Maybe the Development Race Isn't as Important as First Assumed

[teabagyokel]

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=49557&PO=49557

Pinch of salt at the ready, I know, but there are certain aspects of this that ring true. Mercedes have clawed themselves closer to the pack (as evidenced by Nico Rosberg's excellent 5th position in quali in Yeongam) despite not updating their car for a while.

It seems interesting that maybe some teams would be better off, rather than plonking new parts on the car at the start of every weekend, investigating more thoroughly why the parts they apply work (or not) and understanding them?

Its not just Mercedes either, Ferrari's best run of 2009 came after they stopped development at the Hungarian GP, albeit they were effectively running a one-car team at this point.

I'm not saying this is a long-term thing; Ferrari's performance drop-off at the very rear of the season shows the pitfalls, but maybe the testing ban has put a premium on research by trial and error, leading to many hit and miss results as the season wears on.

 

[FB]

He believes that the upturn proves that the 2010 Mercedes car was never as bad as it seemed when it was struggling to get into Q3 at times in the summer.

I like this quote - only in the hands of one of their drivers if I recall

I suppose it's an inevitable consequence of no in season testing that some new parts won't perform how they do in the wind tunnel or on the simulator. RB makes a very valid point when he talks about knowing how to set up certain parts properly without the confusion of other new bits which may be having an adverse effect on what they already have.

I would like to see some limited in-season testing to eliminate the risk of one team getting it right straight out of the box (as with Brawn in 2009 and Red Bull in the early part of this year) and being ultra dominant as this isn't good from my perspective as a spectator. Maybe after the first 3 races there should be a testing weekend and then another around mid-season? There is, of course, always the option to run some testing for "publicity purposes"...

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

I think that if Red Bull had been allowed to develop a special pair of mittens for Seb, they might already have the title wrapped up by now.