For those who don't know this is the boring time of testing...the teams only get to test before they race in Australia for the first time....not like any other racing series. Testing is limited to only 9 days and all this for a brand new design car,,,kind of tough.
So no one looks for real quick times all they want is to rack up the laps and make sure there is no breakage or issues, and do aero testing.

Times at lunch today ...the number of laps completed is the last number on each timing line


FASTEST TIMES
P Driver Team Time Laps
1 Hulkenberg Force India 1m22.608s 63
2 Perez Sauber 1m22.648s +0.040 51
3 Vettel Red Bull 1m22.891s +0.283 31
4 Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m23.639s +1.031 45
5 Alonso Ferrari 1m23.640s +1.032 52
6 Hamilton McLaren 1m24.040s +1.432 45
7 Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.555s +1.947 75
8 Bottas Williams 1m25.858s +3.250 69
9 Petrov Caterham 1m26.605s +3.997 36
10 Pic Marussia 1m28.092s +5.484 47
All timing unofficial. Updated: 12:03 GMT

 

GM! Glad to have found this thread. Been a fan for many years! I just hope the TV coverage will be better this year. Speed does a good job given the limitations of what they are given from the "world feed". BUT who ever thought fox broadcasting knows F1 or F1 fans, should be fired!

Since this is my first posting here I will try to make it short. However....

1) Bernie should appoint a director of broadcasting to make decisions as to what is broadcast for consistency. A former racer or someone qualified to know what cams should be followed and when. That same person should be at EVERY country's broadcasting booth so they don't cut to the winner of the race when he's 4 laps ahead and 2nd 3rd and 4th are side by side to the line.....

2) Let the teams TEST! I don't have the answer ($$$) for the have's and have not's but if they can dream it; let them develop and race it.

3) Fire Fox Broadcasting.....

Pole?: Which USA track do you think will win out? Purpose built or Street configured?

Here's to a great new season! I can hardly wait!!! Sorry for being long winded....



.

 

Cool a fanatic ...and post more....I am working on some posts.... that explains F1 to the gents around here...hopefully making it more interesting.

 

A modern F1 Steering Wheel


There is a bit to driving and F1.....more then just steering and shifting !

In addition to shifting a great many times, the driver also adjusts his brake bias, anti-roll blade, differential slip rate, various engine controls and everything else on the steering wheel at least 40 times a lap.

Here’s a breakdown of the controls F1 drivers constantly adjust


01. BOOST » F1 cars have an electric-hybrid system known as KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) that regenerates braking energy, then boosts acceleration—at the push of a button—via an 80-hp electric motor. Another feature that increases speed is the movable rear wing that flattens to reduce drag. The wing is controlled by a foot pedal.

02. LAP TIME

03. HARVEST » Regulates the amount of energy "harvested" during braking. The regen system can alter the feel of the brakes, and because these guys drive with exacting precision, they're picky about tactile feedback. This **** lets them customize.

04. DOWNSHIFT PADDLE

05. MIX » Adjusts the engine's air—fuel mixture to balance power and fuel economy. F1 cars don't refuel during a race, but economy is still vital—fuel adds weight.

06. BITE POINT » The race start is critical because the cars begin from a stop and the initial sprint is a prime overtaking opportunity. The bite point adjusts how the clutch engages as the drivers release the paddle, so they can execute a perfect launch.

07. BPF » During practice starts, the driver uses the "bite point find" to record the clutch behavior. Engineers use the data to instruct the driver where to set the bite point dial.

08. CLUTCH PADDLE

09. BBAL » Displays the front—rear brake balance, a critical adjustment that drivers make to fine-tune the braking performance. Most passes are done in the braking zones.

10. REVERSE GEAR

11. SHIFT LIGHTS

12. LIMITER » Restricts the car's speed to the pit-lane limit, 62 mph.

13. ENGINE PARAMETERS

14. UPSHIFT PADDLE

15. TORQUE » The 2.4-liter V8 revs to 18,000 rpm and delivers north of 700 hp. That's a handful in a 1400-pound car, so the drivers use this **** to adjust the engine's torque curve, depending on track conditions.

16. TYRE » Teams use roughly half a dozen different tires that vary in construction and diameter. This dial tells the computer which tires are fitted so it can calculate wheel speed.

17. CLUTCH PADDLE

18. DIFFERENTIAL » Thanks to electronic controls, the characteristics of the rear differential can be tailored for corner entry, midpoint and exit—each with 12 settings. Frankly, we're amazed that the drivers can detect such minute rear-end differences during cornering events that last for maybe a few seconds. But that's why they're paid millions.

Read more: The Insanely Complicated F1 Steering Wheel - Popular Mechanics

 

Nice synopsis Tim, Thanks!

 

Funny you bring up BE...at one time (I have followed F1 since 1964) I thought he was the godsend of F1 and back then he was...some how over time he has lost what he loved and exchanged it for money...BILLIONS of it.....and now he is going to change the face of F1 where it will never be about the true reason we watch it....the most technologically advanced/unique racing machines on the planet. We need the classic venues and we need the history to remain.

IMO when it comes to street racing you can never match Monaco, and all will be judged and fail when up against it.
Teas is going to be one hell of a track with so many of the great tunes of the classic in ti...lots of elevation climb and many late braking zones....it will turn out to be a very cool track...the one in Jersey....hum...not sure

Texas...will only live if F1 is adopted in the US...the good thing they chose a location that will pull from Mexico, the left coast and east coast and Canada...very good if not perfect geographical local.

 

Pastor Maldonado did a great qualifying run, even though he is an imbecile "Chavist", i do hope he gets good results and a good car this year, after all he's getting his sponsorship from my taxes.

 

Testing has been interesting, big surprise with Lotus! Glad to see Kimi back - will be interesting to see whether his time away means he returns more mature or if the girls and vodka will still be a bigger attraction than a little car race on Sundays.
Also cool to see the Senna name on the side of a Williams again... and I am glad that Hulkenberg and Petrov both got seats, I think this season has one of the best driver lineups I can recall, and with the scrapping of the blown exhausts it (should) be a closer field between those teams with money and those without. Fingers crossed!

Was a gamble with Mercedes test strategy, but good to get a baseline with the new tires on a known machine I suppose.

Dissapointed I arrive in Melbourne about a week too late to catch the race in person.


I would like to see Webber do better this year, last year he had the pace (lots of fastest laps!), but really poor at managing the tires.

 

.1. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:22.391

.2. Michael Schumacher Mercedes + 0.993

.3. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1.191

.4. Jenson Button McLaren 1.527

.5. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 2.042

.6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 2.380

.7. Mark Webber Red Bull 2.444

.8. Timo Glock Marussia 3.782

.9. Vitaly Petrov Caterham 4.538

10. Paul di Resta Force India 4.789

 

Do you get your name on the side of the car too?


(I couldn't help myself )

 

Howdy there brother....good to see you around these parts

 

VERY cool and extraordinary F1 Engine facts !!

A 2.4 liter V8 revs to 18,000 rpm

At 18k (RPM) the piston travels up and down 300 times per second.

During that time there are 2.5 tones pulling on each connecting rod.

The piston can go from 0-60 MPH in 0.0005 seconds

At 18k the valves open 150 times PER SECOND

At idle the engine is 100 decibels….140 at 18k

 

Just for fun...













2012 Season F1 coming soon.... 16, 17, 18 March 2012 Melbourne, Australia


Fun facts:

After being banned in 2009, in-season testing will return in 2012, with plans for a test to be held at Mugello on 1 May ahead of the European leg of the 2012 championship. As teams will only be permitted to do fifteen days of testing over the course of the season, the pre-season winter testing schedule has been cut back to accommodate the Mugello test.

At the final meeting of the World Motorsports Commission in December 2011, a series of amendments to the sporting regulations were published. Chief among these is the re-introduction of a rule that will allow all lapped traffic under the safety car to be released from the queue before the car returns to pit lane, allowing the drivers to unlap themselves and to ensure a clean re-start.

The 2012 season will see the reintroduction of the United States Grand Prix Nov. 18th after a five-year absence, with the race to be held at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas. The circuit design was inspired by the Silverstone, Hockenheim and Istanbul Park circuits.

The United States Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be held in June, but was moved back to become the penultimate event of the season in response to concerns over the heat of the Texas summer and its effects on teams, drivers and spectators.

Austin Track:


.

 

I like it .....POST more +

 

2012 season rules and regulations

13 days to go...
.