Grand Prix thread GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2022

I know this... I'm not voting Charlie all season...

 

Makes me wonder how much effort they put into last years fight , whereas Ferrari probably spent the whole year on the new regs , Haas did it and said so from the beginning of last season .

 

Max please

 

if you insist!

Somebody want to start the thread already?

 

Max again!

 

Seems my vote is already set.

 

I would say they have double that time to catch up. Race pace is at least a second a lap down on a Ferrari. We had about 5 laps racing after the safety car and both Lewis and George were 10 seconds behind Charles at the finish on the same tyres.

 

How much of that was them avoiding Perez though? Not 10 seconds, but it did slow them down.

And was it really 10? Wow... That's nuts

 

So 5.5 to Sainz.... A good portion of that will be Perez slowing them down. Either way it's a lot to find.

 

Only just logged and pleased to see everyone enjoyed the race

Have to say that if Lewis can't get his illusive 8th title I hope Le Clerc does and Red Bull are also-rans for the entire season

As a couple have already said today was Karma just a shame no one had the ball to ask Horner if he knew what it meant

 

I'm not sure this paints the entire picture

 

The most amazing thing imo was nobody hit perez.

Sainz did really well to avoid.

Most of the field had to drive round him

For me the merc was keeping up with perez and sainz there but was awful.in the braking zones so imo there masses of speed but it's too high, too unstable and there's.masses of downforce missing.

 

Wasn't Sainz already ahead there? Wasn't it Hamilton right on his tail when everything stopped for Perez?

As for Merc. Engine seems down for all of them, but for the Merc themselves. Down on power, unable to run as low as they like, running more wing to compensate... They have a problem to fix.

 

I wonder if that's because at the start they are all about 100kg heavier with fuel so ride height must be set at start. By the end they are all lighter so have higher ride heights, Merc can't run low ride height without masses of bouncing. So by the end of the race I wonder if all the ride heights are bigger so ground effect not as high on others and probably not that much different for the Mercs?

 

I dont think so as the ferrari is perfect. The red bull was faster on straight according to brundle on timings.

The merc has to be set high so they are fighting the porpoising all the time whereas the others are working and flying along.

Le clerc's quali lap was 95% perfect. Just a couple snaps of over steam as the power went down out of corners. By contrast metc is bouncing along and you can't attack the braking zones or corners.

 

Is it much different to the first season of the hybrid era when we had a safety car restart with 10 laps to go at Bahrain between Hamilton and Rosberg and after the 10 laps the Merc’s were 20 seconds up the road?

 

Did someone spin and block a corner for chasing cars.

 

Hamilton was right behind Perez when he span so the max it would have cost Hamilton to go round is less than 2 seconds.

 

I think there's more things to take in to consideration. Older tyres, Perez road block... Merc are well off it, but maybe not a second a lap or more.