Barcelona Testing 2019 (Circuit de Catalunya)

Gracious that thing is just immaculate. He’s not fighting the wheel, he’s taking alternate lines through some areas due to the level of downforce, super stable front end. Literally a Sunday church drive on a quiet road.

 

Well said, Sid.
So we got this hybrid formula because the manufacturers wanted to develop and showcase their "green" technology as we transition from ICE to Formula E, right? I know that the fuel flow/load is tightly regulated and that the fuel must meet rigid specifications but I have never seen any emissions data for these cars. How green are they in reality? Last season Ferrari had a period when they erupted an oil smoke bomb on start-up, and Mercedes has been observed in testing trailing oil smoke. Anyone care to chime in?

 

Thanks for posting this! W09 definitely does not look as planted at the front end as the new Ferrari. Lewis sawing at the wheel at a number of places.

 

Really cool driving perspective from Kimi's visor cam. Just wish it had been a real lap.

 

That’s really why everyone is saying Ferrari has more in the bag than they’ve shown. That car is as steady as I’ve seen.

 

I normally don't say anything on the F1 thread, but after watching the video of Seb, you can see just how stable the Ferrari is. It is a dramatic difference from Hamilton's lap (yes, I know the Mercedes is last years car). What we don't know is how hard was Hamilton pushing the car. If he was trying to extract everything out of it, then I can see him fighting the car. Regardless, if the Ferrari is as stable as it appears and there is more performance left, I would surmise that Ferrari made a substantial leap this year.

This pretty much sums it up.

 

All you can gather from testing is who’s in troubles imo

 

Ferrari appear to have little trouble if they can make it reliable. Development over time will be key as well.

 

That’s where we lack unfortunately. I put it down to the massive media attention Ferrari attracts, which takes energies and focus away from in-season developments.

 

These hybrids are neither green or cheap.

What next in sport- silk boxing gloves instead of leather ?

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/141872/honda-engine-packaging-a-bit-too-aggressive -
Honda's F1 engine packaging is 'a bit too aggressive' for 2019

The packaging of Honda's Formula 1 engine was a "little bit too aggressive" in pre-season testing and the manufacturer is planning fixes in time for the Australian Grand Prix.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner lauded the installation of Honda's engine as "a thing of beauty" at the start of pre-season testing at Barcelona, while Honda said it had not come at the cost of reliability.

Neither Honda teams suffered major concerns in Spain but its F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe has admitted he was made "nervous sometimes" as new partner Red Bull and Toro Rosso got to grips with the 2019 product.

Tanabe told Autosport he was "not confident enough" with the progress that had been made, despite the manufacturer's best pre-season performance since returning to the F1 grid in 2015.

"We don't have a serious problem with the current installation, but we found some issues because of the tight packaging," said Tanabe.

"The shape was a little bit too aggressive, so we need to make it a little bit different.

"It's not a big concern."

Honda applied some fixes at the track but will also amend the design at the factory to introduce a "permanent countermeasure" in time for the season-opening Australian GP on March 17.

 

Yep. Btw I like Binotto thus far. All work, very humble. Doesn’t seem interested or sidetracked by the circus.

 

Ah, 2005. Those were the days.

 

If the sims (that some drivers use) are of any representation...the downforce of the 2017+ cars is enormous vs the 2004 cars. Mechanical grip is loads higher also.

 

Track has a different format from the 1995-2006 layout. That "double chicane" at the end was non-existent. Hard to compare those results to today's from a timing standpoint (these cars are probably lapping faster though).

Now, if we talk sound, spectacle, atmosphere, there is no comparison.

 

I agree, the advantage of the v10 cars were sound, everything else the modern cars trump it - superior speed, aero, grip,tire tech, efficiency, safety etc

 

Sound and nostalgia.

We tend to prefer things from the past we are comfortable with, rather than explore the future and what in may bring.

I struggle with that everyday myself!

 

"It's Seb's fault...." Knee-jerk Scuderia fan.

That's scary. That shouldn't happen, and I'm certain (hoping) it was a one-off event based on something machining the rim and causing the failure