"ncasolowork2" (ncasolowork2)
05/13/2014 at 12:46 • Filed to: None
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"ncasolowork2" (ncasolowork2)
05/13/2014 at 12:46 • Filed to: None | 1
| 7 |
Marussia led the way today in Barcelona. Taking more than 3 seconds off their qualifying time this weekend they had the fastest lap of a 1:26.434 on a day of primarily wet testing. The lap was posted by Max Chilton. Lotus reserve driver Charles Pic was second quick with a 1:26.661 followed by Lewis Hamilton who ran a 1:26.674.
I nearly fell out of my chair when I realized that 1) Marussia was fastest 2) they were 3 seconds faster than they were in qualifying and nobody else was faster than they were in qualifying and 3) they would have finished in the top 5 if they had that kind of pace.
I then thought about it and realized there is something unsaid about that lap time. In open tests the teams are not restricted on the tires they can use. The race weekend featured the medium and hard tires. There's a good chance this lap was done on soft or super soft tires. Even still a 3 second gap between medium and super soft tires is a huge gap unless they were testing the 2015 Rubber for Pirelli.
Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
> ncasolowork2
05/13/2014 at 12:53 |
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There's a big question about fuel load, too.
Still, makes you wonder if they haven't brought some updates that will allow them to start creeping up towards the tail-end of the mid-pack.
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ncasolowork2
> Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
05/13/2014 at 12:55 |
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If you think any team ran heavy fuel in qualifying for a race... I mean seriously. Think about what you just said. Sure there might be questions about how much fuel they had in the car today but there is no question about how much was in the car on Saturday and they bested that lap time by 3 seconds on a relatively green track.
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Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
> ncasolowork2
05/13/2014 at 13:01 |
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Hadn't thought about that in the least. Makes it even more impressive. I wish someone was doing live coverage like Autosport had been doing with the earlier tests, as I'm sure someone has the questions about tires, etc. covered already.
davedave1111
> ncasolowork2
05/13/2014 at 13:04 |
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I'm not sure what the rules are for qualifying this season with regard to fuel, but in previous years they've had to qualify with the fuel load they'd use for the race.
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ncasolowork2
> davedave1111
05/13/2014 at 13:22 |
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Hasn't been that way since the ban on refueling 5 years ago. They need to have 1L left in the car after their in lap.
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davedave1111
> ncasolowork2
05/13/2014 at 18:54 |
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I seem to recall that more recently they've had to start quali with enough fuel on board that they were driving round for their first laps just burning it off. Am I just confused?
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ncasolowork2
> davedave1111
05/14/2014 at 07:59 |
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Sorry you're confused. Last 5 years have still been single out lap to warm the tires flying lap and back to the pits. Rarely will there be 2 flying laps depending on how the tires are working.