Max Verstappen doubts the coming ban on engine ‘quali modes’ will make enough of a difference for Red Bull to compete with Mercedes in qualifying.
The FIA has told teams that from next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix they will be required to run the same performance settings on their engines in qualifying and the race. This is expected to stop teams ‘turning up’ their engines in qualifying.However Verstappen expects this will only make a minor difference to Red Bull’s deficit to Mercedes on Saturdays. “Just looking from our perspective, I don’t think I will move forward [on the grid] but hopefully get a little bit closer,” he said.
“But the gap in qualifying is still too big. Qualifying mode is not going to make the difference. I just hope that we can be a bit closer.”
Verstappen said Mercedes’ superior top speed will make it hard for Red Bull to compete with them this weekend. “There’s a lot of long straights,” he said.
“It’s difficult to balance anyway with downforce around here. It’s never traditionally been a great track for us. But nevertheless I enjoy coming here.”
This weekend drivers will use the same tyre compound selection which Mercedes struggled with at Silverstone, where Verstappen scored his only victory of the season so far. But he expects the cooler temperatures this weekend will prevent their rivals from experiencing similar problems.
“We kept saying we need heat, we need heat. Well, we definitely got beaten in the heat in Barcelona. Maybe we could have done things better but a gap like that, even with a bit of set-up work, is not going to change.
“Maybe the tyres will help, I don’t know. It’s not going to be warm enough I think, anyway. So it’s tricky. I always like to be realistic and I don’t like to tell fairy tales. It will be hard but I will try to, of course, be on the podium.”
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Andy Bunting (@wildbiker)
28th August 2020, 8:33
FIA? Banning Qualy mode.
Nero fiddled whilst Rome burned.
Ban one of the most technically innovative things in modern F1?
Innovation is the cutting edge of F1.
Rest of the teams need to “get with the program”.
Bleating/Whining/Complaining. F1 gone “Snowflake”.
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
28th August 2020, 9:02
The ban on qualifying mode and goes to the heart of what is wrong with F1.
The rest of the teams would love dearly to “get with the program”, but they simply don’t have the money and resources that Mercedes do, nor can than they acquire it. There is a limit to the money coming into F1.
F1 should be a sport first and foremost. True, there is an amazing engineering element to it which is fascinating, but needs to reigned in sometimes so the sport doesn’t suffer.
Moreover F1 has become a financial exercise. The budget cap may make this worse rather than better. Those clever money people who got us where we are will thrive in such an environment.
Just as rampant commercialism degrades the sport, rampant technical innovation (and its cost) will too. F1 has always made rules to restriction innovation on the grounds of safety, competition and affordability. It always will. I’ll give them 9/10 for safety, 5/10 for competition and 2/10 for affordability.
The 2022 rules will be a big step in the right direction. Don’t moan about people moaning. Just look forwards to exciting races on Sunday afternoons.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
28th August 2020, 11:06
But Ferrari, Renault, and Honda have been chasing Mercedes for 5 or 6 years. I don’t see this as simply a lack of investment because those teams would have caught Mercedes by now.
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
28th August 2020, 11:51
I hear what you say Stephen, but if we assume there is a direct correlation between money spent and improvement (which I know isn’t always true) it means those chasing would have to spend more every year for 5 or 6 years than Mercedes do and justify it to their shareholders.
There just isn’t enough money in F1 for 10 teams to be competitive, which would be my ideal scenario!
In my view the rule makers have no choice but to legislate a materially cheaper F1. I don’t include budget caps in this because how the money is spent becomes even more critical and once its spent its spent with no way to catch up. A competitive F1 car should be cheaper to build full stop.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
28th August 2020, 19:35
This is an interesting argument, in the sense quite a few years ago I predicted that Ferrari and Renault, and possibly Honda (I’m not sure if Honda were involved then) would catch up to Mercedes and the power units would all level out in performance, but that hasn’t happened. I do wonder if some of this is historical, in that it is cheaper in the short term to build upon what you’ve already got than it is to go back and revisit decisions that were made some years before. So having a good foundation is possibly part of the reason Mercedes stayed ahead, but it can’t be the whole reason.
F1oSaurus (@)
28th August 2020, 15:15
@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk
Ferrari and Mercedes have the same budget. Honda has an even bigger budget. They have been going nuts on spemnding since teaming up with RB. Perhaps Renault is lacking somewhat.
At best you could claim that Ferrari spent their budget on fuel flow cheating rather than actual improvements, but they did spent the money.
ads
28th August 2020, 21:07
sorry but its ridiculous to say Mercedes are ahead as they spend more money. Ferrari spend more than Mercedes (its just they decided to take a shortcut to catch Mercedes) and honda arentvdoing this on the cheap. last year all the engine manufacturers were pretty close but because ferrari were cheating Mercedes had to make improvements believing they had to catch up.
BlueChris (@bluechris)
28th August 2020, 9:22
Nothing will change, on the contrary Mercedes will be more powerful in race even if they loose in the upcoming races sometimes the polposition
papaya
28th August 2020, 11:30
Hopefully we’ll see Mercedes BBQ engine fried during the race due to running longer on higher performance mode.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
28th August 2020, 12:22
Papaya If they do their engineering right (which they undoubtedly will) their engines will have no greater chance of getting fried than they do now. They just offset the additional engine damage done by qualy modes into a slightly more aggressive race setting.
ads
28th August 2020, 21:08
that isnt going to happen. Hamilton & bottas will probably get to run as fast as possible for 20 laps build up a lead and br told to lift and coast the rest of the race.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
28th August 2020, 11:45
I wonder who will be the first to suggest adding success ballast.
Coventry Climax
28th August 2020, 14:04
You’ve just answered your own question: You. ;-)
Although, that’s not true, really. I’ve heard talk on it before.
But I hope it never comes to that.
F1oSaurus (@)
28th August 2020, 15:25
Yeah Red Bull focuses more on more downforce at the cost of more drag on the straight. So they should have been kicking asses in Hungary and do damage limitations at Spa
No point in complaining about top speed when you focus like that.