F1 2020 Pre-Season / Testing Thread

[PTRACER]

Bottom post of the previous page:

It's a damn shame it's only a livery for testing.

Andrea Moda is back?

Ah you beat me to it!

[DoubleFart]

Can somebody explain the Mercedes wheel thing? I've seen that they can pull the wheel back and forth, but I don't know what it's doing, and the commentary I'm listening to is talking about teams protesting.

[ReneLotus]

From what I have understood so far, it changes the toe-in of the car to a more neutral setting on the straight. That way the wheels aren't as offset as normal and stand up a bit straighter. That should reduce drag and friction on the straight, therefore making the car faster in a straight line.
When braking for the corner, the steering wheel gets pushed forward again and the wheels take up their normal setting to provide optimum grip whilst cornering.

[Picci]

So the question is whether this is affecting the suspension while the car is in motion right? Which would mean that if so would be illegal?

[caneparo]

I see that mercedes introduced a double axis steering wheel so the front wheels can be moved in 2 dimensions. If fia said it is legal then we have to accept it. But i ask if the spirt of formula1 is the technological changes or to define who is the best driver in the world.

[Everso Biggyballies]

It does not seem like it is an easy to copy system for others. Hopefully it gets banned otherwise if it is any good (as in this years version of a Double diffuser) Merc will get a runaway.

Merc seem to be having a quiet day in the timesheets, with Perez having been quickest before lunch in the Racing Point.
And then Kimi got serious and went fastest with the best time of the test to date (1:17.091)... still about 1.5 secs of last years GP pole.

Grosjean is up to his usual tricks, when he lost the rear through Turn 4, gets a chunk of oversteer and slides through the gravel before crunching the rear end into the wall. He managed to limp the damaged car back but his day is over I would say.
It seems like Mercedes have packed up for the day. Mind you they have completed over 180 laps today.

I know Williams and Renault have both had technical issues today.

Here is the timesheet from just before Kimi went fastest, when there was about an hour to go.

[erwin greven]

I see that mercedes introduced a double axis steering wheel so the front wheels can be moved in 2 dimensions. If fia said it is legal then we have to accept it. But i ask if the spirt of formula1 is the technological changes or to define who is the best driver in the world.

Actually is not THIS what F1 makes F1?? This is development, thinking outside the box. This is what the designers and engineers did in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Until the FIA started to ban almost every new idea, because the opposition started to complain. Like the Lotus 88.

[Everso Biggyballies]

[
Actually is not THIS what F1 makes F1?? This is development, thinking outside the box. This is what the designers and engineers did in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Until the FIA started to ban almost every new idea, because the opposition started to complain. Like the Lotus 88.

I agree, even if I suggested I would like to see it banned. The main reason for that call was Merc already have a big advantage so I dont want to see them benefit more.... had it been say Williams coming up with the idea, or Racing Point, Alfa, Haas or Alpha Tauri I would be all for it to bring one of those teams closer to the front.

But yes it is like as I mentioned, the double diffuser, ground effects, from drop noses and many other revolutionary ideas and many more eureka moments in the F1 story . This is one of the joys of F1, seeing a team pull something from outside the box. I just wish it wasnt Merc that thought of it.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Hehehe Kimi may have set the fastest testing time to date this year, but he also had the honour of causing out the first red flag of the week having stopped on track with a few minutes remaining. He had managed over 130 laps though, or two race distances in the day.

Ferrari have admitted they are going about testing this year in a different way to last year when then just looked for out and out pace ending pre season fastest of all teams.... and then getting a slap in the face in Melbourne when, full of confidence, they got pissed on. Apparently this year they are concentrating on getting data and learning the car before trying to set the world on fire.

Anyway FWIW here are the end of day times:




Final day of week 1 tomorrow.

[erwin greven]

Lewis ran a 1:16.9.

[Picci]

Lewis ran a 1:16.9.

And he did that on the C2 tyre which I understand was the hardest compound

[caneparo]

Mercedes has one year of advantage on all
Other team. They are designing already the 2021. There’s no point to let them this advantage after they won 7 straight championship

[Antonov]

Lewis ran a 1:16.9.

And he did that on the C2 tyre which I understand was the hardest compound

isn't 1 the softest and 5 the hardest?

[Everso Biggyballies]

No, the higher the number the softer the tyre, with the colours adding more confusion. For instance a red soft tyre at Monaco is a 5 whereas the red soft at Silverstone is a 3. ie there are 3 colours designating Hard medium and soft, but in reality 5 different compounds across those three colours, and the compounds vary from track to track whereas the colours dont.
And that was the solution to simplifying it all.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Mercedes steering system has been passed legit for 2020

The FIA will only allow Formula 1 teams to run dual-axis steering systems until the end of 2020, and has outlawed the Mercedes-developed device for the start of 2021.

I wonder how long it will take teams to play catch up.

In testing today, Mercedes seem to have turned up the wick, Bottas down to a 1:16.474.
Vettel brought out the reds when he stopped on track. Seem like it was an engine failure as the team are now doing an engine change for this afternoon.
Times from just before midday in Spain.

DRIVER TEAM TIME
1 Bottas Mercedes 1m16.417s
2 Kvyat AlphaTauri 1m17.427s
3 Stroll Racing Point 1m17.442s
4 Ocon Renault 1m17.536s
5 Verstappen Red Bull 1m17.636s
6 Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1m18.035s
7 Grosjean Haas 1m18.380s
8 Vettel Ferrari 1m18.384s
9 Sainz McLaren 1m18.409s
10 Latifi Williams 1m19.029s

[Antonov]

I wonder how long it will take teams to play catch up.

seems like a much more complicated device to master than the basics of, say, the F-duct in 2010.
there will probably be some 'light-versions', but unsure of the perfection of the Mercedes will be attained.