F1 Winter Testing (2012)

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Hun200kmh

Hun200kmh

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Test Day 1 - February 7

This day's best lap times, according to autosport:

Code: 
[SIZE="3"][B]1	 Raikkonen	Lotus	         1m19.670s              -[COLOR="purple"]  75[/COLOR][/B]
2	 Di Resta	Force India	 1m19.772s  +0.102	- [COLOR="Purple"] 101[/COLOR]
3	 Rosberg	Mercedes	 1m20.219s  +0.549	- [COLOR="purple"] 56[/COLOR]
4	 Webber	        Red Bull	 1m20.496s  +0.826	- [COLOR="purple"] 54[/COLOR]
5	 Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	 1m20.694s  +1.024	- [COLOR="purple"] 57[/COLOR]
6	 Schumacher	Mercedes	 1m20.794s  +1.124	- [COLOR="purple"] 42[/COLOR]
7	 Kobayashi	Sauber	         1m21.353s  +1.683	- [COLOR="purple"] 106[/COLOR]
8	 Button	        McLaren	         1m21.530s  +1.860	- [COLOR="purple"] 62[/COLOR]
9	 F. Massa	        Ferrari	         1m22.815s  +3.145	- [COLOR="purple"] 69[/COLOR]
10	 Kovalainen	Caterham	 1m23.178s  +3.508	- [COLOR="purple"] 28[/COLOR]
11	 Maldonado	Williams	 1m23.371s  +3.701	- [COLOR="purple"] 25[/COLOR]
12	 De la Rosa	HRT	         1m23.676s  +4.006	- [COLOR="purple"] 44[/COLOR][/SIZE]


(numbers in purple refer to the number of laps completed by the driver)


Test Day 2 - February 8

This day's best lap times, according to autosport:

Code: 
[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkRed"][B][I]1	 Schumacher	Mercedes	 1m18.561s         	132[/I][/B][/COLOR]
2	 M. Webber	Red Bull	 1m19.184s  +0.623	97
3	 Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	 1m19.587s  +1.026	100
4	 Bianchi	Force India	 1m20.221s  +1.660	46
5	 Raikkonen	Lotus 	         1m20.239s  +1.678	117
6	 Di Resta	Force India	 1m20.272s  +1.711	69
7	 F. Massa	Ferrari          1m20.454s  +1.893 	95
8	 J. Button	McLaren     	 1m20.688s  +2.127	85
9	 S. Perez	Sauber       	 1m20.711s  +2.150	68
10	 Maldonado	Williams	 1m21.197s  +2.636	97
11	 Kovalainen	Caterham	 1m21.518s  +2.957	139
[COLOR="DarkRed"][B][I]11	 De la Rosa	HRT           	 1m22.128s  +3.567	64[/I][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]


(drivers in "dark red" are using the 2011 car)



Test Day 3 - February 9

This day's best lap times, according to autosport:

Code: 
[SIZE="3"]
[COLOR="DarkRed"][B][I]
1	 Rosberg	Mercedes	 1m17.613s         	118[/I][/B][/COLOR]
2	 Grosjean	Lotus         	 1m18.419s  +0.806	117
3	 S. Vettel	Red Bull	 1m19.297s  +1.684	96
4	 Hamilton	McLaren     	 1m19.464s  +1.851	80
5	 J. Vergne	Toro Rosso	 1m19.734s  +2.121	79
6	 S. Perez	Sauber       	 1m19.770s  +2.157	48
7	 F. Alonso	Ferrari        	 1m20.412s  +2.799	67
8	 B. Senna	Williams	 1m21.293s  +3.680	125
9	 Van der Garde	Caterham	 1m23.324s  +5.711	74
[/SIZE]


(drivers in "dark red" are using the 2011 car)



Test Day 4 - February 10

This day's best lap times, according to autosport:

Code: 
[SIZE="3"][B]P     	Driver         	  Team               	Time        	Laps[/B]
1	 F. Alonso	Ferrari        	 1m18.877s         	39
2	 J.E. Vergne	Toro Rosso	 1m19.597s  +0.720	80
3	 S. Vettel	Red Bull	 1m19.606s  +0.729	50
4	 Hamilton	McLaren     	 1m19.640s  +0.763	86
5	 Grosjean	Lotus         	 1m19.729s  +0.852	95
6	 Kobayashi	Sauber       	 1m19.834s  +0.957	76
7	 Hulkenberg	Force India	 1m19.977s  +1.100	90
8	 B. Senna	Williams	 1m20.132s  +1.255	125
9	 J. Trulli	Caterham	 1m22.198s  +3.321	117[/SIZE]




****************************************​




original post


I see the "Test Day Pics" thread is still closed but there's no other "test day" thread so I decided to open one. Mods, feel free to merge with the "pics " one or whatever else you find suitable.

Anyway, so far ... Raikkonen quickly got the pace needed. Great show from the Iceman.

Times published in autosport are:

1 Raikkonen Lotus 1m20.514s
2 Kobayashi Sauber 1m22.112s +1.598
3 Massa Ferrari 1m24.423s +3.909
4 Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m24.681s +4.167
5 Di Resta Force India 1m35.200s +14.686
6 Rosberg Mercedes 1m41.939s +21.425

And this comment is telling:

autosport
08:54 Several of you have asked how the times set so far compare to last year. Very well, is the answer. Raikkonen's 1m20.514s is quicker than the 1m20.709s that Massa set when topping the first day of Jerez testing in February 2011.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
So, Mercedes are using the W02 for the Jerez tests until the W03 is launched, correct?
 
It's probably Lotus showing off for real this testing period (as opposed to last year they were just doing normal runs), just a bit more promotion for Kimi. Anyone can be on top of the table if they want to. (sort of!)
 
Tom
So, Mercedes are using the W02 for the Jerez tests until the W03 is launched, correct?
Click to expand...

Correct. And as I was informed, they are running with EBD. Probably benchmarking 2012 tires.

They said they will be testing some new parts but they are not visible from the outside. Still a great runout for both of the drivers.
 
Either Raikkonen is in the form of his life, or Lotus have done a Brawn on us...
 
Raikkonen has been out so long, his main aim will be to push to try and find the limit of the tyres which he hasn't used before. Whereas the others will have experience of these tyres and know how to get the best out of them, so they will be following a more conventional testing routine.
 
PeterJB
Either Raikkonen is in the form of his life, or Lotus have done a Brawn on us...
Click to expand...

It could be both.

Rosberg on the old car and soft compound tyre sets 1m21.133s but Raikonen's medium compound tyre sets 1m19.670s!
(Fuel load might be the issue too)

Red Bull still haven't out yet.

and i think it's too early to make a conclusion but what a blistering lap.
 
PeterJB
Either Raikkonen is in the form of his life, or Lotus have done a Brawn on us...
Click to expand...
Or, the most reaonable explanation: that this is the first day of winter testing, and therefore, it is impossible to read anything into the times. I mean, Red Bull hasn't even set a lap time, so how can you reasonably judge anyone's pace relative to anyone else?
 
Even then, there's only so much you can do. 1'19,670 is a great lap, whatever tyre, fuel load, car or driver are doing it.
 
I was afraid of this. It's well-documented how testing times don't mean anything, since we have no idea of the testing programmes of any of the teams, and those programmes can mean wild differences in the actual pace on-track. But then Kimi Raikkonen sets on fast lap time, and suddenly, everyone forgets that testing times are irrelevant. Just look at Jenson Button, two and a half second behind Raikkonen - he's only done two laps. And since this is the first day of testing, those two laps were probably just systems checks, to make sure that everything works the way it is supposed to. He hasn't done a flying lap, but everyone sees Raikkonen's lap times and they get rose-coloured glasses.
 
prisonermonkeys
I was afraid of this. It's well-documented how testing times don't mean anything, since we have no idea of the testing programmes of any of the teams, and those programmes can mean wild differences in the actual pace on-track. But then Kimi Raikkonen sets on fast lap time, and suddenly, everyone forgets that testing times are irrelevant. Just look at Jenson Button, two and a half second behind Raikkonen - he's only done two laps. And since this is the first day of testing, those two laps were probably just systems checks, to make sure that everything works the way it is supposed to. He hasn't done a flying lap, but everyone sees Raikkonen's lap times and they get rose-coloured glasses.
Click to expand...

Probably because of the medium set that he use. :lol:
Well, it's still early in the morning.
The real one starts after the lunch i guess.
 
Nope, the "real ones" don't start until the teams are ready for it. Heikki Kovalainen is driving the Caterham today and tomorrow - for all we know, his testing program doesn't call for flying laps on soft tyres until late tomorrow afternoon. And if that can be said of Kovalainen, then the same can be said of every driver and team present at the test. It's the reason why testing times are meaningless: the teams follow a program, and they do so at their own discretion. We don't know what that program calls for and when, so we can't judge pace. That's the problem with having live coverage of these tests - too many people put too much in store in that which is ultimately meaningless.
 
Hun200kmh
I see the "Test Day Pics" thread is still closed but there's no other "test day" thread so I decided to open one. Mods, feel free to merge with the "pics " one or whatever else you find suitable.
Click to expand...
This thread is about the times, so that's fine. Try and keep the times updated with each days times in the first post though. That'd be good. 👍

prisonermonkeys
I was afraid of this. It's well-documented how testing times don't mean anything, since we have no idea of the testing programmes of any of the teams, and those programmes can mean wild differences in the actual pace on-track. But then Kimi Raikkonen sets on fast lap time, and suddenly, everyone forgets that testing times are irrelevant. Just look at Jenson Button, two and a half second behind Raikkonen - he's only done two laps. And since this is the first day of testing, those two laps were probably just systems checks, to make sure that everything works the way it is supposed to. He hasn't done a flying lap, but everyone sees Raikkonen's lap times and they get rose-coloured glasses.
Click to expand...
We all know this. The first time that lap times become relevent is qualifying in Australia, but that should not stop us discussing and speculating about who or what is going to where when Australia comes around.

Kimi's Lotus is looking good though.
 
There is a difference between speculating about who is doing what, and suggesting that the Lotus E20 is to the 2012 grid what the Brawn BGP-001 was to 2009 on the basis of one flying lap.
 
Well, Lotus flying lap isn't special after all.
Di Resta coming close behind with 19secs-esque.

Can't wait until those 3 top team do their low-fuel-soft-tyre flying lap because i guess they will do it sooner or later on Jerez today or either two days to come....or none at all.
 
Whatever you may say about testing times in relation to race pace, 1-19s are pretty darn quick.

If the times fall over the next four days as the big teams start to do their laps, then this could shape up to be an interesting season...
 
That's already a pretty quick start from Raikkonen. I think we can expect people doing long runs, tyre test, fuel test etc. so I don't bother to talk about lap times across the timesheet.

Now what interested me is has McLaren got their exhaust sorted out? I have yet to find picture of it and if the bulge is still there. One thing for sure, I'm glad another season is finally taking shape after a long talk throughout the launch and about the stepped nose.
 
ok, daan, already made some changes in the OP to follow your suggestion. 👍

I will try to keep up with the session's times but I can't guarantee I'll be on it all these days due to professional commitments, so if any of the more usual mods in this subforum (you, niky, Famine, Mike Rotch are the ones I remember now) feels the OP needs updating and doesn't see me doing the job, please step in :)

niky, indeed that's what I was trying to say in my previous post here. No matter how you look at it, 1'19 is in absolute terms a good lap time. It tells us Kimi is fit enough to be quick, but nothing (and here we all agree with prisonermonkeys) about how the Lotus compares with the other cars.
 

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