[ebonho]

Fantastic info fjxavier. Thanks a ton.

The hoop thingy was what I was talking about. But with bars extending to the hump behind the drivers helmet completing it.

Like a roller coaster brace cage it could come in and automatically open in case of an accident.

Yes, it could get jammed. That's always there. And then you have a driver's worst nightmare. Being trapped in a flaming car.

P.S. Very impressed by the video of the fighter jet canopy in slow mo. I still think though that it would stand no chance with a F1 car spearing into it.

The hoop? Maybe ....

[vivekz]

Great to see Rosberg stamping dominance on Ham who had no answer to his pace this weekend.

Bad luck for Vettel though. It is interesting how the podium would have shaped up if he hadn't lost nearly 10 seconds in his pits. If we see he eventually finished just 10 secs behind Hamilton. Even if we assume Hamilton eased off in last few laps, I think he was not able to close the gap beyond 4-5 secs to Rosberg and with his 5 secs penalty and a flying Vettel not restricted by Massa, it may have been close.

[Fullrevs]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Yes I know they are tethered. But they are still bouncing and flailing around. While on the car in place they are almost flush with the rest of the car.

We've seen what a small loose bolt from a car ahead did to Massa. Now think of a whole wheel smashing into the helmet of a driver ...... even if the rest of the car it is tethered to misses him.

I think car-on-car situations like the one we saw yesterday are unavoidable. They introduced lower front noses so the cars cant climb the wheel of the car ahead, wider front wings also help prevent this problem. The cockpit sides are raised to ensure a loose wheel and other things cannot strike the driver on the side of the head. We have neck restraints, much stronger helmets and visors. The vulnerability for the driver is straight in front and there seems to be very little that can be regulated besides a closed cockpit and that idea has been veto'ed by all. One of the prime dangers in F1 is the car catching fire and in a closed cockpit, that could be a nightmare.

This is racing after all. I guess a certain element of danger is bound to be there. Fatalities are a lot lesser compared to other forms of motorsport and the FIA are to be commended for making it as safe as it is now.

[iamendangered]

Originally Posted by vivekz

with his 5 secs penalty and a flying Vettel not restricted by Massa, it may have been close.

Would've loved to see if Vettel was able to close the gap on Hamilton, had he not suffered a pitstop mishap. Rosberg may have been able to 'trap' Hamilton within 5 seconds of Vettel and in the process, gain even more on Lewis in the title race. If nothing else, that scenario would make for some extremely interesting team radio chats & post race interviews

Originally Posted by asr245

Is there a reason I should look to download the torrent to watch this race?

Sorry for seeming holier than thou, but I believe there are no free live streams (and hence torrents) of F1 anywhere, so probably best to not mention any form of unlicensed viewing

Originally Posted by Ayr70n_5enna

Did anyone notice the radio conversation after Kimi-Fernando incident?

I was very happy when I heard that, great camaraderie. Sorry for lewis bashing but I don't see him doing that for any driver, let alone his teammate and title rival

[jfxavier]

There is no worthwhile footage from any of the various cameras from the cars or TV cameras regarding the Kimi - Alonso incident that explained how the coming together happened except for a spectator's camera footage.

All the cars are fitted with TV cameras that broadcast onboard footage during the race. However ironically for lack of resources not all cars onboard cameras are set to record during a Formula One race.
Alonso’s car was not selected to be part of the broadcast at this year’s Austrian GP (probably nothing worthwhile from a back marker's car). Wonder how they can explain away not recording pictures from all cars and camera’s which are ‘offline’, to improve post race stewards deliberations and safety management.

One of the most shocking admissions that came from FIA following Jules Bianchi’s crash at Suzuka in 2014 was that for a while the race director Charlie Whiting had not seen the recovery vehicle. Neither the FOM TV cameras or the circuit CCTV were covering that portion of the circuit. Wonder when F1 will buckle up and make sure all parts of the circuits are covered and recorded all the time for safety and security purpose.

[Fullrevs]

Post Austrian GP test line up:
Mercedes
Tuesday: Nico Rosberg
Wednesday: Pascal Wehrlein

Ferrari
Tuesday: Antonio Fuoco
Wednesday: Esteban Gutiérrez

Red Bull
Tuesday: Pierre Gasly
Wednesday: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams
Tuesday: Susie Wolff
Wednesday: Valtteri Bottas

McLaren
Tuesday: Stoffel Vandoorne
Wednesday: Fernando Alonso

Lotus
Tuesday: Romain Grosjean
Wednesday: Jolyon Palmer

Force India
Tuesday: Pascal Wehrlein
Wednesday: Esteban Ocon

Toro Rosso
Tuesday: Max Verstappen
Wednesday: Marco Wittmann

Sauber
Tuesday: Raffaele Marciello
Wednesday: Felipe Nasr

Wish Ferrari would have run at least one race driver. I dont think Esteban can give as much feedback as the race drivers. Would have been a good idea to run Kimi Raikkonen. In any case though, looks like the morning session was washed out. Heavy rains reported at the Red Bull Ring.

The morning session of the opening day of the post-race test at the Red Bull Ring was a washout, with heavy rain resulting in the majority of teams remaining in the pit lane.

Heavy rain overnight left the circuit drenched and during the early stages of running only McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne and Ferrari debutant Antonio Fuoco appeared on circuit for a cautious installation lap.

The session was then red flagged due to the conditions at 9:35am local time, with a decision on the remainder of the day's running set to be made during the lunch break.

Source: F1racing.net

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

Wish Ferrari would have run at least one race driver. I dont think Esteban can give as much feedback as the race drivers. Would have been a good idea to run Kimi Raikkonen. In any case though, looks like the morning session was washed out. Heavy rains reported at the Red Bull Ring.



Source: F1racing.net

Hearing that it's possible that the end of today's session could be extended from 6pm to 8pm local time, to make up for the earlier non-running and that an agreement has been reached to extend the test until Thursday.


McLaren spotted with a monkey seat.

[jfxavier]

First day of testing at Austria comes to an end after being extended for 2 hours to compensate for rains in the morning.
97 laps completed by Max was the highest for the day.
McLaren's Vandoorne did 76 laps, which was 76 laps more than what Alonso did on the race day.
Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein set the fastest lap of the day at 1:11.005.







Aero rakes, Flo-vis paint, new winglets, monkey seats - all of it were in action. Business as usual.



Force India tested their new style nose for the B-spec. car.



Williams' Susie Wolff tested a new winglet to improve air flow over the wheels.

Timings:
1. Wehrlein (Mercedes) 1:11.005
2. Ocon (Force India) 1:11.192
3. Verstappen (Toro Rosso) 1:11.328
4. Fuoco (Ferrari) 1:11.331
5. Grosjean (Lotus) 1:11.691
6. Gasly (Red Bull) 1:11.757
7. Marciello (Sauber) 1:11.826
8. Vandoorne (McLaren) 1:12.530
9. Wolff (Williams) 1:13.248

[Fullrevs]

I am curious to know if the winglet used by Williams is legal. Thought no "mess" was allowed in the floor area. Mclaren's stepped floor in comparison is quite interesting in its concept. Very interesting front nose design by Force India. I wonder if its a similar system to the F-duct.

Antonio Fuoco testing the Ferrari had a real nasty crash at turn 1. I hope it doesn't affect the teams programfor the remainder of the tests.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Attachment 1385407

Williams' Susie Wolff tested a new winglet to improve air flow over the wheels.

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

I am curious to know if the winglet used by Williams is legal. Thought no "mess" was allowed in the floor area. Mclaren's stepped floor in comparison is quite interesting in its concept. Very interesting front nose design by Force India. I wonder if its a similar system to the F-duct.

The Williams winglet before rear wheels is illegal. Not sure why Willaims is using this, can only be data gathering I assume on airflow.

[arun_kun]

Interesting Aero from Force India. Hope they are more competitive than Lotus and be on par with Williams.


Source:AutoSport

[jfxavier]

The second day of testing at Austria was mostly about long runs & aero evaluations.

1) Rosberg (Mercedes) 1m09.113s - 117 laps
2) Gutierrez (Ferrari) 1m09.931s - 110 laps
3) Bottas (Williams) 1m10.029s - 79 laps
4) Wittmann (Toro Rosso) 1m10.163s - 158 laps
5) Wehrlein (Force India) 1m10.253s - 132 laps
6) Palmer (Lotus) 1m10.373s - 110 laps
7) Alonso (McLaren) 1m10.718s - 104 laps
8) Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1m10.757s - 116 laps
9) Nasr (Sauber) 1m10.922s - 138 laps

The session was red flagged twice, but not for a McLaren.
Alonso did an impressive 104 laps by their standards. Looks like Arai san was serious when he talked about the "good engine".

[Fullrevs]

The Force India's are showing serious pace and they could very well take the fight to Red Bull and maybe even Williams in the second half of the season.

Williams are still quite mum about their winglets. There is going to be a flurry of equivalents from other teams if that winglet is legal.

[jfxavier]

For comparisons' sake I have listed below, test day 2 lap times along with the Q2 times previous weekend. Some with different drivers where the reserves were driving.

1) Rosberg (Mercedes) 1:09.113 - 1:08.634 (+0.479)
2) Gutierrez (Ferrari) 1:09.931 - 1:09.392 Vettel (+0.539)
3) Bottas (Williams) 1m10.029 - 1:09.598 (+0.431)
4) Wittmann (Toro Rosso) 1m10.163 - 1:09.631 Max (+0.532)
5) Wehrlein (Force India) 1m10.253 - 1:09.604 Hulk (+0.649)
6) Palmer (Lotus) 1m10.373 - 1:09.920 Grosjean (+0.453)
7) Alonso (McLaren) 1m10.718 - 1:10.736 (-0.018)
8) Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1m10.757 - 1:10.482 (+0.275)
9) Nasr (Sauber) 1m10.922 - 1:09.652 (+1.27)

All the cars except McLaren were slower than the Q2 times as probably rubber on the ckt has been washed off by rains.



McLaren seems to be improving steadily, at least on paper.

The engines or the various aero parts that are being used for testing may not be the same as on the race day. So Williams could be using the winglet to check the effect of some other aero upgrade they plan in the future.



As is, that looks illegal.



Here is Ricciardo armed to his teeth with the aero sensors.
Red Bull also sounded optimistic with their pace.

Renault engine sounded the quietest amongst them, while Honda was the throatiest. Maybe due to the modes they tried out.

Force Indias were doing well in terms of pace & the new nose made only occasional appearances during the test. They were practically using the last years car so far, so come Silverstone there should be a marked improvement.

[anachronix]

A different video of the accident that thinks Alonso hit Kimi's car and caused the spin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf3QBaq06ec