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[ANDY_098]

FP3 times

[B]Pos  Driver                Team                  Time               Laps[/B]
 1.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes      1m25.681s           18
 2.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m25.758s  + 0.077  21
 3.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m25.900s  + 0.219  20
 4.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m25.906s  + 0.225  17
 5.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m25.929s  + 0.248  23
 6.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes              1m26.078s  + 0.397  14
 7.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m26.211s  + 0.530  12
 8.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m26.470s  + 0.789  17
 9.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari        1m26.632s  + 0.951  20
10.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m26.723s  + 1.042  17
11.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m26.733s  + 1.052  15
12.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m26.737s  + 1.056  19
13.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari        1m26.755s  + 1.074  21
14.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes  1m27.029s  + 1.348  23
15.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault      1m27.119s  + 1.438  20
16.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m27.323s  + 1.642  19
17.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes  1m27.428s  + 1.747  22
18.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m28.023s  + 2.342  19
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault      1m28.341s  + 2.660  19
20.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault      1m28.702s  + 3.021  11
21.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth     1m30.728s  + 5.047  13
22.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth     1m31.225s  + 5.544  14
23.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth          1m33.114s  + 7.433  12
24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth          1m33.261s  + 7.580  13

 

[ANDY_098]

My initial reaction to that: "Nah that can't be rig...OH MY GOD"

Where the fuck did that come from? Everyone was expecting Caterham to be faster than these guys and Maldonardo pulls a time only .8s slower than the best in P3? I'm confused.


Me too. I like it when Ferrari are just slower than McLaren and RBR but this is just wrong. Come on guys, get the car at least sorted, for the good of the sport at least!

I bet there are meetings going on discussing how much money they should offer Newey to join Ferrari.

They need a major team change. I think the whole team management will be shaken up this year.

 

[Psychotext]

My mother is going to be absolutely gutted. She's a huge Alonso fan.

 

[criesofthepast]

My first time watching F1 in ages. Going to try and watch qualifying and race every week this season if I can. Few quick questions about qualifying:

How many cars are permitted on the track during qualifying at once? Everyone?

If theoretically a driver puts down a very fast lap in the first 10 minutes of qualifying that would probably be good enough for pole, can they just stop and not put in another lap for the remainder of the hour of qualifying? I recall it being like this before but reading up on rules I'm not sure if this is how it works anymore. Few weeks ago I posted in here saying I've been away from the sport a long while so trying to familiarize myself with the rules now. So excited for this

 

[Stop It]

I bet there are meetings going on discussing how much money they should offer Newey to join Ferrari.

They need a major team change. I think the whole team management will be shaken up this year.

Well, the mood of the team has already gone south since the end of 2011. Back then they were talking of winning the championship with a radical new 2012 car etc, now they're realising they've made a car that doesn't even like staying on the track.

Of course they'll improve, but I don't think they'll accept being 3rd or worse again this year in the constructors. As you say, major change is needed.

 

[ANDY_098]

My first time watching F1 in ages. Going to try and watch qualifying and race every week this season if I can. Few quick questions about qualifying:

How many cars are permitted on the track during qualifying at once? Everyone?

If theoretically a driver puts down a very fast lap in the first 10 minutes of qualifying that would probably be good enough for pole, can they just stop and not put in another lap for the remainder of the hour of qualifying? I recall it being like this before but reading up on rules I'm not sure if this is how it works anymore. Few weeks ago I posted in here saying I've been away from the sport a long while so trying to familiarize myself with the rules now. So excited for this

There are 3 parts of qualifying, some cars are knocked out after each session and the times are reset. This means that cars will run in every part of qualifying.

 

[Stop It]

My first time watching F1 in ages. Going to try and watch qualifying and race every week this season if I can. Few quick questions about qualifying:

How many cars are permitted on the track during qualifying at once? Everyone?

If theoretically a driver puts down a very fast lap in the first 10 minutes of qualifying that would probably be good enough for pole, can they just stop and not put in another lap for the remainder of the hour of qualifying? I recall it being like this before but reading up on rules I'm not sure if this is how it works anymore. Few weeks ago I posted in here saying I've been away from the sport a long while so trying to familiarize myself with the rules now. So excited for this

No, they changed qualifying from a full hour session long ago.

Q1 is 20 minutes and the slowest 7 cars are eliminated from that session. Q2, which is 15 minutes long sees another 7 gone, and Q3 is the top 10 only, which decides the final grid. So for a car to be pole, they must at east set 3 lap times on the course of the qualifying as a whole.

 

[FuturusX]

Ferrari, sandbagging or behaving like it's filled sandbags...

 

[Psychotext]

To add to what Andy said, over the course of qualifying the track continues to "rubber in" (basically cleans up and adds grip to the surface) which makes for faster times. It's very unlikely (aside from weather being an issue) that you could go out right at the start and set an unbeatable time.

 

[SunhiLegend]

Qualifying is going to be very interesting, still not sure which team has the faster car at this stage.

 

[criesofthepast]

No, they changed qualifying from a full hour session long ago.

Q1 is 20 minutes and the slowest 7 cars are eliminated from that session. Q2, which is 15 minutes long sees another 7 gone, and Q3 is the top 10 only, which decides the final grid. So for a car to be pole, they must at east set 3 lap times on the course of the qualifying as a whole.

Wow much more competative this way. I like it.

 

[Tempy]

Can't decide whether to go for Mercedes+Marussia, or Sauber+Toro Rosso.

 

[Stop It]

Qualifying is going to be very interesting, still not sure which team has the faster car at this stage.

I can't wait. If this is anything to go by too, we may be in for one of the closest seasons for a long time. Of course, I still half expect Vettel to come out and nail the qualifying session and get pole as usual, but even so, I think the McLarens at least will not let him run off on race pace.

Wow much more competative this way. I like it.

It has been tweaked a bit over the years, but the current format is pretty good now, I certainly like it.

 

[ANDY_098]

FIA asked to re-think its view on the Mercedes DRS-activated F-duct
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98094

Red Bull Racing and Lotus have asked the FIA to reconsider its view that the Mercedes DRS-activated F-duct is legal, with sources suggesting that an official protest cannot be ruled out.

On a weekend of major interest about the design of the Mercedes rear wing, which makes use of a hole to help flow air to either the wing itself or the diffuser to stall them for a straight-line speed boost, rival outfits are now uneasy about the situation.

AUTOSPORT can reveal that representatives of Lotus and Red Bull Racing approached the FIA's head of the technical department Charlie Whiting before final practice in Melbourne on Saturday morning to discuss the matter.

Neither outfit was willing to comment officially on what was discussed, but sources have suggested that the issue revolves around Articles 3.15 and Articles 3.18 of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations.

Article 3.15 states: "With the exception of the parts necessary for the adjustment described in Article 3.18, any car system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited."

Article 3.18 covers the specifications and components for the DRS elements of the rear wing, with Red Bull Racing and Renault arguing that there is no part of the rules here that would allow the F-duct type system Mercedes is understood to be running.

Whiting said earlier this weekend, however, that he could see nothing in the regulations that would outlaw the Mercedes wing - as it was totally passive.

...

However, if Whiting stands firm on his belief the Mercedes wing is legal, then Red Bull Racing and Renault would have the option of lodging a protest about the wing after qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.

Hopefully there isn't a protest. The teams should just accept that it is legal and move on with developing their own if they want.

 

[wonderkins]

Man, I never thought I'd see the day that I feel sorry for Fonzo and Ferrari. They surely will bounce back from this.

*meanwhile at maranello, TVs are being smashed as we speak*

A Hamilton fan commiserating for Alonso?!!? wut?!?? j/k. lol.

Alonso's talent deserves so much more than this Yugo Ferrari has handed him.

 

[Pterion]

A Hamilton fan commiserating for Alonso?!!?.

He was one of my favorite drivers ever since the first GP in AUS 01 I believe. I stopped caring for him when he became a primadonna WDC at Renault, and I disliked him with a passion in 07-08. He has slowly gained back my sympathy.

FIA asked to re-think its view on the Mercedes DRS-activated F-duct
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98094



Hopefully there isn't a protest. The teams should just accept that it is legal and move on with developing their own if they want.

Horner can stick it somewhere. I hope Merc gets to keep it. We've dealt with flexiwings all year long, I say it's time to even the field a bit.

 

[Stop It]

FIA asked to re-think its view on the Mercedes DRS-activated F-duct
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98094



Hopefully there isn't a protest. The teams should just accept that it is legal and move on with developing their own if they want.

Expected, but still a bit disappointing. Of all the teams to moan about using the rules to their own advantage, RBR are a bit hypocritical to moan about clever aero tweaks.

By my understanding, it only works under DRS activation so wont make a huge impact in races, and certainly doesn't seem to be on the same level as the F-Duct. We'll see, but I expect it to be copied quickly and forgotten about.

 

[Salacious Crumb]

There was a pretty big crash in the V8s between turns 3 and 4 that left a lot of slippery looking crap on the track.

 

[Pterion]

There was a pretty big crash in the V8s between turns 3 and 4 that left a lot of slippery looking crap on the track.

*paging Massa overhead*

 

[AcridMeat]

Welp due to certain circumstance I'll be watching quali live after all.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Expected, but still a bit disappointing. Of all the teams to moan about using the rules to their own advantage, RBR are a bit hypocritical to moan about clever aero tweaks.

By my understanding, it only works under DRS activation so wont make a huge impact in races, and certainly doesn't seem to be on the same level as the F-Duct. We'll see, but I expect it to be copied quickly and forgotten about.

Whenever a team brings out an innovation it's every other team's job to both immediately protest it and immediately start copying it. I really don't think you could criticize anyone for doing it, because that's just how it works for everyone.

 

[fu3lfr3nzy]

FIA asked to re-think its view on the Mercedes DRS-activated F-duct
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98094



Hopefully there isn't a protest. The teams should just accept that it is legal and move on with developing their own if they want.

I can understand Lotus being upset considering their ride height idea was shot down, but RBR? smh

I guess they're not too confident in their car this year if they have to nitpick stuff from a "slower" team or whatever.

 

[Gareth Bale]

Forgot to set my alarm but somehow woke up at 4.57am. Lewis fastest in FP3? Let's do this!

 

[ANDY_098]

D.Hill looks a lot more confident in front of the camera today.

 

[Psychotext]

Whenever a team brings out an innovation it's every other team's job to both immediately protest it and immediately start copying it. I really don't think you could criticize anyone for doing it, because that's just how it works for everyone.

Pretty much. Red Bull have said exactly the same when everyone was protesting their innovations. Same for Mclaren.

Anyone that thinks teams shouldn't protest / copy has a very naive / romanticised view of the world.

 

[dantehemi]

40 minutes to go, can't wait!!! Im Ferrari at heart, but I really want to go into this season with a open mind and just enjoy the entire sport of f1

 

[defel]

Struggling to stay awake now. I shld go to sleep for an hour but Im afraid I wont wake up :/

 

[SunhiLegend]

 

[Mush]

I haven't been keeping up, is this race available on iPlayer?

 

[Polyphony]

I haven't stayed up for all three free practices in a long time. Can't wait for quali. 40 minutes!

 

[ANDY_098]

I haven't been keeping up, is this race available on iPlayer?

Not live. The BBC will only show half the races live this season, and this isn't one of them. They will show a 90minute highlight show for all of their non-live races.

 

[Blablurn]

oh vettel! what happened there?

 

[ANDY_098]

Edmond posted this guide a few pages back about TV coverage...

I think this might come in handy for anyone still unsure about coverage on the BBC and Sky Sports.

BBC will screen

1) LIVE coverage of 10 race weekends: Practice (BBC Red Button), Qualifying, Race and Forum (BBC Red Button)

- 15 April: China
- 13 May: Spain
- 27 May: Monaco
- 24 June: Europe
- 8 July: Britain
- 2 September: Belgium
- 23 September: Singapore
- 14 October: Korea
- 4 November: Abu Dhabi
- 25 November: Brazil

2) Highlights of 10 race weekends: Qualifying, Race and Forum (BBC Red Button)

- 18 March: Australia (afternoon - 120 minutes)
- 25 March: Malaysia (afternoon - 120 minutes)
- 22 April: Bahrain (evening - 90 minutes)
- 10 June: Canada (late night - 120 minutes)
- 22 July: Germany (evening - 90 minutes)
- 29 July: Hungary (evening - 90 minutes)*
- 9 September: Italy (evening - 90 minutes)
- 7 October: Japan (afternoon - 120 minutes)
- 28 October: India (afternoon - 120 minutes)
- 18 November: USA (late night - 120 minutes)

* BBC Two due to Olympics
- Qualifying highlights will be 75 minutes

BBC 5 Live F1

- James Allen (Commentator)*
- Jaime Alguersuari (Commentator)
- Jennie Gow (Pitlane)

* note: Jonathan Legard will stand-in for James Allen at Canada, Europe and several races after the Olympics

BBC F1 is...

- available to watch/listen to again for up to 7 days on BBC iPlayer
- available to watch live online for the 10 races that they cover
- available to listen to live online for every race in 2012

Sky Sports F1

- Simon Lazenby (Presenter - Main)
- Georgie Thompson (Presenter - Magazine)
- Ted Kravitz (Presenter - Magazine + Pitlane)
- Steve Rider (Presenter - Legends)
- Martin Brundle (Commentator)
- David Croft (Commentator)
- Anthony Davidson (Commentator)
- Damon Hill (Pundit)
- Natalie Pinkham (Pitlane)

Sky Sports F1 will screen...

- every Qualifying and Race LIVE uninterrupted advert free
- every Practice session LIVE
- every GP2 and GP3 session LIVE
- along with a Legends programme outside of race weekends
- interviews and other tidbits on Sky Sports News with Rachel Brookes and Craig Slater reporters

Sky Sports F1 is...

- available to people with Sky on Channel 408 from March who have the HD package OR the Sports package
- available to people with Virgin Media on Channel 516 who have the Sky Sports package (SD only, HD channel is Sky exclusive)
- not available to people with Freeview or BT Vision
- available on Sky Go with the relevant subscription
- available on Xbox 360 for Sky customers with an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription

Other bits

- Eurosport will screen GP3 and Porsche Supercup
- The BBC and Sky Sports deal is 2012 through to 2018 inclusive
- BBC's theme tune is Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
- Sky's theme tune is Alistair Griffin - Just Drive

 

[ANDY_098]

oh vettel! what happened there?

Dropped a wheel onto the grass apparently.

 

[Chris R]

Thread needs a new title.

The Formula 1 2012 Season |OT| Ferrari why you no finish * ?

 

[InertiaXr]

I'm in the US how do I watch the Sky Sports feed? It's probably going to be on our racing channel (SPEED) but I haven't bothered to look it up on my TV because I don't really want to listen to those guys...

 

[SunhiLegend]

 

[Fantomex]

Their showing the seat swap on SPEED right now, Hamimtons asked about the NASCAR vehicle, "How do you start this ?"

 

[xptoxyz]

I'm in the US how do I watch the Sky Sports feed? It's probably going to be on our racing channel (SPEED) but I haven't bothered to look it up on my TV because I don't really want to listen to those guys...

Ways have been posted. Some I'm not even sure how they are viewed on the forum, given sometimes they are discussed and others not even mentioned. I don't know if in the US it's supposed to be illegal for the viewer himself or just a say "distributor".

 

[Kabouter]

Ways have been posted. Some I'm not even sure how they are viewed on the forum, given sometimes they are discussed and others not even mentioned. I don't know if in the US it's supposed to be illegal for the viewer himself or just a say "distributor".

Either way, those ways are banned on GAF.

 

[Igo]

This guy needs to stop giggling straight into the mic.

 

[ANDY_098]

Only 15 mins more to wait.

 

[xptoxyz]

Either way, those ways are banned on GAF.

As I thought, although sometimes they went, understandably given the scope and size of GAF, un-moderated.

 

[SunhiLegend]

The Mclaren is beautiful

 

[xptoxyz]

The Mclaren is beautiful

Let's see if it's both the beauty and the beast.

 

[ANDY_098]

Whitmarsh sounds confident. Hopefully this season marks the end of the RB dominance.

Lotus will protest Mercedes DRS F-duct after qualifying. Brilliant...

Whitmarsh thinks the system is legal, McLaren system on the way next race then.

 

[Stop It]

Just got confirmation on Sky that Lotus are going to protest the qualifying result because of the Mercedes DRS duct system. McLaren support Mercedes on this one interestingly.

 

[SunhiLegend]

If Lotus protest the result of qualifying and the system Mercedes are using is deemed illegal, what will happen?

 

[JordoftheDead]

Lol, Jenson is a very like-able guy in interviews.

JOHN: So, this is your new car?
JENSON: Yes, it certainly is. We must be careful how much we film because it's all very new and exciting and very easy to copy.

 

[xptoxyz]

So it seems it's just the question if a part-action is a consequence of DRS activation is considered driver operated or not.