[ 2020 ] AMG Mercedes F1 Team - Mercedes

[PlatinumZealot]

No women. No Ale. No meat.

Makes one wonder what the point is...as the old jokes goes.

I can't even remember where I got that from. Game of thrones or some samurai movie?

[Mark4211]

Just wanted to share my annotated video of Hamilton's qualifying lap from Bahrain last year

Annotated Wheel Adjustments: Qualifying Lap, Lewis Hamilton - Bahrain 2019

https://streamable.com/cagq0f

[aral]

Please try to stay on topic. That way, you will avoid having off topic comments removed. Thanks

[zibby43]

Sounds like Mercedes did hardly any setup work for the weekend and focused mostly on the tire test.

From Andrew Shovlin:

"We’re a bit behind compared to where we’d normally like to be regarding the race on Sunday, in part because we’ve not spent as long as normal tuning the car balance, but also because we’ve not done as extensive a long run programme as is normal. We’ve definitely got more to come both on single lap and on the long run as we are not in a great place with the car balance yet, but we’ve still got a bit of track time tomorrow to work on that."

[Moore77]

Once again, Pirelli would become a limiting factor. They were happy that FIA had decided to cut the downforce by 10% for 2021, which would have surely helped them.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... V3ntS.html

If the 2021 tyres can't hold up (no news on how they compared against 2020 tyres in recent testing) and Pirelli balloons them, then it's difficult to imagine if W12 would beat the W11 times. It already happened this year and might happen again next year. It would then become hard to distinguish the development of W12.

Ha. These people are not fools. They will have a projection of how much downforce the teams would have made in 2021 without aero limits. So the ten percent cut is not associated with this years downforce but the projected downforce.

Well. We have seen how the 2020 tyre situation transpired when they tested in 2019! Every single team thwacked the 2020 compounds, which forced Pirelli to continue using 2019 tyres in 2020, with balloon tyre pressures. Every year, barring 2017 and 2018, they have made blunders in their compound construction leaving teams completely unhappy with tyres. What is that which would make one feel optimistic for 2021?

So, the verdict from Hamilton is...

https://www.grandprix247.com/2020/11/28 ... ent-tyres/

Lewis Hamilton led criticism of the tyres Formula 1 supplier Pirelli plans to introduce in 2021 after drivers had a chance to try them out during Friday’s practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“I’m trying my hardest not to say anything,” said the Briton, who equalled Michael Schumacher’s record haul of seven world titles at the last race in Turkey.

“They’ve had two years now to develop a better tyre,” he told a videoconference.

“From a driver point of view we’re working with brands and partners who are at the forefront of technology, elevating and moving forwards and if you’re going back after two years of development, I don’t know what’s happening.

“If that’s all they’ve got and that’s the best that they can do, which it clearly is, then we’ll just be better just to stay with this tyre,” added the 35-year-old, who ended the day fastest for Mercedes.

Pirelli has carried over the tyres it used last year into the 2020 season.

The Italian company wants to introduce a tyre for next season that is stronger, featuring the same compound but different construction.

“Every time you propose a new tyre, there are some criticisms, there is a change in balance,” said Pirelli’s F1 boss Mario Isola.

“I’m sure they (the teams) will find a way to balance the car and extract performance from the 2021 tyres.”

Friday practice in Bahrain was the second time teams and drivers have had a chance to evaluate prototypes of the new tyres having also run different versions of them during practice for last month’s Portuguese Grand Prix at the Portimao track.

Hamilton, who said the new tyres were three kilos heavier and a second a lap slower, was equally unimpressed after running them at Portimao.

His Ferrari rival and four time champion Sebastian Vettel echoed his comments.

“They were not a step forward,” said the German after Bahrain practice. “Probably worth a shot, but I hope we don’t see these tyres again.

“If that one is the only option for 2021, then absolutely, I would love to stick with the 2019 tyres.”

[holeindalip]

Ha. These people are not fools. They will have a projection of how much downforce the teams would have made in 2021 without aero limits. So the ten percent cut is not associated with this years downforce but the projected downforce.

Well. We have seen how the 2020 tyre situation transpired when they tested in 2019! Every single team thwacked the 2020 compounds, which forced Pirelli to continue using 2019 tyres in 2020, with balloon tyre pressures. Every year, barring 2017 and 2018, they have made blunders in their compound construction leaving teams completely unhappy with tyres. What is that which would make one feel optimistic for 2021?

So, the verdict from Hamilton is...

https://www.grandprix247.com/2020/11/28 ... ent-tyres/

Lewis Hamilton led criticism of the tyres Formula 1 supplier Pirelli plans to introduce in 2021 after drivers had a chance to try them out during Friday’s practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“I’m trying my hardest not to say anything,” said the Briton, who equalled Michael Schumacher’s record haul of seven world titles at the last race in Turkey.

“They’ve had two years now to develop a better tyre,” he told a videoconference.

“From a driver point of view we’re working with brands and partners who are at the forefront of technology, elevating and moving forwards and if you’re going back after two years of development, I don’t know what’s happening.

“If that’s all they’ve got and that’s the best that they can do, which it clearly is, then we’ll just be better just to stay with this tyre,” added the 35-year-old, who ended the day fastest for Mercedes.

Pirelli has carried over the tyres it used last year into the 2020 season.

The Italian company wants to introduce a tyre for next season that is stronger, featuring the same compound but different construction.

“Every time you propose a new tyre, there are some criticisms, there is a change in balance,” said Pirelli’s F1 boss Mario Isola.

“I’m sure they (the teams) will find a way to balance the car and extract performance from the 2021 tyres.”

Friday practice in Bahrain was the second time teams and drivers have had a chance to evaluate prototypes of the new tyres having also run different versions of them during practice for last month’s Portuguese Grand Prix at the Portimao track.

Hamilton, who said the new tyres were three kilos heavier and a second a lap slower, was equally unimpressed after running them at Portimao.

His Ferrari rival and four time champion Sebastian Vettel echoed his comments.

“They were not a step forward,” said the German after Bahrain practice. “Probably worth a shot, but I hope we don’t see these tyres again.

“If that one is the only option for 2021, then absolutely, I would love to stick with the 2019 tyres.”

I thought that was the whole point of cutting downforce next year to use the same tires....

[e30ernest]

I think those tires were meant for this year, so they needed to cut downforce next year so that it'll be around the levels there were supposed to be this year. I could be wrong though.

[Morteza]

[proteus]

Lewis is aparently positive to covid, and he wont be driving this weekend.

[piast9]

So will Stoffel Vandoorne have a ride in Mercedes this weekend?

[PowerandtheGlory]

Debate-able... call up Russell and farm out vandoorme to Williams?? Championship is over, why not make a left field choice...

[Morteza]

Official statement by the team

[adrianjordan]

Debate-able... call up Russell and farm out vandoorme to Williams?? Championship is over, why not make a left field choice...

It's what I'd do. I think a lot of fans would like to see George in a top car.

Will Lewis be clear in time for Abu Dhabi as well?? He should be, but it could be pushing it with back to back races.

[Moore77]

Debate-able... call up Russell and farm out vandoorme to Williams?? Championship is over, why not make a left field choice...

It's what I'd do. I think a lot of fans would like to see George in a top car.

Will Lewis be clear in time for Abu Dhabi as well?? He should be, but it could be pushing it with back to back races.

Now that Hamilton has won the championship, he can take a well deserved break and hand over the car to George and we get to see George for 2 races in Mercedes. Unfair to expect anything big from George due to vastly superior car to be driven without decent amout of practice.

[NathanOlder]

Hope George gets it, but I reckon it will be Gutierrez.