if Russell is getting pains from the porposing its up to Merc to fix it or if they wish compromise speed.
I agree that it’s up to the teams to be able to design the car so porpoising doesn’t occur but I do also agree that the FIA should step in and forced them to design so the porpoising doesn’t occur when it becomes a health and safety issue as Russel is now claiming it is.
As Ted Kravitz said on the notebook, hamilton will not retire and let the fiasco of abu dhabi define him. He will see this through and get Mercedes competitive again.
They should just have to raise the ride height at the expense of speed until they can actually fix it. It's a fix just not one Mercedes want to use.
Thats because its originally the FIAs cockup in the first place. They defined the rules had their engineers and aerodynamics consider everything and they missed it. All the teams missed it, but the FIA spent alot lf time trying to get this right and they completely missed it.
Well they don't really have a choice. It's not that easy to just rip it up and start again.
That has (raising the ride height for qually and race) is already in use by a number of teams Mercedes included and has been all season so far.
Mercedes can raise their car to stop it bottoming out and reduce porpoising levels. It's their choice to run it that low to remain competitive.
Totto said they have parts coming for miami. Agree with point (a), if there wasnt a budget cap they would have thrown everything at this issue.
Which is basically what I just said. FIA should enforce a rule where they tell teams that they have to fix the issue, even if it is detrimental to their performance.
The teams are trying to fix the issue, its not that simple a fix. Many are raising the ride height for qually and race and losing laptime. Your point being?
100%. Lots of teams have solved it, maybe over 50% of the grid. If Russell is suffering health issues due to Mercedes problems then Mercedes should be forced to put in place a fix even at the detriment of performance. Why punish the rest of the grid
It will be interesting to see once they get it sorted just how quick it can be. As you say they've got big problems but they're still fighting with the mid pack.
My point being that in a sport where people can be killed it seems rather negligent that they aren't enforcing a rule that tells teams that they have to get it sorted because it's putting strain/damage on drivers during races which can lead to body stress and accidents.
They are trying to sort it out though, they are limited and constrained by a budget cap now. There isnt a requirement for a rule as every man and his dog can see it needs to be resolved in order to start to understand your car.
It's a tricky one but it's still negligence when drivers health and safety (Short and long term) comes into play. Something needs to budge. I'm a Hamilton/Russel/Norris fan but I would rather they were at the back of the grid and 'healthy/safe' than busting their balls for mid-tier finishes and damaging their health/potentially endagering their own and other drivers safety at the same time.
There was one lap when russell had a chance at the end of the main straight into the breaking zone of getting past bottas. He didnt take the chance, as Paul DiResta pointed out, the porposing affects your ability to judge the braking zone properly and it takes away any confidence you have that the car will do as you ask it.
Its a catch 22 situation, raise the ride height to the point where you have no porposing and then your stuck at the back of the grid, but your drivers are safe. But you arent learning anything from the data.
Their leap required a big change in regs. Something that doesn't happen too frequently. I don't see Hamilton being around for the next change in regs.
Mercedes could very easily produce the fastest car next season.
Let's see. I wonder if by mid season they'll start tinkering with very new ideas during full races.
I suppose part of the problem though is we don't have the data either on how it can impact their long term health.
Indeed which is why it's tricky.
Having a team mate winning the championship more likely underlines the fact that Mercedes have been much better than the grid for all of the years of utterly dominating in that era. Not just an advantage, an absolute advantage, a different sport. Nobody is undermining Hamilton's historic abilities, but I think it is fair to say he has been driving a much better car and that many of his wins have been easy in that regard. If Hamilton drove a Red Bull and somebody else drove the Mercedes, he would not have 100 wins, simple as that. Between 2010 and 2013, Hamilton won 11 races. In 2014 the new engine system was introduced and he won 11 races in one fecking year, it goes without saying the car was smashing all others, not his ability alone.
I wondered about potential brain injuries with the repeated violent movements for 2 hours at that speed over a number of weeks. It's not exactly something I'd want to put myself through for a length of time.
Just 2 points I would like to make.
"Taxi Time" for you.
That's just formula 1 for you. Pretty much every champion in history since the 80's have won the championship in the best car. Even back in Schumachers day yes sometimes he had competition, on other days he'd win the race by a minute.
History won't remember the daft end of last season, it'll remember him being the best F1 driver of all time. When he stops isn't going to change anything. Ted is talking shite.
You're right, but their engineers are not idiots. They have historically been the best team on the grid for a decade. It's a bit silly to think they're incapable of producing another good car unless F1 overhauls the regs again. They're having one bad season after a period of dominance, that's all there is to it. They'll get on top of it at some point this year, likely too late for it to mean anything and then they'll be competitive again next season.
I dont think either is correct, he wont want to go and be remember for 2021 and 2022 driving a dog of a car, he wants number 8, I think he will defiantly be driving next season.
If they cant fix the car this season it's pretty ominous for them next season, even more so given budget caps and the time being locked on this years development, at least for now.
Fair points you make, I think they will get it sorted before the end of the season, not early enough to prevent Max or Leclec winning the WC, but I think Mercedes could get a couple of race wins.
All very fair points.
