The F1 Thread

[Carrotdude]

yeah you’d think either do testing close to home or do it the week before the race so they can stay there.

 

[The Bear]

Does seem bonkers that they've all gone home from Bahrain to then head back in a few weeks, especially with the sports push to become carbon neutral.

Not a few weeks. The season starts on Friday with FP1, so they'll all be flying back out on Mon/Tue.

Was exactly why I thought they just stay out there and do something this weekend. That's the only reason they've all flown home, having nothing to do this weekend.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

They'd never want to go straight from testing to a race weekend with no opportunity to go back to the factory and try to make last minute improvements to parts which haven't worked out.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Verstappen looks mighty. McLaren look great. The Mercs won’t be steaming off in front. This could be a belter of a season.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Looked at the times in FP2 the top fifteen are within a second. Please be like that in quali and the race. Things could be epic.

Tsunoda looks more than decent.

 

[Tredman]

Merc to turn the engine up tomorrow and stretch out in front?

 

[The Bear]

It still doesn't look like any of the top teams were pushing that hard yet. The onboard of Max's quickest lap shows how comfortable he was.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1375504572001644547

That time is apparently 2s slower than the one he set at Bahrain in the winter test, and 1s slower than the fastest FP1 time from last year.

Bottas was also on the radio saying the Merc was "undriveable" at one point. I think they have issues with understeer but they're all still sandbagging at the moment.

 

[Kenny]

Could change come Quali but it looks like the Red Bull will start the season as the quickest car.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Seven tenths between Max and Lewis in FP3. Crikey.

 

[Kenny]

Seven tenths between Max and Lewis in FP3. Crikey.

Think they gave him full power for that lap. Maybe Merc holding back until Quali as they learn to master the issues with handling. Up until that point it was quite close between them but if that lap is the Red Bull race engine mode, then some catch up work for Merc and the rest to do if but if that wasn't full power then they have quite the march on them

 

[Nando]

Perez absolutely obliterated.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Max does that to every number two Red Bull driver. He is astonishing. He will win a lot of titles when Lewis is out of the way.

Excellent FP3 for Gasly I noticed. The Alpha Tauri looks decent this year.

 

[t3ch]

looks like the honda engine is a big improvement, so makes sense. crazy how much gasly improved when out of max's shadow. expect perez to be better as he gets more used to the car.

I finished drive to survive s3 last weekend, was fun watching it after having actually watched the season live.

 

[Kenny]

expect perez to be better as he gets more used to the car.

He has lost around 2 days in testing with the change so will take a couple of race weekends to get up to speed with the Red Bull. From FP3 and the time difference I would suggest Perez didn't get full engine mode when Max did. Such a big gap would suggest they have used the FP's as part of his getting used to the car rather than testing his full race pace

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

This quali is going to be fascinating. The piece with James Allison he suggested that the lost rear barge board area was going to lead to Merc haemorrhaging lap time. That has to be sand bagging. Surely.

 

[Kenny]

It is an issue and so far it looks like Lewis has got to grips with it more than Bottas.
2 or 3 races in I would expect Merc to have it sorted though.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Always exciting to see the new F1 titles and hear that tune for the first time of the new season.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Bloody hell that is some lap by Tsunoda!!!

 

[Nando]

He's a special talent. Very raw but they couldn't get near him in F2 when it all clicked.

 

[Tredman]

Honda engine looks massively better. Great time to quit..