F1 2019 Pre-Season / Testing Thread

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Laps completed today:

Verstappen - 108
Bottas - 74
Ricciardo - 72
Kubica - 72
Grosjean - 70
Sainz - 70
Raikkonen - 61
Kvyat - 60
Perez - 42
Vettel - 40
Hamilton - 19

Current best times:

McLaren at the top of the times again, albeit using the stickier red tyres.

DRIVER TEAM TIME
1 Sainz McLaren 1m17.144s
2 Vettel Ferrari 1m18.195s
3 Verstappen Red Bull 1m18.395s
4 Grosjean Haas 1m18.847s
5 Bottas Mercedes 1m18.941s
6 Hamilton Mercedes 1m18.943s
7 Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m19.060s
8 Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1m19.194s
9 Perez Racing Point 1m19.202s
10 Kubica Williams 1m19.367s
11 Hulkenberg Renault 1m22.277s
12 Ricciardo Renault 1m22.597s

Danny Ric did a full race simulation in the Renault, hence his perceived slow times.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Day 3 at Catalunya


Most are really getting stuck into performance runs today, with all bar Mercedes (and KMag ) using the softest rubber. Ferrari still looking strong with Leclerc into the low 16's. Basically matching last years pole time. Albon also in the 16s albeit 0.6 slower than CLAP.
Whether Mercedes are just continuing with their programme and not looking at high speed now, in other words sandbagging, or seriously have problems I dont know, but I suspect we might see tham come out with guns blazing tomorrow. They seem to be happy just doing long runs at the moment.

Likewise is McLaren's apparent pace genuine or just PR chasing?

I guess we wont really know until Melbourne P3.

Times at the moment:

DRIVER TEAM TIME
1 Leclerc Ferrari 1m16.231s
2 Albon Toro Rosso 1m16.882s
3 Norris McLaren 1m17.084s
4 Gasly Red Bull 1m17.091s
5 Hulkenberg Renault 1m17.496s
6 Stroll Racing Point 1m17.556s
7 Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1m17.639s
8 Hamilton Mercedes 1m18.097s
9 Russell Williams 1m18.130s
10 Magnussen Haas 1m18.199s
11 Bottas Mercedes 1m22.883s


lap counts.

Hamilton - 85
Albon - 75
Hulkenberg - 73
Norris - 66
Leclerc - 58
Russell - 58
Magnussen - 53
Giovinazzi - 49
Stroll - 46
Gasly - 44
Bottas - 17

[DoubleFart]

McLaren are somewhere near the front of the midfield.

Word is that their 2017 car was actually pretty good, but they got the 2018 car fundamentally wrong and created areas of poor airflow and pressure between the wheel and sidepod that they were never going to be able to fix.

Now they know, they're back on course, and as we know - on course when on engine parity is 4th best team (see 2014)

[sebbbl]

Gasly flipped

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLMF1wGS8Eo

[Everso Biggyballies]

Gasly flipped

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLMF1wGS8Eo

Onboard version.
I dont think he flipped.... just went in hard and backwards.

[sebbbl]

Well, obviously not. That was just an early rumor.. yet the 2nd car he binned

[DoubleFart]

That oh shit moment must be horrible. You know it's going to destroy the car, you know it's your fault and you know it's going to hurt!

[XcraigX]

You can't brake on the grass gassly!

[Everso Biggyballies]

A Gasly mistake.

[John]

gassly!

Grassly.

[kals]

gassly!

Grassly.

Crashly

[Everso Biggyballies]

I read that the failure was the wheel rim broke. Presumably a manufacturing failure, or alternatively maybe a Ferrari manufacturing specification was too marginal, chasing a few grams weight reduction or similar reason ?
Regardless, I guess that is what testing is all about. Highlight any weaknesses in time for them to be fixed prior to a race weekend.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Final day of pre season testing and the times come down some more.... now similar to last years pole time.
Mercedes have even joined the qualy sim party for the first time this test, with Bottas lapping just shy of Vettels pace.

So much for them being slower. By the time they get to Catalunya for the GP I dare say sandbags removed, warmer weather, development and fine tuning will have found another half second or more.

Even Kubica's time today in the Williams, over a second slower than the next car up, would have qualified c 14th for last years GP. Every other car would have qualified top 8 based on todays testing times..

Morning times

DRIVER TEAM TYRE TIME
1 Vettel Ferrari 1m16.221s
2 Bottas Mercedes 1m16.561s
3 Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m16.898s
4 Sainz McLaren 1m16.913s
5 Grosjean Haas 1m17.076s
6 Ricciardo Renault 1m17.114s
7 Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1m17.239s
8 Verstappen Red Bull 1m17.709s
9 Perez Racing Point 1m17.791s
10 Kubica Williams 1m18.993s

[Antonov]

Mercedes has suddenly found some pace and is on par with Ferrari.

Kubica fails to show his hand so far.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Vettel topped morning running, still fastest this afternoon but Hamilton just 0.003s adrift.
Vettel wont be going any faster today, having been hit by electrical trouble in the afternoon. Ferrari's pre-season is over early as a result

Red Bull running hindered by a gearbox issue.... I believe they still manufacture their own in house gearboxes.

Kubica seems to have done a lot of outlaps and inlaps with not many meaningful runs. Having said that he has covered more than a race distance so maybe I am being overly critical.

[Antonov]

Kubica will not make it to the start of the European season. Read my lips.