Arguably though they've learnt much less from 3 days of testing with someone else controlling the programme and you just providing the base line (ie a car with no changes) versus 3 days of testing with less experienced drivers admittedly, however with full control over the programme and the ability to test anything you like.

All this talk of the Young driver test now though has prompted me to get in touch with Silverstone who have told me that it's currently not an event open to the public which sucks

Edit: On another note, lord knows what a reprimand was supposed to do to Pirelli?

 

I used to go to the test every year, so hopefully with some testing returning next year there'll be a public Silverstone test again. It was even free for a while.

 

I don't know you know. They've got the fastest car over one lap so aero tests are not a huge priority for gaining more speed from the car. What they have is terrible tyre usage over a race, and the best way to learn about that is with the drivers who are going to be racing the cars, not a driver who may have a completely contrasting style and no prior experience in an F1 car.

On these tests they may not have been switching out new parts but you can bet your ass the drivers were using different styles while the telemetry on the tyre temps was all being fed in. If they can pin point what is heating their rears up more than any one else and cure it while keeping their speed they would be untouchable.

 

Absolutely. Just putting the race drivers in the car gets them valuable data (because the race drivers are a known quantity), and of course gives the drivers more experience with the car. Rosberg and Hamilton are going to have had more practice time in the car than all the other drivers. And if what they were running were next years tyres, well now Rosberg and Hamilton will have an advantage next year. Pirelli will have listened to their feedback, and may well alter what they do with the 2014 tyre in a way that benefits Rosberg and Hamilton.

Banning them from the young driver test only really hurts whichever young drivers are looking for some F1 experience. When Ferrari did a tyre test, they used a 2011 car AND Pedro de la Rosa.

 

Ross Brawn is a pretty smart cookie isn't he

 

No team shoots itself in the foot quite like McLaren. Imagine how different things would be if they hadn't hooked Brawn up with Merc.

 

Mark Webber retires from F1 to join Porsche's sportcars/LeMans efforts:

http://www.espn.co.uk/redbull/motors...ry/112633.html

It's amazing any body bothers denying these stories, because they always seem to end up being exactly right. Expect the Raikonnen signs for Red Bull announcement any minute.

 

There is an interview with Webber here http://www.markwebber.com/on-the-tra...14-and-beyond/

Kimi will be trouble for RBR and particularly for Golden balls, I will be 'pleasantly' surprised if RBR took Kimi next year.

 

and I look forward to the remaining races as I imagine it's gloves off between MW and SV with

 

Tickets available for Silverstone on the gate
Just don't know if I can afford the minimum £200 ticket price.

http://www.pitpass.com/49325-Silvers...le-at-the-gate



....oh and the £60 to park your car in the car park


are they having a laugh