search wrote: ↑19 Oct 2024, 18:55
dialtone wrote: ↑19 Oct 2024, 18:51
search wrote: ↑19 Oct 2024, 18:37
well, I posted the screenshot above, Sainz did a fast lap, and then some 2 1/2 seconds slower, both on the same fuel load. McLaren often does the same, so the teams obviously are able to project something into it -
but I wouldn't think it's possible to compare those kind of runs with more traditional ones from the outside.
why?
because in my opinion, if they are able to go 2 1/2 seconds faster, then it's unlikely that they are on the same fuel load as others
That lap is ultimately 2s slower than the pole lap on softs, we had 0.7s difference from hard to soft on friday practice. So conservatively there's at least 45-50kg and then Sainz did another 6 laps which is 10% of the race so probably another ~10kg. Except for RBR which was obviously on a full tank, Mercedes seems on a very similar fuel load as does MCL.
It's impossible to know exactly but I don't agree that somehow this weekend it isn't representative while all the other weekends it was. It could go either way during the race, but Ferrari was dominating SQ1-2 with the medium and fell off on the softs, as usual.
You don't even need to go very far for the last race where Mercs performed well in quali and terrible in the race, it was in Singapore where they qualified 3rd and 4th only 0.1s off Max and 0.3s off Lando and finished over a minute behind and LEC/SAI who started 9th and 10th were on their heels.
A single practice and short quali session with big temperature drop at the end is definitely not enough to make me think that Mercedes is over their problems when the practice session was terrible for them.