2010 F1 testing live: 11th February

209 comments on “2010 F1 testing live: 11th February”

1. 

   Vikas
   11th February 2010, 7:29

   Good morning Keith.. Have a good day…:)

   We may see campos as Volkswagen from next year… http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=357158&FS=F1

   Comment first posted by jose here https://www.racefans.net/2010/02/10/f1-testing-pictures-10th-february/#comment-330804
   1. 

      Adrian
      11th February 2010, 8:49

      How realiable is that source??
      1. 

         K
         11th February 2010, 12:28

         AS are known to be a thoroughly unbiased non-sensationalist publication who only ever report facts…

         Oh no hang on I mean the opposite.
   2. 

      East Londoner
      11th February 2010, 19:37

      If that’s true, Stefan GP can kiss goodbye to racing at Bahrain.
   3. 

      ccolanto
      11th February 2010, 21:48

      Video of catastrophic front wing failure of Virgin VR01 (at 0:20)

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3n4ga35fSg
      1. 

         ccolanto
         11th February 2010, 22:28

         Doesn’t look like front mounting brackets to me.. it clearly snaps in half at 0:15
2. 

   GeeMac
   11th February 2010, 7:31

   Rain rain go away…
3. 

   bwells
   11th February 2010, 7:37

   Hey Keith… hope you have another amazing day.. :) the forecast is for decent weather… are they right??… :)
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      11th February 2010, 7:41

      Looks OK so far – here’s a couple of pictures I just posted on Twitter:

      http://twitpic.com/12jpyb

      http://twitpic.com/12jpuk
4. 

   Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
   11th February 2010, 7:40

   Before I came here I was hoping to be able to post updates from the track side but there isn’t a wireless connection for the media as far as I can tell. Using my regular service provider is prohibitively expensive.

   So it looks like I’ll only be able to post updates when I’m in the media centre, so apologies if there’s occasional radio silence from me.

   Alternatively, if anyone can suggest an alternative way of getting a wireless connection out here please do!
   1. 

      Beri
      11th February 2010, 7:43

      Well, if I may speak for myself. Im already happy that you give us the updates needed to fulfill our Formula 1 hungry heart with new info’s ;-)

      Have fun today mate!
      1. 

         Sush Meerkat
         11th February 2010, 15:38

         You speak for me too Beri, no point in Keith getting into debt with Vodafone just because I wanna see some information that is invalid.
5. 

   bwells
   11th February 2010, 7:52

   I agree.. your work is amazing…
   the only real option could be a new smart phone with good cellular service.. or if you had a cellular card in your lapper..
   you might need some donations for that… lol :)
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      11th February 2010, 7:54

      I can do pics and video from my phone no problem, it’s the cost of carriage that’s holding me back – I can’t afford �3 per meg.
      1. 

         ccolanto
         11th February 2010, 15:10

         Any unlimited Data plans in the UK?
         Can the plan be subsidized through your website?
         1. 

            The_Pope
            11th February 2010, 16:41

            @ccolanto – It’s the roaming charges that are the problem. Mobile data within the UK is fine; take your laptop abroad and you get totally screwed on costs!
6. 

   HG
   11th February 2010, 7:54

   oh how i wish i was there, have fun :)
7. 

   bwells
   11th February 2010, 7:55

   I’m thinking of you there waiting… hearing the engines start up… and it makes me think of what it’ll be like in Montreal when I get to go to my first GP… stellar… my son said when he went to the Italian GP last year… he was walking towards the track and from a kilometer away he could hear the engines echoing through the hillside… man I can’t wait!!
   1. 

      Maciek
      11th February 2010, 8:33

      Bwells, what kind of tickets were you able to get your hands on for Montreal?
8. 

   Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
   11th February 2010, 8:02

   Buemi, Glock, Alonso, Liuzzi and H�lkenberg all get straight down to work as the session begins.
   1. 

      Beri
      11th February 2010, 8:20

      The session started at 9am CET+1? I thought it would start at 10am.
      Well anyway, we can have a quick working day again as we check on live timing and twitter!
9. 

   Jarred Walmsley
   11th February 2010, 8:06

   Keith, I’m assuming that the 3pounds(dont have a pound symbol on my keyboard) per meg is due to you being on a british carrier overseas, as the costs escalate in NZ when we go overseas as well so could I suggest you buy a Spanish sim card and therefore have cheaper internet access?
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      11th February 2010, 8:46

      I’ve had a look at that but haven’t found any cost-effective solutions. If anyone out there has a knowledge of the Spanish mobile market and can recommend a package please let me know.
      1. 

         PeriSoft
         11th February 2010, 18:05

         Hell, you could just get a BlackBerry from AT&T in the US, sign up for the unlimited international data roaming plan at something like a hundred and fifty bucks a month, and tether it to your laptop… :)

         It’s possible that BlackBerries in the UK have better roaming data plans as well. You can’t get a similar plan here without a BB, as far as I know…
10. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 8:07

    sounds like a great idea… :) lets get some laps in!!
11. 

    Calum
    11th February 2010, 8:12

    It would Be nice to see VW on the grid, but they have left it too late to salvage campos meta, I feel campos might have a below par challanger this year – being the first time that have designed an f1 car and all that. Maybe the first season as vw, then once they are sorted out change to Audi or dare I say it Lamborghini!!! however let’s not get carried away, I sort of don’t trust manufacturers anymore, afterall if vw did enter all it would do is provide stability for a few seasons and then they would leave, just like honda (4 years?) BMW (3 years?) and toyota (7 years). These manufacturer teams come in and employ so many people that when the team leaves and is baught over, there has to be cut backs , sacrafices and job losses – alla brawn 2009.
    1. 

       GeeMac
       11th February 2010, 9:04

       “Maybe the first season as vw, then once they are sorted out change to Audi or dare I say it Lamborghini!!!”

       Maybe Skoda? ;-)
       1. 

          LewisC
          11th February 2010, 12:03

          Or SEAT, which would make much more sense given the enduring F1-obsession.
          Get De La Rosa to drive, and Roberto’s your madre’s hermano.
          1. 

             Jarred
             11th February 2010, 17:58

             Or Bugatti???
12. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 8:25

    Darn Hulkenburg was tweeting while driving and caused a red flag!!… lol
13. 

    David B
    11th February 2010, 8:42

    Bad news. Rain again.
    Keith, hope you got the umbrella in your suitcase.
14. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 8:45

    Lets hope they get some laps in before it really starts to rain..
15. 

    chippie
    11th February 2010, 8:45

    Where is the Lotus?
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       11th February 2010, 8:51

       It’s launched tomorrow and expected to be at Jerez next week. They have got a hospitality van here already.
       1. 

          bwells
          11th February 2010, 8:53

          oh man ~ make sure you grab a memento from that Lotus van Keith! :)
    2. 

       Adrian
       11th February 2010, 8:52

       Still back in Blighty…they’re officially launching it tomorrow and then heading out to the next Jerez test.
16. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 8:49

    There coming next test… Webber is flying so far..
17. 

    wasiF1
    11th February 2010, 8:54

    Nearly an hour has gone by but nobody have done any time.
    1. 

       wasiF1
       11th February 2010, 8:59

       1Webber Red Bull 1m26.341s
       2Buemi Toro Rosso 1m26.361s +0.020
       3Kobayashi Sauber 1m27.689s +1.348
       4Alonso Ferrari 1m29.584s +3.243
       1. 

          wasiF1
          11th February 2010, 9:06

          Latest update

          1 Webber Red Bull 1m26.341s
          2 Buemi Toro Rosso 1m26.361s +0.020
          3 Kobayashi Sauber 1m27.689s +1.348
          4 Alons Ferrari 1m29.584s +3.243
          5 Schumacher Mercedes 1m33.105s +6.764
          6 Button McLaren 1m33.555s +7.214
18. 

    Gill
    11th February 2010, 9:06

    Pilotes Equipes Temps Ecarts Trs
    1 M.Webber Red Bull 1:26.341 +-.— 12
    2 S.Buemi Toro Rosso 1:26.361 +-.— 6
    3 K.Kobayashi Sauber 1:27.694 +-.— 13
    4 F.Alonso Ferrari 1:28:584 +-.— 6
    6 J.Button McLaren 1:33.555 — 5
    5 T.Glock Virgin 1.36.045 +-.— 4
    7 M.Schumacher Mercedes -.–.— +-.— —
    8 N.Hulkenberg Williams -.–.—
19. 

    wasiF1
    11th February 2010, 9:12

    Schumacher just did 1.27.645 which is 3rd.
    1. 

       wasiF1
       11th February 2010, 9:18

       But Webber just did 1.25.591,which is the fastest of the day.
       1. 

          wasiF1
          11th February 2010, 9:24

          Schumacher beat it 1.25.116
20. 

    ajokay
    11th February 2010, 9:20

    I said it last year, and I’ll say it again…

    The rain
    In Spain
    Falls mainly on
    F1 test days
    1. 

       Macca
       11th February 2010, 12:58

       haha hilarious
    2. 

       Kanyima
       11th February 2010, 15:03

       Lol ajokay!
       I suppose you could therefore say:
       The Rain
       In Spain is
       A Pain in
       the a&&!
21. 

    Tomas
    11th February 2010, 9:21

    Do you now someone, what time, does the today�s testing day start?
22. 

    ryanmack09
    11th February 2010, 9:23

    Bumei top with a 1.24
    1. 

       wasiF1
       11th February 2010, 9:27

       But he just did 1.22.041
23. 

    ryanmack09
    11th February 2010, 9:25

    sorry i spelt Buemi wrong he did a 1.24
24. 

    ryanmack09
    11th February 2010, 9:27

    He is flying now in the really low 1.22
25. 

    ryanmack09
    11th February 2010, 9:29

    Has Button done a flying lap yet he is 11 seconds down?
26. 

    Gill
    11th February 2010, 9:30

    Alonso 1:24.681
27. 

    toyota
    11th February 2010, 9:31

    It’s weird to see Schumacher not in a Ferrari suit. Hopefully Toyota will return and Michael will drive for them!
28. 

    Gill
    11th February 2010, 9:32

    Mclaren cant be slower than Virgin… Button must be running quite heavy
    1. 

       BBT
       11th February 2010, 9:56

       Not running at all as far as I can tell. He’s only done 5 laps, don’t worry
29. 

    Gill
    11th February 2010, 9:34

    1:23.911 pour Alonso
30. 

    din
    11th February 2010, 9:36

    Live Times
    http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.f1today.nl%2Flive-update%2F2010%2F02%2F11%2Fcircuito-de-jerez%2F

    http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/175

    http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.f1-direct.com%2Finclude%2Flivegp%2Fwe%2Ftemp%2Fessais.php&sl=fr&tl=en
31. 

    wasiF1
    11th February 2010, 9:39

    What happened to the Force India?
32. 

    ryanmack09
    11th February 2010, 9:44

    they have being on track but no time has being set.
33. 

    JV
    11th February 2010, 9:47

    Ok I’m not really an official but quite regularily updating live timings.My twitter account is @jayeshhulani
34. 

    Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    11th February 2010, 9:48

    Have taken the first of my pictures today – you can find them here:

    F1 testing pictures: 11th February
35. 

    Nick Someone
    11th February 2010, 9:55

    Do Mclaren have a technical problem today? They don’t seem to be managing to do many laps.

    Does the Mclaren have on any pressure measuring equipment or green aero paint today Keith?
36. 

    Bertie
    11th February 2010, 9:56

    Anyone have an idea what is happening at Mclaren, well more the lack of?
    1. 

       Nick Someone
       11th February 2010, 9:57

       snap!
    2. 

       Adrian
       11th February 2010, 10:03

       Keith, is it still raining?

       It’s possible that they already ran through their wet weather program and so are conserving car, engine and tyres for when it dries out a bit…

       Either that or they’re fitting new parts to the car.

       I think if they had any big problems then they would have the car out on track as much as they could.
       1. 

          Nick Someone
          11th February 2010, 10:08

          Buemi has done a 1:21.8 so it isn’t wet and if they were fitting new parts they would have done it overnight or early this morning. They have limited running so I would have thought they would want to maximise it.
    3. 

       Gill
       11th February 2010, 10:11

       Mclaren themselves dont know whats happening with “Mclaren”, how would Keith know ?
       1. 

          Nick Someone
          11th February 2010, 10:21

          dunno. but he’s on the ground. no doubt he has brought binoculars with him. maybe he is able to peer into their garage and see something. …maybe he can see red faced people coming out of their garage. :-)
          1. 

             Bertie
             11th February 2010, 11:25

             All seems good, maybe they were waiting until the track temps rose. Who cares.
37. 

    wasiF1
    11th February 2010, 10:01

    Laps so far

    Laps so far:
    Buemi 20,
    Schumacher 25,
    Kubica 19,
    Webber 30,
    Alonso 18,
    Liuzzi 21,
    Kobayashi 18,
    Glock 9,
    Button 8
    1. 

       wasiF1
       11th February 2010, 10:05

       1.Buemi Toro Rosso 1m21.866s
       2Schumacher Mercedes 1m22.344s +0.478
       3Kubica Renault 1m23.046s +1.180
       4Webber Red Bul 1m23.164s +1.298
       5Alonso Ferrari 1m23.823s +1.957
       6Kobayashi Sauber 1m24.406s +2.540
       7Liuzzi Force India 1m27.017s +5.151
       8Glock Virgin 1m29.964s +8.098
       9Button McLaren 1m33.555s +11.689
38. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 10:19

    Keith just said that Glock lost his wing… does that mean he’s not a virgin anymore??… lol
    Let’s get the cars back on track!
    :)
    1. 

       FLuidd
       11th February 2010, 10:24

       that cracked me up…. ^^
    2. 

       Nick Someone
       11th February 2010, 10:27

       That’s a disaster for them I would imagine if they are limited on parts.

       Button just went 2nd 1:21.5.
       1. 

          Calum
          11th February 2010, 12:29

          ….With one of the virgins!!!!
          1. 

             Calum
             11th February 2010, 12:36

             /\ Just ignore my comment, it’s been written in the wrong place /\
39. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 10:21

    Fernando’s going out… :)
    1. 

       Gill
       11th February 2010, 10:35

       where ? on track ?
       1. 

          FLuidd
          11th February 2010, 10:38

          to get a shave.
          1. 

             Gill
             11th February 2010, 10:47

             wow!!!!!!!!!!!!
             1. 

                bwells
                11th February 2010, 11:13

                lol… no to work on heavy fuel loads by his times…
    2. 

       Calum
       11th February 2010, 12:33

       …. With one of the virgins!!!
40. 

    MarkD
    11th February 2010, 10:25

    BUEMI 1:20.504
41. 

    Aussie Racer
    11th February 2010, 11:07

    10kgs = 2 to 3 tenths
42. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 11:12

    the Williams site is down… that sucks I was tracking Alonzo’s, Shummi’s, Webber’s and Buttons times… hopefully it’ll be back up soon… :)
43. 

    MarkC
    11th February 2010, 11:38

    any idea how glock lost his front wing?
    1. 

       MarkC
       11th February 2010, 13:31

       to answer my own question: “problem with the front wing mounting”

       Does that mean it just ‘came off’. worrying if it did…
       1. 

          MarkC
          11th February 2010, 14:18

          Bad form having a virtual conversation with myself, but BBC have some more detail on the Virgin front wing: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8510697.stm
44. 

    Carl
    11th February 2010, 11:53

    Do they use the same car during all the test days. Or does each driver drive his own car. Meaning they have to copy all the setup to the other car when they swap
    1. 

       Gagan
       11th February 2010, 15:23

       Every driver uses his car only because the seat fitting of each driver is different.

       U can see Alonso driving car # 8 and Massa cr # 7.

       The basic setup would be copied but when in the race, the cars used by team mates could be altogether different.
45. 

    FLuidd
    11th February 2010, 12:07

    12:00 Alonso completes his long run – over 40 laps – with a best time of 1:21.928. He is fifth fastest
46. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 12:14

    That was a great run.. too bad the Williams site was down I would of had all his times.. but when it came back on at 3:45 it was low 23’s ending at 3:56 with the 121’928.. very consistent…
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       11th February 2010, 12:23

       Can you post the times you did get bwells?
       1. 

          bwells
          11th February 2010, 12:35

          you bet… this might have been teh same run while the site was down..

          1:23.853
          1:23.629
          1:23.265
          1:23.916
          timing down@3:00 up@3:45
          1:23.265
          1:23.152
          1:23.185
          1:22.564
          1:22.562
          1:22.843
          1:22.888
          1:29.591
          1:22.178
          1:21.928
          1. 

             VXR
             11th February 2010, 12:51

             hmmm… “consistent”?
47. 

    Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    11th February 2010, 12:22

    At around the halfway point we’ve seen Alonso do a very long stint, over 40 laps, with a best time around 1.9s off the pace.

    Buemi is quickest overall, he set his best time of 1’20.026 in a stint around a dozen laps long.

    Button is second, he’s only done 29 laps at the moment and is 0.6s off Buemi’s best. McLaren had part of the engine air intake blocked off during his run (see this picture).

    H�lkenberg is third and has just pitted after a short stint in which his best time was 1’22.343. His best time overall is 1’21.565.

    Schumacher is fourth and has just left the pits.
    1. 

       Adrian
       11th February 2010, 12:36

       Interesting. I wonder if they were trying to find out the cooling limits of the engine??
       1. 

          Tim
          11th February 2010, 13:11

          I doubt it – the airbox above the driver’s head is designed to feed air into the engine for the purposes of combustion, not engine cooling.

          The radiators are located in the sidepods.
          1. 

             BBT
             11th February 2010, 13:53

             More likely to be something to do with fuel consumption / mixes… but I know nothing :-)
          2. 

             LewisC
             11th February 2010, 15:23

             The picture shows that the intake they had (partly) blocked off is the smaller oil-cooling one. I’d guess that the air temps are a bit chilly and the oil wasn’t getting up to temp, so they’re imparingin the cooling to protect the engine.
48. 

    Ninjenius
    11th February 2010, 12:27

    Well, that’s it for Virgin. No more running today. Shame.
49. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 12:28

    Here comes Shummi’s long run… starting out at 1:25’s… :)
50. 

    Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    11th February 2010, 12:29

    Timo Glock won’t be adding to his 11 laps today. This from Virgin:

    This morning we experienced a front wing mounting problem which caused the wing to come off the car at the beginning of a run. The cause has already been identified. Unfortunately, we�re missing one or two spare parts which will hopefully arrive this evening, so we won�t be able to run for the rest of the day. In the short amount of running that we�ve achieved so far, we are very encouraged by what we�ve seen and we have gathered some vital aero data which is very much in the range of what we were predicting.
51. 

    David B
    11th February 2010, 12:30

    12:25 Virgin’s Nick Wirth says he has been very encouraged by the early performance of the car despite the lack of running. Story on AUTOSPORT soon

    12:21 The team had a problem with the front wing mounting. The issue has been identified, but it is missing spare parts so it will be unable to return to the track today…

    Many doubts on that. I’m afraid won’t be on top at Bahrhein…at least!
    1. 

       K
       11th February 2010, 13:00

       When was the last time a genuinely new team turned up at the 1st GP and put their car on the front row?
       1. 

          Tim
          11th February 2010, 14:48

          South Africa, 1970, Chris Amon qualified second in the works March-Cosworth in the first GP for March as a constructor and as a works team. Jackie Stewart was on pole in a Tyrrell-run March.

          There may well have been others but my memory fails at the moment.
52. 

    GR
    11th February 2010, 12:31

    How are Virgin looking? Very interested to see how their CFD car shapes up. Are they doing proper laps?
53. 

    David B
    11th February 2010, 12:36

    My opinion is they still have to run to let us understand how quick is their new car.
54. 

    Nathan Bradley
    11th February 2010, 12:36

    Hi gyus, can’t find a general chat section sorry!

    Does anyone have a complete collection of the 2008 season on DVD? (Lewis wins title)

    By complete collection I mean full practices, qualifying and races with podium celebrations.

    So it should be about 6.5-7.5 hrs of coverage per race.

    If anyone can help, let me know through here and I’ll give you my email address so we can talk.

    Thanks,

    Nathan
55. 

    three4three
    11th February 2010, 12:37

    Well it’s a pity Virgin won’t be running any more today but at least they got some dry laps in, fingers crossed for them that a new (improved) nose will arrive by tomorrow morning.
    Best case scenario, I reckon (a pure guess) they’ll be at least two or three seconds off the pace come Bahrain. But at least they’ll be there, kudos to them!
56. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 12:40

    It seems live timing is down again at Williams… you were saying that they were having timing issues at the track earlier Keith? oh and Button’s fast time was on a 3 lap run…
    1:22.652
    1:21.528
    1:26.413
    pit…
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       11th February 2010, 14:13

       Thanks for that bwells.
57. 

    three4three
    11th February 2010, 12:45

    Further testing device on the MP4-25 (from F1Lite on twitter):
    http://twitpic.com/12kra1
    http://twitpic.com/12krck
    Never seen one of these before… McLaren are certainly being thorough and making the most of these limited test sessions.
    1. 

       Optimist
       11th February 2010, 13:10

       Yes your right there 343. With limited testing all this data they are acquiring now would prove invaluable during the season. I just can’t understand how people “Conclude” that using of these Data acquisition system means McLaren are in trouble? People please realize that F1 is a technical, not an emotional sport like football. I honestly think McLaren are the most disciplined team of all. Also think that Ferrari are missing a trick over here.
    2. 

       Insert_Name
       11th February 2010, 13:11

       It’s a cluster of air pressure indicators. Each of the spikes is a hollow tube with a pressure sensor at the base. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitot_probe )

       Looks like they’re using them to determine how clean the air. Their complex front wing may be causing trouble :(
       1. 

          Optimist
          11th February 2010, 13:14

          Is it causing trouble or are they OPTIMIZING the air flow? You’ll never know unless you work for them.

          And their spokesperson clearly put up a statement yesterday saying that all this was a part to enhance their simulator data.

          cheer up mclaren fans, I think they are extremely fast :)
          1. 

             Insert_Name
             11th February 2010, 13:19

             I agree with their spokesperson in that they are only gathering data to better their simulator. Simulator data is only as good as the programming. Always good to compare real life results with that of the simulator.

             But lets not forget that last year the car worked on the simulator and in the scale wind tunnel test but not in real life.
             1. 

                CounterStrike
                11th February 2010, 13:25

                Last year the car did work in the latter half of the season. They only problem was Red Bull & Honda were far far advanced in terms of car development. Its just that last years car was underdeveloped than anything else.

                The real point here is that using of these gizmos in itself doesn’t mean that mclaren are in trouble. Infact I am highly surprised that other teams are not doing the same, given the limited amount of testing.
             2. 

                Insert_Name
                11th February 2010, 13:37

                The car did work second half of the season. The problem during the first half of the season was that there was an aerodynamic airflow problem that only occurred on the actual car and did not appear on the simulator or the scale wind tunnel test (hence the tests with the 08 parts). By the time they had resolved this they found themselves lagging behind in development. They did catch up, but it was too late.

                I’m not trying to say that the new car has issues, just that history has shown that what works on the simulator and wind tunnel does not necessarily work on the track. Whether the gizmo is purely for data collaboration or if there actually is an unknown airflow problem, only McLaren knows.

                Personally I reckon there is absolutely nothing aerodynamically wrong with the car.
       2. 

          three4three
          11th February 2010, 13:57

          Thanks Insert_Name (nice name!) I guessed as much but didn’t want to come across all amateur when I don’t even know what the thing’s called. I genuinely believe McLaren are simply gathering as much data as possible -ie. it’s perfectly understandable for teams to want to take as accurate real-world readings as possible to feed into their systems when the emphasis in aero is shifting towards CFD.
          As for whether McLaren are in any sort of ‘trouble’ that’s all just pure speculation in conjecture IMHO.
          1. 

             epi
             11th February 2010, 17:51

             It might not even be validating CFD data….

             Predicting what the airflow will do after hitting a spinning tyre would be an amazingly difficult thing to do.

             Much easier, is to actually measure what happens behind the tyre, then work on improvements to the middle and rear of the car with the confidence that the expected airflow over these parts is correct.

             If this year’s main development area is the diffuser, then one obvious difficulty is errors being carried over from the front of the car. If you’ve modelled the front of your car wrongly then all your assumptions for the following parts will be wrong.

             I’m really surprised every team doesn’t carry out these tests
             1. 

                Scribe
                11th February 2010, 19:58

                Where were you people yesterday!
                I got into some werid fight with a closet tifosi basically insisting the McLaren must be in trouble because they attatch things to their car. McLaren check thing thrice well know fact.

                Most paddocky people with a likkle bit of know how say the McLaren looks quick.
58. 

    bwells
    11th February 2010, 12:52

    That first picture looked like a bike pedal.. I was thinking there really in trouble!! lol
    night all… 5am here… it’s been fun..
59. 

    JUGNU
    11th February 2010, 13:02

    Mclaren definitely got a very complex diffuser and other aero devices maybe that’s why we are seeing these unusual and ‘never seen before’ devices being attached to the car. I hope they are fine but now things are looking not too good at Mclaren.
    1. 

       Optimist
       11th February 2010, 13:11

       JUGNU read my reply to 343.
    2. 

       K
       11th February 2010, 13:16

       Wha?

       I don’t get it. How comes people are so down on McLaren using new methods of data acquisition?

       Their times look decent enough and the car looks fast on track. I’ve seen nothing t suggest they’re in any kind of trouble.
       1. 

          djdaveyp
          11th February 2010, 13:28

          If anything McLaren are showing confidence at the moment. They aren’t doing nearly as many laps as anybody else. They’d be hurtling that thing round the track if they were in trouble!

          My take on things is that they are checking the numbers on the aero for development over the season. Surely theres no point putting “appendages” anywhere until they know how much airflow they have there. If one aero device cuts airflow to a certain area they want to develop they might want to undevelop the offending area to affect things like balance etc on different track.

          I’m no expert but that is my suspicion.

          Early prediction (and hope) for me is that both McLarens will be on the podium in Sakhir!
          1. 

             CounterStrike
             11th February 2010, 13:34

             Exactly my thoughts djdaveyp. Also Alonso putting in all those laps doesn’t suggest they are in trouble either.
             1. 

                Bertie
                11th February 2010, 14:06

                The only reason these devices are put on the car are to better understand the airflow. Surely no more conclusions can be drawn other than that.
          2. 

             Adrian
             11th February 2010, 15:06

             Anyone remember 2008 testing. McLaren ran with these appendages then too…

             …if I recall correctly they didn’t do too bad that year…
             1. 

                Scribe
                11th February 2010, 20:01

                Thats the thing isn’t it. McLaren are probably though most thourough team on the grid at the mo. That they’re performing their usual regimental regime really isn’t that odd to me.

                Also because this place is a bit less mickey mouse than Valencia there using full airflow devices instead of flowviz paint.
60. 

    FLuidd
    11th February 2010, 13:37

    Like Albert Einstein said : “Keep it simple”

    I believe the Mclaren team is doing exactly the opposite.
    1. 

       djdaveyp
       11th February 2010, 13:40

       Clearly you have been educated by einstein and are a very clever person.

       I learn something everytime you post.
       1. 

          FLuidd
          11th February 2010, 13:42

          Are you a butthurt Mclaren fan ?
          1. 

             djdaveyp
             11th February 2010, 13:44

             It stings!
    2. 

       CounterStrike
       11th February 2010, 13:44

       Haha what a funny quote :) Einstein didn’t keep it simple either. You must know the e=mc2 derivation which involves triple gaussian integrals.

       If Newton had said that I’d have probably agreed :)
       1. 

          djdaveyp
          11th February 2010, 13:54

          If you judge einstein by his hair, he definitly didn’t keep it simple.

          On the point though, FLuid is obviously a Ferrari fan, why the chip on his shoulder?

          I’m a McLaren fan yes correct but there really isn’t any need to make negative comments about your competitions car, especially when it is speculation!

          All that says to me is you feel threatened by McLaren, so actually I shouldn’t be insulted I should be complimented.

          How are you to know Ferrari’s times last week weren’t all set on low fuel and Macca’s on full fuel?

          For all you know Jenson could have set the 2nd fastest lap so far today on 3/4 of a tank and Teflonso did his long run and set his fastest time at the end on fumes?

          Keep up with the entertainment though, only Bahrain will tell!
          1. 

             FLuidd
             11th February 2010, 13:58

             Even though i have no moral status to defend over the internet , I am a Bmw-Sauber fan…
             1. 

                djdaveyp
                11th February 2010, 14:00

                BMW Sauber – —–> Ferrari <——
             2. 

                Scribe
                11th February 2010, 20:10

                @Fluidd, your quite something,
                we had a very simular set of comments from you yesterday an everything you say just demonstrates an ignorance of F1, testing an common curtesy.

                Seriously buck up, the McLaren most complicated feature is it’s diffuser, which was expected, infact it pushing it to the extent that Ferrari want it banned, their belligerant “new diffuser war” comments say as much.
          2. 

             bwells
             11th February 2010, 18:57

             You guys are absolutely right in the fact that by using technology to better understand air flow is not a sign that a team’s in trouble.. if there in the back of the field come Bahrain.. then there in trouble… :)
       2. 

          qazuhb
          11th February 2010, 15:15

          The real quote from Einstein was something like “try to keep everything as simple as possible, BUT NOT SIMPLER than that”
61. 

    FLuidd
    11th February 2010, 13:40

    Alonso sets his best time of the day with a lap of 1:21.839. He is now fourth
    1. 

       djdaveyp
       11th February 2010, 13:41

       Oh no….. Ferrari 4th, they were fastest last week! They must be behind in the development race!
       1. 

          VXR
          11th February 2010, 13:55

          This is terrible news for Ferrari, and Button is second, so that McLaren must be really, really, really, really fast. Or maybe they are all just ‘testing’.
          1. 

             djdaveyp
             11th February 2010, 14:01

             lol, looks like torro rosso are going to win the Constructors Championship this year, who will be the winner of the Drivers, Algersuari or Buemi?
             1. 

                Insert_Name
                11th February 2010, 14:07

                You guys have it all wrong. All this development is only going to lead to one possible outcome.

                -> over-development by major teams -> cars stop working aerodynamically -> Force India’s simple, yet effective, car wins championship :p
             2. 

                CounterStrike
                11th February 2010, 14:12

                “OVER DEVELOPMENT” Can a Formula One car ever be over developed?
             3. 

                djdaveyp
                11th February 2010, 14:16

                Hopefully Paul Di Resta will get a seat then! Then we can have 3 different British Champions, 3 years in a row!

                Then next year with 3 car teams allowed, lol, We’ll have an even bigger all brit team at McLaren!
             4. 

                Scribe
                11th February 2010, 20:12

                I like this thread.
62. 

    Ylan Marcel
    11th February 2010, 14:02

    This CFD’s Virgin is so slow…
    1. 

       three4three
       11th February 2010, 14:06

       early days my friend.
    2. 

       FLuidd
       11th February 2010, 14:07

       BMW Sauber � ��> Ferrari <��

       You are obviously a troll. Ignore procedure engaged. ^^
    3. 

       djdaveyp
       11th February 2010, 14:08

       Looks that way at the moment doesnt it? I think they are a little faster than they have shown. They haven’t really had a run yet.

       They could be as much as 6 secinds off the pace in reality i think.

       Which means alot of laps behind at the end of the race!
63. 

    Schumi_the_greatest
    11th February 2010, 14:10

    whoooaa, the new red bull only 7th they must be in trouble,

    looks like a torro rosso 1-2 in bahrain then…….probably lap everyone up to 3rd place being that much quicker..
64. 

    FLuidd
    11th February 2010, 14:22

    Schumacher on track with, apparently, a lot of fuel onboard. It could be the start of the long run
65. 

    David B
    11th February 2010, 14:24

    Apart from ironic considerations…I feel really excited for the new season. And the uncertainty in these tests lap times or car conditions is increasing my expectations a lot!!!
66. 

    wasiF1
    11th February 2010, 14:38

    The definitive Formula One documentary

    http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2010/2/10423.html
    1. 

       wasiF1
       11th February 2010, 14:42

       1 Buemi Toro Rosso 1m20.026s
       2 Button McLaren 1m20.618s +0.592
       3 Hulkenberg Williams 1m20.637s +0.611
       4 Liuzzi Force India 1m21.380s +1.354
       5 Alonso Ferrari 1m21.571s +1.545
       6 Schumacher Mercedes 1m21.907s +1.881
       7 Kubic Renault 1m22.003s +1.977
       8 Webber Red Bull 1m22.043s +2.017
       9 Kobayashi Sauber 1m22.444s +2.418
       10 Glock Virgin 1m29.964s +9.938

       Glock won’t take part today
       1. 

          CounterStrike
          11th February 2010, 14:43

          Virgin= 1997 Lola? :0
          1. 

             Bewildered
             11th February 2010, 14:48

             ouch, I think they will last more than one race :)
             1. 

                wasiF1
                11th February 2010, 14:54

                I hope so,they have gone for CDF which no other team has gone for according to my knowledge.
             2. 

                CounterStrike
                11th February 2010, 15:09

                CDF?
             3. 

                K
                11th February 2010, 15:32

                Computational Fluid Dynamics.
       2. 

          wasiF1
          11th February 2010, 14:50

          Schumacher did 27 laps run.
          1. 

             Bewildered
             11th February 2010, 14:54

             And he’s still going..
             1. 

                wasiF1
                11th February 2010, 15:07

                Schumacher has finished a 35-lap run.
             2. 

                wasiF1
                11th February 2010, 15:29

                @ Counterstrike
                It’s something to do with fluid dynamics .
67. 

    Calum
    11th February 2010, 14:45

    Can’t wait until Bahrain! Testing is driving me mad, they should have a fake race at each test event, one last week, one this week. Test Under race conditions to see who is best. Televise it on BBC 2 or red button!
    1. 

       John H
       11th February 2010, 15:47

       Good idea at first thought, but Glock’s front wing failure tells us why we don’t have it.
68. 

    djdaveyp
    11th February 2010, 15:24

    I’ve got an idea.

    At the end of every day of testing they should have to send every driver out for a flying lap on soft tyres and low fuel just to see how fast they are!
    1. 

       David B
       11th February 2010, 15:26

       …in Formula 1 it is hard to make them go slow, even harder to force them to go fast!
       1. 

          Bertie
          11th February 2010, 15:49

          It really isnt hard to amke them go slow, they just turn the revs down and decrease the fuel mix to favour mpg.
          1. 

             David B
             11th February 2010, 15:52

             I meant in tech regulation terms…
    2. 

       Dennoow
       11th February 2010, 16:18

       Haha I don’t think the teams will agree to that. All the’re doing now is gathering information on the car so they can make improvements on every area. It’s not beneficial for the teams to show how fast they really are. For the fans it would be cool though! But we’re just gonna have to wait untill the 14th of March :(
69. 

    Calum
    11th February 2010, 15:37

    I see what you are saying, but if mclaren had a world beater the could easily say “right jense, half throtle on straits and break early, mate!” maybe if it was over race or halfrace distance it would be better.
70. 

    David B
    11th February 2010, 15:41

    In Moto GP actually it works.
    They have a test session in Barcelona, and the best one wins a car, or something like that. But I don’t think it is because of the car that they run on low fuel and soft tyres the last ten minutes. And it is spectacular. In Italy they broadcast on TV, also.
71. 

    djdaveyp
    11th February 2010, 15:53

    Button stopped on the track.

    Apparantly he has fallen asleep due to not being allowed to drive at full speed :-D
    1. 

       Dr. Gonzo
       11th February 2010, 15:59

       McLaren pit radioed him that Schumi was on a Hot Lap :-)
72. 

    three4three
    11th February 2010, 16:05

    KK is fastest!
    1. 

       FLuidd
       11th February 2010, 16:13

       Kobayashi Sauber 1m19.950s

       FIRST !
       1. 

          three4three
          11th February 2010, 16:16

          Good on him and Sauber! Now I hope they get some sponsors on board. :P
          1. 

             djdaveyp
             11th February 2010, 16:31

             Well done. I hope they manage to survive. They’ve always been good underdogs!
73. 

    Dennoow
    11th February 2010, 16:15

    Ferrari don’t seem to be allmighty like last week, however the’ve been making a LOT of mileage, same with the Mercedes. With Schumacher and Alonso being the best drivers when it comes to car set-up it makes you wonder.. Sauber seems quick all the time though!
74. 

    doncakes
    11th February 2010, 16:35

    Is Sauber putting on a show in hopes of gaining more sponsors? I think so.

    But Kobayashi can drive can’t he. Very impressive young man so far.
    1. 

       FLuidd
       11th February 2010, 16:45

       I was thinking the same thing… I hate when I get my hopes high.
    2. 

       bwells
       11th February 2010, 19:05

       Remember last year at testing when everyone said the same thing about the new BrawnGP.. “Oh there only fast because they’re on low fuel trying to attract sponsors…”… they were genuinely fast.. :)
75. 

    Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    11th February 2010, 16:50

    We haven’t had an official list of times from the circuit yet because of a technical problem.
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       11th February 2010, 18:51

       Got one a little while ago, times added above.
76. 

    luigismen
    11th February 2010, 17:04

    I’m sorry but to me, the Red Bull and the Toro Rosso are still the same car, or nearly the same
    http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=145482&catID=4643
    http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.php?photoID=145479&catID=4643
    1. 

       BNK Racing
       11th February 2010, 17:26

       and the red bull livery is still ugly. goooooo toro rosso!
    2. 

       Brad D
       11th February 2010, 19:11

       I’ve flipped back and forth between those two pictures for a few minutes and the only difference I can see is the top of the nose. To me STR are just a bunch of freeloaders.
       1. 

          luigismen
          11th February 2010, 21:20

          I did just the same thing, that’s why I’m making the comment
77. 

    three4three
    11th February 2010, 17:11

    Another great pic from F1Lite:
    http://twitpic.com/12lz0c
    Michael is a scary looking guy and Nick badly needs a haircut and a shave. The best of luck Nico!
78. 

    Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    11th February 2010, 17:21

    Have just been in the ‘media scrums’ with Schumacher and Button. Here’s the Schumacher write-up:

    Schumacher doubts strategy advantage

    The Button one will be up later, I’m off to see Williams now.
79. 

    Marks
    11th February 2010, 17:38

    Keith,

    Just want to say thanks for all your updates, news and info. This site and your twitter feeds have made the usual out of season F1 draught a dim and distant memory.

    Especially the updates from the launches and subsequent test days.

    Many many thanks.
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       11th February 2010, 18:50

       You’re welcome Marks!

       I’m here at Jerez for the next two days but I’m not sure whether I’m going to be able to go to either of the remaining tests. It’s a question of cost, which is partly a question of how well the site is doing, so please spread the word and help other F1 fans get their fix here!

       If I can make it to the remaining tests, I certainly will, because there’s no substitute for being here.
       1. 

          bwells
          11th February 2010, 19:14

          I also want to thank you Keith.. this has been an amazing year… Twitter seems to be invaluable when I always thought it was silly! The live updates and news feeds coming as they are uploaded keeps you on top of everything!

          I wonder if FOM are watching… The traffic must be more intense this year as sites are crashing all over the place and that proves to me that there’s a market out there.. I’m so jealous of you UK’ers as I would love to have access to Red Button and the sorts… I feel that if it was offered over seas they would get a great response!!

          Let’s hope there watching.. :)
       2. 

          HounslowBusGarage
          12th February 2010, 21:28

          Keith have you thought any more on the idea of a ‘members subscription’ type of idea for the blog? Thousands would support.
80. 

    Robert
    11th February 2010, 18:18

    So, so far, Alonso has driven the distance from London to Rome. Or, if you go a different direction, he has driven past Valencia and is 100 miles away from Jerez.
81. 

    Daniel
    11th February 2010, 18:29

    Is it too early to think Virgin will be a disaster?
    Do they have time to improve and be on the pace for Bahrain?
    Do they have time and money to improve as the season goes on?
    If they don’t, It’ll be a shame for Di Grassi… not exactly the debut of his dreams… at least it seems to be better than Bruno Senna’s…
    (Well, I think that If someone could answer this, Virgin would have hired him/her :))
    1. 

       Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
       11th February 2010, 18:51

       Let’s put it this way: they’ve done 70km more than Lotus, Campos, US F1 and Stefan GP put together (at the group tests, anyway).
82. 

    Catalina :)
    11th February 2010, 19:17

    good run so far.
83. 

    Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    11th February 2010, 19:35

    Finished the write-ups from this evening’s media activity. Sorry I’ve not got any more for you from Virgin:

    Button glad to concentrate on setup
    Drivers report high wear on intermediates
    H�lkenberg happy with Cosworth power
    Schumacher doubts strategy advantage
84. 

    Scribe
    11th February 2010, 20:17

    I think the only way you can really tell if someones got a fast time is if they go faster than Ricardo did last year.

    He did a 1.17 so if anyone gets into at least the 1.15’s you know their fairly quick.
85. 

    doncakes
    11th February 2010, 20:27

    Hello Keith,

    Add me to your list of grateful fans. As a US resident I have become a hugh fan in the last year of F1. My cousin in Ireland recommended your site and I have been hooked ever since.

    I admire your hard work, and your site has helped fuel my growing knowledge of this great sport. Although I don’t post much, I am on here every day.

    Good luck and keep up the great work!
86. 

    Peter
    11th February 2010, 21:05

    Beautiful day due to perfect coverage.
    Nice political battle afterwards to claim fastest lap time. Who said lap times are not important?
    Kamui on top! Fantastic.

Comments are closed.