"best car we've ever made" Hamilton
#1

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/artic...hfCwfgOXKc

I think he's right too. It doesn't appear to have any glaring weaknesses, and the deltas over a ace distances and indeed in qualifying as percentages of total time as opposed to actual lap time the gaps are as big as the McLaren MP-4 era. It's that big. It's not going to be easy to claw that back for Ferrari and RBR. As this is Allison's first "full" car for Mercedes I think it is cap doffing time.
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#2

Some interesting views

Mark Hughes: How Mercedes is leaving Ferrari behind
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opini...ari-behind

"You live more for 5 minutes going fast on a bike than other people do in all of their life"....Marco Simoncelli
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#3

(18-05-2019, 02:55 PM)Jody Barton Wrote:  I think he's right too. It doesn't appear to have any glaring weaknesses, and the deltas over a ace distances and indeed in qualifying as percentages of total time as opposed to actual lap time the gaps are as big as the McLaren MP-4 era. It's that big. It's not going to be easy to claw that back for Ferrari and RBR. As this is Allison's first "full" car for Mercedes I think it is cap doffing time.

Look out when he gets the thing set up, that's all I can say. Car not doing what he want's yet still leading the WDC, I guess he will be happy enough with that. Stiff competition from VB this weekend though, he's been matching Lewis lap for lap and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him take a 4th pole on the bounce.
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#4

Morini as I said in the Monaco thread, Lewis' first flier was ruined by Leclerc driving like an idiot in the Swimming Pool section. He'd have been 0.4 to 0.5 at least up the road. It'll be close for sure, and I wouldn't be shocked to see Bottas on pole, but I think Lewis just seems on it again here. He looked more comfortable of the two on the Streets of Monaco.

Forza I heard the Ferrari front suspension rumours around Barcelona and dismissed them. They've been focused on their barge boards and rear floor / diffuser. If their concept was designed around a different front suspension they'd have sorted it by now instead of changing everything else on the car, including the engine, but the front suspension. They're running the same front suspension they ran in testing, and it's quite different to to 2017/18 style front suspension.
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#5

(23-05-2019, 10:59 PM)Jody Barton Wrote:  Morini as I said in the Monaco thread, Lewis' first flier was ruined by Leclerc driving like an idiot in the Swimming Pool section. He'd have been 0.4 to 0.5 at least up the road. It'll be close for sure, and I wouldn't be shocked to see Bottas on pole, but I think Lewis just seems on it again here. He looked more comfortable of the two on the Streets of Monaco.

Well, if I'm honest I only skim watched both P sessions when I got back this evening so can't say if the small gap was down to not getting clean laps in. What is obvious is this years car suits Bottas and he's getting quick times out of it. He's also been very consistent so far which he certainly was not last year. All credit to him.

As to it rattling Lewis if VB does get pole this weekend, well maybe, but all things considered Lewis is the better driver and I think he backs himself over a season (and I'm still expecting WDC 6).  But you never know in this sport.

The f1.com article you posted was taken from comments he made post his Spain win. I just found it interesting that he is prepared to admit the car is working 100% for him at the moment. I would have thought it better to keep that info to himself really.
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#6

It's clear that the rear end of the Merc stepping out like it does, doesn't suit Lewis' driving style at all. He loves a pointy nose more than most, possibly even moreso than Verstappen, but he's never liked a twitchy rear end... who does? He's starting to get on top of it though. We saw that in Baku in the race, then Spain, he seems more comfortable with it here in Monaco too. I have no doubt he'll get on top of it, and when he does it could be a bit depressing for everyone else.
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#7

(23-05-2019, 11:29 PM)Jody Barton Wrote:  It's clear that the rear end of the Merc stepping out like it does, doesn't suit Lewis' driving style at all. 

Now I'm really, really not sure about that statement Jody. If anything, I would say over the years Lewis has learned to reign in his oversteery style for one sole purpose -> managing tyres for a faster race time. If you look at his early F1 years he was blindingly fast and more than any other driver he'd be set up for a loose rear. When he and button were at McLaren the difference in style was blatant, Button smooth and requiring perfect balance, Lewis with a crossed up opposite lock oversteery (and faster) style. IMO it is one of the reasons in the current era he is in a class of one (ok, maybe two) in the wet.

Yes, he's adapted over the years because of the need to make tyres last, but his inherent style has always tended to preferring the rear stepping out. Button could never get a lap time out of a car with oversteer, Hamilton on the other hand thrives on it.
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#8

Yes, but this isn't oversteer Morini, you can quite clearly see it's not oversteer from the onboards. It's not a "loose" rear either, it literally steps out. I think the pundits who think Merc have mastered simulated rear wheel steering are right, I even said Lewis likes a pointy car more than most, and possibly more than Max, but this Mercedes is something very different, its rotation is weird, it's not a midpoint rotation, watching it through the swimming pool in Monaco and the final chicane in Barcelona it has a unique characteristic, the front end remains fully engaged at and past the apex the the rear literally steps out and the rotation is from the rear. It's not a slide. It just glides round and shoots off in a straight line. To be honest in China I started to notice this weird rotation, but in Spain it was glaring, it's completely controlled and the change of direction is startling, it looks majestic round Monaco though.
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#9

(24-05-2019, 11:15 AM)Jody Barton Wrote:  Yes, but this isn't oversteer Morini, you can quite clearly see it's not oversteer from the onboards. 

Not sure how else to describe the rear of a car stepping out other than oversteer. Back tries to overtake front, oversteer. Front slides stright on, understeer. Car goes round corner with no drama, neutral.

Experienced it many times myself mostly not on purpose as I was a complete liability in a car when young(er), old school RWD car + too much right clog = oversteer (followed by lots of laughing). Also experienced it several times on two wheels, litre superbike + cackhanded throttle application = brown undercrackers, closely followed by pain (I am no Marc marquez).  Rolleyes
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#10

You know what I'd normally agree Morini, in fact I think early on in the season I was saying the Mercedes was an oversteering car... but looking at it on track it just doesn't seem like the right word to use. Others are struggling to explain it too, I hope we get some slow-mo shots of the top three teams going through the swimming pool complex, because it's clear how the Merc just looks different through there, I'd say both the RBR and Ferrari are trying to set up for regular oversteer, you see the slide and correction at the front with the driver turning into the slide... that's not happening with the Merc, it just turns. It honestly is like nothing I've seen in F1. Brundle picked up on it when he was with Chris Evans, it honestly looks like a four wheel drive car the way it's behaving... and we know it's not. There's some serious engineering jiggery-pokery going on. I'm looking forward to watching the Merc qualifying runs, because I think they'll be something special.
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