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Practice thread
Topic Started: Sep 5 2008, 09:21 AM (782 Views)
Bear
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1 F. Alonso Renault 1:48.454 21
2 F. Massa Ferrari 1:48.504 16
3 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:48.740 19
4 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:48.805 17
5 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:49.328 10
6 N. Rosberg Williams 1:49.405 17
7 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:49.427 29
8 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:49.585 22
9 J. Trulli Toyota 1:49.715 23
10 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:49.725 22
11 R. Kubica BMW 1:49.875 22
12 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:49.922 20
13 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:49.948 20
14 T. Glock Toyota 1:50.281 24
15 K. Nakajima Williams 1:50.364 20
16 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:50.740 11
17 J. Button Honda 1:50.925 19
18 R. Barrichello Honda 1:51.238 22
19 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:51.334 19
20 M. Webber Red Bull 1:51.640 7
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Norbert
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Interesting to compare the sector times:

Alonso 1:48.454 31.8/47.0/29.5
Massa 1:48.504 (+0.050) 31.4/47.7/29.2

So Alonso was almost 3/4 of a second faster in the middle sector, Massa almost half a second faster in the first, and over a quarter in the second.

Are Renault running tons of wing to get a big advantage in the middle because the engine is less powerful causing them to be sitting ducks on the straight bits? The first sector is 30 secs, so that must end around Les Combes, so basically all flat, and the last sector is 30 secs as well, so that must be from about Stavelot to the end of the lap, again basically all flat out....

Or was it still just a little wet?

edit: have checked the circuit map and managed to get the sector areas about right....!
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Bear
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Maybe Renault were show-boating, but still a good lap from Alonso.

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Rams
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Norbert,Sep 5 2008
02:45 PM
Interesting to compare the sector times:

Alonso 1:48.454 31.8/47.0/29.5
Massa 1:48.504 (+0.050) 31.4/47.7/29.2

So Alonso was almost 3/4 of a second faster in the middle sector, Massa almost half a second faster in the first, and over a quarter in the second.

Are Renault running tons of wing to get a big advantage in the middle because the engine is less powerful causing them to be sitting ducks on the straight bits? The first sector is 30 secs, so that must end around Les Combes, so basically all flat, and the last sector is 30 secs as well, so that must be from about Stavelot to the end of the lap, again basically all flat out....

Or was it still just a little wet?

edit: have checked the circuit map and managed to get the sector areas about right....!

Slower in the first sector because of the sh!tty Renault engine, faster in the middle sector because he was lighter on fuel.
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Red Andy
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Norbert,Sep 5 2008
02:45 PM
Are Renault running tons of wing to get a big advantage in the middle because the engine is less powerful causing them to be sitting ducks on the straight bits?

No, if anything I would expect them to be running less wing to compensate for their relative lack of engine power. Probably the faster middle sector is due to lower fuel levels, but there could also be some clever setup tinkering going on. Most likely that wouldn't be enough to make up 0.7 seconds in a 40-second sector, though. Remember that Massa is reckoned by many to be extremely inconsistent when it comes into taking a line into a corner, possibly Alonso has nailed the real "driver's corners" like Pouhon a little better which could account for some of the difference.
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Rob
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Also Renault over the past few years has almost always had good suspension and mechanichal grip, remember back in 03 and 04 how good they were around Monaco and Hungary, but poop on longer tracks. Now that a few years ago, but I'm willing to bet they still have pretty good suspension setup.
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Red Andy
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Their suspension setup took a knock after the mass damper was banned, their front suspension geometry was essentially designed around the fact that they had a mass damper in the front end of the car.
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