The 2012 Season

[no-FIAt-please]

If Red Bull has any smarts about them they'd send Toro Rosso to the Silverstone test, then get the information from the experimental rubber from them (then proceed to evaluate the rubber and the young drivers in AD), because even though neither team can make parts for each other they are allowed to share information.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Looks like Boullier is now criticising the decision to have the test at Silverstone, citing that at Abu Dhabi it's warm and there's "variety"? He also dislikes that it may interrupt the young drivers' seasons, but I don't see how it could do that? Anyway, looks as though Lotus are are very opinionated nowadays and often these opinions appear to be in-line with what Red Bull also think.

 

[MCLS]

I think it's been posted somewhere else but aint it strange how the two fastest teams oppose in season testing......................

 

[Fenderman]

I wonder if it's something to do with the good ol' law of diminishing returns. It may be that Lotus and Red Bull are struggling to find areas of the car left to develop. Testing has most value if you have something new and significant to test not just small refinements. If they think other teams have more scope and room for improvement they will be very worried.

On the other hand it may be for purely financial and resources reasons. They may feel that the time and resources expended on the tests imposes constraints on where they would prefer to use those resources, which may well be back at the factory. Again this boils down to how and where ugrades and improvements to the car will come from.

 

[Incubus]

Well bottom line is, all the teams as far as I know previously agreed to do it.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

What a surprise that Richard Cregan (Yas Marina Circuit Chief Executive) is saying the mid-season young drivers test (which this year is being held at Silverstone, and not Abu Dhabi) has the potential to disrupt drivers' seasons. You'd think when you're clearly in a position of bias then you just wouldn't comment, but no... he did.

 

[teabagyokel]

The top scorers under the new point system:

 

[downforce]

Massa is at it now http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99474

If in season testing is so pointless why did people do it constatnly before it was banned

 

[Slyboogy]

Different times now.

The costs for a 3 day test is a lot, and that's just 3 days, just adds extra stress on engineers, drivers and teams.

Something which they don't need now, with the calendar being quite long with 20 races.

 

[Galahad]

Well, of course it wasn't an extra test, just a re-scheduling of one of the planned pre-season ones, so I can understand Massa's argument that it would have been of more value then.

In the previous testing regime teams had dedicated test engineers and mechanics, of course, whereas now the same group has to do both tests and races.

 

[johnnoble1990]

My weather forecast for the weekend: Hot and Dry. It is Spain after all. I'm pretty sure I'm at 4-0 now. Don't know how your scoring system works Jos. Admittedly I'm a bit more vague than you are.

Should be an exciting weekend. Mclaren need to get back on top. Come on Hammy!

 

[Jos the Boss]

My weather forecast for the weekend: Hot and Dry. It is Spain after all. I'm pretty sure I'm at 4-0 now. Don't know how your scoring system works Jos. Admittedly I'm a bit more vague than you are.

There's a high chance of that being right! rain is expected in andorra region but could blow over...

 

[johnnoble1990]

There's a high chance of that being right! rain is expected in andorra region but could blow over...

You don't need to tell me Jos. I don't just make these predictions on a whim.

I've just realised I posted this in the wrong section. Meant to post in Spain GP one obviously. :/

 

[tooncheese]

Vettel leads Alonso due to his fourth best finish being better than Alonso's.

 

[FB]

Nah, Vettel leads Alonso 'cos he's better than him

 

[Jos the Boss]

5 place grid drop for Schumi at Monaco cus of the collision with Maldonado, I thought it was a racing incident

 

[mjo]

No penalty for me, sometimes the stewards don't need to intervene, and this was one of the cases.

 

[RasputinLives]

so 5 winners and 5 constructors.

How about Kobi for Monaco and Kimi for Canada to make it 7 from 7? We'll let Lewis have Valencia shall we?

Would anyone be shocked now?

 

[tooncheese]

At the 12th race of the year - "Narain Karthikeyan wins the Belgian Grand Prix!"

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Is the 3 reprimands and you get a grid drop penalty in place this season? I seem to remember it was touted but can't remember if it was actually put in place.