Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team 2013

[Shrieker]

Marcush has a point. If the new tires were designed and manufactured with the assistance of the data acquired from Merc's private test ,then it only makes sense that it solves some (most?) of their problems.

I don´t want to take away anything from them ,but seriously this change is a political masterstroke not based on engineering expertise.

Frankly, I've observed that it's always been the same since the day I started following Formula 1. Sometimes technical ingenuity prevails, other times political influence, so on so forth. If you ask me, that's the beauty of it. By your own admission, another team have been taking advantage courtesy of one of their old cars being used as a testing platform for tires, and now it's Merc's turn.

[OppositeLock]

It's safe to say that Mercedes are ahead of schedule. The low expectations for the season have been surpassed. They have the driver pairing and the car to hold onto 2nd place in the constructors' championship and maybe more. =D>

[xpensive]

...
It goes without saying the tested car and testdrivers have a major impact on the outcome of such a test.Not long ago a team with Red cars and a german driver was the tyre suppliers favourite tyre testing outfit and the tyres wer made to suit them and this led to a few championships if I remember correctly.
a certain Ross brawn was involved as well...
...

An interesting point and comparison indeed, while I notice that another team suddenly got their own home-race granted,
perhaps in order not to feel too bad about the recent events? Naaah, that would be an outrageous conspiracy-theory.

[cherok1212]

If we are to believe Pirelli (no reason to lie) and Merc (every reason in the world to lie) they tested 2014 spec tires. If Merc is pulling off one stoppers next year I'll be the first to call them to the mat for cheating (or a brilliant stroke of gamesmanship by Ross). Until then, I think their progress is due more to the "Dream Team" of engineers getting their heads around an issue and solving it [-o< And the Kevlar belted tire running cooler than the steel belted one.

[monsi]

I do find these conspiracy theories quite amusing. They seem to imply that only by some arcane knowledge can you generate the magical pixie dust that will let you solve practical engineering problems. We have all known for ages that much of Mercedes problem appears to be that their tyres have got too hot, pushed them out of the operating window, and so they have lost performance. On another thread we seem to have pictures of a double walled rim being used in Hungary, presumably to put the thermal barrier of an air block in to reduce conduction from hot brakes through to the tyres via the rim. Did they need a tyre test to invent that ? No. Is it some devilishly complicated solution ? No. Will it solve their problem entirely ? Probably not, but it looks like a simple pragmatic partial solution, and a sensible engineering team will lock those in first and then move on to more complicated stuff where necessary.

[ringo]

All i can say is ross brawn does it again!
the man's a genius!

The tyres weren't really made for mercedes, i just think they are more suited to 2013 cars. Pirelli learned from the w04 and it's this 2013 car data that has helped to tweak the 2012 tyre into what we have today.

I guess the test had to be done and it was wise that brawn took the opportunity.

Mercedes dont need to have data on pirelli tyres to improve the car, what was important was that pirelli have data on them!
So that the tyres work on the car as is!
Why lose weight to fit in a suit, when the suit can be made to fit you?


Brawn, gotta hand it to the guy. Double diffuser now tailor made tyres.
Championship is back on track.

[NathanOlder]

So with Lewis 40pts infront of Nico, how long untill Merc back 1 driver? I'd say if Lewis out scores Nico at Spa & Monza I think Merc will have to back Lewis. What do you think guys?

[cherok1212]

Not sure if it's necessary to back either driver, natural selection should take over. Lewis seems to be comfortable in the car now (and he now has "99 problems" see Jay Z) and I think he's a bit quicker than Nico, who is a very strong teammate. Give them both a now potent race W04 and Seb has to fight them both each week.

[SectorOne]

It's safe to say that Mercedes are ahead of schedule. The low expectations for the season have been surpassed. They have the driver pairing and the car to hold onto 2nd place in the constructors' championship and maybe more. =D>

I´d probably start crying if they manage to win both titles this year

[FoxHound]

Hungary's low abrasive track nature and lack of high speed corners favoured Mercedes.
No doubt the Kevlar banded tyres assisted too.
The upcoming tracks will give an indication as to whether merc have overcome the rear tyre issues, as it's in the high speed corners they suffer from overheating.

Title talk is still far too early, but the team are doing a magnificent job of taking on Red Bull.

[astracrazy]

Spa and Monza should favour Merc really. Power track, low df (the merc has good straight line speed) - compared to Red Bull

I think there tyre issues are solved - more or less. These are different tyres now which has helped

The title charge will depend on when will they focus on 2014 100%. 2014 they say is there year so i doubt they will want to compromise it chasing the title this year from so far back. As Ross said on Sky, as the season goes on there is little point developing certain parts as it has no relevance to next year (FW was his example) so they won't want to be developing parts just for 3-4 races if there is no realistic need. I expect them to look at the position after monza or singapore and judge then if its worth carrying on

[Richard]

Lets get this right, are some people saying Brawn has successfully created Mercedes International Assistance? Are they saying Pirelli deliberately designed the tyres for them, hence the secret test? I don't buy that.

I do agree it was a political masterstroke to have the Merc DNA in the tyre test data for the 2014 tyre.

As for the new 2013 tyre, the other teams have had more testing at the YTD so that neutralised any Merc advantage.

Probably more relevant is that the new tyre seems to run at a cooler temp which would help a team struggling with overheating tyres. Merc have been one lap wonders in 2012 and 2013 but cooler race tyres was the missing piece of the jigsaw.

I guess some of it is Merc design, some of it is circumstances falling into their lap. I'm sure Brawn was agitating to switch to Kevlar, just like other teams would have tried to block it if they believed they would disadvantaged.

So, yes I agree Merc have done some canny manoeuvring and had good fortune.

[Mika1]

My Lewis Hamilton Hungary 2013 Race Edit: https://vimeo.com/71332548

[xpensive]

...
I do agree it was a political masterstroke to have the Merc DNA in the tyre test data for the 2014 tyre.
...

As if it was their own idea, the test was obviously a gift from MrE to please Daimler, approved by his old spannerman CW.

Or so I believe.

[GitanesBlondes]

Lets get this right, are some people saying Brawn has successfully created Mercedes International Assistance? Are they saying Pirelli deliberately designed the tyres for them, hence the secret test? I don't buy that.

I do agree it was a political masterstroke to have the Merc DNA in the tyre test data for the 2014 tyre.

As for the new 2013 tyre, the other teams have had more testing at the YTD so that neutralised any Merc advantage.

Probably more relevant is that the new tyre seems to run at a cooler temp which would help a team struggling with overheating tyres. Merc have been one lap wonders in 2012 and 2013 but cooler race tyres was the missing piece of the jigsaw.

I guess some of it is Merc design, some of it is circumstances falling into their lap. I'm sure Brawn was agitating to switch to Kevlar, just like other teams would have tried to block it if they believed they would disadvantaged.

So, yes I agree Merc have done some canny manoeuvring and had good fortune.

I have a lot of suspicions about what really went on with that test. We only have Pirelli's word that they were testing some unknown 2014 tire, yet coming out of Barcelona, they walked away with the race at Monaco?

Does anyone recall Ecclestone picking Hamilton to win the title in 2013 before the season began?

He's made no secret that he considers Mercedes to be essential to F1 going forward...so much that he started cutting them in on the deals reserved only for McLaren and Ferrari.

The latest word is that Mercedes wants a return of wider tires for the 2014 season whereas Ferrari wants the narrow tires to continue.

I am of the opinion that this is all an elaborate con game of sorts with the ringmaster Ecclestone pulling all of the strings to stack the deck in favor of Mercedes. Ferrari and Lotus are as good as dead for the second half of the season as it's obvious whatever really went on with that super-secret tire test benefited Mercedes more than one could have expected. The YDT wouldn't mean anything if anything were to be altered with the compound manufacturing test to favor aspects of the W04 that are not present in any of the other cars on the grid.

I'm going to make a prediction, and say that Mercedes is going to challenge for both titles in the second half with Lewis Hamilton favored for the WDC, and Mercedes for the WCC. Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel may still take both, but I foresee it coming down to Interlagos. This may turn out to be the most miraculous turn-around for a season since Williams had the good fortune of seeing both Ferrari drivers eliminated from the 1982 season.