Analysing the Size of Mercedes’ Speed Advantage over F1 Rivals

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 4, 2014

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There can be no doubt that Mercedes is the class of the Formula One field so far in 2014.

Two utterly commanding victories in the first two races have led to comparisons with Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's dominance in the second half of last season. And while the template of qualifying near the front, sprinting out to a large early lead and then controlling the race is familiar from 2013, this season is actually more reminiscent of 2009.



That year, Brawn GP exploited a new technical development—the double diffuser—to allow Jenson Button to build an early lead in the Drivers' Championship that proved insurmountable even once the other teams caught up. 

This year, Mercedes seems to have the total package under the new regulations, but when asked the best part of his car, Nico Rosberg told the official F1 website, "My power unit."  

The Mercedes PU106A Hybrid power unit does seem to be responsible for the majority of the team's advantage so far. In fact, four of the top five teams in the Constructors' Championship right now are Mercedes-powered.

Meanwhile, teams using the underpowered and unreliable Renault and the merely underpowered Ferrari engines are struggling.

But exactly how big is Mercedes' current advantage over their rivals?

Even Renault's head of track operations, Remi Taffin, cannot pinpoint an exact number, telling Autosport's Ben Anderson that, "Saying it is one second is difficult, but it is not one tenth. It is closer to a second than a tenth or a hundredth." 

Let's have a look at some of the data from the Malaysian Grand Prix to help give us an idea. 

First, here are the fastest laps for each of the top six teams in the current Constructors' standings:



No one is within one second of Lewis Hamilton's fastest time. However, Hamilton also made the last p...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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