http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/55851
Q. What was the car like? Was it neutral or oversteering?
MH: Basically with the Bridgestone characteristics they are understeery generally, compared to last year where it was more pointy on the entry, oversteery in the exit and a bit of understeer in mid-corner. So if that is the case then obviously those things are big issues. I started off with Pedro de la Rosa's set-up this morning and modified it quite a lot. Then again, these are very early stages.
I don't mean to say Pedro's set-up was not good. I don't think that is fair to say. But the most important thing for me was to get more laps and speed. But obviously there were lots of things on the track today when we were working in certain areas to make the car behave like my driving style. But the time was a bit short. We will share the thoughts, so that the team can improve for next time.
Q. How are the tyres?
MH: I was positively impressed. Certainly I heard the rumours and the discussion in F1 about how the cars were going to be changed by the new tyres. But actually it was quite nice compared with Michelin. They don't seem to have a negative effect. Obviously they were on Michelins, so it was difficult to say, but in general everybody was quite happy about it and how they behaved.
This is the very first test, so it is still early days. A lot of adjustment has to be made to get the best out of the car, and this compound may be the one we are going to use in Barcelona. I don't know.
So here's an idea to throw out for your thoughts:
Do you think Mika's driving style is closer to Alonso's or Hamilton's ?
Obviously it's not like Pedro's.
You have to wonder if he's an Alonso prequel substitute to help interpolate the setup closer towards Alonso's style and really help them zone in on the sweet spot.
http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type ... O_ID=36713
Ron also told us that McLaren had bent over backwards to accommodate Montoya, and had made five different front suspension layouts for him at massive expense to improve his feel for the car over the last few years.
But Ron also admitted that McLaren have to take some of the blame for failing to get the best out of the Colombian.
how many sets of front suspensions will it take McLaren to get it right for Alonso at great expense to the team before he's happy with the feel of the MP4/22 ?
Maybe Mika helped there ?
