Comments on: Malaysian GP practice: McLaren v Ferrari

By: nick c

nick c — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:17:51 +0000

My bets are on ferrari 1-2 tomorow, Even though i am a mclaren fan. The only thing that could change the race is either wet wheather which i am hoping. Or reliablilty problems with the ferraris. Otherwise raikkonen and massa will win the race comfatably as they did in spa last year.

By: Toncho

Toncho — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:50:56 +0000

MCL was probably sandbagging, then LH just tried to get a quick time and he got it… so I will put my money on Hamilton for pole and victory here, but I hope Kimi can fight back, if Ferrari has another bad weekend the season may be boringly one-sided. I am also curious to see how BMW performs, they are normally not very fast on free practice but quick in Q. Last but not least I looking forward to see a normal racing conditions GP to see where Williams/Homda/and FA’s R-5 really are.

By: Firestarter

Firestarter — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:33:17 +0000

About MacLaren of this year, i think they have sorted the tire problem out with all the data from last year. The Lewis car looks good on tires and he knows how to manage them, but we need to find out what happens when he is on the limit. Bring it on Sepang!!

By: MacademiaNut

MacademiaNut — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:33:35 +0000

"So why would the McLaren’s pace be so different for a stint vs a quali lap? What changes?"Here’s the reason. When you do a stint, you are flexible with the fuel load and you are testing different things. You might be interested in testing the 2 vs 1 pit-stop strategy etc. When it comes to qualifying, you know pretty much the fuel strategy of all the top-10. With almost everyone on a two-stopper, they are all about the same fuel load.. that’s where the true pace comes into play.

By: John Beamer

John Beamer — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:31:51 +0000

7/ Mostly down to tyres. McLaren has a faster car off the bat but is harder on the tyres. That means that over longer stints Ferrari can either push harder or McLaren’s performance will degrade

By: Brad Pitney

Brad Pitney — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:27:45 +0000

few teams back in 2006 Ferrari had Flexi-Wings, so did BMW.

I can see quite a bit of movement on that Ferrari at the sides of the cockpit too

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2007/01/25/banned-flexi-wings/

By: NDINYO

NDINYO — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:22:33 +0000

There is a ban of movable aero parts that is for sure.

By: Clive

Clive — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:20:51 +0000

It’s all going to be academic if it rains on Sunday – which it probably will.

I would question the tifosi’s relief at learning Raikkonen’s problem was to do with communication rather than a mechanical problem, however. It seems to me that Ferrari have two problems, one as regards reliability, the other regarding team efficiency. A foul-up in the pits can be just as disastrous for a team’s chances in the race as a mechanical failure.

Oh, I do love the Ferrari of old – happy days are here again.

By: MR H&S

MR H&S — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:51:27 +0000

So why would the McLaren’s pace be so different for a stint vs a quali lap? What changes?

By: John Beamer

John Beamer — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:44:42 +0000

McLaren led the midfield? They waltzed to victory! Raikonnen only got to third by having a one stopper and having the rub of the green with safety cars.

If you analyze the lap times (when Kimi was flying around lap 21) it is hard to conclude he was faster than the McLarens on a similar fuel load. In fact, many were surprsied about how effective the McLarens were on the tyres … the mp4-23 is supposed to be hard on the rubber.

There is no question Ferrari are quick. There is a question about whether they are quicker than McLaren. We’ll have a much better idea tomorrow … bring it on.

Although a ferrari 1-2 wouldn’t be a surprise it is by no means a slam dunk