Drivers hint at continued Red Bull dominance
Despite general belief that Renault and especially Red Bull had optimised the engine mapping to blow hot gasses out of the exhaust even under braking, hints dropped during the European GP weekend at Valencia now suggest otherwise.
Many people expected Red Bull and Lotus Renault GP to take a big hit due to the hot blowing ban in two weeks time at Silverstone. Both teams' cars aerodynamically rely on the systems, but drivers speaking at Valencia suggest that it could well be the competition that will suffer most.
When asked about the regulation changes after qualifying, Sebastian Vettel replied: "I think, as Mark said, and I said earlier, a lot of talk and we will have the same sort of talking before Silverstone Grand Prix again. I think we know what we’re doing. Surely it is a step back but it’s the same for all of us; for some probably more, for some less, especially for those cars which were based to work on that concept, cars like the Mercedes or Renault, they will feel it more than others, I think."
Even more interesting was Lewis Hamilton's comment after the race. After struggling for pace throughout the race, the Briton said: "We struggled here for pace yes, partly because of the heat. In two weeks time though I think we will really struggle at Silverstone with fast corners and the regulation changes."
While this doesn't prove much, together with earlier remarks by team principals, it looks like Formula One is not at all expecting Red Bull's dominance to turn around any time soon.
