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Mercedes have developed something over the last few races which lowers the back of the car even more. This allows for more straight line speed similar to what downforce did last year before it was partially reduced. The more downforce you have the more grip you have allowing the power to drive through the tyres.
Ove the weekend we had the US Grand Prix from Texas which Max Verstappen won in a fairly tight fought race. With only 5 races left the Championship for Drivers and Constructors is too tight to call. Honestly I can see Max Verstappen possibly winning this with Mercedes winning the Constructors title ,but that is possibly only.
Verstappen needs to win 4 of the last 5 races to guarantee the Championship and just can't see that happening. This is going to be very close whoever wins.
Mercedes have not been sitting back accepting that Red Bull have the better car this year and have done something with their ride height. The ruling for this year where the down force was reduced on the cars by removing sections of the underflooring benefitted Red Bull more than anyone else. They have had consistent downforce allowing them to go quicker in the corners. Mercedes have found the straight line speed and now have added an auto adjuster which is legal. This adjuster drops the ride height for the corners creating more down force and therefore more grip which then rises back up for the straights.
Mercedes and Red Bull fighting the top spot with McLaren fighting third with Ferrari. This season has seen a very closely fought leaderboard.
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Saudi is perfect for the ride height adjuster to be used as over half the course is long straights.
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Abu Dhabi is another suited to this ride height adjuster as at the end of the main straight there is a sharp corner plus one other sharp bend meaning the ride height can stay high. The time lost on this bend would be a minimum allowing them to carry it over into the next straight which is around half the course in total before the ride height needs to drop down again.
The US Grand Prix and Turkey were not really the tracks to use this new device and out of the next 5 races I can see 4 where this benefit can be used. You need long straights and a definite change in the course moving into the corners. Saudi Arabia ,Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi have a perfect course layout for this contraption to work. Red Bull have noticed this and have complained already but even they say it is legal and there is nothing they can do. Mercedes have to get the timings right and make the straights count to gain time.
We tend to forget sometimes that these teams all manufacture and develop parts for their cars so nothing is impossible. They had a problem and have been working behind the scenes solving this issue and now they have the answer or think they have. There are still a maximum haul of 230 championship points up for grabs which equates to around $230 Million in monetary value. This is not about the money anymore and is the prestige of winning the title for a record 8 years in a row that is pushing Mercedes on. Red Bull are happy to just be in the fight whereas Mercedes do not want to relinquish something they have been accustomed to winning.
Technology will always drive these teams on to do that much more as they are the leaders and creators in the high end of this sport. Going fast is one thing but out thinking and out smarting your rivals through a clever gizmo or something that they have created is worth far more than anything else. This is bragging rights for next year and whoever wins that constructors title will be deserving of it this year as they have been battling it out for what would be 23 races come December.
I think we could quite comfortably say every team barring Haas (no budget) has improved quite considerably from the first race until now. Most teams are only thinking about 2022 besides the top 4 really wo still have their eyes firmly on this season as this is all about trying to out do the other rivals.