Επιστροφή στο Forum : F1 2013
Lotus first to launch with the new E21 28 Jan 2013
Lotus have become the first team to unveil their 2013 car after the wraps came off the Renault-powered E21 in an online launch ceremony broadcast from the team’s UK factory on Monday evening.
With the new machine Lotus aim to build on their successful 2012 campaign, which saw Kimi Raikkonen win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix en route to the team finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship. Raikkonen will again partner Romain Grosjean in 2013.
With only limited changes to the technical and sporting regulations from 2012, the E21 continues the design concepts seen in its predecessor, the E20. However, Lotus say it is pushing last year’s concepts even further as well as incorporating some innovative technical solutions. The new car also features a slightly tweaked livery, incorporating an extra touch of red.
"The E20 proved itself to be an effective racing car - particularly towards the end of last season - so there is an element of expectation from the E21 and plenty to build upon,” said Lotus technical director, James Allison. “We have continued with our design themes and tried to create a more efficient and faster racing car based on all the lessons we learnt last year. How successful we have been in this task will only be discovered when we take to the track at the winter tests and - more significantly - at Grands Prix."
With the E21, Lotus will continue to develop the passive double-DRS system that they tested but never raced in 2012. And, in the car’s launch form at least, the team have elected to retain a stepped nose - foregoing the ‘vanity panel’ permitted in the 2013 regulations - in order to save weight.
"I think it is fair to say that great things are possible from the team and the E21,” added team principal Eric Boullier. “The leap we made from 2011 to 2012 showed what we are capable of. Add to this the continuity and potential of our driver line-up and we have a very powerful cocktail for the season ahead. Our ambitious plan to turn ourselves into one of the top teams in Formula One is coming to fruition and now we need to harness this with strong and regular podium results."
Joining Raikkonen and Grosjean in Lotus’s 2013 line-up is reigning GP2 Series champion Davide Valsecchi as third driver and Nicolas Prost as development driver. Jerome D’Ambrosio continues as reserve driver.
http://www.formula1.com/gallery/launches/2013/770.html
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/qtNx/manual/lotus-e2101.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/6ztW/manual/_i4v9536.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/nOyN/manual/_i4v9527.jpg
Ferrari have launched the car with which they hope to capture the 2013 drivers’ and constructors’ championships. The F138 - the name denotes the current year and the car’s V8 engine, which will be used for the last time this season - was unveiled at the Italian team’s Maranello headquarters on Friday.
With limited changes to the regulations for 2013, the F138 is an evolution of last year’s race-winning car, although every single part has been revised in order to maximise performance while maintaining the characteristics which were the basis of the F2012’s superb reliability.
Ferrari have retained the front and rear pull-rod suspension set-up introduced last year, refining it further for maximum aero advantage, while the car’s bodywork elements have been redesigned to allow for changes to the positioning and layout of the exhausts.
The rear of the car is much narrower and more tapered than before. The configuration of the front and rear wings derives directly from the last versions used on the F2012, partly because development of that car ran all the way to the final race of last season. However, significant modifications will be introduced to the car’s aero package in the weeks leading up to March’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The drag reduction system (DRS) on the rear wing has been revised and optimised to make the most of the modifications to the sporting regulations that come into play this year, with use of the system now limited to the designated DRS zones in every session of the race weekend.
The kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) retains its location in the lower-central part of the car, a strategic choice which has always been adopted by the team, partly with the aim of ensuring maximum safety. A great deal of effort has gone into reducing its weight and size, at the same time improving the efficiency of some of its components.
On the electronics front, Ferrari have interestingly chosen to introduce - ahead of schedule - the single control unit that will be used in 2014. This has involved a lot of work to integrate and control all its features in terms of both software and hardware.
The F138 will make its track debut at the first pre-season test at Jerez in Spain next week, with Felipe Massa at the wheel. Team mate Fernando Alonso will get his first taste of the car at the following session in Barcelona from February 19.
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/Wsvn/manual/fer_130002_f138a.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/Wfl1/manual/130008_f138.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/q3bi/manual/130005_f138.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/KVHN/manual/130004_f138.jpg
Button and Perez unveil the McLaren MP4-28 31 Jan 2013
The wraps came off McLaren’s 2013 car on Thursday morning, as drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez revealed the Mercedes-powered MP4-28 at the team’s UK base in Woking.
Following a cavalcade of historic machinery from McLaren’s past - the team celebrate their 50th anniversary this year - Button and Perez entered the McLaren Technical Centre driving the company’s latest road cars, before uncovering their new F1 challenger.
McLaren describe the MP4-28 as a deep and sweeping re-design of its race-winning 2012 predecessor in several key areas, most notably around the nose (now higher and stepped, but with the step covered by a 'modesty panel' as permitted by the 2013 regulations) and front suspension (now a pull-rod configuration following the trend set by Ferrari last year), the sidepod profiles and the rear bodywork.
“We were extremely strong throughout the whole of the 2012 season, but, for one reason or another, we couldn’t quite pull it all together to challenge for the championships,” said Button, who starts his fourth season with McLaren this year. “That’s something we want to address for 2013. I’ve seen just how closely everybody has been working together on this car, and I think we’ve got the basis for a very strong season.
“This year’s car is the best we’ve ever made - I know the engineers have left absolutely no stone unturned in wringing every ounce of performance from every available area. I cannot wait to get behind the wheel and attempt to carry forward the incredible legacy that lives beneath the skin of every single man and woman who works at McLaren.
“We’ll be working extremely hard during the pre-season to ensure we go to the first race with bulletproof reliability. Operationally, too, I think we’ve learned and developed from last year, and that will help us run a much smoother and stronger campaign.”
As well as a new car, Button has a new team mate for 2013 in ‘Checo’ Perez, who will start only his third season of Formula One competition this year, having joined McLaren from Sauber over the winter.
“For me, this is a great day,” said the Mexican. “In fact, every day this year has been great: I’ve been working hard with my new team to get everything ready for the start of the 2013 season - and it’s been an incredible journey to get to know this incredible organisation.
“Of course, I am fully aware of the steep slope ahead of me: it has already been an intense couple of weeks, getting to grips with a new team, meeting my engineers and mechanics, learning new ways of working and, of course, learning all about a brand new car - something I’ll need to do with just six days of on-track testing. It’s a big challenge.”
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh added: “For 2013, of course, we go racing to win. With Jenson and Checo, and this fantastic-looking new car, I believe we’re extremely well prepared for another competitive season. Jenson is driving better than ever - he’s the most experienced driver in Formula One, but he makes every ounce of that experience count: he’s peerless in his ability to read a race and one of the very fastest drivers out there. He’s a consummate professional, too, and will revel in working hard to drive this team through the year.
“Checo joins us after a sensational 2012 season and he’s immediately proved that he’s intelligent, modest, hard-working and, make no mistake; very, very quick. Of course, there’ll be a learning curve to overcome as he gets used to our organisation, particularly during the hustle and bustle of the early-season race weekends, but he understands that we are placing no pressure on him.
"This is an exciting time for the whole team. In our 50th anniversary season, I want Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to underline why we are the finest Grand Prix team in the world.”
The MP4-28 will make its track debut at the first pre-season test of 2013, which begins at the Jerez circuit in Spain next week.
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/w4bO/manual/dms1331ja85.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/MvyX/manual/dms1331ja12.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/G37m/manual/dms1331ja77.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/0qTP/manual/dms1331ja57.jpg
Force India unveiled their 2013 contender, the VJM06, at Silverstone on Friday morning, with Paul di Resta - the team’s only confirmed driver for the new season - helping to pull the covers off the new car, before giving it a brief track debut around the British Grand Prix circuit.
“Seeing the car built and complete for the first time is a special feeling,” said Di Resta. “I’ve followed its progress in the tunnel and it looks very impressive - aggressive and fast. Now I’m just eager to get out there and see where we stand compared to our competitors. After the winter I feel refreshed and keen to get back to business.”
The VJM06 is the third car to be overseen by Force India technical director, Andrew Green, and builds on the strengths of the team's 2012 car, which took them to seventh in the constructors’ table. With stable technical rules the car is more evolution than revolution, with the addition of a ‘modesty panel’ to cover the stepped nose being the most obvious visual change.
“The VJM06 doesn’t look massively different to its predecessor, but beneath the skin we’ve looked at every detail to try and find more performance,” said team principal, Dr Vijay Mallya. “I’ve followed the development of the car closely and I’m proud of what we have achieved. The objective now is to make sure we build on the promise of last year and have a strong start to the season.”
Regarding his team's driver line-up for 2013, Mallya added: "We are very close to making our decision and I can assure you that we will arrive in Australia with one of the most exciting pairings on the grid."
Summing up the approach to the design of the VJM06, Green said: “It’s a brand new car from the ground-up - everything is new. We discussed carrying over big chunks of last year’s car, including the chassis, but decided not to. There were still some gains to be had with the chassis, so we elected to take the performance benefits. The biggest change that everybody is going to notice this year is the fairing on top of the nose to hide the 'step'. It’s neutral as far as the car’s performance is concerned but tidies up the flow over the top of the chassis.”
Chief operating officer, Otmar Szafnauer, praised the team’s efforts over the winter to develop the VJM06: “We’re very optimistic. We’ve been working hard over the winter, trying to make improvements where we know we can find performance. Everything has come together very nicely. We’ve also focussed on operational strength by bolstering our simulator programme and increasing our CFD capacity with new hardware.”
2013 sees Force India’s cars powered by Mercedes engines with the gearbox supplied by McLaren Applied Technologies for a fifth season. And this will be their third season with the Mercedes KERS.
The VJM06 will make its official testing debut at Jerez in Spain next week, when the first of three pre-season tests begins on Tuesday.
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/XlLn/manual/dms1301fe03.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/ksBd/manual/dms1301fe08.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/A8VQ/manual/dedfe011302.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/weCX/manual/dedfe011306.jpg
Red Bull reveal their title defender 03 Feb 2013
Red Bull have launched the car with which they hope to win their fourth successive championship double this season. The Renault-powered RB9 was unveiled at the team’s UK factory in Milton Keynes on Sunday.
“RB9 is an evolutionary car,” said its designer Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s chief technical officer. “Probably the most significant change is not the regulations, but the new Pirelli tyres. We had a quick test with those in practice ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix but in truth we didn’t learn a lot because of the conditions. Pirelli have supplied us data about how the new tyres behave but past experience tells us that it’s only when we go testing that we really find out.”
The RB9, the ninth Formula One car produced by Red Bull, will be raced by the squad’s unchanged driver line-up. World champion Sebastian Vettel and team mate Mark Webber start their fifth and seventh season respectively with the team, making them the longest-established partnership on the 2013 grid.
“The fact that this is my seventh season with the team is a massive advantage,” said Webber. “I couldn’t have envisaged it when I joined and it’s hard to believe that you could be with the same Formula One team for seven years, as continuity is not always easy to achieve in this sport.
“I think the way we keep people excited and motivated here is important,” he added. “It’s quite a small operation, but obviously we’re big on ambition and desire and that makes us perform very well. I’ve really enjoyed the years I’ve had here so far and I can’t wait to get going this season.”
After a thrilling climax to the 2012 season, which saw Vettel claim his third title in as many years, the sport’s youngest ever triple world champion has had the opportunity to recharge his batteries over the last two months and professed himself more than ready to begin the task of trying to win a fourth straight title, something done only twice before in the history of the sport.
“We had a very strong finish last season, but it was hard as the season was so long - it was important for me to enjoy being home,” he said. “Pretty soon though I started training again, preparing for the new season and I’m very excited because this is the first time I’ve seen the car in one piece. I’ve seen little bits, but it looks very nice, so now we’ll get to see if it works as expected. I’m excited to get going again, to get back in the car, start testing and then go racing. Then, we’ll finally find out where we are.”
As Red Bull begin the defence of their world titles, team principal Christian Horner emphasised the value of stability in the team. “The 2012 season was tough and long, but our success was testimony to all the hard work and dedication in the factory,” he said. “We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to maintain continuity within our group. This is the fifth year that this driver pairing has been together. We’ve got continuity throughout all of the technical teams and all the key areas. I think that’s proof that there is a fierce determination to keep both of those trophies in the cabinet for another year.”
Red Bull depart for southern Spain on Sunday evening, with testing of the RB9 due to commence at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit on Tuesday. Webber will give the car its track debut, driving on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Vettel taking over for the final two days, on Thursday and Friday.
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/j2kr/manual/dcd1303fe08.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/8RNC/manual/dcd1303fe04.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/YJJ1/manual/frontonvettela.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/f68x/manual/front_three_quarters_vettel_hires.jpg
Swiss launch for new-look Sauber C32 02 Feb 2013
Sauber unveiled their 2013 car at their Swiss base in Hinwil in Saturday. The Ferrari-powered C32, to be raced by the team’s all-new driver line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez, is quite distinct from its predecessor, both in design and livery.
With it the team aim to build on their impressive 2012 season, which saw them claim four podium finishes en route to sixth in the constructors’ championship.
“The C31 was an extremely competitive car with many strengths,” explained Matt Morris, Sauber’s chief designer. “Our aim was to further improve these strengths and eliminate its few weaknesses.
“Over the course of last season we invested a lot of time and energy in developing a better understanding of our car. To this end, we focused primarily on the aerodynamic effects around the rear of the car. Our aero experts have done some great work in this respect, the basis of which has been used to develop the C32.”
Utilising the cosmetic fairing, or ‘vanity panel’, allowed in the 2013 regulations to partially mask its step, the edges of the nose of the C32 now sweep smoothly downwards, enhancing the car’s front-end aerodynamics, while its sidepods are notably slimmer than the Formula One norm.
Its rear end is extremely slim, with new radiator positioning, and Sauber’s aerodynamicists have invested a lot of time developing the details around the exhaust exits - an area which has a major impact on performance and in which team were among the leading exponents last season.
As in 2012, the car’s KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), engine and gearbox are supplied by Ferrari. The KERS is based on last year’s version, but its weight and packaging volume have been optimised.
The rear axle is a totally new development, designed to better interact with the airflow around the rear of the car while further improving tyre management, and there is also potential for improvement in how the tyres are used in qualifying.
“Our car looked after its tyres very well during races last year,” said Morris. “However, we had problems now and again when it came to getting the maximum out of them in qualifying. We’ve looked at this phenomenon closely and made the required adjustments.”
The C32 will make its track debut at Jerez in Spain next Tuesday, when the first of three pre-season tests gets underway ahead of the opening Grand Prix of 2013 in Australia next month. By then Sauber plan to have introduced a major update to the car.
“We have set ourselves lofty goals with the Sauber C32-Ferrari, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to meet them,” summed up Morris. “The C31 gave us a very good basis, to which we’ve made further improvements. Our aim is to line up for 2013 with a car that is competitive from the first race, but which also offers extensive potential for further development.”
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/taaM/manual/sauber_c32_front_side_03.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/ijnF/manual/dne1302fe102.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/bw86/manual/sauber_c32_side_03.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/91cV/manual/dcd1302fe28.jpg
Caterham take wraps off CT03 in Spain 05 Feb 2013
Caterham’s 2013 car, the Renault-powered CT03, was unveiled in the Jerez pit lane in Spain on Tuesday, day one of the first official 2013 pre-season test. It was revealed by the UK-based team’s new driver line-up of former Marussia racer Charles Pic and Dutch newcomer Giedo van der Garde.
“The season ahead presented us with an interesting challenge early in the design process as it is the last year of the current regulations before the introduction of the new engine rules in 2014,” explained Mark Smith, Caterham’s technical director.
“With that in mind we decided that CT03 would be an evolution of CT01 rather than a complete redesign, allowing us to focus our resources on developing areas of last year’s package where opportunities would give us the greatest return, whilst also beginning work on the 2014 package.
“We have made a number of significant changes to the car that takes it from the package that gained us tenth place in the 2012 championship in Brazil into CT03. Among the most obvious are around the lower chassis where the sidepods have been significantly undercut to improve airflow to the rear of the car.
“The diffuser, engine cover and cooling exits have also seen major changes and there are more subtle improvements to other areas of the car, such as the sidepod turning vanes and the lower tea-tray area. This is the package we will take to race one in Australia and as part of the 2013 upgrade program we will then bring new front and rear wings and a new diffuser soon after the start of the season.”
Cyril Abiteboul, Caterham team Principal, commented: “This is the first car we have produced since I joined the team so this is a proud day for me. I am very pleased that we have been able to allocate our resources and budgets as efficiently as possible to produce a car that will allow us to consolidate our position in Formula One whilst also starting work on the 2014 car as early as possible.
“From the outside, the most obvious change to CT03 car is the livery. Whilst retaining the green and yellow paint scheme that has become synonymous with our team since 2010, we have refreshed both colours to enhance their visibility on track and give them what will be, we believe, one of the best looking liveries in the pit lane.
“Driving the cars this year are Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde, two drivers who give us a good mix of youth and experience inside and outside Formula One. Charles and Giedo are both young and dynamic and we expect that their enthusiasm for the sport and the team will be fuelling our growth.”
Tony Fernandes, Co-Chairman of the Caterham Group, added: “This is the first car we have produced from our factory in Leafield and the last we will build under the current regulations. The team has produced a car that is an evolution of the 2012 car, building on that platform to give us a chance of continuing to make progress towards the teams ahead, whilst also dedicating enough resource to start work as early as possible on the 2014 car.
“For me this is going to be the story of the 2013 season - every team wants to be as competitive as possible this year, but with such fundamental rule changes next year resources and budgets dictate that there will have to be a cut-off point in the development of the current season cars so focus can be switched to 2014. We will bring updates to the car after several races and I am happy that the plan we have for 2013 will give us the chance to fight this year, but, importantly, will allow us to take full advantage of the new rules in 2014.”
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/xs5G/manual/dcd1305fe11.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/cQys/manual/dcd1305fe05.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/_6k8/manual/dcd1305fe06.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/sWXI/manual/dcd1305fe01.jpg
New Mercedes breaks cover in Jerez 04 Feb 2013
Mercedes have unveiled their 2013 Formula One car, the F1 W04, at the Jerez circuit in Spain. The launch took place after Nico Rosberg had given the new machine a brief shakedown earlier in the day for filming purposes.
According to the team, the basic concept of the F1 W04 is a sophisticated evolution of last year’s car. Its design was led by engineering director Aldo Costa, under the coordination of technical director Bob Bell.
“2013 marks the start of a second era for our Silver Arrows works team,” said Mercedes’ team principal Ross Brawn. “The restructuring we undertook at the team over the past 18 months are now growing in maturity and this is reflected in the F1 W04, which is a clear step forward in design and detail sophistication over its predecessor.
“Many thousands of hours of work have been invested by our technical teams in Brackley and Brixworth to ensure that the new car delivers a step change in performance compared to last season.”
Initial aerodynamic testing for the F1 W04 began in early summer 2012 and has resulted in a new five-element front wing design and a second-generation Coanda exhaust at the rear of the car. The car retains pushrod front suspension and a pullrod rear suspension (which the teams says is to optimise tyre life and performance), while the rear end has been aggressively packaged to optimise aerodynamic development potential.
Mercedes have also followed in the footsteps of several other teams in ditching the stepped nose design of last year’s car in favour of a small ‘vanity panel’, which was found to offer a small gain during aerodynamic testing.
Mercedes will field a new driver line-up for the first time in three years in 2013, with Lewis Hamilton joining the team from McLaren to replace Michael Schumacher.
“We are hugely proud to welcome Lewis to the team as a works Mercedes-Benz driver,” said Brawn. “With Lewis and Nico, we have what I believe to be the strongest driver line-up in Formula One and I know that a healthy level of competition between them both will help drive the team forward.”
Rosberg, who took his maiden Formula One victory at last year’s Chinese Grand Prix, said the new car had performed well when tested in the team’s simulator.
“The car seems to be performing well in the virtual world but we have a very busy and intense programme ahead of us during testing to make sure we can deliver that performance on track,” he said. “The atmosphere in the team is very positive and the people are highly motivated to succeed. And, of course, I have a new team-mate with Lewis. It’s his first time in the Silver Arrow and I look forward to working together and pushing each other hard, to make this the best team in Formula One.”
Hamilton, who is the first British works Mercedes driver since Sir Stirling Moss in 1955, echoed his new team mate’s sentiments.
“I’ve been at the factory getting to know the guys, meeting my mechanics and engineers, learning myself into the team and I have never seen a group of people that is hungrier for success than this one,” said the 28-year-old Briton. “They have been flat out this winter trying to pack more performance into the new car and I can’t wait to drive it and see where I can make a difference to help push the team forward with Nico.”
Mercedes has gone through some major changes over the winter with long-time motorsport chief Norbert Haug stepping back and Toto Wolff joining from Williams as his replacement. Despite being at the team for little more than two weeks, Wolff says he is optimistic for the new season.
"In the fortnight since I joined the team, I have been impressed by what I have found,” he said. “The people are highly motivated, open-minded and determined to succeed. Our drivers are hungry for success, too, and it will certainly be fascinating this season to see how Nico and Lewis perform together. Ultimately, though, Formula One is very straightforward and the only thing that counts is lap time.”
The F1 W04 will now complete 12 days of pre-season testing prior to the Australian Grand Prix on March 17. Rosberg will drive the car on the first day of the Jerez test on Tuesday with Hamilton to get his first run for his new team on Wednesday.
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/jNGf/sutton/2013/ded1304fe36.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/ktPu/manual/new_car_for_rosberg.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/d8B8/sutton/2013/ded1304fe15.jpg
Jerez day one - Button sets the pace for McLaren 05 Feb 2013
Jenson Button bounced back from an early setback to ensure that McLaren ended the first day of pre-season testing in Spain on top.
The day began badly for the 2009 world champion as his new MP4-28 ground to a halt after just three laps of the Jerez track, bringing out the red flag. The car was returned to the pits on the back of a truck with the team later confirming that a fuel-pump problem had caused the stoppage.
With the problem fixed, Button was able to have a much more positive afternoon and ended the day having completed 37 laps, with his timesheet-topping lap set on Pirelli’s new orange-striped hard-compound tyres.
"When I drove out of the garage I immediately felt comfortable in the car and very much at home," said Button. "But I have to repeat myself: it is the first day of testing and you are not going to know if it is a championship-winning car or not. But once we solved our issues this morning the car ran smoothly. Isn’t that good news!"
Second fastest was Mark Webber for reigning champions Red Bull. Driving the new RB9 the Australian had a largely trouble-free day, completing an impressive 73 laps.
"It was actually like a Friday practice session in some regards," said Webber. "We started understanding the tyres and there were a lot of positives. There’s a bit of housekeeping we have to get on top of but, other than that, it’s been encouraging.
"The car feels similar to last year’s, so the main difference is the tyres. With these tyres you’re always on your toes. It was good that we had consistent temperatures today, so we got a lot of information and feedback to analyse, which is all good. Generally though, the car feels pretty good, so I’m happy.”
Marginally slower than Webber was Romain Grosjean in Lotus’s E21. The Frenchman set the pace in the morning and was unable to better his time in the afternoon.
Paul di Resta, fourth fastest for Force India, also set his fastest time of the day in the morning. The new VJM06 showed impressive reliability as the Scot completed 89 laps - the most of the day.
"I felt very comfortable all day and we managed to get through the programme as we focussed on collecting aero data and understanding how well the car correlates with our simulation tools at the factory," explained Di Resta.
"We also started trying to learn as much about the tyres as possible so that we can carry that into tomorrow and optimise the set-up. The new compounds are quite different with the new construction and I’ve already felt a difference with the balance of the car in the low and high speed parts of the lap.”
Behind Di Resta was Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo in the STR8 who was marginally quicker than Felipe Massa in the Ferrari F138. The Scuderia spent nearly the entire day acquiring data relating to the behaviour of their new car.
New Sauber recruit Nico Hulkenberg completed 79 laps in the Swiss team's C32 - considerably more than the 14 fellow German Nico Rosberg managed in the Mercedes F1 W04.
As new team mate Lewis Hamilton looked on, Rosberg stopped out on track with smoke coming from the rear of the car. Mercedes later confirmed that an electrical fault had caused the stoppage and modifications to a wiring loom meant that Rosberg was forced to sit out the rest of the day.
"At this time of year all you want to do is spend time in the car and get a feeling for how it's working, but these hiccups are just part of the game," said a philosophical Rosberg. "During the laps I completed this morning, I had a good feeling with the car and it felt solid."
Pastor Maldonado had a productive day in a revised version of Williams’ 2012 car, the FW34, completing 84 laps and posting a time marginally faster than those of F1 rookies Giedo van der Garde (in the newly-unveiled Caterham CT03) and Max Chilton (in Marussia’s MR02).
At lunchtime Chilton had said that his first pre-season test with Marussia “couldn’t have got off to a better start”, but the joy was to be short lived as a suspension problem pitched the 21-year-old Briton into the gravel at the Dry Sac hairpin in the afternoon.
Testing continues at Jerez on Wednesday.
Unofficial Tuesday test times from Jerez:
1. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:18.861, 37 laps
2. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:19.709, 73 laps
3. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:19.796, 54 laps
4. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:20.343, 89 laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:20.401, 70 laps
6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.536, 64 laps
7. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:20.699, 79 laps
8. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:20.846, 14 laps
9. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:20.864, 84 laps *
10. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:21.915, 64 laps
11. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:24.176, 29 laps
* Using 2012 car
Jerez day two - Grosjean puts Lotus on top 06 Feb 2013
Romain Grosjean sent Lotus to the top of the timesheets on a busy second day of testing in Spain, but it was another day to forget for Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s debut run for the team came to an abrupt end in the Jerez barriers.
From the outset Grosjean established himself as the day’s pacesetter and not content with being fastest in the morning session, the Frenchman also set the afternoon’s quickest time. A final tally of 95 laps suggests that the new Lotus E21 has promising reliability.
"For me, the whole test has gone well which bodes well for the year ahead," said Grosjean. "My feeling in the car is good and it was great to be at the top of the times. Even if it doesn’t mean anything during testing, it’s still good to be at the front."
Second quickest on his second day in the new Force India VJM06 was Paul di Resta. Like Grosjean, the Scot completed 95 laps before handing the car over to the team’s simulator driver James Rossiter in the afternoon.
“We did some more good aero work this morning and then tried some set-up changes on the car,” said Di Resta. “Testing is a good chance to make bigger changes than you would make during a race weekend and that’s allowed us to really see how they affect the car and has given us valuable data on tyre performance. The handling of the car so far is good and I’m feeling comfortable after two days in the car.”
Daniel Ricciardo, enjoying a second straight day in the Toro Rosso STR8, was third quickest and satisfied with his running in the new car.
“We completed our programme, with short runs in the morning and longer ones in the afternoon,” he said. “We also tried the Medium compound Pirelli, having only used the Hard yesterday, so at least for this circuit, we have established a good comparison of the two compounds.
“We ran through several other test items and I think we can be satisfied with a day’s work that has produced some useful information.”
The busiest driver of the day was the man in fourth place - Red Bull’s Mark Webber. The Australian completed an astonishing 101 laps in the new RB9, two more than Nico Hulkenberg managed in the Sauber C32.
"For the second day in a row it was pretty successful,” said Hulkenberg. “We went through a lot of test items and did a comparison of the compounds - soft, medium and hard - which was quite interesting. Otherwise I was able to continue my familiarisation with the car and I did some long runs. Like yesterday, it was a positive day.”
Sixth fastest - despite registering only 15 laps - was Lewis Hamilton. After mechanical problems stopped Nico Rosberg just 14 laps into the test yesterday, Mercedes was hoping for a more productive day today, but a loss of rear brake pressure approaching the Dry Sac hairpin sent Hamilton head first into the tyre barriers. Repairs to several areas, including the hydraulics, meant the 2008 world champion had to sit out the rest of the day.
“These things happen and it's all part of testing,” said a reflective Hamilton afterwards. “Of course, it's better that we get these small issues out of the way sooner rather than later, and the guys are working really hard to overcome them.
“From the few short laps that I completed this morning, my general feeling was very positive. I got a good understanding of where the base of the car is and, whilst we need to do work in certain areas, it was good to have some laps to get a feel for what those areas are. I've told the guys that we just need to keep pushing and I know that we all will be doing that.”
Hamilton’s replacement at McLaren, Sergio Perez was one of several drivers making their 2013 test bow today. The Mexican registered 81 laps and finished with the seventh quickest time of the day.
Felipe Massa completed a second straight day in the new Ferrari 138 with the Scuderia saying that they acquired a large amount of data relating to various exhaust configurations.
Pastor Maldonado, continuing to gather information on the new tyres in a revised version of the Williams FW34, was ninth quickest whilst Rossiter was tenth for Force India. Giedo van der Garde was 11th for Caterham and Marussia’s new signing Luiz Razia completed 31 laps in his first run in the MR02.
Testing continues at Jerez on Thursday with world champion Sebastian Vettel and Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen amongst those set to make their first appearance on track.
Unofficial Wednesday test times from Jerez:
1. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:18.218, 95 laps
2. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:19.003, 95 laps
3. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:19.134, 83 laps
4. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:19.338, 101 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:19.502, 99 laps
6. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:19.519, 15 laps
7. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:19.572, 81 laps
8. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:19.914, 78 laps
9. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:20.693, 71 laps*
10. James Rossiter, Force India, 1:21.273, 19 laps
11. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:21.311, 88 laps
12. Luiz Razia, Marussia, 1:23.537, 31 laps
* Using 2012 car
Jerez day three - Massa quickest for Ferrari 07 Feb 2013
Felipe Massa topped the timesheets on day three of pre-season testing in Spain. The Ferrari driver’s best lap, recorded before lunch, was the quickest that anyone has managed around Jerez this week.
The Brazilian, who will hand the F138 over to new Ferrari test driver Pedro de la Rosa tomorrow, completed 85 laps today to add to the 142 he accumulated over the first two days of running.
Massa spent the first part of the day comparing the various Pirelli tyre compounds and then did long runs in the afternoon.
Mercedes, who were been plagued by mechanical problems on the first two days of the test, were on track nearly all day with Nico Rosberg completing an impressive 148 laps in the F1 W04. His best time was good enough for second place overall.
“I'm very happy with today and I think it was probably a personal record for me to do almost 150 laps,” he said afterwards. “I've never been so well prepared physically as I am this season; I feel on top form and it was no problem to complete the programme.
“To drive the distance from Silverstone to Spa in one day with no problems whatsoever is a fantastic achievement from the team. It really made up for the last two days and put a smile on everybody's face. In terms of driving the car, I have a good feeling, I can push it and feel comfortable - but obviously we still have plenty of work to do to continue improving.”
Making his first appearance behind the wheel this year was reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel. The German recorded 101 laps in a reliable-looking Red Bull RB9 - one more than team mate Mark Webber managed yesterday.
"It was great to get back in the car, to get rid of the rust and to get back in the groove again," said Vettel. "The first feeling is good and the car is working well. It’s difficult to judge the speed, but in terms of reliability it looks pretty good.
"For today we accomplished what we set out to achieve - which was to put a lot of laps on the car."
Also taking to the track for the first time in 2013 was Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen. After acclimatising himself to the E21 in the morning, the Finn set his fastest lap of the day in the afternoon before a clutch problem halted progress.
"It was good to get behind the wheel of a Formula One car again," said Raikkonen. "The E21 feels quite good so far, even if the balance isn’t quite to my liking yet. That didn’t stop us going through the programme we wanted to do which had a lot of aero runs in it.
"We know the car can go faster, we were just running through what we needed to achieve. It’s a shame that we had a clutch issue at the end of the day, but that’s why we come testing so we can find these problems and fix them.”
Marginally slower than Raikkonen was Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who took over the STR8 from Daniel Ricciardo today.
The sixth-fastest time went to Force India test driver James Rossiter who is familiarising himself with the VJM06 to help with his simulator duties for the team. The Briton provided one of the most eventful moments of the day in the morning when he misjudged his braking point coming into the pits and accidentally hit one of his mechanics. Thankfully the mechanic was only bruised in the incident.
“It has been four and a half years since I last drove a Formula One car, but with the simulator experience I’ve built up recently it didn’t take too long to get back up to speed,” explained Rossiter.
“The programme today has been very useful for getting a feel for the car as a reference for the simulator. The cars have changed quite a lot and it was the first time I’ve used KERS. It’s important to know how the tyres behave and we’ve worked hard to try and understand them this week. That will help make the simulator model more representative as a way of exploiting the car’s potential.”
Paul di Resta took over for Force India in the afternoon, but his running was cut short by an exhaust failure after just seven laps.
Jenson Button - quickest on the first day for McLaren - was seventh quickest, whilst Esteban Gutierrez - making his debut for Sauber - was eighth.
"I had the chance to get to know the car and the tyres that are behaving quite differently," said Gutierrez. "Because of this it was important to understand the warm-up characteristics and the behaviour on long runs with high fuel loads.
"It was very interesting to feel the progress - something that gets me up to speed. I’m positive about the new car and I immediately felt comfortable in it.“
Max Chilton recorded Marussia’s quickest time of the week late in the afternoon for ninth, with Valtteri Bottas (in last year’s Williams FW34) and Charles Pic (in Caterham’s CT03) recording the tenth- and 11th-fastest laps of the day on their maiden outings of 2013.
Testing concludes at Jerez on Friday.
Unofficial Thursday test times from Jerez:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:17.879, 85 laps
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:18.766, 148 laps
3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:19.052, 102 laps
4. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:19.200, 40 laps
5. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:19.247, 85 laps
6. James Rossiter, Force India, 1:19.303, 42 laps
7. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:19.603, 83 laps
8. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:19.934, 110 laps
9. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:21.269, 78 laps
10. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:21.575, 86 laps*
11. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:22.352, 57 laps
12. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:23.729, 7 laps
* using 2012 car
Jerez day four - Raikkonen ensures Lotus finish first test on top 08 Feb 2013
Kimi Raikkonen set the pace on the final day of the opening pre-season test of 2013 in Spain. The Finn’s best lap came on a short run on soft tyres in the afternoon and ensured that Lotus leave Jerez having posted the fastest time on two of the four days of running. Romain Grosjean was quickest on Wednesday in the team’s promising new E21 machine.
“We continued our work from yesterday and made some good progress," commented Raikkonen. "We’re at the top of the timing monitors, but that means nothing in testing. Our focus has been testing parts on the car, but I’ve been able to get the set-up more to my liking. For sure there’s more work to be done in this area, but that’s what we’re here for. The car feels strong and we seem to have a good idea of where we’re going with improvements.”
The second-quickest time - on a day when running was extended by 30 minutes because of a stoppage for track repairs - was set in the morning by Jules Bianchi for Force India. The Frenchman, who is believed to be under consideration for the vacant second seat at the team, was pleased with his first run in the VJM06.
“My first experience of the new car was very positive and it’s clearly an improvement over last year’s car,” he said. “I spent most of the time on the medium tyres, but I got a chance to run the softs as well and they offered a lot of grip so I enjoyed that.
“It was also nice to do some long runs, so I’ve felt the car on heavy fuel, which is good for my experience. I’m pleased the team asked me to help out this week and I’m happy with how things went today.”
Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel posted the third-quickest time, although the Red Bull driver spent much of the day putting the RB9 through long runs on medium and hard-compound tyres.
The two busiest drivers on day four were Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez - who did 142 laps and registered the fourth-quickest time - and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton who circulated 145 times. After completing only 15 laps in his first run in the car on Wednesday, Hamilton was far happier after ending the day in sixth.
"Today we managed the kind of mileage that the car is capable of and I think we have a good platform to start working from," he said. "Now we need to understand the F1 W04 even more: personally, I am learning something with every lap I do and every change I make to the set-up. Overall, I think we are probably at the level we would have hoped to be.
"The team has done a great job to add downforce to the car over the winter and they now need Nico (Rosberg) and me to tell them where we can improve and the direction we need to go. Everybody has been incredibly supportive and I am really building a good bond with the team; they feel energised, ready to go and everybody is working flat out to move us forward."
Sergio Perez - also enjoying his second test day of the year - completed 98 laps in McLaren's MP4-28, conducting a variety of aero and mechanical work.
Just below Perez on the timesheets was Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Pedro de la Rosa, the latter marking his first day of testing for Ferrari. The day began badly for the Spaniard as the Scuderia’s F138 came to a smoky halt just three laps into the morning session with a gearbox problem. Ferrari recovered the car quickly and de la Rosa went on to complete 51 valuable laps.
Charles Pic was the third driver to top the 100-lap mark, in Caterham’s new CT03.
“The track was colder this morning than the first three days so it was tricky getting the tyres to work, but we completed all the programs we’d set for the day and we have some very useful information to work on, and some interesting options to look at for the next test,” said the Frenchman.
“One key part of this test was to work on getting the most out of KERS and we’ve definitely made good progress on that. There’s still more to come from that, especially maximising its performance under braking, but I’m really happy with what we’ve worked through and can’t wait to get back in the car in Barcelona.”
The second pre-season test of the year begins on February 19 at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.
Unofficial Friday test times from Jerez:
1. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:18.148, 83 laps
2. Jules Bianchi, Force India, 1:18.175, 56 laps
3. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:18.565, 96 laps
4. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:18.669, 142 laps
5. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:18.760, 92 laps
6. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:18.905, 145 laps
7. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:18.944, 98 laps
8. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:19.851, 92 laps *
9. Pedro de la Rosa, Ferrari, 1:20.316, 51 laps
10. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:21.105, 109 laps
11. Luiz Razia, Marussia, 1:21.226, 82 laps
12. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:23.435, 49 laps
* Using 2012 car
This weeks’ unofficial aggregate test times from Jerez:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:17.879, 227 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:18.148, 123 laps
3. Jules Bianchi, Force India, 1:18.175, 56 laps
4. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:18.218, 149 laps
5. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:18.565, 198 laps
6. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:18.669, 252 laps
7. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:18.760, 177 laps
8. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:18.766, 162 laps
9. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:18.861, 120 laps
10. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:18.905, 160 laps
11. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:18.944, 179 laps
12. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:19.003, 240 laps
13. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:19.134, 153 laps
14. James Rossiter, Force India, 1:19.303, 61 laps
15. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:19.338, 174 laps
16. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:19.502, 178 laps
17. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:19.851, 178 laps *
18. Pedro de la Rosa, Ferrari, 1:20.316, 51 laps
19. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:20.693, 155 laps*
20. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:21.105, 166 laps
21. Luiz Razia, Marussia, 1:21.226, 113 laps
22. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:21.269, 107 laps
23. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:21.311, 152 laps
* Using 2012 car
Williams unveil the FW35 in Spain 19 Feb 2013
Williams became the final team to launch their 2013 car on Tuesday morning, as the Renault-powered FW35 was unveiled in the Barcelona pit lane at the start of this week's four-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya.
To be raced by 2012 Spanish Grand Prix winner Pastor Maldonado and new team mate Valtteri Bottas, Williams hope the car - which features improvements in several key areas over its FW34 predecessor - will help them improve on their eighth place in last year's standings.
“Given the rule stability over the winter, I’m pleased with the gains that we’ve been able to make with this car,” said Williams’ technical director, Mike Coughlan. “It’s a better, more refined Formula One car than the FW34 and I think everyone involved in the project can feel proud of the work they’ve done.”
Despite being an evolution of 2012’s car, more than 80 percent of the FW35 is new. It has a new gearbox, new rear suspension, new radiators, a new floor, new exhausts, new bodywork, a new nose and a significant amount of weight has been saved as well.
With many new parts on the car, the team has carried out a lot of reliability work over the winter. The gearbox alone has already completed 3,200 kilometres on the dyno, a lot of which was conducted in the form of five straight Grand Prix weekends.
The car will continue to be developed throughout the year, beginning with an aerodynamic upgrade in time for the first race. By season’s end it is expected that the FW35 will have made strong performance improvements and Coughlan is in no doubt over the main area of gain.
“The Coanda effect is going to be a big thing for us,” Coughlan said. “There’s been no rule clarification concerning this area of the car, so we’ll work closely with Renault to maximise the available gains. Use of the DRS is more restricted this year, so we’ll take some resource away from that and focus on other areas.”
Frank Williams, team principal, added: “A group of talented people with good imagination and plenty of courage have been working together to build the Williams Renault FW35. We will have to wait until Australia to truly see what we have, but we believe it is step forward from last year’s car which was also a very competitive vehicle. Pastor is a delightful character who is a massively determined racer, whilst Valtteri is quieter but still waters run deep and he is a highly gifted driver.
“Williams has been at the top many times over the last 30 years. It’s the nature of the sport to have ups and downs, but when we are down we always fight our way back. I’m hoping that with the current team we have in place, our new FW35, the combined talent of Pastor, Valtteri and (development driver) Susie (Wolff), and the continued support from our partners; we will be in a position to challenge the very best.”
Maldonado will give the FW35 its track debut in Barcelona on Tuesday morning and in total the car will get eight days of testing before heading to Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“Starting my third season with Williams is important for both myself and the team,” said Maldonado. “We’ve been working hard to develop the car and improve our performance. Last year we won a race and were competitive, but this season we must be even more competitive which I believe is possible. Consistency will be our aim to close the gap to the teams in front.
“There are a number of changes this season; I have a new race engineer and a new teammate in Valtteri, but there is a nice atmosphere right now as we are all competitive and know each other well. Being part of the Williams family is very special as a driver and I want to thank Frank for not only giving me the opportunity to drive for him, but also to deliver a win. My goal is to help take the team back to the top.”
Ahead of his first season of Formula One competition, Bottas commented: “It feels great to now be promoted to race driver with Williams this season. It’s a big step and I’m really looking forward to it. I have been doing a lot of training, meeting with my engineers and working in the simulator in preparation; so I feel ready.
“We know we have improved our car from last season but I am looking forward to seeing how it compares on track. We have a busy test programme ahead but I’m really excited. The moment the start lights go out in Melbourne is a moment I have been building towards my whole career.”
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/WHGE/sutton/2013/dms1319fe14.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/wtC4/manual/_89p4159rt.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/DY5n/sutton/2013/dms1319fe37.jpg
http://www.formula1.com/wi/gi/597x478/syod/manual/_89p4178rt.jpg
Barcelona day one - Webber on top for Red Bull 28 Feb 2013
Mark Webber sent Red Bull to the top of the timesheets for the first time this year as pre-season testing resumed at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain on Thursday. Webber set his fastest time of the day on soft tyres in the final half hour of the afternoon session, after rain had blighted much of the morning running.
“It was pretty heavy, I must say,” commented the Australian, the ninth different driver to top the times in the nine days of pre-season testing so far. “There was a big tailwind down to Turn One. And in other sections it was pretty dusty. The level of wind wasn’t trivial but to be honest it was tricky enough anyway because of the greasy conditions on the track.
“We only got one hour at the end of the day in more stable conditions. We opted to put on a couple of sets of tyres at the end and see how it went and it was okay. We’ve still got more to come, but that was the most we could get done in a short limited programme in dry conditions at the end of the day.”
In the same late afternoon flurry of activity that saw Webber set his quickest lap, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton clocked the second-fastest time. The 2008 world champion, who headed the times in the morning, completed 113 laps - the most of any driver on the day.
“The track started out really wet this morning but thankfully the conditions dried out later on and we were able to complete some proper running,” said Hamilton. “It felt good to work through the race simulation this afternoon; both to get myself back in practice and to put valuable miles on the car.
“All the guys have done a fantastic job both here and at the factory. I'm really happy that we're making progress together and very much enjoying working with everyone. The last couple of days of pre-season testing are always really exciting when everyone starts to add their upgrades so I'm looking forward to the weekend”
Third quickest on the day, having completed 59 laps, was Jean-Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso STR8.
“Not the best of days, because we had many things to test and the rain meant we were not able to get that much done, but we have to remember that the other teams have similar programmes and the rain affects everyone,” said a philosophical Vergne.
“Nevertheless, I did plenty of laps, which is good for me and good for the new car to do a high mileage. The car seems to behave really well in the wet and it also felt good in the dry, during the few laps I managed at the end of the day.”
Williams’ rookie Valtteri Bottas was fourth fastest as the team continued to accumulate mileage in the FW35.
“The conditions today made it difficult for us to complete our planned programme, but we were able to get some useful tyre data,” said Williams’ technical director Mike Coughlan.
“It was good mileage for Valtteri, as he was able to try a mix of tyres running from the wet, onto the intermediate and finally onto dry tyres this afternoon. It’s a good grounding for him and he brought the car home safely despite the tricky track conditions.”
Marginally slower than Bottas were the Mexican duo of Sergio Perez - in the McLaren MP4-28 - and Esteban Gutierrez in the Sauber C32. Paul di Resta was seventh fastest for Force India, although Adrian Sutil was the team’s biggest media draw, having had his race seat announced over the lunch break.
“Quite a disrupted day with the constant rain showers, but it gave me the chance to run in the wet conditions and gain some knowledge of the wet weather tyres,” said Di Resta. “That should mean we’re prepared in case we get a wet race early in the season.
“The temperatures were low today and not that representative, so we saw a big variation in lap times. Late in the day the rain eased off, which gave us a run in the dry, and we were able to check some things ahead of the weekend when the weather is expected to improve.”
Felipe Massa was eighth for Ferrari, but completed the second-most laps of the day - 112 - as he undertook aerodynamic tests in the morning and a race simulation in the afternoon.
Marussia’s Max Chilton and Caterham’s Charles Pic rounded out the top ten, with Lotus’s Romain Grosjean a distant 11th for Lotus after having a minor off in the morning session and then spending the afternoon conducting work on the team’s double-DRS device.
Testing continues at the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday.
Unofficial Thursday test times from Barcelona:
1. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.693, 90 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:24.348, 113 laps
3. Jean-Eric Vergne,Toro Rosso, 1:25.017, 59 laps
4. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:26.458, 85 laps
5. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:26.538, 100 laps
6. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:26.574, 92 laps
7. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:27.107, 57 laps
8. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:27.541, 112 laps
9. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:28.166, 78 laps
10. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:28.644, 83 laps
11. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:34.928, 52 laps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow9gw804fMw
Barcelona day two - Grosjean sets the pace for Lotus 01 Mar 2013
Romain Grosjean clocked the fastest time on day two of the final pre-season test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain on Friday.
The Lotus driver, who recorded his best lap on soft tyres in the afternoon session, became the first man to top the timesheets more than once this year, having previously set the quickest time on day two of the first 2013 test at Jerez.
After heavy rain on Thursday night, the drivers had to contend with damp track conditions as the morning session began. Jenson Button was fastest at the lunchtime break, but Grosjean - who’d earlier brought out the red flags when his E21 machine stopped on track - bettered the McLaren driver’s time with just under an hour and a half of running remaining.
“Even though the weather was far from ideal it was a pretty good day for us and it’s certainly a better feeling to end the session with the fastest time on the board rather than the slowest!" said Grosjean.
"We had strong reliability again today and the E21 feels good in all conditions, which is very promising for the season ahead. Of course, I wish I could have more time in the car before the season starts, but if we’re in the same position on the monitors when we get to Australia I’ll be very happy indeed.”
Button, who completed 72 laps in the MP4-28, ended the day in second, having set his best time on medium-compound tyres. McLaren concentrated on aero mapping in the morning before attempting some longer runs to evaluate upgrades in the afternoon. They ended the day with a series of live pit-stop simulations.
Pastor Maldonado ensured Williams had another productive day of running with their new FW35 machine. The Venezuelan was third fastest, having set his best lap on Pirelli’s soft tyres.
Reigning world champions Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull set the fourth-quickest time of the day. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was fifth, with the recently-appointed Adrian Sutil showing strong form on his way to sixth for Force India.
Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo and Marussia’s Max Chilton occupied positions seven and eight, with Caterham’s Giedo van der Garde ninth fastest.
“We knew day two of this test would be another stop/start day with the weather forecast being bad for at least half the day and the forecast wasn’t wrong,” said Van der Garde. “Despite that we went out early for an installation lap and then ran through more setup work on the wet and intermediate tyres in the morning session.
“The weather cleared up a bit in the afternoon but we had a technical issue that cut into our runplan so we switched from the full race simulation we were going to run to more setup work and tyre evaluation.
“Unfortunately the rain came back again with half an hour to go, which again meant we had to change the plan but the forecast for the last couple of days is better so hopefully we can get back to the original run plan and finish the tests as we’d planned.”
The bottom two drivers on the timesheet were Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who were both concentrating on longer runs.
“It was great to run in the wet today which I have not done so far during our pre-season testing programme,” said Rosberg who completed the most laps of any driver - 120. “The car felt good in those conditions and it's important to have had this experience as there is always the chance of rain in Melbourne.
“This afternoon, we did some race simulation work which was very productive. I am happy with my mileage today as every single lap is important for the learning process, and so overall it was a positive day for me here in Montmelo.”
Testing continues at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday.
Unofficial Friday test times from Barcelona:
1. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:22.716, 88 laps
2. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:23.181, 72 laps
3. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:23.628, 75 laps
4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:23.743, 65 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:23.744, 79 laps
6. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:24.215, 62 laps
7. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:25.483, 61 laps
8. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:25.598, 75 laps
9. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:26.316, 48 laps
10. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:26.655, 120 laps
11. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:27.878, 102 laps
Barcelona day three - Hamilton quickest for Mercedes 02 Mar 2013
Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes back on top of the timesheets in Barcelona on Saturday in the penultimate day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. With weather conditions much improved on Friday’s, Hamilton set his fastest lap in the morning session as he worked through a series of short runs on Pirelli’s soft tyres.
On his final day of testing before making his Mercedes race debut in Australia later this month, the former champion completed 117 laps, equivalent to 545 kilometres, to take his total pre-season mileage in the F1 W04 to 2,585 kilometres.
“The reliability, the mileage and the step-by-step improvements that we have achieved during the three tests are all very encouraging,” said Hamilton. “Whilst we've been focusing on our own performance, we definitely haven't seen the full potential of our competitors yet, so it's difficult to predict where we might be. I'll be back at the factory next week doing some final preparation work on the simulator and with my engineers, and then it's off to Melbourne for the first race of the new season with my new team.”
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa - also enjoying his last day of pre-season testing - improved in the afternoon to climb to second, but ultimately finished more than half a second off Hamilton’s best. After a positive day of development work with the F138, Massa was forced to curtail his running slightly early due to a problem with the left-front suspension upright.
The Force India of Adrian Sutil was an impressive third, while Williams were highly encouraged by Pastor Maldonado’s and Valtteri Bottas’s fourth and fifth places respectively, as the team debuted the updated core bodywork which they plan to race on the FW35 in Australia.
“I could really feel the difference today running the updated bodywork,” said Bottas. “We saw some improvements immediately but we still need to work on the car balance to maximise the potential. Overall, we learnt a lot and it’s nice to see the work everyone has been doing at the factory having a positive influence on the car. It’s now up to us to get the lap time out of it.”
Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez was sixth, as the Swiss team looked to run their Mexican rookie through a full qualifying and race simulation ahead of his Grand Prix debut in Australia.
"It was an interesting experience,” said Gutierrez. “The understanding of the tyres was a very important point, especially here in Barcelona where we know graining of the front tyres is a big issue. However, we were able to manage the degradation of the tyres quite well. Unfortunately we were not able to complete the race simulation due to a suspected water leak.
Mark Webber’s final day of pre-season testing got off to a slow start as Red Bull were delayed in the garage with overnight changes to the car. Once on track, Webber concentrated on evaluating the changed items and ended the day with the seventh-fastest time.
“I would obviously have liked to get a few (more) laps in today, but that’s the way it goes sometimes in testing,” said Webber. ”We had a few small issues with the car today which delayed us a couple of times and while it wasn’t ideal I think we still learned plenty.”
On his final day in McLaren’s MP4-28 before Melbourne, Sergio Perez was eighth. Perez’s morning was devoted to evaluating a number of different mechanical set-ups. The team then committed to a series of system changes over the lunch break before kicking off with a long run in the afternoon, as well as some live pit-stop practice.
Jean-Eric Vergne was back behind the wheel for Toro Rosso and finished the day ninth, the Italian team focussing on suspension settings in the morning and a full race simulation - over which the STR8 ran trouble-free - in the afternoon.
With Kimi Raikkonen sidelined at the last minute with suspected food poisoning, Lotus had third driver Davide Valsecchi on track in the morning, and a recalled Romain Grosjean in the afternoon. They finished the day in tenth and 11th spots, with Grosjean just edging out the 2012 GP2 champion in the timesheets.
“This morning was quite a rush to get everything ready as the call only came late, but the team were fantastic getting the car prepared for me,” said Valsecchi, who ran 16 laps of familiarisation and exhaust / aero assessments. “I only completed short runs today so I have a limited impression of the E21, however it’s clear that it’s a very good racing car.
“For me to be able to get immediately on the pace means that the car is certainly fast and competitive. It was a fantastic opportunity; I sat in the seat of a former world champion so I knew that I’d be fast for sure.”
Marussia’s new race recruit Jules Bianchi took 12th place as he got his first taste of the team’s MR02 machine.
“The past 24 hours have passed by so quickly, having signed for my new team and tested our new car in such a short space of time,” said Bianchi. “Today has been pretty busy but we have been very fortunate to have dry weather, warm conditions, a reliable day and plenty of mileage, so in many ways I couldn’t have asked for more on my first day in the MR02. Perhaps the only disappointment is not getting a clean shot at my run on the supersoft tyre at the end as the red flag frustrated things for us.”
Caterham’s Giedo van der Garde may have finished last on the timesheet, but the Dutchman was the day’s busiest driver, completing a mammoth 126 laps in the CT03.
“We took full advantage of the weather today, running through the final tyre and set-up evaluations this morning and then running a full race simulation after lunch,” he said. “We only had one minor issue with the car this morning, but apart from that it ran well all day and it was good to get a full race distance done, both for me and the whole team.”
Testing concludes at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday.
Unofficial Saturday test times from Barcelona:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:20.588, 117 laps
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:21.266, 94 laps
3. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.627, 109 laps
4. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.305, 34 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.468, 31 laps
6. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:22.553, 99 laps
7. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.658, 59 laps
8. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:22.694, 101 laps
9. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:23.223, 114 laps
10. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:23.380, 46 laps
11. Davide Valsecchi, Lotus, 1:23.448, 16 laps
12. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, 1:24.028, 74 laps
13. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:24.235, 126 laps
Barcelona day four - Mercedes ahead as pre-season testing ends 03 Mar 2013
Mercedes again led the way in Barcelona on Sunday, as the final winter test drew to a close at the Circuit de Catalunya. With the cars next due on track in first practice for the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia in two weeks’ time, Nico Rosberg was the man on top.
Rosberg's closest rivals were Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Jenson Button, with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen and Force India’s Paul di Resta completing the top six.
The German’s best lap came during the morning session on soft tyres as he traded fastest times with Alonso, before Mercedes - and almost all other teams - switched their focus to longer runs in the afternoon.
“I'm pleased with our pre-season testing programme,” said Rosberg, who also completed the most laps of the day with 131. “We have achieved a lot of mileage and I can feel that the balance of the car is good. I have the general feeling that we are in a better position than in the second half of last year but this is testing not racing, of course.
“The conditions in the first race will be completely different to here as it will be much hotter in Melbourne and Sepang so we need to wait and see. Thanks to the team here at the track and back home at the factory for all their hard work over the last month. I hope it pays off and we can look forward to a positive season ahead together.”
Button, Hulkenberg and Di Resta all had productive days, completing 122, 118 and 112 laps respectively, though Sauber were forced to abort a race simulation due to technical issues with their C32. There were further woes too for Raikkonen, returning to the Lotus E21 cockpit after missing Saturday due to illness. A gearbox problem confined the Finn to the garage for much of the morning, restricting his ultimate mileage to 50 laps.
“Personally, I felt much better today and I was fine driving,” said Raikkonen. “We ran through a lot of assessments this afternoon and the feeling in the team is that we have a strong basis to start the season; even if we haven’t shown that every day. I’m happy with the car and looking forward to going racing.”
Williams drivers Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas were seventh and ninth fastest respectively, as the team concluded their test programme happy with the reliability and the latest performance updates on their FW35 machine.
“We completed the tests with one set of car parts, including using the same gearbox, so we have a good reliability record,” said technical director Mike Coughlan. “We brought an upgrade package here and in race trim the car looks competitive. We’ll now analyse all the data we have and then will go to Melbourne with the best package for the elevated temperatures we expect to find.”
Splitting the two Williams cars was reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, who commented: “We haven’t been able to tick all the boxes we would have liked to and the last two days weren’t as good as we had expected - but there is a bit of time left before the season starts!”
Charles Pic was 10th quickest for Caterham, while rivals Marussia had both their race drivers in action - Jules Bianchi in the morning and Max Chilton in the afternoon. They finished 11th and 13th respectively as both ran through some final race weekend preparation and pit stop scenarios ahead of their competitive F1 debuts in Melbourne.
Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo found himself sandwiched between the two Marussia drivers in the times as he finished 12th, with the Italian team admitting they have had their work cut out over winter testing this year.
“As the STR8 is fundamentally a new car, with plenty of crucial changes for example on the suspension, on the aero side and in terms of the architecture of the car, we had a very big work load to tackle this month in Spain,” explained Laurent Mekies, Toro Rosso’s head of vehicle performance. “Even if we did not win any records for high mileage, we got through a lot of work over the three weeks on track, during which the car ran reliably, with no serious issues.
“Apart from our car, the other new element was the Pirelli tyres, which have different characteristics to last year’s. Getting a full understanding of how the new rubber works is something that will take longer than we had expected. Alongside these challenges, the growth of our team has involved the introduction of some new engineers and a revised organisational structure and that too was being tested over these 12 days, so it’s been a case of a very different team and a very different car.”
Unofficial Sunday test times from Barcelona:
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:20.130, 131 laps
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:20.494, 120 laps
3. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.444, 122 laps
4. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:21.541, 118 laps
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:21.658, 50 laps
6. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:21.664, 112 laps
7. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.415, 42 laps
8. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.514, 100 laps
9. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.524, 31 laps
10. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:23.115, 116 laps
11. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, 1:23.167, 62 laps
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:23.628, 91 laps
13. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:24.103, 49 laps
Unofficial aggregate times from second Barcelona test:
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:20.130, 251 laps
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:20.494, 222 laps
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:20.588, 230 laps
4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:21.266, 206 laps
5. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.444, 194 laps
6. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:21.541, 197 laps
7. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.627, 171 laps
8. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:21.658, 50 laps
9. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:21.664, 169 laps
10. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.305, 151 laps
11. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.468, 147 laps
12. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.514, 165 laps
13. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:22.553, 191 laps
14. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.658, 149 laps
15. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:22.694, 201 laps
16. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:22.716, 186 laps
17. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:23.115, 199 laps
18. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, 1:23.167, 136 laps
19. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:23.223, 173 laps
20. Davide Valsecchi, Lotus, 1:23.448, 16 laps
21. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:23.628, 152 laps
22. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:24.103, 202 laps
23. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:24.235, 174 laps
Vital statistics - 2013’s pre-season testing in numbers 05 Mar 2013
Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg may have left Barcelona with the fastest lap time, but it was Sauber who completed the greatest distance of any of the teams over the 12 days of pre-season testing - just over 5,300 kilometres. With on-track preparations for the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship now complete, we review the important statistics ahead of the opening round in Australia on March 15-17...
Unofficial test kilometres completed (Drivers):
1. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber - 2,768
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes - 2,640
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 2,584
4. Sergio Perez, McLaren - 2,538
= Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber - 2,538
6. Max Chilton, Marussia - 2,536
7. Paul di Resta, Force India - 2,520
8. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso - 2,455
9. Charles Pic, Caterham - 2,364
10. Valtteri Bottas, Williams - 2,352
11. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari - 2,351
12. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - 2,343
13. Felipe Massa, Ferrari - 2,336
14. Romain Grosjean, Lotus - 2,270
15. Mark Webber, Red Bull - 2,265
16. Pastor Maldonado, Williams - 2,218
17. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham - 2,149
18. Jenson Button, McLaren - 2,091
19. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso - 2,051
20. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus - 1,182
21. Jules Bianchi, Force India/Marussia - 1,165
22. Adrian Sutil, Force India - 1,159
23. Luiz Razia, Marussia - 500
24. James Rossiter, Force India - 270
25. Pedro de la Rosa, Ferrari - 226
26. Davide Valsecchi, Lotus - 74
Unofficial test kilometres completed (Teams):
1. Sauber - 5,307
2. Mercedes - 5,224
3. Ferrari - 4,913
4. McLaren - 4,629
5. Red Bull - 4,608
6. Williams - 4,570
7. Caterham - 4,513
8. Toro Rosso - 4,506
9. Force India - 4,481
10. Marussia - 3,669
11. Lotus - 3,527
917 sets of Pirelli tyres were used in pre-season testing:
30 sets of the supersoft specification
190 sets of the soft specification
383 sets of the medium specification
221 sets of the hard specification
61 sets of the intermediate specification
32 sets of the wet specification
The longest runs on each compound at Barcelona were:
Supersoft - 16 laps
Soft - 31 laps
Medium - 36 laps
Hard - 24 laps
Intermediate - 47 laps
Wet - 48 laps
Unofficial aggregate times from the two pre-season tests at Barcelona:
1. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:20.130
2. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:20.494
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:20.588
4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:21.266
5. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.444
6. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, 1:21.541
7. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.627
8. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:21.658
9. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:21.664
10. Sergio Perez, McLaren, 1:21.848
11. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:22.188
12. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.197
13. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.305
14. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:22.468
15. Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:22.553
16. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.658
17. Charles Pic, Caterham, 1:23.115
18. Jules Bianchi, Marussia, 1:23.167
19. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:23.223
20. Davide Valsecchi, Lotus, 1:23.448
21. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:23.628
22. Max Chilton, Marussia, 1:24.103
23. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1:24.235
Too close to call - the 2013 Season Preview Part One 08 Mar 2013
Formula One racing’s final season with 2.4-litre V8 engines promises to be yet another humdinger, as teams hone their 2012 designs before the wholesale regulation changes that will come in 2014. Last year was close, until Red Bull got their RB8 really hooked up in the second half of what was an often confusing season, and the early indications are that not only might we expect further initial uncertainty this year, but also the field will be closer than ever as teams encounter diminishing developmental returns.
Jenson Button stunned early on in the winter’s first Jerez test, but says that while the latest Pirelli tyres are easier to understand than their 2012 counterparts, McLaren are still struggling to understand their MP4-28. Fernando Alonso says that Ferrari are ‘200 percent’ better off than they were this time last year. Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean are both delighted with the balance and poise of their Lotus E21. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are looking quietly confident about Red Bull’s RB9.
And while Lewis Hamilton said at one stage that he thought rivals were overrating Mercedes when they suggested that the Silver Arrows could win a race this season, by the end of the second Barcelona test he was suggesting just that himself.
But who has done the best job of understanding their Coanda exhaust systems which caused so many so much heartache in 2012? Now that active double DRS is no more, who will best optimise their passive systems? And, perhaps most critically, who will be able to best understand the aforementioned Pirellis with their revised construction and compounds? Cool temperatures in testing led to excessive (and, according to Pirelli, unrepresentative) tyre degradation, so getting a grip on how the new rubber behaves in warmer weather will be crucial, not just in Australia, but throughout the season.
Most of the latest cars are evolutions of their 2012 predecessors, only McLaren with their innovative pullrod front suspension and Sauber with markedly narrower sidepods seeming to have braved truly uncharted territory.
There have been 12 days of testing in Spain since February, but testing these days is always a fraught business for the performance sleuth since some teams seek to look as strong as possible in the hope of making themselves attractive to potential sponsors, while others deliberately sandbag in order to keep their true potential a closely guarded secret until the first race so that others have less time to assess the reasons for any advantage and copy them.
It’s clear who is running what tyre these days thanks to Pirelli’s sidewall colourings (note that for 2013 the hard compound will bear vivid orange markings instead of silver). What’s harder to know is just how much a driver might be pushing in a given sector or what specific programme he might be running, and of course what fuel load he might be carrying at any given time. Roughly, at the Circuit de Catalunya, every extra 10kg of fuel equates to another 0.36 seconds added to lap time, so while a car might appear to be as much as a second and a half off the pace of the fastest on a given day, it might simply be running a lot more fuel...
A year ago it was apparent that Ferrari were in deep trouble; this year none of the top five teams - Red Bull, Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren and Mercedes - seems to be struggling. Indeed, all of them had turns at being fastest in testing.
Button was quickest on the first day in Jerez, setting an amazingly fast time for McLaren in poor conditions; he was followed by Romain Grosjean for Lotus, Felipe Massa for Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen for Lotus.
In the first Barcelona test Nico Rosberg showed the way for Mercedes, followed by Sergio Perez for McLaren, Fernando Alonso for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes. The second Barcelona test saw Mark Webber kick off with fastest time for Red Bull, followed by Grosjean again for Lotus, then Hamilton and Rosberg for Mercedes. For what it’s worth, Rosberg’s 1:20.130 set that final day in Barcelona was the fastest time recorded at the Circuit de Catalunya over the winter.
Perhaps the most interesting fact is that Sebastian Vettel was not among the nine different drivers who were fastest in the 12 test days. In the second Barcelona test, Red Bull went back to being very secretive about their car, prompting suspicion that they were at pains to conceal the nuances of their passive double DRS for as long as possible, but there is no air of concern within the team. Mercedes, Lotus and Sauber also experimented with such systems, with fewer theatricals.
Then there was the promising speed shown by Force India, while Williams and Toro Rosso also had some stand-out moments.
On the driver front, Hamilton’s move to Mercedes and the arrival of Perez at McLaren will inevitably generate considerable interest, as will the return of Adrian Sutil at Force India. But there will also be five rookies making their race debuts: Esteban Gutierrez at Sauber, Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi at Marussia, and Giedo van der Garde at Caterham. The rookie of whom most is expected is Finland’s Valtteri Bottas at Williams. Many see in him the traits of the young Mika Hakkinen, who just so happens to be his mentor…
There have been minimal changes to the F1 technical regulations for 2013, thus creating a period of evolution of existing designs rather than encouraging the sort of breakthroughs that we will probably see when the new formula comes into force for 2014.
Active double DRS systems, such as that pioneered by Mercedes last year, have been outlawed. These utilised inlets in the rear wing endplates that were exposed when DRS was activated and flowed air through channels in the car to slots under the front wing, with the intention of stalling that further to reduce straight-line drag. However, as seen in testing, ‘passive’ double DRS systems such as those first tried by Lotus and Mercedes last year are still permitted.
The FIA have also stopped the free use of DRS in practice and qualifying. Now in these sessions drivers may only activate DRS in the areas where it may be used in the race. It is expected that there will be two DRS zones at many races.
Since Pirelli’s new tyres are heavier, the minimum weight goes up from 640kg to 642; front wings must now be even more rigid; and, finally, a small but important change - the ugly stepped noses seen in 2012 may be alleviated by the addition of vanity panels.
In the interests of continued safety improvements, all the chassis that a team manufactures will be subject to mandatory FIA crash tests rather than just one generic unit, and there is a tougher test on the monocoque structures and the roll hoops.
Now that there are only 22 cars, with the demise of the HRT team, the slowest six cars will be ejected after Q1 on a Saturday afternoon, followed by the slowest six in Q2.
Provided that the ambient and track temperatures are high enough, Saturday afternoon in Melbourne will finally begin to show us the first genuine indications of the pecking order, and most of the top teams and drivers expect things to be very close indeed…
The leading contenders - the 2013 Season Preview Part Two 08 Mar 2013
In the second instalment of our 2013 season preview we look at the teams that occupied the first five positions in the constructors’ standings in 2012 (Continued from Part One)…
Red Bull
1 Sebastian Vettel, 2 Mark Webber
Red Bull-Renault RB9
It’s interesting that Sebastian Vettel said he was disappointed with Red Bull’s form in the final test in Barcelona. "We didn't tick all the boxes that we would have liked to and the last two days were not as good as we would have expected,” he told reporters.
Like many of the drivers, he expressed the view that they were limited by the day-to-day performance of the new Pirelli tyres, which were adversely affected by the relatively low temperatures in both Jerez and Barcelona and were thus prone to graining.
There’s a feeling that while they might not actually have been sandbagging, Red Bull were running high fuel loads, which would explain why Vettel was never the fastest at any stage, and Mark Webber was only quickest on the fifth day in Barcelona.
The majority of seasoned observers believe that there is zero reason why the RB9 won’t be highly competitive, especially as it is an evolution of the RB8 with which Vettel dominated much of the latter half of 2012. It has good traction and aerodynamics, and the team are one of only four who appear to be persisting with passive double DRS and seem to have the best handle on it. Expect them to be the early pacesetter.
Ferrari
3 Fernando Alonso, 4 Felipe Massa
Ferrari F138
Ferrari were second and fourth fastest overall, courtesy of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, who each had a day being fastest, in Barcelona and Jerez respectively.
It seems that there is still work to be done on the F138, which is an evolution of last year’s F2012 intended to remedy that machine’s shortcomings. Alonso, however, was much more upbeat than he was this time last year.
The Spaniard believes that he and Massa can vie for victory in Melbourne, but admitted: "It’s difficult to judge rivals. Actually, it's impossible. You cannot go to the training grounds of Barcelona Football Club and see if they will win Sunday's match - as they are only warming up. I don't think by seeing (tennis players) Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic warming up you will see who will win the game. So we’ll see what’s what in Australia.
"We should not forget the goal we have, and we should not forget the 0.7-0.8s gap we had to the rest at the end of last year. But we can be closer to Red Bull and McLaren, who will be the strongest this season."
If you look at what Alonso did with the car he had at the start of 2012, it’s clear that Ferrari are in with a strong chance for 2013 and will pose a formidable threat.
McLaren
5 Jenson Button, 6 Sergio Perez
McLaren-Mercedes MP4-28
McLaren are one team that have opted for more than just evolution in the design of their MP4-28, which mates an ambitious pullrod front suspension design to a revision of the MP4-27 which set the pace at the beginning, middle and end of 2012 and won seven races.
Jenson Button stunned rivals with his pace in cold conditions on the first day in Jerez testing, but car performance has been inconsistent since then. New team mate Sergio Perez has looked strong in long-run tests and was fastest on the second day in Jerez, but both drivers report that they are still having trouble understanding their new machine.
It may be that they get their heads round that early on, especially if there are decent track temperatures in Melbourne and Malaysia, but equally it may take a little longer than that. Set-up changes reportedly took too long in Barcelona, to Button’s frustration, and the team are still at an early point on the learning curve which could compromise them in the opening races.
But the flipside is that the MP4-28 arguably has greater development potential than its rivals because of the team’s adventurous design approach, which should bode well as the season progresses.
Expect McLaren to be as strong as they were in 2012, but perhaps as inconsistent until they get their car sorted fully.
Lotus
7 Kimi Raikkonen, 8 Romain Grosjean
Lotus-Renault E21
Lotus did the least mileage of the top teams - 3,527 kilometres to Mercedes’ 5,224 - as they struggled with transmission reliability issues. But on-track the evolutionary E21 - one of the few cars not to have opted for the ‘vanity panel’ - looks pretty handy and demonstrated a notably strong front end which allowed Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to place the car just where they wanted it.
The Finn was fastest on the final day in Jerez, the Frenchman on the second day there and the sixth day in Barcelona. There’s an air of optimism in the garage, and a feeling that they have recaptured the strong form the E20 showed at the beginning of 2012 when the drivers weren’t quite in a position to exploit it. They are both ready now.
Like fellow Renault-powered teams Red Bull, Williams, and Caterham, Lotus have had to accept an FIA ruling that they must run with the same engine mapping mandated by the FIA in Hockenheim last year, but team insiders deny that will compromise their latest Coanda exhaust arrangement. So expect Lotus to remain F1 racing’s dark horse.
Mercedes
9 Nico Rosberg, 10 Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes F1 W04
There is a strong feeling among the top four teams that Mercedes are deliberately playing down their potential, after Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton recorded the overall first and third fastest times of the pre-season tests.
Things got underway badly when Rosberg suffered suspension problems in the F1 W04’s first run and then Hamilton crashed because of a brake failure, but the team recovered quickly and their respective testing distance of 2,640 and 2,584 kilometres topped everyone but Sauber. Of the top teams, Ferrari got closest to Mercedes’ combined total of 5,224 kilometres, with 4,913.
Of course, it may simply be that the Mercedes drivers were running less fuel than Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus or Red Bull. But having denied that the team have a chance of winning a race in 2013 after the first tests, Hamilton changed his mind in Barcelona, having been fastest on the fourth and seventh days there.
"I think we definitely will be able to win a race at some point during the season," he told reporters, before adding: "I don't think my fastest time was anything you need to be impressed with, really. I think everyone's doing their own programmes and everyone's on different fuel loads so it was just another testing day for us. We've still got a lot of work to do. But Mercedes are doing a great job. It's obviously a lot better than it was last year."
The Silver Arrows could spring the biggest surprise.
The chasing pack - the 2013 Season Preview Part Three 08 Mar 2013
In the final part of our season preview we discuss the teams that occupied positions six through 11 in the 2012 constructors’ standings (Continued from Part Two)...
Sauber
11 Nico Hulkenberg, 12 Esteban Gutierrez
Sauber-Ferrari C32
Sauber are a team willing to be bold, as evidenced by the ground-breakingly narrow sidepods on designer Matt Morris’s new C32. This is a refined version of the 2012 C31 which was so spectacularly kind to its tyres.
It remains to be seen how much of an advantage the reduction in drag from the smaller sidepods confers, not just on long straights but also in general airflow over the car’s rear end (and thus grip enhancement), or whether high ambient temperatures create problems. But the adventurous route is sure to be monitored very carefully by rivals.
The team have settled in nicely around their brace of new drivers. Nico Hulkenberg set some decent times in testing and (with the usual caveat about fuel loads) showed some impressive form. The quiet German is extremely dedicated and good with technical feedback, which should help the team to move forward.
Meanwhile, the team’s new Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez has done a good job thus far as he acclimatises to F1 racing, and has also shown pace. One of the intriguing factors of 2013 will be to see if the team can do even better than the major breakthrough they made in 2012, when they came so close to victory more than once.
Force India
14 Paul di Resta, 15 Adrian Sutil
Force India-Mercedes VJM06
Adrian Sutil's return to Force India is a very sound move by the team, reigniting the relationship between the German and team mate Paul di Resta.
Sutil has always been fast and demonstrated in 2011 that he had brought a new and much-needed on-track calmness to his driving that had hitherto been missing. Testing in Barcelona indicated that he has not lost any of his poise after a season away from the cockpit.
Di Resta goes into his third season of F1 racing ready to make the breakthrough he needs in order to make himself sufficiently attractive to one of the top teams. 2013 will be a critical year for him which could make or break his career.
The indications are that the VJM06 is another highly driveable machine that has very similar pace to the Sauber, and possibly to some of the top five teams’ offerings, and the Silverstone-based squad go into the new season optimistic of at least sixth place overall.
Williams
16 Pastor Maldonado, 17 Valtteri Bottas
Williams-Renault FW35
Last year the soon-to-depart Adam Parr did an excellent and largely unsung job in putting together the driving and technical factors which led to Williams winning their first Grand Prix since 2004. But the overall feeling at the end of the season was one of frustration that the drivers were, Barcelona apart, unable to exploit the equipment sufficiently to do better than eighth overall.
Since then both Toto Wolff and Dr Mark Gillan have elected to leave the team, but Williams have regrouped yet again and though Mike Coughlan’s FW35 was not ready until the Barcelona tests both Pastor Maldonado and newcomer Valtteri Bottas were able to show its potential.
It is unlikely that the controversial little winglet in the exhaust exit will be seen beyond Melbourne, after the FIA advised that they deemed it illegal, but nevertheless there is a strong air of optimism in this camp and a belief that the FW35 is a good step forward from the FW34.
Thus, much will depend on the drivers. Maldonado is quick and capable of decent finishes if he can control his competitive urges sufficiently to stay out of trouble with other drivers, while Bottas is the real deal and believed by many to be one of the sport’s genuine future stars.
Toro Rosso
18 Jean-Eric Vergne, 19 Daniel Ricciardo
Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR08
Toro Rosso must aim to challenge for sixth place in the constructors’ championship even though they only managed ninth in 2012. And if that puts the team under pressure with their neat new James Key-penned STR08, it’s nothing to what drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo face, even if both choose to play it down.
Two years ago Red Bull’s Helmut Marko dropped the team’s previous drivers - Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari - in favour of them. They are both thus acutely aware that Portuguese rising star Antonio Felix da Costa, a star in GP3 and World Series by Renault in 2012, and of the young driver test in Abu Dhabi with Red Bull, is waiting in the wings should Marko deem one of them to have come up short.
Caterham
20 Charles Pic, 21 Giedo van der Garde
Caterham-Renault CT03
At the 11th hour in 2012, Caterham managed to move back ahead of closest rivals Marussia and to continue on track towards better funding with 10th place in the constructors’ championship. But their new CT03, which is an improved version of last year’s troubled CT02, has been a handful for much of the pre-season testing.
The team have regrouped around two new drivers, Frenchman Charles Pic and Dutchman Giedo van der Garde, who both found their new car difficult until an aero update arrived late in the final test.
Since then, it has been announced that former Jordan, Renault and Lotus technician Hari Roberts has arrived to strengthen the design group led by technical director Mark Smith and performance director John Iley, as the new head of aerodynamics. All three will be under pressure to facilitate a significant upturn in the team’s performance.
Marussia
22 Jules Bianchi, 23 Max Chilton
Marussia-Cosworth MR02
Like Caterham, Marussia are on their mettle to improve their performance after struggling for the last three years. They have two strong weapons in their armoury: the new MR02 into which former Toleman, Benetton and Renault designer Pat Symonds has made significant input, and which has relied on both wind tunnel and CFD testing; and a KERS system for their Cosworth V8 for the first time.
They too have regrouped. They had to let F1 veteran Timo Glock go for financial reasons, and now rely on youngster Max Chilton in place of Caterham-bound Charles Pic, and Ferrari Driver Academy member Jules Bianchi who supplanted Luiz Razia at the last minute in Barcelona testing when the Brazilian’s funding failed to materialise.
Both Marussia and Caterham will likely struggle to score points, but their battle for 10th position will lend extra punch to the 2013 season.
Το ΣΚ αρχίζει το πρωτάθλημα από την Αυστραλία αλλά μετάδοση πουθενά!!!
Το ΣΚ αρχίζει το πρωτάθλημα από την Αυστραλία αλλά μετάδοση πουθενά!!!
θα γλυτωσετε και τον Πουρναράκη! UK DNS server και μεταδοση απο BBC/sky tv
Πιθανότατα θα την πάρει η κρατική, σήμερα-αύριο θα ξέρουμε.
Μακάρι δηλαδή γιατί ανήκω στην κατηγορία που δεν έχει δορυφορική και η σύνδεση έχει ταβάνι τα 2Mbps, οπότε εναλλακτικές γιοκ.
(κάθε χρονιά τα ίδια.. θυμάμαι μια χρονιά 3-4 χρόνια πριν είχαμε χάσει τον πρώτο αγώνα και πέρσυ μέχρι την τελευταία μέρα τίποτα δεν ήταν σίγουρο. Το μόνο που μένει σταθερό είναι η περιγραφή των καθυστερημένων.)
http://www.msfree.gr/ms.php?id=29822
πάρτυ πάρτυ στις 17 του μάρτη!
καλοχώνευτος ο αχωνευτος(πουρναράκης)
προγνωστικά;
θα λεγα 1 alonso, 2 vettel, 3 hamilton, 4 kimi
http://www.msfree.gr/ms.php?id=29822
πάρτυ πάρτυ στις 17 του μάρτη!
καλοχώνευτος ο αχωνευτος(πουρναράκης)
προγνωστικά;
θα λεγα 1 alonso, 2 vettel, 3 hamilton, 4 kimi
Τι έκανε λέει …..; ….΄΄η εισήγηση περιέγραφε την ανάγκη να έχουν ειδικές γνώσεις οι παρουσιαστές / σχολιαστές και ως εκ τούτου είναι πολύ πιθανό να δούμε και πάλι τον Τάκη Πουρναράκη ως βασικό σχολιαστή. ……΄΄ :rofl2:
ΒΟΗΘΕΙΑΑΑΑΑΑ ….!!!!!!!! :bullhorn:
ΟΧΙ ΑΛΛΟ G ….!!!!!!!!!! :kissass:
Όπως λέμε ….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Drn6wTL5uHU
ΌΧΙ άλλο πουρναρακη μάνα μου!!!!!!!!
2013 FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX PRACTICE 1
Pos Driver Team Time/Retired
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 01:27.2
2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 01:27.3
3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 01:27.5
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 01:27.6
5 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 01:27.7
6 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 01:27.9
7 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 01:28.0
8 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 01:28.4
9 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 01:28.4
10 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 01:28.5
11 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 01:28.6
12 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 01:28.8
13 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 01:28.9
14 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 01:29.4
15 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 01:29.9
16 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 01:30.2
17 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 01:30.7
18 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 01:31.0
19 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 01:31.3
20 Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 01:32.2
21 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 01:32.3
22 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 01:32.4
PRACTICE 2
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 01:25.9
2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 01:26.2
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 01:26.3
4 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 01:26.4
5 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 01:26.7
6 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 01:26.7
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 01:26.8
8 Felipe Massa Ferrari 01:26.9
9 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 01:27.4
10 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 01:28.2
11 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 01:28.3
12 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 01:28.3
13 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 01:28.6
14 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 01:28.6
15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 01:28.8
16 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 01:28.9
17 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 01:29.0
18 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 01:29.4
19 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 01:29.7
20 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 01:30.2
21 Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 01:30.6
22 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 01:32.5
Μας λυπήθηκε ο Θεός ….και την γλυτώσαμε αυτή τη φορά την δημοσιογραφάρα ….
http://www.drive.gr/site/index.php/el/news/races/item/4446
Χαχα άντε και προς στιγμήν χάρηκα ότι φέτος θα περιγράφει άλλος :)
rapid_fast
17-03-13, 07:08
FP1:http://www.viponlinesports.eu/motorsports/131061/1/formula-1-australian-grand-prix---practice-1-live-stream-online.html
FP2:http://www.viponlinesports.eu/motorsports/131063/1/formula-1-australian-grand-prix---practice-2-live-stream-online.html
FP3:http://www.viponlinesports.eu/motorsports/131065/1/formula-1-australian-grand-prix---practice-3-live-stream-online.html
Qual:http://www.viponlinesports.eu/motorsports/131067/1/formula-1-australian-grand-prix---qualifying-live-stream-online.html
Race:http://www.viponlinesports.eu/motorsports/131069/1/formula-1-australian-grand-prix---race-live-stream-online.html
go Kimi, go!
καθαρός αγώνας, καθαρή κυριαρχία kimi + στησιματος lotus
η RBR δυσκολευόταν να ακολουθήσει ακομα και σε ευθειες, it's not edgy anymore οπως ειπε και ο Κουλθαρντ. Ελπίζω να ΜΗΝ βελτιωθει και να το παρει ο καλυτερος απο τους Κιμι/Φερναντο.
Η McLaren αλλου πατουσε και αλλου βρισκοταν, η Μερκ μεταξυ φθορας και αφθαρσιας. Απο κοντα και η force india κυριως λόγω Sutil. Απο κει και περα το χαος, δεν εδειχναν και πλανα για να κρινω νεους οδηγους/ομαδες.
το πρόβλημα της Λοτους ειναι ο βοσκος ο Grosjean. ουτε ταχυτητα, ουτε δεδομενα αξιολογα στην ομαδα, ουτε κινητρο στον Κιμι. Ας όψονται τα γαλλικα συμφεροντα στην ομαδα απο εποχη renault...
Καλη χρονιά να έχουμε!
rapid_fast
17-03-13, 18:47
Ελπίζω να ΜΗΝ βελτιωθει και να το παρει ο καλυτερος απο τους Κιμι/Φερναντο.
Πρώτη νικη για τη λότους μετά τον Σέννα???
Ο κίμι ειναι καλύτερος απο τον φερνάντο, με μεγάλη διαφορα..
Πρώτη νικη για τη λότους μετά τον Σέννα???
Ο κίμι ειναι καλύτερος απο τον φερνάντο, με μεγάλη διαφορα..
ταχύτερος και πιο ταλαντουχος ναι, αλλα όχι τόσο σταθερος και dedicated στην ομάδα. μεγάλο παρτάλι κοινώς, για αυτό τον αγαπάμε!
Practice One - Webber sets the pace in Malaysia 22 Mar 2013
Practice for the 2013 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix got off to a slow start in warm conditions in Sepang on Friday morning, as Mark Webber set the pace by a fraction from Australian Grand Prix winner Kimi Raikkonen.
It took the best part of 30 minutes before any real times were set, and after Lewis Hamilton and then Nico Rosberg had set the pace for Mercedes, Webber and Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel took over.
As many drivers then focused on long runs on the orange-marked hard tyres, Webber’s 1m 36.935s remained the session’s best time. Raikkonen had problems with a sensor on his Lotus’s KERS battery, which prevented him running for a long time, but he then banged in a 1m 37.003s, just 0.068s off the Australian.
Vettel was third on 1m 37.104s from Fernando Alonso, who lapped his Ferrari in 1m 37.319s. Rosberg was next on 1m 37.588s from Adrian Sutil’s Force India on 1m 37.769s, Felipe Massa’s Ferrari on 1m 37.771s, Paul di Resta’s Force India on 1m 37.773s, Hamilton on 1m 37.840s and Romain Grosjean’s Lotus on 1m 37.915s.
There were few incidents among the frontrunners; Alonso locked up and ran wide on one lap at Turn 1, and Sutil damaged his front-wing endplate after running too far over the kerb exiting the final corner.
Further back, Esteban Gutierrez spun his Sauber going into Turn 14, but ended up just behind team mate Nico Hulkenberg who has a new car after his fuel system problems in Melbourne. The German posted 1m 39.054s, the Mexican 1m 39.204s. That left them 14th and 15th, behind Jenson Button in 11th on 1m 38.173s in the troubled McLaren MP4-28, Pastor Maldonado on 1m 38.673s for Williams and Sergio Perez who set his 1m 38.830s very early in the session in his McLaren.
Valtteri Bottas was 16th on 1m 39.208s in the other Williams and headed the Toro Rossos of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo on 1m 39.284s and 1m 39.567s respectively. Giedo van der Garde rose to the occasion for Caterham with 1m 40.728s, which left him just ahead of fellow rookie Jules Bianchi who was learning the track on his way to 1m 40.996s in the Marussia. Charles Pic was 21st in the second Caterham, on 1m 41.163s, with Max Chilton 22nd in the other Marussia on 1m 41.513s, another time that was set early on.
Practice Two - Raikkonen on top in rain-hit Malaysia 22 Mar 2013
Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest time in the second free practice session for the 2013 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang, before rain half an hour from the end prevented anyone from challenging his position.
Raikkonen edged out Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa, by 0.019s and 0.92s respectively, with 1m 36.569s for Lotus compared to the Red Bull's 1m 36.588s and the Ferrari's 1m 36.661s.
Fernando Alonso was fourth in the second Ferrari F138 on 1m 36.985s, before Mark Webber for Red Bull on 1m 37.026s, Romain Grosjean for Lotus on 1m 36.206s, Nico Rosberg for Mercedes on 1m 37.448s, Paul di Resta for Force India on 1m 37.571s, Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes on 1m 37.574s, Adrian Sutil for Force India on 1m 37.788s and the McLarens of Sergio Perez and Jenson Button on 1m 37.838s and 1m 37.865s respectively.
More than most, Mercedes focused mainly on longer runs on the medium tyres, rather than on outright speed like many of their competitors.
Outside the top dozen, Nico Hulkenberg narrowly edged out Sauber team mate Esteban Gutierrez, with 1m 38.068s to 1m 38.38.645s. Both spun; the Mexican dropped it out on the track, the German in the pit road once the rain had left the road very slick.
Jean Eric-Vergne continued to hold the upper hand over Toro Rosso partner Daniel Ricciardo, with 1m 38.738s and 15th place to 1m 38.904s and 17th, with Pastor Maldonado placing his Williams between them with 1m 38.801s.
Jules Bianchi again performed well for Marussia on his first acquaintance with Sepang; the Frenchman lapped in 1m 39.508s for 18th place ahead of Williams' Valtteri Bottas on 1m 39.660s, the Caterhams of Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde on 1m 40.757s and 1m 40.768s apiece, and team mate Max Chilton on 1m 41.438s.
Εύχομαι να κρατήσει η απεργία ….. για να μη ματώσουν τα αυτιά μου ….. :dance:
Ευχαριστώ τον Hamilton γιατί με αυτά που συνεχίζει να κάνει επαληθεύει αυτά που έλεγα παλαιότερα …. :smokin:
Σημερινά κατορθώματα του ….Λάθος ομάδα για το Pit Stop :rofl2: + (εάν δεν κάνω λάθος) στην είσοδο για το τέταρτο Pit Stop θα έπαιρνε μαζί του και τον Vettel ……
Εύχομαι να κρατήσει η απεργία ….. για να μη ματώσουν τα αυτιά μου ….. :dance:
Ευχαριστώ τον Hamilton γιατί με αυτά που συνεχίζει να κάνει επαληθεύει αυτά που έλεγα παλαιότερα …. :smokin:
Σημερινά κατορθώματα του ….Λάθος ομάδα για το Pit Stop :rofl2: + (εάν δεν κάνω λάθος) στην είσοδο για το τέταρτο Pit Stop θα έπαιρνε μαζί του και τον Vettel ……
καλη η απεργια αλλα για να ειμαι ειλικρινης λιγο βαρετο-ζαλαδα να ακους μονο τα πριονια να περνανε.
σιγουρα θα τον επερνε μεχρι τελευταια στιγμη που αλλαξε πορεια κ ταχυτητα.κατι τετοια ειναι απο τα επιπολαια λαθη που εχει κατα καιρους ο χαμιλτον κ εχει χαραχτηριστει ανωριμος-επιπολαιος.
Τώρα τι θα συμβεί με τους επόμενους αγώνες, γνωρίζει κάποιος? Θα τους πάρει άλλο κανάλι?
Κράξτε με αλλά είναι το μοναδικό πράγμα που με απασχολεί από το κλείσιμο του βαρελιού δίχως πάτο.
http://www.sportcategory.com/c-10.html
http://www.sportlemon.tv/20130627/vv51cb96b89ece07.44161220-599019.html
Δυστυχώς η γραμμή μου (ούτε 2ΜΒ, όσο πιο μακριά γίνεται από το κέντρο) δεν μου επιτρέπει τη λύση του streaming, πόσο μάλλον κάποιου ποιοτικού.
rapid_fast
28-06-13, 18:40
H Formula 1 στον αλφα...
Δυστυχώς, πάλι με τον πουρναράκη...
...πάλι με τον πουρναράκη...
Πρώτα θα σταματήσει να υπάρχει F1 και μετά θα σταματήσει ο Πουρναράκης.....είναι ο Murray Walker της Ελλάδας!!!
Γιατι ρε παιδιά εμένα μου αρέσει έτσι όπως τα λέει :D
Noμίζω τον αγώνα σήμερα τον δείχνει η Δημόσια Τηλεόραση...εάν ξέρετε κάτι διαφορετικό πείτε...
Όντως...και η ανοργανωσιά σε όλο της το μεγαλείο!!! ένα,δύο,εάν,δύο...:rofl2:
Και δίκιο έχεις.. δεν υπάρχει αυτό που βγήκε στον αέρα από ΚΑΠΟΙΑ κανάλια της ΔΤ. Ούτε new channel, seven-x σε καιρό παρακμής.
Τόνισα το "ΚΑΠΟΙΑ" γιατί σε άλλες συχνότητες οι ζωντανές συνομιλίες που βγήκαν στον αέρα μεταξύ των "ειδικών" δεν υπήρξαν.
Μεταξύ όλων αυτών, τολμώ να πω πως αν και έχω κράξει τους τύπους δηψίφιο αριθμό φορών σε αυτό το forum, η σημερινή μετάδοση ήταν τουλάχιστον ΟΚ και σίγουρα όχι αναμενόμενη
Γνωρίζει κανείς που στο καλό θα μεταδοθεί αύριο Κυριακή ο αγώνας? Τσεκάρω τα προγράμματα των πιθανών καναλιών (alpha-ertHD) στις σελίδες τους στο internet και δεν υπάρχει πουθενά ακόμα...
Γνωρίζει κανείς που στο καλό θα μεταδοθεί αύριο Κυριακή ο αγώνας? Τσεκάρω τα προγράμματα των πιθανών καναλιών (alpha-ertHD) στις σελίδες τους στο internet και δεν υπάρχει πουθενά ακόμα...
Στην ΔΤ (Δημόσια Τηρεόραση). Νομίζω κατα τις 2 θα ξεκινήσουν με τις κατατακτήριες.
Ευχαριστώ πολύ, είναι κομματάκι δύσκολο να παρακολουθεί και να ενημερώνεται κανείς για το πρόγραμμα της Δημόσιας Τηλεορασάρας ακόμα..
Να σας πρίξω λίγο ακόμα? :) Είναι κάποιο κανάλι (συχνότητα) από τα 5 που πιάνω με όνομα "EDT" το αντίστοιχο του ΕΡΤHD ή είναι όλα στην ίδια ποιότητα?
παμε για ιταλια τωρα 8/9/13........ΣΤΗ ΔΤ........:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:
αδιαφορος ο σημερινος αγωνας ..τουλαχιστον απο τον 4ο γυρο και περα που ειδα..
Ο… σόκιν αποχαιρετισμός της Lotus στον Κίμι
http://www.sport-fm.gr/article/o-socking-apoxairetismos-tis-Lotus-gia-kimi/720742
vBulletin® v3.8.5, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.