F1 - General discussion and 2017

[caroper]

Time Sheers one Hour in:

1 Bottas Mercedes 1m21.229s
2 Verstappen Red Bull 1m22.172s
3 Massa Williams 1m22.455s
4 Raikkonen Ferrari 1m22.926s
5 Hulkenberg Renault 1m24.417s
6 Perez Force India 1m24.566s
7 Alonso McLaren 1m35.717s

1. Bottas 286.0 0
2. Massa 283.4 0
3. Verstappen 281.2 0
4. Räikkönen 279.7 0
5. Perez 276.9 0
6. Hülkenberg 275.5 0
7. Wehrlein 267.3 0
8. Alonso 263.4 0
9. Grosjean 148.9 0

 

[caroper]

Carlos Sainz has been out for an exploratory lap in his Toro Rosso, while Sergio Perez slots into sixth as he starts in the 1:24s.

Only three cars on track right now, with Max Verstappen just heading out of the pits for Red Bull.

Bottas will soon add to that tally – the Mercedes is back on track.

 

[caroper]

Bottas is lapping in the low-1m22s on this short run on unmarked Pirelli tyres.

Verstappen has improved on this run on soft tyres, getting down to a 1m22.170s.

After finding 0.002s, Verstappen brings the Red Bull back into the pits.

Wehrlein's improving all the while on medium tyres, he's now down to a 1m26.416s.

 

[caroper]

So just how dire is McLaren and Honda's predicament as we reach the final three days of winter testing?

Here's Sky F1's David Croft with his take:

"McLaren have not got enough laps on the board. They haven't tried enough of their programme to really know where they are because pure and simple the engine isn't working the way it should be.
"Eric Boullier was yesterday talking about comparisons to 2015, and we know how bad it was for them them. Not because the engine keeps breaking, but I think the feeling is from both parties that the quality, the driveability and the power are more at 2015 levels than 2017 levels - and that's bad, because everyone else has evolved a lot since then.

"When they get their engine running, and I'm sure they will, it's not going to be as good as they want it to be. So at the moment McLaren know they are very much on the back foot and know they are going to go to Australia not so much looking to improve performance and be competitive, but just try and get laps in.

"That's not where you want to be with just three days of testing to go."

 

[Willie Trombone]

 

[caroper]

Bottas has posted the best middle sector so far while on these unmarked Pirellis, but is a couple of tenths shy of improving his overall time.

Grosjean's joining in the fun. He's into double figures on lap count but is one of two drivers not to set a time (and Alonso is 14.4s off the pace so he barely counts).

Grosjean puts Haas on the board with a 1m28.400s. Meanwhile, Bottas posts the best first sector of the morning so far...
The lap falls away, and Bottas only posts a 1m21.762s. We're expecting him in very shortly, based on a bit of pitboard spying from earlier.

 

[caroper]

here's a look at the lap count:

1 Bottas (20)
2 Verstappen (19)
3 Massa (16)
4 Raikkonen (15)
5 Hulkenberg (13)
6 Perez (9)
7 Grosjean (12)
8 Wehrlein (17)
9 Alonso (6)
10 Sainz (1)

 

[caroper]

The idea behind the rule changes for 2017 was not just faster, better looking cars, it was also tyres that allowed the drivers to actually drive them. Over the last six years, just how unhappy the drivers were with the Pirelli tyres was kept under wraps to a large extent. It took freak circumstances - and some hard digging by one or two journalists - to reveal it. Eventually, though, it was agreed to force Pirelli to produce what drivers might call ‘proper racing tyres’ - ones that can be driven hard pretty much all the time; not just for one lap and sometimes not even that. And it seems to have worked.

The feedback from the first test was generally positive, and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen - one of the good guys - continued that theme on Tuesday.

“It’s such a big relief to be able to push hard on one lap but also more than one,” Magnussen said. “The tyres do have degradation but there is still so much grip and you can still push really hard. It is so much more fun to drive. In one lap it is really good fun, really impressive to drive and in race distance it is much more fun. You feel like you are going fast. With the old cars, it was sometimes embarrassing. Some corners you were not even full throttle between them even though there was a straight.”

 

[caroper]

Just the Haas and the Sauber on circuit at the moment.

Pirelli Motorsport
@pirellisport

Focus of testing has changed now: we’re seeing more teams doing specific race and set-up work @ausgrandprix

 

[caroper]

Crofty was also asked by Sky Sports News HQ whether Fernando Alonso might already be contemplating his future amid McLaren's current difficulties:

"Fernando is not going to walk away because if he walks away I think he’s walking into retirement. There is nowhere else for Fernando to go, certainly not where he can command the money he gets from McLaren.

"But it’s the motivation levels. At his stage in his career, Fernando wants to make progress but is not making any. But he’s got to be strong, stand firm and say ‘right, we will sort this out, we will fix it, and you’ll pay me a lot of money to help do that’."

 

[caroper]

Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein had his first taste of Formula 1 2017 on Tuesday after missing the first test because of the back injury sustained in his nasty Race of Champions crash. “I am feeling good,” he said. “I jumped into the car and no pain, nothing. I was pretty happy by lunchtime – totally fine, no issues. I will be back Wednesday morning in the car and let’s go from there.”

But the former Manor driver admitted to being short of fitness.

“Of course you feel tired. But I don’t have pain. It is two separate things. I think it is good that my back is not making any trouble, or is painful after a few laps. That is a positive about today. In terms of my own level, I will be back soon. For sure the first race will be quite tough and also the second, because everything is new - new team, new engine, new tyres, new regulations. I lost two days of testing. Of course in the beginning I will lack something but I will catch up quite quickly in a few races and then I will be back where I should be.”

 

[caroper]

Romain Grosjean gets his first lap of the day up, a 1:28.400 on the medium compound.

Improvements for the Frenchman, his best time now a 1:25.067

Grosjean's returned to the pits, but Massa's not alone on track for very long – his old team-mate Bottas has come out to play. The Mercedes driver has been the busiest of the morning so far, and heads out for his 23rd lap.

Medium tyres for Bottas. After a cool-down lap Massa has posted two times in the low-1m22s on his soft tyres.

Perez's Force India makes it three cars on track. A bit of rumbling below suggests there'll soon be a fourth.

There is – it's Verstappen in the Red Bull.


Bottas a quarter of the way to a century of laps. Still a while left to go!
Of course, Hamilton will be in the car in the afternoon, but it won't stop the Finn.

 

[caroper]

Bottas's first flying lap on mediums is a 1m21.441s. That's a decent time, and he's set the fastest middle sector of anyone so far on his second lap...
No improvement from Bottas, who is limited to a 1m21.453s. But he's cracking on and goes fastest of all in the first sector.

 

[caroper]

Almost 90 minutes in and Fernando Alonso has done just the six laps. His only timed effort is a 1:35.717, nine seconds slower than anyone else.

A tentative start.

 

[caroper]

Watch as Crofty joins Rachel Brookes in the pit lane to assess all the big talking points of testing
http://www.skysports.com/iframe/wid...CGT3Ii0#ooid=1sYmo3YTE6ZIqT4OfSLntohJiCGT3Ii0

 

[caroper]

A lot of backing off from Bottas over the rest of that lap, which ends in 1m34.179s. Still, it's quicker than Alonso's only timed lap so far. Speaking of McLaren, it has managed just six laps in the first 90 minutes...
Alonso is, however, back on track after a 30-minute spell in the garage.
Verstappen, on medium tyres, has taken second place back from Massa on a 1m21.849s.
Alonso has improved his lap time, but it's still only a 1m34.732s.
Perez has improved, some 10 seconds quicker than Alonso. The Force India man's trimmed a few hundredths off his best and his now on a 1m24.108s.
Alonso's back in the garage. A very short spell on track for McLaren. Sainz is back out in the Toro Rosso, and is also yet to complete any meaningful running this morning.

A lock-up from Verstappen into Turn 1 – just caught it on the circuit's CCTV system. Looked like he ran a little deep

 

[caroper]

Sainz immediately gets down to business, setting a 1m23.933s to go fifth quickest so far. Just behind him on track is Bottas, who is now onto 30 laps in the Mercedes.
Verstappen back in the pits in the Red Bull. Sainz improves to a 1m23.683s, putting a bit more daylight to between himself and Perez, who had just put in a personal-best 1m24.059s.
Just Sainz and Wehrlein circulating after Bottas and Perez return to their respective garages.

 

[caroper]

Sainz's good work in the 1m23s is taking place on super-soft tyres. Meanwhile, the medium-shod Sauber of Wehrlein has just completed a personal best lap time of 1m25.937s.

Wehrlein improves again to a 1m25.406s.

A good start to the day for Pascal Wehrlein. The German driver, injured in January's Race of Champions event, only returned to action for the first time this winter yesterday when he ran in the Sauber for the morning session.

But he's back in business again this morning and has just set his new personal best: a 1:25.406.

Still over four seconds behind the Bottas benchmark mind...

 

[caroper]

Sainz still doing decent work in the high-1m23s on super-softs. His last lap included a personal best in the middle sector.

 

[caroper]

Sainz has improved to a 1m23.569s. Not bad considering this is a multi-lap run on super-softs.

Hulkenberg and Alonso are out on track as they look to crack on for Renault and McLaren respectively.

Verstappen's also on the circuit, and just posted his best time in the first sector so far.