mendis wrote: ↑25 Jul 2022, 03:13
Leclerc started managing his tyres and was lifting too after 7 laps. At that point, it was Max who was faster but he was stuck behind Leclerc and started killing his tyres. If Mercedes has to look at it honestly, then there is full one second per lap gap to Ferrari and Red Bull. If they really want to be in contention, that's the gap to close. Targeting anything less is always going to self deceiving. Problem is, while Mercedes is making progress rapidly, the others are also managing to move forward at a similar rate.
Why are we making excuses for the front guys because Mercedes could keep up?
There are flaws everywhere in that argument.
First, has Leclerc not managed his tyres he'd have dropped off a cliff. That's F1, every driver needs to do this
throughout the race as this is the quickest way to finish the race. This isn't specific to Leclerc.
Second, Verstappen had a choice too. He could follow closely for a couple of laps and if there was a risk to his tyres falling off he should've backed off. That he didn't and had to pit earlier embodies that.
Third, RB's vaunted straightline speed could not get passed Hamilton with Perez.
The W13 is lacking outright pace but comes alive in the race for the very simple reason that a GP is more than outright speed. That's one element. But what if the Mercedes ethos keeps the tyres alive for longer?
It's worth learning more about as if the car gets quicker Mercedes will be able to race harder for longer, even if their outright pace is 0.2/3 less than the cars ahead of them.
), I really hope it suits them better
