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Hello everyone from the Circuit de Catalunya, welcome to the first day of testing for the 2017 season on F1 Fanatic Live!
Cheers!!
All ten teams are due to be running at the circuit today. The test gets underway at 9am local time which is 8am in the UK.
Hi all
Hello Keith
Thanks Keith for all that you do for us fans! Looking forward to this year being a cracker. See ya later lap records haha
The anticipation is building as we are about to see the dramatic new 2017 cars running in anger. As always in testing the lap times don’t mean a great deal but there is one important factor to them this year: are the cars going to hit that target for an improvement of five seconds per lap (based on 2015 lap times at this track)?
Are there any limits to the tires available or do they have a free choice of compounds?
Morning, everyone. Finally, the wait is over.
No better way to wake up for the brand new day than F1 anticipation!
Keith- looking forward to your thoughts on how the new cars look on track when they get some speed happening- exciting stuff!!
Looking forward to your comments on the new cars Keith
Looking forward to testing
Looking forward to this
Track temperature is 10C already and the sun is only just breaking through. The teams should get some pretty good running today – providing those new power units are reliable. (Less of a concern for Sauber).
Good morning guys.
Can’t wait !!!!
Haas have just presented their new car in the pits so I grabbed a few close-ups. They’re uploading at the moment.
As usual you can always find the very newest pictures at:
https://www.racefans.net/pictures/new/
There will also be updated daily image galleries.
Haas have chosen a rather grim grey colour for their car last year. It seems a fairly straightforward interpretation of the new regulations, though quite a bit of work has obviously gone on in the nose and bargeboard area, it’s nothing like as refined as some of the other cars.
Engines firing up in the pits, less than half an hour to go.
Is it alright if we listen to the engine fire ups
Always love these preseason tests. The pictures, the new bits, the premature gossip and conclusions, the easy distraction from work ;-)
Me too. I wish teams could streem live onboard vids..
Excellent the wait is over :). I seem to remember last year Toto talking about merc was going employ a sound engineer whos focus was to improve the acoustics.. did anything ever come of that?
Great that the waiting is over. Thank god I’m working night shift so I can follow live testing here from South America. It’s 2 am here.
Hard-core!
Excellent live.
Good morning everyone and happy first day of testing!
How to watch live testing? Any idea?
F1…F1…F1… is back :-) Yay!!!
where can i see the lap times and the compound and so on, so the live timing ?
f1today.net
Great to have F1 back!! Let the McLaren be a good car, please…
Where I’m sat the Red Bull and Mercedes garages are directly beneath me. It would probably be unethical to deploy a small drill and a fibre optic camera…
Awesome mate
No no no, I am sure they dont mind… We are anxiously waiting.
Do it Keith!
Ethics? F1? Is there a philosopher on staff?
Expect it would be easier to obtain a drill and camera…
Enjoy the day, Keith! Thanks for ‘inside’ the track view.
Great Feeling in some minutes the wait is over.. :) :)
Common Fernando!!!!
Anyway I’m going to watch the cars leave the pits for the first time and enjoy the noise!
Jelous!
Is there a live stream available?
Hi guys! Keit do you think there is any chance that Mclaren and Ferrari will be capable of winning races this season?
Keith*
Without seeing the results these weeks McLaren is probally still behind all except Sauber.
Get some shots of the red bull id like to see it physically , only car not seen in person
Finally!!!!!!!!
Alonso’s testing helmet is quite cool!
It reminds me of the Red Bull testing livery
No sharkfin on the FI?
It’s still there.
What’s the best place for pictures?
Keith, do you have any good Live Timing page to follow?
Just seen a pic of an FI and one without sharkfin. Are they that easy to dismantle?
We can only hope. Hope that the will of the fans can remove them at a great distance. ;-)
It’s part of the engine cover…so in F1’s extravagant ways, they might have brought more than one cover.
Just signing in…
I see, the Williams already got the small extra wing at the end of the shark fin.. that was fast :)
Hello all, from NZ. Thank you Keith for giving us the inside scoop on the first test for 2017 :)
Bottas on a 1.33.445? Is the RB out yet?
When nothing much is happening, tell us more how the life is there during testing. What areas are you allowed to acces around the track or in the pits etc. As it’s F1 I imagine there are even now 10 different access passes :) ?
Hello…
Williams T wing looks a bit last minute!
Ferrari’s t wing looks so dumb!
Are there any way to see sector times during practise?
Where can I watch the stream?
Is there a stream then?
RB13 has gone out and in daylight the fin is clearly a different colour to the livery. It’s definitely not a definitive piece
The first picture gallery from testing is up now on the home page.
Honda removed engine cover, is there any news what’s going on?
For those asking about live footage from testing, as always there is none:
https://www.racefans.net/f1-information/f1-faq/f1-live-watch-follow-television-online/
Hulkenberg’s black helmet actually looks good in the Renault.
Saw the top down view of the new Red Bull… that car’s packaging of the rear end is miles ahead of every other competitor
Keep seeing Bottas’s name on the timing screens and thinking ‘Williams are off to a good start’. But of course its Mercedes now. He’s already on his seventh lap.
So, on the first laps still, and the cars already beaten the fastest lap of the race from last year. Bottas with a 1:25:209
Observations: the RB13 is so ridiculously tightly packaged the floor is showing way too much, almost unsightly. The Mercedes has a voluptuous, slightly bulbous packaging of the sidepods which is absolutely gorgeous.
Any links to the timing screen?
http://en.f1i.com/live/
Thank you very much! Big help :-)
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/testresults/1808/formula-1-test-at-circuit-de-catalunya-27-february-2017/
Thank you Srdjan. This is with commentary as well :-)
This is the driver line-up for the week:
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/27/driver-line-up-for-first-test-of-2017-confirmed/
Note hardly anyone doing two days back-to-back. That may be too much with these cars given how much running they could do in a day. Mercedes are splitting their workload between both drivers every day. That suggests they’re expecting to do as they did last year, multiple race distances per day.
Bottas and Vettel battling it out. Already in the 1m 24s
1m 23s
Morning everyone. Where you guys watching video? (Not that it matters atm as I have to go to stupid non F1 related work) Dammit. So jelly of Keith today
My bad https://www.racefans.net/f1-information/f1-faq/f1-live-watch-follow-television-online/
New batch of images going up.
Legend
Mercedes and Ferrari trading best laps atm. Does it matter? no, is it fun? Yes
Well i think the Renault engine sound has changed significantly
Is it just a sensor or are Williams running similar T-wing than what Mercedes are using?
Look like a wing to me.
i see this as an improvized solution. Clearly not planned from the start in the concept of their car, but will obviously be changed as the tests go on
Any links to timing boards? thx
http://en.f1i.com/live/#refresh
thx
http://en.f1i.com/live/
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/testresults/1808/formula-1-test-at-circuit-de-catalunya-27-february-2017/
http://en.f1i.com/live/
https://www.autosport.com/live/commentary/id/2507471/formula-1-testing-2017-barcelona-f1-test-day-one
Keith, is the RB rear down to a size -0.5?
If you just streamed the garage drill cam would save you answering these tedious questions…
Red Flag because of Ricciardo!
Red Flag, Ricciardo stopped
Forgot to wind the TAG Heuer?
Good news for any photographers down at turn four, lots of people will be after close-ups of the Red Bull…
Any live video streams anywhere?
Oh wait, just seen that they aren’t streaming them. That’s stupid and sucks.
RBR13 looks so much better on track. Very tight pod inlets. Magical sculptured car..
https://images.scribblelive.com/2017/2/27/eb3296fd-23b7-47b9-a6e1-52d830a59d75_500.jpg
Wow, thanks for that. It looks stealthy, like a F-22 or something.
Np my thoughts also..
http://avionale.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/USAF_Lockheed_Martin_F-22_Raptor_Front_Angle_Wingspan.jpg
Is Vettel on a 1:23.5 or 1:24.5? Different sites reporting different times.
Currently it’s 1:23.560.
23.5
My fault. Clearly didn’t refresh the screen as mentioned by the site owner.
1:23.560, they have corrected the times now.
Ooooh nooooo! Cant emagine what the Renault engine teams must be going through at the moment.
I remember Sky was broadcasting Live Testing on their F1 channel a few years ago (it was final Testing days IIRC, and also they broadcasted in the evening), sadly no footage is available now unless you have Sky package, then I think something Live is available in Sky Sports News HQ.
Anyway, looking not bad after the first hour, fastest time overall last year was around 1:22 mark with SuperSofts IIRC, we’re at 1:23.5 with Mediums now, and on the first day.
http://www.skysports.com/f1/live-blog/30125/10770252/f1-testing-day-one-8211-live
I know they have the blog, but I meant ACTUAL VIDEO FOOTAGE. Like they broadcasted it on TV live… I remember watching it, was fun.
I understand, but have not seen that in recent years.
Is fi getting some coin of merc for all that silver… i really dont like there livery this year..
I hope you have a jacket with you Keith. I’m seeing a lot of coat-hangers, it will be a formal dinner
Seems a bit of a fuss when my diet at these things is usually restricted to bottled water and crisps plus whatever I can scavenge from the teams (usually unhealthy quantities of coffee).
Haha. You’re making me feel guilty about not sponsoring the site yet Keith!
Oil system issue for McLaren, needs several hours of fixing.
Same old McLaren, same old.
Bit of orange paint hasn’t suddenly changed the nature of the beast
It’s just tradition of the last few years. Go do an installation lap, discover a new issue, spend all day fixing it and start again the next testing day. The same cycle gets repeated every day of pre season testing, and then they skip racing for entire season and use it as a test ground for the next year.
Red Bull ‘only’ a sensor issue.
Ferrari off to a decent start, 18 laps on the board, more than anyone. (I can tell you this having successfully cajoled the press office staff to turn up the brightness on the timing screens so that we might actually read them. Ah, the glamorous F1 life).
We’d happily take your place Keith
Track temperature now up over 20C so hopefully the teams should be able to get some useful data.
Oh joy, they’ve turned on the speakers in the grandstands. Do they not suspect that perhaps the fans came here to listen to the cars?
Keith, u never mentioned which team u support as a fan
That’s because I don’t :-) I prefer not to play favourites. As far as teams go my interest is in seeing more of them. That’s what F1 really needs. It’s a terrible shame Manor has gone.
Hulkenberg with his new helmet design reminds me of the magic Kubica Renault combination of 2010. I will take this as a sign of something special hapenning this season :D :D
https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Copy-of-kubi_hami_melb_2010.jpg
Isn’t it just a plain helmet? Usually drivers run plain helmets in testing as they are trialling new concepts or different manufacturers, or they haven’t decided on the design of their new helmet yet
It might be. It says a lot when (in my opinion) a plain helmet is the best looking helmet on the grid.
I do hope it’s the real deal though.
Disappointed with McLaren-Honda. Problems again.
Close fight…Force India and Williams
Johnnie Walker rear wing, silver and black car, are we sure Force India haven’t just bought along an old McLaren for testing so far?
1. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’23.560, 18 laps
2. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’24.654 (+1.094), 19 laps
3. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’26.171 (+2.611), 10 laps
4. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’26.525 (+2.965), 10 laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’28.712 (+5.152), 4 laps
6. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’28.928 (+5.368), 10 laps
7. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17 5 laps
8. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12 5 laps
9. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36 4 laps
10. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32 1 lap Last updated at: 10:41 CET
The Renault car is raking the laps. Hopefully the engine can match the front runners.
Bottas does a 1’23.370 which puts him 1.3 inside the 2015 pole position time. That is the reference point for the ‘five seconds faster’ target.
But Force India has made the biggest gain so far, they’re 1.9s quicker than they were at this track in the 2015 race weekend.
Close fight…Force India and Williams
Honda :(
Looks like they just cant seem to get the magic of the 80”s and 90’s….
Going to be a fast fast season.
“It’s not good news for McLaren-Honda to be sat in the garage chasing some kind of oil system problem. The engines coming to this test should all be test-bench run and where the engine connects up to the system of the car should be bulletproof. Using the excuse that this is testing and things will go wrong is rubbish because you only have eight days and you need to hit the ground running. Losing a big part of a day is time you will never recover, and by the time the McLaren runs again, most of its rivals will have built up a lot of mileage. We’ve seen a lot of finger problems for McLaren and Honda during the past few years, and maybe this is the same again. Not a good start to testing.”
Couldn’t agree more.
It just puts in to perspective how Alonso changed his target from fighting for wins to a mere ‘respectable performances’. So far, Mclaren is still far away from respectable.
As an Alonso fan, I think it’s great. It’s give him more time to walk around the paddock and start contract negotiations with other teams.
And adding on to Luka’s comment, loosing half a day in todays massively restricted testing time available is a small disaster
1. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’23.370, 35 laps
2. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’23.560 (+0.190), 28 laps
3. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’25.956 (+2.586), 17 laps
4. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’26.171 (+2.801), 11 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’26.500 (+3.130), 17 laps
6. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 1’28.235 (+4.865), 16 laps
7. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’28.712 (+5.342), 4 laps
8. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17 7 laps
9. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12 5 laps
10. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32 1 lap Last updated at: 11:8 CET
A very positive morning thus far for the Ferrari team. Everyone has been writing them off this season, but I think they could be the surprise this season. Plus with far more downforce and bigger tyres, I suspect this will favour Vettel’s style of driving, unlike the last three years.
What the hell are Mclaren doing? They’re already 100 laps down on Mercedes in testing mileage.
I think Ferrari are looking good too, and could be the one battling the Mercs come Melbourne. About new regs suiting Vettel’s style… well… I don’t think the previous didn’t suit him. It just sounded as an excuse when he was underperforming
Just saw a video on a Facebook page, the cars look proper F1 cars. Stunning
And loving the sound btw
I love the look of the cars this year. It’s great to see them going back to ‘proper’ width. I probably won’t get chance to watch them at one of the quick corners today, but will make a point of doing it tomorrow or Wednesday.
Keith try to watch them at Turn 14&15 maybe the rear end of cars will be extraordinary taking sudden right left right corner at that pace
If we could have some footage Keith, that would be amazing, even if it is with your phone
@João Leite – do you have a link?
https://www.facebook.com/Formula1Portugal/?fref=ts
the page is in Portuguese, but the video should be in their feed
Wich page it is?
1. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’23.370, 39 laps
2. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’23.560 (+0.190), 28 laps
3. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’25.956 (+2.586), 17 laps
4. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’26.171 (+2.801), 11 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’26.319 (+2.949), 19 laps
6. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’27.762 (+4.392), 7 laps
7. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 1’28.235 (+4.865), 16 laps
8. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’28.712 (+5.342), 4 laps
9. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 7 laps
10. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32: 1 lap Last updated at: 11:20 CET
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nCKedBK0huA/VS9gbwM0hkI/AAAAAAAAnIs/A4ZaUnIc66I/s0/shanghai_fan_alonso_chi15.jpg
lol
I absolutely love the new Torro Rosso paint job! I hope it’s as fast as it is pretty!
The latest batch of images is going up now.
So, pole at last years Spanish Gran Prix was 1:22.000, on the first morning of testing the Mercs are 1.3 seconds off!
I think it’s gonna be fast this year.
Bottas just lowered it again, 1.169 seconds off last years pole now.
I think it’s gonna be fast this year.
Those McLaren gremlins are really disappointing!
It’s very hard being a McLaren fan, these days.
Yeah i was hoping for better, If it continues i can’t even see Alonso making the first race. I’m sure it won’t though (but that’s what i thought before this morning too!)
Bottas is already close to the 60 laps mark. It is just remarkable how they start putting miles on that car straight away, it does transpire a sence of confidence that just doesn’t show in other teams. Vettel managed 38 so far, not bad
“A snapshot of how the 2017 Pirelli tyre compounds hold up? Perez did two ‘push’ laps straight away that were very close in time, with the second lap set to be an improvement until it fell away slightly in the final sector. He then backed off for a lap, pushed again on his 4th of this run, and improved to a 1m23.835s. Track temperature is 28.3 degrees, so cooler than we’ll see at a lot of places, but hopefully that’s a sign that the tyres will hold up better this season.”
Rapid time from Vettel puts him top. Bottas closing on a race distance but not lapping right now:
1. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.791, 40 laps
2. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’23.169 (+0.378), 59 laps
3. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’23.835 (+1.044), 27 laps
4. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’25.956 (+3.165), 17 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’26.319 (+3.528), 22 laps
6. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’26.726 (+3.935), 14 laps
7. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’27.229 (+4.438), 9 laps
8. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 1’27.710 (+4.919), 23 laps
9. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’28.712 (+5.921), 4 laps
10. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32 1 lap Last updated at: 12:13 CET
Wait, wasn’t 1:22.7XX the best time in last year’s Testing?.. And with SuperSofts?
yes…..2016 best – 1:22.765 by Kimi on Supersofts – Vettel still on the mediums
Actually I think Kimi was on Ultrasoft for that time in 2016….not sure though
I think you’re right about US.
Note: Vettel time on Mediums!
Keith, quite a nerdy question. Any marbles on the track yet? How are this tyres behaving?
Apparently the Red Bull sensor issue requires the gearbox to be taken off to fix – hence the long delay getting the RB13 running again.
At least this year Marrussia isn’t faster than McLaren :/
currently running at about the same pace aren’t they ;)
Yes, it’s because Marrussia is not around😂 If it were, Marrussia probably would have done one lap more than the mcl32:)
Thanks to everyone who supplied feedback on what you want to know from testing – I’ve replied here:
https://www.racefans.net/groups/f1/forum/topic/what-do-you-want-to-know-from-testing/#post-335721
Sorting out interview plans for this afternoon. It looks like we’ll be hearing from Kevin Magnussen first…
I thought that all cars were longer, but reading James Allen’s analysis it seems not all cars are longer this year?
Might sound a bit simplistic, but why does McLaren not just change the engine and send the other one back to be pulled apart by Honda? Surely they brought more than 1 with their recent history.
1. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.791 50 laps
2. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’23.169 (+0.378), 69 laps
3. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’23.709 (+0.918), 35 laps
4. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’25.552 (+2.761), 31 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’26.319 (+3.528), 22 laps
6. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’26.404 (+3.613), 14 laps
7. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’26.726 (+3.935), 14 laps
8. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 1’27.710 (+4.919), 23 laps
9. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’28.712 (+5.921), 4 laps
10. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32 1 lap Last updated at: 12:43 CET
hi guys whats going on
ahh not good my 2 worst scenarios Ferrari at the top Macca at the bottom.:(
the problem I have this year who am I going to support now mr buttons not here any ideas guys thinking verstapen ?
Vandoorne’s my Button replacement.
I’ll be cheering on Bottas.
Hi Wayne,
Here’s my take on this: just do not support anyone and enjoy the races, the driving lines, the cars. Every race will then become a good one :)
Cheers
Wait until there’s someone you know you like, you don’t just choose. For example, I like Hulkenberg because I went to Brandshatch in 2007 to watch A1GP, and got a 05/06 season review, during which he won 9 races in a row at one point, so when he came to F1 I instantly liked him.
06/07 season* and 9 race wins in total, 6 in a row at one point. My brain and typing isn’t working
Wondering what state Bottas is going to be in after this run. 76 laps, twice as many as everyone else apart from Vettel.
i think they have allowed him to get used to the car a good thing in my opinion
The chequered flag is out for the lunch break, here are the times so far:
1. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.791 62 laps
2. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’23.169 (+0.378), 79 laps
3. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’23.709 (+0.918), 39 laps
4. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’25.552 (+2.761), 39 laps
5. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’25.562 (+2.771), 17 laps
6. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’26.319 (+3.528), 22 laps
7. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’26.404 (+3.613), 15 laps
8. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 1’26.865 (+4.074), 32 laps
9. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’28.712 (+5.921), 4 laps
10. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32 1 lap Last updated at: 13:02 CET
Why is the Red Bull so slow, any ideas?
Why is the Red Bull so slow, any ideas? O nvm, only 4 laps
They’ve got problems with some sensor.
So far:
Honda – 1 lap,
Renault – 40 laps,
Ferrari – 109 laps,
Mercedes – 155 laps.
Do you think Alonso will walk away from his McLaren contract if it looks like he’s in for another year of struggling? Jenson’s retirement may be short lived
I don’t think he’ll cut the contract short, I think he’ll see out the season. But he’s made it plain he is prepared to walk at the end of 2017 if he’s not happy. And that appears to go for the direction of the sport as much as the performance of the McLaren. After all a Mercedes deal could be on the table for 2018.
Bottas got 1y contract for Mercedes so everyone’s keeping options open. If Hamilton is acting badly and Bottas is performing well, why not Alonso+Bottas for 2018 Mercedes.
That’s true, the sport needs him in it, I just hope McLaren don’t lose too much development time to the other teams testing.
The sport needs Hamilton far more than it needs Alonso
Same feeling as Keith. He’s better off doing a season like the previous one to get a seat at Mercedes next year than just stopping to race and, maybe, watching Bottas doing a good job without being able to respond on the track.
And Alsonso said, he wants to be racing at 80 too. So if the new F1 is interesting, why not stay in for couple of years more. Last years haven’t shown that young guys are faster or better, they just take more risks.
I’m somehow already confident FA will like the direction F1 is going with these cars and tires, and thus will want to stay in F1, even if not at Mac.
Is the Haas seriously faster than the McLaren o.O
Any information about the cornering speed?
Fast.
The honey badger is back on track btw
and it appears that the MCL32 will rejoin shortly as well. That engine needs to start consuming petrol instead of oil
Merc spotting a ‘shark fin’. Has to be the sexiest shark fin thus far.
It’s really small! Perhaps they’ll try a bigger version as well.
looks better than the rest
Hamilton has joined the fray and is working his way up the times:
1. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.791 62 laps
2. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’23.169 (+0.378), 79 laps
3. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’23.269 (+0.478), 44 laps
4. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’23.709 (+0.918), 39 laps
5. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’24.756 (+1.965), 7 laps
6. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’25.206 (+2.415), 29 laps
7. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’25.646 (+2.855), 24 laps
8. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’26.319 (+3.528), 32 laps
9. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 1’26.865 (+4.074), 42 laps
10. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’27.881 (+5.090), 8 laps
11. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32 1 lap Last updated at: 14:45 CET
Interesting slot in the top of the Merc shark fin
could it be like a s duct but going from the airbox out of the top of the fin ? interesting
Just Massa lapping at the moment, now within half a second of the day’s best time.
There’s a drilling sound coming from the other end of the press room which makes me wonder if someone else had my idea about spying on Mercedes and Red Bull…
Rumor has it that sound is Alonso bolting a GP2 engine to the back of his car so he can actually do some testing ;-)
At least it will match the GP2 livery
sad to see Alonso and Mcl stuck to the garage, ruins the show!!!
what’s the best innovation that we have seen in the first half? “Nostrils” @ RBR? Any other hidden “smart” parts that escaped notice?
I know the RBR nostril looks more striking but I don’t think there’s any evidene to suggest it’s a better solution then the Force India Nostrils.
I find Mercedes’ shark fin with inbuilt chimney more interesting (and better looking) abi
The slot in the top of Merc’s shark fin. Might be cooling. Might be aero. Probably both.
I don’t understand why McLaren put themselves in these positions they use to pride themselves on 100% reliability in testing during the Hakkinen days what’s so wrong with this team its getting a little ridiculous now im thinking honda will pull the plug next season they cant catch the mercs and they know it in my view they will leave McLaren high and dry just like in the brawn days without warning. i just cant see them getting on par with the mercs and even Renault and that’s very sad too see from a supporter.
they say they are on par power wise with the merc 2016 spec ice unit but they can’t even get a year old spec engine running mercs 2016 ice unit was an updated version of the original so the information is widely available to build a resilient reliable unit but its honda and they still can’t do that .
The information is not widely available. The teams know the layout and general technical aspects of the design of mercs engine but they don’y know about the specific detail and design of every single part.
From what it looks like the issue McLaren have got is not a major design issue it is simply an oil leak which could be caused by any number of simple issues. The problem for them is that most of the fixes include taking the car to pieces so it erodes testing time.
playing catchup isn’t good in f1 though. as for the engine. engineers aren’t silly there are ways and means of getting hold of information (which we don’t know about after all McLaren have done it before ‘Ferrari gate’ doesn’t mean to say they wouldn’t do it again.
As I said, it is unlikely they will be able to get details to copy the engine without risking a severe punishment. The engineers will have gotten as much information as possible but just one small detail could be all that is needed to mess that information up.
And all the teams are playing catch-up to Mercedes due to the stupid regulations. We have no idea what state that Honda Engine is in. It could for all we know be much better than the Merc engine or it could be worse than last years Honda engine… we simply have not seen it do anything to be able to tell.
@Scribe: probably not a game changer..but the fact that Newey and Co managed to put something in a section of the car that’s really banned by FIA for any development work, is itself interesting.. though it may not be of much value other than cleaning up the disturbed airflow around badgeboards, eventually
It is pretty cool to see visible innovation on the cars again though. The less spec F1 cars look the better.
MCLAREN GET OUT THERE
Honda get out there😉
What the hell are Mclaren doing? They’re already 100 laps down on Mercedes in testing mileage.
They are probably replacing the power unit which is not a 10 minute job.
Don’t think they needed to replace the power unit. They said a few hours.. but looks like they’re skipping the day.
With the Mercs lapping away ( now into three figures) does anyone else get that deja vu feeling….
Deja vu is unpredictable. This? Not so much!
Hahah I guess you made my point even more striaght forward!
there’s some footage on periscope guys Vindicast @VindicastF1.
It’s frustrating to see such a talented driver, that is Alonso, sitting at the mercy of the crappy Honda engine when we all know he has the skills to beat both the Mercedes cars in say, the current Ferrari.
Also, he has had bad luck with switching teams. Everytime he switches, the team he leaves become stronger and the team he joins becomes crap. Hopefully it won’t be the case next time.
:D Thanks for the laugh. He’s good, but not THAT good.
Aw come on, he almost beat Vettel to the title in what, 2013? That was when Red Bull was the Mercedes of the time, but he still came close. I don’t know about your opinions, but according to me, Fernando is VERY talented.
Plus, I didn’t say anything about him being good, did I? Just skillful. :)
1) The RB was never Mercedes in its time. Webber proving this.
2) Yes Alonso drove good in 2013, but no better than lets say Vettel in 2015. Without checking the exact facts of 2013, I am sure Alonso benefitted some bad luck Vettel had which cost him valuable points.
And lastly, Hamilton in the same car as a rookie was more than a match. What makes you think he could beat him in a Ferrari?
Skillful is a synonym for good. It was 2012 that Alonso nearly beat Vettel, and the Red Bull certainly wasn’t the mercedes of that year, for much of the season Mclaren were faster and Ferrari had the best car in the wet, bearing in mind there were a lot of wet sessions that year. He drove well, and is a great driver, and but he woudn’t be able to beat a merc were he still driving for ferrari, he’d have enough on his plate trying to beat the red bulls (based on 2016 car performance).
Also there are only so many times that a driver can be unlucky when they change teams, before some sort of correlation must be considered. For the last decade, every time he has joined a new team they have made little major progress. Perhaps one of his weaknesses is that he isn’t good at helping to develop the car.
That say a lot though without meaning to be disrespectful maybe they improve because he isn’t there works both ways.
hahaha you trolling right?
Frustrating sure, but no point jumping all over Honda. It’s just one oil leak that may have revealed something that will educate them to never have that happen again this season…for all we know. And as to ‘every time he switches’ I don’t think his last move, away from Ferrari, left them stronger.
Well… Honda had nothing but failures to educate themselves over the past 2 seasons. To me .. they seem over over educated and under achieving incompetents
No, he wouldn’t beat anyone on Mercedes with that Ferrari. (2016 specs, this year we don’t know nothing yet)
And of course Mr Alonso was the undisputed number one driver. That fact is conveniently glossed over by those wearing tinfoil hats because of course, if he had a strong driver next to him he would have taken points off Alonso. Just like 07 and 15.
Once again Mclaren Honda has registered a huge fail.
Just plain disappointing that a once highly professional outfit is looking so inept.
RBR’s “sensor” issue seems to be more than that as well given their extreme lack of laps.
Their scenario is almost looking like one of aarava’s F1 skits xD
Hamilton already faster than last year’s pole
Horner confirms Ricciardo’s car also had battery failure.
Alonso in the Mclaren has left the garage
Great news – Alonso is finally back on track. Does one lap, returns to pits – looks like engine is still nothing great.
And Alonso returns to the garage with the Honda engine switched off. Classic Mclaren!
i was just about to comment “hallelujah” on your previous comment, but i guess no…
btw is there anywhere we can watch the pre season test live?
No official streams or whatsoever. Although you can find some people livestreaming using phones in Twitter/Facebook (found out in formula1 subreddit)
Alonso is back now. Hopefully for more than 1 lap now. :D
fingers crossed!
For 2 laps it seems. He’s back in pits now. Still, he now doubled the lap count. (sarcasm btw)
After blame Dennis and Capisto for the poor results and the problems with the car, it seems that this 2017 model could maintain the MP4 name, because its the same old thing since the arrival of the “Alonso-Honda Era”
“Alonso-Honda Era” Sad but true !
Finally, McLaren on board – 1:26.110 on Hard tyres.
#progress
Apologies for the lack of updates, have been hearing from Boullier plus the Red Bull top staff. Here’s the current times:
1. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’21.765 38 laps
2. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.370 (+0.605), 76 laps
3. Felipe Massa – Williams FW40: 1’22.370 (+0.605), 86 laps
4. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’23.169 (+1.404), 79 laps
5. Sergio Perez – Force India VJM10: 1’23.709 (+1.944), 39 laps
6. Carlos Sainz Jnr – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’24.494 (+2.729), 51 laps
7. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’24.935 (+3.170), 20 laps
8. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’25.260 (+3.495), 31 laps
9. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32: 1’25.586 (+3.821), 8 laps
10. Nico Hulkenberg – Renault RS17: 1’25.966 (+4.201), 32 laps
11. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 1’26.841 (+5.076), 64 laps Last updated at: 16:41 CET
Mercedes looking stroooooonG.
Keith – can we get an indicator of which tyres each driver is setting their best times on? This would be very helpful in seeing how representative each time is!
You can find what you’re looking for here:
http://www.skysports.com/f1/live-blog/30125/10770252/f1-testing-day-one-8211-live
However I do not believe this is official data, just observations from the Sky Team I think.
Ferrari and Vettel looking good.
Yes, but last year was the same..
But Mercedes and Ferrari seems very good.
Yep. he just posted a 1:21.878 .. which is just 0.1s off the Mercs. Mercs however set the time on the Softs while Vettel posted it on the mediums
The nokia 3310 was originally launched in the year 2000, which coincidentally matches the first year of Ferrari dominance.
Fast forward to 2017 and a new nokia 3310 reached the market, with a new modern design. Coincidence? I don’t think so
Ahhhh….. but… BUT…..
Ten years ago… 2007…. the first iPhone AND the first Adrian Newey Red Bull car…
In that net 11 year timespan we have had 7 new iphones and 4 dominant Red Bulls…..
4+7 = 11
:0
But Steve Jobs isn’t among us anymore. The nokia theory is bullet proof.
Hahahaha
I’m going to buy that Nokia, even if I don’t need one.
Vettel is being spared the media pool this evening which is probably fair as he’s already done over 100 laps…
Got a new set of pictures going up for you to enjoy at the moment.
Cheers Keith. Still waiting to see detailed pictures of the rear of the Red Bull, full first day almost finished and still haven’t seen any
Track temperature peaked at just over 30C a while ago. It’s back down to 25C now so conditions are looking good for a late flier if anyone fancies it.
Why aren’t sky covering this on their F1 channel? I was on it earlier and nadda, just re-runs of special features.
Maybe because pre-season testing does not “sell” and they don’t want to spend money on camera crews
There is 15 minutes of what I presume are highlights at 9pm on Sky F1 in the UK, followed by Ted’s Testing Notebook at 9:15
Don’t think FOM offer live testing coverage to broadcasters. Truthfully, it’s not very exciting. You know all the silly whingeing about how “boring” practice sessions can be? That times a hundred. They’re not meant to entertain.
Part of me loves the idea of being there @keithcollantine, being very envious of you – but I think I’m probably best off being grateful to just pay F1fanatic membership and having you provide ace coverage, leaving me to see the pics, and take a look once every while during the week!
I don’t get why so many are suprised by McLaren-Honda on this test. If they have modified the engine as much as they did, it’s quite normal to have big fixes to do at the beginning (like very team had to). Hopefully it is for the best afterwards…
It’s the kind of thing which could hint at a major underlying problem, or it could be a minor teething problem of no consequence at all.
Indeed, time will tell.
“According to our colleagues in the German media, McLaren ‘McLaren problems caused by a new oil tank’ which is ‘smaller and lighter’ – and it, would appear, more problematic too!” – Sky
They did 100km or so yesterday with no problems
So it may be another two years to get this engine up to speed, as it seems like they have just caught up with the Merc and their original engine layout/concept!
Gotta be positive about this. At least there’s a good chance of getting McLaren shirts and stuff at reduced rates again quite early in the season …
Hamilton joins team mate Bottas plus Vettel, Massa and Ericsson in the ‘race distance club’.
Is this the most productive day for Ferrari in the last 3 years (in terms of number of laps). I remember in the last 2 Seb years, they haven’t been able to do as many laps as other teams.
Heading off to the paddock shortly. All being well should hear from Ricciardo, Alonso, Massa and Guenther Steiner.
And that’s test one done – times coming up on the main site, more quotes and pictures soon.
ok, McLaren state is worrying, but a bit less than this morning!
True. Hopefully they improve tomorrow, but then it won’t be Alonso steering the car :/
Good morning. Thanks for giving us news and info @F1 testing. No fake news here lol.
I’ve managed to find a YouTube feed with yesterday’s Sky coverage (presented by Craig Slater) but can’t see it on their live planner – anyone know where to watch it?
by the way, morning guys :)
can’t. sorry, you will have to wait for the highlights or the videos that will be released during the day
Good morning from the Circuit de Catalunya everyone! Today’s test starts in half an hour and we will have Lance Stroll, Stoffel Vandoorne and Antonio Giovinazz joining the runners.
Good morning.
Good morning here from Denmark
As a Belgian, this is an exciting day!
Now let’s just hope that McLaren is competitive :/
I’m curious to see Max’s pace in the Red Bull today. Let’s hope they can get a trouble free 100+ laps in today. Would be great to get a slight hint of the pecking order already
Also good morning to Keith and fellow f1fanatics..
Is Vandoorne considered a rookie, or can we give the rookie of the year award to Stroll right away?
It’s something we need a definition for, isn’t it? Strictly speaking it would have to be someone who’s done zero races. Or you could say no more than five, or ten, or half a season…
He was a reserve driver last year and he is a race driver this season. So he should be eligible.
Would be funny if Stroll gets it though… looking at Mclaren’s challenger this year, it’s entirely possible that Stroll will finish the year with a higher points total than Stoffel
Vandoorne does have a race under is belt. And if it is half a season as Keith says, is Ocon eligible? Should we tweet FIA?
Ah, there’s the engines. Raikkonen, Stroll, Giovinazzi and Magnussen all head out as the lights go green.
Keith – I’ve read on two separate sources that the engines both sound better and louder this year. Can you shed any light on this?
I was at the test yesterday and must say engine noise sounded quite impressive, albeit in the lower gears. For some reason the cars are really quite quiet down the main straight when at top speed. Bottas almost snuck up on me at turn one on a number of occasions! All in all, however, I would say it is an improvement.
McLaren already stopped.
Hahahaha
This is just getting hilarious now. So I guess Mclaren hasn’t completed investigating the issue yet.. or is another problem? Maybe the shape and size of the ICE is now the problem.
Oh dear, McLaren.
I have to say I was impressed how Boullier took it all on the chin yesterday in a media briefing which was rather strained at times. But putting a brave face on this is the least of their challenges..
Oh dear. Another season biding time for Alonso?
I…but…COME ON! :(
I really hope Honda doesn’t make Mclaren crawl back begging to Mercedes for an engine cause that will be the worst thing ever.
I guess its a Renault PU next …..
Any times /drivers on track?
Looking at the zero size cars like Red Bull and Ferrari, I almost worry about the driving in close quarters. The floor is so big and so low, that it could be deceptive when going wheel to weel, and the drivers hit each other’s floors. Thoughts?
It’s inset from the edge of the wheels by the same amount as last year. But yes, Massa suggested yesterday there could be more contact in the opening races at least because of the wider cars.
This means also that their races are influenced of damaged boards. I think after a few starts the drivers will be more causious during the start.
I saw that it’s inset from the edge of the wheels the same amount, but the body is further away, and at 250 kph, and with the floor practically invisible, I can imagine the body being a framing target, which could be problematic?
Hamilton zaps back in, attacking the pit box entry – need to get a feel for the new car width. Alonso was saying yesterday how little details like this is one of the things he’s missed a chance to practice after yesterday:
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/27/alonso-relying-on-experience-after-day-one-setback/
Also, say what you will, but I think the T-wings are far uglier than shark fins.
hear hear
I like the fact the cars have got difference pieces on which distinguish between them. I don’t want them to all look the same, then it would be NASCAR. I worry that’s where F1’s heading with all this talk of banning this and that because some people don’t like the aesthetics.
I agree with you on distinguishing pieces. Nor would I ban anything because it’s ugly. But the T-wing is a thin, weird little appendage on the rear. It’s just unpleasing.
Yes I agree , though the shark fins are super ugly
Writing up a few more quotes from Alonso, about to go on the site.
Is there a reason why Honda didn’t deliver a good and reliable engine by now? We are already at the third year and this is unnaceptable.
As a spectacle, I’ve a feeling Mercedes will ride off into the sunset again this year. Except this year, Rosberg won’t be there to make it half competitive. While bottas is a decent driver I fear he is a yes man. ‘Do as your told or no contract extension for next year’
Hamilton will walk to the championship unfortunately imo.
I sincerely hope not
Only Hamilton has set a time so far, 1’26.834. And the track is quiet right now. Renault and Force India haven’t been out yet.
Is this new double t-wing race legal? can’t see anybody else running anything close..
Dunno however i find it well uglyhttps://images.scribblelive.com/2017/2/28/03169a1b-c952-4cc8-8512-1e51448655e9_500.jpg
you like rakes? because that’s how you get rakes!
It probably is, looks like a loophole was found. I hope they ban these abominations before the first race.
Vandoorne back on track
yes!
Stroll puts up his first time, 1’28.946.
I’ve seen an interesting quote from Autosport regarding Honda.
It’s worry to see Honda say that there are concerns about its oil tank based on what happened yesterday. To discover an oil tank shape is potentially incorrect suggests something is seriously wrong as normally it only shows up as a pickup problem in fast corners. To discover it on an installation lap at lower speeds suggests it’s a fundamental problem. The oil tank is vital to the engine and something most teams have a very good understanding of and very good test rigs to simulate all the forces and flows. So for McLaren and Honda to come to the first test session with a potential problem is a concern. It seems they are still missing out on the basics.
If that is true then it’s unacceptable from Honda to do that huge of a mistake on their 3rd year.
They appear to have sorted the issue out as Alonso was trouble free once he went back out and Vandorne seems fine so far.
And now Stroll goes top, 1’26.450. Still just him and Hamilton on the board, and almost five seconds off yesterday’s times.
Is there any website that shows all laptimes in a similar way to f1tests.cc did a few years back?
If not, Keith, would you consider providing such a service for test 2?
No, it would be a waste of time because it would get taken down by FOM’s lawyers just as all those other sites have been.
Sources say there could be be an oil tank design problem for the Honda PU?
From the BBC:
“Honda’s “oil system” problem that kept Fernando Alonso’s McLaren in the garage for much of yesterday was indeed caused by the shape of the oil tank which did not allow the oil to be properly scavenged.
The tank was modified prior to the first day of the test, but the problem persisted.
Further modifications were made to the tank last night.”
Yeah ..pretty much what Gary Anderson has summarized on Autosport. It’s a fundamental design issue. Looks like my season ends even before it starts once again.
1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB13: 1’24.794 8 laps
2. Lance Stroll – Williams FW40: 1’26.040 (+1.246), 12 laps
3. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’26.834 (+2.040), 8 laps
4. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’28.616 (+3.822), 10 laps
5. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari SF70H 7 laps
6. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17 5 laps
7. Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren MCL32 5 laps
8. Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber C36 2 laps Last updated at: 9:58 CET
Keith any ideas of why that is happening with Honda? Is there a reason they haven’t delivered a good engine in their 3rd year?
You’re jumping to conclusions, mate. Zero indications for the Honda engine’s quality (or lack thereof) so far.
Keep finding Ferrari’s pace on the mediums very impressive
So Alonso’s last season then..
Sure looks like it now :(
Remember this is very early days still. I suspect a car which is competitive but breaks down occasionally would not be a huge disappointment. And there’s always the possibility of a Mercedes drive in 2018.
I don’t think Mercedes will ever consider Alonso. Bottas is boringly slow, but if he will deliver good enough results to help the team earn the WCC, then I don’t see any reason to replace Bottas. Especially if Bottas will always be second to Hamilton.
Not unless Red Bull is just slightly behind with 2 very competitive drivers. Honestly, Alonso’s fate lies in the hands of Bottas underperforming/Hamilton exploding/Red Bull catching up.
Mercedes would be foolish to turn down Alonso if they really need a driver who can deliver them results better than Rosberg did.
I agree! Let’s hope they don’t have to change the oil-tank.. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/honda-suspects-oil-tank-design-is-cause-of-trouble-878008/
Yes . He overstayed his welcome.
Ha, what are those Max Chilton fans about?
It was a joke, they’re Verstappen fans :-) But from where I’m sat I can only read the bit which says “Go Max”.
Oh :/ poor Chilton :)
More interested in his brother in BTCC these days.
All quiet on the track now, Raikkonen still fastest on 1’23.718.
Incidentally the timing screens don’t include tyre information so the only way to get that is monitor every car while it’s on track. And the same tyre markings used in the races aren’t always used in testing.
Haha, you’ve heard my thoughts, :)
Which compound are the teams using? All different?if so it’s Hard to compare the times
Check out http://en.f1i.com/live/#refresh it shows timings, number of laps and compounds
Have to admit I loved the Toro Rosso for being original and bold, but in action it actually is a bit of a mess. Doesn’t totally work.
It looks terrific in motion. The silver catches the light beautifully. Sadly, we’ve got cloud cover today. Yesterday was glorious.
Will reserve further judgement till Australia, but not found one flattering ‘in action’ angle yet
ferrari yesterday and today are using medium tyres, mercedes and redbull are on soft
Track temperature is only 16C by the way so don’t get too hung up on tyre compounds. This is way cooler than we’d see at a typical race. Ricciardo was talking about this yesterday:
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/27/ricciardo-says-red-bull-has-a-lot-more-to-come/
Hamilton does a 1’21.766 to head the times again. He was on softs.
I notice the cars rear light can now flash green as well as red?
Only Lance Stroll as it is a sign that a rookie is driving in front of you
it always could. It’s the rookie light for Stroll
That’s where i saw it XD
Ferrari seems not that busy today right?
It’s a relief to see the McLaren having 20 laps done, albeit at a slow pace for now.
Is there a little light under the front wing of the toro rosso?
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/28/2017-pre-season-testing-day-two-in-pictures/motor-racing-formula-one-testing-test-one-day-2-barcelona-spain-104/
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/28/2017-pre-season-testing-day-two-in-pictures/motor-racing-formula-one-testing-test-one-day-2-barcelona-spain-107/
Ride height sensor? I think I saw one on a GT car in testing once..
Times after two hours:
1. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’21.766 32 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari SF70H: 1’23.359 (+1.593), 18 laps
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB13: 1’24.366 (+2.600), 19 laps
4. Lance Stroll – Williams FW40: 1’26.040 (+4.274), 12 laps
5. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’26.161 (+4.395), 16 laps
6. Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren MCL32: 1’26.204 (+4.438), 22 laps
7. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 5 laps
8. Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber C36: 2 laps
9. Esteban Ocon – Force India VJM10: 1 lap Last updated at: 10:58 CET
More pictures being uploaded now in the gallery on the site.
Some Progress from Mclaren Honda finally. Hopefully those Oil Problems were just a coincidence. Waiting now to see what the Car can do on full power.
Any chance of getting some commentary of who look good in the fast – mediums and slow speed sections today Keith?
Am hoping to get around the track this afternoon.
Guys you can see the video os Stroll’s gravel exploration here:
https://www.facebook.com/Formula1Portugal/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf
It looks like he was fighting the car out of the corner, and then went on the slippery stuff in the curb and lost it.
Good to see that some people’s comments are just as headache-inducing in Portuguese as in any other language … ^^
trying to read it without understanding? or did you enter the comment section on a facebook page? the latter is not a wise thing to do ahah
Nah, I can read Portuguese fluently, I just don’t do it regularly.
I followed your link and couldn’t resist taking a quick look at the comments. When I reached the second one (“Que erro de amador….”), I remembered that there are annoying people in any given linguistic community.
All quiet on the track at the moment.
Out of curiosity but is that T Biplane Wing on the back of Mercedes legitimate in terms of regulations?
So, in theory I like the T-Wings, but I don’t doubt they’ll ban them next year as they’re essentially slightly more aesthetically pleasing X-Wings born out of pure regulatory oversight.
What I’d love to see come back is blown diffusers, now we’re back in the turbo era, surely, cars creating down-force independent of oncoming airflow is exactly what F1 wants?
I think they’ve got enough downforce for now!
Do you think it might be a good place to establish a trade off then? For instance, ask Ross Brawn’s team of crack aerodynamics interns what they think causes the most amount of dirty air coming off the cars, including uncovered wheels, devise a regulatory solution and if it takes off a number of points of down-force release an equivalent amount of undercar or exhaust blown areas.
I mean, we know what causes dirty air, it’s wings! We know there’s a way of creating downforce without them, we know that wings hurt close racing. Much as I like the idea of this years faster cars, are you not concerned by the possibility that 3/4’s of next years races will be processional?
What I would really like to see is that magical button where you could use your Fuel as a Nitro Boost from the 80s.
Keith have you heard anything from Renault? No action so far
+1 I’m wondering what’s up with Renault as well.
It is French …don’t worry …lol
It’s a very different situation for their team, first totally new car in a while, brand new engine, lots of new staff and operational stuff to figure out.
Growing pains to be expected.
any update on lap count?
http://en.f1i.com/live/
excellent thanks
Np
Some more:
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/testresults/1809/formula-1-test-at-circuit-de-catalunya-28-february-2017/
https://www.autosport.com/live/commentary/id/2508414/formula-1-testing-2017-barcelona-f1-test-day-two
Here are the times after the first three hours:
1. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’21.766 47 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.831 (+1.065), 29 laps
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB13: 1’24.366 (+2.600), 20 laps
4. Esteban Ocon – Force India VJM10: 1’24.488 (+2.722), 12 laps
5. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’24.935 (+3.169), 19 laps
6. Lance Stroll – Williams FW40: 1’26.040 (+4.274), 12 laps
7. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’26.161 (+4.395), 27 laps
8. Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren MCL32: 1’26.201 (+4.435), 29 laps
9. Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber C36 2 laps Last updated at: 11:59 CET
Wow, I really hope the McLaren isn’t that slow. It’s starting to get embarrassing for the sport seeing them like this.
why embarrassing for sport? It’s them who dissed AMG. Sport is not responsible for their failure.
It’s a fact that this is not their Real speed.
still it doesn’t answer why it is embarrassing for the sport. if they don’t get their act together they will be a new Sauber. I believe merc will pull out of F1 after they get enough of people whining. Then it will be domination of Ferrari & RB/Renault. Mclaren doesn’t have the right people to get to the top, that’s the fact.
It remains to be seen.
Any news on Ferrari’s rear end? Is there an actual issue?
Given McLaren’s oil tank issue yesterday, and having a quick look at Alonso’s top speed at the end of the straight is it safe to say that the Honda is still running in safe mode?
Probably it’s indeed running in safe mode.
Impossible to read that from the top speed. In fact, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that this top speed is meaningless. If they had really tuned down the engine so much that they lose 25 kph on the straight, it’d be really difficult to achieve a lap time that’s 3 seconds slower than the leaders’. So there’s a mismatch between lap time and top speed, which indicates that the car was actually faster on the straight than the speed trap shows. Probably due to lifting & coasting before the speed trap.
It’s not really that difficult. It’s not only the Top speed difference but probably the Car is running in safe mode in the whole lap.
Well, no, quite the opposite. If the top speed really were that low, the time loss would almost automatically be greater than yesterday’s 3 seconds. The fact that Alonso was ‘only’ 3 seconds slower than Hamilton can only mean one thing: The speed registered by the speed trap cannot be the car’s top speed. It is impossible to tell how fast it really was, and much less if the engine was tuned down more than usual during testing. The only valid conclusion is that the car must’ve been faster than the speed trap shows. Everything else is speculative and/or circular reasoning.
Not a great deal of running right now. Conditions not quite as good as yesterday. Cloud cover has kept a lid on track temperatures – they peaked at 25C half an hour ago but have fallen since. And the wind has increased too. Kvyat has just pitted leaving, inevitably, just the Mercedes of Hamilton still on the track.
Intereating: Hamilton sets the first two sectors purple but backs off to the tune of four seconds in the final sector.
By how much was he up before backing off?
The screens don’t show that.
These cars can do sub 1:20’s even 1:18
MCLAREN TO CHANGE POWER UNIT AGAIN
Vandoorne’s car required a power unit change. They’re currently investigating why they’ve lost power.
I wonder if, after the last couple of years, they are bringing extra PU’s to testing compared to other teams.
They’re going to need 8 Pus just to get through the 1st test session in Barcelona
Mclaren’s lost power from the power unit. They’re still clueless about what caused the issue, as they are clueless about yesterday’s issue. Might be a wrap for them today.
Shouldn’t Honda be able to deliver a good engine by now? We have reached the 3rd year. It’s unacceptable.
I’ve been saying it since the first pre season test of 2015… Honda are actually incapable of delivering the goods.
Hamilton set a 1:20.963 on Super Softs (1s faster than last year’s pole, albeit with a softer tyre)
Still only day 2 of testing as well, I can see them getting into the 18’s by the end of testing for sure.
Agree.
McLaren by then 8 second behind.
Sub 1:20 ‘s no issue for these cars.
Session cut short? Red flag, Ocon stopped
For stat nerds like myself, the fastest testing time at Circuit de Cat on the current layout is 1:18:926 (unofficially) in 2009 by the Brawn – fastest pole time was M.Webber in 2010 1:19:995
Here are the lunchtime times:
1. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’20.983 66 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.831 (+1.848), 47 laps
3. Esteban Ocon – Force India VJM10: 1’23.045 (+2.062), 27 laps
4. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB13: 1’23.212 (+2.229), 36 laps
5. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’23.523 (+2.540), 31 laps
6. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’25.012 (+4.029), 44 laps
7. Lance Stroll – Williams FW40: 1’26.040 (+5.057), 12 laps
8. Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren MCL32: 1’26.201 (+5.218), 29 laps
9. Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber C36: 1’33.741 (+12.758), 5 laps
10. Jolyon Palmer – Renault RS17: 1 lap Last updated at: 13:15 CET
Is 66 laps a race distance?
It is.
No further running from Williams today due to damage from Stroll’s spin and lack of spare parts.
At least they have his father’s money.
First sign of Renault today, a tweet: “This is actually brilliant.”
What?
Wonder what they’re referring to.??
It’s a comment to a tweet they retwitted, see the original: https://twitter.com/RenaultSportF1/status/836550665669312513
That McLaren keeps disappointing.
What has it done wrong this time?
It has lost all power. Take a bow Mr.Hasegawa… time for you to join Arai San
An inauspicious start to life as an F1 driver for Lance Stroll:
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/28/williams-scraps-tuesday-running-after-stroll-spin/
Heading over to Williams to hear from him in half an hour.
Enjoy your stroll over to Williams.
Hu-ho!
Am meeting Paul Hembery for an interview later today so what do you want to know about the new tyres for 2017?
Im curious to know the performance in the wet. What should we expect compared to last season?
If the pressure will indeed be lowered down from the 2016 extremes and if he expect the medium/hard to be able to handle a full race distance if the pilot go easy on it
Thanks :)
How does it compare to everything between 2010-2016 in terms of how many laps it’s expected to last and how the performance worsens, I guess? (i.e. cliff or no)
What’s the tyre life they’re aiming for? Can it be expressed in laps per compound on a reference track like Barcelona?
What’s their working window? How hot do they need to be, what’s the difference between the upper and lower limit?
Do they still need to impose tyre pressure windows?
What impact has the wider tyres had on the operational side? Are they harder to make, store, transport, etc. Do all Pirelli employees now have massive biceps from carrying them?!
Since the tyres are more durable, and since there is still a mandatory tyre to be used in the races, which differences will there be between compounds, what benefits will a team have in going for a harder compound for long periods of time, if that is not the fastest one? The goal of my question is to understand what factor will stop teams making the mandatory tyre change, do a couple of laps or whatever, and get back straight away to the prime tyre.
Don’t know if I made myself clear, re-reading it did sound like it, hope you understand what I’m trying to say Keith
Will they still be setting camber limits the teams have to meet?
Keith, please ask Paul if the wider tyres of this year will have a minimum inflation pressure as high as last year’s tyres or are the teams allowed to explore tyre pressures freely.
Thanks
AMuS claiming that not only is the Honda very unreliable it’s actually down on power compared to their claims
What a bold claim!
Ofc an engine that they are having trouble getting to run at all will be down on power..
Not surprised at all. If Honda has mastered one thing… it is actually making an engine that is both unreliable and ridiculously slow
To be honest i think this is kinda expected. If Honda has truly revamped their entire design with the scrapped tokens it means they will be back at 2014 levels of reliability with an entire new package. The power might be there and they might eventually get te reliability but to expect them to be competive the first two days of testing is ridiculous.
Agree. My prediction was that they would match Mercedes’ power output of 2014 as well… and be a good 100 hp down on the nearest rival for most of the season. What I didn’t expect was this disastrous reliability… I thought maybe if they’re copying the Merc layout, they’ve understood the problems Merc encountered and thus will avoid them.
This is also true for Renault, and yet they haven’t changed any PU yet
Another strong start for McLaren. It must be the new color and the naming convention. I’m glad Zak Brown successfully pinpointed the main areas for improvement.
So.. Mario Illien is not working with Renault anymore!
at a rate of one engine per day, Honda will be out of engines after the first weekend!
Just back from hearing from Lance Stroll. I sure hope my voice recorder heard what he said because I could barely hear a word over the engines. Another quiet talker this one, though not in the Raikkonen league (no one is).
Bwoah!
“I could barely hear a word over the engines” – well that’s good to hear, for selfish reasons.
Keith, I’d like your take on how the cars look out on track. I watched quite a lot of fan footage last evening and the cars looked great on track. It looked like some of them, notably Sainz, were twitching and sliding all over the shop. I just finished reading a piece in Autosport which suggests that all the cars look like they are on rails and don’t look any more impressive. What are they like from what you’ve seen.
Surprised at how few laps Red Bull are doing
I just can’t with McLaren. With apologies to Bottas I really want Alonso to get his seat next year. Seeing one of the most talented drivers of the last 20 years stuck back there is just such a waste. Hamilton vs Alonso is this amazing rivalry we’ve actually seen on track in like 2 seasons in the last 10 years!
Ugh. Rant over.
If so Alonsos teammate is an even bigger waste.
U wot mate?
why should I create a headache for myself. I will take Sainz anyday instead of Alonso, with /10 costs. But I understand your frustration, but it’s what you want, not what merc want.
I hope you manage to poach Sainz for your team
and what a complete waste of a super talent like Vandoorne,
i believe he is as talented as Verstappen and he might kill his career in this dog of a car.
i hope McLaren improves soon
You got to hope for these drivers to move to better teams. Mclaren is finished
Any news on McLaren? Are they coming out of the garage or that’s it for the day?
new on McLaren – 2015 Honda issues – 2016 Honda issues – 2017 Honda issues
They haven’t tweeted a time that they are expecting to fix the car in, so my guess is it’s a wrap. Mechanics and Engineers are sitting around twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the idiots in Sakura to finally figure out what their problems have been over the past 2 days.
Has anyone spotted that double T bar on the Williams, one comes from the top edge of the shark fin like Ferrari and the second seems to attach somewhere above the exhaust exit? looks to be flexing massively in the picture.
Yes it has been wobbling it a bit. I heard one was broken yesterday.
Raikkonen goes top:
1. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari SF70H: 1’20.930 61 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’20.983 (+0.053), 66 laps
3. Esteban Ocon – Force India VJM10: 1’23.045 (+2.115), 32 laps
4. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’23.200 (+2.270), 70 laps
5. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB13: 1’23.212 (+2.282), 31 laps
6. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’25.012 (+4.082), 44 laps
7. Jolyon Palmer – Renault RS17: 1’25.192 (+4.262), 20 laps
8. Lance Stroll – Williams FW40: 1’26.040 (+5.110), 31 laps
9. Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren MCL32: 1’26.201 (+5.271), 12 laps
10. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’26.201 (+5.271), 29 laps
11. Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber C36: 1’26.976 (+6.046), 19 laps Last updated at: 15:19 CET
I dont suppose you have any info on the tyres used for fastest times?
soft
what about now from ferrari ? and the time is on soft…. i don’t know something different this year about ferrari
Mercedes is doing a race simulation on day two.. That’s far more impressive than the times itself. But fingers crossed that Ferrari is closer to Mercedes this year. Hamilton vs Vettel would be amazing.
agreed, and then throw in Max for some real fun :-)
Looking good for 2017, assuming LH and VB are not gameplaying
Don’t forget Kimi and Valterri continuing their harum-scarum battling from last year :D
Race distance simulation for Bottas. Wonder how many pit stops he’ll make?
I’m off to Pirelli in half an hour (do keep your questions coming) so won’t be able to keep a close eye unfortunately.
How much more mechanical grip does he estimate the new cars have?
How much do you think Merc is holding back? I mean redbull obviously holds back, at least I hope so. And how hard ist Ferrari pushing in comparison?
Considering that Toto has said that most of the parts on the car will not feature in Melbourne, I imagine they are probably not pushing that hard. First days of the test is usually systems checks, tuning the engine, comparing with dyno/wind tunnel results.
Well there’s no way we’ve seen anything like a qualifying lap, which is where the bulk of Mercedes’ advantage lies. A key question will be whether Ferrari or Renault can approach the kind of performance they have there. Keep in mind last year Ferrari were quickest after testing. That alone suggests a margin of error in the order of a full second. But remember also Renault brought a big engine upgrade after just a few races and that was when Red Bull became contenders for victory. So I wouldn’t write off any of the top three at this point.
@Keith I cannot agree more, but also last year Mercedes was using Mediums the whole time, so comparison is more difficult. This year Ferrari actually beats Mercedes’ time on slower tyres, which can mean everything or nothing, but still something to keep hope alive for this season.
Ferrari fans might find some comfort in the fact that Kimi was fastest in a set of soft tyres, while the mercs did their best laps in sets of ultra soft
Still, not drawing any conclusions at the moment
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At what point do we start thinking Ferrari actually made a really good car?
When we start blaming the strategists instead of the aerodynamicists for them not winning races.
Very droll, but last year we blamed the strategists a few times and it was far from a great car ;-)
It was a great car when the strategists screwed up
When Raikkonen gets pole in Australia?
Thanks for your feedback guys, off to hear what Mr Hembery has to say. And hopefully score some good coffee.
Any news from the McLaren garage?
Vandoorne still in the pits. They are pretty silent so far.
Alonso and Vandoorne combined have 59 laps on their back not even full race distance.
new on McLaren – 2015 Honda issues – 2016 Honda issues – 2017 Honda issues – 2018 TBC likely Honda issues
2018 just confirmed: Honda issues
2019: Signs Mercedes Engine deal.
2019: Renault Engine Dominates season.
Whats this?
Here are the times with just over an hour and a half left today:
1. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari SF70H: 1’20.930 78 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’20.983 (+0.053), 66 laps
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB13: 1’22.200 (+1.270), 56 laps
4. Esteban Ocon – Force India VJM10: 1’22.509 (+1.579), 43 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’22.986 (+2.056), 75 laps
6. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’23.200 (+2.270), 92 laps
7. Jolyon Palmer – Renault RS17: 1’24.139 (+3.209), 26 laps
8. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’25.012 (+4.082), 45 laps
9. Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber C36: 1’25.983 (+5.053), 33 laps
10. Lance Stroll – Williams FW40: 1’26.040 (+5.110), 12 laps
11. Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren MCL32: 1’26.201 (+5.271), 29 laps Last updated at: 16:23 CET
That’s just crazy how Mercedes effectivly gets double testing days, as both drivers drive the same amount as other teams in total.
Wow – fair play to McLaren managing to get 29 laps out of the Honda in one day. They’ve almost reached double figures across 2 days of testing!
Big improvement from Giovinazzi who finds 1.3 seconds to go eighth, 1’24.617.
it seems Mercedes are ahead by abit. Thankfully Ferrari have upped their game.
Red bull dont appear to have the pace of Ferrari and seems Renault’s engine will be there downfall.
Williams are looking third best team currently. As a Force India fan, im abit concern with our pace, looks like we are 5/6 fastest team.
oh well, too early to tell
Hell no. Red Bull and Ferrari are both quicker than the Williams. At best Williams in P4
I think you need to pay more attention.
I don’t think speeds and lap times are a fair indication of speed just yet. A lot of teams might still be doing evaluations and similar programs. Ask a McLaren fan who might say that they’d be pleased just to see the car run.
Autosport assessment of Bottas’ race simulation: I spent a lot of Bottas’s race run watching from trackside, and it looked…messy. He had quite a bit of understeer early on when the car was heavy, and it was moving around on him in the corners.
Very surprised to hear this TBH
lewis has probably left some underpant-creme for him as a suprise.
+1. lol
Looking at stint pace, RB and Mercedes sort of level. Also, Ferrari looking better on track according to the same autosport.com people
Interesting…cold track?
“Some interesting footage has surfaced from Bottas’ afternoon…”
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/testresults/1809/formula-1-test-at-circuit-de-catalunya-28-february-2017/
Interesting. Rather similar to Stroll’s mistake, but apparently not a show stopper. Lucky escape!
I hope this means these cars aren’t just physically more demanding to drive, but also trickier.
Kvyat moves up to sixth, here’s the times with an hour left to go:
1. Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari SF70H: 1’20.930 92 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes W08: 1’20.983 (+0.053), 66 laps
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull RB13: 1’22.200 (+1.270), 67 laps
4. Esteban Ocon – Force India VJM10: 1’22.509 (+1.579), 57 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’22.986 (+2.056), 80 laps
6. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’23.081 (+2.151), 57 laps
7. Kevin Magnussen – Haas VF-17: 1’23.200 (+2.270), 92 laps
8. Jolyon Palmer – Renault RS17: 1’24.139 (+3.209), 43 laps
9. Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber C36: 1’24.617 (+3.687), 41 laps
10. Lance Stroll – Williams FW40: 1’26.040 (+5.110), 12 laps
11. Stoffel Vandoorne – McLaren MCL32: 1’26.201 (+5.271), 30 laps Last updated at: 16:59 CET
Paul Hembery was very generous with his time, got over a quarter of an hour on the recorder. The full Q&A, covering many of the talking points you raised, will be published here later. In the meantime a brief portion will go up shortly.
Keith I’d be interested to know where you think F1 Fanatic comes in the pecking order of other F1 (or general) media. If Paul Hembery is giving you that much time it suggests you’re quite high up. But how do the other journos treat you? Are you part of their gang or a “johnny-come-lately”?
Cool. :)
How was the coffee?
Who has topped the speed traps so far today?
Verstappen 282 kmh.
That sounds like finish line speed.
I think everyone needs to give a round of applause to mclaren’s progress! They managed 1 whole lap more than they did yesterday! #progress
I think everyone needs to give a round of stiff drinks to the McLaren engineers, poor buggers!
I hope to be wrong but… McLaren is in a big, big trouble.
Ten minutes left, on the look-out for anyone trying a late flier…
K-Mag on 112 laps, that’s impressive
Indeed. And just 1.2s off the pace at the moment.
Haas looks good.
I’m impressed by haas in general, they look strong if you leave out the usual top contenders, k-mag looks very comfortable in his new ride
Damn I wasn’t there to propose question for the Pirelli meeting, do anyone knows what happens at the tire end of life ? Cliff or quicker decline ? Difficult to figure out from lap times right now, not sure anyone has pushed the tire to that point.
Yeah I think you answered your own question. Sounds like the teams aren’t even running what will be their race trim of aero packaging, so, much to be determined but everything under control for now.
Thanks again for joining in today guys – see you for more tomorrow.
Morning once more, guys!
The only thing I’m interested in today is whether McLaren-Honda can complete a race distance or not.
Let’s hope so, otherwise it is really going to be a painful (start to?) the year.
Fingers crossed
I’m hoping with you guys. McLaren-Honda needs this mileage.
I’ve heard rumours that if they don’t they will change their slogan to “Honda, the power we can only dream about”
It still doesn’t worry me to be honest, it’s testing, and as long as they are ready for Melbourne, everything is good. We need more teams at the front
There’s news that they are already on their last PU for this weekend, although a new engine has been shipped from Sakura already. Today.. if the engine breaks down, they will have to call it a day
Hello everyone, ready for day three. Tomorrow is supposed to be a wet weather test so today may be the last dry running we get.
No, circuit will only be drained in the morning. It should be dry in the afternoon.
Yeah that’s what they’re saying but depends how much water goes down and how well it dries. And whether it rains! But that’s not forecast.
Buenos días
Have Pirelli mandated a certain number of laps on wet tyres Keith? If so, will McHonda be able to do those laps? (rubbing a bit of salt)
Sorry, they do like Spanish over there, it has to be Catalan
Bon dia
I don’t believe they have, no. But the teams are going to want this data.
BTW, since Illien doesn’t work with Renault anymore, could he cooperate with Honda?
Honda is against using talent from outside the company…. because they clearly have an abundance of knowledge and expertise within their own organisation
That’s a good call, but they’ve preferred not to bring outside talent in so far. Perhaps that’s part of the problem, though, and their recent setbacks may prompt a rethink.
Always good to have a picture of myself looking gormless on my own website, here at a session with Verstappen yesterday (in case you’re wondering, I managed to get someone closer to the front to push my voice recorder in a bit further). Verstappen basically answered the same two questions about how quick is car is and how difficult overtaking will be from the various television crews:
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/28/2017-pre-season-testing-day-two-in-pictures/motor-racing-formula-one-testing-test-one-day-2-barcelona-spain-210/
Damn Keith! That kind of looks like me when someone brings a birthday cake to the workplace
:-D
To get closer to racers, we should learn from Martin Brundle. Somehow he manages to talk to drivers on the grid even when they’re busy.
Is it you, the blue color jacket? (behind the french beard fellow)
I was wearing a blue and white striped shirt.
Big day for Mc-Honda today.
Last of the three engines they brought.(new one is on its way)
But according to news in Japan they will have to redesign the oil pan. Due to the higher lateral g-force, the pump is starving of oil during high speed turns which causes the engine to run dry momentarily. The sensors show low oil pressure for a second, then it comes back once the car is goin straight again. That doesn’t cause instant damage but resduces engine life dramatically and is believed to be the cause of power loss suffered yesterday.
McLaren will also have to redesign some body work to accommodate the new oil tank. Unbelievable mistake by a company that also makes MotoGP engines(albeit completely different departments)
Thanks for the news! It’s indeed difficult to conceive that such apparently basic mistake can be done at that stage (I’m not an expert though).
Green light!
Ericsson Kvyat and Bottas out on track!
Glad to finally see RoGro take the car for a spin. Curious to see the lap times he can put in.
Rosberg looks on with regret
Palmer’s managed to get running straight away in the Renault after the problems the team had yesterday morning (another one with parts shortages):
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/28/palmer-astonished-by-mercedes-and-ferraris-mileage/
I could be wrong but I was under the impression the brake duct was an upgrade rather than a shortage
Celis makes his first appearance in the Force India. Wonder if they’ve got one of their regular drivers on standby to take over in case he struggles? These cars are a lot more demanding than last year’s and when I saw the three of them at the launch last week Celis didn’t look nearly as built as Perez or Ocon (who did more than a race distance yesterday).
Good point. By the way, I’m amazed that Mercedes are the only ones who regularly switch their drivers after the lunch break. Would make sense for all the teams to do that: Less fatigue for the drivers, more even distribution of mileage if one of your days is rotten.
Wonder if Ferrari may go that way soon. Mercedes are doing around 40% more running per day even than them, though.
Yeah, I wonder if they could’ve put in more laps with a driver change. Any chance you’ll get a word with a Ferrari representative, or are they staying true to their ‘low profile’ approach?
Mclaren out for an installation lap.. Losing engine power in 3..2..1…
Alonso posts McLaren’s first lap of the day. Boullier and Hasegawa doing a press call this afternoon. That’s going to be standing room only.
Williams working on the car? Still waiting for parts?
Not clear – they have fired the engine…
Incidentally it’s a very busy day in terms of interviews today – Hamilton and Vettel among those we’re expecting to hear from. Unfortunately Ricciardo’s briefing clashes with Hamilton’s but as Hamilton is only doing one meeting with the written media I’m obviously prioritising that. Heard from Ricciardo on day one:
https://www.racefans.net/2017/02/27/ricciardo-says-red-bull-has-a-lot-more-to-come/
It looks like Mercedes have scaled back Hamilton’s media commitments this year, perhaps in light of that tiff at Suzuka.
Red flag: Celis has just driven past me so it isn’t him.
It’s Palmer. Celis is conspicuously miles off the pace at the moment.
It’s Palmer .. put it in the gravel
I thought Ricciardo and Verstappen were going to share today and tomorrow. Having only one driver get used to the new wets makes little sense, doesn’t it?
I see where you’re coming from, but I expect the data will be more for Pirelli than the drivers.
What do you believe Eric Boullier and that Hasegawa guy are gonna say in their press call?
Initially I took that Renault for a McLaren. Both liveries share similarities!
Same – maybe I just expected it to be a McLaren ;)
In some lights they do look quite similar. The McLaren looks a lot better than some of the launch pictures showed. I still think the livery could use a little tidying up, but it’s not as bad as some are saying.
What I really don’t get is why Renault have spoiled their lovely livery with all that extra black. From a heat rejection point of view alone it seems an odd step. I wish they’d just stick the 2010 livery back on the thing!
Indeed 2010 Renault livery was gorgeous! Maybe one of the two will adapt its one
Black both emits and absorbs heat the most. As F1 engines generate a lot of heat, black bodywork emits it the most!
Alonso’s notched up a fourth lap in the McLaren. Baby steps this morning. He’s just come back in on a set of ultra-softs.
Bottas getting down to some serious lapping with a 1’23.5770.
That’s two consecutive purple laps for Bottas, now on a 1’22.816.
I’m pretty sure we’ll see some sub 1:20 laps today.. My bet is Ferrari will be the first to break the limit
A 1’22.222 now from Vettel. That could only be more satisfying if Button had posted it.
:( Button
Needs Richie Benaud commentating for that one (or is that just an Aussie joke?).
Has anyone done a 1:23.456 any time?
Vettel’s done for this run. Alonso meanwhile is up to eight laps. Ricciardo beginning a flying lap.
Times so far:
1. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari SF70H: 1’22.222 16 laps
2. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes W08: 1’22.816 (+0.594), 15 laps
3. Daniil Kvyat – Toro Rosso STR12: 1’24.946 (+2.724), 12 laps
4. Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull RB13: 1’30.108 (+7.886), 7 laps
5. Alfonso Celis – Force India VJM10: 1’44.478 (+22.256), 6 laps
6. Fernando Alonso – McLaren MCL32: 8 laps
7. Marcus Ericsson – Sauber C36: 6 laps
8. Jolyon Palmer – Renault RS17: 4 laps
9. Romain Grosjean – Haas VF-17: 4 laps Last updated at: 10:08 CET
So Keith do you think the absolute lap time at Barcelona is going to be taken today? its a 1:19.954
It wouldn’t be fair of me to answer that as I had an interesting piece of information along those lines yesterday which I’m going to share with you all shortly. Just putting the first image gallery of the day up…
sounds intriguing!
hi Keith from autosport.com the FIA asked one team to change the suspension system do we know which team? :)
Didn’t Barrichello set a 1:18.9 during 2009 pre-season testing?
A busy start for Ferrari and Mercedes so far, both already up to 20 laps. Kvyat running well too in the Toro Rosso. As you’d imagine a lot of teams doing aero runs with substantial rigs – lots of pictures of those here:
https://www.racefans.net/2017/03/01/2017-pre-season-testing-day-three-in-pictures/
McLaren are steadily chipping away with individual runs. Alonso up to nine laps now and has just gone down the start/finish straight so might even be attempted a timed one now.
Still no sign of Stroll in the Williams though. And Palmer hasn’t reappeared in the Renault since his spin.
Hold the phone – Stroll is now back out in the Williams, just under an hour and a half into today’s test.
Uh-Oh… Keep a cool head Lance