Without the lockup at last corner we're probably two tenths off to mclaren with mclaren running lower on engine in fp3
Let's not kid ourselves. The McLaren is ridiculously dominant and will be on pole by a wide margin.pantherxxx wrote: ↑19 Apr 2025, 16:42Well in Bahrein FP3 Verstappen was 1.3 seconds slower than the Mclarens, and then in the qualy only by 0.5 seconds. That's 8 tenths improvement, just would be enough here to fight for the pole.
Yes but during qualy the asphalt temperature will be 12-14 celsius lower than during FP3. Completely different conditions.Cs98 wrote: ↑19 Apr 2025, 16:43Let's not kid ourselves. The McLaren is ridiculously dominant and will be on pole by a wide margin.pantherxxx wrote: ↑19 Apr 2025, 16:42Well in Bahrein FP3 Verstappen was 1.3 seconds slower than the Mclarens, and then in the qualy only by 0.5 seconds. That's 8 tenths improvement, just would be enough here to fight for the pole.
Red Bull need to make a step in overall downforce level. They have more windtunnel hours than Mclaren. If they can do that, there's no reason that they can't be more competitive. Lots of "if" in that case.venkyhere wrote: ↑19 Apr 2025, 17:37McLaren in sector1 is untouchable. Sector1 in jeddah used to be a Redbull fortress from 2022. That Japan win from a few weeks ago was indeed a miracle, thanks to a lucky combination of harder compounds chosen by Pirelli and cold weather chosen by nature. I don't think the flexi wing correction in Barcelona or the 'imola upgrades on redbull' is going to do anything to change the status quo. The RB21 doesn't hold a single ace over the MCL39, that car holds all aces in all types of corners, all temperatures, all ride heights.
The 'gulf' is bigger than anyone expected. The European leg of races is going to be a bloodbath.
I noticed they usually run the PU harder during FPs when there is a new unit installed (but I think only during Friday?). So we might not get the usual improvement this time.AR3-GP wrote: ↑19 Apr 2025, 17:46I don't know if the trend will continue in qualifying when all the PUs are turned up, but Red Bull is very fast on the straights here. At least 5-7km/h over Mclaren and slightly less over Mercedes.
https://i.postimg.cc/GmH3bxKn/image.png
https://i.postimg.cc/Zn4KZk7w/image.png
Maybe the RB21 doesn’t hold the aces right now, but its biggest ace is potential. The MCL39 might be close to perfection, but that also means it's running out of headroom for improvement—finding another 3–4 tenths gets exponentially harder when you're already near the ceiling. Red Bull, on the other hand, still has clear areas to work on—instability, tyre management, setup sensitivity. If they solve those, the performance jump could be massive.venkyhere wrote: ↑19 Apr 2025, 17:37McLaren in sector1 is untouchable. Sector1 in jeddah used to be a Redbull fortress from 2022. That Japan win from a few weeks ago was indeed a miracle, thanks to a lucky combination of harder compounds chosen by Pirelli and cold weather chosen by nature. I don't think the flexi wing correction in Barcelona or the 'imola upgrades on redbull' is going to do anything to change the status quo. The RB21 doesn't hold a single ace over the MCL39, that car holds all aces in all types of corners, all temperatures, all ride heights.
The 'gulf' is bigger than anyone expected. The European leg of races is going to be a bloodbath.