2018 Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne, 22 -25 March

[Big Tea]

I can not help but think of Lotus carefully putting a cloth over the gearbox when everyone talks of Party mode and oil burning.

[NathanOlder]

Yes, that is indeed very likely, good reasoning. So that explains a big part of the difference and we can confirm that Mercedes has found enough in its engine to have the performance mode on during the whole of Q3. So 2 chances for Bot and Ham to get pole. I predict a lot of them.

Tyres lost their edge and the 2nd run in Q3 most drivers find a tenth or 2 after a banker lap.

Which is what i said 12 hours ago. But you kept on about cheating mercedes.

[Just_a_fan]

Marko said :

They have their special qualifying mode for the engine and they win three or four tenths when they turn it on.

"Even in race trim they have 30hp more, with better fuel consumption and they start with 15kg less fuel. That’s about three tenths per lap

Summary: Mercedes have done a brilliant job.

[f1316]

There is a suggestion by Italian jurno that Ferrari has stripped some wings to cope with fuel saving.

Watching the side by side, that’s exactly the thought that went through my head (prior to reading your comment).

It’s very rare to see Ferrari heading Mercedes on the straights and it seems clear from the comparison that the quicker way round the lap is to add a bit more downforce and sacrifice some top speed.

Ferrari would be as aware as anyone of the optimal trade off here, and clearly not running max wing angle so there’s ‘dirty’ downforce available to them and top speed to spare, so this seems very likely to be about shedding drag to minimise fuel saving. I very much doubt they’ll have to do less fuel saving than Mercedes but seems like another sign that they’re not optimising the chassis and potential gains are there (albeit not easy to find better fuel economy without a new PU). But other tracks might therefore suit them more.

Also, for anyone not a Mercedes fan - at this stage it’s a great thing if Mercedes have a mega quali mode that no one is else’s is close to: means we’re game on for the race.

FYI I personally think they’ll all be expecting a one stop - just RBs will pit later so have fresher Softs.

[Jambier]

Summary: Mercedes have done a brilliant job.

Yes and we can just admire them for doing that even if it is wearisome.

I think RBR also have done a great job with their car.

I'm.more disappointed of Ferrari. They pushed really hard their concept but I fill like they are at their max potential. I don't how how to express it but not very confident for the future devs

[Sieper]

Yes, that is indeed very likely, good reasoning. So that explains a big part of the difference and we can confirm that Mercedes has found enough in its engine to have the performance mode on during the whole of Q3. So 2 chances for Bot and Ham to get pole. I predict a lot of them.

Tyres lost their edge and the 2nd run in Q3 most drivers find a tenth or 2 after a banker lap.

Which is what i said 12 hours ago. But you kept on about cheating mercedes.

Why cant you just simply read what I actually say as opposed to what you think I say? Mercedes still has enough power modus available to do the whole Q3, just like last year. I had hoped (because I am fan of a different team/driver) that the limit of 0,6 liter would make that impossible, but that clearly is not the case. 0,6 liter is allowed, it is not cheating.allthough I feel the limit should be 0,1 liter, the actual usage of Renault and the customer Mercedes teams. You cannot be against that, right? Mercedes Burns no oil according to you (If i actually do a good job of Reading myself) so it makes no difference in your viewpoint?

Also, I never said RBR has the best chassis, or Mercedes does not have a good chassis (possibly the best) or Hamilton is not a fantastic driver. Never, because I do think merc has all its things in order (with exception possibly of its number two driver) Also the power mode is not just oil, or at least, I don’t think so, merc has the best mgu-h, has the best engine with I think also the most over capacity, it almost never blows so they can use that over capacity in Q3 relatively safely.

I just think the 0,6 is not strict enough, I hoped so, but clearly it is insufficiënt for at least Mercedes to have high power mode during whole Q3, part of which I am still convinced is the oil burn.

For the final time, why, If oil is of no consequence did merc put the 1,2 liter engine in the car at Monza last year ahead of schedule and kept it until brazil. Had they not done that I would have believed oil burn is of no to little consequence. Now I am still convinced it is part of the party mode.

In Any case, congrats with your man doing so good, enjoy the race tomorrow and hope we can all be civilized. Not saying you are not but Some have been a little intentionally spitefull just because I have a Partly different viewpoint.

[Restomaniac]

Unless I'm looking at the forecast wrong, then its a dry race.

To be fair in this case I think I'd like it dry as it will give us a good indication of where everybody actually sits with no big variable.

Was interesting to see big performance from Mercedes, even with the oil burning now totally gone. I personally suspected they never used it anyway and it was just Ferrari.

They still have 0,6 liter (per 100k) to play with. Hamilton isn’t such a bad driver that he can only concentrate for 1 lap. The extra performance of the last Q3 lap is still coming from somewhere.

You can keep screaming loud for the rest of the season and I don't think anyone would buy the BS of oil burning.

The reason why Mercedes has been unstoppable is that their advantage does not come from one single silver bullet area like double diffuser, EBD or flexi wings.

Indeed.
Mercedes obviously use a Mercedes powerplant and have just smashed the field. Now if it was just about the powerplant then why do Williams currently quite frankly suck?

[Moose]

And why when advance suspension systems were banned last year did they suddenly lose half a second of performance compared to the rest of the field... Could it be that they had a lead on fancy suspension design too! No way! Everyone knows that Mercedes' advantage is only in the engine.

[Sieper]

Nobody actually made that claim.

[absbeginner]

Indeed.
Mercedes obviously use a Mercedes powerplant and have just smashed the field. Now if it was just about the powerplant then why do Williams currently quite frankly suck?

Because they have been given of the very same software for the ECU but they didn't bother reading the man pages.

Probably

[ENGINE TUNER]

I just want to say I got to see ALL of Q1 without a commercial break on ESPN. I am a happy American fan.

On tv or on the ESPN watch app?

[Restomaniac]

Ferrari have that too. Would you all sleep better if ferrari aaid their top engine mode is called rave mode or disco mode ?

What aboult Polka mode?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTjNdWPPOWo

I just watched all of that!

I took 1 quick look at the link and thought. 'Wow they look just like Eugine Levy and John Candy what are the odds?'............I feel somewhat foolish now


Oh and I then also watched all of it. Seeing Robin Williams and John Candy kind of meant I had too

[ENGINE TUNER]

Magic modes.

Why was there oil smoke spewing from Bottas's DRS arm after his wreck? Blowing the rear wing with the oil vapor?

The drs arm is hydraulically actuated.

[Restomaniac]

Indeed.
Mercedes obviously use a Mercedes powerplant and have just smashed the field. Now if it was just about the powerplant then why do Williams currently quite frankly suck?

Because they have been given of the very same software for the ECU but they didn't bother reading the man pages.

Probably

Then Paddy Lowe needs slapping up and down the pit lane...........Twice!

[ringo]

Interesting comparison

https://i.redd.it/ogl3cy0qxon01.png

That is not the true progress. You will have to compare last race of last year to see the true progress as the cars got quite quicker over the year last year from the start of the season.