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GhoGho wrote: I for one would love to see the privateer teams sticking it to the factory teams

That'd be a really sticky situation and call for a few quick changes

Ed wrote:I wish you are right, the more cars at the top the better but with the manufacturers and the FIA in agreement they know they will have an edge over the customer engines/cars ...
Even if it is a slight edge and the driver can make the difference, the team needs to know how to win and that takes time.

Ferrari was never threatened by a customer car, last year Toyota didn't do much but they were always ahead of Midland, same goes for Honda and Super Aguri. Renault haven't supplied an engine while running their own chassis before (or did they in the 70/80's).
So this year with Williams (Toyota) and Red Bull (Renault) it may be different, may be closer but competing and beating them ?
Toyota, the richest and most profitable car maker in the world (any other car manufacturer making money these days ) would be humiliated if Williams match them!!

You're right. Renault never supplied a customer team with an engine while racing their own chassis. Although the customer teams will be stronger this year I still find it difficult to believe that they will beat the suppliers. Maybe for one race or two but in the end the factory teams shall prevail

Julian Mayo wrote:Yes, Renault did, with success from memory.
If, and I think it is possible, Williams does beat Toyota, I think Toyota will become an engine supplier to Williams/Toyota racing (WT Racing )
Suppuku will be the order of the day.

I don't think Renault supplied another team during their two stints (1977-1985 and 2002-present). 2007 will be the very first season Renault will change that...

GhoGho wrote:

Julian Mayo wrote:Toyota will be worried by the time Wurtz set.
The RB has had very little running, as yet, and shows signs of improving. With the new aero package not being ready til Melbourne, it will be interesting

Most teams will have new aero in Aus

38 days to go

Still 38? Aw, man! Time goes by real slow these days...

Julian Mayo wrote:Toyota will be worried by the time Wurtz set.
The RB has had very little running, as yet, and shows signs of improving. With the new aero package not being ready til Melbourne, it will be interesting

I don't think anyone will seriously be worried by Wurz's or Nico's time. Basically every Friday practice Wurz had one of the top 2 times. He would come out with low fuel & set a fastest lap & look at what the Williams did last year. I seriously doubt that time is a true reflection of the car's performance but we'll have to wait & see.

Bundy wrote:

Julian Mayo wrote:Toyota will be worried by the time Wurtz set.
The RB has had very little running, as yet, and shows signs of improving. With the new aero package not being ready til Melbourne, it will be interesting

I don't think anyone will seriously be worried by Wurz's time. Basically every Friday practice Wurz had one of the top 2 times. He would come out with low fuel & set a fastest lap & look at what the Williams did last year. I seriously doubt that time is a true reflection of the car's performance but we'll have to wait & see.

Hello Bundy!

I was about to just say the same thing!

I will add that teams that are looking to attract more sponsors tend to set really fast times in testing. I am sure that the time set by Wurz was on fumes.

But if we take these times seriously, Honda and Red Bull are looking pretty slow!!

Julian Mayo wrote: I just read where the RB is a cross between "twin keel, and zero keel".......
Does that mean its a single keel? or a winged keel on wet tracks? or should the journo be keelhauled?

Twero keel

Why ? How ?

Easy, educated guess work

JayVee wrote:
Hello Bundy!

I was about to just say the same thing!

I will add that teams that are looking to attract more sponsors tend to set really fast times in testing. I am sure that the time set by Wurz was on fumes.

But if we take these times seriously, Honda and Red Bull are looking pretty slow!!

Now I'm worried!!!!!!

If you look at the times, there isn't a great variance so I think slow is a bit of an exaggeration. I think the only thing that can really be taken out of testing is the fact that all teams are going to be extremely evenly matched this year.

As many members continually point out, times at this stage mean very little. Teams will be testing different things at different times. The only time we will have a good idea will be in Melbourne.

Ferrari, Renault & McLaren, as always, are going to be the ones to beat

gkaytaz wrote:

Julian Mayo wrote:Yes, Renault did, with success from memory.
If, and I think it is possible, Williams does beat Toyota, I think Toyota will become an engine supplier to Williams/Toyota racing (WT Racing )
Suppuku will be the order of the day.

I don't think Renault supplied another team during their two stints (1977-1985 and 2002-present). 2007 will be the very first season Renault will change that...

Ah, if I may say that Renault did supply engines to other teams, there was the Lotus Renault, the Ligier Renualt and the Tyrell Renault.

In 84 Lotus Renault finished ahead of Renault and in 85 Lotus Renault AND Ligier Renault finished ahead of Renault. Renault pulled out as a constructor

So there is precedence, maybe it will happen again

Bundy wrote:

JayVee wrote:
Hello Bundy!

I was about to just say the same thing!

I will add that teams that are looking to attract more sponsors tend to set really fast times in testing. I am sure that the time set by Wurz was on fumes.

But if we take these times seriously, Honda and Red Bull are looking pretty slow!!

Now I'm worried!!!!!!

If you look at the times, there isn't a great variance so I think slow is a bit of an exaggeration. I think the only thing that can really be taken out of testing is the fact that all teams are going to be extremely evenly matched this year.

As many members continually point out, times at this stage mean very little. Teams will be testing different things at different times. The only time we will have a good idea will be in Melbourne.

Ferrari, Renault & McLaren, as always, are going to be the ones to beat

Doubt that all teams are going to be extremely evenly matched. Perhaps these groups will be:

McLaren, Renault and Ferrari

Honda, BMW and Toyota

Red Bull and Williams

Spyker, Toro Ross and Super Aguri


In the last few years we did get an idea of who was fast and who wasn't. I think the same applies this year. (Except for Honda who always dissapointed but this year they are slow, maybe they will actually be fast!!)

Yeah, forgot about those...

JayVee wrote:

Bundy wrote:

JayVee wrote:
Hello Bundy!

I was about to just say the same thing!

I will add that teams that are looking to attract more sponsors tend to set really fast times in testing. I am sure that the time set by Wurz was on fumes.

But if we take these times seriously, Honda and Red Bull are looking pretty slow!!

Now I'm worried!!!!!!

If you look at the times, there isn't a great variance so I think slow is a bit of an exaggeration. I think the only thing that can really be taken out of testing is the fact that all teams are going to be extremely evenly matched this year.

As many members continually point out, times at this stage mean very little. Teams will be testing different things at different times. The only time we will have a good idea will be in Melbourne.

Ferrari, Renault & McLaren, as always, are going to be the ones to beat

Doubt that all teams are going to be extremely evenly matched. Perhaps these groups will be:

McLaren, Renault and Ferrari

Honda, BMW and Toyota

Red Bull and Williams

Spyker, Toro Ross and Super Aguri


In the last few years we did get an idea of who was fast and who wasn't. I think the same applies this year. (Except for Honda who always dissapointed but this year they are slow, maybe they will actually be fast!!)

Before we had the haves and have-nots. At least we might see the gap to narrow down a bit this year. I agree though, we should refrain from saying evenly matched, let alone enhance it by "extremely".

Final day of testing was run under wet conditions. Renault decided not to run their cars (apart for a few installation laps) and Alonso only did 9 laps.

Here are the times:

1 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:29.497 34
2 Alex Wurz WilliamsF1 1:30.049 81
3 Timo Glock BMW Sauber 1:30.211 27
4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:30.565 88
5 Rubens Barrichello Honda Racing 1:30.687 66
6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:30.689 48
7 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:30.981 89
8 Franck Montagny Toyota 1:31.027 75
9 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:31.166 69
10 Nico Rosberg WilliamsF1 1:31.294 36
11 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:31.405 71
12 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:31.477 73
13 Fernando Alonso McLaren Mercedes 1:31.570 9
14 Marco Andretti Honda Racing 1:32.397 63

Testing moves to Barcelona starting from Monday. Hopefully the weather will be good and we can look at the lap by lap times of each driver.

gkaytaz wrote:

JayVee wrote:

Bundy wrote:
Now I'm worried!!!!!!

If you look at the times, there isn't a great variance so I think slow is a bit of an exaggeration. I think the only thing that can really be taken out of testing is the fact that all teams are going to be extremely evenly matched this year.

As many members continually point out, times at this stage mean very little. Teams will be testing different things at different times. The only time we will have a good idea will be in Melbourne.

Ferrari, Renault & McLaren, as always, are going to be the ones to beat

Doubt that all teams are going to be extremely evenly matched. Perhaps these groups will be:

McLaren, Renault and Ferrari

Honda, BMW and Toyota

Red Bull and Williams

Spyker, Toro Ross and Super Aguri


In the last few years we did get an idea of who was fast and who wasn't. I think the same applies this year. (Except for Honda who always dissapointed but this year they are slow, maybe they will actually be fast!!)

Before we had the haves and have-nots. At least we might see the gap to narrow down a bit this year. I agree though, we should refrain from saying evenly matched, let alone enhance it by "extremely".

I have been hibernating for a while....OK extremely evenlt match is a bit of an exaggeration but compared with past years we will hopefully see a few close races

Bundy wrote: I have been hibernating for a while....OK extremely evenlt match is a bit of an exaggeration but compared with past years we will hopefully see a few close races

All the better for us fans More excitement.