US GP 2021 - Practice and Qualifying

[Shadowfax84]

The biggest winner is F-1 not having Merc on pole! Fans are back to watching and not knowing who's to be on the podium! And.. Ferrari back to being with the top contenders. We have two great drivers for sure.

We are off by 0.7 seconds with this new engine. I will wait until the first qualifying in 2022 to see where we really are.

[Tifoso Svedese]

We are off by 0.7 seconds with this new engine. I will wait until the first qualifying in 2022 to see where we really are.

Austin is a peak Red Bull track. Even Checo is fast - which is a sign that the broken clock is right twice a day. What I prefer looking at is the distance to Bottas which is 0.1 seconds here. That's a consistent marker for how close we are to get podiums on merit.

Distance to second Mercedes this season for our best car:

Bahrain: 0.092
Imola: -0.158
Portugal: 0.686
Spain: 0.627
Monaco: -0.749* (red flag)
Baku: -1.441* (red flag)
France: 0.464
Styria: 0.405
Austria: 0.510 (no Ferrari in Q3)
Britain: 0.610
Hungary: 0.762
Belgium: 1.426 (Q2, wet)
Netherlands: 0.305
Italy: 0.809
Russia: 1.215 (Q2, wet, last session on equal tyres)
Turkey: 0.267
USA: 0.131

2020 versus second Mercedes:

Austria: 0.872
Styria: 0.980
Hungary: 1.220
Britain: 0.811
70-Britain: 1.393
Spain: 1.444
Belgium: 1.233
Italy: 1.317
Tuscany: 1.267
Russia: 1.383
Eifel: 0.510
Portugal 0.336
Imola: 0.910
Turkey: 1.402 (Q2)
Bahrain: 1.596
Sakhir: 0.210
Abu Dhabi: 0.733

So, a mile of difference there as well.

So, discounting the first two races where Mercedes hadn't figured the car out and the red-flag qualifyings on street courses, the difference is abundantly clear. The engine has made a sizeable leap forward and had this been August we'd been stuck behind the orange rockets on the grid today.

[jgonzalesm6]

Austin is a peak Red Bull track. .

It is this weekend but this was'nt the case in the turbo hybrid era. It's been Mercedes dominated since 2014......until yesterday regarding qualifying.

[Nick Singer]

We'll be lucky to get one car on the podium..

As third best chassis and with Ferrari race strategy (LOL), it will be tough..

(PS Lord, please let Max and Shamilton take each other out!)

[PURE PASSION]

Another confirmation of the great work the engineers at Maranello did with the new hybrid system (now on both cars): Leclerc and Ricciardo have the same straight line speed on the back straight and LEC gains more than 0.2s in Sector 2!

#Leclerc #Ricciardo

[PURE PASSION]

We'll be lucky to get one car on the podium..

As third best chassis and with Ferrari race strategy (LOL), it will be tough..

(PS Lord, please let Max and Shamilton take each other out!)

If nothing happens to the top 3 ,there's NO WAY we could fight for podium. To be in a good form to be ahaid of McLs is one thing BUT to fight for podiums on pure performance is a totally different thing ,impossible this year!!!
And even Bottas is pretty possible to pass us as he starts only 4-5 places behind, and he had so much stronger pace yesterday!!!!
We have to see things as they are and not get ahaid of ourselves and asking to much of the team !!!

[Brembo]

Such optimism !!! I'm hoping nether Charles or Carlos frequents this forum!

[ferrari1.8t]

I am sensing more lies from Toto and co. Looks like Horner may have been right about mercs floor running too low. Perhaps Merc changing it now to avoid a protest from RedBull after the race. Either way, always special treatment for Merc from the FIA.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...e-floors-usgp/

[SS454]

I am sensing more lies from Toto and co. Looks like Horner may have been right about mercs floor running too low. Perhaps Merc changing it now to avoid a protest from RedBull after the race. Either way, always special treatment for Merc from the FIA.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...e-floors-usgp/

Horner also said there is nothing illegal about what Mercedes is doing. Apparently Mercedes have just found a better what of compressing the suspension at very high speeds (300 kph or so). Teams have been doing this for decades in some fashion or another.

What sucks is Red Bull found a way to flex their wing that passed all tests, and the FIA change the rules mid season as per Mercedes' complaints.

[Gilles]

Simple. Team orders and a more aggressive two-stopper. I expect Carlos in at laps 10-12 and then go for mediums in a bid to make up track position for his eventual second stop for hards to the end.

As for the elevation, Mexico is infamous for having Red Bull processions back in the era where the Mercedes engine really lit it up. It makes a ton of difference up on 2,300 metres.

Correct, because they cannot increase the pressure of the turbocharger. So, good news for the next race

[ferrari1.8t]

Horner also said there is nothing illegal about what Mercedes is doing. Apparently Mercedes have just found a better what of compressing the suspension at very high speeds (300 kph or so). Teams have been doing this for decades in some fashion or another.

What sucks is Red Bull found a way to flex their wing that passed all tests, and the FIA change the rules mid season as per Mercedes' complaints.

Still not buying it, Merc was on the pace to take pole before Horner complained. Then they magically decided to change their floors and they lost pace. IMO Merc are dirty cheats, plain and simple.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bu...es-suspension/

Mercedes did change the floor of their cars after Friday’s practices but that, it is said, was more to do with the height than a reaction to Red Bull’s request.

Wolff conceded at the time that it cost Mercedes pace, with Max Verstappen taking both pole position and the United States GP win.

[Greig]

Merc went quicker on Saturday than they did on Friday though?

[SS454]

Still not buying it, Merc was on the pace to take pole before Horner complained. Then they magically decided to change their floors and they lost pace. IMO Merc are dirty cheats, plain and simple.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bu...es-suspension/

Mercedes did change the floor of their cars after Friday’s practices but that, it is said, was more to do with the height than a reaction to Red Bull’s request.

Wolff conceded at the time that it cost Mercedes pace, with Max Verstappen taking both pole position and the United States GP win.

Sounds like it was a ride height adjustment was needed because the desired ride height was damaging the floor.

[Brembo]

The FIAs special treatment with Merc keeping them out of the wins is causing millions $$$ of fans to come back to our favorite sport F-1 Now if only Ferrari will give our drivers a little more push and a better pit stop the podium needs Ferrari!!!