Matt2725 wrote: ↑14 Sep 2024, 11:39
Jdn1327 wrote: ↑14 Sep 2024, 11:35
j_ste wrote: ↑14 Sep 2024, 11:32
Overnight changes, strike again. Like clockwork
I think its more that the other teams were hiding their pace and Mercedes doesn't have any pace. Settle in for a long weekend
They obviously do have pace. They just topped FP3 and their sector times are routinely competitive on similarly aged tyres.
RUS had the optimum temp on the front tyres and we could see that at S2 time when he was 3 tenths faster than HAM
Maybe he opted for a 2-stop strategy, knowing that the front right tyre has a hard time here and also for the fact that there`s a bigger chance of an SC/VSC phase at the race ...
The only caveat was that setting the fastest S3 time and being faster than HAM, which seems to opt for a low DF setup hence a 1-stop strategy tomorrow, was due to having a big tow coming from SAI when he set the fastest time of the session ...
So I think that RUS will qualfy further up on the grid than HAM and start on the M-tyre, with HAM further down the grid and most obviously gonna start on the H-tyre, which he successfully race simulated on them and set interesting times on both Fridays sessions ...