How was a fastest lap possible on a worn out hard tyre?
Discussion
Theories chaps?
Now the dust has settled on the race, this particular fastest lap still leaves me confused.
As we're very used too, we know old hard tyres are not great for pace. So often we see cars dropping back on the wrong age, wrong type of rubber. The tyres are literally designed to behave a very specific way. How the hell did Lewis get that car, on those tyres, round faster than anyone else? Bottas was on softs and also went for fastest lap...
As an aside, did anyone make note of which other drivers also went for a fastest lap attempt and what rubber they were on?
Now the dust has settled on the race, this particular fastest lap still leaves me confused.
As we're very used too, we know old hard tyres are not great for pace. So often we see cars dropping back on the wrong age, wrong type of rubber. The tyres are literally designed to behave a very specific way. How the hell did Lewis get that car, on those tyres, round faster than anyone else? Bottas was on softs and also went for fastest lap...
As an aside, did anyone make note of which other drivers also went for a fastest lap attempt and what rubber they were on?
All laudable theories and I don't disagree with any of them.
But he beat Bottas who was on fresh softs. I'm sure he was chuffed to bits with his car setup and maybe that did give him a little extra which is why he was reeling Bottas in early on. That's fine - but it's not (in theory at least) enough to make 30 lap old hard tyres remotely as quick as fresh softs.
In any other situation we would be laughing at the idea of a driver thinking they can out-pace their team mate with such different rubber. If Lewis hadn't got the fastest lap and someone on PH piped up saying that was evidence of him not being better than Bottas, we would all have said that was nonsense as the fastest lap for him on those tyres would have been 'impossible'.
The difference in rubber should have been at least 1 second a lap, probably closer to 2 seconds given the difference in compound and the age. The difference in setup between the two cars can't offset that kind of advantage surely?
All I can think is that it was a combination of many things. Lewis driving at his very finest, Bottas making some subtle and unnoticed mistakes, engine mode, setup and perhaps sheer bravery. Whatever the individual contributing factors were, each must have been exploited to the max to offset the tyre delta.
Either the stopwatch was wrong, or Lewis pulled out one of the finest laps of his life and at the exact same time Bottas was having a snooze.
But he beat Bottas who was on fresh softs. I'm sure he was chuffed to bits with his car setup and maybe that did give him a little extra which is why he was reeling Bottas in early on. That's fine - but it's not (in theory at least) enough to make 30 lap old hard tyres remotely as quick as fresh softs.
In any other situation we would be laughing at the idea of a driver thinking they can out-pace their team mate with such different rubber. If Lewis hadn't got the fastest lap and someone on PH piped up saying that was evidence of him not being better than Bottas, we would all have said that was nonsense as the fastest lap for him on those tyres would have been 'impossible'.
The difference in rubber should have been at least 1 second a lap, probably closer to 2 seconds given the difference in compound and the age. The difference in setup between the two cars can't offset that kind of advantage surely?
All I can think is that it was a combination of many things. Lewis driving at his very finest, Bottas making some subtle and unnoticed mistakes, engine mode, setup and perhaps sheer bravery. Whatever the individual contributing factors were, each must have been exploited to the max to offset the tyre delta.
Either the stopwatch was wrong, or Lewis pulled out one of the finest laps of his life and at the exact same time Bottas was having a snooze.
RemarkLima said:
With fuel flow limit of 100 litres per hour, is this pro rated per lap?
I wonder if you can run under that limit for 10 laps, and then use the remainder of the balance for a one lap banzai?
As if you could add 10% additional fuel flow that would be a massive gain everywhere. However, everyone would be doing it?
They have to run under that limit to make the race distance. In normal race modes they're probably using 60-70% of the per hour limit.I wonder if you can run under that limit for 10 laps, and then use the remainder of the balance for a one lap banzai?
As if you could add 10% additional fuel flow that would be a massive gain everywhere. However, everyone would be doing it?
That's not to say they can for one lap exceed the per hour limit - even though the average usage per hour would remain within the limit, the peak usage would exceed the limit which isn't allowed.
In quali/party mode etc the cars all run up against that same 100kg p/h limit. No car can exceed it, even briefly.
I'm sure he was in an engine mode that ran to the limit, but then bottas would have been too - he was also going for a fastest lap.
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