Floyd on F1
PRE-SEASON TESTING KICKS OFF: GOOD SHOWING FROM HAMILTON AND BOTTAS
Most teams had trouble-free runs, McLaren Honda not being one of them.
You are reading this on day two of the final pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona in Catalunya – 18 days from the start of the 2017 season.
When the lights go out at Albert Park in Melbourne on March 26, we will finally have a true indication of what to expect this year.
Testing is a difficult time to ascertain who has the upper hand, but after the first week it looks as though the Mercedes steam roller is off to a good start.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have put in an impressive number of laps at the 4.655km circuit, with one minor electrical issue. Bottas was also the quickest during week one, followed closely by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
The Maranello team’s start surprised many, with both Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen setting fastest times on the soft tyre compound.
At Mercedes, Bottas used ultra soft tyres. Strangely, at this time last year it was the opposite, with Ferrari quickest on the softer compound.
The rest of the season was certainly not a reflection of the promised pace from the Prancing Horse, so let us hope this will not be a repeat performance. Renault have to take a step back this week as protests by other teams could lead to the French team’s rear wing being illegal in Melbourne.
So, it’s a revisit of the aerodynamics for Palmer and Hulkenberg.
Media reports indicate there may be a bigger problem at Melbourne, after Ferrari’s enquiry regarding the suspensions employed on the Mercedes and Red Bull cars.
After discussion Charlie Whiting, FIA technical director, has advised that both teams could face technical infringement difficulties with their interpretations of the regulations. So the fun has begun.
Most teams have carried out surprisingly trouble free test runs, collecting data as planned.
However, a few have had difficulties and sadly McLaren Honda fit into this category.
Day one saw Fernando Alonso looking for his deckchair once again as after his installation lap the power unit had to be changed.
Honda’s head of F1 project, Yusuke Hasegawa, said: “This morning, we detected an oil systems issue during Fernando’s installation lap. In the interest of time we decided to change the PU. We think the issue is related to the shape of the 2017 oil tank, but it requires further investigation before we can confirm this.”
Incredible – with all the research facilities and skilled engineers available to the Japanese manufacturer – that such a problem as the shape of the oil tank was not found earlier. To make matters worse, on day two Stoffel Vandoorne also required a power unit change when the Honda power unit suffered a sudden lack of power. Not a great start to 2017 – one hopes that Honda will work miracles in the next few weeks.