What makes you say the Ferrari has a major flaw? It seems like it lacks consistent performance, but it’s the only car other than the McLaren’s to be on a leading pace(China sprint and Leclerc felt he’d have been up and around the McLarens in the race without the front wing issue)? So that would have put him competitive with or better than Russell and he beat him again this weekend too. I don’t know how you’re meant to rate the RedBull speed now, but I’m certain it wasn’t the fastest car this weekend.
That`s so true. I had also fallen asleep until I was rudely awakened by crofty`s big gob shouting "he`s on the grass". Kept awake after that,anyway. I thought the last few laps were quite entertaining and was willing Norris to let Piastri pass so that he could have a go at Max. I think he`s more likely to challenge Verstappen than Lando,because I think he lacks the killer instinct somewhat. Would like to see how good Piastri is at overtakes on a regulr basis,he looked OK a Monza a couple of seasons ago,and that was on his team mate!
I think I’ve found out in the interim. It seems they’ve found they can’t run the car as low as they want to without exceeding the plank wear (I guess they measured Leclerc’s after China and found similar wear)? It’s probably linked to the suspension change they made - so yes it’s probably a long lead/expensive job if they need to modify the pick up points. Apparently this is a change they made to suit Hamilton, so I guess I’m allowed to claim it as part of the “curse of Carlos Sainz” and say it’s totally deserved?! Would much prefer it Sainz could get up and around Albon though.
That's an interesting one. Lewis is suggesting that when a new component becomes available it will resolve the issue, so I doubt the component is the tub pickup points - wouldn't that have to go through safety testing if they moved the pick up points plus then all the suspension arms, track rods etc would have to be remanufactured as well. While they need to be running low - maybe too low, I'm not sure that's the actual problem. I do wonder if they are pushing the reduced height to try and compensate for the other issue - well maybe that's what I'm hoping, so it can be a quick fix - not that it will be quick enough for the next 2 races. Carlos has a couple of issues that have kept him a few places behind Alex but I am expecting them to be very close quite soon. Just needs Carlos to have a good few sessions. I do want to see them both in Q1 and see what they can do at a track with some overtaking opportunities. I do think Williams are getting there but then again so is Haas!
In the interview post race Lewis suggested a gain of 1/10th a lap from the anticipated fix. That only translates to 5 seconds over the race, not a game changer in this instance. Either he is playing it down or it won't be the fix they need. Of course, different circuits, different benefit results. The Red Bull is definitely built for Max. Separately, I have lost my Sky till I move house at the end of this month, Channel 4 being my only option till then. Frustrating, although they had a nice bit of software which superimposed the two cars of Max and Lando on their qualifying. Interesting to see where Max makes his gains and where he loses and the slightly different lines they take.
Interesting. Maybe it’s two issues then, a small one that they can resolve in a few races time and a larger one that’s limiting their ability to run low and maximise downforce. Agree that changing the tub pickups is probably a job too far under the cost cap, I was thinking more that there might be something complementary they could do at the wheel ends or at the rear (so needed to wait for an allowed gearbox change). If RedBull built this car for Max, they did a rubbish job, because he definitely doesn’t seem to love it. IMO it’s much more the case that they’ve built a car that is quite quick, but where the ultimate performance is almost impossible to access.
I saw that, it was great. I guess they can only do that with very close laps. Max was taking quite different lines on some corners. I wonder if the other teams have been studying the footage to glean some tips?
Hamilton confirmed the car is running higher than they’d like - it was in his post quali or post race interview think. Charles then said ride height isn’t the major drawback- it’s something else but refused to elaborate. He referenced it taking a little while to solve.
I read a few bit and it's being suggested that when on high fuel and low fuel the car isn't good. On mid fuel load it's good - Hamilton winning Sprint race - although he had to qualify 1st so I'm not sure. They say that Ferrari are having to run lower than they want to get the downforce but then the plank wore too much - Charles wasn't measured officially! So to stop being disqualified they have to run higher and lose downforce. It's being suggested that Ferrari have accelerated development of a replacement floor that may be available this weekend - it was scheduled for Miami in 3 weeks time. So keep your fingers crossed the new floor arrives and makes a positive difference.
