Emag wrote: ↑06 Dec 2023, 21:48
Mercedes was dominant, yes, but not really that dominant. If it weren't for Ferrari's incompetence and Sebastian's errors, they could have challenged for a title in both 2017 and 2018.
Come on man. Yes they were. Mercedes annihilated everyone for years. They were turning the engine down for the first two years, likely three. Ferrari was cheating with their fuel system, and that’s the only reason they showed any competitive times. It wasn’t Vettel, it wasn’t better design, it was cheating. Ferrari was over Vettel’s head anyway. He had delusions of grandeur thinking he, like Schumacher before him, would bring the team back. It’s embarrassing what happened with him at Ferrari, actually. It only rendered the dominance he held for four years at RB was because he was in a RB car that suited his driving style perfectly. The end. Lewis will have similar concerns as his career comes to an end.
Emag wrote: ↑06 Dec 2023, 21:48
Margins are much smaller in the current formula. We haven't reached the wall of diminishing returns yet, but as the concepts converged last year we saw how close everyone got.
Nobody better in the paddock than Newey and his team as far as debunking the margin of diminishing returns. They will find time until the end of 2025 just like they did until the end of 2013. As far as other teams catching up as the 2023 season passed the half way point...this was because RB abandoned the 2023 project, and turned completely to 2024. The catch up of others was simply RB’s calculation on returns, and knowing full well nobody would catch them this year. Meaning, it’s not chance what happened in 2023. Their being caught up was simply a calculus they had already resolved.
I don’t think people realize, or want to realize, the levels RB works at. I think many dismiss their prowess simply because they don’t want to believe they are that much better. And the funny thing is, I’m not a big fan of any one team particularly, so its not my bias saying that they are that much better. I’ve just watched them for decades now, and all they do is keep getting better. It’s easy to forget, they alone are the ones who stole Merc dominance just before the engine era ended. And they did it in the midst of a horrendous shift over to a new engine manufacturer. It’s actually incredible they were able to win it all in 2021. There was more to that year than the final race. Many forget that.
Sorry to be “that guy”, but RB are that much better when it comes to management and aero. The systems they have in place to accentuate their engineer and driver strengths are a product of perfect leadership and management. Really. RB don’t get the credit, and Horner certainly doesn’t get enough credit, for what they put together every year. It’s really quite amazing. It’s like watching a rock band that is able to transcend generations while everyone else fails to keep selling albums. Many try to be Metallica or Aerosmith, but only a few are able to actually do it...and it’s not money, it’s gifted talent. RB is the same with Newey and Horner.
Emag wrote: ↑06 Dec 2023, 21:48
Are they completely ditching the concept which pretty much the entire grid agreed to follow last year? Or are they just building around it in a way which elevates the platform to a whole new level?
I dunno. But I do know the concept they present will be the best option available since they have been on it full throttle since midsummer and well before in a smaller capacity. I think the cost cap actually works in their favor since it is management and leadership choices that make the team strong, not endless money. So they make better choices at every step. We’ve seen this repeatedly over decades of time. It’s why Merc can’t pull their sh*t together. It’s why Ferrari also can’t find their arse from a hole in the ground. It’s not money, it’s genius and management. Give all the teams $100 and RB will spend it better. And I’m saying that *wanting* Merc and Ferrari and Aston and Macca and Williams to do better because I don’t like dominance and want many at the sharp end. All drivers deserve a fair shot. It’s just better racing and it means something more when wins come not just from car dominance.
That said, prepare yourself for more dominance. It’s not going to stop. They are going to put Lewis into retirement. Watch. He doesn’t have the patience of Alonso.
Emag wrote: ↑06 Dec 2023, 21:48
I expect it to be like Mercedes 2015 -> 2016.
From the outside, they looked similar. But the 2016 car was a lot faster than its predecessor.
Hard to say with Newey on board: Evolution or revolution...but there’s nobody better in the paddock than Newey when it comes to making the correct choices in difficult situations.
Watching F1 since 1986.
Their retaining Checo’s sub-standard services should be all the evidence needed to render their confidence walking into 2024.
Their retaining Checo’s sub-standard services should be all the evidence needed to render their confidence walking into 2024. 
. I mean they had the same chassis maybe at connection points,but they used different carbon layout and stuffs to be 5kg lighter.Also under the cover they had different organisation for oil cooler. So they definitely made a new one. The suspension also new at front and rear. The RB18 suspension from up view was align straight and the RB19 is not. They had totally different front nose,they engine cover, sidepods, floor also different. Where connect the nose to the monocoque, the shape is also different and the place of suspension wishbone. It was a long time ago February so I can't remember at lot of stuff fir sure, but the car changed a lot.
