Badger wrote: ↑01 Dec 2025, 16:08
diffuser wrote: ↑01 Dec 2025, 15:57
I am really surprised that you guys don't get this. Even if the PU wasn't ready, they'd show up to the january test with the 2025 year PU and disable the MGU-H or something just to test all the new software/hardware. That test is way more important that anythng else.
I don't get why you guys are so willing to believe a flat out lies? How would Marcin Budkowski even have a clue what's going on in Japan? He didn't even know what was going on at Alpine when he worked there.
The most important hardware to test in January is the engine, most of the other bits will be pushed as late as possible. Budkowski as I recall was a pretty senior figure so he is well connected, and people talk. We can't take for granted that what he says is true, but we can't dismiss it as lies either.
People talk and only Budkowski hears.
So you think they're gonna run the 2026 PU on the 2025 Chassis for the first test ? Since the wheelbase and widths are different, it isn't like they can mix and match....
The first test is last week in January...... The 2nd test is 2 weeks later ...you're not gonna build alot in 2 weeks ... lead time on most of this stuff is 12 weeks and I'm not sure how many things at a time they can work on. March 6th is the start of the season, so 3 weeks later. There is another test in between. There is literally 5 weeks between the end of the first test and the start of the season. My money is they show up with everything for test 1, minus final aero(engine cover and wings). Those will be in prod to arrive for the first race. They'll show up at the first test with basic wings, new brakes, suspension, transmission, etc. They'll collect a ton of information and have a ton of software updates to do.