I tried to do what some other people around the net had suggested -
go around the Barcelona circuit in 5th gear , and my impression
after doing that is that Schumacher is a very lucky driver, indeed
(please do not get me wrong, it was truly great driving from his
part, but the circuit and the gear he was stuck with, were probably
the best for this situation).
Actually, my lap times with fifth were about 1.5-2 seconds slower
than the ones when all gears were used. I did not miss 6th very
much (only at the end of the straight, and if I could slipstream
behind another car at the point before the pit entrance , then I could
even make a pass on the straight). Also , I really wanted a lower
gear only when accelerating after Seat where the car was sooo slow.
Finally, at the beggining there were some problems estimating the
correct speed for each turn (especially Repsol and La Caixa), as
somenone else pointed out too, but after 3-4 laps I was more confident
about it.
Of course F1GP does not have the GPDA chicane which would cause much
more trouble (my fastest part in the circuit - relative to the other
drivers - was the Nissan turn), and I could also overrev the engine at
will . In any case it is just a simulation, so I don't take my comments
very seriously.
That's all folks.