F1 heads into the second Test session!

"Jonathon Klein" (jonathon-klein)
02/17/2014 at 08:40 • Filed to: None

So ladies and gentlemen, Formula 1 is heading into their second testing session in Bahrain starting tomorrow. The first session was not so good for the teams with the Renault powered cars, especially the reigning world champions of Infinity RedBull. For the team that dominated the last 4 years of F1, they managed to complete the lowest amount of laps out of any of the teams, besides Lotus. However, you can't really blame Lotus since they weren't there. Renault believes that it has solved these issues declaring that the problem seemed to have been with the Energy Recovery Systems storing !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . While it remains to be seen if these few alterations will serve to solve the gremlins that plagued the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! powered cars, what will be seen is how reliable the other teams cars are.

Both Ferrari and Mercedes completed many more laps than the rest of the field, but these weren't under full power. The first session test was to see if the cars would actually work on a track, rather than just a Dyno. Overall, the cars didn't break that much besides Hamilton's front wing breaking off and causing a shunt. What with all the rules and regulation changes made for this year, the top two teams to beat performed admirably, and will be the ones to watch.

Another story to watch is going to be the boys from McLaren. They pretty much gave up during the last half of the season last year so they could concentrate on building this years car. And build they did. Both Button and Magnussen caned the first test session and put in some truly remarkable times, even without full power. This test will be crucial for McLaren to see if all that hard work and if they made the right choice last season.

I for one will be very excited to see Lotus come to the field, while they don't have Raikkonen anymore, they have Grosjean, and Grosjean as we saw during the last few races last season is fast and truly a brilliant driver. I hope that Lotus gives him a competitive car so he is in the fray just like last season.

Overall, this session will be about working out those last few little bugs and gremlins out of the cars, because Australia is coming up quick and if you don't have your car ready, your going to lose points. And with a field as competitive as this years, with new cars, new tech, new regulations and rules, every point is going to matter.

Many are concerned about F1 losing its identity, losing its focus of what it used to be. The pinnacle of performance, the best drivers in the world, with the best machines in the world. And to a degree I agree with that, however, this year and watching the last test session with so many of the teams taking fast laps against one another, this is going to be a good season.

Stay tuned tomorrow because I will be live updating from the first test day starting around 7:00am CST.

You can find me here on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! too.

DISCUSSION (5)

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Jonathon Klein
02/17/2014 at 09:01

Actually Lotus did more laps then RB. They went to Herez for a "promo" shoot, that allows for 100km(around 22 laps) and made them all.

Jonathon Klein > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
02/17/2014 at 09:04

I forgot about that, is it bad that I hope this season the RB10 is just always up in flames?

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Jonathon Klein
02/17/2014 at 09:44

Newey admitted that it was more of a Red Bull Problem than a Renault one, although the french engines are far from perfect. I just hope that Mercedes kicks everyone's ass this year.

Jonathon Klein > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
02/17/2014 at 09:50

Them or McLaren, just so long as RedBull doesn't win.

UserNotFound > Jonathon Klein
02/17/2014 at 10:25

I'm glad to see somebody else given Grosjean the props he deserves. All of 2012 I was telling people that he was a massively fast driver and he will come in to his own when he gains his confidence. He didn't become the second highest points scorer of the second half of last season on luck alone.

I was so happy to see him make Vettel sweat at several races, and his continued involvement is why I will keep rooting for Lotus this year.