This forum contains threads to discuss teams themselves. Anything not technical about the cars, including restructuring, performances etc belongs here.
I just thought it was a funny contradiction. On the one hand you claim it's impossible to know Piastri would have choked, and in the same sentence you say it's only natural because it's his first title challenge. Doesn't seem like a well crafted point.
And it doesnt seem that you've been reading the whole post. I said based on his performances till the summer break he was going for the title in his first title challenge and looked cool and unbreakable. Nobody expected him to choke that much to throw everything in the trash on the last 10 races. And I argued that I've seen better performances in the years I've been watching F1. Just a personal opinion but I see now that it was a mistake to voice a different opinion.
And it doesnt seem that you've been reading the whole post. I said based on his performances till the summer break he was going for the title in his first title challenge and looked cool and unbreakable. Nobody expected him to choke that much to throw everything in the trash on the last 10 races. And I argued that I've seen better performances in the years I've been watching F1. Just a personal opinion but I see now that it was a mistake to voice a different opinion.
Anyway I'm done with this back and forth.
No contradiction then... It was both unforeseeable and natural that it happened that way.
I think some people could see it coming, not the Verstappen part but certainly Lando.
I think the learning curve to F1 (primarily due to tires) is much steeper now than it was back when Hamilton started. Still, Hamilton's rookie season is quite impressive. Jumped in and fought with a 2 times champion out of the gate.
His reservations seem to be mostly on the engine side, rather than on the car.
And what he says is reasonable. Two of their main rivals, Ferrari and Mercedes, have been in this game for far longer, so it would make sense if they were ahead (engine-wise). On the other side, both Honda and Audi have extensive automotive and motorsport presence, so it’s not like they’re starting from the same level of experience with them either.
In general, underpromise and over overdeliver is the best PR strategy anyway, so I see this more of a way of managing expectations in case they don’t come out swinging from the get go, rather than an admittion of defeat before the season has even started.
It wouldn't surprise me if this launch features just a 2025 car with a show spec front wing or something. F1 didn't even have time to make an actual show car so there's no 2026 show car to copy.Like Red Bull did in 2022. It would be on brand for these hastily thrown together Frankenstein regs.
Looking closely at the photos, it doesn't seem to be the FIA show car. I can see some aero development in the bargeboards and an angle in the sidepods. In the FIA show car, the sidepod is straight.
On the presentation, they showed the livery on top of the FIA show car.
