2021 São Paulo Grand Prix - Interlagos, Nov 12-14

[ringo]

https://i.imgur.com/mDnOzaR.png

Gasly and Leclerc may cause trouble. The others are easy pickings.
Sainz can jump Max and slow him up.

[zibby43]

Semi-OT, but RB had to tape up their rear wings in Mexico to be compliant/safe.

Was the only thing that screwed Merc the fact that the breakage wasn’t noticed until after the session?

If so, you can see how ridiculous the application of the rules are sometimes. If the wing was intentionally non-compliant? DSQ all day.

Passes the test on 2/3 portions of the wing, indicating a clear malfunction? Should be a chance to fix it, just like they would have been given if noticed earlier.

[Marty_Y]

Semi-OT, but RB had to tape up their rear wings in Mexico to be compliant/safe.

Was the only thing that screwed Merc the fact that the breakage wasn’t noticed until after the session?

If so, you can see how ridiculous the application of the rules are sometimes. If the wing was intentionally non-compliant? DSQ all day.

Passes the test on 2/3 portions of the wing, indicating a clear malfunction? Should be a chance to fix it, just like they would have been given if noticed earlier.

Yep, Toto pretty much said the same, and I agree.

They should have been given the chance to rectify it.

IMO the fault didn't effect the performance significantly enough to warrant a disqualification, but then again I'm a Mercedes fan.

I wonder how Lewis will play his tyre strategy tomorrow, which will be interesting because everyone has free choice.

[e30ernest]

I'm ok with the DQ because of that wing. It's kinda like how Vettel got DQ'd earlier this year due to a broken part. Consistency here is good.

On the sprint race itself, amazing drive from Lewis! Good job on Bottas and Sainz as well. I still don't think Lewis will win on the race itself though. I think this would be either Bottas or Max. If Bottas holds on to the lead, he can win it.

[ringo]

Lewis should use the medium tyre. At this short track using the softs and needing to change them early may not give the best pit window.
If the temperatures are high then starting on the hard tyre may even be the best strategy.

[zibby43]

Semi-OT, but RB had to tape up their rear wings in Mexico to be compliant/safe.

Was the only thing that screwed Merc the fact that the breakage wasn’t noticed until after the session?

If so, you can see how ridiculous the application of the rules are sometimes. If the wing was intentionally non-compliant? DSQ all day.

Passes the test on 2/3 portions of the wing, indicating a clear malfunction? Should be a chance to fix it, just like they would have been given if noticed earlier.

Yep, Toto pretty much said the same, and I agree.

They should have been given the chance to rectify it.

IMO the fault didn't effect the performance significantly enough to warrant a disqualification, but then again I'm a Mercedes fan.

I wonder how Lewis will play his tyre strategy tomorrow, which will be interesting because everyone has free choice.

His car seemed to like the Mediums. I’m guessing they’ll be good again tomorrow with higher temps.

I’m wondering if Merc will stick Bottas on the Softs . . .

[langedweil]

Semi-OT, but RB had to tape up their rear wings in Mexico to be compliant/safe.

Was the only thing that screwed Merc the fact that the breakage wasn’t noticed until after the session?

If so, you can see how ridiculous the application of the rules are sometimes. If the wing was intentionally non-compliant? DSQ all day.

Passes the test on 2/3 portions of the wing, indicating a clear malfunction? Should be a chance to fix it, just like they would have been given if noticed earlier.

Yep, Toto pretty much said the same, and I agree.

They should have been given the chance to rectify it.

IMO the fault didn't effect the performance significantly enough to warrant a disqualification, but then again I'm a Mercedes fan.

I wonder how Lewis will play his tyre strategy tomorrow, which will be interesting because everyone has free choice.

They've been given the chance to rectify it, as they had the green light to fit another wing before FP2. But as the performance gain for Q was impossible to know, pole could not be acknowledged. What your opinion is, is no more than that and totally irrelevant.
Things considered: it could have easily been way worse ..

[Tvetovnato]

Semi-OT, but RB had to tape up their rear wings in Mexico to be compliant/safe.

Was the only thing that screwed Merc the fact that the breakage wasn’t noticed until after the session?

If so, you can see how ridiculous the application of the rules are sometimes. If the wing was intentionally non-compliant? DSQ all day.

Passes the test on 2/3 portions of the wing, indicating a clear malfunction? Should be a chance to fix it, just like they would have been given if noticed earlier.

Yep, Toto pretty much said the same, and I agree.

They should have been given the chance to rectify it.

IMO the fault didn't effect the performance significantly enough to warrant a disqualification, but then again I'm a Mercedes fan.

I wonder how Lewis will play his tyre strategy tomorrow, which will be interesting because everyone has free choice.

They've been given the chance to rectify it, as they had the green light to fit another wing before FP2. But as the performance gain for Q was impossible to know, pole could not be acknowledged. What your opinion is, is no more than that and totally irrelevant.
Things considered: it could have easily been way worse ..

It’s quite clear to everyone that a discrepancy of 0.2 mm (and that’s just on one side of the wing) does not account for over 4 tenths of a second. It was just unlucky for them that it happened on a sprint weekend and not a normal weekend so that they would have the possibility to rectify it. So, unfortunate, but that’s life sometimes.

[JordanMugen]

Temperatures could be as much as double in the GP tomorrow...

Not in Kelvin though (that would be spicy ) but rather in Celcius which doesn't start from a true zero. It could be handy for Red Bull.

Certainly a tactical error by Red Bull to not start the cars on soft tyres to match the cars around them. Oh well, that's motor racing.

[LM10]

In 2019 Ricciardo was disqualified from Singapore qualifying because on a lap in Q1 his MGU-K overrev due to running over a kerb and gave him a benefit of a microsecond (yes, actually). And that wasn’t even on the lap which got him through to Q2.

[Stu]

Semi-OT, but RB had to tape up their rear wings in Mexico to be compliant/safe.

Was the only thing that screwed Merc the fact that the breakage wasn’t noticed until after the session?

If so, you can see how ridiculous the application of the rules are sometimes. If the wing was intentionally non-compliant? DSQ all day.

Passes the test on 2/3 portions of the wing, indicating a clear malfunction? Should be a chance to fix it, just like they would have been given if noticed earlier.

If Mercedes are not doing legality checks on these each session I would be amazed. They would need to know how much something will change due to wear after a measurable usage to determine life-span of parts.
If they are not doing this routinely, they need to look at their systems!!

1995 Spa - Schumacher disqualified for excess wear on the plank, proved to be caused by a sideways moment over a kerb. Result? - disqualification due to a part of the car being outside of the tolerance of the rules.

[NathanOlder]

Let him be clumsy, shouldnt be giving max an inch in any situation.

Exactly, Max needs to give Bottas extra room, if he doesn't then thats on Max.

Same with Lewis, better show Perez some respect. Lewis might be overzealous and may compromise his race like he did to Albon.

Nah, making that move on albon was well after any championship threat had gone. Look at yesterday's race. Lewis was as close to cars in that very corner but didn't make an attempt as he didn't risk it.
Lewis already knows he needs to be careful around all 4 redbull cars.

[NathanOlder]

Semi-OT, but RB had to tape up their rear wings in Mexico to be compliant/safe.

Was the only thing that screwed Merc the fact that the breakage wasn’t noticed until after the session?

If so, you can see how ridiculous the application of the rules are sometimes. If the wing was intentionally non-compliant? DSQ all day.

Passes the test on 2/3 portions of the wing, indicating a clear malfunction? Should be a chance to fix it, just like they would have been given if noticed earlier.

If Mercedes are not doing legality checks on these each session I would be amazed. They would need to know how much something will change due to wear after a measurable usage to determine life-span of parts.
If they are not doing this routinely, they need to look at their systems!!

1995 Spa - Schumacher disqualified for excess wear on the plank, proved to be caused by a sideways moment over a kerb. Result? - disqualification due to a part of the car being outside of the tolerance of the rules.

I'm guessing they check these things as regularly as other teams. If the 0.2 mm is correct, then clearly this is something that could have happened during that very session. 0.2mm is nothing!! the average human hair is 0.075mm so this 0.2mm is LESS than 3 hairs!

And it was 94 not 95.

[search]

going by their preview, it sounds like Pirelli has no clue at all what strategies will be used today

"On paper, a two-stopper using the medium followed by two sets of P Zero White hard should be the fastest option. Another possibility [...] is to use all three compounds: starting on the medium and then using the hard for the central stint, before finishing on the soft. But a one-stop is another possibility. This could be medium to hard, [...] or alternatively soft to hard"

Mercedes and Red Both both saved plenty of new mediums & hards (2+ sets each per driver) for the race, so I guess they don't really plan to touch the softs

[DChemTech]

Yep, Toto pretty much said the same, and I agree.

They should have been given the chance to rectify it.

IMO the fault didn't effect the performance significantly enough to warrant a disqualification, but then again I'm a Mercedes fan.

I wonder how Lewis will play his tyre strategy tomorrow, which will be interesting because everyone has free choice.

They've been given the chance to rectify it, as they had the green light to fit another wing before FP2. But as the performance gain for Q was impossible to know, pole could not be acknowledged. What your opinion is, is no more than that and totally irrelevant.
Things considered: it could have easily been way worse ..

It’s quite clear to everyone that a discrepancy of 0.2 mm (and that’s just on one side of the wing) does not account for over 4 tenths of a second. It was just unlucky for them that it happened on a sprint weekend and not a normal weekend so that they would have the possibility to rectify it. So, unfortunate, but that’s life sometimes.

Or one could say it was fortunate for them it happened in a sprint weekend, because otherwise if it was found out after regular qualifying, Hamilton would have started back of the grid in the real race.