F1 - General discussion and 2017

[caroper]

The flatbed truck, and other recovery vehicles, are on the scene.

That's a shame for the rookie as he had been just three laps short of his first F1 century.

The less pleasing aspect of his first two days in the Williams 2017 car is that they have contained three spins/crashes.

 

[caroper]

GREEN FLAG!
The session restarts. Romain Grosjean is the first driver to take to the track.
Ericsson heads out, so that's the Sauber fans happy, and Hamilton also heads back out.
Hamilton has picked up his race sim again, so he's continuing on mediums.

 

[caroper]

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[caroper]

50 laps in for McLaren and Fernando Alonso today, but they're pecking order position so far has been towards the back of the midfield.
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[caroper]

Hamilton's pace has picked up a little. He dips under the 1m25s barrier. He's still the slowest of the 13 drivers who have run today, because he has been working through this interrupted race simulation.

 

[caroper]

Just over 80 minutes remaining here. Vettel is currently the fastest on track in the 1m22s, although posted a 1m20s lap not long ago. Ericsson and Alonso in the 1m27s, and Hamilton in the 1m25s.

 

[caroper]

https://d2kmm3vx031a1h.cloudfront.net/t8ArboUGRJChEtql0qZR_GettyImages-646738040 (1).jpg

 

[caroper]

Mercedes-AMG F1 ✔ @MercedesAMGF1
Red flag cleared. Let's crack on!

55 laps and counting for @LewisHamilton ��

He's just 11 away from completing a full-race distance... #F1

Hamilton makes a pitstop and heads back out on softs.

 

[caroper]

100 FOR ERICSSON!
A cracking day for Sauber. Ericsson is still lapping and appears to be problem-free.
He's fifth and currently using the soft tyre.

 

[caroper]

Alonso is nowhere near being able to apply the throttle through Turn 3. He has to have a big and long lift, but it's not just to get the front end to bite, it looks like a lack of overall grip.
Gary Anderson

 

[caroper]

McLaren can't complain about a lack of Honda power. Alonso just can't get on the throttle properly between Turn 2 and Turn 3 because of a lack of overall grip. There's plenty more of the old gee-gees available if the chassis was stronger.
Gary Anderson

 

[caroper]

A big jump up the order from Lewis Hamilton - seven places to be precise - as the world champion jumps into sixth with a best lap of 1:22.216.

His race sim was disrupted by the red flags, but Mercedes appear straight back in the groove.
Bottas's time from this morning is still the fastest of the day, and the whole test.

 

[caroper]

Honda have confirmed they plan to introduce their Australian GP-spec engine for next week's second and final pre-season test.

The good news in the meantime is that their modifications to the faulty oil tank which kept Fernando Alonso stuck in the garage for seven hours on Day One is currently working satisfactorily.

If you are just joining us, the MCL32 has completed more than 50 laps today for the first time this winter.

 

[caroper]

Final Hour and:

LAPS COMPLETED:
Bottas 75
Vettel 112
Ricciardo 67
Palmer 51
Ericsson 113
Hamilton 71
Strikk98
Alonso 64
Grosjean 43
Hulkenberg 32
Sainz 32
Celis 54
Kvyat 31

1 Bottas Mercedes 1m19.705s
2 Vettel Ferrari 1m19.952s
3 Ricciardo Red Bull 1m21.153s
4 Palmer Renault 1m21.396s
5 Ericsson Sauber 1m21.824s
6 Hamilton Mercedes 1m22.216s
7 Stroll Williams 1m22.351s
8 Alonso McLaren 1m22.598s
9 Grosjean Haas 1m22.884s
10 Hulkenberg Renault 1m23.137s
11 Sainz Toro Rosso 1m23.540s
12 Celis Force India 1m23.619s
13 Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m23.952s

 

[caroper]

Given it's quiet on track, save for Hamilton on his race sim, it's worth reflecting on the fact that only four drivers have started more world championship races for Sauber than Ericsson, who has started 40: Heinz-Harald Frentzen (64), Felipe Massa (52), Nick Heidfeld (50) and Johnny Herbert (48).

Here's Frentzen in the 1994 Sauber C13. Two-and-a-bit decades ahead of Red Bull with the whole 'superstition' thing. Pic: LAT

https://images.scribblelive.com/2017/3/1/0e5b6252-36f8-4f13-90c2-0323f631cfab_800.jpg

 

[caroper]

Into the final hour of the action here and once again we have a familiar sight at the top of the timesheet with a Mercedes followed by a Ferrari with a Red Bull in third.

The straightforward explanation for Lewis Hamilton's lowly position is that Mercedes, for the second day in succession, have apparently been trying out a race simulation.

THERE ARE A FEW MORE DRIVERS OUT NOW
Vettel, Grosjean and Celis are all adding to their lap tallies.

 

[caroper]

WILLIAMS RACING ✔ @WilliamsRacing
We won't be running again today. The #FW40 is back in the garage and we are assessing damage after the car went off track. #F1Testing #F1

 

[caroper]

Red Bull Racing ✔ @redbullracing
Investigation of an exhaust issue has hampered our afternoon running Working hard to get back on track! #F1testing #Red13ull

 

[caroper]

P5 FOR HULKENBERG
Renault currently occupy fourth and fifth. A soft tyre run for the Hulk puts him four tenths behind his team-mate, Jolyon Palmer.

 

[caroper]

Haas F1 Team
@HaasF1Team

Okay, we've bolted a set of the #PZero Red supersofts onto @RGrosjean 's #VF17 . Away he goes. #HaasF1