2021 Race 8 - Styrian Grand Prix

I think it's mostly a matter of setups and such Bagwan. The Honda engines have been noted to be strong at altitude, and with the smaller rear wing and diffuser goodies they had some high top end speeds. Merc is running that bigger wing, and it might be a tire thing with them needing to work the tires more to get the heat in them. Either way, I wouldn't be surprised if they change some tactics.

I hadn't previously heard the comments about Lewis choosing a more radical setup, but that might be a result of playing catch up and rolling the dice hoping to get to the front.


But I think Merc are still in the game. Had Lewis just finished Baku in second place he would be tied with Max for WDC points. Considering the mess both Mercs had in Monaco, it was just a lost opportunity when Max had the tire take him out. And to me Baku was a good example of the speeds between the two cars as well. Merc went for less downforce, and RB for more. Though it proved that more was better in sheer lap time, RB couldn't even come close on the straights. They had to make the time in the pits and laps away from the traffic.

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Originally Posted by airshifter

I think it's mostly a matter of setups and such Bagwan. The Honda engines have been noted to be strong at altitude, and with the smaller rear wing and diffuser goodies they had some high top end speeds. Merc is running that bigger wing, and it might be a tire thing with them needing to work the tires more to get the heat in them. Either way, I wouldn't be surprised if they change some tactics.

I hadn't previously heard the comments about Lewis choosing a more radical setup, but that might be a result of playing catch up and rolling the dice hoping to get to the front.


But I think Merc are still in the game. Had Lewis just finished Baku in second place he would be tied with Max for WDC points. Considering the mess both Mercs had in Monaco, it was just a lost opportunity when Max had the tire take him out. And to me Baku was a good example of the speeds between the two cars as well. Merc went for less downforce, and RB for more. Though it proved that more was better in sheer lap time, RB couldn't even come close on the straights. They had to make the time in the pits and laps away from the traffic.

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Come on mate, it is a little more than just setup. Baku showed in Verstappen's hands that the Redbull was considerably faster over a full lap. They may be gaining loads of speed through the twisties, but the net result was over two-tenths faster over a full lap. It definitely is not "nip and tuck" as Horner puts it.

Everyone keeps going on that Mercedes would be closer if Hamilton did not have the magic button error. True, but he would not be any closer if Verstappen did not have the tyre blow out otherwise. It is plain and simple, Mercedes is slower than Redbull by up to three-tenths per lap on average. Which essentially splits the grid into three tiers; Redbull in tier one on their own, Mercedes in tier two, fast, but not fast enough to win if Redbull is on their game, and tier three, the midfield and the rest.

Mercedes in current trim is not in the game at all. They have to bring something significant to even be remotely close to being in the game. Recovering three-tenths in-season is not easy. Especially while developing next years car in tandem.

The F1M have royally f*cked Mercedes this season. I doubt you would find any other sport where the managing organisation specifically targets one of its participants in a hostile manner such as this. And l think all sports media are a disgrace letting this happen without a pip about it. The data is there and glaringly explicit.

That said, this is not Redbull's concern. They have a championship to win regardless. And they would be remiss to not win it with their awesome advantage. As a matter of fact, if Mercedes manages to win it with the hampered car they have this season, Horner should resign.

This year , there is some doubt that Merc will win .
Some think they are "not in the game at all" .

Having made so many uncharacteristic mistakes this season , it sure will be something if they manage to pull off the titles again , won't it ?

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Originally Posted by Nitrodaze

Come on mate, it is a little more than just setup. Baku showed in Verstappen's hands that the Redbull was considerably faster over a full lap. They may be gaining loads of speed through the twisties, but the net result was over two-tenths faster over a full lap. It definitely is not "nip and tuck" as Horner puts it.

Everyone keeps going on that Mercedes would be closer if Hamilton did not have the magic button error. True, but he would not be any closer if Verstappen did not have the tyre blow out otherwise. It is plain and simple, Mercedes is slower than Redbull by up to three-tenths per lap on average. Which essentially splits the grid into three tiers; Redbull in tier one on their own, Mercedes in tier two, fast, but not fast enough to win if Redbull is on their game, and tier three, the midfield and the rest.

Mercedes in current trim is not in the game at all. They have to bring something significant to even be remotely close to being in the game. Recovering three-tenths in-season is not easy. Especially while developing next years car in tandem.

The F1M have royally f*cked Mercedes this season. I doubt you would find any other sport where the managing organisation specifically targets one of its participants in a hostile manner such as this. And l think all sports media are a disgrace letting this happen without a pip about it. The data is there and glaringly explicit.

That said, this is not Redbull's concern. They have a championship to win regardless. And they would be remiss to not win it with their awesome advantage. As a matter of fact, if Mercedes manages to win it with the hampered car they have this season, Horner should resign.

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I sure hope Merc and Lewis are more optimistic than you are.

It sounds to me like you've thrown in the towel, and the whole thing must be a conspiracy theory to screw Merc. With no surprise, nobody has made the same claim when we had all kinds of restrictions on development that put Merc well ahead of the pack, for multiple seasons. So to me it's no wonder that the media aren't claiming the sky is falling. Because it's not.