Pre-Season Barcelona Test - 8th to 12th March

[Galahad]

I think you're right sportsman - though in last week's Autosport Mark Hughes said the Pirellis have a lower operating temperature than the Bridgestones did.

It's crunch time though isn't it? McLaren and Mercedes will surely want to benchmark themselves against the rest?

 

[Galahad]

Sorry snowy, too slow!

 

[snowy]

Θ. 	Driver		Team 		Best Lap 	Last lap 	Diff	Laps 

1 	N. Heidfeld	Renault 	1:26.465 	1:26.465 		8

2 	S. Perez	Sauber 		1:26.789 	1:30.216 	+0.324 	14

3 	J. Button	McLaren 	1:28.971 	1:28.971 	+2.506 	12

4 	M. Webber	Red Bull 	1:29.080 	1:31.378 	+2.615 	7

5 	N. Hulkenberg	Force India 	1:29.149 	1:30.202 	+2.684 	13

6 	D. Valsecchi	Lotus 		1:34.147 	1:39.355 	+7.682 	13

 

[sportsman]

OK Galahad. Perhaps you should be McLaren and I will be Mercedes.snowy is either Red Bull or Ferrari.

 

[snowy]

veni vidi valsecchi?

 

[snowy]

I'm Lewis Hamilton!

Song to the tune of "I'm Tiger Woods"

 

[snowy]

We should see some race simulations in the next few days and they will paint a fairly clear picture of the pecking order. I will be particularly interested in where the Renault ends up.

I'll be the Renault.

 

[sportsman]

Good choice.Lotus Renault and Sauber are my two chosen teams to support this season.
Good to see both of them looking good so far.

 

[snowy]

McLaren is running a particularly unusual nose this morning. We believe this is a measuring device to check wing load.

 

[snowy]

http://twitter.com/ScarbsF1

ScarbsF1[/URL]] McLaren testing front wing flex with this bulbous sensor pod http://bit.ly/gJdCV3 who feels a crisis in flexible bodywork this year

 

[teabagyokel]

TBY, unless time travel has been suddenly invented, we're in March now, not February

It has... (but that would make the Arsenelona match in London, so the whole joke would be void). Damn it!

 

[Galahad]

Wow! That's pretty...industrial.

 

[snowy]

It's a test rig, like the one Red Bull used last year in testing that the other teams failed to clock and recognise that RBR were flexing their front wing.

 

[teabagyokel]

I hope that McLaren nose is for testing; it is U-G-L-Y!

 

[sportsman]

Methinks desperation is setting in.Why is the damned thing so slow.

 

[snowy]

 

[snowy]

Methinks desperation is setting in.Why is the damned thing so slow.

It's about time they started flexing their front wing, it is a fundamental requirement if you want to run at the front.

 

[snowy]

Θ. 	Driver		Team 		Best Lap 	Last lap 	Diff	Laps

1 	N. Heidfeld	Renault 	1:26.465 	1:26.465 		8

2 	S. Perez	Sauber 		1:26.789 	1:28.412 	+0.324 	28

3 	M. Webber	Red Bull 	1:27.411 	1:29.747 	+0.946 	13

4 	N. Hulkenberg	Force India 	1:27.878 	1:27.878 	+1.413 	16

5 	J. Button	McLaren 	1:28.971 	1:33.994 	+2.506 	26

6 	D. Valsecchi	Lotus 		1:31.040 	1:33.167 	+4.575 	26

 

[snowy]

Jenson is currently lapping in the 1m33s, consistent laps but that isn't exactly quick....

 

[snowy]

Mark Webber goes quickest with a 1:23.085s lap, which is as quick as the 2011 Red Bull has been testing in Barcelona. And it is part of a 5 lap run so far...