Formula 1 - 2014 Season

[Dave Baumann]

Lower downforce in cornering will result in understeer or oversteer and the slower you are in a corner the easier it is to handle the effects of these.

 

[Tahir2]

With regards to Vettel's performances, the narrative that has come out from a few sources recently is that Vettel is still driving the car as though it was exhaust blown (2013). With exhaust blown diffusers you want to get the power down hard on the exit in order to induce more downforce and speed up the exit of the corner, however with 2014 cars that type of throttle application won't help with "additional" downforce and with massive torque and more limited downforce generally it'll just chew up the tires. Horner himself has commented that, for the first time with the Pirelli's, Vettel is getting through them much more aggressively.

Conversely I wonder if this is where the 2014 rules are playing a little more into Hamilton's abilities - for him the story seems to have turned on it head from eating through the tires to suddenly being able to manage them better than many in the field, at the same time being very fast and having one of the lower fuel usages in the field. Previous interviews have suggested that Hamilton's speed comes from his braking prowess; he brakes later by being able to graduate the brake application less as the car decelerates and scrubs off downforce, hence he's getting close to the maximum between braking and locking the wheels. It might be that his sensitivity and control with his left foot is now being equally applied to his right foot on corner exit, being better able to control the balance between traction and wheelspin with these torque heavy low downforce rules. Could certainly point to why there seems to be both better tire management and low fuel usage from him, while maintaining high speed (relative to his teammate).

To add to this the fastest way around a track is also the most economical. Hamilton discusses coast and brake as the new way to enter a corner, particularly after a long straight.

Hamilton seems to have mastered this technique well and so probably has Daniel Ricciardo.

 

[zed]

To add to this the fastest way around a track is also the most economical.

Well thats nearly correct

nearly as in ... um (witty remark)
i.e. its not nearly correct at all, in fact its total bollux

the most econimcal way around a track is the shortest distance vs engine power/wind resistance when youre going > 200kph its not fuel efficent at all. Im sure someone can explain newton and all that cause its a weak spot of me, all I know is high speed != fuel economy

 

[entity279]

I guess the sentence meant to be considered in the context of the current regulations of f1, not as principle or law of physics.

 

[Tahir2]

zed, the most economical way would be to push the car to the finish line.

 

[DJ12]

OK, so Mercedes are really just taking the piss out of everyone.

Hamilton was just 0.850 up by the second time check before backing off.

So much for other teams closing the gap.

 

[Bludd]

Seems like another Mercedes walk-over. :/ Ricciardo in P3 was 1 second behind P1.

 

[Billy Idol]

I am curious if Rosberg can give Hamilton a challenge?

 

[Wynix]

Top 5
1 - Ham
2 - Ros
3 - Ric
4 - Vet
5 - Bot

Seems like some German favouritism is leaking into the Petronas team, I am surprised that Ham was able to hang onto his spot at the end.

 

[Rurouni]

What favoritism? I can't see any besides the slow pitstop for Ham (which maybe more because of wheel problem on Ham's car). There was no guarantee that option-prime-option is better that option-option-prime. Ros was never that far behind in the first place.

 

[Billy Idol]

Ham pitstop was because of the changes at the frontwing imo.

No german conspiracy going on...

 

[Kaotik]

Sigh, Ferrari uses abnormal stopping order (pretty much unwritten rule is that the one ahead [within the team] pits first if both use same amount of stops) and worse tactic on Kimi, Alonso beats with better tactic.
Looks like this time Kimi isn't in "I don't care" mode though, as reportedly he quite angrily asked his race engineer who makes the calls [on tactics], as he always seems to be getting the 2nd choice.
And then later on

Marc Priestley @f1elvis

Kimi still here, which is unheard of this long after the race, in deep discussion with engineer. He's not happy about that strategy call.
And now this:
https://twitter.com/f1elvis/status/465527933856395264

Kimi still here, which is unheard of this long after the race, in deep discussion with engineer. He's not happy about that strategy call.

 

[Davros]

I certainly wouldn't put it past Ferrari to screw Kimi

 

[DJ12]

Both Hamilton's stops were slow one was 3.8 the other 4.2. I think Rosberg first was 2.8 and his second 3.0. 2.2 second advantage 'given' to him by the team.

 

[Wynix]

It's very easy for them to give Rosberg several seconds over the race without officials noticing/calling foul.
They can afford to slow Hamilton down because of how dominant they are.

I still have doubts, as I'm usually not one to believe in conspiracies; Perhaps how they perform in upcoming races will quell my concerns.

 

[Lightman]

So do you guys think some senior Mercedes figure comes to wheel mechanics (mostly British) and tells them - guys, today you have to be slow on Hamilton's car, eg. add 1 to 2 seconds per stop but be quick on Rosberg's car! Clear?
Do you really think no one from the pit crew would spill the beans?

Realistic explanation for slower pit-stops is that Lewes was the one complaining about car handling all the race so pit crew had to do additional front wing adjustments plus I suspect check the floor at the rear and clean rubber from veins.

I see no favouritism in Merc camp so far. For favouritism I would look Ferrari, Red Bull and even Williams.

 

[Gerry]

Williams? OK. You've have to talk me through that one.

 

[Davros]

you mean pro bottas ?
I'm sure rod smedly wouldnt be too happy with that

 

[Wynix]

So do you guys think some senior Mercedes figure comes to wheel mechanics (mostly British) and tells them - guys, today you have to be slow on Hamilton's car, eg. add 1 to 2 seconds per stop but be quick on Rosberg's car! Clear?
Do you really think no one from the pit crew would spill the beans?

Realistic explanation for slower pit-stops is that Lewes was the one complaining about car handling all the race so pit crew had to do additional front wing adjustments plus I suspect check the floor at the rear and clean rubber from veins.

It only takes 1 person in the pit crew taking slightly longer or "making an error" for the stop to have time artificially added to it.
To think the entire crew would need to be involved is naive.

 

[Phil]

Regarding Williams; I think we might need to be careful when judging favoritism. For Williams, it's important - crucial - to get the most out of their package. In that sense, their focus is not the drivers championship, but the team. They may have asked Massa to make way for Bottas because - no matter how realistic or not that was - there was a slim chance he might be able to progress further and make the most out of his strategy. I don't believe that had anything to do with favoritism.

The same, to a degree, also applies to RedBull currently. They want to progress as a team, stay in the running - so it's only logical that they may not want their drivers holding each other up.

Ferrari is a tricky one. I think Ferrari might want to keep "Alonso" happy (lots of Santander money involved too) and this being "his homerace" - perhaps benefited a bit from the better strategy. I have to admit, I didn't pay that much attention to the Ferraris, so kind of missed the fuzz over the Alonso's strategy to effectively judge it...