Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team 2013

[dren]

Well the suspension update they had at the rear surely has been in the works for a while. The car was designed with the intent of making easy changes at the rear. It is hard to say how much the "secret" test helped the team, but certainly they gained something from it.

This is a genuinely fast car. A win on merrit on a Red Bull dominant track. If Mercedes keeps this up they could very well give Red Bull a run for its money to the WCC.

Being pedantic here, but I'm going to assume you mean Hamilton's potential win?

Well Rosberg's win was on merrit, he kept in touch with the leaders. You can say two of the top cars dropped out (Hamilton and Vettel) and then that left the other two who both had so/so starts fight it out for the win. If the top two stayed in, I am assuming Hamilton would have won. A merrit win either way you look at it.

[Pierce89]

I hate to be that guy, but who can honestly claim they don't believe Merc's test helped IMMENSELY with their tire degradation?

[Mika1]

I hate to be that guy, but who can honestly claim they don't believe Merc's test helped IMMENSELY tire degradation?

And who can honestly claim they don't believe Merc's updates helped them? You can't prove it.

[turbof1]

The truth probably just lies in the middle: the test certainly helped Mercedes, but even without it they were bound to find solutions for their excessive tyre wear. They look extremely motivated all year to get on top of it.

Note that their issues are most likely not completely fixed. It was quite cold at Silverstone, so tracks like Hungary, India or Singapore might put them down if temperatures are excessive high.

[FoxHound]

Why Mercedes are getting on top of things this year?

Inboard suspension pick up points are on the carbon fibre skin, rather than on the titanium casing.
This allows far greater flexibility in terms of set up and tyre wear/deg.



IR tyre cameras, that can isolate exactly where the heat is being concentrated allied to the wear rate.

[mantikos]

I very much doubt Paddy Lowe has had any impact on the W04 up to now.

Furthermore, all recent McLarens have been mediocre to say the least.

While true, they don't have high tire degradation

Mediocre? The fastest car last year was mediocre?

[myurr]

I hate to be that guy, but who can honestly claim they don't believe Merc's test helped IMMENSELY with their tire degradation?

Have Ferrari's tests helped them IMMENSELY? Merc aren't the only team to have tested. Ferrari were even running 2013 aero and mechanicals on their 2011 chassis if Horner's accusations are true. So really can we shut up about the test for just a little bit?

Yeah it probably helped validate some ideas and so on but NONE of us know if that test had any direct impact or not. I can't imagine it hurting the team but would a single tyre test with unmarked tyres really make such a dramatic difference? If you believe so then back that up!

[myurr]

The truth probably just lies in the middle: the test certainly helped Mercedes, but even without it they were bound to find solutions for their excessive tyre wear. They look extremely motivated all year to get on top of it.

Note that their issues are most likely not completely fixed. It was quite cold at Silverstone, so tracks like Hungary, India or Singapore might put them down if temperatures are excessive high.

They were also helped by the conditions meaning that the front left was the limiting factor rather than the rears. So they've almost certainly made some significant improvements to keep their rears in shape, but they weren't having to lean on them like they would at other circuits in other conditions.

[OppositeLock]

I hate to be that guy, but who can honestly claim they don't believe Merc's test helped IMMENSELY with their tire degradation?

Mercedes had already proven their qualifying prowess before the mutually beneficial secret test. The Monaco pole and win wasn't a surprise. The team has been improving the car and working to improve the tire degradation. It's not really an issue.

Despite Brawn GP winning the 2009 championships with Button, there are people who refuse to believe that a team can make a dramatic change. McLaren's drop in form is further proof that fortunes can change dramatically.

[Dyanxx]

I very much doubt Paddy Lowe has had any impact on the W04 up to now.

Furthermore, all recent McLarens have been mediocre to say the least.

Yeah, the MP4-27 was a terrible car.

[rifrafs2kees]

i have to agree on the good job but c'mon... after THAT test everything has changed... u can't deny it...

That Test

Yes THAT test, I dont believe in miracles, see the peformance of the cars in Barcelona and see the performance of the "same" cars in a very similar circuit like Silverstone(fast corners, high tyre degradation, high downforce). In a month the step forward has been bigger than in 3 years, I am happy for Lewis and Nico, I would have liked to see Schumi driving this car but I smile for Nico because he has suffered so much the last three years...

Now I believe that both drivers can fight for the Championship in 2014, I dont mention 2013 because I think its quite tricky to reduce the gap between them and Sebastian(even with Alonso). But if they start to win races in a row who knows...

The overhaul in design personnel has to be the biggest contributor to the improvement we see. After all, they've had this gorilla on their backs for 3 years....logic would suggest that any data collected over the 1000km test is minuscule compared with those collected over the past 3 years and would not have brought about any revelation solely responsible for their current performance. Perhaps the current brass are on top of their game, the previous guys were monstrously inept, or both.

The only debate is how soon they'd have made inroads into solving this issue. Perhaps the effect of the test is that we are seeing this now rather that 2 or 3 races ahead. As said before, they designed their transmission to accommodate changes in their suspension if they so chose to

[diego.liv]

Is it difficul to find some time for Sam Bird during fridays? Begin with some laps in the morning on no.9 car and in the afternoon on no.10 car or something similar?

At the beginning when the track is green, with the 'tyres for rookies? Remember that, ok it's very rare, but if one driver can't attend the qualy/race, the 3rd-test-whoever driver can't just replace him unless he has drove the car during the weekend

[Cocles]

Lowe will be focusing on the W04 for the rest of the season.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108496

[astracrazy]

Is it difficul to find some time for Sam Bird during fridays? Begin with some laps in the morning on no.9 car and in the afternoon on no.10 car or something similar?

At the beginning when the track is green, with the 'tyres for rookies? Remember that, ok it's very rare, but if one driver can't attend the qualy/race, the 3rd-test-whoever driver can't just replace him unless he has drove the car during the weekend

Sam deserves it if anything his been having some good drives this year. I hope he gets an f1 drive in the future maybe tie it in with a smaller team and an engine deal? It seems unlikely he will get some proper track time with merc

[Mika1]

Is it difficul to find some time for Sam Bird during fridays? Begin with some laps in the morning on no.9 car and in the afternoon on no.10 car or something similar?

At the beginning when the track is green, with the 'tyres for rookies? Remember that, ok it's very rare, but if one driver can't attend the qualy/race, the 3rd-test-whoever driver can't just replace him unless he has drove the car during the weekend

In a season Mercedes can win the WCC? I don't think so, Lewis and Nico need all sessions to set-up the car and test new updates.