You would imagine, ASC... but I guess we'll have to see how the cars are on these tyres with the operating restrictions in place.
Now that I didn't understand from Brundle with him saying "hotter temps suit Mercedes and play into their hands" more than RBR............. erm no? Never thought I would say that tbh, but Brundle is dead wrong! Temp scale IMO: Cold.........................................Warm...................................................Hot (Mercedes-------------)(----------RBR---------------)(--Lotus/Ferrari--------------) The RB is fast in most conditions anyway, but the Mercedes is always bakwards trend the second things get above 24c
I can't see ambient temperatures and overheating being a major issue from now on, as long as Ferrari and Lotus can get the heat into them. The kevlar construction operates approximately 10 degrees cooler than the steel construction, ambient temperatures would probably have to be in the high 30s/low 40s to replicate what happened in Barcelona. Hungary will probably be hot but the track doesn't punish the tyres.
Could it be because of the tyre construction and operating restrictions that play in to Mercs hands with higher temps? If they're still running Kevlar, then it's harder to retain heat in the tyre over steel.
Looking back I'm surprised Ferrari put both cars on that strategy rather than splitting them. Massa looked strong in Q2 (his Q2 time would've been good enough for 4th on the grid), they should've tried to get him as high up the grid as possible, he's a hindrance to Alonso where he is, he potentially could've been a hindrance to Raikkonen or someone if they'd put him on the same strategy as the front runners. I still think Alonso's one to watch, and I think any of the top four could win too. Should be a good race. Good to see Hulk into Q3 for just the second time this year. Sauber are in a real mess financially and have apparently stopped development on this year's car already, hopefully the tyre changes will favour them.
I think the win is between Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen/Romain Grosjean. The Lotus is awesome in hot weather, the Merc can't look after tyres in hot weather (thankfully), Vettel can't win at home, and Ferrari are too far back.
Tommorow should be very interesting with differring strategies. Though this means only one thing.... A dull Vettel dominated race
A point about tyres, relative to expected performance tomorrow; and a precautionary note about relying upon previous data to form a prediction: One must consider that the FIA have at last taken a (well overdue?) stance in requiring adherence to Pirelli's recommendations; and also that tyre pressures must now be 20PSI minimum for this race, thus reducing the tendency for deflection and wall-deformation and further altering the way heat builds up in a tyre, regardless of kevlar v steel belting. As a consequence of the above, I expect all to run this absolute minimum, at near-identical pressures, whereas previously there will have been differences in the order of up to 2.5PSI between teams. For instance, take a look at Vettel's rear left from last week: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7347/9168647904_06a34f124c.jpg The deformation is not an illusion; it is a phenomenon seen in drag racing, commonly referred to as 'wadding'. This only happens at very low pressures which give less support to tyre walls. Rest assured, that will not be seen this weekend. An additional consideration is that this race is quite different from the last. Silverstone punishes tyres severely; with so many high speed corners, they get very little time for a rest, in stark contrast to Nürburgring (F1). *Relative to the suggestion some teams were running as low as 15.5PSI, this is an increase of 29%! ___________________________ Picture: courtesy of Bames Jond.
Damn! I missed that because I was on holiday. Do tell me what happened because I can't be bothered to look
Vettel will surely win. Really, I think the championship already needs him to have some more bad luck before it's in anyway interesting. At the moment it's just all about race-to-race ratings.
Nobody knows who will have the fastest car today in these temperatures. It could be Mercedes or it could be Ferrari. Red Bull will always be in the mix. Teams are entering a bit of an unknown.
i found it interesting that after Pirelli handed out a load of restrictions on extreme tyre setups Mercedes have seemingly lost a significant chunk of their quali advantage, i mean Vettels final lap was pretty untidy as well, so i wouldn't be surprised if he gets Hamilton in the first couple of laps. Hopefully they'll be battling enough that Alonso can keep vaguely in touch, otherwise he could end up too far behind by the first stops to make their strategy work.
