Woolf vs Horner in 2019

[Zico]

The real worrying fact of the season, is that the regulations seem to have only favoured Redbull. The rest of the pack are a full second out of reach of the sharp end of the grid. Which really makes one wonder. Do you smell a rat yet?

It likely has helped Red Bull a little but I think we also ought to give Honda some credit too.
When they can make such advances and get that much closer to Mercs power output, it gives Red Bull far wider aero level/tyre management options.

I don't smell a rat as such, F1 has always been this way. You could flip that and say well Merc had an unfair advantage in being able to put more resources into developing their hybrid engine than everyone else and gain a head start, that they have been able to maintain for so many years... but that's not fair either to say that, they still did an outstanding job.

[airshifter]

Redbull has three-tenths of a second on Mercedes. That is not "nothing". The relative deficit in performance between Mercedes and Redbull has effectively switched. With Mercedes chasing down the Redbulls as Redbull use to do in previous seasons. The business with the wings was pointless, as the front wing investigation would also prove.

The real worrying fact of the season, is that the regulations seem to have only favoured Redbull. The rest of the pack are a full second out of reach of the sharp end of the grid. Which really makes one wonder. Do you smell a rat yet?

The Red Bulls have three tenths? Where is it?

With 7 races in the books Merc have the same 3 poles as RB, and Bottas took one of them for Merc. Race wins sway to RB, with Perez picking one up when the top two drivers failed to stay at the top. Considering the trainwreck that was Monaco and the Lewis mistake in Baku, it still seems fairly tight to me. As compared to last year, no. But last year was another year of complete Merc domination.

RB have done well due to consistency and strategy. With Perez starting to give solid drives it is having impact on Merc, and Lewis has made mistakes this year as well.


The only thing I smell is that people are going to have to realize that the car has been a huge part of the equation forever with F1. And the era of Hamilton's titles is no exception. Now Merc have to fight, both the team and driver. And it's a position they are not all that used to, so the conspiracy theories will run wild. I guess those that think the rules were changed just due to Merc will have to decide... were they changed just to hurt Merc, or just to benefit RB? I personally think neither is the case, and as usual a top team got it right better than anyone else.

[Nitrodaze]

The Red Bulls have three tenths? Where is it?

With 7 races in the books Merc have the same 3 poles as RB, and Bottas took one of them for Merc. Race wins sway to RB, with Perez picking one up when the top two drivers failed to stay at the top. Considering the trainwreck that was Monaco and the Lewis mistake in Baku, it still seems fairly tight to me. As compared to last year, no. But last year was another year of complete Merc domination.

RB have done well due to consistency and strategy. With Perez starting to give solid drives it is having impact on Merc, and Lewis has made mistakes this year as well.


The only thing I smell is that people are going to have to realize that the car has been a huge part of the equation forever with F1. And the era of Hamilton's titles is no exception. Now Merc have to fight, both the team and driver. And it's a position they are not all that used to, so the conspiracy theories will run wild. I guess those that think the rules were changed just due to Merc will have to decide... were they changed just to hurt Merc, or just to benefit RB? I personally think neither is the case, and as usual a top team got it right better than anyone else.

As of Paul Ricard, Redbull is three tenths faster on the straights to the Mercedes. That would be repeated at the Redbull Ring on Sunday. Not unless Mercedes can find something before the race.