F1 Catalunya GP!
- Thread starter MoSs
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Formula 1 news, races, teams, drivers, technology, strategy, and discussion.
Osnabrueck
G-Class Explorer
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I'm really hyped about this race! It's clear, going into leg #4, that this season is wide open. We have a 3 way tie for top driver, and BMW is now emerging showing itself as a legitimate condenter behind Ferrari and McLaren.
PanterroR
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Hamilton leads a McLaren one-two
After a predictably slow start in the opening 90-minute practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, it was McLaren Mercedes who showed good form around the 4.655km Circuit de Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton led the way with a best lap of 1:21.880s, nearly four-tenths up on fan-favourite Fernando Alonso.
As is commonplace in practice however, some opted to run the softer medium compound Bridgestone Potenza tyre, while some opted to remain on the harder compound. The final minutes of the session saw Hamilton opt for the softer choice as he went back out and improved on his own best time. Alonso however remained on the harder tyre and was therefore not able to improve.
McLaren however did opt to run the new ‘bridge’ front wing again today and it was apparent that the MP4-22 was gaining time over its rivals in terms of straight line pace indicating that they are able to run less downforce and still achieve a good balance.
Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest in his Ferrari, just a few-hundredths of a second slower than Alonso. Team-mate Felipe Massa was fifth fastest in the sister F2007 while Robert Kubica showed good pace throughout the session in his BMW Sauber and would end up fourth fastest.
Anthony Davidson was sixth fastest in his Super Aguri Honda, undoubtedly a little show-boating from the team, while the Toyota duo of Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher set the seventh and eighth best times respectively. For Schumacher, it seems that his recent handling struggles have come to an end.
Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz were ninth and 11th fastest for the Williams Toyota team. Rosberg’s large testing accident left Williams without a lot of data ahead of the start of the weekend, so they will be relatively satisfied with the early pace of the FW29.
Jenson Button was tenth fastest in his Honda ahead of Wurz, while Nick Heidfeld had a low key session in his BMW Sauber and was just 12th fastest ahead of Takuma Sato in the second Super Aguri Honda.
Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella were a distant 14th and 15th for Renault while Red Bull Renault did not show too much pace either with David Coulthard recovering from a spin to set the 16th best time ahead of Mark Webber. Coulthard set the testing pace at the very same circuit just over a week ago with a lap time over two seconds faster than today, so there is plenty more to come from the Milton Keynes-based team.
Adrian Sutil was 19th in his Spyker Ferrari with team-mate Christijan Albers slowest of all behind the Toro Rosso duo of Tonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed.
It is early days in Spain, but as has been the case so far this year, it is McLaren and Ferrari out front.
Formula 1 : News Catalunya - F1-Live.com
PanterroR
Lap Time Luminary
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Well it seems like the front wing of the McMerc does flex:
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Hope it gets banned, just for the irony - McMerc were the ones to start the whole flexi-floor/flexi-rear rear wing of BMW and Ferrari. In fact, what would make it even more ironic is if Ferrari or BMW were to lay the complaint.
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Hope it gets banned, just for the irony - McMerc were the ones to start the whole flexi-floor/flexi-rear rear wing of BMW and Ferrari. In fact, what would make it even more ironic is if Ferrari or BMW were to lay the complaint.
BMW Sauber F1 Team Promotes BMW Active Steering Technology.
"Active Steering" adorns the rear wing of the BMW Sauber F1.07.
Munich/Barcelona, 10th May 2007. When the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers head out onto the Circuit de Catalunya for Friday's opening free practice session, the rear wing of their BMW Sauber F1.07 cars will be sporting a new message. The striking "BMW Power" lettering which has occupied this prominent area of the car up to now will be replaced by the web address BMW Active Steering for the Spanish Grand Prix.
As Dr Klaus Draeger, member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for development and procurement, explains: "In Formula One the focus is on guiding the car quickly and precisely around the track, which is why F1 cars have extremely direct steering. Road cars, however, have to meet additional demands. In order to achieve the same level of agility as a racing car, series-produced models require variable ratio steering. And that is where BMW Active Steering comes in. This system adjusts its responses constantly to the speed of the car. BMW Active Steering breaks new ground by combining excellent stability at higher speeds with flexibility under heavy steering. Precise directional stability and assured steering movements maximise roadholding and take the strain off the driver. And reliable steering feedback also enhances driving pleasure at high speeds."
Logging on to BMW Active Steering takes visitors to a website which starts with BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld demonstrating the differences between racing in Formula One and driving BMW cars on the road. They are then redirected to the "Innovation Lounge" on the BMW automobiles - website of the BMW AG site. Here, visitors can find out more about Active Steering.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Director of Central Marketing and BMW Brand Management, elaborates: "As a globally high-profile and widely familiar platform for technical innovation, Formula One represents for us an ideal communication tool for the BMW technology campaign. Since we became involved in Formula One, technology transfer has enabled us to generate significant added value both for our production cars and for the Formula One vehicles. Integrating our technology campaign in our Formula One communications is a valid and logical step through which we can show our customers how varying technologies are implemented in road cars and in Formula One, and where the similarities lie."
In Spain, "www.active-steering.com" is emblazoned on the BMW Sauber F1 Team trucks as well as the rear wing of the racing cars. And there are plans to present other messages in this way during the course of the season.
This is not the first time that the BMW Sauber F1 Team has used the rear wing of its racing cars as a communications platform. Last season, in the final race of seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher's career, "Danke Michael" shone out from the rear wing of one of the cars, "Thanks Michael" from the other.
BMW Sauber F1 Team Promotes BMW Active Steering Technology
"Active Steering" adorns the rear wing of the BMW Sauber F1.07.
Munich/Barcelona, 10th May 2007. When the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers head out onto the Circuit de Catalunya for Friday's opening free practice session, the rear wing of their BMW Sauber F1.07 cars will be sporting a new message. The striking "BMW Power" lettering which has occupied this prominent area of the car up to now will be replaced by the web address BMW Active Steering for the Spanish Grand Prix.
As Dr Klaus Draeger, member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for development and procurement, explains: "In Formula One the focus is on guiding the car quickly and precisely around the track, which is why F1 cars have extremely direct steering. Road cars, however, have to meet additional demands. In order to achieve the same level of agility as a racing car, series-produced models require variable ratio steering. And that is where BMW Active Steering comes in. This system adjusts its responses constantly to the speed of the car. BMW Active Steering breaks new ground by combining excellent stability at higher speeds with flexibility under heavy steering. Precise directional stability and assured steering movements maximise roadholding and take the strain off the driver. And reliable steering feedback also enhances driving pleasure at high speeds."
Logging on to BMW Active Steering takes visitors to a website which starts with BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Nick Heidfeld demonstrating the differences between racing in Formula One and driving BMW cars on the road. They are then redirected to the "Innovation Lounge" on the BMW automobiles - website of the BMW AG site. Here, visitors can find out more about Active Steering.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Director of Central Marketing and BMW Brand Management, elaborates: "As a globally high-profile and widely familiar platform for technical innovation, Formula One represents for us an ideal communication tool for the BMW technology campaign. Since we became involved in Formula One, technology transfer has enabled us to generate significant added value both for our production cars and for the Formula One vehicles. Integrating our technology campaign in our Formula One communications is a valid and logical step through which we can show our customers how varying technologies are implemented in road cars and in Formula One, and where the similarities lie."
In Spain, "www.active-steering.com" is emblazoned on the BMW Sauber F1 Team trucks as well as the rear wing of the racing cars. And there are plans to present other messages in this way during the course of the season.
This is not the first time that the BMW Sauber F1 Team has used the rear wing of its racing cars as a communications platform. Last season, in the final race of seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher's career, "Danke Michael" shone out from the rear wing of one of the cars, "Thanks Michael" from the other.
BMW Sauber F1 Team Promotes BMW Active Steering Technology
Catalunya - Practice session 2
PosDriverTimeGap
1 F. Alonso 1:21:397
2 G. Fisichella 1:21:684 0"287
3 H. Kovalainen 1:21:966 0"569
4 F. Massa 1:22:048 0"651
5 L. Hamilton 1:22:188 0"791
6 K. Räikkönen 1:22:251 0"854
7 N. Rosberg 1:22:415 1"018
8 N. Heidfeld 1:22:543 1"146
9 M. Webber 1:22:589 1"192
10 S. Speed 1:22:617 1"220
11 R. Kubica 1:22:710 1"313
12 D. Coulthard 1:22:719 1"322
13 J. Button 1:22:808 1"411
14 R. Barrichello 1:22:926 1"529
15 A. Wurz 1:22:950 1"553
16 V. Liuzzi 1:23:143 1"746
17 R. Schumacher 1:23:219 1"822
18 J. Trulli 1:23:307 1"910
19 T. Sato 1:23:493 2"096
20 A. Davidson 1:23:497 2"100
21 A. Sutil 1:23:609 2"212
22 C. Albers 1:23:736 2"339
F1 Racing | Formula 1 Racing | Formula One Racing - Yahoo! Sport UK
PosDriverTimeGap
1 F. Alonso 1:21:397
2 G. Fisichella 1:21:684 0"287
3 H. Kovalainen 1:21:966 0"569
4 F. Massa 1:22:048 0"651
5 L. Hamilton 1:22:188 0"791
6 K. Räikkönen 1:22:251 0"854
7 N. Rosberg 1:22:415 1"018
8 N. Heidfeld 1:22:543 1"146
9 M. Webber 1:22:589 1"192
10 S. Speed 1:22:617 1"220
11 R. Kubica 1:22:710 1"313
12 D. Coulthard 1:22:719 1"322
13 J. Button 1:22:808 1"411
14 R. Barrichello 1:22:926 1"529
15 A. Wurz 1:22:950 1"553
16 V. Liuzzi 1:23:143 1"746
17 R. Schumacher 1:23:219 1"822
18 J. Trulli 1:23:307 1"910
19 T. Sato 1:23:493 2"096
20 A. Davidson 1:23:497 2"100
21 A. Sutil 1:23:609 2"212
22 C. Albers 1:23:736 2"339
F1 Racing | Formula 1 Racing | Formula One Racing - Yahoo! Sport UK
How come? Why?
Don't know.. just think he deserves it, and he has always been a backround favourite of mine.
Hamilton tops in final F1 practice
Catalunya - Essais libres 3 PosDriverTimeGap
1 L. Hamilton 1:21:233
2 F. Alonso 1:21:312 0"079
3 R. Kubica 1:21:364 0"131
4 N. Heidfeld 1:21:464 0"231
5 D. Coulthard 1:21:556 0"323
6 F. Massa 1:21:659 0"426
7 K. Räikkönen 1:21:829 0"596
8 A. Davidson 1:21:845 0"612
9 N. Rosberg 1:21:953 0"720
10 H. Kovalainen 1:22:067 0"834
11 G. Fisichella 1:22:140 0"907
12 J. Trulli 1:22:174 0"941
13 R. Barrichello 1:22:274 1"041
14 T. Sato 1:22:295 1"062
15 S. Speed 1:22:314 1"081
16 R. Schumacher 1:22:570 1"337
17 J. Button 1:22:744 1"511
18 M. Webber 1:22:759 1"526
19 A. Wurz 1:23:020 1"787
20 V. Liuzzi 1:23:367 2"134
21 A. Sutil 1:23:584 2"351
22 C. Albers 1:23:817 2"584
Catalunya - Essais libres 3 PosDriverTimeGap
1 L. Hamilton 1:21:233
2 F. Alonso 1:21:312 0"079
3 R. Kubica 1:21:364 0"131
4 N. Heidfeld 1:21:464 0"231
5 D. Coulthard 1:21:556 0"323
6 F. Massa 1:21:659 0"426
7 K. Räikkönen 1:21:829 0"596
8 A. Davidson 1:21:845 0"612
9 N. Rosberg 1:21:953 0"720
10 H. Kovalainen 1:22:067 0"834
11 G. Fisichella 1:22:140 0"907
12 J. Trulli 1:22:174 0"941
13 R. Barrichello 1:22:274 1"041
14 T. Sato 1:22:295 1"062
15 S. Speed 1:22:314 1"081
16 R. Schumacher 1:22:570 1"337
17 J. Button 1:22:744 1"511
18 M. Webber 1:22:759 1"526
19 A. Wurz 1:23:020 1"787
20 V. Liuzzi 1:23:367 2"134
21 A. Sutil 1:23:584 2"351
22 C. Albers 1:23:817 2"584
Imhotep Evil
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Well Massa might just be the new Ayrton Senna of qualifications.
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Hamilton is on a higher fuel load than Alonso. I wouldn't be surprised if that little scrubber beats Alonso on his home track and nabs a Mclaren 1-2. Wow, that would really send the British press into a frenzy. I just have a gut feeling about Hamilton for this race.
Imhotep Evil
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Saturday Qualifying Session
POS DRIVER NATIONALITY ENTRANT TIME
1.Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari 1:21.421
2.Fernando Alonso Spain McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.451
3.Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari 1:21.723
4.Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.785
5.Robert Kubica Poland BMW 1:22.253
6.Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota 1:22.324
7.Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW 1:22.389
8.Heikki Kovalainen Finland Renault 1:22.568
9.David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Renault 1:22.749
10.Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault 1:22.881
11.Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota 1:21.968
12.Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda 1:22.097
13.Takuma Sato Japan Super Aguri-Honda 1:22.115
14.Jenson Button Britain Honda 1:22.120
15.Anthony Davidson Britain Super Aguri-Honda 1:22.295
16.Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:22.508
17.Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota 1:22.666
18.Alexander Wurz Austria Williams-Toyota 1:22.769
19.Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1:23.398
20.Adrian Sutil Germany Spyker-Ferrari 1:23.811
21.Christijan Albers Netherlands Spyker-Ferrari 1:23.990
22.Scott Speed United States Toro Rosso-Ferrari No Time
POS DRIVER NATIONALITY ENTRANT TIME
1.Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari 1:21.421
2.Fernando Alonso Spain McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.451
3.Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari 1:21.723
4.Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.785
5.Robert Kubica Poland BMW 1:22.253
6.Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota 1:22.324
7.Nick Heidfeld Germany BMW 1:22.389
8.Heikki Kovalainen Finland Renault 1:22.568
9.David Coulthard Britain Red Bull-Renault 1:22.749
10.Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault 1:22.881
11.Nico Rosberg Germany Williams-Toyota 1:21.968
12.Rubens Barrichello Brazil Honda 1:22.097
13.Takuma Sato Japan Super Aguri-Honda 1:22.115
14.Jenson Button Britain Honda 1:22.120
15.Anthony Davidson Britain Super Aguri-Honda 1:22.295
16.Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:22.508
17.Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota 1:22.666
18.Alexander Wurz Austria Williams-Toyota 1:22.769
19.Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1:23.398
20.Adrian Sutil Germany Spyker-Ferrari 1:23.811
21.Christijan Albers Netherlands Spyker-Ferrari 1:23.990
22.Scott Speed United States Toro Rosso-Ferrari No Time
MoSs
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it will be a hard job for Hamilton to beat Alonso at his home circuit, hamilton didnt show on last weeks practices ... 4th place , what a brilliant job
