Australian GP 2008

[majicmeow]

So, whats with Force India changing their livery? That awesome tungsten/gold is now gold/orange... huh?

[leomax]

Webber looks promising,piquet and nakajima were slower than my expectations.

[bhall]

It's intriguing to see the impact of not having traction control on the cars anymore. I didn't really expect, after so much testing during the winter, that the cars would be so unstable as compared to last year; I thought they'd have a better grip on things by now.

This should provide for some very interesting racing this weekend, with potentially more than few surprises.

[Conceptual]

A whole lotta squirming going on...

I have to say that the TC ban is going to have a very large impact on the lap over lap consistancy of this years racing. I dont think that I saw ANY driver do 3 perfect consecutive laps in this practice. It is amazing how much these cars step out on the exits of the corners. I started watching in 2004, but have seen the youtube clips of yore, and I have to wonder how they got 1500hp down with no TC if these cars with a mere 750hp are all over the place.

It is looking like there is going to be a very big shakeup for the race on Sunday. I suspect that the teams that are not the fastest are going to do very well if they are consistant. It looks like it is VERY easy to lose 1-2 seconds on a lap for some minor bobbles.

Impressions:

Williams dissapoints, as does BMW.
RBR looking FANTASTIC as well as Toyota.
Force India had some good times, and they dont even have the quick shift gearbox yet.
Renault is so-so, and possibly heavily favoring Alonso. Piquet looked almost out of his league.
McLaren rim shields do in fact have the "exhaust" facing forward as stated in an earlier thread.
Torro Rosso looks decent as well, although Vettel is currently owning Bordais.
WTF is up with Ferrari? No bar-codes,white engine cover, and a solid red rear wing.
Did I mention RBR and Toyota looked Fantastic?

I think that Massa put up a good time, but also looks as if he lost his puppy with the TC ban. Alonso had several offs, as did Kimi and several others.

But its practice 2, on a very green track, in very greezy heat.

Quali is gonna be exciting, but don't count out the limitations that getting into Q3 has on fuel.

Oddly, but I predict the following outcome for the race, and please dont laugh. I think it is gonna be WAAY different than most think, and that comes down to fuel load.

1. Vettel
2. Button
3. Sutil

Laugh if you want, but I think that with the lack of passing, the 11, 12 and 13th quali positions will load heavy on fuel, and then balk the front runners after the first round of stops.

But we shall see.

Chris

[Ray]

Good thoughts Conceptual. Here's my horribly ill informed and enormously biased and often wrong opinion!

1. WTF did Ferrari do to their livery? Faux Marlboro sponsorship looks like crap, Ethiad on the rear wing looks tacked on. Oh, the color looks like a shiny dog turd. The pearl red looked alot better. And no it wasn't my TV settings.
2. Massa seems to be way over his head without TC. I know other drivers were making bobbles all session, but he seemed to be actually pushing to get his time more so than say Lewis. And I'm not fond of Lewis, so that's saying alot coming from me.
3. Another WTF. WTF was Force India thinking with the mirrors on Sutils' car? Cut those things off! They look horrible.
4. GO MARK WEBBER! I have been waiting quietly in the wings for Mark to get a good car under him. I know it's only practice, but damn I love seeing him at the sharp end. I love Aussies!
5. While I don't doubt nor deny Hamiltons pace, I think his time was on a light fuel load. Me hopes so anyway.
6. The TC and full engine braking is going to make for a bitch of a consistent race. NO ONE was on it all the time. Rainy races are going to be like NASCAR restrictor plate races. A junkyard in other words. I hope to God no one gets hurt.
7. Trulli scrumptious , I think I love you. I'm so overjoyed to have a class act like Jarno at the front. The man is an example of what an F1 driver should be. Passionate, fast, and an all around good guy. I hope he does well.
8. Bring back slicks!
9. Oh BMW. What happened? You guys were so far back and all over the road! I hope my eyes decieve me. Quick Nick was fishtailing alot.
10. Wake up KIMI! This is your title defending year!
11. Quali is going to be awesome. I'm with Conceptual. It's probably going to be another Suzuka 2005. Mixed grid.
12. Alonso, you done screwed up. Even with your maltreatment at McLaren, you should have stayed in for the long haul. You can beat Hamilton. You damn near won a championship after leaving Renault in your first try! How long did it take for you to win a race?? The second one of the season? And your masterful performance at Monaco was a sight to behold. I hope you haven't really shot yourself in the foot.
13. Nelson, you looked like you went swimming wearing a pair of concrete socks my friend. I think your in over your head, but I hope not.

That's my take. Please, by all means chide me for my stupidity! I know I'm wrong, but it feels oh so right!

[Metar]

The thing I realized during practice is that, frankly, we have no idea at all. The field is so much more mixed than it was in testing...


Some new parts appeared on the midfield and backmarkers, but I still can't find the changes in Ferrari's promised new aero...

Force India's wingmirrors:





Difference is obvious, but I'm not sure which one's newer. The first one on Giancarlo's look more modern

And Super Aguri's small addition in front of the mirrors:




And a rather bolted-on third plane on their wing:



And a shock! Three mirrors at Renault!



Look how similar the Force India and McLaren liveries look:

[Rob W]

Look how similar the Force India and McLaren liveries look:

That is going to be a nightmare on TV.. they'll look the same.

R

[Metar]

That is going to be a nightmare on TV.. they'll look the same.

R

Honda-BMW, McLaren-FIF1. Copy, paste at the back of the grid, and done.

[freedom_honda]

1. Ferrari's all red rear wing looks AWEFUL
2. seems like the TC ban does have quite a big impact on overall consistency. most of the drivers are struggling to put the power down in mid-corner and the exit. especially drivers who were whinging about it all winter testing like Massa. cant imagine what it will be like in wet race
3. Most drivers are down-shifting at pretty low rpm. i guess its because of the ban of engine braking
4. love the mixed grid.
5. bring back slicks
6. Honda is doing pretty good. expecting a HUGE mid-field fight on Sunday.
7. Hamilton seems to suffer less from the ban of TC, really smooth cornering
8. Lots of steering correction from Massa. seems like its gonna hurt him quite a bit during Quali and the race.
9. Consistency will be much more important than single lap pace in race. going off track can easily lose 2-3 seconds. it should reward smooth drivers like Button, Vettel and Hamilton. TC ban seems to have a bigger impact than we thought.
10. two seb should do quite good with a decent car thanks to the TC ban
11. RBR is doing a fantastic job. Webber is a really talented driver. but he never got the luck. great to see him at the front of the grid
12. THIS SEASON IS GONNA BE INTERESTING WITH THE MIXED GRID

[axle]

Looks like Williams could be in for a mare of a weekend thanks to 2 gearbox glitches. I really hope they are sorted for Quali and they still manange to show well, but the loss of laps can only hurt them.

Kimi's ultimate pace in Q1 was better than Lewis in Q2 so it's not like the Ferrari isn't working well round Albert Park, more like they tried for long run performance in Q2...Quali is going to be tight.

[Metar]

Kimi's ultimate pace in Q1 was better than Lewis in Q2 so it's not like the Ferrari isn't working well round Albert Park, more like they tried for long run performance in Q2...Quali is going to be tight.

Kimi himself complained that their setup didn't work well at all through the second session...

[axle]

Kimi's ultimate pace in Q1 was better than Lewis in Q2 so it's not like the Ferrari isn't working well round Albert Park, more like they tried for long run performance in Q2...Quali is going to be tight.

Kimi himself complained that their setup didn't work well at all through the second session...

Yes - but I wouldn't count on it not working in Quali if you see what I mean...can't count them out - they have posted faster laps and he didn't use the soft tyre in the 2nd session...

[sriraj1031]

Yes, i think they have "new wing" which setups on their car for tomorrows testing and with liveries which will surely surprise other teams


just wondering how would it be if alonso and kimi were in ferrari

[Mikacouli]

Kimi's ultimate pace in Q1 was better than Lewis in Q2 so it's not like the Ferrari isn't working well round Albert Park, more like they tried for long run performance in Q2...Quali is going to be tight.

Kimi himself complained that their setup didn't work well at all through the second session...

Yes - but I wouldn't count on it not working in Quali if you see what I mean...can't count them out - they have posted faster laps and he didn't use the soft tyre in the 2nd session...

I've read there was more wind in the second practice so I think without the wind Hamilton would have gone faster than the 26.4 of Kimi I think. I think McLaren is able to put a lot more pressure than people think on Ferrari. I think they match each other. And yes, Hamilton seems to have no difficulties without the TC. I can't wait till the qualifying. Looking forward

[meves]

Does anyone know who used the soft option tyres in the second session.

Also any ideas why Honda aren't using their new rear wing? And what is the lump on the front of the Williams?

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/photolarge.ph ... =1103-3070