Pre-Season Testing Has Started

[Kewee]

I've always said Alonso has enough self belief in his own ability to know he can earn number one status and so far in his career that has proved to be true.

 

[cider_and_toast]

That's sort of the point I was making. It's easy for him to say "all I ask is that I have an equal status" because he knows within himself that he will eventually come out on top and therefore it's a given that he won't be equal for long. In other words it's not a genuine statement.

It's very much like when Senna joined Lotus, Peter Warr was keen to offer Senna number one status within the team but Senna being wise to the fact that he was going to need to learn the way the team operated and how the car worked by working closely with Elio, opted for equal status. It soon became clear to all involved that Senna was by rapidly becoming number 1 without anyone saying it. Elio was left knowing that he was now in second place within the team and opted to leave for pastures new by the end of the season.

All top drivers will want to start at a team on at least an equal footing and then when success comes want more.

 

[sushifiesta]

Another half day goes by with McLaren only doing a handful of installation laps.

EDIT: And now they've called it a day thanks to a hydraulics leak, oh dear...

 

[teabagyokel]

Kewee - By scoring less points than Trulli and waiting for the latter to fall out with Briatore?

 

[cider_and_toast]

Times at 14:15

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 1:24.881 - 48 laps
2. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:25.133 - 57 laps
3. Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull - 1:25.947 - 56 laps
4. Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:26.327 - 41 laps
5. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:27.079 - 39 laps
6. Carlos Sainz - Toro Rosso - 1:27.261 - 59 laps
7. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:27.802 - 62 laps
8. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:31.479- 7 laps

Well that just about looks like the correct order based on real time pace going into the first race of the season. Apart from McLaren, who have yet to do anything constructive in testing other than show how many things can go wrong, anyone see anything other than that being the sort of order we can expect?

Edit: I'm talking about pace of cars not of the drivers by the way. These may lead to some variation in performance.

 

[sushifiesta]

I should be wary of underestimating Red Bull but they've had a pretty lacklustre time in testing so far and it seems like Renault still haven't got on top of the engine (although it's more reliable at least). I won't be surprised if Ferrari have a stronger start to the season based on what I've seen so far.

 

[Brogan]

teabagyokel and also in 2007

 

[P1]

Who thinks McLaren is totally fucked?

I mean between Alonso being seriously injured, and their car being unable to sustain an engine for a race distance in a year when you are only allowed to replace 4 engines.

The whole year is going to be a "testing session" for them. The number of engine failures (and penalties) they incur is going to make last year's Renault look like a Lexus engine.

 

[Mephistopheles]

It is not the engine that is failing and who knows they may well fix it by the start of the season I seem to remember when they looked fucked in testing due to some radical exhaust design but they bolted on some cobbled together stainless steel effort for the first race and were highly competitive...

 

[siffert_fan]

Alonso and Button were never No1 and No 2. Ron Dennis made it clear when he signed Alonso both drivers would be treated equally and that was all Alonso expected.

I have a very hard time believing that Alonso would go anywhere if he wasn't designated the Number 1 driver. Button's demeanor while waiting for a contract lends more credence to the skepticism. Remember what a fiasco it was at McLaren the last time FA was there and wasn't designated Number 1.

In this instance, as in most, I would take Ron's pronouncements with about a metric tonne of salt.

 

[Bill Boddy]

....I mean between Alonso being seriously injured.....

The only evidence that I have seen has indicated that Alonso may have suffered a mild concussion but he will be fit to race in Melbourne.

 

[Slyboogy]

Who thinks McLaren is totally ****ed?

I mean between Alonso being seriously injured, and their car being unable to sustain an engine for a race distance in a year when you are only allowed to replace 4 engines.

The whole year is going to be a "testing session" for them. The number of engine failures (and penalties) they incur is going to make last year's Renault look like a Lexus engine.

Someone's being a drama queen.

 

[jez101]

I bet you a fiver, McLaren don't win the first race Slyboogy

 

[Dartman]

I don't actually think the engine has a problem, the power unit as a whole then yes. I suspect that they are still using the original engines with a couple of components changed. I suspect that they would still be within the rules for repairing the unit without breaking seals( FAI type)

 

[FB]

Sauber had to cut short their testing as they broke the gearbox and didn't have a spare. THEIR SEASON IS DOOMED I TELLS YA!

 

[Kewee]

Don't want to throw out a Jinx but as I type Jenson is doing 1.28's in the McLaren. He's even stringing a series of laps together.
FINGERS CROSSED FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM.

 

[FB]

I've enjoyed Sky's coverage of the testing until last night. They have replaced Ted's Notebook with Ask Crofty which consisted of David talking with Alan Permane of Lotus/Team Enstone (who didn't appear to have washed or blow his nose since testing started in 1985) and then some crap questions from viewers who, had they taken an extra 30 seconds on their computer or smart phone, could have found the answers without having to #askcrofty.

Come on Sky, your coverage is better than this, perhaps with the exception of Simon Lazenby. You might just as well have sent Suzy Perry over given the quality of the questions and the interview.

 

[Slyboogy]

I bet you a fiver, McLaren don't win the first race Slyboogy

You still owe me a tenner from the last two times

 

[Incubus]

Would you adam and eve it, Macca managed over a hundred laps today.

Is it more than they managed in every day's testing they'd managed put together so far this year?

 

[cider_and_toast]

Also slipping nicely under the radar is the number of laps that Sauber have ground out. They seem to be having a pretty good time of testing so far.