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rickybaby · 2 years

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Daniel Joseph Ricciardo, you are the World Champion!

In which Daniel wins the Championship.

Warning: Pure, utterly complete delusion.

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February 2026, Bahrain

“Well, hello everyone. Cars, on track, for the first time this year! How good is that?!”

“So much to cover this afternoon” Ted Kravitz led his cameraman down the paddock as he fished his notes out of his pocket. “Right then, let’s start off with the talk of the paddock - the new Audi-Sauber team and their surprising new driver line-up!”

“It’s a bit of an interesting one, isn’t it? Daniel Ricciardo and Theo Pourchaire! Yep, the Honey Badger is back in F1 after three years out. Are we surprised that Audi went for Danny Ric? I mean it’s an easy choice if you’re looking for experience. Yes, his last season with McLaren had not been great, but I think he’s more than proved himself in the years away since then, hasn’t he?”

“He’s won Le Mans in 2023 and then went on to win the Indy500 just last year. And you know what that makes him? The only second driver to have ever won the triple crown of motorsport!” Ted stopped just outside the new Audi motor home. “Also he didn’t do too badly today as well.”

“He finished P6 on the timesheets, with his former teammate Max Verstappen in P1, followed by the merc boys - George and Lewis, Yuki Tsunoda in that second Red Bull and Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari. It’s not looking too bad for the Australian, is it? He may just be the one to look out for this season!”

“Now Pete, the Ferraris!” He gestured for his cameraman to follow him as he continued to move down the paddock “those were some interesting side pods we saw on the car …”

-l l-

Up in his driver’s room, Daniel Ricciardo felt as if his neck was about to snap into two. It was always painful to get back into the car after the winter break and even more so now, when he’d been out of the car for three years, but damn if he could stop himself from smiling.

“How was it out there today?” Michael asked as he applied the kinesio tape on Dan’s neck. “Good” he said, and just like in his interviews from earlier, he had to stop himself from gushing, had to be conservatively optimistic for fear of jinxing himself. Truth be told, he felt almost jubilant. Because this morning, when he’d sat in the car and drifted out of the garage, he’d felt that click with the car. The click he hadn’t felt since he’d left Red Bull. He might get criticised for this, but Daniel had never been the type of driver who’d get too technical. His driving style had always been more instinctive. He had to have that particular feeling in the car, that certainty that the car would do exactly what he expected it to do when he was throwing it around a corner at 300 kilometres per hour. He wasn’t naïve, he knew there were still kinks to work out, but he knew the pace was there because they’d been massively sandbagging this morning. He almost had to stop himself from declaring he was here to win the championship because he knew they might laugh him out of the paddock. But these people didn’t know the new Daniel, most still remembered the broken man that McLaren had left for dead.

For his sanity’s sake, Daniel rarely thought back to the season he lost his seat. It had happened to his teammates before but he’d never thought it would ever happen to him. Even after McLaren had essentially fired him, he’d still had hope he could turn his career around. He’d only lost hope when he had found out that Pierre got the Alpine seat while he was still in Australia before the Singaporean Grand Prix. From that moment on, he’d known his prospects for 2023 were pretty much non-existent, but still he’d flown to Singapore, did his media duties, played his usual happy-go-lucky guy role to perfection and all the while, he had been dying inside. And then he got P5 in that race, his best finish that season. He had people congratulating him and through it all, all he could think about was how far he had fallen. He used to be on the top step and now people were patting him on the shoulder for fucking P5.

That night, he’d gone back to his hotel room and looked at himself in the mirror, really looked at himself and he hadn’t recognised the man who’d looked back at him. He still loved the sport but he couldn’t see the Daniel who was passionate about racing, whether he came in first or last. He could only see a man who had been so concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other everyday for so long that he hadn’t realised he had reached the end of the road. He’d picked up the phone and dialled his mom even though he knew it was an ungodly hour in Australia. His mom had picked up on the first ring and she’d softly said his name. That string that had been holding him back finally snapped, and he’d cried, big gulping sobs, snot mixing with his hot tears. When he’d finally calmed down, his mom had quietly told him you know what you have to do. The next morning, he’d told Blake and Michael about his decision.

For the rest of the season, everyone and their mother had gone on and on about what a terrible decision he was making, that they couldn’t understand why he would take a step back. He hadn’t needed people to tell him the risk he was taking, he’d been well-aware of the odds of him ever making his way back on the grid. But he’d reached a point where he couldn’t go on, it had been more important for him to salvage whatever dignity he had left and leave before he started hating the sport. Sometimes, it took a lot more of bravery to accept defeat. So he’d left. He’d taken the time to find his smile again and then block by block, he’d slowly started to rebuild himself into a better, improved Daniel. And this Daniel was here to win.

-l l-

May 2026, Monaco

“Hello and welcome to the qualifying round of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix. Join us as we watch the 20 drivers fight it out for pole position here. Martin, we all know how important qualifying is here. Who is your favourite for pole position here today?”

“Yes, Crofty. Qualifying in Monaco is always a special one. It really tests all the skills you need as an F1 driver. It should be an interesting fight for pole today. We can expect Max, Lewis and Charles to be bringing a good fight, but I believe we may be in for a surprising result in Daniel Ricciardo. He’s been on pole twice here before and with the season he’s been having since his comeback, I don’t think we can discount him from the fight.”

“Ah yes, Daniel Ricciardo. What a mega comeback it has been. He was in the top 5 in Bahrain and Saudi, and then he went on to win his home race! What an incredible weekend that was! I don’t think I’ve ever heard a crowd cheer so loud as he was making his way round that last corner at Albert Park before he took the chequered flag.”

“Definitely, his performances have been incredible. He did well in China and Baku as well, placing second in both of these races”

“If he continues with performances like that, I think he’ll have to lay off the shoey a bit. Surely, it wouldn’t be too good for his health if he does back-to-backs!”

Daniel knew these streets like the back of his hand. He could drive this track with his eyes closed. So far, he’d been P3 in both Q1 and Q2. There was 3 minutes left on the clock and he had to make this lap count. As he reached the end of his outlap, he briefly closed his eye, took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. He let his instincts take over. He almost felt like he was having an out-of-body experience, hovering over the car, watching as he hit the apex, anticipating where the racing line was even before he was taking that exit. He didn’t even need confirmation from his engineer to know pole was his. And the next day, as he took the chequered flag, he couldn’t help thinking that winning Monaco was even sweeter the second time around.

-l l-

September 2026, Monza

“Mate, zucchini on pizza sounds awful”

“Don’t diss it until you’ve tried it, Russell George” Daniel laughed, as they made their way to the truck for the driver’s parade. Daniel couldn’t really tell how his friendship with George had come about. They were vastly different people, but they’d always shared a mutual respect and then George had been one of the few people who had not hesitated to outwardly support him during that last year. And for that, Daniel would always be grateful. He got on the truck, fist-bumping all of the drivers. The Italian sun was shining and just like in 2021, he was starting in P2 just behind Max. Daniel was desperate to pull off the same start as he had the last time around. He badly wanted to win here again. His last Monza win would always be associated with McLaren and he wanted a Monza win that he could call just his.

Later on, as he stood on the highest step of the podium, head tipped back as Max poured the bottle of champagne over him, Daniel felt vindicated. Last time around, he’d cried on the podium, out of relief, out of happiness that he could give that win to his team. This time around, he felt like roaring, felt like banging on his chest. This more than anything felt like a big fuck you to McLaren. In the five years since that last victory, since McLaren had kicked him out, he’d won two of the most prestigious motor races in the world, had clawed his way back to F1, had won another six Grand Prix, had been on 10 podiums so far, while McLaren was still chasing that illusive next victory. He was still McLaren’s last winner. He sat down and unlaced his boots. He’d had his redemption, now it was time for his vindication.

-l l-

November 2026, Abu Dhabi

“Radio check, Daniel”

“Loud and clear”

“30s to the formation lap”

“25s…”

“10s …”

The tire blankets were removed, the car was lowered on its jack. His head mechanic gave him a slight nod. Good to go.

Daniel lowered the lid on his helmet, flexed his hand on the steering wheel. This was it. All or nothing. Last night, he’d been beating himself up for missing out on pole and for qualifying P3. Then this afternoon, as he walked into the paddock, Martin fucking Brundle had pushed his microphone into his face and had the gall to go on about how surprising it was that Daniel was even a name in the championship fight, how no one had expected that he would only be four points behind Max in the lead going into the final race. Daniel had wanted to snap that he had, that he’d come into this season with the full belief that he could win, but he’d put on his usual smile and gave his usual asinine answer.

That more than anything had fired him up. All throughout his career, people had always underestimated him, thinking he was no more than the joker he liked to play. He let that need to prove people wrong fuel him. He thought back to his win over Valterri in Silverstone during their junior years. He wasn’t meant to win that race, but then he had. It had been the same in China in 2018. Most of his wins had been outside of pole. The championship was still his to lose before it was even Max’s to win. He was Daniel Ricciardo, he could make the unexpected happen.

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … breathe … 1 … lights out. It was time to go hunting.

“Good job, mate. You got Leclerc on the start. Up to P2. 54 laps to go. All to play for.”

Max wasn’t the kind of driver who would easily give in to mind games on track , but Daniel knew the only way he could win this was to force Max into making a mistake. For him, that was the fun in hunting - lulling your prey into complacency, slowly drawing blood before pouncing for the kill.

So, he waited. Lap after lap, he held on to Max, staying in his slipstream. They both built a gap to the rest of the grid, had their pitstops and yet Daniel did not make a move. His engineer kept feeding him information about tyre temperature, Max’s lap times and through all of it, he kept his eyes fixed to the back of Max’s car. Five laps to go. It was time to add a bit of pressure. He closed the gap to the car in front, his front tyres nearly kissing the rear of Max’s car. He stayed glued to Max’s gearbox as they went into the next turn. From then on, it was a game of cat and mouse. Daniel dove down the inside of Max, but Max firmly closed the door. Daniel weaved back and forth, never letting max forget of the danger he posed. He dove and recoiled. Daniel once again dove down the inside going into the next chicane, coming out of the exit side by side with Max. He knew that he wouldn’t have been able to make the move stick because Max had the racing line on that one, but he could feel Max’s nervousness. He had started driving more defensively, going over a couple meters of track he didn’t need to to fend Daniel off. Daniel could smell the blood in the water. Two laps to go. It was time to make his move. He did the classic switcheroo, diving down the inside before switching back, making the move stick by outbraking Max at the last second. They exited the corner with Max trying to come back at him, but Daniel kept a steady grip on the racing line, gradually pulling away.

Daniel knew the battle wasn’t over. Anything could happen in the last few corners. He tried to keep his heart rate down, kept his focus on the last lap ahead. Keep it together, don’t get cocky, he repeated to himself.

“Okay, Daniel. Last corner, last corner. Verstappen is 0.4s behind you. You’re going to make it, Daniel. We just need to keep it together. This is it, Daniel. This is it.”

“What a brilliant battle we’ve seen these last two laps. Max Verstappen has defended his first position valiantly, but there was no stopping this man, Daniel Ricciardo. And just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the honey badger has come back to win his first world championship as he takes the checkered flag under the lights here in Abu Dhabi! He becomes the second driver only in history to have won the triple crown of motorsport and a Formula One championship! What an incredible achievement!”

Daniel could hear his team go wild over the radio as he crossed the finish line. His heart felt like it could burst from his chest at any moment, it was beating so furiously. The fireworks overhead blurred and sparkled through his tears and sweat running down his face. He’d spent so long chasing this dream, sacrificed so much to get to this moment that now that it was within his grasp, he couldn’t quite believe it. For the first time in his life, Daniel Ricciardo was speechless.

“Thanks boys. Thank you” Daniel’s voice cracked with emotion. He wasn’t even embarrassed that he was openly crying. He had fought too long for this, he deserved it. “Thanks for believing in me. I knew we could do it. We deserve it!”

He parked his car in parc fermé. Knees weak, he clambered up onto the halo and as a million flashbulbs went off, he beat on his chest. The honey badger was finally victorious.

Then, it was a blur of celebratory hugs and pats from his team, from the other drivers. Through it all, he remembered seeing his mom’s tear-stained face, his dad’s proud smile. On the podium, the Australian flag draped over his shoulders, head thrown back as he tried to stop himself from crying once again. Fucking hell, he’d done it. Then he was handed his trophy. He placed a soft kiss at her base, then he was lifting her up as the lights bounced off the silver.

Much later, Daniel walked into his driver’s room, still in a daze, shoeless, race suit drenched in sweat, tears and champagne. He looked at himself in the tiny mirror on his wall. The urge to both laugh and cry bubbled up inside of him. It was going to take sometime for it to really sink in for him. He dragged his hands over his face and up into his curls. Guess he could really say he never left this time around.

#daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo fanfic #f1 #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine

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navcommrelay · 13 days

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KINSHIP 1

Time: D-Day + 68 hours

Location: KINSHIP Forward Operating Base

Forces On Station: CFRI, Silver Wing

Forces En Route: Barghest Company (ETA 4h)

Objective: Set up initial defenses and prepare for enemy attack.

After-Action Report:

SWMC Alpha Lance, with SWMC Bravo Lance as support, conducted a sabotage action against the bridge southeast of Kinship FOB, in an attempt to slow the enemy advance. The action was a success, and the bridge was collapsed on the far end. However in the ensuing firefight, SWA3 was damaged beyond repair and the pilot was forced to eject. Following a short engagement by the rest of the lance, the pilot was recovered. Both lances then retreated to join up with main forces.

All Unassigned Forces on site at Kinship FOB finalized a defensive trench system surrounding the FOB. The system consists of a continuous shallow infantry trench on the South and West sides of the base. The outer edge is reinforced with sandbags, and there are deeper sections dug in anticipation of entrenching CAMG armor returning to base. Additionally, a fallback trenchline built in the same pattern as the primary protects and supports the most defensible location at the facility- the central courtyard, sheltered on three sides by the structure itself and with service entry points to enable the movement of personnel and supplies through the building.

CFRI Logistics elements set up a number of field Repair Bay stations inside the southeast vehicle entry points to the primary structure. On completion, the Portable Command Module was installed behind the fallback trenchline in front of the main complex, as notated on-map. Delivery of ammunition and medical supplies via DropShip concluded, with available materiel stored in shipping containers east of the main encampment. Those available support personnel who volunteered were issued infantry small arms and equipment procured from allied elements and moved to occupy the fallback trenchline. Officers on the ground noted that this location could be supported by the -MOD series IndustrialMechs assisting in the Repair Bays as a last-ditch effort. Currently, logistics personnel are occupied coordinating the storage of a shipment of Clan-spec Class-10 Rotary Autocannon ammunition requisitioned for advance delivery by Barghest Company.

Silver Wing Comms Log:

SWMC FR: Can someone go ask the captain if these orders are serious?

SWMC Holk: What's the problem, Gemi? Not cut out for some manual labor?

SWMC FR: You can actually fuck off, Rey, lazing about in orbit while we risk our lives.

SWMC Holk: Ok, just got word from the Captain that yes, you have to do the thing he told you to do.

SWMC FR: I'm saving one of these sandbags to dump onto your bunk.

SWMC Holk: Hey, hey, come on now. Let's not be rash!

@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not

@lt-chari

@msn-04iinightingale

@combined-arms-merc-groups

#battletech #operation touchdown

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ricstappen · 1 year

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manifesting another year where ppl think merc are sandbagging in testing but turns out their car is just dogshit

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delicateglitch · 3 months

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So all these teams were sandbagging except Merc? 😭

#lewis hamilton #bahrain gp 2024

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singsweetmelodies · 9 months

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i won't be able to watch the race today but i'm already dreading the result, SO i decided to make this table of predictions to prepare myself for every eventuality*

*that i could think of

i'm only predicting the wins (+ more or less how they came about to be) otherwise i'm going to be here all morning and be late for my event. i might still be late for my event, but... here goes!

SINGAPORE GP 2023: POSSIBLE WIN SCENARIOS

feat. (completely unbiased of course) commentary by katie singsweetmelodies

carlos and george take each other out at the start. charles leclerc wins the singapore gp 2023! 🎆🥰❤️

if this one comes true, i will never shut up about it and will literally be dancing on the rooftops. DREAM SCENARIO BABY!!! (yeah, sorry georgie, i am SO willing to sacrifice you for a charles win.) we want that win #6... we want it SO MUCH 🥹

george russell passes sainz on the start and proceeds to win the singapore gp 2023! 🩵

if this one comes true, i will still be very happy (and not just because it means sainz DIDN'T win.) i love george. a second win for him would be very nice indeed <3

carlos sainz keeps it together and somehow wins the singapore gp 2023 😐

if he actually does this, i may - through gritted teeth - finally utter the words "fine, carlos sainz is a good driver." (i will however also mutter something under my breath about how 2023 is the year of ugly people, and charles is too beautiful and too good to have his name on the list with the likes of the fucking red bull duo anyway. good RIDDANCE that it's sainz who's the only non-RB winner in such a hideous year.)

we have a repeat of singapore 2017, with the top 4 all taking each other out & lewis hamilton proceeding to win the singapore gp 2023! 🎆💜

if this one comes true, my ferrari heart will be in bits BUT i will simultaneously be fucking ecstatic for lewis. i WILL yell "get in there lewis" an inordinate amount of times, and celebrate that 104 with everything in me.

lando somehow wins from p4 (🤔) and gets his first win in spectacular but chaotic style. lando norris wins the singapore gp 2023! 🧡

if this one comes true, i will be... baffled, first and foremost. but then also pretty happy. i have no idea how this one could reasonably come true, but it would be low-key iconic if it did, tbh.

the chaos at turn 1 is even more chaotic than in singapore 2017, which means that fernando alonso from (wherever he qualified, i forgot lmao oops) wins the singapore gp 2023! 🥶

if this happens, i... will celebrate that it's not a red bull? i'll celebrate it for exactly 14 seconds and then turn off the tv. i'm not an alonso fan. to me, he's barely a step up from another rbr win. yes, it IS a step up. but like, the step is 1cm high.

*dutch national anthem starts playing in the background* AND MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE SINGAPORE GP 2023! the eleventh fucking race in a row, hoo-fucking-ray.

if this one comes true, i will shake my fist at the fia and insist that it's all their fucking fault for not GIVING MAX A FUCKING GRID DROP, like, you know, the PRECEDENT SAYS THEY SHOULD HAVE. he should have gotten six places at least, in my opinion. nine would've been apt, too. but nooooooo. the great white hope is above all precedent and penalty, apparently. (anyway yeah if verstappen wins i will have no celebrations whatsoever. except maybe a tiny, petty internal one that at least it wasn't sainz. but yeah, nah. if verstappen wins, i won't be very surprised, but i will NOT be amused.)

in a move that shocks genuinely EVERYONE, sergio pérez wins the singapore gp 2023! 🇲🇽

i have no idea how this one could reasonably come to pass, tbh. maybe verstappen's engine dies??? and the ferraris and mercs.... either take each other out, or are WAY slower than yesterday. maybe the red bull was sandbagging???? very drastically??? nah. this one won't happen, let's just be real. but if it somehow does, my enthusiasm will be one fraction of a percentage higher than it would've been for a verstappen win. that is all.

liam lawson wins the singapore gp 2023! 😱👏

yeah no this isn't going to happen - i just wanted to say it. liam lawson, you are my HERO for knocking max verstappen out in q2. you will be p1 of my heart no matter who wins this weekend <333 (except if it's charles or lewis. or pierre, somehow. because, you know. priorities. xD)

RIGHT, well. now at least i feel like i'm mentally prepared to open my f1 app tomorrow evening and see pretty much any result. 👍. let's do this thing

#singapore gp 2023 #race prediction #this isn't REALLY a race prediction; tbf. it's more just me psyching myself up/mentally preparing for what i might see #when i open the f1 app this evening #obviously these reactions are incredibly biased 🤣🤣 and i'm sure i'm going to have some VERY offended anons in my inbox when i get back #but *i* thought this was rather funny xD #and hey! at least i'll have a prepared notes app reaction for (pretty much) any race result #🗒🫡

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mistressemmedi · 1 year

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The return of the sandbagging Mercs

#toto i am so sorry for doubting you #keep up the good work babygirl #f1 #bahrain gp 2023

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sainzstorms · 3 months

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is merc actually sandbagging?? where's that lap times coming from??

#mercedes #lewis hamilton #sir lewis hamilton #george russell #formula 1 #f1 #bahrain gp 2024 #bahrain

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mallwalker · 3 months

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im sitting here begging and praying for the merc to go fast i know they're sandbagging i know they're only doing high fuel load endurance tests but please dear fucking god let this car go fast. Please

#charlie dot txt #f1

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mercschumini · 3 months

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Preparing myself mentally for 1. stupidy media questions to merc boys about lewis going to f****** 2. see H***** at testing days despite everything and 3. dts s6 weekend 4. say "merc sandbagging" to any signals of w15 downfall

#f1

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slow-button-off · 1 year

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My little (long) Ferrari focused testing round up

Disclaimer: I am only looking at their fastest laps and only RB, Ferrari and Merc. And I am by no means an expert. And all of this is a whole lot of hot air with little substance tbh

Reminder 1: Ferrari were running a skinnier wing than the others, they wanted to run a higher down force one but it had DRS issues. The skinnier wing means higher top speed because less drag but also less down force which means less grip in the corners (and more tyre deg)

Reminder 2: These times were set at very different times during the day. Especially LECs time during the morning session is affected it. The higher temps mean less grip and more tyre deg. So the later in the day the better the track is and the faster the times will be just because of that. SAI set his time kinda in between but in terms of track condition at the time when they set their laps its PER, HAM > SAI >> LEC.

Reminder 3: HAM was on C5 tyres everyone else on C4. Softer tyres mean more grip which theoretically means better lap time but because Bahrain is high deg it's not super clear if maybe the tyre isn't actually too soft already. But just keep that in mind.

Reminder 4: The others probably did it too but I for sure know about it from Ferrari that they weren't pushing the engine on the fresh tyres but then did on the used ones. So it's not like the best tyre performance that's possible.

Top speeds

HAM: 315 km/h, PER: 319 km/h, SAI: 322 km/h, LEC: 327 km/h

Ferrari ran the skinnier wing so being a bit faster is expected. Why LEC was 5 km/h faster than SAI I do not know. The only thing I can think off is that LEC had a better exit out of the last turn. Because it doesn't look like an engine thing to me.

Overall minisectors

please don't ask me why RB does not show up. IDK. I don't have much to say on this it's just here.

2022 vs 2023

This is the teams fastest laps from 2023 testing day 3 and the 2022 testing day 3. It's not the same drivers for RB and Merc because because they didn't both set representative laps. And SAI isn't included because his 2022 time wasn't representative.

Merc gained the most from last years testing to this years with 2s, Ferrari gained 1.3s and RB 1.4

Overall they all gained time YAY!

With Ferrari they clearly have more straight line speed but compared to 2022 the corner performance didn't necessarily get better. HOWEVER! Comparing LEC to LEC is a bit iffy because of the different track conditions but it looks the same when you compare LEC 2022 to SAI 2023. But I am a little bit inclined to put some of that blame on the track conditions and a lot of the blame on the skinny wing.

LEC vs SAI

Again, interestingly LEC has a much higher top speed. SAI gaining through some of the corners is pretty much expected considering the difference in track conditions and the lower temps increasing grip.

LEC loses a lot through the first corner but he also brakes way later and he has more top speed so that might've just been a mistake or a misjudgement.

To me (which doesn't mean much) SAIs lap doesn't look like a proper sandbag lap but he should be much faster considering the temps alone and to me he kinda isn't gaining enough through the corners for that.

So I just have to put it out there because I am going to repeat it a lot but I would expect a some what better cornering performance just because of the temps so in my head I am going to assume that it'll be better just because of that.

LEC vs PER

Ferrari is clearly faster on the straights, which again no surprise with the skinny wing and also no surprise

This is pretty hard to compare because again the different track conditions do a lot. And especially from LEC to PER the track got a lot better and colder.

Again the cornering performance of the Ferrari looks worse but it's primarily worse at the start of the lap. And honestly I find it interesting that people on twitter are drawing loads of conclusions about the Ferrari cornering performance from this because even with SAI I don't think you can directly compare it just because of the track temps.

But it's the slower corners where Ferrari is losing atm.

So in my very layman's opinion I don't think that this looks too bad considering the skinny wing and the track conditions.

LEC vs HAM

Again the Ferrari is much faster on the straights and HAM gains through the corners and especially in the first couple of slower ones.

And honestly my conclusion is the same as it was above.

TLDR:

This is a lot of data and I can't really tell you anything.

To me (again which doesn't mean much) it doesn't look bad. Especially with LECs lap there are so many factors that can explain the cornering performance. I do think that we might have a opposite situation to last year where now Ferrari is better on the straights than RB.

But looking at Ferraris top speed they can easily sacrifice a little of that for a bigger rear wing and there fore better cornering performance.

But all in all the fastest Ferrari time was set during completely different track conditions and anyone that is drawing too many conclusions from that is probably being a bit too quick.

Re race pace idk too much, Ferrari does look like they are having more deg but again skinnier wing so who knows how much a bigger wing could help with that.

In general a whole lot can change from today to next week and even more changes during the season.

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