2018 Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne, 22 -25 March

[Just_a_fan]

----------S1 -------- S2 -------- S3 ------ Lap time
Ham-26.698 -- 22.066 -- 32.400 -- 1:21.164
Rai - 26.992 -- 22.204 -- 32.632 -- 1:21.828
Vet - 27.018 -- 22.129 -- 32.691 -- 1:21.838
Ver - 26.971 -- 22.241 -- 32.563 -- 1:21.879

Distance between the Ferraris is approx 600mm after a 5303m lap. Amazingly close.

[Juzh]

Got some onboards, no telemetry however..

Ricciardo Q3 Lap Onboard 1:22.152- P5


Alonso Q1 Lap Onboard 1:24.480

[djones]

Unless I'm looking at the forecast wrong, then its a dry race.

To be fair in this case I think I'd like it dry as it will give us a good indication of where everybody actually sits with no big variable.

Was interesting to see big performance from Mercedes, even with the oil burning now totally gone. I personally suspected they never used it anyway and it was just Ferrari.

[Kingshark]

Honestly, I think this is ridiculous. I think both redbull and Ferrari are much closer than I personally expected, and it’s always closer on race day than in quali. I think we’re in for a great season!

Your standards of what makes a great season must be really low.

I think that Ferrari and Red Bull will win a few races here and there. But I don't think there will ever be any doubt about who will win the WDC.

[Silent Storm]

I couldn't get Max Speed at each sector for all the drivers except Vettel --287--298--307

Kimi has the same 307 for S3.

Max speed
Rai - 321
Vet - 320
Ham - 318
Ver - 312
Ric - 311

[bonjon1979]

Doubt

I'm pretty confident its hydraulic fluid.

I've never seen hydraulic vapor, and there isn't anything hot enough to burn it back there...

Um, you know that metal tube that exits over the top of the crash structure, which the pillar containing the hydraulics for the drs runs directly above? Try touching it and see if it’s hot enough to burn

[cliffgamerz]

Even if Bottas starts from back tomorrow , it will be a walk in the park for him as his car is 2 secs quicker on pure pace than midfield runners so yes i expect them to rebuild the chasis and install new components and take penalty.

[LM10]

Unless I'm looking at the forecast wrong, then its a dry race.

To be fair in this case I think I'd like it dry as it will give us a good indication of where everybody actually sits with no big variable.

Was interesting to see big performance from Mercedes, even with the oil burning now totally gone. I personally suspected they never used it anyway and it was just Ferrari.

You still don't stop telling that Ferrari was the only team which burnt oil. I don't know what your intention is.

And the oil burning is definitely not gone.

[djones]

My intention is to stop all the BS talk about the burning.

Even now you mention it when very clearly its no longer the case due to restrictions they have put in place.

[Sieper]

Unless I'm looking at the forecast wrong, then its a dry race.

To be fair in this case I think I'd like it dry as it will give us a good indication of where everybody actually sits with no big variable.

Was interesting to see big performance from Mercedes, even with the oil burning now totally gone. I personally suspected they never used it anyway and it was just Ferrari.

They still have 0,6 liter (per 100k) to play with. Hamilton isn’t such a bad driver that he can only concentrate for 1 lap. The extra performance of the last Q3 lap is still coming from somewhere.

[Sieper]

My intention is to stop all the BS talk about the burning.

Even now you mention it when very clearly its no longer the case due to restrictions they have put in place.

Then you can talk very long, you know it isn’t true. Look at the catfight Vettel and Hamilton already had about it.

[bonjon1979]

Unless I'm looking at the forecast wrong, then its a dry race.

To be fair in this case I think I'd like it dry as it will give us a good indication of where everybody actually sits with no big variable.

Was interesting to see big performance from Mercedes, even with the oil burning now totally gone. I personally suspected they never used it anyway and it was just Ferrari.

They still have 0,6 liter (per 100k) to play with. Hamilton isn’t such a bad driver that he can only concentrate for 1 lap. The extra performance of the last Q3 lap is still coming from somewhere.

The tyres on his first run had done three laps before the hot one.

[Sieper]

Next race we will see the exact same, minus (3 tenths as Lewis is the better driver) in Bottas last Q3 run.

[Edax]

Actually a save bet that VES and VET will crash in turn 1.

That starting grid indeed looks scary. Kimi usually is quite cautious in braking for the first turn, and Vet and Ver usually are not. Chances of a Kimi sandwich in turn 1/2 are pretty high.

If Ric has his voodoo working again these 3 will take each other out and Ric will sail to 3rd.

[atanatizante]

Sorry to spoil your party guys but as Lewis said on press conference and Niky Lauda told us at RTL he indeed didn`t use the party mode! Lewis said and Lauda confirmed that he never had a good lap until the last one in Q3! And not to mention Nico have said that on Sky, by the way ... and I think we should believe that bearing in mind that they have to spare more than ever their PU life trough 7 races ... From my point of view that party or Q3 mode was nothing else than the highest PU mapping combined with the help with some extra HP coming from burning oil special additives ... now, with clamping down the oil business, that special mode doesn`t worth more than a tenths or so and it`s transformed more likly like a psychological weapon against the other teams ...

So it seems that Merc is struggling to put some temps on those tyres and maybe in hint-side it was a wrong thing not to try some low fuel with US tyres testing in Barcelona ... on same matter you could see that Red Bull and particularly Ferrari was overheating the rears in sector 3 with more sliding in turn 13 and 16 ... so all of the teams are in a process of learning these tyres ... still ...