Morgan Murphy7 said:I can see my guys are looking predictably fast
especially since 🙏N. Piquet
really stood out there.
I’m a bit skeptical...
It’s going to take them some time to find their rhythm, and N. Piquet needs a little more breathing room to settle in. 😁
Just look back at how Heikki struggled last year when the TC was an issue...
I’ve been scouring through the commentary on various news sites lately...
Alonso seems quite happy with the long runs...
The real headache is those opening laps of every stint.
The car becomes incredibly difficult to handle the moment they slap a fresh set of tires on it.
On top of the well-documented issues—like waiting on that new suspension setup meant to boost performance and help squeeze more out of the Bridgestone rubber
this new complication is cropping up too...
Word is that Alonso is using brakes similar to what he used during his Renault days, though apparently, they’ve ordered the exact same spec he used last year at McLaren, which both McLaren drivers are currently running...
Generally speaking, braking and corner entry remain a tricky part of the game.
It would be all too easy to end up graining the rear tires,
particularly once the rubber starts to wear down.
That’s going to be a major factor where things could go sideways...
and it applies equally to every single driver on the grid.
Even Lewis, aside from that one hot lap, was sliding all over the track.
Everyone seemed to be dealing with significant instability, so the human error factor
could easily lead to a few surprises, regardless of how fast the cars actually are.
Alonso sees qualifying as the biggest hurdle right now because of these specific technical struggles...
Those solid long-run paces might just be rendered useless if they end up stuck with poor starting positions due to qualifying.
