Quote:
Originally Posted by Plantagenet
Any ideas why the practice sessions were so topsy-turvy? Given they get such little track testing in advance of the race, I would have thought they would be running lots of hot laps and race-sims to fine-tune running for quali (i.e. the times should be indicative of true pace). Yet I know Lando won't be 2 secs off the pace (as he was in FP2) so clearly I'm wrong. Will FP3 be a better guide do we think, or will we have to wait to quali proper?
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I think teams broadly use each session differently. FP1 for initial setup, maybe some parts testing. FP2 for checking long run pace and FP3 for qualification simulations. And even then, some teams may choose to show more or less of their ultimate pace as they approach qualification. In short, I think things like who has fastest laps in any session (expect maybe FP3) is something to not get overly wound up over. There are people who are good at looking at session data (lap and sector times, trap speeds, etc.) in total to make specific conclusions. Such as... what might long run pace look like, or what is tire degradation looking like on a longer run, etc. I am sure others here have a better view on this than myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chillibowl
my guess would be no engine restrictions during testing but now that the season has started there now is?  |
I need to look at the PU regulations, but I "think" the engine allocation for the year includes testing and shakedown usage. In short, its not like you can burn up a PU during testing and then start fresh in the first race? But this may also mean that teams are running less than full power for much of testing?
Richard