https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.tech-tuesday-why-rake-rules-in-mercedes-ferraris-and-red-bulls-design.1Pmh3srXj2sSooEiGuYiku.html Rake and the differing team designs from 2018. Nice read on rake and design affects.
The long run data is interesting for Mercedes at the bottom of this report. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.6-key-things-our-data-tells-us-from-pre-season-testing-including-why-it.4fuw9PfcWuLtnunCePHDmp.html 1. Mercedes are on the back foot – but it’s not all bad Mercedes have set the bar so high over the last seven years that leaving pre-season testing as the second-best on paper, based on the performance they showed over those three days, is seen as a disappointment. It’s clear the Silver Arrows have plenty of work to do, with Lewis Hamilton in the unusual position of looking the more unsettled of the team’s two drivers. Our data team compared the seven-time world champion’s performance at FP2 in Bahrain 2020 with day two of testing and it showed his throttle application was not as smooth in testing as it was in FP2, the Briton really having to fight the car throughout the test. Mercedes’ short run pace is of the biggest concern. They were second in the pecking order, 0.56s adrift of Red Bull, based on our data, with the team unsure why they couldn’t find extra performance as they ramped up to low-fuel runs using softer compounds. Image Unavailable, Please Login Short run pace is the biggest concern for Mercedes after testing (Data from Day 3 of testing) However, what was less clear to see was their long run pace (below). And it’s here that things look rosier. On day three, the numbers suggests the Silver Arrows were top of the pile in this metric, holding a 0.39s per lap advantage over the Red Bull. They now have 12 days to understand where they are struggling on low fuel and rebound. History, though, suggests they have the capabilities to do it.
Why is it that every time I click on any formula1.com link, it instead takes me to a page asking me to subscribe to F1 Pro. Meanwhile, I'm already subscribed to F1 Pro, AND logged in! I don't get it.... Kevin
I don't think it can be conclusively said that 1 concept is more affected than the other. Even highly experienced experts are not quite sure still.
It's because the F1 team is utterly inept at anything they do. Their app still hardly works. Their website is terrible. Arrogance? Incompetence? Both?
According to that graphic Ferrari is slower than Alfa and just .080 faster than Haas on short pace. And Williams, who actually made some changes to their car, is half a second slower than Haas? Clearly whoever wrote this couldn’t be bothered with anything other than playing up Merc’s chances. And why is the official site of F1 so concerned about Mercedes as opposed to highlighted test of the field? They sound like Autosport.