Whoa there, mate, easy on the questions, can't handle that much of them... Still, let me try...GPR-A wrote: ↑16 Apr 2017, 20:44If downforce doesn't play too much to anyone's advantage here, then how was RB running so close to Merc and Ferrari? Are you suggesting Renault is in the same league as Merc and Ferrari in terms of PU? If downforce doesn't play too much to anyone's advantage, why was Williams, FI and Haas not in play here despite having the best PUs on the grid?
If you don't have great deal of downforce, then you are not at front.
RB is lacking downforce (their own words) compared to Merc and Ferrari, not only the outright power. Because Bahrain is a power track, downforce deficit won't be as hampering as in China for instance. In Australia Max was 1.3s off the pole time. In China Dani was 1.35s off. Here he was 0.8s behind pole time. Hulk is an even better example, here he was 1s behind pole time, in China he was 1.9s and in Australia he didn't make it to Q3. It's not hard to see that Renault is lacking downforce compared to RB, but should be on same level (if not above) on the power front. So it's my view that downforce deficit wasn't detrimental in Q3, but rather power (and set-up). This is what I was implying in the post you quoted.If downforce doesn't play too much to anyone's advantage here, then how was RB running so close to Merc and Ferrari?
Not at all, as you can read in the part above.Are you suggesting Renault is in the same league as Merc and Ferrari in terms of PU?
Because they don't? Do you believe Merc and Ferrari are giving them away everything? It's also a matter of fuel and lubrication, isn't it? Do Williams have huge Petronas logos all over the car? However, let's compare Massa to Merc in qualy so far: Australia deficit 2.2s, China deficit 1.8s, Bahrain deficit 1.3s.If downforce doesn't play too much to anyone's advantage, why was Williams, FI and Haas not in play here despite having the best PUs on the grid?
If we say that race-ready set-up cost Lewis 0.2-0.3s in Q3, that still increases Ferrari gap to Mercedes to a lot more than wrong set-up. Vettel was on par with Bottas in Aus and China and here he was half a second slower. I honestly don't see it as pure and simple set-up difference... Then again, I ain't no track-side set-up expert...