Barcelona Test - Day Two

3rd & 7 37yd

@Laurence. Have any idea of the track temperarure? seems a little..... to use hard at this time.

by MIKEB 2/20/2015 2:58:41 PM
@MIKEB: Track temperature is 22.8C. That's still pretty chilly for F1 tyres, which are designed to run on track temperatures ranging from 30-40C. Pirelli has developed a special winter tyre for testing that gets up to operating temperature very quickly in cold conditions. The low temperatures are just another reason not to get too excited about quick laps at the top of the timesheets.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:00:41 PM
Those times have been updated - sorry for the delay ladies and gents.

by Nate Saunders 2/20/2015 3:01:14 PM
Hamilton has surpassed Alonso's daily lap total in just three hours.

by Nate Saunders 2/20/2015 3:01:56 PM
I think that the 2014 mercedes engines are so powerful and until now it has a hidden pace on it...i surpasses even the 2015 mercedes in lotus last day...what do you think?

by abudhabifan 2/20/2015 3:01:57 PM
@abudhabifan: Lotus is not yet running its engine at full power and we don't know fuel loads. The Force India time could mean a lot or it could mean very little. Personally, I reckon the guys at Mercedes HPP in Brixworth know what they are doing and haven't made the 2015 engine slower.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:03:19 PM
The Tifosi have spoken!

by mfbull 2/20/2015 3:03:31 PM
The staff at Mercedes HPP in Brixworth must have the coolest paperweights on their desks.

by mfbull 2/20/2015 3:05:41 PM
@mfbull: I bet it's not as cool as mine. A piston from the Cosworth DFV that powered Emerson Fittipaldi's McLaren at the 1974 Monaco Grand Prix.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:06:44 PM
how much time remaining?

by Krish 2/20/2015 3:10:53 PM
@Krish: One hour and 50 minutes to go. So just over midway through this afternoon session, which ends at 18:00 local time.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:11:27 PM
What is worth remembering is that force india are using a car that is running all completed that is tried and tested wheras everyone else is trying to get everything working together in terms of brake by wire and throttle application so the new cars are definitely going to be quiker than last year

by nathanl2k 2/20/2015 3:12:30 PM
Is it allowed to use more than one PU during the same weekend? E.g. use PU1 during free practice and PU2 in Qualy and Race?

by George S. 2/20/2015 3:12:41 PM
@GeorgeS.: Yep, the regulation is for four PUs over the course of the season. They can change between them as much as they want, but can't go tampering inside once they have started using one.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:13:36 PM
And just how cool to you feel Laurence?

by Goldfire30 2/20/2015 3:14:17 PM
@Goldfire30: Very

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:14:36 PM
it looks like ricciardo is getting through his work ok

by burnettbull 2/20/2015 3:14:46 PM
@burnettbull: Yep, it's by far the strongest day for Red Bull during pre-season testing so far. The 98 laps will be a bigger boost than the outright lap time though.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:15:30 PM
Do you think Mercedes will still have a big advantage like last year? Or do you think teams will be a lot closer to Mercedes and challenging them? I know we all don't know just know, but if you had to say one, what would you say?

by Mikey 2/20/2015 3:16:53 PM
@Mikey: I know you know I don't know, but, you know, maybe no-one knows...

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:17:26 PM
whats the difference in the top edge of the rear wings? last year some were wavy, now some have a part in the middle, others are straight edged. anybody know?

by MonkeySEATclub 2/20/2015 3:18:44 PM
@MonkeySEATclub: I don't know for sure, but I believe it reduces drag. Mercedes had two dips in the top of the wing at Spa and Monza last year.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:19:44 PM
Ricciardo completes lap 100 - the first man to reach a century of laps so far in Barcelona.

by Nate Saunders 2/20/2015 3:19:47 PM
By the look of things lotus will be back in the fight as well as Ferrari. Hope Mercedes has issues with the new nose so we can have a great start of season

by Gustavo Echenagucia 2/20/2015 3:19:53 PM
Why don't the fans get to watch the pre-season testing ?

by Madhusudan Ramakrishna 2/20/2015 3:19:58 PM
@MadhusudanRamakrishna: Because in reality it is very dull. Imagine an eight hour FP1 session when most of the time no more than two cars are on track and you are not allowed to see in any of the garages. Sky attempted to do live coverage a couple of years ago and the figures weren't great. I can assure you, if there was money to be made then Bernie would have found a way of doing it. However, there are some interesting news angles that come out of it and so it is perfect for website coverage.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:22:13 PM
Am curious...so asking it for the 3rd time, as it wasn't published earlier...As I can recall, the drivers earlier had the choice of going in the race with more down-force or speed. Do they enjoy the same decision making powers now, or my knowledge is wrong, it never was the case ever.

by Sitank 2/20/2015 3:23:29 PM
@Sitank: That's a choice made by drivers and their engineers, which has always been the case. Nowadays, simulations give the teams a good idea before they arrive at the track and then decisions are made from there on. At most tracks they want the maximum downforce possible from the package (while limiting drag of course). Spa is still an interesting track in that regard as some cars run lots of wing to be fast in the corners and some cars run skinny wings for straight-line speed. It's all part of the strategy of a race weekend.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:26:20 PM
@gustavoE yes Hamilton definitely won't be able to judge where the nose of a Mercedes car is this year

by burnettbull 2/20/2015 3:27:32 PM
Driver 1: "I'll take the downforce with speed." Driver 2: "I'll take the speed with downforce."

by mfbull edited by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:27:57 PM
Bernie could monetize it all if he would just upgrade the F1 site to incorporate some insider video content to go with an online/mobile streaming season package.

by mfbull 2/20/2015 3:28:06 PM
@Laurence couldn't agree more with you from a business view, but we fans would love to watch anyway

by Madhusudan Ramakrishna 2/20/2015 3:28:11 PM
@MadhusudanRamakrishna: My advice would be to take a trip to a test if you get a chance. You can often buy paddock access for less then a general admission ticket at a race.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:28:59 PM
Was Ricciardo's fastest lap on soft ??

by amu4uall 2/20/2015 3:29:28 PM
@amu4uall: Yes

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:29:33 PM
That being said, I'd love to go to a test as a team guest with an all-access pass and just be a fly on the wall.

by mfbull 2/20/2015 3:29:41 PM
I think you will see the Mercs retain dominance on the lap times on the last test day. Not as much as last season, but perhaps an avg 3 tenths. Then of course at Albert Park.....

by Anthony Lecce 2/20/2015 3:30:20 PM
Palmer improves to a 1:26.280, putting the Lotus reserve driver up into sixth above Hamilton.

by Nate Saunders 2/20/2015 3:32:14 PM
Hamilton is still roaring through his schedule. He's just clocked lap 69. Remember McLaren finished just 79 laps in the whole of Jerez earlier this month. Hamilton is on course to match or beat that in one afternoon session.

by Nate Saunders 2/20/2015 3:33:03 PM
by Formula 1 via twitter 2/20/2015 3:33:51 PM
That is how close you can get at testing (before you get elbowed in the face by the man on the right)

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:34:33 PM
by Red Bull Racing via twitter 2/20/2015 3:36:05 PM
@Laurence: Thanks. I just remembered Mclaren last year had bunch of ripples in rear wing but I believe it was where the DRS slot was, not the very top.

by MonkeySEATclub 2/20/2015 3:37:40 PM
Red Bull may not be able to see him but we certainly can here in the media centre - Ricciardo iss top of the timing screens in mileage and time. He's just ticked over to 112 laps.

by Nate Saunders 2/20/2015 3:38:08 PM
@MonkeySEATclub: That's true on the MP4-30 as well. They are there to create vortices that help the airflow reattach to the wing when the DRS flap is closed.

by Laurence Edmondson 2/20/2015 3:39:37 PM

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