jz11 wrote: ↑13 Nov 2022, 18:38
and Merc may have been specifically set up for sprint, meaning - they did everything to optimize tires for exactly those conditions, while RB were set up to optimize tires for the full race, so if Merc get chewed up in couple hours, then that is why they suddenly were so quick compared to RB
their gamble is perhaps on being able to be just quick enough to keep the positions in the full race, and maybe hoping for weather to change (not as warm as predicted) and not disadvantage them as much, but considering how easy it seemed be to pass, then they might be in trouble, anyway, will be interesting to see how this pans out
RB didn’t suffer from not getting the tyres in the window, but rather from pure and simple tyre deg.
I fail to see how warmer temps are going to help cure tyre deg.
You’re right, however, that Merc may cook theirs, but then they’re unlikely to run the soft much anyway (if not at all). The hard may become viable if track temps are >50C.