Ferraripilot wrote:Tumbarello wrote:marcush. wrote:Schumachers best time was posted during a 5lap stint.
Incorrect. The time was set on what looked like a proper qualy sim, i.e. a one lapper. In fact, all of his sub 1.22 min laps were done on one lap stints.
The Red Bull and Ferrari best laps have been done on longer stints of 4 or 5 laps.
Most analysts are saying Merc has taken a big step up in performance but they are probably still a way off the ultimate pace of those two front runners.
Schu's 1.22.249 lap was set on the second lap of a 5 lap stint. The first lap was 1.23.4, followed by the 1.22.249, then 1.24.3 followed by two more 1.24 laps.
What's your source? I've been following autosport who's doing live timings+reports and they claim otherwise...
From their running commentary:
"Patrick from the Netherlands is following AUTOSPORT Live on his iPad, also from bed, and is also interested in Mercedes' form: "How serious is Michael Schumacher's best time from yesterday? Are they now a true title contender?"
It's too early to say that yet, Patrick. Schumacher's very fast times yesterday did come on clear qualifying simulations: one ultra-quick lap at a time, then back into the pits.
By contrast, Red Bull's fastest times of the week have mostly come at the start of four or five lap runs. So we know the Red Bull can go nearly as fast as the Mercedes and on slightly more fuel. Plus Nick Heidfeld told us earlier this week that he is convinced RBR is still holding something back. And when you hear the Red Bull drivers insist Ferrari is the quicker car, it suggests you can't discount the Italian squad either.
But as Sebastian Vettel put it yesterday, even if Schumacher was running on fumes and the softest tyres available, his Friday lap time was still very impressive. So Mercedes is certainly looking a lot, lot better - but don't get carried away yet."
And also from Friday's running commentary, as the lap was happening:
"10:12 Schumacher and Heidfeld come back out.
10:13 That was a single flying lap from Alonso, whose returns to the pits.
10:14 We've got Mercedes' Norbert Haug coming up to join us on AUTOSPORT Live this afternoon, so email your questions to
live@autosport.com.
10:15 Schumacher knocks Alonso off the head of the times with a 1m21.268s.
10:15 That Mercedes lap is 0.836s quicker than the time Ferrari just did.
10:16 It's half a second quicker than anyone has gone in Barcelona testing so far.
10:16 That will be a low-fuel run from Schumacher, who comes straight back into the pits.
10:16 But whatever the specification, that time will be very encouraging."