There's so much to look forward to in the 2010 F1 season, the the come back of Michael Schumacher, the pairing of two World champs in Hamilton and Button.
Its everywhere! Massa v Alonso at Ferrari and in the grand scheme, Hamilton v Alonso in a McLaren - Ferrari showdown.

Wet weather has continued to make pre-season testing at Jerez useless. . .
Jerez testing times (Wednesday 17 February)

1 VETTEL Red Bull 1m22.593s (103)
2 HAMILTON McLaren 1m23.017s (72)
3 MASSA Ferrari 1m23.204s (72)
4 BUEMI Toro Rosso 1m23.322s (79)
5 DE LA ROSA Sauber 1m23.367s (77)
6 SCHUMACHER Mercedes 1m23.803s (111)
7 SUTIL Force India 1m24.272s (28)
8 DI RESTA Force India 1m25.088s (76)
9 PETROV Renault 1m26.237s (59)
10 BARRICHELLO Williams 1m27.320s (109)
11 FAUZY Lotus 1m31.848s (76)
12 GLOCK Virgin 1m32.417s (10)


2006 McLaren. . . Beautiful!

I think stopping re-fueling during races is going to have a detrimental effect on the entire championship.

I believe Lewis has learnt last year that erratic driving damages tyres because he would be driving on a full tank from next month, if Alonso doesnt throw his toys out again he might win if the car could match both Mercedes engine cars

omar22:

I believe Lewis has learnt last year that erratic driving damages tyres because he would be driving on a full tank from next month, if Alonso doesnt throw his toys out again he might win if the car could match both Mercedes engine cars

Lewis was pretty impressive throughout testing and McLaren concentrated heavily on long runs.

I am betting against the grain that Massa will actually shred Alonso to bits. . . And he will do it with quiet confidence, like he did to Kimi.
Alonso needs a weak team mate, which Massa isn't.

montelik:

I think stopping re-fueling during races is going to have a detrimental effect on the entire championship.

Why? I think its going to make for really interesting race strategies as well as never say die drivers trying to haul exhausted rubber to the end of the race. There will be races that will be pure gore and attrition (I strongly suspect Silverstone and Malaysia).

You loff F1 too?

Why? I think its going to make for really interesting race strategies as well as never say die drivers trying to haul exhausted rubber to the end of the race. There will be races that will be pure gore and attrition (I strongly suspect Silverstone and Malaysia).

A heavy tank would have a detrimental effect on the tyres, I could be an adavntage for a smooth driver like Button but a jot rider like Lewis or Schumacher no chance

First practise times:

Bahrain Grand Prix free practice session 1 times

1 SUTIL Force India 1m56.583s
2 ALONSO Ferrari 1m56.766s
3 KUBICA Renault 1m57.041s
4 MASSA Ferrari 1m57.055s
5 BUTTON McLaren 1m57.068s
6 HAMILTON McLaren 1m57.163s
7 LIUZZI Force India 1m57.194s
8 ROSBERG Mercedes 1m57.199s
9 WEBBER Red Bull 1m57.255s
10 SCHUMACHER Mercedes 1m57.662s
11 ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso 1m57.722s
12 HULKENBERG Williams 1m57.894s
13 VETTEL Red Bull 1m57.943s
14 BUEMI Toro Rosso 1m58.399s
15 BARRICHELLO Williams 1m58.782s
16 PETROV Renault 1m58.880s
17 DE LA ROSA Sauber 2m00.250s
18 KOBAYASHI Sauber 2m01.388s
19 GLOCK Virgin 2m03.680s
20 KOVALAINEN Lotus 2m03.848s
21 TRULLI Lotus 2m03.970s
22 DI GRASSI Virgin no time
23 SENNA HRT no time
24 CHANDHOK HRT no time

omar22:

A heavy tank would have a detrimental effect on the tyres, I could be an adavntage for a smooth driver like Button but a jot rider like Lewis or Schumacher no chance

I don't know, but the car would certainly have been designed around Lewis, which could put Button at a disadvantage.
Also, lets not forget Lewis and Schumacher are both very intelligent drivers who tend to look out for scraps here and there to maximise speed; its going to be a difficult mix to predict.

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg set the fastest time in second practice in Bahrain, deflecting attention from the Formula 1 return of team-mate Michael Schumacher.

Rosberg posted a time of one minute 55.409 seconds, 0.445secs ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and half a second quicker than Schumacher.

2009 champion Jenson Button, Hamilton's team-mate, was fourth fastest, ahead of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

Force India's Adrian Sutil led the first session as the 2010 season began.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8563764.stm

It is either Mercedes and McLaren are sandbagging or Rosberg is damn fast!
Perhaps it could be that the new diffuser Mercedes brought in today is much more to Rosbergs liking than Schumacher's (in which case, the Mercedes is damn fast).

. . .But again, you can never really rely on test times to determine actual race speeds.

Bahrain Grand Prix free practice session 2 times

1  ROSBERG       Mercedes      1m55.409s
2  HAMILTON      McLaren       1m55.854s
3  SCHUMACHER    Mercedes      1m55.903s
4  BUTTON        McLaren       1m56.076s
5  VETTEL        Red Bull      1m56.459s
6  HULKENBERG    Williams      1m56.501s
7  MASSA         Ferrari       1m56.555s
8  PETROV        Renault       1m56.750s
9  ALONSO        Ferrari       1m57.140s
10 DE LA ROSA    Sauber        1m57.255s
11 KOBAYASHI     Sauber        1m57.352s
12 SUTIL         Force India   1m57.361s
13 BARRICHELLO   Williams      1m57.452s
14 LIUZZI        Force India   1m57.833s
15 KUBICA        Renault       1m58.155s
16 ALGUERSUARI   Toro Rosso    1m59.799s
17 WEBBER        Red Bull      2m00.444s
18 KOVALAINEN    Lotus         2m00.873s
19 TRULLI        Lotus         2m00.990s
20 GLOCK         Virgin        2m02.037s
21 DI GRASSI     Virgin        2m02.188s
22 SENNA         HRT           2m06.968s
23 BUEMI         Toro Rosso    no time
24 CHANDHOK      HRT           no time

chic2pimp:

You loff F1 too?

love-vendor!
Yes I do o! Sorry, I been no see ya post b4.
How about you?

@topic
What d'you guys thing about the controversy with McLarens rear wing design? It sounds damn cheecky to me.
Its estimated to give the McLaren boys an extra 10km/hr in straightline speed.

A debate is raging in F1 regarding an innovative aerodynamic concept on the car that has been passed legal, but has had nearly every other team principal and engineering guru mumbling words of discontent. The design employs Lewis Hamilton and Button to close off a vent in the cockpit of their car using their legs, which in turn helps to stall the rear wing for extra straight-line speed.

They use the sharkfin thingy to shovel the air below the wing.

Ferrari is not to be left out of the "clever" stakes too ;

Posted on | March 11, 2010 | by James AllencloseAuthor: James Allen Name: James Allen
[size=14pt]Ferrari’s wheel crowns[/size]
In a similar vein, Ferrari has also slipped in a clever idea which no-one can fully copy. Aerodynamic appendages attached to wheels, which help clean up the air flow, have been banned. But Ferrari has come up with an ingenious idea, involving two crowns on the wheels, which do part of the job the spinners used to do.

They are legal because they are made of the same material as the wheel. Ferrari only put them on the car at the final Barcelona test. And the clever bit is that, as the wheels are now a homologated item (along with the safety cell and crash structures), the other teams can’t change their wheels to adopt this solution!

@ Beaf

F1 is far and away my favourite motor sport.
I can't for the start of this new seaso especially with Schumi coming out of retirement(Kinda odd seeing him drive a car other than Ferrari).
If the Mercedes, Mclaren and Ferrari cars are fast enough, this season might just be the best one ever.
Don't think we've ever had such a high quality field starting an F1 race .

Beaf:

@topic
What d'you guys thing about the controversy with McLarens rear wing design? It sounds damn cheecky to me.
Its estimated to give the McLaren boys an extra 10km/hr in straightline speed.

Every F1 season always start with some sort of controversy especially when a team's car appears to be faster than that of it's competitors .
What has the FIA council had to say about this controversy?
Tbh, I really don't blame teams for complaining considering what happened with Brawn Last season.

chic2pimp:

@ Beaf

F1 is far and away my favourite motor sport.
I can't for the start of this new seaso especially with Schumi coming out of retirement(Kinda odd seeing him drive a car other than Ferrari).
If the Mercedes, Mclaren and Ferrari cars are fast enough, this season might just be the best one ever.
Don't think we've ever had such a high quality field starting an F1 race .

High quality? With lotus, virgin and HRT? No, but I'll say there is there has never been a season that started with so much uncertainty; how tires will be managed, if any teams are sandbagging, how will schumi rank against Alonso, Lewis etc (his team mate, Rosberg, already beat him by half a second in todays practice). The biggest thing I'm waiting to see, is if any cars will run out of fuel.

chic2pimp:

Every F1 season always start with some sort of controversy especially when a team's car appears to be faster than that of it's competitors .
What has the FIA council had to say about this controversy?
Tbh, I really don't blame teams for complaining considering what happened with Brawn Last season.

FIA has okayed it, so everyone must go and build their own versions now. But this will not give McLaren the tremendous advantage Brawn had last year tho.

Beaf:

High quality? With lotus, virgin and HRT? No, but I'll say there is there has never been a season that started with so much uncertainty; how tires will be managed, if any teams are sandbagging, how will schumi rank against Alonso, Lewis etc (his team mate, Rosberg, already beat him by half a second in todays practice). The biggest thing I'm waiting to see, is if any cars will run out of fuel.
.

High quality in terms of Drivers.
Has a starting grid ever had so many former and reigning world champs?  . Add them to the likes of Massa and Vettel who I consider future world champions.
It's a shame Kimi has moved to Rallying.
Whilst Rosberg has been faster than Schumi during practice(key word), I think Schumi will still get more points over the course of the season cuz unlike rosberg it's been there and done it.

P:S I'm also waiting to see if the fuels will run out but I some how don't see it happening

Beaf:


FIA has okayed it, so everyone must go and build their own versions now. But this will not give McLaren the tremendous advantage Brawn had last year tho.

For sure, it hasn't given Mclaren the huge advantage Brawn had last year. Brawn were head and shoulders above their nearest opponents and had accumulated a ridiculous amount of points over the the first half of the season that when teams finally made up the advantage, they couldn't still be caught.
I don't see that happening this season however I don't blame other teams for being worried.

chic2pimp:

High quality in terms of Drivers.
Has a starting grid ever had so many former and reigning world champs?  . Add them to the likes of Massa and Vettel who I consider future world champions.
It's a shame Kimi has moved to Rallying.
Whilst Rosberg has been faster than Schumi during practice(key word), I think Schumi will still get more points over the course of the season cuz unlike rosberg it's been there and done it.

P:S I'm also waiting to see if the fuels will run out but I some how don't see it happening

Yeah, you're right about the driver lineup. There are 3 World champs and some hot young blood.
I agree about Massa and Vettel (I have a secret wish for Massa to beat Alonso), Massa should do well this year. Vettel is likely to be hampered by an unreliable car, at least for the first few races.

chic2pimp:

For sure, it hasn't given Mclaren the huge advantage Brawn had last year. Brawn were head and shoulders above their nearest opponents and had accumulated a ridiculous amount of points over the the first half of the season that when teams finally made up the advantage, they couldn't still be caught.
I don't see that happening this season however I don't blame other teams for being worried.

The other teams seem to have their own tricks and rule benders, lotus have a strange mini wing deck in the middle of their rear wing, Red Bull have adjustable height suspension, its mutual rule stretching. . . so peace might reign

Alonso cames tops in first practise and is currently leading qualifying.

Rosberg is still faster than schumi.

Its Massa, Rosberg, Hamilton currently. Vettel has just gone second. . . And aaaaaaaat last Chandok has turned a wheeel in anger, but he's almost 30 secs of pace.

The Ferraris and Mclaren's have this. . .

I guess the rumors about Force India were true.
They look to have some pace.

A bit of an anticlimax with Schumi so far.

Probably spoke too soon. Mclaren seem to be struggling for
one lap pace.

Only sure thing is Ferrari.

Vettel in second. Okayyyyyyyy

doyin13:

Probably spoke too soon. Mclaren seem to be struggling for
one lap pace.

Only sure thing is Ferrari.

Vettel in second. Okayyyyyyyy

Everything is upside down. Virgin has turned out to be the fastest new team, well against expectations it would be lotus. Exciting times ahead.
Unlike last year, there are full seconds between cars, not tenths as it was last season.

My bet is that any of Vettel, Massa, Weber or Alonso will take poll.
Button is unlikely to make it into Q3. Correction; Button just squeaked through, there were heads in hands at McLaren when he went out (I might be early with this, but chap boy doesn't have a bright future; he has come to McLaren to die ).

Vettel on poll!!!!
Its Vettel, Massa, Alonso.

Lewis is 4th, Button 8th.

. . . More detailed times to follow.

Live Leaderboard
Position Country Driver Team
1 Germany S Vettel Red Bull
2 Brazil F Massa Ferrari
3 Spain F Alonso Ferrari
4 Great Britain L Hamilton McLaren
5 Germany N Rosberg Mercedes
6 Australia M Webber Red Bull
7 Germany M Schumacher Mercedes
8 Great Britain J Button McLaren
9 Poland R Kubica Renault
10 Germany A Sutil Force India
11 Brazil R Barrichello Williams
12 Italy V Liuzzi Force India
13 Germany N Hulkenberg Williams
14 Spain P de la Rosa BMW Sauber
15 Switzerland S Buemi Toro Rosso
16 Japan K Kobayashi BMW Sauber
17 Russia V Petrov Renault
18 Spain J Alguersuari Toro Rosso
19 Germany T Glock Virgin
20 Italy J Trulli Lotus
21 Finland H Kovalainen Lotus
22 Brazil L di Grassi Virgin
23 Brazil B Senna Hispania
24 India K Chandhok Hispania

Vettel has obviously carried some momentum from last season.

Hamilton had the second best drive in an unfavourable car.

It will be interesting start tomorrow especially with the Ferarris
in 2nd and 3rd. Might get testy if Alonso's antecedents are anything
to go by.

doyin13:

Vettel has obviously carried some momentum from last season.

Hamilton had the second best drive in an unfavourable car.

It will be interesting start tomorrow especially with the Ferarris
in 2nd and 3rd. Might get testy if Alonso's antecedents are anything
to go by.

Its going to be between Massa, Alonso and Hamilton for podium places, Vettels car is both mechanically unreliable and doesn't use tires properly. Tomorrow will be very exciting.

Dayummm that was a Minor Shock, Vettel on poll

doyin13:

The Ferraris and Mclaren's have this. . .

I guess the rumors about Force India were true.
They look to have some pace.

A bit of an anticlimax with Schumi so far.

Oh c'mon give it a rest will ya?
The season ain't even a race old yet

chic2pimp:

Dayummm that was a Minor Shock, Vettel on poll
Oh c'mon give it a rest will ya?
The season ain't even a race old yet

True, we expect him to be back to his cheating old ways in the near future.
Anyone remember how he packed sooooooooooo neatly to stop the qualifying session at Monaco and prevent Alonso making strides toward his second World Championship?
Damn!

Qualifying times for the top ten
1 S Vettel 1:54.101
2 F Massa 1:54.242
3 F Alonso 1:54.608
4 L Hamilton 1:55.217
5 N Rosberg 1:55.241
6 M Webber 1:55.284
7 M Schumacher 1:55.524
8 J Button 1:55.672
9 R Kubica 1:55.885
10 A Sutil 1:56.309

Okay, I cheated in my last post (thats actually Kimi ), but here's the vid of shumi' incredible racing line parking manoeuvre to sabotage Alonso in 2006. Priceless!

[flash=480,385]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blbmZO8Oz7Y&hl=en_GB&fs=1&[/flash]