Even the cynics were astonished when Jenson Button cut the timing beam on the Circuit de Catalunya pit straight on Wednesday. Low fuel run to impress potential sponsors or not, the Brawn GP had circulated the Barcelona layout in an unofficial 1:19.1. Last April for the Spanish Grand Prix at the same venue, Robert Kubica's BMW was the fastest car in the low-fuel Q2 phase - a 1min20.5. "If it stays like this, Brawn GP will be all by themselves at the front in Melbourne," Sebastian Vettel marvelled to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. Likewise, Fernando Alonso on Wednesday admitted that the BGP001 currently seems faster than his Renault. "Brawn is not such a surprise for me because they have been preparing their car for a long time." "They have done great work with the aerodynamics," the Spaniard added. After a similarly impressive Monday and Tuesday in Spain, Button's Mercedes-powered car, fundamentally designed under Honda ownership last year, was a full second and more quicker than the chasing Ferrari, BMW and Toyotas. At the other end of the spectrum, McLaren's woeful winter continued on Wednesday, Lewis Hamilton slowest of the ten runners and at one point in the barriers at turn two. Compounding the 2008 world champion's misery, when he returned to the pits from his crash, the ardent Spanish fans made clear their derision with a shower of boos and whistles. Referring to the Mercedes-powered MP4-24, Ron Dennis told Reuters Television in London on Wednesday: "It is certainly not as fast as we would like it to be." "But it's early days and we've still got quite a bit of testing to do and quite a bit of development to reflect through into our pace." Source: GMM © CAPSIS International Image Unavailable, Please Login
The final day of the group test at Circuit de Catalunya was briefly delayed this morning due to the foggy conditions. The ten runners were however soon out on the 4.655km Spanish Grand Prix circuit, and once again it was a Brawn Mercedes that ended the day at the top of the timesheets. Rubens Barrichello took over testing duties of the new BGP001 today from Jenson Button, the Brazilian veteran proving every bit as effective as his British team-mate. Barrichello completed 110 laps, his best time of 1:18.926s coming on his 102nd tour. Barrichellos time eclipses Buttons Wednesday best by just over two-tenths of a second and while undoubtedly the time was recorded on a low fuel run, it underlines the raw pace of the new challenger. Nico Rosberg upped the pace for in his Williams Toyota, setting the second fastest time of the day eight-tenths off the ultimate pace. The time shows a big improvement with the FW31, lapping three-tenths clear of the similarly powered TF109 of Timo Glock and some 1.6 seconds quicker than yesterday. Sebastian Vettel was back behind the wheel of the Red Bull Renault to wrap up the Milton Keynes-based teams pre-season test programme and set the fourth fastest time ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Renault. Alonso was however restricted to just 64 laps today as the R29 suffered an engine failure mid-afternoon bringing out the red flags due to oil being laid down from the pit lane to turn five. Felipe Massa lapped half a second of his Wednesday best in the Ferrari F60, ending the day sixth fastest ahead of Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber. McLaren has struggled for pace all week in Barcelona, as they did last week at Jerez. The team will be mildly encouraged by the pace today however as it lifts them from the bottom end of the timesheets to eighth, albeit almost two seconds off Barrichellos best time. Sebastien Buemi and Sebastien Bourdais shared the new Toro Rosso Ferrari with the former putting in 62 laps and setting the ninth fastest time and the latter just 27 laps and the 11th best time. Giancarlo Fisichella split the STR duo in tenth in the new Force India Mercedes. While this is the end of the Barcelona group test, Brawn Mercedes, McLaren Mercedes, Renault and Williams Toyota now travel to Jerez to start another test programme commencing Sunday morning. Barcelona - 12/03/2009 1 . R. Barrichello - Brawn Mercedes BGP 001 - 1:18.926 (+ 0.000 ) - 110 laps 2 . N. Rosberg - Williams Toyota FW31 - 1:19.774 (+ 0.848 ) - 120 laps 3 . T. Glock - Toyota TF109 - 1:20.091 (+ 1.165 ) - 128 laps 4 . S. Vettel - Red Bull Renault RB5 - 1:20.576 (+ 1.650 ) - 83 laps 5 . F. Alonso - Renault R29 - 1:20.664 (+ 1.738 ) - 64 laps 6 . F. Massa - Ferrari F60 - 1:20.667 (+ 1.741 ) - 92 laps 7 . R. Kubica - BMW Sauber F1.09 - 1:20.740 (+ 1.814 ) - 134 laps 8 . L. Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 - 1:20.869 (+ 1.943 ) - 70 laps 9 . S. Buemi - Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4 - 1:21.013 (+ 2.087 ) - 62 laps 10 . G. Fisichella - Force India Mercedes VJM02 - 1:21.045 (+ 2.119 ) - 141 laps 11 . S. Bourdais - Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4 - 1:21.629 (+ 2.703 ) - 27. laps
This afternoon marked the end of testing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona. Felipe Massa was again on track today, working on a programme of set-up adjustment checks on the Ferrari F60. The Brazilian driver covered a total of 92 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.20.677, sixth fastest on the day. While some teams move on to Jerez this weekend, the Scuderia's winter testing thus came to an end today: the next time it will appear on track will be at the Australian Grand Prix, the inaugural round of the 2009 World Championship, which takes place at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit, from 27th to 29th March. © CAPSIS International Image Unavailable, Please Login
That rear spoiler is funny looking. The slicks are cool though. Predictions for top 3 qualifiying in Melbourne?
From grandprix.com MARCH 12, 2009 Why is the Brawn so fast The speed of the Brawn-Mercedes has taken everyone by surprise and while there may be a certain amount of showmanship involved, it is clear that the car is good and may even be good enough to race for victories. The lap times being produced have been impressive and while some are wondering how this has been achieved given the late arrival of the car and the change of engine. The reality is that the work on the new car began very early on last year because the team was aware that its car at the time was not very competitive and wasting too much energy on that was not logical. The team thus spent a huge amount of time analysing the new rules and working in the wind tunnels at Brackley. McLaren on the other hand seems to be struggling, but the team says that the problem that has been causing its slow times has been identified and can be fixed before the first race. "Our focus has been on reliability and achieving as much mileage as possible," said Ross Brawn. "That the car has run so reliably 'out of the box' is a tribute to the strong team that we have at our factory in Brackley and they have done a great job during a very difficult period. The car is performing to our expectations and the feedback from Jenson and Rubens has been positive with both drivers completing full race distances. We have three further days of testing in Jerez next week to complete our preparations for the first race and I look forward to seeing how the car progresses from here."
Good one. Definately a hot air and aero problem. Twice their engineers have sent the car out with green dye over the rear end. Trying to suss what the airflow is doing in real life.
don't know what you're laughing at, you live in his town !!! Move now !!! I changed my hotel booking last year as they said I was staying at the Hamilton Towers
yes but did you take your own phone or use someone else's?...................my guess is you would have used PP's phone
Just as Brawn's sterling test pace is surprising, so too is the apparent struggle of reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton's employer McLaren. Pre-season testing is often an unreliable guide to championship form, but former McLaren driver Fernando Alonso observed at Barcelona this week: "They have been testing with both drivers and have not done very well." Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who lost the 2008 title fight against Hamilton by a single point, admitted surprise that the works Mercedes-powered team is regularly occupying the bottom places on the timesheets. Unofficial word from the Woking-based team at the end of the test is that the car's problem has been identified and can be fixed in the run to Melbourne. "They still can improve and they have another test that we don't have so they can find what is wrong, what is not working," Massa said. "For sure it is surprising to see McLaren behind but we need to respect and wait for the first race of the season to have a clear idea about that," he added. McLaren group chairman Ron Dennis this week put a brave face on the MP4-24's problems, but Mercedes' competition boss Norbert Haug is less guarded. "We are far too slow at the moment but are going to work hard to get back to the front," he said in interview with Germany's Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Source: GMM © CAPSIS International
Talks about Michael Schumacher's expiring Ferrari contract will only take place in the summer, according to his long-time agent Willi Weber. Since retiring as a driver in 2006, the seven time world champion has remained with the Maranello marque as an occasional test driver and advisor to the team as well as Ferrari's road car division. Germany's Bild newspaper estimates his annual retainer at five million Euros, with the contract set to expire this year. "I'm just saying this from a personal point of view, it's clear that everything must be assessed for what it can bring," team boss Stefano Domenicali said after Christmas. Weber, flagging talks to ramp up in the summer, said: "We are in no hurry. " Schumacher, 40, has made a number of appearances at the pre-season tests this winter, including this week at Barcelona. When McLaren's reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton crashed earlier this week, Schumacher was quickly on hand at the wheel of a hire car on the internal access roads and observed peering at the underbody of the stricken MP4-24. Source: GMM © CAPSIS International Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lewis Hamilton's world title hopes suffer Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent Lewis Hamilton is a great talent potentially one of the greatest to drive a Formula One car but if he does not have a vehicle under him that can compete with the best on the grid, then even he will end up looking ordinary. Having propelled the 24-year-old Briton to an historic World Championship in only his second season in the sport, McLaren Mercedess worst nightmare has come to pass and yesterday the team admitted what their rivals have suspected. The new car, the one that is supposed to deliver a second consecutive championship for Hamilton this year, is not quick enough. After a lacklustre performance at its penultimate pre-season test in Barcelona this week, the new team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, said that the machine, codenamed MP4-24, is not performing to expectations. This week the car has run in Barcelona with an updated aerodynamic package, as we had always planned it would, and a performance shortfall has been identified that we are now working hard to resolve, he said. Whitmarsh was asked if the car was fast enough in an interview at the teams headquarters outside Woking, Surrey. Not at the moment, and certainly not by our teams extremely high standards, he replied. Related Links Hamilton crash compounds concerns Brawn supremacy a thriller for Button Whitmarshs candid assessment was matched by that of Norbert Haug, the head of motor sport at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, who suggested that a quick fix may be hard to find at the final test next week, in Jerez in Spain, before the Australian Grand Prix on March 29. We are definitely not where we want to be, Haug said. We will continue our test programme next week at Jerez for another four days, but it will take time to improve. Whitmarsh and the rest of the 1,000-strong McLaren team will be working round the clock to try to find out why the car is not able to match on the track the performance predicted for it by computer and wind tunnel simulation. In Barcelona, with either Hamilton or his team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen, at the wheel, the MP4-24 was often the slowest of the ten cars testing and was more than two seconds behind the surprise pace-setter, the Brawn GP machine driven by Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. Among McLarens rivals there is delight at a setback that could play a decisive role in the outcome of Hamiltons season. One rival team member, with an educated insight into what might be going on, said that he believed McLaren were in a mess. They are totally, totally in the s***. While everyone at McLaren will be hoping that they can produce a quick fix, the Brawn team are moving from outsiders to contenders after a stunning first outing in Spain. Several rival drivers have said that the pace of the car is going to be hard to match and Felipe Massa, of Ferrari, added his voice to the chorus yesterday. Im really satisfied with our competitiveness compared to all the others, except obviously Brawn GP, who were unreachable for all of us, Massa said. Right now were not the fastest car on the track. Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights-holder, has said that the British Grand Prix will not take place in 2010 if the owners of Donington Park do not complete renovations to the circuit by the summer of next year, thus ruling out a return to Silverstone. Theyre doing a good job, Ecclestone said of Donington, but it is believed that extensive work still needs to be done before the circuit is ready for next year. Silverstone is due to host its last grand prix in June and Ecclestone said: We left there because Im trying to improve facilities throughout the world and when I get people to build new circuits to the standard which were trying to reach, how can we go back to Silverstone? What's wrong with Lewis's motor? When a Formula One car fails to perform to expectations it is often very tricky to nail down the problem. It's like looking for the proverbial ghost in the machine. The MP4-24 is mechanically a good car and the engine is on the pace. The issue is the airflow across the chassis, which is not behaving as predicted, with the end result that the car lacks rear-end grip, which is crucial for speed. How long will it take to solve the problem? This is the million-dollar question. If McLaren's boffins cannot pinpoint the cause of the failure in the aerodynamic package quickly, they could be forced to run an uncompetitive car throughout the first few races, which could be fatal to Hamilton's championship chances. With in-season testing banned for all teams this year in order to cut costs, McLaren will have no track time apart from during race weekends to sort it out. How have other teams fared in this situation? Sometimes issues of this kind are dealt with quickly but there are examples of teams getting it wrong to start with - Jaguar in 2000 - and then struggling all season to correct the problems. What have McLaren been doing to help to analyse the issue? New aero parts were being tried out at the penultimate pre-season test last week and it is thought that the test team were also using a fairly crude technique to try to understand the airflow. This involved painting the front wing with a yellow fluorescent dye containing paraffin that then streamlines as the car speeds round the track and helps engineers to understand what is going on. What is at stake for McLaren? These are early days and very possibly the team will find solutions. In the long run, however, McLaren know that they must keep producing competitive cars for Hamilton if he is to fulfil his wish of seeing out his Formula One career with a team he first signed for at the age of 13.
Ferrari is facing "a slight disadvantage" heading into the 2009 season, its team boss Stefano Domenicali has admitted. First, reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton's employer McLaren this week admitted its new MP4-24 is not ready to win races, and now the 2008 constructors' title winner has spoken with a similarly cautionary tone. "Who, like us and our main competitors, was working until the last moment on the development of the 2008 car, might have a slight disadvantage compared to those who gave up last year and dedicated themselves and their resources to a new project," Domenicali said. Maranello-based Ferrari was believed to hold a slight edge on a close group of rivals this winter, but Domenicali admits last week's Barcelona test - remarkably dominated by the former Honda team Brawn GP - has blurred the picture. Asked where Ferrari stands, Domenicali answered: "I don't want you to think that I'm avoiding an answer, but it's more difficult than ever to say anything about the levels on the track." "Until a couple of days ago there was a great equilibrium between the different teams - some expected and some a bit less - and then there was Brawn GP's exploit. Their performance was incredibly surprising and they have to be watched with care." "We think that we're part of the more competitive teams, but there are still many unknown factors to consider; we have to wait for Melbourne to get the answers," the Italian added. Domenicali also commented on Flavio Briatore's assertion that up to three teams may be circumventing the new aerodynamic regulations in the area of the rear diffuser. "We think that we've applied the modified regulations - after the work done by the OWG (Overtaking Working Group) together with the FIA - to the letter," he said. "It might be that others took a different approach; the FIA has to dissipate any doubt; let's hope they'll do if fast and clear." D.B. © CAPSIS International Source: GMM Image Unavailable, Please Login
Jerez - 15/03/2009 1 . R. Barrichello - Brawn GP Mercedes BGP001 - 1:19.236 (+ 0.000) - 107 laps 2 . F. Alonso - Renault R29 - 119.819 (+ 0.583) - 40 laps 3 . N. Hulkenberg - Williams Toyota FW31 - 1:20.015 (+ 0.196) - 69 laps *Times provided by Renault Daniel BASTIEN © CAPSIS International
Ross Brawn has plainly rejected speculation his Brackley-based team is artificially topping the test timesheets. Ever since the BGP 001 recently made its debut, it has stunned the F1 world with its pace, raising suggestions the speed is being achieved with low levels of fuel. Another suggestion is that the Mercedes-powered car may also be running beneath the official minimum weight of 605kg plus driver, in a desperate bid to attract sponsors following Honda's withdrawal. But team owner and boss Brawn told Auto Motor und Sport: "I am looking for long time partners, not sponsors who want to buy a cheap spot because of fast lap times." Even F1's cynics are coming around to the realisation that the car is genuinely quick no matter the configuration, with the exclusion of underpowered Honda engines another factor at play. "Just the driveability of the engine is a dream," Rubens Barrichello, referring to Brawn's customer deal with Mercedes-Benz, said. "Finally, when I accelerate, I have the feeling of knowing what to expect. "The power is wonderfully manageable and predictable," he added. E.A, Source: GMM © CAPSIS International Image Unavailable, Please Login
Jerez - 16/03/2009 1 . F. Alonso - Renault R29 - 1:18.343 (+ 0.000 ) - 103 laps 2 . R. Barrichello - Brawn Mercedes BGP 001 - 1:18.398 (+ 0.055 ) - 62 laps 3 . J. Button - Brawn Mercedes BGP 001 - 1:18.892 (+ 0.549 ) - 12 laps 4 . L. Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 - 1:19.513 (+ 1.170 ) - 87 laps 5 . N. Rosberg - Williams Toyota FW31 - 1:19.783 (+ 1.440 ) - 123 laps. Times courtesy of McLaren Mercedes Earl ALEXANDER © CAPSIS International Image Unavailable, Please Login
Amazing. Driver with most wins get World Drivers' Championship?? http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73745
