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I may have been one of the first to hear the new cars when I attended Day one of the Jerez test.
Yes they sound different but why would you expect anything else? But they sound absolutely fine. The tone is much deeper rather than a high pitched wail but as a consequence you can hear the other sounds from the tyres and in some cases the jet turbine-like sound of the turbos.
Most people’s experience will be through the television where it has never been the case that you can hear what they sound like in real life even with the old engines.
But the sound of the cars is almost irrelevant because I think most go to SEE the cars in action and these engines produce more power/torque than the tyres and aerodynamics can handle so they are much,much better to watch. You can see the drivers using their driving skills to tame the beast.
And surely that is the whole point, isn’t it?
Actually, F1 is not run for the fans at all. And that is where it’s all gone wrong. It should go back to being more accessible to all.
I remember a Silverstone mid-season tyre test in the late 1980s – after the track had closed for the day, the crowd was allowed on track and into the pit lane. One guy was there with his three year old son and asked one of the Benetton mechanics if he could take a picture of his son standing next to the car.
The mechanic agreed and the father got his picture of the lad standing by the front wing. The mechanic then picked up the boy and sat him in the cockpit – that’s the attitude that is missing these days.And they didn’t give a second thought to the fans who go to the tests because race tickets are too expensive. And by the way, temperatures in Catalunya in late Feb/early March are the same as they are in Jerez at the end of January.
And another thing, Pirelli insisted on a wet test, so they dragged in an old water tanker to spray the track but they could just as easily have gone to Portimao where, I believe, they built the track with a sprinkler system for that very purpose.Went to the Spanish GP in 1995 and have been to pre season testing for the last six years. Always stayed in Lloret – cheap and cheerful and less than an hour to the track by car.
Girona airport is only an hour away but I think you’d be limited to Ryanair so I tend to use Barcelona airport but pre book any car hire to avoid queues.
Not happy that they lost the test this year when Bernie sold out to Bahrain.
Now working on a ‘day trip’ to Jerez. Not the easiest place to get to.I’ve been to the Barcelona tests for the last six years but as this is not an option this year I’m now thinking of Jerez in a couple of weeks.
As I’ve got a new job that starts on Thursday I can only get to Jerez for the first day, so I need to make the best of the time.
Question: I’m hoping to get a lot of photos but need advice from anyone that’s already been to the circuit as to the best corners to view from where the cars are going relatively slow and the circuit fencing can be avoided.
Any thoughts?
