2022 Australian GP: Post Race Analysis

Porpoising doesnt matter at this circuit and this layout favored the Ferrari configuration. The DRS train is back and is annoying like last year was.

 

Apparently, being able to follow closely does not result in many passes.

 

That is shocking news. Engine parity as well lol

 

I saw what you did there..........

 

Some standouts to me:

1. Albon: driving incredibly well. To take the hards for 56 laps and secure a point was a 10/10 drive

2. Hamilton: He had sensors on his car all weekend which cost a couple kg. Despite this maximised qualy, had an amazing start and was on for third. Unlucky with the sc but caught back up to russell but had to back off due to engine overheat so didn’t get to try overtake

3. Leclerc: dominant display once again and went for the fastest lap despite the traffic. Held verstappen off with ease. Grateful he is leading the Ferrari charge now and not that useless muppet Vettel

 

Overall, Mercedes looked much stronger than the first few races

 

They got lucky with Red Bull and Ferrari having cars drop out, or they would've been 5th and 6th again.

Red Bull was surprisingly lacking pace. Ferrari indeed turned up the engine a tad, but for Max to be nowhere was not something I expected.

 

Very true. It’s unfortunate that Alonso didn’t keep his pace as well.

 

One has to wonder if Ferrari knows they have enough reserve engine power to smoke Red Bull and Mercedes, but are worried that if the advantage is too great too early, something might be done to stop them, one way or another.

After all, the new regs are being sold as producing more overtaking. If Ferrari has too much of an advantage, that's not something the FIA would want to see. They won't treat them like Mercedes.

It's just a speculation, we don't know that. However, the fact that turning the engine up 5HP made it so that Leclerc could easily handle Max and the DRS, suggests to me Ferrari are hiding yet more power.

 

Completely agree,
Ferrari hybrid is top notch since the big improvement made last year with the new 200v system.
They have just now an ICE at the same level.
Both combined you have a monster of an engine.
Torque delivery is their main asset.
More than power numbers.

 

I thought it was 800v?

 

I think they have a little bit of reserve in the ICE and potentially an upgrade coming for the hybrid system just before the engine freeze. I was anxious about the engine freeze and thought it would be a disadvantage to us and secure 4 more years of Mercedes’ dominance. I’m happy that I was wrong.

I have to give credit to Binotto for the great work over the winter and making the team lean and mean again. Maybe the budget cap was a blessing in disguise. Additionally the team finally learned about sandbagging in testing and on Friday. Too many years went by where I had high hopes after Friday only to get crushed in qualifying and the race.

 

My mistake
Between 800 and 900v

 

Indeed. Ferrari have learned that it pays to make your competition wonder what you truly have for Q3 and Sunday.

 

If it turns out that Ferrari have a serious power advantage the moment an engine freeze is enacted, there's going to be an outcry that Ferrari are cheats, and there will be demands in both media and from their competitors that the freeze rules be amended. It won't be tolerated like the "spicy engine!" from Mercedes.

If the Red Bull engine continues to be unreliable and either they have to start taking engine penalties, or run the engine conservatively to finish the races, it will be very difficult for Red Bull to keep the championship within reach. Not impossible, but it will be very difficult.

 

Question mark is how Honda would be involved in Red Bull powertrains in the coming years.
Red Bull hired 40 engine specialist from Mercedes but it weight nothing compared with Honda capacities as an engine builder.
Binotto should be as inflexible as Mercedes was in 2014 when they managed to impose the stupid tokens system.

 

The future question is how much Porsche influence on the next PU for RedBull if they are to be a connected group. If not then RedBull will be very much reliant on Honda tech as the basis for the new future power setup.

 

Mercedes didn't impose it; it was agreed by the other engine builders.

 

Exact
Dominicali and Montezemolo were politically weaks.
Renault either.
They had completely underestimated what Mercedes had done since 2008.

 

Honda will continue to help Red Bull assemble and maintain the engines, but as you say, it's going to take Red Bull time to be able to be self sufficient.

Ferrari sacrificed the last two years of car development, instead focusing on their engine department, knowing the switch to E10 would give them an advantage, and it's clearly paying off for the team like a slot machine jackpot.

Mercedes and Honda probably expected they would maintain their power advantages with the freeze, and now they see Ferrari hid their development from them, like Mercedes did from the entire F1 world in the latter era of the V8's.

For the first time in a long time, Ferrari got sneaky. Good for them.

 

Weak? No. Arrogance is the word.

Ferrari got distracted, too. They focused way too much on catching Red Bull in the early 10's, instead of getting ready for the hybrid era, all to create cars that were dogs anyways.

 

Binotto won the political battle against the « though » guy Arrivabene few years ago.
Now I understand why.
He’s a Ferrari man.
This gives me high hopes for the whole Scuderia team cohesion.

 

Binotto annoyed me a great deal when he first took his new position. He really seemed deeply uncomfortable taking the role he did (to be fair I think he still finds it uncomfortable). I didn't think firing him would be the wisest idea either as obviously he's very compentent given his work before, but wasn't sure if another change of the guard was the wisest thing either. Glad Ferrari's wise patience paid off! They where in a very difficult position for a long time.

 

i have to admit i was not confident about his capacities to lead a top team.
Fortunately i was wrong..
He's a very composed, calm guy ( not like Dominicali) but also determined with a plan.
The way he dealt with the pressure the last two years and managed with his team to build the SF-75 is nothing less than amazing.