Woolf vs Horner in 2019

[Jag_Warrior]

Could Bottas (see the writing on the wall) and pull a Rosberg? Take the fight to Hamilton which allows Max to slip into the fight?

Bottas: "To all my critics: I'm doin' the best I can already!!!"


Considering that both teams will continue developing their cars this season (and how close they are already), I think this battle should be close in both the Constructors and the Drivers championships. And not just for #1. I could see Perez challenging Bottas for #3(?) in the WDC. I'm predicting Hamilton #1, Verstappen #2... er, Perez #3 and Bottas #4.

And IMO, if I'm right, Bottas will be out at Merc in 2022 and George will get that seat. My crystal ball says that Lewis will be back with the Silver/Black Arrows for 2022.

[Nitrodaze]

Could the battle of the team bosses get ugly at Baku, l wonder? Horner was all beams, his teeth could not be whiter, l am sure his chin hurt on sunday night as he could not stop smiling after that race. Verstappen delivered when it mattered and Perez got into the top four which helped Redbull jump ahead of Mercedes.

Wolff was philosophical but clearly seething with anger; and understandably so. For the first time since 2017 when Ferrari got close enough to bother the mighty Mercedes, Wolff finds his team in some disarray at the Monaco GP. The Mercedes pitcrew found a way to hit an all time low as they spectacularly machined Bottas' wheel nut causing the Finn to retire from second place in the race. Both team bosses are even at this point, with Horner looking more confident he can upset Wolff at the end of the season.

If Redbull run their bendy rear wing at Baku, it is clear as day that Wolff shall be matching to the stewards office to demand they take it off. I am sure Horner would not resist lodging a complaint about the Mercedes front wing either. It could be a handbag moment at Baku. This is one to watch out for he he.

[F1nKS]

I am kind of perplexed about this "bendy wing". Do you want the teams to actually "engineer" their car within a certain envelope or do you want them to copy Mercedes?

[airshifter]

Toto has already made it clear he will take the flexi wing issue up if it appears at Baku. I really don't think it will get him anywhere short term. He is hoping he can back the FIA into the corner enough to make them change the test regs sooner. And this coming from the team that came up with DAS, yet was allowed to run it for the season.

As for the wings themselves, it's the nature of F1 to find the loopholes in the regs, and it's certainly not like it's the first time. Change will happen over time, but to protest something just to clarify the rules isn't uncommon either. DAS was a prime example. Had the FIA decided it was legal long term, other teams would surely have invested more time into it and possibly used it themselves. So Toto and the others think certain teams have found an advantage that is against the intent of the rules, and hope to change it quick enough so that those teams will obviously suffer from the new design process being limited. Being that the wings pass the tests, I don't think they will have much of a case, even if the FIA has issued new testing directives.


For Merc and Toto, not being on top is unfamiliar territory these days. I'm sure the strong showing from RB has to be in his head. To me personally I think the flexi wings saga is simply him showing some weakness. The regs and wings have been around for a while, and now he is trying to slow his competition down by any means possible.

[Nitrodaze]

How Sky sport took the thunder out of the Mercedes threats about the flexi-wing. It turns out the Mercedes rear wing was flexing too. That really cracked me up.

[Bagwan]

Those wings swing more than a herrings tail , don't they ?

[Zico]

How Sky sport took the thunder out of the Mercedes threats about the flexi-wing. It turns out the Mercedes rear wing was flexing too. That really cracked me up.

Yep, but it only really started really flexing in Azerbaijan... so they kinda took the wind out of their own sails with that move.

[Nitrodaze]

It was interesting to watch the sky interview of Horner and Toto Wolff. Horner had his chest out and full of confidence and obvious pride. And Wolff looking calm and philosophical, with an air of we have seen worst days and come back from it. The interesting image was of the shorter stature of Horner looking up to the taller physique of the seven times constructor champion team boss of Mercedes. A picture that captures the actual state of affairs between these two teams and team bosses alike.

But where do the relative advantages or disadvantages lay, l wonder?

We could argue that Mercedes has the faster engine relative to the Honda engine. But Redbull has the better chassis under the 2021 regulations, thus has a broader scope for development and tuning. We could also venture to say that Redbull has overall shown a more efficient operation since the second race of the season. Mercedes on the other hand has been very wobbly in various aspects of their operations. Initially, it was poor pit work that was the problem for Mercedes. And increasingly it is becoming poor in-the-moment strategic agility that is preventing them from maximizing potential opportunities. Hence, Redbull is ahead because they have improved their operations. But also are thinking very well on their feet during the race.

The leading drivers in both teams are equally matched. And there is nothing between them at the moment. But the disparity becomes more glaring when we look at the qualifying and race performances of the second drivers in both teams. While Perez has been progressively closing the gap to Verstappen in qualifying and the race, Bottas on the other hand, has been drifting back and forth in an inconsistent manner to and from Hamilton. And this is one of the main areas where Redbull has established the points difference to Mercedes.

Since Redbull was able to beat Mercedes on one of its favourite tracks, it paints a new and different picture. Firstly it indicates in clear terms that Mercedes has gone the wrong way with its recent upgrades. The car appears slower than its Barcelona incarnation. Both of their drivers are uncomfortable with it.

And Redbull is on its typical yearly progression curve, where the car progressively gets faster and faster as we approach the end of the year. Mercedes on the other hand, typically have a development spike over the summer, attaining its optimum performance by around 75% into the season and then move attention to the following year's car. It is typically beyond the 75% marker of Mercedes that Redbull was able to steal a win from Mercedes. But this year spells a different story. Mercedes is yet to find or reach its optimum performance and Redbull are already winning. This implies that, if Mercedes wants to win the 2021 championships, they would have to match the Redbull development cycle all the way to the end of the season.

Even so, their chances of beating Redbull comes down to how well they can get the W12 architecture to adapt to the aerodynamic ballast [aeroblast] that the 2021 regulations have placed on it.

I think what we have here is an engineering puzzle that Mercedes has been tasked to solve with their enormous ingenuity. They have the engine and the driver to win both championships. They just need to sort the chassis out. Meanwhile, Redbull is freewheeling down a slope with their hands up in the air and going "weeeeee".

[airshifter]

I think it's hilarious that having moaned about the rear wings, now he got beat by the wing that is still fine and within the regs. But RB played the same game, and now the Merc front wing is being looked at.

Same with the tires, though that was Lewis and not Toto. Apparently he asked what the penalty would be for RB running out of spec. Pirelli stated that there was no such evidence.



IMHO there is hardly anything between the two cars. RB has managed to do better with strategy than anything else. The Merc still does well in most stuff, but the RB seems to have an advantage putting down the power. It comes at a cost in tires, but that thing is sticky on corner exit.

[Nitrodaze]

I think it's hilarious that having moaned about the rear wings, now he got beat by the wing that is still fine and within the regs. But RB played the same game, and now the Merc front wing is being looked at.

Same with the tires, though that was Lewis and not Toto. Apparently he asked what the penalty would be for RB running out of spec. Pirelli stated that there was no such evidence.



IMHO there is hardly anything between the two cars. RB has managed to do better with strategy than anything else. The Merc still does well in most stuff, but the RB seems to have an advantage putting down the power. It comes at a cost in tires, but that thing is sticky on corner exit.

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?