the gap to 6th is about a second, but it does show that McLaren have a decent chassis and it's Honda that are letting them down. Monaco could see Button pick up points, especially if it's a bit wet. Big shout to Ocon as well, the driver programs are producing some real quality.
At least his Dad's bankrolling the team, Renault are paying this Imposter I wonder if a Merc are disappointed with their upgrades?
Alonso absolutely amazing. That McLaren chassis simply HAS to be decent. You'd think that they'd at least be fighting the Red Bulls with a proper power unit. Renault PU also the big underperformer of the season. Neweys chassis has delivered 6 tenths net gain but you still need a good PU in Barca if you wanna fight for pole.
I think it's a false indicator here, everyone seems closer. Not sure if it's down to layout, tyres or the fact that it's a short lap compared to the last few tracks, but it wouldn't suprise me if we get bigger gaps after Monaco.
lol, for sure, even Alonso isn't go to do much at Monza. And that's why I think Alonso to Renault will be a mistake, Honda's mishaps have really taken the heat off Renault, who have had at least 2 extra years to deveope theirs.
If Vettel can get a better start over Hamilton, he may prove (or at least suggest) Mercedes' updates as barely adequate. To put it another way: Hamilton needs to stay ahead to avoid strategic cock-ups! In my opinion, Mercedes have improved the car but barely enough (as things stand) to avoid being overhauled this season.
The teams think there's a 2s delta between the softs and mediums. The ideal strategy is a three stop with like 1 lap on mediums. Or as long as you can hold out on softs with a 2 stop.
Vettel had quite the lead in Q3. It just all slipped away in S3. Was a fairly scruffy lap from Hamilton. His first run looked much tidier but a tiny bit slower.
2 stop, aggressive subject to falling back into traffic. It might even bake sense to do you 1 st stop around the late teens early 20's, put the medium on for a few laps when in traffic and then pit again for the mediums for a mid 20 run? Traffic will win or lose you here!