2019 Belgian Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps, Aug 30 - Sep 1

[Just_a_fan]

Not really, the heat management doesn't kick in for the ''all-out'' Q-laps - only during the race.

The requirement to open up the bodywork to allow for the in-race cooling needs caused the aero to be less than optimal. You race what you qualify, i.e. you can't change the bodywork between qualifying and the race, so they carried the inferior aero through both qualifying and the race. Qualifying was affected as much as the race was.

Again, completely and utterly wrong again. The ''lift-and-coast'' procedure, that mostly affects the pace during the race, is not at all present during the qualifications.

There are two issues here: the first is the requirement to compromise the car's aerodynamic design in order to achieve as much cooling as possible. This affects the pace every time the car is on the track. The second issue was that the improved cooling still wasn't enough to prevent overheating so they needed to lift and coast in the race.

So both qualifying and race pace were affected. So, um, you are the one that is wrong. But hey, it happens to everyone now and then.

[SiLo]

I've had it confirmed whilst on a factory tour that they run the engines as hot as they can get away with, simply because the drag from cooling is too much of a penalty.

[NL_Fer]

And cooling is defined during design stage. Amount of coolant, size of radiators, amount of airflow is al calculated to eachother. The increase of cooling capacity is only limited during the weekend.

[dxpetrov]

Exactly, the size of body opening for cooling is part of design philosophy. It's set on the drawing board and it should give you an advantage if designed at minimum. To say that it actually gave a disadvantage to Mercs in Austria in Q sessions is therefore completely wrong, because on average it made the car blindingly fast on all other tracks.
I can be wrong, but not here.

[Zarathustra]

To say that it actually gave a disadvantage to Mercs in Austria in Q sessions is therefore completely wrong, because on average it made the car blindingly fast on all other tracks.

Lol whut?!!

What has the average to do with a single session?

Someone can f*ck up a single event- but still be excellent on average.

[Just_a_fan]

Exactly, the size of body opening for cooling is part of design philosophy. It's set on the drawing board and it should give you an advantage if designed at minimum. To say that it actually gave a disadvantage to Mercs in Austria in Q sessions is therefore completely wrong, because on average it made the car blindingly fast on all other tracks.
I can be wrong, but not here.

They designed it to be as small as they could get away with normally. Austria wasn't normal so they altered the bodywork accordingly. The alterations reduced the car's performance. Mercedes stated this at the circuit. Why do you continue to say otherwise?

Elsewhere, the method of making the bodywork/cooling openings as small as possible has paid off. In Austria, it played against them.

[Capharol]

drastic temp drop from saturday on sunday
according to Accuweather

[maguetox]

drastic temp drop from saturday on sunday
according to Accuweather

https://i.imgur.com/Cmti0OM.jpg

Lucky Mercedes.

[Capharol]

and a small change to the DRS activation zone on the kemmel-straight, they've shortenend it by 20 Mtrs

[Big Tea]

drastic temp drop from saturday on sunday
according to Accuweather

https://i.imgur.com/Cmti0OM.jpg

Lucky Mercedes.

What do you mean lucky? They spent the whole shutdown sacrificing chickens

[zibby43]

drastic temp drop from saturday on sunday
according to Accuweather

https://i.imgur.com/Cmti0OM.jpg

Mercedes puts energy into the tires quite easily. In qualifying, they have a tendency to go for a more balanced setup that sacrifices a bit of one-lap pace in order to keep the tires healthy for the race.

Will this allow them to go for a more aggressive qualifying setup, knowing that cooler ambient/track temperatures on race day will help mitigate the setup choice?

Will the temperature drop in the race hurt Ferrari in S2? They struggle to put energy into the tires, and the tires will cool down massively on the long straights at Spa.

That's a fairly significant temperature swing.

[godlameroso]

drastic temp drop from saturday on sunday
according to Accuweather

https://i.imgur.com/Cmti0OM.jpg

That means that there is a good chance for a morning rain. Would fall in line with somebody's models.

[GPR-A]

drastic temp drop from saturday on sunday
according to Accuweather

https://i.imgur.com/Cmti0OM.jpg

Lucky Mercedes.

They are indeed so bloody lucky in the last 5 and half years!

[godlameroso]

There's a good chance the race will start in similar conditions to Germany. A bit drier.

[Just_a_fan]

Rain and/or a cool race - have Mercedes brought too many mediums?