2014 Abu Dhabi GP - Yas Marina

[prince]

http://imgur.com/uPGxGeQ.jpg

So Rosberg didn`t BS us in the drivers press conference after all :
http://www.youtube.com/embed/SI8ag6LnPm ... autoplay=1
(Just look at Hulk`s reaction ... and Jenson`s too ... )

As you could see there is a huge 8 to 9 km/h difference between Williams cars and Merc ones and in the race there could be an even bigger margin as we saw lately ...
Although it true to say they are 4 or 5 tenths slower in S3 than Merc boys, which I think they went to a higher DF setup in order to preserve more their SS tyres and stretch the first stint ...
And that`s where Lewis will have the upper hand!
Coz I truly believe he will out smart Nico this time! (after all wasn't he who said that he wants to win the war not the battle?)
How come? Simple as that: SS tyre will last between 7-9 laps and that will be not enough to build a gap to until the first pit stop, hence Nico will land into the back markers running on soft tyres and force him to lose some time passing them ... Meanwhile, Lewis was looking after his tyres and manage to do 2 or 3 more laps but this time not pushing (like in Brasil) and after the pit stop he could be either in front of Nico or behind him but with fresher tyres and a good prospect to make it stick the 2 qualy laps strategy now ...
(This scenario was made just seeing again 2013 race)

Any thoughts?

You can add one more factor to that. Lewis did only one run in Q2 on the tyres with which he starts the race on, whereas Nico had to abort the first qualifying run and had to go for one more. Which means, when they start race tomorrow, Nico's tyres are atleast a lap older than that of Lewis'. Would that be a significant factor? Who knows.

[Just_a_fan]

The Williams being quickest in a straight line won't help if their tyres don't last. If you're slow in the preceding corners and then slow out of the corner before the straight then you're always going to be struggling. Downforce helps tyre life, don't forget. DRS nullifies that straight line speed advantage as does better drive off the corner. I can see the Williams being a handful but I don't think their overall pace is enough to live with the Mercedes if the latter can stay ahead of them for the first couple of laps.

In FP it appeared that the Mercedes were looking after the rears better than others so they'll get better drive out of each corner. That means they gain a few car lengths out of every corner. That lots of ground lost before they get to be quick on the straight.

It should make for an interesting race.

[ChrisM40]

Confirmed Red Bulls start from the back of the grid..

https://twitter.com/ScarbsF1/status/536210244989243393

[Moose]

Confirmed Red Bulls start from the back of the grid..

https://twitter.com/ScarbsF1/status/536210244989243393

Lucky Vettel has document 31, so he starts in front of Ricciardo (document 32).

[Juzh]

how little drama in 2014. People don't really seem to care now. Remember 2012?

[MercedesAMGSpy]

A threat less for Lewis. Only Williams left.

[ChrisM40]

Confirmed Red Bulls start from the back of the grid..

https://twitter.com/ScarbsF1/status/536210244989243393

Lucky Vettel has document 31, so he starts in front of Ricciardo (document 32).

Apparently not, it seems Vettel will start at the back according to the official starting grid.

[Unc1eM0nty]

You can add one more factor to that. Lewis did only one run in Q2 on the tyres with which he starts the race on, whereas Nico had to abort the first qualifying run and had to go for one more. Which means, when they start race tomorrow, Nico's tyres are atleast a lap older than that of Lewis'. Would that be a significant factor? Who knows.

Surely that's an extra two laps, one harvesting and one flying.

[AnthonyG]

If the start goes well, those mercs will just go off in the distance and we'll see a race just for honor, with Hamilton backing off after a while, just to bring it home.

If the start doesn't go well for Hamilton, a Williams will come by and he'll have to overtake it on the first lap or during a pitstop.

These are about the 3 most probable scenarios, either way, Hamilton is a world champ and it won't be a very exciting race.

[prince]

how little drama in 2014. People don't really seem to care now. Remember 2012?

It's about where you stand and what you want to see. For many others, there has been a lot of drama.

[BanMeToo]

There has been more tension than drama, and many people seem to underrate how exciting that tension can be. I suspect that a lot of people who think this season has been boring or mediocre don't appreciate that aspect of each race... I know DRS takes away, but it's still there...

[PlatinumZealot]

Red bull just cant let go of flexing parts.. They almost got away with a flexing wignlet on the leading edge of the side pod earlier this year as well.

[SilverArrow10]

If the start goes well, those mercs will just go off in the distance and we'll see a race just for honor, with Hamilton backing off after a while, just to bring it home.

If the start doesn't go well for Hamilton, a Williams will come by and he'll have to overtake it on the first lap or during a pitstop.

These are about the 3 most probable scenarios, either way, Hamilton is a world champ and it won't be a very exciting race.

What happens if Hamilton beats Rosberg off the line, not this first time its happened. Makes for a more exciting time

[dans79]

Surely that's an extra two laps, one harvesting and one flying.

Either way, taking an extra qualifying laps worth of performance out of the SS tire is not a good thing, as others have said the first stint is going to be a short one. As always, I think Nico has his car to biased towards qualifying, not to mention he never seems very comfortable with Lewis right behind him.

[AnthonyG]

That's why I wrote "3 scenarios"