[ 2020 ] Aston Martin RedBull Racing F1 Team - Honda

[Sieper]

Lap 41 is waiting, waiting, waiting, finally mercs tires are over the hill, now Max goes for fastest lap (as mer was doing the whole race long) in an effort to try and seal that one point.

If that's the case, then would Albon have been ordered not to go for fastest lap as he was on better and fresher rubber (and would go on to set a 1:28.689)? I would also be worried, if I were Red Bull, that the Mercedes cruising-to-preserve-tyres pace (Hamilton had just set a run of 1:29.2s) was only 2/10ths slower than a Red Bull turned up to 11 for a fastest lap attempt.

I'm also not sure if they would feel the need to pit Verstappen? On Lap 46, Verstappen's race engineer reports that "We're monitoring it (the tyre) and we're happy. We are happy." So, with the Mercedes tyres exhausted and unable to go faster (thus meaning Verstappen's 1:29.0 was enough), and the tyres fine, why pit? There's lots that can go wrong at a pitstop and they've already got the fastest lap safe. It would be a needless risk.

Red Bull also badly misjudged it. Bottas also set his fastest lap on Lap 41 and, over the next two laps, reset the gap to the 10.5 seconds it was before Verstappen pushed. Hamilton set his fastest lap on lap 45 (although as you can see from the graph, that doesn't represent him pushing, just fuel burning off).

Why do you think Mercedes were pushing for fastest lap 'the whole race long'?

I do not think that, All I know is I saw them getting fastest lap time and time again. It is a fact. Likely indeed just the fuel burning up. I think they set fastest time at least 10 times between them.

I do think max tried to score that fastest lap in 41, before his own tires were over the hill too.

Alex will not be told to back off, he is his own driver, and he was still chasing 10th place. He had to go all out for that. In the end he did overtake seb. He would have been tenth, but it was close, he had to push all out. Ended up being 8th even as bottas and sainz their tires give up.

Now, the fact that Alex took it did mean Max had to take it back, but honoustly, I was already expecting that to happen from early on in the race, when Charles was not going to keep himselve in the pit window. Rbr could not have known that both mercs would ran out of tire. I expected a P3 with bonus point for Max all along, so Alex was free to go as fast as he could anyway.

[Wynters]

I do not think that, All I know is I saw them getting fastest lap time and time again. It is a fact. Likely indeed just the fuel burning up. I think they set fastest time at least 10 times between them.
...
I expected a P3 with bonus point for Max all along, so Alex was free to go as fast as he could anyway.

Ah, I understand. Thank you for clarifying

[HPD]

Sorry if the image was published before.

[Revs84]

[McMika98]

Sorry if the image was published before.

https://i.ibb.co/cc2jKr9/Whats-App-Imag ... -36-39.jpg

Redbull don't have the downforce Merc has that plain to see on that corner.

[Revs84]

Looks like Red Bull will run less wing this weekend. Not sure how to embed a Twitter link over here.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AlbertFabreg ... 16/photo/1

[godlameroso]

Sorry if the image was published before.

https://i.ibb.co/cc2jKr9/Whats-App-Imag ... -36-39.jpg

They carry 11kmh more through stowe. Mercedes has more mid speed downforce and more speed on the straights.

[langedweil]

Sorry if the image was published before.

https://i.ibb.co/cc2jKr9/Whats-App-Imag ... -36-39.jpg

Can't see the gear, but if the same the Ferrari runs quite a different gear ratio ..

(edit)
I didn't look .. it's in fifth, whereas the Merc and RB are in sixth.
21k's at Stow is rather huge.

[dxpetrov]

Note to RBR: for @&€ sake, put Hulk in that bloody 2nd car!

[Sieper]

He is now in the 3rd mercedes.

[TNTHead]

Note to RBR: for @&€ sake, put Hulk in that bloody 2nd car!

Actually in FP1 Albon was less behind than last weekend, so lets see.

[McMika98]

Even in the hands of Max, Redbull now behind a Renault and within tenths of Stroll. The car has no area where it is great other than braking. What a turd.

[JordanMugen]

Note to RBR: for @&€ sake, put Hulk in that bloody 2nd car!

It's an option. Do you prefer Hulkenberg, or Vettel for one-year contract in 2021?

[Wouter]

“It was a good Friday. We were able to work through our program, which makes me happy”, explains Max post-practice. “The gap to the Mercedes is still big, but that was expected. You can’t bridge a gap in a few days.”

Like during last week’s British Grand Prix, tyres are a hot topic in the paddock. Max: “Because the compounds are softer, the degradation is a lot higher. I think a one-stop race will be almost impossible, so I’m expecting a lot of two-stoppers. I think it will probably be a lonely race again.”

https://verstappen.com/en/article/4105/

[godlameroso]

Even in the hands of Max, Redbull now behind a Renault and within tenths of Stroll. The car has no area where it is great other than braking. What a turd.

Renault is about a second off the pace in race trim.

https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files ... es_v01.pdf

Riccardo is in the mid to high 32's, Verstappen is in the Mid to high 31's, even Albon is faster by a few tenths.

We saw last week Mercedes starts off in the high 30's, so if they're doing low to mid 31's it'll be to save tires. The good news is that although Mercedes has around .7 seconds of extra pace in hand, they can't use that all race long, they have to manage it or they'll burn through their tires or fuel. Verstappen's mid 31's is his steady pace, he can keep that up, so even though Mercedes is faster, any slip ups, any tire issues, any untimely safety cars or virtual safety cars can shake things up. He's nabbed second place twice now just capitalizing on mistakes made by Bottas, probably could have had another second place without that reliability issue in the first race. If the car was just a little faster relative to Mercedes I honestly think he could take the fight to them.

It's easier for him because no one is really there to take 3rd from him so he's guaranteed that at least, last year the Ferrari could challenge for wins on the right tracks, so he would end up 4th on occasion. Plus no points will be lost due to engine penalties, which is a small boost. The downside is the pace deficit means there's little to no chance of winning a race on merit unless there's a big improvement from the chassis.