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Will Sauber be as strong this year as they were last year they seemed to have a pretty solid car. Given also the driver line up, will they deliver despite them having a competitive car. Will we know if they have a competitive car or not if their respected drivers are competitive?

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Pressure: You're either giving it, or taking it.

I think Toro Rosso will be the surprise team this season. Last year we had Sauber/Williams but this year watching the testing times they certainly seem to be in the mix.

See how it goes though.

The testing times are utterly meaningless right now

These are the times after the first day of testing last year:

Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:19.670 75 laps.
Paul Di Resta Force India 1:19.772101.
Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:20.219 56.
Mark Webber Red Bull 1:20.496 54.
Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:20.694 57.
Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:20.794 42.
Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:21.353 106.
Jenson Button McLaren 1:21.530 62.
Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:22.815 69.
Heikki Kovalainen Caterham, 1:23.178 28.
Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:23.371 25.
Pedro De la Rosa HRT 1:23.676 44.

For real after 1 day??

Yes I second that. You cant watch testing times. Some drivers haven't even tested the cars yet.

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Pressure: You're either giving it, or taking it.

only after Q1 in Melbourne can we see whos fast and whos not imo.

while its great the F1 cars are back on track, Testing is well...just that...Testing.

times mean nothing. if Caterham end up 6 seconds ahead of Ferrari it means nothing at this stage.

I think you can look at the times - but it needs to be done by an expert who can analyse properly what those times mean. Certainly looking at just the fastest laps is pointless. Proper analysis needs to be done about averages, run lengths, etc... Certainly some teams know they are quick, so try and mask their outright pace and focus testing on other areas to develop the car.

I remember seeing some analysis done on last years testing which ended up being pretty accurate come the opening GP. It talked about how some teams looked slow, but were in fact looking pretty fast on long runs, etc...

Hopefully we'll see some of that analysis again after these testing days which will give a true indication of who is where in terms of their cars...

Well Lotus started from front row in Oz.

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Renault!

2012 Planet F1 Prediction Competition Champion

Wasn't Oz a McLaren front row?!

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Multi 21 or Catch 22?!

It ain't hating just 'cause it's not love

Yes. My mistake. RoGro was 3rd.

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Renault!

2012 Planet F1 Prediction Competition Champion

The Lotus's were fast at the beginning of the season last year.

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Pressure: You're either giving it, or taking it.

It was a fantastic car, if you had given it to other drivers it would have won more races. Kimi is good but let's face it he was a little rusty. If the car is that good this year I expect at least 3 race wins from Kimi.

But the fact that it set the fastest time is a coincidence. Look where Button is.

No, I disagree. Kimi drove really well given the cars performance fluctuated during the season. He drove exceptionally well to finish third coning back to formula 1.

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Pressure: You're either giving it, or taking it.

I agree with Scuderiaferrari, Kimi was outstanding in 2012. Imo he was sometimes a bit cautious, when say Alonso or Hamilton (or maldo or Rogro!) would have been more aggressive, but KImi did some exciting moves, on Michael at Eau Rouge, on his team-mate exiting the pits,etc. To be as consistent as he was takes real class. What showed me his strong competitive spirit was how annoyed he was when the Renault was slow, as at Spa. When the smiling Vettel tried jokingly after the race to ask : "Did you ahve a good fight with Michael?" , Kimi did not see the funny side: "Jah, but my car was too slow." That shows commitment.

I just hope the Lotus-Renault is fast again in 2013.

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http://grandprixratings.blogspot.com

I'm not saying he didn't do a good job, but I expect he will do a better one this year.

Testing is meaningless. Mark my words, this is what we're going to see in Oz:
First Class: RBR vs. Maccas
Second Class: Ferrari vs. Lotus vs. Merc*
Third Class: Sauber vs. FI vs. Williams vs. STR
Fourth Class: Caterham vs. NOBODY
Fifth Class: Marussia vs. Safety Car

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I put in Merc more from a wishful standpoint, but I really doubt in them.

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Loved the Marussia angle .

As for Sauber, they really need to confirm their good form. Although last year was actually not their best season (in fact 2001 was, not counting the BMW days) it was nevertheless a shocker. However, I'm a little puzzled by the (over)confidence several co-forumists have in the team and Hulkenberg for this year, speaking about winning races, playing it with the big boys...I don't know, it just doesn't look that good to me for the time being. Money-wise, pilots-wise, car-wise (forget the livery). It would be a victory to have the same results as last year.

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Olivier Panis fan.
...and also Jenson Button fan.

The new Sauber car appears to be improved over last year, and should perform better. But all the other teams have improved too, and thus relative to the rest of the field, it will be difficult to move up the pecking order.

This is what happens when you have stability in the regulations, and 2013 sees very little changes that directly impact on performance.

Will Sauber be strong this year?

I truely hope so. I have followed Sauber since their F1 debut and it is so frustrating being in the mid field all those years. Last year saw glimmers of awesome, and had Checo's form not dropped off toward the end of the season they may have even pipped the Mercs to 5th.

Honestly though unless something amazing happens I think it will be a fairly static year for form. I will be happy to just see Esteban have a solid year.

Also on the livery - I have remembered where I have seen it before now. I think someone has been playing Mass Effect recently because the car looks like it is wearing N7 Armour. I think they should put N7 on the side instead of NEC!

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Aaron Scott

I don't think Sauber will be anywhere near as good as this year. I can't see them beating Merc or Lotus.

I hope so too. I, remaining optimistic about the Hulk. I wish him well. I hope they are up there with the Merc's and Lotus's.

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Pressure: You're either giving it, or taking it.

Don't quote me but I think you might be right. Can't wait for Oz.

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Pressure: You're either giving it, or taking it.

I certainly hope they will be strong. For me Sauber have one of the best looking cars I've seen for years, and I'm a big fan of Hulkenberg. I think it's time Sauber (Not BMW) got their first win

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Drivers I like:
Raikkonen
Grosjean
Perez
Vettel

Teams I like:
Lotus
Merc
RBR
Marussia