diffuser wrote: ↑19 Dec 2020, 17:06
Marti_EF3 wrote: ↑19 Dec 2020, 16:18
The only concern is that Merc spend more time for 2021 car than the others. And giving the base from 2020 is great, it will be hard
You speak the truth!
In Abu Dhabi, for whatever reason, the RB16 was the fastest car. Next year both Honda and Mercedes, as well as the other engine OEMs, are bringing big updates. The chassis is being held back in the same manner for everyone, and RB feels pretty confident that they can make the car faster despite the changes. Then again so can Mercedes. To be honest by Turkey, the changes on the car made it enough to be a match for Mercedes. It's just a matter of who qualifies ahead, because clean air seems to be a big advantage to race pace, especially when the performance is so close. Next year, unless someone makes a mistake with the tires, who ever starts 1st can usually finish 1st, so qualifying will be even more important.
These cars are such that it's hard to follow closer than 5 seconds. If you push too hard to stay close you burn up your tires. It's only worth pushing to try to get into DRS range, otherwise it's a matter of stretching the stint to be strong at the end, or trying the undercut.