European GP 2010 - Valencia

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Mercedes GP have given up?

Really? [-X

I thought that you would give up after Canada? RK on primes beating both NR on options & MS on primes in qualifying!!!

Q2 in Montreal, fourth best time for RK on options, we are now in buisness at "half time" in the championship.

If you took those Kubica tinted glasses off for a second you would see rosberg ahead of Kubica and Mercedes ahead of Renault.

Can I suggest a name change for yourself?

[Donuts]

Mercedes GP have given up?

Really? [-X

I thought that you would give up after Canada? RK on primes beating both NR on options & MS on primes in qualifying!!!

Q2 in Montreal, fourth best time for RK on options, we are now in buisness at "half time" in the championship.

If you took those Kubica tinted glasses off for a second you would see rosberg ahead of Kubica and Mercedes ahead of Renault.

Can I suggest a name change for yourself?

Likewise! Sure, I don't mind, but it's not possible without registering a new account? I'll choose something more neutral, but hey, let's discuss Valencia! What do you really think will be the case, Mercedes vs. Renault?

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Mercedes have updates and so do Renault, Reanult is probably another front wing update.
Suffice to say Mercedes didnt struggle with raw pace at Canada, but high tyre wear.

And I think valencia is easier on tyre wear with alot of slower sections that the Mercedes appears to enjoy. So if it were a straight Renault vs Mercedes (which it isnt) then I would say Mercedes by not a considerable advantage.

All things being said, this track reeks of a Mclaren victory. It rerquires cars to have good straightline speed(tick) and good mechanical grip(tick) together with manageable tyre wear rate(tick).
I could be wrong, and it does depend on what Ferrari bring, but I would say Mclaren 1-2 in no particuar order.

[godlameroso]

Hmm, don't forget you can make up to 3 tenths, just by taking 18-20 flat out, maybe the Red Bulls can achieve this

[Donuts]

Mercedes have updates and so do Renault, Reanult is probably another front wing update.
Suffice to say Mercedes didnt struggle with raw pace at Canada, but high tyre wear.

And I think valencia is easier on tyre wear with alot of slower sections that the Mercedes appears to enjoy. So if it were a straight Renault vs Mercedes (which it isnt) then I would say Mercedes by not a considerable advantage.

All things being said, this track reeks of a Mclaren victory. It rerquires cars to have good straightline speed(tick) and good mechanical grip(tick) together with manageable tyre wear rate(tick).
I could be wrong, and it does depend on what Ferrari bring, but I would say Mclaren 1-2 in no particuar order.

Renault is not only bringing a new front wing, but a new floor as well.

Considering McLaren, I thought that their mechanical grip is inferior to Red Bull's? Looking at Monaco, they did'nt do that well. Might not be that the curbs are as high in Valencia...

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Red Bull have stupendous amounts of aero grip, its what makes them untuchable in the high speed corners.
They have decent Mechanical grip, but not as good as Mclarens, especially evident at Canada where Mclaren exit speeds where amongst the best, if not the best.

Monte carlo was still at a time where Mclaren were playing catchup to Red Bull. they did this at Turkey, where they couldnt keep up with Red Bull through Turn8 but closed in around the rest of the track.

[DaveKillens]

It's amazing how momentum can change. Just two races ago Red Bull were sitting alone on top of the mountain. The point is that the pendulum could swing back just as quickly, or in another direction. The pace of upgrades is amazing this season, and who knows what bit of kit might turns things around for any team.

I welcome and embrace Bridgestone's decision to provide tires that degrade in performance, it sure spiced things up at Montreal. And Valencia sure needs it, IMO it was the most boring race in 2009.

Personally, I'd like to see Kubica or Alonso win it. Kubica has been a monster in 2010, and is due. For the Spanish fans it would finally be nice to see their hero win on home soil, and I definitely would not rule it out.

[lebesset]

with ferrari looking the best on their tyres and clearly around the same as McLaren I would like to have a small wager on alonso ..but at 3-1 there is no value

sorely tempted by massa at 16-1 though

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Its testament to Mclaren's rapid pace of development.
I think Ferrari will be thereabouts too, given their Red Bull style exhausts.

Red Bull need to now adopt their oponents tech onto their own cars like the F-duct, and get it working quickly.

[ringo]

The funny thing is, redbull is still 1/2 a second quicker. Nothing changed since Monaco. All that happend was poor tyre strategy by redbull and reliability issues.

Newey is working hard on the f duct back at the factory, i think he's going to get it right this time.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

I think in terms of raw pace, its closer than that ringo.

It may be circuit dependant....

[donskar]

We know that Newey/RBR can design a great car; now we'll see if they can develop one as well. I don't think we've seen the definitive RBR for this season, but I don't know if RBR has the technical depth to match McL's and Ferrari's ability to develop throughout the season.

And does anyone remember that once-dominant Brawn team? I think they proved that it's possible for one of the lesser* teams to reach the top, but harder to stay there.

*Lesser in comparison to McL and Ferrari. No insult meant.

[ISLAMATRON]

Red Bull have stupendous amounts of aero grip, its what makes them untuchable in the high speed corners.
They have decent Mechanical grip, but not as good as Mclarens, especially evident at Canada where Mclaren exit speeds where amongst the best, if not the best.

Link to exit speed source?

Watching from the hairpin Lewis' McLaren was the best under braking but the RBRs were better than Button... But both RBR's picked up the throttle before Lewis coming out. I really didnt see anything definitive to come to the conclusion that the McL was better with mechanical grip.

[ringo]

Engine power will help them accelerate and gearing, but i always saw the redbull with the best traction out of a corner and how early the drivers get on the power.

About Mercedes vs Renaut, merc is dead in the water. Renault will walk pass them here. Renault have the low speed grip, the aero efficiency, and unbridled developement to outmatch mercedes this weekend.
I am not convinced any Mercedes updates will bring them close to ferrari and Mclaren.
Mercedes will continue to have a small operating window in the race, then fade away after the halfway point.

[raymondu999]

But we do see that the McLaren has just a great front end though. It just turns. Could be a by-product of the stiff suspension it's seemed to have all year.

Seems most sources agree that Red Bull are happy that their f-duct no longer costs downforce and are going to use it here in Valencia.