2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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johnsonwax
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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marcush. wrote:I think this is what is their plan:
Throwing everything into the game till Barcelona ,see if there is any Chance to compete AND make up the lost ground in the Championship -if not: redirect all car development recources towards 2015...
That was my initial thought too, but 2nd place in the constructors is still worth a LOT of money, and things are very competitive behind Merc. Even if every team agrees that Merc is untouchable, they aren't going to give up the 2nd place money to each other - not until they think they have the position solidified. That's going to come very late in the season at the current rate.

But throwing everything on the car is likely the plan, but also for a different reason. If they do this, and can get ahead of Ferrari but not close to Merc, they may choose to back off some of those upgrades until they're better developed to help Seb get a more drivable car or to help reliability. Showing you can beat Merc in one race doesn't necessarily show that you can win the season. Anyone can burn up an engine and win, or create a blistering fast car that is nearly uncontrollable. But it'll let them know the size of the envelope that they are working in.

I think Merc will be aggressive with upgrades here as well for that very reason. If they're still 2 seconds ahead, they get choices on what to run on the car - reliable podiums are their mission, and that first means finishing. So, I'm expecting a higher attrition race.

I think Mercs weak spot right now is qualifying. They're faster under race conditions than in quali, and I think RB could catch them there and at least make Merc earn their way back up front.

beelsebob
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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No one is going to throw everything at next years car and stop development, because next years cars will be a (relatively) simple development of this year's.

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Multi21
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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I agree that stopping development for this season this early on would be pointless and could hurt in terms of championship position winnings. I don't agree that mercedes' weakeness is qualifying since three out of the four seasons have been run in the wet which is a great car equaliser; especially now with all the torque the new engines make. The dry qualy in Bahrain showed a bigger gap to the competition than the wet, and even in China Hamilton was 6 tenths faster than Ric in second place. I fully expect a mercedes front row and 1-2 in the race with Hamilton ahead of Rosberg.

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SiLo
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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I'm wondering just how much of an advantage this could be for Mercedes. Not just for this year but for next year as well seeing as the regulations are due to stay the same, bar some small changes.

And if it rains for qualifying here... I swear to god... [-o<
Felipe Baby!

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markn93
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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SiLo wrote:I'm wondering just how much of an advantage this could be for Mercedes. Not just for this year but for next year as well seeing as the regulations are due to stay the same, bar some small changes.

And if it rains for qualifying here... I swear to god... [-o<
Yeah, seriously. It shouldn't though should it?

zioture
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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F1 2014 - Spanish GP Race Preview PIRELLI

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SiLo
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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markn93 wrote:
SiLo wrote:I'm wondering just how much of an advantage this could be for Mercedes. Not just for this year but for next year as well seeing as the regulations are due to stay the same, bar some small changes.

And if it rains for qualifying here... I swear to god... [-o<
Yeah, seriously. It shouldn't though should it?
I don't think so, we haven't had a wet race there in years.
Felipe Baby!

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PlatinumZealot
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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marcush. wrote:I said Redirect all car development towards 2015 ..that´s not saying they will not make gains this year...but you would not optimise your package for a obsolete PU ...
Nothing is wrong with the car. the RB10 is the best chassis on the track when it comes to downforce. The only shortfall it has is that it doesn't have the intercooler integrated behind the survival cell like the Mercedes.
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raymondu999
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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n smikle wrote:
marcush. wrote:I said Redirect all car development towards 2015 ..that´s not saying they will not make gains this year...but you would not optimise your package for a obsolete PU ...
Nothing is wrong with the car. the RB10 is the best chassis on the track when it comes to downforce. The only shortfall it has is that it doesn't have the intercooler integrated behind the survival cell like the Mercedes.
This is a shortfall, because...?
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johnsonwax
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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raymondu999 wrote:This is a shortfall, because...?
Well, presumably Merc is getting cooler air into the engine with less pipework, so more HP, less turbo lag to compensate for, and more ERS power directed to the rear wheels.

That's certainly an advantage, but a 2s/lap advantage? 20 km/h on the straight advantage? I don't think so. I think Mercedes also has better overall aero due to better packaging - the back end of the car is dramatically more compact than the RB and the Ferrari. More downforce is easy if you're willing to give up half a second on the straight - and yet the Merc is better on tires.

So, I think RBs problems run a bit deeper than just the intercooler.

George-Jung
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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johnsonwax wrote:
raymondu999 wrote:.. I think Mercedes also has better overall aero due to better packaging - the back end of the car is dramatically more compact than the RB ..
I think the RB is slimmer at the rear..
But the advantage of the Merc PU is not only that it has a higher top speed, but also that it does not need to slow down after each lap to re-charge the batteries..

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SiLo
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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They can also redirect energy from the MGU-K to the MGU-H (right way round?) as one is limited in the amount of energy it can draw and one isn't.

Source: Think it was a Sky video, but may have been BBC.
Felipe Baby!

Töm87
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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15-20 years ago this was the race i was disliking the most due to it's rather unspectecular notion.
Today, i can't wait for that race weekend to start. I just can't wait for racing on a good old track in good old Europe. So refreshing between all those gimmick Asian-Arabian circus crap.
How the times are changing :(

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MercedesAMGSpy
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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Töm87 wrote:15-20 years ago this was the race i was disliking the most due to it's rather unspectecular notion.
Today, i can't wait for that race weekend to start. I just can't wait for racing on a good old track in good old Europe. So refreshing between all those gimmick Asian-Arabian circus crap.
How the times are changing :(
It's a world championship and the European races aren't that special anymore. Can't remember an exciting Spanish GP and then we have Monaco, a train of expensive cars completing 70 laps.

MountainBiker
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Re: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

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Monaco is just terrible, I always hope for something better but then get all disappointed again year after year.
By rights it should be scraped but all money & glitz mean it is "the" showcase for all the European based sponsors.