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Looks like TOIT are well and truly on the backfoot. Their own fault really. Crass stupidity to bring the old car when it was already off the pace in Brazil.
Looks like the 2 tyre companies have gone different routes. Bibendum looks like a pure performance tyre, while Bridgestone has gone for consistency and durability. Problem is that Michelin are doing all the damage in the first half of the race. In Malaysia Alonso was 40s up on Schumacher by half distance. You won't make that deficit back no matter how consistent your tyre is.
BTW did anyone notice the fastest lap of the race. Over a second slower than last year's. Makes Stoddart look stupid with his comments on Friday, cos cars will never run on new tyres and low fuel during the race.
Also re: lap times Alber's best lap was 8s off the pace. Taking that into consideration the new car would have to be 5s a lap fasterthan the current model. What are the chances of that?
Comments
The FIA has been changing rules left right and centre for "safety". Cars are now getting around with no grip, Fisi had nothing left according to Webber...
If Fisi had fresh tyres, the pile up would have been avoided. Safety has been compromised by this rule change, and it was witnessed at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
As for Stoddart you may not have noticed but both Ecclestone and Moseley are not dealing with him anymore. They are now concentrating their time on Frank Williams and Ron Dennis.
...reminiscent of Austria, 2002, when matters were also at the brink.
Stoddie has brought out their vulnerability and fallibility, and I think they know Stoddie well enough to know he won't rollover and yield to their strongman tactics. They're not saying it but they know the sport needs Minardi, while at the same time Minardi desperately needs to improve it's position.
They might think they're the master tacticians but they need to be wary about the sting at the tail of the grid.
Give in to them and where do you finish up?
What is? F if I know but not the tac we are/were on.
Ohh.. look, I apologise. I thought during the race I saw Fisichella mounting Webbers car because his tyres had gone off. I thought I saw a tyre delaminating at high speed down the straight on the McLaren... I thought I saw a Ferrari retire from the race because of... bald rears!
Junior that's funny. Petrol, what are you on about.
At the moment the gap to the nearest Jordan is about 2 seconds. The gap to the rest of the field is about 4 but at least one is due to tires. So if the new car is faster and Bridgestone can up their game (and let Minardi in on it), the Team maybe able to get the Jordans and latch on to the back of the field.
For a start, the best time of Albers was 4.6 seconds off the average of the field. This is consistent with the time that it took Alonso to lap him.
Also, the effect of lapping has a mjor impact on the fastest time that Albers could set. Most cars will set their best laps near the end of a fuel load. In normal races this is usually towards the end of the race. With the single set of tyres it is towards the end of the first stint. This is borne out by looking at the average fastest lap for each competitor. This was lap 20, immediately before the stops (it is also the median for those that want to argue).
Albers didn't get the chance to set a fastest lap on low fuel because he was already in the process of moving over to be lapped by the field by that time (his fastest was set on lap12, immediately before being lapped). I think that we can resonably presume that he could have achieved a lap close to 41 dead by lap 20 which puts the Minardi at 3.6 seconds behind the field. Take it further and you will see that Friedchicken was over a second faster than Albers over the weekend which would put his time at say, 39.8. So Minardi are only 2 seconds off the pace.
Moving logically forward, that means that if we get 1.5 seconds from the engine and two seconds from the aero improvements, then we will be1.5 seconds faster than the field and lapping cars by the end of the race at Imola.
Makes ya feel good, doesn't it?
Forza Minardi!!!
What are the chances of the PS05 being quicker? Friggin easy!
The point is the new rules favour the car/driver combination that conserves tyres best, which is what racing in the late eighties was all about.
As for the relative speed of the Minardi, 2s fom the engine and 1.5s from the chassis. I've got serious doubts.
No testing, unprooven design staff and Bridgestone constantly changing constructions and compounds should put paid to that thesis.
so which is it?? If he is braking heavily, whilst not going very fast... then why was he then sitting on Mark Webbers nose?
mmm... maybe something to do with having no freaking grip on tyres that were obviously shot. Me thinks your logic is a function of bong over weed multiplied by some serious choofing...
So we'll see if the usual hierarchies shall be maintained, or if we are going to have a thrilling season until Shangai.
total 3.5 secs from the combination aero+new engine? SOunds like a dream, but Minardi fans must be by definition romantic dreamers, so why not?
not long now!!! Hmmmmm i wonder when my passports going to come back???
less than a month to go :D:D::D
Any news on the itinery?