Venturiation wrote: ↑07 Mar 2023, 17:53
Andi76 wrote: ↑07 Mar 2023, 17:44
I think there are several things that are very worrying about Mercedes and maybe the reason why they were overtaken within a short time not only by Ferrari and Red Bull but also by Aston Martin. The fact that they didn't realize last year that the concept is wrong and has too many disadvantages is one thing. If all teams turn away from this concept or similar concepts relatively quickly, as Williams and McLaren did, that should have been a sign. When the teams then all came closer to Red Bull and Ferrari, and not a single Mercedes and other teams explained that they had also tested such a concept, but rejected it, and one always despite all the problems that coincided with the statements described the aerodynamicists of other teams - at the latest then one should have rethought. That this did not happen is something that is very worrying. Another thing is that Mercedes, according to its own statement, tested the concepts of the competitors and could not achieve better results. Whereas Aston Martin, with the same tools, i.e. wind tunnel etc., same suspension and engine, was able to find quite a bit more performance with these concepts. Since it obviously cannot be due to these things, there are basically only two things left to explain why one has not recognized for too long that one has developed a completely wrong concept and has held on to it for too long despite clear indications of this and why one is not able to achieve comparatively more performance from proven better concepts:
They still haven't realized what "ground effect cars are all about", which is not to be taken literally, because what is meant by that are those subtleties that, in addition to more stable aerodynamics, allow other concepts to extract the crucial 5 to 7 tenths that make the difference between the cars in the first two rows of the grid and the midfield. The only other explanation would simply be that Mercedes, after losing people like Aldo Costa or Blandin, simply no longer has the necessary competence. In the end, the competition also poaches these people for a certain reason (Costa left to win LeMans but there were enough others). And if you didn't notice her departure, then both the team that got her and the team that relied on her for years would have done something wrong. After 8 years of dominance, a bit of arrogance about one's own abilities has certainly played a role or favored something. In my eyes, that's something that's really worrying about Mercedes and that you also have to take into account.
Venturiation wrote: ↑07 Mar 2023, 01:04
Eric Baldin leaving was what hit Mercedes but mike should have learned enough from him
What if the zeropods was baldin design?
Who is Baldin?
it's clear that the problem is somewhere else
Ferrari had seen in the simulator that the car would be 1 second faster, on track it had exact same lap time as the F75 from last year in bahrain
same what happened with the W13 big numbers but impossible to see on the track
it could be either that both concepts are limited wich i don't think so
or that dan fallows found a big advantage that he built into the RB18 and brought with him to the AMR23
no car can gain That much lap time in just 6 months and nail it in their first concept
dan fallows and now eric blandin is head of aero he was at mercedes before until august 21
I know who Dan Fallows and Eric Blandin are. I just did not know that Baldin guy you were talking about in several posts since yesterday...obviously good that Google exists...
There is hardly any explainable aerodynamic reason why Ferrari's concept should be limited in any way. Also, maybe you should listen less to what the Italian press writes in the weeks leading up to the presentation of the new car. Those are not necessarily sources on which you should draw any conclusions or base any analysis.
If you think it's not possible to nail it with the first concept, then you may be celebrating your 100th birthday as a race spectator in two or three years. Whether it's McLaren in 1989, Benetton and Williams in 1994, Ferrari in 2001, Renault in 2005, Brawn and Red Bull in 2009, or Mercedes in 2014, the history of Formula 1 is full of stories where teams, after a drastic aerodynamic regulary change nailed it with the first concept. Also, historically, it is not unusual for a team to find some time over the winter, especially in the second year of a new regulation, because when a new regulation is introduced there is a lot of room for improvement. There have been much bigger jumps, especially since it is actually not that big. Even if you take into account that the changes to the underbody make the cars half a second slower, it would be "only" 1.5 seconds. If you now consider that the new Pirelli tires are 1 to 1.5 seconds faster, then the whole thing looks less impressive, not to mention any giant leaps explained only by mysterious secrets. Rather, it looks like Red Bull made a completely normal step forward and the others (except AM) either didn't do a good job here, don't understand their car yet due to countless changes (where a second can be found quickly) or can't cope with the new Pirelli tires (Ferrari found 2 seconds in 1997 only with tuning work and adaptation to the Goodyear tires). After one race, even more so on a track that is not really representative, one can therefore in no way make a statement that is in any way meaningful. At least as long as you don't have a fundamental aerodynamic problem.
: 