Marko just said what everyone else is thinking!

Is that Tower Bridge or London Bridge ? Either way I'm in. Will look good next to my gnomes

 

They've had the FIA in it's Pace Car glovebox for a few years

 

I never said that the tires are the only reason Mercedes is at front, we all know that the Mercedes is the better car. But after having a head start in the hybrid era it still helps to have a suitable tire. Looking how crutial it is to get the tire in the right window it is an advantage that could not be denied.
Last year Mercedes came with their new rims that partly solved that problem and not even themselves were sure whether this is legal and therefore didn´t use them in at least two races. Looking at the performance difference in these two races compared to the others with the very same car apart from the rims it can be seen what a difference the tires make.
Mercedes apparently had the tendency to overheat and now they have tires that do not do that, but all of the sudden a lot of teams have problems to get them on temperature...

 

You said yourself not a long time ago that there are contract that would result in big fines if they do not show up... Why you now post something like this might remain only your secret as it contradicts everything you preached earlier on.

 

Either, how big are your pockets? Times running out though, I have a short guy called Jean arriving later to take a pick of them!, has a lot of German euros to invest apparently!

 

You aren’t familiar with how corruption works then? Mercedes have the inside track on all decisions F1 at the FIA, they have the rules written to their benefit, and we see every single week decisions that go Mercedes way for no apparent reason. It doesn’t make any difference who challenges it, the FIA will close ranks and deny it, they will never admit bias, and no one can force them

 

You can’t have missed the constant dialogue offered by many prominent players in F1 confirming that the tyre compound changes by Pirelli have been suspicious in the extreme, with periods of Mercedes poor performance ending miraculously with a Pirelli compound update, and the rest of the teams suffering performance drop off at the same times.

Don’t believe me, just look back over the press of the last few years, I don’t intend to try to convince you, the evidence is out their and easy enough to see. Pirelli recently have even seen fit to try to issue denials, the first sign that there is a case to answer

 

Then why should any other team bother to compete against Mercedes? That's a lot of money in the crapper for what? The CEO's of the other team's surely can't be that stupid and not familiar with how corruption works - unless they too are complicit?

 

They are contracted for one thing, if they don’t compete they get to pay a kings ransom NOT to race. Next up, f1 is not about winning for most of the teams, can you imagine force point stroll or whatever they call themselves, or Renault, or Williams, actually go to the races believing they are in it to win it? No. The teams participate for their own agenda, and put up with the flavour of the season from the FIA because they have no choice, and they still make their living being in f1, which is so far ahead of every other category they couldn’t get anywhere near the recognition, and therefore earnings, that f1 brings. Finally, what can they do about it? Bring the sport into disrepute and again, risk their living?... no, they have to go with it and hope they get paid.

 

Maybe there’s some other form of protest. Put both your cars out running at a maximum 50kph or something. Or paint them with a message. And so on. I don’t know the rules well enough, but there’s got to be a loophole. Get Colin kaepernick on it. He’s not doing much these days.
I agree with your point about sponsors etc...but remember publicity is publicity....a protest would garner more media attention than finishing in 4-5th place.
Maybe it’s the lack of creativity in F1 that’s also part of the problem.

 

I think the teams would worry the publicity would damage them, because the FIA won’t admit anything, and Mercedes certainly wouldn’t.

 

Yes of course Marko is biased. Of course he wouldn’t be saying anything if Red Bull were in favor again as they were in the past. This does not mean what he is saying is untrue and it also doesn’t eliminate the facts. Fact Merc was the only team with tire problems. Fact Pirelli changed the tires structure. Fact Mercedes now the only team able to work the tires properly.

 

Glad to read Hemut Marko agrees LH drove dangerously as well, he was not prepared for the worse, had he slammed into SV then it would have been a mess.
dayona355 (sid) makes a good point that the teams are in it for the riches it brings, winning is a by-product.

We have seen in the past where tyres have favoured other teams including Ferrari with Bridgestone and Michelin but the current crop of tyres made i.e not lasting more than a dozen laps is a farce. Make them last the whole race but then we wouldn't have the phoney spectacle of strategy and pit stops. That should left to the driver who cannot gauge how and when to save his tyres.

 

Fact — none of your inputs are “facts” with proof. Zero.

Fact - Pirelli stated they changed the tires due by complaints filed by all teams due to blistering last year. This has been public multiple times in the press by Pirelli officials.

Someone prove Mercedes have done a deal with Pirelli that specifically benefits one team only. Post it

 

Near on impossible to prove but do we need to when its so obvious. Past teams have all been "favoured" by tyres that suit their needs at the detriment of others. Bridgestone / SF in the 2000's was a good example of how the two worked closely to achieve the perfect car combination.

Is there anything wrong in Pirelli associating themselves with the best team [NO], by inference they are deemed the best tyre for commercial bragging rights, does that help the sport of racing when everyone else has one arm tied behind their back [NO].

Just my point of view.

Best

Tony

 

It was discussed openly during the season. Do you watch F1?

 

They still make something out of it, although not as much as they could expect.
It's the same the world over.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Pirelli comments on tyres:

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/pirelli-single-request-change-tyres/4473270/

 

Long as they issue a denial, I guess it’s no longer an issue for them.... that they feel the need to make this announcement shows they are under pressure behind the scenes from the other teams, and unfortunately, as we’ve discussed in the other thread this was posted in, no team is going to be the one to write the begging letter to start the process to change, and in addition, what faith have they that Pirelli will do so when they are so clearly in the pocket of Mercedes

 

Everybody cheats and will cheat if they can get away with it . It isn’t called cheating if you don’t get caught . The most common denominator in all forms of racing is cheating , nobody is a saint and no one has the right to speak from a higher moral ground , they are all whores

 

Agreed, but this time it’s complicit with the governing body, and is protected by them to last, so far, FIVE YEARS!

 

2018 Abu Dhabi tyre test for the 2019 tyre spec.

Ferrari lapping just under 2 seconds faster than Bottas on the last day, most teams seem happy with the new spec, pre season testing - Barcelona, mercs still slower. The others smell blood - had they been hoodwinked ?

 

probably.

Actually, make that Certainly.

And so where all of us. Encouraged by the so called in the know experts, who all said the Ferrari looked so brilliant and that Mercedes really was struggling. That the Ferrari was at least half a second clear of Mercedes and Mercedes maybe even behind Red Bull.

Only for Mercedes to clear the Ferrari's by 7 tenths in melbourne quali.

The experts talked the show up (again). They're either incompetent or told to be positive ''or else''. There is no chance Mercedes got on top of their ''problems'' and then some in 2 weeks.

 

Got it in one.

Were we all conned.........I guess we were, but I think Mercedes used the data gained on the 2018 car / test to better effect. The other teams should be embarrassed more. Even the likes of Newey fell into a false sense o f security so it seems.