Formula1

Day 3 results
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A bit slower than on day 2 due to rain through the night and morning
 
Day 4 results
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My views on those 4 days:
Mercedes - they were bulletproof on those 4 days with 600+ laps done. It didn't seem like they were pushing for times though.
Red Bull - had some issues with the car + no front wing on day 2. They seem to be a bit shaky, but I believe they will improve drastically in Barcelona
Williams - just like Mercedes they seemed not really interested in fast laps but rather testing setup changes and reliability
Ferrari - they had fastest times on 3 out of 4 days (with other one being Sauber, also powered by Ferrari). There were some telemetry problems on day 1, but car seems reliable and more drivable than last year
McLaren - they had whole bunch of problems on those 4 days. Electrical problem here, telemetry problem there...than cooling problems, cylinder missfiring problems...but that is to be expected with whole new car and new untested PU
Toro Rosso - they were minding their own bussines, never on top but with lot of mileage for both of their rookie drivers. Car looks good on track.
Lotus - they had problems with car so they weren't able to be at Jerez on day 1, but other 3 days went almost flawlessly for them. Compared to last year car looks great and doesn't have reliability problems
Sauber - biggest surprise of all at Jerez. Constantly on top with only Ferrari in front of them. Maybe they are running a bit underweight here to attract some sponsors, but car looks miles better on track than last year.

Next test is in Barcelona from 19th to 22nd of February
 
I agree. And Williams even more so than Mercedes I think. They just never looked like they are even trying to push, just putting in lap after lap after lap.

But I think Ferrari is holding their cars close to them, at least if Raikkonen is to be believed. He had said to Finish media that this car is miles better than last years and that finally front end goes where he wants it, something he was largely uncomfortable with in last season. He also said that they never went on the track in Jerez with low fuel load to pursue lap times but were testing how car is responding to setup changes.

Anyways, I think this season could be a bit closer, at least from 2nd down because I don't really expect that anyone will be able to mess with Mercedes
 
I read somewhere that Force India, Lotus and Sauber had put a stop on them as that prize money that was bound to go in Marussia's pockets will most probably be shared on 3 equal parts and given to them.


EDIT: Official statement from Manor F1 Team posted on their Facebook page because their official team page was closed when team entered administration. According to their statement they will be allowed to run modified 2014 car in 2015 and that car will must comply with all but 4 articles from 2015 Technical Regulations. I have checked those 4 articles and all of them are about nose and front chassis bulkhead dimensions.

MANOR F1 TEAM OUTLINES PROCESS INVOLVED IN GETTING TO THE 2015 GRID

6 February 2015

Following the initiation of the CVA process by Marussia F1 Team administrators FRP Advisory earlier this week, and the confidence this step brings to the process of saving Marussia, the team is now pleased to be able to confirm some of the detail of this process.

- On 17 December 2014, the team made a request to the Strategy Group to consider allowing it to use a 2014 race car, modified to meet certain 2015 regulations, for part of the 2015 season. Following analysis, the team highlighted that this would need some form of dispensation on only a small number of clauses in the Regulations.

- Subsequent to this application, the team was informed on 5 January 2015, that the Strategy Group felt that two teams - Marussia and Caterham - should be permitted to race a 2014 car in the 2015 championship. The letter stated that the Strategy Group agreed that the car should comply with all of the 2015 technical regulations, with the exception of four articles, those articles being Articles 3.7.9, 15.4.3, 15.4.4 and 16.2. The team can confirm that the modifications to its 2014 car would meet this stipulation.

- A change to the Regulations at this stage does require unanimous consent from all teams and following the initiation of the CVA process, the team is now actively engaged in achieving this. This process involves providing all relevant information to the teams to allow them to fully consider its request.

- As the press release from FRP Advisory of 4 February states, given the confidential nature of the negotiations underway, neither they nor the team are able to provide further details regarding the team’s new investors, however those investors have either met with or spoken to the key F1 bodies.

- The team has been busy preparing its 2014 cars such that they comply with the stipulations of the Strategy Group and at the same time it is pressing on with the development of its 2015 car to ensure it can supersede the 2014 car as soon as possible.

- The team has a significant number of staff already working on both its 2014 and 2015 cars. It also has the benefit of being able to recruit further staff very quickly from the rich pool of experienced and talented F1 personnel who were left unemployed following the closure of Marussia and Caterham and due to job cuts made by other teams in the sport.

Commenting on the team’s progress, and also comments emerging from yesterday’s F1 Strategy Group meeting in Paris, Graeme Lowdon, a representative of the team, said:

“It has been a very good step to finally get the CVA process underway this week. This is the first external sign that we have been able to make of all the hard work that has taken place privately over the past four months to get us to our current position.

“I was surprised to hear some of the comments made today, particularly regarding an application we were said to have made to yesterday’s meeting, which I can confirm was not the case. We did make a request on 17 December last year and we have been working since to satisfy the requirements subsequently communicated to us, specifically complying with all the Regulations, aside from the exempted articles.

“The comments also mentioned that issues of compliance were raised, that it was felt that our application lacked substance and contained no supporting documentation to reinforce the case for offering special dispensation. Again, we did not make any application to yesterday’s Strategy Group meeting and nor were we asked to.

“Instead, we are proceeding with our clear process regarding compliance and building our operation. We are doing everything possible to adhere to the process set out for us to return to the 2015 grid. This is a fantastic good news story for the whole sport and we just want to go racing.”
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Barcelona Test 1 day 1 results:
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Few highlights:
*Hamilton did only 11 laps before he called it a day because of illness. Wehrlein, Mercedes' test driver who was driving today for Force India was called back and continued in Mercedes
*Perez was called by Force India to take over from Wehrlein
*Susie Wolff & Felipe Nasr had a collision in T5. Nasr was on a flying lap, while Wolff was on her outlap from pits. He passed her, but in braking she collided with him. Wolff's day was over, while Sauber managed to repair their car and Nasr returned for few more laps
*McLaren had some big problems after good start. They are unsure if they will be able to fix it in time for tomorrow or will they only be available to return back on track on day 3
*Maldonado had stopped for 2 times in the morning because of mechanical problems.
 
collision in testing? wtf lol

& the drivers, they are banned from changing they helmet for this season, not sure why FIA are so worried about changing the helmets tbh, vettel might kick off:LOL:
 
what is even more hilarious is that ban on helmet design change through season came about 2 weeks after Vettel said in interview with SkySports F1's Ted Kravitz that he wanted something simple for his first helmet after so long with Red Bull and that he plans to stick with this white + German flag design for some time.

Personally, I am against such a stupid ban. Drivers like to mark some special events with their designs, or just play an homage to some previous driver. Examples are Button's helmet which he ran in last season after his dad died, or Raikkonen's copy of James Hunt's helmet in Monaco in 2013...

they are removing last bit of personality from drivers because "they aren't recognized in the car if they change helmets often". Well, guess what: since 1994 drivers are more and more closed in their cockpit so you are lucky if you can see helmets clearly when cars are in motion. It would be better if they will mandate large numbers on sides (like they had, although not mandated, in 60s, 70s and 80s). Sauber has updated their livery a bit for this 2nd test: they painted their mirrors in yellow instead of blue, added yellow and white stripe on the nose and huge numbers on the sides of the cockpit
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As for a crash...yeah, I don't remember it happening before in testing. But yeah, rookie (Nasr) and inexperienced in F1 (Wolff) managed to do that. This is what was left of Sauber's rear end after that crash
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Barcelona Tets 1 day 4 results:
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Alonso had an accident exiting T3 when he was driving at around 100-150 km/h. He collided slightly with a wall but did not exit the car. He was taken out of the car by stewards and medics and transported first to medical center at the track and than into hospital. There is no confirmation on what was going on with him, while speculations on forums range from him blacking out while on track to faulty ERS system from which Alonso than received an electric shock.
 
lotus top again, they might score some proper points this season.

hope alonso is fine, seen the pics, strange how he's on the inside of turn 3, not a very usual place to crash..
 
Unfortunately we wont know who has the quickest car until Q2 at the Australian GP.. Mercedes still seem to have a power advantage as their engine was quickest through all the speed traps.

I will be very surprised though if anyone is within a second of the Mercedes at the first couple of GP's...
Williams and Renault will probably be fitting for the podiums, as once again the engine will have the biggest influence.

Hopefully Raikonnen also beats Vettel to prove how average Vettel is..
 
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after lots of talk in recent years about Rory Byrne helping Ferrari from his retirement with his views on the cars he is now officially out of retirement. He has joined Ferrari and will take place as a mentor to newly appointed chief designer Simone Resta.

For those who might not know, Rory Byrne was chief designer at Ferrari in late 90s until 2005 and together with Brawn, Todt and Schumacher was driving force behind teams' successes
 
Force India has released a 3D render of their new VJM08 car on their Twitter and Facebook pages
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Force India has missed 1st test in Jerez completely and have done all 4 days in 2nd test in Barcelona with last years car. New car will be driven for the first time on Friday which is 2nd day of last 4-day test session, taking place again in Barcelona
 
Toro Rosso has brought almost completely new car to 2nd round of 4 test days at Barcelona.

New parts (not all visible in this picture) are:
- Much shorter nose which looks fantastic I must say. Much better than what was there before and one of the best looking noses on the grid.
- Front wing
- Sidepods
- Much much tighter rear end
- Rear wing
- Diffuser
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ss4_goku said:
I'm sorry, but what is the metal bar on the driver's left hand side??
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that is just a structure on which they then attach pitot tubes (you see them sticking forward from the structure) which than measure air pressure.

In this case they are measuring airflow behind front wheel because they have changed front wing and nose and they want to take real-life measurements of impact that has to the airflow around the car. Usually they attach those sensors and send a driver to do 1-3 laps at as constant speed as possible. Then they compare results they got from those measurements with results they got in wind tunnel and CFD simulations to see if numbers match up. That way they can see if they are getting results they expected to get and are able to more precisely finetune their simulation equipment
 
Thanks guys. I always feel that this sport is the most complicated and focus needed sport around. I'm a late fan so still trying to learn all the rules and catch as much F1 action as possible. Got even more in love after watching the movie "Rush".
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31648080

Another women driver in F1...

I don't mind female drivers in F1, but surely to get a drive you should at least have something about you, actually prove your good enough for F1..
To finish 29th in the GP3 championship is hardly the calibre of person who should be driving an F1 car.. There are surely a lot more talented drivers capable of F1 than a 26 year old who finished 29th in the GP3 championship..
 
I think they got her just like Williams signed Wolff - female drivers in F1 are rare. When you get your female driver to drive in FP1 on Friday you will get more attention and more time in broadcast which will make your sponsors happy and potentially attract more sponsors to join. When you don't have results (like Lotus last year or Williams few years ago) you need to find other ways to attract attention and to be featured in TV broadcasts so that you can make sponsors happy and survive financially.
 
I am aware of that, but that's the problem with F1 these days only a few drivers get into the sport on merit, where as there is getting a lot more "PAID" drivers entering the scene..

Publicity or not, 29th in GP3 is not an F1 driver... She should be getting sacked from GP3 not employed by an F1 team..
 
Well that is the problem with F1. To be competitive you need a lot of money and there is just no enough companies out there which are able or willing to pay huge sums of money to place their logo on the car. 20 years ago teams had 2-3 big logos on their car and they could fight constantly for podiums and even wins. Now they have cars covered in smaller logos (because those cost less to companies that want to sponsor the team) and they are barely managing to last a season.

I am not against pay drivers because sometimes that is the only way talented driver can enter F1 through smaller team. Just look at those examples of drivers who paid for their first drive in F1:
Alonso with Minardi in 2001.
M. Schumacher with Jordan in 1991.
Webber with Minardi in 2002.
Vettel with BMW (paid by Red Bull) in 2007 US GP
Bianchi with Marussia in 2013
Nasr with Sauber this year
Perez with Sauber in 2012


It is great if driver is talented like those few that I have mentioned and they have money to buy in their chance in F1. If their talent is real they will be signed by bigger teams in year or two. And it works for both driver and team which has sold him a seat in the car: team gets money that they need and driver gets the chance to prove himself.

Trouble is when less talented drivers enter the sport instead of those more talented just because they have more money.
 
I know there is a lot of paid drivers who have been successful, Fangio would never have been in F1 if he wasn't a pay driver.

My concern is whether you are a pay driver or not there should be a minimum criteria, either by proving yourself by winning a few races in GP2.. Or showing extreme talent in GP2 or GP3.. You know like doing a Senna and pretty much winning the Monaco GP in a Toleman(although bad example as happened in F1).
If there was a criteria that you had to match to get into F1 in the first place, but all you need is a super licence.

But my issue is that someone being promoted to F1 when they finished 28th, 30th and 29th in GP3, especially at the age of 26.. I think it shows that she clearly doesn't have the talent to be driving an F1 car.
At least Susie Wolff finished on the podium 3 times.
 
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well, seems that FIA agrees with you. Because of more and more young and inexperienced drivers have came in F1 lately they have changed rules on how one is eligible to get FIA Super License needed to compete in F1.

Those are criteria that driver has to meet if he wants to be eligible for super license from 1st of January 2016 onwards:
- at least 18 years old
- at least 2 years of experience in junior single-seater series
- have a valid road driving license
- minimum of 300km experience with recent F1 car
- pass a test on FIA Sporting Regulations
- have at least 40 points awarded according to the table below based on his final position in a championship
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