pb6797 wrote: ↑18 Aug 2019, 14:23
What are the chances that this power upgrade will be as "impressive" as the aero update for the German Grand Prix, which was touted as a huge step forward but turned out apparently to do next to nothing?
The upgrade that allowed Merc to have a comfortable race pace advantage and better tire management than Red Bull in Hungary (despite the fact Hamilton was in dirty air for most of the race)?
I wouldn't render a verdict on that upgrade just yet. It took Mercedes the entire second week of preseason testing to figure out how to setup the "B-spec" car. The upgrade in Germany was almost as comprehensive, front to back, and Merc only had limited representative practice running between Germany and Hungary (a fraction of the time they had in testing).
It took Red Bull from Austria to Hungary to figure out how to optimize their new front wing with the rest of the car's setup. In sum, it takes a while to understand and exploit upgrades this year, even for the top teams. The upgrade achieved downforce targets on the track. It's a matter of getting a better qualifying setup.