2023 Mercedes-AMG | Petronas F1 Team

[Hoffman900]

There are some worrying questions to be asked:

1. Why the RB19 car could run like the W13 car as low as possible on the track and the W14 car couldn't do that? Coz it`ll break as Toto said, isn`t it? But the real question to be asked is whether they design this year's car not to run so low or just they don`t have a clue how the RB team is able to do that without porpoising/bouncing?

2. Elliot said that they`ve run in the CFD the RB concept car but unfortunately this solution wasn`t better than what they have now ...

Then that tells me their CFD is wrong and it often is.

[mendis]

It's 2-0 in qualifying for George, but with a much bigger margin this time around. Seems like George is understanding how to find the sweet spot of the car for one lap. He needs to improve his starts, which is where he lost out in Bahrain.

[PlatinumZealot]

Lewis is demotivated or age is starting to kick in. Oh forgot about race setup. lets see tomorrow.

[mendis]

W13 and 14 are not build around him. They switch to George obviously

That's nonsense. George wasn't even in the team when W13 was being built. A new driver coming in the team and making better use of equipment was unexpected of George, especially against a driver who was in the team for many many years. This is just Leclerc Vs Vettel playing out in Mercedes.

[harty71]

George is proof that drivers evolve with each generation, absolute stonking qualifying from him.

[harty71]

W13 and 14 are not build around him. They switch to George obviously

That's nonsense. George wasn't even in the team when W13 was being built. A new driver coming in the team and making better use of equipment was unexpected of George, especially against a driver who was in the team for many many years. This is just Leclerc Vs Vettel playing out in Mercedes.

Yep, changing of the guard, the new is almost always superior to the old.

[mkay]

It's 2-0 in qualifying for George, but with a much bigger margin this time around. Seems like George is understanding how to find the sweet spot of the car for one lap. He needs to improve his starts, which is where he lost out in Bahrain.

Great job by RUS - it was a great lap whereas HAM never hooked it up in S1.

Don't think there's anything else to read into.

[DGP123]

Hamilton will be solid tomorrow, no mistakes and just manage his own race. Russell will likely lose his head, try and fight the faster cars, and probably will go backwards after the first lap, given he’s got AM/Ferrari behind him.

[The Prodigy]

It's 2-0 in qualifying for George, but with a much bigger margin this time around. Seems like George is understanding how to find the sweet spot of the car for one lap. He needs to improve his starts, which is where he lost out in Bahrain.

Great job by RUS - it was a great lap whereas HAM never hooked it up in S1.

Alonso was driving in the midfield and at the end of the grid for ten years or so and never gave up.

[Marble]

For those wondering what happened to Lewis, here is a thread with some graphs.
HAM suffers between turn 5 and turn 10, as he did in 2022. It wasn't specific to qualifying : yesterday he was losing 0.5 in Sector 1 during FP2. Today the struggles continued in that sector 1.
This in the sector he suffered the most against RUS in 2022, and in appears it's still the case this year.
I guess the balance he keeps complaining about has a part to play in this deficit

[DGP123]

It's 2-0 in qualifying for George, but with a much bigger margin this time around. Seems like George is understanding how to find the sweet spot of the car for one lap. He needs to improve his starts, which is where he lost out in Bahrain.

Great job by RUS - it was a great lap whereas HAM never hooked it up in S1.

Alonso was driving in the midfield and at the end of the grid for ten years or so and never gave up.

What evidence is there to suggest Lewis has given up?

Alonso got bent over by Ocon last year, and now he’s a god again. Lewis had a bad day, and apparently needs putting in a home. Embarrassing, but that’s forums for you.

[harty71]

For those wondering what happened to Lewis, here is a thread with some graphs.
HAM suffers between turn 5 and turn 10, as he did in 2022. It wasn't specific to qualifying : yesterday he was losing 0.5 in Sector 1 during FP2. Today the struggles continued in that sector 1.
This in the sector he suffered the most against RUS in 2022, and in appears it's still the case this year.
I guess the balance he keeps complaining about has a part to play in this deficit

Commitment, grit, fire, for me Hamilton hasn't got the eye of the tiger anymore.

[zibby43]

It's 2-0 in qualifying for George, but with a much bigger margin this time around. Seems like George is understanding how to find the sweet spot of the car for one lap. He needs to improve his starts, which is where he lost out in Bahrain.

Great job by RUS - it was a great lap whereas HAM never hooked it up in S1.

Don't think there's anything else to read into.

agreed.

[gary71]

For me Hamilton has shown signs of turning on his team when he is not doing well and then saying something nice to cover it up. He has been blessed with a superior car for years before last year and now we are starting to see the cracks again in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I do think he is a phenomenal driver and competitor but I am not convinced about him when things go wrong. Now we have a very strong teammate and a car that is not the best. Little comments that have been made and his sacking of Angela after 7 years ( from what I understand it was his decision). I do not think he comprehended how much she did and how valuable she was when that decision was made. I think he is really angry and lashing out in all directions and that is not going to help his lap times. Obviously just an opinion from an armchair .

[harty71]

For me Hamilton has shown signs of turning on his team when he is not doing well and then saying something nice to cover it up. He has been blessed with a superior car for years before last year and now we are starting to see the cracks again in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I do think he is a phenomenal driver and competitor but I am not convinced about him when things go wrong. Now we have a very strong teammate and a car that is not the best. Little comments that have been made and his sacking of Angela after 7 years ( from what I understand it was his decision). I do not think he comprehended how much she did and how valuable she was when that decision was made. I think he is really angry and lashing out in all directions and that is not going to help his lap times. Obviously just an opinion from an armchair .

Yep, it all seems like it's falling apart at the seams for him. Russell on the other hand has been very positive, that rubs off on your team and your rival.