2024 Mercedes-AMG | Petronas F1 Team

[KimiRai]

Mercedes made a mistake in choosing the cooling system. A serious mistake that cost them 4 tenths per lap, according to George Russell. This also affected the functioning of the tires (colder). But in any case they expected Max to be closer, which matches what Verstappen himself also said (he didn't think he had that much of an advantage) and Ferrari (they thought they were closer) #FORMU1A #BahrainGP

[Luscion]

Hopefully they get it sorted before next week, 4 tenths a lap means the Merc has some serious pace in it

[Luscion]

[chrisc90]

27 hours of testing prior to race day and Merc made a simple setup change like that which cost them 5 tenths a lap in pace?

All I can ask.....HOW?

[DGP123]

Hopefully they get it sorted before next week, 4 tenths a lap means the Merc has some serious pace in it

Wouldn’t believe that. It’s all about damage limitation now, and keeping fans interested and bums on seats. Both titles are gone already.

The reality is another year battling Ferrari, and picking up the crumbs left behind from RB.

[CaribouBread]

Hopefully they get it sorted before next week, 4 tenths a lap means the Merc has some serious pace in it

If this is the most aggressive package, every other package will come with an increased drag penalty I'm assuming. Wonder how much lift & coast time loss will be offset by increased drag.

[Luscion]

27 hours of testing prior to race day and Merc made a simple setup change like that which cost them 5 tenths a lap in pace?

All I can ask.....HOW?

Yea, youd think with all the long runs they did they would have had better info on what cooling solution to use, but it bodes well for them next week if what Russell is saying about then losing 4 tenths alone from just the battery and PU issues is true

[chrisc90]

27 hours of testing prior to race day and Merc made a simple setup change like that which cost them 5 tenths a lap in pace?

All I can ask.....HOW?

Yea, youd think with all the long runs they did they would have had better info on what cooling solution to use, but it bodes well for them next week if what Russell is saying about then losing 4 tenths alone from just the battery and PU issues is true

I will be shocked if theres a extra half a second there to close to Red Bull and beat Ferrari on race pace. Overall, I think it will be trading races with Mclaren and Ferrari in that pace aspect.

Its a shame no reporters were on the ball enough to ask why Merc made such a blunder after all the hours of testing they had just a week prior.

[PlatinumZealot]

Interesting that Astons with the tightest bodywork, no gills didn't seem to have any cooling issues with the same PU. Mercs had plenty of Haas style openings, didn't expect them to get into overheating issues. They better get it sorted quick because if you're overheating in these conditions they won't survive the summer leg.

It's not only the outer of the bodywork, it's whats under the skin that restricts air flow through the car as well.

[j_ste]

Four tenths is a massive amount. Believe it when I see it.

Three days of testing...three practice sessions. Just to get your set up wrong? Behave yourself

[sport777]

But what if Merc really just hasn’t quite understood and configured his W15 yet, in fact, it seems to me that the car is pretty good and plus Bahrain has not been the best track for Merc for a long time

[Watto]

Have to agree with what’s said here 3 days testing, 3 practice sessions and cool cony tonight and they got that cooling package wrong doesn’t add up really

[Vinlarr89]

Even if the 4/10s is recovered. Leclerc was lapping 5-6/10s quicker with brake issues. George also saying that Bahrain is historically a strong track for Ferrari might be true, but if anything they struggled through S1, so will likely be even stronger in Jeddah

[Luscion]

Have to agree with what’s said here 3 days testing, 3 practice sessions and cool cony tonight and they got that cooling package wrong doesn’t add up really

Why doesnt it add up? even Zak Brown said he saw Merc were struggling with their PU, the Williams was also overheating. Lewis and George are pretty realistic with their performances and issues, if it were just Toto saying it i'd be more skeptical, Russell was the one who said RB could win every race last season and he was on the money.

[chrisc90]

Have to agree with what’s said here 3 days testing, 3 practice sessions and cool cony tonight and they got that cooling package wrong doesn’t add up really

Why doesnt it add up? even Zak Brown said he saw Merc were struggling with their PU, the Williams was also overheating. Lewis and George are pretty realistic with their performances and issues, if it were just Toto saying it i'd be more skeptical, Russell was the one who said RB could win every race last season and he was on the money.

These teams did hours of race runs under hotter conditions than the Grand Prix and now come a race day in colder temps they all have issues? What went wrong overnight for them all to have issues?