F1 Jerez test: Harris liveblog
Back home, Chris reflects on a bizzare couple of days (with the tech mostly explained!)
Chris
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Photos: Chris, LAT Photo
For reasons unknown, the trip I was on left the circuit at 2.30pm yesterday to return back to the UK. At that point in the test I'd guess less than 30 laps had been completed by the entire field. The track was silent and the spread of opinion on whether this was a good or bad spectacle for F1 was broad.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolf wasn't remotely worried. "Everybody needs stuff to write and this situation gives stories!"
Probably the best view of the Force India
In many ways I agree, but it was still fascinating to see all this new technology in its embryonic stage. But I stand by the suggestion that the teams and sport in general would have benefitted from several days private running at somewhere like Paul Ricard to work through this slightly laborious round of infernal installation laps and allow the first public test to actually display moving cars.
Mercedes did just this on Friday at Silverstone completing around 35km in the damp with Rosberg behind the wheel, leaving them best placed to run at Jerez. Two short runs are allowed in the testing regs. Accordingly, for much of the time I was there only Lewis was running - save for Kimi's tragically choreographed half lap crawl and subsequent arrival to the pits in a SEAT.
What does 2014 hold for McLaren?
Such is Formula 1. Whatever happens, it'll be an interesting season.
For now, hats of to all the boffins that make these cars work. In six weeks they have to be racing flat-out in Melbourne. From what I saw yesterday that looked like a completely improbably outcome, but you just know they're going to make it happen.
See Mercedes' technical guide to F1 2014 here
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VIDEO: Chris has grabbed a few seconds of the Mercedes W05 at Jerez. See it here
Is it a way of sneaking more Air into the engine?
Not sure about 'a good looking car will be a fast car'. When the step noses first came in, McLaren came to the first race with the only clean looking design. Within two races they were changing it as the clean design was uncompetitive.
Going to be a real mixed bag this year, hopefully it wont Red Bull that are always on top.
te for years.It's a test for a reason, not a marketing exercise for F1. This is Motorsport.
I do hope the latter
It's a test for a reason, not a marketing exercise for F1. This is Motorsport.
Another here. Sound s
t compared to what we've had previously IMO.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff