2018 Australian GP: Race

[IulianFerrari]

For Kimi to be fighting for the title, he has to be allowed to fight, not move over for Seb, if the situation calls for it. I believe Seb should be Ferrari's #2 guy this season. He had his shot last year.

I'm as big as a Kimi fan can get, but all this talk about Ferrari not letting him compete with Seb is garbage. Last year he started poorly, had some bad luck and he was out of the running quickly. In this race, they tried the undercut with Kimi, they would have done the same with Seb. Vettel just had the luck when it was needed, and had the coolness to keep a rather poor and reckless Hamilton behind. Lewis showed his limits today, and that is encouraging because it's his to lose in that rocketship(the WDC).

[From Treviso]

There's a plus here, and that is that Mercedes has built a brand new engine and associated systems, such as the kers, etc., - there was the big danger that it would have been a walk in the park, as Lewis should have easily been able to get past Seb if the engine was as great as touted. Alas, it wasn't that obvious in the race, but maybe the benefit for the Mercs is in their durability and efficiency. So it's most likely that Vettel was able to apply full power for all of the race due to the VSC period, which allowed more fuel at his disposal for the remaining laps. That could have been the clincher - Vettel having to back off with the lift and coast, whilst Lewis may have been able to press and race instead.

So considering the new engine for Mercedes, the outcome is not as bleak as I had initially feared.

[racingbradley]

Engineering leaves me floundering in the mist.
But a lot of you out there have the knowledge.
I bet the overheating problem in the Mercs is a quick fix or wishful thinking is it a fault with this years car which will take ages to get right

[Giallo 550]

My take on the Mercedes is this:

The car was engineered to do two things - Get on pole, and stay in front.

It does both of these things quite well, but when it doesn't start out in front in the clean air, all bets are off. Look how Bottas did and look how Hamilton floundered behind Vettel once he was in front. He was consistently going off the line to avoid the dirty air and turbulence.

It looks like Ferrari can't catch them with poles, so they MUST split the two Mercedes, jump them at the start, have the best pit stops, and have superior race pace. We're close, but their power in qualifying is problematic. Hopefully, their engine map takes it's toll and they suffer grid penalties. That will be a massive help to Ferrari, as the Mercedes is lousy in the mix. If Ferrari can develop the car to be a little more well-rounded, I think we'll win the season.

[jgonzalesm6]

My take on the Mercedes is this:

The car was engineered to do two things - Get on pole, and stay in front.

It does both of these things quite well, but when it doesn't start out in front in the clean air, all bets are off. Look how Bottas did and look how Hamilton floundered behind Vettel once he was in front. He was consistently going off the line to avoid the dirty air and turbulence.

It looks like Ferrari can't catch them with poles, so they MUST split the two Mercedes, jump them at the start, have the best pit stops, and have superior race pace. We're close, but their power in qualifying is problematic. Hopefully, their engine map takes it's toll and they suffer grid penalties. That will be a massive help to Ferrari, as the Mercedes is lousy in the mix. If Ferrari can develop the car to be a little more well-rounded, I think we'll win the season.

+1....completely agree. Bottas started P15 and I believe he did one overtake....his final P8 position was due to pitting under the VSC. I saw Lewis, at times, pull out of the dirty air when behind Seb when he said "I'm going for it." He got close to DRS range but by then he had cooked his tyres and lifted. The W09's main goal is P1 during Q3 then to pull away during the race under clean air.....dirty air and the W09 has a hard time....track contigent of course. It needs a long straight to use it's "party" mode. That's pretty much the case with all cars really.

[jgonzalesm6]

Teams have improved their downforce, speed-trap figures by 7.4kph slower on average, power increase hasn't compensated that. They also opted for higher drag in their settings due to the new 3rd DRS zone set by FIA.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZN4RrLV4AIbPfZ.jpg


Comparing '17 vs '18 #AusGP qualifying best sectors & max. speeds: Who gained most & where?
- Teams 1.092s quicker on average
- Biggest improvement by McLaren (-2.083s)
- Only ToroRosso (+0.162s) slower than last year after switching to Honda

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZN1uLZW4AAiWRQ.jpg

[djmorin27]

so been reading some of vets commits regarding the car and being behind compared to last year.well if you look at last year at bahrain ferrari and vet were just over 5 10ths behind after final quali so im pretty sure if vet had ballance spot on he would of been much closer to ham this past weekend and on the front row.think sat rain hurt them bad regarding finding a good balance

[Ferrarichamp]

My take on the Mercedes is this:

The car was engineered to do two things - Get on pole, and stay in front.

isn't that always the aim?

[Giallo 550]

isn't that always the aim?

True. But Mercedes have engineered it in a way where it's all or nothing. It does it well, but at the expense of its ability to make its way through the field. That's how the recent Ferraris have shined. I think that Vettel would have finished third or fourth if he started where Bottas did.

[SilverSpeed]

The mercedes has also the long wheel base and it uses it's engine for downforce.

I saw that on the straights we closed in on them but during braking and cornering we lost our at them again. So our engine is not that bad.

[hakanabi]

True. But Mercedes have engineered it in a way where it's all or nothing. It does it well, but at the expense of its ability to make its way through the field. That's how the recent Ferraris have shined. I think that Vettel would have finished third or fourth if he started where Bottas did.

No way Vettel finished in top 3 if he started where Bottas was. Melbourne is almost impossible to overtake any car due to being narrow track. There was hardly any overtakes on track in Sunday.

[Jax]

Teams have improved their downforce, speed-trap figures by 7.4kph slower on average, power increase hasn't compensated that. They also opted for higher drag in their settings due to the new 3rd DRS zone set by FIA.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZN4RrLV4AIbPfZ.jpg


Comparing '17 vs '18 #AusGP qualifying best sectors & max. speeds: Who gained most & where?
- Teams 1.092s quicker on average
- Biggest improvement by McLaren (-2.083s)
- Only ToroRosso (+0.162s) slower than last year after switching to Honda

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZN1uLZW4AAiWRQ.jpg

intresting , the ferrari engined cars are the ones who lost little if not gained :)

[racingbradley]

I asked the question hoping that there is a flaw somewhere in the Merc. Those answers give me hope all we need to do now is keep them behind us

[Vettel165]

For the first time after a long time I believe Hamilton what he said, Ferrari should be strong for Bahrain gp. Of course he had access into our GPS data, and we were really mighty on the straights.

Their performance is better than it looked,” he said.

“Ferrari are going to be quick on the straights.

“They are going to be rapid at the next race, they are going to be good in Bahrain.

They are always good on hot circuits – even though it is a night race it is tough on the tyres.

“I can tell you it’s not going to be easy that’s for sure and it’s going to be close.





https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Rumours-Gossip

[Ferrarichamp]

well if we win the first two races, we will definitely be in party mode

[dfunk257]

I got back from Melbourne last night, it was an amazing weekend, i took 8000 photos! Ill share the best of them with you all soon.
On a personal level i wa so happy Seb won the race even though i believe we were very lucky as Lewis was pretty much running away with it before the VSC. I hadnt seen a Ferrari victory since Michael in 2004, so this was a magic day for me.
We definately need to improve our car cause the Mercs have upped their speed this year, we cant keep relying on lucky breaks. Im hoping we upgrade our car asap.

[Giallo 550]

No way Vettel finished in top 3 if he started where Bottas was. Melbourne is almost impossible to overtake any car due to being narrow track. There was hardly any overtakes on track in Sunday.

I believe he would have finished at least fourth. Don't forget that both Haas cars retired, which would have bumped him up to eighth by default. The Ferrari is that much better than the rest of the pack, with the exception of the Mercedes.

[gump1480]

Seb wouldn't have gone past the Red Bulls and Alonso

[mizf1]

Once Ferrari get on top of their set up issue i think it will be a match for Merc. Kimi is happier in the car then vettel evident by kimi having the upper hand in quali and first part of the race, Seb said he has not got full confidence yet and he is not yet the captain of the ship. I Think we have sveral tenths just in set up in regars to Vettel. Once they better start understanding the car and getting upgrades we can unleash the full potential. The engine looks strong aswell

[mwk360]

Finally getting off that high from the victory on Sunday seeing smiles being wiped off arrogant rapper boy's face. Ahh that was a beautiful Sunday. We needed luck to have any chance of victory but for once we were on the right side and Seb & Team did amazing when VSC came on and to keep his car ahead of party mode.

Heart goes out to HAAS who shut up annoying horner and max at the start.


Ferrari's attitude this year is sooo much better than last year. Seb is being realistic now saying he needed luck and they still have work to do, it's the only way they will improve. RB matched Ferrari's pace which is concerning but im sure if Seb can get those updates, setup and suspension fixes to catch mercs and rb (losing around a second or more in the corners) he will be fighting for wins.

haha a great start thank you lady luck, hope you stay on our side this season.

[mwk360]

LeClerc was impressive as well, P13 i believe? on a track he never raced on in the slowest car. Kimi did good first 10 laps i initially thought he would beable to hang with mercs. Sky was crying about VSC and Horner wants to ban party mode now seeing it 0.7~ faster than the competition. They should ban some aero if they want interesting overtaking and racing but then he will probably threaten to quit. If all the teams are running the same engines and williams and F.I are doing so awful does that mean the engine mapping and chassis mercs have are waaay infront of RB(newey's masterpiece) as well?

[jgonzalesm6]

It's gonna be HOT at Bahrain.

Bahrain Grand Prix: April, 6-8, 2018 - Selected sets per driver.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZW2jyMW4AE03_w.jpg

[jgonzalesm6]

Like what Vettel says at the end.

Best Onboards | 2018 Australian Grand Prix

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

[jgonzalesm6]

Kimi is hilarious. He does not disappoint.


Best Team Radio | 2018 Australian Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sVsKTV_UCo

[mwk360]

Like what Vettel says at the end.

Best Onboards | 2018 Australian Grand Prix

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

[mizf1]

Merc were doing some fuel saving aswell in OZ, confirmed in below video around 5min 50 sec mark

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...ilton-1019964/

[jgonzalesm6]

He MIGHT play it safe at Bahrain...if not he will push it....could we see a blown engine coming soon?

Hamilton engine got "close" to limits in Australian GP chase.

Mercedes is confident that Lewis Hamilton's engine did not suffer any damage in his pursuit of Sebastian Vettel at the Australian Grand Prix, despite getting close to its temperature limits.

Pushing hard and running behind Vettel meant that Hamilton's engine temperatures increased, and in the end he called off the battle in a bid to ensure that there was no risk to future reliability now drivers are only allowed three engines for the whole season.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has revealed that Hamilton's engine temperatures did get close to the limits the team had set, but says there were no indications it had exceeded them.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...amage-1020074/

[Giallo 550]

He MIGHT play it safe at Bahrain...if not he will push it....could we see a blown engine coming soon?

What I don't understand is why the engine isn't equipped with some sort of governor that automatically dials it back when it is at the limit. Maybe it's against the rules or something.

[Aberracus]

What I don't understand is why the engine isn't equipped with some sort of governor that automatically dials it back when it is at the limit. Maybe it's against the rules or something.

Because sometimes you have to risk it to take the win...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FerrariSteve]

He MIGHT play it safe at Bahrain...if not he will push it....could we see a blown engine coming soon?

Quite frankly I don't believe a word that Mercedes say these days, they constantly spouting utter rubbish and how many times have they come on the radio when there's like 10 laps to go and said the car is critical and be careful etc etc. they are simply lying drama queens.