2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, 23-25 June

[ClarkBT11]

Christian Horner refferred to Ferrari first to who it might hinder with the oil ban and it might affect Mercedes but it doesn't seem to of affected them.

No burning of oil, no effect.

Exactly

[Jordan44]

Hamilton is a fantastic driver, and the lap was flawless, but still, it was so much faster then Any of his other laps and Bottas was only half a second down. I really do think merc has Some kind of mapping they only dare to use when it really counts and as short as possible. I don't want to take anything away from Hamilton but on these power hungry tracks merc can consistently run one super fast lap for both of the drivers.

Good job from merc getting back on top. Lets hope on less power hungry tracks Ferrari can still match, and dare I say RBR can even get close? I hope so.

You are probably not aware that Hamilton went completely off the track in the final sector on his first flying lap. He was a huge amount up on everyone else before that, I think like 6 tenths. Still managed to get P2.

I was, and also that lap was in the low 1.41 suddenly for both. So indeed, correction, not 1 but 2 laps, both the final laps in q3 the merc engine also Plays a role. The difference is just too big, also to their own (Hamilton an Bottas) and last year Hamilton and rosberg previous laps before that. Last year Bottas was never able to make such a difference on his final laps and now suddenly he too is.

And Yes Hamilton is half a second faster then his team mate and that was just flawless driving. He truely is one of the alltime great.

Oh no doubt Merc have some Q3 magic. I thought you were suggesting they only get to use it on one lap and that was responsible for the 5 tenths gap between them.

[ClarkBT11]

I am not a fanboy or like conspiracy theories and favoritism rumors but I am confused about the following and hope the posters here can explain the following to me:
When the comparison of Bottas and Hamiltons qualifying laps were being compared side by side I was surprised by just how much time Hamilton made down the long straight on Bottas. Yes I get if you have a better launch onto the straight it makes a difference but did Bottas mess his launch up that much!? Also curious to me was our dear unemotional Bottas looked really peeved in the interview after the qualifying, and yes I do agree that this could have been due to regretting a mistake and not getting pole but I wonder if it was not something else. I am wondering if Hamilton had use(permission to use) of another engine setting which gave him that extra qualifying oomph down that straight and Bottas was peed off about it? Unless I am mistaken they were very close everywhere else but that straight.

Again not a fanboy so all logical explanations are very welcome

I've not seen the comparison video but,
Hamilton was down in the first sector by one tenth to Bottas. In the second sector Hamilton was over 4 tenths quicker than Bottas which probably suggest Hamilton's​ tyres were in the better operating window. Post race Bottas said he was having trouble managing the tyres. That's the reason Hamilton was faster mate.

Which was my thought until I saw the comparison video..as well as thinking Bottas must have messed up a corner or two badly to loose 5 tenths

Could be the answer for better traction out the last corner and the higher speed on the straight. Hamilton's​ managed his tyres better. Post race in Canada he said he learnt new ways of working the tyres into the optimum temperatures.

[FrukostScones]

For sure the difference between Merc and Ferrari is not over 1 sec and it`s more down to how they setup the car for Sunday`s race, so I think there are some possible reasons behind that :
1. It seems to me that Merc has setup their car more towards the qualy cuz they think here track position is king ...
2. Track temp was dropping 13 degrees Celsius between FP3 (56) and Q3 (43) so the lower temp it favored Merc car ...
3. There were no tyre pressure dropping either from one session to another, therefore Merc do no need to stiffen further their chassis and that was visible for not having traction problems at all on those 90 degree corners ...
4. Ferrari having old PU means they couldn`t afford to have those aggressive mappings in Q3 ...
5. The only change from FP2 to FP3 and Q was turn 8 changing layout so suddenly Merc had found a good chunk of time in S2 since then ...
6. Ferrari was running a lot of rear wing being so slow on the speed trap and maybe they have a mild setup tyre in mind, in order to nurse the rear tyres longer for having consistent good laps, as Vettel show us well in FP2 ...
7. Or maybe it was the case of Merc just nailing the tyres sweet spot for the first time this year and vice-versa Ferrari didn`t for the first time around ...

+1
high pressures (22/21 psi I think) good for Merc, bad for Ferrari.

[atanatizante]

Now that`s how to make a proper turn 8 !!! (sorry for the poor screenshot)
1. How many drivers did that? I`m not hearing you ...
2. And how many drivers put a foot wrong all weekend so far?

[ChrisDanger]

Do any of the front runners have unused yellow softs for the race?

[LostInTranslation]

My impression and my suspicion are that in the performance of MB (and maybe RBR) there is something closely related to the temperature of the tires or the thermal shells of the tires.

Does anyone here know if there is a rigid control of the correct setting of thermal covers?

I say that because according to the television images I have not seen any FIA commissioner or a Pirelli engineer measuring up the temperature of any car's tires just before they are (cars) leaving the box.

As reported on a table published on the previous page, Vettel's gap from Hamilton in the first, second and third sectors is 5, 4 and 2 tenths respectively.

This is a bad idea that I bring in my mind from the GP of Canada.

My two "poisoned" cents.

[ENGINE TUNER]

Do any of the front runners have unused yellow softs for the race?

https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DDGpbC1XsAAJQSk.jpg

Thank you very much, is this available from the pirelli website or something?

[PlatinumZealot]

Now that`s how to make a proper turn 8 !!! (sorry for the poor screenshot)
1. How many drivers did that? I`m not hearing you ...
2. And how many drivers put a foot wrong all weekend so far?

https://s11.postimg.org/qfxdu7h9f/2017- ... Player.jpg

Isn't that cheating? All four tyres off track?

[Jordan44]

Now that`s how to make a proper turn 8 !!! (sorry for the poor screenshot)
1. How many drivers did that? I`m not hearing you ...
2. And how many drivers put a foot wrong all weekend so far?

https://s11.postimg.org/qfxdu7h9f/2017- ... Player.jpg

Isn't that cheating? All four tyres off track?

Technically yes. But the FIA have been selectively enforcing track limits for years now.

[PlatinumZealot]

Now that`s how to make a proper turn 8 !!! (sorry for the poor screenshot)
1. How many drivers did that? I`m not hearing you ...
2. And how many drivers put a foot wrong all weekend so far?

https://s11.postimg.org/qfxdu7h9f/2017- ... Player.jpg

Isn't that cheating? All four tyres off track?

Technically yes. But the FIA have been selectively enforcing track limits for years now.

Hmm. I guess justice was served as according to max hitting the curbs messed up his gear shift software so he lost a few tenths in the end.

[Edax]

Now that`s how to make a proper turn 8 !!! (sorry for the poor screenshot)
1. How many drivers did that? I`m not hearing you ...
2. And how many drivers put a foot wrong all weekend so far?

https://s11.postimg.org/qfxdu7h9f/2017- ... Player.jpg

Isn't that cheating? All four tyres off track?

The light is playing tricks. It looks like the front wheels are over the line but in reality the line bends sharply towards the barrier at the location of his rear right wheel, the front is well clear. The kerb is probably too short to get all wheels off at the same time.

If you look under the rear wing, close to the wing mount you can see where the track limit meets the barrier.

But surprised he didn't get launched. Gutsy move indeed.

[ENGINE TUNER]

I'm pretty sure I saw HAM cut turn 8 the same way on his pole lap, anyone got a link to his on board?

[Chuckjr]

Meanwhile....Fred is STRUGGLING with his power unit:

"But, during that first session, there was confusion out on track with Ricciardo, who Alonso felt that he must have thought he was on a slow lap.

“[It was] the same with Max [Verstappen] yesterday,” said Alonso.

“I think the start of the lap probably they get confused, because our speed is that slow, that they think probably we go to the pit lane, we are in a slow lap.”

“But no, this is our speed, we are starting a timed lap, is the way it is. I think they get surprised a little bit.

"They overtake me in the first corner, I overtake them in the second corner, and we both lose the laps, yesterday and today.""

Source:
http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/ ... _slow8217/

[Hammerfist]

It's not the 1st ICE they reverted back to, it's probably the Canadian GP ICE.
With new ICE he could have been a tenth quicker than Kimi, still long way off Merc.

I think it's likely more than a tenth. With a used ICE they probably can't run the most agressive engine mode as those have already been used up. That explains why he was slower than Raikonnen by 0.1s, when he's usually 0.3 ahead. The Q mode usually gives them 0.5sec.

His ICE is not that old to run a conservative setting and he lost less than a tenth in S3, Vettel was overdriving in FP2 and the 7 laps he did in FP3 he couldn't get tyre temperatures up, also he didn't lose much to kimi in FP3 because Kimi did 13 laps, probably to look after the engine.

I don't think you understand what I'm talking about. Both Ferrari and Merc have a special engine mode that they only use in Q3, confirmed by some of their competitors. But there are only so many times they can use that engine mode though. Since that engine was already used in a race it's safe to say that they couldn't run the special mode on it and risk a blow up. It would explain everything that happened on Saturday; the fact Redbull was so close and the fact that Ferrari were also so far behind Mercedes. Of course Ferrari will never admit that in public, but I think it's a very real possibility.