F1 2021 Round 6: Azerbaijan GP

AMKC

So who is going to get pole here and who is going to win?
Me I love this track. It has always been very entertaining since it came on the calendar some years back.

I would like to see Sergio Perez get pole and win it.

Hamilton has a good record around here do.

Also who can forget that infamous Vettel moment when he ran into the back of Lewis and

He brake Tested me.

I think that's where Vettels fortunes took a turn for the worse and he has paid for it with Karma over the last few years but I think his form is on the up again so I would love to see him do well here too and get on the podium.

Frank Bullitt

I think we will get more action off the track than on it at this one.

Merc are amping up for a protest over the wings, I hope it doesn't overshadow things.

recyclebin

Frank Bullitt wrote: »

I think we will get more action off the track than on it at this one.

Merc are amping up for a protest over the wings, I hope it doesn't overshadow things.

Red Bull and others could also counter protest about their front wing. McLaren to then win by default :P

Frank Bullitt

recyclebin wrote: »

Red Bull and others could also counter protest about their front wing. McLaren to then win by default :P

My hope is that RB still pass the test with this wing and it is just that clever, which is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Joeface

Kind of like the Mercedes version of the maps :https://i.imgur.com/tQkST3I.jpg



Schedule
FP1 Fri, 04 Jun 09:30
FP2 Fri, 04 Jun 13:00
FP3 Sat, 05 Jun 10:00
QU Sat, 05 Jun 13:00
Race Sun, 06 Jun 13:00

Gaoth Laidir

The circuit is 20-25 metres below sea level, the only such circuit on the calendar. [/uselessinfo]

Hijpo

OSI wrote: »

Apart from that one twitter account has anyone else suggested there was an issue with the Mercedes front wing?

https://youtu.be/gLFkOf4qSZs

Not sure if the below is for the rear wing alone. Is the flex allowance the same for both front and back?

Body work must not move more than 1" horizontally when subjected to rearward force of 1000N at defined points.
Body work must not move more than 3mm vertically when subjected to downward force of 500N at defined points.

If the front wing can only move 3mm then the video would suggest there is a very strong case, no?

Can redbull be present during the tests? Are they waiting to see what Merc do before they launch their own protest? I can't see anywhere that merc have officially protested against RB yet. From what I can tell Merc alerted the FIA to an issue and FIA ran with it, it wasn't an actual protest.

flazio

Looks like a couple of people are having trouble getting to the race in the first place.
https://twitter.com/F1/status/1400404275759665152?s=19

https://twitter.com/SteveJones/status/1400012711493316611?s=19

Frank Bullitt

https://twitter.com/NicolasF1i/status/1400488835369295876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1400488835369295876%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

AMKC

How are stickers going to tell them how much a rear wing flexes lol?

klose

I see they've widned the turn into the castle to make it easier faster

Hijpo

AMKC wrote: »

How are stickers going to tell them how much a rear wing flexes lol?

Probably makes it easier to gauge how much they flex and adds a standard or common point to monitor given the different shaped wings. Maybe they have some vision system to use that tracks the green dots.

I wonder will they be on for the duration or if they are only on for practice?

Is this an official test change from the FIA or just a trial?

Captain_Crash

klose wrote: »

I see they've widned the turn into the castle to make it easier faster

They’ve also removed the kerb at #12 coming out of the castle so you can go in with the foot down and stay opened up all the way trough!

Hijpo

Just listening to the RB of Verstappen on the straight. It doesn't seem to rev anywhere near as high or get to the top as quick as say the McLaren when DRS opens.

May be mistaken.

Is there anywhere that gives the power curves of the cars or is that a stupid question?

Lurching

AMKC wrote: »

How are stickers going to tell them how much a rear wing flexes lol?

They can compare the gap between the stickers when the car isn't moving to when it is via the car mounted camera.

Joeface

that was a messy enough session . Top 5/6 really the only ones to get clean runs . Ferrari again looking competitive enough . Close to Max's time ..but early days

Yellow flags cause buy a lot of drivers ( Norris , Bottas , Hamilton , Gasly , Vettel , Mazepin , Schumacher , Tsunoda ) always seemed to be in someone else run.

klose

Norris and Hamilton were logging purple sector's before lock ups and spins, ferrari with pace again. Teams organising slip streams for the straight will be make and break for qualifying.

Joeface

That last sector , is mad . It just goes on and on and on . it is such a long run to the line.

Aston only ran hard tires by the Graphic ,and Mercedes were running more Down force . 2 teams that can improve.

SureYWouldntYa

Joeface wrote: »

That last sector , is mad . It just goes on and on and on . it is such a long run to the line.

Aston only ran hard tires by the Graphic ,and Mercedes were running more Down force . 2 teams that can improve.

Thats why with their superior engine power it's Mercs to lose this weekend imo

Even if Max pulls out a master quali and somehow gets in front, or yet another turn 1 move gets him up to P1, that straight is just too much to handle. Red Bull may be faster in sectors 1 and 2, but sector 3 will be Merc all weekend

Joeface

Dosen't need to be early in the race either

Lurching

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

Thats why with their superior engine power it's Mercs to lose this weekend imo

Is there really that much difference in engine power between Merc and RB this year though?

SureYWouldntYa

Lurching wrote: »

Is there really that much difference in engine power between Merc and RB this year though?

I think there's a bit in it, and the massive straight will obviously provide a better chance for it to pay dividend

Hijpo

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

I think there's a bit in it, and the massive straight will obviously provide a better chance for it to pay dividend

Don't forget the limbo wing that gives RB an extra 400mph on straights

Lurching

Hijpo wrote: »

Don't forget the limbo wing that gives RB an extra 400mph on straights

Saw the side-by-side video comparing Merc & RB wings before P2. There's not much in it. The Merc wing flexes too, but just not quite as much.

And Ferrari's front wing does it.

Caught some of FP1 and they were talking about the flexing wings while on-board the front wing of the Ferrari as it went down the straight. They said "It'll probably rise up in the braking zone" and they seemed surprised by just how much it did.

namloc1980

Mercedes struggling again this week. Ferrari's looking surprisingly quick also.

El_Duderino 09

namloc1980 wrote: »

Mercedes struggling again this week. Ferrari's looking surprisingly quick also.

BBC suggesting that reliance on DAS to warm tyres last year means they're actually out of practice and not good at warming tyres anymore. Could be something in it.

Mercedes is famously easy on tyres, partly by not overheating them. So the often struggle when it comes time to heat the tyres quickly.

Lurching

I thought Bottas would be all over this.
He's over cooked it twice in FP2 alone.

Harika

When looking at the fp2 results, OMFG Mercedes, where is your mojo?

Joeface

Not looking good from them in Qual . Charles kinda messed everyone up there as well.


Some Sim run data

Zookey123

This is shaping up to be a cracking race weekend. Perez is looking good for that elusive pole position. The Ferrari is looking strong once again. Would be interesting to see is Merc can pull themselves together and get a result (I wouldn't bet against it). Either way they are clearly not the dominant force they have been for the last few years.

Sabre0001

*dons tinfoil hat

Leclerc getting his practice in to ruin quali once he gets a pole position time without doing so much damage to his car that he can't race Sunday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufTx9kfyV_Q

BrentMused

Haven't had a chance to watch any of practice so I'm just going off the times, but have Mercedes been that bad? :eek:

Zookey123

BrentMused wrote: »

Haven't had a chance to watch any of practice so I'm just going off the times, but have Mercedes been that bad? :eek:

They have had tyre heating issues. They relied on DAS previously for this.

Andrew76

"If I was Toto with the front wing he's got on his car, I'd keep my mouth shut." :pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtZ2zD4WUjs

Gaoth Laidir

I'll say it again, DRS really needs to be abolished, at least for circuits like Baku. It's a farce to see guys doing 360 kph by the end of the straight and waltzing by the guy in front. If a car deserves the place because it's inherently faster or more powerful then let it pass unaided, with the advantage of the tow, but this guaranteed overtake nonsense is a load of...nonsense.

iffandonlyif

Andrew76 wrote: »

"If I was Toto with the front wing he's got on his car, I'd keep my mouth shut." :pac:

Wow, Horner has never been shy, has he?

Frank Bullitt

Those onboards of the Merc front wing really show the flex.

But again, looks like EVERY car is doing that now. So Merc might well have shot themselves in the foot on that.

RB look like they have the sweet spot in set up with mechanical grip and aero grip. That skinny rear wing but they are still very rapid in the slow/medium corners.

Frank Bullitt

H3llR4iser

Frank Bullitt wrote: »

Yeah had seen the same comparison from the Barcelona footage - people are being a bit disingenuous here, that wing moves back a LOT in order for the vertical reference to go down so much. To the point Hamilton was apparently able to spot the movement from the cockpit.



It's without doubt a "moveable aerodynamic aid", but then again, this will likely go the way of the DAS that was, somehow, "not changing the setup of the car" on track :rolleyes:

Frank Bullitt

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Yeah had seen the same comparison from the Barcelona footage - people are being a bit disingenuous here, that wing moves back a LOT in order for the vertical reference to go down so much. To the point Hamilton was apparently able to spot the movement from the cockpit.



It's without doubt a "moveable aerodynamic aid", but then again, this will likely go the way of the DAS that was, somehow, "not changing the setup of the car" on track :rolleyes:

From the sounds of things, every team does it to a degree. So either better tests or they can make a ruling from footage, both sound like legal minefields for the FIA.

BrentMused

Max into the barrier at 15.

Looks like the track rod is broken.

Session red flagged and a headache that Red Bull could do without!

This is it

Yeah, same as LeClerc yesterday

namloc1980

Mercedes well off the place so far.

BrentMused

15 is causing so many problems all weekend.

Must have been half the grid into either the barrier or run-off there so far between FP 1-3!

Bottas on the radio just there: "the changes we made were wasted."

Andrew76

Hopefully Max’s car will be all sorted for quali. Have the Mercs done many laps? No way they’re that far down the pecking order (17th, 18th). What a messy session. Looking forward to qualifying even more now.

Jesus, 5 or 6 tenths that tow was worth. They’ll all be doing it surely.

namloc1980

Hamilton gained 0.6 seconds from the tow down the main straight. Qualifying will be insane as everyone will be looking to get into position for a tow.

BrentMused

namloc1980 wrote: »

Hamilton gained 0.6 seconds from the tow down the main straight. Qualifying will be insane as everyone will be looking to get into position for a tow.

And it looks like he pulled out of it a bit too early!

You could probably get close to a second out of it if planned and executed correctly.

namloc1980

Gasly is looking racy.

flazio

Bottas practicing his pole saving bail out at the end.

H3llR4iser

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Yeah had seen the same comparison from the Barcelona footage - people are being a bit disingenuous here, that wing moves back a LOT in order for the vertical reference to go down so much. To the point Hamilton was apparently able to spot the movement from the cockpit.

Like I said, World Eyesight Champion. :rolleyes:

It's without doubt a "moveable aerodynamic aid", but then again, this will likely go the way of the DAS that was, somehow, "not changing the setup of the car" on track :rolleyes:

I know F1 teams like to talk up their technology but going against Einstein is going to take some doing.
Anyone out there who wants a job in F1 should stay away from Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Materials Science and just do a Theoretical Physics degree because that's where all the hires will have to come from.