The reason the other Merc engined teams are not making any ground is that it isn't simply the engine giving Mercedes the advantage. In past years Red Bull and the other teams have chased downforce, RBR in particular went for downforce at all costs giving up straight line speed in preference to going round the corners more quickly. This year they're all still on that page. Red Bull have even spoken publicly about how they have the best chassis and the most downforce and if their engine partner could get it together then they'd be dominating.johnsonwax wrote:With heavy fuel loads, Lewis was 2s a lap faster than Ferrari at the end of P2. Didn't see times for Riccardo, though. Merc has actually expanded the gap on the rest of the field, with the possible exception of RB. I think if they let Lewis open it up, we'd be facing 1998 Australia. The limit on engines is the only thing keeping him from lapping the field.gandharva wrote: If you simply ignore the fact that this years dominance is (up to this point) even bigger than any of the last 4 years
This is a catastrophe for F1. How do they balance this out? In 1998 they declared McLaren's advantage to be illegal. Clearly that can't happen here. Ferrari and Renault cars are just screwed - there's nothing they can do to move past 3rd, except possibly at some unique tracks like Monaco. And how do the other Merc powered cars deal with this? Same engine and they're not making up any ground.
The problem isn't necessarily that the other teams can't engineer their way to compete, it's that the F1 rules are preventing a certain amount of that from happening. Yeah, same rules for everyone, everyone agreed to that, etc but the outcome is what matters, and if you have a huge imbalance, it stops being interesting to fans, and it stops being something worth investing in for teams.
I want Lewis to win, but this state isn't good.
However Mercedes have taken a different path and have been chasing after aero efficiency. In spain they're fastest in all three sectors, despite this being an aero dominated track. They have almost as much peak downforce as Red Bull, so they're just about as quick through the corners, but do so with much less drag. That is why they're routinely near the top of the speed trap figures, it's not just engine power.
The internals of the Mercedes are night and day ahead of the opposition. Their intercooler minimises drag. Their exhaust gives up a small amount of peak power in preference for significantly reducing internal drag. Their split turbo gives some engine advantages but just as importantly allows them to move the gearbox forward improving airflow around the car. Their nose treatment is unique on the grid, and from that point backwards they have the most refined aero package of any team. On top of that they are the team most on top of their engine with the best installation and an aero package designed in collaboration with the engine and cooling teams. They also have the best suspension system. This year's domination isn't about engine power alone. It's the culmination of several years work and the coming together of all the various aspects of the car as a single whole package, and none of the other teams are going to be able to catch them this year.
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