Ted kravitz getting excited = sensors = sky cameras seeing RBR engineers looking under Sebs front wing = stuck 5 mechanics in front of cameras stopping them getting closer. That's all I heard and saw tbh...
Red Bull have got a couple of new aero bits on the front wing, they could just be there to deflect attention from a slot on the underside but I seriously doubt they'll have a system in place yet. The intakes on the DRS activator would be a massive giveaway if they had. Lotus's new front wing looks a big step forward, but they weren't very quick. The Ferrari looks an absolute dog, just as bad as it was in Melbourne, they'll struggle to score points this weekend I think. The Williams looked a much better car, was watching Bottas on board for a few laps and he looks a very tidy driver, I don't know much about him but maybe one to watch for the future.
Yeah, I agree. The Mercedes system is supposed to be very difficult, if not impossible to copy without a total chassis redesign so I doubt even Newey could replicate it this quickly. I suspect this is a bit of Sky-hype from Ted, if anything.
Well I do remember Horner talking about this f-duct towards the end of last year and saying how long it would take to copy and they would have to start now. It's possible RBR have just finished their own variation now and are just incorporating it this weekend on Sebs car.
From what I could see the Red Bull doesn't have the bulk in the rear wing endplates to carry any ducting. I thought SilverArrow had heard something on the car. DDRS wouldn't be audible so I wondered if it was possibly the induced misfire that was discussed pre-season, which the FIA seemed happy with.
Where was that? AFAIK, the DDRS came as a surprise to most teams during winter testing. The mythical W-duct was discussed at the end of last season.
I doubt that, if that was true then they would of almost had it done by China so they would not of been trying to get it banned like they were doing.
At first, that's what I thought he meant too. However, as this conversation has progressed, I get the impression what he meant was that he had heard (on the grapevine) that Vettel's car may now have a Mercedes style bit of trickery! I must say that I would not put it past Newey to come up with some variation on the theme, rather than try to make a direct copy for something which requires to be incorporated into the original concept. Of all the people most likely to manage some form of 'temporary fix', Newey would be the man I'd be putting my money on⦠(If I'm right about Silver, Genji; this is payback for your incisive thoroughness yestarday!)
That's why I asked him to clarify what he meant by "Did I hear a Merc f-duct on Sebs car?" I wasn't sure if he meant "Did I hear [talk of] a Merc f-duct on Sebs car?" Absolutely, and this is what we mentioned last week regarding the motives behind the requests for clarification and ultimately Lotus's protest in China. They were looking for a definition of the loophole, in effect: if Mercedes can use DRS activation to expose intakes for ducting, what else might DRS activation be used for? SilverArrow (and Ted Kravitz) were talking about a Mercedes-style ducting solution, though, and Red Bull's RW endplates currently couldn't accommodate that (as far as I could make out on my FP1 stream).
This race weekend has been a catastrophe all ready. it's all well and good holding a race, but if no fans are turning up, then surely the race will make a net loss for the Bahraini government? They pay to hold a race, yet are unlikely to make any money whatsoever if nobody turns up.
It's quite a strange situation. The rewards for the Bahraini government are not in ticket sales for the GP. FP2 now. No Force India. I think it's quite shrewd of the BBC to give Ben Edwards FP1 and James Allen FP2. They can give their own introductions and perspectives without repeating themselves.
Japanish, Korea I think. Was a conversation with regard to that hole at the front of the Mercedes on autosport or the F1 racing magazine. Something on the lines of "it would be too late to start copying it now to be ready for the start of next season as it looks complicated to replicate, though we will be looking at it" This is 4-5 months ago so take note it might not be 100% memory accurate as it wasn't an issue at the moment as Seb was about to win the WDC, but it was on the lines of what I mentioned above.
OK. I don't think that's the DDRS. It was when Mercedes ran the nose-intake duct to blow the FW - the one the drivers couldn't get to grips with.
Has that RBR exhaust layout changed again or is it just me? Looks like both have been placed wider now...
