Pre-Season 2021 Testing

[Johnny Carwash]

It looks like lunch could be cancelled for Ferrari.

 

[F1Brits_90]

got to love going to Bahrain for the guaranteed weather & they get a sandstorm

 

[olegg]

 

[cider_and_toast]

Is it time to start the annual "are Mercedes sandbagging?" debate / argument yet?

 

[F1Brits_90]

last season i believe when they won they won the title so I believe there is more chance of this being truthful.

james allison?? said something like that the pandemic was (in purely in a F1 bubble) a blessing for them. because leaving testing they had alot of worries about the reliability of the car & it was having that 4 month break that helped them solve their issues. now with 3 days not 8 days. this could be dejavu. but this time season will be begin in march not July

but if i was forced to put £10 on constructors champion. i would still go Mercedes

 

[F1Brits_90]

Palmer had a good point "mercedes like sandbagging but this is to the extreme, if they are"

because we all know mercedes love to sandbag, if they are looking like going out in Q1 but go on to win the season opener while lapping everyone. mercedes consider testing a success. but mercedes havent had great pace but also they only had half a day out of the 3 sessions

 

[olegg]

 

[cider_and_toast]

I haven't seen any back of a fag packet calculations yet where those with decent calculators work out equivalent times and guage who is doing what.

 

[F1Brits_90]

I haven't seen any back of a fag packet calculations yet where those with decent calculators work out equivalent times and guage who is doing what.

they'll come at the end of today

i saw 1 earlier today, while watching & they were all on the same tyres & on a long run. i would find it believeable put, alfa romeo mustve been putting, the engine up or on less fuel because surely alfa cant be that good
Leclerc C2 1:36.6
Kimi C2 1:36.6
Stroll C2 1:37.3

 

[F1Brits_90]

i could look stupid right now. but Mercedes admitted they are struggling to figure out an imbalance. alot of experts seems to think it makes sense as they think the 2021 rules 15% reduction in rear downforce, would punish the low raked cars of Mercedes & aston Martin. but not high rakes the red bulls

 

[olegg]

 

[olegg]

 

[olegg]

Here's total lap counts by team on testing 2021:

1= AlphaTauri 422​

1= Alfa Romeo 422​

3. Ferrari 404​

4. Alpine 396​

5. Haas 394​

6. Williams 373​

7. Red Bull 369​

8. McLaren 327​

9. Aston Martin 314​

10. Mercedes 304​

 

[olegg]

 

[cider_and_toast]

Looking at the lap stats, there's potentially a changing of the guard happening in the engine department.

If we remove team names and replace them with their motive power it does suggest Mercedes may have early issues:

1= Honda 422
1= Ferrari 422
3. Ferrari 404
4. Renault 396
5. Ferrari 394
6. Mercedes 373
7. Honda 369
8. Mercedes 327
9. Mercedes 314
10. Mercedes 304

 

[F1Brits_90]

these are the pre-season odds. its a 2 horse race according to the bookies

 

[Il_leone]

Early days yet but Hamilton has called the Red Bull "an animal" and recognise they are closer this season especially if the parts they develooed and kept from 2021 gave improved further

 

[F1Brits_90]

here is my usual testing round of cars fastest times on the same compound. not that its helps but at least there is 1 less variable to figure out

C2
1) Alonso 1:31.2 - day 3
2) Verstappen 1:31.3 - day 3
3) Perez 1:31.682 - day 2
4) Riccardio 1:32.203 - day 1
5) Bottas 1:32.406 - day 3
6) Tsunoda 1:32.727 - day 1
7) Russell 1:32.731 - day 3
8) Hamilton 1:32.912 - day 1
9) Schumacher 1:36.127 - day 1

C3
1) Leclerc 1:30.486 - day 3
2) Norris 1:30.661 - day 3
3) Verstappen 1:30.674 - day 1
4) Riccardio 1:30.9 - day 3
5) Kimi 1:31.0 - day 3
6) Ocon 1:31.310 - day 3
7) Sainz 1:31.919 - day 1
8) Giovinazzi 1:31.945 - day 1
9) Mazepin 1:32.0 - day 3
10) Schumacher 1:32.053 - day 3
11) Gasly 1:32.231 - day 1
12) Ocon 1:32.959 - day 1
13) Nissany 1:34.789 - day 1

C4
1) Verstappen 1:28.960 - day 3
2) Sainz 1:29.611 - day 3
3) Riccardio 1:30.144
4) Perez 1:30.187 - day 3
5) Alonso 1:30.318 - day 3
6) Norris 1:30.586 - day 2
7) Gasly 1:30.828 - day 3
8) Ocon 1:31.146 - day 1
9) Mazepin 1:31.531 - day 2
10) Latifi 1:31.672 - day 2
11) Tsunoda 1:32.684 - day 2
12) Schumacher 1:32.883 - day 2

C5
1) Tsunoda 1:29.053 - day 3
2) Raikkonen 1:29.766 - day 3
3) Hamilton 1:30.025 - day 3
4) Russell 1:30.117 - day 3
5) Bottas 1:30.289 - day 2
6) Gasly 1:30.413 - day 2
7) Stroll 1:30.460 - day 2
8) Giovinazzi 1:30.760 - day 2
9) Leclerc 1:30.866 - day 2
10) Latifi 1:32.541 - day 2

 

[F1Brits_90]

there something i dont trust about alpha & Alfa to be 0.5 & 0.3 your time in qualifying at sakhir 4 months ago. when your giving it everything. to be that close in testing. say that they were low fuel or engine turned up for media attention

 

[steveg]

Surprised about Mercs struggles - so good was the W11 they could afford to switch their attention to 2021 long before the end of last season. And given most of the tech is carried over for 2021 they probably only had to concentrate on recovering the floor.