All cars are "close to being illegal" all the time. Most people call it "on the limit". Precision is part of this sport, and small mistakes can have big consequences. George should know, his car was found to be illegal in Belgium GP2024 and he was stripped from his win because his car was too light.
Formula 1
Welcome to Formula1 @ lemmy.world Lemmy's largest community for Formula 1 and related racing series
๐ F1 Calendar
๐ FIA Documents
๐ F1 Pace
2025 Calendar
Location | Date |
---|---|
๐ฆ๐ฟ Azerbaijan | 19-21 Sep |
๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | 03-05 Oct |
๐บ๐ธ United States | 17-19 Oct |
๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico | 24-26 Oct |
๐ง๐ท Brazil | 07-09 Nov |
๐บ๐ธ United States | 20-22 Nov |
๐ถ๐ฆ Qatar | 28-30 Nov |
๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi | 05-07 Dec |
Rules
- Be respectful to everyone: drivers, lemmings etc
- No gambling, crypto or NFTs
- Spoilers are allowed
- Non English articles should include a translation in the comments by deepl.com or similar
- Paywalled articles should include at least a brief summary in the comments, the wording of the article should not be altered
- Social media posts should be posted as screenshots with a link for those who want to view it
- Memes are allowed on Monday only as we all do like a laugh or 2, but donโt want to become formuladank.
- No duplicate posts, or posts of different news companies that say the same thing.
George isn't throwing shade. This is only a possibility for why their last stint was so disastrous. What changed? They overcooked the plank wear and to avoid disqualification they raised ride height and slowed top speed. It's not throwing shade, it's how George suddenly could catch and have several overtake opportunities. It's not like suddenly Leclerc got slow or George got fast. The car changed.
In the last stint Leclerc was corrective steering based on input telemetry in corners more while going slower. It's rationale to suggest less downforce. Lastly there's only two things they can change at pit stops, tyres and front wing. Nothing else legally or time wise can be changed. It's unfathomable to think they'd change the front wing on the race leading car. But ride height seems plausible, via more air in the tyres.
In other words George is likely right in his attempt to explain his sudden speed delta compared to leclerc.
Edit: Personally I bet the high pressure tyre was desperate if that's the case. High pressure tyres make less contact with the road and decrease grip. So whatever fraction of height they gained they no doubt lost not just downforce from height but lateral traction capability in the tyre itself.
Hm... The plot thickens. Maybe this was why Hamilton was slow? As in maybe he said no to the shenanigans?
More info here: https://bsky.app/profile/fdataanalysis.bsky.social/post/3lvldmjguf22u
Does appear to be plank wear concern.