Testing Thread

[Redblurr]

I'm sure Pizza was in last years car

[Inigo Montoya]

Right you are Redblurr. It was last years car.

[Redblurr]

" commented Hamashima, "Valencia has not traditionally been a good circuit for Bridgestone but this week's results suggest we may have changed that. We have been looking really quite competitive. Based on average lap times, we are in the region of one to one and a half seconds quicker than our rivals."

Let's hope so - ideally I would like the tyres to be evenly matched

[Gt_R]

Right....1.5 s faster????

BS is really full of BS now. The thing i'm worried about is when BS starts to think that they've done enough to beat Michelin. It's such mentality which will eventually slow down developement and work..

They'd be happy (and so will i) to even be on par with Michelin, let alone beat them by 1s. Afterall, BS were 1 to 2 s slower per lap than Michelin last year. BS, get the socks up and produce a tyre equal to Michelin and let Ferrari/Michael do the rest!

Michelin would'nt stand still, BS better keep the game up.

[Led ZeppF1]

Originally posted by Inigo Montoya
Right you are Redblurr. It was last years car.

Not surprises.

Well, as we discuss before, last year car, with the old engine and three elemen rear wing, was quite posible to be quicker than the new ones.

http://www.autosport.com/newsitem.asp?id=25883&s=5

Pizzonia: "It's not bad. Now we have a problem because we have to make the new car faster than the old one! It was a shame that I couldn't do more laps in the new car, but I had a differential problem."

[grumpy1]

By testing at one track Bridgestone think they have caught Michelin up.If anyone else thinks that then they are domed to failure.One track means nothing its when they are better on more then one track and on more then one car they have caught up.If it wasm't for MS they would be at the back of the feild anyway.He has carried them so far.

The Grumpy1

[Inigo Montoya]

Well, the F2004 was fast straight out of the box at Fiorano today: a 57"006, 3/10ths faster than what the F2003 did in its debut last February. Looking good!

http://www.gazzetta.it/primi_piani/m...86086599.shtml

[Redblurr]

excellent news

[Gt_R]

Nah... 3 tenth is nothing...esp when compared to the time set by the F2003 at debut.

I would expect at least half a second of the F2003GA in it's latest specs (post Suzuka winter testing spec)

[Redblurr]

can't translate everything, but they talked about snow and cold tempretures - so to me it looks good if that was the case

[Mr V]

Surely it being cold would be better for the engine? Maybe an improvement of only 3/10ths in these conditions isn't such an improvement?

[Inigo Montoya]

They were just saying that had a little sun today after being subzero and snowing yesterday. They sent Luca out in the F2003GA to do ten laps and clean the track - so it probably wasn't ideal conditions.

[Redblurr]

Indigo Montoya: I take it this is with the new engine?

[Inigo Montoya]

Well, according to Ferrari, the new engine only fits in the F2004 (and the sauber), so I guess so.

[Inigo Montoya]

By the way, its 3 hundredths not 3 tenths like I said before.

[Redblurr]

yes, Schumi was not pushing either - only 7 laps - then in for systems check and an afternoon push

[Glen]

Ferrari always "break" the lap record first time out in the new car. Testing times are of dubious value at the best of times (to us armchair followers), but when it comes to Ferrari's own private testing even less attention should be paid!

I'd expect cold weather to redress the balance a little back to the Bridgestone tyres, and yes - cold weather is very good for engines.

[Gt_R]

less attention? But why should it be the case?

Ferrari doesn't purposely run a car superlight just to beat the records. On their own test track, it is only natural that the new car sets a faster time than the old.

So does Ferrari need to stage a slow run just to "get attention"?

Yes, cold weather is good for the engine, but cold weather also take a huge amount of heat to work the tyres out.

It's just a shakedown, which is of little significance but to check the state of the car.

[Redblurr]

also may need to consider new engine regs compared to last years engines? Not to sure of the exact result but must be a loss of hp? Also are the wings differnt this year [rear]?

[Inigo Montoya]

Originally posted by Glen
Ferrari always "break" the lap record first time out in the new car. Testing times are of dubious value at the best of times (to us armchair followers), but when it comes to Ferrari's own private testing even less attention should be paid!

They didn't break any lap records. They just (barely) beat the time from first day out with the F2003GA.
Btw, it got your attention enough for you to respond, so I guess it merits the minimum of attention.

[Inigo Montoya]

At the risk of upsetting Glen , there is an update on the story - he did 34 laps with a best time of 56"835. Micheal's comments:

"Sono abbastanza contento - ha detto il sei volte iridato - ho avuto immediatamente un buon feeling con la F2004. Il comportamento della vettura era molto buono da subito, appena sceso in pista. Ho girato su buoni tempi e abbastanza costanti".

"I am pretty happy - I immediately had a good feeling with the F2004. The behaviour of the car was immediately very good, as soon as I got on the track. I had good times, pretty consistenly."

Tomorrow they are going straight to a GP simulation.

[Glen]

Whoa - why are you guys so defensive?

For a start it is not natural for a new car to be faster than the old on initial shakedown - I guess I mis-read, because I thought that they were claiming a new lap record, as they have done in the past on launching a new car.

Also - yes, on paper the new spec should be slower - there ought to be a modest decrease in power and the two element wings are about 6% less efficient for the same downforce level (or so I've read). A better car can make back that difference, as Renault claim to have.

And I stand by my earlier remark - if testing times are worth not a lot without background that is unavailable to us armchair punters, then Ferrari's personal test times are worth even less, given the lack of other teams to compare against and Ferrari's long standing tradition of publicising new records for brand new cars (which, as explained above, is actually very difficut to achieve without learing the car first).

[Redblurr]

"straight out of the box" great expression that

[Redblurr]

Schumi got the new lap record with a 56:279 today

[Redblurr]

Just translated this {gazetta]- please forgive me if I'm wrong [Indigo where are you ]but it looks as if Schumi broke record by 1 sec [Imola].

Schumacher and the F2004, 60 turns to Imola a fastest second approximately over the record of track IMOLA - Michael Schumacher has begun two days of test with the F2004 on the track of Imola. In total the German has covered 61 turns, fastest in 1\' 21\"646, to approximately according to from the absolute record of the Santerno. The tests will continue tomorrow also, always with Schumacher in track.