2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Dec 11 - 13

[Juzh]

Even hamilton himself says he's not fully fit
https://www.racefans.net/2020/12/12/ham ... -19-virus/

[Mogster]

Even hamilton himself says he's not fully fit
https://www.racefans.net/2020/12/12/ham ... -19-virus/

The short interview with Sky after FP1 I thought he looked knackered... I’m surprised he’s performing as well as he obviously is.

[El Scorchio]

Exactly. He’s ‘fine’ and healthy but there’s a difference between that and being sharp enough to drive an F1 car- like being fit vs match fit in football. It was clear from the video he posted that it hit him pretty hard.

Actually it’s a great reminder that although this virus is very mild and almost nothing for most people, it can hit even extremely fit, relatively young and healthy people pretty hard. Food for thought in a time where a lot of people have just decided it’s nothing because it hasn’t affected them directly.

[Deadpool]

Get in there Max! And no Leclerc and Perez nearby to screw him over first lap. Bottas better behave.

Yeah but Merc Is there

[billamend]

I have a feeling they're doing some experimentation with slower parts applicable to next year, probably suspension/DAS related and can't quite tune the car to the softer tyres.

I’m pretty sure I saw HAM using the DAS today in qualifying.

[zibby43]

Lando Norris was 0.25s from pole. Weird underperformance from the Mercs today.

Congrats to Max.

[bosyber]

Leclerc was disappointment he couldn't repeat his Q1 result with the softs in Q3 - Perez was also great in Q1 (but of course, might be his one go at Q3-PU settings given he wasn't going to do much after that today) and Mercedes was strong too - but somehow in Q3 several teams had trouble getting everything out of those softs. Well, good for Red Bull and Verstappen to take pole when it was on offer. Norris did a great lap too, and Kvyat too (his last one too, good he made it a good one to remember him by.

[Moore77]

So please read this.
https://www.racefans.net/2020/12/12/ham ... -19-virus/

“I said earlier in Australia just how serious the virus is,” said Hamilton. “I can really feel for those who have suffered from it, those that have lost loved ones from it.

“It’s a nasty virus. I’m not 100%, I still have some feeling within my lungs. But nonetheless, normally I would drive even if one of my arms was hanging off, that’s what we do as racing drivers and luckily that’s not the case.”

[djones]

Wait on a minute... Is Bottas not on pole? I turned off as soon as he beat Hamilton's time.

[NathanOlder]

Mercedes went with a wrong setup or what? They've alway dominated in this track, now they lost the pole, and lost S2 particularly. WTH?

S2 both Mercs were quicker than Max, what were you watching?

infact all the purple sectors today went to Mercedes I believe. Their final runs I think Max was faster by 0.007, it was Sector 3 where Lewis lost pole. Lewis lost nearly 2 tenths to Valterri in S3.

Tomorrows race should be a good one. hopefully Lewis clears Bottas and then we can have a Max vs Lewis

[Mchamilton]

Mercedes seem suspiciously off the pace (relatively, I know it was close) this year at Abu Dhabi.

Does the rule still apply that you can only test parts in the 'Young' Driver test that you've used during the race weekend? I have a feeling they're doing some experimentation with slower parts applicable to next year, probably suspension/DAS related and can't quite tune the car to the softer tyres.

Either way, well done Max, we might actually have an interesting race tomorrow!

That is a theory worth looking into

They did a lot more running the the 2021 tyre over the weekend compared to everyone else, so it's no impossible that they have some 2021 relevant parts bolted on. But I do doubt it.

[SmallSoldier]

Single Lap Pace



Cornering Performance (Merc dominant in the low-speed corners)



Race Pace



When I see slow-speed cornering performance like that from the W11, it makes it readily apparent to me that the car is extremely adaptable on set-up, and that while they may have stopped developing the car a while ago, they also started adhering to the “only win by as much as you need to” philosophy after the FIA tried to clip their wings with the quail mode ban.

It’s amazing how wrong the One Lap Pace analysis can be some times


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[101FlyingDutchman]

What you mean is, they are completely useless

[zibby43]

Single Lap Pace

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fo ... /image.jpg

Cornering Performance (Merc dominant in the low-speed corners)

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fo ... /image.jpg

Race Pace

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fo ... /image.jpg

When I see slow-speed cornering performance like that from the W11, it makes it readily apparent to me that the car is extremely adaptable on set-up, and that while they may have stopped developing the car a while ago, they also started adhering to the “only win by as much as you need to” philosophy after the FIA tried to clip their wings with the quail mode ban.

It’s amazing how wrong the One Lap Pace analysis can be some times


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don’t think it was wrong, TBH.

And they’ve been pretty accurate (they’re not in the business of fortune telling) all year, within a few tenths.

It was wrong as far as Merc’s pace on the Softs was concerned.

It’s pretty easy to see that was the issue today, when a McLaren was within 2 tenths of pole and the entire midfield were much closer to Mercedes.

The Race Pace metric has lagged a bit. Hamilton usually ends up looking faster (with ease) compared to what the data projects.

[FrukostScones]

Mercedes went with a wrong setup or what? They've alway dominated in this track, now they lost the pole, and lost S2 particularly. WTH?

S2 both Mercs were quicker than Max, what were you watching?

infact all the purple sectors today went to Mercedes I believe. Their final runs I think Max was faster by 0.007, it was Sector 3 where Lewis lost pole. Lewis lost nearly 2 tenths to Valterri in S3.

Tomorrows race should be a good one. hopefully Lewis clears Bottas and then we can have a Max vs Lewis

Merc have PU problems, MGU-K tuned down.