[Official] Round 1 - Australian Grand Prix

[TrapezeArtist]

Quote from Sam Michael: "But we are still unoptimised in the areas we need to be, which comes from our own knowledge of where they are not as good as what they should be."

Ronspeak is alive and well, and living in Woking.

[frostie]

Originally Posted by Flavio Galtieri

Bianchi is shaming the Caterhams, not to mention his team mate.

The Marussia was much quicker than the Caterham at the end of last season and given that they now have KERS (worth well over half a second per lap) and the Caterham is only a small evolution of last year's car is it surprising if the Marussia is faster? They made a lot of progress last year and I'd be surprised if Bianchi isnt consistently the fastest of the four drivers

[Flavio Galtieri]

Originally Posted by frostie

The Marussia was much quicker than the Caterham at the end of last season and given that they now have KERS (worth well over half a second per lap) and the Caterham is only a small evolution of last year's car is it surprising if the Marussia is faster? They made a lot of progress last year and I'd be surprised if Bianchi isnt consistently the fastest of the four drivers

I certainly agree re Bianchi, he's a class above imho.

But I can't imagine Fernandes will be too happy bankrolling that sort of mediocrity?

Perhaps things will improve, after all we've only just started

[bella]

bianchi: told you so

no doubt he'll shame himself by planting it into the side of a red bull whilst being lapped or something now though

[frostie]

Originally Posted by Flavio Galtieri

I certainly agree re Bianchi, he's a class above imho.

But I can't imagine Fernandes will be too happy bankrolling that sort of mediocrity?

Perhaps things will improve, after all we've only just started

Caterham have taken a long term approach to their development. When I interviewed Mark Smith last year he stressed that their main focus over the last six to nine months was making the move to their new factory in Leafield (the old TWR facility) and this was more important to them rather than immediate performance gains. They were struggling to hire staff when they were based in Norfolk so the move was essential for them to be in a stronger position going forward.
When John Illey was hired (I think it was around the Spanish GP but I could be wrong) they did a cost benefit analysis of the development of the 2013 car and they decided that with this being the last year of the current regs they would be better served by doing an evolution of last year's car with one major upgrade package but focus most of their attention on the 2014 car. As a result they'll struggle this year and Fernandez will know that this is going to be a very tough year.
Personally I think that they've made a wise decision and hopefully in 2014 they'll get the benefits of it but you're right to say that taking this kind of long term approach isnt without its risks as they could be seen as being very uncompetitive through this season and that will have an negative impact on potential sponsors and also prize money

[Flavio Galtieri]

Originally Posted by bella

bianchi: told you so

no doubt he'll shame himself by planting it into the side of a red bull whilst being lapped or something now though

I don't know, that might make him even more endearing

Having said that, if I were Graham Chilton I would have handed Bianchi the script in French when he joined because he obviously hasn't read the English version...

[bella]

Originally Posted by frostie

Personally I think that they've made a wise decision and hopefully in 2014 they'll get the benefits of it but you're right to say that taking this kind of long term approach isnt without its risks as they could be seen as being very uncompetitive through this season and that will have an negative impact on potential sponsors and also prize money

interesting post frostie, thanks.

i agree that from a technology and investment standpoint it looks to be a wise decision. the only problem is that both their gp2 and f1 teams could well be taking a serious reputation hit from this season, particularly with regards to driver choices. their gp2 team is absolutely woeful, and that sadly reflects their f1 choices too (though imo pic is better than he makes himself look). it's at a time that was crucial in the expectations cycle, and the way that their own pr and bosses have promoted their potential.

now it just sounds like the old david coulthard pre-season quote cycle of "i'll win the title this year" from the 90s unfortunately

[Flavio Galtieri]

Originally Posted by frostie

Personally I think that they've made a wise decision and hopefully in 2014 they'll get the benefits of it but you're right to say that taking this kind of long term approach isnt without its risks as they could be seen as being very uncompetitive through this season and that will have an negative impact on potential sponsors and also prize money

More importantly an uncompetitive year will have an adverse effect on the brand. They are a road car manufacturer with heritage all the way back to Chapman. I used to own one (a seven) and the brand is absolutely iconic to serious motoring enthusiasts.

Countenancing coming last is never a good plan, however well intentioned, if you are in the business of selling fast cars.

I'm sure they'll improve though, I hope so anyway. They have a good budget, have hired some good staff....it's going to be tough though.

[Marbot]

hmmmm......seems like normal service has been resumed.


Lots of comments about the fact that Red Bull were sandbagging all the way through testing. But the Lotus's (Loti ?) aren't too far away and the Ferrari's and Mercs are in there too.

If McLaren are still sandbagging, then they are really doing a very good job of it. Those cars looked terrible out on track.

[deeks6]

Mercedes looks the car to beat right now and Lewis is the man ... expecting pole easy tomorrow.

[Peter Mallett]

Off topic comment alert I have to type this or my brain will explode! I downloaded the F1 app for Blackberry 10. It seems I will get no coverage from available channels out here. So I thought I'd give it a whirl, it costs around £30. Anyway I don't know what the data usage is although I pay for the max every month out here, but it has all sorts of bells and whistles. Track displays, driver tracker, sector times (of course) and a link to my twitter feed. I'll link it to the office wi fi on Sunday and see how it works. Might be able to download the highlights on Monday. Thanks for reading, you've been a wonderful audience. Don't forget to try the veal and tip your waitress. We now return you to the topic

Will be listening to Five Live Extra for the race.

[chillibowl]

if its the same app thats been available for the iphone/ipad for the last couple of years it is truly excellent and gets better every year. cant watch a race without it.

Originally Posted by frostie

Caterham have taken a long term approach to their development. When I interviewed Mark Smith last year he stressed that their main focus over the last six to nine months was making the move to their new factory in Leafield (the old TWR facility) and this was more important to them rather than immediate performance gains. They were struggling to hire staff when they were based in Norfolk so the move was essential for them to be in a stronger position going forward.

without a doubt this process will take time but i would have expected some inherent performance advantages being gained immediately from the move. very early still but they seem to be moving backwards at the moment.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by deeks6

Mercedes looks the car to beat right now and Lewis is the man ... expecting pole easy tomorrow.

hmmmm......not sure which practice sessions you were watching.

But if you say it's a done deal, then I'll hold you to it.

McLaren, on the other hand, may as well treat the rest of the weekend as a test session.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2...-in-melbourne/

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

if its the same app that's been available for the iphone/ipad for the last couple of years it is truly excellent and gets better every year. cant watch a race without it.

It's been available for BB (and indeed other platforms) for the same time. I just refused to pay previously. Up until 2009 it was free, although admittedly not as sophisticated as it is now. I downloaded it out of boredom.

But I like it.

[Dixie Flatline]

Rain has poured down in the middle of practice, so all the cars are back in the garages being adjusted for wet weather running.

[Dixie Flatline]

Nobody is running at the moment with teams concerned about saving tyres for later sessions. There's a lot of rubbish on the track at the moment - leaves, branches, etc.

[Peter Mallett]

Hamilton hasn't turned a wheel yet.

[Scooter185]

FIA telemetry link is down for the rest of the weekend

[Peter Mallett]

Yup it means they will have to drive the things instead.

[cmifsud]

FYI

Its almost 4pm local time here in Aus and its moderately heavy rain at Albert park

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR023.loop.shtml#skip

[Peter Mallett]

Start delayed for ten minutes.

[Dixie Flatline]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Start delayed for ten minutes.

Yep, rain bucketing down again in Albert Park.

[Peter Mallett]

Now twenty minutes.

[Knowlesy]

Why hasn't this started yet?

[karting]

because the cars might get wet