Mercedes AMG F1 Team 2012

[Maelstrom]

They badly messed up Schumacher's strategy. Look at how good Force India got it for Diresta.

I dunno whats happening with the Merc team. They are definately not up to their game.

[Fizz.Schumi]

I don't know what to make of this situation. I cant see a conspiracy against schumi tbh I just think us Merc fans over exaggerate a bit to much. I think michael's time to shine will be when we kick of the European stint of this championship. Rosberg's exhaust broke towards the end of the race too so its just not one driver cursed with mechanical issues. Its just Rosbergs good luck that any problems that occur with him don't cost him too much. The strategy today was insanely stupid but something makes me think it was a failed mercedes attempt at a 2 stop (maybe the change of the gearbox was in order for them to be able to set up the car to try save the tires more ? ) That's just me making sense out of non sense .. Anyway good to see though that Schumi did seem to be quicker than his team mate for most part of the race.

[Raptor22]

If its Schumacher's car you can bet a large chunk of cash safely that Mercededs will get it completely wrong for his track position - usually a track position of the teams making.

China was an engineered fluke. They engineered Schumacher's wheel nut problem so Rosberg could win it. Today they were no where near a win, not even close.
Spain will suit the Mercedes in qualifying again but lets take bets on whether Schumacher will suffer:

- a loose wheel nut
- a tyre issue e.g a puncture
- poor race strategy (safe bets this one because it's clear that Ross BRawn gets it wrong for Schumacher more often that not.
- a "gearbox" failure
- a drs failure

all of these usually happen to Schumacher over a race weekend anyway.

Oh and if anyone want to use the exhaust issue as a pointer to Schumacher not having all the bad luck, Button also suffered an exhaust issue and Hamilton had to turn the wick down to conserve his.

[Maelstrom]

I doubt there is a conspiracy against MSC. I just think they are geting it wrong and he's been terribly unlucky. If they hamper him Merc gets fewer points in the WCC which they badly need.

But one thing is for sure... MSC will find it hard to catch up to the leaders in the WDC after scoring 2 points in four races. He has to make up a deficit of nearly 50 points. It's clear that he won't be in contention for a WDC title.

[Ganxxta]

If I would be MSC I would go for PPPO, he can't loose anyway, only win with the luck he has this year

But I think either he will have an accident into Turn 1, a mechanical failure or he can make it to P10, that would at least fulfill his series with 0-1-0-1 Points

As I said so next race is again 0 Points.

Shame they started on softs -.- I'm speechless.

[Maelstrom]

On another topic any news on Mercs tyre wear this race? They seemed just as fast as anybody else to me.

[Fizz.Schumi]

On another topic any news on Mercs tyre wear this race? They seemed just as fast as anybody else to me.

I would like to know too .. any website which shows stint laptimes for all drivers would be nice

[snoop1050]

On another topic any news on Mercs tyre wear this race? They seemed just as fast as anybody else to me.

I would like to know too .. any website which shows stint laptimes for all drivers would be nice

http://en.mclarenf-1.com/
click the helmet icon listed for bahrain to be able to compare drivers laptimes for the whole race

[Maelstrom]

The Mercs got the tyres to work in the race I would say. They weren't looking any slower than anybody else except the top three. It was interesting to compare Scumacher's time to Hamilton's. Not much difference there at all. Infact there is one stint where Schumy is faster.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Couple that to a crap 2nd stop (again) and its pretty clear that Mercedes are deliberately sabotaging their own driver.

I'm sorry but I cannot agree with this assessment.

The reality of the situation is just that Schumacher is plain unlucky at the moment.
In the course of a season it will all pan out.
But you have to look at the reasons for Mercedes decisions.

First the gearbox change. He was in 17th Position and would have probably got up to 15th in the first lap. By taking the penalty he would have still taken those positions back by the first lap. As it transpires that was the case. Why would Mercedes deliberately sabotage its blue ribboned driver? If anything, Mercedes would want to help him the most so that they too can bask in the glory of a Schumacher podium/victory.

He will now also have a fresher gearbox than most his rivals for the intervening races.
As for the wheel nut issue, you could plainly see it was human error. Or are Mercedes deliberately sabotaging themselves? When the stakes are so high, people make mistakes. Schumacher is experiencing some proper bad luck, but it will change.
You can take the last sentence to the bank and revert to it when he bags a podium in the next 5 races!!

You may be a Schumacher fan, but I feel you arent looking into this with a great degree of neutrality.

[wunderkind]

Why all the accusations of Mercedes sabotaging their own driver(s)?

There is nothing to be gained and it's not like the Mercedes drivers are leading the championship with 4 races left and Mercedes has to contemplate picking a favorite between the two.

I think some of you are just over-analyzing the situation.

[AosudiF1]

Hello everyone! First time posting here, although I have been a follower for quite some time. Schumi fan myself.

At the risk of being seen as biased, I actually think Merc are doing something weird with Schumacher. I would not say the wheelnut issue was on purpose, but Bahrein was really strange.

The mistake they did in qualifying (they can say it was DRS but I think we all know they just got it wrong in the intent of saving a set of tyres), and today's poor strategy really make me think.

It is a reality that both parties (Schumi and Merc) have been dancing around the issue of renewing the contract at the end of the year. Schumi seems to want to continue, specially now the car works, but I do not think Merc wants that (I think they would rather have Di Resta).

Maybe this is a way of making Schumi's mind in advance..

[Raptor22]

The only things Schumacher will experience the rest of 2012 is more technical failures as he has expereicned the lion share of since his comeback. Ross didn;'t bring him back to win for Mercedes, but rather to be the genuinea pig driver that they can try differe things with the get esxperienced and well constructed technical feedback.
When Merc is done with him they will dump him like a used rag. There will be no thank you here's a race winning car. The second they have a car that can challenge they will put a younger driver in.
Much is made of Ross friendship with Schumacher. There is in fact no friendship. Schumacher and Todt were good friends. Schumacher and Byrne have a great friendship. Brawn is just the guy who knows who the best people are for a specific job and when he's done with them they are thrown away. He won;t bat an eyelid when it comes time to throw Schumacher away...

Bad luck? I don't believe in bad luck. GAry Player was once asked why he was blessed with such good luck and he responded by saying that he did'nt believe in luck but he did find that the more he practised the luckier he got..."
For the amount of work Schumacher puts in you would expect better luck. Instead he gets the reverse and that can only be because his bad luck is engineered.

This was race 4. His gearbox was only on race 3 and it didn't go very far in China did it...
Its at least a race and a half newer than the units in rival cars. So why change it here?
With only 1 DRs zone overtaking was always going to be tougher than the last Bahrain GP.

The problems Schumacher experiences with his car are problems that could have been identified at the factory. Defective gearbox parts coming off a CNC machine, through QC half way around the world are only discover to be defective on lap 11 in Australia????
Please.
The fact that he looks unhappy, the fact that every thing that can go wrong is going wrong with his car tells me he knows he's being shafted (excuse the pun) but his loyalty is getting in the way of making a good decision. Quit Mercedes, find a better team or retire for good. Mercedes Are absolutely crap. One lucky win?

Fire Brawn and get a proper manager in there, or quit F1

[Raptor22]

Hello everyone! First time posting here, although I have been a follower for quite some time. Schumi fan myself.

At the risk of being seen as biased, I actually think Merc are doing something weird with Schumacher. I would not say the wheelnut issue was on purpose, but Bahrein was really strange.

The mistake they did in qualifying (they can say it was DRS but I think we all know they just got it wrong in the intent of saving a set of tyres), and today's poor strategy really make me think.

It is a reality that both parties (Schumi and Merc) have been dancing around the issue of renewing the contract at the end of the year. Schumi seems to want to continue, specially now the car works, but I do not think Merc wants that (I think they would rather have Di Resta).

Maybe this is a way of making Schumi's mind in advance..

Good points.
They want a younger driver in the car because it helsp they marketing better.
If anyone actually beleives MErcedes gives a hoot about race wins hen you're naive.
Mercedes is in Fq for the marketing benefit it brings them. Schumacher served to draw a slightly younger demographic to their brand. Now they want to target the 29- 39 age groups and Schumacher no longer fits the mould.
I agree wholeheartedly that they are trying to frustrate him out of the car and I would not be surprised if he did not turn up at a race after Mugello.
Evrything points to 2006 when Montezemolo wanted Raikonnen in a Ferrari and did not give a hoot about Schumacher winning the WDC.
What we seem to forget is that theres less money in winning races for a manufacturer than there is in terms of stock price.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

@Raptor

I'm afraid I dont see why Brawn or Mercedes should pick up the can for whats happening to Schumi.
If you cannot see the value of a Schumacher podium or victory to Mercedes, then you arent aware of why they brought him back in the first place.

As for the "lucky victory", How many laps did Rosberg lead again?
And it goes totally against what you posted about luck with the quote from Gary Player!

Schumacher will come good at Mercedes, stop throwing mud at the team with hot air bias, and lets see what the man can do in the next few races.

Hell, 22nd to 10th isnt bad is it!