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OT: Formula 1 chatter and race updates

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#1 ·
Formula 1 chatter and race updates

Rather than starting a new thread every race, I thought it might be an idea to keep an F1 thread going. This will allow us to post updates on the behind the scenes manoevuring and goings-on. Which frankly, is more interesting than the racing at the moment.



Modified by mdt at 12:00 AM 7-10-2005
 
#11,685 ·
How moveable rear wings will affect racing

Formula 1 is set to use moveable rear wings next year in the hope of boosting overtaking. But the plan has been received with mixed feelings by the paddock. Tony Dodgins analyses the situation

Wind back just over 40 years to Barcelona '69. Colin Chapman's Lotus 49s were racing at Montjuich Park – the first time the track had hosted modern GP cars – and were fitted with high, stanchion-mounted rear wings.

It was a different world back then. Jochen Rindt put his car on pole position with Graham Hill third, the pair split by Chris Amon's Ferrari. Rindt was fully half a second quicker than the Kiwi but had some concerns. It seemed to him that the 49s rear wing was growing, almost by the day.

"Now it's as wide as the car, right to the outside edge of the tyres," Rindt said.

Chapman explained to his drivers that the 49s were a couple of years old and that he was convinced he could eke better performance out of them by using larger wings.
Rindt shot away from pole and was leaving Amon by around a second a lap – the first time he'd led a Grand Prix since Spa '66 - when, nine laps in, Hill suffered a rear wing failure, although he didn't know it at the time. He crashed heavily but escape uninjured, pushed the wreckage close to the guard rail and stood watching the race.

Rindt could see him, signalled a few times as he passed by but got no response, so assumed he was in no danger. Hill's mechanic, meanwhile, was despatched by Chapman to find out what happened. He watched with Hill and the pair of them thought they could see the beginnings of a fracture in Rindt's wing, so the mechanic headed back to warn Chapman to bring Jochen in.

Too late. On lap 20, at exactly the same part of the circuit, the right-hand side of the wing gave way, bent back and generated lift. At 140mph Rindt slammed into the barrier – which, fortunately, Jochen himself had insisted was raised a couple of weeks earlier. That threw the car across the road, where it hit the wreckage of Hill's Lotus, flipped over and skated down the track upside down.
The tank was ruptured and there was fuel everywhere as Hill helped to extricate the trapped Rindt, who had a broken nose and cheekbone but was conscious and muttering, "S***..."

No safety cars in those days. Jackie Stewart, who eventually won the race, passed by the scene and saw a marshal place a finger on his throat, which he took to mean that someone had been killed. He could see Rindt moving on the stretcher but he couldn't see Hill anymore, having previously seen him looking over the wreckage of his Lotus. He feared the worst and was later relieved to hear that Graham was fine.

Stewart later attended the clinic where they had taken his friend Rindt, and waited in the lobby while first Nina Rindt, then Jochen's friend and partner, one Bernie Ecclestone, went in to see him. Jochen told Nina he was through with racing, then asked Bernie if he'd picked up his start money, which made Stewart laugh for the first time that day.

By the following Friday Rindt, back home in Geneva, had forgotten about stopping but had written to all the main motor racing magazines to try to get the 'death wings' banned.
Among the British magazines, Motor Sport refused to print Rindt's letter, its well-known F1 correspondent Denis Jenkinson considering that the drivers were all becoming girl's blouses, too concerned with their own safety...

"I would have accepted the opinion of a Hill or a Brabham, but Rindt hasn't even won a grand prix and I'll bet my beard he never will!" Jenkinson was quoted as saying! When Rindt broke his duck at Watkins Glen later in the year, Jenks kept his word and had a shave...

Monaco, though, was a fortnight later, and the sport's governing body, the CSI, started to worry about the implications for the sport of another wing failure there. Half way through the first practice session at Monte Carlo, the CSI announced a ban on wings. It applied to wings on stanchions at the rear, but wings and spoilers ahead of the suspension were allowed, provided that they were not moveable, were fixed to the unsprung part of the car and adhered to height and width restrictions. Which, subject to changes in dimension parameters, is pretty much where we've been ever since.

Last year though, driver controlled adjustable front flaps were allowed in the interests of trying to permit a driver to follow the car in front more closely through a corner and then launch an overtaking move on the following straight. It was all in the interests of improving the show but, generally, it's not made much difference.

Whether the show actually needs improving is another matter. Overtaking for overtaking's sake is not that compelling. It has to mean something. For me, watching an old-style NASCAR race when they passed and re-passed ad infinitum through drafting, was about as exciting as drying paint.

If it's overtaking like Arnoux/Villeneuve at Dijon '79, then fabulous. But how many F1 battles do you get like that? The nature of the beast is that pace tends to be dictated by car performance and, unless strategy variables are involved, once a car passes, it's gone. But, is F1 any the worse for that? Surely just as compelling with modern day F1 is the level of competition and its variation through circuits and development. You never know quite what to expect even if you think you've got a fairly good idea.
But, fan surveys have told the FIA and FOTA that more overtaking is what people want – they're hardly going to say they want less – and so the overtaking working group has been tasked with coming up with ideas. A big reduction in downforce was supposed to be the answer, until double diffusers were allowed. Now, starting in 2011, we have moveable rear wings. It's fair to say that opinion in the Valencia paddock was split.

The basic idea is that whenever a car passes a timing loop within a second of the car in front at certain parts of the circuit – likely just before or at the start of a straight - a light will come on in the cockpit telling the driver that he is able to use the moveable wing to reduce drag on the following straight, hopefully permitting him to overtake. To prevent him flying off the road the next time he comes to a corner, the low drag configurations will be cancelled as soon as he goes back on the brakes.
Drivers I spoke to in Valencia were sceptical. Some had safety concerns and others questioned whether it was too artificial. Is it really F1?

Imagine a situation where Driver A is within a second of Driver B, flattens out his wing, zips by on the straight and then, next time around, finds Driver B within a second of him as they pass the timing loop and is powerless as he is re-passed. Okay, you get lots of overtaking, but it's NASCAR-style meaningless overtaking. The type that makes you want to go and cut the grass, make a cup of tea and come back when there's two laps to go.
From the conversations I had in Valencia, there were three main concerns. One was safety, the second was driver overload and the third was artificiality. Alex Wurz, for instance, pointed out that you can enjoy a football match that ends 1-0 more than a basketball encounter that finishes 98-96.
Safety-wise, obviously things have moved on a bit since Barcelona '69.

"Quite a lot of work has been done by several of the teams, CFD work and so forth," Ross Brawn explained. "The wing is being configured so that if there is a failure it would fail in its fully-loaded position. So the way it works is that the front of the flap goes up rather than the back of the flap going down. So the main plane and the flap will be horizontal and if there is a failure in holding it there, the wing will drop back into its fully-loaded position.

"And the amount we are going to lift it, we have set a target which we think is probably adequate and maybe even a bit more than is needed and then we will have the scope to reduce that if the effect becomes too strong. What we now have to define carefully is when you are allowed to use that facility and the idea is some sort of calculated proximity based on the section times and the loops that are in the track."

One or two drivers muttered quietly about whether all the teams are capable of satisfactorily engineering such a system and also pointed out that with KERS coming back in 2011, you are logically going to want help from the two systems at the same place and are going to run out of fingers and thumbs.

"From a purely technical point of view, I'm sure we can be very confident with the current grid's ability to engineer complex devices on cars," Geoff Willis says. "So from safety, reliability, those sorts of issues, I think we can expect all the teams to do a competent, safe job. We were really thinking of a device that would give sufficient overtaking authority and a big enough difference in top speed to make overtaking possible. And I'm reasonably confident that we've done that.

"The thing we are more concerned about is what's going to happen with the sporting spectacle. We have to be open to the fact that if we've got it wrong – made it too easy or too difficult – we've got to be adaptable and open to modifying the regulations fairly quickly. There is a balance from a purist engineering point of view. We want to see no artificiality but we know this business is more than pure engineering, it is a sport and an entertainment and we have to get that right. Whether this is the best solution, I don't know. It is a solution we have come up with."

The need for some flexibility here is obviously paramount.

If you're a racing driver, you are going to be thinking about how the hell you can pass someone and be more than a second clear of him by the time you reach the next timing loop. If you're a fairly ruthless racing driver – about 95% of them - you're going to be working out where you can be a bit tardy picking up the throttle to surprise your opponent and force him to tap the brakes while you leg it to the timing loop! You won't be quite as concerned about diffuser damage next year either, with double diffusers banned. I predict a lot more damaged noses and front wings...

"We're not trying to make it so that two equal cars can keep swapping each other," Willis adds, "although the F-duct with the two McLarens showed that was possible. We do want to encourage overtaking but we don't want to see oval-type multi overtaking - that's not what F1 is. As to the concern from drivers that the work-load is going to be a bit high, I suspect that once they get going, it won't be a problem."

Interesting times. Wouldn't mind betting that Jochen is turning in his grave...
 
#11,689 ·
#11,690 ·
Nice! I am going to sign up for another month.
Other than glancing at it during the pit stop phase, i dont see how its of any use?

I know the cars are on the track, i can see them going past each lap, and timing info gives me a better idea of their relative performance at a glance. I just wish they'd follow the Americans from indy/nascar and stick a lap time ticker down the bottom instead of the director deciding which times you see, then you wouldnt even need to look at timing screens either.
 
#11,691 ·
This driver tracker from the BBC will be interesting to those of you with a UK proxy. Be sure to let us know what it's like.

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2010/07/bbc-to-introduce-driver-tracker-to-live-online-f1-coverage/
I used an iPhone app that does this about 4 months ago, and used it here in Singapore without a proxy.

Like Wes says, can't say it helps a lot, particularly as the timing app is constantly telling you what sector the car is in and what the gap in front and behind each car is.
 
#11,692 ·
Other than glancing at it during the pit stop phase, i dont see how its of any use?

I know the cars are on the track, i can see them going past each lap, and timing info gives me a better idea of their relative performance at a glance. I just wish they'd follow the Americans from indy/nascar and stick a lap time ticker down the bottom instead of the director deciding which times you see, then you wouldnt even need to look at timing screens either.
But with this one, the ALO button goes sideways when he does a mad skid.
 
#11,693 ·
:laugh::laugh:

Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton attended the opening press conference for the British GP weekend...

Q: Lots of things have been said about team-mates and the relationship between teammates. How good is your relationship? Could it be better, could it be worse? Mark, would you like to start.

Mark WEBBER: I think the press are bored. There is nothing else to talk about, so they want to talk about team-mates. That seems to have been the topic for the last 10 days or whatever.

Q: You seem to have chipped in as well though?

MW: Well, the press continually ask and try to put some fireworks on these two. My opinion was exactly as it was. It is not the easiest to have a warm, fuzzy relationship as we are all competitors but we don't hate each other's guts. It's the way it's always been at the front in Formula One, in the 70's, 80's, 90's and it will continue in the future. It is certainly not rocket science.

Q: And the relationship with your team-mate?

MW: Sensational, amazing.

Q: We have heard this before.

MW: Yeah, it's a broken record.

Q: Fernando?

Fernando ALONSO: Very good as always.

Q: As always?

FA: Yes.

Q: You have always had a good relationship with your team-mate?

FA: Yes.

Q: Working relationship or...?

FA: Both.

Q: Lewis, would like to comment?

Lewis HAMILTON: About what?

Q: Team-mates. Previous team-mates even.

LH: I have had great team-mates and great relationships.

Q: Can you see what Damon Hill and Mark Webber have been talking about and how it could all implode with your current team-mate?

LH: No, I have been in touch with Damon and he insists he is supportive of both myself and Jenson and things have been mis-communicated, so that puts that to rest. Otherwise everything is sweet. We are here at the British Grand Prix and excited to see how the rest of the weekend goes.

Q: Jenson?

Jenson BUTTON: I always love the lead-up to the British Grand Prix. It is always exciting. I wet myself when I read the quotes in the papers the other day. The great thing is, it is great that the weekend is here as we will have something good to talk about hopefully, on Formula One as a whole, as we are always looking for a story leading up to the British Grand Prix and it is all over now which is good and we can concentrate on the important bit.

Q: Can I ask all four drivers about the new circuit. Have you had a look at it? What are your feelings about it?

MW: I think when they designed it they weren't really planning probably to have a Formula One race here, so they were looking very aggressively towards making it more towards the bikes. I think then it was a bonus they got the cars back which we are all very happy about. The work the BRDC, Damon, everyone has done I must say it's incredible how they kept their heels in the ground and kept the event here which is great for all of us. Back to the track itself they kept all the good stuff, the sections of the circuit that the drivers like I believe. It would still be nice if we had Bridge in there and some of the other corners were nice, but you can't have everything when you have certainly a world class category in Moto GP here. They have made an adjustment and I think it is still good for both of us. I don't think there will be any more overtaking than it was in the past. It was always a difficult track to overtake on and I think that will still be the case but that's the same for most circuits around the world. So overall positive. A huge amount of effort has gone in and that needs to be applauded and hopefully we can have a good race this weekend.

Q: Fernando, have you had a look at it?

FA: I did some laps with a bicycle today. Nothing really more to add to what Mark said. We love to drive here. We love high speed circuits as this one. As Mark said I think overtaking will be difficult but no more difficult than it was in the past, so here we will enjoy this weekend a lot.

Q: I believe the McLaren duo have been practicing it on Scalextric. Is that right?

JB: Yes. It is very slippery at turn one, lot of oversteer. Apart from that the circuit was pretty good and I enjoyed it.

LH: He was really quick on Scalextric, so watch out for him this weekend.

Q: He was quickest?

LH: He lapped me, almost twice. I crashed quite a lot.

Q: What are your thoughts on the new part of the circuit?

JB: I like it. It does take away from the flow of the old circuit. This is the first real massive change to the circuit that has really slowed us down. I think it will add to the circuit. I really do. It does take away from the flow but it is interesting to have some slow speed corners in there. You need mechanical grip and hopefully it will help with overtaking as this is a pretty tough track to overtake. With a couple of slow corners it might change that. It possibly could be different with the downforce level we run here because of the slow speed corners and it will work the tyres differently.

Q: Lewis?

LH: I like it. I think they have done a great job. Seeing the grand prix back here is very special for us all here in the UK. As Mark was saying Damon and the FIA and everyone have done a great job getting the place sorted and fixed. It is great to see the track move in a positive direction. I grew up watching the track and seeing the history. I am used to the old circuit and it took me a while to really get used to seeing some of the new corners and when I drove on the simulator I even drove old circuit straight away and forgot we had to take these new corners. It is a little bit different turning right into Abbey instead of turning left. But I think it is positive and I hope that we are still able to put on an even better show than we have in the past. I think it should be good for the fans.

Q: Mark, presumably no after-effects after Valencia?

MW: All good, ready to go.

Q: You have got a new chassis here. Tell us about that. Also, you were quite emotional and sentimental about the old one as it has been good to you.

MW: The new chassis, a different chassis obviously, it is the only car we have that we can use, so we have to take that one which is no problem at all. It will be fine. The other car had a few pole positions, a couple of victories with it, Monaco and a few things, so it would have been nice not to finish its life like that. But it is going to be rebuilt and it will be back again shortly.

Q: Is that going to be yours in the future?

MW: I think it will be a spare car.

Q: Fernando, it seems to be a feeling in the team that you should have been a winner in the last two races. Do you think that moment has passed? Are you worried about that or do you think you can carry on on that form here in Britain as well?

FA: I think it will be more difficult here to be honest. The characteristics of the track we know are maybe not the same as Canada or Valencia with the different circuit characteristics, so we will see. I am quite optimistic for this weekend. We have had two unlucky weekends, so very soon we will arrive at a lucky weekend.

Q: Lewis, you have got a special helmet here. You have had a very busy time over the last week, so it must be good to be back being a racing driver again.LH: It has been a busy week, same for myself and Jenson, it always is for the British Grand Prix. It's our home grand prix, so the build-up to it has lots of work with all the partners who keep us racing. Helmet-wise I want to do something special every year at my two favourite Grands Prix which are Silverstone and Monaco. I did something a little bit different for Monaco. Last year I already had a slightly different helmet with the British flag on it and this year I have got all my family coming who are from Grenada, so I wanted to make sure that I was representing both flags, so I have got the Grenadian flag and British flag on top of the helmet and the stars down the side. I thought it was quite cool as my family roots are from the West Indies. I thought it was quite unique to do it and in the future these helmets hopefully will be quite valuable and who knows, maybe I will put them up for charity, maybe raise some money that way.

Q: Jenson, you have both got the new blown diffuser here. How important is that going to be and actually get it right and working correctly?

JB: Yeah, if you look at the cars at the last race that had new diffusers and exhaust systems, some of them seemed to get it very right, some not so right, so it obviously takes time. Without testing it is very difficult. We will see what happens. We are hoping we are going to put it on and it will be fine, but we know it will take a little bit getting used to and I am sure there is set-up work needed, so we are going to have a busy couple of days getting it right. But it is an important package and we have got belief in the team and we think it is going to be the right move, so I am looking forward to working with it.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Oliver Holt - The Daily Mirror) Lewis and Jenson, if we take you at face value and say there's no hint of animosity in your relationship, shouldn't there be? You're both fighting for the title, shouldn't there be a bit of needle between you?

LH: We know you guys want it but no, we're doing a good job, I think. We're working very much on our acting careers and they seem to be going very well because we're convincing all of you. He's going to be James Bond and I'm going to be the villain in the movie, so we're working on those roles.

JB: You know the important thing is that we work together and we do and that helps in the team. When you get on the circuit you want to beat each other, that's exactly the way it is, but we're not on the circuit right now, we're here talking to you guys. I wish we were on the circuit.

Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) Mark, sorry to come back to the subject but the images of your accident were quite impressive, mainly one, when everything looks blue on TV, the blue of the sky. You were taking off. When you saw the image of the accident, what did you think and if, tomorrow when you are behind another car it will come to your mind?

MW: It's definitely an unusual situation for a single-seater to go into the sky like that. For sure I was concerned what might happen. It's a freakish crash and I was a bit worried about some of the bridges. I didn't know if there were any bridges there. I had pretty much an idea that there weren't - I was just making sure there were none of those but I couldn't do anything about it anyway. I had the crash before here, I've come back from other crashes, all of us have had crashes. Fernando had a pretty good one in Brazil one year and this happens. We have mechanical failures, we have other crashes which are ones that we don't want to have, but it's part of the business and part of our profession. I'm not worried at all about my ability behind the wheel, going forward.

Q: (Andrew Benson - BBC Sport) Fernando, this is a track that you would expect Red Bull to disappear on, just as they did in Barcelona. You've had a race with the new rear end already unlike the McLaren guys. Have the team had any sense from the simulations whether that will bring you closer to the Red Bulls at this sort of track?

FA: We don't know. I think we need to wait and see. Obviously in Barcelona we were off the pace quite a lot, nearly one second, so we expect a better performance here but as you said, I think Red Bulls are clearly the favourites at the moment before free practice, but hopefully we can change this feeling tomorrow when we go in the car and hopefully we will see good grip and good performance in our car as well. But we don't have a clear idea or clear simulation. We just need to work hard tomorrow in free practice, to set up the car right for this new circuit, also knowing the circuit well tomorrow, doing more laps than normal and hopefully arriving to Saturday with a good car.

Q: (Ivo Pakvis - Jhed Media) Fernando, as a Dutchman, I really have to ask you, we would really like the World Championship on Sunday afternoon. Could we arrange that you win the race and we take the championship?

FA: I think we really are playing well now in football and Sunday will be a good opportunity for us to win the championship but this is difficult from here to do anything, so let's try to do our job in motor sport and then hopefully enjoy what they do on TV.

Q: (Geoff Sweet - The Sun) Could I ask the British boys, given that you are obviously bosom buddies, in the two weeks before the races, how much do you liaise with each other? Do you pass on tips to each other, technical knowledge, whatever? Give the man in the street an idea of how you do actually get on?

JB: We've actually had a pretty busy week with sponsor activities and what have you. We've both driven the simulator, we know what we're doing in the simulator, set-up work and what have you. It's very useful. I think it's a tool that a few teams use and it's also very useful to get used to new tracks like this, the new layout. But we've spent a lot of time together this week because of the PR events leading up to this race. It's always going to be a busy race for us but the good thing is that I think we've kept it pretty much under control, so we've got time to relax and focus on the weekend.

LH: I think we've got an incredibly great team who help us get through our events as smoothly as possible and to be honest, the events that we do, rather than be too tiring or boring or zapping your energy, they actually make it quite fun for us. For example today we drove up in a... what was it?

JB: A VeeDub camper van which was pretty awesome.

LH: Which was quite funny. It was funny, we drove up at fifty miles an hour from Woking, it took us forever but it was a kind of a unique experience. There's lots of great things that our team does and as Jenson says, testing on our simulator definitely does make up for the time that we miss on the actual track.

Q: (Ya'acov Zalel - Hege Magazine) Jensonif you were following Lewis in the last race when the safety car came out, would you ask your team to do something about it as Alonso has asked when he was in this position?

JB: It's a situation that didn't happen, so we're clutching at straws here to try and make a story, aren't we? You race as a team and I'm sure that the team would clarify the situation.

Q: (Jon McEvoy - The Daily Mail) Fernando, you drove with Lewis for a year. What's your reading of the way the British boys get on?

FA: Very good, I think.

Q: (Jon McEvoy - The Daily Mail) A bit better than in your day?

FA: Similar.

Q: (Carlos Miquel - Diario AS) Fernando and Lewis, we know this week that you are very good friends on SMS. Did you make that communication for a year, something like that? And the second question is to Fernando whether he thinks that Hamilton manoeuvred intentionally behind the safety car?

FA: Well, I think Valencia is in the past, so let's concentrate on the future, as I said before. We have arrived here after two unlucky races for us, we didn't win the points we wanted, so we knew what we have to do: (score) thirty points more than our main competitors in the second part of the season. I think we can do it after what happened to us in the first part of the season with all the problems we faced, I think we can do a better job in the second half, so hopefully it's enough to be in the fight for the championship, hopefully. That's all. As for SMS, I think we all send SMSs to people, so a normal thing.

LH: I think he answered it pretty good.

Q: (Sarah Holt - BBC Sport) Fernando, your answer there reminds me that we've got four of the five race winners up here now, so maybe you could all answer how important it is this weekend to do well, ahead of the second half of the season as we're at the halfway point and you've all had different experiences so far?

FA: I think it's important; not only here, the next couple of races are important. We have three races in four weeks now, there are 75 points to play for now in July, so it's important to score more than the others in these next three races.

MW: We know it's changing event by event. The new points' system is pretty interesting in that sense. Fernando had a few problems with the safety car in the last race, Lewis had a drivethrough, still got second. Jenson didn't qualify well, had a good race. I crashed, Seb had a perfect weekend, and it's up and down like this until the end of the year. We know whoever has the best weekends consistently, all the way to Abu Dhabi, is going to be the guy who will be in the best shape. There's going to be some more tears before the year's out in terms of some reliability, some mistakes, some pit stops, that's Grand Prix racing, and that's why we're all here and that's why we all watch it, so looking forward to it. There are some great opportunities in the future, clearly, for all of us to do well.

JB: I agree with everything. The only thing I would say is that with the new points' system, I think it works pretty well, I think that it's not just going to be about consistency for the rest of the season. We do have to win races, that's the same for all of us. If any of us are going to challenge for the championship with the difference in points from first to second now, it is key to win races. We're all pushing very hard, I'm sure, we can all talk about the improvements that we've got coming to our cars but until we see them on the circuit we really don't know where any of us stand. It's an exciting time for Formula One, I think. We've had many different winners and we've had some great fights this year and long may it continue because it's a great year for Formula One and we shouldn't forget that.

LH: Yeah, I think they've pretty much said everything.

Q: (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) Fernando, after Valencia, the FIA said that the Formula One Commission was going to look at the safety car regulations. I was wondering if you'd heard any more about that and whether you were going to raise it with Charlie (Whiting) in the drivers' briefing, about what should be done?

FA: No, I don't have any more information. I know that there was a meeting yesterday. We have our meeting now with the engineers, some with the team at 5.30 today, so maybe I will know something more, but no information.
 
#11,699 ·
Webber fastest in Friday practice:

Mark Webber set the pace in Friday's British GP practice, finishing ahead of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel...

Red Bull:
Mark Webber: "A pretty good day apart from the electrical problem at the end, which was a shame - we lost a few laps. The car seems to be going pretty well here otherwise - I think a few of the other teams were sandbagging a bit, but we're happy with our programme and looking forward to qualifying. The new section of the track is pretty difficult, but they got it right I think - it's a good challenge for the drivers."

Sebastian Vettel: "The sessions were okay today - in afternoon I had a bit of a spin and a set of hard tyres. We also had a with the brake pedal, but nothing big. pace of the car was good. The new the track is quite low speed, but it's slow as we expected and doesn't kill rhythm. It adds something new and more of a challenge. The track here magnificent; it's good fun, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Ferrari:
Fernando Alonso: "I think the only way to describe today is that it was a Friday like so many others. I expected to be competitive because our car is much better than it was at the Turkish Grand Prix, which was the last time we raced at a track with similar characteristics to this one. As expected, Red Bull is very strong and therefore the big favourite for tomorrow's qualifying and behind them, we will fight it out with McLaren, Renault and maybe also Mercedes: nothing different there to Valencia. At this track, you need a car with a lot of aerodynamic downforce and slightly different suspension settings to usual. The new components introduced in Valencia and those brought here have improved the handling of the F10: we must continue to push on the car development front at each and every race. I like the new part of the track: it is fun and safe and I think it improves the show. Regrets over the outcome of the last two races? The final adding up comes in Abu Dhabi. We lost points that were within our grasp but, in Barcelona for example, we were lucky to pick up others. Now there are 75 points up for grabs in the space of four weeks: we must try and do better than our rivals, trying to always finish on the podium, starting from here."
 
#11,700 ·
Mclaren were forced to dump their new blown rear diffuser setup and had to work through the night in the simulator on the old setup they've effectively lost 2 sessions of testing and not looking good for them atm in P3 with 15 minutes left.. down in 11th and 12th... Be a big ask to sort this mess out, the Williams are looking handy atm in 5th and 6th and Ferrari seam closer to Red Bull.. might be a pretty interesting Quali
 
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