Combining the man cave reference for aero devices with the wheel complexity and cost - it's amazing how the the wheel has evolved
Image Unavailable, Please Login Vettels car was fitted with the new floor for todays scrutineering. Raikkonen got the old old floor. Looks like Ferrari plans to run a direct comparison tomorrow in FP1. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
RedBull brings updates on the floor (Ferrari like.....hmmmm) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Awesome pics (as always). Remind me again...did they try that new floor on Kimi's car at COTA for FP1 and/or FP2 but the data in the wet wasn't useful enough? Or is this a slightly new floor (maybe some altitude considerations)? How's the weather looking down there?
Yes and no(2nd question). Ferrari are gonna gather more data with these floors in Mexico due to the altitude change....less dense air so you go for high downforce plus the turbo's will get a workout too. RedBull will try the same thing on one car only for data collection. Weather update soon to follow.
T2. Where Max and Lewis cut the corner years past. Notice the kerbs are back. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Well, there is one. O.Z. racing wheels. But Mercedes have the resources to make their own as long as it meets FIA F1 standards.
@Nortonious Weather update from the Weather Channel. Current at time of post. Friday 80% chance of rain Sat. 60% chance Sun. 60% chance.
Thx for WX report. Guess I coulda looked that up myself. I suppose I wouldn't mind a repeat of the COTA wx pattern as it worked out well for Ferrari. And perhaps the altitude and wheel/tyre issues will give MB more challenges...keep them off the podium even (a man can dream).
No problem. Mexico Citys (Distrito Federal) weather can change. Expect more updates tomorrow. ESPN is airing the FP's and Quali on "restricted channels." Race will be on ABC again Sunday.
[Autosport] Mercedes gets clearance from the MexicanGP F1 stewards to run its wheel design that has been the focus of so much attention in recent weeks.
I wonder if they have their cross weight issue fixed now too... https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hamilton-mercedes-very-strange-austin/3202272/
This is good. Teams should be able to develop this area as they see fit. Ferrari did this in 2007 with their blown wheels and CO2 filled tyres, and again a few years ago. FIA like to kill good ideas and hold on to bad ones.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/139645/hamilton-hurt-by-massive-setup-problem-in-us Lewis Hamilton has explained how Mercedes' water-pump setback led to a "massive" set-up problem on his Formula 1 car for last weekend's United States Grand Prix. Mercedes needed to change the water pumps on both its cars ahead of the Austin race, which led to Hamilton's car having a significant weight imbalance across the front tyres. Hamilton said after finishing only third from pole in the US GP he had faced multiple problems, and has now elaborated on the issue that was originally a mystery when he addressed the media post-race. "They took the car apart in the morning, and when they put it back together, the car was unbalanced," said Hamilton. "So [I had] a massive cross-weight issue. It was something like 50kgs, which was massive. "So, the right front and the left rear would take all the weight, the car would not turn through the left hand corners. "It felt very strange out there. It felt like I had a massive tail wind or something when I was going through places like Turn 19. "Through the right-handers it was a little better, but there are not a lot of right-handers at that track. "I think if we hadn't had that problem it would have been a much different race." Pirelli upped its rear tyre pressures ahead of the Austin race in response to the changing conditions over the weekend. Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas said those changes, which applied to every team, did not help performance.
Makes no sense to me at all, too. You change a wp for another wp. The weight difference should be in grams, not kilograms. It's not like the silicone in the wheels added that much weight.
It's a statement to cover up the fact that the real issue for graining/blistering their tires at the USGP was sealing the holes in the rims with silicone. That's been the W09's weakness.
