2019 Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne, March 15-17

[Mr.G]

Is All about engine. Many talks about chassis and drivers up to now, most of which are correct . But engines? Mercedes power unit is entered in a new performance and efficiency level. Ferrari and Renault after tricks and bla bla are still well behind after 6 years

Look how many Mercedes and how many Ferrari engines did it to Q3... By your logic the midfield should be different...

[Just_a_fan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtkFZqfc-hs

Either ferrari/merc have been hit hard on their party modes with the extra restrictions put in place on the PUs this year, or honda has practically closed the gap completely, which would be quite astonishing.

Max is fastest of the three on approach to turn 1 at the start of that lap, Lewis just faster than Seb at the same point. Interesting that Seb is 4-5km/h quicker than Lewis in the short straight between 12 and 13. Suggesting the Ferrari is still very good at deploying.

Also interesting to see the different technique between the three in the very fast turn 11. Lewis backs off to about 50% throttle and stabs the brake (trying to get some forward shift to help turn in perhaps?), Seb backs off to about 1/3 throttle but no brake, Max is fully off the throttle with no brake. All carry similar speed through the turn. That's a really interesting insight in to the different cars and/or drivers' techniques, just in that one corner.

[GPR-A]

‪Honestly for the good of the sport Mercedes should consider adjusting their media strategy. We’re sick of this underdog story now, it’s transparent and contrived. People are mostly disappointed today, not impressed by their “miraculous turnaround”. That simple. Keep it real!

Honestly, what do you think they do? Chest thumping like Marko and Horner did? Like any world class organization, they are being diplomatic and hyping up the opposition. People who want to see Mercedes go down, buy that as a POT. Those who genuinely don't buy their words, like @shuttleberg here, would know that is BS. World of F1, especially poorly informed fans believed it and lousy media experts sold that version hard. For those who wanted to hunt for a deeper picture, there were plenty of signs.

My take is, Mercedes is extremely strong on mechanical grip and that is why we saw what we saw today. When we move to aero dominated circuits, things would bunch up between the top three.

[Brake Horse Power]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1xbU80X0AAGpCg.jpg:large

According to this table Giovanazzi should have had pole

[yelistener]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtkFZqfc-hs

Either ferrari/merc have been hit hard on their party modes with the extra restrictions put in place on the PUs this year, or honda has practically closed the gap completely, which would be quite astonishing.

Max is fastest of the three on approach to turn 1 at the start of that lap, Lewis just faster than Seb at the same point. Interesting that Seb is 4-5km/h quicker than Lewis in the short straight between 12 and 13. Suggesting the Ferrari is still very good at deploying.

Also interesting to see the different technique between the three in the very fast turn 11. Lewis backs off to about 50% throttle and stabs the brake (trying to get some forward shift to help turn in perhaps?), Seb backs off to about 1/3 throttle but no brake, Max is fully off the throttle with no brake. All carry similar speed through the turn. That's a really interesting insight in to the different cars and/or drivers' techniques, just in that one corner.

Max having to lift at turn 12 suggests he's not very confident with the new car. RB didn't even lift in 2017, let alone 2018. But of cause that could be partily because Honda gives them more speed. But either way, that's not a good sign for RB and its chassis.

[NL_Fer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtkFZqfc-hs

Either ferrari/merc have been hit hard on their party modes with the extra restrictions put in place on the PUs this year, or honda has practically closed the gap completely, which would be quite astonishing.

I notice Hamilton and Verstappen hitting full throttle sooner than Vettel. Has Ferrari lost that slow-corner-exit-traction?

But i do believe de Mercedes PU has gained some Q-mode power. Look at Perez, he has a 2018 car and is also there in top 10.

[Juzh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtkFZqfc-hs

Either ferrari/merc have been hit hard on their party modes with the extra restrictions put in place on the PUs this year, or honda has practically closed the gap completely, which would be quite astonishing.

Max is fastest of the three on approach to turn 1 at the start of that lap, Lewis just faster than Seb at the same point. Interesting that Seb is 4-5km/h quicker than Lewis in the short straight between 12 and 13. Suggesting the Ferrari is still very good at deploying.

Also interesting to see the different technique between the three in the very fast turn 11. Lewis backs off to about 50% throttle and stabs the brake (trying to get some forward shift to help turn in perhaps?), Seb backs off to about 1/3 throttle but no brake, Max is fully off the throttle with no brake. All carry similar speed through the turn. That's a really interesting insight in to the different cars and/or drivers' techniques, just in that one corner.

Max having to lift at turn 12 suggests he's not very confident with the new car. RB didn't even lift in 2017, let alone 2018. But of cause that could be partily because Honda gives them more speed. But either way, that's not a good sign for RB and its chassis.

Last year rb14 minimum speed trough T11-12 was 261, this year 254. It could be they really are running less DF than usual, would make sense with them being fast on the straights.

[Leon]

What happened to Bottas at S3 in the last attempt? The TV showed two purple S1 and S2 over Hamilton and then suddenly purple S3 from Hamilton is enough.

[MtthsMlw]

[GPR-A]

Impossible: RB have the best chassis of the world.

Of course, it will be Honda's fault if they don't win championship

[marvin78]

What happened to Bottas at S3 in the last attempt? The TV showed two purple S1 and S2 over Hamilton and then suddenly purple S3 from Hamilton is enough.

The TV Insert was wrong. The Live-Timing showed other values.

[yelistener]

Max is fastest of the three on approach to turn 1 at the start of that lap, Lewis just faster than Seb at the same point. Interesting that Seb is 4-5km/h quicker than Lewis in the short straight between 12 and 13. Suggesting the Ferrari is still very good at deploying.

Also interesting to see the different technique between the three in the very fast turn 11. Lewis backs off to about 50% throttle and stabs the brake (trying to get some forward shift to help turn in perhaps?), Seb backs off to about 1/3 throttle but no brake, Max is fully off the throttle with no brake. All carry similar speed through the turn. That's a really interesting insight in to the different cars and/or drivers' techniques, just in that one corner.

Max having to lift at turn 12 suggests he's not very confident with the new car. RB didn't even lift in 2017, let alone 2018. But of cause that could be partily because Honda gives them more speed. But either way, that's not a good sign for RB and its chassis.

Last year rb14 minimum speed trough T11-12 was 261, this year 254. It could be they really are running less DF than usual, would make sense with them being fast on the straights.

That's a reasonable explanation. I hope it's true. The last thing you want to see if Mercedes donimates at a RB-friendly circuit lol

[Schuttelberg]

Impossible: RB have the best chassis of the world.

Of course, it will be Honda's fault if they don't win championship

I'm guessing your comment was a sarcastic one. I think Red Bull had a lot to prove after the divorce with Renault and I for one was expecting them to fall behind Renault and be the 4th best team. However, 4th to start off with a brand new partner and to go through that whole integration process with what looks like decent reliability is a brilliant start. If you've followed the sport for the last decade, Red Bull are always slow starters but almost certainly end up with the best chassis by year end.

I think for them to convincingly be third best at least shows that the move to Honda basically lost them nothing but gives them factory backing and works status from a manufacturer who have had a hard time but also won a lot in F1 previously.

It's just one qualifying, but initial impressions definitely indicate that Red Bull's decision was the correct one and this at least offers them some hope of parity in terms of power against rival manufacturers.

To be honest, I think Horner might be the happiest bloke in the paddock. Even more so than the Mercedes group. I have no doubt that Red Bull is the best team of this decade in terms of operations. They're not very likeable, but that's the first thing you need to be to succeed in F1.

Sorry Sir but this is some kind of illusion. Mercedes are currently on the verge of 6th straight double championship (not achieved by any team in history), proved themselves to be best while fighting from behind and you are calling RBR the best team in a decade?

They hardly battled against anyone for the last seasons - steady 3rd place all the time. Not to mention they nearly gave away 2 titles to Ferrari with a much better car (2010, 2012). Also all the results are a proof that just like McLaren their claims of best chassis on the grid are pure PR lies.

I'd like you to hold your horses. Mercedes have had one front row lock out. A championship challenge is likely, but not confirmed. Sport can be very funny. They've had five amazing doubles no doubt but Red Bull had a similar phase earlier in the decade. They've won races regularly in the past ten years and while I don't want to diss on the Mercedes team in general, a lot of their success has stemmed from the PU. I tend to look past statistics and I see that Red Bull have converted a lot of potential into results. Mercedes has as well but operationally I feel RBR always gets the maximum out of not just the package at hand but also HR.

I think their claim of having the best chassis at the end of 2017 and 2018 definitely had some truth to it unlike the gospel spread by McLaren. Also, I love these "they had best car theories." It's as if keyboard warriors have gone and driven these cars. I don't remember where it was here but I read that McLaren was the fastest car in 2012? These are just opinions. We will never know for certain who had what because it was all too close to judge.

[J_Ryder]

Also interesting to see the different technique between the three in the very fast turn 11. Lewis backs off to about 50% throttle and stabs the brake (trying to get some forward shift to help turn in perhaps?), Seb backs off to about 1/3 throttle but no brake, Max is fully off the throttle with no brake. All carry similar speed through the turn. That's a really interesting insight in to the different cars and/or drivers' techniques, just in that one corner.

The high rake cars slow down faster at lift off.
The Ferrari had the shortest stopping distances it seems, so it has plenty of downforce.
Most likely on more classic tracks with longer corners, we will see the gap shrink if they properly manage tyre temps.

[Juzh]

Impossible: RB have the best chassis of the world.

Of course, it will be Honda's fault if they don't win championship

No one said anything remotely close to that so far. And last year RB most definetly did have the best chassis. Mclaren also had a very good car in 2017 and a dog in 2018, despite the engine being better.