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How Jeddah turned Mercedes’ worst race of the F1 season

Source link : https://motorsports-news.org/2025/04/23/formula-1/how-jeddah-turned-mercedes-worst-race-of-the-f1-season-2/

Forward of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, one of many recurring themes of the weekend was graining. Graining occurs when the tyres are pressured earlier than reaching their optimum working window, or when ambient temperatures are too low to permit the tyres to work accurately.

Besides at Mercedes, the precise reverse was occurring: no graining, however relatively, blistering. It was an anomaly, hardly ever mentioned since racing began in Saudi Arabia, as a result of the superb asphalt in Jeddah has at all times supplied a whole lot of grip, pushing the main focus towards the graining concern.

Mercedes was actually “cooking” its tyres whereas struggling to handle the thermal degradation. It wasn’t simply accelerated put on, however relatively poor temperature administration — the identical concern that plagued Max Verstappen throughout Friday’s lengthy runs.

George Russell, Mercedes

Foto di: Peter Fox – Getty Pictures

Wanting again, throughout each follow and qualifying, it was noticeable that permitting the tyres to chill helped recuperate efficiency — even with the comfortable tires, the place it was doable to aim two or extra laps with out a vital drop in tyre efficiency.

Throughout the race, nonetheless, there was no alternative to decelerate and let the tyres breathe, inflicting the temperature to rise uncontrollably and triggering a sequence response that lowered grip, elevated sliding, and, in flip, additional overheated the tires. Whereas Ferrari…

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Author : Motorsports

Publish date : 2025-04-23 19:13:00

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