Quote:
Originally Posted by solstice
I don't think the drivers mind the lower noise but you can read between the lines that they are NOT impressed by the pace. About 5s off per lap at Jerez and just marginally faster than a GP2 car. If both the sound and speed of F1 is gone much of the specialness and allure of F1 goes with it. They need to figure out the speed sooner than later to keep the status where it is. Maybe restrict GP2...
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoFlo335
They are slower than last year, but I don't think they will be off by too much. Perhaps in the first couple of races they will be, but once the teams get a hang of the new power units, then they'll be closer to the pace.
But it is worrying that they are not much faster than GP2, and that the GP2 cars will sound much better.
I just wish the cars were more similar to the early 2000s, lots of power, great tires, fuel pit stops...
|
Today the 2nd winter test has just begun. They are allready lapping the Bahrain track in the 1:37,9 bracket. The fastest lap in last years race was 1:36,9. So the cars are now only 1sec off the race pace from last year, and the quickest time so far would have equalled the 7th fastest lap time from 2013.
And it's still not even halfway through the first day of this test...
EDIT:
And just as I wrote the above, Hulkenberg did a 1m37.155s. That's 0.7s clear of Hamilton in the Mercedes, and
only 0.2s slower than last year's race fastest lap set by Vettel's Red Bull.
EDIT 2:
Now Hulkenberg is down to 1m36.953s, a bit faster than the 2013 fastest race lap
EDIT 3:
Now Hulkenberg is down to 1m36.880s (0,1s faster than last years fastest race lap)