 81, Alguersari 97, Petrov 75).

  134. Does anyone know definitively whether mclaren are using old parts on their car – a sort of interim package?

  135. hi guys dont know if this has been said before, but just to say autosport has done up an intersting table consisting of the the best time from each driver over the 3 day

    top 4 looking like a bit of pattern :(

    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81247

  136. Why would Mclaren be using old parts? They are trying to get the 2010 car ready. This test means very little for the start of the season even though the Ferrari times have been very impressive. Everyone will have done laps with all various fuel levels to measure tyre wear if nothing else. I am obviously biased towards a team I have suported since 1970 but if this 3 day test had Maclaren or Mercedes consistantly on top I feel the comments here would be very different.

  137. We still know NOTHING.
    Make no conclusions, its just a waste of time :)
    but… Bahrain is coming!

  138. Alonso’s best time was done 8 laps before he ended that stint. So, the ferrari can go even faster.

    However, the primary problem for Ferrari is going to be fuel consumption.

    Alonso’s times were in 1:16s, Kubika meanwhile was lapping in 1:15s when he was on heavy fuel.

    Clearly, Ferrari is needing to carry a lot more fuel to cover the same amount of distance, hence it goes from being the fastest on low fuel to one of the slowest on more fuel.

    Hopefully, next week, Ferrari will have solved some of these problems.

  139. fantasticplanet
    3rd February 2010, 19:31

    I really do hate these, “we can conclude nothing statements”; we can conclude the ferrari is faster per lap than anything out there as of now. We can also conclude Ferrari is testing their fuel consumption by the fact they have also tested the most consecutive laps.

    I can see where people are going with tyre wear due to new weight distribution but that premise proves a different point entirely. They’re gonna be testing the absolute fastest as they can go, not trying to do a million slow laps out of a set of tyres. They’re going to find a balance which by virtue of testing means they’ll start at the upper end and crank down.

    We can also conclude that all teams have tried to test everything they have currently due to the fact they’re TESTING. Which means they’re trying to see how all the different set ups work, which by necessity would include their fastest set up for a track such as the Ricardo Tomo circuit.

    I’m a McLaren fan, my family hails from NZ, and I think its ridiculous to say that nothing can be concluded from now. I think we can conclude Macca needs to do a bit more work. It’d be stupid for Ferrari or Mclaren to sandbag with what happened last year.

    1. It’s no secret that Ferrari only did short runs to get times into the ’11s’.

      When they did put fuel in, they were running in the ’16s’, just like everyone else.

      Nothing to see here. Wait until the last test to get a better idea.

    2. lol
      ok we might as well award with a coin toss either Alonso or Massa the WDC and Ferrari the WCC, …
      Good cost cutting measures…we can conclude after 3days and not all of the teams present Ferrari is the best in 2010.

      just to shut some people up about bloddy times

      here is last years 1st test, day 2 times
      1. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1min 20.314secs 55 laps
      2. Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1min 20.907secs 66 laps
      3. Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP-Mercedes 1min 20.966secs 111 laps
      4. Jarno Trulli Toyota 1min 21.182secs 121 laps
      5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1min 21.347secs 66 laps
      6. Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1min 21.615secs 127 laps
      7. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1min 21.834secs 82 laps
      8. Fernando Alonso Renault 1min 21.937secs 111 laps
      9. Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1min 21.991secs 88 laps
      10. Sebastien Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1min 23.039secs 14 laps
      11. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari No time 6 laps

      Notice that Ferrari are the quickest…LOL
      Now we know what history say about that…look where RBR are….!!!!

      Ok not convinced

      Jerez F1 test times – day four
      1. Fernando Alonso Renault 1min 19.945secs 130 laps
      2. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1min 20.250secs 105 laps
      3. Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1min 20.520secs 99 laps
      4. Jarno Trulli Toyota 1min 20.540secs 131 laps
      5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1min 20.894secs 107 laps
      6. Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1min 20.948secs 83 laps
      7. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1min 21.302secs 70 laps
      8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1min 21.411secs 79 laps

      Ferrari, BMW, and Renault fill the top spots…LOL

      Ok now hit me with some more of the armchair commentary PLEASE>!!!! I haven’t heard enough in the last 3days !!!

      1. Thanks for posting that – someone was asking on the other thread.

        1. np m8 here is some more

          Pre-season last 2 major tests 2009

          Jerez

          Full Results
          day1
          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:19.055 87
          2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:20.330 63
          3 Kamui Kobayashi Toyota 1:20.699 80
          4 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:21.171 71
          5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:21.292 47
          6 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India F1 1:21.584 31
          7 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:21.831 94
          8 Nelson Piquet Renault 1:22.011 54

          Full results
          Day2 wet
          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Timo Glock Toyota 1:30.979 89
          2 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:31.327 70
          3 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:31.451 114
          4 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India F1 1:31.547 54
          5 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:32.220 102
          6 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 1:33.371 91
          8 Nelson Piquet Renault 1:33.476 66

          Full Results
          day3

          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Timo Glock Toyota 1:19.814 142
          2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:20.238 135
          3 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:20.296 152
          4 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 1:20.535 85
          5 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 1:20.621 63
          6 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:21.021 98
          7 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:21.069 98
          8 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:21.412 125

          Full results
          day4
          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:19.945 130
          2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:20.250 105
          3 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:20.520 99
          4 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:20.540 131
          5 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:20.894 107
          6 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:20.948 83
          7 Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 1:21.302 70

          Full Results
          day5 wet/dry
          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:20.052 123
          2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:20.414 112
          3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 1:21.272 58
          4 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:22.219 47
          5 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:22.226 54
          6 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:23.119 35
          8 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 1:21.411 79

          _______________
          Barcelona

          day1
          Full results:
          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:20.338 96 *
          2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:20.908 81
          3 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:20.937 121
          4 Jenson Button Brawn GP 1:21.140 82
          5 Nelson Piquet Renault 1:21.662 126
          6 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.158 86
          7 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:22.246 117
          8 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 1:22.452 129
          9 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:22.813 111
          10 Heikki Kovalainen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1:22.948 90

          day2
          Full Results
          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:20.314 55
          2 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:20.907 66
          3 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP 1:20.966 111
          4 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:21.182 121
          5 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:21.347 66
          6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:21.615 127
          7 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 1:21.834 82
          8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:21.937 111
          9 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 1:21.991 88
          10 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:23.039 16
          11 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso No Time 6

          day3
          Full Results
          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Jenson Button Brawn GP 1:19.127 130
          2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:20.168 109
          3 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:20.217 114
          4 Timo Glock Toyota 1:20.410 132
          5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:20.863 107
          6 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:21.165 102
          7 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:21.324 89
          8 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India F1 1:21.545 97
          9 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.569 145
          10 Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 1:21.657 86

          day4
          Full results

          Rank Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
          1 Rubens Barrichello Brawn GP 1:18.926 110
          2 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:19.774 120
          3 Timo Glock Toyota 1:20.091 128
          4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:20.576 83
          5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:20.664 64
          6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:20.677 92
          7 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:20.740 134
          8 Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 1:20.869 70
          9 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.013 62
          10 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1:21.629 141
          11 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.629 27

          ther was only 1 more test after this and only 3 or 4 teams were active at that test…Brawn being one of them.

          1. I can see a pattern emerging there. ;)

      2. sorry the 1st lot of times I put up are not the 1st test…they are after the Jerez test.
        Doesnt change a thing though….

  140. Hey Keith… I hope you don’t find that comment offensive in any way… it was a light hearted play on words because HounslowBusGarage comment kept showing up at the end of every comment entry.. I thought I worded it so it wouldn’t offend anybody… thanks for the great work!!

  141. What a three day of testing,I hope the same happen for Jerez & Bercelona.

  142. here is a test after brawn showed up…so very late in the test season
    1. Jenson Button, Brawn BGP 001, 1:19.127
    2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari F60, 1:20.168
    3. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber F1.09, 1:20.217
    4. Timo Glock, Toyota TF109, 1:20.410
    5. Fernando Alonso, Renault R29, 1:20.863
    6. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB5, 1:21.165
    7. Nico Rosberg, Williams FW31, 1:21.324
    8. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India VJM02, 1:21.545
    9. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.569
    10. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-24, 1:21.657

    Notice how BMW and Ferrari are up there again and Renault is quicker than RBR…..again just goes to PROVE the sandbagging idea, and at the same point last year I was arguing the same thing…RBR are quick and are sandbagging…the response was bal bla Ferrari will kill the field and Mclaren didnt have a problem with the car and were foxing…!

    If I didn’t love the sport so much I would ban myself from reading anything F1 during the testing period…so I would have to read all the sensationalist headlines and comments.

  143. I find it all a bit frustrating as I wish more teams were there…

  144. here is an interesting article from Sarah Holt – BBC:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2010/02/ferrari_and_mclaren_off_to_a_f.html
    She was in Valencia, it offers some nice views.

  145. Found this on Planet F1, offers some additional information as well: http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3261_5914950,00.html

  146. Tuesday times.

    Felipe Massa’s fastest lap – 1:11.722 – was set on the first flying lap of an 11-lap run.
    Kamui Kobayashi’s fastest lap – 1:12.056 – was set on the fourth lap of an 8-lap run.
    Lewis Hamilton’s fastest lap – 1:12.256 – was set on the fourth lap of a 20-lap run.
    Robert Kubica’s fastest lap – 1:12.426 – was set on the second lap of a 3-lap run.
    Nico Rosberg’s fastest lap – 1:12.899 – was set on the fifth lap of a 6-lap run.

    Fuel loads unknown, but Ferrari were definitely the only ones specifically doing low fuel runs for the majority of the tests.

    Now that’s interesting! Also, Renault and Williams didn’t do any low fuel setup work on Tuesday.

  147. can any one settle an argument the wheel base on f1 cars does not have to be the same is there a site i can go to with the answer to this question so i can prove it

    1. The wheelbase does not have to be the same. It is obvious, for example, that the Renault has a much shorter wheebase than either the McLaren or the Ferrari, but all are legal.

      http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public.nsf/130A104E1769D120C1257617002D4CAE/$FILE/Stable%20Technical%20Regulations%20-%2024th%20July%20-%20CLEAN.pdf

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