2025 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona-Catalunya May 30 - June 1

[Cs98]

Yuki was what, 5 tenths behind with an older spec car? I know many prefer conspiracies over recognizing greatness, but this was minor compared to some of the beatings Max has handed out to teammates over the years.

[chrisc90]

Don’t think they’ll be able to run a reserve driver as they won’t qualify for the 107% rule.

Expecting a 19 car grid

[Vettel165]

Q3 ANALYSIS

Many expected the 'flexy-wing' clampdown to hurt McL, but their quali performance was fantastic: excellent top speed, highest minimum speed in the slowest and fastest corners, sustainable deployment...

RBR: VER was full throttle for more time than any other driver. Only he didn't lift in T14! Downforce+bravery

Mercedes was well-rounded. The tow negated RUS's higher drag

Ferrari had no strengths, only areas in which it was less bad than others. 9km/h deficit to McL in T14, but also unimpressive top speed and high-speed cornering. The team has a lot of work to do.

[ringo]

Don’t think they’ll be able to run a reserve driver as they won’t qualify for the 107% rule.

Expecting a 19 car grid

Could a pit lant start work?
The 107% rule is not applied all the time.

[Farnborough]

Q3 ANALYSIS

Many expected the 'flexy-wing' clampdown to hurt McL, but their quali performance was fantastic: excellent top speed, highest minimum speed in the slowest and fastest corners, sustainable deployment...

RBR: VER was full throttle for more time than any other driver. Only he didn't lift in T14! Downforce+bravery

Mercedes was well-rounded. The tow negated RUS's higher drag

Ferrari had no strengths, only areas in which it was less bad than others. 9km/h deficit to McL in T14, but also unimpressive top speed and high-speed cornering. The team has a lot of work to do.

https://postimg.cc/F71WRvmX

Against general Internet common projection of cold race = better MB performance ..... there looks to me a correlation of raised tyre pressure suiting MB chassis to a benefit greater than others find detrimental.

The pressure is raised by Pirelli to reduce flex in carcass, preventing too much heat to build from structural flexure, ultimately to avoid tyre failure during extended race stints.

This just seems to bring the MB chassis forward relatively in comparison to what the other front runners experience.

[Seanspeed]

Q3 ANALYSIS

Many expected the 'flexy-wing' clampdown to hurt McL, but their quali performance was fantastic: excellent top speed, highest minimum speed in the slowest and fastest corners, sustainable deployment...

RBR: VER was full throttle for more time than any other driver. Only he didn't lift in T14! Downforce+bravery

Could have sworn I saw several drivers go flat through the final corner, including Russell, Leclerc and Piastri.

[avantman]

Yuki was what, 5 tenths behind with an older spec car? I know many prefer conspiracies over recognizing greatness, but this was minor compared to some of the beatings Max has handed out to teammates over the years.

Old spec car? If only some very minor things, he got new, latest spec front wing this time and a floor as well as I understand.
As for his deficit, it was a whole second after the first run. He took the second brand new set and improved by 4 tenths as all others improved and Max would’ve improved as well if he needed to. Shortly after he took a nee set in Q2 and improved by 4,5 tenths. So, the real deficit of Tsunoda would be if not a full second then 8 tenths at very least, which is very in line with everything we saw previously.

[Waz]

It does look like the car is designed for him. It's not the slowest car on the grid for sure. So something is definitely wrong at red bull. Either it's designed for him, or the 2nd drivers are barred from learning what the cars needs to be fast

Yep, as usual in life, something is only ever one extreme or the other. Can never be anything in between.

Seems to me the car is genuinely a bit difficult to drive, but when it's given optimal treatment by an extraordinary talent, can still be decently fast.

It's ridiculous to say this is the sort of car that Max is ordering his engineers to make. Max has complained about it more than anybody. And he was vocally against replacing Lawson for the SPECIFIC reasoning that he doesn't want Red Bull management to think the car isn't a problem.

I would be fuming if I was him at any suggestion the car is designed only for him. It's not even the quickest, it's difficult to set up and drive and needs a perfectly executed race from everyone just to reach the podium on specific tracks.

The finger should be firmly pointed at the technical team, not drivers. It's hard to fathom that nobody has been fired or reshuffled yet.

[Waz]

Don’t think they’ll be able to run a reserve driver as they won’t qualify for the 107% rule.

Expecting a 19 car grid

Could a pit lant start work?
The 107% rule is not applied all the time.

I think after qualifying it's too late. The other driver needs to qualify themselves.

They can sub straight into Q without practice but not straight to a race.

[avantman]

I would be fuming if I was him at any suggestion the car is designed only for him. It's not even the quickest, it's difficult to set up and drive and needs a perfectly executed race from everyone just to reach the podium on specific tracks.

The finger should be firmly pointed at the technical team, not drivers. It's hard to fathom that nobody has been fired or reshuffled yet.

Red bull technical group must be really really weak if the design the car specifically for Max but come up with understeery lazy behemoth at the start of each season since 2022 and it takes large part of a season to address it and balance it out somehow via upgrades and set-up compromises. Or probably someone should tell them Max doesn't like nor he needs understeer. Seems like they miss the trick.

[Wouter]

Max has a car totally designed for him, McLaren wouldn't do that. I think he'd struggle with the 39.

.
I don’t mean to be rude but this is just ridiculous bollocks. The car is designed by the engineers to be as fast as possible
and then it gets to Max, who has to drive it - not the other way around. He’s stated over and over that he doesn’t like the car, and the only reason he’s on the front row with it is because he’s one of the best drivers in the history of the sport. To think he wouldn’t mop with the 39 is laughable but time will make this all clear

.

[search]

Same as last year (when Russell took the lead from 4th), there's a headwind forecast on the straight today. Should be another interesting start.

[FittingMechanics]

But the question remains, would Red Bull be better off constructors wise if they developed a car that other people can drive fast as well, maybe not outright top pace but still strong.

Their focus on Max and WDC could mean the team falls apart when he leaves. Put Tsunoda and Lawson in that car and where are they?

This is especially problematic for future development, they surely developed into some edge case of peak performance that can only Max extract.

[Farnborough]

Well ... unbeknownst to most, these cars all have adjustable setting on them for all aspect and usually labelled from easy to hard in choice. The engineers, designers etc all decide who they don't like and who they want to win each season, then set all the parts accordingly. Its as simple as that

Back to reality .... and with each individual team throwing everything they can possibly think of into car concept etc, this to take them as far as possible in getting this whole collection of parts around a race track in front of another team doing exactly the same, and independently to boot. Quite incredible they come out at near enough the same performance ..... fully showing that each team is applying, through independent thought, the peak of what they can produce ..... whomsover is driving it for them well, could there be something in that I wonder ?

Also verified by just a select few being able to muster a full season successful campaign against very stout opponent.

Its a technical forum ....get real

[avantman]

Question:
https://www.f1insightshub.com/analysis shows Russell set his final and the best Q3 lap on used set. He likewise used just three sets throughout whole quali. Is that true or false?