cheeRS wrote: ↑28 Mar 2022, 18:07
Dee wrote: ↑28 Mar 2022, 17:03
SuperCNJ wrote: ↑28 Mar 2022, 16:47
One thing that continues to baffle me is that I find it difficult to believe that Mercs PU has suddenly gone from being the most powerful to one of the least powerful and being overtaken by Ferrari and RB in a matter of months.
We all know that the spec and rules around the PU have largely been kept the same since its inception in 2014. And we know the development curve since then has steadily increased for all manufacturers. However, as Merc themselves have admitted, finding significant gains becomes increasingly more difficult as there is nothing much left to squeeze out of it.
So for Ferrari / RB to find massive gains not only compared to an improved 2022 Merc PU in such a short space of time, let alone the gains made when compared to their own 2021 PUs is either super impressive or Merc has gone backwards.
Considering Honda threw everything into the 2021 PU, I really didn't think there was much left to gain in 2022.
I guess the only thing that might have had a bearing on this is if Ferrari/RB have managed to extract more power from the new E10 fuel and Merc perhaps not being able to do so.
Or do we believe this is all down to drag?
As far as I can see, Mercedes spent last year building a special one off engine for Hamilton to use in Brazil, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi
They did not focus on an E10 engine that would be locked in for the next four years
I can understand if you're frustrated (I am too, at Merc's performance), but you don't really believe that, do you? It's a silly thought. The top teams don't operate by the seat of their pants like that.
Andy Cowell left
RB poached engine staff
Engineers were put on an upgraded engine instead of the 2022 engine
Mercedes were looking at 8 WCC and 8WDC in the hybrid era, why don't you think they would not be sidetracked by that?
Also,
Ferrari, Honda and Renault designed their engines with E10 in mind, Honda 2021 engine was supposed to debut this year
Mercedes are the only team, as far as I'm aware that have not built an engine specifically for this new era