Pre-Season Winter testing : 2014 Season

[RasputinLives]

We'll agree to disagree Hamberg but I would be very careful comparing the state we live in to Bahrain. No one is suggesting the western world is perfect but I would suggest anyone living in the various arab countries or north africa would consider our issues very light indeed.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Does Bahrain actually profit from the GP? Not many circuits do. I can imagine the hotels and surrounding infrastructure do though, but judging by the number of visitors maybe not a lot.

I stick to my opinion that this does more good in highlighting the problem. No GP and we wouldn't be talking about Bahrain, just as we don't talk so much about other countries where freedom is curtailed - e.g Eritrea, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Somalia etc.

 

[Hamberg]

I'm in no way saying I'm not better off living in the UK. I agree with you on that point. Western countries pop off to these countries to commit similar atrocities and sometimes secretly transfer our own citizens so they can get away with it. You're right Bahrain et al is not on, but whilst Western countries covertly endorse and utilise Arab countries use of torture, I'm afraid we've not a leg to stand on when criticising human rights records (that is without criticising our own too).

I'm with rufus_mcdufus in that keeping it in the headlines can only be positive for the (peaceful) people of Bahrain.

 

[siffert_fan]

Does anyone know why tyre warming blankets are banned this season?

 

[sushifiesta]

It's from next season (2015) not this season and it's to save costs (which just seems ridiculous in my opinion). Looks like Pirelli are taking extra tyres to Bahrain to get some data on the effect of not using blankets.

 

[The Artist.....]

sushifiesta - One thing that it will do is it will mean that drivers will need to be much more careful coming out of the pits, and will actually have to generate heat themselves, rather than relying on the technology to have done it for them! However, one worry is that we'll see a few of these:

 

[Hamberg]

I quite like the idea. And I don't say that often.

 

[RasputinLives]

They don't have tyre warners in GP2 at the moment abd what it usually means is that the cars do 2 warm up laps on coming to the grid and before starting a qualifying lap. It also makes for fun and games when they come out in front of someone out the pits.

Its adds an extra element of skill in who can get their tyres up to the right tempreture without damaging them but also an extra element of danger.

Its very rare for any of the formulas outside of F1 have tyre warmers though so I'm sure the drivers won't struggle with it too much.

 

[Greenlantern101]

I have a horrible feeling vettel will be better at driving on cold tyres than anyone else. He certainly does at the start of a race.

 

[teabagyokel]

Hamberg RasputinLives: http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=bahrain, Syria&date=1/2011 38m&cmpt=q

 

[Incubus]

The Artist..... They didn't have speed-limited pit-lanes back then though. You can't just exit your box full throttle the way they did these days.

I actually remember seeing Gerhard losing it off his pit a few times, he always seemed to suffer from impatience when rejoining the track. He was in the running for pole at Silverstone in 1994 when he clipped the pit-lane barrier and damaged his suspension just as was about to go for his final hot quali lap.

 

[Bill Boddy]

I have a horrible feeling vettel will be better at driving on cold tyres than anyone else. He certainly does at the start of a race.

I don't think that it was because Vettel was good on cold tyres, it was more like he had hot tyres at the start whilst everyone else had tyres which were cooling rapidly whilst sitting waiting for the off. It was all part of the hot blowing that RBR were doing. As they were going round the warm-up lap in one of the races he was told over the radio that if there were a safety car he should keep his engine revs up; this seems to be also a fair hint to him to keep up his revs on the start line.

 

[Fenderman]

I have a horrible feeling vettel will be better at driving on cold tyres than anyone else. He certainly does at the start of a race.

Don't worry on that score. Last year's Red Bull EBD was the most developed of all the teams as were aero' features of the front wing. Aero' surfaces on either side of the rear diffuser channelled hot air onto the rear wheels. Meanwhile heat generated by the brakes was cleverly channelled and dissipated through the wheel rims. Up front the air flows coming off of the front wing helped control heat loss and distribution around the front tyres. The result was that Vettel and Webber had warmer tyres than the rest of the grid. Unfortunately for Webber heat in the tyres wasn't his problem!

It remains to be seen whether the Red Bull will have similar advantages this season. The narrower front wing will have presented a challenge in replicating the effect they had on RB9 front boots and the banning of the EBD has taken away one means of adding heat to the rears.

Edit: Bill Boddy got there before me!

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Hamberg RasputinLives: http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=bahrain, Syria&date=1/2011 38m&cmpt=q

That is actually incredible that interest in Syria only peaked above Bahrain for a period last year. Considering hundreds of thousands have died there, it's an pretty amazing testament to either the publicity over Bahrain, or the public's boredom over Syria!

 

[Bill Boddy]

Bahrain is an island about 30 miles by eight miles. There does not seem to be too much in the way of hotels around the circuit as the problems anticipated in previous years seemed to be centred on the main road to the circuit. The police seemed to be controlling it by keeping the demonstrators away from the one road going out to the circuit. This is in stark contrast to the number of ways to get to Silverstone and it.s distance from London which is where the greatest amount of trouble is centred. There is also not the frequency of trouble which Jen keeps suppressed in the area near the circuit anyway.

 

[Jen]

I do my best

There is only so much one can do in a hi-vis jacket and a 'paddington bear hard stare' though!

 

[Olivier]

Ferrari were sandbagging and Mercedes weren't. Believe that if you will.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/report-ferrari-sandbagging-at-jerez/

I hope the report is right but I highly doubt it.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Running order for the next few days.

Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel (19-20 February)
Daniel Ricciardo (21-22 February)

Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton (19 & 21 February)
Nico Rosberg (20 & 22 February)

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (19-20 February)
Kimi Raikkonen (21-22 February)

Lotus
Romain Grosjean (19-20 February)
Pastor Maldonado (21-22 February)

McLaren
Kevin Magnussen (19-20 February)
Jenson Button (21-22 February)

Force India
Nico Hulkenberg (19-20 February)
Sergio Perez (21-22 February)

Sauber
TBC

Toro Rosso
Daniil Kvyat (19 & 21 February)
Jean-Eric Vergne (20 & 22 February)

Williams
TBC

Marussia
Jules Bianchi (19 & 21 February)
Max Chilton (20 & 22 February)

Caterham
Robin Frijns (19 February)
Kamui Kobayashi (20 & 22 February)
Marcus Ericsson (21 February)

 

[Mephistopheles]

Since when did F1 become a political stomping ground for the views of one faction or another? As far as I'm aware F1 is not a platform to air a countries political views not going to Bahrain would be tantamount to showing support for one factions views whilst snubbing another it is better to go and stay away from mentioning what that countries party politics are, because it has nothing to do with F1...

 

[RasputinLives]

Thats what some said about South Africa and the reason there is a photo of the english football team giving the nazi salute to Hitler.

Its very easy to call the whole we're not supporting something just by being there card.