from AMUSThis Mercedes W10 has two faces. You will not make it out of him. Sebastian Vettel put it this way: "It is difficult to read what exactly happens there. Some runs look good, others less good. "So do the engineers:" There are times when we're as fast as Red Bull, and then we're slow again. "
So slow that Mercedes has even drifted to midfield, according to the projections of some teams. More than a second behind Ferrari the simulations of the opponents speak in the worst case. In the good stages of the silver arrow, however, only one to two tenths missing on Ferrari.
But when is this Mercedes Dr. Jekyll and when Mr. Hyde? The engineers themselves can not really answer that yet. "It depends on the temperature, the tires and the circumstances." One thing is certain: the retreaded car is a significant step forward compared to the version of the W10 that was on the road during the first week of testing.
The base model really only played in midfield. The biggest problem was initially instability in the rear, which was probably aerodynamic. "We have the problem clearly under control," said the technicians with relief.
Mercedes does not understand his car yet
The big difference between Ferrari and Mercedes is that Ferrari has understood his car from the first day of testing. Mercedes is still in the middle of the learning process. "Because our aero package was so extensive and so massive new."
The biggest puzzle is again the new Pirelli tires. The graining of the rubbers is quite heavy on the Mercedes, and also at times of the day, when the so-called "Graining" actually should not be a problem. "We also experienced it in the warm afternoon hours."
Other teams have problems with the tread shedding, but mostly limited to the cool morning hours. Graining can also be a result of too much slipping on the asphalt. But exclude the Mercedes technicians: "We certainly do not have too little downforce."
Whenever the Mercedes falls into this "graining" hole, it is slow. Of course, this is difficult to see for the spies of the competition. The softer the tires, the greater the problem with graining.
On the second hardest C2 mixture, the Mercedes looks best compared to the competition. The time of day also matters when the Silver Arrow is in shape and when not. "10 o'clock is our best time for a quick lap. For longruns from 12 to 14 o'clock. Unfortunately, one hour's lunch break. "
Pirelli is offering new rubber compounds this year, also in response to the thinner tread. "The tires behave very differently than last year," complain many engineers. And that makes it so hard to read the lap times. Also the long runs.
"There is more scope in the variables," complains Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul. "With the larger tank capacity, you can charge up to 20 kilograms in the analyzes. The DRS effect has become much bigger. The differences in the engine programs too. And there's the tire factor, which is hard to read. "
Red Bull with the fastest longrun
In the first six days of the test there were hardly any usable racing simulations. Only those allow a reasonably reliable analysis, because one can assume a takeoff weight of at least 100 kilograms. But even then, the quality of longruns can fluctuate greatly, experts tell us. Blame it again for the tires.
"We see extreme fluctuations, even with the same car. Everything depends on the first two rounds. There are four categories: first lap fast and then continue driving continuously. First lap fast, then a cool down lap. First lap fast, short in the box, adjust front wing and continue. Moderately start and increase. "
The Mercedes analysts draw an interim balance: "Red Bull has shown on Wednesday the fastest ever Longrun." Max Verstappen broke the racing simulation, however, due to a slip-up and a gearbox problem after 40 laps. And Mercedes? "We had good and less good Longruns, depending on the time of day." Renault and Sauber also cut off well after the calculations of Mercedes in the race trim.
Anyway, the midfield seems to have moved much closer to the top. That looked quite different in the first week. And that's why the impression can arise that Mercedes is part of the midfield when the car presents itself from its weaker side. Lewis Hamilton did that on his Wednesday long run with the C3 tires. With four to five laps constant in the 1.20s, the lap times rose rapidly to a level of 1.23 minutes where they stabilized again.
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