And as teams build up understanding of these cars it’s safe to assume they may well be quicker.Cars only a second slower than last year.
Sure, but the surprsing thing is they are not much slower from the get go.And as teams build up understanding of these cars it’s safe to assume they may well be quicker.
True. But the technology these days means there’s probably so much they can do and know now without actually putting the car on the track.Sure, but the surprsing thing is they are not much slower from the get go.
And I suspect even less when we get to the last 5 mins of quali 3Cars only a second slower than last year.
Hamilton was over half a second off the pace in Bahrain practice last year too.
I don't think they will, I'm pretty sure they'll push the floor for more of the solution.I wonder if Merc will ditch the hide pods for a more conventional solution if they don’t fix it quick.
Is that their problem ? The car bouncing around like does is not good.I wonder if Merc will ditch the hide pods for a more conventional solution if they don’t fix it quick.
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:31.936 |
| 2) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.087 |
| 3) Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.584 |
| 4) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.593 |
| 5) Fernando Alonso | Alpine | +0.941 |
| 6) Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | +1.015 |
| 7) Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +1.022 |
| 8) Mick Schumacher | Haas | +1.149 |
| 9) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +1.208 |
| 10) Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +1.247 |
| 11) Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.344 |
| 12) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1.424 |
| 13) Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +1.685 |
| 14) Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +1.853 |
| 15) Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | +2.017 |
| 16) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +2.022 |
| 17) Nico Hulkenburg | Aston Martin | +2.125 |
| 18) Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +2.230 |
| 19) Nicholas Latifi | Williams | +2.550 |
| 20) Alex Albon | Williams | +2.799 |
Nah I don’t think they’re sandbagging this time, they’re actually fecked.On the Merc porpoising problem, Alonso said a few weeks ago his team had figured it out and were able to switch it on/off at will which they confirmed through testing. I wonder if Mercedes can also do the same, and are making it look like it's happening but when it gets to quali will just switch it off?
no that would be dumb. Imagine purposely making your car shit for 4 days testing in Bahrain and jolting the shit out of your drivers and not make them feel the true nature of the car all to do what? It's one thing turning the engine down. But what you are suggesting sounds absolutely counter intuitiveOn the Merc porpoising problem, Alonso said a few weeks ago his team had figured it out and were able to switch it on/off at will which they confirmed through testing. I wonder if Mercedes can also do the same, and are making it look like it's happening but when it gets to quali will just switch it off through whatever engineering Alonso says just eliminates the problem.
Yeh I'm sure they love watching the engine and drivers getting shaken to bits during practice for no reason whatsoever.On the Merc porpoising problem, Alonso said a few weeks ago his team had figured it out and were able to switch it on/off at will which they confirmed through testing. I wonder if Mercedes can also do the same, and are making it look like it's happening but when it gets to quali will just switch it off through whatever engineering Alonso says just eliminates the problem.
Probably not at this stage, certainly not for this race or probably any time soon.I wonder if Merc will ditch the hide pods for a more conventional solution if they don’t fix it quick.
Maybe, we'll see. Sainz replied to Russel saying they're struggling by saying they've seen Mercs GPS data and don't believe them for a second. If they were struggling so hard, that comment would also make no sense because the data Ferrari have seen that we cannot see, would also indicate issues. If Alpine can figure it out, then so can the top teams. Unless Mercs engineers are asleep, I'm not sure how the team that's won every constructors in a row since Noahs Ark have been unable to figure out what the shitter teams did weeks ago.no that would be dumb. Imagine purposely making your car shit for 4 days testing in Bahrain and jolting the shit out of your drivers and not make them feel the true nature of the car all to do what? It's one thing turning the engine down. But what you are suggesting sounds absolutely counter intuitive
Sainz is commenting on their straight line speed... I'm commenting on what the car looks like on track. Engine mode isn't their problem. It's not just about the times. It doesn't pass the eye test currentlyMaybe, we'll see. Sainz replied to Russel saying they're struggling by saying they've seen Mercs GPS data and don't believe them for a second. If they were struggling so hard, that comment would also make no sense because the data Ferrari have seen that we cannot see, would also indicate issues. If Alpine can figure it out, then so can the top teams. Unless Mercs engineers are asleep, I'm not sure how the team that's won every constructors in a row since Noahs Ark have been unable to figure out what the shitter teams did weeks ago.
I agree that it looks bad on track, I just have this niggling thought that their problem is one that lesser teams have claimed they figured out weeks ago and can turn on/off very easily. Having the best engineers in F1 it doesn't pass the smell test that they couldn't have figured it out yet.Sainz is commenting on their straight line speed... I'm commenting on what the car looks like on track. Engine mode isn't their problem. It's not just about the times. It doesn't pass the eye test currently
This post is another level of ridiculousness.On the Merc porpoising problem, Alonso said a few weeks ago his team had figured it out and were able to switch it on/off at will which they confirmed through testing. I wonder if Mercedes can also do the same, and are making it look like it's happening but when it gets to quali will just switch it off through whatever engineering Alonso says just eliminates the problem.
I am hopeful that Ferrari has genuine pace to contend with them. But I do tend to think you’re probably right and come qualifying tomorrow, expecting to see Max on pole slightly ahead of the two Ferraris. But I don’t think they are Mercedes-level ahead of the rest. At least I hope.My spidey-sense is telling me red bull are miles ahead. Think they have plenty of pace left in the bank.
Ferrari looks lovely and balanced but Hamilton just said he thinks they’re currently 9 tenths off Red Bull and around half a second off Ferrari…if that’s the case Max into the distance on Sunday seems to be the likely scenario.I am hopeful that Ferrari has genuine pace to contend with them. But I do tend to think you’re probably right and come qualifying tomorrow, expecting to see Max on pole slightly ahead of the two Ferraris. But I don’t think they are Mercedes-level ahead of the rest. At least I hope.
This gp no or they would have got a bunch of better data with no bounce and could have just run heavy fuel to hide performance.On the Merc porpoising problem, Alonso said a few weeks ago his team had figured it out and were able to switch it on/off at will which they confirmed through testing. I wonder if Mercedes can also do the same, and are making it look like it's happening but when it gets to quali will just switch it off through whatever engineering Alonso says just eliminates the problem.
It looked for too easy for them. I really hope the ferraris can give them a run for their money. Shame mcalren are handicapped for this race as they have looked quick in testing.My spidey-sense is telling me red bull are miles ahead. Think they have plenty of pace left in the bank.
Something to do with the way they've set up their front brakes means in the heat of daytime Bahrain they just melt after a couple of laps.Can someone remind me what the brake cooling issue is?
Merc are running a very different car for how it handles downforce to everybody else though. The lack of width and airflow changes may be a lot harder to solve without sidepods. It looks truly awful at the moment, and although I'm sure they're hiding some speed they won't be deliberately making it unstable.I agree that it looks bad on track, I just have this niggling thought that their problem is one that lesser teams have claimed they figured out weeks ago and can turn on/off very easily. Having the best engineers in F1 it doesn't pass the smell test that they couldn't have figured it out yet.
Everyone else can fix it but Mercedes.Hamilton just quoted as saying, there isnt a short term fix for the issue. Its a longer term problem. The fixes they tried today didnt work.
They're not prepared to give up anything in the fixing of. They're not showing us what they supposedly gained at all.Merc are running a very different car for how it handles downforce to everybody else though. The lack of width and airflow changes may be a lot harder to solve without sidepods. It looks truly awful at the moment, and although I'm sure they're hiding some speed they won't be deliberately making it unstable.
Agreed, but the gain from their design will be downforce. If they need to lose that to fix the problem, they may consider the trade-off not worth it. I think they're probably trying to design the best of both worlds at the risk of having an unstable car for a few weeks.They're not prepared to give up anything in the fixing of. They're not showing us what they supposedly gained at all.
Because the wheels have shrouds on them now, it makes it harder to dissipate the excess heat generated by the brakes. Mclaren have found that whatever solution they came up with isnt cooling the brakes sufficently and they are cooking themselves prematurely.Can someone remind me what the brake cooling issue is?
I would have thought so as well, the excessive vibrations could damage lots of other parts of the car.I imagine they’ll raise the height for this weekend now. Clearly they want to avoid that as it impacts performance. But they won’t have a choice this week as you can’t run a full race bounding up and down.
There was a deleted quote on sky f1 site when Mercedes first unveiled the slimline pods, that in the simulations they found "astonishing" levels of downforce. As others have said, they will live with a few races of pain to gain some serious speed for the rest of the season.Agreed, but the gain from their design will be downforce. If they need to lose that to fix the problem, they may consider the trade-off not worth it. I think they're probably trying to design the best of both worlds at the risk of having an unstable car for a few weeks.
It looks good in slow corners, which weirdly is what Red Bull have been dominant in, but in straights and fast corners it's visibly looking pretty undriveable.
yet here we are end of fp2 and they still look like shit. Give it up man, sometimes the most obvious reason is the actual reasonI agree that it looks bad on track, I just have this niggling thought that their problem is one that lesser teams have claimed they figured out weeks ago and can turn on/off very easily. Having the best engineers in F1 it doesn't pass the smell test that they couldn't have figured it out yet.
