2019 German Grand Prix - Hockenheimring, July 26-28

[TAG]

That's one of those insane stats that you don't think about but... insane.

[dtro]

That's one of those insane stats that you don't think about but... insane.

Not a huge fan of #44- but damn do I respect the hell out of him.

[Morteza]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/115 ... 01249?s=19

[SiLo]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/115 ... 01249?s=19

Incredible

[FrukostScones]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/115 ... 01249?s=19

Incredible

and we were laughing about Baku. OMG.

[Big Tea]

Who was it said the drivers need a coach? (Ah, the other sort of coach... right)

[bauc]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/115 ... 01249?s=19

Incredible

and we were laughing about Baku. OMG.

How far will this go? What is next, someone crashes to the pits

[Sieper]

As a general rule, Hamilton is king in the wet. He’s won every single set race since 2014.

Wait is this true?

Well, all but Hungary 2014 which he could have won from the pit lane if it weren't for a faulty cylinder at the end of the race.

Yes he is a great driver, as is (amongst many other feats) proven by his record against any opponent he went against in the same car. But merc has had a big power advantage since 2014 which they always used for driving with more downforce. That’s a big advantage to have in the rain.

[Hammerfist]

We have no idea how this year's car will perform in the wet. Yes, signs are that it will be good since it is the best car on the grid anyway, but we cannot be certain of their wet weather performance simply because there hasn't been any meaningful wet running yet this year.

This is true. That said, the general rule of thumb is that, in wet weather, downforce is king. You've got a lower coefficient of friction on a wet track. Raindrops (and spray from other cars) accumulate on the aerodynamic surfaces of the car and interfere with the laminar flow the surfaces prefer (disrupting aerodynamic performance).

Teams are forced to crank on as much front wing as possible in wet conditions. So, if you're starting from a place of more downforce, you're off to a good start . . . and this year's W10 has a lot of downforce.

There are other factors at play - a car's rake, the slightly increased ride height of the car on the wet weather compounds, suspension setup (cars will be staying off the curbs in wet conditions), etc.

I agree, but there are exceptions. Last year's Redbull were the downforce kings and they proved it in Monaco and pretty much all other circuits where downforce was the most important factor, but they were quite rubbish in wet conditions too.

[zibby43]

We have no idea how this year's car will perform in the wet. Yes, signs are that it will be good since it is the best car on the grid anyway, but we cannot be certain of their wet weather performance simply because there hasn't been any meaningful wet running yet this year.

This is true. That said, the general rule of thumb is that, in wet weather, downforce is king. You've got a lower coefficient of friction on a wet track. Raindrops (and spray from other cars) accumulate on the aerodynamic surfaces of the car and interfere with the laminar flow the surfaces prefer (disrupting aerodynamic performance).

Teams are forced to crank on as much front wing as possible in wet conditions. So, if you're starting from a place of more downforce, you're off to a good start . . . and this year's W10 has a lot of downforce.

There are other factors at play - a car's rake, the slightly increased ride height of the car on the wet weather compounds, suspension setup (cars will be staying off the curbs in wet conditions), etc.

I agree, but there are exceptions. Last year's Redbull were the downforce kings and they proved it in Monaco and pretty much all other circuits where downforce was the most important factor, but they were quite rubbish in wet conditions too.

Yes they were; you're absolutely right about that. I think I read something about high-rake cars being a bit more sensitive to the changed ride height you get with the Pirelli wet weather tires.

Mercedes, with their lower-rake concept, seem to be less effected when the wets go on.

[dans79]

The look on sainz's face is absolutely priceless.

[Pyrone89]

That's one of those insane stats that you don't think about but... insane.

To be fair he has had the very best car in the wet since 2014 and only to contend Rosberg and Bottas with, who are, lets say politely, not big on wet driving. If he had a Button next to him this stat would be very different. But as discussed before, this holds true for a lot of his stats if you deduct the Merc from it (2007-2013 stats).

[Wynters]

That's one of those insane stats that you don't think about but... insane.

To be fair he has had the very best car in the wet since 2014 and only to contend Rosberg and Bottas with, who are, lets say politely, not big on wet driving. If he had a Button next to him this stat would be very different. But as discussed before, this holds true for a lot of his stats if you deduct the Merc from it (2007-2013 stats).

His 2007-2013 stats are pretty good as well, to be fair. Button's Canada win was pretty sublime though.

[Pyrone89]

That's one of those insane stats that you don't think about but... insane.

To be fair he has had the very best car in the wet since 2014 and only to contend Rosberg and Bottas with, who are, lets say politely, not big on wet driving. If he had a Button next to him this stat would be very different. But as discussed before, this holds true for a lot of his stats if you deduct the Merc from it (2007-2013 stats).

His 2007-2013 stats are pretty good as well, to be fair. Button's Canada win was pretty sublime though.

He was on 8 more wins than Coulthard before he got the Merc rocketship.

[zibby43]

The look on sainz's face is absolutely priceless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGBC9lX_T5s