Mercedes AMG F1 Team 2012

[zyphro]

I'd love for this team to come out and prove everyone wrong, but it won't happen .

[Morteza]

I'd love for this team to come out and prove everyone wrong, but it won't happen .

So very true

[aral]

It is interesting....the thread on the 03 and also this thread, attract the most views and comments. Is this a sign that everybody is highly critical of Mercedes and expect so much more?

[Adamski]

It is interesting....the thread on the 03 and also this thread, attract the most views and comments. Is this a sign that everybody is highly critical of Mercedes and expect so much more?

I think it's partly because of Schumacher and partly because of Mercedes' poor performance.

Now I start thinking that is it possible that this team is understanding, why this year's car is not as gentle on the tires like the Saubers or Renaults or almost any other teams car? Because we haven't got the answer, just know, that there is again something wrong. What's the true problem?

Last year, it was the bad exhaust position that eats the tires. Then there was the high COG. Short wheelbase. Lack of general downforce. Don't mention the overheating issues.

At the start of the season they said they overcome from the problems. The construction looked like it will be a much better car. Longer wheelbase, normal exhaust, lowered COG (I think they have the lowest sidepods in the field), new three element front wing, a tricky diffuser and not to mention the DDRS.

Now they say the car's biggest problem is that it doesn't like most of the tracks.
What it likes are slow to medium corners, but not those where the car can go to understeer. (E.g. 180° corners, like Hungary).

So what went wrong with this car? Why it is excel only in two tracks? Why it is eating the tires? How they can resolve this problem? Are they know what they have to do? Are they can do it with this car or they need to rethink the construction from the start?

So many question and I have a feeling we will know the answers only after the season ends...

[Mestrades]

I predicted this disaster at the start of the season. Nobody belevied me... Now, this is the reality. You have to forget any positive result of this team, it won't come again. Xina was a mirage. The best Michael can do is to retire because there aren't free competitive cars for the next year!

[turbof1]

It is interesting....the thread on the 03 and also this thread, attract the most views and comments. Is this a sign that everybody is highly critical of Mercedes and expect so much more?

I think it's partly because of Schumacher and partly because of Mercedes' poor performance.

Now I start thinking that is it possible that this team is understanding, why this year's car is not as gentle on the tires like the Saubers or Renaults or almost any other teams car? Because we haven't got the answer, just know, that there is again something wrong. What's the true problem?

Last year, it was the bad exhaust position that eats the tires. Then there was the high COG. Short wheelbase. Lack of general downforce. Don't mention the overheating issues.

At the start of the season they said they overcome from the problems. The construction looked like it will be a much better car. Longer wheelbase, normal exhaust, lowered COG (I think they have the lowest sidepods in the field), new three element front wing, a tricky diffuser and not to mention the DDRS.

Now they say the car's biggest problem is that it doesn't like most of the tracks.
What it likes are slow to medium corners, but not those where the car can go to understeer. (E.g. 180° corners, like Hungary).

So what went wrong with this car? Why it is excel only in two tracks? Why it is eating the tires? How they can resolve this problem? Are they know what they have to do? Are they can do it with this car or they need to rethink the construction from the start?

So many question and I have a feeling we will know the answers only after the season ends...

Not to mention 2 very differently tracks. It always looked like the car had the potentional, then they struggled to get it out of it, took way too long bothering about it and now suddenly they are behind. Do they even understand the car? It's like they just do not know how to properly set it up.

[zyphro]

I predicted this disaster at the start of the season.

Did you also predict the nature of these tyres?

Did you expect to see Merc do well at China and Monaco?

Don't post as if you knew it was all going to happen - nobody did.

[Joie de vivre]

i predict next year will be awful also

[marcush.]

schumacher is not looking for a competitve drive outside MGP.He is asking for some firm commitments to targets and it seems brawn is nott willing to do so.
The team is along shot from any plan they have announced in reality .The 2and ahalf competitve weekeends thy had are simply not enough for a works team.

[wesley123]

I certainly do believe they took a wrong turn somewhere this year. The Merc this year started really well, even dominating in China, yet after China their pace has been nowhere. Like said, their tires are burning up, it indicates just a wrong turn somewhere. On the other hand, if they get that right they would still be nowhere since they barely update their car.

And that is one thing that bothers me every year, you barely see any new parts coming onto this car, where Red Bull and Ferrari bring visual updates every race, and so does most of the grid. Even if there is a flaw that needs curing(like there is every year anyways) they still would need to update their car. If they get things right they are still 5th fastest at best. Lotus, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren are far ahead, and Sauber would be quicker most of the time too.

[Morteza]

And that is one thing that bothers me every year, you barely see any new parts coming onto this car, where Red Bull and Ferrari bring visual updates every race, and so does most of the grid.

That's exactly what bothers me the most with this team. What exactly are they doing when we see nothing new on the car? Working on next year's car perhaps? They've been doing this same thing for the last two seasons. In-season development is meaningless with this team. Once they realize they have a problem, they write the season off completely.

[alvinkhorfire]

schumacher is not looking for a competitve drive outside MGP.He is asking for some firm commitments to targets and it seems brawn is nott willing to do so.

@marcush.
Do you have some proof that supports your statement, or is it just your belief? I do hope that Schumacher can achieve some success in MGP. However, Schumacher certainly deserves something a lot better than what MGP can now provide, otherwise he cannot clearly demonstrate to everyone in this world that he still has raw speed from his prime days. [-o<

[marcush.]

Well add one on one:Schumacher has stated in public interviews only the special circumstances made him rethink his retirement -Brawn and Mercedes and the possibility to round up his career-turning full circle.
So I don´t see him anywhere else.
On the other hand he just stated he does not think twice about his comeback and does enjoy it entirely .He also stated he needs to learn and improve every day still...Not something you´d say when you´d had enough of all this.

But why on earth would you hesitate or refuse to negotiate your new contract? Brawn Haug zetsche have stated they WANT to keep him.So it´s Schumacher on the fence.

My speculation :Schumacher is in his third year of comeback and he is aware of the effort it took him to adapt to the requirements to be a top player on track and he has the feeling he is quite there now obviously.
He hesitated to discuss his future at a time when the car was really competitive -so maybe he knew something already before we all could see it?-So maybe he expected what was happening and had set targets of achievement before committing to another 2 or three years -effectively sacrificing years to his family -money does not drive him .I think MGP and Brawn are under evaluation with Schumacher these days...and they desperately fail to make an impression ...
Yes Speculation on my side .but that´s how I see it.

[marcush.]

and to redirect the w03 debate elsewhere in this forum to the team discussion:Brawn GP already had an impressive loss of form and did not really recover fully ever .It´s not just the others got better with ddd development no we could see button trying desperately get heat into his tyres ...so the car clearly worked at the start of the season (albeit they had difficulty to find it´s operating window as quick as other teams) but in the second half of the season the pendulum swung towards Barichello in terms of car /driver combo but in all the car stagnated more or less even when the team claimed to have a lot of unreleased potential left on the table (engine installation) this potential was never realised even though they introduced a dedicated gearbox later in the season...I think their inability to produce the steps forward was the main reason for Button to look elsewhere ...and how right he was.

[zyphro]

We'll get some indications tomorrow, as to what they've brought, if anything at all [-o< .