2011 F1 testing day 16 live: Barcelona

12 comments on “2011 F1 testing day 16 live: Barcelona”

1. 

   BasCB (@bascb)
   12th March 2011, 8:05

   Good thing Mercedes got Rosberg out for some running yesterday. McLaren really look like they messed up the testing this year.

   As for Ferrari, I suppose having already done more than a complete race season of testing it does not matter too much. They can bring Alonso out a few times to please the fans, find a nice setup for the wet tyres and be satisfied.
   1. 

      Todfod (@todfod)
      12th March 2011, 8:39

      Mercedes seemed to have bounced back pretty strong with their latest updates. I thought Mclaren would be making large strides in the last few days of testing, and Mercedes would falter, but it seems to have worked out the other way around. I think Mercedes and Renault will be fighting for the 3rd spot, and Mclaren will be battling Williams for the last team into Q3.
      1. 

         F1iLike
         12th March 2011, 10:15

         Mercedes might be in better shape than last year, and if Mclaren indeed have messed up this year, Mercedes might be the 3rd team and could be fighting for podiums on a more regular basis. And I say IF Schumacher where to win a race, his motivation and enthusiasm will make him extremely competitive! I don’t think that is an overstatement. If he can take a win, he will be right back in his old pushing ways.
      2. 

         Last Pope Eye
         12th March 2011, 10:22

         Yes it’s very possible with the current trend. And don’t forget Toro Roso and Sauber they will make an upset bigtime. Mclaren has alot to worry this time unless they can make an upgrade with possitive results. But i doubt it will happend sooner…
2. 

   AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
   12th March 2011, 9:22

   Well Ross Brawn was pretty confident he would find that 1s. But it is only testing!
   1. 

      Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      12th March 2011, 9:42

      It’s the final test of the off-season. If there is any moment when testing times can be considered representative of pace, it is now. Red Bull and Ferrari are naturally strong. Renault is right up there, and some of Vitaly Petrov’s comments in interviews he has done imply they may even be better than Ferrari. Mercedes is difficult to judge, largely because they’ve only just gotten the full upgrade on the car, and while Schumacher topped yesterday’s timing charts, there simply wasn’t enough running to say with any certainty where they are. Likewise Sauber; Sergio Perez has been very impressive, but last year Sauber looked very strong until the actual racing began.

      We won’t know for sure until qualifying in Melbourne, but if ever there was a time when we could draw reasonable conclusions from winter testing, it is now.
      1. 

         Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
         12th March 2011, 13:31

         Yeah if you look at who was fast last year and compare it to this year… it’s all a bit of pointless speculation.

         Renault is right up there, and some of Vitaly Petrov’s comments in interviews he has done imply they may even be better than Ferrari

         Renault in the hand of Heidfeld or Kibica… Pet may know a good car when he drives one, but I still have no faith in him bringing home the bacon for Renault. I don’t think Renault does either or he’d have been the No. 1 and one of their countless reserves would have filled his role as No. 2.

         I’m feeling the vibe that Nick the Quick is gonna bring home the big fat bacon for Renault this year.
      2. 

         AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
         12th March 2011, 16:02

         Surely just because we’re at the very end of the testing season doesn’t mean everyone is going to go flat out?
3. 

   Dev
   12th March 2011, 9:51

   i think we have enough information from the testing that Red Bull are clearly the favorites with Ferrari behind em.

   Mercedes are not looking strong and seem to be very close to the top two, behind em it’s Renault, and then it could be McLaren. Though we don’t have enough idea where McLaren can be if they make that car reliable enough.

   in the midflied pack, Williams & Sauber could surprise the top teams. STR also looks fairly competitive. Force India seems to have lost huge lap time compared to other teams in the mid-field.

   Team Lotus have done a pretty good job and for sure they will be the leaders among the new teams, but probably they might be challenging the likes of Force India & STR in the mid-field. It could probably be the 1st new team to score points too. Virgin may lead HRT at the back, but reliability & luck will probably decide who will end up at the back than the true pace of the car.
   1. 

      Last Pope Eye
      12th March 2011, 10:28

      Nice idea..
4. 

   AlexT (@alext)
   12th March 2011, 10:48

   seems like testing today is as fun as spending time with your mother in law
5. 

   ad3
   12th March 2011, 14:41

   I love how some people are saying that McLaren have a “bad” car, but yet deem the cars they expect them to be fighting with, namely Williams, Torro Rosso and Sauber, to be very good cars. McLaren’s car isnt bad, its just not as good as the truly exceptional cars of Red Bull and Ferrari (and probably Renault and Mercedes too)

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