2016 Belgian Grand Prix - Fri 26 – Sun 28 Aug 2016

[ripper]

Tomorrow temperature should be lower, I'd try a S-S-SS if I were in Ferrari. Maybe with Kimi that's usually better at nursing the tyres

I guess that a lot of decision will be taken after VES first stint

[PlatinumZealot]

What a progress McLaren has made in 12 months !!! Last year, they were 3.781 seconds adrift of the pole time and this year, they are just 1.3 Seconds behind !!!

They've progressed well but we have to remember that Spa was the worst circuit for the Honda PU last year. On such a long lap it really highlighted the deployment issues.

So a big chunk of that improvement is Honda fixing an inherent deficiency.

Still, the package is coming along well and expect to see them make up a top four next year with a gap to Williams etc.

This fact worries me for mercedes that the lap is so long and yet the redbull is within a few tenths...

[ClarkBT11]

What a progress McLaren has made in 12 months !!! Last year, they were 3.781 seconds adrift of the pole time and this year, they are just 1.3 Seconds behind !!!

They've progressed well but we have to remember that Spa was the worst circuit for the Honda PU last year. On such a long lap it really highlighted the deployment issues.

So a big chunk of that improvement is Honda fixing an inherent deficiency.

Still, the package is coming along well and expect to see them make up a top four next year with a gap to Williams etc.

This fact worries me for mercedes that the lap is so long and yet the redbull is within a few tenths...

Redbull is close in pace on the super softs but in Q2 Ric on the soft was 1 second off Nico's pace. Their best chance is Max getting a good start off the line and hold Nico up to mix things up. I also think Nico would of been faster had Hamilton been qualifying in Q3, Nico knows he has to deliver his best to beat Hamilton.

[Chuckjr]

Let's be realists. Nicos best can't beat Hamilton.

[godlameroso]

It's not about who's better it's who's ahead after the start. If Nico gets ahead of Hamilton he can control the pace, just like Hamilton controls the pace, because following cars is really hard and destroys your tires. The physical margin for error is so small that the only real difference is a psychological one.

[ME4ME]

[ClarkBT11]

It's not about who's better it's who's ahead after the start. If Nico gets ahead of Hamilton he can control the pace, just like Hamilton controls the pace, because following cars is really hard and destroys your tires. The physical margin for error is so small that the only real difference is a psychological one.

Nico was trying to play a psychological game at Hockenheim revving his engine at the start line then had a dog of a start going into the first turn in forth position. Hamilton's starts have improved a great deal compared to the start of the season, he tries to hold back if he's starting in second place in the warm up lap trying to leave Rosberg sitting at the start line longer to allow more heat into the clutch of Romberg's.

I reckon Max will go into the lead before la source Rosberg will be up his tailpipe in Raidillon then the two come together at Le Combes.

[TAG]

It's not about who's better it's who's ahead after the start. If Nico gets ahead of Hamilton he can control the pace, just like Hamilton controls the pace.

He doesn't have a great track record for you to make that kind of claim.

Monaco and Brazil in 2014, Mexico, Abu Dhabi and Brazil last year... beyond that, I'm not sure I can think of many more instances where Nico was ahead while Lewis attacked that didn't have him be either overtaken or crashed.

[Andres125sx]

What a progress McLaren has made in 12 months !!! Last year, they were 3.781 seconds adrift of the pole time and this year, they are just 1.3 Seconds behind !!!

They've progressed well but we have to remember that Spa was the worst circuit for the Honda PU last year. On such a long lap it really highlighted the deployment issues.

So a big chunk of that improvement is Honda fixing an inherent deficiency.

What IMO is surprising considering the token restrictions wich limit development so much

[Andres125sx]

Matt_b has it correct, they were simply covering the chance that the track got quicker towards the end of the Q2 session and the later runners who could have pushed them out of Q3, with the lap being so long they had to be on track and on a fast lap just in case. I do not see them using the Supersoft Tyre in the race unless either the temperature drops significantly or they get a puncture or a safety car with only a few laps to go and they are marginal on which ever tyres they are on.

Do you have inside info or just your guess?

The later runners had to improve 1.5 seconds to push Ferrari out. What you say is correct when difference is half a second, not 1.5 seconds

[nevill3]

Matt_b has it correct, they were simply covering the chance that the track got quicker towards the end of the Q2 session and the later runners who could have pushed them out of Q3, with the lap being so long they had to be on track and on a fast lap just in case. I do not see them using the Supersoft Tyre in the race unless either the temperature drops significantly or they get a puncture or a safety car with only a few laps to go and they are marginal on which ever tyres they are on.

Do you have inside info or just your guess?

The later runners had to improve 1.5 seconds to push Ferrari out. What you say is correct when difference is half a second, not 1.5 seconds

In the Sky tv commentary Pirelli were reported to have said that the lap delta between the soft and the supersoft was 1.6 seconds and the last thing Ferrari needed was to be knocked out in Q2 due to gambling on only a couple of tenths between being safe or out. The sensible thing was to be on track just in case, I think it was the smart thing to do in the circumstances. Riciardo survived by the narrowest of margins, Kimi was able to gain a couple of tenths in the last sector by getting the braking for the last chicane perfect and who is to say someone else couldn't do the same.

[nevill3]

Also Magnussen and Sainz had no time on the board and Jenson had used a set of used supersofts for his first run, Roman has the abilty to ace a lap from time to time so Ferrari were being sensible for a change and not taking unnecessary risks, especially as the supersoft tyres are not the favoured race tyre this weekend, so they did not really have to save them for the race

[Sonador]

Let's be realists. Nicos best can't beat Hamilton.

I completely agree, you could already see against Schumacher that Rosberg lacked in racecraft.
But his qualifying was always excelent, when Rosberg is relaxed he is just as fast over a single lap than Hamilton (not better).
The problem is, he just gets weak at the knees when Hamilton is around on raceday.

Why he does that, i do not know.
Earlier in the year i thought he finally had grew a pair of balls, and just focused on the winning instead of his teammate.
But it turned out that was not the case ....

I think it is a shame, because the championship would be a lot nicer to watch when there is genuine competition between two (or more) drivers.

Lets hope for some rain and let Verstappen, and Hamilton fight for victory =D>

[Dazed1]

Let's be realists. Nicos best can't beat Hamilton.

I completely agree, you could already see against Schumacher that Rosberg lacked in racecraft.
But his qualifying was always excelent, when Rosberg is relaxed he is just as fast over a single lap than Hamilton (not better).
The problem is, he just gets weak at the knees when Hamilton is around on raceday.

Why he does that, i do not know.
Earlier in the year i thought he finally had grew a pair of balls, and just focused on the winning instead of his teammate.
But it turned out that was not the case ....

Could not have said it better.

[alvinkhorfire]

Hamilton's starts have improved a great deal compared to the start of the season, he tries to hold back if he's starting in second place in the warm up lap trying to leave Rosberg sitting at the start line longer to allow more heat into the clutch of Romberg's.

Correct me, if I am wrong. I thought that during the warm-up lap, each car needs to be within 2 car lengths from the car in front. It seems that Hamilton is sometimes further behind. This is an inappropriate tactic used by Hamilton, right?