Even if Lewis has to be given credit for updates to the car (Which is doubtful, as again that is primarily down to the engineers working based on car data, not qualitative feedback from the driver - that is for setup changes mainly), this doesn't relate to the fact that he started the season with such a good car.
I feel as you just don't want to give Lewis any credit...Engineers also need insight from the drivers so certain parts that go into the setup can be fully understood as to why they aren't working as planned. Hence why guys like Shumacher and Prost and Senna and many others were able to come in during off track time and help engineers this is well documented. I'm merely suggesting Lewis could be one of these.
I think there is double standards here. You mentioned 2 posts ago that Mercedes had wind tunnel issues in 2012 and that Ferrari have had ongoing wind tunnel problems. The main problem being, that they do not give accurate data which correlates with CFD and on-track data. This is Mclaren's problem too.
You're wrong, I'm just not putting full blame on it like you are, the reason being even though Ferrari are having the exact same issue Alonso is still putting in better results then Jenson. I'm just saying Jenson isn't going to help the situation due to already having such a tight window he works in.
So does lewis have some sort of sixth sense, that he knew the Mercedes was going to be faster? All pre-season interviews say otherwise; he expected Mclaren to be faster.
Where do I or anyone else suggest this, quit reading so much into the crap and stick to being on point. The exaggeration you suggest we make is asinine. All I've said is pre-testing when well they were able to produce a good car from it. I recall they had their issues that needed adjusting and even carried it over in the first couple races. They weren't as fast from the drop of the hat as you seem to suggest. So I find it hard to see how that is your response to Lewis doing good "only luck", I guess the guy should have played the lottery as well before joining.
Putting Mclaren aside for a moment, we have to take into account the fact that all of the teams are trying their very best to make the car fast. They all have very talented engineers, and the top teams at least have very good facilities. But as I mentioned before, a team doesn't know where they are until their car and their competitors' cars hit the track. To insinuate that a driver can have a look around the factory, have a talk with a few of the engineers, and deduce that it's best to switch as their car will be faster, is ludicrous.[/QUOTE]
I never did that, others did and even the part you quote doesn't suggest I'm saying that. I'm sure Lewis saw the facility saw they had a strong operation like McLaren and thought he had some chance of doing okay. Even the people you are telling "he couldn't have known by seeing the facility" have a slight point, someone sold him on the switch and Mercedes aren't throwing money around to keep losing so obviously there was some forethought that they had good things to come. I think anyone suggested that the heavens opened up and a brilliant light shined down on the W04 chassis, while trumpets blared, indicating to Lewis that the car was a winning breed..
I'm not trying to play down Hamilton's driving skill, that is clear for all to see. I'm not saying Hamilton's decision to move was bad, wrong, unwise or anything of that sort. Infact, it was a perfectly timed move. But there is a reason why everybody thought he was making a mistake. Mclaren were fast, Mercedes were slow, and there were no significant regulation changes between 2012 and 2013.
Which is why people feel safe in saying that obviously Mercedes had some kind of proof or story to provide Lewis with why the car would be good.
The engineers at Mclaren and Mercedes will have both worked their butts off to develop a frontrunning car for 2013, knowing that they will have to switch to 2014 development soon so they can't afford to play catch up. From the point of view of the engineers, the cars were both improvements upon the 2012 cars (because why would you re-engineer something to make it worse?).
The 2013 car from McLaren is re-engineered and a fresh start they even said so...take it up with McLaren why they didn't just evolve the MP4-27 it was done the program cycle finished as I keep telling you...
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/01/31/mclaren-mp428-mp427-sidebyside/
The key point is from the inside both teams will have been excited about their prospects for the 2013 title, but naturally Mclaren were in a much better position due to their existing car. I agree that Mclaren probably screwed up by changing too much, but how did that help Mercedes get ahead of Ferrari, Lotus and Red Bull?
Probably because they bought up engineers, because RBR's car cycle was at it's end as I already said. Lotus are doing fine and on par I'd say with Mercedes and Ferrari I told you their issue.
I'd also like to point out that whilst the physics is set in stone, aerodynamic development for F1 cars is still somewhat an inexact science. Sometimes aero updates don't work, and the engineers don't know why. But they did work in their minds, and in CFD, and in the wind tunnel. The team wouldn't spend 6 figures on a new front wing configuration if the engineers didn't make it better than the last. But sometimes it just doesn't work on the track. There is indeed an element of luck involved. Again, there is no way that anyone can judge one car to be faster than another unless they have tested them both on track. Ahead of winter testing, everybody was in the dark, including Hamilton. There is massive luck and coincidence here, it was not some sort of stroke-of genius calculated decision on Lewis' part. He's as surprised as anybody.
The application is inexact but, the science of thermodynamics, aerodynamics and so on are set in stone. They aren't exactly rewriting the laws of physics in those areas just how to approach and use them
I agree everyone was in the dark during winter testing day 1, I never said (yet again) that Lewis knew the car was winner. Don't get my posting confused with others. They may echo me but not exactly.
Sure it is, Brawn's being nice because he gets half-credit for Shuey's two championships at Benetton. But when the most decorated driver in F1 history is out-paced by Nico Rosberg, I don't know else you could describe the situation.
And his championships at Ferrari too...along with Rory Byrne
His name is Paddy.
