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Thread: 2009 F1 Winter Group Tests Final Week - March 9

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    Default 2009 F1 Winter Group Tests Final Week - March 9

    Well, not exactly the last week of test, but the last week of full group tests. There's a private test next week too that some teams are attending.

    First off, the times.



    BrawnGP was setting the pace most of the day until BMW pulled a few fast ones out of the bag. Interesting to note that BMW's laptime today is faster than the Q2 low fuel qualifying time of last year! So I guess it's expected that the cars this year will be pretty damn close or even slightly faster than last year's times as predicted early on in winter testing.

    BrawnGP is said to be running low fuel runs as fast as they can, because they're trying to drum up support for sponsorship. But hey, those are respectable times for day 1 of testing!

    McLaren still slow, nobody knows WTF they're doing, but they did introduce a completely new floor, body (mainly around exhaust area) in the afternoon and clocked 1.5s faster times with that modification alone. Haug mentioned that McLaren will be introducing a new floor/diffuser/wing package a few weeks ago that allows them to run a low drag/low DF rear wing. It's slowly coming together. They're still missing a key piece of the puzzle, the rear diffuser and rear wing. As of now, all the '09 wings that McLaren has been running are non adjustable, so speculation is that they're keeping everything hidden last minute. Macca fans can only hope...

    For now, here are the PR's for today.

    Ferrari:
    Final test session at the Catalunya Circuit for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

    Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya - 4.655 km
    Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
    Car: Ferrari F60
    Weather: air temperature 10/17 °C, track temperature 11/24 °C. Overcast in the morning, then cloudy with a few sunny spells.

    Today saw Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro initiate its final test session at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona, prior to the start of the World Championship season. Kimi Raikkonen was tasked with taking the controls of the Ferrari F60, alongside nine other teams testing here - the first time this year that all the teams have been present at the same time.

    The Finnish driver worked on finding the best set-up for the car, on reliability and on a comparison between various aerodynamic solutions. Kimi covered a total of 81 laps, the quickest in a time of 1:20.908.

    Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, again with Kimi Raikkonen on track.
    BMW:
    BMW Sauber F1 Team - Test in Barcelona - Day one
    09.03.2009 Pressemeldung

    Test in Barcelona.

    March 9th – 12th 2009

    Day one – Monday

    Weather conditions: Sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon.

    Temperature: Air: 10 – 18 °C, Track: 11 – 23 °C

    Number of drivers participating: 10 from 10 teams

    Fastest lap overall: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber F1 Team) 1:20.338 min

    Circuit length: 4.655 km

    Nick Heidfeld
    Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW 86/9
    Test kilometres today: 429 (92 laps)
    Fastest lap: 1:20.338 min

    Programme:
    With the final pre-season test under way, the BMW Sauber F1 Team geared up to make its final preparations for the Australian Grand Prix. On the first day of the Barcelona test Nick Heidfeld concentrated on race related procedures, i. e. pit stop practice, to fine tune the working relationship between the driver, engineers and mechanics. Heidfeld also did a couple of practice starts.

    “The weather was perfect for today’s programme”, Heidfeld said after completing 92 laps. “We could try a lot of different set-up solutions and even do some aero work.”

    What comes next:
    The BMW Sauber F1 Team will continue testing in Barcelona for three more days. Nick Heidfeld will be at the wheel of the BMW Sauber F1.09 again tomorrow. On Wednesday and Thursday Robert Kubica will take over driving duties.
    McLaren:
    Date: Monday March 9 2009
    Drivers: Heikki Kovalainen
    Location: Circuit de Catalunya
    Track Length: 4.655km
    Weather: Dry and cloudy
    Track temperature: Maximum 33.9°C
    Air temperature: Maximum 14.9°C
    Laps run today: 90
    Laps run in total at test: 90
    Kilometres covered today: 419km
    Kilometres covered in total at test: 419km
    Best lap time today: 1m22.948 at 17:02pm
    Best lap time of the test: 1m22.948
    Programme: The morning session was spent focusing on longer runs using an existing bodywork package in order to establish an accurate baseline ahead of the evaluation of new parts in the afternoon. During the lunchbreak, MP4-24 was fitted with a new front wing, floor and top body and the programme continued - on identical fuel-loads - throughout the afternoon. The team now turns its focus towards tuning the set-up in order to fully exploit the characteristics of the new aero kit.
    And pics...

    McLaren's morning floor vs afternoon "new" floor:



    McLaren rear view:


    Morning bodywork vs afternoon "new" bodywork:


    Today's testing video:


    Autosport analysis of McLaren's new floor:
    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73642

    Until tomorrow kids!
    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

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    More McLaren pics. Still using the same old diffuser.











    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

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    WTF Button with some decent times, even if they are low fuel

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    I'm becoming more and more confident that McLaren is just fucking with people. Maybe it's just to offset the stress I've been feeling for the last week but I've convinced myself that they've got some hella tricks up their sleeve.

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    Originally posted by Mibz
    I'm becoming more and more confident that McLaren is just fucking with people. Maybe it's just to offset the stress I've been feeling for the last week but I've convinced myself that they've got some hella tricks up their sleeve.
    Man, I hope your right, because I have ZERO confidence right now..

    I realize Brawn GP was running low fuel today, but even with a heavier fuel load its what, 2/10ths per 10kilo? They are still 1-1.5s faster than Mclaren, if they had 20-30kilos more fuel than they ran today.

    I guess we will find out soon enough.

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    Well Brawn GP has done it again today, they are second on the time sheets right after ferrari in morning testing, so no matter how you look at it, for a team that's only been through a shakedown and one day of testing, that pace is unbelievable, now the question is how is race pace/reliability.

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    And here are the times for Barca day 2 lunch times.

    1 RAI 1:20.314

    2 BAR 1:20.966


    3 TRU 1:21.326

    4 ALO 1:21.937

    5 HEI 1:21.965


    6 SUT 1:22.141


    7 KOV 1:22.328

    8 NAK 1:22.381

    9 WEB 1:22.517

    10 BOU 1:23.039

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    Final times.



    Brawn GP was interviewed today, and they are saying yesterday's fast lap was not a media lap or quali simulation... they were running quite a bit of fuel. When they told Mercedes how much fuel they were running when they posted that time, it surprised them quite a bit.

    Some of the analysts at the track today mentioned that BGP might be the fastest Mercedes car come Melbourne.

    No new parts for McLaren today, they worked mainly on setup and found another second compared to yesterday.
    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

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    Busy day at the office today... just catching up to F1 stuff now.

    Renault and McLaren both used Flo-Vis today on their car to test airflow around the new winglets around the sidepods. I dunno if they're really winglets (I swear those are illegal this year) or if it's just a temp addon so they can apply the flow-vis.





    James Allen had a pretty interesting view of how things are looking. He thinks it's bad news for McLaren.

    http://allenonf1.wordpress.com/2009/...na-test-day-2/

    Some vids from the track today:





    And for the McLaren fans, a pretty wicked fan meets McLaren video (OK it's a viral ad for Vodafone).

    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

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    Unofficial test times of the morning session of running, Ferrari still out front while brawn continues to impress.

    Unofficial morning times from Barcelona (11/03/2009):
    1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - 1:20.168, 21 laps
    2. Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes) - 1:20.313, 86 laps
    3. Fernando Alonso (Renault) - 1:20.863, 64 laps
    4. Timo Glock (Toyota) - 1:21.046, 69 laps
    5. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) - 1:21.165, 52 laps
    6. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber-BMW) - 1:21.201, 71 laps
    7. Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota) - 1:21.482, 30 laps
    8. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India-Mercedes) - 1:21.545, 51 laps
    9. Sébastien Buemi (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) - 1:21.569, 59 laps
    10. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) - 1:21.657, 49 laps

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    ...Now I'm worried...

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    Worried about what, the resurgence of Brawn or the lack of form on McLaren's part.

    TBH, I'm not all that surprised at Brawn being as good as they are, for one, they started developing this years car halfway through last year so they have already figured out a lot of things that work and things that don't. It would've been interesting to see how it would've done with a Honda engine, as it was originally designed for that, so now the question is whether it would've worked better with the original engine, or with McLaren's engine and gearbox.

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    Originally posted by civic_epidemic
    Worried about what
    McLaren... It'll be nice to see more competition at the top, but it's harder to be excited about it when your team isn't part of it.

    EDIT: BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW, Hamilton crashed again.


    http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=37204

    More pics
    Last edited by Mibz; 03-11-2009 at 11:01 AM.

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    And button tops the time sheets, holy shite

    Last edited by civic_epidemic; 03-11-2009 at 11:36 AM.

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    So depressed today. They're saying BGP has a huge advantage in that they developed since mid 2008 and used 4 full sized wind tunnels during development. Everyone else is trying to catch up without the proper tools due to new rules.
    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

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    So Dennis gives some explainations of where McLaren sits.

    http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=37203

    So McLaren's plan was to sandbag all along. Interesting strategy, but is looks like its backfiring slightly as they admit they are behind schedule. Should be interesting in Melbourne.

    Originally posted by civic_epidemic
    Worried about what, the resurgence of Brawn or the lack of form on McLaren's part.

    TBH, I'm not all that surprised at Brawn being as good as they are, for one, they started developing this years car halfway through last year so they have already figured out a lot of things that work and things that don't. It would've been interesting to see how it would've done with a Honda engine, as it was originally designed for that, so now the question is whether it would've worked better with the original engine, or with McLaren's engine and gearbox.
    Wasn't one of the reasons that Honda back out because of the fact that they were behind in power even with spending all of last year developing? Weren't they short 50 hp when compared to everyone else? I'm pretty sure the merc. drivetrain is definately aiding them.
    Last edited by mischief; 03-11-2009 at 12:13 PM.

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    Don't even want to post updates today. Just so sad...

    Anyways, Ferrari's had 2 days of race simulations aborted. Reliability seems to be a huge concert at the Ferrari camp. Looks like KERS is the culprit, so I'm fairly certain they won't be using KERS in Melbourne. Ferrari's last day tomorrow, no new parts for sure at this point. This is their Melbourne setup.

    McLaren, ya, fuck.

    BrawnGP, WTF. buh_buh's gonna be all over this. They're 1s faster on quali pace, 1s faster on long stints. Seriously, WTF? At least it's got a MB engine...

    Renault, well, Briatore is PISSED off and whining again. Says other teams aren't following rules with their double decker diffuser. Says it should be banned, because Renault didn't think of it when interpreting the rules. The only smile of the day for me.

    Vids of today.





    Ferrari PR:
    Third day of testing at the Catalunya Circuit

    Maranello, 11th March
    Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya - 4.655 km
    Driver: Felipe Massa
    Car: Ferrari F60
    Weather: air temperature 10/16 °C, track temperature 11/21 °C. Cloudy.

    Third day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona.

    Today, it was Felipe Massa's turn to slip into the cockpit of the Ferrari F60. The Brazilian driver's programme began with some set-up changes on the car, followed by a Grand Prix weekend simulation, including qualifying and the race. The first part of the programme was compromised because of an hydraulic problem which left the car stranded on the track on the first series of laps, while the second part was completed successfully. In total, Felipe did 109 laps, the quickest in a time of 1:20.168.

    Tomorrow is the final day of testing for the Scuderia at this circuit, when Felipe Massa will again be on track.
    McLaren PR:
    Date: Wednesday March 11 2009
    Drivers: Lewis Hamilton
    Location: Circuit de Catalunya
    Track Length: 4.655km
    Weather: Cloudy and overcast for most of the day
    Track temperature: Maximum 25.0°C
    Air temperature: Maximum 14.9°C
    Laps run today: 86
    Laps run in total at test: 264 (90/88/86)
    Kilometres covered today: 400km

    Kilometres covered in total at test: 1229 (419/410/400)
    Best lap time today: 1m21.657 at 11:07am
    Best lap time of the test: 1m21.657
    Programme: Lewis joined the test this morning as the team began working through a series of pitstop practices. The morning session was spent introducing Lewis to the new aero package and setting up the car to his liking. That work continued into the afternoon, with the team focusing on longer runs and additional pitstop practices. Running was hampered by an off at Turn Two at mid-afternoon: Lewis lost the car at the exit of the second corner and hit a tyre-barrier, which broke off a front-wing endplate and damaged the nose struts. After some repairs to the front-end, he was able to complete the remainder of the session.
    Drivers for tomorrow: Lewis
    Duration of test: Four days (March 9-12)
    Next Test: Jerez (March 15-18)
    Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
    I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name

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    I think there's no chance the BrawnGP car is faster with the MB engine. Anytime you fit an engine into a car not designed for it, there will be some things not right for it, and compromises will have to be made such as engine and gearbox position and weight distribution. Brawn said himself there are things they would not have done that way had they started with the MB engine. But with that being said, they had been fitting the MB engine into the Honda chassis since Christmas, further pointing to evidence that Brawn and Fry had been sabotaging talks with potential buyers so they can own their own team (Thanks to Rage for that), and were certain the car was going to be on the grid for Melbourne even when Honda announced.

    Even before the pullout, Honda had been working on KERS since May of last year and were the first to run it on track before last season was half over. So they'd been working on their KERS for at least 8 months before they scrapped the whole team, and was thought to be the most advanced out of all the teams. I haven't really kept up with F1 news as much as I should, but did Renault get their 50hp back they were down from the "reliability" upgrades by Ferrari and McLaren? If Renault got to catch up, Honda would too, which would've put them on par for power levels.

    I'm not holding my breath just yet though. This is just offseason testing. I said from the beginning if they're at Melbourne, that'll be good enough for me. If they fight for consistent points midfield, I'll be pretty ecstatic, although these test times are setting the bar pretty high.

    17 days!!!

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    Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
    i think all the fanboys should be worried!


    ... we're fucked
    I know they still have one more week of testing... but 17 days left.... can they make the new package to work?

    also about Brawn GP, i read somewhere that they only got the engine from MB but not everything else. Its a special package unlike the one sold to Force India.

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    BGP: No KERS, Honda gearbox, MB engine only I believe.

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