Mika To Test For Mclaren!!!

[Mikey_s]

My 2cents... I think one of the reasons behind the test is that they need somebody who can give useful feedback to the engineers... This is an area where Macca are vulnerable. Perhaps Alonso can do it for them when he arrives from Renault, but in the interim here they are with a newbie and having to try to learn all about the new tyres without good feedback from the driveers.

I think this is worrying for next season - Macca are going to be disadvantaged again right from the very start...

[pRo]

I think Stoddard said it the best...if Mika tests again, then they are serious about it. If it was just this one, it was PR.

[sebbe]

Just PR guys... The only reason McLaren didn't confirm Hamilton for 2007 season in Brazil was that Schumacher's departure from F1 was a much bigger story (and because Pedro was in the second car). They waited and released the new just on time, it's been an all McLaren front page in every website all week long, even when the Macca didn't top the timesheets.

Mikka's day as tester was just a bluff, to get more press attention. McLaren isn't short on drivers, they're just creating enthusiasm out of nothing.

How do we know Macca is vulnerable at getting feedback from the drivers, Mikey?

[mx_tifoso]

[quote="Phoenix"]When is Kimi free to test for Ferrari?[/quote

kimi will be freed from his mclaren contract at the end of 2006,technically he will be able to start testing for ferrari on January 1st,but usually they get back in action many days or a couple of weeks after new years,same with alonso

[Mikey_s]

Sebbe,

how much race experience have the Macca drivers testing this week got between them?

Hamilton will, in my view, be able to give very little feedback to the team on the car - and absolutley none on the comparison with michelins.

Pedro has done loads of testing, but he hasn't got the experience that Mika does.

A quick question back to you... given the cost of testing, why put Mika in the car for publicity... he was never going to post fast times first time out and they still have to pay Pedro whether he is driving or not. If it was just for publicity why not give him a few laps and put DLR in thereafter... he did 79 laps, that equals loads of fuel, a new engine, a whole day of data gaterhing by the engineering team... a very expensive publicity stunt in my view.

Just my 2c

[Hondanisti]

I would like to make a motion that we at F1 Technical start a petition.

To whom? I haven't quite figured out yet but let's start with formula1.com.

I would like to make the motion that the media stop treating F1 fans like we are idiots when it comes to reporting testing results.


Instead of posting the best lap time of the session by each driver, I move that the media report the consecutive lap times for each time the driver goes out on the track.


We all know that testing is not a competition between the teams to get the best time.

Testing is methodical and structured data collection.

They methodically control confounding variables and try to isolate 1 variable and do stepwise increases in different settings so that they can collect data as to the behaviour of the variable under controlled conditions.

This week it's the tires.

They do stepwise changes is suspension settings to see how the grip changes, for example.



Testing does NOT reflect who has the fastest car.

You have variable fuel loads, variable aero settings, variable suspension settings, variable assessments (short run vs. long run performance). And even with the spec tire, Bridgestone has said that they are planning to test 4 different compounds.

Each team is testing a different variable at any given batch of laps within their own testing program agenda.


The fact that Mika is on the bottom of the chart for best single lap time doesn't tell me anything even if you compare it to Lewis' or Pedro's times.

I want to see patterns from consecutive laps. They aren't going to reveal what they were testing for each batch of laps but at least you can get a better sense of relative pace.


Why we as fans continue to accept the fastest lap as the indicator of who is doing well from testing from the media shows the apathy of the fans to not demand better. We aren't country bumpkins, after all.

[Scuderia_Russ]

Jesus, I read on Autosport .com he was sixteen seconds off the pace after sixteen laps!

[Hondanisti]

Jesus, I read on Autosport .com he was sixteen seconds off the pace after sixteen laps!

I'd put that in context though.

Consider this:

2006 Spanish GP times at Catalunya:

Saturday AM Practice Best Lap Times

http://www.formula1.com/race/result/756/23.html


Qualifying

http://www.formula1.com/race/result/756/24.html


Fastest Race Lap

http://www.formula1.com/race/result/fas ... 756/8.html


Take Kimi's times for example in each context:

Sat AM: 1 min 16.705

Qualy : Q1 1 min. 16.613, Q2 1 min 15.422, Q3 1 min. 16.015

(22 laps fuel window with 5 min. of lapping for burn off for Q3 time)


Race: 1 min. 17.357


He's at least 1-1.3 sec/lap slower in the race (at best effort) than on a 22 laps fuel load during Q3 or Sat AM practice.



If the other cars in testing are doing 10 laps batches for short run evaluation and maybe 25 laps batches for long run evaluation while Mika is on full tanks for 79 laps long run evaluation and the hardest of the 4 compounds available for the session and he's doing race pace versus the others' shorter evaluation pace, would it not be reasonable to expect him to be 16 sec back after 16 laps (i.e. 1 sec/lap slower in race pace versus banzai pace ) ?


This has been my public "complaint" to the media from day 1 that obviously falls on deaf ears before more of us ask for better. There's a lack of context to the info provided during testing reports. If you're really a tech person ("gearhead") , you'd at least ask them to have a set of ACESSABLE (FREE) info for the dedicated , informed, non-noobella fans to see. Wouldn't you ?

[pRo]

Rumours (or facts? at least they are told as facts) about Mika from finnish media.

The testing wasn't all about PR. Apparently Dennis wants to train Mika, so he can race, if needed. McLaren employees claim, that the team is worried and preparing for the possibility that Alonso would trash Hamilton and his self confidence. Mika will start DTM season normally, but McLaren is keeping the door open if they need another driver.

There has also been rumours about lowering the age limit for the GP Masters series, trying to get Mika and Damon Hill in the series.


They also claim that Gerhard Berger and Toro Rosso was what started this whole Mika-thing. Apparently Berger tried to get Mika to race for Toro Rosso. They are getting a Ferrari engine and a car by Adrian Newey and are rumoured to dislike the performance of their current drivers. Maybe a reason why they didn't name any drivers for 2007 yet? Berger has said that he knows Mika isn't too happy about DTM and would like to race elsewhere. He offered Mika a test in august, which, if succesfull was supposed to lead to more testing and possibly a race seat. Mika spoke to Dennis about this and he didn't like the idea and instead quickly "grabbed" Mika to McLaren. Will he ever race? Who knows.

[waynes]

would love to see Damon back on track, but with his role as BRDC president (or whatever it is) i doubt he'd do it

shame really

[img::]http://members.aol.com/ingodues/japa4-96.jpg[/img]

[Mikey_s]

waynes,

personally I have never rated Damon as racer - he's a nice chap and all that, but in my book he was not one of the greats.

I recall Martin Brundle telling (a more than usually enthused) Murray Walker that "even you could win a Grand Prix in that car Murray", such was the reputed advantage of the Newey designed Williams Renault... I think Damon was in the right place at the right time and, to an extent, was flattered by a great car. He is not "Mansell", at least not for me...

Just my opinion... and perhaps if he joined the GP Masters circuit I'd be proved wrong.

Mike dons his race suit ready to be flamed!

[Umm_510]

hows this for a theory, Mclaren Mercedes supply prodrive or a b team of some kind with engines and chassis and drop Mika into the no1 drivers seat after a year of testing with Mclaren?

just a crack pot theory

Mick

[waynes]

waynes,

personally I have never rated Damon as racer - he's a nice chap and all that, but in my book he was not one of the greats.

I recall Martin Brundle telling (a more than usually enthused) Murray Walker that "even you could win a Grand Prix in that car Murray", such was the reputed advantage of the Newey designed Williams Renault... I think Damon was in the right place at the right time and, to an extent, was flattered by a great car. He is not "Mansell", at least not for me..

i agree damon wasnt balls out like mansell, but he didnt have half the ego or moan half as much as mansell either. lets also say mansell won a world championship in a car developed by damon hill and that car was also far superior to anything else in the field.

damon > mansell in my opinion obviously

hows this for a theory, Mclaren Mercedes supply prodrive or a b team of some kind with engines and chassis and drop Mika into the no1 drivers seat after a year of testing with Mclaren?

just a crack pot theory

not crack pot at all, i was also thinking about that situation

[DaveKillens]

My theory.....
Mika has become involved in McLaren F1 once again.
McLaren have a bright rookie with tons of potential in the form of Hamilton.
MIchael Schumacher is hanging arund Ferrari assisting in driver development.

How about Ron Dennis has decided to hedge his bets. First is keeping Mika around in case the train runs off the tracks and they need a race driver in short notice (not likely, but possible). Secondly, and what will really happen is to have Mika mentor Lewis Hamilton, and keep his head on straight dealing with the distraction of Formula One, and especially the pressure.

[Jason]

I would love to see Mika back in the paddock, but Ron Dennis hasn't said much about Mika's possible return. Mika himself said that he may return to F1, as a team manager. I also heard from somewhere saying that Mika tested the Mclaren car with full load of fuel, 1 single of tyres.