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[GrizzleBoy]

Looks like the reserve for Lance is ready

I won't even accept this in joke form.

 

[Mastah]

Some good news in Formula E (yes, Gutierrez is not that awful):

Esteban Gutierrez is set to replace Ma Qing Hua at the Techeetah team for the remainder of the Formula E season

https://www.motorsport.com/formula-...place-ma-at-techeetah-formula-e-squad-880607/

 

[Zaru]

Well, if the car is shit, it's hard to stay positive. They pay the dude $40 million to race and win Grand Prixs, but you can't do that if the car can only drive twenty laps tops.

I think at this point they've paid Alonso more to drive in a backmarker than it costs to RUN a backmarker team for a year

 

[Juicy Bob]

Boullier and Honda's Yusuke Hasegawa have a joint press conference near the end of the day which should be super juicy.

Well, this has just been cancelled...

 

[Mastah]

Vettel 1:19.341 on softs.

 

[Jezbollah]

Some pics from my mate who's trackside:

 

[JDB]

Did someone throw a paint can at RBR?

 

[brotkasten]

Well, this has just been cancelled...

They figured things out this morning and decided to let the car and its performance speak for itself.

It's all part of the plan.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Guys Ferrari look quick

 

[GrizzleBoy]

Did someone throw a paint can at RBR?

It's flow vis paint, used to visualise the airflow across the surface of th car.

Ferrari showing lots of speed on the soft tyres. Vettel consistently doing low 1:19. laps.

 

[brotkasten]

1:19.341 on softs is not bad.

e: Probably relevant for the rest of the season.

 

[PdotMichael]

Alonso is a little annoying with his antics right now.

 

[Zeknurn]

12:07 Vettel on track again – and another best first sector so far...
12:09 Vettel goes quicker – a 1m19.314s. A fraction slower than Bottas's best yesterday. BUT – Vettel backed off on the main straight...
12:09 So that's an audible bit of sandbagging from Ferrari on super-soft tyres.
12:12 OK. Vettel's backed off and gone again, posting a 1m19.4s. He was 0.7s quicker in the final sector that time. So...

Choo-choo.

A 1.17 pole lap doesn't look too far away now.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

Vettel bolts on super soft now and goes the same 1:19.3 as the soft, for now.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Ferrari have twice gone quickest in the first two sectors but then coasted out of the final corner. You could hear it.

They are confirmed sandbagging.

 

[PdotMichael]

Maybe they are just fuel saving.

Playing crazy mind games.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Vandoorne has stopped just after pit exit. Red Flag

 

[Aiii]

Vandoorne has stopped just after pit exit. Red Flag

 

[BigAl1992]

Vandoorne has stopped just after pit exit. Red Flag

Fernando should probably get the petrol can and cigarette lighter ready.

 

[Stop It]

Vandoorne has stopped just after pit exit. Red Flag

I just sent Honda F1 a sarcastic tweet reply to them saying they were up to 25 laps for the day.

I told them it was 10 laps until their scheduled engine change. I was wrong, it was 6.

 

[Development]

Wich team will be the first to say fuck it lets go and put a 1.17 on the timetable?

 

[Aiii]

Wich team will be the first to say fuck it lets go and put a 1.17 on the timetable?

Not one.

 

[Stop It]

Wich team will be the first to say fuck it lets go and put a 1.17 on the timetable?

Mercedes and RBR love their sandbagging so likely not.

Watch a random Williams or possibly a Ferrari hit 1:18 today though. We already know Vettel can push a 1:18.6 out of the thing.

 

[BigAl1992]

Wich team will be the first to say fuck it lets go and put a 1.17 on the timetable?

No one, until they're actually there for race weekend.

 

[Xando]

Red flags! Vandoorne has stopped at the pit exit. Here's a pic of the McLaren.

AMuS live: http://ams.to/f1-live

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/839799557265444864

Here we go again

Sounded to us like Honda engine died on straight #F1Testing - Red Flag

https://twitter.com/Jamesallenonf1/status/839798257836503040

 

[Mastah]

Rachel Brookes @RachelBrookesTV 7m7 minutes ago

Hmmm Vettel sector 1 best time 22:919 plus sector 2 - 29:379 plus sector 3 - 26.691 = 1:18:988 🤔

.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Vettel just went fastest of anyone over the seven days so far. Two tenths faster than Mercedes on Ultra Softs

 

[jey_16]

Vettel just went fastest of anyone over the seven days so far. Two tenths faster than Mercedes on Ultra Softs

and he slowed down again in the final sector

 

[Hackbert]

12:40 Vettel: 1m19.024s. But he's coasting up to the line. Ferrari in full tease mode.

 

[Zeknurn]

I hope we get an onboard of Vettel's fastest lap from FOM.

 

[Stop It]

12:40 Vettel: 1m19.024s. But he's coasting up to the line. Ferrari in full tease mode.

Cheeky git.

Autosport just offered him a Lion bar to actually finish a quick lap on pace. Tempting as Lion bars are tasty.

 

[Development]

Mercedes and RBR love their sandbagging so likely not.

Watch a random Williams or possibly a Ferrari hit 1:18 today though. We already know Vettel can push a 1:18.6 out of the thing.

He already almost did it just now

12:42
Here he comes again...

Vettel turns purple in the first sector and the second...only a 26:9 in the third sector but it's a new fastest lap in testing this winter by Ferrari

1:19.024

Has F1 2017 just had lift off?

 

[Zeknurn]

12:57 RED FLAG.
12:57 It's Vandoorne AGAIN in the McLaren.

Holy shit....

 

[Juicy Bob]

Vandoorne's stopped again

 

[Stop It]

Holy shit....

Wait, they tried to use the same engine after it was obviously broken?

Lolol

 

[Development]

12:59
Drama ahoy.

As Hamilton goes very quick, but not quite as quick as Vettel, the McLaren has broken down for the second time today on track. On this occasion, it appears the MCL32 at least managed to get halfway round the track before giving up

lol

 

[Xando]

Holy shit....

This seasons Alonso radios are gonna be great

 

[Dutch Gronk]

THIS IS THE YEAR!

WE'RE SANDBAGGING!!!!

 

[stryke]

If this is indicative of what's to come for the rest of the year, Honda need to leave F1 at the end of it.

They are ruining McLaren and the F1 sport.

 

[EarsOfASnake]

This seasons Alonso radios are gonna be great

McLaren really going to miss having that friendly and diplomatic front facing person that was Jenson Button XD

 

[xrnzaaas]

This seasons Alonso radios are gonna be great

GP3 engine, GP3 engine, argh!

 

[Aiii]

If this is indicative of what's to come for the rest of the year, Honda need to leave F1 at the end of it.

They are ruining McLaren and the F1 sport.

Oh I'm pretty sure McLaren isn't using Honda engines next year regardless, unless we suddenly see a drastic change in performance and reliability in the first few months of the season.

 

[Berto]

I dont want to sound too overly dramatic, but I feel i'm seeing the end of Mclaren in F1. They are stuck with Honda for 7 years and it is clear Honda can't do a proper F1 engine. It's a question of time for Honda to pull out of F1 again (like they always do) or Mclaren manages to get away from this death sentence contract. However Honda is injecting hundreds of millions into the team and Mclaren can't find proper sponsors. Plus, they are now led by shareholders that have no passion for the team. It's a downward spiral and it breaks my heart.

 

[nature boy]

Can't remember any other excellent driver lineup WASTED like Mclaren is wasting theirs.

 

[Zaru]

I dont want to sound too overly dramatic, but I feel i'm seeing the end of Mclaren in F1. They are stuck with Honda for 7 years and it is clear Honda can't do a proper F1 engine. It's a question of time for Honda to pull out of F1 again (like they always do) or Mclaren manages to get away from this death sentence contract. However Honda is injecting hundreds of millions into the team and Mclaren can't find proper sponsors. Plus, they are now led by shareholders that have no passion for the team. It's a downward spiral and it breaks my heart.

You know what's funny in all this?

McLaren is with Honda because McLaren was not the main team of Mercedes anymore.
McLaren is not the main team of Mercedes anymore because they have their own team now.
They have their own team now because they were able to buy a promising team at the right time.
They were able to buy that team... because of the last time Honda pulled out of the sport.

Honda's failure has been fucking with McLaren for much longer than the V6 era.

 

[ramparter]

You know what's funny in all this?

McLaren is with Honda because McLaren was not the main team of Mercedes anymore.
McLaren is not the main team of Mercedes anymore because they have their own team now.
They have their own team now because they were able to buy a promising team at the right time.
They were able to buy that team... because of the last time Honda pulled out of the sport.

Honda's failure has been fucking with McLaren for much longer than the V6 era.

It's as if 2008 McLaren and Honda decided to swap engines, then Honda team won 4 wdc and McLaren became a tier C team.

 

[Berto]

You know what's funny in all this?

McLaren is with Honda because McLaren was not the main team of Mercedes anymore.
McLaren is not the main team of Mercedes anymore because they have their own team now.
They have their own team now because they were able to buy a promising team at the right time.
They were able to buy that team... because of the last time Honda pulled out of the sport.

Honda's failure has been fucking with McLaren for much longer than the V6 era.

It's like a full tragic circle. :'(

 

[JadedWriter]

You know what's funny in all this?

McLaren is with Honda because McLaren was not the main team of Mercedes anymore.
McLaren is not the main team of Mercedes anymore because they have their own team now.
They have their own team now because they were able to buy a promising team at the right time.
They were able to buy that team... because of the last time Honda pulled out of the sport.

Honda's failure has been fucking with McLaren for much longer than the V6 era.

And that former Honda team has McLaren's last and most recent WDC.

 

[Berto]

And that former Honda team has McLaren's last and most recent WDC.

And they won 3 WCC with Mclarens last champion car designer, Paddy Lowe.

 

[BigAl1992]

You know what's funny in all this?

McLaren is with Honda because McLaren was not the main team of Mercedes anymore.
McLaren is not the main team of Mercedes anymore because they have their own team now.
They have their own team now because they were able to buy a promising team at the right time.
They were able to buy that team... because of the last time Honda pulled out of the sport.

Honda's failure has been fucking with McLaren for much longer than the V6 era.

And that former Honda team has McLaren's last and most recent WDC.

That's what I was thinking of as well. McLaren's most recent WDC (Hamilton) is with that team, and the last non McLaren WDC to have driven for them (Button) came from that former Honda Team. It's a fucking piss take.