|
Post by Gene Hunt on Mar 6, 2016 12:38:42 GMT
With Merc & Ferrari emerging as the front runners again, here is a comparison of race simulation times of all four drivers during testing.
All four drivers did a three stop strategy at the Circuit De Catalunya.
Stint 1:
Hamilton started on SOFT tyres and did 8 laps Rosberg started on SOFT tyres and did 8 laps Vettel started on SOFT tyres and did 7 laps Raikkonen started on SOFT tyres and did 7 laps
Rosberg averaged the fastest lap time of 1:29.5 Vettel averaged 1:30.0 Raikkonen averaged 1:30.2 Hamilton averaged 1:30.5
Stint 2:
Hamilton on MEDIUM tyres did 24 laps Rosberg on MEDIUM tyres did 18 laps Vettel on MEDIUM tyres did 22 laps Raikkonen on MEDIUM tyres did 16 laps
Raikkonen averaged the fastest lap time of 1:29.6 Hamilton averaged 1:29.7 Rosberg averaged 1:30.3 Vettel averaged 1:30.6
Stint 3:
Hamilton on MEDIUM tyres did 15 laps Rosberg on MEDIUM tyres did 20 laps Vettel on MEDIUM tyres did 21 laps Raikkonen on MEDIUM tyres did 25 laps
Raikkonen and Vettel set identical fastest average lap times of 1:29.2 Hamilton and Rosberg set identical average lap times of 1:29.3
Stint 4:
Hamilton on MEDIUM tyres did 19 laps Rosberg on MEDIUM tyres did 19 laps Vettel on MEDIUM tyres did 19 laps Raikkonen on HARD tyres did 17 laps
Hamilton set the fastest average lap time of 1:27.2 Rosberg averaged 1:28.0 Vettel averaged 1:28.3 Raikkonen averaged 1:28.9
These times were set at different times and across different days but give an idea of relative performance over a long run.
Taking all the figures into consideration, the average lap times are as follows :
Lewis Hamilton - 1:28.98 Nico Rosberg - 1:29.22 Kimi Raikkonen - 1:29.32 Sebastian Vettel - 1:29.47
By my reckoning, this gives Hamilton almost a quarter of a second per lap advantage over nearest rival Rosberg, which equates to winning the race by +16 seconds.
Clearly, Ferrari have closed the gap to Mercedes during the break. Hopefully, this will be the case at the first race and we can get some proper racing between the four of them for a change. All provided Merc aren't sandbagging of course....
Gene.
|
|
Del Boy
Moderator
Posts: 9,870
Online Status:
|
Post by Del Boy on Mar 7, 2016 20:13:49 GMT
That Halo thing is ridiculous. If you need to protect the head area go full cockpit or change the bodywork to improve safety. I'm open to the quali changes as they might improve the spectacle. You will never see free open qualifying again because it reduces the time sponsors are visible on screen.
|
|
|
Post by Windy Miller on Mar 7, 2016 20:34:14 GMT
With Merc & Ferrari emerging as the front runners again, here is a comparison of race simulation times of all four drivers during testing. All four drivers did a three stop strategy at the Circuit De Catalunya. Stint 1: Hamilton started on SOFT tyres and did 8 laps Rosberg started on SOFT tyres and did 8 laps Vettel started on SOFT tyres and did 7 laps Raikkonen started on SOFT tyres and did 7 laps Rosberg averaged the fastest lap time of 1:29.5 Vettel averaged 1:30.0 Raikkonen averaged 1:30.2 Hamilton averaged 1:30.5 Stint 2: Hamilton on MEDIUM tyres did 24 laps Rosberg on MEDIUM tyres did 18 laps Vettel on MEDIUM tyres did 22 laps Raikkonen on MEDIUM tyres did 16 laps Raikkonen averaged the fastest lap time of 1:29.6 Hamilton averaged 1:29.7 Rosberg averaged 1:30.3 Vettel averaged 1:30.6 Stint 3: Hamilton on MEDIUM tyres did 15 laps Rosberg on MEDIUM tyres did 20 laps Vettel on MEDIUM tyres did 21 laps Raikkonen on MEDIUM tyres did 25 laps Raikkonen and Vettel set identical fastest average lap times of 1:29.2 Hamilton and Rosberg set identical average lap times of 1:29.3 Stint 4: Hamilton on MEDIUM tyres did 19 laps Rosberg on MEDIUM tyres did 19 laps Vettel on MEDIUM tyres did 19 laps Raikkonen on HARD tyres did 17 laps Hamilton set the fastest average lap time of 1:27.2 Rosberg averaged 1:28.0 Vettel averaged 1:28.3 Raikkonen averaged 1:28.9 These times were set at different times and across different days but give an idea of relative performance over a long run. Taking all the figures into consideration, the average lap times are as follows : Lewis Hamilton - 1:28.98 Nico Rosberg - 1:29.22 Kimi Raikkonen - 1:29.32 Sebastian Vettel - 1:29.47 By my reckoning, this gives Hamilton almost a quarter of a second per lap advantage over nearest rival Rosberg, which equates to winning the race by +16 seconds. Clearly, Ferrari have closed the gap to Mercedes during the break. Hopefully, this will be the case at the first race and we can get some proper racing between the four of them for a change. All provided Merc aren't sandbagging of course.... Gene. If you assume Stint 4 is perfecting the tuning of the car, and was the Stint when the teams were going for it, Hamilton is 1 second per lap faster than Ferrari = Walkover for Mercedes I'm looking forward to close racing at the front.... just as long as Ferrari don't win
|
|
|
Post by Gene Hunt on Mar 7, 2016 20:47:41 GMT
I'll second that Windy. If Ferrari must win, I hope it is Kimi.
Actually, Kimi did quite well lap time wise on the hard tyres...
|
|
Del Boy
Moderator
Posts: 9,870
Online Status:
|
Post by Del Boy on Mar 7, 2016 22:22:31 GMT
If this season becomes the borefest of last year again i think i shall watch a select few races and won't bother with the rest. Even in the worst of seasons over the past 30 years I still watch the Australian, British, Monaco, Canadian,Italian GP's. The rest i dont really care too much about. Bernie's beloved new world tracks are part of the problem of F1's audience decline IMO. The clamour for these tracks to be inducted into the calendar played a part in places like Hockenheim ruining their classic track with a Tilke redesign. Biggest snooze-fest not worth bothering with is without doubt the Spanish GP at Circuit de Catalunya.
Alonso is right F1 fans want more grunt more grip and less technology.
|
|
|
Post by Sam Tyler on Mar 8, 2016 22:22:59 GMT
Alonso is right F1 fans want more grunt more grip and less technology. Let's take it all back to 1986 for engines, qualifying, and drivers that still had personalities.
1500bhp for qualifying, 1350bhp in race trim, proper noise, and no enforced tyre changes. Those were the days.
Sam
|
|
Del Boy
Moderator
Posts: 9,870
Online Status:
|
Post by Del Boy on Mar 9, 2016 13:31:22 GMT
I think it was Mansell who said in an interview that those 1.5 turbo cars were mad to drive. They would still wheelspin on acceleration in third !!
|
|
|
Post by Ministrone on Mar 9, 2016 21:11:41 GMT
We need more grunt and less grip and technology, that would sort out who was the best driver. I'm not suggesting we go back to the grooved tyres though. I think a narrow front wing would be a good start.
|
|
Del Boy
Moderator
Posts: 9,870
Online Status:
|
Post by Del Boy on Mar 10, 2016 9:28:33 GMT
I'm not against all technology on the cars. I think launch control should be elbowed, traction control too (replace some grip with bigger tyres) I think DRS should be limited to 5 passes per race but get rid of KERS. That should make for good racing and strike a balance for the fans.
|
|
|
Post by Dirty Epic on Mar 10, 2016 11:25:38 GMT
I'm not against all technology on the cars. I think launch control should be elbowed, traction control too (replace some grip with bigger tyres) I think DRS should be limited to 5 passes per race but get rid of KERS. That should make for good racing and strike a balance for the fans. Well put Del. I think F1 needs decide what it really wants to be at the moment as the current approach seems to be a bit of a pastiche of either allowing some driver aids like KERS and DRS but taking away some of the excitement of the racing with degrading tyres which don't allow drivers to race, hybrid engines brought in as a token appeasement to the green lobby, cutting some testing but allowing loopholes for others and generally creating the conditions for Mercedes to dominate while others have at best been at catch up and (McLaren) at worst out of the game. The Ferrari dominance of 2000-04 was equally a snooze fest but it was due to a team/driver being better than others on the grid and other teams like Renault/McLaren/Red Bull did eventually catch them up. But the rule changing since 2005 hasn't made things better in the terms of closer racing in F1 and if anything has driven more people away from the sport than it did in that Schumi-era. Would be interesting if they took the all or nothing approach going forward either have more racey cars with no driver aids and remove assistance from the pit lane but have them with proper V10/V12 engines, no Hybrid rubbish and proper raceable tyres or allow unlimited aids/testing and give more assistance to the smaller/struggling teams who could catch up and give the bigger boys headaches like say Liger, Toleman, Brabham, Tyrell etc. did to Ferrari, McLaren and Williams in the 1980's/90's. Manipulating grids, the racing, testing and hardware like it is at the moment doesn't do this! Just a thought!
|
|