2023 Mercedes-AMG | Petronas F1 Team

[AR3-GP]

How long until the great twitterarty gets going on MB making a car to favour LW over GR.

Overall the specification here looks quite positive for initial run. Good background work to bring strong baseline to FP1.

It's been reported that George and Lewis were on different setups so I wouldn't read too much into it yet.

[mvfad]

Layman's question: Why don't they take the old version of the car to compare it in practice with the new version? Hamilton could have the new version and Russell the old one. For me this would be a great form of practical comparison, even more so given that their simulation data was not so accurate until now apparently.

[Farnborough]

Layman's question: Why don't they take the old version of the car to compare it in practice with the new version? Hamilton could have the new version and Russell the old one. For me this would be a great form of practical comparison, even more so given that their simulation data was not so accurate until now apparently.

Its complex enough here without throwing in that level of variable to the mix.

Committed to the update and all data for that is valuable now.

How would they know it wasn't driver variable too ? Even in same car specification (caveat, that GR is running different) it just generates so many different data sets to analyse, all in short time, and to ultimately try and perform on quali and race.

Doesn't look bad at all to me, the current specification that is.

[AR3-GP]

Teams never run last year's car at the pre-season test. Sometimes you just get on with it. It's more efficient. If old spec components were lifed for 4-5 GP, they'd have to manufacture new parts just to run a free practice test. There's many many reasons to just get on with the upgrades and forget about the old stuff.

[SparkyAMG]

The internals have had to change significantly enough that they're not compatible with the old package.

There is new internal packaging of the rads to fit the new sidepods and new floor stays etc so not as simple as swapping the visible bodywork etc.

[214270]

Layman's question: Why don't they take the old version of the car to compare it in practice with the new version? Hamilton could have the new version and Russell the old one. For me this would be a great form of practical comparison, even more so given that their simulation data was not so accurate until now apparently.

Line in the sand. No more will they reference the previous concept, not even for benchmarking I suspect.

[Hammerfist]

3 tenths wasn’t too bad but the car still is too temperamental. The pace seemed to be bad at the start of quali and improved towards the end. Too bad ham didn’t have an extra set of tires to do a final run though. But the varying pace of the car tells me the drivers aren’t able to take more risk at the beginning and need the extra laps to deliver the best lap.

[El_KaPpa]

"Lewis Hamilton post-qualifying: I’m glad I didn’t break the new components, I broke the wing, which I’m sorry for. But, those changes have helped the feeling [of the car], so it’s definitely feeling like it’s going in the right direction.”

by fiagirly

[Alex_Z]

Did Russell not have an extra soft like Hamilton or did he make a mistake? He had the better of Lewis until the last run

[AR3-GP]

Did Russell not have an extra soft like Hamilton or did he make a mistake? He had the better of Lewis until the last run

It looks like he made a big mistake in S2.

[taperoo2k]

3 tenths wasn’t too bad but the car still is too temperamental. The pace seemed to be bad at the start of quali and improved towards the end. Too bad ham didn’t have an extra set of tires to do a final run though. But the varying pace of the car tells me the drivers aren’t able to take more risk at the beginning and need the extra laps to deliver the best lap.

Considering they are running the upgraded car for the first time and at Monaco of all places they did alright. It did look like Lewis broke something on the rear of the car, so that probably hindered his ultimate pace. As for the variations in pace? Could just be due to the need to bring the tyres into the right window and finding space amongst the traffic round Monaco.
Barcelona is where we'll get a better idea of what the upgraded car is capable of and if they can fine tune the setup to smooth out temperamental behaviour from the car. Monaco isn't the best circuit to draw definitive conclusions about an upgraded car that's being run for the first time in anger.

[pursue_one's]

Did Russell not have an extra soft like Hamilton or did he make a mistake? He had the better of Lewis until the last run

"We were so close to Ferrari and Fernando and I tried for more, but went slower by trying too hard - overdriving and paid the price," George told SkyF1 after the session.

[atanatizante]

The updates hence qualy results were compromised also due to not being able to bring the 2023 rear wing (doesn't get enough down force for this track) and we're forced to use the barn door 2022 rear wing, which isn't the optimized rear wing for this new package hence the balance issues resulting in an unsettled car that needed many wheel corrections from both drivers regardless the setup changes they're in ... of course Barcelona will be a better updates assasments

[DGP123]

Can’t complain with 4th & 5th. Russell pretty lucky this weekend following the rain intervention, penalty and mistake. Not sure why Russell was moaning on the radio, other than trying to make out to the audience he was quicker than Lewis, which he hasn’t been all weekend. Lewis comfortably keeping him at arms length.

Fastest lap also a nice little bonus.

[torpor]

Just 1 point behind AM in Constructors.
2nd place behind dominant RB would be an ok season result.